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The old "My iPhone is hollow" trick
Still a better keyboard than you'll find on a BlackBerry. [Photo credit: Jeff Kraus]
Use this trick to cache offline maps in the latest Google Maps for iOS
The latest version of Google Maps for iOS released yesterday brought a number of new features. The most notable addition is support for the iPad, but there's also a really cool easter egg Google added into the app. The easter egg allows you to cache maps for offline use inside the app. It has actually been available in the Android version for a while, but this is the first time it has made its way to iOS. To cache your maps for offline use, first zoom in to the area of the map that you want to save. Be careful you aren't trying to cover an extremely large area or else this trick won't work. Once you've zoomed into an area you want to save for offline use, tap on the search field and type "ok maps." Then tap the search button on the keyboard to start downloading your offline map. If you've zoomed in far enough, you'll then see the Google Maps icon briefly appear onscreen and then at the bottom of the screen a black bar with white text will appear displaying a message that says, "The onscreen map has been cached." After the map is cached, you can access it by simply navigating back to that portion of the map at any time. This trick is immensely handy for people with WiFi-only iPads and iPod touches, as they'll be able to be out and about with no internet connection and still see maps of areas important to them. This trick is also handy for those with 3G connections since cached maps will load faster and save roaming data charges if, for example, you are traveling in a foreign city. Google Maps for iOS is a free download. [via Cnet]
APB: Reloaded previews new map for Halloween festivities
Like in most virtual worlds, APB: Reloaded's San Paro is preparing for Halloween. In honor of the occasion, a new map will be brought out for two weeks of celebration. The appropriately themed Asylum map will be used to host a Fright Club, which will replace the regular Fight Club starting today. Trick and Treat, the respective Halloween Contacts for Criminals and Enforcers, will be chilling in the Asylum with missions to hand out. Players will be able to go through six levels of holiday missions. In addition, players will be able to smash pumpkins -- and smashing pumpkins unlocks titles! Not only will players unlock the Pumpkin Chaser, Murderer, Assassin, and Terminator titles unlocked at various numbers of pumpkins smashed, but the top player in each world for pumpkin smashing will unlock the title of Pumpkin King or Queen. Two contests will round out the festivities: the Headless Gunman Pumpkin Head Contest and the Halloween District Parade Costume Contest. Check out the official contest forums for all the details on that heap o' goodness.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Tips for your first outing in Guild Wars 2
Welcome to Tyria, adventurer! This is the long-awaited launch day for Guild Wars 2. If you pre-purchased or pre-ordered the game, you've had a while in the world already. If not, then put on your best adventuring cloak and be sure to grab a spare handkerchief! For those of you who haven't been following the game with the feverish eyes of a true fanatic, here are some things to keep in mind when you first strike out in Tyria.
EVE Evolved: A game of cat and mouse
Outside of the annual Alliance Tournament, it's rare to find a fair fight in EVE Online with both sides being evenly matched in numbers or odds of success. On the actual battlefields of EVE, lone pilots and fleets alike hunt for fights they can win and tend to shy away from fights that aren't stacked in their favour. A bold few will intentionally engage when they're outmatched or outgunned in the hopes of getting a lucky and impressive-looking kill, but most of the time, that kind of fight is the result of a poor judgment call or misreading the situation. Something new EVE players tend to have trouble accepting is that the outcome of a fight is often decided before the guns even start firing. EVE PvP is a massive game of tactics in which the goal is to catch weaker enemies at a disadvantage, so the fight could already be lost the moment you're caught by a superior foe. A lot of PvP is psychological; you trick enemies into thinking they have the upper hand, and you hide your true intentions and abilities until it's too late. Fleets of all sizes roam around EVE appraising the smaller fish while avoiding the sharks, and I wouldn't trade that cat-and-mouse gameplay for any level of pre-arranged fairness. But what motivates people to fight or flee, and how can we win the psychological battle to gain an upper hand? In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at three tricks you can use to catch targets off-guard.
Audi e-bike Wörthersee lets you pop wheelies eco-style, plays nice with your smartphone
We're no stranger to e-bikes here, but most of the examples we've seen so far have very much been meant for A-to-B rides. Audi's aiming to fix that with its e-bike Wörthersee prototype. The carbon fiber transport not only has a strong 2.3kW motor -- the most powerful ever in a bike, so says Audi -- but can use that power for tricks. You can flick the Wörthersee into a wheelie mode and either shift your weight around or leave it fully automatic, depending on the fierceness of your stunt skills. Not that it'll be a timid ride if you prefer to keep both wheels on the ground, as a motor-assisted pedaling mode will take you up to 50MPH, and you can still ride at 31MPH if you're not keen on using your legs. That's faster than the already speedy Grace One City we tried, folks. The vorsprung durch technik also comes through a smartphone tie-in, although in a much more stunt-savvy way than the app- and tuning-focused Ford E-Bike Concept: it tracks video and trick runs, both for its own game system and for bragging rights on Facebook. With a very light 3.5-pound carbon fiber frame and a quick 2.5-hour charge-up time, the e-bike Wörthersee sounds like a wild ride that will charge quickly enough for a spin on your lunch break, but we wouldn't rush to put down a deposit. Audi is calling the prototype a "show bike," which is a sign than the design as-is won't show up at the local sports store. We'll let you know if the Wörthersee or a more pragmatic descendant makes the leap to a dealer.
Leaderboard: MMO trick vs. MMO treat
Ah, Halloween. It's the time of the year that every single MMO in existence reveals its deep-rooted bigotry against pumpkins and our already decorated virtual funhouses are given yet another layer of pretend nonsense. Not that I'm complaining, mind you -- I adore Halloween in MMOs. It's my favorite holiday, virtual or real, and I'm always anxious to see what the crazed minds of maddened developers have come up with in their spare time between logging TPS reports. Today's Leaderboard is simple: Do you want a cool new trick in your MMO or a tasty treat? A "trick" being new quests, special content, or a fun spookhouse to explore, and a "treat" being nifty Halloween rewards that you can consume, wear, or otherwise show off to the 2,540 other folks who got the same exact thing. It's trick-or-treat today on Massively, so which side do you support, and how far are you willing to go? If they pull a knife, you pull out a bag of candy corn -- that's the Halloweentown way!
Black Ops: Call of the Dead's Wunderwaffe-ful Easter egg revealed
It's no secret that the new Call of the Dead map for Call of Duty: Black Ops packs some major star power, but it also contains some well-hidden firepower. NextGenTactics details how to unlock the map's secret Wunderwaffe DG-2, an Achievement and some hilarious cameos in the video after the break.
Just got an iPad? The best apps, accessories, and tips
So, Santa stuffed an iPad into your stocking on Christmas (insert mythical figure / appropriate receptacle / holiday of choice), and you're wondering what to do with the thing? First of all, congratulations! The iPad can be a wonderful, loyal companion and friend, but it can also take a while to warm up to. As we always say, a device is only as good as its apps, both literally and figuratively: it'll take some time to figure out what you want to get from the iTunes Store that will flesh out your experience, but it will also take some time to see which nooks and crannies of your life the iPad can fill, and what roles you'll want it to take over from your laptop and phone. Follow along after the break as we show you how to wring the most out of your shiny new tablet.
How to get Hulu running on Android 2.2, for now
Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1. A perfect combination for combination for a little Hulu on the go, right? Not quite, as Hulu has decided to block videos (for legal reasons) when it detects a mobile device, but it turns out there is a surprisingly simple workaround. As Absolutely Android explains, all you have to do is make Hulu think you're using a desktop browser, which can be done simply by entering "about:debug" in the address bar and switching the UAString setting from Android to desktop. The only downside to the trick is that you'll now also get the full desktop version of the Hulu site (and any other site, until you switch it back), and there's a better than decent chance that Hulu will close this loophole before you can finish your first episode of Kojak.
EVE Evolved: Staying safe in high security space
One of EVE Online's defining factors is the idea that you're not completely safe anywhere in the game. If you're not docked in a station or securely logged off, there's always a chance that someone will pick a fight with you. Many pilots opt to stay in the relative safety of high security space but even this isn't an absolutely safe area. Suicide attacks, corporate wars, can flippers and loot thieves are a common sight in New Eden and if you don't know how to handle them, you could find yourself on the business end of a 150mm railgun. In this guide for newer EVE players, I look at the main threats you could be exposed to in high security space and how to keep yourself safe in spite of them.
Who you gonna call? Irene's Spirit haunts your iPhone or iPod touch
Irene's Spirit [US$1.99, iTunes Link] puts a fortune telling spirit into your iPhone or iPod touch (with the exception of the first generation iPod touch) as long as you're running OS 3.0. Forget the Magic 8 Ball or Ouija Board. That's kid stuff. Irene doesn't use a 20-sided die or easily pushable planchette to give you an answer. Her answers come from the other side. The other side of what I'm not so sure, but who cares when she is dead accurate. She will make you wonder if ectoplasm will void your warranty. I had my son ask Irene a question and he totally lost it when she told him the name of his dead grandfather. After two more passes, he got skeptical and figured out what was happening. I should have stopped while I was ahead. Yes, it's an illusion. I was very impressed with the best tutorial system I've seen in any app. Being an instructional designer, I know that chunking instruction and requiring feedback periodically is the best way of transferring information. Irene's Spirit is a textbook case of how to get it right. With a bit of practice, operating the illusion is easy and distracting your audience is helped by lot of vibration noise and weird looking scrolling screens that look like something out of The Matrix. I thought that it was a well designed, easy to learn trick that will be a hit at birthday parties, but only good for one or maybe two questions before we more skeptical grownups get wind that something's up. I had a good time with it as a casual app, and really think it's worth a look. Take a look at this video and see Irene in action.
Snow Leopard: Find what you're looking for
One of the little frustrations in my everyday use of Leopard was the way it searched in folders. When in a Finder window, there was a handy-looking search box in the upper right-hand corner. I would place the cursor, type my query, and be annoyed by the fact that OS X searched my entire Mac. Nooo. If I wanted to search the whole thing, I would have asked to search the whole thing. Thank goodness Snow Leopard fixes this minor workflow speed bump. Now you can choose what you'd like to use as a default: Search This Mac or Search the Current Folder. You can even say "I'll have another" by choosing to Use the Previous Search Scope. Unfortunately the default out-of-the-box action is still set to look everywhere on your Mac. But don't worry, it's easy to change. Make sure Finder is your active app (either click on the Finder icon in the dock, click the desktop or a visible Finder window, or cmd-Tab to switch to the Finder). Choose Preferences in the Finder menu. Or you can just use the Command-comma key combo to invoke Preferences. In Finder Preferences, click on the Advanced tab. Choose your desired search scope from the drop-down menu under the heading "When performing a search." Close the Preferences and enjoy a search or two. That's it. Just one example of the many little changes in Snow Leopard that make life with the OS easier and more efficient. I hope you find what you're looking for!
Don Flamenco punching loop intact in Punch-Out!! for Wii
Some of the more experienced Punch-Out!! players probably know of the trick to defeating Spain's resident matador, Don Flamenco, in the original game. However, in the years between that title and his appearance in the new game, it would seem he has learned nothing. With some carefully timed punches, Little Mac can turn Flamenco into the best two-stepper this side of the MIssissipp'. Head past the break to watch the trick in action.[Via Go Nintendo]%Gallery-33381%
How to ruin Christmas using only a 360 box and some clothes
We hesitate to post the soul-crushing video you see above -- it may put a damper on your whole day. You see, many of us have fond holiday memories of tearing through sheets of glossy paper and ribbons to reveal the greatest present a kid can receive -- a new gaming console. To see one family pervert those cherished memories by presenting young Jonathan with an Xbox 360 box filled with clothes just brings us irrevocably down, in a manner that only "Beaches" used to be capable of.Those sweethearts at Engadget are attempting to contact Jonathan and his rapscallion parents to hook the kid up with a real 360 -- hopefully, they'll send Jonathan's folks a little something too. Perhaps a wrapped-up, car-shaped pile of parenting books left in their driveway would fit the bill.
Silver tabbies as far as the eye can see
Thanks to tipster Enaress, we have a short video of an amusing (albeit potentially annoying) exploit ingame that allows you to summon an unlimited number of noncombat pets. From the date on the video, it looks as if this has been live since at least patch 2.3.0,and a few of the commenters have successfully tried it for themselves. A note of warning: be careful if you do this, as dropping out of sync with Blizzard's servers can definitely be considered an exploit, and, at Blizzard's discretion, could get you banned from the game. Odds are a fix is already en route.I have to admit, I was amused at the prospect of having my small army of pets out and about, but from what Enaress has observed, doing this does have a tendency to contribute to the lag in Shattrath (which seems to be especially noticeable with complicated pets like Lil' Smoky). I don't think I'd try it for myself; Shatt can be bad enough during server high time. But there's something about the notion of my Druid as a dedicated cat-herder or, say, an Undead being followed by a swarm of cockroaches, that just made me laugh.One more thing; would the Disgusting Oozeling's aura stack, you think?%Gallery-16869%
TUAW Tip: Use Help to select menu items in Leopard
Over at Mac OS X Hints I recently ran into this doozy of a hint that I somehow missed on its first go around. Basically the idea is to capitalize on a great new feature in Leopard's help. You can get to any menu item without your mouse by activating the help menu with the keyboard shortcut ??? + ? (i.e. ??? + shift + /). Then type the name of the menu command you want and scroll down to it with the arrow keys. That command's menu will automatically drop down with the item highlighted, hit enter and you're done! If you're a keyboard maven this is a really easy way to get to your menu items (though you can also activate the menubar from the keyboard with ???F2).Thanks Brandon!
Ghost Wolf taming is here to stay
If you listened to our podcast on Saturday (which was heard on the new 24-hour WoW Radio), you heard us chatting about taming the Ghost Wolf, a neat little trick that Hunters (like our own Matthew Rossi's wife) have discovered to let them tame a very rare, very special pet. I personally made my opinion known on the show: that this was a great little reward for level 70 players willing to put the time and effort in to get the pet, and that Blizzard should definitely leave this as is, intended or not.And now, the great Mania points us to this forum post by EU Blue Issuntril, who confirms that even though the taming wasn't actually intended, Blizzard doesn't have plans to address the issue-- Ghost Wolves are here to stay.Great news for Hunters willing to go the extra mile for a cool pet (and for Hunters who have already done so-- would definitely be lame to log in after all of that work and find your spectral pet missing). Kudos to Blizz for letting the Ghost Wolves run free.
Joystiq hands-on: Master of Illusion (DS)
I've always liked magic. Growing up, I learned card tricks, sleight-of-hand, and other ways to fool an audience. One of my great childhood memories was being driven downtown by my mom and rummaging though a magic store's disorganized racks. I picked out a small, mirrored box that could cause any object I placed inside to disappear.If that store had Master of Illusion, I would have likely bought it instead. The DS "game" teaches kids tricks through dozens of on-screen activities. Some even rely on the included deck of cards. The best tricks lead to performances for friends, while some activities -- like fortune telling -- seem better suited to slumber parties. A few other activities let single players amaze themselves, with the DS reading the gamer's mind in a series of logic-based tricks.While I'll try not to spill too many secrets about how Master of Illusion works, the game looks to be a unique tool for young magicians. However, I was disappointed that the DS is required in all activities; I wanted the game to teach stand-alone tricks that work with just the included cards. But at least the game explains ways to misdirect an audience, recover from a mistake, and other basics that could be applied to other performances.
Check out your Xbox 360's heatsink without voiding warranty
Leave it to Ben Heck -- warranty thrasher and modder extraordinaire -- to point out an incredibly simple (and warranty-friendly) method of checking out your Xbox 360's heatsink. Put simply, you invert your console, snap a photo (or three for good measure) through the mesh, and compare your image with the above picture in order to determine if your box is rockin' the beefed up heatsink we've been hearing about. Go on, give it a go yourself, and make sure you report back with details of your findings (and photos for extra street cred).[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
