Activision announces On Her Majesty’s Secret Service mission part of new 007 Legends game

Andrew Edney
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0
Activision announces On Her Majesty’s Secret Service mission part of new 007 Legends game

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the second of the five classic Bond film inspired missions revealed in the recently announced 007 Legends video game. The sixth mission will be SkyFall.

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True love is hard to find but James Bond has finally found his equal in the beautiful Tracy di Vicenzo, the daughter of European crime syndicate head Marc-Ange Draco – Bond’s key contact for tracking down criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld.  After wooing Tracy and their ensuing whirlwind romance, they jet set off to the Swiss Alps as Bond pursues Blofeld.  It’s here, in a picturesque Alpine setting, that gamers encounter an avalanche of action.  Blofeld is aware of Bond’s undercover ruse and kidnaps Tracy, luring Bond into a rescue mission involving a fast-paced downhill ski chase and a confrontation in a high-flying cable car, which also uncovers Blofeld’s master plan to release a deadly virus in five of the world’s largest cities.  With the help of Tracy’s father, players must infiltrate Blofeld’s private research facility in the Swiss Alps, thwart the release of the virus and save Tracy before it’s too late.

A first-of-its-kind Bond video game, 007 Legends features an original, overarching storyline featuring five classic Bond films offering the most diverse Bond gaming experience yet! A sixth mission based on this year’s highly-anticipated film – SKYFALL – which will be available post launch as free downloadable content.

As with the feature films, 007 Legends equips players with state-of-the-art spy gadgets, an arsenal of weapons, including Bond’s signature Walther PPK, and sleek vehicles as they jet off to exotic locations. Use Bond’s quick wits, class and style to take down notorious villains and their brutal henchmen, perform impressive stunts and of course… gorgeous Bond women.

The first mission, Moonraker, was announced back in May.

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Fans can check out the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service gameplay trailer at www.007legends.com/social_media. For more information about 007 Legends, visit the game’s official Web site – www.007Legends.com – and Facebook page – www.facebook.com/007LegendsGame.

Planned to launch on 19th October, 2012, 007 Legends is being developed by Eurocom, under license from EON Productions Ltd. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (MGM) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and download on Windows PC.

Amazon Introduces GameCircle for Kindle Fire and Opens Up APIs for Game Developers

Andrew Edney
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0
Amazon Introduces GameCircle for Kindle Fire and Opens Up APIs for Game Developers

Amazon.com has introduced GameCircle, an all-new gaming experience for Kindle Fire, and released a series of APIs for developers to add this new experience to their games.

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GameCircle offers gaming customers a series of features such as achievements, leaderboards, and sync that make gaming even more fun, convenient and social on Kindle Fire. The newly-released GameCircle APIs will help game developers quickly and easily integrate their games with GameCircle, allowing them to grow their business by reaching new customers and keeping them engaged.

Achievements

Achievements allow players to track all earned trophies, treasures, badges, awards and more while they’re playing games on their Kindle Fire. Players won’t have to leave a game to receive messages, get updates or track accolades. They can also pause a game, view an achievements summary, determine what badges are still needed or desired, and then return to gameplay.

Leaderboards

Leaderboards provide an in-game view of score comparison information and percentile ranking, allowing players to quickly and easily check standings against other players without ever leaving the game.

Sync

Sync automatically saves players’ in-game progress to the cloud and allows them to pick up exactly where they left off when restoring a deleted game or switching between their devices. Players will no longer have to worry about losing game progress, scores or achievements between Kindle Fire devices, as all data is securely stored for free in the cloud.

“We have received extremely positive feedback from developers on our recently launched In-App Purchasing API with its easy 1-Click purchasing, and now we’re excited to add yet another reason to be a game developer for Kindle Fire,” said Paul Ryder, Vice President of Apps and Games at Amazon. “The new GameCircle APIs mean that developers don’t have to worry about building leaderboards, achievements or sync in their games – they can focus on the elements of their games that are truly unique while building an immersive, more entertaining experience on Kindle Fire. This will quickly help developers grow their business by reaching more customers and keeping them engaged.”

“We are thrilled to be part of Amazon’s GameCircle with Temple Run,” said Keith Shepherd, Co-founder of Imangi Studios. “The new service is a great way to keep our fans engaged by offering them more opportunities to play the game, and an intuitive platform to connect with new players.”

“We’re excited about Amazon’s GameCircle because it brings a new level of engagement for our most popular Android titles such as Doodle Jump and Collapse!,” said Ken Murphy, VP of GameHouse Studios. “The ability to compete for high scores and achievements through the Amazon network means even more fun for GameHouse players.”

“GameCircle is a wonderful addition to Triple Town,” said David J. Edery, CEO of Spry Fox. “It guarantees that Kindle Fire users will not lose their active game or their hard-earned coins if they replace their Kindle Fire, or if they must uninstall and reinstall Triple Town for whatever reason. It also enables multiple-device owners to transfer their game from one Kindle Fire device to another—something we think gamers will love.”

For more information on GameCircle and for access to the achievements, leaderboard and sync APIs, visit http://amazon.com/gamecircle.

Rhianna Pratchett announced as lead writer of new Tomb Raider game

Andrew Edney
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0
Rhianna Pratchett announced as lead writer of new Tomb Raider game

Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, announced award-winning games writer Rhianna Pratchett is the lead writer of Tomb Raider – the acclaimed origins story of Lara Croft, set for release 5th March 2013.

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English-born Pratchett has been writing for and about videogames for over 14 years. Initially a games journalist, Pratchett quickly moved her passion and skills for creating immersive stories into the narrative of several highly successful videogames. “Rhianna has been working on the game with the narrative from its early inception,” said head of studio Darrell Gallagher. “She has brought a unique perspective to the project and helped us explore the character origins of Lara Croft. There is no doubt that Rhianna has brought a depth and credibility to Lara, a heroine who will really connect with today’s gamers.”

Rhianna Headshot

“I grew up playing Tomb Raider, uncovering the world’s secrets and unearthing its treasures; I have lived and died as Lara Croft, but nothing comes close to the challenge of re-writing her,” said Rhianna Pratchett, lead writer of Tomb Raider. “Seldom do we get the opportunity to reimagine and reinvent a legend, so getting my narrative hands on Miss Croft was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. It was going back to the genesis of videogame action heroines and exploring how to make such an iconic character meaningful and relatable for gamers today.”

Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards and nominations for her work, including a BAFTA nomination for Story and Character and a Writers’ Guild of Great Britain award for Best Videogame Script.

And don’t forget that Camilla Luddington will be the voice of Lara as well.

Personally I can’t wait until March 2013!

An afternoon at the Cambridge Raspberry Jam

Andrew Edney
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0
An afternoon at the Cambridge Raspberry Jam

Saturday the 14th July saw the first ever Cambridge Raspberry Jam event, and we were there to enjoy it.

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The location for the first ever Cambridge Raspberry Jam event was the William Gates building at Cambridge University.

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Alan O’Donohoe, who came up with the idea for the Raspberry Jam events was expecting around 20 to 30 people originally – there ended up being around 300 people there.

Outside the lecture theatre there was a few Pi’s on show running kit including a Gertboard, the Pi camera module and some cool lego!

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This is what the lecture theatre looked like about 1.15pm.

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And this is what it looked like 15 minutes later!

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Alan gave a quick introduction and then it was straight on to the presentations.

Dr Andrew Robinson from the University of Manchester have a short presentation on the PiFace. Pi-Face Digital is the first of a range of interfaces to allow the Raspberry Pi to control and manipulate the real world. It allows the Raspberry Pi to read switches connected to it – a door sensor or pressure pad perhaps, a microswitch or reed switch, or a hand held button. With appropriate easy to write code, the Raspberry Pi then drives outputs, powering motors, actuator, LEDs, light bulbs or anything you can imagine to respond to the inputs.

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You can learn more about the PiFace from here.

One really interesting session was called Eye SPI and was delivered by Alasdair Davies and Gary Fletcher from ZSL London Zoo. They talked about using the Pi to create a networked camera that could be used to capture images of endangered animals in the wild. It was really interesting seeing what they have planned and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future. The project is called Instant Wild.

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Liam Fraser also did a short presentation about his Raspberry Pi Tutorials. The tutorials YouTube channel was created on 31st October 2011 and as of the Jam day it had roughly 10,000 subscribers and 942,000 views, which isn’t bad going at all!

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And there was also a demo for RISC OS running on a Pi – in fact, it was the only session of the day that was actually run on a Pi!

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William Gardener from Herber also have a short presentation on their Herber X10i board. The X10i is a universal, powerful and secure real-time controller that permits control over multiple inputs/outputs, via USB, from any PC system. Heber now offers support in many programming languages to make it even easier for programmers, inventors and developers to connect with the outside world from their PC.

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You can learn more about the Herber X10i board from here.

There was also a Q&A session with the guys from the Raspberry Pi foundation. You can read more about that, and watch a video I took here.

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Eben surprised everyone by saying that he had brought along 200 Pi’s and he wanted to make sure that no-one left the Jam without a Pi who wanted one! I helped Liz sell them and there was a very long queue of people (all of whom went away happy – I hope)!

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And then there were a number of breakout meetings held at some local pubs, including discussions on Linux and RISC OS, Robotics, Gaming and more. Oh, and people just drinking and talking about all sorts of things.

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All in all it was a really fun day and I can’t wait for the next one!

Big thanks go out to Alan and everyone else for organising the day – well done guys!

Did you come to Cambridge? If so, tell us what you thought of the day by leaving us a comment below.

Learn more about Raspberry Jam’s from here.

Ceton’s next-generation Media Center Extender, codename Echo out for 2012 Holiday season

Andrew Edney
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0
Ceton’s next-generation Media Center Extender, codename Echo out for 2012 Holiday season

Today Ceton posted more details on their next-generation Media Center Extender, codename “Echo”.

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The Ceton “Echo” is a next-generation Media Center Extender and the first to support Internet video services and Internet browsing, along with live and recorded high-definition TV services and access to your personal digital media libraries. Ceton “Echo” allows you to stream media from a Ceton “Q” entertainment gateway or a Windows 7-based PC to both high-definition and standard-definition TV sets over your home network.

This is the updated that Ceton posted on their blog today:

Today we are informing the folks who have been selected to participate in the Ceton “Echo” beta program. It’s an exciting next step on the path to launching the Echo later this year. Those selected have been notified by email from us at beta@cetoncorp.com. We received thousands of beta applications but only have about 1,000 beta slots available, so we weren’t able to accommodate everyone who signed up unfortunately. We did our best to ensure we have a great pool of testers who represent the Echo customer base at large. Echo beta units will ship to testers in September. The Echo will be available from a variety of retailers for general consumer purchase in time for the 2012 holiday shopping season at a suggested retail price of $179.00. The Echo will be available in the US to start, with expansion to select international markets over time. We’ll provide more details on our US launch date and international plans later on.

Is this something you might be interested in buying? If so, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Learn more about the Ceton Echo here

Review of the LaCie 1TB Porsche Design Mobile Drive P’9220

Andrew Edney
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0
Review of the LaCie 1TB Porsche Design Mobile Drive P’9220

For our next review we take a look at the 1TB Porsche Design Mobile Drive P’9220 external hard drive from LaCie.

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This is how LaCie describe the P’9220:

The LaCie Porsche Design P’9220 mobile hard drive is more than just a place to store your files-it’s a collaboration between one of the most renowned design firms in the world and LaCie. With the P’9220, we’ve combined speed, design, and technology to result in a different breed of mobile drive.

