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Gazillion Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Media form joint MMO studio
When Gazillion Entertainment's existence was first revealed to the public, the immensity of the company made many of us wonder whether or not their ultimate goal was world domination. Which brings us to today and Gazillion's newly announced joint MMO studio project with Abu Dhabi Media, a partnership aimed at bringing massively multiplayer online games to Arabic countries in the Middle East.Well played Gazillion, well played. We can just see their CEOs now, stroking their skinned cats, arching a single eyebrow. What will their next project be? Our guess is a death ray on the moon, or maybe an asteroid rigged with massive jet engines and aimed at the Earth until their villainous demands are met.Whatever Gazillion Entertainment's future plans are, we're pretty sure they involve some kind of space-located doomsday device.
The birth of the Middle Eastern MMO scene
Much of our coverage of the MMO industry at Massively is clearly focused on North America and Europe, with the occasional article about what's happening in Asia, but we rarely have the opportunity to point out what's happening in MMOs in the Middle East. Truth be told, we weren't aware that MMOs are operating in this region of the world until an article we came across today. Sanya Weathers recently got in touch with Fadi Mujahid, general manager of a Dubai-based company called Game Power 7 which has localized the free-to-play MMO Rappelz for the Middle East/North African (MENA) market. In fact, to the best of our knowledge, Game Power 7 is the first company to focus on the MMO industry in the Middle East and North Africa to date.Mujahid explains to Weathers how Game Power 7 made these first inroads to the MENA market, from market research to localization efforts (adding 'Middle Eastern touches' to the characters and other changes to make the game less offensive to the market's cultures), to getting the word out about the Arabic version of Rappelz.
Ex-Motorola exec becomes Microsoft EMEA marketing VP
Following a week of rumors and feverish speculation, Microsoft recently confirmed that former Motorola marketing chief Jeremy Dale has been appointed the vice president of retail sales and marketing for its Entertainment and Devices division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In layman's terms, he'll be overseeing the marketing of Xbox and Windows products in the EMEA region. In extreme layman's terms, he'll make people want to buy Microsoft's stuff.Dale's ability to push product has been witnessed in the gaming arena before -- he once served as the commercial and marketing director for Nintendo UK, during which time he oversaw the European Pokémon invasion. Sure, those adorable buggers practically sell themselves -- but still, it sounds like Dale will be a valuable asset for Microsoft's overseas operations.
Toshiba packs NB100, A350 with 3G and ships them off to EMEA
Toshiba has announced that its Satellite A350 and NB100 would soon be finding their way into Europe, Middle East, and African (EMEA) markets with an added bonus: HSPA technology. We've got precisely nada on the price tag for these iterations, however, which normally retail for around $800 and $500 without 3G. If you're on the lookout for a laptop with some extra portability, both models are expected to hit retail channels first quarter of this year.[Via Notebook Italia]
RRsat to broadcast Fashion TV Paris HD to overseas markets
For fashionistas looking for even a smidgen of HD in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and / or Africa, take your eyes off the mirror a second and check this out. Fashion TV has chosen RRsat Global Communications Network to provide uplink and playout services for the new Fashion TV Paris high-definition channel (FTV HD). Folks in Asia, Australia and Africa can catch it via THAICOM 5, while it'll be distributed via EUROBIRD 9 to Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
Sharp's 108-inch LCD coming soon to an oil magnate near you
Making your company's flagship, mega-dollar products available in markets with lots of money just makes sense, so the announcement that Sharp is putting its 108-inch LB-1085 on shelves in the Middle East isn't exactly a lightbulb moment. At least Sharp was polite enough to introduce the behemoth to USA shores before making it available to retailers in, say, UAE. The press release doesn't mention pricing info, but we've got a feeling that the $100,000 range is about right and qualifies as an impulse buy for the target demographic. Of course, you'll want to take in the glory of this 24x7, and Sharp ensures that the set is up to the task.
