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Happy Thanksgiving from WoW Insider
America today is celebrating Thanksgiving Day, a holiday where we all sit down with friends and family, eat loads of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and all the other good stuff, and give thanks for all the blessings we've received throughout the year. WoW Insider would like to wish you, our readers, a happy Thanksgiving and a great and safe holiday season. We are thankful for many things, but mostly for you: it's because you come and read and visit the site that we get to keep it going every day of every week the rest of the year. Much appreciated -- thank you.Many of our bloggers are also with their families and attending their own celebrations this weekend, so posting may be slow around here today and tomorrow. Odds are that you haven't reached 80 yet, and even if you have, odds are even better that you haven't grinded all the reputations you want, so just head on into the game and work on that for a bit, and we'll be back after this weekend with our usual news, views, and insight into this game and its players.
iPhone in 29 new countries; unlocked in Hong Kong
Our sister site Engadget reports that Apple is now offering unlocked iPhones in Hong Kong via its online store. HK$5,500 (≈ US$700) will buy you an 8GB model, HK$6,200 (≈ US$800) gets you 16GB. The Apple Store's terms and conditions limit sales to individuals in Hong Kong only, but who knows what the gray market will bring. Three Russian carriers will also begin selling unlocked iPhones on October 3, with the 8GB model selling for over US$900. In related news, 29 new countries will begin selling the iPhone, some today: Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niger, Panama, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey and Venezuela. [Via IGM.]
LG goes global with KF600, says it "cannot compete" in the low end
Well, that certainly didn't take very long -- that Venus-esque piece from LG, the KF600, has already broken out of China for launches in Brazil and Turkey. At around $350, the dual-screen "touch navigation" slider is far from entry-level -- and that's just the way LG likes it, apparently. The company has gone on record saying that it's all but ceding the low end of the mobile spectrum to Nokia and Samsung, instead focusing its efforts on the $300 range globally as the key to reaping "stable and strong profits." With the Chocolate and Shine series seemingly doing so well across the globe, we'd venture to guess that might not be a bad niche for LG to fill.
Rock Band and turkey: A Thanksgiving family test, part 2
Add the Sterns to the great family bands of popular culture. Put us on a flashing marquee like the Osmonds, Jacksons, and von Trapps that came before. With a rotating lineup of three generations, a band dog who curls up next to the drummer, and enough hijinks for a Monkees plot, we've toured across the country from San Francisco to Boston. It doesn't matter to us if our fame is virtual and our fans digital; Rock Band was a hit at our annual Thanksgiving gathering.Before I left the West Coast, I loaded up a dedicated carry-on with an Xbox 360, Wii, and the full complement of power supplies, video cables, and controllers. I made it through airport security without any problems. (And on the flight home, I wondered how many Rock Band kits the TSA had been screening.)Like last year, the Wii was still popular. But we mostly stuck with Wii Sports. Even casual gamers have a glut of titles to wade through; we never opened Zack and Wiki and only briefly tried EA Playground and Rayman Rabbids 2.Instead, Rock Band filled most of our game time. While I thought it'd be fun to try with my family, I never expected it to be "this year's Wii" as my sister said. Disguised as a rhythm game, Rock Band is a sleeper family hit. Every day, we joked about "getting the band back together" before assembling that evening's players.
Rock Band and turkey: a Thanksgiving family test
"Did you bring that Mario game? Your father really wants to try it ... what is that?""A plastic drum set, mom," I reply. "We're going to pretend to be rock and roll stars as a family and then I'm going to write about it for work." She stares intrigued for two, maybe three nanoseconds before uttering, "Cool ... How about Wii Bowling? Can we play that?"Inspired by last year's Nintendo Wii family tests (and just hopeful to get more playtime in), I decided to pack up my copy of Rock Band for Xbox 360 (a daunting task, rest assured) and take it to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.
