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More players means more crashes in Trials Fusion trailer
Trials Fusion: Come for the camaraderie of four-person multiplayer races, stay because your pelvis was atomized by an oncoming tree. [Image: Red Lynx]
Trials Frontier rides to iOS on April 10
Trials Frontier, one of the two upcoming games in the motorcycle-flipping series from developer RedLynx, will launch April 10 on iOS. The mobile entry in the series will roll to Android at a later, undisclosed date. Being the first Trials game on iOS and Android isn't Frontier's only departure for RedLynx, as the game is also set in a futuristic wild-west environment "after the fall of the Trials Fusion universe." Players unlock small villages that are all that remain of civilization in Frontier as well as new motorcycles, characters and upgrades for their bikes. Those that connect the game with Trials Fusion will receive bonus gear as well. Trials Frontier was first announced during publisher Ubisoft's E3 2013 press conference alongside Trials Fusion. Fusion is slated to launch April 16 on PC and entered a closed beta phase late last week. [Image: Ubisoft]
PlayStation Blog details Towerfall: Ascension's Quest, Trials modes
Towerfall: Ascension is picking up Quest and Trials modes along with its subtitle in its upgrade for PC and PS4. While one of the modes was announced in Ascension's previous reveal trailer, a recent PlayStation Blog post offers details on actual gameplay elements from each style of play. In Quest mode, players can team up or fight on their own against varied waves of monsters, which the PS Blog notes range from "scythe-wielding warriors to leaping globs of slime." Some enemies will also have unique abilities, like the rival archers that can send arrows shot at them right back toward their origin. Trials mode is a solo affair, pitting players against dummy targets and a timer. The faster players kill off their inanimate opponents, the more prestigious their rewarding medal will be. The PS Blog describes Trials stages as "addictive as they are difficult," but adds that restarting a challenge takes less than a second, which should keep the frustration focused on the game instead of loading screens. Ascension will take its shot at PS4 and PC this week and has come a long way from its vanilla verison's Ouya-exclusive debut last year. [Image: Matt Thorson]
San Jose State University suspends Udacity online course trials
San Jose State University's online education pilot held the promise of real course credit without the hassles of attending class in person. It hasn't worked that way in practice, however, and both SJSU as well as its partner Udacity have suspended their plans for fall courses. Quite simply, there have been too many flunkies so far -- while 83 percent of students completed their sessions this spring, no more than 44 percent of any given class earned a passing grade. SJSU and Udacity will use the break to learn what went wrong and retool the program, although it's not clear just when (or if) internet-based classes will resume. Online education is far from finished when similar for-credit trials have yet to begin; for now, though, SJSU students will have to drag themselves to the lecture hall.
UK to test driverless cars on public roads before the end of 2013
While Americans have seen a few driverless cars on the open road, their British counterparts have had to settle for demos on private circuits. They'll get a better glimpse soon, though, as the UK Department for Transport now expects tests on public streets by the end of 2013. The initial trial runs will be gentle -- Oxford University's Nissan Leaf-based RobotCars will drive only on lightly trafficked roads, with humans tagging along in the event of a crisis. We haven't yet seen a timetable for more aggressive experiments, but we're not exactly in a hurry to compete with early autonomous cars during rush hour. [Image credit: Oxford University]
Visa teams up with RBS for V.me's first UK outing
Soon after getting V.me past the beta stage, Visa has signed up with old partner RBS for the UK launch of the digital wallet service. RBS and NatWest customers have started playing with the PayPal rival, and a full-blown rollout is aimed for spring 2013. While BBVA is slated to be the first financial institution to bring V.me to Spain, a French outing is planned for later this year. With mobile payments looking up, not least when springing for a cup of latte, it's yet another step leading towards a cashless world -- albeit a world where plastic still rules.
NYT: Google actively trialing same-day delivery from retail for the chronically impatient
Rumors have floated for the better part of a year that Google has been prepping a same-day delivery service that would pressure eBay and make even Amazon Prime seem pokey. If we're to believe a pair of New York Times contacts, it's much closer to reality. Google staffers and their close connections are supposedly in the midst of testing the extra-fast shipping option in San Francisco with at "at least one" major clothing chain participating alongside local shops. Most details are still missing, including the price premium for waiting mere hours as well as the implied mobile option; Google certainly isn't talking on the record. We're almost hoping that the story is bogus, as the last thing we need is one less reason to step outside.
USPTO has 'tentatively' invalidated Apple's key rubber-banding patent
The US Patent and Trademark Office may have just thrown a wrench into Apple's recent courtroom triumph over Samsung by invalidating one of the patents at the heart of the victory: rubber-banding. We noted at the time that Apple hit a "home run" with that particular IP, as jurors declared that all 21 disputed Samsung devices infringed it, no doubt resulting in a large part of the $1 billion (and counting) owed by the Korean maker. "Claim 19" of patent 7469381, which covers that feature, was invalidated by the USPTO on two counts, both of which were cases of prior art that allegedly existed before Cupertino claimed them. Either one could be enough reason to throw out that part of the patent, according to FOSS Patents, provided that the USPTO's ruling stands up. Either way, Samsung has already brought the new information to Judge Koh's attention -- which might bring about some new action very soon.
