Tekken Nation Officially Closing Down

TekkenNation.com was once a bustling Tekken website that focused more of the light hearted side to the TEKKEN series in it's heydays. A notable example of which: is of Katsuhiro Harada himself posting on the site clarifying certain details about the game's storyline & characters. The website served as an interesting juxtaposition with the TekkenZaibatsu website which is geared more towards the competitive aspects of the Tekken games. Recently, Cosmic_Castaway posted a thread notifying all readers in advance that the web site will be offline on the 17th of January due to long periods of site inactivity. With this site closure, it feels more like that Tekken Zaibatsu is the main central Tekken hub for the English speaking world despite that website too being generally inactive and feeling a bit too dated for the average user, which will most likely be using social media like a consolidated Facebook group or a twitter account to establish an online presence. Regardless, a lot of Tekken history goes down with the site and there's a bigger void for 'casual' Tekken content on the internet.

comment by CC

• by Cosmic_Castaway on Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:17 am

I am going to take this time to announce that Tekken Nation will be closing its doors on the 17th of January next year. It's been a good ride, but I can see that the interest just isn't here anymore for users, nor are there many users left to speak of. I have reached out to multiple people in hopes that they would have the interest and time to revive this website, but no one felt up to the task. Unfortunate, because I'm sure this site holds a special place in the hearts of all of us. I know it does for me. I'm glad to have been admin as long as I was, and it was a pleasure getting to know you all.
The friends that I have met here are some of the best I have to this day, and I will never forget this site's part in shaping my life. A special note to all my moderators: thank you for your time; you served me, the site, and the users well. It was a pleasure having you on board. And to Deebo, if you get the chance to read this, thank you for giving me this opportunity.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
-CC

Tweet

Facebook to show fewer text posts from Pages

Facebook said Tuesday that it is once again fudging with the formula behind News Feed. This time around, the social network warned Page owners that it would show their text-only status updates to a smaller number of their followers.

"Page admins can expect a decrease in the distribution of their text status updates, but they may see some increases in engagement and distribution for other story types," News Feed Ranking Product Manager Chris Turitzin wrote in an announcement on the change.

The company said that the News Feed alteration is meant to match members' actions and preferences. People respond differently to updates from Pages than they do updates from friends, Facebook said. A person is apparently more likely to write more status updates when they see more text updates from friends, but the same doesn't hold true for text updates from Pages.

The change is bound to be a controversial one with Page administrators, many of whom already feel slighted by the social network's algorithm for picking and choosing who gets to see their updates and when.

The latest News Feed adjustment follows a number of other so-called improvements. Most recently, Facebook adjusted the ranking formula to deliver more news and fewer memes.

Tweet

iPhone 6 said to be unveiled in June in two large-screen sizes

Rumors are already starting to roll in about Apple's purported iPhone 6, according to Apple Insider. The newest claims come from Chinese analyst Sun Changxu, who told Chinese-language Web site QQ Tech that the smartphone will come in two large-screen sizes and could be unveiled as soon as June.

According to Changxu, the upcoming iPhone 6 will most likely have a 4.7-inch, 1,136-pixel-by-640 pixel display. Changxu said that Apple could release another smartphone shortly later that has a higher-resolution 5.7-inch display. Word has it that Apple will reveal its new smartphone at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Several sources have already speculated that Apple's next iPhone will come in a larger size. In October, a handful of reports said the screen size will jump to almost 5 inches from the current 4 inches. Some analysts even pegged possible screen sizes at anywhere from 5.7 inches to 6 inches. Similarly, a report last week from DisplaySearch said the iPhone 6 could have a 5.5-inch 1920 pixel-by-1080 pixel display.

During an event launching the iPhone on China Mobile last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked whether Apple might launch an iPhone with a bigger screen or flexible display. All Cook would say, in essence, is that customers can expect some nice updates in the future.

"We never talk about future things," Cook said. "We have great things we are working on but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it."

Meanwhile, the rumored iWatch is also getting its share of speculation. According to G for Games, Apple's supposed computerized wristwatch is said to have a flexible OLED display from LG. Reportedly, LG has finalized a partnership with Apple to make 1.52-inch OLED displays for the watch. Production is said to begin later this year.

There's been talk of a purported iWatch for about a year now, yet no conclusive signs of any device have appeared. In October it was rumored that LG Display was close to signing a deal with Apple to provide the OLED displays. However, the release of the device is said to have been delayed due to screen technology decisions, battery issues, and corporate shuffling.

