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No Comment: The iPhone of night clubs
We will say kudos to Red Devil -- it's a rare company that can fess up to providing crappy service. A rare company indeed. [via TDW]
TUAW's Daily App: Strike Knight
I saw Backflip Studios' Julian Farrior speak at GDC earlier this year, and while there, he showed a few upcoming App Store games of his in a quick slide. Strike Knight was one of those, and it's now out in the App Store in all of its glory. It's a simple shuffleboard bowler game -- you grab a puck at the bottom of the screen, and flick it up towards the pins at the top, hoping to hit at just the right angle and knock them all down. Presentation is solid -- a bar crowd in the background cheers or boos you appropriately, and the titular Knight reacts to all of your shots while an arcade board flashes your high score as you play. The game is free-to-play, so it's definitely worth a try. The ads are slightly distracting (aside from the banner ads, currently all advertising the rest of Backflip's other titles, there are interstitials as well), but for a 99 cent in-app purchase, you can get rid of them, so if you like the game, you might as well make the buy. Aside from the regular singleplayer action, the app allows pass and play multiplayer for up to four people, and the gameplay's quite addictive -- that knight really pushes you to do better and better each time you play. Plus+ integration rounds out the experience, and there are awards to earn and leaderboards to top. Farrior and his team at Backflip are doing a great job pinning down some solid, quick experiences on the iPhone, and Strike Knight is nice addition to the company's lineup. If all of the apps he promised this year are as worthy as this one, they'll have an impressive stable of apps in the store.
Found: The iPhone prototype finder
Wired has located and interviewed the man who "found" Apple's lost prototype iPhone in a Redwood City bar: 21-year-old Brian Hogan. With a statement from his attorney, Hogan has shed a great deal of light on the ongoing saga of Gizmodo's premature unveiling of Apple's next-gen iPhone. The story, as told by Hogan, supposedly goes like this: Another bar patron handed Hogan the iPhone when the patron found it lying on a nearby barstool. This patron asked Hogan if it was his iPhone, then abruptly left. Hogan asked nearby bar patrons if the phone belonged to them. When no one said it was theirs, he and his friends left with the iPhone. Critically, there's no mention that Hogan made any effort to leave the phone with the bartender, which is what I probably would have done in that situation. [Ed: After you put together a hands-on and gallery for TUAW, you mean.]
Yahtzee and others to open Australian video game bar
Rather than make a four-to-six minute video decrying the lack of gaming-themed bars in his current country of residence, The Escapist's Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw has partnered with three other gentlemen to open Mana Bar. According to the press release, the Brisbane-based bar will open in February and targets "a wider casual market, while still catering to the hardcore gamer crowd." There is no charge for entry or to play games (from "the latest video game systems"), and the presser details plans for tournaments and game release parties (among other things). The bar even has a Twitter and Facebook page up already with plenty of extra details and photos should you choose to follow along with the renovation process. Unfortunately, the only mention of refreshments is the "unique selection of drinks and custom cocktails" available, as well as the picture you see above. We are anxiously awaiting the presumably lengthy beer list.
Tabs in the title bar: a UI design trend that needs to go
Safari 4 Beta's new tab arrangement has me bothered. It seems to be largely lifted from Chrome's user interface that puts the tabs at the very top of the window. Not only is this a departure from Apple's typical UI choices, it presents problems for users with special needs. On your average Apple user interface, every object -- a title bar, menu, button, or handle -- has a single function. It can resize the window, move it, close it, or scroll it. Safari 4's tabs, however, have a dual purpose: They not only can be selected to move the entire Safari 4 window, but can be clicked individually to display their contents. In Safari 3, this was handled by two different objects -- the title bar to move the window, and tabs in the tab bar. Google chose to put tabs at the top of the window because it was an important part of the user metaphor for their web browser, Chrome. In Chrome, tabs are independent processes brought together in a kind of stack. This is all very well and good, but it poses the same problem of having the area at the top of the window do two things at once: move the window as a whole, and control each item in the stack.
