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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Raid testing schedule for July 3 and 5
Are you and nine friends in the Mists of Pandaria beta, at level 90, and ready to test some raids? We've got your raid testing schedule right here. Watcher On Tuesday, July 3, we'll be testing two encounters; on Thursday, July 5, we'll test two more. Each encounter should be available at approximately the listed times below for all Beta Test Realms, regardless of suggested geographical region. Tuesday, July 3 Elegon (Mogu'shan Vaults) - 10 Player Normal 10:30 PDT (13:30 EDT, 19:30 CEST) Blade Lord Ta'yak (Heart of Fear) - 10 Player Normal 16:00 PDT (19:00 EDT, 01:00 CEST) Thursday, July 5 Protectors of the Endless (Terrace of Endless Spring) - 10 Player Normal 10:30 PDT (13:30 EDT, 19:30 CEST) Tsulong (Terrace of Endless Spring) - 10 Player Normal 16:00 PDT (19:00 EDT, 01:00 CEST) As always, this testing schedule is very fluid and subject to the realities of a beta environment. We might have to change the time of a testing session or cancel it entirely, due to bugs, builds, server hardware issues, etc. Keep an eye on this forum for the latest information, and thank you in advance for testing and providing feedback. source Note: The ilevel of your gear will scale automatically. Initially, Blizzard said that MoP gear was required for the scaling, but some readers report that Cataclysm-level gear works as well. Your mileage may vary. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Breakfast Topic: When do you play WoW?
Despite the stereotype, most of us don't sit around all day playing video games, no matter how much we might like to. Some 99.99 percent of us are not planning our next killing spree, either -- well, out of the virtual world, at least. We have responsibilities, friends and family, other forms of leisure, etc. We Azerothians have a choice: We can either play when we can, in between our other activities, or we schedule our WoW (or other gaming) sessions. Of course, hardcore raiders must set aside specific blocks of time, but those of us who don't have a raid schedule to keep to may also plan when we play. I am fortunate to play whenever I want or need to -- very fortunate -- though I have other responsibilities that keep me from participating in group activities during the day. (There is nothing like a successful bedtime for a gaming parent. Well, any parent.) Are you able to play whenever you want, or do you have to squeeze World of Warcraft in as you can? Do you keep to a strict schedule, or do you just grab time after work, after dinner, whenever? When do you play WoW?
OLED Lego train station emerges from Adafruit and Arduino gear, minifigs to get home on time
Who knew Lego characters had to be somewhere in a hurry? Adafruit did, as it just whipped up a minifig-sized train schedule. The invention mates one of Adafruit's own 1-inch OLED boards with an Arduino Uno controlling the schedule behind the scenes. It looks to be a straightforward project for the DIY types, although the display is currently all show: the schedule doesn't (yet) pair up with the train tracks to automatically let your minifigs know if their trip to the pirate spaceship castle has been delayed by ghosts. You can check the source link for the full instructions. Duplo builders, alas, are kept out of the loop.
Apple releases WWDC schedule, official app (Update)
The few, the proud, the folks who are going to WWDC now have an idea of what sessions they can attend at this year's Apple Developer's Conference. The official schedule went live this morning, as well as an attendee guide for first-time lucky winners of the golden tickets. There's even a free official WWDC app (universal) available on the App Store. That app won't do you any good if you're not attending WWDC 2012. The splash screen requires an Apple ID and attendee password, so the simply curious won't be able to see what'd going on at what time. The app provides schedules, maps, news, and photos, and allows you to create a Favorites list for fast access to your WWDC schedule. If these announcements don't have WWDC attendees squee-ing with excitement, then we don't know what will get them bouncing up and down! [Via MacStories] Update: The Loop confirms that invitations have gone out for the keynote, will be held at 10:00 am on Monday June 11 at Moscone West.
