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Amazon quietly adds Metacritic review scores to video game listings
Amazon's own product rating system is fine and all, but subjective reviews aren't always as relevant as we might like, even when there's an overwhelming consensus. Whether browsing for games online, or scanning shelves in a second-hand store, this editor always has Metacritic handy on one device or another -- the well-regarded review aggregator basically has to score titles fairly by design. If you find yourself doing the same, then don't worry about tab-hopping while walking the virtual isles of Amazon anymore, as the retailer's quietly integrated Metacritic scores into its video game listings. It's great for those wanting more professional guidance, but we're only seeing on Amazon.com right now, so hopefully it'll roll out to other regions later. New rule of thumb: avoid anything with a red box. Update: As one eagle-eyed reader has spotted, Metacritic has hyperlinked "Buy from Amazon.com" buttons on its game review pages, suggesting a deeper partnership than perhaps first thought.
bloc'd is a highly addictive riff on Tetris that you should download right now
Tetris is the first game I remember someone being addicted to. After weeks of being made fun of by my father as a child for how much I was playing the game, I awoke one night to sounds coming from downstairs. The sound was my father at 2AM furiously trying to beat his high score. He'd already beaten ours. I was reminded of that story when I woke up my wife early one morning as I furiously tried to top my own high score in bloc'd. After all these years I'd finally become my dad, but it was worth it to experience bloc'd. The set up is simple: half of the player's screen is rows of colored blocks, shapes drop from the top of the screen towards a series of spikes, and players rush to draw that shape in the blocks directly below it. You have two options for creating shapes. First you can swipe on two or more of the same colored blocks causing them to disappear, providing new blocks to match up. Or you can double-tap an individual block that's in your way, causing it to disappear. Players are limited to five double-taps per game unless they'd like to purchase the game's $0.99 in-app unlimited taps option. It sounds complicated, but you'll be swiping and tracing in seconds. The only complicated part is stopping yourself from playing yet another game when the harsh hand of destruction comes down. The moment you think you've found your rhythm, the shapes start to get more complicated while dropping ever faster. Players who upgrade to the paid version of the app also get the ability to freeze or remove falling shapes in addition to unlimited taps. I appreciate that some players may enjoy these features, and developers have to eat and make their rent payments. As a fan of this game, I want the developers to eat rich bountiful feasts as a reward for what they've created. But personally unlimited double-taps, block vanishing, or block slowing powers get in the way of the insidious genius of bloc'd -- the bitter swearing under your breath when you waste your last double-tap or the cold knowledge that the block will never stop dropping even if you're nowhere near having the shape you need. If you enjoy puzzle games bloc'd will quickly make its way to the top of your playlist. Its shifting difficulty makes it suitable for a quick time-killer in line or taking over all your free time on a flight. You should play bloc'd. You should support the developer of bloc'd. But you should also try playing with just five double-taps just to see how far you can get. Then, utilize all the power-ups you want. You'll already be hooked, and once you're addicted it's just about getting that next fix, that next high score. Now pardon me, I have a high score to beat.
