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December 2010

‘Echochrome II’ shines in slow video games week

By Omar L. Gallaga | Tuesday, December 28, 2010, 09:33 AM

It’s still a week of slim offerings in new video games this week, but here’s what’s new (some released last week while we were out):

“Echochrome II” — One of the more impressive demos we played when the PlayStation Move debuted in September was for this puzzle game that combines the brain-teasing planning of “Lemmings” with spot-on motion controls. Using the Move controller as a flashlight, you control shadows and objects to help a small character reach exit points. Stylish and unique. Rated E for Everyone. $10, downloadable for PlayStation 3 Move.

Also out this week: “Beat Sketcher” (PS3), “Glacier 3: The Meltdown” (Wii), “Raskulls” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Dead Rising 2: Case West” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Happily Ever After Vol. 1” (Nintendo DS), “Happily Ever After Vol. 2” (DS), “Kidz Sports American Football” (Wii), “Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove” (DS), “Mr. Bean” (Wii, DS).

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So long SXSW swag clutter

By Omar L. Gallaga | Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 04:44 PM

It sounds like the carry-around load might be a little lighter in March for South by Southwest.

SXSW says it will forego the paper clutter of its swag offerings for the 2011 festival by going digital, as reported today on Austin Music Source.

The new initiative, SXSwag, will allow for digital distribution of, presumably, music samples, social media profile links and, I dunno, PDFs of coupons for burgers? Can we hope?

While you may be wondering where you’ll go to find cheap koozies, paper-thin mouse pads or promotional CDs that double as beer coasters, we can’t say we’re sorry to see all the paper go away. We do wonder whether there’ll still be a canvas bag, though, one maybe without the creepy brain-three-way graphic of 2010.

SF Appeal offers a list of what it would like to see in the virtual swag bag.

Below: last year’s bag contents.

I’ve also written a short poem if, indeed, the swag bag is gone forever. It goes like this:

Swag bag, swag bag
Full of crap-bag
Do I really need
Two copies of the Austin Chronicle,
Pogs,
And a sock to hold my MP3 player?
I still use 2009’s bag to bring my lunch to work
But not the bag with the mind-meld-threesome on it
That would be weird.

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Austin-developed ‘DC Universe Online’ dons the cape Jan. 11

By Omar L. Gallaga | Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 12:41 PM

“DC Universe Online” a massively multiplayer online game set in the world of DC Comics, finally has a release date. The Sony Online Entertainment game, developed in Austin, will go live on Jan. 11. It’ll be out for Windows PCs and PlayStation 3 and will cost $15 a month to play in addition to the $50-$60 retail cost the respective versions. (The first 30 days will be included free with the game, typical for most MMOs.)

The game was originally scheduled to be released in November, but was delayed to January. There’s currently a beta version of the game that I’m hoping to try out over the holidays.

You can check out a studio tour and some behind-the-scenes info about the game here.

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‘Word Lens’: much buzz for a translation app

By Omar L. Gallaga | Monday, December 20, 2010, 03:12 PM

Over the weekend, techies were abuzz about a new app called “Word Lens” which can translate signage on the fly using the iPhone’s camera, a kind of augmented reality that has to be seen to be believed (and you can in the above video). Remarkably, it not only translates text, but does it in the same style as the sign, overlaying it right over the original text in the camera viewer.

While the reviews suggest it doesn’t exactly work as perfectly as the above video suggests, the fact that it works at all is pretty amazing and points the way to a near-future where this kind of translation technology will be standard on most phones and taken for granted.

The app is free to try, but language packs (currently only English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English, though other languages are on the way) cost $4.99 each. You can find it in the App Store here.

Have you tried it? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.

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The Linkdown for Thursday, Dec. 16

By Omar L. Gallaga | Thursday, December 16, 2010, 04:35 PM

The Linkdown is hitting the home stretch before a vacation that starts Dec. 23 and lasts until Jan. 2. But fear not! These links should carry you into the holiday full of cheer, vigor, a more informed and spry brain and, if my nose is smelling things right, a hint of cinnamon!

Austin tech community toy drive, the Gridiron Showdown! The football game is Saturday, but toys are being collected at 6 p.m. Thursday (tonight) at Third Base Austin.
In case you’ve ever had the desire to measure the temperature of meats you’re cooking with an iPhone, there’s a product for you!
People are worried that Yahoo might shut down some services it owns including Delicious. No announcement has been made yet on its future, but let’s just say things don’t look good for the service. This comes after bummeriffic news of layoffs at the beleaguered company.
Time magazine names Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ~~Boy~~ Man of the Year.
The Ransom Center wants your old computer equipment.
Gowalla and Sprint are teaming up to give away Epic 4G phones and service for a lucky few who check in at New York City locations through Jan. 12! If the promotion goes well, Sprint says it’ll expand this to other 4G cities (like Austin maybe?).
Version 11 of the Opera browser has launched.
Knittin’ Kitten blogger Etienne Lepine takes a look at “Crafting Mama.”
Former Austinite filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has a video game trilogy he’s working on and it could tie in with a movie franchise, too.
UT is spending $23 million to improve its “Cyberinfrastructure.”
Rebooted “Mortal Kombat” game due out in April.
Game company BioWare is giving away holiday gifts to its many gamer fans.
AMD’s next generation of graphics chips/cards, the 6900 series, are debuting to good reviews.
iPhone/iPad user group meeting Thursday (tonight) to discuss the best free apps. Best of all? It’s at IHOP!
Austin is part of Walmart’s campaign to fight hunger with social media. Sadly, Austin/Round Rock is currently only ranked 16th.
NORAD is, of course, tracking Santa’s every move.
U.S. Internet use has caught up with TV watching. Duh.
Hey, check out these cute dog slippers!
Are you your parents’ source of tech support? These videos from Google at Teach Parents Tech could help. (Or get you into trouble if your parents think you’re being condescending.

Got a Linkdown suggestion? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

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RIP Gary Chapman

By Omar L. Gallaga | Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 10:55 AM

377976 bytes; 1494 x 2000; 122298 Staff Photo by Sung Park aas Gary Chapman, Director of The 21st Century Project, of the LB.jpg

It’s a terrible day for technology thinkers. Gary Chapman, a senior lecturer at the University of Texas’ Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, has died. I saw Isadora Vail’s Tweet about it last night and her story today. It hurts to even think about.

Chapman got countless students and readers to think broadly about the implications of the technology around us, from privacy and public policy issues to the digital divide. He was a constant presence in the technology section I wrote for and edited a long time ago, Technopolis, when the dot-com boom swept through Austin and changed everything. In more recent years, you could find Gary’s writing in the editorial pages of the American-Statesman or in the New York Time and Washington Post.

Last year, when I was struggling with summing up 10 years of technology change for an article, I dug back through old copies of Technopolis and the American-Statesman and found a January 1, 2000 quote from him that was both prescient and incredibly wise. On the subject of Internet privacy, he said, “It won’t be a giant catastrophe, but a steady erosion of privacy, which people are already concerned about, especially instances in which people might be denied health insurance or denied a job based either on accurate or inaccurate information.”

This was long before blogs, Facebook or Wikileaks, of course.

His brilliant mind will be missed as will his writing and his tireless work for Internet equality (he was heavily involved in developing Austin Free-Net).

How do you replace someone like Gary Chapman in the world of technology forward-thinkers? Sadly, you don’t.

(1998 photo by Sung Park, American-Statesman)

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Mobile gaming ‘Chief Ninja’ added to SXSWi keynote lineup

By Omar L. Gallaga | Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 10:43 AM

Seth Priebatsch, self-described “Chief Ninja” for the Boston-based mobile gaming service SCVNGR, has been added as the fifth keynote speaker for South by Southwest Interactive 2011, the festival’s website announced today.

While SCVNGR is dwarfed in users and reach by mobile services like Foursquare and Gowalla, it’s backed by Google Ventures. It offers points and real-world rewards for performing tasks at specific locations (“SCVNGR” = Scavenger, as in hunt).

Priebatsch joins actress/writer Felicia Day, futurist Bruce Sterling, 4chan founder Christopher Poole and TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie as 2011 Interactive keynote speakers.

Sadly, Priebatsch is not to be confused with the creators of AskANinja.com.

Separately, SXSW Interactive announced another batch of programming and plans to make another round of panel additions on January 17.

(Photo via SXSW.com/Interactive.)

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, SXSW 2011, Videogames

Thin week of game releases includes ‘Super Mario All-Stars’

By Omar L. Gallaga | Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 09:37 AM

The game releases are a bit light this week and will be next week, too, but expect them to come back in full force by around Dec. 28. New video game releases this week.

“Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition.” — (Released Sunday) Nintendo is a master at repackaging old characters and games with a new layer of polish, but “All-Stars” may be stretching things a bit. It’s a reissue of a 1993 NES collection that includes “Super Mario Bros.,” “Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels,” “Super Mario Bros. 2” and “Super Mario Bros. 3,” games that can readily be downloaded online via Nintendo”s WiiWare store. The deal for this package, however, is sweetened by a CD soundtrack that includes sound effects and music all the way up to “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” a 32-page booklet of interviews and artwork, and support for all Wii controllers. Rated E for Everyone. $30, for Nintendo Wii.

“LittleBigPlanet: Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves.” — (Available Wednesday) Both a tech demo of Sony’s PlayStation Move controller and a concession to those eagerly awaiting “LittleBigPlanet 2,” this downloadable collection of 10 levels of action for everybody’s favorite little ball of fabric, Sackboy. It doesn’t require “LittleBigPlanet” to play but does require a Playstation Move controller and PlayStation Eye camera. Rated E for Everyone. $6, downloadable for PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Treasures of Montezuma” (Nintendo DS), “Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam” (downloadable for PC), “Under Siege” (PS3), “Lilt Line” (Wii), “Farm Frenzy 3” (PC), “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4” (Mac), “Nanda’s Island” (DS), “Once Upon a Time” (Wii), “Dancing Craze” (PC), “Quake Arena Arcade” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

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Review: ‘Disney Epic Mickey’ for Nintendo Wii

By Omar L. Gallaga | Monday, December 13, 2010, 04:15 PM

It’s tough to play the big-budget, Austin-developed Nintendo Wii game “Disney Epic Mickey” without bringing in your own expectations. (In fact, it’s tough to play period, but we’ll get to that.) The game, through no fault of its own, comes saddled with some 90 years of Disney history and its hero, for all his worldwide fame, is not beloved by everyone. In fact, it’s been a long time since I can remember Mickey Mouse being loveable or interesting for me; maybe I grew up in the wrong generation to appreciate him.

Transcending all that baggage is no easy task and the game from respected game developer Warren Spector (“Deus Ex,” “System Shock”) mostly succeeds by making Mickey and his surroundings different enough from the saccharine Disney mouse we’ve come to expect. “Epic Mickey” is filled with rotted, drooping edifices, with devastated, heartbroken characters and danger at every turn. It’s a dark, funhouse mirror version of Walt Disney’s world, the kind of thing Tim Burton would do if you asked him to make a movie about Mickey.

Especially for a Wii game, “Epic Mickey” is remarkably good at making things look bad. Its castles and pools of icky green paint thinner and standout “Mickeyjunk Mountain” level (abandoned lunch pails, melted NES cartridges) make you forget almost everything that might annoy you about Mickey. Except for Nintendo’s own “Mario Galaxy” games, it’s hard to think of a title that strains the Wii like this one. In fact, on the “Tomorrowland” level, my Wii crashed a few times and needed to be restarted, a glitch I only found in that part of the game.

Beautifully designed and crammed with references to Disney’s early animation history, “Epic Mickey” is about Mickey’s journey to Wasteland, a place that’s been decimated by an act of carelessness on Mickey’s part. It’s full of characters that even Mickey doesn’t remember, rejected drawings and old sidekicks who’ve lived on without the adoring eyes of children. Mickey meets Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, his precursor, left behind when Walt Disney himself lost the rights to his own creation. Oswald has built this mirror world in his own image, but has lost control of his home. Mickey has to save Oswald, and many other characters he meets in Wasteland, from a scary, black-ink-dripping Shadow Blot and a mad scientist.

What you think of the game beyond its promising premise and some of its gameplay innovation will depend on how forgiving a video game player you are. Would you rather play an ambitious game full of new ideas and interesting choices that sometimes stumbles or a highly polished piece of gaming that rarely surprises (the “Halo” series, the umpteenth “Medal of Honor” game).

