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Nintendo has a fix for the Switch's battery bug
Nintendo has sold almost 4.7 million Switch units in the four months since the system launched in March, so it's safe to say the console is a success. But it's still plagued with a few system issues -- one of which Nintendo fixed (kind of). If users update the operating system to the latest version (3.0.1), the console will finally display the correct charge level on screen. Usually. If not, they can follow extensive instructions to charge then drain the battery, which will gradually fix it. Hopefully.
Vizio's SmartCast soundbars don't work well with Spotify for now
Vizio's line of SmartCast soundbars and speakers tout Google Cast for wireless audio streaming from a variety of apps. One of those apps is Spotify, a massively popular music streaming service. Unfortunately, the Cast functionality with that particular library of tunes isn't working like it should. There are a number of posts in both Spotify and Google's forums from users who say Vizio's latest soundbars don't show up as an option for Casting in the streaming app. Spotify's software isn't recognizing the speakers as available gadgets for playing music. Reports of the issue go back as far as late July, over a month after the SmartCast soundbars went on sale.
Sony to begin fixing combustible Vaio Fit laptops in May
It's always sad when a company stumbles during its victory lap, but as Sony looked to gracefully exit the PC business, some spontaneously combusting laptops ruined the day. The company has now issued an update about the Vaio Fit 11A repair program, saying that reservations are now being taken and that battery replacements will begin part-way through next month. Until then, Sony's line remains not to touch your device, and we add that you should probably shouldn't store it next to those cans of gasoline in your office.
Trion Worlds promises that it's addressing critical Defiance issues
Executive Producer Nathan Richardsson has mixed emotions in regards to Defiance's release. "This first day of launch of Defiance has been as awesome as we expected it to be," he wrote in a state of the game post. "And by awesome, I mean we're neck deep addressing all the issues that come up when you scale something up to a million people from a test environment of thousands." Richardsson promised that the large Trion team is working hard to "update, patch, fix, and improve" Defiance post-launch. The most critical problems that he identifies are connectivity problems, missing pre-order items, the scaling of bosses and arkfalls, and broken chat and VOIP. "We appreciate the trust that you are showing us by coming with us and we will address all these issues," he concludes. Speaking of awesome, check out the main theme to Defiance, composed by Bear McCreary, after the jump!
Apple TV 5.1 update causing issues for many, downgrading cited as popular solution
Whenever you get the urge to ingest an update without doing a bit of research, just remember: things don't always end with streamers falling and glasses raised. Such is the case with the latest Apple TV update, which arrived back in September as v5.1. At the time, it promised users the ability to tap into Shared Photo Streams and to easily switch between iTunes accounts. Now, however, Apple's support boards are rolling with comments about the update. In fact, many users are reporting that the update has killed their device entirely, with most everyone else hitting up links to downgrade in an attempt to dodge the Reaper. Are you amongst the troubled? Let us know how things are going for you in comments below -- particularly if you've stumbled upon a bulletproof solution.
Editorial: Apple apologies actually aren't that infrequent, and that's okay
Today, Tim Cook made his first major apology as the CEO of Apple. It probably won't be his last. Despite the obvious knee-jerk reaction regarding the Maps debacle, it's actually interesting that this particular scenario is yet another example of humans having extraordinarily short-term memories. It's the same reason that whatever game we most recently saw is the "best or worst ever." (Packers v. Seahawks 09.24.2012, I'm looking at you.) In truth, Apple has a fairly solid history of ingesting pride in the iPhone era, when it surged headfirst into the realm of serving consumers in a way that it never had before. And moreover, hearing Cook apologize isn't something that should be mocked or berated; one can only hope that more companies of all shapes and sizes develop a policy of listening and reacting. Allow me to explain.
AT&T confesses: its network couldn't handle unchecked FaceTime over cellular
Well, at least no one can blame AT&T for dodging the core issue any longer. After watching Verizon Wireless snag satisfaction crown after satisfaction crown from AT&T over the years, it seems that the latter is finally using a highly defensive blog post on the issue of FaceTime over cellular in order to cop to what we've all known: AT&T's network is in no shape to handle the glut of devices currently running on it. After being taken by storm in 2007 with the iPhone, AT&T has been racing to right the supply / demand curve, and it came to a head once more last week when the operator announced that only Mobile Share users would be able to use FaceTime over its 3G / 4G airwaves once iOS 6 hit. Naturally, pundits were quick to slam the company for implementing a policy that nudges existing users with grandfathered unlimited data plans to slide up to a plan that's potentially less awesome, but a lengthy letter on AT&T's Public Policy Blog lays out the real reason. The company makes clear that the decision to limit FaceTime over cellular to Mobile Share customers does not violate the FCC's net neutrality rules -- after all, it's being decidedly transparent about the frowned-upon choice -- nor does it cross the line on any "blocking" issues. Its argument is simple: it's not blocking you from using any video chat application you want, but it is exercising its right to manage the doors through which all chat applications can and can't be used. The money quote is here: "We are broadening our customers' ability to use the preloaded version of FaceTime but limiting it in this manner to our newly developed AT&T Mobile Share data plans out of an overriding concern for the impact this expansion may have on our network and the overall customer experience." Despite our scorn, we're halfway glad the policy is in place -- after all, how would you feel if you couldn't load a vital email because everyone else on the block was chatting with their mum about chimera cats on FaceTime? Rock, meet hard place.
Apple TV software beta 4 released to developers, addresses Photo Stream and control issues
Right alongside iOS 6 beta 4, Apple has also pushed out beta 4 software for its Apple TV -- useful for "testing AirPlay for iOS apps," according to the company. Not surprising, actually, considering that a bit of the polish from the former relied on updates to the latter. It's available as we speak to registered developers, and it promises to fix a number of niggles involving restarts while using the Remote app, the wrong resolution being displayed on one's HDTV, and a Photo Stream quirk that prevented some images from loading. The bullet-point breakdown is hosted up after the break.
HTC Acknowledges One X WiFi bug on Tegra 3 models
There's always some snag with these big flagship devices it seems. The iPhone 4 had antennagate, Verizon's Galaxy Nexus couldn't seem to stay connected and now the One X is joining the parade with some serious WiFi issues. Some users have complained of weak WiFi reception and, alarmingly, a rather odd fix. Simply squeezing the device in the right place could drastically improve signal strength indicating the issue may be hardware based. HTC has confirmed the issue and identified a fix that involves strengthening the connecting points on the phone's WiFi antenna. Interestingly, the issue has only been reported in Tegra 3 models so far, but we'd stop shy of saying it only affects those units. If you're experiencing problems with the WiFi on your One X you can call HTC's customer support to confirm the issue and send it in for repair.
Exclusive City of Heroes dev diary: Design insights from the Magisterium trial
Today the war ends in City of Heroes. Today players are taking up arms (and mutated plant spores) in the final battle of the Praetorian War, and it will be a glorious eruption of particle effects and superheroic feats. The Magesterium incarnate trial is arguably the centerpiece of Issue 23, and Associate Designer Jeff Hamilton flew in to give us the skinny on this chaotic fight. You can get all the details on the Magisterium as well as an exclusive sneak peek at images from the fight, all after the jump!
TERA subscription error affects thousands [Updated]
According to several tipsters and many, many pages on TERA's forums, something's gone badly wrong with En Masse's account system. The studio admits that some players have been billed immediately upon selecting a subscription plan instead of being billed after the 30 days. Other players have reported not being able to log in at all, as the game cannot find their subscriptions or free time and delivers an "expired account" error. En Masse posted that it is aware of the situation and is working to resolve it. The studio says that players who purchased a physical copy of the game and signed up for a subscription before entering their game code triggered this problem. However, we've also had reports of players who have encountered this error when dealing with digital copies. Affected players should now be able to log in to TERA while En Masse works on fixing the error. [Thanks to Andrew, Schippie, and Alex for the tip!] [Update: En Masse has contacted us to note that the 2000 players have been affected by the "insufficient remaining subscription time" issue, not the "immediate billing" error. En Masse says that these are two separate issues that the studio is actively working to resolve as fast as possible. We've updated this article accordingly.]
Canon 'examining countermeasures' for 5D Mark IIIs experiencing top LCD light leak problem
Looks like the honeymoon period with Canon's beastly 5D Mark III is officially over. Over the past few weeks some users have noticed that light leaking from its top-mounted LCD can affect exposure readouts, and now the company has confirmed that it's indeed an issue. Essentially, the camera's meter can experience a shift in the readout whenever the LCD's backlight turns on in a dark situation -- ensuring frustration when composing shots. There's no word on how wide-spread the problem currently is, but Canon notes that it's "examining the countermeasures" and plans to circle back once it has a solution. Interestingly, PetaPixel also reports that some folks have experienced the phenomenon when ambient light beams down on the panel as well. This isn't the first time Canon's had an issue with a shooter after its release, but hopefully a fix will be in soon. You'll find more details at the links below, but while you're here, let us know if you've got a Mark III showcasing the symptoms in the comments.
Some Nokia Lumia 900 handsets having trouble connecting to data networks
Nokia's latest Lumia, the 900, has been rightfully lauded for its low price and lovely polycarbonate shell, but apparently, all is not well with the new handset. According to forum posts on Nokia Support Discussions and elsewhere, some 900s aren't able to connect to any of AT&T's data networks. The affected phones get data reception initially, but once the connection is severed by turning the phone off or placing it in airplane mode, it fails to reconnect. Some have successfully solved the problem by removing the SIM, performing a master reset, shutting the phone off, reinserting the SIM and turning it back on. However, it looks like that solution isn't working for everyone. It seems the problem has appeared in a limited number of Lumias, so we've asked AT&T about the issue and are awaiting an official response on the matter while it investigates. In the meantime, let us know in the comments if your 900's data deprived, or if it's been loving LTE without interruption.
