Yes, I know that you can head on over to your wireless provider of choice and get a new smartphone for a reduced price when you sign on with a contract, but that’s just not suitable for some people. Some people prefer to have their phones unsubsidized and out of contractual obligations, so if you want a unlocked Galaxy Note 2, this is the deal for you.

As a quick refresher, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 features a great 5.55″ high resolution Super AMOLED display, quad core 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, microSD expansion up to 64GB, 8MP camera with 1080p video recording, and that S Pen stylus that makes the “Note” series.

The unlocked version on sale here is the N7100. What this means is that it has quad-band GSM and quad-band HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100. Given this, it should be fully compatible with AT&T in the United States, as well as Rogers, Bell and Telus in Canada, among several other carriers around the world. The 3G will not work, though, with T-Mobile, Wind or Mobilicity.

Furthering the Army of Two franchise's obsession with unexpected references to the world of hip hop, EA has announced that B.o.B. and Outkast's Big Boi will appear in the upcoming Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel.

You remember the original Army of Two, right? We won’t really hold it against you if you don’t, as the game wasn’t terribly memorable, despite its entertaining focus on two-player co-operative gameplay. Beyond that however it was mostly a rote modern shooter, with obvious cues taken from Activision’s Call of Duty franchise as well as EA’s Medal of Honor and Battlefield series’. Honestly we probably wouldn’t have much recollection of the game either, except that it includes one hilarious, memorable moment in which protagonists Rios and Salem have a short chat about the virtues of seminal hip hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan shortly after gunning down a few hundred Chinese soldiers. Those who played through this moment will recall how unexpected it was, and yet this instance was apparently setting a trend for the Army of Two franchise.

When Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel hits retail shelves on March 26, 2013, it too will feature unexpected nods to the world of hip hop, though unlike its predecessor The Devil’s Cartel wears its affection on its sleeve. In an announcement made this morning, EA revealed that not only would rappers B.o.B. and Outkast’s Big Boi create a theme song for the game, the two artists would also appear in Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel as non-player characters. “The duo will be appearing in the game as characters Charles “Chuy” Randall (Big Boi) and Anthony “Baker” Barnes (B.o.B) as T.W.O. operatives working alongside Salem and Rios to take down the Mexican drug cartels,” MTV reports, before stating that their new song (the preciously titled “Double Or Nothing”) will debut shortly after the beginning of next year as part of the game’s impending PR blitz.

That news is neat enough on its own, but in an effort to further appeal to the apparently large crossover demographic of Army of Two fans who are also into hip hop developer Visceral Games is also allowing giving select players a chance to play as B.o.B and Big Boi. Specifically, those who preorder Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel will receive access to a downloadable addition to the game dubbed the “Hit Maker’s Kit” which includes “a one-of-a-kind T.W.O.Contract mission that will allow them to play as Big Boi and B.o.B’s characters, as well as custom masks and weapon skins designed by the artists themselves.”

While this news isn’t quite as awesome as word of a new Outkast album might be, the group’s ongoing, seemingly-endless hiatus marks this as yet another instance in which fans will have to simply satisfy themselves with efforts from one half of the best hip hop group to emerge toward in the last two decades. Fortunately however, Big Boi’s solo work to date has been excellent, so if nothing else this should indicate that Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel will have a solid theme song. Hopefully the rest of the game can live up to this high quality standard.

Ubisoft has officially announced a release date for the Wii U's Rayman Legends: February 26, 2013.

At E3 earlier this year the Digital Trends writing staff found itself seated in a hot, noisy, ornate theater for Ubisoft’s big presentation. This would be our third keynote of the show up to that point, and though we’d seen a few interesting titles, we weren’t really expecting much from Ubisoft. As the company’s various sizzle reels and live demonstrations rolled by we were momentarily impressed by Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed III and the then-newly-revealed ZombiU, but by far the most intriguing game we saw that afternoon would have to be Rayman Legends. Between the game’s gorgeous, colorful aesthetic and its novel approach to platform game design, Rayman Legends quickly became one of our favorite titles of the show, and despite having witnessed brand new footage of imminent, blockbuster releases for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, we left that theater buzzing about a quirky, 2D run n’ jump adventure.

Thus, when the Wii U launched without Rayman Legends in tow, we were understandably disappointed. ZombiU gave us a solid way to enjoy our new Wii U consoles, but we were really hoping to experience the musical, joyful world of Rayman on launch day. While it wasn’t quite ready for its debut on November 18, Ubisoft has finally announced a release date for Rayman Legends: February 26, 2013. Helpfully, Ubisoft also announced that come December 13, the Wii U eShop will play host to a demo for Rayman Legends, so those of you who didn’t see Rayman Legends at E3 (or just desperately want to play it for yourselves) will have a chance to experience the game before deciding whether or not to drop $60 on the title.

But what of those prospective players who know nothing of this game? What of those who are too timid to even try the demo before they have some concept swirling in their heads of what Rayman Legends is all about? We direct those desperate few to Ubisoft’s official description for the game:

The classic cast of Rayman, Globox and the Teensies return and are joined by new characters Murphy and Barbara as they embark on a fantasy adventure through a series of legendary worlds with new environments and enemies. Developed exclusively for Wii U, Rayman Legends expands beyond the traditional platforming experience by utilizing the Wii U GamePad in an array of innovative ways to interact with the game. Players can use the Touch Screen on the GamePad to take out enemies, cut ropes to clear a path and move rotating platforms with the gyroscope technology. Rayman Legends features a fresh gameplay adventure to enjoy alone or with friends, and a plethora of creatively themed levels including several musical maps intricately set to popular and original music, a gorgeous underwater haven and a flourishing beanstalk environment.