The bulk of “Epic Mickey” involves Mickey Mouse, wielding a magic paint brush, either filling in or erasing the world around him with blue paint and green thinner. Using the Wiimote and Nunchuck, players can point to objects and characters to delete them, but the interesting part is that Mickey can also restore them. Not everything in the game reacts this way, but many platforms, buildings and people do. Sometimes hidden treasures lie behind paint. Filling in a giant rock might block the attacks of an enemy. It’s a great game innovation, the kind of thing that’s as revolutionary a gameplay mechanic as “Half-Life 2“‘s gravity gun or the use of Bullet Time in “Max Payne.” (That mechanic, incidentally, is used in “Epic Mickey” with a clock sketch that slows down time.)

Mickey spends the bulk of the game jumping on thinned-out platforms to reach great heights, tracking down hidden objects that characters need for one reason or another, and restoring functions to amusement park rides or animatronic versions of Daisy Duck, Donald Duck and Goofy.

Those levels are broken up by 2-D stages (think “Super Mario Bros.”) inspired by Disney fare like “Fantasia,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Steamboat Willie.” Those levels are short and act as gateways and palette cleansers from one large game stage to the next.

The game turns out to be both longer and more difficult from what you might expect from a literal Mickey Mouse affair. Its stages, inspired by theme park attractions and cartoons, all have not only primary mission goals but plenty of side quests, hidden treasure chests and characters you can choose to assist or ignore.

A central theme of the game is choice. Not only do characters present Mickey with the ability to help or ignore problems in the world (I never got around to helping Daisy Duck get her mechanical arms and legs, for instance), but Mickey himself has several ways to defeat enemies and get past tasks to advance the story. He can collect tickets to buy his way past problems or to acquire things he needs, he can use the brute force of “Guardians” to help defeat bosses and he can use sketches to slow time, distract enemies or activate levers. There are also Gremlins who assist Mickey if he does favors for them.

There’s so much going on, in fact, that the game begins to feel overstuffed at times, full of ideas, mechanics and themes that don’t always cohere perfectly. It sometimes feels as if you’re spending more time learning how to play the game and use its many tools and tricks than you are enjoying the game or the story.

The story, in fact, suffers by withholding much of its riches until more than halfway through the game. Oswald, who turns out to be a great foil for Mickey, mostly disappears until that time and until the last few hours of the game, mostly berates Mickey and sends him on missions to retrieve parts for a rocket.

It’s doubtful that many casual gamers will make it far enough into the game to see the Oswald story play out. But those who do are richly rewarded. In addition to handsomely drawn 2-D animated cut-scenes that are strewn through the game and add training, wit and perspective, the game’s ending — at least the one I accessed with the choices I made and goals I accomplished — is touching. It also reveals the consequences of your choices and failures; I sped through the game and ignored many of the side quests, and “Epic Mickey“‘s ending let me know exactly which characters suffered because of it.

Unfortunately, getting there was at times frustrating. The game’s much maligned camera is indeed a problem on some levels. It’s hard to know where to jump or what to paint or thin when you can’t see where you are and what’s around you. Midway through the game, things bog down in a series of “Go fetch” missions, turning Mickey into a glorified errand boy and item wrangler for too long. There’s also a lack of variety in the game’s enemies (often annoying little paint-based creatures who run into or throw thinner at Mickey) and some objects in the game were so hard for me to find that I had to skip related missions or, shamefully, consult Video Game Blogger’s excellent video walkthrough guide for help. The game, which requires near-constant aiming at the screen with the Wiimote on its main levels, can also be physically exhausting to play for long stretches. And short stretches aren’t nearly enough to get you to the end of the game.

However, gamers who enjoy collecting items (in the game they come in the form of special pins, film reels and concept art) and completing quests, will find a game that can take a long, long time to complete. The game requires several play-throughs to get every item and different play styles to open up different mission paths and endings.

The love of the “Epic Mickey” development team and its ambitious vision is never in doubt. Disney’s past is celebrated in loving tribute even as that universe is tweaked, darkened and rendered at times unrecognizable. Mickey’s universe is much more interesting with the existence of “Epic Mickey” and it’s a stand-out title on the Wii. Even if some gamers won’t have the patience for the game’s quirks and its sometimes frustrating platforming pitfalls, it’s an adventure worth experiencing.

“Disney Epic Mickey”
Rated E for Everyone
$50-$70 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Nintendo Wii

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Good HeliOS news: 75 donated laptops

By Omar L. Gallaga | Friday, December 10, 2010, 03:54 PM

Left to right: Ken Starks, HeliOS founder; Michael Zagger, divisional vice president, cardiovascular sales, St. Jude Medical; Kernetta Owens; and Michael T. Rousseau, group president, St. Jude Medical. Photo provided by HeliOS Project.

We wrote about Ken Starks, the head of Austin’s HeliOS Project, which gives rebuilt computers to kids who need them most, back in late July.

Now comes the good news that Austin’s St. Jude Medical is donating 75 laptops to HeliOS just as the organization was planning to shut down for a month due to lack of machines to give away. 45 Sony Vaio VGN-TX770P and 30 Dell D610 laptops are being donated and the group will install Linux. The first donated Vaio was given to Connely High School sophomore Kernetta Owens this week.

HeliOS is also holding a computer and component drive 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 11) at ITech Electronics, 8312 Burnet Road. The group needs Pentium 4+ or AMD-equivalent coputers and the following components:

DVD/CD writable drives (either internal or USB-powered)
SATA or IDE 80+ gig hard drives
DDR and DDR2 memory
4+ GIG thumb drives
LCD monitors
Small laser printers
ATI or Nvidia graphics cards
Repairable laptops

You can also call HeliOS directly at 689-6556 or e-mail to schedule a pickup.

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The Linkdown for Thursday, Dec. 9

By Omar L. Gallaga | Thursday, December 9, 2010, 04:30 PM

The Linkdown is interested in playing “Dead Space 2” (above) and, on a completely separate subject, has not had enough holiday-themed cookies yet. What’s up with THAT?

No less tasty are the Internet links below. Got a Linkdown suggestion? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

A demo of “Dead Space 2” will be out on Xbox Live on Dec. 21 and on PlayStation Network Dec. 22.
How would you like your dog to start Tweeting? If said dog doesn’t eat the Mattel Puppy Tweets device, you may be in luck!
Facebook’s Mark Zuckberberg and AOL founder Steve Case, among others, pledge to give most of their fortunes away to charity.
Dell’s got a new “Social Media Listening Command Center!”
Austin’s Photodex Corp. has introduced “ProShow Web” an online version of its slideshow software.
Austin trivia app “Qrank” makes the cover of the Austin Chronicle.
Refresh Austin’s Web Community Holiday Bash is next Tuesday.
How is Samsung’s iPad competitor, the Galaxy Tab doing? It’s sold about 1 million units so far, according to reports.
Spotify still wants to launch in the U.S. Just like they said they wanted to back in March.
Blockbuster Express kiosks will try to compete with Redbox with $3 new release rentals.
Speaking of competitors, Disney and ABC join the Netflix streaming fold.
I wrote the foreword to a new book, “Your Digital Afterlife.” Oddly enough, it stemmed from a South by Southwest Interactive panel two years ago.
And on the SXSWi tip: Interactive Awards applications are due Friday as are applications for Accelerator.
Our favorite part of this portable breathalyser app is the part where it can help you look up DUI lawyers in your area.
Watch out for potentially bad “Goo.gl” links on Twitter. They could contain a virus!
Interested in flying and flight simulators? You might want to check out this Friday morning event from TAG.
Several Austin companies show up on this list of 100 innovative start-ups from Guidewire.
MOD Systems rolls out digital music kiosks. See a video of how they work here.
Finally, a Slurpee app for iPhone and Android! Just what the world needed!
Perhaps more useful: AT&T’s Santa Tracker. If you’re on AT&T, you can also text SANTA to 1224 to get a message from St. Nick.

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‘Austin Unscripted’ videos reveal what we think of ourselves

By Omar L. Gallaga | Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 04:36 PM

In October, Austin played host to a group from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group of three sought out Austinites at 13 local meet-ups to interview on video about Austin’s growth, its future and what should be preserved most.

The results of all that shot video footage can finally be seen. The Trust has put up a blog post featuring links to videos and photos taken here. The video playlist, posted on YouTube, is made up of 89 videos.

In the videos, Austinites talk about their ambivalence about Austin’s growth, their take on “Keep Austin Weird,” how East Austin has changed, the city’s creative energy and more. Some of the videos feature solo speakers, others are compilations featuring many voices.

