HTC Glacier (Project Emerald) Benchmarks Totally Rock

The fine fellows at Android Community got their hands on benchmark results for the upcoming HTC Glacier, which is rumored to be the dual-core Snapdragon phone that’s behind T-Mobile’s Project Emerald. The results are frickin’ awesome. Check it out:

The Glacier managed to pull 1432 frames in the GLBenchmark Pro ES 1.1 CPU Skinning test consistently. While the Droid X reached 856 frames, the EVO managed 516 frames, and the G1 pulled a parsley 113 frames. While the iPhone 4 did 1016 frames. Shockingly enough, or perhaps not at all, the Vibrant reached 1409 frames. So, with those numbers, especially against the 1GHz Snapdragon processor in the EVO, the tipster believes that the 1432 frames (versus 516) means that the Glacier could very well be the dual-core monstrosity that we’ve all been waiting for.

I’m sold! Hmmm…the Samsung Vibrant posted some pretty stout numbers too — too bad I want a front-facing camera and LED flash. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, let me know if you’re interested in the HTC Glacier. A dual-core Snapdragon phone running Google Android with HTC Sense sounds brilliant to me. Et vous?

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SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Reaches Greatest Hits Status

THQ has announced that the award winning WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 has achieved “Greatest Hits” status on Sony PlayStation consoles and “Player’s Choice” status on Nintendo Wii. Given the game’s stellar writing, this isn’t a surprise. Here’s a clip from the press release:

The latest edition to the renowned fighting videogame franchise, has achieved “Greatest Hits” status in North America for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, as well as joined Nintendo’s “Player’s Choice” collection in North America for the Wii video game system.

The word on the street is that the writing in SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is even more spectacular. I’ll be hitting up Summer Slam 2010 to get a better idea of how the game is shaping up and to hit on Nattie Neidhart.

Congratulations to THQ and everyone that worked on SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 — particular the outstanding writing staff.

Coffee Talk #193: Have Games Desensitized You to Violence?

After E3 2010, I vaguely remember an article by some guy I can’t remember saying that videogames have desensitized people. The premise was that gamers have spent too much time shooting enemy soldiers, decapitating villains, and blowing buildings up that it no longer seems shocking. I started thinking about the issue again after the excellent people at Gamasutra started discussing it.

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 cast of Friends getting old, the Yankees struggling like hacks, or how crappy Sprint is, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

After E3 2010, I vaguely remember an article by some guy I can’t remember saying that videogames have desensitized people. The premise was that gamers have spent too much time shooting enemy soldiers, decapitating villains, and blowing buildings up that it no longer seems shocking. I started thinking about the issue again after the excellent people at Gamasutra started discussing it.

The argument certainly has some merit. I remember being stunned and impressed when I saw a fatality in Mortal Kombat for the first time. That doesn’t cut it today. The violence has to be bigger, badder, and crazier. Having said that, I’m not at all desensitized to real-world violence. I would panic (before acting heroically, of course) if I saw someone get shot in real life. I am shocked when a pedestrian gets hit by a car. I guess what I’m getting at is that I don’t see a correlation between the videogame world and the real world when it comes to this issue.

As always, I want your thoughts on the matter. Have you become desensitized to videogame violence? Does it matter in your IRL existence? Considering the leap from Mortal Kombat to God of War, where do you see videogame violence ten years from now?

EA Leaving Money on the Table with NBA Jam for PS3/Xbox 360?

As RPadholic smartguy mentioned yesterday, you have to buy NBA Elite 11 in order to play NBA Jam for PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Depending on your perspective, the scheme is either genius or moronic. Certainly there are some gamers that want to play both games, but I know loads of gamers that love arcade sports and can’t stand simulation sports. My old sidekick Brian Leahy is one of them. He wrote:

Personally, I’m interested in playing NBA Jam on my PS3 or Xbox 360, but I’m not about to drop $60 on NBA Elite 11 to do so. I am, however, willing to pay $10 or $15 for NBA Jam itself.

Not sold as a standalone, I think EA is leaving money on the table.

That boy is wise beyond his years….

Anyway, what do you think of EA’s ploy? Is it clever? Or is it just dumb? Do you think EA will eventually sell NBA Jam through PSN and Xbox Live? Do you think the company has it planned out and is being dishonest by claiming NBA Elite is the only way to get NBA Jam on the aforementioned platforms? Conspiracy!!!

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Coffee Talk #192: “CSR Nightmares” or “Sprint CSRs Suck”

After installing FroYo on my Evo 4G, I decided that I was going to commit to the phone and reactivate it. This is a big deal for me as I have all sorts of commitment issues. I figured A) it’s a great phone that was free, B) I’m eligible for an upgrade straight away, and C) I get a service discount as a Google I/O attendee. After 25 minutes and three CSRs, I was unable to activate the phone with the discounted plan.