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]
Apple SVP Eddy Cue wanted 7-inch iPad in 2011, internal email says
During today's proceedings at the Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement trial in Northern California, an internal Apple email came to light, where Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue suggested that the company manufacture a 7-inch tablet, anticipating a market for a smaller slate. The email reportedly dates back to January of 2011, and was sent to Scott Forstall, Tim Cook and Phil Schiller, according to The Next Web. AllThingsD added that the topic originated with an email from a reporter, who shared that they had switched to a 7-inch Samsung tablet from the iPad, because they found the smaller size of the Tab more appealing. Cue reportedly agreed with the findings, and made his own suggestion. That email hasn't led to a smaller form-factor iPad to date, but with rumors heating up around an upcoming "iPad Mini," it's possible that Apple's compact tablet could one day arrive. And Cue was right -- there's clearly demand for a 7-inch tablet. Update: Read the email for yourself after the break.
Minecraft XBLA character skin pack features a few favorites
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is getting a DLC pack with 40 character skins, set to drop around the same time as title update 1.7.3, which entered Microsoft certification today. Some of the skins are originals, while five of them in particular are based on popular Xbox franchises.The character pack will include Creeper, 'Splosion Man, Trials dude, Covenant Grunt and King skins, all of which you can see above. Shh, though – don't tell the 'Splosion Man skin that he just looks like a naked dude with jaundice.
T-Mobile to conduct LTE-Advanced trials this summer in preparation for 2013 deployment
Eager to get its LTE ducks in a row, T-Mobile announced today that it plans to begin trials of the next-gen network this summer. But here's the kicker: despite being tardy to the high-speed party, it plans on deploying true 4G in 2013, throttling ahead to the latest and greatest version known as 3GPP Release 10 -- also known as LTE-Advanced. Hitting this mark is crucial for T-Mobile, primarily because Sprint and AT&T have already announced their intentions to jump to the same speeds next year. T-Mobile also discussed its mysterious deployment of 1900MHz 3G service in San Francisco this week. According to Dave Mayo, SVP of technology, this is part of the carrier's 4G network evolution plan: to improve voice and data coverage and make its 4G network (we presume he's talking HSPA+ here) compatible with "a broader range of devices (including the iPhone)." He says what occurred at Moscone West this week is just the beginning -- in his words, "more of these speed sightings will occur as we work toward introducing 4G HSPA+ service in our 1900MHz spectrum in a large number of markets later this year." Overall, we'd say some great things are starting to happen in magentaland as it gets ready to hit the turbo boost button and shed the "faux-G" tag next year.
France's Toulouse-Blagnac airport to conduct NFC field trials for BlackBerry smartphones
Navigating through airport security is hardly the most fanciful way of kicking off a vacation, but this summer, a handful of frequent fliers in France will take part in a field trial that aims to streamline the process and make it a bit more enjoyable. Fifty lucky travelers armed with BlackBerry smartphones will take part in a pilot study that tests the authentication technology recently developed by Orange and SITA. Upon their arrival at the Toulouse-Blagnac airport, the handset's NFC-capable SIM card will serve as an access pass to the car park, the premium access zone for departures and even the private lounge area. Smartphone integration will provide travelers with real-time flight information, and it's said that the handset will even remember the location of one's vehicle in the car park. As the system is hardware-based, the identity verification technology will even work when the smartphone is turned off. The Toulouse-Blagnac airport aims to have a broader NFC implementation available by 2013-2014, which may allow users to board flights and pay for goods with their mobile device. To learn more about the vision, you'll find the PR after the break.
City of Heroes lets low-level players go Drowning in Blood
Designing a low-level instance is a challenge that's rarely discussed. High-level challenges are of course the marquee elements of any game, but the low-level content needs love. How do you introduce the concepts to players? How do you make the rewards meaningful while still making room for later improvement? City of Heroes is tackling precisely those problems with the new Drowning in Blood trial, a level 15-30 trial in Bloody Bay coming with Issue 22. In a recent developer diary, world designer Cord Carney explains how the team tried to balance both storytelling aspects and gameplay elements, keeping the second lower-level trial as engaging for new and returning players as the recent introductory trial Death From Below. Carney also explains how the trial will offer players a chance at obtaining a buff that lasts up to level 30, giving everyone a reason to participate with lower characters without unbalancing the endgame. It's an interesting look at making lower-level content engaging, epic, and fun.
