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Sunday, March 6, 2011

New video games expand vast 'Pokemon' empire (AP) : Technet

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New video games expand vast 'Pokemon' empire (AP) : Technet

New video games expand vast 'Pokemon' empire (AP)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 11:17 AM PST

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay, Ap Technology Writer – Sun Mar 6, 2:17 pm ET

NEW YORK – "Pokemon" has been around almost as long as Justin Bieber has been alive. Among a certain demographic, the fierce little "pocket monsters" generate the type of obsessive fandom reserved for the biggest entertainment icons, be they the hottest new toys or dreamiest teen crooners.

The vast "Pokemon" empire is about to get even bigger with Sunday's launch of two new video games for the handheld Nintendo DS. Simply called "Pokemon Black Version" and "Pokemon White Version," they sell for $35 each.

The "Pokemon" video games center on catching, battling and trading the hundreds of colorful characters that go by the same name. As usual, the two new games are slightly different so that players can buy one and trade Pokemon characters with others to strive toward collecting them all.

The new games add more than 150 creatures to bring the total to more than 640, ranging from the purple cat creature Purrloin to dinosaur-inspired Haxorus. The latest games let players battle not just people they know, as with previous versions, but strangers through random matches using the DS's Wi-Fi connection.

"Black Version" and "White Version" are the latest for the kid-centric empire that has managed to outlive video game icons such as "Guitar Hero" and outsell big shots such as "Call of Duty." The games are rated "E" for everyone and have a broad appeal that goes well beyond grade school kids.

"I like the community feel," said Tiffany Stanley, 17, who competes in "Pokemon" tournaments along with her brother, Trey, 11. "The people who play 'Pokemon' are the nicest and most intelligent people I have ever met."

Playing the game, she added, requires creativity and originality, as well as math and strategy skills to do well.

The "Pokemon" franchise is the second-biggest video game property for Nintendo Co. and in the world, not far behind the iconic "Mario Bros." games. Worldwide, the game has sold about 215 million copies, compared with Mario's 250 million, Nintendo says.

But "Pokemon" did so in 15 years. Mario took a decade longer.

It helps that the primary system to play "Pokemon" games is the handheld Nintendo DS, the world's best-selling video game machine. Through the end of December 2010, Nintendo sold nearly 145 million DS systems in various iterations, compared with 85 million units of the Wii console.

Over the years, related "Pokemon" products have popped up, including cartoons, trading cards, comics and toys. The company that licenses the brand, Pokemon Co. International, is privately held and won't disclose revenue figures, except that, in years when there's a new game, it's in the billions of dollars.

"It's like crack to kids," said Darrin Duber-Smith, professor of marketing at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

The popularity of "Pokemon," he added, has spread by word of mouth more than through traditional marketing. That is part of its genius.

"We have a very strong community of 'Pokemon' fans," said J.C. Smith, consumer marketing director at Pokemon Co. International. These fans can be counted on to spread the word about "Pokemon" on offline playgrounds and on online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

"Pokemon" got its start in 1996 from a company called Game Freak — a group of guys who wrote fan magazines for video games and decided to make their own, Smith said. The first game was for the original Nintendo Game Boy, and it let players interact with each other by using a cable that plugged into their friend's Game Boy. The cartoon series came the following year in Japan, and the games launched in 1998 in the U.S. and Europe.

Part of the game's staying power has been that it was built from the start as social. In this age of nonstop interactivity, the games that have been the most popular have been those that let players interact, whether that's on Facebook playing "FarmVille" or at home scheming against a common enemy on "Call of Duty."

"It's a really addictive game that's approachable by all ages," said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter. "It's E-rated fun that's challenging. It's a well-constructed game. Hardcore gamers love it and parents don't mind it."

To LOL, or not LOL? That is the question (AP)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 10:16 AM PST

Weekend Hilarity: A Horse Named Arrrrr [VIRAL VIDEO] (Mashable)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 08:45 AM PST

Charlie White Charlie White – Sun Mar 6, 11:45 am ET

In a video that's destined to become viral, watch how this fortunately named horse makes all the other scalawag horses walk the plank. What's the horse's name? Why, it's Arrrrr, with five Rs -- be sure to spell it right.

If you're a fan of the ponies as some of your humble narrators here at Mashable are, you know there's no shortage of crazy names for racehorses. That said, we are still laughing at this video discovered by Neatorama, and can't help but love the way the announcer gets into this race, calling it with gusto to its glorious conclusion.

China state newspaper's web portal eyes June IPO (Reuters)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 07:24 PM PST

– 1 hr 38 mins ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – People.com.cn, the online news portal run by the mouthpiece of the Chinese communist party, will list in Shanghai as early as June, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.

