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Epic Games Store now lets you add titles to a wishlist
Epic Games is finally giving you the ability to save games to a wishlist. The company has added "the first version of wishlists" to the Epic Games Store, which usually gets a lot of flak for being too basic compared to Steam. By adding the feature, the platform is slowly playing catch up -- to save a title, simply find the heart button at the bottom right of a game's page and then click it. Like any other wishlist feature out there, it'll give you an easy way to track price changes and sales for the titles you've been keeping an eye on.
Amazon rolls out collaborative wish lists to everyone
Back in July, The Verge discovered that Amazon was testing a collaborative wish list feature. Now, Engadget has learned that the feature is available for all users. "Amazon is excited to share that now ALL customers can build their Shopping Lists or Wish Lists together in one convenient location," the company said in a release.
Amazon is testing out collaborative wish lists
It seems strange that Amazon, a company that dominates online shopping, doesn't offer collaborative wish lists. While people can share their personal wish lists with others, the company does not offer a way for multiple people to add to one list (except through registries). But now, Amazon has confirmed to The Verge that it's rolling out a collaborative wish list feature to a select group of people.
Amazon lets you fill out your wish list with the help of a hashtag
Look beyond the lightspeed rush of news and one-liners and you'll see a Twitter that's slowly morphing into a place where you can buy stuff. Amazon seems to be coming to grips with that peculiar truth, which is why it cooked up another way to use the social service to discover and covet the gewgaws people tweet about. Assuming you've already hooked up your Twitter account (for #AmazonCart shopping), try responding to tweets including Amazon product links with #AmazonWishList - they'll instantly be added to (what else?) your wish list for easy buying down the road. It's useful enough what with the holiday shopping season nearly upon us, but let's face it: this just gives Amazon more reason to fill your feed with products you may or may not actually need. We just wish we could fill our Amazon carts directly with a tweet, and we'd be shocked if the folks in Seattle haven't started thinking about it already.
Flameseeker Chronicles: A Guild Wars 2 anniversary wish list
Guild Wars 2 is doing very well. Even setting aside ArenaNet's announcement last week that the game is officially the fastest-selling MMO ever, GW2 has enough players who are dedicated to it and spending money on it to justify a content patch every two weeks, and the development team is showing no signs of slowing down. It's a success story in an unforgiving industry where successes are few and far between; while many other studios are restructuring and redefining their games -- or even shutting games down altogether -- GW2 is holding steady a year after launch. Happy birthday, GW2! I love this game. If I didn't, I'd be nuts to devote time to writing a weekly column about it, let alone play it almost every day. Even though I had nothing to do with its creation, I'm proud of it in a way, and I'm happy for the people who made it because they deserve success. Based on what's been talked about, I feel pretty good about what's coming up in the second half of the year. There are a few lingering nitpicks I have, though, that run the risk of becoming so entrenched that they hang out on the back of the priority list for years -- and they're at the top of my wish list for things I'd like to see before GW2's two-year anniversary rolls around.
Yahoo launches wish list for requesting inactive usernames
If you're itching to shed that old, embarrassing Yahoo username in favor of something a little more age appropriate, we've got good news. Mayer and Co. have just opened up a wish list to request inactive usernames. Plug in your five moniker requests (in order of preference) by August 7th, and if you're first in line for an account that hasn't been used in over a year, it'll be yours by the middle of the month. Once the search giant sends a message to your inbox, simply click the included link within 48 hours and the re-purposed account will be yours. After the initial period, folks will be able to add usernames to a watch list, and will be alerted when they become available. Worried that password recovery messages sent from other services to reused addresses could be a security issue? Yahoo is too. The firm's leaning on an email header dubbed "Require-Recipient-Valid-Since" that will only allow missives to be delivered if the recipient has confirmed that email with the sender after the date of the account transfer. While Facebook's already onboard with the solution, other parties will need to bake it into their existing systems. Click the second source link to toss your hat in the ring for the perfect email address.