City of Heroes' newest Incarnate Trial learns from past mistakes
Incarnate Trials have proven to be some of the most challenging -- and interesting -- endgame content in City of Heroes to date, and players who have enjoyed them are undoubtedly anxious for the latest one, Dilemma Diabolique, which is coming with Issue 22. Senior Designer Chris Behrens wrote an informative dev diary in which he outlines five lessons the studio's learned from past Incarnate Trials and how these lessons will affect Dilemma Diabolique. These lessons include adding rest periods between fights, giving players clear information, keeping trash mobs from exhibiting super-powered (more so than usual) abilities, delivering attractive rewards, and tuning special mechanics so they don't overwhelm players. Dilemma Diabolique looks to be a quicker trial than its brethren, although Behrens sees this as a virtue: "We feel that the faster pace of the trial for maxed Incarnates is reward in itself, since it makes accumulating Empyrean Merits for our most dedicated Incarnates a faster endeavor."
The Anvil of Crom: A four-month F2P report card
Greetings barbaric faithful, and welcome to another installment of the Anvil of Crom. In between bouts of getting frustrated with the Isle of the Iron Statues dungeon this week (I know, I know, it's sooooo easy, and how bad can I be if I have trouble with it?!), I've been giving a fair amount of thought to Age of Conan's free-to-play experiment. It's been nearly four months since the devs rolled out the freemium Unchained patch, and that's ample time for me to have formed a few opinions (and to have revised a few others). Join me after the cut for some discussion on what works, what doesn't, and what I hope to see going forward.
Ask Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition
We could pretend that the important story of last week was something other than the launch of pre-orders for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but that would be a lie. I know I went straight down to pre-order my copy as soon as I was done with some work in the morning. As usual, it wasn't without controversy -- issues over staggered pre-order releases, limited quantities, and my personal favorite, the fear that it might include some sort of microtransactions in its business model. You know, like every other major subscription game on the market. Before you ask, I got the regular edition. I'm not paying three times the price for a statue. Anyway, this week's Ask Massively is pretty heavily tied into the pre-order talk, what with questions about release dates and the state of no-trial launches. As always, you can feel free to ask a question for a future installment of the column via mail to ask@massively.com, or you can just toss your question in the happy comment field below.
T-Mobile G2x Gingerbread update running through employee trials, "coming soon" just got closer
You didn't think T-Mobile forgot all about you G2x users out there, did ya? The phone, foreordained to become the carrier's poster child, didn't have the best launch ever; when you release a device plagued with glitches and a nearly-immediate inventory shortage, you're not really starting off on the right foot. Don't let those "out of stock" signs fool you into thinking the mystical handset has been completely wiped from existence, however. It's still around -- in fact, the "Get More" network is hard at work to give more, prepping the phone's update to Gingerbread that'll likely include much-needed fixes. We reached out to a T-Mobile spokesperson, who briefed us on the progress of this elusive refresh: T-Mobile is working with LG to deliver a software update to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) for the G2x, which we expect will deliver some performance enhancements. We are currently trialing this update with a pilot group of T-Mobile employees. As it appears, we're another step closer to one of the most-anticipated software updates of the summer. There's no telling how long this testing phase will last, nor what steps lay between now and "this summer." Regardless, Android 2.3 is still on track to show up "sooner than we'd expect," which is accurate... if you expected it to take four months.
WoW goes free-to-play through level 20
Welcome! It's a good day to be one of the few remaining human beings who isn't playing World of Warcraft. While previously players who set up a new trial account were limited by 14 days of playtime and a level cap, Blizzard announced today that players on any trial account are able to play the game forever for free. The catch, of course, is that players are capped at level 20 until they upgrade. You can try out any of the races and classes available up through The Burning Crusade expansion, including the blood elves and draenei, with no time limit and no limit on characters created. If you do get the hankering for more WoW thanks to the trial, you can get the digital Battle Chest, which includes classic WoW and The Burning Crusade, for $19.99 (as soon as the Blizzard site works again, anyway). Trying out WoW for the first time with one of these trials? Have a friend who's just starting out and needs a push in the right direction? Check out WoW Rookie, our resource for new or casual players, with topics like: Turn WoW into quality time by playing with a partner Pick the class that's right for you Learn how to run dungeons with groups For a full list of the restrictions placed on endless trial accounts, check after the break.
BT and Everything Everywhere will start LTE trial in rural UK this September
Some of the UK's most remote parts still don't have access to broadband of any kind, but later this year, they might have the sort that makes us look on in envy. BT and Everything Everywhere are planning to start an LTE trial in Cornwall, England's most southerly county, which will last from the 1st of September through to the end of December. Connection speeds could scale as high as 40Mbps, though the typical rate is expected to be closer to 10Mbps. Volunteers are now being sought to participate in the trial, though they have to reside (or be willing to move, we presume) in the pretty tiny 4G coverage area near Newquay. BT and T-MOrange have been allowed a temporary slice of 800MHz spectrum to do their experimenting in, which will likely be up for grabs in the LTE spectrum auction that's set for next year. First we take Newquay, then we take the world.
