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Tag: betas

  • ‘Titanfall’ Beta Starts on Valentine’s Day

    EA and Respawn teased Titanfall fans last month by announcing the highly-anticipated shooter would be getting a beta before launch. Now, one month before the game’s release, EA has officially announced that beta will begin on Valentine’s Day.

    Fans can now register for the closed beta test through the Titanfall website. The test is being held for both Xbox One and PC starting Friday, February 14. Players will need an Origin account to register for the event.

    The beta will feature three different game modes – Attrition (deathmatch), Hardpoint Domination, and Last Titan Standing. Last Titan Standing puts all players into Titans and has teams battle until only one is left, with no respawning.

    A beta teaser trailer released along with the announcement previews some of the gameplay players can expect during the beta and when the game launches on March 11 (March 25 for the Xbox 360 version):

    Here’s hoping that Respawn and EA actually learn something from the beta test. If the game turns out to be the broken mess last year’s Battlefield 4 was, it could deal huge blow to EA’s hopes for the Titanfall franchise and further hurt the Xbox One’s perception among gamers.

  • ‘Project Spark’ Beta Begins Today, Only on PC

    When Microsoft finally announced Xbox One games at E3, most of the announcements weren’t surprising. A new Halo game was teased, Microsoft had gotten Capcom to make Dead Rising 3 an exclusive, and the microtransaction-riddled launch trio of Forza 5, Ryse, and Crimson Dragon were all there, as well as a multitude of third-party titles. Along with these triple-a showpieces, though, was a title full of creativity and promise.

    Project Spark brought bright colors to Microsoft’s E3 conference and showed off what Microsoft Studios can do at its best. The game is being billed as a sandbox/creation game, where players can build worlds and populate them with creatures who follow set rules. Demonstrations of Project Spark have shown that players will be able to create a wide variety of gameplay scenarios with a specific visual flair.

    Beta sign-ups for Project Spark began in June, shortly after its announcement at E3. Today Microsoft has finally announced that the game’s beta test has begun.

    Unfortunately for new Xbox One owners, the Project Spark beta is exclusive to PC at this time – and only PCs running Windows 8.1. Beta participants who meet those requirements can begin playing today. Xbox One owners will have to wait until sometime “early next calendar year” to get their hands on the beta.

    The Project Spark beta includes several aspects of the full game. Players will be able to create game types, shape game world terrain, and create simple AI behaviors for characters. Sharing and co-op with other beta participants will also be enabled, allowing players to experience what others have created.

  • ‘Betas’ Hits Amazon Instant Video

    ‘Betas’ Hits Amazon Instant Video

    Amazon’s second original series is available to stream today. You can now head on over to Amazon Instant Video and watch the first three episodes of Betas.

    Betas in Amazon Studios’ second original series to debut, following last week’s debut of the political comedy Alpha House – a debut, per Amazon, that went pretty damn well. According to the company, Alpha House was the most watched show on Amazon during its debut weekend.

    Here’s Amazon’s official synopsis for Betas:

    Set in the land of Silicon Valley start-ups where the right algorithm can make you king, Betas, written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, follows four computer geeks and their quest for nerd fame as they attempt to crack the ultimate code. Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Margo Harshman, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni star in the pilot.

    Like Alpha House, the first three episodes of Betas will be available to stream, for free, all at once. After that, Amazon has elected to go with a week-to-week release schedule, premiering one every seven days. If you want to watch the rest of the series past the first three episodes, you have to be an Amazon Prime member.

    “Betas has been an incredibly fun show to create for customers. We have a stellar cast of comedians and actors, and we think customers are going to enjoy it,” said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. “The chemistry these guys have on set definitely translates to the screen. While their characters are still very much underdogs, it’s easy to find yourself hoping they make it big in techland.”

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Releases New ‘Betas’ Trailer Ahead Of Debut

    Amazon has released a new trailer for its upcoming series Betas, which begins its regular launch on Friday.

    Here’s the description for the show:

    Set in the land of Silicon Valley start-ups where the right algorithm can make you king, Betas, written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, follows four computer geeks and their quest for nerd fame as they attempt to crack the ultimate code. Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Margo Harshman, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni star in the pilot.

