Transition
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Newsweek to drop print edition after December 31st, gives the digital future a warm hug
It's no secret that print media is on its way out, as many regional and niche publications have had to either find a path through the digital wilderness or fold completely. We're still not used to national publications facing that ultimatum, though, which makes Newsweek's fresh decision to drop its print edition after December 31st both unusual and a bellwether. Anyone still yearning for the magazine's content after the presses stop will have to turn to the purely digital Newsweek Global or its The Daily Beast sibling, no matter how attached they are to the outlet's 80-year history with paper. The explanation for the cutoff remains a familiar story: print readership is dying on the vine and expensive to maintain, while web and tablet adoption is growing quickly enough that Newsweek believes it can make the switch without taking a long-term financial hit. Whether or not the transition works, it's evident the periodical knows its identity must be wrapped around an online presence -- figuratively, not literally.
RIM posts Q2 earnings: $2.87 billion in revenue, softer $235 million loss
RIM may have given us hope that its transition to BlackBerry 10 has turned a corner, but that doesn't mean the dark clouds have entirely broken just yet. The company's second fiscal quarter saw it generate $2.9 billion in revenue, a slight gain over last quarter, while it posted a net loss of $235 million -- again better than expected, but not the best news it could deliver. Waterloo's main challenge was holding on to its smartphone base. While RIM did expand the total BlackBerry user base to 80 million, its phone shipments dropped from 7.8 million to 7.4 million and were braced by shipments of just 130,000 PlayBooks, or half as many tablets as were delivered in the spring. The sunshine is mostly found in the total picture. RIM says it's still on track to deliver the first BlackBerry 10 phones in early 2013; while the smartphone maker is bracing for an operating loss in its ongoing third quarter, the higher revenue and reduced losses suggest to CEO Thorsten Heins that RIM is getting its fiscal house in order before BlackBerry 10 (hopefully) renews interest. Full details of the company's financial performance are available after the break.
AT&T plans to shut down entire 2G network by 2017
AT&T has only just begun the transition away from 2G services with its spectrum refarming in New York City, but it now has a target end date to mark on the calendar: January 1st, 2017. Courtesy of an SEC filing, we know that the carrier hopes that both its GSM voice and EDGE data networks will have gone to the great cell tower in the sky before we're popping the champagne corks about four and a half years from now. The Big Blue Ball expects the transition to be a smooth one, as only 12 percent of its regular subscribers are using 2G-only phones today; if it ever gets bumpy, the company promises to "proactively" steer the holdouts towards 3G and 4G. Don't get too misty-eyed. While the transition will mark the end to what's arguably one of the most definitive chapters in US cellular history, that far-flung date will likely come well after most of us have moved on -- much like the AMPS shutdown, it could be less of a bang and more of a whimper.
Verizon may cut what's left of Alltel data starting January 10th, 2013
Alltel customers brought under the Verizon umbrella have been getting more and more signals that it's time to let go of that legacy phone. The latest red flag is a letter that Droid-Life understands is making its way to holdout customers. According to one copy, Verizon will start shutting down the remnants of Alltel's data service on or near January 10th, 2013. Alltel's mobile data should be completely inert after April that year -- and those still clinging to the past will be down to basic phone calls and SMS until they get Verizon-blessed devices. At least corporate customers are getting incentives to cross the divide, so you can't accuse Verizon of forgetting to use the carrot along with the stick. We'll admit that we aren't exactly mourning the eventual loss ourselves: customers by that point will have had four years to make the leap, which in this era can feel like an eternity.
Sprint pulls iDEN handsets from retail, continues to sunset legacy Nextel network
With only one year to go before iDEN bites the big one, Sprint's making sure subscribers steer clear of devices that run on the legacy service. The aging tech, famous for its walkie talkie-like feature, is now one foot solidly in the grave as the carrier's removed all compatible handsets from its lineup, as well as subsidiary Boost Mobile's. That those particular phones and accompanying network have reached a grand EOL status should come as no surprise -- the operator's been quite public about plans to shift existing push-to-talk subs to its newer CDMA-based DirectConnect service and clear up spectrum for a planned LTE rollout. Clearly, Hesse and co. have seen the future and they're no longer content to play catch up with handicapped smartphones.
