FocuSoft Tech Blog

BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories roll into Best Buy
Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups
Review: Best New iPod and iPhone AppStore Games
The HTC Hero is now available from Sprint, just an FYI
The Underutilized Power Of The Video Demo To Explain What The Hell You Actually Do
Portable NES modded into a cartridge, hearts modded into love
Jailbreak everything (well, only iPhone 3.1.2 firmware) with blackra1n
Segway Concept Emboldens Mall Security With Aggressive Lines, Comfy Seats [Segways]
Well Hello Five Windows Task Manager Alternatives [Windows]
Blackra1n jailbreak now available for iPhone OS 3.1.2, iPod touch 3G

BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories roll into Best Buy

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 06:57 PM PDT

Silicone skins for the Storm 2 are starting to find their way into shipments destined to Best Buy stores around the country, another solid signal that RIM’s second touchscreen effort is hitting retail sooner rather than later. What we found amusing about this first batch is that the packaging seems conflicted about what to call the thing — 9550, Storm II (as opposed to Storm2 or Storm 2, interestingly), and even the phone’s codename Odin all make appearances front and center. We suppose they’re just trying to make it crystal clear what phone the skin’s intended for, and with leaks going back a solid year, you’ve got to cover all your bases.

[Thanks, Caffoni]

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories roll into Best Buy

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories roll into Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 05:44 PM PDT

Backing up your personal PC to external media might still be a novel concept for some, but any IT manager fresh out of school can tell you that regularly backing up mission-critical servers — and storing those backups in multiple physical locations — isn’t merely important, it’s practically non-negotiable, and it only becomes that much more critical before undertaking hardware maintenance. Alleged details on the events leading up to Danger’s doomsday scenario are starting to come out of the woodwork, and it all paints a truly embarrassing picture: Microsoft, possibly trying to compensate for lost and / or laid-off Danger employees, outsources an upgrade of its Sidekick SAN to Hitachi, which — for reasons unknown — fails to make a backup before starting. Long story short, the upgrade runs into complications, data is lost, and without a backup to revert to, untold thousands of Sidekick users get shafted in an epic way rarely seen in an age of well-defined, well-understood IT strategies.

The coming weeks are going to be trying times for both Microsoft and T-Mobile, a sideline player in this carnage that ultimately still shoulders responsibility for taking users’ cash month after month and keeping tabs on the robustness of its partners’ workflows. We’re betting that heads are going to roll at both of these companies, formal investigations are going to be waged, users are going to be compensated in big ways, lawsuits are going to be filed, and textbooks could very well be modified to make sure that lessons are learned for the next generation of college grads tasked with keeping clouds running. Why there weren’t any backups — even older ones — that could’ve been used as a restore point is totally unclear, so we’re hoping Microsoft has the stones to come clean for the benefit of an entire industry that wants to understand how to make sure this never happens again.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Best New iPod and iPhone AppStore Games

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 05:29 PM PDT

With the recent iPod Touch update Apple has positioned and marketed the device as a new type of mobile gaming platform. Games have always been some of the best selling applications in the AppStore for both the iPod Touch and the iPhone. A recent advertisement for the iPod Touch carries the slogan “The Funnest iPod Ever” and features a number of games. We decided to try out and review each of the games featured in the ad and rate the ‘fun factor’ ourselves.

The Apple mobile devices have become decent gaming machines, with some of the newer games providing in-depth 3D environments and absorbing gameplay. We found a number of games that were extremely well developed and addictive, as good and better than most of the dedicated mobile gaming devices available on the market today.

We previously reviewed the best iPhone Apps so far this year. The following is our review of 12 of the new iPod Touch and iPhone games featured and highlighted in the recent Apple campaign.

If you have found any cool and fun new games for the iPod Touch or iPhone, or you have a particular favorite game, let us know in the comments.

