Wednesday, April 30, 2014

P-I-N-G-O And Pingo Was Its Name-O





What is Pingo you ask? Well it's an addictive and fun game that is a poker, bingo hybrid. Pingo uses a standard 52-card deck, on a 5 5 grid. Points are generated by getting poker hands within the grid in any direction, including vertical, horizontal and diagonal. Pingo's early inception includes two game-play modes, Casual that will let you play through all cards without the restraint of time and Speed Mode which will garner more points and multipliers the quicker you play them. If you are like me and aren't the best with poker hands, fear not, there's also a few tutorial levels to point you in the right direction.



Pingo was developed by Eve Park and her 1-Pup Games developing team for the OUYA. If you are unaware of the OUYA it's the upcoming Android based console that not only boasts a low-cost for consumers but is also very indie-developer friendly. The mobile games we love so much will finally make their way to the big screens of our TV's through OUYA. There will also be the added bonus of having a controller.



Pingo is also currently a contender in the OUYA Create Contest. Pingo is one of 166 games vying for the title of OUYA Create Contest winner. Please check out the video after the article, it will help Eve (AKA The Girl With The Blue Hair) and her developing team at 1-Pup Games in bringing one of the most addictive games better and more content.



I was able to test out the Pingo Demo and was immediately hooked. Growing up one of my early gaming addictions was the AOL game Slingo, I continue to play Slingo to this day on my smart phone. Pingo is a game that bears a few similarities but yet still manages to be fresh and unique. Fans of Windows Solitaire games and of course Slingo will love Pingo.



So go ahead and check out the video below. Not only will you be helping out a fellow Geek but I think you might just enjoy learning about a game that everyone will be playing in the near-future.








Buy Accidental Damage Warranty for Any Phone On The Cheap





Let's face it, warranties have gotten a bad name. But SquareTrade is changing that. With low prices, award-winning customer service, and thousands of 5-star reviews, SquareTrade is proven to delight Amazon customers.



via Amazon



Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Running an Older iOS Device? Now You Can Install Last Compatible Apps on it


Download an older version of app




Not everyone is a tech nut. Even though I upgrade my iPhone every two years like clockwork and always buy the newest iPad, some of my friends are still using first-generation iPad models and even iPhone 3G devices. Downloading cool apps becomes nearly impossible on older iOS devices because developers want to stay on top of the newest technology. Oftentimes, apps don't even support devices running a version of iOS that is more than two years old.



Today, a happy poster on Reddit discovered that Apple is now allowing users to download older versions of apps that are compatible with the device you are using.





If you are still using a first-generation iPad, an iPhone 3G, or even a second-generation iPod touch, you now have the ability to download the last compatible version of an app.



This is still very new and unofficial information. It is not yet known how far back it goes. It appears that users with devices that run a version of iOS older than 5.0 are able to turn back time and download apps from years gone by.



Whether this works for all apps, or only a select few is still unknown. It is also not clear whether it works for iOS 3.0 - 4.0.



So, if you are still using the first-generation iPad, you won't be searching in the dark when iOS 7 hits. Apple has left you a proverbial flashlight.



Cool Accessory Transforms your iPad into a 3D Scanner


ocipital 3d sensor




There is an in-progress Kickstarter campaign which is building a 3D sensing device. While it probably wont be at the level of established non-mobile 3D scanners, the fact that it attaches to your iPad is pretty amazing.



As someone who is involved in the music and film industries, I can see a lot possibilities. Here are a few that I came up with immediately:


  1. Location scouting for films - quick 3D models of places
  2. Record keeping of microphone placement in recording studios
  3. 3D representation of artwork



The device uses dual infrared LEDs to scan its surroundings, which allows functionality in both light and darkness. Its range is 40 centimeters to over 3.5 meters which limits any macro functionality but is useful for objects and medium sized rooms. The sensor comes in an anodized aluminum case which is compatible with Lightening connector equipped iOS devices. It is also operates on its own battery power with 4 hours of scanning and no drain on your iPad.



3D Sensor




In addition to scanning for 3D images, it is also being used for augmented reality games. One already in development game includes a ball that bounces off of the objects around you. Since the game can access a 3D model of the area, it can create complex interactions with the virtual and physical areas. This seems like the kind of idea that Apple will eventually include in their devices and has the potential to make gaming and other tasks extremely powerful.



