Kabir News

EA Backtracks After Stating There Were No Games In Development For The Wii U

James Swift — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:35:04 +0000

It appears that Electronic Arts will be doing games for the Wii U. This comes after EA spokesman Jeff Brown told gaming website Kotaku “We have no games in development for the Wii U currently.” In a May 15 interview. During the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, media and Communications Conference, Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said EA was “building titles for the Nintendo console, but not anywhere near as many as we are for or Xbox.”

This isn’t exactly another EA jab or snub at Nintendo’s console, but not the most concrete of commitments. Jorgensen also mentioned that EA is taking a “wait and see” approach to the Wii U to see how it measures up with the Xbox ONE and PS4.

“I think what the consumer will find is a lot more powerful gameplay with the new boxes that are coming out, and a lot of excitement, but it’ll remain to be seen as to the services associated with those as to how consumers decide which direction they might want to go.”

There was no mention of clearing up Bob Summerwill—EA software engineer—who trashed the Wii U the same week that it was mentioned EA had nothing in the pipeline for Wii U. Summerwill stated:

“The WiiU is crap. Less powerful than an XBOX360. Poor online/store. Weird tablet. Nintendo are walking dead at this point.

Sony, MS, Apple, Google all following the same playbook…standard, powerful, hardware, with focus on software and services.

Nintendo are still operating like it’s 1990. They should have “done a Sega” and offered Mario/Zelda as PS4/Durango exclusives. Instead they make this awful console, and this…Nintendo.com/wiiu/downloads….Just stop it! Just make great games!

It is an utterly intentional decision to focus our resources on markets that actually matter…like mobile, and Gen4.

Nintendo platforms have always been very poor revenue-wise for third parties. Only Mario and Zelda make money. Yep, we’ve got plenty of problems, but WiiU isn’t where that family/casual market is. It’s on mobile/tablet now!”

It would only be right to have all bases covered and have titles on all systems, set your engines up to work on all systems, and put out quality games on all systems instead of giving one the shoddier versions—especially when that console’s company has been known to make big recoveries early into its current console’s run. In the south, there’s a term for this, “It would be too much like right” for companies to simply do this.

Yahoo Snags Tumblr…Now What?

James Swift — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:36:01 +0000

Credit: Frank Franklin II (AP Photos)

Yahoo has purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion dollars, but what does it mean? What possible use could Yahoo have in something that has very little monetary value in it as it stands? What is Yahoo planning to do with Tumblr? These are but a few questions that have to be asked about the purchase of Tumblr, a blogging service that is popular with young adults and teens.

Is Yahoo looking to make Tumblr the next Twitter or Facebook? Tumblr is pretty much there. It drops all the extra, unneeded stuff of Facebook for a more traditional blogging format, but gives you more wiggle room than Twitter to get your full thoughts out without anything extra needed. Being a social platform you’ll find people who share your thoughts, interests, dislikes, and so on—all of this without the messy business of worrying about your information or dealing with people from high school and college whom you haven’t spoken to in several years.

Tumblr simply allows for you to digest news, viewpoints, and express your points and get input—like any good, full bodied blog. There’s still the issue of responses within reblogs being a bother to read at times, but overall it’s the best online social platform at the moment. Take the time people would spend on MySpace in the early-to-mid 2000s and Facebook in the late 2000s to now and dash in just a river of comedic animate gifs, macros, and posts and you have Tumblr in a nutshell.

Tumblr sports some 100 million users—most of which are young and want nothing to do with Yahoo. Not to show my age, but the average age for a Tumblr user would’ve been using Yahoo Groups, Chat, and Clubs for the same thing a little more than 15 years ago. Since then, there hasn’t been anything “hip” or “cool” about Yahoo. Their instant messaging platform even seems a bit aged when put alongside an all-in-one like Digby, an online all-in-one like imo, and yes Skype. With that said, Yahoo Instant Message still has the better emoticons of services and if you’re not trying to do anything fancy YIM is still fairly functional…in an “I don’t mind getting your message 5 to 10 minutes later” kind of way.

Related Story: Ads Come To Tumblr Mobile Apps

What Does Tumblr Offer?

