Archive for August, 2010

The first tease of Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 piqued my interest, sure. But after I had a little hands-on time with some of the games planned for launch, Microsoft’s officially got my undivided attention.

Microsoft’s trotting out over 50 titles today, all of which and more will be available by the time Windows Phone 7 devices go on sale this holiday season. When I spoke with Kevin Unangst—the company’s PC and mobile gaming big boss—he repeatedly mentioned that this list was just a taste. But even with more titles expected before launch, there’s already a lot to like here: casual favorites like Bejeweled and Oregon Trail, Xbox exclusive fare from the Halo and Crackdown franchises, three games with "Zombie" in the name. Good times.

How’s the interface? In a word: familiar. Once you tap on the Xbox Live tile, you’re met with what Matt saw when he took an in-depth tour Windows Phone 7. There’s your avatar waiting to greet you. There’s the last achievement you unlocked, whether it was on your console or the phone. This is where you see game invites from friends, games you’ve downloaded. There’s a Spotlight area that wasn’t up and running yet on the handset I saw, but it serves the same purpose it does on your console. It’s Xbox Live on your phone, as promised.

There are also some clever ways Microsoft has optimized the experience for mobile. Your 3D avatar will get dizzy and fall down if you shake the phone, and if you unlock an avatar item on Xbox Live anywhere it’s usable on the phone. And your avatar can invade the rest of your phone, too, with Avatar Gadgets, which are simple productivity apps like a flashlight, coin toss, ruler, and leveler that your avatar interacts with on screen.

Every Xbox Live game on Windows Phone 7 has a 200 gamerscore, just like Xbox Live Arcade games, and will accrue to your overall gamerscore. That integrated experience is reflected in your Avatar as well: any customizations you make on the phone will be reflected immediately on the console, and vice versa.

Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 Hands On: Mobile Levels Up

It looks like the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse that was rumored months back is close to becoming official. German website notebooksbilliger has the fabled mouse, complete with pictures, available for pre-order for 70€ ($90) with an available ship-date of October 13th. The sleek mouse is — as the name suggests — arched for ergonomic navigation but can also be bent flat for storage or travel. The device runs on the 2.4 GHz frequency and comes with a “ultra-compact Nano-transceiver” that can be stored in the device’s battery compartment when not in use. To be honest, the device looks pretty sexy. Thoughts? We’ve got a few more images of the device after the break

Microsoft’s Arc Touch Mouse breaks cover on German website « Boy Genius Report

Jailbreaking is stupidly simple.  Now adding Flash to your iPhone is just about as easy.  Benm.at, that site that used to add tethering to your iPhone, now has Frash in its repository.  One you’ve jailbreakme‘d,

1. Open Cydia > Manage > Sources
2. Edit source and add http://repo.benm.at
3. Search Frash and install it.

Also, you might want to pick up some external iPhone batteries for your new space heater.  Works on iPad too but not on iPhone 3G or less. via Giz/iThinkDif/9 to 5 Mac

Benm.at adds Frash (Flash) to repository, makes installation stupidly simple. | 9 to 5 Mac