Engadget Daily: an interview with Phil Spencer, Nintendo’s new ‘Zelda’ game and more!
Today, we interview Xbox head Phil Spencer, get a quick preview of Nintendo’s new open-world Zelda game, watch Honeywell take on Nest with its new Lyric thermostat and drop our jaws at a $1.6 million, 370-inch TV. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Xbox at E3 2014: an interview with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer
Yesterday’s Xbox press conference was 90 minutes of games and more games, but that’s not to say Microsoft doesn’t have other irons in the fire. Watch our interview with Xbox head Phil Spencer as we discuss VR, Xbox 360 gaming on the One and more.
Open-world ‘Zelda’ game heading to Wii U in 2015
Today at E3, Eiji Aonuma announced that Nintendo’s reviving the exploratory essence of the original Legend of Zelda with a new, open-world title. This time, Link has new duds, better weapons and can go wherever he pleases.
Honeywell’s Lyric thermostat has the looks and smarts to take on Nest
Honeywell, the original thermostat manufacturer, announced today that it’s taking on Nest with a brand new model called Lyric. The cylindrical device packs a proximity sensor and full connectivity via its own Android and iOS apps. What’s more, it will be available at the start of August for $279.
370-inch TV costs more than the mansion you’d need to house it
What you’re looking at is a 370-inch (yes, three-hundred and seventy) 4K TV from Titan, and it costs $1.6 million. Even better, this whopper of a set is called the Zeus — because really, what else are you gonna name it?
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Filed under: Misc
What’s on your HDTV this week: ‘Game of Thrones’ season finale
This week the NBA Finals and NHL Finals could both come to an end, but the finale we think most of you will be watching is Game of Thrones. Episode #40 is titled “The Children” and is the longest one HBO has aired yet. The showrunners promise this is one of the best episodes yet, and that it will break the show’s pattern of a big bang in the penultimate episode followed by a relatively quiet finale. Beyond that, there aren’t many videogame releases this week while everyone’s eyes are on E3 2014, but Blu-ray include the first season of the new Cosmos, True Detective, and Tim’s Vermeer. Check after the break for a list of what’s new this week plus a few trailers, and drop a note in the comments if you see any highlights we’ve missed.
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Blu-ray, Streaming movies & Games
- Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (S1)
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
- True Detective (S1)
- Non-Stop
- Tim’s Vermeer
- The Who – Quadrophenia: Live in London
- Ray Donavan (S1)
- Devil’s Knot
- How To Train Your Dragon 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
- Enemy Front (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Tuesday
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
- Pretty Little Liars (season premiere), ABC Family, 8PM
- Riot, Fox, 8PM
- Inside: US Soccer’s March to Brazil, ESPN, 8:30PM
- NBA Finals Spurs vs. Heat Game 3, ABC, 9PM
- Chasing Life (series premiere), ABC Family, 9PM
- Royal Pains (season premiere), USA, 9PM
- I Wanna Marry “Harry”, Fox, 9PM
- Deadliest Catch, Discovery, 9PM
- Top Gear (US), History, 9PM
- Heroes of Cosplay, Syfy, 9PM
- Growing Up Fisher, NBC, 9:30PM
- The Wil Wheaton Project, Syfy, 10PM
- Fargo, FX, 10PM
- Awkward, MTV, 10PM
- The Listener, ION, 11 & 11:59PM
- The Night Shift, NBC, 10PM
- Freakshow, AMC, 10:30PM
- Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Faking It (season finale), MTV, 10:30PM
- Small Town Security, AMC, 11PM
Wednesday
- NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4, NBC, 8PM
- Rogue, DirecTV 101, 8PM
- Growing Up Fisher, NBC, 8 & 8:30PM
- Melissa & Joey, ABC Family, 8PM
- So You Think You Can Dance, Fox, 8PM
- Baby Daddy, ABC Family, 8:30PM
- Suits (season premiere), USA, 9PM
- Spike Guys Choice Awards 2014, Spike TV, 9PM
- Rake, DirecTV 101, 9PM
- The People vs. O.J. Simpson: What the Jury Never Heard, NBC, 9PM
- 60 Minutes Sports, Showtime, 9PM
- Dual Survival, Discovery, 9PM
- The 100 (season finale), CW, 9PM
- Inside: US Soccer’s March to Brazil, ESPN2, 9:30PM
- Graceland (season premiere), USA, 10PM
- Motive, ABC, 10PM
- Catfish, MTV, 10PM
- The Ultimate Fighter, Fox Sports 1, 10PM
Thursday
- NBA Finals Game 4: Spurs vs. Heat, ABC, 9PM
- Hollywood Game Night, NBC, 8PM
- The Sixties, CNN, 9PM
- Undateable, NBC, 9 & 9:30PM
- Gang Related, Fox, 9PM
- Anger Management, FX, 9:30PM
