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The iPhone 15 Pro may feature haptic solid-state volume and power buttons
The next-gen iPhone 15 Pro models may swap its physical volume and power buttons for solid state versions that use haptic feedback.
Will.i.am’s tech company bought headphone maker Earin
Will.i.am's tech company i.am+ revealed to TechCrunch at CES today it had recently purchased headphone maker Earin. The company didn't disclose how much it paid for Earin and Earin's name might not make it through the acquisition, but Earin's products fit with those of i.am+ for the most part, and the purchase seems to be a more logical move than others recently made by the company.
Twitter DM buttons let brands help (or sell to) users
If you open a Messaging window with Focus Features' account on Twitter, you'll get greeted by a menu with a few choices to pick from. Those are the platform's new Direct Messaging Buttons, which you can click to perform tasks outside the DM window. A company could bundle a button with a coupon it sends you via DM to give you an easy way to tweet it out to your followers. Some could include buttons that take you to their profiles or to their websites in an effort to lure you into following their accounts or trying out their products. Others can program a button to open a chat conversation with another account more suited to answer your questions for a better customer service experience.
Amazon now has over 250 Dash Buttons for easy ordering
What I initially thought was an April Fool's joke now counts 250 different options to its name. I'm talking about Amazon's Dash Button and today the online retailer announced that the total number of one-touch ordering devices has hit the aforementioned tally. To get there, the company added 50 more of the re-ordering tools from brands like Seventh Generation, Colgate, Emergen-C, Kingsford, KY, Lifestyles, Rogaine and more. Just how popular are they? Amazon says some brands are receiving more than half of their orders from Dash Buttons.
The Daily Grind: How many button presses should it take to kill a mob?
MJ and I were talking while playing The Secret World the other day about the game's legendary fight length. Well, at least I consider fights in this MMO as taking longer than normal. I told her that generally if a standard, level-even mob isn't dead by a rotation-and-a-half of my skills, or about eight button presses, then it begins to irk me. Now it definitely depends on the mob strength and situation, but I don't want to be pounding 30 keys and sitting there for two minutes before a critter drops. However, saying that got me wondering what you all consider as a normal, acceptable number of button presses (or skills used) per fight. What do you think? 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!
LG and Google tweak Nexus 5 production to fix speaker and loose buttons
Owners of brand new Nexus 5 handsets are starting to notice a few subtle differences compared to the version that sold at launch. The mono speaker grille holes are slightly larger, for a start, which could potentially offer a decibel or so of extra volume and prevent buyers from having to go all crazy with a hot needle. The volume and power buttons seem to have been made stiffer too, suggesting that complaints about excessive rattling noises reached receptive ears at LG and Google. None of this will help those of us who bought launch day models, of course, unless there's the option of seeking a replacement, but we reckon the Nexus 5 remains the best $350 option on the market even with all its original foibles. [Photo credit: shinral]
Palette's modular controller brings dials and sliders to your laptop (hands-on)
Palette co-founder Calvin Chu has a problem with how people work. "Creative professionals spend so much of their time on the computer, and at the moment, they still use a very generic one-size-fits-all keyboard and mouse interface." It doesn't make sense, he says -- photographers, gamers, film editors, musicians and accountants all using the same interface? Surely there is a better way. "It should be specialized and made for your needs, and that's where we came up for the idea for Palette." Palette is Chu's answer to a world that's discarded tactile dials and switches for keyboards, mice and touch screens. It's a modular collection of buttons, sliders and potentiometers that can be programmed to do almost anything on your PC. We took a look at an early prototype of the customizable controller to reacquaint ourselves with the tactile world.
Palette embraces the buttons, dials and sliders that touchscreens forgot
Gone are the days of buttons, switches and dials. We're all touchscreen and trackpad now. If you're among those that miss the tactile sensation and precision that switches and toggles offer and have $100 or so burning a hole in your pocket, however, you're right in the pitching sweet spot for Palette's Kickstarter campaign. The module controllers daisy chain in the configuration of your choosing to create a customize hardware interface for a number of different scenarios, including gaming, creative suites and even live DJing. Palette's also offering up a number of aesthetic choices for the controllers, including brushed aluminum and cherry wood -- there's also built in LED lighting, for those impromptu parties you're no doubt planning. The team behind the creation is shooting for $95,012 over on the crowdfunding site. A pledge of $99 will get you the starter kit, which includes four modules. That's set to start shipping in June.
Flipside controller tries again, thanks to iOS 7
The Flipside iPhone game controller was a Kickstarter project that began last year with an ambitious goal of US$135,000, raising only about $10k of that before getting canceled due to lack of interest. Things have changed since the project was shut down in January, however. Apple has announced iOS 7, and with it, a set of official SDK hooks for game controller support, which means we're going to see a resurgence in third-party controllers like this one. Now the Flipside is back, restarting its campaign on Indiegogo for a more reasonable $40,000. For $60, you can pick up an early founder's deal on the controller, which is set to be ready for use sometime next year. So far, the Flipside isn't exactly raking in the dough (it's earned about $300 as of this writing), but maybe the second time will be the charm. This definitely won't be the last we see of third-party controllers getting a big boost out of Apple's iOS 7 game controller hooks. Once the operating system is ready and out in the public's hands, we'll see many more of these units become available. Who knows -- maybe if Apple sees a market for controllers like this, we'll eventually see an official controller designed in Cupertino. It would certainly be a great way to kick off the market for apps on the Apple TV.
Deus Ex: The Fall is a cyber Renaissance faire for touchscreens
Deus Ex is, by nature, a complicated game. You can start by simply moving around a level: There's cover to move in and out of, and stealth movement requires good timing and precision. Then, there's all of the abilities you have, from using various gadgets and weapons to choosing your bio-implants and playing the hacking mini-games. That's a lot of buttons. In making Deus Ex: The Fall for iOS devices, Square Enix Mobile was given the task of putting all those functions into a device that has only one button. In that respect, the most exciting news about this game is that it works. For the most part, that is. You can't hide bodies, for one thing.%Gallery-190427%
Daily iPhone App: Combo Crew does beat-em-up on a touchscreen
Combo Crew is an interesting experiment that just showed up this week on iOS. Beat-em-ups and fighting games are great on consoles, where you've got plenty of buttons and d-pads to pull off various moves with. But while they've appeared on iOS a few times (Capcom's Street Fighter IV has done fairly well on the App Store), usually these games on a touchscreen tend to just fall back on virtual buttons, which are generally way more clunky and less precise than physical moving parts. Combo Crew, however, is an attempt to make a beat-em-up redesigned from scratch for the iOS touchscreen. It's a game made by the Game Bakers, a really excellent team based in France that's done a great job with the Squids turn-based combat series. Combo Crew has everything you'd want a beat-em-up game to have, including multiple characters, combination-based and counter attacks, and lots of cool super moves and punches. But the difference here is in the controls. Instead of pressing buttons, you swipe across the screen to perform your moves in sequence: Swipe once to attack, swipe and hold to charge up, swipe two fingers for a combo attack or tap the screen for a counter. It works -- mostly. Just like a traditional beat-em-up game, Combo Crew's moveset gets more complicated over time, so that once mastered, you're able to keep combos going for a long time, scoring tons of points and taking down the bad guys with ease. Unfortunately, the biggest issue is that you're swiping right across the screen you're playing on, so sometimes it can be hard to see where you need to go. Thus, precision isn't always exactly where you want it to be. If you swipe the screen, you will do an attack, but there's no way to move around the screen independently, and as a result, you don't always attack the exact enemy you want, which can be a problem at higher levels. Combo Crew is still a lot of fun, however, and The Game Bakers deserve a lot of credit for taking on such a tough genre to do on a touchscreen in such a creative way. There's even a co-op mode, and an endless-scoring game with plenty of various progression items to unlock and earn. If you like beat-em-ups and want something to enjoy on your iPhone, this one is a must-play for sure, just to see how it all works. The game is currently just $1.99, too, so if you're interested at all, give this one a download.
iControlPad 2 reaches Kickstarter goal, shipping later this year
I'll be honest: I thought that US$150,000 as a Kickstarter goal for the iControlPad 2 wireless controller was too high, but it turns out I was completely wrong. Not only was the project funded, but backers have pledged $190k and still counting with a few more hours to go. The impressive response emphasizes the demand for a physical, button-based controller for the iPhone and the iPad, not to mention all of the other platforms iControlPad hopes to work with, including the upcoming OUYA console, PCs and Macs, and any other Bluetooth-enabled device. If you want to back the project, there's still time (as of this writing). If the developers follow the same pattern as the first iControlPad, there should be more units to sell later on as well. The devs say they hope to ship by Christmas, and presumably app developers can start supporting the iControlPad 2 as soon as they arrive. Congrats to the team on a successful Kickstarter project. Here's hoping we see the final product soon.
Google Play services arrives for Android 2.2 and above, the eager can download directly
Google recently announced to developers the availability of a new "Services" platform, to allow better integration of its core products in 3rd party apps. The update comes in the form of an APK that will automatically find its way to handsets with Android 2.2 and above. But, for the impatient amongst you, it's available for download directly from the Play store now. This first release centers around better integration for Google+ (for account sign-in / Plus buttons etc) and providing OAuth 2.0 functionality, but it's expected that deeper functionality with the Google universe will take root soon. Most handily, as Mountain View decided to deliver this in the form of an app / APK, there's no pesky waiting around for networks to get it to you. Read up on the benefits via the more coverage links, or head to the source to make sure you're on-board.
Use the Xbox 360 controller on your Mac
TUAW reader Jon emailed in the other day to ask about possible game controllers for Mac, and while we've covered this issue before, it has definitely been a while. In short, the best way to use a game controller with your Mac is just to use one of the better controllers out there: the wired version of Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller (or, if you wish, any compatible third-party version). The port on it is just a standard USB, so it should plug right into your Mac. And in some cases that's all you need -- the OnLive app, for example, will make use of your controller right out of the box (which is actually easier than it works on Windows, incidentally, where you need to install an official driver), and there are other games around (I've been playing AirMech in my Chrome browser quite a bit lately) that will work great right away. I haven't tried Steam's Big Picture mode on my Mac yet, but I presume it too will work just as well. If the game you're trying to play doesn't directly support the controller, however, then things get a little more complicated. There is a very nice driver for the Xbox 360 controller available for free online, and it will cover you for a lot of games that already support controller setups. But every once in a while you'll come across a game that requires you to use a keyboard, and for those times, you'll need to download a helper app, something like the Gamepad Companion (from the Mac App Store). That app will let you map the Xbox 360 controller's buttons to standard mouse and keyboard functions, so you can use your controller to do anything you want. Apple seems closer than ever to actually bringing full apps to the Apple TV, and when it does, you have to think it will also create some kind of controller device (or include that functionality directly in iOS somehow). Until then, however, Microsoft's controller works perfectly well, and with a little bit of tweaking, you can get it to do whatever you need.
Turning an old Apple mouse into a modern Bluetooth mouse
This Instructable is a pretty sweet project that some of you might want to take on this weekend: It'll teach you how to combine an 80s-era Apple mouse body with the innards of a modern Bluetooth wireless mouse, thus turning Apple's user interface innovation into a device usable with almost any modern day computer. You will probably need to use a Dremel tool and a little glue to make the new mouse's board fit into Apple's old case, but it all seems pretty simple, and in the end, you'll have a sharp-looking retro mouse that uses Bluetooth. The old Apple mouse only has one button, so you'll have to control-click (or download a separate app on Windows) to simulate the right click if you need it -- a small price to pay for clicking around in retro style, though.
