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Divining just what that "non-personal system information" might be
As Eliah noted the other day, Blizzard is running another hardware survey -- your WoW client will be sending them information about what kinds of hardware are in your computer. They've done this before, and as you may have realized, this type of information helps them determine system requirements for future games. A few people have already speculated that they're testing the waters for another WoW expansion, but I doubt any expansion is that far along in the process yet: my guess is that this latest round of hardware testing is actually being done for final calibration on Starcraft II, due out this fall. Blizzard doesn't share this hardware information with us, but Valve, another company that has a really wide install base with its Steam service, does release regular information about the kinds of computers its games are running on.There is, of course, another question here: do we really want Blizzard jumping in and taking this information from us? There aren't any obvious reasons to protect this information (most computers will give it up to any Internet-connected application without issue), but you never know: do you really want Blizzard checking out what's on your hard drive or what accessories you've hooked up to your computer? We'd presume that they don't dive into software information (like checking your computer's HD for signs of competing MMO installs), but certainly they could. The list of what they check includes: "CPU, RAM, operating system, video, audio, HD/CD/DVD, and network connection," but we don't know if that's everything or not (the Terms of Use, under "XVIII Acknowledgements" says something similar). And as Blizzard's alert says, while we do get a momentary notification that this information is being sent, users who have merged their Battle.net accounts will no longer even see that flash of a message, even though their info is still being sent. The ToS says Blizzard doesn't have to notify us of the survey, but they have in the past anyway.
Modder adds Twitter / IRC / email LED to Eee PC, lives to tell the tale
You know, we were cruisin' the blogosphere the other day on our tricked out Eee PC, rocking our newly installed trackball, when we realized that we were enjoying ourselves so much that we had completely lost track of the time -- and the way that news moves around here, that's a very dangerous thing. Like, what if @spencerpratt got to the bottom of the moon landing hoax or the conspiracy to fluoridate our water and we totally missed the tweet? Well, we can thank our lucky stars that a certain Justblair has already given this some thought. With little more than an AtMel AtTiny45 microprocessor, a red / green / blue LED, and some programming chops, this guy has rigged a netbook with a little light that notifies the user when they get a new message in Thunderbird, Pidgin or Twitter. This is definitely not a project for beginners, but if you'd like to take a crack at it hit the read link for the whole low down. As for us, it's back to Loose Change: the Blooper Reel on Google Video. [Via Liliputing]
Developers invited to test iPhone 3.0 push notifications with Associated Press app
If you're a developer running the iPhone 3.0 beta, you may have gotten a special note in your email today -- and judging by the number of you who let us know about the news, there's plenty of those emails going around. Apple is testing the long-awaited push notification feature of the 3.0 software (and the back-end servers that provide the updates) with a build of the Associated Press news update app. If you got an email with a promo code and you've been putting the app through its paces, do let us know how it's going. Push notification is all well and good, but what about true background processing for those critical applications that need always-on connectivity? More on the prospects for that capability in our next post, coming up shortly. Thanks to everyone who sent this in. [H/T to Engadget]
Tracking dead bosses in the instance you step into
As you will have noticed by now if you've entered an instance in progress since patch 3.1, Blizzard's new binding notification system is in effect. Whenever you join an instance in which bosses have already been killed, you get a warning that staying in there will bind you to that instance -- thus hopefully preventing you from accidentally sticking to an instance you don't like.However, as a few players have noted, there's still some functionality missing there. While the notification will tell you that bosses have been killed, it won't yet tell you which ones, so a malicious or confused guild could invite you a Naxx in which only one wing has been downed, when really all they've got left is Sapphiron and KT (or no bosses at all, if they really wanted to ruin your week). Fortunately, Zarhym agrees, and says that discussion about adding a little bit to the notification is incoming. It seems a little bit weird to just have a list of killed bosses on your screen when you first walk into the instance, but maybe they could add some sort of "boss tracker" to the instance maps, where you could see at a glance what was going on in any instance you join.As a few other people say in the thread, most of you may never have seen this notification pop up -- if you only join instances where nothing is killed yet, you'll never see it. But for those of us who take boss kills where we can get them (in PuGs and guild runs where an opening appears), it's a nice feature to have.Thanks, Medros!
