Mt. Gox finds 200,000 missing bitcoins in unused wallet

(Credit:Bitcoin)

Mt. Gox has discovered 200,000 missing bitcoins in a wallet no longer in use, the troubled Bitcoin exchange announced Thursday, reducing the number of missing bitcoins from 850,000 to 650,000.

"We believed there were no bitcoins left in old wallets, but found 199,999.99 bitcoins on March 7," Mt. Gox Chief Executive Officer Mark Karpeles said in a document (PDF) released Thursday. Mt. Gox said it reported the discovery to attorneys on March 8 and moved the newfound bitcoins to offline storage.

Related storiesMt. Gox update lets users see their Bitcoin balancesNew Bitcoin glitch: Blockchain suffers hours-long outageDorian Nakamoto: Bitcoin was not my baby, period

Once one of the largest and most popular Bitcoin exchanges, Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy last month, saying it had lost nearly 750,000 customer bitcoins, as well as 100,000 of the exchange's own bitcoins, as a result of a security lapse. The discovery of the overlooked bitcoins apparently occurred before hackers hijacked and defaced Karpeles' Reddit account and personal blog with charges of fraud earlier this month.

Hackers accused the exchange of secretly keeping some of the coins allegedly stolen in the fraudulent withdrawals and posted data allegedly lifted from Mt. Gox servers they said backed up their claims. The data purportedly showed that 951,116 bitcoins had been deposited with the exchange, more than 100,000 more than Mt. Gox claimed to have lost.

The troubled exchange suspended customer withdrawals on February 7, claiming a fundamental flaw existed in Bitcoin that affected all transactions. Not long afterward, the exchange shut down altogether. Although Mt. Gox later apologized for the issue and said it had developed a workaround that would allow it to resume service, customers are still unable to make withdrawals.

Topics: Corporate and legal Tags: Mt. Gox, bitcoin

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Comcast's first transparency report reveals over 25,000 government data requests

Comcast must not want to feel left out as telcos begin publishing regular government data request statistics -- the cable giant has just posted its first transparency report. The document reveals that Comcast obeyed more than 25,000 government demands for info during 2013, including 24,698 criminal requests (such as warrants) and 961 emergency requests. There isn't as much detail for national security requests due to federal rules, but the report shows that Comcast isn't under quite as much scrutiny as its peers. The provider received less than 1,000 national security letters last year, while Verizon reported between 1,000 and 1,999; AT&T says it got between 2,000 and 2,999. The differences aren't surprising when Comcast has no cellular customers these days. However, those numbers are bound to grow if Comcast succeeds in buying Time Warner Cable.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Comcast (1), (2, PDF)

Tags: comcast, fisa, hdpostcross, internet, isp, nationalsecurityletter, privacy, security, surveillance, television, transparency, transparencyreport, tv Next: Twitter now shows you video previews inside its mobile apps .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Mt. Gox found 200,000 Bitcoin ($116 million) in an old wallet, should check its pockets

In a bit of news that's familiar to anyone who ever put on an old jacket and found $20 in the pocket, embattled Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has made a fortuitous discovery. The company announced (PDF) in Japan that it found 200,000 Bitcoin (worth nearly $116 million at the moment) in a wallet from 2011 that it no longer used. That's less than a quarter of the 850,000 Bitcoins CEO Mark Karpeles reported were missing, but at the moment, at least it's something. According to its statement, the coins were moved to online wallets on the 7th, and then to offline wallets on the 14th and 15th. The mystery of what happened to Mt. Gox's funds is still far from solved, but between this news and reports of updated balances for account holders, it seems possible that there's something to be recovered from the shuttered exchange. Next up, removing all of the cushions from the sofa and pulling it away from the wall.

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Source: Yahoo Japan, Wall Street Journal, Coindesk, Mt. Gox (PDF)

Tags: bankruptcy, bitcoin, japan, mt. gox, mt.gox, mtgox Next: Medium's new iPhone app helps you read (but not write) long articles .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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10,000 free folding microscopes traded for inspiring ideas

Stanford University's Manu Prakash is looking to give away Foldscopes to field testers with interesting ideas for using the 50-cent gadget.

by Michelle Starr March 14, 2014 2:51 PM PDT

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Fitbit has received nearly 10,000 reports of skin irritation from Force owners

Fitbit kicked off a refund program last month after learning its Force activity tracker caused skin irritation in a "small percentage" of users, and now we're finally getting a better sense of the situation. According to the official recall notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the company received around 9,900 reports of skin irritation and around 250 reports of blistering. The notice also points out that the recall affects about 1 million of the wearables in the United States and about 28,000 more in Canada. So what happens next? Well, the CPSC's stance is clear: contact the company and take the money.