LaCie first partnered with Porsche Design in 2003 to produce one of the most iconic and enduringly popular external hard drives on the market. Since then the two companies have worked closely to create products that blend flawless functionality and pure design. The luxury brand and the leading technology company complement each other, with technical influence from LaCie, together with an exclusive and timeless shape presented by Porsche Design.

Safe, Strong, and Aluminum Porsche Design is known worldwide for their sophisticated, timeless creations, and the P’9220 is no exception. With 3mm of strong aluminum casing surrounding the drive inside, you can be sure that your data is solidly protected. LaCie and Porsche Design worked together to combine form and function-resulting in a mobile drive that looks great (and works great)-no matter where you take it.

Specifications

Specs

What’s in the Box?

Apart from the P9220, the box contains a USB 3.0 cable and a quick start guide.

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A Closer Look

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Using the P9220

When you connect the drive to your computer it is automatically recognised, but it still needs some preparation.

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A Slice of Raspberry Pi with the Foundation at the Cambridge RaspberryJam

Andrew Edney
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22
A Slice of Raspberry Pi with the Foundation at the Cambridge RaspberryJam

Yesterday was the first Raspberry Jam event in Cambridge, and several of the Raspberry Pi Foundation guys were on hand to talk about the Pi.

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The Raspberry Jam event took places in the William Gates building at Cambridge University. Before the event had even started there were some Pi’s on display, including a Gertboard, shown off by Gert himself!

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A lot of people have asked when the Gertboard will be available to buy. During the Q&A session it was revealed that the boards should hopefully be available in the next few weeks. More on that when we have it.

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Also on display was a working camera attached to the Pi. We can reveal that the camera should be available very soon at a $20-25 price point. It is a 5MP pixel as well!

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The quality of the images it was taking were extremely good. Here is a picture of me taking a picture of it!

Yesterday was the first Raspberry Jam event in Cambridge, and several of the Raspberry Pi Foundation guys were on hand to talk about the Pi. 18

Then it was onto the days events, and towards the end of the day there was a Q&A session with some of the guys from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. You can watch the entire Q&A session below.

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One thing Eben did that surprised the audience was to say that he didn’t want anyone to leave the event who wanted a Pi not to have a Pi so he had brought 200 Pi’s with him.

And he wasn’t kidding! I helped get the Pi’s from the car, and at one point I was carrying 100 Pi’s, and the scary part – they were lighter than an average laptop!

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It wasn’t long before there was a massive queue of people wanting to get their hands on a Pi, and we ended up selling around 65 in just a few minutes! I even bought another one which I will be giving away on the site soon, so stay tuned. In fact, Liz is holding my Pi in the picture at the start of this article.

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Liz and I taking a break after selling all those Pi’s.

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There were even Raspberry Pi stickers around!

Yesterday was the first Raspberry Jam event in Cambridge, and several of the Raspberry Pi Foundation guys were on hand to talk about the Pi. 17

All in all it was a fantastic day, and I had a great time. Lots more Pi news coming up over the next few weeks so keep checking out CDW for more!

Take a look at the Q&A session video below (you will probably want to turn your volume up – sorry!):

Also you might want to take a look at some of the previous videos we took.

A Slice of Raspberry Pi at Beeb@30 A Slice of Raspberry Pi at Sci-Fi London Horizons

Have you got your Raspberry Pi yet? If so, what do you plan to do with it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

And if you were there yesterday let us know what you thought of the event.

XBMC for Android announced

Andrew Edney
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0
XBMC for Android announced

The guys over at XBMC.org have just announced XBMC for Android!

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This is what they posted:

We have been keeping a little secret.. the kind that is so much fun to share when the time comes.

Today we announce XBMC for Android. Not a remote, not a thin client; the real deal. No root or jailbreak required. XBMC can be launched as an application on your set-top-box, tablet, phone, or wherever else Android may be found.

