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AT&T's first DirecTV plans include a $200 phone-and-TV combo
AT&T isn't waiting long to take advantage of its DirecTV acquisition. The telecom giant is introducing its first plans that incorporate the satellite TV provider, including a promo plan that could save you money if you need to get both cellphone and TV service at the same time. The offering gives you basic TV service for four receivers (through either DirecTV or U-verse) and four phone lines with 10GB of shared data for $200 per month over the first year. You'll need to agree to a 1- or 2-year TV contract and sign up between August 10th and November 14th, but you could save up to $600 in those initial 12 months -- no small amount, even though the rate is likely to change in the long run.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving voice directions to Waze users
There's a new Terminator movie coming out, and what the studio saved on spellcheck it was able to pay Arnold Schwarzenegger for extra promotional work. As such, the actor has teamed up with Waze to lend his unique voice to the company's crowdsourced sat nav service. If you want to be steered around town by the governator, you just have to head into the settings menu and select Terminator Genisys from the options.
Tinder sneaks ads for albums into your dating profiles
There comes a point in every zeitgeisty app's life when it wonders if it should stop eating nothing but Doritos and having those drunken one-night stands and become a mature, serious business. We've already seen Snapchat evolve from a way to distribute pictures of your genitals to a news broadcast system, and now Tinder is seriously considering becoming a music promoter. The dating app has just signed a deal with Interscope Records to promote the new album from Russian DJ Zedd.
OnePlus finally drops invites, but only until its next flagship launches
Now that it's been on the market a full year, you can finally buy a OnePlus One without an invitation. Sound familiar? The company has opened up sales on the well-liked, $300 smartphone for brief periods before, but today said that "the One will be available without an invite. Forever." Calling the reviled invitation system a "fascinating, evolving experiment," the company admitted that "feelings toward (it) vary, and we understand that." In the same breath, however, it revealed that its next model, the OnePlus Two "will initially launch with invites."
Buy the Moto X Pure Edition, get a free Moto E
Want to buy a smartphone for yourself, but also need to snag a cheap phone for family (or, let's be honest, a backup for yourself)? Motorola might have you covered. It just kicked off an unusual promotion that gives you a free 3G version of the new Moto E when you buy a Moto X Pure Edition. That's not so hot if you insist on LTE data for every device, but it's a no-brainer if you were either set on getting a Moto X or don't relish the idea of splurging on two phones at once. Don't spend long deciding what to do, though -- Motorola is only running the promo through March 24th.
Microsoft is offering money for your old Surface (if you buy a new one)
Still have a Surface RT that you relegated to the closet after you realized that it couldn't run "real" Windows apps? Don't send that tablet to the recyclers just yet -- it might just get you some credit toward a much more useful model. Microsoft is running a US promotion that will let you trade in any Surface by March 8th and get cash toward the purchase of a Surface Pro 3. So long as the outgoing device is in good working order, you'll get as much as $650 off a shiny new slate -- if it's one of the more recent ones.
Sprint promo gives you an iPhone, an iPad and service for $100 a month
Are you the sort who has to have the latest phone and tablet? Sprint might have a deal for you. It's extending its aggressive For Life deals with a promotion that gives you an iPhone 6, an LTE iPad mini 3 and service for both at $100 a month, or about $17 less than what you'd pay to get them separately. While you only get 2GB of data on the iPad, that could be enough for family vacations or regular trips to a WiFi-less coffee shop. The big caveat (besides the conspicuous lack of an Android equivalent) is that the offer ends on April 9th. If you're all-in on Apple gear, you'll want to act quickly -- Sprint's determination to win new customers with cut-rate pricing isn't going to last forever. Photo by Will Lipman.
Das Tal boasts that it will 'do things better' than ArcheAge
Consider the gauntlet thrown down from one sandbox to another. Das Tal Head of Communications David Wells posted a new essay today in which he says that his title will best ArcheAge: "Unfortunately I, like a lot of others, have come to the conclusion that ArcheAge is probably one of the worst MMOs to come out recently -- but the reasons why are not straight forward. I am going to go over the good and bad, as well as shamelessly point out how our game will do things better." Wells says that ArcheAge stumbled with a messy housing system, bad monetization, cultural differences, hacking, heavy grind, lackluster PvE, no solid PvP, shaky server tech, and a lack of good communication by Trion. He goes on to provide a counterpoint for each these items, explaining how Das Tal will succeed where ArcheAge has failed. Or, if you're looking for a TL;DR version, "How we do it better: To put it simply, we give a s**t."
