RIM reportedly cutting 3,000 jobs on August 13th

RIM reportedly cutting 3,000 jobs on August 13th:
Troubling times still lie ahead for RIM. The company announced during its most recent financial results that BlackBerry 10 would be delayed until the beginning of 2013. On top of that, RIM announced that further layoffs at the company would be necessary, with thousands of jobs already having been cut. A source speaking to Cantech Letter has now revealed that 3,000 employees at RIM will lose their jobs on August 13th.

RIM reportedly wants to finalize the layoffs before its next quarter closes on August 31st. Around 3,000 jobs will be cut in all, the remaining amount from the 5,000 that RIM previously announced would be cut. According to the source, those working on BlackBerry 10 are safe, as are those dealing with the enterprise side of the business, but many from customer services, human resources, marketing, and RIM’s global repair services will be let go.
The company is trying to cut back on its spending, hoping that the restructure of the company will save $1 billion. In its most recent financial results, RIM revealed that it had lost $518 million, and that revenue had also dropped by a third to $2.8 billion. The company struggled to shift its PlayBook tablet as well, with just 260,000 shipping out.
RIM has defended its decision to delay BlackBerry 10, saying that while it was ready to go at its core, the operating system still needed fine tuning before it could be unleashed on customers. The CEO of RIM, Thorsten Heins, also dismissed the idea of the company adopting Android or Windows Phone, saying that there was still room in the market for an alternative OS.
[via MobileSyrup]

Story Timeline

• RIM announces new COO and CMO


• RIM to restructure and shed at least 2000 jobs


• RIM's chief legal officer exits the company


• RIM starts to cut jobs in company restructure


• RIM reports dire Q1 2013: $518m loss and BlackBerry 10 delayed


• RIM CEO: We're not in a death spiral


• RIM cash reserves threatened by carrier fee cut demands


• RIM CEO on BlackBerry 10 delay: "I could still see the seams"


• RIM investors re-elect board but revolt bubbles

RIM reportedly cutting 3,000 jobs on August 13th is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Namco Bandai Introduces You to the Fight Lab for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 in New Video

Namco Bandai Introduces You to the Fight Lab for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 in New Video:

Developer and publisher Namco Bandai has released a new video for their highly anticipated title Tekken Tag Tournament. The new video shows off the Fight Lab where you can go to customize your fighters with a variety of preferences including combos, costumes, accessories and more. The game is sure to be on every hardcore fighting fan’s wish list, but this is yet another video that focuses on some of the lighter aspects featured in the game, so keep on the lookout for the bear in a tutu, chickens on a rampage and more!… Read more

Facebook app for iPhone and iPad gets save for later feature

Facebook app for iPhone and iPad gets save for later feature:
The official Facebook app for the iPhone and iPad is one of the most popular social networking apps available for iOS. Facebook has announced a new feature for the iPhone and iPad mobile apps that people should really enjoy. The new feature is called “save for later” and it allows you to do exactly what the name implies.


The new feature allows you to save all sorts of posts to view later. Each post that you save is placed into its own feed allowing you to scroll through saved posts alone at a later date. This is perfect if you frequently scroll through a long feed from lots of Facebook friends and see things you want to read, but don’t have time. That happens to me a lot and each time the app updates I end up scrolling down the list looking for posts I noticed earlier that I wanted to read.
IPhone and iPad users can save posts with the new feature by holding a finger down on the post until a pop-up shows up that says “save.” After that pop-up displays, you touch the save button, and are done. The posts are placed into a Save folder that’s listed at the bottom of the Facebook app sidebar.
Saved stories are private, so if you save a post from someone on your friends list they won’t know it. If you’re not sure if you have the new feature yet, you should see a notification at the top of the news feed telling you about the feature when it’s available for you to use. I wonder when the Android version of the Facebook app will get this feature.
[via iMore]


Facebook app for iPhone and iPad gets save for later feature is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sony Xperia Tablet revealed

Sony Xperia Tablet revealed:
Sony’s next Android slate, the Sony Xperia Tablet, has been spotted in a set of leaked presentation slides, a slimline and splashproof Tegra 3 model with a 9.4-inch 1280 x 800 display. The Xperia Tablet SGPT1211 keeps the folded-paper profile of its Tablet S predecessor but trims it down to 11.85mm at its thickest according to mobiFlip‘s premature documentation; overall, it’s 42-percent thinner, Sony claims, and made of aluminum rather than plastic.


Inside there’s NVIDIA’s latest quadcore chipset, a choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, and a 6,000 mAh battery good for up to 10hrs of WiFi browsing, double what Sony promised from the Tablet S. Connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and (likely optional) 3G, along with an SD card slot and headphone socket. The 3G models have A-GPS, while the WiFi-only models get S-GPS. Both have ambient light sensors, gyroscopes, a digital compass and an accelerometer.
Unsurprisingly, Sony is pushing multimedia and gaming for the new Xperia Tablet. There’s no integrated HDMI output – instead you get an optional HDMI dongle that plugs into a special expansion port – but there is DLNA streaming and PlayStation Certification for games, along with a clever docking station with integrated speakers.

The 8-megapixel main camera is joined by a 1-megapixel front facing camera, and there’s also a docking stand with three USB ports and an HDMI connection. Sony also throws in a clever Guest Mode, which allows for a separate interface – with limited access to apps and other data – for visitor use of the tablet, while keeping full Ice Cream Sandwich functionality locked away.
Other accessories include a regular carrying case and a keyboard case, which both props up the Xperia Tablet and offers easier text entry. A USB Host cable will allow external devices – such as full-sized keyboards – to be plugged in.

According to the presentation, the Sony Xperia Tablet will go on sale from $449.99 for the 16GB model, rising to $549.99 for the $32GB, and $649.99 for the 64GB. The carrying cover will be $59.99 ($20 more for the leather version) and the keyboard cover will be $99.99.
As for docks, the Dock Speaker will be $119.99, the Docking Stand $99.99, and the Cradle $39.99. A Simple Stand – propping the tablet up at a choice of three angles – will be $24.99. The HDMI cable will be $29.99 and the USB Host cable $19.99.

Story Timeline

• Sony Tablet S Review


• Sony Tablet S teardown reveals unique hardware


• Sony Tablet S, Tablet P getting Android 4.0 update


• Sony Tablet S gets $100 discount to undercut iPad

[via The Verge]


Sony Xperia Tablet revealed is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

OUYA partners with Square Enix, names Final Fantasy III as launch title

OUYA partners with Square Enix, names Final Fantasy III as launch title:

We've been saying for a while now that a large deal of the success of Kickstarter blockbuster OUYA will hinge on the console's game selection. News just got a fair bit brighter on that front -- particularly for RPG fans. The company announced via its Kickstarter page (as per usual) that it has partnered with Square Enix. The first fruits of that burgeoning relationship will be Final Fantasy III, making the game a launch title for the console. The company is promising that the title will be "updated to exploit OUYA's high-definition resolution in glorious graphic detail" -- and, as is OUYA's M.O., players will be getting a free demo of the game. Oh, and for those keeping track, the product's Kickstarter page is currently at a mind-boggling $5,820,345 with eight days to go.
Filed under: Gaming

OUYA partners with Square Enix, names Final Fantasy III as launch title originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC removes patent in ITC case against Apple

HTC removes patent in ITC case against Apple:
Here’s a quick refresher on HTC’s legal battle against Apple: the company’s launch of the One X and EVO 4G LTE in the United States was stalled briefly thanks to an import ban handed down by the ITC after the handsets were found to infringe on one of Apple’s patents. Now, in a second case involving the ITC, HTC has had to remove a crucial patent, bringing its total claims down from 8 to 2.

FOSS Patents reports that HTC withdrew another patent from its ITC case against Apple on Monday, #7,765,414. The patent relates to a “circuit and operating method for integrated interface of PDA and wireless communication system[s].” HTC originally brought a complaint against Apple in August 2011, citing three patents at first, then adding five given to the company on loan from Google. The judge in the case threw those loaned patents out in June, however, leaving HTC with its original three.
The withdrawal of this latest patent means HTC is now only asserting two claims against Apple in its ITC complaint. Apple, meanwhile, is claiming that FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms) is being blatantly abused, and is counterclaiming against HTC in US District Court over two other patents. Patent #7,765,414 was HTC’s only in-house patent, with its others borrowed from other companies such as Google and ADT. The trial in this particularly case is due to start within the next month.
It’s not the first time HTC has tangled with Apple and the ITC. Back in June, Apple secured an import ban against the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE, as both handsets were found to infringe on one of Cupertino’s patents. HTC quickly issued a software fix to remove the offending functionality, relating to menu context items, allowing the phones back into the United States. Apple cried foul, however, and still asserts that multiple HTC phones still infringe on its patents.

