Sprint Will Be Bought Out By Softbank

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Sprint Nextel confirmed that they have agreed to a deal with Softbank of Japan over a large investment. This would give the carrier the backing it needs to potentially turn around in the U.S. market.

Softbank will take a 70 percent stake in U.S. mobile carrier Sprint for about $20 billion.  This marks the biggest-ever overseas acquisition by a Japanese firm.

Softbank is one of Japan’s biggest cellphone service providers and could provide additional resources for Sprint build out a 4G network. The merger could also result in a potential takeover of Clearwire, a wireless services provider in which Sprint owns a significant stake, though that will have to wait until after this deal clears.

Sprint has been in the shadows of Verizon Wireless and AT&T for years and has fought desperately to compete with them. More troublesome to them is the announced plan to merge T-Mobile USA with MetroPCS, creating a competitor in the lower end cellphone market and putting T-Mobile’s subscriber numbers around 42.5 million, close to Sprint’s 56 million customers.

The company has struggled to deploy its L.T.E. network; it’s currently only in 15 markets compared to AT&T’s 50 and Verizon’s 400 markets. Sprint recently said that it is well under way to add L.T.E. in 100 more cities, and in the coming months the network should be ready in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Miami and Washington.

When the deal goes through, it could potentially lead to more advanced services for Sprint, including mobile payments and analytics that look at a customer’s personal data to give them better map directions or recommendations for things to buy. “Things that Google and Apple are trying to do here, operators are doing in those countries,” said Chetan Sharma, an independent telecom analyst.

Source: Dealbook

 

Wii Bundle Priced At $129

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Nintendo has officially announced that they are shipping a new Wii hardware bundle for $129.99 that includes a Wii console as well as Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort on one disc. The existing $149 hardware bundle that includes New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be phased out.

While the Wii has only seen three price drops in its history, it has seen two drops in the past year and a half. This news comes right before the launch of the Wii U, which will be available November 18 for $299 in a basic configuration and at $349 with more memory, a rewards system for purchases and the game Nintendo Land.

Facebook’s New, New EdgeRank Algorithm

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More changes to Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm mean another hit to brands’ organic page per post reach but a deeper level of engagement with users, if brands have the cash.

The first announcement of the change came September 25 by Geoffrey Colon, Social@Ogilvy’s VP of Digital Strategy. It has been recently confirmed by a study administered by Socialbakers on October 9.

But the algorithm change hasn’t had a major effect on overall performance. While less is being seen, what is in user news feeds seems to evoke a deeper level engagement. It’s getting there that has gotten more difficult.

The best way to reach audiences seems to be a more sophisticated paid promotion approach with the same social mantra: brands need to know and understand their audience.

Global Managing Director of We Are Social, Robin Grant stated, “Facebook’s changes mean brands need to shift to creating social content that is ‘as engaging as the posts you see from friends and family’ and supplement this with a sophisticated paid promotion strategy.”

Facebook confirms it.

A Facebook spokesperson stated, “We’re continuing to optimize News Feed to show the posts that people are most likely to engage with, ensuring they see the most interesting stories. This aligns with our vision that all content should be as engaging as the posts you see from friends and family.”

Find out more at AdWeek.

Free The Pokemon

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PETA has launched a brand new flash game for concerned animal lovers to check out. Capitalizing on the release of Pokemon Black and White 2 to spread its message, the group has released Pokemon Black and Blue, in which users take on the role of abused Pokemon as they fight to free themselves from their trainers.

The game features Pikachu, Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, but Pokefans may not immediately recognize them because they’re a lot more battered and bruised than we’re used to seeing them.

A bandaged and bloodied Pikachu, for instance, sports a chain around his neck and has a chunk missing from one of his ears, while Tepig is missing his ears altogether. Snivy has a syringe jutting out of his head and a tag on his tail, and Oshawott has been clearly skinned alive. In other words, it’s probably not the best idea to let your kids around Pokemon Black and Blue if the series is one of their favorite things.

 

Mobile Gaming Represents 59 Percent Of All Gaming: NPD

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The NPD Group is reporting that 59 percent of total game play is done on a mobile device. Part of their Mobile Gaming 2012 report, they say that app gamers who play most often on mobile phones are important because 23 percent of these app gamers only play on mobile devices.

Almost half of all gamers say they are playing more mobile games than last year, with 37 percent saying the reason is free apps and 34 percent arguing for portability and convenience. “Many mobile gaming consumers have grown accustomed to gaming for free, making it essential to find the sweet spot for pricing that encourages purchasing by as many consumers as possible,” said Liam Callahan, industry analyst, The NPD Group.

Right now, 30 percent of app games have an upgrade option or in-app purchases. The average price at which app gamers feel they would have received a good value is for an app game purchase or a free-to-paid app upgrade is approximately $3.

Gamers who choose to game most often on a smartphone are not as likely to have made an in-app game purchase or to have upgraded to a paid app compared to tablet gamers. There is a direct corespondance between gaming frequency increases and the likelihood of having made a purchase or upgrade.

“Mobile game developers and publishers need to be able to maximize their opportunities by identifying ways to increase the number of gamers willing to upgrade their free apps or pay for in-app purchases, which currently stand at close to 30 percent,” added Callahan. “Another opportunity for the industry as a whole is to convert mobile-only gamers to engage in other gaming activities across portables, consoles and PC’s where we see more money being spent per user.”

Marvel Announces Bonuses For New York Comic Con ’12

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Marvel announced a new promotion for the New York Comic Con. Until October 14, Avengers Initiative, is giving the Gladiator Hulk costume away for free, while the game is being offering for a limited time at $2.99.

The company also announced that the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance has included better PvP tournaments and competitons, with seasons of one month. Players will be able to compete for rewards based on their league placement, receiving their current league’s reward plus all those beneath, with those ranked in the Adamantium League competing for a chance win the ultimate prize for the first season — the exclusive playable Deadpool.

Download Avengers Initiative on the App Store {link no longer active} and play Marvel: Avengers Alliance on Facebook.com. The Marvel Video Games panel will take place on Saturday, October 13 from 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in room 1E13 during the NYCC for some sneak peaks and reveals from Avengers Initiative and Marvel: Avengers Alliance.

Magic: The YouTuber Gathering

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YouTube stars will go head to head today in an e-sports tournament for Wizards of the Coast’s Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, the latest game in the Magic: The Gathering series.

Dubbed Duels of the YouTubers, the event is organized by Ayzenberg Group and features popular e-sports commentator HuskyStarcraft as host. The tournament pits YouTube stars Tobuscus, OMFGcata, Panser, Katers17, and Black Nerd Comedy in duels broadcast live today at 5 PM on TwitchTV.

Wizards of the Coast is the latest company to harness “YouTubers” whose popularity among gamers continues to grow. Earlier this year, Ayzenberg organized a live streaming event for Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade NEXT with some of the same stars, including one of the most popular of the bunch, Tobuscus. Testament to how these stars are gaining notoriety, Tobuscus and Ayzenberg’s own YouTube show host Seth Hendrix caused a near riot in London {link no longer active} last month when they announced an internet-organized “meet-up” in Hyde Park.

Duels of the Planewalkers 2013 is already out for PC, consoles and iPad. There’s a free demo available for viewers who want to play along with their favorite YouTuber during tonight’s live stream.