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New 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Screens

Wed, 6 Aug 2008 16:05:00 -0700

Here are some new screens for you muggle-type-gamers out there for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from EA Bright Light Studio. The game is being released on everything, so be sure to check out the seperate galleries for your specific platform of choice after the cut. The Nintendo DS version pops up the 1st of November with the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on November 11th, then trailed by the Mac and wireless version later down the line.

Click the image below for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PS3, Xbox 360) image gallery

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PS3, Xbox 360) image gallery

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PC, Wii, PS2) image gallery

MacBook Photos Leaked?

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 17:05:00 -0700

Engadget.com has posted alleged leaks of Apple's new MacBook.

No telling if these are real of not, but, boy, is that one sleek metal laptop lid.

And look at that shiny Apple logo and inner display panel. Breathtaking, isn’t it?

The text does say MacBook, though I suppose it coulda been Photoshopped…

What do you think?

Engadget.com: Pictures of Apple's new MacBook leaked on Taiwanese site?

Carmack: Apple CEO "Doesn't Care About Games"

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 13:17:00 -0700

John Carmack, lead programmer of Doom and co-founder of developer id Software, is a straight forward man when it comes to opinions. During QuakeCon last week, Carmack had a few things to mention about Apple's drive in gaming:

"The truth is Steve Jobs doesn't care about games. This is going to be one of those things that I say something in an interview and it gets fed back to him and I'm on his $***head list for a while on that, until he needs me to do something else there. But I think that that's my general opinion. He's not a gamer."

Yes, Mr. Carmack did go there. Even though Jobs introduced the new app store for the iPhone and iPod Touch that features over hundreds of games, Carmack still believes that Jobs doesn't "deeply get" gaming, according to his interview with EuroGamer.

He added:

"It's difficult to ask somebody to get behind something they don't really believe in. I mean obviously he believes in the music and the iTunes and that whole side of things, and the media side of things, and he gets it and he pushes it and they do wonderful things with that, but he's not a gamer. That's just the bottom line about it."

However, even though Carmack resents the Apple CEO's support for video games, it doesn't mean that he abhors their products. "I think the iPhone is a potentially extremely important platform for a lot of reasons," said Carmack in putting Apple's product up against handhelds such as the PSP. think it's a great platform for content and new talent on there," he said. Currently, id Software is developing two games for Apple's touchscreen device.

Eurogamer: "Steve Jobs doesn't care about games"

Nugget From The Net: Faulty GPS

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 11:59:00 -0700

Just got a new iPhone this morning and I am not happy. It refused to sync all the info from my old iPhone through iTunes, (left the old one on top of my car yesterday.) Also, when I got to work, I thought I would check out the GPS feature.

Apparently, I should be very cold right now.

Update: When I'm on the EDGE network, it puts me up in the Arctic Ocean, if it goes to 3G, the location is correct.

New 'Rage' Screens From QuakeCon 08

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 12:11:00 -0700

Here are two new Rage screens from QuakeCon 08. The id Software FPS game will be coming to the PS3, Mac, PC, and Xbox 360. There is still no announced timeframe but indulge in the screens for their mutant sub-humanoid glory.

Apple: MobileMe Restored

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 08:14:00 -0700

We told you on Tuesday that Apple was experiencing problems with their MobileMe service and now, it seems that they have fixed several bugs that same night.

Apple has successfuly restored their subscription mail service that affected 1% of customers who had been unable to access their accounts for nearly two weeks. In addition to that bug, the whole mail server crashed which led to unretrievable emails and information. "By completing this restoration of Mail services, we hope we have put the vast majority of MobileMe Mail problems behind us and can now focus on improving other aspects of this new ambitious service," the company stated on the MobileMe status page.

For all of you MobileMe subscribers who are still experiencing difficulties with the system, check out this help page from Apple.

