Iron Man 3 Trailer

In the aftermath of the first Avengers movie, probably the most anticipated follow up is Iron Man 3 and it’s clear from this trailer it will be the darkest Iron Man movie yet. We also get a tease of Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin, who will strike Tony Stark at home and force him to fight for the people he cares about the most with his ingenuity rather than his vast wealth.

 

Motion City Soundtrack Goes 8-bit

Motion City Soundtrack recently launched an 8-bit video game where fans can play as their favorite band member. The game is the classic tale of a man on a mission to rescue a woman who ended up on the other side of a treacherous 8-bit obstacle course. After beating the game, you are awarded a free download of an 8-bit version of their new single, True Romance from the album, “Go”. You can check out the game now by clicking here.

iPad Mini: 14 Million Americans Are Interested

According to a report by Newzoo, 7.4 percent of all Americans aged between 10 and 50 were seriously thinking about buying the iPad Mini before the device was officially announced.

“The device is cool. What surprises me is the price,” said Peter Warman, CEO Newzoo. “I realize that Apple is caught in between pricing of the iPod Touch and the iPad and the fact that they keep selling the iPad 2 doesn’t make things easier. I think Apple missed a great opportunity to restructure pricing for all their products. Now they are leaving the door wide open for Google, Samsung and especially Amazon. Amazon is rolling out their business in price-sensitive Europe at an enormous pace. Even if they had lowered pricing of their total product range with only $20 per device that would have given the Apple brand an enormous boost in terms of sympathy amongst consumers that are facing a serious recession.”

Source: Newzoo.com

Dish Makes Peace With AMC

Dish Network announced it has signed an agreement with AMC Networks and Cablevision over a disagreement on AMC’s high-definition service Voom HD; Dish will pay $700 million to Cablevision and AMC Networks and will give up its 20 percent stake in Voom HD.  This means that AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv, and IFC Films networks will resume broadcasting on Dish in 45 separate major markets, which between them have 150 million people.

“We are glad to partner again with DishNetwork and are delighted to bring back our popular channels and programming to their customers,” said Josh Sapan, CEO of AMC Networks.

“We are glad to have settled the case and reestablished our long-term relationships with AMC Networks and Cablevision,” said Dave Shull, senior vice president of programming at Dish. “This multi-year deal delivers a fair value for both parties.”

Apple Lights Up iPad Mini And More

At a press event, Apple unveiled the iPad Mini, surprising absolutely no one. The tablet, both thinner and lighter than the iPad, comes with a 7.9-inch screen with a 1024×768 resolution, a dual-core A5 chip, a FaceTime HD camera, and a 5-megapixel rear camera.

The iPad Mini will start at $329 for a 16GB Wi-fi only version, while a 64GB version with Wi-fi and 4G will be priced at $659. iPad Minis will start shipping November 2 with pre-orders being offered starting on Friday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook also boasted that the company sold its 100 millionth iPad and that the company’s tablet computers comprised 91 percent of all tablet web traffic. Part of the reason for this, they say, is that the iPad browser winds up with a 67 percent larger display in landscape mode, and 50 percent larger when upright.

In something of a surprise, the company also showed off the fourth generation iPad, with a A6X chip said to be twice as powerful as the previous iPad’s A5X, an updated camera, faster Wi-fi, expanded LTE coverage, and 10-hour battery life. It will come in black and white versions with the same configurations as the last iPad, starting at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only versions

Apple also announced the 13-inch Macbook Pro sporting a high-resolution Retina display, which is thinner and lighter than any previous MacBook. The laptop is available in a variety of configurations, but starts at $1,699 for the model sporting a dual-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive.

Zynga Cuts 5 Percent Of Staff

Zynga has confirmed that they will be laying off five percent of their total workforce. The social game company says this is part of a cost reduction plan that also includes significant cuts in spending on data hosting, advertising and outside services such as contractors.

“We are sunsetting 13 older games and we’re also significantly reducing our investment in The Ville,” said Zynga CEO Mark Pincus in a note to employees. “We are closing the Zynga Boston studio and proposing closures of the Zynga Japan and U.K. studios. Additionally, we are reducing staffing levels in our Austin studio. All of these represent terrific entrepreneurial teams, which make this decision so difficult. In addition to these studios, we are also making a small number of partner team reductions.”

“We will all be discussing these difficult changes more with our teams and as a company,” he added. “Tomorrow, Dave and I will be hosting a post-earnings webcast (details to follow) and next week we will be discussing our broader vision and strategy during our quarterly all-hands meeting. I’m confident this puts us on the right path to deliver on the promise of social gaming and make Zynga into an internet treasure.”

Amazon Offers Special PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Costumes

Amazon revealed that it will have a very special pre-order bonus for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Those that pick up the game early will get an exclusive set of costumes for Kratos, Fat Princess, PaRappa, Colonel Radec, Sweet Tooth, Sly Cooper, Nathan Drake, Big Daddy, Heihachi Mishima, and Toro Inoue.

Amazon notes that purchases from the retailer of the PS3 version of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale also include the downloadable version of the same game for PS Vita. The game will launch for both Sony platforms on November 20.

Source: Amazon.com

Xbox 360 $99 Program Expands

Microsoft has announced it is expanding its special $99 pricing system for the Xbox 360 out from just Microsoft stores. Starting late in October, GameStop, Toys ‘R’ Us, Best Buy and Wal-Mart will be selling the system itself at a discount for a two-year Xbox Live subscription at $15 per month.

For the $99, gamers will be able to get a 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect or a 250GB Xbox 360 without the Kinect. For a limited time, those who want a bundle including the Kinect sensor and a 250GB Xbox 360 can pick it up for $149.