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How an AT&T smartphone comes to life: behind the scenes (part two)
By now, you're probably getting a pretty good idea at what goes into the development of a groundbreaking smartphone. In part one we followed the development of the Motorola Atrix 4G, discussing the process of how AT&T decided upon a design and collaborated with Moto to get the ball rolling. Now, we conclude the series by covering the intense testing process, getting the device prepared for launch and updating the phones after they're released.
Senior iCloud product manager John Herbold leaves Apple
John Herbold, a senior product manager for Apple's iCloud service, has updated his LinkedIn profile to show that he's no longer with the company in Cupertino. Herbold's LinkedIn now shows that he works for a company called HealthTeacher, and his work at Apple is in the past. He also says that working with Apple "was a great privilege. Now I get to take that experience and apply it to the enormous challenge of materially improving youth health." Herbold is only the latest in a growing line of big Apple executive exits, including Bertrand Serlet a little while ago, and Ron Johnson from the company's retail division. Still, for a company as big as Apple, all of these exits are likely just more indicative of usual turnover rather than a motivated mass exodus.
More Battle of the Immortals info, including upcoming closed beta
The crew over at Perfect World Entertainment have been hard at work localizing their upcoming action MMO, Battle of the Immortals. But as we find out from their Product Manager, Jonathan Belliss, this isn't just a question of localizing the story or converting the in-game text over from the original language to English -- the ramifications are far further-reaching. In their most recent video developer update, we're not only treated to some in-game eye-candy, but Belliss informs us that the team at PWE has been really doing their homework on the differences between Eastern and Western gamers and what they enjoy in their games. One of the major things many were wondering about is how the cash shop will be utilized. In China, players expect a "pay for power" model, which Belliss clearly states that they know Western players "absolutely hate." As such, they've put in a lot of time doing a massive overhaul of the game, placing the power upgrades in as drops, and instead gearing the cash shop towards "convenience" -- something much more palatable to the Western gamer. Add to that, we've now gotten word that the plans are to start up the Battle of the Immortals closed beta on April 14th for players to get a chance to start testing these new gameplay changes. So if you've been curious about getting your hands on this beautifully-detailed upcoming Diablo-esque action MMO, then you'll want to be sure to head over to the Perfect World Entertainment site and get signed up. If you're curious about everything Belliss had to say in the recent developer update, we've embedded that video behind the break for you to check out. We'll also be talking with Jon Belliss and Jason Varden from PWE on an upcoming edition of Massively Speaking, so you'll undoubtedly be hearing more about this game soon!
Massively interview: A Q&A with the developers of WonderKing
When we last heard about WonderKing, we found out about some of the features in the game that are aimed at bringing depth to its 2D perspective -- things like Castle Battles with siege warfare certainly sound quite grand for this setting. We were lucky enough to have a chance to talk to some of the people behind the game to find out a bit more about these features, as well as the challenges involved with bringing WonderKing over from the Asian market, and some other questions our readers will probably have had on their minds. Yes, that includes the big one: is this more than just a "MapleStory 2"?Before we get to the interview, we have some good news regarding the upcoming WonderKing beta: we're going to have some beta keys to give away later this month, so if what you read in the interview has you interested, you know where to look for some early access. We spoke with Hyuk Min Kwon, lead developer of WonderKing from Ryu & Soft, and Alex Kim, the game's product manager from NDOORS Interactive. Hit the jump to have a read!
"Holiday" edition of AoC box in the works; 360 version on track for late 2009
In another of Funcom's E3 interviews (this time with MMORPG.com) Erling Ellingsen and Senior Marketing Manager Rick Reynolds discussed a new edition of Age of Conan which they hope to release in time for the holidays. For now they could not say what else this version might entail besides a fancy box (Keaira with a big candy cane?), but it may be something along the lines of a unique piece of gear -- undoubtedly it won't have any must-have function after the Totem of Origins debacle.A lot of the rest of the interview runs similar to what we've seen already, but there is a brief mention of the Kingship system. We don't really find out anything that wasn't mentioned in the newsletter which announced the system back in June, although Ellingsen and Reynolds commented that graphics engine improvements currently being made should allow "hundreds" more players to participate in massive PvP without issues.The last section of the interview covers the Xbox 360 version of AoC, which is slated for a release at the end of 2009. These uber-latecomers will be able to choose between mixed platform servers, or a console-only affair.
The Hyborian Insider shows off AoC combat
The first in a new video series called The Hyborian Insider has been listed on Age of Conan's community site. The opening episode looks at the combat mechanics in the game, with a detailed breakdown of the system. Hosted by the game's product manager Erling Ellingsen, the video looks at things we've mostly seen before (like the attacking and defending mechanics), but it's still a good watch that sums everything up in just a few short minutes. We're looking forward to seeing what The Hyborian Insider #2 will focus on, with the big combat issue out of the way.
