Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2012 > January
January 2012
Austin-developed ‘Zynga Bingo,’ still in closed beta, is already controversial
“Zynga Bingo,” the first game to be released by the social gaming powerhouse’s Austin studio, has a lot riding on it. It will join the company’s long running “Zynga Poker” as part of a new franchise called “Zynga Casino.”
Members of the Austin team traveled to California to be at the company’s San Francisco’s headquarters for the launch of the game last week, when the game was released in closed beta to invitees for testing before it goes wide to the rest of the gaming world.
Like most of Zynga’s game, this Facebook title will allow players to interact with their online friends, boost up the game with power-ups and kill time in an easy-to-play, tough-to-master format.
But before the game has even gone into public release, it’s already attracting attention in ways Zynga can’t be enjoying. It has been accused by a company called Buffalo Studios of plagiarizing the design of a game called “Bingo Blitz.”
It’s the second time the company has been accused of aping someone else’s game design recently; another company called NimbleBit said that Zynga’s game “Tower Heights” bears quite a resemblance to that company’s “Tiny Tower.”
On Venturebeat today, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus fired back about the copycat accusations, saying that gaming companies like his typically build upon the successes of existing games, improving the formula to make better gaming experiences. Venturebeat also printed an email Pincus sent to Zynga employees about the controversy.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Austin, Videogames
‘Soul Calibur V’ fights back in new sequel
New video games this week:
“Soul Calibur V.” — Taking place 17 years after the events of “Soul Calibur IV” (we don’t remember what happened either, don’t worry), this fighting game continues the long-running series, which is known for its beautiful visuals, crazy characters and outsized weaponry. The new version includes more ways to personalize your own fighters, more online fighting features and a variety of fighting styles to master. Rated T for Teen. $60-$80 for Standard and Collector’s Edition, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Also out this week: “Final Fantasy XIII-2” (PS3), “Puddle” (downloadable for PS3), NeverDead (PS3, Xbox 360), “Bookworm Wordy Wonder Bundle” (PC), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2012” (Nintendo 3DS), “House of 1,000 Doors: Family Secrets” (PC), “BioShock 2” (Mac), “Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle” (downloadable for PC, PS3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS), “Rhythm Party” (downloadable for Xbox 360.
Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames
Declutter to digital
Illustration by Don Tate II / AMERICAN-STATESMAN
In case you missed it on Saturday, the American-Statesman ran a story I wrote about people who have made The Great Digital Transition from physical media (books, CDs, DVDs) to digital.
It can be a painful process, fraught with copyright issues and very little money you’ll get back, say, selling your precious, dust-attracting CD collection. Personally, I am way behind on this (my overstuffed home office shelves are a testament to that) and I plan to spend more time decluttering, purging and converting, especially in books and DVDs.
How are you managing the transition? Let us know in the comments.
Also in the American-Statesman, this week’s Digital Savant column was about differences between two hot social networks, Google+ and Pinterest, which also ran here in the blog last week.
Permalink | | Categories: Computers, Gadgets, Internet, Movies & DVDs, Shopping
The Linkdown for Friday, Jan. 27
The Linkdown was amused, but mostly disturbed, by the “Simpsons” episode where everybody crashed their cars because they were posting on SpringFace, a social network created by Lisa Simpsons (with help from Nelson and some computer geeks).
Watch that and then check out these important events, links and SXSW Interactive news:
Events:
- Data Privacy Day is tomorrow, but you’d know that if you had hacked into my computer earlier.
- Accessibility Internet Rally, a web design competition, is open for registration. Deadline for submitting a URL is Feb. 15.
- Geek Bowl trivia is coming on Saturday.
- SXSW Interactive ATX meetup is on Monday.
- Dad 2.0 Summit (which happens in March), is having a meetup on Wednesday at Cedar Door.
- The next BASHH Austin is on Thursday.
- Austin Codeathon planning meeting on Feb. 4.
- Upcoming GeekAustin class: Introduction to SQL using MYSQL (starts Feb. 6).
- Austin Photowalk happens on Feb. 9.
- Next Juegos Rancheros meetup: Feb. 12.
- Girlstart has announced info for its 2012 summer camps.