Sounds neat, right? Trust us when we say that you can’t get a good feel for Rayman Legends without at least seeing it in action. Obviously you’ll get a much clearer idea of how the game functions by playing it, but we’ve yet to meet anyone who has seen Rayman Legends in motion who doesn’t immediately have an intense urge to play the game for themselves. Thus, we also direct you to this footage of the game. If all of this doesn’t get you properly amped, you may want to consider a new hobby. Fly fishing maybe, or Chinese Checkers perhaps.

Google has announced that its Apps for Business suite is not longer free for new subscribers.

Google lovers who plan to use the platform for their business needs better listen up. The search engine giant announced on Friday that users will no longer be able to sign up for Google Apps free of charge.

Google Apps for Business is a cloud-based productivity suite that lets business owners and managers connect with their team members from any where on any device. This includes apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets and other popular Google apps tailored to a particular business.

The company’s director of product management Clay Bavor announced via his blog that users will now have to pay when signing up for these enterprise-based services. He explained that Google is putting more emphasis on creating a stronger and fuller user experience for paying customers.

“When we launched the premium business version we kept our free, basic version as well,” Bavor wrote. “Both business and individuals signed up for this version, but time has shown that in practice, the experience isn’t quite right for either group. Businesses quickly outgrow the basic version and want things like 24/7 customer support and larger inboxes. Similarly, consumers often have to wait to get new features while we make them business-ready.”

The paid version of Google Apps will only apply to new customers. Those already using a free account will not be forced to pay the annual $50 fee that newcomers will soon be forking over. Bavor clearly specified the difference between the paid and free version of Google Apps, emphasizing that the latter is aimed toward business needs.

Individuals wishing to use the company’s Web apps like Gmail and Google Docs should register for a free personal account, while businesses will now have one paid version to work with. Bavor advises companies “of any size” to sign up for Google’s premium Google Apps for Business, which features 24/7 customer support, a 25GB inbox and a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee with no scheduled downtime.

Other versions of Google Apps, such as Google Apps for Education and Google Apps for Government, will not be affected.

“With focus we’ll be able to do even more for our business customers,” the Google executive wrote. “We’re excited about the opportunity to push Google Apps further so our customers can do what matters most to them – whether that’s scooping ice cream, changing the face of healthcare or contributing to lifelong learning.”

More than five million businesses are reportedly using Google Apps, according to The Next Web. Including both free and paid versions, Google Apps is said to be used by more than 40 million users worldwide.

In an effort to alleviate complaints players have had with Far Cry 3's busy heads-up display, the company has announced an upcoming patch that allows users to simply strip the entire thing out.

Far Cry 3 is a great game. We don’t need you take our word for it, as praise for Ubisoft’s open-world jungle adventure has been almost unanimous. However, that’s not to say that the game is perfect, and since it hit store shelves earlier this week we’ve heard numerous complaints about the game’s heads-up display. While functional, the display is cluttered. Ubisoft did excellent work in making the various on-screen indicators useful and information-dense, but the company almost went too far, and the result is a heads-up display that occasionally obscures crucial parts of a player’s vision.

It seems that we weren’t the only people listening to these complaints as this morning Ubisoft announced an upcoming patch which will allow players to tweak the HUD to their liking. “Based on feedback from both press and fans, the Far Cry 3 production team is working on a patch that will allow you to toggle most HUD/UI elements based on player preference,” an Ubisoft representative wrote in a message to Kotaku. “The patch will also avoid issues encountered in the .dll hack that might create a mission walkthrough break (missing QTE prompts, critical information, etc). The team is excited about how the Far Cry 3 community and fans of the game are enjoying themselves, and finding new ways to experience the Rook Islands. More news will be coming on the patch shortly…”

You’ll notice that the announcement includes neither a release date for the patch, nor word of what else it might change in Far Cry 3. We expect all of that information to appear quite soon, as Ubisoft seems ready to do everything in its power to build the extant Far Cry 3 playerbase now that the game is officially on shelves.

On to more pressing matters though: Why did Ubisoft send that announcement directly to Kotaku?  Because yesterday the site published a piece detailing a relatively simple hack to remove Far Cry 3′s in-game HUD. The writer, Kirk Hamilton, claims (accurately) that replaying Far Cry 3 without any of Ubisoft’s hand-crafted user interface elements blocking the screen makes the game experience quite different (and, as you’d expect, significantly more difficult). Unfortunately, Hamilton’s hack does cause unforeseen problems with the game’s periodic quick time events, making them effectively unbeatable. Ubisoft, already hard at work on a patch that will allow players to strip out the HUD without breaking anything, must have seen Hamilton’s article, realized he made an excellent point, and decided to drop word to Kotaku that the developer was hard at work on improving Hamilton’s new way to play Far Cry 3.

For the most part though, that’s boring, “inside baseball”-type stuff that won’t interest you unless you get paid to write about games. The important part here is that Ubisoft is paying very close attention to how people feel about Far Cry 3 and are working diligently to improve any problems that might arise. We’re very excited to see what else this next patch might add to the game, and will have more word on when/how it will appear just as soon as Ubisoft makes that info public.

← Previous Next →

Check out some stunning steampunk artwork and pictures from Irrational Games' much-anticipated title BioShock Infinite.

Back in May of this year, we caught word that Irrational Games had decided to delay the release of BioShock: Infinite from October until February 26. This was definitely disappointing, but the studio assured us that the extra time they were taking would be used to make the game bigger, more polished, and more visually stunning. As the release date nears, the developers at Irrational have finally begun to pull back the curtain on the game, releasing a few trailers comprised entirely of in-game footage, and even inviting select outlets (including us) to play the first few hours of the game. Check out our hands-on preview for our first solid, in-depth look at BioShock Infinite.

