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Daily iPhone App: Ms. Splosion Man splodes out onto iOS
I'm a big fan of developer Twisted Pixel -- their console games are always terrific, with the original Splosion Man being one of my favorites. Now, the company has teamed up with developer Iron Galaxy and publisher Microsoft to bring the sequel to that one, Ms. Splosion Man, to iOS, and the result is a really impressive port. In fact, I don't know if "port" is even the right word for this one. If you'd never heard Ms. Splosion Man was released on Xbox before it arrived on the iPhone, this could just be one of the best platformers on the App Store. The idea here is that you play a very silly creature that can "splode" whenever you touch the screen, which allows you to destroy objects and jump all in one explosive movement. You can "splode" up to three times before you need to touch the ground again, so essentially the game is a pretty twitchy triple jump platformer, challenging you to navigate Ms. Splosion Man through fifty different levels. Just looking at the game itself, Ms. Splosion Man is great -- it takes Twisted Pixel's original Splosion Man idea, and improves on it with huge boss fights, perfectly designed levels, and lots of new mechanics, like rotating cannons and a very active camera. As a port, however, this title is even more impressive. I am not sure how Iron Galaxy was able to make the game look and run this well, but they did it -- the title looks like it was lifted straight from the Xbox, and it runs just as smoothly on my iPhone. There are some new additions, too, like challenges to complete for "Fame" as you play, and even full AirPlay support. My one complaint here is that the touchscreen controls sometimes cover up the action, but that's not a huge issue, especially considering the rest of the app's quality. Ms. Splosion Man is a great game already, and it's been delivered to the App Store with panache here. You can pick it up there now for just $2.99.
Audiobooks are not backed up by iCloud, can only be downloaded once
Audiobooks, unlike your other iTunes purchases, cannot be re-downloaded from the store. On a Mac, you can dig into your iTunes folder and move the DRM-protected files to another authorized machine. iOS devices, however, lack a file system that the user can access, so if you never sync with a Mac, you could run into an issue like I did when I had to swap out my iPhone 5. A couple of weeks ago my iPhone 5's power button started acting strange. It appeared to be a mechanical issue, so I went to the Genius Bar at my local store and was told they've seen this happen before (it was likely shearing stress from removing a protective case). Of course, they don't repair iPhones in the store. Instead, they give customers a new piece of hardware then use a backup to bring it back to where you left off with your old one. Since I used iCloud, PhotoStream and my iTunes purchases are available in the cloud, I figured I'd be fine. The only problem was that I had purchased a $24 audiobook via iTunes on my iPhone -- and that doesn't get backed up in any way. Worse, since the rules state you can only download the audiobook once, I would have had to re-purchase the book to download it again. I had bought the book about three days earlier and only listened to a small portion. This was completely unacceptable, so I emailed Apple support. At first, they failed to understand what I was talking about. They thought my download had failed somehow, and suggested I download in iTunes and re-sync, and they would re-enable the download. That seemed fair enough, but the presumption that I had a personal computer to sync with struck me as a bit odd. Didn't Apple say we live in a post-PC world? Also, I don't sync my iPhone with anything. Like a fool, I thought iCloud backup and iTunes in the cloud had me covered. Clearly I was wrong. Once I explained that I didn't sync, the support staff told me they would make it available for download on my iPhone -- but the downloads screen never showed the audiobook. In the end, I wound up buying a nano to sync with, and then Apple refunded my money for the audiobook. An expensive lesson, but a lesson learned. Apple is still addicted to iTunes as a digital hub for all your media. While this was happening I tweeted some progress and a number of people relayed similar issues and frustrations. Apple support seems ready and willing to try to make the downloads available again, although I wish it was automatic, like everything else I encountered during my restoration process (well, not logins -- boy that's a fun way to spend your afternoon). Unfortunately, the rules about audiobooks aren't set by Apple. Still, if this happens to you, reach out to Apple support immediately. Or, better yet, buy your audiobooks somewhere else. This "post-PC" era has yet to begin.
League of Legends turns the spotlight on Karma
A game like League of Legends relies heavily upon the ability to rebalance characters. Sometimes you'll wind up with a particular champion without the necessary abilities to really work in any role, obviating any serious use of that character. But the development team can always rework the character, which is exactly what's been done to the latest spotlighted champion, Karma. With a reworked set of abilities centered around her ultimate skill, Karma's got a new lease on life, or at least being a multi-role support character. Karma's new playstyle heavily revolves around use of her Mantra ability -- her passive ability reduces its cooldown, and all three of her other abilities are modified when Mantra is activated first. The focus of her abilities is on slowing enemies and protecting allies, but with careful use of Mantra and her skills she can hold her own in a straight contest. Take a look at the full spotlight video past the break for build strategies, tricks for the early game, and more useful information.