Internet goodness:
- Lisa creates a “D’OH-cial Network” on “The Simpsons.” (Embedded above.)
- Disturbing report from The New York Times about working conditions in China in the manufacture of products made for Apple and other tech companies.
- “Ultima”: most important video game series ever?
- First official trailer for Austin-developed “God of Blades” iOS game.
- Addie Broyles on “Cash-mobbing.” Is it the new Kickstarting?
- Will Twitter be censoring Tweets in other countries?
- Gamers! Valve releases a Steam beta app for iOS and Android. Unfortunately, beta means that you may not be able to use it yet.
- 10-year celebration for Austin’s Latinitas magazine.
- Nintendo’s tablet-like Wii U controller will include near-field communication (NFC) technology. There will also be (finally) a Nintendo Network.
- Google’s privacy policy update. More of your data spread across more of Google’s services.
- Ways to protect a cellphone against hackers.
- Is Amazon going to spin off its video-streaming service?
- The Earth, in HD, via NASA.
- Netflix says it’s nixing the idea of offering videogame rentals.
SXSW-related
- SXSW Interactive Award Finalists have been announced. One of them, Life Sushi, is Austin-based.
- Dewey Community Service Award honorees have been announced.
- Details on the SXSW Tech Career Expo.
- Marvel is expected to make an announcement during the fest at ScreenBurn Arcade.
- SXSocial is live.
- Sliderocket is offering free tools to SXSW presenters.
- Volunteers sought.
Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Computers, Internet, SXSW, SXSW 2012, Videogames
Google+ and Pinterest: two very different, fast-growing social networks
Google+
When you think of online social networks, the names that tend to come up are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and, perhaps, Tumblr.
Two fast-growing social networks are poised to join that list. Google+, a network launched by search behemoth Google last summer, already has 90 million users and, some estimates suggest, could reach 400 milllion by the end of 2012.
Pinterest, a much more niche network where people can post images of things they like (clothes, products, hairstyles), has had a scorching run the last two months, with about 17 million page views in January as of this writing. The company won’t say publicly how many subscribers it has, but some estimates put it at about 4 million users.
Launched in mid-2010, Pinterest is still invitation-only and had a pretty low profile before exploding in popularity last year.
At first glance, Google+ and Pinterest couldn’t seem more different. Google+ comes at you from a gigantic tech company that seems like it’s trying to catch up to Facebook’s success. It throws a lot at you, from the ability to video chat (a feature called “Hangouts”) to its most significant innovation, “Circles,” which help you put your contacts into groups, making it easier for you to decide who sees the things you share.
Pinterest, on the other hand, puts a strong emphasis on beauty and design through the images that users share on categorized “Pinboards.” It feels focused and already has an identity. According to Google ad data, 80 percent of its users are women; the most popular postings tend to be gorgeously photographed food, stylish outfits and lusted-after items. Much of Pinterest is hopeful; the looks users aspire to replicate, things they’d like to buy someday, recipes they plan to try.
Guess which of the two social networks people have fallen in love with?
Despite the growth of Google+, I have yet to hear a single person say she loves it. The people I see posting more often there are marketers, photographers, social media experts and a handful of media people like me sharing the same kinds of links and jokes they also post to Twitter and Facebook.
Google+ otherwise feels like a weirdly active ghost town to me, a gigantic party that you show up to only to find that you don’t know anyone there and can’t quite follow the conversations going on around you. It may be that the people who have me in circles (more than 1,500) and the people I have in my circles (about 500) simply aren’t sharing their best posts with me and are targeting what they post to other circles. Is there a whole other alternate Google+ universe that I’m not privy too? Conversations with other Google+ users I know lead me to believe I’m not alone.
Google has put tremendous effort into making Google+ flexible, easy to customize and connected to its popular servies like Gmail and Picasa photos. It gives subscribers a lot of freedom to decide how they want a social network to operate (as opposed to Facebook, which makes big changes that regularly upset its users and still succeeds). But freedom may be working against Google+. I find myself flummoxed by what I’m supposed to do with it, and the killer feature — setting up groups to target my postings — feels like a lot of work. It all feels a little soulless to me, a social network without a clear sense of purpose that is leaving to its users to find interesting ways to use it. For the first few months of Google+’s existence, the major topic of discussion seemed to be Google+ itself, taking social media insularity and navel gazing into previously uncharted territory.
Some people are thriving on it, especially people who are using it for business. Dave Gray, a senior vice president at Austin’s Dachis Group, said (in a Google+ post, of course), said he understands some people are confused by Google+, but, “my confusion pales in comparison to my excitement at exploring this experiment in design for online social interaction.”
Gray said, “Circles solved one of the frustrations I have had with social networks. Some friends and family are not into everything I post on (Facebook) and to them it’s spam. Other friends would like more of some things and less of others. So the initial buzz for me was that I finally had a way to start sorting this stuff out.”
He concludes, “What has fascinated me about G+ is the way that deeply engaged conversations evolve naturally around shared interests, giving me the opportunity to engage with people I know well but that also include people I have never met. Where else do you see conversations like this happening on the web?”
Honestly, I wish I was seeing some of these deep conversations; the comment threads on Google+ don’t feel much different to me than those on Facebook, but perhaps that’s because I have more friends and family I know in “real-life” there. I haven’t seen many people on Google+ who are having the kinds of experience that Gray is having. (The post was written a while back, but Gray said today that his opinions on Google+ still hold.)
Pinterest, in the other hand, seems to have many more users who are incredibly passionate. Austin social media expert Lani Rosales recently posted a great list of 30 suggestions for improving Pinterest (including the ability to post private items and more easily rearrange posts) on the blog AGBeat.com. Some of the people I follow on Pinterest are using it to share their favorite books, solicit ideas for decorating their home or plan weddings.
Much has been made about how its user base is primarily women, prompting a post on the website ReadWriteWeb called “A Guy’s Guide to Pinterest” for mystified men. Two men I know who are heavy social media users and who recently joined Pinterest told me they didn’t get it and weren’t sure what they’d use it for.
Is it the site’s aesthetic, which is neat, bordered by a subtle shade of pink, or the site’s “Pinners” who’ve created a visual language for a beautiful, well-designed life on Pinterest and inspired newer members to follow suit?
I’m not really sure, but I know that the walled Utopia that is Pinterest will probably evolve into something else if its fast growth continues. It’ll change even more quickly if it’s acquired. Earlier this month, the website TechCrunch reported on a persistent Silicon Valley rumor that Google has an interest in acquiring Pinterest, perhaps incorporating it into Google+.
It certainly would make Google+ more interesting, but would Pinterest — a great idea that’s breaking the mold of social networks — survive the culture clash?
Edited to add, Monday, Jan. 30: a shorter version of this piece appeared as a Digital Savant column in today’s American-Statesman.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Internet
Sims get sexy in ‘Master Suite’ update
New video games this week:
“The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff.” — Most add-on packs for the long-running “Sims” franchise involve vacationing, pets, outdoor living and other seemingly trivial items. But EA Games is apparently bringing sexy back with this collection of romantic relaxation aids like virtual candles, a canopy bed and sets of lingerie and sleepwear for both female and male Sims. For those who use “The Sims” games as little more than excuses to plot out elaborate soap operas using digital dolls, this is the update for you. Rated T for Teen. $20 for Windows PCs and Mac (also available as a digital download).
“SOL: Exodus.” — This game, developed in Austin by Seamless Entertainment, is a space shooter powered by the Unreal game engine. The year is 2500 and humans are on the search for a homeland on the edge of the solar system. It’s focused on 3-D space combat in the tradition of “Wing Commander.” $10, downloadable for Windows PC (at steampowered.com starting Wednesday).
Also out this week: “Tropico 3: Gold Edition” (Mac), “Tropico Trilogy” (PC), “Victoria II: A House Divided” (downloadable for PC), “My Pet Puppy” (Nintendo 3DS), “National Geographic Challenge” (PlayStation 3 Move), “Fairway Fever” (PC), “Dark Tales 3: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Premature Burial” (PC), “OilRush” (PC, Mac and Linux), “Killzone” (downloadable for PS3), “Quarrel” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Puddle” (downloadable for Xbox 360).
Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames
Keeping your info secure in the wake of the Zappos.com breach
This week’s Digital Savant column in the Austin American-Statesman is about protecting your identity and knowing your options if your personal data is ever breached on a website or service you with which you do business. (And, in all likelihood, it’ll happen sooner or later.)