"Whether you hear about this recall from the CPSC or Fitbit directly, take advantage of the refund right away," CPSC communications director Scott Wolfson told Engadget. "It's actually somewhat rare for firms that we deal with to provide a refund, especially a full refund."

The Commission also wants the company to inform as many of its customers of the recall as possible, and it doesn't seem thrilled with what Fitbit has accomplished so far. At time of writing, Fitbit's popular Twitter (77,700 followers) and Facebook (250,000 likes) accounts make no mention of the recall. That's not to say Fitbit is just sitting around though: a representative confirmed to us that it'll email all Force owners "over the next few weeks" to make sure they're aware of the situation.

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Source: CPSC

More Coverage: Consumerist

Tags: cpsc, fitbit, fitbitforce, force, recall, refund, skin Next: New HTC One sold on eBay in Verizon packaging for $500
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RadioShack plans to close over 1,000 'underperforming' stores

RadioShack's Super Bowl ad showing how cool and hip it is may've come a little too late, as the retailer has today announced its intention to close up to 1,100 "underperforming stores" across the US. The news was bundled in the company's 2013 financials, which tell a story of declining sales and continued losses. RadioShack's CEO blamed poor performance on "lower store traffic" and "intense promotional activity," among other things, but expressed faith in the retailer's changing brand identity to turn things around. On the up-side, the fancy new "Concept Stores" are allegedly going strong, and around 4,000 locations on top of the thousand-odd facing closure will continue to operate as usual. Perhaps some of those underperforming stores should've been cleared out in the 80s, after all.

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Via: The Wall Street Journal

Source: RadioShack

Tags: closure, financials, radioshack Next: XBMC looks to improve Android video playback with 'Gotham' beta .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Influx Raises $250,000 To Help Growing Startups Handle Customer Support Requests

For startups just beginning to gain traction, the joy (and relief) of watching user numbers grow can vanish as soon as support requests start coming in. If customers don’t get their queries answered quickly, it can negatively impact a fledgling company’s reputation. But responding to questions in a timely fashion is difficult when a startup is still run chiefly by its founders.

Australian company Influx recently received $250,000 in seed funding from Mark Harbottle and Leni Mayo, the founders of SitePoint.com and 99designs respectively, to help startups help their users.

Founder Mikey De Wildt wants the company to enable tech startups and other online businesses to provide quality customer support while they are scaling up. Influx’s services are currently available in Australia and it will use its seed funding to expand globally.

Many customer service support providers won’t work with startups because their customer enquiry volumes don’t yet meet their minimum requirement. Influx doesn’t require a minimum volume and offers its services for a flat fee starting from $199 a month, even when a startup gets more customer enquiries during a peak period. All of Influx’s customer service providers, who are currently based in Australia, speak English as a first language and have tech backgrounds. The company also provides weekly reports so startups can see what bugs customers are complaining about or which features they want added.

Founder Mikey De Wildt says that startups have several alternatives to customer service support providers, such as hiring a freelancer. But drawbacks include not being able to attract good candidates because you can only offer a few hours of work. While services like oDesk and Freelancer make it easy to find contract workers, many are only looking for short-term work and have to be trained in order to handle tech-specific customer questions.

“To address these issues faced by many developers and new project founders, Influx aims to disrupt the traditional structure of outsourcing customer support to bring all the benefits of outsourcing your customer support, whilst eliminating the disadvantages,” De Wildt told me in an email.

As Influx grows, it will start to hire more customer support staffers in key locations around the world. De Wildt says Monterrey, Mexico is one possibility because it has a strong startup scene and plenty of tech talent.

Influx’s core offering is an email-based customer support service that can scale with startups as they grow and it is already generating good revenue, says De Wildt. Influx will also start to offer additional features. Potential additions include authoring documentation so startups can ask the company to write a knowledge-base article for a one-time fee and live chat.

