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Nokia's answer to the iPod Shuffle might look a lot like an iPod Shuffle
Serial party spoiler @evleaks has already shown us Nokia's forthcoming Lumia 1520 and 2520, but now he claims to have a leaked image of something much, much smaller. The picture shows a basic audio device that, he says, is similar to Apple's entry-level music player, except that it has NFC to allow easy pairing to either a smartphone or to other speakers and headphones. There's also a microUSB charging and/or sync port, as well as some very simple controls, although we can't see if there are any buttons on the far side. As to whether this thing -- which may be called the "Guru" -- is just another Bluetooth receiver and DAC for headsets (like Nokia's existing BH-221), or whether it has local storage and other features of its own, we'll probably find out tomorrow.
eBay UK launches Secretguru beta site, helps you find experts to get stuff done
Granted, the name sounds a bit questionable, but Secretguru wants to help you make your life a little better. Still in an early beta pilot testing stage, the site was launched by a wing of Ebay's UK staff in attempts to set professionals up with clients, from chefs to painters to vocal coaches to tour guides. The site has hand-picked a list of "gurus" that you can peruse and hire, and those interested in being named a guru can submit an application for consideration. As far as feedback on hired gurus is concerned, that still seems to be a matter of sending complaints directly to eBay itself. No word yet on plans to launch the site in other countries.
Raph Koster wants to know why we can't all just get along
Raph Koster, MMO guru and erstwhile creative director of Star Wars Galaxies, has had it up to here with you people and your intolerance of one another. Yes, you, game designers. In a recent blog post, Koster makes shame carrots at those on both sides of the science-versus-humanities schism in the game design community. He states that people on either side of the spectrum can be right and that there's room for both emotional value and scientific fact in games. Too many people, he says, are entrenched in their viewpoints, and that makes progress more difficult for everyone. The result is an abundance of "hipstery, self-indulgent, artsy, self-referential, slight, pretentious work all over the place that people are claiming as the One True Way or the best way to push the boundaries of the field." Koster says that rather than fiercely defend a specific type of game design, designers need to embrace a both/and mentality, in which multiple viewpoints and approaches are accepted as valid and worthwhile. Narrative designers should try making a game with nothing but counters and dice and no story. System designers should try making a game that is about telling a story. While we're at it, the world should really learn how to sing in perfect harmony.
Samsung's E1107 packs solar power, not much else
ZTE already proved that solar power can make a ton of sense in the low end of the market, so we're not sure why Sammy thought it could get away with the "World's First Solar Phone" tagline here -- but at any rate, Asian, European, and Latin American locales can look forward to the E1107 hitting retail this month. The ultra-basic candybar claims to get 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for every hour sitting in the sun, and depending on how much you talk, that could be enough to take the place of a wall charger altogether. One look at the phone should tell you that there isn't much going on here gizmo-wise outside of the solar cells, but one nifty feature is a built-in fake call app that'll let you call yourself in a pinch to get out of an unwanted conversation. Sure, the iPhone already has an app for that, but is the iPhone solar? We didn't think so.
Microsoft Gurus are not Apple Geniuses
According to a Friday article on Yahoo! Finance, Microsoft is introducing "Microsoft Gurus" at Best Buy and Circuit City stores nationwide. They plan on having 155 Gurus deployed by year-end, and will expand the program based on its success.While it may seem like this is copying Apple's Genius program, it's not. The Geniuses hang out at the Genius Bar in the local Apple Store, helping new Mac owners migrate data or resolve problems, fixing iPod and iPhone issues, and otherwise giving the customer help when they really need it -- after they've committed money to a product and can't get something to work properly. In contrast, the Microsoft Guru program is only concerned with pre-sales questions. Gurus provide demos of how Microsoft applications work together, as well as answer questions about PCs in general and Windows in particular. This is reminiscent of Microsoft's previous attempts at having in-store sales reps, particularly in 2004 and 2005 when the company had contract staff at stores to push the ever-popular MSN Direct Smart Watches. You say you've never heard of MSN Direct or Smart Watches? That should give you an idea of how successful that pre-sales program was!What do you think about the Microsoft Gurus? Leave a comment and/or take our poll. %Poll-19260%
GDC08: Live from Sony's Block Party
Click for high-resolution image. We're currently enjoying the tunes of Q-Tip and Guru in what's been called the most exclusive party of GDC. Sony's "PlayStation Block Party" has a seemingly limitless budget, with food, booze, and girls everywhere. "Let the good times roll," indeed. But we have a question: where are the games?Enjoy our gallery to make yourself feel like you're there. We'll try to have video for you in the coming hours.%Gallery-16579%
