It’s pretty simple: Apple’s iPhone OS is basically the only major smartphone operating system without an official or unofficial Google Voice client. We used to have GV Mobile and VoiceCentral, but as we all know, those were abruptly removed from the App Store and even Google’s official client was turned away. Well, at least Apple didn’t Amazon your iPhone and take away the Google Voice applications you already bought/downloaded, right? They might as well have as GV Mobile was rendered useless after a Google Voice-side update, and with no way of updating existing user’s applications, anyone who had been a GV Mobile user up until that point in time was out of luck.
GV Mobile is now available for jailbroken iPhone devices for free, but there’s something better coming up… GV Mobile 2.0. We’re really excited to tell you about it, too. It has been polished and refined — it had an injection of features — and we love using it, even in its non-final and beta form. For starters, dialed calls connect almost instantly, your iPhone contacts and favorites are accessible right within the app, there’s voicemail transcription viewing, and even multiple Google Voice account support. Advanced features like call forwarding phones, do not disturb settings as well automatic syncing, and even Growl support are on the to-do list, but for now, we’re just happy to have GV Mobile back on our non-jailbroken iPhone. Hopefully Apple reverses course and lets this version through their pearly gates when it is finished, though we wouldn’t bet the farm on it. Couple application shots after the break!
Another morsel to come out of Fiat’s 2-year plan is the short term product plan for Lancia, a brand that the parent company has been accused of neglecting for quite a while. In addition to the usual refreshes and facelifts, the truly juicy bit is that Fiat plans 17 new vehicles over the next two years, and Chrysler platforms will provide the basis for four Lancias.
Next month’s Detroit Auto Show is expected to host the first “new” Chrysler product: a rebadged Lancia Delta. An SUV is expected to follow sometime next year, then a midsize sedan and convertible, a luxury sedan, and a minivan in 2011. The real meat that we’re still missing is how these vehicles will really be created. How much of the initiative will be badge engineering, and how much will be genuine, clean-sheet engineering.
Fiat wants Chrysler’s global sales to more than double by 2014, to 2.8 million. If that number is accurate, that would mean Sergio Marchionne expects Chrysler to account for more than half of his targeted five million global sales for the entire Fiat Group by 2014 — and that group just grew thanks to Fiat’s swallowing up Zastava. Marchionne is said to be thinking about a successor because he “can’t work 24/7 forever.” With plans like these, we can’t imagine he’ll be sleeping or stepping aside any time soon.
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We know discussing things involving “arteries” and “coronary plaque” generally don’t do much for one’s appetite, but being the holidays and all, we honestly can’t think of a more fitting way to remind you not to pig out this evening. Up first is a MEMS-based sensor designed by downright enlightened researchers at the University of Southern California, which is used to “distinguish between stable and unstable atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries.” The idea here is to more easily determine whether a patient needs immediate surgery or simple lifestyle changes in order to remedy artery issues, though the process is still awaiting clinical approval before it can be used en masse. In related news, Pathway Medical has just received European clearance to sell its Jetstream G2 NXT coronary drill overseas (or “peripheral atherectomy catheter,” as it were), which does exactly what you’d expect it to: clear clogged blood vessels in the treatment of PAD. If you’re not already grossed out, feel free to tap the links below for more information on head past the break for a couple of video demonstrations. Mmm, honey ham!
Another morsel to come out of Fiat’s 2-year plan is the short term product plan for Lancia, a brand that the parent company has been accused of neglecting for quite a while. In addition to the usual refreshes and facelifts, the truly juicy bit is that Fiat plans 17 new vehicles over the next two years, and Chrysler platforms will provide the basis for four Lancias.
Next month’s Detroit Auto Show is expected to host the first “new” Chrysler product: a rebadged Lancia Delta. An SUV is expected to follow sometime next year, then a midsize sedan and convertible, a luxury sedan, and a minivan in 2011. The real meat that we’re still missing is how these vehicles will really be created. How much of the initiative will be badge engineering, and how much will be genuine, clean-sheet engineering.
Fiat wants Chrysler’s global sales to more than double by 2014, to 2.8 million. If that number is accurate, that would mean Sergio Marchionne expects Chrysler to account for more than half of his targeted five million global sales for the entire Fiat Group by 2014 — and that group just grew thanks to Fiat’s swallowing up Zastava. Marchionne is said to be thinking about a successor because he “can’t work 24/7 forever.” With plans like these, we can’t imagine he’ll be sleeping or stepping aside any time soon.
You’d never believe it, you never would know, that Christmas had come, at least not by the snow. All the geeks in the Valley were typing away, forced to take a short breather on this year’s Christmas day. So read on for info, this update, dear friends, as Christmas is over and a new year begins.
In time for Christmas, in technology news, Walt opened his column on product reviews. It seems, I am told, that holiday travel, with two screaming children can make brains unravel. So what could one bring, on a holiday trek, to keep little ones smiling and not cause a wreck? In a guest post by Nick, Wingfield’s his name; we saw the iTouch, the best in the game. He talked PSPs, and Nintendo DSs, but versatile and thin, iPod Touch got the yeses.