Top Gun

TechCrunch Rating:

Download: Rated 9+; $1.99

After watching Top Gun for the first time, who didn’t want to be a Navy Fighter Pilot – flying around shooting planes out of the sky to save your country, and being called awesome monikers like Maverick and Ice Man? With Paramount Pictures Top Gun iPhone app, you can get closer to this experience. The best part of it is, you can do it to the tune of Danger Zone.

The game features 10 missions, each one increasing in difficulty as you progress. The controls are balanced and the game is well designed for the most part. The graphics were crisp, and there was no frame lag when I played. It did seem odd though that the game had no throttle control: you are unable to speed up nor slow down, which meant I couldn’t use my favorite Top Gun quote, “You’re gonna do what,?!” while playing. The lack of a multiplayer mode keeps me from giving it a higher ranking, but for two bucks, you can’t really go wrong. Playing to Danger Zone adds another star to the rating, it just pumps me up everytime.

Real Racing

TechCrunch Rating:

Download: Rated 4+; $6.99

This is the closest an iPhone game has come to either Gran Turismo or Project Gotham. Real Racing is for the true racing enthusiast and gamer. There are 48 cars in 4 different classes, and the game boasts a massive 76 events in its career mode. The game offers automatic acceleration, as well as manual for those who truly want a challenge. Furthermore, the game offers a six person local multiplayer (through a WiFi network) so you can test your skills with all of your friends. On top of a global leaderboard, Real Racing has customizable leaderboards so that you can always hold your superiority over the heads of those closest to you.

Overall, this game is amazing. The graphics are awesome, the gameplay is crisp, and you can even post your best races straight to youtube! The only thing that seems to be missing is a non-local multiplayer so that you can challenge anyone around the world, but the upsides far outweigh this point. Definitely worth the $6.99.

Monster Trucks Nitro

TechCrunch Rating:

Download: Rated 4+; $0.99

The goal of Monster Trucks Nitro is to race down the eight different tracks as fast as you can while surmounting the obstacles which the game lays out. The game awards either a Bronze, Silver, or Gold medal depending on how fast you complete the races. Monster Trucks Nitro is a fun game and kept me engaged for a short while.

Unfortunately, I finished quite quickly and realized that there was no replay value to it other than simply going for all Gold medals. Also, there was no real sense of speed even when I used the Nitro. The graphics are decent, the framerate is adequate, and the multiple camera angles add a neat aspect to this game. However, the amount of content is definitely the shortcoming in this game and keeps it from a better rating.

3D Rollercoaster Rush

TechCrunch Rating:

Download: Rated 4+; $4.99; Limited Free Version

Looking at the description of this game, I didn’t think there was any way this game could be worth the $4.99 price tag, so I downloaded and installed the free and restriction version to try it out. Within minutes of playing the free version, I was hooked, and immediately purchased the full version for $4.99. The graphics are awesome, and I have yet to get past all of the levels. The carts can go faster or slower through the use of the accelerometer and the stunts which you can perform are, as the description describes, “insane.”

Being able to race the game designer’s time and demolish it is pretty satisfying, but I would still like a multiplayer function if I’m going to be shelling my hard earned(ish) cash. Overall, the $4.99 is a bit steep compared to other games, but worth it. At a slightly lower price, it would definitely be a 5-star ‘must have’ game. Try out the free version first to find out if you enjoy the game.

Touch Hockey: FS5

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; $0.99; Limited Free Version

Playing this game brings back memories of being in an arcade and playing air hockey with my buddies. There really isn’t too much to say about Touch Hockey: FS5, as it is quite simple and intuitive. The gameplay is smooth and very responsive. The friends feature, where you can play a friend over WiFi, is very addictive.

The only problem is that in single-player mode the AI is way too easy, so unless you have a friend to play against over WiFi, the game becomes very boring very quickly. The only difference between the free version and paid version is the removal of ads, which for most won’t justify the purchase price as the ads are not very intrusive.

