October 2013 | Page 14 of 31

Twitter’s Numbers Speak For Themselves

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Twitter is on track for some major growth, and could very well be the social network with the highest engagement rates in the near future. With 21 percent of the world’s population now using Twitter on at least a monthly basis, it can be hard to make sense of this engagement and potential reach. How important are hashtags? Who are the world’s most major influencers? Luckily we have just the infographic for you:

For more on Twitter’s international growth, read our last look on the subject here.

Source: Social Media Today {link no longer active}

‘Kingdom Hearts’ Magic Continues

BY Lauren Arevalo-Downes

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Square Enix fulfilled the wishes of many fans when they confirmed that they would release Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix, featuring Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and HD cinematics for Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. If that wasn’t enough to give fans palpitations, they released some new footage of the heavily anticipated Kingdom Hearts III!

‘Blade Runner’ Gets Classic Noir Makeover

BY Lauren Arevalo-Downes

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Let there be no doubt about the original Blade Runner: It is a noir film, but this creatively re-invented black and white trailer really emphasizes the detective elements of the genre. As a bonus, we’ve included an old school RPG recreation of Blade Runner.

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Visit ‘Star Wars’ Cantina At EA

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

If you’re in the San Francisco area next month, you’re invited down to the Star Wars Cantina for some fun.

Electronic Arts will host a Community Cantina Tour event for Star Wars: The Old Republic at its Redwood Shores offices on November 13. Members of the development team will be on hand for a Q & A, and attendees will be able to indulge in free drinks, food and giveaways. Plus, everyone who attends is guaranteed a highly coveted Tauntaun Fawn code for use in game.

The team will also have the new expansion for the game, Galactic Starfighter, on hand for play, as well as plenty of music and good times. Just try not to irk any bounty hunters while you’re there. You remember what happened to poor Greedo.

Interested fans can visit the official Facebook page to RSVP, though it’s not necessary to attend. But you should plan to get there early, as space is limited.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is available now for PC.

Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic

‘Scroogling’ Google

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

A while back, Microsoft launched a new ad campaign titled Scroogled, one that was meant to provide a little backlash to its competitors at Google in terms of search tools. So, how did it do?

According to a report from AdAge, the favorability gap for Google manages to fade with certain users after paying a visit to the official Scroogled page. The official numbers indicate that the number drops from 45 to 5.

In addition, recommendation of Google also dwindled after select viewers watched the ad by approximately 10 percent, while recommending Bing in its place rises by seven percent.

Expect the Scroogled ads to continue as a result, even with their negativity towards their competitors.

Source: TechCrunch

If It’s Not Scottish, It’s ‘Swap’

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

It’s not everyday where you see a video game promotion where its virtual world is compared with that of a real city… but that’s just what happened recently through a recent promotion for Activision’s Skylanders: Swap Force.

The company teamed up with VisitScotland and the Highland Council to announce that the Isle of Skye has “virtually” turned into a twin for Swap Force, in an attempt to celebrate the SWAPtober promotion that the game is currently undergoing. It marks the first time that a video game world has “twinned” with a real destination, despite similarities in prior games with cities.

As part of the “twinning” event, Activision recently had Wash Buckler, one of the characters in the game, “visit” the Isle of Skye, while also touring some of the island’s most famous landmarks, as well as the Portree Primary School. In addition, Skylanders have also “taken over” the official Isle of Skye website, where franchise fans can type in “SWAP” and see the lands magically transform.

“We’re thrilled to continue to combine physical and virtual experiences through the Skylanders franchise, and what better way to do so than making the Skylands the first video game world to twin with a real destination,” said Michael Sportouch, Vice President and General Manager, Activision Publishing. “With the launch of Skylanders Swap Force around the corner, it was perfect timing to merge the magical world of Skylands with the beautiful Isle of Skye. We’re sure this partnership is going to spark the imaginations of families whenever they visit the Highlands, but fortunately they don’t have to worry about seeing any Chompies on Earth.”

Councillor Thomas Prag, Chair, The Highland Council’s Planning Environment and Development Committee, commented ‘We’re thrilled to welcome the Skylanders characters to the Highlands. This is an unusual project, as we can’t sign an actual deed of twinning due to the limitations getting paper work to the Skylands. However, we were delighted to see Wash Buckler visiting the Isle of Skye, and hope his visit encourages many more people to look for adventure in the Highlands’.

Skylanders: Swap Force is available now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Wii and Wii U.

Source: Isle of Skye

HTC To Craft Amazon Smartphones?

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Though HTC has seen better days, the company is still faring decently enough – and, if a report from the Financial Times is any indication, they could come sooner rather than later. According to the report, HTC has teamed up with Amazon to produce a number of new smartphone devices that could make their way to the site’s store as soon as next year. The devices are expected to offer competitive hardware at an execllent price, much like the Kindle Fire line of tablets.

Now the question is when the devices will be released. The Financial Times report indicates that one release date for one of the products has already changed – even with it still in development – and there’s no indication as to when they will actually arrive, if at all.

It’s no secret that Amazon has been looking to get more into the “tech” market, especially with the success of its Kindle models, but it’s only a matter of time before it eventually nails down something to compete in the smartphone category. We’ll see what comes of this team-up soon enough.

Source: TechCrunch

Four PlayStation Hits Coming To PS4, For Free

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Sony has announced a new promotion where four of its more popular downloadable games on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita will be available on the PlayStation 4, just in time for the system’s launch last month.

flOw, Flower, Sound Shapes and Escape Plan will all be released on November 15 for the PlayStation 4, each with modifications that work specifically with the system. Flower, the critically acclaimed “relaxation” game from thatgamecompany, will feature a higher-frame rate and enhanced controls, along with access to the PS Vita version of the game, which also releases on the November 15. Escape Plan, which came out on PS Vita last year, will have controls that map with the new Touchpad on the PlayStation 4 controller.

Best of all, if users purchased these games on a previous system – be it either the PS Vita or PlayStation 3 – they can download them on the new system at no additional charge. Otherwise, the games are likely to run $9.99 apiece – a rather fair deal.The PlayStation 4 arrives in the U.S. on November 15th.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Lenovo Reenters Tablet Market

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Lenovo is back in the tablet game with a new model ready to go later this month, adding full Windows 8.1 compatibility and a reasonably sized screen for a low price. The Miix 2 will feature an 8-inch display, along with an Intel quad-core Bay Trail processor, a much more powerful successor to last year’s Intel Atom model. Testing reveals the new chip provides performance nearly equal to Intel Core chips at a fraction of the power, which should mean great gaming performance.

The device weighs in at a meager 350 grams, but provides a full Windows experience like you’d find on other Microsoft tablets, complete with 10-point multi-touch screen support and access to Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013, for those who need those services.

This latest model goes for a very affordable $299 and will be available later this month.

Source: GigaOm

Drive Like A Pro On Xbox One

BY Robert Workman

October 17, 2013, 12:00AM

Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb, a long-standing community spokesman for the company, posted a new video where he speaks with Branden Powell, director of strategic alliances for the console, on two new steering wheels that will come to the system. They’re expected to work with a number of next-gen racing games for the system, including Forza Motorsport 5 and Need For Speed: Rivals.

The concepts behind the designs are novel, and the design is sleek, with one model featuring a customizing-friendly design with an interchangeable steering wheel and realistic foot pedals, and another featuring an authentic 458 Italia design, put together by the team at Thrustmaster.

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Release dates and pricing haven’t been provided yet for the peripherals, but you can probably expect them sooner rather than later.Source: Major Nelson