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Dell’s new gaming monitors focus on high refresh rates
Gamers that want a top-level monitor but don't have Alienware money lying around should take a look at Dell's forthcoming monitor line-up. The 24inch FHD and 27inch QHD models boast pretty high refresh rates -- 144Hz and 155Hz respectively -- and low 1ms response times, which means smooth gameplay and minimal input lag.
Alleged ‘Fortnite’ hacker's mom fights anti-cheating lawsuit
The fight against people cheating in online games is getting ugly. Specifically, Epic Games is suing 14 year-old Caleb Rogers for allegedly modding the game and causing the developer to lose profits from his activity in the free-to-play "Battle Royale" mode for Fortnite. Rogers' mother filed a letter with North Carolina's US District Court saying that Epic "has no capability of proving any form of modification" because her son merely installed cheats he downloaded from Addicted Cheats, versus altering the game's source code himself.
Google's defense against anti-trust claims: 'we're open'
Google has a response for the European Commission's anti-trust allegations. In a lengthy blog post, the tech juggernaut addressed the EC's concerns point by point. That starts with the EC's stance that Android isn't in competition with Apple's iOS mobile operating system, and Google citing the Commission's own research that 89 percent of survey respondents feel that the two are competitors. That last bit is a recurring theme, with Google pointing toward the survey responses for the EC's stance on Android's "stable and consistent framework" across devices as well. In perhaps the most poignant response, Google made a GIF that illustrates how many apps are typically pre-installed/bundled on Android devices versus the competition -- something the EC directly called out. By Mountain View's count, of the Samsung Galaxy S7 with Android 6.0.1's 38 pre-installed apps, only 11 were from Google. Contrast that with 39 out of 47 on the Lumia 550 from Microsoft and 39 out of 39 from Apple on the iPhone 7 running iOS 10.0.2. "Android hasn't hurt competition, it's expanded it," Google's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kent Walker said in a statement. "Android is the most flexibe mobile platform out there, balancing the needs of thousands of manufacturers and operators, millions of app developers and more than a billion consumers. "Upsetting this balance would raise prices and hamper innovation, choice and competition. That wouldn't just be a bad outcome for us. It would be a bad outcome for the entire ecosystem, and -- most critically -- for consumers." And with that, the battle moves onward. Maybe the EC's stance won't leak ahead of the next round. Maybe.
The Nexus Telegraph: It's all right if people don't like WildStar
I like WildStar a lot. You knew from an early time that I liked the game's aesthetic and sense of humor, and as time went on it became clear that I also liked the mechanics and the approaches it has toward an endgame. When I finally got my first hands-on playtime with the game, I liked that, too. What I'm getting at here is that WildStar is currently fighting with Final Fantasy XIV for the title of my absolute favorite MMO, and they both coexist in a space of I want to play you both all the time. But some people aren't in that boat. Some people aren't that wild about the game, even some people whom I work alongside. And that is totally fine. Last week's events made me decide to do one of my periodic column-topic-switches to discuss the fact that there is going to be bad press about WildStar out there, sometimes even bad press that complains about things that you don't think are relevant. And the best thing you can do is be cool.
Blizzard's Rob Pardo asks players to direct Diablo III blame to him
When Jay Wilson announced that he was leaving his position as director of Diablo III, the forums were filled with responses. To the surprise of absolutely no one who has visited any forum in the history of the Internet, many of those responses were some variety of blaming Wilson for every issue the game might have or claiming that the game is clearly being abandoned completely. That didn't sit well with executive producer Rob Pardo, who took to the forums to tell players that if they want someone to blame, blame him. Pardo explains that he's extremely proud of the game and that everyone remains dedicated to making it the best it can be. At the same time, he stresses that he was responsible for hiring and overseeing Wilson's work, and he takes full responsibility for the game as a whole. The odds of this actually defusing forum vitriol are still roughly nil, but it does ensure that at least in Pardo's eyes it will be directed in a more deserving direction, and it's a classy move no matter what you think of the game.
