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Product portal, tweets suggest 'Thrive' moniker for Toshiba's Honeycomb tablet
"What's in a name?" We'd ask Toshiba, but the company hasn't been able to give its upcoming 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet one in five months -- or has it? If you'll recall, Toshiba registered the name Thrive for trademark and related domain names last month, and now evidence is mounting that all of that work wasn't in vain. TabletCommunity learned days ago that a commercial for the device was in production via some chatty actors on Twitter; soon after, the site also uncovered a parking page for the slate on Toshiba's website, albeit with little more than the aforesaid name categorized under "Tablets." It's a welcome update in light of the vapid titles "Antares" and "ANT300" that had also seemed possible, and once word spills of US pricing and availability, perhaps we can focus on more pressing matters... you know, like benchmarks. [Thanks, Jakob]
The Daily Grind: Are social media connections in MMOs useless?
I first started to notice it in Champions Online. Cryptic gave us the ability to broadcast our achievements in the game over Twitter: "CapnCrunch has reached level 10!" At the time, it felt like a silly idea that wouldn't catch on, but for some reason, it has. More and more we're seeing studios working hard to integrate popular social networks into their MMOs, and more and more I'm wondering... why? RIFT has been big on doing this, implementing the ability not only to set your account to automatically tweet achievements ("Hey guys, I jumped off a bridge and didn't die!") but also to post them in Facebook. The game also allows you to record video and take screenshots to post online, which seems to me to be more useful but still probably not as captivating to a potential personal audience as one might hope. So my question today concerns these social media connections in MMOs -- are they useless? Are they just a fad that few people use? Do the ones who do use them end up annoying their followers with a stream of spam messages? Or do people actually enjoy the ability to have their games tie in with their social networks and see how their friends are progressing? 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!
Tweet_Fit tweets while you sweat to the oldies (video)
The Shake Weight it is not, but as 21st century workout solutions go, Tweet_Fit certainly has the potential to get people talking -- or, at the very least, tweeting. Developed by a UK design student, the connected gym accessory attaches to the end of a standard dumbbell and sends updates to your Twitter account when you start and stop your workout. Take it offline and it guides you through the perfect curl. Tweet_Fit's designer points out that it offers a novel way for trainers to keep track of their clients, and can be used to spur healthy competition between friends. Given, it won't make bragging about how much you can bench any easier, but, then, tweeting an invitation to the gun show is so impersonal. Tweet_Fit is still a prototype, but you can check out a video of the Twitter-enabled dumbbell in action after the break. [Thanks, Fraser]
Earth Eternal still alive, reborn as Ikimonogatari
Earth Eternal has been in a strange sort of limbo since last summer when Sparkplay Media all but folded. The company closed down both the game and the website and also laid off all but two employees as of August 2010. The first of the year brought a glimmer of hope in the form of the title's acquisition by Sankando as well as a fresh round of fan discussion. Since then, it's been all quiet on the Earth Eternal front, but the silence was broken a few hours ago via the game's Twitter feed. While the amount of information is far from overwhelming (the tweet acknowledges that Earth Eternal has been reborn as Ikimonogatari and links to the new website), it's good to see that the game may yet return in some form or fashion.
RadioShack to get T-Mobile Sidekick 4G on April 20th
While T-Mobile's staying coy about the Sidekick 4G's availability, RadioShack went ahead and gave us the final piece of the puzzle: according to one of its latest tweets, said Android phone is heading to the Shack on April 20th. Oh yes, this just so happens to be the rumored date for the G-Slate and G2X as well. Coincidence? Only time will tell, and let's hope that this doesn't end up being an April Fool's joke -- well, at least the Shack would have something to blame if it actually misheard the information over the phone.
