techedicts | life is tech, tech is life

All new Google maps

admin — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 06:15:50 +0000

The online mapping space is quickly heating up. What used to be a relatively straightforward competition between Google and Microsoft (with OpenStreetMap and a few other smaller players standing on the sidelines) will likely become a far more complex scenario now that Apple is likely to reveal its own solution at its WWDC later this month. Google, it seems, is trying to steal some thunder from Apple and is holding an invite-only press event in San Francisco where the company promises to unveil “the next dimension of Google Maps.”

The invitation also notes that Google will offer attendees “a behind-the-scenes look at Google Maps and share our vision. We’ll also demo some of the newest technology and provide a sneak peek at upcoming features that will help people get where they want to go – both physically and virtually.”

Given that Apple is widely rumored to drop Google Maps in iOS6 in favor of its own solution with a focus on 3D maps, it’s hard not to look at Google talking about “the next dimension of Google Maps” without thinking about more 3D features.

Google Maps, of course, already lets you switch to Google Earth in the browser. This feature only works once you have installed a plugin, though. Maybe this update will bring this functionality directly to the browser through WebGL. Maybe Google is adding more 3D buildings and trees, or maybe it is also updating Street View with a more virtual world-like look.

Whatever it is, we’ll be attending the event next week and will keep you posted.

Early look at Medal of Honor Warfighter

admin — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 05:56:17 +0000

Most anticipated multiplayer game Medal of Honor Warfighter is set to release on October 23rd, 2012. Danger Close revealed the presence of international focus in the Medal of Honor Warfighter experience. Every element of the game represents international teamwork amongst Tier 1 teams from 12 different countries.

In multiplayer, players can select British SAS soldiers, Polish GROM teams, the German KSK and more. Whereas 2010′s Medal of Honor was set in Afghanistan across a short period of time, Warfighter is set in multiple countries including Somalia and the Philippines. Throughout the missions bringing back characters from the last Medal of Honor entry, they also team up with local special forces teams wherever they’re operating.

During a gameplay demonstration, the destructive power of the Frostbite 2 engine (Battlefield 3′s framework) permeated every aspect of the fight. While sneaking through a flooded city in the Philippines, the product of a recent monsoon, the members of Task Force Mako shoot down dozens of enemies, cracking through wooden posts, tables, floorboards, and more.

Bullets splashed through the knee-high water flooding the level. And chandeliers swung left and right, reacting to gunfire and explosions surrounding them. After saving a group of hostages, the demo showed off a boat chase through a village ravaged by the flood, with rain and bullets pounding down along the way.

The elements look familiar in the saturated modern shooter world, especially since one main character looks a lot like Captain Price (it’s the hat and the beard). Danger Close claims that tone is Warfighter’s strongest asset, giving respect to the actions of these based-on-actual-events missions. It’s difficult to tell if this takes precedence from a short glimpse of gameplay.

One interesting shooter mechanic that deviated from the modern standards we’ve grown accustomed to was a multiple choice breach mechanic. Standing to the side of a doorway, the protagonist chooses to kick the door in, breach it with explosives, or toss in a flashbang. Depending on the choice, the events played out inside the room differ.

Medal of Honor Warfighter comes out on October 23rd.

Facebook Smileys for chat

admin — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:45:13 +0000

Facebook application developers

Now you can use new, amazing and trolling smileys in the facebook chat. This cool new fb chat feature will make the chat more interesting and funny. Users have to just paste the following codes/numbers (including brackets) into their fb chat. Once they paste the code, they and their friends can see the respective troll face which the user pasted the code of. Some of the cool troll face codes for facebook are:

Facebook application developers

Troll face: [[171108522930776]]
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME: [[143220739082110]]
Not bad Obama: [[169919399735055]]
Me Gusta: [[211782832186415]]
Mother of God: [[142670085793927]]
Cereal Guy: [[170815706323196]]
LOL Face: [[168456309878025]]
NO Guy: [[167359756658519]]
Yao Ming: [[218595638164996]]
Derp: [[224812970902314]]
Derpina: [[192644604154319]]
Forever Alone: [[177903015598419]]
Not Bad: [[NotBaad]]
Fuck yeah: [[105387672833401]]
Challenge accepted: [[100002727365206]]
Okay face: [[100002752520227]]
Dumb bitch: [[218595638164996]]
Poker face: [[129627277060203]]
Okay face: [[224812970902314]]
Socially awkward penguin: [[98438140742]]
Rage face: [[FUUUOFFICIAL]]
Lamp: [[100001256102462]]
No: [[167359756658519]]
MOG: [[142670085793927]]
Feel like a sir: [[168040846586189]]
Forever alone christmas: [[125038607580286]]

Facebook application developers

Yahoo Axis Launched

admin — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:36:31 +0000

After a consistent stream of bad news from Yahoo’s executive offices, the fading giant search company has finally launched a big new development that takes on its core business challenge: staying relevant. The company on Thursday launched its own Web browser called Yahoo Axis.

Axis is centered around searching, bookmarking, and content syncing across multiple devices. While Yahoo says Axis is both a desktop and mobile browser, it is really just a mobile browser for the iPad and iPhone, and a plug-in for Safari/Chrome/IE/Firefox which amounts to a little more than a “next-gen Yahoo Toolbar.”

With that being said, Yahoo in 2012 has moved toward adopting a “mobile first” strategy, and third-party browser share in the mobile realm is still up for grabs, so concentrating on its mobile application is a solid maneuver.

The point of all this is to get Yahoo! back in front of people and, perhaps more importantly, get them using Yahoo! services. Though the company hasn’t expressly described how the browser synching will work, I have to imagine that a Yahoo! account is required at some level.

Despite these smart moves from Yahoo!, I have a hard time seeing this taking off in any kind of meaningful way. The Google search bar successfully got people using Google, but it actually provided a service that browsers lacked at the time: Dead simple web search, built right in. Though the synching between devices is useful, that alone doesn’t seem like a strong enough feature.

That said, it’s honestly refreshing to see something positive coming from Yahoo!. Perhaps Axis’ slick design and clever features might be the shot-in-the-arm that Yahoo! has been looking for. Those interested can download the iPad and iPhone versions from the Apple app store, and the desktop plugin here.