The feature-set on Android is the same that you have come to expect from XBMC, no different from its cousin on the desktop. Running your favorite media-center software on small, cheap, embedded hardware is about to become a hassle-free reality. And as Android-based set-top-boxes are becoming more and more ubiquitous, it couldn’t be a better time. In fact, primary development was done on a Pivos XIOS DS set-top-box. And that is no coincidence, you will notice that Pivos is now listed as an official sponsor (more on that later). XBMC is stable and works great there, as well as on various tablets and phones. Though with Android, as many of you probably know, that is only the beginning of the story.

Learn more from here including a video of it in action.

The official eBay app for Windows Phone updated to version 1.18

Andrew Edney
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0
The official eBay app for Windows Phone updated to version 1.18

If you you eBay then a good app to have is the official eBay app for your Windows Phone, and it has just been updated to version 1.18.

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The eBay Mobile application is designed specifically for Windows Phone. Using a streamlined interface that’s as elegant as it is practical, eBay members can search, bid, and check their activity on the go. Buyers can submit that last-minute bid on a hard-to-find item, sellers can check on their sales, and act on time-sensitive information on the spot without a computer. eBay is open for business anytime, anywhere on Windows Phone!

As usual there doesn’t seem to be any specific information on what is included in the update, so if you notice any changes let us know by leaving a comment below.

Download the eBay app now from the Windows Marketplace

Would you like Dr Who’s Sonic Screwdriver as a TV remote control?

Andrew Edney
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0
Would you like Dr Who’s Sonic Screwdriver as a TV remote control?

Last year we reviewed the Kymera Magic Wand remote control from the Wand Company, and for their next offering they have the 11th Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver remote control. Bring on the Sonic!

Sonic Screwdriver

Widely considered to be the result of highly advanced Gallifreyan technological experiments, the Sonic Screwdriver is an indispensable tool for any travelling Time Lord. But whether you’re an original member of the Prydonian Chapter, or simply a massive fan of the popular TV series, it’s been impossible to get your hands on the Mark VII. Until now.

Immaculately designed and packed full of features, this die cast metal model is hand detailed, with polished copper plating and an authentic soft touch grip. Painstakingly built to last; with a little bit of care and occasionally replaced batteries you’ll be able to use this Sonic Screwdriver up to your 13th incarnation (and beyond?).

But it’s not just a spectacularly detailed collectable replica, oh no; the Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver is also a fully programmable, gesture based Universal Remote Control! Utilising infrared technology to control everything from TV’s and DVD players to stereos and iPod docks, you’ll be able to make changes with just a flick of the wrist.
With the blessings of the BBC, the Sonic Screwdriver boasts 13 authentic special FX sounds from the Whoniverse and comes in a gorgeous presentation case. Including detailed instructions straight from the Doctor himself, you’ll be able to get started learning how to use it straight away.

With 4 Operational Modes, you can practice and program your gestures; use it as a full blown replica, or control your Earthly devices in either full FX mode or Quiet Control mode. Plus, just like the Doctor, you don’t want it falling into the wrong hands so when not in use you can lock the Sonic Screwdriver using your personal authorisation code.

Product Features:

  • Advanced gesture recognition technology – 3 banks of 13 gestures
  • Die cast construction, copper plated, soft touch grip
  • Control any infrared device including iPod docks, TVs and Blu-ray players
  • Guided Setup – spoken prompts help you program your controls
  • 13 authentic special FX sounds
  • Illuminating tip lights up when in use and pulses on standby
  • Personal Lock Code
  • High quality presentation case
  • Double sided illustrated instruction manual

To learn more, click here. We hope to have one soon for review, so watch this space.

It will be available to buy on the 31st August for £59.99.

Apple updates iPhoto for Mac to version 9.3.1

Andrew Edney
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0
Apple updates iPhoto for Mac to version 9.3.1

Apple has just updated it’s iPhoto for Mac application to version 9.3.1.

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This update includes:

– Addresses a problem during the migration of albums from MobileMe Gallery that may cause photos to be moved from their original events into a new event called “From MobileMe”

– Fixes an issue that in rare cases could cause iPhoto to hang when upgrading libraries

Do you iPhoto? If so, tell us what you think of it by leaving us a comment below.