iPhone developers will need servers to push
Former TUAW blogger Erica Sadun has a cautionary post for developers regarding the pending push notifications coming to iPhone OS 3.0: better get yourself some reliable servers. The implication, delivered via headline, is that smaller developers won't be able to afford push notification. Indeed, as Erica says, coding for an app that can run in the background is one thing -- you may need to scale things down a bit for resource management -- but deploying a reliable push notification system is a tall order by comparison.Instead of coding once and deploying, developers will now have to manage servers to handle the load of users who will be receiving push notifications. This ongoing server maintenance issue is the sort of thing we used to laugh about when digg first started, or Twitter, or MySpace, or any number of services that grew a little ahead of server capacity. After speaking to one of the network engineers at Twitter during SxSW this year, I don't envy the task of staying ahead of these curves. But push, in my opinion, isn't as onerous as that. Push notifications aren't serving entire pages. The difference in data throughput overall is much slimmer than even the light pages Twitter serves. Erica correctly points out that in aggregate, the push server might be hit pretty frequently; however, and there's more of a concern with reliability for a finance or medical app than something like Twitter or digg. But even when you throw in the added hurdle of security I'm guessing the resources for this are available at a reasonable cost. I get that this is more work for developers, but Erica makes it sound a little threatening, like developers' only resolution will be to cobble together a mighty datacenter from spare computer parts. My assertion is that developers who wish to play the push game will simply need to look for outside resources and factor that into their price. Maybe fewer $.99 apps is a good thing? You certainly don't need 30 apps trying to alert you during the day -- how would you get anything done?In the end, push notifications are welcome, and I'd rather have that than a one-hour battery life for the day. Plus, I would agree that some smaller developers will have to forget push because the potential costs are too high. Guess what? That's as it should be. If your product requires it, your cost should reflect it. There's no shortage of service providers out there, and as we've seen in the past (look at the podcast services that popped up when that blew up a few years ago) the market will fill the needs of the developers if they aren't in the business of making their own server farms. It's certainly a new twist to the iPhone dev game, and it's an opportunity for someone who can deliver a reliable push framework at a reasonable price -- perhaps one running atop Amazon's EC2, Google's App Engine or even Microsoft's Azure cloud service.
Forum post of the day: Check please
As evidenced by zombies and Necropoli, the time of the Lich King is nearly upon us. Most players who intend to have a copy of the game preordered have already done so. Soon we'll be zipping open our prized expansion and ready to install. Well, most of us anyway.Zachriel of Kirin Tor found a surprise today when he checked the status of his preordered game. Without notification the complete order of two collectors editions and two regular Wrath packages had been canclled. He was upset that he did not receive any communication that his ordered had been canceled. Some suggested that it may have been an issue with a credit card or some other technical problem. Most of the posters indicated that their orders were still active. But it's time for Tuesday maintenance; could it really hurt to peek at your order status?
iPhone Push Notification API released to select developers
CrunchGear notes that a version of the iPhone Push Notification Service API has been released to "a handful" of developers, and, according to them, will "surely" be released to everyone when iPhone OS 2.1 is released. If you remember our WWDC keynote coverage (around 11:05 a.m.), the Push Notification Service maintains a connection with third party servers to alert you via an icon badge, custom sounds, or text alerts. An app that uses this feature isn't really running in the background, but instead sort of registering itself with a metaphorical "hotel operator" that lives in your phone. Once there's something new to tell you, the hotel operator notifies you. Hopefully this has little effect on battery life, but without actual, real-world use, it's hard to say.
Growl 1.1.1 available now
The latest version of Growl, the all-in-one notification app, has been released. 1.1.1 is available for download right now over on the site.New to this version, you'll find speedier notifications, an improved Music Video style (which was one of the main complaints with the last release), improved iTunes notifications, and a few other bugfixes and improvements. Not a huge release by any means, but considering how much Growl pops up on my screen, even the little stuff matters.Thanks, Peter!
