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Vodafone UK launches LG KF750 Secret
Alright, Vodafone's making this too easy: going to its link for the LG Secret is currently producing a "Sorry, we could not find the product requested" error, which only serves to reinforce the phone's stealthy name. We're figuring they're just working out a few technical details on their end, but at any rate, LG's fashionable 5 megapixel slider should now be available from Voda retailers in the UK, offering a 2.4 inch scratch-resistant display, carbon fiber shell, HSDPA, and all the other spoils that go with being a high-end device these days. It clocks in at just 11.8mm to boot, which should be slim enough to make it a secret in your pocket, too. Looks like the carrier's selling it for anywhere from free to £250 (about $491) depending on the plan you select, so cost shouldn't be a concern (upfront cost, anyway) if you absolutely must have this one.[Via MobileBurn]
Korean smackdown: Samsung Soul, LG Secret reviewed
In case you hadn't heard, there's a battle raging for the hearts and minds of Europeans looking for a fashionable slider with a powerhouse camera. Both Samsung and LG are stepping up to the plate to address that very specific need this summer, with Samsung delivering the u900 Soul -- a phone it claims will be the last in its Ultra line -- and LG bringing the similarly named (and similarly spec'd) KF750 Secret. Initial reviews for both devices seem overwhelmingly positive, so don't expect them to necessarily help you choose which one to buy; instead, we suspect it might come down to brand preference, the Soul's nifty OLED d-pad, and the Secret's touchscreen. Both have HSDPA 2100 while rejecting North America's 3G airwaves, so for some of us, this battle is a bit of a moot point -- but for the rest of you, best of luck picking your '08 weapon of choice.[Thanks, TI]Read - MobileBurn reviews the Samsung SoulRead - CNET UK reviews the LG Secret
How-to guide repurposes phone jack as hidden storage portal
First things first: this guide is absurdly complicated for what you get, but if you're the kind who thinks the journey is half the fun, you'll likely be in nerd heaven. In an attempt to make an easily accessible hidden storage disk, one Doppelgangergang hacked up an unused phone jack, a 4GB flash drive and a USB / phone cable. After a good bit of splicing, cutting and soldering, a custom phone line-to-USB cable emerged, enabling him to discreetly access the data with mum and dad assuming he was simply doing research over that trusty 56k connection. Really, MacGyver would give mad props here -- tap the read link to see if you're up for the challenge.
Vodafone recommends "more discreet" communication methods in public
Although it should be painfully obvious, we can't deny that chatting about sensitive information in public takes place practically everywhere. To that end, a new study commissioned by Vodafone UK found that over 70-percent of all workers "talk business on their mobile phones in public, with one-in-five talking about business-critical subjects such as sales leads." Worse still, 15-percent admitted to "openly discussing confidential new products or services whilst traveling," while 26-percent admitted that they have actually followed up on a lead in which they received via listening in to another's public call. Not surprisingly, the company recommends that individuals utilize more discreet methods of communicating in public, suggesting texting and emailing in particular. Of course, it's a good bit more difficult to tell a story through those two methods, but it's a lot better than having your most promising client snatched out from under you, yeah?[Via textually, image courtesy of Miloh]
LG's 5 megapixel KF750 with DivX rebranded Secret, shhh
LG's KF750 was just announced official-like by the non-rioting folks at Lucky Goldstar. With it, we get the official specs courtesy of, uh, Photography Blog. Why is a site for digital photogs carrying a cellphone press release, you ask? Easy, this one's got a 5 megapixel camera with face recognition and the ability to shoot DivX video at 120fps. A member of LG's Black Label series, the 11.8-mm slider is the thinnest 5 megapixel cameraphone on the market. Unfortunately the press release is heavy on fluff and light on specs so we can only tell you that it'll also be sporting an auto-rotating touch-screen display, suite of mobile Google apps, and Bluetooth when it makes its European debut sometime this year, presumably, for an unknown price. Update: A few more details are rolling in: 2.4-inch display, haptic feedback, and available in May.[Via Stuff.tv and Digital-Lifestyles]Read -- Secret micro site (so secret it's currently down) Read -- Press release
History Lesson: The Original Video Game Easter Egg
We know that most of you are probably familiar with this piece of Atari mythos, but we thought it would be a festive way to celebrate this Easter Sunday. While Robinett's egotistical stunt was definitely ballsy, it doesn't approach some of our favorite secrets throughout gaming history -- like the legendary Secret Cow Level in Diablo II, or the bitchin' audio file hidden on the Symphony of the Night disc. We're curious to know -- what easter egg, hidden in the folds of one of your favorite video games, especially tickled your fancy?[Thanks, Matthew.]