Besides a much needed youth infusion for Yahoo, Tumblr offers nothing really. One of the things that David Karp mentioned was that he wanted to monetize Tumblr in some way this year without affecting the creative nature of the site. There have been a few nonintrusive ads, but nothing that could definitely generate money. With the amount Yahoo plunked down on Tumblr, they’re going to be looking at throwing ads or something on Tumblr to make it worth it.

While Karp will be left in charge of Tumblr and the plan is for it to be ran as usual, it’s only a matter of time before changes—mostly unwanted by the users that make Tumblr Tumblr. Looking at the blogging site as an observer and someone who has used it, there’s very little money to be made off of it as it is. The same problem pestered Twitter before it was decided to try ads and build a streaming media empire. Facebook did without advertisements early on, but eventually got with ads and social gaming. YouTube didn’t become profitable until a few years ago when it embraced ads in videos and just recently paid subscription channels.

What is there is something that Twitter and Facebook also had at the start: a strong, user base. If you get that user base and hang on to it for a few years, other younger users will see how “cool” it is and want to join as well, then you break out with making money from it. That’s what happened with MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. This has already been done and there’s 100 million+ people to draw revenue from, however it will take a jewel thief’s touch to do it without causing people to leave Tumblr.

Karp has said that onsite advertising doesn’t do it for him while Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has said that Tumblr will stay true to its users. If that’s to happen that means no advertisements on the site, but then that would mean that Yahoo isn’t going to see this investment pay off immediately.

Mayer has said on ABC’s Good Morning America that Tumblr would be used as content for Yahoo News and other Yahoo main page services just as an example, but whatever she told the Yahoo board to get them to sign off on $1.1 billion must have been utterly dynamic.

What Could Happen To Tumblr

Honestly, Tumblr could very well not be changed at all. It could have no ads, do nothing for Yahoo, and end up like GeoCities only with more members regularly using it until the next thing comes along. This could be sometime down the line, though. The delicate dance of making Tumblr a money generating machine without killing Tumblr’s spirit and alienating the 100 million+ ambassador users will be a very interesting one to watch.

Microsoft Unveils Xbox ONE

James Swift — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:57:46 +0000

Today Microsoft threw back the curtain and showed the world their new console, the third in a line of Xboxes, a sable colored, sleek console known as—the Xbox ONE. The name alone means two things. One, we can stop calling it “Xbox 720” and “Xbox Durango” and two; we’ll have to call the original Xbox “Xbox” or “original Xbox”. Now let’s get on to the actual meat of this beast.

Features

The Xbox ONE will have a Blue-ray and DVD drive. There will also be Skype on the Xbox One given that Microsoft owns it now. Kinect—which comes with the console—will have a 1080p HD resolution camera and will play a big part in how the console operates.

Functions

Compared to how it worked before, Kinect is more of an important peripheral this time around. It will give the Xbox ONE the ability to pay attention to body movements and allow for the player to control game characters and go through entertainment selections.

With Skype, Kinect allows for video conferencing/chatting. The console also allows players to record gameplay. Not only that, but gameplay footage can be edited and uploaded online. This could allow for a kind of free advertising through gameplay for Microsoft and the Xbox ONE.

Games

As mentioned in yesterday’s preview of sorts, the games that will come out at launch will determine if this is worth getting during the launch window or waiting six months to a year down the line. It has been announced that there would be 15 titles in the first year from Microsoft with eight of them being new titles. As this is a console new console, the expected sports title will be in effect. There will mostly be titles from EA Sports in Madden 25, NBA Live 14, FIFA 14, and a UFC title using their new Ignite engine. There will also be quite a few racing games with Microsoft’s own Forza Motorsport 5 being released at launch.

Also mentioned was that Microsoft’s 343 Studios would feature a live action Halo TV series with Steven Spielberg onboard. With Microsoft releasing details of its Xbox ONE, it looks like Sony will have to reveal more on the PlayStation 4—expect this at E3.

Xbox Live

New editions includes over 300,000 servers and all content—games, movies, saves, music, etc.—being stored online via cloud storage. These can be accessed at any time as well.

