schedule
Latest
Choose My Adventure: Robinemia, Robinemia
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Poll results It was a close race between Robinemia, Peenk and the unnamed human, but Robinemia won. So I will be playing both Robinemias this week. Once I'm able to make a female worgen, you've chosen druid. Please suggest names in the comments. Schedule Adam Holisky as Adammentat, the level 61 tauren druid, will play on Monday at 10 p.m. EDT. Anne Stickney as Annephora, the level 42 troll warrior, will play on Tuesday at 1 a.m. EDT (which is Monday at 11 p.m. Zangarmarsh time). Robin Torres as Robinemia, the Forsaken huntress: Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Note: This will be streamed. Amy Schley as Patent, the level 25 troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Adventurers who play when they can Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin Lisa Poisso as Prupher, the level 11 tauren druid Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock Robin Torres, as Robinemia, the level 29 Forsaken mage Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman %Gallery-89597% Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in <It came from the Blog>. Guild ranks of "Blog Lurker" or above can invite, so /whisper Robiness or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
ExoPC sets a shipping schedule, now let's see if it keeps it
Been having lurid dreams of 1080p-playin' Windows 7 tablets with a touch-delighting UI layer on top? Probably not, but if that sounds like your kind of thing, you'll want to know that ExoPC is about to collect its first pre-orders starting on September 3. The slate's makers are being nice to their forum members by allowing the first 1,200 on board to have first bite at this cherry, which will be shipped out to them on September 30. Ten days before that, on September 20, is when the initial 120 production units will roll off the assembly line, though they've already been assigned to potential distribution partners. The really interesting date here will be October 15, as that's when the Ciara Vibe -- the first rebadged partner slate -- is expected to hit retail availability in Canada. Let's just hope this schedule isn't written with a Sharpie Liquid Pencil, eh?
Acer LumiRead set for an IFA showing, October launch in Germany
Given how fast the new Kindle's been selling, we doubt many of you were keenly holding out for Acer's alternative -- but if you were, the wait is apparently nearing an end. An Acer spokesperson has confirmed that the barcode scanning-LumiRead will be shipping out to retail channels (in Germany, at least) this October, and early speculation on its price places it at around €250 ($316). That's an unconfirmed number, so don't freak out just yet, and Acer points to the fact it'll pack one of the widest German-language e-libraries on any e-reading device. Maybe prices will be somewhat more competitive in other territories, where the major attractions will be WiFi and 3G wireless capabilities, a 6-inch, 800 x 600 E Ink display, and a Barnes and Noble content partnership. And hey, maybe when we hit IFA in a couple of days they might finally let us take it out of the box as well, eh? We can only dream.
Choose My Adventure: Robinemia won't shut up
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Above is photographic evidence that Ezra's character and quest are still in Cataclysm. We have stories after the break, but first, here's the schedule. Schedule Robin Torres as Robinka, the level 1 dwarf shamanka: Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Note: This will be streamed. Amy Schley as Patent, the level 25 troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Adventurers who play when they can Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 25 blood elf paladin Lisa Poisso as Prupher, the level 11 tauren druid Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman Spoiler warning: Some of the stories that follow have Cataclysm spoilers. You have been warned.