Homerun Battle 3D

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; $4.99

Homerun Battle 3D, previously known as Baseball Slugger, is a homerun. The batting controls are perfect and there is so much replay value with the online challenges. The graphics are clear and the stadium rendering excellent – it certainly looks and plays better than Wii Baseball. This has quickly become one of my favorite iPhone/iPod Touch games available today.

My only gripe is how, when playing alone, the computer can throw six 80 MPH fastballs in a row, and then come with a 104 MPH slider. That’s ridiculous. Other than that, this game is a must have for anyone looking for a casual and fun game.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour by EA Sports

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; $4.99

Like Tiger Woods, this game is a winner. It becomes apparently from early on that EA Sports has spent a lot of time developing and refining this game to mimic the classic console experience. While many games use a lot of the iPhone’s features simply for novelty sake, EA makes sure to use them to the users advantage.

The game offers actual PGA courses to play on, different difficulty levels, and upgradeable equipment and abilities. The graphics are as good as they get, the gameplay is on par with any other game out there, and replay value is high, especially for fans of golf. An online multiplayer would have seen this game receive an off-the-charts rating, and I hope we see that feature soon. This game is definitely a must have for anyone with either an iPhone or an iPod Touch.

Slope Rider

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; $2.99; Limited Free Version

Based on the Mac game, Slope Rider was re-engineered to work on the iPhone/iPod Touch. While the game has crisp graphics and a good interface, there is nothing which truly stands out. You can either race via the alpine tracks, or do tricks via the freestyle courses. There are a multitude of tricks to master which are combined through the use of grabs, flips, and turns, which will in turn increase your points.

There is no multiplayer, and the only way to gauge how good you are is to check the global leaderboard. For this game, I would definitely recommend saving your three dollars for one of the other games on this list, and just downloading the free version.

Aqua Moto Racing

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; $3.99; Limited Free Version

If you blinked during the Apple commercial then you might not have seen this game. Aqua Moto Racing brings back memories of Nintendo 64’s Wave Race, which is definitely a good thing. There are 18 different tracks to race from, and you are able to race these in reversed mode as well, which adds to the replayability of the game.

While this game doesn’t have true multiplayer functionality, it does offer ghost mode. Ghost mode lets you race against the times of those who have made the global leaderboard. While this game isn’t on par with some of the other stellar apps on this list, it is definitely worth the free test drive, especially for those nostalgic for the old Wave Race.

Finger Foos

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; FREE

On the Apple Ad, Finger Foos seems really cool and fun, but it really isn’t – it is terrible. The game is ridiculously simple and requires absolutely no skill whatsoever. The technology behind it is slick as you can see in the commercial, but the game just isn’t very fun.

It is a very very poor version of Touch Hockey: FS5, but does have the benefit of allowing more players to compete at once. It is a free game, so try it out yourselves to find out just how terrible it is and how misleading the ads can be.

2XL Supercros

TechCrunch Rating:

AppStore: Rated 4+; $7.99; Limited Free Version

If a game developer charges $8 for a game, it better be a very good one, especially since that price point is at the top end for games and it is the most expensive game on this list. 2XL Games, the developers of 2XL Supercross did not disappoint. This game has everything: the graphics are crystal-clear, the sounds of the engines are life-like, and the physics of the game are nearly perfect. A player can customize the look of his rider, ride in either a 125cc, 250cc, or 450cc bike, and race from four different camera views.

The controls take a little while to get used to, but once you get them, the game is a lot of fun. And if you don’t like the preset controls, no worries, as the game has eight different control configurations. This is another must have for any game enthusiast. Best of all, it has a free version to test-drive.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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Review: Best New iPod and iPhone AppStore Games

The HTC Hero is now available from Sprint, just an FYI

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 04:59 PM PDT

Sprint isn’t doing itself any favors recently by breaking retail’s first rule: Customers are dumb, so don’t give them choices. But now at Sprint, consumers must decide between the Palm Pre, the BlackBerry Tour, and $179 (after $100 MIR & 2-year agreement) the Android-powered HTC Hero. I mean, they’re making it awful hard on customers these days by offering more than one must-have phone.

