Apple, Samsung present closing arguments

Apple, Samsung present closing arguments

The only question now is who walks away victorious

The epic patent battle between Apple and Samsung finally drew to a close Thursday as both sides presented their closing arguments with the signature flare and rehashed arguments that have marked this four-week old trial.

Before the lawyers could get to talking, the jury walked into a nightmare today as a 109 page document outlining their instructions, to be put into affect as they enter deliberations Wednesday, was handed to them.

"I need everyone to stay conscious during the reading of the jury instructions, including myself," U.S. District judge Lucy Koh reportedly said. "[We're] going to periodically stand up, just to make sure we're all alive."

Koh managed to whittle the case's verdict document down from 22 to 20 pages, through how many of the 700+ questions she was able to knock off remains unclear.

In all, 84 instructions were read, covering everything from patent law to trade dress to how to determine whether Samsung's products were "substantially the same" as Apple's designs.

Once the judge and jury got through the lengthy instructions, four hours of closing arguments commenced.

'iPhone's biggest fan'

First up was Apple, with counsel Henry McElhinny centering his elocution on creating a chronology for the jury.

"If you want to find out what really happened, if you want to see the truth, you need to make a chronology," Apple attorney Henry McElhinny reportedly said.

He then laid out exactly how Samsung copied and profited from Apple's designs.

Between 2004 and 2007, the South Korean company produced phones that in no way resembled the iPhone, he said.

However, once the company saw the shocking impact Apple's iOS device had on the world, they wanted a piece of the profits.

How were they going to achieve that? By copying four years of development work by Apple in three months.

Suddenly, Samsung's profits soared, McElhinny argued, thanks to the product of its plagiarizing, the Galaxy S, born of the company's top echelons scheming to copy the "world's most successful product."

McElhinny turned to a court document presented as evidence almost two weeks ago, an internal Samsung memo providing a side-by-side comparison of the iPhone and the Galaxy SI.

Referred to by Samsung as a "relative evaluation report," or a standard rundown of competitors' devices, McElhinny used it as venom against the corporation.

"They sat with the iPhone and went feature by feature, copying it to the smallest detail," he said.

"In those critical three months, Samsung was able to copy and incorporate the core part of Apple's four-year investment without taking any of the risks, because they were copying the world's most successful product."

Apple confronted Samsung about the infringement, McElhinny said, as evidence of a rejected licensing agreement can attest to.

However, Samsung rejected Apple's efforts for compromise and filed its own suit against Apple, taking "us down the road that has led us to this courthouse."

Where are your execs?

McElhinny also noted that his company brought two of Apple's most senior executives – Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, and Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS – to testify, while Samsung led no executives to the witness stand.

"From the very beginning, Samsung has disrespected the process," McElhinny said. "Apple brought you two of its most senior executives: Schiller and Forstall. They were filling to face cross.

"No Samsung execs were willing to come here from Korea and answer questions under oath. Instead of witnesses, they sent you lawyers."

To Samsung's point that Apple's designs, like flat screens and rounded corners, are obvious, functional and based on prior art, McElhinny maintained Samsung failed to provide any proof that's the case or to even frame a legal standard for obviousness.

The number don't lie

After calling Samsung "the iPhone's biggest fan," McElhinny moved to Apple's trade dress claims against the company, referencing documents that showed "real world confusion" among consumers who mistook Samsung devices for iOS handsets.

Samsung not only succeeded in profiting off of their copycat enterprises, they managed to dilute Apple's market recognition in the process, and opened the door for others to do the same.

As to Samsung's claims several of Apple's utility patents, like the one covering the "bounce-back" feature, McElhinny said Samsung failed to prove its case.

Samsung, he concluded, recklessly ripped off a major competitor after it was warned by others that its designs were unquestionably similar to Apple's designs.

Besides the timeline of Samsung's success, the other factor that's hard to ignore are the numbers.

According to McElhinny, Samsung sold 22.7 million devices that infringe on Apple's patent to date. From those, Samsung has made $8.160 billion (£5.174) in revenue.

He presented four damages scenarios based on what Apple lost, what Samsung gained and what a "reasonable royalty portion" would look like.

The damages range from $519 million (£329) to $2.481 billion (£1.573). It will be up to the jury to decide how much, if any, Apple receives from Samsung.

Samsung's last stand

Samsung attorney Charles Verhoeven nearly ran out of time as he spent the majority of his two hours attempting to discredit Apple's "hired guns" and make a play for healthy competition.

Awarding Apple any damages could "change the way completion works in this country," Verhoeven reportedly told the jury.

Apple chose the courtroom to pick its battle, not the marketplace, he argued, punishing Samsung for its attempts to give consumers products they wanted.

The designs and technologies Apple claims it owns, he said, are products of the evolution of technology, not Apple's innovation.

Walk through Best Buy, he urged, and find devices that don't have flat screens set in rectangular shapes.

"Apple thinks it's entitled to have a monopoly on a rounded rectangle with a touchscreen," he said.

Consumers chose Samsung's devices, he said, and each has distinct Samsung markers, like unique user interface icons and an Android startup sequence, that distinguished its from Apple's products.

Furthermore, Apple selectively picked which devices it deemed in design violation, presenting a board strewn with rectangular frames and rounded corners, Samsung phones Apple left out of this case.

"Apple didn't invent touchscreen technology," he said.

The damages Apple's seeking are "ridiculous," Verhoeven concluded, figures concocted by erroneous witnesses.

Before he wrapped, Verhoeven said Samsung never copied Apple nor did any business with malintent.

Apple's assertions that Samsung is a "copiest" was a deliberate play on Apple's attorney's part to mislead the jury.

A is for rebuke

Apple attorney William Lee presented Apple's rebuttal, providing an lawyers' adage that attorneys who don't have a case spend their time attacking the other side's witnesses and counsel.

He simply stated Apple had no designs to stymie competition and reminded the jury how much Samsung profited from a deliberate plan to copy the Cupertino company.

The jury reconvenes Wednesday at 9 a.m.(PST) to begin deliberations.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Rovio hires three for North American office

Not content with unveiling a game in which members of Green Day become pigs, Angry Birds maker Rovio announced three high level hires to its new North American office today, suggesting that the company is taking its beachhead in the US very seriously indeed.

Yesterday’s news of a Green Day-themed version of the popular Angry Birds game may just be the start of a whole new round of Angry invasion of American popular culture, it seems. Finnish game studio Rovio Entertainment, the organization that loosed the birds and their pig nemeses onto the world at large, has made three important hires for it’s newly-opened Los Angeles office that suggest that, when it comes to Angry Birds domination, we ain’t seen nothing yet.

According to a report in the Hollywood Reporter today, Rovio has brought Rachel Webber, Michele Tobin and Naz Cuevas on board to work in the Santa Monica office. Those names likely aren’t too familiar to you, but where each of those three have come from will be. For example, Webber was previously in charge of managing relationships at Tumblr before becoming the company’s Head of Business Development for North America, responsible, in part, for the construction of Rovio’s planned video animation division. Similarly, Cuevas – now Rovio’s Senior Director of Consumer Products and Retail Strategy, and the man responsible for keeping the 1000+ company who have licensed the rights to the Angry Birds brand for use in everything from clothing to candy and back again both happy and in line with the company’s view of what the characters should, and shouldn’t, be able to do – had a former life as Senior Manager at the licensing division of Freemantle Media, the company behind American Idol and America’s Got Talent.

Perhaps most impressively, Tobin had been responsible for the Entertainment division of Millennial Media, another unfamiliar name but an award-winning, Inc. 500 company responsible for mobile advertising with a client base that includes Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble and AOL, amongst many others; her new role will see her building both more partnerships with outside companies as well as what’s being described as “a direct sales pipeline with the biggest brands in the US.”

In joining Rovio, the three will work under Andrew Stalbow, Rovio’s General Manager of North America. In a statement announcing the hires today, Stalbow placed emphasis on the ambition to grow Rovio from a video game company to a force to be reckoned with in mainstream entertainment: “As an entertainment company spanning games, animations, consumer products, retail and media partnerships, it’s natural for us to expand our reach in North America out of Santa Monica. We’re thrilled to announce the hiring of Rachel, Michele and Naz as we work with our partners in the United States to execute our strategy of delivering incredible experiences for our fans,” he said.

Rovio has already made a great deal of headway into the exploitation of the Angry Birds brand; having these three join the company and spearhead its North American growth, it looks as if the company is planning on continuing to grow as fast as possible. Soon, you won’t be able to get away from the idea that all pigs are thieving monsters.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

OnLive rebooted: What went wrong?

I remember the first time I saw OnLive demoed for me. Three years ago, I was ushered into a conference room on Manhattan's Midtown East neighborhood and saw Crysis running of the cloud gaming service's network. It looked impressive, sure, but there could have been all sorts of tomfoolery going on to make the streaming look that good. But when I demoed it at my own desk some months later, I had to admit that the experience was better than expected. Damn if the thing didn't work pretty well. Damn if they didn't invent something that really didn't exist before.

Then it all went pear-shaped.

The saga of OnLive took surprising turns over the weekend as the company went from suddenly not existing anymore to a hollowed-out version announcing that it was still operating. While you can't have a funeral for OnLive since the service is continuing, it's still arguably the end of an era. Some small part of me always rooted for OnLive, despite experiencing firsthand the challenges that the cloud gaming service faced. The key component of OnLive—streaming games hosted on servers elsewhere—worked but it was met by obstacles on nearly every side.

When I reviewed the company's micro-console more than a year ago, I was locked out because my cable bandwidth was so terrible. This was despite the fact that it exceeded the minimum standards set by OnLive. Those hiccups got ironed out but the microconsole was still limited to a hardwired Ethernet connection. The lack of WiFi in a gaming device felt annoyingly backward. A year later, that hasn't changed.

Nevertheless, once you got onto OnLive, the catalog of games was dwarfed by what you could access in a game store or, worse, Steam. The offerings did get better with time and it was more common to see big releases like NBA 2K12, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Darksiders II launch on OnLive on their dates of release. But it still seemed like a perpetual game of catch-up.

Another problem with OnLive was the way that they tried to position themselves. No exec or PR person I ever spoke to at the old OnLive ever fooled themselves that they'd replace the Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii. They saw themselves as additive, a place where you could sample games before you bought them or rent titles without having to wait on the mail.

OnLive always seemed like an alternative and not like a main destination, which was sort of refreshingly blunt, but it also made them easy to ignore or forget. The smart-TV partnerships that OnLive struck up with Vizio, LG and other manufacturers gave OnLive another entry point into the living room, but those deals would also be vulnerable to the quality of broadband. And in each of those deals, OnLive was just another bullet point in a long list of similar features. Hard to muster a reaction stronger than, "Oh yeah, OnLive…" when it's presented like that.

There was slightly more wow associated with the company's moves on tablet platforms, though. When OnLive's controller-and-app combo launched last year, it looked like a great way to get the kinds of deep, rich AAA game experiences that were sorely lacking on bigger-screened handhelds. I tried it on iPad and really liked it.

But while an Android launch spread out amongst that operating system's various devices, an iOS offering never materialized. OnLive never commented on the delay and what might be behind it but I think it's reasonable to speculate that they ran afoul of Apple's restrictions on in-app purchases. Apple wants all in-app purchases to run through their App Store infrastructure and the ultimate stumbling point may have been a failure to get OnLive's in-client economy to fall along those strict Apple guidelines. Whatever the reason, OnLive found themselves with no way into the ecosystem of Apple's incredibly popular iDevices. Not a great place to be.

A well-received foray in cloud-based productivity called OnLive Desktop followed, using OnLive's streaming tech to host access to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and other programs. But games were the company's main focus. And the recent announcement that OnLive would be appearing on the Ouya console seemed like another chance for them to grab the precious eyeballs they needed to stay viable.

But then the crumbling and rebirth happened.

OnLive's latest mutation isn't the end of the affair by any means. What Lauder Partners has invested in is a company that reportedly still owns the servers, patents and partnerships that the old OnLive did, with a fraction of the operating costs. That makes them even more attractive to potential buyers than they were before. Picking up OnLive would be a no-brainer for Microsoft, especially if they want to be on equal footing after Sony's purchase of rival cloud-gaming outfit Gaikai.

But a juicier fantasy would be an acquisition by Google. The search giant's server infrastructure would probably help mitigate OnLive's network problems and Google would get a distribution pipeline for Google Play content that's already optimized for gaming. The two companies already have a pact in place and OnLive might even thrive as part of the Google Fiber initiative. Valve's already working on its Big Picture offering, so it seems unlikely that they'd want to acquire OnLive to integrate it into something that's already well underway.

Someone somewhere might wind up buying OnLive in its newer, leaner form. But if the service is ever going to reach its full potential, it's going to have to be a buyer that can address the problems—building a catalog, optimizing bandwidth, establishing a real foothold in living rooms and mobile platforms—that plagued OnLive's previous incarnation. OnLive still probably points the way to video games' future, but it's going to an extremely bumpy ride for the company to get there at all.

Republished with permission. Evan Narcisse is a contributing editor at Kotaku.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Google Play gift cards now available at GameStop, RadioShack, Target

Get excited, people: Google Play gift cards are now for sale at Target, GameStop, and RadioShack.

Holy crap, guys. Guess what. No, guess. Go ahead, guess. Wrong! You can now buy Google Play gift cards! Isn’t that exciting? Guys?

Oh well, that’s the news — news we saw coming almost a week ago. Google has partnered with Target, GameStop, and RadioShack to sell $10, $25, and $50 gift cards for its Google Play digital marketplace, where you can buy Android apps, movies, music, movies and TV shows, and digital magazines.

Perhaps more interesting is what you may not do with your Google Play gift card. You may not use your Google Play gift card to purchase “Android app subscriptions, magazine subscriptions, or hardware and accessory purchases.,” according to Google.

Also, according to the Google Play gift card terms of service — yes, everything has a terms of service — Google Play gift cards may not be used by any one under the age of 13. Why? Because, technically, no one under the age of 13 is allowed to make purchases through Google Play at all. Further, Google Play gift card owners between the ages of 13 and 17 may only make purchases on Google Play with their gift card — anything that costs more than your gift card balance is out of reach thanks to rules with Google Wallet, to which your Google Play gift card connects.

In other riveting gift card news, Walmart is now offering $100 iTunes gift cards for just $80. As Fortune’s Apple guru Philip Elmer-Dewitt explains, the only caveat is that you have to give your personal information — name, email address, and payment info — to Walmart, which can then use it for its own purposes, or that of its subsidiary companies. It cannot, however, sell your identity to third-parties.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

September 21: when we'll see iPhone 5 in stores?

September 21: when we'll see iPhone 5 in stores?

Good luck getting your hands on one September 21

The iPhone 5 could be in stores just 10 tens after the device is revealed, if a Verizon source is to be believed.

The anonymous source, a Verizon employee, said the company is restricting all staff from taking vacation days between Friday, September 21 and Friday, September 30.

Pre-orders for the next-gen iPhone are supposedly happening the same day the smartphone is unveiled, or Wednesday, September 12.

Though the news of an all-hands-on-deck week Verizon could mean a number of things, the likelihood that its linked to the public launch of the next iPhone is a distinct possibility.

In iPad news

Verizon employees might be missing out on downtime, but some European retailers have had Apple breathing down their necks for some months.

According to anonymous sources, Apple has told a number of European Apple Premium Resellers to make more room for the company’s tablet line, with the order reportedly coming down three months ago.

The shuffling and clearing of space of current models could signal the imminent arrival of the iPad Mini, which the industry expects will be introduced alongside the iPhone 5.

