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Custom Luigi 2DS up for auction, 25% of proceeds to Child's Play
Remember Rose Colored Gaming's Luigi 2DS, the modified handheld that looks good enough to be a real Nintendo product? Now that it's up for auction, you can celebrate the Year of Luigi in style by establishing yourself as the bro's biggest fan. The bidding period will conclude on November 17 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, with 25 percent of the proceeds going to the Child's Play Charity. Despite the interest the singular unit has drawn, the auction page explains that the unit was built under the vision of a "one-of-a-kind item, and as such, there will not be a run of more than one." The green and white color scheme is complimented with an indentation of Luigi on the back of the device. [Thanks, Wes!]
Jony Ive turns Mac Pro RED for charity
Suddenly, the 20th Anniversary Mac seems downright commonplace. Apple's Jony Ive is teaming up with recent design partner Marc Newson to auction a one-of-a-kind red Mac Pro as part of a Product RED charity fundraiser. It's not clear what's different on the inside versus the regular black model, but look at that outside -- it's guaranteed that this workstation will be the centerpiece of the office. Be prepared to pony up if you like the idea of an ultra-exclusive system, though. Sotheby's estimates that the red Mac Pro will sell for $40,000 to $60,000; while that's a steal next to an Apple I, it's not exactly chump change. Check out both the Mac and some (slightly) more affordable rose gold EarPods at the source links.
Jony Ive-designed Leica M emerges ahead of November charity auction
Ever wondered what happened to Sir Jonathan Ive's custom-designed Leica M? Wonder no more, because the one-a-kind camera has been spotted in the November edition of Vanity Fair. A render of the Apple-inspired Leica M shows one of two original pieces designed by Ive in collaboration with influential Australian designer Marc Newson set to be auctioned as part of a (RED) auction at Sotheby's New York in November. The German camera maker reportedly spent more than 2,149 hours and used 55 engineers to manufacture 561 models with nearly 1000 prototype parts, which may not be surprising given Ive's fascination with aluminum. For their part, Ive and Newson spent more than a year and a half curating the 40 auction items for the original collection, including an 18 carat rose gold pair of Apple EarPods and a limited edition 2012 Range Rover. Considering the hefty list prices a regular Leica can fetch for, we might just have to postpone purchasing that super yacht.
38 Studios assets auction dated for November 14
We first got word of an auction to sell off 38 Studios' assets for Project Copernicus earlier this month, but now we have an actual date for the auction: November 14 and 15. This sale will include the Amalur universe IP and all merchandise and sequel rights to the single-player Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, as well as IP rights to the properties of Big Huge Games. If you'd like to buy yourself an MMO, this might be the time. Head over to the auction page for more information.
Kingdoms of Amalur IP auction starts November 14, includes Rise of Nations
The 38 Studios and Big Huge Games liquidation auction will begin November 14, according to the Heritage Global Partners auction services page. Among the assets included in the auction from the state of Rhode Island are the Kingdoms of Amalur intellectual property, namely the Project Copernicus MMO that was in development at 38 Studios prior to its closure in May 2012. Additionally, buyers will be able to obtain sequel and merchandise rights and revenue for the developer's lone release, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Other assets in the auction include intellectual property rights for Big Huge Games' properties, particularly Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends and Catan in addition to the studio's Big Huge Games Engine and 38 Studios' Helios platform. The liquidation auction begins at 9:00am ET on November 14 and ends November 15 at 12:00pm ET.
Blizzard foreclosing on Diablo III real-money auction house in March 2014
One of the major points of contention when Diablo III released on PC and Mac last year was an auction house where you could use real money to buy high-level gear. That's changing next March 18th when developer Blizzard closes the doors on the controversial feature, as well as the in-game currency auction house. In a post on Battle.net, Blizzard's John Hight writes that, despite the auction house's benefits, it "ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot" -- a problem that he and game director Josh Mosquiera explain further in the video after the break. If you want a preview of what an auction house-free Diablo III looks like right now, check out the recent PS3 and Xbox 360 ports -- they're super good!
