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Mach inks carrier billing deal with Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK
Not a month after Mach's last carrier billing deal, UK network providers Vodafone, Three, O2 and Everything Everywhere are getting in on the action. The company's direct billing solutions will initially allow the networks to charge app and online purchases straight to your bill, with in-app sales joining them at a later date. Don't expect this to be implemented immediately, however, as the agreement covers the back-end processing -- the individual carriers will be responsible for turning it on customer-side. They'll likely inform you when they hit the switch and your phone bill becomes a monthly surprise.
iPhone 5 contract prices for UK phone networks revealed (updated with O2, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U)
While Apple had its preorders primed since 8am BST, British carriers have only just unveiled their monthly prices for the newest iPhone. Vodafone will offer it on contracts from £25 per month -- with an initial £249 outlay) or free on £47 per month for two years. That free deal will net you a 16GB iPhone 5, with 2GB of data, unlimited texts and voice minutes. On Orange, a 24-month contract at £46 will nab you the same 16GB model for free, with 3GB of data and unlimited calls and texts. If you drop down to the £20 rate, you'll have to pay £320 upfront and pick up a lightweight bundle of 100MB of data, 50 texts and 50 minutes. EE stablemate T-Mobile isn't offering any free iPhones on its carrier plans, but you'll be able to glean unlimited internet (alongside 2000 voice minutes) on a 16GB iPhone 5 for £109 and £36 per month on contract. Confusingly, anyone looking to grab the UK's first LTE network on the iPhone 5 will have to sign up to a "4GEE from EE" plan -- which still hasn't revealed its pricing. We're checking with EE whether customers that decide to grab a new contract with Orange or T-Mobile will still be able to migrate across -- we'd hold off on that pre-order until we hear back from the new 4G network. (Edit: See update below for clarification.) Meanwhile, Three UK currently has the 16GB iPhone on its unlimited data One Plan at £79 upfront, on a £36 per month deal. We'll update again once we hear O2's plans. Update: EE has been in touch to clarify matters: "Customers can either wait for EE to launch (we will be announcing the date in the coming weeks) or they can sign up to a contract with T-Mobile or Orange and upgrade to EE free of charge once it has launched, as long as they move to an equivalent priced and length plan on EE." Update 2: Phones4U is taking its own pre-orders for those who want to enlist with Orange, T-Mobile or Vodafone. O2 has also chipped in with its details and is offering the iPhone 5 on plans starting from £26 per month; like Orange, you'll have to opt for at least a £46 monthly outlay to get one for free. The O2 plans offer the same unlimited voice and texts, but just 1GB of data. Lastly, Carphone Warehouse has chipped in with its own advance order campaign, although it's only taking online orders for the 16GB black iPhone at this stage: you'll need to call in for everything else.
LTE iPhone 5 coming to EE and Three in UK, but not O2 and Vodafone
Brits ready to stake their preorder claim this Friday might have a harder time deciding between the myriad of networks offering the device. While all of the major UK carriers will be ready to offer you the iPhone 5, that LTE radio will only be working on the newly-christened EE from the start, with Three likely to use that purchased spectrum (after getting the okay from Ofcom) to similar effect in the near-future. Unfortunately for Vodafone and O2, the forthcoming Ofcom spectrum auction is gearing up to sell off the 800MHz (Band 20) and 2.6GHz (Band 7) frequencies -- neither of which are found on Apple's multiple iPhone 5 models, and the latter being a bigger problem in Europe and Asia, where LTE networks already make use of the 2.6GHz frequency. However, Apple have followed up an initial phone launch with additional network-specific models before -- so there's a slim chance we could see another model at a later date. All the UK carriers are keeping their contract prices a tightly-guarded secret at the moment, but we'll update as soon as we hear more. Meanwhile, those on that little European isle can expect to pay £529 for the entry-level iPhone 5 from the source when pre-orders start this Friday. Update: Pocket-lint's been told that those looking to grab the EE iteration will need to initially register with either Orange or T-Mobile, with your service bizarrely migrating across on a later, as-yet unconfirmed, date. This is because its new 4G network won't be ready when the iPhone 5 first hits shops on September 21st. Before that, you'll have to make do with HSPA+ speeds.
