Technology

Technology

Angry Birds Comes to Google Chrome (FREE/GAME)

12 May 2011 1:37 AM

Angry Birds

Angry Birds (Credit: Rovio)


The most popular mobile game in history has officially made the move from mobile platforms to the personal computer thanks to some help from . The new version of can now be downloaded for the app store of the .

Millions of users who enjoy the addicting birds vs. pigs game can now take their addition to the next level with a version of the game specifically developed for the chrome browser. Rovio, Angry Birds’ mother company was quoted on its blog as saying:
“This is only a beta release of the game, and so far we have 63 levels of the original game available, with an additional 7 special Chrome levels. We are working on bringing more levels to Chrome, and planning on making the Mighty Eagle available as an in-app purchase option.”

At the recent Google I/O developer conference the head of Rovio Peter Vesterbacka demonstrated the game on the Google Chrome browser. The company used the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) to develop the Web-based app which is hosted on the Google App store. According to Versterbacka developing a web based version of the game was impossible until now because of the graphics requirement of the game, but the latest version of Chrome and the new app store gives them just the right tools for the job. There are hoping to create more levels (some of them unique to chrome) and take the game out of beta as soon as possible. In the future players will be able to purchase premium levels using Google’s in-app payment system but the basic version will most probably stay free of charge.

Downloading the game is simple. Open the following link using Google Chrome. Install the Angry Birds app and enjoy some Birds vs. Pigs action.

Skype’s purchase by Microsoft signals strong spell for dotcom sales

10 May 2011 8:04 PM

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Skype CEO Tony Bates seal the deal. Photograph: Susana Bates/Reuters

Little more than a decade after the dotcom bubble burst, the internet business is once again partying like it is 1999. The frenzy of deal-making in Silicon Valley, which is turning social media entrepreneurs into multibillionaires, moved up another notch when splashed out $8.5bn for the loss-making internet telephone service .

Tuesday’s buy is a record for the software giant and takes the total value of worldwide tech-related deals so far this year to $85.5bn (£52bn) – the strongest spell since the months before the dotcom bubble burst on 10 March 2000.

Analysts said the deal would give a boost in its increasingly bitter battle with and . Skype boasts about 170 million users every month and is adding 600,000 a day. But most calls are free and the service has struggled to make a profit. Last year it lost $7m.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, said that with Microsoft’s backing Skype would be able to build a future where “talking to friends and colleagues around the world will be as seamless as talking to them across a kitchen table or a conference room“.

Buying Skype gives Microsoft a recognised brand name on the internet at a time when Google and Apple are both building up their internet phone and video services. “Google has Google Voice, Apple is building up Facetime, Skype is a great brand,” said Colin Gillis, an internet analyst at New York-based BGC Partners.

Gillis said Microsoft was likely to add Skype to its Xbox video games system, Office software and its mobile and tablet software. “Skype addresses some major holes for Microsoft,” he said. “If they don’t screw it up.”

Skype was founded in 2003 by Swedish tech entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and the Dane Janus Friis. The service has grown far beyond its techie roots and is already a mainstream product. The retail giant WalMart started selling Skype hardware in 2007. At peak times there are more than 23 million Skype users online.

This is the second time it has been sold to a big tech firm. In 2005 eBay, the online auction company, bought it for $2.5bn. But eBay struggled to integrate Skype and argued with its founders and management, eventually selling it for $2.75bn to a private equity investor, Silver Lake, in 2009 but keeping a 30% stake.

Friis and Zennström also backed the sale as part of a consortium that bought 14% of Skype. Just a year and a half later eBay has made its money back and the founders are sharing a $1.2bn payday. The Skype deal ranks as the biggest in Microsoft’s 36-year history and follows multibillion-dollar strategic purchases by other tech giants including Intel, which bought the virus software specialist McAfee, and Hewlett Packard, which bought the handheld devices firm Palm.

Investors are also fighting over the new generation of tech firms including Facebook, Groupon and Twitter. Google is believed to have made multibillion-dollar offers for both Groupon and Twitter.

Private investors have fought to get a stake in Facebook, which is lining up a share sale next year that could value the firm at more than $70bn.