Promo gives you subscriptions to five big productivity services for $60
Like the idea of using cloud-based services to keep your life organized, but don't relish the idea of paying a huge amount just to use the paid versions of those services? That won't be a problem for about... oh, the next month or so. Evernote, LastPass, the New York Times, Pocket and Wunderlist have teamed up to launch the Productivity Pack, a promotional bundle that gives you subscriptions to all of their premium offerings for $60 if you sign up before February 13th -- not bad when you'd normally pay $185. The NYT subscription only gives you eight weeks of unfettered reading, but you'll have a year's worth of advanced note-taking, password storage, downloadable web articles and task management. The price will go up once it's time to renew, of course, but it might be worth the investment simply to see what's worth keeping.
Amazon's free Crimbo app bundle includes Terraria, Plex and Djay 2
Plenty of Brits will be unwrapping Android devices this Christmas, so as an extra festive treat Amazon has assembled another one of its free app collections to get you up and running. The new promotion is one of its highest value bundles to date, packing in 40 apps worth up to £150 from the Amazon Appstore. The deal runs from December 24th to 26th and highlights include the games Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Terraria and Worms 3, local media streaming service Plex and the addictive turntable app Djay 2. Heck, if you've scoffed one too many mince pies this month there's even a few health and fitness apps to help you lose the holiday weight. Fire device owners can redeem them from the Amazon Appstore right away, but if you're using any other Android hardware you'll have to download the marketplace from here first. The whole process is a bit of a pain, but it's arguably a small price to pay if you're interested in at least a couple of the discounted apps.
Marvel Heroes adds Venom, throws 50% off sale
'Tis the season for deep discounts and disturbing heroes, as has come to pass in the merry lands of Marvel Heroes. The jolly figure known as Venom has come to distribute pain, suffering, and alternative dental plans for those who pick this new playable figure. The Marvel Heroes team is also offering a half-off sale on most -- but not all -- of the in-game store. This includes many of the title's heroes, costumes, team-ups, and pets. And even if you don't want to spend money, you'll still be getting treats all month with the game's Winter Wonderland & Season's Givings event. Presents and buffs will be available all over the game, in addition to new daily log-in rewards.
Skyforge offers two contests for those who seek beta keys
Is the only thing you want for Christmas a nice shiny Skyforge beta key? If so... wow, you are aiming really low when it comes to gifts this year. We usually at least would ask for a game, not test access to a game. Besides, you could get one completely for free by taking part in one of two contests. The first is a straightforward raffle-style giveaway on Facebook: Just "like" the game's page and submit your account email, and 500 lucky entrants will get a beta key. But for those who want a key and prefer not to leave it up to chance, there's a forum thread asking players to name the critter they see in the header above. The five best entries will receive a beta key, followed by a vote-off of all the suggested names. So there's a chance at getting in just based on your creativity at naming things, which might be more your style. The name contest will run until December 22nd, while the Facebook entries are accepted until January 15th. [Thanks to Gabriel for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XIV is now offering a PlayStation 4 two-week free trial
Final Fantasy XIV may be intriguing you ever since it won of our Most Improved MMO of 2014 this past week. If you haven't bought into it yet and have a PlayStation 4, then you now have a free option to sample this acclaimed title. Square-Enix announced today that it has begun to offer a 14-day free trial on the PlayStation 4 before requiring a subscription. There are a couple of caveats for these trial accounts, however; players can level only to 20 and have a few in-game activites restricted for the duration of the two-week trial. [Source: Square-Enix Press release]
The Secret World's killer clown is coming to get you
Some Funcom fans are getting a nice present in their email today: a ticket to play The Secret World for free for a month. "You will die. Because, hey, that's what happens when you play an MMO where killer clowns are after you. Fight back! Play The Secret World for FREE this Holiday season," reads the promo. The freebie 30-day codes in the emails are apparently valid if used by January 15th and include experience potions as well as $5 worth of points to spend in the cash shop. It's currently unclear whether the promotion is for former subbers or just everyone who has a Funcom account.