We test speeds on EE, the UK's first LTE network! (video)
Formerly known as Everything Everywhere, also known as the union of Orange and T-Mobile's UK networks, it's now going under the name EE and (finally) bringing LTE to the British Isles in the coming weeks. We decided to see what that means by running Speed Test on the device -- and it's looking good. Upload speeds averaged around 20Mbps, while downloads peaked around 38Mbps -- consistently above 25Mbps. If you're wondering what this means for how you'll normally use your phone, Angry Birds' 20MB-plus app download rocketed down from the new network and this very site appeared in an instant. See for yourself after the break. %Gallery-164916%
Everything Everywhere announces the UK's first major LTE service, EE: combines Orange and T-Mobile networks
Finally, after gaining approval from UK regulator Ofcom, Everything Everywhere announced today that it's calling its incoming 4G service EE. It's a new company, new network and a new brand, we're being told here at London's Science Museum. Officially formed of the combined network might of Orange and T-Mobile, the union has been allowed to use 4G services on its 1800 MHz spectrum starting today, although we're still waiting to hear precisely what hardware will be compatible with the UK's first LTE network. EE will also start offering a fiber service. Orange and T-Mobile will still exist, with the colored carrier concentrating on giving customers "more from their phone" (whatever that consists of), while T-Mobile will appeal to customers chasing value. We've been told both 4G and fiber offerings will be launching soon, though this will also depend on hardware availability. We're also hoping there will be more on the cards than just a WiFi dongle, but more as we get it. The first cities to get the service are London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol, with 16 more launching by the end of the year -- including the likes of Manchester and Southampton. EE puts that at covering a third of the population of the UK. We were given an ever-so brief glimpse at incoming devices for the new 4G service -- Brits can expect to pick up devices from Samsung, Nokia, Huawei and more "in the coming weeks" -- the same timeframe that with encompass the launch of the network to its customers after testing. (The offering from EE will also include MiFi and USB dongles.) It even dropped a iPhone-tinged "one more thing" that more devices are incoming. Possibly something we'll hear about tomorrow.%Gallery-164927%
ASUS MeMO 370T 7-inch tablet clears the FCC, leaves no trace of Ice Cream or Jelly behind
The 7-inch ASUS Eee Pad MeMO ME370T we saw in early prototype form during CES just passed through the FCC. It's still only showing WiFi radios with no trace of a cellular connection, although if it's going to be the $249 standard bearer NVIDIA and ASUS were so excited about, that's to be expected. A juicier rumor that has surfaced in the intervening period however, suggests this device will actually be released as a Google Nexus 7-inch tablet (or just sold from a Google store), and could even feature the next version of Android, codenamed Jelly Bean. It could also sell for as low as $149, although the cheaper reworked version might swap out the Tegra processor for one from Qualcomm. We didn't spot anything in the filings to back that up, but you can paw through the PDFs yourself at the link below, or just get an idea of what it looks like in non-line drawn form with our gallery of pics from CES 2012.
Eden Eternal content update brings new races, Alpaca Coin system
A new update has hit the world of Aeria Games' Eden Eternal today, and it brought two new races along with it. The glyph-crafting Ursun and the minuscule Halfkin should both be welcome additions to the title's roster of playable races. But what if you want to play all five races? Don't worry. Aeria has raised the character limit to six characters per account. The update also adds the new Alpaca Coin system to the game. The system "serves as a new quest mechanic," and it encourages players to collect Alpaca-emblazoned tokens that can be redeemed for rare and Aeria Point items. To get in on the alpaction (I'm sorry) yourself, head on over to the game's official site. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
New Eden Eternal trailer reveals the Ursan and Halfkin races
The ranks of Aeria Games' cutesy F2P MMO Eden Eternal continue to grow as the studio announces two new races making their debuts in the world. In the red corner, we have the fierce (but fluffy!) Ursun. And in the blue corner stand the diminutive Halfkin. These additions bring the total number of races available in Eden Eternal up to five, so players certainly won't lack for choices. For the Ursan and Halfkin announcement trailer, just click on past the cut. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Earth Eternal development on hold once again
It's been a tough ride for Earth Eternal. We first heard about the original developer, Sparkplay, only days after Massively came into existence in 2007, and we've been following the company ever since. Earth Eternal was voted one of Beau's top F2P games in 2010, as it was enjoying quite a strong run that year -- even to the point where Sparkplay mentioned creating more games outside of EE. Well, that soon ended as the company ran into some serious financial problems that led to the game's hold status. Fast-forward a year, and the game was reborn with a new developer (TurnOut Ventures with OutBlaze)! It re-entered open beta status and looked to be on the road to recovery. Well, the rollercoaster is back on the descent, according to the game's forums. It turns out Earth Eternal's development is once again put on hold until further notice. The servers are still online and the game is still playable, but the small development team at TurnOut has been relocated to other projects. So right now, it seems to be a completely free game with no cash shop. We'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on any further news we hear. [Thanks to Keith for the tip!]
