Square Enix Market heads to KDDI December 1st, ports the RPG addiction to Android phones

The land that begot Mario, Murakami and okonomiyaki has a lot of perks for denizens of its island chains, like special edition multi-colored consoles or Mother 3. Add to that ever-increasing list of pluses a dedicated Square Enix Market for Android phones and it's clear the Japanese enjoy a home advantage. The recently announced gaming app store is slated to launch as a limited exclusive for KDDI subscribers on December 1st, with DoCoMo and Softbank sharing in the mobile wares sometime soon after. It may have been a good decade or two since the company's RPGs monopolized the latter days of your youth, but there's no time like the present to get reacquainted with those Final Fantasy friends of old. As you might expect, this is a Japan-only affair. So, if you're really keen to take part, you might want to consider relocation.

Square Enix Market heads to KDDI December 1st, ports the RPG addiction to Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Dale Earnhardt Jr

BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game

In BattlePaint, you play a cube. In fact, you're not even a cube -- just a square. But boy, are you fast! And you can shoot in all directions. That's important, because there are baddies coming in from all over the place.

The "baddies" are swarms of other squares, in all sorts of pretty colors. They track you all over the screen, and you run around very quickly and just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. If that doesn't sound very emotionally deep, it's because it isn't. But it's fun!

After you shoot a baddy, it splashes paint as it disappears. You need to skate across this blob of paint and "eat it up" to get points. This game is fast. It clocked in at around 60-70 FPS on my system, and was loads of fun to play. It does tend to insult you when you die, though, but don't be offended -- I don't think it's personal.

BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/09/battlepaint-is-an-addictive-geometric-shooter-game/

Amanda Marcum

Steve Jobs was working to revolutionize television, textbooks, and photography

Official Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson has given an interview to the New York Times where he reveals what Steve Jobs was going to tackle next at Apple, including television, textbooks, and photography.

He had three things that he wanted to reinvent: the television, textbooks and photography.

...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/4laDV2VlShU/story01.htm

Giovanni Lavaggi

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus review

We've already established that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a great tablet. Then, just recently, we summarily found that the 1.2-inch smaller Galaxy Tab 8.9 is an even better tablet -- at least for anyone who wants to take their slate places. So, following that logic, the even more petite Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus should be the best of the three, right?

Not so fast. We've been here before, and things weren't exactly great. The original Galaxy Tab was, of course, a 7-incher and wasn't universally well received thanks to a number of problems -- the first being a $600 MSRP. Another issue was an Android 2.2 build that tried its best but was ultimately ill-suited for tablet duties. This new 7-inch installment packs a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, a tablet-friendlier build of Android 3.2 Honeycomb and a somewhat more palatable $400 price tag.

So, it's clearly better equipped than its predecessor, but that one shipped a whopping 12 months ago. How does the newer, fancier Tab compete in this newer, fancier present? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus review

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus review

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/21/samsung-galaxy-tab-7-0-plus-review/

Kitware, Inc.

HP releases Q4 2011 earnings: $9.7 billion operating profit for fiscal year

It hasn't been the best year for HP, what with the demise of webOS and the uncertainty surrounding its status as a PC maker. But, Meg Whitman hasn't taken the bridge of a sunken ship, though things are far from peachy keen. HP just posted its Q4 2011 earnings, and the company cleared a healthy $9.7 billion operating profit in 2011, though that's down 10 percent from last year. Total revenue for the quarter was 32.1 billion, a three percent decline from 2010. And, for those wondering just how much the death of webOS cost the company? Turns out that dalliance took a $3.3 billion chunk out of HP's bottom line. So, the news isn't the best for you HP fans, but we'll be listening in on the earnings call later today, so stay tuned for more details. Impatient folks can find plenty more financial figures in the Source link and PR that follow.

