Valve updating select Steam games with system requirements for Linux users

Linux for Steam might not be ready for mass consumption just yet, but we're now able to get an idea of what system requirements will be for some of the platform's games. Valve has updated select titles with Tux-friendly specifications. While some games don't appear to require a specific distro, Ubuntu appears to be the most supported thus far. If you plan on heading over to Steam's site to see if your setup cuts the mustard, double dippers be warned -- it seems that non-Linux machines will not display system requirements. We're guessing the masses will see something like the screengrab above as time marches on, though.

[Source: Engadget]

Sony and Box extend BFF status, offer 50GB free storage to Xperia owners through 2013

When Sony and Box came together last year to offer Xperia owners a tantalizing deal of 50GB of free storage for life, the promotion was only set to run for a year. Now that shopping season is upon us once more, however, the holiday spirit must've moved them to extend the partnership for yet another year -- that, or Sony needs any edge it can to move those Xperia devices to consumer hands. Just as with the prior promo, Xperia and Sony tablet users can snag 50 gigs of cloud storage completely gratis just by signing up or tapping into existing Box accounts on their devices before December 31st 2013. However, do note that the offer doesn't extend to the Xperia X10 mini, the X10 mini pro and anything that has firmware older than Android 2.1. Now that Sony has this going for two years straight, maybe they should extend this to a lifetime scenario, or as long as Box sticks around to offer up that sweet storage in the sky.

[Source: Engadget]

Western Digital offers 8TB version of its My Book Live Duo NAS

Western Digital is mightily proud of its new 4TB hard drives, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see them winding up in the company's range of external storage products. The latest to get the spec bump is the My Book Live Duo, the dual-drive RAID box that promises to keep your memories safe should the worst happen. The range-topping 8TB edition will set you back $660, but if your credit card isn't that elastic, you can snag a 6TB unit for $440 and a 4TB box for $375.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon publishes vague numbers surrounding Appstore performance, but they're sure looking good

At this point, expecting Amazon to actually divulge genuine numbers surrounding its Kindle business would be akin to expecting that so-called "fiscal cliff" to just vanish overnight. That said, the company's playing a little less coy than usual in a new press release that announces A/B testing capabilities for app developers. The useful nuggets are here: app downloads in the Appstore have grown more than 500 percent over the previous year, and the number of GameCircle enabled games available on Kindle Fire has more than doubled since the launch of Kindle Fire HD.

[Source: Engadget]

YouTube brings its guide feature to all devices, provides easier access to subscribed content

The folks working at YouTube are quite the busy little bees, updating apps, adding content and refreshing the site's look. Today, the site's rolling out its guide feature through YouTube.com and every YouTube app there is. The video site first introduced the guide last year on its web portal, allowing folks an easy way to keep track of new videos on their subscribed channels. Now, Android, iPhone, PS3, Google TV and other YouTube apps are getting the feature, plus the website's getting a fresh new look as well. You can get a better look at the new page layout after the break, and there's more info about the changes at the source below.

 [Source: Engadget]

Apple quietly hires security guru who may have saved Windows Vista

Apple has had to take security more seriously when a larger user base and the cloud have opened up greater risks. Thanks to a just-discovered hire, we now know 1 Infinite Loop isn't messing around. While many of us were fixated on new iPhones in September, the company was quietly recruiting Kristin Paget as a Core OS Security Researcher. She's had stints at eBay and Google, but she's best-known for helping Microsoft while she was a security researcher at IOActive: not only did her team burst the bubble of Windows Vista engineers who thought their code was airtight, the group ultimately delayed the entire OS release to get security up to snuff. Given that Vista avoided most of the malware chaos that affected Windows XP even after Service Pack 2, Paget bodes well for the future protection of Apple's platforms. Just don't expect her to talk shop when she's a security expert at a firm that tends to really, really value its secrecy.

