Category: News

Rovio to release Angry Birds “Rio”

Angry Birds fans will be pleased to hear that developers Rovio have announced that it is to create a version of the game based on the upcoming animated movie “Rio” due for US release in mid-April.

The “twist” to the hugely popular original game is that the original flock is kidnapped and taken to Rio where they then escape and seek to help their friends – two macaws named Blu and Jewel who will be the stars of the 20th Century Fox film.

Consisting of 45 levels with more available via automatic updates, the game will initially be released on smart-phones and tablets. However, since the original has also recently been released on Mac and Windows, don’t be surprised to see more platform releases if it takes off.

If you can’t wait until then, you can find video previews of the game here.

Microsoft finally launches Office 2011 trial for Mac

Three months after it first hit the stores, Microsoft have finally launched a free trial of Office 2011 for Mac. The 30 day trial is fully functional and gives users a long overdue opportunity to decide whether they are willing to invest up to $280 on the full version. I tested the beta version back in April and you can see my in-depth review of the final release here.

Many Mac users will ask why has it taken Microsoft so long to release a trial version of the popular office suite. Is it just Microsoft being typically awkward with Apple users or some kind of marketing ploy? The reasons behind the seemingly belated release are unknown, but if you haven’t tried it yet and are still on Office 2008 it’s definitely worth taking a look at. Office 2011 is a far more polished, OS X-integrated suite with the massive bonus that you can now use Microsoft Outlook.

Wayback Machine releases a new interface

Is there any way to know how Google, Microsoft, Apple or your own website looked like a few years ago? The answer is Wayback Machine, a kind of online time machine that works like an archive for the Web, storing snapshots of websites since 1996 up until now.

Wayback Machine is a lot of fun to browse, but the interface is a bit off-putting. It displays all available snapshots, organized by years, in an almost endless side-scrolling table. Well, that was until now. The unofficial Internet archive has just released a new version with a much better-looking interface. Results are now displayed in a calendar that fits your screen just right and is much easier to browse.

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Microsoft releases new official themes for Windows 7

With the beginning of the new year, Microsoft launched Fireworks, a brand-new Windows 7 theme to celebrate the arrival of 2011. Now the Redmond company has announced the release of a bunch of new official themes for Windows 7, covering diverse topics such as nature, videgogames and Bing images.

The new Windows 7 themes released are:

  • Alan Wake -Brings the dark, scary environment of Microsoft’s game for the Xbox to your computer
  • Arctic – Features amazing landscapes and wildlife from the frozen areas in the Arctic Circle
  • Best of Bing 5 – Beautiful collection of images from around the world
  • Snow Sports – Includes skiing and snowboarding images, set in breath-taking mountain landscapes

If you’re not sure about how to install Windows 7 themes, remember to take a look at our tutorial. In a few moments you’ll be enjoying these themes on your computer.

Facebook launches mobile app for feature phones

So far, you were able to Access Facebook anytime, anywhere on almost any smartphone in the market: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and so on. But what about feature phones? If you’re still using one of those, we’ve got good news for you: Zuckerberg’s company  just announced that they’re launching a new mobile app to make Facebook “available to as many people as possible”.

The new Facebook app for feature phones will make sure the social network is available to 14 new mobile operators from all around the world, and more than 2,500 new devices. According to Mark Heynen, Facebook Mobile Program Manager,

The app provides a better Facebook experience for our most popular features, including an easier-to-navigate home screen, contact synchronization, and fast scrolling of photos and friend updates.

The best thing about this announcement though is the fact that Facebook has made all the necessary arrangements with mobile operators to make the site available without paying for any extra charges, at least for the first 90 days after the launch.

Latest Firefox 4 Beta version released today

Mozilla has just released Firefox 4 Beta 9, the latest version of their popular web browser for Windows and Mac computers. With the final version of Firefox 4 currently targeted for a late February release, this newest update of Firefox 4 mostly just includes basic tweaks and bug fixes.

Users should see improved browser start-up and bookmarking speed, since Mozilla has overhauled the bookmarks and history code. Similarly, the efficiency of complex animations has been improved by enabling per-compartment garbage collection.

This new version of Firefox 4 Beta also boasts an interface that includes redesigned browsing buttons and tabs relocated to the top of the address bar. In addition, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users can look forward to a single-button menu on the top left corner of their browser that makes toolbar commands even more accessible.

