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Animated wallpaper running on a jailbroken iPad
In case you needed even more distraction and less battery life from your iPad, MacStories wants you to know about the ultimate hack just for you. For jailbroken iPads, a new app allows for having animated backgrounds just like Android devices. Called vWallpaper, it enables a video resized for the device's screen to be used an animated background, even while browsing and viewing apps. Of course, you could just run Android on your iPad and skip the hack, but that's more than some people are willing to do. My buddy runs an animated background on his Android phone (which makes it impossible for me to find the app I want, personally), but he seems to like the look of it. His battery life definitely suffers though, and while the iPad definitely has decent battery life, I would think this hack would cut it down significantly. If you want to do it anyway (and have a jailbroken iPad), you can get vWallpaper from the danstaface repo. Click Read More to check out a video of vWallpaper in action.
Doom-themed live wallpaper for Android turns your phone into a playground of carnage
Okay, so maybe this isn't the best choice for businessfolk sporting their new Droid Pros, but if you remember Doom as fondly as we do, you're probably going to want to check this out. A dev over on xda-developers has posted information on his new Doom-themed live wallpaper -- it doesn't actually draw from the game itself, but he's taken the bad guys (the important part) and reused them on a flat, stationary playing field of his own design. Basically, your hero strolls around battling baddies as they spawn; when he finally succumbs to his countless festering wounds, he respawns in a different room ad nauseam. It's available in beta form for free in the Market right now -- question is, are you tough enough to load it?
TAT releases trio of awesome live wallpapers for Android
Android comes with a pretty great set of live wallpapers built in -- and some manufacturers add their own, too -- but if you're ready for a change of pace, the UI nerds (we mean that in the best way possible) over at TAT have just dropped three of 'em for free. Called Artemia, Blue Range, and Retro Pixels, the trio run the gamut from dreamy aquascape to eBoy-esque 3D environment to 8-bit gaming, and they're all interactive in one way or another -- poking and shaking both seem to have interesting effects. They're in the Market now, so you may as well grab if you've got a compatible phone. Follow the break for TAT's movie trailer teaser video.
Droid 2 R2-D2 boot animation, live wallpapers leak out at light speed
Not willing to wait for the genuine R2-D2 edition Droid 2 later this month? Then it looks like you can now get the next best thing -- the Star Wars-themed boot animation and live wallpapers from the phone have already been dug out from the recently leaked ROM and made available for download. Those include the Millennium Falcon flying through an asteroid field, the always exciting jump to lightspeed, an interactive R2-D2, and everyone's favorite: the space slug. Head on past the break for a pair of videos, and hit up the links below to check out the rest (and download them).
Guild Wars 2 necromancer revealed
This is not your ancestor's necromancer. Much like the ranger, the necromancer in Guild Wars 2 is bigger, badder, and deadlier than her Guild Wars counterpart. The Guild Wars 2 necro was officially revealed today, and though we've pretty much known it was coming since Killeen made fallen soldiers dance in the sewers of Ebonhawke, it's still nice to see descriptions, videos, and screenshots straight from ArenaNet. Follow along after the jump as we take a look at the necro and all of her glowy green skills and abilities.
Wallpaper* limited edition bikes fold into a briefcase, look great doing it
The intersection of bicycling and gadgetry is often littered with odd-looking contraptions that only the bravest geek would be caught dead on. That's why we were pleased as punch to see the International, designed by Kinfolk and Coat, making the rounds. The one speed racing bike looks great, and it can be quickly broken down and thrown into a (albeit large) briefcase for that part of your journey that involves public transpo. While we're at it, the City (after the break) also fits into its own carrying bag, although it does have the more traditional "folding bike" thing goin' on. Both are available from Wallpaper*, for £2,450 ($3,815) and £1,255 ($1,955) respectively.
