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The Missing Ink kickstarts for tablet versions
The Missing Ink is one of the most uniquely stylized MMOs that we've ever seen around these here parts, and our time with the game has made us crave it all the more. While the title is currently in open beta and preparing for a launch this year, RedBedlam has pulled the trigger on a Kickstarter fundraiser to bring The Missing Ink to iPad and Android tablets as well as help the studio self-publish the title. RedBedlam has a rough-working iPad version but could use the funds to help polish the user interface, advertise the game, and start work on an Android version. Past that, funds raised will be used for "content, content, content." At the least expensive sponsor level, players can not only contribute to the project but obtain a future copy of the iOS game at a discounted rate. [Thanks to Sounder for the tip!]
Dark Legends launches on Apple devices, hits 500K players
The tortured souls of the underworld Apple users have twiddled their thumbs and sharpened their canines for over a month now, a month that Android and Chrome users have played Dark Legends to their hearts' content. After that long wait, iOS owners can stop penning brooding poetry on Livejournal and start playing the game proper: Spacetime Studios has released Dark Legends on the App Store. Apple users can now joining the 500,000-plus Dark Legends community by simply downloading the game from the store and getting their vamp on. Edward-wannabes have a daunting task in front of them, however, as all of the darker fantasy forces are out to be a serious pain in their neck. Dark Legends follows in the wake of Spacetime's enormously popular Pocket Legends and Star Legends. It's available as a free download with optional in-app purchases and can be played over wifi, edge, 3G, and 4G networks. Our own Beau is livestreaming Dark Legends today on Massively TV, so be sure to see what he thinks of the game! [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
iFaith v1.4 allows downgrade to iOS 5.0, jailbreaker's dream come true
In the game of Apple versus the jailbreakers, Cupertino threw the community a curveball with iOS 5's newly restricted downgrade system which blocks devices from restoring to old 5.x firmware. With the help of his noble steed iFaith (a custom Windows tool), hacker iH8sn0w has found a way around the firmware block, making it possible for dumped iOS 5 signature hash blobs (SHSH blobs) to permit unsigned restores. Why all the fuss about downgrading to prohibited firmware? Prominent iOS hackers MuscleNerd and pod2g have stated that the first untethered jailbreak will arrive on iOS 5.0 and, as such, may require iFaith's downgrade process to facilitate user restores. While the jailbreak is still under construction, iFaith should assure disheartened users in the community that all is not lost. Want to learn about blobs, blobs, and more blobs? Continue past the break to view iH8sn0w's informative video.
JBL's On Air Wireless AirPlay speaker dock gets official, unavailable to purchase
When we first peeked this AirPlay-enabled speaker dock, we were admittedly excited to see how things would turn out after it made rounds through the FCC. JBL just tossed up the splash page for the On Air Wireless speaker and we've gotta say -- it looks to be a promising means of streaming your jams. The system connects wirelessly to your AirPlay-enabled Mac and iOS device on 4.2 or later and packs a screen that'll display the track info of the song you're rocking out to. What's more, the rounded grill sports a dual alarm clock, FM radio, and a USB port for future firmware updates. As you might have surmised by now, the dock is not yet available for purchase and there's no word on price. If you're interested, though, be sure to hit the source link, sign up for more info and get ready to headbang this spring.
Sonos Wireless Dock for iPod and iPhone is out now for $119
And now we're at a crossroads. Apple is about to start hitting the wireless media streaming game hard with AirPlay and an armada of third party manufacturers. Meanwhile, Sonos is improving its already impressive streaming ecosystem with a now-shipping Sonos Wireless Dock (WD100) for your iPod or iPhone that can stream your device's music digitally to any of your Sonos ZonePlayers. It's not that bad a buy at $119, especially if you already have a big investment in Sonos. Plus, Sonos has plenty of other perks (like great support for online streaming music services) that it would be happy to point out to you. Still, we can't help but wonder what this sort of product will look like in an AirPlay-contoured market, say, one year from now.
Pocket Legends update brings new content, increased level cap
Pocket Legends, the popular mobile device MMO, has been growing in popularity for the past few months, and Spacetime is working to keep up with that increased popularity. The company has released a new update for Pocket Legends, one that brings new content, an increased level cap, and an impressive list of improvements. Players can work toward the new level cap of 50 by checking out the five new PvE maps, two new PvP maps, and new bosses in Alien Oasis 3: Trials of the Galactic Overlord. Alien Oasis 3 will be available to players for 20 platinum, and you can see all the current patch notes on the Pocket Legends forum. Finally, follow along after the jump for a preview trailer of the new content!
