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Google has some new friends working on its self-driving car
Apparently following the adage about keeping your friends close and (potential) enemies closer, the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit hosted Elon Musk last night and followed up today with Chris Urmson of Google. He's the director of its self-driving car project, and while there are no big-name car manufacturers lined up as partners yet, he did call out seven particular industry friends providing various parts for the latest prototypes. That includes LG (battery), Bosch (LIDAR), ZF Lenksysteme (steering gear), RCO, Continental and FRIMO, while Roush is helping to actually put it together here in the Detroit area. There are also NVIDIA chips inside, which Urmson said run mostly Linux software "with some other stuff happening." He confirmed that Google has talked to the usual list of big names (GM, Ford, Toyota, Daimler, etc.), and hopes cars are ready to go by 2020.
NikeFuel integration is coming to MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper and Strava
Nike's line of FuelBand wearables has been a popular choice for those looking to keep tabs on daily activity, but Fuel tallies haven't meant much outside of the company's own apps. Now, with the launch of the Nike+ Fuel Lab in San Francisco, the athletic outfit is looking to expand through partnerships and collaboration. Through the initiative, the Fuel platform will soon team up with "industry-leading companies" that include the likes of MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper and Strava. According to Nike, this means that over 100 million new participants will have access to its "common universal currency to monitor and evaluate" all kinds of activity. "The demand for simpler data-powered experiences is soaring, and all-day sensing is more available on mobile and wearable devices than ever before," said Nike VP of Digital Sport Stefan Olander. "Nike is committed to broadening the use of NikeFuel through collaborations with industry leaders to create smarter products and services." Unfortunately, there's no word on when the integration will begin just yet.
The Daily Grind: Do you game with your spouse?
People who read my ramblings on a regular basis know that I've been with my dear Ms. Lady for quite some time. And we do, in fact, game together. We don't always join the same guilds or groups, we each make a point of having independent lives in our games... but we also group together whenever possible and clear the heck out of content as a team. From Star Wars: The Old Republic to Final Fantasy XIV, we're a team. This is not possible for everyone. Maybe your spouse (or significant other) doesn't like gaming, or maybe the two of you like wildly different games. Or the inverse is possible; you met in a game together and can't conceive of not playing as a team. Some couples find that playing together is a fun activity; some find it just leads to ridiculous arguments over nothing. So do you game with your spouse or other romantic partner? Or is gaming something you do separately from one another? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
America's most sustainable city: A green dream deferred
It sounds like the future. Whirring electric skateboards, the joyous chatter of children in a distant playground and an unusual absence of petrol-powered machinery. It looks like the future, too. Glistening lakes dotting the background, lawns so lush they're mistaken for artwork and an unmistakable reflection from a vast solar farm that doubles as a beacon of unending hope. The reality, however, is starkly different. The depictions here are mere conceptualizations, and the chore of concocting the most Jetsonized habitat this side of Orbit City is daunting in every sense of the word. %Gallery-192890%
DeNA collects 10 new partners for Mobage titles on iOS
DeNA, one of the biggest social gaming networks in Japan, has announced a development deal with 10 social and mobile game developers. The company is working to gain inroads with western audiences via iOS and other mobile platforms. Mobage is the giant network that DeNA runs, which recently picked up Ngmoco and several other western publishers and developers to help build a stable of popular games and attract western players. Now, the company has deals with 10 different social and mobile game developers, including XMG Studio, Cobalt Play Games and Joywinds, plus several other small-to-medium developers who've been working hard on iOS and Android. Deals like this are becoming common in the social and mobile landscape. Eastern companies are learning that they need high-quality games to attract customers in the west. At the same time, smaller game developers are looking for funding. DeNA has plenty of that to go around. Typically, the issue is that smaller developers get swallowed up in the big network's money-making machine, and the resulting games lack the quality they need. So we'll see. DeNA is certainly pushing hard for an iOS hit (or two, or three, or 10, presumably). Some of these studios are capable of giving them that, but hopefully the publisher will be smart enough to let these creators do their thing. Show full PR text DeNA Unveils New Partners Coming to Mobage, the Premier Mobile Games