At the Mossberg Solution, Katie was typing, a fresh new post to help holiday griping. For if in through your window, this holiday season, a new Mac has drifted, you might have a reason. The keyboard is different, and programs wont close, all those whoosits and whatzits, no one really knows. But Katie was there, she did not take a rest, to show you the way to make your new Mac the best. Remember to “Quit”, on that Mac she said, ‘cause those little red x’s won’t put the program to bed. And one final thought, if it doesn’t seem rude, Katie recommended a new attitude. You see on the Mac, once they’ve been detected, to remove those hard drives, they must first be “ejected”.
It was all about Boom Town, this week in the news, as Kara looked at upcoming interviews. She’s worked much to hard and now they’ve said yes, but the lineup is set for our CES. With Hastings and Rubin and Rubinstien all, we’ll get their big scoops at the big techie ball. If tech shows are cold, with their gadgets galore, Kara posted a post about what’s in store. She traveled to Twitter and talked with Biz Stone, who thinked up some thoughts on how tweeting has grown. He pensively pondered, and stroked his cute chin. Some thoughts on the future, he gave with a grin. Kara was waving goodbye, flying off to the sand, to spend time with her family, mai-tai in hand. But before she got buckled and the jet engines roared, she solved a small mystery while climbing aboard. It seems, oh you see, that she’d gotten some news, about MySpace, Flixter and movie reviews. The two have been talking, oh talking some talk, with Rotten Tomatoes along for the walk. So she boarded the jet, all shiny and tall, waving goodbye to BoomTown for some vacation, if small.
So as you relax, and come down from the Yule, whether frozen at home or splayed out by a pool, Weekend Update is here, as is AllThingsD, to keep you informed when you’ve got places to be. Please leave us your comments, thoughts, queries and questions. We’d even adore your most helpful suggestions. And enjoy those around you, this holiday season. It’s friends, family and loved-ones that give our lives reason.
I was recently diagnosed with GD at 30 weeks and am FREAKING out! I didn’t think I was going to test positive considering I have only gained 6 pounds but I have always been a bit heavier. I have been looking all over the web for answers on what to do and what GD can do to my unborn baby and I am worried the most about stillbirth. Every site I visit says that women with GD have a higher chance of stillbirth… and the thought of it has kept me up at night! Can anyone help me out here?
We covered Flickery a while back, and it’s been through a couple of big updates since our initial article. Flickery is a Mac-based client for Flickr that provides extensive search, browsing, uploading, and downloading capabilities. I’ve been using Flickery since its release as my primary means of working with the Flickr photos and videos for me and my friends. It’s good-looking and has been a great time-saver.
Version 1.6, which came out at the end of October, brought batch editing of photos, video trimming, CoreLocation integration for photos taken within Flickery, faster pre-loading when browsing, and a lot of other new features. The latest version, 1.7, brings an impressive list of additional features which build upon the 1.6 release, including a new preferences panel, auto-resizing of uploaded photos, “Set as desktop picture” and “Download to Aperture” options, drag and drop integration with Finder and more. I’ve never had many problems with stability in Flickery, but the latest releases also include dozens of fixes for potential crashes and bugs.
There’s a holiday sale on Flickery running until January 1st that brings the price of the application down to US$13.99 (a 25% savings). Normal pricing resumes tomorrow, so Flickr users in search of a solid desktop client should take a look as soon as possible!
Mobile advertising is poised to become a huge growth area, with research firm Kelsey Group seeing the market grow from just $160 million in 2008 to $3.1 billion in 2013. eMarketer projects mobile advertising spending in the US will balloon from $648 million in 2008 to over $3.3 billion in 2013.
While some believe search will account for the biggest chunk of the market, others expect geo-aware advertising, another way of bringing “relevant” ads to users, to have a bright future, too. This is where AdLocal, a location-based, self-service mobile ad platform that (re-)launched yesterday, comes in.
Offered by Sunnyvale-based Cirius Technologies USA, the platform has been around in Japan since 2006, currently commanding the largest share of location-based advertising in Japan’s $1 billion [PDF] mobile ad space. And now Cirius is ready to utilize the years of experience the company gained in the world’s most competitive mobile market in the US (AdLocal isn’t available outside America and Japan at this point).
AdLocal allows advertisers to manage their campaigns and publishers to add their mobile sites or applications by themselves through a Web-based dashboard. By locating a mobile user’s physical location via GPS, cell identification and other methods, the mobile ad network can tell when a consumer is close to a specific business address and then serves up ads for that business in real-time.
Digg and Revision3 co-founders Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson have provided crowdsourcing startup 3Crowd Technologies and its founder Barrett Lyon with an early Christmas present of funding.
Lyon says the angel investors join Storm Ventures and Greenwich Technology Associates to “give 3Crowd the shot in the arm it needs to take off,” likely sometime early next year.
Sponsor
This marks the second time Rose and Adelson have crossed paths with Lyon, who co-founded BitGravity, the streaming video service that Internet television studio Revision3 utilizes.