Spacetime's Pocket Legends hits Apple's app store
While there have been many attempts at reproducing the MMORPG experience on Apple's incredibly popular iPhone and iTouch devices, the limitations in technology and connection speed have kept these applications from hitting the big time. Spacetime Studios hopes to change all that, as they just revealed a new MMO for the app store: Pocket Legends. Boasting 3D graphics, three classes and accessibility across iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices, Pocket Legends might be considered an "MMO-lite," but it still contains all the necessary ingredients. Players can choose from one of three anthropomorphic animal classes -- a cat sorceress, a bird archer, and a bear tank -- and head off for a career full of dungeon running, chest looting, and stat leveling. Grouping is also possible (and encouraged!), with thousands of players connecting over a server. Spacetime promises that players can not only play Pocket Legends on almost all of Apple's portable devices (except the first edition of the iPhone), but the game can be accessed via WiFi, 3G and even EDGE networks.
Apple's iPod touch tackling "networked warfare" for US military
While the British military has had a love-hate relationship with Apple's darling, the US armed forces are reportedly warming up quite well to the iPod touch. A fresh Newsweek report asserts that the touch is increasingly replacing far more expensive dedicated devices in the field, noting that it is being used to spearhead the future of "networked warfare." Equipped with a rugged shell and software developed by language translation firms (among others), the device is being used to aid communications and acquire information from databases. In fact, the US Department of Defense is "developing military software for iPods that enables soldiers to display aerial video from drones and have teleconferences with intelligence agents halfway across the globe," and snipers are already utilizing a ballistics calculator to add precision to shots. And hey, it's not like easy access to Tap Tap Revenge is really bad for morale, either.[Via CNET]
GDC09: Upcoming EA iPhone game list fully revealed, screens and info on Tiger
Just before the deluge of GDC 2009 news started this week, Travis Boatman, VP of worldwide studios at EA Mobile, confirmed the upcoming release of a veritable smörgåsbord of EA franchises coming to the iPhone. Today, we have confirmation from Meghan Rathman (representing EA) of the exact titles on the way to the iPhone/iTouch as well as a handful of screens from Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Unfortunately, according to Ms. Rathman, the rest of the games in development are "still too early" and don't have screens. Considering the turnaround time on iPhone/iTouch games though, we're willing to bet you'll see those shots by the end of the week pretty soon!The full list of games we received from EA is as follows: Tiger Woods PGA Tour, The Sims 3, FIFA, Madden NFL Football, Spore Creatures, Mystery Mania, Wolfenstein RPG, American Idol, Connect Four, Battleship, Need for Speed, RISK, Monopoly and Clue. Differing from reports at the GDC Mobile event earlier this week, we're seeing the addition of The Sims 3 and Need for Speed. In turn, we're losing the first SSX in two years, Red Alert, NBA Live 10, American Idol, Star Trek. But hey, Tiger Woods!The press release from EA on Tiger Woods PGA Tour tells us that the game is of the "touch" rather than of the "shake" variety, comes with achievements and offers a way to compare achievements with your friends. Of the key features listed, notably missing is "playing against friends wirelessly," though it does promise the ability to "affect your ball spin direction" using your finger. Those are comparable features, right? We'll keep on EA and let you know as soon as we find out more on their upcoming iPhone/iTouch assault.%Gallery-48706%
MMOGology: Will mobile MMOGs evolve genre expectations?
What makes an MMOG an MMOG? When we talk about massively multiplayer games, certain expectations immediately form in our minds. Looking at the components of the acronym itself it seems pretty straightforward. We know that MMOG stands for massively multiplayer online game. The qualifications of what constitute an MMOG seemingly describe themselves right in that acronym. MMOGs are games that, on some level, support a large number of players in an online multiplayer environment. Despite that simple definition we often have preconceptions about MMOGs that are much more specific. Preconceptions like level grinding, subscription fees and a dearth of willing healers.Early in their existence MMOGs were easy to define by example simply because there were far fewer games available. Games like Ultima Online and Everquest clearly helped set the standards of the genre. On their terms, massively multiplayer means hundreds of other player avatars running around and whacking mobs in the same environment. They also established gameplay standards based on computer roleplaying game staples such as gaining experience to level up, upgrading gear and growing the character's skills and abilities. But as the genre has expanded and evolved so has our definition of what constituents an MMOG. As I discussed in my last column, mobile MMOGs have very unique challenges to overcome in order to prove successful; but their success will undoubtedly come in time. As those successes arrive, our expectations of MMOGs will likely change. Today I'll be looking at a specific game that claims to be an MMOG for the iPhone and iTouch. It defies the typical conventions of what we'd consider an MMOG. I'll describe some of the interesting features it offers after the break and you can decide whether or not it qualifies as a true MMOG. One thing I'll tell you right off the bat though; even though it's unconventional, it's fun and addictive.
