Alto’s Odyssey for Android: Everything you need to know

Patience is a virtue. Alto’s Odyssey is coming to Android later this year.

As the late-great Tom Petty crooned, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

Alto’s Odyssey has been out on iOS since February, and it’s AMAZING. Developed by the same group of folks responsible for the masterpiece that is Alto’s Adventure, Team Alto has taken everything we loved from the first game — the gorgeous graphics, beautiful atmosphere and butter smooth gameplay — and stepped it all up a notch while giving us a brand new story and a beautiful and diverse new environment for us to endlessly explore.

If I sound excited, it’s because Alto’s Adventure is hands-down one of the best free-to-play games ever released for Android. Period.

Seriously, if you’ve never played Alto’s Adventure go download it right now. and then come back.

Ready? OK.

What new in Alto’s Odyssey?

Alto and his pals have traded the snow-capped mountains of the original Adventure for the rolling sand dunes of a mystical desert complete with hot air balloons and other surprises to contend with.

Awesome features such as Zen Mode are included right out of the gate, and there are new tricks available and new ways to interact with the procedurally-generated areas. I mean, the developers drew specific inspiration from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (which explains the emphasis on intuitive controls) and that era in the THPS franchise is celebrated for adding subtle improvements to the gameplay that opened up a new way to link tricks and explore levels.

By all accounts, Alto’s Odyssey is the perfect sequel to an amazing game that, too, took its time coming over to Android in 2016 after becoming a smash hit on iOS in 2015.

How much will it cost?

This is the other really interesting question that we don’t have an answer for yet.

Both Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey were released as paid apps in the iTunes App Store, but when Snowman partnered with Noodlecake Studios to bring Alto’s Adventure to Android, they opted for a free-to-play model that included video ads to revive Alto and in-app purchases for premium upgrades. It was an experiment of sorts that offered a great game for free to Android users with minimal ads — and tens of millions of downloads from the Google Play Store.

Of course, the iOS and Android app markets are unique beasts, and while Team Alto has been hush on a firm release date, they also haven’t said anything about whether Alto’s Odyssey on Android will be free-to-play or require an up-front purchase.

Either way, we’re eager to hit the sandy slopes of Alto’s Odyssey just as soon as it’s available for download.

Are you excited about Alto’s Odyssey?

Let us know in the comments!

Android Gaming

• Best Android games
• Best free Android games
• Best games with no in-app purchases
• Best action games for Android
• Best RPGs for Android
• All the Android gaming news!

Pocket Casts app acquired by NPR-led radio group, will continue development

App will remain in development, as will NPR’s own app.

Pocket Casts, one of the best cross-platform podcast apps and my personal favorite, has been acquired by a group of public radio-focused companies headlined by NPR. The group, comprised of NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago and This American Life, is acquiring Pocket Casts in pursuit of synergy — after all, this group comprises some of the most popular podcasts available today, with hits such as This American Life, Serial, Radiolab and Planet Money.

The entire Pocket Casts team is joining the new group, and they are adamant that Pocket Casts will continue to operate and be improved. “Together we have the passion, scale and laser focus needed to achieve some truly great things,” reads their blog post on the acquisition. “Nothing about the app is changing. Going forward our aim is to make it better, like we always have, year in, year out.” The app will retain its paid model, and the pricing isn’t going to change. This pretty much sums things up:

Going forward things are going to be different. We’ll be moving faster, we’ll be more ambitious in the things we do and we’ll have some amazing insights from the top podcast producers in the world to help guide our future steps. I mean if you’re not excited by that, then you’re just not hooked up right.

The Pocket Casts app will remain focused on podcasts of all kinds, from every sort of creator around the world, and not simply turn into an app for these public radio shows from the acquiring group. NPR’s existing app, NPR One, will also continue to be maintained. Former iHeartRadio General Manager, Owen Grover, has been named CEO of Pocket Casts.

The stated goal of the acquisition is to make podcasting better for everyone, both creators and listeners, through collaboration — not about selling the app and walking away. Pocket Casts has already garnered huge mind share and is synonymous with podcast listening for so many people — we can only hope that it grows and improves with the backing of this larger group.

Amazon lets every Alexa developer offer in-skill purchases

Now that it’s easier to ask Amazon’s Alexa follow-up questions, it’s only natural that its shopping options are getting a boost. Soon you’ll be able to ask Alexa to buy even more things, as Amazon opened up in-skill purchasing to all developers today. While some microtransaction applications are obvious — buying items in games, for example — others could be upgrading from a free to a paid tier or, heck, simply browsing goods.

In-skill purchasing was first announced back in November but only available for a few game publishers like Jeopardy! and The Ellen’s Show’s Heads Up, along with limited options in Best Buy’s application. Once developers set it up within their skill, they select what products and prices for customers to sift through — and if they see something they like, pay for it using their Amazon account’s payment information. Then Amazon handles the buying process.

Amazon is also requiring that developers’ in-skill purchases have bonuses for Prime members like discounts, exclusive content or early access, according to TechCrunch. Developers get 70 percent of the list price before discounts are considered.

Source: TechCrunch

Case Company LifeProof Debuts New Line of Rugged Backpacks

LifeProof, known for its range of ultra protective and waterproof cases for iOS devices, today announced the launch of a new lineup of rugged, high-capacity backpacks.

LifeProof is debuting four different backpacks with prices that range from $99.99 to $179.99, called the Quito, Squamish, Goa, and Squamish XL.

According to LifeProof, all of the backpacks are made from a water-repellent Cordura fabric with weather-lined tech pockets that include a headphone passthrough option, a 3L hydration reservoir, tie-downs for expanded storage, and chest straps for comfort purposes. Each pack is available in three colors: gray, black, and red.

The Quito, priced at $99.99, is the smallest of the four packs with an 18-liter capacity. It does not feature a dedicated laptop compartment, but it does hold 3L of liquid and it comes with interior pockets for organizing accessories.

Priced at $139.99, the Squamish is slightly larger than the Quito at 20 liters. It has all of the same features, but also includes a weather-resistant 13-inch laptop pocket, an expandable front pocket, dual water bottle pockets, and a side stash pocket.

The Goa, priced at $159.99, holds up to 22 liters of gear. It has a 15-inch weather resistant laptop pocket along with the same 3L hydration reservoir pocket available in the other packs, four weather-resistant tech pockets, interior gear organizing pockets, and more.

The Squamish XL, priced at $179.99, is the largest of the four packs with a 32-liter capacity. It is similar to the standard Squamish, but features a 15-inch laptop pocket, a bottom compartment for extra storage, and load-lifter shoulder straps.

LifeProof will provide more information on its backpacks in the near future, and interested customers can sign up to receive details on the LifeProof website.

Tag: LifeProof
Discuss this article in our forums

Blizzard and Epic take ‘Overwatch’ and ‘Fortnite’ cheating very seriously

Game-makers have had a field day making examples out of cheaters the past few weeks. Most recently, a pair of Overwatch hackers were charged in South Korea as a result of a year-long investigation by the region’s police. Working with Blizzard (translated), the Seoul National Police Agency Cyber Security Department arrested a baker’s dozen hackers total, according to Kotaku,

Should one of the offenders violate his probation terms (two years), he’ll be put in jail. The other ne’er-do-well has been fined ₩10,000,000 ($9,286.43). This case is an instance where the state is flexing its legal muscle. As of last June, it was illegal to create and distribute game hacks in South Korea, where the maximum fine is around $50,000 or five years in prison for doing so. Last July, Blizzard sued a German developer for its hacking app, Watchover Tyrant.

Late last month, Epic decided to move forward with its lawsuit against an alleged 14 year-old hacker. If you’ll remember, the hacker’s mom claimed that her son’s name was wrongly released, and that since he was underage and playing without her permission, he shouldn’t be held responsible for cheating. Epic countered that her claims were irrelevant, using legal precedent to dispute her view that there wasn’t a binding contract between Epic and her son.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Chinese authorities had arrested some 15 hackers, collectively fining them over $4.5 million.