Palm and webOS product auction reminds us of the forgotten Foleo
It's funny how, as time passes, we grow fonder of gadgets that were once disregarded. Nerd nostalgia has a knack of trumping common sense and draining wallets, which is why we're almost hesitant to bring this auction of Palm and webOS gear to your attention. Featuring the collection of a former webOS employee, you'll find everything from t-shirts, posters and other branded paraphernalia, through to a mint-condition Palm VII PDA, 4G TouchPads and a range of mobiles, including many from the long-forgotten Pre series. The prize piece, however, has to be the boxed, unused Palm Foleo complete with an hour of phone time with one of the product's OG engineers, who also "has apps for you," apparently. All money raised from the auction is going to a charitable cause, which totally justifies whatever exaggerated sum Palm's nigh-mythical flop ends up going for.
Wind Mobile to participate in Canada's 700MHz wireless auction (update: more providers)
Wind Mobile apparently isn't worried that it has to fend without Verizon's help: the carrier has confirmed to MobileSyrup that it will participate in Canada's 700MHz wireless auction. While the provider doesn't have much more to share at this stage, it sees the LTE-friendly spectrum bid as proof of a "long-term commitment" to the country. The company will still have to win spectrum to better compete with Bell, Rogers and Telus, but its entry should assuage Canucks worried that only the incumbents can afford to buy more bandwidth. Update: EastLink and Public Mobile are also committed to the auction. Mobilicity, however, has yet to reveal its plans; if it doesn't announce its participation in the auction before noon today, it's out of the running.
Jony Ive creates solid gold EarPods for charity auction
At an upcoming Sotheby's auction, folks will be able to bid on a pair of solid gold 18k EarPods designed by Apple design guru Jony Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson. In addition to golden EarPods, there will be a number of other items up for auction, all curated by Ive and Newson. "It's been a fantastic honor to curate this collection of objects with Marc for the auction at Sotheby's," Ive explained. "Each piece represents the value of thoughtful design. What we create for each other is not only a comment on our culture, but of course in many ways defines it. (RED) is making a difference in the lives of millions of people and we're humbled to make this contribution to such an important and worthy cause." Other items on the auction block include a unique Leica digital rangefinder camera, a grand piano from Steinway & Sons, artwork contributed by Banksy, a Russian cosmonaut suit, an Ive-customized 2012 Range Rover and a whole lot more. The auction, organized by U2's Bono for the benefit of his Project (RED) charity, will take place on November 23 in New York.
eBay acquires price comparison engine Decide; will shut its services down by month's end
Credit where it's due: eBay recognized that the online auction train wouldn't keep chugging along at a breakneck rate, so it's snapping up complementary companies in order to better bolster its portfolio. A few years, PayPal; today, Decide. The three-year old company was engineered to give overwhelmed consumers a way to more easily see what products were worthwhile and which weren't -- from there, it helped to find the best deal, completing the process. (In the effort of full disclosure, gdgt -- now under the same umbrella as Engadget -- competed with Decide and was acquired in February of this year.) eBay's evidently hoping that Decide's predictive analytics will "help over 25 million eBay sellers make smarter decisions and be more successful," while the Decide team will be headed to eBay's Seattle offices. As these things tend to go, Decide's services, website and mobile apps will no longer be available after September 30th, which is pretty awful news for those of you who dug it. For those curious, paying members will be reimbursed for their subscriptions, but you're on your own for any tissues required to sop up the tears.
Verizon shelves Wind and Mobilicity acquisitions, ponders Canada's 700MHz auction
Verizon's insatiable appetite for spectrum is legendary. The company's most recently been eyeing Canada's valuable 700MHz airwaves and even shown interest in acquiring troubled carriers Wind Mobile and Mobilicity. (Especially after the CRTC rejected Telus's attempt to purchase the latter.) The Globe and Mail now reports that VZW's chosen to delay its potential acquisitions of the two carriers until after next year's 700MHz auction and that the US company is considering a bid for the spectrum directly. It's unclear if Verizon is attempting to buy time, trying to push the price of the struggling operators down or simply losing interest in the Canadian market. One thing's for sure -- if the company bids in the auction it won't be able to negotiate any deals with other applicants until next year. [Image credit: Andrew Currie, Flickr]
Atlus parent company selling operations, publishing plans are 'unaffected'
Atlus parent company Index is preparing to sell off its subsidiary operations after recently filing for Japan's equivalent of bankruptcy protection, Bloomberg reports. Atlus USA's day-to-day operations are, for the moment, unaffected by Index's financial woes, so those of you looking forward to Dragon's Crown or Etrian Odyssey Untold can breathe easy. "Our games are still shipping on time," Atlus PR manager John Hardin said. "Dragon's Crown will be releasing as intended on August 6." The report, translated by Mad Man's Cafe, notes that bids for Index's assets will start as soon as next week. Industry analysts expect settlements to reach a total of 15 billion yen ($149.9 million). Index will be delisted from the Japanese stock market on July 28, and operation sales will wrap up in September.
