Saturday 10 September 2011

Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus

jetbus
Once upon a time, there used to be a DOS game with a caveman and a human powered helicopter. The caveman would shuttle around the screen, madly trying to get customers to where they wanted to go.

Jetbus is not that game, but it's obviously inspired by it. You're driving a yellow school bus which has jets. I guess the jet engine takes quite a bit of space inside the bus, because you can only pick up one person at a time.

There are several doors on the screen, each with its own number. As you pick up a person, the status bar at the bottom of the screen shows you which number door you have to take them to.

You must fly your bus carefully, because if it gets bumped around too much, you lose. You earn money on each level, and can visit the garage to buy better jets and damping, power-ups, or even a whole new vehicle.

So while this game isn't made as well as the original that inspired it, it does provide a few minutes of fun. And now, which one of you guys remembers the original and feels like pointing to it in the comments?

Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

android tablet 2.2 Android Tablets

LG Marquee caught on candid camera, is this Sprint's Optimus Black?

Is this a case of smartphone identity crisis, or just a repurposed chassis? Whatever the case may be, LG's got a Marquee handset ready to shore up Sprint's future line-up. The leaked shot comes courtesy of a now private video spotted by Android Central, and was taken at a Dallas-based Radio Shack Business Summit. It's evident from the one Mr. Blurrycam screen cap on display that the phone's currently running a vanilla build of Gingerbread, and sports a minimalistic design that's reminiscent of the Optimus Black. We can't be certain the two are indeed twins, however that leaked roadmap did indicate a stateside October bow for the Optimus Black -- this could simply be a rebrand for the Now Network.

LG Marquee caught on candid camera, is this Sprint's Optimus Black? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SprintFeed  |  sourceAndroidCentral  | Email this | Comments

laptop tablet android pad

Adobe unveils new software tools, adds iOS-compatible streaming video option

AdobeAt the International Broadcasters Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam yesterday, Adobe unveiled a slew of new software solutions, including Adobe Pass, Flash Access 3.0 and Flash Media Server 4.5. Pass allows cable operators and other content providers to provide streaming TV from multiple sources through a single sign-on solution, while Access is content protection platform that can now deliver streaming video to mobile devices. But, it's Media Server 4.5 that has been garnering the most attention from the press, thanks to its support for iOS. Now don't get too excited, you still can't actually use Flash on your iPhone. But, the latest version of the software provides the option to stream video using the Apple-friendly HTTP Live Streaming format. So, still no Kongregate for iPhone users, but partners like MediaPlatform can now put live webcasts on your iPad. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Adobe unveils new software tools, adds iOS-compatible streaming video option

Adobe unveils new software tools, adds iOS-compatible streaming video option originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

android tablet Samsung Android Tablet

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game

Sand Trap
Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

acer tablet pc android 2.2 tablet pc

How Secure is My Password lets you know just that

howsecureismypassword
We've all heard it before; you need to select a lengthy password, one that's hard to guess. Not a dictionary word. And it has to have some capital letters in it too, and some digits, and a symbol or two won't hurt either.

That's a handy set of rules to keep in mind, but How Secure is My Password helps us understand why they're important.

It's basically like a full-screen version of one of those password-strength meters websites sometimes use. But instead of showing you a bar going from "weak" to "strong", it shows you an estimation of how long your password would take to crack. That's a much more visceral way to understand why your password is strong.

For example, when I entered "rabbit", it came back with "your password is one of the 500 most common passwords. It could be cracked almost instantly". "rabbit5" would take two hours, "$rabbit5" would take 38 days, and "$rabbitZ5" would take 237 years. It's quite enlightening to see what a difference three simple characters can make.

How Secure is My Password lets you know just that originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

android tablets android 2.2 tablet pc

Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted

windows 8 wallpaper
With Windows 8 milestone 3 now up for grabs for select Microsoft Connect partners, it's inevitable that leaked bits and pieces will start popping up around the Web. In fact, the first "official" wallpaper image from the still-brewing OS is already making the rounds.

As you can see, it's got a similar feel to the good ol' Windows 7 default background, but features a more subdued smattering of cerulean hues. Those of you who want to use the Windows 8 wallpaper on your current desktop can download it from our file dump.

A few other details have been revealed, too. According to ZDNet's source, the Windows 8 Jupiter libraries and Twin UI are starting to take shape -- though all that's been located thus far are "[various files] scattered throughout the OS" and the aptly-named twinui.dll.

Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

acer tablet pc android 2.2 tablet pc

Alibaba to launch English version of Aliyun OS this month, tablet by November

Alibaba is just beginning its long and arduous journey into the field of mobile domination, but it's already looking to expand its sphere of influence beyond China to tackle the OS giants. Merely a few weeks after announcing its Aliyun OS, the company has spilled the beans on its plans for the immediate future, which include launching an English version of the platform this month and pushing a tablet to the market within the next two. Details on pricing, release time frame and partnerships are scarce -- the K-Touch W700 wasn't specifically mentioned, either -- but Alibaba confirmed it's currently in talks with global hardware vendors. Baidu, care to offer another rebuttal? You've got a slot at seventh place to protect.

Alibaba to launch English version of Aliyun OS this month, tablet by November originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments


msi tablet pc linux tablet