Madfinger Games’ Shadowgun: Deadzone reemerges, set to launch as free to play with online multiplayer mode

Madfinger Games has consistently developed quality mobile titles, including popular games like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger. Today, the studio has released an official teaser video for its long-rumored Shadowgun: Deadzone game for Android. If you don’t remember, the developers from the studio showed off the title at CES last January, but have since been quiet regarding its impending release. In addition to the video, the company posted a teaser image on its Facebook page. At this point, what’s been changed is mostly unknown, though the game will be free to play and offer a multiplayer mode. In the meantime, check out the full video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Madfinger Games (Facebook)

Cloud-based gaming service OnLive officially acquired by ‘newly-formed company’ with ‘substantial funding’

Yesterday, it was reported that the popular cloud-based gaming hub OnLive had allegedly laid off a majority of its staff and planned to file for bankruptcy. OnLive remained quiet for several hours after the initial rumor became widespread. When asked about the potential folding of the company, OnLive’s director of corporate communications refuted the claim by saying “we don’t respond to rumors, but of course not.”

As the business day wrapped up, the official word was sent out in the form of an email.

We can now confirm that the assets of OnLive, Inc. have been acquired into a newly-formed company and is backed by substantial funding, and which will continue to operate the OnLive Game and Desktop services, as well as support all of OnLive’s apps and devices, as well as game, productivity and enterprise partnerships. The new company is hiring a large percentage of OnLive, Inc.’s staff across all departments and plans to continue to hire substantially more people, including additional OnLive employees. All previously announced products and services, including those in the works, will continue and there is no expected interruption of any OnLive services.

We apologize that we were unable to comment on this transaction until it completed, and were limited to reporting on news related to OnLive’s businesses. Now that the transaction is complete, we are able to make this statement.

As it turns out, OnLive will not be shutting down its business operations any time soon. Instead, the company has been acquired by an entirely new entity. OnLive has chosen not to disclose the name of the newly-formed company, but the good news is that all existing services will continue without interruption. Unfortunately, many employees have been let go as a result of the merger. However, according to the statement, many could potentially be re-hired as the new company plans to increase it’s workforce. Details are still scarce, and there’s no official word regarding whether or not OnLive’s CEO Steve Perlman will have a future with the new company. If you’re not familiar with OnLive, you can check out our hands on from CES.

Source: The Verge

ASUS Says the Nexus 7 was Conceived at CES and Released Four Months Later

I used to have this belief that it took months upon months to come up with an idea, create it, and mass produce it, that was until today. You may have remembered a certain tablet by ASUS called the MeMo 370T that disappeared as quickly as it came at this year’s CES. Six months later, Google announces the Nexus 7 at the Google I/O Developer Conference with an official model number of ME370T. How we got to this point? Usually these matters are kept under wraps and not spoken of too much, that was until now.

Recently, Forbes sat down with ASUS’ execs to discuss the Nexus 7. It was then they were given a more thorough explanation of how the Jelly Bean tablet came to life. ASUS UK and Nordic head, Benjamin Yeh, said the idea was conceived in a meeting between Google and ASUS execs at CES in January.

“Our top executives met Google’s top executives at CES to talk about opportunities and how they saw the future market. That’s when we came up with the idea of the Google Nexus 7 by Asus. That was in January, and mass production started in May.”

Typically, the time frame for bringing this kind of product to market is 6-12 months, making the Nexus 7 a remarkably quick turnaround said Mr. Yeh. We will note that Google and ASUS didn’t have to start completely over since they had the MeMo 370T as a template.

ASUS UK marketing manager John Swatton goes into more detail about the display technologies and battery efficiency of the Nexus 7. ASUS was able to reduce weight and thickness of the Nexus 7 as well as increase the screen quality. They incorporated the touch sensor and protective top layer into the same pane of glass while introducing a “full lamination” or “zero-air-gap” method for bonding the LCD to that glass. Sony has also used this method on the Xperia Arc and Apple may be employing it on the next iPhone.

As far as the battery goes, Swatton says ASUS spent a month testing each point on the PCB, checking for heat generation. Heat generation is a definitive sign of battery-draining electrical leakage. Lastly, Employing Nvidia’s Tegra 3 was the cherry on top combining its quad-core workhorse with the low powered companion core (5th core) for day to day tasks.

I’m the kind of guy who will watch hours of “How It’s Made” cause this kind of stuff interests me. Getting a glimpse into how ASUS and Google made the Nexus 7 happen is no less exciting.

source: Forbes

Pre-orders for Vizio Co-Star Google TV box starts today for $99, Free shipping offered for a limited time

The VIZIO Co-Star Google TV box looks like a winner for $99. I know, Google TV’s growth is non existent, but when you get an updated version with a nice remote for $99, you have to consider it. If your finally looking to jump on the Google TV bandwagon, the Co-Star seems like the best option. Vizio just announced that pre-orders start today on their website with free shipping for a limited time. They expect to start shipping them by mid August.

Full press release after the break:

ONLINE PRE-ORDERS OPEN TODAY FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED VIZIO CO-STAR™ STREAM PLAYER WITH GOOGLE TV™ FOR $99.99, SOLD EXCLUSIVELY ON VIZIO.COM

Free-Shipping Offer Available for a Limited Time

WHAT:  VIZIO, America’s #1 LCD HDTV Company*, announced today pre-order availability of its highly anticipated stream player <http://www.vizio.com/costar/overview> , the VIZIO Co-Star™ with Google TV™. Consumers can now visit VIZIO.com to pre-order the Co-Star for $99.99 (US) and take advantage of the limited-time offer of free shipping.

The VIZIO Co-Star turns any HDTV into the ultimate smart TV**. With 1080p and 3D support; Co-Star offers the distinct advantage of connecting to a cable or satellite box. This feature allows viewers to enjoy full screen web browsing with Adobe® Flash® Player and HTML 5, access to entertainment apps such as the OnLive® Game Service, Netflix®, YouTube® and more***  without switching inputs or remotes thanks to the universal touchpad remote with keyboard.

The VIZIO Co-Star is the first stream player to offer video games on demand. Through OnLive,® users can demo, watch and play hundreds of top-tier video games directly from the “cloud,” eliminating the need for an independent game console. In addition, the VIZIO Co-Star offers popular apps such as Amazon Instant Video, YouTube®, iHeartRadio and more – all available for download through the Google Play Store.

WHEN:  Online pre-order opens on July 24, 2012 at www.vizio.com/costar. The VIZIO Co-Star stream player will be available exclusively on VIZIO.com for $99.99 (US), with an introductory free-shipping offer, while supplies last.

To pre-order visit: www.vizio.com/costar 

*  IHS iSuppli Corporation Research Q2 2012 Market Tracker Report of Q1 2012.

** Compatible with high definition televisions with HDMI connectivity.

*** High-speed/Broadband Internet service and access equipment are required, and not provided by
VIZIO.  Additional fees and/or subscriptions required for certain content and services. VIZIO makes no warranties, representations, or assurances of any kind as to the content, availability, or functionality of third party content or services.

About VIZIO

VIZIO, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California, is America’s #1 LCD HDTV Company*.  In Q2 2007, VIZIO skyrocketed to the top by becoming the #1 shipping brand of flat panel HDTVs in North America and in Q3 2007 became the first American brand in over a decade to lead in U.S. LCD HDTV shipments. Since 2007 VIZIO LCD HDTV shipments remain in the top ranks in the U.S. and were #1 for the total year in 2009 and 2010.  VIZIO is committed to bringing feature-rich consumer electronics to market at a value through practical innovation. VIZIO offers a broad range of award winning consumer electronics.  VIZIO’s products are found at Costco Wholesale, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target, BJ’s Wholesale, and other retailers nationwide along with authorized online partners.  VIZIO has won numerous awards including a #1 ranking in the Inc. 500 for Top Companies in Computers and Electronics, Fast Company’s 6th Most Innovative CE Company of 2009, and made the lists of Ad Age’s Hottest Brands, CNET’s Editor’s Choice, CNET Best of CES 2011 – Television, IGN Best of CES – Television, Bluetooth.org  Best of CES, Good Housekeeping’s Best Big-Screens, PC World’s Best Buy, Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice and OC Metro’s 10 Most Trustworthy Brands among many other prestigious honors.  For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit on the web at www.VIZIO.com.

The V, VIZIO, VIZIO Internet Apps, Theater 3D, CinemaWide HDTV, Full Array TruLED, Edge Lit Razor LED, 240Hz SPS, 480Hz SPS, Entertainment Freedom and Entertainment Freedom for All names, logos and phrase are registered or unregistered trademarks of VIZIO, Inc. All other trademarks may be the property of their respective holders.

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 to be available mid-July starting at $499

Back at CES when we saw the ASUS Tranformer Pad Infinity, the planned price point was $599, but with similar offerings from Acer, they are going to price it more competitively. They will offer the 32GB version for $499 and the 64GB version for $599. The keyboard dock remains at $149 and is compatible with the Prime Dock. Last but not least, they will offer the same colors as the Prime: amethyst gray and champagne gold. According to ASUS it should be available by mid-July with no exact release date. If past history is any indication, you might want to pre-order this bad boy as soon as any retailers start the process. We fully expect availability to be low just like the Transformer Prime and the original Eee Pad Transformer.

