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DuPont can print a 50-inch OLED TV in two minutes, you'll be waiting a little longer
Right now LG's 15-inch OLED TV is the cheapest you can get -- but at about $2,500 it won't be rocking too many peoples' lives. We've heard promises of dropping costs thanks to printed displays for ages now, but never on a scale like this. DuPont has teamed up with Dainippon Screen to create a printing technique capable of line-feeding a 50-inch display in just two minutes. Two minutes! The printer is likened to a high precision garden hose, flying over the display surface at a speed of five meters per second depositing that good, good OLED juice in just the right places with nary a drip or an unwanted sprinkle. DuPont Displays President William Feehery says the technique "is worth scaling up" and could compete on cost with LCDs while delivering a 15-year lifespan. That's not quite the 100 years they promised us last time, but we'll take it. No word on when, or if, this technique will actually be deployed en masse.
3D printer creates ice sculptures -- just add water
Paper-mache, candy, and human cells have all been seen flowing through 3D printers for custom fabrication work, but students and faculty at Canada's McGill University have a cheaper prototyping material: plain ol' H2O. They recently modified this Fab@Home Model 1 by replacing the soft goo extruders with a temperature-controlled water delivery system, and set about making decorative ice sculptures and a large beer mug for good measure. While the academic project is officially supposed to explore "economic alternatives to intricate 3D models of architectural objects," we're not sure architects will want much to do with prototypes that drip... but tourism might well get a boost from liquor sold in frosty custom containers. We're thirsty just looking at them.
Google Cloud Print service aims for unified, universal web printing method
So you've seen how Apple intends to handle printing on its web-centric mobile device, now how about Google? The Mountain View crew has decided to solve one of Chrome OS' significant shortcomings -- namely the lack of a printer stack or drivers -- by interposing itself between apps and the printing hardware. Essentially, when you want to print you'll be sending your request over to a Googlestation up in the clouds, which in turn will translate those instructions and forward them along to the nearest paper tarnisher. We say nearest, presuming that's what you'd want, but the big deal here is that you'll be able to use any device to print on any printer anywhere in the (internet-connected) world. It's quite the brute force approach, but at least it assures you that whether you're using a mobile, desktop or web app, you'll be able to print without fear of compatibility issues. This project is still at a very early stage, but code and dev documentation are available now. Hit the source link to learn more.
Twenty iPad apps you'll want to see
The App Store is live and running with iPad apps right now -- you can download and buy any iPad apps you want, even though most of them are technically "embargoed" until tomorrow morning. There's a lot of amazing stuff out there, but we'll try to focus you as best we can. Here's twenty apps that you won't want to miss in the App Store -- even if you don't buy them for iPad this weekend, you should at least check out the info and screenshots that are now available. USA Today for iPad is free and is probably the quickest and easiest virtual newspaper experience on the iPad. The Wall Street Journal app is also free, as is the NYT Editor's Choice. Flight Control HD and Plants vs. Zombies HD are two of the most-awaited iPad games. Evernote has released their iPad app. MLB's At Bat 2010 has a new edition, so you'll unfortunately have to re-buy it on the iPad even if you've already bought it on the iPhone. Words with Friends HD and Fieldrunners for iPad are available right now. 2K Games has released Civilization Revolution on the iPad, the more accessible version of Sid Meier's classic turn-based strategy game. Here's the Comic Zeal comic reader app we covered earlier this week, and there's also an official Marvel comics app in the store. Twitterific for iPad is on the store and looking great. Aurora Feint 3 is the newest iPad version of one of the iPhone's biggest titles. CastleCraft is a new strategy freemium MMO from Freeverse and Ngmoco. StumbleUpon will allow you to browse the crowdsourced best of the Web from your couch. iMDb has released a full iPad app of their movie database. Minigore HD brings another big iPhone title to the bigger screen. StarWalk for iPad recreates the popular astronomy app and TUAW favorite. And Let's Golf! HD brings a quality handheld golfing experience to the "HD" screen. There's more -- much more, and obviously we'll be seeing lots and lots of new titles in the very exciting days to come. But the magical revolution that we've been hearing about for months has begun. When the iPad releases on Saturday, there'll be no shortage of great software to run and browse and play with on it. Update: Netflix's app is live as well, as is NetNewsWire for iPad, Galcon Fusion, Articles, and Twittelator Pad. Too many good apps!