People's Daily Online Co Ltd, which operates the online version of the party mouthpiece People's Daily, will be the first online news organization to list in Shanghai if its plans are approved.

"It'll be in June, probably June 20 because that's the date when the company was established last year," said the person, who declined to be named because the plan was not yet public.

State-run China Daily reported in January this year that the company is aiming to raise about 800 million yuan ($121.8 million) in a Shanghai offering this year, and has struck deals with investors such as China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.

(Reporting by Huang Yuntao and Kelvin Soh; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Couple overcomes groom's illness with Skype wedding (Reuters)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 05:04 PM PST

By Alex Dobuzinskis Alex Dobuzinskis – Sun Mar 6, 8:04 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A California couple whose wedding plans appeared thwarted when a lung infection landed the groom in the isolation ward of a hospital got married anyway over the weekend, in a ceremony conducted over Skype.

Samuel Kim and Helen Oh, both 27, had friends and family members traveling from as far away as their native Korea and from New York to their planned wedding ceremony in the southern California city of Fullerton on Saturday.

So when Kim began spitting up blood last week, he was initially too nervous to tell his bride for fear of causing her grief, he told Reuters.

When he finally did tell Oh later in the week, the couple improvised a solution by holding the wedding via the Web video conferencing system.

"Guests said it was inspirational, they really admired my fiance for being able to stand at the altar in the manner that she did, alone and not crying the whole time," Kim told Reuters from his bed at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

"She was able to hold her ground and I was able to hold my ground, not crying or anything," he said.

Oh said the Skype wedding was not the perfect way to have a ceremony, but that guests were happy.

"He said he will make up for it, he promised me he's going to be the best husband in the world," Oh said. "He felt really terrible that he wasn't there."

The Saturday afternoon wedding utilized five live cameramen at the couple's high-tech Korean church capturing the ceremony for guests watching on jumbo screens, and for Kim himself watching on a laptop in the hospital's isolation ward.

Kim's hospital is less than 10 miles from the church, and he said he did not feel distant from the ceremony and the 500 guests there.

The professional-style presentation included split-screen images and an audio crew that gave Kim his cue, before his face was to appear on screen.

Kim's hospital room was decorated with flowers that nurses bought with their own money, he said.

Oh said that she does not credit Web technology alone for making the wedding a success. "I couldn't have done it without God," she said.

Up next for the couple: the honeymoon. Kim surprised Oh with plane tickets to Europe, where they will visit Paris and Prague, after he recovers from his lung infection.

Kim said that he expects to leave the hospital this week.

(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Jerry Norton)

Dear AT&T: Thanks for Ruining My Android Phone (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 02:15 PM PST

Jared Spurbeck Jared Spurbeck – Sun Mar 6, 5:15 pm ET
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COMMENTARY | Let's be honest with each other, AT&T. There's no love between us, and there never has been. You're only in this relationship for the money, and I'm only in it for your sweet HTC Aria, the slim Android phone that I just had to have.

People thought I was crazy for not choosing an iPhone instead. (Isn't it the only reason to get a smartphone on your network?) They pointed out how controlling you are; how you lock down all your Android phones so they can't install apps from outside of the Market, even your shiny new Atrix 4G. You say it's for their safety, but how are those smartphones supposed to feel when someone taps on a link in their web browser to install an app, and it doesn't work? They're going to feel broken, AT&T, that's how they're going to feel.

I told my Aria that it was OK. I knew that about her going into this, and I didn't hold it against her. If we had to, we could just do things behind your back since I had the know-how for it. HTC even tried to help us at one point. I believed in my Aria; I believed in Google's open-source Android operating system. And I believed that since you knew which side your bread was buttered on, you wouldn't try to make life too difficult for us.

I was wrong.

You're breaking my heart, AT&T

The iPhone gets updates regularly through iTunes, but Android phones on your network have to wait months to upgrade to new versions of Android. Even the phones that you're selling right now are out of date; the latest version of Android for smartphones is 2.3 "Gingerbread," but the new Atrix 4G is on 2.2 "Froyo." $199 for an out-of-date phone? Really?

Froyo was the latest version when I bought my Aria, but she was still on 2.1 "Eclair." I had faith that she would be updated soon. I told myself it was OK to wait. Finally, I got impatient and rooted her and installed a custom rom, but she didn't like that, and neither did I. So for the two of us, it was back to her HTC Sense interface, and back to waiting.

Then came that fateful day, when you announced the Froyo update was ready for my Aria. It would wipe out everything on her. But this time she would have animated "live wallpapers," and we could move apps to the SD card so we'd have more room in her memory.

What I didn't know is what else you'd do to her.

