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The Daily Roundup for 05.03.2013
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 policy change requires apps like Facebook to update via the Play Store (updated)
Google just released a new Play Store version (4.0.27) that, at first glance, contains only very minor tweaks -- except for one little thing. A new policy change will no longer permit any apps to update without going through the Play Store's internal system. That won't affect most software, but there's a notable exception in Facebook, which recently added auto-downloading to the latest version of its Android app, allowing it to bypass Play. The new policy seems designed to put a stop to that kind of thing, but you never know -- it could be just be a coincidence. Update: Google has reached out to clarify that it also posted the policy changes to its Developer Console with the following statement: Google Play Program Policies have been updated. See "Content Policies" section, which clarifies that "An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism." Google Play is a trusted source for Android application downloads, and we are committed to providing a secure and consistent experience. Learn More. [Thanks, Thomas]
Google Play Books for iOS catches up to Android version with mapping info, user guide
Apple devices will finally get a Google Play Books update received by Android users back in September that packs a couple of useful new flourishes. The headliner is a geographical look-up feature that lets you see a description and Google Maps view of a location from a book just by tapping and holding on it in flowing text mode -- letting you supplement A Moveable Feast with details about Paris, for instance. Mountain View also added a user guide, support for fixed layout EPUB books plus Japanese vertical flowing text and the ever-popular "substantial improvements in performance and stability." Now that Maps is back in the Apple fold, hopefully similar location features will hit more of Google's iOS apps -- meanwhile, hit the source to grab today's update.
Early leak shows what Google Play version 4.0 might be (video)
Even as Facebook is testing an end-run around Google's app repository, the company's next version of the Play store has apparently been revealed on Droid-Life. Pictures and a hands-on video reveal a tweaked look and deeper integration of the Holo-theme, although the overall layout is mostly still the same. While many of the new pages are still blank in this look, it's easier to switch between searching for apps, music, books and video and everything has a more consistent look. The settings are also slightly altered, with items like auto update apps and auto update over WiFi consolidated into one. We don't know when this update will go live to the general public (Google I/O is still so far away), but let us know if you're seeing v4.0.16 locally. The video is embedded after the break, check the source link below for more pictures and impressions.
FishLabs working on Galaxy on Fire strategy MMO
If you've never downloaded Galaxy on Fire 2 for iOS (especially considering that it went free a little while ago), I'm comfortable with calling you nuts at this point. The game, which is a free flying space trading/combat title, is just plain terrific, with some of the best-looking graphics on Apple's portable platform. German developer Fishlabs has loaded the initial release with content, and then added more and more in update after update. Apple's honored Galaxy on Fire 2 with plenty of awards (it's currently being honored as App of the Week), and every one of them is well deserved. And now, Fishlabs has announced its plan for a followup: a Galaxy on Fire MMO. That's right, Fishlab is putting a game together called "Galaxy on Fire: Alliances," which will be a strategy title with real-time elements, pitting lots of players against each other as they build up bases, grow fleets, commandeer new territories and grow the economy together and against each other. The title looks very exciting and quite different from what we've seen of Galaxy on Fire so far. If you haven't grabbed the game yet, definitely do so, considering that it's completely free at the moment. And we'll keep an eye out for Alliances going forward. Fishlabs says the game should be ready for release in the third quarter of this year. Show full PR text Somewhere far beyond: Fishlabs announces Galaxy on Fire – Alliances, a new sci-fi MMO for smartphones and tablets Fishlabs Entertainment is working on a new Massively Multiplayer Online Game with real time strategy elements set in the Galaxy on Fire universe. If all goes as planned, Galaxy on Fire™ - Alliances will be released on the App Store later this year. It will be optimized for all current models of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Hamburg, Germany - February 11th, 2013 – Fishlabs, the Hamburg-based developer and publisher of high-end 3D games for smartphones and tablets, announces its first MMORTS (Massively Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy Game). Galaxy on Fire™ - Alliances will not only mark the first strategy game in the award-winning portfolio of Germany's "Best Studio 2011" but also will it be Fishlabs' biggest and most ambitious project to date. By fully embracing the Free-2-Play business model, the next spin-off of the critically acclaimed GOF series will introduce thousands of new players to the war-torn Galaxy on Fire universe and offer a unique sci-fi gaming experience that is cooperative and competitive in equal shares. Among others, players can look forward to state-of-the-art 3D graphics and captivating story telling as well as top-notch sound design and gripping gameplay mechanics. Galaxy on Fire™ - Alliances is being developed with the aid of Fishlabs' proprietary ABYSS® 3 engine and scheduled to be released for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in Q3 of 2013. Subsequent to its release on iOS, an Android porting of the game is planned as well. "Never before in the eight years of our existence have we worked on a title with a team as big as the Alliances team," says Michael