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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 to debut at MWC? Definitely, maybe.
We've all heard of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Note... but the Galaxy Note 10.1? That's a new one to us. The pinch of salt you should take this with could rim the entire nation's margarita glasses for a year, but hints have come from more than one source now that Samsung has an up-sized styli-friendly slate in the works. The unconfirmed device was listed on the Samsung site, alongside the standard Note, Wave 3 and Wave Y as being highlighted at a developer event at MWC. We'd have ignored it and written it off as a typo if it wasn't for a listing at Backstage looking for "teen student" to use "his Galaxy Note 10.1." Intriguing, no? Even more suspicious, both the casting call and the developer day listing have been removed. Of course, it's entirely possible that both appearances of the Note 10.1 were simple typos but, we won't lie, we're really hoping a larger sized slate with an S Pen.Update: Samsung told us that it doesn't "comment on future product announcements." Looks like we'll have to wait.
HP Palm Broadway, Manta and Topaz name-dropped in casting call
All the pieces, they're a-comin' together. If you'll recall, we spotted a smattering of HP Palm codenames in webOS 2.0 code early last month, and now, those very names are popping up elsewhere. Over at DirectCast, a couple of casting calls have emerged for HP Palm, with both of 'em seeking young, carefree hipsters with lovely hands. They're willing to pay a solid grand if you fit the profile, presumably to hold one of these impending devices on camera for some sort of advertisement. A PreCentral reader actually signed up, and then received some even more interesting information -- he was informed that the shoot will involve the HP Palm Broadway, Manta and Topaz. The Broadway was indeed one of the devices spotted in the aforementioned code, and while Manta wasn't there, "Mantaray" was. Topaz, of course, looks to be Palm's forthcoming tablet. This is all just expanded speculation for now, but if you were holding out hope for new HP Palm products, feel free to let your imagination run wild.
MTV True Life: A WoW players casting call
Ever thought of yourself as a television star? Well, the time has come to put that dream into reality, or more specifically, into documentary. MTV True Life is looking for online gamers, specifically WoW players to showcase on an upcoming episode of the show. They are looking for people who have an interesting story to tell about how gaming fits into their lives. World of Warcraft really is a world-wide phenomenon, and its players are just as wide-spread, each of them unique. Are you perhaps a mother-of-five who raids Gruul's Lair on the weekends, or a construction worker that spends his nights as a gnome rogue? If you're at all interested in being on the show, submit a photo of yourself as well as a screenshot of your character when you email the lovely Shannon and tell her your story. They ask that you be (or appear to be) between the ages of 16 and 28, and that you include your name (not your character's name, although that might be nice to include), location and phone number in your email.
MTV wants Joystiqers who'll dish on camera
We received a request from a producer working with MTV titled, simply, "MTV Gamer show needs your stories!" His request: "MTV is doing a video game project and wants to hear your most memorable gaming moment. From victory to heartbreak or anything related to your passion, this is your chance to tell your ultimate trial and tribulation. Please email us a brief paragraph describing your most vivid gaming related experience. If chosen, you'll get a chance to tell it to our cameras! Please respond to mtvvideogame[AT]gmail.com. We are shooting on June 3rd and will get back to you immediately. *all submissions become property of MTV Networks, please respond only if you are available on June 3rd and can appear at MTV in Santa Monica, California."While it's no secret we're fans of some of MTV News' segments (like that designers roundtable), and even that Gears of War special wasn't that bad (except the forced Lamborghini scene ... ugh), we make no claims regarding the caliber of this production; however, we can authenticate the veracity of it, despite the dubious Gmail account. Got a hankering for television and a tendency to wax poetic about World 1-1? Drop 'em a line and tell em, "Large Marge Joystiq sent me." We're imagining a half hour of a Real World-esque video diary, but instead of a drunk girl talking about her dead grandmother, it'll be unkempt gamers talking about destructible environments. Do us proud!
Heavy Rain in the "Uncanny Valley" [update 1]
Clive Thompson over at collision detection has spotted a very bad example of the "Uncanny Valley" rearing its ugly head (literally) in the trailer for the upcoming PS3 game, Heavy Rain, the sequel to Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy. The theory of the "Uncanny Valley", realized by Japanese robotics engineer Masahiro Mori, states that people's attitudes towards robots (or in-game characters) will become negative at the point at which the model is regarded as "almost human". Characters that lie within the valley are technically realistic, but their subtle differences compared to real humans freak us out.This trailer well and truly scrapes the bottom of the valley: the poor lip animation, the glazed eyes and the lifeless skin combine to make the model look like a mash-up of Sofia Coppola and a deformed porcelain doll (ouch!). Now that console hardware is capable of near-CGI quality graphics, game developers and artists better watch their backs if they don't want to unintentionally scare their customers. As for designers of horror games, they can quite happily add another tool to their belt.[Via collision detection]Update: added an extra word that restored sense to the sentence (and to life, the universe and everything).