A recent hacking attack on Zappos.com brought the topic up again after a large number of attacks last year on a variety of entertainment, banking and government websites.
Austin has quite a few Internet security and ID theft-related companies and we spoke to two of them for the column.
You can read the full column, which ran in Monday’s newspaper, here.
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet
SOPA officially shelved… but what comes next?
So, this happened and in large part caused this to happen today. There’s nothing like a chorus of all the people with the loudest megaphones telling you you’re wrong to change your mind about something (or at least cause you to see the writing on the wall and retreat).
But, while technologists have flexed their muscle in proving they can block political change they find repugnant, the underlying issues haven’t been fixed. Media companies still are at their wits’ end over piracy, there are those in the government who want more control over the unruly Internet (they can’t imagine something more horrifying than a homegrown Wikileaks) and apart from the protests, which were more organized than is typical in the tech industry, no one has really set forth a reasonable solution that’s going to fix anything long-term.
The last thing I want is a more restrictive Internet, but let’s not pretend that piracy doesn’t exist and that many copyright holders (small content companies and independent artists, not just the major labels and studios) aren’t being robbed blind by those who feel entitled enough to take what they want, when they want, from the generous Internet. I wonder how many protesters this week looked around at scorched-earth hackers and other allies who appear to be in favor of no piracy restrictions (or copyright enforcement for that matter) and wondered, “Wait, do I really want those people on my side?”
Too often this week, I saw people fighting against SOPA without really understanding what SOPA and PIPA were about and refusing to acknowledge that perhaps, in some small way, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed somehow.
Being against the anti-piracy bills doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge that things aren’t quite right the way they are now and that a victory today won’t prevent more measures to come down the pike (perhaps in more subtle, harder to fight legislation).
The failure of SOPA, I think, has more to do with the almost cartoonish overreaching of organizations like the RIAA and of certain lawmakers than the underlying principles. SOPA and PIPA were very easy to paint as villainous because the MPAA and RIAA, as crusaders, have been historically tone-deaf as to the realities of the way people consume media in the digital age.
But it doesn’t mean they’re completely wrong or that they won’t gain some ground on these issues in the end. For the tech companies and pundits who preached so loudly in the fight this week, it’s not enough to win today. You’re going to have to help fix the problem, too.
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet
Richard Garriott space documentary opens in Austin today
Image credit: TMS
The documentary about Austin game developer and space traveler Richard Garriott is finally touching down. “Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott’s Road to the Stars” opens today at the Alamo South and there’ll be a special screening at 7 p.m. tonight with Garriott, director Mike Woolf and producer Brady DIal. (They’ll stick around for more screenings after that since the 7 p.m. show is sold out.)
The film will also play at Alamo Village starting Feb. 1 and Alamo Lake Creek starting Feb. 9.
The documentary follows Garriott’s $30 million guest to be a commercial space traveler.
Our film writer Matthew Odam has written an excellent piece for today’s American-Statesman about the film. You can check it out here.
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Movies & DVDs, Videogames
The Linkdown for Thursday, Jan. 19
The Linkdown is enjoying the unseasonably warm weather by staying inside and keeping the air conditioner company. If you’re indoors, too, you should know about these events and web things:
Events:
- CapMac Austin’s iPhone SIG meeting is tonight (Thursday).
- Accessibility Internet Rally, a web design competition, is open for registration. Deadline for submitting a URL is Feb. 15.
- MomCom Austin is on Saturday.
- Volunteers are being sought for Saturday’s LEGO League Invitational tourney.
- Austin Startup Olympics happen on Saturday. It’s a private event, but there’s a public afterparty at Club DeVille that night.
- Clockwork Con steampunk convention is in town this weekend.
- America’s Future Scientist fundraiser/event happens Sunday.
- A Future of Videogames in Austin panel will be held on Wednesday at the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
- The first Transmedia Austin meetup happens next Thursday. The topic is Transmedia in Music.
- Geek Bowl trivia is coming on Jan. 28.
- SXSW Interactive ATX meetup is on Jan. 30.
- Girlstart has announced info for its 2012 summer camps.
- Upcoming GeekAustin class: Introduction to SQL using MYSQL (starts Feb. 6).
- Next Juegos Rancheros meetup: Feb. 12.
Internet goodness:
- AT&T is changing data rate plans (guess in which direction) and data limits.
- Intriguing new wearable gadget: Nike+ FuelBand.
- Doodle 4 Google contest is now open for students.
- Austin’s DadLabs wins an International Academy of Web Television Award for Best Educational Series.
- Austin-developed “Starhawk” for PlayStation 3 will be released on May 8. The public beta has already started.
- Apple’s big education/e-textbooks announcement from Thursday.
- Two former Dell employees implicated in insider trading scheme.
- Samsung apparently still doing some big expanding in its Austin operations.
- Why I won’t be calling new PC laptop “Ultrabooks” anymore. Sorry, Intel.
- Megaupload busted.
SXSW-related
- The official Interactive schedule is up on the SXSW website.
- Interactive Award finalists will be announced on Monday.
- Rainn Wilson will be doing a Saturday Interactive panel about his website SoulPancake.com.
- TechKaraoke has been announced for March 10. You can already register.
- Thomas Dolby is bringing his steampunky Time Capsule Tour to SXSW.
- Volunteers sought.
Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW 2012
Parts of the web go dark in protest of SOPA / Protect IP Act
Wikipedia’s pages are being blacked out today to protest two pieces of anti-piracy legislation.
As is being reported on other pages of our site and, of course, in many tech news outlets, parts of the web have been blacked out today in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, two pieces of legislation that have the backing of some large media companies trying to stop copyright violation of their wares. SOPA last week stalled in the House of Representatives. PIPA appears to still be in play in the Senate.
The online protest includes an all-day blackout at Wikipedia, a half-day blockout at Reddit and even the participation of Google, which has put a link to information about the bills on its home page and which features a blacked-out Google logo on its pages.
Everyone’s favorite blackout page appears to be the hilarious one posted as an animated GIF by The Oatmeal. (Possibly not safe for work, so be careful viewing it.)
I wish I had some insight to share with you beyond the news that’s out there, but to be honest, I’m struggling to even keep up with all the news being generated about this protest, the Texas backlash and any real-world protesting that may be brewing right now, especially in Austin.
Got thoughts? I’d love to hear them. Post in the comments.
Permalink | | Categories: Internet
A glossary for non-techies
Illustration by Don Tate II / AMERICAN-STATESMAN
In case you missed it in Monday’s Austin American-Statesman, this week’s Digital Savant column was a glossary of tech terms for the not-so-tech-inclined.
In our rush to breathlessly bring you the latest about the smart phones, HDTVs and video games that’ll be in your living room someday, we tech writers often forget to speak in plain English and flood our readers with acronyms and gibberish. We may do another column like this in the future with another set of terms. (One excellent suggestion we already received from a reader: “The Cloud.”)
Got other impenetrable words you’d like me to break down? Just let us know in the comments.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Applications, Computers, Gadgets, Phones, TV
The Linkdown for Friday, Jan. 13
The Linkdown mostly stayed out of the gigantic, fire-breathing, head-hurting noxious blast of news from the Consumer Electronics Show, but here’s some of the events, CES news and other Internet links you should be checking out this week anyway:
Events:
- MomCom Austin is on Jan. 21.
- Volunteers are being sought for Jan. 21 LEGO League Invitational tourney.
- America’s Future Scientist fundraiser/event happens Jan. 22.
- The first Transmedia Austin meetup happens Jan. 26. The topic is Transmedia in Music.
- SXSW Interactive ATX meetup is on Jan. 30.
- Girlstart has announced info for its 2012 summer camps.
- Upcoming GeekAustin class: Introduction to SQL using MYSQL (starts Feb. 6).
- Next Juegos Rancheros meetup: Feb. 12.
Internet goodness:
- Too cool: The Restart Page.
- Austin’s Chaotic Moon stormed CES with its Kinect-controlled skateboard (Video above).
- Speaking of Chaotic Moon, their game with Certain Affinity, “Age of Booty,” is coming to iOS and Android soon.
- One more about those guys: their news app “The Daily” is coming to Android.
- NPR and Ford team up for in-car listening.
- KLRU now has its own iPhone/iPad apps.
