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Report: AT&T and Verizon spent heavily lobbying for favorable LTE auction rules
If AT&T and Verizon manage to shut out their smaller rivals in a critical LTE wireless auction, it would severely harm US wireless competition, according to the Center for Public Integrity. In a report it said that the pair of wireless giants spent nearly $30 million on lobbying last year, almost four times the $8 million paid out by Sprint and T-Mobile. The low-frequency 600MHz spectrum in question is highly valued for its long range and ability to penetrate buildings, necessitating fewer towers and lower infrastructure costs. AT&T and Verizon already control 74 percent of existing low-band frequencies, putting Sprint and T-Mobile at a significant disadvantage -- especially outside of cities. As a result, T-Mobile's CEO, John Legere has stressed the importance of the upcoming auction for the future of his company.
Dish wins all the wireless spectrum in the FCC's latest auction
Dish has a seemingly insatiable appetite for wireless spectrum, and it's willing to spend a lot of cash to get its fill. Need proof? The FCC has just confirmed (PDF) that Dish bought all of the 1,900MHz licenses in a frequency auction that wrapped up last week, using a shell company to hide its name. The satellite provider paid just short of $1.6 billion for the airwaves -- chump change next to the spending on 700MHz blocks, but a large amount for spectrum where there wasn't much competition. While Dish isn't saying just what it will do with all that extra bandwidth, it's reasonable to believe that the company will use the newly acquired frequencies to boost its wireless broadband efforts.
Vienna gallery to auction off alleged Apollo 15 camera used on the lunar surface
If you happen to be in Austria in March and have, oh, around $270,000 just lying around, you can get a memento from the Apollo 15 mission. To be precise, that amount might win you a 70-millimeter Hasselblad Electric Data Camera at a WestLicht Gallery auction in Vienna -- one that James Irwin supposedly used when he walked on the moon in 1971. While NASA hasn't confirmed its authenticity, gallery officials insist that the number 38 printed inside the camera is all the proof they need, as the images Irwin took were all labeled with the same number. According to CollectSpace, though, the camera's serial numbers are identical to a device sold at a New Hampshire auction in 2012. While a former NASA photographer was certain that that camera was part of an Apollo mission, it was never linked to Apollo 15 or to the eighth man to walk on the moon. So, even if 200 grand's chump change to you, it may be best to take the gallery's claim with a pinch of salt.
TV stations try sharing their airwaves to make room for 4G traffic
TV stations selling spectrum in the FCC's upcoming wireless auction may soon have a viable alternative to moving or shutting down their channels. Two Los Angeles broadcasters, KJLA and KLCS, have agreed to participate in a CTIA-backed pilot project that will test whether or not they can share airspace without interference. If the trial is successful, stations will have much more incentive to give up their frequencies for the sake of phone carriers eager for 4G bandwidth -- networks will get to both keep their channels as well as reduce their operating costs in the process. Cellular providers will have to wait patiently for results, though, as the trial will run through the first quarter of the year.
NES World Championship cart auction ignites sales rush
Last week a tremendously rare Nintendo World Championship cartridge appeared on eBay, immediately sparking a bidding frenzy. Despite its torn label and crude ink scrawl reading "Mario," the auction has now ended at a top bid of $99,902. While that number is impressive, you should always view any eBay auction with such an astronomically high final bid as suspect until cash has exchanged hands. There are even reports from users on the Nintendo Age forums that the winning bidder has already retracted his offer. Normally that would be the end of this story, but that massive price point has drawn a number of other Nintendo World Championship cartridges out of hiding. As Ars Technica reports, one such cartridge in even better condition than the torn label cart on eBay went for $17,500 only yesterday. Two more cartridges, one gray and one gold, are currently racking up bids on the auction site. The former stands at $10,100 with five days remaining in its auction, while the latter has attracted $33,600 with eight days to go. That's a surprisingly large number of cartridges to simultaneously hit eBay, given that only 116 World Championship cartridges are known to exist. As a result, collectors are beginning to suspect that there may be more World Championship cartridges in the wild than previously thought. The rules of supply and demand dictate that this should lower the price of future auctions, but as Price Charting points out, that questionable $99,902 bid for the torn label cartridge may instill in the public the idea that World Championship cartridges are worth nearly $100,000, artificially boosting the game's value. Update: Destructoid contacted the seller of the torn label cartridge who confirms the aforementioned reports that the winning bidder has backed out. [Image: eBay]
