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TUAW's Daily App: Cut the Rope
At every one of these gaming shows (it's GDC Online this week, which I'm at for TUAW), there's usually a "game of the show" that emerges. It's something, either on the show floor or demoing behind closed doors, that everyone starts to talk about. The buzz starts at parties and in the hallways, and then it carries over into panels and starts to crop up in those casual discussions about "what you've seen this week." But so far, the game everyone's talking about this week isn't even on display at the show. Epic's Mark Rein even recommended Chillingo's newest title, Cut the Rope, to me. It's a brand new game that's already making a huge splash this week (as of this writing, it was number two on the App Store paid list), and it's all the rage among app developers and journalists here at GDC. The phrase being passed around is "Angry Birds meets Fruit Ninja," and those comparisons are apt. The idea is that you guide a little piece of candy, by cutting ropes and manipulating other items in the environment, to a cute little monster that's hungrily trying to eat it. Cut the Rope has the cute characters of Angry Birds and the fun, tactile interaction of Fruit Ninja all wrapped up into one extremely polished and shiny package. For only US$0.99, you get four stages full of levels, three stars to collect in each level (to add replayability), and to top it all off, Game Center integration for achievements and leaderboards. The iPad version is $1.99, but there's also a lite version on that device to check out. I'm not even that big of an Angry Birds fan, but I found myself giggling as I pulled off Cut the Rope's little puzzles. I was very charmed by Om Nom, the little monster who just wants that hanging candy. Cut the Rope has just barely gone live, and this is an app that is already getting into people's heads.
Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones
Dr. Dre knows a hit when he sees one, and the already sprawling Beats lineup is getting five new products to hit just about every demographic you can imagine. First off is the Beatbox, a high-end portable iPod dock with 5.25-inch bass drivers and 2-inch high frequency drivers which will retail for $400. Next up is a LeBron James-branded set of athletics-friendly earbuds dubbed the Powerbeats. The $170 headphones include dual drivers and a design that lets in external noises. Meanwhile, the Beats Pro blows the lid off with a $450 pricetag and audio pro-style quality and performance. At the cheap end we have iBeats, a $120 pair of i-device friendly cans for the less discriminating, and our personal favorites: JustBeats. JustBeats are better than all the other headphones and we heart them and they're totally worth $200 for the on-ear and $120 for the in-ear versions because Justin Bieber is totally down to earth and sexy and probably the best singer ever. All of these should be landing in the next few weeks; we know you'll make the right decision. Update: Oh, and just so you know: we still hate Monster. You just can't pass up some Bieber, you know? %Gallery-103656%
Mimo goes giant with 10-inch iMo Monster USB-driven monitor
Who says the USB monitor fun has to end at seven diagonal inches? Not Mimo, that's for sure. The famed secondary display company has issued its latest device, and this one's a looker. The 10-inch iMo Monster is aptly named, offering 10 full inches of touchscreen real estate with a native 1,024 x 600 resolution panel. The whole thing weighs just 1.77 pounds and it fully supports both Windows and OS X platforms; best of all, a single USB 2.0 cable provides all the power and connectivity you'll need. Mimo throws in a stylus, 4.5-inch USB cable and a boatload of bragging rights, but given the "limited availability," you may want to part ways with your $259.99 right away if you're looking to pick one up.
TUAW's Daily App: RunMonster
There are quite a few "run tracker" apps in the App Store (I know our own Erica Sadun is a big fan of RunKeeper). However, RunMonster is also worth a look, if only because it's just plain gorgeous. It lets you do all of the usual things: track your runs and bike rides, keep stats on your workouts, or see maps of where you've been according to the iPhone's GPS. It goes further than that, though, with a very elegant and charming interface, and surprising ease-of-use. It will automatically name your runs according to streets, and it'll even group your runs and figure out whether you walked, biked, or ran, according to your speed. Even if you've already picked a running helper, give RunMonster a consideration. There's a free version to try out, and a US $9.99 version fills out the feature list nicely (with sugar like music controls and gestures) if you like the app. Like most of the great running apps out there, it won't necessarily make you a better runner, but it probably will make you enjoy the journey more.
