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Brazil wants to build South American broadband network, says it will bring down costs
A pan-South American broadband network: It sounds rather ambitious, but that's exactly what Brazil proposed yesterday, during a meeting of the continent's communications ministers. In an address to his colleagues, Brazil's Paulo Bernardo called for the creation of "a ring of South American fiber optic networks" encompassing the entire continent. This "South American solution," he added, would lower the costs of internet and mobile access across the region, benefiting consumers and ISPs alike. "Connection costs for South American users represent on average between 35 and 40 percent of the total price of the service," the minister explained. "An Internet provider in South America pays, in the best of cases, three times more for the connection than in the United States. This situation must change urgently." Bernardo estimates that the initiative would cost about $60 million and could be completed within two years, though it'll likely have to jump through a few more hoops before nearing reality.
Report: Foxconn's Brazil factory ready for business, will begin shipping iPads in December
It appears that Apple is about to expand its manufacturing operations to Brazil, where a new Foxconn factory is already in place and ready to churn out iPads, according to a report from national media outlet UOL. Aolizio Mercadante, the country's minister of science and technology, confirmed the news this week during a hearing held by the Commission of Economic Affairs. "At first many doubted, but it will be the first time that [Apple] will produce iPads outside Chinese territory," Mercadente said. "We are taking a big step for digital inclusion in the country." Located in Jundiaí, the new facility was constructed under a joint venture between Foxconn and the Brazilian government, with the former reportedly contributing $12 million to the initiative. Rumors of a South American expansion began circulating earlier this year, with many expecting Foxconn's Brazil-based operations to get underway during Q1 of 2012, according to DigiTimes. Construction, however, appears to have wrapped up ahead of schedule, with Mercadante claiming that iPad shipments will begin in December. Apple, for its part, has not commented on the report.
Netflix lands in Brazil, 43 other Latin American countries within the week
Netflix promised our friends in Central and South America would soon be able to enjoy the pleasures of Watch Instantly. Starting today with Brazil, and with 43 other Latin American countries to follow before September 12th, the pioneering streaming video service is making good on that promise. Customers in the land of Carnival can enjoy a free one-month trial, after which a subscription will run BR$14.99 a month. The roll out will be staggered over the coming days, with most areas getting a price point equivalent to $7.99 in American currency and some having both English and Spanish language options. For more details check out the PR after the break and the chart above. [Thanks, Nicolas]
Netflix bringing instant streaming to Latin America, global domination plan on track
Soon enough, most of the western hemisphere will be able to enjoy Netflix Watch Instantly without the need for proxies and work-arounds. Later this year the company will add 43 countries in Central and South America, and the Caribbean to its list of supported locales. It will also wrap up its North American expansion by streaming flicks into the heart of Mexico. When exactly folks in Brazil and Trinidad will be able to sign up, and how much it will cost when it launches are still up in the air at the moment. One thing is certain though -- while Hulu is striking deals with the likes of Miramax and the Criterion Collection to bolster its library of feature length films, Netflix is building a global empire.
Nokia outs 1GHz Series 40 handset with ClearBlack display
According to Nokia's Manager of Marketing Services in Argentina, an S40-based mobile phone with a 1GHz processor and ClearBlack display is coming -- and for our part, we're hoping to see it next week at Nokia Connection 2011 in Singapore. There, company leaders (including the outspoken CEO himself), will debut new products aimed at emerging markets. Granted, there's nothing definitive to connect the dots, but given the operating system, it would make perfect sense to get a glimpse at this mystery device -- along with the Nokia C2-06 -- at next week's conference. The Argentina-based tweets that originally outed this handset have been snuffed, but they've been preserved in the form of a retweet and screen caps, letting this casual mistake ripple through the web. Don't feel too bad, Nokia... as mobile fanatics, we're big fans of the unintended reveal. Now, how about outing those sweet Mangoes?