Explore Richard Garriott's secret dungeons
Ever wanted to own a medieval-esque castle with secret passages and a dungeon? Produce one of the most significant gaming franchises in history and that dream could become a reality.The HGTV show Secret Spaces was guided by gaming industry eccentric Richard Garriott, aka Lord/General British, through Garriott's Austin home. Garriott became extravagantly wealthy through his Ultima series of computer games, and has spent some of his money building a house/castle hybrid called "Britannia Manor." The manor is full of secret passageways, hidden rooms, and strange artifacts.We have the YouTube video here for you. Unfortunately, they didn't show where he keeps his Sputnik satellite.[Via Joystiq]
Gamestop manager busts retail myths
Over at the Consumerist, a Gamestop shift manager going by the mysterious moniker of G has posted an interesting look at the store's lesser-known policies and procedures. Among the tips for savvy shoppers: Cashiers will sometimes give a 10% "shopworn discount" for gutted games if you complain about it. Also, unopened gutted games can be returned just as new games. Used games you don't like can be exchanged for others within seven days (just don't abuse the policy or it'll be taken away) Pre-orders are fully refundable at any time (don't let a fearful employee tell you otherwise) First-party accessories have more resale value (and are much more reliable than off-brand) To get a Wii, ask when a store gets weekday shipments, call daily around that time, then hightail it over there before they're sold out again. The post also includes some pleas to be patient with the pre-order pushers who are forced by their corporate overlords to sell those reservations and discount cards. They're just trying to keep their jobs, after all. Why can't we all just get along?
LucasArts, BioWare announce the KotOR MMO ... maybe
So far rumors that BioWare's super-secretive MMO project is a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO have been subtle but nevertheless hard to ignore; it's almost as if we've felt a disturbance in the Force. There's been an anonymous leak here, a clue there, but we've not yet heard anything in official channels about BioWare's Star Wars plans ... until now (maybe). LucasArts and BioWare jointly posted a press release that says the two companies are sharing both development and publishing duties on a new project, with details to be unveiled "at a later date." The spin is that the game "will deliver an experience that will span the traditional boundaries of video game entertainment." Whatever that means. There's no way to be certain, but this might be the KotOR MMO. We're not the only ones who are suspicious about it.If it is, then we may have learned something exciting about the project. Each company's president provided a blurb quote emphasizing storytelling in games. If this mystery title is the KotOR MMO and not KotOR 3 , then it's clear that both companies want to adapt BioWare's proven expertise in character-driven storytelling to massively multiplayer gaming. That would be notable change of pace compared to most recent MMO titles. Of course we wouldn't expect anything less from BioWare, but it's an exciting clue nonetheless.[Via Joystiq]
Seven secret E3 videos hidden around the PSN Store
Seven developer interviews, shown at the Sony E3 Press Conference, have been hidden around the PlayStation Network Store. This is on top of all the other content that we told you about. Here's a list of all the secret vids and where to find them: LittleBigPlanet interview: Games > Downloadable Games > Super Rub a Dub Ratchet and Clank interview: Featured Items > Ridge Racer 7 > Ufra Special Events > Page 3 NBA 08 interview: Featured Items > Go! Puzzle Game Packs Uncharted: Drake's Fortune interview: View All > M-Q > Nancy Drew Singstar interview: Videos > Blu Ray discs > Bruce Springsteen Live in Dublin Heavenly Sword interview: Games > Classics > Page 2 FolkLore interview: View All > H-L > Lucky You Get downloading and enjoy seeing that game footage in full screen.[Thanks Dave and all official PlayStation forumers who found and collated the locations]
New MacPak bundle up, $5 for 3 mystery apps
Mark Howson from The Mac Pak sends word that another mysterious bundle has been posted, this time for the very, very low price of $5.00. The Mac Pak, you'll remember, is one of the more mysterious software deals out there-- you pay the money for three different secret applications, and then at the end of the sale (three days and change as of this writing, so around July 1st), the apps are revealed, and sent to you. Buyer beware, but a fun deal, and I'm not sure I've ever seen one this cheap.All we know about the apps this time around is that added together they'd usually cost you over $50, and that's about it. Back in May, the apps were revealed as the sale went along (and the price raised), but there's no indication that's happening this time around-- looks like it's a $5 shot in the dark. Will the low price pull you in, or are you going to pass on buying something you might not want?