Oh the places you'll go with the SnowLizard SLXtreme 5 case
Since I work in a rather mundane office setting, I love slim, tiny iPhone cases that protect against scratches and not much else. But if I'm on a camping trip or spending the day at the beach or on a hike, a practically non-existent level of protection doesn't really cut it anymore. The SLXtreme 5 case from SnowLizard was made for those trips, and for people who require an almost obnoxious amount of armor on their iPhones. Specs Height: 151 mm Width: 70.5 mm Depth: 24.8 mm Weight: 150g Price: US$149.99 Design The SLXtreme 5 is top-of-the-line protection, so a bulky form factor is the trade-off. At almost 25 mm thick, it more than triples the thickness of the iPhone 5/5s, not to mention increasing the weight by over 100%. But you're not getting this kind of a case so that it can easily slip into a handbag or slide in the back pocket of your jeans -- you're getting it so you can drop it on a rock and not worry if it's coming back in one piece. The case is not only made for protection, but also provides an external battery backup that can be charged via USB or from the built-in solar panel situated on the back of the shell. The battery can store a charge of 2,550 mAh which, in theory, can recharge your iPhone 1.5 times, though in practice it's slightly less than that. The iPhone slides in from the top of the case and a large clasp buckles down to ensure a waterproof seal. A locking door on the bottom of the case provides access to the charging port, while a second plug reveals the audio jack. The case allows full use of the home button -- though sadly no TouchID functionality is provided -- as well as access to the volume controls and lock button. A lanyard is provided along with the case, which can be connected to the loop on the bottom, just in case your iPhone has a tendency to fall off of mountains or something. Functionality As an extended battery case, the SLXtreme 5 works splendidly, and the solar charge is a neat addition. Because the solar panel is relatively small, it doesn't provide enough power to make it a viable option when recharging your device when there is a USB port handy. In an emergency situation it would be an absolute life-saver, and having the ability to suck a few minutes of juice from the sun is a fantastic feature, but it's more of a safety net than a daily-use feature. The case itself feels extremely solid and it can certainly take a reasonable fall without issue. All of the locking doors feel sturdy there's really nothing about the case that I would change from a protection standpoint. And then there's the waterproofing... The shell is rated as being water resistant up to 2m (6 ft), which is enough that you could take it to the beach and not worry about rolling waves. The retail box even suggests taking underwater photos with the case equipped, which is a really cool option, though the icy lakes here in southern Wisconsin wouldn't let me test this out first-hand. I did, however, fill my sink with water, close my eyes, and throw my iPhone into it, and it emerged unscathed. Cases like this can sometimes hinder use of the device itself, but I was pleasantly surprised with how easily I was able to accomplish just about every iPhone task I'm used to. The one sticking point I have is that it's nigh impossible to do the bottom-up swipe on the touchscreen that activates the control center in iOS. The thickness of the case makes it extremely difficult to pull this gesture off, which is a bit of a letdown, as I tend to use the control center quite often. Conclusion SnowLizard has produced the cream of the crop for iPhone users seeking a high level of protection. The SLXtreme 5 is durable, well-made, and the added battery and solar charging features make it the ultimate multi-purpose accessory. The minor functionality limitations hold it back from being absolutely perfect, but it's very close. Rating: 3.5 stars out of a possible 4 stars Giveaway If you're prone to dropping your iPhone off cliffs or in the toilet, then you want to enter this giveaway for an SLXtreme 5 case. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 13 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before March 25, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive an SLXtreme 5 case for iPhone 5/5s valued at $149.99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Yahoo now shows Yelp reviews when you're searching for local businesses
Google has long made it easy to find reviews of local businesses in its search results, but you've been out of luck if you prefer Yahoo. You won't have much trouble scouting those locations after today, though. As hinted earlier this year, Yahoo has integrated Yelp's data into its searches, including reviews and photos. Look at a sushi place, for instance, and you'll find out when it's open, what it looks like, and whether or not its rolls are any good. Yahoo may just be closing a feature gap with the Yelp deal, but we're not going to complain if it means that more of our friends make informed decisions about where they shop.
Yahoo reportedly set to surface Yelp reviews in search results
According to The Wall Street Journal, the next time you search for a chicken dinner on Yahoo you could be served up a Yelp review for the best bird in your hood. According to the paper's source, Yahoo CEO Marisa Mayer announced a partnership that would surface Yelp reviews and listing in Yahoo's search results, during a meeting Friday. Little else is known of the deal. While the struggling internet company continues to see revenue fall, its latest earnings report revealed that search revenues for Q4 2013 were up eight percent over the same quarter the year before. The company is clearly still invested in its bread-and-butter, but it's also made a push into content, signing names like David Pogue and Katie Couric to lead new news initiatives. During her CES keynote earlier this year, Mayer, who previously led search at Google, underlined Yahoo's commitment to search, revealing it added 869 partners, and conducted 600 related experiments in 2013.
