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Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Apple, Google, Facebook, AOL, eBay, Netflix, Yahoo!, Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and YouTube over patents
Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen has filed suit against nine companies over patent violations. Through his current firm, Interval Licensing LLC, Allen is suing Apple, Google, AOL, Facebook, ebay, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo, and YouTube (which is a subsidiary of Google). The claims involve four separate patents, most of which cover integral parts of how the companies named do business. For example, one patent allows site suggestions for consumers based on things they're currently viewing, while another allows related articles to be delivered while reading news. All in all, it sounds like Allen's patents -- if they're indeed found to cover these technologies -- are seriously vast. The suit, which was filed today, does not name any specific amount of damages he is seeking. Allen, who is one of the richest people in the world with an estimated worth of over $13 billion, recently pledged to donate over half of his wealth to philanthropic causes after Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates called on the world's billionaires to do so.
The Game Archaeologist and the Quest for Camelot: Interview with Mythic
After last week's expedition into the dark Dark Age of Camelot, the Game Archaeologist uncovered the mightiest weapon of them all: the Hammer of Nostalgia. The hammer may be battle-worn, but it has never seen better days. Everywhere it strikes, fond memories of epic keep battles surface, and former players feel compelled to sign up for another tour of duty. The Game Archaeologist proceeded to take the hammer back to its makers, the sweat-stained smithies at Mythic Entertainment (now BioWare Mythic), to see whether they thought there was any magic left in the game. Two burly men put down their steel tools and stepped forward to testify, and their names were Colin of the Hicks and Jeff "Soulstriker" Hickman. The air became thick with memories as the duo recalled the early days of the hammer's history, when players were initially adding to its strength with each victory and each crushing defeat. Pull up a stool to hear their tale, and when you are done, send in your own favorite DAoC memories (100 words max, please) to justin@massively.com for next week's column!
Microsoft prepping Yahoo, AIM, and Windows Live Messenger support for Kin?
The list of conspicuously missing features on Microsoft's Kin devices is a lengthy one, but considering the target demographic, there's at least one particularly egregious omission: instant messaging. Well-established ROM spelunker Conflipper is now reporting that Microsoft intends to add IM support in the future, though -- a belief he's presumably gleaned from looking through the latest firmware. Specifically, he mentions support for Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and AIM, a three-pack that would come close to covering the main services most of the Kin-owning world cares about; Google Talk would be nice, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if Microsoft went without -- especially considering that they're starting from zilch.
The iPad as a new "walled garden" of content
John Battelle's Searchblog has an interesting post up about whether or not the iPad can be categorized as a disappointment. He begins with a mea culpa; while he predicted earlier this year that the iPad would more or less fail, the sales figures from earlier this week have proven him wrong. However, he says that the question then turns to whether the iPad will be a disappoint in its larger goal: to revolutionize computing and use the App Store model as a replacement for the usual download-and-install app method that we currently use on desktops. Battelle says that the iPad is doing what AOL (disclaimer: TUAW is part of Weblogs, Inc., a division of AOL) did back in the early days of the Web: distilling it into an easily consumable form. Just like AOL created a portal for Web browsing, the iPad creates a portal for content consumption, all through Apple's App Store (and through Apple's "approved" Web, depending on whether you think Flash's approval is a bug or a feature). Battelle also says that Apple's portal comes with the same issues that AOL's portal did; AOL, he says (and I presume he means the old AOL, not the one paying me to write this), was killed by the link, and the iPad, as he sees it, will eventually be killed by whatever links apps together. AOL was a "walled garden" of their content, and as long as Apple maintains its grip on the App Store, it's that same garden; each app works within its own flower pot, almost completely independent of the others.
