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Google Play gets a section for offline games
In an ideal world, your smartphone and tablet would always be online (and you'd still have an unlimited data plan), but that's just not the case. Problem is, some Android games require a connection even after you've completed your download, but others do not. It's that latter list that Google's breaking out into its own section in Play, called "Offline Games." There you'll find Asphalt 8, Dots, Jetpack Joyride, Assassin's Creed Pirates and a few others -- 54 games in all. That's a shockingly slim selection, so this list is hardly all-inclusive, but if you're in the market for a game to play on your next flight or subway ride, it's a good place to start.
Osmo extends iPad kids' gaming to the physical world
In a few short years, the iPad has gone from geeky luxury item to a ubiquitous, incredibly popular device -- and that's especially true with the fickle, frantic audience we call "the kids." Little hands love Apple's portable, touchable tablet... maybe a little bit too much. Parents and educators may be wondering if all this tablet time is the best way to engage and entertain young minds that learn most effectively by engaging with the physical world along with the virtual one. This tension between the allure of the iPad and the need to keep kids connected to reality is why the current pre-launch campaign for Osmo is so intriguing. With a remarkably simple hardware mirror module + stand to reorient the iPad's front-facing camera down towards a tabletop, plus some very clever software and visual recognition engineering, Osmo creates a "tangible play" experience that helps kids get out of the locked-in relationship with the iPad screen, and reconnects them to the people and objects around them. Osmo's three announced games -- Words, Tangram, and Newton -- all take advantage of the downward-view camera and the iPad's processing power to recognize what players are doing with real objects in the real world. For Tangram, it's geometric primitives assembled to match the onscreen design; with Words, players toss letters into the play zone to help answer clues. Newton is a "dots to target" puzzle game with a twist; the falling balls bounce off a drawing, objects or even a finger visible in the play field. It's easier to understand once you see it in action, as below. According to co-founder/CEO and ex-Googler Pramod Sharma, the kids in the promo video had never used or even seen the Osmo apps before they stepped in to be filmed. Their interactions and first impressions are what you see here. Osmo's pre-launch approach follows the example of a couple of other "quasi-crowdfunded" products, where the funding campaign is effectively an advance sale program; unlike many Kickstarter or Indiegogo hardware projects, the design and development of Osmo was locked pre-campaign. That didn't hold back its popularity, though; the product hit its $50,000 presale target within a few hours of the May 22 launch, and the second batch of pre-order units is now up for grabs. To sweeten the deal for early adopters (who get a $49 purchase price, versus the launch amount of $99 per Osmo, and additional $5 discounts for referrals), the company is promising that backers will get free downloads of any additional games released in the first two years of Osmo's sales. They'll also get a two-year replacement warranty if they lose any game pieces. With a target audience of kindergarteners through 12-year-olds, the Osmo market is nice and wide; schools and educators that have had a chance to help play-test and refine the product are expressing early enthusiasm for it. At the moment, however, it's parents and kids that Osmo wants to reach in advance of its late summer on-sale date. If it looks good to you, the pre-order desk is open.
Play: Steam games on the cheap thanks to daily Humble Bundles
Your average Humble Bundle is a fortnightly affair. Starting today, however, there's going to be a fresh bundle every 24 hours for a period of two weeks, which ought to add up to some decent savings for Steam gamers. If you've never partaken in one of these bundles before, then it's pretty simple: You visit the site to see what's on offer, choose how much (or how little) you want to pay for a bundle, decide how much of that money you want to allocate to a charity, and then look on in a contented stupor while the new titles magically weave their way into your Steam library. If you head over there today, you can get all the titles listed after the break for around £6 (although the site shows everything in dollars), or even less if you leave out one of the more mediocre titles, Dead Island: Riptide. (Update: the clock has ticked and the deal has already changed. There's now a new batch of goodies on offer.)
Play: The simple, mesmerizing Impossible Road
You can now play anything from first-person shooters to role-playing epics on mobile devices, but there's still plenty of love out there for casual time-killers. Impossible Road has recently arrived on Android after a year-long residency in the iOS App Store, and it's one of those games you can splurge an hour on at home, or poke at for five minutes on the bus. Your mission: Guide a ball down a winding track for as long as possible -- kind of like a never-ending Super Monkey Ball level, but set on the Rainbow Road track of Mario Kart legend. Admittedly, there isn't much originality to the gameplay, but Impossible Road does have a quirky and compelling visual style. You're an all-white ball in an all-white world, with the only definition and sense of space given by a ribbon-like track of changing blues that stretches to infinity below. The almost tribal techno soundtrack is a little busier than what's on screen, and it manages to match the pace of the game well, while also being a constant reminder of your inevitable doom.