Media

The Xbox ONE’s name comes from it being an all-in-one entertainment hub. The Xbox 360 first embraced this with a series of apps that touched on music, movies, some UFC fights, and watching shows and online features. Xbox ONE will allow you to do all of this and more. The NFL will even be broadcasting on the new Microsoft console.

From what you’ve heard so far, do you believe the Xbox ONE will be a winner? Will you hold out for PS4 to make a big splash or will you stick with the Wii U?

Apple Checking Into 1.5-Inch Displays For Smartwatch

James Swift — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:14 +0000

While the above is a mockup by Italian studio ADR, it does seem as though Apple is testing the waters with OLED displays for its smartwatch. The OLED displays—used in more expensive HD televisions—are 1.5 inches and hail from RiTdisplay. Foxconn will be make 1,000 iWatches to use as a test run to see how they work among Apple employees.

As the name implies, the iWatch is an iPhone/watch hybrid and different from the watchphone hybrid we’ve mentioned in the past. It’s possible that the iWatch could see a mass release—especially after a successful test run. The iWatch would be a piece of communication technology that could see wide immediately unlike the Google Glass which would take a while to catch on and not appear weird.

The iWatch is basically that—a watch. Of course the question of “Does anyone actually use wristwatches anymore?” Of course some holdouts still do even though the wristwatch is more of a status piece of fashion, similar to owning wearing expensive jewelry. A wristwatch typically does one thing whereas a smartphone does a wristwatch’s job and then some.

So, if a smartphone—in this case the iPhone—can do what a wristwatch can do and more, then why would you need a smartwatch? Why would you need a smartwatch if you would need to have it connected to your main device? While the answer is best left for when/if said device—the iWatch—debuts, the short answer is that you wouldn’t unless the iWatch can operate independently of your iPhone and still allow for you to make calls from it. Having the watch tell you “You’ve got a call” or “You have a text” which results in you checking your phone is just tedious. It saved you no time unless it was someone you just didn’t wish to speak to.

Of course if the smartwatch did allow for you to make calls without needing to have you smartphone on you, that would be a huge leap. It wouldn’t just be a completist’s item of brand loyalty. In any case, the iWatch is definitely something that could possibly move units and get other companies interested in smartwatches if successful.

We’ll see if anything becomes of this iWatch development in the future. The outcome of the test run is sure to be interesting.

Microsoft Unveils The Next Xbox Tomorrow

James Swift — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:52:14 +0000

May 21^st, 10 AM. That’s when Microsoft will reveal the next Xbox to the gaming world. There is plenty of anticipation about the console already and there are definitely some things that will need to be cleared up about it. Beyond the nagging issue of always online connectivity, we expect Microsoft to hit on the essentials of big console reveal news.

Always Online Connectivity

We might as well get the elephant in the room out first. Always online connectivity is something that most gamers just aren’t keen on. Some don’t care one way or the other about it while very few are on the “Yes! Online connectivity ALL THE TIME!” bus. It simply isn’t a popular notion, but if Microsoft does go through with it, they’ll have to explain what it means exactly. It’s a fear of the unknown about always online connectivity and what it means at first blush that gives it the well-deserved backlash. Who knows, Microsoft might even call it something else.

What Can It Do?

Different functions. What all can the new Xbox do? Does do anything that is different from what the Xbox 360 does? Would these functions warrant purchasing the console within the first one to three months of release or should we wait six months to a year—which is part of the reason for poor sales. If the console doesn’t wow with the features, gamers may feel that they can just hold off on buying a new console—especially since the old console will be supported for at least two more years. Some of the features have been revealed with the room-view thing, but can come off as a bit gimmicky unless its practical use can be showcased. Show how it adds to the game.

The Games

We know who has will be supporting the Xbox; it’s the usual suspects every year. What we need to know is what games are scheduled for the launch window. This is something that is better left for E3, but it’s another of those things that can determine if it’s worth purchasing the next Xbox out the gate. Just like the features, if there’s nothing special being released—meaning if it’s most sports titles—then it might end up being a pass until more stuff filters in and more indie games appear.