    The pilot debuted alongside thirteen others, including Zombieland and Alpha House back in April. While many of them didn’t make the cut, Betas and Alpha House did.

    Alpha House debuted its first three episodes last Friday, and became the most-watched show on Amazon over the weekend. We’ll see if Betas has similar success.

    The first three episodes will be available on Friday to anyone for free on Amazon Instant Video. After that, Amazon will launch one episode per week for Amazon Prime customers only.

    Image: Amazon

  • Alpha House Makes Its Debut on Amazon Instant Video

    Amazon has just released the first three episodes of its first original series Alpha House, and you can watch them for free on Amazon Instant Video.

    Alpha House stars John Goodman and was written by Doonesbury‘s Garry Trudeau. It focuses on four U.S. Senators who live together in a rented house in Washington D.C.

    Amazon is departing from the path blazed by Netflix, choosing not to release the entire season of Alpha House all at once. Amazon is giving viewers a taste by allowing them to watch the first three episodes for free, but after that each episode will become available on a weekly basis. You’ll also have to have a subscription to Amazon Prime (Instant Video) in order to watch the whole series.

    According to Amazon Studios director Roy Price, they chose this release model “so that customers can chat about the shows and build up anticipation.”

    “We are incredibly excited to make our very first original series available to Amazon customers. Our goal has always been to create shows that customers will love and we can’t wait to see Alpha House come to life,” said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. “Creator Garry Trudeau and the amazing cast of Alpha House have delivered a humor-packed first season that doesn’t skip a beat.”

    Amazon’s second original comedy series, Betas, will premiere its first 3 episodes a week from today.

    Image via Amazon Studios, YouTube

  • Amazon Departs from the Netflix Path, Sets Weekly Release Schedule for Original Shows Alpha House and Betas

    Amazon has just announced when and how they’re going to release episodes of two recently greenlit original comedies – Alpha House and Betas.

    Alpha House will premiere on November 15th and Betas a week later on November 22nd. Amazon says that they will release the first three episodes of each at first – and they will be available for all to watch, for free, on Amazon Instant Video. After that, Amazon will stick to a weekly release strategy – debuting one episode every 7 days for Amazon Prime members only.

    Of course, this strategy is much different from the one successfully employed by rival Netflix. With its original content, Netflix has taken a binge-friendly approach by releasing all episodes of any given season all at once – that’s the way they’ve handled every major content release since Lilyhammer back in 2011.

    This shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, as we already knew that Amazon was planning on diverting from the trail blazed by Netflix. Sure, binge watching has its benefits – mainly the absolute lack of any sort of forced delayed gratification. But some argue that the immediate availability can be a buzzkill for shows by removing it from the pop culture eye after a few weeks. It appears that Amazon subscribes to this this latter view – at least for now. Amazon Studios director Roy Price even mentioned building up anticipation –

    “Based on customers’ enthusiastic response to the pilot episodes we are counting down the days until we can share more of the political and entrepreneurial exploits of our Alpha House and Betas characters. Our goal is to make great TV shows that customers will love and we hope they’re going to love these shows,” he said. “We will release three episodes upfront for all customers so they can try out the shows and get to know the characters. Then we will release new episodes via Prime Instant Video week by week so that customers can chat about the shows and build up anticipation. We’re constantly experimenting and trying new things – and we’re eager to hear customers’ feedback on this model.”

    Alpha House stars John Goodman and was written by Doonesbury‘s Garry Trudeau. It focuses on four U.S. Senators who live together in a rented house in Washington D.C. The show recently added some big names, too.

    Betas “follows four friends as they attempt to strike it rich with a new mobile social networking app.”

    I guess user feedback on the release style will determine how Amazon moves forward. They have plenty of new shows on the way, including some greenlit children’s shows and a couple of new dramas – one from X-Files creator Chris Carter. If people hate it, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Amazon switched course and opted for a bulk release strategy. Amazon Studios has generally tried to involve the viewers at every turn – even the way they chose which pilots were turned into full series runs was largely based on user feedback.

