Matt Rammelkamp's Blog: June 2012

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game

Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/sand-trap-is-a-fun-physics-maze-game/

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Android A to Z: Jellybean!

YUM!

Jellybean is the name of a delicious hard-shelled confectionery with a soft, even more delicious inside. Made mostly of sugar and Unicorn sweat, they are a favorite of Android bloggers and ex-presidents, and probably are really good for you. Especially the black ones. Or the green ones. Sometimes the white ones, too.

It's also the rumored nickname of the next version of Android.

Since version 1.5, Android has had code names based on sweets and treats. We've seen Cupcake (v. 1.5), Donut (v. 1.6), Eclair (v. 2.0.1 and 2.1), Froyo (v. 2.2), Gingerbread (v. 2.3), Honeycomb (v. 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2), and Ice Cream Sandwich (v. 4.0) so far. We're pretty sure that the next version will have a similar delicious name. What we're not sure of is exactly what version it will be, or exactly what name it will carry. The general speculation is that we'll see Android 4.1 with the code name Jellybean sometime this year. But until we hear it from Google, that's all just a series of educated guesses.

What's not just a guess is that it will get everyone excited, bring new features (and bugs) to the table, and we'll be all over it as soon as it appears. That's what we do -- eat jelly beans and talk Android 24/7. Life is good.

Check out the complete Android Dictionary

KloutScore for iPhone review

KloutScore is an iPhone app that provides an easy way to keep track of Klout Scores for yourself and the people you are interested in. In addition to your score number, you will also be given a description of what your score means as well as see lists of Twitter users you influence and who you're influenced by.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/1ab4IYaevj8/story01.htm

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T-Mobile Galaxy S III Gallery

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

When Amazon Appstore for Android launched last week, one of its primary features -- Test Drive -- was disabled just a few minutes after it opened. With no try-before-you-buy, no refund process, and 1-Click purchasing ready to strike at any moment, this caused some problems. Anyway, don't despair: Test Drive is now enabled.

Before you get your hopes up, Test Drive doesn't work with every app. The IMDb app works fine -- you can even watch movie trailers on it! -- but the Angry Birds games are sadly not enabled. Some games work surprisingly well, though, like Bubble Buster. There's very little latency, and the framerate is really rather good. The Test Drive experience is so true to life that you even get ads; how cool is that?

Gallery: Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive

Continue reading Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/amazon-appstore-for-android-test-drive-hands-on-surprisingly-co/

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Samsung Galaxy S III on SK Telecom mixes 2GB of RAM and quad-core, importers break out credit cards

There's a Galaxy S III with a quad-core chip, and there's a Galaxy S III with 2GB of RAM. Never the twain shall meet? They reportedly will at SK Telecom: a comparison sheet leaked to Phone Arena has the South Korean carrier's SHV-E210S variant combining the 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad with the 2GB of RAM that the dual-core versions receive as a consolation prize. It's even supposed to keep LTE, which could suggest that Samsung isn't wedded to Qualcomm for 4G in South Korea like it is for North America. The phone's 4G support loses steam outside of its native country, and it gains an ever so slight amount of bulk, but we're looking at what could be the best of both worlds for Samsung's flagship. We have a hunch that a few foreigners might be eager for an import, or a surprise vacation to Seoul, when the E210S arrives in July.

Samsung Galaxy S III on SK Telecom mixes 2GB of RAM and quad-core, importers break out credit cards originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AYxzyGMfNF0/

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Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls

Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google's $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn't mean that Google will automatically win Nortel's massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.

Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.

Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.

Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/google-bids-900-million-for-nortels-patents-to-protect-from-li/

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iOS developers you should #followfriday for all the WWDC 2012 action!

Since this is the last #followfriday before Apple's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC 2012) kicks off on Monday, iMore wanted to take the opportunity to let remind you to follow the absolutely phenomenal iPhone and iPad app developers and designers at the event. These are the people who's software you use every day to stay in touch, to keep productive, to make and enjoy amazing content, or to get your game on. They also know how to party. So if you want the absolute best, most vicarious WWDC 2012 experience possible, here's your WWDC developers and designer must-follows!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/ic_UHbI7mao/story01.htm

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CrunchGear Week In Review: Indoor Games Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: Strange Video: Happinet Lets You Play Table Tennis Against Invisible Opponents Sweet DIY Book Light The Infinite Loop Tablet Holder: Actually A Cool Idea Day 1: My Week In The Nissan Leaf Weekend Giveaway: A Kobo eReader Touch (And Some Gift Cards)

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/06/27/week-in-review-indoor-games/

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Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on review

This morning, an updated version of the stock Android Music app was leaked along with a new version of Android Market. The new Music app, which is labeled 'version 3', is similar to the leaked build from December, but it has received a ton of polish -- and indeed, it looks almost ready for prime time.

If you don't have Android 2.3 -- or don't want to root your phone to install the leaked Music app -- take a look through our gallery, and then read on for our initial hands-on impressions.

Gallery: Leaked Honeycombish Android Music app