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The Perfect Ten: Types of loot that get me excited
Loot's not something that I see discussed much these days among MMO players. It's probably because loot's been around since the beginning of online time and is such a staple that we'd only really notice it if it went away completely or if the object in question were a major game-changer for us. Random loot from mobs is a reward mechanic that is bordering on archaic, having been supplanted by dependable quest rewards and barter vendors that give us the gear we so desire. Of course, now we've come around the weird circle to the point that dropped lockboxes hold interesting loot, but we've got to pay for the privilege of seeing what's inside. But let's not go there today! Instead, I'm going to share with you the 10 general types of loot that still get me excited while playing. They will shock, amaze, and radically reshape your life, as long as you've had a recent brain wipe and are awaiting brand-new neural instructions.
The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play shopping strategies
"Nothing is ever truly free," my grizzled Uncle Trigger once told me. "So you got to pay for that there air! Pony up, boy!" While Uncle Trigger was overlooking a few aspects of this philosophy, the sentiment is an important one to grasp, especially when it comes to the growing wave of free-to-play MMOs. Even though the first word is "free," it should be followed up with several paragraphs of tiny lawyer disclaimers that basically say, "Nevertheless, the studio is going to look for other ways to tempt you out of your hard-earned cash." F2P is often funded by microtransactions, which offer players some variety in how they customize their game experience at the expense of a subscription's simplicity. It's often not better or worse; it's just different. Because nothing is ever truly free, and because F2P is loaded with more shopping options than a Walmart supercenter, being a savvy customer is more vital than ever. Anyone who's waded into a F2P store probably has experienced buyer's regret due to a hasty or uninformed purchase, not to mention those who end up going broke because of poor impulse control. So today I'm going to get downright practical and offer up 10 strategies that will safeguard and strengthen your F2P shopping trips (also, random plug for Beau's Free For All column in the hopes that he doesn't get mad I'm treading on his territory here!).
Ricoh GXR P10 sensor and lens combo gets reviewed
We're still not sure that the world knows it needs a compact camera with both interchangeable lenses and sensors, but Ricoh's giving us all another reason to believe with the P10. This is a 10 megapixel, 1/2.3-inch sensor combined with a 10.7x, 28 - 300mm lens that, according to Photography Blog performs much better than its compact-sounding specs would lead you to believe -- as it should for a price of $299 on its own, or $499 with the GXR body. It'll do 720p video recording and capture RAW images at 5fps with full manual controls. These features earn it a solid recommendation and it's said to be the best expansion pack for the GXR yet. That's despite not offering any new factions, levels nor, indeed, a single new playable character.
Sony Ericsson's P10 (Paris) gets another hands-on, full-blown review
We know it's the season for giving and all, but you're probably ready to stop being handed all these postmortem looks at Sony Ericsson's P10 (Paris). The UIQ-based handset, which was inexplicably canned earlier this year, was recently acquired and handled by the SE lovers over at SEMC Blog. As with most everyone else that has been fortunate enough to play with this here slider, these critics also couldn't figure out why the firm didn't forge ahead with production. Of course, it could just be the sentimental factor making the phone feel a bit more awesome than it actually is, but even with a bit of bias taken into account, it still seems like a winner. Too bad the powers that be deemed it a loser. Check the read link if you're okay with one last shower of tears.
Earthquake Sound SLAPS its new MiniMe subwoofers
In case you're not ready to go with a one of its Supernova subs, Earthquake Sound has introduced its MiniMe P10 and P12 models. These compact subs pack a 600-Watt amplifier with 10- and 12-inch drivers, respectively, into sealed enclosures with passive radiators for a little extra oomph that allows them to reach down to 20-Hz in the P10, 18-Hz in the P12. Taking a look at Earthquake Sound's product lines and press releases, there's a definite presence of testosterone, and so the passive radiator system in the MiniMe subs gets named SLAPS just to keep things familiar; that kind of attitude might come in handy should the suits from BMW's MINI division come a-knocking about the MiniMe logo.
iriver P10 launches at last, D5 lands on our shores
It took 'em a year, but iriver is finally ready to unleash its P10 touchscreen mega-PMP upon the world -- or at least Korea. The player rocks T-DMB, an 800 x 480 4.3-inch LCD, 33GB of storage and quite unique UI. There's also an included stylus and built-in handwriting recognition, with dictionaries for English, Chinese and Japanese. For about $312 US you can get a DMB-free unit, or spring for mobile TV at a $390-ish pricepoint, but again, those are both Korea only. If you're looking to spice up your life this side of the Pacific, iriver is also bringing its D5 clamshell multimedia dictionary to the States, at $300 for 2GB and $350 for 4GB.Read - P10Read - D5
Samsung P10 laptop battery "melts" in South Korea
Merely days after LG put the brakes on sales of its Z1-AE007 laptop due to suspicions of a faulty battery within, yet another lappie in South Korea is making headlines for its overheating, er, abilities. Reportedly, the battery in a P10 computer, produced in 2002, "melted" after inexplicably emitting smoke during use. The device managed to burn a bed and a certain part of the floor, but thankfully, no "big fire" was started. According to company spokesman James Chung, Samsung is now "checking details of the incident," but the actual manufacturer of said battery has yet to be revealed.
iriver's P10 PMP finally to see the light of day?
We've been drooling over iriver's P10 ever since June, but it looks like CES might finally be the PMP's time to shine. Iriver has one of its trademark teaser sites up for CES 2008, and the P10 is up in all its glory. Among other interesting specs, the player runs on a 1.3-inch hard disk drive, sports T-DMB digital TV, a 800 x 480 4-inch LCD, 600Mhz processor and TV out. The P10 controls with iriver's bezel touch tech, but it's unclear if there's a touchscreen here -- seems unlikely. Still no word on price or when this thing is going to hit the market, but it seems like it's just around the corner.[Thanks, Calvin P]%Gallery-12728%
iriver's P10 shipping in December? gimme gimme gimme
Get ready for it kiddies, iRiver's P10 appears ready to bust free. According to the forum jockeys frequenting iriverfans, the P10 is set for launch in December. With its biggie, 4.3-inch display and iriver's meticulously applied mechanical and software engineering prowess -- we'll be chomping at the bit for dibs on this mysterious media player.
iriver's elegant P10 PMP espied on teaser site
We've yet to really grasp what iriver is trying to show us with its perpetual stream of sexy new gizmos that we know next to nothing about, but you've got to give its marketing team a hearty round of applause as we come to the (expected) end of the series. Today we're getting a glimpse at the elusive P10 portable media player, which looks to sport a trendy white enclosure, kickstand for extended viewing sessions, expansive widescreen display, and stately integrated controls on the bezel. Interestingly, it is noted that this here rendition is a prototype of some sort, but the actual P10 should be launching "sometime this year" for a currently undisclosed price.%Gallery-4177%
