Machinarium Review (Android)

Does Amanita Design's whimsical point and click adventure deliver a game that plays as good as it looks?




[NOTE] Although it's available now on iOS and Android, it's only available to Duel-Core Android tablets and the New iPad and iPad 2.

Machinarium took the prize for "Excellence in Visual Art" back at the 2009 Independent Game Festival, and it is easy to see why. The game is stunning, like an interactive steam-punk graphic novel, bursting with hand drawn art that ripples with life and personality, Machinarium is certainly in a league of it's own when it comes to design.

On the gameplay side of things, it's a point-and-click adventure through-and-through, and fans of old school greats like Sam & Max and the Adventure of Monkey Island will be at home with the insane difficulty level. Yes, Machinarium will confuse and frustrate you to your very limits, but it's worth it to experience one of the most beautiful and endearing games I've ever played.

You command a cute little robot abruptly thrown out of his city with the trash. By pointing and clicking through the bleak steampunkish environment you can return him to his home, reunite him with his girlfriend, and even aid in preventing a terrorist attack.

Our robot buddy has the ability to stretch and scrunch his body, making for some interesting puzzle opportunities. There are is no dialogue in Machinarium (save for some odd sound effects) but when the robot encounters someone, a thought bubble will appear that shows the specific memory this individual conjures up. Despite the chilly atmosphere, these moments offer a wonderful sense of fanciful quality.

During the play through, I actually managed to get stuck on the second puzzle; it's that hard, but if you do need a hint (and you will), you can tap the light bulb in the corner of the screen and a thought bubble will appear above the robot indicating the ultimate goal for that particular room. It wont reveal how you actually solve the puzzle, but it helps.

However, if you truly need to be told, by clicking the small journal with a question mark, you can partake in a small 2-D shooter. By completing the brief mini-game, you'll be granted a detailed visual walkthrough of the scene you are currently in.

A flaw which did frustrate, was the robot and his walking. Once he's in motion you can't alter his course until he's reached his goal, making for a little too much downtime. It's not a big deal, but it does annoy.

All in all, Machinarium is a must-play for point-and-click fans. With it's gorgeous visuals, and, despite the lack of dialogue, the little robot is able to communicate more emotion to the player than most videogame characters. The music, with its subtle electronic soundscape that constantly shifts between making the player feel uneasy and calm is just outstanding, and goes hand in hand with the steam-punk style.

Judiciously and efficiently designed, with not a single pencil-drawn sprite out of place, Machinarium is a treasure that needs to be played to be believed, and if it wasn't for the few little niggles, Machinarium would have been the first App we scored a perfect 10, but as it is, it'll have to make do with one less.

Machinarium is an indie game project created and released by Amanita Design. A puzzle / adventure game, this game focuses on a little robot who's been thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city who must return and confront the Black Cap Brotherhood and save his robot-girl friend.


Also Available On: iOS (iPad 2/New iPad only), PC, Mac || Soon on: PS3

Rating:

E10+ for Everyone 10 and older: Comic Mischief, Use of Tobacco

Genre: Adventure

Publisher: Amanita Design

Developer: Amanita Design

App Review: PressReader

If you enjoy reading newspapers, then PressReader may be for you; with access to over 2100 full content newspapers from 95 countries in 54 languages, it's certainly an interesting addition to your app collection. Interested? Read on!



You may remember our interview with Ray Wang from PressReader, the largest digital newspaper kiosk app for iOS (and also Android, BlackBerry, Win7 Tablet PCs and Windows Phone 7)and if you don't, high-tail over to read it now.


PressReader not only helps you to gain access to newspapers around the world but it’s also helping the environment. PressReader have saved over 281029 trees from being chopped down and being used for printing. According to their blog, it takes about 12 trees to produce 1 tonne of paper, so, you get your newspaper, and the environment stays a little greener.

Upon launching the app, the homepage gives you the latest news from newspapers around the world at the top with news under different categories of different countries at the bottom, along with the ability to change to39 different languages if you do so desire.

That's all well and good, but what really sets PressReader apart from other reader apps, is that it does actually gives you the feel of reading a real newspaper (not physically, obviously). After selecting any of the newspapers, PressReader takes you to a new window where you can read the newspaper at ease. Fonts, pictures, graphs, tables etc all looks exactly the same to the original one. Although it is not possible to read at this resolution, you either can magnify the paper to read or just simply click on the article to open a pop up with the full article in the text format, with a nice animation which shows the paper rolling to a new page.

