loom
Latest
Google's Project Jacquard wants to put a trackpad on your pants
The ATAP division of Google is known for some the most innovative ideas to come out of Silicon Valley. It's the home of the Project Ara modular phone and Project Tango. So it's no surprise to find that Project Jacquard has a large single piece of fabric with conductive yarn woven in that works like a trackpad. The Jacquard team said that more information about its technology would be revealed at tomorrow's ATAP session, but it already looks promising.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for April 18, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Dropbox acquires Loom and other news from April 17, 2014
Dropbox is continuing to swallow up other companies, this time acquiring photo storage site Loom. Loom emerged as an alternative to EverPix after its demise in late 2013, and I gave it a try for a few months. A review for TUAW was in my queue when the acquisition was announced. Loom was a pretty good service, though I had some syncing issues that eventually caused me to drop it. The customer service, however, was stellar, and Loom was adding new features constantly that made it far more useful than when I first tried it in November. Loom cited Dropbox's new Carousel as one of the reasons behind joining the Dropbox team, and Loom is a fantastic fit for Dropbox. Loom users can continue to use the service until May 16, but existing users already were sent instructions on how to migrate their photos to Dropbox with no service interruption. Free users will receive an equal amount of free space on Dropbox. Paid users will get the same amount of paid space on Dropbox for free for a year. Users also can request copies of their entire library -- albums and all -- in one zip file. Other news from Thursday afternoon includes: In the market for a Hyundai Sonata? Some 2015 models will include Apple's CarPlay. This is really cool. A new air purifier from Honeywell will send pollen and mold alerts to your iPhone. You also can control the device through the app. Head to RadioShack today if you want a great deal on a 16 GB iPhone 5s. With a 2-year contract, you can get the 5s for $99 or free if you trade in an iPhone 4s.
Dropbox bolsters Carousel, eyes collaborative docs with startup purchases
Dropbox just debuted its Carousel photo management app last week, and it's already making strides to boost the software's storage chops. Today, the cloud-minded outfit acquired Loom: a photo storage service that became a popular alternative to Everpix and Apple's iCloud Photo Stream. The snapshot organizer provides users with the ability to automatically upload images from multiple sources (or folders) to a single repository, accessible from both mobile devices and a desktop browser. Of course, it synced over cellular and not just WiFi as well. Loom allows better organization and sharing than the first iteration of Carousel does, too. Dropbox's increased emphasis on captured imagery is already quite clear, but the company has other plans too.
A look at apps with waiting lists
The way we look at new app launches is changing thanks to the cloud. Rather than a full-scale launch that invites everyone to download and try an app, developers are rolling out their apps slowly, opting for a waiting list that meters access to a service. Several high profile apps recently used this new wait list paradigm and The Verge chatted with them about their experience. The conversation focuses on the challenges of storing data remotely and dealing with the unexpected outliers who push a service beyond its tested limits. "Two hundred and fifty [beta testers] is a decent data set, but when you increase that several orders of magnitude you find edge cases," said Mailbox CEO Gentry Underwood. Underwood notes that Mailbox was not prepared for that one user who tried to transfer 40,000 messages into the service on launch day and caused the Mailbox servers to almost buckle under the load. You can read additional commentary from Loom CEO Jan Senderek and Jonathan Benassaya, CEO of Stream Nation in The Verge article.
Star Wars Empire at War on Steam, LucasArts Adventure Pack 50% off
Soon you will know the true meaning of power -- that is, should you decide to download Star Wars Empire at War, the latest RTS available on Steam. Developed by Petroglyph Games way back in 2006, it takes place during the events leading up to Episode IV. The Gold Pack edition on Steam even includes the Forces of Corruption expansion, which adds a host of new units, heroes and planets, as well as an expanded multiplayer suite. Sorry, Mac owners -- this one's Windows only. Not a big Star Wars fan? No worries, because Steam is also slashing 50% off the Lucasarts Adventure Pack, a collection of four classic adventure titles: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, LOOM and The Dig. All four of these titles are Steam Play compatible and will run on your Mac. You can get 'em for $5, only a little more than a buck a game. That's a pretty damn good deal, if you ask us. [Thanks, CCC] Source - LucasArts Adventure Pack Source - Star Wars Empire at War: Gold Pack
LucasArts' Steam debut includes previously unreleased version of The Last Crusade
The purists amongst you might be curious to learn precisely which versions of LucasArts' classic adventure games are making their way to Steam this Wednesday ... after all, LOOM was released in both a 16-color EGA floppy disk version, as well as a 256-color CD-ROM version with full voiceover (so-called "talkie" support); Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was released on both floppy disk and then CD-ROM a year later; and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure was released on both floppy and CD as well ... ... but the Steam version of The Last Crusade isn't the CD-ROM version that was released in 1992! LucasArts tells us that the version of The Last Crusade that will be put on Steam is a "previously unreleased version" with "even more bugfixes" than the original CD-ROM re-release, along with a "Tandy 1000 sound engine." As for LOOM and Atlantis, you'll be seeing the CD-ROM "talkie" versions for both on Steam.The Dig was CD-ROM only, and the other six titles being released on Wednesday only had one version. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is a special case – the remastered version is obviously new, but you can switch back and forth between the "Special Edition" and the original. That "original" release is in fact the CD-ROM version of the game, not the floppy disk version, in case you were wondering.Also of note: the copy protection system for both LOOM and The Last Crusade was to include an add-in – the "Book of Patterns" and "Grail Diary" respectively – that would have to be referenced while playing the game (take that, pirates!). LucasArts tells us they'll have PDF versions of both, so fret not, Adventure Gamer. It's your week!
LucasArts classics coming to Steam this Wednesday, July 8
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/breaking-lucasarts-classics-coming-to-steam-this-wednesday/'; LucasArts is poised to deliver a one-two ... err, three punch for classic gaming fans, beginning with tomorrow's PC release of the first chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, titled "Launch of the Screaming Narwhal." Today, LucasArts announced not only the release date for Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition – it's next week, on July 15th – but also the availability of ten LucasArts classics from the back-catalog, to be made available on Steam this Wednesday, July 8! We spoke with LucasArts CEO Darrell Rodriguez, who told us that this is "a passion project" for him as well as his team. "This is the first time these titles have ever been on digital distribution, and it's something we're all very excited about," he told us this morning. "And this is just the beginning." That "beginning" includes ten titles from the LucasArts vaults, including adventure gaming classics like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, LOOM, and The Dig. Also included in this first batch of games are Armed and Dangerous, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure, Star Wars Battlefront II, Star Wars Republic Commando, Star Wars Starfighter, and Thrillville: Off the Rails. The press release calls this the "first round of releases" and Rodriguez promises us they've got more in store, including "some bundles that offer some extra value." Those bundles are Steam-only for now, though; a retail package is "something to definitely consider" Rodriguez tells us, though LucasArts has "no plans for them right now." %Gallery-64659%
First Impressions: Mabinogi
Mabinogi is an engaging MMO by Nexon, the makers of Maple Story, Audition, and Kart Rider. The name is derived from the Mabinogion, a collection of old Welsh stories. In that sense, it's well-named; Mabinogi is billed as 'your fantasy life', and much of what happens in the game follows a gentle, pastoral atmosphere -- even the combat, to a certain degree. We had the chance to check this out, now that it's in open beta, and here's what we found. Keep in mind that this is not a guide -- we have no insider knowledge to report. This is merely a record of our opinions and experience playing this game for the first few hours. Excelsior!%Gallery-18335%
GDC08: The eight best stories in gaming
Tuesday afternoon four well-known games industry writers and designers got together to discuss the best storytelling gaming has to offer in a panel entitled "Stories Best Played: Deconstructing the Best Interactive Storytelling." Each of the authors brought a pair of games that they viewed as some of the narratively strongest yet made. Prior to the panel all four men played the ten titles, and came prepared to talk about the strengths and merits of each. Panelists Richard Rouse (Paranoid Productions), Steve Meretzky (Blue Fang), Marc Laidlaw (Valve Software), and Ken Rolston (Big Huge Games) offered up, in essence, a 'top eight' list for gamers looking to get more from exposition than explosions. Read on for views from a panel of expert opinions on the likes of Loom, BioShock, Phoenix Wright and the legendary Planescape: Torment.
LucasArts joining forces with Free Radical
LucasArts, longtime custodians of secrets pertaining to primate islands, have announced their intention to work with the timesplitting folks at Free Radical on a brand new game. Slated for next-generation consoles, the as yet undisclosed title will benefit from the combined efforts of two experienced studios. Peter Hirschmann of LucasArts labels the agreement as a good idea, since Free Radical "has always been about titles with great gameplay and innovative design." [Opposites attract quip here.] With Raven Software spending most of their time reading comic books these days, it might not seem outlandish to suggest that the mystery game here could be a new entry in the Jedi Knight franchise -- to be more precise, Dark Forces 5: Jedi Knight 4: Jedi Outcast 3: Jedi Academy 2: Jedi Colon. Then again, it could be an entirely new IP. Just as well, since the only other idea we can muster is a first-person shooter starring a despondent Bobbin "Are you my mother?" Threadbare.