[Source: Engadget]

Sony launches web store for PlayStation games, movies and TV shows

Catching up to Microsoft's own web-based Xbox store, Sony's unleashed a new online store for its movie, TV and video content-- but neglected to mention it. Titled the Sony Entertainment Network, and separate to its own book store we were able to login to the UK site and found that content pricing matched what we've seen on the PlayStation Store and other Sony digital shops. As an example, the complete Mass Effect trilogy rings in at £60 ($96), although Sony is kind enough to offer links to discounted titles, PlayStation Plus highlights and other offers at the top of the browsing sidebar -- Tokyo Jungle is today's holiday deal at £5 ($8). Purchases can be done through the store, with the product downloaded to your game console when it's turned on next. Video content, meanwhile, can be purchased and then played on your PC, as well as on the PlayStation 3, PS Vita,PSP, Sony Tablets and compatible Xperia smartphones. Even if you're balking at some of those early prices, it might be worth browsing through some more palatable festive deals by visiting the source below. We'll have more when we hear the official line from Sony.

[Source: Engadget]

Google Apps discontinues basic package, asks new customers to pony up $50 per user for premium

Looking towards Mountain View to provide a suite of digital tools for your new business? Make sure to pen per-user costs into your ledger -- Google Apps isn't free anymore. According to Google's enterprise blog, the basic Google Apps package is being abandoned to streamline the service, offering businesses a single, $50 per user option that promises 24/7 phone support, 25GB inboxes and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Pre-existing free customers can still hum along unmolested, of course, and the standard pricing doesn't apply to schools or universities, either. Personal Google accounts are still free too, doling out gratis Gmail and Drive access to anyone with a unique user name. The team hopes that streamlining the Apps will allow it to provide better service, possibly offering enterprise users new features on a faster timetable.

[Source: Engadget]

AMD cuts silicon wafer order by three quarters, gets a nasty fine

If you're in need of a concrete example of how the chip-making industry is trickier than ever, and how it rewards scale at the expense of flexibility, then please, look no further. AMD has just significantly reduced its order for silicon wafers from it sold mate Globalfoundries, in an effort to avoid the inventory surpluses and write-downs that have recently plagued its balance sheet. Instead of buying the originally agreed $500 million-worth of cake trays this quarter, it's now committed to spending just $115 million. Except it was never, ever gonna be that simple. In lieu of reneging on its contract at short notice, AMD will have to pay Globalfoundries a $320 million penalty on top, bringing the final cost of the deal to just $65 million less than what it would have paid for the full order.

[Source: Engadget]

Kindle Fire HD 7.2.2 update adds Camera app, Swype along with FreeTime Unlimited

Liked the sound of Kindle FreeTime Unlimited? Well it turns out that's not the only new goodie on the way. Software update 7.2.2 for the seven-inch Kindle Fire HD also brings a few other bonuses. First up, is a Camera app, to let you take mug-shots with that front-facing shooter, while the keyboard gets a boost with added Swype functionality. The update should come over the air automatically, but if that's not the case -- or, like us, you're not the patient type -- then you can manually initiate a software sync. More details on that can be found in the source.

[Source: Engadget]

Xbox SmartGlass app updated with iPhone 5 optimization

You've got your fancy new iPhone 5, and you've got the Xbox SmartGlass app, but who wants those silly black bars on the sides? Certainly not you, aesthetic savant, which is why you'll be glad to hear that Microsoft's latest update to the SmartGlass app optimizes it for use with the iPhone 5's taller, 16x9 screen. Aside from device support expansion, the update also includes the ambiguous "bug fixes." No broken bugs for you, only fixed ones! The Xbox SmartGlass app launched earlier this year for Windows Phone 8, Android and iOS, with a staggered rollout across the various mobile ecosystems. Beyond just allowing for basic Xbox 360 control via mobile, SmartGlass propagates rich content to your second screen in-tandem with some software, from games to streaming video.

[Source: Engadget]

Google Now updated with more travel-minded features, expanded voice search

It's already been a fairly big year for Google Now, but the folks in Mountain View have at least one more update in store before we roll into 2013. The company's today released an updated version of its Google Search app for Android that adds a number of new features designed largely with travellers in mind. That includes the ability to tell you the weather at your destination, automatically pull up your boarding pass at the airport (albeit only for United flights at the moment), inform you about nearby events, and offer more information about things like artwork at museums using Google Goggles. Alongside those updates are a number of additions to the voice search component, including the ability to search for the name of a track that's playing by saying "what's this song?" or look up additional information on a product by saying "scan this barcode."

[Source: Engadget]