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The Queue: The buffs, SoO with AQ, and linux
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky (@adamholisky) will be your host today. This is my first Queue after being back from vacation. Did you all miss me? Let's talk about not-cheese and not-how awesome San Francisco was. TaxmanCDN asked: Do you think these short, temporary buffs for valor and black prince rep & items to collect is a test to gauge interest? Is there a chance they could make one or both of the buffs permanent to bring people back to play until 6.0?
France wants more say over internet rules to protect its wine sales
It's no secret that many countries want greater control over the internet than they have under the current, US-centric model. However, France is demanding more influence for a very specific (if not entirely unexpected) reason: wine. The country isn't happy that the overseer for internet addresses, ICANN, is launching .vin and .wine top-level domains without letting other countries ask for usage restrictions. Government ministers are worried that this lets site owners violate international food naming agreements with impunity -- an American company might use champagne.wine to sell sparkling drinks that don't come from French soil, potentially hurting sales of the real deal.
Drync touts itself as 'the Shazam for wine'
When you are listening to a song that you don't know, but really like, it's common to whip out the ol' iPhone, launch Shazam and find out the name of the tune. But what about a situation where you're drinking a bottle of wine at a restaurant and would like to know more about it or even buy a bottle of that specific brand and vintage? That's the idea behind Drync (free), a "wine image-recognition app" that's been around since 2009, but is re-launching today with a new focus on making over 30,000 wines available for home delivery in 41 states. Drync provides instant identification of more than 1.7 million different wines simply by snapping a photo of the label with your iOS device. The label -- which doesn't have to be on a wine bottle, so you can even snap an image of a label in a magazine or on a billboard -- runs through a sophisticated image-recognition algorithm and you're presented with information about the wine. Want ratings from other users or wine experts? They're available for a number of wines, and you can also purchase wines for delivery if that's allowed in your state. If the label you've imaged isn't in the Drync database -- for instance, a Montrachet 1978 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti -- you can submit the label for a human to curate. Your wine-tasting activities can be shared with your buddies on Facebook or Twitter, and Drync says they'll soon be providing personalized and social recommendations.
The Daily Roundup for 02.04.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Wine coming to Android, will run Windows apps on Google's mobile OS
Android apps on Windows? Been there, done that. Try running Windows programs on Android for size. Alexandre Julliard, the developer behind the Wine compatibility layer, gave an update about an ARM-friendly flavor of the software and showed off a version that runs on Android at the 2013 Free and Open source Software Developers' European Meeting. According to Phoronix, the demo of a Windows app running on Android was "horrendously slow," but Julliard chalks that up to the fact that the sample was chugging along on an Android emulator. Wine for Mountain View's OS is said to be an active work-in-progress, so there's no word on when it might find its way into the wild just yet.
Netflix finally comes to Linux! (Sort of...)
Netflix's reluctance to support playback on Linux computers is infamous notorious ridiculous well documented. Well, while the company isn't ready to officially start streaming to your Ubuntu box, you can gain access to its vast library with a specially patched version of Wine. For those of you that don't know, Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows apps to run under Linux. Fire up the Windows version of Firefox with this version of the software, install Microsoft's Silverlight and voilà -- Netflix on Linux. Unfortunately, that makes the whole ordeal sound a lot simpler than it is. For the moment you'll need to download Wine from its Git repository, then download and apply five different patches. Then you'll have to download and install Firefox 14.0.1 and Silverlight 4, neither of which are the current (read: easy to find) versions. So far the hack is only confirmed to work on the 32-bit version of Ubuntu 12.10, but we imagine getting it up and running on other distros shouldn't be too difficult. The work around should get easier once the crafty devs get a PPA up and running that will streamline installation. If you're the impatient type you can hit up the source link to get complete instructions.
