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Massively does Geek Week: Take a scenic tour of SWTOR
As MMO players, we know all about being geeks; we're the geekiest video gamers around! Join in the fun today as we celebrate Google's Geek Week with a series of MMO-flavored videos to introduce fellow geeks to our favorite games: Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, The Secret World, and more! Despite its struggles since launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic retains a mighty playerbase. In fact, its subscription numbers easily place it in the top five MMOs! No doubt many players stick with the game because of its incredible and iconic vistas and locations. So why not live vicariously through our SWTOR columnist and virtually visit some of those destinations in a humorous flythrough recorded especially for Geek Week? Visit the haunted halls of the Sith Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, tour the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and explore the war-torn wastes of Ilum. But whatever you do, don't mention what happens on the Bounty Hunter's D5-Mantis starship. We're still trying to block that from our minds.
Guided tour of the new SWTOR flashpoint
Yesterday, BioWare invited some members of the press to take part in a guided tour of the latest update for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In recent Hyperspace Beacons, we've covered everything from the user interface changes to the crew skills system. However, the specifics of some of the new story content have been a bit sparse. Thanks to help from BioWare, that's now changed. Beyond the break, we have put together a 15-minute video describing the ins and outs of the latest flashpoint: The Lost Island. Together with a member of the BioWare development team, we explored this new level-50 zone, destroying everything in our path and maybe learning something along the way.
Apple posts iPad 2 guided tour videos
Although the iPad 2 is launching in two days, Apple wants to make sure that you're filled with knowledge for March 11th. Sure, we showed you pretty much everything you wanted to know about the company's second slate, but if you want more, they've got you covered. You can feast your eyes on demos of Garageband, FaceTime, iMovie, as well as other first party apps for the new iPad -- these 14 videos should keep you occupied for a while. If you want to properly prepare yourself for Friday, hit the source link to watch them all.
Live Stream: Guided tour of Azshara
Today we'll be touring the zone of Azshara, newly remade in the image of the Horde. We'll cover the achievements you can get in the zone as well as visit the major and minor landmarks of the area. As usual, I will be answering questions and comments from the chat room, which is after the break. Update: The stream is now over. You can watch the video replay by clicking on the image above.
Live Stream: Guided tour of Orgrimmar
I love the updated look of Orgrimmar, but it's hard to get used to the new layout. Blizzard didn't just give the city a more rugged, old-school paint job; almost everything has been moved! Today's live stream guide will be a mapping-out of the new Org, pointing out the important things from how to catch a zeppelin to where to get your hair cut. I'll also be taking questions from the chat room, which is after the break. Update: The stream is now over, but you can watch the video replay by clicking on the image above.
Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2
It happens all the time: When a new game is coming out we attempt to compare it to something familiar. "Jumpgate Evolution is like EVE combined with Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed." "Guild Wars 2's battles are scalable like Warhammer's." Even Rich Vogel, the Executive Producer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, couldn't get away from comparing his crafting system to an existing MMO when we interviewed him at E3. "It will be very similar to what WoW has," is what he said. Granted, Blaine Christine later set our minds at ease at PAX: "I think it's a different take on crafting than what people will be expecting. It's not the standard implementation." Unfortunately, the stigma of comparison was already there. One of my favorite features of MMO creation is the fact that there are no real rules regarding gameplay style. Granted, in the early days of MMO design, a creator had to consider the heavy latency of dial-up connections, so most games were designed to be turn-based. However, now there really is no limit to gameplay style, so there are no rules regarding what makes a game an MMO besides its having a persistent online world. There are no rules that say a game must have similar gameplay to other games that came before, even a prequel. Guild Wars 2 is a great example of this, yet people, inevitably, are going to attempt to compare Guild Wars and its sequel -- sometimes to the point of being unfair about it. Current Star Wars fans cannot help but compare SWTOR to Star Wars Galaxies. Follow me after the break as I make an attempt to debunk this stigma.
