brown
Latest
Galaxy S 4 for Verizon spied in Brown Autumn
History might be repeating itself. Just as Samsung launched a red Galaxy S III for AT&T and followed up with black and brown Verizon models, a new @evleaks image hints that AT&T's red Galaxy S 4 could be matched by a Brown Autumn equivalent on Verizon. The product shot doesn't reveal more than the color, mind you -- we don't know when this GS4 could ship, or if Blue Arctic would tag along. If the past is anything to go by, though, customers won't have to pay a premium for any additional Verizon hues.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 and 8.0 spotted in golden brown hues
Do you wish Samsung would color its newer Android tablets in a shade other than washing machine white? You may be in luck: @evleaks claims to have images of both the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 and 8.0 in what's billed as a "gold-brown" tint. There aren't any details of when these earthier variants could launch, or if other colors would tag along. Knowing Samsung's willingness to offer a rainbow-like selection of devices, though, brown might not arrive alone.
Samsung Galaxy Note II purportedly reaching South Korea in brown and red
Yes, the black Galaxy Note II may have been more wishful thinking than reality, but that doesn't mean Samsung is sticking to a narrow palette for its extra-large flagship. A supposed magazine page in South Korea shows both a brown Note II (already available in Japan) and a previously unseen red model headed to the country at an unspecified point in the future. The claim sounds promising for those who've wanted more options than gray and white. All the same, we'll remain skeptical unless the new colors are made official -- Samsung hasn't commented on the authenticity of the page, and the original Korean forum post has disappeared without a trace. We can't help but hope it's real, though, if just for the chance of another smartphone designed for vampires.
Verizon Galaxy S III now available in black and brown
Verizon teased on Monday that black and brown models of Samsung's Galaxy S III would be coming soon, but mum was the word on exactly how quickly that would be. Turns out, it was real fast. The pair of smartphones are now available at the carrier's online storefront with a $199.99 price tag for those who don't mind a two-year commitment with Big Red. If the new shades strike your fancy, hit the source link below to give one (or two) of the devices a new home.
Verizon teases black and brown Galaxy S III models for the subtle crowd
AT&T might have nabbed Verizon's color for the Galaxy S III, but that doesn't mean Big Red subscribers will be left out. The CDMA carrier has just posted a rotating teaser on its home page promising the low-key black and brown versions of Samsung's flagship sometime "soon," with availability sign-ups on hand for the impatient. That's all we know for now, although history suggests there won't be a premium over the $200 contract price of the existing blue and white models. We're hoping the new shades of Galaxy come soon -- Verizon's offering will be the first chance most Americans have to get the Android phone in muted colors and relive the glory days of brown electronics.
Samsung expands Galaxy S III colors: yes, you can get brown
Samsung just couldn't relegate itself to a two-tone, blue and white Galaxy S III universe -- the company is using the run-up to IFA 2012 to triple the size of its smartphone's palette. We've seen the Garnet Red model arrive early at AT&T, but it now looks to be spreading abroad; the previously leaked Sapphire Black is equally official for those who don't think the original blue is dark enough. We're also seeing two more colors that have been relatively undiscovered, including a Titanium Gray and an unconventional Amber Brown. No, not that kind of brown, although it may be the first time in awhile that earthy hue has claimed such a high profile. Color choices will vary depending on the carrier or store, which leaves a distinct chance that you'll be switching networks or hunting down importers if you've got to have just the right shade of Hyperglaze in your life.
OUYA wrapping up funding with limited brown metal console, Vevo deal
To put it mildly, the OUYA console has had a better than expected funding run -- the project is now past the $6 million mark, or six times what it originally needed. The team still wants a little something to end the last week of fundraising with a bang. It just unveiled a limited edition brown, brushed metal version of the console with a controller to match; all it takes is a $140 pledge during the final push to August 9th and you've got the Yves Behar-chosen color for yourself. The special run should arrive as part of the wider March 2013 launch. If the original silver hue will do just nicely, thank you very much, OUYA has struck another content deal and will launch Vevo's music video hub side-by-side with the console. Click past the break for a peek at the controller, and consider a pledge on Kickstarter if you just can't stand the thought of having the same console as everyone else.
Supreme Court delegates Brown v. EMA expenses ruling to Ninth Circuit
Legal representation ain't cheap, especially when your squad of top-notch lawyers are defending your industry/community's constitutional rights of expression. Apparently, setting legal precedent racks up a $1.4 million tab, and the Entertainment Merchants Association has requested that the bill be covered by the state of California, since they lost and everything. Now that all the fun important history making stuff is over, though, it seems the Supreme Court has better things to do with its time than figure out whose millions of dollars belong to which lawyers. As a result, the task of approving/denying the EMA's request has been delegated to the Ninth Circuit Court. Now that we think about it, does California even have $1.4 million to lose at this point? Call us crazy, but dine-and-dashing on the Supreme Court probably isn't possible.
MSI's Brazos-powered WindPad 110w tablet officially up for pre-order, ships August 1st
It happened once before, but now it's in stone: MSI has just come clean with its WindPad 110w pre-order, with $599.99 grabbing you a place in line. For those who've forgotten, that price premium nets you a 10-inch panel (1280 x 800), 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 32GB solid state drive, a pair of full-size USB ports, a mini-HDMI socket, Windows 7 and AMD's Brazos processor platform. Make no mistake -- this ain't your average tablet, which may (or may not) explain the $100-above-average MSRP. Hit the links below if you'd like to make the best impulse buy of your week, but make sure you're prepared to wait on an August 1st ship date.
MSI WindPad 110w listed for $599 pre-order, is brown
Looks like ASUS isn't the only popular netbook maker finally releasing more of its tablets into the wild. We've had various encounters with MSI's 10-inch WindPad 110w this year, but pricing and availability details on the Windows 7 tablet -- and its Android slate-mates -- had remained secret. That's now slightly changed courtesy of J&R's website, where a pre-order listing for the 110w has surfaced displaying a $600 street price and a full specification rundown. Highlights from under the hood include a dual-core AMD Brazo (as expected), a 32GB SSD, and 4GB of DDR3 RAM along with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity; around the outside are two cameras, a plethora of ports including mini HDMI, USB 2.0 and an SD card slot. Not too shabby, although it appears you'll have to settle for brown (and loss of all dignity at checkout).
Lenovo sneaks out IdeaPad U550 laptop, in brown only
Lenovo has a habit of slipping out products without much fanfare (or even a decent picture), and it looks like it's done it again with its new IdeaPad U550 laptop, which gets out just in time for the Windows 7 rush. As you might expect, there isn't a ton to get excited about here, but the laptop is relatively lightweight for one with a 15.6-inch screen (just 5.29 pounds), and it settles nicely in the mid-range of Lenovo's offering in terms of specs. That includes your choice of Pentium Dual-Core or Core 2 Duo processors, ATI Radeon HD4330 or Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, 4GB of RAM standard, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, and even some nifty touches like an ambient light sensor and a standard fingerprint reader. No firm word on a ship date just yet (only "more than four weeks"), but you can get you order in right now for between $699 and $799 -- just hope you like brown, as it's apparently the only color option available at the moment.[Thanks, alsyl]
Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color?
Pet peeve time, ladies and gentlemen. I despise the realism movement in video games. Sure, I love seeing more accurate graphics and more realistic environments -- that's the nice part. I get to use my nice computer to explore amazing landscapes and take part in some beautiful interactions.But, whoever wrote the equation "Brown + Grass + Bland Colors = Realism" needs to have their head checked. With all of this amazing technology, we've seemed to have forgotten the magic of what games stand for. But what really gets me is the culture that's springing around this phenomenon. Apparently "toony" games aren't welcome here anymore. So I need to ask the question: "Who decided brown was an awesome color?"
Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color? pt. 2
BrownQuest 2 ended up proving that too much of something was bad -- horribly, horribly bad. BrownQuest 2 could barely run on most systems because no one could handle the "extremely, super cool, melt your face" graphics and ended up sitting on the shelves that holiday season. The new rationale about the game was that it had future-proofed itself, lying in wait for computers to exist to run it at its graphical peak.That peak came, and no one rushed to buy the game. People came in and people left, and the game didn't turn out to be the huge blockbuster it was anticipated to be. And now, 4 years later, I turn on my computer and run BrownQuest 2 at maximum graphics easily, and I'm just not fully impressed. Are they good graphics? Sure they are. Are they so amazing that they make me run around my room screaming so loud that I can drown out Lewis Black? (NSFW) No, not really.So, with all of that in mind, let's turn to something more relevant. Let's turn to World of Warcraft. Say what you will about the game, but I think we can all agree that the game design of WoW is solid. It's not the holy grail, but it's certainly good enough to make 11 million people play it. Now ask yourself the question: "Would WoW be as popular and as good if it sported the extreme graphics EverQuest 2 did?"If you're hijacking my brainwaves, you know the answer already. Of course WoW wouldn't be popular if the graphic requirements were through the roof. Even if it was an amazing game, no one would be playing it because no one would be able to run it. In these times, we can't afford to go running off and upgrading our video cards just because we want to play that one game, *cough*Crysis*cough*.And is World of Warcraft a beautiful game? Of course it is! The vistas, the sunsets, the snow, the shattered landscapes. And for being so "cartoony" it can still pull off some really imposing places, like Blackrock Mountain, Hellfire Peninsula, Netherstorm, Icecrown Glacier, and many others. Certainly, the graphics have improved in the latest expansion, but the other areas of the game just don't scream "I'm dated" as loudly as "realistic" games can.Say what you want about graphics that don't push the edge of technology, use bright colors, and attempt to engage us in veritable water-colored landscapes. The truth is these things make sure that the game still looks good and appealing to us years down the line, they let the tone and aristry of the game shine through in ways that realistic graphics cannot, and they make sure that you can still play with your friends without spending wads of cash to upgrade your rig.Because, in the end, isn't that what a massively multiplayer game is about? Playing and enjoying the world with other people at your side? Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who believes games need to grasp the imagination, not your video card. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane roommates. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.