Kam Kam Mobile Alert detects GSM calls, wags tail
We've seen this type of toy before, but never in such a plush and cute form factor. The Kam Kam Mobile Alert -- that's the cat version -- and Don Don Mobile Alert detect the GSM radio on your handset from up to five feet away when a call or message comes in. Instead of blinking or spinning, Kitty or Rover will wag its tail for 15 seconds to let you know if your ringer happens to be silent. The desktop critter has a handy spot to plonk your handset in when in use, but sadly doesn't offer a charger option. The holiday season is approaching and this would likely make a cute gift, and at $30 a pop, it shouldn't break the bank.[Via ShinyShiny]
GPS notification software informs managers of your tardiness
If you're the type who seems to run late for meetings more often than actually arriving on time, we'd probably recommend improving your promptness before purchasing another band-aid for the chronic problem. Nevertheless, those insistent on being late now have an amazingly easy way to notify their peers that traffic is being unkind, as the Oops I'm Late! application enables your GPS-equipped mobile to calculate your estimated arrival time and then notify your team members of your impending lateness. So rather than investing in time management courses, you can throw down $69.99 for the standard version, or $99.99 for the "Professional" (does it generate legitimate excuses on the fly or something?) iteration.
Get blinky with the Signal Cellphone Adviser
The Signal Cellphone Adviser adds a splash of polite ring notification to your desktop by way of a radio wave-detecting cup. Turn your ringer off (not a must, but it sort of defeats the purpose otherwise), drop your handset in the small opaque-sided cup, and whenever a call comes in, LED blinking action! We've seen similar devices before, but they were typically hanging on key fobs which are usually in your pocket, making them kinda useless. If this device had a charger built in -- which from all signs it doesn't -- we would seriously have considered giving it a spot of honor on the desk. Still, not a half bad gift for $21.[Via Core77]
Gmail+Growl 2.0
When the Gmail Notifier emerged from its cocoon last August as the Google Notifier, the utility bizarrely introduced its own popup alerts for new messages instead of simply using Growl, which is arguably the standard in Mac OS X notification systems. I don't know how we missed it, but Gmail+Growl stayed right in stride and released a 2.0 version to work with the new Google Notifier (in which case, shouldn't this be called Google+Growl?). As long as you shut off the built-in alert system in Google Notifier, Gmail+Growl works well with the new utility. The one quirk I've found so far is that it doesn't seem to be pulling images from Address Book, and I don't know if this is a problem on my end or an update is in order. Either way, if you prefer Growl for all your system notification needs, Gmail+Growl should fit the bill just fine.
Apple sending battery recall emails to registered users
If there was ever a good reason to register a product like a notebook, being warned that it might catch fire, and getting the chance to avoid said fire, is as good as any in our book. We're receiving reports that Apple has begun sending emails to registered owners of iBooks and PowerBooks, announcing the recent recall and offering to get the party (of sorts) started. It would've been nice to hear this tactic being used when such a serious recall was first announced, but this is probably a good way to get the word out to any owners who might not keep up on Apple nerdery.
Widget Watch: eBay Watcher 3.0
If your picture is hanging on eBay's 'Favorite Customers of All Time' award wall, this eBay Watcher widget might be just for you. As a powerhouse eBay monitoring tool, this widget has it all: up to three items can be watched at once, audio feedback for price changes and auction ending, Growl notifications, automatic refreshing at user-specified intervals, localized display labels for German, French, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Italian and even a world clock. Just about the only thing this widget is missing is a kitchen sink, though I'm sure an eBay widget could help you even with that minor setback.One complaint I have about this widget is the explanation as to why you should register it from Hawk Innovations. Discussions about whether one should charge money for a widget aside, check it out: "Our demo version has a 50-50 chance of working. Make sure your widget works 100% of the time by registering now!" Cryptic as that may be, I think it deserves at least a few points for being one of the more... unique demo limitations I've seen.So, a '50-50 chance of working' demo is available, and a license (which includes two machines) will run a mere $5. Hey: nobody said making eBay's 'favorite customers' wall was free.