Random House leery of iPad over pricing concerns
We've heard that Apple is still trying to hammer down multimedia content, but print may not be in the bag just yet. Random House is apparently applying some last minute pressure to Apple, since the company says that it's not quite sure about how pricing will work on the iPad. Apple's offer is that it will take its 30% of profit in that 70/30 "agency" split, but Random House is waffling and claiming that they need to think about it before anything gets signed. If you ask me, it sounds like they're just pushing for a little more control while they still can. iBookstore pricing all seems pretty solid, and most of Random House's competitors have already signed on. This means that, if Random House does pass on Apple's deal, not only will they not be selling books, they'll also be left in the lurch when the iPad does take off. Right now, before the iPad's actual earnings become anything but hypothetical, Random House can pose all it wants. However, I'm pretty sure that after April 3rd, Apple will have most of the cards in terms of making content deals on the iPad.
Is there a place for MMO magazines?
In the vein of the World of Warcraft magazine, Massively reports that NCSoft has announced a magazine for the MMORPG Aion. Unlike the quarterly World of Warcraft magazine, the Aion magazine will be digital-only and come out every four weeks, or roughly every month. The Aion magazine also features bonus in-game items for players who pre-order, such as armor dyes and consumables. The magazine announcement actually begs the question about whether there's much sense in publishing magazines for an MMO, a constantly evolving and growing game. I subscribed to the World of Warcraft magazine mostly out of a love for the print medium, even though I'm well aware that the information published therein could be made obsolete by a single patch or hotfix. Working for WoW.com, I understand the value of online content which can be updated very quickly and frequently. Best of all, most online magazines (as opposed to Aion's digital format) are free. That said, the World of Warcraft magazine looked gorgeous from the previews and from an artistic standpoint, I always believed there was value in a well-made and laid out publication. I'll have a better idea of what to think when my magazine actually arrives. That's the other thing. Aion's digital-only magazine will presumably be available for download, giving instant gratification. Online magazines are just one web browser away. The World of Warcraft magazine, on the other hand, was due to come out in the 4th quarter last year but encountered a few bumps along the road and was pushed back ever so slightly. When we learned that it finally started shipping early this year, I was pretty stoked to get my hands on one. But it's now March and nothing has arrived in the mail, so that's a big minus for print subscriptions right there. Sure, I live in Asia, but I paid my $69.95 just like everybody else. I'd almost forgotten about it, actually, but Massively's post about Aion's mag reminded me and got me more than a little upset that I haven't gotten my copy two months after folks started getting theirs. Kwurky can only keep me amused for so long, after all.
EGM Now launches with ... digitized final issue of old EGM?
We've been hearing about Steve Harris's digital version of the soon-to-be relaunched EGM for quite some time now, and we're just one month away from the magazine's return to newsstands. However, if you're trying to get an early peek at what Harris has in store for EGMi: The Digital Magazine (that he's said will be released supplementally between print issues), now's your chance. But what's this? The mysterious unreleased "last issue"of EGM? It is! As Harris puts it, "The links on this cover page aren't live yet - but they will be long before Summer arrives." Okay, okay, it might've taken a year for the issue to become available -- and yes, it might be full of content on games that have been out for quite some time now -- but hey, it's a chance to explore "layers and depth that you control." Doesn't that seem enticing? Well, we're not really sure quite yet, as the Screen Paper-based issue has yet to incorporate the promises we've been hearing since last September. With grand plans for the release of a digital magazine every week once the print mag relaunches, we'll certainly see how this shakes out soon enough.
All but one Future publication saw circulation dip in 2009
[Image credit: benben] Can you guess which of Future Publishing's nine magazines didn't lose readership in 2009? If your money was with Edge, you've got our permission to give yourself a nice big pat on the back. Go ahead, we'll wait. Done? Good. Like we were saying, the UK game mag publisher saw shrinking circulation numbers in 2009 -- the same year that saw the closure of PlayStation World by Future and the shuttering of long-running US gaming mag EGM by Ziff-Davis. While Edge circulation numbers rose by (a somewhat meager) 109 readers, Games Master dropped by 6,636 (to 34,313), PC Zone by 7,666 (to 11,357), and Xbox World 360 by 5,156 (to 25,874). While those numbers might seem a bit on the low side, that has more to do with the smaller size/population of the UK than anything else (though, of course, dropping readership numbers don't mean good things for any publication house). According to the GamesIndustry.biz report, Future blames the circulation drops on "slowing sales and ad spend [advertisers spending on print advertising]." We've dropped the entire list of circulation numbers after the break (care of the UK Audit Bureau of Circulations), should you be so inclined to peruse all the stats.
Kateeva wants to print OLED displays, says they'll be cheaper that way
Along with affordable solid state drives, OLED panels are among the most universally desired bits of tech today. It's therefore a good idea to prick up our ears and listen when new California startup Kateeva promises to make OLEDs bigger and cheaper with its large-area printing technology. Advised by our old friend Vladimir Bulovic of MIT, the company has gone official with word of its prototype OLED printer, which can produce displays on a scale of 1.8 by 1.5 meters (about six by five feet) at a cost roughly equal to 60 percent of the manufacturing costs of current LCD technology. We say can, what we really mean is that it has shown itself capable of achieving those numbers -- it's still in the prototype stage and won't be sent out to display manufacturers for testing until next year but it's something to look forward to, nonetheless. We advise checking out the Technology Review article for all the gory production details along with a neat video interview with Kateeva co-founder Conor Madigan.
Five customized Automator services to help save you time
One gem in Mac OS X that sometimes gets glanced over is the Services menu. Lots of readers may not know yet that Snow Leopard brought with it the ability to create your own customized service in Automator -- in other words, you can get additional selections on a contextual menu when right-clicking within a certain context, say a file within a Finder window. To create a customized service, all you have to do is launch Automator and select "Services" from the "Choose a template for your workflow" window, and then insert your own service from there. Here are five customized services for you to install on your own Mac.
HP molds itself an entry into the 3D printer market
Don't let HP's involvement confuse you, there's a very good chance John Q. Consumer won't be able to afford a 3D printer anytime soon. But the company is dipping its toes into the industry thanks to a deal with Stratasys. The latter will produce an "exclusive line of 3D printers based on Stratasys' patented Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology." Those will be sold under HP branding targeted at the Mechanical Design (MCAD) market. The specific product details are still shrouded in mystery (that's just a quick Photoshop, left), but for perspective, Stratasys' cheapest printer is the uPrint, which can mold 8 x 6 x 6-inch models for a smidgen under $15,000. Still interested, despite price deterrent? Don't forget there's some DIY options for you out there for less than a grand.
EGM relaunches with April issue, explains digital content
EGM Media this morning announced the distribution of its upcoming magazine via an "agreement" with Time/Warner Retail Sales and Marketing (former EGM/Ziff Davis Media distributor), alongside intentions to release its first issue with an April cover. Though no specific date was given other than "March 2010" for the newsstand re-launch of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the press release detailed the "weekly interactive version of the magazine," named "EGMi: The Digital Magazine" (rolls right off the tongue!). Accessed by a "special code" included with each issue, the digital extension of the magazine will be made up of "exclusive article extensions and original content." Also of note, game previews and reviews will make up at least part of the premiere issue, with notorious rumor-monger Quartermann, ex-EIC Dan "Shoe" Hsu (as previously announced), and prankster Sean "Seanbaby" Reiley all contributing content as well. Publisher and prez of EGM Media, Steve Harris, claimed the digital content "is complementary to the print magazine" and gives editors "a way to communicate with our readers and update the print product in an ongoing manner." We'll see how his claims play out when the magazine arrives this March.
First Look: Breaking the print / sign / fax cycle with Zosh for iPhone
Does this scenario sound familiar? You're out of town or away from your office, and you get a call from a client. They need for you to fill out and sign a contract, and then return it to them as quickly as possible. Right now, you'd probably pull out your laptop, pull up the email with the contract, print it out, fill out the information and signature by hand, and then find a fax machine to send the document off to the client; or, if your client is savvy enough, you could electronically sign a PDF version of the contract. What if you could do all of that from your iPhone? Zosh [$2.99, iTunes Link] provides a way to do just that. It's an iPhone-based tool for marking up and signing PDF documents with text, dates, and signatures. The company says that Microsoft Word document support will be available soon. Zosh works in concert with a secure file server to make the documents available to your iPhone. When you receive a document as an attachment to an email message, you just forward it from your Zosh account email address to a special zosh.com address. Zosh recognizes your email address and then stores the document folder; the contents of that folder are visible on your iPhone on a Documents screen. For training purposes, Zosh has created a "Getting Started with Zosh" PDF that you can read for step-by-step instructions and hands-on demonstrations. To view the document, you simply tap on its name. When you find a place that you need to annotate with a date, text, or signature, you simply tap on the Insert button and you're given a choice of what to insert. If you choose date, a date picker with several different date formats appears. Selecting text brings up a text edit field into which you type the text you want to annotate the PDF with. To add a signature, an automatically scrolling window appears into which you write your name on the touchsc. I found that using a stylus like the Pogo Stylus helped me to create a more accurate signature than my finger. Any of the annotations can be in a choice of four colors -- blue, black, gray, and red -- and can be moved around the page, rotated 360°, resized (bigger or smaller), or deleted. For text annotations, you can choose from a variety of fonts, although none of them really stood out as being unique. Of course, if you're annotating a contract or other legal document, I'm not sure you want to put text in some sort of oddball font. Once you're done signing the document, you "transmit" it back to your email address or that of another recipient. There's no need to print the original, find a pen to sign the document, then scan and or fax the document before sending it on. Zosh does exactly what it sets out to do, breaking the cycle of wasteful printing and faxing, and it does it on the iPhone alone. While testing the app on a business trip, I had the opportunity to use Zosh to annotate and sign a couple of documents, and I found it to be a lifesaver. While Zosh isn't for everybody, if you are the type of person who needs to receive, annotate, and sign documents, and then return them to another person, the app is worth much more than the $2.99 price tag.
Kill Screen gaming mag aiming for highbrow readers
Between John Davison recently promising a revitalization of GamePro, Steve Harris' purchase and subsequent relaunch of EGM (as EGM Now), and now the announcement of "Kill Screen" from Jamin Brophy-Warren and Chris Dahlen, it's been quite the year for gaming magazines. But Kill Screen seems to be taking a decidedly different approach to publishing, aiming its first print run at "2 or 3,000 copies," Brophy-Warren told us this afternoon. With an editorial directive to thematically tackle game writing -- and no obligation to the traditional reviews/previews/news format due to a donation/subscriber-funded, non-profit approach -- Kill Screen intends to avoid the mechanical nitty gritty that plagues game writing. "A great example of that is with Brütal Legend," Brophy-Warren said. "Tim Schafer had to come out and defend the RTS elements ... When we talk about games critically, it's not going to be in that sense." The first issue, the "test run" or "zero issue" as it's being called, will be finished in "the next week or two" and shipping by January. Brophy-Warren added that he's hoping the second issue will be ready for GDC, but he's not so certain. And as for the short initial print run, he says "Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?" and encourages people to subscribe to insure they'll get a copy. We wish them the best of luck!
