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Apple App Store shifts minimum pricing in multiple countries, for better or worse
Oh, how the mighty App Store prices have fallen... or risen, depending on which country you reside in. Apple quietly adjusted rates in several international App Stores, dropping the minimum cost in Australia while bumping it up in the UK, Mexico, and Norway. The bottom-line pricing didn't change by leaps and bounds -- the UK rose by £.10, while Oz fell by $.20 -- but these particular shifts have us wondering whether we should expect to see other countries get the switcharoo as well. No official word has been given from Apple on why the changes were made or the reasons behind choosing these particular nations, but this much is assured: we love it, we hate it, and we're indifferent to it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Elusive Galaxy Tab 8.9 hitting Nordic countries in September
Samsung today issued a slew of press releases announcing the arrival of new tablets in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. The news, naturally, focuses on the company's flashy Galaxy Tab 10.1, which will arrive in those countries in August. What's really interesting here, however, is the mention of the more compact Galaxy Tab 8.9, which has been out of the spotlight as of late, reportedly due to screen problems. The issues (if there were indeed any) have apparently been resolved, and the 8.9 is set to be released in the aforementioned Nordic territories in September -- either that or it's going to take an extra month to shave an inch and change off of those remaining 10.1 models.
Dead or Alive: Dimensions yanked in Sweden, Norway and Denmark
Dead or Alive: Dimensions won't be available in Sweden, because it potentially violates the country's child pornography laws. The title will also skip Norway and Denmark as a result -- all three territories are covered by the same distributor, Bergsala. Eurogamer Sweden has a joint statement from Nintendo and Bergsala in which they claim to "have decided not to release the game in Sweden, for various reasons." However, neither company wished to list the reasons. Allegedly, the genesis of the drama involves a forum poster noting that three of the DoA characters are under 18 years of age, which could violate Swedish law when placed in risque situations within the game's "Figure Mode." Animated images have been subject to child pornography laws in Sweden since 1980.
Samsung makes it easier for you to buy stuff from its Apps store
No doubt still buzzing from hitting the 100 millionth download milestone back in March, Samsung is making it even easier for Apps customers to use the mobile/HDTV storefront -- well, consumers in Europe and Asia, at least. The company announced this week that it has streamlined the purchasing process for the store, letting users tack payments onto their phone bill or SIM card balance. The upgrade is being rolled out in the UK, Germany, Thailand, India, among others, with even more countries coming later this year. The rest of the world will have to continue paying for apps the old fashioned way: sticking a check in a bottle and praying it floats all the way to Korea. More info on the press release after the break.
Design project paints city's WiFi networks with light
We've seen WiFi detectors used for various DIY projects before, but none quite like this rather ambitious project cooked up by Norwegian designers Timo Armall, Jørn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen. They built a four-meter long WiFi-detecting rod that boasts 80 LED bulbs and carried it around various neighborhoods in Oslo, picking up signals of various strengths from nearby WiFi networks all the way. That's only the half of it, though. The real kicker is that they also captured the whole thing with long-exposure photographs to effectively paint the "invisible terrain" of WiFi networks with light. Head on past the break for a video, and hit up the source links below for a closer look at the entire process. [Thanks, Christer]
The Game Archaeologist goes PlanetSide: Your journeys
While war itself is a hellish, nasty activity that we'd be better off without, there's always been something compelling about playing war as both kids and adults. When you strip war of death and suffering, the play version can become downright compelling as we get engrossed in tales of heroics, deep strategies, risky gambits, and clear-cut victories. It's why we invest so much time in simulating war throughout our lives -- in snowball fights, toy soldiers, laser tag, and MMOs. For the soldiers of PlanetSide, the war has been raging for over eight years now with no end in sight, and that's just fine with everyone involved. The game was designed to be a perpetual struggle between military forces -- not due to politics or prejudice but simply for the love of the fight. In the year or so I've been writing this column, I've never seen so many people come forward when asked to share their experiences with an MMO as have done for PlanetSide. There's definitely something compelling and unique about this MMOFPS that's become a dear part of many gamers' memories, and I'm pleased to be sharing those stories with you today. Hit the jump for the glory, trooper!
