Between 2,000 and 3,000 Foxconn QC workers strike, may delay iPhone 5 availability

foxconn quality control workers on strike

iPhone 5s may be delayed for those of you that have been waiting. Between 2,000 and 3,000 Foxconn quality control inspectors went on strike today over management neglect.

With the stress and pressure to manufacture an exorbitant number of iPhone 5s, Foxconn has hit a roadblock that could cause delays in the production of Apple’s popular phone. China Labor Watch sent out an alert on Friday notifying recipients that between 3,000 and 4,000 workers have ceased working and are protesting the reportedly grueling conditions that production workers have been subjected to.

It’s not the first time that Foxconn workers have gone on strike. In January, many workers striked after a string of employee suicides over low wages and desolate working conditions caught the eye of the public.

The production of iPhones was halted today, and it’s not yet known if Foxconn employees have returned to work. But the incident is an indication that Chinese workers do want, and are beginning to demand, improved working conditions and management practices.

The issue, according to the statement by China Labor Watch, purportedly stemmed from altercations between workers and quality control inspectors. After enacting stricter quality control standards, Foxconn workers were not sufficiently trained to learn the new skills necessary to up quality control. “This led to workers turning out products that did not meet standards and ultimately put a tremendous amount of pressure on workers,” the China Labor Watch explains.

Based on the statement, it appears that the standards were raised by both Apple and Foxconn and named “indentations standards of 0.02mm and demands related to scratches on frames and back covers” as among the improvements inspectors were requiring from line workers.

Consequently, the production workers and quality control inspectors began to butt heads, leading to several physical altercations. According to workers, there was a fight between workers and quality control inspectors in “area K” that led to the damage in “inspection room CA,” the injury of some people, and the hospitalization of others. Later, a similar incident occurred in area K, once again leading to quality control inspectors being beaten up. Yesterday, inspectors in area L received physical threats.”

Fed up with physical abuse and threats by fellow Foxconn employees, the inspectors turned to the factory’s management, but the complaints were ultimately ignored. As a result of management turning a blind eye, and coupled with Foxconn taking away its employee’s vacation privileges for this coming holiday season, all day and night shift inspectors brought the production of iPhone 5s to a standstill.

 You can read the China Labor Watch report in its entirety here.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Would you watch a live-action TV show based on ‘Cut The Rope’?

ZeptoLabs, the company behind Cut The Rope, has signed a deal with Sony Pictures Television to create a live-action game show based upon the popular app.

There are many mobile app games that you could see yourself one day wanting to play in real life – And let’s not forget that some games have already made the leap beyond the phone screen to the real world – but did anyone really think that ZeptoLab’s hit game Cut The Rope would really be something that people want to play for real?

Apparently, Sony Pictures Television is willing to bet that they are. The company has signed a deal with ZeptoLab to develop a live-action game show based on the popular app, with the promise that the game’s central character, the little green monster Om Nom, will be part of the show should it make it to series. Announcing the partnership, Sony Pictures Television’s chief creative officer of international production, Wayne Garvic, said that “Every hour of every day, app producers are creating new ways to entertain global audiences, with Cut the Rope offering one of the most striking examples,” adding that in his estimations, “ZeptoLab is a pioneer in bringing innovative, witty and addictive apps to the world. We share a similar passion and ambition at SPT, and this collaboration will lead to forms of entertainment across all possible partners.”

Zepto CEO Misha Lyalin added, “We love the idea of our fans being able to see and engage with Om Nom on the television screen and this partnership with Sony Pictures Television will let fans do just that, bringing Cut the Rope to life in a brand new, interactive way.”

Cut The Rope made its first appearance as an iOS app almost exactly two years ago (October 4, 2010), with the game now being available on iOS, Android and MacOS platforms, as well as other smartphone, tablet and computer devices and having been downloaded more than 250 million times. The game has spawned not only a sequel – Cut The Rope: Experiments, which debuted in 2011 – but also all manner of transmedia products featuring Om Nom, from plush toys to keychains, animated videos and even an Om Nom digital comic that revealed the backstory of Om Nom for those who couldn’t deal with the idea that he was just a little green thing that liked to jump around a lot (Apparently, his sugar levels tend to dictate how much fun he is to be around).

It’s not known at this time how closely the game show will follow the format of the app game, although we can only hope that it involves players swinging from rope to rope over precipitous drops. ZeptoLabs isn’t resting on its laurels, though; the partnership with Sony actually includes a first-look deal for live-action game shows based on other properties based on, or created by, the app developer.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Oft-delayed Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock finally reaches the PS Vita

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

After nearly half a year of delays, Doctor Who will finally have a chance to shine on Sony's flagship handheld.

When Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock was first announced, it was billed as the first “mature” take on the long-running Doctor Who mythology to ever hit the video game scene. This excited the legions of Who fans the world over who had grown up with the character, but were now adults, with relatively adult tastes in entertainment. Unfortunately, when the game hit the PlayStation Network, it wasn’t exactly a shining pinnacle of game design.

That would have been the end of the story for Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, but this was a title that was initially planned for release on both the PlayStation Network and on the PlayStation Vita handheld. When the PSN version arrived, players began to wonder what had become of the Vita version. Keep in mind that this was back in May, and for the longest time neither developer Supermassive Games, nor publisher BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment, had any comforting words on when the handheld iteration of this game might appear.

Now, nearly five months after the debut of the game on the PlayStation Network Store, it has been revealed that the Vita iteration of Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will finally arrive on October 9. As with its earlier incarnation, the game will be available solely through PlayStation Store download.

Intriguingly — especially for those who wrote this game off based on its milquetoast PSN iteration — Simon Harris, executive producer at BBC Worldwide, claims that the Vita version of this game features new and re-worked puzzles designed to take advantage of the Vita’s touchscreen capabilities. It also includes features that utilize the system’s “Near” application to swap collectible “Gallifreyan” medals with other Vita owners, as well as cloud-save functionality that lets players enjoy the game on the Vita, save, then pick up right where they left off on the game’s PSN iteration. Likewise intriguing (though largely meaningless from a gameplay perspective), Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is scheduled to debut as the first Vita title built on Epic Games’ incredibly popular Unreal Engine 3.

While we won’t fault any Who fans for being excited about this release, given our aforementioned experience with the initial version of the game, we aren’t holding out much hope that the Vita edition will be able to improve on the laundry list of issues seen in its earlier analogue. We hope it does, as the Doctor Who license really deserves a quality video game adaptation, but we’re not about to hold our collective breath.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Report: Nexus by Google, LG coming end of October

Report: Nexus by Google, LG coming end of October

Welcome to the family?

The rumor floodgates are open this week as more information on a possible Google/LG Nexus collab continues to pour out.

The latest news comes from someone "briefed on the matter" and speaking with CNET.

According to the source, LG will release a Nexus of its own based on the Optimus G.

The phone, of which there is no official name, will be announced at the end of October, the source said.

This goes against an earlier report that the phone, potentially called the LG Optimus G Nexus, would see the light of day in November, alongside Android 4.2.

Information overload

According to CNET, the handset will have many of the same specifications as the Optimus G, though it will be modified to fit Google's Nexus program.

Leaked specs from earlier Friday show the device's possible potential, including carrying Android 4.2 and packing a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor.

Memory is said to come in at 2GB while its screen would run a 1280x768 True-HD IPS display.

As for the device's picture-taker, an 8MP camera is reportedly onboard.

Though these specs, and the fact it might come with onboard wireless charging, are impressive the phone also apparently lacks a removable battery and a microSD slot.

It also looks like it will come in 8GB and 16GB iterations only.

Despite these reported shortcomings, the phone would be good news for LG, which has struggled to see a silver lining in its smartphone business.

However, according to CNET's source, LG might not be the only manufacturer being welcomed into the Nexus family, which either spells potential allies or direct competition for the South Korean company.