The Name

This isn’t really an important thing; it’s something that would be nice to know. The common internet names for it are “Xbox 720”, “Durango”, and the slowly accepted “Xbox Infinity”…which makes it sound like it’s the last Xbox.

The Price and Release

Here’s the big thing. The price is that third thing that determines if it’s a first day/first few months purchase or something you’d wait for an inevitable price drop on. When it comes to consoles, $300 is usually the limit before it crosses into “expensive” territory and the console will really have to wow and break out with big games out the gate to warrant a $500 or $600 price tag. We don’t expect for the console to be wallet friendly, but it could surprise everyone and be reasonably priced.

A proper release date would be good to know as well, but again that’s more of an E3 reveal.

Are you looking forward to the new Xbox reveal?

Game Releases of the Week

James Swift — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:58:05 +0000

Week of 5/19-5/25

This week looks to be a better one overall for consoles, PC, and handheld. There’s just a lot of solid games worth playing coming out. The only system without material coming out is PS Vita. Many are still hoping for E3 to show some activity in the system as well as interest and the same is the case with the Wii U. Let’s dive in and see what games are worth snagging this week on your system of choice.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS)

This is a 3DS port of the popular title for the Wii console. The game is pretty much a straight-forward, no puzzles, no fancy tricks or gimmicks platformer. You run and jump for the majority of the game, crush stag enemies, and topple bosses. If you’ve played the amazing Donkey Kong Country or Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest then you know what you’re getting with this one. Retro Studios really delivered here and the game has shades of that Rare greatness that is fleeting for that studio now. If you own a 3DS or you’re interested in picking up Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D it comes out May 24.

Resident Evil: Revelations (PS3, 360, Wii U, PC)

At one time a 3DS exclusive, Resident Evil: Revelations will be making its way to major systems tomorrow. Taking place between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the survival-horror title has you killing zombies and figuring out mysteries—so pretty much what you’ve been doing since 1996 on PlayStation. Revelations is more of a throwback to classic Resident Evil as it features less ammo and a greater focus on exploring the game and figuring out puzzles—something that was fun about Resident Evil and one of my favorite Capcom series Dino Crisis. Yes, Dino Crisis was just Resident Evil with dinosaurs and it was amazing.

In any case, if you’re new to the series Resident Evil: Revelations will prove to be something new and exciting and might even have you going back over the series. If you’re familiar with the series already and are a fan, then this HD remake will either sate your appetite until the next Resident Evil comes out or it will come off as “played this before”. Again, it comes out May 21.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PC, PS3, 360)

Call of Juarez is a series of shooters set in different time periods—mostly the Wild West. This edition returns to the Wild West after a poorly received venture into modern times with Call of Juarez: The Cartel. The time period for this title is late 19^th century to early 20^th century and is basically a first person shooter. I’ve never been a big fan of modern FPS—I do enjoy Far Cry, but give me Doom and Wolfenstein—but this actually looks like it could be good if it’s anything like the original Call of Juarez. If you’re a fan of FPS, westerns, or the Call of Juarez series you can pick up Call of Juarez: Gunslinger via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam (for the PC) on May 22.

Worms Collection (360, PS3)

This compilation gives you three classic Worms titles to enjoy. As this is a collection, you won’t find anything new that you haven’t enjoyed already unless you just haven’t played one or two of the games. Worms Collection drops tomorrow.

Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-in-One Pack (360, PS3)

The Capcom Arcade Cabinet came out in mid-February, but May 21 will see all 17 games released. The cabinet is in commemoration of Capcom’s 30 years in gaming with the titles ranging from 1984 to 1988. The entire pack will run you $30 and is available through the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. While some might be looking forward to Commando and Ghost n Goblins, for this gamer the collection is all about Black Tiger which came out February 20 on XBLA and February 19 on PSN.

It should be noted that if you got all five packs (15 games), you’ll get two extra ones free, so that’s a pretty nice bonus. The full collection will come out May 21 and will be $30 on PSN and 2000 Microsoft Points on XBLA.

