Sony has announced another collection of great games that will be available for free of charge to all PlayStation Plus members to download this month. As always the collection features a wide variety of gaming genres with some popular titles mixed with a couple maybe lesser known games.
All the games listed below will be available for subscribers starting next week on May 5 when the PlayStation Store refreshes. If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to download April's free games.
PlayStation 4
Ether One
Guacamelee Super Championship Turbo Edition
Race the Sun
Hohokum
The Unfinished Swan
PlayStation 3
Hohokum
Race the Sun
The Unfinished Swan
PlayStation Vita
Hohokum
Murasaki Baby
Race the Sun
The Unfinished Swan
PlayStation Plus has been a big hit with gamers since its launch last year. The membership program which can be joined for as little as $5/mo with a yearly subscription, or $9.99 for a month to month basis, offers gamers not only free games each month but discounts on titles, free online games saves and other features.
We've all heard that Microsoft will finally be laying Internet Explorer to rest in favor of a new redesigned "super modern, super fast" browser. Today however, we have a new official name for the final release of the project, Microsoft Edge.
During the Microsoft Build developer event in San Francisco, the company announced the new name along with several new features and details for the final product which was previously known as Project Spartan. Microsoft is positioning Microsoft Edge as a modern, fast web browser that been redesigned from the ground up to work within and support almost all of the widely-accepted Internet standards.
The new browser is said to provide lots of contextual, personalized information along with integration with Cortana, Microsoft's virtual personal assistant and artificial intelligence tool, that will learn from your habits and show you ever-more relevant stuff when browsing the web and using web based applications. According to Microsoft the browser will also support extensions based on HTML and Javascript which should make it easier for developers to port their extensions from Chrome or Firefox with only a few minor modifications.
Currently, the only option to test Microsoft Edge is by having the latest build of the Windows 10 technical preview installed. There has been no word as to whether or not Microsoft will release Microsoft Edge for any previous version of Windows, just that it will be the newest default browser for Windows 10 when it is released.
The Make-A-Wish foundation has a long standing history of supporting great causes and we all know that gamers, tech geeks and the likes are always doing their part to support any worthy causes they can. Starting next month, popular game retailer GameStop, will be asking those that can for donations to help support those gamers and geeks that need a little distraction from the challenges they face with their life threatening illnesses.
From May 1, through May 31, 2015, customers who shop at GameStop and www.GameStop.com will have the opportunity to donate $1, $5, $10, or more to Make-A-Wish per purchase. For every Make-A-Wish donation, GameStop will offer a bounce back coupon good for 10% off their next purchase of pre-owned games, and PowerUp Rewards members will receive triple PowerUp Rewards points on their donations. Additionally, this year, customers can also support the cause via in-store donations at Spring Mobile and Simply Mac, members of GameStop’s family of technology brands, and Kongregate customers will be able to donate via online transactions. Last year, GameStop raised $300,000, and this year, GameStop has a goal of raising $500,000 for Make-A-Wish.
“GameStop has a deep history with Make-A-Wish, and we are thrilled to have another opportunity to support such a meaningful organization,” said Rob Lloyd, chief financial officer of GameStop, and Make-A-Wish North Texas board member. “We know the power of granting a wish to children in need and are honored to give our customers the chance to feel the joy in helping to make wish kids’ wishes come true.”
The funds GameStop collects from its Make-A-Wish campaign will support shopping sprees for children facing life-threatening medical challenges. In 2014, GameStop granted some 335 "wishes." This year, GameStop worked with 12-year-old gamer Jahred Joyner, who has AGS leukodystrophy, to fulfill his wish.
For those that may not be visiting GameStop over the next month but still wish to make a donation you can visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more details on how to donate..
The folks at TopCashback are running an exclusive offer for CNet's Cheapskate Blog readers, one that was just too good to not pass along. For the next 48hrs you can get $15 back on any gift-card purchase from Raise when purchasing any gift card $1 or more. Seems like a great offer right? There are a few caveats and we'll get into those below!