Updates aren't supposed to break things

I knew there'd be non-uninstallable AT&T "junkware" apps all over her, like usual. But what I didn't know is what you'd do to my Aria's notification bar. Here's what you did: Every time I turn her on, or go back to my Aria's home screen, the whole bar says nothing but "AT&T" for 3 seconds. I don't see signal strength, new emails, or anything. Just AT&T.

Imagine what it'd be like to have an employee who was like that. "Bring me a coffee, please," you'd say.

"Mike Stonewall," he'd say, and then wait three seconds. "Okay!"

"Mike?" you'd say.

"Mike Stonewall." One, two, three. "Yes?"

"You're fired."

So are you, AT&T. I'm fulfilling the terms of our contract, but once it's over, you're gone. There are greener pastures, and -- hopefully -- less ruined Android phones out there.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

When Twitter Attacks (The Daily Beast)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 08:02 PM PST

Bing Deals Android and IOS App Leave Windows Phone 7 Users Behind (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 02:15 PM PST

JC Torpey Jc Torpey – Sun Mar 6, 5:15 pm ET
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COMMENTARY | Microsoft's re-entry into the mobile marketplace with the release of Windows Phone 7 has seen some interesting reactions , from respected technology reviewers calling the OS a disaster to other reviews singing its praises. Now, considering how passionate Microsoft was with marketing the new mobile OS, it is interesting that Microsoft and Bing forgot about Windows Phone 7 and its loyal users when they developed the new Bing Deals application. The app, which is available only for Android OS and iOS devices, will be released for desktops eventually -- but only in the U.S.

While everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, the one that matters most is Microsoft's. It serves as an indicator of what the future holds for Windows Phone 7 and its users, and it is the most shocking. Microsoft has forgotten about them, essentially saying they do not matter in the face of Android and iOS, and even Bing employees are upset.

What is Bing Deals?

Bing Deals is Microsoft's answer to Groupon, well, sort of. It is an aggregator of Living Social, Restaurant.com, Groupon and other daily deal websites results, coupons and other deals all in one place. Collaborating with local discount provider The Dealmap, Bing states it did so to "help you cut through the clutter of the Web to make decisions more quickly..." and it is exciting stuff going up against the likes of Groupon, a multi-billion dollar social media success story, but how is this deal helping Windows Phone 7 users? It's not; it is more like saying that Windows Phone 7 users should ditch their devices if they ever want to use the app.

The Beginning of Windows Mobile

Microsoft has been in the mobile OS game for longer than most other players have been, as the first mobile platform goes back to Pocket PCs, non-phone PDAs, with the April 2000 release of Pocket PC 2000. Then Microsoft released Pocket PC 2002 in October 2001, when Microsoft intended the OS for the first smartphone, the Pocket PC smartphone. The Windows Mobile line officially got its start in June 2003 when Microsoft decided to change the operating system's name and release it in two versions; Windows Mobile Smartphone and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC.

Since the change to the Windows Mobile name, Microsoft has continuously updated the mobile operating system, and it has consistently blundered along the way, resulting in coming in second or third in OS market share and barely holding its own as compared to other smartphone platforms. Considering Microsoft has one of the longest pedigrees in the mobile field, its limited success is surprising.

What Happened?

These facts are quite startling for a company that practically invented the PC, the consumer desktop, and so much more, and, currently, Windows is the dominant desktop OS in the world. It holds 89.69 percent of OS market share. So why is it that Microsoft is "Opps'ing" so much now that the smartphone is so huge?

Simply put, and by Microsoft's own admissions, Windows Phone 7 is not good enough, as Microsoft and Bing cited issues of the lack of HTML 5 support. While the company promised the next release of WP7 would be up to speed, it does not say mention this on the Bing Deals site.

There is an interesting comment from former Bing employee, "TorVez, saying, "Being an ex MSFT share holder and former employee... this is really disappointing. Great feature and I'm sure it rocks, but I'll only get to use it if I ditch my WP7 device and move to Android. Is that what you're telling me?"

I can only imagine that his or her confusion is indicative of most WP7 users.

Microsoft needs to listen up if it hopes to keep up in an Android dominated market. Microsoft alienated its Windows Phone 7 users by focusing on the competition and in doing so, showed the world that its users do not matter, that Android and iOS are more important. This is a testament at how well Microsoft thinks Windows Phone 7 will fare eventually-it won't because its users can probably take a hint.

Jessica (JC) Torpey is a self-taught computer technician with more than 10 years experience in the field. JC's passion is studying the various political and business aspects of the technology industry. Combining that knowledge with her love of computers, JC uses it to influence her writing.

