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Engadget UK giveaway: win an Ollie bot and spine ramp courtesy of Sphero
The leftovers have been eaten and the games put away, but don't let your festive spirit dwindle just yet. We know all too well what Christmas can be like for big kids. Sure, everyone likes a nice scarf and fresh underwear to see in the new year, but functional presents just aren't the same as fun ones. Well, lucky for you, our friends at Sphero have supplied us with four of their smartphone-controlled bots to send out as belated Christmas gifts. We've got two of the white Ollie bots and two Darkside models up for grabs, with each winner also receiving an Ollie Spine Ramp for getting their trick on. As per usual, you can enter the competition up to three times via the Rafflecopter widget below, but don't forget to give the rules a quick scan first.
Engadget UK giveaway: win a Sphero 2.0 or Ollie bot courtesy of Orbotix
The best kind of presents to receive are often ones you have no legitimate need for; the gifts intended purely to put smiles on faces. And, having a little fun is exactly what this week's giveaway is all about. To get you in the Christmas spirit, our friends at Orbotix have been kind enough to supply no less than four of their speedy, app-controlled robots for us to send the way of big and small kids alike. We've got one of the company's Sphero 2.0 ball-bots to give away, as well as three of the newer Ollie bots, including an all-black and limited-edition Darkside model, meaning everyone has a whopping four chances to win. As is tradition, you can enter up to three times via the Rafflecopter widget below, though we'd advise a quick scan of the rules beforehand, if you wouldn't mind. Winning: congrats to David S. from Thames Ditton, Adam T. from Newcastle, Nihal C. from Warrington and Jon R. from Oldham.
Win an Ollie, Sphero 2.0 or Darkside Ollie from TUAW and Orbotix
Sphero and Ollie from Orbotix have been TUAW favorites for quite a while -- I mean, how can you not love fun and educational robots that are controlled and programmed from your favorite iOS device? Well, the good folks at Orbotix are making it easy for three lucky readers to pick up one of their products through a giveaway that will be running through 11 PM MST (10 PM PST) on November 30, 2014. How do you enter? Just click here, read the terms and conditions of the giveaway, fill out the simple form and click or tap that Submit button. One winner is going to get a Sphero 2.0 (above), the latest iteration of the app-controlled ball that does it all! Valued at US$149.99, Sphero zips around at up to 4.5 mph, glows in a rainbow of colors, can be controlled via a huge and growing variety of apps, and even programmed through SPRK. Want something with a bit more speed? One winner is going to get an Ollie (above) valued at $119.99. Ollie is the app-controlled robot driven by adrenaline and can speed around at up to 14 miles per hour! Built-in LEDs let you drive at night, and the Ollie app can give you the power to do insane tricks. The last prize is a Darkside Ollie (that's it in the photo above) valued at $149.99. Using Bluetooth LE for control up to 100 feet away, Darkside Ollie not only looks really cool, but comes with 2 nubby tires, 2 turbo tires, 2 prime hubs and 2 flux hubs. Like its sibling Ollie, Darkside Ollie can drive for over an hour on a full charge and can be programmed with MacroLab or OrbBasic on either your iPhone or iPad. Do we have you excited yet? Here's the link to the giveaway page again. Go and enter, and in the meantime, enjoy a few videos.
Ollie, the newest member of the Sphero family, can be yours today
It feels like CES 2014 took place an eternity ago. To be more specific, it's been roughly seven months since we were in Las Vegas for the madness that is the Consumer Electronics Show. So why are we telling you this? Well, because that's how long it has taken Sphero, formerly Orbotix, to bring its newest robot, Ollie, to market. But, as the saying goes, better late than never. As of today, Sphero's beginning to take orders for the $99 connected device on its website, while general availability at third-party retailers (such as the Apple Store) is set to be a few days later, on September 15th. Ollie, which was originally known as Sphero 2B, isn't meant to replace the original Sphero. Instead, the company wants to make it clear that Ollie is here to expand the family, not to replace its rather popular, first- or second-generation robotic spheres.
Shaun White Skateboarding teaches you how to ollie once more
Unlike the Skate and Tony Hawk series, Shaun White Skateboarding's gameplay mixes striking visuals with a half-arcade/half-simulation skateboarding style. The latest trailer emphasizes the latter half of that style, gearing up players for the game's release on October 24 and teaching us once more how to pull off the notorious ollie.