One source said resellers have until September 12 to rearrange their stores as Apple's clamping down on them to make room.

Though it’s still speculative as to why the decision to reallocate store space is happening, retailers are taking the orders seriously, with one location reporting that its iPad space has tripled.

Others note products like Mac Pro, Mac mini and iPods and other accessories are disappearing or are completely gone from stores.

While it was long believed the reveal date for the Mini might the same as the iPhone 5, various reports now have the tablet dropping in October.

Whenever the iPad Mini or the iPhone 5 come, these consumer-facing location shakeups can only add to the ever-growing hype surrounding the new iOS devices.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Marvel gets meta: Deadpool knows he’s in a game

deadpool hostage activision marvel hero video game

Marvel’s Deadpool game will have a number of twists, not the least of which is that the protagonist knows he exists within a video game. And he’s ready to have fun with it.

High Moon Studios has already shown what it can do with licensed material, having worked with the Bourne and Transformers franchises. Now the Activision-owned studio is targeting its first comic book license, bringing the Merc with the Mouth to Mature-rated life. Marvel’s Deadpool stands out from the super hero crowd for many reasons, including his ability to say whatever he wants and do whatever he feels like doing.

“Deadpool is a character who knows he’s a comic book character, and in our case he knows he’s a comic book character in a videogame,” said Sean Miller, game director on the Marvel project at High Moon Studios. “He’s making this game for himself. This is a game that he wants to play. The takeaway from that is that he really lets us do things that we can’t do in a lot of other games in the Marvel universe. He talks a lot. He’s irreverent. He’s funny. He’s a wise ass. He’s also really powerful. There’s no other character that loves kicking ass and getting paid for it — and eating chimichangas — more than Deadpool.”

Deadpool’s superhuman healing power, which he got from Wolverine, allows him to take intense amounts of damage. The game will feature this ability, showing first the damage and then the healing. This will include the dismemberment and all the outlandish stuff from the comic books.

“Deadpool is a martial artist and a swordsman,” said Miller. “What’s cool about this for us is that Deadpool isn’t just restricted to knives or swords or guns. It’s about using all those things, and it’s about changing the way that you play the game based on what it is that you’re using. So the seamless transition between gun play and melee is really important to us.”

In the comics, Deadpool is known for being insane. In the game, he literally will have multiple voices in his head to show this split personality. The developer is embracing this antihero as the ultimate case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. In fact, the character will learn things from listening to his different voices, just as the player will. And this dialogue, as shown in the early build, was very funny. So players will be laughing while they’re slicing and dicing enemies, or blowing them away with really huge guns.

deadpool gunpoint marvel hero activision game“Because the voices inside his head don’t know what the other one knows, there’s some great fun in the conversations that he has with himself,” said Miller. “As a character who knows he’s in a videogame, he’s also aware that you have the controller in your hand. His fate is tied to the way you play the game, so he’s going to be playing with you while you’re playing with him. Those extra voices actually do a good job of giving us another way to explore who Deadpool is and how you interact with him.”

In sticking with his comic-book personality, Deadpool will make quips and remark on just about everything that happens in the game. He’s got quite the personalities. And since he’s the star of this show, everything is seen from his perspective, through his filter. High Moon promises that other Marvel characters will appear in this adventure, although they’re only confirming Psylocke at the moment. These characters may look different than fans are used to, since Deadpool has enhanced or modified things based on his unique perspective.

“Like in many of the comics, the level starts with Deadpool as a mercenary on a mission,” said Miller. “This is not a Deadpool team-up. This is not a Deadpool X-Force thing. This is a Deadpool game. He’s been paid to assassinate a crazy billionaire media mogul, who has got his own personal militia. He’s been doing some things that are not quite right, so somebody has paid Deadpool to go and kill him. This becomes the impetus that brings Deadpool into a much larger story.”

High Moon is working with Marvel comic book writer Daniel Wayne, who’s penned the last six years of Deadpool, to create a unique story that fits in with the current Marvel Universe. And it’s a story that only Deadpool can solve. The story spans everything from the world everyone knows to some places that Marvel fans will be very familiar with.

The demo showcased why Deadpool will be one of the rare Marvel games that’s rated Mature. The Punisher was the last game to push the violence quotient that high. But while that game was somber and dark, Deadpool is funny and gory. His personality, as brought to life by actor Nolan North, makes the blood and bullets seem a bit less deadly. It’s so over-the-top that the game doesn’t get dragged down into any type of darkness. It’s violent, but funny. And you want to pull that trigger or use those swords just to hear what his voices will say next.

deadpool enemies activision marvel hero game“The game has a lot of violence, a lot of suggestive themes and things like that, but it’s all done with an eye towards entertainment value just being good clean fun to play,” said Miller. “Deadpool has fun at everybody’s expense, including his own. And we get to go along for the ride and see how he pokes fun at the videogame universe, at the Marvel Universe, and all these things.”

Deadpool, who has appeared as a minor character in games like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, is anything but ordinary. Miller said that in choosing this project, which isn’t attached to any movie in the works, the studio wanted to give this character justice.

“We like to looked at what we wanted to see in a game as a fan of this character, and our Deadpool game takes it to another level,” said Miller. “He’s an anti-hero. I would say that he challenges what it is to be hero.”

And while this game will certainly challenge players in how to creatively kill off enemies, it will be a fun ride. Deadpool is coming. And the gaming world may never be the same.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

AT&T FaceTime restrictions may be at odds with FCC net neutrality rules

AT&T iPhone owners who want FaceTime will need to upgrade to a Mobile Share plan, but this new policy may be against the FCC's new net neutrality rules.

AT&T already announced that it would be rolling out shared data plans for their new mobile customers, but it looks like the separation between subscribers won’t just be how their data is distributed–application use may have limits as well.

We reported last month that AT&T may be planning on limiting access to FaceTime for iPhone owners based on their data service. Unfortunately for AT&T, it looks as though this may be in violation of FCC rules on net neutrality.

What we know about the limits

As of last week, AT&T made it known that using FaceTime over its 3G and 4G mobile network — a feature that will become available with iOS 6 in the fall — will be available only for shared data plan users. Users who are gripping tight to their tiered and unlimited plans will only be able to use the video chat app while connect to a Wi-Fi network. As wireless carriers are known to do, this limit in functionality is likely a push to get users to sign up for the new shared plans.

What we know about the law

According to Public Knowledge’s senior staff lawyer John Bergmayer (via NY Times), this attempt to prohibit use of a particular application puts AT&T in violation of the FCC’s rules on net neutrality. He refers to the Open Internet Rules, specifically one that states that mobile providers cannot “block applications that compete with the provider’s voice or telephony services.” The fact that the FCC used the term “telephony” aside, this raises a legitimate question as to the legality of AT&T’s app block. Mr. Bergmayer stated that there is “no technical reason why one data plan should be able to access FaceTime, and another not.”

While the FCC is currently not making a comment on this case, there is some precedent already set on the issue that may give us an indication as to how this will play out. Back in July, the FCC ruled that Verizon couldn’t block tethering applications in the Google Play store. Verizon tried to institute that blockage because apps made available a service that Verizon was charging for. Because of the FCC’s ruling, tethering apps are now available for Verizon customers.

What it means for other service providers

If AT&T is allowed to put up a firewall to prevent certain users from accessing an individual application, a somewhat startling statement will be made. Does this mean that other applications will see a similar block, like Skype on Windows Phones or other third party applications on any given service? It conjures up a somewhat frightening scenario in which app access becomes a tiered system. Only top data subscribers get access to top apps. If AT&T puts limits up on a game like Angry Birds, there could be riots in the street, but what about less popular texting apps or products like Google Voice, which directly conflict with AT&T’s services?

At the moment, this FaceTime debate only concerns AT&T users. Sprint has stated that it has no intention of charging extra for FaceTime access. Verizon has also not made any indication that it will put similar limits on iOS 6′s flagship video chat program. If nothing else, this may just give AT&T iPhone owners a reason to leave for another carrier. Then again, iPhone users have lived with Wi-Fi only FaceTime for this long. Maybe they don’t really need to video chat on 3G or 4G.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Why a $200 Surface tablet makes sense for Microsoft

microsoft surface tablet

Does the $200 price point for the new Microsoft Surface tablet sound a little bit too good to be true? We examine why it might not be too far fetched.

When Engadget broke the news that the Microsoft Surface would be sold for $200, it caused quite a stir. Can it possibly be true? Microsoft is refusing to comment. An anonymous source kicked off the fuss by saying that the Microsoft Surface for Windows RT tablet would be going on sale on Oct. 26. That’s believable enough because it’s also the launch date for Windows 8. What’s harder to swallow is the idea that even Microsoft can afford to sell it for $200. (By the way, in case you are wondering, Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 for ARM devices such as tablets.)

Competition is good for consumers

This kind of pricing is the sort of thing that capitalism fans always argued should come about because of fierce competition in the market. In theory, companies vying for our affections will drive prices ever lower. In practice, it rarely happens for a variety of reasons, or it happens until the competition goes out of business and the survivor can charge whatever it wants.

In any case, if it is true, then it’s great for consumers currently considering buying a tablet. Stats from IHS recently suggested that Apple’s share of the tablet market is heading toward 70 percent with a range of Android manufacturers accounting for the bulk of the rest. Of course, that was before Google launched the Nexus 7. If you were to buy a tablet right now and you wanted the best value for your money, it might be tough to see past the Nexus 7. If you want the best tablet and price is of no concern, then the iPad is the obvious choice.

Microsoft would really stir things up by releasing a 10.6-inch tablet at a $200 price point. Unfortunately, beyond the inclusion of Windows 8, we don’t know much about the Microsoft Surface right now when it comes to specs. However, the 10.6-inch display and the choice of 32GB or 64GB storage is enough to suggest a higher price. So, how could Microsoft afford to sell it at $200?

Could it be a loss leader?

It would not be unheard of for a company to sell a product at a loss in order to stimulate sales of other products or services. It might be a practice that’s more common in major supermarkets, but tech companies do it too. Sometimes, they can afford to lose money on something to gain market share. Microsoft poured cash into establishing the Xbox brand, building a user base for Xbox Live services. Once it was established, it began selling hardware that did turn a profit. The Xbox 360 made money and there was room to sell it below cost because it could be subsidized by a subscription to Xbox Live. Clearly it’s a high risk strategy, but Microsoft knows it can pay off.

Techland at Time conservatively estimated the build cost of the Surface and suggested that Microsoft would lose at least $50 on each one, if it sold for $200. As it turns out, Microsoft lost more than that on the original Xbox. VentureBeat suggests a loss of $168 on each machine sold.

That still doesn’t make it likely, but it is a possibility.

Bundle it with a contract or subscription

This is one of the most popular theories floating around. You get the tablet for $200, but to use it, you also have to sign up for a two-year contract or a subscription to a service. The fact that carriers are backing away from subsidizing tablet costs suggests that it won’t be a 4G contract scenario. Microsoft also won’t want to limit sales channels.

Maybe it’s a subscription to Office 365, as the Guardian blog suggests? A subscription bundle could also involve Sky Drive, Xbox Live, or the newly branded Xbox Music (previously Zune Music). A monthly subscription that bundles all of Microsoft’s offerings and maybe even ties in a deal with a third-party service could be in the cards, as well. Some kind of tie-in with a subscription to services seems far more likely than a straight grab for market share that Microsoft will look to capitalize on later.

microsoft surface side windows 8 tablet

Partner problems

There are some compelling arguments against the suggested price point. As our own Geoff Duncan points out, Microsoft has to keep its RT partners onboard. It is expecting Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung to make Windows RT devices, so a loss-leading Surface tablet wouldn’t help, especially when you consider Microsoft’s licensing fee on top of manufacturing costs and marketing. A $200 Surface could make it impossible for them to compete.

Does Microsoft have to do this?

Amazon might be losing a small amount of money on each Kindle Fire in order to build a market share and sell content, but they aren’t taking a huge risk. Google makes a modest profit or breaks even on the Nexus 7, but once again, the profit comes from elsewhere. Google makes its money on content and advertising. Apple makes a huge profit on every iPad sold and then makes more from selling content. Microsoft does have to work hard to break in here, but there’s room to maneuver.

There’s some middle ground between the bargain basement $200 price and the premium $500 plus price. The competition outside of the iPad is not unmanageably intimidating. A lower price could help Microsoft establish a foothold with the Surface. Selling a big tablet with decent specs at a break-even price or a slight loss is probably necessary if Microsoft expects to catch up with the competition.

Microsoft doesn’t have to be as aggressive as $200, but if they go with that price point, the Surface would fly off the shelves. Maybe it ultimately comes down to this: How desperate is Microsoft to catch up?


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

iPhone 5 leaks: Has Apple lost control of its secrets?

apple secrecy loss iphone 5 rumors

Alleged parts for the forthcoming iPhone 5 are leaking out on a weekly basis. Has Apple lost its secretive ways -- or just gotten better at them?

This year, we have witnessed what appears to be an unprecedented number of believable iPhone parts leaks. Each week, some new component or photo makes its way onto the Web. And if the leaks are real — they certainly look real — then almost nothing about the forthcoming “iPhone 5″ is a secret. Sure, we don’t “know” everything about the device — but more or less, the proverbial cat seems to have slipped out of the bag. So, what exactly is going on in Cupertino? Has Tim Cook lost control? Or has Apple employed some other, more calculated strategy?

Bad Apple

The most obvious answer to the parts-leak conundrum is that component manufacturers in China, and around the world, simply have lost some of their respect (or fear) for Apple now that Tim Cook is in charge and co-founder Steve Jobs is gone. After the company released the “new iPad” last year, its main slogan for the Retina-enhanced device was the made-up marketing word “Resolutionary.” I literally laughed  out loud when I first saw it plastered in 1000-point font across Apple.com. To this day, it sounds like a word invented for QVC, yet Apple used it for months.

For me — a 100 percent Apple outsider — the tackiness of “Resolutionary” was the first visible (albeit tiny) crack in Apple’s meticulously constructed corporate wall. Then came the whole EPEAT debacle. In June, Apple removed all 39 of its products from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, a registry that rates consumer products’ for their impact on the environment. The move caused Apple customers — many of whom I would wager had never even heard of EPEAT in the past — to freak out with righteous indignation. The removal of Apple’s lineup was a bold move, after all, from a PR perspective. But Apple has never shied away from bold in the past. Less than a week later, however, Apple completely reversed its decision, and handed its Macs and i-devices back to EPEAT. Not only that, but the company actually said it was sorry. Sorry! Sorry? Apple doesn’t say “sorry.” Even when Apple’s iPhone 4 was found to have a defective antenna in 2010 (no service if you hold it the wrong way), then-CEO Steve Jobs refused to apologize. Instead, he told everyone to “calm down,” and gave away some free bumper cases to end the controversy. For the last decade, Apple has told us what to think, not the other way around. Crack number two.

Cook has strayed from Jobs’s hard-lined path in a number of other ways. When faced with criticism over the treatment of workers of Apple’s manufacturing partners in China, Apple pushed for third-party inspections of Foxconn factories. He decided to pay out dividends to investors — something Steve Jobs avoided. And, most recently, Apple pulled a series of Genius ads after they were harshly criticized in the press.  That’s right: Not only did Apple make some uncharacteristically bad ads, but they were shamed into taking the off the air.

And now we have all these leaks — leaks that fuel the rumors that Apple says hurt its bottom line. After all, if you know a new iPhone is coming soon, why would you slap down hundreds of dollars on something that’s about to become outdated? Perhaps. But if the leaks are real, then the next iPhone is going to be pretty darn boring — like the iPhone 4S again, just a bit taller, with a different dock connector, and a headphone jack moved to the bottom. Whoopie! 