It’s so much easier to choose a phone down at the AT&T store because your options are only the iPhone 3G or the iPhone 3GS. And Verizon only has the BlackBerry Tour. But damn, Sprint has three of the hottest phones with the Android-packing Samsung Moment and Palm Pixi coming out real soon too. Come on, Sprint, stop embarrassing AT&T and VZW with all the cool phones you have. No one likes a show-off.

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The HTC Hero is now available from Sprint, just an FYI

The Underutilized Power Of The Video Demo To Explain What The Hell You Actually Do

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 04:58 PM PDT

805a4454ae14 PM.png The Underutilized Power Of The Video Demo To Explain What The Hell You Actually Do During my time at TechCrunch I’ve seen thousands of startups and written about hundreds of them. I sure as hell don’t know all the secrets to building a successful company, but there are a few things I’ve seen that seem like surefire ways to ever-so-slightly grease the path to success. Here’s an easy one: make a video demo and prominently promote it somewhere where new visitors can find it. One that shows off the core function of your product without making people think they’re watching an ad or a pitch. And answer, as thoroughly as possible in 2-3 minutes, what it is that you’re bringing to the table.

Here’s a sad truth: a lot of reporters really are quite lazy. Not in the sense that they don’t want to find and cover a cool new company (in which case they should consider a new career path), but in that they don’t like to spend time wading through marketing material trying to figure out what your company actually does. After all, we’ve got inboxes stuffed with pitches from companies vying for coverage. If it takes more than a minute or two to figure out what problem you’re trying to solve, we’re probably more likely to simply skip to the next message than to try to make sense of your feature set.

Consumers are even lazier. If you don’t have some kind of bite-sized hook that introduces them to your product, there’s a good chance they’ll stare quizzically at the screen, shrug their shoulders, and head back to Google to find something else that fixes their problem. Walls of descriptive text definitely are not the answer. Images can help, but they can also become overwhelming. Video, especially in an age when people are so used to consuming it online, is often a good solution.

But just making a video isn’t enough – you need to make sure that the video actually conveys what the hell you actually do. This is apparently much harder than it sounds, because I’ve seen plenty of video demos loaded with screenshots, walkthroughs, and pretty graphics but still leave me scratching my head. The truth is, you don’t need a single screenshot to make an effective video. You just need to show how people will actually use what you’ve built, not a sales pitch.

Take Dropbox for example. I use the service every day and love it, but every time I try to describe it in a sentence I’m left with something that makes me retch a bit — “intuitive and deeply integrated file synchronization service” just doesn’t come close to capturing just how damn cool Dropbox really is. Apparently the Dropbox team didn’t have much luck describing themselves in text either, so they’ve gone another route: visit their homepage, and you’ll see a polished, easy-to-follow video demo front and center that perfectly describes what the service actually does.

Dropbox has made one mistake though: they don’t offer a way to embed their great demo video anywhere else (someone else did upload it to YouTube though, so I’ve embedded it below). Some bloggers, including myself, are more than happy to embed a video walkthrough in posts, provided it isn’t overly self promotional.

There are plenty of other examples of companies using video demos to great effect. Head over to Apple’s iPhone site and you’ll notice that they offer video walkthroughs for basically everything the phone can do. Google now regularly uses video walkthroughs to introduce many of their new products and features, though they don’t always do a great job — this video demo created by a third party did a better job explaining Wave than anything Google has made.