Canonical cuts support for non-LTS versions of Ubuntu, users now get nine months of bug fixes
Until now, people who downloaded non-LTS (long-term support) versions of Ubuntu were treated to a lengthy support period -- a full 18 months. Now, though, Ubuntu's technical board is shortening that support window to nine months, in the hopes that Canonical can assign its engineers to other projects. (If you look at the board's meeting notes at the link below, the group also agrees that most bugs get fixed within nine months anyway.) If you're wondering how this might affect you, the new policy applies to version 13.04, along with all future non-LTS releases. Separately, the board decided that it will switch to a rolling release model, in which users won't have to do a full system upgrade to take advantage of major OS updates. Many of the particulars there are still up in the air, though, which is a shame because this has already been a hot topic of conversation in the Ubuntu community, and quite a few folks are likely to be curious. In any case, for those of you who want to know more, we recommend checking out those meeting notes to soak up as much detail as you can.
Massively Exclusive: An in-depth look at Final Fantasy XI's new jobs
This year isn't quite as exciting for Final Fantasy XI as it is for Final Fantasy XIV, but it's still bringing a pretty big change to the status quo. Players have had years to get used to the game as it is, but now Seekers of Adoulin is on its way to completely rewrite matters, giving us two new jobs as well as a new region and new mechanics to deal with. In other words, it's going to be shaking things up. So while I was out in San Francisco enjoying all that Final Fantasy XIV has to offer, I also had a chance to look into Final Fantasy XI's new expansion, specifically the new player jobs. Both the Rune Fencer and the Geomancer are bringing something new to the game, and while I didn't get to play around with either job extensively, I did get to see how both will play and check out their key abilities.
Runmeter takes to the cloud with version 9, boasts one million paid users
Runmeter is my personal favorite running app -- it's a great, in-depth way to track your runs, or any other cardio exercise you might do. Today, the company behind it, Abvio, announced Runmeter version 9, which will add both iPad support and support for iCloud, meaning that user data will now be stored on Apple's backup service. Runmeter's latest version will also support Facebook's new Open Graph, and workouts can be shared via the company's website as well. And finally, the app adds lots of support for power meters, which cyclists can use to track their workouts and then share that information with others as well. It sounds like a great update to a fine app, and it should be available on the App Store soon. Runmeter (or Cyclemeter or Walkmeter, which are all essentially the same app, though are targeted at different types of exercises) is available on the App Store for $4.99 right now, and the update will be free to current users. In addition to revealing the update, Abvio also shared that Runmeter has reached a full million paid users, which makes Runmeter one of the most popular apps on the App Store, in the health and fitness category, or anywhere else. Abvio also usually makes an appearance at Macworld every year, so we'll look forward to chatting with them about Runmeter when that show starts in San Francisco next week. Stay tuned!
Age of Empires Online ceases content development
What you see right now in Age of Empires Online is what you'll get... forever. Microsoft Studios announced that it's ceasing any further development on the title effective immediately due to finances. The studio will release a "small amount of content" in the near future, but following that, the game's features and civilizations will be set in stone as it moves into a support phase. That doesn't mean the game's getting cancelled, however. The announcement emphatically states that Age of Empires Online will continue to operate as is, will have future community events, and it is not "dying." The move from development to support was explained as follows: "Creating top-tier content, as we have been for the last year and a half, is very expensive -- too expensive to maintain for long, as it turns out. We can no longer afford to keep creating it. Age of Empires Online already has a very large amount of high-quality, hand-crafted entertainment, and adding more is no longer cost-effective."