AMD's Bobcat and Bulldozer, 2011 flagship CPU cores, detailed today
One of these days AMD is gonna have to stop talking about its Atom-killing Bobcat and Xeon-ending Bulldozer cores and finally release them. But, until that happy moment arrives in 2011 (fingers crossed), we'll have to content ourselves with more presentation slides. First up, the Bobcat core is AMD's long overdue play for the netbook/ultrathin market. Pitched as having 90 percent of the performance of current-gen, K8-based mainstream chips, AMD's new mobility core will require "less than half the area and a fraction of the power" of its predecessors. That sounds like just the recipe to make the company relevant in laptop purchasing decisions again, while a touted ability for the core to run on less than one watt of power (by lowering operating frequencies and voltages, and therefore performance) could see it appear in even smaller form factors, such as MIDs. The Bobcat's now all set to become the centerpiece of the Ontario APU -- AMD's first Fusion chip, ahead of Llano -- which will be ramping up production late this year, in time for an early 2011 arrival. The Bulldozer also has a future in the Fusion line, but it's earliest role will be as a standalone CPU product for servers and high-end consumer markets. The crafty thing about its architecture is that every one Bulldozer module will be counted as two cores. This is because AMD has split its internal processing pipelines into two (while sharing as many internal components as possible), resulting in a sort of multicore-within-the-core arrangement. The way the company puts it, it's multithreading done right. Interlagos is the codename of the first Opteron chips to sport this new core, showing up at some point next year in a 16-core arrangement (that's 8 Bulldozers, if you're keeping score at home) and promising 50 percent better performance than the current Magny-Cours flagship. Big words, AMD. Now let's see you stick to a schedule for once.%Gallery-100088%
Choose My Adventure: Meet Robinka
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). It's a good thing you didn't choose a goblin for me. Goblins are crashing the beta right now, and both of my Roblins have been lost to The Great Goblin Wipe. /mourn Poll results Subtlety won for Patent, the troll rogue. I'll be streaming Robinka, the dwarf shaman on Wednesday night. Thank you, Sharvis, for the name. Robinemia will be taking up skinning and leatherworking, beta permitting, since you all so nicely chose to allow me whatever I want -- despite my passive-aggressive behavior. I think that was very sweet of you. This week's schedule is after the break.
Choose My Adventure: The O-Team
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Note: The above is not a live stream. It is the video of Wednesday's live Cataclysm beta stream, which contains spoilers. If you want to know what the O-Team is, you have to go a little over an hour into the stream to see. Or you can wait until Wednesday's story post, when I'm sure Robinemia will have something to say. At least one of the viewers in the chat channel came up with the name. I am just appropriating it. Adventurers who play when they can Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin Lisa Poisso as Prupher the level 10 tauren druid Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman Polls are after the break.
Choose My Adventure: We've got your stories right here
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). I'll be streaming my adventures as Robidin the tauren paladin tonight on WoW.com's Justin.tv channel. This week we have stories from Prupher, Shockbroker and Robinemia. Schedule Robin Torres as Robidin the level 1 tauren paladin: Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Note: This will be streamed. Amy Schley as Patent, the level 24 troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Anne Stickney as Annephora, the level 42 troll warrior, will be on Friday at 1 a.m. EDT (which is Thursday at 11 p.m. Zangarmarsh time) Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin, Lisa Poisso as Prupher the level 10 tauren druid; Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can Turn the page for this week's adventure recaps. Spoiler warning: some Cataclysm lore will be referenced.
ASUS downgrades Eee PC shipment forecast, blames iPad
Been waiting for evidence that the iPad will dent the netbook market? If you believe ASUS, that's already happened, with the Eee PC vendor reporting fewer sales in the second quarter relative to the first and downgrading expectations for the usual peak season of Q3. Apple's prodigious tablet is specifically named by ASUS CEO Jerry Shen as an invader that is "crowding out" netbook demand, though he remains firmly committed to the small and affordable laptop market. All the same, Shen does also point a finger to the horizon, where a trifecta of Eee Pads marches ever nearer with the intent to do battle with the iPad. So while netbooks aren't going away in a hurry, these latest numbers seem to suggest they're set to at least share the lower-end spotlight with touch-friendly slates, or rather Pads.
Choose My Adventure: Everybody wins!