- How long do you have to wait for Warner Bros. DVDs to get to Netflix? Longer.
- Reddit will go black for 12 hours on Jan. 18 to protest SOPA.
- Ultrabooks were hot at CES… but what are they?
- Austin-developed “Starhawk” beta is going public soon.
- Sony is pushing its own mobile music streaming service.
- OnLive Desktop streams Windows apps to your iPad.
- “Everquest II” is doing well so far with that whole free-to-play strategy.
- Target is adding Apple mini-shopping areas to its stores.
- If the idea doesn’t terrify you, Internet-connected cars and cars with apps were all the rage at CES.
- Austin’s Freescale is creating some of the technology for such on-the-road gear.
- The sad tale of the ringtone that interrupted the New York City Philharmonic.
- Kerfuffle over Google’s new tweaks to its search, which include Google+ info.
- Game update already announced for “Star Wars: The Old Republic.” It’s scheduled for Tuesday.
- BBB lists the biggest scams of 2011.
- Google Science Fair is open for submissions!
- Nominations for American Technology Awards are being sought.
- Hey, Wi-FI baby scale!
SXSW-related
- Registration prices for SXSW Interactive go up after today (Friday).
- TechKaraoke has been announced for March 10. You can already register.
- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be a keynote speaker at SXSWedu.
- In case you missed it, the hosts of the Interactive Awards were announced this week.
- Volunteers sought.
Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.
Permalink | | Categories: Gadgets, Internet, SXSW 2012
Dell goes ultrabook with slim XPS 13 at Consumer Electronics Show
Image courtesy Dell Inc.
Dell Inc. says that at the Consumer Electronics Show, being held now in Las Vegas, it really only has one major product it’s pushing.
That product is the XPS 13, a slim, nice-to-touch “Ultrabook” that weighs about three pounds and starts at $999.
So-called “Ultrabooks” which combine more computing power than netbooks, but in a slim profile, are hot items at CES this year, with at least 75 models based on Intel silicon expected to be introduced by various manufacturers.
Rather than bring out a slew of them, Dell said, in a pre-briefing with the American-Statesman last week, that it’s debuting just one, the XPS 13, which is aimed at creatives and professionals who still want some of the work-friendly features found in the company’s more business-centric laptops.
The laptop with the 13-inch screen (which the company says if stuffed into the kind of frame you’d find on a 12-inch laptop) is responsive, light and, based on a few minutes we played with it, attractive.
Is it as jaw-droppingly thin as Apple’s MacBook Air or as radical to the eye as Dell’s previous Adamo machines? It’s not.
But for a Dell laptop, it shows some real design smarts, from its attractive keyboard (which looks like something you’d find on a gaming laptop), to its carbon base, which the company says aids in cooling more than a full-aluminum body would.
It uses a solid-state drive, which is speedier than a traditional hard drive (but also limits you to 128 or 256 gigabytes of space. Dell says it’s got a battery life that lasts just under nine hours. The XPS 13 comes in several configurations starting at $999. You can get it with Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors. Unfortunately, the machine relies on integrated graphics (hard-core gamers need not apply) and memory appears to be limited to 4 gigabytes of RAM across the board.) On the plus side, it has a USB 3.0 port and a Mini Displayport jack, two features you don’t see on every laptop this size.
It also includes Intel’s Smart Connect technology, which allows it to sniff out Wi-Fi connections and automatically update information on the machine (say work calendars or email) even when the laptop is closed and asleep. And, Dell says, it includes IT-friendly security features that make it useful for employees who want a laptop that’s work-friendly.
Dell is introducing the laptop as this blog post goes up in a presentation with Intel.
More into on the teaser page for the laptop here.
Another image from Dell:
And two images I shot myself:
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Computers, Gadgets
Gabe & Jenny to host Interactive Awards
Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate, also known as comedy duo Gabe & Jenny, will host the 15th Annual SXSW Interactive Awards Ceremony on March 13, the festival has announced.
Slate, a “Saturday Night Live” alumna, was in Austin in November to promote her book “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.” Liedman has been heard on “This American Life.”
