10th Oct 2010

Microsoft Mistakenly Claims “Angry Birds” for Windows Phone 7


When tech bloggers discovered an icon for the popular mobile game Angry Birds in a Windows Phone 7 promotional image, it seemed like confirmation that the game is coming to Microsoft’s smartphones, but the developers behind Angry Birds tweeted a denial of any commitment to the platform.

Microsoft reps then sent a note to TechFlash admitting that the image was a mistake. “It appears information was mistakenly posted to Microsoft’s website, and has been removed,” the statement said.

Microsoft will need developers like Angry Birds developer Rovio to make Windows Phone 7 attractive to iPhone or Android users who are accustomed to having a large selection of high-quality apps. Rovio said it was not thrilled because, “We don’t like others using our [intellectual property] without asking.”

However, we don’t want to overstate the blunder. We expect that Microsoft and Rovio will both move on and work together if the market for a Windows Phone 7 version of Angry Birds is there and waiting to pay for it.

Rovio even admitted as much in later tweets: “Nothing to do with if we do or don’t, it’s just that we decide that for ourselves … We could do a WP7 version of Angry Birds, not the issue. We have not agreed to do that (yet). Will support all relevant platforms.”

Angry Birds is a standard-setting iPhone game that also appears on Android, webOS and some Nokia phones. It has sold at least 6.5 million copies to date, so it’s a perfect example of an app store success story — a story Microsoft would like to see told on the Windows Phone 7 platform, too.

[Via Engadget]

More About: angry birds, apps, developers, games, gaming, Mobile 2.0, mobile games, rovio, smartphone, video games, windows mobile, windows phone, windows phone 7, wp7

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19th Sep 2010

5 Ways to Celebrate “Talk Like a Pirate Day” Online in 2010


Arrr! Ye Mashable readers know today be Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010, but were ye landlubbers aware that there be more ways t’ celebrate online than there are bottles o’ rum in ol’ Jack Sparrow’s locker?

Thar be danger in the social media seas — sour enemies tellin’ tales that aren’t ‘tall funny. Ye scurvy dogs want only the best when ye enjoy ye Internet memes!

These five selections be just a few o’ th’ ways ye and ye hearties can set sail together this evenin’, so be sure and parlay in th’ comments if ye be havin’ any other clever ideas.

1. Make Facebook Speak Pirate

Facebook supports countless languages, but one of them is pirate speak — did you know that? Just go to “Account Settings” (in the top-right corner of your Facebook home page), click the “Language” tab and pick “English (Pirate).”

The result can only be described as hilarity. Be sure and look around all over Facebook because virtually everything is affected. Events are now “Grog Fests,” all your friends’ names begin with “Cap’n,” the act of deleting comments is achieved by clicking “T’ Davy Jones wit’ it!” and the Like button simply says “Arr!”

Other companies have piggybacked their own gags on this. Visit Mint.com’s Facebook page in your native language, then return in English (Pirate) and you’ll see what we’re talking about.

2. Use Google Maps to Find Pirate Parrrties Tonight

Pirate Parrrties are being held across the globe in celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010. Some people dress up, drink rum, bring parrots and actually talk like pirates, so if you’re into that more power to ya, but some folks just show up for good conversation and a beer or two. And there’s no arguing with the appeal of that.

There’s a Google Map that shows the locations of numerous parrrties around the world. Just click one one of the blue markers for more information and set sail for a night of plundering, grog and adventure.

3. Watch Funny Pirate YouTube Videos

This one’s pretty obvious. Just search YouTube for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (or just “pirates”) and you’ll uncover a treasure trove of hilarity from the past few years of celebrations. We don’t have much to add to this — just try it!

Read the Funny Pirate Tweets

This is really the heart of Talk Like a Pirate Day, and it’s where it all began — with people talking like pirates on Facebook and Twitter. Search Twitter for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and you’re bound to see some retweets of some very funny messages.

Our favorite so far is the one we’ve included above from NPR News. “N-P-Aaarrrrrrrrr!!!” Get it? Yeah, you get it. Now go get some more funny tweets.

