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Quad Lock mounting system keeps your iPhone at hand anywhere
There are a lot of mounting systems for both iPhone and iPad, so news of another one usually doesn't trip my trigger. However, there's a new mounting system from Down Under that caught my attention recently thanks to its relatively low cost and low-profile design. The Quad Lock mounting system (US$69.95 for the Deluxe Kit) graduated from Kickstarter in January over 200 percent funded, and is now on the market. Let's take a look at the Quad Lock. As with most mounting systems, the Quad Lock begins with a case. Right now, there's just a case for the iPhone 4/4S -- the company is also working on an iPad 2/3 case. If you purchase the Quad Lock system a la carte, you can start with the case and two wall mounts for $39.95. The case isn't anything special, other than it has the Quad Lock connector on the back. %Gallery-156392% The wall mounts fit into this connector, and with a quick twist your device is locked into or removed from the mount. The mounts have both an adhesive pad and a screw hole; most people would probably put the wall mounts in their cars, but you might want to attach your favorite iPhone to the wall of a house or the side of a cubicle on occasion. The Deluxe Kit comes with another useful piece -- a bike mount. That consists of a Quad Lock mount on a curved piece that matches handlebars or other bike tubing, along with four rubber O-rings and a pair of standard black wire ties to connect it to the bike. I like the idea of the O-rings to temporarily connect the bike mount, since you may wish to move the mount from bike to bike easily. For a more permanent connection, use the wire ties. Other bits that will work with the system in the future include a $19.95 "Poncho" protective cover that's perfect for use with the bike mount, a $19.95 tripod adapter, and a $14.95 universal adapter that adheres to the back of other devices or cases to hold your electronics in place. That latter product is going to be of interest to me, as I'd love to use the Quad Lock bike mount with my existing iPhone case (a mophie juice pack air). What I like about the Quad Lock system compared to some others is that the mounts are quite small and unobtrusive. They only stick out about 9/16" and are a wee bit under 1.5" in diameter. The product pricing is reasonable, and I like the fact that you can build on a basic kit to add only those things you'll need. Any negatives? Yeah, the basic case is a little less than exciting; that's why I'd personally wait for the universal adapter so it can be used with a "real case". Imagine slapping the universal mount on the back of a LifeProof or OtterBox case, then onto the bike mount for mountain biking. Nice! I deliberately abstained from sticking the wall mounts to anything so that a TUAW reader can enjoy the full Quad Lock deluxe kit courtesy of the manufacturers, Annex Products, and TUAW. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 1, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Quad Lock Deluxe Kit valued at $69.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Annex doesn't help with achievements
If you've already got your feet wet in Gears of War's newest gametype Annex, you'll know that you can rack up kills pretty quickly. But you should know that all the kills you get in Annex do not count towards any kill based achievements. According to Xbox.com's press release it states that "the introduction of infinite respawns means that kills in Annex don't count towards any of the kill-based achievements", which means no Seriously achievement for you! Though, the points and kills you earn in ranked Annex do count towards your overall rank score, so it isn't a total loss. Does it still suck? Of course, but we understand the reasoning behind their choice. Now get back to work, erm ... playing Gears of War.
Gears of War update, Annex gametype today
Microsoft has confirmed that the Gears of War auto-update, featuring the Annex gametype, will be available today at 4:00 p.m. PDT via Xbox Live. The now official Annex details mirror those released (and subsequently pulled) by Epic last week -- it's still just 'King of the Hill'. Here are the additional update tweaks: VGA cable support: monitor resolution widths greater than or equal to 1280 now render as letterbox; VGA users running at 1280x1024 will now see the game in full 720p (1280x720) resolution in letterboxed form. Adjusted Assassination gametype: leader no longer has to unlock weapons and now has to be executed to die Adjusted Boomshot: splash damage to be more effective rendering targets down-but-not-out Adjusted Hammer of Dawn: aiming will be more forgiving of moving targets Adjusted Roadie Run: reduced frequency of accidentally grabbing cover while running Kill message ticker: ticker can now be seen while down-but-not-out and spectating General: addressed a number of possible exploits in multiplayer %Gallery-2494%
New Gears gametype 'Annex' previewed, still no date
If you already suspected that "Annex," the new Gears of War gametype, was a highfalutin name for King of the Hill, this 1UP preview and video will do very little to change your mind. But, if said preview is any indication, it could become "the definitive way to play Gears online," so who really cares what it's called? When they're not heaping on the praise for Annex, 1UP also discloses some tweaks coming with this update (like increased fire for the Lancer) and in the future (four new maps with titles like "Subway" and "Bullet Marsh").The big question now is exactly when the free update will be available to us commoners. The 1UP piece says we can expect it this week, a hope echoed by Epic's Mark Rein yesterday. But plans have been changed before, if memory serves.[Update: It's coming today. Seriously!]
A look at GoW's Annex, a video preview
Even though we didn't get our Gears of War update today, that doesn't mean we can't learn more about the upcoming Annex gametype. Embedded above is a video preview of what Annex will look like, play like, and what HUD changes will be made. From what we gather the HUD information on the top left seems pretty easy to understand and the hill locations are very obvious (colored rings floating above the ground are eye catching). It looks fast, furious and deadly ... we just want to play it already! After watching the video what do you think? Will Annex be a welcome change to the Gears gameplay or will you be sticking to your old favorite?[Thanks, Machiavelli 420]
New Gears of War gametype detailed, dated, and pulled
Let's just skip right to the meat of this story: Annex, the new Gears of War gametype, is basically King of the Hill. Each team captures an objective by entering the glowing ring -- two to five available in each level -- for a certain amount of time, as determined by the number of teammates present. Controlling the objective earns each team points -- 1 point for each second of control, up to 60. Once an objective is zeroed out, another is made available. Oh yeah, and there's respawning ... with infinite lives. Now, we'll cover the drama: Apparently, Epic dropped the details (including an all too favorable April 9th release date) a little too early. The details previously listed on their website? Gone. That April 9th release date? According to 1UP, Microsoft says that's gone too. The good news is those details have been confirmed to be accurate and have now been mirrored all over these here wonderfully porous internets so check out any number of sites, like The 360 Forum, to get the full skinny.[Thanks, everyone!]Read -- Annex details at GearsofWar.comRead -- Annex details at The 360 ForumRead -- Gears of War update detailed and pulled (1UP)
Annex Official Word: King of The Hill-ish
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Annex_Official_Word_King_of_The_Hill_ish'; The official Gears of War website has the full skinny on the upcoming free title update, hitting an Xbox 360 near you on April 9th. The game will play very similar to the Halo series' Team Crazy King gametype, with a 15 second respawn time and unlimited lives. The way Annex works is that a given map will have somewhere between two to five control points, located near key weapon locations on the map. Full details available on gameplay after the break.