It makes sense: developers are sinking millions into making these games constantly evolving platforms rather than pumping out sequels in some cases. If they let bad apples ruin the experience, eventually anyone who wants to play the game without being killed thanks to wall hacks or aim-bots will go elsewhere. The more online-only and esports-minded games we see, the more common litigation against hackers will likely become.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Blizzard Korea (translated)

Amazon and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation team up for Meek Mill docu-series

Amazon and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation are working together to produce a documentary starring rapper Meek Mill and his battle with the US criminal justice system over the past 10 years. According to Variety, the documentary series will have six episodes and those involved are targeting a premiere sometimes in 2019.

The documentary series will focus specifically on the incarceration of rapper Robert Rihmeek Williams. Meek Mill served five months for violating his probation and was released from jail last month. His offense? Popping a wheelie in an Instagram video while failing to wear a helmet. The series will look at Meek Mill’s personal battle for justice, as well as the higher rates of incarceration of people of color in the US.

“I’m grateful for this unique opportunity to share my story and I look forward to collaborating with Amazon Prime Video, Roc Nation and the Intellectual Property Corporation on this incredible series,” Meek Mill said to Variety. “Not only will this documentary give viewers an unprecedented look at my life, but it will also allow me to use my public platform to highlight the need for criminal justice reform.”

Source: Variety

‘PUBG’ players can now pick which map to die on

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds players can now opt to avoid the much-maligned desert map, as the game’s map selection feature is now available on PC. You can select which map or maps you’d like to play on, though there are currently only two choices — original island Erangel and desert locale Miramar. It’s not clear when the smaller map being tested will hit the live servers to offer a third option. If a player selects more than one map, the game will choose which to toss them into.

The latest patch also adds a new car, weapon attachments and a designated marksman rifle, as well as some weapon balance changes. Pistols deal a little more damage and most sub-machine guns received a boost. On the other hand, several shotguns and assault rifles now deliver one fewer damage point per round.

The map selection option distinguishes PUBG slightly from other popular shooters, since Fortnite has just one ever-changing map and Overwatch players have no choice over the map into which they’re funneled. Organizing players into separate queues might lead to longer wait times for a match, especially if there’s a big imbalance in the number of people trying to get into one map. Some players hated Miramar so much they deleted the map from their game files to avoid playing on it, so map selection is likely to prove a popular feature.

PUBG also has a new War Mode event, in which 10 teams of five duke it out on Miramar. After each death, players respawn on one of the planes that fly over every 40 seconds and drop in with a gun, grenades, helmet and vest already in their inventories. Teams earn points through kills and knockdowns, and the first squad to 200 points wins.

Finally, PUBG has placed a temporary block on players trading items outside of the Steam market. The “personal trade” feature was intended to let friends swap items without any money changing hands, but, inevitably, some players sold their skins through third-party sites. That’s “an abuse of the system,” PUBG Corporation said in a blog post, so it’s turned off personal trades while it finds a solution.

Via: PC Gamer

Source: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Google’s hacking protection tools now keep native iOS apps safe

Google’s Advanced Protection Program can be extremely valuable if you’re a high-profile hacking target who’s willing to trade a ton of convenience for some extra peace of mind. However, you’ve had to use Google’s apps to get that protection — and that’s a pain on iOS, where you have to download Google’s apps. Or rather, you did. As of now, people enrolled in the program can use iOS’ native calendar, contact and email apps rather than having to shake up their smartphone habits. If you log in to your Google account with any of those apps, you’ll get special instructions for completing the sign-in process.

The list of supported apps across platforms will “continue to expand,” Google added.

The APP is effectively to the hacks that defined the 2016 US presidential election, but it’s ultimately intended for anyone who sees intrusions as a very real possibility, not just politicians or celebrities. And that makes this expansion particularly important. Many everyday iPhone owners don’t want to (or wouldn’t immediately know how to) switch apps just to bolster their security, and Google’s change spares them that trouble.

