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Razer Anzu review: Smart glasses that are almost great
The Razer Anzu is a bit more appealing than other smart glasses thanks to blue-light-filtering lenses, long battery life and an affordable price.
Anzu cosplay takes first prize at China Joy
The annual China Digital Entertainment Expo, also known as China Joy, is known for its cosplay, and for Blizzard Entertainment's cosplay contest. This year's winner was Zhang Lu, a well-known China Joy cosplayer who has placed in the contest before. Her winning costume is pictured above, an incredible, intricate Raven Lord Anzu. Lu created the costume herself, carving and painting each piece. As part of her prize, she and the runner up Xu Rujunn will be flown to BlizzCon later this year to stand on stage. It's an honor well-earned, because this costume is simply stunning. You can check out more pictures of the costume plus Lu's creation process over here--it's all in Chinese, but the pictures speak for themselves.
Know Your Lore: The Arakkoa
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. They are one of the most ancient races on Draenor, according to relics found in Outland. Yet the arakkoa initially seemed far from any kind of enlightened society when players first met them in Burning Crusade. Certainly, they had the numbers to indicate a vast civilization -- but the arakkoa always felt like a footnote to Outland, filler rather than an important part of what made Draenor what it was, or an integral part of the Burning Crusade storyline. After all, it was all about the orcs, the draenei, and the Burning Legion -- the comings and goings of bird-people didn't really factor into the mix. Which may be just the way the arakkoa like it. Fairly reclusive, the arakkoa don't go out of their way to tell strangers of their past. Yet even though there is little to be found where the arakkoa are concerned, the small pieces we've managed to glean point to a far more complex society than the arakkoa are willing to divulge. And in Warlords of Draenor, we'll finally be able to see the arakkoa soar -- and maybe even unravel some of the secrets of this reclusive race.
WRUP: Patch 5.4.7 and hope eternal
We're starting to see the treats and tricks of patch 5.4.7. While it's no longer time for the holiday season, the coming months are still shaping up to be a fun little WoW holiday. So while you're cozying up to some winter wonder right now, what do you think of the upcoming patch? Don't forget to leave a comment and let your intrepid WoW Insider staff what you're playing this weekend! Adam Koebel (@bendakwow) I'll be working on leveling another hunter (can never have enough hunters). It's about 80 already so I'm not going to bother boosting it once patch 5.4.7 comes out. As for the patch, I think what I'm curious to see is how they set you up on the boosted character. Do you just get greens? Dungeon blues? Are your skills doled out gradually (like the death knight introduction) or do you just get a full spellbook right off the bat? If it's the former, I hope there is an option to skip that if you're familiar with the class already. I'm also hearing something about professions getting boosted if the character is already above 60, so I'm interested in learning how that works as it would influence my decision. Oh, and what will the price be?
WoW Archivist: The quest for swift flight
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? With all the controversy over flying in Draenor (and lack of it until patch 6.1), flight is a major topic in the WoW community these days. Veteran players remember a time when taking to the skies was merely a dream -- one that The Burning Crusade made real, at least in Outland. Along with flying mounts, Blizzard decided that druids should receive new shapeshifting forms that allowed flight. The forms came in two speeds: the base Flight Form and the Swift Flight Form. Rather than making the latter a trainable skill, Blizzard instead provided druids with one of the longest and most epic class-specific quest lines of all time: the Swift Flight Form chain. Seventeen quests long, the chain made a versatile shapeshifter out of you whether you wanted to be or not. Like many others, the SFF chain became a casualty of the Shattering and can no longer be completed. It is well worth revisiting, however, so let's let fly!
The 5 mounts I'm going to farm until the end of the world
Mount collecting in World of Warcraft is a common passion. There are some really beautiful designs out there, and showing off a rare collection is one of the ways in which people take pleasure from the game. A number of mounts are also a testament to dedication or skill in the game: the arena drakes, the Pureblood Fire Hawk, Invincible... for those who have earned them these mounts and others like them stand as a visual marker to their accomplishments. For those of us who tend to be a bit behind on the raiding or PvP curve, there are still plenty of obtainable mounts out there. Some of them were formerly unattainable without groups, but thanks to the inevitable passage of time and raising of the level cap, the bosses which drop them are now soloable. Unfortunately, mounts tend to have a very low drop rate, so getting them can be a challenge of determination, diligence, and of course, luck. Here are a few that I have yet to earn for myself, but I remain determined to acquire! 1. Raven Lord Can you believe I am a druid who still doesn't have this one? A Burning Crusade-era druid, too. I've been farming this mount since Anzu was only summonable by druids such as myself, and I still haven't seen it drop. Admittedly I've slacked off more recently, mostly because I'm sick of Sethekk Halls. I should hop back to it, though. The Raven Lord is one of the most gorgeous ground mounts in the game.
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc hands-on video
We'd heard -- and seen -- that the Xperia Arc was going to make its debut at CES this year and even saw some details and a vid earlier today. Sony's press event is set to start in the next hour or so but we've managed to get a little video for you ahead of the official event. Feast your eyes on all the curvy magic, digest it, love it, and then pop right back for our liveblog and tons more info on this little Android 2.3 Gingerbread wonder.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc breaks cover, announced at CES this week?
Russian site Gagadget seems to have scored pictures of a phone that matches up perfectly with the teasers Sony Ericsson has placed strategically around the CES show grounds this week -- which, in turn, look a whole lot like the Anzu we've been seeing leaked for a few months. The site's saying this bad boy will come to market as the Xperia Arc, so called thanks to a concave backside. The specs, if legit, are decent: 1GHz Qualcomm processor (single-core, it seems), 4.2-inch 854 x 480 display, Gingerbread, 8 megapixel back-illuminated Sony sensor with HD video capture, and a body that measures just 8.7mm at the thinnest point. Sony's CES press conference is later today, so we might not have long to wait to get all the details on this one; in the meantime, follow the break for a quick promotional video Gagadget seems to have turned up. [Thanks, SillentTroll]
Sony poster at CES shows unannounced, extremely slim-looking phone (update: it's the Arc)
Sony's CES banners have been unfurled around the Las Vegas Convention Center here and one of them has a particularly alluring, and particularly skinny, phone to show us. The above image of half a touchscreen handset (more closeup photography of which you'll find in the gallery below) shows a Sony Ericsson brand and what looks like a 3.5mm headphone jack -- the latter of which would suggest that this phone is no more than six or seven millimeters thick. Even more enticing is the promise of "more entertainment at the touch of a button," suggesting some processing and graphics firepower contained within as well -- could it be SE's answer to the dual-core LG Optimus 2X? We get the feeling we'll love this thing whatever the hell's inside it. Update: Closer investigation of the imagery has led us to believe this is probably the Anzu / X12 that we first saw back in November. That device's claim to fame was a 4.3-inch display allied to a "very, very thin" profile. Update 2: The mysterious handset has now been revealed as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. %Gallery-112523%
Sony Ericsson mystery handset leaks out, provides juicy rumor material
Do you recognize this handset? Neither do we, and that's kind of the point. We're looking at a never-before seen Sony Ericsson smartphone running Android -- neither the Anzu / X12 nor the PlayStation Phone -- and if we're not terribly mistaken, that's the company's translucent Timescape UI on top. Oh, and it seems to be attached to Vodafone Germany, for whatever that's worth. What's more, the picture itself only tells half the story, as the other half is where it came from -- a Picasa account filled to the brim with 8 megapixel test shots from a pair of camera phones. It's hard to say whether either the Sony Ericsson "LT15i" or the "MT15i" are the device we're actually looking at here, but the brethren have now fired off over 150 images testing out these camera modules. Rumor has it that both are running Gingerbread and that this one's internal codename is "Hallon," but honestly we're more interested in that huge camera module on the front. HD video chat, perhaps? Find a full-frontal picture after the break, and plenty more at our source links. [Thanks, Brenton]
Sony Ericsson's 4.3-inch Anzu previewed: ain't got no Gingerbread, but still looking tasty
Our hope for the recently leaked Anzu (likely to be known as the Xperia X12 at retail) handset from Sony Ericsson was that it'd be the company's Android Gingerbread flagship, but here comes international super-reviewer Eldar Murtazin popping that bubble for us. The good man from Russia has a preview unit in his secret lab and reports that it currently only runs Android 2.1, with the intention being that launch devices in early 2011 will start off with Android 2.2 before getting their Gingerbread (2.3) fix in a later update. He also notes a 4.3-inch display with 854 x 480 resolution (just an LCD, nothing exciting), an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 (same as in the T-Mobile G2 / Desire Z) powering things inside, and a 12 megapixel imager mounted on the back. The latter is naturally capable of recording 720p video, while early performance impressions are that the stock Android interface flies. Alas, Eldar expects SE to layer its own customizations on top, which adds to his disappointment with the general build quality of this device -- it's thinner and lighter than the X10, but apparently feels cheaper to the touch. Hit the source link for his comprehensive preview. Let's also not forget Eldar's tweet from the weekend when he said he was playing with the Anzu and the Galaxy 2 (aka Samsung i9100, according to him). Given that the first of those devices has now indeed made its way onto Mobile-review, the veracity of his second claim -- that the upcoming Samsung handset would be a dual-core beastie -- now seems a lot less questionable. [Thanks, Momchil]
Samsung i9100 is the dual-core Galaxy 2, sequel to the Galaxy S?
Along with a Sony Ericsson Anzu, the James Bond of cellphones -- alias Eldar Murtazin -- claims to be playing with a Samsung GT-i9100 right now, calling it the "Galaxy 2" and saying it's "so technically advanced" thanks in part to a dual-core processor. It seems like a long shot that this would be the Cortex-A9-based Orion since chips and development boards are just now being sampled -- but considering how far in advance Murtazin tends to score phones, we can't rule anything out. One possible scenario is that the i9100 could be something akin to a TouchWiz-skinned version of the upcoming Nexus S, much as HTC's Desire was essentially a Sense-skinned version of the Nexus One. Samsung, of course, has been pushing TouchWiz very hard across its Galaxy S line this year, and if the Nexus S is as beastly as the rumors are claiming it to be, there's little doubt that Samsung would love to repurpose the hardware for something with a little more of its flavor thrown in. Speaking of the Galaxy S, keep in mind that the original European GSM model goes by the code GT-i9000, so it would stand to reason that the i9100 could be the proper successor -- and with Gingerbread-based TouchWiz and a dual-core processor on board, we'd say they're off to a strong start. [Thanks, Peter]
Sony Ericsson's Anzu / X12 to be Xperia Gingerbread flagship? (Update: more pics!)
We're not sure what Sony Ericsson's gotten to lately with its mythological codenames, but if Xperia X10 Blog's source is to be trusted, what we're looking at here is supposedly an upcoming handset codenamed "Anzu" (a lesser god of Akkadian mythology), or simply the X12 according to the often reliable Eldar Murtazin. Details are thin right now, but the leakster claims that said device is "very, very slim" yet packing a 4.3-inch display and HDMI output -- sounds very much like the Droid X, if you ask us. Although this particular photo shows an Android 2.1 build on the phone, rumor has it that it'll be shipped with Gingerbread (which is now pretty much officially 2.3) in Q1 next year. Here's another interesting bit of gossip to take with you: we've heard from a couple of reliable sources close to the matter that the Anzu lies in the same category as the PlayStation Phone "Zeus" (also on Gingerbread but lacking the Xperia branding), and that they're being tested alongside each other. Whether this is an indication that the mystical Z-System gaming platform is heading to the Anzu, we don't know, but it makes sense given that both upcoming SE devices appear to bear the same screen size, or at least the same aspect ratio. Either way, we're told the pair will be officially announced some time before or shortly after Christmas, which again supports Xperia X10 Blog's leak. Time to stock up on some fine champagne, folks -- looks like 2011 is going to be a good year. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Well that was quick. Xperia X10 Blog's just posted a few more lovely pics of the Anzu, and boy it sure is thin -- check out the profile shot after the break. The site's also just heard that said phone can capture 1080p video and will have a front-facing camera. [Thanks, Tejstar]
Guest Post: What will be Patch 4.0.1's legacy?
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. As the dust begins to settle in the wake of the great patch-aclysm of 2010, it's time to look back with a little perspective and see exactly what we've been left with. The most immediately visible effects revolve around the drastic changes to many of our favorite classes, but frankly, a bit too much hubbub has been made over these already. The WoW community is -- to put it delicately -- a rather passionate bunch, so we tend to react strongly to the need to relearn our classes. Realistically, though, it's just a matter of figuring out which playstyles suit us the most, adapting to them and hoping we don't lose any friends and guildies as casualties of evolution. Damage numbers are also relatively meaningless at this stage in the game. While we're sure to see some frustratingly unviable specs in Cataclysm like we have in the past (*cough* PvE subtlety), for the most part, the developers can tweak code through patches and hotfixes to ensure that we all eventually see appropriately-sized numbers flashing before our eyes. Since the order of buttons we press to succeed is in a constant state of flux anyway, we'll eventually forget that X skill or Y talent even existed. But some things will stick with us longer. I believe Patch 4.0.1's legacy depends more on permanent game changes that we'll one day take for granted.