TechCrunch’s John Biggs, who seems equally perplexed by Apple’s softening nature, tries to explain the leaks with the admittedly “far-fetched” theory that “Apple needs to telegraph the changes they are planning to the [next iPhone's] dock and, as a result, are forced to release more test hardware than usual. This hardware is falling into the wrong hands.” In other words, more peripheral manufacturers are getting demo units and some of them are leaking pictures and information — betraying Apple.

Bada** Apple

Far-fetched or not, Biggs’s theory is as good as I’ve heard so far. But I have another, even less-plausible explanation: Apple hasn’t grown weak at all. Instead, Cook has used the great resources at Apple’s disposal to launch a covert disinformation campaign. The leaked Apple parts are not real — or, at least, they are not parts that will make up the sixth-generation iPhone. They are decoys released by Apple, or on Apple’s behalf, to throw the tech blogosphere off its trail. The REAL new iPhone will look nothing like these leaked components.

As difficult to pull off as this might be, it would have a great effect for Apple. First, it would allow the company to still surprise everyone when they officially release the new iPhone. In turn, this would release an endless flow of positive comments from the technology media about the device, and how Apple, under Cook, has “still got it.” Seriously, it would be a virtual orgy of fanboyish congratulations. End result: Apple sells even more iPhone units that it would have otherwise.

It would also show the technology blogs who’s boss. If Apple can trick everyone with fake leaks, then the already-sketchy rumor articles we all know and despise will become even more dubious. Perhaps that will result in more conservative reporting, thus stifling the Apple rumor mill altogether, which would also theoretically help sales.

Wild as this may sound, a similar thing happened during last year’s “iPhone 5″ rumor mess. The tech press was convinced Apple would release a tear-drop-shaped smartphone with a larger screen. Instead, Apple release the iPhone 4 with Siri, a better camera, and slightly improved hardware. The only thing wrong with last year’s confusion was that the rumored device was infinitely more interesting than what Apple ultimately offered. If it could turn the tables and make everyone think that it’s releasing one thing, then actually come out with something way better, then Apple will have won on all counts.

Conclusion

I’m going to save you some energy and call my own theory bunk from the start. Even if Apple has the resources to wage such a disinformation campaign, it would still be a tough move to pull off — one that could very well cost a lot of money. And it’s not like Apple’s iPhone sales are hurting — not yet, anyway. Still, I’m going to hold onto this idea as a dream, a hope that Apple is still the baddest company in town, one capable of creating mind-blowing devices that change what I think is possible in personal electronics; A company that doesn’t say things like “Resolutionary,” and never says “sorry,” even when it clearly should. That is the Apple I knew. And when the new iPhone is unveiled in the next few weeks, we’ll find out if that Apple remains.

Image via Andrey Bayda/Shutterstock


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

After 24 years, Nintendo Power is calling it quits

Nintendo Power

It's been a good run for the premier Nintendo-themed gaming magazine, but Nintendo Power seems to be ceasing production.

Sad news for those of us with overactive nostalgia glands: Nintendo Power is most likely going to cease publication in the very near future.

First published in 1988, Nintendo Power became a pretty massive hit thanks both to Nintendo’s domination of the gaming industry during the late 80s and early 90s and the fact that the magazine had a deal with Nintendo to cover its hardware and games exclusively. As a result Nintendo Power often had the best previews, reviews and strategy guides, while other magazines tried desperately to compete.

Unfortunately for Nintendo Power the inevitable passage of time and the invention of the Internet seem to have conspired to end its nearly quarter-century print run. Print magazines now lag far behind online media in providing rapid informational updates to consumers, and with Nintendo no longer synonymous with video games as a whole, the Japanese gaming giant seemingly has no interest in extending its long-running agreement with the magazine. Ars Technica reports:

… our source says that Nintendo, which was always “difficult to work with,” was uninterested in renewing that contract or in taking part in a number of digital initiatives that Future saw as necessary for the long-term health of the brand. He added that Nintendo doesn’t seem interested in taking over direct control of the magazine again (Nintendo and Future representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story).

Oh? Nintendo is not keen to explore online options for what has effectively been its print wing for the past two-plus decades? Why, that’s … pretty much exactly what we’ve come to expect from the bizarrely Internetphobic video game company.

Now normally we’d put “rumor” tags around all this information, since it originally stemmed entirely from one anonymous Ars Technica source, but that was before key Nintendo Power employees confirmed the information on Twitter. Though the comments of both senior editor Chris Hoffman and writer Phil Theobald have been since deleted, they claimed they were sad to see the magazine fall apart, and that the editorial team would have “something pretty sweet planned for the final issue.” What that might be, or when this final issue will hit newsstands is still unknown.

If you guys can hold back the tears for a moment, we’d like to say that though we revere Nintendo Power as one of the key early building blocks of our interest in writing about games for far less money than we might make had we actually stayed in school and became a doctor like our mothers wanted, it’s not exactly realistic to lionize the mag as an icon of all things good and right in gaming. Yes, it came to prominence in an era in which video games were still the next big thing and every new advancement was shiny and happy, but if you go back and re-read a lot of those old Nintendo Power issues, it’s quite apparent that for long periods of time the magazine existed purely to sell Nintendo products. Like a J. Crew catalogue, only with fewer sweaters and more pictures of fat Italian plumbers.

We support your right to be bummed by this news, and we are too, but let’s remember Nintendo Power as what it actually was: Another Nintendo entertainment product. On the other hand, it did give us those enjoyably cheesy Howard & Nester comics, so feel free to spend the rest of the afternoon poring over this massive archive of every single strip.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

NBC News app for Xbox Live illuminates Xbox’s future in television

Comcast and Microsoft strengthen their partnership on Xbox with an NBC News app. What does it mean for Xbox's future?

There are almost 70 million Xbox 360s in the wild. More than 26 million of the people using them have Xbox Live Gold accounts, and the majority of their time is spent watching television, not playing video games. Netflix, HBO Go, MLB.tv, ESPN—These are the Xbox 360 goods that dominate time on the box, not Halo and Call of Duty.

Comcast is one of Microsoft’s most consistent partners in transforming the Xbox into an all-purpose living room entertainment hub. Its latest contribution: The NBC News app. Not unlike the ESPN Xbox 360 channel/app—Microsoft really needs to not use the app name here as people still think of television in terms of channels—the NBC News app serves up streaming shows, breaking news, and short features. It’ll be broken into categories like Politics, Lifestyle, MSNBC, and regular old news. There will purportedly be original content made for the service, but Microsoft didn’t provide details.

Current events are becoming popular content on Xbox 360. NASA’s livestream of the Curiosity rover’s descent to Mars as widely watched if user comments online are any indication.

The NBC News app announcement is more significant as part of the Xbox’s broader future though. Comcast is emerging as the strongest of Microsoft’s television partners. It already offers Xfinity cable television service through Xbox Live as well. There have been rumors for more than a year now though that Microsoft is hoping to launch its very own cable television service through Xbox Live, and Comcast has been a rumored partner.

NBC/Comcast-owned content has already been used in demos of Microsoft’s Xbox Television service. CEO Steve Ballmer actually demoed Xbox TV for financial analysts in September 2011, showing off episodes of “The Office.” Word was that Xbox TV would launch in late 2011, but Microsoft apparently wasn’t able to rally enough content partners.

Now analysts believe Microsoft was just regrouping for a more concerted shift into cable with the Xbox 720. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter said in June that he believes Microsoft’s plan is to partner with a cable service provider like Comcast and offer the Xbox 720 for just $99, much in the same way that people buy cable boxes for cheap alongside cable subscriptions.

The NBC News channel is one more value add for Xbox Live here at the end of 2012. For Microsoft though, it represents something far more. It’s one more stone in the foundation of its future in entertainment.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Rumor: LG to release 4G LTE Optimus G smartphone

Rumor: LG to release 4G LTE Optimus G smartphone

LG Optimus G rumored to pack massive power, 4G LTE capabilities

LG has been making some noise out there in the smartphone market the past few days.

