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Russian search giant Yandex built a smart speaker for its AI assistant
Russia isn't going to sit on the sidelines while American companies like Amazon and Google conquer the smart speaker world. Search giant Yandex has launched the Yandex.Station, billed both as Russia's first smart speaker and the company's first hardware product. The device uses Yandex's in-house voice assistant, Alice, to handle upwards of 4,000 skills like checking traffic, ordering pizza or finding flights. However, its real specialty is video -- it's an unusual bridge between audio-only speakers and smart displays.
American McGee looks for help snaring Alice: Otherlands film rights
American McGee wants to bring Alice back, but in a new form: as an animated film. A fresh Kickstarter from McGee's studio, Spicy Horse, seeks to purchase the film rights to the Alice games, which are owned by Collision Entertainment, a group of Hollywood producers, McGee tells VG24/7. All the negotiations are done, and now all McGee needs is the cash. The Alice: Otherlands Kickstarter asks for $200,000 and promises, at a minimum, "an animated adventure into Otherlands," with a big-screen adaptation of Otherlands as a long-term goal. The film's premise remains the same as its game counterpart, starring Alice as she roams London, entering the Wonderlands within other people's heads on a quest to defeat an encroaching evil. She may enter the mental landscapes of people such as Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, Jack the Ripper, Mark Twain, Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, for example. The Kickstarter covers film only, not the production of another Alice game; those rights are still tied up at EA. The campaign follows Spicy Horse's cancelled Kickstarter, OZombie, which raised $141,513 of its $950,000 goal and had three weeks remaining. McGee stopped that project to take advantage of the Alice film opportunity. There's a limited window for McGee to purchase the film rights from Collision Entertainment; once that time expires, the rights will enter the open market. Collision approached McGee first, a move the group didn't have to make. "This is a kindness on their part – they could have gone straight to market and highest bidder, but they told me they think the rights belong with the creator of the property – me," McGee says. "I think they're right about this. I'd hate to see the rights end up in the hands of some faceless corporation or other entity with no emotional connection to the property."
American McGee's OZombie Kickstarter canceled, Alice movie Kickstarter begins later this week
American McGee's Spicy Horse development studio is abandoning its Kickstarter for OZombie, a twisted take on L. Frank Baum's novels. The project had 2,607 backers and raised $141,513 of a $950,00 goal, with approximately three weeks to go. "The Oz campaign has to end. There are two realities driving the decision. First, we're facing a challenge with the Alice film rights," wrote McGee on the campaign's Kickstarter page. "Second, we wouldn't consider shutting down the Oz campaign if it were trending towards success. As it is, we've reached 15 percent of our goal with 20 days left in the campaign. Projections suggest we'll hit 30 percent of our goal by campaign end. I've been telling myself to remain optimistic and see this thing through – but when the reality of our funding trend is combined with the pressure of the Alice film rights situation..." What Alice film rights? Well, turns out that McGee isn't thinking about a third game for his darker take on Alice in Wonderland, but about some kind of animated short or film. "For Oz, we can always launch another campaign in the future. On the other hand, the Alice film rights are only within reach during a rapidly closing window of opportunity. We'll sacrifice Oz today in order to have a real chance with Alice." McGee continued, "Now we turn our attention to Alice. Securing these film rights would be nothing short of a major coup. We'd control a significant portion of Alice's future. Being able to produce animations, feature films and related merchandise means keeping Alice's world fresh, no matter what else might happen with the game portion of the property. I hope you'll join us in making this a reality." That Kickstarter is scheduled to start later this week.
