Final Fantasy 7 hits iOS, Android could be next
For many of us E3 2015 ended when Square Enix took the stage and announced Final Fantasy 7 was finally getting that HD remake we have been begging for many years. The same remake we were told time and again would never come. Nothing was going to beat this announcement! That still stands true for Final Fantasy 7 fans, but we did get another surprise from the RPG king – the original Final Fantasy 7 game was set to come to mobile.
Fast-forward a couple months and we find ourselves welcoming the most iconic Final Fantasy title to the mobile realms. The only bad news is it is not out for Android yet. Final Fantasy 7 has only been released for iOS so far. Why is this news piece even here? Well, for the same reason we even told you about this during the announcement. While the Android release hasn’t been 100% confirmed, Square Enix has been exceptional at bringing all its main titles to Android. Especially the ones which will make good money… and Final Fantasy 7 definitely will.
By the way, we don’t only say that because the game will sell like hot pancakes. This title is also significantly expensive! Final Fantasy 7 is priced at a whopping $19.99 on iTunes, a cost that is higher than Square Enix’s already unreasonable $15-$17 price points. They know many of us will pay that cash, though. That’s where they get us!
If you don’t know Final Fantasy 7 by now? You really have some catching up to do. This game influenced a whole generation and boomed the Final Fantasy franchise success to the skies. So far up even the lifestream couldn’t stop it. It happens to be my personal favorite game of all times, and I know many of you are with me on that one. This is why I am worried about how you will feel about the next bit of news.
Square Enix, what did you just do?!
First and foremost, let me apologize about the words I typed last time I wrote about Final Fantasy 7. I told you this would be the same Final Fantasy 7 title we saw in 1997, ported and unadulterated; I was wrong. Square Enix changed one thing… one thing that may ruin your whole gaming experience.
The game comes with integrated cheating functionality. For starters, there will be an option to level up all your characters and give them max stats. But then why would you even want random battles? Don’t you worry, you can turn those off too!
To be honest, this shocked me more than when I saw Sephiroth’s Masamune pierce through you-know-who (actually… not really, but you get me). The battle system and leveling up is such an important part of Final Fantasy titles! Their level of difficulty and time consumption are what drives us to push through these challenges and spend months playing a single game. Why would you take that away from us?
I understand that the story line is also a huge part of Final Fantasy 7. Furthermore, many of us have beat the game plenty times, so skipping through that whole grinding process may be a viable option. I just feel like the experience will be ruined for all new players. But then again, is this release even aimed at first-timers? It just upsets me that it’s now so easy to ruin the experience.
But hey, tell us your own thoughts on this release! Do you agree with me on the whole cheat pandemonium? Hopefully an Android release is around the corner. Not seeing Final Fantasy 7 hit our devices would be something else to rant about.
Alright, now you can go download the game on your iPad or iPhone, if you want!
Samsung proposes appeal in patent battle with Apple
Another day another patent battle. When this happens, Apple and Samsung are the first two that come to mind. Both company’s are known to have gone back and forth in the courts many times over the recent years. And those times aren’t near being over.
According to a new report on a modern case, Samsung isn’t willing to give up easily. Following the long dispute over one of Apple’s design patents, Samsung has decided to take the case to the courts.
On August 19, Samsung filed a report explaining it wants the US Supreme Court to hear its appeal. Samsung wants a decision by the summer of 2016 and is strongly encouraging a review. Recently, the company was able to have a $1 billion verdict reduced to only $548 million. And if the new court ruling favors Samsung, the company could potentially have its fine dropped an additional $400 million. Many companies are backing Samsung in this battle, but who knows, the court may not even agree to take the case. Only time will tell.
Source: MercuryNews
Come comment on this article: Samsung proposes appeal in patent battle with Apple
Square Enix’s ‘Final Fantasy VII’ Now Available for iOS
Square Enix today released a long-awaited port of Final Fantasy VII for iOS devices. Originally released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the Final Fantasy series created for PlayStation and it continues to be one of the most popular Final Fantasy games.
At E3, Square Enix promised to launch Final Fantasy VII before the end of the summer in 2015, so with tonight’s release, the company is living up to its word. Square Enix has previously made the first six Final Fantasy games available on iOS devices, but Final Fantasy VII for iOS marks the first Final Fantasy port from a PlayStation game.
According to Square Enix, the iOS version of Final Fantasy VII is a port of the PC version, with no changes or additions to the storyline.
With its unshakeable monopoly over Mako energy production, the evil Shinra Electric Power Company holds tight to the reigns of wold power. One day, a Mako reactor serving the sprawling metropolis of Midgar is attacked and destroyed in a bombing raid by a revolutionary group calling themselves Avalanche. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra’s elite “Soldier” unit takes part in the raid as a mercenary hired by Avalanche and sets events in motion that will draw him and his friends into an epic struggle for the fate of the planet itself…
The iOS port of the game includes a virtual on-screen controller that’s “designed not to obscure the action.” It offers virtual analog or fixed 4-way digital control pad options and the opacity of the on-screen controls is adjustable. Also new to the iOS version of the game is an option to turn off enemy encounters in area maps and a Max Stats command to “become all-powerful in the blink of an eye.”