Google Play spruced up in new release, Services app nabs new syncing options
On the eve of Google I/O, Page and Co. have seen fit to polish the Google Play app with a fresh release. Version 4.1.6 of the mobile OS market brings colorful section buttons and improved spacing for "open" and "install" on application pages, along with a new layout for the wishlist feature that displays apps in rows of three. As for Google Play Services, it's received new syncing options for "App Data" and "People Details." Presumably they could relate to contacts, Google+ or even Mountain View's incoming gaming service, but something tells us we'll find out exactly what they do tomorrow. If your handset hasn't received the updated storefront just yet, follow the adjacent source link to install it by hand.
Totem Talk: Resto shaman wish list
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and content creation at InternetDragons.TV), shows you how. Last time we spoke about the recent changes to shaman healing. We received a nice little buff in a hot patch to our Healing Rain, Chain Heal and Earthliving. The 20% increase was a quality of life improvement that did actually go a decent ways towards improving our overall healing. While I enjoy pretty much any buff we get, I still can't help but sometimes just sit down and take a look at where we are in regards to other healers. Basically, I like to sit down and pose the question to other restoration shaman and myself. What is the one thing that you would like to see shaman healers get? What is it that you wish you could do as a shaman healer that you can't currently do? It's a great exercise in creative thinking, or even just taking a look at your own class, and can lead to some very interesting conversations and ideas when shared with other healers like I enjoy on Twitter.
US kids want an iPad more than a Wii U for the holidays, Nielsen finds
It's worthwhile to note that this Nielsen graph showing the most-wanted tech gadgets for kids age 6 - 12 in the US is titled "Interest in Buying in the Next 6 Months." That's probably an incorrect assertion, since we haven't seen any 8-year-olds working the late shift at McDonald's recently. It should be titled, "Interest in Having Someone Buy This For Me in the Next 6 Months."Kids' holiday wishlists are dominated by the iPad, snagging the top spot from 48 percent of respondents age 6 - 12. Right behind that is the Wii U, with 39 percent. More iDevices complete the top five, though Kinect has 31 percent, and 3DS/3DS XL and other DS models grab 29 and 28 percent, respectively. PS3 comes in with 26 percent, followed by the Xbox 360 with 25 percent. Strangely enough, 18 percent of kids want a PSP, while just 14 percent would take the Vita.In a separate study of people 13 and older, the iPad remains king with 21 percent, making the split more even across all devices. Wii U is fourth in this group with 17 percent, while the PS3 gets 8 percent and the Xbox 360 7 percent. The Vita surpasses the PSP, 4 percent compared with 3 percent.Check out the complete graphs below.
Nielsen reports that iPad is most wanted this holiday season
Nielsen has released its annual report on which electronic goodies consumers in various age groups are looking for this Thanksgiving. Once again, Apple products are claiming most of the top of the list. Kids in the US aged 6-12 are looking for an iPad as the number one item under their holiday tree this year, and while that's followed by Nintendo's new Wii U system, Apple's iPod touch, iPad mini, and the iPhone fill out the rest of the top five spots. At the very bottom of the list, the Apple TV makes an appearance, too. That's not a device I would expect kids that young to ask for, but apparently so. On the older side, in persons 13 and up, iPad also tops the list of items that are most expected to be purchased in the next six months. Tablet computers and e-readers are also sitting near the top of that list, and since the iPad is the most popular of those (with 21 percent of people expecting to buy it soon), it's not too surprising to see Apple's slate in high demand. The iPhone is also high near the top of that list. It's perhaps also interesting to note that the rest of the list is full of gaming devices like the Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita and the major gaming consoles. Considering that the iPad and the iPhone provide a strong mobile gaming experience and the widest ecosystem of game apps out there, that's an interesting perspective on what people are willing to spend big ticket money on lately. Finally, the Apple TV makes an appearance on the adults' list as well. I think 2013 will be a very interesting year for that device -- if Apple can bring its popular App Store to a non-mobile device, starting with the Apple TV, the core functionality of that little black box may be very different in a year's time. [via 9to5Mac]
Latest Google Play store update rolling out now, wishlists in tow
If you're indecisive about that pricey but hard-to-find new app, Google Play will now be offering another option in its store -- you can put it aside in a wishlist until you make up your mind. That new feature (which was espied in recent teardowns) is hitting devices now on a per-account basis, and if you have it (version 3.9.16) you'll notice a bookmark icon near the top right of the screen when you load up an app page. When you tap that icon, the software will be added to your wishlist, which can be scoped from the menu button with the "My Wishlist" setting, saving you the trouble of searching it out later. Depending on your Android device's settings, you may already have it or were notified of its availability -- if so, happy shopping.
