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Apple schedules a March 21st event to 'loop us in'
Apple has been keen on a spring event in years past, and today Cupertino confirmed 2016 will be no different. Tim Cook & Co. will host the latest product announcement in just over a week on Monday, March 21st. Reports indicate that we may be in for a new 4-inch iPhone, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and some Apple Watch updates. There's likely to be software news as well, and we could be in for an unexpected "one more thing," too. You can bet your biscuits we'll be there to cover the shindig, so keep an eye out for liveblog details and more ahead of the big day.
Apple's smaller iPhone and new iPad tipped for March 15th event
The iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 rumors are piling up, and it looks like we won't have to wait long to get the official details. Both BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski and 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, both of whom have solid track records when it comes to rumors, report that Apple's next event will take place on March 15th. The agenda for the soiree is said to include that long-rumored 4-inch iPhone and the new iPad Air that we got a look at yesterday. What's more, an Apple Watch software update should be discussed at the event alongside a collection of new bands. We'll know soon if the date is solid, as the official invites should be out sometime this month.
Apple Watch 2 will reportedly debut at March event
If the rumors are true, Apple's next big reveal will happen in March. 9to5Mac reports that Cupertino is planning to pull the wraps off of the Apple Watch 2 at the event, which would be the second consecutive year the company held a product announcement in that month. Details are scarce on version 2.0 of the company's smart watch for now, but reports suggest that Apple has a new camera, wireless connectivity, revamped sleep tracking and upgraded health sensor tech in the works for the device. Bands with built-in senors are also rumored to be on the way and the report says that the Watch 2 will go on sale in April.
Engadget Live's final stop this year is in New York City tonight!
After stops in Boston, LA and Austin the Engadget Live tour is coming to a close for 2015. Before we park the party bus for the year, we're making one last stop tonight: New York City. Join us at the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn starting at 7PM to hang with your fellow tech junkies and some of the companies you know and love. Ford will be showing off its SYNC 3 system and the new 2016 Ford Escape. And if you're 21 or over, Drizly will mix you up a cocktail -- so long as you're one of the first 250 folks to arrive. Tickets are still available (and they're free), so if you're in NYC stop by and join us!
PlayStation in Paris: Lots of trailers, not much news
Paris Games Week 2015 became a Iot more interesting when Sony decided to hold its fall event there instead of at Gamescom. So after all the hand-wringing, how was it in the end? Comme ci, comme ca. There were a few important announcements, like a release date for No Man's Sky, the launch of Gran Turismo Sport, complete with an entire league, and the reveal of Quantic Dreams' beautiful-looking Ex Machina-type game called Detroit. We also saw gameplay for Wild, Michel Ancel's (other) eagerly anticipated title. Otherwise, it was a bit of a letdown, with a lot of rehashing and still no solid release date for PlayStation VR. For more, check out our wrap-up video below or yesterday's liveblog. #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
What to expect from Apple's 'Hey Siri' iPhone event
Gosh, is it September already? The impending leaf death and the moaning of young'uns going back to school are usually accompanied by shiny new Apple gewgaws to gawk at, and this year is no exception. We'll be schlepping cross-country to bring you all the news from Apple's "Hey Siri" event at 10AM Pacific/1PM Eastern on Wednesday, but before we grab our boarding passes and all our cameras, let's recap what we think the company's got in store for us.
Live from Sony's 2015 IFA press event!
Sony's press events at IFA are the very model of efficiency, with nearly every division of the company announcing some new product in just under an hour. The highlight of the show is likely to be the the Xperia Z5, a premium device that was unfortunately leaked last week. Still, while the headline act may not be a surprise, there should still be plenty of exciting things for the company to whip out on stage. If that sounds like fun, then come back to this page at 4:00pm CEST / 3:00pm GMT / 10:00am ET / 7:00am PT for the madness to begin. [Image Credit: AP Photo/Steffi Loos]
We're live from Motorola's 'Relationship' event!
