J.K. Rowling penning screenplay for Harry Potter spin-off

September 12, 2013 by Andy in Film, News Snippets and tagged Fantastic Beasts, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Films, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Spin Off, Harry Potter Spinoff, Hogwarts, J.K. Rowling, JK Rowling, Magic, sorcerer, spin offs, Warner Bros, Warner Brothers, Wizardry | Leave a comment

Given that the Harry Potter films have been immeasurably successful, it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. would like to continue capitalizing on the success of the property despite the fact that the story has come to a conclusion. Solution? Spin-off. Warner is producing a series of films based on the fictional textbook (which was later turned into a real book) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The spin-offs will not be prequels, per-se, but it sounds as though the first film will begin in New York 70 years before the events of The Sorcerer’s Stone and is intended to expand the fictional universe. And make cash. That’s probably the real reason behind this.

Tex Murphy returns in glorious FMV

September 12, 2013 by Andy in Film, PC, Videogames and tagged Adventure Games, Atlus, Big Finish Games, FMV, full motion video, game, Retro, Retro Gaming, Steam, Tex Murphy, Video Games, Videogames | Leave a comment

The next Tex Murphy game is headed to Steam in early 2014. It’s been years… many, many years since the last installment and the gaming world has changed drastically since Tex has been relevant. That doesn’t mean Tex has to change with the world. The game looks wonderfully retro, albeit more high-rez, with full motion video (FMV) cutscenes packed with just the right amount of camp. Don’t believe me? Check out this 8-minute trailer to the game:

Arnold Schwarzenegger voices Darth Vader

September 12, 2013 by Andy in Film, Other and tagged Arnold Schwarzenegger, Comedy, Darth Vader, Funny, Funny Video, Star Wars, Terminator, villain, Web Video | Leave a comment

I found this funny, I’m sure one or two of you will too. A new vision of a sci-fi classic; The Terminator voices the greatest villain of them all.

Breaking Bad prequel series in the works

September 11, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, Television and tagged AMC, Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk, Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad Prequel, cooking meth, Peter Gould, saul goodman, Vince Gilligan, Walter White | Leave a comment

With the end of one of television’s best drama’s in sight, Breaking Bad‘s creator, Vince Gilligan, and co-conceiver of beloved character Saul Goodman, Peter Gould, are working on a spin-off of AMC’s Breaking Bad. Set before the events of Walter White’s journey into cooking meth, the new series, currently titled Better Call Saul, will focus on Saul Goodman and have a lighter tone than its soon-to-end counterpart. Bob Odenkirk will reprise his role as Saul Goodman in the hour-format series. There’s currently no set date for a series premiere, but given the success of Breaking Bad, it’s likely we’ll be seeing this show sooner rather than later. Better Call Saul has been, expectedly, licensed to AMC.

Game sharing coming to Steam

September 11, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, PC, Videogames and tagged Family Sharing Plan, Game Sharing, Gaming, Steam, Steam Library, Steam Sharing, Steam Sharing Plan, Valve, Video Games, Videogames | Leave a comment

Similar to Microsoft’s originally announced (but later retracted) Family Sharing Plan, Valve is looking to bring game sharing to their PC game distribution platform Steam. This new sharing plan will allow gamers to share their entire game library with up to 10 of their friends.

Games that are shared can only be accessed by one user at a time with the owner’s account being able to access the game at all times (i.e. if a friend is playing a game you’re sharing and you want to play, feel free to boot him off). When the parent account logs into a game, the player borrowing the game will be “given a few minutes to either purchase the game or quit playing.”

A closed beta will begin later this month. You can join the Steam Family Sharing Plan group to express your interest in the beta. There’s no word yet about when the whole Valve community will be able to utilize this feature, but it’s sure to be a welcome addition to the world of PC gaming.

Microsoft Surface announcement coming September 23

September 11, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, Technology and tagged Microsoft, Microsoft Surface 2, Surface, Surface 2, Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, tablet market, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows RT | Leave a comment

Microsoft’s Surface tablets are ready for a refresh and an upcoming announcement tease has September 23 set as the big reveal date. The next models of the Surface tablets will reportedly be called the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2. These devices will be packing a little more horsepower and feature adjustable kick stands. We’ll know more about this when the 23 rolls around, but it’s nice to see that they haven’t abandoned the tablet market.

Xbox Music now on Android and iOS

September 10, 2013 by Andy in Mobile, Music, News Snippets, Phone and tagged Android, iOS, mobile devices, Music, music downloads, Online Radio, unlimited music, XBOX, Xbox Music, Zune, Zune Pass | Leave a comment

Microsoft’s rebranding of Zune services, Xbox Music, has now found its way to competing mobile devices. The service allows music streaming similar to online radio providers, but a subscription to the service enables unlimited music downloads as well as access to full albums. The service is live on iOS and Android now through the App Store and Google Play respectively. A subscription to Xbox Music is $9.99/month or $99.99/year.

Microsoft acquires Nokia’s Devices & Services business

September 3, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, Phone, Technology and tagged Microsoft, microsoft acquisition, Microsoft News, Microsoft Nokia, mobile, mobile phone development, nokia, Nokia Phone, Windows, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 8 | Leave a comment

Microsoft made a bold business move with acquiring their mobile phone partner Nokia. The deal is worth 7.2 billion dollars and includes Nokia’s mobile phone division and a 10 year contract for Nokia’s patents. Said contract can be extended indefinitely.

With Nokia being the biggest and inarguably best provider of Windows Phone devices, the move makes sense for Microsoft. The software giant is currently making a push to encompass a more rounded structure that includes devices and having a division for mobile phone development, especially one as highly regarded as the Nokia brand, under their banner will be a huge win for Microsoft.

There will undoubtedly be some changes under the new ownership, but I have faith that Microsoft will help expand the brand and Windows Phone’s market share. As a Nokia phone owner and a Windows Phone user, I’m happy to have some confirmation that I’ll be able to upgrade to a new Nokia phone running my preferred OS when upgrade time rolls around.

How do you feel about the Microsoft acquisition?