Square Enix to Bring Final Fantasy VII to iOS in 2015
During Square Enix’s E3 event that was held this morning, the company announced plans to bring iconic game Final Fantasy VII to iOS “before the end of summer” this year. Little detail was made available on the game aside from an upcoming release date, but it appears it’s a port of the original PS1 game and not the Final Fantasy VII remake that was announced by Sony earlier this week.
Square Enix has made the first six Final Fantasy games available on iOS devices, but Final Fantasy VII for iOS will mark the first Final Fantasy port coming from a PlayStation game. Released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the Final Fantasy series created for PlayStation and it quickly became one of the most popular Final Fantasy games.
In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said in an interview that a release of Final Fantasy VII was “years away” from release on iOS because of the space limitations on the platform. “It’s that currently, space will be an issue,” he said. “Phones won’t be able to contain the space it takes. It’s over a gigabyte. People are probably going to have to wait for a few years.”
Prior to 2015, Apple limited the size of apps to 2GB, but in February, that limit was expanded to 4GB, perhaps making games like Final Fantasy VII more feasible on iOS. A PC port of Final Fantasy VII comes in at over 3GB, so it’s possible that the 2GB size restriction was the limiting factor.
A game that’s 3GB in size will be a tough sell to customers who have 16GB iPhones and iPads, but upcoming features in iOS 9 could help slim down the install size of Final Fantasy VII and other games that take up a lot of storage space. App Thinning, a feature Apple introduced at WWDC, allows developers to optimize apps for specific devices for the first time. For example, a game being played on the iPhone won’t be required to download all the iPad art assets, saving much needed space.
The App Store and operating system optimize the installation of iOS and watchOS apps by tailoring app delivery to the capabilities of the user’s particular device, with minimal footprint. This optimization, called app thinning, lets you create apps that use the most device features, occupy minimum disk space, and accommodate future updates that can be applied by Apple. Faster downloads and more space for other apps and content provides a better user experience.
Square Enix also gave an update on Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, its upcoming smartphone game. Unchained χ was previously announced in May, but as of today, Square Enix has confirmed that it will be available worldwide when it launches.
Twitter Brings Autoplay Video, Vines, and GIFs to iOS and Web [iOS Blog]
Twitter today announced that it’s bringing autoplay video to the web and to its iOS app, causing native videos, Vines, and GIFs to play automatically in the Twitter stream for an improved video-watching experience.
Today, it’s become even easier to enjoy video on Twitter. Now native videos, Vines and GIFs will begin to play back automatically. So you can keep up with the action without missing a Tweet and get a better sense of what’s been shared instantly.
Videos will play without sound, but tapping a video will turn the sound on and play the video in an expanded view. Rotating an iPhone or iPad to landscape mode will automatically turn on the sound and expand a video that’s in the timeline to fill the screen.
Twitter is including an option that will allow users to continue to use the previous click-to-play video experience, disabling autoplay videos, Vines, and GIFs. There’s also a setting to turn autoplay on only when connected to WiFi, preserving bandwidth when connected to cellular.
The video changes are starting to roll out today to Twitter users on iOS and on Twitter.com.
Review: Customize Your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown and Side Button With WatchDots [iOS Blog]
Beyond casing material and band, there are no other obvious customization options for the Apple Watch, but one product is aiming to change that. WatchDots are small, colorful vinyl stickers that change the look of the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown and side button.
WatchDots come in six colors and were conceived as a way for Apple Watch Sport owners to match their Digital Crowns to their bands, mimicking the colored Digital Crowns on some of the gold Edition Apple Watches. Colors mainly match the Sport bands, in black, white, blue, pink, and green, but there’s also a red option to mimic Tim Cook’s own Apple Watch, which has a red Digital Crown.
I have a stainless steel Apple Watch with a white Sport Band, so I ordered the matching white WatchDots to give them a try (I also ordered pink, but those are backordered). It’s hard to wax poetic about a set of nondescript vinyl stickers, but I like the WatchDots. They tie the look of the band to the look of the Apple Watch, and they’ve also drawn a lot of notice — not from the general public, but from other Apple Watch owners.
WatchDots cost $9.99, which is a bit expensive given their size in relation to a vinyl sticker you might get for your iPhone or MacBook. For that price, you get three sets of dots in your chosen color (with 3 dots for the Digital Crown and three dots for the side button), along with a bonus set in another color (mine was black).
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Google offers up to $38,000 via its Bug Bounty Program
Want to earn some cold hard cash from Google? Then be sure to participate in their Bug Bounty Program for Android. The Bug Bounty Program was announced at the Black Hat Mobile Security Summit in London, and Google is looking for some help from folks outside of the walls.
There are a few different categories that these rewards fall into, meaning that the Bug Bounty Program will only cover vulnerabilities found within Nexus devices that are available for sale through the Google Play Store and Nexus 9
$500 is the least amount that you can earn for reporting a moderately sever bug, and go up to $8,000 for those who find and report a serious vulnerability. There are also bonus rewards for bugs found that run the risk of affecting TrustZone or Verfied Boot, as well as anything that can cause issues from installed apps and such. For the TrustZone or Verified Boot bugs, folks can win up to $30,000 for depending upon the severity.
Google provides a table that breaks down how much someone can win when finding a bug. For example, a “moderate bug” can fetch $500 if just found, $750 if you can provide a test case, $1,000 if you can provide a CTS or a patch for the bug, and $2,000 if you can provide a CTS AND a patch for the bug.
Google is offering a boatload of money to those who are willing to help find vulnerabilities in their software for their Nexus devices. To date, since the inception of its Bug Bounty program in 2010, Google has paid out more than $4 million. If you’re looking to find out more information about Google’s Bug Bounty program, check out the link here, and see what you can do to help out Google and your fellow Nexus users.
The post Google offers up to $38,000 via its Bug Bounty Program appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Easily share files between devices with BitTorrent Shoot
It’s pretty easy to share photos between your friends, when you have the same Mobile Operating System. Chances are, at least one or two of your friends don’t have the same type of phone, and sharing those pictures of the great time you all had last night, can end up being a pain. That’s where Shoot from BitTorrent comes into play.
Released today, Shoot is an app that allows you to easily share your photos or videos across iOS, Android and Windows Phone without any issues. This is done on either WiFi or mobile network, and Shoot works regardless of the network provider. Shoot can be really convenient for those who have a large group of friends, and want to share a bunch of pictures without dealing with Facebook or anything like that.
Shoot allows you to send photos or videos directly between mobile devices, no matter what device you use or what network you’re on. Based on BitTorrent Sync technology, large items are no problem. And since files move directly between people without going through the cloud, it’s all fully private to you and the recipient.
If you want to get using this, download Shoot from BitTorrent from the widget below, and get started. Your first three times sending files are free, but after those are used up, there’s a one-time fee of $1.99. The charge will ONLY be made to the sender of the files. Anyone using Shoot and only receives the images or videos, won’t be charged a dime, ever.
The post Easily share files between devices with BitTorrent Shoot appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Pushbullet debuts Portal for transferring files to Android devices
Pushbullet isn’t a stranger to the capability of transferring your files to your phone from your PC. Today, they’re taking it a step further, with a brand new app called Portal.
One of the goals with Portal was to simplify the operation, with minimal steps to git-r-done. The other goal was make the transfer as quick as possible. Both the phone and the PC do need to be connected to the same Wifi network, because this allows you to send large files quickly and not use your precious network data.
Once you have the Portal app, all it takes is three easy steps:
- Go to portal.pushbullet.com on your PC (a QR code pops up on the screen).
- With the Portal app on your phone, scan the code.
- Drag and drop the files on the PC and voilà, they magically appear on the phone.
Pushbullet also made sure that the transferred files play friendly with the Android system. Portal gets integrated in Android’s file browser as a folder, and the files will also show on the Recent files area.
Props to Pushbullet for attempting to make our lives that little more convenient, and for free.
The post Pushbullet debuts Portal for transferring files to Android devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.
A beta version of Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant is coming to Android this July
Microsoft has already announced its plans to bring its Cortana virtual assistant to Android, and now we’re getting a few more details as to when we can expect the new app. The company has just revealed that beginning in July, a beta version of Cortana will be available for download on Android devices.
As the company previously stated, the Cortana for Android app won’t be as fully featured as the app baked in to Windows Phone devices. Instead, the app will serve as a way for your Windows 10 PC and other Microsoft devices to sync easily with your Android smartphone or tablet to accomplish tasks that many other services can’t. Microsoft explains:
On your Android phone you can ask Cortana to remind you to walk the dog at 8pm in the evening, and then when you’re watching a movie your Xbox will interrupt playback to let you know it’s time to take the dog out.
Just recently, Google announced that Now on Tap would be released with Android M, which offers users an easier way to get information more quickly. Additionally, the folks over at SoundHound released its Hound Beta app for Android, toting impressive voice recognition technology that might prove useful to users. It will certainly be interesting to see exactly how Cortana for Android fares against the competition, and if cross platform integration will be enough for it to prove itself worthy in the Android and iOS space.
The company hasn’t given us an exact release date, but it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer to try out the virtual assistant.
EA announces build-harvest game Minion’s Paradise, coming summer 2015
There arguably hasn’t been a movie character that’s had a bigger impact on mobile gaming than the minions from Despicable Me. Thanks to EA’s announcement at E3 2015, we’re about to see a whole lot more of them in a new game called Minion’s Paradise.
Minion’s Paradise is a build-harvest game where you must build an island paradise for a bunch of angry minions after the protagonist (named Phil) wrecks their cruise. The characters and content are based around the Minions movie which is also due out later this summer. EA has stated that characters from the movies will be present in the game, including villains and minions.
In the game you are tasked with building an island paradise full of games, fun, and leisure for your fellow minions. EA has also said that villains will make appearances to your resort to plot horrible things and enjoy themselves. If you’ve played other movie-based builder games such as Nemo’s Reef or Ice Age Village, you should know how this is all going to work.
The release date is slated for sometime this summer although it’s fairly safe to guess that the release of the game will coincide with the release of the movie. That means it’ll probably be out by the end of July. As for the price, Minion’s Paradise will almost certainly be a Freemium (free with in-app purchases) title much like its fellow movie-based builder brethren. If you’re interested, check back next month and the press release below.
KEY FEATURES
• Unleash Your Creativity: Help Phil build the perfect Minions Paradise! Customize your island with hot tubs, hammocks, and beach volleyball courts. Plant firefly trees, harness power from electric eels, and grow bushels of bananas to make an island paradise for
Phil and his Minion buddies. • Explore Your Paradise: The more land you get, the more fun your Minions will have! Become an expert at alligator waterskiing, throw mangoes from hot air balloons, and dive off waterslides. • Party with Your Favorite Minions: Share your paradise with Kevin, Stuart, and Bob from the MINIONS movie! Make all your vacation dreams come true and be joined by all your favorite Minion buddies. • Take Villainous Vacations: All Minions need a villainous boss to serve! Aid Phil in building a special resort for all your favorite villains from the MINIONS movie. Help these despicable characters enjoy paradise while putting their own dastardly plans into motion. Coming to the AppStore and Google Play this summer.
HTC will soon bring advertisements to BlinkFeed in select markets
A little over a month ago, a rumor was floating around claiming that HTC might soon bring advertisements to its BlinkFeed application, though we didn’t really know when they would begin showing up. But now this news is official, as the company announced earlier today that it will soon begin testing promotions inside BlinkFeed.
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Users in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Taiwan and China will soon begin seeing native and relevant ads in the app, via an update that’s rolling out as we speak. Promotions will look just like normal stories that are shown in the feed, and will feature content from AdNetworks partners such as Yahoo, Twitter, Appia and HTC itself. If you’re completely against ads showing up in your feed, though, HTC is giving pilot users a way to opt out of the program. The company explains:
We will be implementing a way for you to opt out of receiving these promotions, but we hope that displaying native and limited promotions in this way will help you discover new and useful apps and/or products and services.
HTC wants users to understand that this is just a pilot program for now, so it’s only testing the waters. However, if these advertisements prove effective over the next few months, there’s a chance we could eventually see a global rollout of the program.
What are your thoughts on ads in BlinkFeed? Are you completely against them, or do you not mind? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Motorola will launch many “exciting products” this summer
Motorola will be launching a handful of “exciting products” this summer. Lenovo’s chief executive Yang Yuanqing spoke to The Telegraph at the company’s TechWorld event in Beijing last month to discuss the matter.
We haven’t seen much from Motorola since Lenovo acquired the company, but that could change very soon. “We have many new models in development with the Moto brands,” Yuanqing said, “so you may see in summer us launching some very exciting products, including phones and watches.”
In other words, Motorola fans will be able to purchase an all-new Moto X this year. He mentioned that the company has many “new models in development with the Moto brands.” In addition to a new Moto X, we could see a new Moto 360 smartwatch as well, which has been rumored extensively.
It doesn’t look like the Moto brand will be stopping anytime soon either, as Lenovo has plans to bring the brand to other markets where the company has seen success, such as India and China.
“There are some markets though, like India and China, where we can certainly have two brands, and that will also allow us to be more competitive in those markets as well,” he said.
The Moto brand has seen some great success since its original launch with the Moto X (2013). There’s no doubt it will do well in India and China where Lenovo has seen great success thus far, either.
As for the new Moto X coming out this year, Lenovo says they’re sticking with the pure Android experience, and they currently have no plans to offer another operating system besides Android like other company’s are beginning to provide.
“There are no plans to start launching operating systems other than Android. One of the key differentiators for us is the pure Android experience, and we’re deeply proud of that, because we believe it brings a much better software experience to consumers, and faster upgrades,” he said.
One thing is for sure, Lenovo hopes to continue putting the customer first by continuing to offer a pure Android experience, which will allow the company to push out faster upgrades for its devices.
Lenovo has thus far done a phenomenal job at making sure its products are running the latest version of Android, while other companies are leaving old flagships in the past.
You can check out the full interview with Lenovo’s chief executive at the source link below. Are you looking forward to a new Moto X and Moto 360 this year? Be sure to sound off in the comments!
source: The Telegraph
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