Eden Eternal update introduces Templar, player housing
Aeria Games has been teasing Eden Eternal's latest update since late last month, and now it's finally live. Eden Eternal players get a smattering of new goodies with the new patch, from the Templar class to player housing. In addition, the level cap has been raised to level 60, and new maps and dungeons have been introduced to keep players entertained on the way to the top. To get in on the free-to-play action, head on over to Eden Eternal's official site. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Eden Eternal update bringing new class, player housing, and more
Aeria Games announced in a press release today that Eden Eternal will be on the receiving end of a rather large content update sometime in early October. What gives this update such heft? Well, for starters there's the new Templar class, plus a level cap raise, and oh yeah, player housing. If five new levels, a new class, and houses aren't enough for you, get this: You can throw parties! In your house! House parties! Anyway, also included in the update are a variety of high-level areas, alpaca coins (which can be found in high-level zones and redeemed for various prizes), and a new pirate invasion event! Shiver me timbers and all that, matey. To get in on the swashbuckling, house-partying fun, just head on over to Eden Eternal's official site and sign up. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal trailer teases new race, racial crafting
To commemorate free-to-play MMO Eden Eternal's latest content update, Aeria Games has released a short trailer showing off some of the new features available to players. For starters, there's a new race: the amphibious Anurans. Racial crafting has been introduced alongside the new race, allowing each race to ply its specific trade. For the full trailer, hop on past the cut, then head on over to the official site to download the client and register to play.
M-O-U-S-Eeeeeden Eternal releases new Zumi trailer
A while back we covered Aeria Games' announcement that some devilishly cute little rodent-people known known as Zumi would soon be making their way to the land of Eden Eternal. Now, we've got a new trailer that shows off the mice in action. Don't be fooled by their precious ears and buckteeth, though; The Zumi are masters of the scientific, and they create all variety of gadgets and gizmos to help make the world a better place. Well, either that, or to make a quick buck. To see the Zumi in all of their animated glory, head on past the cut for the new trailer.
ASUS delays Eee Pad Slider, stretches the definition of 'soon'
That promised May release for the Eee Pad Slider shifted to a rather more ambiguous "soon" a little over a month ago, and now we're sad to report it's moving further back still. ASUS has an update on its UK Facebook profile indicating that the QWERTYfied tablet will now be shipping there sometime this Autumn, taking this extra time to throw up some surveys and better "understand what is important for our customers." That sounds dangerously close to the company's feet getting a little cold as it prepares to launch the most interestingly designed Honeycomb slab we've yet seen, but maybe if everybody leaves some encouraging comments we can get this reluctant bride out of the limo and down the aisle, already.
Massively Exclusive: New Eden Eternal Zumi race screenshots
Last week we put the spotlight on Eden Eternal and its upcoming Zumi race. The adorable little anthropomorphized rodents seem to fill the game's "mad scientist inventor" niche, and we have some new pictures to show them off. First off we have some renders of the precious wittle Zumi in a variety of class-specific outfits. Alongside the dress-up rats, we have some concept art of their dwellings, which are delightfully steampunk with all the brass gears and pistons. So scamper on to the gallery for all of the new art, and keep an eye on Massively for new information as it comes. %Gallery-127779%
First Impressions: Eden Eternal
Hello, Massively readers, and welcome to my first ever first impressions article. Are you excited!? No? Well, feign interest for me anyway, and be gentle! Today, I've been asked to take a look at the currently-in-closed-beta Eden Eternal from Aeria Games, and you all have front-row seats for the grand tour. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I tend to be highly skeptical in regard to free-to-play games such as this one. I'm sure at least some of you know what I mean -- anime-inspired graphics, microtransaction-based, each with the same instantly recognizable website layout. With this in mind, I wasn't expecting much when I first logged in to Eden Eternal. I was anticipating, at best, some limited character customization, poorly translated quests, and a whole lot of grinding that could only be alleviated by shelling out for upgrades in the cash shop. What did I find instead? Jump past the cut to find out.