The real question is what happens to the pricing of the Prime and TF300? Could those tabs drop to $399 and $299 respectively? With the Nexus tablet rumored to be $199, this “new” pricing wouldn’t surprise me. The Nexus tablet at $199 is intriguing, but I have to be honest, the TF300 at $299 is even more intriguing with the 10.1-inch display. As far as updates go, if Google releases 4.1, based on past history, it’s safe to assume that ASUS will get that update to all their tablets in a timely fashion.

Watch the ASUS Trasformer Pad Infinity ‘Launch Video’ Sans Launch

When we first saw the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity back at CES we were told that it should make its debut sometime in June. Here we are nearly at the end of June and still no word on the HD tablet from ASUS.  Who knows , maybe they got tied up building the new Nexus tablet for Google’s big unveiling next week? Either way, the TPad Infinity is bound to rear its fancy little head at any point now and a recently leaked promo video may mean that it’s just around the corner.

Some Reddit user posted the link for this video and is referring to it as a “launch video.” I am not sure whether a launch video is going to be 8 minutes long, but it is pretty informative to say the least. There is not much new to be gained from this video but it sure makes the tablet sound and look cool! Now we can only hope that this bad boy sees the light of day sometime soon. Jump past the break to check out this so called Transformer Pad Infinity “launch video” and let us know what you think.  

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: Reddit

Lenovo LePhone K800 Intel Medfield-Based Device Still On Schedule, Launches in China

First to announce an Intel Medfield-Based Android handset at CES was Lenovo however, the Lava Xolo X900 wound up being the first to actually hit the market.  Nevertheless, Lenovo is still on schedule to launch the LePhone K800 as they’ve just announced a launch in China, with the device making it into the hands of the masses by the end of May.  Recall the specs: 4.5-inch 720p display, an Intel 1.6GHz CPU, 8 meg camera and 1GB of RAM.  The Intel CPU is the Z2460 as we knew it as the “Medfield” assisted by the Intel XMM 6260 chip to support various HSPA+ networks.  At $525 the Android Gingerbread 2.3 device’s launch date for international availability is still unknown.  But we’re working on it.  Feel free to let us know what you think in comments below.

source: Intel
via: Pocket Now

AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD Canceled

Remember the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD that AT&T announced at CES early this year? Well, if you were waiting for it, don’t hold your breath. According to Samsung’s Ryan Bidan, plans for releasing this LTE device have been scrapped. Bidan told The Verge that it didn’t make sense to release the 720p version of the S II due to the imminent release of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S III.

Does that mean the S III is coming to AT&T? Bidan would only say that it will be coming to “the fastest HSPA+ and LTE networks” in the country. Ok, so T-Mobile and either Verizon or AT&T. It’s a good bet that AT&T will get it since it was planning on carrying the S II. We’ve also seen evidence of a Sprint version.

If it’s like previous Galaxy phones, it will pretty much be available on most, if not all major U.S. carriers, and Samsung already said it will come to the U.S. in June. Bets on who gets it first?

source: the verge

AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD Canceled

Remember the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD that AT&T announced at CES early this year? Well, if you were waiting for it, don’t hold your breath. According to Samsung’s Ryan Bidan, plans for releasing this LTE device have been scrapped. Bidan told The Verge that it didn’t make sense to release the 720p version of the S II due to the imminent release of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S III.

Does that mean the S III is coming to AT&T? Bidan would only say that it will be coming to “the fastest HSPA+ and LTE networks” in the country. Ok, so T-Mobile and either Verizon or AT&T. It’s a good bet that AT&T will get it since it was planning on carrying the S II. We’ve also seen evidence of a Sprint version.

If it’s like previous Galaxy phones, it will pretty much be available on most, if not all major U.S. carriers, and Samsung already said it will come to the U.S. in June. Bets on who gets it first?

source: the verge

AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD Canceled

Remember the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD that AT&T announced at CES early this year? Well, if you were waiting for it, don’t hold your breath. According to Samsung’s Ryan Bidan, plans for releasing this LTE device have been scrapped. Bidan told The Verge that it didn’t make sense to release the 720p version of the S II due to the imminent release of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S III.

Does that mean the S III is coming to AT&T? Bidan would only say that it will be coming to “the fastest HSPA+ and LTE networks” in the country. Ok, so T-Mobile and either Verizon or AT&T. It’s a good bet that AT&T will get it since it was planning on carrying the S II. We’ve also seen evidence of a Sprint version.

If it’s like previous Galaxy phones, it will pretty much be available on most, if not all major U.S. carriers, and Samsung already said it will come to the U.S. in June. Bets on who gets it first?

source: the verge

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