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Heroes of the Storm client screenshots and character list leaked
Blizzard's upcoming universe mash-up MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, has sprung a bit of a leak as screenshots of the game client's login screen and option menus have hit the internet along with a list of the game's playable characters. Massively's sister site WoW Insider reports that many of the playable heroes on the list have been public knowledge for some time now, but there are still a few new contenders, including Warcraft's Muradin Bronzebeard and Zeratul, Tychus, and Sgt. Hammer of Starcraft fame. And while the leaked screenshots aren't particularly interesting since they only display your standard array of PC game options, WoW Insider notes that the more exciting implication behind the screenshots is that the game's beta may be coming soon, though it's worth noting that the screenshots are watermarked as alpha. We'll just have to wait and see about that, but if you need a quick Heroes of the Storm fix, you can check out the full character list, complete with stats and descriptions, at the link below.
Heroes of the Storm client leaked, screenshots, hints of beta
WoW Insider first noted these Heroes of the Storm leaks on Adriacraft yesterday, where the title screens were posted showing the various options and the like. This morning, a hero list also appeared, where there were several additional heroes added from the list we already had following BlizzCon. The screenshots reveal pretty much what we were expecting, no huge surprises there. We're seeing all the standard configuration options, and the social screen shows ignore lists and block lists in the config section rather than an in-game social one. While the hero abilities are mostly what we had seen already, given that 18 of these characters were playable at BlizzCon, there are five new ones since November. Sgt. Hammer, Tychus, Zeratul, and Muradin are all new, and E.T.C. was not playable at BlizzCon although we knew a lot about him as he was discussed at great length during the panels. The most exciting part of these leaks is the implication that Heroes beta may well be coming soon! Edited to add: Heroes Community Manage Cloaken posted on Reddit to clarify that the images are legitimate, and no surprise to the team. He also adds a warning about phishing -- be vigilant! You can check out what we saw at BlizzCon and subsequent Q&As as well as my review of the game, and the gallery below!
An early look at iOS in the Car (video)
Apple's iOS in the Car, which we first met last summer at WWDC, may soon make an official debut. In fact, the dash-friendly interface has been hiding right under our noses in the public version of iOS 7.0.3. Developer Steven Troughton-Smith managed to capture an early version of the interface in action by emulating a vehicle display on his desktop -- he posted a video walkthrough of the pre-release software today. The current iteration appears to include a full-screen map, with simple touch controls and indicators framing the top and bottom. There's even a software home button, which can be used to switch between apps and return to the (currently nonexistent) home screen. Based on today's demo, you'll be able to enter a destination directly into the vehicle by speaking a search term, or by searching on a connected iPhone or iPad. Current functionality appears to be limited to basic location entry and map readouts, but it's definitely a work in progress -- another dev, Denis Stas, managed to get his hands on a screenshot from the iOS 7.1 beta, which offers a more iOS 7-like look and feel. We have yet to hear from vehicle manufacturers about confirmed partnerships with Apple, so there's no word on when iOS in the Car will actually hit the road, though judging by the tremendous interest in iOS integration in general, several agreements are already in the works.
Edward Snowden looks back at NSA leaks, considers his personal mission accomplished
2013 is almost over, but revelations delivered this year about the amount of communications data the NSA has access to, and how it has acquired that data, will reverberate for much longer. The man at the center of the leaks, Edward Snowden, has spoken once again to The Washington Post in an interview stretching over 14 hours about what he did and why, saying "For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission's already accomplished...I already won." The meaning behind his mission was, in his words, to give the public a chance to look over what the government agency had decided -- behind the closed doors of Congress the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court -- is legal in order to track terrorists after 9-11. Naturally, NSA leaders disagree, and dispute assertions that he brought his concerns about the agency's work to his supervisors. According to Snowden, he asked coworkers about how they thought the public would react if information about initiatives like PRISM and Boundless Informant appeared on newspaper frontpages, confronting them with data showing the programs collected more information in the US about Americans than Russians in Russia. Now, the information has been exposed for the public. Many companies are scrambling to lock down their systems both as a practical measure and a PR move, the NSA's policies are under review, and Snowden remains in Russia where he has been granted temporary asylum, and says he's "still working for the NSA right now...they just don't realize it."