Hack iCal to present alarms through Growl
If you're a Growl fanatic, or maybe iCal's alarms just aren't cutting it for you, a forum thread at cocoaforge might provide you with some options for getting iCal and Growl to shake hands. Discussion has included various methods of using AppleScript, hacking the innards of iCal and even replacing the GUI option of emailing a reminder with sending it to Growl. Either way, it doesn't sound like any of the methods are for the meek of heart, so if you don't feel like digging around in application bundles and AppleScript, you might want to wait for a prettier solution.[via Hawk Wings]
Gmail-Growl Utility 1.7
The Gmail-Growl Utility that adds some seriously handy features to Google's official Gmail Notifier has been updated with a functionality face-lift and some fixes. It now has an option to toggle on/off Growl notifications for those times when you just need silence, and in Mac OS X Tiger you can now drag and drop notification field elements such as sender, subject and date, to build the actual notification you want to see (Panther users can still copy/paste text blocks to customize this notification).Gmail-Growl Utility has also gone fully universal as long as you're using Google's latest Notifier version (1.8.2). It is also donationware (bonus points: the dev donates 10% to charity) and available from Waffle Software.
So long iCal, hello Google Calendar
Call me crazy, but I think Google is using some kind of mental suggestion on me while I sleep, as I am slowly falling for their products one by one (maybe I should shut my Mac off at night so they can't get to me?). I've been hanging out at Google News more often, I haven't started Mail.app in almost a week in favor of Gmail, and now iCal has been kicked out of my Dock in favor of a Quicksilver trigger that takes me straight to Google Calendar.That's right, as a .Mac customer and lover of 3-plus years, I am tossing iCal and its syncing ability aside for the innovative and ultimately easier to use beauty that is Google Calendar. Sharing calendars and events is so much simpler on the gCal side of the fence, especially since the invited guests can leave comments on the event right at Google Calendar without the need for some obnoxious service like Evite.More to the meat of the matter, Google Calendar's 'Quick Add' takes the chore out of adding an event to my schedule, inviting me to do it a little more often to make I stay all the more on top of things. In gCal, I can hit the letter 'q' to open a small dialog box into which I can type an event name, time and date almost as if I were telling someone about it in an email: 'dinner with Jessi 6 pm 4/22' adds the event right where it should go. As icing on the Quick Add cake, date spanning works too: 'Half Life 2 Therapy Camp April 22-24' creates an event that spans properly. No obnoxious tabbing around to set dates and times right, and no mousing to drag little event boxes. Call me crazy, but I'm starting to believe that some desktop app developers could learn a few things from this kind of simplicity that is found in many of today's web-based apps and services.Google Calendar's multiple and customizable notification features sealed the deal for me. Email, SMS and popping up the browser window (if gCal is open) are all available for various notification types like events, new, changed or canceled invitations, replies to invitations and even a daily agenda email reminder that sends you a roundup of the day's events. Hawk Wings points to a blog post by Jeff Hobbs who puts it quite nicely: "it’s like Google just hired a personal secretary for everyone on Earth." Sweet, I've always wanted a secretary. Unfortunately, there is one seriously lacking feature in Google Calendar's 'secretary factor': as of yet, there is no 'pick up a latte from Starbucks' option. Maybe someone can whip up a Greasemonkey script or plug-in?Caffeine addictions aside, you can top this all off with the 'access and edit from anywhere' factor since Google Calendar is web-based, and Gmail automatically parses email for events to add to Google Calendar (*ahem* iCal/Mail.app engineers!), and I'm already forgetting what iCal looked like.
Gmail Notifier updated, offers opening of Gmail messages
Growl is a utility that, like the drunkenbatman, has become a necessity in my daily work. As far as email is concerned, even though I can't bring myself to ditch Mail.app and Address Book completely due to device synchronization issues, Gmail has certainly found its place in my daily tool-belt as well. To my delight, the email notification utility by the name of Gmail Growl (which we've covered before) has been updated with a slick feature: the ability to click on a Growl message notification to be taken to that specific Gmail message in your favorite browser. The nice part about this is that you can specify which browser to use; you aren't simply limited to the system's default browser - handy, when you consider the fact that Firefox supports all the rich text editing options Gmail has to offer, while Safari is still lagging behind (disclaimer: I don't know if that's a WebKit or a Gmail issue, so don't flame me). Gmail Growl can be had, for free, at the author's site. As usual with great freeware like this, I encourage you to make a donation to help keep great utilities like this alive.[via Hawk Wings]
