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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Frog eBike – the Electric Successor to 1985 Frog FZ750 Concept


San Francisco-based Frog Design released images of a new electric motorcycle concept, just as its influential Yamaha FZ750-based Rana concept gets enshrined at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.Frog designer Jin Soek Hwang prepared the Frog eBike concept as an expression of how electric motor technology can influence motorcycle design. In a post on Frog's blog, the designer says he was inspired in part by Frog's 1985 FZ750 Rana concept (pictured after the jump).The Frog Rana was designed by the company's founder Hartmut Esslinger and made the covers of magazines from Cycle World to Business Week. The iconic Rana design was influential for its time, helping lead to the design of the Honda Hurricane.


The new electric concept is highlighted by the large open space where one would expect to find a traditional motorcycle engine, symbolically representing the technological shift from internal combustion power to electric.
The eBike's electric motor is actually located in the hubless rear wheel. The batteries would be located in the lower part of the chassis beneath the open space, helping lower the center of gravity. The handlebars are fixed to the chassis so instead of physically moving the front end, the eBike uses electronic fly-by-wire steering. Other features include , an OLED digital display and online connectivity. The Frog eBike would be accompanied by a helmet equipped with heads-up display with retina tracking.
Via







Nokia Lumia 800 to control Microsoft’s Concept Car




















Microsoft has just recently unveiled a concept car called "Project Detroit" which can be controlled using a Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone.



Microsoft had this 2012 Ford Mustang with a 1967 body "pimped" Fast and Furious style with the help West Coast Customs, to "inspire developers to think about building apps and automotive technologies of the future." This muscle car is equipped with almost everything that Microsoft currently has in its arsenal: Kinect for Xbox 360, Xbox 360, Windows 8, Windows Phone, Windows Azure, Bing, Ford Sync and more.The Nokia Lumia 800 comes into play by allowing it to remotely unlock and start Project Detroit with the Viper SmartStart app for Windows phone. It also allows you watch and listen to live video streams from the Kinects that are embedded in the car, rendering the rear-view mirror almost obsolete. A few swipes from the Lumia 800 and you can change the accent lighting and horn sound or send a projected message to the rear windshield - "BATMAN CAN KISS MY ***!"Project Detroit also has a Windows 8 - powered tablet embedded on the dash, allowing you to browse the internet or play Xbox games. So, getting stuck in traffic with this baby is no big deal. I know this is still far from getting a real life GTA but it's exciting to see Microsoft's plans in using its technology for a whole new purpose other than showing how rich Bill Gates is.
Did I hear you say, "Shut Up And Take My Money!"?



Written by Louie Diangson

This article was contributed by Louie Diangson, a special features contributor and correspondent for YugaTech. Louie is a staff writer for an American owned BPO company. A social media advocate with high regard for Steve Jobs. You can follow him at @John_Louie.
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Luna: Shattered Hearts Gaming In the Raw









Many aspects go into getting a game up and going and KickStarter has seen hundreds of indie developers try to do just that. So what does it take for a successful campaign? Quite a bit actually and a development team is essential. Does it mean because a game didn’t get funded it wasn’t a good game or even a great idea? Not always but that’s where games like Luna fall in.



Luna has the potential to be a great game especially if it was focused towards the mobile platform of Android and iOS. However lack of funding often means the components and software needed don’t make that a possibility. So what is Luna and what does it have going for it? Luna is an RPG fantasy with the basis that the character relies on a light orb and another in-game character to keep him progressing from level to level. It’s a neat idea though the light orb, which is how you can see in the dark, could use some tweaking. It’s uniqueness is in the fact that all the backgrounds are hand drawn by artist and developer Gillis and it fits in the Retro Game Genre which the mobile platforms are excelling in. Hit the break for more.





However what Luna lacks will also probably be its KickStarter demise. Gillis is the design team and that’s it. Along with that he needs development packages and equipment upgrades. So how does he have a successful campaign, well this one probably won’t hit his desired goal but thankfully you get more than one strike with Kickstater and you can always relaunch a new campaign. Gillis needs the tools and could do so by taking a chance on a small loan which could get him his equipment and networking more his other developers. If all works well and he nails down the right components and preps the game past its current infancy stage he could come back with a strong campaign and possibly blow his goal out of the water. We’ll see how it goes for Gillis click the link here to see his current KickStarter campaign. Press release incoming!


