AngryBirds
Latest
iPads, Angry Birds to travel to International Space Station
iPods and iPhones (in Airplane Mode? Spaceship mode?) have traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) via American and Russian launch vehicles. Now you can add the iPad to the list of iDevices that have left the planet. That's the word from Collect Space, which reports that 2 iPads will visit the ISS next month. NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries says the iPads will be used for entertainment purposes only, and that they will be the first tablet devices to fly in space. The space station is already stocked with laptops, but NASA is exploring the idea of using iPads on future space missions. Also on the manifest is an Angry Birds plush doll. It's part of a Russian tradition of hanging a toy from a string in the launch vehicle. About ten minutes after liftoff, the bird will start to become weightless, indicating to the space explorers that they have left the gravity of earth. There's no word on whether or not the iPads have the Angry Birds game installed, but it wouldn't be a shock if they did.
Nokia Asha brings Angry Birds to the developing world, Mighty Eagle soars (video)
Well we're pretty Angry ourselves, being that Nokia nearly foiled our liveblog plans and made it all but impossible to transmit photos and video thanks to an absolutely miserable attempt at providing internet access. But Nokia World is not without mobile gaming opportunities, and a few minutes with the Birds seemed to do the trick (shifting our moods, at the very least -- there's still no reliable internet). We met up with Mr. Angry Birds himself, Peter Vesterbacka, who took us through a demo of the game on one of Nokia's new Asha Series 40 devices. The game, which has already seen an absolutely massive 400 million downloads, will come preloaded on the Asha 303, giving Vesterbacka and Rovio a chance to bring the game to emerging markets in China, India and Africa, where touchscreen devices are currently priced out of reach. The game seemed to perform just as well as it does on other platforms, so expect the same Angry Birds experience here as well. Jump past the break for a hands-on with Rovio's Mighty Eagle.
Nokia N9 review
MeeGo to be folded into Linux-based Tizen OS, slated to arrive in 2012 Want a Nokia N9 in the US? Expansys has some, but it'll cost ya Motorola Droid 2 stars in its first video, touts 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM? It's taken a long time for Nokia's MeeGo-packing N9 to make its way into our top-secret labs (the N9 moniker was first applied to early E7 prototypes), but it's here in our dirty little hands, at last, and it's glorious -- well, as glorious as a stillborn product can be, anyway. The N9 is the latest and greatest in a long line of quirky, interesting, yet ultimately flawed touchscreen experiments from Nokia that includes the Hildon-sporting 7710, a series of Maemo-based "internet tablets" (770, N800, N810, N900) and most recently, the N950 MeeGo handset for developers. What makes the N9 special is that it represents Nokia's last flagship phone as an independent player. MeeGo is already dead, and future high-end devices from the manufacturer will run Windows Phone and use Microsoft's services. So, is this the company's final bittersweet hurrah? Did MeeGo ever stand a chance against Android, iOS and Mango? In its attempt to stay relevant, is Nokia throwing out the baby with the bathwater? Most importantly, how does the N9 fare in today's merciless dual-core world? Find out after the break. %Gallery-137175%
BlueStacks App Player lets you run Android apps on Windows PCs or tablets (video)
If you've been dreaming of a world where Android apps are free to roam across your Windows desktop, you're in luck, because BlueStacks has just turned your reverie into reality. Today, the startup unveiled an alpha version of its App Player -- software that allows users to run a host of Android apps on Windows PCs, tablets or desktops, without requiring them to make modifications to their original OS. Available as a free download, this early test version comes pre-loaded with ten apps, and can support an extra 26, on top of that. BlueStacks' free Cloud Connect app, meanwhile, allows you to port third-party apps directly from your handset to your computer, though some games, including Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, are prohibited. Those, it turns out, will be included under a paid version of the App Player, which BlueStacks hopes to launch at a later date. You can take the free software for a spin at the source link below, or meander past the break for a demo video, along with a pair of press releases.
Daily Update for Sept. 13, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Angry Birds hits 350 million downloads
Angry Birds continues its explosive growth. Almost 21 months after its December 2009 launch, the bird-flinging game now boasts of 350 million downloads and over 300 million minutes of gameplay each day. And its merchandising side is seeing similar gains. According to Andrew Stalbow, Rovio's General Manager for North America, monthly sales of plush toys and T-shirts are now in the millions. Not resting on its laurels, the franchise is readying two new games for release by the end of the year and is working on new features like geolocation to spicen things up.
Angry Birds speakers are too adorable to slingshot
Okay, we admit it, we want one of these Angry Birds speaker docks from Gear4 seen on the floor of IFA here in Berlin. They're available in both iPod dock varieties (pigs) and as plug-and-play speakers (angry, angry birds). Both will begin shipping in the next few weeks in Europe and the US. The non-dock version should sell for around €69. They'll likely hit the spot for those casual gamers who aren't getting enough of the irate fowl between their web browser, set-top box, e-reader, university and local Philharmonic.%Gallery-132594%
London Philharmonic Orchestra goes cover band with tribute to video game themes
If you've ever caught yourself humming the Angry Birds theme song, then perhaps you should check out tonight's London Philharmonic Orchestra's video game tribute concert. The group will play more than 20 songs made famous by games like Tetris, Zelda, Call of Duty and of course, Mario Bros., as part of London's annual music festival. When asked to create the ultimate gaming remix, composer and arranger Andrew Skeet vowed to keep it old school, while giving folks the best bits of music. It's not the first time someone's paid tribute to these hits, and we're hoping it's not the last. Check out the full setlist and video after the break.
LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)
Samsung took IFA by storm yesterday with its now-legendary "S Pen" (that Galaxy Note comes bundled), so it's only fair that LG gets its chance in the spotlight with a pen of its own. The company's Pentouch comes with a plasma TV in tow, and lets you do super-slick stuff to your productivity suite -- you can mark up Word docs, handwrite URLs in the browser, highlight elements in your PowerPoint presentations, or even flick one of those little red balls of fluff in Angry Birds. $2,199 will net you a 3D-enabled 60-inch LG PZ850 with Pentouch TV -- a non-3D model is available for $1,699, and there's a 50-inch version as well, priced at a mere $1,099. You'll need to collect quite a few ingredients before you can get cookin' here, including the TV, the pair of included pens, and a computer to pump content to your TV. If you're planning to use the display with kids, a printer might be a good idea as well, so your little ones will have a platform to preserve all those on-screen sketched masterpieces (this thing puts coloring books to shame). Everything seemed to work as described (note: this isn't a touchscreen, so you'll need to use the pen), though the software did hiccup once while attempting to hand-write the Engadget URL. We see this being more of a hit for enterprise use, since there isn't really any need to mark up photos or tap the screen to launch apps in your living room. Still thinking about taking the plunge? Jump past the break for a video walkthrough (yes, and yet another clip of Angry Birds).%Gallery-132488%
Angry Birds' Rovio aiming for $1.2 billion valuation
Rovio, the development company behind the insanely popular iOS game property Angry Birds, is working on getting more funding. A deal is reportedly underway that would put the value of the studio at $1.2 billion. That's billion with a freakin' B, which is an astronomical number for a mobile game developer with really only one brand people are interested in. That's not to say that Rovio isn't worth that much -- certainly the Angry Birds property has long, long legs, and not just in mobile games, but in all of the other licensing deals available, from movies to merchandise and lots of other products and deals. But seriously, $1.2 billion? A deal like that would have to come from a huge company, which means you're talking about someone like Disney or Zynga, according to analyst Michael Pachter, buying out Rovio and trying to exploit the property on a worldwide level. That seems like an awfully big gamble, but whoever's investing that money would have to believe that there's at least that much left in the Angry Birds property. I don't mean to make the birds angry or anything, but Popcap just went for $750 million. I'll be surprised to say the least if Rovio can pick up this much. But then again, the birds have come this far already, right?
No Comment: Angry Birds in convenient bra form
From Etsy seller SceeneShoes comes the custom brassiere pictured above, which Technabob has dubbed "Angry Boobs." Featuring the red bird and a pig from Angry Birds, giving this US$35 creation as a gift will probably inspire either laughter or thrown objects, depending on how good a sport your significant other is. The bra is available in sizes from 34A to 38DD; if you ask me, SceeneShoes missed an opportunity by not using different birds for different cup sizes. And now the next time I see my wife I'm going to be hearing a high-pitched "Wheeeeee!" in my head, so thanks for that, SceeneShoes. Wow. I mean, really: no comment.
Andy Pad Pro gets detailed while Andy Pad makes film debut (video)
Low-cost Android, actually looking decent? Seems like it. We've caught wind of a few hitting the scene at this point, and there's little question that the Andy Pad folks appear to have something better in mind. The company's been slowly releasing info on Twitter about its 7-inch Andy Pad and Pro variant, and has also recently updated its website; the AP Pro's finally been priced for £179 (about $290) and there's now a full shot of the slates along with specs. While we knew the Pro would have a capacitive touchscreen and front / rear cams, those "additional features" have panned out to be an increased 1024 x 600 screen resolution and Bluetooth connectivity (it seems the 16GB model was this version all along). Still aching to see one in action? AP's also posted a YouTube clip of the base model zipping along and effortlessly hurling Angry Birds through its Gingerbread scented air. It'll still be about month until the duo hit the streets, but for now, you'll find the video past the break.
Roku 2 HD, XD, and XS officially launch: same price, smaller size and Angry Birds
Roku has gone from a barely known streaming media box manufacturer to a retail darling in a remarkably short amount of time (the last hardware revamp launched less than a year ago) and it's back with more new hardware to continue the assault. The Roku 2 lineup will put their (much smaller) footprint in the spaces left by their predecessors when they hit shelves later this month without changing the price one bit. Besides being more energy efficient, it brings new channels including Angry Birds, Epix, MLS and more, while also upgrading the Netflix experience with support for subtitles, surround sound and 1080p video. The pricing tiers of $60 (HD), $80 (XD) and $100 (XS) remain; while stepping up to the XD adds 1080p video output, splurging for the XS adds a game remote (a $29 accessory), included copy of Angry Birds plus Ethernet and USB ports. If you still need confirmation after all the leaks, there's another pic and a press release after the break, plus a quick demonstration of the box by the cutest product spokesperson of all time.
Angry Birds lands on Windows Phone 7, ready to explore the third ecosystem
Nowadays, you can't really claim to have a mobile OS worthy of the title if your users can't run Angry Birds on it. Good news from Microsoft, then, as Windows Phone 7 can finally be admitted at the grown-up table now that it has released its port of Rovio's epic bird-launching experience. $2.99 is the Marketplace price for the full version, though there's also the option to try out the first few levels for free. Because, you know, there might still be people out there who haven't yet been exposed to the charms of this perniciously addictive little game.
Angry Birds updates to 1.6
Angry Birds has updated to version 1.6 with a new Mine and Dine episode containing 15 new levels. The game creators warned that it might take longer than normal for the game to load the first time after this update is applied.
T-Mobile ad illustrates Angry Birds' immense popularity
One app that has grown from an iPhone hit to a worldwide phenomenon is Rovio Mobile's Angry Birds. Whether you're a fan of knocking over pigs and structures by flinging birds, or go berserk when you hear the Angry Birds theme music, you have to admit that the popularity of what was originally a simple iOS game it pretty amazing. Now T-Mobile is capitalizing on Angry Birds fever with a clever YouTube video titled Angry Birds Live. A human-scaled mockup of the Angry Birds world was created in a square in Barcelona, with lucky participants using the game on a smartphone to launch birds on their castle-smashing journey. It includes authentic sounds effects and exploding pigs, and was obviously popular judging from the size of the crowd that appears. The ad isn't iPhone-specific, noting that T-Mobile has the "widest range of smartphones," but the carrier does sell the iPhone outside of the U.S. and the game got its start on iOS. With that, we present to you Angry Birds Live in all of its glory:
Rooted Nook WiFi loaded with Angry Birds, soars then stalls (video)
That was fast. The Nook WiFi just hit the streets and already it's been rooted for less reading and more gaming -- with Angry Birds, no less. YouTuber JFreke has posted the results of loading a custom ROM on the Android 2.1 e-book reader, and it isn't exactly glamorous (read: playable) as-is. The refresh rate on the device may be quick for page turns, but the mid-sling freezing doesn't quite make a case for after school utility. Still, it probably won't stop some users from wanting to join in on this Android exploiting pastime; if you dare, J says the code will be released shortly, but for now you'll find the footage by breezing past the break. Update: If you're still feeling brave enough, you'll find the root guide by hitting the Nook Devs link below. [Thanks, Linus]
Life-size Angry Birds comes with giant slingshot, more realistic explosive death (video)
Angry Birds was designed to be played on a device that fits in your pocket, so playing the game projected on a wall doesn't exactly feel natural. Throw a life-size slingshot into the mix, though, and things really get zany. The slingshot was on hand at the University of Queensland (Australia) last night, and had apparently been "months in the making." Details are scant, so we're not sure exactly how the slingshot communicates with the game, but however it works, it appears able to do its thing fairly well -- with only a brief delay after release. This slingshot appearance may be a one-time deal, so if you want to try flicking the bird on the big screen, Angry Birds for Chrome (and a mouse) may be your best option for now.
Roku brings casual gaming to its internet TV platform starting with Angry Birds this summer
Roku's line of boxes have come a long way from being used only to stream Netflix, and now the company has announced a plan to take its talents to casual gaming. Naturally, the first app out of the gate this summer will be the wildly popular and increasingly ubiquitous Angry Birds. There's not a lot of details available yet and while we're told the gaming experience will be available on a new player launching this summer, whether or not the existing Roku hardware will get any gaming action remains to be seen. Roku CEO Anthony Wood is very excited about the company's gaming prospects saying "Just as we were the first to enable Netflix to stream instantly to the TV, we intend to be the catalyst for transforming the way people play casual games-starting with Angry Birds-on the biggest screen in the home". While we wouldn't bet against the upstart media streamer maker, it may be a bit tougher to compete with Xbox 360, PS3 and whatever Nintendo has up its sleeve on their native turf. Update: Thanks to Dan Rayburn, Anthony Wood has confirmed Angry Birds will not run on existing players. In the inaugural post on the Roku Blog, he mentioned "some of the new games will require more horsepower".
NFC-enabled Angry Birds Magic gets demoed, dares you to find another C7 owner
Okay, so maybe it's not that hard to find another Earthling with a C7, but let's be honest -- finding someone with a Nexus S is entirely more likely. For now, however, it seems as if Angry Birds Magic will be reserved for the aforementioned Nokia handset, and while we already heard of its NFC-enabled tricks, seeing it in action is another thing entirely. Our pals over at Netbook News were able to snag a quick demonstration at the MeeGo Conference, and it seemed to work exactly as advertised: tap two phones together, and five new levels are gained. Do it with another C7, and you'll score another batch of never-before-seen trials and tribulations. Have a look for yourself above, won't you?
