Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III is an upcoming historical action-adventure open world stealth video game being developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U,and Microsoft Windows. It will be the fifth major installment and the third numbered title in the Assassin's Creed series. The game is set for worldwide release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, beginning in North America on October 30, 2012, with a Microsoft Windows version following on November 20, 2012. A release date for the Wii U version is yet to be announced as the console's own release date has not yet been confirmed. Ubisoft has said that the game will be bigger than any of its previous installments.

The main portion of Assassin's Creed III will be set before, during and after the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783, featuring a new protagonist: half-English and half-Native American, Connor Kenway, birth name Ratonhnhaké:ton (pronounced "Ra-doon-ha-gay-doon"). In addition to the historical period, the game will also feature the "present day" setting, where series' protagonist Desmond Miles must endeavour to prevent the 2012 apocalypse, as his story will develop and then reach a conclusion. Players will also experience more Desmond than in any previous titles.

Work on Assassin's Creed III began in January 2010 (almost immediately after the release of Assassin's Creed II) by a senior team of Ubisoft developers. The title has been in development for 3 years and has the longest development cycle since the first Assassin's Creed. When Ubisoft first revealed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in 2010, as new details came to light, there was some confusion within the gaming community as to whether this would be Assassin's Creed III. According to the developers, Brotherhoodwas not Assassin's Creed III, and the third installment will not star a "pre-existing character." Ubisoft Montreal's developers stated in their interviews that Assassin's Creed III will be released eventually.

Jean-François Boivin of Ubisoft also stated that each numbered title in the series will introduce a new lead character and a new setting. Patrice Désilets, former series' creative director, said that the series has always been planned as a trilogy. He also commented on the story of Assassin's Creed III, saying that it will focus on Assassins' quest to prevent the end of the world in 2012, and their race against time to find temples and Apples of Eden built by "Those Who Came Before". Desmond will be searching for clues as to the locations of these temples, by exploring memories of one (or more) of his other ancestors.

In October 2011 Alexandre Amacio, creative director of Assassin's Creed: Revelations, announced that the next installment of the franchise was to be released before December 2012, however, Amacio himself would not be directing the game. This comes from the idea that Desmond Miles, the modern day protagonist of the series, was to finish his tale by December 2012. Amacio said that gamers should not have to play a futuristic game after the time period in which it is set.

Apple targets 8 Samsung phones for sales ban

Following last week's court ruling in the trial between it and Samsung, Apple this morning laid out which Samsung devices it wants banned from sale in the U.S.

There are eight in total out of the 28 that were included in the case. Those include:

• Galaxy S 4G (T-Mobile) review
• Galaxy S II (AT&T) review
• Galaxy S II Skyrocket (AT&T) review
• Galaxy S II (T-Mobile) review
• Galaxy S II Epic 4G (Sprint) review
• Droid Charge (Verizon) review
• Galaxy Prevail (Boost Mobile) review
• Galaxy S Showcase (C-Spire, Cellular South)

In its filing, Apple outlined the specific patents the devices were found to infringe in the trial, which went on for a month and wrapped up last week. The device with the most infringements is the Galaxy S 4G. It was found to infringe two of Apple's design patents, three utility patents, and two claims of trade dress:

IPhone 5 Rumor Roundup

After unveiling a marginally improved iPhone 4S in 2011 instead of a radically different iPhone 5, Apple has returned to its development labs to cook up (no pun intended) the next iteration of its popular phone. In 2012, we're fairly certain that the real iPhone 5 will roll out of Apple's gates and that the device should be a bigger leap forward than the 4S was.
That's why after taking some time off at the end of last year, we've resurrected CNET's iPhone 5 rumor roundup to cover the new tidbits from 2012. So join us again in watching the rumor mill churn. We'll add to it until we get the real thing; please let us know if we've left any gossip out.
August 29, 2012
French Web site Nowhereelse.fr posts photos of what appears to be a new and unreleased iPhone. Yet, the shots don't tell us much beyond showing a larger screen size of four inches. A bigger display has been a persistent rumor all year.
August 28, 2012 OK, scratch that thing people said about the NFC chip To NFC or not to NFC? Apparently, AnandTech thinks it's a no-go. The tech review site reported that because the iPhone's backside is metal and because there's only a small amount of space at the top and bottom of the phone, an NFC chip would not be able to fit. Instead, the site speculates that the small space seen before on the presumably new iPhone might just be space for a touch and display controller that'll accommodate the device's new touch screen.
August 27, 2012 There's space for an NFC chip In a recently leaked photo of the supposedly new iPhone, Apple.pro spotted what could be a small space designated for a near-field communication (NFC) chip. The area is next to the front-facing camera, and it matches the size of some current NFC chips. Though no one can say anything for sure, a Japanese blog, Macotakara, also speculated that a hole near the next iPod Touch's camera also hints at an NFC chip.
August 22, 2012 It may sport a 4-inch display from LG Reuters reported that LG has started mass producing a display that integrates "in-cell multitouch technology." Both LG and Samsung are known suppliers of iPhone and iPad parts, so it's easy to understand why this new touch screen may be destined for the iPhone 5. The new display would relinquish the need for sensors and glass, which will make the device even lighter.
August 21, 2012 One more month until it's here...no really Citing a "trusted Verizon employee," TechCrunch received more evidence that the September 21 unveiling date for the new iPhone may be true after all. Verizon employees are forbidden from taking vacation on September 21 through 30, and while the company gave no explanation, these particular dates support the rumor that the iPhone 5 will most likely be released on the 21st. No word yet on how certain Verizon workers, whose birthdays happen to fall on those dates, plan to "call in sick" anyway.
 August 15, 2012 It will be a hit Based on numerous news reports pointing to a September launch of the iPhone 5, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates that Apple will sell 26 million to 28 million devices overall. So yeah, a lot of people should buy it. LTE in Korea The rumor of 4G LTE support in the next iPhone is nothing new, but here's a little more fuel for that fire. The Korea Times says Apple has been negotiating with two Korean mobile carriers, SK Telecom and KT, to provide the iPhone 5 through their LTE networks. Though readers in other countries may be asking, "What about me?," chances are good that if a 4G iPhone comes to Korea, it will land in other markets, as well. August 14, 2012 Again, a thinner screen A patent awarded to Apple covers a new LCD screen technology that integrates the touch sensors with the actual display circuits, reducing the space taken up by the screen. The new technology is an improvement over the current technique, which places the touch sensors on top of the screen and naturally leads to a thicker display. This "Touch screen liquid crystal display" could eventually lead to thinner and lighter displays.

August 13, 2012
Sept. 12 means preorders, too
While it has already been rumored that the new iPhone may be unveiled on September 12 (with a retail launch on September 21), iMore reported that preorders of the new device may also begin on September 12 as well. International orders are anticipated to begin later, on October 5. Customers are expected to receive their new handsets nine days later.

August 12, 2012
Say hello to a smaller SIM card
Leaked photos posted on the user forum WeiPhone purportedly show the new iPhone's motherboard/logicboard with a smaller SIM card slot. According to 9to5Mac, these photos would be the first "real-world appearance" of the nano-SIM that Apple has already been pushing for as the standard.