For Immediate Release – Brighton, CO – Luna: Shattered Hearts


solo indie developer Daniel Gill, of Gillis LLC out of Brighton, CO is currently making a platform RPG game called 'Luna Shattered Hearts' and is seeking Kickstarter crowd funding capital. Luna is an amazing 2D side scroller that Daniel Gill, the developer has been working on for six years, and the project is nearly complete. The game features an engaging story and has beautifully hand-drawn graphics. All that's left to do is give Luna an awesome soundtrack, dialog, and sound effects to go along with Luna's already amazing art style. Daniel needs to raise eight thousand dollars to complete the project, and release it. He has already raised close to two thousand with 45 backers on Kickstarter. We are asking for your help letting the public know about Luna, and how they can help this project come to fruition. Once you see Luna you'll be incline to help out also. As an added incentive to help fund this game immediate access to the Beta once the project is funded will be given to all backers. Time is running out and the game is still looking for supporters. The Kickstarter campaign ends February 1st.



We'd like to thank a few journalist who have helped us get Luna to the public:



Louis Edwards – www.terminalgamer.com



Kev J – www.electronictheatre.co.uk



Phil & Brad – www.capsulecomputers.com.au



Patrick Hickey – www.reviewfix.com



Elizabeth Burnette – www.vividgamer.com



Khris Golder – www.gamercheeese.com



William Usher – www.cinemablend.com



Julie Wenzel – www.go-critic.com



Thank you for your continued support.


Supernatural: “Torn and Frayed” Review


Naomi torture




Warning, this article contains spoilers.



It’s been several weeks since the last episode of Supernatural, so it was nice to see this one start off with a brief recap. Purgatory, demon tablet, Kevin, Cass, and so on. The last we saw Benny, he killed Martin in self-defense, which drove a deep wedge between Sam and Dean.



Samandriel, or Alfie, was still being tortured. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about an angel giving secrets to demons. I understand that Crowley is willing to do anything and go anywhere to get what he wants, but I thought even an angel could still handle him. With how Alfie was treated this episode made me feel sorry for him though. Alfie was put through so much pain that he was able to cause a bush to practically explode. The demon helping Crowley with the interrogation gets is able to get down to Alfie’s “coding,” which makes Crowley focus on nothing but more torture.



Castiel is back from his little respite. He cures a baby from an aneurysm before Naomi sends him on a mission to save Alfie, making Cass think the idea was his and his alone. I don’t really like the meetings with Naomi with how Castiel forgets her yet remembers the topics discussed, but the ending seems to offer a possible explanation behind this. Knowing he can’t handle angel-defensive demons by himself, Castiel turns to Dean. Castiel is still making his awkward entrances and hilarious conversations. Dean knows they need all they can get to handle Crowley, so they find Kevin so they can make more demon bombs. While Castiel is gathering the material for the demon bombs, Kevin is focused on the half of the demon tablet he has and puts headphones on to drown out Dean. Dean takes the opportunity to stand right behind Kevin talking about how hot Kevin’s mom is, which was pretty hilarious. Castiel grabs Sam on his errand run and Dean couldn’t complain because of what they were up against. It’s always nice to see that the brothers can always put their problems aside when the time calls for it and can still work together.



Sam is given the choice of leaving or staying with Amelia. All I will say about this is Sam choose to stick with Dean and I can only hope there is no more Amelia in future episodes. On the other side, Dean gets a call from Benny that felt a little like a cry for help. Benny seemed okay for now, but it was clear he was struggling with his control. I like how all of Benny’s phone calls are outside in a public place like a park. The entire time he talks to Dean he keeps starring at the people who are all around him. At first, Dean wanted to help Benny, but decided that he could no longer help. I don’t know if it’s because of Sam, the demons, or whatever else it could be, but this decision could have a nasty side effect. Benny seemed like he knew this day was coming, but now he is all alone with no one to turn to.