Wings Over Atreia: The skinny on housing from NCsoft
We spoke; NCsoft listened. Don't look so surprised! Is it really so far-fetched to think that developers care about and want to keep an eye on the thoughts and reactions of their playerbase? Well, other than to just laugh at us of course. *wink* I kid, I kid. In all seriousness, though, when I shared my first impressions of the long anticipated Aion: Ascension, I noted some letdowns amid the greater aspects. My opinions were formed from what information could be gleaned from actual in-game play during those first days after release. Of course, not all of Aion's new features could really be explored and enjoyed in that short span of time, so that, coupled with a lack of published information (shocking!), meant I wasn't even close to a comprehensive understanding. But my disappointments in the temporary aspects of some housing and other items as well as the high cost of housing struck a chord with others as well. To our benefit, NCsoft was listening. Producer Adam Christensen and Associate Producer Sean Orlikowski quickly addressed some of the concerns noted, sending us more information to share. Along with clarification, we received an exclusive look at the housing release schedule for both the Asmodian and Elyos factions. If you know which real estate you want, check the schedule below to see when your spot hits the market. (And don't forget to save your kinah!)%Gallery-153752%
EVE Online Fanfest 2012 schedule unveiled
The days leading up to this year's EVE Online Fanfest are fading quickly, and this weekend, fans of internet spaceships from around the world will descend upon Reykjavik. In light of that, it's probably about time that attendees start planning their schedules, and CCP is here to help them do just that. The full Fanfest 2012 schedule is now up and running, and boy-howdy is it ever packed. In addition to the usual smattering of roundtables and panels, the convention will play host to a number of tournaments, and of course, hands-on time with DUST 514. The full schedule is too cram-packed to even begin to summarize here, so just head on over to the official site and start filling your agendas.
Heroic Madness on 7 hours a week -- the shape of guilds to come?
Raiding on two nights a week is certainly nothing novel in this day and age. Casual raiders can often devote no more than two nights to WoW. Fans of the Raid Finder find twice a week a reasonable fit. Heck, more than a few of the most dedicated raiding groups have lightened their weekly loads to two nights in light of end-of-expansion doldrums. Even so, three nights per week is probably still the norm among groups that consider themselves dedicated raiding guilds. But two-night raiding may be building a steamhead as the playerbase matures along with the game. "A couple years ago, you did a feature on a two-night guild when they killed heroic Lich King," wrote reader Oatz of Full Spectrum on Alleria (US). "Well, when Cataclysm started, that inspired me to create my own two-night guild (seven hours per week). I am now proud to say that our two-night guild has just killed heroic Madness, making us not just the #1 two-night guild but also #24 on 10-man and #62 overall in the United States." Impressive, yes -- but what caught my eye about this email was Oatz's almost off-handed conclusion about the stability of his guild's roster. "It's interesting how raid groups are evolving over the years as the playerbase gets older," he mused. "Our guild is full of professionals in their 20s and 30s, many with spouses and kids, and none of us can raid more than two nights. I'm a practicing lawyer myself, but I started WoW back when I was a lowly college student." "I remember back in vanilla, even, when there were no server transfers," he continued. "Raiding guilds were always competing for recruits based on progression. It seems now that as the raider playerbase has increased and gotten older, for the majority, it's more based on schedules and other niches." WoW on demand vs. WoW as a time-gobbling behemoth -- is this where the serious WoW hobbyist stands in 2012?
Motorola outs Android 4.0 upgrade schedule, adds Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and others to the ICS party list
Ever since the debut of Ice Cream Sandwich, the masses of Motorola owners have yearned to discover when (if?) their devices would receive Android's latest and greatest. Well, Moto's finally let the cat out of the bag, setting out domestic and global timelines for its tablets and phones to get Android 4.0. Xoom WiFi owners here in the states have been enjoying ICS for a month, and Family Edition owners can expect the same tasty treat in Q2 of this year. Folks with RAZRs (including the Chinese MT917 variant) or XT928 (the Chinese evolution of the Droid X) in areas outside the US will be getting ICS in Q2 as well. Atrix 4G, Atrix 2, and Photon 4G owners around the world will have to wait until Q3 of 2012 for theirs, as will Xoom 2 and Xyboard owners. Motorola's blog, Inside Motorola, states that the Bionic, Droid 4, RAZR Maxx, and Electrify will be getting in on the action, too, but its engineers have yet to set a date for their upgrades. Head on down to the source links below to take a gander at the good news yourself.
The Daily Grind: What's your preferred night to raid?
We all have our own schedules with our own reasons for gaming when we can. For those with a static group of friends, a dedicated night or two to raid is usually the preferred method of playing an MMO. Whether you play to relax after work or play when you have the day off, it's a safe bet that most of us tend to organize our most involved raiding nights around a set time. So what night do you prefer? Even if it's every night of the week, or just one, let us know in the comments below. 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!
