vault
Latest
Dropbox officially debuts its password manager
While a recent appearance in the Play Store tipped us of this was coming, Dropbox has officially revealed its password manager — albeit in beta form. Officially called Dropbox Passwords, the feature does exactly what you’d expect.
GitHub will store all of its public open source code in an Arctic vault
Let's face it, there are a lot of things that could bring about the end of the world as we know it -- heightened political tensions, climate change, even an asteroid. In the event that things go FUBAR, what will happen to the masses upon masses of data and digital stuff that humanity relies upon every day? If open source coding platform GitHub has anything to do with it, it'll all be stored safely at the very ends of the Earth.
Doomsday seed vault upgrade protects against a warming Arctic
When melting permafrost poured into the entrance of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, there was an understandable worry. What good is safeguarding the world's crops in the Arctic if even that area isn't immune to the threat of climate change? Well, you can relax. Statsbygg, the Norwegian construction group behind the vault, has outlined "technical improvements" to keep the entrance safe. It's building waterproof walls and ditches to channel water away, and it's moving electrical equipment out of the entrance to avoid creating a source of heat. The vault will also take fewer visitors to reduce body heat levels -- even that small amount could make a difference.
Zoho announces Zoho Vault, provides a hub for businesses to manage passwords
Zoho's more commonly known around the interwebs for its document editing tools, but today the service is launching a product that's a little more business-oriented than its Office suite. With the newly introduced Zoho Vault, the company's hoping to give business owners a centralized repository where they can easily manage their passwords online -- something slightly similar to what LastPass offers. Of course, security will likely be very important for potential customers, and Zoho says it'll be able to keep a rigorous lockdown by implementing things such as Host-Proof Hosting, a measure which encrypts passwords at the browser and stores only encrypted data on the server. The Personal Edition of Zoho Vault is available now for free and can be accessed by one person, while the Enterprise Edition costs a mere $1 per month, offers an iPhone app and supports unlimited users.
Mass Effect 3 Vault comes with DLC too
The Mass Effect 3 "Vault" by Calibur11 makes your Xbox or PS3 look kind of like the torso of a Lego Commander Shepard. It also makes the counterintuitive claim of improving airflow to the device.If the allure of a system that is like a chest in two different senses of the word isn't enough, perhaps you'd be swayed by the promise of some Mass Effect 3 DLC? Like every other Mass Effect tie-in product this year, the Vault comes with some in-game bonuses, specifically "Reinforcement Packs" containing race and class unlocks, weapons and items for use in multiplayer.If you've resisted the books, toys, and other items, maybe this will be the thing to confer bonus DLC on you, while encasing your game system in the warm glow of "battery powered lighting effects."
Protect your console from Reapers with the Mass Effect 3 Vault
Assuming you haven't already hung a hand grenade on your console of choice, Calibur11 is ready to encase it with yet another game-themed vault. This time around it's a nod to Commander Shepard and friends with an "exclusive" Mass Effect 3 vault.The vault sports Shepard's chest armor, complete with light up N7 logo, and the requisite controller cradle (what, no sweet ray gun?). Like other vaults, the unit is purported to actually improve airflow by lifting the console off the ground. The vault will be available in the UK starting March 9 for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, commanding a price of £70. The press release makes no mention of the North American release, though GameStop currently lists both versions for a March 1 release at $90.Update: It seems our subconscious desire for BioWare to create a FireFly game led to the use of the word "Reavers" in the original headline. The mistake has been fixed, though our hearts remain hopeful.%Gallery-146784%
Calibur11 Battlefield 3 vault prevents your console from going prone
While we're still not convinced it's a great idea to lock your hot, hot console inside a plastic box, Calibur11 has announced the latest in its line of "Vaults." Available for Xbox 360 or PS3, the new model carries a Battlefield 3 theme complete with an LED-lit claymore, decorative(?) smoke grenade and controller cradle. For what it's worth, Calibur11 also claims that the vault actually improves your console's cooling prowess, thanks to "a performance grid that enhances cooling of your video game system by increasing airflow." The Battlefield 3 vault will go on sale "this fall" for $90. GameStop will also offer a $100 bundle that includes the PS3 vault, a PS3 copy of Battlefield 3 and a download code for the Physical Warfare DLC.
Enter at your own Rift: Checking out Update 1.3
The calm before the storm. That's the best way to describe the RIFT screenshot above. As I puttered around and wasted time trying to frame my screenshot from the ideal angle, working that nomad model to his full potential, I was seconds away from a zone event opening up on my head. Instantly, about 50 gigantic desert warriors emerged to attack us for their leader's amusement. And for the next half hour, Fortune's Shore was overrun with warriors, stone golems, and dog people. Fortune's Shore isn't the only place to experience chaos and danger, though. Whatever the Dwarves did in Hammerknell, it's finally caught up with them -- and with all of Telara. Abyssal and Endless Court forces are posing a real threat, and the Ascended are now tasked with repelling the invasions and charging back into Hammerknell. In this week's Enter at your Own Rift, we'll look at a few of the changes from Update 1.3. Read on for a look at tithes, character transfers, trial servers, and towering colossi!
The Road to Mordor: Shopping at the LotRO Depot
About 99% of the time I'm in Lord of the Rings Online I never think about the LotRO Store. Ever since the store came online last year, it's been adventure as usual in the Olivetti household. Sure, I mock the "You got 5 Turbine Points! Now you can retire in the Caymans!" popups like everyone else, but I've always felt that Turbine does a good job balancing the store presence between the polar extremes of obnoxious and invisible. That isn't to say I haven't used the store at all; on the contrary, I've been a sporadic if loyal customer of sorts, trundling my shopping cart through the aisles of Shire-Mart looking for a good deal. Thus far I haven't dropped any additional cash into the game, choosing to subsist on my monthly allotment of TP with whatever I earn through deeds. Every once in a while I'll boot up the store and see what niceties I can give to my character as a reward for slaughtering his 5,000th Neeker-beeker. The LotRO Store has two categories of customers: the free-to-players and the upper class. Does that sound snooty? It's not intentional -- all I mean is that some folks use the store to provide basic necessities for gameplay (like quest packs, riding skills, class unlocks) while others are already well-off in the game and shop for luxury items. I'm in awe of the F2P gamers who can get a good chunk of their content by methodically knocking deeds out so they can purchase the next zone, but I'm fortunate enough not to have to do that. So today I wanted to give myself an audit of what I've spent in the store so far and analyze whether they were wise purchases, wasteful frivolities, or overpriced insanity.
Calibur11 Vault case mod protects your 360 from the apocalypse
Regardless of how our world decides to end, we'd all like to be secure in the knowledge that our gaming consoles will survive. Calibur11's "Vault" case mod for the Xbox 360, which was formally unveiled on the CES 2011 show floor, should serve that ever-important purpose quite well.
Calibur11 Vault eyes-on, protecting your Xbox from tactical nukes and stuff
Although it won't protect your console from a certain red ring, the Calibur11 Vault will fend off pretty much everything else. Calibur11 claim that the MLG approved plates that latch on to your Xbox 360 increase console airflow, while adding an integrated game interaction through the use of LED / USB lighting effects and the extravagant 3D extremities protruding from the sides of your console. The pieces themselves are interchangeable as well as customizable with colors, decals, nameplates and accessories packs. Calibur11 has several versions of the Vault available, including an MLG special edition as well as an upcoming chainsaw-wielding blockbuster-title special edition sometime in Q3. Calibur11 plans to release at major retailers like BestBuy in March 2011, so we'll have to keep our consoles safe from nuclear attacks the old fashion way till then. %Gallery-113317%
The Road to Mordor: A year in Middle-earth
What a difference a year makes, eh? One year ago, and you didn't have to put up with me yammering at you every Friday like a hyperactive badger with a personality disorder. One year ago, and we weren't free-to-play-anything, Turbine was its own company, the festivals were nowhere near as cool as they are today, and shrews freely roamed the land without fear of reprisal. So in my last Road to Mordor (of the year, stop rejoicing over there!), I thought it'd be great to look back at the wild rollercoaster that was 2010 in Lord of the Rings Online. I also thought I'd get an easy column out of all this, but that was before I had to read through 1,337 posts and my eyeballs began to lose pressure. January Stuff happened. Let's move on.
The Road to Mordor: Bits 'n' pieces
Three wolves. A full moon. One incredible cloak in the Lord of the Rings Online store. As a forum poster asked, is the Cloak of the Mountain Wolves too powerful and too intrinsically sweet? I think it is a distinct possibility. I already own six and have Sauron on farm status because of them. Forget piddly rings -- this is the one cloak to rule them all, and in the darkness, blind them. I'm a bit all over the place in today's column, so bear with me as I spew forth a 427-line stream-of-consciousness poem devoted to Aragorn's stubble. You totally know you want to hit the jump to read it. I triple-dog-dare ya. [Editor -- No, Justin, you have to write a normal column. Don't make me get the fire hose.] Darn.
The Road to Mordor: Horton hears a patch
Few things get me more excited than the promise of a big steak dinner and a big, beefy patch. Both get the mouth watering, the senses tingling, and the anticipation racing. However, the former comes and goes within minutes, while the latter is here to stay. I love devouring a good set of patch notes, chewing every morsel of information as my mind tries to picture it in action. Mental note -- I should not be writing columns when I'm hungry. I trust you were as pleased as I was when you woke up to the Lord of the Rings Online November update patch notes this past week (Standard Disclaimer: These are for the test server and are subject to change, void in Nevada). We knew that Turbine had a few substantial projects in the works for November, but this is far beyond what I'd speculated. It's one of those "There's something for everyone -- well, almost everyone" updates that has a little of everything, a buffet of sumptuous delights. Sure, it's not going to please folks looking for new dungeons, the promised LI and housing revamps, or the continuation of the epic storyline. That said, Turbine's first post-F2P patch is considerably bigger than anticipated, and if this is any indication of the course the company is setting with releases, I'm happy to be on board. Let's break down this LotRO update after the jump, and see just who this patch is for and what it has to offer, shall we?
Welcome to Fallen Earth-Mart, how may Icarus help you?
It always amazes us just how resilient the economy is. Drop a few nukes, unleash a plague, dig up a tomb of zombies -- no matter how you end the world, the survivors will always emerge to find a merchant who's set up shop. In the spirit of post-apocalyptic commercialism, Icarus Studios has stocked the Fallen Earth store with a number of new items this week. Now available are the Scavenger t-shirt (which -- obviously -- boosts your scavenging skill), the Fallen Earth ATV and Badland Rider mounts, and a Clone Psychoactive Shot that increases your XP rate for an hour. For players who have stocked up on reward points, the in-game vendors will be featuring a buffed-up array of goodies come Monday, October 25th. Vendors' inventories will include increased vault storage space, the Weak Nitrous Booster, LifeNet Collar Hacks, and harvesting tool buffs. Does this all mean that Icarus is gradually preparing Fallen Earth to go to a free-to-play/microtransaction model, or is the company simply seeking additional revenue streams? In any case, the anemic store and vendors are now looking mighty beefy and potentially attractive for players looking for a leg up.
Players speak and devs deliver: LotRO's new vault system and EU preview event on the way
Quite often the mark of a good company is how it responds to player dissatisfaction. While it may be riding high on cloud money as of late, Lord of the Rings Online's recent decisions have not made all of its players happy, and both Turbine and Codemasters are taking steps to rectify these situations. Although Turbine touted the revised "Vault 2.0" bank system as superior to the old inventory system, many found it difficult to organize and sort. As a result, a new dev diary is showing off the third iteration of the vault system, which uses a cleaner interface of tabs and rows to help players keep their hundreds of items in the proper place. LotRO's Vault 3.0 is far more customizable, can auto-sort items, and even offers tabs to allow players to switch between the vault, wardrobe and shared storage within the same interface. On the European front, it seems as if there's finally movement toward the promised free-to-play launch with a new preview event. Starting next Monday, October 25th, EU players are invited to hop on to the test server and give it a whirl. As a reward for participating, Codemasters will be gifting 500 points toward the store to all testers. Interested parties may trek over to the preview sign-up page to be a part of this momentous occasion.
Kaleidescape shows off a new kid-friendly remote/menu system, Blu-ray disc vault
Besides being a thorn in the side of the MPAA, Kaleidescape is all about letting its owners play back their movies as quickly and easily as possible, and showed off a couple of new products to that end this week at CEDIA. As promised, it showed off a disc loader due later this year designed to rip and hold on to your Blu-ray discs while it actually plays them back not from the disc, but as images. Convoluted, but necessary to work around the rules in place. Once you've got all those discs loaded up (up to 100 per vault) there's another new way to play them back, with its new kid-friendly interface (available as a free download for existing owners) and $39 remote that lets parents give kids their own limited list of movies to watch and a durable, nine-button IR remote to browse them with, perfect for keeping their grubby fingers off your remote and iPhone. Update: And now with video, direct from Kaleidescape's CEDIA booth, embedded after the break. %Gallery-103335%
The further adventures of Captain Vault and the amazing LotRO!
As we barrel toward the September 10th release date of LotRO's Volume III Book 2 update and F2P craziness, Turbine's devs are rushing to cover as many of the changes as possible in their detailed dev diaries. The first diary covers the changes to the metal-clad captain class, which is receiving an overhaul thanks to player feedback and extensive fine-tuning. Ken Burd explained the rearrangement of two traits lines, Leader of Men and Lead the Charge, which have been reworked into tank and DPS specialties, respectively. Burd also discussed the changes to heralds, standards and armaments. For everyone else who isn't a captain (and, OK, captains too), games systems engineer Ransroth gushes over the improved vault system. In an attempt to make the vault easier to peruse, Turbine is changing the bank UI to resemble the shared storage UI, which results in an easier-to-read interface. When beta testers responded negatively to the new vault interface, the devs worked to find a solution to mimic the old structure of multiple chests. Vaults 2.0 also come with a number of spiffy tools, such as dynamic filtering, sorting, automatic stack merges, and searches. Both the captain revamp and the vault improvements are scheduled to hit the servers in a little over two weeks.
BioMirage Coffer offers biometric security for people with money to waste
It's not every day that we see gear aimed at "forward-thinking and discerning social elites" -- if anything, it seems that the most high-falutin' types are looking for ways to stay out of our orbit. Then again, our idea of security usually involves Lego safes and Nintendo deadbolt hacks. When we learned that "true peace of mind" could be ours once we had our hot little hands on the BioMirage Coffer -- a 16.4 x 10.6 x 5.8-inch, 10.4 lb strong box featuring biometric fingerprint authorization and a USB key -- our ears perked up. We're not sure what this thing's made of (or that it couldn't be smashed open if you were so inclined), but who wouldn't want to own a gadget that "epitomizes symbiotic interactions between people and technology?" Wait... this thing's $579? We'll pass.
RIftVault - Spawn of Yojimbo and Delicious Library?
A lot of my clients use Yojimbo to securely store their credit card numbers, passwords, and other information. I use it, too, but find it to be a somewhat drab application. On the other hand, Delicious Library is attractive and fun to use, but it isn't really something you'd want to use to store private info. If these two apps mated and had a love child, it would probably look and act a lot like RiftVault. RiftVault is a new Leopard-only secure vault application from EdgeRift that is currently available in a pre-release version. It looks mahvelous and features 256-bit AES encryption to keep your private stuff from prying eyes. You can store credit card info, frequent flyer account data, passwords, insurance information, or short notes that you don't want to make public. Any document can be dragged into the Safe Deposit Box to be compressed and encrypted. Up to 2 GB of items can be stored in the Safe Deposit Box. Sound interesting? Download RiftVault for free during the pre-release period, and/or pre-order the release version for $33 -- 33% off of the $49 retail price.