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UPDATED: Mt.Gox Files For Bankruptcy Protection, Says 850,000 Bitcoin Lost

Mt.Gox has filed for bankruptcy protection and has outstanding debt of about $63.6 million, a lawyer for the Bitcoin exchange said today during a press conference at the Tokyo District Court, reports the WSJ.

The company also disclosed that it had lost 850,000 units of Bitcoin, including 750,000 belonging to customers. That amount is worth about $477 million, based on current exchange rates.  

Founder Mark Karpeles later appeared and apologized with a bow, saying in Japanese that the Bitcoin was lost “due to weaknesses in the system.”

On Japanese TV. Subtitles read: “The 750,000 bitcoins we kept for users, (37,000 million yen), almost all gone.” pic.twitter.com/HZcx5lFsVI

— Jonathan Waller (

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Microsoft Sold 908,000 Xbox One Consoles In The US In December, Besting The PS4

According to NPD numbers published by Microsoft, 908,000 Xbox One consoles were sold in the United States in December. Microsoft had previously reported that its new console had sold 1 million units in its first day of availability globally, and 3 million through the end of 2013.

The console, which launched November 22nd, has seen lower aggregate sales than its rival, the Playstation 4. By year’s end, Playstation’s new console had sold 4.2 million units to Microsoft’s 3 million sum. However, the Playstation did come to the market slightly before Microsoft’s device, giving it an edge.

There is a war of numbers at play here: Both Sony and Microsoft want to shout the loudest about their sales, implicitly telling gamers that they are winning, and as such will warrant more developer attention and therefore sport a healthier platform in the end.

You can get pretty far into the weeds on the matter. As TechCrunch reported when Microsoft announced the 1 million figure:

Sony’s PlayStation 4 also sold over 1 million  units in 24 hours when it launched around a week ago. So far, the two console giants are neck and neck. However, there’s just one little detail Microsoft fails to mention in its PR: The Xbox One launched in a total of 13 countries, 11 more than the PlayStation 4.

As a final carrot to all of this, Microsoft sold 643,000 of its now dated Xbox 360 console in the month as well, meaning it sold north of 1.5 million consoles in the month in the country. Given the rising importance of the living room for digital platform companies as they pursue cross-device and interest services, you could call that number a win.

Sony for now retains that global sales lead. It will be interesting to see who leads come mid-year.

Top Image Credit: Flickr

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Devs ramp up development as DayZ passes 800,000 sales

byEarnest Cavallion Jan 6th 2014 4:00PM

0ArmA 2 mod turned standalone zombie apocalypse simulator DayZ has topped 800,000 sales less than a month after its Steam Early Access debut, an accomplishment that creator Dean Hall hopes will speed the game's ongoing development.

"We ([ArmA 2 developer Bohemia Interactive] and I) had very ambitious plans for 2014 already, however this amount of sales was completely unexpected," Hall said in a recent Reddit post shortly before DayZ hit the 800,000 sales mark. "Honestly, 250k within a quarter was what I would have considered a success. So to move nearly 800,000 in under a month is crazy." Hall's exuberance seems appropriate, given that less than a week ago the DayZ team was celebrating the sale of 400,000 copies of the game.

At a price point of $30 for the Steam Early Access version of the game, 800,000 copies sold adds up to $24 million. Even after you subtract the fees taken by Steam proprietor Valve Software, the cost of building the game, and other miscellaneous business expenses, that's a very sizable chunk of cash, which Hall believes will improve his team's ability to add new features to DayZ. "We'll be finalizing our roadmap in mid January, but it is safe to say that this kind of result will be having a very positive effect on that roadmap," Hall wrote.Reddit, RedditShareTags: arma-2, day-z, dayz, dean-hall, early-access, pc, sales, steam, valve, zombies.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px}Arma 2 InfoDescription

The 27th U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit have been deployed to the former soviet country of Chernarus in this third installment in the series of award winning PC war simulators from Bohemia Interactive, creators of Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and ARMA: Combat Operations.Force Reconnaissance Team “Razor” are among the first to fight. This elite five-man team are about to fall down the rabbit hole, trapped in a war not only for control of the country, but the hearts and minds of its people. With the might of the USMC offshore and the Russians anxiously watching from the north, the stakes couldn't be higher. The fate of Chernarus is balanced on a razor's edge...

