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NASA will livestream the total solar eclipse over South America tomorrow
It's been almost two years since the last total solar eclipse passed over the US, but there's a good chance you remember all of the hype. Now, a total solar eclipse is heading for parts of Chile and Argentina. It will arrive tomorrow, and thanks to NASA and the Exploratorium, you can catch a livestream as it happens. Beginning at 3pm ET, the agency will stream the eclipse, and at 4pm ET it will begin commentary in both English and Spanish. All three streams will be available on NASA's website.
T-Mobile expands its international coverage to 20 more countries
T-Mobile announced on Thursday that it is expanding its international coverage by adding 20 countries and locations to its Simple Global feature. This program gives subscribers unlimited data and text (plus $.20/minute calls) in 145 countries. The expansion incorporates the Bahamas and Haiti as well as nine European nations. According to a T-Mobile release, Simple Global covers "more than 90 percent of the trips Americans take abroad each year," including all of Europe and South America.
World's first all-electric propulsion satellite begins operations
Boeing has announced that the first satellite using fully-electric propulsion has begun operating. Dubbed the ABS-3A, this 4,300-pound telecommunications satellite will provide C- and Ku-band service to South America, the Middle East and Africa. Unlike, well most every other satellite in orbit, the ABS-3A doesn't rely on tanks of inert gas for propulsion and orbit maintenance. Instead it relies on the Xenon Ion Propulsion System (XIPS) which employs a magnetic field to push ions around and generate thrust. The satellite is expected to use just 11 pounds of Xenon annually over the course of its 15 year operational life span -- that's a tenth the amount of propellent that a conventional satellite would require.
Release dates roll in for World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition
I see tanks of green, Red tanks too. I see them boom for me and you. And I think to myself What a wonderful World of Tanks. In related news, Wargaming.net's World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition hits retail on August 12 in North and South America, August 14 in the Asia-Pacific region, and August 29 in Europe. The "Combat Ready Starter Pack," as it's subtitled, is priced $20/£16 and it comes with extras detailed here, including a Panzer 38H Tier 2 German light tank. Must be a big box.
Saints Row 4 National Treasure Edition bundles DLC for $30
A DLC-stuffed National Treasure Edition of Saints Row 4 ships to retailers on July 8, Deep Silver announced. The PS3, Xbox 360 and PC repackage was already unveiled for Europe, and it's coming to the same platforms in North and South America, priced at $30. If you've kept up with Saints Row 4 post-launch you'll know there's been tons of DLC, spanning everything from Christmas-themed mission packs to presidential masks. The new re-release bundles every last insane drop of that content, totaling 29 separate packs; steer here for the entire asylum of extras in the box. Talking of boxes, according to Deep Silver a downloadable version should be available mid-July.
Persona 4 bearing down on PS3, out next week as PS2 Classic
Confirmed: The Year of Luigi is over, and The Year of Persona 4 starts next week. Alright, Atlus hasn't announced a year dedicated to its revered RPG, but let's face it, an April 8 PS2 Classic re-release on PS3 for North and South America, priced at $10, is the start of a pretty busy period for the Investigation Team. After all, it preludes the ever-nearing arrivals of P4: Dancing All Night, P4 Arena Ultimax, and Persona Q - which stars P4 characters. If you like Persona 4, then the next year or so should have plenty to keep you satiated ahead of the main course that is Persona 5. To celebrate the news, here's six minutes of the Persona 4 Anime's take on the King's Game scene, except in this version the protagonist, Yu, is even more of a player... [Image: Atlus]
Sony announces PS4 sales total 2.1 million, 700K in Europe, Australasia
Sony announced this morning that PlayStation 4 sales exceed 2.1 million as of December 1, with 700,000 consoles sold across Europe and Australasia across their launch weekends. The number is again stipulated as sell-through, meaning it represents units sold to customers rather than retailers, as estimated by Sony Computer Entertainment. According to Sony's numbers, PS4 sales have now doubled since its first day of availability in North America, boosted by launches across Europe, Australasia, and Latin America last week. The console looks on target to meet SCE America President and CEO Jack Tretton's prediction of 3 million sales by the end of the year. Sony is aiming for 5 million sales by the end of March 2014, boosted again by the console's launch in Japan on February 22.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 corners the Americas in September
North, Central, and South America net the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 on September 24, matching the street date of rival FIFA 14. Konami's latest soccer sim iteration is also coming to PC and PSP - yes, PSP - and going by traditions those entries should arrive a little later in the year. PES 2014 remains undated for Europe, however, and it'll be interesting to see if it tries to steal a march on FIFA 14 in the games' key region - FIFA 14 goes Euro on September 27. The big introduction to this year's Pro Evo is Konami's new FOX engine, the same engine being used for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5. In his recent hands-on time with it, Joystiq's sportsball maestro Mike Suszek said, "It's the Fox Engine that might set Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 apart from FIFA, not a lack of playable clubs."
