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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Steal this tape
A while back, I took the opportunity to talk about things that City of Heroes would do well to steal. After all, there's no reason that you can't make an existing awesome game even more awesome, right? It was a fun article, if a bit silly, and it leads naturally into this week's outing, because I'm feeling just a little bit silly this week, and I'm looking at other games with amazement. So many of them just don't get it. Seriously. City of Heroes is approaching its seventh anniversary, and so many bits of brilliance in the design are not found in every game in the world. To be quite honest, it's ridiculous. I'm not just talking about little bits of clever design like attack tags to help differentiate defenses; I'm talking about parts of the game that just run so well and so intuitively that it's a wonder everyone hasn't copied them. So let's look at the stuff that the game gets so right that everyone ought to just use it as a standard.
Oops: Android contains directly copied Java code, strengthening Oracle's case (updated)
Florian Mueller has been killing it these past few months with his analysis of various tech patent suits on his FOSSpatents blog, and today he's unearthed a pretty major bombshell: at least 43 Android source files that appear to have been directly copied from Java. That's a big deal, seeing as Oracle is currently suing Google for patent and copyright infringement in Android -- which isn't a hard case to prove when you've got 37 Android source files marked "PROPRIETARY / CONFIDENTIAL" and "DO NOT DISTRIBUTE" by Oracle / Sun and at least six more files in Froyo and Gingerbread that appear to have been decompiled from Java 2 Standard Edition and redistributed under the Apache open source license without permission. In simple terms? Google copied Oracle's Java code, pasted in a new license, and shipped it. Now, we've long thought Google's odd response to Oracle's lawsuit seemingly acknowledged some infringement, so we doubt this is a surprise in Mountain View, but we're guessing handset vendors aren't going to be so thrilled -- especially since using Android has already caused companies like HTC and Motorola to be hit with major patent lawsuits of their own. We'll see what happens, but in the meantime you should definitely hit up Florian's site for the full dirt -- it's some 47 pages worth of material, and it's dense, but if you're into this sort of thing it's incredibly interesting. Update: It appears things aren't this simple, but they're still not great. Check here for the latest.
Gibson wins Paper Jamz injunction, retailers ordered to pull stock
The Paper Jamz, they have jamz-ed their last -- at least for now. Gibson's won that injunction against WowWee for modeling its 2D toy guitars on famous axes like the Flying V and Les Paul without permission, and since retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy and Target were all named in the lawsuit, they'll have to pull PaperJamz from their shelves. Or maybe not -- the injunction was granted and immediately appealed on the 21st, and we've definitely seen PaperJamz for sale in Best Buy stores here and there since then, so it seems like there's still a chance to grab the super-thin guitars while the lawyers sort it all out. We'd guess WowWee might simply re-think some of the designs to be little less "inspired" by Gibson guitars in the meantime -- could the Flying V PaperJamz one day command the same collector attention as a 1970s lawsuit Ibanez, Tokai, or Greco? For humanity's sake, let's hope not.
New Xbox 360 hacked to play 'backup' discs, public release underway? (video)
If you're looking for video proof of the latest and greatest Xbox 360 firmware mod, you won't find it in the video after the break, but we're almost willing to take it on Team Xecuter's word and long-standing reputation that they've hacked the new Xbox 360. Banding together with Team Jungle and commodore4eva -- the hacker who brought backups to the original console in 2006 -- the group says they've successfully patched the DVD drive to play burned discs. Better still, they're promising that a public release of said patch "will be available shortly" to help you unlock a Stealthbox by your lonesome. Just remember, kids, circumventing DRM isn't always legal, even if you're copying games that you bought right off the shelf. [Thanks, Tito]
OQO crawls back from the dead, releasing Model 03 in China this month (Updated)
Holy moly! We genuinely never saw this coming. If you recall, the last we heard from OQO was when it said its final goodbye back in May 2009, and even today its website still declares the company "out of business." Well, that's not exactly the case anymore -- a little research led us to CCW, which reports that Audiotone -- OQO's business partner in China -- confirmed a successful merger with the UMPC manufacturer in April this year (on the condition that the latter's R&D to remain in the US). This would explain why OQO's Chinese site was still being updated with news after the "closure," while its Western counterpart remained frozen in time. The juicier news, however, is that OQO's launching a Model 03 for Chinese buyers in Q3 2010 (and the website's banner specifically says August). Don't be fooled by the model number, though -- this 15-ounce device essentially shares the same chassis with the Model 02, but is now packed with Windows 7, Intel Atom Z500 series chip, SSD, 3G radio (compatible with WCDMA, EVDO and TD-SCDMA), and a 4.8-inch 1024 x 600 multitouch LCD (previously 5-inch 800 x 480 single-touch). You'll also get the same old Bluetooth, WiFi, built-in mic and HDMI across the four flavors: Gold, Diamond, Elite and Business, which range from 1.2GHz to 2GHz, 32GB to 128GB (1GB to 2GB of RAM), and ¥12,999 ($1,919) to a whopping ¥31,888 ($4,708). Well, these are still far from what most of us would consider as affordable, so here's hoping the Chinese market will keep OQO alive until it can bring us some cheaper alternatives. Or at least avoid sending the company to its second funeral. Update: Eerily, the long static OQO home page has been updated with a brief, but telling bit of text at the bottom of the page: "We did not sell out to Audiotone. Anything by them is a Clone." So much for the resurrection. [Thanks, Picasso] Update 2: Looks like the previous OQO home page update is a hack... by zombies!
Mac 101: Moving files from your old PC to your new Mac
A friend asked how to get her music, photos, and documents from her PC to her new Mac. There was actually a "Get a Mac" ad about this called Off The Air. In the commercial, the services was described as being free. I called Apple and was told that yes this is still available and free -- but I think the person I spoke to was wrong. Apple's "Why Mac?" FAQ says that this is now part of the One to One service, which is $99 and only available when you buy a new Mac. Apple also has an article entitled Switch 101: Migrate Your Files or Your Windows System which is also designed to help. If you can't use One to One, option number two is to copy files from your PC to an external hard drive, connect that drive to your Mac, and move the files over. If you already have an external hard drive, this is a great idea. Even if you don't have one, it would be a good idea to invest in one so you can later use it for Time Machine. Option number three is to copy files over a local network. This has the advantage of being free, assuming you already have a local network setup. Read on for instructions on moving files over your network...
myPhoneDesktop controls and sends information to your iPhone or iPad
Sometimes an app is more than an app -- it's about being excited about the underlying technology and why it makes it easier for users to get done what they want to get done, without extra steps that stand in the way. myPhoneDesktop [US$1.99] is that kind of app. It transforms the way you move data from a Mac to an iPhone, simplifying the process along the way. I tested it on an iPhone 3GS and a Mac. Imagine you are sitting at your Mac, looking at: a URL Directions on Google Maps a YouTube video of a cat vs. a lobster (well, crawfish) a phone number of someone you need to call an app in the App Store on iTunes that you want to download a picture you want on your iPhone Most of the time when I am faced with that situation I send myself an email to my "@txt.att.net" address, but that's fairly inelegant: launch mail program, copy information, type address, click send. Not only that, but when I get the message on my iPhone, then I have to manually do something with it. I also have the Pastebot app [$3] installed, but I have to make sure that's running on my iPhone before it will receive any data from my Mac. And again, it's not going to do anything with that information, it's just going to copy it. Here's how I do that with myPhoneDesktop: Select URL, text, phone number, picture Press and hold ⌘, press C twice. Boom. Off it goes over the Internet and appears on my iPhone moments later. But myPhoneDesktop can do a whole lot more than just simply sharing text. Read on for more...
GDC 2010: From concept to Top Paid with Unity iPhone
Unity Technologies hosted the sponsored lunch panel during GDC 2010 today, and their "product evangelist" Tom Higgins gave a quick rundown of the software platform that enables developers to assemble and release games extremely quickly on multiple platforms. The company was actually founded in Denmark, but has since expanded around the world with just two products: Unity Pro and Unity iPhone Pro. The second product, as you might imagine, allows developers to put together an application that can then be exported out into an Xcode project and released on the App Store. Higgins said that they've had over 90,000 people download the software since it was released for free last fall, and that more than 500 games in the App Store were authored by Unity. He also ran a short demo of the software at the panel. While some of the coding got a little technical (the system allows you to create and change variables on in-game objects even while the game is running in the engine), the coolest feature was the way they simulated iPhone controls: by using a real iPhone as a remote. They've released a free app on the App Store that will connect via Wi-Fi with a copy of the development tool running on your Mac, and as you touch and turn the iPhone, the editor reacts, and sends the (slightly lower resolution) output to the iPhone's screen. You can also make changes to your code as the game runs in that mode, so you can be playing and coding at the same time.
EVE Evolved: Research: Tech 1 blueprints, page 2
Once you've been running your own research jobs for a while, you'll invariably notice that all the ME and copy slots in high security space tend to be packed, with queues over a month long. The only way to beat the queues is to make use of private labs not open to the general public. You don't get to access the labs directly and so you can't make use of copy facilities as there would be no way to retrieve the copies.
EVE Evolved: Research: Tech 1 blueprints
While it's most often lauded for its PvP, not everything in EVE Online is about shooting people. Research and manufacturing are two of EVE's most popular PvE professions because of the small time commitments they require. A lot of things in EVE are built from blueprints and through research, you can be one of the people supplying those blueprints. Whether you want to improve your own blueprints to increase manufacturing profit margins or make blueprint copies for sale, it's worth looking into doing your own research. Jobs can be set up to run for days on end, taking you as little as a few minutes per week to manage. This can augment your income from active sources like mining, trading or mission-running. In this article, I look at the basics of tech 1 blueprint research, the skills required to make the most of your time and how you could run your own research labs in the relative safety of high security space.
Pre ad is to iPhone ad as dude is to lady in Aerosmith song of the same name
What can I say? White background, disembodied finger and digi-creepy stillness of the device... the Bell [Canada] version of an ad for the Palm Pre looks hilariously like an iPhone ad. View the videos and judge for yourself. Then get a Pre if you are compelled to do so. It has maps and Twitter and you can touch and rotate and slide it. Bell version and an iPhone ad Spooky, isn't it? Of course, there are only so many ways to illustrate the feature set of a multi-touch smartphone, aren't there? It's like when Newhart was sued by the guy who also wrote a handyman book. There are, in fact, only so many ways to explain how to nail a nail, Dick explains. Lucky us, all smartphone ads will now follow this format, making it much easier to determine which phone is best for us. Thanks, Bell! [thanks to Philip Lam for the tip!] Update: And here's an iPhone ad's audio on top of the Bell/Pre ad. Note the flow and that "how cool is that?" pops up at a cosmically opportune moment.
TUAW Tip: Paste without formatting by default
Here's something I know affects plenty of users out there. Have you ever pasted text in a document or email message, only to have it formatted differently than all the text around it? Irritating, right? There's an answer, thanks to the Keyboard & Mouse pane in System Preferences. If you click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, you can assign "Paste Without Formatting" and/or "Paste and Match Style" to Command + V for all applications. Just click the button under the list, type in the name of the appropriate menu items, and press ⌘-V in the Keyboard Shortcut box. One note: Panic designer Neven Mrgan found that using this tip means you won't be able to paste images into iChat using Command + V. Dragging and dropping (or choosing Paste from the Edit menu) still works, though. Update: If you explicitly add ⌘-V in as a shortcut for Paste that's specific to iChat, you can restore the image paste capability without breaking the global shortcut. Apps that don't have either of those menu items will still default to regular old "Paste" for the same key command. Paste away! [Via @robotspacer, @chockenberry, and thaweesak.com.]
The plan for legit Blu-ray copies explained at Engadget HD
For those with a disc rack full of Blu-ray packages and who'd like to shove all those optical discs to the attic for a streamlined media server solution -- without resorting to other routes like downloading or cracking open AACS -- Managed Copy is finally on the way, thanks to the just finalized AACS specification, to offer an authorized option for making a copy of your Blu-ray disc. We had a nice long talk with gatekeepers AACS-LA about what to expect when compatible Blu-ray hardware arrives in 2010 and Managed Copy-enabled discs begin shipping later this year; for more details like how many copies can be made, how the DRM works and how much this might cost head over to Engadget HD and see what it all means, and hopefully when we can put away our discs for the last time in favor of a Blu-ray Jukebox.
iPhone finally gets copy and paste!
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_finally_gets_copy_and_paste'; No surprises here: Apple just announced that iPhone OS 3.0 will support copy and paste. A double-tap auto-selects the text you want with movable "grab points," and a pop-up edit bar display buttons for cut, copy, and paste. Finally! It works in every major app, including SMS and Safari, and what's more, there's also "shake to undo," which is exactly what it sounds like: a quick shake brings up a box that allows you to undo and redo c/p actions. It's a pretty nifty implementation, sure, but it's a little silly we've had to wait this long for it, don't you think?
New copy / paste paradigm in the works for Storm?
Storm firmwares have been leaking out of Waterloo at a positively breakneck pace for a couple months now -- and naturally, new builds of the operating system are liable to bring along new functionality every once in a while. Here's a particularly interesting one: it seems like RIM might have some sort of new clipboard action in store for an upcoming release, adding a visible box around text that you want to select -- just drag the handles on each side to make your selection. Considering that fingers tend to be a little fatter than your average line of text, it seems like a solid plan, but so far, there's no word on when we might see this in a leaked build -- let alone a build officially released by a carrier.[Via BlackBerryNews]
PTR character copy is back up! Everybody panic!
Okay, everybody. Stock up on tarps, bottled water, and canned beans, because the PTR character copy site is up and running again. We don't know if this means anything, or if this PTR is actually going up soon, or even if these copies will actually work, but it is our duty to make sure you get a steady news trickle of anything and everything related to the 3.1 PTR. There are currently two realms to which you can copy - Broxigar (PVE) and Anasterian (PVP). Go copy a character or two, then get in the fallout shelter, because things just might get exciting soon. Alternatively, these copies might go nowhere like the last set. Fingers crossed!
PTR Download is up, even though you probably don't realize it
For those looking to get on the 3.0.8 PTR you'll notice that the download links for the client at https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/charcopy/downloads.html point to a 3.0.1 version of WoW. This version is several months old.However once you download the version above, run the installer, and then run the game you'll be presented with the requirement to download another patch. This patch will bring you up to the latest 3.0.8 version of PTR client.To put it another way: the version you get from the official download page will be updated upon installation. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's wrong.This took Alex Ziebart and I a bit to realize, and we wanted to be sure that we shared this with you right away. Enjoy your PTRing!We should note that the server names are a bit odd right now, but Alex is on the 3.0.8 PTR with his character he copied over earlier.Edit: Pukka clears up the situation a bit more for us nicely: "Unless you were in the beta, you will not be able to access any WotLK content (or characters above 70 for that matter). Also, on the copy page, PvE lands you on a Spanish PvP server, and PvP lands you on a US English PvE server."
Chinese MMO accused of stealing art from World of Warcraft, others
A Chinese browser-based MMO named Aurora Blade has been accused of lifting art and design work from a few other MMOs, including Ragnarok Online, Maple Story, and yes, even World of Warcraft. You can judge for yourself in the comparison above (the little Rogue is Aurora Blade, obviously), put together by ShackNews, but that definitely looks alike to us. The game is hosted in the West by a company called IGG, and they've responded by saying that they only host the game and aren't responsible for the game's artwork.They give no indication, however, who is responsible for the artwork of the game, and there's nothing on the page or in the FAQ that gives a company name out either. Granted, Aurora Blade is hardly competition for World of Warcraft, but at this point it appears to be up to Blizzard whether they'll bother taking further action to get to the bottom of this.Of course, there is a flaw in their plan. If they really wanted to rip off some cool Rogue armor, wouldn't it be Bloodfang? Why bother with Shadowcraft?
iPhoneHellas: 2.2 coming November 21
According to iPhoneHellas.gr, version 2.2 of the iPhone firmware will be made available on November 21. The site says that the tipster is "reliable" but offered few details. Gizmodo calls the site "consistently reliable." The tipster did say, however, that the update will not contain Greek keyboard support. Rumor has it that the update will contain: Street View, public transportation and walking directions for Maps An always-visible search field in Safari A rating request before you delete an app The ability to download podcasts directly to your handset Location sharing via email Support for Emoji icons An option to turn off auto-correction There is still no word, of course, about the most requested and elusive of options: copy and paste. Gizmodo seems to think that -- if the release date is indeed on the 21st -- the major features of the update have been frozen. Looks like we'll have to wait until 2.3. [Via O'Grady's PowerPage.]
PTR 3.0.2 client is available for download
You can now begin downloading the PTR (Public Test Realm) client for patch 3.0.2. We reported earlier today that character copies have been made active, and those are going along nicely as far as we can tell (my Warrior copied across with no problem). To download the client and copy your characters over to the PTR, login to your account administration at worldofwarcraft.com.We are expecting a lot of out of this patch. From new talent trees, to class and raid mechanics changes, to the removal of the Amani War Bear. We'll have a lot more on this as we get more information in. Patch notes are not available yet – though we expect to get our hands on them soon. Stay tuned!
