venture
Latest
One of Sony's first 'new' ideas is a smartwatch that's all e-ink
Sony's first idea to be born out of its new built-in "venture style" plan to create new products and impress, well, you and me, is apparently a combination of its e-ink reader tech and a smartwatch device. According to people familiar with the matter, both the watch face and wristband will be crafted from a "patented material" that'll be able to offer up all kinds of displays and different designs -- something that is also the thinking between the image you see above. That's no Sony prototype, but FES' e-ink watch: a device that's seeking crowdfunding in, oh, Japan. Using e-ink could also differentiate the product, if it happens, from the Pebble, which uses a lower-resolution monochrome LCD instead.
EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's Kronos expansion is an industrial revolution
The EVE Online keynote presentation finished just a few hours ago at EVE Fanfest 2014, and it looks as if there are big plans for the year ahead. This summer will bring us the Kronos expansion, which is scheduled for June 3rd and aims to revolutionise every aspect of industrial activity in EVE Online in terms of both gameplay and accessibility. The economy has become quite stagnant over the past year as players have long since worked out all the most efficient ways to manufacture and trade, so CCP has planned its very own industrial revolution with a complete overhaul of industrial gameplay. Kronos also marks another important milestone for CCP, as the company will be switching from releasing two major expansions per year to a more agile strategy of releasing 10 smaller updates each year. The Kronos release was originally planned as a full expansion before the changeover to a 10-release schedule, so it's as packed as a full expansion. In addition to a deluge of industry overhauls, we'll be getting a shiny new mining ship, major pirate faction ship revamps, an enhanced new player experience, and a cool new effect when players warp into or out of an area. Read on for a breakdown of the EVE keynote presentation and to find out why CCP is moving away from its usual two expansions per year.
AT&T wants to power the next big video streaming service
AT&T has a new way to take on TV-threatening internet video services like Netflix: it's going to offer a few services of its own. The telecom is teaming up with the Chernin Group -- previously a bidder in the Hulu sweepstakes -- to start a venture that will "acquire, invest in and launch" both online video platforms and on-demand TV channels. While the two companies aren't saying much about their plans, they're already willing to pledge over $500 million to the project and fund providers whether they're ad-supported or subscription-based.
EVE Evolved: Anatomy of a mining op
When EVE Online was first released in 2003, it was designed as a massive universe of competition and conflict between space-faring megacorporations in the distant future. Players bought into the premise completely and soon set about building their own empires and waging wars with neighbours. Corporations ran regular mining operations for resources to build frigates and cruisers for their members, and some of the larger corps co-operatively mined to build the first ever battleships in the game. The mining op has been a staple activity in the game ever since, providing a way for groups to work together on large manufacturing projects or just make some ISK during their down-time. Mining gets a lot of flak for being one of the most boring and least profitable professions in the game, but that's not exactly true. Solo mining can be a great way to spend your downtime while doing other activities, and it ensures that you're online when something exciting happens like a live event, your wormhole system being invaded, or a titan being tackled by your alliance. Co-operative mining ops also offer the social value of bonding with your corpmates when there's nothing else going on. Some players even run dozens of accounts at the same time to turn this ordinarily placid activity into an intensive profit-making activity focused on efficiency and organisation skills. With mining due to make a resurgence in the summer expansion, this edition of EVE Evolved is dedicated to the humble mining operation. I'll take a look at the various options for mining ships, the different haulers available, and the four different areas you can mine in.
Lenovo investor statement fuels NEC smartphone partnership rumors
NEC and Lenovo are already joined at the hip in the PC business, and rumors that the two will soon be smartphone partners as well continue to gather steam. Lenovo confirmed that it's started "preliminary negotiations with a party in connection with a potential joint venture transaction," and while it didn't name names, Japanese media sources and Reuters are claiming that it's NEC. Lenovo's the number two three smartphone vendor in China but doesn't have much of a presence elsewhere, and NEC, while a leader in Japanese handset sales, is still in a "difficult state," according to the company. Lenovo has the cash it needs and hasn't been shy about plans to expand its mobile business, so a relationship with NEC would make sense, if true -- and could help Lenovo realize those ambitions more quickly. Update: Lenovo's Milko van Duijl has now also told The Wall Street Journal that the company is "in talks with many people" about a possible partnership, although he declined to comment specifically on reports of a deal with NEC.
Pebble receives $15 mil in funding, releases SDK and Sports API
The company behind the Pebble smartwatch, which not only looks awesome but connects up to your iPhone, has picked up US$15 million in funding from venture capitalists, and has released yet another version of its SDK. The funding is obviously a solid chunk of change, and should help Pebble not only fulfill its current orders (the company is still aiming to get watches out to all of its supporters from a successful Kickstarter bid), but push the company on into the future as well. This latest SDK release, called the PebbleKit, allows for two-way communication back and forth between the watch and your smartphone, which means there are lots of new options for apps to work with the watch as a display or even a remote control. The company has also released a Sports API, which should allow for GPS-enabled apps (like running apps) to send and receive information from the watch. Pebble's initial set of features was quite limited, but this API update should make a lot of new apps possible, and of course we'll likely see more in the future. You can pre-order a Pebble watch on the main website right now for $150.00. Or you may want to wait just a bit longer, if you happen to believe those crazy rumors about an Apple iWatch.