Play: The frantic, fun and infuriating Trials Fusion
Some games are so challenging, frustrating and physically draining that your controller could easily explode against the nearest wall at any second. Trials Fusion is one of those games: A repetitive, soul-destroying platformer that'll have you playing the same level for hours on end, all in the hope you'll shave mere milliseconds from your previous best. However, it's only from the epicentre of this nightmare, through the tired workings of your callused, nail-bitten hands, that one experiences true gaming gratification. As with other games of this genre like Super Meat Boy or the Super Monkey Ball series, to name a few, the premise is devilishly simple. You must successfully navigate an obstacle course in the least possible time, mistakes not recommended. As its name suggests, Trials Fusion is based on the sport of motorcycle trials, with some motocross mixed in. Just it's more arcadey, and probably harder.
Play: Blizzard's easy-going collectible card game, Hearthstone
Blizzard's best-known for its RTS franchises and insanely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, not to mention the Diablo series. With fans of the publisher's prior work kept sated and docile by sequels and expansions, Blizzard's turned some of its attention to other genres, like the early stage MOBA Heroes of the Storm, and the card-based game we're talking about here: Hearthstone. Hear the words "card game," and it's hard not to think of the deep mechanics of Magic: The Gathering that may appear inhospitable to newcomers, like starting to watch LOST half-way through the third series. One of Hearthstone's main strengths, however, is accessibility.
Google clamps down on Android apps with deceptive ads
Google has issued revised rules for Google Play apps in its continuing effort to stay one step ahead of nefarious developers. This time, the primary target is apps with pop-up ads that spoof a system, service or app notification and trick you into clicking where you shouldn't. It's also cracking down on "promotion or install tactics" that cause downloads or Play store redirects without your say-so, along with apps that send unsolicited SMS ads. Finally, it's forbidding any the use of "erotic content" to promote pornography and forcing advertisers to clarify when and how they use in-app purchases. Google will allow developers a 15-day grace period before it drops the ban hammer -- by which point the bad guys will have likely found workarounds.
Flameseeker Chronicles: I'd like to build a Guild Wars 2 home
Happy 2014, everybody! For the first time in a long while, Guild Wars 2 has gone without updates for a few weeks while the ArenaNet team took a well-deserved break. The next content release will drop on January 21st and will reportedly herald the beginning of the end of the Scarlet Briar story arc. I've been spending my free time reading through the latest collaborative development initiative thread on the official forums. A few weeks ago I wrote about horizontal and vertical progression in GW2 and the CDI thread related to it; at this time the discussion on the forums has narrowed specifically to horizontal progression and what players would like to see from it. After posting our top three priorities for horizontal progression, we were asked to further narrow it down to one, in order to develop a proposal. Since it's been such a popular suggestion in the thread, I think it's a good time to talk about a subject near to my shriveled, cold Necromantic heart: player housing.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits?
Pretty much no one who plays video games regularly likes to be called a game addict. There's a stigma attached to gaming, one that makes a lot of players particularly uncomfortable. But we are frequently able to recognize when we're putting in more hours than are entirely healthy in various games. We don't want to be called addicts, but we recognize that spending our entire weekends in Final Fantasy XI or World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 is probably not a great sign. Sometimes it's just an isolated thing when we have a free weekend and wind up spending all of it gaming. Other times we step back and realize we're devoting too much of our time and energy to our games of choice and we need to back off a little bit. So does that sound like you? Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits by accident? Or do you feel you've never been a bit too focused on playing your MMO of choice? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Samsung Wallet hits Google Play for select Galaxy devices
Samsung's Wallet app, launched in Beta in the US a few months ago, is now available for wider consumption on Google Play in the US. Despite the name, it doesn't have Google Wallet-like powers of NFC payment, but works more like Apple's Passbook app to let you store and categorize tickets, membership cards, coupons and the like. Other functions include time and location-based ticket reminders, a "create my ticket" feature and the ability to receive co-marketing and loyalty card coupons. As you may expect, it's limited to Samsung devices, and for now the app only runs on the Galaxies S III, S 4, Note and Note II. You may also have trouble finding retailers accepting it, though Samsung said at launch that it would be supported by Walgreens, MLB, Expedia.com, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Lufthansa in the US. If the stars line up and you need something from one of those outfits, are in the US and have the right device, check the source.
Foxtel Play IPTV service now live in Australia ahead of official launch
Australians with Mac and PC computers, eligible Samsung Smart TV models and Xbox 360s can now get an IPTV package through Foxtel's Play service, even though the official launch is still two weeks away. For $25 AUD per month, you'll get you one genre-based package (the maximum four will cost $50), while sport, premium drama and movie channels will run an additional $25 each. Current cable or satellite subscribers will get the service for for free on up to two registered devices, including iPads, iPhones and Samsung models. Unlike Foxtel's regular TV offerings, though, you can grab an IPTV package on a month-to-month basis, with no commitment. For those who wish to remain unplugged, that could come in especially handy for certain sporting events.
