Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster

boomshine
One click; just one single well-aimed click. That's all you get in Boomshine.

That single click triggers a chain reaction; circles start exploding, and other circles colliding with the shockwaves explode as well, creating their own shockwaves, which then catch other circles.

It's been done before, yes, but this one is a great iteration. The soundtrack is mellow, with lots of piano and some nice percussion (not electronic - it sounds like drums).

At each level you need to make a certain number of circles explode to go on to the next level. I got up to level 12, where you get 60 circles and need to make 55 of them explode. And then I kept trying and trying, but simply couldn't get it. I did get to 54 circles a couple of times, but as they say, you don't get points for trying.

There's no time limit, so you can carefully study the pattern of motion and place your click at the exact right place to create the best chain reaction. I've found that clicking near the middle of the screen works quite well, especially if the balls are slowly moving in that direction. By the time the first shockwave dies off, the oncoming balls usually hit it and the chain reaction continues.

What level did you reach? Screenshots please!

Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/16/boomshine-is-a-soothing-yet-frustrating-time-waster/

Sabine Kinzler Frieda Falkner Hans-Joachim Kammann Antonio Fellberg

US Travelers Abroad: Don't Get Gouged by Stiff Data Roaming Fees

Travel tools for the road include some of the killer apps that have driven the smartphone market, like mapping. However, the ball and chain is the cost of getting that data outside of your home market. For example, U.S. carrier Sprint currently charges a whopping $19.45 per megabyte to use its GSM data roaming agreements in Europe.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/73194.html

Hartmut Theobald Nicholas Graul Malin Hock Helmut Hölzer

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

windows 8Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/windows-8-now-available-to-oems-via-microsoft-connect/

Karla Reusch Wilhelm Klassen Nathalie Füllgraf Janine Harrer

Contest winners: mophie juice pack air, Peggle HD

Here are the winners from our last few contests, including our mega mophie juice pack air giveaway to keep your charged and going, and our super sweet Peggle HD for iPad giveaway to keep you entertained and happy. If you didn’t win, don’t worry! We also have a bunch...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/CJCzqCkkfE8/

Nathalie Donnerhacke Anna-Lena Baumgärtel Sabine Kinzler Frieda Falkner

Filmic Pro, Dolphin Browser and More [Iphone Apps Of The Week]

In this week's best iPhone apps roundup, we feature Filmic Pro, a great video recorder, Dolphin Browser, a great web browser, Cloo, a great (?) bathroom strategy and more. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/i6cSlpv_EoE/filmic-pro-dolphin-browser-and-more

Finja Kerkhoff Sascha Dörr Kristin Gehrmann Annette Lechner

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

windows 8Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/windows-8-now-available-to-oems-via-microsoft-connect/

Marion Dallmeyer Hanna Wohlrab Henrik Brenner Karla Reusch

Sweet Sound from a Light Bulb

Have you ever wanted to get sound in a place that you did not have audio wiring, or simply don’t like the look of an ugly speaker on the wall?  Two companies, ARTISON and OSRAM SYLVANIA, both leaders in their respective markets, teamed together to solve the problem by delivering an LED light bulb with [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/09/02/sweet-sound-from-a-light-bulb/

Wilhelm Klassen Nathalie Füllgraf Janine Harrer Emilia Münchow

Ask Engadget: best desktop OS for kids?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Ryan, who can't wait to get his kid fixated on the wonderful world of computers. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"My son (five years old) has commandeered my wife's laptop for his game-playing pleasure lately, and it's been driving her batty. He basically only plays the games she does (Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, etc.). So far he's able to find the games he wants (by their icons) and open them without issues using Windows 7, but now that I'm looking into getting him his own basic computer I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't something more kid-friendly out there. I've had cursory experience with OS X and Linux (Ubuntu), and I'll be doing all the installing and setup myself. Any thoughts from parents? Thanks!"

Kids and computers. Now that's a recipe for awesomeness. Any new(ish) parents out there have any experience on their kids loving / hating a certain OS? Feel free to drop your advice in comments below -- let's keep it intelligent, okay?

Ask Engadget: best desktop OS for kids? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/03/ask-engadget-best-desktop-os-for-kids/

Benjamin Schötz Johannes Liebl Arne Koller Fiona Brandenburg

Pure Breeze, Filmic Pro, Instamap and More [Apps Of The Week]

In this week's app roundup: iPhone video cameras, professionalized; Instagram, mapped on the iPad; launchers, re-imagined; warriors, eternal; PDFs, created; NFL Mobile, free; weather, beautiful-ed; browsers, dolphined; and much, much more. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/X9W4P7KA1NE/pure-breeze-filmic-pro-instamap-and-more

Karla Reusch Wilhelm Klassen Nathalie Füllgraf Janine Harrer

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game

tarzanball
So, you're a ball. A Tarzan Ball, to be precise. You've earned the nickname thanks to your astonishing ability to shoot out a lengthy 'vine' (I hope it's a vine) at objects, and then pull yourself towards those objects.

That's a handy ability to have, especially since you've got no legs, no arms, and no other means of transportation. In Tarzan Ball, the rope is everything. But you don't just swing around the screen aimlessly - that wouldn't be much of a game now, would it?

Instead, your goal in life is to collect "targets". Each level has one of these "targets" hidden away somewhere on the screen, usually behind some kind of barrier. Once you navigate close enough to the target, you can shoot your rope at it and just reel it in. That's when you pass the level.

You can't die in this game, but it can still be very frustrating. It's actually one of the tougher games I've posted recently. Still, if you enjoy physics games, this one is quite nicely made.

[This is actually the sequel to IQ Ball, which we covered last year! -Ed]

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/21/tarzan-ball-is-a-tricky-hook-and-pull-physics-game/

Henrik Brenner Karla Reusch