With news the LG Optimus Vu would be hitting the US and Europe later this year, the Korean manufacturer has been the topic of much discussion.

As great as it was to hear the Galaxy Note was getting a competitor worldwide, the latest rumors could mean even bigger things for LG.

According to reports, LG will soon unveil a new 4G LTE smartphone called the Optimus G, which, like the Vu, will be a direct competitor with a Samsung device - the Galaxy S3.

More powerful than than the competition

The LG Optimus G is believed to come with the new Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, which would make it twice as powerful as the Galaxy S3 right off the bat.

Add in not just 4G LTE support, but also Voice-over LTE (VoLTE) as well, and you have a smartphone that instantly sets itself apart from everything else on the market.

With Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich running on 2GB of RAM, the Optimus G will make good use of LG's most recent Optimus UI update (version 3.0).

The rest of the rumored specs say the phone will include a 13 megapixel camera, and a 4.7-inch screen which uses LG's True HD IPS technology.

There's a slight chance this could be the same phone as the LG Eclipse that was leaked earlier this year, as little has been heard or seen about that device since the spring.

This year's IFA 2012 conference is just around the corner, so perhaps we'll learn more about LG's plans at the show.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Leaked Samsung spec sheet reveals new Nexus device in the works

Leaked Samsung spec sheet reveals new Nexus device in the works

New specs for a new Nexus device have been leaked

Samsung's Galaxy Nexus just dropped, and the company's flagship phone, the Galaxy S3, has been a rather large success so far, moving more than 10 million units since launch.

That doesn't mean the Korean manufacturer doesn't have any more tricks up its sleeve. Quite the opposite really.

In fact, new leaked documents point to a phone merely dubbed "Nexus" currently in development at Samsung.

Though the Nexus, codenamed the GT-I9260, doesn't have a proper name yet, the new device is clearly influenced by both the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S3.

What do you get when you cross a Galaxy Nexus and an S3?

Samsung's new Nexus device is a hybrid of both the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S3.

According to the specs, the Nexus will have an HD Super AMOLED screen like the Galaxy S3, however it will only be 4.65 inches like the Galaxy Nexus.

Additionally, the GT-I9260 shares the same 8 megapixel rear camera, and 1.9 megapixel front camera the Galaxy S3 utilizes.

Unfortunately, the 1.5GHz dual-core A9 processor is only a slight upgrade over the Galaxy Nexus' (or GT-I9250) 1.2GHz dual-core A9 processor.

While the Galaxy S3 may have its quad-core capabilities to itself, this new Nexus does supposedly include an SD card slot, as well as a 16GB internal memory.

Don't count your Nexus before they hatch

There are no images of the phone anywhere yet, so there is reason to be slightly skeptical of this new information.

The leaked documents also relay the information about the HD Super AMOLED screen incorrectly, and call it a Super AMOLED HD screen instead.

That wouldn't necessarily be a problem, however these are supposed to be leaked internal documents, and it's highly unlikely Samsung would get the name of its own branded screen wrong.

Needless to say, we'll be keeping a close eye on whether or not there's any truth to the GT-I9260 being a real Nexus device.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Worth the Wait: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch preview

Namco's decision to hold Ni no Kuni back for more than a year after its Japanese release was rough, but a demo proves it worth the wait.

Namco Bandai announced that it would localize Level-5 and Studio Ghibli’s role-playing game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch for the United States and Europe in October 2011, just a little over a month before the game came out in Japan. On the one hand, it was a relief for fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s films like My Neighbor Totoro and of Level-5’s RPGs like Dragon Quest VIII alike. The original Ni no Kuni for Nintendo DS looked as sweet as actually going on a magical adventure since it came with a hardbound book of spells, but that game never made it out of Japan. On the other hand though, Namco said the PS3 version of Ni no Kuni wouldn’t be out in the west until 2013. The game was finished, so what was the hold up? Localization takes time said Namco Bandai. The fans scoffed. Sure it does, but more than a year? 

There was no need to scoff. Namco Bandai swung through New York to preview its upcoming games. These were the same suspects that peopled Namco’s E3 booth, but it was the first time that I’d gotten an opportunity to sample No no Kuni. E3’s blaring lights and thumping bass don’t exactly make for an ideal setting to absorb a quiet RPG, let alone one as emotionally tender as Ni no Kuni. For those unfamiliar, the premise is more thoughtful than the usual RPG rigmarole of angular-haired teens saving the universe from a big monster. Oliver, Ni no’s lead, is trying to see his mother one last time after she’s passed away. Mr. Drippy, the stuffed animal she made him, comes to life and leads Oliver on an adventure to see his mom in “Ni no Kuni,” or “another world.”

Just translating the game’s dialogue and text wouldn’t have been enough for this game to elicit the emotional impact it should. It really needed to be localized, adapted and reconsidered for international audiences with different cultural expectations and social mores. From the brief session I played, the extra time Namco’s spent properly localizing Ni no Kuni has served the game well.

I tackled the first real quest area where Mr. Drippy leads Oliver to a wise old tree in the other world. The tree teaches Oliver some basic wizarding skills like how to cast fire and healing spells as well as ho to create monster companions. The first of these little cartoon beasts is the goofy caped swordsman pictured above.

The whole sequence is beguiling. Mr. Drippy’s ebullient Scottish expounding, the old oak’s patient baritone, and Oliver’s enthusiastic credulity—The acting and dialogue are of a higher quality than in some of the Ghibli films that have been localized for the West. The effort is obviously unfinished as well. Even in this early portion of the game, there are chunks of Japanese text, as when you walk into a new area and its name washes across the screen. 

It’s harder to say how the game will feel in battles over the full 40-hour adventure. After the charismatic story sequence, you set out into the field on an errand for the old oak, getting into fights with scrub monsters on the way. Oliver doesn’t fight alongside his first monster pal, but switches out with him as one or the other weakens. It’s a weird rhythm for an RPG, and at first it feels slow, but after just gaining just a few levels from fights raising basic stats, the battles become more fast paced. They are challenging too; forget to switch out to a healthy partner and you can die all too quickly. This is only the basic feel of Ni no’s skirmishes though. Later on, as your stable of monsters and their skills grow, it will no doubt feel very different. I didn’t even have a chance to play around with its Kingdom Hearts 3D; Dream Drop Distance-style monster raising portions where you feed and play with your monsters to grow their skills. 

Half an hour with an RPG is no way to judge its overall quality. My take away from this preview session was simple: Ni no Kuni looks as wonderful as it did when it was still a Japan exclusive, but Namco Bandai and Level-5’s slow, deep localization will make it perfect for the West.

The fall blitz is just starting but it’s hard not to feel like the best games on the horizon are waiting in 2013.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

iPhone 5 coming in September, confirms German carrier

iPhone 5 coming in September, confirms German carrier

The iPhone 5 will be bigger, thinner and faster, says Mobilcom

German carrier Mobilcom Debitel seems awfully certain of the iPhone 5 release date.

So certain, in fact, that the carrier has begun advertising for a new iPhone coming in September, ahead of any announcement from Apple.

The iPhone 5 announcement is expected to come during an Apple event on Sept. 12, where the iPad Mini could also be announced, and both could be released on Sept. 21.

But Mobilcom Debitel apparently couldn't wait - "In September, it's finally time for a new generation of smartphone to go on sale," its site read on Tuesday.

"Mobilcom-debitel allows you to find free e-mail about everything worth knowing about iPhone."

Except for, you know, any real details

While Mobilcom Debitel may claim to have all the juicy details, it seems the carrier is as much in the dark as anyone whose name isn't Tim Cook.

In fact, its entire schtick appears to be based on pure speculation.

"The new smartphone special surprises?" the carrier asks on its site.

"Perhaps a bigger screen of 4 inches or a thinner cell touchscreen? The world expects a faster processor or higher graphics performance? Maybe even a memory of 1 GB? It will be exciting…"

There's no doubt about that

All of Mobilcom Debitel's claims simply corroborate what's already known about the iPhone 5.

A photo of the iPhone 5's backplate leaked in May, indicating a 4-inch screen, and a report in June claimed the new iPhone will have 1GB of memory.

Numerous reports have claimed that the iPhone 5 will feature a thinner, lighter screen as well.

And a faster processor and better GPU are a given.

So while Mobilcom has nothing to add to the iPhone 5 rumors, at least their information confirms what's already known.

Let's just hope for their sake that the iPhone 5 information is removed before Apple notices.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Using scrap parts, iPhone 5 comes to life

Using scrap parts, iPhone 5 comes to life

A (not quite) fully assembled iPhone 5 (credit: iResq.com)

The iPhone 5, or sixth-generation iPhone, whatever you'd like to call it, is taking shape before our very eyes.

Monday, the smartphone's rumored front panel leaked, boasting a 4-inch, elongated display. TechRadar also found new dock connector photos purporting to belong to the phone and iPad Mini, showing off a white color, 9-pin port and bottoms-up headphone jack.

For several weeks before then, we've seen parts here and there, and even a supposedly fully assembled phone, but now, thanks to some plucky scrap finders, we have our first look inside a pieced together next-gen iPhone.

The parts are still scarce, so this is only a skeleton outline, but we can clearly see some distinct features marking the next iPhone as distinct from current iOS pack.

Side-by-side comparison of iPhone 5 and iPhone 4
iPhone 5, on the left, and iPhone 4. Credit: iResq.com

Perfectly assembled

Most noticeable among what we're seeing here is the diminutive port compared to the 30-pin dock connector in the iPhone 4S, which means faster connection speed and a more reliable connection.

Though it doesn't look too much thinner, the iPhone 5 is rumored to be the thinnest iOS phone yet, ringing in at 7.6mm, 1.7mm smaller than the previous iPhone iteration.

Noteworthy too is the revelation the phone's speaker looks like it fits inside, just as it does in the iPhone 4 and 4S. If this photo's telling the truth, the next iPhone will have one speaker as all other Apple handsets do.

The assembled phone includes the leaked docking port and headphone jack, inserted snuggly into the phone's frame/back casing.

Tinkerers at iResq, who put together the device out of scrap parts (how they got their hands on them is another mystery) and found the pre-aligned screw spaces and threading fit like a glove.

While many parts are still missing - we likely won't see every cranny filled until September 12 - this helps form a rough idea of what the iPhone, expected to set sales records left and right, will look like on the inside.

Laid back on leaks

Speaking of Apple, where is the fire and brimstone we're used to seeing this company throw at leakers?

TechCrunch reminisced about the time Apple security and local PD raided Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's house, seizing his computers and other devices as part of a probe into how he obtained an Apple iPhone prototype.

Apple still doesn't like leaks, with Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer reportedly saying, "Our weekly iPhone sales continue to be impacted by rumors and speculation regarding new products," however the Cupertino company seems to be focusing its energies on frying bigger fish rather than going after individuals and manufacturers.

What impact this new laid back attitude has on Apple's sales and its production environments remains to be seen.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Microsoft opens $14.99 Windows 8 upgrade registration, other pricing details leak

Consumers who purchased a Windows 7 PC on June 2 or later -- up until January 31, 2013 -- can now register for the Windows Upgrade Offer announced in May, which will give them the option to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99. Those eligible for the promotion will receive a promo code via email after the operating system is generally available on October 26.

Over at the Windows Upgrade Offer website users will need to provide Microsoft with details including name, email address, phone number, the date of purchase, the retailer, the PC brand and model, and in some cases, the 25-character Windows 7 product key associated with the PC.

You will have until February 28, 2013 to register for the offer to get Windows 8 Pro for $14.99. The code will be redeemable through Microsoft’s Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, bringing down the regular $39.99 upgrade price for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 systems purchased prior to June 2.

The $40 upgrade price for older systems is only good if you purchase it online -- it will be sold for $69.99 at retail stores. The company hasn’t yet announced the price of a full retail version of Windows 8, but The Verge says it has received an insider tip claiming it will be priced at $199 after a promotional price of $69.99 expires on January 31, 2013. Apparently, a Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro upgrade option will also be sold at retail stores for $69.99 until January 31, when the price reverts to $99.99.

The lower prices are designed to drive adoption of the new OS early on. If the reports are accurate, once the promotional period is over, Windows 8 will actually be priced similar to its predecessor at launch.

The latest report contradicts a previous rumor suggesting Microsoft would ditch the full retail version of Windows 8 in favor of the presumably cheaper OEM option for home users building a PC, in addition to their upgrade offers for users of a previous version of the operating system.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron review

Transformers Fall of Cybertron review

High Moon Studios delivers a fun game with some killer fan service in Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.

There was a time when Transformers ruled toy chests everywhere. Little metal-and-plastic robots that, with a few deft twists and spins, could be turned into some other, less sci-fi like piece of technology. A car. A fighter jet. A boom box. It’s one of the more delightful products from the ’80s, and one that’s been sustained over the years with additional toy lines, TV shows, movies, and the like… with varying degrees of success (we’re all still looking at you, Michael Bay. Please. Just stop it).

High Moon Studios came along a few years ago, fresh off the middling success of its uneven, but well-conceived, The Bourne Conspiracy, with Transformers: War for Cybertron. The transforming robots game was imperfect as well, but much like the classic cartoon show’s memorable theme song, it offered “more than meets the eye.” A surprisingly pitch perfect treatment of the story and characters was weighed down by repetitive and overly simple gameplay.

High Moon took the criticisms gracefully and hunkered down to develop a follow-up to War. The key focus, as the PR script has stated since the new game was first revealed, was to turn those shortfalls into the new game’s greatest strengths. That sort of thing is often just talk, but High Moon delivered. And then some. Not only is Transformers: Fall of Cybertron a better game, it also delivers an “Ah ha!” narrative that speaks directly to fans of the series’ G1 (Generation one) era.

G1 Is Reborn

Fall of Cybertron picks up immediately after the events of War for Cybertron. The Autobots are still duking it out with the Decepticons on their home planet of Cybertron, a world that is slowly dying as its life-giving Energon reserves near total depletion. Amidst the ongoing struggle, Autobot leader Optimus Prime sets out to save his followers by finding a way off the planet and carving out a new home elsewhere in the galaxy.

Transformers Fall of CybertronThe game actually opens as the final stage of Prime’s plan are coming together. The Autobots are aboard their massive escape ship, The Ark, as pursuing Decepticons try to prevent them from reaching a giant space portal that will take them to points unknown. The Ark almost makes it, but the enemy forces, led by Megatron, catch up and board the fleeing ship. A pitched, desperate battle breaks out as both ships hurdle toward the portal. The tutorial then concludes and multi-chapter flashbacks to the events that led up to this climactic moment begin.

If some of these story points sound vaguely familiar, they should. The overarching narrative pushing Fall of Cybertron forward mirrors the earliest moments of Transformers‘ G1 era, and the events that led the two warring factions to the planet Earth. High Moon’s story delivery is a more mature one, a story that honors the past while injecting some added complexity in an acknowledgement of the now-older fanbase. 

The result is fan service at its finest. Fall of Cybertron amounts to the best Transformers story that we’ve seen since the earliest days of the franchise. It’s entirely a G1 reboot, right down to the cackle-inducing music that plays over the game’s end credits. If you have fond memories of running home from school to catch afternoon episodes of Transformers, this is a walk down memory lane that you shouldn’t ignore.

Robots In Disguise

Players will jump into different Autobot and Decepticon personas over the course of Fall of Cybertron‘s 12 chapters, every single one of them a name you know, and probably know well. The controls are generally the same across the board, though each robot possesses a special ability — anything from a grappling hook to ordering around the city-sized Autobot, Metroplex — that injects every new chapter with a different, and unique, feel.