iPad apps: Twitter and social networking essentials
As you might've notice, either here on the site or likely elsewhere on the internet, we at Engadget have somewhat of an affinity to social networking. With a new screen sitting here saving us some screen real estate, we decided to give a number of Twitter and other pro-social apps a go for perennially staying connected to our online friends -- so long as there's a decent WiFi connection nearby. Here's the highlights from what we've toyed with, and stay tuned for even more roundups on the horizon. Twitterific for iPad (free; $4.99 for Pro account) - Definitely the best Twitter app on the iPad so far (pictured above). It works great in portrait and landscape, contextual links conveniently pop out and photos even get special format treatment. No option to upload photos when tweeting, but we're guessing with a lack of a camera, it didn't seem as necessary an addition -- we like to show off our screen captures and saved browsing images, but hey, that's just us. The only deterrent for power users is that you can only view one column at a time, but with lists, saved searches, and all other thread options easily accessible from the leftmost column, we didn't find it too inconvenient whatsoever. [See in iTunes]
Nintendo celebrates launch of DSi XL with giant 10-foot sandwiches
We didn't know what to expect when Nintendo of America showed up to the Joystiq offices with a brown paper bag. On the bag was a "guest check" featuring one Nintendo DSi XL and one "XL sandwich." When we opened the bag we only found Nintendo's new hardware (which we'll be giving away soon, of course!). So where was our sandwich? And how big could an XL sandwich be? Two men carrying two ten-foot subs walked up the stairs and plopped it in front of us. Looks like Joystiq's current NYC representatives -- Andrew and Ludwig -- will have a pretty significant lunch to eat today.%Gallery-88731%
Aol Autos app strips down car buying data for research, daydreams
Most people don't buy a car but once every few years (or more). But that doesn't mean that people don't like shopping for new cars. If you're one of those kind of people, then a new app from Aol Autos*, released today, could be your new favorite toy. Basically, the App is a stripped down version of the New Cars section of the Aol Autos website. Start by entering your search parameters – price, type, style and make/model – and the app will show you all the new vehicles currently available that fit what you're looking for. If you want a new sub-$15,000 hatchback, for example, there are 18 on the market right now. How about a hybrid that costs between $15,000 and $25,000. You get your choice of six. For those lazy Sunday afternoon daydreams, you can also price options for the $1.38 million 2010 Maybach Landaulet. $12,250 for a three-place rear seat? Sign me up. Keep reading to find out more. %Gallery-88458% *Aol, of course, owns TUAW.
Call for Posts: Write a Breakfast Topic!
Over the last few years, the number one thing people have submitted over our tip line is suggestions for Breakfast Topics. Everyone has questions they want to ask the community. There are people of all types and flavors playing WoW, each with their own views and opinions. It's always fun and interesting to see people debate your topic, and this is your chance. We are now taking Breakfast Topic submissions via Aol's Seed. You can find out more about the program in our announcement post about the Guest Writer program, and at our Contributing to WoW.com page. As mentioned, we're looking for all of you to write Breakfast Topics in our usual conversational style, asking the community for their thoughts and opinions on whatever WoW-related topic you'd like. Entries should ideally be between 200 and 500 words, though there is some wiggle room in either direction. Only the best submissions will be accepted. In order to get started read up about the program, sign up, and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States, but hopefully we'll be able to accept international submissions in the future. We are accepting submissions until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 24th. If this round goes well, we will take more contributions later. Good luck, and have fun!
Bitlbee and Rooms: Accessing AIM Chat Rooms from your iPhone
We're a pretty AIM-based blog around these parts. The fact that Weblogs, Inc. is owned by AOL may or may not play a role in that. Regardless, we TUAWians spend a lot of time in AIM chat rooms. The App Store's lack of AOL chat room support has been a real burden when we're out on the road with iPhones. I was delighted when a recent tweet put me in contact with Björn Teichmann, author of the iPhone IRC application Rooms [iTunes link]. Rooms, claimed Teichmann, could bring AOL chat rooms to our iPhones. Teichmann sent over a promo code for his app, which normally retails for $1.99, and spent a few hours getting me up to speed on AOL chat rooms using his software. Let me explain: It's not that setting things up ended up being difficult to accomplish, but rather there weren't a lot of clear and available instructions for doing so. What Teichmann worked out over those hours was a somewhat reliable way to access AOL chat rooms via IRC. Read on to learn more about his solution...
AT&T unleashes Real Time IM Relay for the hearing impaired
As our hearing impaired readers are no doubt aware, AT&T has been offering its Instant Messaging Relay service since early this year, allowing folks to use AIM to communicate through an operator over the telephone in a manner similar to TDD devices. Now the company has announced an upgrade to the service that will allow real-time communication between callers. Instead of waiting for the relay operator to input long strings of text, users receive the messages word by word as they're typed. "To hearing users, this may sound like a trivial enhancement," said Claude Stout, Executive Director of TDI. "But for many callers with hearing or speech disabilities, this creates a wireless and online communications experience that is much closer to what hearing people encounter when talking with others on the phone." Except, you know, with more emoticons and LOLs.
Listen to Halo 3: ODST's OST on AOL Radio
Next week's release of Halo 3: ODST extends the New Mombasa conflict, which first started in Halo 2. Aside from doing your homework on Firefight mode and the campaign, you may also want to prepare your ears for the audio assault they're about to undertake by listening to the Halo 3: ODSTOST. AOL Radio has the goods on its Video Game Scores station, though you'll have to put up with non-ODST tracks between the good stuff. We just wish Sgt. Johnson was deejaying the station, but beggars can't be choosers, can they?
