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Seth Meyers' Netflix special will have a button to skip Trump jokes
If you're a Seth Meyers fan who wants to catch the talk show host's stand-up special on Netflix, you're likely fine with whatever gags it includes about Donald Trump. Meyers doesn't exactly lay off from making jokes about the president on Late Night with Seth Meyers, after all. But if you're perhaps a little fatigued of such gags, you can skip the Trump-focused section of Lobby Baby with a dedicated button.
San Francisco grants Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin e-scooter licenses
The relationship between San Franscico and sharable electric scooter programs has been contentious, with city authorities stepping in last year to regulate the services. Following the latest round of permit applications, the city has announced that four companies will be allowed to operate electric scooter programs for the next year: Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin.
Skip’s new electric scooter is equipped with waterproof batteries
Electric scooters are prone to a lot of wear and tear -- which gives most of them a pretty short shelf life. Skip unveiled a new model of electric scooter, the S3, that should be tougher and more sustainable than its predecessor. The S3 includes swappable batteries that are also waterproof, which both cuts back on the time it needs to be charged and saves it from an untimely death at the bottom of a pond.
Judge rejects Lime request to block e-scooter rivals in San Francisco
Lime just lost a last-minute bid to delay the launch of San Francisco's electric scooter pilot program. A judge has denied the company's request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked Skip and Scoot from launching their services in the city on October 15th. The company had wanted the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to reevaluate its application for an e-scooter permit, and claimed it had "no choice" but to use the court to force the city's hand. Not surprisingly, both sides are clashing over the outcome.
Lyft's first electric scooters arrive in Denver
Lyft is making moves in the electric scooter market, as it is bringing the dockless devices to Denver, the first US city in which it will operate its scooter service. Lyft has permits to operate scooters and electric bikes in the Colorado city, and it's starting out with the former. Around 100 scooters will be centered in areas that are underserved by public transport, helping commuters get to bus and train stops more easily -- the Lyft app will soon alert you when you're close to a stop.
Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft strike out on SF scooter permits
After months of deliberation, San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency has finally awarded scooter permits to two companies, and not to the ones you might expect. While Bird, Lime and Spin were the first to roll into the city earlier this year, their applications for scooter permits were denied. Permit applications from other big players like Uber and Lyft were denied as well. The only companies to have been awarded permits for a one-year powered scooter pilot program are Skip and Scoot, which are relatively smaller in size.
Boosted Boards founders launch a scooter-sharing service in DC
A new electric scooter-sharing service called Skip has launched in Washington DC, promising sturdier and safer boards than its competitors'. It was formed by the founder of Boosted Boards, which is known for making electric skateboards. Shareable electric scooters quickly became the scourge of San Francisco after a handful of companies introduced their services a few months ago. Since they don't have dedicated docks like bike-sharing services do, people tend to leave them everywhere, blocking people's way and making it difficult for wheelchair-users to get past them. Users also tend to ride them on the sidewalk, even though local laws say they need to be driven on the bike lane or on the road, since they feel pretty unstable. Some of them tend to run out of batteries much too quickly, as well.
Storyboard: Skipping scenes
There are certain bits of roleplaying that I like to think of as mechanical. They're there, they're necessary, but they're not terribly interesting. They're like random battles in Bravely Default: kind of neat the first time, altogether forgettable all subsequent times, and never blessed with an abundance of fascinating stuff. You need to get through them, but you can't really look forward to them any more than you can look forward to the most routine-filled parts of your day. So the best bet is to say they happened without acting them out. Yes, I'm saying there are bits of roleplaying that are best acted out only in reference. And I'm not just talking about your characters' bathroom visits; I'm talking about things like dates and shared experiences. So when is it actually an advantage to roleplay by not actually roleplaying at all? How do you determine the scenes that you know happened and are important but aren't important enough for you to actually play them out?
Chibi-Robo Photo Finder review: Shutter bugged
The first Chibi-Robo on GameCube was an adventure game in miniature about a tiny, mute helper robot who sets out to improve the lives of every human, dog and animate toy within reach. It was pure magic. Chibi-Robo Photo Finder is not that. It very closely resembles Chibi-Robo, but trades the human element and explorable house for, essentially, a mini-game collection that you undertake in service of a poorly executed gimmick. The magic is still there, but it's buried in a lot of busy work. Chibi-Robo, the teensy titular robot, is hired by Mr. Curator (think Peter Molyneux through the lens of The Legend of Zelda: The Light of Courage) to collect "NostalJunk" for a new museum. Chibi-Robo does this by dipping back into the recent past – our present – and snapping pictures of things like toilet paper rolls, books, and pin badges.
Unlocking Moto X with the Motorola Skip (hands-on video)
Motorola's new Skip NFC smartphone key is quite possibly the simplest gadget we've covered at Engadget. But simple as it may be, Skip is a time saver for Moto X users. The tiny device, comprised of an NFC tag, a small piece of fabric and a pair of magnets for securing to an article of clothing, such as a pants pocket or shirt sleeve, ships for free with all Moto Maker orders, and is available as a $20 add-on if you've purchased your Moto X directly from a carrier. It's also bundled with three NFC-enabled stickers that you can affix to your car, a piece of furniture or a personal accessory, like a purse or wallet. Setting up Skip takes only a few seconds. Assuming you have NFC enabled, tap the Moto X to the Skip or one of the bundled Skip Dots, and a configuration screen will pop up prompting you to pair your device with the tag. You'll enter your password to complete the process, then any time you need to unlock your phone in the future, all you need to do is tap the two together. Skip might not be the best fit if you keep confidential corporate data on your handset, but assuming your password serves mostly to keep prying eyes away from personal email or text messages, it should do the trick. Catch Skip in action in our hands-on video after the break.
Moto X Skip NFC smartphone key official, ships free with Moto Maker orders
Skip for Moto X surfaced on Motorola's site briefly yesterday, giving us some insight into the company's new PIN-free unlocking tool before the $20 product was pulled. Today, though, Google's smartphone arm has returned to detail the new gadget, which is set to ship for free when you order a device through Moto Maker. According to this morning's blog post, the typical phone user unlocks their handset 39 times each day -- in theory, a device like Skip, which clips to your belt, shirt sleeve or anywhere else you want, will help you reclaim several minutes daily. After pairing the compact NFC accessory with your phone, simply tap your device to unlock it. Each kit also includes three Skip dots, which you can stick onto any surface and use in the same way. Initially, Skip will ship in gray with a black accent, but Motorola plans to make colored versions available as well, beginning this fall.
Motorola to release $20 Skip, an NFC accessory that unlocks Moto X with a tap
With the release of a flagship phone comes a barrage of accessories, and every once in a while, it's something new you're not quite sure you need. Take, for example, the Moto Skip -- an NFC-based tag designed to unlock the soon-to-be-available Moto X with one tap. Just pair it up via NFC once; after that, you won't ever need to input your passcode to access the phone's homepage again. We'll reserve our opinion on the Skip until we get a chance to take it for a spin, but we foresee it being useful if you're extremely busy -- or forgetful -- so long as it doesn't get stolen with a Moto X. The company's website listed Skip for $20 prior to publication, but it's been pulled down since without notice of when the clip will become available.
Chibi-Robo creator tweeting for a Moon sequel
Kenichi Nishi, founder of Chibi-Robo developer Skip, as well as LOL developer Route24, is gauging interest in a sequel to his 1997 PlayStation RPG Moon: A Remix RPG Adventure via Twitter. If you're not familiar with Moon, it's an inventive RPG about a child sucked into the world of a (fictional) RPG, also called Moon. After playing through the game in his real life, he must then follow in the path of an insane, level-hungry "Hero" in the game's world, and help bring peace to the souls of the monsters murdered for XP. Read this NeoGAF thread and this HG101 article for more detail. Showing your support for the sequel (and, likely, helping Nishi find a publishing partner to fund its development) couldn't be easier: simply include the #moon2 hashtag in your tweets. In the event that Moon 2 does get made, Nishi has already said he "hopes" to bring it to the west as well.
WiiWare First Look: Art Style series Light Trax, Rotozoa
Nintendo's house brand of "minimalistic mechanics" downloadables, the Art Style series, is growing its ranks with two new titles: Art Style: light trax and Art Style: Rotozoa, both for WiiWare. The games were present (and looking close to finished) at the Big N's media gathering in San Francisco, and I took both for a spin -- quite literally in one case. Catch my thoughts after the break.