Unfortunately along with the good news of playable content came the not-so-good news that the game has been delayed once again in order to polish it even further. Of course, with a game like this, it is better to delay it and release something exceptional than push it out with numerous, glaring flaws, so we’ll take the delay. Thankfully it isn’t too long a wait. BioShock: Infinite is now set to be released on March 26th, 2013; so stay tuned for more pictures, videos, and news as that date grows closer.

Microsoft launched a Twitter advertising campaign aimed at getting Android users to complain about their devices. However, the company's ploy flopped.

The Internet can be a breeding ground for drama, especially when it comes to social media. Microsoft seems to have learned that the hard way, as its recent Twitter campaign against Android hopelessly backfired. The long-time PC software maker launched a campaign asking Android users to share their malware horror stories via Twitter with the hashtag #DroidRage. In exchange, these tweeters would get the chance to win a new Windows Phone handset.

“Do you have an Android malware horror story? Reply with #DroidRage with your best/worst story and we may have  get-well present for you,” the tweet from the official Windows Phone Twitter account read.

The social media savvy marketing scheme, however, did not go as planned. Hordes of loyal Android geeks defended their mobile operating system and their favorite devices, firing quips of their own and developing the hashtag #WindowsRage.

Google’s Director of Open Source, Chris DiBona, fired back at Microsoft with the following:

“Wanna see what Flop Sweat looks like? Follow: @WindowsPhone”

Other Twitter users had this to say when it comes to Windows Phone vs. Android.

“Microsoft slamming Android with #DroidRage for malware issues? Have you seen your desktop?” user Apurva Chaudhary tweeted.

“I tried to buy a Nexus 4 but the device is so popular to get one! I wish it was less popular like Windows Phone #DroidRage,” user Saif posted to Twitter.

“Whoops. Just activated another million devices today. Sorry about that @windowsphone #DroidRage,” Android blog Android Central tweeted.

“I once thought about writing malware for a Windows Phone but then I though, aren’t they suffering enough? #DroidRage #WindowsRage,” user Mohammad Tarakiyee tweeted.

While malware is an important issue affecting Android devices that shouldn’t be overlooked, establishing a diehard fan base is a crucial part of forming a brand.  Hopefully Microsoft learned that trash talking might not be the best way to do that. After all—the company will need a lot more than a Twitter campaign to catch up to Google’s rival mobile OS. Android currently accounts for more than 75 percent of the mobile market share, and I think we all know who takes the rest.

Technology's favorite crazy man John McAfee is currently sitting in a jail in Guatemala after fleeing police in Belize who suspect him of murdering his neighbor. Here's a complete rundown of how he ended up in such crazy, sad place in this world.

John McAfee is one crazy son of a bitch. But you already know that, thanks to the ridiculous escapade that started back in November after McAfee’s neighbor was found dead, and McAfee fled into the jungles of Belize. It’s a sordid tale, with many ins, outs, and what-have-yous – one of the most spectacular displays of utter madness the technology world has ever seen.

McAfee’s absurd story actually starts much earlier, all the way back in the 1990s. So sit back, grab yourself a hit of bath salts, and come with us on a journey through John McAfee’s long, hilarious descent into madness.

1987: McAfee Associates launches

After nearly two decades working as a programmer for NASA, Univac, and Xerox, McAfee lands a job at Lockheed Martin where he begins developing anti-virus software. In 1987, he launches his own company, McAfee Associates, which becomes the world’s go-to anti-virus company.

1992: Michelangelo virus stir-up

This is when McAfee’s crazy streak first begins to reveal itself. McAfee tells the world that a virus dubbed “Michelangelo,” which had the charming feature of completely wiping the hard drive of infected computers, had made its way into as many as 5 million PCs. On March 6, McAfee said, Michelagelo would trigger a meltdown in all infected computers at once. His declaration caused a near-panic in the computer-using world, much as the Y2K D-Day scare did some eight years later. But by March 7, nothing had happened. Nothing.

McAfee was blamed for creating a false threat to sell more of his anti-virus elixir – which he did. McAfee’s anti-virus software sales reportedly “skyrocketed” that year, with more than half of the companies in the Fortune 100 having purchased McAfee software. Of course, this only furthered the theory that McAfee had just made up the whole damn thing.

1994: McAfee cashes out

The Michelangelo fiasco eventually took its toll on McAfee’s reputation within the company. By 1994, he was forced out of his own firm. He cashed out most of his stock in the company, plunking a whopping $100 million into his bank account. At 47, McAfee is massively rich, retired, and bored.

1994 to 1999: The dark years

Flush with millions of dollars in cash, McAfee purchases a 280-acre compound in Woodland Park, Colorado for $25 million. The sprawling estate includes a 10,000-square-foot mansion, two apartments, and nine guest cabins.

It was from this home base that McAfee developed one of the first Internet instant messaging and VoIP clients, PowWow, which precluded eventual winners in the space, like AOL Instant Messenger and Skype. He launched the product under a new company called Tribal Voices, a Native American-themed venture that foreshadowed McAfee’s eventual turn into a hippy-dippy yoga junkie.

1999: Goodbye, Tribal Voices. Hello, extreme sports and giant houses

Tribal Voices, though innovative, never managed to gain the mainstream appeal of competing products. And McAfee decided to sell the company in 1999 for about $17 million. He then dove head first into real estate, purchasing properties in Arizona, Hawaii, Texas, and New Mexico.