Story Timeline

• US HTC phones circumvent Apple's patents


• Apple and HTC ordered to discuss patent settlement in August


• HTC US supplies slowly restart after software tweak


• HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE escape US customs


• Apple: 29 HTC phones still infringe our patent and we want them banned


• Apple denied emergency HTC handset ban


• UK court rules HTC doesn't infringe on Apple's patents


• HTC is happy about victory over Apple in UK

HTC removes patent in ITC case against Apple is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

FreedomPop announces iPod 4G Sleeve: 500MB of free WiMAX for your iPod touch

FreedomPop announces iPod 4G Sleeve: 500MB of free WiMAX for your iPod touch:






Having announced its iPhone-compatible sleeve earlier in the year, Sprint MVNO FreedomPop is now circling back for a second version that's compatible with the iPod touch. Aftermarket cases that graft cellular radios to the iPod touch are nothing new — Sprint launched ZTE's Peel in 2010, for instance — but what makes FreedomPop unique is its business model: everyone starts with half a gigabyte of monthly WiMAX service for free and can earn up to 5GB through a combination of friend referrals (10MB each) and participation in "partner offers and promotions." As with similar devices, the iPod 4G Sleeve works through a Wi-Fi connection and can also function as a mobile hotspot that allows up to eight devices to connect to it (though with...
Continue reading…

Sony refutes the claim that its 2011 phones are not getting Jelly Bean

Sony refutes the claim that its 2011 phones are not getting Jelly Bean: That Sony spokesperson who said the 2011 crop of Android devices, like the popular Sony Ericsson Xperia arc, won't be upgraded to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, was seemingly not authorized to speak by the mothership...

Modern Warfare 3 September DLC images leaked

Modern Warfare 3 September DLC images leaked:
We’ve got a slew of Modern Warfare 3 rumors to tell you about today, so sit down and strap in. We may have received our first glimpse at Activision‘s September DLC offerings for the immensely popular military shooter, which will apparently add three new maps to the game: Boardwalk, Gulch, and Parish. The images were initially leaked by Youtube user Gamecheat13 along with a gameplay video that gives us a preview of the Parish map. The video has since been removed, but not before MP1st could snatch up the images and post them for all the Internet to see.



Of the three maps, Parish is the one we know the most about. The map appears to be centered around a run-down cathedral, complete with a bar and a pool area for players to shoot up. Looking at the screenshots, we see that Sunday services are held by one “Father T McCool,” and we also get few looks at an outside area filled with old military vehicles and missiles.
Boardwalk and Gulch remain a little more mysterious at the moment, but there’s plenty we can guess at thanks to the screenshots. Obviously, Boardwalk will be similar to the boardwalks we’re all familiar with, and we can see a bar and a gift shop pictured in the leaked images. Gulch’s screenshots don’t give too much away (other than the fact that it looks to be set in the desert), but one screenshot comes with a descriptive caption that reads “Abandoned Utah mining settlement. Features an open layout and strong flanks.” The name leads us to believe that this may be an homage to the legendary Halo: Combat Evolved map Blood Gulch, but other than our own wishful thinking, there isn’t much to back that belief up.


The original videos uploaded to YouTube and Vimeo by Gamecheat13 focused solely on the Parish map, but before being wiped from the Internet, a few seconds of the video were included in GameSpot’s latest installment of Start-Select, which you can see above. In addition to all of this, MP1st speculates that Modern Warfare 3 players will be getting a new game mode when the August content update drops, and points to a tweet made over the weekend by the Call of Duty Elite account as evidence for this claim. This is all some pretty intriguing stuff, but you should probably take all of this with a grain of salt until we get something in the way of official confirmation from Activision or Infinity Ward. Have a look at all of the leaked images in our gallery below, and keep it tuned to SlashGear for more information!

Story Timeline

• Modern Warfare 3 Is What's Wrong With the Game Business


• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sets new sales record on launch day


• Modern Warfare 3 sells record $775 million in 5 days


• Do you suck at Modern Warfare 3? Hire a virtual bodyguard


• Modern Warfare 3 beats Avatar for $1 Billion Record


• Sony PS3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 bundle announced

Modern Warfare 3 September DLC images leaked is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Android to get support for multiple users

Android to get support for multiple users: It looks like Google is slowly adding specific code to Android that will eventually be used to enable multi-user support in the operating system...

