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Angry Birds developer claims Microsoft jumped the gun, Rovio 'not committed' to Windows Phone 7
Software developers make or break a platform, as Microsoft's Steve Ballmer once famously stressed, but that shiny new Windows Phone 7 site has angered a mildly important one. Rovio Mobile, developer of the wildly popular Angry Birds game, tweets that it's presently 'not committed' to bring the game to Windows Phone, and that the above icon is being used in Microsoft marketing completely without permission. While it's possible this is just some sort of mix-up and Rovio just wanted to make its own announcement ("nothing to do with if we do or don't, it's just that we decide that ourselves," the company added in a later tweet), it wouldn't be the first time Microsoft's engaged in shady business to inflate its new app store. Update: Microsoft sent TechFlash the following statement: "It appears information was mistakenly posted to Microsoft's website, and has been removed." Sure enough, the offending logo is gone now. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Angry Birds introducing Mighty Eagle, costs real money to skip levels
If you're an Angry Birds player like me, you've hit a couple of levels you've had to play 10 or more times before finally being able to progress. Curse those speedy yellow birds! Give me more bombers! If that's you, Rovio Mobile -- creator of Angry Birds -- has the solution to your frustration, which it announced recently at the Nokia World conference. But the bad news is that it's going to cost you. Meet the new, angriest of the Angry Birds: Mighty Eagle. Via an in-app purchase (with real money) of a can of sardines, you'll be able to summon this new bird for a one-time shot at clearing an entire level. If you want to make use of Mighty Eagle again, you can try going back to the previous level where he was used and clear it without him. Then, voila -- you can use him again in a later level. Check out the video introducing Mighty Eagle in the 2nd half of the post.
App Review: Angry Birds (Android)
What does it take to make an addictive game? Not much -- just throw in some super simple controls, cute graphics, and basic physics. Rovio Mobile's Angry Birds is one such game that includes all these elements, and today the studio's just released a public Android beta to cater those without an iOS, webOS or Maemo 5 device. In case you're not already familiar with the popular title, the backstory is that a gang of hungry pigs snatched away some eggs from the birds, forcing the feathered creatures to embark on a rescue mission for the sake of their survival. The gameplay on the Android version is just as simple as before: in each level you use a fixed slingshot to fling the birds -- one at a time -- into the forts, in order to kill all the pigs inside. As a secondary challenge, you must also attempt to get a three-star rating depending on the amount of structural material you destroy, so the key is to perfect your shooting angle. At the beginning you're only given one type of bird that does nothing more than just headbutting, but throughout the game you'll come across six more birds, each possessing one special power: multiply, explode, accelerate, dropping egg bombs, boomerang, and extra strength. Don't worry, the instructions are pretty clear when you first meet these enhanced kamikaze birds -- most involve just a single tap anywhere to trigger their special abilities mid-flight. Once you get the hang of it, you'll soon be wanting to try out all sorts of trajectories to take vengeance on those cheeky green hogs. Seriously, the pigs really do laugh at you when your birds miss them. While we're not familiar with the Maemo 5 and webOS versions of Angry Birds, we've definitely spent a fair amount of time on the iOS flavor. Sadly, since the latter's still running on a low 480 x 320 resolution, the blurred graphics on the notoriously sharp retina display does no justice to the game. On the other hand, the Android version looks a lot prettier on our Nexus One, Dell Streak and HTC Desire, as it runs on their native resolution of 800 x 480. That said, overall the Android beta didn't feel as well-oiled as its iOS counterpart -- we've noticed the occasional light hiccups while panning across the scene, so here's hoping that this will be fixed in the final release. Regardless of this minor flaw, we'd still highly recommend Android users to check out this free Angry Birds beta in the market -- go grab it while it's hot!
Angry Birds fever continues
Here's one Angry Birds fan who took things to a whole new level. An industrious fan decided to recreate one of her favorite iPhone games using balls, clay, eggs, slingshots and cardboard boxes for a sort of "live" version of the popular iPhone/iPad game. I sure hope that's not a wick on the top of the big black bird ... or do I? Meanwhile, everyone's talking about the previously-reported rumors of an Angry Birds movie. Variety recently spoke with Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio, creator of Angry Birds, where he talked about the success of the game and a short word on a probable sequel. Add to all of this that Angry Birds is slated to hit the Sony PSP, PS3 and the Nintendo DS. Is it possible we'll get sick of all this Angry Birds-ness before it's allowed to become as big as Hed hopes? The title is certainly primes for moving in more directions, so long as Hed gets the ball rolling quickly.
Angry Birds dev working with Hollywood advisors for possible movie pitch
Movie adaptations of console games are no surprise. But when was the last time you heard of a movie based on an iPhone game? Angry Birds, a Boom Blox-esque 2D puzzle game, may be the first App Store title to find a Hollywood adaptation, according to a new report in Variety. At first, the idea may seem ludicrous, but developer Rovio sees opportunity to transform the title into an "evergreen" franchise. With over six million sales, the game has already generated more than $5 million in revenue for the Finnish developer. And with more than five million views of the game's animated trailer on YouTube, it's clear that there is certainly a demand for resentful winged vertebrates. Rovio has enlisted the help of various "Hollywood advisors," including Peter Levin and Russell Binder, with the hopes of an adaptation with the appearance of claymation (a la Aardman Animation). While a deal is being secured, Rovio's challenge is to bring the game to "every possible place," including consoles like the PS3, PSP and DS. With Hollywood deals taking years to complete, Rovio knows that it will be difficult "to make sure the brand is relevant when the movie comes out."
Angry Birds: The Movie?
There's no questioning that the iPhone/iPad game Angry Birds is a huge success. The company is close to seven million downloads of the game, all without any direct advertising of their own. Now the company that developed the game, Rovio, is taking a serious look into more commercial avenues for the title, including movies. The company has already done a great job with the animation within the product, including a cinematic trailer released on YouTube (which I guess you could say is technically advertisement -- check it out after the jump). But is there enough to this to make for a good story? According to Rovio, the company has been approached by several very interested parties, including movie studios, and they're giving all offers serious consideration. Chief exec Mikael Hed has grand ambitions to see the Angry Birds brand become much more than games, akin to Pixar with Toy Story, so games and movies would just be the tip of the iceberg. Do you think something like Angry Birds could translate well enough to other mediums? Is there a potential story in there worth developing?
Rovio sells 6.5M copies of Angry Birds without advertising once
I got to meet the creators of Angry Birds back at E3 earlier this year, but because of our busy schedules, didn't get too much of a chance to really talk with them in-depth about their experience on the App Store so far. Fortunately, GamesBeat has done just that, providing a nice profile of Rovio's Peter Vesterbacka and Mikael Hed, the two Finnish creators of one of the App Store's most popular titles. They're actually mobile app veterans -- while Angry Birds is their biggest hit as a company, they've also developed for lots of other groups, including Real Networks and Electronic Arts. The game was created to be casual, open to anyone to play, and use some really memorable characters that would resonate with anyone who picked it up. They accomplished those goals -- the game has found a surprising following around the world, and almost everyone who owns an iPhone recognizes the birds and pigs characters. A US$4.99 iPad version has also taken off, and Rovio plans to bring the app to lots of other mobile devices as well. The growth has been entirely organic, too -- they haven't spent a single cent on advertising the game, instead relying completely on word-of-mouth and Apple's own promotional tools. And while their success is already quite widespread, the two say their goals are even bigger than what they've accomplished so far: they hope to eventually see 100 million paid downloads. Definitely possible -- it's interesting to see how iPhone-created brands are growing so quickly.
Rovio finds new purpose in life with fire extinguisher mod
The Rovio may not have inspired quite the same level of modding as something like the Robosapien, but it's far from completely lacking in the department, and RoboCommunity member Colt45 looks to have delivered one of the more impressive hacks to date with this new and improved fire extinguisher bot. As impressive as that top-mounted CF2ClBr fire extinguisher and remote-controlled nozzle is, however, the real standout piece may actually be the software, which apparently uses a machine vision app that can recognize fire and automatically extinguish it when necessary (assuming it remains around candle size). Unfortunately, there's no how-to for building your own just yet, nor is there any word of a planned face off with a Flame-o-Sapien, though you can be sure we'll let you know as soon as that happens. [Via SlashGear]
New app turns iPhone / iPod touch into Rovio controller
Rovio owners have been able to control their all-seeing sentry bot from their iPhone (or any other internet-connected device) from day one using WowWee's browser-based interface, but one enterprising individual apparently found that a tad lacking for his taste, so he decided to take things one big step further by building his own full-fledged iPhone / iPod touch app. In addition to giving you a larger view of the Rovio's webcam feed, the app achieves the inevitable by letting you use the iPhone or iPod touch's accelerometer to control the Rovio, which should let you give your Wiimote a rest for a while. Better still, the app is free -- you know where to get.
