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Xbox One's achievements are color-coded
While we've been aware that the Xbox One's achievement system will have some fluidity to it since the system was revealed in May, it turns out that it has color-coding options as well. As Xbox Corporate VP Marc Whitten explained via Twitter, the system's achievements are in a player's "chosen color," which is more evident in a recent Microsoft Studios livestream on Twitch of Powerstar Golf. At the 11:15 mark in the video, a blue achievement pops up indicating which of the two players earned the "Valuable Commodity" award. When players earned achievements during multiplayer sessions on Xbox 360 games, the color was always grey, while the circular controller indicator showed who earned it. Now we wonder just how fancy our achievements can look on Xbox One; perhaps Microsoft has included gold trim options or patterns such as a gorgeous, chatoyant finish?
Infinite USB plug is a big idea for small conveniences
In a classic case of "why didn't we think of this first," Chinese design student Gonglue Jiang has shown us a new way for overcoming the limitations imposed by the scarcity of USB ports on some computers. Instead of forcing you to constantly hot swap devices into that one port, Gonglue's Infinite USB plugs keep all your cables connected, thereby facilitating those smartphone syncs, spy camera recharges, and -- for the ultimate irony -- maybe even a USB hub. If you're thinking this would be brought down by a bout of bandwidth starvation once you start some USB multitasking, you're probably right, but power shortages shouldn't be an issue as the author has also come up with an external power connector that joins into his Infinite chain of connectivity. If only this wasn't just a concept.
iPhone font created out of 540 apps and a love for the arcane (video)
No, we can't give you a clear reason why this particular chap did this particular thing, but good gravy, look at the pretty pictures! We've come across an iPhone-inspired font that looks to have been created by collating and color coding a vast collection of apps in order to properly represent the English alphabet. There's not much info given beyond the app count and the fact it required an architect with "too much free time" on his hands, but we're not going to begrudge a visual attraction when we can get one. You might be able to get the typography for yourself by contacting the author at the source link, or you can skip past the break to see it on video -- if you're careful enough you should be able to spot the world's greatest mobile app making a guest appearance.