San Mateo, California-based 3Crowd has yet to reveal how they plan to transform crowdsourcing (or how much funding they have secured), but Lyon’s history and apparent entrepreneurial fervor to change the web has clearly excited 3Crowd’s investors.
“This concept is yet another disrupting, dis-intermediating idea from Barrett. These are the technologies that change the game,” Adelson says.
Lyon, who is also the subject of the forthcoming book Fatal System Error by Joseph Menn, says that while the Internet has provided the platform for much success, it is still imperfect and needs to change.
“At this point, my goal is to make change – to take the Internet in its current form (resembling digital duct tape) and transform it into something stronger and more scalable,” Lyon says.
Before co-founding BitGravity, Lyon created the Opte Project: “software that traced all the routes of the Internet,” he says. Images from Opte Project have been used in movies, books and are permanently on display in museums of art and science in both New York and Boston.
If you’re looking to the future rather than immediate, present-day rewards, then you may make healthier decisions that benefit you long-term, say researchers from Kansas State University.
That certainly seems to make sense on a few levels. People who participate in risky sexual behaviors or unhealthy habits like smoking may not be thinking about long-term health consequences of their actions.
“If you are more willing to pick later, larger rewards rather than taking the immediate payoff, you are more future-minded than present-minded,” said James Daugherty, a psychology doctoral student who led the study. Daugherty said that future-minded individuals are more likely to exercise and less likely to smoke and drink.
The researchers wanted to determine what type of time perspective measurements are good at predicting health behaviors. For the study, they first surveyed college students to see whether their thinking was long- or short-term. Other social psychology surveys determined their concerns with health risks.
Daugherty and fellow researcher Gary Brase, K-State associate professor of psychology, found that students who gave future-minded answers in the initial surveys were more likely to report healthy behaviors in latter surveys.
The researchers reason that those who tend to have a present-minded perspective may have an easier time reaching goals like weight loss if they can see rewards sooner. So, measuring someone’s time perspective may help with reaching health goals. The research is published in the January issue of Personality and Individual Differences.
Next, the researchers plan on looking at how present-mindedness and future-mindedness correlate with environmentally responsible behaviors. My guess? People who recycle are more future-minded.
How do you feel about the idea of an individual’s time perspective affecting decisions like whether to smoke or drink?
Before I begin, let me just state that TSA has yet to confirm any of this on its website, so the details aren’t entirely clear at the moment. That said, there are severalindications that orders have been issued to cease the use of electronics during international flights. Yes, that means no laptops, no iPods, no Kindles, no CD players, no portable DVD players, no Nintendo DSes — nothing that requires any sort of power on these flights. If this is true, it’s absolutely awful news.
Obviously, this is all in reaction to the Nigerian man who attempted to bring down a plane coming into the U.S. And the TSA is going to do whatever it thinks is necessary to prevent further attacks of a similar nature. But the simple fact is that if the TSA was really this seriously worried about electronic devices, they could have banned them anytime since the attacks on September 11, 2001. Instead, they’re doing it more than 8 years later after a man apparently lit some sort of mixture of powder and liquid in his lap. How that relates to electronics, I’m not sure. This just reeks of a “well, we have to do something” move.
Again, all the details aren’t known yet, and it’s entirely possible that this is just a temporary measure that will be in place during a heightened security time following the attempted attack. Other reports suggest this will only affect planes coming into the U.S. Of course, if you leave the U.S. to go on an international trip, you’re very likely going to have to come back, so this will affect you.
Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in.”
Those other security measures apparently include not being allowed to get up in the final hour of a flight (so, no bathroom), and not being allowed to have anything on your lap in this final hour.
We’ll update this post when the official policy becomes more clear, but given the previous policies of no liquids, taking off your shoes, etc, it wouldn’t be entirely shocking for a no electronics rule of some sort to be commonplace. And it comes at a time when air travel was becoming almost becoming bearable thanks to WiFi on a growing number of flights. Instead, it looks like we’ll have to revert back to the old standards: Books, magazines, and newspapers for these flights. If I were the print media companies, I’d jack up the prices in airports immediately. They may have just found a business model that will save them: Fear.
I stand by my statement earlier: If they take electronics away from us on plane, I’d much prefer to be put into a state of hibernation on the flights like in Avatar. That’s about the only thing that will make those cattle cars tolerable at that point.
Inventor Le Trung spent Christmas Day with the most important woman in his life – his robot Aiko.
The science genius enjoyed a festive dinner with his mum, dad and his £30,000 fembot which he designed and built by hand.
Le, 34, from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, even bought gifts for his dream girl, who is so lifelike she speaks fluent English and Japanese, helped cook the turkey and hang up decorations.
Yep. You read that right. Either the Daily Mail is having a larf or this is the craziest thing I’ve seen in all my years as someone who has not had sex with (presumably ambulatory) robots.
Basically Mr. Trung built his own fembot and basically dotes on it. He had a hear attack because he spent so much time working on it. It knows when it’s being tickled. Sadly, we can’t tell if our leg is being pulled.
