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Editorial: Kim Dotcom, noisy rogue with a commonplace startup idea
Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing has traditionally operated on a narrow ledge between perceptions of legality and illegality. The legitimacy of underlying file-transfer technology is never in dispute, though media companies might hate the unleashing of content that it represents. The narrow ledge is balanced between two activities: directly infringing copyright (what some users do), and indirectly facilitating infringement by providing a platform that makes it easy (what P2P platforms do). One purpose of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is to protect the technology of file sharing, and companies that use it, by inventing a theoretical "safe harbor" that shelters all sorts of user-powered platforms from the consequences of illegal actions by the users. If media companies hate digitization generally, they particularly loathe Kim Dotcom and his entrepreneurial file-transfer platforms. Their revulsion was fulfilled exactly a year ago when the US Justice Department shut down Megaupload.com, a network of shareable cloud lockers focused on music, movies and images. Like a recurring nightmare, and in apparent commemoration of the anniversary, Megaupload's bumptious founder is launching Mega, an evolved version of the same idea. Mega further narrows the P2P ledge and fleshes out its founder's complex ambition.
Kim Dotcom's Mega cloud storage launches for early adopters
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has been promising what's almost a sort of renaissance through his Mega cloud storage service. Now that it's open to the first wave of users, we have an inkling of what that strategy shift entails. Mega is currently just a simple-to-use parking place for data with a relatively large 50GB of storage in a free tier. However, it may grow quickly: there's promises of Google Docs-style editing, instant messaging and mobile access, among other plans. Eventual paid plans will offer considerably more storage of between 500GB for €10 per month ($13) to 4TB for €30 ($40), albeit with a bandwidth cap of twice the storage at any given level. As such, Mega is mostly a bundle of potential -- but it may stand out from the pack if ambition matches reality.
World of Warcraft Mega Bloks season 1 revealed
Remember way back when Mega Bloks announced that it was creating a line of Warcraft sets? Which lore pieces would make for the best building block sets? Which characters did we want to see? Well, season 1 of the Mega Bloks Warcraft line has been revealed, and it is amazing. One of the larger sets includes Deathwing and Stormwind, where you can recreate your favorite cinematic moments from Cataclysm! Faction packs include Ironoak the night elf, Ragerock the orc, Valoren the blood elf, and the ever-exciting and fancily named Colton the human paladin. Mount packs include Swift Gryphon with worgen rider, Goblin Trike with goblin rider, Flying Machine with gnome pilot, and Swift Wyvern with tauren rider. There are also three other larger sets, including the Lich King and Sindragosa, Demolisher Attack Horde versus Alliance, and the Goblin Zeppelin. However, my favorite set of them all (and proof that the folks over at Mega Bloks play World of Warcraft, are Warcraft fans, and understand the nature and feel of this game) is The Barrens Chase Set. The Barrens Chase set is the quintessential WoW setup -- dorky night elf riding his cat in hot pursuit across The Barrens, chasing the most awesome orc on the planet, riding a rocket. This is World of Warcraft at its best. Check out all of the new sets in our gallery, and look for them in stores soon. %Gallery-151889%
Mega Bloks wants fans to channel their inner Thrall
Mega Bloks has a well-known partnership with Blizzard to produce buildable block sets based on the Warcraft and StarCraft franchises. It kicked off this relationship at BlizzCon with a life-size Thrall statue made out of Mega Bloks, allowing fans to pose with the blocky former Warchief of the Horde. Now, Mega Bloks is asking fans to "channel their inner Thrall" for a chance to win a life-size Doomhammer made out of Mega Bloks. You can enter right now by submitting a photo with one (or more, ostensibly) of the following conditions: Pose like Thrall (Stand proud, warrior!) Pose as Thrall (cosplay) Pose with Thrall (BlizzCon statue, figure, etc.) Then ask your friends, guildies and coworkers to vote for your photo when it appears on the contest page. You can also vote for your favorite one (mine is, of course, our good friend Orkchop's) while you're there. The contest ends in a week, though, so you should probably enter it soon if you want to get your hands on that Doomhammer!
