cancellation
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ASUS moving forward on ZX1 cancellation, adding two other phones?
CNET Asia has apparently received word that not only will ASUS' Lamborghini-branded ZX1 smartphone be canceled (as we mentioned earlier this month), but the company will also be putting the brakes on its forthcoming P560 and M536 phones as well. In a statement issued presumably to CNET, the company claims that the project has been postponed due to the "technical immaturity of a key component from one of our suppliers," though they seem to have left the door open for a reboot. We know one thing for sure -- it's clear that the P560 and M536 weren't those "more important devices" the company made reference to previously. They probably need the resources for another 25 versions of the Eee PC.[Thanks, chauco]
David Perry on MUO cancellation: "huh?"
Eurogamer caught up with David Perry, former Shiny Entertainment big-wig and now localizer of many free MMOs for Acclaim to ask him, among other things, for his reaction to the recent news that Marvel Universe Online has been officially canned. Perry reacted with some surprise, pointing out Marvel is one of the biggest and most prolific mainstream intellectual properties on the market today, with all the money swirling around the box-office success of Spiderman, X-men, The Hulk, etc. He reasoned that if you take a team just as good as Blizzard and set them to work on a Marvel MMO, it'd be even bigger than WoW.We take Perry's point, but there are a number of factors to consider with this story. First of all, there's a certain danger in developing an MMO for a console environment, especially at this stage in the system's life. The Xbox 360 launched in Fall of 2005, meaning it's probably closing in on the midway point in its life-cycle. In a genre where games like Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot are still making money, being halfway through a five year life cycle doesn't bode well for long-term profitability. And second, whose to say Shane Kim even related the full story? This whole affair could be far messier than we can tell at this juncture -- we may only find out what really happened with time.
Marvel MMO officially put to rest
I have to confess, I had been holding out hope over the last couple months that the rumors circulating of Marvel Universe Online's imminent cancellation would prove to be unfounded. The very idea of a Marvel-endorsed super-hero game being developed by the guys at Cryptic to be released on the Xbox 360 platform was almost too much for my fanboy heart to handle. Alas, it was not to be. Steven Totilo of MTV's multiplayer blog sat down with Microsoft's Shane Kim to talk, among other things, about the cancellation.Kim first confirmed that the cancellation rumor was true, and stressed that the decision to cease development was amicable on all sides. He cited the competitiveness of the MMO market as the primary reason for cancellation. Evidently, Microsoft felt that they couldn't make a sufficient profit to justify the costs of development using a traditional subscription-based model. He also said the game was too far along in development to switch to another business model, like an ad-supported or RMT model. Perhaps the only silver lining in this story is that Cryptic is now free to develop new IPs. Those, of course, will have to wait until Cryptic's media blackout ends.
StarLite blinks out
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/StarLite_the_unofficial_DS_port_of_StarCraft_cancelled'; We all knew it was coming, but that doesn't make StarLite's cancellation hurt any less. The developers behind the unofficial DS port of StarCraft have taken down all traces of the homebrew game, apologizing with a short note: "For legal reasons, we must abandon this project." It's no mystery what transpired -- Blizzard's lawyers zerg rushed sent a Cease and Desist letter to the aspiring programmers, just after they released an update to the RTS with multiplayer support. It was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?"Didn't we almost have it all?When love was all we had worth giving? The ride with you was worth the fall, my friend.Loving you makes life worth living.Didn't we almost have it all?"%Gallery-12544%[Thanks, Dana!]
Perpetual disbanding, STO in jeopardy [Updated]
South Korean company Gravity was forced in a mandatory SEC report to spill the beans that Perpetual Entertainment is seeking liquidation of all its assets and will soon cease to exist as a company. Gravity had to disclose this information in compliance with US law to inform its shareholders that it stands to lose $9 million in investments in Perpetual Entertainment due to the company's failure. Perpetual Entertainment filed for liquidation on the 10th of October, just a day after it announced the cancellation of its Gods & Heroes project. While appearances are that Star Trek Online has remained in some kind of development (however limited) in the short term, Perpetual will soon be forced to sell all its assets to pay off its debts.That means that either Star Trek Online is due for cancellation, or the project will be sold to a new development studio. Perpetual's continued work on STO is evidence that it at least hopes to keep the project alive by handing it off to another company. We don't know if Perpetual already has a buyer lined up or which company that buyer would be.[EDIT: WarCry's Razor has suggested that the SEC report is misleading and that this was just a part of the process of ending development of Gods & Heroes. His suggestion might be worthy of consideration, but there is not yet enough evidence behind it for us to call this a false alarm. We've sent an e-mail to our press contacts at Perpetual Entertainment for clarification and when/if we get a statement, we'll let you know.]
