As a child I still remember thinking of Reading Rainbow quite highly as my favorite block of television programming. Well, to the joy of thousands — if not millions out there — its host, LeVar Burton (a.k.a. Lieutenant La Forge from Star Trek: The Next Generation), has been on a mission to revive the canceled show elsewhere, so far only announcing RRKidz as an iPad app (soon to be released). But he recently ran into a snag when he discovered the corresponding Twitter handle “@ReadingRainbow” was already taken, and was being sat on by a squatter for some 3 years without as much as a single tweet. Well, thanks to the help of nearly 1,000 ReTweets and Twitter themselves catching wind of this, he was victorious.

LeVar Burton wants the taken @ReadingRainbow twitter handle. Less than a day later Levar Burton gets @ReadingRainbow:

“The Twitter handle @ReadingRainbow had been taken by someone not using it, but no one stops Geordi La Forge from getting what he wants.

Just yesterday morning, Burton tweeted to the account in hopes of grabbing the handle to promote a newReading Rainbow App he is developing. He made a call to arms tweet just after 7 PM PST, and less than 2 hours later had the account in his hands.” 

And looking back on it, and I’m sure a ton of people would agree, there’s just something so nostalgic about that theme song. It definitely isn’t anything to knock, since next to Mister Rogers and Sesame Street, it was the third longest running show on PBS; airing new episodes for a total of 23 years! Its most memorable icon, next to the theme song, of course, would undoubtedly be its host, LeVar Burton  Well, the show has followed him even into the later part of his days, and he’s been on a bit of a mission lately to get his hands on the @ReadingRainbow twitter account, which was parked for some 3 years.

Luckily, with the help of users like you, and Twitter’s stance on squatting on inactive account, as well as impersonating others, LeVar got what he set to do, and we’re one step closer to Reading Rainbow 2.0.

Follow the official Reading Rainbow Twitter account — twitter.com/ReadingRainbow

One of the best games of 2011 is making its way onto the US iOS app store for free (it’s been available for the Japanese iOS users since 2010). Can you believe it? Well, let me stop you right there — it’s not really free, so you may want to put an asterisk next to this one. While the initial download gives you the first 2 chapters to play for free (think of it as a demo), if you want to experience the rest of the haunting journey you’ll have to throw down some hard cash with a couple of in-app purchases. What? Did you really think Capcom was going to let you get away scott free without paying? That’s funny. 

Capcom’s Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for the DS, rated as handheld game of the year at a number of reputable sources, is now available to download on the iOS app store.

While the first two chapters of the game are free, the remainder of the game can be purchased all at once, or section by section. Here’s the pricing breakdown:

Ch. 3 - 7: $4.99

Ch. 7 - 13: $4.99

Ch. 14 - End: $4.99

Ch. 3 - End: $9.99

If you do decide to go seciton by section then you’ll end paying $15 total, but if you go all-in from the beginning you get a generous $5 discount and can purchase the full game for only $10. It’s quite the deal when you come to think of it, since the DS version of the game currently retails for $32.95 on Amazon. 

Download it now for free* — Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective on iOS
* - Read article above for details on so-called “free” download.

USB flash drives. These days, they’re ubiquitous. But most of the time you’ll find that flash memory is packed into mundane sticks that really are quite full to look at. To solve this issue, our friends over at Think Geek sent us a variety of thumb drives available on their site. Today, we’ll be taking a look at seven that come in all shapes and sizes, some serving an unexpected function and each unique in its own way. Which one was the best? 

How We Tested

A couple of things come into consideration when buying a flash drive; the first for most people would probably be storage size. The drives we’re looking at today come in sizes ranging from 2 GB to 8 GB. The second deciding factor is the read/write speed of the drive. Most people tend not to want to sit around all day waiting for a file transfer, so we tested by copying an HD copy of Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never (1.73 GB). Aside from these basic elements, we’ll also compare size and build quality. 

Golden Robot

 
First up, the Golden Robot flash drive. This flash drive came padded with foam in a fancy grey box, one of the nicer packages we’ve seen for a thumb drive. We were actually pretty surprised by the how heavy the flash drive felt. A reflective golden coating covers the entire body of the robot, giving the flash drive a C3P0 look. The legs and arms are all able to rotate freely, Lego-style. In fact, there is a joint at the knee area so the Robot can be contorted in a variety of stances. The large, rounded cap of a head is featureless while the body has a circular pattern. As cool as the Golden Robot flash drive looks, there’s one real issue that bugs us. As we mentioned previously, the thumb drive does have some heft to it; while we didn’t run into any issues during our testing, we’re afraid the weighty flash drive could be a problem for horizontal USB ports. It won’t break the port instantly but downward pressure on a port over a long period of time is never good.  The width of the drive is also something to take into consideration. You might not be able to plug anything into the port adjacent to the Golden Robot.

Max Speed - 2.80 kbps

Actual Size - 3.94 GB 

Where to Buy - Think Geek ($24.99)

///3///

Mimoco Mimobot x Batman (Joker) 

Next we’ve got the Mimoco Mimobot X Batman series of flash drives. Think Geek offers the Batman and Joker designs, of which we received the latter. It’s a fairly compact flash drive compared to the Golden Robot but is a fair amount wider than most flash drives. The elongated egg shape head of the Joker comes off to reveal the USB plug, which has the capacity and Mimobot embossed on it. On the rear of the drive, between the feet, is a indicator light. While made of plastic and sporting a glossy finish, the Mimobot feels pretty well made although it’s a little lightweight. We like the Mimobots a lot because they are relatively compact for novelty drives and don’t compromise on performance or storage space. The 4 GB drive comes loaded with a folder full of themed avatars, icons, wallpapers (iPhone, iPad, and desktop), and screensavers.

Max Speed - 7.36 kbps

Actual Size - 3.75 GB

Where to Buy - Think Geek ($24.99)

///4///

Mimoco Mimobot x Star Wars (Wampa)

Maybe you like the Mimobot design but aren’t a big fan of Gotham City’s superhero? Think Geek has you covered with Star Wars Mimobots - Boba Fett, C3PO, Han in Carbonite, Lando Calrissian, Jawa, R2-D2, Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, Wampa, Wicket, and Yoda. We tested out the Wampa version and although it was pretty similar to the Batman Mimobot, there was a minor difference we found odd - the Star Wars drive we had was slightly slower than the Batman stick and the Wampa had 0.01 GB more storage than the Joker. We’re not sure if this is simply a manufacturing issue or if the Star Wars and Batman drives use different flash memory chips. The Star Wars Mimobot also comes with a folder of Mimoco goodies. 

Max Speed - 6.70 kbps

Actual Size - 3.76 GB

Where to Buy - Think Geek ($24.99 - $29.99)

///4///

Voltron

Not familiar with Voltron, the Defender of the Universe? He’s basically like the combination of a Power Ranger and a Transformer. Pretty awesome right? The USB thumb drive version even comes with a gigantic sword for him to hold with his swiveling arms. Did we mention the emblem on his chest glows when you plug him in? The Voltron thumb drive obviously looks super cool but we had a couple issues with using it as an actual storage medium. Voltron, disconnecting at the torso, is pretty wide and that makes him a little difficult to fit into ports. On top of that, his rotating arms don’t feel very sturdy so they sometimes feel like they’re going to fall off. The details painted on Voltron are pretty nice although we’re not big fans of the rubbery enclosure Voltron is built in. Write speeds aren’t bad with the Defender of the Universe but he can’t seem to hold very much data at a time.  

Max Speed - 7.65 kbps

Actual Size - 1.87 GB

Where to Buy - Think Geek ($36.99)

///2///

Bottle Opener  

The Bottle Opener flash drive was very promising at first. The clean, aluminum design was already a plus in our book, although the edges are a bit too pointy to be safe. The bottle opener feature made it even more appealing. Everything seemed great until we put the thumb drive to the test. The first bottle we tried to open was a standard Apple Cider bottle (the cap is no different from any beer bottle). The thumb drive broke on the first try. No, the whole thing didn’t snap in two, but the bottle opener edge bent and fell clean off the thumb drive. If you want a nice looking aluminum thumb drive or a thumb drive with a bottle opener, you’d be better off looking somewhere else. This one simply doesn’t work. 

Max Speed - 4.33 kbps, avg. around 3.8

Actual Size - 1.95 GB

Where to Buy  - Think Geek ($14.99)

///0///

Brick 

The Lego thumb drive has been an idea popular among many geeks. Many a Instructable will teach you how to split apart your thumb drive and retrofit it in a two by four Lego brick, but that takes a lot of work, and you don’t always end up with a nice looking product. The Brick thumb drive by ZipZip is actually pretty small and comes with a useful lanyard attached to it. The cap is a two by two block, which can be stored by stacking on top of the other block housing the flash memory. The two pieces fit securely together when not in use. This is one of our favorites due to its balance of novelty and practicality. Great for anyone who enjoys Legos and wants a relatively small thumb drive. 

Max Speed - 5.21 kbps

Actual Size - 3.79 GB

Where to Buy - Think Geek ($29.99 - $39.99)

///4///

Super Talent Pico 

The Pico flash drive is the least geeky looking thumb drive of our roundup, but it’s perhaps also the geekiest of the group. It’s one of the smallest flash drives we’ve ever seen yet it houses up to 32 GB of storage. Our unit came with 8 GB and transfer speeds were pretty amazing. Oh, and did we mention that the Pico is waterproof? The only problem we can foresee is that the Pico is so small you might lose it. but Super Talent has already thought of this by attaching a small metal chain. We did run into a little bit of trouble plugging the drive into our USB ports - it does require a bit of pushing - but it wasn’t a major issue and nothing broke. Great option for anyone who’s looking for a highly portable and very fast thumb drive.  