First, you might be asking what exactly is Raise and why would you want to buy from them. Raise is one of the popular new gift card resale services where people put unwanted, unused gift cards up for sale. They offer cards from juts about every major player out there from Amazon to Zappos. So you can truly find a card that fits almost any need.
Second, you might be wondering what the catch is. Well as always there is at least one! The offer is only open to new TopCashback members only. This is defined as someone who hasn't ever made a transaction through TopCashback.com, regardless of whether they have already created a TopCashback account or not. One plus however, is that the offer is open to new or current Raise customers, so even if you have used their services you can still earn the reward.
Third, as mentioned the transactions must contain one gift card priced at $1 or more, nothing to complain about there though. This means you have a chance to score some loot as you'll get a $15 refund even if you buy a card that's only, say, $5. Score one for the budget minded geeks out there as you can profit from the deal and still get say a $5 Starbucks card to cover your latte.
The offer will also be limited to one per account and one per member, but as CNet points out you can have more than one account per household. This offers you chance to do a little double-dipping by using your referral link to refer another household member and score you $10 and them the $15 Raise deal.
Sweet deal right?
If you want in on this offer you better hurry, it is only available for 48 hours for purchases made between 00:00 PT on Thursday, April 23, 2015 and 23:59 PT on Friday, April 24, 2015; or supplies run out.
As reports predicted yesterday Google has officially thrown their hat into the wireless arena with a new wireless service dubbed, "Project Fi". The service, which is currently open by invite only, combines access to both Sprint and T-Mobile's 4G LTE networks along with Wi-Fi and will seamlessly switch between the networks.
The plans and availability are fairly basic but limited. First you need to sign-up for an invite and be accepted. Second, the new service currently only works on the Nexus 6, which you can buy directly from Google for $649-699. Google states the Nexus 6 because "It works with the Project Fi SIM card, which supports multiple cellular networks, and a state-of-the-art cellular radio tuned to work across network types."
Since Google has partnered with Sprint and T-Mobile coverage appears to be quiet good, for those wondering Google has an interactive coverage map here. The up-front pricing on their plans seems pretty standard. A "Fi Basics" plan, will run you $20 a month for unlimited talk and texting, plus taxes. Data is an additional $10 per gigabyte a month.
One very unique aspect of Project Fi billing is that you "never pay for unused data." Your account gets credited, in money, for data you don't use. The example shows an unused 0.6GB of data gets you $6 back, so credits aren't limited to 1GB increments; overages work the same way, with no extra fees.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere, who has a long history of supporting the shake-up of the mobile industry, wrote a blog post praising Google's new service and stating that, "Project Fi is going to make people think differently about wireless—and [he] loves that."
When it comes to search engines we all know Google is king of the hill. They have sat on top of the mountain for years now with little competition for the top spot. Their dominance in the marketplace came largely due to one thing, they were the best out there. Over the years Microsoft and others have fought the good fight to carve out their own space, but generally that haven't had much success.
Recently though there has been a bit of a shake-up at the top. Microsoft has poured more and more time and money into building a better search engine with more powerful tools set to compete with Google. Now it looks like they are finally making up some ground.
According to analytic company ComScore, Bing's Market Share has topped 20.1 percent, marking the first time the search engine has broken into the 20 percent mark and showing continued growth up from 19.8 percent in February. Yahoo's share dipped slightly to 12.7 percent from 12.8 percent the prior month. And No. 1 Google remained flat with a 64.4 percent slice.
Though ComScore's numbers include only searches conducted from the desktop and not from mobile devices, Bing's 20 percent share reveals a slow but healthy gain over the past few years. In December 2011, Bing finally surpassed Yahoo as the No. 2 search engine with a share of 15.1 percent and has been gradually moving higher since then.
Much of the sustained growth can be directly attributed to Microsoft's aggressive tactics and marketing plans. In December, Microsoft started integrating Bing into its Office Online product so that users don't need to leave Office to search Bing. And Microsoft has long had the Bing Rewards programs where users can earn entries into sweepstakes and points for gift cards and other various prizes for using Bing search.
