Microsoft Xbox One to receive Neverwinter closed beta next month

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Jan 19, 2015 12:13 PM CST

Microsoft Xbox One gamers can now sign up for the Neverwinter closed beta, beginning on February 5 and running for just three days, according to Perfect World Entertainment. Gamers are required to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play the title.

Neverwinter is scheduled to launch sometime during early 2015, and is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). "Consoles are a perfect fit for action-oriented MMORPGs like Neverwinter, and we are thrilled to be one of the first publishers to bring premium free-to-play titles to leading next-gen platforms," said Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World, in a statement.

Neverwinter originally launched on the PC in 2013, with the Tyranny of Dragons expansion released in August 2014.

Continue reading: Microsoft Xbox One to receive Neverwinter closed beta next month (full post)

Finally a modded system that most can do - the Tt Core V71 shown off

Chris Smith | Modding | Jan 19, 2015 8:06 AM CST

We've dug a little into the archives for this one. Too often do you see manufacturers and media outlets promoting, publishing and discussing crazily modified and custom-built computer systems, featuring hundreds of dollars worth of specialized water cooling loops, between two and four video cards and more SSD storage than most have HDD space on their personal rigs.

So why not combat that by sharing something that even I can do - meaning it has to be pretty simple! Back in 2013, GGF LAN produced a promotional build for Thermaltake Australia - this was to show off their new Core V71 case and a simple 'extreme rig' build that anyone could complete to help them play any current-generation games, at respectable graphical settings, with a decent frame rate.

In order to do this, Stuart Tonks threw an Intel 3690x @ 4.5GHz together with an ASUS ROG Mars GTX 760 and two Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD's. Once again, this certainly wasn't the cheapest build on offer, however it was something realistic that people with a little spare money to throw around could obtain.

Continue reading: Finally a modded system that most can do - the Tt Core V71 shown off (full post)

The LG G3 G3 Smartphone will see Android 5.0 Lollipop very soon

Chris Smith | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Jan 19, 2015 7:52 AM CST

LG Australia has told customers today that G3 owners should expect their Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to begin appearing as soon as the 23rd of January, with this model being one of many to finally get the latest OS release.

Set as a staged roll-out, users will see their phone receiving update capabilities ranging from the 23rd of January right through until late February, so if you're not on the of the first to get it, don't be worried.

Android 5.0 Lollipop has been toted by many as a new major advancement in the Android Operating System, claiming that this is their first foray into 'real' design, with some claiming that this is directly fighting against Apple's swanky offerings, animations and little tricks.

Continue reading: The LG G3 G3 Smartphone will see Android 5.0 Lollipop very soon (full post)

PornHub lets everyone know exactly how they consume porn

Chris Smith | Internet & Websites | Jan 19, 2015 7:43 AM CST

Just in case you lay awake at night pondering the meaning of life, along with wondering exactly how our global population consume their pornography - look no further because TweakTown has you covered. Don't worry - everything in this article is safe for work.

According to statistics released by PornHub, the United States still sits at #1 in the consumer scale, with the United Kingdom taking up less than half the traffic flow followed by Canada. This ranges across their websites crazy 78.9 billion video views throughout the 12 months of 2014, alongside a crazy 5800 visits every second.

With teens being on the main agenda, the apparently intriguing category of "step mom" has raised up a massive 14 places, now sitting at 4th overall. If data is more your thing, this review shows that over 50 gigabytes per second of bandwidth is needed by their servers, offering up 1.57 million terabytes of data throughout the last calendar year. This is coupled with a total of 18.35 billion total visits and just over 1 million comments - seeing the word "love" being most-used.

Continue reading: PornHub lets everyone know exactly how they consume porn (full post)

Apple maybe considering a stylus for the possible iPad Pro

Chris Smith | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Jan 19, 2015 7:21 AM CST

Apple Insider has leaked information that Apple may be developing a self-branded stylus to be included with the iPad Pro - reports claim that it may be named the iPen or Apple Pen. It's a rumor stacked on a rumor - but it does have some logical merit.

Stylus pens for tablet devices are actually quite common among older (40-year and over) crowds. Although I've never seen a person under 40 use one voluntarily before, my parents and grandparents are often using their third-party stylus devices to play Solitare and browse the web on their iPad 2's.

As with most official Apple products, there's no reason that this technology giant couldn't release a simple stylus, slap a $30 RRP on it and watch it walk itself out the door with massive sales - lets be honest, how much really goes into a stylus pens' design?

Continue reading: Apple maybe considering a stylus for the possible iPad Pro (full post)

Logic wins again - London venues are banning selfie sticks

Chris Smith | Health, Lifestyle & Travel | Jan 19, 2015 7:03 AM CST

Leading concert venues in London have started to ban selfie sticks due to issues regarding blocking views of stages and the possibility of injury toward other patrons.