Update: CEO Meg Whitman and CFO Cathie Lesjac were on the call, and while specifics were hard to come by, they did let loose a couple hints regarding the company's future direction. Meg once again assured us all that HP and PSD are meant to be together, so the king of PC makers plans to keep its crown. Additionally, both bigwigs stressed that the company will be plowing more of its money in 2012 into R&D to foster "organic innovation" instead of buying it through outside acquisitions. Given the massive case of buyer's remorse HP had this year, that's probably a pretty good idea.

Continue reading HP releases Q4 2011 earnings: $9.7 billion operating profit for fiscal year

HP releases Q4 2011 earnings: $9.7 billion operating profit for fiscal year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/0TlLPiIODjo/

INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER

CrunchGear Week in Review: Animal Shots Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: ?Rotary Mechanical? Cell Phone Concept Isn?t Practical, But It Looks Great Lomo?s New La Sardina Camera Is Cheap And Sardine-Can-Like Panda Itazura Bank: Super-Cute Piggy Bank (Video) Meet The Robostir, A Robotic Soup Stirrer SugarSync Adds Mobile Device Management To Send Files To Devices From [...]

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/06/20/week-in-review-animal-shots/

Magnetic North Software Ltd

The Nook Tablet Is Better Than the Kindle Fire (But Only If You're Clumsy) [Video]

More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RdrHVNzSMKM/the-nook-tablet-is-better-than-the-kindle-fire-but-only-if-youre-clumsy

Conan O\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Brien

Google+ quietly gets trending topics, dares you to search for it

Did the addition of "What's Hot" not satiate your burning desire for real-time happenings on Google's social network? You're in luck, as Mountain View's quietly added another way to aggregate popular content on Google+. Upon initiating a search, a list of trending topics appears to the right, exposing what's currently en vogue on Mountain View's social network. Functionally, it's a dead ringer for Twitter's trending topics and unlike "What's Hot," won't bombard you with random unrelated, but popular, posts. Will it pass muster as an official feature, or will it be left to linger in the ether? We'll find out, but Google if you're listening, we're watchin'.

Google+ quietly gets trending topics, dares you to search for it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/21/google-quietly-gets-trending-topics-dares-you-to-search-for-it/

goodmortgage.com

Snoozing, wine list advice, Porsche, Cal ABC ? sipped & spit

SIPPED: nap time James Suckling tweets this picture and comment from Hong Kong: “Surreal picture of Bob Parker and @jancisrobinson at #wfhk11.” [Yfrog] SIPPED: restaurant advice Start at the back of a wine list? Levi Dalton offers some excellent and provocative suggestions on how to navigate a wine list based on his covering for my [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/_R4gq1EiCuw/

Kyle Busch

Closures again

I?m very old fashioned when it comes to wine closures. Most of my 40-year career of wine drinking has involved opening wines with a real cork. I get a thrill each time I use my waiter?s corkscrew to open my wine. Continue reading →

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/closures-again/

Michael Byrne

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game

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/

LAM RESEARCH

iPhone 4S, 4 and 3GS can reportedly be unlocked without the need for any jailbreak

A bug has apparently been discovered in iOS 5 that allows a way to carrier unlock the AT&T version of the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS without the need to jailbreak or alter any hardware. The unlock will of course only allow you to use your...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/qrk-FkiDOmM/story01.htm

Antonio Cairoli

Gift Baskets

It seems that every year the gift basket business gets bigger and bigger. From corporate gift baskets to those of us who simply don’t know exactly what to buy for our loved one’s…..gift baskets offer a real alternative and the industry is growing as a result. While I can appreciate that every business (like every [...]

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/668

MCAFEE

Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2009/03/duck-duck-moose-i-attended-tasting.html

Naoki Hattori

Turn your Kinect hack into a startup with Microsoft's Accelerator program

Wanna turn your Kinect hack into, um, money? Microsoft can help you out, now that it's teamed up with TechStars to launch the Kinect Accelerator -- a program designed to turn Kinect-based ideas into real world startups. To participate, innovators must first apply to the Accelerator before the January 25th deadline. Ten applicants will then be accepted to a three-month incubation program, and rewarded with $20,000 in seed money. To participate, however, you'd have to relocate to Seattle for the duration of the program, scheduled to kick off this Spring. Plus, if you manage to bring your company to market, you'll have to set aside a six percent common stock stake for TechStars, which is both funding and spearheading the initiative. For more details on how to apply, hit up the source link below.

