Ask DLS: Cross-platform multiplayer games that work on Android and iOS

askdls
Here's one for our knowledgeable commenters: I recently bought my girlfriend an iPad. I, on the other hand, own an Android device. And now we're looking for games we can play using both devices.

There's no dearth of multiplayer games either for Android or for iOS. But finding multiplayer games that can cross the platform boundary is an entirely different matter.

Jay recently posted Words with Friends which is one such game. It's actually an ideal example, because it's turn-based so you don't necessarily both have to be next to your device at the same time (great for long-distance gaming).

But what other examples are there? What multiplayer games are there that let iOS users play with Android users?

[Why am I now humming 'Ebony and Ivory'? -Ed]

Ask DLS: Cross-platform multiplayer games that work on Android and iOS originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/02/ask-dls-cross-platform-multiplayer-games-that-work-on-android-and-ios/

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Just Mobile Xtand Go Mounting System for iPhone 4/4S Review

As I have stated in past reviews, keeping my world less cluttered and relatively organized is key to managing my hectic, whirlwind life. Whether it is for work or personal travel, when I am in a vehicle my smartphone is typically rattling around the center console or available cup holder. A very sad circumstance, since I would never put my iPad or MBAir into that kind of harm’s way. It also makes my iPhone’s usefulness during those times….limited (and perhaps my driving a bit more hazardous). Well, the engineers at Just Mobile have created the Xtand Go, a well designed mounting system for your vehicle to hold your mobile devices while motoring down the road.

Contents:

Features:

  • Flexible mounting system
  • Mount for iPhone 4S/ 4
  • Go Button mount for smartphones and sat-navs
  • Pocket-sized and portable

Dimension:

  • 12.1 x 6.5 x 10.3 cm
  • 4.8 x 2.6 x 4.1 in

Even though the Xtand Go vehicle mount includes an iPhone 4 specific holder, the system is designed to hold almost any mobile device (nav-unit, iPod, other smartphone, etc). The black plastic Go Buttons can be attached to the back of whichever device you want the mounting bracket to support.

The windshield suction cup is extremely well done. To be honest, it is the best designed one I have ever seen. Most others usually fall off over time or if the windshield gets too hot or cold. The Xtand Go applied effortlessly and has remained attached to my windshield ever since. Removing it from your windshield is just as easy to do as it is to install. Simply twist the base ring counterclockwise and peel off using the tab on the sucker’s surface.

The Xtand Go allows for 360 degree orientation. The plastic tab on the side of the mounting bracket enables you to easily remove the iPhone 4.

The base/mount arm is made of three separate sections/blocks. Each section is attached and pivots from one edge. Each also independently rotates 360 degrees, enabling you to place/install the Xtand pretty much anywhere and position it to suit you and whatever vehicle you are driving. The base is very sturdy with minimal wobble or wiggle while your vehicle in motion.

In situations where you want to install your iPhone (and Xtand) to your dash rather than your windshield, Just Mobile has that taken care of as well, including three stand mounts and adhesive pads.

These adhesive pads can be applied to most (non-iPhone) devices, your dashboard, roof lining – anywhere they will stick. The stand mounts can also be attached to your iPhone case, making removing your device unnecessary. Fortunately for me, the stand mounts match the dash color of my truck, so much you can hardly tell it is there.

The mounting bracket can not only be configured to nearly any angle or orientation, but the three blocks that form the extendable arm can be re-tightened with a simple allen wrench. However, the further you extend the arm, the less stable it becomes.

Whether attached to my dash or stuck to my windshield, the Xtand Go is one of the better compact/transportable car iPhone (/device) mounts I have used. Its compact design makes the Xtand Go mounting system easy to take with you on travel. Along with looking very nice, the Xtand Go is stable and does not wiggle/shake much at all. The MSRP is $39.95 but can be found on the Net for a fraction of that.

Product Information

Price:$39.99
Manufacturer:Just|Mobile
Pros:
  • - Nicely constructed
  • - Well engineered
  • - Easy to install/good instructions
  • - Relatively stable
  • - Fitted for the iPhone 4/4S but can be used with other smartphones/devices
  • - Transportable
Cons:
  • - None

Filed in categories: Car Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: ,

Just Mobile Xtand Go Mounting System for iPhone 4/4S Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game

sticks
Sticks is another one of those rare games where the intro is actually worth watching. It introduces you to office worker Bob, who is basically a wage slave fantasizing about a better existence.