    Image via Amazon Studios, YouTube

  • ‘Dark Souls II’ Beta Registration Begins, But Only For Europe

    Just two weeks ago, Namco Bandai Games announced that a beta will be held for Dark Souls II. The beta is only for PlayStation 3 consoles, and the test will take place in both North America and Europe. Today the publisher finally announced that sign-ups for the beta are live – but there’s a catch.

    Namco announced the sign-ups with a lengthy Facebook post about the beta. It included the facts that the first beta test will begin on October 12, and that a second will be held starting October 27. A link for fans to register for a beta ticket was also provided in the post, but those outside of the EU who clicked on the link were shown an error page instead.

    The post hadn’t specified that the sign-ups are currently for Europe only. This, predictably, led to more than 2,500 comments filled with questions, anger, and a debate about the ethics of creating fake European PlayStation Network accounts.

    Post by Dark Souls.

    Though it took about half the day, the Dark Souls Facebook page has finally provided an update for North and South American fans. Though the actual statement is a rather vacuous more-info-to-come non-announcement, the subtext of the post is clear: Souls fans are being asked to demonstrate the same patience they consistently display within the games themselves.

  • Dark Souls II PlayStation 3 Beta Announced

    Namco Bandai Games, the publisher of Dark Souls in the west, today announced that it will be holding a closed beta test for the upcoming Dark Souls II. The test will begin on October 5 in Europe and North America, and is only for the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

    Dark Souls fans can get into the beta through the Dark Souls Facebook page, which will provide details on signing up for the beta starting September 5. The beta will encompass what Namco Bandai called “one of the most treacherous areas of the Dark Souls II world.” From the publisher’s announcement:

    The depth of the Dark Souls II Closed-Beta experience will truly test players’ skill, intestinal fortitude, and their sheer will to survive. The Dark Souls II Closed-Beta will delve into one of the most treacherous areas of the Dark Souls II world; players will not only get an opportunity to explore an entirely new area of the game, but also experience overwhelming enemy encounters, diabolical challenges, and the unrelenting difficultly that only the developers at FromSoftware can deliver.

    Dark Souls II is still set for a March 2013 release for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The latest Dark Souls II teaser was released just last week, and shows what appears to be some live-action Dark Souls cosplay:

  • Reddit Launches Multireddits Beta, Wants You to Make Your Own Front Page

    Reddit Launches Multireddits Beta, Wants You to Make Your Own Front Page

    Reddit is taking a small “evolutionary step” today, with the launch of multireddits in beta.

    Of course, reddit users know that you’ve been able to construct multireddits (pages of multiple subreddits) for years. That involves chaining together a bunch of subreddits in a custom URL, for instance “reddit.com/r/atheism+space+mildlyinteresting+cats” and so on. With the launch of multireddits, reddit wants to make them “as ubiquitous and powerful as subreddits” – basically making them easier to find and share.

    Here’s what reddit has to say in a blog post:

    If subreddits give you the power to create your own reddit community, then multireddits give you the power to create your own public reddit front pages, each with their own selections of subreddits. We have reached the point where one front page can’t do reddit justice. So let’s make 9000! This functionality has been around for years in the form of creating custom URLs like /r/space+nasa+astronomy, but the goal is to make these distinct slices of reddit as ubiquitous and powerful as subreddits. In the process of curating and sharing these different front pages, there lies the potential to breathe life into smaller, more specific communities, because you can now participate in an order of magnitude more of them.

    You can check out all the multireddit talk over at r/multibeta – but only if you’re a reddit gold member.

    Reddit has been working on the project for about 6 months, and today they’re finally letting more users in on the fun.

    “We can’t do this alone. It is our hope to directly involve the community in building and exploring these new tools for structuring and browsing reddit. What we have been working on is only version 0 of multireddits. There are tons of missing features and missed opportunities that will be evident in the first release. And as we hack our way towards version 1, there will be many more betas to take part in.”

    Reddit knows it’s huge, and with that comes an inevitable logjam of information. Multireddits will help users sort through it all and develop communities that they really care about. Reddit says that they had 71 million unique visitors last month, who participated in 5,487 active subreddits.

