Monday, November 21, 2011

Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter

Survival Lab
In most games, dying is a bad thing. You have to start all over again, or at least revert to the last save point and lose some progress. Not so in Survival Lab: in this pixelated gem you play as a lone individual pitted against ruthless weapons in a sealed chamber. You have to run, jump and duck, collecting little yellow things (I have no idea what they're called).

For each donut-like yellow thing you pick up, you gain a bit of experience. If you manage to collect several in a row without getting hit, this counts as a combo. You can see my mad combo skills in the screenshot, of course. Collecting combos is a good thing, because a ten-point combo gives you for more experience than just collecting ten dounts one by one (getting hit in-between).

Having experience is useful, because once you die, you get to a screen where you can upgrade your skills. You can learn to run faster, double-jump (and then double-jump higher), and duck. You can also gain more armour so that getting hit won't kill you so quickly.

What makes this simple game so addictive is that when you die, your experience doesn't reset. You just go back to the same level, or another level of your choosing, and keep accumulating more and more experience. Lots of fun, especially if you're into the whole retro-gaming thing.

Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/28/survival-lab-is-a-fun-pixelated-game-where-dying-doesnt-matter/

Saic

Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs

Firefox slow-addons list
Mozilla, continuing its year-long crusade to speed up Firefox startup and shutdown times, has published a name and shame list of the Firefox's slowest add-ons.

The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.

Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.

In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!

Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/mozilla-publishes-name-and-shame-list-of-slow-firefox-add-ons/

Emulex Ems Technologies Emc Electronics For Imaging

Android Market app uninstall refund window still 15 minutes

Android Market

We've gotten some clarification from Google regarding any changes to the app refund window in the Android Market after a couple of developers led us to believe it had been changed to 48 hours when asked to accept a new version of the Developer Distribution Agreement. The short version is there have been no changes. You still have 15 minutes to uninstall an application for an automatic refund.

The 48-hour window is for Google to refund the money to the developer. Also, you, as a user, technically have 48 hours to request a refund of an app from Google, though very few people do that for the obvious reason.

Hope that clears things up a bit.



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/fT8Dh-nkC9k/story01.htm

Fiserv First Solar Finisar Fei Company

The Sleek Sailrocket 2 Looks To Set a New World Speed Sailing Record [Video]

There's not much room for a cooler, but the Sailrocket 2 isn't designed for a casual afternoon on the lake. It's engineered to set a new sailing speed record, and it's in Namibia right now trying to do just that. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/KG79gE3MpF4/the-sleek-sailrocket-2-looks-to-set-a-new-world-speed-sailing-record

Rockwell Automation Rf Micro Devices Red Hat Radisys

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Walmart selling Limited Edition Blue Wii for $99.96 on Black Friday

No, you aren't "losing" that thing up top -- Walmart will indeed be bringing those limited edition blue Wiis to the US of A starting this Thursday, and better still, it'll be hawking 'em for just $99.96 apiece. If you'll recall, the powder blue variants of Nintendo's newest home console were previously reserved for other sections of the globe, but a new spot that just aired on CBS' broadcast of the Titans vs. Falcons has confirmed that it'll be on sale within a matter of days for those lucky enough to snag one. They'll be offered up starting at 10:00PM on November 24th (that's Thanksgiving day, you know) and should be completely sold out by 10:00:01PM on the same day. That tally will net you a console, a matching Wii Remote Plus and a Nunchuk. Good luck -- pack a helmet.

P.S. - Black Thursday is the new Black Friday.

Walmart selling Limited Edition Blue Wii for $99.96 on Black Friday originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/20/walmart-selling-limited-edition-blue-wii-for-99-96-on-black-fri/

Land Software Lam Research L-1 Identity Solutions Kingston Technology Company

Why More Than 200 Indie Record Labels Just Bailed on Spotify for Cannibalizing Their Money [Music]

Music distributor STHoldings just pulled its collection of more than 200 record labels off of subscription music services. Like, all of them. Quoting one label, "Let's keep the music special, fuck Spotify." What do those fighting words mean for us? More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Trfuu2STJ6Q/200-indie-record-labels-just-bailed-on-spotify

D-Link Digital China Holdings Directv Group Elpida Memory

Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011

This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of November 14, 2011:
  • Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Ingram Micro, a distributor that ships phones to Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy and Newegg, to expand the distribution of its Android lineup in the US. The deal will include a healthy chunk of the Xperia series, including the arc S. [PRNewswire]
  • Like the Motorola Defy+ but it's just not tough enough? Check out the limited-edition JCB version of the rugged device, which adds a hardcore JCB case, a special app with handyman tools and a two-year extended warranty. And it can be yours through Clove on December 6th for £219. [TechDigest]
  • Verizon introduced the LG Extrovert, a prepaid device with a slide-out four-row QWERTY, 2.8-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen display, 2MP camera and expandable storage. It, however, lacks 3G data. It's all yours on Verizon's prepaid site for $110. [PhoneArena]
  • Speaking of Big Red, the rugged Casio Gz'One Ravine 2 was launched this week, and can be yours for $150 with a two-year contract. [PhoneScoop]
  • The BlackBerry Bold 9790, announced this week, is confirmed to show up in the UK on Vodafone and O2, likely sometime in January. [Unwired View]
  • SFR is selling the ZTE Tania, but it appears to be sold as a carrier-branded Windows Phone. You can purchase it without a contract for €269, or with a two-year commitment for €9.99. [MobileTechWorld]
  • Twitter for Windows Phone just got updated to be compatible with Mango. It's meant to offer a smoother experience, but doesn't bring any new features with it. [WMPowerUser]
  • Fandango debuted a new paperless ticket system, in concert with Regal-owned theaters, which can send a scannable bar code to your phone when you want to go see a movie. The ticket-takers then simply scan the code and you're all ready to root on Team Edward in the latest Twilight movie. Just don't forget the popcorn. [Yahoo!]

Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/19/mobile-miscellany-week-of-november-14-2011/

Fidelity National Information Svcs. Fiserv Google Grupo Iusacell

Star Wars Fan Builds A Docking Bay for His Millennium Falcon [Lego]

Why yes, that is a LEGO Millennium Falcon perched inside a diorama of Docking Bay 327, the scene of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader's battle. It was created by German builder David Wagner and measures an impressive 90cm x 100cm. The project required roughly 10,500 bricks, four months, and 1,000 ? to complete. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/crMJz73lkIc/star-wars-fan-builds-a-docking-bay-for-his-millennium-falcon

Grupo Iusacell Harris Hcl Technologies Hewlett-Packard

IconSettings, Minecraft, GO and More [Video]

Apps make the iPhone shine. And you want your new (or even old) iPhone to shine, right? Here are the best iPhone apps this week! It's a bigger than usual list.
More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/sbko5Qgoviw/

Verisign Verifone Holdings Veeco Instruments Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates

The Only Reason to Use a PlayBook Is DOS [Playbook]

If you hop to Canada, you can cop a PlayBook for a mere $200. But even discounted, is it worth it? If you install 30 year old software on it, sure! That's right. I'd rather have a PlayBook running DOS. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_X6vHnSER00/the-only-reason-to-use-a-playbook-is-dos

Anixter International Apple Computer Applied Materials Arian Semiconductor Equipment