T-Mobile Serving Up HTC Phone with HSPA+ in September?

T-Mobile has done a decent job rolling out it’s high-speed HSPA+ network, but it only has one product that supports it — a USB connection stick. It looks like that will change in September. According to Light Reading, T-Mobile and HTC are teaming up for an Android “superphone” that takes advantage of the network:

T-Mobile USA plans to launch the first smartphone for its newly upgraded evolved High-Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) network in September.

The handset is understood to be the world’s first HSPA+ smartphone, and it will be the first phone that is made to handle T-Mobile’s upgraded 3G network with peak downlink network speeds of up to 21 Mbit/s. While that is the theoretical maximum speed, in the real world the data rates experienced on this smartphone will be closer to 10 Mbit/s.

According to several real-world tests, T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network is faster than Sprint’s WiMax network. While the speeds can be comparable depending on the conditions, HSPA+ has proven to be much better at penetrating buildings than WiMax. Although HSPA+ is often referred to as 3.5G, it can be more effective than 4G WiMax.

I think I’ll hold onto my T-Mobile account until the end of the year to see how it all plays out. Would any of you be interested in an Android phone rocking HSPA+?

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Sony Working on an All-in-One Gaming Device with 3G?

According to The Wall Street Journal, Sony is working on a multifaceted device with an integrated mobile chip. The device will combine gaming, e-reader, and portable-computing  functionality. Here’s the skinny:

Sony is developing a portable device that shares characteristics of hand-held game machines, e-book readers and netbook computers, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Sony e-book readers already come with 3G connections but it isn’t clear if a new wireless gadget will use carrier networks.

A lot of people are jumping to the conclusion that this is the PSP2, but the description is vague enough that it could be a different product from Sony Electronics and not necessarily Sony Computer Entertainment. I’m curious to see if the device pans out, but I question the approach. If Sony is throwing everything but the kitchen sink into this device then why not just make it a phone?

What do you think of this rumored device? Do you think it’s real? Do you think it will appear at Tokyo Game Show 2010? Is it the PSP2 or something else entirely?

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Blizzard Will Require You to Use Your Real Name: Do You Care?

Blizzard has caused quite the ruckus by requiring Real ID in its official forums. In practical terms, this means users will have to use their real names. Here’s a clip from the forum announcement:

The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. The classic Battle.net forums, including those for Diablo II and Warcraft III, will be moving to a new legacy forum section with the release of the StarCraft II community site and at that time will also transition to using Real ID for posting.

Some users are applauding the move since troublemakers and flamers will no longer be able to hide behind anonymous handles. Some hate it, preferring the anonymity and/or role-playing that’s common in forums. Others think the move is shocking and claim that it brings all Blizzard fans one step closer to identity theft.

How do you feel about Blizzard’s use of Real ID? Is it a non-issue? Are you concerned about identity theft? Do you think other publishers will follow Blizzard’s move and require you to use your real name to talk about their games?

Coffee Talk #173: Do You Finish Your Games?

My friend Ted pretty much plays anything he gets his hands on. Sure, he loves his “gamer” games, but he’s my only friend that has played Dora the Explorer, those crap Burger King titles for Xbox 360, and dozens of casual iPhone/iPad games. I’m positive that he’s started more games than anyone else I know.

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, Lindsey Lohan heading to the slammer, Vinnie Del Negro coaching the Clippers (or really, someone actually wanting to go there), or your final LeBron James prediction, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

My friend Ted pretty much plays anything he gets his hands on. Sure, he loves his “gamer” games, but he’s my only friend that has played Dora the Explorer, those crap Burger King titles for Xbox 360, and dozens of casual iPhone/iPad games. I’m positive that he’s started more games than anyone else I know.

That said, he doesn’t finish most games he plays. I would be genuinely shocked if he finished more than a dozen games in the last decade. Keep in mind that he’s worked as a videogame journalist, a game evaluator, and a designer since I’ve known him, so he’s had access to a ton of stuff (which makes his love of those Burger King games even more perplexing).

What are you gaming habits like? Do you finish most of the games you play? Or are you a chronic dabbler like Ted? Estimate your “batting average” when it comes to beating the games you buy/rent and leave it in the comments section (please).

Cliff Bleszinksi Holds the Key to Quality Game Journalism

My friend Cliff Bleszinski, the amazingly talented designer from Epic Games, sent out a tweet praising an excellent article by Kotaku’s Stephen Totilo. It was a great read and Cliff was right to call out Totilo’s superior work. The second half of the tweet amused me. Cliff wrote, “Take note blogs, more of this, less rumors and flame bait please.”

Gaming blogs do spend too much time reporting rumors and…encouraging debates. Those kinds of articles generate the most traffic and reader comments. I fully admit that I post both types of stories (though I’m a verbal entertainer, not a journalist, so it’s totally cool). For most blogs, it’s what the readers and advertisers want.

The thing is, unlike most people that read gaming blogs, Cliff is in a position to do something about the type of writing that gets page views and advertisements. That’s why I tweeted back, “Tell your publishers to advertise on sites with quality writing and there will be less flame bait/rumors.” Certainly he can’t tell Microsoft, “You’re only going to advertise Gears of War 3 on Gamasutra, The Escapist, and The Huffington Post,” but he can nudge his publishers in that direction.

Our brief exchange — which I’m positive he didn’t read until I pointed it out to him — reminded me of this moment at DICE 2009. Several high-profile developers were on panel and complained about the quality and type of writing most game journalists produce. My friend Tom Russo, former editor-in-chief of Next Generation, quickly spoke up and told the developers that Next Gen had the content they wanted but publishers didn’t support it with advertising. If that’s what they really wanted then they should have done something about it. (By the way, this was a moving speech that’s up there with Bill Pullman’s rally in Independence Day.) I’m sure there were other factors other than what Tom mentioned, but I’m also sure that the lack of publisher support was a major reason Next Gen shut down.