Pressreader, is a fresh and exciting prospect for newspaper readers, which allows the experience of reading the real newspaper, with the only difference between the real thing and the digitised version is the, well, the paper.

Check out PressReader here!

iTunes 

Blackberry App World

Google Play (Android)

Windows 7 (tablets)

Windows Phone 7

Tech Beever Interview: Ray Wang, PressReader App

We were lucky enough to catch up with Ray Wang from PressReader, the largest digital newspaper kiosk app for iOS (and also Android, BlackBerry, Win7 Tablet PCs and Windows Phone 7), and we interviwed him about PressReader, the latest edition to the PressDisplay family. Read on, womt you!



What exactly is PressReader?

PressReader is an application that provides readers with access to over 2,200 full-content newspapers and magazines from 96 countries available on iOS, Android, Windows and Playbook operating systems. Millions of tablets also come preloaded with PressReader from a growing list of leading manufacturers including Microsoft, ASUS, BlackBerry, HTC, Kobo and Samsung.

What does PressReader offer that other news applications don’t?

Unlike other mobile news applications or aggregators that only provide a selection of top stories, PressReader offers readers access to over 2,200 full-content publications from 96 countries—all available through the world’s largest digital newsstand, PressDisplay.com.
Every newspaper presented on PressReader is an identical replica of the current day’s printed edition, including each section, article, advertisement, editorial and comic strip shown in its original content.
Moreover, PressReader provides users with features dedicated to enhance the traditional news-print experience with functionalities like instant translation, on-demand audio, article sharing and our exclusive SmartFlow (a horizontal news-reading feature) and SmartZoom technology (allowing you to automatically zoom in to the beginning of an article).

What was the original reasoning for PressReader?

PressReader was developed as the companion reading application to PressDisplay.com, the world’s largest digital newspaper and magazine kiosk. Essentially, we wanted to provide our subscribers with a means of reading their favorite publications anywhere, anytime on any device.

The layout and UI in PressReader seems very clean and fresh, offering a number of sources, and even lottery number results, but will there be a feature to add RSS Feeds, such as Tech Beever's own news feed, for example?

Today, PressReader provides digital replica editions of printed newspapers and magazines to our subscribers with advanced digital navigation and reading features. That being said, we believe PressReader’s SmartFlow horizontal reading stream would be a perfect way to consume other types of content from sites such as Tech Beever.


What kind of syncing functions are there, I.E, could I sync my publications to other devices, including E-Readers?

Once a publication is purchased or downloaded from either PressDisplay.com or PressReader, users are free to download that same publication across multiple devices free of charge, including eReaders like the Kobo Vox running Android.

Will there be a support for magazine publications?

PressReader already has more than 250 magazines available such as Inside Golf, Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, UNO Magazine and La Revenu to name just a few. We’re making a strong push to broaden the list of magazine available through the app in the months to come!

We've all had a play with the app, and we found it to be very responsive and fresh, especially on tablets. What's the response been to PressReader from the app world?

The response to PressReader from the app world has been tremendous. Subscribers love the fact they can get their favorite newspapers and magazines in one location on their favorite tablets and smartphones regardless of where they are in the world. In fact, some users told us that their reason for buying the iPad was for apps just like PressReader which makes us feel great!


Check out PressReader here!

iTunes

Blackberry App World

Google Play (Android)

Windows 7 (tablets)

Windows Phone 7

The Return of...Tech Beever Rant! Today: Fanboyism

Why is there so much fanboyism surrounding our beloved tech?

The argument spreads way back to the age old argument "my dads bigger than your dad". Which may be true, but can your dad drink his weight in alcohol, but still complete a crossword or extensive maths question with little or no effort?



Today's more 'modern' fanboyism, revolves around Apple - Android, and Playstation 3 - Xbox 360. But why is there such a ridiculous amount of hate toward the opposition from it's fans? I'm not going to beat around the bush; I wont answer this question, and I dare say it'll never be resolved, so if that's why you're here; then you'll be sadly displeased with this article. I will, however, try to get my damned head around the whole ordeal.

Without going into too much detail, the majority of Apple vs Android arguments run from the single sentence "...iPhone's are sh*t".

Now, in my eyes, if you're going to say such a strong statement, then you better have good reasons to back it up. I've owned an iPhone 4 since launch day, and I don't regret dropping half a grand on the thing, and I understand completely that it was/is an awful lot of money to spend on a device, but why is that any different to people spending the same money on a high-end Android device? Other than OS and places to get apps & games, the majority of Smartphones are the same (save for all the guts and processing power), so why are so many people adamant that "my phone is better than yours"?

Among many things that were discussed, the App Store vs Google Play (Android Market) was raised, the argument being "Google Play is better because it has more free apps". Not really an argument.

Let's take a look at some figures:

Android (Google Play)
Current number of Android apps in the market: 450,000
Downloads to date: 10 billion

iOS (App Store)
Current number of iOS apps: 725,000+
Downloads to date: Over 25 billion

However, what many people don't realise, is that both Nokia's Ovi Store and BlackBerry's App World (both of which have only 26 percent free apps), also pull in higher revenues than Google Play despite having much lower downloading volumes.

In 2011, it was revealed that the iOS App store has 121,845 free apps and the Marketplace (now Google Play) has 134,342 (obviously both numbers have changed since then), but whereas Android fanboys will rejoice that Google Play has 'beaten' the iOS App Store, further statistics show that the percentage of low quality apps on Android is 29%, with users ratings of apps with less than 3 stars at a pretty high 226,012 (50.8 %).

Now, as I couldn't get any information on how the iOS App Store fared in the same circumstances, it kind of leaves the above paragraph rather redundant. Instead, users had to take into account that whilst Apple is far more strict in terms of what developers can/cannot put onto the App Store, Google is much more relaxed. This comes at a price, however, for there is a high count of malware on Google Play, something which isn't found on iOS.

Leaving the world of apps behind, many could argue one of the biggest strengths of Android is it's vast customisation. iOS is extremely limited to how users can customise it's OS, ranging from the simple change of the background to the message/ringtone alert. Whereas Android users can change all the icons, live wallpapers, themes, keyboards and many more. The look of a phones OS may not be all that much to some, but to others, it can reflect in a very personal way.

Sure, iOS users can 'jailbreak' their devices to gain the extent of customisation features Android lords over iOS, but why should they go to such measures?
Apple locks users into having the same experience as other iOS devices, which can be both a brilliant experience, or a dull, almost lifeless one, depending on how you use your device.

iOS is also the most open OS in terms of its audience, as its so simple to use, anybody can get to grips with it in a matter of hours, whilst Android differs greatly in its allure, but once you do get accustomed to it, it can be a very rewarding experience.

I am both an iOS and Android user, and whilst I enjoy both, they do house their advantages over each device.

For games, I cannot fault iOS. All top end developers are pushing brilliant and cutting edge games into the App Store. The likes of Infinty Blade II, GTA III, Max Payne, N.O.V.A III, Mirrors Edge, Shadow Guardian, Dead Space and many, many more, are all exceptional games. Sure, titles like N.O.V.A and Dead Space are available on Android, but the vast amount of handsets running different Android firmware means that many users miss out because their device "isn't supported". Of course, there is a percentage of games that only work on iPad and iPhone 4/4S, but those numbers are pale in comparison to the number of unsupported Android handsets.

There are, however, great gems on Google Play, and they go by the name of Emulators. Many free emulators allow you to play your favourite GB, GBA, N64 and PSX games on your phone/tablet (providing you LEGALLY have the bios/ROMS, Tech Beever does not condone the use of illegally obtaining bios/ROMS) and it's something that really adds to the users gaming experience on the go. I have many emulators on my Sony S Tablet, and paired with my PS3 controller, it makes playing the likes of Goldeneye 007 and Donkey Kong Country all that more fun. And there lies another win for Android; the support of USB. It's so simple to pair a controller (Xbox, PS3, Wii) to my tablet, making gaming easier, and even plugging in a mouse and keyboard to help write articles for Tech Beever; I've done many posts on the Sony S Tablet, but, I've also done posts from my iPhone 4 (on the move).

Other than the keyboard, my experience doing write ups from devices other than a PC or laptop is no different, so why should users experience on any phone, whatever the make, be any different to those with the opposite format?

Anybody who is a regular on Tech Beever will know that Tech Beevers Contributing Editor, Dan is a solid Blackberry fanboy, and hates (yes, hates) Apple and every iOS device. Why? Well, his reasons usually contain most expletives known to man, but in reality, RIM and its Blackberry devices are far behind Apple and Android, and now, even Windows Phone 7. However, the Blackberry World Keynote we featured earlier this month did impress even myself. RIM seem to have actually listened and paid attention to the world around Apple and Android, and crafted a very, very impressive device and updated OS. Will it make a difference though? Only time will tell, but if it rocks the smartphone world just a little, it may just be the incentive that the top dogs need to put some new ideas out there.

The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 argument can be held in the same light, with really, only platform exclusives holding their own. Personally, I much more enjoy the likes of Uncharted and Heavy Rain to Halo and Alan Wake, but I do prefer Gears of War to God of War. It's a merry-go-round, and one that I can't see stopping anytime soon.

Myself and Tech Beevers Contributing Editor, Dan, have had this argument many times. I do, overall, prefer my Playstation 3 to my Xbox 360, whereas Dan feels the same to his Xbox 360. Are either of us wrong? No, but an argument that grinds my gears, is that "X game looks much better on X platform". Let's get this straight, no multiplatform games utilizes the cell processor, only the gpu. It's also about memory allocation, the PS3's gpu is still a 256mb gpu and developers working with the 360 as the lead platform will work around that. Xbox 360 can utilize a little more memory, so they have the texture and gpu advantage. However, with the PS3, developers are given the luxery of putting all the data onto one Blu-Ray disk, whilst the 360 (if the game is large enough) has to take multiple disks to complete the game. This is where the textures fall flat on 360, and improve on PS3.

Rockstar (GTA, Red Dead Redemption) was one of the first to appoint the PS3 as its lead platform, and in doing so, made the likes of L.A Noire 'for' the PS3, then ported to Xbox 360. But in the end, it will always be platform exclusives that deliver the best eyecandy, with possibly (and I mean very, very minor points), the PS3 outshining the 360 by a fraction, but in reality, it takes some extremely good eyes to tell the difference.

So why all the fanboyism? Is there a real need to defend our tech? Or is it a case of "I brought this one, so I'm going to go to any length to protect my decision", whether or not you believe in your choice?

Personally, I'm just glad I'm in a position to try all types of tech/games, and take away my favourite features of all, in the hope that one day, they'll be something that truly deserves the title as "the best there is".

But for now, can't we all just get along?

Grand Theft Auto III: Now In Your Pocket!

In October of 2001, Rockstar Games revolutionized the gaming world in the form of Grand Theft Auto III, shifting their flagship 2D series into a 3D world, and introducing an enormous chunk of the population to the concept of massive sandbox games.



Shoot forward 10 years, and GTA3 is back. As of 15/12/2011, it’s available for iOS and Android, the same awesome game, same violence, same over-the-top action -- but in now it's your pocket.

Considering the game is probably older than both your smartphone and TV combined, GTA III is still as entertaining to play as it was all those years ago, it's the same game you all remember, but with a few little perks ported in from modern GTA games, like instant retries on failed missions, but as it was reviewed a million times a decade ago, I'll focus on the port and transition to mobile.

The obvious change is the controls, their now touchscreen, and it works surprisingly well, not Dead Space perfect, but pretty good. Looks wise, whilst it's no Infinity Blade II, it still looks good (not gorgeous, but still perfectly acceptable). The audio is also still brilliant, with loads of dialog, sound, radio chatter, and music crammed into the 500 MB package. If anything, it's a testament of how far technology has come; what once required a state of the art gaming console just a decade ago now runs effortlessly on an single battery-powered slab of glass with no controller.

Well, not effortlessly, Rockstar claims support for all of the more recent iOS devices, including the iPhone 4, iPad 1, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2. On the 4S and iPad 2 it runs like water, no hiccups, whilst the iPad 1 and iPhone 4 did encounter a few hiccups -- nothing major, but not quite as smooth. We're yet to test it on our Galaxy S II, but we imagine it'll handle the job.

Controlling our muted anti-hero is an OK affair, whilst the screen does seem cluttered, it's surprisingly good to navigate (and you can arrange/re-size the buttons in the settings), but only walking/driving -- shooting isn't quite as good. The game has an autolock system which, even after fair amount of playtime, never seems to work the way it should be intended, but whilst it’s not so bad as to make the game impossible (just quite frustrating at times), it's still adequate.

Overall


Grand Theft Auto III was a revoltionary game, and if you missed out (for shame) all those years ago, I can't stress enough to buy it, but you'd be better off with the PS2 version. Those that have played it will probably still purchase it just to re-ignite that flame, but still, for £2.99 (£3.21 on the Android Market), you're getting a game that changed the gaming world, and for that you can't really complain.

Buy it now: iOS App Store, Android Market

App Review: Front Line Commando (iOS)

Developer Glu goes all in with this pint-sized shooter that packs a hefty punch.

Frontline Commando is basically a shooting gallery, you move left/right, duck, and shoot. And that's it.

But where it excels, is that it not only looks phenomenal, but it controls brilliantly. It's a very simple affair, use one side of the screen to aim, and the other to shoot, with various buttons appearing for med-kits, ducking to reload etc.

Amazingly, even though the game is the same formula throughout, each level manages to be somewhat creative, helping to bring the repetitive nature to a minimum.

I'll be honest, there's not much I can say, if you've played a shooting gallery before, you'll know exactly what it's all about. And whilst it's simple fun, it's also a very good looking game, aided with accurate and brilliant controls, and as it's free, there's no reason you shouldn't try it.

Available now on the iOS App Store and Android Market, for FREE

The latest, greatest iPhone games

Our new contributer, Simon from Best Mobile Contracts has the low down on some of the best iOS games you can get your grubby mitts on over the festive season.



Almost as though game developers have calendars too, and know Christmas is just around the corner, a load of great stocking-fillers just got released for iPhone. Christmas? No-one buys iPhone games for Christmas, not when it's much easier to buy them for yourself than anyone else... which is why it still makes sense to get some decent games out, this time of year, perfect for picking up to treat yourself, since you're treating everyone else. Most of them cost less than a pint, too.


Infinity Blade II (£4.99 download, iPhone 3GS or better, iOS 3.2 or later)

It's here – the first major game release designed especially for the iPhone 4S, iCloud, and iOS5, as well as the sequel to probably the most critically acclaimed iPhone game ever. And a worthy sequel it is, retaining the original's focus on exciting melee combat action, but adding new fighting styles (you can now use either a two-handed weapon, a weapon and shield, or two weapons, with each option having its own advantages), deeper storytelling, and a richer world to explore.

A few customers have reported lost saved games, despite the iCloud integration with the game. Chair Entertainment are collecting info and working on a fix for this, but in the meantime they recommend downloading the latest iOS5 version to minimise problems.

Despite that minor teething trouble, we're confident in recommending Infinity Blade II as not just the best new iPhone game, but probably the greatest smartphone game ever released.

Bike Baron (£0.69 download, iPhone 3GS or better, iOS 3.2 or later)

If you like racing games, pick up Bike Baron. With zanier humour than Mario Kart, fast motorcycle racing action, 70 levels, and a fully featured level editor, this is well worth sixty-nine pence of anyone's money. Great stuff.









Spell Tower (£0.69 download, iPhone, iOS 4.1 or later)
Spell Tower is a word game, but it goes far beyond the usual Scrabble or Boggle approach, blending in some more traditional video-game aspects. Think Tetris meets Bubble Drop meets an anarchic brain-teaser, and you're close. The designer is a gamer first and foremost, rather than a word buff, and the resulting game is probably the freshest approach to word games that the world has seen since Bananagrams.





Bruce Lee (£1.49 download, iPhone 3GS or better, iOS 4.0 or later)
If that name sounds familiar to the over-40s, that's because this is a port of a 1984 eight-bit classic videogame, originally for the Commodore 64 computer. So, given the inevitably shabby-looking graphics, the price is a little steep – but given the almost equally inevitably amazing gameplay, it might be worth picking up anyway. You can't really go wrong with a platform/beat-em-up hybrid that lets you fight ninjas and sumo wrestlers as Bruce Lee.






Pet Shop Story (Free download, iPhone, iOS 3.0 or later)
If you like Farmville style social tycoon games, but are more into dogs and cats than cows and corn, you should at least try out Pet Shop Story. Breed your own strange hybrids, compete with or help your friends (including on the Facebook version), customise your pet shop's appearance, and enjoy the top-notch graphics.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown Trailer

Now available on iOS, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown see's the inmates have (shockingly) escaped and Batman has his hands full defeating an army of henchmen and some of his most iconic villains. Scour the rooftops and the seedy underbelly of Gotham City through a series of one-on-one battles with the Joker, Two-Face and more, as well as the Batman: Arkham City Lockdown exclusive -- Deathstroke. Choose from several Batman skins and power-ups as you punch, kick and combo your way to cleaning up Gotham City.





Source: Video Youtube, buy at iTunes

Shadowgun Best Looking Mobile Game Ever?