This was also the start of McAfee’s plunge into the batshit-crazy sport of aerotrekking, which involves soaring through the air on half-motorcycle-half-hang-glider contraptions called kite-planes. McAfee would later establish a group of aerotrekking enthusiasts called the Sky Gypsies. The Sky Gypsies would later prove to be one of McAfee’s various downfalls.

2000: Board the Zone Labs

Following the sale of Tribal Voices, McAfee invests in San Francisco-based cybersecurity firm Zone Labs, creator of the then-popular ZoneAlarm firewall product. McAfee also joined the Zone Labs board of directors. At this point, McAfee’s reputation, though tarnished by the whole Michelangelo debacle, is still intact enough for companies to accept his money.

2001: Yoga, yoga, yoga

In his spare time, McAfee managed to write four books on his favorite hobby, yoga. His catalog includes Into the Heart of Truth, The Secrets of the Yamas, The Fabric of Self, and Beyond the Siddhis, the latter of which takes things like telepathy, time travel, and levitation totally, totally seriously. Seriously. The next year, McAfee released two instructional yoga DVDs.

2006: Wrongful death lawsuit

By 2004, McAfee was so obsessed with aerotrekking that he spent $11.5 million on a 117-acre ranch in New Mexico, which he established as the home base of the Sky Gypsies. But his high-flying dreams came crashing down in late 2006 when his nephew, Joel Gordon Bitow, crashed one of the kite-planes into a canyon wall. Bitlow and his 61-year-old passenger Robert Gibson both died instantly. Gibson’s family then sued McAfee $5 million, arguing that McAfee should not have allowed Bitlow to fly the aircraft because he didn’t have enough experience.

2008: McAfee moves to Belize

The Sky Gypsies tragedy reportedly led McAfee to flee to Belize to avoid the Gibson family lawsuit. Upon arriving in the Central American nation, McAfee bought the Belize Coast Guard a 27-foot-boat worth about a $1 million to help the fight against drug trafficking. He also donated about $100,000 worth of equipment to the San Pedro Police Department.

2009: Fortune plummets?

A The New York Times report says that McAfee’s fortunes had plummeted to around $4 million thanks in large part to the crash of Lehman Brothers. But Fast Company reporter Jeff Wise, who visited McAfee in Belize, would later call the eccentric man’s finances into question, claiming that he was not living like a man who only had a mere $4 million in the bank.

2010: Drug trade

As relatively nutty as McAfee’s life had been up until this point, it wasn’t until 2010 that the fruitcake really hits the fan. As Wise reported, McAfee had begun researching a bacteria that was thought to be the next big thing in antibiotics. He purchased 22 acres in the Belize jungle to grow the necessary plants, and hired a legit researcher. Eventually, he set up Quorumex to develop the drug.

2010 (Oct.): Bath salts

Speaking of drugs, in the same year, a person with the username Stuffmonger posted to a drug discussion forum called Bluelight about attempts to purify a drug called MDVP, otherwise known as “bath salts.” Stuffmonger, according Gizmodo, was actually McAfee.

“I’m a huge fan of MDPV,” wrote Stuffmonger. “I think it’s the finest drug ever conceived, not just for the indescribable hypersexuality, but also for the smooth euphoria and mild comedown.”

McAfee later denied that he was Stuffmonger, and said he didn’t do drugs at all.

“I have a highly addictive personality,” wrote McAfee on his blog. “That’s one of the reasons I do not drink or do drugs. If I had been on MDPV, then I would still be on MDPV.”

April 30, 2012: Police raid

In the early morning hours of April 30, McAfee and his 17-year-old girlfriend “Amy” awoke to 42 police and military personnel storming his Belize compound. They announced with a bullhorn that they were looking for drugs and guns. They shot one of McAfee’s dogs, and confiscated an arsenal of firearms that included seven pump-action shotguns, 9-mm pistols, and buckets of ammunition.

McAfee says he was handcuffed and forced to sit in the sun for 14 hours “without food or water while I watched my property being destroyed and taken away.” He was arrested on charges of possessing illegal firearms – charges McAfee says were bogus.

November 9: Dogs die

On November 9, McAfee found four of his dogs dead. They had been poisoned. McAfee’s neighbor Gregory Faull had reportedly complained about the dogs’ barking, and McAfee’s loud lifestyle.

November 11: Murder

Faull was found dead in his home two days after the death of McAfee’s dogs. He had been killed with 9-mm gunshot to the back of his head. McAfee was officially a suspect, police said.

November 14: McAfee, a wanted man

News of that McAfee was now a suspected murder first arrived via Jeff Wise, writing for Gizmodo.The report came just days after Wise published his latest profile of McAfee, who had seemingly fallen into a pit of madness over the previous two years.

McAfee later denied that he was involved in the killing of Fuller, claiming that the 52-year-old’s death was part of a government plot against him. McAfee the decided to make a run for it. He would later tell reporters that he was living in a lice-infested hellhole in the jungle.

November 17: McAfee blogs on the run

Three days later, McAfee surfaced from his hiding in the form of a blog. He took the opportunity to blast Wise, saying that he “made a life work out of smearing my character.” He also took shots at Wired’s Josh Davis. (In a later post, McAfee apologized for blasting Wise.)

McAfee continued to blog throughout his time on the lam, allowing the rest of us to follow his sordid journey, which eventually led him and his 20-year-old girlfriend Samantha to Guatemala.

December 4: Vice exposes his postion

We know McAfee went to Guatemala because some Vice Magazine reporters had joined him there, and took a picture of him with an iPhone. The photo, which was posted to Vice’s website, still contained metadata that revealed the precise location of McAfee.

McAfee initially claimed that the metadata had been intentionally altered to throw authorities off his trail. But he later admitted that he was, in fact, in Guatemala, where he was seeking asylum.

December 6: Arrested in Guatemala, blogs, has “heart attack”

But asylum he did not get. Guatemalan authorities soon arrested McAfee for entering the country illegally. Following his apprehension, McAfee suffered intense chest pains, which were initially believed to be symptoms of a heart attack. Later reports indicate that he did not suffer a heart attack, and was released from the hospital to return to jail.

December 7: Awaiting trial

As of today, McAfee is awaiting trial in a Guatemala jail.

Image via Wired

Square-Enix will re-release Final Fantasy IV yet again, this time for iOS and Android devices. This remake of the 2008 Nintendo DS remake of the 1991 original may also be one of Square's first Ouya games.

Final Fantasy IV started life as a Super Nintendo game back in 1991. In the years since, it’s become one of Square-Enix’s most re-released games, showing up in various forms on the PlayStation, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Game Boy Advance, Wii, Nintendo DS, and the Wonder Swan Color. Not content to sit idly by when there are other gaming platforms to release Final Fantasy IV on, Square announced this week that the game will come to iOS and Android handhelds.

Final Fantasy IV will hit the iPhone and iPad on Dec. 20, and it’ll be available in English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Chinese. This release will actually be an updated version of the 2008 Nintendo DS release, with full 3D graphics and a host of content not featured in the original, including story sequences showing the early life of the game’s villain, Golbez.

The Android version of the game won’t be released until sometime in 2013. Since Final Fantasy IV is coming to Android, though, this likely means that it will be released on the new home console Ouya as well. Square-Enix announced its early support of Ouya last summer, with the 3D remake of Final Fantasy III its first game for the platform.

HTC is attempting to take over the Chinese market by launching three variations of it’s 2012 phones for China.  These phones should be available mid-December.

The HTC J Butterfly (American Droid DNA)  a 1080p smartphone will be released in the common black but also a brown and white colors.  Local variants of the Windows Phone 8-based HTC 8x and HTC 8s are also to be released.

Variations will be released for CDMA2000 (China Telecom), TD-SCDMA (China Mobile) and WCDMA (China Unicom) networks.  While we are unsure of the price point for the two Windows Phone 8 handsets, the Butterfly is expected to have the whopping, contract-free, price of ¥4,799 or USD $771.

Samsung has just launched its $50 Galaxy Muse MP3 player, an accessory to its existing line of Galaxy smartphones.

It’s no secret that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones rule the mobile market when it comes to Android handsets, but now the Korea-based company is dipping into the portable music industry as well.

On Friday, Samsung officially launched its $50 Galaxy Muse MP3 player. Unlike iOS devices, users do not need to connect their devices to a PC to transfer and sync music files. The Galaxy Muse comes with a USB cable that connects the MP3 player to another Galaxy handset and lets owners transfer music directly via Android’s Muse Sync app.

The Galaxy Muse maintains the signature design of the rest of Samsung’s Galaxy brand. It has the rounded edges and Pebble Blue and Marble White color scheme present on most Samsung gear this year. The Muse features up to six hours of play time, 4GB of memory and audio provided by Samsung SoundAlive technology.

Samsung touts its Galaxy Muse as an optimal smartphone replacement for the gym or any other “on the go” scenarios. It also comes with a built-in clip to allow users to attach the device to an article of clothing while listening to music.

“The Galaxy Muse expands the Samsung Galaxy Product portfolio to offer music on- the- go in a compact and lightweight player, with songs shared directly from out award-winning smartphones,” Kevin Packingham, chief product officer at Samsung Mobile, said in a statement. “Muse is the latest example of Samsung delivering another outlet for content consumption across the entire spectrum of consumer electronics.”

Samsung’s offering is priced similarly to Apple’s iPod Shuffle - it’s direct competitor. Both device’s cost $50 and act as an accessory to their respective iOS and Galaxy-branded products. It’s not the most highly-anticipated release from Samsung, but it’s interesting to see someone else trying to give Apple a run for their money in the MP3 market. For those seeking accessories for music-loving Android geeks this holiday season, the Galaxy Muse could be a nice little stocking stuffer. 

With iTunes 11’s release last week, Apple also quietly updated the free Remote app for iOS, adding new functionality and a new look. iTunes Remote for iOS is a useful, yet little-heralded, app that allows users to control their iTunes library from their iOS device. Whether it be an iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, Remote 3.0 lets users connect to iTunes or Apple TV libraries via Home Sharing.

The Remote app for iPad’s new interface looks just like iTunes 11, featuring the extended view feature Apple recently added to the updated version of iTunes. You can now tap an album name to see the tracks listed below the album, similar to what’d you see in an iOS folder. While you’re doing that, other albums will be visible in the background, which means that you can still browse through your albums while the track list for your selected album is still open. 

In addition, the “Up Next” feature from iTunes 11 has also been added to the iPad version of iTunes Remote. As you can see from the photo below, “Up Next” shows what music is playing next, which is very useful when listening to a playlist on shuffle. Also, “Up Next” lets users make impromptu playlists, remove songs using the Edit button, and view your history of recently played songs (it goes back to the last 20 songs you played). 

iTunes Remote also lets you view your movie, TV shows, podcasts, and even your iTunes U media, for playback on your computer. A “New” banner shows up for newly downloaded content, similar to the banner that appears when you download apps on iOS 6.

Another neat addition to version 3.0 is that you can now sort your music by artist in Songs mode. Previously, your only option was to sort by title.

Unfortunately, the app is not as refined on the iPhone. The iPhone version hasn’t changed much from its predecessor. As you can see from the photo to the right, the iTunes Remote app behaves a lot like the Music app pre-installed in every iOS device. Obviously, there’s not as much real estate on the iPhone as there is on the iPad. Since the screen is smaller, there isn’t very many ways Apple can change the iTunes Remote app. 

iTunes Remote for iPad is basically like a smaller version of iTunes 11, which, in our opinion, is a good thing. The user interface in iTunes 11 has drastically changed, and hopefully, future iOS updates will follow iTunes’ lead and change up the effective, yet boring, Music app that we are forced to use.

Unless you were one of the first to order the new iMac, Apple's 27-inch iMacs are now delayed until January 2013.

Those buying a new 27-inch iMac as of today will have to wait to receive it. According to Apple’s online store, 27-inch iMacs won’t be shipped until January 2013. While preorders have been available since late November, there was no established shipping date until Friday when Apple updated its online store webpage showing the estimated shipping date. 

For those wanting the smaller version, the 21.5-inch iMac is available and shipping now. Previous rumors indicated that the 21.5-inch iMac would also be delayed, but Apple squashed those rumors quickly, and customers have already been receiving their 21.5-inch iMac (including a few that come with an “Assembled in the US” label on the back). 

When Apple started taking preorders for the new 27-inch iMacs, sources told Ars Technica that the shipping date was going be a little late, and the first iMac would start shipping between December 21 and 28. That date isn’t expected to change, but Apple originally said that its new desktop computer would be available two to three weeks after the order date. Only those who were planning on ordering an iMac as of today can expect delays until January 2013. If you were one of the first to buy a new 27-inch iMac from Apple, you’re in luck. You should still get your brand new computer as previously projected. 

Players picking up the new downloadable content for Assassin's Creed III should exercise caution, as Ubisoft has confirmed that a glitch in the process is causing players' save files to be erased.

Careful downloading Assassin’s Creed III downloadable expansions like The Hidden Secrets and The Tyranny of King Washington. Those add-ons to Ubisoft’s adventure game can cause no end of trouble if they’re downloaded at the wrong time. A number of players on Ubisoft’s official forum are reporting that the downloadable content is erasing their save files, forcing them to completely restart the game.

A thread opened on Ubisoft’s forum on Tuesday with one user reporting that downloading The Hidden Secrets caused their money to disappear as well as all story missions to reset but all side missions to be labeled as complete. While this user reported the problem on PlayStation 3, others playing on Xbox 360 followed up and reported the same problem.

Ubisoft representatives popped into the forum to confirm that the glitch is in fact real. “Just a quick heads up, we’re able to reproduce this issue at the studio and are working on a fix/workaround,” reads Ubisoft’s statement, “From what we can tell, this problem seems to be rare and should generally only affect a small number of players. That said, we’re taking the speedy and complete resolution of this very seriously.”

While an update isn’t ready as of this writing, Ubisoft did post a tip on how to avoid the problem with the following statement: “AVOIDING THIS BUG: Do not load your saved AC3 game while the DLC is downloading in the background. This appears to be the key trigger for this bug. You can do anything else you want to do, just don’t load up your saved game and play while the DLC is downloading.”

Assassin’s Creed III is just the latest of 2012’s most popular games to be afflicted by glitches that can potentially wipe out a player’s progress. Shortly after Borderlands 2 was released in September, players discovered that the game was suddenly deleting their “Bad Ass Rank” in the game, closing off a number of perks as well as side missions.

Ubisoft especially has been affected by consumer-unfriendly glitches. The company’s Uplay client—an app for purchasing Ubisoft games as well as playing them—was vulnerable to hacking due to a specific plug-in.

The age of digital distribution is great since developers can fix bugs in games following release, but digital distribution causes plenty of new headaches in the process.

Irrational Games' Ken Levine says that BioShock Vita is no closer to release than it was when first announced back at E3 2011. The reason: Sony and Take-Two Interactive are still working out the business kinks.

BioShock Infinite has been delayed yet again, bumped from February 2013 into March to allow Irrational Games to polish its adventure game to a fine sheen. From the sounds of Digital Trends’ latest preview, the sequel will be well worth the wait. Now that BioShock Infinite is in the home stretch, 2K Games will naturally turn its eye towards the fourth BioShock game it has announced, namely the untitled BioShock side story for PlayStation Vita. Patient Vita owners shouldn’t hold their breath for that game, though. It isn’t coming out anytime soon.

BioShock creative mastermind Ken Levine said that while he’s got a good plan for the game, Sony and 2K Games are still working on the business side of things.

“Where the Vita stands right now, it’s in the hands of the business people at Take-Two and the business people at Sony working out, hey, what happens in these business discussions,” Levine told Eurogamer, “Fortunately I don’t have to take part in it any more because I sold my company a long time ago. [BioShock Vita] is something I’m still very interested in. I still have a cool design for it. It’s a question of, do those guys come to find the right mix that makes everybody happy to make that happen?”

Levine announced BioShock for PS Vita during Sony’s E3 2011 press conference, saying it would be an original title and not a port of Infinite. That still holds true according to Levine. Why announce a game that hasn’t even moved into pre-production though?

“Sony was launching this platform and it was important that they had a show of support from people no matter what stage of development they were at. Sony has been such a good partner to us, and I’m not just blowing smoke. [I] tried not to oversell it when I went out there. I just said, ‘We’re doing this.’ I didn’t want to present something that I didn’t have a lot of clarity on at that point.”

Sony confirmed a number of major publishing and development partners for the platform when it first announced the PS Vita but in the 18 months since that E3 press conference, support for the system has languished. A partnership with Activision to bring the Call of Duty series to PS Vita didn’t result in a console-style shooter but Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified, a barebones arcade style shooter with limited multiplayer. The last thing Take-Two Interactive needs is to commit one of its growing brands to Sony’s handheld only to release a subpar product to a miniscule audience.

Our favorite toys, controllers, and accessories for the iPad. Turn your iPad into a party machine.

The iPad is a great gaming platform thanks to its high-resolution screen and powerful graphics performance. Still, you do lose a little something when games are all controlled with the swipe of a finger. And iPads also tend to make gaming a solitary experience. During the holidays, playing alone just shouldn’t be an option. These toys, controllers, and accessories will take your iPad gaming experience to the next level. They make great gifts for yourself or any iPad owner in the family.

A word of advice: protect your iPad from gaming related mishaps and other dangers with a rugged case and screen protector. We’re fans of the Defender case by OtterBox, LifeProof’s nuud for iPad, and this Fisher-Price baby-safe case.

Duo Pop, $40 Into head-to-head trivia games with the family? Then this is the perfect add-on for your iPad. The Duo Pop’s clickers record which player or team is the first to buzz in with the answer, just like on TV. It works with five different games, all available in the App store.

The Game of Life: zAPPed Edition, $25 Adding an iPad to a traditional board game does more than just spice up dice rolling. The Game of Life app brings animation and customization to the table. Players can unlock video content, use the app to get paid or sue fellow players, and customize their “peg person.”

iPieces Fishing Game By Pressman Toys, $10 Kids age 4 and up will appreciate this digital update on an old favorite. The Fishing Game works just like its mechanical counterpart: use a magic plastic rod to catch fish and drag them to your bucket. Just watch out for the sneaky heron – he’ll steal your catch if you’re not careful.

Duo Gamer Controller, $80 Complex games look stunning on the iPad, but if the on-screen controls leave you wanting more (or in fear you may crack the screen in a moment of excitement…) check out the Duo Gamer. This Apple-approved Bluetooth controller for the iPad works with Modern Combat 3, Asphalt 7, and many other Gameloft games. Thanks to the controller’s two analog joysticks, four buttons, D-PAD, and two triggers, you’ll get a console-style feel while playing on your tablet.

iCade 8-Bitty, $30 Love the idea of a controller but want something old school? The people who brought you the iCade iPad Arcade Cabinet have your back. Think Geek’s 8-Bitty Bluetooth controller is reminiscent of the original Nintendo controller and works with the same vast 150+ retro game library as the original iCade.

Duo Pinball, $60 Going back even further, remember when arcades were all about the pinball machines? The tactile joy of slamming buttons to control the flippers is now available for the iPad thanks to the Duo Pinball machine. It even has a plunger for shooting the ball. Your iPad will stay steady as you play in your lap or on a tabletop, so keep it on the coffee table or in the back of the car to entertain kids on long trips. Works with the Pinball HD app, which includes five different table styles for free.

Mattel Apptivity Toys, $10 – $20 Familiar games like Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, and Fruit Ninja get a whole new level of gameplay with Mattel’s Apptivity figurines. Each toy works with a specific game, and unlocks special features when placed on the iPad’s screen. Engage in two-player fun in Fruit Ninja or get on the pig’s side in Angry Birds. Expand beyond familiar games with Apptivity’s other toys ranging from Batman and WWE superstars to Monster High characters, all with their own apps.

HeroClix TabApp, $15+ Fans of HeroClix will appreciate this digital update to the figurine-based fighting game. Special TabApp versions of Marvel and DC heroes interact with the new HeroClix app, which adds a new dimension to the game. Navigate through dungeons and other environments to battle enemies using special powers. Each character gets his or her own storyline and challenges, offering hours of gameplay (with more to come). While you can’t use your existing HeroClix figures with the iPad game, TabApps toys are compatible with regular tabletop play.

Crayola DigiTools Deluxe Pack, $40 Adult artists use the iPad for sketching, so why shouldn’t kids? It’s less messy than crayons or paint, and they can create masterpieces even while traveling. Crayola’s coloring apps make a great canvas, now you just need the right tools. This set includes a digital crayon, digital airbrush, a stamper, and a 3-D stylus for creating drawings that pop off the screen. 3-D glasses are included.

EA's Guardians of Middle Earth may get the basics of the multiplayer online battle arena genre right, but that isn't enough to distract from the fact that the game is a blatant attempt to cash in on two trends simultaneously.

Over the past decade, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre has exploded in popularity. Spawned by the Defense of the Ancients modification for WarCraft III, the genre has since blossomed to include such modern favorites as the legally distinct Dota 2 and League of Legends. The latter game has become a phenomenon in its own right, as professional gamers now earn surprisingly massive purses for competing in large-scale international League of Legends tournaments. Given all of this, should it come as any surprise that EA’s latest attempt to exploit its grip on the Lord of the Rings video game rights comes in the form of a Tolkien-themed MOBA?

Of course not, especially since The Hobbit is due to hit theaters on December 14. Even though Guardians of Middle Earth is a digital release that requires no true box art, EA’s art department made sure to include a mention of the upcoming film on the game’s Xbox Live and PlayStation Network listings. In short, this game is blatantly designed to capitalize on the huge Lord of the Rings fanbase in the lead up to The Hobbit. Normally that sort of promotional tie-in would spell disaster for the resulting game, but since EA tapped Monolith Productions to develop the game, we’re willing to extend Guardians of Middle Earth the benefit of the doubt. Monolith is normally quite competent and the company did give us the brilliant No One Lives Forever, so maybe the creativity of the developer might just save this game from being a shallow movie cash-in. We can only hope.

