Friday, April 24, 2009
As of this morning, you can download the brand new Peggle for WoW addon from PopCap's site.WoW Insider got a chance to play with the add-on from its early beta on, and it's extremely impressive -- not only will you find the usual addictive peg-hitting gameplay that we've come to know from Peggle, but PopCap and creator Michael Fromwiller (whom we interviewed about Bejeweled, and who we're told is actually being hired on full-time at PopCap as soon as he finishes school this spring) have really added a new level to the game by tying it right into World of Warcraft. The game rewards you with "Talent points" that can change the game play itself, and you can challenge other players within World of Warcraft to duels and score battles. There's even a "Peggle loot" setting, which, when used as Master Looter, will let your guildies and friends with the add-on actually take Peggle shots against each other to determine who gets loot drops.
If you've never played the game Peggle you should try it out. It's much more mindless than WoW, but sometimes your mind needs a break while still being entertained. My five-year-old loves Peggle and so do I. You'll love it.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Can the Web save the Big 3 automobile companies? Probably not, but making Web-friendly vehicles could help to sell a few more cars. Tech companies have increasingly been showcasing web applications for automobiles. Microsoft was working with Hyundai on making an in-car computing system and OnStar may be incorporating Twitter into its vehicle systems. Now Ford will be allowing owners of the Ford F-150, Super Duty, E-Series and Transit Connect trucks and vans to access the web from their vehicles through the Opera mobile browser. Opera will be the featured browser on Ford's first broadband-capable, in-dash computer.Ford is purposely installing these computers in trucks and vans to appeal to contractors, farmers, and construction workers to turn these cars into "mobile offices." Truck owners will be able to use the in-dash browser to access sales information, contact databases, job-site plans, inventory lists, calendars, e-mail, or even the weather.
But don't think about driving using your cell phone, that is far too dangerous...
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Taking steps to help expand the marketplace and improve the consumer experience for digital entertainment, Microsoft Corp. today announced that PacketVideo Corp. will include support for Microsoft PlayReady technology in its CORE multimedia platform, significantly broadening PlayReady's reach to a range of mobile device platforms. Microsoft also announced the availability of the PlayReady Service Provider Program, in addition to announcing a range of content and technology companies that join the more than 50 companies that have selected Microsoft PlayReady technology to power products and services to deliver mobile and in-home entertainment content. PlayReady is a content access technology that enables content owners and service providers to deliver virtually any type of digital content, using a wide range of business models, from on-demand streaming video and subscription to rental or download-to-own. PlayReady also provides significant improvements in ease of use for consumers looking to access, manage and sync protected content with devices.
More Microsoft news...
At CTIA 2009, Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, ran through essentially the same news that his boss, CEO Steve Ballmer, presented about six weeks ago during the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona. The company demonstrated how Windows 7 has built-in software for connecting to 3G wireless networks, showed off some of the features of Windows Mobile 6.5, and played a quick video highlighting its mobile application store, Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
The demonstrations were all geared around Bach's central theme of the "three screens:" the PC, the television and the mobile phone. Microsoft intends to make sure Windows is able to give people access to their personal data, information, and services on all three of those screens.
But Bach promised that Windows Mobile phones will be the subject of Microsoft's next big advertising push, and said the company's partners will have 10 phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 ready when that operating system arrives in the second half of this year.
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SANYO Fisher Company (SANYO), a subsidiary of SANYO North America Corporation, today announces that shipping has started for the new, 2009 Dual Camera Xacti lineup announced in January this year.
The all-HD Dual Camera lineup for 2009 offers a variety of unique features including 1080p, 60frames per second High Definition Video with 8 megapixel photos (VPC-FH1), standard (720p) High Definition Video, up to 2 megapixel photos and 30x optical zoom (VPC-TH1) on land, or even underwater - down to a depth of 10 feet for an hour (VPC-WH1), and standard (720p) High Definition Video and 10 megapixel photos (VPC-CG10).
