Diablo 3 beta throws open doors, this weekend only

Diablo 3, the much-anticipated fantasy game, is scheduled for launch in North America on May 15. In the meantime, you can get your hands on the?Diablo 3?beta version.

Diablo 3: One of the most eagerly-anticipated games in recent memory, and also one of the most frequently delayed. Horizons readers will remember that back in September of last year,?Blizzard announced that Diablo 3, originally slated to arrive in 2011, would be held until early 2012 ? enough time for the developer to polish up the gameplay.?

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"[T]his week we pulled together people from all of the teams involved with the game to decide whether we felt it would be ready before the end of December, and we grudgingly came to the conclusion that it would not," a Blizzard exec wrote at the time. "Ultimately, we feel that to deliver an awesome Diablo sequel that lives up to our expectations and yours as well, we should take a little more time and add further polish to a few different elements of the game."

Since then, Blizzard has finalized a May 15 North America launch date for Diablo 3.?

This week comes news that Blizzard will stage an open beta event for Diablo 3, a kind of "stress test" for the forthcoming fantasy title. VentureBeat?reports?that the beta test will extend from Friday afternoon to 1 p.m. EST on Monday. Anyone with a valid?Battle.net account is invited to play (excepting folks in the?Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau markets, who are getting a separate beta event, on April 23).

You can get started here.?

Diablo 3, like Diablo 2 and the original Diablo, will take place in the the murky, shadowy world of Sanctuary. Among the playable character classes are the newly-introduced "monks" ? "priest-warriors who follow the divine injunctions of their Patriarchs, the rulers of Ivgorod," according to Blizzard. Sounds like some good, geeky fun to us.?

For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter @venturenaut. And don?t forget to sign up for the weekly?BizTech newsletter.

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UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floor

UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floorIf you live in the UK, and were thinking "If only I could get my broadband from the same place I get my crystal tumbler set" then maybe now you can. Department store John Lewis, a favorite for wedding lists, furniture and homeware is branching out into the British ISP game. The standard package will be £11 a month (not including line rental,) offering "up to" 16Mb speeds and a 20GB data cap. More eager users can pay an extra £7 to remove that download limit. Both bundles benefit from a free phone support, no activation fee and, of course, wireless router. Sound like your kind of deal? Head down to the source link, or past the haberdashery section to find out more.

UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floor originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For Your Next Vacation, Book a Night In One of These Lovely Shipping Containers [Design]

Lately, a lot of energy has been put into coming up with unconventional ways to use shipping containers. Funny, that. The latest comes from a British company called Snoozebox whose modular, portable, two-tier hotel can be set up in just 48-hours. More »


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UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floor

UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floorIf you live in the UK, and were thinking "If only I could get my broadband from the same place I get my crystal tumbler set" then maybe now you can. Department store John Lewis, a favorite for wedding lists, furniture and homeware is branching out into the British ISP game. The standard package will be £11 a month (not including line rental,) offering "up to" 16Mb speeds and a 20GB data cap. More eager users can pay and extra £7 to remove that download limit. Both bundles benefit from a free phone support, no activation fee and, of course, wireless router. Sound like your kind of deal? Head down to the source link, or past the haberdashery section to find out more.

UK department store John Lewis launches broadband service, get in on the ground floor originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 16th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of April 16th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Verizon announced that its LTE service now covers two-thirds of the US population, and T-Mobile dropped its 'nice girl' image in attempt to position its HSPA+ network as a viable competitor to LTE. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 16th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of April 16th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of April 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shure SRH1440

In the iPhone era, headphones have taken a backseat to in-canal earphones for portability reasons. For the professional musician, mastering engineer, or serious audiophile, however, headphones are often still preferred for reference listening. Shure's SRH1440, at $399.99 (list), is actually a bargain for such discerning listeners. Compared to most headphones in this price range, the SRH1440 ?is feature-barren, and home recording studio enthusiasts should look elsewhere, as these open back headphones are designed to leak audio. However, if you're looking for a pair of powerful, professional headphones with excellent audio performance, the SRH1440 deserves your attention.

