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Filed under: Humor, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

iPhone apps and tips for snowed-in TUAW readers

As I write this, snow is falling. That was the view out of my office this morning. Yes, I know it's only October 27th. Yes, I know that winter starts on December 21st. But sometimes in Colorado we get blizzards or major snowstorms in "non-standard" months. We're supposed to get two feet of the white stuff before this storm departs Thursday night.

An IM conversation with Mike R. got me thinking about what iPhone apps could be useful when you're snowed in. Here's my list, and be sure to use the comments section below to leave your ideas.

You're going to be getting a little cabin fever after being stuck in the house a few days, so why not go insane a bit faster? There are a number of snow globe apps for iPhone in the App Store [iTunes Link], so you can shake them up and watch those little virtual snowflakes falling, all while laughing nervously and sharpening that butcher knife.

On a much more positive, happy-thoughts note, how about thinking about where you can go skiing or snowboarding when the roads are cleared and you can actually get the car out of the garage? The first thing you'll want to know are the snow depths at all of your favorite resorts. The US$1.99 Snow Reports [iTunes Link] does exactly that for over 2,000 resorts worldwide. Ski Lodge - Snow Reports [US$4.99, iTunes Link] is similar, but also provides detailed trail maps, directions to the nearest resort, and more.

When you're on the mountain and riding your board, it's always fun to use iTrailMap 3D [US$4.99, iTunes Link] to trace your runs via GPS on a map, then send the map to those obnoxious virtual coworkers who keep sending you pictures of the palm trees swaying outside their San Diego offices.

Continue readingiPhone apps and tips for snowed-in TUAW readers

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone

Former Blizzard devs at Booyah plan iPhone app

Booyah is a company put together by former Blizzard devs (makers of classic games like World of Warcraft and Diablo) and funded by the iFund, and they've been keeping fairly mum on what they've been up to. Until now, that is -- they've updated their website and dropped a press release, and it looks like they're working on some iPhone software. What kind of software, exactly? Well, we're not quite sure -- it sounds like a game, because there's playing involved, but they're also using phrases like "life companion" and "social experiment," which makes it sound like a social networking app with some sort of game or virtual pet mechanics involved. And they are also hinting at a larger pattern of charity or cause-based action -- they told Kotaku that they want to tap into people's "life passions," and Gamasutra was told that the app itself is a "kernel miniproduct" that they plan to expand into a larger movement.

Blizzard's own Rob Pardo is an advisor to the team (and the product was originally pitched to Blizzard), but really that's the only clue here that this is anything more than startup hype -- we've seen social networks flash and fizzle already on the iPhone, and even game-based social networking tools like Foursquare haven't really found their tipping point yet.

But we won't judge fully before we've seen it -- Booyah says they'll be showing their cards "this spring" (so before June 21st?). We'll be watching.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Software, Apple, Security, Developer, iPhone, iPod touch

Blizzard releasing Mobile Authenticator for iPhone, iPod touch


Blizzard is one of the biggest software developers in the world -- they're behind some of the most popular games of all time, including the Diablo series, and of course their legendary MMO World of Warcraft (full disclosure: I'm a senior editor over on TUAW's sister site about that game, WoW Insider). And they've always been Apple friendly -- while other developers complained that it wasn't worth porting their software to the Mac, Blizzard has always released both Mac and PC versions of their games on the same disc, and made sure there was quality on both sides. But they've never dipped their toes in iPhone development -- until now.

WoW Insider has found a posting over on Blizzard's site that suggests they're planning to release an app called Mobile Authenticator. They've released a piece of hardware called the Authenticator before -- it pushes out a code according to an algorithm that keeps players' accounts secure when they sign into the online game. And this app will serve the same purpose, but it'll likely run on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Nothing's appeared on the App Store yet, and this app hasn't even been officially announced (so no word on price or release date -- the hardware authenticator runs $6.50, but obviously there are material costs involved there). But Blizzard has been looking for ways to make their games and players more secure, and it looks like they're turning to Apple's iPhone and other mobile devices to do it.



Filed under: Gaming

Blizzard announces Diablo III for Mac

Blizzard has always been a (the?) Mac-friendly game developer and they have now officially announced the forthcoming release of Diablo III. Nearly a decade after the last installment of the popular action-RPG, Blizzard plans a simultaneous release for Mac and PC (just like StarCraft II).

As of yet the details, including release date and system requirements, are sketchy. However, the game will run a custom 3D graphics engine and return players to familiar territory and stories from Diablo II. I really think Blizzard deserves a hand for their commitment to bringing such A-list titles to the Mac day and date with the PC versions.

