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MacStories Weekly Game: Samurai II

For this week’s “MacStories Weekly Game”, I needed a good ol’ action game to talk about. You know those hack & slash type of games, where you usually wander around levels focusing on killing enemies and making combos? I grew up with them. Then God of War came around and the new kids got a new concept of hack & slash. But Samurai II is different: while clearly inspired by the post-God of War generation (the level schemes, the rich graphics, the bosses, the upgrades, the roll), it retains a somewhat old-style feeling that I was missing on the iPhone.

Samurai II: Vengeance is the sequel to last year’s Samurai: War of the Warrior, featured by Apple in the Best Games of 2009. It was indeed a great game, packed with stylish manga-like graphics, swipe-based controls and good action. Quite possibly, the original Samurai for iPhone is still one of the best action games out there. With Samurai II, though, the developers enhanced the whole system, create even better graphics and took away a few things. Read more

On iPhone, Android And People’s Perception

I was watching Chuck last night, and just like every episode recently aired I noticed there were many iPads and iPhones around. I don’t know if this is a trend amongst producers or Apple paying for product placement, but the thing is - Apple products are everywhere in today’s TV shows. I’m referring to “TV shows” as it’s the only kind of content coming from television networks I regularly consume nowadays.

So while I was watching and yet another iPhone showed up, my girlfriend - who is not exactly a “tech savvy” type - said: “Look, another iPhone 4”. The same happens every single time in the other shows we follow.

I also noticed, though, that there are other kinds of gadgets showing up every once in a while, namely non-Apple cellphones. They’re usually Motorola, HTC, Samsung Galaxy devices (I also spotted a Nexus One on Chuck) running, as you may guess, Android. I know those are Android devices, and when I see them I usually whisper “look, that’s an Android phone”. But I know those are Android devices, because I’m a geek who’s interested in technology and reads dozens of tech blogs every day. Do regular people notice these products at all? Read more

“The Mac App Store Isn’t For Today’s Mac Developers”→

“The Mac App Store Isn’t For Today’s Mac Developers”

But a huge new market is about to open next door. And yes, it’ll probably be dominated by Angry Birds and other inexpensive, often trivial apps. When this happens, a lot of traditional Mac developers are going to look down on it. But those with a bit of free time to develop their own inexpensive, often trivial apps might have a different viewpoint entirely when they see their sales numbers.

Marco Arment nails it.

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14 Hours Later, Ratings and Reviews Still Gone From The App Store

We noticed this last night and we thought it might be a temporary glitch, but 14 hours later reviews and ratings are still nowhere to be found in the App Store.

If you try to open an App Store app page, in fact, you’ll notice that ratings and user reviews have simply disappeared. The “Customers also bought” section is in there, and reviews are accessible through Apple’s web view for iTunes pages, but you can’t find them in the App Store.

Read more

A 58-inch Multitouch Table For Your iPhone

You’d think the iPad has a pretty large display. Think again. These guys are working on a 58-inch multitouch table that accepts connections from a jailbroken iPhone 4, basically a giant surface with just a 30-pin dock connector. 58 inches of multitouch goodness right under your hands.

Now, this could either be the most awesome hack ever or the stupidest thing some guys ever wasted their time on. The project is nearing completion and a first demo video will be shown in 3 days, but you can check out the mockups below.

Why would someone need something like this is a different story. Perhaps for digital ping pong. [Engadget via Table Connect] Read more

Fotopedia, The Best Photo Encyclopedia App for iOS, Got Even Better

In case you missed our previous coverage, Fotopedia Heritage is a beautiful app for iPhone and iPad that aims at becoming “an encyclopedia for humanity” based on stunning photographs from around the world.

Cody wrote:

Described as an endless photo journey, I imagine fans of Discovery’s Planet Earth would really enjoy sinking their teeth into this app. There’s a great wealth of information that can be uncovered with each photograph, making us aware of scenic, historic, and cultural locations.

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Reggie Watts, An iPhone App, Lots Of Win [Video]

So here’s the thing: I bought some music apps for iPhone, thinking that maybe I could accomplish something good. I mean, have you seen what Atomic Tom came up with? Or all those other iPerformers on Youtube? And DJ Rana June? I suck at music apps, plain and simple. Yet I keep buying them hoping that maybe someday the musician in me will find his way out to be great with a touch screen. Whatever.

Reggie Watts, famous stand-up comedian /musician / life genius, proved once again that if you want to do something great with a music app, you need to have what it takes. While he was interviewed on Sirius XM radio, he told the host and the people in the studio he forgot his stuff and he pulled out his iPhone. He fired up Everyday Looper and started improvising.

The result of what happened is embedded below. Damn, I suck at music apps. [TUAW via CrunchGear] Read more

The Banned White iPhone 4 Promo Video

From the same guys who created the hilarious iPhone 4 and iPad “banned” promo videos and the even better Antenna promo video, here’s the white iPhone 4 version.

Because if you waited for the white iPhone 4, you’re an idiot. A stupid human being who has waited 5 months for a phone that’s a different color. Or so they say.

Check out the video below. Then go search for some replacement cover on eBay, if you really want the white thing. Read more