  • Amazon Greenlights First 5 Shows: Alpha House, Betas, Annebots, Creative Galaxy, Tumbleaf

    In April, Amazon debuted 14 pilots for shows that could become its first originals. Five of them made the cut: Alpha House, Betas, Annebots, Creative Galaxy, and Tumbleaf. They will begin production, and air later this year, and in early 2014.

    “We are thrilled at the enthusiastic customer response to our first original pilots,” said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. “We built Amazon Studios so that customers could help decide which stories would make the very best movies and TV shows. It’s exciting to see the process in motion, doing exactly what we set out to do. The success of this first set of pilots has given us the push to try this approach with even more shows—this is just the beginning.”

    Alpha House stars John Goodman, and was written by Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer-Prize winner Garry Trudeau and produced by Elliot Webb and Jonathan Alter. It’s a comedy about “four misfit senators turned unlikely roommates”.

    Betas is a comedy set in Silicon Valley, following four friends as they try to get rich with a new mobile social networking app. It stars Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni, and is written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard.

    The other three are kids shows. Here are the official descriptions:

    Annebots revolves around Anne, a young scientist, who creates three robot helpers to assist her scientific experiments in the back of her dad’s junkyard. This science-based series from creator J.J. Johnson aims to introduce kids to science and technology in a fun, new way.

    Creative Galaxy is an animated interactive art adventure series, designed to inspire kids’ creative thinking through crafts, story, music and dance. The series was created by Angela Santomero, creator of Blue’s Clues and the Emmy-nominated literacy series, Super Why!

    Tumbleaf was created by Drew Hodges and Kelli Bixler of Bix Pix Entertainment, the award-winning stop motion studio. The series, aimed at preschoolers, is set in a whimsical land where a small blue fox named Fig plays each day and discovers adventure, friendship and love around every bend. Children will be enriched by narratives that promote play through exploration and scientific thinking.

    Each of the shows will appear exclusively on Prime Instant Video. The pilots are currently available for streaming.

  • Amazon Announces Original Comedy Series ‘Betas’

    Amazon Studios announced that it has greenlit a new original comedy series called Betas for Amazon Prime Instant Video. The company describes the show:

    Set in the land of Silicon Valley start-ups where the right algorithm can make you king, Betas, written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, follows four computer geeks and their quest for nerd fame as they attempt to crack the ultimate code. Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Margo Harshman, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni star in the pilot.

    The pilot is being directed and produced by Michael Lehmann (Heathers, True Blood, Dexter, American Horror Story) along with Alan Freedland and Alan Cohen (King of the Hill, Due Date, American Dad), and Michael London (Sideways, The Visitor, The Informant).

    “Amazon is giving us a chance to work outside the TV bureaucracies and connect directly with audiences hungry for original content, and Betas is the perfect match for that model,” said producer Michael London. “Betas is a half hour comedy about a group of tech-savvy millennials trying to connect with the world both personally and professionally. Speaking for the whole creative team on Betas, we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the first launch of Amazon Studios pilots and working with such an inspiring group of people.”

    “We can’t wait to hear what fans think of this and the seven other comedy pilots we’re producing — we have unbelievable casts and crews working on these projects,” said Roy Price Director of Amazon Studios.

    Earlier this week, Amazon announced the upcoming Zombieland TV series. Other comedies in the works at Amazon include: Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, Onion News Empire, Supanatural, and Those Who Can’t.

    Image: Ed Begley Jr. in Arrested Development

  • Redbox Instant Now Open to the Public

    Redbox Instant Now Open to the Public

    Back in January, at CES, Redox Instant CEO Shawn Strickland said that the service would move out of beta and be open to everyone by the end of March.

    And it looks like he’s a man of his word. Today, Redbox Instant is officially open to the public.

    “Disc + digital for everyone! We’re now open to the public,” tweeted Redbox Instant this afternoon.

    Redbox Instant, which launched its private beta back in December, costs $8 a month and gives subscribers access to over 4,500 movies (no TV shows yet). There’s also a bonus 4 free DVD rentals built in to the monthly price, which pays for over half the fee itself.