Of course, a video demo isn’t absolutely essential to your site’s success. Just look at Mint, which was just acquired for $170 million by Intuit. There’s nary a video in sight, and — at the risking of sounding like a complete fool given its huge acquisition price — I find Mint’s 20+ pages outlining its feature set and why people should use the service to be positively daunting. Twitter’s page doesn’t include a video (though I think it badly needs one). And Facebook just says that it’s a service that “helps you connect and share with the people in your life”, which would set my bullshit meter off the charts if it appeared in any startup pitch.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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The Underutilized Power Of The Video Demo To Explain What The Hell You Actually Do

Portable NES modded into a cartridge, hearts modded into love

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 04:03 PM PDT

We’ve seen NES mods that incorporate a screen and controls into a cartridge in the past, but this example from Airz in BenHeck’s forums is just so clean and well-polished that we had to give it some love. Inside Airz says it’s just a generic Chinese media player that can play NES, Gameboy, and Gameboy Color ROMs, along with the relevant controller bits, a 2.8-inch LCD, 4GB of storage, and a rechargeable battery. Oh, and if you’re feeling particularly retro, you can hook it up over TV-out and play on the big screen. Not bad — and it’s for sale if you’re as in love as we are. Video after the break.

[Via 8bitfix; thanks, Gusto]

Continue reading Portable NES modded into a cartridge, hearts modded into love

Filed under: Gaming

Portable NES modded into a cartridge, hearts modded into love originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jailbreak everything (well, only iPhone 3.1.2 firmware) with blackra1n

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 03:46 PM PDT

If you’ve been waiting to upgrade, now you’re ready to rock. A new app, blackra1n, will jailbreak any 3.1.2 iPhone or iPod Touch.

Interestingly, this is a Windows-only release (download it here), just like his previous opus, purplera1n). Also N.B this jailbreak will break your unlocked iPhone so be wary.

So, what is blackra1n? blackra1n is a 30 second ALL device 3.1.2 jailbreak. Even the ipt3, but the ipt3 is tethered. In order to boot it, just rerun blackra1n. As far as donations go, they are much appreciated, but not until after blackra1n works for you. I never ask for donations before the tool is released.

Warning 3g and 3gs unlockers, do not upgrade to 3.1.2 using iTunes if you want to keep your unlock. Baseband cannot be downgraded. Check out the dev team’s offerings. Also blackra1n doesn’t hacktivate.

Also, the secret word for today is FORDS. Just thought you might like to know.

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Jailbreak everything (well, only iPhone 3.1.2 firmware) with blackra1n

Segway Concept Emboldens Mall Security With Aggressive Lines, Comfy Seats [Segways]

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 03:00 PM PDT

Behold, today’s dose of mall cop pornography.

Actually, it’s a Segway re-imagined by designer Michael DiTullo, who created it in response to the Project PUMA concept from earlier this year.

The thing’s a two-seater too, so bring a friend! [Design Blog]

Segway Concept Emboldens Mall Security With Aggressive Lines, Comfy Seats [Segways]

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Segway Concept Emboldens Mall Security With Aggressive Lines, Comfy Seats [Segways]

Well Hello Five Windows Task Manager Alternatives [Windows]

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 02:30 PM PDT

Want to branch out a bit from the default Windows Task Manager tool that’s probably helping keeping you abreast of the goings on of your PC right this moment? Look no further, for Lifehacker is here with another glorious top five list on that very subject! [Lifehacker]

Well Hello Five Windows Task Manager Alternatives [Windows]

Original post:
Well Hello Five Windows Task Manager Alternatives [Windows]

Blackra1n jailbreak now available for iPhone OS 3.1.2, iPod touch 3G

Posted: 11 Oct 2009 02:01 PM PDT

Wow, judging by our tips jar we’d say you’re all pretty darn excited about Geohot’s Blackra1n jailbreak, which lets you open up iPhone OS 3.1.2 devices including the iPod touch 3G and new iPhone 3GSs — but you can’t unlock yet, so don’t get any big ideas about switching carriers. Windows-only at the moment, but with this level of enthusiasm out there we can’t imagine a Mac version is far behind.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Blackra1n jailbreak now available for iPhone OS 3.1.2, iPod touch 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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