[via MacNN]

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Humor, iPod Family, Software

iPod easter egg in Starcraft II


AJ noticed something funny at BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment's big gaming convention out in Anaheim, CA the other week-- hidden inside Starcraft II, Blizzard's upcoming RTS game, is this little nod to the iPod. Hidden on a little billboard in the game's futuristic setting is an ad for the iPistol: "advanced targeting... get into the groove."

Of course, it's one of many, many Apple parodies, but this one's extra special, because not only will Blizzard's game be huge when it finally releases (and all Blizzard fans like myself know that'll be a few months after "when it's ready"), but the same disc will install both on Windows and our beautiful OS X. At a time when other companies are getting props for joining forces with Apple, it should probably be noted that Blizzard's been with us all along-- from Diablo to World of Warcraft, Blizzard's games have always been Mac friendly. So while there will be many easter eggs in Starcraft II, I'll wager, we like this one the most.

Thanks, AJ!

Filed under: Gaming, Multimedia, Software, Video, Features, iTunes

World of Warcraft Mac client adds builtin movie capture


Some of you might already know that I do some other blogging work on another Weblogs, Inc. blog called WoW Insider, all about World of Warcraft, the MMORPG videogame. Most gaming companies tend to shy away from the Mac, but Blizzard has always been the exception. And with World of Warcraft, there are actually huge benefits to playing the game on a Mac. A while ago they added builtin iTunes controls (right into the official client), and as of the upcoming patch (now available for players to play around with on a public test), they've actually created an ingame movie recorder-- only for the WoW Mac client.

It's a pretty well done feature, too. WoW Insider's Paul Sherrard took the recorder for a test drive, and created what you see above (after a little bit of iMovie fiddling). The options are pretty impressive for an ingame vid capture as well-- you can control whether the UI or cursor is seen or not, and you even get a choice of codecs (including H.264, Pixlet, or Motion JPEG). Very nice. Whoever's working on the Mac team at Blizzard really knows what they're doing, and is definitely giving Mac users the hookup on cool exclusive features.

Thanks Mark, who also sent this in!

Filed under: Gaming

Starcraft II will be on the Mac (and PC)



Let me start this out by saying that I am not a gamer, which usually isn't a problem given I use a Mac (let's be honest, the Mac isn't the best platform for gaming). Despite my non-gamer status I loved StarCraft. I spent many, many more hours than I should have sending my brave Marines off to defend my starbase, and it looks like I will be doing it once more. Blizzard has announced that StarCraft II is a reality (though no shipping date has been announced). The best part is that Blizzard will be upholding their tradition of launching games for both Mac and PC at the same time. StarCraft II on an Intel Mac? I can't wait!

Our gaming obsessed sister blog Joystiq has a gallery of screenshots up for your enjoyment.

Thanks, A.J.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Blizzard: We won't stop Mac development

Blizzard Entertainment, creators of highly addictive cross-platform games like World of Warcraft (among others) have announced their intentions to continue work on Mac-native games. In a statement earlier in the week, the company said, “We have a recognized track record of native Mac OS support, and we have no plans to break with that tradition. We understand that our Mac player base prefers native software whenever possible, and our cross-platform development practice addresses that."

Translation: Just because Mac OS 10.5 will allow you to very easily run Windows on your Intel Mac, Blizzard (and other Mac game developers, we're betting) won't be giving up the ghost. So fear not! Now if you'll excuse me, it's been a whole ninety minutes since I've played World of Warcraft, and I'm starting to twitch a little.

[Via Macworld]

Filed under: Gaming

Blizzard says Universal Binary for WoW by late January

We all know that Apple announced the release of the first Macs to use Intel chips. To get full speed and compatibility out of applications that run in Mac OS X on Intel-based Macs, programs need to be recompiled to run natively on the Intel processors. Apple's coding tools allow for a program to be coded as a "universal" application which means that the "universal binary" will contain executable code for both architectures in one package, and then will run the PPC code on the PPC processor or the Intel code on the Intel processor, depending on which is in your Mac.

Blizzard has said in this forum post to expect the universal binary of World of Warcraft for the Mac by the end of January, probably in patch v1.9.3. This is really amazing! Even if this date slips by a few weeks, it won't be too bad since most people won't even get an Intel Mac until February. Go Blizzard, you guys rock!

Now, we just need some specs in a few weeks comparing WoW on a Revision C iMac G5 and WoW on a new Intel iMac.

Tip of the Day

Holding the Command key (aka the Apple key) and pressing Tab will cycle through your open applications. It's easier to Cmd-Tab if you are Copy (Cmd-C) and Pasting (Cmd-V) to and from various applications.


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