GameSpy: Multiplayer server shutdown result of failure to pay by devs
GameSpy has responded to the issue earlier this week of its owners Glu Mobile shutting down various multiplayer servers for older PC games like Neverwinter Nights and Sniper Elite. First up, GameSpy itself has put together a large blog post on its own site, making clear that GameSpy, the editorial outlet owned by IGN, is different from GameSpy Technologies, the multiplayer middleware provider owned by Glu Mobile. It's GameSpy Technologies that closed the servers down, not the GameSpy outlet.GameSpy Technologies has also responded to the issue on its Facebook page, and says that the server shutdowns are a result of the game developers choosing not to pay their service fees, and that "in some cases this lapsing ranges back as much as four years." GameSpy Technologies tells players that it "cannot be expected to provide a service free of charge," and that's why these servers went down. The company also says it was the developers' responsibility to inform players of the impending shutdowns, and "it is regrettable that these publishers chose not to inform their users of the impending discontinuation of support."Now, developer Rebellion said that GameSpy had changed its rates to be "far in excess of how much we were paying previously," but GameSpy Technologies reportedly told GameSpy (the editorial outlet) that server fees haven't changed in eight years and there were no increases made or even plans to do so. Someone, in other words, is mistaken. Joystiq has followed up with both parties, and we'll update this post if we hear more.
NCsoft crushes the hopes of City of Heroes fans
City of Heroes fans have been rallying around the movement to save the game ever since its shutdown was announced. There have been in-game rallies and operations to let the corporate side of NCsoft know just how much the game has meant to the players. Despite all of these efforts, the worst has come to pass. NCsoft has officially responded to the Save CoH movement in the form of a short press release stating that the company has heard player demands but has no plans to reverse its decision regarding the game's shutdown. The statement also claims that NCsoft has attempted to sell the game's code and intellectual property rights but was unable to find a suitable buyer. Despite the best efforts of a truly overwhelming number of fans, it appears that the game's sunset will not be averted. Fan reaction to this news has been understandably bitter regarding the lack of information and sudden shutdown. The game will be holding several events in the remaining weeks leading up to the shutdown on November 30th.
Apple: don't worry about hot iPad reports, it's cool
All this talk about overheating iPads isn't getting Apple all that excited, apparently. The company issued a fairly noncommittal response on the matter, stating that in spite of the tablet's LTE support, fast processing, battery life and resolutionary display magic, it still "operate[s] well within [Apple's] thermal specifications." That said, if anyone happens to have concern with regards to an overheated lap, "they should contact AppleCare." There may be a chance, after all, that you've been holding it wrong.
AT&T files response to DOJ suit, says regulators just don't understand
It's no secret or surprise that AT&T is unhappy with the DOJ's decision to try and block its merger with T-Mobile. But issuing public statements is one thing, officially filing papers in court is another. Ma Bell submitted a 25-page document arguing that the Justice Department's claims represent a misunderstanding of the market and dismisses competition from "innovative upstarts," like MetroPCS and US Cellular. AT&T's lawyers point out that T-Mo, currently the fourth largest provider, has been losing customers for years and it's German parent company may not be inclined to invest much in improving it. By contrast, AT&T has spent $30 billion over the last two years to boost network quality and capacity, yet still struggles to keep up with demand. We can't say the arguments are without validity, but the government's fear of a market dominated by just three companies with little incentive to innovate or drive down prices also seems well founded. Well, the pageantry officially gets underway on September 21st, when the US District Court hearings begin.
Apple officially answers questions on location tracking, says it doesn't do it
1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone? Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so. The big hubbub that arose last week around location tracking within the iPhone has now received its due response from Apple itself. Firstly, the Cupertino company claims it does not, and has no plans to, track users' iPhones. What it's actually doing is "maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location," which are then used to provide speedier calculation of your position when you want to use the device's maps or other location-based services. The data collection that was recently brought to the public attention represents, according to Apple, the location of WiFi hotspots and cell towers around you, not your actual iPhone. Still, the fact iPhones have been shown to store as much as a year's worth of data is considered a bug by Apple, who plans to limit that period to a week in a future software update. The additional issue of data being collected after users turned off Location Services is also a bug, also to be fixed by Apple in that upcoming update. Left unanswered, however, are the questions of when Apple "uncovered" these bugs, as it claims, and why the fix for them is only coming now. Specialists have known about this behavior since at least September of last year. Either way, the software remedy is promised over the next few weeks, while the next major iteration of iOS should encrypt the cache file that's been the subject of all the scrutiny. You'll find the full Q&A after the break. P.S. -- One of Apple's answers seems to disclose an extra bit of new information: "Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years."
