CITIES XL 2011: BUILD CITIES, SHAPE A WORLD

With its release planned later this month, Cities XL 2011 unveils more of itself through beautiful images, which we offer you to discover now!

Showcasing some of the many novelties of Cities XL 2011, these images are the opportunity to discover what awaits you in the game: between the hundreds of new buildings and monuments, a sophisticated public transports system, including both bus and subway networks, or also the numerous new maps with varied and realistic environments, Cities XL 2011 offers you a freedom never seen before!

For the first time in this kind of game, Cities XL 2011 finally lets you go beyond the simple creation of a city! Connect every city that you build in a trade network, specialize some of them so that they can provide for others, and create a large-scale economy balance!

Cities XL 2011 will be released on PC later this month.

Forever is nearly here– Duke Nukem Forever playable at the Mana Bar in Brisbane, Australia!

Wednesday 13th October 2010 – Duke Nukem Forever will be making its first and ONLY appearance in Australia this year at the first video game bar, the Mana Bar in Brisbane Australia this Saturday!

Duke Nukem Forever has been in development for over 12 years, with Gearbox Software and 2K Games confirming the release of the game for early 2011. Duke Nukem Forever is the sequel to the hugely popular Duke Nukem 3D, whereby the game and its protagonist have become pop culture legend, and spawned countless imitators and iconic catch phrases.

On Saturday the 16th of October, the President of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford will be flying to the Mana Bar in Australia to showcase the unreleased game, giving the Australian public the chance to play the game themselves on 5 screens from midday to midnight.

2K Games will also be giving away prize packs every hour on the hour, and a special Q&A with Randy Pitchford will be hosted by the Mana Bar’s Yahtzee Croshaw.

For more information on the first Australian Duke Nukem Forever consumer hands-on event, please visit http://www.dukenukem.com and http://www.manabar.com.au

Wirelessly broadcasts calls, GPS and music from mobile devices – all hands free! 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 13 October, 2010 – Plantronics® (NYSE: PLT) today expanded its family of Bluetooth® products with the new K100™ Bluetooth in-car speakerphone.  The Plantronics K100 is the perfect practical Christmas present for friends and family who like to stay connected while travelling, offering a combination of advanced audio technology, ease-of-use and enhanced features for convenient, hands-free conversations in the car.

Audio Performance

The Plantronics K100 includes dual microphones and digital signal processing (DSP) technology that keeps the user’s voice sharp and clear, while limiting surrounding noise.   Echo-cancellation improves listening on both sides of the call, while a high-quality speaker ensures every call is heard clearly.  The Plantronics K100 also includes A2DP technology so users can stream music, podcasts, GPS navigation and more from A2DP-enabled phones, such as the iPhone®, BlackBerry® Torch™ and DROID™ by Motorola. 

Convenience while Driving

The Plantronics K100 is easy to setup and use, and features convenient voice alerts for pairing, low-battery, mute, and connection status.  A dedicated one-touch mute button with voice confirmation provides confidence that the feature is engaged.  Large buttons let you control the K100 while keeping your eyes on the road, and an included handy in-car micro USB charger means the speakerphone never has to leave the car.

“The K100 is the perfect in-car solution for users to take calls, listen to GPS navigation and be productive, while keeping both hands on the wheel,” said Peter Petrides, National Retail Sales Manager for Plantronics in Australia. “The K100 is also a great Christmas present for friends or family, it will help them stay in touch and stay safe when they’re driving. We think consumers will be delighted by the K100 speakerphone’s great audio performance, simplicity and affordability.”

Design and Additional Features

Weighing only 92 Grams, the Plantronics K100 features a slim design with a sturdy clip that stays securely in place on the sun-visor. It has the additional flexibility of an FM transmitter that gives drivers the option to hear conversations and other audio through the car’s speakers.  The Plantronics K100 delivers up to 17 hours of talk time and 15 days of standby time, all in a 2.5 hour charge time.

