Hasta La Gadget!

Less than a couple days after Rovio teased a new update for Angry Birds Star Wars, the company has released the Escape from Hoth update, which adds 20 new levels to the game, as well as new types of enemies. Plus, there’s new bonus levels that introduce more boss fights. It’s a free update, so if you already have the game, it’s certainly worth checking out.

Most notably in this update is the infamous asteroid field that was featured in the movie, where the gang had to navigate their way through the whole mess. In the game, you make your way through the asteroid field while trying to take down the enemies as well, which now include the “mynock pigs,” which are essentially pigs with bat wings that can float in mid-air instead of simply sitting atop rocks and other surfaces.

The video doesn’t show us a lot of the new update, so if you really want to find out what you’ll be getting yourself into, we suggest firing up the game and checking out the new levels. However, we ended up checking it out for ourselves and we have to see we really like what we see. The mynock pigs are especially cute, and navigating the asteroid field is definitely a new experience that we find both challenging and exciting.

The update is available for iOS and Android versions as we speak, and it should be hitting Windows Phone and BlackBerry here shortly. The update will also be available for the Kindle Fire version, as well as on OS X and Windows. The game is free on Android devices, while it costs $0.99 on iOS, and $4.99 on the desktop.

Angry Birds Star Wars adds 20 levels in Escape from Hoth update [hands-on] is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rovio’s latest Angry Birds installment, Angry Birds Star Wars, is still in the top 5 in the iTunes App Store after being released a few months ago, and in typical Rovio fashion, it seems the developer will be releasing an update to the game that will include some new features and new levels that players can conquer.

Rovio teased us about the possible update via Twitter, with a cute little graphic of the Millenium Falcon making its way through a cave. Rovio uses the hashtag #EscapefromHoth, indicating that we’ll see some pretty exciting stuff in the update that will deal with the icy planet and escaping from its tundra-like bitterness.

Other than that, we’re not given any more details, but of course, anyone familiar with The Empire Strikes Back will know that the cave is the one that Star Wars gang hide in while trying to escape from the Imperial Fleet. We’re not sure how this will tie in with Angry Birds, but we’re excited nonetheless.

Whether we might see new birds, new powers, or more features coming to the game, it’s almost guaranteed that we’ll be seeing some new levels, but either way, we’re interested in seeing what we’ll be getting ourselves into. If you still haven’t checked out the game, it’s available for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Rovio teases “Escape from Hoth” update for Angry Birds Star Wars is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple released iOS 6.1 today for iOS devices, bringing with it some improvements to Siri and enhancements to iTunes Match. However, the company also quietly outed an update for Apple TV, which introduces Bluetooth keyboard support, a new feature called “Up Next,” and improvements to iTunes Match as well.

Both second- and third-generation Apple TV units are receiving the update over-the-air, and for those who have been yearning for Bluetooth keyboard support are finally getting it. Users will now be able to type and search with ease without having to use the remote. Of course iPhone and iPod Touch users can use their devices, but those without an iOS device were left in the cold until now.

The update also brings a new feature called “Up Next,” which was introduced not too long ago in iTunes 11. The new features queues up content for you, similar to a playlist, and plays each piece of content automatically one after the other. This is surely a big feature for not only iTunes users, but Apple TV users as well.

In today’s iOS 6.1 update, the company introduced some improvements to Siri, including the ability to purchase movie tickets through Siri. Apple also introduced redesigned music control buttons, as well as new MapKit framework enhancements. And don’t forget about added LTE support for more carriers on the iPhone 5.

[via 9to5Mac]

Apple TV update brings Bluetooth keyboard and “Up Next” is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The popular automation utility for Android, Tasker, essentially turns your smartphone into a superphone of sorts. It can do any number of things (except make your bed for you), and it’s arguably one of the best utility apps that you can get on Android. Even better, though, is that the app updated today with a new, cleaner look.

This particular version is in beta mode, so it’s not available in the Google Play store just yet, but you can download it off of the developer’s website for free. Otherwise, the final version will just cost you a few dollars, but it’s well worth it. This beta version has all the same features as the paid version, but comes with a new interface that follows the Android UI guidelines.

The beta is available for all Android 4.0-and-above devices. It includes three themes for skinning and also offers new icons. Plus, it’s way easier on the eyes and looks a lot like a traditional Android interface now, as opposed to the dark blue and orange theme that the app has kept for a while now.

If you’ve never used Tasker before, it’s an in-depth automation utility app that can do almost endless actions with your Android device, such as turning WiFi on when you get home, switching the sound profile to silent during certain hours, launching a particular app when headphones are plugged in, and even having certain actions take place when you place a call.

[via Android Community]

Tasker for Android updates with completely new UI is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Foursquare rolled out a minor new feature today that lets your Facebook or Twitter friends “like” your Foursquare check-ins even if they’re not connected as your friend on Foursquare. For now on, when you share your Foursquare check-ins with friends on Twitter or Facebook who are also on Foursquare, they’ll be able to like it, regardless of friend status on Foursquare.

Foursquare will even send you a notification whenever someone outside of your Foursquare friend zone likes one of your check-ins. However, these can easily be turned off in the settings if you don’t want your email to get bombarded with pesky notifications — we can’t blame you for not wanting to “know how awesome you are” (Foursquare’s words).

Of course, this dips just ever so slightly into privacy concerns, and the fact that non-friends on Foursquare are able to like your check-ins and statuses, but we’re guessing that since these are people who are your friends on Facebook and Twitter, most users won’t really have a problem with it.

Foursquare recently made some privacy tweaks following the Instagram debacle last month. Foursquare made some changes to their privacy policy, which now says that the service will display users’ full names and giving businesses more customer data by default, though Foursquare points out that extra privacy can be restored with a few settings tweaks.

Foursquare adds “Like” feature to check-ins for users outside of friend zone is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.