Max Speed - 10.50 kbps

Actual Size - 7.45 GB

Where to Buy - Think Geek ($24.99 - $99.99)

///4///

So there you have it! Think Geek literally has crazy thumb drives for any type of nerd. Whether you’re looking for the world’s smallest drive or one in the shape of a robot, you’ll be able to find it in the store. So which flash drive will you be buying?

Back in the double dizzle, being able to get your hands on a bootleg version of a concert was the “in” thing. You were underground and everyone would come over to your house to listen to some vinyl or cassettes with the infringing, intellectual property. Nowadays, the game has changed but not by a whole lot. Through various legal, and illegal channels, people download the most popular movies on the market today and watch and spread it around friends and strangers through the web. This year is the top 10 most pirated movies of all time. 

(infographic by: Submit Infographics)

When it comes to new hardware, developers are always finding it a challenge to bend their creativity to the limitations of that new machine. That is unless of course you’re now developing for a system that’s barely catching up to the rest fo the pack, and so there’s really not much to know besides how to tailor fit it with touch-screen controls found on its handheld counterpart. Okay, okay, that may sound a little too harsh but that’s pretty much what Team Ninja had to say about the subject, and they meant it in a good way.

Team Ninja’s Fumihiko Yasuda and Yosuke Hayashi comment on the ease of developing for the Wii U:

“They’ve asked us what we would want from the hardware, and when we give them feedback we can see that they’re definitely listening to it and making changes,” said Hayashi. “The hardware is still constantly changing.”

Yasuda added: “The Wii U’s touch control is like the Nintendo DS’s. We released a Ninja Gaiden game, Dragon Sword, on DS, so we want to introduce some elements from that into the Wii U version [of Ninja Gaiden 3].”

Wii U, the next PS2?

Some might say that the Wii has joined the “next-gen” party a little too late, but if you come to think about it, there’s still a good a year or two before we see any big moves by either Sony or Microsoft on the home console front. What that means is that if Nintendo can create a solid foundation for developers to create the same experiences from those other consoles onto their own home-made technology, then their 3rd party partnerships will grow to an exponential level come, let’s say, 5 years from now.

What we could be seeing is the rise of the next PS2, where an easy to develop machine lasts the test of the time due to the influx of games coming in and out without need to cater too much on a specific audience. Nintendo can worry about their own first-party games, all the while 3rd party studios would be helping them keep afloat during the in-between periods of Mario and Zelda. 

The Wii U’s unique system features do seem a little too much, but not until we see its release and its first wave of games will we, the general money-paying audience, be able to see whether it’s something that will shape the future, or simply collect dust, as so many of these “revolutionary” devices do these days.

Earlier this month at CES 2012, Microsoft unveiled the new Kinect For Windows, launching this Wednesday (February 1) for $249.99. The new hardware includes improved firmware allowing the sensor to see things much closer, and is only compatabile with PCs. This is big news, considering it opens up a whole new world of possibilities and applications. However, not many people are going to carry a Kinect sensor with them everywhere they go to utilize these new forms of control. That’s where this next project comes in. We’re talking about integrating Kinect into portables.

The Daily confirms Microsoft will be running Kinect on laptops, and will license out the technology:

A source at Microsoft has confirmed that the devices are indeed official prototypes of laptops featuring a Kinect sensor. In terms of functionality, there are hundreds of different ways that motion control could be leveraged in a portable. Gaming has the most obvious applications, but a Kinect-enabled laptop could also toggle between programs with the wave of a hand, or media controls could be tweaked with the wag of a finger. What’s more, motion-controlled portables could offer a new way for disabled individuals to interact with their devices.

Some of these official Microsoft prototype devices, according to them, resembled Asus netbooks running some form of Windows 8. The prototypes reportedly have a small sensor array above the screen (where the webcam would normally be located), as well as a set of LEDs below the screen.

Why integrate Kinect into portables you ask? Well, the idea here is that motion control could be used in a plethora of ways on a portable like a laptop, such as controlling media playback (much like you can currently do on the Xbox 360), switching programs and applications, and even gaming. Although we can’t really imagine someone sitting in an office or classroom flailing their hands around trying to play games like Cut The Rope and Fruit Ninja, it’s definitely an interesting idea.

The Daily also reports that Microsoft mostly likely won’t be making the machines themselves, and instead will probably license the Kinect technology to other hardware manufacturers. Developer support for the Kinect platform on Xbox and PC is already gaining serious traction (see above video), so we think having the ability to interact with motion and voice control anywhere could produce both some really cool and really practical uses for the tech. Finally, The Daily believes that it’s likely we’ll see Microsoft push this new portable form of Kinect to devs in February, closer to the Windows 8 preview, although at this point that bit is pure speculation. The fact that Microsoft is indeed interested in branching out Kinect to other form factors is exciting though, and whether it’s tablets with Kinect to TVs with Kinect, we can’t wait to see what comes of it.

To learn more about Kinect for Windows — visit the official site.

If you’re a member of generation X or Y then I doubt you carry that much cash on your person at any given time. With the invention of debit and credit cards there’s not much reason to physically transfer money between people for the goods and services we purchase. I mean, who wants to exchange all those germs? And I don’t even have to bring up pennies, do I? That said, we’re happy to report that T-Mobile is now the first mobile provider of the Square payment reader for vendors to take advantage of this growing change. 

What’s Square?

The Washington Post reports that Square payment readers are heading to T-mobile stores:

“The Square mobile reader — a smartphone accessory with a card reader that you can plug into the headphone jack of most iPhones, iPads and Android devices — will be sold in T-Mobile stores starting Tuesday. The attachments, which are already sold in Apple stores and other retailers such as Target and Best Buy, make it possible to process credit cards via smartphone. That ability has become increasingly important for merchants who have historically run on a cash-only basis, such as food carts or farmer’s market vendors.”

Interested in getting one for your small business or payment needs? Here’s an official list of all T-mobile stores that carry the Square mobile reader: http://business.t-mobile.com/small-business/buy-square-card-reader 

More info on Square — official website

“Daddy, where were you the day the Internet stood still?” asks a young boy to his father. We all like to hope that some sort of event of that magnitude would happen with us standing on the right side of history. Well, on January 18th, 2012, millons of people around the world stood their ground and protested against the mighty SOPA (stop online piracy act) bill which was being sent down the chain of command in the US Congress. And thanks to the participation of some of the world’s leading websites, the protest was a success, clearly destroying SOPA (for now). Want to see just how big that protest really was?

Source: frugaldad.com

With Nintendo hogging all the spotlight with its upcoming Wii U launch coming later this year, there’s no doubt that the other two big guys are just itching to show off their own future plans. And as followers of the gaming industry, we try our best to provide you with the latest chatter coming through the usual channels. Unfortunately, what we’ve received is nothing but a confirmation that Microsoft won’t be showing anything new, “hardware wise” at least, this upcoming E3.

Cedrick Delmas, marketing director of Microsoft France, confirms there won’t be mention of a Xbox 720 at E3 2012:

“We’re not here to counter Nintendo and they’re not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, they’re advancing at their own pace.

We’re in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories. I am not convinced things will happen this year. Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don’t see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What’s certain is that there’ll be nothing new in 2012.”

Well, there you have it. Nothing really new to report, but there’s no doubt we will be seeing software updates to the various Xbox services, as is the annual custom. But we can’t help to think: would a tech demo be out of the question? I mean, it’s not really showing off any new hardware, per se. 

Xbox Live has been going strong since it first went, well, live, back in 2002. Sony’s Playstation Network has had its up’s and down’s, but it still relatively does the job for online interaction amongst players. But Nintendo, well they’ve taken a lot longer to figure things out. While certain games, like Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii have the capabilities to connect online and match up players around the world, Nintendo has yet to create a single online platform for people to join up to. That is, until the recent announcement of the Nintendo Network, set to release on 3DS and the Wii U. And with said announcement comes talk of how they will handle DLC. Their response? Super Mario Bros., of course! 

Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s CEO and President, pointed to Super Mario as the perfect example for how they will handle DLC:

“As I referred to before, for example, this is the idea of supplying new stages to Super Mario users who want to play the game more but have completed the game and lost interest in the existing stages. This will not only give us new profits but will lengthen the life of a product, in that it will never be out of fashion and can keep attracting public attention as long as many people play it.”

This comment was directly after acknowledging that they were already developing a new 2D Super Mario Bros. game for the 3DS, which might see the DLC plans above.

Iwata also made mentione how Wii Fit Plus was released as its own entity, separate from the orginal game, but under the Nintendo Network they could release the game as downloadable content, as well as offer other specific work-out regiments for set prices.

Final Fantasy Theatrhythm was curiously spotted recently with the Nintendo Network signage on its packaging box, which suggests that it will be the first game in line to offer paid DLC through Nintendo. Iwata also said that taking notice of how they deal with this Final Fantasy’s online marketplace items will give consumers an indication at how they will differentiate themselves from other online services.

Theatrhythm is due for release in Japan on February 16th, 2012.

The rumor mill has been churning out story after story about how awesome the next Xbox machine is going to be (processor speed, no physical discs, blu-ray, blah blah blah), with even mention of an upgraded Kinect device being built into the system. So that got us thinking… besides better motion tracking, what else could the Kinect 2 host to actually make us want to own one? We made up a list and now you’re going to read it. 

