Thursday, June 28, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget
Engadget
Epic Games: Infinity Blade on iOS more profitable by the pound than any other game we've made
Jun 27th 2012, 23:22

Infinity Blade 1 on iPad

Traditional console makers have often sworn up and down that mobile doesn't make money for game development. That might still be true for some developers, but you'll get a very different answer if you ask Epic Games. Co-founders Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein have collectively described the currently iOS-only, Chair-developed Infinity Blade as the "most profitable game we've ever made" when considering the amount of money and time invested relative to the money coming back. Yes, that includes even the Gears of War series, which most consider Epic's primary cash cow. Sweeney, like his long-time competitor Johh Carmack at id Software, is also taken aback by the power stuffed inside the latest generation of mobile devices -- a 2012 iPad is nearer the performance of a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, he tells Gamasutra, and the pace is only picking up. Even more insights await in the interview with Sweeney; click below if you want a hint of what one of gaming's pioneers has to say about where your tablets, phones and (yes) PCs are going.

Epic Games: Infinity Blade on iOS more profitable by the pound than any other game we've made originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGamasutra, Mark Rein (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 updated to Windows Phone 7.5, finally get to Tango
Jun 27th 2012, 22:56

Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 updated to Windows Phone 75, finally get to Tango

We'd heard that the Lumia 800 and 710 were to get Windows Phone 7.5 sometime soon, but the time has officially arrived for these two to Tango. Today Nokia announced that the fresh code has already started rolling out, bringing hotspot and flip-to-silence functionality to the handsets. Plus, once you've updated via your Zune desktop software, access to the nifty Camera Extras software -- already promised to Lumia 900 owners -- is but a download away. As a refresher, those Extras allow Lumias to take Scalado-powered Smart Group Shots, provide a better burst mode for action pics, plus add a self-timer and panorama mode as well. Want to see the new camera features in action before taking the plunge? Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 updated to Windows Phone 7.5, finally get to Tango

Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 updated to Windows Phone 7.5, finally get to Tango originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Symbian tweet  |  sourceConversations by Nokia, Nokia  | Email this | Comments

YouTube for Android 4.0 ends buffering on your favorite videos with precaching, adds remote
Jun 27th 2012, 22:32

YouTube for Android 40 ends buffering on your favorite videos with precaching, adds remote

As Google I/O 2012 rolls along, the YouTube team is updating its Android app to v4.0 with a load of new features, but you'll need Android 4.0+ to take advantage of them (at least for now, see below). Available in 47 countries, the new app brings a brand new UI with support for channels that reflects the redesign rolled out on the website last year (not the circle-centric look that it is testing with a select few), and it can precache videos from your favorite channels for viewing later. All you have to do is select "preload" in the setting menu and it will pull down videos from your subscriptions and Watch Later queue when plugged in and on WiFi. To actually view them later you will still need to be online, but they'll load instantly from the device's storage instead of streaming.

Another new feature is integrated remote functionality to control playback on connected TVs and other devices. This apparently extends to more than just Google TV, as we're told to "expect more updates later" on how this feature will become broadly available. If you're not rocking the latest Android software don't freak out yet, as the team indicates these features will come to more devices later. Developers should be excited too as there's a slew of new YouTube APIs available, hit the source links below to check them out or download the app yourself.

YouTube for Android 4.0 ends buffering on your favorite videos with precaching, adds remote originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYouTube Blog, YouTube API Blog, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

Google's Andy Rubin: Nexus 7 may head to retail, but we're not changing tablet app policies
Jun 27th 2012, 22:29

Google's Andy Rubin Nexus 7 may head to retail, but we're not changing tablet app policies

We've got good news and bad news in equal measure for those pining after a Nexus 7 of their very own. If you're reluctant to spend that much hard-earned cash at the Google Play Store, Google's senior VP of mobile Andy Rubin has hinted to AllThingsD that the ASUS-made tablet could end up at retail stores before too long; the Play-only availability was just what Google had to mention at I/O. There could be some markup in other channels, given that Google is selling at what's very nearly wholesale prices. The bad news? Google won't be changing its attitude towards tablet-native apps anytime soon. Rubin sees Google Play content additions as key to driving Android tablet adoption, not the encouragement of tablet-specific app development -- he'd prefer the one-size-fits-all model. We'll see whether magazines and movie sales are enough to turn around so-so market share, but if you were hoping Rubin would address criticisms that Android tablet apps are just blown-up phone apps, you'll have to keep waiting.

Google's Andy Rubin: Nexus 7 may head to retail, but we're not changing tablet app policies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAllThingsD  | Email this | Comments

Nokia's 808 PureView will not be sold by major UK carriers, time to save up some pounds
Jun 27th 2012, 22:14

If you Brits were looking forward to utilizing the 808 PureView's 41-megapixel sensor while sipping Pimm's this summer, well, be prepared to pay a hefty price. We've heard from O2, Three and Everything Everywhere (the parent company of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK) that they will not be selling said Nokia device in the UK, and Virgin Media told us it isn't in the pipeline "just yet." Our friends over at Wired UK have also heard the same bad news from Vodafone and O2, with a source close to the latter laying the blame on Nokia's "outdated" Symbian Belle system. Ouch. So yes, this means all the major carriers in Her Majesty's backyard are out of the game; but until we hear back from Carphone Warehouse, there may still be a small chance for keen British mobile photogs to dodge the full £500 ($780) price tag on Amazon (in comparison to $699 on the US site), so stay tuned.

Nokia's 808 PureView will not be sold by major UK carriers, time to save up some pounds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modbook teases a 'Pro' announcement on Facebook
Jun 27th 2012, 21:46

DNP ModBook teases a 'Pro' return on Facebook

Modbook -- now there's a portmanteau we haven't heard in a while. Looks like that'll change this week, however. The company has offered up the intriguing promise that "imagination goes pro. Tomorrow," alongside the image of the edge of a slick looking device and some familiar OS X icons. Color us modtrigued.

Modbook teases a 'Pro' announcement on Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFacebook  | Email this | Comments

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