Blizzard teams up with Mega Bloks for Warcraft and StarCraft sets
Big Blizzard licensing news -- Blizzard has teamed up with MEGA Brands, Inc. to release Warcraft- and StarCraft-themed Mega Bloks sets. You might remember the Halo Mega Bloks sets as another of Mega Bloks' video game releases. These are Blizzard's two largest franchises, so it's a pretty substantial acquisition for Mega Bloks. What is most interesting to me about this licensing partnership is Blizzard's consolidation and general changing strategy regarding the World of Warcraft and StarCraft intellectual properties. In South Korea, StarCraft is already on everything you can imagine, and licensing in general is one of Blizzard's biggest assets (as it is for most content creators.) Does this licensing deal signal a renewed push to put Warcraft and StarCraft on lots of new, carefully hand-picked products? Suffice to say, I am excited about Blizzard's licensing future. The sets are scheduled for release in summer 2012. We have no news on what characters or settings will be featured in the sets, but our imaginations can happily wander. Will we get vehicles? Iconic location play sets? Lore exposition in block form? I've got a few ideas...
HTC Touch2 launching October 6th with Windows Mobile 6.5
Hey, HTC -- pull up a chair. Listen, we admire your tenacity and all, but did you realize that both Nokia World and IFA kicked off today? Cool, just making sure. Now that we're past that, we'd like to introduce you (as in, the audience) to one of the world's first "Windows phones," the Touch2. Packing a full touchscreen and an all-too-familiar design (remember the HTC Mega?), this here smartphone will launch with Windows Mobile 6.5, the outfit's TouchFLO interface, Microsoft Exchange support, a redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile and the new My Phone service to back up and sync photos, music, contacts and text messages for free from the Touch2 to the web. There's no word on exact pricing and availability, but it'll be available somewhere in this wide world October 6th, with broad availability in Europe and select Asian markets promised for early Q4. [Via TechRadar]
HTC Mega materializes again, brings along spec list
HTC's Mega certainly isn't the most exciting of the company's upcoming products to leak lately, but it's looking likely that it'll have one of the nicer price tags on it for a Window Mobile 6.5 device. Another screenshot has surfaced that matches up with one we saw earlier and shows off more of the sides and back. Along with it comes a new list of specs -- not too shabby, but nothing too exciting, either. According to ai.rs blog, it has WCDMA/HSPA and quad-band GSM support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD slot, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, AGPS, and still the 2.8-inch QVGA screen and 528MHz Qualcomm processor we heard about previously. If you're already playing with the Mega's TouchFLO 2D-infused ROM, consider this supplementary material for getting a more thorough idea of what the actual phone will look like when it does come out -- whenever that is.
Verizon's HTC Whitestone leaks out, along with the HTC Mega and Tachi
We've been hearing about Verizon's upcoming HTC Whitestone for a while now, and it looks like a new pic and specs for the upcoming dual-mode CDMA / GSM Touch Diamond2 variant have leaked out. Seems like a mixed bag -- the revised case with a larger 3.6-inch WVGA display is impressive, but inside you're looking at Windows Mobile 6.1 running on a 528MHz Qualcomm processor with 256MB of RAM, so you've certainly lived through this experience before. That's pretty much the same case with the HTC Mega, which also leaked today: although it'll ship with WinMo 6.5 and that hot new version of TouchFLO 2D, it's a lower-end device with a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a three megapixel camera and yet another 528MHz Qualcomm proc with 256MB of RAM running the show. Oh, and just to round things out, there's a pic of the Dopod-branded HTC Tachi, which probably means this one's headed for China. Always nice to put a face to a name, though isn't it? Pics of the Mega and Tachi at the read link.