The Kickstarter campaign is seeking $100,000 and is currently 50% funded with a deadline of November 1st. For a pledge of $349 you will receive a finished scanner. I am very tempted!



Monday, April 28, 2014

For a brief, a bunch of websites have been broken by Facebook connect, Terrible moment, But we all can breathe easy now it says



Well, it's embarrassing a number of sites and as covered by all things serious problem caused by Facebook connect glitch on websites which includes the Huffington post, MSNB.com, salon, CNN, Yelp, and others.



Apparently, you get problem, when if you logged into the Facebook, you get the message to redirected the facebook.com,when you visited one of those sites and then you get an error message ,normally users logout for resolving this issue.



The problem users facing fixed pretty quickly. The following statement was sended by Facebook spokesperson. "For the short time period, there was a defect or fault that restricts the users to logging in with Facebook to facebook.com from the third party sites. This issue was resolved quickly and now as usual Facebook login is working.



Even though the situation that appears to be resolved, I'm guessing that a bunch of publishers are feeling Uneasy about their Facebook connect desegregation , I'd be surprised if in the next day or so we don't see more in-depth explanation/apology from Facebook.





Related posts:

  1. Facebook in Macau and Twitter in Paraguay are most frequently visited websites through phones, according to the maps by Opera on Global Mobile Social Network Usage.
  2. Orange has planted group calling at Facebook- Party is on!!
  3. The European activist group is planning to fight against Facebook in Ireland


Google says that not anywhere else in Europe $80M French Publishers’ Fund replicated- Easy



Google says that outside the France it is not presently looking create any funds to support the digital pulishers.The head of the European publisher council have follow calls Google's comments last week by Francisco Pinto Balsemaoto pay media companies across Europe for their content displaying for Mountain View.



From several years ,in Europe courtrooms Google had been fighting ,in France and Belgium with publishers to bringing out the copyright cases against aggregating and displaying snippets of content in the result searching and on services such as its Google News aggregator.



To support French publishers' digital initiatives Google announced a 60 million ($80.5 million) fund earlier this month.it had also settled the local copyright dispute by announcing at the same time. However not anywhere else in Europe the company had confirmed that they are not looking to replicate this digital innovation fund support model.



Spokesman for the company told TechCrunch and asked that if it has any plans to make fund for digital innovation for publishes: wealways feel pleasure to publishers about the more additional ideas for driving traffic, monetization and engagement, and currently we are not currently looking to make a fund outside France.



In December Google settled a dispute with Belgian publishers by agreed as a partner with them and also promote their service and also their content. Another case was settled in France which is familiar to the previous one, in this case Google announced the fund of 60 million it not directly linked to the creation of local copyright. Google said that in addition to the fund "depend on the partnership with French publishers which helps in increasing the online revenue by using the advertising technology", a similar offering to Belgian settlement



The difference between the French market and the European market, Google never comment on that but in blog post they announced the creation of the fund they said that "The French's fulfill their commitment in 2011 so now they are going to increase their investment in France, Cultural Institute project is built out of Paris office, this project is another example of investment in this country.



In Germany, draft legislation is now making their way through parliament, if they passed it might extend the copyright law to publishers text snippets and they want some royalty from search engine and online aggregator to license them. Google is always against the extension, they call it "bad law" and they think that it might break the "founding principle" of the Web's hyperlink-based architecture.





Related posts:

  1. Google expanded its Magazine section to UK's Google Play Store. Europe might be the next one
  2. Add structure to the data published on site without touching codes by Google new data highlighters Add structure to the data published on site without touching codes by Google new data highlighters
  3. Add structure to the data published on site without touching codes by Google new data highlighters


Sunday, April 27, 2014

AT&T Unlocking In-Contract iPhones for Deployed Service Members


This weekend, AT&T began unlocking iPhones for off-contract customers. This allows the iPhone be used with a SIM-card from overseas carriers, or T-Mobile in the U.S. In addition to unlocking phones for off-contract customers, AT&T is also quietly unlocking iPhones for U.S. service members still under contract with the carrier.



Carriers are required by federal law to suspend service without penalty for deployed military personnel upon presentation of their military orders, but AT&T is not required to unlock the phones of deployed service members. Instead, the company is choosing to do that on its own.