Ford’s Human Occupant Package Simulator — Click above for high-res image gallery
Wishing to sharpen up the eternally imprecise data collected by using with real, live human beings, Ford is apparently the first automaker to use motion-capture software to assist with its vehicle design. The technology, already used to great effect in video games and the film industry, allows Ford engineers to examine how people really move around in their vehicles and, hopefully, design more ergonomic solutions as a result.
In jargon-ese, Ford’s system is called the Human Occupant Package Simulator (HOPS). In real life, it means a “human test subject” hooked up to fifty sensors and doing the things he or she would do in a car, “such as swinging a leg outside of the vehicle or reaching for the seat belt.” If you’ve ever seen a video of how EA Sports makes games like Madden or NBA live, you’re intimately familiar with the general process.
Combined with Ford’s Cave Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE) and Programmable Vehicle Model (PVM), HOPS allows the automaker make a much better vehicle with pixels before it ever has to render it in steel. It should also mean that future Fords will be suitable for orcs, battle droids, humans, and the Na’vi. Follow the jump to read about the tech, and you can see what one of the lucky “human test subjects” looks like in the gallery below.
Being an Apple blogger must do something strange to your brain, because instead of having “visions of sugarplums” dancing in my head on Christmas morning, I was thinking about what cool features an Apple tablet could feature.
While we’ve heard of some of the proposed ideas — it’s supposed to be a good ebook reader, for example — I thought of a few more things I’d like my first-generation iTablet / iSlate / iPad / iWhateverIt’sCalled to do or have:
A camera built into the display side of the device for iChat videoconferencing or streaming services
Allow “multi-multitouch” so you can have several people playing a game on the display surface, all interacting at once
Something like Autograph built-in to allow digital signing of documents
A built-in suite of touch apps to allow limited editing and full viewing of Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Keynote / Numbers / Pages documents
At least one display port for connecting to an HDTV or monitor
Access to both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook digital book libraries through iTunes
Voice control of app launching to avoid skimming through page after page of app icons
Dock for using the tablet with a keyboard and/or setting it up as media center (replace the Apple TV)
Which one of these features would be on your short list for an Apple tablet? Vote in our poll below, and if you have any great ideas that weren’t listed here, please leave them in the comments.
10.Splinter Cell Conviction 9.Alan Wake 8.Castlevania : Lords of Shadow 7.Bioshock 2 6.God of War 3 5.Halo Reach 4.Mass Effect 2 3.Final Fantasy XIII 2.Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty 1. Mafia 2
Ar trebui sa mai aveti in vedere si urmatoarele jocuri :
Red Dead Redemption
Dead rising 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 :Rising
Bayonetta
Gran Turismo 5
Super Mario Galaxy 2
10 . Splinter Cell Conviction
Data de lansare : 23 Februarie 2010 in SUA pt Xbox 360
Actiunea din joc are loc la aproximativ 2 ani dupa evenimentele care au avut loc in Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction combină elemente de gameplay inovative, cu o poveste incitantă şi plină de suspans şi pune jucătorul în rolul unui agent secret de elită, înarmat cu arme letale. Eroul este aruncat într-o lume periculoasă unde, dacă vrea să găsească dreptate, trebuie să-şi impună propriile reguli.
Sam Fisher pleaca din Third Echelon dupa ce descopera ca moartea fiicei sale nu a fost un accident. Devenind un renegat, el trebuie sa se foloseasca de tot ajutorul pe care il poate primi,inclusiv de cel al colegei din Third Echelon Anna Grimsdóttír,pentru a descoperi adevarul.
Desi Fisher începe prin a incerca sa descopere cine a omorat-o pe fiica sa,lucrurile se complica si astfel ajunge intr-o cursă contra cronometru pentru a opri un complot terorist asupra Washington-ului care ameninţă viaţa a milioane de oameni.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
9. Alan Wake
Data de lansare :nesigura; undeva prin trimestrul 2 al anului 2010
Jocul îl urmăreşte pe Alan Wake, un scriitor de romane horror (bestsellere) care nu a reusit sa mai scrie ceva de doi ani…este în pană de idei. În încercarea de a rezolva problema lui Alan şi, prin urmare, situaţia financiară, soţia lui, Alice, îl duce în orăşelul idilic Bright Falls pentru a-şi “încărca bateriile”.
Cand ea insa dispare fara urma,Wake e parca prins intr-un cosmar fara sfirsit. Cuvant dupa cuvant,ultima lui carte,un thriller pe care nu isi aduce aminte sa-l fi scris,devine adevarat chiar in fata ochilor sai.Cumva stie ca e povestea lui,fara sa-si aduca aminte ca ar fi scris-o.
Povestea va fi prezentată sub formă de episoade, fiecare cu introducerea lui, şi fiecare cu un final care te lasă în suspans. Producătorii vor să creeze o atmosferă asemănătoare celei din Twin Peaks, citând serialul ca sursă principală de inspiraţie, alături de mai multe din cărţile lui Stephen King, care, nu de puţine ori, foloseşte autori de romane horror pe post de personaje principale.