The raid of the demon stronghold was excellent. Castiel had to wait for Sam and Dean to take care of the anti-angel charms, so he gives Sam his weapon. Demons were being stabbed and blown away. Since Castiel kept saying that they needed everything in their arsenal, I was hoping beyond hope that they would still have Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, from the demon tablet auction episode. Unfortunately it looks like they don’t have the hammer and probably just left it behind after it’s one and only use. Before Alfie could be rescued, Crowley is able to learn that there is an angel tablet. While this news wasn’t too surprising, what was revealed about Naomi is. When Castiel is able to get inside, he started having some sort of mental break down. It seems like he was being affected by Alfie’s painful screams. He begins to see himself being tortured by Naomi in a similar fashion to Alfie’s torture. Castiel is able to save Alfie, who begins to tell Cass things like Naomi is controlling them and he spilled the beans on the angel tablet. Naomi was able to force Cass into killing Alfie and even gave him an explanation to give to the brothers for why he did it. The brothers had to wait before they angel-proofed the room they were in before they felt safe to say “What the hell?” We are starting to learn more about Naomi, and nothing about her seems pleasant.



I normally don’t care about how the camera is handled, but there were some odd shots, such as zooming in on the Impala through a fire. Benny might be falling off the wagon, Crowley is on an angel tablet hunt, Amelia could be out of the picture forever, and Naomi is proving to be a character to watch out for. It makes sense that Amanda Tapping would play a character with more than a desk job, but personally controlling angels? I give Supernatural: “Torn and Frayed” a 9 out of 10












Related articles
  • Supernatural Season 8 – Episode 10 Torn and Frayed
  • ‘Supernatural’ Torn and Frayed – There’s more than just relationships at stake (Photos)
  • Laura Prudom: ‘Supernatural’ Season 8, Episode 10 Recap: Tough Choices In ‘Torn And Frayed’



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Sunday, January 6, 2013

This Wacky Angle Makes Trombone-Playing Look Like Bungee Jumping


This Wacky Angle Makes Trombone-Playing Look Like Bungee Jumping


GoPros are tough little buggers. You can drop one out of a plane and its no worse for the wear. That does mean you always have to go to the extremes, though. CDMVette stuck his GoPro in the relatively un-extreme position of the end of his trombone and the footage is more intense than you might expect. And also just silly. A great combination. [Viral Viral Videos]


Download This App and Learn To Play Blackjack


Download This App and Learn To Play Blackjack


Contrary to popular belief, Blackjack is not an easy game to play or master. You could learn how to count cards but you'll get kicked out of the casino and possibly banned, like those MIT students from the book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions or the movie "21".



The "book," not the above mentioned book, suggests you do a lot of things under many a circumstance to beat the house. It's rather complicated and if you're the type who learns on the fly, then I suggest you download Blackjack Strategizer for iOS ($1.99).



It'll teach you basic strategy and the touch gestures are the same gestures you'd use at the tables anyway. The app also crunches and displays your statistics in case you're the analytical type. I played it on the plane ride out to Vegas last night and left the tables with an extra $82.50. [iTunes]


Help a Little Planet Find its Way Home in Paper Galaxy – iPad Game Review


Paper Galaxy, from Liquid Entertainment, is a puzzle game featuring a moon named Luna, who has simultaneously lost her way from earth and caught a cold. Players will use the little moon's sneezes to rocket from planet to planet, in search of Luna's lost home.



When I first opened Paper Galaxy, I was reminded of another paper-centric game, Paper Monsters, which featured a 3-D design that had been constructed out of paper, cardboard, and some bits and bobbles. Paper Galaxy has a similar design, with everything made from cute paper cutouts.





To play the game, you will jump from planet to planet. Luna will spin around each planet and you wait until she is lined up with the next planet, tapping to jump.



The goal is to continue on, leaping from planet to planet, collecting the stars that surround each one on your journey.



The stars that are collected are used to purchase power ups, like the super sneeze, used to jump over planets and escape from enemies.



papergalaxy1




To spice up gameplay, there's a Cosmic Butterfly that Luna can chase for a speed boost. There are also planets that spin faster than other planets, which can be more challenging to navigate because of the increased speed.



