IBLOG SPACE

The “Indie Games” section of Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 has become very popular among everyone from hardcore gamers to people who whose favorite game is Angry Birds. In the most recent update to the Xbox 360 Dashboard, the Indie Games channel receives even more prominence, showing that Microsoft really likes this section of content. On the software giant’s other Xbox Live platform, though, a.ka. Windows Phone, there is no such initiative. So a bunch of independent game developers have teamed up to create Xbox Live Indie Games on Windows Phone for themselves. They have collectively created an app called the XBLIG Companion. The app scours through data feeds on XboxIndies.com to find all independently developed Xbox Live titles. Users can use that list to find the best games available, and then through the Windows Phone platform’s built-in integration, they can beam downloads of those games to their Xbox 360 from anywhere. This slight difference highlights that even though there is an inc

If you’re the kind of person who has an Android-powered smartphone, an Android-powered tablet, and maybe even an Android-powered Google TV, then you might be interested in the latest line of products from Innotrends. It offers a whole slew of in-car infotainment systems that are, you guessed it, powered by Android. The in-car sector of the consumer electronics market is one that has the most potential for growth, and Innotrends is hoping its Ca-Fi product line will help with that growth. All models have touchscreen displays and give users access to information like GPS directions, weather, local alerts, and other content powered by Android apps. It also opens up the gates to streaming music and video, as well as the ability to place hands-free calls. Of course, there are also many features that shouldn’t be used by drivers while they’re on the road, like the ability to shop online or check your bank account. But perhaps if you’re in a major traffic jam it offers a nice diversion. There

Although the PlayStation Vita’s official launch date is February 22, those who invested in the First Edition Bundle were able to get their hands on the Vita on February 15. I happen to be one of those lucky people. Against my better judgement, I decided to plunk down the $350 to get the Vita, a case, a 4GB memory card, and Little Deviants. And since I got my hands on the portable, I’ve been quite happy with the experience — and somewhat impressed with the fun factor Little Deviants delivers. But as I play the Vita, one thought just won’t go away: Microsoft is probably the smartest company in the gaming industry. Now, I know that Nintendo and Sony fans hate to hear that and are probably already getting their keyboards ready to write awful comments to me below, but as the portable-gaming space as we know it dies off, Microsoft will be the only company who didn’t waste its cash trying to salvage it. Like it or not, the future of portable gaming is in smartphones. The titles are extremely

Google’s Chromebooks, web-centric ultraportables intended to drive adoption of cloud-computing, are set to get faster, the company has confirmed, as it makes a second try at the notebook market. “We are really looking forward to the next generation of Chromebooks” Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome, told CNET, “we will improve on the dimensions of speed, simplicity, and security.” It’s speed that has been one of the primary complaints, Google concedes, and it’s there that the search giant has focused its efforts for the new generation. Unlike Windows or OS X notebooks, Chromebooks run Google’s own Chrome OS, a platform that basically loads into a browser and offers a window to web-based services. Although Chromebooks use the same computer hardware as regular notebooks, little in the way of apps or data is stored locally: instead, your files are kept on Google’s servers, as are any apps – like word processing software and games – you might want to use. The idea, Google says,

You won’t see this sentence very often: CyanogenMod is asking for money. As you may well know, the Android community uses the modification to Android known as CyanogenMod more than any other custom ROM, hands down. And today they’re asking that you help them out with their otherwise free service by donating some cash to help support the purchase of “a couple of solid, stable Xeon-class servers with large amounts of RAM and fast disks.” They’re currently using PayPal, which is unfortunate for the apparent mobs of users boycotting the service at the moment (there’s a lot of overlap with the modding community) but you’ve got other options as well. What CyanogenMod will use these servers for is compiling nightly builds of their software so that community members around the globe can help test and work to improve said software, and up until very recently, they already had what they needed. Unfortunately and for reasons the team has declined to discuss, they’ve lost access to the cluster the

Refined, minimalistic or just plain bland: Microsoft’s new logo for Windows is prompting far more reaction than you might expect from four skewed squares. Revealed yesterday after a spate of low-profile leaks, the logo is – according to Microsoft’s Windows team itself – as much an homage to the earliest, pared-down graphics of Windows 1.0 as it is a nod to the Metro UI that has become the theme of Windows Phone, Xbox LIVE and, soon, Windows 8 itself. Complaints about the new logo have generally centered on its insipid lack of distinctiveness, but according to the designers themselves this is merely the first step of many incoming changes. Microsoft used external design agency Pentagram to create the new logo, and according to that team the sharp-edged icon should be seen as the first of a new language. The existing flag-like shape has been flattened out and made crisp, and other Microsoft products and services will make similar evolutions too. “Marks that fit into this perspective have

Motorola Mobility faces a potential antitrust investigation from the European Commission over potential misuse of FRAND patents, after Apple filed an official complaint against its rival. The news, revealed as part of Motorola’s most recent SEC filing – in which the company also voices concerns that incoming tablets from Nokia among others might have a significant impact on its own market performance in 2012 – makes Motorola one of a number of big players facing investigation, and comes on the heels of EC and DoJ approval of Google’s acquisition of the company. “On February 17, 2012, the Company received a letter from the European Commission, Competition Directorate-General, (the “Commission”) notifying it that the Commission has received a complaint against Motorola Mobility, Inc. (“MMI”) by Apple, Inc. (“Apple”) regarding the enforcement of MMI’s standards-essential patents against Apple allegedly in breach of MMI’s FRAND commitments. Apple’s complaint seeks the Commission’s interve