Norwegian Apple reseller suffers break-in, 50 boxes stolen
An Apple reseller in Norway, of all places, suffered a break-in earlier this morning. According to the main local paper, Aftenposten, the thieves stole a BMW, which was then used to back into the store as seen in the wild pictures above. Once the storefront was broken open, 50 boxes were lifted from the property. While the stolen property was not identified, odds are that there were at least a few iPads in there, given that the device was just released in that country. Two masked men were apparently seen fleeing the scene, but it's not known if the police have gotten in touch with Batman or Robin yet. Demand for the iPad is off the charts in other countries right now (not that it's suffering here in the US), so it's not surprising that they're seeing robberies overseas as well. Hopefully the thieves will be brought to justice and the stolen Apple products recovered.
iPad officially debuts in Nordic countries tomorrow
The iPad continues its march towards world domination. A number of TUAW readers and the Swedish Apple site Alltommac.se are reporting that the iPad will finally make it to authorized Apple resellers in Sweden tomorrow. It also appears that iPads will be warming hearts throughout the Nordic countries of Norway, Finland and Denmark tomorrow as well. Confirmation of the launch has been forthcoming from official Apple sources as well as from resellers, many of whom are reported to be planning special early store openings tomorrow to feed the frenzy. The largest Apple retailer in Finland, Humac, ran teaser ads this morning saying that "morning coffee is one reason to come visit Humaciin on Tuesday," with a tell-tale iPad-shaped coffee stain on the ad. No pricing information has been forthcoming from any of the retailers at this time. [via MacRumors] Update -- Thanks to TUAW reader Henrik, who reported the following prices for Norwegian iPad purchasers 16GB Wi-Fi - NOK3999 - USD644 32GB Wi-Fi - NOK4999 - USD805 64GB Wi-Fi - NOK5999 - USD967 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G - NOK4899 - USD789 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G - NOK5899 - USD951 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G - NOK6899 - USD1112
Apple TV ready to launch in Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Belgium
9to5 Mac speculates that the second generation Apple TV is set to launch in Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Belgium tomorrow morning. Last night, the night before the second gen Apple TV went on sale in Italy and Switzerland today, anyone who clicked on the original Apple TV link on the country's Apple Online Store were taken to an error message. Today, that error message is being replicated in the Apple Online Stores of Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Belgium when shoppers click on the same Apple TV link. While this does seem to signify that the new Apple TV is set for imminent release in seven new countries, it's unknown if HD movie and TV rentals will appear in those countries' Apple TV iTunes store. We'll keep an eye out for official news that Apple TV is ready to launch elsewhere, and let you know when we hear more.
The PlayStation MoveMen are watching you
Sony may still be relying on Kevin Butler and Marcus Rivers to sell its gear over here, but it looks like the company's entered an entirely different realm in Norway. It's just rolled out a new ad campaign for the Norwegian launch of the PlayStation Move that features the "MoveMen," a dynamic, all-seeing duo that watches for a lack of partying and delivers the Move to those in need. The question is: who moves the MoveMen? Head on past the break to see the see the ad yourself, and hit up the Flickr link below for some behind-the-scenes shots.
The Game Archaeologist and the Girdle of Anarchy: The history
"The future in your hands," Funcom promised gamers in the early days of the new decade. As the MMORPG genre slowly took shape and grew in popularity, game studios were still babes in the woods, feeling out this brave and complex new world without a standard handbook to guide them to success. EverQuest focused on large group content and raids, Dark Age of Camelot featured Realm vs. Realm conflict, and RuneScape brought the MMO to the browser. Everyone desperately hoped he had the next big hook that would reel in gamers by the thousands, especially Norwegian developer Funcom, which made headlines in 1999 with its highly acclaimed adventure The Longest Journey. Funcom took one look at the small but expanding MMO market, got together in a group huddle, and said, "You know what guys? This fantasy thing, it's everywhere. Let's do something different. Let's drill for sci-fi gold. And let's throw in robots, cuddly rodents, randomly generated missions and a bitter rivalry between factions. Geronimo!"* (*Quote fabricated by author.) And thus, almost a decade ago, Anarchy Online hit the industry like a sack of broken features. It wasn't the stellar debut Funcom desired, but the game endured and went on to carve itself out a workable plot of land. This month, The Game Archaeologist trades in his rugged leather attire for space armor and a high-powered laser rifle. The year is 29475, and the place is Babylon 5. Er, Rubi-Ka.
