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Boxee hands out free Boxee TVs to its most eager cloud DVR fans
If you like the idea of the Boxee TV, you'll be glad to hear that Boxee is handing units out like so much Halloween candy... as long as you live in the right areas, that is. Those who've signed up for product notifications and live in the cloud DVR coverage areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, DC can get a free Boxee TV just by filling out a survey. They'll even have the privilege of getting their units ahead of everyone else. Boxee hasn't said if any new sign-ups will qualify, though it can't hurt to try the source link and potentially get a welcome treat.
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale brings the party to iam8bit this week
Los Angeles' trendy video game art house iam8bit is hosting a one-night event for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, with the final release code playable for the first time in public. The event is dubbed the LA Beatdown, and it takes place on Wednesday, October 24 from 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. at this location.LA Beatdown is completely free to enter and includes the following goodies: the game playable on a 25-foot widescreen; exclusive, one-time-print t-shirts and posters with art by Boneface for the first 500 attendees (check out the design above); a museum-style exhibit featuring characteristic items from each Battle Royale character; a photo stage with props from the game; and complimentary alcoholic beverages for those 21 and older. Vizzi food truck will be parked outside as well.Entrance is first-come, first-serve, so if you're in the LA area start planning for a thumpin' hump day now.
Visualized: Space shuttle Endeavour goes on a crosstown journey through LA streets
The space shuttle Endeavour finally bid adieu to its fans in Southern California last weekend, not in the air, but on city streets. The L.A. Times captured this remarkable feat in a time-lapse video, and it's quite a sight to see the orbiter sailing past suburban houses and fast food drive-thrus. Along its 12-mile crosstown trip from LAX to the California Science Center in Exposition Park, the shuttle atop a special transporter had to maneuver past trees, utility poles and of course hundreds of enthralled residents. This came weeks after it made its farewell tour over the California coast perched on a Boeing 747. Take a peek at the Endeavour's final fascinating journey at the source.
MacTech announces Walt Disney Animation Studios tour, filling up fast
Registration is currently underway for the 2012 MacTech Conference here in Los Angeles (October 17-19), and MacTech publisher Neil Ticktin has sent along some new information about what's going on at the conference this year, and it sounds amazing. In addition to the previously announced sessions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and keynote speaker Matt Drance, MacTech will also take attendees over to the Walt Disney Animation Studios for a special behind-the-scenes tour, and have a special exhibit of "Hollywood treasures" for attendees to check out. There have also been some post-conference events added, including some interesting technical panels as well as some official Apple Certification Exams. This conference is always a great time, and in addition to all of the fun, MacTech also offers up two solid presentation tracks, one for developers and the other for IT professionals. You can register for the conference right now -- Ticktin tells us it's filling up quick, so hurry over and sign up if you're interested. MacTech 2012 will run from Wednesday to Friday October 17-19, 2012 at the Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles. TUAW will be in attendance as well -- we hope to see you there!
Deezmaker 3D Printer Store opens in Pasadena, will sell you a slice of the future for $600
If the MakerBot store in Manhattan is the East coast's vanguard for 3D printer stores, Deezmaker's just-opened store in Pasadena, California is the equivalent pioneer for the West coast crew. As of now, you can walk through the doors at 290 North Hill Avenue and at least see the store's own Bukobot printer in action, even if high demand through Kickstarter pre-orders precludes walk-in sales for the next few weeks. When you can make that impulse purchase, however, you'll find the Bukobot at a relatively cheap $600 and may see some alternatives during your visit. Store owner and Bukobot creator Diego Porqueras stresses to Ars Technica that he wants Deezmaker lasting for the long haul, and he may have chosen just the right area to make that happen -- the shop is a stone's throw from the experimenters (and simply curious) at Caltech, NASA's JPL and Pasadena City College. No matter how it all shakes out, we're hoping that the two near-simultaneous store openings are the start of a larger trend that takes 3D printing into the mainstream.