PSN back in Europe and Australia, your password email may take some time
The select PlayStation Network services that came back online in North America over the weekend have now shaken off their bonds in a handful of other territories across the globs. Formerly jilted users living in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America should now have access to online multiplayer, third-party video services and all the other reactivated features that returned this past Saturday. Unfortunately, the flood of people who have made their first priority to change their password have overwhelmed both the PlayStation Network servers and their ISPs, leading to delays for password reset emails. If you requested a password reset and haven't heard back yet, Sony asks that you "please give it a bit of time to reach your email."
Geohot's lawyer responds to Sony's South America accusations
Yesterday, the ballad of hacker George "Geohot" Hotz and his ongoing legal struggle with Sony took a bizarre turn, when the latter claimed Hotz had hampered "jurisdictional discovery" by removing parts of his overturned hard drives, and is currently avoiding trial in South America. Recently, Hotz' legal counsel Stewart Kellar responded to these claims, explaining, "The notion that George has fled the country is absurd." Kellar added, "George is in South America to see a friend, on a trip he planned before this lawsuit ever began." With regards to the claim that Hotz had sabotaged the hard drives he turned over to Sony, Kellar said Sony is "using intentionally ambiguous language" to turn public opinion against Hotz. "The 'components' SCEA is talking about are hard drives' controller cards," he said, claiming that they had been supplied to the prosecutor. We've once again contacted Sony for a response (to this response), but given their policy for not commenting on legal issues, we won't bother crossing our fingers.
Sony claims George 'Geohot' Hotz is avoiding trial in South America
Sony may have access to pretty much all of PS3 jailbreaker George "GeoHot" Hotz's records, but it doesn't have access to Hotz himself. As unearthed by VGHQ, a legal complaint filed by Sony alleges that Hotz "is now in South America, an excuse for why he will not immediately provide the components of his hard drives." Sony believes that Hotz left with the intention of delaying his ongoing trial. According to Sony's lawyers, Hotz has been "engaged in a campaign to thwart jurisdictional discovery at every turn" over "the last several weeks" -- including the intentional removal of "integral components of his impounded hard drives," said to contain implicating evidence of Hotz's alleged misdeeds. Apparently, when SCEA discovered that Hotz's HDDs were missing parts, a request for the components was met with a response from Hotz's legal counsel that Hotz "was in South America." One thing's for sure -- if he is in South America somewhere, Hotz's freestyle rap about Sony is no longer the weirdest thing about the story of the PS3 jailbreak.
Online Brazilian Apple Store now live
After months of rumors, Apple's official online store for Brazil has officially opened at apple.com/br. It joins the 34 other countries with localized online stores. The Brazilian store is a mirror of many others and joins Apple's effort to establish a presence south of the United States. Presently, there are localized online stores in Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador among others. Right now, there are no brick-and-mortar Apple Stores in Brazil, but they do run eight "Stores within a store" complexes in association with Fnac (similar to the arrangement with Best Buy here in the USA). Brazilian customers have anticipated the real thing for a long time. Here's hoping you get physical stores soon. Until then, enjoy your online shopping, Brazil! [Via AppleInsider]
Going "Beyond the Horizon" with Bounty Bay Online's next expansion
Arrrrrr matey! The pirates of Bounty Bay Online be going over the edge of the ocean in their new free expansion, "Beyond the Horizon!" Pirate captains will be happy to see the addition of a new area of the world and brand new character classes to the game.If you were interested in checking out South America and perhaps circling past Cape Horn, then you can now rejoice as these new lands are available to you with the coming expansion. Further more, you can also now check out the Western US and visit the ports of San Diego and San Francisco. Players will also supposedly get to check out the "legendary lands" which will include parts of Europe.Most importantly, five new character classes will be added to the game, including the military officer, imperial guardian, caribbean pirate, treasure hunter, and armed-businessman. But we won't hit you with all of the details here on this post. Set your sails for the Beyond the Horizon mini-site to claim all of the spoils and plunder!