As part of the launch for the new lineup, SANYO has also unveiled part of its marketing plan for the 2009 Dual Cameras part of which includes a push into online communities. One highlight of the plan features SANYO's Dual Camera line in a number of videos alongside a number of Web Stars - many of the hottest names in online video culture. Some of these stars earn a living making viral videos capable of generating audiences that often surpass that of some hit TV series. Web names such as Lisa Nova, iJustine, Rhett & Link, Mr. Safety, Audrey Kitching, Brandon Hardesty and Apprentice A are creating a variety of videos typical of their style, but with a theme relevant to the 2009 Dual Camera line.
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Is gaming all about ego? Gosh I hope not!
"Most people are very narcissistic," said Electronic Arts' Wright, creator of the Sim City and Sims franchises and now last year's avant-garde Spore, onstage with Federated Media's John Battelle. "The more you can make the game about that person, the more interested, the more emotionally involved they will get."
Advancements in technology have made it possible for the customization craze of the social-networking world to permeate the console and PC gaming sectors, and that has begun to open up the industry to new users who didn't see the appeal in hardcore gaming or immersive role-playing virtual universes.
When it comes to the Wii, probably not.
"The Wii, to me, represents the idea of non-immersive gaming," he said. "When you think about the Wii...most of the entertainment is not happening on the screen, it's about watching your friend act like a doofus swinging the thing around and maybe throw it into the TV set."
Labels: auto, camera, dashboard computer, ford, gaming, Microsoft, sanyo, wii
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Personal savings site BillShrink has a new feature: a gasoline pricing database that directs you to gas stations based on the route you take on your daily commute, not just how close you are to the stations.The Web app isn't just for finding prices. It actually helps you plan your refueling stops along the way. You start by telling it about your car and its mileage, and your home and work addresses. You get back a results page that shows you a Google Map of all the gas stations along your route. You can zoom in and out to expand or limit the search area.
Beneath the map is a listing of all the gas stations BillShrink was able to find, followed by their location, price, and amenities.
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The PC Gaming Alliance has issued its state of the industry report for 2008 and it makes for interesting reading for those who think gaming is all about consoles like Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
Here are the highlights:
The PC is the largest single platform for games with annual worldwide revenue of about $11 billion. This is more than any of the console and portable systems from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
In emerging markets such as Asia and Eastern Europe the PC has become the de facto platform of choice for games as console systems have not had major penetration in most countries.
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) are the leading products for both revenue and profits. Several Asian MMOGs are generating over $100 million in annual revenue after 5+ years on the market. World of Warcraft is generating over $1 billion in annual revenue.
In 2008, two major new subscription MMOGs (Warhammer Online and Age of Conan) sold over 1 million units at retail.
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Epson America has just released its new document camera known as the Epson DC-06 which is able to deliver flexibility, ease-of-use and affordability to today's K-12 classroom. This $399 device comes with an easy USB connection which enables educators and teachers alike to hook up to one of the new feature-rich Epson PowerLite 85, 825 and 826W projectors or alternatively, to a computer using included software for easy operation. The Epson DC-06 document camera will come with XGA resolution that allows you to show off detailed reproductions within a 10.7"x 14.3" capture area, making it a snap for educators to share information from text books, journals, models, and even 3D objects to keep students riveted.
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A few years back, a company called Infinium Labs introduced a new game console, The Phantom. It was going to change the face of PC and video gaming by offering a downloadable catalog of titles available by subscription. It was an aptly named product: The Phantom never shipped.
Yesterday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, a similar sounding service was announced: OnLive. The major differences between The Phantom and OnLive seem to be that first, OnLive doesn't deliver games to your house, it delivers output (more on that in a minute) and second, OnLine doesn't appear to be vaporware.
