Android 4.2 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one

Android 42 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one

Reports have been circulating that devices running Android 4.2, rumored to be code-named Key Lime Pie (though it’s seeming more likely that it will retain the Jelly Bean moniker), have been popping up in server logs and benchmarks across the web. Well, after doing some digging through our own records, we’re seeing quite a few instances of hardware running the unannounced Google platform visiting Engadget. Now, we do feel it necessary to add the caveat that there are some strange reports in our logs as well, coming from hardware allegedly running Android 5.0 and 6.0, but we’re not convinced of their authenticity. We are, however, fairly certain that the numerous Galaxy Nexii hitting our site sporting Android 4.2, build JOO90B, are legit. We’re also seeing a number of occams, potentially an obtuse reference to the RAZR (a Moto Nexus perhaps?) pinging our servers running the same build. Like others, we’re seeing reports of the Arc S running 4.2 as well, but upon further investigation it seems more likely that this is a beta of Jelly Bean 4.1 currently being tested by Sony. Obviously, none of this is official, but it only makes the impending release of a new Nexus or Nexii seem all the more likely.

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Android 4.2 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II press event scheduled for October 24th

It’s time once again to get excited about the Samsung Galaxy Note II, the “Next Big Thing” from Samsung, in a press event made to cradle the device right in its New York City embrace. This is one of a long line of “Word Tour” events for the Galaxy Note II, recently confirmed for several carriers here in the USA. This event will take place on the 24th of October and will very likely contain additional details on the final release of this device across the states.

What we’re seeing here is not a whole lot new other than what’s essentially a confirmation that the device won’t be changing much as it crosses the ocean to hit the USA. You’ve still got the S-Pen and the massive 5.5-inch display, you’re still working with that lovely new nature-inspired body and software, and you still have the Pebble Blue color option. For those of you looking to get a glimpse of the Galaxy Note II before it hits our shores, don’t miss our Samsung Galaxy Note II in-depth Review.

What we’re likely going to see here is a lovely presentation of what each different carrier here in the USA will be bringing to the device as far as apps go – though it’s likely that the presentation that’ll be made will cover the features we know about, for the most part, that exist on each different carrier iteration of the device. This massive beast works to integrate the Samsung universe with a body that’s extremely similar to the Samsung Galaxy S III, a device that’ll likely be getting another partner later this week on the 12th with the Galaxy S III Mini.

The Galaxy Note II takes what the first Galaxy Note had and increases its excellence with a slightly larger display an a more universally compatible pixel aspect ratio at 1280 x 720. You’ll be having just as fun a time fitting this device into your pocket with its massive body and a slightly modified S-Pen as well. Those of you familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will recognize this new pen’s configuration as it’s essentially the same model as that device brought forth. Get pumped up!


Samsung Galaxy Note II press event scheduled for October 24th is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Dishonored dev wasn’t pressured by Bethesda to add multiplayer

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you likely know that Arkane’s new game Dishonored launched yesterday. It launched to critical acclaim too, despite the fact that it’s missing one key element that seems to be present in most modern games: multiplayer. Publishers, much to the chagrin of single player fans, are notorious for requiring multiplayer in the games they release these days, but in a new interview with Kotaku, Dishonored director Harvey Smith says that Bethesda never pressured Arkane to include a multiplayer mode.


That probably won’t come as a shock to most, considering that Bethesda is responsible for such single player epics as Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Oblivion, but often times publishers will look at a new IP like Dishonored and will decide that they’re not willing to take the risk unless the game can meet a list of desired features. Bethesda, apparently, is not one of those publishers. “I’ve been at a lot of publishers,” Smith said in the interview. “I’ve worked in games for 18 years. I’ve worked independently at times; I’ve worked in big teams, small teams. And I can honestly tell you, no smoke, that this is the smartest group of executives I’ve ever worked with.”

Smith continued by saying that at some points during Bethesda’s talks with Arkane, it was obvious that Dishonored was doing some things that fell outside of Bethesda’s comfort zone. Despite that, Bethesda allowed Arkane to keep its creative vision for Dishonored intact. “And at every step along the way those guys have supported us… This is as close as you’ll get to me saying that I have not had that experience with other publishers I’ve worked with, who forced us to bolt on multiplayer, or who said inane things like ‘First-person perspective doesn’t sell!’ or ‘RPGs don’t sell!’ I can tell you from the inside, 18 years, that this is a crazy, crazy business.

“Long story short: No one ever pressured us to do that. We told them that this was an aggressively single-player game, and they said alright, we moved forward, and that was it.”

It’s great to hear that Arkane wasn’t pressured into doing anything it didn’t want to with Dishonored, and that approach to development seems to be paying off, at least as far as review scores are concerned. The PC version of Dishonored currently holds a 92 out of 100 on Metacritic, while the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions boast aggregate scores in the high 80s. Dishonored is definitely one of the coolest games to launch this year, and we’re happy to see that at least some publishers still know that a single player game can do well in this market that’s dominated by titles with a focus on multiplayer.