The Daily Grind: Do you heed or even read Steam MMO reviews?
As more and more MMOs come to Steam, where user reviews were implemented just a few short months ago, the subject of reviewing MMOs seems relevant once again. 2012's RaiderZ, for example, just launched this week on Steam, and before the first day was even done, the action-MMO had collected 80 reviews, most negative, to go along with its 64/100 metascore. We've talked before about the specific difficulties of reviewing and assigning numerical scores to MMOs, but that doesn't seem to stop gamers from posting (and presumably, reading and heeding) these abbreviated and often nonspecific opinions. Or does it? Do you read Steam reviews, and if so, do you find they influence your buying and trying decisions, especially when it comes to MMOs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Weekly Roundup: 2013 in review, NSA iPhone hack, live at CES 2014 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The year in reviews: 2013's best and worst gadgets scored and scrutinized
Fun fact: Engadget reviewed 176 products in 2013, and that's not even counting the umpteen times we got hands-on with stuff at tradeshows and press events. In general, we try to review just the top-tier gadgets, but even then, some of it ends up being forgettable. (Can you name-check everything we tested from memory? We can't.) So, as the year draws to a close, we're taking a look back at the last 12 months of reviews, and this time, we're including only the products you'd have no trouble remembering. Across every category, we've noted the flagships everyone coveted -- along with the duds that could've been so much better. Oh, and you might notice that we included some numbered scores throughout. That's right; Engadget is bringing back numerical ratings, and they'll follow the same format as the critic score gdgt has already been using for years. Which is to say, each rating takes into account various criteria for a given product category -- things like battery life and portability. Wanna see how your favorite gadgets did? Meet us after the break for a walk down memory lane.
Your Facebook friends can now see your Amazon reviews, if you want them to
Amazon's connection with Facebook is about to go from "it's complicated" to "in a relationship." In a bid to make its listings more social, the online retail giant has begun contacting customers to notify them that it will soon start showing product reviews and "wishes" from their Facebook friends. If you're browsing Amazon's Chromecast listing, for example, the company will let you know if any of your Facebook connections have either reviewed the $35 streaming dongle or are not-so-secretly indicating for someone to buy it for them. It's not the first time the retailer has leant on Facebook's Social Graph: earlier this year it launched Birthday Gift to help you buy your Facebook friends something nice and let others contribute. Amazon's new feature lets you opt-in on its Social Settings page, and will only display your Wish List items if you decide. Just remember that before writing that glowing review of the latest Nickleback album.
iPad Air reviews are in and are overwhelmingly positive
With the iPad Air set to hit stores on Friday, initial reviews of Apple's latest flagship iPad began rolling in Tuesday evening and, suffice it to say, they're overwhelmingly positive. Here's a sampling of iPad Air reviews from around the web. First up we have David Pogue who, now a Yahoo employee, posted an iPad Air review on his Tumblr: That big public yawn must drive Apple's engineers crazy. The thing is, making the iPad smaller, lighter, and faster without sacrificing battery life or beauty is a tremendous achievement. This isn't a device that sits or hangs in one place its whole life. It's not a microwave or a TV. You have to hold this thing while you're using it, and carry it around when you're not. So size and weight matter a lot. As one would expect for a product called the iPad Air, a number of reviews focused on how shockingly lightweight Apple's latest iPad is. Damon Darlin of The New York Times writes: What you may not know is this: Those 6.4 ounces make all the difference when, as you recline while reading or watching a movie, you conk out and the iPad falls forward to bonk you on the nose. The Air won't hurt you the way the old iPad did. The weight reduction and a 20 percent slimmer profile provide other benefits, too. My messenger bag strap didn't dig into my shoulder as deeply when my iPad was in it. My hand didn't cramp up while grasping the iPad Air for an hour while watching movies or playing games. Jim Dalrymple of The Loop: It's very hard to describe how good the iPad Air