Charlie Sheen's Web show draws more than 100,000 viewers (Reuters)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 06:36 PM PST

Strangers give real-time feedback with Opinionaided app (Appolicious)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 05:57 PM PST

44 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed (Mashable)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 07:06 AM PST

Zachary Sniderman Zachary Sniderman – Sun Mar 6, 10:06 am ET

What a week! The good folks at Mashable have been working hard to cover the TED talks, the launch of Apple's new iPad 2, and the rest of this week's news. Still, the team has managed to crank out another week's worth of solid tools and resources.

Here you can find stories on the hardware behind the new iPad 2, digital trends for 2011, how credit cards fit into the future of e-commerce, and a guide to understanding the social media ROI cycle.

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.

Editors' Picks

Social Media

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable's social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable's tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable's business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Image courtesy of Webtreats Etc.

Sun is shining on Asian tourism trade (AFP)

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 07:11 PM PST

by Adrian Addison Adrian Addison – 1 hr 52 mins ago

HONG KONG (AFP) – The sun is shining on the tourism trade in Asia-Pacific with double-digit growth notched up in 2010, spurred largely by Chinese and Indian middle classes packing their bags for a break abroad.

Strong economies, the proliferation of low-cost airlines and a burgeoning constituency of online shoppers are adding to the region's rosy outlook.

There was an 11 percent rise in arrivals in the region overall last year, according to preliminary data from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

And 2011 is also expected to be a strong year.

"Asia will receive international arrivals at close to double that of the world average growth rates," PATA's deputy CEO John Koldowski told AFP.

"It's Asians travelling to Asia, that's the key to all these numbers and the big shift we are seeing globally in the tourism market. It's all happening in Asia now."

South Asia reported the strongest arrivals growth with a gain of 14 percent, highlighting a record year for India which posted 5.6 million foreign inbound visits for the year, a nine percent increase.

Over 70 million people went to Southeast Asia, 12 percent up on 2009, with Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines all ratcheting up record growth.

Australia and New Zealand and the Pacific islands also had a record year for tourist arrivals.

The total travel market in Asia Pacific is expected to reach $212 billion this year, reflecting a near five percent increase over 2010, according to industry analyst PhoCusWright.

Growth in the region is being boosted partly by a newly minted middle class in the enormous populations of China and India -- around 46 million Chinese travelled abroad last year, as did over four million Indians, PATA say.

And they take their wallets and credit cards with them.

Chinese travellers spent almost $44 billion in 2009 while travelling overseas, according to data from the World Trade Organization -- and that's excluding the cost of getting there.

"For some markets Chinese and Indian tourists are extremely important," said Koldowski.

"Indian travellers to Singapore, for example, travel in an average group size of four against an overall average of 2.9 people and spend on average 5.8 days there against a total average of 4.0 days."

The proliferation of low-cost airlines, particularly in Southeast Asia, is also a shot in the arm for the industry.

Carriers such as Malaysia's AirAsia and Cebu Pacific in the Philippines, among others, continue to expand aggressively.

People from Europe and North America are also heading to Asia and the Pacific in their droves -- arrivals from Europe were up 11 percent to 24 million, PATA say, while arrivals from North America grew by over 10 percent to 13 million.

"Travel has generally rebounded from the global financial crisis," Carl Jones, director of advisory services for American Express Business Travel in the region, told AFP

"For developing nations, which make up a large portion of Asia-Pacific, short vacations to neighbouring countries will continue to be most popular. As nations grow, so does their exposure and disposable income, leading to trips to farther afield.

"Asia-Pacific will continue to be a growth engine for travel -- for both business and leisure."

And many of those will book their trip online, another area of huge potential growth for the travel trade.

US Internet travel booking giant Expedia plans to launch at least five new Expedia-branded sites throughout Asia, having already recently launched a new site in Singapore.

"Already in 2011, we're seeing growth rates in markets like Asia that are outpacing the growth that we saw in 2010," an Expedia spokeswoman told AFP.

"One of Expedia's primary focus areas in 2011 will be on growing its presence in Asia-Pacific and we plan to invest heavily in the region, as we think the opportunities are immense and in some cases untapped."

Booking through mobile devices and social media is also expected to help the tourism industry grow.

According to industry analysts, such as PhoCusWright, the US travel market is approximately 38 per cent online, Europe is 34 per cent online and Asia Pacific is 21 per cent online.

Expedia recently bought mobile travel application firm Mobiata and EveryTrail, a GPS-enabled publishing platform to create outdoor tours and city guides for mobile devices.

"Consumers will use their mobile devices more and more to research and purchase products and services, including travel, at an increased rate," the Expedia spokeswoman told AFP.

"Social media and user-generated content will continue to be an important factor in the travel decision-making process, with more travellers than ever relying on reviews, photos and videos, and recommendations from peers."
at 9:14 PM

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