Voice recognition

This goes without saying. We’re starting off with the most requested item on the agenda: voice recognition. The concept video Microsoft showed to us during their 2010 E3 conference was about 90% accurate to what came ready when the thing actually launched. So much so, that when the Kinect was released people were telling it to do things that hadn’t been included; like the infamous “Xbox off” line. 

Games and commands could take on a whole new life of their own once this becomes a reality. Think about an Xbox that only turns on and off by the sound of a specific person’s voice; thereby listening to only a parent’s vocal and ignoring the squeals of a child refusing to go to bed. Oh, the wonders of parenting *sigh*.

Kinect Chatrooms

I know, horrible idea, considering the reputation the Xbox’s online community has garnered over the years, but the concept isn’t all that bad. Imagine browsing through channels categorized by game or topic and joining in on the discussion, something like the Avatar Kinect feature but restricted to people who only own certain games, with an age restriction, of course, put on rated M titles, or at least parental controls for venturing on the Kinect Chat channels. While the actual use of such a service would probably be compromised by perverts and immature folks, the idea is still pretty interesting though it will probably never see the light of day.

Nick-naming your Kinect

I don’t have any kids of my own, and my apartment is too small to have any furry dudes running around the place, so why can’t my wife and I nickname our Kinect so we can command it do things we want? Hey, I mean that’s what being a parent / master is all about, right? Power-tripping. That, and whenever we’re watching a movie on Netflix or listening to Last.fm and we say “Xbox” in conversation (it happens more than you think) it assumes we’re talking about it and the Kinect command prompts come up. This is such a regular occasion that we’ve had to code-name it “the X-word”. And c’mon Microsoft, why should I say “Xbox, fill in the blank” when I could just as easily say nickname it and say something like, “Zeus, fill in the blank”.

Finger gestures

The current incarnation of the Kinect sees our hands as nothing more than a glowing ball, but its sequel should have no excuses seeing all our fingers as individual digits. Once it’s capable of doing so I think navigating through menu’s and game interfaces will be a whole lot easier. Aaaaaand, we’d also love to see some sort of Uno style Xbox Live Arcade game where players engage in combat through paper, rock, scissor matches! We shall call it RoShamBo Online: Championship Edition.

Have any suggestions of your own for what you’d like to see in Kinect 2?

If you remember the 2010 Apple keynote event, you might be able to recall Steve Jobs’ joke that an Apple board member was going to wear the new iPod Nano as a watch. If you look at the accessory market for the iPod Nano today, you’ll find that maybe accessory manufacturers took Steve’s comment too seriously. Started as a Kickstarter project in 2010, the LunaTik remains one of the best watchband accessories for the iPod Nano. Why? 

Features

• black anodized aluminum case and black PVD plated buckle and hardware for mil-spec durability 
• premium permanent conversion kit designed for those wanting to dedicate their iPod Nano primarily as a wrist watch
• forged and CNC’d from aircraft grade aluminum
• straps made from compression molded high-grade silicone rubber with an anti-dust coating

Our Impressions

The LunaTik comes in a simple square box containing the watch wrapped around a chunk of foam, two hex keys (one straight and one L shaped), and a manual.

Installation 

Installation of the LunaTik kit was pretty simple. While holding one key in the side of the frame, we twisted the other key on the opposite side and separated the LunaTik into two pieces. We carefully slid our iPod nano into the frame and joined the two sides. The iPod goes in “sideways” so you’ll have to rotate the screen for it to work properly as a watch. Note that the LunaTik may push up any screen films you have on so attach it slowly and with caution. The other thing about installing the LunaTik is that it’s intended to be a “conversion kit” so you won’t be able to easily remove your iPod from the casing on the fly. If you’re not sure you want your iPod to be inside a watchband all the time, you may want to give it some thought. 

Hardware 

The LunaTik is crafted with amazing detail and precision. We were blown away at how well the aluminum frame fitted with every aspect of the nano. The polished anodized aluminum on the Blackout version of the LunaTik is especially nice on the black screen. The overall look is seamless - edges are carefully lined up at the clip area, screen edges, and the sides of the iPod. The rear of the iPod is left exposed so as to make the LunaTik thinner; scratching isn’t a big issue because that area is on your wrist at all times.

Buttons and ports are easy to access on the sides of the iPod. We’d recommend having the buttons on the right side of the watch (if you wear it on your left hand) for a couple of reasons - 1) the buttons will be a little easier to access, 2) your iPod won’t short circuit as easily if you accidentally splash water on it (while washing your hands for example), and 3) you can run the headphone cable directly through your sleeve. The headphone jack and 30 pin dock port weren’t too dificult to get to unless the plug on your headphones is particularly large. The relatively wide AIAIAI TMA-1 jack fit just fine, as well as the older “pinch-style” Apple cables. 

The wristband is made of a nice rubbery silicone material that is very comfortable on the wrist. At first, we weren’t sure how we’d like the extra wide designl compared to a standard 6900 series G Shock, the LunaTik band is considerably wider. A metal latch locks into one of the many notches on the strap as would any other watch. A plastic nub in one of the notches secures the end of the strap. The nub can be removed and rearranged on one of the other slots depending on where you insert the buckle. The main complaint we have with the watchband is that it gets dirty very quickly - the black rubber-y finish picks up dust and link like no other. Thankfully, you can remove the strap with a quick turn of a screw although it’s still rather disappointing that the “anti-dust coating” is non-functional.  

Overall

We think the LunaTik is one of the most well designed watchband accessories around for the iPod nano. The aluminum precision is stunning and the wristband is comfortable as well as durable. The LunaTik is also very thin and well made. If you’re looking to use your iPod nano full time as a watch, you can’t go wrong with the LunaTik.

Pro’s

• very precise aluminum construction
• slick design
• nice feeling watchband

Con’s

• watchband gets dirty quickly

Where to buy

LunaTik — MSRP: $89.95

///5///

This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the Blackout LunaTik by Minimal.

Say goodbye to your hard-earned cash! Steam is rolling out its own mobile version of its platform on iOS and Android, so you can now buy absurdly cheap games on a whim while sitting on the toilet at work. What… you guys don’t do that? Well, you can now. Not only that, but you’ll be able to check to see what your friends are doing and chat with them too. The app is ready to be downloaded now, but there is a catch. Like all things, it’s in beta and you need an invite. But we’ll show you how to get in. 

How to get it

The app is already available on their respective app stores, and for free too. However, the app can only be used by those who are currently in the Steam Mobile beta. To get an invite simply do the following: 

• Download the Steam Mobile app
• Sign in to your Steam account
• Wait… ‘til you get accepted

Yeah, not much else I can tell you about that, except that at the moment there’s no word on when new invites will be sent as the site says it’s a LIMITED BETA (yes, in all caps for emphasis). No doubt this will be out soon since why would Valve refuse us the pleasure of throwing our money aimlessly at their service? But the crazy thing about this is, they know that already!

Is this a celebration of sorts or a huge insult to fans of the Blue Bomber? Well, I consider myself to be one of Mega Man’s biggest cheerleaders and I can’t help but love the inclusion of the artist rendition seen on the box art of the original Mega Man (1)! Sure, he looks fat and old, but Mega Man is getting pretty old. I’m actually more surprised to see and hear all the hate this is getting, especially after people have been hungering to see if Rock was still alive in any sorta way. He’s a joke character, deal with it!

Mega Man and Pac-Man join the fray in Street Fighter x Tekken, along with Cole of Infamous and Toru / Kuro (the Sony cats), exclusively on PS3 and Vita releases of the game:

Sorry, would-be Xbox 360 owners, you won’t be receiving any of the exclusive characters mostly due to Microsoft being difficulty. According to reports, Yoshinori Ono, the game’s producer, has been in talks with MS about the inclusion of exclusive characters, Master Chief and Marcus Fenix of Halo and Gears of War fame, respectively. However, the two couldn’t come up with an agreement on the deal due to “differences in timing and things like that.”

So if you plan to play any of these new characters, I suggest you cancel your pre-order for the 360 version and go PS3 on this one. Otherwise, you’ll simply be playing the Street Fighter / Tekken gang when the game launches on March 6th. 

Nintendo’s 2011 E3 reveal of the Wii U was anything but impressive. Aside from the “real-time” gameplay of Zelda Wii U (read as: PR talk), there seriously was nothing to get excited about the Big N’s next console. It was definitely a huge contrast to the type of reaction the Wii first originally got, with wait times to try out the thing no where near the 6 hours people sacrificed to first demo the Wii. Well, Nintendo is hoping to shed off some of those bad memories and it’s optimisitic about its future, despite a continuous plunge in overall sales. Satoru Iwata, the company’s CEO and President, announced earlier yesterday that the Wii U is set to hit retailers sometimes in late 2012. Oh, and there’s talk of it getting a new name. 

Reuters reports that Nintendo President and CEO, Satoru Iwata, announced that Wii U will launch, most likely simultaneously worldwide, in late 2012:

Nintendo will launch a successor to its Wii game console in the U.S. and other key markets in time for the crucial year-end shopping season later this year, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told reporters on Thursday.

And while Nintendo may have done a horri-bad job at unveiling the Wii U at last year’s E3, Capcom veteran and Street Fighter producer, Yoshinori Ono, has told people to not count the console out yet:

“It isn’t something like Kinect or similar accessories, it’s something different.

[…] I can’t tell you more about it because, if I do, Nintendo will send assassins to finish me! But let’s say that Wii U will be a console with so many unique possibilities that it will be difficult to show them in the box they are going to sell it in, or be published in magazines and other media.”

Is Nintendo changing the guts of the hardware? Will it run faster, better, and stronger? No word on that yet, but it does seem to have developers happy, which is always a good sign of things to come if you look at the trend of critical acclaim amongst dev’s and outside-the-box tech; such as Kinect and the Wii. 

