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Choose My Adventure: I am Elite: Dangerous
Space is not a very good place for people to hang out. Humans have a specific list of things that are needed for survival, and space is in a continual state of being fresh out of all of them. Thus, the space race isn't just about firing objects into the universe and seeing how far they can go but about building contraptions that deliver enough tender love and care to keep folks alive for the journey. Space travel is immensely expensive and complicated; humanity is still decades or even centuries away from easily accessible personal spacecraft. Space sims like Frontier Development's Elite: Dangerous let you skip ahead a bit to see what things might be like when launching yourself into space will come with all the grandiosity of running to the store for some bread. "Yeah, you have a spaceship," Elite says, "but what exactly do you intend to do with it?" In this, the second week of our Elite-focused Choose My Adventure, we'll be seeking an answer to that very question.
Apple Watch is the wearable Cupertino hopes you've been waiting for
If you're tired of rumors and speculation about Cupertino's so-called iWatch, then good news -- that all ends today. Apple has just confirmed the arrival of its first fully fledged wearable device -- Apple Watch. How much of what we heard in the run up to the event was true? How does it compare to the recent slew of Android smartwatches? In typical Apple fashion, the device has a few surprises. First up some top-level details: Apple Watch has a sapphire display, four sensors on the back, NFC, Apple Pay and a choice of six straps at launch. Of course, they use a proprietary connecting mechanism, which means you can't just run out and buy any old watchband. Apple also claims it's accurate to 50ms and is the "most personal device we've ever created." Probably to the surprise of many, the new watch isn't Swiss-style at all, in fact sharing much of the iPhone's design language -- curved edges and a power button on the side. There's also a hardware dial, just like on a regular watch, that Apple is calling a "Digital Crown," which can be used to navigate menus, zoom into images and more. A big heads-up: You'll need an iPhone 5 or above and $350 if you want one of these when they become available "early next year."
Apple Pay comes to the iPhone for handling mobile purchases, NFC in tow
For years, Apple has resisted including NFC connectivity inside its iPhone handsets... until now. With the arrival of the new iPhones, the folks in Cupertino are finally including the option that will sort mobile payments. What's more, it's doing so with a process it built for use on its handsets: Apple Pay. The new feature is included on both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and uses NFC, Touch ID and a Secure Element chip to keep that precious info under lock and key. So how does it work? Well, you add a card to your iTunes account, which then adds it to Passport. You can also suspend payments with Find My iPhone if your card gets lost or stolen without the need to make a phone call. In terms of security, Apple doesn't know what you're buying, and cashiers won't even see your name. Instead, a one-time payment number and a dynamic security code complete the transactions.
Apple unveils the 4.7-inch iPhone 6
You were expecting it, and here it is: Apple has unveiled the smaller of its two new super-sized smartphones, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. As the leaks suggested, it centers around a larger (by 0.7 inch) 1,334 x 750 Retina HD display in a body that is decidedly slimmer and curvier than its already svelte 5s predecessor, at 6.9mm thick. It's not all about looks, though. The new handset is also running a beefier A8 chip that's claimed to be about 25 percent faster than the A7 you saw the last time around, even as it's up to 50 percent more efficient -- Apple estimates up to 14 hours of talk time, 11 hours of video and 10 days of standby.
Meet the iPhone 6 Plus and its 5.5-inch, 1080p Retina HD display
Well folks, the time for wild-eyed rumors and clandestine reports is finally over -- Apple CEO Tim Cook just officially revealed the hefty new iPhone 6 Plus and its 5.5-inch screen in Cupertino alongside a long-rumored (and handier) 4.7-inch model. This thing won't seem all that foreign if you frequent the geekier corners of the web, but it's a sure sign that Apple wants to give all those other pocket-stretching phablets out there a run for their metaphorical money. The company's live press event is still chugging along (with a sketchy stream, no less), but here's what we know so far.
What's in the mysterious white building? [Poll]
C'mon, you're all curious about what's in that mysterious temporary building that Apple built next to the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California, the site of tomorrow's Apple event. In today's poll, we want to know what you think is most likely hiding inside the white wrapper. Select your answer, then share it on Facebook or Twitter so your friends and followers can get in on the fun. If your answer isn't in the poll -- which is probably the case -- leave it in the comments below. What's inside the big white temporary building Apple built next to the Flint Center in Cupertino?