Firefox 17 drops OS X 10.5 Leopard support, adds integrated Facebook Messenger
Firefox 17 is out of beta, but the biggest story for us Mac users is what it doesn't do, namely support OS X 10.5 Leopard. That's right, Mozilla's browser has moved on, so if you're still running 10.5, this latest version is not for you. But it does add a new "Social API," which Facebook has already used to bring an in-browser Messenger interface, and there are a number of new performance improvements and an "updated Awesome Bar experience" to check out as well. Odds are that the 10.5 cutoff won't catch too many people any more, considering we've had three big OS updates since then (heck, Safari 6 doesn't run past 10.7.5). But if you are one of those with a Mac that still needs 10.5, you can of course keep running Firefox 16 for as long as you want. You just won't be able to update it any more going forward. [via Engadget]
Klout adds Passbook support and perks
The social app Klout has updated its iPhone app, with a few surprising features. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Klout. It's gotten a little bit of a reputation for being spammy, and I think the way it rates influence is more or less meaningless. However, there's one feature of the new app that I think is very interesting, and that's Passbook integration. Yes, the Klout app will now show up in Passbook, and contains a "Klout card" that shows off the user's name, photo and Klout score. Klout says that showing this card to various people or businesses could have benefits down the road. Klout isn't an app that I would have expected to use Apple's Passbook feature. In the same way that we've seen apps make interesting uses of features such as in-app purchases and push notifications, it looks like some apps will use Passbook in ways that maybe weren't necessarily intended by Apple. We'll have to keep an eye out for more interesting Passbook-fueled ideas. Klout has also added support for the iPhone 5 and "perks," which are a feature of Klout's web service but are only just now showing up in the app. If you do want to make use of Klout and its features on your iPhone, the app is a free download. [via VentureBeat]
Firefox Retina display support almost here
TechCrunch is reporting that Firefox has inserted support for Apple's Retina display into its nightly builds, which means the official release will be in the public's hands very soon. Unfortunately, "very soon" in this case may mean "not soon enough" for many users -- while the Aurora release of this build should be out next week, the stable release might not be until January 2013. That may be too long for some users, especially since Safari supported the Retina display on day one (because it's made by Apple, of course), and Chrome released support for Retina earlier this year. If you'd rather stick with Firefox and can't wait, though, you can get access to the "nightly build" releases (which still include features currently being tested) on Firefox's website. It's too bad we've had to wait so long for this, but diehard Firefox users will probably be happy to hear full support is on its way.
Microsoft extends free Windows Server 2008 support through January 15th, 2015
Now that its successor is available, you're unlikely to hear much excitement for Windows Server 2008 around IT water coolers, but that's not to suggest it'll fade into oblivion anytime soon. In fact, Microsoft has extended its mainstream support of the server OS -- previously set to expire on July 9th, 2013 -- through January 15th, 2015. The company will continue to deliver free security fixes for the operating system beyond this cutoff date, however maintenance updates will require the purchase of extended support from Microsoft. According to the company's revised product lifecycle, paid updates for Windows Server 2008 will now be available through January 14th, 2020. For those curious, the new dates were largely determined by Microsoft guidelines, which guarantee a minimum five years of support, or in this case, two years of mainstream support beyond the release of the successor product. Naturally, it pains us to imagine firms chugging along with Windows Server 2008 into 2020, but you just know it'll happen. Now, at least someone in Redmond will be watching out for them.
NVIDIA to offer up documentation for Tegra graphics core to prove its commitment to open-source (video)
There's nothing like a little smack talk to light the fire under certain derrieres. It's been a few months since Linus Torvalds got verbal about NVIDIA's support for the semi-eponymous OS, prompting the chip-maker to say "supporting Linux is important to us." Proving that its word is good, NVIDIA will be releasing programming documentation for its Tegra architecture graphics core. The news comes from a talk given by Lucas Stach of the Nouveau project (who develop free drivers for the NVIDIA platform) at the XDC2012 conference. The focus will initially be on Tegra's 2D rendering engine, but it's hopes the 3D will soon follow. So, while Torvalds' approach might have been a little bit brusque, you can't fault its effectiveness. Video of the XDC talk after the break.
The iPhone 5's confusing international LTE support
One of the iPhone 5's most exciting new features is LTE support -- cell phone junkies have been waiting for an iPhone that supports high-speed LTE networks for a while now, and the latest iPhone, coming this Friday, will do exactly that. But unfortunately for international users, the LTE support may end up being a little spotty, according to The Mac Observer. There are actually three different models of the iPhone 5 being sold, and each of them, due to various technological limitations and bandwidth separations, will only support some of the networks around the world. Verizon and Sprint customers of the iPhone 5 will likely get a phone with the A1429 chip inside, which will allow access to LTE networks in the US and Japan, but not anywhere else. AT&T customers will get the A1428, which only supports two LTE bands, and so won't be extremely useful around the world. And international customers will get a third model, which will be able to access high-speed networks internationally, but might have a problem here in the US. It is confusing for sure, and the honest truth is that there is no internationally usable LTE iPhone -- you'll have to make compromises no matter which phone you buy. But that's the reality of modern cell phone networks as they exist today.
ArenaNet's Regina Buenaobra on Guild Wars 2, Reddit, and community
ArenaNet has, understandably, been receiving a whole lot of publicity in the days following the launch of Guild Wars 2, due in large part to notable events such as the "ask why you're banned" thread on the r/GW2 subreddit. Not everyone, however, is thrilled with the idea that ArenaNet is conducting so much of its customer support and community interaction on Reddit and social media sites such as Facebook rather than on official forums or a well-established community site. If you're someone who has been wondering exactly why ArenaNet focuses so much effort on Reddit and social media, then we're here to shed some light on the issue. We reached out to Guild Wars 2's North American Community Team Lead, Regina Buenaobra, to get the official point-of-view. If you'd like to know about ArenaNet's community and customer support teams (and the differences between the two), click on past the cut for the Q&A.