Play Most of the Monkey Island Saga For Mere Pennies

Ron Gilbert’s The Secret of Monkey Island, produced by LucasArts, is one of the greatest computer adventure games of all time. It’s chock full of gorgeous artwork, hilarious characters, hysterical dialogue and ridiculous puzzles. The series was recently rebooted with remastered, high definition versions of the first two games (so far) on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Additionally, a well-respected adventure games studio called Telltale Games produced episodic new adventures called Tales of Monkey Island. The only two Monkey Island games you can’t play recent versions of are Curse of Monkey Island and Escape From Monkey Island, though if you’re crafty you should be able to get those to work on your PC.

However, both of the Remastered re-releases and the entire Tales series are on sale for practically nothing this weekend in celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day. These deals are simply incredible, especially the iPhone ones and the Tales bundle. Here are the links:

The Secret of Monkey Island (iPhone) — $0.99
The Secret of Monkey Island (iPad) — $4.99
Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge (iPhone) — $0.99
Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge (iPad) — $4.99
The Secret of Monkey Island & Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge (PC) – $7.49 for the set
Tales of Monkey Island Episodes 1-5 (PC, Mac) — $4.95 for the set

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, JerryPDX

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08th Aug 2010

38 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed


Capping off a busy week at Mashable HQ we bring you a massive list of social media resources you may have missed. We’ve got 38 of the most interesting features and tools published over the last week or so in case you were, you know, outside during the summer.

Have a look through our social media resources for the Origin of Twitter’s “Fail Whale,” some great Twitter visualizations, or why WikiLeaks and the mainstream media still need each other.

Our Tech and Mobile resources include some amazing Konami code Easter eggs, great (free) WordPress themes to use, and a game plan for keeping BlackBerry relevant in the battle for mobile dominance.

For our entrepreneurs, we’ve got tips on how to self-publish anything, great Twitter lists for C-Suite execs, and a guide on how to structure your startup. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Looking for even more social media resources? You can find this guide every weekend, and check out all of the lists-gone-by.

Social Media

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

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For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

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For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[img credit: webtreatsetc]

More About: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, technology, trending, twitter, youtube

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24th Jul 2010

YouTube Easter Egg: Play “Snake” Game While Watching a Video


It turns out that you can play the classic game Snake (especially popular on cell phones back in the day) at Google-owned YouTube by holding the left and up arrow keys on your keyboard while a video is playing or paused.

Once the game starts, you can direct a transparent snake around the video player with the arrow keys to gobble up dots that cause the snake to grow. Hitting the edge of the player or any part of your snake’s body will end the game.

The easter egg — just one in a long series of similar stunts from Google — was discovered by users last week. No one’s sure exactly when the game was added, but it must be recent because it only works on the new YouTube video player introduced in April. It doesn’t work with embeds, either, so you’ll have to go to YouTube’s website to try it out.

Previously, Google put a button on YouTube videos that played a World Cup-style vuvuzela sound. Google’s no stranger to playable games on its websites, either; the logo on the Google home page became a playable game of Pac-Man two months ago, supposedly costing society more than $120 million in productivity.

This video that was embedded at gaming blog Kotaku reveals the feature, but note that the creator’s claim that you must be in a “Gaming” category video to play Snake is incorrect. Otherwise, it’s a solid explanation.

[via The Next Web]

More About: easter egg, Google, online games, snake, video, video games, youtube

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12th Jul 2010

YouTube and Blu-ray Are Going 3D on the PlayStation 3


According to a presentation made by European Sony executive Mike Hawking, 3D Blu-ray support will be added to the PlayStation 3 in a firmware upgrade this September, and support for 3D YouTube will come within the next 12 months. You’ll eventually be able to use the console to show off photos taken with 3D cameras, too.

CVG quoted Hawking saying that the PS3 already has all the hardware it needs to handle 3D games and videos thanks to its compatibility with the HDMI 1.4 connection. The console can detect the size and 3D hardware in any TV it’s connected to, so it can be adapted to support most new 3D technologies with simple software or firmware updates.

Rival Microsoft hasn’t announced any plans to go 3D with the rival Xbox 360 console, but the hand-held Nintendo 3DS has a screen that shows 3D images without requiring the player to wear special glasses.