Ex-EGMers Dan Hsu and Demian Linn (re)join EGM Now
The new Electronic Gaming Monthly has brought back Dan "Shoe" Hsu and Demian Linn to the publication in some capacity. Hsu, the former editor-in-chief of EGM, who left his role of editorial director at 1UP before the great UGO cataclysm and started Bitmob earlier this year, will assist in generating content for the revamped publication. Linn, another co-founder of Bitmob and the former reviews editor at EGM and executive producer at GameVideos, will assist in "overseeing the reporting and writing of news and other content for EGM's network of properties." Hsu and Linn will not leave their roles at Bitmob for EGM and, as far as we can tell, neither will have a designated editorial role at the new publication. It appears that for the time, Bitmob will merely assist in producing content for EGM. Check out our interview with EGM publisher Steve Harris for more on the EGM rehabilitation plans Source -- Dan Hsu and Demian Linn join EGM [EGM] Source -- Full Circle: Bitmob joins EGM [Bitmob]
Print Warcraft opens its doors
The newest in Blizzard's ever-expanding line of customizable merchandise, Print Warcraft just opened its doors to the public. Like FigurePrints, the site allows you to create merchandise based on your in-game characters, this time art like posters and prints. While we've been having a bit difficulty accessing the site, likely due to launch-day growing pains, we know that the service allows a ton of customization options. Start by selecting your character, realm, and print size. Then choose from a number of templates, borders, backgrounds, character poses, pets, and more! The prices range from $17.99 for a 12x18 print to $29.99 USD for a 40x27 poster. If you're actually able to place an order, please let us know how it comes out when you get it in the mail! If the price is right and so is the quality, it might be a decent Winter Veil gift to deck somebody's walls with. Or yours.
Xerox announces silver ink, keeps printable electronics dream alive
Here comes Xerox, huffing and puffing its way back from obscurity with what it believes is a revolutionary new advancement. Its brand new silver ink and related printing technologies promise to make it possible for the lazy or breadboard handicapped among us to print their own circuit boards atop plastics, film, and even textiles. The wizardry of it lies in the company's development of a metallic ink with a melting point lower than that of plastics, which allows the former to be laid (in liquid form) atop the latter. It's all very neat, and the potential for flexible, lightweight, disposable electronics is well and good, but haven't we heard this all before?
Belkin Home Base brings wireless printing and file sharing to any PC
You've been looking for it, we've been looking for it -- heck, displaced Martians have been looking for it. We're talking about that mythical, magical box that adds all sorts of connectivity to any networked PC, and rather than making consumers purchase separate devices to add NAS capabilities and wireless print sharing to one's home, Belkin's Home Base does it all. This sleek little box includes four USB 2.0 sockets and an Ethernet jack, and when connected to one's home router, a printer and at least one external hard drive, any machine on the network instantly gains wireless printing abilities as well as network access to your USB HDD(s). Furthermore, Home Base can wirelessly backup your connected PCs behind your back, and with the automatic sharing feature, your most intimate photos can be whisked away to Flickr-land without you having to know. Are you as giddy as we are? Pull out $130 and get to shoppin' -- it should be available today.Update: This thing is sicker than we thought. It actually has a wireless module built-in, so even if your hard drives and printer(s) are in a different room than the one your WLAN router is in, you can simply connect it to the peripherals and let it communicate with the router (and thus, your computers) from another location.%Gallery-72939%
PSW magazine shuttered by Future
Future has announced that it's closing British PlayStation magazine PSW. "It's always incredibly sad when we close a title as established as PSW, but the decision was taken in response to decreasing demand," games portfolio publishing director James Binns told MCV. On the bright side, one displaced staffer has already been reassigned, and four others are in talks for a job with the company.We know that, technically, print magazines and other outlets are our competition, but it still sucks hard when one of them closes. The print horizon is increasingly sparse, and we hate to see another stalwart pulled out of the skyline.