Game publishers could also frequently update their games on OnLive by changing the code running on the servers. If one part of a game is too hard, the publishers can simply patch that part and then everyone will play the new version the next time they log in. Publishers can also pull the plug on games that aren’t selling well without taking a big inventory hit.
You'd have no control over these changes, since the game doesn't exist in your house. So if you liked that challenging part of the game, you'd lose it (rather than opting not to patch, as you would now).
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And here is a link to The Ultimate Guide for Everything You Need to Know About Twitter >>One of the guidelines is as follows:
Twitter will allow you to import e-mail lists, contacts from instant messaging services, and you can find your friends on their search engine. The best way to build a list of interesting people is to go to the Twitter search engine at search.twitter.com and plug in your interests. This will then spit tons of people back out at you that you can choose to follow. Twitter will also give you some suggestions for people to follow.
Labels: BillShrink, education, epson, finances, gaming, pc, twitter, WoW
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Lol. According to a Reuters article, "w00t," an expression of joy coined by online gamers, was crowned word of the year on Tuesday by the publisher of a leading U.S. dictionary. Merriam-Webster President John Morse said "w00t" reflected the growing use of numeric keyboards to type words.
The article explains that "w00t" it "reflects a new direction in the American language led by a generation raised on video games and cell phone text-messaging and topped all other terms in the Springfield-based dictionary publisher's online poll for the word that best sums up 2007."
SOURCE
Monday, December 3, 2007
Headline of the morning: Guitar Hero meets Warcraft Without reading the article on the ABC news website, I immediately pictured my Blood Elf Mage walking through the Hinterlands with a guitar strapped to her back. I wonder how much armor it would give? I imagine it would definitely increase stamina and spirit. =o)
This could be the deal of a lifetime for Vivendi SA. The company wishes to acquire a "controlling stake" in Activision, Inc. This would be great for gamers because it will force Electronic Arts Inc. to start competing with another big gaming company.
In the Blizzard world I would fear taking on Activision might cause patches and expansions for WoW to become even more few and far between. We're already being forced to wait until next December for the "Wrath of the Lich King." But who knows what will happen, it's just a very interesting plan.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Holy ethernet batman! D-Link's DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router has a GameFuel Engine to keep your game running smoother. Brian would this help with our latency troubles in WoW? It has Gigabit LAN and WAN ports to power a wired network. AND Xtreme N Duo wireless technology for data transfer rates of up to 300Mbps!
Product specs say the wireless signal will be just as strong in the basement as it is in the attic. Awesome! I mean with Gigabit ports, high-performance CPU and backward capability you have got to admit this is drool worthy.
There is even a Network Activity Display to show you what's going on with your router. You can see the securities immediately and you can also see how much is sending and receiving on the display.
For any of you who ever doubted my nerdiness...you really should have no doubts now.
Labels: gaming, router, wireless, WoW
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Now that Braeden is fully engrossed in playing WoW with Brian and I, I have already begun scheming to figure out how we can all play together. Eventually I feel we'll have to go wireless. We have two desktops and two laptops, WiFi and WoW could be fun, but troublesome without the right equipment.Brae is still getting used to using the keyboard and mouse, moving him to a laptop could be hard. I mean...he isn't even four years old yet and he is already gaming, but there are still limitations. Haha. BTW his undead guy "Codfish" is level 4 after only 2 hours of playing. He's going to end up kicking my butt I just know it.
Vigor Gaming is developing wicked fast and graphic intensive laptops for those of us nerds/geeks out there who need such a thing.
According to the Vigor site, their Atlantis notebook is the best gaming laptop out on the market. "Powered by dual NVIDIA GEFORCE GO 7950 GTX graphics cards with discrete 1GB DDR-3 video memory employing SLI Technology, the ATLANTIS delivers ultra-high performance in games and brings stunning, high-definition, superb picture clarity."
Aw man that is sa-weet! Too much for my little boy, but someday I just might have to splurge. We'll see how quickly he levels ;o)
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