GDC Online coming to LA, rebranded as App Developers Conference
For the past few years, the Game Developers Conference has held a satellite show in Austin, Texas called GDC Online (and I went there a few years back for TUAW to cover the mobile gaming track). But GDC has announced that this year is the last year it'll do GDC Online in Austin. Starting next year, the conference (which has mostly been about online gaming) is moving to Los Angeles, and will be renamed the App Developers Conference. The event will be co-located with another show called GDC Next (which will apparently feature everything outside of standard mobile app gaming), and both will share an open expo floor. The two events will take place on November 5-7, 2013. Essentially, this all means that GDC is changing its focus for this satellite show, from the originally very popular market of MMOs and online games to the currently very hot market of mobile apps and tablet/smartphone gaming. For the last few years, even the original GDC conference in San Francisco has had a growing focus on mobile gaming (first adding a mobile gaming track and then filling it out to be almost half of the show's content), but this is the biggest change to the conference's lineup yet. Since I am based in LA, we'll plan to have coverage straight from the show next year; no matter what direction this new show takes, you'll be sure to hear about it.
GDC Next, App Developers Conference coming to LA in Nov. 2013
GDC Next was announced this morning, the successor to GDC Online, focusing on mobile, social, independent and "other major forms of games." The first GDC Next and App Developers Conference (also new) will be held as a combined event at the Los Angeles Convention Center November 5-7, 2013.GDC Online will hold its final iteration in Austin in October. GDC Next appears to be focusing its efforts on that elusive "what's next?" in the industry, covering a wide range of ideas from developers for products that don't fit the established parameters of GDC, GDC Europe, Gamescom or E3.
SIGGRAPH 2012 wrap-up
Considering that SIGGRAPH focuses on visual content creation and display, there was no shortage of interesting elements to gawk at on the show floor. From motion capture demos to 3D objects printed for Hollywood productions, there was plenty of entertainment at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year. Major product introductions included ARM's Mali-T604 GPU and a handful of high-end graphics cards from AMD, but the highlight of the show was the Emerging Technologies wing, which played host to a variety of concept demonstrations, gathering top researchers from institutions like the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo and MIT. The exhibition has come to a close for the year, but you can catch up with the show floor action in the gallery below, then click on past the break for links to all of our hands-on coverage, direct from LA.%Gallery-162185%
MacTech conference returning to LA in October
I've been to the MacTech Mac and IT consultants conference a few years in a row now, and I have to say: If you do any Apple consulting or development, it's a great show to see. The Sheraton Universal here in Los Angeles is a great setting, and MacTech publisher Neil Ticktin always puts an excellent event together, filling the three day schedule with great speakers, lots of opportunities to network and talk with other pros (over excellent food and drink), and even some nice offsite trips, like parties at Universal Studios and special events at places like the famous Griffith Observatory. MacTech has just announced details for this year's flagship conference in Los Angeles, and as you can see, there will be some very big names and faces showing up at the Sheraton from October 17-19 this year. The joint sessions will be run by two department heads from the Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Mac luminaries like Andy Ihnatko, Andy Lee, and Kyle Kinkade will host sessions along with lots of other good folks from the community around the world. Registration is open now -- early bird pricing is $999 ($300 off of regular pricing) and ends on August 31. MacTech is always a great time every year, and this year promises to be no different. If you have an interest in this show, be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible. TUAW is a media sponsor of this event, and has worked with MacTech on event coverage in the past.
We're live from SIGGRAPH 2012 in Los Angeles!
Most of us experience the Los Angeles Convention Center during one of its most chaotic weeks of the year, when tens of thousands of gaming industry manufacturers, video game designers and consumers descend upon downtown LA for the annual E3 expo, booth-babe radar tweaked to 11. There's a hint of graphics prowess amid the halls this week, too, albeit on a vastly smaller scale, and with a heavy heap of civility. SIGGRAPH is a trade event through and through, with attendees demonstrating their latest tech, taking in a handful of seminars or hunting for networking opportunities, in search of employment and partnerships. It's often also a venue for product launches, which is what's brought us out, along with the usual bounty of kooky creations that serve to entertain and lighten the mood. As always, we'll be bringing you a little bit of everything over the next few days, letting you sample the best of SIGGRAPH from the comfort of your own device -- head over to our SIGGRAPH 2012 tag to follow along.
