Tag Archives: ad-supported

WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week)

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WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet

If you can't quite scrounge up the $200 it takes to buy a quality 7-inch slab these days, Amazon may have a solution for you: sell them your attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to develop a ad-supported tablet that would display advertisements whenever the screen is turned on. Sound familiar? Like the ad-supported Kindle readers Amazon's already dabbled with, subsided tablets would ring in at a lower price tag then their ad-free counterparts. WSJ sources also mentioned that some versions of the device would be WiFi only, potentially lowering the price even further. No word yet, if you'll be able to buy yourself out of the ads later, of course.

Update: Care for a thicker plot? CNET is now reporting that Amazon will reveal two new Kindle Fire tablets next week -- an all new 7-inch wonder and a slightly reworked version of the original. While a brand new slab could be an obvious contender for the 7-inch tablet crown, a refreshed version of Amazon's original hardware could very well fit the ad-supported bill. Check out CNET's full report at the source link below.

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WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWall Street Journal, CNET  | Email this | Comments

Atari ports classic games to HTML5 for web and Windows 8, lets developers craft their own (video)

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Atari ports classic games to HTML5 for web and Windows 8 users, lets developers build their own video

Atari is big on nostalgia this year, but it hasn't had much in the way of software to reflect the trip down memory lane beyond the existing mobile apps. Its remedy to that shortfall is full of 2012 buzzwords. The new Atari Arcade includes modern takes on eight classic Atari 2600 games, all built entirely with HTML5 and free to play. As fun as that promises to be, our interest is most piqued by the game library's open-ended nature; this isn't just an alternative to firing up a smartphone. A new Javascript kit lets developers not only build their own games but make money as they see fit, whether it's through ads or in-app purchases. Whether they're new or old, titles work in multiple contemporary browsers, although Microsoft would really, really like you to know that the games are ad-free and touch-optimized for both Windows 8 tablets as well as Internet Explorer 10. We'll try to remember that when we look to relive our Combat memories on a Surface.

Continue reading Atari ports classic games to HTML5 for web and Windows 8, lets developers craft their own (video)

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Atari ports classic games to HTML5 for web and Windows 8, lets developers craft their own (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter

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Hitman Blood Money

It's not hard to see that offering high-quality games through the cloud has its pitfalls, not the least of which is getting customers to pay. Square Enix may have licked that last problem through its new Coreonline web gaming service. Players can still pony up for the full-priced games or even single levels if they want unfettered access, but the cleverness comes through Coreonline's parking meter approach to ad-supported free play: the more ads you watch and the longer they run, the longer you'll get to play without spending a single coin. As our colleagues at Joystiq found out, however, the current level of OS support is inconsistent. Windows gamers can use Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer to start playing, but their Mac-owning friends have to lean on Chrome for some games and can't even consider running the marquee title, Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix's library of eligible games will start expanding in October; while there's no guarantee the Final Fantasy series or many other dream games will make it to the roster, Coreonline's approach might just be viable enough to spare us a few raids on the bargain bins.

Continue reading Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free -- if you feed the ad meter

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Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free -- if you feed the ad meter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceCoreonline  | Email this | Comments

Boingo snaps up Cloud Nine Media to expand its ad-sponsored WiFi network

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Boingo snaps up Cloud Nine Media to expand its ad-sponsored WiFi network

Boingo tried its hand at free WiFi with Google earlier this summer, and now it's acquired Cloud Nine Media to help it claim a larger slice of the sponsored internet access pie. Though Boingo's 500,000 subscription-based access points vastly outnumber its acquisition's 6,000 ad-sponsored locations, it hopes to use the newly purchased company's hotspot sponsorship and ad-sales expertise to increase its free WiFi footprint. "This acquisition allows us to bring that capability in-house to better serve our growing need to deliver sponsored WiFi," Boingo CEO David Hagan told AllThingsD. Naturally, the firm's $9.95-a-month plan will live on, but it's good to know that Boingo will enable more folks to surf the web free of charge from here on out.

[Image credit: Charleston's TheDigitel, Flickr]

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Boingo snaps up Cloud Nine Media to expand its ad-sponsored WiFi network originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourcePC World, AllThingsD  | Email this | Comments

Samba launches ad-supported mobile data in the UK, makes you dance for your internet

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Samba launches adsupported mobile data in the UK, makes you dance for your internet

Want mobile data, but without the pesky monetary cost? Samba, a new virtual network in the UK offers just that, in a model similar to the Blyk virtual operator before it. You'll need to stump up for a SIM (£2.99,) and an optional dongle, then sit back and soak up a few adverts to earn some internet "credit." The MVNO uses Three's network, but keeps a record of your browsing as part of the deal (which, claims the BBC, you can prevent from being used for marketing purposes). To get online you'll need to install a browser plug-in, or iPad app which will send you off to the commercials before sending you on your digital way. While technically free, it'll cost you about two-and-a-half minutes of your time a day to get about 517 megabytes of data in a month. Additional credit can be earned through partner deals, or straight up cash if you just want to get on sans adverts. The "free"-dom doesn't extend to what you can browse though, with some sites (those deemed offensive, or in breach of copyright) being off-limits. Still, if this sounds like a decent trade-off, or a good backup plan, head down to the source after these messages...

Samba launches ad-supported mobile data in the UK, makes you dance for your internet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceSamba, BBC  | Email this | Comments