    Redbox Instant doesn’t boast the quantity or quality of content available on Netflix Instant. A recent analysis showed that out of the “first 50″ titles streaming on Redbox Instant, 40 are available on Netflix too. It’s not to say that Redbox doesn’t bring anything to the table, but it’s going to fight to compete with the entrenched services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

    Back in February, we learned that Redbox Instant would be coming to the Xbox 360 as a console exclusive. Of course, to access that app you have to be a Xbox Live Gold member.

    [GigaOm]

  • Brütal Legend is Coming to PC, Beta is Live

    Using the silliest press release in recent memory, Double Fine today announced that Brütal Legend will be coming to PCs soon. The title is already up for pre-order on Steam, and each pre-order comes with access to the multiplayer beta, which has already begun. Also, hats.

    From the Double Fine announcement:

    So powerful is the game’s raw lifeforce that even its creators cannot contain it any longer. Owners will receive immediate access to the Brütal Legend PC multiplayer beta, which is now live and already blowing souls. All preorder customers will also be granted two exclusive Team Fortress 2 items, Eddie Riggs’ hair and his guitar Clementine, all the better to spread the word of Metal throughout the virtual land.

    “Adding a PC release to Brütal Legend’s list of conquests risks raising the world’s ambient Metal saturation to dangerously high levels,” said Double Fine President Tim Schafer, “which is why we’re conducting this closed beta test for preorders.”

    “By purchasing this game, you are waiving your legal rights to recourse if the fire beast Ormagöden bathes the world in flame and ushers in the Age of Metal,” commented our lawyer.

    “Shh,” added Mr. Schafer.

    See? Silly. Come to think of it, It’s the type of humor game companies could use more of.

    The PC version will be getting the upgrades that PC gamers are used to finding in games that have been well-ported by developers. High resolution support, anti-aliasing, uncapped framerates, “major improvements to latency/lag in multiplayer,” and other features will, according to Double Fine, all be implemented before the game is out of beta.

  • Amazon Instant Video Finder Launches in Beta

    Amazon Instant Video Finder Launches in Beta

    While it’s not a personalized recommendation engine, Amazon has unveiled a tool that should make it easier for users to browse content and find something to watch.

    Amazon has just announced that they’ve opened up their Instant Video Finder Beta, which allows users to browse TV and film selections based on a variety of categories.

    The Instant Video Finder sports all of the categories you’d expect – drama, action, thriller, sci-fi, etc. But there are some interesting groupings that make for some interesting finds. Categories like this include Nonlinear, Dsytopian, TOugh Guy, and Tech Noir.

    The beta tool allows you to limit your browsing to Prime Instant videos (the free ones with a membership), as well as simply TV shows or simply movies. For those browsing for something to watch with their kids, you can limit the selection to “rated G or PG.”

    Amazon Prime now sports over 33,000 titles. The company just inked a deal with A+E Networks to bring popular content from channels like A&E, bio, History, and Lifetime to their catalog.

  • Chrome Remote Desktop Moves Out of Beta, Adds New Features

    Google has just announced that they have moved their desktop-sharing initiative, Chrome Remote Desktop, out of beta. Google first launched the feature about a year ago.

    Chrome Remote Desktop allows Chrome users to access and control anyone’s desktop, as long as they allow access. If you want to share your desktop with another user, all you have to do is give them an access code, which they will enter into a Chrome application that can be downloaded here.

    It’s a great way to share information in real time, as well as troubleshoot another computer remotely. “From adjusting printer settings on your mom’s computer to finding a lost file on your dad’s laptop, Chrome Remote Desktop has made you the family hero by helping you remotely access other computers — including your own — via Chrome,” says Google.

    “Computers can be made available on an short-term basis for scenarios such as ad hoc remote support, or on a more long-term basis for remote access to your applications and files. All connections are fully secured.”

    As a part of the move out of beta, Google has also unveiled a couple new features for Chrome Remote Desktop. Windows users can now share real-time audio feeds, and users across all platforms can now copy and paste between desktops.

    Google also says that this isn’t the end of the CRD updates. They say that more are in the works, and we’ll let you know as soon as they launch.

