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Joystiq at the Wrath of the Lich King launch: San Francisco
Late last night (and well into this morning), Activision, Blizzard, and GameStop turned a slice of San Francisco's Powell Street into a "Lunar Festival" for the launch of World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King. There were cosplayers; there were dancers; there were face painters; there were ... lots of people eager to get their mitts on the expansion.Several hundred fans turned out, including yours truly. We went, we saw, we ... Liched some King? Okay, so we didn't do that – and no, it doesn't even make any sense – but we did take a whole bunch of photos ensuring that, if you weren't there, it would be sort of like you were. Only without the crazy lady from upstairs threatening to have everyone charged with misdemeanors if the event didn't get quieter. Seriously.Have a look at our photo gallery and tell us that WoW isn't absolutely, preposterously huge.%Gallery-36767%
Viewsonic announces new digital photo frames, neither with WiFi
ViewSonic's half-heartedly announced a pair of 8-inch digital photo frames for your all of your half-hearted holiday shopping needs. The DPG801BK and the DPG807BK are basically the same product, with 800 x 600 resolution displays, a 500:1 contrast ratio, and 512MB of internal memory. If that's not enough memory for your um... memories, you can of course load in a memory card or USB drive (there's no wireless integration in either frame). The DPG807BK also has a remote control, which is going to be handy when you want to quickly cycle past photos of your "lovely family" from across the room. They're both available and the DPG801BK will go for $119 while the DPG807BK is $159 -- a small price to pay for the gift that says "I got this for you last night and you're lucky I even thought of it at all."Read - DPG801BK Read - DPG807BK
Poladroid beta is seriously awesome
Geezers like me probably remember Polaroid cameras. Before the instant gratification of digital, we stood in the back yard shaking a slowly-developing print of Aunt Shirley sitting with her sheet cake. The result was a square, over-saturated print that would be passed around with calls of "Don't get frosting all over that!"While the Polaroid corporation stopped production of the bulky cameras in February of 2008, you can still find a few in stores. Or just try Poladroid.Poladroid creates Polaroid-style images from your photos. The UI is a lot of fun. Drop your photos onto the Poladroid "camera," and after a few seconds, it spits out your unprocessed print. Watch it slowly "develop," or speed up the process by -- you guessed it -- shaking vigorously. You can create an image at any stage in your print's development by double-clicking and selecting "Take a sample." When your print is fully ready, a red "x" appears on the bottom.This application, while in beta, is a whole lot of fun. I dropped a dozen pictures onto it in the first five minutes and the results are just great.I'm really looking forward to the progress of this little app.
Social networking for iPhone: Fliq your friends
Longtime Mac developer Mark/Space, Inc. has just announced their first app for iPhone, and it's free.Fliq (click opens iTunes) runs on the iPhone and iPod touch and is billed as a "real-time social networking app between friends in close proximity." If you and your friends are on the same Wi-Fi network, and if the free Fliq app is running on all of your iPhone or iPod touch devices, you can send contacts and photos to each other. Upon launching Fliq, a list of nearby devices also running Fliq is displayed (see screenshot). After selecting who to Fliq information to, a screen prompts you to send your pre-selected "business card", another contact, or a photo to the other iPhone.In practice, Fliq works very well. My wife and I were able to send photos and contact information back and forth with no issues. I'd like to see Bluetooth transfer capabilities built in for those situations where there's no nearby Wi-Fi network.The Fliq Web page notes that Fliq will soon have the ability to transfer contacts and photos to a Mac or Windows PC.In the interest of full disclosure, blogger Steve Sande has done consulting work for Mark/Space in the past, although not for this product.