Sprint sets a best-before date for iDEN push-to-talk: June 30th, 2013
Amidst all of Sprint's eagerness to phase out its iDEN network, the carrier hasn't given us a hard cutoff date to mark on our calendars until now. If you're still rocking that Motorola Titanium, you may have to drop your Nextel push-to-talk dreams as soon as June 30th, 2013, the earliest possible date Sprint says it could shut down the legacy service. Government customers will be getting a friendly paper reminder on June 1st of this year to make sure they're using CDMA Direct Connect phones like the Admiral well in advance. The switch-off will mark the end to a long and troubled chapter in the Sprint Nextel era, but if it helps bring about 800MHz LTE sooner, we're all for it.
How to keep MobileMe mail working after iCloud turns it off
Here at TUAW on the tipline, we have heard no end of complaints about MobileMe. Some days, it seems like every other tip is about how much of a mess MobileMe email is. Which is probably why Apple is finally shutting the service down in a month or so, transitioning over to the new iCloud instead. But as TidBITS notes, MobileMe users will still be able to use their email addresses even after the service is gone: All you'll have to do is follow the instructions on the transitions page to set an option on the main site, and then you'll be able to keep accessing your MobileMe email even after the transition. My advice? Unless you're thrilled with MobileMe, it's time to move on to one of the many great free email services, of which Gmail is my first recommendation. Yes, changing your email address is a pain, and there are probably some of you out there on so many lists and services that you'll stick with MobileMe as long as you can. But if you want my advice, use this opportunity to get out while you can. Good luck!
Wizard101 fansite owner hired to be Pirate101's community manager
Tom Purdue, admired owner and operator of The Friendly Necromancer blog and Wizard101 fansite, has announced today that he will be KingsIsle Entertainment's new community manager for the upcoming Pirate101 MMO. As that transition from fan to employee is always a fascinating transformation, we recognize that it's not an easy decision. Massively itself has raised a handful of MMO community managers, so this news is particularly of interest to us. For that reason, we tracked Tom down and asked him some questions about his new role at KingsIsle. Follow along below for the complete interview.
Terrafugia Transition aircraft first hands-on (video)
People used to say that cars in the '50s and '60s had fins, giant wing-like protuberances that designers grafted on to capitalize on the fledgling concepts of aerodynamics. Your fist impression of the Terrafugia Transition is much the same as standing next to a 1959 Coupe de Ville -- it's huge, and the giant vertical stabilizers on the back have a distinctly Cadillac feel. This, however, is different. Sure, it too is made in the US, but it's crafted of carbon fiber, titanium and aluminum, costs $279,000 and seats only two. Oh, and did we mention it can fly? It's making its major auto show debut this week and we got a chance to check it out. Follow us after the break for some grounded impressions.
Terrafugia Transition production prototype completes first flight, set to land at NY Auto Show this Friday
Terrafugia's Transition could finally be making its way to the production line. The "flying car" has journeyed far beyond the concept phase, achieving its compulsory nod from the DOT last summer, and now reaching production prototype status. On March 23rd, the latest Transition flew past one more hurdle, completing its first airborne trial. The hybrid vehicle rolled down the runway at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York before ascending to 1400 feet -- the entire flight lasted a mere eight minutes, and marks the first of six planned phases of flight testing during the aircraft's voyage past experimental stage. There's still no word on when the Light Sport Aircraft will be making its way to soon-to-be Transition owners, but those hankering for a preview can catch a glimpse of the craft at the New York Auto Show from April 6th through the 15th. You can also taxi past the break for a tail-level view of the test plane's trek to takeoff.
RIM stock falls eight percent following CEO transition
We rarely meddle with stock news around these parts, but this was a pretty significant piece of meat to chew on. After Research in Motion introduced Thorsten Heins as the new CEO last night and again in a conference call this morning, the company's stock price tumbled a whopping 8.47 percent. When it comes to what kind of difference the transition will make for the struggling company, we haven't had a high amount of confidence; while we hope for the best and want to see RIM turn things around, the falling stock appears to indicate that we're not alone in expressing concerns about this morning's events. Here's some food for thought: when rumors that Samsung was interested in purchasing RIM flooded the internet, the latter company's stocks spiked by nearly ten percent.
Gods & Heroes crucifies subs and slashes box prices
Two business models entered Gods & Heroes' colosseum, but only one walked out alive. The crowds cheered their approval, and for a moment their bloodlust was sated. Subscriptions in the game would be no more. Today, Heatwave Interactive announced that the subscription model wasn't working out for the underperforming Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising (perhaps it did not sell enough fancy helmets) and as of today subs are a thing of the past. Instead, players can enjoy the game without a fee while the team works on creating a true free-to-play plan. In addition to making gameplay completely free, Heatwave has cleaved the price of the client in twain, reducing the cost to $9.99 for those who have yet to get it. If you've previously purchased the game, whether you were currently subbed to it or not, your account is now flagged for unlimited free play.
NCsoft answers questions on Aion's F2P transition
NCsoft announced earlier today that it has partnered up with Gameforge to transition Aion Europe to a F2P model. Now Gamespot UK has a new question-and-answer session with NCsoft that explains a bit about the reasons behind the transition. For instance, what can players expect when Aion goes F2P, considering it already had a cash shop to begin with? In the F2P version, the shop will be accessible from inside the game itself, allowing players to make purchases on the fly instead of exiting the game to do so. Gamespot also asks the company's opinion on the ongoing F2P-vs.-subscription war. The company believes that "more and more games will directly launch into a free-to-play business model in the future," but for now it's also "shown that transitioning to free-to-play has become a valid option to extend a game's life cycle." For the full Q&A, head click on over to Gamespot UK.
Comcast shifts some customers to IPv6, promises it won't hurt
No sooner have you memorized the IP address of your media server and then your ISP has to go and mess it all up -- in this case, by adding a whole lot of extra digits. It's for a good cause, though: Comcast is launching its IPv6 pilot as part of a long and grueling global transition away from IPv4, whose 4.3 billion addresses are now severely depleted. The pilot will start with customers who have a simple connection straight from their PC to a cable modem and who are running an up-to-date OS. It will also allow old IP addresses to exist alongside the new ones, hopefully avoiding the slowdowns that can result from trying to translate between to the two formats on the fly. The good news? Once it's over, nobody should have to go through this upheaval again until there are 2^128 web-connected devices on the planet, and by then it'll be the last of our worries. [Thanks, Anthony]
DC Universe Online boasts 1000% playerbase growth
DC Universe Online has been free-to-play for just under a week now, but SOE is already reporting huge spikes in player population. SOE president John Smedley has been tweeting constantly since the transition, with the most recent tweet announcing that population is up 1000% from its pre-F2P numbers. It's not all sunshine and butterflies over in DCUO-land, however. Players have been experiencing a number of issues with the F2P transition, such as astoundingly long server queues, endless loading screens, and other gameplay-inhibiting problems. Smedley says that the team is "on it," though. If you want to be part of the game's booming playerbase, just head on over to the game's official site (or download the game on Steam) and jump on in.