Jocul se împarte în 2 secţiuni: pe timp de noapte şi pe timp de zi. Acum nu vă gândiţi că vor exista în joc numai momente cu lumină puternică sau întuneric complet, nicidecum, vom trece prin părţi ale oraşului în timpul apusului şi pe măsură ce se întunecă, lucrurile devin… mai interesante.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
8. Castlevania : Lords of Shadow
Data de lansare : urmeaza sa fie anuntata
Personajul principal al jocului se cheama Gabriel, un membru de elita al grupului Brotherhood of Light. Grupul are ca scop apararea oamenilor nevinovati de fortele supranaturale, Gabriel urmand sa dea piept cu cu cele trei grupari ale Lords of Shadow. Acesta este ghidat in aventura sa de fosta sa nevasta, aflata intre lumea celor morti si lumea celor vii.
Gabriel se va folosi de o arma versatila, numita Combat Cross, si va fi nevoit sa se confrunte cu monstrii si locuitorii tinuturilor moarte, pentru a le folosi puterile impotriva gruparii Lords of Shadow.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
7. Bioshock 2
Data de lansare : 9 februarie 2010
Locul de desfasurare al actiunii : Ajunul Anului Nou 1970,la 10 ani evenimentele din primul joc.Rapture e acum sub controlul unei femei numite Sofia Lamb,ale carei idei despre progresul omenirii le contrasteaza pe cele ale fondaturului orasului, Andrew Ryan.
Povestea :
Esti supravietuitorul unui accident: un avion s-a prabusit in ocean. Incet, incet reusesti sa iesi la suprafata si sa inoti pana la un far aflat in apropiere. In acest far vezi pentru prima data numele unui oras fabulos: Rapture. Cobori in Rapture, orasul scufundat in care are loc actiunea jocului. In oras intalnesti diferite cladiri, fiecare cu scopul ei. Desi supravietuirea pe fundul oceanului ar trebui sa fie imposibila, iar orasul ar trebui sa fie pustiu, mai exista cativa supravietuitori. Intrebarea este: poti sa supravietuiesti? Da, ar trebui sa poti, asa cum a facut-o si persoana care te va indruma inca din primul moment in Rapture. Povestea jocului este completata si de relatarile locuitorilor, care pot fi aflate ascultand jurnalurile audio ale acestora. Astfel aflii ce s-a intamplat cu acest oras mirific, cum a ajuns in ocean.
Minimum Requirements
CPU – Pentium 4 2.4GHz Single Core processor
System RAM – 1GB
Video Card – Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550).
Sound Card – 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
Hard disc space – 10GB free space
Recommended Requirements
CPU – Intel Core 2 Duo processor / AMD Athlon X2
System RAM – 3GB/4GB
Video card – DX9 – Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT or better) / DX10 – NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or better
Sound Card – Sound Blaster X-Fi series (Optimized for use with Creative Labs EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 or EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 compatible sound cards)
6. God of War III
Data de lansare : Martie 2010
God of War III va continua povestea din momentul în care God of War II s-a terminat, cu Kratos alături de Titani în drum spre muntele Olimp. Cei care nu au jucat primele jocuri ar trebui să știe de rivalitatea care s-a născut între Kratos și Zeus la începutul lui God of War II, al treilea joc din serie fiind bazat pe ”vânarea” și înfrângerea zeilor rămași: Helios, Hermes, Hades și Zeus.
Jocul va avea un nivel de detaliu ridicat când vine vorba de lupte. Totul va fi mai violent, cu mai mult sânge, iar loviturile vor lăsa urme pe inamici. Noi mecanici de luptă au fost introduse în gameplay, de data aceasta fiind posibilă lupta cu până la 50 de inamici în același timp. Astfel au apărut unităţi de tip ”comandant” ce vor coordona soldatii de rând de pe front și le vor da un bonus de inteligență atât timp cât sunt în viață. De asemenea opțiunile în care Kratos poate să se debaraseze de inamici s-au înmulțit. Când un inamic este ”prins” de Kratos, acesta îl poate folosi împotriva celorlalți inamici, îl poate omorî pe loc sau chiar să îl folosească pe post de scut.
Inamicii mai mari pot fi acum folosiți pe post de ”vehicule”, iar lupta pe Titani pare să fie o mare parte a gameplay-ului din a treia parte God of War. Din trailerul lansat deja putem vedea cum Titanii pot afecta gameplay-ul, lumea prinzând verticalitate în momentul în care Kratos se află pe unul dintre ei, iar acesta începe să se miște.
Pe lângă noi abilități în luptă, Kratos va primi noi arme: Cestus, două mănusi imense în formă de capete de lei și un arc cu săgeți ce pot da foc inamicilor au fost anunțate, restul fiind ținute secret.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
5. Halo Reach
Data de lansare : Toamna 2010
Jocul urmareste actiunile echipei Noble,o trupa speciala a Comandamentului Spatial al Natiunilor Unite compusa din 6 supersoldati Spartani.Jucatorii isi vor asuma rolul locotenentului,un inlocuitor pentru un presupus membru mort al echipei Noble.Numele de cod al jucatorului va fi Noble Six.