Why you should take so-called "leaks" with a grain of salt
It's that time again. We're at the end of an expansion life cycle, BlizzCon is just days away, and everyone is wondering "what's next?" We're browsing forums, looking at obscure sites in different languages, hunting for any hint of new information to sate our relentless appetites. For some people, the speculating is just as fun as finding out what the next expansion will actually turn out to be. Rumors and fake leaks seem to pop up on a weekly basis. The latest trend among the rumormongers is to take pictures of their so-called leaks with a cellphone and run it through Instagram to give it more credibility. It sure looks a lot more real when you can't pore over the pixels to see just how good or bad their photoshop skills are. Reddit user rpdj made an interesting post on /r/wow demonstrating how in a few simple steps he created the above image of a new playable race, the Terrorguard. Looks pretty convincing, doesn't it?
HTC One Max specs reportedly include Snapdragon 600 chip, Android 4.3 and Sense 5.5
The One Max is far from being HTC's best kept secret -- we've seen leak after leak of the rumored larger-than-most device over the past few weeks. To make things better (or worse, depending on who you ask), Nowhereelse.fr editor Steve Hemmerstoffer has tweeted an image which includes what could be the HTC One Max's full spec list. Aside from mentioning the same 5.9-inch, 1080p display and 3,200mAh battery we heard about not long ago, today's leak suggests the One Max is set to feature a quad-core, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600, 2GB RAM, Android 4.3 with Sense 5.5, Bluetooth 4.0 and options for 16, 32 or 64GB of built-in storage. If this turns out to be true, then there's no doubt the Taiwanese company will have an Android powerhouse in its hands, right there alongside Samsung's Galaxy Note 3. The good news is that it looks as if we won't have to wait much longer to learn all there is to know about the HTC One Max; in the meantime, head after the break to check out the purported spec sheet in its entirety.
Leaked Kindle Fire render lends credence to incoming refresh
The case for an incoming Kindle Fire update seems to be getting stronger every day -- not only have we seen benchmarks and alleged photos of the device, but now @evleaks seems to have come across an official render. The purported press image matches previous leaks in bezel size and design, but lacks the front-facing camera Amazon introduced with the Kindle Fire HD. This leads us to suspect that the render is of a non-HD model of Bezos' latest tablet. The flagship model is rumored to have a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, the aforementioned camera upfront and an OS based on Android 4.2.2. We're still waiting for Amazon to give the official word of course, but for Kindle users waiting for an upgrade, it's something to salivate over.
The Road to Mordor: Classes, bounders, and leaks
You know the saying: When it rains, it pours. After an almost painful period of silence as we've waited for news of the expansion, it seems as if Turbine's finally ready to pour out an information waterfall on all of us. Last time in this column we looked at the Q&A of the "big battles" system, and a week ago we were treated to a full-fledged preview of Helm's Deep. So I want to take some time to cover a few odds and ends that were sandwiched between those two mentions: the class revamp Q&A, the Bounder's Bounty event, and the leaked maps of Helm's Deep. I'll admit that my interest in Lord of the Rings Online has been flagging a bit, especially after I trudged through Wildermore. I've been hoping that the news of the expansion would put some wind in my sails, especially after waiting for the better part of the summer to hear it. So what do I make of all of this?
Ask Massively: Why we cover what we do, part two
Last week, I promised you a second round of questions and answers regarding the types of calls Massively makes on which games and stories it will cover and why. Let's get to it. Mike9 wrote, "I will play [State of Decay] because it looks awesome, but I never understand why Massively covers it; it is a single-player game, not an MMO by even the loosest of definitions, not unless Super Mario World is also considered an MMO now (well, I guess that did allow two players)." I assume you're looking for a better answer than braaaaaiiiiinnnnsssssss!
Rumor: Dark Souls 2 screens show what's going to kill you
All Games Beta has posted leaked screenshots and a trailer it says are from Dark Souls 2. See 12 minutes of gameplay right here.