Schade, CEO of Fishlabs Entertainment. "Free-2-Play is an incredibly exciting and promising market for mobile developers and we're really eager to create a premium-quality F2P title, which includes all the features and characteristics that have made our previous titles so unique and successful. As you can imagine, this is not an easy task, but we've got a team of highly experienced and talented industry specialists assigned to the development of Alliances and the playable alpha version of the game does already look pretty amazing." The events of Alliances™ take place in a remote and hitherto unexplored part of the universe, where valuable resources and ancient artifacts are expected to be found. In order to gain access of these riches, the most powerful factions of the galaxy, namely the Terrans, Vossk and Nivelians, order their best commanders to build an outpost on that out-of-the-way star cluster and claim dominion to that yet-to-be-acquired sphere. In order to succeed against a multitude of ruthless opponents and add more and more planets to their territories, the players will have to display strong tactical and diplomatic skills on the one hand and an extraordinary talent for resource management on the other. Furthermore, they will have establish a flourishing economy and do a lot of research in order to get access to stronger technologies. And last but not least they will also have to forge alliances with other players in order to make new friends and comrades and be able to stand up to seemingly superior enemies in epic space battles. In the weeks and months prior to the launch, Fishlabs will keep their fans in the loop about the latest happenings from the Alliances camp through their blog (www.fishlabs.net/en/blog/), their forum (http://forums.fishlabs.net/en/) and the official Facebook fan page for the Galaxy on Fire saga (www.facebook.com/galaxyonfire). A series of developer diaries, which will enable to the fans to take a look behind the scenes of the production, is going to be published through the afore-mentioned channels as well.
Nexus 4 smartphones back on Google Play in Germany (Update: now available in the US and Canada!)
If the Nexus 4's recent scarcity has been making you want it even more, there's good news: it's now back on Google Play shelves. After a lengthy shortage resulted in a minor finger-pointing episode between Mountain View and manufacturer LG, the pair have starting restocking the popular quad-core, Android 4.2-pure device, on Play, well ahead of LG's February estimate. So far, it's only popped up in Germany, and there's no word yet on when they'll arrive elsewhere. Given the pent-up demand, however, you may want to grab one when it does. Update: The Nexus 4 is now available through Google Play in the US as well! Hopefully other countries won't be far behind. Update 2: Google isn't leaving out our northern friends, as Canadians can once again buy both Nexus 4 capacities.
Microsoft's Play strategy brings Xbox games to Windows 8 and RT (video)
Microsoft signaled its intent to directly back Windows 8 gaming before the OS was shipping, and it's proving true to its word through a new Play program. The team-up with NVIDIA brings Xbox (or really, Xbox Live Arcade) games directly to Windows 8 and Windows RT, with friends, multiplayer and other extras intact. An initial catalog won't move all our playtime to a Surface just yet, though. While there's notable titles like Ilomilo+ and Toy Soldiers, most of the 15-game library involves decidedly casual releases like Minesweeper. It's still a start, and more is coming: Microsoft tells us that the spring launch of World Series of Poker: Full House Pro will let gamers resume play on either Windows or the Xbox. We're not expecting a completely cross-platform Halo 5 anytime soon, but having a steady stream of familiar, tightly integrated games may keep some of us in Microsoft's ecosystem for a good while.
CES: Phone Joy gets a Kickstartered controller ready for production
PhoneJoy is one of many companies putting together controllers for iOS devices, but unlike, say, the Gameloft-only Duo Gamer controller, PhoneJoy is aiming to make their button pad as accessible and open as possible. The company successfully raised funds through Kickstarter last year, and here on the floor of CES, they were showing off a few different prototypes of the controller, heading into production as soon as April. The controller itself is a sturdy little piece of work, with four buttons, two analog sticks, and a d-pad. While one of the prototypes PhoneJoy showed us at CES didn't expand out, all of the others (and the final production model) will pull apart in two with a telescoping bar in the middle, making the controller one-size-fits-all for any smartphone you happen to have. The controller will also be extremely compatible from a software standpoint, as it's designed to work across Bluetooth with any Android or iOS device. The models being shown at CES were running on both Android phones and an iPad, and those phones were sending off video to a much larger screen, which allowed the PhoneJoy crew to show off apps like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as if running on a console. There will be an iCade mode on the controller, if you'd like to play with that emerging standard, but the controller will also conform to a number of other standards, including the Bluetooth HID standard, so nearly any game should work great with this one right out of the box. And the developers are considering an "iCade+" mode as well, which would add the analog stick to the usual iCade controls, to play iCade games with both joysticks. When the controller finally arrives, hopefully around April, it should cost around US$60-70, though since PhoneJoy is still working out the components, that price isn't put into stone just yet. "We're doing the tools now," PhoneJoy's Martin Kessler told us, "and from there, we'll start doing the molds." After that, it's just a few more steps in the Hong Kong production line for the PhoneJoy controller to become real, and when it does, iOS gamers will have another really great Bluetooth controller option to play with.