feels in your hand without actually picking one up. It's kind of like the first time you saw a Retina display for the first time-shock. If you're looking for a Siracusa-esque monster review of the iPad Air, then look no further than Anand Lal Shimpi of AnandTech. Shimpi covers anything you could possibly want to know about the Air, from both a usability and technical perspective. Two weeks ago I had all but written off the bigger iPad. It was too bulky and just no where near as portable as the iPad mini. Once the latter gets a Retina Display and equal hardware across the board, why would anyone consider the bigger model? The iPad Air changed my perspective on all of that. It really does modernize the big iPad. One particular tidbit worth noting from Shimpi's epic review is that charging time on the iPad Air checks in at 4.11 hours compared to 5.69 hours on the iPad 4. Also delivering a substantive and extensive review is Engadget who also came away impressed with Apple's latest offering: Surprise: the iPad Air is the best iPad we've reviewed. In addition, though, it's also the most comfortable 10-inch tablet we've ever tested. Not every manufacturer can produce a thin and light device without also making it feel cheap or flimsy, but Apple nailed it. Factor in a sizable boost in performance and battery life, and the Air is even more compelling. The last two iPads served up relatively few improvements, but the Air provides people with more of a reason to upgrade or even buy a tablet for the first time. Walt Mossberg is also on board the iPad Air bandwagon, calling it the tablet he'd recommend. He also indicated that he was able to get a whopping 12 hours and 13 minutes of battery life out of the device, exceeding Apple's own battery life estimates by 20%. Believe it or not, but the number of outlets Apple provided review units to is much much longer. I can't remember Apple ever handing out so many review units for previous product releases. That said, some other sites with iPad Air reviews you might want to check out include TechCrunch, Mashable, CNET, TIME, and USA Today.
BOOM Urchin speaker for your listening pleasure
When I received the Boom Urchin speaker I have to admit that my first thoughts were that it was ugly and heavy. After using it for a month, I don't notice its weight or form factor, because I am delighted with its sound. BOOM Movement is one of three audio brands, along with Polk Audio and Definitve Technology, owned by DEI Holdings headquartered in Vista California. This is relevant, because these are the folks behind the Anti-sonic diffraction geometry that is responsible for the speaker's great sound. The ovoid-shaped Urchin offers Bluetooth connectivity and can be used as a speakerphone or connected to a device through the auxiliary port. I tested it with my iMac, iPhone, iPad, and a legacy iPod video, using the auxiliary cable. I also tested the Urchin with a wide variety of music and it performed flawlessly. I watched podcasts and used it as a speakerphone too and the sound was just pleasing. It doesn't have bass enhancement as with many sound products, but it doesn't need it either. It reproduced every sound file I played with a full sound and no distortion, no matter the volume. The upper volume will not blow you away, but it can play fairly loud, and is also affected by how loud you've set your device to which it is connected. You know you've reached its loudest setting when it beeps at you, rather loudly. You control the volume with a simple plus and minus button on the device. The controls include the two volume buttons, which also double as skip forward or back and pause, a Bluetooth button, and a power switch. A small green light indicates when the unit is on, and flashes blue when the Bluetooth is enabled. The case makes the buttons a little hard to press, but holding them down for a second or three works fine. The Urchin boasts a removable silicone skin that supposedly comes in ten different colors, but only the red and black covers appear on the site, while the Apple Store also offers it in blue. I saw other skin colors available on Amazon for US19.99. The unit I received has a red skin, which is a bit more muted than shown in the photo below. You can swing it around with its built-in carry ring, but is not pocketable, as early reports claim. It barely fits into my size seven hand, but it's not as big as a watermelon, as one review on Amazon claimed. The thick skin includes a flip-down tab that covers the mini-USB charging port and the auxiliary port. This tab is probably the biggest failing of the whole device, as it has already ripped a little along the edges after minimal use. I edited BOOM's photo and circled the area where it ripped in the shot below. It looks small, because it is a small tear, but I suspect it will rip more with continued use. The press release claims that it is "waterproof for up to five minutes of saturation, dustproof and drop-proof as high as 10 feet (50 times in a row!)