XBMC 11.0 June Cycle update

Andrew Edney
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3
XBMC 11.0 June Cycle update

The guys over at XBMC.org have posted details on what is included in their June development cycle.

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This is what they posted on their blog:

As mentioned previously, we have now moved into a monthly development cycle, in which we merge new features at the beginning of the month and then perform bug fixes through the rest of the month. This means, at the end of every month, developers, bug-reporters, and those willing to deal with potentially highly unstable builds can try a snapshot from the current development cycle, and the organization, in turn, will have a more stable and predictable development process. For those of you who would prefer a stable version of XBMC, we will always recommend the most recent stable release (XBMC 11.0), but for the brave, you are welcome to try the end of the month build. To give an idea of just how unstable/alpha these builds can be, there will almost certainly be months in which some platforms won’t actually have usable builds. As always, we recommend you backup your userdata folder before upgrading.

With that said, let’s review some of the more notable changes in the June Changelog.

Airplay Updates

Two major updates have occurred on the Airplay side. First, AirTunes have finally been implemented on the Windows side. This means you can send both music and video from your iOS and iTunes devices to XBMC for Windows.

Second, when sending AirPlay music to XBMC, XBMC can now read the metadata sent in the stream and display the music information (e.g. title, author, coverart, etc.) on the screen. Unfortunately, this is only possible when sending audio from iTunes. iOS devices use FairPlay encryption, which XBMC is not totally compatible with at this time.

GSOC Updates

The efforts of our GSOC students are beginning to come to fruition. Montellese has been working over time to make the XBMC library faster and smarter. This month he has managed to push two fixes/updates to the library. First, movie sets now sort in a manner that better fit the rest of the library. In the past, movie sets were simply listed at the front of the movie library, like folders in front of files. Now, they are sorted based on the category. For example, the average rating of the movies inside the set would determine where the set would reside in a “sort by rating.”

A second new GSOC feature by Montellese should drastically speed up movie listings over JSON-RPC, which will greatly benefit mobile remote users and anyone else accessing the library from non-local devices. In the past, every call to XBMC’s movie library required spitting out every item in that library, even if the remote device was only looking for a few items. Now, a device can just pull those items it needs at any given point, for a massive time saving.

Conclusion

That covers some of the more notable and easily visible changes in this cycle. For a full list of all the May changes, feel free to take a look at our list of June milestones. Also, keep an eye out for the July Cycle. Or, if you are feeling a bit brave and a bit lucky, just start downloading here for Windows (OSX should be available within 24 hours)! Look here for Apple TV and iOS installation instructions.. Given the additional complexities of distribution, builds for Linux are not yet available at XBMC.org.

Also, as you no doubt may notice, there are fewer big features this month as more man hours are spent continuing to improve the features already recently added to XBMC (e.g. AudioEngine) and performing work to get XBMC ready on all platforms. As such, it is likely that we may begin intentionally winding down adding on additional new features in an attempt to get Frodo out sooner than later. When a roadmap has been established, we will, of course, update everyone.

I look forward to seeing what they do next!

Do you use XBMC? Tell us what you think of it by leaving us a comment.

Halo 4 Forward Unto Dawn trailer premieres at Comic-Con

Andrew Edney
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1
Halo 4 Forward Unto Dawn trailer premieres at Comic-Con

The full trailer for the live-action digital series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has just been released following it’s world premiere at Comic-Con.

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Premiering this October on the new Machinima Prime channel on YouTube, and on Halo Waypoint, “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” is a live-action digital series that takes fans back to the terrifying beginning of the Human/Covenant war, when the Master Chief inspired a young cadet who would eventually become a leader aboard the UNSC’s greatest vessel: the UNSC Infinity. “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” tells a story leading into the events of “Halo 4,” the biggest entertainment event of 2012.

