Category: News

The official 2048 released on Android and iOS

The developer of 2048, Gabriele Cirulli has released the official version of his hit game for iOS and Android. The game, which was originally open source and openly influenced by two other games, 1024 and Threes!, has been played by 23 million people worldwide.

2048 by Gabriele Cirulli is free, although you can pay a minimal amount to remove ads from the game if you want. It plays and looks just like the original version. In a very long blog post, Cirulli explained his decision to release his own mobile version of 2048. He originally decided against this, as he felt his game owed a lot to Threes! and 1024, and it would be unfair to profit from it. However, as he saw mobile clones appear and top App Store charts, he decided to release his own ‘official’ versions.

The creators of Threes! have expressed their dismay at 2048’s popularity, and all the other games they feel are clones. This clearly affected Gabriele Cirulli, and stopped him from making a mobile version for some time.

The question of clones is a hot topic in mobile gaming especially, but it’s also pretty subtle. It’s always been the case that developers have taken ideas from other games – from Tetris, to Mario Kart and Doom, any successful ‘new’ idea has been copied or cloned by others. With games as simple as Threes! or Flappy Bird, and the ease of getting games on mobile app stores, the problem is much more acute today.

Download 2048 by Gabriele Cirulli for iOS and Android.

Download Threes! for iOS and Android.

Play the original 2048 in your browser.

Source: Gabriele Cirulli

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Watch the launch trailer for Sir, You Are Being Hunted

Sir, You Are Being Hunted has been released after long alpha and beta testing phases. Version 1.0 was launched on May 1st, alongside a new trailer which you can see below.

The game is ‘a procedurally-generated first-person game of stealth and survival set in a very British world where robots hunt humans for sport.’ That means that you are put on an island with a British flavor, and have to fight for your life while being hunted by robots, and every game the environment will be different.

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Sir, You Are Being Hunted was announced in March 2012, with a Kickstarter campaign later in the year to fund development. It’s an unusual game, with its 19th Century Britain-with-Victorian-Robots vibe, and it’s a tense humorous experience.

Big Robot says that version 1.0 is not the end of development for the game, with multiplayer and a customization tool for level generation planned.

Source: Big Robot

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Google releases new Docs and Sheets apps for working offline

Google Drive is a great productivity suite if you’re online. However, offline editing has never been great with Drive. Google has realized this and has released separate apps for Google Docs and Google Sheets for working offline.

If you’re a Google Drive user, Docs and Sheets will work exactly like they do in Drive. Your files are arranged in a grid of thumbnails so you can find something at a glance. You can still control who can edit, view, and comment on your documents and collaborate with other users.

Google Sheets for iOS

Everything is saved to your device automatically as you type so you’ll never lose your work. This is great, especially for people with unreliable internet connections.

The only missing app is Google Slides, which should be coming soon.

Microsoft finally brought Office to the iPad last month but requires an Office 365 subscription to edit. Google Docs and Sheets offers a great, free alternative for users who don’t need all the features in Microsoft office.

Google Docs and Sheets are available now for Android and iOS. You can download the apps below.

Download Google Docs for Android

Download Google Sheets for Android

Download Google Docs for iOS

Download Google Sheets for iOS

Via: Android Police | TechCrunch

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May Releases: Could Watch Dogs be Game of the Year?

Even though it was delayed, Watch Dogs is one of the anticipated games to showcase the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but the release is up against some strong competition with games like Wolfenstein: New Order and  Mario Kart 8.

As we told you in April, May is when the second batch of big releases start. Ubisoft finally releases its long-awaited Watch Dogs, its winning card for the new generation of consoles. Wolfenstein is also hoping to make an impact, and we’ll see the return of one of Nintendo’s most beloved characters.

The Amazing Spider-man 2 – PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS (April 29, 2014)

The blockbuster based on the Marvel comic has already been turned into a videogame. Here we find the plot from the film but additional stories like the search for Uncle Ben’s murderer.

So, in this open-world game, Spider-Man will carry out all kinds of superhero missions and face a number of villains. In addition to Electro and the Green Goblin, Spider-Man will have to fight against Black Cat, Venom, and Kingpin.

The Amazing Spider-man 2

Bound by Flame – PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 (May 9, 2014)

The Elder Scrolls Online isn’t the only roll-playing game out there; there are many other RPGs looking for an audience. This month’s RPG launch is Bound by Flame, a medieval-style open world ruled by a demon.

This villain will offer us amazing powers if we decide to join his side. If we reject his offer we’ll be on the side of justice, initially weak but with powerful combat tactics available as we play. Which side will you choose?