You're not allowed to take in an extendable baton into festivals, concerts or gigs, so it makes perfect sense that selfie sticks have been barred from entry. This news comes amid reports of some injuries taking place thanks to selfie sticks being used in packed crowds, alongside many complaints that any large sized phone, like an iPhone 6 Plus, will easily block the view of any spectators.

O2 arena has joined the banned-wagon (no pun intended), with a spokesman stating in an interview to NME.com that "the O2 do not allow selfie sticks into the arena due to safety considerations. We welcome selfies, but please leave the stick at home", and a representative for Wembley Arena adds, "The sticks might mean you are refused entry to the venue so our advice is don't bring them and stick with the tried and tested use of an arm." This is followed by a spokesman for Brixton Academy adding "selfie sticks are not permitted at Academy Music Group venues. This is in keeping with our existing policy that prohibits the filming and photography during a performance with iPads and other tablet devices and includes any such obstructions for the satisfaction of other customers."

Continue reading: Logic wins again - London venues are banning selfie sticks (full post)

NBN Co starts Fibre to the Basement rollouts in Australia

Chris Smith | Internet & Websites | Jan 19, 2015 5:37 AM CST

There has been some great news unleashed for Sydney, Melbourne and ACT apartment residents, with NBN Co confirming that they are beginning their fibre-to-the-basement (FTTB) roll-outs to approximately 6,000 Aussie apartments. Including 43 apartment blocks in total, these apartments will be the first to be connected to FTTB technology.

The first 2,000 apartments will be ready for full operation in March, as claimed by NBN co, with the other 4,000 said to be ready by the end of June. With a targeted list of locations involved being the Sydney CBD, Balmain, Elizabeth Bay, Erskineville, Haymarket, Rushcutters Bay, Potts Point, Pyrmont, Randwick, Mascot, Alexandria, and St Leonards in New South Wales, TPG is also rolling out their own FTTB services to Pyrmont and the Sydney CBD.

As far is other locations are concerned, NBN Co is targeting Melbourne's Carlton, Keysborough and Brunswick, and also Civic in the ACT.

Continue reading: NBN Co starts Fibre to the Basement rollouts in Australia (full post)

Governor Cuomo promises to provide broadband access for New Yorkers

Chris Smith | Internet & Websites | Jan 19, 2015 4:04 AM CST

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and his administration board have just announced its next (third) part of the "2015 State of the Opportunity" agenda, being a $1 billion broadband internet program that sees public and private resources utilized.

Cuomo has stated that the plan will create a $500 million NY Broadband Program set to use capital funds from bank settlements, offering this sum of money as an incentive to private sector parties in order to expand high-speed internet access is high-needs areas. If ISPs wish to qualify for this funding, they must pledge a 1:1 match in finances, seeing this plan grow from the $500 million figure stated above to a massive $1 billion total. ISPs must also offer up a minimum of 100Mbps internet speed to clients as part of the contract.

There has been no mention of quota limitations as of yet, with Cuomo's staff stating they will prioritize ISPs whom deliver the highest speed at lowest cost. Hopefully this won't see ISPs flock to this agenda only to offer extremely high-speed broadband options with extremely tiny download limits.

Continue reading: Governor Cuomo promises to provide broadband access for New Yorkers (full post)

HTC to unveil its new One M9 smartphone at MWC 2015 in March

HTC has pretty much just confirmed its upcoming codenamed Hima smartphone, or the One M9, for Mobile World Congress 2015 which kicks off on March 2, but HTC will be hosting its own event on March 1 to debut the new smartphone.

There's no concrete information on it, or whether HTC will be actually unveiling the new One M9, but the tease is that "utopia in progress" should be enough. The picture on the invitation itself is filled with stars, with a single burst of light that highlights the company's invite.

What will the One M9 materialize into? We should see it featuring a high-end Sony-built rear-camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a QHD display, Android 5.0 Lollipop with Sense 7.0 UI and much more.

Continue reading: HTC to unveil its new One M9 smartphone at MWC 2015 in March (full post)

Take home the 'Fury' on Blu-ray, thanks to Universal Sony Pictures

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Jan 19, 2015 12:12 AM CST

Thanks to our friends at Universal Sony Pictures Entertainment Australia, we have copies of this weeks Blu-ray release of 'Fury' up for grabs for 10 lucky readers!

War never ends quietly. April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.

To go into the running to take home a copy of the Blu-ray, simply answer the following question:

Continue reading: Take home the 'Fury' on Blu-ray, thanks to Universal Sony Pictures (full post)