Check out the cool trailer below:

 

“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” tells an exciting story of heroism and sacrifice on a scale never before seen in the “Halo” universe, taking fans back to the beginning of the human and Covenant war and leading into the events of “Halo 4.” Set against the backdrop of a United Nations Space Command (UNSC) military academy, a group of highborn cadets are training to be the next generation of soldiers in the UNSC’s ongoing war with insurrectionists in the outer colonial planets. Among these cadets, Thomas Lasky struggles with his doubts about this war, and with the burden of expectations he may not be able to carry. As Lasky comes to terms with his potential as a military leader, the terrifying alien alliance known as the Covenant arrives and turns his world upside down. Inspired by the Master Chief, he must decide what it means to be a hero. “Halo” fans that experience Lasky’s thrilling origin story in “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” will be rewarded with special insights into the story of “Halo 4” and the “Halo Infinity Multiplayer” experience.

Directed by Stewart Hendler (“H+,” “Sorority Row”) and written by Todd Helbing and Aaron Helbing (“Smallville,” “Spartacus”), “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” features a diverse cast of established and up-and-coming Hollywood talent, including Tom Green (“Dance Academy”) as Thomas Lasky, Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia”) as Chyler Silva, Daniel Cudmore (“X2,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “The Twilight Saga”) as the Master Chief, Ayelet Zurer (“Angels & Demons,” “Munich”) as Mehaffey, Mike Dopud (“Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol”) as General Black, Enisha Brewster (“Footloose”) as April Orenski, Masam Holden (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Elizabethtown”) as Michael “Sully” Sullivan, Osric Chau (“2012”) as JJ Chen, Iain Belcher (“Supernatural”) as Vickers, and Kat De Lieva as Dimah.

“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” is backed by a top-tier production team led by executive producers Lydia Antonini and Josh Feldman, former Warner Bros. and Playtone executives, respectively. Continuing its involvement with the “Halo” franchise, Legacy Effects (“The Hunger Games,” “The Avengers,” “Avatar”) is creating specialised costumes and armor, and visual effects are being designed by an award-winning team led by John Sullivan (“The Pacific”). Production services are provided by Herzog & Co.

An extended, 90-minute Special Edition featuring additional footage and bonus content will be available Nov. 6 in the “Halo 4” Limited Edition and on video on-demand services.

Set almost five years after the events of “Halo 3,” “Halo 4” takes the series in a bold new direction and sets the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga, in which the Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. In addition to a rich story and campaign, “Halo 4” introduces a groundbreaking new multiplayer offering, called “Halo Infinity Multiplayer,” that builds off of the “Halo” franchise’s rich multiplayer history and promises to continue to innovate and redefine the way people think about storytelling and multiplayer experiences.

WP Central Reports That Windows Phone Olympics App Has Landed

Jim McCarthy
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WP Central Reports That Windows Phone Olympics App Has Landed

WP Central is reporting that the official London Olympics app for Windows Phone has landed.  Read on for details!

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WP Central is reporting that the official London Olympics Windows Phone app is now available.  Here is what they are saying:

The official 2012 Olympic Games app has landed in the Windows Phone Marketplace. London 2012 was developed by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and is designed to keep you up to date with the latest Olympic action and Paralympic action.

The app is laid out nicely with the following pages.

  • Live Updates Page that currently displays a countdown timer to the Olympic Opening Ceremony. From there, the page will display updates from the games.
  • Sports Page that breaks down the events by sports. Each sports tile will pull up the specific events, news items for that sport, a photos page and an About page that covers any rules and venue information on that sport.
  • Calendar Page breaks things down by date. Tap on a date and you’ll pull up an time listing of events by sport. Tap and hold an event to set a reminder so you won’t be late.
  • The Favourites Page lists any sport you’ve tagged as favorite or reminders you’ve set.
  • The Menu Page has links to view the games schedules and results, medal tally, athlete profiles, access the My Games section and access the app’s settings. The My Games section can be set to a specific Country to pull up news, reminders and favourites for the Country.

If you are an Olympics fan and are on Windows Phone, go ahead and download the app now!

WP Central Article on Olympics WP App
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