Month: December 2009

Welcome to a new day in the OnSoftware advent calendar. Today’s window hides behind it one of Jon’s favorite games of the last year. Surprise, surprise it’s a bizarre indie game so you’ll probably have never heard of it, but take a blind guess if you like.

xxx is a macabre and dark beat ’em up. Created over seven years by one developer, it has almost all the options you’ll find in a commercial beat ’em up, presented in a completely unique style. The characters are very unusual, and may put some players off. But if you can accept the strange cartoon fighters, there’s a lot of depth here – Jon

Window number 19 of our advent calendar hides behind it another big game release of 2009. See if you can guess what it is before plunging through the window below.

As per usual, xxx includes a database of leagues, teams and players that the CIA would be proud of. The game is fully licensed and allows you to play in the major leagues from around the World, with access to a dizzying array of facts and figures on all the players – James

If you ever payed Bioshock, you’ll remember it made an interesting point about doing what you’re told. No time for thinking philosophically in ‘Obey The  Game!’ – do what you’re told or die! It’s a series of mini-games, each instructing you to something, and you have less and less time to obey as you complete levels. And that’s very little time at all, as you start with about four seconds! The instructions are given a twist when you are sometimes instructed to disobey – it’s fun seeing how quickly you can or can’t react.  The mini games repeat a lot, but with such a frantic game, it hardly seems to matter. Requires Flash

It’s now only one week until the big day and I’m sure excitement is starting to set in. Perhaps you’re trying to sort out your Christmas entertainment. If so, take a peek inside today’s window and you might find something that will help you.

xxx lets you transform your standard home computer into a multimedia hub from which you can manage your local media files as well as a wealth of online media sources such as Flickr, Pandora, YouTube, Icanhascheezburger and LastFM, among many others – Niamh

Here are my ten choices for the decade. As well as these, the most important technological developments for me have been the spread of wireless, and mobile internet devices in general. 10 years ago the internet was something stuck to a desk coming out of a big glowing cathode ray tube – today it’s on the sofa, in the street, or anywhere elso you like. I’m kind of surprised desktop PCs still exist – why people sit up at a desk to surf the web when they can do it lying in bed on a laptop or mobile device is beyond me!

Anyway, in no particular order, here are the best and most important apps of the 21st century so far!

MySpace: It might be all Facebook and Twitter now, but in the middle of the decade MySpace was the first genuine social media phenomenon. Offering a degree of user control that was unwise, MySpace could be a garish and noisy place to be, but it was fun.

For many people, their MySpace profile was the first web page they could really call their own. Unlike boring Facebook, you can change just about anything you want about its appearance – whether that be cool minimalism like mine (ahem) or over the top video and animation filled pages that could hang your computer! MySpace has always been about showing yourself off, but has perfectly adequate privacy settings too.

Google Analytics: I’m still surprised at the depth of information it’s possible to get about visitors to your website, and that, amazingly Google give it away for free. Stick a piece of code into each page of your site, and you’ll get incredibly detailed statistics about your visitors. If you thought statistics were boring, you’d be amazed at how interesting they can get in Analytics – it’s a dangerous mix of numbers and nosiness!

Firefox: Obvious choice, I know. To be honest, day to day browsing experience is pretty similar for me regardless of the browser, but what makes Mozilla’s baby different for me are the add-ons. From Echofon, my day to day Twitter client, to DownThemAll!, Firebug and Juice, you can really mold Firefox to your specifications. If you’re new to add-ons, check out my post from the summer.

iTunes: Hardly controversial, but iTunes really made music management on your computer easier and prettier than it had ever been before. I wish it was more flexible about formats, and I wish they’d kill iTunes DJ – Apple cleverly stopped calling it Genius (the stupidest name for a feature of the decade)  – but  every time I think I’ve found a good alternative, I always go back to iTunes in the end.

MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger: Not a fashionable choice, but, released in 1999 when Hotmail was basically the free web based mail, Messenger built on that by integrating your Hotmail contacts automatically, meaning with no effort people could chat to each other ‘live’. It wasn’t the first instant messenger, and I’m sure there are better ones, but MSN Messenger is one of the few apps I’ve been using right through the decade.

VLC Player: A no-brainer. VLC, for free, lets you play pretty much any media file on your computer without complaints. It’s small, light on resources and fast. If you don’t have it, download it now. It’s not a great manager by any means, but it should be everyone’s default video player. The fact I can listen to loss-less audio FLAC files in VLC too is just a bonus.

LimeWire: I had to include a filesharing application – the noughties wouldn’t have been the same with out them. I always preferred LimeWire’s interface to the others. It was the easiest application for filesharing I’d seen, and unlike many of its peers, LimeWire actually tried to move with the times. The latest version allows you to easily share files privately between two people – making it a much more personal and controllable experience.

Gravity Bone: I wanted to include a free indie game, as the indie community has really flourished over the past few years, and its ‘less is more’ approach has provided some surprising gaming experiences. To pick one is unfair, but I will anyway. Gravity Bone is short, based on old technology, and completely linear. It’s one of the best video games I’ve ever played- and proof that you don’t need to be controversial (hello Modern Warfare 2) to tell a great story.

OpenOffice: It has some quirks, but as a showcase for what open source projects can achieve OpenOffice is great. This gave us, for the first time, a free viable alternative to Microsoft Office. If you’re thinking of updating your Microsoft Office, why not give OpenOffice a go first? It’s free, so you really won’t lose anything by trying.

Google Wave: Only kidding! My hope for the next decade is that someone will work out why Google Wave is amazing, ’cause as of now, most of us have no idea. I’ve watched introductory videos and read a ton of articles… I’ve even tried using it! But to no avail, and the curious thing is that a while ago people were clamoring for invites, now I can’t get rid of any! So, if you’d like to join the “huh?” party, get in touch and you can have an invitation.

Tinkering around in the kitchen is one of my favorite hobbies, so recently I’ve been taking a look at the recipe software on Softonic. We’re trying not to swamp you with Holiday posts at the moment, so even though you could use the fantastic apps I’ve unearthed for…say…a big meal that might be coming up in the next two weeks, I’m not going to flog a dead turkey.

Let’s start with the best – my favorite is undoubtedly Living Cookbook. If you want to add recipes, plan dinners, make shopping lists or become the next James Beard, this is the app to let you do it. It’s easy to use, has more features than you’re ever likely to need, and comes ready-packed with loads of delicious recipes, so you can get cooking straight away.

If you’re after recipes rather than organizational muscle, take a look at the imaginatively named Recipe Cookbook. It deserves a mention for sheer eccentricity, and if you are looking for the best in Norwegian cookery, it should be your first stop. Don’t worry though, because it’s also packed full of traditional recipes, and with more than 2,000 (and space to add your own), you’re sure to find something tasty.

Apart from its great name, ChickenPing is one of the slickest free recipe apps around. It’s got a great customizable database, and best of all, you can create a virtual pantry to record the actual food you have in your kitchen. That means that it’s easy to search for recipes that specifically use up the food you already have. The only problem with ChickenPing is that it doesn’t come preloaded with any recipes, so best download it when you’re not too hungry.

What if you prefer to let someone else to do the cooking? If you like to eat out a lot, give Restaurant Savant a try, This program allows you to record the details of meals you’ve had in fancy (and not so fancy) restaurants, describing the food and adding your verdict, maps and even photos. Better still, it allows you to share the records with your friends, so they’ll be able to check it out too. Be warned though; they may not always agree!

Happy Eating!

Due to the nature of my work, I’ve been fortunate enough (and not-so fortunate in some cases) to try thousands of apps since the turn of the Century. So, to come up with a list of the best ten out of all of these is like asking me to come up with a top ten list of the best sandwiches I’ve eaten this decade, such is the range to sift through. It turns out that many of the apps that I’m in love with most were released in the 90s, so unfortunately I don’t get the chance to lavish affection over apps like Irfanview and Opera. But here’s my pick of the applications that have been release in the last ten years.

