July, 2011

Space Invaders movie incoming: most pointless game adaption ever?

July 11, 2011 10:34 am by Mic Wright

Categories: Gaming Tags: film, Space Invaders

The history of video game film adaptions is littered with horrors. Remember Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie in the Street Fighter movie or Dennis Hopper’s extreme gurning as King Koopa in the Super Mario Bros movie? But now Hollywood has reached a new low – a Space Invaders movie is in development.

It’s not suprising that the brains behind the plan to turn the plot-free game into a cinematic experience are Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Gigi Prtizker who shepherded The Wedding Planner into being. We can already hear Michael Bay laughing…

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Google+ email explosion was down to lack of disk space!

July 11, 2011 10:03 am by Mic Wright

Categories: Apps & Software Tags: bug, Google, spam, Vic Gundotra

Google+ had a few hiccups this weekend when its notification system went haywire and began to fire out multiple emails about individual actions on the service. Our email inbox was clogged with 64 indentical messages and we saw reports of many other Google+ users with the same issues.

Google’s head of social, Vic Gundotra, appropriately headed for Google+ to explain how the glitch had occurred. For a company where servers seem to breed like rabbits, the answer was a little shocking: it seems Google+ ran out of disk space…

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Pricey iPod playlists: Apple patent loss costs $8m

July 11, 2011 9:25 am by Mic Wright

Categories: MP3 & Audio Tags: Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod, patent, playlists

The ability to set up playlists on your iPod, iPhone or iPad has cost Apple a pretty penny over the weekend. It’s lost out to a company called Personal Audio in a patent lawsuit) that began back in 2009. While Personal Audio is a “non-practicing entity”, which means it hasn’t actually put its patent for downloadable navigatable playlists into practice, it still managed to win $8m in damages from Apple.

Apple denies that the iPod and iOS devices rely on the inventions detailed in the Personal Audio patent and presented 6300 pages of documents in an attempt to prove it. It’s not clear whether Apple will appeal but the $8m cost is minor compared to the $8.3bn in sales the iPod division brought in last year.

Out now | £NA | Apple (via Ars Technica)

Apple loses ‘app store’ exclusivity to Amazon: Does it matter?

July 8, 2011 4:27 pm by Nick Marshall

Categories: Apps & Software Tags: Amazon Appstore for Android, Android, app store, Apple

Apple’s injunction request against Amazon to axe the company’s use of the term ‘app store’ has been denied. The Amazon Appstore for Android lives on, ready and willing to offer free daily apps at will. As the dust begins to settle following the ruling by the US federal judge, how will this impact Apple and more importantly: does it matter?

Apple has rightfully pioneered the modern application library through its App Store. With more than 300,000 apps available and an endless slue of developers chomping at the bit for a chance to strike gold, apps and Apple have almost become synonymous. As I’ve followed the mobile industry for the past five years, today’s ruling by Judge Phyllis Hamilton is quite surprising.

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Design your own YouTube with Cosmic Panda update

July 8, 2011 4:02 pm by Joe Svetlik

Categories: Apps & Software Tags: chrome, cosmic panda, Google, YouTube

YouTube has rolled out a new design, named Cosmic Panda. It’s a whole lot slicker, and drops the white background for dark grey, but just what can you do with it? well you’ll be pleased to know there’s a whole bag of tricks at your disposal.

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Samsung should focus on Galaxy smartphones and tablets; second quarter profits plummet 26 percent

July 8, 2011 2:44 pm by Nick Marshall

Categories: Computers & Accessories Tags: Android, Galaxy S 2, galaxy tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Microsoft, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S II

It’s simple. Smartphones and tablets are hot, televisions are not. As the world’s largest manufacturer of televisions, Samsung’s second quarter financial results revealed its flat-panel business is bleeding money, resulting in a 26 percent dip in profits. The unsettling news masked the surge in demand for its mobile line, leading to our simple conclusion. Samsung should focus on its smartphones and tablets.

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Android 3.2 Honeycomb update incoming: Get ready for even more Android tablets

July 8, 2011 2:04 pm by Nick Marshall

Categories: Computers & Accessories Tags: Android 3.2, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, Google, HTC Flyer, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The evolution of Android Honeycomb has been both smooth and quick. After launching version 3.0 on March 27th, it took less than two months for the 3.1 update to hit the Motorola Xoom. The next step, Android Honeycomb 3.2, is expected within a matter of days, but it will not be as major and overhaul as 3.1. Instead, its two biggest features will open the flood gates to even more Android tablets.

HTC Flyer owners, prepare to celebrate. The two blockbuster features included in Android 3.2 Honeycomb are support for Qualcomm processors and 7-inch displays. Gone are the days of manufacturers being limited to Tegra 2 processors and 10.1-inch displays. But does this mean we’ll see Snapdragon versions of existing tablets like the Xoom and Galaxy Tab 10.1?

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The future of multitouch, a Facebook music service, and an iPhone jailbreak convention: Lunchtime Lowdown

July 8, 2011 12:30 pm by Joe Svetlik

Categories: Gadgets Tags: Apple, cut the rope, Facebook, iPad, iPhone, osx lion

It’s Friday, the weekend is so close we can smell it, and we’ve got a healthy dose of tech news to furnish you with. Namely? More Apple patents, iPhone jailbreakers, Facebook music service incoming, and the full story behind Cut the Rope. Dig in.

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July, 2011

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