E3 commits to Los Angeles through 2015
The Electronic Entertainment Expo will be gracing the good citizens of Los Angeles for at least three more years. The ESA announced that a deal was made between the city and the trade show to continue operating in L.A. through 2015. This is news because for a while it looked as though E3 would be moving its location away from the city that's hosted the show for 16 out of 18 years. The possible move concerned a renovation of the L.A. Convention Center and the nearby construction of a new Farmers Field stadium. However, the city has promised that it will schedule construction between the 2013 and 2014 shows so that E3 would not be disrupted. When the renovations are complete, the new hall will boast even more space for future shows. Considering just how much MMO news occurs at this show, we're happy to know that it has a home for the time being. E3 is the largest conference that L.A. has every year; it brings in $40 million to the city. 2013's E3 is scheduled for June 11th through 13th.
E3 loves LA, staying through 2015
Video game journalists worried about not being able to make their annual trek to Amoeba Records and Secret Headquarters Comics can breathe a collective sigh of relief -- through 2015, at least. The Entertainment Software Association, the organization behind E3, announced today that it will be keeping the massive gaming show in Los Angeles for another three years. Next year's show will be hitting the LA Convention center on June 11th. More info and some quotes from a very happy Southern California mayor after the break.
E3 2013 confirmed for Los Angeles, taking place June 11-13
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) resolved its spat with the city of Los Angeles, announcing it will hold E3 in the city again from June 11-13, 2013. The annual industry mega show, which has been held in Los Angeles for 16 of its 18 years in existence, wasn't going to have its 2013 location announced by the ESA until the trade group received assurances from the city that the show would run efficiently during construction of the Farmers Field stadium."The City of Los Angeles is thrilled to welcome E3 back for another three years," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement. "My office was committed to doing whatever it took to keep the largest annual conference that the City hosts here for another three years. I personally joined in the negotiations, and we worked with all parties to ensure the needs of E3 would be met."E3 2012 had 45,700 attendees, with the ESA estimating the show generated 30,000 hotel room bookings and nearly $40 million in revenue for Los Angeles.Update: There seems to be some debate about wording in the ESA's press release regarding the show taking place "throughout downtown Los Angeles and the City." E3 is the same as it ever was. Show organizers tell us: "While the show floor itself [at the Los Angeles Convention Center] is often the most visible aspect of E3, there are a number of elements, including press conferences, networking events, meetings, receptions, and parties that occur in and around the LA area."
Capcom and iam8bit hosting 25 Years of Street Fighter art show in LA
The iam8bit art gallery/collective in Los Angeles' Echo Park is teaming up with Capcom for a "25 Years of Street Fighter" gallery show. "Combo Attack" is a two-week exhibition of art of over 50 pieces celebrating the classic fighting game series, featuring different artists' takes on characters, backgrounds, and other media from the long history of Street Fighter.The show is kicking off with a free-to-the-public opening night party on August 3 at 7pm. It will have art pieces on display, and feature a real-life Street Fighter 2 "bonus round" (a car to wreck, we'd guess), and several other special installations. The art itself will be up in the iam8bit gallery through August 19, so even if you can't make opening night we're sure Jon Gibson and gang would appreciate you stopping by.