iBookstore lines its shelves with paid content in New Zealand, 17 Latin American countries
iDevice owners in New Zealand and 17 Latin American countries are no longer restricted to a diet composed of free content when it comes to their respective iBookstores. A quick search of the storefronts will reveal virtual shelves stocked with paid-content that haven't yet found their way to the shops' homepages. Reside in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru or Venezuela? Head on over to the appropriate store and books with price tags will be available for purchase. If this is any sign of what Apple has up its sleeve for tomorrow, we suspect that "a little more" will involve a bit of reading.
Colombia to start testing 700MHz LTE, joins a Latin American trend in 4G
Those in the US can brag about having the range, indoor friendliness and other advantages of 700MHz LTE, but few other countries have that edge so far: Latin Americans who have any LTE at all usually have to contend with less tolerant 2.6GHz bands. Colombia isn't happy with that state of affairs, and its National Spectrum Agency is spearheading a rapidly growing 4G movement in the region by testing 700MHz LTE between the fall and winter. Its strategy echoes proposals from Brazil and Mexico that will use the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity band plan, providing more efficient airwaves as well as wider device and network coverage. It will take beyond early 2013 before Colombia and its neighbors are actively using 700MHz bands -- the digital TV transition is one of the bigger obstacles -- but there's desires for a fast-track spectrum handout that could bring blazing speeds to Bogota before too long. [Image credit: Kinori, Wikipedia]
Spotify accounts tip Canada launch, possibly expanding to Asia and South America
It's the question we get asked every time we post about Spotify -- when is the music streaming service coming to Canada? There was little doubt the company was looking at our neighbors to the north, it always just seemed like a matter of when. No firm dates here, but accounts published by Spotify that have been obtained by The Wall Street Journal seem to confirm those intentions, adding that it's also looking to expand its footprint into "countries in Asia and South America." The service is currently available in 15 countries.
Google Street View expands to cover swaths of Brazil and Mexican ruins, won't substitute for a vacation
For a country that dominates the Latin American landscape, Brazil hasn't had much of a presence in Google Street View outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. A fresh update to Street View coverage has just gone live that fleshes out the more far-flung corners of the map. It's now possible to see what it's like on the ground in much of the southern tip of the country as well as the northern coastline. Further north, Mexicans get their own treat: Google is now providing the panoramic views for ancient ruins such as Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, just in case you'd rather not try to blend in with all the other tourists. The widened reach is undoubtedly no match for booking a flight and visiting in person, but it will save you the trouble of brushing up on your Portugese or ancient Mayan.
How Papo & Yo takes more than inspiration from South American graffiti
Papo & Yo's gorgeous South American-esque world is punctuated by graffiti – from the cartoonish to the abstract. During a preview at E3, I found myself stopping to gawk at giant birds and other creatures for many moments, often resulting in the game's handler asking if I needed any help. What I should've said was, "Yes. Can you tell me who made these incredible images throughout your imaginary favela?"Thankfully, developer Minority realized that the art is incredibly appealing, and wrote up a post on the US PlayStation Blog detailing the history of the graffiti. As it turns out, rather than using source images and recreating a facsimile of South America's street art, Minority worked with three renowned South American artists to develop images for Papo & Yo's world.Sebastian Navarro (AKA Charquipunk), Simon Paulo Arancibia Gutierrez (AKA La Robot de Madera) and Inti Castro (AKA INTI) are all collaborating on the game. One such example of their contribution is just above, though I saw several different, very impressive pieces in just the 20 minute demo at E3. Of course, we'll all get to take a closer look when the game launches on August 14 on the PlayStation Network.
As others leave, Lenovo reportedly plans $30 million factory for Brazil
While HTC might be closing its doors in South America, there's still plenty more companies looking to set up shop. The latest addition appears to be Lenovo, which, according to ZTOP, is readying blueprints for a 325,000-square meter site in São Paulo. The factory will apparently recruit up to 700 locals when it reaches full capacity. While the company only has a minor market share at the moment, Brazil looks likely to be another growth market and perhaps success in South America will be enough to claim the PC-making top spot.