In addition to collecting stars, there are also a series of goals to be completed, which can be found by tapping the pause button. Goals might include collecting a set number of stars or traveling a certain distance, and completing each goal will reward you with extra stars.



While you climb upwards, you will need to avoid enemies like the Crab Nebula. When you hit ice walls, you need to tap to get away, and there are also several other obstacles to avoid which keeps gameplay dynamic.



papergalaxy2




When you are gobbled up by the Crab Nebula, the level will end, and at this point you can purchase upgrades and continue to move on through the game fulfilling a new set of goals.



All in all there are more than 100 goals to fulfill and 120 upgrades to earn, along with Game Center achievements and leaderboards for plenty of gameplay.



What I liked: The graphics in this game are cute, appealing, and colorful. The gameplay is also simple, making this a great choice for children.



What I didn't like: Despite enemies and power ups, the gameplay can be repetitive for more experienced gamers.



To buy or not to buy: If you're looking for a simple casual game that the whole family can play, you won't go wrong with Paper Galaxy.


  • App Name: Paper Galaxy
  • Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
  • Category: Games
  • Developer: Liquid Entertainment
  • Price: $1.99
  • Score:

PadGadget Daily App Deal – 28 iPad Apps on Sale


PadGadget Daily App Deal - 28 iPad Apps on Sale




For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found 28 great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have 6 productivity / entertainment apps and 22 game apps in today’s bundle.



We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of these apps are up to 90% off, several are even free, so be sure to check them out because they are on sale for a limited time.



Game Apps


  1. Burnout CRASH! () – This fun racing game from EA has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99.
  2. Fieldrunners 2 HD – This is definitely one of the best tower defense games in the App Store. This game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $7.99. This app weighs in at 330 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  3. Fieldrunners for iPad – This classic tower defense game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $7.99.
  4. FIFA SOCCER 13 by EA SPORTS () – This popular soccer game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 86% off the apps’ normal price of $6.99. This app is a whopper, it weighs in at 1.38 GB so be sure that you have enough space on your iPad and that you are on a speedy network before purchasing.
  5. Flight Control HD – This extremely fun plane landing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99.
  6. Fluke HD – This cool strategy game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.
  7. Fruit Ninja HD – This insanely popular fruit-slashing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
  8. Legendary Wars HD () – This role playing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $1.99.
  9. Mirror’s Edge for iPad – This very popular EA game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 90% off the apps’ normal price of $9.99.
  10. MONOPOLY for iPad – This classic board game is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 90% off the apps’ normal price of $9.99.
  11. NBA JAM by EA SPORTS for iPad – This very popular basketball game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99. This app weighs in at 251 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  12. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for iPad – This great racing game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99. This app weighs in at 432 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  13. Need for Speed Most Wanted () – This slick racing game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 86% off the apps’ normal price of $6.99. This app weighs in at 607 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  14. Plants vs. Zombies HD – This extremely popular zombie game has a perfect 5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 86% off the apps’ normal price of $6.99.
  15. Power of Logic HD – This cool game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
  16. Real Racing 2 HD – This great racing game has top graphics. Real Racing 2 has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 86% off the apps’ normal price of $6.99. This app weighs in at 444 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  17. SHIFT 2 Unleashed for iPad – This fun EA car racing game is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99. This app weighs in at 336 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  18. TETRIS for iPad – This classic brick stacking game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
  19. The Last Express () – This adventure game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99. This app is a whopper, it weighs in at 1.26 GB so be sure that you have enough space on your iPad and that you are on a speedy network before purchasing.
  20. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12 for iPad – This insanely popular golf game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99. This app weighs in at 274 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  21. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for iPad – This popular game is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99.
  22. Woozzle HD – This puzzle game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $1.99.

Productivity and Entertainment Apps


  1. Ansel & Clair’s Adventures in Africa – This educational app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $1.99 instead of $4.99.
  2. Halftone () – This very popular photography app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
  3. Letters with Pooh () – This Winnie the Pooh app is now on sale for $1.99 instead of $2.99. This app weighs in at 785 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
  4. Perfect Web Browser – EXTRAORDINARY Fullscreen Browser – This very popular web browsing app is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
  5. Runner’s Log () – This runner’s app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
  6. WolframAlpha () – This very popular reference app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.