Corkbin updated, lets you buy wine right from the app
Corkbin is probably my favorite app on the App Store that I don't actually use that much. I've wanted to learn more about wine for a long time. Corkbin, which lets you track and rate the wines you drink, seems like a great way to do that. Unfortunately, whenever I end up at the bar or restaurant, a beer always sounds more appetizing than trying a new wine. But that's my problem, not the app's. Corkbin does a great job of cataloging your wines, and it's about to do even better, with an update that partners with two other sites for cool new features. First off, Corkbin will now allow you to buy wine. They've hooked up with wine.com to send you from the app straight into a mobile shopping cart. That means if you try a new wine and love it, you can buy some for your home right away. There's also a connection to Sincerely.com, which will send a physical postcard straight from the app, so you can send a note or picture to anyone else who might be interested in what you're drinking. There are more features coming soon, such as the ability to rate your friends' wines and get push notifications when someone you're following tries a new vintage. Corkbin is a really impressive app for such a specific purpose. Now it's up to me, I guess, to actually try some new tastes next time I'm out and about.
Diablo III players say Linux app got them banned, Blizzard rebuts claims
Did a Linux app result in a permanent ban for several Diablo III players? Those affected say yes; Blizzard says no. Players who were using a program called Wine to run Windows applications on Linux machines flocked to the Diablo III forums to report that they were finding their accounts banned. "I got banned last night as well," one player wrote. "Other than running under Wine, I can't imagine why. Level 30ish char and not so much as a gaming keyboard." A Blizzard CM said that the studio investigated the claims and found that this wasn't the case: "We've extensively tested for false positive situations, including replicating system setups for those who have posted claiming they were banned unfairly. We've not found any situations that could produce a false positive, have found that the circumstances for which they were banned were clear and accurate, and we are extremely confident in our findings. Playing the game on Linux, although not officially supported, will not get you banned -- cheating will." [Thanks to greaterdivinity for the tip!]
Diablo 3 bans not based on Linux software, says Blizzard
A handful of players using Wine, a program that allows Linux users to run Windows, recently reported being suddenly and unreasonably banned from Diablo 3. These players have sent in support tickets and one in particular notes his account remains banned, posting the following response from Blizzard:"An additional review of the action taken against the Diablo 3 account has been completed. We have confirmed our initial findings, and the account action will not be reversed or changed."These players assert that they have not cheated. Blizzard community manager Bashiok has responded to these claims, saying that players are banned for cheating, not for running benevolent software. "We've extensively tested for false positive situations, including replicating system setups for those who have posted claiming they were banned unfairly," he writes. "We've not found any situations that could produce a false positive, have found that the circumstances for which they were banned were clear and accurate, and we are extremely confident in our findings."Playing the game on Linux, although not officially supported, will not get you banned – cheating will."A Reddit post (now complete with a "[Misleading Title]" preface) saw more Wine players speak up, saying that they can play with no problems. It appears the bans themselves may be more isolated than the initial thread made them appear, and they may be less scandalous, at least on Blizzard's end. The moral of the story is, as always: Don't cheat, whiners Winers.
The Road to Mordor: Seven things to do in Ered Luin before you die
As I moved on to my second starter zone in Lord of the Rings Online on my mission to complete every quest in every area of the game, I was in for a rude, if expected, awakening. In comparison to the Shire, LotRO's Ered Luin is lacking across the board. It's hard to imagine that the game's most eastern zone, which houses not one but two racial starting areas, could turn out to be a snoozefest, but I'll let the title of this article do the talking for me. I wanted to have 10 highlights of each zone for this series and could barely get to seven. The problem here is multifold. In trying to cram both the Elves and Dwarves into a relatively small (if tall) zone, Turbine didn't allow for the space to develop either race's culture before throwing them together in the middle for an awkward social dance. The races aren't allowed to really establish their personalities, either, leaving the Elves to start shining in Rivendell and the Dwarves in Moria. Finally, many of the quests are so dull and forgettable as to prompt players to race through the area to escape to more interesting locales. It's not all a loss, of course. Some of the areas are quite scenic, and I do actually approve of the concept of setting up the conflict between Dwarves and Elves. If anything, the taste of ideas here almost begs for the area to be significantly expanded so that these concepts could be played out and the respective Elf and Dwarf habitations could be given more life. In the end, I recommend that visiting travelers, adventurers, and treasure-hunters pack a light lunch and plan to get the following seven activities done in a half-day's span.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me run Windows on Mac
