Beleaguered Loot Drop announces Ghost Recon Commander cancellation

Following the recent cancellation of its already-well-funded Kickstarter roleplaying game, developer Loot Drop has announced the cancellation of Ghost Recon Commander.

 Ghost Recon Commander

Though the name might not be immediately familiar, you’ve likely got some level of existing knowledge about developer Loot Drop. This is a company headed by John Romero, Tom Hall and Brenda Brathwaite, a trio of game industry veterans who have collectively worked on titles like DOOM, Quake and the Wizardy series. In short, these three have had a hand in numerous very important game releases over the past few decades.

With that kind of pedigree you’d expect that everything Loot Drop touches would turn to gold. However, the recent past has proven a bit rocky for the firm. You may recall a report we published on October 22, that detailed the cancellation of a Kickstarter project the firm had created. A Kickstarter cancellation by itself wouldn’t be interesting news, but in this case the project had already pulled in nearly $250,000 and still had 13 days to go before its timer ran down. At that time Brathwaite and Hall posted an update to the Kickstarter project page explaining the cancellation.

“Ultimately, our pitch just wasn’t strong enough to get the traction we felt it needed to thrive,” the update states. “Sure, it may have made it. We could have fought our way to a possibly successful end. In reading your feedback and talking it over internally, however, we decided that it made more sense to kill it and come back with something stronger.”

Whatever the reason, this cancellation comes with unfortunate timing, as now, a mere week and a half later, Loot Drop has announced the cancellation of yet another game. Specifically, we’re talking about Ghost Recon Commander, a Facebook-based strategy title that, as its title would suggest, was a part of Ubisoft’s vast Ghost Recon franchise. Unlike the previous Kickstarter debacle however, Loot Drop offers no explanation for the cancellation. Instead, we’re left with a succinct Facebook message:

Sad news. Today, Ghost Recon Commander was cancelled. As a result, we laid off a team of awesome developers. If you have openings, especially in SF, ping me, or add your info after this post. Coders, artists, amazing assistant designer, and awesome QA guy.

Bizarrely, this cancellation announcement appeared on the same day that the Loot Drop website was updated to announce that Ghost Recon Commander had “tied with Draw Something for the runner up slot in the Best Free to Play Game in the Golden Joystick Awards.” Why post such a thing if your game is mere hours away from cancellation? Or does the timing of these announcements indicate that this cancellation caught Loot Drop’s employees by surprise?

Based on what scant information we’ve been given any speculation on what’s happening at Loot Drop would be wildly premature, but we’ve got our fingers crossed that Loot Drop can turn things around in the near future. Or, at the very least, that we won’t be back here next week detailing the cancellation of yet another Loot Drop title. 


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Grand Theft Auto V officially arrives in Spring 2013

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V finally has an official release window, and you're mere days away from being able to pre-order Rockstar Games' latest crime epic.

In a short missive posted this morning to the official Rockstar Games website, the company has revealed that Grand Theft Auto V will hit retail shelves at some point during the Spring of 2013. Further, Rockstar also states that come November 5, you’ll be able to walk into any gaming retailer and drop whatever amount of cash and personal details they deem necessary to pre-order the open-world game.

If “Spring” seems like an odd time to release a new sequel in a series that has a tendency to smash all kinds of sales records and pull in ludicrous amounts of profit, well, you’re correct. If this were any other developer we’d slam this decision and wonder why the company wouldn’t rather release Grand Theft Auto V just prior to the lucrative holiday season. Of course, given that this is Rockstar, this is perfectly in keeping with the company’s history. Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s take on old-west cowboy drama, was released on May 18, 2010, while Grand Theft Auto IV first appeared on April 29, 2008. Both of those games sold like hotcakes made of ambrosia, a feat that was no doubt boosted by the fact that these Spring release dates free Rockstar’s games from having to compete with the dozens of big-name titles that hit  store shelves immediately prior to Christmas.

While we still know very little about Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar concludes its announcement by saying that “fans can expect a host of new information to become available in November.” So, expect magazine spreads, commercials and massive retrospectives on the Grand Theft Auto series as a whole to crop up every few days for roughly the next six months. Hopefully this is yet another Rockstar title that proves itself worth the pre-release hype, because we have a feeling that the PR push on this game is going to be crazy-huge. Those of you who abhor street violence and mob movie stereotypes should probably avoid mass media until sometime next June.

Of course, if you can’t wait for the PR blitz to commence, Rockstar also released a largely meaningless, but nonetheless attractive poster alongside today’s announcement. You can find the entire thing below.

GTAV announcement poster


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Windows 8 laptop roundup: Traditional PCs get an upgrade

notable windows 8 devices microsoft tablets laptops

Windows 8 is enabling a buffet of innovative new laptops. These are our currently our favorite traditional laptops in the launch library of Windows 8 devices, which has grown quite large.

It will definitely take some getting used to — the hands-on nature of the OS already requires a bit of a brain rewire — but change should be exciting. This is the first time in a long time that Microsoft has drastically overhauled the aesthetics in Windows and it should be celebrated for it. Yes, it has its limitations and annoyances, but Microsoft is steadily rolling out updates and responding to customer feedback. There’s nowhere to go but up. 

Windows 8 represents the start of a radical shift in the laptop market. Microsoft’s decision to re-design the Windows interface for use with touch should solve one of the most serious problems facing PC manufacturers interested in touchscreen devices – the lack of a decent interface.

No time has been wasted in the development of new products with new ideas. In fact, some of the products debuting with Windows 8 are concepts first shown nearly a year ago at CES 2012. Looking for a new notebook? We’ve rounded up the laptops that we think are most likely to interest consumers when the new operating system hits store shelves on October 26.

Acer Aspire M5Acer’s Aspire Timeline Ultra M5, one of our favorite Ultrabooks, is being updated for use with Windows 8. The update appears to almost wholly consist of a 10-point touchscreen. Most other components, and the chassis itself, appear largely untouched. We’re not opposed to that. We think the touchscreen model would be a good choice for anyone who wants some touchscreen functionality but intends to still rely primarily on the ole’ touchpad and keyboard. Acer’s priced the model accordingly – it will start at just $800.

Asus Taichi

Asus Taichi dualscreen laptop

The Taichi is one of the more bizarre concepts to debut alongside Windows 8. Unlike most convertibles, which turn into a tablet by sliding the display forward or flipping it around, the Taichi simply adds a second display to the top of the laptop. Open, it’s a laptop. Closed, it’s a tablet. It’s an interesting concept. Practical? That remains to be seen, but Asus is outfitting the 11.6-inch laptop with world-class hardware and seems intent on making it a flagship product. It’s powered by Intel Core processors, come with a solid state drive and both of the displays are 1080p. The expected introductory price will be $1,300.

HP Envy Spectre XT TouchSmart

HP has gone berserk on this 15-inch touchscreen laptop. It offers a 1080p IPS display, an Intel Core processor, a Thunderbolt port and, of course, a touchscreen. Unlike most of the other laptops listed here, the Spectre XT is clearly not meant for travel. Its weight of 4.7 pounds makes it the gorilla of the group despite its thin profile. Still, not everyone who buys a laptop needs portability and the hardware specs make it clear the XT will be a competitor for the performance crown among this pack.

HP Envy x2

Buyers looking for a small convertible in the Envy line will want to direct their gaze to the Envy x2. It’s an 11.6-inch dockable tablet that will be shipping with a 1366 x 768 pixel IPS display and weigh in at just 3.1 pounds. It also includes a solid state hard drive, a built-in NFC chip and support for a stylus. It does suffer from the same gotcha as the Asus Vivo Tab, however — an Intel Atom processor. This is made worse by rumors that it will have a price over $1,000 and perhaps as high as $1,400. We have a hard time believing than any Atom powered product would be worth a premium.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

IdeaPad YogaThe Yoga is a concept that Lenovo showed at CES 2012 as a showcase for both ultrabooks and what might be possible with Windows 8. Its claim to fame is a unique hinge that makes it possible to swing the keyboard almost 360 degrees, which places the display on the “bottom” of the laptop. It then can be used as a tablet. The Yoga can also use the keyboard as a stand for the touchscreen. Lenovo will be shipping the Yoga with Intel Core processors, solid state drives and a 13-inch 1600 x 900 pixel IPS display. These are respectable specifications, and they become all the more enticing in light of a $1,000 starting price. We think this may end up among the most popular convertibles on the market.

Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch

Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch

The Samsung Series 5 Touch joins the Acer Aspire M5 as our pick for the everyman’s touchscreen laptop. We have not fully reviewed the Series 5, but we’re not oblivious to it. We think it a well-built, yet affordable, 13-inch Ultrabook. A touchscreen is of course included in the new model, as is a Core low-voltage processor and a mechanical hard drive paired with a solid state cache drive. It’s all conventional stuff, so it’s good that Samsung has barely touched the price. Base price starts at $800.

Conclusion

Our top pick going in to the launch of Windows 8 is the IdeaPad Yoga. This convertible touchscreen laptop offers a unique design, powerful hardware, impressive displays, and an affordable price tag. We haven’t had the chance to fully review any of these products, however, and we’ve had hands-on time with only some of them. Take this list as a collection of first impressions rather than final verdicts. Look for our full reviews on these laptops and more over the coming months.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Activision ups its mobile game with Activate and two new Skylanders titles

Activision's bid to conquer the mobile gaming market continues as the company announces a new Game Center-style social network called Activate and two new Skylanders titles for mobile devices.

Activision has started its fall blitz. Licensed small fries like 007 Legends and Wipeout 3 are getting back up from giants like the appropriately named sequel Skylanders: Giants and the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Even as Activision goes for broke chasing the console gamer dollar, the company continues to expand its meager mobile gaming operations.

The latest mobile gaming effort from Activision is Activate, the company’s new mobile gaming network. Described as a social platform, Activate is Activision’s answer to Apple’s Game Center, Amazon’s GameCircle, GREE’s OpenFeint, DeNA’s Mobage and even Microsoft’s Xbox Live. Users can login to the Activate network using their Facebook ID and password or create a specific account and then look at features common to these types of services. Friends lists, achievements, cloud saves, etc.

Activision hasn’t announced a start date for Activate, but when it is ready for primetime, the company will have a significant weapon for differentiating itself in the mobile market: Skylanders. Billed as the company’s “next billion dollar franchise,” the announcement of Activate came alongside the reveal of two new mobile Skylanders games, Skylanders: Lost Islands and Skylanders: Battlegrounds. The former is a resource management game, not unlike Farmville, while the later is a way to bulk up Skylanders characters and action figures that can be used in the console game as well. Both games will have social features supported by Activate.

Activision will also bring Activate support to older titles like last year’s iOS game Skylanders: Cloud Patrol. The new mode for that game will be a shooting game called Showdown, and if a player beats the score of anyone on their Activate friends list, the earn more in-game currency.

After ignoring the booming mobile market for years, licensing out its properties to other developers, Activision seems to have found the perfect blend of services and properties to become a player in the field. It already invested heavily in opening new mobile studios this year, like the UK-based Blast Furnace, whose Pitfall! reboot came out in August. It also partnered with Flurry in June to promote indie mobile games on iOS devices.

How big is Activision’s potential audience for Activate? It’s sold 30 million Skylanders toys alone in the past year. That’s a whole lot of people already spending on small goods beyond the game, so microtransactions in the games on Activate are a sure thing.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Wii U Deluxe Digital Promotion offers rebates on eShop purchases

Wii U Gamepad eShop

In lieu of offering Wii U owners a massive swath of awesome launch games, Nintendo hopes to push people toward the classic games available on its eShop by offering sizable incentives.

It’s pretty convenient that we live in an age where our gaming machines can download new titles whenever the mood strikes us. Of course, it would be more convenient if buying these new games via our Internet-enabled gaming machines could somehow earn us a monetary equivalent that might be redeemed for even more games, but that’s some kind of crazy pipe dream. Or at least it was until Nintendo announced the Wii U’s “Deluxe Digital Promotion.”

As you may have gathered from its name, the Deluxe Digital Promotion is an offer available only to those who pick up the $350 Wii U Deluxe Set, a special all-black version of the Wii U that also includes a gratis copy of Nintendo Land as well as several other items you won’t find in the Basic iteration of the Wii U. Assuming you own the Deluxe Wii U, this scheme offers you roughly 10 percent credit back on any eShop purchases you might make.

Nintendo breaks down the math and covers all the additional caveats of this promotional stunt:

All Wii U Deluxe Set owners who purchase digital content for Wii U, including downloadable games in the Nintendo eShop for Wii U and download codes sold at select retail stores, will earn points with a value equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the Nintendo eShop list price of each purchase. For example, a game priced at $59.99, such as New Super Mario Bros. U, would earn 599 points. For every 500 points they earn, participants will receive a code worth $5 in credit to be used in the Nintendo eShop for either Wii U or Nintendo 3DS. Points will be earned on all digital purchases made on a Wii U Deluxe Set from Nov. 18, 2012, until Dec. 31, 2014. When the Deluxe Digital Promotion website launches in December, participants can see the points they’ve earned and receive codes for Nintendo eShop credit by signing in with their Nintendo Network ID and password. Codes must be received at the website by March 31, 2015. Received codes must be exchanged for Nintendo eShop credit on Wii U or Nintendo 3DS by June 30, 2015. Nintendo eShop credit on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS does not expire.

As for the corporate motivation behind this scheme, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt claims that this initiative is designed to introduce new and long-time Nintendo fans to the arguably copious number of excellent titles available on Nintendo’s various eShop iterations. “The Deluxe Digital Promotion is our way of encouraging Wii U Deluxe Set owners to explore the Nintendo eShop and discover how Wii U offers an incredible combination of fun, innovation, convenience and value,” Moffitt said.

While Nintendo’s attempts to court the same kind of online functionality seen in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are normally myopic, we support this plan wholeheartedly. There really is a ton of great stuff available on the eShop (even if Nintendo has been a bit stingy with eShop releases of late) and pushing players towards older or lesser known titles that they may have never heard of previously is a worthwhile endeavor, especially since the company has revealed plans to delay some of its launch titles to pad out the console’s game selection throughout the 2013 fiscal year.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

iPad 4 more than twice as fast as iPad 3, benchmarks reveal

iPad 4 more than twice as fast as iPad 3, benchmarks reveal

Well, it certainly looks like an iPad

The fourth-generation iPad, or iPad 4, appears to be a major upgrade over the third-gen iPad 3, according to new benchmark tests.

Apple executives including CEO Tim Cook took the stage at a special press conference last Tuesday to introduce the new iPad, along with the iPad Mini and other new devices.

"This 4th generation is a powerhouse," Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller told the audience and viewers. "What's inside it? A new chip, the A6X. It doubles the performance of CPU tasks."

That's a big promise, but according to the latest report, Schiller's claim that the iPad 4 has double the power may have even been a little conservative.

The numbers don't lie

In TechRadar's side-by-side comparison of the iPad 4 and iPad 3, we noted that the new Apple tablet, dubbed the "iPad with Retina display" despite the last iPad carrying the same screen, might not be a significant upgrade.

But according to a new report from Slashgear, the iPad 4 has more than twice the processing power of its predecessor.

That may in fact be due to Apple's new A6 chip. The benchmark results indicate that the iPad 4's A6 chip clocks in at 1.4GHz, up from the last iPad's 1GHz A5 processor.

The iPad 4's quad-core graphics likely don't hurt, either, and the device doesn't appear to suffer from having the same 1GB of RAM that the last iPad did.