The iCade Mobile puts console-style buttons on your iPhone or iPod touch
We first heard about the iCade Mobile back when the unit was introduced at CES this year, and as mentioned last week, it's now out and available. I've been playing with one for a couple of weeks now, and I can tell you that it's an impressive device. The unit is sturdy, the buttons work great, and the whole device does a terrific job of turning your smaller iOS devices into something like a Sony PSP-style handheld console. There are a few drawbacks, however. The biggest one is the same issue that all of the iCade devices have had, popular as they may be: Compatibility. While the list of games compatible with iCade is already long and growing, the list of games I usually play on the iPhone is even bigger, and most of my favorite games aren't ready. There are a few quality games on the compatible list (including a few giant arcade collections from famous companies like Namco and Midway), so there is definitely plenty to play with the iCade. But if there's a game you love that's not on the list, it obviously won't help you with buying the product. If your favorite game is compatible, pairing your iOS device with the Bluetooth-enabled gamepad is a simple affair. Getting the iPhone or iPod touch inside the rubber holder in the middle is actually the hardest part of connecting the two, though it's not too bad, and once its in, it fits securely. The other main issue with the iCade mobile is that while Ion Audio has wisely and faithfully designed the unit to match up to Sony's handheld PSP console, it has chosen to instead label the buttons as 5, 6, 7, and 8, which are presumably what they correspond to on a Bluetooth keyboard (all iCade units use the same protocol, which makes it easy for developers to program compatibility into their apps). But even games that are compatible with the product don't tend to make use of these markings, so playing with the iCade is often an exercise in trial and error. It's not usually clear if the unit is working right away and which buttons do what. One-button games are obviously not a big problem, but more complicated games can be frustrating. Labeling the buttons with clearer symbols (and having better designed compatibility in the third-party apps) might make the experience smoother. Once you get everything working and know which buttons you're pushing, things work great. The buttons have a nice press to them. They might be a little loud if you're a real stickler, but I like that they're tactile (which is why iPhone users want buttons in the first place). The d-pad isn't the best I've ever used, but it too is well-defined. The triggers are less impressive. They're a little too small, and the bumper buttons can be hard to reach, especially if you have big fingers like I do. But at this point, not many games use them anyway, and I haven't seen one yet that uses all of the buttons available. So it all comes down to developers, essentially. If there's a game that you love that's iCade compatible, I can't see any reason not to pick this device up. It's well built, and it makes games that require precision especially responsive. But odds are that your favorite games on iOS aren't yet included in the list, and if that's the case, you may find it easier to wait. Many of the best iOS games take full advantage of the phone's touchscreen, and obviously you don't need an iCade for that. In the end, Ion is bumping up against the old chicken-and-egg problem: More developers should support iCade, but in order for them to want to do so, more consumers will need to buy iCade in the first place. Hopefully we'll see more and more games support products like this, and these ever-more-popular control units will become ever more useful. At least, until the audience gets big enough, and Apple decides to Sherlock it right away from everyone else.
Engadget evaluates Razer Blade performance
Our fellow bloggers at Engadget have gotten their hands on the Blade laptop from Razer (the very first commercial fruits of that "Switchblade" concept seeded so long ago), and the unit gets some high marks, despite some significant flaws. The worst issue with the laptop seems to be the audio (the built-in speakers are so bad that Engadget suspected their unit was broken somehow), but in general the problem with the Blade seems that it's tuned for a mix of portability and performance, which means neither gets to be perfect.Yes, the Blade is sleek and super thin for a PC laptop, but it trades on that build by being a "gaming" unit that doesn't play StarCraft 2 on its highest settings perfectly. (see update) For the sticker price of $2,799, Razer traded a little too much performance for the admittedly impressive form factor.But while Engadget doesn't recommend the laptop wholeheartedly, the site does praise the Blade's "bright and delectably tactile" LED buttons. The article surmises we'll see those types of controls again soon, either in Razer hardware, or units from other device manufacturers.Update: Engadget has discovered that they didn't have the latest drivers for the graphics card, and with those, apparently Skyrim runs much better. Engadget is working on updated benchmarks for all of the Blade's performance aspects.
ThinkGeek announces 8-bitty wireless controller for iPad, iPhone
It looks like ThinkGeek and Ion Audio were holding out on us when we visited the companies' booth at CES earlier this year. (See update below) In addition to the three new devices already announced for the iCade lineup by Ion (that allows you to use various controls for iOS games across Bluetooth), there's now another one from ThinkGeek only, strangely called the 8-bitty. The 8-bitty is an NES-style (though four buttons, instead of only two) block controller that's completely wireless: Just pair it up with your iOS device and have at it. It's hardly ergonomical, but that's not really the point with this, obviously. There are also two buttons at the top to use as triggers, so this is really an old school controller designed for new-school use. And just like all of Ion and ThinkGeek's other iCade stuff, this will be compatible with any games designed to use it -- all it does is acts as a Bluetooth keyboard, so any games designed to use certain keys to do certain things will be able to use this. Seems like a good idea, and given iCade's success in the past, this one will probably sell just as well. It's supposed to be available "later on this year," and ThinkGeek has listed the 8-bitty at $24.99, so we'll keep a look out and let you know when you can grab one. Update: ThinkGeek's reps email to say that while the other iCade devices are being manufactured in conjunction with Ion Audio, the 8-bitty is not. It's still using the iCade name, but this product is all ThinkGeek. Good to know. [via Engadget]
Mad Catz shows off MLG Pro controller at CES, for the discerning button pusher
A controller is a controller is a controller. The most innovative additions to console controllers these days usually involve an extra turbo switch, or maybe a fan in the handles. Mad Catz' new MLG Pro Circuit Controller stands out, and was first shown off at CES 2012 last week. Mad Catz worked with Major League Gaming players and other gamers to figure out just what it is they wanted a controller to do, and rather than just add some new lights (or those fans), they took a few good steps forward. The analogue sticks and D-pads are fully removable and customizable, and the controller comes with all sorts of possibilities. With this controller, you can implement the layout you want.
ION Audio follows up iCade with two new devices, iCade Mobile and the iCade Jr.
ION Audio has had a hit this last year with its iCade arcade cabinet, a standalone Bluetooth controller for the iPad that turned Apple's tablet into a miniature arcade system. And now the company is following up that success with three new devices, meant to make games on the iPhone and iPod touch a little more tactile. The first is the iCade Mobile, which is a Bluetooth-enabled game pad that the iPod touch or iPhone slips into, with a d-pad on the right side and four controller buttons on the left. There are also trigger controls at the top of the device, and all of those controls map to any iCade-enabled games on the iPhone, although games may require some tweaks to fully exploit the different buttons on the iCade Mobile. ION's rep told TUAW that the company looked at what it thought was the most powerful handheld gaming system out there -- "the PSP, and now the Vita" from Sony -- and mirrored its design off of that system. Obviously, developers will have to make their games compatible with all of the extra buttons (powered by two AA batteries, one inserted into each grip on the side), but the iCade already has a nice list of compatible titles, and that list will likely grow going forward. The iCade Mobile is due out this Spring, and will be $79.99. ION's also making the little iCade Jr., which is basically just a miniature version of the popular cabinet, but with one important difference: There are four buttons on the back of the device, designed to be used as the cabinet is held in your hands, along with four tiny buttons on the front. The iCade Jr. is designed as a smaller, gift version of the iCade, something a little cuter and more "novel" according to the rep. It'll be on sale for $49.99 when it too arrives this Spring. And finally, the iCade Core is a more traditional iPad dock, that loses the arcade cabinet asthetic for a bigger and more tactile set of buttons and an arcade stick. It has a much more open feel than the closed-in cabinet, choosing to focus on the actual gameplay rather than the (somewhat schtick-y) arcade reference. Looks like ION is really trying to take advantage of its popular iCade device (which, you may remember, originally started its life as a ThinkGeek April Fool's joke, of all things). We have another meeting with ION scheduled later on this week, so we'll go hands (and thumbs) on with these devices, and let you know what we think. %Gallery-143403%