TechRadar reached out to LG and Google for comment on the various reports and will update this story if and when we receive information from the companies.


Source : techradar[dot]com

BioShock creator Ken Levine helped on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale script

Irrational Games' Ken Levine guaranteed his BioShock characters were perfect in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale by writing their script.

PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale is kind of like a corporate retreat for the stars of HD console video games. The games full of Sony mascots, but it’s also a (curb)stomping ground for Capcom icons like Devil May Cry’s Dante, Konami bruisers like Metal Gear Rising’s Raiden, and even the Big Daddy from 2K Games’ BioShock. The game’s got more than mascot power though, as even some of the all-star creators of those games are lending a hand. BioShock director Ken Levine actually wrote the script for his characters in the fighter.

“We worked really closely with Irrational on the development and getting Big Daddy and Little Sister into the game, said All-Stars developer Omar Kendall of SuperBot Games, “But when it came to the script writing, Ken Levine, who is the creative director at Irrational, actually took over writing duties and wrote every line of script and dialogue for Big Daddy and Little Sister in the game.”

Having the creators of these “borrowed” characters lends PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale a fine collaborative air. It’s hard not to wonder though; why is Levine spending time writing for another game when his own game, BioShock Infinite, remains unfinished?

Get back to work, Levine!

Source: Polygon


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

What does Google have in store for the next Nexus?

New nexus phones google

We rummage through the mill of rumors surrounding Google's next Nexus device. Will it be a phone? A tablet? Who will make it?

If you’re a diehard Android fan, chances are you prefer Google’s pure Android “Nexus” devices. It started with the Nexus One in January 2010 and since then there have been nearly half a dozen Google branded Android devices, each made by different device makers. With the Galaxy Nexus coming up on a year of age and the Nexus 7 a sales success, we’ve been wondering: What does Google have in store for the next Nexus and what manufacturer will it collaborate with? Google could go with HTC, LG, Samsung, or Motorola for the new Nexus device; it could be something unusual we’ve never seen before; it could be a “phablet;” it could be a 10-inch iPad competitor; or it could be just another Android smartphone. It’s time we place our bets.

As we fly toward the end of 2012 amidst a flurry of big tech releases from every direction, speculation is beginning to mount on what Google will release next. You won’t be shocked to hear that the rumor mill is already grinding on this one and it looks like a three horse race. Skipping past the very believable rumor that Google will release a 3G or 4G version of the Nexus 7 very soon, we’ll take a look at what delicious new device will be next in line to claim the Nexus moniker.

A new Samsung Nexus

By far, the most boring rumor currently circulating is that Samsung will be manufacturing a new Nexus device. This is based on leaked specs on the GT-I9260 device which suggest an updated Galaxy Nexus with a better CPU (1.5GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core), a microSD card slot, and a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display with a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels — or a screen fairly similar to the last Galaxy Nexus. This potential device would have an 8-megapixel camera and run Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The presence of that microSD card slot would seem to suggest this won’t be the new Nexus, but you never know.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The fact that this has been so widely leaked and it looks like a minor update suggests to us that it won’t be the next Nexus device. The Nexus line has always been used by Google to promote a new version of Android as well. Since the Nexus 7 already heralded the release of Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), we’re skeptical that Google would spend its energy working on another Jelly Bean device, unless it’s merely a Galaxy Nexus update.

HTC 5-inch phablet

This is more like it. A rumor you can really get your teeth into and chew around. An anonymous tip to GSM Arena suggests that the long-rumored HTC 5-inch phablet, the Droid Incredible X or One X5, will actually be the Google Nexus 5. Internally, this rumored device supposedly includes a Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, a 1080p display (a first!), 12-megapixel camera, 2,500mAh battery, 64GB of internal memory for storage, and support for LTE.

To us, this phone sounds like competition for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but is the phablet (phone+tablet) a form factor that Google wants to get involved with? After the 7-inch Nexus 7, it seems plausible.

LG Optimus G variant

The new LG Optimus G signals a fresh assault on the premium Android smartphone market for LG. Just imagine a new Nexus smartphone based on LG’s flagship. We could be looking at a quad-core Qualcomm S4 processor, 4.7-inch 720p True HD IPS Plus display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal file storage, a 13-megapixel camera, NFC, LTE, and Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).

LG Optimus G press shot

An Optimus Gexus would be a tempting package capable of taking on all-comers, including the iPhone 5. Google hasn’t worked with LG on a Nexus device yet, but that fact could lend credence to the rumor. As the force behind Android, it’s important Google doesn’t favor one device manufacturer over another, so having already worked with HTC and Samsung, LG could be next in line.

We are seeing quite a bit of buzz about LG and the next Nexus from Android and Me. It reports that the new Nexus has already leaked and will be announced within the next 30 days. The sources are anonymous so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Why not Motorola?

When Google acquired Motorola Mobility, there were expectations from many quarters that the partnership would bear hardware fruit. It seems as though concerns about slighting other Android partners have kept Google from working with Motorola on a Nexus device and that doesn’t look likely to change in the near future.

Patrick Brady, Google’s Director of Android Partner Engineering, spoke to CNET back in June and told them, “It was important for us when we acquired Motorola to stress to our partners that we weren’t buying Motorola to get in the hardware business and compete directly with them. We acquired Motorola to help the ecosystem in terms of patents and intellectual property.”

What about Android updates?

If you’re excited about the prospect of Android 5 — which might be codenamed named “Key Lime Pie” — you might be jumping the gun. Android 4.2 has been spotted on server logs so it’s obviously being tested. For all we know, it could be what will ship on the next Nexus. Jelly Bean was just a point release and it had a good range of improvements and new features though, so we can expect the same from the next version.

Of course, there might not be a new version. According to Chitika Insights, Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) only reached 1.47 percent of Android devices by the end of August. Will Google want to push yet another version of the platform out so soon?

When will we find out?

If Google is planning a new Nexus phone, a release before the holiday season would make a lot of sense. At least an updated Nexus smartphone seems likely, but there could be more. Google has launched a Nexus device section in its Google Play store, which indicates that more devices are to come. Andy Rubin is also set to speak at AllThingsD: Dive Into Mobile at the end of the month, so there could be some news there. We think Google will set up an event for the next Nexus release, though, so until we hear news of one, we wouldn’t advise holding your breath.

Post a comment and let us know what you expect to see, or what you’d like to see, from Google next in the Nexus line-up.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Zynga On Fire: FarmVille studio burning as financial losses mount

zynga third quarter earnings

Zynga's disastrous financial 2012 continues as projected losses are raised about $100 million. Will the MAfia Wars company sell?

Zynga’s 2012 riches to rags story continues apace as CEO Mark Pincus delivers a message to the social game studio’s staff and shareholders warning of even more troubled times coming along with its impending third quarter earnings report.

“Today we announced preliminary Q3 financial results and revised out forecast for the rest of the year,” reads the statement on Zynga’s blog, “I want to add more color to the announcement and our future opportunity. The challenges faced in our web business in Q2 continued in Q3 and while many of our games achieved plan, we still experienced overall weakness in the invest and express category.”

“So why are we lowering 2012 guidance? There are a few factors contributing to a weaker than expected outlook for Q4. The reduced performance of some of our live web games is continuing to impact results and we have several new games which are at risk of launching later than expected… Let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. The world is playing games, and is increasingly choosing social games.”

Translation: Don’t worry about it! It only looks like our company is a burning boat slowly sinking into a frigid sea of consumer disinterest and mismanagement.

Zynga reported a net loss of $23 million at the end of the second quarter in July. Losses for the full fiscal year or now projected to be greater than $105 million. Its stock is currently trading around $2.50 per share, down 84 percent from highs following its initial public offering. Its market cap has crumpled from $20 billion before the IPO to around $1.7 billion today. Its executives have abandoned the company en masse. Its audience is dwindling. Its competitors are suing. Zynga is the portrait of a company on fire.

