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T-Mobile 3G is live in Vegas, baby
That's right, kids, T-Mobile launched 3G data in Vegas this morning. The 1700MHz AWS 3G network went live for phones that can hit the UMTS 3G data stream, and if your phone is one of those, you may want to look for the pretty little icon and start doing some Intertron browsing. T-Mobile still expects to hit another 20 markets this year (along with some new handsets), so if you're not in Sin City, be patient -- 3G is coming.
SOE 2008 Fan Faire schedule released
If you plan to attend the SOE Fan Faire in Las Vegas this year, you may be happy to hear that the schedule of events has been released. Spanning from Thursday, August 14th through Sunday, August 17th, this schedule highlights some of the largest events of the convention with more details for each. At this time, not all of the slots have detailed descriptions or exact times, but as the big day approaches, you can regularly check back for more info.Some of the announced events at this time include a silent auction for SOE merchandise, the annual community address from John Smedley, behind-the-scenes discussion panels with SOE devs, live entertainment and more. Don't forget to bring a photo ID for registration, and walk-ins are welcome!
Video: Viva Las Surface
See all those beautiful people? You don't know them. And pushing your specs up the bridge of your nose while seated in front of Microsoft's Surface won't change that. Nevertheless, next time we're adjusting our gadget-laden fanny packs in Vegas, we'll be doing so at the i-Bar in the Rio hotel -- the newest home to Microsoft's big ass multi-touch table. Check out the video cheese after the break.
Anaheim-Vegas maglev train project gets $45 million infusion
It's been a while since we heard anything about the proposed Anaheim-Las Vegas maglev train. As of Friday, the project is moving forward as part of a transportation bill signed by President Bush that puts aside $45 million for the 300 mile-per-hour train. While the project initially called for a $3- to $5 billion budget, this little chunk of money will get things rolling (or, as the case may be, floating). The train is projected to whisk people from Disneyland to Vegas in under two hours. No word on proposed launches or actual construction, but we assume Disney will get involved with some extra cash at this point.[Via Slashdot]
Apple megastore in Las Vegas CityCenter in 2009?
CityCenter is a massive new multi-use building project designed by architectural rock star Daniel Libeskind. It is currently under construction in Las Vegas, and -- according to AppleInsider -- the jewel in this glittering crown will be a supermassive Apple Store, located directly in the front of the complex right along Las Vegas Boulevard.Quoting "people familiar with the project", AppleInsider claims that the store will boast over 20,000 feet of floor space on two levels. The article is accompanied by architectural renderings, though none of them feature any giant white apples or other clues as to the exact placement of the store.The CityCenter project has been controversial in Las Vegas; six workers have died on the project since it began, and construction workers walked off the project last Monday after union safety negotiations with the general contractor failed, though they returned the next night. The project is due to be completed in the fall of 2009, at which point the new Apple megastore will join the two existing Apple Store locations on the Strip. (AppleInsider incorrectly states that there are three locations, but the third Apple Store in Nevada is actually in Reno, on the other side of the state.)Speaking as a resident of Sin City, I'm not sure if CityCenter is going to be a beautiful hypermodern arcology to rival Tokyo's Roppongi Hills, or just another big ugly thing for drunken idiot turistas from the Midwest to throw up on. But if they're really putting a ginormous Apple Store front and center, I'll be out front on opening day with the rest of the rubes.
Eighteen 70-inch 1080p LCDs to advertise along Las Vegas strip
You've got to have some serious firepower to attract eyes in Las Vegas -- after all, there's already enough neon in place to keep the average tourist distracted for hours. That being said, Samsung thinks it has what it takes, as it's teaming up with Outdoor Promotions in order to install eighteen 70-inch 1080p LCD panels "on prominent bus shelters spanning the Vegas strip from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the south side to the Rivera Hotel and Casino at the north end." The units will all be sunlight-readable and boast 2,000 nits of brightness along with localized audio. We're told that advertisements put up on the beastly sets will shuffle every 7.5- to 15-seconds in a continuous loop, and while the initial 18 are slated to go up in October, another 20 are planned for early 2009 (pre-CES, pretty please?)[Image courtesy of IntelligentEconomy]
Viva Las iMacs!
What happens in Vegas will be visible to your iChat buddies when the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau resort opens in Sin City next fall. VegasTrippers.com reports that the Fontainebleau has partnered with Apple to install an iMac in every one of the 3,889 rooms and suites. To quote the fancy brochure available on the Fontainebleau website: "Fontainebleau guests experience a new sensory landscape through an innovative relationship with Apple. The program includes intuitive and simple options for booking and pre-planning stays online and interactive programming throughout the resort. An iMac in every guest room inspires guests to share memories and encourages personal expression."There's no word on whether a fabulous Vegas version of iPhoto will give you the ability to airbrush out that strange woman or man you're with, or if there is a new Apple-designed peripheral for removing tattoos that mysteriously showed up on your body overnight. [Via VegasTripping.com]Thankew, Jordan, thankew vurry much for the tip. Elvis is leaving the building now.
