Tuesday, February 1, 2011

If a Nintendo DS Game Needs a Keyboard, Shouldn't It Just Be on the Wii? [Gaming]

I mean, really, this Nintendo DS bluetooth keyboard accessory sort of undermines the entire concept of a portable console. Who's gonna lug this thing around with them? Like Kotaku says, just put the damn game out on the Wii. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IZWBc5s0lLM/if-a-nintendo-ds-game-needs-a-keyboard-shouldnt-it-just-be-on-the-wii

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Lasers Engaged: Anybots Are Now Shipping

Start your laser beams, it's time to turn into a robot. No, seriously. After years of development Anybots, the startup that builds remote-controlled roving robots, is shipping its first devices to consumers. Customers who pre-ordered their robots will start getting their orders this week, and Anybots will begin filling orders placed today in March. If you haven't heard of or seen an Anybot before, check out the video below, which we shot last summer in at TechCrunch headquarters. In it, our own Michael Arrington takes control of one of the robots and explores its features ?�he drives it around the office, runs into my legs a few times (the robot has a gentle touch because of its object avoidance system) and shoots his low-power laser beam at one of Anybots' lead engineers.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/VGVtRgGYGkQ/

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Daily Crunch: Harsh Martian Edition

Weekend Contest: Win A Bulletproof IoSafe Hard Drive Mars 500 Simulation Wrapping Up, Will Soon ?Land? On The Red Planet Build Your Own Heli-Rocket For $5 Will Planet Earth Have ?Two Suns? By 2012? Duke Nukem Forever: May 3

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/01/22/daily-crunch-harsh-martian/

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Gravity Guy is a fun one-button platformer -- Time Waster

gravityguy
Every once in a while, I like to write about a game that doesn't have a complicated set of controls. To be honest, most time wasters don't tend to be very complicated, perhaps except for those that require using both the mouse and the keyboard at the same time. But there's a category of time wasters that manage to hit the simplest UI possible, and still remain playable: The "one-button" games.

Gravity Guy is one such game; all you need is the SPACE key or the left mouse button. When the level starts, your little guy starts running across the screen, left to right. The level scrolls along, and pretty soon your guy is going to hit a step. In a normal platformer, you would just jump. But here there's no jumping - hitting space reverses gravity itself, and you find your guy suddenly running across the ceiling, full-speed ahead.

Now, just because it's a single-button game doesn't mean you don't have to stay alert: Hitting a step isn't the worst thing that can happen; just as often, the platform you're running on simply ends, and you fall into the abyss of space.

It's an intense game, but those who don't mind restarting a level over and over again will find it lots of fun.

Gravity Guy is a fun one-button platformer -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/10/gravity-guy-is-a-fun-one-button-platformer-time-waster/

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Five privacy protection Firefox add-ons for Data Privacy Day

dataprivacyday
Happy Data Privacy Day! While Lee already published one roundup showing a multitude of various tools, this post is all about Firefox!

If you're reading Download Squad, you already know all of these classics. Kudos to you! Now go ahead and let your less computer-savvy coworkers or family members read this list, and make sure they install at least one of these if they use Firefox at all.

  • HTTPS Everywhere is an add-on by the beardies over at the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). It forces Firefox to communicate using HTTPS (secure HTTP) with a number of major websites, such as Google, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, PayPal and others.
  • Ghostery focuses on those corporations and institutions bent on tracking your movements around the Web (or on their own websites). It detects when you're being tracked by Google Analytics, Facebook and over 400 other ad networks, and provides an easy way to block those tracking mechanisms while leaving all other JavaScript functionality intact.
  • Web of Trust provides a clear "traffic light" indication showing which sites you can trust with your credit card details, and which sites you should be leery of. The ratings are user-generated, and you don't have to access the actual website in question to view them - they show up right on the search results page when you use Google, Yahoo!, Bing and even Wikipedia.
  • NoScript is somewhat similar to Ghostery mentioned above, in that it also blocks JavaScript. But it's a more extreme solution: Rather than just block trackers, it implements a "white list", blocking all JavaScript except for scripts running on domains you trust. One of its many advantages is that it protects against cross-site scripting attacks.
  • BetterPrivacy protects you against a different kind of cookie - one that you can't flush just by clearing your browser history. These cookies are called Local Storage Objects, or Flash cookies, and are put on your computer using the Flash plug-in. BetterPrivacy scrubs these cookies off your system every time your exit your browser.
Did I miss any of the must-have privacy add-ons for Firefox? Share your recommendations in the comments!

[Image credit: dcJohn]

Five privacy protection Firefox add-ons for Data Privacy Day originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/28/five-privacy-protection-firefox-add-ons-for-data-privacy-day/

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The Engadget Show - 017: Steve Wozniak, Sony NGP, PlayStation Phone prototype

We've never had a guest on The Engadget Show that inspired quite as much excitement as Steve Wozniak -- the crowd was pumped and the Woz was in full effect. Josh and Woz talked for a full 40 minutes about everything from Woz's white iPhone to the future of server storage to anecdotes about Apple, and it's all topped off with a little creative currency manipulation, as Woz promises us his custom $2 bills can get us "arrested, but not convicted."

Then it's on to the roundtable, where Josh, Paul, and Nilay talk over Sony's new NGP, PlayStation Suite, and even play with a super-secret unannounced prototype of the PlayStation Phone. This is one you absolutely should not miss. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! Hit up the video stream after the break or download the show in HD below!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Special guests: Steve Wozniak
Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm
Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger
Edited by: Danny Madden
Music by: Zen Albatross
Visuals by: invaderbacca
Woz Intro by: Nick Criscuolo
Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec


Taped live at Cooper Union's Rose Auditorium
Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 017 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 017 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 017 (Small)

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Continue reading The Engadget Show - 017: Steve Wozniak, Sony NGP, PlayStation Phone prototype

The Engadget Show - 017: Steve Wozniak, Sony NGP, PlayStation Phone prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FyatgUEt68A/

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Intel and Capgemini to develop tablet for home energy management

If Google and Microsoft can get in on the home energy management wave then hey, why not Intel? Chipzilla is teaming up with Capgemini SA to create a "tablet-style computer" that lets humans control the power consumed by their appliances. Later, presumably when there are enough of these smart devices on the grid, it could allow utilities to more intelligently manage its electricity allocation. According to Intel's Joe Jensen, general manager for low-power embedded processors, "energy is a big part of our project to extend the fringe of computing out to the next thing." Indeed, under Paul Otellini's lead, Intel is targeting fuel pumps at the corner gas station, advertising signs, and even exercise equipment as it seeks opportunities beyond traditional computing devices -- a market Intel believes to be worth about $10 billion. The goal of the Intel / Capgemini initiative is to offer a full-service smart-grid solution, according to Steven Harris, head of smart home services at Capgemini. Mind you, Intel's involvement shouldn't come as a total surprise here, seeing as how it was showing off wall panels for real-time utility management in the -- groan -- "digital crib" way back at CES in 2010. That's one such device, pictured above.

Update: Corrected spelling from "Cap Gemini" (as Businessweek presented it) to "Capgemini" -- this isn't 2004 anymore. We also managed to unearth the official press release announcing Intel's Home Energy Dashboard reference design built around the Atom processor. You'll find that after the break.

Continue reading Intel and Capgemini to develop tablet for home energy management

Intel and Capgemini to develop tablet for home energy management originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/01/intel-and-cap-gemini-to-develop-tablet-for-home-energy-managemen/

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