WWDC Video: AOL's Christina Wick on developing for Macs, iPhones
I had a moment to talk to Technical Director Christina Wick at WWDC. She told us about the Mapquest app, plus a cool lifestreaming feature coming soon to AIM. Christina was featured in a video by Apple about developing on the iPhone, and it's clear AOL has embraced the platform, with several apps performing exceptionally well on the store. We've covered AIM, DailyFinance and MapQuest in the past, but there are others as well (and we think a certain blog will get one someday...). Christina's team has been working hard not just on the iPhone, but polishing up the old AOL client for Mac too in a push called "Back to the Mac" -- it has been completely re-written and is much more Mac friendly than... well, it just wasn't Mac friendly at all 3 years ago. We can't wait to see what apps and desktop software her team releases in the future.Note: AOL is also the corporate parent of TUAW & Weblogs Inc.
GameDaily BIZ writers part with AOL, become IndustryGamers.com
The business writers of AOL GameDaily BIZ have set up shop at IndustryGamers.com. The new site was created in partnership with Hammersuit LLC, which also has ties to Destructoid.com and GoNintendo.com. AOL states it will no longer provide the GameDaily BIZ newsletter as of May 31. GameDaily will continue on its editorial path -- we'd give you the Top 10 ways it'll do that, but we simply don't have the time.Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of IndustryGamers James Brightman, who was the business editor at GD biz, told us when contacted for comment, "GameDaily's consumer division took a left turn, we're taking a right one. I'm sad to see GameDaily BIZ go away, but I'm thrilled to enter this new chapter of my career with IndustryGamers." When asked if he'd be doing the same work at IG that he had at GD biz, he stated, "Our focus at IG is very similar GameDaily BIZ, but we're looking to add some opinion and research into the mix."Brightman plans to continue something similar to the GD biz newsletter at IG. Those interested can sign up at the new website now.
The 30-second iPhone finance app shootout: Apple vs. Daily Finance vs. Bloomberg
Our corporate cousins at AOL Money & Finance (by AOL, Engadget's parent company) just released their Daily Finance app for the iPhone, and since it's kinda cool when someone in the family releases a top-rated mobile app, we thought it'd be a good opportunity to sit down for a second and compare it to Stocks -- the built-in "finance" app that every iPhone owner has whether they want it or not -- and another top-rated finance app, Bloomberg. The screen shots tell much of the tale; read on for the quick take, but here's a preview of what we found: Apple should get out of this business and let the big boys play.
AOL Daily Finance app raises the bar for iPhone investment tools
The Finance section of the App Store does feature some heavy-hitters (Bloomberg, ATM Hunter) and some fairly weak beer too. A lot of these apps are unitaskers, particularly when it comes to stock quotes and charting. For a full-featured and free investment information portal, and a strong competitor to the Bloomberg iPhone app, you may want to try the newly-released AOL Daily Finance, powered by the dailyfinance.com site. The first key feature to note is the free real-time equity quote service, provided from the BATS Exchange; major exchange (NYSE & Nasdaq) quotes are delayed, though. You can quote individual symbols or watch your entire portfolio with ease, whether you enter it on the device or link to your existing lineup under your AOL or AIM screenname; up to 25 separate portfolios can be managed. You can also view up-to-the-minute financial and market news from the AP and other sources. The other standout feature of this app is its comprehensive charting support. Clicking the chart button on an equity page brings up a straightforward chart, but rotate your device into landscape mode and you're in a Cover Flow-esque lineup of all the charts in your portfolio. Double-tap a chart to access a full suite of advanced comparison options (vs. markets, vs. peers, seasonality, showing events like earnings & splits, and custom symbol comparisons). Holding down a finger on a single-line chart enables a crosshair cursor that lets you see the specific data for any point on the chart. All the functions are intuitive and easy to use; the charts are cached so you can see most of your data even if your device is disconnected from WiFi or cell service. If you're of a mind to keep an eye on the markets while you're on the move, you may find this app has the tools you're looking for. Check out the gallery below for a few screenshots. %Gallery-50309% Editor's Note: TUAW's parent company Weblogs, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL.