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View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →

Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014

Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM

Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardware

Posted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM

Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013

Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM

EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq

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Digital Storm's $2,000 Steam Machine is a PC for the high-end market

byJessica Conditton Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM

0The Bolt 2, revealed today as a hybrid PC and Steam Machine, is not for the everyday market, Digital Storm Chief Brand Officer Harjit Chana told Joystiq at CES. The Bolt 2 will cost $1,900 when it launches later this month, and the system ranges in price from $1,500 to $2,800.

"Our brand itself is more about high-end systems," Chana said. "We're not really a more mainstream type of brand; we're focused on higher-tier. So that's where the Bolt 2 came in. We wanted to create a product that appeals to this type of market as a Steam Machine. Because obviously, when someone thinks of a Steam Machine, they think of something compact, hybrid – something they can place in their home theater environment as well."

The Bolt 2 is designed ideally for 4K gaming, with an eye on the future, Chana said.

"A $500 Steam Box isn't going to run a 4K TV," he said.

One $500 Steam Box, the SBX from iBuyPower, won't run 4K, but neither is it a PC. The SBX is presented as a console Steam Machine, while the Bolt 2 is very much a PC Steam Machine. The Bolt 2 launching in January won't ship with a Steam Controller, but it will have the option to install the beta of SteamOS, which anyone can download now. The true Steam Machine version of the Bolt 2, with the controller and SteamOS, will launch later in the year. The Bolt 2 will always run both SteamOS and Windows.

"The whole idea with it being such a high-end product, is we had to make it a hybrid because they're so high-end you can't just run SteamOS because SteamOS is still very limited, for what it is," Chana said.

There is a "pretty big" market for high-end gaming PCs, Digital Storm Senior Technician Robert Wall said. The Bolt 1 launched last year and did "extremely well," he noted:

"We've got a ton of great interest. Even online right now, there's tons of interest, people that want this."ShareTags: bolt-2, ces-2014, digital-storm, Linux, pc, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescription

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View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →

Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014

Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM

Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardware

Posted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM

Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013

Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM

EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq

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Sony Debuts 4K Camcorder That Costs Just $2,000

381SharesShareTweetShareWhat's This?By Pete Pachal2014-01-07 01:00:01 UTC

LAS VEGAS — If you're looking to produce real 4K video on the cheap, look no further than Sony's FDR-AX100 Handycam — a consumer 4K camcorder that costs a mere $1,999. That's less than half of Sony's "prosumer" 4K offering, which starts at $4,499.

The new 4K Handycam is also significantly more compact than the previous model — Sony says it's 46% smaller and 67% lighter. I got a little hands-on time with it, and it's definitely nice and light, although it's still a bit heavier than your typical full HD camera.

See also: 13 Tech Products That Stood Out in 2013

The AX100 captures 4K video (3,840 x 2,160) at 30 frames per second (fps) in the XAVC-S format, but it also can produce a second file, one that's lower-res and more shareable, in MP4 format. It's no slouch in full HD format either, able to capture 1,920 x 1,080 video at up to 120 frames per second for serious slow-motion footage.

Sony's Balanced Optical SteadyShot (BOSS) system reduces hand shake, ensuring the footage you record is as steady as possible, even when you've got the 12x zoom maxed out.

All this and wireless, too: You can pair the camcorder with a phone or tablet, which can act as a remote control via Wi-Fi. You can also transfer files, and the pairing process is painless if your phone has NFC — just tap and you're connected.

The large fold-out LCD screen also includes a projector (not 4K, of course) so you can show off your footage wherever you are. The projector even has automatic keystone correction so you'll still see a nice rectangle even if it's projecting at an angle.

Sony threw in a couple of new voice tricks, too: Premium Closer Voice will make a distant voice sound like it's closer than it is, while My Voice Canceling gets rid of the shooter's voice, in case you don't want your personal comments to show up on your daughter's ballet recital video.

The FDR-AX100 will be available in March.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Image: Mashable

CES 2014Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle

Unveiled today at CES, Toyota debuted it's latest Fuel Cell Vehicle concept car. Fuel cell vehicles combine pure hydrogen with air to create water, a reaction that also produces electricity. The fuel cell channels the electricity to a drive motor, powering the car.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenSamsung Curved Televisions

Samsung's U9000 UHD TVs feature a wider field of view and a balanced and uniform viewing distance across all areas of the screen. The company claims that a curved TV offers up to two times the enhanced contrast ratio of a flat TV in a normal viewing environment.