Microsoft has also expanded their search partnerships including a newly updated pact with Yahoo which allows them to use customized Bing results while still offering more "flexibility to enhance the search experience" across mobile and desktop devices. Microsoft also expanded Bing's reach thanks to Yahoo's recent partnerships with Firefox, to set their search as the default for the browser.
Taking the numbers as a whole and considering that Yahoo sites and services are also powered by Bing, you can see just how much impact that Bing is having in the market. Just last month Bing powered more than 30% of all searches performed on desktop computers in the U.S. So it certainly appears as though Microsoft is on the right track and that Google may finally have a true competitor!
Wireless smartphone charging is slowly hitting the mainstream with several companies including Samsung, Apple, LG and HTC now either offering the option built in (as with the new Samsung Galaxy S6) or as an add-on through either add-ons cases or batteries.
With the option coming more popular, and coming to more devices, companies beyond traditional manufactures are looking to get in on the action. Enter popular furniture designer IKEA. The company has officially launched a new wireless charging furniture collection, which adds a wireless charging base to things like bedside tables
and lamps.
IKEA's approach follows the company's traditional train of thought. They wanted to offer simple yet effective designs placing chargers where you use your phone the most!
“With the help of our wireless chargers, we make charging easy, fun and convenient, by turning furniture into charging spots. We enable convenient charging throughout the home, designed for your personal needs. At the same time, we make homes more beautiful by minimizing the use of cords. Nobody likes cords, yet everyone wants a fully functional home. With
our wireless chargers, it’s possible to have both.” Björn Block, IKEA Range Manager for Lighting and Wireless Charging.
In addition to the charging pads and wireless chargers that IKEA has already integrated into their new furniture collection, they will also offering a wireless charger that offers you geek the opportunity to create your own custom furniture designs or home do-i-yourself projects that you can build into furniture yourself. Called JYSSEN, it lets you create a wireless charger that’s truly unique and tailored to your needs. And if you already own an IKEA desk or aren't the creative type, IKEA promises that JYSSEN will also fit perfectly into the cord outlet on some of their desks.
The collection ranges in price from $9.99 to $119 and includes
several different lamps (floor, table, work), two different styles of
bedside tables, as well as desks, and simple charging pads.
The pieces all have built-in wireless chargers that support the Qi
wireless charging standard which means they should work with almost all current device and accessories. The collection is rolling out globally, starting today in Europe, and should arrive in the U.S. in "late spring," Ikea said.
For more details checkout the full line-up and details via IKEA (PDF)
Apple has set the date for the company's 26th annual Worldwide
Developers Conference (WWDC). This year the widely popular event will be held June 8 through June 12 at San Francisco’s
Moscone West. Similar to last year's event, attendees will need to per-register for tickets, which will be sold through a lottery system.
As per usual Apple's focus will be on core devices and services, though developers can expect a large portion of that focus to be shifted towards the newly launched Apple Watch as well as Apple's newly released ReaserchKit software framework designed specifically for medical and health research that helps doctors, scientists
and other researchers gather data more frequently and more accurately
from participants using mobile devices.
For those looking to attend you can apply for tickets starting today via the WWDC website (developer.apple.com/wwdc/tickets) with registration running through Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. PDT. Tickets cost $1599 and will be issued to
attendees through a random selection process, and developers will know
the status of their application by Monday, April 20 at 5 p.m. PDT. There
will also be up to 350 WWDC Scholarships available, giving students and
members of participating STEM organizations around the world the chance
to earn a free ticket (developer.apple.com/wwdc/scholarships).
You'll need an Apple developers account in order to register for the
conference. Specifically, you need to be a current member of the iOS
Developer Program, the iOS Developer Enterprise Program or the Mac
Developer Program as of Tuesday morning's announcement of WWDC.
Developers ages 13 through 17 must have their submissions completed by a
parent or guardian who is an eligible member.
For those attending WWDC 2015, Apple promises the event will
feature more than 100 technical sessions, with over 1,000 Apple engineers. There will also be
hands-on labs to help developers integrate new technologies and fine
tune their apps, as well as the Apple Design Awards which showcase the
best new apps in the last year.
WWDC 2015 activities include:
more than 100 technical
sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of topics for
developing, deploying and integrating the latest iOS and OS X
technologies;
over 1,000 Apple engineers supporting
more than 100 hands-on labs and events to provide developers with
code-level assistance, insight into optimal development techniques and
guidance on how they can make the most of iOS and OS X technologies in
their apps;
access to the latest innovations,
features and capabilities of iOS and OS X, and best practices for
enhancing an app’s functionality, performance, quality and design;
the opportunity to connect with thousands of fellow iOS and OS X
developers from around the world—last year more than 60 countries were
represented;
a series of get togethers for attendees focused on particular topics with special guest speakers and activities;
engaging and inspirational lunchtime sessions with leading minds
and influencers from the worlds of technology, science and
entertainment; and
Apple Design Awards which
recognize iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac apps that demonstrate
technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design.
For those not selected to attend, Apple is promising that WWDC 2015
will still offer you plenty. This year there will be more
sessions than ever being streamed to
developers. Select Worldwide Developers Conference sessions will be live streamed throughout the week via the WWDC website (developer.apple.com/wwdc/videos)
and the WWDC app, giving more developers around the world access to the
latest information in real time. Videos from all technical sessions
will also be available by the end of each day.
Love having your phone on you and on at all times but hate getting those annoying calls or message notifications at the worst possible time? Even if you don't know it, you likely already have option to mute those annoying calls, message notifications and led flashes all while still allowing priority messages or contacts to ring through.
For Samsung Galaxy owners, Samsung has been adding Blocking Mode to their phones for years now, all the way back to the first Galaxy devices. The feature allows you to receive calls and notifications from selected 'priority callers' while remaining silent and stealthy to anyone not on your allowed list. With previous version of Andorid (KitKat and earlier) the function was fairly basic and only allowed you to block incoming calls, turn off certain notifications, and turn off alarm and timer reminders.
With the changes Google has made to Android Lollipop came the inclusion of features dubbed downtime and priority mode which now allowed for much more customization and better control over your allowed contacts and allowed notifications. However, Samsung added in their own spin customizing these features under Lollipop and TouchWiz as the new Do not disturb setting.
The new Do not disturb setting can be quickly enabled/disabled from your quick settings panel, though it takes a bit more work to find and customize the actual settings. On previous versions of Android and TouchWiz you could simply go to apps, settings and scroll to find Blocking mode. Now you have to look under Settings–Sound and notifications (a quick scroll to the bottom should show it).
To customize your settings and allow priority mode callers simply tap Do not disturb, tap allow exceptions, and swipe it to on. Here it allows you to select to receive or block all alarms, calls or messages. You can also tap Calls and messages from to allow/deny calls from everyone, favorite contacts (this would be your priority callers), or only contacts.
For those wanting to block application notifications Samsung has added the option to customize those as well. Back in the Settings–Sound and notifications panel, just below Do not disturb, is the option for Application notifications. This setting will allow you to pick and chose on an individual basis which applications will notify you. You can block or allow each app individually, or set them as a priority to be shown in the notification panel when Do not disturb mode is enabled.
According to recent updates found in the terms of service for YouTube program developers, Google is planning on launching a new paid subscription service for YouTube viewers that will allow subscribers to watch select videos without those painfully intrusive and often annoying ads!
At this time there are few details about the new service other than the fact that Google is reportedly offering content creators 55 percent of revenues generated from subscription and that the new terms will go into effect in June of this year.
"While we can't comment on ongoing discussions, giving fans more choice to enjoy the content they love and creators more opportunity to earn revenue are always amongst our top priorities," Google's YouTube said in a statement, without commenting on the timing of the service.
The new terms of the service letter seen here, offers few other details such as how much the subscription will cost per month or when we can expect to see the service launched to users. For now that will all be a wait and see scenario.
Also unclear at this time is the type of content that will be offered through the service, or rather if the monthly subscription will cover anything beyond the typical YouTube or content or if the service will include new premium or exclusive content that can’t be found elsewhere. YouTube might position it as a premium service with its own programming, similar to Netflix or HBO Now.