Explore the halls and amenities of Blizzard HQ
Blizzcon is this weekend, and journalists and bloggers the world over are descending upon California to report on everything from Diablo 3 classes to -- you guessed it -- World of Warcraft. MTV's Multiplayer blog counts itself a member of that gaming press Horde, and in addition to your usual Blizzcon coverage, it visited Blizzard's headquarters and took lots of photos.The HQ has a museum, a movie theater, a gymnasium, and a bunch of other amenities, and they're all documented in Multiplayer's gallery. The walls are covered in Warcraft and Starcraft artwork -- basically, it's just as awesome as you would expect it to be. Hit the source link to browse the gallery to your fanboy/fangirl heart's content. One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
BlizzCon 2008: The costumes
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/WoW_Insider_covers_the_costumes_of_BlizzCon'; The best part of coming to a convention like BlizzCon? Sure, the news is great, and it's fun to meet the devs and fellow WoW players, but let's be serious: everyone comes to see the costumes.If you didn't make it to Anaheim, here's the best part of the convention for you. We'll be updating this gallery all weekend long with all of the costumes we see on the floor, so make sure to check back throughout the next two days to see all of the people that showed up looking silly awesome. Ok, so yes, some of these are more awesome than others. But you have to give it up for anyone who has the courage to go out in public dressed like a Blizzard character.%Gallery-34205%
A sneak peek at the BlizzCon floor
Our good friends at the Orange County Register were lucky enough to be let into BlizzCon yesterday (we'll be on the floor in just a few hours here), and they've got a preview gallery of what it's like in there up on their site right now. There's nothing super revealing in there, but there are lots of pictures of vendors setting up, and the various stages they'll have at the event. The Illidan statue from last year is making a re-appearance, and he's joined by someone Starcraft fans will want to see.We can't wait to get in there -- Diablo 3 will be playable, and of course we'll have coverage from all the panels, tournaments, and booths inside the convention center all day today and tomorrow. The Opening Ceremony starts at 11am PST, so stay tuned here to watch our coverage as it goes down live.
Teal'c visits Stargate Worlds
Stargate SG-1 actor Christopher Judge visited Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's game development studio to check out Stargate Worlds last week. Judge played the part of Teal'c -- the Jaffa warrior on the SG-1 team -- for the entire run of the TV series and in the movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum, and has appeared on Stargate Atlantis as well.Members of the development teamed gushed about how awesome he was on the Stargate Worlds community site. "I wouldn't have thought I was the type to get embarrassed and feel like a blushing teenage girl (no offense to blushing teenage girls) when meeting a star like Christopher Judge but apparently I totally am," said one of the team members. The team got the impression that Judge was "SUPER excited" about the game.CME/FireSky put up a gallery of pictures from the visit. The studio was also visited by Formula1 race car driver Jonathan Summerton, which seems kind of random. If you want pics of that event, there's a gallery for that too.
Maperture brings geotagging to Aperture
Maperture is a nifty little plugin for Aperture that lets you geotag photos in your library. We've covered quite a few different geotagging apps for the Mac, but this is the first one that works so well with Aperture as a plugin. Basically, Maperture integrates an interface to Google Maps which allows you to easily place your pictures on a map, saving the location information as metadata in the photos. Since it's a front end for Google Maps, you get its built-in features like the satellite and hybrid views, etc. In addition, Maperture will automatically place images already containing location information on the map for you. Now the only problem is remembering exactly where you were when you took the picture!Maperture is a free download from Übermind and requires Aperture 2.[via Macworld]
Jade 1.2: digital image processing for Leopard
Italian developers DataMind Srl have announced the release of Jade 1.2, the latest in a series of image processing apps from the company. DataMind also has a version of Jade for iPhone and iPod touch (link to iTunes App Store) for enhancing photos on the run.Jade provides one-click enhancement of digital images (see example at top of post) using a set of algorithms invented by the company founders. These algorithms enhance colors, contrast, and dynamics, and you can fine-tune intensity, contrast, and color correction to acheive perfection. I tried Jade on a few iPhoto pictures and found that the enhancements were less harsh than those provided by iPhoto.The application is available in both Home (€19.99) and Pro (€49.99) versions for Mac and Windows. There's also an Aperture plugin, and the app works well with iPhoto. The 1.2 upgrade doesn't appear to add any major new functionality other than the ability to upload to Flickr directly from the application. It does, however, have a number of ease-of-use and preferences changes that streamline the image enhancement process.Not sure if Jade is what you need? There's a 30-day free trial download available for the desktop version.