So what now? Is there a way to turn things around for Zynga? Maybe not as an independent company, but its brands are still valuable. Even if Zynga’s audience is turning away from FarmVille and its other time wasters, the company still commands an audience of 300 million. Since its value has diminished so greatly, Zynga is now a prime target for acquisition. Video game industry research firm EEDAR’s Jesse Divinch told GamesIndustry International that Zynga may become a subsidiary of the social network that gave it life. “At a $1.7 billion market cap, a Zynga acquisition seems favorable for anyone looking to pick up 300 million pair of eyeballs every month. I’d argue that Facebook could become a potential suitor for Zynga.”


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Japanese company to produce new 5-inch smartphone screens

Japanese company to produce new 5-inch smartphone screens

Harbinger of the future?

The 5-inch screen may become the industry standard for smartphones in 2013.

Though Sharp is already manufacturing 5-inch 1080p LCD screens, the company could have a bit of competition from Japan Display Inc. (JDI).

Starting this month, JDI plans to begin full-scale production of its own 1080p LCD screens, with a 443 PPI ratio identical to that of the screens Sharp's shipping out.

JDI's production is part of a joint-venture between the company, Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi, with the latter three contributing manufacturing expertise in crafting the full-HD (1920 x 1080) phone-fronts.

Five is the new four

With companies like HTC reportedly working on new 5-inch phablets, and others phones like LG's Intuition and Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 in production, the shift to bigger screens is already happening.

That said, both Sharp and JDI's new HD screens will have a drastically better pixel density than anything currently on the market, or soon shipping.

For comparison, the Galaxy Note 2's Super AMOLED screen provides just 267 PPI, while other potential competitor screens, like that in the iPhone 5 (326 PPI) and the Galaxy S3 (306 PPI), are both smaller and less sharp.

The new screens will also have a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and be a razor-thin 1.4 millimeters (.05 inches) thick.

JDI will have the screens on display for the first time at FPD International 2012 in Yokohama, Japan starting on Oct. 31.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn live-action film series debuts today

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Can't wait for Halo 4? Maybe a live-action series set in the same universe will help. Luckily, such a thing just appeared.

In an effort to simultaneously promote the upcoming Halo 4 (in stores November 6) and momentarily quench the ravenous appetites of Halo fans who are simply unable to get enough of the epic mythology surrounding Microsoft’s most famous mascot, the computing giant and Halo 4 developer 343 Industries have created a series of live-action shorts which serve as something of a side story to the events of Halo 4. A Halo 4: Gaiden, if you will.

Dubbed “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn,” the series debuted on Machinima Prime as well as Halo Waypoint earlier today, and while there is so far only one episode available, it does an excellent job of establishing what we might see from the remaining four weekly episodes (read: lots of character-driven drama, and surprisingly little footage of aliens being shot).

As for the plot driving this promotional tie-in, the series’ official synopsis describes things as follows:

Set against the backdrop of a United Nations Space Command (UNSC) military academy, “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” follows a group of cadets who are training to be the next generation of soldiers in the UNSC’s ongoing war with insurrectionists in the outer colonial planets. Among these cadets, Thomas Lasky struggles with his doubts about the war, and with the burden of expectations he may not be able to carry. As Lasky comes to terms with his potential as a military leader, the terrifying alien alliance known as the Covenant arrives and turns his world upside down. Inspired by the Master Chief, he must decide what it means to be a hero.

Notice that bit about Lasky being “inspired by the Master Chief?” That’s crucial. We don’t want any of you hardcore Halo fans going into this thing hoping to see John-117 blasting hordes of Covenant troops to pieces. That just doesn’t happen in this series. Instead, it focuses on characters who would be seen as largely incidental in any of the Halo games. By doing this the film’s creators believe they can offer fans some deeper insight into the backstory of Halo 4 than what they might otherwise glean from simply playing the game. Of course, it’s also likely that this decision was made because creating a live-action series that documents the adventures of the Master Chief as seen in the Halo video games would be prohibitively expensive.

Mind you, that isn’t to say that the Master Chief doesn’t appear in this series. He does, it’s just that he’s not the focus of these shorts. Hopefully that doesn’t bother too many of you.

Now, assuming you enjoy the first episode (which, conveniently, you can find embedded below), and the four episodes to follow on a weekly basis leading up to the release of Halo 4, the good news is that Microsoft and 343 Industries plan to release an “extended, 90-minute Special Edition” version of the series on DVD, Blu-ray, Xbox Live Video, iTunes and as part of the $99 Halo 4 Limited Edition bundle. Barring catastrophe, that should all be available come November 6.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Weekend game deals: Five EA titles $10, Hitman: Blood Money $2

Deals are aplenty this weekend with THQ titles discounted at Steam, savings on The Elder Scrolls series at GamersGate, and a solid EA bundle on Amazon with Mirror's Edge, Bulletstorm, The Saboteur, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box for only $9.99. Amazon also has 40% off Sleeping Dogs, GameFly offers 75% off BioShock 1 and 2, Civilization V, Spec Ops: The Line, and The Darkness II, Get Games has Saints Row: The Third for $9.99 (cheaper than Steam's THQ promo), while Green Man Gaming offers Sniper: Ghost Warrior for $2.99 and Hitman: Blood Money for $1.99.

Steam
84  THQ Collection $49.99 (50% off)
82 Darksiders II $24.99 (50% off)
82  Darksiders $9.99 (50% off)
72 Company of Heroes Complete Pack $12.48 (75% off)
84 Saints Row: The Third $19.99 (50% off)
68  Saints Row 2 $7.49 (50% off)
79 Metro 2033 $9.99 (50% off)
70 Homefront $9.99 (50% off)
75 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine $14.99 (50% off)
80 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Bundle $17.49 (50% off)
86 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Complete Pack $29.99 (50% off)
84 Red Faction Collection $29.99 (50% off)
Titan Quest $7.49 (50% off)
Gratuitous Tank Battles $9.99 (50% off -- today only)
More...

Amazon Digital
79 Mirror's Edge + Bulletstorm + The Saboteur + two more for $9.99 (89% off)
80 Sleeping Dogs $29.99 (40% off)
86 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ultimate Digital Collection $9.99 (67% off)
75 Supreme Commander 2 $4.99 (67% off)
78 Tropico 4 $19.99 (50% off)
78 Vessel $4.99 (67% off)
More...

GameStop
58 Binary Domain $9.99 (75% off)
84  Rift $9.99 (50% off)
Freespace 2 $9.99 (50% off)
Dreamcast Collection $4.49 (85% off)
More...

GamersGate
76  Pacific Pack $4.50 (90% off)
74  Sanctum $3.38 (66% off)
93  TES V: Skyrim $35.97 (40% off)
{pf id: size:small} TES V: Skyrim Dawnguard $13.97 (30% off)
{pf id: size:small} TES IV: Oblivion GotY $9.98 (75% off)
{pf id: size:small} TES III: Morrowind GotY $7.98 (63% off)
More...

GameFly
87 Civilization V GotY $12.49 (75% off)
75 Spec Ops: The Line $7.49 (75% off)
79  The Darkness II $7.49 (75% off)
86 BioShock 2 $4.99 (75% off)
BioShock $4.99 (75% off)
X-COM: UFO Defense $1.25 (75% off)
MLB 2K11 $4.99 (75% off)
SpellForce Platinum Edition $2.49 (75% off)
SpellForce 2 Gold Edition $3.75 (75% off)
More...

