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4X strategy game Horizon enters Steam space in February
L3O Interactive-developed Horizon will launch on Steam in full in February. The strategy game's beta version was added to Steam Early Access in July 2013, and is still available to purchase for $24.99. Horizon belongs to the 4X strategy genre, which emphasizes universe exploration and conquest. In Horizon's case, players partake in turn-based tactical space combat, developing colonies that interact with ten alien races in industry, trade and sciences. The game is being published by Iceberg Interactive, which brought about another popular 4X space strategy game in 2012, Amplitude Studios' Endless Space.
Horizon for iOS records landscape video no matter how you hold your phone
On Vine and Instagram, square-sharing is the name of the game. But when it comes to YouTube or TV, you're going to insult viewers if you present them with a vertical video. Despite six years of smartphone innovation, Apple hasn't really solved what's come to be known as Vertical Video Syndrome, so one app developer is taking it upon itself to fix it. With Horizon, Evil Window Dog believes it can help shape a world with no more black sidebars. Where some developers ask users to hold their iPhone on its side before shooting, like Google tried with YouTube Capture for iOS, Horizon wants to make things a whole lot easier by letting you capture horizontal video from any angle. Horizon works by using your iOS device's gyroscope to auto-level videos, keeping a horizontal focus on the action unfolding in front of you. If you rotate your iPhone 45-degrees, the app simply adjusts the frame to maintain its aspect ratio (it currently supports square 1:1, wide 16:9 and standard 4:3). But that's not all it has to offer. In the app's settings, you can set whether you'd like to rotate as you film, rotate and scale recordings or disable rotation altogether. Video quality can be tweaked to output VGA, 720p or Full HD recordings and there's also an option to mirror videos to your Apple TV using AirPlay. You can even apply one of eight pre-installed filters, if artistically destroying homemade videos is your thing. Horizon is available on the App Store for $0.99 for a limited time -- we just wish Apple and Google had bundled this as standard.
Horizon is a new video-recording app that'll eliminate portrait recording forever
Horizon is a new video-recording app from Evil Window Dog that shoots your video in horizontal mode, regardless of how you hold your phone. It's a lifesaver for those spur-of-the-moment shots when you accidentally pick up the camera and start recording in the wrong orientation. Horizon uses a neat trick to always record in horizontal mode. The app has a rectangular indicator that always stays in the center of screen. It's within this viewport that the Horizon app is capturing. No matter how you rotate the device, this box stays centered on the screen. When you start shooting in portrait mode, for example, all you will capture is the horizontal content within the viewport. The viewport box does tilt as you rotate your phone, so you want to avoid rotating while recording. If you tilt while you shoot, the area that is being captured will adjust in response to your movement. As a result, your video's field of view will expand and contract as you move. Horizon is best suited for filming with your phone in one orientation per clip. Options within the app are plentiful, but not overwhelming. You can toggle between the front and rear camera as well as turn the flash on and off right from the main screen. You can change the size of the viewport from a smaller, fixed frame to an extended frame that takes up most of the screen. If you want to shoot in portrait mode for effect, you can even disable the horizontal lock. Within the settings, you can also change the resolution of the video with values that range from the maximum 1080p to the lowest 480 x 480. Last but not least, there are filters that you can apply in real time. The quality of the video that I recorded was very good, as good as the iOS Camera app in most circumstances. The only problem I noticed was that, when compared to the iOS camera, some videos from Horizon had a noticeable amount of shake. I saw it primarily on close-up shots -- for example, when I was filming my favorite coffee cup to see how the app captured colors and maintained focus. The shake was not noticeable when I was filming my kids playing outside. I believe the shake was the result of my filming technique, but it's something you should be aware of. When filming, I discovered that I focused on the viewport box instead of the phone. The viewport box moves slightly as you move, and I was always trying to keep the box straight. I believe I was inadvertently moving the phone enough to introduce some shake into the video. This didn't happen in the iOS Camera app as I focused on the whole frame of the video and didn't move the phone as much. Horizon is available for US$0.99 from the App Store. It's a universal app that supports the iPhone 4s or newer, the iPod touch fifth generation, the iPad 2 or newer and iPad mini or newer.
Fez 2 announced [update: Disasterpeace involved]
In a surprise announcement at the end of the Horizon conference, it was revealed that Fez 2 is in development at Polytron. The brief trailer revealed little else, though the soundtrack sounded very similar to the work that composer Disasterpeace did for the original Fez. Update: The video's description confirms Disasterpeace's involvement.
'Horizon' is an E3 alternative from Venus Patrol and MOCAtv
Venus Patrol, the website "in search of beautiful things from the world of video games," is hosting a special event called Horizon as an alternative to E3's usual bluster this year. The event will be held in partnership with the LA Museum of Contemporary Art's video channel, MOCAtv. Horizon will have "a lineup of beautiful games" on display, though that lineup is currently top secret. Venus Patrol is promising projects from studios of all sizes, adding that Horizon will "showcase new looks at and details about some games you may have already heard of, as well as brand new games from some of your favorite developers, and very possibly some super secret new surprises that will be entirely unexpected." We're going to guess that none of those surprises involve Call of Duty DLC exclusivity agreements. Horizon is slated to go down on Thursday, June 13, the last day of E3. Assuming the event goes well, Venus Patrol hopes the event will become an E3 tradition.
Daily iPhone App: Horizon puts a weather report in a calendar app
Horizon is an interesting little app that comes from a very simple idea: To combine your weather report and your calendar in one place. That may not sound like a big innovation, but it's actually not a bad one. Horizon's simple and straightforward design (put together by a young developer named Kyle Rosenbluth) makes browsing through your upcoming schedule very easy, and matching up outside temperatures and weather with what you're doing is more helpful than not. You can use Horizon as its own calendar app, or sync it up with any of your other shared calendars, including any you have available over iCloud. And you can grab weather from anywhere (Horizon will automatically pull in temperature readings based on your calendar event's location and time), and tweak just how the time and temperature are displayed. There's also a "night mode," which is useful both as a visual indicator of how late it is, and for opening the app up in the dark to check your next day's schedule. Horizon is a really impressive app -- it takes a few good ideas, and then really polishes them to a nice shine. Rosenbluth has put a lot of thought into that initial premise of combining the weather and your calendar, and it shows. Horizon Calendar is available in the App Store right now for US$0.99.
AT&T scores WCS spectrum victory, covers 608 markets and 82 percent of Americans
The wireless landscape shifted a bit today, as the FCC has made good on its promise to allow AT&T's deployment of LTE service over the WCS band. In all, the regulatory agency approved Ma Bell's acquisition of licenses to the underutilized 2.3GHz spectrum from Comcast, Horizon, NextWave and San Diego Gas and Electric, along with additional AWS spectrum from NextWave. The licenses cover 82 percent of the population across 608 markets within the continental US. If you're an AT&T subscriber, however, don't expect to benefit from the deal overnight. By the carrier's own admission, it'll take at least three years to build up the proper infrastructure and introduce devices that support WCS, which means you're likely to go through a new iPhone or two between now and then. In the meantime, feel free to soak in the nitty gritty details at the source. [Cell tower photo credit: Ashish Sharma / Flickr]
Horizon's Minipak, Hydrofill and Hydrostik fuel cell devices go up for pre-order
We first learned of Horizon's most recent fuel cell-powered aspirations back at CES, but the company has been radio silent ever since. Well, until today. As of this very moment in time, a trio of alternative energy charging solutions are up for pre-order on the company's site, and while they promised that the family would be available by the end of 2010, it seems as if the first shipments will head out as early as next month. The Minipak -- described as a charging device that integrates a passive air-breathing fuel cell and a 'solid-state' hydrogen storage unit -- is up for pre-order at $99.99, while the monstrous Hydrofill water-to-hydrogen-to-power converter can also be claimed for $499.99. Last (but certainly not least), the Hydrostik can be reserved for a penny under a Hamilton. Go on, give that source link a look -- your angered AAs will peter out before they're able to take up arms, anyway. [Thanks, Mitchell]
Horizon MiniPak personal fuel cell charger hits shelves for $100
We first laid our eyes and hands on Horizon's MiniPak personal fuel cell charger back at CES and now it's finally available for purchase. Designed for charging portable electronics on the go, the MiniPak has two refillable cartridges, each with the juice equivalent of around 1,000 AA batteries. The MiniPak -- which uses Hydrogen to produce electricity -- isn't the first portable fuel cell, but it's certainly the cheapest. Check out our demo video from CES 2010 after the break. You can hit the source link if you're looking for a $99 fuel cell for your very own.
Horizon debuts H-Cell 2.0 hydrogen fuel cell system for R/C cars
We just checked out Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies' personal MiniPak fuel cell charger at CES last month, but the company's already back with another product that promises to take fuel cells where you might not expect them: hobbyist R/C cars. That comes courtesy of the company's new H-Cell 2.0 hydrogen fuel cell system, which is an add-on kit that's designed to replicate the full-scale hydrogen systems now being used on actual cars. In fact, it can even be refueled using a model-scale hydrogen refueling station, which itself can be outfitted with solar panels or wind turbines for a completely carbon-free experience. No word on pricing just yet, but the kit will apparently be available on March 15th -- head on past the break for a quick video demonstration.
Horizon MiniPak personal fuel cell charger hands-on (video)
Our dreams of a personal fuel cell that can charge our gadgets on the go are coming closer to fruition, and if the people at Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies continue what they're doing, our dreams might come true sooner rather than later. A handheld box a bit larger than an iPhone, the MiniPak handheld fuel cell charger uses Hydrostik cartridges filled with solid hydrogen particles to keep your gadgets juiced. It comes with one Hydrostik, which can be refilled with the companion product, the HydroFILL. The HydroFILL gets filled up with water, and when connected to a power source, it breaks the water down to hydrogen and oxygen, filling up the cartridges. We'll admit that we're not exactly up on our molecular chemistry, so check out the video after the break to see a Horizon rep explaining it more clearly. %Gallery-82318%
Horizon's Hydrofill converts water to hydrogen, hydrogen into juice for your gadgets
Could 2010 finally be the year of the fuel cell? Horizon thinks it will be. The company has been teasing us with products for years, and while this latest one is also just a promise at this point, Horizon says it will be for sale by the end of the year. Hydrofill is a "personal hydrogen station" capable of converting water into hydrogen gas, which then gets stored in small cartridges called Hydrostik -- apparently in a crystalline structure to prevent your fanny pack doing a Hindenburg. Those cartridges will be usable in rechargers, like the Minipak, which provides USB output to recharge smaller gadgets on the go. It'll surely be a little more powerful than the toy kit Horizon released back in 2008, but we're bummed this one won't run on vodka like that one did. We tend to have plenty of that lying around this time of the year.
Symbian Horizon app store launched, dev program detailed
Mobile World Congress came and went all those months ago without an app store for Symbian freaks, but you know what? That's OK -- Rome wasn't built in a day, y'know. Besides, all that is changing now that the Symbian Foundation has announced that Horizon, the publishing program / mobile marketplace, is up and running as we speak. Currently the home of fifty award winning downloads (including Bubblewrap!) users can look forward to "thousands of applications in 2010." What are you waiting for? Hit that read link to get started -- but not before you peep the PR to see how you too can begin developing for the platform. It's after the break. [Via TrustedReviews]
Symbian's Horizon: one app store to rule them all?
Mobile app stores are quickly approach "a dime a dozen" status -- they're proliferating among carriers, manufacturers, and platform vendors alike, which is a recipe for consumer confusion and developer discontent. The Symbian Foundation appears to see that writing on the wall, though, introducing its Horizon initiative which seeks to help guide developers through the process and publish good apps to as many different app stores as it takes. Horizon appears to be a complete publishing solution; devs don't even need to necessarily have a completed product to start working with it, all you need is a good idea and Symbian claims it'll be ready and willing to hear you out. To quote the Foundation, "We want every Symbian app to be available online and on devices, through as many of the App Stores as possible," which sounds like a good strategy for a platform that's unquestionably being considered an underdog for the moment. Horizon's already open to signups to a limited number of developers, so put those thinking caps on -- you want to be ready for the Satio, don't you?
Leon's OS soundbar custom built to fit your 120-inch display, drain your wallet
We didn't think that the soundbar market would one-up B&W's $2,200 Panorama model, but Leon speakers just couldn't leave well enough alone. For all the people who go to the expense of buying a flatscreen more than 100-inches big and yet can't be bothered to pick up some discrete multichannel speakers, Leon has added the OS (over-sized) soundbar to its Horizon lineup. Give Leon 3-5 days and $6,500 and it'll build your OS custom so it fits your display -- up to 120-inches wide -- in an LCR, L/R or center-only configuration. Leon says that the last install required a crane to lift the soundbar through an apartment window. We guess if you've already got a crane to get your display into the abode, you might as well make use of it for the speakers, too; but we'd recommend you skip the crane and put the $6,500 towards a nice set of speakers for real surround sound.
Toshiba refreshes pretty much every Satellite A / U / L-series ever
Toshiba aimed at the suits yesterday with the introduction of its Satellite Pro S300 and S300M, and today it's finishing things off in one fell swoop. The Satellite U405 (pictured), Satellite M305, Satellite M305D, Satellite A355, Satellite A305, Satellite L305 and Satellite L355 are all being refreshed today in order to cram in newer (read: zippier) Intel / AMD CPUs, face recognition software, USB Sleep-and-Charge ports, an eSATA combo port, built-in FM tuner and ATI Hybrid CrossFireX graphics in select models. Outside of a few expected increases in speed, capacity and capability, there's nothing here to really cheer about -- particularly if you were never hot with passion about the designs in the first place.
Horizon intros Bio Energy Discovery Kit for some fuel cell education
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies certainly has plenty more ambitious fuel cell products in the works, but it looks like it's not leaving any potential opportunity to make itself known untapped, with it now introducing the education-minded Bio Energy Discovery Kit to spread the fuel cell word to students and educators alike. According to the company, the kit is actually the "fuel cell industry's first direct ethanol product," which means it's able to take plain water and any household alcohol (like diluted vodka) and, in this case, provide enough power to run a fan non-stop for days on end. That wonder of science doesn't exactly come cheap, however, with the kit running a full $100.[Via Blast]
Leon Speakers intros Horizon 414-LCR-X-A on-wall loudspeaker
If the luxurious Seven Series was a bit too rich for your blood, Leon Speakers is offering up yet another option for tossing tunes up on your wall. The "ultra" high-fidelity Horizon 414-LCR-X-A is designed to fit nicely in "small theater settings where audiophile quality sound is still paramount," and as you can see, the left / center / right channels are combined into one cabinet. Additionally, the whole thing is just 3.25-inches thick, and each channel -- which can handle 225-watts -- is home to twin 4-inch Peerless HDS woofers and a 1-inch Morel MDT29 cloth-dome tweeter. Sadly, this one's still not suited for the bargain hunters, as it'll run customers $2,495 when it debuts at EHX Spring next week.
Horizon partners with Navini to spread WiMAX across Northeast US
Following up on Sprint's announcement to spread the WiMAX love to Chicago and Washington, D.C., Horizon is looking to broaden that area of coverage out just a bit by partnering with Navini Networks. This news comes after the FCC approved Horizon's purchase of the WCS A Block spectrum previously owned by the diminishing Verizon, and now the firm is looking to deploy the wireless goods in "Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Richmond, and Cincinnati" for starters. Horizon has selected Navini's 802.16e equipment to get things up and running, and states that its objective it to "provide wireless last mile access to residential, business, and emergency restoration markets," but folks in rural areas will seemingly get shunned for now. Horizon isn't wasting any time getting this thing started, either, as it plans to start building the network in Q1 of this year, with hopes for "ongoing expansion and additional network deployments in the latter part of 2007."[Via TheWirelessReport]
