Halo: Spartan Assault gets free Operation Hydra expansion
Last month, Microsoft released Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. I declared that the game was "the best smartphone game I have ever played" -- a statement I stand by today. However, Microsoft has chosen not to rest on its laurels. Today, the company announces an update to the popular game called Operation Hydra.
Microsoft says it is a "free game update with five new missions to battle through". The company further says that the update "also adds support for phones with 512MB RAM, making the game available to even more Windows Phone models".
Facebook 'proposes' changes to the way it handles your data
Just a couple of days ago Facebook was in the headlines after being ordered to pay out $20m for putting user data to work in advertising campaigns. Now the site is proposing a set of changes to the documents that govern the way user data is handled as well as determining who has access to it.
At least some of the suggested changes come as a direct result of the court ruling including re-writing the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. The new document includes a clearer explanation of the fact that in using Facebook users are granting permission for their name, profile picture and content to be used "in connection with ads or commercial content". It is good to see, however, that "when you limit your audience, we’ll respect that choice".
Mexico says ¡hola! to the Kindle Store
Saludos a nuestros lectores Mexicanos. The good folks who reside south of the US border have been waiting a rather long time, but find today that Amazon has not forgotten them. The Kindle Store for the Mexico market launches and the online retailer is doing so with a splash.
The splash may be small in comparison to the big picture -- 70,000 Spanish titles out of the more than two-million titles in all -- but it's a solid start. The early list includes authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Isabel Allende and Paulo Coelho.
Motorola's Moto X lands at Verizon
Mobile operator backing is instrumental in ensuring strong Motorola Moto X sales, as most US wireless subscribers are unlikely to switch carriers in upcoming months. AT&T leads the way, having offered the handset since late last week. And, now, another local mobile operator joins the Moto X bandwagon.
Starting today, Verizon officially carries the new Android handset. The Moto X is available at big red for $199.99, alongside the customary two-year agreement, but can also be had with month-to-month plans for $599.99.
Inevitably, Windows 8.1 RTM leaks on to the Internet
Microsoft might want you to wait until October 18 before upgrading to Windows 8.1, but the ever-impatient Internet has other ideas. The RTM versions of the OS refresh are now available to download and install if you know where to look (i.e. the usual torrent sites).
The leaks began on Tuesday with a Chinese version, and then there was a WIMs (Windows Imaging Format) release in English that had less technically minded would-be installers scratching their heads and begging for help.
Grungetastic transforms ordinary photos into grimy works of art
Most graphics software will do its best to clean up your photos, removing noise, optimizing brightness and contrast, and generally leaving them bright and polished.
If you’re bored with this approach, though, you could always try Grungetastic ($0.99 iPhone -- $7.99 Windows, Mac), which prefers to reduce colors, add layers of scratches, dirt and grime, tear image borders, and generally leave your pictures looking as though they’ve been left in a box in your garden for a very long time.
Surprisingly, Microsoft Excel can actually be fun
I am a very heavy Excel user. I organize my life and finances in spreadsheets for easy calculations and sorting. Quite frankly I enjoy the software very much for such nerdy reasons -- it is my favorite. However, not all people are excited by pivot-tables like me.
Yesterday, on Microsoft's official Excel blog, the software giant highlighted some creative ways that the software can be used. "One of the things that is incredibly satisfying about working on the Excel team is seeing how people use Excel in unbelievably cool and unexpected ways for work and for fun. There have been a few great examples of this floating around the internet and the news recently, and I thought I’d share a few of my favorites", says Excel Program Manager Carlos Otero.
Most iOS and Windows Phone apps are 'dead'
It's no secret that most mobile users only install a tiny fraction of the total number of apps available in the relevant stores. There are hundreds of thousands of offerings for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, but the vast majority will never make it onto your smartphone or tablet -- some cater to a very specific audience (like root-only apps for Android), some are designed for certain local markets (Internet banking apps, for instance) and some are plain dreadful (half-baked third-party clients spring to mind). It comes as no surprise then that there are apps that users don't even know about or which developers have abandoned entirely. The question is: How many?
Well, according to a new infographic that was just released by StarDust, over 41 percent of all Android apps available in Google Play can be deemed as "dead" -- they have received less than 10 reviews and ratings and not a single update throughout their existence -- while a more significant 65 percent of all iOS apps in the Apple App Store and 69 percent of all Windows Phone apps in the Windows Phone Store share a similar fate. The numbers are staggering, and show that it's not easy to make an app popular. The low number of reviews indicate abysmal user awareness and interest, which may have lead to the developers ceasing to release updates (and vice-versa).