Vizio emerges from the tanning bed with copper-toned LCDs
Okay, Vizio, we're fine with your jostling upward in the TV product space, but please do it through improving product performance rather than slapping copper-colored bezels on your wares. The "J" in the VOJ320F and VOJ370F model numbers is for "java," and you can guess that the rest of the alphabet soup calls out 32-inch and 37-inch sizes and 1080p resolution (Full HD). You'll also get 2 HDMI inputs on the 32-incher and 3 on the 37-inch model. Who knows, maybe these will play well alongside champage colored gear in Asia, but we'll stick with black for the bezel and keep the copper in our chassis, thanks. But if you think brown is the next black, vote with your wallet to the tune of $649 or $849 for the 32-inch or 37-inch models, respectively.
Debut Golden Axe: Beast Rider trailer shows protagonist riding beasts
We were heartbroken to learn that the upcoming re-imagining of the once beloved arcade franchise, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, would not feature any co-op gameplay. Our faith in the title was admittedly shaken -- though this debut trailer has officially piqued our interest. After all, who needs friends when you have gigantic, mountable dinosaurs? Though we would have preferred to see some footage of some unassumping, puntable power-up gnomes, the combat in the above video certainly looks enticing -- though the gameplay featured in this preview might be lost on you if your monitor is unable to display the 400 shades of brown apparently used to create the game's visual aesthetic. May we suggest adjusting the title to the slightly more appropriate Burnt Sienna Axe?
EA knocks Activision/Vivendi for leaving ESA
EA's VP of corporate communications, Jeff Brown, says that Activision and Vivendi pulling out of the ESA shows a "lack of leadership" from the two (soon to become one) large publisher. Brown tells GI.biz that EA has no plans of leaving the lobbying and business affairs group, expressing that a big company like EA has a "responsibility to consumers" to work on policy issues and it should be done through "industry consensus."EA will not be leaving the ESA, but Brown urges the organization to make a strong case to remaining members. He insists that it's the ESA's job to "prove" that membership is for the good of the publishers, but believes with Activision/Vivendi leaving, along with LucasArts announcing its departure last week, that the organization will be proving itself more. Now, whether that proving is in the public spotlight or behind the scenes (which is normal for a lobbying group) is something the ESA is going to have to work out after these very public publisher exits.
EA hires former EA exec as new CFO
EA's named a replacement for outgoing Chief Financial Officer Warren Jenson and the winner is: Eric Brown of McAfee Inc. GameDaily reports Brown is no stranger to the ways of EA, having served as Chief Operating Officer of EA's Redwood Shores Studio.EA CEO John Riccitiello says Brown's broad international experience and industry knowledge make him a perfect fit for the company. Surprisingly there was no gloating about needing a CFO on board who can easily handle a major acquisition. Brown officially begins the job April 14, three days after EA's hostile takeover deadline against Take-Two.
UK PM calls for violent media review
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a wide-ranging review of media violence, including video games, at his monthly press conference Tuesday. Brown said he hoped the review would lead not to state censorship of violent and pornographic content, but instead to a voluntary agreement between content providers and parents to protect children."This is not the government telling people what they should do ... this is society reaching a conclusion with all those people involved about what are the legitimate boundaries," Brown said. "I think we have got to look at this as a society. I hope this is one of the areas where there can be common ground between all parties."The review comes after a similar call to curb media violence by Conservative leader David Cameron. "We are never going to deal with crime unless we look at the broader context ... and that includes, I think, video games and things like that where we do need to think of the context in which people are growing up," Cameron said last week. With new parliamentary elections possibly coming as early as this fall, media violence is shaping up to be a serious point of contention, with both sides trying to prove they're more serious about the problem.[Via Gamasutra]