Market researchers believe that plenty of 3D TVs will show up in consumers’ living rooms over the next few years, so Sony might be making a smart move by getting in to the game ahead of its competitors.

Sony already updated the console with support for 3D games, but there are only a few on the market currently.

[via Joystiq]

More About: 3D, blu-ray, firmware, playstation 3, PS3, software update, sony

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27th Jun 2010

“LittleBigPlanet 2″: Play, Create and Share DIY Games [PREVIEW]


When we first wrote about LittleBigPlanet 2 for the PlayStation 3, we knew the pitch — you play, create and share your own home-made video games using robust but easy tools. But it wasn’t until we played the game at the E3 conference in Los Angeles that we got the full picture.

LittleBigPlanet 2’s crazy, accessible gameplay is designed for new players as much as it is for old, but it’s basically a familiar experience for anyone who’s played the first game. That said, it differs in two important ways.

First, it allows you to create radically different kinds of gaming experiences, whereas the first game only allowed for the creation of Mario-like platform jumping gameplay. It also greatly expands the social and sharing features found in the first game, adding search, web-based profile pages and friend activity feeds.

Make Any Kind of Game You Want

Now you can create something other than a Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog-type platform jumping game. LittleBigPlanet 2 offers vehicles, storytelling tools and other features that allow creative gamers to make much more sophisticated games in many different genres.

We played a few games made with the tools. One was a bumper-kart competition in which the objective was to push other players (either online or in the same room on the same screen) off the edge using booster rockets. It was a fun bit of mayhem, and it reminded us of something you’d find in a family party game like Mario Party for the Wii.

Another was a side-scrolling deathmatch. The new creation tools let you throw helmets into the game for players to wear, and you can apply any properties you want to them. In this case, the helmets shot rockets that obliterated other players.

Even the traditional platform jumping levels are made more interesting with cutscenes that have voice-overs and camera angles.

Finally, LittleBigPlanet 2 works with the new, Wii remote-like PlayStation Move controllers. We played a short demo in which one player pointed the Move controller at the screen to drag obstacles out of the way of another player controlling his character with a normal PS3 controller.

LBP.me and the Activity Feed

LittleBigPlanet 2 works a little bit like a YouTube for games, if YouTube more prominently featured a Facebook-like activity feed of your friends’ activity.

Each time a gamer friend plays or creates a game or level, it pops up in your feed. You can opt to play his or her level, or even join him or her in whatever activity he or she is doing at that moment. Alternatively, you can just search by keyword for levels that you want to try out.

When you like a level or game you come across, you can share it (ratings and all) with your friends just like you might share a cool link on your social network of choice.

This all takes place in the game, of course, but the other big addition besides the activity feed is LBP.me, a social website that hosts a personal profile for each user, including references to your creations and activities as they occur.

If you see something you’re interested in while you’re killing time on the site at the office, you can flag that level or game to pop up when you turn on your PS3 at home.

These new sharing and discovery features join the already web-inspired tagging system from the first game to make it easy to find user-generated content that you’d have fun playing.

Impressions

The game feels a lot like the first LittleBigPlanet in that it’s like the bass guitar. It’s very easy to pick up and play, but there are layers of sophistication that aren’t apparent when you’re first starting out. We didn’t get to play with the creation tools, but the regular gameplay was frenetic and accessible for any audience.

Most of the brilliant ideas are going to come out of the community of users who opt to create original content on their own using the provided tools, though we were told by a rep from LittleBigPlanet 2’s development studio that there are already select users working with the tools so there will be some good stuff to play at launch.

The social features and discovery tools will help solve the biggest problem with LittleBigPlanet: difficulty finding the diamonds in the rough. If you haven’t played the first game, though, we’ll recommend trying this one out anyway, if only because all two million user-created levels from the original library are playable in LittleBigPlanet 2, and it will be easier to pick them out now.

The game will go on sale exclusively for the PlayStation 3 game console shortly before the onset of the holiday season this year.

