top ten
Latest
Apple lists top iPhone, iPad apps of 2010
As we reported earlier, Apple has highlighted the best of iTunes from 2010. Their showcase reveals their picks for the best movies, music, podcasts, audio books and apps for the last 12 months. For those of you who don't want to scroll through iTunes' rather cumbersome app navigation system, BoyGeniusReports has compiled easy to read lists of the top ten iPhone/iPod touch apps in the "free," "paid" and "grossing" categories, as well as the top ten iPad apps in the same categories. Unsurprisingly, some version of Angry Birds showed up in all but one of the six categories. Catch the full lists after the break and, once you've seen them, tell us in the comments how you think they match your top apps. Did Apple leave any stellar apps out?
Letterman lists 'Top Ten signs you've purchased a bad iPhone'
The iPhone's ongoing technical issues made it to David Letterman's Late Show last night, as he presented a "top ten signs you've purchased a bad iPhone." It's as funny as Letterman usually is -- I especially liked the Pop Tart one, and you even get a nice less-than-sincere apology to Larry King for a previous top ten inserted right in the middle there. I wonder what kind of cell phone, if any, Letterman carries around. The guy's not exactly technically inclined, and while the iPhone would probably appeal to him if he tried it (how could it not?), he might just be too much of a luddite to even bother. In other late night show host iPhone news, Conan also tweeted about the iPhone 4's reception issues -- apparently the design flaw in his iPhone is that "people get angry when I talk on it during a funeral." I wouldn't worry too much about that, though, Conan -- Apple will probably fix it in the next OS update.
The Daily Quest: A daily dose of Top 10 lists
Here at WoW.com, we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites. It's Wednesday -- are you getting your BlizzCon tickets tonight? Here are a few top 10 lists to read while you're waiting in what is bound to be a very, very long line -- and if you didn't make the line, don't worry. There's always Saturday. Linedan over on Achtung Panzercow throws us the Panzercow's own Top Ten Predictions for Cataclysm. Fuubaar over at Killing 'em Slowly gives us a Top 10 List of A.D.D. Things to Do before Cataclysm. Jed over at Jed's Corner of WoW Shenanigans serves up his Top 10 tips for guild leaders. And for something completely different, Ambrosine at I Like Bubbles has a couple of handy flow charts.
Letterman's iPad top ten list doesn't go quite according to plan
Sure, David Letterman is rich, famous and apparently no slouch with the ladies... but he's not an iPad-savvy geek, as you can see here. During tonight's Late Show, he brought out an iPad with the top ten list shown ("Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Waiting In Line For The iPad") -- then proceeded to turn the iPad upside down, get frustrated with his inability to wake it from sleep mode, accidentally try to power it down, lick it (!), then he simply went ahead and read from his paper card. It's not clear how much of Letterman's frustration was feigned for comic effect, but it was a bit painful to see guest Sam Worthington place his coffee cup atop the iPad screen a few minutes later. Meanwhile, over on basic cable, Stephen Colbert showed the world how it's done (via Gawker). In addition to slicing veggies for a tangy salsa with his iPad, Colbert also got in a nice dig: "If you've already got an iPhone, a lot will be familiar to you on the iPad. The same touchscreen technology, the same apps... and just like the iPhone, you can't make calls with it." Oooh, burn. Update: Colbert video now embedded in the 2nd half of the post along with Letterman.
Wii dominates Amazon's video game best sellers of 2009
Online retailer Amazon has tallied up sales in its Video Games category for the year 2009, and the results are overwhelmingly in favor of the Nintendo Wii, with nine out of the top ten spots going to Nintendo's console, various official accessories, and games. The best-selling game on the list is New Super Mario Bros. Wii at spot number 5, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that the game came out in November -- selling more copies in under two months than most games sold all year. But above that it's all Wii gear, from the Nunchuk and the MotionPlus addon to the console itself at the top. Modern Warfare 2 is the only non-Nintendo title in the top ten, and it's specifically the Xbox 360 version, while the PS3 version comes in at number 13. There are only two titles exclusive to another console on the list: Halo 3: ODST for Microsoft at 16, and Uncharted 2 for Sony at 18. But that's not much to cheer about: even the Wii Wheel beat them both. It's fair to say Nintendo can declare Wii-ctory on Amazon in 2009. See the full list below. [Via Kotaku]
Nielsen stats: a lot of iPhones out there, but also a lot of everything else
Fact: most phones last. Thing is, for us (and likely many of you), they last far longer than our clinically-diagnosed Gadget Attention Deficit Disorder would ever tolerate -- but for your dad, your sister, your college buddy with the hand-me-down ZEOS Pantera running Windows 95, or anyone weary of re-upping a two-year commitment, a handset can easily become a serious long-term investment. That helps explain why Motorola's venerable RAZR series remains staggeringly high on Nielsen's latest US phone usage report -- third place, to be exact, at 2.3 percent of all subscribers behind the iPhone 3G at 4 percent and RIM's BlackBerry Curve line at 3.7 percent. Needless to say, that doesn't mean the ancient V3 line is still in third place for sales -- it's more a testament to the staggeringly huge RAZR user base Moto managed to develop over the years, many of whom scored their phones at sub-$100 price points as an attractive, midrange value in the phone's twilight and have no intention of upgrading any time soon if they don't have to. Maybe the most interesting part of this is that two V3 variants are also topping 2009's most-recycled list, so they're definitely getting taken out of circulation -- it just might take a few years yet before you don't know anyone that uses one, that's all.
