Meet the new Google Maps: 3D, offline maps, more StreetView

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Google, Software, Videos,

Google has announced a few nice updates to Google Maps that will be rolling out soon. For starters, expect offline maps to come to mobile Android and iOS devices. You'll be able to look up a map area in advance and select it to be made available offline. Maps will then indicate how much space it will take up on your device, and will download the content with your approval.

The second major feature is greatly-improved 3D maps. Thanks to planes shooting images at a 45 degree angle and from directly above, Google used stereophotogrammetry to combine the images to create 3D scenes. Google was able to demo this on an internal version of Google Earth for iPad, showing off the city of San Francisco in 3D.

Click to continue reading Meet the new Google Maps: 3D, offline maps, more StreetView

Leaked Apple part numbers reveal new Mac hardware for WWDC

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

WWDC kicks off in five days, and it looks like we at least know that we can expect a slew of new Apple Mac hardware and accessories. We're talking new MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, and even a very long-awaited update to the Mac Pro line. In addition, a new Airport Express seems to be in the cards, along with a new USB SuperDrive and USB Ethernet adapter that we are guessing will support USB 3.0. You can see the leaked part list above--here's hoping that those MacBook Pros are sporting Retina displays!

Read More | 9to5Mac

Twitter bird logo gets a new design

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Social Networks,

If you visit the Twitter Web site, you'll see a refreshed bird logo waiting for you. Today the company unveiled a modified, sleeker (if you can call it that) version of it's iconic Twitter bird. The head feathers have been removed, and the bird now seems to be flying upwards instead of forward. It's also a darker shade of blue. We're guessing that if no one told you that the logo was new, that you probably wouldn't even notice the change. It's definitely different, but definitely subtle.

Click to continue reading Twitter bird logo gets a new design

Read More | Twitter Blog

Sparrow iOS app coming to iPad

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity, iPad Apps,

Sparrow, the ridiculously popular email app for Mac and iPhone, is set to receive the iPad treatment in the very near future. When visiting the Sparrow homepage, you're now greeted with the cryptic message "We are preparing something bigger". When you sign up for an email update, an iPad slides in to view, sporting the Sparrow app icon. A larger, native iPad version of Sparrow is something that many an iOS user has been clamoring for, and it's nice to see the company has heard those cries. Now, if they can just get push working...

Read More | Sparrow

Kickstarter: Dead West

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent,

I love any kind of mash-up where genres that don’t normally go together are creatively intermingled: vampire detectives, robot boxers, super dinosaurs...

Writer Carl Elvis and artist Claudio Munoz have created Dead West, a combining of cowboys and monsters that looks right in my wagon wheelhouse. When a gold rush town starts attracting supernatural elements, Victor Frankenstein creates a “Frankenstein sheriff” to keep the peace along with his pals, a six-gun mummy and a Billy The Kid-style vampire.

The art looks great and the concept sounds like a lot of fun. They’re short on their Kickstarter funding, so if this seems as appealing to you as it does to me, give ‘em a hand, pardner.

[Artwork: Dead West]

Read More | Kickstarter

Internet Explorer for Xbox 360 to debut alongside the fall dashboard update

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: E3, Internet, Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360,

One of the updates you can expect when the Fall Xbox Dashboard Update drops is the addition of a web browser. That's right, after seven years, the Xbox 360 will finally be getting Internet Explorer. During the Microsoft E3 Media Briefing, it was mentioned that a browser would have been cumbersome previously, but with the introduction of the Xbox SmartGlass app alongside Kinect integration, users will be able to easily browse the web on their Xbox 360 console.

Wii U will offer dual-screen Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video experiences

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Video Games,

If you thought Nintendo wasn't serious about bringing more than just video games over to the Wii U console, think again. This morning during its E3 Media Briefing, Nintendo announced four popular streaming video options that'll be available on Wii U at launch: Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video. That's not all, though. While you'll be able to watch content from these four service, Nintendo also announced plans for a dual-screen experience with each one. Imagine, for example, that while watching a movie on Netflix, you could pull up all sorts of related content, facts, maps, and other information about that movie on the Wii U GamePad when it launches later this year. Could be interesting, and it sounds a lot like Xbox SmartGlass.

Nintendo confirms Wii U launching in ‘Holiday 2012’

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Video Games,

It's official, folks! This morning at the Nintendo E3 Media Briefing, the company confirmed that Wii U will hit stores this holiday season. No specific price or date was given, but we're guessing that it'll cost about $400 sometime in November. In addition, NintendoLand (the title that will be to Wii U what Wii Sports was to the original Wii) will be available on launch day.

Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock picks up USB 3.0, eSATA ports

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, PC / Laptop, Peripherals,

If you thought the Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock looked good before, wait until you hear about the pre-launch upgrades it's just picked up. It still packs in the dual Thunderbolt ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, and audio in and out. Now, though, it will also include an eSATA port, as well as three USB 3.0 ports as well. That new goodness comes with a higher price tag though, as the dock wil now cost $399 (rather than the previously-announced $299) at launch. It'll be available next month directly from Belkin.

Read More | Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock

Nintendo Wii U can support two GamePads at a time

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Video Games,

During the Nintendo E3 Media Briefing, it was casually mentioned that the Wii U console will be able to support up to two GamePad accessories at the same time. It's nice to know that some games will be able to allow two players to use the more advanced features that the GamePad has to offer, but there is one catch: when using two GamePads, the frame rate of the Wii U will drop to 30 frames per second. It's not horrible, but it is a performance decrease, so it should be noted. You'll also be able to turn off the second GamePad and get that performance back on the fly.

Check out the video tour of the Wii U GamePad for more on the peripheral.