- Last Comic Standing, NBC, 10PM
- Maron, IFC, 10PM
- Comedy Bang! Bang!, IFC, 10:30PM
Friday
- NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 5 (if necessary), NBC, 8PM
- WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
- David Beckham Into the Unknown, Showtime, 9PM
- Crossbones, NBC, 10PM
- Continuum, Syfy, 10PM
- Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO, 10PM
- Vice (season finale), HBO, 11PM
- The Half Hour: Tommy Johnagin, Comedy Central, 12AM
- The Half Hour: Adam Newman, Comedy Central, 12:30AM
Saturday
- The Mentor, Lifetime, 8PM
- Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla, Comedy Central, 9PM
- Power, Starz, 9PM
- Orphan Black, BBC America, 9PM
- Sing Your Face Off (season finale), ABC, 9PM
- In the Flesh (season finale), BBC America, 10PM
Sunday
- Enlisted, Fox, 7PM
- NBA Finals Game 5: Heat vs. Spurs, ABC, 8PM
- Angels/Braves, ESPN, 8PM
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN, 9PM
- True Blood: Farewell Show, HBO, 8:30PM
- The Escape Artist (Part 1 of 2), PBS, 9PM
- Game of Thrones (season finale), HBO, 9PM
- Catching Hell, Weather Channel, 9PM
- Nurse Jackie, Showtime, 9PM
- Californication, Showtime, 9:30PM
- The Hunt, History, 10PM
- Halt and Catch Fire, AMC, 10PM
- Crisis, NBC, 10PM
- Penny Dreadful, Showtime, 10PM
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11:30PM
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Progress on Apple Campus 2 Continues as Walls Go Up
Construction at Apple’s Spaceship campus continues, with the circular building beginning to take shape according to an image posted to Twitter by KCBS news and traffic reporter Ron Cervi (via 9to5Mac).
In the most recent shot, a wall has been built around the perimeter of the building, outlining where the foundation will be poured. A different tweet by @DawnMortensen notes that Pruneridge Avenue, a road that runs through the campus itself, has been permanently closed.
Street-level photographs back in December revealed several buildings still standing, but another aerial photo from February suggested a large portion of the demolition work had been completed. During construction, Apple has closed off sidewalks and built a large green privacy fence to keep the area hidden.
Progress on #ApplesNewHQ, a small wall around the foundation of the spaceship has sprouted. #sky1hightechtour pic.twitter.com/iM3JrIQUBH
— Ron (@Sky1Ron) June 10, 2014
Cervi has been posting a number of images of the campus over the past few months, tracking the progress of construction. Campus 2 is expected to open in 2016.
Theater chain bans Google Glass in a bid to cut down on piracy
If you’re one of the few people in the country with a prescription Google Glass headset, you might want to keep extra glasses handy for when you go to the movies. First, some guy got booted from an AMC theater on the suspicion he was recording the film (he wasn’t), and now a different theater chain has outright banned the headset. That theater company is Alamo Drafthouse, which operates in five (soon to be six) states and like AMC, it’s trying to cut down on piracy. Indeed, the company’s CEO Tim League said in a tweet that Glass specifically won’t be allowed in auditoriums once the lights dim for previews. Fortunately, at least, you can continue to wear your headset while the house lights are up, or when you leave the screening room for a popcorn run. Once the movie starts, though, you’d better be wearing proper glasses, lest you get pegged as a movie bootlegger.
.@macjaeh @gay4soccer policy only about piracy concerns. But on a personal level, I advocate turning off distractions during a movie.
– Tim League (@timalamo) June 9, 2014
Via: CNET
Source: Tim League (Twitter)
Apple turns up its advertising push with plans for 1,000-person internal agency
Few companies have had advertising campaigns as iconic as Apple’s — from the infamous 1984 ad to the more recent PC vs. Mac commercials — but there’s a general perception that the outfit’s latest efforts haven’t been quite as impactful. Even Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior VP of Global Marketing, admitted in a private email (revealed as part of a recent patent lawsuit) that Samsung has been beating it in the marketing game. However, it appears that the folks over at Cupertino are attempting to recapture some of that marketing mojo by building out its own in-house agency. In fact, according to Ad Age, it’s already staffed the internal group with big names from some of the top advertising companies in the country and hopes to eventually fill out the department with as many as 1,000 people.
