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Mythos announces European launch information
The hard part of anticipating a game early in the development process is the question of when you'll finally get a chance to see it released. Mythos has thankfully killed that part of the anticipation with the official announcement that the game will be going live as of April 28th, 2011. But if you can't wait that long to start in on a hack-and-slash bonanza and haven't been fortunate enough to get into the beta testing, how about a nice shiny box copy? Before you get your credit card information out, it should be noted that as this is still the European release; the box copy itself is being sold through Amazon.co.uk and will thus be rather limited for American players. For the European contingent, however, buying the box will allow access to the game on the 26th, two days before general release. Mythos players still have time to enjoy the closed beta for now, and as previously noted, open beta will begin on the 12th, if you're still up in the air.
SoundBite dental hearing aid receives European approval
We've already seen the principle of bone conduction be applied to headphones, but Sonitus Medical is taking the idea to a whole new level with its SoundBite dental hearing aid, which has just received the necessary European CE Mark certification (it already has FDA approval). As you can probably surmise, the device is a hearing aid that's placed on your teeth, although it's not actually implanted or attached in any way -- it's simply custom fitted to the person's upper back teeth. The other part of the package is a more standard-type hearing aid unit that's worn behind the ear, which processes and wirelessly transmits to the device in your mouth. That's obviously not intended for cases when a simple hearing aid will do, but Sonitus says the system can help people who are "essentially deaf" in one ear regain their spatial hearing ability.
MapQuest for Android brings free turn-by-turn navigation, OpenStreetMap support to Google lovers
Oh, sure -- iOS had it first, but the Android flavor of MapQuest's mobile app has OpenStreetMaps. How d'ya like those apples ? The aforesaid app has just found its way into the Android Market, and as with the iPhone version, it's 100 percent free to download. Unlike most other alternatives, this one provides gratis voice guidance / turn-by-turn navigation, voice search, a map toolbar, walking / driving directions, live traffic flow information and a couple of "major" new adds. Those are OpenStreetMap (OSM) data -- useful for allowing consumers to use the app internationally -- as well as the ability to directly report errors onto the map. Check out the source link to learn more, and head on over to the Market (if you're rocking v1.6 and up) to get your download on. Happy trails, as they say.
European newspaper publishers unhappy with Apple's publication requirements
A few European publishers have heard from Apple about subscription arrangements on the App Store, and they're not happy at all. The agreement isn't that surprising -- just as with the current setup in iTunes for software developers, Apple is asking that all subscriptions go through them, and that they take their usual 30 percent cut. But that has European publishers quite angry -- not only is the price higher than they want to pay, but they say it's because Apple will cut them out of access to things like subscriber demographics and other inside information that they'd have if they ran subscriptions themselves. All fair points. Apple definitely doesn't want to "lose control" of any possible in-app subscriptions, and since it already controls access to the App Store, these publishers are at Apple's whims anyway. If publishers try to run a subscription scheme Apple doesn't agree with, their apps likely won't stay on the App Store for long. Of course, the real meter here is The Daily -- while it got a nice reaction at launch, if that model doesn't prove itself to be profitable or workable, publications may not bother with the App Store anyway. Even if they don't run apps through Apple's subscription channels, there's still Mobile Safari and conventional paywalls. [via App Advice]
European standardization bodies formalize micro-USB cellphone charger standard
It's been more than a year since Nokia, Apple, RIM, Motorola and just about every other major cellphone manufacturer agreed on a micro-USB cellphone charger standard for Europe, but the two key European standards bodies have just now finally followed up on their end of the bargain. CEN-CENELEC and ETSI have today published harmonized standards for a universal cellphone charger based on micro-USB, which has now put the ball back in the manufacturers' court to actually produce phones that rely on the newly standardized chargers. According to the European Commission, the first of those are expect to arrive sometime "in the first months of 2011," and it expects the chargers to be "predominant" within two years. Head on past the break for the official announcement. [Thanks, Pavel]
Lufthansa launches in-flight WiFi on intercontinental flights, ushers in 'the future'