1 of the 116 copies of Nintendo World Championship is up on eBay
A copy of rarest-of-the-rare NES game Nintendo World Championship is going for sale on eBay, and despite it having a ripped label and "Mario" written on it in ballpoint pen, the current highest bid is a whopping $5,500. That's because the cartridge is one of only 116 made for the 1990 nationwide NES tournament of the same name - and far fewer of those 116 are even accounted for. It's a game that's popped up on auctions before: One went for $15,000 several years ago. If you think that's crazy money, we'll raise you to $33,433.30; that's how much a complete-as-complete-can-be edition of Air Raid, an Atari 2600 rarity, went for 14 months ago. [Image Source: muresan on eBay]
Insomniac holds signed Xbox One auction for injured intern
After losing her leg in a hit-and-run incident, Insomniac Games intern Ana Kessel faces mounting medical bills related to her treatment. In an effort to help Kessel, Insomniac has covered a new, Microsoft-donated Xbox One in signatures and put the console up for auction on eBay. The Xbox One is available for shipment worldwide and also comes with sealed, Day One Edition copies of Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome. If you're already set for the new console generation, you can still help by donating to Kessel's GoFundMe page. At the time of this writing, $58,196 has been collected out of a requested $150,000. Epic Games also held auctions to benefit Kessel in November, offering up original, retro and gold-colored models of the Gears of War series' Lancer. The auctions resulted in a total of $3,000 going toward Kessel's medical bills. Here's to hoping Kessel quickly collects the remaining amount for her medical expenses and returns to work in the industry as a graphics artist.
Document signed by Steve Jobs, Robert Friedland earns $40K at auction
There's something new that you can add to the list of ridiculously priced Apple-themed items that you didn't win at auction: a 1978 legal agreement between Steve Jobs and Robert Friedland, creating a business partnership. The agreement, bearing the signatures of both men, sold for US$40,000 to Tristar Productions CEO Jeff Rosenberg. Jobs and Friedland both attended Reed College together, and Jobs worked and lived at Friedland's communal farm and apple orchard near McMinville, Ore. The agreement outlines a partnership to "engage in the business of investments, including particularly but not being limited to real estate investments." Jobs was already somewhat wealthy at this point in the early history of Apple, so there is conjecture that the agreement may have been a way for Jobs to invest in his friend's venture. What did Friedland go on to do? He became a mining tycoon, owns a Canadian mining company, lives in Singapore and has a net worth estimated at more than $1.3 billion.
Big Huge Games' assets fetch $320k in 38 Studios auction
The Big Huge Games side of this week's 38 Studios intellectual property auction has been sold for $320,000.00. The two lots sold off were for the trademark of Big Huge Games as well as the Rise of Legends and Rise of Nations properties. It is not currently known who the properties now belong to, though the auction drew the attention of 20 interested parties, five of which actively participated in the conference call for the auction. As for 38 Studios' in-development MMO set in the Kingdoms of Amalur universe Project Copernicus and social media and gaming platform Helios, the court-appointed receiver for the assets Richard J. Land did "not receive acceptable offers for the remaining lots," and "intends to continue to engage in negotiations with interested parties." Sources involved in the bidding process told Joystiq there were legacy issues with both the "Rise of" and Amalur intellectual properties, particularly with their former publishing partners Electronic Arts (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) and Microsoft (Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends). Even if the properties were purchased, the buyers would still need to deal with some terms made during the original agreements.
FCC's wireless spectrum auction delayed to 2015 to prep bidding infrastructure
The lead-up to the government's wireless spectrum auction is going to be a little longer than expected, according to the Official FCC Blog. Partly because the government needs to finalize the event's rules and bidding structure. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler writes that he wants to make certain that the event's infrastructure is up to the challenge, too. "For the incentive auction to be a success, we must also ensure that the operating systems and software to run it work from the moment the first bid is placed, until the final broadcast station is relocated," Wheeler writes. "Only when our software and systems are technically ready, user friendly, and thoroughly tested, will we start the auction." This nebulous answer puts the final auction in the middle of 2015. If you were planning on accessing that sweet wireless bandwidth, you'll have to wait until then.
