Monthly Archives: October 2011

In the Blogosphere: A Thin Ethical Line

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The revelation of a marketing firm that claimed to be paying writers at high-profile online outlets to insert links to its client websites has dredged up old concerns about the ethical nature of some bloggers.

Gawker writer Hamilton Nolan shined the light on the company, which calls itself 43a, last week, posting a series of emails from what appears to be a company principal that offered up to $175 every time he linked to a site from one of their clients. In those notes, the 43a rep claimed to have worked with notable sites such as The Huffington Post and Business Insider, and had a client list that included Dell, Motorola Mobility and T-Mobile.

Read more at CNBC.com

First-time gamers are getting younger

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As television and other entertainment industries battle video games for people’s free time in today’s environment, they might want to keep their eyes on future generations as well.

A study by Common Sense Media finds that 17 percent of five to eight year olds are already gaming on a daily basis – while 81 percent have played games through their lifetime.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Microsoft Takes Kinect To The Business World

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Microsoft is planning to launch a commercial program for Kinect early next year, giving businesses the tools to develop customized applications. The company talks to Gamasutra’s Chris Morris about Kinect’s move into the business world.

Having established a strong foothold in the home market, Kinect is ready to branch into the corporate world.

Microsoft plans to launch a commercial program for the peripheral early next year, giving businesses the tools to develop customized applications for their companies and industries. The pilot program already includes such familiar names as Toyota, book publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and design firm Razorfish.

Read more at Gamasutra

Does Transmedia Work?

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In June, the Syfy Channel and THQ debuted “Red Faction: Origins,” a television movie that not only received decent reviews, but was also the test pilot for a potential series.  Days later, the latest game in the series – “Red Faction: Armageddon” – landed on store shelves.

Just shy of two months after that, though, all talk the TV series had stopped and THQ had put the game franchise on ice. And that death knell called into question the effectiveness of the transmedia movement.

Read more in the December edition of Official Xbox Magazine

Meet the robot that runs a game studio

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Richard Garriott’s a busy guy. He’s a newlywed. He’s a private astronaut. He’s building a mansion while selling his old one. He’s currently living in New York while running a 25-person game development studio based in Austin, Texas.

It’s clearly a lot for one man to handle. That’s why the man many still think of as Lord British has a robot helping him make sure everything is attended to.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Build the ultimate hi-tech Halloween House

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Even if you’re a little old for trick or treating, there’s no reason not to make the most of Halloween. Oct. 31 is one of the biggest party nights of the year — and while costumes are critical, so is getting your pad set up for the shindig.

But dim lighting and store-bought spider webs don’t really create a creepy atmosphere these days. To really spook your guests — and have them talking about your ghost and ghoul gathering for the rest of the year — consider this severed handful of hi-tech gadgets.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

When are the next consoles coming?

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Historically, gamers get new consoles every five or six years. Like cell phones, game systems have a planned obsolescence — and each subsequent generation offers eye-popping new features that reinvigorate sales.

But as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 start to get a bit long in the tooth, neither Microsoft nor Sony has uttered a word about their plans for new systems. And while Nintendo’s Wii U will hit stores next year, there’s a considerable amount of debate over whether that machine is truly “next gen.”

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Google TV tries again

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The first iteration of Google TV fell flat. It was, at its core, a good idea that was marred by poor execution and mismanagement. Now the search giant is ready to give it another go.

Starting Sunday, Google will roll out a software update to existing owners that’s meant to serve as a reboot of the service. The update will bring a new interface as well as selected apps from the Android Marketplace – but it will also bring a lot of baggage and hurdles from the existing service (most notably the lack of any support from the major networks).

The latest iTV whispers

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The rumor mill is, somewhat predictably, in overdrive about an Apple-built television set these days, following mention of it in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. And some of what’s being talked about is pretty fascinating – assuming it’s not just an elaborate game of telephone.

The latest suggestion is that the set, collectively dubbed iTV, will feature extensive voice control that’s run by Siri, the intelligent assistant that’s the star of the iPhone 4S.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog