Supersense’s new card battler Warhammer: Storm of Magic is coming to Android this year
Collectible card games (or CCGs) are quite abundant on Android, though many of them struggle to stand out from the crowd. Still, every now and then a new card battler comes around and really impresses us, and that’s likely what Warhammer: Storm of Magic will accomplish later this year. Developed by Shanghai-based Supersense and under license from Games Workshop, this new battler will let you participate in real online battles, or against AI-controlled players.
What makes this game a little more special than the others is that unlike normal CCGs that only show you some cards along with minimal animation, Warhammer: Storm of Magic actually depicts what your cards are doing in full 3D visuals, allowing the card aspect of the game to take a backseat. It should be noted that this is a fantasy-themed version of the Warhammer universe, not like Warhammer: 40K which is more futuristic.
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The game is still in early stages of development, though Supersense says it will be out on Android, iOS and Kindle Fire devices sometime this year. It’s also a free-to-play title, so you can expect some in-app purchases during gameplay. We’ll be sure to let you know when a tentative release date is announced for this new title.
Nexus 7 mated with mouse, used in-vehicle
We have seen a few examples of users incorporating tablet devices into their vehicles to serve in place of auto manufacturer or third-party solutions for in-car infotainment systems. Users typically resort to this due to the dearth of autos that come with Android systems installed and third-party units are typically very expensive. In the latest example of this move to use a tablet device, Kevin Foreman connected a mouse to a Nexus 7 to provide a new input option as he was tired of using the touchscreen.
In a video demonstrating how his Nexus 7 works in his Toyota Prius, Foreman shows the Logitech G700S mouse that he connected to the tablet to serve as an input device. After working to map a variety of buttons and mouse clicks, Foreman is able to do things like launch Spotify or Google Maps with a touch of the mouse instead of trying to do it via the tablet’s touchscreen.
Foreman indicates he pursued this because he was tired of trying to “aim” his finger on the touchscreen while driving. Google has noted this challenge as well, which is why the Android Auto system uses a custom interface designed for use in a vehicle where precise touches may not be preferable.
You can check out his video below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Nexus 7 mated with mouse, used in-vehicle
Boost Mobile goes after Cricket Wireless and MetroPCS customers with switching promotion
For a limited time, Boost Mobile is letting qualified customers bring their own number from Cricket or MetroPCS can get unlimited data, talk and text with up to 2.5GB of high-speed 4G LTE data starting at $20 a month. Boost claims that the promotion will save you roughly $20-30 by switching compared to you current plan. Once the introductory rates end, customers will be moved to the most comparable monthly plan.
Boost Mobile is committed to offering great value and the Slash Your Payment in Half promotion clearly demonstrates a new level of savings that Cricket and MetroPCS can’t deliver. We are confident that the improved performance of our nationwide network coupled with the savings from our monthly service will convince our new customers to stay with us for the long term.
The promotion ends on July 20.
Source: Sprint
Come comment on this article: Boost Mobile goes after Cricket Wireless and MetroPCS customers with switching promotion
Cricket starts its summer sale with hot discounts on the Moto E and more
Cricket Wireless has just started its summer sale. From now until July 19, the telecommunications provider is offering some hot deals on devices like the Moto E, Samsung’s Galaxy Grand Prime, and more.
Motorola’s Moto E (2nd Gen) will run you $79.99, while the Galaxy Grand Prime will cost $129.99. Other devices Cricket is putting up for sale include the HTC Desire 510, the ZTE Grand X Max+, the ZTE Grand X, the ZTE Overture 2, and the ZTE Prelude 2. They cost $29.99, $169.99, $99.99, $49.99, and $0.99, respectively.
If you’re looking to pick up a cheap device for the summer, Cricket is definitely an option to look at, especially with how affordable its data plans are, starting at $40/month.
Anyone picking up a device from Cricket? Sound off in the comments.
source: Cricket Wireless
Come comment on this article: Cricket starts its summer sale with hot discounts on the Moto E and more
Apple Not Coercing Indie Artists Into Apple Music Deals With iTunes Removal Threats
Earlier this week, singer-songwriter Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre took to Twitter to rant about the Apple Music terms he had allegedly been offered by Apple, accusing the company of threatening to take his music off iTunes if he did not agree to the three-month free trial period that’s been a sticking point with indie artists.
Calling Apple a “satanic corporation,” (and mistakenly tweeting at an “Apple Official” Twitter account not run by Apple) Newcombe said Apple offered him a deal that required him to provide his music for free for three months, and when he asked what would happen if he refused, he was told his music would be removed from sale on iTunes.
The biggest company on earth wants to use my work to make money for 3 months and pay me nothing – of I say no,I'm banned
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) June 17, 2015
Newcombe’s claims have been circulating around the Internet for the last several days, and as of yesterday, they prompted a reply from Apple. An Apple representative spoke to Rolling Stone and said the company has not been threatening to remove artists’ music from iTunes for refusing Apple Music deals. “It will not be taken off,” said the representative.
Newcombe’s representative did not respond to a request for comment following Apple’s statement, but Newcombe has continued his tirade against Apple Music on Twitter.
Apple plans to offer consumers a three-month trial for Apple Music, but during that period, the company will pay no royalties or fees to artists and labels. Several indie labels have spoken out against the move, claiming the trial period will “literally put people out of business.”
Following the free trial period, Apple will give labels a 71.5 percent split of subscription revenue in the United States and will pay out a slightly higher percentage outside of the U.S., but labels say the numbers do little to alleviate the sting of three months of no royalty payments at all.
Apple Music will launch in a week in a half, going live on June 30 as part of an upcoming iOS 8.4 update. The service will be free for the first three months, after which it will cost $9.99 for individuals and $14.99 for families up to 6.
Sprint Expands ‘Slash Your Payment in Half’ Promo to Boost Mobile [iOS Blog]
Sprint today expanded its ongoing bill-slashing promotional campaign to its subsidiary Boost Mobile, giving Cricket and MetroPCS customers a chance to lower their monthly cell phone payments by switching to Boost Mobile service.
Through July 20, Cricket and MetroPCS subscribers who bring their phone number to Boost Mobile can save between $20 and $30 per month for a full year with the promotional plan. Customers will be required to purchase a compatible Boost device to take advantage of the deal.
The value associated with the Slash Your Payment in Half promotion from Boost Mobile is undeniable. A MetroPCS customer that is currently receiving 2GB of data for $40 a month, can now get 2.5GB of high-speed data from Boost Mobile for just $20, while a Cricket customer receiving 10GB of data for $60, can now get the same amount of data for only $30 a month.
Following the year-long promo period, customers who switched to Boost Mobile will be migrated to the Boost Mobile plan that offers a comparable amount of data, with prices that range from $30 to $55 per month.
Sprint began running its bill slashing promotion in December, offering Verizon and AT&T customers a chance to cut their payments in half by switching to Sprint. The promo is still available for eligible AT&T and Verizon customers.
Apple Launches 27″ iMac 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program
Apple has determined that a small number of 3TB hard drives used in late 2012 27-inch iMacs sold between December 2012 and September 2013 may fail under certain conditions and has initiated a replacement program to replaced affected hard drives. Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge.
Apple is contacting affected iMac owners that provided a valid email address during product registration to inform them about the new replacement program. iMac owners can check if they are affected by entering the computer’s serial number on Apple’s support website, and visit the Genius Bar, visit an AASP or contact Apple Technical Support to initiate the replacement process.
Apple advises that customers who paid to have their hard drive repaired contact the company for a refund. The replacement program covers affected iMac models until December 19, 2015, or three years from the affected iMac’s original date of sale, depending on whichever is longer. Read about the iMac replacement program on Apple’s support website for further details.
The best multiport USB wall charger
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article below at TheWirecutter.com.
After surveying more than 1,100 Wirecutter readers and using six iPads to test 18 top models, we can safely say that Anker’s 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger is the best USB wall charger for most people. At only $20, it’s essentially the same price as Apple’s single-port 12W USB Power Adapter, but the Anker model can push out three times as much power and charge four devices at once. In fact, it can simultaneously charge three full-size iPads at full speed while also charging a smartphone. Our readers said they prefer chargers that plug directly into an outlet, and this is the most powerful one we tested to do so. Additionally, Anker’s charger allows connected devices to draw the advertised amount of power; some of the competition does not.
How we decided
A selection of the chargers we tested.
We quickly whittled down an initial list of 45 chargers by knocking out those that had only one or two high-speed-charging ports (except for super-compact chargers, mentioned below); had no high-speed-charging ports at all; or had a mix of faster- and slower-charging ports, requiring you to figure out which one is the “right” port if you want to charge your tablet as fast as possible.
We brought in 18 units for hands-on testing. First we connected an iPad Air 2 to a USB ammeter, a tool that measures power transfer. Then we went through each port — 83 in all — and measured the electrical output of each, looking for figures around 2.4 amps, the maximum power draw of the tablet.
Testing our step-up pick, Anker’s 60W charger, with six full-size iPads.
We tested the remaining chargers with a collection of six iPads to ensure that the power draw didn’t drop as we added more devices. After verifying that each USB cable we were using could handle the maximum possible current, we used our ammeters to measure the average draw of an original iPad Air and a fourth-generation iPad — the models that draw the highest current — on each charger while keeping the other ports on that charger connected to the remaining iPads.
Our pick
The Anker 36W charger occupies only a single wall outlet when plugged in.
Anker’s 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger is the best multiport USB charger for most people. It’s the most powerful charger that plugs directly into a wall outlet, letting you fast-charge up to three full-size iPads at once or four at a slower rate. (Alternatively, you can fast-charge two iPads and two smartphones.) It’s also physically small compared with the competition, and it’s quite affordable. Finally, Anker is a company that has built a strong reputation in the mobile-accessory field with well-designed products that often work better than the competition, usually at lower prices.
The circuitry in the charger can tell whether you’re plugging in a smartphone, a tablet, or another device, and whether it’s Android, iOS, or something else; it then delivers the appropriate amount of current for the fastest charging speed.
The runner-up
You have to provide your own cables, but there are enough ports for the entire family.
Although four charging ports is a lot, some people will need even more. Anker’s 60W 6-Port Family-Sized Desktop USB Charger ($36) is the best option for them. It’s considerably more powerful than the Anker 36W, and it offers two additional ports. Instead of plugging directly into an outlet, it uses a 5-foot cord.
A tiny travel pick
The same amount of power in a much smaller size.
For an impressive amount of power in a tiny package, we recommend Aukey’s 12W / 2.4A Home Travel USB Wall Charger. You get as much juice as you would with Apple’s iPad charger and an extra charging port, in a much smaller package — a scant 1.4 by 1.2 by 1.2 inches with its prongs folded infor half the price.
In closing
Anker’s 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger is the best multiport charger for most people, but you can find other good options depending on the number and kinds of devices you need to charge.
This guide may have been updated. To see the current recommendation, please go to TheWirecutter.com.
Swimming nanobots target cancer cells inside your body
Scientists keep saying they’ll put tiny robots into our bodies to cure disease, perhaps not realizing we may not be down with that. But the field is progressing rapidly, and researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) have now found an artful way to propel such ‘bots. They created a “nanoswimmer” the width of a silk fiber, made of several links of polymer and magnetic nanowires. After introducing it into a blood-like fluid, they applied an external oscillating magnetic field, propelling the nanobot the length of its body in a second.
Even better, the team can control exactly where the nanobots finish up — at a particular organ, say — by modulating the field. Though inserting tiny bits of metal into your body sounds weird, scientists believe nanobots could reduce the need for invasive surgery, speed recovery and lower the risk of complications. The new research removes the need for a (tiny) motor inside the nanobots, freeing up space for drugs that can target, say, cancer cells. It also makes the bots fairly easy to build and tune for different applications. There’s still a lot of work to be done before it ever gets to trial, starting with subjects willing to do let robots ply their bloodstream.
Source: American Chemical Society
High Court sides with UK music industry in challenge to CD copying law
A group of organisations representing the UK music industry has today succeeded in challenging recent copyright legislation that legalised the duplication of music for personal use. You see, before October last year, it was actually illegal to copy media, even for private consumption — and yes, we’re talking about stuff you’d legitimately bought. Ever ripped a CD so you could listen to the album on your phone? Well, that was technically an offense, or at least before October 1st 2014 it was. On that date, the government addressed the outdated legislation and added a private copying exception to copyright law, making ripping CDs and the like for personal use legal. The music industry wasn’t best pleased. Not because of the private copying exception itself, but because the government didn’t include any “copyright levy” as part of the revised legislation.
Sometimes referred to as “blank media tax,” copyright levies give content creators such as music labels a cut from the sales of blank CDs, DVDs and other types of digital storage, including devices like computers and MP3 players that contain storage drives. While it might seem strange that media companies should be paid when there’s no telling what blank storage will be used for, it’s supposed to offset the shortfall these firms might face when consumers copy media instead of, say, purchasing an album again in a digital format. Most EU countries include this right to compensation in their own private copying exceptions, but the UK government said in was unnecessary since our version of the law is stricter than in other countries, and unlikely to impact the balance sheet of rightsholders.
A group comprising The Musicians’ Union (MU), The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), and UK Music didn’t agree, and took their grievance to the High Court in November last year. Today sees the completion of the judicial review process, and while the High Court dismissed four out of the five complaints raised, it’s sided with the British music industry on one key point. The court’s ruled that the government didn’t have enough evidence to conclude that copyright holders would suffer minimal to no financial shortfall as a result of the private copying exception. And as such, the decision to amend copyright legislation “in the absence of a compensation mechanism is unlawful.”
In short, the High Court has deemed the private copying exception is deficient in its current form. Just to be clear, the High Court’s ruling doesn’t invalidate the exception, so there’s no need to feel guilty if you’re building a summer playlist from old NOW compilation CDs. Copyright legislation will have to be revised as a result of the ruling, however, and the matter will be returning to the High Court next month as a resolution is hashed out. We’re no copyright experts, but it’s unlikely the exception will be axed entirely, and will instead be tweaked to include “fair compensation” for rightsholders. And as you’d expect, “BASCA, MU and UK Music remain open to meaningful talks to resolve this issue.”
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Storage
Via: TorrentFreak
Source: High Court, UK Music (1), (2)
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