More often than not, a brand name is one of the main factors that compel a buyer to purchase a product. In order to have a well recognized brand name, a lot of marketing and endorsement are required. That extra cost for marketing then goes into the final price you pay for the product. Why am I saying all this? Today, we’ll be taking a look at headphones from a little known company called XePort (pronounced Z-Port). The 7010 headphones cost $20 but you might be surprised by our conclusions. 

Features

• Ceramic housing made in color black
• 1.2m Nylon braided cables with extra durability and flexibility
• Wide and smooth frequency response from low to high to give the most realistic reproduction of original music 
• Three sets of ear tips to support the best fit and noise isolation
• Line stopper to avoid cable tangling
• Meeting all ROHS requirements

Our Impressions

Overall

All in all, we’re really happy with the XePort 7010 headphones. The exterior design is appealing and build quality is very good. Sound quality is very impressive, especially if you enjoy a healthy serving of bass with your music. These headphones are very fun to listen to and at $20, they’re a steal. Perhaps we’d like to see a version with iPhone-compatible inline controls and mic in the future?

Pro’s

• affordable pricing
• great sound
• well designed

Con’s

• n/a

Where to buy

XePort / Amazon — MSRP: $19.95

///5///

This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the 7010-9 headphones by XePort.

Oh, Qwikster, how shortlived was your existence? Were you but a mere speck of dust in the stream of this infinite universe’s everflowing hourglass that you were concieved and then forgotten? Life has moved on without you and not a single tear was shed. Not even the wind carries your tattered remains because you were not properly realized, as you were just a silly idea born from the fantasies of a few men’s heads who wish they could bend reality to their will. However, they surely learned from their mistakes, and though you will not be missed Qwikster, your absurd identity will always be remembered. td;lr Netflix will not be renting games. 

Engadget is reporting that during a conference call on Netflix’s Q4 earnings, it was made official the service will not be moving forward with a video game rental strategy:

[…] CEO Reed Hastings confirmed the company has “no plans” to offer videogames for rental, which had been announced as part of the later-retracted Qwikster spinoff.

Well, that’s that then. Sure, it may have been more convenient to go with a single service to rent games and movies instead of having to subscribe to both Gamefly and Netflix, but at this point would it have even mattered? When the original plans were to split up Netflix into two separate beings customers would still have to pay multiple bills.

I think the more wise plan would to simply offer Gamefly a deal and come under the Netflix name. That and get OnLive to partner up and offer their technology for streaming games to them too. One big monolopy of entertainment bliss, full of movies and games streamed directly to your TV. Oh, we can dream can’t we?

Year in and year out at the Anaheim Convention Center, just a block away from Disneyland, Blizzard holds their annual convention, Blizzcon. Well, except for this year. Apparently, the developer and multi-million dollar Warcraft provider, have too much on their plate for 2012 that they had to simply cancel the event, citing a “jam-packed schedule” as the reason. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t be doing something else in its place; something like a world tournament for Battle.net. 

Blizzard announces they’re too busy to hold Blizzcon this year, and have opted to delay it ‘til 2013 in favor of Battle.net World Tournament for 2012:

Blizzard Entertainment is proud to announce the 2012 Battle.net World Championship, a major global eSports event featuring some of the best pro-gaming competition in the world. Slated to take place in Asia toward the end of 2012, the Battle.net World Championship will host this year’s StarCraft II and World of Warcraft Arena World Championship tournaments. Blizzard gamers and eSports fans from around the world will be invited to attend and witness some of the most skilled pro players on the planet battle it out for cash and glory.

We’re excited to be showcasing Blizzard eSports on a truly global stage this year. We’re also heavily focused on getting Diablo III, Mists of Pandaria, and Heart of the Swarm into players’ hands as soon as possible. In light of our jam-packed schedule, we’ve decided to hold the next BlizzCon in 2013.

More details about the 2012 Battle.net World Championship and BlizzCon 2013, including specific dates and locations, will be coming in the months ahead.

Sorry folks, I’m afraid your recently completed Blood Elf cosplay will just have to wait lonely in the closet for another year before it can be proudly worn amongst your online brethren. ‘Til then, I leave you with Joe at Blizzcon:

As for the tournament, we’ll post details about it as soon as info as released.

When Capcom’s Senior VP, Christian Svensson, says that they have “top men” hard at work, discussing the future of the Megaman property it’s hard not to wander back to that famous closing Indiana Jones scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. And as one commenter (abigsmurf) on Siliconera put it, “*mental image of Megaman being wheeled in to a giant warehouse, never to be seen again*” Yeah, I’m hoping that doesn’t happen, but as he also went on to say, “Knowing capcom, it’ll probably be ‘updated’ so it’s a Gears of War clone”, maybe I do want it to happen so that can never be a reality. 

In an “Ask Capcom Q&A” video, Christian Svensson said that future of the Megaman series are currently being discussed by “top men”, as well as what the 25th anniversary of the property will consist of:

“We are continuing to noodle what our plans and what our celebration should be,” Svensson shares. “There’s a whole bunch of things that we know we kind of have to get in a row before we actually really divulge or start to celebrate Mega Man[…]

[…] I hesitate to say exactly what, because I don’t want people reading more into it than is there,” Svensson says. “Let’s just say there are top men thinking about and actively discussing where we’re going to take the brand for the next ten years and how we’re going to do it.”

What’s that mean exactly for the Blue Bomber? Well, as abigsmurf said in our outset, they’re going to have to redo the whole series entirely if they want Megaman to be relevant to a new generation, (read as: Gears of War clone).

The 7 - 15 year old crowd is certainly not into games with high difficulty, and Capcom can’t depend on the nostalgia factor anymore and continue to craft and design games fitted to resemble the games of the past; it can only go so far, as we saw with the amazing return to the Classic series in Megaman 9, but then realized how old that can get, as well as how lazy Capcom can get in game design, with Megaman 10’s release, shortly thereafter. 

The only way to get Megaman back into the fore is to reimagine him from the ground up. It doesn’t have to be an FPS, but a new way of realizing its side-scrolling gameplay roots. A reintroduction, if you will, to the world of 20XX and the way that world runs and lives, and why a “Megaman” character would be needed. But now that I think about it, that sounds almost like Batman. Yeah, that’s why I’m not a game designer, otherwise we might end up with a grim-dark version of Rock that no one cares about, sorta what happened to Bionic Commando, and look what happened to that. 

We can only hope that the “top men” at Capcom know what they’re doing, and by the look of it, they have an idea of how to continually bust out success after success even all these years later.

Oh, and here’s that Indy video we were alluding to earlier to:

It’s been about a year or so since we last took a look at Audioengine’s A2 desktop speakers, and just by a mere glance at these A5+’s there are a number of definite improvements. But before I go into what makes these speakers great or not you may be asking, “why would anyone shell out nearly $500 for a pair of speakers?” Well, we all love to listen to music, watch movies, or even play games. Sound is a must for just about anyone who owns a computer. Getting the best sounding speakers, undistorted, with enough volume are a pain, if not sheerly impossible to find in department stores. Not to mention some one of you have already paid over a grand buying a nifty looking Mac. So why not go the extra mile and buy a pair of premium speakers that will survive the test of time, and also give you better audio quality than anything a small-time consumer set of speakers would ever offer? And so here I introduce to you, Audioengine’s A5+ premium speakers. 

Features

• Power Output: 150W peak power total (50W RMS / 75W peak per channel), AES
• Inputs: 1/8” (3.5mm) stereo mini-jack, RCA L/R
• Outputs: RCA L/R audio (full-range, adjustable), USB Type A (power/charging)
• Drivers: 5” Kevlar woofers, 20mm silk dome tweeters
• Frequency response: 50Hz-22kHz +/-1.5dB
• Protection: Protection: Output current limiting, thermal over-temperature, power on/off transient protection, replaceable external main fuse
• Dimensions (each speaker HWD): 10.75” (27cm) x 7” (18cm) x 7.75” (20cm)
• Weight (LEFT speaker): 15.4 lbs (7 kg) -  Weight (RIGHT speaker): 9.6 lbs (4.4 kg)
• Hosts USB port for charging devices; such as iDevices, 
• Packaged with all necessary audio and power cables, as well as a cloth carrying bag: (6.5 ft.) speaker wire, (6.5 ft.) 3.5” audio cable, RCA cables)
• Available in three colors: high gloss white, satin black, and carbonized bamboo

Our Impressions

Packaging — Simple, without the need for a ton of plastic. Upon opening the box there are two large speakers concealed under fitted cushioning, as well as hidden inside two cloth carrying bags. A few plastic bags house the speaker wire and provided cables (RCA to RCA, power cable, and 3.5” audio cable), as well as the set-up guide, and a remote control for wireless control over the set’s volume. All in all, very minimal and takes little effort to get things all out and unboxed, ready for use.

Features — Looking back on the A2’s from last year’s line, there were a ton of things that we wish the next set of speakers Audioengine came up with would host. And man, did they deliver! Aside from moving the volume knob from the rear of the main speaker to its front side, they also added a number of new features that take it to the next level. 

First, a new USB port is situated at the top on the rear of the main speaker. What this does is let you plug in any USB powered device and charge it while in use, or not in use, with the A5’s; such as an iPhone or iPod. This doesn’t substitute for an audio jack however, since you’ll still need to plug it in via the audio cable provided to get sound — but it does solve the issue of a low battery without having to get your iDevice’s wall-plug adapter. 

