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News Video Games

Microsoft launching a Halo Monument for its Combat Evolved remake [UPDATED]

Halo Living Monument website

In mid-October I wrote about Microsoft registering the domain names HaloLivingMonument.com and HaloLivingMonument.net.

I suggested that Microsoft might be launching a website having to do with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which is set to be released on November 15th for the Xbox 360.

Well, today Microsoft temporarily put a website together (pictured above) on the web address halolivingmonument.com for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, but it’s currently not operational. 

None of the links are active and the Windows Live sign in in the top right is disabled. 

I took a screen shot before the site was taken down by Microsoft, which occurred while I was writing this post.

It appears the website is part of the online marketing campaign for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary as I suspected, similar to the Remember Reach website it released for Halo: Reach.  Remember Reach had visitors create a “living monument” of lights to honor Noble team members.

While details are limited, according to the source code pictured below, it appears visitors will enter their birth date when entering the site in order to view the multimedia.  The same way it works for Remember Reach.  . 

HaloLivingMonument.com source code

Apparently, Microsoft has been working on the site at halomonument.cloudapp.net (which I also noticed in the source code), but neither halolivingmonument.com nor halomonument.cloudapp.net resolve to a web page. 

The look-and-feel of the site is much like the product page for the game and has the exact same background.

With the game’s release only 2 weeks away, one would imagine the site will be back online within days, if not sooner.

[Update 1, Nov. 2, 5:00am EST:  Halolivingmonument.com has been officially confirmed.  A commenter on the Joystiq article who goes by MrGreenCastle points to The Halo Fan of The Decade Contest, where one winner will receive a chance to be immortalized.  All entrants will have their photos uploaded to the interactive Halo living monument beginning on November 13.] 

[Update 2, Nov. 3:  Microsoft has now posted a teaser page on HaloLivingMonument.com that displays nothing more than the launch date of 11-13-11, as shown in the picture below.]

Halo Living Monument teaser page

[Update 3, Nov. 13:  HaloLivingMonument.com has gone live.]

Discussion: Joystiq

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News Technology

Google quietly reveals GOMO, a service that mobilizes your site [UPDATED]

Google GOMO

gomo

Early in September, I wrote about Google registering the domain names Howtogomo.com, Howtogomo.net, and Howtogomo.org, and I wondered why the search engine giant went out and bought the web addresses.

Well, it looks like we finally know why.

Although currently ‘Access Restricted’, Howtogomo.com has been launched on the web this week and it appears to be a service that allows visitors to get mobile-friendly versions of websites.

Unless you know the correct password, when you click the Preview button, you’ll receive an ‘Incorrect Password’ message.

While a service like this is nothing new, demand and competition is growing. 

Google already has a similar service called ‘Google Mobile Optimizer’ found at  google.com/gwt/n, however it’s very limited in features.

[Updated, Nov. 1, 10:05am EST:  Google has now made the website public, as shown in the picture below.  However, you may encounter an “Over Quota” error and have to try again later. 

According to the Agency Guide that can be downloaded from the website, the initiative is designed to educate businesses about the mobile opportunity and empower them to build mobile-friendly sites.  A web tool called the GoMoMeter shows you how your current site looks on a smartphone, and provides a free report with personalized recommendations.]

Discussion: ReadWriteWeb, Techmeme, PC Magazine, Betabeat, Search Engine Land, Softpedia, Press-Register, 9to5Google and CNET

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News

Is Tumblr working on a secret yet-to-be-revealed project called Seltzer?

Tumblr Seltzer

Tumblr is continuing its rise in the social media ranks, with milestones such as President Obama’s campaign for 2012 experimenting with the platform.

Now, it appears Tumblr is getting ready to roll out something new called Seltzer.

Several private domain name registrations were made this week through the brand protection and domain management company MarkMonitor, that hint at something new like TumblrSeltzer.com.

The domain registrations include seltzertumblr.com, tumblrseltzer.com, getseltzer.com, and even tumblrsupply.com.

While Tumblr Inc has a record of using Register.com to purchase domain names, it may be using MarkMonitor in hopes of keeping future projects a secret until they are officially released.  MarkMonitor is used by several of the social media heavyweights including Google and Facebook.

Discussion: SocialTimes.com

Categories
News Video Games

Domain names point to sequel being called Rainbow Six: Patriots [UPDATED]

Rainbow Six: Patriots

There has been a lot of buzz about the upcoming Rainbow Six game by Ubisoft said to take place in New York.