The result is a potpourri of gameplay that jumps between run-and-gun action, stealth, story development, vehicular mayhem, and more. The variety can be a bit too much at times, with a change occurring just as your settling into a groove. This becomes even more pronounced in the latter half of the game, with shorter chapters and a finale that carries a strong “best of everything you’ve played so far” sort of vibe.

The character shifts ultimately serve the story, but they sometimes come at the expense of enjoyable play. The earliest chapters start to drag after awhile, lasting more than an hour apiece and summoning up memories of the previous game’s many corridor runs. The environments are much richer this time around, with more detail and variety bringing Cybertron to life. The pacing is simply uneven, making some parts feel too long and others, too short.

Transformers Fall of Cybertron -GrimlockThe corridor run sensation is also diminished by the addition of some cool unlockables and collectibles. Scattered throughout the game are audio logs that serve to fill in the larger story and blueprints for new, more powerful weapons. You’ll also earn credits to spend in the game’s store on those new weapons and their associated upgrades as well as passive perks. It’s all relatively simple and light on choice, but it gives you something to reach for in addition to the unfolding story.

It should also be mentioned that, while the pacing is uneven, the different transformers offer some exceedingly enjoyable gameplay opportunities. An early level starring Optimus Prime follows players through a war-torn city, eventually introducing the Metroplex character and delivering some epic-scale “HOLY CRAP” moments. Later on you’ll play as Grimlock and witness the birth of the Dinobots while you take on swarms of Insecticons.

The only real shame here is that there’s not much in the way of surprises for anyone who closely followed Fall of Cybertron‘s preview cycle. High Moon tipped its hand with nearly every cool feature in the months leading up to the game’s release. It’s still a fun game and you’ll still have a blast discovering those great moments of fan service, but the “wow” factor of these reveals is definitely diminished. There’s something to be said for High Moon having something to prove after War for Cybertron, but it would have been nice to see some of the cooler elements kept under wraps.

The Continuing War For Cybertron

Multiplayer was the big win in War for Cybertron that turned it into a more popular item than might be expected based on the single player campaign, and High Moon went even bigger this time around. On the adversarial multiplayer side you’ve got an expanded class-based progression system that now allows players to build and customize the look of their own robot within four different general classes. You earn credits as you advance and then spend those credits on customization items as well as weapons, weapon upgrades, and the like.

Once you’ve got your transformers set up, you can immediately roll out into one of several competitive modes that pit Autobots against Decepticons. It’s always tough to properly assess a multiplayer from pre-release online sessions, but the maps offer up some varied terrain and feel like they’re laid out well. The new Headhunter mode involves collecting the “spark” of downed transformers and returning them to designated collection areas, but overall this is all familiar stuff, only better now than it was before.

Transformers Fall of Cybertron multiplayer screen

Then there’s the Escalation co-op survival mode, which plays out over a series of maps that each offer a fixed quartet of either Autobots or Decepticons to choose from. While the previous game’s take on Escalation was compared with the Horde mode in Gears of War, this revised effort takes a page from the Zombies mode in Treyarch’s Call of Duty games.

You’ll spend credits you earn in-match at a variety of different stations, unlocking new weapons, opening doors to other parts of the map, and pooling your resources for team-wide weapon upgrades. Each of the four characters offers a different buff to the team, things like health and ammo restoration, with the goal of ensuring that a full team works together to topple each map’s 15 waves.

Conclusion

High Moon really delivers in its encore turn with the Transformers franchise. The mistakes of the past have been corrected, and while these might make way for some new problems, the overall execution here is exceptional. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a fun game first, but it’s also a return to glory for a fallen franchise. It’s light on surprises and treads an uneven road from beginning to end, but there’s definitely — to paraphrase certain beloved theme song — more here than meets the eye.

Score 8.5 out of 10


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Skype adds photo sharing, improved battery life to iOS apps

Skype adds photo sharing, improved battery life to iOS apps

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can now share photos on the go with less worry about battery life

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners who use Skype while on the go will want to head to the App Store and grab the latest version 4.1 updates released on Tuesday.

As noted on Skype's The Big Blog, this version adds a frequently requested feature to the iOS apps in the form of Photo Sharing.

Skype users can now share photos with friends, family and loved ones from wherever they happen to be, without file size limits or having to incur costly MMS charges from their carrier.

Less battery hungry

Skype for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad version 4.1 also feature improved performance, reducing how much battery life they gobble up while the app is in the background.

That means iOS users can keep the app running all day long and never miss an important call or message - without worrying about having to charge their device.

"In addition, this latest release improves the app start and the contact list loads even faster, so you can do all the things you love to do with Skype more quickly," the blog post notes.

Skype for iPhone supports the iPhone 3GS or third-generation iPod touch and higher, while Skype for iPad supports all models; iOS 4.3 or later is required for all devices, and the version 4.1 updates are now available free of charge in the App Store.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Samsung Relay 4G – Delayed, Name Changed, What Else Can Go Wrong?

The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q was once believed to be on its way to T-Mobile on August 15th. If you don’t pay attention to the calender, it’s now the 21st and still no Blaze Q. Shortly after the delay, new rumors popped up that the Blaze Q was getting a name change all of a sudden, this time to the equally ridiculously long “Samsung Galaxy S Relaxy 4G”.

Since then, training document leaks and other information has confirmed the name change, alongside yet another piece of news that confirms the name change. Samsung’s own US support site now shows off several pictures of the device bearing the new name. So what do we know ‘for sure’ about the Relay 4G? We now know it is in fact the Relay 4G, we also know it has a 4-inch 720p display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, NFC technology, a slider keyboard, and Android ICS powering it.

What we don’t know is probably the most important piece of the puzzle though, and that’s the pricing and release date of the Relay 4G. A question to all the T-Mobile readers out there, are you excited about this device or has all the delays left you caring less and less about the new 4G slider?



Source : mobilemag[dot]com

AMD plans new round of Radeon price cuts, Sleeping Dogs bundle

As expected, it didn’t take long for AMD’s response to Nvidia’s new GeForge GTX 660 Ti to arrive. According to Anandtech, the company will be enacting a new round of price cuts later this week, which will be affecting the 7900 and 7800 series. In particular, the 7950 should start showing up as low as $319, down from around $349, while the 7870 Ghz edition and 7850 will now cost $249 and $209, respectively.

The 2GB Radeon HD 7870 had been selling for around $280 - $300 after a price cut last month, but with the more powerful GTX 660 Ti arriving at $300 AMD decided to bring the price down a further $30 - $50 to stay competitive. The 2GB Radeon HD 7850 saw a similar drop of around $30 from the current $239 - $259. Meanwhile, the 1GB version of the card is now priced at $189, although they are extremely hard to find.

This is the latest in a string of price cuts AMD has announced in response to Nvidia launches.

GPU Launch price Spring MSRP Summer MSRP 2nd Summer MSRP
Radeon HD 7970GE $499 -- -- $499
Radeon HD 7970 $549 $479 $429 $429
Radeon HD 7950 $449 $399 $349 $319
Radeon HD 7870 $349 $349 $299 $249
Radeon HD 7850 $249 $249 ~$239 $209
Radeon HD 7770 $159 $139 ~$119 ~$119
Radeon HD 7750 $109 $109 ~$99 ~$99

It’s worth noting that since AMD can’t control final card pricing beyond what they charge partners for parts, unofficially some of these prices, or even lower ones, were already available at retailers like Newegg. Likewise, some models with custom cooling and tweaked settings might sell a bit higher.

In addition to the price cuts AMD will be announcing a new game bundle featuring the recently released Sleeping Dogs. The new promotion will replacing the outgoing DiRT Showdown bundle, which offered buyers of Radeon HD 7900 cards a free copy of the game at participating retailers.


Source : techspot[dot]com

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