Google Glass may get Play Store access soon
Third-party apps have begun trickling out for Glass, but if Google expects thousands of add-ons to make their way to the public, it's going to need a searchable database of available downloads. And that structure could very well come in the form of a Glass-optimized Play Store. Android and Me noticed a "Google Glass 1" entry pop up in the device field following Mountain View's Play refresh that hit the web last night. It's not possible to push apps directly to the wearable at the moment -- the Glass option is not currently live -- but it's entirely possible that the device could be selectable in the near future. Take a closer look in the screenshot at the source link below.
Xolo Play T1000 brings Tegra 3-based phones to India
Tegra 4-based phones may be all the rage lately, but many in India haven't even had a shot at the Tegra 3 -- not very fair, we'd say. Xolo is addressing that deficit by launching the Play T1000, which brings the Tegra 3 to the country for the first time. The quad-core processor adds a gaming-friendly spin to what's otherwise a close cousin of the X1000 we saw back in March. Both phones share a 4.7-inch 720p LCD, 21Mbps HSPA+ and an 8MP rear camera; the T1000 cuts the (thankfully expandable) storage down to 4GB in return for a sharper 2MP front camera. Pricing may clinch the deal for some Indians, however. The Play T1000 is available now for 15,999 rupees ($268) off-contract -- a price low enough to make us wish there were plans for a US release.
Google hiring gift card marketer, must speak Canadian and Australian
Google wants to up its gift card game both in The Great White North and Down Under. To help this effort, the search giant recently posted a job listing for a marketing manager based out of its Mountain View HQ. Becoming as ubiquitous as iTunes or Amazon gift cards is probably the goal, but we're wondering why it isn't looking home, first. Play gift cards are available from Target, Walmart and others but are curiously absent from Best Buy's shelves. Regardless, if you want to be the one who breaks the big G into JB HiFi's stock room, hurry up and click the source link. We've already applied.
Google Play for Education now accepting developer submissions
Google's getting serious about education. Its Play for Education portal, announced last month at I/O, is creeping ever closer to a full launch, with a call for application submissions starting today. Developers that want to be considered for Google's curated storefront can mark their applications for consideration now via the Play Developer Console. But unlike the wild, wild west of the Play store at-large, where anything goes, not every education-focused app will get the greenlight. In fact, Google's submission process requires all applications marked as suitable for K-12 to first pass through a network of non-affiliated educators for evaluation before then being measured against the Play for Education store's requirements for classroom use. If selected, developer's applications will be made available to the many pilot programs currently underway across the country, with an eventual full-scale rollout when Play for Education officially launches sometime this fall.
Opera for Android out of beta, available on the Play store now
If your ears perked up when you heard about Opera for Android going WebKit, but were holding out for the final, non-beta version, then that wait is over. More recent features of the browser include the option to toggle the nav-bar location, text-wrapping when zooming and a full screen view of active tabs, but beyond that, the "what's new" section on the download page isn't saying much. So, while it's mostly the Opera we saw back at MWC, tools such as off-road mode (for data compressing) and a discovery mode are finally set for primetime. Ready to let Opera take the stage on your Android? Get your tickets at the source.
The Weekly Roundup for 05.13.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Roundup for 05.15.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google intros Play for Education, a curated portal for apps and books
Google's making it easy for educators and their students to discover and recommend applications and books with Play for Education. Announced onstage at this year's I/O by Chris Yerga, Google's Android Engineering Director, the new Play storefront organizes content by education type, age and various other criteria to make the content discovery process simple for higher learning institutions. What's more, all of the content that appears within this curated portal bears educators' stamps of approval, so users know that what they're accessing is tried-and-tested for quality. Play for Education also makes use of Google+ groups, so schools and universities can quickly push apps, books and other content out to their students and even bill to one central account. A pilot program for the service has already been underway with six New Jersey schools. Despite Google making the service official today, the actual sign-up window for general access won't be until sometime later this fall. However, developers can start submitting their applications right now.
Drums! gets redesigned for version 3.0
There are quite a few "drum simulator" apps on the iPad and the iPhone -- it's one of the first ideas a lot of developers had when the touchscreen devices became available, and lots of devs carried that idea out to release. But Drums! is one of the most popular of these apps -- it's gotten plenty of feature space from Apple, and has even been included in Apple Store demos for a while now. Just recently, Drums! was updated to version 3.0, and the app has been completely redesigned. The drums (which you just tap on to activate) are now represented with Retina display graphics, the drum sounds have been remastered and the app now has a music player, to allow you to play along with your own music. You can still record your work, or you can now record both drums and music, and then send that track out to email, WiFi or other popular file-sharing services. There are also now more drums available via in-app purchase, and you can do drum tricks like hit a rimshot just by tapping in a certain spot on the drum. Drums! is one of many drum-playing apps on the store, but it's a solid choice for sure. You can pick it up right now for just US$0.99. [via App Advice]