Tweet

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls background download now available

Blizzard has announced that you may start downloading files for the Diablo 3 expansion Reaper of Souls, as well as a "pre-expansion" patch that will be released in the coming months. The download will not affect your game at the moment, but will mean you'll have less to download when the expansion and pre-expansion patch are released.

"The background download data is encrypted and won't make any changes to the live game or Battle.net service until patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls launch," Blizzard said in a post on battle.net. "In the meantime, you will be able play Diablo 3 as normal, and your in-game experience should remain unaffected by the download itself."

Blizzard said the download will be around 6GB in size and include things like models, textures, art files, and other upcoming content in patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls that is already complete.

Reaper of Souls introduces a new character class, the Crusader, and a fifth act to the game. The expansion will also be a part of the Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition when it launches on PlayStation 4, though Blizzard has yet to date this version.

The Reaper of Souls expansion will be released on March 25.

For further instruction on how to start the background download head over to battle.net.

Tweet

Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 Preview

Introduction

There might come a time in a person's life when they ask themselves how have they remained productive so far without a 12" stylus-wielding tablet with extremely high resolution display. That's precisely the moment Samsung is betting on when it introduced the Galaxy NotePRO - the largest member of its Note family, that arguably started the whole big-screen mobile device swoop with the introduction of the first phablet. 

Samsung argues that the 12.2” NotePRO offers PC-like productivity in today's mobile age that blurs the lines between computing device segments, and if we look at the specs of this Android tablet, the company has a point, so let's preview what will be on offer with the newcomer in the Note portfolio, taking some hints from our prototype unit.

Design

Samsung has used the artificial leather look with stitching accents pioneered with the Note 3 once again. It arguably gives its electronic devices a more buttoned-down and sophisticated look than sheer plastic, and we have to say you can be fooled it is a leather notepad looking from afar. It is still plastic, but nicer to the touch than the usual glossy coat. Glossy, however, is offering more traction for your hands, as it just sticks to your fingers, whereas the leathery back here is more slippery. There is a metallic-looking rim surrounding the sides of the NotePRO, further adding to the more premium looks.

Despite the elevated leather pattern with edge stitches, though, the tablet manages to stay in the sub-8mm category, which is where all the catwalk stars of the tablet arena belong, too. The exact dimensions are 11.64 x 8.03 x 0.31 inches (295.6 x 204 x 7.95 mm), and we'd say this is as compact as a 12-incher can get, while still leaving some bezel on the side for resting your thumbs during handling. For comparison, one of the closest competitors - the Sony Vaio Tap 11 - sports an 11" screen, and measures more at 12" x 7.40" x 0.39".

The issue here is weight, though - at 26.56 oz (753 g), Samsung's largest tablet isn't feathery to carry around, or keep in your hand for a long time. Sony's Tap 11 weighs about the same, but it carries an Intel Haswell processor with the respective fan, powering full desktop-grade Windows 8.1, plus a full USB 3.0 port. When you tack on keyboard folios, like the one Logitech introduced for the NotePRO, and you start thinking about ultra thin and light laptops, like Sony's Vaio Pro 11, which carry much more oomph than Samsung's tablet with this setup. 

Thankfully, we get Samsung's excellent S Pen stylus with the NotePRO, which sits tucked neatly in a silo at the top right corner of the slate, ready to alternate your productivity urges with doodling sprees. It is very easy to take out or push back in, yet feels snug and not wobbly in the silo.

Interface and functionality

The tablet ships with the newest Android 4.4 KitKat, but Samsung's TouchWiz Nature UX interface we are accustomed to, has been given a fresh coat of paint. So fresh, in fact, that it has received a different moniker – Magazine UX – indicating a brand new tablet-oriented interface that Samsung argues is mimicking the layout of traditional magazines we are accustomed to ruffling through.

Processor and memory

Depending on whether you want LTE connectivity with your Galaxy NotePRO or not, the tablet ships with two different chipsets. One is the new "true octa-core" 1.9 GHz Exynos 5 Octa, which can have all eight cores firing up at once, pushing those four sections of the Multi Window mode with ease, even when a Pen Window or two are running on top with more apps active inside. The LTE version will come with the no less powerful quad-core Snapdragon 800, clocked at the respectable 2.3 GHz.