Dear Aunt TUAW, I am new to the Mac community, and there are some programs that are unsupported on the Mac and I know there are a few options to run Windows on a Mac. When I search online for the best options and answers to my questions (what is the best option, do I need a Windows license/disc, difference between emulators/virtual machines, Parallels vs Boot Camp vs VMware Fusion etc), most of the info is pretty old and outdated. Can you help me navigate jumping out of the Windows into the Apple Orchard? Lovingly with One Foot on Both Platforms, James Dear James, For any full Windows install, you definitely need a Windows license. A disc will certainly help you install, whether you go with Boot Camp (dual-boot) or Parallels/VMware Fusion/VirtualBox (run inside an virtualized PC). Auntie knows there are pluses and minuses to both these approaches which our noble commenters will surely dive into with both feet, but here's the abbreviated version. Boot Camp offers the fastest, fullest Windows-on-Apple hardware experience. You basically get a complete Windows install, but on a shiny Apple computer. For gaming, hardware-dependent apps and maximum available performance, it's the no-compromises option, but you do need to reboot to switch between Windows and OS X, so it may slow you down in that regard. The other main option is virtualization, creating a 'PC in a box' that runs in software under OS X. Both market leaders Parallels and VMware Fusion have some compromises in speed and peripheral integration, but they do so while running at the same time as OS X, with easy file access and other shared elements. The open-source and free VirtualBox may have a few more rough edges but it does do the job for intermittent use. Another solution is Crossover. Allowing you to run Windows apps inside OS X, it does not require a license or a Windows disc... but as Uncle Mike puts it, "60% of the time, it works every time." Not all Windows applications play nicely in Crossover's W32 API compatibility environment (based on the open-source Wine project), and those that do launch may be limited in their functionality. It pays to try out Crossover first, however, if your application is on the supported list -- it might be perfect for you. In the end, it all comes down to how integrated you need your Windows experience to be. If you don't do a lot of switching back and forth, dual-booting through Boot Camp may be your best solution. If you do, then virtual Windows helps integrate your apps better. Auntie's not a big Windows user, so she invites her more Win-ny nieces and nephews to jump in with suggestions. Hugs, Auntie T.
Macworld Expo 2011: CrossOver goes to version 10 with Impersonator
If you want to run Windows apps on your Mac, there are now a few ways to go about it. First there's Boot Camp, the official solution that will let you boot into an installed Windows partition. Then there are virtualization solutions like Parallels or VMWare, which "pretend" to be a separate hard drive with an installed Windows partition. Finally, there's emulation, and that's what CodeWeavers' CrossOver does. Rather than an actual Windows installation, CrossOver pretends to be Windows and allows Windows apps to run on a Mac, even without an actual Windows CD. Impersonator is the company's code name for version 10 of the app, which was just recently released. CodeWeavers' Jon Parshall told me the most recent trends in emulation are away from standard apps like Office software and games, and into more niche apps like specific business and industrial software. CrossOver's compatibility list is better than ever, and the new version introduces a feature called CrossTie. CrossTie will both install CrossOver and get it up and running with a specific app directly from one file downloaded from CodeWeavers' website. For example, if you want to play Battlefield Vietnam with CrossOver, you can download the CrossTie file, follow some easy instructions to create a "bottle," hook it up to the game, and you're good to go. I saw one run in action in the company's booth (while surrounded by celebrity impersonators -- the company was good at grabbing attention during the show). It seemed really simple to set up, though I didn't spend a lot of time checking out how it ran. CrossOver has 8200 apps listed for compatibility, and there are about four to five hundred CrossTie files available, with more coming all the time.