Patch 4.0.1 goes all Anzu, all the time
You know him, you love him, you previously needed a druid to summon him -- but for right now, Anzu the Raven God seems to be just chilling in heroic Sethekk Halls, waiting for you to go in and kill him for sweet, sweet justice. And a possible mount drop. Oh, who are we kidding, you just want the mount. No longer friends with any druids? No problem! Our own Alex Ziebart, the darkness that dwells in the souls of all, went into heroic Sethekk today and confirmed it. As of right now, Anzu is simply there if you enter the instance on heroic. No need of a druid who has completed or is on the Vanquish the Raven God quest; just walk in and there he is. As of yet, there's no information on the intended nature of this change; it wasn't mentioned in the big mount availability changes post for 4.0.3. As soon as we find out, we'll let you know. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
The Queue: Boom boom boom
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Todays edition of The Queue should be read while playing Boom Boom Pow in the background. It's completely irrelevant to WoW or anything discussed today, but I haven't been able to stop playing the song for about a week now and it's really starting to drive me crazy. If I can't stop listening to it, I'll just make other people listen to it. Schadenfreude is just as good as a cure.Jfofla asked..."My question is about the 100 Mounts Achievement. With the introduction of the AT, this is more doable than ever before. Is there a current database of all available mounts to help those seeking 100?"
Breakfast Topic: New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year, everyone! It's 2009, and this marks our first post of the year! I specifically locked everyone else out of the WoW Insider HQ so I would have the honor of writing it. Not before I asked them an important question, though. What were their New Year's resolutions for 2009? No, no, not those boring resolutions like "don't drink soda" or "watch less TV" or "stop eating babies." Nobody cares about that stuff. I mean their WoW resolutions! My resolution? Get better at PvP. I'm shooting high and want an arena title. I've never really been into PvP, whether it be battlegrounds or arenas, but it's really the one area of play I haven't had much success in. So I'm gonna give it my all, and I'm not going to do things halfway. I'll settle for nothing less than Gladiator. Okay, okay, I'll accept Duelist, but that's as low as this fella goes. As for the rest of our team...
Shifting Perspectives: The Druid of 2008
Every Tuesday, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting Druids and those who group with them. This week, our author is completely spaced out on cold medication, and is somewhat concerned that her raid performance has improved under the circumstances.The time has come (the Allie said)To talk of many things.Of Roots and Bash and Travel Form,And Strength (which scales with Kings).Why Tauren cat form sucks so hard,And whether trees have wings!And, yes, before anyone asks, I'm tripping on too much cough syrup and ibuprofen after receiving a belated viral Christmas gift from a relative. So I'll just put this out there right now; this column's probably on the weird side. I took a long look at all three Druid specs over 2008 and saw a few sad things, a few happy things, a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants, and now I'm channeling the famous Mary Tyler Moore episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust," and that has to stop because I do not believe Mary Tyler Moore ever played a Druid.If you're completely uninterested in reading an account of any spec that's not your own -- although that would make me weep into my little cup of generic label cough syrup -- here's a set of quick links to each: Balance Feral Resto
Karazhan three manned on the Wrath beta
A lot of people who read Ask a Beta Tester regularly have been asking about how easy Burning Crusade heroics will be at level 80. Can they be 3 manned? Can they be duo'd? This one's for you, guys. I decided it's worth a mention all on its own.Three players, two Death Knights and a Priest, have recently trio'd almost the entirety of Karazhan, minus only Nightbane due to not having completed the quest needed to summon him. Admittedly both Death Knights were using a deep Unholy build which is tuned a little high now, but they're not wearing any high end gear, either. The spec that the tank used is a bit unusual for an Unholy Tanking build. They didn't take Bone Shield, and I suspect Magic Suppression being bugged had something to do with its exclusion, though that may have been fixed and I missed it. A fun little detail they discovered is that Gift of Arthas, which procs a disease, is counted as one of your diseases as a Death Knight and augments abilities that scale depending on how many diseases you have active such as Death Strike.So there's your answer, ladies and gentlemen. Karazhan can be 3-manned before any raid gear is available, so Burning Crusade heroics will surely be able to be duo'd if you're still hoping and praying for Anzu come level 80.[ via DeathKnight.info ]
The ridable flightless bird boss
Attention mount collectors! In the process of completing the quests involved in acquiring his or her Swift flight form, any dedicated druid friend of yours will get an item that allows access to a special boss, called Anzu, the Raven God. It behooves you to make this druid like you very very much, and take you to fight this Raven God many many times. Rarely, this boss will drop a very very special mount: itself. That's right! One of the items a lucky few will be able to loot from this dead bird's corpse is the dead bird itself, raised to life as a ridable mount. This may be the only item in the game where you can summon a boss and ride around on him to your hearts content, and look pretty spiffy while you're at it, too. The only odd thing about this bird is that it can't fly; this is a land mount only. At least it doesn't look anything like a penguin. If one wants a real flying raven mount, the only option is to level a night elf druid up and learn how to shapeshift into a raven form. But in the meantime for all other classes (as well as greedy druids who want this mount to go with the theme of their Flight Form), this is the next best thing, or even better, depending on your point of view. This is the indisputable number one top right answer for today's breakfast topic, "Neatest Land Mount." Discuss.