Addon Spotlight: AutoBar
Last time on Addon Spotlight, we looked at Dominos, my current favorite bar mod for all my spells and abilities. Of course, like any good raider, I also have bar spots for my various consumables: bandages, potions, elixirs, buff food, and so forth. But it's a pain to manually reconfigure all that every time I get a new item. Fortunately, I don't have to: AutoBar does it for me, and means I never have to hunt in my bags for a scroll or a quest item. In short, AutoBar adds one or more bars to your screen, each full of buttons for various categories. For instance, the default "main" bar has slots for: Hearthstone (and related abilities, like Death Gate or Scroll of Recall) Health potions Mana potions Buff foods Mage foods Elixirs (battle and guardian) Mounts Tradeskills Quest items Trinkets And probably some more things that I'm not remembering right now. AB shows the most recent item you've clicked for each category (in some cases) or the best item (in others), and other options in the category appear on mouse-over.
iBreathalyzer is, yes, a breathalyzer for your iPod
It's late Friday night, you're stepping out of the bar into the cold after a few drinks, and as you head towards the car, you stop, realizing that it might not be the right time to drive. But how can you know for sure? Simple -- you just pull out your iPod. Because the iPod hasn't had enough random things attached to it, there's the iBreath, a breathalyzer that connects to the bottom of your iPod or iPhone and will not only tell you what your BAC is, but transmit your iPod's audio to your FM radio as well.You've gotta be kidding us. Not only should you never drive after drinking, as even legal levels can be dangerous, but even if you just want to know your BAC you can buy a regular breathalyzer for a lot less than the $80 this one costs, and you don't even need an iPod to connect it to.But we'll give these guys their credit -- of all the things you can attach to an iPod, this one might be the strangest.
London restaurant claims fame with touch-sensitive tables, colorful menu projectors
A chic London restaurant and bar called Inamo is making patrons' dining experiences digital by projecting colorful menus and aesthetic patterns onto touch-sensitive tabletops. When browsing, patrons can preview the food as if it were on the plate in front of them -- only flatter, we suppose. They can also order their meals, look up neighborhood services, and select one of seven visual vibes without ever interacting with carbon-based lifeforms. Inamo isn't the first automated establishment we've seen, and this sort of table menu tech isn't new -- but the futuristic panache is hard to beat. Hit the read link for more pics.[Thanks, Nvyseal]
Official EVE Flickr images show Ambulation concept art
Ambulation, or 'Walking in Stations,' is a hot topic among EVE Online players, but for opposing reasons. Some are excited about the prospect of being able to get out of their capsules and ships and finally interact on an avatar level with one another. Other players feel that Ambulation offers little that will benefit the game as it's played by EVE's pilots. Regardless of what detractors from Ambulation are saying, CCP Games has been moving ahead with the project. Players will decide for themselves whether or not this is a positive addition to EVE Online when they get to try it out at Fanfest 2008 in November. Until then, CCP has provided a few images on their Flickr account that give EVE players a glimpse at how their avatars are going to look later this year, and what the station environments will be like. [Via CrazyKinux]%Gallery-29904%
E308: Matt Wilson briefs us on the state of The Agency
We had a fantastic chance to talk with Matt Wilson about The Agency during E3. While a great deal of the footage they showed was largely identical to the footage we'd previously seen, many of Matt's insights about the direction they're taking The Agency in were quite illuminating. From PvP to operatives to vehicular combat and the eventual beta, Matt was generous enough with both his time and knowledge, and let us in on lots of great news and background. If you've been hungry for more information on some of the different aspects of this upcoming game, be sure to join us after the break for a great overview on this hot upcoming SOE property.
Scattered Shots: Got mana?