Platform Diverse Portfolio of Games and Developers Further Extends the Reach of the Global Network SAN FRANCISCO – November 1, 2012 – DeNA Co., Ltd. (TSE: 2432) announced today that it is partnering with 10 independent social and mobile game developers to bring their games to the Mobage mobile social games network and platform for iOS™ and Android devices worldwide. New developer partners include BigHut, Cobalt Play Games, GameCloud, Electrified Games, Joywinds, Inc., Kyy Games, Massive Damage, Oh BiBi socialtainment, Runaway Play, and XMG Studio, Inc. The Mobage network has launched industry-leading games such as Rage of Bahamut™, developed by partner studio Cygames Inc., and Deity Wars, created by CROOZ, Inc., which have both held top spots on the Apple® App Store™ and Google Play™ top grossing charts. "The Mobage network provides development studios a unique opportunity to reach millions of mobile game players throughout the world," said Barry Dorf, Senior Director of Third Party at DeNA's U.S. subsidiary ngmoco, LLC. "As a global mobile games platform leader, our dedication to building long-term partnerships has enabled us to work with some of the most esteemed developers worldwide to deliver engaging, top grossing games like Rage of Bahamut. This is an exciting time for Mobage as we strive to fulfill our commitment to bringing delight, innovation, and fun to mobile gamers." New Mobage Developer Partners BigHut: The Brazilian independent mobile game development studio strives to make free-to-play games that are fun to play and provide experiences tailored to individual players. The company launched this week Boney the Runner, an endless runner game where players help Boney the skeleton escape through the cemetery from a pack of hungry dogs. To play Boney the Runner for free, please visit: http://moba.ge/boneytherunner Cobalt Play Games: A team of developers based in Asia working on interactive entertainment for the iOS and Android platforms. They have developed more than 10 casual mobile games and have just released their tower-building game Monster Mall on the Mobage platform. To download the free Monster Mall game, please click: http://moba.ge/monstermall Electrified Games: Electrified Games is an experienced independent developer of mobile and online games recognized for its expertise in trading card and strategy games. From its offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company has developed games for leading publishers and brands including Kaijudo Online, Kaijudo Battle Game, Tap Tap Revenge Tour, Defense of the Oasis, and Café 51. GameCloud Studios: A leading developer of global social and mobile games striving to bring together the digital and real worlds. Founded in 2009, the company has operations in Southern California and Shanghai, and has been developing innovative games and systems for the mobile space. With a unique approach to sports simulation games, the company introduces an innovative intuitive play system for their current mobile sports games. Joywinds, Inc.: A new mobile game developer from Shanghai whose core value is to connect people through imagination. Their newest title World of Wizards is set to launch this month on Mobage, and turns players into legendary wizards by learning different spells, collecting equipment and capturing magical pets. Kyy Games: Kyy Games is an independent game development studio located in Tampere, Finland. The company is known for their game Cabals: The Card Game, a revolutionary online trading card game that re-invents the genre with the introduction of a gameboard and an original game world that is inspired by different esoteric traditions. Kyy games has also launched Legends of Elendria: The Frozen Maiden, and Cooties: The Revenge of the Appendix. Massive Damage: Massive Damage, Inc. is an award-winning mobile games studio building the future of massively multiplayer social role-playing games on mobile. The studio recently released its cult-hit title Please Stay Calm, a location-based zombie survival game, and it is currently working on other titles coming soon to the Mobage platform. Oh BiBi socialtainment: Oh BiBi socialtainment is a French company specialized in developing and publishing social games for smartphones and tablets. The young and wild company benefits from the solid handheld game design expertise of its founder Stanislas Dewavrin, the former Creative Vice President at Gameloft and the Asphalt franchise creator. Oh BiBi socialtainment is committed to providing innovative, full-featured social games, promising brand new user experiences. Runaway Play: Based in New Zealand, Runaway Play is currently developing a Mobage mobile version of Flutter, a butterfly simulation game that gained a loyal following on Facebook. The developer also released the mobile games Puzzle Planets and Howling Mouse. Runaway Play works closely with philanthropic partners National Geographic and the World Wildlife Fund to continue to raise awareness surrounding wildlife conservation. XMG Studio Inc.: XMG is an award-winning mobile games developer based in Toronto. They have released 12 mobile games in various genres, including the popular Drag Racer franchise, the original franchise that created the drag racing genre in mobile games. Additionally, the company was named one of the top