PAX 2010: How to build LEGO Universe, piece by piece
The world of LEGO is being destroyed by the mighty Maelstrom. Imagination is being sucked into its evil vortex, and only you and your friends can stop it! Customize your minifig to fit your personality, choose your favorite faction, and launch into battle against Maelstrom and its minions. Save imagination! LEGO Universe Online is the LEGO brand's first leap into the MMO genre. After LEGO's success with single-player games, such as the extremely popular Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, it only seems natural for the company to jump into the massively multiplayer universe. The design team of over 150 people has built a wild and whimsical world, Brick and Knob by Brick and Knob, and the crazy thing is, you can add to this world, too. At PAX, LEGO was kind enough to give me a personal guided tour through this universe of adventure and creativity. Follow me after the break as I guide you through my hands-on with LEGO Universe Online.%Gallery-101842%
Apple posts iPad guided tour videos
Apple has posted new "guided tour" iPad videos meant to give details of the device's features. Unlike the original promo video which was a broad overview, the guided tours get into the specifics. There are 11 videos in total, each explaining and demonstrating key iPad features, including Mail, Safari, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes, iBooks, Keynote, Pages and Numbers. There's also an option to watch all of the videos, one after the other. As you'd expect, they're very well done and feature best-case-scenarios; the connections are all fast, the photos are gorgeous, etc. The snapshots of my kids never look that good! Enjoy the demos for now and bide your time until this weekend. We're almost there. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple posts up iPad Guided Tours... lots of Guided Tours
iPad pre-orders are just starting to ship out and Best Buy is getting prepped, but Apple's just posted up a whole slew of its Guided Tours to hold you over until April 3. Sadly, we're not seeing any entries for "How Do You Type While Standing Up" or "Why Do I Need A $30 Dongle To Get A USB Port On This Thing," but the entries for Mail, Safari, iBooks, and the rest do include some revealing new information -- and it certainly seems that tap-and-hold will be a big part of the UI paradigm. We're still watching them all -- let us know if you see anything interesting in comments. Update: Okay, here's the new stuff we've seen so far: iBooks has an integrated search feature, a built-in brightness control, and a dictionary that can pull up any word just by tapping on it. The same dictionary is in Pages, too -- we're assuming it's a system-wide feature available to any app, just like on Mac OS X. We've been told in the past that it supports user dictionaries and spellcheck, but we'll see what actually ends up shipping. There's a quick mention of connecting the iPad to your home stereo in the iPod video, but no mention of streaming to the Airport Express or an Apple TV. There's a big missed opportunity. Typing with one hand on the portrait keyboard in Pages looks just as silly as you'd expect. Numbers has a special formula keyboard. Tap and hold is everywhere, and unlike the iPhone, the UI has "windows," which are detailed info panes that float above the main app interface. The iWork apps also all have a "menu bar" area in the upper right that contain several options. You can see how interacting with an iPad will be familiar but still quite different than using an iPhone -- depending on the apps, of course. [Thanks, John]
Windows PC Scout patronizes, offers surprisingly good comparison tool
Want a "high-quality" machine that represents the "best of the best in laptops?" Microsoft's got your back with its all-new PC Scout, a Flash-based laptop recommendation engine whose delivery is unfortunately more than a little reminiscent of those misguided Windows 7 launch party promos. Ah well, should you successfully navigate your way past bad jokes about space-cats and online dating, and on to the Selection section, you'll find a thoroughly decent laptop comparison tool -- with sliders for price and features narrowing or expanding your available choice in real time. With future plans to expand it to cover desktop hardware as well, Microsoft is making a commendable and seemingly rather useful effort to aid its users in picking out a new machine. Kudos for that, now how about hiring some real actors for a change? [Via Ars Technica]
Microsoft outs educational, inspirational Windows 7 tour videos
Microsoft's unleashed several guided tour videos of Windows 7 on its website. All of the videos are hosted by Latika Kirtane -- Product Manager for Internet Explorer -- who, in around two minutes, goes over some of the simplest features of Windows 7. Some of the sexier topics covered are Windows Search, setting up a home network, and the joys of parental controls. There's nothing earth-shattering that we didn't already know covered here, but you'll still probably want to check out the videos after the break, and hit the read link for all four. [Thanks, Alex -- via Neowin]
Bob the Apple guided tour guy leaves for greener pastures
Apple's guided tour videos have featured an endless variety of creepy-android perfect "Apple Store employees" in the recent past, but we'd just like to take a moment and pour one out for OG Bob Borchers, who kicked off the entire series in 2007 with the original iPhone tours and followed 'em up with the iPhone 3G tour. Bob's leaving his post as Apple's senior director of worldwide iPhone product marketing to join VC group Opus Capital -- yeah, it's not hard gadget news, but we're getting a little misty on Sunday evening remembering how closely we all watched those initial demos looking for any tiny nuggets of information about the then-mysterious platform. Peace out, Bob -- it's been a ride. Video after the break.