    Chrome Remote desktop updates

  • Be the First to Use Internet Explorer on Your Xbox by Signing Up for the Public Beta

    If you’ve been itching to browse the web directly from your Xbox 360 console, today may be your lucky day. The 2012 Xbox LIVE update public beta is now open and accepting registrations.

    Major Nelson just announced it on his blog, saying that numbers are limited.

    Numbers are limited, so sign up today. If you’re selected as a tester, an update will be pushed to your console once the public beta kicks off. The update will contain select dashboard features, including:

    • Internet Explorer for Xbox
    • Personalized dashboard recommendations
    • Enhanced category search and discovery features

    if you’re lucky enough to be selected as one of the testers, you’ll have to sign a non-disclosure agreement as well as fill out a short survey when the beta period ends. It’s a great way for Microsoft to get feedback from its loyal Xbox LIVE users, and good way for you to get access to the whole web on your console before everyone else.

    Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer was coming to Xbox LIVE back at E3 in June. It will launch with full Kinect and SmartGlass support and will require an Xbox LIVE Gold account.

    You can access the sign up here.

  • Skyrim: Dawnguard Beta Keys Are On The Way To Your Inbox

    Some very fortunate Skyrim fans may have already opened their email and found a present last night, but if you’ve yet to find a key in your inbox – there’s still a chance that it might arrive this morning (a very small chance).

    That’s because Bethesda has announced that they have deployed the beta keys for the upcoming Skyrim DLC, Dawnguard. Apparently, so many people signed up for the beta at the beginning of the month that they were only able to give out codes to “.005 of the applicants.”

    From the Bethesda Blog:

    Lucky fans began receiving emails tonight from “The Elder Scrolls”, and we’ll be done completing the deployment tomorrow. Within the email, users will receive an Xbox LIVE redemption code, as well as details on how to participate in our private feedback forum.

    Bethesda announced the public beta on June 1st, and stated that it will be the full version that will eventually go out as DLC (achievements and all). Of course, any kinks will hopefully be worked out by that time. The beta is only available for Xbox 360 owners.

    Apparently, this is only the beginning of the private betas, as Bethesda’s production director Ashely Cheng recently told G4 that “any future DLC we do have, there’s going to be a private beta.”

    Happy vampire-hunting to the lucky ones.

  • New Ustream Interface Focuses On Exploration

    Live video streaming site Ustream has announced that some pretty big changes to the site are on the way. It’s “rebuilt from the ground up,” they say, and its goal is to “provide a simplified experience for viewers and broadcasters.”

    The new interface is being called Ustream Explore, as it “reflects the increased focus on allowing you to quickly explore the best live content from around the world.” One of the cool features of the new site involves multitasking – allowing users to browse and watch videos at the same time.

    Now, when you’re exploring new content, you can click on any video and it will immediately begin playback on the left hand side of your screen. While the video is playing, you can continue to browse without disrupting it. Check out their video below for a rundown of all the new stuff:



    Video streaming by Ustream

    As of right now, the new site is available to anyone that wants to try it as an opt-in beta. All you have to do it log in to your Ustream account and you’ll see a blue button on the right hand side that prompts you to “Try the New stream.”

    In 2011, Ustream recorded over 2 billion total views (both live and recorded). They also boasted 51 million global viewers per month and 49 million hours viewed per month. Their highest amount of concurrent viewers during the year was an impressive 800,000.

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Beta Keys Now Being Offered Via Survey

    On Valentine’s Day, Valve kicked off the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beta. For the first wave, they gave out beta keys to the top 7000 active players in CS:S and CS 1.6.

    After the initial round of testing, they announced phase two, which involved 2,000 more beta keys to different Counter-Strike sites across the globe. In doing that, they announced that they had made over 80 changes gathered from tester feedback.

    Now, you can join the Counter-Strike Global Offensive beta by participating in a survey. From the Counter-Strike blog:

    Today we are opening up our online survey to everyone. The next keys will be sent on the basis of this survey. If you don’t fill it out, you won’t be getting a key.

    Over the coming months we will make selections from the survey participants. Sometimes we might add experienced players, other times new players. Sometimes 1.6 players, sometimes CSS players, sometimes people who have played neither.