Green Man Gaming
61 NecroVision: Lost Company $0.49 (97% off)
90 World of Goo $2.99 (70% off)
57 Reign: Conflict of Nations $0.49 (97% off)
80 Trine $2.99 (40% off)
73 Dark Sector $2.99 (69% off)
80 King's Bounty: The Legend $2.99 (69% off)
76 Men of War $0.99 (93% off)
74 Men of War: Red Tide $0.49 (97% off)
60  Sniper: Ghost Warrior $2.99 (85% off)
81  Tropico 3 $2.99 (69% off)
Deus Ex: GotY $2.99 (62% off)
Deus Ex: Invisible War $2.99 (62% off)
Hitman: Blood Money $1.99 (80% off)
25% off downloads via code "GMG25-EVFWS-4Z4ZN" (doesn't stack, but works on preorders)
More...

Get Games
84 Saints Row: The Third $9.99 (75% off)
83 Anno 2070 $15.99 (60% off)
86 Alan Wake Collector's Edition $15.99 (50% off)
76 Sega Rally $3.49 (56% off)
Far Cry 1 + 2 $6.25 (75% off)
More...

GOG
85 Legend of Grimrock $7.49 (50% off)
60% off many Activision titles


Source : techspot[dot]com

Starbucks accepting Square payments beginning early November

pay with square

With Starbucks having invested $25 million into mobile payment start-up Square, the coffee chain will begin accepting Square payments in the beginning of November.

Starbucks first announced their partnership with Square last month, and now the retailer has unveiled that its mobile payment integration with the point-of-sale solution will be available as early as November. 

Starbucks made an investment of $25 million back in August and agreed to a partnership that would establish Square as the payment service of choice for smartphone touting customers. Square will begin processing all of Starbuck’s credit card-based payments and users can make purchases using their phones through a digital Starbucks Card. Square’s in-app directory will also offer a list of the nearest Starbucks shops among the 7,000 locations throughout the U.S.

“Starbucks and Square share a passion for constantly improving the customer experience,” Square founder and CEO, Jack Dorsey said in a statement. “This partnership gives millions of Starbucks customers a quick, seamless payment experience and introduces them to hundreds of thousands of small businesses in the Square directory.”

Along with new details regarding its Square partnership, Starbucks has also revealed its iOS app’s integration with Passbook. For iOS 6 users, this couldn’t have come at a better time, and Square’s payment system at Starbucks locations will work hand in hand with the shop’s Passbook app. Now when you approach a Starbucks location (you must have Starbucks’ iOS app downloaded and have added your Starbucks Card to Passbook), a Passbook notification will appear on the lock screen of your iPhone. You can then select the Starbucks Card and swipe your phone to make the purchase, and even enjoy loyalty rewards on occasion. 

The integration isn’t quite as beneficial for Android users, though you’ll now be able to pay for your coffee through Square’s Android app at any of the participating Starbucks locations.

Starbucks will later integrate Square’s GPS-based point of sale system, which should make purchases a breeze and speed up the lines especially during coffee rush hours. When this happens, you’ll be able to select the items that you’d wish to purchase from Starbucks within Square’s app and simply say your name to the cashier to confirm the payment. For those of you worried about identity theft or misuse, the cashier will be presented with an image of your face from the profile photo you upload onto Square.

Since January 2011, when Starbucks first launched its mobile payment app, the company has hosted over 70 million transactions, and its partnership with Square has been a mutually beneficial one for both companies. Starbucks says that the partnership “will significantly expand Square’s scale and accelerate the benefits to businesses on the Square platform, especially small businesses, while reducing Starbucks payment processing costs.”


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Angry Birds continues to explore space with Star Wars tease

Angry Birds Star Wars teaser

Everyone loves Angry Birds. Everyone loves Star Wars. Would would happen if the two came together? From the looks of it, we're going to find out very soon.

Having not claimed enough hearts and minds with the lovable and addictive Angry Birds series on its own, Rovio is setting its sights on Star Wars fans. They may have panned Angry Birds Space as “not the game they were looking for,” but there is no Jedi mind trick stronger than shamelessly slapping Star Wars branding on things. From the looks of a teaser image tweeted from the official @AngryBirds account earlier today, that’s exactly what is happening.

Almost immediately following the tweet, an official Angry Birds tumblr page–confirmed on Twitter–appeared. The first and only post sported an animated version of the previous teaser with a less-than-cryptic message attached. Below the image was the text, “Times Square, New York, October 8th, 10am EST,” accompanied by, “HINT: Head to Toys R Us at 8am EST!”

Considering apps and games get digital releases that don’t require physical attendance to experience, it’s likely that this partnership between Rovio and LucasArts will be some sort of board game or collectable toy. A tie-in game wouldn’t be shocking of course. Considering the popularity of Angry Birds titles without grabbing at the audience of other popular series’, it’d be a hit no matter what.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Is Max Payne 3 animation studio working on Grand Theft Auto V?

Rockstar Games signs a new agreement with Max Payne 3 animation studio Technicolor. Is it working on Grand Theft Auto V?

For as successful as Rockstar Games is, it’s a tumultuous company to work for. Even hits like Red Dead Redemption haven’t been able to keep their respective studios totally secure. In the past few years it’s been more common to hear about studio consolidation and layoffs in the wake of Rockstar releases, so it’s happy news for the employees of Technicolor that it will now be a game and art team for the company. Could it be working on Grand Theft Auto 5?

A CG animation studio working in everything from advertising to video games, Technicolor produced animation for a number of Rockstar games, including this year’s Max Payne 3, Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire. Now the company has entered into an agreement that will strengthen its ties with Rockstar, and upping its status in the game industry.

“Technicolor were a fantastic resource for us during the development of Max Payne 3,” said Rockstar’s VP of development, Jeronimo Barrera, “We’re looking forward to building the partnership for future projects.”

Max Payne 3 failed to light up sales charts when it released in May, failing to live up to the performance of LA Noire and Red Dead Redemption in the same month the two previous years. It sold just 440,000 copies in May, compared to Noire’s 899,000 copies during the same period, and Red Dead Redemption’s 1.5 million copies. In the wake of Payne’s disappointing performance, its studio, Rockstar Vancouver, was shut down and consolidated into a new operation, Rockstar Toronto.

Success wouldn’t have necessarily kept Rockstar Vancouver operating as an independent entity though. Even as LA Noire sold well for Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two Interactive, its creator Team Bondi was shut down not four months after its release. That was after Rockstar had already severed ties with the studio in July 2011. Red Dead Redemption studio Rockstar San Diego was no more secure. It was hit with significant layoffs just two months after that game’s huge debut in 2010.

What might Technicolor be working on for Rockstar? Unknown. Rockstar’s next big release is Grand Theft Auto V, widely expected to be out in April 2013. It’s believed that Rockstar North has already completed the majority of the game though, so Technicolor may very well be working on a different project entirely.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Rovio hints at Star Wars-themed Angry Birds sequel

Rovio’s recent spinoff of the Angry Birds series, Bad Piggies, proved the studio still has what it takes to top the mobile gaming charts. In the meantime, however, our agitated feathered friends have been cooking up something of their own that could have an even larger impact on the franchise, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan.

Yesterday the studio, er, the Angry Birds - tweeted a mysterious picture encouraging followers to check back today for a hint. The image gave few clues outside of the fact it was probably a fowl covered in some kind of blanket or robe. A follow-up photo and a link to the new Angry Birds Tumblr page sheds a lot of light (no pun intended) on what’s coming soon.

The animated image on the Tumblr page shows a figure wearing a Star Wars robe and holding a light saber. When the saber is activated, the light illuminates the character's face, revealing it is indeed a member of the Angry Bird gang. A note below the image reads: Times Square, New York, October 8th, 10 a.m. EST. Furthermore, a “hint” suggests you should head to Toys R Us at 8 a.m. EST.