Earth Eternal showing signs of life
We'd heard about Sparkplay Media's issues with raising further funding to continue its independent anthropomorphic MMO, Earth Eternal. When the game and overall site dropped offline a few weeks ago without any further official statement, we figured that time had run out, and it was simply the sunsetting of another MMO. That's why we were surprised to see both the Earth Eternal Facebook and Twitter accounts light back up, if only to let us know someone's still there -- and that there's still hope. The message on Facebook notes, "...our ISP pulled the plug for non-payment, which was expected. I wasn't able to give you any warning, unfortunately, because I was at Burning Man and completely out of reach for the week that it went down. Full backups of all the data exist and the company that is in the process of buying Earth Eternal will be starting it back up again in the nearish future." As to what company is seeking to purchase the game and how fast this process will be moving, we have no idea. However, we're certain that this nugget of reboot hope is welcome news to those who were enjoying this kitschy, yet fun, title. With any luck we'll be hearing something from a representative of Sparkplay before too long.
Earth Eternal facing the prospect of shutdown
There's incredibly bad news today about Earth Eternal, the free-to-play browser-based MMO from Sparkplay Media. Or we should say formerly from Sparkplay Media, as it appears that hard times have hit the company with resounding force. In an extremely sad letter, CEO Matt Mihaly has informed players that Sparkplay Media has been all but shut down, with only two remaining employees (including himself) taking care of closing down the company and trying to sell the game to another service provider. Although the game is not currently being shut down, Mihaly is frank about its prospects: it entirely depends on whether or not another company will pick up the hosting costs of running Earth Eternal. For the time being, the game has made all of its microtransaction items free for all players, in hopes that whatever the game's ultimate fate, players can enjoy it for a little while longer. Our consolations go out to the team behind the game, and we offer our sympathies for what has no doubt been a painful process for the entire staff.
One Shots: Walk softly and carry a big hammer
Games like Earth Eternal which offer the ability to launch from a browser have piqued the curiosity of players -- we hardcore MMO geeks are all about interesting innovations. But it's not just the ability to launch from the browser that intrigues players -- it's the fun, stylized take on fantasy that keeps many coming to Sparkplay Media's free-to-play game. Today we have a picturesque screenshot from Massively regular commenter, Ripper McGee, showing off a view from an early area. He writes in to explain: "Here's a simple shot of my new clockwork knight, Django Fett, against the night sky and shattered moon in Earthrise, the final tutorial zone in Earth Eternal." Are you playing a game we don't get a chance to see all that often? Why not share your experiences and views with us here on One Shots. It's easy to do. Just grab a great screenshot and send it in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it here for everyone to check out and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-85937%
Earth Eternal takes players Down Below
The team over at Sparkplay Media have been hard at work polishing up Earth Eternal as they move towards the game's eventual release. This dedication to the 'it's done when it's done' MMO development is certainly a great thing to see -- especially when it comes hand in hand with fun new content! The newest patch, 0.8.5, adds a spooky new dungeon called The Down Below for players to explore. This area is an excavated ruin in Midland between New Badari and Grunes Tal that offers players 10 enormous new areas and 30 named mobs just perfect for groups of 5 level 33 to 36 players. There are also a bunch of fixes and updates in patch 0.8.5 that players of all levels will definitely want to read up on. The Earth Eternal beta is open for any and all people who have been interested in the game, but haven't had a chance to try it out. So if checking out browser-based MMOs where you get to play animals, robots, or demons sounds like something you'd enjoy, head on over to the Earth Eternal site and get signed up to play!