EyeLock Myris

The Eyelock Myris takes biometric security to the next level. Plug this device into your device's USB port, and it will scan your eye to grant access.

Image: Mashable, Kenny SuleimanagichLG G Flex

LG G Flex, the first curved phone with a "flexible" display, is moving out of the lab and into U.S. markets in the first quarter of 2014.

Image: Mashable, Will FenstermakerPanasonic Facial-Recognition TV

Panasonic has dropped the production of plasma TVs, instead focus efforts on increased levels of interaction. The Life+ will come in both 4K and 1080p, but the real feature of note is facial recognition.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenPebble Steel Debut

For CES 2014, Pebble is showing off its new Pebble 2.0 software, the Pebble app store and Pebble Steel, its premium smart watch. Like the original Pebble, the Pebble Steel is waterproof and has a battery life of 5 to 7 days. The e-paper display is the same, too — only now it's covered with Corning Gorilla Glass.

Image: PebbleThinkPad 8

The Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is sized to compete with the iPad Mini, but the comparison is only skin deep. Lance Ulanoff wonders if Windows 8.1 can compete with Android and iOS.

Image: MashableSharp's New Aquos Quattron+ TVs

Sharp's Aquos Quattron technology is capable of creating a picture that comes close to 4K, but from a 1080p set. The new TV's start at a decent price point – the SQ Q+ TVs start a $2,299.99 and the UQ models start at $2,999.99.

Image: MashablePhilips PicoPix PPX3610

Philips' new PicoPix PPX3610

Image: Mashable, Christina AscaniSchwinn CycleNav Smart Bike Navigator

Schwinn unveiled the CycleNav Smart Bike Navigator. Schwinn CycleNav is a free mobile application paired with a handlebar-mounted smart-bike navigation unit designed to give riders turn-by-turn audio and visual navigation from their handlebars.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenSOL Republic Relays

The SOL Republic Relays are designed to fill two niches: everyday wear and fitness wear. Mashable reporter Pete Pachal says they're some of the most comfortable he's worn.

Image: Mashable, Christina AscaniToshiba Chromebook

Toshiba joins the list of Chromebook manufacturers with a 13.3-inch netbook. While it isn't the largest-resolution Chromebook on the market, Toshiba's Chromebook has an impressive $279 price tag.

Image: Mashable, Christina AscaniSkulpt Aim

The Skulpt Aim, smaller than an iPhone, collects data when pressed against your muscles. Use it to track body-fat or set and share goals.

Image: SkulptJune bracelet

This smart bracelet, from Neatatmo, measures sun exposure and connects to iOS devices to let users know if they've had too much (or too little) sun.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenTao exercise device

The Tao coaches you through 50 exercises related to isometrics — the science of applying pressure, which is the basis of many popular workouts such as pilates and plank exercising — and adds a gaming element.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenWithings Aura Sleep System

Withings sleep system works with a pressure-sensitive pad and a light system that measures the appropriate time to wake you and the appropriate hues for falling asleep and waking up.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenSphero 2B

At CES Unveiled, Sphero introduced the 2B model, the second model of the popular Orbotix toy.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenKolibree Smart Toothbrush

Kolibree introduced a smart toothbrush that monitors user's brushing habits and let's them keep track of their routines on an app.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenDrones, everywhere

Any CES wouldn't be complete without a fleet of drones. Parrot introduced a minidrone model at CES Unveiled.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenChevy Brings 4G LTE to Cars

Chevrolet announced it is bringing 4G LTE to its OnStar infotainment system.

The 2015 Corvette Stingray has a performance data recorder which allows drivers to record hi-definition video and share with friends.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-HansenTopics:4k, camcorders, CES, Gadgets, sony, TechLoad CommentsPowered by LivefyreWhat's HotMore in TechThe New StuffThe Next Big ThingWhat's HotThe New StuffThe Next Big ThingWhat's HotAbout UsJobsAdvertiseSubscribePrivacyTermsMashableis the largest independent online news site dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology. With more than 20 million unique monthly visitors, Mashable has one of the most engaged online news communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.©2005-2014Mashable, Inc.Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.Designed in collaboration with Code & Theory

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HP woes continue as 5,000 more employees face the axe (updated)

It certainly won't be a happy new year for thousands of HP employees -- not when the company has increased its layoff numbers yet again. Hewlett-Packard already adjusted the number of people it needed to let go from 27,000 to 29,000 a year ago, but it's now added another 5,000 to the total. According to HP's new SEC 10-K filing, cutting off 34,000 positions will save the ailing firm $4.1 billion per fiscal year. Since the company's only done removing 24,600 people, it's bound to let go of 9,000 more until October 2014. The good news (for everyone left anyway) is that CEO Meg Whitman has promised that this will be the last big round of layoffs. HP's undergone several management changes and restructuring efforts these past few years, though, so here's hoping Whitman's words hold true.