Trailerul de la inceputul jocului ne arata cum planeta-colonie Reach (un important centru militar si minier din afara Sistemului solar al Comandamentului Spatial al Natiunilor Unite) este atacata de o forta de invazie extraterestra.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
4. Mass Effect 2
Data de lansare : 29 ianuarie 2010
La doi ani după ce Comandantul Shepard a oprit invazia Reapers, un nou inamic îşi face apariţia. La marginile universului “ceva” răpeşte întregi colonii umane. Acum Shepard trebuie să lucreze cu Cerberus, o organizaţie fără milă,(ce vrea ca rasa umană să supravieţuiască) pentru a opri cel mai mare pericol cu care s-a întâlnit omenirea.
El va trebui să adune cea mai puternică echipă din galaxie şi să preia comanda celei mai avansate nave construite vreodată. Chiar şi asa, i se spune că e o misiune din care nu se va întoarce. Shepard vrea să le dovedească contrariul.
Comandă o echipă de personaje uimitoare într-o misiune foarte periculoasă în colţurile universului.
Poţi importa salvările din primul joc Mass Effect pentru a continua povestea cu acel Comandant Shepard.
Te vei ascunde, vei da ordine şi vei utiliza peste 19 clase de arme, eliminându-ţi inamicii folosind un sistem de luptă nou şi îmbunătăţit.
Acum ai un nou sistem prin care poţi trage în puncte critice ale inamicilor, făcând membre să zboare şi capete să se rostogolească.
Vizitezi locaţii cunoscute precum Citadel şi vei merge în noi lumi pentru a salva omenirea.
Controlează conversaţia printr-un sistem îmbunătăţit de dialoguri unde poţi recurge chiar la intimidare şi violenţă fizică.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
3. Final Fantasy XIII
Data de lansare : 9 martie 2010.
Acest joc nu este un add-on, prequel sau sequel al vreunui joc din serie.
Intreaga poveste are la baza dorinta tuturor de a pune mana pe cristalele magice, un fel de inel al seriei Lord of the Rings. Protagonistul principal este un tanar print, ultimul supravietuitor al unei dinastii indelungate, care a stapanit si dezvoltat orasul pana in epoca moderna.
El este detinatorul ultimului Crystal, motiv pentru care se gaseste intr-un adevarat asediu. Regatul printului este mai dezvoltat din punct de vedere tehnologic decat lumea din jur, motiv pentru care se gaseste intr-un fel de auto-izolare. Cu ajutorul puterii cristalului, printul are posibilitatea sa controleze diferite arme fara sa le atinga si chiar sa se teleporteze pe distante scurte.
Final Fantasy XIII va avea o lume inchisa la culoare, fiind probabil jocul cu cel mai realistic decor din seria Final Fantasy. Jocul va folosi motorul grafic dezvoltat de Square Enix, initial numit White Engine si redenumit ulterior Crystal Tools.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
2. StarCraft 2 : Wings of Liberty
Data de lansare : urmeaza sa fie anuntata
Pentru a nu sacrifica nimic din potentialul epic al povestii din noul StarCraft, Blizzard a hotarat ca un singur joc nu este suficient pentru a dezvolta naratiunea, astfel incat StarCraft 2 Trilogy va fi compus din urmatoarele trei jocuri single-player distincte: 1. Terran : Wings of Liberty 2. Zerg : Heart of the Swarm 3. Protoss: Legacy of the Void Blizzard Entertainment a confirmat faptul ca fiecare dintre cele trei subcapitole ale lui StarCraft 2 va avea intre 26 si 30 de misiuni si un final bine definit.
Legiunile unităţilor de veterani, îmbunătăţite şi noi vor lupta în întreaga galaxie, fiecare fracţiune luptand pentru supravieţuire.
Wings of Liberty, va fi un joc neliniar, in care gamerii vor intra in rolul lui Jim Raynor, personaj binecunoscut din primul StarCraft. Cele trei rase din jocul original: Protosii, Terranii si Zergii vor reveni, nefiind adaugate altele noi.
La fel ca predecesorul, vor fi folosite scene cinematice intre nivele, pentru a continua firul epic al jocului. Imbunatatiri semnificative au fost aduse atat detaliilor legate de teren, cat si detaliilor legate de unitati si structuri. Povestea din Starcraft 2 are loc la patru ani dupa StarCraft: Brood War si aduce inapoi o serie de eroi precum Zeratul, Arcturus Mengsk, Artanis, Sarah Kerrigan sau Jim Raynor. Un editor complex pentru crearea campaniilor va fi inclus in joc, pentru a se realiza harti si moduri de joc personalizate. Unitatile care au fost scose din Starcraft I, vor putea fi introduse cu ajutorul editorului.
