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Spotify giving 30 minutes of nonstop music if you watch a video ad
Though a quarter of Spotify users pay $10 a month to avoid ads, the other 30 million have to put up with them. Now, Spotify is set to roll out a new form of advertising that may ease (or add to) some of that pain: video commercials. There will be two forms: "Video Takeover" ads will be played regularly on Spotify's desktop apps, but let advertisers to buy an entire slot of time. Meanwhile, "Sponsored Sessions" will let mobile users watch short videos in exchange for 30 minutes of ad-free listening. In either case, ads will be limited to 15- or 30-seconds. It might seem odd to play TV commercials on a radio service, but Spotify pitched the idea to advertisers in June at Cannes and major players like Coca Cola, McDonald's and Ford signed on for the launch. Ad Age said that Spotify will play ads exclusively for those brands by year's end in the US, UK and six other markets. It'll roll out worldwide to any interested company in 2015.
Star Wars Galaxies to allow free server transfers to a galaxy not so far away
Servers can feel awfully restrictive when you're on Server A and your friends are all on Server B. The team behind Star Wars Galaxies is no doubt aware of this, but if you've long been locked away from playing with potential friends or just stuck in a server you'd like to leave, there's good news. Free character transfers between servers are being launched on April 26th, allowing players the freedom to move characters with impunity. Eligible characters must be at least 90 days old and on a game account currently in good standing. In addition, the character to be transferred must be on one of the original 10 ground planets (Corellia, Dantooine, Tatooine, Endor, Dathomir, Lok, Naboo, Rori, Talus, or Yavin 4). Assuming those conditions are met, any player will be able to execute a free character transfer upon logging into Star Wars Galaxies. For more details on the free service, check the official announcement. (And no, Starsider is not an eligible destination.)
Free transfers in City of Heroes extending another month
Back in December, City of Heroes announced that players would be allowed to transfer characters between servers for free until the end of January. Aside from the small but vocal part of the population that was certain this was a prelude to server merges, it was met with praise and good will by the playerbase. Paragon Studios has apparently decided that what's fun the first time is even better the second, as they've decided to extend the free transfers until February 28th for all players. Of course, there are certain slight catches -- as before, you can only transfer six characters from one server to another within a week, as well as not being allowed between American and European servers. You also lose your Supergroup affiliation, any accumulated Prestige, and possibly even your name depending on the server you choose. The full support page details all of the possible wrinkles, as well as warning against trying to transfer characters with names shorter than three letters (unless you don't mind losing the name). Having more chances to play with friends on other servers is always welcome, so kudos to the City of Heroes team for extending the free transfer period!
T-Mobile USA offers free BlackBerry Pearl trackball replacement
If you're Pearl's pearl has lost some of its luster -- and indeed some of its control -- we've heard that T-Mobile USA is stepping in to help sort that out. As of the 15th February, BlackBerry Pearl 8100, 8120, and 8320 owners can apparently pop into a T-Mo shop and have it replaced for $free. The only catch is your device has to have been purchased from T-Mobile -- and, we assume, have troubles. Sadly other BB owners with problems can't get this in-store service -- as they require more than a simple pin for the same service -- but we'd imagine enough noise to customer support could help your cause if you're having trouble. We're liking the trend we've seen of late with carriers offering up these random acts of kindness and do hope we'll continue to see more.
GameTap's free version plays globally
GameTap's subscription buffet service can't be played globally, much to the chagrin of those outside North America, but apparently their new free service can be according to GameTap's latest release. So, despite not being able to play Tomb Raider: Anniversary (available at 12:01AM Eastern) tomorrow on the subscription service, gamers around the world can play Tomb Raider: Legend and 29 other games for free at GameTap.com.When we contacted GameTap to get some clarification on what's going on with the international issues, they said it's a currency conversion and general international business issue. They hope to make the service available to Europe in the relative future and it is something they're working on. Mac compatibility should be available by late summer. Today is also the launch of GameTap's digital online retail store with 450 titles offered. Well, despite the international crew not being able to use GameTap.com's subscription service, at least you'll be able to play 30 games from the service for free each month. And, per usual, this part is key, you play them for free legally.Update: Added new information on midnight release of Tomb Raider: Anniversary[Via Press Release]