Publisher X: iPhone Considered The Wii Of Portable Gaming

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:13:00 -0700

Doug Kennedy, founder of digital games distribution company Publisher X, said that the iPhone should be considered to be the Wii of portable gaming.

Prior to the Wii's release, many have speculated (and competitors currently still) that the system was simply a fad that will eventually wear off. “The way this industry operates, they will discredit and not actually validate the platform until it damages their credibility not to validate it,” said Kennedy. He referred to the Wii's current success, stating that the iPhone will experience the same initial criticism Nintendo's system received, but Apple's product will soon break the mold.

“I’ll tell you first-hand, behind the scenes, [Apple is] paying very, very close attention and I think there is a level of concern about the level of publishers and developers [working on the iPhone]," said Kennedy. Check out our exclusive interview with Doug Kennedy and developer Capybara Games for more info about iPhone games.

MTVMultiplayer: iPhone Is Wii Of Portable Gaming, Says Publisher

Apple Apologizes To MobileMe Users

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:10:00 -0700

Well aside from the borked iPhone 3G launch, it seems that the MobileMe service didn't go quite as well as Apple planned.

Apparently since its simultaneous release with the 2.0 firmware, the subscription-service was preventing users to send/receive emails, sync their devices, and even deleting some of the user's contacts. In response, Apple created an "apologetic" blog, stating that they have fixed over 70 bugs, however, %10 of the email lost may be gone forever.

MobileMe works by storing data and information exchanged via "cloud computing", but however, as one of the affected users said on a blog, everything had "evaporated". According to Apple's blog, the rest of the issues will be resolved within the coming days.

BBCNews: Apple blogs to disaffected users

Disney Adds Privateering to Pirates of the Caribbean Online, New Contest Winners Screens

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:41:00 -0700

Disney Online has added a new Privateering content update to their swash-buckling MMO Pirates of the Caribbean Online for the Mac and PC. Players will side with one of two Pirate Lords who give new quests and rewards to those willing to rise to the Privateering challenge. Which basically is a license-to-kill for new loot. Now that's motivation.

The new content is available to both Basic and Unlimited Access players. Along with the update are new enhancements to the Crew Interface allowing a much more enjoyable experience managing your crew to "take what you can get, give nothing back" during your adventures.

Bonus: Included after the cut are the winning screens for Disney Online's Ultimate Ship Battle Screenshot Contest.

Disney Online: New Content (Privateering) Added to Pirates of the Caribbean Online; New Screens

Check out the Pirates of the Caribbean image gallery here

iPhone Copy And Paste Application

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:46:00 -0700

The copy and paste function for the iPhone was long rumored to be included within firmware updates, especially in the recent 2.0 firmware. Although Apple hasn't announced any plans to implement the function yet, Magic Pad will give us an idea on how copy and paste would work on the iPhone.

The rich text editor application allows you to drag words around and paste them anywhere on an existing document or a brand new one and allows you to email the .rtf file. It also features six different font styles, eight unique colors, and face functions such as bold, italics and others. Unfortunately, all the said functions are only applicable within the program so you can't use them while on Safari or text messaging. Boo.

Magic Pad will soon be available via the iTunes App Store. Check out the website here, and even a demonstration video.

Exclusive: Publisher X Marks iPhone Games

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:01:00 -0700

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs dropped the BOOM on March 6, 2008 with the announcement of the software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone/iPod Touch, the floodgates of software possibilities opened up. But no matter what applications third-party developers had in mind, we only had one series of applications swirling in our nerdy little brains - games.

We picked up the phone and chatted with digital games distributor Publisher X and developers of the award-winning mobile game Critter Crunch, Capybara Games, to discuss what they think about Apple's phenomenal device. Check it out after the cut.

Just three weeks since the announcement of their company, San Francisco-based Publisher X already has its eyes set on Apple's product. Co-founder Doug Kennedy said that the announcement of the SDK accelerated their company's launch, which was originally set for this fall."We sat down with [Apple] to hear what they had to say about gaming," said Kennedy. "When you hear Apple, you get excited."

