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Final Fantasy XI players get a little help from their iPhone
There's a lot of information to keep track of in Final Fantasy XI, much of it not covered by the in-game interface. There's no easy way to access the all-important airship schedules or the often-loathed Race Specific Equipment quest eligibility. Since the game has been out for several years, there are naturally more than a few applications to track these events... but due to the game's issues with alt-tabbing, they require a bit of a workaround for the player. Now there's another option available to anyone with an iPhone or an iPod Touch -- a new app from Duodyne Studios. Although not officially affiliated with Square-Enix, the application is aimed at giving players easy access to the most commonly needed timers. That includes a recast timer feature that allows players to simply tap the ability when they use it, followed by an alert on the phone when it becomes ready again. It's not as useful as simple macro checks for short abilities like Provoke, but longer abilities will benefit from having the timer feature. At $0.99 for players in the US and comparable prices for other markets, Final Fantasy XI players might want to take a look.
AddOn Spotlight: SexyCooldown
AddOn Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience -- the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your AddOns folder will never be the same! This week, we get real sexy. Timers for spells is an imperative addon for many classes that rely on steady rotations of DoT management and keeping debuffs up on enemies. DPS can be greatly altered by the careful balance of spell effects lasting for certain periods of time on enemies. There are a lot of good timers out there for spells and abilities, but today I want to introduce you to my favorite. If this addon is old news to you, and you already know how powerful it can be, help out the less fortunate! If you're new to his wonderful piece of code, stay a while and listen, as I sing a love song to SexyCooldown.
Sony's secret kill switch: myth, rumor or hearsay?
Could there be something lurking deep inside your Sony laptop or TV programmed to break the device as soon as the warranty expires? That may sound like a crazy conspiracy theory not far off those involving the mysterious deaths of engineers, but it's a theory that continues to persist to some degree in Japan, and even seems to have grown in recent years. As Telegraph.co.uk reports, the belief in a secret timer or "kill switch" has been around for the past twenty years or so, but it apparently took on some newfound momentum amid the rash of Sony laptop battery failures, which even prompted some Sony execs to publicly deny that such a switch exists. The kill switch apparently isn't completely pervasive though, as the PlayStation 3 is supposedly "exempt," thereby explaining its considerable success in Japan -- although there's some talk that's because it's a Trojan horse for Sony's next big scheme: mind control disguised as 3D glasses.
USB Hourglass flips itself, generating random numbers in the process
This is such a bizarre combination of the old and the new that at least a few of our geekiest readers are sure to get a kick out of it. The USB Hourglass is essentially an egg timer equipped with an optical beam for keeping an eye on sand levels and a rotating mechanism for flipping the thing when all the sand has landed at the bottom. But that ain't all! The observed light levels are sent to a host PC (via USB, which also supplies power) where any of your favorite open source tools can use it to generate random numbers. The rest of this -- "entropy," "random" versus "pseudorandom" number generators, etc. -- is simply a little beyond us this morning, although we're sure that this will produce a lively and intelligent discussion in the comments (where many a lively and intelligent discussion has taken place over the years). Just make sure you peep the video after the break first -- it's a blast.
Jabra Stone to bring 'new shape' to Bluetooth headset field
C'mon, cut us some slack here. We're suckers for teasers, and our intuition says that you are too. Jabra, who has definitely done a thing or two for the Bluetooth headset realm, is apparently looking to reveal a "new shape" on October 20th, though it'll only be sold through AT&T (at least initially). Heck, there's even a countdown timer over on the outfit's teaser page for those who'd like to watch every second from now till then tick away, not to mention a brief video that tersely details the forthcoming excellence. So, got any bright ideas about what this thing could be? The second coming of the BT headset? Just another tchotchke?[Via Electricpig]
Five...no, Six useful Mac apps from Thoughtful Tree
TUAW receives a lot of app submissions for review, both for Mac and iPhone. But it's unusual when a developer sends us individual press releases for a relatively large number of apps. Steven Degutis is the brain behind a company called Thoughtful Tree. In his words, "I'm an indie Mac developer who writes apps that make my job easier and smoother, and then if I think they're useful enough, I share them with everyone via my company Thoughtful Tree Software. That's just how I roll."
Palm Pre counting down to a June 6th launch?
Know what happens in the run-up to a major product launch? Rumors are mongered and advertisements are sold, lots and lots of ads. So we're not surprised to find the two colliding in the shape of an un-calibrated (not Pre calibrated, it's not yet in sync with the calendar) countdown timer that's destined for every tech and consumer oriented website on these here Internets. Since Engadget maintains a strict editorial separation from advertising, there's no way for us to know for sure if this is legit. However, we reached out to Notebook.com who gave us a very convincing backstory for how they came up with this timer (that we saw working) showing a June 6th launch -- smack in the middle of the June 5th and June 7th dates rumored. Still, a Saturday? How very un-Sprint-like. Come on Palm, out with it already -- make the date official.
Wintergrasp timer on Patch 3.1 PTR
Here's a bit of news that some players might enjoy -- tipster Falrinn noted that Wintergrasp now has a global timer that lets players know when the next battle for the zone is slated to occur. This should eliminate quite a bit of clutter on the trade channels where players usually ask, "when is the next WG?" The timer is accessible through the world map, where the countdown updates live in increments of five seconds. On live servers, the only way to find out when the next battle occurs is to talk to your respective Wintergrasp Battle-Mages or using AddOns which all still need data from the zone.It was, to say the least, rather inconvenient. The change also comes with a few minor changes, such as the wall icons on the maps -- they look flimsier. Blizzard also saw fit to change the icon for Essence of Wintergrasp again, making it look more like a tower instead of a trophy on a pedestal. The timer feature is a welcome one, although in the PTR it currently doesn't work when not in Northrend. The only thing that would be better than that would be a web-accessible timer that tells you when the next game is on your server... Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.
Get paid for your time: On The Job 3.0
On The Job 3.0 was released today, and it's poised to give my long-standing favorite time-tracking app, Billings 3, a good run for its money. On The Job 3 represents a complete rewrite of the application. It's such a new and different beast from its previous incarnations that -- in the words of the developer -- it "really feels much more like a version 1.0 than a 3.0." On The Job is designed for individuals -- freelancers, contractors, etc. -- who need to track their time and expenses, send invoices for multiple jobs with multiple clients, and handle payments. It, like Billings, is especially geared toward those who want the extra features which can make them look utterly professional in their invoicing and billing. Let's start with its looks: it's just plain gorgeous. From the main UI to the popup entry forms, and from the client editor to the template editor, the minute details of the interface have been treated with great care. I'll go ahead and say that the invoice template selector is eerily similar to Billings', but I'm not sure where the credit for the first such interface belongs. Let's just say it's a good one to pick up on. The default templates are definitely competition for Billings, whose selection is already above-par for time tracking and billing apps. Editing templates in either app is far more pleasurable than the first time I ever tried to edit a template in Quickbooks. The first thing that struck me when I opened up the demo was the sheer simplicity of the interface. Everything you need is there, exactly where you want to look for it. The play/pause button for timing jobs is big but not overly obtrusive, and you can turn its default, obnoxious spinning to a pleasant throb in the preferences. That sounded dirtier than it is. There's a menubar control of the timer as well. The overall feature set is not as robust as Billings, but there's definitely something to be said for simplicity. If you don't need the additional features, such as Pro Forma invoices, full account tracking and statements, it's very possible that On The Job might be a great candidate to serve your time-tracking needs. Other features in the new version include: Invoices for a specific date range New outstanding invoices panel Custom hourly rates for specific tasks Individual timing sessions are tracked, and can be "edited in post" Expense types now include quantity and mileage Per client currency settings Automatic and fully customizable invoice number generation On The Job is selling for $39.95US. I have to mention that the "Main Street Sale" of Billings is still going, and it's at $39.99 right now. Both have free demos, so if you're a freelancer or contractor in the market for a slick way to track time and send invoices, make your own comparison. Personally, I'm torn. I'll decide in the next 20 days which, coincidentally, is the length of the On The Job demo period.
Design a disease timer for DeathKnight.info
DeathKnight.info is having a Death Knight Disease Design contest (say that three times fast) -- they're working on putting together a disease-timer addon for you former slaves of the Lich King, but they need a little design help with it. What you've got to do is take the graphic above (you should probably take the one off of their site, just to be safe, because it's got to be a certain size), and design a way to use it as a disease timer -- it's got to show all the info you'll need in an addon, and it's got to "look awesome," too.I'm terrible at design, but maybe there are some budding designers out there with some kickass ideas. If you win, not only do you get your ideas included in the Runes addon, but you will pick up a free 60 day gamecard as well. Hit up their dev thread if you have questions about how the mod works -- hopefully we'll see some creative entries here when the times come to vote for a winner next month.
Breakfast topic: Time is the fire
Somehow I missed the memo that Blizzard was changing the minimap to include an upfront clock, alarm, and stopwatch. It's a pretty neat idea. My favorite part is that you can switch the clock to read local time. This adds to time management tools located in the account setting to limit play time. As I've mentioned before, I live in Las Vegas. It's a strange place, with time dimensions similar to World of Warcraft. You have to look pretty hard to find a clock or a window in one of the casinos and the floors are like mazes that are designed to disorient you. Why? They want you to stay there and spend your money. As far as I know, WoW has always had a clock, but until yesterday, you had to hover your mouse over it to see the time. You can always look around the room. I don't know how many times I've checked the time and wondered where the time went. I found it nice tonight to have it right in front of me.
Cutting the Karazhan timer
Karazhan is getting beat into the ground nightly by almost everyone on the realms -- isn't it about time, asks Heavymetal from Sargeras, that Blizzard lowered the timer? It certainly seems like the time has almost come -- by the time the last expansion released, UBRS, which was basically the precursor to Karazhan, had no timer and was getting raided like crazy. All of the gear is going to be replaced anyway, and the attunement's been lifted -- why not let players go nuts on Medivh's old stomping grounds?Bornakk closes the thread due to caps, but we'll play devil's advocate and try to answer for him: Badges. With Karazhan basically a knockover for even beginner guilds, the only way Blizzard has to control the flow of badges from there is to keep the instance on a timer. The Kara gear might get replaced, but some of the Badge gear has to last for a while, and while Heroics do grant Badges (they're on a timer as well), Kara hands out more of them for free than those old ladies with meat on toothpicks at the grocery store.Still, in Wrath we're probably looking at an all new Badge system, so you'd think Blizzard might as well open the floodgates at some point. Whether it'll be before or after the next expansion, though, we have no idea.
Warsong Gulch changes may not have helped much
Aloud on the podcast last week, I wondered if the patch 2.4 changes to WSG had made a difference (I haven't been able to make it in there yet -- too busy writing about Hello Kitty Online, of course), and now maxomi is wondering the same thing: since the changes dropped, has WSG actually been fixed?Unfortunately, from what we're told, the answer is no. The changes, designed to cut off turtling and players who ran around with the flag without capturing it, first made the enemy flag carriers trackable after 45 seconds, and then gave a damage debuff to the flag carrier after ten minutes (which doubled at fifteen). But all the reports from players say that makes no difference -- people still turtle away, even with the tracking and debuff, and eventually both drop the flag and the whole thing resets.So what's the solution? If you crib some notes from other capture the flag games, a match timer sounds like the best option, and indeed, that's what most people are suggesting. Blizzard would have to determine how long to tune it, but the idea would be that after a given amount of time, if there was no winner, the match would end in a draw, with both sides losing in terms of a reward. It doesn't seem like Blizzard can force players to fight, so the best option overall might be to just call it in a time limit, and keep the matches from going on for long amounts of time.
Microsoft launches family timer for Xbox 360
Microsoft has finally released its 'Family Timer' for the Xbox 360, a long rumored update which was only recently confirmed by MS exec Robbie Bach last month. Once applied, the timer can be used to adjust and set the amount of available console playtime "on a daily or weekly basis...and the feature will automatically turn off the console when the predetermined time limit has been exceeded." Thankfully Microsoft has included reminders which it says will appear to notify players when their time is growing short, so hopefully they can make a mad dash for the nearest save point instead of being cut off without warning.Interestingly, Microsoft notes that this feature came about as a result of two independent surveys conducted by the company throughout Europe and the United States, which included 800 parents in the US and some 4,000 parents in the U.K., France, Germany and Italy. According to the company, the surveys found that the majority of respondents (75% in Europe, 62% in the US) welcomed the idea of having such parental controls built into their game consoles, though it remains to be seen how many of said parents will actually take the time to implement and use the controls now that they are available.
Microsoft promotes parental oversight in gaming with Jerry Rice, PTA
Along with the Xbox 360 family timer announced today, Microsoft has kicked off the second year of their "Safety is no game. Is your family set?" campaign. They're also releasing PACT, a contract being distributed to Parent Teacher Association members nationwide. PACT is an abbreviation that isn't so brief: "Parental involvement; the amount of Access children can have, including who they are allowed to play and interact with online; the types of Content children are allowed to play or watch; and the amount of Time children can use media." Spare a thought to the parents yelling "Turn that damn thing off, Dan!"Joining Microsoft in this crusade are two allies, one likely, the other not so much. The PTA and Jerry Rice lent their support to Microsoft's "Safety ... Set?" campaign, all lauding praise on one another at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, D.C., today. Rice stated "it's so rewarding to join Microsoft and the PTA today to promote a healthy balance for our kids in this exciting digital age." Oh, get a room.
Microsoft adding Family Timer to Xbox 360
The rumor becomes reality as Microsoft announced today the addition of a parental control timer to the Xbox 360. Robbie Bach, president of MS's entertainment and devices division, confirmed the new feature, dubbed the "Family Timer." Bach says that as the customer base broadens, the demand for these types of options does too.The timer can be set to limit playtime on "a daily or weekly basis, and turns off the console when the time limit is reached." Microsoft says that 90% of parents have a restriction on video game time and this will allow them to enforce their wills without prejudice. Now if we can only get research on how many parents will actually know how to use the timer (and remember their passwords eight months later).Additional information can be found on Xbox.com.
Xbox 360 parental timer coming in December?
Xbox 360 addicts, particularly ones under the age of 18 (or still camping out in your 'rents crib), take note: a "Family Timer" could be wrecking your habitual play as early as next month. The above image was reportedly spotted in the pamphlet of a Guitar Hero III keychain (we know...), and it touts the timer's ability to easily limit how much time kids spend on the console. If this proves legitimate, the new functionality will be available via Xbox Live next month, and there's even an option to "suspend or add time" depending on how those report cards turn out. Parents, we know how much flak you'll be getting should you activate this "feature" right around the holidays, but hey, just tell those immature youngsters of yours that you're simply following in the footsteps of Bill Gates himself.[Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Xbox 360 parental timer coming in December
The Xbox 360's parental controls could be getting a boost next month with a "parental timer" feature that would let parents limit the amount of time children can play. The information comes from a TeamXbox forum poster who says he found the feature listed on a pamphlet included with a Guitar Hero III keychain, of all things. Not exactly iron-clad sourcing, but given that Microsoft's Vista operating system already has a similar feature, it doesn't seem too far-fetched. Still, consider it a rumor until we can confirm this for ourselves.[Via XboxToday]
Addon Spotlight: WoW Timer
It's so easy to lose track of time when playing World of Warcraft. You start out grinding this reputation, leveling that alt, then get invited to go run an instance, then come back and check the auction, then inspect some people standing around in their pretty epics... and suddenly discover that it's 1 in the morning and you've spent many more hours playing this game than you had planned. Then again, for some people, limiting themselves isn't at all the problem -- it's limiting their kids they worry about! Their children agree to only play for 1 hour, but then 2 or 3 hours go by and they're still in there at the computer, saying, "But Daaaaad, I forgot!" If either you or your loved one needs a gentle reminder about how much time has gone by while adventuring in Azeroth, WoWTimer may be the addon for you.
Widget Watch: Minutes
The best widgets, in my view, do one simple thing and do it well. That description would fit Minutes, a great little countdown timer widget. With Minutes you just grab the little blue triangle and spin it around to choose your interval (in whole minutes). When it reaches zero it gives you a Growl notification reading "The time has come" and can also do one of the following: Put the computer to sleep Beep Stop iTunes Start iTunes playing a playlist open a file repeat the countdown Simple, but effective; I like it, especially since you can open multiple copies. Now if only they'd allow you choose intervals other than whole minutes and edit the Growl notification text, it would be perfect. If the Dashboard is not your thing, we also had a post on setting short interval timers using Quicksilver a while back that of course could do all of this and more. Minutes is a free download from Nitram+Nunca.[Via MacApper]