Sony of America expands into other half of America [update]
In an attempt to finally give some attention to an entire continent traditionally devoid of official involvement from video game companies in general, Sony today announced its intentions to expand into South Latin America. This expansion brings with it access to the Playstation Network (though we're not sure how extensively just yet) as well as licensed retail versions of Sony's three major pieces of hardware -- the PS3, PSP and PS2. The company announced it'll be launching in "13 different countries in the region" through a partnership with Sony Latin America. Sony Argentina has said in the past that any retailers selling the Playstation 3 in the region are doing so illegally, specifically because, " [Sony] must certify it for compliance with the local RF spectrum regulations," said Federico Augspach, marketing manager at Sony Argentina, when he spoke with The Examiner. At the time, the system was running nearly $2000 USD at certain retailers (for imported versions, mind you). And now, Sony's making the system significantly more affordable in the region. Well, moderately more affordable ... if you're rich. We've put in word to Sony for more info on regions and pricing.UPDATE: Liz Archibald from Sony America updated us on the specific regions, saying, "These countries include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. Additional services such as PlayStation Network, will be introduced in a phased roll-out to select countries." As far as pricing goes, things get a little more complex, "SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America] offers three different PlayStation gaming systems at various price points, and each offers a varying degree of technology and functionality, which ultimately speaks to more consumers in a region such as Latin America, which has many segmented economic classes."
Nextar launching M3 navigator into South America
Hey, they don't call this thing the International Consumer Electronics Show for nothing, so it shouldn't come as any big surprise to see Nextar unveiling a trio of new navigators that are destined for routes in South America. PNDs for Argentina (M3-AR), Brazil (M3-BR), and Mexico (updated to the M3-MX1) are all scheduled to go on sale in early 2009, with each model packing its respective country maps as well as a multimedia player, 3.5-inch touchscreen, text-to-speech support, oodles of POIs, an integrated antenna, rechargeable Li-ion and a stylus for no good reason good measure. All three will sell for $249.99, and the full release is after the break.
Spellborn's American launch pushed back, closed beta starts the 27th
So we heard a couple months ago that The Chronicles of Spellborn would be released in North America and the United Kingdom on November 27th, coinciding with the continental European launch. Turns out it's been pushed back -- kinda. The European launch will still commence on the 27th, but the North American closed beta will begin on that day, with the actual, final launch occurring sometime in January.Sure, we're a bit disappointed, but chances are we'll still get to play the game soon. Acclaim, the game's publisher in the region, went out of its way in the press release it sent us to stress the "Freemium" business model -- a newbie trial area will be available to all players, who can reach level seven before they have to upgrade to a premium subscription at the usual $15/month rate. The idea of an unlimited free trial area with a level cap isn't fresh -- both Meridian 59 and EverQuest II have done that, but it's not a bad way to sample a game to decide if you want to invest your hard-earned cash in it. Might be worth trying just for Jesper Kyd's soundtrack
DirecTV HD comes to Argentina
The world is evidently DirecTV's oyster, as the satcaster has now launched an HD web portal for Argentinians just a week after going live with HD service in Latin America. Details about actual high-def offerings (outside of Fox HD and DirecTV HD Showcase) are still vague at the moment, but we are told that those who opt for the service will be handed an HD DVR capable of storing 400 hours of SD content and 100 hours of HD footage. Let us know if you gather up the courage to bite.[Via The Argentine Post, thanks Santiago]
Cinpolis and RealD to bring 3D cinema to more of Mexico
Funny story -- so just four months back, we were seriously wondering if 3D theaters could truly thrive. Here we are just a season later, and the answer is looking clearer all the time. Cinépolis, the planet's fifth largest cinema exhibitor, has just announced in conjunction with RealD a new partnership that will bring 500 new 3D screens to locales in Mexico, South America and Central America. Six of the new screens have already been installed, while the remainder will continue to be rolled out until 2010. Exact cities weren't mentioned, but we are told that those who get 'em before December can expect to see Disney's BOLT in eye-popping 3D this Christmas.[Image courtesy of HomeTheaterBlog]
Latin American-Spanish language pack beta available for US servers
It's Beta time! Unfortunately, we're not talking about the Wrath of the Lich King Beta. Instead, we're talking about the new Latin American Spanish version of World of Warcraft. Eyonix announced yesterday that the Beta Test has begun. You can download the language pack here, the FAQ is located here, and Q&A Representatives will be on hand on the official forums here to answer questions and address problems during the test. Good luck to all you Cazadores of bad grammar and misused language, Guerreros for the cause of South American servers, and all the rest who'll be testing this out.
