Distro Issue 64: Is Apple's iPad mini the next big thing?

Among the truckload of devices that Apple unpacked at its press event a few days ago was a gadget that we had heard rumblings about for a long time. The iPad mini graces the cover of our weekly and we put it through the full review treatment to see how it stacks up with other slates that sport a smaller stature. If Cupertino's latest doesn't grab your eye, we also take a good, long look at Windows 8, ASUS's PadFone 2 and HTC's 8X before offering in-depth analysis. Weekly Stat recaps earnings season, Eyes-On visually fondles a pair of Slingboxes, and video producer Freddie Wong visits the Q&A. The usual download repositories are just below, so mosey on to yours and snag a copy.

Distro Issue 64 PDF
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Distro in the Google Play Store
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Apple

Distro Issue 64: Is Apple's iPad mini the next big thing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple?s iPad Mini Launch Draws Smaller Crowds Than Previous Product Debuts

The iPad mini officially went on sale today, and the response at physical retail stores has been mixed. Some areas are seeing decent-sized lines, according to Reuters this morning, including Tokyo and Seoul Apple Stores with crowds of 100 or more, but overall, the news organization notes that crowds are smaller than they have been in the past for other launches.

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Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support

Zoho has offered an iOS app for a while now -- at least for the iPhone and iPod touch. Those of you who have been wanting to use the Zoho app on your iPad were out of luck, but that's no longer the case.

Zoho Docs 2.0 has landed in the App Store, and the most notable change is that it's now a universal app. Now you're able to take advantage of the app's mobile productivity powers on your larger iOS device. Retina display support has also been added, as have document sharing options -- which you can utilize in both the viewer and collaboration modes.

Just like the basic Zoho service, the app is available totally free of charge. Paid subscriptions get you additional storage space and start at $3 per month for professional use.

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arc Squadron review

Arc Squadron launched on the App Store today, summoning many memories for old-school Star Fox players. The on-rails space-themed shooter game takes players through a variety of treacherous interstellar scenarios, who must guide a variety of ships through obstacles with smooth and natural-feeling swipe-gestures, while unloading advanced weaponry and technology against the foes they encounter.

Steering your ship is as easy as dragging your finger around the screen. As your ship moves, so do the crosshairs, and if they rest on top of an enemy, you'll automatically start shooting. Secondary weapons and equipment are activated through taps, while you can get an extra bit of maneuverability with sideways swipes to execute barrel rolls. I was really impressed with the implementation of touch controls here, and was extremely happy that there wasn't some bastardized version of joystick controls. Controls are simple, intuitive, and allow players to focus on the challenging gameplay.�

Each level is scored out of four stars, depending on how many of the level's enemies you blow up, how much damage you take, and how many of the bonus cubes you pick up. Currency is earned for destroying alien ships or bought through in-app purchases. Those Arcbucks are used to buy new ships and secondary weapons, upgrade existing ones, or get one of the many different paint jobs available. The upgrade structure is really nicely streamlined and not too complicated while still offering a solid amount of tactical variety. Though level progression is fairly linear, there are a handful of branching bonus missions that aren't required in order to move along in the storyline. As linear as the gameplay may be, there's an obscene amount of levels to chew through - don't count on finishing this game any time soon. The game's replay value is stunted a little bit by the scripted nature of the combat encounters, but if you're the type of player that loves really digging in on a level and memorizing each tiny little detail of a stage and meeting those challenges flawlessly, there's definitely plenty of opportunity in Arc Squadron.

Game Center support extends as far as leaderboards among your buddies and tracking various achievements, though Arc Squadron itself keeps close tabs on specific stats, like how many of the total stars you've collected, how many enemies you've killed, and even how many barrel rolls you've made. No love on cloud saving unfortunately, so be sure to pick iPad or iPhone before you get started. The graphics and audio are both top-notch, and well-suited for the arcade feel the devs are going for. The soundtrack has an amply sci-fi feel, while effects are well-timed, electric, and diverse. The voice acting, though a bit hammed-up, is well done. UI elements are all large, bold, and readable. The wide range of fantastic weaponry and settings produce a bunch of exciting lighting effects, but by far the most impressive part of the game's graphics are the stages. They're all crafted with a rich amount of detail, and despite it all happening in space-themed regions, there's ample visual variety.

All in all, Arc Squadron has excellent graphics, smooth controls, tight, twitch-based challenges, and heaps of compelling upgrades. Pick this up for $0.99 before the price goes up to a regular $4.99.