OFLC rates two new games by Chibi Robo, Art Style dev
Two mysterious new games from a known DSiWare developer have been rated by Australia's OFLC. Skip, creator of most of the Art Style games -- as well as Chibi-Robo! -- is named as the author of both Light Trax and Penta Tentacles, with Nintendo as publisher. Though no specific platform is named for either, Skip's recent output has been targeted entirely at the DS, with LOL and a Japan-only Chibi-Robo sequel released in addition to several DSiWare Art Style games. With all that evidence, we're guessing these two will be released on Game and Watch. [Via Siliconera]
Nintendo sneaking a new Chibi-Robo game out this month
Nintendo has released a trailer for its latest Chibi-Robo sequel for the DS. Called Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Rich Osouji! (Welcome home, Chibi-Robo! Happy Rich Big Cleanup), the third Chibi-Robo game returns to the house-cleaning gameplay found in Skip's original GameCube game.The new game takes place in the home of a grown-up version of Jenny, the frog-obsessed little girl from the original game. Chibi-Robo sweeps, vacuums, scrubs with a toothbrush, and sifts through dust to find gems, which he trades for money that can be used to buy things from a home shopping channel. Happy Rich Cleanup is coming out in Japan on July 23, which seems really soon! See the trailer after the break, and see short video clips of the game here.
Inside iPhone 3.0: Enhanced controls for podcast & audiobook playback
It's on the master list of 3.0 features, but we've been sent enough tips and suggestions about it to conclude that the advanced podcast/audiobook controls came as a pleasant surprise for lots of iPhone and iPod touch owners who upgraded. In the 3.0 version, from the playback display for a podcast, tapping the screen brings up a set of expert controls: a button to email a link to the podcast's page on iTunes; a 30-second "What's that, now?" instant rewind button; and a playback speed control to give you 1/2 speed, normal or 2x "FedEx mode" playback. The scrubber bar itself has been given a charge, even though it doesn't look any different until you tap it; it displays the relative playback position within the episode being played. Dragging horizontally gives you high-speed scrubbing (previously known as "just plain old scrubbing"), but if you keep your finger on the screen and drag down, your scrub rate lowers step by step through half-speed, quarter-speed and 'fine scrubbing.' This detail control makes it a lot easier to cue up a particular spot in a long show or book chapter. I've started to enjoy listening to some of my longer subscriptions in 2x mode, especially when I have a fixed amount of time to listen to the podcast but I still want to cover as much of it as I can. Even shorter news-centric podcasts can sometimes benefit from a speed boost. If any of you try out the 2x mode on an audiobook, do let us know how it works for you. Surprisingly, I find myself using the 'email this' button quite a lot, especially to let friends and family know about some of my favorite shows. I imagine they'll be getting tired of that pretty soon.
VC Friday: Strong Bad, Cubello, cooking, billiards
Four new WiiWare titles came down the tubes in Europe and Australia today, and the selection couldn't be more diverse. Art Style: Cubello and Strong Bad Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands you'll already know about, but CueSports and Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam are more mysterious beasts. The former looks promising, the latter, er, not particularly great, according to the few reviews that are about.Art Style: Cubello -- WiiWare -- 600 Wii PointsCueSports -- Snooker vs. Billiards -- WiiWare -- 800 Wii PointsStrong Bad Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands -- WiiWare -- 1000 Wii PointsYummy Yummy Cooking Jam -- WiiWare -- 1000 Wii PointsFootage of all these is past! The! Break!%Gallery-33956%
Wii Fanboy Review: Art Style: Rotohex
When I first played Rotohex, I understood on a basic level how I was supposed to play the game, but I couldn't imagine a distant future in which I could play the game. I could not make my mind process the act of rotating triangles to create same-colored hexagons. I think it's the hexagons -- whatever it is, it felt a lot more mentally taxing than most puzzle games, and I failed within a few minutes on my first try. Then, during subsequent attempts, I began to experience a bit more success. I started instinctively knowing how to position blocks, without consciously knowing what was happening. The world outside of my TV dropped away and I entered a prolonged Rotohex fugue state until the rush of falling triangles overwhelmed me and, half an hour later or so, I was dumped back into reality.To me, that combination of total focus and trancelike hypnotism is the ideal result of a good falling-block puzzle game. You sort of forget about the world, and you even forget to think about what you're doing, and things just happen on the screen as your dinner gets cold.
Wii Fanboy Review: Art Style: Cubello
Okay, so WiiWare is overrun with puzzle games. The download service is really the perfect venue for simplistic, single-screen games such as falling block puzzlers, and developers know that. The hardest part is coming up with the concept for the game, and then the work can be done on a small budget. For that matter, Nintendo hasn't even had to worry about coming up with new concepts -- they've got plenty of puzzle games in their past to remake. It's a surprise, then, that Nintendo and developer Skip have introduced a brand new game in the Art Style series after only one remake. Cubello is a bit more of a traditional game than Orbient, but it's still worthy of the Art Style moniker -- and the interest of WiiWare puzzle fans.