Twitter CFO hints at big changes to how your timeline works
Twitter has already started to look more like Facebook, and it might soon start acting more like it too. You see, company CFO Anthony Noto hinted yesterday that the reverse-chronological firehose of tweets that some users hold so dear may give way to a more curated collection of messages cast into the digital ether. To hear him tell it, the Twitter experience as we know it "isn't the most relevant" to the people who actually use the service (a notion that some people would definitely disagree with). That tidbit was lodged inside a broader conversation (which the Wall Street Journal captured) about improving Twitter's search functionality -- Noto pointed out the need for "an algorithm that delivers the depth and breadth of the content we have on a specific topic and then eventually as it relates to people." Those last few words seem crucial -- it sounds like he wants the Twitter experience to become one where content is tailored and presented differently depending on how relevant it is to the user. In the end, it might wind up getting Twitter a bunch of new users (which is exactly what all those antsy shareholders want to see), but would it really be worth alienating the service's hardcore fans?
Leaderboard: Are you rolling east or west for your ArcheAge faction?
I may have mentioned this once or twice already, but ArcheAge is fast approaching. I'm pretty excited about that, but I haven't settled on a faction yet. See, I kinda like both the Firran and Harani races which live on the game's eastern continent, but I much prefer the Nuian human lands from the western continent that I explored during the game's Korean closed betas. What about you, ArcheAge players? Are you rolling east or west on your launch-day main? How did you choose? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Choose My Adventure: It's lonely out in Elite: Dangerous
In 1990, hurtling across the edge of our solar system at around 40,000 miles per hour, NASA's Voyager 1 space probe performed a quick rotation and snapped a parting photograph of the planet on which it had been conceived, built, and launched. The resulting image, known as the Pale Blue Dot photo, features a tiny Earth surrounded on all sides by an infinite blackness. It was this image, transmitted a distance of 3.7 billion miles at the speed of light, that inspired Carl Sagan to write, "There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world." In other words, space is big. Really big. And it is into this great unknown, this unimaginable void wrapped in darkness and silence, that Choose My Adventure now boldly goes via Elite: Dangerous, a crowdfunded space simulator (no, not that crowdfunded space simulator) from Frontier Developments. With 55 star systems and 38,000 cubic light-years of space to explore, Elite's Beta 1 release should offer us plenty of freedom to sate our interstellar cravings and to thrive or die as an independent pilot.
The Galaxy Note Edge: Samsung's first smartphone with a bent display
It's been over a year and a half since Samsung briefly (and from a distance) showed off the Youm, a prototype of a smartphone with a curved display that wrapped around the right-hand side. While it seemed like a far-off reality at the time, Samsung announced today that the Youm's spiritual successor -- aptly named the Galaxy Note Edge -- would be coming out this fall. Sure, mass-producing a phone with a bent screen is a tremendous display of manufacturing prowess, not to mention something to show off at parties, but is there more to this unique handset than eye candy?
Apple says iCloud wasn't breached in celebrity photo leak
It wasn't long at all after personal and explicit photos of some 100 celebrities started making the rounds when people started attributing the leak to a breach of Apple's iCloud storage system. After a nearly two day long investigation, Apple has released a statement to try and clear things up -- to hear the folks in Cupertino tell it, the incident was a "very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions" in which some celebrity accounts were "compromised" and that none of its systems were breached in the process. In other words, we may not be looking at a savvy hack exploiting a Find my iPhone security flaw so much as some very dedicated account brute-forcing and phishing. Of course, that's not to say that the pictures in question (well, the ones that weren't taken with Android devices anyway) didn't come from iCloud, just that hackers apparently didn't directly crack the sanctity of Apple's services. The exact vector of entry remains unknown right now, but AnonIB, one of the 4chan-esque imageboards that appears to be involved in the proliferation of this mess, seems to have no shortage of people who were ready and willing to "rip" iCloud accounts in exchange for the right sort of loot. Of course, one has to wonder about the role semantics plays in all this -- while Apple's systems may not have been technically "breached", they may still have been cajoled into giving up user credentials with tools like the now defunct ibrute. In any case, you can check out the full statement after the jump for yourself.
Apple's next iPhone event confirmed for September 9th
We've been hearing rumblings about an iPhone 6 event next month for some time now, but Apple has made it official: the company's next affair will indeed be held on September 9th. While there aren't the usual clues as to what we can expect -- the invite merely states "Wish we could say more" -- the change in seasons this time of year usually signals the arrival of a new iPhone. And of course, there's been some talk of a wearable, too. As always, you can bet we'll be there to bring all the news as it happens starting at 10AM PT/1PM ET in Cupertino.
Apple's new iPhone might really, seriously have NFC this time (maybe)
Smartphone prognosticators have claimed for years that the next iPhone would have NFC for mobile payments, and for years they've written follow-ups explaining why it never happened. As always, there's plenty of NFC smoke in the air, but is there actually a fire? A new report from Wired's Gadget Lab says yes - according to the usual unnamed sources, Apple's going to show off a shiny new mobile payments platform at its September 9 event (we're still waiting for our invite) and NFC is expected to play a part. Just how big a part remains shrouded in mystery -- after all, Apple SVP Phil Schiller said at an AllThingsD event that NFC wasn't a solution to any current problem consumers faced.