And as for the aforementioned volume knob, yeah, it’s great to see that it moved to the front. For being used as desktop speakers this is a definite must — heck, for use on anything it’s a must! Who reaches to the back of their speakers to change up the volume? Also, instead of a smooth turn that slowly increases the speaker’s volume, you get increments that raise the volume only slightly with each click. Both methods give you precise control over the volume, but something about doing it this way makes it feel a little cheaper, though it definitely doesn’t anger us — it’s just an observation. Our only real complaint with the knob this time around is that it was made out of plastic, instead of that fine shiny metal last seen on the A2’s rear volume control.  

Aside from the new ports and knobs, there’s a new white, LED light that remains on when the speakers are in use, and pulsate when they are put into Sleep mode. Sleep mode can be activated by pressing the volume knob in or pressing the Moon button on the included remote control. This mode sorta turns the speakers off without actually pressing the on / off switch located on the back. It simply cuts the audio. The white light also will blink when the speakers have been put under Mute, which can be switched on through the remote. 

Build quality — You’ll notice immediately that these dudes are almost two times as taller than their previous A2 incarnation; growing from 6 inches to nearly 11 inches! That said, they are monsterous when it comes to playing clear, crisp, and vibrant sound without becoming distorted in the least. Watching a movie on an iMac, or even hookinh them up on a PC gaming setup you could say is overkill, but we mean that in the best way possible. But to be frank, for a minimalist or anyone with a small desk, the A5’s look pretty huge, not to mention sorta outta place no matter how you slice it.

Their look is quite simple, but since they’re so large it’s hard to find the proper placement. However, there’s no denying that Hans Zimmer’s Inception score will have nothing on you when that “dunnnnn dunnnnnnnnnn” plays over these, more than capable, A5+’s… even if they look sorta ugly while doing it, (but then again, maybe it was just our black speakers that got in the way. Perhaps the bamboo or glossy white may have persuaded us otherwise.) 

In terms of build you’d be hardpressed to find a substitute for quality and durability. Most speakers nowadays are easy to break, flimsy plastic creations meant to rip off those trying to save a few pennies. But if you truly care about your sound and audio experience however, then investing a little coin will take you a long, long way. For instance, the woofers are lined with strong kevlar (yeah, the same stuff that bulletproof vests are made from), and the tweeters are made from silk. And on the backside of the main speaker, you’ll notice a heatsink meant to cool down the system after prolonged use. The drivers are video shielded, which means that if placed close to a monitor or video source you won’t notice that magnetic purple creeping onto your screen. The shielding also works against interference for hard drive-based music players (iPods and such). Oh, and there’s also a 3-year warranty that comes with the purchase of your A5+’s

Sound — The moment of truth, if you will. Speakers that can endure a nuclear winter, and that look stylish and heavy duty aren’t enough to warrant a purchase. Nope, in the end it’s all about how they sound — hence, speakers of audio must provide an excellent experience for those listening to them. Well, let’s just say that the A5+’s do more than just that. 

When we first hooked them up we really got a taste of their volume by turning up them up on Daft Punk’s Around The World and Madeon’s Shuriken mix— always our first go-to artists to check out bass, low’s, and overall clarity. If speakers can perform well under these tracks right off the bat then we have a good start. The A5+’s during this test offer a crystal clear sound that make you want to bob your head with each beat. The music took over our room with bass and low’s reverberating with the help of the clear stereo sound when both speakers are placed at least 6ft. apart from each other, as per the instructions packaged with the speakers. We had them a good 5ft. away from each other and the stereo sound was de, which the instructions say 6ft., but who’s counting?

Yael Naim’s New Soul provided a good listen for a test in mid’s and heavy use of vocals with music playing more of a background job. The speakers provided a smooth and intimate party vibe, one that could not easily be replicated on cheaper speakers. Distortion was non-existent. The Bird and Bee’s rendition of Rich Girl was a pleasant mix of vocals in the mid-range and a great use of bass. And The Decemberists’ Down By The Water guitar strums and harmonica again excellently displayed how the A5+’s could handle multiple layers of music all on different levels.

And when it came to the high’s, we tried out some random, high quality classical music that hosted lots of stringed instruments; like violins and a choir. But for the ultimate test we tried something a little different; during our time with the A5+’s it just so happened a wedding was taking place at our house…. my wedding. We were doing the traditional backyard setup and my fiance and I thought it would be approriate to give them a try for use when walking down the aisle, as well as when the wedding party would walk back down before dismissal. Well, it goes without saying that everything went perfectly and the A5+’s stood up to the challenge, otherwise I would not be here writing this right now, and I’d probably be looking for my bride instead.

That should be a clear indication of how much we love the A5+’s. We trusted them with a once in a lifetime experience: a wedding… MY wedding, at that! Volume was not a problem even when handling outdoor situations and heavy chatter amongst a group of 50 family and friends. 

Overall

You get what you pay for here, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sometimes going the cheaper route sounds like the smartest, but if you’re someone who truly cares about their audio experience, especially if you’re a gamer, a big movie-watcher, or someone who enjoys more than their fair share of music, then sometimes it’s better to put some money into your speaker system. We’re not talking surround sound, basically we’re just saying if you’re looking for a solution to your desktop or gaming setup this is where it’s at. Audioengine has perfected their design and have added a host of new features with a remote control, relocated volume control, and a heatsink to ensure they don’t overheat after long usage.  The A5+’s are a pretty penny at $400, but if you have the cash and are looking for something in the audiophile market, then look no further than this premium speaker set.

Pro’s 

• New features; USB port and remote control give added convenience
• Sound is crystal clear, loud, rich, and vibrant
• Build quality is top notch, w/ added heatsink 
• Worth its value of almost half a grand 

Con’s

• Would prefer metal volume knob instead of plastic
• Can look a little bulky in some set-up’s 

Where to buy

Audioengine — MSRP: $399 

///5///

This review was done by Ricardo Trejo, whow as given A5+ speakers by Audioengine.

Indie Game: The Movie Official Trailer from IndieGame: The Movie on Vimeo.

Paying $10 a month for Xbox Live is punishment enough to play games online against friends and others, but having to buy Microsoft Points is an unnecessary torment. One that confuses people and ends up making people pay more for the games they want. But what’s this? We’re getting word that the company is finally doing away with this stupid system and heading towards real dollars and cents. 

Inside Mobile Apps reports that Microsoft will be phasing out its Microsoft Point system in favor of real money:

“Microsoft’s proprietary virtual currency system, Microsoft Points, will be phased out by the end of the year, according to a source with knowledge of the company’s decision. The change will affect developers for Windows Phone, the Zune marketplace and Xbox Live.

By the end of 2012, all transactions will be based on the region set on the purchasing account and real money will be used to purchase all Windows Phone content. The move puts the Windows Phone Marketplace in line with the purchasing practices used in the App Store and the Android Market.”

Quite relieving, espescially since I speak for the majority when saying I’m sick of having to buy $20 worth of points just to get games that only require 1600! Think of it as Microsoft’s personal way of conning you out of a couple of bucks with each purchase of DLC or an Arcade title. So let’s hope that they don’t screw this one up.

Keep your fingers crossed!

So I made the plunge and bought an iMac after I recently tied the knot. Think of it as starting anew both in real life and in my digital one. And while I was happy setting up the brain child of Steve Jobs, I soon discovered that my world had been turned upside down. After more than a decade of exclusively being tied to Windows machines, here I was having to learn the basics of keyboard shortcuts all over again. And one that that really go on my nerves was wondering just how the heck does one “shift-select” on a Mac, for instance when wanting to select a groupf of photos to edit at one time without manually clicking on each one? The solution was a strange one. 

To my amazement, “shift + select” is still a useable shortcut even on the Mac’s configuration. But there are some restrictions, unfortunately. When within Finder you can “command + select” on anything and you’ll get the same Windows results, but when holding shift it’s a little more selective.

Definition

“Shift + select” allows you to click on one item within a folder and then click on another item either further down the page and have all the items within the first and second items selected. This is great for working with a number of files without having to click and drag, which can be a pain on Apple’s Magic Mouse for some. 

How to

To use “shift + select”in the Finder on OS X Lion you need to set your folder’s view options to anything except “Icon view” (the first choice inside the green circle below). When in “list, columns, or coverflow view” you are able to use “shift + select” to work with multiples files within the range in which you define, and you can “command + select” (Windows version of “ctrl + select”) to deselect or select items within the range:

When items have been defined, if you then select “icon view”, you’ll notice that the same items have been selected from the other view options. To my knowledge, this is the only way to go around it. This philosophy also holds true when working on a Mac’s Desktop.

CineStar 3 Axis Gimbal from tabb firchau on Vimeo.

Off the heels of last Friday’s surprise announcement of Resident Evil 6 and the return of both Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield, there is now some interesting news coming in about the game’s intense co-op features. Oh, and did we mention that with it there’s going to be a ton of new surprises, as well as the comeback of some pretty famous walking dead?

According to Xbox.com’s game listing, RE:6 will host 6 player Co-op, alongside an FPS style 8 player multiplayer versus mode. 

The details above have since been removed from Xbox’s official description page for the game but the damage has already been done. For those of you still hammering for anything you get your hands on, read on for a basic premise of what’s to be expected:

“The highly anticipated  “Resident Evil 6” is finally here.  Set in 2013, 10 years after the Raccoon City incident, the world faces the horror of a global scale bioterrorism attack. Immersive gameplay experience, horror, excitement, deep emotion and dense storyline, set in an epic scale. More horror, more realistic and more drama. The best horror entertainment experience ever.”

The official Twitter account for all things Resident Evil seems to be revealing small tid-bits of info as time passes on through:

“Classic Resident Evil fear moments will merge with gripping, tense storylines and gameplay in #RE6: The ultimate dramatic horror experience!”