." The tab isn't sealed though, so I am not convinced of its water immersion protection. It hasn't rained here during daylight hours in months, so I wasn't able to put it to a water test. (Sorry, I'm not putting a working sound system in the shower!) The Urchin has an IPX4 Ingress Protection Rating (IP Code) also known as the International Protection Rating, according to Wikipedia. The Rugged Technologies site which explains the NEMA and IP Ratings and Equivalency states that the "4" means that "Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect." I dropped it on grass a couple of times and the pavement once with no effect. I dropped it not to test it, but because it is a bit heavy and even with the rubber-like cover, it slipped out of my hand. The Urchin includes a variety of holding accessories, including a carabiner, a self-adhesive mount that includes a screw that fits in the back of the device, a suction mount with stub on which to hang it, and a hand strap. Now, I think the Urchin is too heavy (.75 lbs) to carry via the hand strap, so I used the built-in ring most often. You need to be careful where you mount the self-adhesive screw mount because the Urchin could be difficult to screw into the mount. The aluminum carabiner could come in handy though. After a number of mishaps with suction mounts from a variety of companies, I elected not to test it. The Urchin retails for $149.95 and can be found with a red, blue, or black skin at your local Apple Store. The bottom line is that the Urchin has really nice sound and doesn't distort your music at any volume. The skin seems to rip around the tab too easily. The Bluetooth works well, but it started to degrade at around 15 to 20 feet, which is less than other Bluetooth speakers I've tested. I recommend the Urchin, if you can find it at a discounted price. The Urchin Package Speaker with a silicone skin USB Power Supply Micro USB Cable AUX Input Cable Adhesive Screw (which you need to unscrew to remove it from the packaging) Suction Cup Carabiner Instructions Technical Specs (from the Apple Store) Frequency Response: 100 Hz to 18 kHz Input Type: 3.5mm Stereo Jack, USB Other Features: Bluetooth Speaker Configurations: Stereo Drivers: Two 43 mm drivers Power Source: Battery Power Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Height: 2.25 in./5.71 cm Width: 3.875 in./9.84 cm Weight: 0.75 lb./0.34 kg Length: 6.25 in./15.87 cm
First reviews of iPhone 5s are in, and they're great
The first reviews of the new iPhone 5s are in, and for those of us who are drooling over the specs of this newest member of the iPhone family, those reviews are good news indeed. The foremost, and probably the review that will be quoted the most by the rest of the blogosphere, is from AllThingsD king 'o the hill Walt Mossberg. We'll jump straight to the closing line: "Overall, however, the new iPhone 5s is a delight. Its hardware and software make it the best smartphone on the market." Mossberg waxes poetic about the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone 5s, saying that "In my scores of tests, with three fingers, the reader never failed me and none of the 20 or so people I asked to test it was able to unlock the phone." That statement alone should relieve those potential iPhone 5s buyers who were worried that Touch ID was just a gimmick. Mossberg goes on to say "It sounds like a gimmick, but it's a real advance, the biggest step ever in biometric authentication for everyday devices. After using Touch ID, I found it annoying to go back to typing in passcodes on my older iPhone." Mossberg's not the only reviewer who is ecstatic about the iPhone 5s. Jim Dalrymple from The Loop reported that "Speed increases are something we expect with new Apple products, but the iPhone 5s goes above and beyond expectations. In addition to the faster processor, the iPhone 5s is also the world's first 64-bit phone. These changes make the 5s up to twice as fast as the iPhone 5-that's a significant increase." Darrell Etherington at our sister site TechCrunch was also thrilled with the 5s, noting that the "camera is epic" and providing this input about Touch ID: "At first glance, it's easy to dismiss the fingerprint sensor as a whiz-bang feature designed to attract eyeballs and do little else. But this isn't that. The fingerprint sensor, unlike some other questionable recent smartphone tech like gesture control or eye-tracking, doesn't feel like a gimmick or