Internet and Connectivity

We already mentioned that there will be an Exynos 5 Octa version of the NotePRO, which will be Wi-Fi-only, or carry an HSPA+ radio with up to 21 Mbps download speeds. The NotePRO version with Snapdragon processor will be able to get on your carrier's fast 4G LTE network. The HSPA+ model will cover the global 850/900/1900/2100 MHz bands, whereas the LTE one will hop on the 800/900/1800/2600＋850/2100 bands, which seem geared towards Europe and Asia, so US carrier versions of the tablet might come at a later date.

Camera

The 8 MP camera on the rear of the NotePRO is of the auto focus variety, and comes accompanied by an LED Flash. Featuring zero shutter lag, it takes advantage of the numerous shooting and scene modes the typical Samsung camera interface offers, such as Panorama, HDR, Sports, Night and so on. You also get a 2 MP front-facing shooter, which does 720p video recording, whereas the rear one is capable of 1080p footage. We are providing some camera samples below, but will comment on the quality when the final retail version of the tablet is here.

Multimedia

The gallery offers a split-screen view with folders on the left, and their content shown in grid preview on the right. The tablet offers very rich editing options, which are enhanced with stylus-friendly features to draw and annotate on your photos. 

Your tunes catalog is also getting a split-screen view in the music player, with categories like artists, albums and playlists on the left, and content on the right. The NotePRO has a number of sound modes and equalizer presets, and the two stereo speakers on the sides are quite powerful.

1080p videos in all popular formats can be played without a hitch, and look beautiful on the huge and luminant high-res display, so watching movies or other footage would be one of the selling points of this tablet.

Battery

With a 9500 mAh, Samsung's Galaxy NotePRO is quoted to last 10 hours of video playback on a charge, which is above average for an Android slate, so you can rest assured it will get you through a whole day at the office or on the go when you are away from a charger. We will know how it stacks against the competition when we put the retail unit through our battery benchmark testing procedure.

Tweet

How To Avoid Google SEO Penalties

Google has set out a lot of guidelines to help people make their websites more search engine friendly. Making your website more search engine friendly is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, some people try to manipulate the search engine in order to have their website ranked higher on the search engine. Google cannot stop people from doing this, but what they can do is punish websites that try to employ such tactics.

With this in mind, the people behind Google set up a bunch of rules. These rules revolve around the things you should not do when optimizing your website. If you try to manipulate the search engine then this is known as Black-Hat SEO. Here are some Black-Hat SEO techniques that you should avoid if you do not want to be punished by Google.

Duplicating the content of other websites

This involves plagiarizing the work of another website. If you take all (or part) of the content of another web page and place it on your web page, then that web page may be punished by Google. Google wants you to upload content that it unique/original. If you plagiarize the work of other people then you are breaking the law, and Google will start punishing websites.
However, contrary to popular belief, it may not be the plagiarizers’ website that is punished. Sometimes the website that uploaded the content first is punished for being the duplicator. Few people understand what criteria Google uses when it punishes websites that duplicate content, but what is known for sure, is that if two web pages have the same content, then one of them is going to suffer.

Spamming links onto comment sections

This can be done manually or with a spam bot. Most of the links will be blocked by the webmaster or blog master, and others will be deleted after the fact. However, some of them are going to remain on comment sections and will act as backlinks for your website. However, as soon as Google realizes what you are doing, it will start to punish your website for it.

Hiding pages on your website

This is done by installing JavaScript links, and can be done in order to hide Black-Hat activity from the search engine; such as a page that asks people to link to the website, or that offers payment for links to the website. Hiding a web page is known as cloaking a website page and will result in you being punished by Google.

Spamming keywords onto your website

This involves putting keywords into the content of your page for no reason other than to optimize for the search engine. You could do this by putting nothing but keywords in the ALT text of your images, or by listing keywords on your content, or creating anchor text for links that is just made up of keywords.

Cloaking keywords on a web page

This is the act of hiding lists of keywords on your website by making the text the same color as the background of the web page. That way the reader cannot see the keywords but the search engine crawler can.

Buying links from link farms

Link farms do not really exist anymore, but the idea is to buy links from a company. This is bad because Google want links to your website to be organic and not purchased. Therefore, Google will punish your website if it finds out that you have bought links from a company or a link farm. Google cannot stop people from selling links, but it can punish the websites that buy from them.

Tweet