up-and-coming global mobile game developers to watch for by industry media. For developers interested in opportunities to publish their mobile games on DeNA's Mobage mobile games platform, please visit: https://developer.mobage.com About DeNA DeNA Co., Ltd. is a global Internet company focused on social games, e-commerce and other Web services for mobile devices and PCs. DeNA's current flagship business is its mobile social games platform Mobage, which offers first-, second- and third-party games on four localized user networks across Japan, China, South Korea and the rest of the world. The original Mobage network in Japan currently serves over 43 million registered users with more than 2,000 titles. Founded in 1999 as a small startup in Tokyo, DeNA currently has over 2,000 employees worldwide working at offices and development studios in 16 cities across 11 countries and regions. The company generated annual sales of more than 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in the fiscal year ended March 2012. DeNA is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (2432). For more information, visit dena.jp/intl. About Mobage The Mobage social games network and platform hosts over 50 first-party and third-party games that are available on the Apple® App Store™ and Google Play™. Mobage features chart-topping apps including Rage of Bahamut, Blood Brothers and Ninja Royale™, casual games such as Zombie Farm® and Tiny Tower, licensed intellectual properties such as Marvel: War of Heroes, and core games such as Quests & Sorcery™, Hellfire and Warriors of Odin. Mobage also hosts mobile social games in other languages via separate regional networks. Mobage offers developers access to a suite of features to enhance their development environment, including a payment API, production and marketing support and analytics tools. To learn more about Mobage, visit: http://mobage.com. For developers interested in publishing opportunities on Mobage, please visit: https://developer.mobage.com
Leaderboard: Go it alone vs. go it together
A lot of modern games don't really require you to have someone along with you at all times. Star Wars: The Old Republic gives you a companion for your leveling adventures, but there's no need to have a real person with you when completing the game's solo content. World of Warcraft is tuned so that everyone can level through quests solo, even if sometimes you make it through by healing yourself until monsters give up and die of boredom. It's a welcome change from logging on, finding out your friends are offline, and giving up for the evening. But let's say you have a friend who will play alongside you if you want. On the one hand, you can suddenly make your life much easier by pairing up to tackle content designed for just one, doubling what you can accomplish. On the other hand, there are always quests that become more frustrating with two people after the same objectives, even when those two people are ostensibly working together. Plus, working alone means never having to stop for five minutes because your partner has to put a squalling baby to bed. Given the choice, would you rather be grouped up or solo when taking on content that allows for soloing?
PlayStation Mobile detailed: different screens, same games
Sony's decided to spill the beans on PlayStation Mobile, its upcoming cross-platform gaming service. It will connect to your own PSN ID, linking into its software store and aiming to offer up a "wide range of portable experiences." We're still looking at PlayStation-certified devices here, but Sony's also announced that ASUS and (bizarrely) Wikipad hardware will join the (pretty Sony-centric) line-up. We can already recognize a handful of Xperia phones alongside the Tablet S and, of course, Sony's premier handheld, which will also be able to play the incoming selection of mini-games. %Gallery-162377%
Microsoft confirms Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, OEM partners now have final code
RTM. To the everyman, those three letters may not mean much. To those waiting with bated breath for Microsoft's next operating system, it's a huge milestone worth celebrating. Microsoft has today confirmed that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, enabling its OEM partners to grab the final code and begin implementation on systems that'll be tempting you mightily starting on (or around) October 26th. If you're curious about the specific rollout details, here goes. Starting August 15th, devs will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via their MSDN subscription, and IT pros testing Windows 8 in organizations will be able to access the final version of Windows 8 through their TechNet subscriptions. On August 16th, customers with existing Microsoft Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download Windows 8 Enterprise edition through the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). Also on that day, Microsoft Partner Network members will have access to Win8. On August 20th, Microsoft Action Pack Providers (MAPS) receive access to the goods, while Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers on September 1st. Update: Microsoft has just affirmed that starting today, any qualifying business in a supported market can now submit a Metro style app for Windows 8. Boom.
