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Blocks ends its modular smartwatch project after running out of money
Blocks' years-long quest to build a modular smartwatch has come to an unfortunate end. The company has revealed (including through a private Kickstarter post) that it's liquidating assets after running out of cash. The company had been looking for investors back in April 2018, but apparently didn't have much success. Backers are receiving "proof of debt" forms, although we wouldn't count on getting money back.
One man built his own vacation spot in VR
When most people fancy a vacation, they pack up their suitcase and go somewhere warm like Barbados. Not Bastiaan Hooimeijer, who goes by the name "Naam" online. Instead, he built his own holiday spot inside virtual reality. The result — crafted using Google Blocks — isn't an idyllic beach or a villa hidden in the French Riviera. It's a small caravan in a poky piece of land surrounded by piles of discarded junk. The world is bright and colorful, but it's not the sort of place that Lonely Planet would send one of its travel writers.
Experimental tools make Google's VR art app easier to use
When Google launched its VR drawing app Blocks, the tech titan said it's simple enough that even those with no prior 3D modeling experience can use it. Now, the big G has rolled out new features that apparently make the app "even easier to use." To start with, you can now pick between four environments if you're tired of making 3D models with a virtual desert in the background. You can choose to go with a plain black or a plain white environment, but you can also go for the night version of the desert background if the original one is too bright for you.
The Blocks modular smartwatch will always be a concept
It's been several years since Blocks had its initial 15 minutes of fame, capturing the internet's attention with the idea of a modular smartwatch. The first prototypes were about as rough and ready as they could feasibly get, but the public's appetite for the ambitious product hadn't waned by the time the crowdfunding campaign started over a year later. More than $1.6 million in pledges and another few years of development, and the Blocks smartwatch is kinda, finally here. But so much has changed in the interim. Project Ara is dead, modularity isn't the buzzword it once was and we've gone from not knowing if we really need a smartphone accessory on our wrist to a saturated smartwatch market. But the founding fathers of Blocks still believe they have something unique to offer.
Google's free 3D drawing app is like MS Paint for VR
Google has released a new app that will make it much easier to create that VR experience you've whipped up in your head -- and it won't cost you a single cent. The big G's "Blocks," now out for the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, will give you a way to draw 3D objects directly in virtual reality. It's like Oculus Story Studio's Quill and Google's own Tilt Brush in that respect, except it leads to blocky, Lego-esque final products instead of painterly illustrations.
Use Roli Blocks to control Mac and Windows music production apps
Roli's set of modular music gadgets have been around since November, but today the company announced an update that will come in handy for those who use desktop music production apps. The new Dashboard for Roli Blocks allows you to employ the LED touch-sensitive pad to control software like Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Cubase, Native Instruments Massive and a bunch more. With the Lightpad Block and Dashboard, you can upload pre-programmed scripts and edit as needed.
The Blocks modular smartwatch is finally (almost) ready
Years after the Blocks modular smartwatch first popped up on our radar, the company seems to finally be close to hitting assembly lines. The company has at least 5,500 orders from Kickstarter to fulfill, and if you'd like to add to that number you can pre-order the set for $330.
ICYMI: Latest grenade launcher, modular smart watch and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-332561{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-332561, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-332561{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-332561").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The U.S. Army is more interested than ever in blowing things up with precision, and that's why it's beginning acceptance testing on a smart grenade launcher that can detonate explosives mid-air. The rest of us can get our geek on with the Kickstarter for Blocks modular watch, which has different modules for all kinds of things: Advanced fitness tracking, mobile payments or GPS. And a Kickstarter to house jellyfish in the fanciest way possible is up for a hefty $1,500.
Blocks wants your help funding its modular smartwatch
After a long, long development process, Blocks is getting relatively close to releasing its modular smartwatch -- and it wants your help making that final push. The startup has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund its customizable wristwear. Pledge $195 and you'll get the circular core watch, which gives Android devices and iPhones the fundamentals like activity tracking, phone alerts and voice control. However, things get really interesting when you drop $250 or more -- you'll get at least four modules that can add everything from advanced fitness tracking to GPS to mobile payments. The hope is that you'll get just the smartwatch you want, rather than settling for whatever other manufacturers feel like giving you.