Diddy, Beats combine to make... Diddybeats
Not even Engadget's firm ban on Monster Cable can keep the word "Diddybeats" off these pages.
iPhone accessories from Toy Fair 2010
Woot.com is one of my favorite sites on the entire Internet -- not only do they offer some great deals, and not only are they witty folks, but they're from my original hometown of St. Louis, MO. They recently went to the Toy Fair 2010, and in their roundup of the best stuff they saw are a few fun iPhone-related toys and goodies. First up is this monster-style iPhone skin that you can see above -- obviously, it's not the most practical way to protect your iPhone, but it does look cool. Apparently it's not in production yet, and there's no word on price, but we'll keep an eye out. And then there's the My Ami Entertainment Holder, which is a bear with a place to put your iPhone so your kids can watch movies on it. Um, yeah. Not quite as cool as the robot iPhone skin, but a little more functional. Still, if your kids can't be troubled to hold their own iPhone, maybe they shouldn't be watching movies anyway. And geez, if we're going to have a place to set the iPhone in a teddy bear's lap, can we at least get a dock to plug it in to?
Modern Warfare 2 map pack planned for Spring 2010
If our trusted sources on, um, this box of Modern Warfare 2–branded Monster energy drinks are to be believed, we'll be seeing at least one map pack arriving for the game by next spring (cue: shock and awe). The Monster boxes arrived this week at various game industry folks' locations, and GameSpot spotted the details on the box of an upcoming contest where 5,000 lucky folks will receive, "MW2 Map Pack codes" with a "planned release" of Spring 2010.The only thing more exciting than the map pack reveal? Dashboard themes -- confirmed. You ever chug down four Monsters and just look at one of those, man? You can see everything!
Headphone shocker! Lady Gaga, Beats by Dr. Dre and Monster Cable join forces
We really can't think of a trinity unholier than that of Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga, and Monster Cable, who (protestations to the contrary) is not the only entity legally entitled to use the word "monster." Or "cable," for that matter. That said, our fair Lady has been going for broke with the elaborate costumes and set designs -- at least that's what we hear during our regular slogs through the Gaga fansites and forums -- so perhaps it's no surprise that she seems to be shilling extra hard lately. And for the fruit of this evil menage we need look no further than Heartbeats, her very own signature line of headphones. First, some product details: these bad boys feature a jewel-shaped earpiece that "literally doubles as a high-tech fashion accessory or attractive piece of jewelry," and they're available in October for prices ranging from $99.95 to $149.95. But the best part? Well, for that you'll have to dip into the PR: In the deepest hour of the night, I confess to myself three things; I would die if I was forbidden to write, forbidden to love, or forbidden to fashion. Heartbeats embody the trinity of my human-being, with one additional vow: that SOUND matters. Wear Heartbeats, love each other, and celebrate the art and lifestyle of music. Right. If you're morbidly curious, please feel free to hop on down to the ga-ga-gallery below. Update: Yes, we're still convinced that Monster Cable is pure evil -- but as always we reserve the right to stick our two cents in whenever we feel that something is too upsetting / hilarious to pass up. And we're sure you agree that this product is nothing if not upsetting / hilarious!
The Digital Continuum: Free Realms is missing one key class
There are a lot of Jobs in Free Realms, but of all the job types available there's one in particular that's nowhere to be seen. Why SOE hasn't done everything within their power to launch with a monster battler job is beyond me. Maybe legal can't decide on whether or not to include berets as a costume option.Moreover, when will it be added, if such a thing ever occurs? Surely the developers would be crazy to design a free-to-play "Mommy can I borrow your credit card?" online game without considering the power of capturing, leveling, evolving and battling monsters.
Engadget endorses Monster Cable? Uh, hell no.
You know, we were as surprised as anyone to see a totally out-of-context quote of ours used on a Monster Cable site (without permission, mind you) to sell the company's "Beats by Dre" headphones (you can see the screen cap after the break). It's ironic, really, given that we currently have a blacklist in place for the overpriced cable-maker because of their rotten business practices (like regularly going after other companies that happen to use the word monster in their name, faking performance tests, and generally bilking customers out of their hard-earned dough). Regardless, if Monster wants to use a quote from Engadget, that's no problem. We suggest this one: Monster Cable sucks. Update: Monster has removed the quote from the site. Now that was fast. Power to the people! [Thanks, Michael K.]
