Boston
Latest
Even more awesomeness to expect at Engadget Live Boston
If you're a Boston area resident who loves technology, we've got something for you to do on Friday, August 22nd. Join us at Royale at 7PM for our editorial dance-off third Engadget Live event of the year. Flip through the gallery below to find out why this is a cant-miss event.
Boston's due up next on our Engadget Live tour!
Beantown, Titletown, Bahston or Bawston; whatever you call this strong Massachusetts city or how you pronounce it, we're excited to be heading back there. On Friday August 22nd, we'll head to Royale on Tremont St. at 7PM for our third Engadget Live of the year. But why is this the can't-miss event of the summer? Click through our gallery below to find out.
Engadget Live Seattle is this Friday!
To all our wonderful friends in Seattle, let's make it clear: there's no better place to be this Friday (July 18th) at 7PM than the Showbox SODO for our second Engadget Live event of the year! Why is this a cant-miss event? Flip through the gallery below to find out.
Yahoo researchers teach GPS to take the scenic route
Often the shortest route between two places involves some grey, eight-lane expanse of Interstate that's about as thrilling to drive as it was to pave. Resourceful road-trippers have learned to make use of the avoid highways feature, but that's always a crapshoot. Sometimes you get a scenic country road, sometimes you get trapped in strip mall hell. But researchers at Yahoo Labs have figured out how to measure the "beauty" of a route using an algorithm. "The goal of this work is to automatically suggest routes that are not only short but also emotionally pleasant," which might be especially important to pedestrians looking to avoid grim over passes and busy intersections. The work started by crowdsourcing opinions about images harvested from Street View and Geograph for locations throughout London. The locations that were deemed to be more beautiful by users were then plotted on a map and used as waypoints to provide directions. The resulting routes were on average only 12 percent longer than the shortest path to a destination, but 30 test subject all agreed the results were more pleasing, aesthetically.
Boston turns park benches into solar-powered charging points
Let it not be said that public parks are anti-technology. Over in Boston, city officials are more than happy to try new things in green spaces, including the use of solar-powered smart benches, aka "soofas." These look a lot like regular benches, except they're equipped with big, steel-encased blocks that contain vulnerable-looking photovoltaic panels and charging points for weary-legged phone users. There's also a mishmash of Verizon-connected sensors inside, which record and transmit data about air quality and noise levels. The installation of the benches is being funded by Cisco, which is presumably looking for tangible and endearing ways to promote the internet of things. However, it's being left up to local Bostonians to pitch which parks deserve to get soofa'd up -- and these pitches need to be submitted by July 11th.
Amtrak wants trackside WiFi that keeps you online for the whole ride
To put it bluntly, Amtrak's current on-train WiFi sucks; even if you don't mind sharing 10Mbps with hundreds of passengers, there are significant gaps in coverage. Relief may be on the horizon, though. The mass transit company is soliciting bids for a trackside WiFi project that would deliver at least 25Mbps across whole routes. The improved access would both keep you connected for more of your trip and let Amtrak lift some of its restrictions on streaming media and other bandwidth-heavy tasks. If all goes according to plan, you might not have problems watching an online movie (or at least, listening to online radio) during a lengthy journey.