Sitting for a portrait with FaceTime on iPhone 4
So, you're tired of your Twitter avatar, the photo of your face that you took in Photo Booth. Maybe a nice portrait would be in order... David Lanham, who is probably best known for his work with Iconfactory (he designed Ollie, the Twitteriffic bluebird), is an accomplished artist whose body of work using electronic media and traditional art media is whimsical, thought-provoking, and beautiful. I've used one of his vector drawings (Game Hunter) as my desktop wallpaper on my iMac, and it never ceases to make me smile when I look at it. Lanham recently broke his foot, which forced him to hang around his house. A friend of his volunteered for a portrait, with the traditional "sitting" being done over a FaceTime call. He decided to make a few bucks while immobile, so he's been picking up FaceTime portrait work at $50 a pop. Once the portrait is complete, you can use it as your online avatar, and perhaps even order a giclée print for your study. According to a developer who is currently working with Lanham, the artist's inbox is now jam-packed with requests for these cool drawings, so don't expect him to respond immediately if you're in the market for a FaceTime portrait. Thanks to Jack (second from the right) for the tip!
Check-in from an Apple Store on Gowalla, get entered to win an Ollie
Iconfactory have a long history of lovely Mac things, including the spectacular Twitterrific iPhone app. When they created Twitterrific, they gave it an adorable icon of a little blue birdie. His name is Ollie. His popularity is always increasing. Of course, he is super cute, which helps. So super cute in fact, that the fellows at the Iconfactory have created a vinyl figure of Ollie. Gowalla is a location-based service; you use it to check in at places and you can collect badges and see if your friends are in the same place too. Sometimes they do promotions where you can pick up a physical version of an item, not just a badge, when you check in someplace. Do you see where I'm going with this? From now until April 6th, when you check in at an Apple Store on Gowalla, you will be able to pick up a digital Ollie as part of your Gowalla booty. As an added bonus, a hundred exceptionally lucky folks will also receive an actual Ollie figure. If it turns out I am not among the winners, they will also receive the bonus of a bit of my jealousy. No, I don't know what prizes or surprises are in store for people who check in from the line outside the store, but I'm guessing if you aren't in line already, you won't be the person who gets bonus points for adding the venue. On the upside, this contest is open to anyone using Gowalla, so even if you aren't in the market for new hardware this weekend there's still a chance for you to win, provided you are wiling to brave the hordes who are in the market for new hardware this weekend...
Holiday giveaways: Ollie the Twitterrific bird
Yes, it's that time of year when we empty out the TUAW swag vaults and pass the savings on. Our candidate today: He's avian, he's blue, and he might be coming to you.... Yes, it's the icon come to life who chirps his way into your heart, Ollie the Twitterrific bird. The Iconfactory's chatty quasi-mascot has been rendered into toy form (both in regular and limited-edition flocked versions) by designer David Latham and Strangekiss Art Toys, and we've got four of the wee blue birdies to give away to our lucky readers. Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite childhood toy, and you'll be entered into the giveaway. One entry per person please! We'll ship out the birds after the first of the year, so they won't make it under the tree, but they'll keep you company for all of 2010. (Bonus geek cred to anyone who rigs their Ollie up with a USB speaker and Growl to announce incoming tweets.) The rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter leave a comment describing your favorite childhood toy. The comment must be left before Wednesday, December 23, 11:59PM ET. You may enter only once. Four winners will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: One of four Ollie dolls (regular or flocked). Doll type selected at random. ARV of prize: $19.95 regular, $26.95 flocked. Click Here For Official Rules.
And now here's Koraa with the Shaman forecast
Thanks, Koraa! Musolini of Uldaman-US posted a thread in the Shaman forums that is... well, pretty hilarious if you're familiar with the Ollie character they parody alongside their Shaman class. You might want to read through it just for that alone.To discuss the actual change, which I assume is a change in Wrath (but may come sooner since Koraa didn't specify), the few Shaman I've spoken to about it seem pretty excited. It seems minor, and may be minor in the long run, but this change would allow totems to be used through Spell Lock and Silence effects. When your Shaman gets Counterspelled in the arena, they'll still be able to drop Totems at least. It certainly won't fix everything, but you'll still have some of your defenses(and offenses) available to you, and you won't be completely shut down. There's still a long road ahead, but this is a step in the right direction.