Apple's new A6 chip is also found in the iPhone 5, where it clocks in at 1.3GHz, and according to the same benchmark report, the latest iPhone more than doubles the iPad 3's power as well.

Is it worth an upgrade?

Apple revealed some interesting figures during the iPad press conference, including that 100 million iPads have been sold, and that iPads make up 91 percent of all tablet web traffic.

Apple's previous iPad, the third-gen model with Retina display, was released in March, so some users might be understandably hesitant to upgrade to the iPad 4.

The fourth-gen Apple tablet is priced starting at $US499/£399/AUD$539 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version, while $US629/£499/AUD$679 is the starting price for the same size iPad 4 with LTE data.

TechRadar also compared the iPad 4 to the Microsoft Surface RT, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, and the Asus Tranformer Prime.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Microsoft says games will make Windows Phone 8 a winner, but what’s different?

windows phone 8 xbox

Windows Phone 8 phones are coming out this fall, marking the next phase of Microsoft's grand Windows 8 transformation. The company says that video games will help the mobile platform thrive, but the company's made the same claims before and failed.

This time! This time we will actually stake our claim in the mobile market! That’s Microsoft’s message with Windows Phone 8, the next generation of its mobile operating system and entertainment ecosystem. Past efforts like 2010’s Windows Phone 7 and Microsoft’s subsequent partnership with Nokia, as well as the iPhone 1 contemporary Windows Mobile 6 and its half-step successors 6.1 and 6.5, have barely kept Microsoft alive in the smartphone market dominated by Google’s Android and Apple’s devices. When Windows Phone 8 arrives in November, says Microsoft, it will finally have a worthy platform and you can tell by the games that support it.

On Monday, Microsoft hosted a debut event for its new mobile platform, promising that its digital app market will be every bit as robust as its competitors. While Microsoft’s boast of having 120,000 apps available in the Windows Phone Store may seem wan compared to the iOS App Store’s more than 700,000 apps, the company proudly claims that it will have the most popular titles on its machine. Temple Run, Disney’s Where’s My Water, Rovio earners like Angry Birds Star Wars are just some of the games backed by entertainment apps like Pandora. Zynga is also onboard with its recognizable time consumers like Draw Something and Words With Friends.

Xbox Live support for games sold in the Windows Phone Store, as well as Windows Phone 8’s built-in compatibility with Xbox 360 and Windows 8 PCs will, Microsoft’s thinking goes, make the HTC, Samsung and Nokia handsets carrying the OS attractive to people who want the complete home entertainment experience. The Xbox brand and the Xbox 360 home console are feathers in Microsoft’s cap considering that Google and Apple don’t have products in that space. Development for the platform will also be easy for publishers. Microsoft claims that porting Xbox-branded games between Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT is simple.

The truth is, though, that Microsoft has performed this song and dance before. Microsoft held a massive event at the Gamescom conference in 2010 to debut its first wave of Xbox Live-branded games for Windows Phone 7. “Windows Phone 7 is the launch of a major gaming platform for Microsoft,” said the company’s GM of mobile gaming Matt Booty, “Just like we’ve done with Xbox 360, our charter is to push the envelope and deliver definitive games that maximize the platform. We  will have an incredible lineup of MGS titles, and that’s just the beginning.”

Microsoft has sold 70 million Xbox 360s over the past seven years, so there’s no denying the company’s power as a gaming platform holder. The Xbox name and Microsoft’s game business savvy didn’t help Windows Phone 7, though. As of August, the platform controls just 3.5 percent of the global smartphone market. If Windows Phone 8 is going to succeed where Windows Phone 7 failed as a gaming machine, it will need more than just the same games everyone else has.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Microsoft: four million Windows 8 upgrades sold in four days

Windows 8's reception was something of a mixed bag with plenty of opinions in favor and against the new touch-centric interface that takes center stage over the classic Windows desktop. But that isn't stopping consumer adoption of the new OS, apparently. Speaking during his kenote address at the Build 2012 conference, CEO Steve Ballmer told attendees they've sold 4 million upgrades already.

That figure is understood to include individual purchases only as Ballmer also mentioned that “tens of millions” of Windows 8 upgrade units have been sold to corporate customers. According to the chief executive, the “level of interest and enthusiasm” for Windows 8 and the Surface has been “stunning”, although he didn't share any numbers for the latter.

Ballmer is hoping to convice more developers to create applications for its new operating system, as well as the Windows Phone 8 OS launched yesterday. 

So far, companies like Netflix, Hulu, Evernote and eBay have already contributed apps. Other upcoming apps from high-profile developers are being showcased at the event, including clients for Dropbox and Twitter, as well as a PayPal API that will allow developers to use the payment system within any Windows Store app.

Ballmer says that a year from now we’ll see close to 400 million new devices running Windows 8, making it "the single largest opportunity for software developers today." That's certainly a bold prediction considering Windows 7 has sold close to 700 million copies since its release in 2009. Microsoft is hoping that its entry into the tablet market will help bolster sales of its operating system cash cow even further this time around.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Microsoft talks mobile Office for Windows Phone 8

Microsoft has introduced a mobile version of Office for Windows Phone 8 that will come pre-installed on every new handset. Bert Van Hoof from Microsoft’s Office engineering group outlined five clear objectives they wanted to accomplish with the new software in a recent post on the official Office blog.

The first goal was to make all Office documents accessible where and when you want them. To facilitate this, Windows Phone 8 auto-discovery help connect you to your accounts. From there, you’ll want to navigate to the Office Hub, described as the one-stop shop for Office, PowerPoint and Excel. It’s been redesigned with simple and fluid navigation to help locate documents on SkyDrive, Office 365 and SharePoint.

When it comes time to view content on your Windows Phone 8 handset, Microsoft promises a superb document rendering experience. PowerPoint is said to render all shapes and SmartArt Graphics while honoring transition effects and timing. There’s also portrait mode and speaker notes with slide thumbnails to make navigating slides easier.

In Excel, workbooks now open at the last saved sheet and zoom level. New touch-friendly handles allow for easier range selection and resizing of columns / rows while overall navigation is said to be fast and fluid.

Microsoft implemented a full-screen reading mode in Word that shows more content in a single window. Editing options are hidden from view until you tap the document canvas. Cloud-stored documents update in real time and allow you to pick up editing right where you left off on a PC, tablet or another phone.

OneNote Mobile is now a separate app outside of the Office Hub. Simply tapping the OneNote Tile will launch the app, allowing you to quickly capture photo, text or voice notes. Microsoft says notes will look the same across OneNote 2013, OneNote for Windows Store and OneNote Mobile which means you’ll have a consistent look no matter what version you are working with.

Microsoft says Office for Windows Phone 8 is now available in 50 languages, supports complex script and UI mirroring. This means that text and characters in right-to-left languages will be properly aligned with UI elements following the natural direction.

Handsets through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the US are expected to be available starting in mid-November from the likes of HTC, Nokia and Samsung.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is Infinity Ward’s next game says voice actor

call of duty black ops ii

With just two weeks until Call of Duty: Black Ops II's release, most of Activision's mammoth audience is focussed on the new digital war against drones. Talk of the next entry in the series is already bubbling, though, as a voice actor confirms Modern Warfare 4.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will come out in just two more weeks, when it will make a bid for best-selling video game of 2012. Based on past years—Call of Duty: Black Ops became the fastest selling game of all time in March 2011—Activision’s shooter stands a good chance of unseating current 2012 title holder Madden NFL 2013 from its throne. Based on word from some Call of Duty series voice actors, though, Black Ops 2 is already old news. Infinity Ward is, unsurprisingly, hard at work on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

This Is Xbox writer Jason Andrews happened to cross paths with Bill Murray on Monday. Not he of Ghostbusters fame but the voice actor behind the Modern Warfare series character Captain Price. Murray confirmed that he’ll be meeting with Infinity Ward on Monday, November 5th to discuss the next sequel in that studio’s branch of Call of Duty.

