This week you’ll find yourself downloading a rather sizable patch from Blizzard Entertainment for Diablo III, patch 1.0.8 for multiplayer improvements galore. What you’ll be seeing is no less than 8 changes to the way you play – or will be able to play – in multiplayer. What Blizzard describes this update as coming at you as is “making two heads actually better than one!”
The Star Wars video game company LucasArts has been closed down and is in the process of being broken apart by Disney. As Disney owns LucasFilm and the rights to all media therein, the video game subsidiary LucasArts is (or was) part of what they purchased. With this breakup of the company, Disney will be moving from an internal development model (with LucasArts) to a licensing model, this allowing companies from across the market their chance at developing video games in the Star Wars universe.
The Facebook Phone has been leaked again, this time still inside the “HTC first” smartphone, this time in a set of press images that show off how simple your experience is about to be. What we’ve got here is a new look at Android, complete with an ultra-simplified interface that pulls no punches when it comes to customization. This is no “do what you want” space, that’s for sure. NOTE: Join us here on SlashGear for the full final reveal at 10AM PST – we’ll be live in effect at Facebook headquarters for you!
Google’s Glass wearable could get some Chinese competition, it’s reported, with Baidu developing a head-mounted “Baidu Eye” system of its own. The headset would launch Baidu’s open wearables program, Sina Tech claims, with the Chinese search company licensing out the technology to hardware manufacturers while it provides the software and cloud services. According to reports, Baidu is targeting functionality that includes face-recognition, photography, phone calls and more.
Google’s second-gen Nexus 7 is on track for a July release but will see NVIDIA’s Tegra ousted in favor of a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, tipsters claim, with newly aggressive pricing ramping up the challenge to the iPad mini. The search giant has a strategy of market saturation, targeting up to eight million shipments of the 7-inch tablet in the second half of this year, a duo of insiders told Reuters; Google is said to be undecided on final pricing, but is considering two strategies, potentially setting the entry-level new Nexus 7 as low as $149.
Those of you still skeptical about the possibility of an HTC Facebook Phone can toss in the rest of your chips – there’s been a full leak of the so-called “HTC first” this afternoon. This leak includes one extremely clear photo of the device in question from the notoriously accurate @evleaks, leaker of so many devices such as this in this same manner that we’ve simply come to trust the man. This device is one that will be launching with Facebook’s own customized user interface over Android later this week.
Once upon a time, your car had to be the fastest or the most luxurious if you wanted to stand out. Now, as GM has discovered, a car has to be talkative if tech-savvy drivers are to take them seriously. A path that started with OnStar has ended up with cars that talk to your smartphone and tablet, quietly plan their own servicing, and generally take the sting out of owning and maintaining a modern vehicle. SlashGear sat down with GM President of General Motors North America Mark Reuss to talk infotainment and how the company is betting on more than just top speed for models like the new 2014 Cadillac CTS.
If you thought yesterday’s April Fool’s Day mess of rumors was hard to swallow, you’re really going to have a difficult time with this tip: Verizon and AT&T have been reported to be jointly buying Vodafone. This absolutely wild possibility comes from The Financial Time’s Alphaville where they’ve got what they say are “usually reliable people” suggesting a “breakup bid” for Vodafone between AT&T and Verizon. It’s also been said that such a purchase would include a 40% premium on Vodafone’s current stock price, this giving the company an enterprise value of right around $245 billion USD.
AT&T will offer the HTC One from $199.99 for the 32GB model, with deliveries kicking off April 19, as well as exclusively ranging the 64GB variant for a hefty $299.99. Up for preorder from Thursday, April 4, the AT&T HTC One will also come with a free HTC Media Link HD adapter to make better use of the smartphone’s wireless streaming technology, including the HTC TV app which can push on-demand shows from your handset to your TV.
This week the Facebook Phone has been revealed. Unofficially, of course, but in a run-down of the software that comes within the device more in-depth than we’d otherwise be skeptical about. What we’ve got here is a midrange smartphone from HTC that runs the big news: Facebook Home. This software is at once a simple app for Android AND a user interface that takes over Android fully. The HTC smartphone hardware is almost like an afterthought.
It’s time to check out the Facebook Phone early – a full software build from the device has been leaked and it would appear that HTC is, indeed, onboard. What we’re having a look at here is a full APK (application for Android) that will live inside the device code-named HTC Myst. This device has been leaked before, and according to the leak Android Police has secured, (and promises isn’t an April Fools joke,) it’s set to be a real oddity in the market.
April 1st is upon us, and that can only mean one thing: pranks, gags, and joke products of dubious comedic value, as the tech world tries to make you crack a smile. Whether you love it or loath it, April Fools is inescapable, so join us as we run through 2013′s cons and let us know which – if any – convinced you, and which you thought were actually funny.
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