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, what “taking my talents to South Beach” should be code for, what’s next for Juan Manuel Marquez, or those damn Devil Rays, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

After installing FroYo on my Evo 4G, I decided that I was going to commit to the phone and reactivate it. This is a big deal for me as I have all sorts of commitment issues. I figured A) it’s a great phone that was free, B) I’m eligible for an upgrade straight away, and C) I get a service discount as a Google I/O attendee. After 25 minutes and three CSRs, I was unable to activate the phone with the discounted plan.

I’m amazed that all three reps had no what I was talking about. Each of them insisted that I needed a Sprint employee’s email address and ID number. I have a sell sheet from the conference that clearly states that I’m eligible for the discount. It’s one thing for them not to know about Google I/O, but it’s another to be completely ignorant of a discount offer. I’m going to drop by a Sprint store today to try and activate the phone; I’m positive the CSRs there will also fail, but it should be good for a laugh. *sigh* This is why I went to T-Mobile….

Anyway, I’d love to hear some of your customer service nightmares. Whether it’s games, electronics, Internet service, or Real Dolls, I’m sure you guys and gals have some great stories to share. Let ’em fly (please)!

Today’s Poll: Is the BlackBerry Torch 9800 Enough to Help RIM?

Notice I didn’t use the phrase “save RIM” — the company is still kicking ass in the corporate space. In the consumer space, it’s losing ground to Apple iOS and Google Android. The BlackBerry Torch, armed with BlackBerry OS 6, is the first device geared towards retaining and winning back customers that want modern features like a WebKit browser, tightly integrated social networking, and adroit media handling. Do you think it’s enough to help RIM? Or will BlackBerry phones continue to lose users in the consumer space?

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Android 2.2 (FroYo) on HTC Evo 4G: Impressions and Benchmarks

I’ve been playing around with Android 2.2 on my HTC Evo 4G (Sprint) since last night. It’s pretty impressive so far — everything is snappier, the web browser is faster and has Flash, and there are some nice UI changes (love the ones in Gmail!).

To measure the performance gain, I used GreeneComputing’s Linpack for Android. I tested the Evo 4G before and after the installation of Android 2.2. For comparisons sake, I included the results of a Motorola Droid X running Android 2.1. The results (higher is better) were pretty nuts:

  • Evo 4G (Android 2.1): 4.355 MFLOPs
  • Droid X (Android 2.1): 8.239 MFLOPs
  • Evo 4G (Android 2.2): 37.593

As you can see, FroYo adds a pretty significant boost to performance. While real-world results will not be nine times faster, the speed boost is obvious. I’m going to write more detailed impressions of FroYo on the HTC Evo 4G later this week. Of course I might just sell the phone because the CSRs at Sprint are incompetent…but that’s another story.

RIM Security Too Good, BlackBerry Banned in United Arab Emirates

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates has issued a ban on RIM BlackBerry phones and service starting October 11, 2010. Here’s the skinny:

The TRA confirmed today that Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry E-mail and Blackberry Web-browsing services in the UAE will be suspended as of October 11th 2010. The suspension is a result of the failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring Blackberry services in the UAE in line with UAE telecommunications regulations.

From what I understand, RIM is being penalized because its security is too advanced for the TRA. The agency likes to keep close tabs on UAE citizens and appears unable to hack RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). I find the whole matter hilarious (you know, in that nerd way). RIM is going to miss out on one of the world’s burgeoning economies because it’s too good. Mobile handset makers that are less capable and/or secure have a huge opportunity in the UAE because of RIM’s competence.

Perhaps the TRA should recommend iPhone 4’s to everyone and get AT&T to provide service. If things get out of hand, blocking frisky communications is only a “death grip” away. I kid, I kid. You know I love the iPhone 4.

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Sony Announces PlayStation Network Summer Sale

Sony has announced its PlayStation Network Summer Sale. There are a bunch of discounted goodies in the mix. Check out the list and let me know if you plan on picking anything up. Perhaps one of the games can be designated for an RPad.tv Invitational if enough of us buy it. Remember, the prices are good until August 9, 2010.

PS3
Fat Princess – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
PixelJunk Shooter – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Groovin’ Blocks – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Madden NFL Arcade – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
Wakeboarding HD – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.

PSP
The Eye of Judgment Legends – $14.99 sale; $29.99 reg.
echoshift – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
Patchwork Heroes – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars – $14.99 sale; $29.99 reg.
Lunar Silver Star Harmony – $14.99 sale; $29.99 reg.

minis
Tetris – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Dracula Undead Awakenings – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Monsters Probably Stole My Princess – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Zombie Tycoon – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Bloons – $1.49 sale; $2.99 reg.

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