What we're thankful for: DS edition
We asked you to tell us what you were thankful for yesterday for our three-pack giveaway, so it's only right that we commemorate this turkey holiday with our own shout-outs! Eric: I am thankful for those blue shells that helped me win so many races against people who're much better at Mario Kart than me. Alisha: I am thankful for whips ... I mean, awesome, portable dual-screen Castlevania games. With whips. Because whips are awesome. David: I'm thankful for having a portable device I can turn on to ignore people in front of me I don't want to talk to. Tetris music drowns out all. JC: I'm thankful for Brain Age, because photoshopped Brain Age screenshots are a well that will never run dry. Candace: I'm thankful for the crew of Ouendan, without whom we would have long ago succumbed to a giant rat, meteor collision, and alien attack. I'm NOT thankful, however, for the habit it's given me of yelling out "Ouendan!!!" during job interviews when they don't go well. Chris: I'm thankful for every last one of those life-saving straight tetraminoes that got me out of a pickle. And for Animal Crossing, and its ability to drag me away from the gray, depressing mundanities of my real life on a daily basis. *Sniff* Also, it teaches me about dinosaurs and stuff. Last, but never least, we have to thank you, kind reader. Coming here everyday to see what we're rambling on about, you've been a pal and a confidante. What we're trying to say is, thank you for being a friend.
Garanti Bank issues PayPass-enabled wristwatch in Turkey
Apparently, even swipeless credit cards are too much of an inconvenience to carry around in Turkey, or else Garanti Bank and MasterCard are just doing a fine job of whispering PayPass into those ears that are now tuned in. Gimmick or not, the two firms have partnered up to dole out a few limited edition timepieces that not only sport embedded PayPass modules to skip the painful John Hancock procedure altogether on basic, low-dollar purchases, but also feature a flashy and surprisingly tawdry motif. The bright orange watch rocks a few soccer balls, er, footballs on the face, and also includes a handy date feature to keep you on track. No word on exactly how one would go about procuring one of these contactless payment watches, but if your Garanti account is pushing six or seven figures, we'd say you've got some leverage.[Via TechDigest]
Keepin' it real fake, part XLVII: "Offline" Google store
Wander past this ill-dubbed Google store and you'll find yourself puzzled as to why you can't locate that sweet Google lava lamp you wanted as a finishing touch to your bedroom decor. The impostor, a textile shop in Istanbul, Turkey, went so far as to transplant Google's exact logo to their storefront exterior -- why, exactly, is beyond us. "Hey guys check it out! A real-life Google store -- let's grab some frisbees and socks that say Google on 'em...huh? It's all fabrics in here? Wait, this houndstooth linen is to die for. Three yards, please." Doubtful.Update: As a few readers have noted, this is hilariously similar to last year's Engadget store incident.[Thanks, Kirf]
Happy Turkey Day from DS Fanboy!
For us Americans, today is a day for football, food, and freedom. Younger Americans need not worry about school for the rest of the week and older Americans need not worry about work. We're free to pass out on the recliner with a plate of food on our lap during the last ticks of the first game. It's a wonderful day and we give thanks for being able to have it every year.We here at DS Fanboy would just like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. If you're not doing anything, why not enter our contest or help us decide on next week's Game Night game? If you've got the DS, we hope you enjoy the day with your handheld and have all of your gaming needs fulfilled. From the entire DS Fanboy staff, we hope you have a fun and safe holiday. Thanks for reading!
What are you playing: mid-week holiday edition
For many Americans, today feels a lot like Friday and, as far as our employers and government are concerned, it might as well be. With tomorrow being the day we celebrate Thanksgiving by stuffing our faces (more than usual) with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and various delicious types of pie, we felt we'd ask what you're playing a little early. For all of our non-American readers whose country's past does not include Pilgrims and Native Americans coming together in peace, well ... be sure to rub your next exclusive holiday in our faces.So what will it be? A little multiplayer action with the family? Or will you be the loner in the corner, sweater stained in gravy and pie crust crumbs as you scream "Hold It!" into your DS, receiving nothing but puzzled looks from your grandparents?
Washington Times likes the MacBook
Mark Kellner, writing for the Washington Times, took his MacBook to Turkey and dropped it two feet during his review. His verdict? This is a laptop to get, even if it does run a little hot. Mark likes the glossy screen (as do I) and he finds the keyboard to be quite nice to type on (once again, I agree).Mark recommends that you get 2 gigs of RAM to really make this baby fly, but you can't find a better notebook for the price.[via Digg]
Leaked Aussie Wii release date?
An Australian retail supplier recently released a listing containing a release date for the Wii to Aussie retailers according to Aussie Nintendo. The listing, which is shown above and the blokes over there were kind enough to save, does not list a price, instead providing a release date of 11/30/06. Seeing as how gamers from down under received their DS Lites first, are we to believe that they'll be getting the Wii first as well? Not very likely considering Iwata's statements of wanting to get the console on the market before the US celebrates Turkey Day.[Via Go Nintendo]