Japanese doctor turns hot toddy into superconductor catalyst
It's rare that hot booze does anything more than get you drunk, and possibly make you sick, but according to Dr. Yoshihiko Takano, the drink you're sucking on could facilitate the levitation of a train. After a party for a colleague, the Japanese scientist found that FeTe0.8S0.2 (composed of iron, tellurium, and tellurium sulfide), when soaked in warm booze overnight, shows signs of increased superconductivity -- another in a long line of liquor-enhanced discoveries that could have far reaching effects on everything from consumer electronics to public transportation. Dr. Takano decided to test the material (known to become a superconductor after soaking in water) in the leftover alcohol from the party: beer, red wine, white wine, sake, shochu, and whiskey. As it turns out, red wine has the highest superconducting volume fraction at 62.4 percent -- nearly four times higher than the ethanol-water control samples. Dr. Takano and his colleagues speculate that the ease with which wine and beer oxidize could be play a key role in the increase in superconductivity. We speculate that even a superconductor gets a little hopped up after soaking in a bottle of wine.
PA Walmart stores getting CCTV-enabled, breathalyzin' wine vending machines
Whenever technology is used to solve a real problem, it warms our hearts. It really does. But when technological perambulations are needed to work their way around antiquated state liquor laws (the likes of which have tormented at least one poor Engadget editor since he reached the age of majority), it just seems sad. For instance, it's illegal to sell alcohol in grocery stores in Pennsylvania, but it's not illegal to install a vending machine that dispenses wine: as long as the user is asked to take a breathalyzer test, swipe their state issued ID or Driver License, and then show their mug to a state official sitting somewhere in Harrisburg, who is keeping an eye on the proceedings via CCTV. Simple, right? Maybe not, but it does protect the state's monopoly on liquor sales. The Pronto wine vending machine is currently only available in select grocery stores in the state, but it's just been announced that the PA Liquor Control Board has given Walmart preliminary approval to put the things in some of their locations outside of Pittsburgh. We'll try one out ourselves, as soon as they start carrying Blue Nun.
iPad wine list boosts sales in high-end restaurants
When the iPad was originally announced (and, heck, when it was rumored), lots of us were dreaming up different ideas for how the iPad might revolutionize the way written content is consumed. There were books, of course, including comics, magazines and coursebooks. This is the first time, though, where I've seen a different kind of print medium successfully making the jump to digital: restaurant wine lists. One upscale restaurant in Atlanta, for example, has decided to take its very extensive wine list and bring it over to the iPad, as the New York Times reported. The restaurant uses iPad-specific software to display its wine list, along with information on each wine, including ratings, pricing and pairing suggestions. Like traditional menus, the iPads are handed out to diners. The result of the switch is pretty impressive: wine sales shot up 11% from the first day the iPad wine list was introduced. Similar experiences with iPad wine lists were noted at restaurants in New York City, London and Sydney. At least one company, Incentient, makes wine list software that several restaurants are using, while others are developing their own apps. [Chances are that FileMaker Go would work fine for most restaurants with modest wine lists. –Ed.] I wonder why a simple web app isn't used instead? Maybe it's hard to keep a solid Wi-Fi connection through all those bottles of vino. [via Cult of Mac]
TUAW's Daily App: Corkbin
I've been trying (pretty unsuccessfully) to become a smarter wine drinker for a while now, and Corkbin might just push me over the top. This elegantly designed app is set up to help you track and chart the wines that you drink, learn how to classify them, and share reviews with friends and fellow iPhone users around you. The idea is that every time you try a new wine, you snap a picture of the label and leave a short note about what you had it with, how it tasted, or where you got it. Then, later on, at the liquor store or when out at a restaurant, you can pull up "that wine we tried last week," and you'll know exactly what it was. It's simple, but it's perfect for people like me who aren't wine experts and need a little help remembering exactly what that last bottle was called. Unfortunately, the app isn't perfect; I don't like that you must log in on startup, and there are quite a few features (like a wine database or the ability to browse friends' wines rather than just "nearby" check-ins) that seem like they would be awesome but are still missing from the app. The basic functionality of tracking your own wines is well worth the 99 cent price, though. Maybe this will finally give me the method I need to start developing a more refined wine palate.
