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A new official trailer and some unofficial video for Battlefield 3's multiplayer mode has emerged over the last several days.

The 1-minute trailer reveals a frenzied firefight in the new map Operation Metro (located in Paris). After flashing between a few locations within the area, the video kicks off with a squad rushing forward while a tank fires at an unknown number of enemies ahead.

DICE/EA waste no time in promoting the hype surrounding the game by flashing a graphic that shows 80 E3 2011 award nominations and then a few seconds later shows that the anticipated FPS won 47 awards during the massive gaming convention. … Read more

Hungry for more details about Battlefield 3? DICE revealed a few details about Battlelog, an upcoming free social-networking site that will roll out in conjunction with BF3 on October 25.

While there's no shortage of statistical sites for Battlefield games, the Battlelog service aims to be different with an infusion of social features. In an official blog update posted today, DICE describes Battlelog as a service where "players will be able to build a network of friends, communicate with other gamers, and compare their Battlefield stats with friends and foes alike."

The main area of Battlelog will be Battlefeed and it will be similar to a Facebook feed. It's a real-time area that displays your friends' activities, such as ranking up, unlocking guns, or awards achieved. For example, instead of pressing "Like," you would press "Hooah!" under a status update. Comments can be left on any action posted in the feed. DICE also mentions in the blog post that the service will offer a detailed stat-tracking system that features a "soldier progression section, bringing full stats tracking for every shot fired and every action performed in your Battlefield career."… Read more

DICE took the stage during EA's E3 2011 press conference in Los Angeles today to reveal lots of new goodies for gamers to gush about regarding Battlefield 3.

After three years of development, the release date for the latest game in the hit franchise has been confirmed for October 25 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. For those of you who can't wait much longer, there will be a multiplatform open beta in September.

The Swedish gaming studio also announced Battlelog, a social-oriented addition to the game that enables players to manage their friends list; create squads and platoons; or check out in-depth real-time statistics. Battlelog will be free, which is a slight jab at the similarly featured Call of Duty Elite paid service. … Read more

It's Tuesday, right? That means it's the perfect day to indulge my love of alliteration and toss out a twofer. Also, I couldn't decide which of these two items was the "winning" deal, so I'm giving them equal time.

First up: TV deals seem to be on the rise these days--meaning prices are falling. Today only, Dell has the Sharp LC42SB48UT 42-inch LCD HDTV for $444.99 shipped (plus sales tax in some states).

That's a crazy-good price on a 42-inch TV, especially when you consider that the average 32-incher still sells for … Read more

Maggie Reardon wrote a post today on her Signal Strength blog about AT&T beginning to crack down on customers using the iPhone's tethering capabilities without paying for the service. Apparently the company has begun sending out e-mails and text messages to the offending customers inviting them to sign up with its tethering plan--$45/month for what it calls a "DataPro" 4GB service.

I haven't used this feature at all yet on my iPhone and I probably never will at $45 a month. But this story also brings up the old "Unlimited Data" plan argument. I think I was grandfathered in with an Unlimited Data plan (which frustratingly doesn't include texts for no reason I can understand accept that AT&T is nickel-and-diming us to death), but as you can see, my "unlimited" plan has very clear limits when it comes to tethering (and texting!). I don't know about you, but last I checked, unlimited meant without limits. Also, if the connection is going through my iPhone to my laptop, how is that any different than simply using the same connection on my iPhone without a laptop? It's the same connection, right? If not, is it really a $45-per-month difference? Somehow I doubt it.

Anyway, I just thought I would (vent) put it out there and see what readers think about the new tethering features, the pricing, and the highly limited "unlimited data" plans. Let me know what you think in the comments.

This week's apps include a unique background image collection app, and a combination first-person shooter and role-playing game that's set on Europa, the ice-covered moon of Jupiter.… Read more

So many great games, so little time. Actually, I don't mind carving out the time (who needs sleep?)--it's dropping $40-50 on a single game that pains me.

Fortunately, as I've mentioned many times before, if you don't mind being patient, game prices can and will drop--sometimes steeply. Today, I've rounded up four top-rated games (for Windows) that are all fairly recent, and all heavily discounted. (Note that all prices are subject to change and were accurate when I wrote this post.) Take a look:

Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition for $6.42. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Ask any hardened PC gamer and they'll tell you there's no better way to control a first-person shooter than a mouse-and-keyboard combination. We completely agree, and with the Eagle Eye 360 from Penguin United, Xbox 360 gamers can do just that.

While the company has already had a PlayStation 3 offering that provides the same functionality, the Xbox 360 version is new for CES. The device can bind all of the Xbox 360 controller commands to mouse and keyboard buttons and store up to two key-mapping schemes.

You'll need a wired Xbox 360 controller for the … Read more

This week, over at our Signal Strength blog, Maggie Reardon answered questions from readers regarding the upcoming Verizon iPhone. The article is not about the iPhone specifically, but about how a mass exodus from AT&T to Verizon might effect both carriers.

I got the iPhone 4 when it was launched, knowing that I would have to stick with AT&T for two years, but obviously, I had little choice as an iPhone app reviewer. Like many who got the iPhone 4 near launch day, I was sad to hear later that I missed the chance to get an iPhone with Verizon, which many say has the best network. But Maggie has an interesting point: With a mass exodus from AT&T, it will probably mean that those stuck in contracts will experience significantly better signal strength with a lot less users clogging up the network. Also, current Verizon customers have to wonder just how much a huge influx of iPhone users will effect the historically strong Verizon network.

I suppose we'll have to wait and see what effects a Verizon iPhone will have on each carrier, but you have to admit it's heartening to hear that AT&T users might be getting better service as a result of the Verizon iPhone. Hopefully both carriers will benefit from the change so all of us finally get good connection speeds.

This week's apps include the sequel to one of the best racing games for iPhone and the debut of an FPS game formerly only available on desktop computers and consoles.… Read more

Many of you probably have some vacation time coming up. What better way to spend it (besides reading, spending time with family, etc.) than by playing some great games on your PC?

Today I've rounded up three deals I consider too good to pass up:

BioShock Action, adventure, role-playing, sci-fi, and horror all rolled into one of my all-time favorite games. It may be a few years old (and there's already been a sequel), but if you've never played BioShock, it's time to find out what all the fuss is about. GamersGate has the download version … Read more