Leaderboard: How do you feel about loyalty rewards?
Elder Scrolls Online announced its vet reward program recently, and while it doesn't take effect until next month, it got me to thinking about similar incentives in other MMOs. They're pretty common, of course, and even F2P games offer them provided that they also offer an optional subscription tier. Personally vet rewards aren't much of an incentive. I mean, sometimes they offer a neat-looking vanity pet that I'll look at once and subsequently forget to ever summon again, but I can't recall ever anticipating a loyalty reward or remaining subscribed in order to get one. What about you, Massively readers? Are loyalty rewards nothing more than a nice bonus, or are there some that go above and beyond in terms of desirability? If so, which ones? Don't forget to vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Choose My Adventure: Firefall as it stands
As I noted in the first week of this month's truncated Choose My Adventure, Firefall is finally an honest to goodness real-life video game. The extended extended beta is over, the launch trailer has released, and the game has been cut loose into the world. One might argue that Red 5 is now officially out of excuses; if something isn't satisfactory in Firefall, it must be unsatisfactory by design. We have stepped beyond the point where "it's a beta" is a fair explanation of the game's rougher edges. Because what we're dealing with is theoretically intended to be a full retail product, it's not useful to talk about what Firefall used to be, nor is it useful to speculate on what Firefall might become. The only honest evaluation of the game, if evaluation is the goal, must center on the current iteration of the product, the one that Red 5 considered complete enough to release as the finished version of its vision. Is Firefall, in its current state, worth playing? Does it offer enough content to keep players engaged? Is it finally delivering on the promise we have glimpsed in its systems? For the first time since my initial encounter with the game in early 2013, I'd say the answer is yes.
Your social networks discourage you from speaking out on politics
The internet is supposed to be a bastion of self-expression, where you're free to speak your mind knowing that someone, somewhere shares your feelings. However, Pew Research and Rutgers University have published a study showing that many social network users feel compelled to keep their mouths shut on sensitive topics. While the majority of those studied say they'd be willing to discuss a political issue like US government surveillance at dinner or at work, they're very shy about doing the same on Facebook or Twitter. Effectively, the internet is mirroring the real world -- people face a "spiral of silence" where they're afraid to share opinions that differ from those of their friends. That's borne out by additional findings that people suspect they have more disagreements with their online buddies than their personal acquaintances.
Amazon buying Twitch, expanding video empire to live streaming
It's official: after plenty of rumors about both Google and Amazon buying massively popular video streaming service Twitch, Amazon announced it as official this afternoon. Amazon is buying Twitch for $970 million in cash, though it's yet to go through government approval. Amazon head Jeff Bezos is pretty excited about the deal and, apparently, about gaming: "Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month – from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3. And, amazingly, Twitch is only three years old." Update: Twitch is currently streaming a live town hall meeting to discuss the deal, you can watch it here or embedded after the break.
Apple tattoo makes it permanent
According to our poll, over half of you think that Flickr user Terry Johnston is crazy for expressing his devotion to Apple in such a way. I, for one, don't find it nearly as strange, though it would seem to be more appropriate if we could pick out our own bodies, and have Jony Ive design one himself. [Photo credit: Terry Johnston]
Leaderboard: What's your post-release plan for ArcheAge?
ArcheAge is coming soon, possibly as soon as next month if you believe a certain Steam-centric rumor. Whenever XLGAMES' long-gestating sandpark arrives, there will be plenty of things to keep you busy throughout its vast fantasy world. Whether you're into trade routes, farming, crafting, traditional PvE, or open PvP, AA has you covered. With that in mind, what do you see as your primary in-game activity post-release? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Choose My Adventure: The distraught wives of Firefall
"There is no problem in this world a gun can't solve." These words, to my knowledge, are never explicitly stated in Firefall. There's no wise-in-his-grizzledness war veteran to rub his stubbled chin, frown into the distance, and impart such wisdom upon the player. But make no mistake, Firefall's world is one in which most tough situations are resolved with the thunderclap of gunfire. In Firefall's New Eden, violence really is the answer. In last week's Choose My Adventure column, I asked you to help guide my path through this dangerous world, to give my character an identity, a role to play, and a purpose to fulfill. Votes were cast; suggestions were made. I've since created a new character and blasted my way through the re-re-re-re-designed tutorial/opening experience. And while I am, as always, having a wonderful time, I still can't get over my one recurring Fireball criticism: I'm shooting a lots of stuff but I don't care or know why.