EVE Online gives a report card to Retribution ships
"The introduction of new ships always sparks considerable initial interest and Retribution was no exception in that regard," CCP Recurve wrote in a new EVE Online dev post today. "Hundreds of billions were spent on blueprints and manufactured ships." The article analyzes the popularity between the five new ships (one mining frigate and four destroyers), noting that the Algos and Corax have proven to be more desirable in PvP. The Venture both sold more blueprints and was destroyed more than the others since the expansion launched, although the mining frigate did account for a sharp uptick in harvested gas overall. If breaking down stats and crunching all sorts of interstellar numbers are your thing, then check out the post for the nitty-gritty details on these ships' performances.
Sharp and Qualcomm to team up for energy-efficient IGZO display venture
We already knew that Sharp's been asking around for some much-needed help recently, and now we can all breathe a sigh of relief, as Nikkei is reporting that said manufacturer has finally found a new friend to help co-develop its energy-efficient IGZO LCD panels. Set to announce as soon as Tuesday (presumably Japan time), the deal will involve Qualcomm initially throwing in five billion yen ($61 million) by the end of the year, with a double-down of another five billion yen after "sufficient progress has been made." There's no timeline yet on when (or if) a full investment would be secured, but if all goes to plan, Qualcomm will eventually hold nearly five percent of Sharp's stock, whereas Sharp will more or less get back the 10 billion yen it lost to Sony following the termination of their joint venture earlier this year. Additionally, Sharp will also share some of the IGZO magic with Qualcomm to help improve the latter's Pixtronix MEMS display technology. Not a bad way for the two companies to wrap up 2012, eh? Richard Lai contributed to this report.
Hawken developers raise $10 million in capital to launch
Tim Schafer's Double Fine Entertainment has made a lot of noise by getting fans to pay over $2.6 million for them to put together an old school adventure game, but here's a reminder that there are still some reasons to do things the old way. About 7.4 million reasons, in fact: Publisher Meteor Entertainment has reportedly raised over $10 million in funding for its upcoming multiplayer mech game, Hawken.Meteor raised the money by pitching its idea to venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and FirstMark Capital, the same companies that initially invested in the makers of League of Legends, Riot Games.Riot Games later sold for a rumored $350 million. Hawken (which is being developed by Adhesive Games) is also enjoying a nice bit of player interest already, with over 200,000 signed up for the closed beta, and lots more looking forward to the free-to-play launch. Schafer and company have done great things with Kickstarter, but there's still a lot of money to be made through more traditional routes as well.
PAX 2010: How to build LEGO Universe, piece by piece
The world of LEGO is being destroyed by the mighty Maelstrom. Imagination is being sucked into its evil vortex, and only you and your friends can stop it! Customize your minifig to fit your personality, choose your favorite faction, and launch into battle against Maelstrom and its minions. Save imagination! LEGO Universe Online is the LEGO brand's first leap into the MMO genre. After LEGO's success with single-player games, such as the extremely popular Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, it only seems natural for the company to jump into the massively multiplayer universe. The design team of over 150 people has built a wild and whimsical world, Brick and Knob by Brick and Knob, and the crazy thing is, you can add to this world, too. At PAX, LEGO was kind enough to give me a personal guided tour through this universe of adventure and creativity. Follow me after the break as I guide you through my hands-on with LEGO Universe Online.%Gallery-101842%
Booyah raises $20m, aims for 6m users
I've lately been guessing that Booyah might eventually hook up with Ngmoco, since they're both iPhone gaming/app companies with somewhat similar goals that could help each other out. But it looks like Booyah doesn't need any help any more -- it's just raised a whopping $20 million from investors in a new round of funding. Booyah was originally included in the iFund investment, but that contribution pales in comparison to this one, which sets Booyah up as one of the heaviest single-brand hitters in the app market. Booyah is made up of a few ex-Blizzard developers (we interviewed CEO Keith Lee back at GDC), and the growth of its second app, MyTown, has been amazing -- a little while back, they said the app was growing by 100,000 users a week, and they're aiming to hit 6 million users by the end of the summer (presumably with a new app coming as well, not all inside just MyTown). Their user investment is huge as well -- they say that average usage of the app was over an hour a day, and they're now hitting 8.3 million virtual item impressions a day. Along with selling virtual items, they're also putting together high-profile partnerships with companies like H&M and The Travel Channel. And they've done all of this while still standing in the shadow of more well-known check-in services like Gowalla and Foursquare. There's a heck of a lot of activity and potential coming out of Booyah, and with this big chunk of funding, they're set up to do some more amazing things with their next app. We'll have to keep an eye on them.
