Ouya’s Free The Games Program Revised Posted: 26 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Remember that big news about OUYA setting aside $1M for its Kickstarter matching campaign? Dubbed Free the Games Fund, the campaign came under very close scrutiny – both from fans and critics alike. The fact that people put the Ouya’s Free the Games Fund under the microscope is nothing surprising in itself. In this day and age where everyone has an opinion and the venues to express them, no one is really holding back any punches. So yeah, the Ouya Free the Games program has been criticized, and Ouya was not slow to make the necessary adjustments, to be fair. In a blog entry last week, they announced the changes, making sure it is clear that they listened to the feedback. Brownie points! Here are some of the revisions to the program. Project Minimum: Originally, they set it at $50k. Not surprisingly, people thought that the amount was too high. Ouya responded by lowering this to $10k. Minimum # of Backers: ”The intent is for the community to want your game, not a small number of well-resourced supporters. We felt we needed to look at the minimum number of backers to make sure it is in line with the spirit of our program. So, for every $10,000 raised on Kickstarter, you have to have a minimum of 100 backers.” Exclusivity: ”1 month for every $10k funded by OUYA up to 6 months. So, if you set a goal for $20k and you meet your goal, your game would be exclusive for 2 months. If your goal is for $70k, and you meet your goal, your game will be exclusive for 6 months.” Additionally, the rules have been changed to allow more leeway in the availability of the game on other platforms. They now allow developers to make PC versions of their game. I suppose that this is a huge bone of contention, and making this concession is something that the Ouya guys had to think about. Those are the main points, but you can see the other changes following the link above. Judging by the responses to the blog post, not everyone is happy, but the adjustments are being seen as a step in the right direction. Game developer? What do you think about this move? The post Ouya’s Free The Games Program Revised appeared first on TechBeat. |
California Law To Allow Teens To Delete Social Media Posts Posted: 26 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT California has passed a law allowing under-18s to force websites to delete their personal information. The law takes effect from 2015 and includes content that has been posted by the individual, like photos and content. However, companies will not be made to remove content posted or reposted by others. The information will also not have to be removed from their servers. Chief executive of Common Sense Media, a charity that promotes children’s digital privacy said: “Teens often self-reveal before they self-reflect and may post sensitive personal information about themselves – and about others – without realising the consequences.” According to a survey carried out by Pew, 19 percent of US youths with a social media account had posted comments or photos that they later regretted, while 59 percent had deleted or edited a post. The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) have concerns over whether webites will understand this new leglislation and the legal obligations that come with it. “Our chief concern is that this legal uncertainty will discourage operators from developing content and services tailored to younger users, and will lead popular sites and services that may appeal to minors to prohibit minors from using their services,” said CDT’s policy counsel Emma Llanso. However Google chairman Eric Schmidt said back in May that the Internet needs a “delete button”. So should this new legislation been extended to everyone with a social media profile, not just children? We’d love to hear your comments. |
Cuddle Mattress Makes Spooning More Comfortable Posted: 26 Sep 2013 04:00 AM PDT We've all seen the photos advertising a new mattress with the couple spooning one another and most of us will have exactly the same thought running through our minds; "they will not be like that in a few minutes!" The reality of it is that cuddling up to somebody in bed is only comfy for a short time before the 'big spoon' starts to lose the feeling in their arm and the 'little spoon' gets annoyed with by the feeling of an arm digging into their neck/back. The Cuddle Mattress could revolutionize spooning as we know it. How Does It Work? Unlike the traditional solid mattress, the Cuddle Mattress is split into three sections, top middle and bottom. The central part of the mattress is solid to offer support to the torso and lower back. The top and bottom of the mattress where the head and the feet lie have slats in them. It is the slats that enable couples to spoon comfortably by allowing space for the limbs to sink into the mattress and avoid the dreaded 'dead arm'. The slats at the lower end of the bed provide a space for sleepers to put their feet and keep their toes warm or simply to aid 'wrigglers' to find a comfier position. To provide further comfort for users, the slats come in a variety of materials:
Where Can You Buy One? Here's the catch, the Cuddle Mattress hasn't actually come to fruition yet. The mind behind the space providing mattress, Medhi Mojtabavi was inundated with emails. "It was like a fever around it" said Mojtabavi. Unfortunately, without funding and with other commitments, even though the mattress won an award from Red Dot in 2007, the mattress was still not on the market. After an email from a man who had recently undergone shoulder surgery saying he was extremely interested in purchasing the mattress, Mojtabavi thought about the project with renewed vigour. Like thousands of other startups, Mojtabavi launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo.com in the hope of raising the capital he needed ($75,000). Unfortunately, most people wanted to try the mattress before they bought it and the goal wasn't achieved. Mojtabavi has far from given up on his project though and is actively seeking out investors or even partners to bring the mattress to production. |
Apple Releases New iMac With Iris Pro Posted: 26 Sep 2013 03:00 AM PDT Following the release of the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, Apple has given its iMac a small revamp. The new release brings Haswell cores from Intel, new NVIDIA Corp. GPUs, improved Fusion drives and more ports. Last October Apple made major changes to the iMac line, which included a new 5-mm thick aluminum frame. This time round the changes are more subtle but nonetheless contribute to making Apple’s all-in-one (AIO) personal computer a serious contender in the bid for the best value in the market. Currently Lenovo dominate the AIO PC market after over-taking Apple. So what does the new iMac have to offer? Well the revamped model comes with 8 GB (upgradable two 32 GB for 27-inch, 16 GB for 21.5-inch) of 1600 MHz DDR3 and a 1 terabyte “Fusion” drive, a mostly hard disk hybrid drive with an undisclosed amount of NAND flash onboard (upgradable to 3 TB traditional HDD, a 256 GB SSD, or a 512 GB SSD). Apple’s AIO PC comes with a wireless “Magic Mouse” and wireless keyboard. It also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi and the following ports:
Apple claims that it has been able to significantly improve the hardware and firmware of its proprietary Fusion drives, thus making performance 50 percent faster than the previous generation. Compared to the competition, Apple has priced the new iMacs rather aggressively. Even those who want a Windows 8 AIO can now consider a new iMac via Boot Camp, which supports Windows 8. |
Can Biking Be Fun Again? Yes Says Autobike Posted: 26 Sep 2013 02:00 AM PDT The bike is hung up in the garage waiting to be taken out again. But until somebody comes and moves the hills, or explains to you exactly how the gears work on the bike so you don't feel as though you're riding through wet concrete everywhere you go, the bike will stay hung up in the garage. That's how most people feel about biking these days but Autobike has developed a new automatic bike that will make any road seem flat. Biking can be fun again according to the electric biking company from Detroit. Smooth, Self-powered and Automatic The SRAM front hub dynamo generates electric from every revolution of the front wheel. The electric is used to power the brain of the operation, a computer which is placed right behind the pedal crank. Sensors are able to detect the cadence of the cyclist and any incline in the road. The brain then caluculates the adjustments needed to keep the cyclist at their chosen cadence and changes the gears accordingly. Rather than experience rapid gear shifts that judder the bike and jar the rider, the developers have used a Nuvinci N360 rear hub transmission allowing for super smooth gear shifts. All about the Cadence Cadence is a term used to describe the amount of revolutions your pedals go through per minute while cycling. Most people fall within the range of 60 to 70 revolutions per minute (rpm) but when they climb a hill this will normally change depending on how well a person uses their gears. Autobike uses automatic gear shifting to make sure that people can stay at the same rpm anywhere they go. The rpm is completely up to them and what makes them feel comfortable, making every road and hill seem flat. The co-founder of Autobike, Sean Simpson told Mashable; "we set out to create a bike that offers a fun experience that is accessible to anyone who wants to jump on a bike with zero training. They can just hop on and go." Getting Back on the Bike The Voyage and Voyage ST can be ordered from Autobike for $1,000. Developers are hoping the bikes will get people to return to biking and perhaps even forego the short ride on the subway or bus to work for a healthier, more economic bike ride. |
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Apple Releases New iMac With Iris Pro TechBeat
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