Robodance enables Wiimote control of your WowWee Rovio
Ah, Robodance -- how would we entertain ourselves without you? Just under a year ago, the software enabled robot lovers everywhere to control their i-SOBOT with an everyday Wiimote. Now, the same ability has been handed down for WowWee's Rovio. You heard right, the latest, baddest robotic sentry on the block can now be dictated with your Nintendo Wii controller, and you can even customize your own button assignments to suit your fancy. Hop on past the break for the demonstration vid.[Via Hacked Gadgets]
WowWee's Rovio gets reviewed: it's one awesome robotic sentry
WowWee goes out of its way to make one thing very clear about the Rovio: "this is not a toy." That being said, it doesn't make the patrolling sentry any less fantastic, as critics over at Robots-Dreams proclaimed that it was "intuitive and a pleasure to use from the moment you first open the box." From the painless setup process to the unparalleled mobility, reviewers sounded like they were grinning from ear-to-ear during the entire writeup process. It performed its robotic sentry duties with vigor and valor, and the review crew couldn't help but note that this bugger was "positioned to be the hottest robot for the upcoming holiday season, and for a long time to come." In other words, if you've been on the fence about dropping three bills on this thing, all your worries about it potentially sucking just got thrashed.
WowWee's patrolling Rovio gets unboxed
WowWee's Rovio isn't due to start shipping to the general populace for a few days still, but the mighty important folks over at RobotsRule were somehow able to procure one a hair early. Thankfully for us, it took the time to neatly unbox this home sentry and give us an up-close look at what it's made of. A full-fledged review is promised within the next few days, but for now, just hit the read link and enjoy the shots.
WowWee's $300 Rovio robotic sentry ships this month
The Rovio -- one of WowWee's finest if we should say so ourselves -- is finally ready to roam around domiciles and keep baddies at bay. First announced (and spotted) at CES 2008, this long-awaited robotic sentry is up for pre-order right now, and it comes packing a 640 x 480 webcam to stream back live video in MPEG4 format. Furthermore, it can snap stills, head out on a customized patrol route and avoid obstacles with its infrared sensor. Get ready -- this sheriff's rolling into your town next Friday for $299.95.[Via Random-Good-Stuff, thanks Juergen]
Video: hanging with WowWee's WiFi-enabled Rovio
Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont caught up with Davin Sufer, WowWee's CTO, for an up-close look at the new WiFi-enabled Rovio bot -- and it looks pretty sweet. Users control the Rovio through any browser, and the interface includes full-motion video from the built-in camera, which can be aimed up and down to eas navigation. Check the full video after the break!
WowWee introduces Mr. Personality, Rovio, and Flytech Bladestar
WowWee's CES robot lineup is here, so let's get to it. First up, you've got the Flytech Bladestar, a slightly crazier take on the indoor RC flying gig actually intended for duels with friends. The Bladestart has two spinning wings and stabilizing rotors to keep it steady while aloft, as well as wall and ceiling IR sensors.Rovio is a "home exploration and telepresence" robot (meaning it doesn't do very much), featuring WiFi, a remotely-controlled directional webcam capable of streaming audio and video, self-docking and recharging, and "NorthStar" AI navigation (which WowWee describes as a micro-GPS like system that makes Rovio aware of its surroundings with "pinpoint accuracy").If neither of those caught your fancy, we think the ironically anthropomorphized Mr. Personality might meet you in the middle. Featuring an LCD facial readout, downloadable personalities (via USB and SD), Ruxpin-esque story and joke telling and "conversation", as well as the usual IR and audio sensors.%Gallery-12641%