StarCraft II oferă o campanie in jocul de single unica , care preia povestea pe care a lăsat-o StarCraft: Brood War, şi prezintă o selecţie de eroi noi şi feţe cunoscute într-o frenetice-poveste de science fiction umpluta cu aventură şi intrigi. În plus, Blizzard va oferi din nou posibilitatea de a efectua jocuri de reţea unică prin Battle.net, serviciul online de jocuri renumit pentru companie, împreună cu unele îmbunătăţiri şi noi opţiuni pentru a face StarCraft un joc competitiv de strategie in timp real.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
1.Mafia 2
Data de lansare : trimestrul 2 al anului 2010
Mafia 2 o sa aibe o noua grafica, un nou motor, condusul masiniilor o sa fie mult mai usor si un story nou.
In Mafia 2 povestea o sa se petreaca pe parcursul a 10 ani, din 1940 – 1950, astfel o sa avem arme mai bune si masini mai rapide. In timp ce in 1920 masiniile nu puteau depasi viteza de 50 de km/h, in 1940-1950 avem deja masiniile muscle car si cele de curse.
Jocul o sa aibe un mod mai real de a te “lua la tranta cu legea”, astfel poti scapa mult mai usor de politisti daca nu respecti regulile de circulatie, politistul obosind, dar daca incepi sa omori oameni pe strada politistul o sa cheme intariri.
Povestea din Mafia 2 il are in centru pe Vito, fiul unui imigrant italian sarac. Tanarul incearca sa isi indeplineasca Visul American si primul pas pe care il face in aceasta directie este implicarea in Mafie, un univers care il atrage cu promisiuni de putere si bogatie. Vito il va avea alaturi pe Joe, prietenul sau din copilarie, si impreuna vor incerca sa “isi faca un renume pe strazile orasului rece si necrutator”,
Mafia 2 promite o experienta de joc la nivelul unui excelent film cu gangsteri, gameplay plin de actiune, posibilitatea de a trece din mediul exterior in interioare detaliate fara timpi de incarcare, o poveste palpitanta creata de autorul scenariului din Mafia I si muzica autentica ce va contribui la senzatia ca jucatorul “traieste” in America anilor 1950.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
Any season, around 70% of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D, but levels can drop even more in the winter months. UV-B radiation from the sun allows our skin to produce vitamin D, but when it’s cold out, some of us won’t get enough sun exposure. Certain areas of the US also have inadequate amounts of sunshine in the winter months anyway.
When it comes to getting enough vitamin D, diet becomes even more important in the winter. Research has shown that vitamin D plays a crucial role in activating the immune system, plus low circulating levels of vitamin D have been associated with increased mortality from cancer. Vitamin D also plays a role in protecting against heart disease, reducing inflammation and keeping blood pressure in check. Read more about vitamin D research at Science Daily.
Katherine Brooking — Registered Dietitian, writer, nutrition expert and co-host of msn’s “The Victory Project” — recommends boosting your vitamin D intake with calcium-fortified citrus juices like orange juice and fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and shrimp. She also suggests increasing consumption of dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese fortified with vitamin D.
Other great sources of vitamin D you may have overlooked include mushrooms and eggs. Brooking mentioned that an egg, any style, contains 10% of your recommended Daily Value (DV) of vitamin D, while four or five white button mushrooms provide 4% DV. She recommends tossing some mushrooms into your salad or pairing them with your favorite protein for a nutrient boost.
Do you think you get less sun exposure in the winter months?
Guest contributor: Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
Karen Collins holds a B.S. degree from Purdue and an M.S. degree from Cornell, both in nutrition. When she’s not writing or speaking, she conducts a private nutrition practice in Jamestown, New York.
Only about one-fourth of adults in the United States eat three or more servings of vegetables a day, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. This falls far short of the national objective that at least half of Americans reach this benchmark by 2010.
Yet it’s not just eating more that matters: fried potatoes (like French fries and chips) are the biggest single source of those vegetables. Fewer than 15 percent of adults meet recommended targets for dark green and orange vegetables, according to analysis by CDC researchers. To reach the nutritional benefits that can come with eating more vegetables we need to expand the variety of our choices.
Few veggies eaten, and not the best kind
The most recent CDC report compares overall fruit and vegetable consumption to the minimum standard for good health: two fruit and three vegetable servings per day. Based on self-reported eating habits from telephone interviews, the study shows that 27 percent of adults and just 13 percent of adolescents report eating three or more vegetable servings daily.
CDC researchers have also used a national survey with more detailed dietary information to investigate what kind of vegetables we eat. They compared people’s diets to the recommendations for optimum health found in MyPyramid and the USDA food guide.
These recommendations vary with calorie needs, estimated based on age, size, gender and activity level. Fewer than one in ten adults gets recommended amounts of dark green vegetables, and barely over one in 10 get recommended amounts of orange vegetables.
Specific goals range from two to three cups of dark green vegetables and one and a half to two and a half cups of orange vegetables per week. We could accomplish these goals by choosing a half-cup serving of each almost daily, or larger servings several times a week.
