MariO is a brilliant and strange new creation you can find for download from Stabyourself.net. It’s a mashup of Nintendo’s classic Super Mario Bros. platform game with Portal. That’s right – Mario now has a portal gun, which he can use to transport between different spots on the level, and various puzzle points on the menu have been worked to take advantage of this new gameplay mechanic.
The free game comes complete with four-player multiplayer coop gameplay, a level editor and downloadable map packs. It’s available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.
I’d recommend grabbing it soon, because I can’t see Nintendo’s lawyers sitting down on this one for too long.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, says Apple and Google have agreed to meet with him to discuss a privacy loophole on smartphones that gives apps unfettered access to people’s personal photos.
Neither Apple nor Google offered the Times any additional info, but Schumer says the companies “were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.” Schumer said over the weekend that he’d get the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) involved. An FTC spokesperson confirmed they’ve received the letter.
A subsidiary of a company that shares patent-licensing revenue with Microsoft Corp. has sued Apple Inc. for infringement, adding another wrinkle to the ongoing intellectual-property wars among technology giants.Luxembourg-based Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l. filed a complaint in a Texas court last week alleging that Apple has infringed on eight patents related to wireless communications in multiple versions of its iPhone and iPad.
Core Wireless is looking for damages and future royalty payments.
I’m worried that in all the hype, in all the “we launched our company” events, and “we changed our name again” parties, and “we redid our website – come celebrate!” shindigs, and the SXSW parties, and the hoodies, and everyone who is “killing it!”, that we’re losing sight a bit of the really hard work that is creating and building a business.
I’m not sure if it’s just overhype or if it’s a generational (millennial) thing, but the constant back-patting of companies that haven’t done shit yet is obnoxious.
Adobe announced the availability of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 software for Mac OS and Windows. First released as a public beta in January 2012, the final version of Lightroom 4 is now available for US$149 for the full version and US$79 for the upgradeAccording to Adobe, “Lightroom 4 introduces refined technology for superior shadow and highlight processing, ability to create photo books, additional local adjustment controls, and enhanced video support.”
Too big to be a wieldy smartphone, too small to be a generously sized tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note hasn’t received a warm critical reception. Wired’s review ended with a 4 out of 10 verdict, Gizmodo gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars. Analysts have also been Galaxy Note skeptics.So critics and analysts have not been kind to the Galaxy Note — making recent news of strong Samsung sales figures all the more curious. Samsung is on pace to sell 10 million more before the year’s end.So why is a handset that’s being critically panned selling so well?
As an iPhone user, most of us couldn’t imagine using a slab like the Samsung Galaxy Note but it looks like it has found its niche.
A short film that tells the story behind the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster. Its origins at the beginning of WWII and its rediscovery in a bookshop in England in 2000, becoming one of the iconic images of the 21st century.
We’ve been seeing this graphic for years in any number of versions so it was very interesting to watch this video and learn a bit about its origins.
This update resolves an issue when restoring a Mac from a Time Machine backup. This update is recommended for users running 10.7.3 with Time Machine backups.
Crytek, developers of the acclaimed Crysis series of first person shooters, announced Monday its first mobile game. It’s called “Fibble – Flick ‘n’ Roll,” and it’s coming to iOS and Android this spring.
Fibble is described as a puzzle game that combines strategy with physics-based interactions and highly detailed visuals. The game follows the adventures of an alien named Fibble who crash-lands in a suburban home on Earth. He’s separated from his crew and he needs to find them and regroup to get back home.
People keep talking about the iPad and if it can replace their PC. The truth is, for a lot of people it can replace the PC, but I think many people are looking at this the wrong way.
I use my iPad like an iPad. When I pick up my iPad I don’t think that I’m missing out because I’m not using my Mac. I chose the iPad because it fit the task I’m doing at the time.
The PC industry has certainly changed over the past few years, but what’s changed more is the way we consume information and what we expect from our devices. That’s where Apple nails it.
The PC industry has spent an incredible amount of time and money trying to convince us that computers (netbooks or ultrabooks) are what we really want to use. The problem is, that’s not true.
Apple adapted its products so I can choose which device I want to use. I can do a lot of things with my iPad, but I don’t consider it a replacement for my MacBook Air. Different products, different things.
The great thing is that Apple doesn’t make me choose. I can have my iPhone, MacBook Air and iPad, and use them all. With iCloud my information is on all my devices, so I’m always up-to-date, so it doesn’t matter where I work or casually browse.
The right question to ask is “does the iPad fit my lifestyle?”
Sony music suffered its second major security breach in a year, with thieves targeting songs and unreleased material by the superstar singer.It’s alleged they downloaded more than 50,000 music files, worth £160million, in the biggest ever cyber attack on a music company.
And I also don’t think they really understand the idea that people want to have access to that content anytime, anywhere and on any device they own.