$0.99 (on sale) - Download Now

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If Batman Had a Sled It Would Be the Snolo Stealth-X

Chances are, you haven't been on a sled since you were a little kid. But if there were ever a reason to give up the relative control of skis or a snowboard and turn yourself into a projectile, it's New ...

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Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus

Once upon a time, there used to be a DOS game with a caveman and a human powered helicopter. The caveman would shuttle around the screen, madly trying to get customers to where they wanted to go.

Jetbus is not that game, but it's obviously inspired by it. You're driving a yellow school bus which has jets. I guess the jet engine takes quite a bit of space inside the bus, because you can only pick up one person at a time.

There are several doors on the screen, each with its own number. As you pick up a person, the status bar at the bottom of the screen shows you which number door you have to take them to.

You must fly your bus carefully, because if it gets bumped around too much, you lose. You earn money on each level, and can visit the garage to buy better jets and damping, power-ups, or even a whole new vehicle.

So while this game isn't made as well as the original that inspired it, it does provide a few minutes of fun. And now, which one of you guys remembers the original and feels like pointing to it in the comments?

Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily Crunch: Click Roll

Here are some of yesterday’s stories on TechCrunch Gadgets: LaCie Adds Some Polish To Its NAS Units With ?NAS OS? AliveCor Turns Mobile Devices Into Low-Cost Heart Monitors, Raises $3 Million kandenchi: Designer Mouse That Looks Like A Battery CineSkates: Roller Skates For Your Camera Failbook Phone: AT&T Already Looking To Ditch The HTC Status, Says Source

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Russian Hacker Gets a Taste of His Own Malware

After a persistent series of attacks on its government computers by a Russian hacker, the Republic of Georgia got mad and refused to take it anymore. In a reversal of roles, members of the country's Computer Emergency Response Team suckered the cybermiscreant into downloading a file infected with his own spyware that allowed CERT to photograph the alleged hacker with his computer's webcam and ransack its hard drive for files.

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Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US

Recently, Google has been busy beefing up Latitude to make it more competitive with other location apps -- and more fun to use. Location history was added recently, iOS users can post check-ins via Latitude, and now Google has begun rolling out location-based deals which are tied to the service.

If you're in the U.S., you can now score local savings at participating merchants by checking in with Latitude. Google will also be offering "status deals," which users can unlock by visiting a particular merchant on a regular basis. Mashable notes three status levels: regular, VIP, and guru -- though partners can apparently customize those titles if they choose.

Right now deals are available from merchants like American Eagle Outfitters, Arby's, Finish Line, Macy's, Quiznos, and RadioShack.

Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube Live now streaming select partners in real time

Not content with limiting its dominance in streaming uploaded videos, YouTube is now ready to take on competitors like Justin.TV and Ustream. The new YouTube Live service is being rolled out to select YouTube partners and will enable real-time broadcasting. In its official announcement, Google states that "The goal is to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead."

You can check out live broadcasts at http://www.youtube.com/live, where you'll also find a schedule of upcoming episodes from beta partners like Revision3 and Destructoid. You're also able to subscribe to YouTube Live broadcasts -- which will ensure you're notified when a new episode is coming up.

YouTube Live now streaming select partners in real time originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with 4G LTE hits Sprint on November 11th for $550

Verizon rolled out an LTE-equipped version of its smaller counterpart a few months ago, and now Sprint has announced that it'll begin offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with 4G LTE on November 11th. That will be available for $550 (sans contract), and you'll be able to activate it on one of the carrier's new month-to-month tablet rate plans, which run from $15 a month for 300MB of data to $80 for 12GB -- Sprint says it's also waiving activation fees on all 3G/4G tablets "for a limited time." As for the tablet itself, it comes with a speedier 1.5GHz dual-core processor than the WiFi-only model (which clocked in at 1GHz), but looks to otherwise be the same 10.1-inch device, right down to the now somewhat dated Android 4.0 for an OS -- no word on a planned upgrade to 4.1 or 4.2 just yet.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with 4G LTE hits Sprint on November 11th for $550

Filed under: Tablets, Sprint

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with 4G LTE hits Sprint on November 11th for $550 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X

GNOME 3, after more than two years of development, has been released into the wild. GNOME 3 is not merely the logical successor of GNOME 2: it is an entirely new project, started from scratch, to create a "completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies."

The best way to check out GNOME 3's new features -- and it has lots of new features -- is to run a live version of openSUSE or Fedora, or simply head over to the GNOME 3 website and watch the (rather pretty) introductory videos. If you want a synopsis, though, here it is: GNOME 3 looks a lot like Mac OS X, with a healthy dollop of iOSesqueness for good measure, but yet it still somehow retains an underlying feel of Linux.

The overall aesthetic is very simple, very elegant, and despite being slightly out of fashion, there are plenty of rounded corners, too. The main addition, workflow-wise, is the addition of an app-launcher-cum-alt-tab screen, where you can launch apps, or flip through your open windows. For a complete list of the new features and changes, check the GNOME 3 release notes.

Despite GNOME 3 being officially launched, there aren't actually any releases for existing, stable Linux distros -- it's the live CD/USB images, or Ubuntu users will have to wait for the launch of 11.04 for a GNOME 3 PPA, but it will break Unity in the process. Fedora users will have to wait for for the May 24 release of Fedora 15. Of course, if you're feeling crazy, you can always build GNOME 3 from source.

GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smart TVs: You Won't Just Watch Anymore

The line between TVs and computers is increasingly blurring, with TVs becoming smarter and more connected than ever. As interactive, Web-connected appliances, smart TVs have search and navigation capabilities, can interact with tablets and smartphones, and offer access to downloadable apps. In short, smart TVs provide the kind of always-on connectivity that consumers have come to expect.

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T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won't provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked

T-Mobile has already made an odd pair of decisions around its approach to the Nexus 4, namely its choices to ask $200 on contract and $500 up-front for a smartphone that costs $349 unlocked. It might be time to add a third quirk to the list, if a forgivable (and not entirely surprising) one. The carrier has confirmed to TmoNews that it won't be offering WiFi calling through its edition of Google's flagship; if cost or coverage makes cellular voice a scarce resource, VoIP might be the only viable backup. We weren't assuming that T-Mobile would suddenly layer the Nexus 4 in custom features when the very point is to run an unspoiled Android 4.2, but the strategy leaves us even less of an incentive to submit to long-term commitments when a virtually identical, unfettered Google Play model beckons. November 13th is looking better every day.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG, T-Mobile

T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won't provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T and T-Mobile to share networks in New York and New Jersey

AT&T and T-Mobile USA have agreed to share their networks in New York and New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. As both carriers operate GSM and UMTS networks, compatible devices can switch between either AT&T and T-Mobile with little trouble. Calls, texts, and data will go through whichever network has the most capacity in a given area. With reports of cell service outages thoughout New York and New Jersey, this agreement will allow people affected by those outages to utilize their phones if either network is operational. Service agreements will not be affected.

Full press release below.

AT&T and T-Mobile Open Networks to Customers of Both Carriers in New York and New Jersey

DALLAS & BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, AT&T and T-Mobile are taking extraordinary measures to make sure our customers can stay in touch.

AT&T and T-Mobile have entered into an agreement to enable roaming on their networks to customers of both companies in the heavily impacted areas and where capacity is available and for subscribers with a compatible device.

AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to place calls just as they normally would, but their calls will be carried by whichever network is most operational in their area. This will be seamless for AT&T and T-Mobile customers with no change to their current rate plans or service agreements even if the phone indicates the device is attached to the other carrier?s network.

T-Mobile and AT&T both utilize network technology based on GSM and UMTS standards, which allows for this sharing of voice and data traffic.

Source: Business Wire

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Ten Ways To Smash a Pumpkin in Mesmerizing Slow-Motion By Andrew Liszewski You shouldn’t use...

Ten Ways To Smash a Pumpkin in Mesmerizing Slow-Motion

By Andrew Liszewski

You shouldn’t use this video as inspiration for going out and destroying other people’s jack-o-lanterns this evening. But if you want a fun way to dispose of your own here are ten creative ways to utterly decimate a pumpkin—made all the more enjoyable to watch thanks to a high-speed camera. You might want to skip the throwing axe, though, nothing good’s gonna come of that. [YouTube via Laughing Squid]

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Nearly Every Comment on Bloomberg’s Update Is a Kid Screaming That School Is Cancelled By...

Nearly Every Comment on Bloomberg’s Update Is a Kid Screaming That School Is Cancelled

By Harry Sawyers

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is wrapping up a press conference�updating storm victims on the status of the recovery. There was critical information about subway closures, the recovery of power, and the city’s response to the hurricane.

But based on the comments on the Youtube page, Bloomberg only said one thing that mattered.