SOE Fan Faire 2008 registration now open
Last month we announced that this year's SOE Fan Faire will be returning to Las Vegas, NV in August, but now we're excited to announce that registration is open! Day passes start at $39 USD, but they give you plenty of motivation for upgrading to the All-Access pass for $89 USD. With this pass, you will: Receive an invitation to participate in the upcoming Free Realms Beta test! Receive an invitation to participate in the upcoming EverQuest II Expansion Beta test! Attend the 2nd Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley. Attend lots of social activities, including a Kickoff Reception, a Grand Banquet, a Costume Contest and an offsite VIP Party with lots of fun, games and live entertainment! Encourage Guild mates to pre-register online! Guilds who pre-register groups of 10 or more attendees for the All-Access pass online will receive 50% off the All-Access admission fee. (Offer does not apply to walk-in or day-pass registrants.) Play live demos of SOE's upcoming titles. Receive gifts and in-game items.
The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale hits HD for the first time June 21
Following other MMA action, WWE and boxing to HD, The Ultimate Fighter 7 will broadcast its finale in high definition on Spike HD June 21. The three hour event kicks off at 9 p.m., featuring a main event of Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove, as well as the middleweight tournament finals from the show's latest season and other bouts. Broadcasting live from Las Vegas, we don't know if they'll be sharing camera equipment with The View, due in town the same week, but we figure the winner should stop by the couch to have a chat with Babs & Co. afterwards.
The View to spend in a week in Las Vegas, tape show in HD
Just after hearing that the Ellen Degeneres Show would be going HD in a few short long months, another daytime favorite (or not, depending on perspective) will also be dipping its toes in the wondrous waters of off-site high-definition. Reportedly, the infamous chit-chat show is set to tape a week of episodes from Sin City next month, as it swoops in on Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from June 23rd through 27th. The excursion will mark the first time The View has broadcast in HDTV while on location, though no details of further involvement were mentioned. [Image courtesy of Yahoo!]
Las Vegas station performs analog shutoff drill, sky does not fall
The idea of testing and/or "rolling" the digital transition across select US markets makes sense -- such a large change is sure to come with its share of hiccups. One Las Vegas station actually simulated the analog shutoff last week, though, and it came off pretty smoothly. During its newscasts, NBC affiliate KVBC put up a simulated "static snow" image with a graphic overlay instructing confused viewers to call the DTV transition phone number for info. How many calls did the KVBC front desk receive? One. Kudos to KVBC for pulling this little test -- as we all know, the real implications of the analog cutoff won't dawn on many people until they actually lose reception. This is a "news you can use" feature we'd like to see catch on around the rest of the country!
Cox adding five HD channels (SciFi included) in Las Vegas, NV
Not that any of you parked out in Vegas are really in watching the tube on a Saturday (right?), but if you've come down with some sort of sickness that's keeping you away from Paradise Road and the vicinity, here's something sure to cheer you up. We've received word that four five new channels have appeared in the Cox EPG in your area, and though they aren't available to watch just yet, it's only a matter of time now. Before long, you should have unbridled access to Animal Planet HD (758), Travel Channel HD (766), Science HD (769) and yes, SciFi HD on slot 745. Not a bad way to start your May, now is it?[Thanks, John]Update: ErikR pointed out that these four, along with USA HD (734), are arriving June 1st.
Trump's Las Vegas Hotel / Tower gets Cox HDTV, LG LCDs
Earlier this year, we heard that Trump's New York Hotel & Tower would be showing its guests with all sorts of IPTV goodies; now, we've learned that The Donald's Las Vegas counterpart will be fetching services from Cox Communications. The two have worked together in order to deploy a triple-play solution, giving the hotel voice, video and data services from the same provider. To the patron, this means that a host of HD channels / VOD material will be available on the 42-inch / 32-inch LG LCD HDTVs (located in the bedroom and living room) and the 19-inch LG flat-panel in the bathroom. In case you're hoping to get connected, each room will also have Ethernet jacks as well as 802.11a/b/g WiFi access. As for paying your tab for the week? Let's just say we hope the slots treat you right.
57th Miss USA Pageant is the first in HD
The 57th Miss USA Pageant will make the jump to high definition for the first time April 11 at 9 p.m. on NBC. Live from Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas via Sony HDTV cams, contestants are judged in the usual three categories -- swim suit, evening gown and interview -- and judged by a panel of "stars" including an NFL player, one of the Back Street Boys, Rob Schneider, a celebrity hairstylist and others. Hosted by the Osmonds, we'll tune in at least for the sometimes tricky interview segment.