Enterprise security at risk in the post-PC era
Almost three quarters (73 percent) of US-based office workers with enterprise-issued tablets have used them to download personal software and apps. A new survey carried out for content collaboration specialist Huddle by IPSOS-Mori reveals this and other potential security risks resulting from blurred lines between personal and enterprise devices.
The nationwide survey of 2,000 US office workers shows that 62 percent download personal software to company-owned smartphones and 45 percent do the same on laptops. The majority of the 44 percent of office workers using company-issued devices download personal software such as iTunes, Spotify and Dropbox. In addition 52 percent admit to storing, sharing and working on work documents via their personal smartphones, tablets and laptops.
Skype celebrates tenth anniversary with free Wi-Fi gift to users
2003 was a good year. The UK experienced its highest recorded temperature ever, the final Lord of the Rings film was released, and iTunes was launched. It was also the birth year of Skype, the VoIP tool that is still going strong ten years down the line. Not long after having been acquired by Microsoft, Skype is celebrating its tenth anniversary by handing out free Wi-Fi to its users -- oh, and there’s a good old fashioned infographic to show what’s happened in the past decade.
One of the most impressive figure highlights in the charts is just how quickly Skype has been adopted. In just ten years, the service went from no users to 300 million. This equates to an uptake rate ten times faster than the telephone and two and a half times as fast as the cell phone. But it is not just the numbers that are impressive, the scale of Skype’s reach is mind-blowing.
Over 7,000 dangerous apps in third-party Android stores
Long-term research by AV-Comparatives shows a growing risk of malware infecting Android phones via third-party app stores. Conducted between November 2012 and May 2013 on 20 major Android stores, the study found 7,175 malware and greyware programs.
Most were hosted in Chinese-based markets with the lowest incidence of malware being on European stores. With 95 percent of malware and greyware apps hosted in Asian stores the findings reflect the market's rapid growth. European and US markets with growth in a steadier phase are now considered secondary targets but that doesn't mean you should let your guard down.
Google grabs a third of online ad revenue
There is money to be made from online advertising, particularly if you happen to be Google. Research by Statista shows that in 2012, there was around $104b in advertising revenue sloshing around in the coffers of various companies. Projected figures show that 2013 is likely to even more profitable, with ad revenue expect to rise to $117.6b. This is not as great an increase as between 2011 and 2012, but it is still a climb.
It is the big names who are raking in the cash, with Google coming out on top. The search giant is expected to pocket $38.6b by the end of the year, equating to very nearly a third worldwide income from online advertisements.
I was, uh, wrong: Chromecast does what Google claims
A couple weeks ago when Google introduced its Chromecast HDMI dongle I wrote a column wondering whether it was really such a good product or simply good demoware? Now that I have my own Chromecast and have been playing with it for a few days I have to admit I was wrong. Chromecast appears to be every bit as good as Google claims. That’s not to say it’s perfect (more below) but pretty darned good.
What I really doubted was Google’s claim that the Chromecast could turn on your HDTV, switch the HDMI input, and throw content onto the big screen all in one seamless succession of events. It wasn’t that any of these tasks were especially difficult to do, but that to do them all on every HDTV would require more remote control capability than I knew existed in any current device.
Nintendo 2DS -- the console maker's best move in years
Last month, a young child in my family celebrated her sixth birthday, so I decided to buy her a Nintendo 3DS. Unfortunately, I discovered that the 3DS is only recommended for children 7-years in age and up as the 3D can negatively affect their vision. Sure, you can turn the 3D off with a slider but it is too easy for the child to enable it again; even by accident. And so, I ordered the generation-older DS console instead as a safety precaution.
Today, Nintendo announces a solution to my conundrum, the Nintendo 2DS -- a handheld console which does not offer 3D. The video game company says "the new Nintendo 2DS system gives you all the features of the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, minus 3D viewing. And the price makes the world of Nintendo games even more accessible."
Temple Run Oz debuts on Windows Phone
Some of the most popular games for Android and iOS are slowly making their way onto the Windows Phone platform. Angry Birds have landed, and Temple Run has already arrived, paving the way for the latest release -- Temple Run Oz, a variant of the addictive jungle game.
In this version, you turn, jump, and slide down the Yellow Brick Road to escape an onslaught of ferocious flying baboons, combining elements from both the original game, as well as those from the hit movie "Oz the Great and Powerful".
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