LTE arrives in Colombia, stays for the coffee
Citizens of Colombia have yet another reason to be proud this week, as LTE connectivity is now part of the nation's infrastructure. State-owned telecom UNE EPM has officially flipped the 4G switch for Bogota and Medelin, and plans to bring similar LTE services to residents of Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Bucaramanga in the near future. If all goes well, UNE EPM hopes to provide LTE coverage for 90% of Colombia's population by year's end. The carrier is now offering both 6GB and 12GB data packages to its post-paid subscribers starting at $89,900 COP ($50 USD) per month, which include data caps of 10Mbps. Meanwhile, prepaid users may choose between 1.2GB, 4GB and 8GB of data usage. Full PR follows the break, though you'll have to excuse the computer translation. [Thanks, Paul]
New iPad to hit 30 more countries this weekend, work on its tan
The corners of the Earth that don't have a new iPad have been quickly shrinking, and Apple's tablet is about to get nigh-on inescapable as of this weekend. A round of 23 more countries is getting the 2012 refresh on May 11, most of it being South American countries such as Foxconn's new manufacturing hub, Brazil. Parts of Africa and southeast Asia will be served as well, such as the home of our favorite unofficial hands-on sessions, Vietnam. Seven Persian Gulf countries will get their Retina Display fix one day later. By the time the weekend is up, the iPad will be available in nearly 90 countries on this planet, which makes it highly likely that anyone reading this article can find the slate in a local retail store.
Walmart to unleash its Vudu magic on South America, Europe, Asia
Walmart's Vudu service will be dipping a toe in foreign waters for the first time, with a planned expansion that could see it landing in as many as 30 new countries. Mexico will be the first to get the service -- some time in June -- before it continues in a southerly direction toward other Latin American states. The rest of the expansion will cover Europe (including the UK and Ireland) and Asia, but won't happen until later on in the year. While Netflix has already beaten a path away from US shores, Walmart clearly hopes its strong retail presence (5000 stores in 26 countries) will help it earn more than just a tourist visa.
Apple sees 'huge opportunity' in Brazil
Apple's next emerging market might not be in Asia, but in South America. During the company's recent earnings conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook identified Brazil as one of Apple's future growth areas. "I think there's a huge opportunity for us there, and we've more than begun to go deeper into Brazil," Cook said. "But I don't want to signal that that means that Apple retail will be there, because I don't envision that occurring in the near term." As noted by GigaOm, Brazil is an extremely populous country with over 200 million people, and its economy is the best in all of South America. Per capita income in Brazil isn't great compared to the US, but it compares quite favorably against China, which has been Apple's biggest international success story thus far. One potential sticking point exists for increasing Apple's Brazilian sales, however. Currently, Brazilians pay some of the highest prices in the world for Apple gear. At launch, an unsubsidized 16 GB iPhone 4S cost the equivalent of more than US$1,400 in Brazil, compared to $849 for a 64 GB model in the US. Those breathtakingly high prices may be due to a number of factors, including Brazil's high import duties, but if Apple is going to attempt to get the kind of traction in Brazil it's seen in China, those prices are going to have to drop significantly.
Alcatel-Lucent plants two flags in Latin American soil: LTE and 100Gb/s cable
Not content with newly arrived iTunes and Netflix, Latin America's growing population of web aficionados are seeing some major investment in high-speed internet services too. Alcatel-Lucent says it's won contracts to provide infrastructure for the region's first LTE network -- in Uruguay, to be precise -- as well as the first 100Gb/s optical cable network, which will soon be streaming telenovelas across Argentina. Welcome to the revolution, compañeros, and read on for the full PR.
Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 to get limited Latin American release in early 2012
If you're lucky enough to call Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico or Puerto Rico home, and have been craving a bit of Nokia Lumia love, then felicidades! Señor Elop himself announced the 800 and 710 will be lighting up faces in a store near you from Q1 next year. Speaking from Sao Paulo, the Nokia CEO confirmed that both Windows Phone models would get a run out in the above countries, with production taking place in Brazil. Interestingly other large markets, like Argentina and Venezuela, didn't get a name call as one of the lucky countries, but you can bet your bottom peso though it won't be long before this is rectified. Hit up the source link for more info, en Español.