So yeah! A lot of people — developers, publishers, gamers, chimney sweepers, etc. — claim that they want smarter coverage of the gaming business. A lot of people say they’ll read quality articles with plenty of thought. Few people are in a position to support web sites that offer such writing. Cliff Bleszinski is one of the people that can help quality writing flourish. So how about if Cliff? You going to help your publishers put their money where your mouth is?

(On a related note, since I’m a verbal entertainer and not a game journalist, a special amount of Gears of War 3’s advertising budget should go to my site. Gears can have all the ad slots on the site for a year for a special price of however much it costs for me to live/work in Koh Samui for a year.)

Dragon Age: Origins Leliana’s Song DLC Available Now

BioWare has released the “Leliana’s Song” DLC for the outstanding Dragon Age: Origins. This DLC prequel examines Leliana’s past as an Orlesian spy, detailing her relationship with Marjolaine and the circumstances that led her to seek refuge with the chantry. The DLC costs 560 BioWare Points on PC, 560 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live, and $7 on PlayStation Network. Here are some details from the official site:

  • Explore Leliana’s dangerous past and why she joined the Chantry
  • A fully voiced cinematic experience brings the characters to life
  • Unlock a unique reward that transfers into your Awakening and Origins campaign
  • All-new musical compositions instensify the action and intrigue

As many of you know, DA is one of my favorite games this console generation. I’ve already downloaded the DLC and will be playing it later today. Expect a not-a-review in the near future…whether you want it or not, muahahahaha!!!

Anyone planning to download “Leliana’s Song”?

Sony Working Closely with Developers on PlayStation 4

A lot of developers have complained that Sony’s PlayStation consoles are hard to work with. It has taken developers years to unearth the secrets of the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. For its next console, Sony is taking a more developer-friendly approach by including its development partners in the creation process from the start. In an interview with Develop, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said:

When Ken Kutaragi moved on and Kaz Harai became the president of SCE, the first thing Kaz said was, ‘get World Wide Studios in on hardware development.’ So he wanted developers in meetings at the very beginning of concepting new hardware, and he demanded SCE people talk to us. We are undergoing many activities that we haven’t yet been talking about in public. Some future platform related activities.

First off, shame on Develop for spelling Kaz Hirai’s name wrong. *snicker*

Seriously though, I’ve always wondered why Sony seemingly made things so difficult for PlayStation developers. Having developers in on the process from the start just seems like a no-brainer. For the last two console generations I’ve heard so many complaints from third-party developers about Sony hardware being difficult to work with. While I suspect that first-party devs will always have an edge, hopefully the input provided by Worldwide Studios developers will make the PlayStation 4 easier for everyone.

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AT&T Capping Upload Speeds?

Ah, AT&T…you always manage to find new ways to suck. According to several MacRumors forum users, AT&T is capping upload speeds  at 100kbps. According to the posters:

Cities/Regions affected so far: NYC, Central Jersey, Boston, Orlando, Seattle, South Jersey/Philly, Columbus, Cleveland, West Houston, Phoenix, Northern Colorado, St. Paul/Minesota, Suffolk County/Long Island, Quad Cities, South Jersey, Denver, Detroit Metro, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Fairfax, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Des Moines!

I imagine there are thousands of iPhone 4 customers with expensive new hardware and contracts that are really pissed off with their upload speeds. If you happen to live in one of the regions mentioned above, kindly run a speed test and let me know if you’re being capped by AT&T.

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Coffee Talk #172: Counting Down to Digital Distribution

In the last ten days I spent two hours waiting for a PSP game to download and four hours waiting for an Xbox 360 game to download. In both cases I was annoyed and agitated that it took so long to download a relatively small amount of data. Six hours for a little over six GBs?!? That’s a step above cavemen banging two rocks together to start a fire!!! But you know what? It beats the crap out of the alternative.

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 NY Knicks signing Amare Stoudemire, Team Armstrong vs. Team Landis, or the the super pretentious Paris Apple Store, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In the last ten days I spent two hours waiting for a PSP game to download and four hours waiting for an Xbox 360 game to download. In both cases I was annoyed and agitated that it took so long to download a relatively small amount of data. Six hours for a little over six GBs?!? That’s a step above cavemen banging two rocks together to start a fire!!! But you know what? It beats the crap out of the alternative.

Waiting two hours for a PSP is much better than going to a mall, dealing with crowds, and interacting with funployees. The four hours the Xbox 360 download took is much better than waiting for a package to arrive. I’m so ready for digital distribution to be the norm. I can’t wait for console companies and crap-bag ISPs (like my friends at Time Warner Cable) to get their acts together so that digital distribution can happen now.

I know that some of you still have issues with digital distribution and that a few of you still love boxes (I don’t get it). Are you anxious for digital distribution to hit? Or is waiting okay with you?

His Name is Prince…and He Hates the Internet

In a recent interview with The Daily Mirror, international music superstar Prince said some really dumb things about the Internet. His comments were ignorant, bitter, and…well, just flat-out stupid. Check it out:

The internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it.

The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good.

They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.

I realize that Prince lives in his own little world, but claiming that the Internet is over is just moronic. It’s a communications medium. Saying telephones and television are “completely over” would be just as stupid. Sure, he was talking about the Internet in terms of his music but even in that context his comments show out of touch he is with reality. I suppose I’m disappointed that one of the most creative and forward-thinking musicians of my generation hates the Internet.

What do you think of Prince’s comments?

Source via CrunchGear