Minesweeper, Sudoku now available for Windows Phone users, procrastinators

Got a Windows Phone 7 and an addictive personality? Well then today’s your lucky day, as the Xbox Live versions of both Minesweeper and Sudoku have now landed in the US Marketplace. With these new additions, users can now sweep for virtual landmines in either Classic or Speed mode, or put their logic skills to the test by playing Sudoku in Lightning mode — all while racking up achievements and powerups. Both are available for free and either will do a great job of destroying your productivity. Hit up the source links to download them for yourself and let the magic unfurl.

Minesweeper, Sudoku now available for Windows Phone users, procrastinators originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Windows Phone Blog  |  sourceZune.net (1), Zune.net (2)  | Email this | Comments

Skype for Mac updates to 5.3, adds Lion and HD video call support

Mac OS X 5.3

The good folks over at Skype have been mighty busy recently. In the last month (give or take a day) the company has announced integration with Facebook, launched a new version of its Windows client to support the social network, released an iPad-optimized version, and expanded Android support to an additional 17 handsets. Now the video-chat stalwart has update its Mac app with support for Lion and HD video calls — something Microsoft fans have been enjoying since 2010. You can check out the full announcement and download Skype 5.3 for Max OS X at the source link.

Skype for Mac updates to 5.3, adds Lion and HD video call support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSkype  | Email this | Comments

Switched On: When apps meet traps

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

They’ve gone by many names — “programs,” “executables” and “applications” — and the development of technologies such as HTML5 calls their nature into question. But the explosion of apps that have set the mobile device market alight over the past several years have been around for almost as long as digital computing has. Disagree with that statement whilst chatting with those who took early programming classes, and you may be staring down a punch card to the face.

In terms of consumer technology, though, apps have migrated from PCs to video game consoles (where they’ve been long burnt into ROMs) to smartphones and tablets, and now — perhaps — back to televisions proper. One thing we’ve learned over the course of that history is that companies will rarely refuse an opportunity to turn a successful “purpose-built device” into an app platform given enough marketplace success.

Continue reading Switched On: When apps meet traps

Switched On: When apps meet traps originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM BlackBerry App World 3.0 beta adds home screen search, social media features

How better to celebrate your billionth download than with a brand new app store? RIM just rolled out App World 3.0 beta to its Beta Zone users, bringing with it a redesigned home screen created to “let you quickly find what BlackBerry app, game or theme you’re looking for.” Seems a bit overdue if you ask us, but better late than never, as the idiom goes. There are also new home screen icons for Games and BlackBerry Themes — the store’s two most popular categories. (Yes, Themes really is one of the two most popular categories… behind Games, we hope.) You can also flick between app summaries, screenshots, and reviews from one screen, and share links to your favorite apps over Twitter, Facebook, email, SMS, and BBM. You may find it difficult to get too excited about an app store update, but for those of us who use BlackBerrys despite the occasionally less-than-stellar app experience, anything RIM can do to streamline the procurement process is more than welcome.

RIM BlackBerry App World 3.0 beta adds home screen search, social media features originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 02:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Scoop  |  sourceInside BlackBerry  | Email this | Comments

DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video)


Apple’s iPhone 4 can serve as a great little camcorder when you’re in a bind, but it’s never been our go-to cam for video shoots. Not only is its small sensor not best suited for high-quality HD shooting, but the smartphone form factor can be awkward to hold, resulting in shakier than normal footage. A new app called DollyCam, which also supports iPad 2, helps soften the blow of the latter, letting you successfully stabilize videos — with a few drawbacks.

We took our iPhone 4 out to test a watermarked free version of the app in New York City, shooting a scene first with the phone’s native app, and then with DollyCam. It won’t replace a hardware solution like the Steadicam Smoothee, but it’s significantly cheaper and more convenient. The only major issues we noticed were related to softened sound capture of all things (pay close attention in the video past the break), and the fact that the app can’t process in real-time, so a minute-long video clip will need about five minutes to process. The app does crop your footage slightly, as can be expected. You’ll also need to remain in the app as it’s processing, though you can also stabilize videos later, after completing your shoot. Overall, it’s an acceptable solution, especially considering the $2.99 price tag. Jump past the break to see original and stabilized clips, and browse through the gallery below for a quick look at the interface.