And, indeed, Kennedy and his company are excited. Just a week after going live, Publisher X announced that they were already working with with four international developers to create games for the iPhone. One of them was Capybara Games, creators of the mobile puzzler sensation Critter Crunch.

Based in Canada, Capybara Games have been in the mobile gaming business since 2003, but working on Apple's product was a completely different experience. "It was a fresh take," said company president Tom Frencel. He added that the iPhone had a more "attractive" approach to mobile games, thanks to its intuitive control possibilities and 3D graphics. "The iPhone is a completely different device," said by Capybara Games Creative Director Kris Pioerwski. "It has so much potential."

And it wasn't a difficult choice when the company decided to port their award-winning mobile title, Critter Crunch, to the iPhone upon its release last September. Nabbing the Best Mobile Game award from the Independent Games Festival and IGN's Best Mobile Puzzle game last year, Critter Crunch was a prime candidate for Apple's product. Also, Capybara had already begun developing the game before the SDK's announcement, according to Kennedy.

At its core, Critter Crunch casts the player as the famished, furry forest dweller named Biggs as he uses his toad-like tongue to launch smaller critters into bigger ones in a "Food Chain" puzzle concept. "It's something a little bit different," said Pioerwski, in comparison to other puzzle titles. Thanks to the iPhone's capabilities, he said that they were able to rethink the game's controls and implement more vivid sound effects.

Frencel said that one of the challenges in developing the game was to figure out how to make the control scheme work. With the iPhone's touchscreen functions, players were given more tactile control over the game, allowing Capybara to speed up the game's control and give the title a more fast-paced approach. "We really expanded the game itself," said Frencel.

So, besides the award-winning history of Critter Crunch, how is this title supposed to out-chomp the hundreds of iPhone/iPod Touch titles invading the Application Store? "I feel very confident not because of all the awards...I’ve been reading a lot of [positive] consumer reads," said Frencel. As far as creating more titles for Apple's product, Frencel said that his company is still in the process of "brainstorming" ideas. "I hope we're following this up with something," said Frencel.

Aside from Capybara Games's puzzle title, Publisher X is also distributing other iPhone games titles, including Zen Studios's ZEN Pinball: Rollercoaster and the casino game series, Reed Deal, from War Drum Studios. Also, being a digital games distributor, Publisher X is delivering games to the Playstation Network, WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade. "Taking a look where the [video game] industry is moving, digital titles are very important for that," said Kennedy.

Watch Larger Version of this Video

Check out Publisher X and Capybara Games for more info.

'Dexter' Gets an iPhone Game

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:55:00 -0700

One of our favorite shows about a Miami vigilante blood spatter detective is getting an iPhone/iPod game. It was revealed at a Showtime panel that Dexter will be about integrating texting, calling, and gesturing to play the game. To further intrigue/complicate/confuse the issue, the game will be arriving episodically.

This could either be a cool innovative way to game on the iPhone or it could just be a confusing ghosttown of an ARG that tries to make you interface with strangers. Too early to say but we're looking forward to finding out more.

multiplayerblog.mtv.com: Comic-Con: Episodic ‘Dexter’ Game for iPhones

Apple iPhone Sales Executive Sued By Motorola

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:43:00 -0700

With the iPhone on track for global mobile market domination, Apple's bound to face some road blocks along the way - more specifically, a road block consisting of lawyers. Vice President for global iPhone sales Michael Fenger is currently being sued by Motorola for allegedly stealing trade secrets.

Fenger was a former Motorola executive before hopping on Apple's mount. He ended his six-year career with Motorola last March, where he was the VP of the mobile device business in Europe, Middle-East and Africa. According to Motorola's complaint, Fenger was disclosing customer initiatives, pricing, margins and more to Apple that was still being used by Motorola. The company demands $1 million in stock options granted to Fenger and a two year employment ban from Apple. Hello-Moto?