AT&T declined to comment, but we have independently confirmed that AT&T is unlocking phones for service members upon request. Deployed soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines should contact AT&T customer service to get more information about having their iPhones unlocked.




Source


Apple working on iTunes 11 with iOS 6 support, improved iCloud integration


According to sources, Apple has recently begun internally seeding the next major release of the iTunes application for computers, iTunes 11. Work on iTunes 11 began prior to the release of iTunes 10.6, and the development of the new software product - that we are familiar with - is currently focused on under-the-hood changes, rather than cosmetic changes. However, Apple develops different portions of products in separate groups or at separate times, so the final product will likely include some new user-interface elements and more visible features.



Apple is working on iTunes 11 as a version of iTunes that supports their upcoming iOS 6 release and future devices. Apple typically releases new versions of iTunes alongside major new OS's and mobile devices. While iTunes 11 is built as an iOS 6 compatible-release, according to sources, iTunes 11 could very well be a release coming farther down the road, and Apple could very well release another iTunes 10.x point update as a simple iOS-6-compatiblity release. One source calls that the more likely situation.



On the subject of iTunes, we're still hearing that a full iTunes Store and App Store revamp is underway for a launch between this summer and the fall. Earlier this year, Apple purchased a company called Chomp to help with that refresh. Since then, we've heard multiple independent whispers that the Chomp team has been fully integrated into a team that specifically exists in order to improve content discovery within the iTunes application and the online store.



Source


Saturday, April 26, 2014

Analyst: Apple likely to launch iPhone with 4.5-inch to 5-inch display next year




gs4-vs-iphone5




Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst at KGI Securities, who has a good track record when it comes to predicting Apple product plans, based on his contacts with supply chain sources, is back with a new research report.



Kuo predicts that Apple will launch an iPhone with larger display in 2014.








This comes hot on the heels of the report from Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Apple was testing an iPhone with a whopping 6-inch screen.



Kuo predicts that Apple will launch an iPhone with a 4.5-5-inch screen. He doesn’t expect Apple to launch an iPhone with a screen which is bigger than 5-inch because of the company’s ”unwavering principle of one hand use.”



Last year, Apple had increased the size of the screen in iPhone 5 from 3.5-inch to 4-inch. But Apple explained that it did not increase the width of the display “so everything you've always done with one hand - typing on the keyboard, for instance - you can still do with one hand.”



But with growing popularity of Android smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S4, which features a 4.99-inch screen and phablets like Samsung Galaxy Note that feature a 5.7-inch screen, there has been pressure on Apple to launch an iPhone with a bigger screen.



The report also notes that Apple plans to switch to GF2 touch technology for iPads in 2014, which will allow the iPads to be thinner and lighter than the previous generation models. Kuo expects Apple to launch iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 by the end of the year, with mass production ramping up in Q4.



Over the last few years, many readers have told us that they’ve switched to Android because they wanted a smartphone with a larger screen, so Apple certainly needs to do something soon to address that requirement. As for the ideal screen size for the bigger iPhone, I think a 4.7-inch iPhone would be perfect.



I expect Apple to continue offering an iPhone with the taller 4-inch screen even if it launches an iPhone with a 4.5-5-inch screen so users have an option to choose the one they want based on their preference.



Do you want an iPhone with a bigger screen? Or you prefer the screen size of the iPhone 5?



[Via AppleInsider]






Apple tweaks App Store webpages for iOS 7-style app icons




itunes web preview google plus




Apple made a lot of changes in iOS 7, one of them was the shape of app icons which went from being a simple roundrect to a more complex shape known as superellipse. As you can see below, the change makes iOS icons appear more curved.



We have just discovered that Apple has updated the App Store web previews for iOS7-style icons.








The difference can be subtle and hard to notice in normal apps, but is more pronounced in app icons which relied on the earlier roundrect shape to create the illusion of a 3D effect. One such app is Google+, whose iOS 6 icon looked like this:



google+ ios 6




And here’s what the iOS 7 icon looks like:



google+ ios 7




Got the difference? Here’s a side by side image for better comparison:


google-ios-icon



iOS 6-style Google+ icon (left), iOS 7-style Google+ icon (right)



You can view the App Store preview page for Google+ to see the change live, and you can visit this cached link, which shows an earlier version of the page with the old shape. Strangely, app pages within iTunes seem to be still using the old-styled icons.