U-verse bets on Vegas on Demand
Whether you've never been to Las Vegas at all, or you've been there but somehow missed your "Vegas experience" (take the Engadget team's CES week, for example), AT&T's U-verse is offering to help. Yes indeed, you can fill in that cultural void now that U-verse is offering the VOD (video on demand) programming aptly named "Vegas on Demand." Each month, you can expect about 50 of the more than 1,000 archived programs to come tumbling to you like quarters from a slot machine. In true Vegas fashion, the features will be "comped." Stretched metaphors aside, Las Vegas seems like a great place to grab some HD footage, so we're hoping the Players Network steps up to the task; then we'll see if people prefer HD Vegas to the real thing.
Maglev, diesel-electric trains vie for support in US desert
Although the mention of a magnetically levitating train outside of US borders won't grab too much attention, saying that phrase here most definitely perks up ears. Sure enough, a maglev project that would shuttle folks from Disneyland to Las Vegas at up to 300 miles-per-hour is now jousting with a cheaper diesel-electric alternative (dubbed DesertXpress) for support. Reportedly, the latter would cost "just" $3- to $5 billion to construct -- compared to $12 billion for the former -- but rather than escorting folks from Anaheim or even Los Angeles, its origin would be planted in Victorville, California. Still, the trip from there to Vegas would only take three to four hours including the 1.5 hour drive to Victorville, but that still doesn't sound nearly as nice as "well under two hours" for the maglev. As it stands, there's quite a bit of red tape to wade through before either option goes forward, but kicking back on a whizzing train sounds an awful lot better than staring at pavement and blasting the air conditioner for five or so hours.[Via Gadling]
Pirates creator criticizes Disney's hesitance to jump into games
At the DICE summit in Las Vegas Wednesday night, Pirates of the Caribbean creator Gore Verbinski gave a chat to game creators about movies, gaming, and his perspective of the industry in general. Beyond his generally complementary comments towards gaming, one particularly interesting aside that perked our interest was the displeasure he expressed towards Disney for not adapting the Pirates universe for an MMO more quickly than they did. According to Verbinski, they didn't even think of starting the project until a few years after the release of the original movie, and did so without his input. Of course, as we all know, they did eventually release Pirates of the Caribbean Online this past year, but Verbinski's comments certainly make us wonder if the game is all that it could have been.As we reported earlier today, Disney has ramped up its efforts in the MMO space considerably, putting a significant capital investment into what they see as an extension of the brand immersion seen in their theme parks. This conflicts somewhat with Verbinski's perception that the studios see MMOs in the same way that they see plush toys. One has to imagine that Pirates of the Caribbean Online would have been met with considerably more fanfare if it had the Pirates of the Burning Sea gameplay under the hood, but at what point does this sort of discussion degenerate into armchair quarterbacking? In this case, while I don't doubt Verbinski's sincerity on this issue, it sure seems like was hamming it up for the crowd.
CES explodes with ever more iPod-compatible gadgets
This is yet another bonanza year of the iPod-docking-station compatible device if early reports from CES are to be believed. New docking solutions include jack-equipped cars, digital photo frames, iPod-compatible pacemakers, genetically modified cattle with horn-implanted docks, wearable dockware, iPod-compatible beer, and so forth. Or something like that. I got a little bored reading through today's press releases and may have embellished a bit. Actually, the iPod-compatible news from CES this year is a bit on the slim side. After last year's Macworld-CES head-to-head grudge match, CES seems to have realized this year that it doesn't produce all that much in the way of interesting Apple-related news.
Cox adds five HD channels to Las Vegas lineup
The giving just keeps on spreading, and that's just the way we like it. Shortly after Northern Virginia got hooked up with 11 new high-definition options, it looks like Sin City has been blessed with five of its own. Reportedly, TLC HD, HGTV HD, Food Network HD, Discovery HD and CW HD landed in Cox's Las Vegas, Nevada region, and have been assigned to channels 722, 723, 724, 727 and 734, respectively. According to AVSForum members residing in Vegas, the channels were supposed to go live yesterday, so for those who've had a chance to check it out, did Cox deliver?[Thanks, D2point0]
Hiwire's Las Vegas DVB-H trial reviewed
RCR had the opportunity to fiddle around with the live, fully functional DVB-H trial Hiwire is running in cooperation with T-Mobile in Las Vegas, and if the phrase "ready for prime time" is any indication, it sounds like they liked what they saw. Using an LG U900 for service, RCR ran around Sin City comparing Hiwire's efforts to Verizon's MediaFLO-based VCAST TV -- a service that's been live for much of this year -- and found that the two were pretty much a wash for user experience. Hiwire's 24 channels of mind-numbing entertainment bests VCAST TV's lineup by a wide margin, but VCAST TV took significantly less time to switch between those channels (2 seconds compared to about 5); interestingly, though, VCAST TV seemed to be about 5 seconds delayed behind Hiwire, so it's a tradeoff. Of course, as RCR points out, Hiwire suffers from the same fundamental problem as VCAST TV -- subscribers would be paying for pretty much exactly the same content they're already paying for on their home televisions, albeit on a heck of a lot smaller screen -- so even if the service looks ready for commercial launch, is anyone ready to buy?