KCRW launches MALCOLM music service to help indie bands in need
Being a DJ at radio station can be an embarrassment of riches. And really, who's going to listen to you complain about having too much music to listen to? Santa Monica's terrifically wonderful public radio station KCRW is looking to take a little bit of the pain of finding new music for its DJs, with the launch of MALCOLM, a site that lets artists submit their music for consideration -- a nice attempt at continued outreach in a medium so dominated by charts and major label interference. Bands can create profiles with images, bios and social media links, alongside up to three tracks. MALCOLM serves as a bit of a social network for the station's DJs, letting them share tracks and interact with profiles, alerting artists via email when someone has commented on or rated their listing. More information on the service, which borrows its name from KCRW's old internal record filing system, can be found in the press release after the break. Interested bands can submit songs in the source link below.
Live from Microsoft's mystery press conference in Los Angeles!
When Microsoft calls a last-minute press conference to make a "major" announcement, there's only one sensible thing to do: pack your bags, fly to Los Angeles and get ready to hear what Ballmer & Co. have to say. With no hints whatsoever (not even a cheekily worded invitation!), we've nothing but speculation and rumors to guide us as we head into this news conference. Will we hear about Win8 tablets -- specifically, a Kindle Fire competitor running Windows RT? Or maybe today's news elaborates on Xbox Music? All we know is that it won't have anything to do with Windows Phone, seeing as how Microsoft is holding another press event just two days from now where it's promised to give us a sneak peek at Apollo. Oh-so mysterious of Redmond, and all the more reason for us to host a liveblog. The doors here open at 3:30pm local time, so stay tuned as we bring you up-to-the-minute coverage on Microsoft's big reveal. June 18, 2012 6:30 PM EDT
Microsoft plans 'major announcement' for Monday, June 18th
It's not offering much in the way of hints, but Microsoft has just invited the press to an event in Los Angeles on Monday, June 18th for what it promises will be a "major Microsoft announcement." While it didn't have any more to say than that, the company's Windows Phone summit does follow later that week, and there's been no shortage of Microsoft-related rumors as of late, including a possible acquisition of Yammer (reported today by Bloomberg), and long-running talk of Office for iPad, which was again revived earlier this month. Whatever it is, we'll be there to bring you the news as it happens. Update: Citing "sources outside the company," AllThingsD is reporting that the event will focus on Windows RT for ARM-based tablets, and that Microsoft will be showing off devices running the OS as well as some of the programs and services that will be available for them.
E3 2012 had 45,700 attendees, will announce dates and venue for 2013 soon
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) had 45,700 industry personnel in attendance for the 2012 show. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade organization that puts on the annual mega show, estimated E3 generated 30,000 total hotel room bookings and nearly $40 million in revenue for the city.The ESA, for the first time in years, did not announce next year's host city nor show dates at the end of the expo. The group is currently in a little spat with the city over assurances that the show will run efficiently during next year's construction of the Farmers Field stadium.
We're live from E3 2012 in Los Angeles!
Well friends, a barrage of gaming glory is about to descend on southern California. The 2012 edition of E3 begins today with a handful of pre-show press conferences from the industry's big three. We're on the ground at the Los Angeles Convention Center and surrounding area to bring you coverage of all the happenings. While we don't anticipate any big console reveals from Microsoft or Sony, we are looking forward to Unreal Engine 4, Wii U news, Smart Glass, some sort of PlayStation news and a dash of mobile gaming. If you're looking to follow along easily, keep an eye on our event hub for all of the latest game-centered coverage.
Quantum Conundrum and iam8bit team up for inter-dimensional fan travel
Quantum Conundrum's Airtight Games is used to handling inter-dimensional scenarios, but now it's going for the most egregious combination yet, mixing virtual reality with real reality. Quantum Conundrum and iam8bit are teaming up for a mysterious and seemingly slightly dangerous production this May, asking "hardcore fans" to sign up to be "transported to another dimension, all in the name of science. Seriously, we're not messing around."Potential participants are asked to be at least 18 years old and be available May 11 and 12 in the Los Angeles area. Fifty people will be chosen, based on the form requirements of "Why should you win?" and, apparently, how hearty your bone structure appears in a photo you send in. Any die-hard Quantum Conundrum or iam8bit fans, or those with superior cheekbones, can fill out the entry form right here.