HTC EVO 3D coming to Europe, keeping the sexy name and specs
Earlier this year, HTC allowed its previously Verizon-exclusive brand name out to prowl the globe with the Incredible S, and now it's doing the same with the heretofore Sprint-only EVO moniker. The EVO 3D, says a tweet from HTC's French mouthpiece, is coming to the land of baguettes, stylish mustaches and stripy pullovers, though a little bit of mystery remains as to when exactly its arrival shall be. Whatever the schedule (the EVO 3D's set for a "summer" release in the US), the rest of Europe's unlikely to be left out, meaning a 4.3-inch superphone with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1080p video recording in 2D and 720p in 3D, HTC's newest Sense skin and Android's freshest Gingerbread build, is headed out to the Old World. And that, fellow pilgrims, is a mighty awesome thing indeed.
Twimal the Twitter reader reads your tweets, looks adorable while doing so (video)
If you fancy using Twitter as much as we do, you'll probably scream like a pre-teen when you lay your eyeballs on what toy maker Takara Tomy has conjured up in Japan. Dubbed Twimal, this loveable Pokemon-esque desk companion plugs into your Windows machine via USB and has one reason for its existence -- to read your tweets. Available in blue or white (male or female voice, respectively), these little bots are able to read all sorts of tweets (replies, lists, user-specific, etc.), in what appears to be Japanese only. If you're interested in getting your 140-character messages read in the cutest way possible, look for these toys on digital shelves in Japan on March 31 for ¥2,480 (around 30 bucks). And do yourself a favor; watch the video after the break. You'll thank us later.
First fine for libel via Twitter issued against politician by British court
British politician and former Mayor of Caerphilly, Wales, Colin Elsbury, has been ordered to pay a fine for the charge of libel against an opponent. The lawsuit was filed by Eddie Talbot, an independent challenging Elsbury, after Talbot claimed that Elsbury had Tweeted that Talbot had been forcibly removed from a polling place by police. Well, Elsbury definitely Tweeted that, but, unfortunately for him, the person was not Eddie Talbot. Although Elsbury quickly and publicly corrected himself, Talbot took him to court, and in Cardiff on Friday that Elsbury will have to pay a £3,000 fine plus costs of around £50,000. A cursory glance over Elsbury's recent Tweets indicates that he still may not have the hand of the medium, but we'll keep our eyes on his stream for any new instances of #twibel.
Latest Sprint teaser tweet all but confirms February 24th announcement is for Windows Phone 7
How many mobile platforms can you think of that integrate "with your home game console, like Xbox?" Unless we're completely spacing something out, the answer is one: Windows Phone 7. We'd already figured the Thursday announcement that Sprint has been teasing this week on Twitter -- and that little Arrive leak all but confirmed it anyhow -- but if you needed any more evidence that the phone formerly known as the HTC 7 Pro would be formally announced in CDMA guise this week, here you have it. We'll know more tomorrow, hopefully.
Google Social Search update makes your friends more relevant, difficult to ignore
Google's been talking up its Social Search function for sometime, but up until now your friends' tweets probably haven't made it to the top of your search results -- unless of course you're besties with TMZ, and you've been searching the Miley Cyrus bong salvia rip again. Thankfully, it looks as if that could change with El Goog's latest update to the socially minded search function, which now mixes updates from your contacts' various online accounts, like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, in with the standard search fare -- pulling them up from their previous position at the bottom of your results. Google's also included a photo and annotation to show the origins of relevant links, and given you the ability to manage how you connect your accounts -- either publicly through your profile or privately through your account. The new functions started rolling out yesterday, which means you could be seeing a whole lot more from those contacts you regretted friending in the first place. Isn't social media a wonderful / disastrous thing?