World's largest LED screen coming to Dubai
By this point, you should fully understand that "Dubai" and "world's largest" go hand-in-hand, so it's quite fitting that said city is receiving the planet's most humongous LED screen. Designed by UAE development company Tameer Holding, the 33-story high display will reportedly be "embedded on an intended commercial tower in the Majan district of Dubailand," where it will stand tall and blast out advertisements to onlookers some 1.5-kilometers away. Dubbed Podium, the building will also house 33 levels of "premium commercial office space, two floors dedicated to retail and four floors for parking." There's no word on when the project will be completed, but we don't suspect Tameer will be dragging its feet in getting this up.[Via Coolbuzz]
Dubai begins shift to digital cinemas, ready for 3D goofiness
Reports have already shown that the hunger for HD in the Middle East is rising, and apparently so is the hunger for digital cinema. The Middle East's very first digital cinemas have opened in the desert playground this week, with two screens showing digital versions of the latest Mummy film at Grand Cinema's Grand Festival complex in Dubai Festival City. If plans pan out, Grand Cinema expects to have all of its screens converted to digital within two years, and yes, the third-dimension was mentioned. According to Gulf Films' Jean Ramia (pictured), digital really is "the future of cinema," and now that it's becoming more pervasive, we can expect to see "a lot more 3D films being produced." Goggles up!
Wall-E becomes first Arabic-language game for current-gen consoles
We know its July 4 an we should be focusing on celebrating our country's independence by eating dead animals and/or blowing stuff up (ideally at the same time). That said, we just couldn't resist sharing this story we just stumbled upon about THQ's Wall-E being the first current-generation game to be published in Arabic for the Middle Eastern Market.Porting the game to Arabic was a no-brainer, according to THQ's Export Sales and Marketing Manager Luke Keighran. "There are only few games that would suit the Middle East's morals more than WALL???E," he told PC Magazine Middle and Near East. "The game depicts family virtues through a fun and adventurous story line." We guess that means WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009 won't be seeing an Arabic port any time soon, huh?[Via GameSetWatch]
Panasonic's DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player lands in Middle East
Panasonic's fairly well-regarded DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player has been available here in America for months on end, but it's just now getting shipped en masse to the Middle East. Reportedly, the launch marks Panny's first foray into the Middle East's Blu-ray market, but with the DMP-BD50 just waiting to globetrot, we have all ideas it won't be the outfit's last. No word on pricing just yet.
Samsung's Soul gets candybar'd, called Soulb
Remember that U800 we peeked in the middle of last month? Turns out, that very mobile is the one pictured above, though it now has an official moniker to round things off. In an attempt to migrate the Spirit of Soul (Samsung's words, not ours) to the candybar design, the Soulb was born. The handset checks in at 9.9-millimeters thick and features a 3-megapixel camera (with Power LED flash), document viewer / editor, web browser, multimedia player, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio (with RDS support), 1GB of internal memory and a microSD slot just in case. It's also noted that the Soulb will be available in Soul Grey, Platinum Silver, Metallic Black, Soul Pink and Amethyst Violet for an undisclosed price, but things aren't looking too swell for North Americans. Germans will get first dibs when it lands in "early June," while just about every region save for NA gets it shortly thereafter.[Via phoneArena]
Hitachi's DZ-BD7HSW hybrid Blu-ray camcorder comes to UAE
Remember that hybrid Blu-ray camcorder Hitachi busted out late last summer? Lo and behold, that very unit has become the first of its kind to grace the markets in the United Arab Emirates. The flagship DZ-BD7HSW incorporates a 30GB hard drive along with BD recording capabilities to log hours upon hours of 1,920 x 1,080 footage of your stay in the Burj Al Arab, and for folks not keen on editing, it offers up a one-touch transfer function to get your HDD-stored material straight to Blu-ray Disc. Unfortunately, a price for the UAE isn't mentioned, but that's about all the reason you need to hop on over for a week and see for yourself, right?
Saudi TV selects Harris for HD studio upgrade
France 2 isn't the only network gearing up to undergo an HD upgrade to its studios, as Saudi TV has just awarded Harris a contract to freshen up its Dammam facility. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture & Information has tapped Harris for a fourth time in order to construct a facility packing a pair of HD studio control rooms for news and production. Furthermore, the project "marks the first Middle East application of the Harris Intrinsic Mirroring SAN-based fault tolerance technology, the latest advance in NEXIO server storage protection." Sadly, there's no timeframe given for when residents of the area can look forward to seeing a difference from the upgrade, but rest assured, it's on the way.
Mondevue AMV-X2500 projector launches in Middle East
Though we doubt Mondevue's AMV-X2500 will make any sort of splash here in the US, the projector is likely a welcome addition in the Middle Eastern market. Featuring a DLP engine, 1,024 x 768 resolution, 2,000 ANSI lumens, 2,000:1 contrast ratio and VGA / S-Video / composite inputs, this unit is primarily geared towards suits who need a PJ to lug from presentation to presentation. Yeah, we'd be a lot more enthused if it handled a few more pixels, but hopefully the firm will get the hint and up the ante next go 'round.[Via AboutProjectors]
aloft bringing luxurious hotel to Abu Dhabi
Nah, it won't be open for guests before this year's GITEX conference kicks off just down the way in Dubai, but Starwood Hotels & Resorts is moving forward with plans to erect its first aloft hotel in the anxious-for-HD Middle East. If you'll recall, two such venues are slated to open their doors in India just two short years from now, but the one pictured above should be completed in Q4 of 2009. Aside from being right in the heart of the Capital Center, every last guest room will include WiFi and an entertainment center packed with a flat-panel HDTV and a selection of ports in order to link up gear that patrons may have on hand. Of course, it still won't hold a candle to the mighty Burj Al Arab, but it'll keep HD junkies from going into withdrawals while out on business / vacation, for sure.
Matrixstream MX1020HD preps for Middle East launch
Matrixstream is taking its MX1020HD 1080p IPTV set-top box to the Middle East looking forward to high profile installations in some of the new real estate, after launches in the U.S., Canada and other countries. MyTVPal.com has continued to release 1080p streaming downloads, but the HD IPTV market has gotten a lot more crowded than it was in 2006. Matrixstream claims its XMS streaming technology is the best at adjusting to available bandwidth, it'll have to be to fend off Apple and Microsoft.
BenQ intros CP220c projector in Middle East
BenQ's been loosing mediocre DLP projectors overseas for some time now, and the latest yawner is heading straight to the Middle East. The CP220c features a way-below-par 1,024 x 768 resolution, 2,000 ANSI lumens, 700:1 contrast ratio, VGA / component / S-Video / composite inputs and a built-in mono speaker. Additionally, the unit weighs in at just 3.9-pounds, sports a Carl Zeiss lens and includes real-time automatic keystone adjustment. If you've managed to make it this far, you'll likely be disappointed to find that pricing deets are still a mystery though the PJ should be available now.
Sony sees Blu-ray growth in emerging markets
Although exact sales figures overseas have been hotly contested, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just announced "an increase in total Blu-ray disc sales across six emerging markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Eastern Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East." Notably, Sony's T. Paul Miller mentioned that it was "extremely positive to see an increase in volume of BD software sales in these markets where piracy had previously ravaged the DVD business." Some of the top sellers in these locales included 007: Casino Royale, Ghost Rider, Open Season, Kung Fu Hustle, Black Hawk Down, XXX, and Stealth, and it was also stated that South Africa accounted for the largest share of BD sales (for the aforementioned regions) with "more than 15,000 units shipped to date."[Via MovieWeb]
Toshiba's Portege M400 goes Core 2 Duo, gets HSDPA
The last time we mentioned Toshiba's M400, it was rocking a lowly Core Solo processor and a 1,024 x 768 resolution LCD, but now Toshiba is upping the ante on the convertible by tossing in a Core 2 Duo chip along with HSDPA technology. Aside from receiving a 2GHz Intel T7200 CPU, the upgraded machine also sports a 12.1-inch SXGA+ display, 80GB SATA drive, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, dual-layer DVD burner, integrated stereo speakers, and the obligatory built-in UMTS / HSDPA SIM card slot for that 3G goodness we all know and love. Moreover, the Portege M400-3G touts a PCMCIA slot, 4-pin FireWire connector, S-Video / VGA outputs, 5-in-1 flash card reader, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, integrated WiFi / Bluetooth, and a trio of USB 2.0 ports to boot. It will reportedly also feature a "slice expansion battery" to prolong its life while computing out in the wild. While Toshiba hasn't leaked any information on pricing, we do know that this svelte convertible will be hitting Middle Eastern shores in "Q1 2007," but we sure hope Tosh brings the goods over to this side of the pond soon after.[Via jkOnTheRun]
LG sales jump in Africa and the Middle East
LG is having a stellar year in both Africa and the Middle East thanks to their flat-panel business. The company experienced a 217% growth in that segment which helped lead the way to a 20% overall increase in total sales. Even though the overall increase of 20% is great and all, they were expecting a 30% gain. LG is a major player in both of the regions and control 58% of the plasma market. This increase is thanks to the thriving global economy that has lead to the rise of middle and high-income classes.