Scattered Shots is temporarily subtitled "Scattered Thoughts" this week, as David goes off on a speculative tangent. Perhaps all this expansion leakage is causing a leak in his brain too, but hey, a little bit of intellectual pondering never hurt anyone, right? This column is for hunters, by the way -- but, yeah... you knew that.After writing last week's article about hunter problems and predictions, I got to thinking about how hunters use mana, and reflecting on the question of whether hunters should be using mana or not. Hunters have many things in common with classes like rogues and warriors, such as doing physical damage, and yet they have much in common with mages and warlocks as well, such as being vulnerable to mana-draining abilities. This issue is vague enough that my observations here can only be considered personal opinions, and they won't be of interest if all you want from this column is a list of the greatest gear and talent builds. But for the speculative among us, there's lots to discuss here.
Muteki Mario sake bar offers a different powerup
Gadling's Jeremy Kressmann just happened to be out drinking in Shinjuku, where he happened upon, of all things, a Mario-themed sake bar. "Muteki Mario" ("Invincible Mario") features Mario figurines and decorations, and even playable Mario series games in the bar. Jeremy faced off in some Mario Kart Wii during his visit. Oh, also they have booze.We found just two tiny pictures of Muteki Mario that do absolutely nothing to show off any Marioness present, though a Pac-Man and ghost are just visible behind the bar. We also found a street map, in case you happen to be near Shinjuku Station, a nerd, and thirsty.
How to put WoW Insider on your Windows Vista Sidebar
In an ongoing series of articles we'll show you how to put WoW Insider on your own blog, guild website, personal website, or even on your computer's desktop. For a complete list of the software that's covered, check out our guide's index.About Windows Vista Love it or hate it, eventually you'll probably end up using it. One of the neat features of Vista is the Sidebar, which is a place where you can put widgets that do different things, like tell the time, show what your EVE Online character is training, or tell you what the weather is like outside. How to add WoW Insider to your Windows Vista's Sidebar. 1. Right click on your Sidebar and choose "Add Gadgets..." 2. This will open up the gadgets window. Double click the "Feed Headlines" gadget. 3. Close the gadgets window. 4. You'll now see the new gadget added at the top of your sidebar. 5. Open up Microsoft Internet Explorer and go to http://wow.joystiq.com/rss.xml 6. Click the "Subscribe to this feed" link. 7. A window will open up. The default settings will be fine. Click the "Subscribe" button. 8. Position your mouse over the feed gadget on your side bar and click the little wrench icon. It'll appear towards the upper right hand side of the gadget. 9. A window like the one above will slide out of the gadget, asking you what feed you want to display. 10. Choose to display "WoW Insider", and set the number of headlines to whatever you want. 11. Click the "Ok" button. 12. You're done! Left click on a feed headline to read the WoW Insider article.
A real Mario party, with drinks to match
Have you ever wanted to try a Yoshi cocktail? If so, you probably should have hit up the Scrollbar in Copenhagen on February 15th.A bunch of students attending Copenhagen's IT University decided to deck out the Scrollbar in Mario goodness, and topped it off by serving original Mario themed drinks.If you're looking to make some of these alcoholic beverages for yourself (assuming, of course, that you're the proper age to do so legally), you can check out the recipes for drinks like the Goomba or the 1up shot here.Too bad -- it looks like we missed out on the video game party of the year.[Via Tokyo Mango]
Rock Band bar night in Manhattan tonight
Harmonix is throwing a little potentially large Rock Band bar night in Manhattan tonight. The event will take place at Angels and Kings in the East Village (map) from 9PM until Midnight. It is a bar, so drinkin' age is required (meaning 21 and over).The game will be playable on a stage and those who "rock the hardest" could maybe win a copy of Rock Band. It's probably best to get there early, as we have no idea what the occupancy limit is like, and people who intend to be fashionably late could be fashionably waiting outside ... in the 20º cold.