Weeks of leaks and an early Moto G unveiling in India didn't keep Motorola from putting on a show here in New York (oh, and London too). And why should it? We're expecting to see a brand new Moto X take the stage this morning, and if we're really lucky, we might catch a glimpse of a shiny new Moto 360 to go with it. The most puzzling angle of all is Motorola's insistence that today will change our "mobile relationships," but hey -- it's still early and there's plenty of time for bizarre, corporate rationale. Bring it, Moto.
LG's upcoming G4 lets you take better photos in the dark
LG's flagship smartphone has improved every year, other than the custom UX apps that we've found to be "unnecessary" and "redundant." A new tease of the G4 and its UX 4.0 software shows more of the same on both fronts. The company has improved its camera with a low-light f/1.8 lens that one-ups Samsung's flagship by a tick, though the G4 will be hard-pressed to better the Galaxy S6's image quality. There's also a new "Quick Shot" capability that lets you snap a photo with the screen locked by double-tapping the back button, along with a manual mode for finer shooting control.
We're on the ground at SXSW!
We're gearing up for another great SXSW in Austin, Texas! Last year, we witnessed a dude get "stunned" by Chaotic Moon's "CUPID" Drone, checked out IBM's Watson-powered food truck and punched some virtual sharks. This year we'll again get to see new emerging technologies, creative uses of old ones and generally explore how tech is changing our lives.
Apple schedules March 9th event ahead of Watch launch
You know the drill. Apple issues an invite for an event, and tech media channels go wild with speculation. Except that we know the event in question this time, scheduled for March 9, is almost certainly about the Apple Watch. How? Well, we already know it's slated for an April release, so there's that. Oh and a not-so-subtle "spring forward" message the invite contains. Apple losing its cryptic touch? Maybe, but it's not unknown for Cook and crew to throw in a few surprises (but please, no more musical "surprises"). Engadget will of course be there to find out, with a liveblog so you can follow along too. Just don't forget to change your (non Apple) watch an hour, or you'll miss the whole darn thing.
EverQuest producer's letter looks to the year ahead
The luster on 2015 has come off at least a little bit by now, but that doesn't mean that it's too late for the EverQuest team to start looking to the year ahead, and it's going to be a big one for this classic MMO. The most recent producer's letter looks to the upcoming year, starting with Erollisi day to serve as a suspiciously similar substitute to Valentine's Day. You know how these things work. Moving along through the year, the development team is looking forward to celebrating the game's 16th anniversary, along with an improved looting system and a stream of steady updates to the game. There's a lot of life left in the original EQ, even with the next big installments of the series just around the corner. If you'd like to see what the next year will hold, read the full letter.
Hyperspace Beacon: Examining SWTOR's producer letter
At the community cantina that Star Wars: The Old Republic held this past weekend at PAX South, community manager Eric Musco said that the community team was going to do something different in 2015 during the cantinas. He said that he wanted to reveal some tidbit at each and every event. And this cantina yielded us an early look at Producer Bruce Maclean's roadmap letter to the community. In the letter, he talks about where the SWTOR story will take us, what's on the horizon for flashpoints, personal stories, planets, and the outfit designer. But what is all this new stuff, and should it get people excited about the coming year? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer for that. If you play for similar reasons as I do, then there is plenty to be excited about. However, there are certain players, like PvPers, who might be a little frustrated by what they are seeing and not seeing in the letter.
PAX South 2015: Pox Nora is the coolest online card game you've never heard of
Pox Nora is a game that's hard to categorize. It's like Hearthstone, you see, because it's an online card game. But it's also like Civilization because it uses turn-based combat on a variety of maps with terrain that affects the battle. And maybe it's like Minecraft as well because it was built by a tiny team and developed incrementally through the feedback of a passionate fan base. Pox Nora was free-to-play before free-to-play was a thing. It's gone from tiny little indie to SOE-backed product and back again. And through its eight years, it's managed to fly quietly under the radar while its developers continually churn out content, implement community ideas, and expand its possibilities. At PAX South over the weekend, I sat down with Arthur Griffith, CEO of Desert Owl Games and co-creator of Pox Nora, to learn more about the game and its latest content additions.