PlayFirst to release Hotel Transylvania Dash for iPhone and iPad
PlayFirst has announced a collaboration with Sony that will result in a new version of its popular Hotel Dash iOS title called "Hotel Transylvania Dash," for a tie-in with the upcoming movie of the same name. The game will feature Hotel Dash's gameplay, along with new images and new assets directly from the Hotel Transylvania movie. This is the latest in a series of partnerships between major movie studios and iOS developers. Doodle Jump was the first big title to reveal a movie tie-in, and since then, other brands have teamed up with (mostly animated) movies, including Angry Birds Rio, and the recent Temple Run Brave. It's usually a smart move for both companies, bringing attention to the movie through the games, and bringing more players to the games through the movie's marketing department. With the success of this plan so far, we can probably expect to see more of this type of collaboration in the future. Hotel Transylvania Dash should be out soon.
Dark Meadow devs' next title is Horn
Phosphor Games' Dark Meadow made a big splash when it arrived on iOS last year, offering up a unique (and somewhat scary) experience on Apple's platform, with some excellent graphics and storytelling for a mobile title. Now that studio is following up with a second game, called Horn, as profiled recently by IGN. The game looks intriguing -- it's a third-person fantasy action game, and while it looks a little bit like Infinity Blade (not a bad thing), the world is supposed to be a little more open, with lots of area to explore, and even some puzzles to solve as you move along. Phosphor's already got a nice reputation rolling with Dark Meadow, and Horn looks like it will be good, too. Horn will presumably also be part of Zynga's partners program, of which Phosphor was reported yesterday as a founding member. What that means is unclear just yet, but the program is designed to connect Zynga's audience and other titles together, so it's possible that Horn will be promoting Zynga's titles or vice versa. We'll have to see -- Horn is due out sometime later on this year.
Google reportedly planning stable of Nexus devices with Android 5.0, will sell 'em direct
Hand firmly grasping hat? Good. The Wall Street Journal is reporting on quite the bombshell today, noting that Google is about to cause its carrier partners in the States all sorts of grief -- indirectly, of course. Just weeks after placing its heralded Galaxy Nexus on sale for $399 unlocked, the report states that said move is only the beginning of a new initiative. Likely to be formally revealed at Google I/O, the mega-corp is planning to partner with a variety of OEMs (rather than just one at a time) in order to have up to five Pure Google (read: Nexus) devices available at once. Better still, the whole stable will ship with Android 5.0 (Jelly Bean) and will be sold directly from Google in unlocked form to consumers in America, Europe and Asia. The move is significant in a myriad ways. For one, more unlocked Nexus devices means more choice when it comes to carrier selection. Furthermore, the move is likely to quell fears that certain partners may have about Google making Motorola Mobility its favorite after a $12 billion acquisition. Not surprisingly, Google's not commenting on the matter, but sources "close" to the situation say that the company's hoping to have the 5.0 cadre on sale by Thanksgiving -- you know, just in time for Black Friday and the looming holiday shopping season. We're all guessing that this will address the growing "app situation" head-on; by making a push to eliminate carrier-infused bloatware (while also providing early Android OS access to more partners), we're hoping that the whole "skinning" dilemma is addressed, too.
