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Verizon expands its 5G network to Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and DC
Verizon (Engadget's parent company) looks to be on track to meet its goal of bringing 5G coverage to more than 30 US cities this year. It has nearly doubled the number of locales in which 5G service is available by activating it in Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Washington, DC.
Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G is available for pre-order at Verizon
Verizon (Engadget's parent company) has opened pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. You'll need access to 5G connections to get the most out of the device of course, so the provider has also named 20 more cities in which it will turn on its mobile 5G network this year.
Verizon plans to roll out its 5G mobile network in 30 cities this year
At Samsung's Unpacked event Wednesday, it emerged Verizon is getting a short-term exclusive on Samsung's first 5G phone, the Galaxy S10 5G. To make sure people can use the handset and other 5G phones as intended, the provider plans to turn on its 5G mobile network in 30 US cities this year.
AT&T will launch 5G wireless in two cities this year
AT&T's 5G wireless network just got much more tangible. The carrier has announced that its ultra-fast wireless will launch in two cities, Austin and Indianapolis, sometime later in 2017. And while it's still early days, the company is confident enough to set some performance expectations. Initially, these 5G areas will deliver peak speeds of 400Mbps or better. And there's definite room for it to grow -- carrier aggregation and other techniques should push that to 1Gbps in "some areas" this year.
Google Maps goes inside an NFL stadium for first time, takes fans on a virtual tour of the Colts' home
The Indianapolis Colts obviously didn't have the best of luck while playing the eventual Super Bowl XLVII champions in the playoffs this past season, but something tells us a little 360-degree imagery might help turn those frowns upside down -- and that's for both local and long-distance fanatics. Starting today, Colts devotees (or any other curious folk, really) can virtually experience what Lucas Oil Stadium is all about thanks to Google Maps, making this the first time ever the Mountain View search firm has taken its hefty visual resources inside an NFL arena. As part of the virtual stroll, observers can experience a tour of the Colts' locker room premises, a tunnel that was once graced with Peyton Manning's presence and plenty of other areas around the stadium -- such as the Quarterback, Field Level and Loge-Level suites. It's very likely that Google will soon start taking its Maps team into stadiums you're, perhaps, more fond of -- until then, however, you may just want to peruse the gallery past the break to get a better view of the Colts' stomping grounds.
Three COWs descend on Lucas Oil Stadium, courtesy of Verizon Wireless (video)
When you think of Super Bowl Sunday, many images likely come to mind: malty beverages, nachos, high-budget commercials and -- oh, yeah -- football. Even amongst us mobile fanatics, however, cellular coverage rarely crosses the mind. Fortunately, that's not how Big Red rolls. The company has brought three of its LTE cell-on-wheels rigs to Indianapolis in anticipation of the Big Game, which is expected to draw 85,000 attendees. Amongst other things, Lucas Oil Stadium is now wired to the teeth with $69 million in Verizon gear to ensure that all subscribers will be able to tweet along with each touchdown, fumble and botched call -- like the Giants / Packers game, for instance. In addition to the COWs, the equipment includes 400 mobile antennas inside the stadium to carry voice and data, along with 600 WiFi stations to support a total of 28,000 simultaneous connections. The folks at GottaBeMobile have an excellent spread of how all this came together, but if you're more of the visual type, you'll find a quick video after the break.[Thanks, Josh]
AT&T expanding LTE to 15 markets on November 20th
AT&T started out small, but it made a promise to blanket 15 cities with LTE by the end of the year, and by golly, it's going to keep it. In its press release announcing the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, it also mentioned six additional markets to be graced by the super-fast speeds on November 20th. So by this time next week, customers in Charlotte, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis and San Juan, Puerto Rico will be able to make their HTC Vivid, Jetstream and Samsung Skyrocket go a-blazin'. New York City? Sorry, not this round, but we're making progress. Check out the press release tidbit after the break.
