Game Review: Avadon the Black Fortress for iPad

Avadon: The Black Fortress is one of the most eagerly-anticipated RPG games for iPad. Made by Spiderweb Software, creators of the celebrated Geneforge and Avernum series for PC and Mac, Avadon is also available on desktop as well as being the first iPad release for this software company. You start the game as a newly-trained Hand of Avadon, reporting to the “chief” of Avadon, Redbeard. You learn that Avadon is a ruling government which has brought peace to five outlying [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/game-review-avadon-the-black-fortress-for-ipad/

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

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OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

I have a thing for full-screen text editing. I use WriteMonkey for my creative writing needs, and VIM in a full-screen PuTTY session for my Web development work. That being the case, I'm all over the monospace, dark-background, focused editing scene.

OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).

I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?

OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.

After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.

Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/ommwriter-brings-its-clean-calm-writing-interface-to-windows/

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HP, You're Seriously Bumming Me Out [Hp]

So, they're really doing it. HP, the biggest PC company in the world, is announcing to the world that it's spinning off its $40 billion PC business. With ads. That they're debuting in a blog post. Except that they're not really announcing it. Just sort of. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0y2a9YNogwc/hp-youre-seriously-bumming-me-out

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Sony's SA-NS 500 AirPlay Speaker: Room-Filling Sound from a Lampshade [Speakers]

Sony's new AirPlay-ready, lampshade-looking SA-NS 500 portable speaker looks like it's going to be pretty good. The SA-NS 500 has a four speaker array, a mid-range subwoofer, and gets 5-6 hours of battery life. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/TEqfJlXHiFk/sonys-sa+ns-500-airplay-speaker-room+filling-sound-from-a-lampshade

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Samsung Galaxy S II logs confirm NFC support for AT&T, none for Sprint

What's the point of investing $100 million in a mobile payment system if you don't have the goods to back it up? AT&T may be adopting this philosophy, beginning with the Galaxy S II. With the aid of eagle-eyed Android dev François Simond, we conducted an extended analysis of Ma Bell's latest gem and discovered it's rife with NFC. In addition to containing kernel drivers and a pre-installed APK, the system files also indicate the device is running in a mode named NDEF -- short for NFC Data Exchange Format. We haven't been able to determine if the handset will be capable of making payments, but the presence of Near-Field Communications in the Galaxy S II is definitely a good sign. T-Mobile is keeping a tight lid on its variant for the moment, preventing us from getting an in-depth look, but FCC filings confirm it will contain NFC as well.

As for the third handset announced last night, the Epic 4G Touch contains no mention of NFC. Upon further analysis, we uncovered something else potentially more disturbing: it's using the same WiMAX module (cmc732) as the Samsung Nexus S 4G, a handset that was plagued with performance issues when it was originally released (those concerns were eventually resolved in a later update). In this case, it's hard to tell if that means we'll relive the painful experience once again, or if it will come with improved firmware to ensure it doesn't take the same path as its 4G brother. We're starting to unravel the mysteries, folks, and will continue to fill you in as we learn more. If you're considering one of these three lovely models, will these discoveries sway your decision in a particular direction?

[Thanks, François Simond]

Samsung Galaxy S II logs confirm NFC support for AT&T, none for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/TfHO9UJC-Zs/

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YC-backed Crowdbooster Launches Social Media Monitoring Dashboard That Does The Thinking For You

Crowdbooster, a Y Combinator-backed startup, is debuting its intelligent social media optimization, monitoring and analytics platform for companies and brands. What differentiates Crowdbooster from other monitoring platforms is that the startup's technology works behind the scenes to understand a user?s social activity, and then makes recommendations about what to share, when, and with whom. The company's platform will automatically surface the most popular links to share; features cross-posting to Twitter and Facebook, based on popularity and content fit; allows you to teceive alerts when influential people follow (measured by Klout); schedule Tweets and posts based on best time; respond to missed Tweets; and thank the most engaged followers. And the company's customized recommendations surface the best content to share and suggests when to publish for maximum exposure.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/KK1BEAdX2Io/

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Sony's head-mounted 3D visor is real, HMZ-T1 arrives in Japan November 11th

Remember that crazy wearable 3D display concept Sony was showing off at CES 2011? Turns out the company is actually going to make it, and the HMZ-T1 is scheduled to be released in Japan on November 11th. While the design has changed slightly since we first laid our eyes, and heads, on it, the specs appear to be the same, with two 1280x720 0.7-inch OLED panels mounted in front of each eye giving the wearer an experience similar to viewing a 750-inch screen from 20m away, as well as 5.1 surround sound from headphones integrated into the Head Mounted Display (HMD). You can see the helmet above, as well as the processor unit (complete with HDMI input and output, so you can take off the helmet and watch on TV) that it must remain tethered to. Pricing is expected to be 60,000 yen ($783 US). Check out the press release and our hands-on video from CES after the break and decide if living out a Geordi La Forge-style fantasy is worth it.

Gallery: Sony's 3D head-mounted display prototype face-on

Continue reading Sony's head-mounted 3D visor is real, HMZ-T1 arrives in Japan November 11th

Sony's head-mounted 3D visor is real, HMZ-T1 arrives in Japan November 11th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Vx0Wspct4Kk/

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IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison

Over on the Internet Explorer Blog, Microsoft has posted results from an extensive comparison of the top five Web browsers. The goal: to determine whether Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4, Chrome 10, Safari 5, or Opera 11 is able to squeeze the most life out of your laptop's battery.

A baseline was determined with test systems sitting idle, and then browsers were pointed at about:blank, a news site, the HTML5 Galactic demo, and the IE9 fish tank demo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, IE9 came out on top -- though Firefox 4 was a very close second on nearly every test. As you can see, the other browsers didn't necessarily fare quite as well, with Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera all posting significantly worse scores. In Opera 11's case, a laptop battery would last over one hour more with Internet Explorer 9 installed.

But what we'd really like to know is where did Microsoft find the dilithium crystals required to run a Galactic Total Power Consumption test...

IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/ie9-and-firefox-4-post-top-marks-in-pc-power-use-comparison/

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Panasonic shows off twin-lens 3D camera prototype, announces HDC-Z10000 3D camcorder

We're here in Berlin, covering IFA 2011, and Panasonic's getting things started by showing off a concept camera, its first with a twin-lens capable of shooting 3D stills and video. Alas, the company's press release is light on technical info, though it does reveal the system's built on dual 4x lenses with "thin, folded" optics. Hopefully, we'll see this thing in person while we're in town and learn a bit more. In similar news, the company also announced the HDC-Z10000 (pictured), its first 2D / 3D camcorder with an integrated twin-lens. The camcorder records 1080p / 1080i AVCHD 3D video, has dual CMOS sensors with a combined resolution of 13.1MP and a glasses-less 3.5-inch LCD. It's also capable of 3D macros as close as 17.8 inches -- a record for twin-lens 3D camcorders, according to Panasonic. As the company's been known to do, though, it's holding off on revealing any details about pricing or availability, so it looks like we'll have to save that for a rainy day. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic shows off twin-lens 3D camera prototype, announces HDC-Z10000 3D camcorder

Panasonic shows off twin-lens 3D camera prototype, announces HDC-Z10000 3D camcorder originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vR3mtB_xtDA/

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