“[On] Monday I am off to meet Infinity Ward about the next game, Modern Warfare 4, I’m doing work on the sequel to Modern Warfare 3, it carries straight on.”

Infinity Ward has been quiet in 2012, with developer Treyarch taking center stage in the lead up to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s release. Even other 2012 Call of Duty entries, like Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified and Call of Duty Online are the product of other studios working within Activision’s massive network of development resources. Nihilistic is the studio behind Declassified while Online is a collaboration between the newly opened Activision Shanghai and Raven Software. Series creator Infinity Ward has been dead silent on the other hand. Former employees and studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West made more headlines about settling their mammoth lawsuit against Activision than Infinity Ward did about developing new titles.

There were hints in May, though, that Infinity Ward was preparing to work on its next game in the series. Infinity Ward posted job listings for a Senior Technical Animator, Senior Gameplay Engineer, and a Social Network Engineer. What was particularly notable is that all of those positions were being hired to “design and implement high level network code for an exciting unannounced title for next generation consoles.” With Murray’s word that Infinity Ward is working on Modern Warfare 4 next, it looks like that will be the game to bring the series to Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 next year.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Verizon lights up online orders for 4G LTE-equipped LG Spectrum 2

Verizon lights up online orders for 4G LTE-equipped LG Spectrum 2

Verizon nabs another exclusive with the Spectrum 2 by LG

Verizon Wireless scored yet another exclusive for its 4G LTE network with the LG Spectrum 2 - but you'll need to get online if you're in the market for one right away.

Taking a break from its usual Thursday new product introductions, Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics USA announced the debut of the Spectrum 2 on Tuesday, a budget-priced Android 4.0 handset perfectly paired with the nation's largest 4G LTE network.

Available online starting today for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year agreement, the Spectrum 2 by LG offers a 4.7-inch IPS True HD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass, Snapdragon S4 Krait 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and near-field communications (NFC) chip for sharing contacts, maps and websites with others.

If you'd rather head to your nearby Verizon Wireless store, you may have a bit of a wait ahead - the LG Spectrum 2 is only available online for now, with retail availability promised "in the coming weeks."

Smart sharing (and more)

Although the LG Spectrum 2 is arriving out of the gate with last year's Ice Cream Sandwich flavor of Android, the smartphone comes packed with a wide range of other features to help level the playing field.

The global and Mobile Hotspot-ready LG Spectrum 2 includes an 8MP rear-facing camera capable of recording full 1080p HD video along with a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chats over Verizon's fast 4G LTE network.

LG also includes Smart Share for wirelessly viewing photos or watching videos on any DLNA-enabled device, while the Advanced Image Editor and Video Wiz features make short work of sprucing up anything you shoot with it.

Reprogrammable LG Tag+ stickers can be used to create special smartphone modes just by tapping the NFC-equipped Spectrum 2 against them, perfect for customized home, car and office use.

The Spectrum 2 by LG is also capable of wireless charging when using a unique battery cover included in the box, with an optional $24.99 Premium Sleeve with Smart Display also available for keeping up-to-date with your notifications.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy S3 performance coming to supercheap phones

Samsung Galaxy S3 performance coming to supercheap phones

Steal it if you want - I've got five more in my bag

Chip designer ARM has announced new products that will bring high end performance to budget handsets.

The firm has unveiled the new Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 chip designs, which will allow partners like Samsung (through its chip manufacturing department) to bring out phones that are more power efficient but with far more raw grunt under the hood.

At the high end of things, the new architecture will allow consumers to get their hands on phones which are three times more efficient at using the apps we all mess around with today – leading to massive power savings or allowing more effort to be put into the high-drain tasks like photo and video processing.

But given the smarpthone explosion is continuing apace globally, the notion of having quad core processors in sub £100/$100/AUS$100 handsets thanks to the A53 architecture means app developers will have a much more stable base of handsets to code to - something ARM is keen on, as it told TechRadar in a recent interview.

Note: big.LITTLE is a good name for a sitcom

The other benefits of the A53 and A57 options means the two can be combined using ARM's big.LITTLE mashup, which means ultra low power when nothing is going on with the phone but instantly spring into life and begin recording Full HD video without a pause.

The size savings are also on offer here, which means manufacturers can make ever smaller handsets with increased cost savings for the consumers (or themselves, those evil geniuses) when the new chipsets start landing in phones.

However, this won't be a swift process; like with all chip designs, it takes ages to cycle through to something in consumers' hands, with these designs going through the manufacturers' test rooms in the next 18 months before turning up in a phone or tablet at your local Phones4U in the by 2014… on the plus side, if you start saving now you can buy LOADS of the phones.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Assassin’s Creed III review: A remarkable story of life, liberty, and the pursuit of vengeance

Assassin's Creed 3 review

A new setting, a new engine, and a new hero push the Assassin’s Creed series into a brave new world littered with familiar trappings, but all fine tuned to make playing the game an experience and an event.

I recently found myself in a lengthy discussion regarding Hollywood’s apparent lack of interest in the American Revolution. There are entire websites dedicated to British productions of the Napoleonic Wars, but only a handful of the seminal moment in American history. Despite our near pathological obsession with capitalizing on anything that could turn a profit, the lack of entertainment focused on the fertile ground that Assassin’s Creed 3 makes its home is bizarre.

Perhaps it is out of respect for the subject matter and especially the subjects that stays our entertainment hand. Or perhaps it is simply the fear of not being able to find a story that can come close to reaching the emotional and cultural significance that the time period elicits. And yet it is a time that is ripe with possibilities.

Ubisoft wisely went in a different direction with AC3. Instead of building a game about the American Revolution, it designed a game that has universal themes and ideals, then tweaked it to fit with the history of the era. The story of Assassin’s Creed III simply exists during the founding of the country, but it is a story of freedom, betrayal, and revenge. And in terms of pure narrative, AC3 is one the best games around.

The War(s)

One stark difference between film and games can immediately be found in AC3‘s prologue. The opening of the game, which is actually fairly lengthy, contains at least two major twists, one for player and one for the story. It would be a disservice to discuss them other than to say that they create a powerful and personal narrative. You know who the enemy is and you know why they fight. You also feel a special bond with the main protagonist, the half-Native American, half-English assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton, otherwise known as Connor.

AC3Without spoiling anything, the story focuses on Connor far more than the Revolution. You will see a great deal of the war, as Connor often finds his interests coinciding with events that resonate through history, but just as often he goes his own way and follows a story more in line with the franchise’s familiar war between the Assassins and the Templars.

As always, the story is linked to the present through the character of Desmond Miles, a reluctant assassin with an inescapable destiny. Desmond has been through a lot over the years/games, and his experiences reach a head in AC3. Although still very much the junior varsity to the historical star, Desmond finally gets his own playable sections sprinkled through the game, which culminates in the resolution of a story thread that has been dangling since the first Assassin’s Creed debuted in 2007. Again though, that is steering into spoiler territory. Just know there is a climax, but the story will certainly go on. That isn’t a spoiler as much as a knowing wink to Ubisoft’s business acumen. No matter what happens, there will certainly be more Assassin’s Creed games.

There will, of course, be a debate as to where Connor’s character stacks up with the other Assassins. It’s natural to rank things, and everyone will have their favorite – just look at the never-ending debate over the best James Bond. Where Connor ranks will come down to personal feeling.

What I can say, however, is that Connor’s story is perhaps the most personal of the three assassins (four, if you count Aveline de Grandpré, from the Vita’s Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation). Ezio quickly became an iconic figure. His charm and humor fed into the creative nature of the missions Ubisoft Montreal continued to dream up for him, and his own tragic story made for good gameplay. But AC3 revolves around Connor in a much different way, and the game cleverly creates a bond between the character and the player. The AC stories have always been sprawling, but the plot in AC3 is the easiest to follow, due in part to the more familiar locales and players, but also because of the narrative tricks Ubisoft introduces. The game is the least complicated of the AC games. That isn’t to say it is simple – it isn’t, there are some serious philosophical and ethical issues addressed throughout the game – but it is told in a more effective way.