Norwegian Prime Minister gets his hands on an iPad
While Apple has pushed the international launch of the iPad back by a month, from its original late April launch date to late May, it hasn't stopped some overseas customers from getting their hands on one. For example, Don McAllister, host of the resourceful ScreenCastOnline, picked up a couple of iPads during a vacation to New York that 'just so happened' to coincide with the iPad launch. If he intends on bringing home the iPad he's using in this picture, you can also count Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as an international shopper. The picture belongs to flickr member Statsministerens kontor, which translates to "Prime Minister's office." Prime Minister Stoltenberg was in Washington DC this week attending the Nuclear Security Summit 2010, and is now in NYC. He may have plenty of time to explore the iPad, since his flight home -- along with hundreds of others bound for Europe -- has been cancelled due to the Icelandic volcano explosion. He told the Dagbladet newspaper that he's working remotely after an extended airport wait. The newspaper's headline translates as "Jens manages the land with iPad from New York." For the less patient who may be considering making the trek over to the U.S. for an iPad, do so with caution. Customs agents may prevent you from bringing the iPad home, depending on local regulations. For example, Israeli officials are blocking iPad imports over supposed WiFi concerns. "Tusen takk" to Nils & everyone who sent this in.
Electric Green School motorcycle shows its rebel nature by running Linux
Electric motorcycles are getting more and more common, and while we don't think they'll ever quite capture the rush of an internal-combustion engine threatening to fly into bits as it screams toward red-line, they are starting to offer their own... unique charms. This model is a Norwegian prototype, based on a Honda chassis that had its tail chopped and motor stripped, replaced by stacks of Nickel-Metal batteries, then wrapped in some custom bodywork. The bike sports a touchscreen dash powered by Ubuntu that offers both stats about the bike (speed, temperature, etc.) as well as GPS navigation and, presumably, on the go games of Tux Racer. It's a one-off built by Green School Motorcycles and Akershus University College, and there's plenty more information about it in a video at the source link below -- if you speak Norwegian. Update: We have a slightly more flattering picture courtesy of Robert at Green School Motorcycles. [Thanks, dsbilling]
Not so fast: testing finds world's first LTE network isn't very 4G-ish
In a rather disappointing example of "your mileage may vary," market research firm Northstream has put TeliaSonera's shiny new LTE network -- the world's first to go commercial -- to the test, coming away with some disappointing conclusions. The bottom line is that they never managed to go above about 12Mbps downstream, a pretty wild figure considering that Ericsson is in the process of rolling out 84 purely theoretical megabits per second right now using plain old HSPA+ for 3 Scandinavia. The bright side is that they managed a fat 5Mbps on the upstream and experienced consistently lower latency than on the area's 3G networks; in fact, the firm ended up coming away with a glowing impression of the service, assuming (probably accurately) that this is just the first baby step in finding out what LTE is really capable of. And hey, some lucky jerks are getting over 42Mbps down, so it's a crap shoot anyway.
Xbox Live Video Marketplace coming to 10 more countries 'this fall'
As far as we know, the kind of laziness which prevents you from visiting the nearest Blockbuster Video is a worldwide phenomenon. According to a press release (.doc link) dropped just in time for CES, Microsoft is catering to this global lethargy by opening up the Xbox Live Video Marketplace to ten more countries this fall: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Australia and New Zealand. Basically, if the Xbox Live Video Marketplace was playing Risk, it'd have a kickass lock on the Eastern Hemisphere.
TeliaSonera's new LTE network astounds with 43Mbps downloads
Egads, you see that? 42.78Mbps over a wireless data card! Not just any card, mind you, it's presumably the new Samsung 4G card running on TeliaSonera in Sweden and Norway, the world's first commercial LTE network launched on Monday. TeliaSonera bundles the 4G service with 30GB of data for just 599kr (85$) per month. That 5.3Mbps upload and 37ms ping aren't too shabby either. Not exactly the theoretical 100Mbps down / 50Mbps up provided by the LTE spec, but not AT&T either.