Source: Google

What we’re watching: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Lost in Space’

This week’s IRL heads to the theater, where the latest Marvel flick is setting box-office records. Find out how several of our editors felt about it (spoiler-free, although we can’t guarantee anything about the comments section below), as well as our thoughts on a few new series from Netflix, Hulu and HBO.

Lost in Space

Rob LeFebvre
Contributing Writer

It’s been quite a while since I watched the original Lost in Space, but something tells me its weird mashup of sixties-style drama and campy sci-fi doesn’t hold up too well. When I was a kid devouring as many reruns of the show as possible, I identified with Robbie the Robot, because, well, we had the same name. In the current reboot of the show, currently streaming on Netflix, I connect more with the parents. Lost in Space is now a family drama that brings all the modern complexity of human relationships to the crash-landed colonists whose journey was interrupted by a catastrophe on the mothership en route to Alpha Centauri. How do you keep your kids (or yourselves) safe when that happens?

Without spoiling too much of the plot, I’ll say that the first episode caught my attention immediately. From the zero-gravity card game to a horrifying scene in which the oldest Robinson daughter gets frozen in place after brashly diving down to the crashed family spaceship — and let’s not forget the beautiful bonding of the youngest child and the new, unpredictable alien robot (Danger, Will Robinson, indeed) — I was hooked.

The plots of the individual episodes are a little loose at times, and the tone of the show varies wildly; season 2 would do well with some tightening up in these areas. The stellar acting, however, makes up for it. Molly Parker is fantastic as engineer mom Maureen Robinson; her competence at holding things together just barely keep her family intact. Parker Posey is spot-on, too; her take on the morally ambiguous Dr. Smith makes the show worth watching on its own. The children are decent, though Maxwell Jenkins’ Will Robinson may be the least watchable — his robot gives a more compelling performance, to be honest. Middle child Penny (played by Mina Sundwall) is as impetuous as she is kind; her portrayal adds a necessary warmth and sparkle to the ensemble cast. Taylor Russell plays 18-year-old Dr. Judy Robinson as plucky yet vulnerable; her breakdown while encased in ice is a highlight of the role. While it took me a few episodes to warm up to Taylor Russell’s absentee father John Robinson, the subsequent thawing of his soldier persona has made him a more relatable character. Ignacio Serricchio plays pilot Don West as a lovable smuggling rogue with a heart of gold; the role is familiar to anyone who’s seen Han Solo or Guardian Peter Quill, but Serricchio is able to play both sides of his character nicely.

It’s good to see a sci-fi television show that’s able to appeal to both adults and children. If you loved Earth 2, you’d dig this one. It’s also fantastic to have a more nuanced take on the realities of being a family, with parents who struggle to manage their relationship while they still work together to take care of their kids. Having more colonists involved is a nice change, too. Is it perfect? No, but it does fill a hole in the current sci-fi television oeuvre with a less gritty, still thrilling take on the genre. The mysteries at the center of the show (Who is this robot? Why did we crash? When will they see through Dr. Smith’s BS?) are compelling enough to keep bingeing one episode after another; the solid acting and superb production values are just extra reasons to give this one a try.

The Looming Tower

Billy Steele
Senior News Editor

It can be tough to watch movies and television that remind us of dark times in history. And I’ll admit, I wasn’t prepared for the feels I’d get from watching Hulu’s The Looming Tower series. The miniseries is based on the Lawrence Wright book of the same name, chronicling the work of the FBI’s I-49 squad in NYC and the CIA’s Alec Station in Washington, DC. The general premise both the book and the show assert, based on actual accounts (the book is nonfiction), is that if the FBI and the CIA shared intelligence and resources, perhaps 9/11 could’ve been avoided.

There’s no way to know that, of course, but The Looming Tower doesn’t need to prove it. Instead, it offers an eye-opening look into how US agencies tracked and investigated Al Qaeda following events like US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya and the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. It also tells a bit of the story from the other side, offering a view into the mindset of Osama bin Laden and his followers. The result is gripping television, even though you know exactly where the story is headed.

The Looming Tower has powerful performances by Jeff Daniels (John O’Neill) and Peter Sarsgaard (Martin Schmidt) as the heads of the FBI’s I-49 and the CIA’s Alec Station, respectively. Despite that duo being among the biggest names on the cast list, Tahar Rahim’s role as Muslim Lebanese-American FBI agent Ali Soufan is the best on the show. As Soufan, Rahim has to battle with staying true to himself while also doing his job. He’s continually called on to travel abroad — primarily because he speaks Arabic. He takes offense to the perversion of Islam and even goes undercover in spots where Al Qaeda gather to try and obtain intel.

The show also offers a look into the personal lives of these people. You get an up-close look at O’Neill’s personal finance problems, caused mostly by the fact that he’s having multiple affairs. There’s also Soufan’s budding romance with an American teacher, which is regularly interrupted by calls for him to hop on a plane. And then there’s the professional dark side, a place where I-49’s repeated requests for information are shut down by Alec Station — almost always directed by Schmidt.

The suspense of knowing what’s coming and wanting to know what happened immediately beforehand makes for some very compelling viewing. At 10 episodes, the miniseries never seems to drag or hit a lull, like some 13-episode (or more) seasons tend to do. And yes, at times it’s infuriating to the point that it’s hard to watch — like some of the remarks from national security adviser Condoleezza Rice during intelligence briefings for George W. Bush. I chalk all of that up to some A-plus performances across the entire cast (Wrenn Schmidt is also very good as CIA analyst Diane Marsh) and the source material. Take the most significant terrorist attack on US soil, toss in a compelling narrative about how government intelligence made some mistakes and add some great performances. The result is one of the best originals from Hulu thus far.

Barry

Timothy J. Seppala
Reporter

When I first saw trailers for Barry on HBO, I wasn’t sure what to make of the network’s new dark comedy. I’ve never been Bill Hader’s biggest fan, but generally, when he winds up in something like Superbad or an SNL rerun, I’m happy to see him. He was great opposite Amy Schumer (and LeBron James) in Trainwreck, too, and he brings the same type of awkward everyman approachability to the title role here.

Barry stumbled into an LA acting class while shadowing a target for the Chechen mob, fell for the plucky blonde with stars in her eyes (Sarah Goldberg) and decided that contract killing was no longer the life for him. It’s too bad, then, that he can’t emote in front of an audience and his handler (Stephen Root) keeps assigning him contracts. Killing someone with his bare hands is easy compared with running lines from Macbeth. Barry’s calm and ruthlessly efficient with a weapon, too, but when his acting teacher (Henry Winkler) assigns him Alec Baldwin’s monologue about “closers” from Glengarry Glen Ross, it’s like watching in horror as a two-year-old fumbles with a .45. Speaking from the heart is a different story, though, and it’s enough to get him a second shot at joining the class.

Everyone in class is relentlessly supportive of one another, at least on the surface, offering Barry help running lines and just hanging out in general. It reminds me a lot of how a friend’s improv troupe gets on in real-life LA. There’s definitely a queen bee, and now, roughly halfway through the season, cracks in the group’s dynamics are coming to light.

Barry wouldn’t be nearly as effective if it weren’t for its cast of supporting characters. My personal favorites? Bumbling Chechen mobster Goran Pazar and his bald henchman NoHo Hank. The former tortures enemies in his garage but gets yelled at by his wife because the screams are disrupting their youngest daughter’s slumber party. Think Tony Soprano meets Archie Bunker and you’re halfway there. NoHo Hank, on the other hand, unwittingly uses smiling Bitmoji to confirm hits via text message and left a lipstick camera at the scene of a crime.

The show is full of smaller roles like this, and they’re what makes Barry so endearing. All the principals are trying to better themselves in some way, denying their programming to pursue something that makes them happy. In Barry’s case, it’s acting. For Goldberg’s Sally, it’s overcoming Hollywood’s salacious business practices and standing up for herself. The Chechen mobsters struggle to keep their kids and wives happy while maintaining the family business and keeping quiet in the garage.

