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Is a Farmville for Dummies book really necessary?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Video Games,
How do you justify the existence of a book that lays out the concept and strategy to succeed in Farmville? Especially when there are sites that can help you free of charge. Co-author Kyle Orland of Farmville for Dummies sat down with Ars Technica to make an argument for putting the casual Internet game into layman's terms.
"Sure, Farmville isn't a particularly difficult game—it practically holds your hand in telling you how to play, and there's a limited amount of strategy to playing," Orland told Ars. "Some of the sections of the game—especially the farmer's market and some aspects of animal tending—require multiple, time-lapsed steps to complete successfully, and the game only gives one screen of text-heavy explanation for how to go about them."
Click to continue reading Is a Farmville for Dummies book really necessary?
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Hands-on with Sprint’s dual-screen Kyocera Echo
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,
The dual-screen Kyocera Echo smartphone for Sprint lets you do two things at once, or look at the world through a 4.7-inch window. But it's only the vanguard of a legion of dual-screen devices that may be coming to American shelves, Sprint and Kyocera said today.
First, the phone itself: the Echo is a crazy device, but it thinks the way a lot of us do. It multitasks. The Echo starts out as a standard touch-screen Android 2.2 phone, and it works fine like that. But then you slide the 3.5-inch, 800-by-480 LCD screen, it does a strange hingey thing, and pow: the screen almost merges with another screen hidden under it. (Look at the slideshow below to understand.)
The Echo's unique hinge is made out of "liquid metal," Sprint's vice president for device operations Fared Adib said. It felt like plastic to me, but he said it was metal - and when tested, it was stiff and strong. The phone can survive a seven-foot drop test, he said.
Click to continue reading Hands-on with Sprint’s dual-screen Kyocera Echo
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Watch Google introduce Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Handhelds, Software, Videos,
We had some screenshots and short videos in the past, but last week Google did the first in-depth presentation of their latest version of the Android system: Honeycomb. This hour long video shows enthusiasts everything that Honeycomb can do. Unlike previous versions of Android that were optimized for smartphones (and were simply stretched to tablet sizes,) Honeycomb was made for tablets. You'll see a better visual interface, and acceleration technologies for 2D and 3D. After the OS itself, they show off some devices in action, including the Motorola Xoom. Check it out if you're thinking of getting an iPad alternative.
Click to continue reading Watch Google introduce Android 3.0 Honeycomb
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Tech Deals of the Day: Walmart clearance, Best Buy game sale
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Hot Deals, Video Games,
Here's today’s Deal of the Day list, where we bring the the top discounts on gadgets and consumer electronics for the day. The highlight for today is a huge clearance sale at Walmart (they've got thousands of items marked down) alongside a Best Buy video game sale:
- Walmart Clearance Sale
- Best Buy Buy 1, Get 1 50% off video game sale
- 8 GB iPhone 3GS - 1 cent + free shipping
- Literati eBook Reader - $40
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android PlayStation phone Super Bowl commercial
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Video Games, Videos,
The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY becamse very real last night, as it was highlighted in a very cool Super Bowl XLV commercial that featured the Google Android robot getting a back-alley body modification to add thumbs to his arms so that he could get his game on. This Xperia PLAY is the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone, and we're looking forward to February 13th, when all the details will be revealed. Check out the commercial after the jump.
Click to continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android PlayStation phone Super Bowl commercial
Telenav GPS app hitting Verizon iPhone 4 at launch, free for 30 days
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Navigation, App Updates, Free Apps,
TeleNav today announced that the TeleNav GPS application will be available in the Apple App Store as a free download for Verizon Wireless iPhone 4 users when the device is released on Thursday, February 10.
TeleNav allows user to access free maps and perform local searches. Advanced navigation features are also available, including spoken turn-by-turn directions and 3D moving maps. The advanced features will be free for 30 days after downloading the app. After that they will cost users $2.99 per month on a pay-as-you-go basis, or $21.99 per year. Regardless of whether users choose to pay for the advanced navigation features, the GPS map and local search capabilities will remain free.
Click to continue reading Telenav GPS app hitting Verizon iPhone 4 at launch, free for 30 days
Huffington Post acquired by AOL, Arianna Huffington named EIC
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Acquisitions, Corporate News, News,
AOL said Sunday night that it will acquire The Huffington Post for $315 million, which will place Arianna Huffington at the helm of all of AOL's media properties as editor in chief.
Boards of both companies have approved the transaction, AOL said in a press release. About $300 million will be paid by AOL in cash.
With the move, Huffington will oversee all of AOL's editorial content, including Engadget, TechCrunch, MapQuest, and other properties.
Although The Huffington Post is private, the site records 25 million unique visitors per month, generating an undisclosed number of pageviews. The site also generates 4 million comments per month, according to AOL. Combined, the AOL properties will deliver 270 million visitors per month around the world, with 117 million in the U.S., AOL claimed.
Click to continue reading Huffington Post acquired by AOL, Arianna Huffington named EIC
In a connected world such as the one we live in today, we are constantly bombarded with news non-stop. This is why we sometimes need a way to distinguish what's important and current from the rest of the fluff. Newsmaps helps us visualize the world of news in a easy to understand format. This tool visualizes Google News results using a treemap visualization algorithm that helps display all the information in a user friendly way. Bigger font? Popular story. Colors? Categorize the topic of the story. Color intensity? How fresh or old the story is. We can customize our news by interest and even location. Although the colors and fonts can seem a little harsh on the eyes, it gets our attention to what is important.
Do you use a similar tool such as this? Feel free to share it with us in the comments.
Best Buy and The Source make room for white iPhone 4
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
We know that the white iPhone 4 has pretty much been like a unicorn by now, originally promised by Apple almost 8 months ago, and still nowhere to be found. However, it looks like that's about to change, as big box retailers like Best Buy and Canada's The Source have actually started making space on store shelves for the elusive smartphone. When they delayed the white iPhone 4 for the third time, Apple said it would appear this Spring. It started showing in Best Buy and AT&T inventory a couple of weeks ago, and the fact that stores are making room give some credence to the rumors that we might be seeing the white model finally available to anyone who decided to wait this long--but seriously, if that's you, you may wanna just wait for the next iPhone to drop in a few months.
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| Engadget
Winner: Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode III
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Television, DC Comics,
In the pantheon of Star Wars material, my favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back. My next favorites? The Robot Chicken specials.
So I was thrilled to read that over the weekend the writers on Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III just won an Annie Award for Writing In A Television Production.
The credited writers are Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick & Hugh Davidson along with one other guy: DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns.
Congratulation to all the winners!
The Brewmasters at Cartoon Brew have all the details on all the winners. Be sure the read through the comments while you're there!
[Artwork: Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode III]