FrontierYou see Connor as a child and walk in his footsteps for decades, and Connor is not a passive character. He isn’t as outspoken as Ezio; he has a moral compass that is continually tested, but remains true. The American Revolution may have become a singular and noble event in our minds, but the truth is far messier, and it was colored by gray more than black or white. That is represented here, which allows for a few shocks and surprises along the way.

Although Ezio’s story was perhaps more intricate, Connor and AC3’s narrative is the strongest in the series. It helps that Desmond’s sections buoy it rather than slow it down as was the case in the past, but the story and setting mesh so well that it presents the best overall story of a series renowned for its stories. It’s also worth mentioning that Lorne Balfe’s score is exceptional. 

Pre-America

As much as Connor is the star of AC3, the settings are an equally important character. That might be an overused expression, to attribute a location or setting with a significant portion of the storytelling, but in this case it is apt. Ubisoft Montreal did a magnificent job of packing a lot of world into this game, and it is period accurate (as much as possible in an entertainment medium), which immerses you in the world of that time.

Assassin’s Creed 3 exists in three primary locations: Boston, New York, and the “Frontier,” all of which are shown between 1753 and 1783. There is also a fourth area that you call home, and it does contain missions, but it’s mostly optional how you approach them, and by design it tends to be a place you pass through rather than go.

BostonEach of the three areas is massive. Thankfully fast travel at anytime through the map to specific locations makes navigating the otherwise daunting geography a breeze. Both Boston and New York are packed with side-quests, fights, and historically accurate locations that may seem oddly familiar, but the difference between the places then and now would leave even locals lost.

The third section, Frontier, exists within the same set of rules, but interprets them differently. One of Connor’s most useful and unique traits is his ability to move through nature as easily as the other assassins move through cities. This opens a new world up in terms of gameplay, while the Frontier provides the fodder. You can now hunt and skin animals, which becomes your best source of income early on. This also opens up hunting challenges, although they are usually just something going on in the background (with the exception of a few missions) that you only recognize when an icon notifies you that you completed one, rather than a game like Red Dead Redemption which was designed to nurture an obsessive level of dedication. The Frontier is also where the weather effects are most notable, especially snow, which can hamper your progress, but also leaves trails.  

Like all the Assassin’s Creed games, there is a certain amount of repetition. After the repetition-a-go-go that was the original Assassin’s Creed, the developers realized that interesting gameplay mechanics would only take them so far, and to its credit, Ubisoft has continually worked to improve the variety of mission-types in each game. The newest offering for the franchise continues that trend. There are several side-quests that play out like mini-games (things like defend an area from thugs, or beat up a group for info), and those tend to come in threes, but they are only repeated a few times and longer missions are broken up with new ideas. It is an improvement, even if it isn’t a massive one.

So Long, Tower Defense. Don’t Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

The most important thing to know about Assassin’s Creed III is that it is very much an evolution of its now familiar mold. It does not reinvent the series. If you were not a fan of the gameplay and style of the previous iterations, then this game probably won’t do much to sweeten your disposition towards it. What it does do is take those familiar motifs and shine them where needed while focusing them in others.

AC3You still have the abundance of collectibles, the synchronization through scaling vantage points, and people that need you to deliver their mail, but other familiar institutions – like training assassins and taking Templar controlled forts – are much easier. To send out assassins you can just open a menu at any time, while fort commanders don’t run screaming and force you to return again and again until you can kill them before the scamper. Gone also is the messy tower defense mode. “I absolutely loved that feature in Revelations!” said no one ever.

Also gone are the Tomb Raider-esque explorations Ezio went through – repeatedly – to earn new armor. Instead, there are a series of somewhat similar missions where you search for pieces of a lost treasure map, but instead of a forgotten catacomb, you complete those missions in places like the middle of a British base or a sinking ship. They are shorter as well, which improves the pacing.

Obviously this isn’t a game changer itself, but it is representative of game as a whole. What could be annoying in the previous games may still be there (with a few exceptions like the nixed races, which no one will miss), but they are more streamlined in general and more fun as a result.

The Cut of AC3‘s Jib 

One of the big additions comes by way of the high seas, as you can now take command of a ship and engage in naval battles. A few of these are required for the story, but most of these battles are optional. You choose your location – anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard from Canada down through the Caribbean – and then go out to sink your enemy. Some of these missions have you escorting other ships, while others are simply seek and destroy.

Naval WarfareThe gameplay mechanic is simple enough: you have a swivel gun, the broadside cannons, and you can weigh anchor, find more maneuverability with half sails, or gain speed with full sails – as long as you remain in the wind. The entire mechanic will take minutes to learn, tops, but it is addictive and you’ll be left wanting more.

It may at first feel like there is less content in this game than its predecessors, but that’s simply because the missions have been given more life. Instead of dozens of assassination missions, you may have hunter challenges that have you search a specific area and then kill a wild animal. It really isn’t that much different, but it feels fresh. Instead of several courtesan or mercenary jobs, you now have homestead missions, which improve your settlement and flesh out the character of the inhabitants (as well as helping to unlock certain bonuses like better weapons or more capacity pouches).

The economy has also seen a notable shift, but not necessarily for the better. Considering the last few games have all just been a matter of “buy buy buy” and there’s your economy, this is an improvement in the fact that it at least tries.

When you progress far enough, you can begin to manufacture and sell your own goods that were either crafted in by your settlement or collected by Connor. The more chests you open, the more recipes you can earn as well, which then allows you to craft better goods. Once you have goods, you can then set up a convoy to travel to merchants you have already met. In theory it is a serviceable mini-game, but in practice the menus are awful and counter-intuitive, and sorting through your goods takes patience and determination, which is only moderately rewarded until late in the game. At that point you won’t really need to spend the money you earn on anything. It is a chore, but it’s thankfully one you don’t have to use.

America was Built on Punches to the Face

One of the biggest issues the series has always faced is the combat, which at its peak was still just a game of blocking at the right time and then hitting the right button. The assassinations were fun and the parkour running was generally tight, but there were always questions with the larger scale combat. That is something that has improved with each game, and AC3 is no exception.

AC3 HomesteadIt isn’t a total overhaul, but it is a much better system than before. It remains linked to the parry mechanic, but that has now been expanded to include multiple ways to fight back that can then lead into chain kills, which we have seen before. Rather than just hitting the button fast enough, these do require a better sense of timing than before, which makes them more engaging.

You can also use your secondary weapons like the rope dart – a chain linked to a dart that can snare a man and leave him hanged – in the combo, as well as picking up muskets on the fly. These are minor tweaks, but they’re good ones. Linking moves together is smooth and easy, and changing up weapons produces great results. Things like aerial assassinations, jumping from a saddle and hanging kills are all simple to execute as well, and the new tools like the bow and the aforementioned rope dart make nice additions.

Welcome to Abstergo

The multiplayer returns with a few new tweaks and the addition of a new game mode called Wolfpack, a co-op centric mode that has you and three others hunting a group of AI controlled targets to earn kills and additional time to push you to the next sequence, then the next, and on. Since it is time based, it can be over incredibly quickly, and the co-op can lead to a bit of confusion as you all go for the kill, but it is a great game mode for people that have been with the multiplayer from the start.

The traditional game modes return, including team objectives and the now familiar deathmatch, with you’re hunting a character as another hunts you. The AC3 multiplayer isn’t a major change from previous offerings, but there is more of an emphasis on the story of Abstergo now.

MultiplayerThe conceit in the multiplayer has always been that you are playing the game as a member of the Templar-controlled Abstergo, which gave it a nice touch of meta. The new content furthers that ideal. It won’t change the way you think of the game, but it should be gravy to the fans of the offering.