WoW.com's top ten stories of 2009
What a year it's been for the World of Warcraft. We've had three big content patches, a BlizzCon, an expansion announcement, and perhaps out of all of the five years this game has been running, this was the year with the most surprises. A few things players thought would never happen (including faction changes) finally did, and we saw quite a few new tricks from Blizzard, both in terms of game features and in the way they run the game at large. 2009 was also a year of expectation: we thrilled to leaks and rumors about Cataclysm, and all year long, we looked forward to the villian that has been set up for us ever since 2008's Wrath release: the Lich King himself. As we've done for the past couple of years, let's take a look back at the most popular stories of 2009 here on WoW.com. We'll start first with number 10, which also came as a surprise to many players, right after the break.
Aion grips top ten digital sales charts a month past release
You'd be forgiven for thinking Aion would've fallen off the Steam and DIrect2Drive top ten sales charts, what with the fire hose blast of new PC releases. Fortunately for NCsoft, that isn't the case as the game is still clinging to said charts in the face of games like Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Torchlight and Left 4 Dead 2. Boldness! Actually, the game is pretty darn good -- if you don't mind your peanut butter with extra grind -- so that's not a huge surprise all things considered. It's always a good sign when an MMO can stay on the top ten after its launch, moreso when it does so against high profile, high pedigree releases. So, rejoice Aion players, you've likely got a strong community! (We could've just told you that, but now numbers vindicate said observation.)
Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3, Trials HD continue to dominate
Surprising no one, Major Nelson's weekly list of most-played games on Xbox Live showcases Halo 3 and a double dose of Call of Duty on the top of the charts, with Modern Warfare and World at War grabbing second and third, respectively. XBLA top-seller Trials HD continues to lead the downloadable space, beating out newcomers Tower Bloxx Deluxe and Panzer General: Allied Assault.The most notable item on the list is Gearbox Software's Borderlands, debuting at (a disappointing) ninth on the list. Perhaps evidence that inventory shortages may in fact muck up the wheels of a critically acclaimed game's launch. Color us surprised ... then trace us with sarcasm.
US Arena qualifier results in
Blizzard has announced the final results of the qualifier rounds on the US Arena Tournament realms, and there they are -- you can see that Death Knights are probably the most dominant class in the lineup. Their teamup with a Paladin and a ranged DPS (specifically a Warlock, though there is a Hunter in there) is pretty devastating so far. Shaman have made a nice comeback as well, serving both as utility and healing on a few teams. And of course the old Arena standby of PMR finishes out the top ten.Blizzard will invite the winners from the qualifying round into regional finals -- they will invite the top eight teams, but apparently, according to a few commenters in the forum thread, both "well then" and "GET TANKED" are somehow the same players on the same accounts (but different characters, even though they're same classes), and the same is supposedly true for The Phuox Den and Almost Eighty on Live. So we're not sure who they're inviting -- either these two teams will get to play twice in the tournament rounds, or Blizzard will pull in some more teams to fill in the spots.Or maybe Blizzard will have to come up with something else: we're not entirely sure about which players are on those teams, but certainly Blizzard can check that very easily. At any rate, congrats to all of the winners so far, and we'll keep an eye out for the next round of Arena battles.
Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3 reigns supreme, OutRun races to first
Another week passes and the epic struggle between Call of Duty: World at War and Halo 3 continues. For a second week in a row Halo 3 netted the top slot as the most played Xbox 360 game on Xbox Live -- probably due in part to the public availability of the Mythic Map Pack, released on April 9. On the top played Xbox Live Arcade list OutRun Online Arcade grabbed the top spot while last week's number one, The Dishwasher, dropped to fourth.In a show of gamers voting with their dollars, the 1600 ($20) XBLA release Puzzle Quest: Galactrix plummeted from fifth spot to tenth while Capcom's Flock! has failed to make a splash on the top ten. "What will knock Halo 3 from the top slot?" you ask. Halo OutRun Arcade... pictured above and coming soon (but, not really). The full top ten lists are available after the break.
Xbox Live Arcade February chart toppers
Based on info gleaned from Major Nelson's weekly Top Ten lists (sans data from the week ending February 2), GamerBytes has compiled a list of the top selling Xbox Live Arcade titles in February. Topping the charts is the EA Sports Freestyle-branded arcade game, 3-on-3 NHL Arcade with strong showings from the pricey R-Type Dimensions and Braid (following an end of the month Deal of the Week sale). Most surprisingly was the interest in Minesweeper Flags, which hovered within the top ten for two weeks in a row -- even though every Windows PC ships with a version of the game! Not faring as well last month were Death Tank (the Sega Saturn Duke Nukem 3D mini-game remake of Death Tank Zwei, priced at 1200) and Exit 2, which both failed to capture much attention upon release. The Maw was a notable entry, firmly holding onto a spot all month following a January release (which GamerBytes notes is a rare feat for XBLA releases). Of course, the most important thing to take away from this is that none of the aforementioned titles were Peggle, which is everyone's new virtual cocaine. We bow to our Unicorn masters.
Top ten reasons Thrall got pwned by Garrosh
So, there's this Wrath-release event happening. One of the side-plays during the event is a duel between Thrall and Garrosh Hellscream. And while Thrall was busting out all the Shaman mojo he could, he ultimately loses to Garrosh. Over and over. Why, Thrall? How could it come to this? Where did we go wrong? In an attempt to understand how the Warchief could be struck low by the young pup, we here at WoW Insider bring you the Top Ten Reasons Thrall got pwned by Garrosh:
