Unusual Fighter Selection In EA Sports MMA Demo (Which Goes Live On September 28)
The demo for EA’s upcoming EA Sports MMA will be released on September 28 for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. There will be four fighters to choose from, one of which was badly exposed at the most recent Strikeforce event and another of which isn’t even a part of Strikeforce anymore. Banging on all cylinders, I see.
The fighters included in the demo will be:
• Alistair Overeem, the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion (who has a great, ongoing documentary on his Web site)
• Bobby Lashley, the former WWE Superstar who was pretty much embarrassed at Strikeforce Houston a few weeks ago
• Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who’s actually pretty good and has a great entrance (when Strikeforce actually lets its fighters have entrances)
• Jake Shields, who has recently signed with UFC
Judging by the press release, Randy Couture, probably the biggest “name” in the game (besides Fedor and Overeem), has to be unlocked by “sharing the demo with friends.” I don’t know what that means.
Incidentally, Overeem won’t be fighting in Strikeforce for the next few months seeing as though he’s committed himself to fighting in the K-1 tournament this autumn.
The game will be released on October 19 for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and you really do wonder how many copies EA plans to sell. UFC is big in this country, not MMA, and considering that the latest UFC game sold just about 18 copies, well, I can’t see EA Sports MMA exactly lighting up the sales charts.
Which, of course, backs up what I said several months ago, that EA Sports MMA is merely a tech demo for EA while it waits to purchase the UFC license.
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Unusual Fighter Selection In EA Sports MMA Demo (Which Goes Live On September 28)
New Jersey transit looks to add WiFi to its rail lines and stations, New Yorkers to pretend they didn’t hear that
A New Jersey Transit spokesperson has announced that its seeking a company to install WiFi on its rail lines and at its train stations. The installation would make New Jersey one of the few major transit systems in the country to have WiFi on its 165 stations and 12 lines. The spokesperson also said they hope to get the installation under way quickly, and to have the hotspots available to riders by next year.
New Jersey transit looks to add WiFi to its rail lines and stations, New Yorkers to pretend they didn't hear that originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Boxee Box priced at $199
The Boxee Box has just been slapped with a $199 price point, and while it will cost an additional Benjamin over the recently announced Apple TV 2, Boxee defends itself by touting that consumers really want the additional features which comes built-in. Oh really, perhaps we will just have to wait and see whether the sales figures reflect such insight, or is it just a marketing ploy? Perhaps in these economically challenging times, doing with the bare necessities might be just right for ordinary folks, only to expand their "wants" into "needs" territory when the economy picks up. Good thing the US has withdrawn from Iraq, eh, that ought to save the country a whole bundle of cash.
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Boxee Box priced at $199
T-Mobile Expands HSPA+ Coverage To 9 New Markets
T-Mobile has announced that it will be expanding its HSPA+ network to nine new cities which will include Boston; Erie, Pa.; Fresno, Calif.; Palm Springs, Calif.; San Diego; Miami; Richmond, Va.; Spokane, Wash.; and Topeka, Kan. After the expansion is complete, T-Mobile's HSPA+ network will cover 55 major markets,100 million people, and the carrier has already promised to add an additional 100 million people by the end of the year. With an interesting HSPA+ phone like the T-Mobile G2 on its way, we're glad to hear that T-Mobile is busy expanding its data network so that we can enjoy better data speeds around the country.
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T-Mobile Expands HSPA+ Coverage To 9 New Markets
Skype & Google Could Be Next On India’s Watch List
Only a few hours after RIM managed to avoid the Indian ban hammer, it now looks like Google and Skype could be the next target. India’s Home Ministry, the country’s interior ministry (think police force and other domestic policy matters), has told the BBC that “any company with a telecoms network should be accessible” to the country’s security services. India says it needs to be able to be able to tap into such communications in order to thwart potential terrorism threats.
Since Google’s Gmail uses encryption, and Skype is a proprietary protocol, the Indian government would have no way to tap into them should the need arise.
It’s the exact same situation that RIM had been facing, so we could be looking at a case where India is merely “working its way down the to-do list.”
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Skype & Google Could Be Next On India’s Watch List
KT to offer Identity Tab tablet in South Korea
KT, a cell carrier in South Korea, has decided to spice up the tablet market in that part of the world by rolling out their Identity Tab (what's up with the Tab naming convention?) - a 7-inch Android 2.2-powered tablet that is somewhat similar to the Galaxy Tab, although it will target those living in that part of the world only. It will ship with a DMB TV tuner that ought to let you enjoy over-the-air digital video in the country, and when attached to KT, will be accompanied by a WiBro (WiMAX) card for 4G connectivity. Other hardware specifications include 8GB of internal memory which is half the amount of that found on the iPad and Galaxy Tab. You might not find it to be that zippy though with a mere 1GHz Snapdragon processor within, but surely a 3-megapixel camera and an SD memory card slot will help close the deal? The Identity Tab has already started to ship today for $250 a pop as an unlocked device, but if you want to stick to KT like a barnacle, then it is free albeit with a $22 monthly 4G plan alongside a generous 50GB cap.