ESPN 3D doubles its college football coverage in year two
So far, college football is the jewel in ESPN 3D's broadcast schedule, and the network just released its broadcast plans for the 2011 season. The schedule for the 2011 season has increased to 20 regular season games and five bowl games, plus the BCS National Championship on January 9th. Things kick off with UNLV/Wisconsin on September 1st and Miami/Maryland September 5th, while some dates are still TBD. Hit the source link to see the full schedule, which will probably please ACC and Pac-10 fans, although we're not seeing many dates scheduled in the flyover states so most Big Ten (12?) fans should probably hold onto their tickets. Check out our review of last season's coverage, we'll keep some specs handy to see how things have changed in a year.
Video App Demo: InClass
An app for students, InClass aims to be a universal go-to app for high school and college kids. Featuring a calendar, assignments with classes attached, also viewable from the calendar, an in-app notetaking tool with built-in voice recorder, InClass may very well be the right fit for many students who don't want to bother with three or four separate apps. There's a Backup feature for InClass which will allow you to pack up your data and move it to another device, as the app is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Take a look at the demo below and see if InClass fits into your workflow, or would be right for any students you know. if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_1042620242001','codever':0.1, 'autoload':false, 'autoplay':false, 'playerid':'61371448001', 'videoid':'1042620242001', 'width':480, 'height':270, 'stillurl':'http://pdl.stream.aol.com/pdlext/aol/brightcove/studionow/p/9e4e64374b951/r/943e02569b349/al/193903/poster-10.jpg', 'playertype':'inline','videotitle':'TUAW - App Demo - InClass','videolink':'#'});
Isis mobile payments coming to Austin in 2012
Certain to "Keep Austin Weird," Isis has selected the home of SXSW as its second market for a mobile payment tryout. The joint-venture backed by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless (with help from MasterCard and Visa), will work with local merchants and the Chamber of Commerce to deliver what it calls a "comprehensive mobile experience" by mid-2012. Isis' latest metropolitan recruit joins Salt Lake City in this experiment that will compete with Google Wallet (which is endorsed by Sprint). Quick advice to Austinites: when out-of-towners begin gawking at you for getting "free" lattes and concert tickets by waving your phone about, be sure to explain the wonders of NFC -- it'd be a shame for them to attempt the same -- only to be taken into custody by the Austin PD. Jump the break for the PR.
ASUS rumored to have 13-inch Android laptop on its mind, NVIDIA expected to provide ARM CPU
Some might argue that ASUS already has an ARM-powered Android laptop in its inventory thanks to the Eee Pad Transformer, however the company's now been identified as planning a more spacious 13-inch notebook device, whose power and pricing could well be even more attractive than the Transformer's. We should naturally be wary of the source here, DigiTimes having a record that's as patchy as the grass at Wimbledon after the first week's play, but the Taiwanese rumormonger says ASUS has already made launch plans for this 13-incher and will be using "NVIDIA's processor" inside. What's intriguing here is that in the paragraph immediately preceding that revelation, DigiTimes mentions quad-core ARM SOCs -- of which the one nearest to release is NVIDIA's Kal-El. Given the non-specificity of which NVIDIA processor we can expect, Kal-El's projected August release date, and the fact that the chip has already figured in an ultraslim Windows 8 prototype laptop, we'd say there's plenty of circumstantial evidence to stimulate dreams of quad-core Android laptop action. Additionally, DigiTimes points out that multiple vendors are gunning to offer ARM-powered notebooks with sub-$299 price points, aiming to gobble up market share with rock bottom pricing. Bring 'em on, we say.
Nokia Windows Phones will launch in six European nations first, Finland not among them
Nokia VP Victor Saeijs has this week disclosed the six launch markets for the vanguard devices born out of the Microsoft-Nokia partnership. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK will all count themselves as hosts to Nokia's Windows Phone debut, but the company's mother nation of Finland has strangely been left out in the cold. Knowing Nokia, there's no doubt that once the WP7 handsets are ready they'll find themselves swiftly available worldwide, but if you care to be among the very first to own one, you'll be wanting to visit Europe's western shores -- preferably some time before the year's through, as Mr. Saeijs also reaffirmed that there will indeed be a Nokia Windows Phone coming out in 2011.