Alleged 4-inch Samsung Galaxy Axiom leaks, could be headed to US Cellular
The always-informative evleaks has done it yet again. This time out it's not a Lumia 920 or some revealing press shots of the PadFone 2, though -- instead, what we have here is what appears to be a variant of Samsung's recently announced Galaxy Mini. According to evleaks, this 4-inch handset will be officially known as the Galaxy Axiom (model SCH-R830), and could very well end up on US Cellular, bringing with it a WVGA display alongside a decent dual-core, 1.2GHz MSM8960 CPU, LTE and Ice Cream Sandwich. Naturally, take this with a grain of salt, but given the messenger's recent track record, it also wouldn't surprise us if we hear something more official in the days to come. In the meantime, however, it looks as if the picture above will have to suffice.
Nokia Lumia 822 and HTC 8X show up in Verizon colors, get pegged for November 8th release
The Verizon-flavored Nokia Lumia 822 hasn't exactly been camera-shy, nor has it been coy about its imminent arrival, but the details on price and availability have, as yet, not been pinned down. That is until now, according to a tip-off at WPCentral. The candid shot shows the Nokia next to an HTC 8X -- both with Verizon livery. The word is that the Lumia 822 will run you $99 at launch, while the HTC 8X will command $199, both with a contract. The same source claims that these will launch on November 8th. Just in time to get that first killer app. Update: Not satisfied with just white? Don't worry about it -- you'll have two more shades to pick from, according to a press image uncovered by EvLeaks. A professionally captured view of the 822's black and grey facades can be found at the more coverage link below.
Verizon's HTC DLX may be called Droid DNA, Windows Phone 8 devices get tentative prices
Verizon is one of the more common proponents of silly Android device names, in part through its insistence on that "Droid" prefix for some hardware. When its smartphone badges practically demand a pause for breath, you know there's a problem. Android Central's purported copy of a Minimum Advertised Pricing list could show that there's hope for the carrier yet. The chart shows the HTC DLX (6435LVW) skipping the rumored Droid Incredible X name in favor of Droid DNA -- and that's it. No superlatives, no arbitrary "4G LTE" tags to remind us of the network we already know we're using. The 5-inch phone might have even been a reasonable launch, as the MAP shows a $200 contract price that would potentially take effect just before Thanksgiving. Want more? Other smartphones are on the supposedly leaked MAP list as well, primarily focusing on Windows Phone 8 gear: the as yet unconfirmed Nokia Lumia 822 shows up with a $100 price and a mid-November release window, while Verizon's take on the Windows Phone 8X is present with a $200 price and similar timing. Those who'd rather go for a Samsung phablet than HTC's aren't left out, either. The Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note II is on the list with a $300 price and availability that starts immediately -- rather convenient, that.
13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display reportedly seen with 2,560 x 1,600 LCD, dual Thunderbolt ports
We hope you didn't want Apple's little event next week to be a complete surprise. After promises of extra details for a prior leak, a WeiPhone forum goer has returned with photos of what's supposed to be the active screen and ports of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that might be on stage come October 23rd. If this is what we get alongside the similarly unofficial miniature iPad, we'll take it. The possible leak shows a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD (four times higher in resolution than the existing MacBook Pro) and, importantly, no sacrifices in expansion versus the 15-inch Retina model -- there's still the dual Thunderbolt ports and HDMI video that shipped with this system's bigger brother. Vital details like the performance and price are left out, so there's a few cards left off Apple's table, but the images hint at what could be a tempting balance between the 15-inch MacBook Pro's grunt and the MacBook Air's grace.
Reuters says Insignia Flex Tablet may cost $239 to $259, we'd say it faces stiff odds
Best Buy omitted a handful of details when it unveiled the Insignia Flex Tablet last week, not the least of which is the price that usually sells Insignia-branded gear. A Reuters tipster claims to have filled in that blank: the 9.7-inch, Ice Cream Sandwich-based slate will reportedly cost between $239 to $259 when it ships November 11th. That's not bad for a tablet at the size of the Flex, but you'll be giving up a lot to get that screen size if the price tag is real. A similar outlay could net a (likely faster) 32GB Kindle Fire HD, for starters -- and while we don't know any details of what's coming from Apple's "little" event next week, we have a hunch that it just might overshadow Best Buy's hopes of being the value leader in the tablet field. Without an official confirmation or denial, we'd suggest fence-sitting for a little while longer if you're not already in love with the big-box retailer's in-house brand.
