Games

Tech Titans Create Content-Gadget Ecosystems

You may not know it, but your gadgets have a hidden agenda. Think about the electronics you own. No doubt there's a digital music player such as an Apple iPod or a Microsoft Zune. Then there's a smartphone -- perhaps an iPhone or a Droid that sports the Google-inspired Android operating system. For games, your family may have an Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii. For books, there's the Kindle from Amazon, among others. When the iPad hits stores on Apr. 3, you'll want that, too.

Each device contains its own widening universe of services and applications, many delivered via the Internet. They are designed to keep you wedded to a particular company's ecosystem and set of products.

A battle looms, and it's not about selling new gadgets -- it's about using devices to lock you into a content ecosystem. In an ironic evolution of the World Wide Web that once promised consistent access to all of the globe's information, corporate giants are now striving to wall off sections of content and charge you for access.

Apple's Issue with Adobe's Flash

The Internet is splitting into a series of content portals. The front door is your iPod. Consider some of the current gadget trends:

-- iPad versus Flash. When Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled his sexy tablet in January, it soon was clear that the iPad wouldn't support Adobe Systems Flash software. That might seem a remarkable oversight, since Flash supports most videos on the Web -- until you realize that Jobs might prefer you to pay for videos at his iTunes store.

-- Kindle in Color. On its Lab126 career board, Amazon recently placed ads in search of engineers who have design expertise in color LCD screens and Wi-Fi. The listings suggest Amazon may be planning a color upgrade for...
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First iPad Marketing Focuses on Multiple Functions

Apple ran its first iPad commercial during the Academy Awards on Sunday night. The 30-second advertisement shows the tablet computer sitting on an unidentified man's lap as he whisks through the features and functions in veteran style.

Apple's latest computing innovation will hit store shelves on April 3, but the commercial offered a closer look at what Apple CEO Steve Jobs calls "something completely new" and "magical" and "revolutionary." The iPad will start at $499 and lets users browse the web, read and send e-mail, view and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read books, and more.

"Is Apple cranking the marketing machine? Absolutely. Is this hype? I would say no," said Avi Greengart, a senior analyst at Current Analysis. "The press release calls this a magical device. The commercial shows off what it can do. Apple believes they have created products that have unique value propositions, and then they create television advertising that shows off those value propositions."

A Multipurpose Device

While Apple's Mac ads choose one particular feature and fire away at the competition, and iPhone ads are basically 30-second tutorials that demonstrate a scenario consumers may experience and show how the product helps, the iPad commercial took a different approach.

"With the iPad commercial, Apple is showing off all the different things the device can do. They show it being used as an e-book reader. They show it being used as a movie viewing device. They show it being used as a photo frame. They show it being used a web browser, but it's all product all the time," Greengart said. "This isn't some pale-faced woman exuding Zen. This is not an ad where you have someone extolling how cool they are for having the product."

He isn't sure why Apple's competitors don't take a similar approach with their product...
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Yep, the iPad Will Be Delayed -- But Only a Few Days

Apple's iPad tablet will go on sale a few days later than originally announced -- a fact that is attracting attention. The company announced Friday that the Wi-Fi version will be released for sale on April 3 in the U.S. At the iPad announcement in January, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company said the product would ship in late March.

There have been rumors that the sale date was pushed back to accommodate an unspecified production problem. The 3G version goes on sale in late April, and preordering for either model in the U.S. begins in a week.

Reshaping the Landscape?

For countries outside the U.S. in the first rollout -- Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom -- both versions will ship in late April.

"Oh, no!" said Current Analysis Avi Greengart in mock horror at the sale date slipping by a few days. He added, "if people are horrified by a delay of a few days, interest is obviously pretty high."

The question is whether that level of interest will reshape the landscape of Apple's competitors, just as Apple legendarily did with the release of the Mac, the iPod, and the iPhone. That landscape currently includes the emerging categories of netbooks, e-readers, and other tablet computers, with a flurry of product announcements and releases in the last few months as competitors try to position themselves vis-a-vis Apple.

The iPad, with a 9.7-inch LCD touchscreen, is optimized for movies, games, books, web browsing, and other media. There's a built-in calendar and address book, access to iTunes, a built-in e-mail client, and an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. There is also a new iPad Keyboard Dock so the user can employ a regular keyboard.

'High Hopes'

Greengart said he has "high hopes" for iPad sales, and he envisioned that "future versions will sell even better" once...
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Management Shakeup: Infinity Ward Execs Exit Activision

Activision Blizzard Inc. said Tuesday that Jason West and Vince Zampella, executives at "Call of Duty" developer Infinity Ward, are no longer with the company.

Zampella had served as CEO at Infinity Ward, and West as chief technology officer, among other titles.

Activision also said it plans to form a new business unit around the "Call of Duty" franchise, focusing on online content and expanding the brand.

The shake-up comes a day after Activision said it was looking into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at its Infinity Ward studio.

Activision did not name West and Zampella in Monday's regulatory filing. But the filing said the company expected the "departure of key personnel" as a result.