Bound by Flame

Killer is Dead – Nightmare Edition – PC (May 23, 2014)

After the console release in August 2013 , Suda51’s latest game is now available for PC. In the Nightmare Edition, we’ll meet a wild and attractive assassin that fights evil.

Forget about Hitman’s sobriety, the guys at Grasshopper Manufacture like to think big and Killer is Dead is all about insane action.

Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition

Wolfenstein: The New Order  – PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One (May 20, 2014)

Wolfenstein is a well-known series for veteran FPS fans. Its last version, from 2009, was both praised and criticized, but it seems this conflict of opinion will end with the new game,The New Order.

Set in the 1960s, The New Order takes us to an alternate history where the Third Reich won World War II. You play as William “B.J.” Blazkowicz who is called once again to stop the Nazis from destroying the world.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Watch Dogs – PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One (May 27, 2014)

But, the most anticipated event of the month is Watch Dogs. This game offers a combination of elements that’s hard to resist: action, open world, a futuristic setting, and a mysterious protagonist.

Watch Dogs

Mario Kart 8 – Wii U (May 30, 2014)

Wii U launches one of the most anticipated games for Nintendo enthusiasts, a new Mario Kart. Distancing itself from simulation, but without losing its famous strategic elements, this new Mario game has very interesting new features.

After introducing motorcycles and watercraft in previous editions, Nintendo introduces anti-gravity in Mario Kart 8, which will let you drive upside down. In addition, it features an online mode for up to 12 players, plus the usual four player split-screen offline.

Mario Kart 8

Excited? Well, wait for E3!

If you think May is an interesting month for the videogame industry, let me remind you of one thing: the most important expo in games, E3 in Los Angeles, will take place next month. In other words,  we’re only a few weeks away from discovering even more great games.

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Popcorn Time is back: version 0.3 coming soon

Popcorn Time, the torrenting-made-easy app, is back. The app made headlines when it was originally released, as it arguably made watching pirated torrent files of movies even easier than legal streaming apps like Netflix.

The original developers walked away from the project in March, stating that they didn’t want to spend time constantly debating whether or not the application was legal. It worked as a proof of concept for streaming media via BitTorrent, as it was very easy to use and effective. However, in some countries using an app to view pirated torrent files is indeed illegal.

Another group of developers took over the project and relaunched Popcorn Time. In an official blog post, they explain that now the project is up and running again, with a team of 20 developers. They claim not to be interested in the legal questions surrounding the project, and just want to complete Popcorn Time as it was originally imagined.

The current available version is the beta 2.9. The next version will be 0.3, and the Popcorn Time team will announce its release date in the next few days. The major addition to the next version is TV shows – you will now be able to browser Popcorn Time for torrents of TV shows as well as movies.

Popcorn Time is a good example of technology being ahead of industry. BitTorrent is a great way to distribute files efficiently, and the internet means that national borders are less important to people than they used to be. Even if it is illegal, Popcorn Time has shown people that if the entertainment industry can keep up, technology could make watching movies and TV shows much easier than it is today. This is especially true outside the US, where licensing agreements can mean streaming or new shows is disabled until they have been shown on terrestrial TV channels. This is a very old model of distribution now, and Popcorn exposes just how antiquated it is.

Popcorn Time is available for OS X, Windows and Linux. Make sure you are aware of your local laws before using an app like this.

Source: Get Popcorn Time blog

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Rumor: Next Call of Duty to be called ‘Blacksmith’ (updated)

Update: We now know this rumor is not true, as is sometimes the case with rumors. We try to only publish the most credible rumors, but sometimes false ones will get through. We never ever publish rumors as fact, and will always try to confirm or debunk any we cover on Softonic. The original story is below.

Around a year ago, we head the first rumors about Call of Duty: Ghosts, and now we hear that 2014’s CoD might be called ‘Blacksmith‘. The next Call of Duty is being developed by Sledgehammer Games, and we expect more announcements about it in May, as we approach the E3 games conference.

In recent years, Activision has begun to officially tease Call of Duty games in May. Last year there was an interactive mosaic website that revealed the Ghosts skull logo, so we expect to see something similar in the next few days. The first image from the game was published last week, a close up of a character model, that revealed the impressive detail of the graphics in the next CoD, but little else.

A previous rumor suggested the next Call of Duty might be ‘Modern Warfare 4.’

‘Blacksmith’ could be a codename for the next Call of Duty, or it might be the final title. Either way, more important for the series is whether this Call of Duty can catch up DICE’s Battlefield in terms of graphics. Call of Duty’s game engine is old, and shows its age when compared to Battlefield 4. Had that game not had such a disastrous online launch, Call of Duty might not be the top dog in the FPS (first person shooter) world any more. EA will not make the same mistakes with any Battlefield game this year, so Call of Duty needs to impress in 2014.