Panasonic Electronic Touch Pen lets you scribble on your screen, we go hands on (video)
You know what's wrong with most TVs? The fact that you can't draw on them, right? Well as we learned this morning, Panasonic has developed its own solution to the problem with the newly announced Touch Pen and we managed to get hand(s) on. The wireless pen allows you to draw directly onto compatible Panasonic TVs, annotate, draw, whatever takes your fancy, and then share these images via a range of different connectivity options (via a paired tablet and Panasonic's Viera Remote 2.0 app, or save to USB etc). Panasonic was keen to point out that, unlike existing solutions, the Touch Pen doesn't need any extra hardware, just the TV and the device itself. The actual hardware part is somewhat large, but not cumbersome, and it's pretty clear that this was designed to be comfortable for most hands, yet durable, particularly suitable for children. This comes as no surprise considering that the pen is also effectively a HID device, doubling as a stylus for input and game control. While we were at the booth we loaded up a simple game, and used the pen to control the penguins on the ice, much like flicking angry birds on a phone. In actual use, if you are watching something and you have a sudden burst of inspiration, all you need to do is hold the pen to the screen, and after a short wait the TV grabs a shot of the screen, much like taking a screenshot on a smartphone. With the picture snagged, a simple art interface comes up, with options for colors, pen types, undo, save and so on. We spent a few moments amusing ourselves by adding comedy facial accoutrements to the onscreen protagonist. We can definitely see that this would be a fun novelty for home use, of particular interest to kids. There is also potential for some simple business use too. Whichever case use appeals most to you, over all it's just another input option, and if you're like us, that's always a welcome addition. Once again, Panasonic were tight-lipped on when we might see this, and for how much, but don't be surprised if you see this pop back up some time around summer.%Gallery-175342% Sean Cooper and Steve Dent contributed to this report.
Google to Verizon Android users: carrier billing coming to Play store
If you're on Verizon and don't feel like racking up your plastic when you buy Play store apps or content, the carrier will soon give you the option of putting it on your phone bill, according to a recent Google tweet. Mountain View's had the option for a while now, with T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T having already jumped on the app-billing bandwagon, which left Verizon as the final major to climb aboard. Other than saying that you'll be able to bill apps and music that way, details are scant -- but considering Big Red's whopping Android lineup, it's about time.
Google's Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky
While Apple struggles to figure out how to help its users find their way, the mapping experts at Google have just launched a way to get folks to diverge a bit from their given path. Field Trip, released for Android by Google-owned Niantic Labs, runs in the background on your Android handset, eagerly waiting for you to get near a point of interest. Once that happens, it leaps into action, showing you a card for one of thousands of cool locations -- historic spots, museums, restaurants and the like. Google's partnered with a bunch of taste makers for the project, including Flavorpill, Cool Hunting and its own Zagat, to get things done. You can vote choices up and down, change the frequency of pop ups and post your findings to Twitter, Facebook and that one Plus social network. There's also a driving mode serves as an auditory tour guide when you're behind the wheel. The app's available now as a free download in Play. The iOS version, on the other hand, is coming soon. Psst... yes, it appears to be US-only for now. Bah, humbug.
Halo 4 pre-order goods plant their flag in select retailers
In the old days, we used to just toss our cash upward into the wind, wait 3-5 business days, then find a game waiting on our doorstep. Today, retailers compete for your gaming dollars with pre-order incentives, and Halo 4 is the latest to play into that retail shuffle.Depending on the retailer you hitch your Warthog to, you'll snag some very different things: Amazon will offer a golden "web" skin for use in multiplayer and a pair of exclusive emblems, while GameStop will offer the customizable "forest" skin for multiplayer. UK retailer GAME is tossing in the blue circuit armor skin, an arctic weapon skin and six specializations – these are further cosmetic tweaks to help you stand out from the rest of the cybernetic crowd.Other specific UK retailers have their pre-order items listed past the break, like Blockbuster (you guys still have those over there?). And if you're really looking to buy everything with Halo 4 printed on it, the soundtrack and special editions are also tempting offers.Halo 4 launches on November 6 worldwide, exclusively for the Xbox 360.
Google Play's End of Summer Sale outed by discounted apps, lets the Lorax speak for the savings
It looks like a handful of select apps have outed Mountain View's Labor day plans: Google Play's End of Summer Sale. SwiftKey 3, The Lorax -- Dr. Seuss, Square Enix's Crystal Defenders, and other apps are now brandishing deep discounts, almost uniformly attributing the savings to the End of Summer Sale. Not every title on discount claims to be part of the unannounced event, however -- Max Payne Mobile slashed its price by 67 percent without so much as a hint at the alleged festivities. Google hasn't made the event official just yet, but we'd be willing to wager the deals will run through the holiday weekend. Check out the source link below to start making the most of your Google gift cards. Update: Google's made the sale official, featuring 18 discounted apps for your shopping pleasure. Check out the official list of sale items at the updated source link below, but don't limit yourself: Max Payne Mobile and a handful of other deeply discounted games aren't on it.
Google Play gift cards show up for real, come in $10 and $25 flavors
Remember that Google Play gift card support we told you about just this morning? Well now things got real. Literally. The pic above shows one of the shrink-wrapped critters in a $25 denomination. Android Central claims they were sent a few different pictures, showing $10 varieties also -- and as we can see from the box -- they're good for music, movies, books, apps and (mysteriously) "more." So if you're after that hot new game, now's about the time to start dropping hints to your nearest and dearest.
Google Play Books starts a new chapter in France
Now that the legal dust has settled and Google's publishing woes in 'ol Gaul have been swept under the rug, it's back to business as usual. Starting today, the land of Jerry Lewis lovers will have access to books on Google Play, making it the fifth European country to participate in Mountain View's online ebook store. Initially, the available catalog of domestic titles will count in the "hundreds of thousands" -- a sizable library that will surely expand as publishers grow comfortable with the Play ecosystem and more deals are struck -- and is supplemented by existing arrangements with international publishers. So, if you always meant to brush up on your Flaubert or Fifty Shades of Grey, well, now's your chance La France. Official PR after the break.
PSA: Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ up for sale again at Google Play store (update: now shipping in '1-2 weeks')
And just like that it's back. Following a yesterday's temporary stay of the ban on Google's HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus by Judge Koh, the soon-to-be Jelly Bean-loaded device is again up for sale at the Play store -- and a bit earlier than expected. If you'll recall, Google notes that Android 4.1 apparently mitigates the issues brought up within the dispute by Apple, which has until July 12th to issue a response on the matter. Orders are slated to ship in "two to three weeks," (see the update below) so we'd suggest you grab one quick while it's fresh and tasty to ensure your taste buds get the latest Android sugar fix. Update: Well that was quick. Just a few hours after going up for sale, the shipping estimate has been reduced from ''two to three weeks'' to ''one to two weeks.'' It's so close you can almost taste it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google Play lets you update and uninstall apps from the comfort of your browser
It's surely been a crazy couple of weeks for the folks at Google. The company clearly has more new features than it can shove into a couple of lengthy keynotes -- like functionality for Play that lets users update and uninstall apps by way of the My Android Apps tab in the browser-based version of the store. Check the source link below to begin your cloud-based bidding. [Thanks, Allen]
Google Chrome for Android comes out of beta, hits Play today
Sick of hearing about Google yet? Perhaps you're not. The search giant has unleashed one final bit, quietly announcing that Chrome for Android has finally emerged from its beta stage as a stable release. Version 18.0.1025123 has officially arrived in Google Play and is available for download now for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich. Updates from the beta appear to be modest, and include some minor user interface tweaks, along with stability and performance fixes -- the big news here is the official nod from Mountain View. If you've been holding out for a final release, the time has come to hit up Play -- get where you need to go by clicking through to our source link below.
Google to hand over $25 Play credit with each Nexus 7 tablet purchase
Among the premature Google Play leaks this morning is a line about a purchase bonus, to ship alongside each Nexus 7 tablet. As a temporary incentive, Mountain View is offering customers a $25 credit to spend on Play store content, along with additional content, including a copy of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. We're just minutes away from the start of Google's I/O conference keynote, where we expect to hear full details about the tablet and bonus cash, along with a handful of other devices, such as the Nexus Q.
The Daily Grind: Should players be rewarded for playing alts?
Star Wars: The Old Republic is rolling out a big improvement to its Legacy system on Tuesday... at least, a big improvement if you play a lot of alts. If you generally stick to one character, most of the new perks won't actually help your gameplay in the slightest. Which is a bit disappointing if you're not really a fan of playing alts. Altaholics and their close kin will argue that most MMOs actively discourage alts, some with great vigor (Final Fantasy XI makes an alt almost wholly undesirable at every turn). Having some extra perks for those who like leveling alts is a welcome change. But at the same time, for players who dislike having dozens of characters, it's awful restrictive when you can only get some rewards by doing things you dislike. So what do you think? Should players be rewarded with some extra perks if they play a lot of alts? Or should playing an alt be its own reward, without any attendant in-game benefits? 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!