If you enjoyed the previous multiplayer, you’ll like this one, if not, this won’t win you over. But with a campaign that is anywhere from 20-40 hours in length, there was no real need to include a multiplayer, and yet it is there, and it works. I’ve always considered it just a bonus to the campaign, and that hasn’t changed.

The Past Can be Ugly

So far my review has been full of justifiable praise, but there is a rub. AC3 is filled with glitches and bugs. More than once I had to restart from a previous checkpoint because an enemy I needed to kill was stuck in a wall. In one instance I managed to join him and we fell through the world together. Missing dialogue, repeated mission briefings that won’t start the mission, and a camera that occasionally sees things that it shouldn’t – like walls instead of you – plague this game occasionally, especially the Desmond sections. The odd chases, especially those on horseback, remain an iffy proposition as well, and they will certainly be the most failed sections.

Boarding PartyWith a few exceptions though, these glitches are just annoying rather than game ending, and while they are a constant companion, they are also less common than you might expect of such a massive game. They are also inevitable. With luck a few patches will knock most of these out soon.  

Conclusion

Ubisoft Montreal took one of the best franchises around and polished it, cut the fat, and created one of the best and most compelling narratives in video games today. With a setting perfect for the ideals that fuel this series and a character that is perfectly suited to bridge the gap between modern sensibilities and the realities of the times, the story is not just an accomplishment for the game, it is an accomplishment for gaming.

There are a few problems throughout, but the narrative and pacing aren’t among them. Sure, AC3 is more akin to a summer Hollywood blockbuster than a powerful indie tearjerker, but it entertains throughout with good historical insight (mostly) and gameplay that makes you feel like a god among men. To top it off, the graphics are among the best ever seen on a console.  

If you can overlook the bugs and are already a fan of the gameplay, then Assassin’s Creed III should stand near the top of your “Must Own” list. The Assassin’s Creed series is already one of the best franchises around today, and this is the best, most complete offering yet.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

(This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360, on a copy provided by the publisher)


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Unique Smartphone with Bamboo Casing On its Way to Kickstarter Soon

A smartphone that is extremely light, super attractive and even manages to be organic? Crazy you say? Perhaps it is, but that’s exactly what the Adzero smarpthone is all about. The Adzero isn’t anything new, and first was talked about at the beginning of this year. The big news is that the company behind it – AD Creative – is now gearing up for actual production of this unique bamboo-based smartphone.

The 4.5-inch Android device is 11.8mm thick, though no official word on the weight as of yet. The rest of the specs are actually pretty impressive wit ha 1280 x 720 TFT LCD and a 1.4GHz Exynos quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM. Other specs include an 8MP rear cam, a .3MP front cam, a 2050 mAh battery, Wi-Fi and UMTS/HSPA+. The only bad news is that this is running on ICS instead of Jelly Bean– though ICS is still more than capable as an operating system.

The project isn’t quite here yet but is expected to arrive to Kickstarter in the very near future, giving consumers a chance to get this unique smartphone for $500. For those that don’t want to purchase the device until it has a solid release date, the Adzero is expected to eventually retail for a rather pricey $700– certainly a lot more costly that than the outright price for the new LG Nexus 4. Still, this phone is hard to beat when it comes to its unique look and organic bamboo casing.

This is nothing short of cool looking, but at $700 it is certainly a niche item that might not fit comfortably into everyone’s budget. What do you think of the AD Creative ADzero?



Source : mobilemag[dot]com

Chrome Remote Desktop loses beta tag, gains new features

Last year, Google released a remote connection software plug-in for Chrome that allowed users to remotely access other PCs through the popular browser. The move was likely inspired by the need of extending functionality to Google's Chromebooks, which purposely come with a closed environment, but the app actually works in any platform where desktop Chrome is available -- Windows, OS X, and Linux.

Today, Google has announced that it is taking its Chrome Remote Desktop screen sharing service out of beta, and the company is adding a couple of useful new features in the process.

The latest version brings the ability to copy and paste between the local and remote machine, and also supports a real-time audio feed for Windows users, which Google suggests can come in handy if you want to remotely access and listen to your MP3 music collection stored on a computer at home.

Google says more features are in the pipeline and promises that it will continue to work on the Chrome Remote Desktop service to make it “even more powerful” in the future. Naturally, the company believes Chrome Remote Desktop is the perfect companion for the new Samsung Chromebook, allowing you to remote into your PC or Mac at home while carrying only the tiny laptop on the go.

Like comparable services such as TeamViewer, Chrome Remote Desktop is also really useful to provide one-off assistance to friends and family -- as the announcement touts, for everything "from adjusting printer settings on your mom’s computer to finding a lost file on your dad’s laptop".

After installing the browser plug-in and going through a lists of permissions, you’ll be presented with two options: connect with a different computer or set up a connection with your own. In either case you'll need to provide a PIN to gain access, the only difference depending on your needs is that you can define a permanent code for accessing your machines, or require a new code each time.


Source : techspot[dot]com

Nokia Lumia 822 hands on: Windows Phone returns to Verizon!

Our hands-on impressions of the Nokia Lumia 822, one of a few Windows Phone 8 devices that will soon be available on Verizon Wireless. It packs a punch, especially for its $50 price.

If you’re a fan of Windows Phone but a subscriber of Verizon, you’ve lived an unfortunate two years. Only one Windows Phone was released on Verizon, and it wasn’t a particularly great one (the HTC Trophy). However, after a lot of work, Microsoft has finally convinced the big red carrier to get onboard with Windows Phone 8. A number of LTE-enabled Windows Phones are coming to Verizon and the Lumia 822 will be the most budget-friendly of the pack at only $50.

The 822 does not feel as svelte as other Nokia phones, like the Lumia 820 and 920, but it’s heft isn’t uncomfortable either. I found it quite comfortable to hold, and because the back cover can be removed, you can buy extra 1800mAh batteries if you travel a lot. That cover also holds Nokia’s new wireless charging technology, so you can actually charge your phone with any one of a number of wireless base stations that do away with the fuss of Micro USB cables, though you can charge the 822 the old fashioned way, as well.

On the inside, the Lumia 822 packs some decent processing power with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor (same one as the Samsung Galaxy S3), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal file storage, an 8-megapixel auto-focus rear camera with dual LED flash, and 4G LTE connectivity. The screen is a lower 800 x 480 pixels — the same resolution as all Windows Phones up until now — but the 4.3-inch OLED display looks fantastic with Windows Phone. OLED screens give off particularly vibrant color and have the deepest blacks (black pixels aren’t backlit at all), which help the Lumia’s screen look good even at a lower resolution. Compared to competing budget Windows Phones, Nokia doesn’t appear to be skimping on much outside of the resolution.

Windows Phone 8 is different looking than iPhone or Android at first, thanks to its unique Start screen full of Live Tiles, but experienced users and beginners should be able to pick it up pretty quick. The OS builds on previous versions of Microsoft’s smartphone operating system in some solid ways. Verizon is the first carrier that will allow the OS’s Data Sense feature, which lets you easily monitor your data usage for the month, and see which apps are hogging your bandwidth. Features like this are becoming essential now that carriers are heavily metering data usage.

The Lumia appears to be a more durable phone than others, which might serve you well if you have kids (or are just accident-prone). Windows Phone has a new feature called Kids Corner that lets you create a special Start screen filled with only the apps, music, videos, and other content that you specifically approve, allowing you to hand your kid the phone without worrying whether he or she will dig into Settings and delete everything, or screw up something else. Read our hands-on with Windows Phone 8 to learn more about these features, and others.

