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 Another Day, Another Bundle (2010-03-07)
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There are a few definite truths within the world: one being that the Canadians are gods of hockey and another being that Microsoft really enjoys their bundle packages. If you are like me and are looking to buy your third (yes I said third) Xbox 360, chances are you are looking for the most bang for your buck as well as the reliability of your system's functionality. Alternatively, are you perhaps looking to break your Xbox 360's hymen? It seems that both of us are in luck; Amazon recently added a listing for an Xbox 360 Elite Spring 2010 bundle, which includes Halo 3: ODST, Forza Motorsport 3 and a 120GB hard drive for just $299.99.
According to the listing, this bundle will go on sale next Tuesday, March 9 - the same day the $399 Final Fantasy XIII bundle hits Amazon's virtual store shelves. A few questions come to mind about the Halo 3: ODST and Forza package though. As we know Halo: Reach is in the progress of beta with jetpack and all. One can gain access to said beta if you purchase a new copy of Halo 3: ODST so I am curious if you still receive access to beta if you decide to take advantage of this newest bundle, or will you be penalized for pinching your pennies?
Microsoft is basically coming our with a bundle package for every single one of the "big" releases this year! Will Sony catch on to this trend or even Wii? Or will Microsoft be the only one to show us their packages?
{UPDATE} Since this posting, Amazon has removed the product from their webpage showing only a 404 error now.
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Amazon:
Halo:ODST and Forza Bundle
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Cake May Be a Lie, But at Least You Can Eat it With Your Friends (2010-03-07)
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This Saturday we all got a big reveal when we saw a preview of Portal 2 being next month's Game Informer cover. This is extremely exciting for all of us here at PluGHiTz Live!, but didn't reveal much to us as to the cold hard facts of this highly anticipated game. Now, between Eurogamer being told by Valve that the game is heading to Xbox 360 and PC, and Game Informer's reveal that the sequel features a "two-player co-op mode with its own campaign featuring two new playable characters," I am excited to see how exactly Valve plans on pulling this off and even more excited that the game is coming out this holiday season.
As the saying goes, "two heads are better than one," so I look forward to tackling the puzzles of Portal 2 with my friends. I also look forward to double teaming GLaDOS, breaking her heart twice as hard for my friend's and my excessive violence.
Gameinformer's site teases the 12-page feature, calling the game "a full-fledged, standalone sequel" with "new gameplay mechanics, storyline, and some surprising new twists." I have a feeling that the storyline is going to take place outside the portal of the cover, but we will have to wait and see.
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Game Informer:
Portal 2 For Two
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 It Never Ends...Apple and Nokia at it Again (2010-03-07)
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Remember the ongoing battle between Apple and Nokia? Oh yes, the incident you try to forget but it just wont go away. Well, there's more! What a shocker.
The last update in the case occurred when Apple decided to retaliate after Nokia filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC). Nokia's reason for filing the complaint was to have the ITC ban imports of Apple products into the U.S. This complaint was completely ridiculous since it did not relate to the original grievance in any way. Yet, Apple had to get a piece of it and decided to file a complaint with the ITC themselves. Their reasoning was unclear. By this point, we knew that this dispute would not be settled in court.
Now we are curious as to how the ITC will decide this case, considering many of the patent's that Apple has claimed were "infringed" on, also apply HTC, not just Nokia. Apple has made the last move, now we wait for what we know is coming, Nokia will attempt to get the upper hand. Let's see how far off topic this argument will be when it comes to a head.
In case you forgot, here's the recap:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
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Engadget:
Apple / Nokia federal lawsuit put on hold pending ITC investigation
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 "Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal." Thanks, Steve Jobs! (2010-03-07)
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Yeah, Steve Jobs said that. Looks like 1996 Steve Jobs and 2010 Steve Jobs haven't met. When 1996 Steve Jobs was fired and sold off all his shares and anything Apple Computers-branded, 2010 Steve Jobs killed that man and renamed the company to Apple, Inc. And with that, he also went on a tirade of lawsuits and counter-suing with Nokia to now duking it out with HTC. Apple has sued HTC for infringing on 20 patents "related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware."
Apple's claims are nuts! Just because ANOTHER phone has touch screen doesn't mean it's infringement. I got news for ya, Apple: You weren't the first. But yes, I understand, you're lost in the cloud that is your beloved operating system and won't admit that you merely passed the phone off by calling it innovation when inventions before you have outperformed it, I get it. It's fine. But you've even surprised HTC with these claims, who, by the way, had the PPC6600 before the thought of a touch device was even a gleam in your development team's eyes.
Here's the press release:
Apple today filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.
"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Apple reinvented the mobile phone in 2007 with its revolutionary iPhone®, and did it again in 2008 with its pioneering App Store, which now offers more than 150,000 mobile applications in over 90 countries. Over 40 million iPhones have been sold worldwide.
And Steve Jobs had this to say, which is the most important part:
We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.
Clearly, they haven't met. This is how Steve Jobs made his claim to fame! By stealing others' works and tweaking it slightly. So the fact that he is now going crazy over the notion of a similar devices (or hundreds of them) is ridiculous! Pot, meet kettle.
Don't worry, we have HTC's response:
We only learned of Apple's actions based on your stories and Apple's press release. We have not been served any papers yet so we are in no position to comment on the claims. We respect and value patent rights but we are committed to defending our own innovations. We have been innovating and patenting our own technology for 13 years.
Apple is also suing over 10 more patents via the ITC, including every WinMo and Android phone from the G1 to the HD2. We here at PLuGHiTz Live! are at a loss for words right now, but we will have plenty to say live on our show on Sunday at 9PM ET!
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Gizmodo:
Apple Sues HTC For Infringing On 20 iPhone Patents: The Complete Documents
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 This Week in Portal (2010-03-07)
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Do you remember Portal, the fantastic shooter puzzle game from Valve where you had to escape from a psychotic robot? It turns out that Valve remembers about it, too, and even updated the PC version of the game this week completely unexpectedly. Their release notes said,
Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations.
Immediately we got excited and knew something was up with the radios. In digging into the audio files for the game, it was discovered that there were a number of new MP3 files all related to the radio. The new files include several Morse Code transmissions and the rest are SSTV encoded photos. The images all appear to be photos from inside Aperture Laboratories, possibly from the security cameras. There is definitely a lot of thought behind what is going on here.
The guess has been that all of these new challenges are leading up to a Portal 2 which Valve then announced officially. The official description of the game says,
Coming this holiday. Portal 2 is the sequel to 2007's Game of the Year and draws from the award-winning formula of innovative game play, story, and music that earned the original over 70 industry accolades. Features single and multiplayer co-op modes. The single-player portion of Portal 2 introduces a cast of dynamic new characters, a host of fresh puzzle elements, and a much larger set of devious test chambers. Players will explore never-before-seen areas of the Aperture Science Labs and be reunited with GLaDOS, the occasionally murderous computer companion who guided them through the original game. The game’s two-player cooperative mode features its own entirely separate campaign with a unique story, test chambers, and two new player characters. This new mode forces players to reconsider everything they thought they knew about portals. Success will require them to not just act cooperatively, but to think cooperatively.
If we weren't already excited about a sequel, this would definitely do it. Co-op in Portal just sounds awesome. Are you guys excited about this new game? Have you played through the updated game and gotten the radios? Any ideas on what all of the pictures are going for? Most importantly, do you know the login for the BBS? Let us know in the comments section!
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GameStop:
Portal 2
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