Video: iPhone 3GS gets a guided tour
Sure, you think you've learned all there is to know about Apple's new iPhone 3G S, but have you had its every feature explained and demonstrated for you by an unrealistically calm, factory-fresh ApplePerson over the course of 14 minutes in one of the company's trademark guided tours? Trust us, it's like taking a bubble bath in technology. Hit the read link for video.
Apple posts iPod touch walk through video
Apple has just posted a video walk through for the new iPod touch generation 2, which was released at the "Let's Rock" event this morning (look here for our play-by-play live blogging of the event). In the video, Hannah, an Apple employee, takes you through all of the new features on the iPod touch -- including the new 2.1 firmware.You can watch or download the video from Apple's website.
Apple posts Japanese iPhone guided tour
With the release of the iPhone 3G, Apple will be in a completely new cell phone market in Japan. Apple recently posted a new iPhone 3G Guided Tour on the Japanese Apple website, undoubtedly to get the Japanese warmed up to the iPhone. While there are no new apparent features shown, Apple does show off the character recognition (which is really slick when you see it in action). It is still neat to watch, even if you don't understand Japnese. You can view this video on the Japanese iPhone website. [via MacRumors]
Apple shows off iPhone 3G guided tour
C'mon, you knew this was coming. Apple just posted a video walkthrough of it's brand new wonder-device, replete with the familiar (yet somewhat creepy) iPhone dude. You know the score, so hop on over to Apple's site and see it all in a glorious, sprawling internet video.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple posts Leopard Guided Tour
Apple's been all about the video guided tours lately, and with Leopard just around the corner, the company's gone ahead and put John, The Classy Salt-and-Pepper Apple Store Employee, in front of the camera to walk you through the new release. Nothing particularly new to report, but it'll keep the fanboys warm for another week.
iLife '08 guided tour
I'm really digging these new guided tour videos that Apple seems to be fond of. First it was a series for the iPhone, and now we have a Guided Tour of iLife '08. You can watch it online or download it to your machine (and watch it full screen). The 20 minute video gives you the highlights of the iLife suite and tries to convince you it is worth $80, but you're reading TUAW so I am guessing that you already bought it.Thanks, Libb.
Apple posts iPhone welcome video
The teasing and tantalizing continues unabated for the iPhone faithful, as it undoubtedly will for the next 174 hours or so. The latest document of longing is Apple's newly posted Guided Tour video, available in small, medium, large and a 178MB downloadable version (your mileage may vary with the standalone file; my download choked off at 50 MB and resulted in an unsurprisingly unplayable QT file).Enjoy the moment.Thanks to Peter and Josh for the tip
Apple takes you on an iPhone guided tour
We know, we know, seven days is just too long to wait. So what's a salivating iPhone junkie to do to pass the time? Apple has the answer with its new incredibly detailed "Guided Tour" video of the device. No real secrets being revealed, but the video gives an in-depth look into the ins and outs of using most of the apps and getting your way around everyday functions like unlocking the phone, merging phone calls and skipping through Visual Voicemail like a rockstar. There's nothing here to dispel doubters, since the real proof of the pudding is going to come from touching the screen with your own hands and waiting on EDGE to deliver sites quite a bit slower than shown in the demo, but the true believers in the room aren't going to be exactly disappointed by the consistently slick interface and features shown off in the video.Update: Engadget buddy Michael Gartenberg points out that "if you watch closely, you'll notice mail does appear to support Office attachments after all." Damn, there goes one more solid argument for the WinMo camp.