GSM Galaxy Nexus seeing signal issues after Android 4.0.4 update?
Sometimes, updates aren't as sweet as they initially sound. Such is the case with Android 4.0.4, which recently rolled out to owners of the GSM Galaxy Nexus. According to an increasingly vocal swath of members at xda-developers (and confirmed by a listing on Google's own Support page), there are mysterious signal issues now troubling the device. For many users, there's an inexplicable loss of signal -- a complete inability to make or receive calls and text messages -- after applying the v4.0.4 update, though it's beginning to look like Sleep is the issue. For some, preventing the phone from going to into a deep sleep mode has solved the dilemma, but it has also created a life where a nearby AC outlet is more of a necessity than usual. Hit up the source link to submit a bug report if you're experiencing precisely this, and let us know of any potential fixes down in comments below.
Sony's Xperia Ice Cream Sandwich rollout pushed to mid-April (and beyond)
To be fair, things have... changed a bit since we heard back in November that the Xperia handset line would be getting Ice Cream Sandwich by March of 2012. Specifically, Sony Ericsson is no more, and it's up to Sony Mobile alone to continue the torch carrying. At any rate, the outfit has made clear today that it'll be mid-April at the earliest before any of the Xperia smartphones see an Android 4.0 update, with the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray amongst the first on deck. We're told that the updates will start hitting that trio in the middle of next month, with every last owner to be gifted in the four to six weeks following. Beyond that, the Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro and Xperia Active will start seeing ICS "from the end of May / early June." You know, pretty much right when Android 5.0 will be unveiled.
Purchased Play store apps gone missing? Google's looking into it
Quite a few folks have seen many of the apps they paid cold, hard cash for have disappeared from their list of purchases after Google rebranded Android Market as the Play Store. We haven't had the problem ourselves, but according to a litany of posts on the XDA-Developers forums, there are plenty of you out there who have. In addition to disappearing from the list of purchases, the afflicted apps apparently give users an error message when attempting to access them directly. Rest assured, the folks in Mountain View are aware of the problem and are "looking into the issue" according to the company's Known Issues page -- though curiously it's filed it under "Recently Fixed" despite its ongoing nature. So, what say you, dear readers, has Google gotten a handle on this latest glitch, or are you still without access to your precious paid apps? Sound off in the comments below.
Chevrolet replacing 120-volt power cords on most Volt automobiles
If you're one of the 10,000 or so folks who pay insurance on a Chevrolet Volt, you may have a new cable coming your way. According to The Detroit News and Yahoo! Autos, General Motors will soon be sending out replacement 120-volt charging cords for Volt automobiles, which are said to "offer some more consistency in charging," while also making it more durable. We're told that some of the newfangled chargers have shipped with recent Volts, but the majority of customers were sent home with the older model. Of note, GM won't be swapping out any of those optional 240-volt cords, and the company won't consider this a recall or safety issue. As for getting your replacement? Owners are slated to be notified directly in the "next few weeks."
Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans
Can't say we noticed an extraordinary amount of blowing from our XPS 13 Ultrabook review unit, but for those with an optioned Core i7 model, you may want to give the source link a look. Down there, you'll find a download link to the A03 BIOS update, which delivers "an updated thermal table which dictates fan speeds and trigger temperatures." Evidently, these machines have a tendency to kick the fans into high gear prematurely (it's okay Dell, we all get excited sometimes), but thankfully, a 4MB package is all that's required to remedy it. 'Preciate it, technology.
Tesla to owners: Plug it in
EV maker Tesla has come under fire for allegations that its vehicles can be "bricked" when their batteries are completely discharged. Such instances require that the cells be replaced to the tune of $40,000, which doesn't sit well with folks who already forked over six figures to buy a Roadster in the first place. Tesla doesn't deny the charge (pardon the pun), but it does offer a common sense suggestion to avoid the problem: simply plug the car in. Tesla implies this danger is only likely for early adopters, and says it's also made strides to idiot-proof later vehicles with advanced warning systems -- Tesla 2.0 Roadsters can phone home to Tesla headquarters with a low juice alert, for example. Tesla documents safe battery charging practices in the owner's documentation, though, so here's an idea: if you're going to spend $109,000 on an electric sports car, maybe it's a good idea to RTFM (read the freaking manual).
PSA: Xbox Live color playback issue patched
Xbox users may have noticed a mandatory patch preempting their power-up procedures today, the effects of which were either immediately apparent or completely unnoticeable, depending on whether a certain color display issue had reared its head. The patch doesn't apply to apps, however, so developers will have to implement the fix independently; a process that will take place "over the coming months," according to Major Nelson.Technically speaking, "over the coming months" could mean any time between now and the heat death of the universe, but the fact that Microsoft has corrected its own services is a promising start.