tech demo; it feels like a mature feature that actually enhances the overall experience of using an iPhone in a noticeable way that you encounter very frequently." Tech Crunch has also posted a video review. New York Times tech writer David Pogue was equally thrilled with Touch ID: "The best part is that it actually works - every single time, in my tests. It's nothing like the balky, infuriating fingerprint-reader efforts of earlier cellphones. It's genuinely awesome; the haters can go jump off a pier." CNET's Scott Stein also weighed in on Touch ID, saying "The Touch ID-enabled home button feels invisible; it works with a tap, can recognize your finger from many angles, and feels like it has less of a fail rate than fingerprint sensors I've used on laptops. It's impressive tech. It worked on all my fingers, and even my toe (I was curious)." Myriam Joire of our other sister site Engadget, a true fan of the Nokia Lumia 1020, spent a lot of time talking about the iPhone 5s camera: "First, let's tackle the camera's low-light performance. The shots we took with the 5s were consistently better than what we took with the 5: they were sharper, with finer details, more natural colors and far less noise. As you might expect, our daylight shots were roughly on par, though there were a few times when the 5s won out by a slight margin, offering just a little more detail. All told, the 5s plays in the same league as all those other flagships with a bigger emphasis on imaging. Even so, our sample shots still showed more noise and less detail than the same images taken with the Nokia Lumia 1020. The 5s also does a good job of reproducing color, but it's not the best performer in this category, either. Make no mistake, though: the iPhone has been – and continues to be – great as a simple grab-and-go camera. It may not be a best-in-class performer, but the vast majority of iPhone users will still be happy." If you're looking for the definitive monster review of the iPhone 5s, I'd suggest going to Anandtech.com's review by none other than Anand Lal Shimpi, the editor-in-chief of the site. It's an epic review of the proportions usually written by John SIracusa or Federico Viticci, and it answers questions you didn't even think of. Enjoy the reviews, and be sure to come back to TUAW for our coverage of the release of iOS 7 and the two new iPhones.
'Jobs' movie review roundup
Jobs hits theaters today, and the reviews are piling up faster than unsold Surface tablets (I'm sorry, that was mean). The early verdicts are not particularly flattering, and the flick currently has a 25 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes and more-favorable-but-still-low 43 out of 100 on Metacritic. For a more detailed summary of the movie's flaws and bright spots, take a glance at some review quotes below. Mary Pols, Time.com: "He gives so many inspirational speeches about innovation in Jobs that I was tempted to pull out my laptop and check my email. In between, he's either haranguing some oaf about lack of productivity or firing someone. Do we get a sense of the man's greatness? A bit, but mostly we get a sense of the man's douchebaggery." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "But the main flaw of Jobs is that it limits itself to the ancient history of Jobs' rise and fall and rise at Apple. The movie might begin in 2001, but it never returns to the 21st century. Thus, all the dramatic events of Jobs' last dozen or so years aren't dealt with at all." Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: "Like the man it's about, Jobs is thin and unassuming, but keeps surprising you with ideas and innovation. An almost ironically styled old-fashioned biopic, this sharp look at the late Steve Jobs and the technological and cultural changes he brought about is entertaining and smart, with a great, career 2.0 performance from Ashton Kutcher." Manohla Dargis, The New York Times: "Fuzzed up and hunched over, Mr. Kutcher looks somewhat like the young Jobs, and there are moments -- as when he gives another character a small, devious look as if sliding in a knife -- that the casting seems more than a matter of bottom-line calculation. But Mr. Kutcher doesn't have the tools that some actors use to transcend weak material and either he didn't receive any help or didn't allow any real direction from Mr. Stern." Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post: "Although I think I could watch a whole movie called Woz and not grow tired, Jobs eventually begins to suffer from an ailment common to many biopics: milestone fatigue. The film is so thick with Jobs' career highlights and lowlights that there's little room for insights. What made this famously private man tick?"
