App World Wednesday: 5 Spooktacular Apps For Halloween

By hanna_horwarth (Own work) [CC], via Flickr Creative Commons
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanna_horwarth/266812701/sizes/z/in/photostream/)

If you’ve been reading the blogs lately, you may have guessed I’m a gamer, and you know I love playing games on my BlackBerry ® smartphone or BlackBerry ® PlayBook ™ tablet. When it comes to gaming this Halloween, there are no tricks — only treats. From zombies to snipers to the evil Draky, here are a few of my favorite spooktacular games from the BlackBerry App World™ storefront:

• Bomberman vs Zombies by Contlex Labs LLP: Be brave and save Planet Earth from Zombie invasion with the help of Bomberman on your BlackBerry smartphone. Use his 5 lives wisely to navigate the earth space, or tap into the app’s bonus features to earn extra lives.

• Bloody Sniper by Auto Labs: You know those times when you’re walking home late at night and suddenly find yourself in a cemetery being attached by monsters, zombies and skeletons? That’s exactly what happens to our hero in Bloody Sniper. Help Bloody Sniper defeat this band of evil creatures and survive the night with this BlackBerry smartphone app!

• Draky and the Twilight Castle LITE! by Joyco Games: For those with a Dracula fascination, or want to flex their skills at sparing a couple innocent children from a lifetime in Draky’s evil castle, download this app free for BlackBerry smartphones.

• CandyMare by NoisyNinja: Flex your skills by navigating through a puzzle of monsters and ghosts on your way to the candy factory. With 60 levels of “candy adventures” and the ability to track achievements, this BlackBerry PlayBook tablet app will keep you entertained until the ghouls and goblins are gone.

• Night of the Living Dead Defense by Marmalade: If you’re a fan of the cult-classic horror movie Night of the Living Dead, this HD game for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is an excellent pick. Get ready to shoot zombies and save humanity with a host of gameplay features, including multi-screen levels, visible monster paths, and 12 unique upgradable gunners as your backup. The only thing left to do is stay alive!

• Plants vs. Zombies for BlackBerry PlayBook by Electronic Arts Inc.: My Halloween wouldn’t be complete without Plants vs. Zombies for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Ge ready to knock off a mob of zombies with peashooters, wall-nuts, cherry bombs and more before they reach your front door.

These are only a few of my favorite Halloween-inspired gaming apps for BlackBerry devices. How do you plan to stay safe from zombies and vampires more this Halloween? Shout out your favorites in the comments!

Related Posts

• App World Wednesday: Top 5 BlackBerry Apps for Grads
• Introducing the BlackBerry App World Enterprise Solution for BlackBerry PlayBook
• App World Wednesday: 4 Great Free Apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook
• Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet App Demo (VIDEO)
• App World Wednesday: Track Your Favorite Sports Teams While On the Go

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WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Look for Longer

It's the Tube again, but not as we know it

Before we start, we’re not obsessed with the London Underground, OK? It just so happens that two sites about it have come up in the same week. But if 150 Great Things was all about the Tube’s history, lookforlonger.com is more about its geography – namely its stations.?

This is a brilliant and addictive online game from CBSOutdoor, the advertising people, and Virgin Media, where you have to identify 75 Tube stations from the visual clues on screen.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

But some of these are devilishly devious. You’ve really got to be a fan of the tortured pun to get some of them. Just look at the sheep in the bathtub and tell us what that means.

But, with some nice prizes up for grabs, this is one time waster that might not be a total waste of time.

And the whole thing is aimed at commuters on the Tube who can now access free Wi-Fi while they're trying to figure it all out.

We’re up in the mid-fifties out of 75 now and the remaining puzzles are driving us bonkers.

Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Look for Longer originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Take fast notes on the go with Quill

I recently examined the complex (but incredibly handy) BeNote application and found it to be an outstanding tool to keep your life and business day organized. But what about those users who want to take simpler notes, say for meetings? When you need to quickly write out notes or sketch drawings, there’s a great solution called Quill.

For only $1.00 (USD), the Quill handwriting/note-taking app offers the following features:

• Active pen (digitizer) support for ThinkPad Tablet, HTC Jetstream, and HTC Flyer
• Fast response to pen strokes
• “Fountain pen” mode supports pen pressure (requires active pen)
• Pinch-to-zoom
• Double-finger tap to zoom
• Two-finger move gesture
• Pen strokes are vector art
• “Pen only” mode to disable touch input while writing
• Android 3.x hardware accelerated graphics
• Open source (GPL) format
• PDF export (save to SD card, Evernote, Share)
• PNG (raster image) export
• Backup/restore your data
• Ruled/Quad background paper
• Tagging for pages
• Easy switch between multiple notebooks
• Undo/redo
• Change pencil thickness/color

Obviously, the experience with Quill is made better with an active pen. With these, you get touch sensitivity and other features (depending upon the pen and tablet). Active pens that are known to work are:

• ThinkPad Tablet Pen (N-trig digitizer) for the ThinkPad Tablet
• HTC Scribe (N-trig digitizer) for the HTC Flyer / HTC Evo View 4G / HTC Jetstream
• Samsung S-pen (Wacom digitizer) for the Galaxy Note

Even without an active pen, you can still use a capacitive pen (I’ve purchased these at drugstores for $5.00) or your finger. Regardless of how you interface with the app, Quill is a great way to take instant notes without having to dig through the features and steps of other, more complicated, note-taking tools.

Let’s take a loom at how to install and use Quill.

Installation

As you would expect, getting Quill on your tablet is quite simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Play Store
2. Search for “quill” (no quotes)
3. Tap the entry for Quill
4. Tap the price button
5. Tap Accept & buy
6. Let the installation complete

You should now see the Quill launcher in your app drawer (or, depending upon you tablet, the home screen). Now, it’s time to start taking notes.

Usage

When you first fire up Quill, you’ll find yourself on a fairly minimalistic page (Figure A). You can immediately begin writing, sketching, adding images, etc. Just place your pen (or your finger) on the screen and start writing (or drawing).

Figure A

Quill on the Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Tab.

In the right half of the top toolbar, you’ll find all of the available tools. If you want easier access to these tools, tap the red circle in the bottom left corner. When you tap this, you enable the toolbox (Figure B).

Figure B

Quick access to the tools make for faster note taking.

You can easily switch between the fountain pen and the pencil. Unless you have an active pen, you won’t see any difference between the pencil and fountain pen. The fountain pen supports pressure sensitivity (so the harder you press, the thicker the line).

You can change the thickness of the pencil by doing the following:

1. Enable the toolbox
2. Select the pencil tool
3. Tap the drop-down between the color picker and the tool selector
4. Choose from ultra-fine to giant

It’s also possible to add an image to your note. This is great for annotating. To add an image to your note, follow these steps:

1. Open the toolbox
2. Tap the image tool (directly to the right of the eraser)
3. Tap and drag the screen to size the image
4. From the image selector (Figure C), tap either Gallery (to select an image from your collection) or Photo (to take a photo with the tablet’s camera)
5. If you’re adding an image from your Gallery, locate it, and tap it to add
6. If necessary, tap the Crop button to crop the image
7. If necessary, tap the rotate button(s) to change the rotation of the image
8. Once the image is exactly how you want it, tap the Save button

Figure C

If you change your mind about adding an image, tap the Erase button to cancel the action.

The image should now be in your note. You can draw or write notes about the image (Figure D).

Figure D

Here you see notes added to a screenshot taken from BeNote.

To use the pinch-to-zoom feature, you must first tap on the zoom tool (top left tool in the toolbox). Once you’ve selected that tool, you can then pinch to zoom in or out, and you can move the note about on the screen. The nice thing about zooming is that you can make finer-grained notes. This is especially helpful if you have trouble writing smaller print clearly - just zoom in, write, and zoom out.

When you need a new page for new notes, simply tap the Next button. You can also create new notebooks (say for different departments) by going to the Quill home screen (tap the Quill icon in the upper left corner of the main window). From the Home Screen (Figure E), tap the Switch Notebook button, and then tap Create new notebook.

Figure E

You can also filter pages by tags on this screen.

To add tags to a note, tap the Tags button in the upper left corner, type the tag you want to add, and tap either Done or Next (on the keyboard - Figure F). You can add as many tags as needed to a note.

Figure F

When you type the first tag for a note, the keyboard key will say Done.

Finally, you can export your notes to various formats by doing the following:

1. Open the note to be exported
2. Tap the menu button in the top right corner
3. Select Export
4. Name the note in the resulting overlay (Figure G)
5. Select the output type (PNG, PDF, Quill Archive)
6. Tap Export

Figure G

From here you can also easily share the note.

Although Quill doesn’t have all the cool features of BeNote, it does enable you to take very fast notes, quickly add images, and keep multiple notes and notebooks. It’s fast, simple, and allows you to export your notes to a universal format.

Source : techrepublic[dot]com

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Nexus 7 Models and Prices November 2012

A quick round up of the Nexus 7 tablet models available.

Google refreshed their offering earlier in the week, introducing the new 32gb version along with a 3G mobile edition too.

Nexus 7 Editions and Prices

Good new for anyone who waited to buy, the 8gb model has been discontinued and the 16gb now occupies this price slot. Two new 32gb models have been released, the more expensive of which will provide you with access to the mobile phone network allowing you to get net access wherever you can find a mobile signal.

• Nexus 7 16gb £159
• Nexus 7 32gb £199 (order now)
• Nexus 7 32gb HSPA+ 3G £239

You can see the official Nexus 7 pages here.

The 3G model is set for release in a couple of weeks, expect to see it available to order from November 13th, keep an eye on the site and we’ll be posting up links as soon as we spot them!

If you want to go grab youself the 32gb model, you can order that now!

For more information please see our buyer’s guide

Related posts:

1. Pre-Order the 32gb Nexus 7
2. Nexus 7 32gb Model Expected
3. Existence of 3G N7 Confirmed
4. Nexus 7 32gb Available at Currys
5. Pre Order Nexus 7 UK

Source : nxtab[dot]co[dot]uk

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Microsoft Surface RT Teardown Takes Place, It’s Actually Hard to Repair

iFixit is at it again, tearing down the freshly launched Microsoft Surface RT tablet and deeming it hard to repair. In order to disassemble the new toy, the experts had to remove 17 Torx screws from under the kickstand and the camera bezel. Inside they found a Samsung battery and motherboard that was squeezed in.

The battery is actually pretty easy to replace apparently, with Microsoft gluing the battery to the inside, so you’ll need a spudger to remove it. The battery is a 7.4 V, 31.5 Wh unit that makes it larger than the 25 Wh one inside the iPad 2. However, it’s smaller than the 42.5 Wh behemoth powering the iPad 3 and God only knows what rests inside the iPad 4. The teardown also reveals the presence of stereo speakers inside the Surface, plus a mysterious third speaker.

That smaller third speaker is unbelievably enough, the one that’s supposed to procied the clicking sound of the Type Cover when connected to the slate. How cool is that? iFixit also had a surprise: the display panel is made by Samsung and it’s hugely similar to a 1280 x 800 pixel one. Microsoft says it’s a 1366 x 768 res screen and I can’t imagine they’re lying… If you want the iFixit verdict, they called it at a 4 out of 10 when it comes to repairability, so it’s best left to the experts to fix your slate, if it even breaks down.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Surface Tablet Has Inferior Battery Life Compared to the iPad
2. iFixit New iPad Teardown Reveals Samsung LCD, 1GB of RAM and a 11,560 mAh battery
3. Microsoft Surface RT Tablet to be Priced at Just $199?!

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Acer Iconia Tab A110 now available online for $230 with Tegra 3 processor, micro SD slot, and HDMI out

Good news for those who were enticed by the rock-bottom price of the Nexus 7 but didn’t want to have to go through life without an expandable memory slot. The Acer Iconia Tab A110 is now officially available online, and it gives you all the specs you crave — including an SD card slot — while keeping a wallet-friendly $229 price tag.

Similar to the Nexus 7, the Iconia A110 features a more than capable Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 7-inch display, 1GB of RAM, and all running on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The real difference comes at a loss in display resolution — of which the A110 features a 1024×600 display vs. the Nexus 7′s 1280×800 — and lack of NFC. The A110 also features micro HDMI out, another feature absent from the Nexus 7. Everything in life is a trade off, I suppose.