The Plantronics K100 has a RRP of AUD $129.00 and will be available in October through Officeworks, Harvey Norman, WOW, Vodafone, 3, Allphones, Telechoice, Fone Zone and Selected Telstra, Optus and T-Life stores. For more information please visit: www.plantronics.com.au.

About Plantronics

Plantronics is a world leader in personal audio communications for professionals and consumers. From unified communication solutions to Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers unparalleled audio experiences and quality that reflect our nearly 50 years of innovation and customer commitment. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100 and is the headset of choice for air traffic control, 911 dispatch and the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com.au  or call +61 3 9326 1653.

EA joins launch lineup of Xbox LIVE-enabled mobile titles slated to release Spring 2010

13 October 2010, Australia – Adding to the lineup of mobile titles for the soon-to-release Windows Phone 7, Microsoft Corp. and EA Mobile™ — a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and the leading wireless entertainment publisher — have unveiled the first wave of EA games coming to the new platform Spring 2010.

Windows Phone 7 and the first launch titles will ship in 2010 with additional new phone models arriving in early 2011. As part of Microsoft’s managed portfolio of Xbox LIVE titles, EA’s games for Windows Phone 7 will be Xbox LIVE-enabled, featuring the unique ability to track and share scores with leaderboards, unlock Xbox LIVE Achievements, add to your Gamerscore and communicate with your Xbox LIVE friends across Xbox 360, Windows-based PC and Windows Phone 7.

“Our collaboration with Microsoft brings EA’s world-class catalog of global game franchises to Windows Phone 7, offering a unique set of gaming features perfectly suited to the deep, innovative experiences we value at EA,” said Travis Boatman, vice president of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. “We see consumers deeply integrating devices into their lives and entertainment in new ways every day. Challenging your Xbox LIVE friends to an EA game from the phone in your pocket keeps you connected and having fun no matter where you are.”

EA will deliver a broad range of titles from its portfolio of award-winning brands:

Need for Speed™ Undercover
Power 20 of the world’s hottest high-performance cars through 24 undercover missions and eight challenging modes of thrilling action. Customise your vehicle and earn performance upgrades as you race head-to-head, earn achievements and track leaderboards.

Tetris®
Play the best-selling blockbuster, all new for Windows Phone 7. Play up to 12 challenging variants and become a “Tetris” master, or enjoy the timeless fun of Marathon mode, loved by hundreds of millions worldwide. Challenge your Xbox LIVE friends to beat your top score in single-player Marathon mode, the variant that made the “Tetris” game a phenomenon.

The Sims™ 3
Savour hours of entertainment with this award-winning experience of the No. 1 best-selling PC franchise of all time. Choose from dozens of personality traits and make your Sims characters neurotic, funny or shy while drawing from a wide array of built-in theme sets to bring your Sims to life with any appearance, clothing and accessories you choose. Complete tasks, wishes and personal goals while unlocking achievements and scoring Gamerscore points.

MONOPOLY
Fans will enjoy classic “MONOPOLY” play in the 75-year tradition of the world’s favourite family game brand,* under license from Hasbro Inc. Take a ride on the Reading Railroad or buy Boardwalk as you collect achievements and climb the leaderboards. From Marvin Gardens and Water Works to Park Place, own and manage the famous holdings of the “MONOPOLY” game board, which comes to life with animated tokens and interactive features for Windows Phone 7.

“Together EA and Microsoft have created some of the definitive console games of this generation, and we’re excited to bring that powerful alliance to Windows Phone 7,” said Ron Pessner, general manager of Xbox LIVE mobile, Microsoft. “This is a new and major games platform for Microsoft, and we look forward to the amazing games EA will deliver over the coming years.”

EA joins some of the most creative minds in console, mobile and independent game development bringing their biggest franchises and titles to Windows Phone 7, including Microsoft Game Studios, Gameloft, Konami, Namco Bandai, PopCap and THQ. With new titles slated to release each week, try-before-you-buy demos, asynchronous turn-based gameplay and more, Windows Phone 7 brings the quality, consistency and community of the Xbox experience to gamers on the go.

More information about Windows Phone 7 games and the mobile Xbox LIVE experience is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/windowsphone.

EA Mobile has a solid reputation for its pioneering and market leadership in mobile gaming. More information about EA Mobile is available at http://www.ea.com/au, by joining EA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EAMobile, or by following EA on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/EAMobile.

Twentieth Century Fox Announces Avatar Blu-ray and DVD Global Release Dates    

Three-Disc Set of the Worldwide Theatrical And Home Entertainment Phenomenon Contains Even More of the AVATAR Experience with Over Eight Hours of Never-Before-Seen Material and in-depth exploration into the World of Pandora 

Sydney, Australia. (6 October, 2010) – Director James Cameron is unlocking the secrets of Pandora and taking fans on a guided tour of his vision with the highly anticipated release of AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray and DVD out November 24, 2010.   With three versions of the film, AVATAR fans will get an all-new extended cut of the film, in addition to hours of never-before-seen material including over 45 minutes of amazing deleted scenes.

“I told our team — let’s do the ultimate box set of Avatar, with everything in it the fans could possibly want. There’s an extended length cut that’s sixteen minutes longer, plus documentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, artwork and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes.  Everything worth putting into a special edition is in this set,” said James Cameron.  

The three-disc AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and AVATAR Collector’s Edition DVD will both feature the original theatrical release, a special edition re-release, and new collector’s extended cut with sixteen more minutes including an exclusive alternate opening earth scene. Viewers will have the ability to journey to the far-reaches of Pandora with “Capturing Avatar“ an in-depth feature length documentary covering the 16-year filmmaker journey that includes all new interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew exploring Cameron’s unique vision for the film now seen by more than 310 million people worldwide.  The Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time globally and the top selling DVD disc of all time in Australia.

The AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray will contain even more bonus material and will provide a compelling interactive viewing experience.  Leveraging the unparalleled interactive technology of Blu-ray, fans can dive further into the world of the Na’vi and experience the international sensation from behind-the-scenes with a “master class” on the production of the film.   Viewers can experience the full film in three stages of production:  ‘Performance Capture’, ‘Template’ and ‘Final’ as well as a composite of all stages in “Pandora’s Box”.  This mode is complemented by interviews with James Cameron and the crew and ultimately serves as a complete and enlightening tutorial on the making of AVATAR. 

AVATAR Extended Collection’s Edition: 3-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray:

• Original Theatrical Version
• Special Edition Re-Release
• Collector’s Extended Cut
  • 16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening
  • “Capturing Avatar“ An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew
• Deleted Scenes – including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes
• Production Materials
  • Open “Pandora’s Box” and go deeper into the filmmaker process 
  • Interactive Scene Deconstruction: Explore the various stages of production through 3 different viewing modes 
  • Production Shorts: 17 featurettes covering performance capture, Scoring the film, 3D Fusion Camera, Stunts and much more
  • Avatar Archives including original scriptment, 300 page screenplay and the extensive Pandorapedia
  • BD-live Portal with additional bonus materials (UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia & US)

AVATAR Collector’s Edition: 3-Disc Special Edition DVD:

•             Original Theatrical Version

•             Special Edition Re-release

•             Collector’s Extended Cut

               o             16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening

•             “Capturing Avatar“ An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew

•             Deleted Scenes – including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Return to the Griffins’ version of that galaxy far, far away as their freakin’ sweet saga continues with “Family Guy: It’s A Trap!” – arriving exclusively on Blu-ray and DVD December 22, 2010, from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. In the third installment of the hilarious Star Wars satire – following 2005’s “Family Guy: Blue Harvest” and last year’s “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side“- the Griffins reprise their intergalactic roles in an outrageous retelling of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. 

