Monday, October 29 is shaping up to be the Thunderdome of smartphone-related events, with both Microsoft and now Google hosting pow-wows on the same date to show off their latest Windows Phone 8 and Android products, respectively. Two smartphone platforms enter… one smartphone platform leaves? We'll find out soon enough.
The Verge reported late Wednesday that Google has announced a media event on Monday, October 29 at 10am EST in New York City. If that date sounds familiar, it's because Microsoft already has an event of their own on the calendar for that date to officially roll out Windows Phone 8, right on the heels of Windows 8's October 26 debut. Google's invitation teases "the playground is open" and confirms the event is all about Android, which puts its squarely in competition with Microsoft's shindig. There have already been rumors about an LG Nexus smartphone on the horizon, so it seems likely that may be the focus of Google's event, which will be streamed live via YouTube.
AllThingsD was the first to pass along the bad news that Epic Games' new Infinity Blade: Dungeons will be delayed until 2013. Despite a preview of the iOS game shown off back in March at Apple's "new iPad" announcement, it seems Epic adding the extra hands of Impossible Studios is to blame for the tardiness. “Ever since the talented team at Impossible Studios got their hands on Infinity Blade: Dungeons, they’ve been busy adding their great ideas to the game,” spokesman Wes Phillips explained. “There was also the matter of getting the Impossible Studios team up and running with desks, chairs, staplers and computers. The logistics of a new studio and implementing all these great ideas required a little extra time, so Infinity Blade: Dungeons will hit iOS in 2013.” Guess we'll have to find something else to usher in the New Year with...
Ars Technica is reporting that a 32GB Nexus 7 appears to be all but certain following a series of retail leaks, including a screenshot of the larger-capacity model on the Staples website. For those who haven't bought one yet, it appears the 32GB model will actually be sold for the same $249 as the original 16GB version, which has led to speculation that the 8GB and 16GB models will get pushed downstream at lower prices in an effort to better compete with Amazon's new $159 Kindle Fire. If you're ready to pull the trigger on a Nexus 7, it might be worth it to put those plans on hold for just a bit -- especially with a Google media event right around the corner on October 29.
Well, this was inevitable: BusinessInsider is reporting that an irritated AT&T customer still clinging to his unlimited data plan has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission over the carrier's blockade on FaceTime over cellular. Apparently this San Francisco architect didn't realize that using Apple's video chat feature with a cellular connection required him to abandon unlimited data, so he's bending the ear of the FCC in the hopes they'll apply pressure to Ma Bell. The unnamed customer is also encouraging others to do the same using the FCC website, which he claims "was surprisingly easy to do." Whether anything will come of it is another situation entirely...
Ever wonder where the information you provide to Google goes? If so, the search giant has a pretty cool new section on its website with a gallery of images from their data centers worldwide. "Where the internet lives," the site teases. "Take a look inside Google's high-tech data centers." The gallery is broken into three categories: The Tech, The People and The Places, and even includes a map of data center locations around the world -- ironically, none of which reside in Mountain View, California.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
(Image courtesy of The Verge)