Just to be clear, developers don't have to do anything from their end to change the shape of the icon, Apple will make the change by applying the "superellipse" mask. If you’re a developer and plan to optimise your app icon for iOS 7, here’s a handy way to generate the superellipse share, courtesy Marc Edwards:



ios 7 icon mask




Earlier this week, Apple also made some changes to the iBooks compatibility text, suggesting that iBooks Author books were soon coming to the iPhone in iOS 7.






Friday, April 25, 2014

Patent Predator Intellectual Ventures Builds Up Lobbying Troops


Intellectual Ventures founder Nathan Myhrvold



Intellectual Ventures founder Nathan Myhrvold


Intellectual Ventures, the invention-capital firm/patent troll founded by former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold, is ramping up its presence inside the Beltway.



IV, which has amassed thousands of patents over the past decade as part of its intellectual-property licensing business, recently tapped telecom lobbyist Russell Merbeth to establish an in-house lobbying team in Washington, D.C. Merbeth's mandate, according to his lobbying registration: To represent IV on issues related to patent reform, intellectual-property rights, taxation of patent royalties and corporate tax reform.



An interesting, and inevitable, move for IV, whose lobbying spending rose from $440,000 to $1,040,000 between 2005 and 2012. With the Obama administration wading ever deeper into the debate over patent litigation and rolling out policies intended to better regulate patent-holding firms, opening a D.C. lobbying office is a wise move. As Merbeth, former vice president of government affairs at Cricket Communications, told the Washington Post, it's time for IV to step up its game inside the Beltway.



IV_lobbying_spend


"Intellectual Ventures has been active in Washington and after the America Invents Act was passed, IV wanted to standardize its public policy operations regardless of if there's any legislation being considered at the moment," Merbeth told AllThingsD. "IV will continue to have a consistent presence here in Washington to educate members of Congress and the administration."


U.S. Leads Data Requests in Facebook's First Transparency Report


For the first time, Facebook released a report on Tuesday detailing the number of information requests it received from government agencies across the world. The report states that for the first half of 2013, agencies in 74 countries requested data on nearly 38,000 Facebook user accounts. Of all those filing inquiries, the United States was far and away the leader, accounting for approximately half of all requests.


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Expanding your startup into Asia? Here’s how to build out your operations in the region

82090013 520x245 Expanding your startup into Asia? Heres how to build out your operations in the region




Thomas Clayton has started and run numerous high-tech startups in Silicon Valley. He is currently CEO of Bubbly, a social media startup backed by Sequoia Capital, SingTel Innov8, and JAFCO. The company is one of the largest VC-backed startups in Southeast Asia, having raised over $60 million in funding.



This is the second part of a four-part series that will provide insight into starting, building, and funding a company across Asia. See part one here.




My first post in this series described how businesses should start when considering expansion into Asia, which is home to some of the largest and fastest growing markets in the world.



The inspiration for my second post came from the many CEOs and entrepreneurs who come to me knowing they want to go after Asia and are aware of their target markets, but unsure of the best approach to start building out their operations on the ground.



For example, should they hire in-market consultants, an expatriate based in a hub city, or partner with a local player? To best answer these questions I have highlighted six key pieces of advice for execs who are growing the operations side of their business in an Asian country or the region itself.


Hire the right people - local and entrepreneurial


A company cannot hire out of a hub city like Singapore and expect those individuals to cover Indonesia, India, Thailand, and the Philippines. A business cannot even realistically cover a subset of those countries from Singapore. Having people in-market and on the ground is key in each of these countries. Nothing gets done otherwise. Someone needs to be pushing things forward in-country day-in and day-out.



158519569 Expanding your startup into Asia? Heres how to build out your operations in the region




You also need true local expertise. It's worth the investment to have one local person in each market rather than one person centrally trying to cover all of the markets. Moreover, given the salary differences across markets, one person in three of these countries can often cost about the same as one in Singapore or Hong Kong.



Another learning I've come across the hard way is to stay away from 'sales consultants.'



I would say that 95 percent of consultants are not working full time for a company for a reason. I've seen so many Western tech companies burn cash on these guys with zero results. They're often expats that move to Asia for the lifestyle or that were on holiday and decided to stay longer-term, and convince Western companies or regional firms to hire them on a monthly retainer to build out their operations.