That doesn’t mean it’s cutting out outside agencies altogether, however. Indeed, it’s still collaborating with long-time cohort TBWA/Media Arts Labs — the firm behind most of those iconic ads — on its advertising projects. But instead of just letting them handle all the creative decisions, Apple is actively pitting TBWA/MAL against this internal agency in order to get the best ideas, which is a relatively controversial method in advertising circles. It’s even invited other advertising firms to join in on the pitching process to make it even more competitive. According to Ad Age‘s sources, this competition has existed for awhile, but has grown even fiercer in recent months as the in-house agency seems to be winning more often than not. It remains to be seen if Apple can ever regain the glory of its past campaigns with this recent push, but as the competition heats up, it probably behooves the fruit company to think differently.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Source: Ad Age
Commercial drone allowed limited access to fly over US land
A hand-launched UAV called Puma just made history — it’s now known as the first drone to get the Federal Aviation Administration’s seal of approval to do commercial flights over land. Puma, which was originally designed for military use by California company AeroVironment, has been doing surveillance work at the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska since June 8th. In particular, it’s using its onboard sensors to make 3D models of BP Exploration Inc.’s pipelines, roads and equipment for industrial applications. This isn’t the first time Puma got the FAA’s permission to fly commercially, though — last year, the four-and-a-half-foot long drone with a nine-foot wingspan monitored drilling platforms and migrating whales over the Arctic Ocean.
Despite granting these companies permission to do commercial flights over land, the FAA’s still far from coming up with the final set of rules and regulations for drone flights in US skies. Thus far, the agency has started doing test flights over North Dakota lands in April, but it still has to do the same in five more test sites across the country. Don’t be surprised if more FAA-approved drones pop up in the near future, though — the agency plans to allow films, farms and other low-risk industries to fly UAVs legally as soon as November.
Filed under: Misc
Make It Rain: Love of Money [App of the Day]
In the world of ever growing addictive games there comes Make it Rain. One of the more absurd games out there the entire game is making it rain by swiping cash. Whats the objective you say? To make it rain money. Just keep swiping and swiping and swiping and swiping some more. The more money you let fly the more you can buy. What can you buy? The ability to let more money fly. Whats the point? To get more money.
This is highly addictive game because you always want that next upgrade. There are some negatives in the game like the FBI. Every time you get investigated you are found guilty which results in a net loss of money and a percentage taken away every second. The upgrades allow you to have more money per second while playing and higher money per swipe. There are also upgrades to collect money while your not using the app. Be warned this is addictive you will always want the next level. There is only one glitch in the game you can hold your finger on the top of the screen and tap to swipe at a higher rate that physically swiping the cash. Make It Rain: Love of Money looks absurd at first glance but once you start its hard to put down.
The post Make It Rain: Love of Money [App of the Day] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HTC M9 Prime, M9 due in Q1 2015
Whilst the HTC One M8 Prime was allegedly shelved by HTC, rumours have surfaced that point to the next iteration of the One Mx family to hit the market in the first quarter of 2015.
The HTC One M9 and HTC One M9 Prime are already being worked on by the company according to @evleaks, who also notes that the Prime variation of the HTC One M9 will be the first to hit the shelves.
Whilst any granular details about specs or appearance are not yet available, it does seem that we will see two M9 devices next year released by HTC.
The post HTC M9 Prime, M9 due in Q1 2015 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘Ringly’ Smart Ring Relays iPhone Notifications Over Bluetooth [iOS Blog]
Ringly, a new iPhone-connected smart ring designed for women, uses Bluetooth LE to connect to a phone, lighting up and buzzing to alert users of calls, messages, emails, and other app notifications.
Billed as the first connected ring, Ringly aims to allow users to continue to receive notifications even while a phone is put away in a bag or otherwise unavailable. The ring, which lasts for up to three days on a single charge, connects to an accompanying iPhone app to deliver notifications.
Ringly creates jewelry and accessories that connect to your phone and notify you about the things that matter most. Put your phone away and enjoy the moment.
Ringly is designed to light up or vibrate when a notification is received, and it is entirely customizable by the end user. It features four vibration patterns and five colors that can be assigned to different notifications. Incoming Twitter notifications might buzz in a certain way, for example, while a phone call might light up. The ring is also able to sync with reminders, letting users know when a meeting or appointment is coming up.