Design
The SRH1440's headband and circumaural (ear-enclosing) ear cups are black matte plastic, with the white Shure logo above both ears, and a black glossy logo embossed on the top of the band. The inside of the headband is lined with plush foam. At the bottom of each ear cup, there is a jack for the included audio cables?both of which terminate in a gold-plated 3.5mm connector. (A ?-inch gold-plated adapter is included for stereo system and pro gear.)Shure_SRH1440_inline image

The inclusion of an extra detachable audio cable and replacement earpads help extend the life, and thus overall value, of the package. The SRH1440, cables, and the replacement velour earpads and come nuzzled inside a massive black zip-up protective case. The headphones are big on their own, but the case makes it impractical to stuff them in a bag.? Add in the fact that the open back design of the earcups means sound is also projected outward, and we're looking at a pair that's more suitable for home use than portable use.

The most important design element to take into account for a large pair of professional headphones is comfort. Shure did well in this regard. The black velour ear pads are ideal not just because they don't get uncomfortable over long listening periods, but because they also don't get very hot. The headband presses down on the scalp a bit after a long listening session, but the discomfort is only minor?you can easily wear this pair for hours at a time.

Performance
The first thing you notice about the SRH1440's excellent audio performance is the crispness of the mids and highs, which take center stage over bass response. The low frequencies are perfectly represented?they just aren't exaggerated like they are in so many modern headphones, such as the Beats by Dr. Dre from Monster ($349.95, 4 stars). Orchestral music, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," sounds amazing, with a sense of space that you don't often get from in-canal earphones or even some headphones. The lower register instruments possess an ideal resonance, but the brass and wooden percussion sit front and center.

On deep bass tracks, like The Knife's "Silent Shout", there is no distortion, though you get the sense that, at maximum volume, it is just about to come creeping in to the equation. Well, no one should be monitoring at top volume, anyway, and at moderate-to-very high volumes the SRH1440 sounds clean as a whistle, reproducing super-deep bass parts clearly, without any crackling or muddiness. For all genres, the SRH1440 provides a flat response approach that lets music be reproduced with little embellishment.

If the $400 price is a bit too high, consider Shure's SRH550DJ ($125, 3.5 stars)?at less than half the price, it's a solid pair of circumaural headphones with far less leakage, which is ideal for DJs and home studios. The KRK Systems KNS-8400 ($149, 4 stars) are slightly pricier than the SRH550DJ , but offer more power and are definitely suited for recording studio applications. And if mobility is more of a priority, check out our Editors' Choice Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones ($299.95, 4.5 stars)?they're lightweight, on-ear, and sound excellent, though with a bit more embellishment of the lower frequencies. For $400, however, the SRH1440 nails exactly what it's designed for: A precise, dynamic, comfortable pair of headphones suitable for pro applications or casual home listening.

More Headphone Reviews:
??? Shure SRH1440
??? Razer Tiamat 7.1
??? Soul by Ludacris SL99
??? Altec Lansing A3 Custom Triple Driver Earphone
??? Sony XBA-BT75
?? more

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Microsoft Israel?s Best & Brightest on Parade at ThinkNext Tel-Aviv

ThinkNextSlowly but surely, Microsoft Israel is making itself more and more relevant for the local startup community. In fact, we recently covered its latest major push, the Windows Azure Accelerator. Then there's the annual ThinkNext conference which has become one of the local tech community's staple events. The more interesting portion of the event (in my opinion at least) is the demo area, where startups chosen by the the local Microsofties showcase their goods. So unless you happen to be at the event in the port of Tel-Aviv this afternoon, here's what you're missing out:

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PicPlz Founder Dalton Caldwell: All This Gossip About The Instagram Sale Is ?A Waste Of Time?

11403v4-max-250x250Apparently lots of people are still talking about Instagram's sale to Facebook (last week seems like ages ago to those of us in the attention-deficit-disordered world of blogging, but I guess a $1 billion pricetag will tend to keep tongues wagging for a while.) The latest Instagram/Facebook detail the chattering classes are seizing on? Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz's position in the deal, which is smaller than it would have been had the firm not decided to ultimately place ultimately opted to place more of its money and support behind PicPlz, a competing mobile photo sharing app. Well at least one person has had enough of the snark: PicPlz co-founder Dalton Caldwell.

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