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Note: The above is a video of Friday's stream and not an actual live stream. Poll results Robidin the tauren paladin is the winner of what beta character you want me to play next. Therefore, on Wednesday, I will be streaming in Mulgore. But streaming is fun! So Friday night, I played Robinia and Robiness a bit as well. The video is above. Also, in a very close battle, you chose balance over feral for Prupher, Lisa Poisso's tauren druid. Schedule Adam Holisky as Adammentat, the level 57 tauren druid, will be on Monday at 10 p.m. EDT Robin Torres as Robidin the level 1 tauren paladin: Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Note: This will be streamed. Amy Schley as Patent, the level 24 troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Anne Stickney as Annephora, the level 42 troll warrior, will be on Friday at 1 a.m. EDT (which is Thursday at 11 p.m. Zangarmarsh time) Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Lisa Poisso as Prupher the level 10 tauren druid; Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can %Gallery-89597% Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in <It came from the Blog>. Guild ranks of "Blog Lurker" or above can invite, so /whisper Robiness or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
Tata bringing two all-electric cars to a Europe near you by March
First of all, don't worry, the spontaneously combusting Nano isn't among the pair of newly Euro-bound EVs from Tata. Going slightly more upmarket, the Indian company will be launching the Indica Vista EV hatchback for eco-conscious Brits and Scandinavians early next year, alongside the somewhat less exciting Ace, a commercial mini-truck. The Indica Vista has clearly had a few trials and tribulations in coming to market in an all-electric form, having originally been promised to Norwegian tree huggers for 2009, so let's just hope that this schedule is the one that sticks. It's about time this whole EV movement got some more affordable options.
Choose My Adventure: I love Cataclysm
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Update: I will be streaming again tonight at midnight EDT (9 p.m. PDT). I had so much fun streaming on Wednesday night that it's going to be hard playing without streaming. It's addicting having tons of friends to chat with/at while I play. Schedule Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; Lisa Poisso as Prupher, the level 10 proofreading tauren druid; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can. We have polls after the break.
Sony circles August 24 for all-new Alpha DSLR launch event
News has been a bit barren on the DSLR front lately (not counting Pentax's color explosion earlier on), but that's not going to last for much longer. Sony is starting up the fall refresh cycle with "never-before-seen" Alpha models, which will be shown off at an event on August 24 alongside the NEX-VG10 and some 3D-capable Cyber-shots. We've no way of knowing what's in store, but if you're in a speculative kind of mood, Sony Alpha Rumors suggests the new shooters will include a semi-transparent mirror (most intriguing!) and a pleasingly fast 10fps burst shooting mode. That's enough to whet our appetite, now bring on the full dish of details already. [Thanks, Dario]
E Ink begins sampling color and capacitive touch displays, on track for late 2010 launch
E Ink Holdings, the company behind the power-sipping screens contained within Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Readers, is keeping to its schedule for the biggest overhaul of its display technology yet. Color panels are reportedly now sampling out to device vendors and China-based Hanvon has already answered the call -- it promises to deliver color E Ink readers by the end of this year. Two varieties of touchscreens are also being prepared: the first is a capacitive panel to sate the kids' need to flick and swipe everywhere, while the second will include a pen-friendly digitizer that should make annotations a doddle (or should that be a doodle?). Better response times and reflectivity are also being touted, though the big question is obviously when this good stuff will make its way into mainstream devices like the Kindle. If you believe Jeff Bezos, that won't be any time soon.
Choose My Adventure: Crossbows are cool
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Despite the deer-in-the-headlights look on Robinemia's face, she agrees with me: Crossbows are cool. Schedule Robin Torres as Roblinator the goblin huntress (or another functional beta character): Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Amy Schley as Patent, the level 24 troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Lisa Poisso as Prupher the proofreading druid: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can. I'll be streaming my session tonight, barring any fun reinstalling adventures. Turn the page for Sandwichdoc, Annephora and others.
Choose My Adventure: Quest like the wind!