Still, with Acer’s solid build quality, just the right specs, and reasonable pricing, there’s no denying the Acer Iconia Tab A110 is a great tablet for just about anyone on a budget. Anyone thinking about picking one up in time for the holidays? Be sure to hop onto our Iconia Tab A110 forums where you can chat with other prospective buyers, ask questions, or simply chat it up with fellow Android enthusiasts.

[Amazon]

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Time for a BlackBerry Device Cleaning

We strive to keep our BlackBerry ® devices free from dust, dirt and grime, but we live in a world where our devices demand our dirty fingers. Looking inside our mobile devices, unused apps and old data allow virtual “dirt” to take up our BlackBerry smartphone’s memory in the same way. With fall upon us and winter quickly approaching, our devices will soon be snapping festive pics and loading up on holiday emails. It’s time we did some fall cleaning!

First, to get rid of the nasty crud on the outside of your device, start by removing any case your device is sporting and then wipe down your device with a soft, slightly dampened, lint-free cloth. You may have to use a small cotton swab to get into some of the tighter corners and crevices. Remember to use distilled water instead of harsh cleaners or abrasive rags on your device as they can damage it. And don’t forget to give your case a good scrubbing before putting it back on.

Second, let’s take a look at excess/old data and apps that are taking up space on your device. Make sure you do a backup and sync all pictures and files using BlackBerry® Desktop Software before you do anything, just in case you delete something you need to access later. Syncing your device with your desktop or laptop can also allow you to remove things from your device while making space for new items.

Finally, once you’ve identified them, removing apps is pretty easy:

• Launch the BlackBerry App World ™ storefront from the “All” tray
• From the BlackBerry App World home screen, select “My World” (If the home screen is not displayed, press the “Back” key to return to it)
• You’ll see a list of your installed apps. Scroll to the desired app and press the “Menu” key
• Scroll to and choose “Delete”. You will need to confirm this choice on the next screen
• If prompted, choose “Restart Now” or restart your device
• Your BlackBerry device will restart, and the app should be uninstalled

NOTE: The uninstalled app is still associated with your account and can be reinstalled at any time by scrolling to the “Uninstalled” section of “My World” in BlackBerry App World.

Here’s where you do your happy dance because you now have the cleanest BlackBerry smartphone in the neighborhood. When the holiday parties come around, you’ll be the one snapping pics with a shiny smartphone and swagger in your step.

Related Posts

• BlackBerry PlayBook Back to Business Offer: Buy 2, Get 1 Free – Plus Accessories!
• How to identify BlackBerry Device Software versions
• Upgrade to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 and Get a Free BlackBerry PlayBook!
• BlackBerry Mobile Fusion launches today, including Universal Device Service!
• Introducing BlackBerry Device Service for BlackBerry Mobile Fusion

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iPad 4 A6X Processor is Actually More Than Two Times Faster Than the iPad 3?s CPU

During last week’s Apple event, the Cupertino giant surprised us all when they went out and announced the iPad 4, aside from the iPad Mini. That happened just 7 months after the iPad 3 was released and it was seen as quite the shock for people attending their event and also iPad 3 buyers. An interesting aspect about the new slate is that it promises two times the performance of the Apple A5X CPU, since it uses the A6X processor. Let’s see how real the claim is…

You should also know that the iPad 4 brings an improved FaceTime camera, faster WiFi and the new Lightning connector, not only the new CPU. The latest GeekBench benchmarks have shown that the latest iPad is more than twice as fast as the predecessor. It’s got a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, plus 1 GB of RAM and it hits a score of 1,757 in Geekbench, while the iPad 3 scores just 791 points. The new iPad is also faster than the iPhone 5, that uses an Apple A6 CPU and scores 1,571 points in GeekBench.

Basically, the A6X is a tweaked A6 with better graphics for the larger iPad display. For those of you fretting about the iPad 3 replacement happening so fast, know that Apple has a program in place, that gives you a free iPad 4 if you bought an iPad 3 in the past 30 days. Early adopters still remain sad, though… To me the key aspect is normal user interaction and since the iPad 3 didn’t stutter (much), I guess you can live with it like this, without requiring extra performance, right?

Related posts:

1. T-Mobile G-Slate Tablet 200% Times Faster than the iPad 2?!
2. Apple iPad A4 Processor Gets Detailed
3. iPad Keyboard Prototype Allows Faster Text Editing (Video)

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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NeoGeo X Gold Limited Edition coming to UK 6 December, priced ?175

Pre-loaded with arcade faves

A limited-edition pack including the NeoGeo X retro gaming handheld, an old school joystick and base station styled like the original Nineties console, will be available in the UK on 6 December.

It is being distributed here by Blaze Europe, a specialist in retro gaming equipment which has also announced that the set will cost a reasonable ?175.

The NeoGeo X Gold Limited Edition pack will come with 20 pre-loaded classic titles, including?3 Count Bout, Art of Fighting, Alpha Mission II, Baseball Stars II, Cyber Lip, Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury Special, The King of Fighters '95, King of the Monsters, Last Resort, League Bowling, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Mutation Nation, Nam 1975, Puzzled, Real Bout - Fatal Fury Special, Samurai Shodown II, Super Sidekicks, and World Heroes Perfect.

As a bonus, the Limited Edition set also includes a game card featuring a copy of arcade and SNK hit Ninja Masters.

The NeoGeo X handheld console comes with 4.4-inch screen and stereo speakers. It plugs into the NeoGeo X Station when you want to play the games on a big screen, as the add-on features audio and video outputs, including HDMI and composite.

The NeoGeo X Arcade Stick rounds off the experience, giving you the same form of control that NeoGeo owners had back in the Nineties, but at a fraction of the cost.

We can't wait to try out the whole kit here at Pocket-lint, to see if it can live up to our fond memories of winning bouts in Samurai Shodown II without really knowing what we were doing.

Check our Blaze Europe's website at www.blazeeurope.com for more info.

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Tags: Neo Geo X Gaming Neo Geo Blaze Europe

                       

NeoGeo X Gold Limited Edition coming to UK 6 December, priced £175 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:40:00 +0000

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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LG Spectrum 2 announced for Verizon, available today for $99

The LG Spectrum 2 is available today from Verizon. The Android 4.0 smartphone will retail for $99.99 on a new two-year contract (after mail-in rebate). The Spectrum 2, which was outed on Best Buy’s site last week, packs a pretty decent feature set for its price point, including a 4.7-inch True HD Advanced High Performance IPS display, dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, and 4G LTE connectivity.

One of the Spectrum 2′s more unique features is built-in wireless charging, something that LG also included in the recently announced Nexus 4 for Google. Topping up the phone’s battery is as easy as laying it on a charging station. No cables necessary.

Those looking to pick up the Spectrum 2 can do so now via Verizon’s online store. The handset will be available at retail locations “in the coming weeks.”

VERIZON WIRELESS ADDS FAST, POWERFUL, TRUE HD SPECTRUM 2 BY LG TO 4G LTE LINEUP

Spectrum 2 Offers an Enhanced Wireless Experience, 4G LTE Speeds, True HD Display, Advanced Camera Capabilities and Stylish Design

BASKING RIDGE and ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics USA today announced the Spectrum™ 2 by LG. Exclusively for Verizon Wireless, the Spectrum 2 by LG will be available online on Oct. 30 at www.verizonwireless.com and will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

The Spectrum 2 by LG creates a unique wireless experience thanks to an ecosystem of features and accessories, allowing customers to avoid cables. The unique battery cover allows wireless charging, and it’s included at no additional cost. Contacts, maps and websites can be shared wirelessly using near-field communications (NFC), by tapping two compatible phones together. NFC can also be used with the included reprogrammable LG Tag+ stickers to create special smartphone modes for the office, home or car by tapping the stickers with the Spectrum 2 by LG. SmartShare also makes it possible to wirelessly view pictures and watch videos on a DLNA-enabled device.