Also interesting is a video in which locals try to describe the city in one word. “Progressive,” “fabulous,” “enclave,” “community,” “comfortable” and the popular “eclectic” are some of the words used.

The Trust team uses words including “Gritty” (in a good way), “confident” and “colorful” to describe our city and they seem quite enamored of Torchy’s Tacos in particular.

They also seem impressed by the friendliness of locals and the way that people are acting as preservationists perhaps without even knowing it. The team interviewed for four days and spoke to more than 100 people. The recording took place before the National Preservation Conference, which was held in Austin in late October.

Edited at 5:50 p.m. to fix number of videos available. There are 89.

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‘World of Warcraft’ expansion and new ‘Bejeweled’ hit stores this week

By Omar L. Gallaga | Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 09:25 AM

New video games this week:

“World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.” — Death and destruction (and fun for players) comes to Azeroth in this next major expansion pack to the massively multiplayer online game. Players can choose from two new races, Goblins and Worgen, and the level cap is being raised to 85. Old zones have been redesigned to go with the new storyline. Rated T for Teen. $40-$80 (plus subscription charges) for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Windows PC and Mac.

“Bejeweled 3.” — The game that is available in some form on practically every gaming platform returns in a new PC/Mac edition with a slew of new game modes including a “Zen” relaxation game. 40 new puzzles are available and the game now has badges and achievements as well as revamped high-definition graphics. Rated E for Everyone. $20, for PC and Mac.

Also out this week: “TRON: Evolution” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP), “Super Mario All-stars: Limited Edition” (Wii), “Brunswick Pro Bowling” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Learn Science” (DS), “New U Fitness First Yoga and Pilates” (Wii), “Yu-Gi-Oh! SD’s Duel Transer” (Wii), “Mystery Tales Time Travel” (DS), “Touchmaster: Connect” (DS), “Treasures of Montezuma” (DS), “Yogi Bear: The Movie” (DS, Wii), “Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High” (PC), “Jon Daly’s ProStroke Golf” (PC), “SBK X” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Girls Only” (DS), “Physicus” (PC), “Tin Can” (DS), “Mystery Cookbook” (PC), “Mata Hari” (PC), “Kung-Fu Live” (downloadable for PS3), “Venetica” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Decimation X3” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Score Rush” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Videogames

Book People joins in on Google’s new eBooks service

By Omar L. Gallaga | Monday, December 6, 2010, 03:54 PM

This morning, Google announced the long-awaited launch of its ebooks service, Google eBooks. The company says it’s already made more than 3 million free electronic books available in addition to hundreds of thousands of books for sale that readers will be able to view on a variety of devices from desktops to smart phones to tablets like the iPad with dedicated applications.

Bad news for independent booksellers, right?

Not necessarily — part of the Google plan is to work with the American Booksellers Association. Bookstores like Austin’s BookPeople that are represented by the ABA are selling Google’s eBooks through their own websites and will get a cut of generated revenue, says Peter Hofstad, an online marketer for BookPeople who has been working on the project.

“Obviously, it’s something that can’t be ignored,” Hofstad said, “We’ve offered ebooks on our site through the ABA site since almost a year ago when we updated our site. It’s was a much smaller endeavor. Now with Google, it’s a big thing.”

Hofstad says that the independent bookseller will be closely watching sales before it decides how it’ll proceed and whether BookPeople might offer bundles of products with ebooks.

BookPeople has been working with Google for months on the project, but it was only five days ago that the store received word that the project was launching. “A lot of things have changed along the way as part of the plan,” Hofstad said, “but they’ve been helpful and it’s interesting that a company as large as Google would be offering to share their piece of the pie with independent bookstores. That says something about them.”

The Google service will compete with Apple’s iBooks, Amazon’s Kindle store, Barnes & Noble’s NOOKbooks and Borders’ eBooks store, among others.

Some of the bestsellers available through Google eBooks include James Patterson’s “Cross Fire,” George W. Bush’s “Decision Points” and Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom.”

Google’s cutesy colorful video introducing the service below:

Edited at 4:45 p.m. to add breakdown of the number of free and for-sale books Google is offering.