Reviews: Facebook, YouTube, mario

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21st Jun 2010

LEGO Universe: Adventure and Build With Your Friends [VIDEO]

Fans of LEGO will be excited to learn about the first massively multiplayer online game based on the LEGO play experience: LEGO Universe launches to young and old alike on October 26 on both the PC and Mac platforms.

In the game, players are challenged to use the element of “imagination” to solve problems and build solutions for fighting back the Maelstrom, an evil force that must be pushed back in order to restore harmony to the universe. As in other MMO titles, your character adventures through the game’s universe completing quests and accruing new equipment, which determines your Lego minifigure’s stats in lieu of more typical character leveling and experience point progression systems.

Beyond the story-driven gameplay, LEGO Universe also features an extensive building and behaviors system that lets players create and animate their own LEGO environments complete with a scripting language that gives life to their creations. Think of it as the online equivalent of the LEGO playtime you may have enjoyed as a kid, with the ability to imagine almost any creation and see it realized on screen. Plus, you’re able to inhabit and enjoy your own created LEGO corner with any friends you see fit to invite into your customized world.

From what we’ve seen of the game so far, developer NetDevil have done a superb job staying true to the spirit and mentality of the LEGO brand while simultaneously creating a new virtual online version of a franchise many of us have known and loved since childhood. LEGO Universe is a family-friendly title that we suspect will end up captivating a good chunk of adult players along with the more obvious younger demographic of brick enthusiasts.

LEGO Universe launches October 26, with early access commencing October 12 for players who pre-order the game. The $39.99 title includes a free 30-day subscription to the massively-multiplayer title, which will run you a $9.99 per month subscription cost thereafter. Check out a video demo from the game’s Creative Director Ryan Seabury below, along with some screenshots in the companion gallery.

What do you think of the game so far? Do you have any thoughts about this most modern iteration of the LEGO pantheon?

LEGO Universe Demo and Gameplay



Building Tools





Castle Building





Castle Friends





Forbidden Valley





Maelstrom Spider





Nimbus Station





Property Friends





Property House





Property Tractor





Space Station





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Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

Tags: e3, E3 2010, games, Lego, LEGO Universe, MMOs, NetDevil, video games


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18th Jun 2010

“Toy Story 3″ Hits Theaters and the App Store [PICS]

Toy Story 3 isn’t just hitting movie theaters today, it’s also hitting the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, with Disney/Pixar releasing apps for the iOS platforms based around Woody, Buzz Lightyear and all of the other toys.

Because I’m a pretty big Toy Story fan (I have tickets to a show later tonight), I volunteered to review Toy Story 3 for iPhone (free), Toy Story Mania for iPhone ($4.99) and Toy Story 3 Read-Along for iPad ($8.99).

iPhone

All three apps have been designed to be kid-friendly and to align with the existing Toy Story style and sensibility. The free Toy Story 3 iPhone app features information about the film and its characters as well as lots of games. Some of the games are free but others are available through in-app purchase. You can also listen to a customized greeting from Sheriff Woody himself, which is a free (and very neat) feature that should appeal to lots of kids.

While Toy Story 3 for iPhone is clearly designed around the idea of the latest chapter in the film saga, the broader based Toy Story Mania covers the entire series. It’s a pretty well made app and has lots of mini-games which are actually addictive — even for adults. It also has a gallery feature that can only be utilized if you’re at the Toy Story Experience attraction at Walt Disney World.

iPad

The iPad app, Toy Story 3 Read-Along, is in some ways the most compelling app. It takes the form of a children’s story book — something we’ve seen dozens of for the iPad. What makes the Toy Story 3 book different, however, is all the extra features that Disney has packed into the app. For instance, you can record you voice or your child’s voice for the voice over.

You can also sing-along to two tracks from the film, color in drawings (using either a watercolor fill method or choosing your own colors) or create your own freeform designs, and play several fun games. The app is even 3D compatible, if you have a pair of compatible glasses, for certain images and for one version of the “Flying with Style” game.

After a heavy marketing campaign targeted at college students and young adults, it’s clear that Toy Story also has lots of opportunities to captivate younger fans. The film is already shaping up to be one of the biggest openings of the summer (if not the entire year) at the box office and the iPhone and iPad games are a fun addition.