Into the heart of CERN: an underground tour of the Large Hadron Collider (video)
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland I've been to see ALICE -- though there was no looking glass to jump through, just a retina scanner and one very long elevator ride down into the earth. I've toured a CMS that has nothing to do with online publishing. I've even gently laid my body on the most powerful particle accelerator in the world and raised the ire of surrounding engineers in the interest of a good shot. I did all of this at CERN, the international particle physics laboratory located near Geneva, Switzerland. But you probably know it best as the birthplace of the world wide web and home of the Large Hadron Collider. And, yes, it was all exactly like a walking fever dream. %Gallery-192868% %Gallery-192867% %Gallery-192869% %Gallery-192870%
American McGee launches OZombie Kickstarter, Alice still on his mind
American McGee's Spicy Horse development studio has picked a game for Kickstarter that's been pickling in pre-production for a while: OZombie for PC, Mac, Linux and latest-gen tablets. It's a twisted take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the books, not the movie), starring the Scarecrow as the former king of Emerald City, exiled and mentally tortured. Series author L. Frank Baum describes the Scarecrow as "the wisest man in all Oz," after all – and now he's the most evil. Players will take control of Dorothy's great-great-granddaughter, alongside the Tin Woodsman and the Lion, to fight the Scarecrow and his army. OZombie is a single-player-centric game, with a multiplayer mode unlocked after completing the main campaign. It features multiple game modes, spanning RPG, tactical combat and exploration, and has a narrative focus. Spicy Horse is looking for $950,000 in the OZombie Kickstarter, and it has 41 days to get there. In one day, it's raised around $60,000. Earlier this year, Spicy Horse said it would launch a Kickstarter for either OZombie or Alice: Otherlands, American McGee's next foray into the Alice universe. The Alice license is tied up at EA following the launch of Alice: Madness Returns in 2011, and Spicy Horse is negotiating to get it back. Spicy Horse has started pre-production on Alice: Otherlands already. "I won't stop trying to make new Alice games," McGee writes in a Kickstarter update. He continues: "We're still having meaningful and productive conversations with EA regarding Alice. Truth is, it's an important bit of IP for them and for us (and for you!) which means that negotiating a deal is going to take time."
EA, Spicy Horse to settle on Alice rights (or not) by July
Spicy Horse's negotiations with EA for the rights to the Alice franchise – and production of Alice: Otherworlds – continue, with the proceedings now expected to conclude in some fashion by July. "It still comes back to our negotiations with Electronic Arts for a licensing agreement to produce a new Alice title," the company said in a newsletter, speaking on whether it would produce Alice: Otherworlds or OZombie first. "Should we reach an agreement, then come July, it's full steam ahead on a Kickstarter for Alice. If we cannot, to Oz with Dorothy we shall go." Either way, Spicy Horse's next project will be funded through a Kickstarter in July, though the developer won't be announcing which project is actually going forward until the campaign launches.
American McGee's Spicy Horse working on a shiny new Oz game
Spicy Horse, the studio founded by Alice creator American McGee in 2007, is working on a game based on The Wizard of Oz – but it's not American McGee's Oz, the game that was canceled in 2004 when publisher Atari pulled funding. "This is not, in any way, shape or form, the title from 2004," Spicy Horse Community Manager Kelly Heckman tells Joystiq. The new Oz game is still in its early stages, and Spicy Horse has yet to decide which genre it will be – strategy, puzzler, platformer, action, FPS – though the studio has a few ideas. The game will be cross-platform between tablets and PC, Mac and Linux, and while Spicy Horse likes the idea of a physical product, it has no concrete plans in that regard. "It will be based on the entire Oz series – almost all 14 titles – so expect to see unique things not seen in previous incarnations," Heckman says. As legend has it, nearly a decade ago McGee began crafting a Wizard of Oz game, but Atari canceled it in 2004, after producing a handful of action figures and concept art. McGee went on to found Spicy Horse and partnered with EA to launch Alice: Madness Returns in 2011. Spicy Horse is currently in talks with EA to retrieve the Alice license, and it has plans for a third game in the series, Alice: Otherlands. Spicy Horse is working on two Kickstarters – one for Alice: Otherlands and one for Oz – but which project actually goes live will depend entirely on EA and how that Alice deal goes down, Heckman says. Yesterday on the Facebook page for Alice: Otherlands, one fan suggested that if Spicy Horse couldn't work out the Alice rights with EA, it should develop "that Oz title instead." Spicy Horse responded, "It's already in the works."
Alice: Otherlands is seriously considering Kickstarter, plans a video
American McGee's Spicy Horse development studio is getting serious about this Kickstarter idea for the third Alice installment, Alice: Otherlands. A Facebook page started in April contains multiple mentions of Kickstarter, potential rewards and teases about "hush-hush" negotiations with EA. Spicy Horse is now working on a Kickstarter video for Alice: Otherlands and it wants an existing Alice cosplayer to star in it. The shoot is scheduled for June in Shanghai, China, Spicy Horse's home base. "This contest does not mean the 'Otherlands' project will definitely happen – we're still working on deal-making, which could stall or fall through altogether," Spicy Horse cautions at the end of its announcement. For now, check out some of the early art for Alice: Otherlands and keep those Vorpal Blades crossed. Alice: Otherlands features Alice in London, where she invades the minds of passersby and plays around in thousands of diverse, mental Wonderlands, McGee told us during GDC. He envisioned it not as a AAA game, but as an online, cooperative, cross-platform experience between tablets and browsers – but that was before EA had a say.
New Alice game probably won't be AAA, features Alice in 'Otherland'
Spicy Horse – namely Alice series founders American McGee and RJ Berg – is pitching a new Alice game to EA this week, following a Facebook poll to gauge player interest in "Alice 3" as a concept and a Kickstarter project. Spicy Horse is ready to roll on a new game: something online, cooperative and with user-generated content, all spanning different platform access points.EA controls the Alice franchise and Spicy Horse wants to leverage its own burgeoning game distribution platform, which focuses on Android tablet-browser cross-play. This means the new game probably won't be a AAA project, Berg tells Joystiq at GDC."Probably a AAA title, as the previous two have been, is not the first priority of EA right now," Berg says. "We have to construct a very strong idea of how that presentation might run, but it's up to them to pick up on the opportunity."McGee and Berg have a clear narrative outline for the new Alice game, throwing Alice onto the streets of London and into the minds of everyone she passes. "Right now the idea is Alice in 'Otherland,'" McGee says. "It's her invading the minds of other people and visiting their Wonderlands, and using what she's learned about her own mental landscape to go in and harm or heal the people she encounters. It means that the streets of London become the portals into 1,000, 10,000 amazing, different stories."McGee says Spicy Horse has the story, ideas, technology and wherewithal to make a new Alice game, and it's up to EA to take this opportunity. "The burden is really on them. It always is. Hopefully we can be charming enough."
Robots learn to share, try to repair bad rep (video)
We've been told time and time again to fear our mechanical friends, so imagine our relief when we heard that some Swiss scientists had a batch of bots that displayed altruism. What's more, these little two-wheeled foragers weren't programmed to share, they evolved the trait. Researchers at EPFL infused Alice microbots with digital "genes" that mutated over time as well as color sensors that allow them to navigate their environment. The robots were tasked with collecting "food" and given the option to keep it for themselves or split it amongst their silicon-brained relatives. The more they decided to give to others with similar genetic makeup the more those virtual genes were passed on to future generations -- including the one for altruism. The experiment is an example of Hamilton's Rule, an evolutionary model for how the seemingly counter-intuitive trait of selflessness could arise through natural selection. Don't let your guard down just yet, though -- the robots are only sharing with each other for now.
Alice: Madness Returns' 'Online Pass' grants you Alice 1 (it's $10 otherwise)
"I should very much like to tell you of Project Ten Dollar," pleaded Alice. "Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense," replied The Mock Turtle. EA has confirmed that the original American McGee's Alice will be bundled as a downloadable bonus with Alice: Madness Returns when it's released on June 14. The catch is that the download will be tied to an "Online Pass," EA's special name for access to its games' online components, which are unlocked with registration codes included in new copies of the games. Additionally, players will be required to have the Madness Returns disc in the tray to access Alice 1. If you purchase Madness Returns used (and without an unused Online Pass code), you'd have to pay $10 for the downloadable bonus. This marks the first time that the original Alice will be available on consoles. It will not be available on XBLA or PSN as a separate purchase -- at least, not immediately.
McGee: Alice sequel to include original game as DLC bonus
Alice: Madness Returns will include the original Alice, according to Spicy Horse head American McGee. Speaking to CVG, McGee said, "A person who's purchased Madness Returns gets a download code and is able to bring Alice 1 onto their console and play through the entire original game alongside playing Madness Returns." Additionally, McGee teased that the Alice sequel would see plenty of DLC ... dresses, which "come with special abilities and enhance how you play through the game." Curiouser and curiouser, an EA representative told Joystiq, "Unfortunately, we do not have information in regards to Alice: Madness Returns including the original Alice game." Either way, Alice: Madness Returns is slated for June 14 ... unless it's not. Madness, right?
Hanson Robokind puts a familiar Frubber face on robotic research (video)
He did it! As promised way back in 2007, David Hanson has turned his little Astro Boy-like Zeno robot loose upon our delicate planet. But Zeno is just one of four face options available for the Hanson Robokind -- the "almost human robot" considered "the best robot on the market" by its maker. In addition to the fully expressive Zeno, Alice, and Einstein (yes, that Einstein) faces, Hanson is also offering the static-faced Geo with fully functional eyes. Each face features Hanson's Frubber biometric skin that contracts and folds to simulate the action of your own flesh-coated facial muscles to create "millions" of possible expressions. These expressions are assisted by natural eyelid actions covering a pair of independently moving eyes, each equipped with 720p @ 30fps cameras for binocular stereo-vision. Rounding out the specs is a complete suite of sensors, microphones, optional Maxon motors, and an embedded computer with open source OS. Hanson's also working on a complete SDK it hopes to release ASAP. Prices start at $8,500 (model R-20) for a static body with motorized head on up to $14,750 (model R-50) for a maxed-out model with fully expressive head and walking body capable of 33 degrees of freedom. And hey, if you buy five expressive faces you'll get one interchangeable walking body for free. Now, get ready to get up close and personal with the entire Hanson family after the break.
Sharp brings quartet of phones to India, maintains some of their Japan-ness
Think this phone looks like a device destined for the Japanese domestic market? Not quite -- its manufacturer is Japanese, but this puppy's an export. That's right: Sharp has announced four phones that'll be going on sale in India later this year, ranging in price from Rs. 6,499 up to Rs. 17,999 (about $146 to $404). Cheapest is the Blink, a simple clamshell with dual SIM support; stepping up a notch is the Alice, a low-end full touchscreen phone. Up another notch from that, though, is where things start to get interesting: pictured above is the awesomely-named Cyborg, featuring the pivoting clamshell design made famous in Japan with a 3.2 megapixel camera on board. Finally, you've got the Tango, featuring 3G support -- 3G is just starting to go live en masse in India, remember -- and a 5 megapixel camera. Hard to say whether any of these would sell in the US, but heck, we wouldn't mind if Sharp gave it a shot.
IDEO's e-book concepts threaten our enjoyment of reading with social networking, online commentary
Every once in a while we come across a product designed by IDEO, but generally not anything to write home (or at least blog) about. But that doesn't mean that the industrial design firm's not hard at work conceptualizin' stuff, as this promo vid chock full of possible future e-books amply demonstrates. Nelson is meant to clue you in on a book's context by providing online commentary, fact-checking, and statistics about cultural impact, which is great when you're studying global warming for a class, perhaps, but seems a little over the top if you're curling up with the latest Left Behind novel. Coupland? Think Apple iBookstore-meets-Linked In, with colleague's reading lists, recommended books, and book clubs. This is for those of you whose summer beach reading includes Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices. Last but not least, Alice is the e-reader for those of you who want to "experience narratives in new and engaging ways," which seems to mean some sort of Web 2.0 / Choose Your Own Adventure hybrid. Actually, now that we think of it, we're probably better off with our old fashioned print books after all. Speaking of which, where did we put out copy of Left Behind? Video after the break.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar robots that fly, CO2 fabric dye, and the dark silicon that boosts battery life