Then, on his way back home from another grueling day at the office, he passes a huge sign which says "Sticks." This is where the game starts.

Each level has a number of coins hovering in mid-air, and your goal is to place sticks that lead those coins to Bob -- but you only have a limited amount of wood to play with. As soon as you're done placing your sticks strategically, hit the big Play button and let nature, or rather gravity, run its course. The coins will drop down, and if you place your sticks correctly, they will roll all the way to Bob.

The soundtrack is soothing and playful, and didn't get on my nerves even after playing for quite a while. All in all, a very cute game, especially for a day at the office.

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/18/help-bob-make-money-in-sticks-a-fun-physics-game/

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Mojang sued for alleged patent infringement in Android version of Minecraft

Mojang has seen the sort of success that most game developers dream of with Minecraft, but it looks like it's now also found itself thrust into the rarely desirable world of patent lawsuits. As revealed by Minecraft creator Notch himself on Twitter, Mojang is being sued by the Texas-based Uniloc (which has also taken aim at Electronic Arts, Gameloft and others) over some alleged patent infringement in the Android version of Minecraft. That supposed infringement is not related to any of the distinctive gaming elements of Minecraft, but rather the means through which the game verifies users -- something Uniloc alleges is a violation of patent #6,857,067, a "system and method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data." Not surprisingly, Notch has taken the opportunity to make his thoughts on software patents known (see his blog post below), and also make absolutely clear that he intends to fight the suit, saying that "if needed, I will throw piles of money at making sure they don't get a cent." That's also prompted a response from Uniloc CEO Ric Richardson, who notes that he had no direct involvement in this particular patent or suit, but defends the company's practices and insists that it is not a patent troll.

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Mojang sued for alleged patent infringement in Android version of Minecraft originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/23/mojang-sued-for-alleged-patent-infringement-in-android-version-o/

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Classic Shell now makes Internet Explorer 9 look like IE8

classic shell make windows 7 look like xp
If you used Windows XP for a long time (who didn't?), one of the biggest changes when moving to Windows 7 or Vista was the massively-altered Explorer. While the new Explorer introduces some useful new features, it also removed just as many -- which is where Classic Shell comes in!

We've covered Classic Shell before, but here's the crib note: Classic Shell restores almost every Windows XP-era Explorer feature. The best change, in our opinion, is the reemergence of the 'up' arrow, meaning you now navigate without using the Windows Vista/7 'breadcrumbs' address bar. The status bar yet again shows the total size of your selection, and -- praise be! -- the diabolical Windows 7 Copy File 'copy and replace?' dialog has been replaced with a Windows XP lookalike (image after the break).

New to the most recent version of Classic Shell is the ability to make IE9 look like IE8. With Classic Shell the title bar yet again has a caption, so you can see the full title of Web pages. The current security zone and loading progress indicator have been put back into the status bar, too. If you enable 'Show tabs on a separate row,' it's almost like using IE8.

Finally, Classic Shell replaces the omnipotent Windows 7 Start Menu with the age-old 'classic' Windows 2000/XP-style Start Menu. Classic Shell makes the Start Menu skinable, too, if you're into the kind of thing.

As awesome as it sounds, we've only touched on a small section of Classic Shell's feature set. Check the Classic Shell site for a complete list. There's a few more images of Classic Shell in action after the break.