Two blades are better than one: MapleStory announces dual blade class
When it comes to weapons, the general thought process in pop culture goes, "One is definitely good, but two is twice as good, not to mention really, really cool looking." Let's be honest -- if people had three hands, we'd be seeing Hollywood movies full of triple-wielding gunslingers, and we'd love it. MapleStory knows this, which is why their latest class strips away pretensions and plays it like it is. Dual blades are a subset of the thief class, specializing in melee weapons to lay down a double-whammy on the bad guys. The new class also comes with an interactive backstory, as they're accepted into an organization of secret thieves (as if thieves advertise) who are out for revenge against the Dark Lord. With a name like Dark Lord, you know he isn't just selling Girl Scout cookies, so he probably deserves what's heading his way. Nexon's set up a special site for the new class that includes a trailer, three contests for impressive prizes, and a handful of dual blade wallpaper downloads to spiffy up your desktop. You can check out all of MapleStory's double-wielding action here.
Cats invade Star Wars: The Old Republic in this week's Fan Friday
The community of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not quite make the Twitter and Facebook goals, so the developers decided to punish us by announcing another species that we will not be able to play. (Just kidding, it wasn't punishment.) In addition to spotlighting fan art and video, this week's Fan Friday column mentions Cathar as being another species players of SWTOR will bump into on their travels across the galaxy. The feline species from the planet bearing the same name was first mentioned by name in Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, but gamers are probably more familiar with it from the other BioWare game, Knights of the Old Republic. Although the devs did not say where or how the players will run into this highly anticipated species, fans are hoping for a Cathar companion character. As mentioned above, the social media goal was not reached. Even so, the community team did give the fans some gifts. The Fan Site Kit has been updated with more digital goodies. New avatars, screenshots, and biographical images can now grace your SWTOR fan site. Not to mention, the team has included six new desktop wallpaper images straight from the exciting "Hope" trailer. Be sure to check out all of this and the amazing new fan art on the official SWTOR site.
aCircuit Board live wallpaper is aMazing (video)
Like teardowns? Ever worn a loose resistor in your pierced 80s earhole just to show the world how geek-punk you really are? Man, have we got the Android Live Wallpaper for you. aCircuit Board is a ¥99 (a bit more than a US buck) animated wallpaper available on the Android Market. Moving fan; binary clock; GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth status lights; a pulsating Android bot; and active circuit paths depending upon where you touch the PCB. Of course, it's all configurable too, via the options menu. Buy hey, don't take our word for it, see it in action after the break.
Character Sketch: Call for submissions
In the midst of all this Real ID brouhaha, it's good to be reminded that we sometimes play the World of Warcraft to immerse ourselves in our other identities -- the characters we play. Some of us enter the world of Azeroth to have a grand adventure, leaving our probably awesome but otherwise non-magical real lives for a while to masquerade as dwarves or orcs ... as anything from plate-wearing champions of the Light to felfire-wielding sorcerers in brimstone-stained robes. World of Warcraft is still an MMORPG, after all, and at the heart of it the characters we play are reflections of ourselves, real names or otherwise. Here at WoW.com, we'd like to celebrate these characters -- your characters -- by taking them for a spin. We're looking for submissions of our readers' characters which we'll take and draw. Think of it as a reverse version of World of WarCrafts, where we'll draw your character and throw in a paragraph or two about them, Know Your Lore-style. We'll need your help, of course. We want you to tell us about your favorite character, whether it be your awesome end-game raiding night elf priest or your humble, low-level bank alt in a snazzy tuxedo set. It's up to you. We want you to let us know about your character by shooting us an email at zach@wow.com with your character's name and a few lines describing them. Obviously, we'll need to get them right, so you could either link us to your character's armory or just send us some screenshots we can use as reference. The more detailed your descriptions or pictures, the more justice we'll be able to give to your character, so make sure to give us everything we need. We'll even try our best to get little details in there somewhere, like your favorite non-combat pet if you want it hanging around. In the end, if we get it right, we'll have a WoW.com wallpaper featuring one of your characters every week. In a way, it's a shot at 15 Minutes of Fame without actually having to be anyone famous in real life or having done anything particularly stupendous. You just need to be you -- and your character needs to be, well, just about any character in the World of Warcraft. Over time, we hope to compile a fairly decent gallery of the heroes that you play. Maybe it'll even help our readers get to know each other somewhat. Without, you know, having to tell anyone your real name or anything.