There's just no two ways about it: what Lufthansa has managed to accomplish here is nothing short of incredible. While avid jetsetters have been enjoying in-flight WiFi on (select) domestic routes for a few years now, the in-flight fun has been coming to an abrupt halt when boarding a flight requiring a passport. The dream of long-haul in-flight internet has felt like a distant one, but it seems that the future is indeed happening today. The carrier's FlyNet service has been relaunched this week, and with assistance from Panasonic and the 802.11n gods that be, it's now offering broadband internet access on intercontinental routes. At first, the service will be limited to select North Atlantic routes, but access should be available on "nearly the entire Lufthansa intercontinental network by the end of 2011." No specific performance figures are being released, but the company does call it "extremely fast" and quick enough to open large attachments "without delay." Better still, the airline will be enabling cellphone data access (GSM and GPRS) in the spring of next year, giving highfalutin' bigwigs the ability to send and receive the most expensive text messages of their life. Deutsche Telekom will be providing the actual internet service, with pricing set as such: €10.95 (or 3,500 miles) for one hour or €19.95 (or 7,000 miles) for a 24-hour pass that also allows patrons to access the web on "on all Lufthansa connecting flights equipped with a hotspot during the period of validity as well as after the flight in Lufthansa lounges." Oh, and did we mention that it's totally free through January 31st, 2011? It is. Update: We're seeing expected uplink rates of 1Mbps, with download rates reaching 5Mbps. Not bad for being over an ocean. %Gallery-109227%
Nissan Leaf launches in Europe, takes us for a drive
26,000 people can't be wrong, right? That's the current tally of Leaf pre-orders that Nissan has collected from US and Japanese drivers excited by its all-electric hatchback. Yesterday, the car that's built to plug into the same wall outlet as your toaster held its official pan-European launch party -- with the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, and Portugal getting the first deliveries in early 2011 -- and we were on site to grab a few closeup pictures and some precious time in the driver's seat. American drivers should look out for a new set of keys in their mailbox this December, so there's probably no better time than now to give them a preview of what they're getting themselves into. Jump past the break for more on the Nissan Leaf.%Gallery-105887%%Gallery-105918%
Found Footage: iPod touch 4G goes head to head with iPhone 4
A site called Letem Svetem Applem has put together some performance comparison videos with the iPhone 4 and the new iPod touch, and the results may surprise you. In the startup speed test, the iPad actually beat all of the other iDevices, and the new iPod touch barely beats the iPhone 4 (but all of them were faster than last year's iPhone 3GS, so your upgrade was not in vain). The iPod touch's camera looks slightly darker than the iPhone 4's, and perhaps most interesting, the displays of the iPhone 4 and iPod touch look pretty different. The Retina Display on the iPod touch looks just as sharp, but without the in-plane switching tech found on the iPhone and the iPad, the sides of the display are slightly muddier. Some of the YouTube comments on the speed video claim that if your iPhone or iPad is stuffed with music, documents, or apps, the speed will be affected, but I'm not sure how much of a factor that actually plays on startup (not to mention that we're talking seconds here -- not nearly enough to judge a purchase by). But Apple's claim that the iPod touch is sporting the same Retina Display as the iPhone appears to be missing the mark a bit. Watch all of the comparison videos right after the break below. [via AppleInsider]
Apple market share climbs to 6.8% in Europe
Hardmac is reporting that Apple's market share in Europe has risen to 6.8%. That's not quite as high as the around 10% share for computers in the US, but it is a full two percentage points higher than it was last year. Windows still dominates in the EU, with 92% of all computers running some variation of it. Most of the growth in Europe has come from OS X Intel computers, but the iPhone and the iPod touch have contributed about half a percentage point as well (not to mention that interest in the iPhone almost certainly drove some Mac purchases, even if we can't see that directly in the data). It'll be interesting to see what happens with the iPad release this weekend; while Microsoft's Windows clearly has a solid grasp on the market, you have to think that the iPad will probably put a dent in some of their sales, especially netbooks and even some notebooks. In another year from now, Europe may be on pace to match up with the US share soon.
Spellborn dropping out of the Japanese market
The somewhat European inspired fantasy MMO The Chronicles of Spellborn is shutting down its Japanese service, causing a stir of worry and discussion about the title's future in other territories within the community at large. To make matters worse, the one person who could've cleared up any confusion, TheHistorian, is no longer with publisher Acclaim as community manager for the game. Given that he was the sole link between the community and developers, it's no wonder people are feeling a bit unsettled by the whole affair. While the closure of The Chronicles of Spellborn Japan isn't a good thing, it doesn't necessarily spell out a dark future for the title. A business deal could've gone sour, or perhaps the audience in Japan just wasn't strong enough to maintain the title. Just in cast something does happen, however, we'll be keeping an eye out for any further development.