It’s taken several years for Square Enix to bring Final Fantasy VII to the iOS App Store, largely due to space constraints. In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said that a release of Final Fantasy VII was years away because of space limitations. “It’s that currently, space will be an issue,” he said. “Phones won’t be able to contain the space it takes. It’s over a gigabyte. People are probably going to have to wait for a few years.”
In February of 2015, Apple expanded the size limitation on apps from 2GB to 4GB, paving the way for apps like Final Fantasy VII. According to the App Store description of the game, it takes 1.66GB of storage space, but requires more than 4GB of free space to download.
Final Fantasy VII is compatible with the iPhone 5s or later, the third-generation iPad or later, and the iPad mini 2 or later, with Square Enix warning that the game may not perform well on earlier devices. iOS 8 or later is also required.
Final Fantasy VII can be downloaded from the App Store for $15.99. [Direct Link]
Samsung to Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court in Ongoing Patent Battle With Apple
Samsung is planning to take its ongoing patent war with Apple to the United States Surpreme Court, reports the San Jose Mercury News. In court papers filed today, Samsung said that by November it would ask the Supreme Court to hear its latest appeal.
“The questions present issues of enormous importance to patent litigation and the scope of innovation, especially in high-technology industries,” Samsung’s legal team wrote in a bid to hold off paying Apple hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for the patent violations.
Samsung’s decision comes following a rejection from the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals last week, where the court refused Samsung’s request for a new trial. Samsung had asked the court to reconsider a decision earlier this year that left the company on the hook for a $548 million payout to Apple.
Samsung and Apple have been battling over patent infringement issues since 2012, when a jury ruled Samsung willfully violated several Apple patents, resulting in $1 billion in damages. Since then, Samsung has been fighting the ruling, and over the course of several appeals and a partial retrial, has gotten the damages reduced to the aforementioned $548 million total. If Samsung is successful, the Supreme Court could throw out another $400 million in damages.
Earlier this week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office invalidated a key iPhone design patent that was used in the Apple v. Samsung lawsuit, handing down a non-final rejection that Samsung could use in its appeal to the Supreme Court. Samsung also has the backing of technology companies like Facebook, Google, eBay, HP, and Dell, who have claimed the ruling against Samsung would “lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies.”
Samsung may, however, have difficulty getting the Supreme Court to hear its case. Of the thousands of cases that the Supreme Court is asked to review each year, it agrees to hear approximately 100 to 150.
MLB allows Apple Watch in dugouts, but phones remain off limits
For coaching in its annual All-Star Game, Major League Baseball gave Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost an Apple Watch. As you might expect, Yost has been wearing quite a bit — even during games when cellphones and other devices are banned from the dugouts. The wearable raised some concerns over cheating, but after the league reached out to the manager for an explanation, the Apple Watch can remain on the wrists of team staff seated on the bench. Until now, the only approved device was telephone used to call from the dugout to the bullpen to discuss pitching changes. Of course, without an iPhone close by, the Apple Watch isn’t much more than a… well, watch. And that’s exactly what Yost told the league.
[Image credit: Ed Zurga/Getty Images]
MLB called Ned Yost to ensure he didn’t use his Apple Watch during games. He said, “When you’re away from your phone, all it is is a watch.”
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) August 18, 2015
Via:
Apple Insider
Source:
MarketWatch, Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar)
Tags: apple, applewatch, baseball, majorleaguebaseball, mlb, watch
Apple Seeds 7th OS X 10.11 El Capitan Beta to Developers, Re-Seeds 5th Beta to Public Testers
Apple today released the seventh beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the sixth El Capitan beta and two months after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has also re-seeded the fifth public beta of OS X El Capitan to public beta testers.
The update is available through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.
In recent weeks, Apple has been pushing rapid updates for OS X El Capitan, all of which have focused on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes to optimize the operating system ahead of its public debut. Few design changes have been made in the most recent betas.
OS X El Capitan is designed to improve features introduced with OS X Yosemite, focusing on performance and user experience. A number of apps and processes on the Mac are much faster with El Capitan, and the introduction of Metal for Mac brings system-level graphics rendering that’s 40 percent more efficient.
As for user experience, El Capitan includes a new systemwide San Francisco font, a revamped Mission Control feature, a new Split View feature for using two full-screen apps at once, deeper functionality for Spotlight, and several new features for Safari, including Pinned Sites for housing frequently visited websites and a universal mute button that quiets all tabs.
OS X 10.11 El Capitan is available to both registered developers and public beta testers. Apple plans to release El Capitan to the public in the fall.
Intel’s Skylake Chips Will Drive Three 4K Monitors at 60Hz
Intel has shared new details about its faster, more power-efficient Skylake processors at IDF 2015 in San Francisco. PCWorld reports that Intel engineers have suggested the sixth-generation Core processors could launch in around “two weeks,” setting the stage for a possible announcement of new chips appropriate for Macs at the IFA Berlin trade show on September 4-9.