Permalink | | Categories: SXSW 2012
Zombie thriller ‘AMY’ leads arid video game release landscape
New video games this week:
“AMY.” — If you’re not already burned out on zombie video games, French developer Paul Cuisset (“Flashback,” the “Moto Racer” series) will try to scare you once more with a tale of infected humans (with demons thrown into the mix, too). In the year 2034, the small town of Silver City is hit with a deadly virus after a comet strike. A woman must defend herself and an 8-year-old girl (who has strange powers) from the zombie hordes. Rated M for Mature. $10-$15, downloadable for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Also out this week: “Bookworm Bundle” (PC and Mac), “My Pet Puppy 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “National Geographic Challenge” (PlayStation 3 Move), “King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame” (PC), “Choplifter HD” (downloadable for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC).
Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames
What’s too high a price for perfect-fitting earbuds?
Would you pay $1,350 (or even $399) for a set of earbuds that are custom-molded to the exact dimensions of your ears?
That’s the question we tackle in this week’s American-Statesman Digital Savant column. I took a set of Ultimate Ears for a test drive, putting my tender audio holes on the line through an audiology fitting and comparing them to other earbuds I’ve tried.
The verdict? You’ll have to read the column to see, but I’ll just say that there’s definitely a market for these, even if they may be too pricey for most of us. Do you have Ultimate Ears? Or do you think they’re a ridiculous waste of money? Let us know in the comments.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Gadgets, Shopping
The Linkdown for Thursday, Jan. 5
The Linkdown had a long, restful holiday vacation, but was haunted by visions of web pages unshared to the public, great links unseen, an apocalyptic vision of readers suffering from lack of entertaining reading material. It was horrible. There may have been three visiting ghosts and a turkey purchased by a diminutive child… a tiny… Tim Tebow? That’s where things get fuzzy. Anyhoo! Here are some things you should know about:
Events:
- The first ONA (Online News Association) meetup/mixer for the new Austin chapter happens tonight (Thursday) at Opal Divine’s Penn Field.
- Green Bank’s used computer drive ends Friday. You can donate in Austin, Houston or Dallas. In Austin, Green Bank is working with Goodwill Computer Works.
- StoryCorps will begin recording stories of Austin communities on Friday through February, but you can reserve a slot here.
- Austin’s uShip is being featured on A&E’s “Shipping Wars,” which debuts Tuesday.
- White Whale is celebrating the release of its game “God of Blades” with a party at Dive Bar on Jan. 12. Info here and here.
- Google+ for Small Business event happens Jan. 13.
- The first Transmedia Austin meetup has been announced for Jan. 26. The topic is Transmedia in Music.
- Girlstart has announced info for its 2012 summer camps.
- Upcoming GeekAustin classes: Introduction to Bash (starts Monday), Intermediate PHP (starts Jan. 12), Introduction to SQL using MYSQL (starts Feb. 6).
Internet goodness:
- SiriusXM introduces an Android-based super player, the Lynx (pictured above).
- Interesting post about the 400 new employees BioWare is hiring in Ireland to support Austin-developed “Star Wars: The Old Republic” (and to work on new projects).
- AT&T has added Austin as one of its new 4G/LTE wireless markets. (No, your iPhone can’t use it; only 4G/LTE devices.)
- Also, AT&T owes TiVo some money.
- Austin-developed “Are You Watching This?” a sports remote for your living room, is out for Android.
- How doctors are using social media to connect with patients.
- Introducing Roku on a stick.
- Guess who joined Twitter over the holidays?
- SXSW Interactive announces New York City and San Francisco meetups (in addition to their Austin one). They have also announced a bike share program for the fest.
- Petting your cat remotely, a boon for the allergic!
- Producer Mark Burnett and his wife, “Touched By An Angel” star Roma Downey, are behind the Bible360 app.
- I missed this back in December: Wall Street Journal talks about business Twitter strategies, including that of last year’s Texas Social Media Awards winner Whole Foods.
- Princess Leia headphones.
- Also over the holidays: Google+ passed 62 million users.
- Sexy Sax Man made a stop in Austin recently.
Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.
Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet
My 10 tech resolutions for 2012
Consolidating digital photos and videos spread across memory cards and devices: just one thing to do in 2012. Photo by Laura Skelding / AMERiCAN-STATESMAN
Last year, I wrote a series of pieces designed to help you get a handle on 2011 to clear out digital clutter and to get yourself organized. The Digital Savant column, which started appearing in print in August, is also in part an effort to offer how-to help on the tech front.