Virtually Overlooked Week: Jason's picks
Virtually Overlooked has taken over Wii Fanboy! All this week, members of the staff will be outlining their personal picks for future Virtual Console releases. Growing up with gaming is an interesting thing these days. Many of you are part of the first generation that was quite literally born into a household with a gaming console, as I was. In my experience, if you start off in life gaming hard, you don't stop. Therefore, in the very near future, I will able to ask a random middle-aged man if he wants to go play Guitar Hero 4, and it won't be totally weird.Who am I kidding? This isn't Japan, and that guy will probably think I am, in fact, totally weird. But man, screw those non-gamers. The hardcore, like you and I, have tons of gaming memories, and thus we frequently long for the games of yore to be released on the Virtual Console. But they have not yet appeased my feral hunger, and thus do I lay these games out in a commanding fashion for Nintendo's minions to take note.You, of course, may gaze as well.
Currently unused component found in Wiimote
Before you go running off to troll post on various message boards, we'd like to give you some specifics. A recent CNN technology feature details some of the various chips and components found within the forty-dollar Wiimote. Among the Bluetooth converters and accelerometers is a component listed as an "audio translator," which "converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream. This feature is unused now but will probably be employed in future games." The approximate cost is listed at $2.00.So, what's the deal? First, there is no actual microphone (a device capable of converting vibrational energy into electrical signals) found within the Wiimote. Though basic electrical engineering principals allow a standard speaker to act in such a fashion, the signal quality and frequency response would be unacceptably low. This chip actually requires an expansion device for it to be used at all. So why add it? It's only two dollars, but this rather unnecessary addition has cost the company several dozen million dollars. We can only assume that Nintendo or significant third parties are planning a title utilizing an expansion microphone, which will be presumably cheap enough to bundle with a title and incur no markup in price.God knows the masses need a mainstream karaoke game (we know about Karaoke Revolution for the PS2, but it never really took off), and the Wii is just the system to do it. Like a Virginnnnn ... hey!
More academic discussion of Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is more interesting than we thought, it seems! Whereas we (read: I) found the improvements in Wild World a poor trade for NES games, and not enough to hold our interest after a year or so of Gamecube Crossing, academics are speaking out in appreciation of Nintendo's pointless-by-design communication game.The latest essay on Henry Jenkins' blog, is an excerpt from a thesis by Kristina Drzaic, about "secrets" in Animal Crossing. The idea is that other games feature glitches that allow the player to redesign the game in small ways and alter the basic experience, whereas Animal Crossing features such "glitch-like" abilities as part of the natural design of the game, and allows even more customization than the engine was designed for. One example showed a player creating a narrative conflict between herself and Tom Nook just by trying and failing to buy some candy. We were just wondering aloud why customizable content was so compelling! Good thing there are people smarter than us out there.[Via GameSetWatch]
Phat Loot Phriday: Tabard of Laos Flipor
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/The_Tabard_of_Laos_Flipor'; When Blizzard introduced the Tabard of the Protector, it was pretty much a given that before long, we'd see more useful tabards coming in the game. And now, after the latest patch, players have unearthed this piece of phat loot.Name: Tabard of Laos FliporType: TabardArmor: NAAbilities: It's a tabard with stats! +10 Strength, +10 Agility, +10 Stamina, +10 Intellect,, and +10 Spirit (kind of like The 1 Ring, but ten times better!) You may not think +10 is much of a bonus, but +10 Intellect means an extra 150 mana. And +10 Agility actually grants a whopping +20 Armor. Added up, these all mean a lot, and the fact that they're on a tabard makes them just icing on the cake. Laos Flipor, if you weren't already aware, is a little-known lore figure-- she used to be a jester in the Court of Lordaeron. She was known for telling bad jokes, and apparently she told one too many and got Arthas angry at her. Right after he murdered Dad in WC III, he offed her, too. How to Get It: If you've ever done the CLUCK! quest in Westfall, you'll be able to do this one. You can get the tabard from (where else?) the guild tabard vendor in every capital city. But they won't offer it to you unless you can prove, like Laos, how funny you are. So just go up to a guild tabard vendor, target them, and do the /silly emote 200 times.200 jokes later, a ? will pop up above the tabard vendor's head, and this baby is yours.Getting Rid of It: It's BOP, but any vendor will give you 4 silver, 1 copper for it. Then again, at that price, you'd be a fool not to keep it!Update: Pishnaa (thanks, this is awesome) has given us photographic proof! And if it's in a screenshot, it must be true.
