AWESOME!!!

Original post from bit-tech here: http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2013/01/15/dell-buyer/1

Dell is claimed to be in talks with a pair of private equity firms as it looks to find a buyer and go private in the face of slumping PC sales.

Dell has been a victim of the recent slump in the PC market, which has dropped even beyond worst-case estimates with the usually lucrative Christmas sales period seeing a 6.4 per cent drop world-side compared to the same time last year. According to figures released by research firm IDC, Dell bore the brunt of those losses with shipments dropping 20.8 per cent year-on-year – beaten only by Acer, which saw its own shipments drop a staggering 28.2 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2011.

That kind of loss, at a time when sales are traditionally at their strongest, is enough to make investors nervous – and Dell is claimed to be looking to bail on its status as a publicly-traded company with a lock, stock and barrel buy-out by a private investment group.

The claims, as yet uncorroborated by any statement from Dell itself, come from two anonymous sources ‘with knowledge of the matter speaking to Bloomberg. According to said sources, Dell is looking towards investment groups TPG Capital and Silver Lake for a finance package that would see the company held privately for the first time since its initial public offering in 1988.

Things have changed since that day, however: where Dell raised $30 million in investment cash from its 1988 IPO and hit a market capitalisation of $85 million, the company is currently worth $21.35 billion – not bad for a company started as a one-man band in 1984 with $1,000. Dell’s current market capitalisation has been helped by a massive surge in share price as investors sought to capitalise on the buyout rumours, pushing the company’s share value up 12.96 per cent in a single day of trading.

With the PC market slumping – and some in the industry claiming that we’re entering a post-PC era where tablets, smartphones and convertible devices rule the roost – and the global economy still struggling to climb out of the doldrums of recession, it remains to be seen whether either of the investment firms will be able to drum up the cash required to take Dell private once more. Should the expected deal fail to materialise, investors who piled onto the company’s shares in the hopes of a quick profit will likely abandon them in droves – adding to Dell’s woes.

For Dell, whose attempt to branch out from its image as a dull shifter of plain boxes and servers for office types included the 2006 acquisition of gaming PC specialist Alienware, the following months are likely to be interesting indeed.

En Masse Entertainment has announced that players will now have several options for playing TERA. Included in the new revenue model is a ‘subscription-free’ option as well as an ‘elite status’ option that gives 30-days of subscription-level play. The F2P option has no level cap or content restrictions. Current and former subscribers will be given permanent ‘founder status’ with exclusive benefits. The new plan goes into effect in February.

To celebrate this next chapter of TERA, En Masse Entertainment will be launching new in-game content, including a wave-based dungeon and a PvP battleground map that introduces a new way for players to test their skills against each other. The multi-stage Crucible of Flame dungeon challenges players with a series of epic, high-level battles culminating with a new boss fight against the immense Cyclops. This dungeon offers varying rewards based on performance. Additionally, more competitive players can take off in Champions’ Skyring, an all-new three-versus-three PvP battleground with some of TERA’s best PvP gear at stake.

Head to the TERA site for more information.

Starter, Premium and Ultimate Founders Packs Available Now for Early Access, Extra Loot and the Perfect Collection of Super Heroes

SAN MATEO, Calif. – January 9, 2013 – Marvel fans and gamers assemble! Gazillion Entertainment today announced the Founders Program for Marvel Heroes, the highly anticipated free-to-play MMO action-RPG launching in Spring 2013.  The Marvel Heroes Founders Program lets players purchase limited-edition digital Founders Packs for access to their favorite heroes, unique costumes, early game access, and in-game currency that can be used to buy even more heroes and costumes at launch. The value-packed Marvel Heroes Founders Program is available for purchase for a limited time only through Starter, Premium and Ultimate packs at http://presale.marvelheroes.com/presale_en_uk/.  

The Marvel Heroes Founders Program digital packs include:

Starter – There are 16 different Starter Packs available.  Each pack includes one of 16 Super Heroes to play at launch, one bonus costume for the chosen hero, £6 of in-game currency and two days head start prior to launch. Each Starter Pack will be available for £12.99. 

Premium – There are seven different Premium Packs available that will come equipped with a team of four heroes from across the Marvel Universe, including X-Force, Uncanny X-Men, Marvel Knights, Avengers, Marvel NOW, Marvel Classic and a special Deadpool pack (Why? Because he made us do it). Players will also receive four bonus costumes for their team, £20 in-game currency and four days head start prior to launch. The Premium Pack is available for £39.99.

Ultimate – The optimal value of the Founders Program, the Ultimate Pack includes access to ALL heroes available in Marvel Heroes at launch, ALL launch costumes plus four Ultimate Pack exclusive costumes (Maestro Hulk, Wolverine Weapon X, Spider-Man Symbiote and the Iron Man 3 Movie Armor), £32 in-game currency, seven days head start prior to launch, a permanent 5% experience boost, a permanent 5% item find boost, and more. The Ultimate Pack is available for £129.99. 

“Our team is hard at work to make sure Marvel Heroes is true to hardcore players, Marvel fans and the most casual of gamers through deep, MMO action-RPG gameplay, an expansive interactive storyline and easy-to-play experience,” said David Brevik, president and chief operating officer, Gazillion Entertainment. “We’ve built Marvel Heroes from the ground up to be a free-to-play game where players can find and collect nearly every hero and costume in the game just by playing.  The Founders Program gives players the opportunity to play as their favorite hero from the day we launch in addition to enough in-game currency to buy more heroes and costumes as we release new content.”

Marvel Heroes is created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo II, set in the expansive Marvel Universe. Featuring an original storyline created by Marvel super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis, players collect and play as iconic Marvel Super Heroes, including Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain America and many more. Players will be able to suit up as their favorite heroes in Spring 2013 to battle notorious Marvel Super Villains (Magneto, Doctor Octopus, Madame Hydra, the Kingpin and more) en route to stopping Doctor Doom from destroying the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube. 
Marvel Heroes will be available in Spring 2013 as a free download for PC and will be available for Mac OS post-launch. Marvel Heroes Founders Packs are available for purchase now at the following link: http://presale.marvelheroes.com/presale_en_uk/.

You can find out more information on Marvel Heroes at https://www.marvelheroes.com follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MMMSociety or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marvelheroes

Spotify has removed the ability to purchase downloads from its UK and European stores.

In a move aimed at simplifying the service, users attempting to download tracks will receive a message reading, “We’re currently not offering new download purchases on Spotify. You can still use downloads you’ve already purchased.”

Following the update, Spotify issued a short statement that read, “We recently updated Spotify to further simplify the service and pave the way for new features announced at the end of last year. In-app purchases aren’t part of this update but we’re not ruling out their return. Credits/gift cards already purchased are still redeemable.”

As the message above states, previously purchased downloads that haven’t been used can still be redeemed.

More information on the changes can be found on the ‘Music Purchases’ section of the Spotify FAQ page here

If you’ve already distributed your music with EmuBands, you can have your releases added to Spotify’s service; simply log in to your EmuBands account, view your release, and click ‘edit’ next to the contracts list.

Alternatively, to get your music on Spotify, simply click on the ‘Join Us Now’ link on the right hand side and be sure to select Spotify when adding your release.

EmuBands’ one-off distribution fee includes all stores we distribute to now and in the future, therefore opting into Spotify will not cost you anything.