In this spectacular and offensively uproarious final chapter, Luke Skywalker (Chris) and Princess Leia (Lois) must travel to Tatooine to free Han Solo (Peter) by infiltrating the wretched stronghold of Jabba the Hutt (Joe), the galaxy’s most loathsome and dreadful gangster.  Once reunited, the Rebels team up with a tribe of Ewoks to combat the Imperial forces on the forest moon of Endor.  Meanwhile the Emperor (Carter Pewterschmidt) and Darth Vader (Stewie) conspire to turn Luke to the dark side, and young Skywalker is determined to rekindle the spirit of the Jedi within his father. The Galactic Civil War has never been more outrageous, as the Rebel forces gather to attack the seemingly defenseless and incomplete second Death Star in the battle that will determine the fate of the galaxy.   

Adding to the fun, “Family Guy: It’s A Trap!” is loaded with hysterical cameo voice spots – including Patrick Stewart and Michael Dorn reprising their roles from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Adam West (“Batman”) and Carrie Fisher (Star Wars Trilogy).

“The fan base for “Family Guy” and Star Wars, both enthusiastic, have embraced the first two hilarious spoofs,” said Mike Dunn, President, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Bringing the distinctive storylines together for the trilogy of parodies has been enormously successful and lends itself to create unique home entertainment releases.”

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment 

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world. 

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios are unleashing an all-new website for the highly-anticipated video game Mortal Kombat releasing in 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A first for the franchise, www.themortalkombat.com will showcase five legendary characters including Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Mileena giving fans an unprecedented look into their unique history and backgrounds. The site will also feature a full arsenal of kommunity features including: MKasts, discussion boards and kombat chat.  The site will be updated every Monday in conjunction with Mortal Mondays.

Mortal Kombat also has a vibrant community on Facebook featuring an all new asset packed Facebook app as well as an active community on Twitter. Check out the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mortalkombat and join the Twitter conversation @mk_mortalkombat.

Mortal Kombat is the most brutal installment of the landmark fighting game to date for release on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in 2011.The game is being developed by the newly re-named NetherRealm Studios, led by Mortal Kombat creator and creative director Ed Boon.

Jack Black and Kyle Gass to entertain a sold-out crowd during closing ceremony of Blizzard Entertainment’s epic gaming festival 

IRVINE, Calif. — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that the greatest band in the world*, Tenacious D, will perform at the closing concert during this year’s sold-out BlizzCon^®. Taking place October 22-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center, BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft^®, Diablo^®, and StarCraft^® game universes. While tickets to the convention are currently sold out, viewers can watch at home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering over 50 hours of event coverage (including Tenacious D’s performance) globally over the Internet and also on DIRECTV^® in the United States.

Tenacious D is made up of musical visionaries Jack Black and Kyle Gass. After forming in 1994, the duo rose to rock god-dom following the release of the HBO cult-hit series Tenacious D: The Greatest Band on Earth. Since then, Tenacious D has released two albums and a pair of live DVDs, sold out arenas around the world, and starred in their own feature-length movie, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. At the BlizzCon closing ceremony on October 23, the band will perform an earth-shattering set that includes the debut of new, soon-to-be-legendary songs.

“The best way to wrap up two days of epic entertainment is with an epic rock concert—and few bands fit the bill like Tenacious D,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re looking forward to a great show and can’t wait to see what Jack and Kyle have in store for everyone attending BlizzCon and watching from home.”

In addition to serving as a gathering place for the Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will have an array of activities, including discussion panels, competitive and casual tournaments, contests, hands-on playtime with current and upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games, and more. Viewers at home can order a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, available as a multi-channel Internet stream around the world (pricing and availability may vary by region). Visit www.blizzcon.com for more details and ordering information.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs. As BlizzCon draws closer, further details about the show will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.

