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First Android TV Drops In September

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:00:31 +0000

Last month we reported on the first Android car and the web-enabled fridge, so it’s our fine honor here at Technomaly to tell you about yet another fun techno-hybrid: the Google Android Television.

Sweedish firm People of Lava has beaten the others to the punch, manufacturing a television dubbed The Scandinavia. The set will come in 42, 47 and 55 inch models, and will cost between $2,000 and $2,5000 for the smallest size. The 42 inch model drops in September, with the others following shortly.

As for the Android features? Well, it’ll do the standard internet surfing and be able to provide Facebook, Youtube and Hulu access – watching Hulu on your television is, of course, a geeky thrill. But the neat thing is that People of Lava are creating their own Android App store, which means you’ll be able to buy apps and content designed specifically for the Android TV. Pretty cool!

Source & Photo Source: FastCompany

Guitar Game Features Actual Guitar, Posers Aghast

Asterios Kokkinos — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:00:52 +0000

Well, it’s only taken five years, but someone’s finally figured out that the best way to control a guitar-game would be to sell people an actual guitar.

Power Gig: Rise of the Six String hands players a game controller that’s a real guitar with a quarter inch pick up – meaning you’ll be able to plug it into an amp – and the guitars will come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Again, I have no idea why this took so long.

It’s still a follow the leader/simon says style of gameplay, meaning you’ll strum the right string to match up with the screen at the right time, but it’ll also give you the opportunity to hold down several strings at once and strum, creating what musicians call a “chord,” that you’ll then be able to play in front of real people who you’ll actually impress.

The game will also work with standard Guitar Hero and Rock Band controllers. It’s slated for release this fall on PS3 and XBox 360.

Source & Photo Source: PCWorld

All Hail The New King of Kong!

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00:59 +0000

The documentary King of Kong turned all of us onto the high-stakes world of live, competitive Donkey Kong, pitting “good guy” Boeing engineer Steve Wiebe against “bad guy” Billy Mitchell. Mitchell had taken the title from Wiebe with a score of 1,050,200 – a figure that had remained unchallenged for three years.

Until now. Meet plastic surgeon Hank Chien, who has been officially recognized by gaming authority Twin Galaxies as the newest all-time high scorer at the game, having racked up a dazzling 1,061,700 points!

That’s right – he’s come from out of nowhere and whizzed by both men, who are doubtlessly furious at the result. An interview on Twin Galaxies with Chien shows just how laid back the man is:

Like many others, I started playing Donkey Kong after watching The King of Kong documentary. Before then, I had only played one game of Donkey Kong in my entire life, and that that was in 2006. I remember not being able to pass the first board and thinking, ‘this game stinks’. The King of Kong piqued my interest in the game and after watching the documentary I started to play seriously in November 2008. Back then I wasn’t shooting for any world records; I was just playing for fun. I had no idea I could even reach the killscreen. What kept me interested was that I kept improving. Otherwise, I would have quit a long time ago.

Seriously? The guy didn’t start playing the game until he saw the documentary, and now he’s beaten both men in it? That’s some hardcore stuff right there. It’s like this man was born to game. Well, congratulations, and let’s all welcome our new King of Kong!

Source & Photo Source: Kotaku

Online Gaming Revenue To Hit $5 Billion Dollars, Wasted Lives

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:39:12 +0000

Market research firm Pike & Fischer reports that online games like World of Warcraft and Everquest hit $2.8 in subscription revenue in 2009, and will hit $5 billion by 2015. Additionally, the gamer audience, which is currently 19.4 million, will hit 44.5 million by the end of 2014.

That’s. Insane. 44.5 million people hunting orcs, or beholders, or whatever the hell it is you hunt in Everquest? That’s more players than some countries have citizens!

I’ve stayed far, far away from MMORPGS like World of Warcraft and Dungeons & Dragons Online for my entire life, fearing for the safety of my free time and sanity. That, and they’re expensive – $12 a month? Who am I, Rich Uncle Pennybags?

Speaking of subscription fees, Pike & Fischer predicts those will drop pretty significantly – from an average of $12 a month in 2009 to $9.50 in 2014. Well, if I’m going to throw my whole life away in a fictional land called Azeroth I may as well save money while doing it.

Source: WebProNews

Photo Source: Blizzard.com

Chinese Monitor Text Messages, Quickly Become Bored

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:00:24 +0000

Chinese state-run media reported on Tuesday that the government will be scanning text messages for “illegal or unhealthy content.” They say it’s part of their wider pornography crackdown, but we all know what they’re really after. They want to know if Jenny Ryerson was lying to them about “being busy” tuesday night.

That slut! According to these text messages the Chinese government surreptitiously read, she went to the movies with Josh Anderson! Oh man, the Chinese government is gonna be heartbroken.

I hope the Chinese government doesn’t do something crazy like show up with a boombox in the rain outside of Jenny’s house, playing Peter Gabriel songs.

Poor, poor Chinese government. Oh, also they’ll be looking for dissident activities. But I’m guessing that comes second to winning Jenny Ryerson back!

Source: NY Times