Fallen Earth Mac beta updates
Heads up, all you Apple-obsessed wastelanders! Icarus has updated their OS X Fallen Earth beta client, and they want you to take it for a spin. Notable fixes for this version include a Wine core update to 1.2RC2 (which includes a lengthy list of technical optimizations), and a tweak for the updater executable file which corrects the "initiating download sequence" error that has hamstrung some testers. If you're already using the Fallen Earth Mac Beta client, you can update by downloading new versions of the FallenEarth.app file as well as the FEUpdaterMac.exe file. You can also peruse the Mac Beta FAQ on the official site, as well as pick up the new 500 MB download that includes the latest Wine binary and Mac updater. Additionally, you can check out the original press release and accompanying forum post.
GDC 2010: Fallen Earth comes to the Mac, brings an iPhone app
Fallen Earth is a respectable postapocalyptic MMO -- I've never played it (one MMO is enough for me, and the gigantic World of Warcraft is still claiming my time), but it's grown pretty popular since release in September of last year. And now the game is set to pick up another chunk of audience, as the owner Icarus Studios has announced that they're releasing a Mac client for the game. It's currently in beta (and was made using Wine), but if you're interested in trying out a new MMO with a postapocalyptic twist, head on over, give the client a download (you'll need a game account, though there's a free trial available), and give the team a good Mac welcome. That's not all, though -- Icarus is also working on their very own iPhone app, and I got to play with it this week at their GDC 2010 booth. For Fallen Earth players, it'll be a must-get, but even if you're not currently a player of the game, the app is a shining example of what's possible with a "supplementary" game application -- it allows for all sorts of in-game functions directly from Apple's handheld device. %Gallery-88073%
Fallen Earth gets a Mac client
Perhaps you've watched Shawn's recent Fallen Earth exploits in Choose My Adventure, or heard all about the post-apocalyptic fun on Massively Speaking. Well, the team at Icarus Studios have heard the call from the Apple-loving contingent for a client of their own -- and have just announced that they have a beta Mac-compatible client ready for you to download and try out! The new client is made possible thanks to the open-source project, Wine, which helps to create cross-compatibility for different platforms. The Fallen Earth Mac beta client works on Intel Macs, and is optimized for systems running under OS X 10.5 Leopard or later that have dedicated graphics hardware. No word on a Linux client at this time, but a connection with Wine is certainly a very positive first step if they do choose to open up further cross-compatibility to Linux users in the future. "The Mac OS X compatibility project is something we've been excited to see implemented for quite a while," said Brad Lineberger, Chief Technical Officer of Icarus Studios. "Our goal for the project is to allow Mac users to run all of our existing and future games in their native OS." All you have to do if you'd like to get in on the Mac beta is to head over to the Fallen Earth site and check out their beta FAQ page. Of course, you have to have an active Fallen Earth account, or sign up for a 10-day trial first, but for post-apocalyptic loving Mac fans, this is certainly some great news.
How to run Windows apps for free with Wine on OS X
There are many options for running Windows programs on the Mac. Boot Camp, for instance, is included with OS X for installing Windows on a separate partition. Parallels, VMware, and Sun offer virtualization software that let you run your Windows programs without logging out of OS X. And then there's Wine. Wine is an Open Source application layer that runs within the Mac operating system rather than as a stand-alone, sandboxed operating system. The thing that all of these options, except Wine, have in common though is that they legally require you to actually run Windows and therefore own a Windows license. Wine, however, implements the Windows API allowing you to run Windows applications without actually running Windows. David Baumgold has put together an excellent tutorial for setting up and using Wine on your Mac. The tutorial does a good job covering the pre-requisites, the actual installation, and then what to do with Wine once you have it installed. It should be noted that the installation of Wine is rather technical and should not be attempted by those unfamiliar with Terminal.app. Once you get Wine up and running, you can install a myriad of different Windows applications from games to productivity apps (Office, anyone?). If you're curious about a particular program's compatibility with Wine, you can check out the AppDB for a list of applications and any issues present when running with Wine. If you're interested in the technical benefits of Wine, you can also check out the excellent application Crossover, which is an easy-to-use port of Wine (pun intended) that makes it dead simple to get up and running with Wine.