And from the look of the reveal trailer, we’re going to be getting a mash-up of the classic “survival-horror” gameplay from the original RE’, along with the action/shooter aspects more recently made famous by RE:4 and 5. Oh, and ummm, did you also notice that zombies will finally be coming back? Yeah, they’re back for that juicy muscle within your skull, a.k.a. brains. 

RE:6 is shaping up to be the ultimate entry in the series, which should appease fans who will be getting a double dose of bio-terrorism this year (if you count RE: Revelations for 3DS)

Also, if you want a steady stream of updates for the series why not consider following it? — Resident Evil Official Twitter account. 

If you had any doubts that crowd-sourced video projects work, you’ll want to see this.

Back in 2009, web developer Casey Pugh asked internet folk to use 15 second clips to re-create the move “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a massive fan project titled “Star Wars Uncut” Since then, SWU has been featured in numerous programs, docmentaries, and news outlets and has even won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media in 2010. However, legal issues prevented the team at SWU from releasing a full, stiched together film. That is, until now.

After two years in the making, the Star Wars Uncut: Director’s Cut is finally available for your viewing pleasure. The “Director’s Cut”, as it’s called, includes the team’s favorite clips and clocks in at an impressive feature-length 2 hours. You can watch it on YouTube or Vimeo (Vimeo embed above).

Finally, you can also check out the Star Wars Uncut website to see all of the individual clips or their Tumblr blog for even more content related to the project.

So it’s come to this. After one of the biggest and momentous days in internet history, with the SOPA blackouts in protest of the highly hated anti-piracy bill, the United States FBI took down MegaUpload — yeah, THAT MegaUpload — and arrested a number of its employees situated across the globe. What? Yeah, that’s right. They boarded planes, crossed the seas, and tagged and bagged those life-threatening copyright infringers! The site then went down… but then Anonymous got invovled after they heard what happened and retaliated. — More after the break!

United States FBI takes down MegaUpload and arrests a handful of employees located across the globe. Anonymous makes statement and takes down Department of Justice website.

That’s basically the gist of it all. Within hours of MegaUpload’s take down by US forces, Anonymous sounded the alarm and its members went to their battlestations, ready to DDOS the living snot out of those affiliated with the removal of hosting service.

Anon-related Twitter accounts have cited responsibility for the hacks and downed status of sites: justice.gov and the fbi.gov — both of which are back up.

The timing of MegaUpload’s removal from the internet couldn’t be more impeccable seeing as the demonstrations against SOPA had all just finished. According to the site StopFraud.gov, the ruling came two weeks ago, and that MegaUpload’s demise was sealed since then:

“This action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime.”

The allegations place charges like “racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering” against MegaUpload’s two co-founders, Kim Dotcom and Mathias Ortmann, along with a number of other fellows under their payroll. The total amount of revenue said to have been in limbo due to MegaUpload’s piracy ties came out to something like $500,000,000 (million). Now that’s a whole lot of zero’s!

But what’s this MegaVideo.bz?

We’ve heard some reports that MegaUpload may be coming back through a new domain — MegaVideo.bz — but visitors have noticed that it’s nothing more than just a fake copycat. Sorry, guys, but aren’t there a whole lot of other places to “file-share”? 

Well, with that said, I found it appropriate to post this rare gem of the internet, in which mega-stars all talk about how awesome MegaUpload is:

Oh, and just if you’re curious; the former CEO of MegaUpload was a gentleman known as Swizz Beatz, who just happens to be Alicia Keys’ husband. Interesting enough is that he hasn’t been charged with any wrong doing (yet), even though pretty much the entire executive staff of company is now either behind bars or being hunted down like fugitives.

“What’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology,” Steve Jobs once said. It’s true that little can be done in tech field to make teachers, their school districts, and parents change the way in which they prepare a proper lesson plan. But they CAN take steps to nudge them in the right direction. Apple has focused on the consumer market for decades now, and with its appropriate household name, it hopes to be one synonymous with education reform and getting kids back on track to want to learn again by giving them, and their teachers, the tools needed to spark their interest. 

Apple launches iBooks 2 for iPad, strikes deals with major textbook publishers to offer cheap, interactive, always-up-to date text books for students and teachers:

“The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store™. With support for great new features including gorgeous, fullscreen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before. 

iBooks Author is also available today as a free download from the Mac App Store and lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore. Authors and publishers of any size can start creating with Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. iBooks Author lets you add your own text and images by simply dragging and dropping, and with the Multi-Touch™ widgets you can easily add interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote® presentations and 3D objects. 

Apple today also announced an all-new iTunes® U app giving educators and students everything they need on their iPad, iPhone® and iPod touch® to teach and take entire courses. With the new iTunes U app, students using iPads have access to the world’s largest catalog of free educational content, along with over 20,000 education apps at their fingertips and hundreds of thousands of books in the iBookstore that can be used in their school curriculum, such as novels for English or Social Studies.* The iTunes U app is available today as a free download from the App Store.

*Some content is available only for iPad.”

What Apple hopes to accomplish with iBooks 2

When the iPad was first announced everyone knew that this day would come, and now it’s becoming a reality. I believe that with the announcement of iPad 3 there will come a swift price cut to the iPad 2 that will make it competitive and affordable for any parent looking to get their kid one. Should we say $199 for the base model? It makes sense, especially going up against the Kindle Fire.

As for details on iBooks 2, it was mentioned that high school textbooks would cost as much as $14.99 and lower. And with the newly unveiled iBooks Author, just about anyone could create and sell their own interactive books on the iBooks store. 

With the focus of information shifting from physical books to digital media, learning is more convenient than ever. But again, tech cannot be the focus of education… it has to start elsewhere. The late Steve Jobs knew the importance of education, but was keenly aware at what steps were needed to make it relevant:

“When you have kids you think, What exactly do I want them to learn? Most of the stuff they study in school is completely useless. But some incredibly valuable things you don’t learn until you’re older — yet you could learn them when you’re younger. And you start to think, What would I do if I set a curriculum for a school?

God, how exciting that could be! But you can’t do it today. You’d be crazy to work in a school today. You don’t get to do what you want. You don’t get to pick your books, your curriculum. You get to teach one narrow specialization. Who would ever want to do that?

These are the solutions to our problems in education. Unfortunately, technology isn’t it. You’re not going to solve the problems by putting all knowledge onto CD-ROMs. We can put a Web site in every school — none of this is bad. It’s bad only if it lulls us into thinking we’re doing something to solve the problem with education.”

And with that we’ll have to see where this latest breakthrough takes us. 

Get your pitchforks ready, ‘cause At&t is raising prices again! But before you get your panties all in a bunch and throw a hissy-fit let’s get something straight. With the rise in data use through mobile apps, made popular due to the iPhone and Android offerings, from a business standpoint it makes sense to make a quick buck off a couple million people by raising rates up a few dollars. Okay, I don’t mean to defend the provider, since I’m with them and I hate them with each day that passes, but you gotta at least see where they’re coming from. And now that I’ve written that I wish they would simply do the same for us and give us what we’ve wanted, and actually had, from the start: an unlimited data plan. 

At&t officially announces new data rates for smartphones and tablets, going into effect starting Sunday, January 22nd:

The new smartphone plans include:

• AT&T Data Plus 300MB: $20 for 300MB
• AT&T Data Pro 3GB: $30 for 3GB
• AT&T Data Pro 5GB: $50 for 5GB, with mobile hotspot / tethering

Smartphone customers needing additional data can pay $10 per additional gigabyte on the AT&T Data Pro 3GB and Data Pro 5GB plans; AT&T Data Plus users will receive an extra 300MB for $20.

The new tablet plans* include:

• AT&T DataConnect 3GB: $30 for 3GB
• AT&T DataConnect 5GB: $50 for 5GB

Existing smartphone and tablet customers will have the choice of keeping their current plans or choosing one of these new plans, and the current $14.99 for 250MB plan for tablet customers will remain available.

At&t’s reason and rate hike justification

At&t had this to say on their blog post introducing the new rates:

“Customers are using more mobile broadband data than ever before.

More content downloading, more video streaming, more apps. Connecting with family and friends 24-7. Mobile broadband has become part of our daily lives – and data usage has skyrocketed.

And as the AT&T network gets even faster with 4G LTE deployment – up to 10 times faster than 3G – and devices and applications become even more sophisticated, it’s clear that data usage will surge even more.

Taking all of this into account – and our ongoing commitment to deliver value to our customers – we’re launching new smartphone and tablet data plans on Sunday, Jan. 22. The new plans give customers more data for more value. You can read about the plans here. Existing customers will be able to keep their current plans but can also choose from one of the new plans.”

While it is a comforting thought to know that current subscribers won’t need to worry over their bills looking any different should they choose to stay where they are, it will make potential customers do a double take and give other providers a look first — especially if they’re looking to get an iPhone on their plan.

2011 from hey_rabbit on Vimeo.

There’s a shift in the tectonics plates in what is now known as “video game journalism”. People are moving, sites are being formed, and new Avenger teams are being assembled. But what does it all mean? Maybe not a lot, but as in the words of Ben Kuchera, Penny Arcade’s new editor in charge of video game coverage (for lack of a more precise title atm), “I don’t think it says much, other than the fact people are starting to really invest in good writing, as egotistical as that sounds.” It makes sense considering that the biggest sites like IGN and Gamespot attract viewers through headlines, whereas the refined gamers who enjoy editorials flock more towards sites with large editoral personalities. So what does this mean for Penny Arcade?