But in some areas, I’m pretty helpless myself (especially in the areas of keeping organized) and I have to work really hard to stay on track.
Here’s 10 resolutions I hope to keep improve my digital lifestyle in 2012.
1. Get the photo libraries consolidated — Every year, I plan to get all of our photos and home videos into one archive and it never works out, mostly because I’m intimidated by so many thousands of files. We have all our main photos/videos on one Windows machine, but we also have lots of photos and videos on devices like my wife’s phone and on an old Mac laptop where we used to import everything to iPhone. This is the year I plan to copy everything into one place and make it accessible via a cloud service that can be shared with other family members.
2. Transition off the Windows 7 desktop to Mac — Our Windows PC was last upgraded about five years ago and what seemed speedy then — an overclocked Core 2 Duo machine with 4 gigabytes of RAM, is starting to feel sluggish and loaded down with old software. I have Windows on my MacBook Pro as a Boot Camp partition and it runs much faster; there’s no real reason to keep the Windows box and I’m going to start the process of migrating off of it. I don’t plan to upgrade that computer again and if we buy a new desktop computer this year, it’ll probably be an iMac.
3. Find a fitness gadget that works — I liked the time I spent with the Striiv device I reviewed. I’m not sure if that’s the perfect gadget for me, but I’d like to find something — either a piece of hardware or a good app for my iPhone, that’ll help me keep better track of my eating habits and exercise.
4. Physical tech decluttering — There’s lots of stuff I could be doing to consolidate and delete old data files, but I need to do more about old boxes for devices we bought ages ago and don’t even use anymore. Our attic is full of boxes for printers, “Rock Band” video game instruments and other stuff we no longer use or need. I’ve been making regular trips to Goodwill, but it needs to happen more often.
5. Start using Pinterest — I’m not quite sure I get it yet, but people who love Pinterest really love it. I plan to check it out and see if I find it useful.
6. Less time skimming social media, more time actually reading — I don’t plan to disconnect completely from social media, but I did find myself using it less over the holidays and feeling much more relaxed. One habit I have is to read about articles without actually taking the time to dig into them (especially long-form pieces). I plan to read more books and longer pieces of journalism this year.
7. Find some good beginning reader apps — My daughter is starting to learn to read and, while we’ve found lots of great storybook apps for the iPad, we haven’t seen a lot geared toward beginning readers. In addition to the physical books and flash cards we’re already using, I hope to find some good apps that will supplement her learning.
8. Keep the DVR at 20 percent empty or more at all times — The holidays were a glorious time of catching up on TV shows I’d missed and deleting lots of old stuff I probably will never see (Smell ya later, “Mildred Pierce”). I get really stressed out when my DVR is close to being full, scrambling to delete shows or to rush threw viewings. I plan to be more realistic about stuff I’ll never actually watch and to stop recording whole seasons of shows, especially ones readily available on Netflix, Video On Demand or on DVD.
9. Culling the social media herd — I follow too many people on Twitter and I have too many Facebook friends. I plan to trim those numbers down and focus on friends, family and people I admire and actually want to hear from more often.
10. Finish the great VHS digitization project of early 2011 — I was pretty proud of myself when I started clearing out ancient VHS tapes from our library and digitizing stuff we wanted to keep.. until the project stalled completely. I successfully went through and scanned several thousand business cards over time. It’s time to eliminate every VHS tape in the house we still have.
What are your resolutions for tech in 2012? Share them with us in the comments.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Internet
Three new Austin tech items for 2012
In this week’s Digital Savant column, appearing in Monday’s Austin American-Statesman, we take a look at three new tech things coming out of Austin that are worth checking out in the New Year.
A new gadget called BiKN (pronounced “beacon”), produced by Austin’s Treehouse Labs, will be introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show next week.
The City of Austin has been beta testing the new design of its website and is still welcoming feedback from the public.
And Make Pixel Art is a website and apps that allow you to unleash your inner pixel artist and to share your creations with others.
The Digital Savant blog returns officially from vacation on Tuesday and the column continues in the paper next Monday.