The 4.7-inch True HD display will make the Spectrum 2 by LG stand out by enhancing the viewing experience when streaming movies, playing games and browsing the Web. The HD display, paired with Corning® Gorilla® Glass, delivers vivid and accurate colors, crisp, sharp text and clear images. Apps such as viewdini, make it easier than ever to find TV shows and movies that users can enjoy right on their Spectrum 2 by LG. Football fans will also be able to take advantage of the screen combined with 4G LTE speeds to watch live games for an unrivaled viewing experience.

The Spectrum 2 by LG helps to capture precious moments with its 8-megapixel camera and then takes it a step farther with its Advanced Image Editor and Video Wiz features. With these features, customers will have an editing studio in their hands to crop, rotate and add effects to photos and other multimedia documents that they can then share with friends over 4G LTE. The 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera allows customers to video chat with friends and family to easily stay in touch from virtually anywhere. Additional camera features include 1080p HD video recording, Intelligent Panorama Shot and Time Catch Shot to take photos before pressing the shutter button.

Accessorize and Protect

LG Premium Sleeve with Smart Display – provides protection and displays notifications on the screen to show the number of missed calls, text messages, emails and voicemails. Customers can also customize the clock styles that are displayed when the Spectrum 2 by LG is inserted in the sleeve. The Premium sleeve will be available in stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $24.99.

Additional Features:

• Wireless charging capabilities thanks to the unique battery cover included in the box
• 4.7-inch True HD Advanced High Performance (AH) In-Plane-Switching (IPS) display
• Global Ready™ so customers can have voice and data service in more than 220 countries
• Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Krait 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• Mobile Hotspot to share a 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• 16 GB of internal storage (formatted capacity is less) with microSD memory card support of up to 32 GB
• QuickMemo™ allows customers to capture screenshots and add their own personalized commentary or drawings with a finger
• Bluetooth® Version 4.0

Pricing and Availability:

The Spectrum 2 by LG will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com starting Oct. 30 for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go towww.verizonwireless.com.

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Take 3 minutes to laugh at Apple with this banned iPad Mini promo [VIDEO]

It seems Apple is a gold mine for jokes in the techie world and the Cupertino company’s latest “innovation,” the iPad Mini, is no more safe than the likes of the Apple Maps debacle or Antennagate. The iPad Mini’s 7.9 inch form factor created quite a stir within the community for a couple of different reasons.

For one, it proved Apple’s obnoxious tendency to act as if it’s always their way or the highway. The iPad can’t be 10.1 inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio, it has to be 9.7 inches. The iPad Mini can’t be 7 inches, it has to be 7.9 inches. The iPhone can’t be 4 inches diagonally, it has to be 4 inches tall. These sorts of things prove Apple will find any way to insignificant way to stand out that it can.

It also proved the company is stubborn. It pretty much gawked at the 7 inch Nexus, but by adding .9 inches the iPad Mini is in some sort of safe zone that Apple arbitrarily decided was the “right” size for this category of tablets.

Well, none of us were buying it. It’s foolish and contradictory, and we all felt obligated to call it out. We didn’t quite do that here on Phandroid (after all, it’s an Android blog) but we felt this new banned iPad Mini promo was the perfect time to do so.

Because why not take 3 minutes out of your day to laugh at the most nonsensical development in the tablet game yet, right? Riiiiight. Go ahead and click that play button above and give yourself a quick break before we return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Gameloft bringing 12 games to Windows Phone 8, with new Xbox features

Including Modern Combat 4

Gameloft is to release 12 of its top games titles for Windows Phone 8, all of which being optimised to use the new operating system's Xbox ecosystem.

Each of the games titles will feature Xbox Leaderboards?compatibility, allowing players to see their performances rated alongside friends and others in the community. In addition, there will be Xbox?Achievements?support so completists have more to find within each game.

Gameloft's big Christmas 2012 release, Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour will be leading the line-up of available games. Also due for release on iOS and Android, the fourth chapter in the hugely successful mobile first person shooter franchise is looking amazing (if the released trailer is anything to go by).

The previous three Modern Combat?instalments?have sold over 6.3 million copies in total, with the last - Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation - having 1.5 million active monthly users and the distinction of being the first ever mobile game to be accepted into Major League Gaming US.