That’s all we know at this hour but it appears that the next game in the franchise will certainly have a Star Wars theme. The launch window could prove interesting seeing as Rovio released Bad Piggies just over a week ago. Back-to-back games seem unlikely but with the holidays fast approaching, anything is possible.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Everything you need to know about laptop displays

laptop display guide

From dot pitch to contrast ratios, here’s what you need to pick a display that pops.

The display is arguably the most important piece of hardware on any television, computer, tablet, or smartphone. Yet displays are also difficult to explain and understand. They can be measured, but most people are not familiar with what those measurements mean or how they relate to their own viewing experience.

Contrast. Black level. Gamut. Uniformity. These words can seem like arcane scrawl to the initiated, but they’re actually not difficult to grasp. Here’s our guide to the terms you need to understand when considering a notebook display, along with what to look for in each one.

Contrast ratio – Not really 1,000,000,000:1

This phrase is one that you’ve almost certainly heard before. Display manufacturers love to use contrast ratios because of all the impressive zeros they get to slide in. Numbers are easy to understand, and the higher they are, the better their display seems on paper.

Contrast ratio is simply the ratio of luminance between the brightest color (white) and darkest (black) on a display. Higher ratios are considered better because it means images will appear more defined and realistic.

contrast ratios laptop display guideThere’s just one small problem. No one uses a standardized test for contrast ratios. There are many ways to fudge the results, which is why there are inexpensive displays that claim insane ratios like 10,000:1.

You should trust contrast ratios as they’re reported in reviews. In-depth analysis using identical testing methods and equipment is the only way to discover a display’s true contrast.

Nit picking

Brightness is important for mobile devices like laptops, smartphones and tablets. Most devices have a glossy display to enhance contrast, but the gloss makes reflections an issue in bright rooms or outdoors. These reflections can only be defeated by a bright display.

The Nit is the standard unit of luminance used to describe various sources of light. A higher rating means a brighter display. Displays for laptops and mobile devices are usually between 200 and 300 nits on average. A rating over 300 nits is solid and a rating above 500 nits is extremely good. Only a few devices can put out that much light. Televisions are a different story, and the brightest go north of 1,000 nits.

Seeing in black and white

Reviews of displays, including ours, will often make reference to black levels. You might be able to infer that this has something to do with how the display renders black, but it doesn’t explain much else.

Black level itself is expressed in a number, with lower being better. A black level of 0 represents a dark, pure black. The number is relevant because it has influence on how a display handles dark images. If you ever watch a movie on a bad display you will notice that details are missing from dark scenes. That’s because the display isn’t capable of reproducing the darkest portions of the image.

black levels laptop screen guide

White levels are the opposite. The higher the value, the better. A white level of 255 is the maximum on the RGB scale, so an ideal display will come close to that figure and display a bright, unblemished white. Modern displays have a better handle on white levels than they do black levels, so it usually is not a defining quality. But an exceptionally good or bad result can make a difference.

A journey through space

Microsoft and HP collaborated in 1996 to create a standard color space known as sRGB. As you might imagine, it’s most relevant to computers. A color space is a standard gamut of colors that displays should be capable of reproducing.

sRGB graphWhat you might not know is that many monitors can’t handle even three-quarters of sRGB. An average laptop display, mobile device, or entry-level monitor can usually display only 65 to 75 percent. A mid-range IPS display can usually handle 90 percent or better. Only a top-tier IPS display can handle it all.

There are many others standards and some have a wider color space than others. It’s always better for a display to reproduce a higher percentage of a color space, but results can only be compared between products if they were tested using the same standard.

Respect the uniform

Almost all displays on the market today use LCD technology. This technology has been refined so that it’s inexpensive and of high quality, but does have a few drawbacks. Among these is the fact the panel itself emits no light.

For a picture to be visible a light must be shown through the LCD. In an ideal world the light behind the LCD would be equally bright in all areas, but that’s easier said than done. Most displays are at least a bit brighter in some areas than in others. This is a uniformity issue.

We have tested displays with uniformity issues that were severe enough to be immediately noticeable by an untrained eye. The problem is most obvious during dark scenes and is most prevalent in mobile devices. Plasma and OLED don’t have this problem because they create their own luminance.

Getting the band together

We commonly use a banding test image when looking at a display. This image displays a gradient of shades between absolute black and absolute white. A perfect product will display the image as butter smooth, but most don’t. Bands often appear in the image and are most common in its darkest quarter.

Banding is a noticeable problem. It’s common in any content that depicts a grade of color that gradually shifts. A photograph of a sunset is a great example. Banding will cause the photograph to have unnatural layers of color that shift abruptly.

Don’t dither about

A similar issue is dithering. This technique carefully arranges the colors a display is capable of producing to replicate a color it can’t product. For example, let’s say a display for some reason could not produce purple hues. It could instead try to replicate the color with alternating red and blue pixels.

Dithering is used to combat banding, but we’ve noticed cases where dithering just doesn’t seem to work properly. It can cause strange results such as expanses of flat, shimmering blacks in our gradient banding image. That’s the sort of problem that could become a serious issue during real-world use.

The screen door effect

“Screen door effect” is a phrase used to describe a monitor that has a visible gap between individual pixels. The technical term for this phenomenon is “dot pitch,” which describes the size of individual pixels and the distance between them. A low dot pitch means gaps should not be easily visible, while a high dot pitch means the opposite.

dot pitchThe impact of dot pitch is relative to the device. The gap between pixels becomes easier to notice as the distance between the display and its user decreases. That is why dot pitch is most often a problem on a mobile device. Monitors and HDTVs usually don’t struggle with this problem because the user is much further away. 

Conclusion

Hopefully this explanation has helped you understand how displays are measured. We do not refer to these terms in every review because we want to make our reviews as approachable as possible, but sometimes it’s impossible to avoid the technical talk. Now you will know what we’re on about.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Hitman Absolution preview: The age old question, the garrote or the gun?

Hitman: Absolution is shaping up to be a series-faithful reinvention, offering new twists on putting Agent 47's lethal training to work.

After spending several hours tooling around with a preview build of Hitman: Absolution, out November 20, 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows, I’m very pleased to let fans know that the spirit of the series is very much intact. As slick as the game’s ad campaign has been — sexy hit-nuns and all — worries over too much of an action focus have dogged Absolution every step of the way. While there certainly is an expanded set of less-than-stealthy tools for Agent 47 to work with, there are still hefty score penalties for going loud. Absolution has all the promise of being the best Hitman game we’ve seen yet, doing everything that the series has always done well, along with many things that you’ve always wanted the series to do.

Hitman: Absolution begins with a very difficult assignment for 47 to tackle. Diana Burnwood, his longtime handler at the Agency, has gone rogue and disappeared from sight along with a young girl of some importance. The story opens with Diana and her young charge, Victoria, having been tracked down. 47 is dispatched to remove his former colleague from the equation and return Victoria to his higher-ups unharmed. 

This early mission serves as the game’s tutorial, teaching players the basics of stealth, taking cover, disguises, combat, and more as 47 works his way into Diana’s picturesque suburban hideaway. The influence of Glacier 2, the long-in-development engine that powers Hitman: Absolution, is immediately apparent. It’s more than just the high level of environmental detail; there’s also a lot more for you to do to interact with the world. Random objects can be picked up and wielded, as you’ve surely seen by now in various trailers.

The most dramatic change, however, is the addition of Instinct. This new feature allows players to call up an overlay that amounts to a visual manifestation of 47′s natural instincts as a trained assassin. It’s similar in a lot of ways to Batman: Arkham City‘s Detective mode, with enemies and important objects being highlighted by a yellow glow, remaining visible through walls and other obstacles. You can also use Instinct to walk right past people who present a risk of blowing your cover when you’re wearing a disguise, though this drains the associated meter rapidly and must be used sparingly.