    They also say that they will continue to give out keys to current CS:GO players to share with their pals. Of course, filling out the survey doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the key – but it’s probably worth a shot if you’re a CS fan.

    Counter-Strike: Global Offensive takes the popular series to multiple consoles and will feature new maps and game modes as well as some new ones. Players on the PC, Mac, and PS3 will also be getting cross-platform multiplayer.

  • Duolingo Wants To Translate The Internet By Helping You Learn Another Language

    Duolingo’s premise is quite simple. How do you get people to translate the web for free? Their answer is to turn it into an experience that is part game, part language instruction, and all ambitious crowdsourcing.

    Duolingo is the brainchild of Carnegie Mellon professor Luis von Ahn, and it first jumped on everyone’s radar earlier this year. Back then he told TechCrunch:

    The solution was to transform language translation into something that millions of people WANT to do, and that helps with the problem of lack of bilinguals: language education,” von Ahn writes. It is estimated that there are over 1 billion people learning a foreign language. So, the site that we’ve been working on, Duolingo, will be a 100% free language learning site in which people learn by helping to translate the Web. That is, they learn by doing.

    And today, it looks like the program is in its early stages of actualization. Duolingo has announced that today, November 30th, marks the start of the private beta period:

    @duolingo
    Duolingo    First wave of invitations for the Duolingo private beta will be sent out this Wednesday! http://t.co/I8BvGiID 2 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @duolingo
    Duolingo    Starting to gradually roll out private beta today. In the meantime, here’s our awesome video: http://t.co/FdnCTYUm 6 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Having not yet been able to play with Duolingo, it’s easy to explain how it works because it’s such a beautiful concept. Once you choose the foreign language that you wish to learn (Spanish or German, with French, Italian and Chinese on the way), Duolingo gives you foreign language phrases from actual pages around the web. It only gives you phrases that match up with your level – like beginner, intermediate and advanced.

    You then go to work translating those phrases. Duolingo helps you out with suggestions if you get stuck on certain words and everyone’s translations are submitted to be voted on so that the community can choose the best translations. The experience also includes some sort of language tutorials for words that you had trouble with.

    In theory, Duolingo could help people learn another language while doing something more important – translating the far reaches of the internet. It’s basically crowdsourced translation as a game. Pretty neat, huh?

    You can visit the Duolingo site to register for a private beta invite via email. I know I’m anxiously awaiting my chance to give it a try, although I know I must be patient –

    @LuisvonAhn
    Luis von Ahn    People asking me for @duolingo invites: Patience, grasshoppers 🙂 1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Check out the video they just dropped –

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: iPhone 5,1 Spotted In iOS 5.1 Beta

    As iOS 5.1 beta is being seeded to developers, everyone has already carefully picked through it in order to find the tiny hints that signal upcoming Apple devices. And iOS 5.1 beta is full of those indicators – the most important of which (or at least the one destined to generate the most chatter) involves the next generation iPhone.

    It appears that Apple has internally labelled the upcoming iPhone as iPhone 5,1. As 9to5Mac points out, an indication of a new 4,X model would probably suggest small changes, but nothing really new when it comes to the guts. A move from 4,1 to 5,1 could mean that the new iPhone will sport a shiny new A6 processor, one that has already been rumored for the device.

    Other changes that have been rumored for the device, which we now see as the iPhone 5,1, have dealt with the external features – most notably that the new device will have a 4-inch display.

    It was hinted by Apple sources earlier this month that the teardrop-shaped, aluminum backed iPhone 5 was in fact already prototyped, and it was scrapped as it approached launch. According to that rumor, the radically redesigned iPhone 5 was Steve Jobs’ baby, and he nixed it because he was unhappy with the bigger screen, which he thought “fragmented iPhones.”

    According to the iOS 5.1 beta information, the next-gen iPhone is at least on Apple’s slate of upcoming launches. Could it be this phone that so many people wanted when Apple released the 4S?

    The iOS 5.1 beta also outed the iPad 2,4, which is most likely not a reference to the iPad 3 but possibly the Sprint version of the iPad 2.

    What do you think the next generation iPhone will look like – both inside and out? Let us know in the comments.