Monster Cable learns nothing, sues Monster Transmission
Wondering why Engadget still has a permanent ban on covering Monster Cable products, even after the company tried to make amends for its frivolous lawsuit and strong-arm settlement offer against Monster Mini Golf? Well, it's because the company hasn't actually changed its ways -- not only did we just catch them trying to peddle their overpriced snakeoil cables using rigged displays for the third time, Noel Lee's lawyers have dusted themselves off and filed a lawsuit against Monster Transmission, a performance auto supplier in Florida. Yes, Monster Cable is suing an American automotive manufacturing company in the middle of a recession. Brilliant PR move, don't you think? So yeah, the ban stands -- and we'd recommend steering your friends to any number of cable brands that are just as good, much cheaper, and far less burdened with the stink of desperation than any of Monster's products.Update: Monster Cable's sending out a statement saying "Monster does not have an issue with Monster Transmission" and that the "case was filed last year, before the Monster Mini Golf matter was settled" but it sounds to us like they're playing fast and loose with their timeline to distract people -- we just spoke to Achilles Thomas, one of the owners of Monster Transmission, and he said the initial lawsuit was filed between October and November of 2008 and hasn't come close to settling, even though the Mini Golf case settled in January. Naughty, naughty.Read - Audioholics post on the lawsuitRead - Monster Transmissions
Monster "HDMI Difference" scam still kickin' in Fry's Electronics
Man, this is just sad. Over a year after the internet was set ablaze with rage after seeing Monster's HDMI cable scam, we've just been notified that the tactic is still being used in at least one Fry's Electronics store. For those unaware, the rig works as such: two TVs are set beside each other along with a sign that says "See the Monster HDMI Difference." Trouble is, the "Monster set" (on the right) is connected to its source via an HDMI cable, while the "non-Monster set" (on the left) is connected via composite cable. As in, the lamest looking signal next to using an RF modulator. So, is anyone with any amount of power paying attention to this? We get the feeling "false advertising" is a real understatement of the situation.[Thanks, Jeff]
RedMere introduces industry's thinnest "smart" active HDMI cables
They'll cost just shy of four gazillion dollars per meter, but the world's thinnest "smart" active HDMI cables are still pretty enticing; unfortunately for us, RedMere chose Monster to deliver said cables to retail, but we're crossing our fingers that it partners with other brands that are less soiled by frivolous lawsuits and priced even remotely close to "reasonable." At any rate, the new ultrathin cables feature RedMere's MagnifEye Active chip technology, and while we're not told precisely how slim these new strands will be, we're sure Monster will make quite the fuss whenever they begin to ship. Now, the only question remaining is this: will there be a locking version?
Monster Cable tries to make it better, drops minigolf suit
Behold the power of bad press: Monster Cable last week decided to drop its ridiculous trademark lawsuit against Monster Mini Golf. According to founder Noel Lee, Monster Cable will drop any opposition to the "Monster Mini Golf" trademark, won't require any licensing fees, and it'll also step up and pay Monster Mini Golf's attorney's fees in an effort to make things right. Of course, it wouldn't be Noel Lee if he didn't caveat his actions with some weird martyr nonsense -- are you ready? "I will say that this is a landmark kind of situation, as public opinion wins over what is the right thing to do for trademark protection of a famous mark. We have made the decision that public opinion, and that of our valued customers is more important than the letter of the law that requires us to prevent the dilution of our mark and risk losing it." Yeah, somehow we just don't believe Noel Lee really thinks that Monster is in danger of losing its mark over putt-putt -- a better paranoia would be the fear that consumers will one day realize that Monster's cables and power strips are just overpriced snake oil.[Via TechDirt]
Macworld Expo: Delicious Monster's Wil Shipley
His flagship application gave its name to an entire movement of graphical sophistication among Mac apps, so it should be no surprise that Wil Shipley's Delicious Monster booth at Macworld Expo carries Delicious Library's recognizable UI into the real world. Special care was taken to get bookshelves that matched the wood grain, the products on the shelves look unremarkably like themselves, and the leaves at the top of the booth are dead ringers for the ones on the DM site. The overall effect is a bit disconcerting, but still enjoyable. We took a few minutes to discuss the booth design with one of the "Delicious Librarians," then talked to Wil about his approach to an iPhone version of Delicious Library and his thoughts on the development challenges he faced in creating DL2. Videos in the second half of the post.