Penny Arcade to offer their own video game coverage as gaming editor of Opposable Thumbs for Ars Technica joins the ranks of Gabe and Tycho:

Tycho (Keith Gerald “Jerry” Holkins né Parkinson)
Writer at Penny Arcade 

“There’s an incredibly short list of people I trust to tell me the truth about the industry, even if I don’t always want to hear it, and Ben Kuchera is on top of that list.  You may already be a reader of his at Ars Technica, where he’s been in charge of their gaming coverage for…  well, ever.  Until today, I guess, when I hired him.

We’re bringing him on to create industry coverage you can read without holding your nose, essentially; I want a perspective, I want a Curator for the Internet’s gaming content.  In a couple words, I want something less insulting and disposable.

We used to rail about IGN in our innocence, back when we couldn’t imagine anything worse.  News is pretty much busted at the moment; you may be shocked to hear it, but deadlines every twenty minutes put you on the wrong side of quality versus quantity.  We have a track record of seeing broken things, and making an attempt to fix them; this is our attempt, and Ben is at the core of that.  I’ve wanted something like this for awhile, and so we’ve begun to make it.  Of course, you’re welcome to read it as well.

Do you want to meet Ben, figure out what his deal is?  He’s running a Q&A in the forums now.”

At the moment it’s not quite apparent what sorta verbage and words we’ll see on Penny Arcade in terms of gaming coverage. According to his Q&A, Ben will do more of an editorial role, posting on specific days rather than reporting daily press releases as most sites do (us excluded, of course).

Though it seems like we’ll get more a commentary on what’s happening within the industry, different aspects of the daily happenings we usually read in an objective way simply for info. I doubt we’ll see game reviews in any shape or form, but more critique’s on game mechanics and the direction genre’s are heading, but that’s just our best guess. 

What does this all mean?

I loved reading Kotaku for the opinions and un-related subject matter of some of their posts, even though many would say that the site was pretty late to some of the biggest stories already posted on other sites. But again, I was drawn to the people behind the written words — just as many will follow Kuchera as he leaves his longtime role at Ars to head over to Penny Arcade.

In my own head I like to think of game journalism the way in which media was portrayed in the 40’s; very cut throat and first to scene gets the prize. Nowadays it’s not really like that anymore. The smaller sites get the facts and then the bigger fish regurgitate those and earn the hits off their massive site. It’s a nice change of pace to see the leaders of these school of fish move over and do more editorial stuff than simply just posting for the sake of having more content on their individual sites. Just look at how The Verge has flourished after the events in which put Arianna Huffington in charge of AOL blogs. The masses who enjoyed Josh Topolsky and his crew of minions took their views with them to his new interim site, and subsequently over to The Verge. 

Will we see a mass exodus from the larger sites over to more boutique and well focused blogs run by the independent? I highly doubt it. But for the best in gaming criticism I like where the trend is going, and we wish Ben the best of luck as he takes Penny Arcade into uncharted waters.  

Ah Bethesda games, they’re always so special. Huge open worlds to explore and huge amounts of entertainment are in all of their games if you can deal with the large amount of bugs and issues those games were riddled with. And here we are at the fifth Elder Scrolls game, a series that has become ridiculously popular since its inception, and it really doesn’t get much better than this. Bethesda has made their newest trek into the snowy north of Skyrim it’s most memorable and effective yet with fantastic graphics, design and, as always, the best sidequests in the buisness bar none. Not only does Bethesda meet the huge bar they’ve set for their series, they’ve exceeded it by leaps and bounds.

Story 

From Morrowind onwards, the Elder Scrolls seems to have started a tradition with the way each game begins.  You wake up as an unnamed prisoner being taken to your death for an unknown crime and, after a short tutorial, are given free reign to do whatever you want, whenever you want and however you’d like. Skyrim is no different in this respect: You create your character just as your sent to the chopping block but after making your escape through the almost required tedium and linearity of the opening dungeon, the game gives you free reign to explore anywhere in Skyrim, the frozen northern landmass of Tamriel. With the ever present threat of the dragons running rampant throughout the world… Oh, who am I kidding, I just ran in the opposite direction of the quest marker and explored the world for a little bit. And my goodness, what a world it is.

It’s interesting that I’ve never really enjoyed the main quests of Elder Scrolls games. Most of them feel like afterthoughts in the grand scheme of your 80+ hour journey as the characters, missions and places you go never really reach the magnificience of the side quests that you embark on. While the main story is of a decent length, introducing that you are the last of the Dragonborn, a mortal race that can absorb the souls of slain dragons and focus them into “Shouts”, which are essentially strong spells that can really change the tide of battles, is a really interesting concept and one that is explored fairly effectively in the beginning of the game as you journey up the tallest mountains in the game and also take part in some interesting and varied dungeons, each with their own stories to tell as you explore them. While it never truly reaches a peak of any sort, with forgetable characters and a little too much going on between them, it’s a very serviceable story which provides a nice chunk of content to enjoy and, by the end, you really feel like you’ll be able to take down some of the toughest dragons with ease. All in all, after Oblivion’s god awful, repungnant stench of a main quest, Skyrim’s looks like a delicious cake in comparison. 

But let’s be honest here, Bethesda is known for having the best sidequests in the buisness bar absolutely no one and, in Skyrim, it’s come to the point where, after 80 hours of playing, I still have about 20 - 30 quests in my journal to do. And you know what’s great about all of them? It’s that they all feel sufficiently different enough to warrant doing. What’s absolutely brillant about Skyrim in particular, is that it succeeds in adding context into just about anywhere you explore. Similar to the Vaults in Fallout 3 but on a much larger scale, as in addition to characters giving backstory on an area, you might find books, writing on walls or rooms inside that give you insight into the backstory. It’s seen here on a massive scale and it’s fascinating at just how effective if it can be if you stop for a moment to read the absolutely astonishing number of ingame books you can find all over the place. 

Getting into specifics, you have the ability to join any or all of the guilds in the game, from the fan favourite Dark Brotherhood to new one’s like the very Warrior/Viking group of Companions. All of these guilds provide you with wildly varying experiences too and all contain their own stories that can last the length of other full games in their entirety. While there’s a wonderful sense of variety in these guilds, this negatively effects Skyrim’s ability to create a structured narrative. Along with it being such a large game, you’ll find yourself moving to and from a ridiculous number of places in your travels, most of the time leaving a handful of quests to collect dust in your journal until some later date. The large amount of NPC interactions don’t really help this fact either, as almost every quest has some new character or group associated with it, making it hard to connect with them as a whole. Now don’t get me wrong, a few of them have good personalities and dialogue but you’ll end up forgetting many of the characters just because of the sheer volume of things they do. For example, the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines were some of Bethesda’s best storylines that they’ve crafted but I can only remember one standout character’s name from at least 15 hours of content between the two factions. 

Alongside the fact that you’ll be forgetting characters, we need to talk about them a little more as well. Skyrim undoubtedly has the best dialogue of any Elder Scrolls game yet, which means that all of it isn’t painfully terrible. There’s not one point in this game where you’ll want to jam your eyes out from hearing Brother Jauffre’s voice actor every five minutes. Overall though, many of the NPCs are made a little more interesting through smaller things like their interactions with your character and the variety of dialogue between all of them. While it isn’t all that noticeable, it definitely makes for a positive experience since you’ll naturally be seeing lots of characters as you explore the massive world of Skyrim. 

Gameplay 

And just what exactly will you be doing as you explore this lovely landscape? Skyrim starts in the usual manner, you create a character to represent yourself but you’ll immediately start to notice an important, and more importantly, excellent change in the way you play the game. In past Bethesda titles, you were forced to specialize in a variety of skills early on while Skyrim just improves the skills you choose to use with them all contributing to an overall leveling bar. You immediately notice the difference as you aren’t forced to be the typical class archetype in any way, shape or form when you play through the game. I played through the game as a sneaky assassin who used a variety of axes and maces. Sure, it may not be optimal, but the game doesn’t punish you for trying anything out. Alongside this system also comes the addition of a Fallout style perk system, where you can dump points into a skill of your choosing whenever you hit a certain milestone. The more perks you put in, the higher you can get into the numerous trees as you advance in level. It’s a nice way to reward a particular playstyle that you know you enjoy, even if the freedom of choice isn’t really adhered to with this mechanic. 

Primarily however, that sense of wonder really translates well into gameplay as you’ll be battling creatures both big and small as you explore and discovering new, interesting places for your character to plunder and hang around in. You’ll be doing this with a new combat system that feels much improved compared to the old style. They give you free use of the two hands you have for whatever you see fit; want a pure mage? Equip yourself with fire in both hands or any other mix of the elements. People who enjoy playing characters that are more up close and personal can choose to use two swords, shields or add in some magic in one hand with another. The possibilities here are really excellent in all respects and it’s great that Bethesda truly succeeded at letting you play any way you like without confining you to a chosen role throughout the entirety of the game like they did in Fallout 3 and most of their previous games. 

Most importantly perhaps is the effect that the newly returned Dragons have on Skyrim’s gameplay. Anytime your exploring the world, this potential encounter presents itself in spectacular fashion. The first time you see a dragon land and attack makes a huge impression and they’re hulking beasts that require quite an effort to take down. And when you do destroy it, you feel a huge sense of accomplishment that doesn’t really diminish the numerous times you’ll be attacked by one. 

On the downside, the melee combat in particular still feels clunky and simple. Generally mashing the button will win you the day and the game never gets outright challenging unless you try a gameplay style that’s a bit more unorthodox, which definitely can provide you with some challenges in survival.

Visuals/Audio

Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series have always prided themselves on having an enourmous world with interesting aesthetical designs but, technically, their last few games are showing the considerable age of it’s Gamebryo engine. I’m very happy to report then, that Bethesda has taken some major steps to really up their game in this area. Technically, the world is no longer a chunky slouch, with the view distance for things up close as well as things far away looking quite brilliant. The mountanous north of Skyrim is well represented in this respect, with the plentiful amount of interesting structures really just begging you to explore them. When you get up close however, some of the textures can look a bit low res alongside some of the further vistas popping in when you get closer. Regardless however, I feel that Skyrim really takes large strides in making the world of Tamriel just that more believeable. Simple things like snow getting heavier as you ascend a particularly tall mountain, an aurrora appearing during the night, and a lovely amount of variety in the areas you’ll explore really help make up for Skyrim’s technical issues, which are not as prevalent as they were in the previous games. 

Even better than that is that they’ve solved Oblivion’s problems of repetition with ease in Skyrim. Wheras you’d see only a handful of dungeons that all looked fairly identical in Oblivion, Skyrim’s dungeon usually bring something original or different to the table for each and everyone you enter. And there are quite the number of them that you’ll just stumble upon too. After 90 hours, while you’ll begin to see textures used for the environnments start to repeat, Bethesda still introduces completely different dungeon designs alongside an interesting gimmick for each of the hundreds you can find each time you sit down to play. Similarly to this, the towns and cities you’ll stumble into all bring out the Nordic (read: Viking) architecture in each, meaning you’ll be seeing lots of battle brothers, wooden villages and large axes. And here’s the thing, the developers always keep the illusion that you’re in the frozen north of the world well and alive, with there always being some snowy peek off in the distance or a cold storm brewing off in the distance. However, this is offset by just enough places that are more of your typical fantasy tropes, from old dwarven ruins and grass lands that made me feel like the game had lots of variety in its areas while also keeping it firmly planted in your mind that some of these places looked cold. With such a fantastic amount of places to visit, the hours you’ll pump into Skyrim just exploring these fantastic vistas will be astronomically high. 

Moving on to the subject of audio, the first thing I think of is the music because it’s absolutely fantastic. From the game’s utterly brilliant main theme, which builds in power about as fast as your anticipation to play the game, to the slower, more atmospheric compositions for when you explore the world. The key thing to notice here is that it never abruptly switches and there’s enough depth and complexity to each song to ensure that you don’t get tired of them over such a large amount of game time. 

On the other hand, if you know Bethesda, you know that they’re dialogue work has been the polar opposite of their music. I mentioned Brother Joffrey above but I’m happy to report that the voice work that is delivered here is like something out of heaven for a Bethesda title. This basically means that all the voice actors are decidely average, with, thank god, no real sticklers or too many repeat voice actors among the large crowd of people you’ll meet in the game. In all my playtime, I can count the number of outstanding voice actors on about half of my left hand, which is still dissapointing considering all of Bethesda’s phenominal work in other areas. 

Final Thoughts

Bethesda’s finally succeeded in making the game they’ve been trying to make since their creation. While their previous efforts were still great games, some of their combat felt clunky, the gameplay wasn’t as open minded and their worlds just weren’t as well realized in comparison to Skyrim. 

With such a vast and detailed world to discover, I’ve pumped in a huge 120 hours to just see the whole thing. As you explore you’ll come upon some fantastic side quests in most of the guilds around Skyrim and some not so fantastic ones like the main story. The graphics are sharp and detailed and the music will absolutely stay in your head for months to come. While the usual Bethesda tropes of bugs are present and the average voice acting are ever present, Skyrim is just such a joy to playthrough that you’ll always want to keep playing.

Pro’s

• Unbelievable world 
• Excellent Graphics and Aesthetics
• Awesome Music

Con’s

• Main Story is still weak
• Voice Acting is a mix between average and mediocre
• Skyrim is still a very buggy place

Of all the experiences in the past year, Skyrim really stands out to me as one of the finest. It’s incredibly well made, exceedingly huge and bursting with interesting content that really blows Bethesda’s last few games out of the water. They’ve said they’ll be taking some time to develop more meaty DLC and I can’t wait to sink even more hours into such a brilliant title. 

///5///

We’ve all done it, whether we’re tech geeks or not, we currently, or at one time or another, used a single password for all of our services. Either that or we’ve definitely been guilty of making a password out of our birthday or using the names of of our loved ones. It seems no matter our intelligence and against our better judgement we can’t seem to get away from this unsafe practice. But luckily for you, here’s a helpful guide to get you started on coming up with stronger, more protective password habits.

[click for full-view]

(And for those wondering what that link to Diggnation’s finale episode was about, it was meant to be a subtle reference to Kevin Rose’s girlfriend admitting that he uses only one password for everything.)

When you’re the victim of fraud most people tend to think that they’re going to get immediate support to help remedy the issue. I mean c’mon, we’re talking money here! Y’know, the stuff that makes the world go round? Unfortunately, a quick resolution to this sorta of theft is as big a dillusion as thinking you’re going to feel right-as-rain upon arriving at the hospital after a horrific car crash. It’s just not going to happen, especially when you’re given the run-around. Specifically, after a stunning number of frauds being reported within the past week from Xbox Live, you’d think Microsoft would be ready with a band-aid at least, no? Sadly, so is not the case. In fact, their public statement reassures customers that there’s nothing going on beyond users being too lax with passwords and letting their guards down against phishing tactics. The facts say otherwise.

Microsoft refuses to admit security flaw for users who have gotten accounts compromised and subsequently stolen from:

‘Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox Live service.The online safety of Xbox Live members remains of the utmost importance, which is why we consistently take measures to protect Xbox Live against ever-changing threats. Security in the technology industry is an ongoing process, and with each new form of technology designed to deter attacks, the attackers try to find new ways to subvert it.

We continue to evolve our security features and processes to ensure Xbox Live customers information is secure. Online fraud and identity theft are industry-wide problems, and as such people using any online services should set strong passwords, not share those passwords across multiple services and refrain from sharing any personal details that could leave them vulnerable.

As always, we highly recommend our members follow the Xbox Live Account Security guidance provided at http://xbox.com/security to protect your account.’

Now to give those of you who are lost here a little background, there was an incident involving an Xbox Live user who had her account compromised and then reported it Microsoft, who then pretty much did nothing except tell her it would be taken care of. Her entire story and ordeal can be read on her own Tumblr blog — Hacked On Xbox.  

The chain of events that unfolded before Susan Taylor could be likened to one of those Lifetime movies where there’s this psycho stalker threatening to kill an average girl, and only to be laughed at or ignored when she reports the situation to the police. Now before I continue, I’m not relating that analogy because Susan is a girl — far from it. Heck, after you hear about the detective work she did to uncover how she was hacked you’ll think she’s the Batman herself! 

How hackers are stealing your accounts

But what I will say is that this sorta stuff is happening before Xbox’s eyes, and instead of pubicly telling people about specific dangers involved to using their service, especially linking your Paypal account to your Live account, they’re saying that the users should be more wary themselves to hackers and their plans. Though we got ourselves a little birdy (a.k.a. Susan Taylor and her Dark Knight skills) who gave us in detail how hackers are getting their hands on your gamertag and then buying points with your account, only to sell it off on eBay to users offshore:

“Step One: Obtain username/password of account currently in use (I cannot work out how he obtains this information)
Step Two: Purchase Family ‘Gold’ Pack for the hacked account (this means he can now transfer points between the accounts he lists on the family pack)
Step Three: Purchase 10,000 MS Points (4000/6000) 
Step Four: Create multiple (number unknown) brand new Xbox accounts (typically American accounts)
Step Five: Transfer all purchased points to these accounts (divide among multiple accounts or send full amount straight to a single one)
Step Six: Sell the account that has these points on to people, charging a smaller amount than Microsoft would charge for the points alone
Step Seven: Rinse, repeat, profitprofitprofit!”

The madness doesn’t stop there, since AnalogHype was able to find out how hackers are getting your passwords to your gamertags in the first place — something that Microsoft says you should be able to prevent.

On the flipside of things, the one thing we can tell you do for the utmost in protection agains this sort of thing is simply to not have a credit card tied to your Xbox Live account. Use pre-paid cards to buy points, and when it comes to renewing your subscription, you can do that through Xbox’s website without the need for an ongoing credit card to be linked to your gamertag. That being said, also stave away from using Paypal for Xbox too, and you shouldn’t need worry even if you get hacked. 

“Transcending history, and the world. A tale of swords and souls eternally retold.” Man, who could ever forget that classic line? The Soul Calibur series has always been a fascinating one to me, albeit a franchise that hasn’t gotten much attention as a serious fighter when compared to the likes of Street Fighter and Tekken. It’s had its up and down’s but with SC5 on the horizon it’d be nice to take a stroll down memory lane for us seasoned vets when the original game comes to iOS this week, also not to mention its an opportunity for newcomers to enter the world of the Soul Edge.

Andriasang reports that the original Soul Calibur released for Dreamcast will be making its way to iOS devices on Jan. 19th:

“The iOS port of the classic arcade and Dreamcast fighting game features all 19 fighters and a mode list that includes arcade battle, time attack, survival, extra survival, practice and museum modes. Of these, time attack, survival and extra survival are compatible with Game Center’s Leader Boards.”

So you mean I can finally battle on my iPhone with the one and only S&M loving Voldo? Sounds like a dream come true to gamers everywhere!

While the release date was set for Thursday, price was no disclosed, though I can quess that it’ll be around $9.99. The game will be offered as a universal app for iPhone 4, iPad 2, and iPod touch.