What little we do know is that Google has been very busy over the years trying to leverage YouTube's popularity and attract as many partnerships as possible. As recent as last year they even launched their own music video subscription service.
In a bit of irony, the Official YouTube blog posted a retrospective of "The last 5 years of ads on YouTube" celebrating their fifth anniversary of our skippable TrueView ads and showcasing how many advertisers have moved from traditional ads to create videos that feel less like ads and more like content you want to watch.
Most of us geeks might like to think they know it all when it comes to all things Google and while that may be true for the average user that likely isn't the case. These days Google offers much more than just the basic search engine. The company now offers loads of features and services and within each of those services are a plethora of other services and features including several hidden gems.
To help users get the most out of their Google experience and turn any novice user into a Google Guru, the company has created a whole page dedicated to “78 things you didn’t know you could do with Google”. The page is setup with fact cards that work to provide users with the basics they need to help them get the most out of each of Google's many services.
Many of these tips are going to be fairly basic, but they should offer enough details to get you started. For those geeks out there that are looking to get more from each service but are having a hard time finding the best results, Google also offers a tips and tricks page for Google Search that will help you narrow your searches down so you can find even more tutorials or help pages.
For years now Amazon Prime Video members have lacked one serious feature, support for Android Tablets. Thanks to a recent update, that has all changed, as Amazon has finally upped its game and began supporting all Android devices big and small!
Several years ago when Amazon launched their Prime Instant video service they made the rather odd decision to offer fairly limited on-device support and even much more limited support for portable devices like Android based smartphones and tablets. However, the company has recently began working to alleviate that issue, offering minor updates to their applications. The roll-out of these updates has been a rather slow process though, with Android smartphones receiving the updated app late last summer.
Today, thanks to an update to the Amazon Prime Instant Video app (version 2.0.45.1010),
Amazon is finally offering support for those users who want to stream video content to their Android
tablets (via Android Police).
Previously, Prime Instant Video only worked with Android phones, and
more recently with Fire devices and iOS devices.
Now watch Amazon Instant Video on your Android phones and
tablets. Instantly stream thousands of movies and TV episodes, including
Amazon Originals, at no additional cost with your Amazon Prime
membership. You can also rent or buy from our catalog of hundreds of
thousands of videos, including new release movies and current TV shows.
On Android phones, this app lets you watch videos from the Amazon app
for Android phones, available from http://www.amazon.com/androidapp. On
Android tablets, this app enables watching videos in your mobile web
browser.
The functionality of
the app is still fairly limited, so not much has really changed there—to find and view content users need to launch Prime Instant Video from their
devices web browser, but they will then be able to watch on their
tablets. Additionally the app is currently only available through Amazon's own Appstore so you will need to install it directly from there. You can find the direct link here.
In a major announcement released today Apple has reportedly agreed to terms to buy Samsung's Mobile division in a blockbuster merger worth billions of dollars. The merger would put an end to a bitter fight between the two rival companies over intercultural property, which has cost both companies billions of dollars, and create a dominate powerhouse of a company that would shake the foundation of technology as we see it today!
Apple's purchase of Samsung would potentially create the worlds largest company, in terms of overall sales and value, and would seal control over the smartphone market for Apple. The two companies combine account for nearly 50% of all smartphones sold world wide, and account for the largest overall sales totals amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars each year.
The move is expected to be a benefit to both companies as Apple will receive all of Samsung patents and direct access to billions of Samsung customers. While Samsung will receive the benefit of Apple's Magical Marketing team that will only help to further bolster sales.
At this time it is unclear if Apple will continue offering products under the Samsung name, or if all of the company's assets will be re-branded. However, an undisclosed source has confirmed that Apple is talking about re-branding Samsung Mobile and marketing the products as p0wnd-By-Apple.
According to recent updates found in the terms of service for YouTube program developers, Google is planning on launching a new paid subscription service for YouTube viewers that will allow subscribers to watch select videos without those painfully intrusive and often annoying ads!