Get a closer look at Star Citizen's Gladiator bomber
So just what is the Gladiator, Star Citizen's newest ship, and why might it have some players salivating? Recently, the team posted additional information and technical specs on this carrier-based bomber for all those interested to check out. According to the description, "The Gladiator is the UEE Navy's premiere carrier-based torpedo-plane and space-to-ground dive bomber. Operating with Hornet escort fighters, Gladiators have seen service with great success in battles across known space. Rugged to a fault, the Gladiator is the most capable bomber chassis ever designed." Star Citizen is selling the Gladiator as a not currently flyable pledge ship for $165, or or you can pay $180 for the ship and an extras package. It will be available for pre-purchase only through December 22nd, although it will eventually be in the full game upon release. [Thanks to Cardboard for the tip!]
EverQuest celebrates 15 days of holiday cheer
Whether you've been naughty or nice this year, SOE has plenty of presents to go in your virtual stocking. To celebrate EverQuest's 15th anniversary year, the studio is throwing 15 days of "holiday cheer" for the game's community. On each of the next 15 days, there will be some sort of event or promotion for players to enjoy. It kicks off today with double faction points and double rare spawns. After that, there will be many daily sales, including cheaper severed hand mounts (because who doesn't want to ride on one of those?) and a 50% off housing items sale on December 18th.
Age of Conan is selling instant level-80s until January 2nd
Getting a high-level character in Age of Conan now requires you only to break out your wallet and plunk down a few bills. Funcom announced today that players can purchase an instant level 80 character on the cash shop for $40 (or $30 if that player already has another level 80 toon). These new level 80s will come equipped with a set of rare gear, a fast mount, the riding skill, a 56-slot bag, 79 expertise points, and other goodies. If you're planning on picking up one of these "go straight to buff" packages, you'll need to do so before the promotion ends on January 2nd. Age of Conan is also offering bonus free months of subscription and other goods when you sign up or extend your membership by at least three additional months.
RuneScape kicks off Christmas events early
It's only the first of December, but RuneScape is already cranking up its Christmas event machine with the first batch of activities for players to enjoy. Starting today, players can deliver presents for Santa (and get points to spend on rewards for doing so), work with others to open a giant cracker full of goodies, and go on a tinsel snake hunt. RuneScape is also triggering a 50% XP bump for a half-hour each day to those who use free festive auras. On another topic, Jagex announced that it's bringing back the Premier Club for the MMO, allowing players to sign up for a multi-month subscription to secure a discount and other rewards. This might be a good strategy to offset the looming increase in sub prices in 2015. If players choose to pay through PayPal, they will receive a samurai outfit and kirin pet in addition to the other bonuses.
Turbine's customer support department spreads holiday cheer
Working customer support for an MMO means that even the best times of your job are still spent dealing with upset players. Sure, the player might recognize that whatever went wrong was just an accident or a bug, but you've still got player issues to manage. It's the sort of work that can make you bitter or cynical, but not so with the customer support team at Turbine Entertainment, which decided to reach out to fans in a slightly happier fashion with holiday cards. Seriously. Real ones. Players on the Lord of the Rings Online forums have reported receiving physical holiday cards from the game's customer service department with hand-written messages and gift cards for 500 Turbine points inside. The community team has stated that this is exactly what it seems to be: a random gesture of kindness and appreciation for the game's playerbase. That message also reminded players to keep their mailing addresses up to date, as this is unlikely to be the only such event. [Thanks to Fredelas for the tip!]
Verizon brings free movies and apps this Thanksgiving, even if you're not a customer
What do you call the day before Thanksgiving? It's usually just Wednesday, but Verizon wants November 26th this year to be known as a pseudo-holiday called "Connection Day." Yup, it is gimmicky, but at least we're getting free stuff out of it -- and who doesn't like free stuff, are we right? On November 26th, you can go to the official Connection Day page using a mobile device and grab a freebie, regardless of your carrier. These include free apps from Amazon, Audible downloads, access to movies and TV shows through Verizon FiOS Preview app, Conde Nast magazines, a Pandora trial period, airport and in-flight WiFi access, as well as an iTunes special offer (we've posted the detailed list after the break).