DCUO's free-to-play rollout has begun
Last week, Sony Online Entertainment chose November 1st for the arrival of free-to-play in Gotham City, and that day is upon us. According to the DC Universe Online Facebook page, the F2P rollout has begun; consequently, the game is currently down for maintenance "and will be for some time." Says DCUO's RadarX: It's incredible to see all this excitement surrounding Free to Play! We are still in the process of transitioning our systems and appreciate everyone's patience. We will have more information for you soon and a brand new website full of information about DCUO Free to Play. PC players who want to get a jump on the download can do so through the SOE launcher. We'll keep you posted when the revamp of the game and site is live! [Thanks to Eric for the tip!]
Preparing for the apocalypse (again): GamersFirst on Fallen Earth's F2P shift
Today was my last day in Fallen Earth. My subscription ran out, so I was cut off from everything: glorious crafting, expansive exploration, black humor, and gas mask fashionware. Fortunately, my adventures will resume on October 12th, when Fallen Earth officially makes its transition to a hybrid free-to-play/subscription model. Like many current players and potential clones, we are understandably curious about the implications and (pardon the pun) fallout from such a fundamental shift in the business model. Will F2P be the savior of this niche game? What's being done to prepare for the change? To answer these questions and more, we talked to Joseph Willmon, an associate game director for GamersFirst. Massively: How are you preparing your servers for the added influx of free-to-play tourists? Joseph Willmon: We're still wrapping up some of the final stages of settling the Fallen Earth servers into their new homes at GamersFirst, so soon they'll be as optimized as we want them to be. We're lucky in that Fallen Earth was designed from the ground up to support lots of people playing -- we'd have to blow all estimates out of the water really quickly in order for population to be an issue, which wouldn't be such a bad problem to have!
Radio Shack celebrates T-Mobile's departure by giving its phones away
You remember the joy you felt the last time you found a really good deal, right? You may want to take a lovely evening stroll into a Radio Shack near you to experience that same emotion. With T-Mobile getting the boot September 14th to make room for new roommate Verizon, The Shack has decided to offer a blowout sale to celebrate. Beginning today, every phone (!) is gratis with a two-year commitment. The offer is in-store only, and while we're assuming it's good until every last one of Little Magenta's phones are gone, the sale could end at any time. The toughest part now? Deciding which one to grab.
Clearwire: Erik Prusch to take over as CEO
Precisely five months since the last time Clearwire had a permanent CEO in place, a new boss has been selected to take the place of Bill Morrow. Being promoted to the position is Erik Prusch, the company's Chief Operating Officer, who will be faced with a monstrous challenge: secure roughly $600 million in capital to fund Clearwire's buildout of LTE. If none can be found, the company will be completely out of cash by the end of 2012. Fortunately, he's got some talent to help him in the arduous quest; backing Prusch as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors will be John Stanton, who's served as the interim CEO since Morrow's departure. Given the situation, it's a difficult position to be placed in -- either he'll be the hero that saves the company, or the villain responsible for taking it down. Check out the full press release after the break.
Wasteland Diaries: I got skills
Sector 4, a new skill and abilities system and a new... well, a new everything has come to Fallen Earth. Even the forums will be migrating over to GamersFirst's little piece of cyberspace. While the transition hasn't gone completely smoothly, it could have been a lot worse. I don't know why they decided to do all this stuff at once, but it went well, considering how major an undertaking it probably was. The skills and abilities (also known as the "combat system") didn't fare too well with the wastelanders, and the devs have promised some fixes. With everything going on right now, I don't think we'll see them any time soon, though I may be wrong. One thing is for sure: The new combat system is here to stay. Many of us would like to see them scrap it, go back to the old system and just patch up its imperfections (it was so close). But, I have been told emphatically that it's here to stay. So, instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, I'd like to take a look at all of the new skills and mutations, since they are definitely permanent -- although they may be changing a little bit in the coming days while this brand-new system is tested and balanced. Mostly what we have now is what we are going be using. Some of them are the same, but by and large, this new system is an entirely different animal. You may recognize some of the names, but most of the abilities (actually, I think all of them) function differently. After the cut, we will take a look at every skill and their associated abilities in the game.