The fact is that they simply don't have the exhaustive relationships to really move things forward. The only reason they keep getting business is because their Western clients can relate to these guys culturally and communicate with them effectively, thus making their clients feel more comfortable. However, this is more of a luxury than a necessity.



The other typical 'sales consultants' are local players that claim some "very close" relationship with a key player at a target firm. These people simply cannot be trusted as far as you can throw them.



The best-case scenario for hiring any of these consultants is they don't take your business anywhere and just waste your time and money. The worst-case scenario is that they will steal your intellectual property and cut you out of the loop (this is especially true in countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Thailand) - I'm serious, watch out!



Important qualities to look for in those initial candidates on the ground are guys that are scrappy and very hands-on. In Asia, there are too many candidates with a few years of work experience that just want to "manage" and not actually do anything themselves. It gets worse with even more experienced candidates. Many of the most seasoned guys are used to having teams of people around them that do everything for them.



Making it worse still, recruiters in the region tend to only focus on the biggest branded companies for their candidates. That's just lazy. Moreover, coming from Google or Cisco is an EXTREMELY different skill set and environment than the entrepreneurial, scrappy style that is required to build out a successful remote operation on the other side of the world.



One should simply focus on a track record of entrepreneurship and the ability to be a jack-of-all trades rather than experience with big brands. Recruiters don't understand this, so try to be hands on with your own network and utilize services like LinkedIn when finding your first few key employees.


Be 'local' but don't overdo it


Partnering with large local companies often results in the larger company wanting to "localize" your service. Most of them either take their localization efforts too far or focus on many of the wrong aspects.



158540895 730x408 Expanding your startup into Asia? Heres how to build out your operations in the region




For example, I've seen local mobile operators white-label mobile applications with a ridiculous brand and put them into the local language - which is not always necessary and can often have a degrading effect on your service, since many Asian consumers envy Silicon Valley brands and do not view operators as sexy brands.



Then these large companies, which are often the dominant players in their respective markets, will demand dozens of new customizations with a list that will grow until it seems endless.



Most of these will fall under the auspices of "localization," but the reality is the partner is just trying to play 'product manager' and thinks they know more than you do. After all, they're used to treating partners this way in their own markets. When they say, "jump" everyone always does.



This is obviously not sustainable. In short: be the master of your own localization strategy.


Start light and scale from there


In many northern Asia countries, especially Japan, large local players will want to set up joint ventures or new entities with lots of overhead. My recommendation is to shy away from this.



Joint ventures are a thing for large corporations. Keep it simple.



Also, there is no need to open a legal corporate entity until the company has sizable revenue and employees on the ground. Many entrepreneurs think this is the first thing they need to do when entering a new country. Lawyers will always tell you it's only a few thousand dollars, but they're not factoring in all of the overhead and ongoing accounting compliance that will come along with it.



In most cases, its an additional $50,000-$100,000 per year in overhead for the admin costs alone.



My advice? Wait as long as possible.



There is a large gray area in each country, but generally companies can wait until they have a few employees and over $1 million in revenue before they need to take that step.


Never assume rules are different and things must be done unethically


So many entrepreneurs ask me about the graft in countries like China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Yes, it's there, but it is way overblown and it's not necessary to get involved in order to build out a successful business here.



Moreover, graft has decreased significantly over the past decade and large players are usually above the table. I've been able to build out businesses in all of these countries leveraging hundreds of local partners without ever going down this path or even crossing into a gray area.



My advice is to draw a firm line and stay clean, which should not be difficult because as a foreigner, it is unlikely that you will ever even be approached to cross this line. If one of your local employees says it's necessary, they're trying to take the easy way out and you have the wrong people on your team.


Don't underestimate the power of celebrities in these markets


169510577 730x276 Expanding your startup into Asia? Heres how to build out your operations in the region


Asians have a huge affinity towards celebrities and what they are using, because they want to use it too. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful in Asia, and celebrities command huge, devout fan bases that not only follow a celebrity, but will also take action based on recommendations from a trusted figure like a movie star or cricket player.