HTC Mega ROM reveals new-look TouchFLO 2D
We know what's in the pipe for the next generation of TouchFLO 3D -- but what about TouchFLO 2D, the lightweight version of HTC's WinMo skin currently employed in devices like the low-end Touch Viva? For the answer to that, we need look no further than an alleged leaked ROM for the upcoming Mega, which appears to have revealed a treasure trove of heretofore-unseen goodies. TouchFLO 2D 2.0 looks, dare we say it, damn near as pretty as its higher-end 3D counterpart -- and conveniently, you can get this up and running right now if you've got a QVGA set running a leaked 6.5 ROM. We know you're a risk-taker if you're running 6.5 code right now, so you may as well give this a shot too, right?[Via wmpoweruser.com and pocketnow.com]
HTC Leo and Mega to be awesome and not-so-awesome, respectively?
This is all pretty well unsubstantiated at this point, but evidence is building that HTC has a couple heretofore-unknown codenames in the works -- Leo and Mega -- that are being prepped to help usher in the wide world of Windows Mobile 6.5. Contrary to what its name might suggest, Mega might be the weakling of the pair, rocking a mere QVGA display, which as far as modern WinMo sets go, is pretty much the only spec we need to know to put us to sleep. The Leo, though, might be a far more serious device, likely moving up to wide VGA; furthermore, information gleaned from the leaked TouchFLO 2.5 build suggests that it supports OpenGL ES 2.0, which would demand a high-potency core like Snapdragon. It's actually all starting to sound a little bit like Firestone, but given the sheer quantity of phones HTC produces, we wouldn't put it past 'em to be hard at work at several Snapdragon-powered phones with virtually identical specs right now, possibly with different markets in mind.[Via wmpoweruser.com]
Cartoon Network develops web-based games for consoles
Cartoon Network recently announced plans to begin developing flash-based games specifically for the web browsers included with the PS3 and Nintendo Wii. The MEGA series games will be more than just simple puzzle games, inviting the player to "stream movie clips to mesh together the most realistic cartoon experience ever." We're intrigued. After all, the MEGA series will be free, flash-based games and utilize the often-overlooked simple capabilities of the PS3. We're actually surprised no one has yet catered to our whims through this method before. However, as is typical with free content, pay-to-play content will likely follow if Cartoon Network's test run with the MEGA series games proves potentially lucrative. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to get a taste of what Cartoon Network has to offer once the MEGA series games begin finding their way to a PS3 web browser near you.
US gets equipped with Mega Man Star Force cartoon
Mega Man series fans have something else to look forward to in the near future, besides the never-ending stream of spinoffs and sequels. Viz Media has licensed the anime adaptation of the latest spinoff, Mega Man Star Force (Ryuusei no Rockman in Japan) for US audiences.The story is some baffling thing about a human kid merging with an alien entity called Omega-Xis to become Mega Man, which we're sure will make more sense after we play the game. It makes us a little nostalgic for the sparse robot vs. robot storyline of the original Mega Man series, but not the original Mega Man cartoon. Do you think the cartoon will be good enough to promote a game with three versions? We make fun of Capcom for all the Mega Man overload, but we're huge fans and will no doubt fill our TiVos with episodes of this series.
A very special Mega64 event
Those lovable scamps from Mega64 are at it again! There's never a dull moment when these friends go on a wild, madcap adventure that you'll never forget. Join them, as they discover... the true meaning of friendship.... what? Oh, we were thinking about a different movie. This one's just, you know, some dudes jumping around in Mario Bros. suits and stuff. But it's the patented brand of Mega64 funny-- video game characters accosting random (and not so random) people on the street-- that makes their work worth our few seconds of download time.Please, click on the limited-edition post break, and watch the movie that your whole family is sure to love!
MSI's Mega Player 529 caught running SideShow on an auxiliary display
With the consumer release of Windows Vista growing ever closer, we're hearing an awful lot of buzz surrounding that nifty SideShow feature, which lets users take advantage of secondary displays to utilize widgets, media players, and other random (but sure-to-become-necessary) widgets, and now we're seeing a real-world implementation of SideShow on a laptop auxiliary display. According to Tech-On, MSI's Mega Player 529 portable media player has been successfully integrated into a laptop palm rest, and can utilize Microsoft's SideShow to play music, media files, open PowerPoint presentations, receive email alerts, and handle a few other basic tasks (quite literally) on the side. Purportedly relying on PortalPlayer's "preface" system, the device is said to sport a 320 x 240 resolution display, built-in DAC, 1GB of integrated memory, and a USB interface. It can also be removed from the lappie when you want to take your tunes on the go, and can reportedly last "around two to three" hours before needing a recharge, and while we've no idea how soon this gizmo (or the sleek laptop housing it) will hit the mainstream here in the States, consider our interest piqued.[Via SlashGear]
Shining a spotlight on Mega Man Star Force
Originally, we were under the impression that the game would be titled Mega Man: Rebirth, but apparently that is not the case any longer. In his second game on Nintendo's dual-screen beauty, Mega Man will be battling foes during the time period immediately following the latest Battle Network game on the GBA. Unlike its predecessor, we are given a new protagonist in Subaru as the devs have decided to toss old favorite Lan and his Netnavi to the curb.This time around, there is no Netnavi and instead Subaru must rely on his FM called Warlock. The FM is a sort of sentient lifeform living in radio waves, and upon fusing with Subaru, they combined create Mega Man. Simple enough, right?The meeting of these two is a rather tragic one, as three years following the passing of his father, Subaru has become a recluse. He never leaves his house, despite the repeated attempts of friends, and has chosen a life of anti-socialism. One night, while quietly gazing at the stars with one of his father's inventions, he stumbles upon Warlock. Of course the two chat, later decide to have dinner, and well ... little Timmy, that's how you were born!OK, we're kidding about that last part (Timmy, you're actually a clone!), but the rest is true, we swear!See also: Another Mega Man game coming to the DS New Mega Man scans A handful of new Mega Man: Rebirth scans
A handful of new Mega Man: Rebirth scans
Over at DS-x2, a trio of scans for the upcoming Mega Man: Rebirth show the game is going through some minor changes. Most predominant of these changes is how the boy in blue's suit looks as if it can morph or augment itself to provide him with different battle capabilities. Also, the camera perspective during battle looks like it has shifted some as well.The scans are huge, so we could not embed them into the post. You're just going to have to put in the work and go check them out. Yes, yes, we know, we're horrible.
Mega Man ZX videos blast your eye sockets
For those of you looking to get your bot-blasting on with the blue bomber himself (we assume that is everyone, naturally), set your gaze to two new videos over at Game Trailers. One is the intro to the game, the second being a longer, more mouth-watering look at the title's gameplay. As is the norm, continue on to check out the two trailers embedded into the post.
New Mega Man scans
When we reported on a new Mega Man game being announced via Coro Coro Magazine, we had no idea that the announcement featured an entire multi-page spread. In the scans, we get a new glimpse of the main hero, even in his Mega Man battle suit (we're not impressed), as well as the new battle system. The battle system looks like it's some kind of variation on the game tic-tac-toe, where instead of X's and O's, there are deadly robots fighting for their very lives.
Another Mega Man game coming to DS
According to DSX-2, the successor to the Rockman.EXE series (Mega Man Battle Network to the rest of the world) has been formally announced as Ryusei no Rockman and will be shipping to Japanese gamers come this winter. The new hero will be named Seiga Subaru. Nothing else in the way of actual info can be gleamed from the source (Corocoro magazine), so keep an eye on DS Fanboy for future updates.
Mega Man ZX interacts with Zero 3 and 4
It looks like the first side-scrolling Mega Man for the DS, Mega Man ZX, has some functionality with Mega Man Zero 3 and Mega Man Zero 4. Japanese gamers obviously already know this, likely already having difficulties quelling a robotic revolution, but for us gamers outside those islands, this is news. Right now, the only confirmed feature is the ability to revive bosses from Zero 3 and 4, should the player have either of those GBA games in the slot on his/her DS while playing ZX.[Via Go Nintendo]