Subplots like seeing how long NoHo Hank can outrun his own idiocy, or watching Barry’s acting chops develop at a lethargic pace are more interesting than his potential arrest. Slowly, as the tale of a hitman who wants out of his day job has unfolded week after week, it’s become the show I look forward to most come Sunday night. Or, to be 100 percent accurate, Monday afternoon.

Avengers: Infinity War

David Lumb
Contributing Editor

Six years ago, the first Avengers film fit half a dozen A-list superheroes into a cohesive two-hour plot and was hailed as an unprecedented success. The movies have only gotten bigger and more connected since, and Avengers: Infinity War folds in nearly two dozen heroes and side characters from the 18 previous films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, a lot happens, and the film doesn’t slow down, so get ready for a hero mashup roller coaster of epic proportions. But in efficiently translating universe-spanning comics events to film, Avengers: Infinity War also inherits their faults: Emotional beats get rushed off-screen, the franchise-mixing suffers from tonal friction and the villain’s thin motive and plan are (once again) the weakest parts of an Avengers film. But who cares? It’s a heckuva ride, with a scale of spectacle unrivaled in film. See it before the shocking parts get spoiled.

Avengers: Infinity War

Cherlynn Low
Reviews Editor

Breathtaking, heartbreaking and draining, Infinity War is a deeply emotional ride that had me cringing, cheering and cowering throughout. Ultimately, it left me overwhelmed, looking for words that I’m not sure exist. But, like, in a good way — the way evocative movies stay with you long after the initial catharsis wears off.

You may also have heard this from others, but this felt very much like a Star Wars movie. Do other moviegoers a favor, though: If you’re not up to speed on the MCU’s latest developments, please catch up before going to see IW in theaters. This is a film that relies heavily on its established history, and it was annoying when the poor guy next to me had to keep explaining things to his partner, especially at the tensest moments. If you’re a Marvel fan, this is a must-see. Conversations from now until the sequel’s release next year will be dominated by what happened here, and you can’t escape the spoilers forever. Watch it ASAP and prepare to have your world(s) rocked — no: shaken to its very core.

Avengers: Infinity War

Devindra Hardawar
Senior Editor

Avengers: Infinity War is a lot. It’s an ambitious attempt at uniting the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, which includes 18 films and a slew of superheroes. So, not surprisingly, everything feels a bit rushed. Characters we’ve known for years meet for the first time and get killed off in the blink of an eye. Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones feels almost like a video game, going level by level, with increasing amounts of collateral damage. And while the film makes room for the quirky quips we’ve come to expect from Marvel’s heroes, they sometimes feel obligatory.

It’s a long film, at two and a half hours, but, paradoxically, it likely would have been stronger if it had even more room to breathe. That would have given the big dramatic moments more time to shine, instead of feeling like we’re jetting from plot point to plot point. That’s not to say there’s nothing to enjoy — the epic throwdowns are glorious, and at times it feels like a fever dream for comic geeks. But Infinity War is like watching a supercut of a season of TV, instead of a coherent movie, like the first Avengers film (or even the much maligned Age of Ultron). By the end, you’ll either buy the stakes Marvel is throwing down or roll your eyes at the false drama of it all, thanks to a follow-up film already set to arrive in 2019.

“IRL” is a recurring column in which the Engadget staff run down what they’re buying, using, playing and streaming.

Sonos plans home theater event for June 6th

Sonos announced today that it will be hosting an event in June and its invite included the image below. While it’s not yet clear exactly what’s on the docket for this event, it could have something to do with a Sonos FCC filing reported earlier this week. It suggests the company will soon introduce a new smart home speaker and describes the device as a “high-performance, all-in-one home theater smart speaker and part of Sonos’ home sound system.” And according to the filing, it looks like for audio, Sonos will be swapping its typical optical out for an HDMI port instead.

The event will take place in San Francisco on June 6th.