I made full use of the Instinct feature as I worked my way through a backyard garden into Diana’s heavily guarded safehouse. Nearly every one of your actions is tracked in some way by the game. As has always been the case in the Hitman series, the biggest rewards come from remaining completely concealed and restricting your violence. Absolution adds some new tricks to the equation, however, with Challenges.

Replay has always been an important part of Hitman. It’s virtually impossible to go full stealth on your first time through a particular mission — there’s a process of learning the layouts and figuring out the best routes to follow. Challenges add yet another wrinkle to up replay value. In any given mission, you’ve got a list of tasks to complete that, in many cases, conflict in such a way that you’re basically forced to run through the mission multiple times if you want to get them all finished.

There’s one, for example, that requires you to complete the assigned task without ever trading your suit for a disguise, while another calls for you to use every available disguise in a given mission. Completing these challenges unlock small boosts to your various skills, so getting them done is all part of your pursuit to become a more perfect assassin. It’s a neat dangling carrot sort of feature that promises to keep players coming back for more.

Needless to say, when 47 finally gets to Diana, we learn that the situation is not quite as clear-cut as ICA boss Benjamin Travis (voiced by the immediately recognizable Powers Boothe) initially made it seem. Diana appears to have had good reasons for going rogue and they all revolve around Victoria. Diana manages to convince Agent 47 to protect Victoria from Travis and anyone else who would harm her, which sets the scene for the rest of the game. 

This serves to set up an interesting new dynamic for the story. In previous Hitman games, the goal is pretty straightforward: kill your targets, be quick and silent about it. Absolution seems to be pushing for more of a varied take on the core gameplay. 47 isn’t just pursuing a list of targets; he’s after information too. An early mission sees him breaking into a hotel where a sadistic industrialist named Blake Dexter — our primary antagonist — is staying. The sneaking in this case is in the service of information gathering. I can’t speak for every player, but for me, that small change to the mission focus made it that much more difficult to wantonly strangle the guards that stood in my way.

The next mission raises a similar situation. 47 is framed for murder and left unconscious in a hotel room as a fire chews it to pieces. You wake up in time to escape, of course, but the sequence that follows is a literal run from the cops, over rooftops, through a library, and on into an apartment building. Again I felt a mental block against taking a more lethal approach — partially because it’s never fun to see your score fall into the negative, but mostly because of the nature of the situation. 47 isn’t after a target here; he’s protecting a target.

I really enjoyed playing through Hitman: Absolution‘s opening hours. It’s clearly a preview build, with work still to be done on tuning the difficulty and making everything generally just run more smoothly. The improved quality of this Hitman experience over previous entries in the series is nonetheless evident from the outset. There’s plenty more game and story to be revealed of course. and I didn’t even go near the online-centered Contracts mode, but it looks like fans of the series have plenty to look forward to in Hitman: Absolution.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Still no Skyrim DLC for PS3 as “Hearthfire” comes to PC

PC owners can now play Skyrim's Hearthfire expansion, but Bethesda still can't get Skyrim DLC working on the PlayStation 3.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim update, Hearthfire, will let you build a house to lay your weary Dragonborn head to rest, cry no more, and even raise a family. Up until today, that house could only exist in the universe of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, but Bethesda Softworks finally released the PC edition of the update via Valve’s Steam. For $5, PC owners can build a homestead and fill it with arcane weapons with which to fight off legions of resurrected dragons. PlayStation 3 owners will unfortunately have to keep waiting, and from the sound of things at Bethesda, they may have to wait forever.

Following the announcement, Bethesda’s Pete Hines was quick to say that there is no new information about either Hearthfire or the large Dawnguard expansion for Skyrim on PlayStation 3. “I don’t have any info on Hearthfire, Dawnguard, or DLC in general for PS3,” Hines said via Twitter, “We’re still on it. Will share update when I have one.”

When one user followed up asking what the problem is getting the updates working on Sony’s console, Hines reiterated that technical issues are keeping the game off the machine. “Performance isn’t good enough in all cases. For most folks, it’d be fine. For some, it wouldn’t be.”

Following Dawnguard’s announcement at the beginning of summer and its subsequent release on Xbox 360, Bethesda was standoffish about if and when the content would come to PlayStation 3, making it seem at first that the delay was related to a content deal with Microsoft. As time went on though, it was revealed that Bethesda simply cannot get Dawnguard and other expansions working on PS3.

Skyrim is a massive and dynamic game that requires a lot of resources, and things get much more complex when you’re talking about sizable content like Dawnguard,” read a statement from the studio released in August, “We have tried a number of things, but none solve the issue enough to make Dawnguard good for everyone. The PS3 is a powerful system, and we’re working hard to deliver the content you guys want. Dawnguard is obviously not the only DLC we’ve been working on either, so this issue of adding content gets even more complicated.” It did say at that time that it’s working with Sony directly to try and get Skyrim’s expansions working right on the system.

The PlayStation 3 represents a huge portion of Skyrim’s audience. More than 4 million copies of that version of the game have been sold since last November.

 


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Rovio hints at Star Wars-themed Angry Birds sequel

Rovio’s recent spinoff of the Angry Birds series, Bad Piggies, proved the studio still has what it takes to top the mobile gaming charts. In the meantime, however, our agitated feathered friends have been cooking up something of their own that could have an even larger impact on the franchise, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan.

Yesterday the studio, er, the Angry Birds - tweeted a mysterious picture encouraging followers to check back today for a hint. The image gave few clues outside of the fact it was probably a fowl covered in some kind of blanket or robe. A follow-up photo and a link to the new Angry Birds Tumblr page sheds a lot of light (no pun intended) on what’s coming soon.

The animated image on the Tumblr page shows a figure wearing a Star Wars robe and holding a light saber. When the saber is activated, the light illuminates the character's face, revealing it is indeed a member of the Angry Bird gang. A note below the image reads: Times Square, New York, October 8th, 10 a.m. EST. Furthermore, a “hint” suggests you should head to Toys R Us at 8 a.m. EST.

That’s all we know at this hour but it appears that the next game in the franchise will certainly have a Star Wars theme. The launch window could prove interesting seeing as Rovio released Bad Piggies just over a week ago. Back-to-back games seem unlikely but with the holidays fast approaching, anything is possible.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Asus Padfone 2 specs leak ahead of Oct. 16 unveil

Asus Padfone 2 specs leak ahead of Oct. 16 unveil

Why not make another?

Asus will officially unveil the Padfone 2 Oct. 16, but folks over at EEEPC.it apparently got ahold of some leaked specs for the three-in-one device ahead of time.

According to the leak, the Padfone 2’s packing a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, which duplicates the chip specs found inside the original Padfone.

However, this time around the smartphone/tablet/notebook might run a Snapdragon S4 Pro version, according to a report on Digital Trends.

Two times the charm

The Padfone 2, which uses the smartphone component to power the other devices it becomes, will host 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and a 2,140mAh battery.

The last detail is based off an eBay listing for an Asus A68 battery pack, and although A68 is reportedly the model number for the Padfone 2, the battery's validity is still questionable.

As for the display, it looks as if this time around Asus is endowing the smartphone component with a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 720 resolution display, bumping up the original's dimensions of 4.3 inches and 540 x 960.

There’s also word of cellular data at GSM 1900/850 MHz and WCDMA 2100 MHz, while it'll also support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.

We won't know for a few weeks just what Asus is going to throw at us (the original Padfone was enough of a curveball), but TechRadar will bring all the latest out of the company's simultaneous Milan/Taipei event to light.


Source : techradar[dot]com

More info on LG Nexus leaks, including wireless charging

More info on LG Nexus leaks, including wireless charging

LG's Nexus will supposedly resemble the Galaxy Nexus

Rumors have popped up recently that LG will be launching its very own Nexus device, possibly called the LG Optimus G Nexus (though maybe not).

On Thursday, unnamed sources claimed that the new LG Nexus would launch alongside a new version of Google's Jelly Bean OS, Android 4.2.

Then, on Friday, even more details emerged - in addition to a supposed hands-on report with the unannounced LG Nexus device, a slew of specs have reportedly arrived at MoDaCo via "various sources."

The LG Nexus phone, or whatever it ends up being called, will pack a punch, but in some areas it'll fall woefully short, according to these latest sources.

The good

According to Thursday's rumors, Google will be loosening its grip on the Nexus branding, allowing any phone maker to take its stab at creating a Nexus device as long as it lives up to Google's standards.

LG's Nexus phone will reportedly be a spiritual successor of sorts to the LG Optimus G, though it'll look more like Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

According to the most recent rumors, the LG Nexus device will run Android 4.2 out of the box and sport a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, a hefty 2GB of memory, a 1280x768 True-HD IPS display, and an 8-megapixel rear camera.

In addition, the LG Nexus will reportedly have onboard wireless charging, a welcome feature that's been hyped up recently due to its inclusion in Nokia's Lumia 920.

The bad, and the ugly

On the other hand, according to Friday's report LG's new Nexus phone will suffer from a few drawbacks that might have Android fans wondering what the Korean phone maker is thinking.

For one thing, the LG Nexus will reportedly not come with a microSD slot.

To make that worse, its storage capacity will be capped at 16GB, at least to start, with an 8GB model available as well, according to the rumors.

It would be one thing if there were larger versions available, but to limit the storage to 16GB and then not allow for expansion seems somewhat daft.

Finally, the report also claimed that the LG Nexus's battery will not be removable.

It remains to be seen whether any of these claims actually turn out to be true. TechRadar has reached out to LG to comment on the rumors, but the company has yet to respond.


Source : techradar[dot]com

EA busted for recycling old games for the FIFA 13 releases on Wii, PS Vita

FIFA 13 Wii U

While FIFA 13 for HD consoles is lauded by critics and fans, EA is slammed for repackaging old editions of the game for Wii and PS Vita.

There’s only one game that makes Electronic Arts’ audience and its shareholders salivate each year. It isn’t Madden NFL and it isn’t The Sims. The big money, and the big quality it seems, is in FIFA 13. The latest edition of EA’s perennial football simulator is shaping up to be one of the year’s bestsellers, with 4.5 million copies sold around the world, an impressive number of which were on digital platforms. EA’s raking in the cash. FIFA 13 should prove extra profitable this year, though, as evidence suggests that the publisher introduced some unique cost cutting measures. The cheapest way to make money on a game is to not bother making a new one.

All evidence suggests that the Wii and PS Vita editions of FIFA 13 are little more than repackaged versions of older versions of the title.

First, Nintendo World did a gallery comparison between the Wii editions of FIFA 12 and FIFA 13. With the exception of Lional Messi putting in an appearance on 13’s title screen, the game’s menus, layout, field game, and even messages to players in the game’s Career mode are identical. There are squad updates, but that and other minor tweaks are the extent of the differences between the two editions of the game. That is, of course, in addition to FIFA 13’s bigger price.

The Wii edition of the game is obviously not a huge priority for EA. Software sales for Nintendo’s 6-year-old console have been sinking for years and, with the exception of some of its first-party titles, have all but bottomed out ahead of the Wii U’s release. It’s a dishonest, consumer-unfriendly release, but it is a fiscally sound one. The PlayStation Vita edition is less forgivable.

By all accounts, FIFA 13 for PS Vita is almost the exact same game as FIFA Football, a game released for the handheld in February at the system’s launch. Based on the FIFA 11 engine, the new release is a full-priced update with tweaked touch control.

When asked by Wired whether EA intentionally repackaged products, a spokesman ignored the question, responding that the publisher “felt it was important to continue to offer fans the opportunity to play an authentic football experience on Wii.”

It’s tough to finger just what kind of impact these shoddy releases have had on consumers. Of the 4.5 million total copies sold, including Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Vita, PSP, PS2, Wii, and iOS releases, EA only provided some break down. 353,000 of those copies were PS3 and Xbox 360 copies sold in the US. 1.23 million across all platforms in the UK. No numbers were provided for other regions like India where FIFA is hugely popular despite being hugely expensive.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Will the Padfone 2 use Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip?

A spec for the Padfone 2 has been leaked, indicating it may use a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, but the leak's accuracy is questionable.

Asus is set to officially launch the Padfone 2 on October 16, during a simultaneous event in Milan, Italy and Taipei, Taiwan. Besides a set of benchmark figures, little is known about the final spec of Asus’ follow-up to the unusual Padfone, however a few leaks this week have added a little color to the picture.

The most recent comes from a Japanese site, which spotted a spec list for the Padfone 2 on the NCC’s website — that’s Japan’s communications regulator — which stated the Padfone 2’s model number as A68, and that it would come with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.

This joins a leaked image of the Padfone 2’s packaging, which backs up the A68 model number (the original Padfone’s model number is A66, by the way), and that it will be powered by a 1.5Ghz, Qualcomm 8064 Snapdragon processor.

A quad-core Snapdragon chip was featured in the early benchmark figures, so it’s great to see it listed again, as the exciting Qualcomm APQ8064 is the company’s first foray into the world of quad-core chips, and is set to make its debut in the LG Optimus G very soon.

Questionable sources

If this is correct, then the Padfone 2 is shaping up to be the second device to use the incredibly powerful processor, which given the phone section is the “heart” of the Padfone’s phone/tablet/laptop setup, it needs all the help it can get.

The spec list, which concentrates on the smartphone, continues with a 13-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.2-megapixel forward facing camera, LTE connectivity and a 4.7-inch, high definition touchscreen. It’s here where the validity of the leaked picture is called into question, as the screen is described as being both a Super AMOLED panel and a Super IPS LCD, both of which are completely different technologies.

Every rumor should be viewed with skepticism, but when blatant errors like this are on display, one has to treat it as being entirely fabricated. Shame, as the possibility of that Snapdragon S4 Pro chip was very tempting indeed. On the subject of questionable sources, Digitimes.com also says the Padfone 2 will use a Qualcomm quad-core processor, and that Google Android 4.1 will be used instead of Android 4.0 as originally expected.

So, we’ll keep hoping for both the quad-core Snapdragon and Android 4.1, and wait for all to be revealed on October 16.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Are Ultrabooks already dead, or just waiting to arrive?

Ultrabook (general)

Intel's Ultrabooks make PCs slim and powerful to compete with tablets — but, so far, few are buying. Are Ultrabooks dead…or just not here yet?

As smartphones and tablets chewed up the market for PCs back in 2011, chipmaking giant Intel made a bold bet to save its core business. Intel poured $300 million dollars into making notebook PCs lighter and thinner, dubbing the resulting products Ultrabooks.  Unlike chintzy, low-cost netbooks that offered a barebones computing experience on a small screen, Ultrabooks were supposed to pack the wallop and battery life of a mainstream notebook, but with a form factor that make them almost as easy to carry around as a tablet.

Sounds great, right? At the time, Intel boldly forecast that by the end of 2012 it hoped the Ultrabook platform would represent 40 percent of all consumer laptops — and Intel’s director of Ultrabook marketing stuck to that forecast as recently as last month.

But a year later, there’s no sign consumers or businesses are embracing Ultrabooks. Has the platform fizzled out, or is it just yet to arrive?

What is an Ultrabook?

An Ultrabook isn’t a particular computer or line of computers — it’s just a notebook that meets particular design specs set out by Intel. So far, Intel has laid out two sets of criteria for what constitutes an Ultrabook:

First generation Ultrabooks needed to be based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, offer at least five hours of battery life, and wake from deep sleep in no more than seven seconds. The systems must also include Intel management tools and both anti-theft and identity protection technology. Ultrabooks with 13.3-inch displays and smaller could only be 18mm thick — that’s 7/10 of an inch. Ultrabooks with 14-inch and larger displays could scale up to 21mm thick.