Element4l (PC)

This is a puzzle platformer, a genre that is very popular amount indie gamers and developers now. It’s pretty “artsy”, so if you need guns, leaderboards, stats, enemies, and so on this won’t sate you. If you want sit, solve the puzzles, and enjoy the physics and art style cast your line here. Element4l comes out May 24.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (WiiU)

There’s really not much to say here. The world is made of Legos; you solve puzzles, beat of enemies and bosses, and build stuff by having the right Legos. Not Duplo, not Build’ems, not Tente, not Polly, and not Megabloks—LEGOS. With that said, if you’ve played LEGO Batman or any LEGO title based on a popular franchise, it’s the same premise each time only following the story of a comic or movie and with comedy thrown in. That means don’t expect any game changing gameplay. If you’re looking for excitement with Legos in videogame form, cast your line with the LEGO City Undercover series on Wii U and 3DS.

In any case, LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes will also feature—yes, you guessed it—other DC Comics superheroes. The game will be released on Wii U tomorrow.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing (PC, 360)

This is an action RPG based loosely on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The main character is the son of Abraham Van Helsing from the novel and must rid a fictional, gothic European city of magic and science from abominations and monsters. The art direction for the game is extremely good as is the character development. This is definitely a recommended one. Here’s hoping it does well enough for the devleopers—NeocoreGames—to go through with the intended trilogy. It will be released May 22 for XBLA and PC.

Sniper Elite V2 (Wii U)

Sniper Elite V2 is a remake of Sniper Elite from 2005. This tactical first person shooter focuses more on accuracy and sharpshooting than assault rifles and modern warfare gameplay (calling in airstrikes, etc.). It is set in World War II, Berlin between April and May 1945. Sniper Elite V2 will appear on PS3, PC via Steam, and Xbox 360. As expected, there will be DLC for this title.

Let’s see the whole lineup of titles this week.

3DS
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (5/24)
Fast & Furious: Showdown (5/21)

Internet
Plants vs. Zombies Adventures (5/20)

MAC
Ocean City Racing (5/20)
Prime World: Defenders (5/21)

PC
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (5/22)
Element4l (5/24)
Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes (DLC) (5/22)
Ocean City Racing (5/20)
Resident Evil: Revelations (5/21)
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing (5/22)

PS3
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (5/22)
Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-in-One Pack (5/22)
Fast & Furious: Showdown (5/21)
Resident Evil: Revelations (5/21)
Worms Collection (5/21)

Xbox 360
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (5/22)
Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-in-One Pack (5/22)
Fast & Furious: Showdown (5/21)
Resident Evil: Revelations (5/21)
Worms Collection (5/21)

Wii U
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (5/21)
Fast & Furious: Showdown (5/21)
Resident Evil: Revelations (5/21)
Sniper Elite V2 (5/24)

Needless to say, this is a pretty eventual week for gaming. While there’s nothing for mobile, everything else has something for you to enjoy, there’s RPGs, shooters, tactical titles, and action packed ones. While there are very few big budget titles, it’s a beefier week for quality titles as opposed to late April and most May so far.

Swift’s Picks: Sniper Elite V2, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

The Movie Weekend For 5/12-5/18

James Swift — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:21:40 +0000

This will be a pretty show preview of movies for the weekend as there really isn’t much coming out that isn’t select theaters. The main thing to go see is Star Trek: Into Darkness (rated PG13). Beyond that film—which should be tremendous—you have a hodge podge of stuff that is mainly unrated or R rated coming out today. Of course there’s the movies that are already out such as Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, and Pain & Gain to name a few of the more notable films. Let’s see what exactly is coming out today.

Out This Week

Black Rock (rated R) is essentially a survial/thriller film about three women who have survive on an island against two hunters and former military men. I won’t get into how they got on the island or why they’re fleeing their pursuers. I will mention that the film might be triggering to some due to a rape scene in it. Other than that, you’re looking at film that will give you quite a few refridgerator questions afterwards. If you want a “been there, done that” action film—believe it or not, there are some who just want to know what the chase is and how to cut to it—Erased (rated R) might we worth a ticket and popcorn for you.