*Based on internal reports from Tenacious D and key band devotees

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft^® and the Warcraft^®, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twelve #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net^®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

 

Sydney, Australia: 12 October, 2010 – In line with Western Digital’s 40th anniversary, WD in Australia is showcasing a unique collection of WD products compiled in Australia over the past decade. This Australian collection is exceptional with a near complete range of WD’s hard drives, since the year 2000. Assembled by a long-time consultant and  fan of the company actual photos and details of the collection have been unveiled at the new WD Australia Facebook page.
 
The Near Complete Collection
For WD hard drive owners ranging from the casual technology user, the curious WD customer, to the storage-savvy enthusiast, this collection is sure to strike interest and bring back memories. The collection features early examples of WD products including one of the first-ever WD external hard drive models, the first-generation WD Raptor drives and the smallest-capacity working WD drive found thus far in Australia.The first person to surrender one given WD hard drive model with capacity less than 40 GB can trade it in for their choice of the latest 2 Terabyte WD Caviar ® Black hard drive or a 2 Terabyte My Book® 3.0. Only one winner per hard drive model less than 40 GB will be accepted, and winners must meet the terms and conditions set out on [the WD Australia Facebook page.here

The collection begins with a 40GB hard drive manufactured back in 2000, an ancient time in the fast-paced world of technology — a time when everyone still used floppy discs, had dial-up internet and owning a Discman was pretty cool. But what about predecessors to the 40 GB model? The 20 GB hard drive, the 15GB hard drive, the 10 GB hard drive or perhaps even the 8 GB hard drive and older?

The Hunt to find Australia’s smallest capacity working WD hard drive
To complete the commemorative collection, the search is now on for an even older model — Australia’s oldest working WD model! More specifically the collection team is looking for any working WD drives below 40GB, including any rare but functional 20GB, 15GB, 10GB, 8GB or older WD drives.

As well as offering information about the hard drive hunt, the WD Australia Facebook page also offers a wealth of information on the latest product releases in Australia and WD’s regular competitions, prize giveaways, events and promotions.. More than ever, Australians can now have even closer access to WD via their WD Australia Facebook page. Photos from WD events across the country can also be found on the WD Australia Facebook page, including shots of the lovable and exciting WD mascots that have been popping up all over the city and posing for pictures with Australians.

To find out more or to “Like” Western Digital Australia click

About WD’s 40 Years of Innovation
WD first burst onto the scene in 1970 and went on to manufacture the first, single-chip, transmitter mostly used in calculators. From then on, WD went on to prove that it was not afraid to take well-calculated risks, invest in and lead different markets: chip sets, controllers, hard drives, multimedia solutions, SSDs. Today, WD is an industry leader and provider of many industry firsts, having proved its technological expertise time and again in the storage market and having the confidence to venture into new fields and strive for that same level of excellence:

•    2000 – Industry’s first 20 GB-per-platter hard drive – 40,000 photos
•    2002 – Industry’s first 200 GB hard drive – 400,000 photos
•    2001 – WD supplies drives for Xbox
•    2003 – Industry’s first 80 GB-per-platter hard drive
•    2003 – Industry’s first 250 GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive
•    2003 – World’s first and only 10,000 RPM SATA hard drive – WD Raptor
•    2007 – First company to introduce power-saving drives with WD GreenPower Technology™
•    2007 – First company to ship 1 TB drive with WD Caviar Green
•    2009 – Industry’s first 2 TB hard drives
•    2009 – Industry’s first 1 TB 2.5-inch drive
•    2010 – First to ship 750 GB 2.5-inch hard drives

About WD
WD, one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users’ data client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and media products.
WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Just a quick note to let you know that the Australian and New Zealand release date of both Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on PS3 and X360 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 on PS3, X360 and PC will now be Tuesday October 19^th. 

Due to unforseen delays in importing freight, the shipment did not reach our shores at the scheduled time, however both titles will be available at major retailers next week.