Heads roll in new Age of Conan trailer
GameTrailers published an exclusive new Age of Conan trailer today. It (and everything else on GameTrailers this afternoon) will probably and unfortunately be blown to the wayside by the thermonuclear hype-bomb that is the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, but really, it's worth viewing. You can watch or download both standard def (embedded here) and high def versions of the trailer.It's narrated by an old warrior at a bar. He describes the decline of his homeland and the trials that followed -- all against a backdrop of countless shots of AoC characters decapitating one another to epic music. So, pretty much the Age of Conan we've grown to love and expect -- blood that runs like rivers, graphics as impressive as Steve Jobs' resume, and women as loose with love as cable news networks are with the facts!
/silly: Where everybody knows your name
"Welcome, stranger. Pull up a stool and make yourself at home. Say, you look like you're a bit run down this morning. Tuesday gotchya down? I here ya. But I think I've got just the thing to perk you up. Nothing gets your blood pumping like a stiff shot of /silly. This ones on the house. I told ya last time, your money is no good here."Once again I have pulled from my epic stable of alts to fill a starring role in this week's comic. The legendary Banhammer, level 9 dwarf warrior extraordinaire, is here to get his drink on. Which is what he does best. And most often. Not that I'm insinuating that he has a drinking problem, but he often refuses to enter combat unless he is properly "buffed". And by "buffed", I mean "completely sloshed out of his gourd." It's a time honored dwarven tradition, I hear.It may be the lack of sleep talking, but I'm actually quite happy with the way this comic turned out. I employed a different technique of coloring that I had found in a digital art magazine a few months back, and the results are a lot more clean and professional then I had expected. Perhaps we will see more of this style in the near future - or perhaps I'll switch to drawing stick figures with sidewalk chalk, just to keep you guys on your toes. Expect the unexpected!
Karnataka, India banning cellphones for kids under 16?
We can't even imagine what would happen here in the US of A if our government suddenly stopped everyone under the age of 16 from chatting it up on a mobile, but it looks like we just may find out how it goes down overseas when Karnataka, India does just that. Reportedly, its government is going to "ban cellphone use by children less than 16 years on the basis of advice of medical experts," and while specifics weren't divulged, apparently someone up high believes that "prolonged use of [handsets] by teenagers does affect their health" in an adverse way. Additionally, mobile dealers will no longer be allowed to sell handsets to youngsters under 16, and while a hard date for the ban hasn't been announced just yet, notification should be "issued soon." [Via OnlyGizmos, image courtesy of BBC]
California to bar teens from using mobiles, laptops whilst driving
California certainly won't go down as the first place to ban cellphones whilst driving, but if Governor Schwarzenegger signs a new bill into law, mobiles won't be the only thing teens can't operate while behind the wheel after July 1, 2008. The bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the Assembly, prevents anyone "under the age of 18 from using their cellphone," even with handsfree devices; as if that wasn't enough, any "mobile service device" -- such as "walkie-talkies, pagers, two-way messaging devices, PDAs, and laptops" -- will also be illegal for teens under 18 to use while driving. If signed into law, violators will reportedly be fined "$20 for the first offense, and $50 for subsequent offenses with no violation points on the driver's record."[Via Textually]
Polk Audio announcing SurroundBar50 at CEDIA '07
Settling for the tiny, paper stock speakers flat panels come with is almost as bad as running coax from your cable box to your HDTV, so we are glad to see Polk Audio adding to their offerings. Polk intro'd their original 42-inch SurroundBar (pictured) two years ago to an empty market, but now quite a few manufacturers produce so-called "sound bars." Their latest, SurroundBar50, is designed with 50-inch flat-panels in mind, as the speaker is 51-inches long and mountable either above or beneath the set via the included mount. The extra real estate enhances the virtual surround field as well as providing more internal volume and producing deeper bass. The official announcement isn't happening until Polk Audio's CEDIA press conference on September 6th, but expect the SurroundBar 50 to land at $1,099 this October. We know these virtual surround speakers aren't as good as the real deal, however, don't knock these speakers till you hear 'em in person, as they're a solid alternative to a room full of speakers.
