PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play

If you're lucky enough to own an Xperia Play -- Sony Ericsson's new Gingerbread-powered smartphone-cum-gamepad -- you can now buy PlayStation (PSX) titles from the Android Market.

There are five titles currently available, all priced at £3.99: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. They don't have an American price yet, but that will surely change once the Xperia Play launches in the States.

Two important questions remain unanswered: How big are these games? The Market descriptions say the games are only 5MB, but that sounds incredibly unlikely -- and more importantly, will it be possible to 'spoof' the Xperia Play and download PSX games onto other Gingerbread-powered phones, like the Nexus S?

In other news, the PlayStation emulator PSX4droid was recently removed from the Android Market. This obviously has nothing to do with today's release of first-party PlayStation games.

PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

orlando weather henry cavill t mobile

Tictacti Secures Funding To Take On Heyzap In Game Aggregation

A lot of companies would like to get on the flash games bandwagon but have no core competency to do it. Out of Israel is a new white label solution called Tictacti. The startup has also now raised a $500,000 round led by Kima Ventures and other undisclosed investors. To date the startup has pulled in $1.6m in funding so far. Tictacti plans to compete with existing players Mochi Media and heyzap, with a platform which enables games developers to monetize their games on Mobile, Web or IPTV with one API/SDK or, in the case of Flash based games. BUt the crucial aspect here is that they can do it without needing to use the the API.

massachusetts anna chapman charleston sc

VeriFone's new Payware Mobile Enterprise for Tablets looks a little Square

VeriFone added a new wrinkle to its ongoing battle for mobile payment supremacy yesterday, with the announcement of Payware Mobile Enterprise for Tablets -- a peripheral that will allow retailers to process transactions directly from any slate. Much like the company's Payware Mobile system, VeriFone's latest product involves a magnetic card reader and accompanying app that can turn any iPad or Android tablet into a handheld checkout unit. Geared toward larger enterprises, the new device also supports PIN verification for debit cards and NFC payments, rendering it compatible with Google Wallet, though it likely won't see a widespread release until 2012. Perhaps more intriguing is what this move could mean for the company's notoriously heated rivalry with Square. By explicitly targeting bigger retailers, VeriFone seems to be distinguishing itself from the small business-focused Square, despite the fact that its new product looks a lot like one of Jack Dorsey's creations -- or, as some CEOs would call them, "skimming devices."

VeriFone's new Payware Mobile Enterprise for Tablets looks a little Square originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  Bloomberg  | Email this | Comments

massachusetts anna chapman charleston sc

British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app

To celebrate the imminent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Royal Collection will release an Android an iOS app that chronicles the last seven royal marriages, including Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert in 1840.

Ironically, the app won't actually feature anything to do with William and Kate's marriage -- rather, it will focus on the "tradition, splendor and romance" that are intrinsic to British royal marriages. "[The app] will share the stories of past royal weddings and offer a wealth of historical context for the ceremony on April 29."

Unfortunately, the app, which has been lumbered with the fantastically creative name of 'Royal App,' won't be available until April 18 -- just 11 days before Kate's big day. It won't be free, either: it'll cost the rather princely sum of £1.79, or three of your Tea Party-loving dollars. The money will go to the Royal Collection, though, which is a good cause!

British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

jp morgan thomas jefferson aurora borealis

Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

We've all thought it, but never dared think it could be true: what if Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL actively monitor our instant messenger chats? What if mentions of 'bomb' and 'underage' are tracked and sent to law enforcement agencies? What if chat providers don't agree with the things we say, or the links we share, and filter or censor the content of our transmitted messages?

Well, it looks like our fears may actually have some basis in reality: Yahoo Messenger strips FilesTube links from instant messages. It doesn't tell either party that a URL has been removed from chat -- it just deletes it. Poof. FilesTube, in case you were wondering, is one of the largest file hosting meta search engines on the Web -- it indexes RapidShare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and many other 'cyberlocker' services.

It's fairly obvious why FilesTube links are being removed -- the Censor General at Yahoo is probably one of those perplexed primates who think all uses of BitTorrent are illegal -- but this situation poses a far more important question: is Yahoo censoring messages on the client side, or the server side. Does the messenger client itself maintain a list of 'blacklisted' words -- and if so, why are we not told that FilesTube links are banned? What other words and terms does Yahoo protect us from?

Continue reading Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

faa steve nash molycorp

Sprint updating the Samsung Galaxy Tab with Gingerbread on July 5

It's hard out there for a Samsung Galaxy Tab owner, watching Honeycomb slates hit the market by the bushel, with a lucky few stepping up to Android 3.1 and its resizeable widgets. Sprint, at least, is still giving the 'ol Tab some love -- according to an anonymous tipster, the Now Network will push out an update to Gingerbread, something Tab owners overseas have already been enjoying. The upgrade's expected to roll out starting July 5th, and will include not just Android 2.3, but a step up to HID Bluetooth as well. Oh, and while it's at it, Sprint will also release a fix for a bug in the Samsung Transform that has interfered with PRL and data profile updates. Sounds like as fine a way as any to beat the post-holiday weekend blues.

Sprint updating the Samsung Galaxy Tab with Gingerbread on July 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

hayden panettiere ducati monster scream 4

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday

Happy first birthday, Windows Phone 7! One year on, and the fledgling mobile operating system has 36,000 active developers in its AppHub community, 1.5 million downloads of its Developer Tools, and 11,500 apps in its Marketplace.

Microsoft is quick to take a couple shots at competitors' app stores, beating its chest about not re-counting tanslations of an app or "lite" apps, "increasing tonnage" by supporting apps from other mobile platforms, and not listing wallpapers as a category.

