Hasta La Gadget!

Yet another platform has been conquered by the affronted fowl: the web! Angry Birds‘ web client is built in WebGL, so presumably browsers other than Google’s Chrome should be able to run it as well, and even if you can’t handle WebGL, there’s Canvas support too. 60fps are promised on most modern PCs, and we’ve spotted SD and HD labels, suggesting there’ll be a choice of quality to match your computer’s performance. Offline gaming will also be available.

Chrome will get some exclusive content, such as “Chrome bombs” and other cutesy bits. Rovio just noted it’s “really, really happy about the 5 percent,” referring to Google’s pricing model of charging a flat fee of 5 percent to developers on in-app purchases in the Chrome Web Store. Yes, the Mighty Eagle will be a purchasable option for the impatient among you. The game will be available in the Store immediately after Google’s I/O 2011 keynote, so look out for it shortly.

Update: And the Angry Birds have landed. Hit up the source link below to obtain the free app.

Angry Birds gets a web version, coming to Chrome Web Store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on May 21, 2008 by CyberNet.

In about another month Windows XP will no longer be an option for people and businesses looking to buy a new computer, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition wanting to keep XP alive. In Israel today Steve Ballmer told the press that Vista is selling very well, and that it is the operating system of choice for nearly 100% of new consumer PC’s. Well, duh! Trying to find retailers that are still selling computers with XP is rather tricky, but you would expect that after a new operating system has been available for a year and a half.

The real dagger for Microsoft has got to be the fact that, according to Ballmer, 45% of businesses are buying new computers with Vista on them. It doesn’t sound all that bad when it’s worded that way, but it means a majority still find comfort in running a more mature operating system. He cited application compatibility as the main reason Vista has had a bit of a rough start, but went on to say that’s changing as the programs are getting upgraded.

What will be interesting to see is whether there is a surge in computer purchases as the end of June 2008 rolls around. Are businesses going to push to get new computers before the looming XP deadline is reached? Should we all be stocking up on retail licenses of XP to sell on eBay after the deadline hits?

In my eyes this is all a natural progression of technology. If everyone always had the chance to stick with using XP then they would probably never upgrade, and ten years down the road we may not be any better off than we are right now. Hopefully the move to end XP sales will get the Windows community to unite and find solutions to the problems some Vista users are having, and we’ll be able to live in peace… until the next version of Windows is released.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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It’s been a while since we first laid eyes upon this rugged little guy, but Motion Computing’s CL900 tablet is finally available for orders, starting at $899. Designed with enterprise markets in mind, the 2.1-pound Windows 7 slate runs on a 1.5GHz Intel Oak Trail Atom Z670 processor and rocks a 10.1-inch, 1366×768 multi-touch display that’s shielded in Corning Gorilla Glass. Seated atop that display is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, with a 3.0-megapixel sensor keeping watch over the backside. Boasting a thickness of 15.5mm, the device also offers up to 2GB of RAM (along with a 30GB or 62GB SSD), promises a battery life of up to eight hours and houses a USB port, SD card slot and Bluetooth 3.0 module. For now, the CL900 is only available at select retailers, though Motion is selling peripherals and accessories directly from its site. Check out the source links for more details.

Motion Computing’s CL900 tablet now available for order, starting at $899 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LifeFitness may have taken one too many creative liberties with its Cyberbike Wii accessory, but it did a laudable job of redeeming itself at Google I/O this week. The outfit brought a USB-equipped exercise bike to the show floor, where an Open Accessory-enabled Nexus S promptly stole the show. We were shown a demo of the CardioQuest app interfacing with the cycle over the aforementioned protocol; the bike itself had a heretofore unreleased firmware update installed that allowed it to interact with the phone, and we’re told that said update will be available free of charge to existing customers in the coming weeks.

As was announced yesterday during the opening keynote, the Android Open Accessory API is currently only capable of handling communications over USB, but that didn’t stop a clever game from keeping a booth representative mighty busy. The gist is pretty simple — pedal harder to move the Android up, and relax your stride to see him float down. The goal is to avoid the surrounding walls, while also keeping your mind from focusing on the fact that you’re actually burning calories. Mum’s the word on whether or not this particular app will ever make it into the Android Market, but there’s a video of the chaos waiting just after the break, regardless.

Continue reading LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video)

LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In announcing that it’s shuttering its iFlow Reader app for iOS, BeamItDown Software has unusually sharp criticism for Apple. The closing may also spell doom for Kindle and Nook on iOS unless Apple is willing to negotiate.