A Solid Foundation

The most difficult part of developing a game like Guardians of Middle Earth is undoubtedly translating its genre to modern consoles. The multiplayer online battle arena genre was spawned on the PC and its numerous keyboard inputs and relatively complex control schemes have so far prevented it from making any real in roads into the realm of console gaming. Traditional wisdom dictates that there simply aren’t enough buttons on console controllers to properly play a MOBA title, so most developers have created their MOBA titles specifically for computer gamers.

That said, it isn’t impossible to create a MOBA title for consoles, and Guardians of Middle Earth is proof of that. Monolith has built a control scheme that, while not terribly clever, does cover every function you’d normally find in a typical MOBA game — which is very helpful, given that Guardians of Middle Earth is the very definition of the typical MOBA game. 

As with every other MOBA title in existence, gameplay in Guardians of Middle Earth centers around assaulting enemy installations using both your chosen hero and the resources found scattered around each of the game’s Lord of the Rings-themed maps. A head-on assault is as simple as rushing toward the closest group of enemies, but intelligent players will bide their time. Random monsters can be found throughout each arena, and killing these beasts is one of the best ways to earn the crucial experience points that will allow you to improve your hero’s most potent abilities. Further, your own base will periodically release groups of single-minded soldiers that will selflessly rush toward the enemy base and attack en masse. If you can time your own assault on your opponent with these occasional waves of troops, you can greatly improve your ability to cause real damage to your foe.

All of this should seem familiar to anyone who has ever played a MOBA game in the past, as it’s almost the most generic distillation of the MOBA formula we’ve seen to date. That “almost” is a pretty important qualifier as Guardians of Middle Earth escapes being described as “utterly generic” due primarily to the Lord of the Rings license EA has attached to it. Most of the game’s unlockable heroes is a fan-favorite character from Tolkien’s books, and Lord of the Rings devotees will be delighted to see Gandalf, Gollum, Legolas and the rest of Middle Earth’s legendary heroes.

It’s quite obvious too that EA realizes the strength of this license. Monolith did its best to infuse every aspect of the game with Tolkienian ambiance, so you’ll often hear your hero spout one of his or her most famous quotes. Likewise, all the enemies and locations are drawn from Tolkien’s work (though to fit the MOBA arena mold, those locations rarely look as they did in either the books or Peter Jackson’s films). Even hero abilities are sourced directly from Tolkien, though aside from in-game descriptions these special attacks are surprisingly similar to one another. Whether that’s the result of lazy animators or the constraints of adhering to strict cooldown and attack timers isn’t apparent, though we doubt the reason will matter much to fans who wish to see each attack rendered as gloriously as possible.

Nothing Special

Before we get to Guardians of Middle Earth’s key flaw, let’s get one thing straight: This is a very competent MOBA game. By strictly adhering to the basic tenets of the genre, Monolith has created a title that could hypothetically provide hours of competitive, multiplayer gaming to prospective players. The game’s skills are well designed, its heroes are varied yet well-balanced against one another, and each of the game’s arenas offers its own unique challenges. That said, the key problem with Guardians of Middle Earth is that outside of the Lord of the Rings license, it just doesn’t serve any particular purpose.

While we are impressed with how well Monolith was able to translate traditional MOBA controls to a console, we doubt anyone will argue that the control scheme Monolith designed is actually easier to use than its keyboard-based inspiration. There are simply too many buttons in this sort of game to keep track of for the standard Xbox 360 controller to properly keep up. It’s certainly possible to play this game and get good at it, but the missing buttons drastically increase the learning curve you’ll have to slog through to even be competent online. 

That wouldn’t be an issue if Guardians of Middle Earth had an effectively infinite player pool willing to dedicate itself en masse to learning the game’s ins and outs (and thus providing a strong competitive community for a game that, for all intents and purposes, should be viewed as an online-only title), but here is the second area in which Guardians of Middle Earth bucks common MOBA trends: It isn’t free. The aforementioned League of Legends, a game that attracts hundreds of thousands of players on a daily basis, is available as a free to play title. By contrast, Guardians of Middle Earth will set you back $15. That price difference alone will go a long way toward negating this game’s success. Fewer players will be willing to try a $15 game than they would a free one, and thus the potential player base for Guardians of Middle Earth is necessarily limited. While we’re impressed that Monolith was so successful at creating Guardians of Middle Earth despite these hurdles, after spending time with the game we’re left wondering why exactly it needs to exist.

Conclusion

Guardians of Middle Earth is a perfectly serviceable, console-based multiplayer online battle arena title, and that’s the highest praise we’re able to pay it. It will certainly attract Lord of the Rings fans curious to watch their favorite heroes battle to the death in one of our most popular modern gaming genres, but outside of those devotees whose obsession can justify spending $15 for a relatively shallow clone of gameplay you can find in a number of free to play PC titles, we can’t imagine who might enjoy this game. 

Maybe it’s not possible to create a console-based MOBA game. Maybe EA and Monolith were banking too hard on the potential profits to be had from a Lord of the Rings tie-in game. Maybe Sauron cursed this concept from the start. Whatever the reason, Guardians of Middle Earth, though a serviceable title, exists in a no man’s land of the gaming market in which it serves no real purpose. From a technical and conceptual stand point we mostly like the game, but beyond that we just can’t recommend Guardians of Middle Earth to anyone.

Score: 6/10

(Guardians of Middle Earth was reviewed using a downloadable XBLA copy of the game provided by EA.)