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Solar power blazed a trail this week as we took a look at several hot new technologies, starting with SkyFuel's SkyTrough, which is being billed as the world's most efficient solar collector. We also saw solar energy take to the skies as designers unveiled plans for a fleet of high-flying solar robots, and we were surprised to learn that common household dyes could significantly increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by optimizing their color absorption spectrum. Speaking of dye, from the realm of wearable tech we also brought you a breakthrough new technique for dying fabric that saves water by utilizing fluid CO2. We also saw a prototype for a wired "safe cuddling" suit for kids that wards off improper touching by sounding an alarm, and if you're a fan of high-tech footwear, check out these tricked-out kicks that do double duty as Wii controllers. This week also saw a tremendous green boost for bits and bytes as the University of Leicester switched on its hyper-efficient ALICE supercomputer, which is ten times more powerful than its predecessor and stands to reduce yearly CO2 emissions by 800 tons. Meanwhile, researchers at UC San Diego revealed work on a new mobile phone chip that harnesses "dark silicon" to boost smartphone battery life by a factor of eleven. We also showcased several efficient autos as Southern California rolled out a fleet of all electric buses that can recharge in 10 minutes flat, and the hyper-miling Avion car embarked on a trip from Canada to Mexico with just 14 gallons of gas. And if you'll be doing some traveling of your own back to school this fall, you wont want to miss this chance to pick up an awesome solar-powered Sakku satchel. Finally, with Labor Day on its way why not upgrade your BBQ with an adorable altoids tin mini grill - it's curiously awesome!
'Alice: Madness Returns' revealed [update: new screens, video]
Twitter account @thewhiterabbit is teasing news related to "the mad world of Alice," a note that EA's own Twitter account relayed. This is about 100 percent likely to be the announcement of Alice: Madness Returns, the sequel to American McGee's Alice. For one thing, the background of the Twitter page includes the "alicemadnessreturns.com" URL, which currently redirects to EA.com/alice. "Alice: Madness Returns" was trademarked earlier this year by EA, and an Alice sequel was announced way back at DICE 2009, followed that year by an "unofficial" Alice-related video produced by someone with ties to developer Spicy Horse. EA is holding a press event in about ten minutes to announce several games, so we'll find out soon enough! Unless, like the White Rabbit, EA is late. Update: It's official, and the game is coming in 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Catch the terrifying teaser after the break, and the press release here. %Gallery-97858%
'Alice: Madness Returns' trademarked by EA
Electronic Arts has submitted a trademark application for "Alice: Madness Returns," a possible name for the previously announced sequel to American McGee's Alice. Beyond an "unofficial" teaser video for the sequel released in late 2009, details on the project have been slimmer than the Queen of Hearts' soldiers. We've contacted EA for info on what's down the rabbit hole.
Rumor: Resident Evil returns to the silver screen in 2010
According to Shock Till You Drop, the Resident Evil movies are getting a fourth installment in Resident Evil: Afterlife. A supposed internal memo at Sony Pictures seems to point to a September 17, 2010 release. Of course, this isn't the first time we've heard about a fourth Resident Evil movie, so we're considering this rumor fairly credible.Do we really want another Resident Evil movie, though? Hasn't Milla Jovovich beaten up enough zombified dogs and dudes in rubber suits?[Via Coming Soon]
American McGee likes where the Wii is taking us
If you've ever played the PC title Alice, then you got a lot farther than this blogger. The damn game only managed to crash my computer, but that's neither here nor there. People who have played Alice have enjoyed the title, for the most part. So you could say McGee has some standing in the games industry.His thoughts on Wii? "For too long it has seemed that games were becoming more and more hardcore while continually alienating potential new gamers," he says. "The massive success of simple games like The Sims offered clear signs that there was a huge under-served audience waiting for accessible, fun game content. With the Wii proving that next-gen doesn't have to mean more polys, better AI, or realistic graphics, I think there's hope that the gaming 'core audience' might just become the mass audience."What do you all think? Sure, the Wii is expanding the market, but will the "core audience" he's referring to get left in the dust? Will this "mass audience" of the future find their gaming tastes evolving beyond the casual? Weigh in![Via Go Nintendo]
