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Halo 3 documentary broken down into itty, bitty pieces
89 of 'em to be exact. That's really making the Et tu, Brute? documentary last a little while longer, and moves things up to a whole new level of fanaticism. It also proves that Halo fans are hardcore, and are probably going through Bungie's trash bins on a nightly basis. Let us know if you find anything good, but if you find Frankie's chewed gum ... spare us the dental records. Check out all of the photo-remnants from the chop-job on YouNEWB.com, and try to find new tidbits about the upcoming Halo 3. At the very least, you've got all new desktops for your computer, and at the worst, you've wasted 15 minutes of your life. Blame us or love us, it's your call. [Thanks, Billy Bob]
A bevy of GoW wallpapers all zipped up
Over at the official Gears of War forums they've been like little elves cranking out fan created Gears wallpapers at an astonishing pace. Some good, some not so good ... but all Gears inspired. So, brfitzp from GamingCrazy's forums decided he'd take up the tedious task of collecting over 60 of the best wallpaper designs and zipping them up into one nice package. If your desktop hasn't been re-wallpapered in a while, check out some these Gears designs, because odds are you'll like at least one.[Via Digg]
8-bit graphic goodness for your desktop
Freaky Fonts has a collection of retro-gaming wallpaper images up on their site which prove that simplicity can still kick butt. These work really well because they aren't so busy that your icons get lost in the background, plus they look snazzy to boot. When's the last time you had an image from H.E.R.O. on your computer? What about Super Zaxxon? Dang, time to fire up MAME for some gaming.Check out the whole set of eleven here, and decorate your desktop to your heart's content. Got a favorite video game desktop image? Tell us about it.
PSP December Content Pack now available
Every month (except last month, for some strange reason), Sony offers an EXE file they call the "Content Pack" which contains a variety of files, like videos, music and wallpapers for your PSP. In typical Sony style, this pack comes late into the month, but at least they have the courtesy to get rid of that silly "calendar" feature that pointed quite fruitless. This month's content pack features tons of promotional material from ATV Offroad Fury Pro, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2, and more.The real highlight is the Loco Roco demo that was released a few days ago. The holiday-inspired music is also included in this content pack, along with other samples from other PSP soundtracks. Feel free to visit Sony's official US website to download.
Visage Login - customize Mac OS X's login screen
If the design of Apple's Mac OS X login screen just isn't floatin' yer boat, Visage Login might be worth a look. With two separate versions - one for 10.4 and another for 10.1-10.3 - this is one of the few apps I remember where 10.3 users have some features to brag about over Tiger users. As an app for 10.4 Tiger, Visage Login allows you to alter the login screen's logo and desktop image, while a preference pane for 10.1-10.3 has the ability to run screen savers as your desktop background, personalize system alerts, randomize the login screen background, and more.Visage Login is shareware with a fully-functioning 3 day demo. A single license costs a mere $4.95, while a 50+ machine license for businesses and corporations is $29.95.[via digg]
TUAW Desktop of the Week - Happy Puppy
Since we've already taken care of the holiday-themed Desktop of the Week, we can get back to the fundamentals of the ideal desktop like function, form - and a happy puppy! Flickr user bc_lau wins the award for *almost* making me spit out my morning coffee with a desktop like this.Besides a happy puppy (sure, that could be a yawn, but 'happy' is more fun), bc_lau is clearly a freak for at-a-glance information and statistics. The first row of transparent info (two clocks, the date, the temp, and current iTunes track) is the work of Panic's Stattoo. The second row, with system statistics like CPU usage, hard drive space and temperatures is the iStat 2.0 application we're such big fans of here at TUAW (both as an app and as widgets). As one comment on this photo at Flickr already states, bc_lau gets bonus points for using a Boba Fett Dock icon for Safari.If you'd like to see your unique, functional or otherwise interesting desktop featured in our TUAW Desktops of the Week series, check out past featured desktops as well as the original post for the rules and to get an idea of what we're looking for. Then, upload your desktop screenshot to our TUAW Desktops Flickr group. We'll feature one or more desktops each weekend, giving credit to the desktop owner, wallpaper creator and any apps featured in the screenshot. Keep those desktops rolling in!