Nokia's Elop responds to Google's 'Two turkeys' tweet
Like it or not, you have to hand it to Stephen Elop, Nokia's new CEO. The man isn't afraid to shake things up and clean house to meet his vision of the future. And now that he's made Windows Phone 7 Nokia's "primary smartphone platform" in what he sees as a three-way race between Microkia, Googloid, and Apple (sorry HP and RIM), the man's free to unleash his mild-mannered Canadian fury upon Google's Vic Gundotra (via proxy). As you'll recall, Vic insulted the rumored partnership earlier in the week by tweeting, "two turkeys do not make an Eagle." If you don't understand Elop's twitter-burn then we urge you to visit one of Dayton Ohio's fine historical museums while eating a slice of Cassano's pizza -- we hear it's delicious. [Thanks, Jack]
Twitter updates Android app, we go hands-on in more than 140 characters
If you're an avid Twitter user and an avid Android smartphone user, you've been waiting for this day. The day where those developers at Twitter's headquarters man up and release a Twitter app that can seriously compete with the likes of TweetDeck, Twidroid, and HootSuite. Well, fellow tweeters, it appears that time has come -- the official Twitter Android 2.0 app just hit the Market and it includes a pretty drastic UI overhaul, some bug fixes, and a few more key features. Naturally, we hit the update button as soon as it popped up on our Droid 2 Global, and we have to say the first thing we noticed was the speed increase -- our feed loaded quickly and jumping over to the different columns was snappy. Speaking of those columns, Twitter wiped the previous, overly-cutesy main homepage for four tabs that run along the top of the screen -- there's your regular feed, mentions, direct messages, and lists. It feels more like the iOS app, which definitely isn't a bad thing. You can still pull-to-refresh and swipe left or right over a particular tweet to respond, retweet, or favorite it. So, what's the best improvement? Besides the tidied up interface, we have to say it's the auto-complete for usernames -- punch in the @ symbol and start typing a name and you'll get a list of suggested names. Twitter's also improved the search functionality, but we'd suggest checking that out yourself. It won't cost you a penny, we just hope you're running Android 2.1 or higher. Nope, not even Twitter is safe from the evils of fragmentation. %Gallery-116275%
Google's Vic Gundotra on Nokia: 'Two turkeys do not make an Eagle' (updated)
Well, well. Just after Nokia CEO Stephan Elop's "burning platform" memo leaked out and prompted intense speculation that Nokia would start building Windows Phone 7 handsets, Google's Vic Gundotra tweeted "Two turkeys do not make an Eagle" prefaced with a #feb11 hashtag -- the same day as Nokia's Capital Markets Day event in London. That's some pretty serious trash talk, and we'd say it pretty much takes an Android tie-up off the table -- we doubt anyone from Google would run around calling Nokia a "turkey" if they were actually partners. Then again, Vic could just be talking about some extremely disturbing genetic engineering research he plans to unveil on Friday -- really, anything is possible with Google. Update: Oh snap. Our friend Seth Weintraub at Fortune just reminded us that there's some serious history behind "two turkeys do not make an eagle" -- it's what former Nokia VP Anssi Vanjoki said in 2005 about BenQ buying Siemens's failing handset business. (Ouch.) Of course, Vanjoki also just said that using Android is like peeing in your pants for warmth, so we suppose Gundotra's been waiting for some payback -- although his timing's a little off, since Vanjoki just made a very public exit from Nokia after being denied the CEO job, Still, though -- is any burn sweeter than the obscure European handset business history burn? We don't think so.
Google, SayNow, and Twitter team up to make Tweeting from Egypt possible via voicemail
Google's announced on its official blog a small project they've quickly cobbled together to help Egyptians (who --in the midst of protests -- are having serious connectivity issues) communicate via Twitter. With almost no connection to the internet through normal channels, Google has made it possible for anyone to send a Tweet simply by dialing one of several international phone numbers (+16504194196, +390662207294 or +97316199855) and leaving a voicemail. What happens next? The service Tweets the message using the hashtag #egypt via the Speak to Tweet account. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
@MeTees shows your Twitter handle to the world, gets you one step closer to #trending
Twitter-related messages on t-shirts aren't unheard of, but tossing your actual handle on a tee? Now that's an idea we're down with. We can't exactly say we're boastful enough to toss our own name on a shirt, but it might not be a bad idea to throw your company Twitter account on there and force all of your employees to rock one on a trade show floor. Watch for The Situation to roll into B.E.D. rocking one of these in 3... 2...
Andy Rubin: over 300,000 Android phones activated daily
Cast your mind back to the ancient time that was this August and you'll recall Eric Schmidt telling you, with no lack of pride, that 200,000 Android phones were being sold each and every day. Skip past Steve Jobs' snide remarks about what's included in that tally, and fast-forward to today, where Andy Rubin is blowing minds with the latest, very nicely rounded, total: 300,000 daily activations. Yes, in spite of being the most fragmented thing this side of our 10-year old hard drives, the Android OS just keeps growing at an exponential rate. So Steve, any comment on today's data? Were they counting it wrong? [Thanks, Dell]
Nightstand tweets, scans, prints, and presumably makes some sort of artistic statement (video)
Whether tweeting from trees or providing the catalyst for zany conceptual art projects, people love to make Twitter do silly things. Is this simple whimsy, or is it something deeper -- say, some sort of high-minded juxtaposition between the way people live now and how they lived pre-Internet? Hell if we know, but maybe John Kestner can explain it to us. You see, this artist and designer has created something called the Tableau, a networked nightstand that has two functions: scanning and posting images to Twitter, and printing out photos that pop up in your Twitter feed. And that's it. The thing is made from recycled (read: old) materials, and even features an alert in the shape of a light-up drawer pull for notifying you when you receive pics. It's all very clever, cool looking, and potentially heartwarming (unless you have us in your Twitter feed, in which case all you'll receive are pictures of KIRF cellphones). But don't take out word for it -- see for yourself after the break! Currently on display at the Saint-Étienne Biennale 2010, the designer has plans to bring the devices to market sometime next year.
Apple could use 'iTun.es' domain as link shortener
Following today's Ping Twitter integration, many on Twitter started blasting the overly long Ping URLs. Now, MacRumors points out that one of their readers speculates that Apple could use its own iTun.es link shortener to help fit Ping links into Twitter's character limitation. The www.itun.es web domain currently forwards to Apple.com. MacRumors did some digging and found out that Apple has been the owner of itun.es since December 2006 when it was registered by MarkMonitor, the brand management firm Apple uses to register all of its domains. MacRumors notes that since Apple has owned the domain for almost four years it is unlikly they bought it specifically for a link shortener purpose, but with today's Ping Twitter integration it would allow the company to put the domain to good use.
Phase 2 arrives tonight for Final Fantasy XIV's testers
Whether you're playing to find potentially game-breaking bugs or just to get a sense of the game before it launches, betas are a magical time for all involved. Specifically, the magic of Final Fantasy XIV's beta has been the sort of magic that ends the world every so often. But luckily for everyone involved in the testing, tonight is the start of phase 2 of the testing, and that marks an important change in the nature of the tests. Prior to this point, testing was only available when the servers were up, which was not constant. Starting tonight at 7:00 PM PDT (or 10:00 PM EDT), the servers will be up at all times for the second phase of testing. That's according to an official tweet on the game's Twitter feed, which is good news for any and all testers of Final Fantasy XIV. No word yet on whether or not phase 3 involves profit, but the increased availability should be profitable to the players.
Schilling teases possible Copernicus concept art
Details have been sketchy regarding Copernicus, the code-name of the forthcoming MMORPG from Curt Schilling's 38 Studios. Other than the fact that the storyline is being written by noted fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, we haven't heard any concrete information on the game since GDC2010. Now, Schilling has unleashed a cryptic tweet challenging fans to find the Copernicus concept art among the images attached to a new interview with 38 Studios Senior Environment Artist Joe Mirabello. Schilling (under the Twitter handle of gehrig38) drops no hints as to which of the images might be the Copernicus art, but it's probably a safe assumption that it is one of the landscape pieces, given Mirabello's job title. Check out the interview as well as Schilling's tweet. [Thanks Karen!]