What Else Is New

State 194 (rated PG)
Frances Ha (rated R)
Pieta (unrated)
The English Teacher (unrated)
Aurangzeb (unrated)
Augustine (unrated)
33 Postcards (unrated)
Becoming Traviata (unrated)

The Box Office

Iron Man 3 is still dominating the box office followed by The Great Gatsby and Pain & Gain in $5M and above club. Following up in order after Pain & Gain are Tyler Perry Presents Peeples, 42, Oblivion, The Croods, Mud, The Big Wedding, and bringing up the rear Oz The Great and Powerful.

Swift Picks

My picks for this week would be Iron Man 3 if you want a tremendous movie and don’t want to take too big of a gamble, Star Trek Into Darkness if you want that big, epic movie experience and again don’t want to risk being disappointed, and The Great Gatsby. These three are guaranteed not to disappoint.

If you’re feeling adventurous, Oz The Great and Powerful and Oblivion are solid movies that won’t see you simply throwing your money away and blowing an hour and a half. Pain & Gain is a good “been there, done that” action film. In a similar vein, Assault on Wall Street is worth checking out.

There’s your movie weekend, enjoy!

Total Video Game Industry Spending Down 42%

James Swift — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:08:14 +0000

The headline is right; NPD reports that gaming sales across the board, all companies, hardware, software, digital, etc. are down 42% from last month. Spending on gaming came out to a little over $495 million which down from over $657 million last year. Consoles and handhelds were really struck hard only getting $109.5 million combined. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console managed to keep the lead with a pretty low 130,000 consoles moved last month.

The Xbox 360 managed a total of $208 million in consoles, games, add-ons, DLC, and memberships so it can’t look all that good for Nintendo and Sony. Nintendo is saying strong with great 3DS sales and continues to dominate the handheld game in the U.S even with spending on mobile games topping both the 3DS and the PS Vita. Nintendo stated that first-party sales are to thank with 2.1 million titles sold since the start of the year. This brings sales up 52% and in less time.

It’s expected that business will pick up when more top tier titles are release. From our weekly Game Releases of the Week, only a few AAA titles get released at any time with a good deal of DLC and other titles rounding everything out. Also of note is Microsoft’s big Xbox announcement later this month and E3 which will definitely lead to a wave of preorders—granted the PS4 and the next Xbox are priced decently.

Rounding Up Network TV 2013-2014 Schedules

James Swift — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:59:37 +0000

The 2013-2014 season for all major networks are looking pretty good. We already went into FOX’s schedule, but now we have the not only ABC’s schedule, but NBC, CBS, and The CW’s. Plenty of shows will be returning for new seasons and as expected, some shows are shooting for all new shows. New shows will be shown in bold.

We’ll start with ABC.

ABC

The major new show that will be debuting is Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D which makes sense as Disney holds the rights to Marvel and all things superhero usually pick up in popularity in the movies and television in the summer and fall. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will air Tuesdays at 8PM. On the subject of ABC Tuesdays, it looks to be all new shows for that day.

Also debuting is Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a spinoff to their Once Upon a Time program and will be airing Thursdays at 8PM. For those of us tired of dance, song, and talent shows Dancing With the Stars will be on one night a week now. Mid-season shows for ABC include Killer Women, Suburgatory, Mind Games, Mixology, and Resurrection.

Have a look at the schedule.

Monday
8PM Dancing With the Stars
10PM Castle

Tuesday
8PM                Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
9PM                The Goldbergs
9:30PM         Trophy Wife
10PM             Lucky 7

Wednesday
8PM                The Middle
8:30PM         Back in the Game
9PM                Modern Family
9:30PM         Super Fun Night
10PM              Nashville

Thursday
8PM                Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
9PM                Grey’s Anatomy
10PM              Scandal

Friday
8PM                Last Man Standing
8:30PM           The Neighbors
9PM                Shark Tank
10PM              20/20

Sunday
8PM                Once Upon a Time
9PM                Revenge
10PM             Betrayal

NBC

Also announcing their programming schedule earlier this week, while ABC pretty much kept their schedule the same, NBC jostled things around. Revolution will move from Mondays at 10PM to Wednesday at 8PM and the new show Blacklist will take the previous slot. Chicago Fire leaves Wednesday and takes Parenthood’s original slot while that show ends the Thursday schedule. Grimm moves back to Friday at 9PM this fall. It will be in the company of new shows Dracula and Crossbones. The Michael J. Fox Show looks like an interesting addition, but who knows how that will pan out on NBC. It could be a one seasoner. Dracula also has my attention here.