Bully ban means no virtual wedgies in Brazil
Brazil seems to be having a lot of censorship issues lately, but in terms of video games, Bully is the most recent victim.According to an Associated Press article, Judge Flavio Rabello recently ordered that Rockstar's controversial game be banned from the country. This means that Brazilian stores (both brick and mortar and online) cannot sell the software, nor can the title be imported, distributed, or promoted.So, why Bully over other violent games? State prosecutor Alcindo Bastos commented, "The aggravating factor is that everything in the game takes place inside a school. That is not acceptable." Yet, Bully isn't first game to be prohibited in the Latin American country; earlier this year, Counter-Strike and Everquest were banned as well.It's a shame when governments don't take the time to understand something before following a knee-jerk reaction. Perhaps bullying is a touchy subject, since the issue involves children committing violence against other children, but pretending it doesn't exist by banning media that portrays it won't solve any problems. Gallery: Bully [Via Game Politics]
LG CU500 + Argentina = MU500
Not too far removed from its North American launch in CU500 guise, LG's metallic flip with the rotating cam is heading to South America -- this time as the "MU500." Much as the CU500 was North America's first HSDPA handset at retail, the MU500 will allegedly be Argentina's first, offering the same 1.3 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, and external music controls as its English-speaking cousin. Unlike the CU500, though -- and any phone launched since on AT&T, for that matter -- the MU500 supports video calling, a feature native to UMTS that most 3G carriers choose to deploy. Look for it to launch on Argentina's Personal network.[Via Mobilewhack and Telecoms Korea]
Nintendo DS tops 10 million in the Americas [update 1]
Coinciding with its recent 10 million in Europe milestone, the Nintendo DS has also topped 10 million "in the Americas," according to the latest press release. Playing the numbers game yet again, Nintendo claims to have sold nearly nine DS or DS Lite units every minute.The DS launched earliest in the US, on November 21, 2004, close to 795 days ago. That number converts to approximately 1.145 million minutes, which would give Nintendo sales figures of 10.3 million portable systems -- certainly a lot more precise than previous ventures by Nintendo into the magical world of Arithmetic. Still, who are we to judge Nintendo's math skills when scientists are working to define a new number that explains the DS's sales numbers in Japan (sources tell us they'll likely go with "Nintend-illion").[Update 1: Title used to refer to Western Hemisphere, which was used to reference the Americas but not any portion of Europe or Africa that subsequently lie in the West. Headline has been changed.]
South Americans countries hem and haw over HDTV standard
While it's admittedly unfortunate that the world just can't agree on a single high definition broadcast format to use around the globe, boundaries have already been laid across most of the first world nations. Many South American countries, however, still haven't chosen which format to support, and proponents for both ISDB and DVB are lobbying intently to get their support business. As we suspected early last year, Brazil has finally made its choice, and will take in ISDB as it looks to create more local jobs by manufacturing the equipment from within in new construction factories. Brazilian officials were even able to solicit $2 billion in Japanese funding to erect a "local semiconductor factory be financed by Panasonic, Toshiba, NEC, and Sony." Argentina, however, wasn't swayed one way or the other by the snazzy presentations it saw, and enters 2007 with an "undecided" bid. So as unfortunate as it may be, it looks you'll probably be picking up a separate portable tuner for almost every nation you visit, but hey, at least some things are universal, right?