Pac-Man iOS 4 wallpaper just a 'video' feature away from perfection
We won't say that this is on the same level as Google's own playable Pac-Man graphic, but it's darn close. Designed to fit onto the iPhone 4's Retina Display, this Pac-Man PNG wallpaper lines up exactly to give you a glimpse of retro on each and every home pane. The only problem? There's no motion in the background, which leaves Sir Pac physically incapable of chowing down on any extra dots. Android users: this is where you stifle your evil grin and pretend that you're sympathetic.
Live it up at LotRO's Summer Festival!
The halcyon days of summer are upon us, and between trips to the beach and leveling up our cooking skill at the grill, it's a perfect time to celebrate the outdoors. Of course, Lord of the Rings Online is all about the outdoors -- the hobbits have yet to perfect internet access -- and to encourage players to sample the lazier side of the season they've brought back the Summer Festival. Earlier this week LotRO Europe announced the festival's return, so it's great to get confirmation that Eastern-earth (aka Northa America) was going to see it as well. This annual event encourages the Free Peoples of Middle-earth to take a break from the grind and engage in a few of the languorous activities that the game has to offer. Horse races, fireworks displays, fishing for tokens and scavenger hunts are all par for the course! There's also regular festival events that pop up at the four big yearly celebrations which include learning new dances and boosting your rep with either the Ale Association or the Inn League. Hit the jump for a few links to help you plan your Summer Festival fun!
Mario live wallpaper for Android: better than a Tanooki Suit in the summer
Seriously, words cannot describe how incredibly entertained we are by this Mario Live wallpaper for Android 2.1 and above devices. All across the home and locked screen, our favorite Italian faux-plumber protagonist runs through randomly-generated levels across various themes like outside, underground, and castle. It's very customizable, allowing you to change the level's difficulty, see the alternate paths Mario's AI has plotted, and rendering the background (all at a cost to CPUs and battery life, of course). Free download -- donations suggested, of course -- and if you're looking for a way to stare at your phone even longer, well, look no further. Videos through which you can live vicariously are after the break.
TUAW's Daily App: Home 3D
Lest you think that all we'll be spotlighting in this space is games, here's an interesting app meant for anyone thinking about adding a couch to that living room or putting an extra bed in the back bedroom. Home 3D is an "architecture and interior design app" that allows you to model out your home in 3D, including doors and windows on a floor plan, wallpaper, and furniture, allowing you to test out your choices on your device first before tearing out a wall or repainting a room. Having all of this functionality on your iPhone or iPad is impressive (and the best home design software costs a lot more than this one -- US$3.99 for the iPhone and $4.99 for the iPad), but Home 3D does it with an impressive interface and a surprising number of features. You can use a color picker and choose from a set of pre-loaded furniture, buy more with in-app purchases, or try creating your own models or even using the iPhone's camera for textures. It's not perfect -- if you want to do serious home design, you'll probably have to go for something a little more dedicated on the desktop. But just for moving some furniture around, or maybe seeing what a room might look like with a different color of paint, Home 3D does the trick.
World of WarCrafts: WoW art for your computer
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. If you spend a lot of time at your computer -- and what WoW devotee doesn't? -- you've probably got a soft spot for game-related wallpapers. This week, we've got trio of computer art we bet will have you booting up to a whole new look. World of Wallpapers has been putting out simple yet stunning WoW wallpapers for some time now. The problem isn't finding one you like; the problem is picking a single favorite for your desktop. (Personally, I'm planning to solve that problem with a slideshow screensaver of my top picks.) Go wide with these panoramic views of the wide world -- literally -- of Azeroth. Creator Cybear has been hard at work creating panoramic views of areas that will be changing come Cataclysm. (As of this writing, he had yet to settle on a final host for the files; please be patient should the bandwidth be temporarily exceeded. They're worth checking back for!) While we're on the subject of artwork, if you use Firefox as your web browser, head over to GetPersonas.com and check out the growing collection of WoW personas, which add artwork to your web browser's borders and function areas. We'd been waiting to mention these until more were available, but a tip from reader Akussa (thanks!) showed that the selection is coming along nicely. World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by e-mailing lisa (at) wow (dot) com with your not-for-profit WoW-inspired creations.