Yelp iPhone app now lets you post reviews from within, support coming soon to Android
Here's something that may surprise you: yesterday, Yelp users couldn't actually post reviews from within the company's iPhone app. Wild, right? Today's update, however, changes that, bringing it more in line with rival Foursquare. The revised iOS app, which should be hitting the App Store momentarily, will bring the feature to all users across 22 countries, and we're told that the new button for reviews will appear where the "Tips" button has sat in the past. Interestingly, Yelp intends to still hold some power over what you write -- if your "review" is deemed too brief, it could end up as a tip; thankfully, users can always go back later, add a bit more detail and have it ported over to the review side. Just remember: you can totally get sued for posting negative reviews. Womp, womp.
Google debuts new Zagat app for Android and iOS, redesigned website
Sure, Mountain View slowly infused Maps with Zagat content after acquiring the brand, but now it's revamped the outfit's mobile apps on Android and iOS, along with its website, to boot. As you'd expect, users can wield the apps and website to find venues with searches and map-based browsing, and catch up on news and videos from the service's editors. In this fresh incarnation, Google's lifted a registration requirement that was previously necessary to peruse reviews online. Page and Co.'s redesigned experience only covers restaurants and nightlife in nine cities, but will include hotels, shopping and other points of interest in a total of 50 US cities over the coming months. In the meantime, Zagat promises its existing ratings and reviews for spots in those markets will soon be available on the web. Hit the bordering source links below to grab the reimagined applications.
Post Haste for OS X creates project template folders
A rather curious app crossed my desk this morning. Aimed at creatives who make complex project folders repeatedly, Post Haste (free) enables you to create named directory hierarchies over and over again. You supply the project name and client name, and Post Haste builds your folders and skeleton files. The idea is this. Many workflows include setting up folder groups. For example, if you spend time in Photoshop, you want to create a primary document, set up folders for raw source images, establish a set of reference images and so forth. Post Haste builds that skeleton on your behalf, bringing your project and client name references all the way down the tree. Although the preloaded Post Haste templates are geared towards graphic designers, you can build your own for whatever client work is specific to your business. So how useful is this idea? For me, not so much. My project folders use the same naming for each item, with few project changes. For me, the development edit or tech edit review directories don't need project-specific names. What's more, my projects never use particularly complex hierarchies. In other words, I've done it by hand for years and will probably keep going on as I've been. That said, if you work on several projects at a time during your workday, juggling multiple clients and tasks, this may prove more useful.
Ask Massively: The moving goalposts of MMO reviews
Last week, Massively streamteamer Richie Procopio sat down to play Elder Scrolls Online at a press demo. Like most such "all-day" media events, the press demo was approximately four hours long -- four hours for Richie to see as much as he could and take notes to transform into articles worth reading. "It must be so hard to write an MMO article based on four hours of gameplay," remarked a reader named Dularr. It is and it isn't. Four hours is more than enough time to grok the basics. Of course, if you're expecting a detailed endgame critique after four hours, you're in for disappointment.
Alfred 2.0 adds workflows, improves preferences, more
Alfred is one of my favorite Mac utilities (here's my review of version 1.0). After a long beta period, version 2.0 is now available. I've been using it throughout the beta period and I can say that it's a huge improvement over version 1.x. The new workflows are fantastic, the preferences are easier to use and better organized. Here's my look at Alfred V2. Looks Alfred's main interface is still a single input field, but now you can customize it more deeply than before. New theme options let you change the fonts, sizes and the height and width of the results window. You can even change the roundness of the corners. Once in the theme editor, use a combination of mouse clicks and key combinations to affect different changes. Pop-up help text guides you through the process so it's easy. You can duplicate an existing theme if you want to use it as a starting point, or begin entirely from scratch. And for the record, I like the Dark And Smooth theme. %Gallery-181517% Workflows Let's talk about the big guns. Alfred 2's marquee feature is Workflows. Some people think of Alfred as a launcher. Workflows will change that for good. Workflows let you combine a series of actions into a helpful sequence. You get your triggers, inputs, actions and then the outputs. What's nice is that it's entirely approachable. You needn't code a single thing, and the supplied templates and examples will get you started. A workflow can be simple or complex. Here are a couple of examples. Every day I use a workflow called "paste to plain text." Occasionally I'd paste text into TextEdit to strip out the styling. Now I simply hit the hotkey combination I set up in Alfred -- Option-P -- and the contents of my clipboard are pasted as plain text. One of the example workflows is called "Should I watch this movie?" Here's how it works. Launch Alfred, type "movie" and the the film's title. Hit Return, and Alfred opens the movie's IMDB page, its page on Rotten Tomatoes and its trailer on YouTube, all in separate tabs on your browser. I also created a quick one that launches QuickTime Pro and begins a new audio recording, which is helpful when I'm podcasting. There's so much you can do from fun to productive, from triggering AppleScripts to terminal commands. You can even share your work with others. Other improvements You can now have Alfred remember where you like its window to appear. You can also change the wallpaper that appears in the background of the theming preference pane. These little improvements stand out and make the experience very pleasant. Conclusion Alfred V2 is a great update. So how does pricing work? Alfred is a free download, and the Powerpack, which adds features, is paid. For upgrades, a single license to a mega license is £20. This been the case since the beginning of the beta. You can go from a single to v2 single for £10, and from a family license to v2 family license for £15.
Microsoft Surface Pro review
It's a compelling proposition: all the power and application compatibility of a laptop running a proper desktop operating system, all the portability and convenience of a tablet, all mixed together in one package. That's the core idea behind Microsoft's Surface tablets but, as we saw with the Surface for Windows RT a few months ago, its ARM-based nature resulted in some substantial drawbacks. Namely: app selection. Running Windows is all well and good, but when you're running the RT flavor, which strips compatibility with the entire, massive and still-swelling catalog of Windows applications, you're left with a desktop-class operating system completely bereft of any desktop apps. Welcome, then, to the Surface for Windows 8 Pro, which promises all the niceties of the Surface RT -- compelling design, build quality, performance -- with full support for x86 Windows applications. (That is: every single Windows app released before the end of last year.) And, adding a 1080p display to the mix doesn't hurt. So, then, is this perfection in a single 10-inch, $899 device? Let's find out.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey review: a budget WP8 phone that performs like a flagship
The Windows Phone 8 deluge is slowly starting to taper off. HTC and Nokia have made their presence known with loud, bold statements and even Huawei has gotten in on the action. Meanwhile Samsung has already blessed the market with its flagship ATIV S, a respectable rehash of the Galaxy S III with a Microsoft soul. Nokia and HTC even have their respective mid-range models on the market. Which leaves just one slot to be filled: a budget offering from Sammy. With the debut of the ATIV Odyssey it's safe to assume that the Windows Phone landscape won't be changing too dramatically in the immediate future. (Of course, Mobile World Congress could make a liar out of us in short order.) The ATIV S simply doesn't have the pomp and flash (though, it has the guts) to run with the Lumia 920 and HTC 8X. But in the mid-range, where gimmicks and style often take a backseat to functionality, perhaps Samsung can carve out a space for itself among the Redmond faithful? Last year's Focus 2 and 2011's Focus Flash struck a winning combination of price and functionality by offering comparable specs to their higher-end competitors. Just over a year later, the question is whether that's still a winning combination in a market that's significantly broadened its horizons.
