Verizon Wireless Stifles One Year Contracts
With every carrier around the United State primarily advertising the two year contract agreements, it comes to not much of a surprise that Verizon Wireless will be getting rid of its one year term. This comes after simple research was done within the company, showing that customers prefer the two year contract over the one year, due solely to higher instant rebates and incentives on new phones. The proposed and approved change will occur as of April 17th, and most customers of the company will undoubtedly not notice the change, as almost all of the contract extensions are concluded with a two year term. Verizon Wireless does not expect many complaints at all regarding this issue, and predicts a smooth transition of depleting the one year contract from its plans.
Read More ...
Pre-Order Dungeon Siege III on Steam, Get First Two Games Free
Yesterday, Square Enix let it be known that its upcoming game being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Dungeon Siege III, would be delayed by about a month. The game will now launch on June 21st instead of May 31st, which is due to the fact that the game needs to receive some more polish. This is bad news for people eagerly awaiting the release since now they'll have to wait a little bit longer. However, there is a bit of good news concerning DSIII. If you pre-order the game through Steam, you will receive the first two games free. This way you'll be able to play (or replay) through Dungeon Siege and Dungeon Siege II to get yourself ready for the upcoming sequel. Currently this pre-order deal is the only way to get the first two games, but hopefully that changes before long. Sure, it may not please everyone after hearing of the delay but hey, who is to complain about getting two games for free?
Read More ...
Chrome Soon Protecting You From Malicious Downloads
Google is in the process of upgrading its Safe Browsing API that currently has a specific set of instructions to protect users from visiting malicious websites. The upgrade to the Safe Browsing API is going to be expanded to help protect users from downloading malicious Windows executable files. When a download URL that is on the malicious website list (this list is published by the Safe Browsing API) is used, Chrome will now display a warning letting the user know what they are about to download is a suspected malicious file. Currently this version of Chrome is only available in development but Google has high hopes that the upgraded API will be available in the next stable release of Chrome. There is new hope for a safer Internet experience!
Read More ...
Valve Raises Money for Japan
Ever since Valve added hats to Team Fortress 2, they have been a status symbol. When the hats went on sale in the Mann Co. Store, anyone with a credit card could get them. The hats that were made by the community provided them with generous compensation for their efforts. Valve recently decided to tap the players for donations towards the Japanese disaster relief fund. For their donations, the players received hats based on the level of their generosity. After two weeks a total of $430,543.65 was raised for the relief effort.
Read More ...
GPU-Z 0.5.3 Available
The latest update of graphics utility GPU-Z, version 0.5.3 is now available. The update brings many fixes, most notably support for AMD's Radeon HD 6790 and FirePro V5800, along with Nvidia's GeForce GT 555M, GTX 540M, G315M, Quadro FX 600, FX 2800M and Quadro 4000. Other stability issues were also fixed. You can download GPU-Z v0.5.3 over at TechPowerUp, here.
Read More ...
Mionix Zibal 60 Mechanical Keyboard in the Works
Sweden-based gaming peripherals manufacturer Mionix is preparing its latest mechanical keyboard, dubbed the Zibal 60. The new keyboard is targeted at high-end gamers, featuring Black Cherry MX mechanical switches for a responsive experience. Furthermore, each key will be individually backlit. The new keyboard offers plug and play installation without the need for drivers. The Mionix Zibal 60 will launch in around five days, so I'd expect more details to surface in the days to come. You can check out the Zibal 60 teaser page including a countdown timer here.
Thanks to TechPowerUp for the images of the Zibal 60.
Read More ...
Zebra Scanner Created
Ever thought it would be neat to scan those horse-like creatures with striped coats like a UPC? Thanks to modern-day science, this has now been made possible.
The system works by first capturing a rectangular shot of the zebra's side and then acquiring its stripe count. The stripes are then deemed as full black or full white then the data is more easily compressed. The next step is to categorize the bands into their respective lengths of colored blocks into what is called a 'StripeString'. Once all the StripeStrings come together, they become a 'StripeCode'. The StripeCode is what future pictures or scans can be compared to in order to identifiy that individual zebra.
Read More ...
Hybrid LED / E-Ink Display
After many complaints about reading eBooks on the iPad, Apple has patented a hybrid display that consists of an LCD screen and an E-Ink screen. This display allows for switching between the different display types. Using the LCD screen for games or apps and the E-Ink screen for anything reading related. In addition to easy reading, the E-Ink display can save battery life since it does not use a backlight.
The hybrid display would consist of multiple layers. On top would be the touch interface, in the middle the E-Ink display, and underneath the LCD display. This new idea can open up new possibilities in display viewing.
Read More ...
Google Defends Claims Against Android Platform's Open Nature
Everyone knows that Android is touted for its very loose grip from Google. It just so happens that recently there has been some users who have been second guessing Google's role in keeping the platform the most open of all the mobile operating systems. Google never wants Android to be compared with a more locked down mobile OS like those made by Apple. The VP of engineering at Google promises that all source code is published to public as soon as it is ready, and they do not plan to ever change this policy.
The only standards the company has set out for new devices planning on running Android is that they meet some simple requirements. Google does not make these checks to discourage device makers but simply is looking to provide the best end-user experience with improved compatibility. It has been promised since Android's inception that any UI customizations would be 100% supported by Google.
Read More ...
Minecraft to Exit Beta on November 11
Minecraft has become quite a popular little game, garnering support from all over and generating a fair bit of revenue. The game has been in beta form for what seems like forever, but its creator has finally decided when the game will shed that state. Minecraft will exit out of beta form on November 11th, but the full version won't be too terribly different from the beta. Markus Persson, the creator, said that the team keeps planning to add features both before and after it leaves beta form so the updates should keep on coming. Persson also announced that Minecraft has generated $32 million in revenue since release with first copies going for $14 and then $21. He states that the full release is more of a milestone for the team since it is a goal they have all been working towards since Minecraft first came out. Persson states that version 1.5 is expected next week which brings with it weather effects and several other features.
Read More ...
No comments:
Post a Comment