Blocks' modular smartwatch will talk to your iPhone
Blocks first unveiled its modular smartwatch with a plan to use Android Wear, much as Project Ara smartphone will use a special version of Android. However, there has been a change of plans -- and it's good news if you're not of the Google persuasion. The team now says that it's using a version of the open source Tizen platform that should support Android, iOS and Windows Phone, so you probably won't have to give up a favorite device just to try this out. The Blocks team also has access to Intel's newest processors thanks to a prize from a recent design challenge, and modules will have removable covers that let you change both the style and functionality of your wristwear. This is still an incredibly ambitious project that may not pan out as planned, but it's evident that the pieces are quickly falling into place.
iLands is a decent substitute sandbox game
iLands is a free game for iPhone and iPad that's available for iOS 4.3 or later. However, iLands Premium is available as an in-app purchase for (US $3.99.) If you're not wanting to drop $6.99 for Minecraft - Pocket Edition, then this is your game. You start with a fresh block world to build on and customize however you chose. The graphics are pretty decent in comparison to Minecraft - Pocket Edition, but they could be much better. The D-pad on the left side of the screen that allows for strafing, moving forward and backwards. Moving around using the D-pad can become somewhat frustrating at times. The sensitivity takes a little getting used at first, but it's bearable for the most part. The control on the right side is solely for jumping up and worked pretty well. When navigating the terrain, the experience was a little jerky when hopping over obstacles in your path. Sometime the touch targets would not respond unless I tapped them a few times. For instance,when using the X to bust up grass, dirt, or blocks, it would take a more than two taps. The game crashed frequently while I was right in the middle of building and exploring my Solo world. You're allocated a base of building materials that range from sand, grass, bricks. The steel skeleton cubes are unique to iLands because I had never seen anything similar to them in Minecraft - Pocket Edition. The steel skeleton blocks are awesome because you can build a solid structure and still have a view and daylight unlike building with solid blocks. I enjoyed building with the cobblestone to construct houses and roads. The materials with locks can be unlocked by purchasing the full version. For this review I only played the free version. If you're looking for the survival mode similar to Minecraft - Pocket Edition, you will not find it in the free version of iLands. I'm unsure it something like survival is available in the full paid version. I tend to play in creative mode all the time in Minecraft - Pocket Edition anyway, so I didn't mind that in iLands. Overall, iLands is worth the free download if you love building with blocks in a virtual world like I do. I'd be interested in learning what all the paid version of the game allows the user to do, aside from unlocking building materials. I enjoyed creating buildings and whatever else my imagination decided to dream up.
Blocks' modular smartwatch concept is ambitious to a fault
As one of the Blocks smartwatch team reminded us today, modularity has played an integral role in modern computing. A desktop PC is only a collection of components, after all, which can swapped out and upgraded based on what you need from that particular machine (a process Razer hopes to simplify with Project Christine). Recently, Google and others have been working out how to bring the same level of customization to the smartphone. With smartwatches and fitness trackers a burgeoning tech category, both in terms of consumer interest and product development, the Blocks team sees no reason why wrist-worn technology can't benefit from being modular, too. It's in the process of creating such a gadget and today we caught up with the team at a London event, hosted by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, to talk about its progress and check out an extremely early prototype.
QUBE: Director's Cut spins a new story on Steam, 15% off
QUBE: Director's Cut is now available on Steam, and is 15 percent off ($8.49) until Wednesday, May 28. The Director's Cut edition features a new story and additional puzzles, and is described by developer Toxic Games as QUBE's "definitive version." It also adds a ten-level time trial mode and Oculus Rift support. The original version of QUBE first arrived on PC in December 2011, and our review of it noted that game wasn't strong on narrative, but acted more as a "delightful on-screen Rubik's Cube." The first-person puzzler draws many comparisons to Valve's Portal, and has players moving blocks to solve puzzles with increasing difficulty. QUBE: Director's Cut will launch on PS3, Wii U and Xbox One "throughout 2014." [Image: Toxic Games]
Kickstarter-funded Atoms building blocks now available for the rest of us
It's a heck of a lot closer to next year's CES -- but perhaps even more importantly, it's dangerously near the holiday season. Those Kickstarter-funded Atom blocks, which we first played with back at some trade show in January, are finally available through the company's site. Like LittleBits, the kits are aimed at tinkerers with little to nothing in the way of programming skills -- a sort of plug and offering that'll have you building in no time. There are four kits up for grabs now, with prices ranging from $50 to $119, plus assorted receivers, modules, lights and knobs. There's also something called a "Popper" with a giant spring attached. A must have addition, obviously.
The Art of Wushu: The facts about autoguard
The automatic blocking feature in Age of Wushu is treated as anathema by players. You guys have no idea how many people I have talked to about it who tell me, "I would never use something like that!" It seems that in general, people don't like the idea of something that takes decision-making out of their hands. However, autoguard isn't as bad as people think. In fact, it is an exceptional answer to poor latency and is completely controllable. The truth is, not many people understand it at all, and even fewer realize the benefits of the system.
Back to the Future DeLorean reaches Lego form in mid-2013, likely won't reach 88MPH (video)
Team BTTF has been pushing for months to get a Lego rendition of Back to the Future's AMC DeLorean as an official kit. Persistence pays off: Lego's Summer Review has approved the two-person group's project as its next Cuusoo set, both for its realistically affordable design and in response to the "massive appeal" fostered when geek culture took notice. While we don't know how closely the design will follow the templates created by M. Togami and Sakuretsu, it's safe to say there will be a brick-based (and sadly non-functional) Mr. Fusion in the mix. We'll have to wait until mid-2013 to buy a set for ourselves; that's arguably early when Back to the Future II won't take place for another two years.
Daily iPhone App: Follow the Rabbit makes for blocky fun
Armor Games, famous for its Flash titles, landed a huge hit on iOS with the great Kingdom Rush. Now the company is back for more with a new game called Follow the Rabbit. This one's very different from that tower defense title -- it's more of a puzzler in the vein of Cut the Rope, with the main mechanic being pushing a blocky guy around while chasing a rabbit instead of slicing cables. The gameplay is related to the old Sokoban games, though there's some innovation. The levels are all 2D from the sides rather than the top, and you can "jump" your guy up a higher level. There are three coins to collect in each level, and the eventual goal is to get your guy to a door while chasing a rabbit who drops coins. As with all of these "stage-based" games, the difficulty eventually ramps up, though this one's pretty easy throughout. Follow the Rabbit isn't bad at all. I wouldn't say it's as good or deep as Kingdom Rush, but it's obviously a very different type of game. If you've rolled through all of Cut the Rope and want another casual puzzler to play through, Follow the Rabbit is a universal app on sale right now for 99 cents. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Behind the scenes with Mega Bloks World of Warcraft
Last year at BlizzCon, Blizzard announced that Mega Bloks would be producing a line of World of Warcraft building block sets. Mega Bloks has just released a video that gives a "Behind the Bloks" look at the process. The headquarters of both companies are explored, and the actual fabrication of the blocks is demonstrated. Also showcased are the Deathwing Stormwind Assault and Goblin Zeppelin Ambush playsets. Andrew Sparkes, vice president of kid and collector brands at Mega Brands, Inc., narrates the video along with Nick Carter, vice president of art and cinematic development at Blizzard Entertainment. They discuss the timeline of the product, the relationship between the two companies and the inspirations behind the playsets. The Mega Bloks World of Warcraft website links to previews of the season one sets, which are due to be released some time this summer.
Guncraft is Minecraft with guns or Call of Duty with blocks, pick one
Insert a joke about us hearing you liked things and then putting those things inside of each other, dawg. Guncraft combines two massively popular gaming tropes, shooters and cube-inspired sandboxes (OK, one of those is more popular than the other), into a first-person shooter that looks as if it were made in Minecraft.As described by developer Exato Games, Guncraft has players construct their own levels and then share them in an online multiplayer battle, where every aspect of the environment can be destroyed. Levels are reset after each round, of course. "Voxel engines allow us complete and total environmental destruction," Exato writes on its Kickstarter page. "But wait, that's not all! We also have complete and total environmental CONSTRUCTION."Guncraft is looking to release a PC beta in March, with a full launch in June. Exato is also set on releasing Guncraft on XBLIG eventually. To finish its project, the Guncraft team is asking for $16,000 via Kickstarter -- they're on their way, but could use some love. If you're intrigued, head on over and support Guncraft here.
Geeks lose minds, recreate first level of Super Mario Land with 18 million Minecraft blocks
There's homage and there's homage. And then there's three guys spending over 500 hours to recreate the first two minutes and twenty seconds of Super Mario Land using more than 18 million Minecraft blocks. The movie, made by carpenter James Wright, Joe Ciappa and a gamer known as Tempusmori, had the guys running the classic monochrome platformer in an emulator and replicating it pixel-for-wool-block-pixel inside a giant Minecraft Game Boy. The team spent approximately four weeks, working six to seven hours a day with no days off, to create the shots, which were then dropped into a video editor and slowed so each frame displayed for one sixth of a second. Take a gander at the final product and the making-of video after the break for your daily dose of mind blowing.