TeliaSonera prices LTE service, offers free modem upgrade next year
It's pretty easy to fall far enough into the 4G mania trap that you lose sight of the important stuff -- like, say, how much cash you're going to be shedding every month for the delightful privilege of delivering 10Mbps-plus speeds straight to your lappie. Sweden's TeliaSonera -- which just launched service in Oslo and its home turf in Stockholm -- has revealed that users will be paying ridiculously low fees to get 'em to sign up before bumping rates mid-contract, a tactic stolen right out of Comcast's playbook. To start, Stockholm residents will be paying SEK4 a month until July 2010, which works out to just 56 cents, while Oslo folks pay a NOK1 (17 cent) pittance until April 2010. After those rates expire, though, watch out: Stockholm goes up to SEK599 ($83) for 30GB of usage and Oslo bumps to NOK699 ($120). That's a hell of an increase -- but then again, 30GB of service at torrent-friendly speeds is a tempting proposition. Anyhow, the other interesting tidbit of this story is the fact that early adopters (read: anyone lining up at the store to sign up today) will get a free upgrade to Samsung's HSPA / LTE dual-mode modem next year once it's available; the current model is LTE-only, which makes roaming a bit tricky. Kind of them, no?
Think Electric returns from the brink, begins production of Think City two-seater
Norway's Think Electric may have managed to attract some backing from GE in early 2008, but it looks to have quickly ran out of cash after that, and was forced to completely shut down its operations about a year ago. Well, kids, dreams do come true -- or production lines can be started again, at least -- and after securing some funding earlier this year, the company has now announced that its two-seat Think City electric vehicle is now back on track for a release by the end of the year. That initial production run will apparently consist primarily of 2,300 cars that have already been pre-ordered in Europe, but Think Electric says it also plans to begin selling the car in the U.S. sometime next year, and license its electric power train to other automakers looking for a readymade option.
Norway's Statkraft kick-starts world's first osmotic power plant
It may only produce enough power to heat an electric kettle at the moment, but Norway's Statkraft says that its new, first-of-its-kind osmotic power plant could be producing as much energy as a small wind farm by 2015, and continue to grow from there on out. To do that, the company guides fresh water and salt water into separate chambers that are divided by an artificial membrane, and when the process of osmosis takes place -- salt molecules pulling freshwater through the membrane -- the pressure is increased on the sea water side. That, of course, doesn't get you power on its own, but the pressure is apparently enough to drive a power generating turbine, and if you have enough of those you have a power plant. A bit of effort, to be sure, but the process doesn't emit any greenhouse gases, is completely renewable, and it doesn't depend on the wind or the sun being out.
Important Norwegian consumer reads Amazon Kindle's EULA, sends angry letter
Remember that legal dealio with Apple that erupted after the Norwegian Consumer Council, Forbrukerrådet, read the iTunes EULA? Right, that toothless complaint that waffled on for years until it was finally rendered moot by Apple going DRM-free -- long after Apple benefited from the iTunes-to-iPod lock-in. Well, it's brewing again only this time the council has focused its meticulously crafted aluminum spectacles, often highlighted with vibrant reds or blues, upon Amazon's practice of tying its content exclusively to the Kindle's new international reader. According to a critique published by the Council's boss, Hans Marius Graasvold, the fine print in the Kindle's terms of service, "violated several provisions of Norwegian consumer protection law." He takes exception with Amazon's ability terminate the terms of service entirely should customers violate said terms. In other words, Amazon could deny you access to all your purchased books if you make an illegal copy of just one -- unimaginable by brick-and-mortar standards where a Wal-mart could take your entire CD collection should you decide to rip a single disc. Graasvold's also miffed at Amazon's ability to change the agreement at any time without advanced notification. The Council does not currently have official support from the country's Consumer Ombudsman as it did when it went after Apple. For the moment, the council says that it's awaiting feedback from Amazon and Norwegian publishers before proceeding with what Graasvold calls, "an iTunes 2 case if we are not satisfied." Good luck with that.