For $150 – $250 less than a top-of-the-line smartphone, the Lumia 822 packs some decent processing power and memory. It’s not going to win awards for its design or screen resolution, but Windows Phone 8 is a solid operating system that’s worth checking out. If you’re going to renew over the holidays and have a budget, check out the Lumia 822. It will be out on Verizon Wireless for $50 by Thanksgiving weekend.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Google Nexus 4: release date, price and features

Google Nexus 4: release date, price and features

The Nexus 4's backside is very pretty, but the front is fairly unremarkable Android

After weeks of leaks the LG-made Google Nexus 4 phone was hardly a big surprise, but it's still a big deal: it's Google's latest flagship device, boasting cutting-edge hardware, some really nice design and one rather large omission.

Google's decision to offer it carrier-free is one of several reasons why the Nexus 4 doesn't do 4G LTE mobile broadband. Is the rest of the phone good enough to make up for the lack of 4G?

Google Nexus 4: US price and release date

In the US, the Nexus 4 is $299 for 8GB or $349 for 16GB, with the same 13 November release date, and as with the UK the Google Play models are sold unlocked without contracts. You'll also be able to get a 16GB Nexus 4 for $199 if you take it on a two-year T-Mobile contract.

Google Nexus 4: UK price and release date

The Nexus 4 will cost £239 for the 8GB model and £279 for the 16GB when it goes on sale on the 13th of November. That's unlocked, without a contract: you'll be able to buy it directly from Google and then choose whichever provider and plan you fancy.

Nexus 4
The Nexus 4's beauty is on the inside: it's powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4

Google Nexus 4: design

Photos don't really do justice to the Nexus 4's design: its back is a sheet of toughened glass with a holographic-style effect when you angle it towards the light. The front, however, is unremarkable Android.

Google Nexus 4: processor and RAM

Break open a Nexus 4 and you'll have two things: a broken phone, and a good look at Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4. It's a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and backed with 2GB of RAM, which means it should easily deliver Google's promise of its "snappiest smartphone yet".

Google Nexus 4: no 4G LTE

For a flagship smartphone, the Nexus 4 appears to be missing a fairly important feature: 4G LTE mobile broadband. Google says that the problem twofold: it would have stopped it selling carrier-free Nexus 4s due to lack of consistency, and it would have been a battery killer: 4G radios suck so much power that battery life would have been horrible.

Google Nexus 4: storage

Bad news for anyone who likes to add more storage to their smartphones: the Nexus 4 doesn't have a microSD card slot for additional memory. You're stuck with the factory-installed 16GB or 32GB storage capacity.

Google Nexus 4: display

The Nexus 4 screen is as good as the iPhone 5's, with 320 pixels per inch and lamination to bring the pixels closer to the surface of the screen. It's a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 768 panel, and the Gorilla Glass 2 is gently curved at the edges for smoother swiping.

Google Nexus 4: camera

The camera on the Nexus 4 is an 8MP, 1080p HD video-capable camera that can take Street View-style 360-degree panoramas, a feature Google calls Photo Sphere. If you have a Google+ account the camera's Instant Upload feature automatically sticks new shots in a private online album, and you can share your panoramas on Google Maps. Google says it's put lots of work into the camera's low-light performance

As you'd expect there's also a front-facing camera for Google Hangouts, with a resolution of 1.3MP and support for 720p video.

Google Nexus 4: operating system

It's Android, of course, and Jelly Bean version 4.2 introduces some key new features including lock screen widgets, Swype-style Gesture Typing, an overhauled Google Now and multiple user profiles. That latter one strikes us as more useful for tablets than for phones.

Android Jelly Bean
The Nexus 4 has the latest version of Android

Google Nexus 4: connectivity

Wireless support includes dual band 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4 and NFC for Android Beam, and there's a micro USB connector and SlimPort HDMI. 3G support includes HSPA+ at up to 42Mbps, and there's support for Miracast wireless displays.

Google Nexus 4: battery life and wireless charging

The battery in the Nexus 4 is a 2,100mAh Lithium Polymer battery that delivers a claimed ten hours. On that basis, it's probably for the best that the Nexus 4 doesn't do 4G LTE. What it does have, though, is wireless charging: Google's thrown its considerable weight behind the Qi wireless charging standard, and a wireless charging "orb" will be available as an optional extra.

Google Nexus 4: sensors

The Nexus 4 has a microphone, accelerometer, compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, barometer and GPS.

Google Nexus 4: dimensions and weight

The Nexus 4 is 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm and weighs 139g.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Google Play store matches Apple's as it hits 700,000 apps

Google Play store matches Apple's as it hits 700,000 apps

Google Play: now with more apps

Search giant Google has announced that there are now 700,000 applications available to download from its Google Play store.

Google Play, formerly known as Android Market, has been playing catch up to Apple's dominant App Store for years, but according to the big G it's finally caught up to its Cupertino-based rival.

Apple announced last year during the iPad mini and new iPad 4 launch event that its App Store packed over 700,000 applications, and now Google is saying the same.

Race is on

The number of apps in the App Store has always been a key boasting point for Apple at its events, and while it will still claim its offering is cleaner, safer and better than Google's all-for-one and one-for-all Play store, it's got a real fight on its hands.

It seems that Google and Apple are going head to head in almost every way imaginable, with law suits, budget tablets, mobile operating systems and next-gen smartphones all thrown in as they battle for supremacy.

Surely the next milestone is who can get 1 million apps in their store first, with Google currently the favourite thanks to the sheer speed of growth - but don't be surprised if Apple launches a fresh onslaught.


Source : techradar[dot]com

EE’s 4G network goes live in the UK

EE 4G Launch

The UK's first 4G LTE network goes live today. EE, the network responsible, has at least six months advantage over its competitors and offers a range of tariffs and smartphones to customers eager for a high speed data connection. Provided, that is, they're willing to pay a premium.

The UK’s first 4G LTE network has gone live today, providing 11 cities around the country with a high speed data connection, and a choice of high performance smartphones to match.

It’s courtesy of the EE network, which is a re-branding of Everything Everywhere, the company formed after the merger of Orange and T-Mobile last year. It has also got the jump on its rivals too, as it was allowed to re-farm its 1800MHz spectrum for 4G use, while others must wait for the official spectrum auction to take place early next year before they can compete.

EE will be selling its 4G phones and contracts through a chain of 700 stores, although the only places where eager buyers will get a 4G signal is in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton. A further five cities will go online before the end of the year.

A wide selection of phones are available, including the Apple iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, the HTC One XL and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The new Nokia Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8 is an EE exclusive too, at least for a short while.

Prices start at £36 per month for unlimited calls and texts, plus 500MB of data, and continue up to £56 per month for 8GB of data. Many have complained about the high prices and the lack of an unlimited data package, forcing the network to defend itself in an interview with PCPro.co.uk, where it was claimed that the structure was based on existing usage statistics.

Early adopters happy to pay the higher charges, and live in the right area, can expect to enjoy being on the only 4G game in town until summer 2013, when Vodafone, O2 and Three expect to be able to offer an alternative.


Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

EE's 4G network is now live in the UK

EE's 4G network is now live in the UK

4G is here, but is it worth it?

The UK's first 4G network has officially gone live today as EE cuts the ribbon on its super-fast mobile and fibre broadband service.

While you can pick up an EE 4G contract anywhere in the country, you'll only be able to get those super-speeds in 11 major cities for now, rising to 16 by the end of the year.

If you fancy a bit of 4G action and live in London, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham or Southampton, then be prepared to shell out a significant amount of cash for the privilege.

Belfast, Derby, Hull, Nottingham and Newcastle are the other five cities which will be enjoying 4G before 2012 is over and there's a range of handsets ready to handle the super speedy network.

Pretty penny

The HTC One XL, Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, iPhone 5 and Huawei Ascend P1 LTE are all available at launch, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE and Nokia Lumia 920 (an EE exclusive handset) will be added in November.

Two year contracts start at a princely £36 per month and you only get a paltry 500MB of data with that, while if you fancy 8GB, you'll need to fork out a staggering £56 each month.