Health is in the colors
Why the focus on these particular vegetables? Dark green vegetables are major sources of potassium and magnesium, minerals linked with healthy blood pressure and blood sugar. Deep orange vegetables, such as carrots, winter squash and sweet potatoes, are loaded with beta-carotene and are often high in potassium, too.
Romaine lettuce, and even darker green leafy vegetables — spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens — offer not only beta-carotene, but other carotenoid cousins called lutein and zeaxanthin.
Lutein may help slow the development of age-related macular degeneration, a cause of blindness. Beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin all are powerful antioxidants that seem to play a role in blocking early stages of cancer development.
Dark greens also can supply a significant amount of the folate we need. Folate is a B vitamin that promotes heart health and helps prevent certain birth defects. Folate is also necessary for DNA production and repair; without that repair, damaged cells can develop into cancer. Watercress, arugula, bok choy, broccoli and kale are dark green vegetables in the cruciferous family that provide additional cancer-fighting compounds.
Orange vegetables are easy to include in stir-fries and stews and are delicious simply oven-roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps some herbs. Dark green vegetables with small tender leaves add zip to salads or sandwiches.
You can quickly stir-fry medium to mild-flavored greens in a bit of olive oil with garlic or sweet onion, though some like to add two to four tablespoons of broth at the end and cook just a few minutes to tame the somewhat bitter flavor.
Some chefs even suggest blanching stronger-flavored greens (such as turnip and mustard) for a minute or less in some boiling water before sautéing them. Dark green vegetables taste great served with a cruet of red wine vinegar or lemon juice-olive oil dressing on the side.
(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. A registered dietician is available to respond to questions about diet, nutrition, and cancer at the free AICR Hotline at 1 (800) 843-8114 during business hours.)
The Apple tablet rumors are at a fever pitch, yet again. Depending on what you’ve read, it’s all but confirmed that the company’s got a January 26th event scheduled at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco, CA. All this, of course, with nary a word or comment from Cupertino HQ, and without the context that this trend has come and gone ad nauseam, both with the tablet and before with the years of lead-up to the iPhone. Here’s the latest bit: MacRumors has dug up information about a Delaware-based company, Slate Computing, LLC, that was founded in November 2006 and owns the trademark “iSlate,” the signatory of said trademark being Apple’s Senior Trademark Specialist Regina Porter. Given that Apple owns “iSlate” trademark in Europe and that the it’s allegedly pulled similar stunts with a “fake” company and the iPhone trademark, sure, we could buy into this being just a dummy corporation… but does it really confirm an impending tablet that’ll be called the “iSlate?” Not at all. We wouldn’t be surprised if Apple has done this for numerous other trademarks, either to give itself more options or to prevent others from trying to manufacture products under those names. (Slate Computing, LLC also happens to own the “Magic Slate” trademark, just so you know.) Also bought up in 2006? The domain iSlate.com, which again according to MacRumors (with help form Mark Gurman of AppleRejectedMe.com) was apparently and briefly shown to be owned by Apple at some point during 2007. Food for thought, but trust us, you don’t want to confuse hearsay for concrete fact.
Which brings us to December 24th, where we see a statistically significant uptick in Apple’s stock value. Seeing as the fiscals were released back in late October along with the last refresh of hardware (Mac Pro specs notwithstanding), it seems everyone decided to spend their holiday bonuses on some Apple shares. Now, we’re not claiming to be professionals here by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems a lot of the activity here can be attributed to the recent flux of rumors. Jason Schwarz of The Street has an interesting take on it, which if you’ve got 15 minutes to kill should be worth your time to browse through.
Speaking of brilliant photographs, my mom sent me two yesterday. The first one is her dressed in PJ’s reciting “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to her kindergarten class. I remember having to sing Christmas Carols as a kid but I stopped in seventh grade when I started declaring to my teachers “I’m Jewish – I don’t have to do this.” But kindergarten was probably fair game.
The second was her class picture from kindergarten.
I love looking at these old photographs, especially in digital form. In addition to being photogenic, my mother has integrated photography into her art. Regularly readers of this blog probably know that my mom is an artist (see a nice collection of her work on line at Studio 7310) but you might not know that she is a master with a camera and Photoshop. If you are into photography, take a look at two of her exhibitions: Faces and Places (4/5/08 – 5/3/08 at the Mesquite Art Center) and Near and Far (9/4/04 – 10/1/04 at 416westgallery).
We covered 
Lyon, who is also the subject of the forthcoming book Fatal System Error by Joseph Menn, says that while the Internet has provided the platform for much success, it is still imperfect and needs to change. 
“If you are more willing to pick later, larger rewards rather than taking the immediate payoff, you are more future-minded than present-minded,” said James Daugherty, a psychology doctoral student who led the study. Daugherty said that future-minded individuals are more likely to exercise and less likely to smoke and 
Before I begin, let me just state that TSA has yet to confirm any of this on its website, so the details aren’t entirely clear at the moment. That said, there are 
Being an Apple blogger must do something strange to your brain, because instead of having “visions of sugarplums” dancing in my head on Christmas morning, I was thinking about what cool features an 
Guest contributor: Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