Download Classic Shell for Windows

Continue reading Classic Shell now makes Internet Explorer 9 look like IE8

Classic Shell now makes Internet Explorer 9 look like IE8 originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/classic-shell-makes-windows-explorer-and-ie9-look-like-their-anc/

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Information Grows Strong Roots With TreeLine

TreeLine is a unique information manager that combines the characteristics of both a traditional outliner and a PIM. Use it to stow away contact information, bookmarks, text snippets, bibliography, task lists, or whatever else you track or catalog. Regardless of what you call it, this application lets you store any kind of information and retrieve it with ease. Think of TreeLine as a PostIt-like display system on steroids for your notes. TreeLine does double duty as an outliner for grouping and managing mixed data inside the database.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/21772f09/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C756510Bhtml/story01.htm

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How Your Gadgets Really Work [Video]

If you've ever peered inside the ports or slots on your gadgets and wondered what was really going on inside to make them work, this enlightening video will answer all of your questions. It turns out it has nothing to do with circuits, microprocessors, or even software. All of that is just a ruse, designed to obfuscate the real tiny wonders that lurk inside your devices. [YouTube via Neatorama] More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/B6_pG19y0qU/how-your-gadgets-really-work

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: liter of light project, space tourism and a 'Hyperloop' train

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

DNP Inhabitat's Week in Green TKTKTK

This summer has been one of the harshest in recent memory in the US, with record heat waves and more than half of the country experiencing the worst drought conditions in more than 50 years. And in an even more troubling development, an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan broke away from Greenland this week. The need to develop clean alternatives to fossil fuels and water-saving technologies is more urgent than ever, but we're making progress in several key areas. In California, scientists fired 192 lasers onto a single point, producing an amazing 500 trillion watts of energy and bringing them one step closer to starting a nuclear fusion reaction that would produce an unlimited supply of clean energy. In another promising development, a teenager in Egypt figured out a way to turn the country's plastic waste into $78 million worth of fuel.

Continue reading Inhabitat's Week in Green: liter of light project, space tourism and a 'Hyperloop' train

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: liter of light project, space tourism and a 'Hyperloop' train originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/LSb01_nBU4s/

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Flickr Posts Ingenious Single-Serving Site in Response to Internet Outcry

Flickr’s tongue-in-cheek response to an online plea to Yahoo’s new CEO

Not long after Marissa Mayer was named the new CEO of Yahoo, Sean Bonner launched a single-serving site, Dear Marissa Mayer, that blew up all over Twitter and the web. Bonner’s site is a simple open letter to Mayer, pleading with her to make Flickr awesome again (see below). On Thursday, Flickr unveiled its own pitch-perfect response to Bonner’s site called Dear Internet.

I wrote about the “make Flickr awesome again” problem yesterday, noting that it would be a difficult task. And shortly after our story went up, a Flickr engineer messaged me on Twitter noting that the photo-sharing platform is expanding. “Maybe you should learn coding and come help fix it,” he wrote. “We are on a hiring blitz!”

That’s great! But it also wasn’t an official company response.

Today, however, Flickr took that message live to the world with a single-serving site that mimics the look, feel and very message of Bonner’s. It’s encouraging on a number of levels.

Headcounts have clearly been one of Flickr’s bigger problems. Given the size of the site and its user base, it’s pretty incredible to see just how small its team really is. But more encouraging, to me at least, is that today’s Flickr response was a nimble and witty move. It was a fantastic response that not only says, “We’re doing something about it,” but also demonstrates a sense of humor, and an ability to respond quickly to a problem. Basically, these are the exact things you’d hope Flickr can pull off moving forward. And come on, how awesome is it to see Flickr use a single-serving site to respond to a single-serving site?

Flickr still has a hell of a lot of work ahead, but it’s been unveiling a slew of new features and updates this year, and replies like this one can give Flickr users hope. As one of the site’s toughest critics (because, quite honestly, I love Flickr and hate seeing how Yahoo has neglected it), this little tongue-in-cheek response made me very happy to see. I just hope Mayer is paying attention.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/flickr-responds-to-internet-outcry/

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Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app

google talk guru answersBots -- like the kind which automate IRC rooms and Google Wave -- are a good thing to know about. There are plenty of useful bots worth knowing about, too, including the Google Talk Guru.

Just add guru@googlelabs.com to your GTalk buddies, and you can start firing off questions. Lifehacker suggests that the same types of queries supported by Google SMS will work, though we didn't have any luck getting a response out of the Guru with phrases like "score detroit red wings" or "sushi R3N 1Y1."

Still, Guru does answer a good variety of questions and it works right within your favorite IM app. It's well worth adding to your friend list, especially for getting answers on the go on your mobile device of choice.

Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/google-talk-guru-answers-questions-via-your-im-app/

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