First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy

First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy:

The GHz Edition was supposed to deliver a significant mid-cycle performance bump to AMD's flagship 7970, without any attendant rise in cost. Instead, according to AnandTech, it looks like third-party vendors are looking to exploit the GE has a chance to max out every other spec in addition to the updated silicon and then charge a premium. Sapphire's new Toxic card is a case in point -- a 6GB double-helping of VRAM and a "Lethal" BIOS mode that takes base clock up to 1150MHz and memory clock to 6.4GHz (compared to 6GHz on the stock card). Those who can splutter up $699 will surely love it, but it's no substitute for the $499 upgrade that AMD originally intended.
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Patent Trial Between Samsung And Apple To Start With Jury Selection

Big Patent Trial Between Samsung And Apple To Start With Jury Selection:
In an almost now perennial patent battle between two electronics giants, Apple and Samsung, jury selection is the first small step to signal the formal start of the legal proceedings.
Apple and Samsung are the biggest consumer electronics companies in the world and this year’s patent battle put billions of dollars in the balance. Each of them accuse each other of patent violations as they try to control supremacy in the high-profit market of mobile devices around the world.
Apple initiated the fight last year  in a California court when it claimed that its rival copied the iPad and iPhone. Samsung fired back of a claim of its own afterwards.
Both companies have big things at stake: Apple’s win could validate the effectiveness of its worldwide patent litigation, while Samsung’s win could mean continued sale of its tablet computers and Galaxy smartphones in the United States.
Apple’s strategy is to convince the court that Samsung knew and intentionally violated Apple’s intellectual property rights. Samsung, on the other hand, argues that Apple is trying to monopolize the market by stifling competition to maintain huge profits from sales.
The jury will be composed of ten members. The team must hear evidence for over at least four weeks before deciding on the fate of the companies. The winner must secure a unanimous decision for it to prevail on any of their claims.
The jurors will be coming from the Silicon Valley area, which would make Samsung more cautious in considering their pick. There is an obvious advantage for Apple in the area because a large number of people works in the Valley and Apple is a huge employer in there.
So far, Apple has seen an early success in its bid to stop Samsung sales as US district judge Lucy Koh banned the sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The ruling was followed by a pretrial ban of the Galaxy Nexus phone. Samsung is in the process of appeal for both.

Jaffe Reveals Twisted Metal’s Scrapped Endings for Sweet Tooth

Jaffe Reveals Twisted Metal’s Scrapped Endings for Sweet Tooth:

Fans of Sweet Tooth rejoice, for David Jaffe has just unveiled Twisted Metal’s alternate endings for everyone’s favorite killer clown that didn’t make it past the cutting room floor.

Sweet Tooth is just one of many characters who had their alternate endings scrapped from the game in an effort to adhere to the shift in tone that occurred during the game’s development. Check out the first clip of the first alternate ending below.

Click here to view the embedded video.
Jaffe explained on his blog that “the game was originally a T and then became an M. But the movies were written and shot to be T (at least the first shoot we did) and so it was a real struggle trying to find the fun, comic book flavor of TM2 (the T rating) and merge it with the dark, depressing flavor of TMB (the M rating).”
In an attempt to truly capture that dark tone, Jaffe made an ending of his own that really takes advantage of the game’s M rating.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let us know what you think of these alternate endings in the comments below.

EA: “The Future is About Freemium”

EA: “The Future is About Freemium”:

Publisher EA is a strong believer in the freemium business model for game, and even believes that it might be the future of the industry.

Talking to MCV, EA’s interactive senior VP Nick Earl said:

The future is not about one-time payments, the future is about freemium. A decent number of people convert to paying and they may not pay a lot but most of them actually pay more than you’d think.

But while free-to-play games currently dominate the mobile market, and are making huge advancements in the PC market (especially with MMOs), only a few console games have experimented with the model. Earl shared his beliefs on whether F2P would be big on console, admitting that it might not be as successful as with phones, although he wouldn’t rule anything out:

I don’t know if freemium gets to console but I do know that humans like free stuff. I also know humans who will pay for something if they’ve tried it out and they like it.
I’ve wondered if freemium expands beyond the tablet, Facebook and smartphones, and out into consoles?” Earl concluded, “I don’t think it’s impossible for that to happen.

When I hear developers mention how a free option might entice players to pay for a title, it does make me wonder why so few games have a demo – essentially the very earliest and most basic from of F2P. What do you think? Are you a fan of freemium, or do you agree with us and believe it will be one of the many reasons why the future will suck.