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Microsoft closes Victoria studio, moves development to Vancouver
Microsoft has shuttered its Victoria, British Columbia studio after two years of operation, affecting at least 30 positions. Microsoft told British Columbia's Times Colonist the decision was made to "centralize development" in its Vancouver studios. "This was not an easy decision, but one guided by our desire to centralize development in our Vancouver studios. We are working closely with all employees affected by this change to identify open positions in other studios, and we remain committed to doing business in British Columbia." Microsoft's Vancouver studio, Black Tusk, is currently working on the next "big" Micosoft game. The formation of the Victoria, BC office was part of a $1 billion investment in Xbox One. This initiative saw Microsoft forming multiple studios across the globe – London, Victoria and Washington – and securing 15 exclusives for the Xbox One's first year of existence. In a statement to Polygon, Microsoft said the studio's closure would not cause the cancellation of any projects the studio was working on, whatever they may be. "We did not cancel any projects rather we centralized our development efforts in BC to our Vancouver offices."
Rogers LTE hits 18 new regions, delivers speedy data in Saskatoon
Rogers promised that October 1st would be a grand day for its LTE expansion plans, and we're now learning that it might have been underpromising to overdeliver later. The carrier just flicked the 4G switch for 18 cities and regions, or eight more territories than it had promised just two weeks ago. Most of the coverage still focuses on the southern tip of Ontario, including London, the Oshawa area and RIM's hometown of Waterloo, but there's a much more trans-Canada bent to the official deployment. Western cities like Saskatoon and Victoria now fit into Rogers' LTE map beyond a previously announced Edmonton, while the Quebec rollout is going past Quebec City to include Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières. All told, the one day of growth is enough to supply Rogers LTE to almost 60 percent of Canada's population -- a convenient figure when one of the year's more important LTE smartphones just became available less than two weeks prior. [Thanks, Jon]
Virgin Media activates more tube WiFi hotspots, minds the gaps in its coverage
Virgin Media has flicked the switch and coated Kings Cross and Warren Street tube stations in gloriously free WiFi. The pair will be joined tomorrow by Oxford Circus and Green Park, while Victoria and Euston will do the same on the 9th. In order to use the service, which is free during the Olympics, users need to hop onto the network and register their email address. Once the summer is over, Virgin Media customers will get preferential treatment on the network, with everyone else buying pay-as-you-go minutes so they can tweet about how long we're stuck at Edgware Road... again.
Australian AG Clark hesitant to pass R18+ rating
According to a report from The Age, the long-debated Australian R18+ games rating may be shot down again during a July meeting of the nation's Attorneys-General, despite receiving the full support of the federal government. Victoria AG Robert Clark has expressed concern over the proposed ratings adoption, saying he's worried the new classification "would legalize games with high levels of graphic, frequent and gratuitous violence, including violence against civilians and police." Clark shares the concerns of Australian Christian Lobby director Rob Ward, who said the Classification Board was "asleep at the wheel" when it granted titles like Grand Theft Auto 4 and House of the Dead: Overkill MA15+ ratings, allowing them to be released in the territory. Ward added, "that's not a reason to create an R18+ category. That's a reason to clip them behind the ear." Whoa, there, fella. Now who's being violent? [Thanks, Shane]
Cops serve court papers via Facebook, perp comments: 'doesn't like'
We thought we'd seen this move on Law and Order, but whatever: police in Victoria got court approval to deliver court papers via Facebook when all other attempts to contact the individual -- including snail mail and stopping by the house -- failed to pan out. In addition to sending 'em as a private message, a video was also shot of the order being read "as if the Respondent was being directly spoken to," just in case there were any misunderstandings. This isn't the first time Australian courts have used non-traditional means to notify alleged perps: in 2008 courts first granted a lawyer the right to use Facebook in this manner, and that same year a rugby player named Sonny Bill Williams was subpoenaed via SMS message. In case you hadn't guessed it yet, they were looking for the guy for harassment and cyber-bullying -- on Facebook.
Novero's Bluetooth headset doubles as neckwear, savings destroyer
Can't say we've ever heard of Novero before today, but after watching the undoubtedly mesmerizing homescreen loop linked there in the source, we can safely say we'll never (ever) forget about 'em. From what we can gather, this company specializes in overpriced jewelry, and given that Bluetooth headset use is rising stratospherically, seeing a new necklace-slash-BT headset hit the market just makes perfect sense. All sarcasm aside, the new Victoria line actually is fairly edgy, and if the light hits you right, it's actually palatable. The collection consists of the Victoria Lapis, Pearl, Stripes, Wave and Victor, all of which purportedly boast the same innards but different exteriors. Specifications are unsurprisingly hard to come by, but considering some of the more blinged out models are priced at around $120,000, it's not likely to matter. Video's past the break, richy.
Sony Ericsson's "Victoria" gets official as the Cyber-shot K770
She's here and right on schedule. Meet Victoria, Sony Ericsson's latest candybar to wear the Cyber-shot crown. Officially unveiled as the K770, the 14-mm thin cameraphone features a 3.2 megapixel, autofocus camera with LED photo light, and 1.9-inch QVGA display just like we heard. It ships with a 256MB M2 card and goes tri-band GSM with 2100MHz UMTS 3G for Europe. She's expected sometime around Q4 for an undisclosed price. Check the full gallery over at Engadget Mobile.
New Sony Ericsson handsets looming?
We aren't insinuating that you should attach any level of truth to these rumors just yet, but the boards of Esato are alive with murmurs of a few new SE handsets that could be launched as early as tomorrow. Amongst the mobiles that we could hear more about (officially) in the coming day is the Cyber-shot-branded "Victoria" -- which will supposedly be 14-millimeters thick and sport a 1.9-inch QVGA screen, five color options, and a 128MB M2 card bundled in -- and the still elusive "Veronica." Additionally, we could also be treated to the W350, a Cyber-shot clamshell / Cyber-shot slider, and new "accessories" to boot. Best of all, though, is that you've just a single day left to find out if there's actually any substance to these whispers, but if it does prove true, it certainly won't be the first time.[Via PocketPicks]
Is Sony Ericsson prepping "Victoria" for launch?
The rumor mill is beginning to bubble with new Sony Ericsson info, and if true to usual form, we can expect a show and tell day in the not too distant future. The word is a new candybar's in town, codenamed "Victoria" and that it comes packing 3.2 megapixels of cam-joy in a thinner-than-the-already-thin-T650 package. Apparently to keep "Victoria" looking svelte, the camera lens is flush mounted on the body behind a sliding metallic cover. Word has it that this could be announced mid-August, hopefully we'll have more info between now and then.
Urilift: the disappearing public urinal (and we do mean public)
While there's no shortage of bathroom-based oddities floating around out there, the Urilift system definitely takes top honors. Since the presumably alcoholics anonymous-approved Wizmark urinals can't keep everyone from getting a little tipsy, officials in Victoria, British Columbia are taking a note from European countries to keep urine off the streets. Rather than leaving inebriated party-going males nowhere to relieve themselves on the streets, the government is considering installing hydraulic toilets in the roadways, which are remotely triggered at night to appear from their subterranean dwelling place. While there's no doors or privacy factor involved, those who were previously choosing to take it to the sidewalks probably won't mind all that much, and designers say the open design discouraged loitering and criminal activity anyway. Priced at $75,000 a pop, Victoria plans to become the first North American locale to try these newfangled restrooms out -- and hey, at least we know where to head for a clean(er) Spring Break now, right?