Huawei partners with Intel to test TD-LTE interoperability in China
In a classic case of east meets west, Huawei and Intel have joined forces to create an interoperability test lab that will focus on China's homegrown time-division LTE (TD-LTE) network. While the technology runs contrary to the more common frequency-division LTE (FD-LTE), the Chinese brand of 4G is situated to take root in the US under Clearwire's banner. Through its partnership with Huawei, Chipzilla -- a newbie in the smartphone arena -- will be able to engage in end-to-end testing of its mobile equipment and verify its readiness for TD-LTE. For Huawei's part, it plans to use the test lab as a means to court other handset and chipset manufacturers, and hence drive the adoption of TD-LTE. Naturally, we're left wondering the obvious: whether this unique collaboration will bring about Huawei smartphones with Intel Inside. Mum's the word on that one... for now.
Isis partners with VeriFone, Ingenico, ViVOtech and Equinox, prepares to take over the world
So, you've got the carriers on board, and the banks and even the handset makers. Problem is, without compatible registers and point of sale terminals, your mobile payment tech is worthless. Thankfully Isis, the NFC wallet system that aims to crush Google's buzzed-about platform, just scored a host of partners including VeriFone and Equinox that make a pretty large chunk of world's payment terminals. Those companies, along with Ingenico and ViVOtech have agreed to support Isis on future hardware and, in some cases, update the software on machines in the field to communicate with the app. For a few more details hit up the PR after the break and prepare for the Isis invasion to kick off sometime towards the middle of the year.
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 24, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of October 24, 2011: Fan of white phones? Here ya go: the BlackBerry Bold 9900, Curve 9360 and Torch 9810 can be pre-ordered on Phones4U. If white doesn't do it for you, the Curve 9300 will be available in pink. [Stuff] HTC has announced its partnership with Dropbox, which means you can get 5GB of available storage on any of the company's Android devices. [Twitter] A few customers on Verizon's family plans have noticed a peculiar addition to the company's #DATA service; when the text showing the data usage arrives, it now mentions "shared," which may be an indication that Big Red's on its way to offering shared data plans in the near future. [Droid-Life] Rumors have flown for some time about LG's attempt at reviving the Prada series by introducing the K2 (aka the P940), and now we're finally starting to see images of the Android device leak out. Apparently, it'll be less than 9mm thin, offer an 8MP camera, 1.3MP front-facing cam, 21Mbps HSPA+ and have a 4.3-inch display with 1,000 nits of brightness. [PhoneArena via UnwiredView] Research in Motion announced BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365, which extends Microsoft Exchange Online to the BlackBerry lineup. It's geared toward midsized businesses and enterprises. Head to the source for the details. [Microsoft-News]
Tech team-up offers behind-the-scenes glimpse at Apple retail
Here's a post from Fortune that's really intriguing: It's about a company named Lark, that's notable not so much for their product (a wristband that monitors you while you sleep in conjunction with the iPhone), but for the fact that they've decided to retail exclusively in Apple Stores, and all of the caveats and deals that go along with that. Lots of the deal, obviously, is still hidden behind agreements, but the extent to which Apple has gone hands-on with this product is impressive. When CEO Julia Hu showed up at a Apple expecting to pitch her product, she instead was told that Apple knew all about it, and Apple apparently proceeded to completely redesign her packaging to sell in the Apple Stores, as well as book her on a "roadshow" demo event, specifically to show off Apple products and partners to its retail investors and potential clients. It's all interesting, and it shows that even when Apple appears to be taking on a somewhat risky bit of tech for big placement in its stores, the company has usually done the research and all the work behind the scenes already.
Ask Massively: When in doubt, post some giant robots edition
Weep not for the sad tale that appears to have been woven of the MechWarrior reboot, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, it promised to be "not your father's MechWarrior," but the fact of the matter is that my father did not have a MechWarrior, and I mostly did because of my fascination with the core setting and tabletop game. On the plus side, it gives me an excuse to post a picture of the Atlas, which is one of those machines that looks either incredibly dorky or really dangerous depending on angle. Moving on from my dubious walking tank prelude, this week's questions have nothing to do with giant robots. In fact, they concern farming and homesteading in MMOs and getting your significant other to play alongside you. If you'd like to have your question featured in a future edition of Ask Massively, leave it in the comment field or send it along to ask@massively.com.