WoW and its partners at Gen Con 2009
Gen Con Indy 2009 is just around the corner (it's the weekend before BlizzCon), and if you're headed out for the "best four days in gaming," keep an eye out there for some of this Warcraft stuff. Blizzard won't actually be there, as far as we know (it's more of a convention for board games and roleplaying than video games), but lots of their partners will. Upper Deck will probably have the biggest presence -- both the WoW TCG and the WoW Minis games will have setups where you can sit down and play either one, and they'll be running the Continental Championships as well, where they'll crown some of the best players in the country. And there'll be other tournaments and gameplay for both games going on as well -- the guys from wowtcgscrub.com are organizing a tournament of their own, and Upper Deck will have other ways for you to compete at all levels all weekend long.Fantasy Flight Games, the makers of both World of Warcraft: The Board Game and World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game, will also be in attendance. They haven't announced anything special for the Warcraft games, but they'll likely have them out and playing in at least one demo space. And Warcraft will be there in attendance through the fans as well for sure.In fact, I'll be there for the first time this year -- my friend and I are going to be checking out the show on Saturday. I have no idea what to expect, but i've heard from a few readers that are going already, so if there's interest, we might try to schedule a WoW.com meetup that evening. So if you're headed for Gen Con this year, keep an eye out for the World of Warcraft there.
Nintendo Power teases ... Indianapolis?
How does a satellite image of Indianapolis link to imminent Nintendo news? That's the question posed by Nintendo Power's latest "Next Month" teaser. Seemingly yanked straight from Google Maps, this is one of the vaguest hints we've seen from the magazine for some time, and one that has predictably set message boards and comment threads alight.The most popular guess we've seen concerns some kind of Google content appearing on the Wii, which doesn't sound implausible, but is that really worth building hype in this way? Other speculation ranges from a localized Disaster: Day of Crisis to a Pilotwings game to (with absolutely crushing inevitablity) Earthbound. Your speculation, show us it!
Comcast fires back two HD channels of its own in Indianapolis
Call it coincidence, but Comcast has just pushed out two new high-definition channels in Indianapolis, Indiana merely days after Bright House Networks delivered four. As of now, both FOX News HD and FX HD are live for viewing, and only heaven knows if any others are on the way. Be sure and let us know if additional ones come along, though.[Thanks, Natrino]
Indianapolis, Indiana gets four HD channels courtesy of BHN
Indianapolis! How's it? If you call yourself a Bright House Networks customer, it's about to get a lot better. According to a local who was surfing aimlessly in the EPG today, USA HD (739), Travel HD (748), SciFi HD (768) and FX HD (771) are all available, and we'd wager that's no accident. Flip 'er on and enjoy your new material, Indy.[Thanks, Rob]
BHN drops Fort Wayne NBC / ABC affiliates in Grant County, promises more HD
We certainly hope you Grant County residents in Indiana enjoy the Indianapolis anchors, because after this year, that's all you'll be seeing from Bright House Networks. Currently, this sector of the world is in a rare scenario, as its local cable carrier offers locals from both Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. Sadly, the Fort Wayne NBC (WISE-TV) / ABC (WPTA-TV) affiliates will be done away with after December 31st, and BHN's president of Indiana operations says the decision was based on how skewed the ratings were in the direction of Indy's locals. Not all is doom and gloom, however, as the MLB Network will join HD versions of The Weather Channel, Travel Channel, USA, FX and SciFi in the Grant County EPG next month. Six steps forward, two steps back? Deal.
AT&T talks Total Home DVR rollouts in seven new, not so new areas
We already know you love AT&T's Total Home DVR service, but for whatever reason the company's been less than forthcoming about where and when its hitting across the country. Likely spurred on by our coverage (or maybe not) the latest press release breaks down the seven markets currently feeling the joy of multiple HD stream recording and sharing wash over them like rain, or a particularly refreshing soda. U-verse users in Atlanta, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Reno and Sacramento should all have access to the free software upgrade as of today. Press release is after the break, any areas still missing from the official count?