Infinity Ward did not make every "Call of Duty" title. But it was behind the original game and the latest installment, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," which broke entertainment records last year when it made $550 million in worldwide sales during its first five days. By January, it crossed the $1 billion mark.

Activision said Tuesday it plans to release a "Call of Duty" game developed by Treyarch this fall. That studio had been behind less successful games in the franchise.

The company also plans a new "Call of Duty" for 2011 from another studio.

Philip Earl, who currently runs Activision Publishing's Asia Pacific region, will head the Call of Duty business unit.

Activision Publishing executives Steve Pearce, chief technology officer and Steve Ackrich, head of production, will lead Infinity Ward on an interim basis, the company added.

Shawn Milne, an analyst with Janney Capital Markets, said while having the top developers leave the company is "a new risk."

"A greater risk would be whether or not the two heads end up taking more talent away from (Activision), or the whole team leaves," he said in a note to investors.

Still, he...
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Olympic Games Continues Online Journey

After 17 rousing days and the sight of Canadians throughout the Great White North celebrating Sunday's Gold Medal hockey victory and the country's record medal haul, all good things moose-t come to an end. Time to look forward to London, to Sochi, and to Rio. Trade that Molson's for a pint, a shot of vodka, a caipirinha.

As an estimated 3.5 billion viewers in 200 territories did during the worldwide fortnight in Vancouver, it is likely that we'll all be viewing the upcoming Games in England, Russia, and Brazil digitally. Through last Monday night, the NBC Olympics mobile site and iTunes app generated 58.2 million page views, according to the network, up 68 percent from the entire 17-day total of 34.7 million for the Beijing Games. Yahoo! saw 18.1 million unique users and 103 million page views, far outpacing NBCOlympics.com.

Will the 2014 games still be seen on the Peacock Network? According to a Sports Business Journal report, the IOC has not been able to generate significant interest in 2014 and 2016 U.S. TV rights. Of the media outlets that could submit bids, CBS and Fox Sports did not make the trip to Vancouver, Turner Broadcasting still hasn't committed to bidding, and ESPN hinted that its final offer would be less than the $2.1 billion NBC paid for Beijing and Vancouver.

Regardless of which broadcaster ends up with the rights to the Sochi and Rio games, the U.S. appears to be playing much more nicely with the IOC. The Chicago Tribune notes that the IOC seems to be "celebrating the U.S. success." IOC President Jacques Rogge was quoted as saying: "If the U.S. comes first by whatever count, they will claim a victory and that would be good for them and the Olympic movement."

Marketable: Ohno, Vonn, and White

With Team USA's...
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To Call or To Game? Sony Plans a PlayStation Phone

Japanese electronics giant Sony has been busy developing new handheld devices in an effort to better compete in the mobile market. Under way is a suite of new devices, including a PlayStation game-playing phone.

For decades Sony has kept its focus on consumer electronics. When the company wanted to compete in the mobile-phone market, it formed a joint venture with Ericsson. Now Sony is expanding its presence in the smartphone and portable-device market.

Engineers at Sony are developing a smartphone capable of downloading and playing PlayStation games, according to published reports. Also reported under way is the development of a portable device with similarities to Apple's iPad tablet computer with features seen on netbooks, e-readers and its own PlayStation Portable.

"As already announced, Sony (including [Sony Computer Entertainment]) and Sony Ericsson have been strengthening their collaboration in the networked mobile space," said Julie Han, a Sony spokesperson. "However, it is not our strategy to discuss future products or business plans before we make a formal announcement."

Identity Crisis

There has been speculation for some time about Sony developing a PlayStation phone, but the question has always been whether Sony or Sony Ericsson would release it and how it would compete against existing and new devices with similar capabilities.

"Sony has rejected this idea in the past, but in an age where the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and products like Windows Phone 7 Series all have gaming as a core feature, it's time for Sony to rethink their mobile strategy and just who they're competing with these days," said Michael Gartenberg, a partner at Altimeter Group.

What would make more sense for Sony would be to market the device under Sony Ericsson, said Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner.

"I doubt Sony will come out with something that has integrated cellular not under the...
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New Hacking Trend: Cybercrime Goes Virtual

Computer gamers are increasingly finding that there's a serious side to their virtual fun: their hard-earned virtual objects are being stolen from them, and in some cases their entire game as well.

The trend was first reported in an article by Hamburg-based Computer Bild magazine. On the one hand, hackers are employing phishing attacks to snare access data for user accounts for online role playing games.

They then use the plundered passwords to transfer away virtual swords and other gear. Because the objects often demand a great deal of time to earn, once stolen they can then be resold for a significant profit.

The magazine also notes that hackers are also trying to steal away an entire game. Many titles require gamers to register online for copyright protection purposes.

If hackers can sniff out the passwords, they can then assume control of the account and by extension the game itself. If the hacker then changes the access data, the original purchaser can no longer access his or her own user account and is shut out from playing the game.

One trick used to spy on users' passwords are so-called "drive-by downloads." Hackers lure players to a rigged Web site by promising additional functionality in the game.

But the software offered for download there actually contains a Trojan that allows hackers to spy on the infected computer. Sometimes security holes in the browser are also exploited to sneak the malicious software onto the host computer.
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