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RIM Proposes BlackBerry Compromise to Mitigate India Ban
After nearing its deadline for reaching a compromise with India, Research in Motion has finally proposed what it hopes to be a solution to mitigate a ban of its BlackBerry smartphone in that country. India had demanded access to encrypted emails sent and received with a BlackBerry device in the country, citing national security concern, but RIM has said that such a move would not be possible and that it cannot grant access to select governments, no matter how legitimate the concerns are against terrorists and other issues of security.
The proposal by RIM would have the company lead an industry-wide forum to balance the growing needs of India's security concerns along with issues of privacy from the perspective of a BlackBerry user. The move may mitigate a ban that the government has said will go into effect at the end of the month of RIM doesn't offer a solution.
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US Senators uneasy over possible Huawei equipment deal for Sprint
Chinese telecom giant Huawei already has a pretty big (and growing) presence in North America, having previously signed deals with regional carriers like Leap (better known by its Cricket brand) and MetroPCS -- but apparently, a bid to supply one of the Big Four with equipment is hitting a little too close to home for some legislators. A group of eight US Senators has filed a letter with the Treasury Department expressing concern over Huawei's alleged ties with everything from Saddam Hussein's Iraq to present-day Iran to China's own People's Liberation Army, saying that such a company "should not be able to do business" in the country. Of course, similar concerns ended up dooming Huawei's attempted buyout of 3Com not long ago -- and considering the political climate in US-China relations, this is the kind of lukewarm response Huawei and other major Chinese firms might need to keep dealing with as they try to grow their Western presence.
US Senators uneasy over possible Huawei equipment deal for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Medal Of Dis-Honor? Pressure Mounts On EA Over Role Of Taliban In Game, British Defense Secretary Calls For Ban
As expected, EA’s Medal of Honor is coming under fire from all sides. The game, a first-person shooter, is scheduled to be released on October 12 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, takes place in Afghanistan, and puts you in control of U.S. soldiers on the ground there. It also, at least in the multi-player mode, lets you play as the Taliban. So, the natural line of thinking is, what kind of video game lets you shoot and kill U.S. soldiers?
As you might expect, the game hasn’t exactly flown under the radar.
A Golden Star mother appeared on Fox News last week to criticize the game, saying that “war is not a game,” and that “families who are burying their children” shouldn’t have to do so against the backdrop of people fragging each other on Xbox Live. “It’s disrespectful,” she added.
In its defense, EA said that “someone has to be the bad guy,” whether in a game of cops and robbers or in Medal of Honor.
Never mind that the average age of gamers today is 39 years old, so it’s not a case of a 10-year-old boy walking into Best Buy, buying the game with cash that grandma and grandpa gave him for his birthday, and coming home to play it into the wee hours of the morning.
EA has learnt first-hand that “don’t like it? don’t buy it!” doesn’t apply to matters involving Uncle Sam.
Even the British are upset. This, despite the fact that there are no British soldiers in the game.
The country’s defense minister, Liam Fox, has pleaded with retailers, asking them not to carry the “thoroughly un-British” game.
… part of this game allows you to play the part of the Taliban attacking ISAF troops in the area of central Helmand where British troops are operating. [It is] shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. It’s hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product.
Strong words, but the UK Government distanced itself from the comments shortly after they were made.
The point remains: we’re barely two months before the game’s scheduled release and EA is already having to defend its actions left, right, and center.
And talk about bad timing: this is an election year in the U.S. Granted, it’s not a general election, which means that media coverage and general interest won’t be as high as it would otherwise be, but if you don’t think politicians looking for easy points won’t go after the game…
You can see it now: “While I have come out against this senseless solider-killing simulator, my good opponent hasn’t said anything. What does that say about his character, ladies and gentlemen?”
Video games are a pretty easy target even under the best of circumstances, but throw in the fact that you can play as the Taliban while the war is still raging, well, you can at least understand why that might be an issue for EA.
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Medal Of Dis-Honor? Pressure Mounts On EA Over Role Of Taliban In Game, British Defense Secretary Calls For Ban
"Exploding" Lake Could Kill Millions or Power the Country for 100 Years [Energy]
The lake's lethal combination of methane and carbon dioxide has residents fearing for their lives, but it's also the country's most vital and promising energy source. More