Rumormill: Marvel Universe Online canceled?
If you've been following non-MMOG news of late, you've probably heard all the speculation about possible canceled Xbox 360 titles. The whole thing was spurred by Shane Bettenhausen in a recent 1up Yours podcast, where he said, 'a big Microsoft first-party title that has been in the works for a very long time, that people are very excited for, sounds like it's being canceled.' Massively's sister site Joystiq has reported that the canceled game isn't Fable 2, or Alan Wake, or Too Human, or ... Banjo-Kazooie. 1up's news editor Patrick Klepek has since stepped back up to the mic to specify that an anonymous source tipped them to the possible cancellation of Cryptic's Marvel Universe Online. Not just relying on the un-verifyable source information, Klepek goes on to note the numerous opportunities Cryptic has had to crow about the game, and didn't.
iPhone Returns and Cancellation Policies
Hey boys and girls, you might be used to trying out phones and getting 30 days to cancel and return the unit (that is, at least, depending on your state of residence). Our Chris tells me that in California, you even get back the activation fee. The iPhone return policy won't be nearly as friendly. Here's a rough-and-ready review of the iPhone policies you should expect. iPhone return policy. You have 14 days (not 30) to return your iPhone. It must be returned to the original point of purchase. You can't buy at store #1 and return to store #2. If the iPhone isn't unopened and shrink wrapped, you'll be charged a 10% open box restocking fee. Returns must include the phone, all accessories, and all manuals that shipped with the product. Canceling the agreement. If you cancel within 3 days of iPhone activation, You're entitled to a refund of the $36 activation fee. If you cancel within 30 days, you can terminate service without paying a penalty. After 30 days, you must pay an early termination fee of $175. After fulfilling your 2 year agreement, your service switches to a month-to-month automatic renewal. Rough Costs So here's a rough breakdown of how much you can expect to pay under various return scenarios. I'm using the $499 4GB iPhone in these calculation and the lowest ($60/month) plan. I assume about $10 in fees and taxes (including 911 Tax, Federal Telecom Relay Service Fee, Universal Service Fund, Cost Recovery Fees, etc.) and a 5% sales tax on the unit itself. $50.00. Try it out, cancel service, return unit within 3 days. $86.00. Try it out, cancel service, return unit within 14 days. $561.00. Try it out, keep the phone, cancel service within 30 days. (I assume they don't charge you for that month. If they do, the cost is $631.00.) $946.00 Use the iPhone for 3 months, pay $175 termination fee. $1576.00. Use the iPhone for 12 months, pay $175 termination fee. $2241.00. Use the iPhone for 24 months, no termination fee
Fido and Rogers raising cancellation fee?
All of us have been enjoying local number portability in the lower half of the North America for some time, and we've been fortunate enough not having any carrier want to double the cancellation fee for those who wanted to port out. For those of you in the upper half of the continent, well... you aren't so lucky as Fido and Rogers are planning to do just that if you are signing up for new service (or making changes to your contract) in the wake of LNP. We think this genius marketing strategy would hurt their business more help it, don't you?
Aliph's Bluetooth Jawbone headset sports military-grade noise cancellation
We've seen our fair share of Bluetooth headsets (with and without DSP), and we hold a soft spot in our heart for the hardcore, rugged devices out there that can withstand next to anything, but Aliph's Jawbone earpiece blends the best of both worlds into one fashionable piece of kit. While the firm already has a wired version on the market, this Bluetooth-enabled set rocks a silver or red color scheme, dual microphones, lightweight design, and a noise cancelling sensor that is literally military-grade. Crafted after conducting research for DARPA, the goal was "to create a mobile phone headset capable of erasing background noise," even in less-than-amicable (or safe) situations. Although there's no pricing or availability information just yet, the unit has already made its way on the Award Honorees list for CES 2007, and if you want to see this bad boy in action, be sure to continue on after the jump for a YouTube demonstration.[Via BlueTomorrow]
Scarface blows off the Xbox 360
Say goodbye to Tony Montana's little friend. Scarface has joined the Sopranos on the hit list of gangland adaptations that won't be coming to the Xbox 360. Should we be sad that Vivendi didn't have the cash to bring us the world and everything in it, or happy that we've been spared a crappy, last-gen port a la the Godfather?