The Daily Grind: Do you have an MMO partner?
Everything's always better with a buddy. Sure, you might be having a lot of fun by yourself shooting at everyone in Global Agenda, but it's even better when you know your friend is right there watching your back. And if you decide you don't want to play any longer and move on somewhere new, it's even better to know that your partner is following you as well. You get used to the other person's styles and playing patterns, and you can help compensate for weaknesses. Some of us have a partner who follows us through several games, some of us have partners in any given game, and some of us go through games like The Man With No Name, without anyone at our back. So where do you fall? Do you have a constant companion, a fairweather friend, or just random acquaintances? And which would you rather have, if the choice were totally yours? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Funai, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba to launch Netflix-enabled HDTVs or Blu-ray decks
Having Netflix access on your home entertainment device was a luxury in 2009 -- in 2010, it'll be commonplace. We already heard yesterday that Sharp was fixing to integrate the service into its NetCast library, and today the prolific movie rental service has announced that Funai (which distributes Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania and Emerson brands), Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba will all be introducing Netflix-ready devices this year. That means that each of those outfits will be pushing out Netflix-enabled HDTVs of Blu-ray Disc players in the year 2010, so you can plan on being in quite the pickle here soon if intentionally shopping for one of those two that doesn't have access to your Watch Instantly queue. In fact, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been quoted as saying that he expects "instant streaming of movies from Netflix to be available on more than one hundred different partner products in 2010," so we're pretty confident that Coby and Hannspree will be joining the fray in short order.
BlizzCon: Arena Junkies ticket giveaway, Tokyopop booth preview
Along with most of the Blizzard fansites, Arena Junkies is also conducting a BlizzCon ticket giveaway, and they want you to design your own Arena. Basically, you come up with an idea, supplement it with whatever drawings or pictures you'd like, and then submit it in their forum thread by June 5th. After that, they'll have the community choose the top three, and each of those winners will be on their way to Anaheim to visit Blizzard's big event. We bet there'll be some awesome ideas coming out of the contest by the end -- Arena players are nothing if not creative.And in other BlizzCon news, Tokyopop has announced that they'll have a booth at the convention (not a huge surprise -- we'll expect to see most of Blizzard's licensing partners in attendance), and they've got a lot of fun stuff planned: artist Fernando Heinz Furukawa of Warcraft Legends and Starcraft: Ghost Academy will be there and drawing pictures for attendees, and there'll be various art on display and new books to be sold. Plus, they'll have a Blood Elf standup for pictures, and they even leak a little something about fellow exhibitor BradyGames: this year they'll be hosting a convention-wide "fishing quest." Sounds like fun.If you don't have tickets yet, you have one more chance: they go on sale this Sunday, May 31st. Seriously, don't show up until then. (Ed: Schramm, stop trying to keep people out of your ticket line! The second round of ticket sales is this Saturday, May 30th. Good luck to everyone except Schramm.)
Breakfast Topic: The perfect partner
We've talked about playing with partners in the past. Many people reported that they enjoy sharing World of Warcraft with their significant others. I have to admit, time spent with my Mom on WoW has been a wonderful experience. I've been watching her explore classes and quests and I must say I am very proud of her. While sometimes solo play is the order of the day, it's great to have good company in the game. Just for fun I recently rolled new alts with my boyfriend. I wanted to play a Warlock and he wanted to play something complimentary, so he chose Priest. It's really awesome to be able to keep going non-stop with no mana breaks. I Life Tap, he Renews. With his Power Word Shield, we take very little damage. The two characters provide excellent synergy and seem to be the perfect pair. We've rolled together in the past, but usually we choose our characters based on what we want to play at any given time. When you roll with a partner do you choose classes that are complimentary?