Google Play Store gets good cop / bad cop APK update, will add wish lists and malware scanner
A recent scan by Android Police through the latest Google 3.9.16 APK for its Play Store has revealed that wish lists are coming along very well, thank you, and that Mountain View will likely introduce a malware scanner soon too. The latter hasn't appeared on our radar before, and it looks like the search giant will soon be able to scope all the apps you've already installed and also bar the door to any suspicious-looking software before it can sully your smartphone or slate, unless you specifically request otherwise. So, perhaps you'll feel a bit safer once the Google Play portal is being watched from both sides.
Flameseeker Chronicles: My Guild Wars 2 wishlist
Having hit level 80 on one character, finished the personal storyline, delved into dungeons, been handed my backside in PvP, conquered keeps in WvW, and run around like a chipmunk on crack with multiple alts, I feel that I am totally in a position to pass absolute judgment on Guild Wars 2. Well, I've at least had enough time to draw some firm opinions about the game. There are a lot of things I like, but there are also things I wish were different. This is by no means a conclusive list of those things. What are they? You'll never know unless you skip below the jump. Go on. You know you want to.
Updated Google Play app reveals gift card support, wish list coming soon?
If the images and link settings Android Police has dug up from the most recent (v3.8.15) Google Play APK that's rolling out are correct, we could see a coupe more features coming to the Android app and media store soon. First up are very fleshed out menus for the redemption of Play Store gift cards, perfect for users that aren't enthused about putting their credit card info out there and would rather purchase a few bucks prepaid and then spend them as they will. Also contained within the APK but not activated or accessible by default is some sort of wish list functionality. Hit the source link for all the images and screens that have been found so far, well have to wait and see when these pop up in a future updated or get activated later on. [Thanks, Cullen]
Apple makes EFF's Holiday Wish List
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released its annual "wish list" for various tech companies and its wishes for their openness, and Apple was only mentioned in one item. The EFF wishes Apple would easily and officially provide a way for users to "get root access" on every Apple device they buy. Of course, there are still ways to get that root access and install any software you want on your Apple device. But it involves jailbreaking, a process that's relatively easy but not at all officially supported. Apple has instead provided a closed-off ecosystem of validated apps, and while that's good for things like security and stability, it's not so great for functionality outside of the officially-provided software. David Morganstern of The Apple Core points out that Apple got off easy in the EFF's wishlist. The EFF's request for easy root access was Cupertino's only mention, and Apple wasn't mentioned specifically in the EFF's request about browser security, which Safari has been kind of struggling with lately. The wish list also mentions cloud backup services (iCloud is one example), but most of the concerns there are about encrypted data and security, which MobileMe and iCloud have been pretty good with so far. Obviously Apple hasn't cared much about providing an official way to install your own software on iOS devices, yet sales continue to hit record levels, so there's not a lot of drive to change that position. Meanwhile, jailbreak solutions are easy enough; even without Apple's approval, there are plenty of ways to make your iOS device do what you want it to.
Dear Santa: TUAW's we-have-been-nice wish list
Dear Santa, We've been very good reasonably well-behaved bloggers this year. We've brushed our teeth, been polite to our parents, and made sure to walk our dog. So for this year, would you please please please consider our requests? Here's what we're wishing for under the TUAW tree this year. iBooks for Mac and Windows. We love our iPhones and iPads, but we have lots of books we'd like to read on our personal computers as well. That whole iBooks DRM thing means we can't use any of the (admittedly subpar) readers currently on the market like Adobe Digital Editions. So Santa, won't you please ship us iBooks so we can read in as much style at home as on the road? iAuthor. Speaking of iBooks, it's been a bad year for ebook authoring tools. We're never going to see what Push Pop Press was building and apparently Monster Costume's interactive media creation tools are no longer being planned for market release. So we'd love to see some lickably delicious authoring tools fill out this ebook space. Kindle Direct Publishing has shown there's a huge demand for independent book production, especially ones that create simple but well formed output. Please give us some awesome tools, Santa. iMessages. Santa, we TUAWians have become big iMessage addicts. So where's our OS X client? We don't mean to be a pest, Santa, but we'd like this on our computers like, you know, yesterday. It's gotten to the point where we've started to judge people by the color of their talk bubbles, and blue iMessage bubbles rule the day. OS X Siri. We're not talking about a proof of concept here. The concept has, as far as we're concerned, been proved. We want product now. Can we please have Siri dictation at least, right away please, with full Siri OS integration to follow? Thank you, Santa. Yes, we know that Apple's licensing arrangement with Nuance for the dictation savvy in Siri may be limited to things running iOS. To that, we say it's time to shell out some more of that cash hoard and make a deal for the desktop, please. HyperCard for iOS. We know that Apple wants to make sure that malicious things don't happen on mobile devices (or on any systems) but we'd really really really love to be able to create and share HyperTalk-style stacks for iOS. It was a great idea in the 1980's and it's still a great idea now. HyperCard for iPad and iPhone would rock. Heck, while you're at it, bring it back for Mac OS X. Updated iWork. Santa, we don't mean to be rude, but we've been waiting for an updated version of iWork for an awfully long time. Not that the whole iCloud thing isn't nice and all, but where are our updated iCloud-integrated desktop versions? The current iWork release feels creaky and dated. We'd really like to see fresh desktop hotness debut soon. Apple Camera. OK, Santa, this one might be a little farther out on the Christmas tree limb than the others, but we'd like a dedicated high-end DSLR camera made by Apple. Yes, there's a very nice point-and-shoot in the iPhone 4S, and the cameras in our other devices are only going to get better. But the quality still isn't there compared to a DSLR for stills or video, and given how ugly the interfaces and UIs of even the most expensive cameras are, this market seems primed for Apple to sweep in with a beautiful and brilliantly designed device (which, by the way, would also finish off the vertical integration that iPhoto, iMovie, Aperture, and Final Cut Pro have already started). Apple's at the crossroads of the creative arts and technology, and Santa, while these cameras on the phones are nice, how sweet would it be if Apple did for digital cameras what it's already done for MP3 players and cell phones? It's not like you haven't tried it before. An iOS Amazon Media Viewer. Santa, We've got Amazon Prime. Along with fast, free shipping, Amazon gives us a bunch of free media like movies and TV shows that we can stream to our Mac or PC. Unfortunately, the bozos (or the Bezos) at Amazon won't let us watch it on our iPad or iPhone. They want us to buy an Amazon Kindle Fire. Can you bring me a native Amazon app so we can watch our free movies and shows on our iPads? Please don't make it a Kindle Fire -- even the guy writing the Missing Manual isn't planning to keep his. Oh, and a rainbow-colored unicorn pony would be nice, too. Apple TV HD. We're not talking about some mythical Apple HDTV, but rather an update to the existing Apple TV box. Keep the current form factor, but slap an A5 chip in there so Apple's little hockey puck hobby can deliver full 1080p HD video content to our HDTVs. And hey, while we're at it, how about offering some 1080p content in the iTunes Store, hmm? We've left out a plate of Safari Browser cookies for you and a nice warm cup of milk. Love and hugs, The TUAW kids Photo from flickr by dennis (cc)
Daily Mac App: Appalicious
We usually feature Mac apps on the Mac App Store in this series, but Appalicious is an exception. While not available on the MAS, it helps you browse the store in various ways that make the experience much more efficient and even fun. If you're a bargain hunter you'll find digging through sales and freebies has never been easier. Appalicious is a front end to a database for searching, sorting and filtering apps. The toolbar at the top features preset searches and sorting methods. These alone are worth the price of admission (which we'll talk about in a moment), because you'll easily be able to find the latest and greatest apps, on sale or otherwise. You'll also find a handy Recent menu and easy access to your store favorites. One wonders why Apple doesn't do these things in the official store already. Also, as data is pulled fresh from the App Store, searching in Appalicious is often better than browsing around the actual store. All of these searches and sorts can be customized, and you can even build advanced filters to further hone in on exactly the apps you want to see. For example, within seconds I was able to find a business card app that was on sale and in English. A handy right-click menu allows me to add the app to my wish list, which also exists as a drop-down menu. Appalicious has plenty of different ways to nail down exactly the app you want, all of which make it easy to use and quite powerful. Another drop down menu, for example, allows you to see everything about the currently selected app, including take you to their web site or support page. That's quite handy. While you can download Appalicious for free, the service itself (downloading the fresh database) costs money after one week. After that free week, you'll have to pay $12.95 per year. The site notes a $5 discount by using the code "INTRO," but check here to see if it is still available. Also check out the training videos to see if Appalicious is right for you. TidBITS has a more thorough description of the database advantages. If you rarely buy Mac apps, perhaps Appalicious isn't worth it. But if you love finding bargains (easily done, given the ability to search by price and even monitor app prices over time), it pays for itself rather quickly.
Dreaming of the iPad 2: One geek's wishlist
Last night on the TUAW talkcast, Kelly asked me to speculate about what the mythical upcoming iPad 2 might look like. This was, of course, before preliminary details from Engadget apparently rolled in. In response, I ended up going on a little more in depth than I initially expected. Turns out that while I am completely unspoiled for the next iPad and have no inside information, I did have quite a bunch of strong opinions about what I'd like to see. After the leak today, I decided to revisit what I had discussed on the talkcast last night. I put together this compilation of my iPad wishlist, matching my wishes to the rumored feature list. Now, we don't know for sure that what we posted about earlier today are the true specs, but they are a terrific jumping off point for discussing what features the iPad 2 should be introducing.
Wings Over Atreia: Top 10 of 2010
It's the end of the year, and although many are in food- and good-cheer-induced comas, we will still drag ourselves to the keyboard to delve into Aion. Why? Because we enjoy our game. And maybe, just maybe, there is a smattering of addiction in there. I'm not judging, mind you, as I also logged some holiday time with a shugo! Many things have happened throughout the year, and this Daeva has flown about, soaking up the news and activities, in order to report them back to you. From the sweeping changes of three major patches (expansions, updates -- whatever you choose to call them) adding content, removing content, and re-adding content (*cough* rifting *cough*), to holiday events, to everyday life in Atreia, 2010 has had its ups and downs, with a variety of twists and turns thrown in. The year certainly cannot be called uneventful. And in true end-of-the-year count-down style, I am going to rattle off my top 10 favorite columns of Aion tidbits. So what columns made the cut? Grab a noisemaker and shimmy on past the break to see which were my favorites as well as share yours in the comments!
Amazon shopping app for iPad launches
If your actual iPad purchase hasn't drained your debit card down to the red-alert level, Amazon has your back: the web retail giant has announced that the Amazon Mobile app is now fully updated for iPad, and it's available now on the App Store. The free app gives you all your favorite functions: browse the store, add to your Wish Lists, track packages and orders, watch movie trailers and listen to song samples -- even One-Click purchasing is included, otherwise known as "The Danger Room of Online Shopping." Point of aggravation, though: searching for music in the app only displays CDs, which seems somewhat backward. The mobile site for iPhone lets you search digital downloads, although you can't buy them (you have to add them to your wish list for later purchase); browsing in Safari on iPad is both better and worse, as it lets you get all the way to the point of buying an MP3 track before failing to download the helper app that in turn would download the track. Memo to Amazon: You probably want to fix that as soon as you can. Update: If you decline the helper app, you can actually download the MP3 track in the browser on the iPad -- but then what? Goodreader will open it, which is nice and all, but it's a bit awkward to do anything at that point except email it to yourself. Would it be so difficult to include the option for MP3 purchase and simply email the user a download URL? Granted, there might be some hiccups for those iPad users who rarely/never sync their devices, but c'mon, it's 2010 already. Even though you can access the MP3 store via Mobile Safari, there's obviously no way to get music downloads into iTunes except through the iTunes Store or via tethered sync. Amazon also delivers the Kindle and IMDB apps for iPad, just in case you felt like doing some reading or movie searching along with your shopping trip. All three apps are free.