Tim’s article is just chock full of quotes I could pull out, but for me, this is one of the biggest reasons Apple can take over the industry. Traditional market leaders don’t want things to change and that’s exactly why Apple dominates the music, smartphone, tablet and MP3 player markets.
Apple isn’t afraid to turn a market on its head and introduce a new way of doing things.
Strolling around the Microsoft Store in Santa Clara, Calif., there’s no getting around the fact that you’ve seen this all before. Like, across the street — where a brightly lit, glass-paneled Apple Store stands.
The Swedish company hasn’t begun renting out its showrooms just yet, but it has partnered with Oregon architectural firm Ideabox to launch a line of prefabricated homes. Dubbed “aktiv,” the one-bedroom homes will be decked out entirely in hip IKEA decor. Expected to sell at $86,500, the homes are “Swedish inspired” and “full of personality,” according to the Ideabox website.
They look cozy and contemporary. At 745 square feet and with one bedroom, these are mighty small houses – enough for one or two people maximum. But if you have a small lot and you’re looking to build a snug bungalow, you could do a lot worse. Hopefully the houses themselves last a bit longer than the average piece of Ikea furniture.
A major creditor of Proview Electronics, which is challenging Apple Inc.’s use of the iPad trademark, has moved to have the ailing computer monitor maker liquidated, reports said Monday.Taiwan-based Fubon Insurance is seeking $8.68 million in debts and has filed an application to have Proview declared bankrupt, the reports by the Xinhua News Agency and other mainland media said.
A lawyer retained by Proview apparently said the proceedings won’t have any effect on its own case against Apple. Proview claims that Apple negotiated a deal with its Taiwanese subsidiary to obtain the iPad trademark in 2009, but failed to do so with the Shenzhen, China headquarters – the resulting legal dispute has caused the iPad to be pulled from store shelves in parts of China. Proview is said to be pressuring Apple for an out-of-court settlement.
CCP Games – makers of the EVE Online MMORPG for Mac and Windows – announced Monday that Dust 514, its forthcoming massively multiplayer first-person shooter, will be free to play when it debuts on the PlayStation 3. Gamers will be able to download the game for free from the PlayStation Network once it’s available.
Dust 514 has been in development for several years. The game is not just set in the same setting as EVE Online – it’s set in the same shared, persistent game universe. What happens in EVE Online will affect Dust 514, and vice versa. Gamers leading teams in Dust 514 misions will work with starship pilots in EVE Online to fight battles, acquire territory, gain wealth and more, according to the games’ developers.
Close private trials of Dust 514 have already begun. The company is giving attendees of this week’s Game Developer Conference (GDC) in San Francisco a first look, and attendees of CCP’s annual Fanfest event in Reykjavík, Iceland will be able to participate in the private trial. Dust 514 is expected to launch publicly later this year.
Apple on Monday named the winner of its 25 billionth app download. The app counter rolled over to 25 billion on Friday night and people have been wondering who the winner was ever since.
According to Apple, the 25 billionth app downloaded, Where’s My Water? Free, was downloaded by Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. Chunli Fu will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.
Apple also noted that there are now 315 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices worldwide.
“We’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users.”
Tech’s latest boom has generated a new, more testosterone-fueled breed of coder. Sure, the job still requires enormous brainpower, but today’s engineers are drawn from diverse backgrounds, and many eschew the laboratory intellectualism that prevailed when semiconductors ruled Silicon Valley. “I don’t need to wear a pocket protector to be a programmer,” says John Manoogian III, a software engineer and entrepreneur.At some startups the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction that it’s given rise to a new “title”: brogrammer.
Let’s get one thing straight: If you unironically self-identify as a “brogrammer,” you’re a complete douchebag. Grow up.
Today, the company co-founded by Twitter inventor Jack Dorsey unwrapped Square Register, a free Apple iPad app designed to modernize point-of-sale devices for small merchants. “I truly believe POS, as you know it today, is dead,” says Megan Quinn, director of products at Square. “This will bring Square to an entirely new, small-market audience (bricks-and-mortar stores).”
Using Square Register, a merchant can set up a point of sale system using an iPad and Square’s credit card reader. Existing point of sale systems can cost retailers quite a bit to obtain and maintain, while Square Register is free to download. The service charges merchants a fee per transaction in order to make its money.
Whether you want to record a Skype conversation, save a streaming radio program, or just record a quick voice memo, Piezo can do it. It runs on Mac OS X 10.6 and 10.7 and it can capture audio from any application (yup, even sandboxed App Store apps).
Download Piezo free, then buy it in the App Store or directly through our store.
I like what Readability has tried to do with the service, and the apps are gorgeous, but I have a big problem with the approaches being taken by them. For one I can’t figure out if they want to be a great place to save articles for reading later, or do they want to be a middleman that helps make money for independent publishers and large publishers alike, or… I don’t know. The motives matter to me and I can’t figure out Readability’s.
I’m a long time user of Instapaper. I pay Marco for the service and have no plans to stop.