Skylake processors will feature improved Iris Pro integrated graphics capable of driving up to three 4K monitors at 60Hz, whereas Haswell architecture could drive a single 4K monitor at 30Hz and Broadwell architecture could handle a single 4K monitor at 60Hz. Skylake will also have fixed-function support for 4K video processing in hardware and support for the latest APIs: DirectX 12, OpenCL 2 and OpenGL 4.4.
Intel’s six generations of processor graphics (Image: Ars Technica)
PC World:
That means Intel has dedicated transistors directly to the job of decoding and encoding 4K. In one demonstration showing playback of a 4K RAW video stream from a Canon video camera, playback was smooth using the Skylake graphics chip, while using just the CPU, it would constantly drop frames.
Skylake architecture is also more power efficient thanks to a new power-saving feature called Speed Shift, which allows the CPU to intelligently adjust its power state for extended battery life. Skylake CPUs are also more efficient overall and feature eDRAM+, which can cache information, for increased performance.
In June, Intel introduced Thunderbolt 3 with a USB Type-C connector and support for USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2 and PCI Express 3.0. The new spec, rumored to launch alongside Intel’s next-generation Skylake chips, is capable of driving up to two 4K external displays at 60Hz or a single 5K display at 60Hz running off a single cable.
Last month, a leaked Intel slide deck revealed that Skylake processors will provide a 10%-20% CPU performance boost in single and multi-threaded applications, with lower power consumption, and 30% faster Intel HD integrated graphics performance on average compared to current-generation Broadwell processors. The improved energy efficiency will also result in up to 30% longer battery life.
Intel’s Skylake processors appropriate for the MacBook Air were also leaked last week.
iPad Pro Likely to Ship With iOS 9.1, Suggesting No September Launch Alongside iPhone
Earlier this week, we saw hints of Apple’s work on iOS 9.1 in the MacRumors visitor logs, speculating Apple had begun work on the update as a way to test features on the much-rumored 12.9-inch “iPad Pro” or the iPad mini 4 ahead of production. As it turns out, we were correct.
This morning, analytics company AppSee found an “iPad6,8” with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 in its logs. We asked AppSee to check what version of iOS the iPad had installed on it, and as it turns out, it’s running iOS 9.1, suggesting Apple’s work on iOS 9.1 coincides with the development of the iPad Pro.
iOS 9.1 on the large-screened tablet in AppSee‘s logs suggests that’s the operating system the iPad Pro will ship with, which rules out the possibility of a launch in September alongside the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Both iOS 9.1 and the iPad Pro will likely be unveiled at a separate event later in the year.
Rumors this morning have also suggested the iPad Pro will be entering mass production in September or October, pointing towards a late October or November launch date. It’s possible Apple plans to stick to the same October iPad unveiling timeline it’s used for the past several years, introducing the iPad Pro in mid-October and shipping it at the end of the month.
It is not clear what will be introduced in iOS 9.1, but the iPad Pro includes several features that could require a dedicated update, such as a pressure sensitive Force Touch display, a stylus, and a USB-C port that could support peripheral devices.
Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be the first major new addition to the iPad lineup since the iPad mini was unveiled in 2012. At 12.9 inches, it’s significantly larger than the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2, and could bring a much-needed boost to Apple’s flagging iPad sales.
WhatsApp Web Begins Rolling Out on iPhone
WhatsApp has updated its website with instructions on how to access WhatsApp Web on iPhone, and the new settings appear to be rolling out for some users now. To access WhatsApp Web from iPhone, open the app, tap on Settings and a WhatsApp Web menu option should appear once live.
WhatsApp Web settings on iPhone (Image: Reddit)
WhatsApp Web connects to your iPhone to sync messages with your computer, allowing you to send and receive messages from your web browser and view conversations on both devices. The service is also available for Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and select Nokia smartphones.
WhatsApp Messenger [Direct Link] is free on the App Store for iPhone.
Fake ‘iPhone 6s’ Ad Envisions Colorful Versions of Apple’s Next Smartphone
A new “leaked” commercial ad for the so-called “iPhone 6s” has been shared today on YouTube, showing off a 30-second spot for the next-generation iPhone in an array of color options that more closely hues to an iPhone 5c-inspired look than the main line-up of colors available today with Space Gray, Gold, and Silver.
The ad is obviously fake, with no mention of the “iPhone 6s Plus” — as a note, the two phones only appeared in commercials alongside one another last year and were never separated — but still presents an interesting take on the new iPhones coming out in a few weeks.
Although well-edited, the false ad is more reminiscent of Apple’s older iPod music-inspired ads than the somewhat downbeat and more feature-focused commercials from the past few years. The ad’s suggestion of a line-up of next-generation iPhones without the now-expected Space Gray or Gold options — backed by the tag “Be vibrant. Even faster.” — is perhaps the biggest tip-off of its mendacity.
News and rumors surrounding the “iPhone 6s” and “iPhone 6s Plus” have only gotten heavier as we move into September. Possible launch dates for the devices point towards September 18, with other stories suggesting Apple has fixed its “Bendgate” issues from last year and that users should see an increase in productivity and maneuverability on the new iPhone thanks to Force Touch shortcuts.
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