T-Mobile to start turning off older MetroPCS network this year
T-Mobile's efforts to transition customers from MetroPCS' aging CDMA network to its own GSM and LTE frequencies is going quite swimmingly. The company has been bragging that it's well ahead of schedule, and in some markets it's already begun repurposing the smaller carrier's spectrum to deliver faster Wideband LTE connections. Things are going so well, in fact, that it will begin shutting down the slower MetroPCS network this year, instead of waiting until 2015. The first three cities on the chopping block will be Boston, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Though, considering its accelerated transition we wouldn't be surprised to see others join the list before the end of the year. Around 40 percent of MetroPCS users have already switched to phones that will work on T-Mobile's network, and the carrier plans to offer more aggressive upgrade options to push more customers over. Those that have yet to upgrade won't suffer a complete disruption of service, however, thanks to roaming agreements. The next step, of course, will be "refarming" that newly cleared spectrum to deliver even faster wireless speeds. [Image credit: Jim Carroll, Flickr]
Fire Hose offers free desk space to Boston devs looking to go indie
Fire Hose Games, the Slam Bolt Scrappers and Go Home Dinosaurs developer from Cambridge, MA, is offering free desk space to developers looking to make the indie transition. The hospitality was spurred by recent layoffs in the Boston area, most notably the Irrational Games shutdown yesterday. So here's the deal, as laid out in Fire Hose's blog post: Accepted developers will get a desk, chair and can potentially use any spare equipment laying around the office. Access to the office will be available during posted office hours and Fire Hose will seek no financial compensation for the kindness. Interested parties need simply fire off an email to freedesks [at] firehosegames [dot] com to get started. Fire Hose is currently in the process of setting up an indie game seed fund, but adds in its blog post that this free desk space agreement in no way guarantees a spot in the incubator program. [Image: Fire Hose Games]
Amazon is hiring to build a product that's 'bigger than Kindle'
Amazon sure knows how to pique our interest -- it recently posted an invitation to a Boston recruiting event that, until an edit, teased the possibility of working on something "even bigger than Kindle." The original pitch (preserved by Boston.com) is all too short on details, but it hints at a first-generation digital media product co-developed by the hardware-focused Lab126 team in Sunnyvale, California. It's not just a souped-up Kindle Fire, then. So, what is it? A smartphone? A wireless network? We don't know; all that's certain is that Jeff Bezos has more surprises up his sleeve than just delivery drones.
Fire Hose Games' indie incubator: 'It's ridiculous this doesn't exist'
President of Boston's Fire Hose Games, Eitan Glinert, breaks down four types of indie developers he sees in the wild: The developer starving, eating ramen, with no support system because she's nobody The developer begging publishers to give him money, but it turns out the publishers drive him nuts and everything turns to crap The developer mooching off every single relative she has to fund her game He's already famous "If you're already famous, that's great, but if you don't have that stuff it's just so hard to get your thing off the ground," Glinert says. There are options for first-time developers – submitting a game to IGF or the PAX 10, or being featured on big websites – but he says there are still roadblocks in the current system. "I'm sick of it – and it's a solvable problem," he says. He may have solved it, with help from the rest of the team: Fire Hose Games is transitioning into an indie incubator, with plans to take on fresh developers and offer them a place to work, a monthly living wage, revenue share when their games launch, plus advice, experience and a creative atmosphere. "We want to go ahead and remove the hurdles to game development that these small indie developers face, and we can get some absolutely phenomenal talent in the process," Glinert says. "It's a big win-win. We help these developers make the games they want without all the burden of getting all these bits and pieces aligned, when all they want to do is make the game. We get fantastic talent in the process; we get great games in the process and we're all helping each other."
Thanks for coming out to our Engadget + gdgt Boston event!
Thanks Boston! We had a blast at last night's event at Space 57, our first-ever combined Engadget + gdgt meetup in Beantown. We got a look at the latest gear from companies like iRobot, Roku, TiVo and 3D printing startup, FormLabs. We also had the chance to talk with all you collegiate types -- seems like everyone in this town is running a cool tech startup. Guess that's what happens when you visit the home of Harvard, MIT and more universities than we're capable of rattling off in a single post. Thanks for the photos, the tweets, the business cards and the drink tickets. We'll be back soon!
Engadget + gdgt Live is hitting Boston October 10th!
We've been traveling all across this great nation of ours over the past year, and now it's time to pay a visit to Beantown. Our pals at gdgt will be joining us next month to bring our electronics event to Boston's Space 57. Come and check out exhibits from Nokia, Microsoft SkyDrive, TiVO, iRobot and more. And as with past Engadget + gdgt Live events, we're holding a startup competition for smaller companies looking to get in on the action. Details for that -- and ticket registration -- can be found in the source link below. We'll see you guys on October 10th!
Aereo live TV service refreshes pricing plans ahead of Boston launch
We've been eager to try out Aereo's TV streaming service, which sends live broadcast content to devices over the internet. But the service has had at least one significant flaw: it's only available to subscribers in the New York City area. That will soon change when it heads to Boston on May 15th, though, and the streaming service has now announced that the rates will be changing slightly then as well. The base plan, which includes unlimited streaming and 20 hours of DVR storage, will remain unchanged at $8 per month, but the $12 monthly tariff will include 60 hours of storage, compared to the 40 hours Aereo previously offered. And that's it -- no more $1 daily or $80 yearly plans, though that latter option is still available until the new structure goes live on Wednesday. The service is supported on iOS, Chrome, IE 9, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Roku devices, though those geographic restrictions keep the access pool quite limited. New Yorkers can take the service for a spin today, Bostonians will get the green light come May 15th, and the rest of you can see what you're missing in the demo video after the break.
Fighting game marathon tonight to raise funds for Boston
Boston's fighting game community is hosting a 26-hour gaming marathon to raise money for The One Fund Boston, benefiting those who were affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.Starting today at 8 PM Eastern time and running through 10 PM on Saturday, participants will stream tournaments, speed runs, and requested games at Game Underground's retail store and arcade in Framingham, Massachusetts. Local admission is $10, and all marathon content will be streamed at Game Underground's Twitch channel.The marathon will showcase competitive play for Injustice: Gods Among Us, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. A full schedule of events is here.
Boston Festival of Indie Games offers PC game bundle as Kickstarter incentive
The Boston Festival of Indie Games will return to MIT's campus in September, and organizers hope to make this year's show bigger, better, and less sweltering than last year's event with help from Kickstarter backers.Showcasing tabletop games, interactive art, and video games developed by local studios like Owlchemy Labs (Snuggle Truck) and Wadjet Eye Games (Resonance), the inaugural Boston Festival of Indie Games was a bigger success than its creators anticipated, attracting an estimated 2,000 attendees."[Last year's] festival was a lot of fun, but it was cramped and hot," the Kickstarter pitch notes. "MIT's Stratton Student Center and Johnson Athletic Center will better accommodate the crowds, exhibitors and game developers at Boston Festival of Indie Games. Our goal is to have plenty of room for all the great features that come with the festival, like the game developer showcase, tabletop game play, art gallery, game jam, keynote speakers, films and much more."Backers who pledge $25 or more will receive an advance pass to 2013's event, along with the "Figgie Bundle," a downloadable PC game compilation that includes Subatomic Studios' Fieldrunners, Fire Hose Games' Go Home Dinosaurs, Popcannibal's Fish Listening to the Radio, and Binary Takeover's Lost Marbles. More titles will be added to the bundle as money continues to roll in.
Aereo headed to Boston on May 15th, open access begins May 30th
Good news, Bostonians: yours is the second major US city to get Aereo live television access via the web, and it's starting on May 15th. Aereo announced its next city expansion this morning, and said the service will go live to pre-registered parties on May 15th. It will eventually become widely available to Boston's "designated market area," which includes "more than 4.5 million consumers in 15 counties in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont." We've got the full list of counties after the break if you're interested. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg for Aereo, which has plans for expansion in 22 cities just this year. The OTA network internet streaming TV service launched in New York City early last year. Traditional broadcast networks have voiced concern over Aereo's TV model, even threatening to move to cable should the nascent internet company gets its way in an ongoing legal battle.
Ex-Zynga Boston team starts new iOS studio
Zynga closed its Boston studio late last year, and some of its former developers have created a new company called Proletariat Inc. The group is set to release its first iPhone game next week, called Letter Rush. The folks at Proletariat, Inc. aren't new to the startup game. They were originally called Conduit Labs, which Zynga acquired in 2010. We can only assume that their return to independence helped the group kick out a new title so quickly. Letter Rush is described as "an innovative arcade-spin on the classic word-find mechanic." We'll look for it on the App Store in a few days. It'll be interesting to see what this group has been up to after going through the Zynga machine. Show full PR text Ex-Zynga Boston Team Starts New Studio Team Behind Adventure World Due to Release First Title Cambridge, MA---February 26, 2013---Proletariat Inc., the new game development studio formed by the original founding group behind Zynga Boston, have officially announced today that they are open for business, and have revealed plans for an upcoming iOS title release. After Zynga unexpectedly closed their Cambridge office in October 2012, five senior members of the Zynga Boston team, creators of 2011's acclaimed Indiana Jones Adventure World, decided to found Proletariat Inc. This was not new territory for most of them, since they were originally part of Conduit Labs, the startup game shop founded in 2007 to develop music-oriented games for the Web, and subsequently acquired by Zynga in 2010. Working with the social publishing giant led to a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Zynga Boston, with the incorporation of the licensed Indiana Jones character into the game play, and the branded re-naming of the game. Indiana Jones Adventure World went on to receive recognition as a highly popular, challenging puzzle adventure game on Facebook, and is widely considered to be one of Zynga's more ambitious development efforts. Proletariat expects to expand on that tradition by creating superior quality game products with a high level of entertainment value, made by a top-tier production team. The founding team is made up of game industry veterans who have worked on everything from Guitar Hero to Lord of the Rings Online. "We have all known each other and worked with one another for so long that we've developed an organic way of making games together," says CEO Seth Sivak. "We all want to make successful games, both creatively and as a business. This team has been on both sides and knows how to find that balance." Sivak adds, "Building games is all about navigating the chaotic process of discovering 'The Fun' and then performing a disciplined march to a polished, final product. That process is important to us." The goal, as stated by Sivak is "to keep teams small and let highly skilled groups of creative people innovate." The team is nearly ready to launch their first game for iOS, Letter Rush. Letter Rush, the first game released by Proletariat Inc., will be available for iPhone and iPad next week. The game provides an innovative arcade-spin on the classic word-find mechanic. Players can play by themselves or together over local multiplayer to complete goals and compete with their friends on leaderboards. Proletariat is already hard at work on their next game, going after a larger challenge in the core tablet market.