Star Trek Online starts its fifth anniversary celebration
It was five years ago February 2nd that Star Trek Online came mewing into the MMO world, bringing with it final frontiers, infinite diversity, and canon-approved lockboxes. Cryptic's so excited to share this milestone that it's starting the celebrations a little early with a daily giveaway from today through Thursday, beginning with a free research and development pack. The real special treat is more than just casual freebies, however. The team's introducing a brand-new featured episode, Dust to Dust, starring Garrett Wang as Harry Kim. Q is also returning with his annual events, although this time around he's adding an Omega Particle minigame to the mix. Completing both the featured episode and Q events will earn tokens to spend on various rewards (including a Kobali Samsar Cruiser) and fragments that can be assembled for an Omega upgrade kits.
PAX South 2015: Life is Feudal revives the good ol' MMO feel
When the assignment for Life Is Feudal came to me, I questioned why I was covering a game that really didn't seem to be an MMORPG in my eyes because of its separate servers and the survival feel of the setting. It felt to me initially that I was covering another DayZ, one set in a medieval era and no zombies. But as I found out at this year's PAX South, I was completely wrong. Interestingly, I didn't find out what kind of mistake I made from the head honcho of Bitbox, Vladimir Piskunov. I found out from someone who has been playing for a long time and was invited to play at the Life Is Feudal booth. His name is Bill, and he's the "superfan" who demoed the game for me. He explained the ins and outs of the mechanics until I started having Ultima Online flashbacks. We discussed the skill system and trekked around the world, and then reminded me that LiF will eventually be an MMORPG. And I could certainly see how. If sandboxes are your thing as they are mine, then maybe this game is up our alley.
PAX South 2015: Why aren't MMOs more social?
On Friday, Alex Albrecht from ZergID and formerly of the Totally Rad Show headed up a PAX South panel about the social side of MMOs, inviting Patrick Mulhern from Lorehound, Jenesee Grey from Camelot Unchained, and me to join to discuss community in MMOs and why it's seemed so absent in recent years. Meg Campbell from YouTube moderated the panel discussion, calling us the PAX MMO guild. I admit that I considered naming this piece, "How Star Wars Galaxies did everything right and World of Warcraft did everything wrong" because I am obviously biased. But I really was completely surprised at how much SWG came up during the panel. Many former Galaxies players will tell you that there was a lot about that game that was pure crap, but when you talk about the social implementations of SWG, there just aren't many games that compare.
PAX South 2015: Moonrise and State of Decay shine at the Undead Labs booth
Most media appointments at an event like PAX South 2015 work like this: You meet the person you're supposed to meet, that person shows you the game her studio is working on, and then you rush off to the next booth on your list while cursing yourself for not scheduling time for a snack. Undead Labs handled my PAX appointment a bit differently, sitting me down for back-to-back play sessions with brand-new tablet game Moonrise and a remastered version of State of Decay, the zombie survival game that put the studio on the map. It was a little jarring to go from adorable pet battles to being torn in half by a zombie, but the two-for-one session provided a nice glimpse of where Undead Labs has been and where it intends to go.
PAX South 2015: Camelot Unchained's proactive approach to community management
In the crowdfunded independent industry, we are starting to see some ups and downs. Backers have seen some games fail and other games soar. One of those games that seems to be doing very well, at least if you ask its Community Manager Jenesee Grey and its legions of fans, is Camelot Unchained. At this weekend's PAX South, I spoke to Grey about her experience as a CM for a crowdfunded game.
PAX South 2015: Slaying giants in Motiga's Gigantic
Motiga's Gigantic is one part Team Fortress, one part Dota, and one part Monster Hunter. The basic match structure will sound familiar to MOBA lovers -- two teams of five slug it out for superiority by controlling resources, leveling up, and killing one another -- but the skill-based mechanics, multiple maps, and shifting strategy priorities make the game more than a three-lane farm fest. Gigantic isn't about last-hitting or memorizing meta. Instead, it's about slaying giants and aiming true. I hopped in on a quick Gigantic match with some other press folks this afternoon at PAX South 2015, and in the midst of delivering an absolute drubbing to the scrubs (kidding!) on the other side of the table, I was able to get a feel for the game's combat system, characters, and the way its massive guardians change the way battles play out.