The Summoner's Guidebook: Don't get grabbed by Blitzcrank!
This week in the Summoner's Guidebook, I'll be talking about the matchup against Blitzcrank, League of Legends' own rock-em sock-em robot. We'll be looking mostly at his matchups in bottom lane on Summoner's Rift, but we'll also examine his gameplay in Dominion, where he is also very strong. Learning the matchup against Blitzcrank is extremely important in my opinion. He is a very popular champion, and this is due to his incredibly brutal gameplay. If you do not know how to deal with Blitzcrank, you will get owned by him. He's not a champion you can just "do your best" against. Failing to properly account for his strengths will result in deaths, and this makes him a very popular choice. If you're struggling at all against Blitz, you owe it to yourself to keep reading.
Apple adds support options for iBookstore publishers
In very welcome news to iBookstore publishers, Apple has recently added some support options to make it easier to get answers about pesky issues that might be delaying the sale of the next Great American Novel. In a letter to iBookstore publishers last week, Apple outlined four different support options. First, the Book Forum is part of the Apple Support Communities and a great way to search for answers to questions that others may have already asked. There's also an FAQ for iTunes Connect (requires iTunes Connect account to log in), the tool that's used to submit books to the store. For additional assistance with iTunes Connect issues, an existing Contact Us module leads publishers through a guided set of questions to provide an FAQ answer. Should that not provide an answer, there's now a toll-free (U.S. and Canada) number available to speak directly to an iBookstore Publisher Support advisor. Apple recommends that publishers have information on hand before requesting support by email or phone, including the Apple ID, ISBN, or vendor ID and title, the transfer log for iTunes Producer delivery failures, and the device, browser, version number, and operating system for technical issues in the iBookstore or on iTunes Connect.
The Summoner's Guidebook: Our favorite League of Legends bottom lane teams
Although building a team composition in League of Legends is all about synergy, the bottom lane in Summoner's Rift is the most critical. In Dominion, players may split up as the needs demand, and the other characters in Summoner's Rift spend around 15 minutes of each game on their own against a lone enemy. The bottom lane has two characters that are essentially joined at the hip for most of the game. While the support will eventually roam free and the carry may engage in some solo pushing or farming, those two characters spend much of the game together. It makes sense then that these two characters should mesh well. Here's a list of my favorite teams. If you're stumped on whom to pick for carry or support, you should try some of these out.
Guild Wars 2: Account linking and you [Updated]
You are surely aware that Guild Wars 2 is nearing its headstart and launch dates. You might also know that players of both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 have a bit of incentive to link their accounts. The Massively team has been getting a fair few questions about the ins and outs of account linking, so this here is a bit of a knowledge dump that'll hopefully sort out some problems.
Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G shows off all sides, sticks with new name
The saga of Samsung's Galaxy S Relay 4G (né Galaxy S Blaze Q) continues. In this latest episode, we're presented with an annotated set of pictures showing each side of the device -- courtesy of Samsung's very own US support site. Of course, this further confirms the handset's new name, which is just as terrible as the old name. No matter -- if you're a fan of QWERTY sliders this is definitely a phone to keep an eye on. While the full specs remain a mystery, previous leaks have confirmed HSPA+ 42Mbps support for T-Mobile's AWS network, a 4-inch screen (probably not HD) and a dual-core 1.5GHz processor (likely a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4). There's still no word on pricing or availability, but an official announcement can't be far behind, right?%Gallery-162860%
Sega Alliance launched, will provide marketing and production support for indies
Sega has announced a mobile initiative that it's calling the Sega Alliance, which seems like a publishing division of Sega Mobile. Sega says the Alliance will "provide participating developers with comprehensive marketing and production support as well as creative consultation." In other words, this is Sega's version of Chillingo, where the company will find indie developers doing good work and back them up with production and creative support, as well as partnering in the revenues when the apps are released. For a lot of indie devs looking for a spotlight, this is probably good news. As open as the App Store is, it can be hard to get seen by users and the press, and teaming with Sega is a good way to do so. Jack Lumber is a new $.99 game on the App Store, and it's the first release through Sega Alliance. The game was created by Owlchemy Labsthe folks behind Snuggle Truck, and it's a game along the lines of Fruit Ninja, where you have to draw lines across your iPad or iPhone to cut wood instead of fruit. The game looks interesting, and we'll have to see how this Sega partnership helps its chances.