[Thanks, Jon]

Continue reading DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video)

DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

KDDI’s mind-reading Android app monitors your brainstorms, or lack thereof… (video)

Ready for an epic brainwave dance-off between Jobs’ Jets and Rubin’s Sharks? Well, put down your shivs and get back to that alpha state because it’s gonna take a little while. Developed by KDDI’s R&D labs, this prototype mind-monitoring, sensor-laden headband connects wirelessly to your Android device to let you know just how stressed out you are. All it takes is a simple 30-second game of “mash mash mash the little green robot” (amongst others) to translate your focused and relaxed states into an easily readable brain pattern chart. The tech’s nothing we haven’t already seen the ominously named NeuroSky do for the iOS platform, but it should help to get those fanboy flames a-blazing. Of course, if mobile OS turf wars don’t get your neurons in a tizzy, you could always spend half a minute thinking of your honey — or actual honey. Whatever floats your neural boat. Video demonstration after the break.

Continue reading KDDI’s mind-reading Android app monitors your brainstorms, or lack thereof… (video)

KDDI’s mind-reading Android app monitors your brainstorms, or lack thereof… (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mashable  |  sourceJapan Trends  | Email this | Comments

Google Maps brings live traffic coverage to 13 European countries, makes work weeks even shorter

The next time you head out for a leisurely Sunday drive along the autobahn, you might wanna take a minute to consult Google Maps’ live traffic feature, now available in Germany and 12 other nations across Europe. Announced earlier this week, the new addition offers regularly updated coverage of all highways and major thoroughfares in countries like Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland, while bringing more detailed street-level data to users in the UK. Europe’s road warriors will also be able to use a legend to learn about traffic patterns at specific times or days of the week, making it even easier for you to micro-manage your summer getaway to the Swiss Alps. Learning how to fit all your luggage into the back of a Twingo, however, is another matter altogether.

Google Maps brings live traffic coverage to 13 European countries, makes work weeks even shorter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocketnow  |  sourceGoogle LatLong  | Email this | Comments

Zinio adds full Froyo and Gingerbread support, now available for all Android devices


Earlier this summer, Zinio released its reader app for a small handful of Android tablets, bringing more than 20,000 full-format magazine titles to the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and a half dozen other slates. Now, the app is available for all current Android 2.2 Froyo and 2.3 Gingerbread devices, including tablets and smartphones. At launch, you’ll have access to a dozen free current issues, including ESPN The Magazine, Maxim, and Robb Report. You’ll be back to paying full rates after downloading those 12 single issues, however, so prepare for a bit of sticker shock when you’re ready to hit the subscription page.

Continue reading Zinio adds full Froyo and Gingerbread support, now available for all Android devices

Zinio adds full Froyo and Gingerbread support, now available for all Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market, Zinio  | Email this | Comments

Video Time Machine for iOS (hands-on)

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when the subject of time travel comes up? If you’re like us, you probably think of flying DeLoreans or malfunctioning hot tubs; maybe even the HG Wells chair with a brobdingnagian spinning wheel on the back. Since these types of time machines (you know, the ones that actually go back in time) don’t exist — that we know of, anyway — we need to find other methods of transporting ourselves to another time. That’s where Video Time Machine comes in handy: it chronicles over a century of compiled movies, commercials, TV broadcasts, and other forms of moving pictures into one clever iOS app. We had an opportunity to get some hands-on time with both the iPhone and iPad apps and did some time travelling of our own. Did it satisfy our hunger for one hundred years of visual treats? Head past the break to find out.

Continue reading Video Time Machine for iOS (hands-on)

Video Time Machine for iOS (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child’s heart

The iPad is not childproof. It’s fragile and expensive and we can’t imagine why you’d want to hand it over willy nilly to your kids. That said, if you’ve got money to burn and don’t mind letting small hands tool around with high-end consumer products, then this should tickle your parental fancy. Announced as a collaboration between Griffin Technology and Crayola, the Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad matches a marker-shaped digital stylus — the inventively titled iMarker — with your child’s LCD-colored imagination. The chunky, kid-friendly stylus mocks the tip of a pen, crayon, marker or paintbrush as your doe-eyed youngin’ swipes along 30 plus animated pages — all while sitting too close to the screen. If free is the key to your heart, go ahead and grab this now on the App Store — it’s the marker clone that’ll set you back 30 bills. That said, it’s a small price to pay for your child’s happiness. Also, digital Burnt Sienna — need we say any more?

Update: Turns out our friends at TUAW have already had the chance to sample one of these in the wild. Check out their impressions.

Continue reading Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child’s heart

Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child’s heart originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGriffin Technology, iTunes  | Email this | Comments