Funny how Motorola expected for this guy to not use his six-year experience to Apple's advantage. Besides, out of all those business strategies Motorola accused him of stealing, we wonder how many of those Fenger suggested. Perhaps Motorola is just plain bitter about the iPhone's success and how it's affecting their current mobile market. Maybe they just need to throw some MotoRazr shurikens at Apple retailers to relieve some aggression.

CNET: Motorola sues iPhone sales executive over trade secrets

Activision Blizzard To Rival iTunes

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:35:00 -0700

With the combined powers of Activision Blizzard, the company feels that it's ready to take on one of the multimedia's top contenders: Apple. The company plans to catapult on their Guitar Hero franchise's success by creating an online music platform of their own that could rival iTunes.

"I don't think there have been a lot of credible alternatives to iTunes but Guitar Hero certainly has that potential," said by CEO Bobby Kotick. With over five billion songs sold, you're up for a challenge there Bob. Kotick said that developing a Guitar Hero online music platform is the "natural evolution" of a 20 million unit selling, $1 billion dollar revenue generating franchise.

Microsoft took a swing at iTunes with their Zune marketplace, but whiffed: Apple's powerhouse app still goes on strong. With iTunes's number of customers catching up with McDonald's amount, Kotick and co. sure picked a powerful target!

FinancialTimes:Activision to launch iTunes rival

Hands On: iPhone 2.0 - Applications!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0700

As you all know, the iPhone 3G launches tomorrow, but the 2.0 firmware leaked to the internets a bit early. We've got it and we've been playing with it for the past few hours.

The best way to describe the reactions we've had here is: the iPhone just got a lot more awesome. The App Store is easy to use and if you've purchased anything through the iTunes Store you'll have no problems.

Sure, some of the apps aren't that optimized and we're still rocking our EDGE iPhone's, but it's nice to finally be able to log onto AIM, Twitter, or play games on our iPhones.

Exchange is up and running and works well, but we'd like to be able to maintain separate calendars and contact lists. Unfortunately, syncing with Exchange contacts and calendar overwrites anything else on the iPhone.

Hit the jump for application impressions.

App Store as seen on the iPhone itself

AIM from AOL

We were eager to finally get IM support on our iPhones so we quickly booted up AIM, which is free from AOL. The app is pretty slick, but has a few UI issues. For the most part, it's IM on the go and flicking between conversations is a nice touch. We have some issues with how the app displays active conversations, but it's a great start.

G4's Stephen Johnson is caught off-guard by my iPhone AIM awesome-ness

Twitterific from Iconfactory

Twitter is, as the kids say, the new hotness when it comes to Web 2.0 social networking. Twitterific is an app that lets you access your tweets in style. Unfortunately, it still has to run on Twitter's service, which is hit or miss as it attempts to deal with thousands of people updating their status constantly.

Kevin updates his Twitter regarding the new iPhone 2.0 software. What a nerd!

Facebook

Facebook on the iPhone has already existed for a while with a slick Web Application. So what functionality is gained or lost by using the application version? Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a way to access a friend's wall, but chat is working. The application also supports taking pictures from within the program and adding them to mobile uploads.

While it doesn't offer much over the web application, it loads a bit faster on EDGE and helps to separate Facebook from Mobile Safari.

Kevin updating his Facebook about Twitter. Still a nerd!

Be sure to check back tomorrow as we all desperately try to get 3G iPhones!

Have you been using iPhone 2.0? What's your favorite app so far? If not, are you planning on getting the new 3G iPhone?

New 'Hell's Kitchen' Screens

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:53:00 -0700

Got some new screens of Hell's Kitchen for the Wii, DS, Mac and PC, courtesy of Ubisoft. Based off the popular reality-show of the same name, you can now bring home the joys of burning the roast and not only being ridiculed by your friends... but a virtual demon-chef Gordon Ramsay as well. The game comes to a boil this September.