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Roblinator may not work for the Venture Company, but this sure shows that the rest of the goblins aren't exactly environment-friendly. Putting rockets on chickens seems a bit irresponsible. Poll results In a dead heat, elemental edged out enhancement for Shockbroker, by a nose. Prupher will be questing like the wind. The votes for a PvP event were for Gurubashi Beatdown, but Milanor's suggestion of Pirates vs. Ninjas seems rather popular. In fact, I won't repoll it. So start collecting Deviate Fish, adventurers. Expect this event in the very near future. Schedule Adam Holisky as Adammentat, the level 56 tauren druid, will be on Monday at 10 p.m. EDT Anne Stickney as Annephora, the level 42 troll warrior, will be on Tuesday at 1 a.m. EDT (which is Monday at 11 p.m. Zangarmarsh time) Robin Torres as Roblinator the goblin huntress: Wednesday, 11 p.m. EDT Amy Schley as Patent, the level 24 troll rogue: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Lisa Poisso as Prupher the proofreading druid: Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can. %Gallery-89597% Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in <It came from the Blog>. Guild ranks of "Blog Lurker" or above can invite, so /whisper Robiness or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
Choose My Adventure: Polls and an announcement
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). I wonder if he sings? Oh wait, that's Captain Hammer. We interrupt this program to bring you a special announcement: Adammentat and his leveling partner Airaden are nearing level 60 and want to start 40-man raiding in a couple of weeks. Adam is thinking the progression will be: MC, ZG, BWL, AQ20, AQ40. If you are interested, get your level 60+ <It came from the Blog> character ready. Level 60 raids in a few weeks! We now return you to your program, already in progress. Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Michael Sacco as Shockbroker, the goblin shaman; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; Lisa Poisso as Prupher, the proofreading tauren; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can. At some point this weekend, I will be streaming my Choose My Adventure makeup session, beta permitting. You'll know when as soon as I do. Also, as soon as we can make female worgen and if the worgen starting area is functional at the same time, we'll put up more Alliance beta options. In the meantime, this week's polls are after the break.
ASUS planning an 8-inch grayscale LCD e-reader for October, pricing expected 'under $599'
Unless ASUS means "$400 under $599," we've got a feeling this e-reading device might as well not try its luck on the market. Nevertheless, word from Taiwan is that the company is indeed preparing an 8-inch LCD-based ebook reader -- with 64 levels of gray, no backlight, and fast refresh times -- to take on the E Ink-powered incumbents this October. Sounds very much like the Eee Tablet to us, but the headline feature of handwriting recognition isn't mentioned, so this could be the same or a slightly different device. A saving grace for this spendy slate may be ASUS' current negotiations for mobile carrier subsidies, which may prevent users from ever having to (directly) clash with that exorbitant price. That also suggests this 8-incher will have 3G connectivity on board, which might make it an appealing straddler of categories if it manages to accessorize itself with a robust web browser and healthy battery life. Let's wait and see, eh?
Windows Phone 7 coming to Europe in October, US in November, according to Microsoft COO (video)
Here's something that seems to have slipped the net from Kevin Turner's recent presentation on Windows Phone 7 devices. While discussing the move to Microsoft's next great hope in the mobile space, the Redmond COO told the world that the transition is expected to happen in the October timeframe across Europe, and in the November timeframe in the US. This is the most explicit anyone from Microsoft has been about the likely launch date for Windows Phone 7, and sets up the intriguing potentiality of Europeans getting to savor the goodness of the brand new OS ahead of their US brethren. See Kevin dishing the info on video after the break. [Thanks, Abed]
Choose My Adventure: To beta or not to beta
Choose the adventures of the WoW.com staff as we level our characters in <It came from the Blog> on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H). Are there goblin hunters who didn't name their crab pets Ghostcrawler? It seems to me that it should be the default name. It would save time. First schedule, then polls: Fox Van Allen as Foxlight, the level 22 blood elf paladin: Friday, 8 p.m. EDT Michael Sacco as Sahko, the orc warlock; Christian Belt, as Selfloathius, the level 16 blood elf warlock; Elizabeth Harper as Faience, the level 24 troll shaman; Matthew Rossi as Andrenorton, the level 17 troll mage; Michael Gray as Grayfields, the level 17 tauren hunter; and Gregg Reece as Sandwichdoc, the level 16 troll shaman, will be making appearances as they can. Some of us will be playing our Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) characters, but some of us will be letting you choose what we do in the Cataclysm beta. The polls are after the break.