TUAW Desktop of the week for 11/12/06
I know I know, it's a slight bit early for holiday-themed desktops, but there's enough cleverness going on here that I thought it warranted a TUAW Desktop of the Week award anyway. Flickr user rVEO has more than just a pretty wallpaper going on in Xmas Mac - you're witnessing the powers of Sno, MacLampsX and X-MasTree to create the ultimate in festive desktops. The snow, for example, is actually animated, inducing the digital version of that warm eggnog experience that only a snowy day at the end of the year can. Nice work rVEO, though if you leave this running for long enough, you're probably going to need an iShovel to get back to work.In other news, the TUAW Desktops of the Week are going to get a bit more regular from here on out, so keep those submissions to our Flickr group coming, and be sure to check out our previous posts in the series and the original announcement for details on what it takes to make the cut.
Exclusive Lumines II wallpapers [m]
Lumines II has just arrived in stores and to celebrate, we have a bunch of exclusive wallpapers for your computer and your PSP. You can download these high-res beauties to your computer here.If you want to skin your PSP with some Lumines love, then type in m.pspfanboy.com into your PSP browser and download the following images:Image 1Image 2Image 3
Monotone: Square-Enix colors the mobile kingdom
You won't find Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura's new portable RPG on a Sony or Nintendo handheld. Monotone was developed exclusively for the mobile phone market and is a subscription-based (¥210 per month; under $2) puzzle-RPG, in which the protagonist must restore color and sound to his world (and no, he's not a wolf-god).For a limited time, Square-Enix is accepting fan-submitted content, presumably to inspire new characters, monsters, and quests that could be added to the game at a later date. There's also an in-game points system, which encourages players to redeem their hard-earned points for ringtones and wallpapers. Monotone is currently available on Japan's DoCoMo network. In other words, you won't be playing it.
PSP October Content Pack now available
Every month, Sony offers an EXE file they call the "Content Pack" which contains a variety of files, like videos, music and wallpapers for your PSP. This month is no different. Coming out halfway through the month seems a little lame, especially considering how it offers you a calendar. Oh well. This month's content pack features tons of still improperly-formatted, non-anamorphic video (WHY???!!!) of the poorly-reviewed Gangs of London, ATV Offroad Fury Pro, Killzone: Liberation, and various PS2 games.There's other stuff, like some excellent fan-created Killzone: Liberation wallpapers, made by GAP members. There's also a nice treat for Loco Roco fans, featuring a single minute of abruptly cut music. Damn you Sony! Why must you tease us like that![Thanks, starskreem!]
Exclusive: Heavenly Star fan pack
As you may already know, Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi has made a music video for the upcoming video-infused Lumines II. The catchy tune by Genki Rockets has been stuck in my head for the past few days, and I decided to share the love through this exclusive Heavenly Star fan pack. Included in this zip file are 20 PSP-formatted wallpapers, the song as an MP3 and a PSP-formatted version of the music video."While most of my creative energy has been devoted to video games, because music plays such an important role in them, it seemed ideal to create an original music video," Mizuguchi stated about his original creation. Lumines II hits stores on November 7th. DOWNLOAD
PSP September Content Pack now available
Every month, Sony offers an EXE file they call the "Content Pack" which contains a variety of files, like videos, music and wallpapers for your PSP. This month is no different. They always come out much too late, rendering somewhat useful features like the "Calendar" somewhat useless. This month's content pack features tons of non-anamorphic video (anger slowly rises) of Godfather: Mob Wars and various PS2 games. But that's not why I got the pack... I did it for the Okami images which are now proudly set as my PSP's wallpaper.
Vice City Stories website wastes hours of my life
Not only did Rockstar release an awesomely sweet trailer for their upcoming Vice City Stories, they also updated the official website. The site includes aforementioned trailer, but in PSP format, tons of screenshots, wallpapers, and a sampling of the ever-popular (and always amazing) radio. Yes: I listened until the feed looped... twice. The trailer and the radio were enough to secure a pre-order from me. The game will release in October.[Thanks, ZENegade!]