'Bid for Greatness' with your trophies in Sony memorabilia auction
Sony has a big ol' pile of props, costumes and artwork left over from the production of its "Greatness Awaits" trailer that debuted during this year's E3. An auction website will now unload everything – but don't pull out your just wallet yet. You're going to use a different currency. The site is called Bid for Greatness, and rather than dropping huge wads of cash for one-of-a-kind memorabilia, users will instead bid the Gold Trophies associated with their PlayStation Network accounts. Sony will place a new item up for auction every day for the next fourteen days, with each auction lasting 24 hours. Available items range from concept artwork to complete costumes, such as this Killzone: Shadow Fall outfit that (as of press time) has a high bid of 975 Gold Trophies. Sony points out that Trophies bid on items will not be removed from their respective PSN accounts, so not only will the person who outbids you on something get that thing you wanted, they'll also have more trophies than you at the end of the day. Harsh.
Rare Apple I sold for $387,750 in online Christie's auction
Late last month, Christie's kicked off an auction for a rare Apple I computer with its original manual, schematics and a photo of the two Steves. The online-only auction ended today at a lower-than-expected US$387,750, according to a press release from Christie's. Pre-auction estimates suggested the piece of Apple history could sell for as much as $500,000, as previous auctions for Apple I computers fetched up to $671,400. The Apple I was part of a larger group that included a total of 10 iconic items from Apple's history. Besides the Apple I, the First Bytes collection also included an Apple Lisa, a prototype Apple IIGS and a 20th Anniversary Macintosh limited to 12,000 units. All the auctions ended today, and we will update the prices for these vintage Apple items when they become available. [Via CNBC] Show full PR text APPLE-1 SELLS FOR $387,750 FIRST BYTES: ICONIC TECHNOLOGY FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY ONLINE-ONLY AUCTION FEATURING VINTAGE TECH PRODUCTS INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL APPLE COMPUTER, APPLE-1 New York/London/Paris/Hong Kong – An original Apple computer, now known as the Apple-1, sold for $387,750 at Christie's auction of vintage tech products, making it the highest priced item to ever be sold through Christie's new online-only platform. The Apple-1, one of the first 25 Apple-1's ever assembled, inscribed with the serial number 01-0025 in black ink was designed and hand-built in 1976 by Steve Wozniak, who later signed his work "Woz." Christie's saw traffic to the First Bytes online-only sale page from 96 countries with 77% of the viewers new to Christie's.
FCC to auction two pieces of 1,900MHz spectrum for mobile broadband
The FCC may be most concerned with portioning out lower frequencies to bandwidth-hungry carriers, but it's devoting some attention to higher bands today. The agency has voted in favor of auctioning off two slices of 1,900MHz spectrum, the lower H block (1,915MHz to 1,920MHz) and upper H block (1,995MHz to 2,000MHz), for the sake of mobile broadband. Both are relatively close to Sprint's PCS airwaves, but the provider reportedly has nothing to fear when rules are in place to minimize interference. If all goes well, an auction could take place in late 2013 or early 2014 -- just soon enough to deliver a quick capacity boost ahead of larger spectrum wars.