Monster Cable still evil, will allow Monster Mini Golf to exist for just $100/month (per franchise)
So as you may remember, back in May Monster Cable pulled one of its sad bully tactics and sued a company called Monster Mini Golf, claiming that the glow-in-the-dark putt-putt outfit was somehow harming its trademarks -- a nonsensical brand of idiotic evil we were so tired of implicitly condoning that we held a vote on whether or not we'd even continue to cover Monster at all. Not surprisingly, 60 percent of you responded in the negative, and we've dutifully ignored the company, its ridiculous cables and overblown power strips ever since -- and, to be honest, we've been fine with it.Well, it looks like Monster's trying to rehab its image: the company's put up a site today called "Monster Mini Golf Truth" that apparently makes public a proposed settlement agreement between Monster Cable and Monster Mini Golf. As you'd expect from a company as ham-fisted and reflexively nasty as Monster Cable, it's basically another attempt to exert a death grip on the word "Monster." Monster Cable says it's dropping the lawsuit and that the mini golf people can still be called "Monster Mini Golf," but only if they pay a $100 / month license fee and agree that Monster Cable owns the mark outright. In turn, Monster Cable will donate $100 each month to two different charities, including one that gives Segways to disabled veterans. Sure, it sounds nice, but it's notable that Monster Cable is trying to settle this in public rather than in the conference room of a law firm -- Monster Mini Golf stands a fair shot of winning this one in court, and we'd bet they've already turned this offer down privately. We don't know how this one will end, but we do know you probably shouldn't have the CEO of your company saying things like "We're not some big corporate Mongols" in a video designed to sway public opinion. It's after the break, in case you were wondering why the ban on Monster still stands.Update: As one astute reader's pointed out, Monster Cable is asking for $100 per month, per franchise. With twenty-two franchises, that adds up to $2,200 a month.
Blizzard's icy splash screen changes as Diablo 3 and WoTLK speculation intensifies
We reported yesterday about the new icy splash screen which has appeared on many of Blizzard's corporate and gaming sites. There's already tons of speculation speeding around the web about it, and of course the pot was only stirred all the more this morning when the picture changed slightly: the light in the middle of the cracked ice became brighter, and there's some new detail that can be seen through the ice, including a rune of some sort just to the upper right of the center. we can probably assume that the picture will change more each day until something is announced at the Worldwide Invitational. However, the question remains: What is being announced? Right now, there's two major schools of thought about it: One school says that this will lead up to the announcement of the WoTLK Beta, while another says that this will be the announcement of Diablo 3. Each side has some pretty passionate arguments, and are bringing the analysis to back it up. Let's look at what we have after the break. %Gallery-25975%
LotRO's Korean launch may alter western business model
Turbine is busy gearing up for its Korean launch of Lord of the Rings Online. The title is currently in closed beta in Korea and moving toward limited open beta. Fantasy titles are hugely popular in the country, but the enthusiasm with which beta testers are greeting LotRO has likely been spurred on by the popularity of the films directed by Peter Jackson. MMORPG's Jon Wood recently caught up with LotRO Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel to discuss Turbine's plans in the east. They discussed some of the details about LotRO's forthcoming Korean launch, which revealed how this might impact North American and European subscribers.
Christie Golden working on an Arthas book, Legends story, and a secret project
Author Christie Golden, who's written a few Warcraft books for Blizzard in the past, has started up a blog, and her first post is full of fun info for fans of the expanded universe. First, she's going to be doing a novel about none other than the Lich King himself, Arthas Menethil. She's been chatting with Metzen about the book, and she says she's excited to tell the story of how "good people slide down that terrible, slippery slope to becoming monsters." Sounds about right to us.She's also working on a short story to be featured in Toykopop's Warcraft Legends series, based around Winter's Veil and called "I Got What Yule Need." Cute. We'll assume Goblins will be involved somehow. And finally, she's working on a third secret project -- it's not clear that it has to do with Blizzard (Golden writes her own fiction, as well as fiction for a few other properties), but why else would it be so secret, right? If we had to guess, we'd probably say a retelling or connection story for the Diablo stories -- if we do see the announcement of a new Diablo game at WWI, time would be ripe for Blizzard to catch players up on the lore of that setting as well.[via Blizzplanet]
Lorebook tells tales of Ents gone bad
According to Turbine's most recently highlighted The Lord of the Rings Online Lorebook entry, even Ents can turn to the proverbial dark side. One might think that even if they did, it would take them such a long time to work out how to kill you that they wouldn't be much of a threat. Unfortunately, you'll hear a different story from anyone who's faced the dour-root -- or Huorn, as some call it -- in Agamaur.To be more specific, the monster is an Elite Master boss encounter in the Lone-lands' Garth Agarwen instance. It's probably not the first killer tree encountered by most LotRO players. That honor most likely goes to the Warped Oaks in the Old Forest.