Tips have 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display joining iPad mini at rumored Apple event
While Apple's supposed October 23rd event still exists only in the land of leaks and rumors for now, there's mounting suspicions that it won't just be a one-trick pony if it becomes real. Both AllThingsD and 9to5Mac claim to know that a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display is also on the cards for the presentation and would be just what you'd expect: a smaller version of the 15-inch model with four times the screen resolution of its conventional equivalent (2,560 x 1,600 here), all-flash storage and a price premium. There's not much more to go on beyond talk of a D1 codename versus the 15-inch D2, although we won't have long to find out if the rumor represents more than just wishful thinking. You might want to hold out on buying that MacBook Air for a week as a precaution.
T-Mobile's holiday roadmap leaked: LG Optimus L9, HTC Windows Phone 8X spotted
According to a leaked roadmap on TMoNews, the magenta carrier appears to have a few tantalizing offerings coming its way this holiday season. A curious BlackBerry handheld dubbed the Armstrong, a color refresh of the Samsung Galaxy S II, a possibly Android-flavored Huawei Summit and the LG Optimus L9 are all slated to launch just on or before Halloween. Going into the next month, we see the HTC Windows Phone 8X making the pre-Thanksgiving cut with a potential debut of November 14th. Notably absent are the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Nokia Lumia 810, but that doesn't mean they won't be there when December rolls around. Of course, this info didn't come through official channels, so we wouldn't bank on any of the handsets as holiday gifts just yet. Still, its nice to know they're coming, and you can get the full details on these and other devices at the source.
PadFone 2 surfaces in video, ASUS CEO gives viewers a brief tour (video) (update: leaked press shots)
A launch event invitation has already given us a glimpse of the ASUS PadFone 2, but Bloomberg TV India caught up with the firm's CEO Jerry Shen and snagged a video tour of the device before its October 16th reveal. The second iteration of the PadFone packs a 4.7-inch HD (presumably 720p) screen and 13-megapixel camera, which jives with specs on supposedly leaked packaging. Rather than having to fuss with a cover flap to slide the smartphone into its tablet shell, users will be able to dock the device straight into a lighter and thinner slate component. Other details are scarce, but we're sure to find out more when the curtain is ceremoniously pulled back next Tuesday. In the meantime, you can forge past the break to see footage of the hybrid starting at the 1:40 mark. Update: The ever-prolific evleaks has just tweeted out a glamour shot of the PadFone 2 and its accompanying tablet dock. Update 2: Evleaks has tweeted additional pictures which we've collected in the gallery below for your perusal.
Rogers, CIBC may launch Suretap NFC-based payments on October 15th, require a unique SIM
Rogers and Canadian bank CIBC struck a deal for NFC-based mobile payments back in May, long enough ago that it was starting to fade out of the public consciousness. The alliance may be near refreshing our memory with a commercial launch in the cards. MobileSyrup has reportedly scored internal documents that has the two launching their e-commerce collaboration on October 15th under a slightly catchier Suretap name. Unfortunately, the text also suggests that the initial launch will require at least as much hoop-jumping from customers as for the original Google Wallet plans. Avoiding a traditional wallet will demand a BlackBerry Bold 9900 or Curve 9360 on Rogers, a CIBC MasterCard, nearby stores with PayPass terminals, a CIBC app and now a special NFC-enabled SIM card -- a set of criteria that disqualifies almost everyone, especially when there's supposedly a $50 ceiling on transactions. It remains a step forward for mobile payments in a country that has had very few options to start with, but we'd only anticipate widespread adoption once there's a much wider selection of devices and banks.
Verizon-bound Nokia Lumia 822 surfaces in leaked photos
We caught a glimpse of a Verizon-branded Windows Phone 8 handset by the name of Atlas in a leaked image yesterday, and now new photos give us a closer look at the smartphone. According to WMPoweruser, who received the photos from a tipster, the device is a Nokia Lumia 820 variant and will be exclusive to Big Red as the Lumia 822. Though it's riffed on its progenitor's design, the mobile will keep the same WVGA resolution and 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. There's still no official word from Verizon or Nokia regarding the phone, but we expect that to change relatively soon.