Click the image below for the Hell's Kitchen image gallery

Check out the Hell's Kitchen image gallery here.

App Store Launch Features Over 160 Games

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:14:00 -0700

Mr. Steve Jobs drops another BOOM! to iPhone game enthusiasts. The Apple CEO told New York Times that out of the first 500 applicatons to be launched with the new iTunes applications store for the iPhone, a third of those softwares will be games. On top of that, 25 percent of the 500 apps will be free and commercial applications will cost $9.99 or less.

The new iTunes application store is now available, as reported by Gizmodo, which arrived a day earlier than the expected simultaneous launch with the iPhone 3G tomorrow. Game developers are already looking at making games for the iPhone and we expect it to break the mold in mobile gaming.

NextGeneration: Over 160 Games for App Store Launch

Rogers Wireless Offers 6GB iPhone 3G Data Plan

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:37:00 -0700

How do you handle a bunch of demanding, iPhone 3G hungry Canadians? Breakfast and a $30 6GB data plan.

Canadian wireless provider, Rogers Wireless, has heard the demands of their fellow people who begged for the company to issue a much cheaper iPhone data plan (via Engadget). Rogers is promoting a new iPhone 3G data plan, allowing up to 6GB for $30 per month. It's not as good as the unlimited data options we have here, but judging from Rogers's current data plan, 6GB is as good as it gets. The promo will be available for new iPhone users who activates with a three year contract before August 31, 2008. Rogers will also be opening up at 8 a.m. tomorrow at six major Rogers Plus stores across major cities in Canada, with provided breakfast for customers.

Hopefully you'll get some breakfast too tomorrow morning if you're planning to pick up an iPhone 3G. For the mean time, check some first reviews, international news and details on this anticipated device.

Engadget: Rogers caves on iPhone 3G plans, offers up 6GB for $30

AT&T Set-up for the iPhone Will Take 10 to 15 Minutes

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:08:00 -0700

Apple is saying it will only take 10 to 15 minutes to set up your new iPhone. It's only available in Apple and AT&T stores and a credit card and social security card are required to complete the transaction and hook you up with 2 years of 3G goodness.

The 15 minute set-up seems doubtful considering the hoops some people had to jump through to get the original iPhone set-up with AT&T who are not necessarily known for their customer service.

This version is supposedly going to be harder to jailbreak than the original and will come in black 8 gig and white 16 gig models. If you can't make it to the store or don't feel like dealing with the hysterics of the crowds, you'll be able to check the availability of the phone on the web.

Bloomberg.com: Apple Expects 15-Minute Setup Process for New IPhone

iPhone 3G First Reviews Are In

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 13:39:00 -0700

Only two days away folks. Apple's latest iPhone 3G is expected to roll in this Friday, July 11 at 8 a.m. The first batch of reviews are in and they are looking pretty damn good. Hit the jump to see what reviewers have to say.

I’ve been testing the iPhone 3G for a couple of weeks, and have found that it mostly keeps its promises. In particular, I found that doing email and surfing the Internet typically was between three and five times as fast using AT&T’s 3G network as it was with the older AT&T network to which the first iPhone was limited. - Walt Mossberg, Wall Steet Journal

The new name hints at the biggest change: this iPhone can bring you the Internet much faster. It can exploit AT&T’s third-generation (3G) cellular network, which brings you Web pages in less than half the time as the old iPhone. - David Pogue, New York Times

It's cheaper, faster and a lot friendlier for business. Apple's blockbuster smartphone already had nifty features such as visual voicemail, a splendid built-in video iPod and the best mobile Web browser I've ever used. With GPS newly added to the mix, this handheld marvel has no equal among consumer-oriented smartphones. - Edward Baig, USA Today

Where the hell is our iPhone 3G?! - TheFeed, G4TV

Hit the source for more reviews.

Gizmodo: iPhone 3G Reviews Are In