Today's Specials Archives - Page 25 of 89

Coffee Talk #362: Random Pre-E3 Chatter

Yesterday’s E3 festivities were fantastic. I went to the excellent B4 party held by47 Communications and caught up with all sorts of groovy friends. Game Informer’s Andy McNamara dropped a…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the villainous Heat stealing yesterday’s game in Dallas, the villainous Rafael Nadal beating the noble Roger Federer in another French Open final, or stupid PR agencies down the block from your apartment, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday’s E3 festivities were fantastic. I went to the excellent B4 party held by47 Communications and caught up with all sorts of groovy friends. Game Informer’s Andy McNamara dropped a ton of weight and looks fantastic. I’ve dubbed him Andy Mc Lite. BioWare’s Dr. Greg appears to be hitting the weights. His biceps were pretty impressive. Naturally, I accused him of using steroids and/or HGH. After the party some of my industry friends from Japan wanted to get a large American burger, so we went to The Counter. The gaijin portions kicked their asses.

Socializing aside, it was great confirming a bunch of pre-E3 rumors. Most of what you’ve been hearing is true. Some of the best stuff I heard about and two games that are supposedly awesome won’t even be at the show. It looks like those games/products will be Tokyo Game Show 2011 or E3 2012 announcements.

Since I’m going to be hopping around downtown Los Angeles all day, kindly chat it up in the comments section. Please let me know any hot E3 rumors that interest you and I’ll try to follow up on them. I’m also counting on one of you to keep me up to date with Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote. I wish I could be up in San Francisco for that as it sounds exponentially more interesting than Microsoft’s presser.

Coffee Talk #361: Stupid Crap You’ll Hear From E3 2011

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Klatch’s El Salvador Orange Bourbon, Stuart Scott still bringing his A-game while battling cancer, or hot garbage you hear from PR people, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the most amazing trade show in the world. It’s such a cool and unique spectacle. There’s really nothing else like it…but that doesn’t mean you won’t hear stupid crap coming out of the show. Every year you hear about journalists whining and complaining about covering E3. They’ll write about how their feet hurt, how the food sucks, how they have too many appointments, etc. At the end of the day, they still get to see awesome videogames way before the general public. That beats the hell out of coal mining or shoveling dung at the zoo. For the life of me, I’ll never understand why journalists complain about going to an event that millions of people dream about attending.

One stupid thing I expect to hear over and over again at E3 2011 is how awesome the screen is on the Sony NGP/PlayStation Vita. I’m sure it will be a great screen, but I also expect a lot of writers to be all, “This AMOLED screen is amazing because it’s AMOLED!!!” A lot of videogame journalists can’t tell you the difference between TFT LCD, IPS LCD, OLED, AMOLED, Super LCD, Super AMOLED, and Super AMOLED Plus screens. They’ll rave about technology they don’t understand, simply because it’s new to them and the press release told them that it’s awesome (and they can’t be bothered to do research). I expect to read several articles that mention how awesome the Vita’s screen is, but don’t explain why it’s awesome and how it compares to other screen technology.

How about you guys and gals? What dumb stuff do you expect from E3 2011?

AT&T Buys Support From NAACP, AFL-CIO, Etc.

AT&T senior executive vice president Jim Cicconi is very proud of all the support for the company’s proposed merger with T-Mobile. He raved about the support the merger is getting from organizations like the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the Cattlemen’s Association, and more. Check it out:

So far the AFL-CIO and five major unions with a total membership of over 15 million workers have filed in support of our deal. Support for the transaction is also coming from some of the most respected organizations in America, including iconic names like the NAACP and LULAC. We have strong support from those representing people with disabilities and the disadvantaged. Groups representing rural interests, including The National Grange, the Cattlemen’s Association, state chapters of the Farm Bureau, and the Rural Health Association are backing our deal. The Sierra Club has publicly recognized the benefits of our transaction, and high tech industry leaders like Microsoft, Corning, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group have all made clear their endorsements.

It’s funny that he completely failed to mention that AT&T has financial ties to numerous organizations “supporting” the merger. Cicconi would have you believe that the merger would be beneficial to numerous ethnic and social organizations. The reality is that the support was purchased. Thankfully The Washington Post is here to keep him honest. Here’s a clip from the newspaper’s findings:

Aside from money spent directly on lobbying government officials, industry observers say, AT&T is receiving support from several political leaders, trade groups and organizations such as the NAACP and at least one affiliate of the National Urban League. All have direct financial ties to the telecom giant.

Among the 14 governors listed by AT&T as supporters of the proposed merger is Bobby Jindal (R) of Louisiana. AT&T is a key sponsor of the Supriya Jindal Foundation, a charity of the governor’s wife.

The Urban League of Portland sent a similar letter to the FCC, saying the merger could help minorities gain faster access to broadband through a more robust, combined company. AT&T donated $125,000 to $249,999 last year to the National Urban League’s annual convention, the group said on its Web site.

I’m probably being naive, but I expect more from organizations like the NAACP and the National Urban League. It’s disappointing that they can be bought so easily. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that executives like Cicconi are allowed to fool the public and tell half-truths about company support.

What do you think of the whole deal? Does it leave you feeling dirty? Does it make you feel that Jim Cicconi has a private sweatshop in his backyard?

Source

Coffee Talk #360: How E3 Has Changed Over the Years

E3 has changed a lot over the years. When it first started, console and PC games dominated the landscape. As the PC market declined and the console market boomed it became all about…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Justin Timberlake rumored to be dating Ashley Olsen, the underwhelming Windows 8 debut video, or dishonest PR people you want to smack, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve been to every Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) save for one (I was having too much fun in Thailand and accidentally stayed there). E3 has changed a lot over the years. When it first started, console and PC games dominated the show. As the PC market declined and the console market boomed, it became all about the latter. Journalists for enthusiasts videogame outlets were shocked by the emphasis on motion at E3 2010; all the casual games for Kinect, Move, and Wii had several people proclaiming that the unofficial theme of E3 2010 was “It’s Not for You!”.

E3 2011 has more changes in store. The popularity of Android, iOS, and Facebook games has changed the market. I was surprised by how many meeting requests I received from mobile and social game publishers. I understand that these segments of gaming offer the most new opportunities, the most growth, and new money, but I was still surprised by all the cash these publishers are dropping on E3 2011.

Sitting back in my rocking chair and smoking my pipe, it’s fun to think about how E3 has changed over the years. How about for you as a gaming enthusiast? Have you noticed any major changes in E3? How has the show changed for you? Do you still see it as the Super Bowl of gaming? Or have events like PAX taken away some of E3’s luster?

Microsoft to Buy Nokia’s Smartphone Division for $19-Billion?

The word on the street is that Microsoft is planning to buy Nokia’s smartphone division for the hefty sum of…wait for it…$19-billion. The rumor was tweeted by Mobile-Review’s Eldar Murtazin, who has a history of getting inside information and early products from Nokia. Here’s more on the matter from VentureBeat:

If the rumor does end up being true, Microsoft would be looking to acquire Nokia’s “Smart Devices” division, which houses all of the company’s smartphone operations. Nokia also has a “Mobile Phones” division, but that’s entirely focused on lower-end dumb phones.

Nokia communications director Mark Squires responded to Murtazin’s earlier report in a surprisingly direct way on Twitter: “We typically don’t comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar’s rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment,” he wrote.

Nokia’s vehement denial is unusual for a company that typically plays it cool. That combined with Microsoft’s talent for throwing large amounts of money at consumers products (Xbox, Zune) makes the rumor particularly interesting. While Microsoft had success licensing Windows Mobile, the market has changed drastically. Perhaps the company believes that tightly controlling the hardware, the operating system, and the software ecosystem is the way to go with its relatively new Windows Phone OS. (Microsoft copying the Apple model?!? No way!)

What do you guys and dolls think of this rumor? Is it all hot air from Murtazin? Or does Microsoft buying Nokia’s smartphone division make complete sense?

Source via VentureBeat

NBA Finals Hotness: Zuleyka Rivera (JJ Barea’s Girlfriend)

Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea is an impressive basketball player. It’s impressive that a man that’s 5’9″ consistently drives to the hoop while getting pounded by players that are taller than him by a foot or more. His speed is impressive. His shot making and crazy passes are impressive. All that aside, the most impressive thing about JJ Barea is that he’s dating Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006. Let us honor JJ’s amazing accomplishment by looking at photos of Zuleyka Rivera.

Coffee Talk #359: E3 Press Conference Battle Royal!!!

Before the E3 show floor opens, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony crank their hype machines to 11 and set the tone with their press conference. What I really want to know is which E3 2011 press…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, rumors of Blake Lively posing nude, bamboo combs, or your favorite mustard, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

One of the most fascinating (and expensive) parts of E3 is its press conference. A handful of large publishers hold pressers, but the ones that matter most are held by the console manufacturers. Before the show floor opens, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony crank their hype machines to 11 and set the tone for E3. This year will surely be the same. What I really want to know is (Lenny Kravitz) which E3 2011 press conference are you looking forward to the most and why?

Nintendo and Sony will definitely be showing off new hardware. What will Microsoft do to compete with that? Which console will have the most exclusives? How about the best ones? How many times will Sony say, “I’m sorry.”? These are all things to consider when making your choice. So kindly pick one in the poll and expand on your choice in the comments section.

[poll id=”119″]

Sony NGP = PlayStation Vita?

Is PlayStation Vita the final name for the portable console codenamed NGP (Next Generation Portable)? Games Pundit found a bunch of evidence that points to Vita being the retail name for the product. Gamers are already hating and loving the name. I’m kind of indifferent to it; it reminds me of Vitamin Water and Vita Coco coconut water.

Do you like the name PlayStation Vita? Do you like the album African Child?

Source

Coffee Talk #358: Your Most Wanted Games of E3 2011

The next few editions of Coffee Talk will be about E3 2011. Today, let’s talk about the games you’re looking forward to learning more about at E3 2011. A bunch of my industry friends are high on…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the U.S. Postal Service nearing collapse, Apple’s iOS 5 announcement on Monday, or day trips to Chicago, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The next few editions of Coffee Talk will be about E3 2011. Today, let’s talk about the games you’re looking forward to learning more about at E3 2011. A bunch of my industry friends are high on BioShock Infinite. I’m looking forward to learning more about Final Fantasy XIII-2. Comic book fans are psyched to get more details on Batman: Arkham City. A lot of people are expecting Hideo Kojima to announce a big release that will hit in 2012 — 25 years after the first Metal Gear game was released.

What games are you looking to learning more about? I’ll spend part of E3 2011 digging up info on the games you’re psyched for. So start naming them (please)!

Coffee Talk #357: Your NBA 2011 Finals Prediction

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Klatch’s Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero, Amazon’s Mac download store, or anticipation for Italian beef sandiches, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me, I think Miami will take it in six…but I’m hoping that they lose. Yeah, I feel bad for not backing Pinoy coach Erik Spoelstra, but I’d love to see Dirk Nowitzki get a ring. I’m also dying to see David Stern hand Mark Cuban the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In my head Cuban accepts, waits for Stern to turn around, and smashes the trophy over his head. Cuban, Nowitzki, and Kidd put the boots on him for a few minutes and spray paint “NWO” on his back. That would be awesome.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you think will happen and what you want to happen in this year’s NBA finals.