Valhalla Knights continues PSP's amazing RPG flood
Uh-oh. It looks like there's yet another amazing RPG heading to the PSP from Japan. If the upcoming Jeanne d'Arc isn't enough for you, then you might want to check out Valhalla Knights. From developer K2 (Tenchu series), it's one of the few Japanese RPGs that feature a fully customizable character for you to control. Battles look especially intense, with its real-time combat and six-member parties. The newly-updated official Japanese website has tons of things to look at, such as videos and wallpapers. The game releases on August 30th in Japan, and currently has no release date in the US. Hopefully, that'll change soon.[Via IGN Boards]
PSP August Content Pack now available
Every month, Sony offers an EXE file they call the "Content Pack" which contains a variety of files, like videos, music and wallpapers for your PSP. This month is no different. This pack arrives late as usual (so I guess mid-month is the new time for these things), this month's content pack features an explosive FlatOut 2 (PS2) trailer. In addition, you'll get some really hot Gangs of London wallpapers (pictured), Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters wallpapers, and the World Tour Soccer 2 demo. But, be warned: the media on this month's pack is formatted for PSP users that have 2.80 firmware or above.
Change desktop wallpaper with an Automator action
Sometimes randomly rotating your desktop wallpaper through the Desktop System Preferences pane is just a little overkill. Wouldn't it be nice if you had a simple drag-and-drop Automator action for setting your own wallpaper whenever your heart desired a change of pace? Then why not use this macosxhints post to make one. A few simple steps creates an action that you save as an app somewhere (I named my action 'Wallpaper') and simply link to in your Dock. For added convenience I saved it as a Finder plugin so I can right-click any picture I find to quickly chose Automator > Wallpaper from the context menu. Handy.As an extra tip: make sure you turn off automatic wallpaper rotation in the Desktop Preferences pane if it's on. Otherwise, at least from my testing, this action won't work.
Spider-Man 3 site features downloadable PSP content
PlayStation 3 and Spider-Man 3's destinies seem to coincide with each other (they share the same font at least), so it seems to make sense that the official Spider-Man 3 website features a PSP section where you can download a wallpaper and trailer for the portable. If you're a Firefox user like me, the site's use of pop-ups makes it a pain in the ass to download these files, so just direct-download them here:WallpaperTrailerThese files come in EXE files to make sure that everyone is able to load this content to their systems. But still, it feels weird seeing the InstallShield come up when you're trying to install a freakin' wallpaper.
Make wallpaper and win Lemmings
Okay, so we know that you can do a lot of stuff on the PSP. Like play games. Or watch porn. But let's not forget the real reason why we bought this gadget. To plaster it with some sweet wallpaper! Sony hears ya, and so they're running a contest based on the somewhat newly released Lemmings. So, what will you have to do? It's simple: just make a PSP-formatted wallpaper (that's 480x272 resolution) featuring the Lemmings logo and art. You can draw your own stuff, or you can use the assets provided by Sony. The top ten entries will be featured on the Lemmings official website (which is a pretty cool website in and of itself: it plays like a demo version of the game).What will the winners get? Depending on how the Playstation Underground community votes on your submission, you can win a PSP system or a copy of the game. The rest of the finalists will get an inflatable Lemmings doll to sleep with.
Widget Watch: iPhoto mini 1.3 gains a new UI, more
We blogged the iPhoto mini widget back in December, and since then it has received quite the feature update and face lift. The widget is now resize-able and just plain sexier. In addition to being able to browse all your iPhoto albums complete with image counts, you can now set the current image as your desktop wallpaper with a single click. The little gear icon you see offers the ability to open the current image in four apps: Preview, Mail, Safari and a custom app you can define on the back of the widget.The iPhoto mini widget is free and available from DashboardWidgets.
Panoramic Shots of Azeroth
While this site appears to have been around for a while (and without updates for a while), this is the first time I've bumped into it. The site includes a number of screenshots from across Azeroth, stitched together into large, panoramic views which are quite impressive. (For some idea of how the process works, there's a bit of explanation here - though I'd be curious about more detail.) If you're in the market for a new and interesting Warcraft-related wallpaper, this isn't a bad place to start.