Two arrested for iPad security breach
Two arrests have been made connected to the security breach that exposed thousands of iPad users' email addresses and other info last year. Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer (yeah, that guy again) have been taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to access a computer without authorization and fraud, for allegedly using a custom script (built by Spitler) called iPad 3G Account Slurper to access AT&T's servers, mimic an iPad 3G, and try out random ICC identifiers. Once a valid ICC was found, one could harvest the user's name and email address. Of course, the hackers maintain that this was all done to force AT&T to close a major security flaw, and we'll be interested to see what exactly the company does to make things right.
RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook battery life is still being optimized, won't cause delays
If you've been keeping an ear to the techie ground, you'll probably have heard some analyst chatter suggesting RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook may be delayed due to issues relating to its supposedly poor battery life. That scuttlebutt has now turned out to be mostly unfounded, with RIM clarifying the situation through a communiqué sent to Erictric: "Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life." To be sure, it's not an outright denial that there may be PlayBooks floating about with disappointing battery performance, but the immaturity of the software on them is clearly such as to invalidate any conclusions drawn. Perhaps more important than the imprecise discussion of battery longevity (what does "comparable" even mean in this context?) is the note that the company is still on track to complete its software optimizations and deliver its first tablet on schedule. Guess we can all quit worrying now.
Google fanboys egg the homes of those who opt out of being shown on Street View
You might have heard by now that some German folks didn't much fancy having their homes displayed on Google's Street View service and consequently opted to have their domiciles blurred out. Only trouble with their plan, it seems, was that they didn't account for some Google-loving zealots over in Essen, who were so outraged by the action that they ended up bombarding the offensively blurry homes with eggs and some eloquent signs. What did those placards have to say? "Google's cool." Pithy. A spokesperson from Mountain View has been quick to distance Google from the silly behavior, while also noting that it has been an isolated incident... so far, anyway. [Thanks, Milind]
Motorola is 'open' to developing Windows Phone 7 devices, but only if the OS proves compelling
In case you somehow missed it, Microsoft lodged a complaint with the ITC on Friday, alleging Motorola's Android smartphones infringed on nine of its precious patents. You might imagine that'd sting the pride of Moto's chief exec Sanjay Jha, but nothing could be further from the truth. Describing such turf wars over intellectual property as "part of business," Sanjay explains that his company is willing to work with Microsoft on developing a handset based around its new OS, so long as the offering is "compelling." He notes that the first call he received upon becoming co-CEO and handset division chief back in 2008 was from none other than Steve Ballmer, but Microsoft's failure to deliver a new OS in '09 is what compelled him to go the Android route (we doubt he regrets doing it, mind you!). It's no coincidence to our eyes that Microsoft went after the one top-tier Android phone maker that didn't sign up to the Windows Phone 7 utopia project. We recall HTC was in hot water with the Redmond team back in April for similar reasons, and its resultant licensing of Microsoft's patents seems to have been embedded into the WP7 partner agreements -- which is why we're not seeing the likes of ASUS and Samsung being served with similar complaints. So basically, if things get too hot and steamy, Moto could just kick out a token Windows Phone handset, get the accompanying licenses in order, and this whole thing blows over nice and peacefully. Marvelous.
iPad still has a major browser vulnerability, says group behind AT&T security breach
You know that tiny little security snafu that allowed over a hundred thousand iPad users' email addresses out? The one that the FBI felt compelled to investigate? Well, Goatse Security -- the group that discovered that particular hole (stop laughing) -- isn't best pleased to be described as malicious by AT&T's response to the matter, and has requited with its own missive to the world. Letting us know that the breach in question took "a single hour of labor," the GS crew argues that AT&T is glossing over the fact it neglected to address the threat promptly and is using the hackers' (supposedly altruistic) efforts at identifying bugs as a scapegoat. As illustration, they remind us that the iPad is still wide open to hijacking thanks to a bug in the mobile version of Safari. Identified back in March, this exploit allows hackers to jack in via unprotected ports, and although it was fixed on the desktop that same month, the mobile browser remains delicately poised for a backdoor entry -- should malevolent forces decide to utilize it. This casts quite the unfavorable light on Apple as well, with both corporations seemingly failing to communicate problematic news with their users in a timely manner.