Read:?Windows Phone 8 review

The other games in the line-up include Ice Age Village,?N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance,?Shark Dash,?Asphalt 7: Heat,?The Dark Knight Rises,?UNO & Friends,?Order & Chaos Online,?The Amazing Spider-Man,?Fashion Icon,?Poker for Prizes, and?Real Soccer 2013.

"Gameloft is thrilled to be able?to?take advantage of the?integrated Xbox gaming service?on?Windows Phone?8,"?said?Baudouin Corman vice-president of Publishing for the Americas at Gameloft.

"As smartphones continue to gain ground as?one of the most widely?adopted?gaming devices,?we see this as a great opportunity for us to optimise our titles for Windows?Phone?8 users to enjoy with the platform's new features."

It is claimed that all 12 of the new titles will work across the entire range of launch Windows Phone 8 devices, including the Nokia Lumia 920, Samsung ATIV 8 and HTC 8X.

Tags: Gameloft Apps Gaming Windows Phone 8 Microsoft

 

Gameloft bringing 12 games to Windows Phone 8, with new Xbox features originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:15:47 +0000

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Need for Speed: Most Wanted for Android now available

Today is the launch of Need for Speed: Most Wanted for consoles if you haven’t heard, but the game is getting a mobile rendition and it’s come out the same day as the retail version. If you can’t tell, that’s a bit of a treat considering most games tend to take a week or two to get to the Play Store following their bigger console brethren.

That’s right, you can find Need for Speed: Most Wanted in the Google Play Store for download right now. It’ll cost you a $6.99 ticket to play, but what’s promised is intense racing action that not only sees you racing your roadster-sporting friends, but from spike-bearing police, as well.

The game features 35 different cars to choose from, though we imagine a majority of these will need to be unlocked through gameplay. You can also modify your car to make it better, choose between two different control schemes (touch or motion) and more. Most Wanted also features connectivity to Origin so you can check the Wanted list on the go.

You’ll be doing your dirt in vehicles such as the SRT Viper GTS, Porsche 911 Carrera S, Hummer H1 Alpha and more. And the graphics are some of the best you’ll get on mobile, to boot, though we wager you’re going to need a decent phone to ensure the smoothest gameplay experience possible.

This title won’t replace the console excitement for myself and many others, but it looks like a really nice complement to the series and a worthy download if you want to take those daring high-speed chases on the go. The initial download is 12MB in the Play Store, but you’ll want to be on WiFi because there’ll surely be some additional data to be downloaded after it’s done in the Play Store. Get to it here.

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Off With Their Heads! Apple Removes Scott Forstall and John Browett From the Company

Apple is doing some internal moves these days, with Scott Forstall being forced to leave the company next year, after 15 years of work at Apple. Forstall is the senior vice president of iOS software and seen by many as the iOS daddy. It appears that the decision to remove him came once Forstall refused to sign the apology letter for Apple Maps users, so Tim Cook had to sign it.

Aside from Forstall, John Browett is also packing his bags, after heading Apple retail. The memo came hours ago and also involves some other officials being moved to different positions in the company. Forstall’s mistake was that he praised the Apple Maps so much during WWDC 2012′s keynote and the resulting product was subpar. Siri being introduced as a beta product is also the fault of Forstall, so he’s got many wrong strikes already. Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will have to take over new responsabilities inside the Cupertino giant.

Tim Cook doesn’t seem to want to bring in new experts, so he resorts to moving the current ones around. Mansfield will have to put in some extra hours, just as he announced he was going to retire, but I guess he changed his mind. Jony Ive, the brilliant designer of the iPod and iMac will take charge of the leadership for Human Interface and keep the role of leader of Industrial Design. Eddy Cue will have to control a lot of the company’s areas, like Siri, Maps, iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore and iCloud.

Will the replacement of such valued officials (Forstall was part of Next with Steve Jobs) change the company’s direction for the better? We’ll see…

Related posts:

1. Former Apple CEO John Sculley Sees the Samsung Galaxy Tab as the Sole Serious Rival to the iPad
2. Apple to Give Up Google Maps in iOS 6.0, Go With Own Solution (Video)
3. Apple CEO Tim Cook Officially Apologizes for Apple Maps

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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