Turn your Kinect hack into a startup with Microsoft's Accelerator program originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/20/turn-your-kinect-hack-into-a-startup-with-microsofts-accelerato/

Naoki Hattori

Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Power Structure Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

Naked Wine and Occupy Wall Street

It’s not hard to notice the parallels between the natural wine movement and Occupy Wall Street - both are valid causes sorely lacking coherence and a rallying point that would move them from fringe head-scratcher to mainstream momentum.

•  Natural wine is about purity of wine expression—shepherding grapes grown without chemicals to the bottle with as little human manipulation as possible, representing the place where they came from in the process.

•  Occupy Wall Street is about re-calibrating the world’s best economic system – capitalism—to preserve the middle-class, the labor force that has allowed the U.S. to create the most productive economy in the world.

Neither movement represents fringe radicalism as some would have you believe.  I look at both as being valid inflection points and, at their core, about keeping a balance between big and small, allowing every man and woman an equal opportunity at pursuing success around their particular truth.

What reasonable person would deny the validity of either if not clouded by confusion?

One idea well-conceived and well-communicated can change the world, but, unfortunately, both the natural wine movement and Occupy Wall Street are prevaricating from their essential truth, rendering them both toothless and feckless.

No need to crib from Che Guevara, but appealing to base logic and the common denominator would do both movements some good.

Just one man’s opinion…

On the Aussies, Redux

A few weeks back, I noted how the Australian wine industry was poised for a rebound in public perception due in part to two things happening in concert – public backlash to Yellow Tail wine, what I call the, “Derision Decision,” and an unspoken coalition of influencers recognizing Australia’s artisanal wine production – the antithesis of Yellow Tail.  I cited recent sympathetic mentions from Jay McInerney in the Wall Street Journal and Dan Berger, wine writing’s current patriarch, as proof points.

You can add to the list of sympathetic mentions about artisanal Australia with recent mentions from Jancis Robinson and James Suckling.

Don’t sleep on Australia.  It’s making a comeback slowly, but surely in public perception.

Tim Mondavi and Wine Spectator

Thomas Matthews, the Executive Editor for Wine Spectator magazine (WS), has commented on my site a few times.  Each of these instances has been to protect or project Wine Spectator around its editorial goals.

Good on Thomas for not being afraid to get in the ring.  Certainly, WS takes its fair share of shots from the wine chatterati, mostly with grace and aplomb.

Lest I cast myself as anything but objective, I should note that James Laube’s article on Tim Mondavi and Continuum in the current issue of WS (November 15th issue) is everything right about what mainstream wine media can offer wine consumers that online wine writing (mostly) doesn’t –long-form, depth, first-person access and an effort that takes weeks and not hours.

Laube’s piece is excellent - well-written and balanced; acknowledgement thereof is in order.

Besides the Wine

Jordan winery has two wines – a Cabernet and Chardonnay, but they really have a triumvirate in terms of things to buy.  Jordan focuses on food and wine as being partners at the table and, to that end, any purchase from Jordan should also include their olive oil.  Wow!

The Jordan olive oil makes Trader Joe’s EVOO seem like Two Buck Chuck, comparatively speaking.  A little whole wheat Barilla pasta, some homemade pesto using the Jordan olive oil and some artisan bread in five minutes a day and you’re assuredly living the good life.  The rub is I wouldn’t pour the round Jordan Chard with the pesto, probably a Sauvignon Blanc, but don’t let that dissuade you from picking up their olive oil – it’s good stuff.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_power_structure_edition/

LifeLock, Inc.