That's all fine and dandy, but we spend a lot of time sifting through WP7 app feeds -- and we're still not seeing a lot of awesome apps on the platform. We think a few marquee apps would've made a pretty nice first birthday present -- along with a much smoother update process for WP7 users.

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

the rock we are one tornado

Fight against zombies with Zoombie Digger World Tour for iPhone and iPad

In Zoombie Digger World Tour, you must defend United States, Australia, Russia, and Mexico against zombie attacks. Don?t let their cute appearance fool you, these zombies are quite evil! many evil, but incredibly cute zombies multiple ways to kill the zombies unique bosses combo system to max out your score more than 75 levels, increasing [...]

richmond times dispatch kate gosselin amy adams

US Army testing haptic belt that nudges soldiers in the right direction

Haptic belts and other wearable devices that can guide you may not exactly be a new idea -- we've even seen some DIY attempts -- but the US Army testing them? Well, that's something worth noting. As New Scientist reports, the Army Research Office in North Carolina is now working on just such a device (likely more advanced than the one pictured here), and hopes that the belts could eventually be used to remotely guide soldiers on the battlefield. That's done with a combination of GPS, an accelerometer and a compass -- and, of course, the haptic part of the equation, which vibrates or pulses to point the soldier in the right direction, or indicate when they're nearing their target. The idea there being to reduce the need for any handheld devices (at least until thought helmets become a reality), which can both take the soldiers' eyes off the battlefield and potentially reveal their position at night. There's still no indication as to when the belts might actually see use in the field, but early tests show that they're at least as accurate as a handheld GPS, and the soldiers say they actually prefer it.

[Image credit: Sreekar Krishna]

US Army testing haptic belt that nudges soldiers in the right direction originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DVICE  |  New Scientist  | Email this | Comments

jp morgan thomas jefferson aurora borealis

US National IT Security in a Post-Lulz World

Between the repeated attacks on the United States government's IT infrastructure by foreign hackers and incursions by LulzSec, a hacker community whose members wandered in and out of government cybersystems before publicly disbanding this week, it's not difficult to conclude that the U.S.'s federal IT infrastructure is the cybersecurity equivalent of Swiss cheese.

brian regan josh hamilton jp morgan

This Mosquito-Proof Hammock Makes Swamps So Much More Relaxing [Summermodo]

Doesn't swinging in a hammock really appeal today? Maybe you'd have a brand new book to dive into; a cocktail or two, and a kind slave to feed you grapes. Just make sure you have a mosquito-proof hammock. This one's $100, and folds into a tiny pouch when you're done. [Hammacher via Werd] More »

aguilera bieber justin

A Building Made From Shipping Containers Would Probably Scare Dexter Witless [Architecture]

Apparently Long Beach, California, is the world's second busiest port, with shipping containers a fairly normal view for residents. It therefore figures architecture firm APHIDoIDEA has proposed a building built using 65 recycled shipping containers. More »

jp morgan thomas jefferson aurora borealis

Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'

Google, according to reports from "a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem" is finally locking down the open source and easily-fragmented Android operating system.

As it currently stands, Google hands over the 'final' code for each version of Android, and OEMs and developers then spend some time customizing the OS to fit their hardware, and to create a unique and marketable flavor. That's all set to change, however.

Over the last few months, according to several people familiar with the matter, Android licensees such as HTC, Motorola and Facebook, have been asked to sign 'non-fragmentation clauses.' This new contract caveat will give Google the right to review and pass judgment on all changes to the Android OS. Two executives at Facebook say that they're unhappy that Google gets to review its changes to Android -- which is understandable, given Facebook and Google are direct competitors -- and there have also been allegations that Google is preventing some Verizon devices from shipping because they include Microsoft's Bing instead of Google search.

Continue reading Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'

Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source' originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

ducati monster scream 4 mg

Skype 2.0 brings two-way video calling to Nexus S, Desire S, Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro

The latest update to Skype's Android application has just been rolled out and a big part of its goodie delivery is two-way video calling. Only a quartet of phones are supported right now: Google's own Nexus S, HTC's Desire S, and the Xperia Neo and Pro from Sony Ericsson, all handsets that shipped with Android 2.3 installed. We suspect the rest of the Android world won't be far behind -- Thunderbolt users will surely be wondering why they're not included in this first batch -- but for now it's just that fearsome foursome. Also included in Skype v2.0.0.45 is a UI overhaul and support for SMS messaging, neither of which suffers from any handset restrictions. Hit up the Android Market on your phone (the web Market still lists version 1) to get at the latest software.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: We've just spent a little quality time with Skype 2.0 and its newfangled video calling. Notably, we couldn't get a video call to work between the Xperia Neo and a desktop version of Skype (update: video chat between the Skype Android app and the desktop client has since been confirmed to work; thanks, David!) -- it was only possible to get video when calling between the Neo and the similarly compatible HTC Desire S. Once we did establish a connection, though, frame rates were smooth and buttery and the UI is simple and unintrusive yet offers quite a few functions. You can mute the call, choose between the front- or rear-facing camera, reposition the small window that shows your video feed anywhere on the screen, or -- with a double tap upon that window -- switch focus so that your own video output dominates the screen and your buddy's feed is relocated to the smaller preview. It's a great looking implementation of video calling, though we did only test it over WiFi, 3G performance may be materially worse.

Update 2: Skype's press release and demo video can now be found after the break.

Continue reading Skype 2.0 brings two-way video calling to Nexus S, Desire S, Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro

Skype 2.0 brings two-way video calling to Nexus S, Desire S, Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Skype Blog  | Email this | Comments

christina hendricks elisha cuthbert jamie oliver food revolution