Ringly is available in three sizes (6,7, and 8) with four different designs that feature precious and semi-precious stones in 18K matte gold settings. Three of the rings can be pre-ordered for $145, while a fourth ring sells for $180. The rings will retail for considerably more, starting at $195. The first 1,000 rings sold are also advertised as having a real diamond in the side.
Everything Nintendo did (and didn’t) announce at its digital E3 event
Nintendo once told us that if it didn’t change, it “might die,” but we never expected the company to turn into a puppet show. It happened anyway: Nintendo’s digital E3 event was hosted by Robot Chicken-sourced figures, complete with a demanding audience of stop-motion fans. We’ve got to give Nintendo credit — this is certainly a new approach to handling E3. What did the company actually announce, though? Lots of things: including a new, open-world Zelda game, a little bit of NFC wizardry and even a game starring Toad. After the event closed, Nintendo dropped a few more announcements from a “Nintendo Minute” event on the E3 show floor. Miss the show? You can rewatch it in its entirety here, or simply read on for Engadget’s full run-down.
Amiibo, Nintendo’s NFC initiative
When Nintendo launched the Wii U, we wondered what the company was planning to do with the GamePad’s NFC functionality. Now we know: toys, toys and toys. Amiibo is Nintendo’s answer to games like Skylanders and Disney Infinity, linking its games to figurines. Unlike those properties, however, Amiibo promises to work across several games, and will even have a 3DS peripheral. During its digital event, Nintendo showed how the toys integrate with Super Smash Bros, with each toy functioning as an AI combatant that can be used in single and multiplayer battles — but Amiibo functionality is planned for Mario Kart 8, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi’s Woolly World, as well as other, unannounced games. Speaking of…
Mario Party 10
The latest game in the Mario Party series was sadly left out of Nintendo’s main presentation, but reared its head during the company’s Amiibo follow-up presentation. Like its predecessors, Mario Party 10 promises friendship-testing multiplayer competition, but the latest installment seems to make one player the main antagonist: putting them in the role of Mario’s archnemesis, Bowser, with the powers to antagonize the rest of the players from the safety of the Wii U GamePad.
Play as yourself in Super Smash Bros.
Not satisfied with Nintendo’s roster of Super Smash Bros. fighters? Then make your own: Nintendo kicked off its event by announcing not only the game’s Amiibo support, but also the ability to throw your own Mii characters into the brawl. Mii fighters can use three different fighting styles: a Mario-like “brawler,” as a “swordfighter” like Link or as a Mega Man-esque “gunner.” Each of these classes can also select several special moves, making them the most customizable character in the game. Not into Miis? No worries — Nintendo announced that Kid Icarus’ Lady Palutena would be a playable character, too.
Yoshi’s Woolly World
The creators behind Yoshi’s yarn-based adventure took a few minutes to talk about how it’s different from that very similar-looking Kirby game we saw a few years back. Specifically, the developers talked about how exploration-focused they want the game to be, and how co-op gameplay factors into the game design. The team talked about how they knit actual Yoshi dolls to make sure that the character in-game looked realistic and slapped a released window on the title: Expect it sometime in 2015.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Unless he’s teaming up with Mario or driving a go-kart, Toad doesn’t get much action. That’s about to change: One of Nintendo’s least-expected announcements was Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – a Wii U title derived from the Captain Toad mini-game from Super Mario 3D World. If you’re looking for something to do with your Wii U GamePad, this is the title for you: Players use the GamePad to manipulate elements in levels to help Toad (who can’t even jump) find treasure and overcome obstacles. There are not a lot of details on the title just yet, but the above trailer teases a few of the game’s GamePad-centric puzzles. It’s adorable, and it’s due out holiday 2014.
The Legend of Zelda goes open world in 2015
How did Eiji Aonuma kick off development of Nintendo’s next big Legend of Zelda game? By going back to the source, apparently. Aonuma says the original games allowed players to explore a wide area, but the series’ 3D iterations were less open and connected by comparison. The next game hopes to break that paradigm, and promises to allow players to enter any area of the game from almost any direction: Think of it like Skyrim in the land of Hyrule. Unfortunately, the title doesn’t have a proper name yet, just a release year — next year.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Dig that fancy, new 3D game engine running Pokémon X and Y? Check out the above video: Nintendo’s using it to remake the series’ third-generation games as Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. This includes the engine’s new dynamic battles and the Pokémon mega-evolutions introduced in the latest iteration. Catch’em all over again on November 21st.