This year’s Call of Duty will be released on PC and consoles in Fall 2014.

Source: MP1ST

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Facebook F8 event: the rumors

Today Mark Zuckerberg will give the keynote speech at the Facebook F8 event. It’s mainly for developers and businesses that want to work with Facebook, but what is announced will affect you on Facebook.

The biggest rumor about F8 is the launch of an e-commerce platform, perhaps like Paypal, or more likely as a partnership with a company like Paypal. The product could be an auto-fill feature for anyone logged into Facebook. So, if you are logged in, and making purchases on another website, you could click a ‘check out with Facebook’ button, which would give the site your payment details. This obviously means you’d have to give Facebook your payment details.

Another announcement could be about Facebook’s ad network. With recent developments like the ‘traveling to’ status updates, Facebook could offer partners (and users) better targeted ads, based on your personal data, like location. So, you could start seeing ads in Facebook about places you are going to visit. TechCrunch says the new ad network could be called ‘Facebook Audience Network.’

Another rumor is that there could be more standalone apps announced. Facebook Messenger has been successful. and Paper was very well received, even if it’s still a US only app. There might be apps for Events and Groups next, according to TechCrunch.

Lastly, a rumor seen on Secret suggested that Facebook might try to win more user trust, by blocking third party app access to your Facebook friends’ data. This would be popular with privacy advocates, but less so with developers who use Facebook data to power their services.

Stay tuned for coverage of Facebook F8.

Sources: TechCrunch, ReadWrite

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Yahoo! Mail for iOS adds news, weather, and more

A major update to Yahoo! Mail for iOS brings mail, news, and much more together in one app. The update includes new sections tabs called News and Today. Now you can catch up with the news without leaving the Yahoo! Mail app.

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The Today tab is Yahoo!’s attempt at emulating features found in Google Now. Yahoo! says you’ll find “the information you care about most every day” for things like weather, sports scores, and stock prices.

It’s unclear whether Yahoo! is using the same email scanning technology that Google uses for Google Now. By scanning emails, Yahoo! Mail could offer up personalized information in the Today tab without users asking for it.

Yahoo! Mail offers relevant information in the Today tab by pulling information from other Yahoo! sites. For example, if you favorite a sports team on Yahoo! Sports, that team’s scores will show up. The same applies to stocks you favorite in Yahoo! Finance. The News section works similarly by offering stories based on your digest preferences.

Yahoo Mail Today tab

The updated Yahoo! Mail app will begin rolling out over the next couple of weeks to iPhone and iPod touch users.

Update: The story has been updated to reflect how Yahoo! Mail personalizes information in the News and Today sections.

Looking for Yahoo! Mail on other platforms?

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Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare PC release date revealed

EA has announced that Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare will be released on PC June 24th, via Origin. It’s a multiplayer third person shooter, and it’s pretty good.

Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare came out earlier this year on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It has matches of up to 24 players, fighting as Plants or Zombie characters from the original game, with crazy weapons. There are four game modes: two 12 versus 12 modes, Gardens & Graveyards and Team Vanquish, as well as the 8 versus 8 player Gnome Bomb and a cooperative co-op four-player mode called Garden Ops.

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EA also recently announced the introduction of in-game purchases to Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare. You will be able to buy packs of coins, to spend on upgrades. This means, if you want, you can speed up your progress by paying for upgrades, instead of earning them in game.

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New mobile only email launched by My.com

My.com has launched an new mobile only email service that uses the @my.com domain name. You can download the myMail app and sign up for a free email account. It is only accessible through mobile apps, and uses codes sent via SMS when you need to sign in, instead of passwords.

A myMail account gives you 150GB of free storage, and can be accessed using the myMail app, which was launched in November 2013, for Android and iOS. You can also use this app to sync with your current email accounts.

The unusual thing about @my.com email is that you don’t need a password. Mail.Ru CEO Dmitry Grishin said he wanted to look at email with a fresh perspective, and one of their conclusions was ‘no passwords.’

As almost 50% of email is now checked from a mobile device, myMail decided that it could be tied to your device like WhatsApp. When you sign up for an @my.com account, you supply your phone number. You then get a code to sign into your app, and any subsequent time you want to sign in, you will be sent another code.

My.com says this is more secure than a traditional password, and will keep you safe from phishing and hacking scams. All email traffic going through myMail is also encrypted.

While myMail takes a different approach to security, it’s worth remembering that as with all free services, there is a hidden cost, and that is how the company uses your data.

You can sign up for a myMail app through the Android and iOS apps.

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