38 Studios' intellectual property auction in December, Project Copernicus on the table
The tragic tale of 38 Studios' unreleased MMO, Project Copernicus, isn't over just yet. The Associated Press reports that "[a]bout two dozen parties, including some overseas" have "expressed interest" in bidding for the intellectual property of 38 Studios, which includes the unfinished game. The auction, which was set to take place on November 14th but was delayed due to unexpectedly high demand, is scheduled for December 11th. Nick Jimenez, executive vice president of auctioneer Global Heritage Partners (which is handling the sale of the studio's intellectual property), stated that the potential buyers in the auction "are from North America, Europe, and Asia" and that "[s]ome have expressed interest in buying all the intellectual property, and some are eyeing parts of it." It's unclear what his means for the future of Copernicus, or at least of Copernicus as we know it, but be sure to keep an eye out for future developments.
Epic auctions 3 signed Lancers to aid Insomniac intern after hit-and-run
Insomniac Games interning artist Ana Kessel recently lost her leg in a hit-and-run accident, and Epic Games has stepped up to help raise money for her medical bills. Epic is auctioning three signed replica Lancers from Gears of War on Ebay, with all proceeds going to Kessel's recovery fund. Epic has put up a replica original Lancer, a retro Lancer and a gold retro Lancer on Ebay, each signed. They'll be available for bidding through November 22. "All proceeds from this auction will be going to help with Ana Kessel's medical bills," the Lancer descriptions read. "She was an intern at Insomniac Games, a local video game company here in the triangle area, who was recently involved in a hit-and-run accident while on her scooter. She has been in the hospital since Monday, and had to have one of her legs amputated. Without having medical insurance, the financial burden will be immense, which is why I am auctioning off a few pieces of memorabilia from our video game."
Working Apple 1 fails to get a single bid at auction
By now we're all fairly used to hearing about the record-breaking prices original Apple 1 computers are selling for at auction. However, over the weekend, a working Apple 1 computer from a group of the first 50 that were made went up on the block in Germany, and not only did it fail to sell -- it also failed to get a single bid. The opening bid was only set at €180,000 (about US$243,000), which was relatively reasonable considering a previous Apple 1 sold at auction for $671,000. This working Apple 1 was expected to fetch between €250,000 to €400,000 ($338,000 to $540,000). It wasn't all bad for Apple products at the auction however, as an original Twiggy Mac sold for €25,000 (about $34,000), though a Lisa 1 also failed to attract any bids. If anything, the lack of bids for an original working Apple 1 goes to show that the historical-computer market is as finicky as the high-art market.
Complete, unreleased Rise of Nations game found among 38 Studios' goods
When 38 Studios' intellectual properties are auctioned off by the state of Rhode Island on December 11, one more game will be included in the mix, Rise of Nations: Tactics. The Mac game was completed, albeit unreleased and seemingly unheard of until now. The auction was first slated to begin this week and includes the Kingdoms of Amalur IP, 38 Studios' in-development MMO Project Copernicus and Big Huge Games' properties Catan, Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends. "Additionally, through the examination of the data contained on the 38 Studios servers, we have discovered a completed, but unreleased game for Mac users titled 'Rise of Nations: Tactics,'" Nick Jimenez, executive vice president of the auction host Heritage Global Partners said in a press release. "We only became aware of this game this past week through our own due diligence efforts." The intellectual property auction follows 38 Studios' closure in May 2012, and according to the court-appointed lawyer for the now-defunct studio Richard Land, potential bidders' interest in the auction has been "greater than expected."
38 Studios IP auction scheduled for December 11
Come December 11, Heritage Global Partners will finally begin selling off the intellectual property of Curt Schilling's 38 Studios. Initially slated for November, the auction was delayed due to "greater than expected" interest from potential bidders. The state of Rhode Island is hoping that this auction will allow it to recoup some portion of the $75 million it loaned 38 Studios, so it only makes sense to attract as many bidders as possible. Among the items included in the auction are sequel and licensing rights to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, rights to Big Huge Games' Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends strategy games, and "Project Copernicus" which the auction house describes as "an in-development Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) including a 10,000 year world history, completed character 'races' and playable 'zones.'" Full information on the auction can be found at the Heritage Global Partners website. Initial bids will be accepted as late as 5PM EST on December 4.
