compete
Latest
Blizzard's 'Compete' trademark hints at an eSports service
There's no question that Blizzard is a cornerstone of the eSports world. StarCraft is so big in South Korea that it's virtually an institution, and Heroes of the Storm was the first game to get a live ESPN2 broadcast. It only makes sense that the developer would create an eSports service of its own, then -- and there's a fresh hint that it might do just that. Blizzard has filed for a trademark on "Compete," an online service that would help you "organize and promote" eSports tournaments and ladders. From the sounds of it, this would take the drudgery out of getting a competition off the ground. You'd focus more on the matches themselves, and less on finding out who's on top.
Get fit with friends with BattleFit
Now you can turn your daily workouts into a friendly competition with BattleFit. The universal app runs on iOS 6.0 or later and is a free download. In BattleFit you will find a four different levels of workouts available, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Custom. Each level contains eleven different workouts you can do. Additional workouts are available but that requires an upgrade to BattleFit Pro for US$2.99. The concept behind the app is for users to make the workouts competitive. The developers feel that we all will achieve more if we have a specific goal to beat. With BattleFit you can compete against yourself or friends even if you are not working out together. Users can track how they do in each phase and enter the final result. The app tracks those workouts so you know what you have to beat each time you do the same exercise again. You can also enter your numbers and compare those with friends who run through the same set of exercises. As users complete each exercise, they earn points based on their times or the number of repetitions they completed. As the point totals increase users move up to higher designations within the app. You start at Couch Potato and go up from there. Users select the Arcade method to compete against their own personal bests or Versus to set up a battle against a friend or another user. The app has a search function that allows you to locate other users and invite them to become a workout friend. You will be able to see what level each user has achieved so you can choose someone for your Battle at the same level you are. In each level of the the workouts you will find the name of the workout and what the goals is for that exercise. For example in the Beginner section, the exercise called 20/20 requires you to complete 20 Burpees, 20 Crunches, 20 Squats, and 20 Pushups and time how long it takes you to do each set. When you are ready, a stop watch pops up and you go through all four sets then hit stop. You then post the time and you will be awarded points. Overall, BattleFit can be a good app to use to keep you motivated during your workouts especially if you tend to be more competitive. The workouts are strenuous and will test your fitness level if you want to keep moving to higher levels. One thing that would make the app better would be to offer more complete descriptions of how to do each exercise. Some do have single line descriptions to help but others have nothing. Everyone knows what a pushup or a pullup is but I am not clear on just what a Burpee is or how I do it. Maybe if you are a veteran workout addict all these names will be familiar but for beginners BattleFit needs more information.
Acer files suit against former CEO Gianfranco Lanci over non-compete breach
Gianfranco Lanci may be gone from Acer, but the PC maker's former chief is not forgotten -- not financially, at least. The company is suing the exec over non-compete violations, after he jumped ship around this time last year. The exec recently landed a gig at Lenovo as head of its Europe, Middle East and Africa division, after doing some time as a consultant for the company. Acer filed the suit in Lanci's native Italy, alleging that he "has clearly breached the terms" of the 12-month non-compete. No word yet on how much the company is seeking with the claim.
Study: Android and iPhone users show same usage trends, heavy app usage
A study put together by analytics firms comScore and Compete says that while Android and iPhone users probably aren't the same people, they certainly act like it. Usage patterns line up almost exactly across the board, differing by only a few percentage points in categories from social networking to mobile media to instant messaging. The only place they really differ is in email usage -- 63% of Android users reported that they used their smartphones for email, while 87% of iPhone users said the same. The firms also asked smartphone users how they used apps overall, and it's probably not surprising to find that iPhone users are in apps over half the time they're on their phones, compared to using just the web browser. Android users report figures almost as high, with 44% saying that they use apps more than half the time. With so many developers out there working hard to streamline and improve the user interface in specific apps, it's no wonder native applications are the main reason most people pull out their iPhones. And if you want, this can just add fuel to the fire on the speculation that Apple will release a bigger version of the iPhone designed to just run apps rather than worry about that pesky "calling" feature. [via Mashable]
ASUS gets serious about R&D, plans ten HTC-rivaling handsets for 2009
Oftentimes, it's difficult to remember that ASUS is in the handset game at all, and don't think for a second that ASUS isn't well aware of that fact. According to undisclosed sources, said outfit is looking to ramp up its reputation and seriously take on the likes of HTC next year by pumping out no fewer than ten handsets, almost all of which will boast 3G and a touch user interface. There's no definitive word on what operating system(s) will be relied upon, but we'd say it'd do ASUS good to get an Android-based mobile out in the States if it wants to seriously roll with High Tech Computer. Oh, and three cheers for competition.
Microsoft confirms the 'iPod killer' rumors are false
Yesterday, Engadget posted some less-than-clear images with rumors of an iPod killer coming soon from the Microsoft camp. Today, PC Magazine has confirmation from a Microsoft rep that these rumors were nothing more than hot air. In fact, they were simply the result of a mis-translated Japanese press release about Microsoft's new Windows Media Player 11 software; they had nothing to do with hardware.So for those of you who might have developed a chronic nail-biting habit, worried that Microsoft's new '#1 with a bullet', MTV-infused music service and killer new hardware were going to usurp Apple's iPod and iTunes overnight (ironically, the only time MTV has anything to do with music these days), I think it's safe to say you can give your nerves a rest.[UPDATE: Microsoft was setting other rumors about an iPod killer straight; their announcement wasn't tied to these images that Engadget posted yesterday. Those could be shots of a Gigabeat-S portable media player from Toshiba, for all anyone knows.]