Another way to get to the movies: Moviefone for iPhone
Hot on the heels of Fandango, AOL has released Moviefone [App Store link], a free application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Moviefone can find your nearest theaters, movie times, trailers, and in some cases you can buy tickets.The app is fast, and the trailers are nicely encoded for the iPhone. It has links to your address book, and you can invite friends to join you at the theater easily. It's a clever idea. You can touch a link and call the theater (good luck getting past voice mail) and there is some info on the stars of the movies. Like Fandango, it can display a map to your nearest theater, and that links out to MapQuest to get you directions.Here in Southern Arizona, the app worked quickly and efficiently. The only caveats I have are the 'buy tickets' function was not available on many of the theaters I tried, and the closest theater to me was listed about the 5th nearest. It also did not understand my zip code (it's a fairly new one) but made an appropriate substitution.Moviefone also contains a search function so you can search by movie title, and a favorites option so you can save your favorite movie palace to a list.The app also has a feedback option, so I sent some along with my email address. It will be interesting to see if I get a response. Update: They did respond. I'm impressed. They said the 'buy' feature only works where Movietickets.com is supported. Moviefone is a nice app, and other than my inability to buy a ticket at some theaters, it looks pretty solid. The price is right, and competition is a good thing. It's certainly worth a download and a tryout. If it lets you buy tickets, you're ahead of the game. While you're at it, be sure to get a look at Now Playing, i.TV (which includes TV and DVDs), and Hot Popcorn. See you at the movies.%Gallery-48173%
AIM for Mac releases version 1.1
Does anyone still actually use AIM to sign in to their AIM account? I've found the AIM Express client useful occasionally when I happen to be on a strange computer (though nowadays I mostly use the AIM iPhone client when I'm AWOL), but on the desktop it's been Adium for longer than I can remember.Still, if you'd rather do the official way, AIM for Mac 1.1 is out now. There are a few bugfixes -- ICQ accounts had an issue signing in, apparently, and there were a few font and display issues fixed. And there aren't too many new features, though you can now leave notes in "Edit Buddy" fields and the Buddy List search got improved. Unfortunately, it looks like, according to the screenshot they posted, the Buddy List will also blur out all the names on your Buddy List, which seems really inconvenient.The app itself is still in beta, though you can't really go wrong with instant messaging -- either your messages get through or they don't, right? You can download it now, or if you're already using the 1.0 client, you'll get notified automatically.Disclaimer: TUAW is owned by Weblogs, Inc, a division of AOL. We were kidding about that blur thing, AOL -- we know it's just for the screenshot.
Did LucasArts invent the avatar-based virtual world in 1985?
The computer gaming industry of the 1980s was akin to the automotive industry in the 1950s: experimental and courageous. LucasArts (through a branch known then as Lucasfilm Games) had the money to throw around in game development at the time. As we can read in a new book, one of their experiments was at least a decade ahead of its time.This book, entitled Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts, chronicles the history of George Lucas' vision through more than just his films. A project entitled Habitat enabled Commodore 64 users to create an avatar and chat with other players in a simple virtual world via a modem. Despite the fact that this game never got off the ground, its ideas were still brand new to everyone. Why didn't the project ever see the light of day? There were several reasons, but mainly the fact that C64 users were paying CompuServe $12 an hour for network access back then. This innovation also pushed Commodore to invest in a new company called Quantum Computer Services to undercut CompuServe with rates "as low as" $3.60 an hour. Quantum Computer Services eventually changed their name to America Online. Sound interesting? There's much more to the story, as you can read over at GameSetWatch, or the book itself, found at Amazon.
Use your AOL or AIM screen name to leave comments
Have you noticed? We've upgraded our comments system to make it just a little bit easier for you. There are now three tabs for you to choose from: New Readers, Returning and a fancy new AOL button. Returning readers will be able to use their existing log-in information as usual. However, there's a bonus for those of you that have been too confused by our comments system in the past.If you use AOL or AIM, you can use your existing screenname and password to leave comments on the Joystiq network. The first time you use your AOL/AIM name, you'll get an e-mail sent to your account with a temporary password. This will let you change your avatar and info on our sites. To access your account, simply click on your avatar on your previous comments. We really hope that this new system will make it easier for you to participate in our community -- especially if you haven't left a comment before!If you're new to the comments section, why not give it a try? You'll be surprised at how easy it is!
AOL Desktop 1.0 now shipping for Mac users
The long and sometimes rocky history of the America Online client for the Macintosh -- a saga stretching back to the original AppleLink Personal Edition service, with a detour through a place called eWorld -- has now moved on to a new generation with the 1.0 release of AOL Desktop for Mac last week. We noted the test version (Cheshire) and the beta last year. For users of the online service, the rebuilt-from-the-ground-up client is worth a look. New features include a revised AIM client that includes some of the bells and whistles long familiar to Windows users (Expressions), a Webkit-based tabbed browser, and a revamped Mail tool that strongly resembles the existing AOL webmail interface. Users of the older client can transfer AOL Favorites and AOL Mail from their local datastore with ease. AOL/AIM is free for BYO-broadband users and charges a monthly fee for customers who use AOL as their internet service provider. The new version of the client requires a G4 or Intel machine and Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher. If you prefer the "classic" client you can still download it from AOL, but it may look kinda clunky next to the new version. More screenshots and details at the AOL Mac blog, and see the continuation of the post for a video preview of the client. AOL is the parent company of Weblogs, Inc. and TUAW.