It's the sole reason companies like Blackberry got a second life in Asia, and it led to the initial takeoff of GREE and Line in Japan. Local players realize this and leverage celebrities heavily. Working with local talent agencies is a great way to get your foot in the door and start getting some stars to help get the word out.



Mobile operators still matter in the ecosystem



If you're doing anything related to mobile, it's imperative you understand that feature phone penetration is still well over 80 percent in most Asian markets, which amounts to over four billion consumers. Therefore, working with operators is still one of the quickest ways to reach the masses.



One key benefit that operators offer is easy and seamless billing, which can provide a significant boost since many areas across Asia lack electronic payments and have meaningless credit card penetration. However, prepaid SIM cards are ubiquitous and nearly every consumer has one. Digital ad revenues are still too small in most Asian markets to be a viable business model, so charging consumers via operator billing is still one of the most pervasive local models.



The above are just a handful of lessons that I've found to be invaluable for my businesses and those that I advise or sit on the Board of. I hope that it gives others a little color as they look to expand into Asia and a cleaner entrance into this exploding market.



Headline image via Thinkstock, other images via Thinkstock, Thinkstock and AFP/Getty Images


Google confirms it acquired wearable computing device company WIMM Labs [Update]

152807970 520x245 Google confirms it acquired wearable computing device company WIMM Labs [Update]




Google has reportedly acquired WIMM Labs, a company that specializes in wearable computing devices built on the Android operating system. According to GigaOm, the purchase will give Google more resources to help it develop its own smartwatch device.



Currently, the only known wearable device that Google has in its arsenal is Glass, but there has been talk saying that it is working on a smartwatch. It seems that this device is the flavor of the week in the technology industry as big companies like Apple have been mulling over such a product. Samsung is releasing its Galaxy Gear smartwatch next week, which leaked details indicate will run Android Jelly Bean.



It seems that these companies aren't happy letting Pebble take over the scene.



So the question that could be asked now is whether Google intends to just WIMM Labs' technology to help accelerate development of its smartwatch or could it be using it to craft a version of Android specifically for use in smartwatches to help make it easier for manufacturers to quickly adapt the platform to their device?



We've reached out to Google for comment and will update this if we hear back.



Update: GigaOm has received confirmation about the acquisition from Google.



GigaOm: Google acquired WIMM Labs to bolster its own smartwatch plans



Photo credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images




Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Shelly Palmer Digital Leadership Podcast Episode #45 – Brian Lakamp of Clear Channel


Brian Lakamp


Clear Channel recently launched iHeartRadio Talk, where everyday listeners to create their own digital audio content, or "audiosodes," that can be posted to iHeartRadio's library. The platform also features podcasts from hundreds of notable news and entertainment partners.


Samsung Galaxy Note 3 To Shoot 4K Video (Rumor)


The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is expected to be made official at Samsung's IFA press event on the 4th of September, and now it looks like we may have some more details about the handset.



According to a recent report, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be capable of shooting 4K video, in a 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution, this is not something we have heard about previously.



Samsung Galaxy Note 3


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Sylvester Stallone and director John Herzfeld turn to Kickstarter to finish 'Reach Me'



Established filmmakers have been embracing Kickstarter with open arms this year, and now writer-director John Herzfeld is trying crowdfunding with a slight wrinkle on the formula: he's looking for $250,000 to finish a movie he's largely already shot. Reach Me is a film about 12 characters that are affected in various ways by an inspirational book written by a reclusive football coach. Actors like Sylvester Stallone, Danny Aiello, Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), and Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead) litter the cast, but according to the Kickstarter campaign one of the film's main investors dropped out during principal photography. Herzfeld and producer Rebekah Chaney put their own money into the movie to keep things going, but the production...



Gamescom 2013: all the news that's fit to play



The annual whirlwind of gaming activity that descends upon Cologne for Gamescom was particularly boisterous this year as both Microsoft and Sony previewed their next generation of consoles. Xbox One pre-orders in Europe were sweetened with the bundling of a free FIFA 14, while the PlayStation 4 got its long-awaited release date and a promise to have 33 games by the end of the year. The PS Vita also saw its price cut extended from Japan to Europe and North America, alongside the announcement of a number of high-profile games coming to the mobile platform, led by Fez, Minecraft and Borderlands 2.



Gamescom also proved to be the most extensive opportunity for gamers to try out next-gen games, with publishers previewing early code from their...