Don't forget the upfront cost of your shiny new 4G handset as well, and if you're hoping there will be a range of free handsets then you're out of luck, as only the Ascend P1 can be picked up for free, and that's on tariffs starting at £41 per month.

It's great to see 4G finally arriving in the UK and we welcome it with open arms as we consider the possibilities the new network speeds will offer, but at it's current price it's certainly more of a luxury than anything else. We'll be interested to see what initial take-up is like.

We've also taken an in-depth look at the EE 4G tariffs to help you find the best deal for you.


Source : techradar[dot]com

Android 4.2 release date, news and features

Android 4.2 release date, news and features

It's Jelly Bean... but we've made it better

As ever Google is hard at work making Android the best that it can be and the next step in that evolution is Android 4.2. Despite being a new version it's keeping the "Jelly Bean" moniker - perhaps to emphasize the fact that it's more a small update than a massive overhaul. There are still things to get excited about, though.

Photo Sphere

First up is "Photo Sphere." It's an addition to the camera app that's clearly been heavily inspired by the company's own "Street View" service. Essentially, it lets you move around while taking photos - look up and down and pan and it will capture everything in a series of connected images, right up to creating a full 360-degree panorama. Much like how you can look around in street view - just on a smaller scale.

"Photo Sphere" images are saved as JPEGS and you're not limited to viewing them on your Android device. You can view them on computers, email them or post them to Google+ (and presumably other social networks, too) and all the image data remains intact. You can also add the images to Google Maps and let the whole world see them.

Google Now

Google Now is getting a bit of a much-needed overhaul. This is happening in the form of a variety of new cards, adding new functionality to the service. With cards for flight information, hotel and restaurant reservations, shipping details, nearby attractions, movie times at local cinemas, concert information for artists that you like and interesting nearby photo spots, it should be more useful as a virtual assistant.

Android 4.2 also allows for multiple user profiles on a single device. Much like user accounts on a PC, with Android 4.2 you can switch between users from the lock screen, allowing each user to have unique homescreens, apps, bookmarks and email accounts set up. In other words multiple users can customize the device to their liking and maintain their privacy.

Gesture Typing

Another feature of Android 4.2 is "Gesture Typing." This lets you slide your finger across letters to create words, rather than tapping on them, promising faster, simpler text entry. It sounds a lot like "Swype," but in any case with Google's support it could do wonders for speeding up text entry on touch screens. Android 4.2 promises better word prediction and more accurate dictionaries, too.

Other additions

Android 4.2 also supports wireless display, which means that if you've got a "Miracast" compatible HDTV you'll be able to wirelessly stream videos and games to it.

"Daydream" is another Android 4.2 feature and it sounds to us like a customizable screensaver. For example, it displays photo albums or the latest news whenever your device is idle or docked.

Google is also rolling out movie purchases from Google Play to the U.K., Canada, France, Spain and Australia and on November 13 their popular Music service will be available in Europe. This allows you to upload up to 20,000 songs to the cloud for free and access them on any Android device or web browser.

Plus, any song that you purchase from Google Play will automatically be added to your online library without even needing to upload it.

Release date

Android 4.2 will launch on the Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and 32GB version of the Nexus 7, all of which will be available on November 13. Current Nexus 7 users can expect an update to Android 4.2 at around the same time. Other devices might have to wait a while longer, but as soon as we find out the rollout dates we'll be sure to let you know.

Below are the rumours and news that we reported on prior to the Android 4.2 announcement.

The new version of Google's OS will launch soon under the guise of Android 4.2 – but it will still be called Jelly Bean.

This means the change will be more of a refining evolution of the platform, rather than bringing multiple new features – we'll have to wait for Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) before we get anything ground breaking.

But until that fateful day, we'll at least get a few more Android features to play with as Google brings another iteration to its OS – read on to find out more over what we can expect from the launch:

Android 4.2 name

Well, we'll be honest: we already covered this in the strapline here. It's going to be called Jelly Bean, so those that were waiting for information on Android Key Lime Pie will be sorely disappointed.

Jelly Bean

However, that does mean that some new cool features are on the way in the new update, and let's be honest, if you're disappointed that a name hasn't changed for a version of Android you should probably take a step back, look at life's priorities and go work for a charity for a bit.

Android 4.2 features

From what we can discern from the font of vague knowledge (the internet rumour spewer) Android 4.2 is going to have a new button in the notification bar to allow access to quick settings.

This was previously a second drop down from the notification area, but it seems this has evolved to just be a single button that leads to a zone where you can perform quick functions like turning on and off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Flight mode.

If we're honest, it's not overly exciting as all the Android skins around have this feature already embedded, with the likes of Samsung's TouchWiz giving you access right from the notification bar itself.

As we said this feature is evolving all over the place, so don't be surprised if it changes again before the Monday launch – or gets dropped altogether.

The other relatively large change looks set to be to the Gallery app, which will see the UI become a bit more open and surrounded by white frames, in a bid to make Android look that little bit more professional once more. It could be that fewer photos are displayed on the screen at once though, in a manner similar to Google+, which may not please those that love more information on the screen at once.

And a more recent placeholder from UK retailer The Carphone Warehouse outed another new feature: a 360 degree camera app, which will presumably lead to loads of blocky and confusing pictures from friends on Facebook, with the odd one with astonishing clarity thrown in by a professional.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

According to Android Police, which got a chance to tear down an early build of Android 4.2, there were also big changes to the Gallery and Camera icons, replaced by something that looks a lot more like Instagram, but these were proved to be placeholders.

However, this does strongly hint that Android 4.2 is also going to come with revamped icons for these apps, which will excite approximately 32.6% of Android users, we predict.

Another change in Android 4.2 will be more minor and will let you dismiss your data counter when you get warned you're heading close to the limit you pre-set… usually this remains and you're forced to change the limit to remove it, but now you can accept the warning like an adult (ie forget about it until it's too late, and blame someone else).

Android 4.2: multiple user accounts

Something that appeared on the Sony Xperia Tablet S that got tongues wagging was the ability to set multiple user accounts in the same way as Windows allows now.

This means users can set the apps they want for their own accounts, handy in the case of a family tablet. Android Police again was the detective here, noting that some apps required permissions for different users on the same device, so this will be a key area in the tablet area especially.

And on that subject, parental controls will be built right into the system as well, meaning you can change the level of interaction each person has on the tablet - for instance, stopping downloads from the Play Store or working out which apps should be restricted for each person.

Android 4.2 release date

Here's the main problem with Android in our eyes: users can't generally get their hands on it for bloody ages after announcement. Just look at the amount of phones still rocking Gingerbread (Android 2.3), which was released years ago, and you can see we're not optimistic that the newest version of Android will be available any time soon.

However, that said at least there will be flagship devices available sporting the new software sooner rather than later, with 31 October already being mooted as the shipping date of the new version of the Nexus 7 which you'd think would have Android 4.2 on board.

At the very least the new Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 will both be rocking the new software and have been strongly tipped to launch in early November to catch the Christmas rush. And with Android 4.1's launch Google promised that it was working with manufacturers to get the software to them ahead of time for easier deployment... could we see such a thing happen already?

Android 4.2 launch

The Android 4.2 launch has been set for 29 October, with Google promising a fancy event to live stream the launch of the three new devices set to support the new OS in multiple locations across the globe.

We're pretty sure there will be devices rocking the fancy new version of the software at these events, so we'll be able to bring you our early thoughts on whether it's something you should bug your network for as soon as our toned, lithe fingers can bash out the letters.

Android 4.2 review

And then, of course, we've got the main event: our Android 4.2 review. We'll be working as fast as possible to bring you our preview, as we mentioned above, and then as soon as we get a full review unit we'll update you with our multi-page full review, taking the new OS apart and seeing what treats is has on offer.


Source : techradar[dot]com

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