Skype – Released 2003. Having emigrated from England a few years ago, Skype has been a real lifeline to home, allowing me to enjoy precious moments with loved ones without having to set foot on the cold and miserable shores of my homeland. This fun, friendly and free program has grown from being something of a gimmick to become an essential communication tool for the PC and, more recently, for mobile devices.

Google Earth – Released 2005. I’ve always been fascinated by geography and when this app came out I would spend entire evenings zipping around the planet on it, imagining what it would be like to go to those places. Since then, it’s usefulness has improved, and I now use Google Earth to help my find decent restaurants, hotels and places to visit when I’m in a new town or city.

iTunes – Released 2001. I downloaded iTunes on the day the first ever version was released and the program has been a permanent fixture on my computer ever since. It’s fair to say it’s become a little bloated over recent releases, but I guess that’s the price you pay for getting access to a near inifinte amount of music, film, radio and TV in one place. The biggest revolution in software of the decade.

Pro Evolution Soccer – Released 2001. Having been an ISS fan since its Super Nintendo days, when I first played Pro Evolution Soccer I was instantly hooked. Its realistic gameplay has always been ahead of anything that FIFA can offer, and although I was a bit disappointed by this year’s version of Pro Evo, this is without question the game I’ve spent most time on this decade. It’s a sad fact that the computer opponent in the game is my best friend.

Qik – Released 2009. This is a fun phone app from this year that I’m expecting big things from in the next decade. These days, everyone can be famous thanks to the wonders of blogging, YouTube, and the X-Factor. Qik takes things a stage further by allowing you to broadcast your life live over the Internet using your phone’s video camera. This Trueman Show-style medium will surely be massive in the tennies.

Shazam – Released 2008. Probably the best iPhone app I’ve tested to date. Turn on Shazam, hold it next to a speaker and it will tell you exactly which song is playing. It’s wonderfully simple to use, and perfect for those nights at the disco when you’re too shy to go up to the DJ and ask him what track he’s playing. I’ve discovered lots of great music that otherwise would’ve passed me by were it not for Shazam.

PS3 Media Server – Released 2008.  In my opinion, the PS3 Media Server should be bundled on a USB stick when you buy your PlayStation. The app lets you stream movies and audio from your PC or Mac to your TV, via your PS3. It’s so simple to set up and yet once installed it will become an integral part of your home entertainment system. Best of all, PS3 Media Server is free of charge!

Opera Mobile/Opera Mini – Released 2000. The mobile Internet was predicted to be the big thing of the noughties, but for one reason or another browsing on a handset still hasn’t really taken off. However, Opera’s mobile browsers have been pioneering the way to faster, easier mobile Internet. The first thing I do when I get a new phone now is to install Opera Mobile because it always delivers a better experience than the built-in browser.

Last.fm – Released 2002. I was a Last.fm fan from the moment I first clapped eyes on its scrobbler. I fell in love with it because it allowed me to get straight to the music I liked, and discover new stuff by recommended artists. I feel that the application has become a little too bloated with community features of late, but Last.fm is still one of the all-time classic Web apps.

ILOVEYOU worm – Released 2000. I know this might be controversial but I have a kind of a sick sympathy for virus writers. Some software developers choose to create innovative programs like those listed above and get lavished with praise. Yet a programmer produces some code that manages to install itself in more than 50 million computers and cause more than $5 billion of damage, and he must remain anonymous.

Another piece of Mac software for day 17 of the advent calendar. It’s a popular Windows app that finally got its Mac release at the start of the year. See if you can guess what it is before you dive through the window.

Slick, polished, quick, logical and easy to use, xxx makes viewing and publishing photos and videos a dream – I’ll never go back to iPhoto again – Nick