Images


Toy Story 3 For iPad





Read-Along





Story Menu





Story Help





Sing-Along





Sing-A-long





Coloring Book





Painting





Painting





Completed Art





Games





Flying Woody





Toy Story Mania





Toy Story Mania





Toy Story Mania Games





Toy Story 3 iPhone





Toy Story 3 iPhone





Woody's Recordings





Toy Story Mac Controller





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Tags: disney, Film, ipad, ipad apps, iphone, iphone apps, Movies, toy story 3


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25th May 2010

MTV Launches Casual Game to Promote Upcoming TV Series

MTV is using a novel approach to generate buzz for their upcoming new television series The Hard Times of RJ Berger: the company is launching a casual game that will tie into the show via episodic content.

The “Chain of Thought” game centers on the theme that it’s “difficult to talk to one’s crush.” Players get points and level up by completing “conversation challenges” in which objects must be connected in the correct order to produce a sentence that elicits a positive response from the crush character. The game introduces new users to the show about an unpopular 15-year-old boy who deals with a sudden influx of newfound popularity at school and wants to figure out how to talk to his object of affection, Jenny.

The title also features a “build mode” that brings in an aspect of user-generated content. Players are invited to set up their own conversation challenges along with positive or negative responses, and see them played out in a level of their own creation. The idea is to help break the ice with an actual crush or at least have fun with a friend who knows about the situation — and MTV hopes that aspect of the game will encourage players to virally share it with their friends.

We spoke with VP of MTV Digital Colin Helm and Supervising Producer at MTV Digital Tom Akel about the project and wanted to know what led to the idea behind introducing a game before the series launch. Early on the team was looking for a way to “raise awareness outside of what we normally do.” As one of the first scripted shows that MTV has produced in some time, they had the benefit of a longer lead time with available assets including visuals and scripts. Using a viral casual game to promote a television series seemed like a timely play in the context of interactive digital entertainment.

As the TV show progresses, new “episodes” of the game will be unveiled as well, featuring actual dialogue and plot themes from the series. This type of tight integration between a television show and its companion game is a novel approach to episodic content, and we’ll be interested to see how much repeat interest is generated from the series to the game and vice versa.

The game itself is live now, so if you have a chance to check it out on MTV.com be sure to let us know what you think in the comments. The Hard Times of RJ Berger series itself premieres on June 6 at 11 p.m., and you can check out a trailer to get a sense of the show as well.


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Tags: casual games, facebook, games, Hard Times of RJ Berger, mtv, MTV Digital, tv


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20th May 2010

Chatroulette + FarmVille + Facebook = ChatVille

There’s a new Chatroulette spinoff in town: meet ChatVille. It’s a Facebook app that combines the basic video chat elements of Chatroulette with the game mechanics, badges and leveling up of casual games like FarmVille.

Just like in Chatroulette, you have the opportunity to get paired up with a total stranger — but since the app can also take advantage of your Facebook social graph, you can also invite specific friends to chat with you as well. Plus, in chatting with either strangers or friends, you have the opportunity to earn badges for specific actions, like taking your first screenshot or getting a “compliment” from another user.

The app also features some other extra features like a built-in screenshot function; the screengrabs you take can then be optionally posted on your Facebook wall. Another extra feature quickly turns your webcam into an ad hoc photobooth, with the results also postable to your Facebook wall.

Built by the same team that made the popular instant messaging desktop client Digsby, many are already calling ChatVille “Chatroulette done right.” It’s certainly not the first Chatroulette clone we’ve seen, but it is unique for tapping into Facebook as an underlying social platform. Considering it stands to benefit greatly from the built-in virality of encouraging everyone to share their badges and accomplishments within the app, it will be interesting to see if or how fast this spreads as a much less “awkwardly adult oriented” version of Chatroulette.

Have you had a chance to check out ChatVille yet? If so, what do you think of the app — how does it compare to experiences you may have had on Chatroulette?

[via VentureBeat]


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Reviews: Digsby, Facebook, Twitter

Tags: badges, chatville, digsby, facebook, facebook apps, farmville, game mechanics, games, video chat


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