World Of Warcraft For The Win!

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Video Games,

In all the excitement of the 2012 election, one race has been overlooked by fans of comics, science fiction, fantasy and gaming: World of Warcraft has achieved a stunning victory, thanks to a Democrat.

Demons in the Republican Party of Maine tried to smear candidate Colleen Lachowicz as unfit for public office because of her mad gaming skills - she plays WoW as "a level-85 orc named Santiaga."

According to news reports, the Republican Party accused her of leading "a bizarre double life and set up a website revealing her participation in World of Warcraft. Not only did the site show off a picture of the orc rogue assassin character she plays, it also dug up online comments she made about her love of the (sometimes violent) game. The Republican Party also sent out mailers as well as a press release claiming her 'disturbing alter-ego' had been 'revealed.'"

Click to continue reading World Of Warcraft For The Win!

Read More | World Of Warcraft Victory

Quote Of The Day: Robert Kirkman on The Walking Dead

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Television, Image Comics,

"As we were crafting this season, we realized that there was a lot to do with Rick and Carl after that event, so the moment kept moving closer to the beginning of the season until it was in Episode 4. This is the kind of episode that most people would save for the finale, but to have it so early in the season, it's like, 'What comes next?!' It really gives this season a pretty intense drive. It was really jarring, which I think is pretty cool."

- Robert Kirkman, co-creator and executive producer of The Walking Dead

Be sure to check out our other notable quotes!

[Artwork: The Walking Dead]

Read More | TV Guide

FaceTime coming to AT&T cellular tiered data plans in 8-10 weeks

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Wireless / WiFi,

AT&T has announced on its public policy blog that FaceTime over cellular will be available to iPhone and iPad users with several caveats. Users must have LTE versions of iPads and iPhones and must be on a tiered plan. Previously FaceTime on AT&T was only available for customers on mobile shared plans. However, the rollout is not immediate. AT&T expects it to take 8-10 weeks, which is unusually slow. The decision has come after much pressure from customers, public advocacy groups, and the media.

Still, AT&T's policy change is a half-hearted attempt as it doesn't fully cave in to demands. It omits a larger group of customer that are not on LTE from using FaceTime over cellular on 3G and "4G." Also, it continues its hostility toward customers of grandfathered unlimited data plans on any cellular mode. The FCC has warned that discriminatory practices on citizen owned spectrums will not be tolerated in accordance with net neutrality regulations. AT&T is cherry picking customers based on monetary gains and not necessarily reasons of management of network congestion.

Public advocacy groups, like Public Knowledge and Free Press, have made statements regarding the changes.

Click to continue reading FaceTime coming to AT&T cellular tiered data plans in 8-10 weeks

Read More | AT&T

SideCar community-powered ride-sharing comes to Seattle

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Transportation,

SideCar, the popular ride-sharing service out of San Francisco, has made it's way up the West Coast and has launched here in Seattle. Curious about what a ride-sharing service even is? Well, the easiest way we can explain it is to have you imagine a taxi service. Now, instead of a professional taxi driver in a cab picking you up, it's someone who's been vetted by SideCar, driving their own vehicle.

Click to continue reading SideCar community-powered ride-sharing comes to Seattle

Apple Store app updated with Passbook and Siri Integration

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Lifestyle, App Updates, Passbook, Apple, Free Apps,

Apple has released an update for its Apple Store app, bringing it to version 2.4. This one adds both Passbook and Siri integration. Now users can send gift cards straight from the app and have them emailed directly to the recipient; it is housed digitally in the Passbook app for convenient access. In addition, Siri's API protocol is now enabled to access the Apple Store's catalog.

What's New in Version 2.4

• Buy new gift cards and email them to friends and family right from the app. These gift cards are easily integrated with the new Passbook app (U.S. only, iOS 6 required).
• Ask Siri to help you find prices and shop for Apple products. (Siri-enabled device required.)
   

Read More | Apple Store

Evernote 5.0 brings refreshed design to iOS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity, App Updates, iPad Apps, Free Apps,

Evernote has just released a radical new design for its iOS apps, with both the iPhone and iPad versions picking up the new look. What's changed in Evernote 5.0? Well, for starters, the home screen is now full much easier to navigate, allowing you to find the notes you want very quickly, as opposed to the older saved-search method. The tabs you'll find on the home screen include All Notes, Notebooks, Tags, Places, and Premium Features. Tap on a tab and you are brought into a full screen experience.

On the whole, things are just laid out in a much more intuitive and efficient way, making Evernote 5.0 a much better experience from a productivity standpoint. Grab it now from the App Store.

Read More | Evernote 5.0

You can now Pay with Square at Starbucks

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Internet, Software,

Remember the deal that Square struck with Starbucks that'll allow you to pay with the service at all of the infamous coffee locations? Well, it's all been put in place, and you can now pay with Square Wallet at over 7,000 Starbucks locations nationwide. You won't earn reward points like you would using the Starbucks official app, but you also don't need to remember to refill your virtual gift card either. Starbucks doesn't yet allow customers to use the cool Square tab feature where you just pay with your face without having to bust out a wallet or smartphone, but this deal is still in its infancy, so give it some time, m'kay? Hit the source link below for more on how it all works.

Read More | Square

Tweetbot for Mac 1.0.1 now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,

Tweetbot for Mac has just been updated to version 1.0.1, bringing with it a few nice improvements, including integration with OS X 10.8 Reading List when you want to mark a URL to be read later. Here's the full changelog:

• added support for Reading List as a Read Later service (OS X Mountain Lion only)
• added j/k navigation support in timeline
• added ability to disable Streaming in Preferences
• improved keyboard support in people searcher
• fixed an issue where timeline would scroll down to tweets that were already read
• fixed streaming on accounts with more than 1500 followers
• fixed other reported issues and bugs

Grab the update from the Mac App Store now!

Read More | Tweetbot for Mac

Unboxing Live 100: Apple iPad mini

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Videocasts,

We come to you live from the Apple Store at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington for this edition of Unboxing Live! The brand new iPad mini has launched, and we were first in line to enter the store and make our purchase (and we'll show all of the festivities in our follow-up video, along with our iPad 4th generation unboxing!) The iPad mini is Apple's smaller, 7.9-inch iPad. Check out our unboxing and let us know what you think, and don't forget to check out our iPad mini unboxing gallery as well!

Big thank you to GoToMeeting for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting with HDFaces provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings.

Wii U unboxing video from Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Video Games,

Nintendo's next big home console, the Wii U, is set to launch here in the US in a week-and-a-half on November 18. That's typically when we'd expect to see unboxing videos start appearing online, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata took advantage of his position, getting the jump on everyone with a nice head start. We've got the video below, after the break, of Iwata unboxing the Wii U Deluxe Edition console, showing off the system hardware, GamePad, and all the packed-in accessories. Check it out, and let us know in the comments if you plan on picking up a Wii U for yourself!

More Wii U content:

• Is Wii U really a true next-generation console?
• Video: Everything you need to know about the Wii U GamePad

Click to continue reading Wii U unboxing video from Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata