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Confirmed: Samsung's SGH-T939 Behold2 for T-Mobile runs Android
First we'd heard that the InstinctQ for Sprint might be Android-based, but what other Google-rife gear does Sammy have up its sleeves? That SGH-T939 Behold2 spotted in the WiFi Alliance's documents turns out to be Android-equipped without question, seeing how its user agent profile -- found on Samsung's own site -- lists its browser as "Android Browser." Sure, we suppose they could get all cute on us and name their random, featureless dumbphone browser "Android Browser," but that trick would be mean beyond words -- and we're further encouraged by the fact that the screen size is listed as 480 x 320, exactly the resolution that the doctor ordered for Android action. There's no word on when this is coming, but it goes without saying this'll find its way to T-Mobile since that's where you get the original Behold; unfortunately, the old model isn't too ancient yet, so we wouldn't be surprised if we were in for a bit of a wait.[Via PhoneArena and Cell Phone Signal]
A look at iPhone Apps making use of LotRO's XML data
Tony from the Lord of the Rings Online-focused blog MMeOw recently had a look at a couple of iPhone Apps that are taking advantage of the XML data that Turbine has made available. Both apps were developed by BAMsoft (which is just one guy, as is often the case with iPhone apps), and one has already been approved by Apple -- LOTROStatus will check the status of the US servers for you, and is available for free right now. If enough Europeans ask to have their servers included, another version of the app might be released especially for them.BAMsoft's other LotRO iPhone App is called LOTROChar. With this program, you'll be able to view your in-game characters on your iPhone, check out lorebook links, and probably annoy co-workers by showing them the sweet loot you found the other night. This one hasn't been approved by Apple just yet, but it's sure to pop up in the iTunes store some time soon. It looks pretty nifty in the preview screenshots; keep up the good work BAMsoft!
TUAW Tip: Saving InDesign CS4 files for InDesign CS2
Here's a frustrating problem: You have InDesign CS4, and your buddy needs your file, but has InDesign CS2. "Easy!" you think, "just save an InDesign Interchange (INX) file and send it to him." Lo, wonder of wonders: InDesign saves an INX file that's compatible only with the immediately preceding version of InDesign. (As I found out the hard way today.) CS4 saves a file for CS3; CS3 saves a file for CS2. If you don't have both versions on your computer, you're out of luck. Way to Quark it up, Adobe. An INX file is just a glorified XML file. And Adobe, clever lads and lasses they are, inserted a version number in the file. Adobe CS2 looks at the version number, sees that the INX file is targeted for CS3, and pops up an error message without even trying to open the file. Curses. But Mike Rankin figured it out last November: Open the INX file with your favorite text editor (like TextMate or BBEdit) and change the version number. Replace line number 2 (which looks like this): <?aid style="33" type="document" DOMVersion="6.0" readerVersion="5.0" featureSet="257" product="6.0(352)" ?> with this: <?aid style="33" type="document" DOMVersion="5.0" readerVersion="4.0" featureSet="257" product="5.0(662)" ?> Easy peasy. Open the INX file in InDesign CS2, and you're good to go. Use caution, though: This works best for simple layouts. The more complex your layout, the more likely it will unexpectedly change when re-imported into a lesser version of InDesign. [Via InDesignSecrets.]
Samsung / Yahoo Internet@TV widgets revealed
Samsung and Yahoo! promise the Best of the Web on select 2009 HDTV models, thanks to the Internet@TV widgets we snuck a look at a few weeks ago. Developers build Javascript and XML apps that then run directly on your Samsung HDTV, starting with USA Today, YouTube, eBay, Showtime and Yahoo properties like Flickr and Yahoo! News. Next up their sleeves? Video streaming and "other popular Internet services" running through the built-in Ethernet or optional Wi-Fi USB dongle. Also, unlike some others, the Internet@TV Content service isn't just a U.S. thing, headed to 12 other countries this year: Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Having the Internet no further away than the nearest remote was your biggest request for '09, right?
WoW Insider Show Episode 61: Filling the achievement tank
Here's episode number 61 of the WoW Insider Show, recorded last Saturday over on our Ustream page. On the show last week, we welcomed WoW Insider's Matthew Rossi back to the virtual airwaves, along with blogger Amanda Dean and our good friend Duncor of WoW Radio. And we talked a little more about achievements and which ones we liked the most, what was going on with all the zombie action, and of course since Rossi was around, we churned up some good discussion about what's up with Warriors, other tanks, and Shamans since the big Wrath patch.Lots of people have been asking questions about how to get the show, so after the break, I've included an exhaustive guide to how you can get our show nowadays. I apologize to everyone who's had problems so far -- obviously, with the switch from WoW Radio, we've had to deal with some tech roadblocks, but if you check after the break, you should find a way to listen to the show that fits what you want to do.Thanks for listening -- we'll be back as always next week![Ustream] Listen to the unedited recording in Ustream.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Or listen to Episode 61 right here:
How to move your iTunes library (more safely than I did)
I should say, even before I start this post, that I've moved my iTunes library from one installation of iTunes to another, and what I did was just copy everything in the /Music/iTunes folder from one Mac to the other. But that's the transfer equivalent of parallel parking a semi and stopping when it "feels right" -- it worked for me, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. I also have almost no iTunes purchased music in my library, and that's likely not the case for anyone else.Fortunately, for people who don't enjoy playing Russian Roulette with their iTunes library transfers (and don't want to buy the software for it), here's a quick and easy guide to how to transfer everything over properly, and make sure that all the little hooks and crannies line up correctly in the new installation -- specifically, iTunes keeps an XML file that tracks where everything is, and you've got to change paths (using a quick find and replace) on all the tracks in your library. iTunes will then use that XML file to backup its own records, and then you're hunky dory.What I can't find, according to this guide, is what damage I may have caused to my system by just hauling everything in and starting up iTunes -- I checked the Location key on both my new Mac and the old one, and the Locations are completely different, without me ever changing them. Either way, even though I throw around my libraries with abandon (look Ma, no backup!), you'd probably much rather be safe than sorry.Thanks, Robert!
Yarrr! There be treasure hidden in them thar data servers!
Have a need to embed Pirates of the Burning Sea information in your website, blog, or toolbar? Then you'll want to read Flying Lab's PotBS developer Brendan Weitzman's latest developer journal. There he talks about the special Crawler server. You can't play on this server -- Crawler's job is to go through all the data on the live servers, figure out what has changed, and copy the changes to itself so that the developers -- and the wider world -- can use this information. What sorts of information Crawler can give you, how much of it you can use and how often -- all these are answered within.Will this info change your life? Well, probably not. But isn't it a nice feeling to know if you did need this information, it would be there for you? See if your server is up without logging in -- or set up email alerts when your port gets thrown into contention. You can make those sorts of apps with this data. And maybe in the future, as they prepare ever more of their data for players to use, you could build something like WoW's Armory. We're just beginning to realize how games will be played in the future. They will be everywhere -- in your browser, on your cell phone, on your iPod.... This is how it starts, with a developer explaining how players can get at their data when they are not in the game.
Learn how to get imba with Be Imba!
Our good friend (and co-worker) BigBearButt posted this the other day, but it never made it to us (and it's probably because it doesn't seem to be working for US players quite yet). Be Imba! is an awesome little site that purports to do what Dan's new column also does, which is make one character as good as it can be.As I said, US players aren't really working at this point, and the site blames the Armory's instability (one more reason for Blizzard to start breaking out the stats). But I looked up an EU player I know (as you can see above), and the app is pretty cool -- it'll tell you where you're missing sockets, where your gear could be better, what your talents are "meant for," and where to run instances so you can get better gear. Pretty neat.Now, a disclaimer: you should always spec and gear how you like, not how some online application tells you to. But everyone should be interested in making their character better, and a setup like this could be very helpful in figuring out how to get where you want to be going. Hopefully the site's creator (early apologies for sending traffic to the site, but it'll die down after a while) will figure out how to work with the Armory, or Blizzard will get it into their heads that opening up Armory info in XML or other open formats will make this easier for everyone.[Via AA in its slick new location]
Mashing up WoW data (when we can get it) in outside applications
The New York Times has an article up about Microsoft's latest attempt at figuring out mashups-- squeezing the data from one piece of software into another, and World of Warcraft gets an interesting mention. Apparently students at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts are working on how to put WoW player data into Facebook accounts.We've covered this type of thing before, but Blizzard has a long way to go in making their data open to any players who want to use it. Just recently another MMO named Dungeon Runners decided to break open their player data, into a form that almost anyone could use, and we know that Blizzard has the ability to share lots of data online, but they still haven't opened it up yet. 2.4 is giving us a lot of different ways to view our combat data, and almost every day the Armory adds new features, but none of them have yet been aimed at getting the data out of there and doing cool stuff with it elsewhere.Maybe the reason for this is that they're planning to do it themselves. At any rate, there is a ton of information on Blizzard's servers that players would love get their hands on, and there are plenty of things on the other end to do with it. All that's required is for Blizzard to give us some hooks in, and then real WoW mashups can begin.
Dungeon Runners releases characters in XML
This isn't quite the idea of MMO-to-go yet, but it's the first step towards something really huge in MMO gaming: a character API. An API is an Application Programming Interface-- basically a document or method of how to get computers to talk to each other through different applications. Facebook apps are made with the Facebook API, applications that hook into iTunes use the iTunes API, and so on. With an API, programmers can take information from one source, and do almost anything they want with it in other programs. Players have already done some amazing things with World of Warcraft's Armory (even without an actual API-- I'm pretty sure most of that is just HTML scraping), but now NCSoft's Dungeon Runners has upped the ante-- they've made all the character data in the game available to anyone as an XML file. With just a URL, you can access info on any player in the game, already marked up in XML.What does this mean to you as a player? It means that programmers can create any number of applications using this data-- they can display your DR character's info almost anywhere at any time. And a skilled programmer could even track the info over time-- tell you how fast you leveled, how often you change your armor or gear, or how fast you've earned gold in the last day. And who knows what else people could come up with-- the best part about opening up information like this is that it gets used in all sorts of ways that no one could ever predict.Jeff Freeman's exactly right: "This is really cool... just in case you don't get that." We're just scratching the surface of this stuff, but eventually you'll be able to do things like get text messages on your phone when your WoW auctions sell, or be able to monitor your guild's bank or your PvP team's wins via RSS (which itself can then plug into almost anything) When developers break out data like this for players, the possibilities are endless.
NetNewsWire vs. Vienna
var digg_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2008/01/10/netnewswire-vs-vienna/'; RSS (or Really Simple Syndication) is becoming an ever more popular way to read online content quickly and without having to visit individual websites. As RSS feeds becomes more popular, so do the RSS readers that allow you to access the feeds. In my opinion, the two best RSS readers on the Mac are NetNewsWire and Vienna. Now that NetNewsWire costs the same as Vienna (i.e. nothing), what better time to take a look at what each has to offer?
Keynote '08 Picture Frames hack
Brian sent us (thanks!) what is probably the very first Keynote '08 hack. He found that there's a new stroke option in the program called Picture Frames, which are various types of framing graphics to put around a slide. The standard choice screen lets you choose from 12, but Brian opened up the Keynote files, and found that there were actually 72-- apparently Apple included Frames for its own Themes, but didn't allow the user to use them separately.Fortunately, all it takes to show the extra frames is their names in an xml (actually a .plist) file inside the Keynote .app folder, so Brian cracked it open, and added all the names. Turns out, also, that no matter how much you stretch it, the Picture Frames choose can only show 50 at a time, so Brian even created a customized .plist file that shows his 50 favorites-- all you have to do is download it from him, put it inside your Keynote .app file, restart Keynote, and you've got access to almost all the Picture Frames that Apple does.It's pretty clear why Apple didn't want people playing around with custom frames too much (opening a Keynote file with a custom frame requires that you have it installed, apparently, so sending a Keynote file to your friend without the custom frame could lead to trouble), but who knows why they didn't at least give you the option of using all the frames everyone has. Thanks to Brian's superfast hack, now you can.Update: Just to make it clear, it's fine to use these hidden frames, since everyone has them installed. The problem with sharing frames comes when you send someone a slide with a frame you created-- they don't have that frame installed, and so they won't see it.
Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 0.2 (Beta)
Today not only marks the release of a new beta Remote Desktop client from Microsoft, but also a new beta Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 0.2 (Beta). What the heck is this? It converts Office files that use Microsoft's new Open XML file format (i.e. files created in Office 2007 for Windows) into a file format that Office 2004 for the Mac can read. This release promises improved conversion of files containing inline graphics, amongst other things.Since this is a beta Microsoft warns that all files might not be converted correctly. They suggest you open the file and make sure it looks like it should.Update: As was pointed out in the comments, this only converts Word and PowerPoint documents.
The tech behind Death Jr. 2
IGN's Death Jr. 2 blog has been revealing some real gems of info. The latest entry goes into the technical aspects of creating the game. Read the lengthy, but genuinely informative, blog to find out more on what kind of evil magic programming the team had to do to get HDR lighting running in the game. It gets pretty complicated, showing off scary XML code. I was personally fascinated by the images from the developer's tools (PB Viewer and Maya Viewpoint)-- this is the kind of behinds-the-scenes stuff that we don't get enough of. The blog also explains more complicated-sounding things like vertex lighting and light seams. Finally, they reveal some of the special visual effects the game will employ: softening, eggcrate, fisheye, ripple, and vortex.All this technical mumbo-jumbo's being thrown around to razzle dazzle us, and I have to say it's sort of working. Although the game is going to pretty, the real test will come the game ships this Halloween, when we'll be able to test all of its gameplay.
Designers ready to go to work on Blu-ray and HD DVD interactive menus
With the capabilities offered by interactive menus, iHD and BD-J features, Blu-ray and HD DVD discs can go far beyond the simple static background menus we've gotten used to from DVDs. As a result, this CNet article indicates they will go from largely an afterthought to creating a need for professional designers able to get the most out of the new formats. David Anderson of Giant Software, fresh after attending the recent DVD Forum event, was interviewed so he was expectedly very high on the PiP, persistent storage-enabled downloads, and other capabilities of HD DVD. He also reiterated a claim we've heard frequently from the HD DVD camp, that Blu-ray's BD-J would be more difficult and expensive to take advantage of, but he seemed ready for that and is staffing up on programmers adequately experienced. We'll know this has gone too far when The Graduate's famed career advice "Plastics." is replaced with "Java" (U.S. MGM/Fox edition) and "XML (European StudioCanal release).[Via digg]
Create an OPML from Safari RSS feeds
MacOSXHints has a simple trick for creating an OPML file, completely with folder structure/groups, from your RSS feeds in Safari. The tip basically involves downloading an XML stylesheet the author created, and using it in a Terminal command to generate the OPML file.I'm glad someone found a way to put this together, but with the open standards and portability of RSS and newsfeeds, I think it's kinda bad form on Apple's part to not have baked this ability into Safari already. Nevertheless, MacOSXHints has come to the rescue, yet again.