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Republic of Austin announces Austin Blogger Award winners

By Omar L. Gallaga | Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:45 PM

Here’s the list of Austin Blogger Award winners announced by Republic of Austin Friday night at the Austin Bleet-Up (meet-up for bloggers) event at Whole Foods Headquarters:

Says Christopher Lynn from the blog, “I really wanted to celebrate the diversity of the Austin blogging community and spotlight some amazing folks that might not be getting the attention they deserve. I think these results do just that.”

Blog of the Year
Hilah Cooking!

Blogger of the Year
Lauren Modery, Hipstercrite

Best New Blog
How to Have Sex in Texas

Best-Designed Blog
Public School

Best Blog to Find Comments and Discussion
Hipstercrite

Best Overall Food
Hilah Cooking!

Best Food Blog for Restaurant Reviews
Taco Journalism

Best Food Blog for Recipes
Hilah Cooking!

Best Specialty Food Blog
The Food Renegade (Real Food)

Best Cocktail/Beverage Blog
Tipsy Texan

Best Blog for Entertaining Tips
The Rebeccamendations

Best Overall Music Blog
Austin Bloggy Limits

Best Blog to Find Local Music
Austin Town Hall

Best Party/Events Blog
Do512

Best Nightlife/Concert Photoblogger
Austinist

Best Entertainment Blog
Austinist

Best Art/Design Blog
Public School

Best Craft Blog
Etsy Austin

Best Style Blog
Adored Austin

Bicycle Culture Blog
Austin on Two Wheels

Best Local Politics Blog
Burnt Orange Report

Best Hyperlocal Blog
Free Fun in Austin

Best Blog from a Traditional Media Outlet
KUT 90.5: Texas Music Matters

Best Photoblog or flickr feed
Less Like Math

Best Company Blog
Sweet Leaf

Best Tumblr
Amber Demure

Best Twitter
@KeepAustinWierd

You can see a list of all of the original nominees here.

Edited to add links to all the winners.

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Video viewing: too many options are too much of a good thing?

By Omar L. Gallaga | Friday, December 3, 2010, 04:05 PM

I used to be an editor for a few years and the skill I had to work the hardest to develop was to make quick decisions and stick to them. By nature, I revel in indecisiveness. When my wife and I are trying to decide where to eat, it can sometimes go like this:

Me: Where do you want to eat?

Her: You decide.

Me: I don’t know.

Her: What do you feel like?

Me: I DON’T KNOW!

Her: Do you want to just eat sandwiches?

Me: FINE!

I’m exaggerating a little for effect here. I’m usually not decisive enough to settle on a sandwich so quickly.

This terrible trait of mine has reared its head lately in a strange area: the suddenly vast numbers of way it’s possible to watch different kinds of video in my living room, bedroom, desktop and laptop computers and even the smart phones and iPad we have in our home.

It seems like Netflix has invaded pretty much every product we own. It’s on all the iOS products on the house, on the Blu-ray player in the bedroom, available on the game consoles (Xbox, PlayStation 3, Wii) and on several devices I tested out recently for work like Logitech’s Google TV box and a Netgear Roku device.

Then there’s the Netflix discs that we get in the mail, our regular satellite TV subscription, the stuff we can pull down from YouTube, Hulu and other online video service in a variety of ways (we have Play On installed on our desktop computer and it can stream some of these services right to the PlayStation 3) off the web.

And a few months ago, we tackled a long-standing problem in the house — how to watch DVR content from one room in another room.

It’s all great, right? Not really. I’m not paralyzed by choice, ironically because of the unlimited freedom to watch whatever we want, whenever we want, pretty much wherever we are.

Should I be catching up on new shows from the DVR? Or watching a DVD from Neftlix? Or seeing what’s new and popular on YouTube? Should I be catching up on streaming seasons of “Parks and Recreation” while leaning back on the couch with the iPad or channel surfing live TV?

It’s, obviously, a good problem to have and one that makes me feel first-world guilty to even consider, but I’m finding more and more that the sheer number of choices is causing me anxiety and a sense that there are about five too may ways to watch video in my house (in the hours when our kids are asleep; we try to keep their TV intake to a minimum).

Do you think we’ve got too many options? What’s your ideal method of juggling the TV/Internet video jungle?