Update (01/01/14): An HP spokesperson reached out and clarified that the company has known it'd likely go beyond 29,000 since early 2013. A SEC filing from March last year states that "the total expected headcount reductions could vary as much as 15% from

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Nine Music Labels Plan To Sue Vkontakte, The Facebook Of Russia, Over 6,000 Illegal Tracks

Vkontakte, a social networking site known as the “Facebook of Russia”, is facing legal action from nine music labels including EMI, Sony and Warner over what they claim is the unlawful distribution of some 6,000 tracks of licensed music on the site from artists like Madonna, Linkin Park, Metallica and Beyonce. The lawsuits are being prepared for filing after the holidays, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Vkontakte, says the site is prepared to negotiate with them, as it has with video rightsholders. “If some music companies wish their content to be deleted from VK, we, as always, are willing to comply with their wish,” he told TechCrunch. “On the other hand, we are also ready to seek mutually beneficial ways to monetize their content. This year we managed to find such a solution for video content and we are optimistic about the audio section of VK as well.

“Of course, if no agreement with large record companies is reached, their content will be deleted and VK music service will rely mostly on independent artists.”

If the suits go ahead, they look like they may be some of the first big moves from music rightsholders to go after a major site in the wake of a new anti-piracy law in the country designed to protect copyright better.

That law originally was aimed to focus more on video content but there are some who hope to extend it to include music. The law enforces improved communication by requiring site owners to provide easy-to-find contact details, including real-world addresses, and forms for rightsholders to file complaints faster. If a site fails to comply with an infringement complaint, it faces a block at the ISP level.

Leonid Agronov, the head of Russia’s National Federation of the Music Industry (Russia’s RIAA), told Izvestia that his organization has long been trying to negotiate with Vkontakte over music distributed through its site. The NFMI claims that Vkontakte does not pay for streamed plays, neither by charging users directly nor by paying the licensing fee directly. But that does not mean that the social network is not profiting.

“

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Preorder an unofficial Iron Man suit for $2,000

This shows off the 3D-printed prototype suit.

(Credit:Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)

Behold the ultimate Iron Man collectible, a wearable full-body armor suit complete with glowing lights in all the right places. Iron Man Factory, based out of a Beijing design workshop, is hoping at least 5,000 people will plunk down $2,000 each for a Mark III suit of their very own.

The suits will be crafted from injection-molded pieces made with reinforced polymer. A sensor on the side of the helmet will open and close the face mask. Battery-powered LED lights provide the glow. Unfortunately, there are some size restrictions. It will only fit people between 5 feet 6 inches and 6 feet 1 inch tall. That leaves me out of the fun, unless I want to buy one anyway and just stare at it longingly.

If you do decide to preorder, you will have a bit of a wait in front of you. First, Iron Man Factory says it needs all those preorders before going into production. Once that's achieved, it will take up to eight months to make the suits and get them shipped.

Related storiesTeen's amazing DIY Iron Man suit is superhero chicMilitary hunts for real-life Iron Man armorFunctional Iron Man gauntlet zaps enemy balloonsLife-size Iron Man figure will watch over you for $8,500

If that's too long to wait, you can speed things up by ordering a 3D-printed version for a whole lot more money ($35,000) that will take about four months to get to you.

Potential customers have queried Iron Man Factory about the possibility of legal action from Marvel against its unofficial suits. The response was, "We will only charge your credit card when your order is shipped and we will still ship out all orders no matter what."

The price tag isn't insane for a complex costume with working lights and an automated helmet. Personally, I would sleep better knowing there are 5,000 people out there in world walking around looking just like Iron Man. Check out this video of the 3D-printed prototype in action:

Topics: Entertainment, Fashion, Geek culture Tags: Iron Man, Marvel, Iron Man Factory

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