Zynga founder explains 'Facegroup' games to Charlie Rose
Now hang on just a minute before you head off to the next post in search of funny game-related desserts or screenshots from that hot new blockbuster game. Charlie Rose is no Kevin Pereira, but the man's a broadcasting legend, so let's give him his due. And Zynga just raised $180 million for their social gaming empire, so it can buy and sell any number of your Pokemons. When Zynga founder Mark Pincus appears on the Charlie Rose Show, you whippersnappers should take a little notice! After all, Zynga has not only been hiring up solid talent, but it also runs the bigger-than-you'd-believe Facebook games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille. Pincus tells the somewhat confused Rose that his company doesn't just want to roll in the venture cash; Zynga wants to create "an Internet treasure," and be recognized in the same way that brands like Google, Amazon, and Facebook are. You can watch the whole segment after the break. Bewarned: the video of two well-dressed men talking at a table doesn't feature any laser guns or girls in bikinis, but it does feature Rose holding up printouts of a virtual cafe created in his honor. Surreal.
Major media giants to form joint venture for digital future, says WSJ
News Corp, Time Inc., Condé Nast Publications Inc., Hearst Corp., and Meredith Corp. If this Wall Street Journal report is to be believed here, these five major media firms are preparing to announce a new joint venture tomorrow to "prepare print publications for a new generation of electronic readers and other digital devices." Details are a bit sketchy here, and what makes it more interesting / confounding is that many of these companies already have or have showcased separate initiatives, such as Hearst's Skiff and tablet demos from both Time and Condé Nast. We'll be eager to find out if there are any devices the group rallies behind (or even produces itself), but one thing's for sure: good old Rupert Murdoch will have something fun to say on the matter.
Green-themed kids' game nabs $3.2 million in funding
Fluid Entertainment, a game company that employs only 14 people, has raised an impressive $3.2 million in funding for the development of a Flash-based online social game for kids aged 6 - 11. The game has an environment-friendly theme.After the successes of Webkinz and Club Penguin, these kid-oriented games and virtual worlds are hot items for venture capitalists, according to VentureBeat. Fluid is one of many companies aiming to enter that sector of the industry, but its game is particularly intriguing because it aims to use the medium to "[affect] real-world behavior around environmentalism and sustainability."This is one more example of the virtual world and MMO phenomenon expanding beyond the hardcore role-playing game niche and "just for fun" design. Fluid is aiming for a summer release of the new game, and its business model will combine subscriptions, micro-transactions, and apparently the sale of real-world merchandise. With $3.2 million in funding, these guys could end up notable players in the kids' MMO space, so we'll be watching them.[Via Mashable]
Meet the Venture SHD7000 HD DVD player
Boy it sure took long enough, but finally, a company other then Toshiba is producing an HD DVD player. Sure, it might be made by the same company that produces those low-cost Walmart DVD players, but before you say anything, think back a few years. Remember when DVD players where a thing for AV geeks and gadget lovers, costing around $150 to $200 per player? Companies like Venture, APEX, and all those other random Chinese companies did what CE giants like Sony and Toshiba couldn't - get people to kick their VCRs to the curb with low-cost DVD players. We aren't saying those DVD players are still alive and kicking but those cheap units put a DVD player in every home across the country. There aren't many details about the Venture SHD7000, besides it plays HD DVD movies. We are assuming it has the mandatory HD DVD requirements of persistent storage, network interface and HDi support but other then that, we have nothing. Hopefully when more details emerge, they will include a price of around $100 and a launch date that is sooner then later. Just when you thought the format wars where dying down, here come the Chinese. FYI - Venture is based out of Canada with a Chinese manufacturing partner, Alco.
VentureOne three-wheeled hybrid does flex-fuel
We most certainly dig where this uber-green three-wheeled vehicle category is going, as just one week after seeing the Silence PT2, we've now learned that Venture Vehicles will be tossing the two-wheeled axle in the rear and calling its rendition the VentureOne. Based around Carver Engineering's tilting technology, this trike is officially classified as a motorcycle, but sports a fully enclosed body, roll-cage construction, airbags and bumpers similar to a standard car. The vehicle will hold three folks, and the company has plans for two plug-in hybrid variations that utilize a flex-fuel approach to barely sip gasoline from the four gallon tank, all while touting 100 miles per gallon and the ability to hit speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour; eventually, Venture is also hoping to release an all-electric breed that can scoot 200 miles before needing a recharge. Although production isn't slated to begin until "late 2008," that should give you enough time to save up a good chunk of the $18,000 (E50 hybrid) to $23,000 (all-electric model) that'll be required to snap one up -- and to acquire a motorcycle license, too.[Via Gizmag]