Blizzard responds to the Glider decision
Blizzard (via Nethaera) has released a nice long statement on the Glider outcome over on the forums. She basically runs through the history of the case and why Blizzard is against what Glider is doing, and why going through the courts was the only route left to them. She says that Warden (though called only "security measures") was enabled in response to player concerns about bots, and that when the MDY/Glider people circumvented Warden, their only recourse was to seek an injunction through the courts, which, as we've reported recently, they plan to have soon.She does say that Blizzard won based on the judge's decision that MDY did violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, but Neth doesn't go any further into the issue, and doesn't elaborate at all on what might happen if this case is used as a precedent against other types of Terms of Use violations. As you might expect from an official Blizzard telling of the tale, the case is seen as a victory for Blizzard and their players -- for them, it's all about keeping bots out of Azeroth, and this decision will definitely help them do that.And that's obviously not a bad thing -- most players will agree that MDY was allowing players to cheat (by letting the game play automatically without them in control), and thus preventing the client from being used in-game is a good thing. It's just that DMCA issue that might be a nagging problem -- we'll have to see what happens with that in the future.
Why you probably will never get a blue response
Here's the tldr version of the article for folks that are so inclined: Question: How can I get blue to respond to my forum post?Answer: You can't.Question: Will I ever get a blue response?Answer: No. One of the most consistent and annoying things about the forums lately are people begging for blue responses. It's reached a near epidemic level with the greater visibility of Ghostcrawler and sites like WoW Insider, MMO-Champion, and World of Raids reporting on everything he says.Most of this blue begging, as I've come to call it, used to occur in the General Forums; bugging for a Neth or Drysc response to everything. The begging then migrated over to the Customer Service Forums, asking for someone like Belfaire to respond (I admit I'm guilty of doing that once or twice, but hey, it worked out in the end). Now the begging is centered around the Role Forums, pleading for a Ghostcrawler response like the world is about to end if the blue beggar doesn't get one.
Blizzard responds to the BlizzCon ticket problems
Tamara Chuang from Blizzard's hometown Orange County Register has been following the BlizzCon ticket story here at WoW Insider, and she finally heard back from her queries to Blizzard about what happened earlier this week. The Q&A is up on her blog right now -- Shon Damron of Blizzard's PR team responded to a few questions about what happened on Monday and Tuesday at Blizzard and what they'll do differently to sell tickets to their events in the future.Not surprisingly, Blizzard says they just weren't prepared for the demand -- last year, tickets sold much slower, and the close release date of the next expansion, in addition to the growth of WoW over the past year and, on the horizon, interest in Starcraft II and Diablo III, pushed fervor for tickets to a high. Blizzard thought by adding in more space and selling more tickets they'd account for demand, but they say a review of the entire process is now in order.Damron says a lottery (like the one they plan to use to sell the extra 3000 tickets) will be a definite possibility. We'll have to see exactly how that process works as Blizzard sells off the rest of the tickets for this year's BlizzCon, but it does definitely sound to us like they are taking serious considerations to make sure that buyers of BlizzCon tickets, many of Blizzard's biggest fans, don't go through what happened earlier this week again.
Second Life "Wonderland" scandal hits mainstream media
UK media outlets are blowing up with stories of "Wonderland", a virtual playground in Second Life where Ageplay is the go. Sister-site Second Life Insider has been following the various stages of this story over the last day, including its growing coverage by mainstream press and the reply from SL developers Linden Lab.For those who need a little background, Ageplay is when an adult roleplays a child. This need not be for sexual purposes, but to use the quote from SL Insider of Sky News reporter Jason Farrell, "Wonderland is a virtual children's playground where paedophiles cruise and kids are solicited." Even though there probably aren't real children controlling the characters, it is still an offensive community for others within SL, and a Kid Avs community representative has already spoken out about it. It is also something that SL fans wouldn't want to be mistakenly associated with -- now that it has hit the mainstream, it may be one of the first things that people remember about Second Life, akin to "Oh, wasn't that the computer game for pedophiles?".The response Linden Lab provided to SL Insider essentially says that they have found no wrongdoing after investigating the Wonderland community. I'm not sure how well the rest of the media will take this answer. Provided below is a link to SL Insider's on-going coverage of this story as it develops.
Palm's Ed Colligan responds to our open letter!
Ok, so we totally weren't expecting this one, but Palm's CEO Ed Colligan publicly responded to our open letter to Palm. He's brief, but he cuts to the quick: "I forwarded it to our entire executive staff and many others at Palm have read it. ...We are attacking almost every challenge you noted, so stay tuned." Wow, um, alright, we'll do just that. Granted, we'd prefer it if Ed would engage us in a chat about the future of Palm -- you name the time and place, Ed, we're totally there! (It's probably worth noting that he's turned down multiple interview requests with us in the past, so you'll all know right quick if that whole transparency thing changes any.)Read - Our open letter to PalmRead - Ed Colligan's response