Mid-season for Sundays look to be all new shows for NBC. New shows Chicago P.D, Undertable, and The Night Shift as well as returners Community and Celebrity Apprentice haven’t been given slots yet. There has been no decision on what to do with Hannibal although there are other networks interested in it should NBC drop it.

Monday
8PM The Voice
10PM Blacklist

Tuesday
8PM                The Biggest Loser
8PM                The Voice (mid-season)
9PM                The Voice
9PM                About a Boy (mid-season)
9:30PM         The Family Guide (mid-season)
10PM              Chicago Fire

Wednesday
8PM                Revolution
9PM                Law & Order: SVU
10PM             Ironside

Thursday
8PM                Parks and Recreation
8:30PM         Welcome to the Family
9PM                Sean Saves the World
9:30PM         The Michael J. Fox Show
10PM              Parenthood

Friday
8PM                Dateline NBC
9PM                Grimm
10PM             Dracula
10PM             Crossbones (mid-season)

Sunday
8PM                American Dream Builders (mid-season)
9PM                Believe (mid-season)
10PM             Crisis (mid-season)

CBS

If you were expecting something to be done with the NCIS block on Tuesdays, shame on you. NBC’s not doing anything with it at all. Mondays will see some new additions in the comedies We Are Men and Mom as well as new dramas Hostages and Intelligence. The two dramas will end the Monday night block with Intelligence’s 13 episodes kicking off in February and Hostages’ 15 episodes running into January. With its Monday at 10PM slot gone, Hawaii Five-0 moves to Fridays at 9PM.

The other two shows are The Millers and The Crazy Ones which join the Thursday lineup. Besides that, expect a pretty familiar lineup overall. There are three shows yet to be assigned slots for the mid-season with Friends With Better Lives, Mike & Molly, and Reckless.

Monday
8PM                How I Met Your Mother
8:30PM         We Are Men
9PM                2 Broke Girls
9:30PM         Mom
10PM             Hostages/Intelligence

Tuesday
8PM                NCIS
9PM                NCIS: Los Angeles
10PM              Person of Interest

Wednesday
8PM                Survivor
9PM                Criminal Minds
10PM              CSI

Thursday
8PM                The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM         The Millers
9PM                The Crazy Ones
9:30PM           Two and a Half Men
10PM              Elementary

Friday
8PM                Undercover Boss
9PM                Hawaii Five-0
10PM              Blue Bloods

Sunday
8PM                The Amazing Race
9PM                The Good Wife
10PM              The Mentalist

The CW

The CW has typically had good shows, but with prime time that only runs for two hours. Personally I believe it’s down to some CW affiliates actually having local news. Not only that, but the bulk The CW is made up of syndication and paid programming at a certain time while the bigger networks tend to have talk shows to beef up the mornings, local and national news, late night talk shows, and late night news to carry over the early morning hours.

Anyway, as a result The CW never really seems to have an abundance of shows in the wings. There’s mostly good sci-fi/fantasy dramas and then everything else. Let’s get into The CW’s programming lineup for 2013-2014. Supernatural moves again from Wednesdays to Tuesday, but keeps its 9PM time slot. It will have company in The Originals. Arrow and The Vampire Diaries will assist in kicking off new series The Tomorrow People and Reign.

Hart of Dixie, The Carrie Diaries, and Beauty and the Beast will also be jostled around a bit. Yet to be scheduled for the mid-season are Star Crossed, Famous in 12, new program The 100, and the last of Nikita.