Pasen iTouch LE demo video does it again: makes us scream in apathy
Oh Pasen, how you entertain us so! In the company's latest update to the familiarly designed iTouch, the iTouch LE includes a new, faster JZ4732 chipset that they say allows the unit to play 30FPS, unconverted video with less strain on the battery. With 4GB of internal storage (memory card support up to 32GB), voice recording, and support for RM, RMVB, AVI, DIVX, FLV, DAT, ASF, MP4, WMV, 3GP, MPG, and SWF, this $79 unit may just be coming around on something good. The UI isn't any prettier than before, but at these prices, who's complaining? Spot the video after the break if you're still with us.[Via PMP Today]
Pasen iTouch SE demoed on video: the goggles do nothing
The first Pasen iTouch was almost comically bad, but we'll give the company a little credit for trying again with the iTouch SE, which just popped up in video unboxing form on YouTube. We were a little intrigued by the SE's XviD and DivX support when we first heard about it, but wow -- that interface might finally be usably fast, but it managed to get even uglier, still ridiculously requires double-clicking and now apparently also involves a pen. Third time's the charm, we guess. Check the full vid after the break.
Pasen tries to go legit with the iTouch SE
Pasen's first iTouch earned it a spot in the KIRF Hall of Fame, but it looks like the company is trying hard to go clean with this revised model, the iTouch SE. Like the original iTouch, the SE features a 2.83-inch QVGA touchscreen and decent format support including DivX, XviD, AVI, MP3, WMA, and FLAC, but Pasen's ditched the faux-iPhone look for a sleek white shell with single button. Let's just hope they refined that incredibly slow and janky interface.[Via PMP Today]
iPod touch/iPhone ramdisks decrypted
In the words of the sainted Professor Farnsworth: "Good news, everybody everyone!" The iPhone/iPod touch dev team has decrypted the iPhone 1.1.1 and iPod touch ramdisks. So what does this mean, loyal TUAW readers? It means that you're getting really close to free, non-commercial 1.1.1 unlocks put together by a cadre of dedicated hackers who are doing all of this for your benefit, for fun in their spare time, and for free.To all of you cynics who roll your eyes and add "does that mean we're getting really close to free, non-commercial bricks for the next firmware upgrade", the for-pay SIMFree 1.1.1 unlocks are now on sale. For those of you who would rather wait and save the $60-$100, it doesn't look like it will be long.Update: Yes, they are working on unbricking as well as unlocking, saying they are "dedicated to getting a free and workable solution out to the general public. At the very least, a baseband downgrader should be possible. We understand your frustration, and please don't think for a second that we've forgotten you."Thanks xorl, mjc, Edgan, netkas, pumpkin, asap18, NerveGas, tE_gU
The State of the iTouch Jailbreak
No news to report yet but since I'm being bombarded by email, here's a status report: iPhuc. Recompiled and working. I've created a hacker version that I'm using to send requests. So we've moved a little closer. Now I'm getting "unrecognized request" messages in GRestore mode instead of request not founds. Recovery mode. Achieved both by hand and by software. The old restore commands do not work. iTouch uses a new restore protocol. Instead of pushing data from iTunes, the iTouch pulls data via request. It used to be that iTunes sent a request, and the iPhone returned results. Now iTunes starts a restore mode and waits for requests from the iTouch and serves the requested data. File read/write from disk. Achieved. Pretty much all the normal inside-jail stuff works. File system mount. Not there yet. GRestore. Partial success.RAM disk decryption. Not yet. No luck yet on finding the key, which may be getting served from Apple.Shell mode. Maybe. Normal mode debug access workingState. Arminius: Cranky; Pumpkin, tE_gU, Kroo, Roxfan, BloomFilter: Exhausted. Martyn: Bits of his ipod scattered about his workbench. Me: Frustrated. Jailbreak seems increasingly unlikely at this point.Update: I've gotten the iTouch not to barf at two requests: QueryType and Goodbye. Now I've got to see if there any other requests that I can find and also to figure out how to provide parameters to QueryType. Goodbye takes no arguments and just pretty much ends the session. Update 2: I'm calling it a night (morning). I've restored my iTouch software now almost a dozen times. Just as a rule: make sure to go into recovery mode by hand, not through iPhoneInterface or iPhuc because you can't get back without restoring. The goal of this whole exercise is to get access to disk mount and ditto--neither of which happened today. Once those are solved, you can put in the fstab and Services.plist files and get access to the whole disk. We're not there yet. Or really not that close. Once we get the disk, we're golden. All hacks flow from full disk access with read & write. Without Jailbreak, there's no way to install applications or really do anything else.
Keepin' it real fake, part LXVII: the Pasen ITouch
Although we've seen countless rips of the iPhone at this point, we've only seen a couple of them in action -- and when we do, it's almost always sort of depressing. Take this video of the Pasen ITouch DAP (which bears a striking resemblance to the Onda Honey VX858 and the I-Fighting FT4021): the poor presenter tries valiantly to show off Pasen's "latest and greatest" -- even deploying the awesome power of Jessica Simpson -- but instead just demonstrates that double-clicking and sound effects are kind of annoying on touch devices. On top of that, at 1:37 he attempts some iPhone-style scrolling but fails, so he just exits back to the main screen. Ouch. Looks like there's a reason the MiniOne is expected to cost $989, eh? Peep the vid after the break.