While not much is known about the game, the title of the game might have been revealed in Ubisoft’s recent domain registrations.

On the same day Ubisoft registered names for other games like AssassinsCreedRecollection.com, Ubisoft also registered Rainbow6Patriots.com and RainbowsixPatriots.com.

Here’s a look at the WHOIS record for RainbowSixPatriots.com.

domain: rainbowsixpatriots.com
reg_created: 2011-10-27 18:10:44
expires: 2012-10-27 18:10:44
created: 2011-10-27 20:10:45
changed: 2011-10-27 20:10:46
transfer-prohibited: yes
ns0: nic1.ubisoft.com
ns1: nic2.ubisoft.com
ns2: nic3.ubisoft.com
ns3: nic4.ubisoft.com
owner-c:
nic-hdl: USE1-GANDI
owner-name: UbiSoft Entertainment
organisation: UbiSoft Entertainment
person: Cécile RUSSEIL
address: 28 RUE ARMAND CARREL
zipcode: 93100
city: MONTREUIL
country: France

In total, Ubisoft registered eight names on October 27.

The full list of names included: assassinscreedrecollection.com, horsehaventhegame.com, leslapinscretinslatresgrosseappli.com, leslapinscretinslatresgrosseapplihd.com, princeofpersiaclassic.com, rabbidsgophoneagain.com, rainbow6patriots.com, and rainbowsixpatriots.com.

[Update 1, Oct. 29, 5:56 a.m.:  A member of NeoGAF has now confirmed my rumor that the next Rainbow Six game will indeed be called ‘Rainbox Six: Patriots’.]

-BLITZ- writes:

“As the title says and the game being already rumoured by Fusible.com I can confirm it now that the next Rainbow Six will be announce on Xbox World Magazine in the upcoming month (if I understood correctly from my contact). Last night I got home with the assets; logos, arts, the covers and rendered game screens from a buddy that I know in marketing. I will not going to show anything for the moment as I will let the mag do his work, but what I can tell is that the logo is 6 with the pistol that replace the bottom circle. The arts backgrounds are with the New York in fire and the renders characters are very similiar to Homefront, yet the clothes are still based with police rainbow six gears. What I understood the plot will go between a large group of revolutionary terrorists and of course the police. “

[Update 2, Nov. 3:  Ubisoft officially confirmed the next title is Rainbow Six: Patriots.]

Discussion: NeoGAF, Kotaku, Game Informer,  Joystiq, Gamespy.com, Eurogamer.net, VG247, Game Rant, Gematsu, Eurogamer España, Kotaku Australia. Videogameszone, Gaming Union, Lazygamer, Cinema Blend, WhatCulture!, Digital Spy, VGChartz, PlayStation LifeStyle, tweakers.net, Digital Trends, Shacknews, BLAST, Complex.com and Co-Optimus

Categories
Movies News Video Games

Assassin’s Creed movie a done deal, according to Sony Pictures’ domains

Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed Movie

Several tech blogs and news site have been buzzing for the last 24 hours since Variety broke the news that Sony Pictures was in the final negotations to develop a film franchise based on Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed” videogame series.

While the deal hasn’t been officially confirmed by Sony or Ubisoft, that didn’t stop Sony Pictures from registering over a dozen “Assassin’s Creed” movie domain names such as assassinscreedthefilm.com.

All of the domain names were registered on October 20, a day before the Variety story was published.

Here’s a look at the full list of domain names:

assassins-creed-movie.com
assassins-creed.net
assassins-creedmovie.com
assassinscreed-film.com
assassinscreed-film.net
assassinscreed-movie.com
assassinscreed-movie.net
assassinscreed-thefilm.com
assassinscreed-thefilm.net
assassinscreed-themovie.com
assassinscreed-themovie.net
assassinscreedfilm.com
assassinscreedfilm.net
assassinscreedthefilm.com
assassinscreedthefilm.net
assassinscreedthemovie.net

Although the domains were registered before either company has even announced a partnership, Sony Pictures must have been pretty confident that the deal was certain. 

That, or the deal was already done.

Discussion: Kotaku, WhatCulture!, Game Rant, CVG, N4G, VG247, In Entertainment, Factornews, Hobbynews, GamingBolt, Joystiq, Game Informer, MeriStation, The Sixth Axis, G4, Jeux Video.fr, Cine Premiere, Videogameszone, Play.tm and Digital Trends