Monday
8PM                Hart of Dixie
9PM                Beauty and the Beast

Tuesday
8PM                The Originals
9PM                Supernatural

Wednesday
8PM                Arrow
9PM                The Tomorrow People

Thursday
8PM The Vampire Diaries
9PM Reign

Friday
8PM The Carrie Diaries
9PM America’s Next Top Model

Reflection on the Schedules

Of all the networks that have shown their new 2013-2014 lineups this week The CW interests me the most. I feel that in some ways it does the SyFy channel better than the actual modern SyFy channel. Also looking at The CW’s lineup, I feel that it should run with more of the old school Universal Action Pack block.

The Universal Action Pack was a collection of programs that were produced by Universal back when The CW was FOX (in local markets) and later The WB in the early and mid-1990s (also at that time ABC was in the spot where FOX is now in some local markets, MyNetwork TV—then UPN—is where it’s always been). Anyway, the Action Pack typically put related shows and high rated shows on the same night with the top shows taking Friday night.

This meant that shows such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess were paired together to cap off Fridays and Sinbad and either Brisco County Jr. or Jack of All Trades were paired Sunday in the early evenings just to name two such pairings…Sinbad, Brisco County Jr., and Jack of All Trades weren’t particular superstar shows, but they were paired all the same.

This was later done with Buffy and Angel and the scheduling worked. Friday night was always capped off with a bang. Of course this is was roughly 20 years ago in big network broadcasting. That was a period where ABC and FOX were the main two networks that dueled with Saturday morning programming for kids—which I miss and wish they would go back to—and a network like MyNetwork and The CW had animation on in the morning before kids went to school—granted that there was at least an hour of programming you didn’t get to see as school started in the 8-ish.

Coming back to 2013, the schedules look pretty solid. ABC is playing it safe and not moving much around; NBC moved some shows around as did CBS. FOX added shows, but didn’t do much to their schedule. The CW—the most interesting of the four mentioned today—moved Supernatural, but that’s it.

What do you think of the new network lineups? Must see TV or thumbs down? What elements besides “Just good TV” would you like to see return to television?

Congress Has Privacy Concerns About The Google Glass

James Swift — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:48 +0000

It hasn’t even been released yet and Congress has sent notice to Google about privacy concerns with the Google Glass. They also wanted to know how Google could ensure that the Glass wouldn’t unintentionally collect personal data without user consent. Part of the letter to CEO Larry Page read:

“Because Google Glass has not yet been released and we are uncertain of Google’s plans to incorporate privacy protections into the device, there are still a number of unanswered questions we share.” The letter was signed off by eight members of Congress. The deadline Google has to answer by is June 14 and included some examples of privacy issues from Google’s past to bolster their concerns about privacy related to the Google Glass.

The questions included were how Google plans to protect non-Google Glass users when its activated, what the company will do about their privacy policy in relation to the Google Glass, and information about how the Glass makes use of face recognition tech. Despite the hype surrounding the Glass, it is still a mystery in this particular area so privacy concerns are definitely well founded. There is even a group—Stop the Cyborgs—that want to stop the spread of the Google Glass primarily for these reasons.

It’s unknown if the Glass has preventative measures in it and it would seem like it would difficult to prevent privacy breeches such as filming and recording without permission if the person doesn’t even know its occurring. There are several devices that aren’t as high tech as the Google Glass out there that allows for this already as a matter of fact. You may have even seen them used in hidden camera segments in investigative journalism.

There’s nothing particular discreet about the Google Glass. It definitely stands out and with the concerns and such becoming news before its even released, it’s almost a certainty that some people and establishments will be on guard went the device is around and when people attempt to approach premises.

Perhaps the Google Glass will be accepted eventually. The mobile phone certainly became well accepted and it can easily be used in privacy breeching. The thing with the mobile phone however is that it became accepted as a near necessity, sure smartphones have more unnecessary stuff on it now than when the mobile phone picked up popularity and became something everyone could afford, but there is still that element of practical use to it.

The Google Glass will need to become common place and show that it has just as common a use as smartphones before it becomes widely accepted and fears are eased. A few people walking around with the device on their face isn’t going to help anything at all.

That said, if the Google Glass fails to catch on, it won’t be because the technology is no good and not worth investing in, it’ll come down to privacy concerns in the least and a particular strand of technophobia at most.