Second generation Ultrabooks retain all the specs of the first generation but move up to Intel’s more-recent Ivy Bridge processors (basically, packing better graphics and smaller size, so they use less power). Second-gen Ultrabooks also require USB 3.0 and have a minimum internal transfer rate for storage of 80MB/s. Notebooks that can be used as either a traditional laptop or flip around to become touch tablet can be up to 23mm thick (0.91 inches) and still be called an Ultrabook.

Plenty of things aren’t specified here. For instance, there’s no requirement for RAM or storage (whether hard drives, SSD, or a mix). Second-generation Ultrabooks require USB 3.0 (native in Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors) but there are no other connectivity or output requirements: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, eSATA, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt — those things and more or all left to computer makers’ discretion. Similarly, screensize is left up in the air, although Ultrabooks’ slim-and-sleek requirements are friendlier to ultraportables rather than notebooks with 15-inch or larger screens. Intel’s processors all come with onboard graphics, but there’s nothing to prevent computer makers from adding high performance third-party graphics — if they can cram them within the space and power requirements. Similarly, there’s no weight requirement.

In other words, Ultrabooks might be a brand, but there’s lots of room for variation — and confusion — about what they offer. For most people, the key word is “thin.”

How have Ultrabooks done?

The first Ultrabooks went on sale about a year ago, with second-generation models appearing on shelves in May and June of this year. By most standards, that’s enough time to gauge how consumers are responding to Ultrabooks. However, computer makers haven’t been breaking out Ultrabook sales separately from their sales of other notebook types, so few direct sales number are available.

What we do know doesn’t paint a rosy picture. In June — just as the second-generation Ultrabooks were starting to hit the market — IDC analyst Jay Chou indicated roughly half a million Ultrabooks had been sold during the first half of 2012, with expectations that a million might be sold by the end of the year.

IHS iSuppl ultrabooks forecast Oct 2012

IHS iSuppli was offering much more enthusiastic estimates of Ultrabook shipments, forecasting that 22 million units would ship by the end of 2012. However, this week IHS iSuppli cut its near-term forecast on Ultrabook sales roughly in half, instead calling for 10.3 million units to ship during 2012. In 2013, IHS iSuppli expects computer makers to ship 44 million Ultrabooks — a big number, but still lower than their previous forecast of 61 million units.

Estimates earlier this year from IDC and Gartner forecast the worldwide market for notebook computer would be between 220 and 230 million units; IDC recently revised that estimate downward to 214 million units. By Chou’s mid-year estimate, that would put Ultrabook sales at less than one half of one percent of notebook computers worldwide for 2012; iSuppli’s forecast would have Ultrabooks accounting for less than five percent of notebook sales worldwide.

Both figures would be a long way from the 40 percent of consumer notebook sales Intel was hoping for by the end of 2012.

Is it all about price?

Ivy Bridge

The most common complaint about Ultrabooks is that they’re simply too expensive. Intel had hoped Ultrabooks would go on sale at prices under $1,000, but some Ultrabooks trend far north of that: HP’s Envy 14 Spectre had a $1,400 starting price, and LG’s X-Note Z330 Ultrabook started at $1,500. A few systems cracked the $1,000 barrier (notably the Acer Aspire S3-951 and HP Folio 13) — but high Ultrabook prices are the norm, not the exception.

High prices for Ultrabooks puts the products between a rock and a hard place. Due to their thin form factors and svelte power requirements, they often sport comparatively small screens (13- and 14-inch screens with 1,366 x 768 resolution is the norm, although a couple like the Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD scoot out to a full 1,920 x 1,080 pixels). The slim cases often mean few ports: Essentially all Ultrabooks sport USB and Wi-Fi, but if you need VGA output to drive a projector at a presentation, you’re probably out of luck. Similarly, all but a few (high end) Ultrabooks lack optical drives. For many users, that makes Ultrabooks comparable to with traditional ultraportable computers — thin, small screens, few ports — just more expensive. Given a choice between buying two computers with limited options, most businesses and consumers will go for the less-expensive one — and right now that’s rarely going to be the Ultrabook.

Prices are coming down on Ultrabook models: Acer and HP have started aggressively pricing low-end models below $700 — although right now those are models based on the first-generation Ultrabook spec, so they don’t necessarily represent the latest technology. They also ignore the unibody aesthetic Intel has been promoting for the brand: low-end Ultrabooks tend to sport a fair bit of plastic. Pricing on Ultrabooks based on the first-generation spec should dip below $600 by the end of the year — some deal sites are already on that threshold.

Long live the “ultrathin?”

HP Envy Sleekbook (AMD Trinity)

There’s no reason every thin notebook has to be an Ultrabook. In fact, the Intel’s Ultrabook effort has effectively created another category of notebooks dubbed “ultrathins” — notebooks that look an awful lot like Ultrabooks but don’t qualify for one reason or another. Maybe they’re just a smidge too thick because they include an optical drive or a VGA port, or maybe they’re based on AMD’s Trinity processor instead of Intel’s chips. Whatever the reason, they’re still thin and more portable than traditional notebooks — and often cheaper than Ultrabooks.

In the long run, Intel might be just fine with that.

“Whether or not the system is an “Ultrabook” or not, in the long run, may not be a worry for Intel. What they want to accomplish is getting the PC industry to innovate new designs and engineering (like ultrathin, ultralight, convertibles, touch screen, etc.) that will better compete with the other new computing gadgets (like the tablet or smartphone),” said IHS iSuppli’s Craig Stice, via email. “If the PC industry can accomplish this and continue to grow (with or without the need for a branded Ultrabook), the PC industry and Intel wins.”

Are Ultrabooks about to take off?

windows 8 tablet netbook

Another reason Ultrabooks have been slow to engage is that the personal computer market has been essentially flat this year, as consumers drift towards smartphones and tablets and many would-be buyers are putting off purchasing new gear until they see what Windows 8 will bring them.

If Windows 8 resonates with consumers, it may spark Ultrabook sales. The launch of Windows 8 is expected to usher in a new generation of Ultrabook products, many of which will be convertible tablets: They can be used like traditional clamshell notebooks, or detach their screens and function as touch-enabled tablets. At the Intel Developer Forum last month, the company reportedly claimed some 70 Ultrabook designs are in computer makers’ product pipelines, and 40 of them sport touchscreens.

Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch, and Microsoft’s corresponding marketing push, should expose Ultrabooks to more buyers. At the same time, first- and second-generation Ultrabook models will likely come down in price, potentially bringing additional interest from consumers are well as businesses that have been putting off new computer purchases.

Looking forward, the next revision of Intel’s Ultrabook specification — which will be based on Intel’s upcoming Haswell processor — is expected to land in mid-2013. Haswell will be the first processor chip Intel has actually designed with the Ultrabook platform in mind: They’ll have even lower power consumption than current Ivy Bridge processors, and Intel is working on an even lower-power version designed with convertible tablets in mind. Haswell-based Ultrabooks will also feature scalable graphics (including support for DisplayPort 1.2 and 4K video output).

However, these Haswell-based systems are likely to debut at the high end of notebook pricing — just like most of today’s Ultrabooks — which means they may face the same issues.

Bottom line

Intel is not going to give up on Ultrabooks. In fact, you can expect the company to push the platform even harder with the launch of Windows 8 this month and the debut of Haswell processors in mid-2013. However, the leading edge of Ultrabooks are almost certainly going to remain specialized products with high price tags. If Ultrabooks ever go mainstream — and capture that 40 percent of the consumer notebook market Intel expects — it will be because prices on previous generations of Ultrabooks have fallen to points where they can successfully compete against traditional notebooks and ultrathins.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

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