Lenovo ThinkPad tablet coming in summer with Android, Windows slate later in the year
So we already know Lenovo has designs on bringing the LePad westwards in the form of the IdeaPad K1, but now the company's also revealed plans to deliver a Think-branded Android slate to the market, at some point later this summer. That 10-inch device will strive to serve professionals' needs, coming with a stylus for signature capture, and will be followed by an identically sized Windows tablet by the end of the year. Lenovo COO Rory Reid has changed his tune, having previously said there'd be no Windows 7 slates, but he does seem fully cognizant of the difficulty his company faces in breaking through in this rapidly saturating market. He notes that the experience is being tailored to a high standard and that "we only have one opportunity to make that first good impression." For more info on what this new ThinkPad pad might look like, check out the previous leaks of purported specs and a Lenovo roadmap that identified it before this official confirmation.
Official WWDC app available now
Apple has released an official WWDC app for next week's developer conference, now available for both iPhone and iPad. The app includes a full schedule of events and the ability to make up your own custom schedule, detailed floor maps to see where everything is, and even up-to-date conference news and photos straight from the event (once it starts). There's also a reservation system built into the app, so developers in attendance can reserve time in any of the conference's labs. The universal app is a free download, though it looks very different on the smaller screen than the bigger one. WWDC starts next week, everybody! Are you excited?
Samsung's new AMOLED production line should help ease smartphone display shortages
AMOLED displays may be in relatively short supply nowadays, but Samsung is doing its best to bridge the gap. Today, the company's Mobile Display unit announced that its 5.5th-generation AMOLED production line is now open, some two months ahead of schedule. The line uses glass substrates that are substantially larger than those found in its existing factories, allowing Samsung to increase output, while lowering costs. This increase in production comes in response to growing demand for the Galaxy S II and an AMOLED market that, according to DisplaySearch, should triple in value this year to $4.26 billion. For now, the production line is focusing on smartphone displays, since that's where demand is growing fastest, but will eventually turn its attention to tablet PC displays, as well. The new factory assembling the displays can currently churn out about three million screens per month, but is capable of ramping that up to 30 million, at full capacity. No word yet on when it will achieve this rate, but if SMD continues to boost its output, we may even see that market surplus we've been hearing about.
Google flight schedule search takes off, helps you figure out when to get aboard
Been wishing you could find flight information the same way you would for a bus or train? Now you're covered with the new flight schedule search feature Google launched last week. By simply typing "flights from / to" a destination in the search bar, it displays specific flight routes or all routes from a particular airport, all of the airlines serving the locales along with flight numbers, and travel dates / times. The ITA travel search software which the DOJ finally allowed Google to purchase last month isn't powering the feature, although Google stated on its blog that the flight schedule search is a "small step" in an overall effort to make finding flight information simpler. The service supports ten languages, and you'll find more info by hitting the source link below. Now if only it could tell us whether our flight has WiFi...
Nokia's Windows Phones will feature dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500, says STMicroelectronics chief
As you'll no doubt be aware, Qualcomm currently enjoys a stranglehold on processing hardware inside Windows Phone handsets. Its Snapdragon chip stars in both Microsoft's original and updated chassis spec for the platform, but its hegemony may soon be coming to an end. STMicroelectronics (the ST in ST-Ericsson) boss Carlo Bozotti is cited by Forbes as saying that Nokia will use ST-Ericsson hardware to power at least some of its Windows Phones. The dual-core U8500, a long-time Nokia favorite, is touted as the first such system-on-chip to appear, with its successors helping to populate Nokia's expansive WP lineup in 2012. The only intel we've had so far on Nokia's initial handsets for the new OS revolved around Qualcomm-based devices, so even if ST-Ericsson is indeed going to infiltrate the Windows Phone ecosystem, it doesn't look likely to be among the very first Nokias out of the gate.
Acer postpones Iconia Tab A100 launch to second half of the year
Looks like Acer's 7-inch Iconia Tab A100 has opted for a fashionably late entrance. We've just been informed by the company that its Honeycomb-sporting, Tegra 2-powered slate will not be arriving, as had been expected, right around now, but will in fact make its debut in the second half of 2011. No reasons have been given for the move, other than to say that the device has been postponed. The thing that prompted us to query Acer's PR team was a report out of Poland suggesting the A100 had been cancelled. Acer's UK reps are adamant that's not been the case, but anyone who was looking forward to grabbing one soon will be disappointed either way.
