Hasta La Gadget!

Just yesterday Ubisoft officially announced the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed series, but details were quite scarce; we merely got a look at the box art and that was it. However, a screen capture of a landing page on Ubisoft’s website (which has since been taken down), says that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be launching on October 29 on “next-gen consoles.”

The game has already been confirmed for the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii U, so we should now see it arrive for the PlayStation 4 and the rumored Xbox 720. Of course, this isn’t too surprising, as the release date for the game will hit around the same time that the next-gen consoles should launch. However, the screen capture suggest that the game will be releasing on October 29 for next-gen consoles, suggesting that the PS4 and Xbox 720 will be out by then.

The landing page where the release date was leaked is now replaced by a countdown for the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag “world premiere trailer,” which is set to launch in four days and 12 hours from the time of this writing. At that point, we should know more details about the upcoming installment.

The leaked screenshot also means that pre-orders will be available for the game, and those who pre-order the title will receive a collectible Todd McFarlane poster, a cartoonist who used to draw Spider-Man comics for Marvel. Since the release date was pulled and replaced with the trailer, it seems like Ubisoft will announce the release date for the game early next week when the trailer launches. Stay tuned!

[via Gaming Everything]

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag reportedly launching October 29 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rumors circulated for awhile that Apple would be releasing a cheaper iPhone, something that eventually prompted the company’s Phil Schiller to denounce such a device’s existence, stating that Apple will not now nor ever create such an iPhone. The rumor won’t die, however, and now Japanese website Macotakara is reporting that a plastic iPhone will hit shelves in 2014 for $330.

According to the website, the cheaper iPhone will be constructed from polycarbonate plastic, something we’ve heard from past rumors. The display is said to be a nice 4.5-inches, and below it will be the easily recognizable circular home button. The best part, however, is the purported price tag of $330, which would make it the cheapest iPhone to ever grace shelves, quite a bit below the hefty unsubsidized price of the iPhone 5.

Aside from the cheaper plastic body and lower price tag, Macotakara is reporting that there aren’t any other noticeable differences over the iPhone 5. It is believed the handset will be available in multiple colors, including black. This information is said to come from sources who are familiar with the situation, although they are unnamed. As with all rumors, take it with a large grain of salt.

As has been noted in the past, a budget iPhone could be wildly successful for Apple, appealing to those who want the latest Apple handset without spending hundreds or locking into a two-year contract, as well as individuals looking to take advantage of a BYOD prepaid plan and those who want an iPhone in a color other than black and white (assuming the information is true).

[via CNET]

$330 plastic iPhone slated for 2014, says sources is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It looks like this week’s unveiling of the PlayStation 4 caught one company by surprise and are deciding to unveil their new console earlier than expected. According to a handful of developers and industry professionals, including a Sony official, it’s said that the Redmond-based company was caught “off-guard” by the PS4 announcement and is currently scrambling to get the Xbox 720 revealed earlier than expected.

We expected Microsoft to unveil the Xbox 720 during E3 in June, but now it’s said that the company will announce its next-generation gaming console at its own media event sometime in early April, where they’ll have the chance to take as much time as they want to show off the new console without any attention being taken away by other E3 events.

In fact, Ustechs, which is a partner of Microsoft’s and has worked with the company on previous media events such as their press conference at E3 last year, has registered the domain name XboxEvent.com, which could be used to promote Microsoft’s rumored April event, and act as a central hub for the event.

Of course, this is all speculation, but Sony believes that they have ruffled some feathers over in Redmond, Washington. While the console wars have always been around, it looks like 2013 will be host to one of the biggest console wars we may ever see. The PlayStation 4 will be available to the public in time for the holiday season this year, and we can expect the same from Microsoft.

[via CVG]

Xbox 720 unveil rumored for April after PS4 surprise is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Blackberry, ever confident in its Blackberry 10 platform, threw a lot of effort into ensuring that consumers would have access to a variety of apps, including the staples everyone wants such as Facebook and Twitter. One highly popular app is still missing, however – Instagram. According to sources, the company isn’t planning on making a native Blackberry 10 app.

This information was given to the folks over at AllThingsD by sources who are said to be close to Instagram. While one source said there was a possibility – “There will be no Instagram for BB10 for now.” – they also said they weren’t sure there would ever be a native app. Fortunately, however, Instagram lovers who want to embrace the BB10 platform won’t be entirely out of luck.

It has been reported for awhile now that Instagram for Android is being actively ported for Blackberry 10, meaning that those desperate enough for it will have an option. As we have seen with many ported apps, however, it’ll likely be an inferior product when compared to the native versions running on other mobile OSs. The app won’t be optimized for BB10.

Instagram hasn’t said why it won’t be making a native app for Blackberry 10, though one can speculate that it’s due to the effort/reward ratio in doing so. BB10′s userbase is substantially smaller than Android and iOS, and Instagram’s team isn’t the largest out there. When asked about it, Blackberry stated that it is “actively engaged around Instagram support for BB10.” What do you say? Is lack of a native Instagram app something that would prevent you from adopting the BB10 platform? Let us know in the comments.

[via AllThingsD]

Instagram reportedly says no to native Blackberry 10 app is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rumors about the potential for an Apple iWatch continue to build, and adding fuel to the fire is a patent filing from Apple discovered by Apple Insider which shows off a curved, touchscreen display which could be worn on the wrist.

The U.S. Patent filing, originally submitted in August 2011, but updated as recently as today, starts off as follows:

A wearable video device arranged to be worn by an end-user, comprising: a flexible substrate having a flat state and a curled state; a flexible display disposed upon a first surface of the flexible substrate, wherein in the curled state the flexible substrate conforms to an appendage of the end-user, the flexible substrate further comprising: an electronic module in communication with the flexible display, the electronic module providing information to the display, at least a part of which is presented in real time for presentation by the flexible display; and a mechanism for detecting an end portion of the flexible display, the detection for adjusting the arrangement of information shown on the flexible display to match the size of the appendage the wearable video device is mounted on.

…or in layperson’s terms – a watch with a flexible touchscreen and flexible electronics.

The design would wrap around its wearer’s wrist, and automatically adjust the display UI based on their wrist size – pretty slick stuff. The capacitive touch display would be wrapped around a “bi-stable spring substrate,” which would allow the watch to conform to its wearer’s wrist, much like a slap bracelet. In addition curved screen and bracelet, the patent describes the inclusion of an inertial orientation  sensor which would automatically reorient the display based on how the user is looking at it.

In order to keep the patent sufficiently broad, they don’t specify all of the potential use cases for the watch, but one example sounds like it could offer smartphone connectivity similar to that found in other smartwatches already on the market:

…the end user could respond to alerts sent from the portable electronic device and even direct the operations of the portable electronic device to an extent limited by the accessory device user interface. With a touch screen user input a user can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls. A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.

The patent also describes the potential for using a kinetic energy device as well as an ambient light energy collector to help keep its battery charged. It also envisions a possible configuration which would include bright edge-lighting for displaying alerts with increased peripheral visibility. They also hint that the device could support both 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connectivity, with Wi-Fi being used for content like video streaming, and Bluetooth for smaller data payloads.

While it’s always possible that Apple won’t bring any or all of these ideas to market, it clearly shows that there’s still innovative thinking going on within the walls at Apple, and that if they do release an iWatch, it won’t be like any other watch you’ve seen.

You can read the full patent application here.

[via Apple Insider]