Dishonored dev wasn’t pressured by Bethesda to add multiplayer is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Show Us Your Favorite Desktop Wallpaper [Chatroom]

Considering how much time you spend staring at your computer, your desktop wallpaper is actually one of the most important aesthetic decisions you can make. There are infinite options. Will you choose a beautiful sunset or a screen capture from your favorite 1990’s Nickelodeon show? Here’s the image I’m currently using on the desktop of my laptop to get your gears turning. Upload your favorites in the discussion below so we can all see what you spend your day looking at. More »

Canal Plus chief: Amazon, Netflix will bring video-on-demand to France early next year

DNP Canal Plus chief Amazon will bring videoondemand to France

Amazon might be continuing its European HD streaming video invasion by arriving in France next March, according to Canal Plus’ president, Bertrand Meheu. The executive is well-placed to have that info, as he says his company will be supplying Amazon with content for the service’s launch on the Kindle Fire. If true, it’s not known yet if it would be in the form of Lovefilm, which launched in Germany and the UK recently, or if it would be available on PCs, Macs, Xbox 360 consoles or Smart TVs as it is elsewhere. Canal Plus has been fighting to keep such competitors out of the notoriously protectionist country, but it was recently blocked by a state watchdog from hoarding VOD rights exclusively for its own networks. The company also said that Netflix would arrive in France by “early 2013” — another credible claim, considering the huge amount of content it produces that the US streaming service would surely need.

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Canal Plus chief: Amazon, Netflix will bring video-on-demand to France early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry 10 app developers lured with $10,000 bonus

It’s hard to get app developers excited for a failing platform, but RIM thinks its new program will get developers to make more apps for their upcoming mobile OS, BlackBerry 10. The company announced the “$10K Developer Commitment,” and it states that RIM will give you $10,000 if your BlackBerry 10 app earns at least $1,000 in net revenue.

RIM opened the door for app submissions today, and right out of the gate, it’s giving potential BlackBerry 10 app developers the chance to earn ten large ones. Then again, some developers might be cautious of developing an app for a platform that still doesn’t have a release date yet, but we’re sure some app devs will be up for the challenge anyway.

The latest rumor is that BlackBerry 10 will launch in March 2013, which isn’t that far off per se, but RIM will have to suffer through the holiday season, as well as the long winter without a new product to promote and sell. That’s not a completely bad thing, but the holiday season is usually the time when most companies see boosts in their sales.

However, March also really isn’t an ideal time for RIM to launch BB10 either, since that’s usually the time when hype builds up for Apple‘s refreshed line of iDevices and iOS updates. And we’ll most likely see a mass-release of devices that were shown off at CES 2013. Either way, we can only hope for the best for RIM, but things aren’t looking too good so far.

[via Christian Science Monitor]


BlackBerry 10 app developers lured with $10,000 bonus is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Shooting Challenge: Scale Effect [Shooting Challenge]

Before CGI, when a movie blew up a train, they either had to blow up a train, or build a model, film it at high speed and fill it with firecrackers. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, we’re exploring option 2. More »

Panasonic Lumix LX7 Review: A Lovely Point-and-Shoot For Control Freaks [Video]

Anyone in the market for a top point-and-shoot camera is probably deciding between Canon’s S100 and Sony’s RX100. But Panasonic is back in the game with the Lumix LX7, a sequel to one of the top shooters of 2010, the wildly popular LX5. Does Panasonic’s latest have what it takes to beat these pocket titans? More »

This All-Aluminum iPhone 5 Looks Pretty Freaking Cool to Me [Iphone 5]

Gizmodo reader Codi Bonney had a cool idea to stop the paint of his iPhone 5 to chip off: take the whole thing off. “I’m still working on sanding it, this is what I’ve got so far,” he said in his email. It looks pretty neat. More »

Angry Birds update arrives with 15 new levels

Hot on the heels of Rovio‘s recently launched spin-off of the Angry Birds series, Bad Piggies, the developer has released a set of new levels for the original Angry Birds game that are based off Rovio’s newest title. Bad Piggies was a huge hit for Rovio, and now they’re looking to spread a little bit of the game’s goodness to their other popular title.

Aside from the added levels, there are also a few new power-ups like “Super Seeds”, the “Almighty Sling King”, and “Birdquake”. Unfortunately, all of these are in-app purchases, so in order to really kick butt in the game, you’ll have to pay up a little. Then again, in-app purchases seem to be becoming the norm, so always be prepared to have your wallet out if you want any kind of advantage in a game.

In related news, the executive vice president of Rovio, Andrew Stalbow, announced that the Angry Birds series is currently getting around 200 million active users on a monthly basis. In any given day, Stalbow says that there are anywhere between 20-30 million users that are connected to Angry Birds.

Those are certainly strong numbers, and we don’t expect them to go down anytime soon, especially with the developer’s upcoming Star Wars-themed title about to hit the market next month. The popularity of Star Wars alone could bring in millions of Angry Birds virgins to play the new game. Look out for Angry Birds Star Wars on November 8.

[via Android Community]


Angry Birds update arrives with 15 new levels is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.