Also be sure to check out yesterday’s Daily Deal to find more great savings.





= Indicates app is Universal and will run on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.



We use our PadGadget Apps Tracker to constantly monitor the App Store to find the biggest price changes on iPad apps. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best deals on the most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis. All app prices are checked at the time of posting but prices are subject to change without notice. When developers put their apps on sale it’s usually for a very limited time, often 24 hours or less, so be sure to check pricing on iTunes before making a purchase.



There are only two mapping companies that could possibly make sense for Apple to buy


“We've seen a great deal of speculation in the past week about Apple buying a company to help it solve its nagging mapping headache. The big rumor, both started and squashed by TechCrunch, was Waze, the crowdsourced mapping and traffic app,” John Koetsier reports for VentureBeat. “The only problem with that theory? Waze would only slow Apple down.”



“At least, according to Skobbler's Marcus Thielking. He's the cofounder of Skobbler, a spinoff from Navigon that sells one of the top mapping solutions in the world: GPS Navigation 2 (US$0.99 for iPhone and iPad). It's got a No. 1 sales ranking in app stores in 20 countries and has sold more than three million copies. It's also based on OpenStreetMap, the crowdsourced ‘Wikipedia of maps,’” Koetsier reports. “‘There are only two companies that could possibly make sense for Apple to buy,’ Thielking said this morning from Europe. ‘There's Garmin, which doesn't use TomTom, on which Apple Maps is built, and there's TomTom itself. TomTom would be my bet.’”



Read more in the full article here.


Apple paid $6 billion in U.S. federal income taxes, 1/40th of all corporate income taxes collected by U.S. government in 2012


“Congressional investigators are wrapping up an inquiry into the accounting practices of Apple and other technology companies that allocate revenue and intellectual property offshore to lower the taxes they pay in the United States,” Charles Duhigg and David Kocieniewski report for The New York Times. “The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations inquiry now drawing to a close began more than a year ago and involves at least a half dozen technology companies, according to people with firsthand knowledge of it, who declined to be identified.”



“Those people said the subcommittee had subpoenaed or otherwise asked the companies to explain methods they used to avoid domestic taxes,” Duhigg and Kocieniewski report. “They said Apple had become a focus of the inquiry and was cooperating with the subcommittee, which is expected to issue wide-ranging recommendations that are likely to play a significant role in Congressional tax code negotiations. Tech companies are able to easily shift ‘intellectual property, and the profit that goes along with it, to tax havens,’ said a former Treasury Department economist, Martin A. Sullivan. ‘Apple went out of its way to try and ensure that its tax savings didn't attract too much public attention, because tax avoidance of that magnitude - even though it's legal and permissible - isn't in keeping with the image of a socially progressive company.’”



MacDailyNews Take: Apple “went out of its way” to legally fulfill their fiduciary duty to their millions upon millions of shareholders worldwide. If you don’t like the laws, change them. How about lawmakers ignore special interests, lobbyists, and campaign contributions and do what’s right for a change? (We know: Ridiculous pipe dream.)



Don’t blame people for following the laws as scribbled, crossed-out and re-scribbled by a decades-long parade of chuckleheads; run through with loopholes into loopholes on top of loopholes.



The problem isn’t Apple Inc. The problem is the tax code.



Duhigg and Kocieniewski report, “In its statement, Apple said it paid ‘an enormous amount of taxes’ to local, state and federal governments. ‘In fiscal 2012 we paid $6 billion in federal corporate income taxes, which is 1 out of every 40 dollars in corporate income taxes collected by the U.S. government,’ it said.”



Read more in the full article here.



MacDailyNews Take: In 2012, Apple paid $6 billion in U.S. federal income taxes, 1/40th of all corporate income taxes collected by the U.S. government.



The New York Times: How Apple sidesteps billions in global taxes – The New York Times, April 28, 2012



[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]