Another white Xbox One being auctioned for charity, this time in the US
Microsoft is auctioning a white Xbox One in the US, and the bidding at the time of writing is at a whopping $11,100. As Major Nelson revealed, the proceeds are going to the Wounded Warrior Project, which supports men and women injured in service of their country. The bidding ends on November 18, at 5.42PM PT (8.42PM ET). Microsoft will hope its auction isn't plagued by the suspicious bidding UK charity GamesAid had to endure earlier this month. That auction, also for a white Xbox One, had to be pulled after a flurry of astronomic bids, leading to GamesAid selling the console at a set price of £5000 (around $8,000.) This time around, Microsoft is using auction management service Kompolt to pre-qualify any bids over $3,000. The white edition Xbox One is normally reserved for Microsoft IEB employees, so you won't find it at retail stores when the console launches next week on November 22. If you have money to burn and a generous heart (and really like the color white), you may like to know the winning bidder also gets a one year Xbox Live Gold subscription, and copies of Forza 5, Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and Crimson Dragon.
38 Studios IP auction moved to December
A planned intellectual property auction for shuttered Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer 38 Studios has been pushed back a month and is now set to commence in December, GameSpot reports. A specific date for the auction is not yet known. 38 Studios' court-appointed lawyer Richard Land previously called for a delay earlier this month, citing "greater than expected" demand from potential bidders. The upcoming auction will put merchandising rights and revenue for Kingdoms of Amalur up for bid, along with IP rights for the Big Huge Games properties Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends, and the Xbox Live Arcade version of Catan. 38 Studios declared bankruptcy in June of last year after missing scheduled loan repayments. A previous asset auction attracted more than 1,000 bidders, and brought in more than $650,000.
Xbox One pre-orders arrive ahead of Target (update: day one patch is already live)
If you were impressed by the flood of Xbox One information unleashed today or Microsoft's 12-minute demo video and just have to have one first, there may be a way. eBay seller priceless228 claims a mistake by Target sent this Standard Edition console their way weeks ahead of the official November 22nd launch date, and now they're auctioning it off in order to create products for special education students (isn't that nice?). The starting bid is $999 and there's a buy it now offer for a cool $10k, but there's one reason we'd advise patience among even deep-pocketed early adopters: the day one update. As described to us by senior director of product management Albert Penello, it's required to do things like play games, use apps or do... pretty much anything. That leaves a high likelihood that even if this is real, the auction doesn't get yanked and it does arrive, you'll have a VCR-sized brick (plus Kinect 2.0) laying around until closer to the launch date -- and probably explains why its current owner hasn't plugged the system in. Of course, maybe some of you won't have to wait, another system has already popped up on Twitter, posted by former Minnesota Golden Gophers WR Connor John Cosgrove. Update: The question of whether or not it was a sensible purchase will have to wait until another day -- the seller has removed the listing. Still, if you picked Target for your pre-order location, it might be a good idea to check the front porch for an unexpected delivery. At least one other early unit has popped up from YouTuber MoonlightSwami, who also got his today from Target. Better still, he's already downloaded the 500MB day one update and is giving the system a spin right now. Check out the highlights here.
White Xbox One sells for £5,000 at relisted charity auction
A limited-edition white Xbox One console has sold for an astounding £5,000 (approximately $8,000) at auction following an intense bidding war that resulted in the console being pulled and relisted. Originally put up for sale earlier this week, the console was donated to charity by an anonymous Microsoft employee, and is emblazoned with a unique Gamertag and the text "I Made This." The console's original auction was yanked after sellers noted "suspicious activity" among bidders, resulting in a secure buy-it-now relisting that subsequently sold for its £5,000 asking price. Proceeds for the auction benefit GamesAid, a UK-based charity that helps disadvantaged and disabled children.
38 Studios lawyer to request delay for IP auction
Richard Land, the court-appointed lawyer for 38 Studios, said he plans to ask a Rhode Island Superior Court judge to delay the now-defunct studio's intellectual property auction. The auction was originally slated to take place on November 14 and include the Project Copernicus MMO that was in development at 38 Studios prior to its May 2012 closure as well as sequel and merchandise rights and revenue for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Land told The Providence Journal that interest in the auction has been "greater than expected" from prospective bidders, leading to the request to delay the auction for "a couple weeks." The auction was also slated to include Big Huge Games properties Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends and XBLA game Catan.
