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World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria trailer released

World of Warcraft fans rejoice! Blizzard Entertainment released a trailer for Mists of Pandaria -- the highly anticipated expansion pack for the addictive online game -- yesterday at Gamescom 2012 in Cologne, Germany.

The trailer reveals the opening cinematic sequence to Mists of Pandaria. Described as a lost continent shrouded in fog, Pandaria is inhabited by a race called the Pandaren. The upcoming release is the fourth expansion pack of the uber-popular game.… Read more

Intel CEO dings ARM's Windows 8 'legacy' vulnerability

Intel CEO Paul Otellini took aim at a vulnerability of the ARM chips running Windows 8 when he addressed investors today at a meeting at Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.

"There's been a lot of debate that [Windows 8] is going to be a real entree for the ARM camp into Windows for the first time," he said. "While at face value, that's true...[but] I think they have a big uphill fight," he said.

Intel showed off an ultrabook with a touch screen running Windows 8, demonstrating how easy it is to … Read more

Meet a retired World of Warcraft server

A game like World of Warcraft requires several thousand servers to operate the hundreds of online realms within its ecosystem. Earlier this year, Blizzard Entertainment auctioned off several of those server blades "used during World of Warcraft's early days."

A Reddit post brought up the subject again recently, and contains a few pictures of a server blade used for the European server Sunstrider from February 27, 2005 to August 24, 2010. There's little doubt that countless gamers spent thousands, if not millions, of hours playing during that time frame. A special clear enclosure reveals the innards of the server, which contains 6 gigabytes of RAM (DDR-400MHz). It did not come with the original hard drives. … Read more

Windows 8 may have an edge over Android on tablets, ARM CEO says

In the wake of a solid earnings report, ARM's CEO Warren East said Microsoft may have some potential advantages over Android in the tablet market.

ARM processors power the vast majority of tablets and smartphones sold globally.  And for the first time with Windows 8, a mainstream Windows operating system will run on both ARM and Intel chips.

Responding to an analyst's question about why consumers would buy Windows 8 tablets when Android tablet sales have been "disappointing," East cited Microsoft's brand recognition among consumers.

Microsoft's brand advantage: "Consumers are familiar with … Read more

Windows 8 stable on ARM, going to developers soon, say sources

Windows 8 is stable on the ARM chip platform and will be seeded to developers soon, sources told CNET. Devices may be priced significantly less than their Intel counterparts, too.

Windows 8 on ARM should go to developers in February, said one source, who had some hands-on time with a high-profile device from a major PC maker, adding that Windows 8 was impressive and stable.

"In October of last year. [Windows 8 on ARM] scared the industry because it was unstable. But what we are seeing now is quite stable," said another source, who also confirmed an expected … Read more

Windows 8 on ARM: late, buggy, analyst says

LAS VEGAS--Investment bank Piper Jaffray says Windows 8 running on ARM chips won't be anything to write home about. And neither will Intel's latest chip for smartphones.

Windows 8 is a milestone for Microsoft and the PC industry because it's the first mainstream Microsoft operating system to run on both ARM chips--typically found in smartphones and tablets--and Intel's X86 chip design.

"It is time once again for CES...we expect another dollop of hype and hyperbole coming out of CES this year," wrote analyst Gus Richard in a research note Monday morning.

Windows 8--not … Read more

The 404 908: Where we level up with Fitocracy (podcast)

Our guest on today's podcast episode is Dick Talens from Fitocracy.com, a social network that whips nerds into shape using role-playing mechanics and social-gaming achievements.

A self-described "ex-fat kid," Dick tells us about his high-school RPG career that developed an unhealthy lifestyle and dietary habits, and the light bulb moment when he realized he could combine his love for video games with the success of online social networks to get into shape.

Instead of typical workout routines you get from personal trainers and fitness magazines, Fitocracy takes cues from games like World of Warcraft and Chrono Trigger to present "quests" that must be completed to earn achievement points and "boosts."

After each workout, Fitocracy makes it easy to check in online, update your progress, and even send "props" to your fellow Fitocrats--the whole process is really motivating and takes the chest puffing out of your daily gym experience.

Check out today's episode to see Dick's incredible before and after photos, which should be enough to get you out of your computer chair for at least a few sit-ups. Also, the site is in private beta right now, but Dick is extending a generous invite to 404 listeners--just head to Fitocracy.com and enter in "The404" as a promo code and you'll be able to sign up ahead of everyone else.

Enjoy the service, and let us know what you think, and don't forget to send us your before and after photos!

The 404 Digest for Episode 908

Head over to Fitocracy and enter "The 404" into the promo code section to try it out! Fitocracy brings games and social to your workouts. Follow Fitocracy on Twitter. My workout partner is a role-playing game. Xkcd comic about Fitocracy. Most popular fitness tracking Web site: Fitocracy. Twitter break video of the day: HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA (AND HE PRAYS)

Episode 908 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

World of Warcraft now free for 20 levels

Rejoice, World of Warcraft n00bs. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is now free to play for up to 20 levels. That means players can now take as long as they need to get familiar with the game before they have to pay a subscription fee.

The game's developer, Blizzard Entertainment, has eliminated the prior free 14-day trial period in favor of the new beginner system, which it's calling World of Warcraft Starter Edition.

The move is brilliant considering that WoW, which was first released in 2004, is known for immersing users in a deep game world. The limited trial seemed too short a time to get acclimated to the rich virtual landscape.

Although the trial subscription had its limits, WoW remains wildly successful, reaching 12 million subscribers in 2010. Will the new trial model help increase the MMORPG's user base? … Read more

The 404 836: Where it's big, round, and shaped like a spaceship (podcast)

We enjoyed yesterday's show with Joey Kaminski so much that we invited him back to sub for Jeff again today. He weighs in with us on Apple's new spaceship-shaped campus, Chinese prisoners allegedly mining MMO gold, Steve Jobs' freakiest Apple patents, and muffing the ball.

The 404 Digest for Episode 836

Steve Jobs proposes a new Apple campus--shaped like a spaceship. Steve Jobs' freakiest patents. China reportedly forces prisoners to mine MMO gold. Richard Dreyfuss reads the iTunes EULA on tomorrow's Reporters' Roundtable!

Episode 836 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more