Apple Confirms White iPhone 4 Coming Tomorrow?

27 April 2011 2:23 PM
White iPhone 4 Coming Tomorrow?

White iPhone 4 Coming Tomorrow?

It’s finally coming! Apple has officially confirmed the long-awaited white iPhone 4. The mythical device will be available, April 28, on both AT&T and Verzion and in 28 countries.

Pricing is exactly the same as the black iPhone 4 with a two year contract. The device will be available in a 16GB and 32GB model.

Press release after the break..

“The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.”

Pricing & Availability

“White models of iPhone 4 will be available in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and the US, beginning Thursday, April 28 and in many more countries around the world soon. White iPhone 4 will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model with a new two year agreement through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apple’s retail stores, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.”

Will you be picking up the new White iPhone 4 Tomorrow? let us know in the comments below.

Nintendo has announced it will launch a new version of its Wii console in 2012.

26 April 2011 2:56 PM
new, Wii console in 2012?

new, Wii console in 2012?

Nintendo has announced it will launch a new version of its Wii console in 2012.

No technical details about the machine have been revealed, but gamers will get an early preview at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles in June, The original Wii proved a runaway hit for Nintendo when it launched five years ago. However, sales have been gradually declining in the face of tough competition from PlayStation, XBox 360 and mobile gaming platforms.

Wii was the first console of the current generation to offer motion controlled gameplay. In the past year, Microsoft has introduced its Kinect system for XBox, while Sony launched PlayStation Move.

Nintendo’s chief executive, Satoru Iwata suggested that his company was preparing a fresh innovation.

“It will offer a new way of playing games within the home.” he said.

Gameplay
Some observers had speculated that the Wii 2 would simply update the existing machine, adding a handful of features such as high definition graphics.

However Johnny Minkley, an editor at Eurogamer.net, believes that Nintendo could be planning a broader redesign.

“The talk was about Wii HD, but I do not see Nintendo doing that. It will do something more innovative.” he told BBC News.

Mr Minkley noted that Nintendo marketed the original Wii around its motion-sensing handset, rather than technical specifications – something he expects to see repeated.

“PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 were part of the graphics arms race.

“Nintendo would never launch a console based on the strength of hardware. Theirs has to have a gameplay point to it,” he said.

Sales slump
The Wii took an early lead in the battle of the consoles soon after it launched in late 2006.

A combination of its relatively low price and its appeal to non-traditional gamers – including women and older players – helped the company sell 20m units in the first year.

In the financial year 2009/10, Nintendo shipped 20.1m Wii consoles. However, that fell to 15.1m in 2010/11.

Market data suggested that Wii’s share of new console sales had slipped to second place behind Sony’s PS3

In the first three months of 2011, PS3 held a 36% share, compared with 32% for the Wii and 31% for XBox 360.

Well, this could be interesting let us know what you think in the comments below.

April Fools’ Day roundup: Google overload edition

2 April 2011 2:57 AM

April Fools' Day roundup: Google overload edition

April 1st. It’s that time of the year again when the internet is rife with odd news and pranks. As before, news sites like us end up with a healthy stream of tips throughout April Fools’ Day (thanks, by the way), so let us round up some of the best findings for your comedic appetite. Contenders include the usual suspects like Google and ThinkGeek, the former of which dominating the gigglesphere this year with some new “features.” We also have some interesting submissions from Hulu, a font company, and probably plenty more to come as the day progresses, so keep watching this space as we add new entries to this post. Right, let the fun commence after the break.

First up, we have several new features from Google, starting with Gmail Motion and Docs Motion which offer “intuitive, ergonomic” gesture control to replace your outdated keyboard-and-mouse combo. But if you’re more of a Google Voice person, then you might find the Voice-alyzer handy — it’s simply an anti-drunk calling or texting tool for those special nights out. Come on, we’ve all been there.

Also from Mountain View is a new job listing for a Google Autocompleter. That’s right, turns out every single search on Google is actively monitored by human staffers, who are able to provide instant suggestions for your incomplete entries. Have a look at what autocomplete veteran Michael Taylor has to say about his exciting duty.