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Applications, Internet, Movies & DVDs, TV

Gowalla revamps its location app with ‘Gowalla 3’ release

By Omar L. Gallaga | Thursday, December 2, 2010, 11:31 AM

Thursday morning, Austin-based Gowalla released a new version of its location-based social networking app, a major revision called “Gowalla 3.”

It has a new icon (the word “Go” instead of a funky line drawing), a new design, new features like one-click check-ins and personal, location-based messages and more. In a blog post on the company’s site, the revamp is being called the biggest update to the service yet.

The new version of the app is available on the App Store for iOS devices. It’s expected to roll out for other platforms in early 2011, according to the company.

Here’s some of the new features, from the company’s press release and blog post:

Faster Check-ins and Sharing: Smarter check-in process takes advantage of background processing, increased battery life and brings up an instantly available list of check-in locations, including those you most frequent.
The Check-in Button is located front and center in the Passport, creating easier navigation.
Push check-in notifications and receive cross platform rewards (like badges, deals and other data) from Foursquare, Facebook Places, Tumblr and Twitter.
Notes and Highlights: Notes allow Passport Holders to leave short digital messages and reminders for friends and community members at a specific Spot. Include a note upon check-in inviting others to try a particular dish at a favorite restaurant, or leave anecdotes about a location.
Notes are visible to users selected upon checking-in.
Highlights is now incorporated into the mobile version of Gowalla letting you assign your favorite places for creative categories like Best Live Music or best Slice of Pizza on-the-fly. You can also view Foursquare tips for a particular location, in addition to Gowalla’s Highlights.
Revamped Activity Feed: Photos are brought into the Activity Feed.
Easily add new Spots and flag duplicates.
Universal Activity Feed shows check-ins from your friends on Gowalla, Facebook Places, Foursquare and Tumblr.
Evolved User Experience: Simply and easily browse updates from Friends and Photos.
Bookmark favorite check-ins for easy perusal and reference.
Redesigned user interface creates a more streamlined, intuitive and engaging experience.

The changes come a few weeks after a big partnership with Disney Parks was announced and a day after the company revealed it’s doing holiday giveaways in a new “Gifts on the Go” program.

Going to give it a spin? Or are you checked-out on location services? Let us know in the comments. Austin’s Simon Salt has already weighed in on some of the new features in a blog post.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet

The Linkdown for Wednesday, Dec. 1

By Omar L. Gallaga | Wednesday, December 1, 2010, 04:08 PM

The Linkdown is enjoying December because it is not the craziness that was November. In fact, you might say The Linkdown is jamming to some tunes right now, like the video above or Girl Talk’s free album of amazing mashups.

Some links for you:

Austin-produced video awesomeness (posted at the top of this blog): “G-I-S State of Mind.” (Via the American-Statesman’s Joe Gross.)
Nominations for the third annual Statesman Texas Social Media Awards (the T’SMAckies) have opened up. Nominate someone by Jan. 12.
Gowalla is giving away prizes for check-ins for the holidays starting today with 30 iPod Shuffles.
Social events this week: Austin High Tech Happy Hour and Austin Winter #BASHH (both Thursday) and Austin Bleet-Up/Austin Blogger Awards (Friday). It’s not too late to vote in the awards.
Next Hacks/Hackers meeting is here at the American-Statesman on Dec. 8.
Verizon introduces its “4G LTE” service in 38 metro areas and 60 airports (Austin-Bergstrom Airport, but no Austin). Services starts Dec. 5. There’s a $50-a-month plan for 5 GB of data.
Big changes for the OtherInbox service.
Introducing Computer Engineer Barbie.
HP is discontinuing its MediaSmart server line, a blow to the home backup/storage space.
TEDxAustin (taking place in February) is accepting applications to attend until tomorrow night (extended from Nov. 30). It’s a $100 registration this year (up from $50 last year).
Social Media, iPad art and other workshops coming up at Austin Details Art + Photo.
PlayStation Move has shipped 4.1 million units (to retailers, not necessarily sold and ending up in people’s homes) while Microsoft’s Kinect has sold about 2.5 million so far.
AOL’s top searches of 2010. Hope you like Justin Bieber and bed bugs!
The new Austin City Limits Live website is using Ticketfly as its new ticketing agency. Expect more social media-related ticket drops/promotions.
Do512 has 100,000 users, is expanding to Houston and Chicago.