Gen Con 08: Turbine tells us what's in store for Asheron's Call
At Gen Con, we spoke with Turbine's Andy Cataldo, the Community Manager for Asheron's Call, about the future of this historic game. Cataldo told us a lot about AC's epic 100th update. The update is coming within the next few weeks, and it's a doozy. According to Cataldo, AC players will get a whole new faction system, three land areas to battle over, tons of new loot and spells, and various other improvements to the game, particularly to enemy AI.In addition to working its regular monthly event and patch schedule, Turbine is attempting to respond to player demand for a variety of new features in the 100th and all future updates. Particular emphasis is being placed on adding features common in modern MMOs, such as a quest tracking menu. AC has been around for almost ten years, so it has some catching up to do!Learn more about Turbine's big push to modernize the game, add lots of new content, and more in the interview after the break.
Gen Con 08: Turbine tells us what's in store for AC, Part 2
Given that the game has been around for so long, do you see this addition of modern MMO features as something that the player base is really clamoring for, or are you sort of scaling that against what other games have right now?Really, it's what the players are asking for. That's one of the things we pride ourselves on: listening to the players. Feedback and player concerns are very important to us.
Massively catches up with Dungeons and Dragons Online at Gen Con
Gen Con is rolling along this weekend in Indianapolis, and Turbine is there showing off their upcoming release of Module 8 in Dungeons and Dragons Online. Massively dropped in on their show floor booth to see what they had to see and chat about the brand new character creation system coming to the game, as well as upcoming enhancements, including an increased level cap and maybe even a chance to see Khorvaire in DDO.Our interview and demo starts after the break, and you can check out the pictures we got of the new content in the gallery below. Good things ahead for D&D fans, especially new players to the game. %Gallery-29742%
Turbine party at GenCon Indy
It's always exciting to hear when dev companies find a way to casually mingle with their communities at gaming expos, more than just sitting behind a booth or at a panel talking and answering questions. Since August is somehow designated as the month for gaming conventions, we are overwhelmed by the after-party announcements popping up for next month's expos.Turbine joins the fray with a recent announcement about their GenCon after-party. It will be held at Jillians in Indianapolis, IN from 8-10PM on Friday, August 15th. You will have the opportunity to meet Eldorudo, Tolero, Patience, Kate Paiz and more from the Turbine team. There will also be food, games, fun and swag for all in attendance. They'd like anyone planning on attending to RSVP for a proper headcount.
AT&T's U-verse spreads to more of Indiana
Although Smithville is aiming to offer fiber-based services to much of the Hoosier State within the next couple of years, AT&T isn't waiting around to boost its market share in Indiana. As of this week, legions of residents can now get connected to U-verse -- over 300,000 living units in total. Folks residing in parts of Anderson, Bloomington, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Muncie, Gary, Griffith, Merrillville, Highland, Crown Point, Hammond, Schererville and Dyer now have one more option for fetching content (Big Ten Network and all), and AT&T has already made known its intentions to reach out to more Indiana communities in the future. Ah, the sweet smell of competition.
(Tecmo) Super Bowl XLI
BBPS has produced an amusing mockery of this coming Sunday's big game -- you know, Super Bowl XLI. No doubt the obligatory 'Madden prediction' is on its way, but for now, let Tecmo Super Bowl tell the tale: 28-24, Bears over Colts. Jim Harbaugh FTW!
Video Games Live seats in Indy up for sale
Tickets are now on sale for the two Video Games Live shows planned in conjunction with Gen Con Indy Friday & Saturday, August 11-12.After a stop in Philly earlier this month, the VGL tour is moving on to Houston July 14th, Chicago August 5th, and then Indianapolis the weekend after that. More on reserving seats for the Hilbert Circle Theatre can be found on the official announcement page (via the pic to the right or the Read link below).Judging by the reviews of the Philly show so far, Video Games Live sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If they keep providing public access to Guitar Hero II, they may have sold this blogger on going already. We hope Midwestern gamers not attending the Chicago show can make a pitstop in Indy to keep Tommy's show on the road. So, yeah ... rock on.See also: Official VGL report from Philly (with some local links to boot) Video Games Live ticket purchases opened a bit early The official page for Gen Con Indy PS2 impressions: Guitar Hero II