Bayonetta 2 lets you dress up like Nintendo characters, play the first game
The Wii U is short on third-party exclusives; it’s true — but early on, it secured the Bayonetta franchise as a Nintendo-exclusive title. It was then, and still is, an odd exclusive for Nintendo’s family-friendly arena. Still, the company is doing its best to dress the game up for Nintendo’s audience, and the game’s heroine can now sport Metroid- and Legend of Zelda-themed outfits, at least in the original game. Oh, did we mention that Bayonetta 2 will come with the full original game for free? It totally does — both will be available (in one package, of course) in October of this year.
Play as Princess Zelda in Hyrule Warriors
Who has a flowing dress, a magical bow and the ability to slay hordes of moblins with a single blow? Why Princess Zelda, of course. The team behind Hyrule Warriors sat down during the digital event to talk about the challenges of merging the two series, but what really stuck out were the features and characters. Players will be able to take control of not only Link and Impa, but also Princess Zelda and Midna. Best of all, multiplayer won’t be limited by your TV’s split screen: Player 2 can keep their action exclusively on the Wii U GamePad, giving both players a full-screen experience. That game launches September 26th, 2014.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Kirby’s first major outing on the Wii U echoes the character’s past: Kirby and the Rainbow Curse looks to be a spiritual successor to the Nintendo DS’ Kirby: Canvas Curse, a stylus-controlled platformer that had players directing Kirby by drawing lines on the handheld’s touchscreen. Rainbow looks to be more of the same, but in glorious HD — sadly, this title won’t hit shelves until sometime next year.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Monolith Soft’s nebulous Wii U exclusive finally has a name, and that name is Xenoblade Chronicles X. This Japanese RPG is one of the system’s most anticipated niche titles, and it’s good to finally see it getting its own identity. That said, this open-world sci-fi game won’t land until 2015 — but check out the trailer to whet your appetite.
Mario Maker
If you’ve been lurking on gaming forums, you knew this was coming: Mario Maker, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. level editor. Nintendo’s digital event did tell us a little more about the game than leaks suggested though; in addition to being able to create custom levels in the classic NES style, the tool seems to allow players to switch between old and “new” Super Mario graphics on the fly. Start planning now — you won’t be building your own Mushroom Kingdom until 2015.
Splatoon
Splatoon offers a new spin on four-player arena combat: squid ink. Each team is defined by a specific color of ink, which they can swim through by transforming into a squid — allowing them to sneak, slide and ambush their enemies, provided they’re swimming through the correct hue. This arena-battle game is due out in the first half of next year.
Fantasy Life
As Nintendo’s digital event closed, the company continued its live broadcast from its E3 booth, quietly announcing titles that didn’t make the cut for the main show. After revealing the aforementioned addition to the Mario Party franchise, Nintendo’s team announced Fantasy Life for the 3DS — a create-a-fantasy RPG game that gives characters a chance to embark on their own fantasy adventure… or so Nintendo’s press release says. Check out the trailer above to judge for yourself and pick it up on September 16th, if you’re so inclined.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Two of the most unique Nintendo properties are coming together for the first time: Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright are teaming up to end a witch hunt — and the title has finally been announced for Western shores: Look for it on September 16th, 2014.
eShop games
If you’ve been paying attention to the dates in this list, you know a lot of Nintendo’s best upcoming titles are going to have to wait until next year. Frankly, it’s a bit of a letdown — but the company has a backup plan: the Nintendo eShop. During its post-event broadcast, Nintendo played a teaser showcasing some of the digital content it plans to offer for the remainder of the year, including 3DS and Wii U games like Affordable Space Adventures, the Ace Attorney Trilogy, Thorium Wars: Attack of the Skyfighter, Chariot, Shovel Knight, STARWHAL: Just the tip, Gunman Clive 2, Citizens of Earth and tons of other titles. Hopefully, those will be enough to tide us over until next year.
And it’s not over yet…
Compared to Sony’s and Microsoft’s long presentations, Nintendo’s digital event seemed deceptively short — but don’t be fooled: It’s not actually over, not even now. Click on that above video and you’ll find that Nintendo is broadcasting continuous coverage for the remainder of the show, featuring developers and Nintendo employees exploring the company’s booth, playing games and quietly dropping bits of news every now and then. Nintendo is slowly trickling announcements on its Twitter feed, too — telling fans about upcoming titles like Pokémon Art Academy.
Is Nintendo’s new approach to E3 novel, or just annoying? Scroll down just a bit further and let us know what you think in our comments section.
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