Shadowgun developer Madfinger Games has announced that its upcoming shooter will be hitting the iOS App Store September 28, with an Android release to follow shortly after.

These new screenshots have come to light showing off the game's impressive visuals (click for full-size):










Source: IGN

iOS App Review: Piclings

Piclings [Free] from Pan Vision Games is a pretty interesting take on augmented reality in gaming. Sure, it’s a simple platforming game, but the main draw here, is that you can take any picture and turn it into a playable level filled with coins, items, and enemies. The tech works surprisingly well, and it’s undeniably fun to think of new and silly pictures to create levels from. However, the underlying gameplay mechanics are simple at best, and prove to be the games biggest downfall.

The game includes 7 levels to play including a tutorial which walks you through the basic controls. A touch anywhere directional stick moves you character left and right, and you can float like a helicopter in the air for a limited time by pushing up. The floating mechanic is pretty awkward to use, a standard 'jump' ability would have been much more welcome. Tapping anywhere on the screen will drop the Picling through the surface he’s currently standing on and down to the next.



There are a couple of enemies, and the only way to kill them is by luring the follower into another enemy, killing them both, or by grabbing an invincibility butterfly that lets you kill every enemy that you touch. It doesn't work well, and I found myself simply taking my time and collecting the coins to finish the level.

Scott Pilgrim and the Picling on his hair

Mario! Genius

Marvel Piclings

Dan's Iron Maiden gig; the perfect level

Dan, stop Picling your nose (geddit? I'll see myself out...)

In addition to the 7 included levels, you can also import any picture from your device or use a picture taken directly from the camera to create a new level. Piclings will intelligently determine what parts of the picture act as walkable surfaces. You can also go into any created level and edit your own surfaces in or out in order to get the level just how you want it. Enemies, coins, and special items are also automatically placed in your created level.

The level creation is where Piclings really stands out. Basically, if you've got a picture on your iPhone (or iPod, iPad), then you can make a level out of it. You can also share your created levels, though this is only by way of emailing your photo to someone so they can save it to their device and use it in their copy of the game.

Taking Piclings as strictly a platforming game, it’s a fairly weak offering. The control mechanics are poor, and there isn't much to do in the game.

Despite this, Piclings is still a lot of fun based solely on the ability to create your own levels, and as it's free, you can't ask for more than fun.

Buy it from iTunes

Pokèmon Heading To iOS and Android

Engadget have released a post regarding Pokèmon heading to iOS and Android, something that hit news earlier last week, but that news was a "music game". You can read the whole article here, but one section made us take more attention.

Taken from Engadgets article:

"With all of that in mind, it was a bit surprising to hear that a Pokemon card game is headed for the iPhone and Android devices in Japan this summer -- after all, Nintendo does own a share of the popular monster-based franchise."

I'd like to point you all in the direction of our Pokèmon Proposition articles posted along a while ago, Here, here, here and here

Yes, OUR idea that we put to both Apple and Nintendo. We'll update as and when we get more info.

Tech Beever is not happy.

WSJ: Apple prepping thinner, lighter iPhone 5

The Wall Street chimed in with its insider information on the rumored iPhone 5. According to the report, Apple's next generation iPhone will be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4. It also may include an 8-megapixel camera, which is a nice boost from the 5-megapixel shooter on the current model.

Qualcomm will supposedly provide the wireless baseband chips which suggests the handset may be a world phone capable of connecting to both CDMA and GSM networks. Apple apparently expects the iPhone 5 to be popular and has warned suppliers it plans to ship 25 million units by the end of the year.

Foxconn will be the assembler for the rumored iPhone, but these yields may be lower than Apple wants as the iPhone 5 is described as being complicated and difficult to assemble. We're not sure what that means, but it is intriguing.

Article and Image Source: TÚAW

Project MGS: Hands On (literally)

Artem Vovk and Shuo Yang at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany have created Project MGS (Media Gathering System) a multitouch table of Apple interactivity.

The system enables wireless transfer of your iPhone's media to the infrared camera-equipped tabletop for some Java-based, gesture controlling; just like something from a Sci-Fi film. The whole thing works simply with the table reading a barcode affixed to the back of your device, The project also supports file transfers between iOS devices, a feature destined for display in future videos. As of now, the table only works with Apple products, but the pair promises it can easily make way for future Android connectivity.

See the embedded video below for a full demo.




Source: Engadget