Before the final version of Firefox 4 is made available, there is expected to be one more beta version released, as well as a few release candidates. Interestingly enough, it’s possible users might see a final build of Internet Explorer 9 around the same time. In that case, February just might turn out to be the month a truly epic battle of the browsers.

Google Translate for Android gets Conversation Mode

There was lots of laughter at Softonic today as we tried out the coolest feature in the new version of Google Translate for Android – Conversation Mode.

It is pretty revolutionary – but for the moment it’s only available in Spanish/English. Once you have installed Google Translate (you might also need to download text-to-speech software, but if you do, the app will prompt you), hit the little microphone and speak.

Google Translate quickly analyzes what you have said, translates it into Spanish (or vice versa) and plays it back – in Spanish – to the listener. To respond to what’s been said, press the Responder en español button, and speak Spanish. The original speaker hears your answer in English, and so on. Google Translate’s Conversation Mode allows you to have conversations in languages that you don’t actually speak!



If Google Translate isn’t sure what has been said, it will ask you for confirmation before translating – but you can turn this feature on or off. Even so, the app did pretty well when we tested it, often getting the translation more or less right on the first go, especially if you speak loudly and clearly. As you can see from the screenshots – even when it’s wrong, it’s pretty funny!

Coming soon: Android and Windows tablet Kindle apps

Amazon recently announced its intention to introduce tablet-specific apps for reading Kindle eBooks on devices running the Android and Windows operating systems, owned by Google and Microsoft respectively. In what looks to be the Year of the Tablet, this will expand the Kindle’s compatibility list substantially. The best part? Amazon will be offering the apps free of charge.

In its release, Amazon specifically noted that these apps are intended for upcoming tablet lines. This seems to foreshadow future technological developments in the tablet market, and soon at that. Coined as “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” apps, these new releases will give readers the ability to choose from over 775,000 Kindle eBooks. As the app name suggests, Kindle users will be able to sync their newly purchased books across a variety of popular eBook reading devices, on a number of different platforms.

Currently there are Kindle apps available for the iPhone, Windows PC, Mac, Blackberry, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone 7. With the seeming inevitability of several new tablet releases, syncing across multiple eBook reader devices and platforms promises to be easier than ever in 2011.

Controversial 1378 KM game released

The controversial game 1378 KM, which sees players play the part of an West German border guard or an East German escapee, has now been released online. The controversy erupted last October when it was revealed Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design were releasing the game via one of their students saying:

Through the personal identification as a fugitive of the republic or a border guard, and the intensive experience of the border areas, the interest of the young generation in the conflict of recent German history will be awakened.

Demand for the game has been so strong that it brought down the University’s servers according to one report from Reuters. The developer Jens Stober has issued a justification for the game saying:

In this computer game – which would not be the case in, for example, a documentary film – I personally have the control over my behavior and my reactions, which take place in real time and in changing situations. The game 1378(km) does not force someone playing the “border soldiers” to shoot the “refugees”. Players are left with the freedom of choice. You are only able to win 1378(km) when you do not shoot. The rules of the game are inspired by the situation at the former Inner German Border. Border camps, death strips, and orders to shoot are what make the game brutal. I deeply regret that the victims of the former border and their families and relatives have felt cause for injury. This was never part of my intention.

Decide for yourself what you think by playing the game here.

Google’s Nexus S to be released with Android 2.3

One of the most universally cited frustrations of Android users is the slow pace at which mobile service carriers release updates. Unlike the iPhone, it is generally up to cell phone providers to determine when their customers receive Android updates. Without much incentive to provide updates immediately, many cell phone users who have Android phones are consequently left waiting indefinitely.

This will change when Google’s Nexus S is released next week in the U.S. and shortly thereafter in the United Kingdom. The predecessor to the Nexus One, the Nexus S is manufactured by Samsung Electronics. A service contract can be purchased in the U.S. starting on December 16 through T-Mobile.

The Nexus S will come with all the advanced features you would expect from a smartphone of its caliber. Its biggest draw though is probably that it comes pre-installed with the latest Android release: Gingerbread (2.3).

Since Google is also Android’s primary developer, the company promises to release Android updates to the Nexus S more quickly than other phones will likely receive it. This is just one part of what the company is calling the “pure Google experience” new Nexus S owners will be able to take advantage of. This additionally means that the third-party software that burdens other Android phones will not be a problem for users of the Nexus S.

For smartphone users who want the latest Android technology as quickly as it’s available, then, the Nexus S seems like a good bet.