38 Studios debt to be partially repaid with bloody sock
In 2004, Curt Schilling ignored his doctor's advice and hobbled to the pitcher's mound with a wounded right ankle to win Game Two of the World Series, clenching the second of four straight victories against the St. Louis Cardinals and proving that the Curse of the Bambino had run its course. The blood-stained sock worn by Schilling on that day is now stuff of Boston legend and had become quite an icon during the series. It seemed to be a piece of memorabilia that Schilling wouldn't dare part with, but his recent business dealings have forced his hand. And foot. If you find yourself in need of a used bloody sock to frame in your sports den, you can start the bidding on February 4th. Schilling hopes to raise at least $100,000 through the auction.
Boston Festival of Indie Games returns in September
The Boston Festival of Indie Games is back for round two this year, taking place on September 14 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the MIT campus. The Boston Festival of Indie Games is a free event, open to the public, and last year included 36 showcase games, such as Resonance, Cognition, Snapshot, Fieldrunners 2 and Go Home Dinosaurs. Look at how much fun all of the attendees had in this photo album.Last year, Festival had attendees voted on their favorite showcase games and handed out prizes in five categories. Games don't have to be from the Boston area, but can come from anywhere as long as developers attend the show to demo it (and, from the look of those pictures, drink if they're of age). Categories include digital, board and card games, and the festival is live-action roleplay friendly. It doesn't appear that game registration for this year has opened yet, but when it does it will be at the Boston Festival of Indie Games site.
Zynga shutters Boston, UK and Japan studios, lays off 5% of full-time staff
While Apple was busy introducing new devices and updating its existing ones this morning, Facebook game creator Zynga was apparently relieving itself of several studios worth of employees. Several reports on Twitter indicate that Zynga is cutting its Boston, Austin, and Chicago studios; our colleagues at Joystiq spoke with a Zynga Austin employee who confirmed at least two of his location's teams were let go (The Ville and Zynga Bingo teams). Further reports on The Verge indicate that "more than 100" employees were let go as a result of the Austin layoffs. TechCrunch is reporting the full shut down of Zynga's Boston studio, which was apparently working on an unannounced title before being closed. The company's San Francisco location -- its headquarters -- has yet to be affected, nor have employees heard anything from upper management. Notoriously, Austin-developed The Ville is the root of an ongoing lawsuit between game publishing giant Electronic Arts, wherein EA alleges The Ville too closely resembles its own Facebook game, The Sims Social. Beyond the lawsuit, Zynga's faced declining stock value since its IPO, and the $200 million purchase of Draw Something developer OMGPOP remains a sticking point for investors. The company is slated to release its quarterly earnings tomorrow, which are expected to be down for another quarter. We reached out to the company for comment, but have yet to hear back as of publishing. Update: Zynga confirmed layoffs at its Austin studio, as well as outlining closures at its Boston, Japan, and UK locations. A full letter from CEO Mark Pincus to employees was released by Zynga detailing the layoffs and closures, which we've added below. The company also says it's closing 13 of its games, and "significantly reducing" its investment in The Ville.