Rumor: Another stash of Wiis coming to Toys R Us
... and another Matthew Lesko picture to summarize our feelings. Tipster HexiJosh was spot on about the last TRU Wii hoard, so we have no reason to disbelieve him now when he tells us that Sunday, March 18 is the day to queue up. Still, we're marking this as a rumor just to be safe.He says that Toys R Us stores are getting even larger shipments this time than last time-- his store is getting a minimum of 12 systems-- and that TRU is planning to sell them bundled with Sonic and the Secret Rings. We hope these bundles don't cost full price-- bundling is only fun when there's a discount involved, and even then it's kind of annoying.But complaining about bundles misses the point, which is HEY THERE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOME WIIS FOR SALE. Plan your next weekend accordingly![Thanks, HexiJosh!]
Sonic and the Spoiled Ending
Well, that didn't take long. Two days after the US release date of Sonic and the Secret Rings, a Sonic fan has made it to the end of the rails and posted a video of the ending on YouTube. We're sure it totally makes sense in context, but we have yet to jump into Sega's latest mascot platformer.Great news for people who only play Sonic games for the stories: we just saved you $50. It's about time Sonic fans had some good news, right? Of course, this is terrible for weaker-willed fans trying to avoid the rushing tide of SPOILARRRS.We dare you to watch the video after the break.[Via Insert Credit]
Metareview: Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings has been released, and in what is certainly the highest profile release since the epic Twilight Princess at launch, our expectations are rather high. In what is being billed as the first truly decent 3-D Sonic game (or, at least the first one since the original Sonic Adventure), the hedgehog has the scores to prove it. IGN's was a little low, but it turns out they hate the color blue. So, you know.Who wants a little blazing-quick spiny-mammal in their lives? Gaming Age (85/100) has very little but praise for SatSR: "Sonic and the Secret Rings makes a solid attempt to fix the problems that have plagued the Sonic games over the past few years. Many of the gripes have been addressed in this newest title. The extraneous characters have been eliminated and Sonic is now the only playable character, just the way [it should be]. The horrible camera and hit detection problems of the prior games have been fixed. The speed has been ratcheted up and the action is fast and furious." Gamespot (76/100) is impressed with the visual splendor: "The graphics are great in Sonic and the Secret Rings. Each level is large and has a great sense of scale, with huge dinosaurs, pirate ships, corkscrews, loops, and other structures to run on. The visuals are sharp and colorful, and you'll have a great time just watching Sonic run because the game provides the same thrilling sense of speed that made the Sonic games appealing in the first place." IGN (69/100) dislikes things that are blue: "Players will fail to complete levels again and again in Secret Rings not because they lack the skill to progress, but because the control mechanics are too loose and unresponsive, the camera is too stupid to shoot the action accordingly or, worst of all, the level design is simply poor."
Today's sneakiest game video: Frontlines - Fuel of War hidden tour
Sneaky hidden videos will always score high on our list, particularly if they don't involve Britney, Paris, and Lindsay. It's time we reclaimed their 15 minutes because they've run into serious overtime.So, the story behind this video is as follows: 'Games For Windows' Magazine recently filmed a totally unathorized, hidden video tour of Kaos Studios for a piece about Frontlines: Fuel of War. They weren't thrilled about having their HQ filmed Geraldo-style, but THQ (the publisher) didn't want to retaliate against the magazine, for fear that they would give them a bad review in return.So, once all the smoke has cleared, what does that leave us with? Frankly, not too much. Either it's a well planned "fake" secret video, or else it's a new wave of marketing going into effect that really embraces the old adage "there's no such thing as bad publicity." Of course, nothing really groundbreaking or damaging was revealed in this video ... or was it? Does this mean we can start running around developer HQs with a camera, knowing that they won't want us to pan their upcoming games? Hmmmmmm ...
President's Day surprise: Jefferson (?) in Twilight Princess
Even after the day, the spirit of President's Day (sure, why not) continues in Videoland. Zelda Dimension posted this picture of a painting found on a wall in Zelda: Twilight Princess, and it looks an awful lot like Thomas Jefferson ... or maybe George Washington? Or maybe dust? Apparently, one of the NPCs is a student of American history. We love finding secrets in Zelda, but we don't like being confronted with a blurry texture in a Wii game. Maybe the Zelda Dimension blogger was using composite cables, and that's why the picture is blurry? Yeah, that's the ticket!We look forward to seeing the Zelda timeline theorists chew on this one.[Via digg]