Nintendo launches Digicam Print Channel [update]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_of_Japan_launches_Digicam_Print_Channel'; Nintendo of Japan has just started a new Wii channel that allows users to view and even print digital photos from the Wii. Through a collaboration with Fujifilm, Japanese Wii users can now order prints of digital camera photos through the Wii for 30 yen (28 cents) each. Users can also purchase special Wii Photo Books for 1,575 yen ($14,71), or deluxe Mario-themed Wii Photo Books for 2,480 yen ($23.16).In addition, the service offers meishi (like Japanese business cards, but even more prevalent) in multiple colors, emblazoned with the Mii of the user's choice, at a rate of 500 yen per 30 cards.We think this is a really cool and unique feature that we wouldn't mind trying out oursel -- oh, wait, we're supposed to be "hardcore gamers." We almost forgot to hate it and blame this new service for the death of gaming! Oh, man, how embarrassing.Update: Now with more video![Via NeoGAF] Love the imports? Then keep up to date with the import scene by keeping up to date with us! Want more info on the various Channels, both at home and abroad? We've got you covered through our Channels category!
Photos from AppleStore Beijing
Apple opened its first Chinese store last Friday, just in time for the opening of the Olympic Games on August 8th. Unlike their counterparts in London, the queuers didn't appear to need chairs for comfort, but umbrellas were useful for keeping the heat at bay. According to our tipster in Beijing, the store sells all Apple products except iPhones, which have not yet been officially launched there yet.Chris Evers also took some pictures of the opening, which you can see on a MobileMe gallery here.UPDATE: That MobileMe photo gallery appears to be unavailable right now. We'll leave the link in place in the hope that it comes back up soon. Thanks to the commenters who alerted us to the breakage.Thanks to Zach Honig for the tip and the main photo.
First Look: SodaSnap Instant Postcards
Missing iCards? Well, SodaSnap hopes to fill the missing hole with their postcards for the iPhone. "SodaSnap Instant Postcards" is a a free application that does just that: creates postcards on-the-go. Just shoot a picture with your iPhone and SodaSnap lets you send it off as an e-mail postcard. You can choose a picture that is saved in your "Photos" library which allow folks with an iPod touch in on the fun. The best part of this iPhone application is that it just works, all without creating a pesky account with some company you've never heard of. That being said, your message is clearly passed through SodaSnap's servers, so you might want to be careful of what you write (such as personal information, etc.). SodaSnap provides great access to the address book for picking recipients. Overall, this is a fun application and the results are pretty good for a free application. SodaSnap Instant Postcards is a free download from the iTunes App Store. Get a detailed look at SodaSnap before downloading by looking at our gallery of screenshots.%Gallery-28163%
Shots from the E3 2008 showfloor
Wondering what E3 2008 actually looks like now that it's made a triumphant (if smaller) return to the L.A. Convention Center. Look no further than the handy gallery below, full of shots directly from the floor. This year's show may not capture the rock-concert-meets-theme-park feel of past shows, but it's still pretty cool walking into a huge room and seeing dozens new and unreleased games, free to try, as far as the eye can see. We'll be updating the gallery with interesting shots throughout the show, so be sure to check back frequently.%Gallery-27705%
Mystery Apple box
TUAW reader Gabriel Moore runs an Apple Certified Sales and Service store called Computer Evolution in Davenport, IA. He sent us a short note and link to a MobileMe Web Gallery with several pictures of a strange, Apple-labeled wooden box (picture above).Gabriel writes "One of our customers noticed that we have a small collection of Old Macs in my service department and thought That he would give me something to add to the collection... Problem is I have no idea what it is or why it has the Apple name. Is this an after market fan boy box or a real product from Apple Computer? Any help from the readers or you would be awesome."It looks like the 1980's Apple logotype, but I don't remember seeing a box like this anywhere. It's small enough that it could only contain something like an Apple IIc. Do any of you wonderful TUAW readers know what this box was used for? Let us know by leaving a comment below.Thanks to Gabriel for today's stumper!