PlatinumGames' Infinite Space docking in Europe on March 26th
Infinite Space, the upcoming DS space RPG from Platinum Games, has gotten itself a European release date in the form of March 26th (or as you might call it in Bangladesh, "Independence Day"). Strangely, we still haven't heard an official US date yet -- the closest we've got is Spring 2010, which despite all of the snow you might be seeing lately, is approaching quite quickly. Assuming that the EU and US dates aren't too far off from each other, by the end of March you too might be saying, "I'm... in space!" just like the wince-worthy voice acting we've experienced so far.
PSN survey hints at upcoming subscription-based features
Sony's European team has sent out a survey to some of its UK PSN members asking them yet again about possible subscription models for the service. The survey is run by a market research company called Ipsos, and appears to offer up a list of possible member benefits for a few different plan tiers, along with pricing for each. The benefits range from more tame ideas like exclusive and early access to content to more interesting options like "free title trials" (first hour of a game for free), user-to-user challenges, "token wagering" and a service called "catch-up TV." Oh, and since it's Sony we're talking about, there's even a listed option for "cloud storage space for games." You can find the full list of possible features after the jump. The price options differ from plan to plan, but they go as cheap as £2.99 (about $5 U.S.) up to £14.99 (about $25) for monthly fees, with annual fees also listed for 55% less than you'd pay month to month (so around £19.99 up to £99.99, or $32 to $160). Note that just because all of these things are on a survey doesn't mean that Sony has them up and running -- it only means that they're testing the water in terms of what UK members are willing to pay for certain features. But you can just add this to the growing mountain of evidence that Sony is planning some sort of premium subscription service. [Thanks Marc and everyone who sent this in!]
Fiesta Europe opens two new instant dungeons
European Fiesta players are in luck as Gamigo has opened up two new instant dungeons in the game, and not just for high end players either! Players in the mid-game levels of 25 to 45 can now take on the challenges of ferocious monsters in the Tower of Izyel. Players will fight to retake the tower with one of the monster creator NPCs, Maria, and hopefully restore the tower's purity. High level players will be able to enjoy the Lair of the Sleeping Dragon, where we here at Massively think that dragon won't be sleeping for long once players start entering the lair! It's really hard to sleep with all of those adventurers in their plate mail clunking around. For all of the information on Fiesta Online Europe, check out their main website.
Survey: Less than half of touchscreen users prefer touchscreen
Here's a few interesting stats from a survey recently conducted in Europe. These aren't specifically about the iPhone, but given that smartphones relied on buttons almost exclusively before Apple's handheld came along (and nowadays, everyone's bragging about their touchscreen technology), a temperature-taking on what people think of touchscreen controls is more or less a referendum on what people think of Apple's influence. At least in France, Germany and the UK, reactions are mixed. While 38% of those surveyed say they were planning to get a touchscreen on their next mobile phone, only 47% of people who already owned a touchscreen said they would get another one. In other words, less than half of touchscreen owners thought they'd stick with the technology on their next purchase. Apple remains an anomaly -- both HTC and Apple have a higher amount of current customers planning to stick with their touchscreen interface (with the full numbers being released at a conference later this month), but the fact remains: current touchscreen users aren't anywhere near 100% on living button-free forever. Especially as a gamer, that makes a lot of sense. Touchscreens are great for a lot of things -- they allow for limitless flexibility in the kinds of interfaces on offer, and especially with multi-touch, a lot of the controls on the iPhone are extremely intuitive (you automatically know now that pinching equals zooming, and so on). But as nice as touchscreen is, there are a lot of functions on mobile phones, from adjusting volume or changing music tracks on a phone out of sight in your pocket, to hitting exact button controls while twitch gaming, that work much better with tactile feedback. Steve, as he always does, made a big deal about the iPhone being a one-button interface, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see future iterations of the iPhone include either a few more buttons, or, even better, a few more haptic interface technologies.
HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on
Our curious British fingers managed to stumble upon a European HP Pavilion dv3 blessed with Windows 7 and multitouch on both the screen and the trackpad. The keyboard was great to type on with negligible flex, but the trackpad suffers from the same glossy issues on other recent HPs -- although it responded to our multitouch gestures better than the capacitive screen did. Our major annoyance came from the attempts to rotate pictures on the screen: we learned the hard way that the laptop (or Windows 7 itself) seemed to prefer more exaggerated rotation gestures than the MacBooks -- perhaps one would get used to it over time. The hinge is fairly solid, but we still preferred holding the screen while touching it. On a brighter note we totally dig the inclusion of an HDMI port and an eSATA port, plus you'll get up to seven hours of sweet battery juice from this 2.24kg (4.94 pounds) machine. Read on for our hands-on video and photo gallery. %Gallery-76595%
GDC Europe '09: Igg.com debuts Dreamland Online
Looks like IGG.com, now penned as "I Got Games," is adding another free-to-play MMO to their portfolio -- Dreamland Online.Dreamland is a side scrolling 3d rendered MMO with enough sugary cuteness to bake 20 cakes and have enough sugar left over to give to your neighbor. The game is currently hiding behind closed doors until the third test of the Chinese client. After that testing phase is complete, IGG.com will be releasing the alpha test of the English language client. So until it comes out in China, looks like we're all stuck waiting for more information.Dreamland Online will be making its debut in American and European markets this fall. Until then, you're just going to have to do with these small glimpses into the game, or you could always go jump in on the forum discussions!%Gallery-68589%
Ys Online heads into open beta
Ys Online has entered its open beta phase of testing, but for now, the game is still only available to European countries (The full list can be found here. Countries not found on the list are IP blocked). This open beta is a little different to most in that there won't be a character wipe when testing comes to a close, meaning that characters will carry over to the game's launch. Those interested in playing just need to create a Key to Play account, download the client, and log in -- no special key necessary, despite any confusion caused by the name of the game's portal.According to the Ys Online forums, Key to Play is working on opening up access for more countries to play. Perhaps another publisher will come to the rescue and bring the game to the rest of the Ys-starved world?
American server and free expansion coming to Darkfall early July
Tasos Flambouras of Darkfall has posted details on the game's forums of some big events that are just around the corner. The US server launch has been scheduled for the 7th of July, but as we learned previously, players from the European server won't be able to transfer their characters over straight away: "Characters from the European server can be cloned and moved without their possessions 3 months after the American launch. Certain restrictions and charges will apply, to be announced at a later date." The only way to play on the US server from launch is to buy the American Darkfall client. Tasos later added that American players currently on the European server would not need to buy the new client in order to transfer over when the time comes, to help the US early adopters -- any others jumping ship will need to purchase the US version of the game.In addition to this, during the first week of July players can expect a free expansion to roll out, which will include new content and updates to PvE and PvP. A new website is also in the works, with forums that the public will be able to read, but only Darkfall subscribers will be able to post to.[Via MMORPG]
DOMO gets new bosses, race-change scrolls and more
Before we get into the contents of the latest Dream of Mirror Online patch, we should point out that this is currently just for the European (Gametribe) version of the game. Players of the European DOMO will be able to pit themselves against a couple of formidable new foes:Two dreadful instance bosses are infesting BigBeam region! If you have the title "Champion of BigBeam" you can challenge boss Bone Fish King and boss Black Magic Tree Fiend. Great rewards are waiting for fierce warriors!As the Aeria Games version of DOMO only just received the BigBeam area within the last week, it will probably be a little while before these bosses make their way over. Other additions for the Gametribe patch include scrolls that can change your character's race for 30 minutes, new boxes to store items, a high quality saddle to increase the speed of Special Riding Pets, and a goodie bag with a Firefighter costume inside for all your extinguishing needs.
Dream of Mirror Online welcomes a brand new city
It's not that often that a brand new region gets added into a game's patch, but Dream of Mirror Online has brought a whole new area to their game. Enter BigBeam City and the greater BigBeam region, where players can engage in a variety of new quests all for the low, low price of free. The region is targeted for players of level 30 and above, with quests starting as early as level 25 and going up to level 60.However, players of the Aeria Games American version of Dream of Mirror Online will not be enjoying these new areas, as they have not yet been implemented. European players playing with GameTribe do have access to the new areas, as well a slew of new items added to the item shop, like the item de-leveling items that lower the level limit on equipment when successful.It's currently unclear as to when Aeria Games will be adding BigBeam to their version, but time will certainly tell. Until then, we can all go invade the European servers.