Apple I to hit Christie's auction block starting at $300,000
If you weren't able to scrounge up enough coin to snap up the last few Apple I computers to be auctioned off, another chance to score one -- and empty your bank account -- is headed your way. Starting today, Christie's will be auctioning a functional Apple I until July 9, with a starting bid of $300,000. If last month's record-breaking $671,400 sale of a similar rig is anything to go by, this machine may rake in more than its estimated $500,000 value. The owner of the Apple I, who picked it up over three decades ago in a swap, modified it with a keyboard, monitor and a tape deck for storage - in other words, just the motherboard is original. Those more interested in window shopping can ogle the classic hardware at Mountain View's Computer History Museum beginning tomorrow. [Image credit: Christie's Auction House]
Rare Apple I to be auctioned off by Christie's
Once again, a rare Apple I will be up on the auction block. According to a report from the AP, a 1976 Apple I will be up for grabs at Christie's auction house where the bidding will begin at US$300,000. It's estimated that the iconic computer may end up going for $500,000 by the time bidding closes. "This is a piece of history that made a difference in the world, it's where the computer revolution started," said Ted Perry, a retired school psychologist who owns the old Apple and has kept it stashed away in a cardboard box at his home outside Sacramento, Calif. It's estimated that only 200 or so Apple I units were ever produced, with the number of units still in existence believed to be in the 30-50 range. Recently, Apple I machines have been fetching exorbitant amounts at auctions worldwide. This past May, for example, a working Apple 1 sold for $671,400 at a German auction house. Before that, an Apple I yielded $640,000 at a Sotheby's auction. The Christie's auction, which will be held online, will begin on Monday, June 24 and will run through July 9.
Verizon reportedly considers purchasing Canada's Wind Mobile (updated)
Competition in the Canadian cellphone space is on shaky ground when Wind Mobile faces an uncertain future. If The Globe and Mail's sources are accurate, however, Wind may get a lifeline from an unexpected source: Verizon. The US carrier has reportedly held "exploratory" talks for a possible takeover of Wind that would help the Canadian firm bid in the upcoming 700MHz auction, improving its chances against local giants Bell, Rogers and Telus. Mobilicity is also a potential acquisition target following Telus' failed buyout, according to the tipsters. None of the involved parties are commenting at this stage, although Verizon couldn't just walk into the Canadian market. The provider would have to deal with foreign ownership rules as well as the investment limits of its Vodafone partnership -- and neither obstacle is likely to disappear overnight. Update: The answer is "maybe:" Verizon CFO Fran Shammo has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that his company is exploring an entry into Canada, but won't say if that involves Wind or another existing carrier.
Canada's 700MHz auction pushed to January 2014, Telus denied Mobilicity spectrum transfer
Oh, Canada. Just one day after we received word of the CRTC's new wireless code, Industry Canada -- its government's equivalent of the FCC -- announced further postponements of the country's pending 700MHz spectrum auction. Already delayed from the first half of this year to November, IC is pushing the auction back yet another two months to January 14th, 2014, while the application deadline has been reset for September 17th of this year. The main reason for the setback? This morning, the government denied Telus' request to transfer AWS spectrum from Mobilicity -- one of the most important factors in the potential merger of the two networks. As a result, IC decided to allow more time for the affected companies to figure out what to do next; more than likely, Telus will need the extra two months to pull an AT&T and rethink its acquisition strategy. Read the release below for a few more details behind the rationale.
Apple 1 sells for $671,400 at auction
A few weeks ago, we reported on an impending auction involving one of six known working Apple 1 computers. The New York Times is now reporting that the auction has officially closed with the winning bid checking in at an astounding $671,400. The winning bid set a new record for the Apple 1, eclipsing a previous auction where Apple's first computer netted a $640,000 bid. "This really confirms the value of Apple-1's," Uwe Breker, the German auctioneer, said in an interview on Saturday. The buyer, Mr. Breker said, was a wealthy entrepreneur from the Far East, who wishes to remain anonymous. Part of the allure of the earliest Apple machines, Mr. Breker said, is not what they are, but what they represent. "It is a superb symbol of the American dream," he said. "You have two college dropouts from California who pursued an idea and a dream, and that dream becomes one of the most admired, successful and valuable companies in the world." Interestingly enough, the Friday story from the Times said that Apple 1 in question was originally owned by Major League Baseball player Fred Hatfield. His nickname? Scrap Iron. However, reporter Steve Lohr amended that identification this weekend when he was contacted by another Fred Hatfield (not the major leaguer; this Fred is a retired electrical engineer living in New Orleans) who was able to prove, by virtue of some signed correspondence with Steve Jobs, that he was in fact the Apple-1's original owner. Hatfield II got $40,000 for his antique and non-working machine when he sold it to an eager buyer, "a young man from Texas in the software business," who in turn got it functional and auction-ready. Also of note is that the Apple 1 here includes a circuit board signed by Woz, another "upgrade" acquired by the mysterious Texan. Meanwhile, you can pick up an original iMac on eBay for less than $100. I suppose not everything appreciates in value as it gets older.