Hands-on with iPhone 3G, more unboxing photos
BoyGeniusReport (BGR) somehow managed to get their hands on the new iPhone 3G a little earlier than anyone else. They have uploaded several high-quality pictures to show the comparisons between the 1st generation iPhone and the iPhone 3G. In addition, Paul Thurrott posted some iPhone 2.0 firmware upgrade screenshots to show the upgrade process and some of the new iTunes 7.7 and iPhone 2.0 features. [via MacRumors]
PhotoTiles: Make an image of images
Sometimes I see the name of a new piece of software that someone tips us off to, and the name conjures up something completely different from what the reality is. PhotoTiles, for instance, brought to mind the ability to create those cool pictures that are made up of all of your other photos. You know, like having a TUAW Logo that is made up of 2,500 thumbnail pictures that are chosen for their hue and intensity, then placed in the proper location.Well, PhotoTile doesn't exactly do that, but this small program from Limit Point Software is a handy utility. Instead of doing what I imagined, it basically takes a folder of image and turns that into one grid-like "über-image." For example, I took my Photo Booth folder, added a TUAW logo to round up to an even number of pictures, and dragged it onto PhotoTile. In a few seconds, it created the image that you see at right.This is great for creating contact sheets of photos. PhotoTiles is donation-ware. If you use it, make a donation and you'll get an unlock code that unlocks all utilities from Limit Point Software including PhotoTiles.
Pandora 2.3 Update
Positive Spin Media's media search tool, Pandora (formerly NetScrape) has been bumped up to version 2.3. The new version primarily fixes some issues that Pandora had with reading some pages with non-English languages or encoding. The update is free to registered users, and you can download the update today.If you haven't seen Pandora before, it's worth a look. Pandora uses a plug-in architecture to wander the big image search engines (i.e., Google and Flickr) or your hard drive, and supports finding and fetching any type of media -- not just images. Once you've found the media, Pandora provides easy slide show creation so you can show it off. I like the fact that you can start off multiple searches simultaneously and have them runThe Pandora demo is limited to 50 image viewings, and if you love it you can buy it for $29.95.
Flickr mobile photo uploader comes to BlackBerry
Not even a month after RIM let loose details on the forthcoming Media Sync application comes yet another piece of software sure to keep your thumbs even closer to your BlackBerry. Available now, the free Flickr mobile photo uploader enables BB owners to snap photos and easily upload 'em to their Flickr account -- something (almost) everyone else has been doing for quite some time. Heck, you can even slot an image in a given album, tag it and adjust its size right on your handset; if you're rocking a mobile with GPS, geotagging is an option, too. Tap the read link to get your download on.
(Not) Faked photos of 3G iPhone
The folks at iLounge provided us with a link to real photos of a 3G iPhone body, along with commentary on the new design. It's refreshing to finally see actual photos of the new iPhone instead of badly Photoshopped mockups.One close-up of the back of the black 3G iPhone shows that the material being used for the shell picks up very visible smudges and fingerprints, with the suggestion from Jeremy Horwitz that this may end up making the white model much more popular.The iLounge article speculates that a Product (RED) 3G iPhone may be available in late 2008 or early 2009. If you're wondering if your current iPhone case or accessories will work with the the new device, Horwitz feels that products that are designed to work for either existing iPhones or iPod Touch should be fine. However, docks, cases, and other accessories that were designed only for the first generation iPhone will not work. I, for one, am happy to see that Apple is making sure the iPhone / iPod economy continues to thrive!