The story behind the iPad's home screen photo
When Steve Jobs revealed the iPad back in January, viewers stared in breathless amazement, none more so than Richard Misrach, the artist whose photo is the default home screen image. He was sitting at home watching a movie when his phone rang. It was his agent, and he couldn't believe what was happening. Soon, Richard's family and friends were all calling. Needless to say, Apple's decision to use his photo for this "magical revolutionary device" was a surprise. Misrach had submitted 10 photos for Apple to consider for "wallpaper" some time ago, but they had all been rejected, he told Art Info. There was no mention of the iPad at the time, but they eventually called back to say yes, they'd like to use his "Pyramid Lake (at Night)" photo. He describes the image as "...a long night exposure where the moon is lighting up the mountains in the distance. I shot it on an 8x10 camera, so the quality is really beautiful and you can see star trails going through the sky." Those trails have startled some users, but I think they look great. The photo itself was taken at a Native American Indian reservation in Nevada. Richard notes that this is the first time in his 40-year career that he's commercially licensed an image. He explains why with tongue-in-cheek style: "What's funny is that for years I actually used the photo as my own screensaver. So I guess they know what they're doing." [Hat tip to Beau Colburn]
Fan-run EVE competition offers prizes for best wallpaper
EVE Online player Xiphos83 has teamed up with our friends over at Crazykinux's Musing to make an EVE competition that's definitely worth entering. Always on the look-out for a new desktop background, for this competition he wants to see your best attempt at a visually stunning EVE wallpaper. With all the graphical upgrades EVE has received over the years, it's always kept its spot as one of the most visually stunning MMOs out there. It lends itself spectacularly to taking awesome screenshots and making dramatic videos. Entries must be at a minimum resolution of 1280 x 1024 and should fit into either an "Action" or "Scenic" theme. Anything from well-posed snaps of your favourite EVE planet to full-on PvP shots are in with a chance to win. Entry costs 10 million ISK and the winners will split the entire pot between them, with an additional 175 million ISK contributed by donors. Judging by the number of comments the competition has received so far, there could be a lot of ISK in that prize pot up for grabs. To enter, simply email your screenshot to crazykinux [AT] gmail [DOT] com along with your EVE character's name and wire your entry fee to character "CrazyKinux" in-game. Entries must be in by March 26th and to be in with a chance to win, make sure you read the contest rules.
World of WarCrafts: March roars in like a Zhevra
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. Ahh, March ... Roaring in like a lion comes a rush of WoW-inspired creativity from fans and readers. (Hopefully, we won't find ourselves sheeped like lambs by the end of the month -- but that's a matter better left to Mr. Archmage Pants.) First up, the only lambishly sweet of the bunch this week: yes, it's My Little Zhevra. This handmade custom named Zebu the Zhevra comes from thatg33kgirl at Deviant Art. (If Zebu provokes squees of cuteness overload, be sure to also check out last summer's My Lich King Pony.) Custom art for hunters, several selections of fan fiction, a custom character figure from a WoW.com reader, plus wicked wallpapers for warlocks, all coming up after the break.
Dress up your desktop with Halo: Reach box art wallpaper
During last night's Microsoft's X10 press event, Bungie revealed the final box art for Halo: Reach. (Spoiler: It's real pretty.) And just as we were about to tile images of the cover to dress up our desktop backgrounds, Bungie released perfectly sized wallpaper images on its official site. Nab the wallpaper for widescreen setups, CRT screens, and even your iPhone right now! It's the closest you're getting to the Spartan-heavy adventure until the beta launches on May 3. %Gallery-64713%
Rockstar seemingly responds to 'Eye of Sauron' comment with rad, rude wallpaper
In a surprisingly lighthearted move, Rockstar appears to have responded to recent accusations of overwork (among many other things) with a series of wallpaper designs on its official site. The designs are presumably a comment based on statements made to the MTV Multiplayer Blog from a former Rockstar New York employee who compared the company management's wandering focus to that of the vengeful "Eye of Sauron" -- the fictional all-seeing evil in the Lord of the Rings franchise. The trio of wallpaper designs -- which are not-so-subtly titled, "The Eye" -- may very well mark the first time that Rockstar has responded to claims of mismanagement and overworking its employees. While the wallpaper is certainly stylish enough for our computer backdrop, we can't help but think poking fun at reports that the company has treated its workers like robots is a little classless. Also, we have to wonder how many overtime hours were used to create these totally radical designs.
