Adobe announces Photoshop Touch SDK, connects Android tablets with CS5

Adobe Eazel

Adobe is diving headfirst into the tablet market, as it just announced the Photoshop Touch software development kit. The SDK works in conjunction with Photoshop CS5 and a new scripting engine and lets devices on Android, BlackBerry and iOS tablets to interact with Photoshop on the desktop.
Adobe went ahead and has developed a trio of apps for iOS -- Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav. They let you create custom color swatches, paint and use Photoshop tools directly from the tablet. The SDK will allow apps to be developed on Android and other platforms.
We took a quick tour of the suite and the premise is simple enough. Your tablet connects to the PC via a secure connection, and away you go. Adobe Eazel works, well, like an easel. You can create content on the tablet and have it seamlessly imported into Photoshop. Actually, it's smoother than that. You create on the tablet and it's just there in Photoshop on your desktop or laptop. Pretty slick.
In addition, Adobe's Creative Suite has been bumped to Version 5.5. Developers can access the free SDK at www.adobe.com/devnet/photoshop. Current users of Photoshop CS5 can update starting May 3, and the iOS versions of Lava, Eazel and Nav should be available in early May. And Adobe also is launching new subscription-based pricing for Photoshop, for as little as $35 a month. More on subscription pricing is at adobe.com/cssubscription.
More pics of the new Adobe products in action are after the break. [Adobe]

Adobe Color Lava

 Adobe Color Lava 

Adobe Photoshop Eazel

Adobe Nav

Adobe Nav

source :  http://www.androidcentral.com/

iPhone 5 Review - Want An iPhone 5?! Then You NEED To Read This!!

The NEW iPhone 5 Is Released THIS YEAR

Are you as excited about the release of the new iPhone 5 as I am? Probably not, because I'm the one writing this hub and you're the one reading it (hopefully). I hate to admit it but somehow I've managed to become one of those Apple fangirls that you see walk into the Apple store and spend 30 minutes asking the employees all sorts of uber geek questions.
For one reason or another I've taken it upon myself to find out as much as possible about the new iPhone 5 so that I could spread this knowledge. What do I get out of it? The benefit of knowing I'm helping rid the world of lesser non-Apple phones (*cough HTC Evo cough*).
As if the iPhone 4 wasn't groundbreaking enough, the iPhone 5 is going to revolutionize the world of cell phones. Here's why:
One of the biggest benefits of owning a new iPhone 5 is that it'll come with dual core processors that will make it load at super fast speeds. Not only that, but it will be incorporating even more powerful graphics chip cards, which will provide you with better video and still images. As if the 20 gigawatt gazillion megapixel already in the iPhone 4 wasn't enough...
Right now it looks like the new iPhone 5 will be running on a 4G network (instead of the usual 3G). That means that some of the most likely network carriers to get a plan under are Sprint, T-Mobile, and maybe AT&T and Verizon. But we've all heard a lot of complaints about AT&T's network in the past, so I'm not sure how many people would opt to go with them for the new iPhone.
In fact, one of the reasons behind the increase in Jailbreaks of the iPhone 4 was that AT&T's network had way too many problems with it. Rather than deal with AT&T a lot of people ended up jailbreaking their phones instead, a fair deal considering you can get free ringtones, themes, and apps when you jailbreak your phone.
Also, anyone who says Android based cell phones are going to be able to compete with the new iPhone 5 are completely delirious. They won't even come close to the capabilities offered by the new iPhone when it comes out.
If you're thinking about buying the iPhone 4, you'll be better off waiting for the iPhone 5 instead, as it should be coming out really soon this year. Here are some of the expected features:

• The new iPhone 5 is expected to have Face Recognition Security so that you don't have to worry about other people stealing your phone and trying to use it... That is, unless they steal your face too. (Anyone seen Face Off?)
• Video Chat on a 4G network instead of a slow 3G one
• Much nicer overall body design of the phone. It's going to be even thinner and have a shiny black piece.
• Shatter Resistant and Scratch Resistant Screen
• The lowest model will come with 32G of space and 64G of memory. I'll be able to store my whole computer on the lowest model of the iPhone 5. Yippeee for me.
• Longer Battery Life - Up to 14 Hours of Talk Time On The 3G and 7 Hours on the 4G. With 14 hours of talking to my girlfriends, I'm only going to have 10 hours to sleep =(
• HD Audio - The quality of sound is going to be extra crisp.
• Built In GPS - You'll never get lost or have to download one of those stupid GPS apps.

How much will the new iPhone 5 cost? I can't speculate on that, but I'm going to assume it'll run you over $500. It's definitely going to be worth it though, and I can't wait for it to come out.

'Rift' takes on 'World of 'Warcraft'

(CNN) -- In the world of massive multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG), "World of Warcraft" is the gold standard with more than 12 million subscribers as of October 2010.
With their most recent expansion release, it seems Blizzard's hold on the market would grow even tighter.
However, another game company is armoring up and entering the MMORPG arena.
And it comes with a dig at the online gaming giant, calling out its fictional home planet in ads: "We're not in Azeroth anymore."
"Rift" (Trion) is set on Telera, a world that apparently is a nexus of sorts for different planes of existence. These other worlds invade Telera through physical rifts and allow monsters to attack important cities and people. As a player, your job is to stop it from happening.
Players get to choose from two factions, Guardians and Defiants. Each has their own races and tactics to employ during the game and both can choose from four classes (warrior, mage, rogue, and cleric).
The two factions aren't necessarily battling each other, but are trying to show which way is the best to save the world.
Skills are built up using "souls," which unlock powers and allow gamers to customize their characters as they match their style of play.
A character can have multiple soul systems so they can change their abilities as needed.
Executive producer Scott Hartsman said the initial idea was not to create a new MMORPG, but to create a new gaming technology that would allow Trion to build games in different ways.
"There were visions for some slightly less-formed ideas for what the game would eventually be," Hartsman said.
"It was all about ... 'Think of all the cool stuff we could build if we had technology that would let us do 500 players in one place, 1,000 players in one place, big events that start up and shut down on their own. A world that is truly alive.' "
Hartsman said the technology had to be created first before they could figure out what to do with it. Trion was looking for something that was social, dynamic and fun that would utilize their design to the fullest.
The ability to track online players' locations and keep tabs on their actions led the team to develop a fantasy MMORPG. Trion CEO Lars Butler said choosing the fantasy genre ultimately was an obvious decision.
"Because of the technology (we built), we wanted to take on the most established online gaming category first," Butler said.
"We felt we had what it takes to substantially address some of the shortcomings that this genre still has."
Trion servers are broken down by function, unlike other games in which servers are devoted to particular locations in the game. For example, they use a set of servers to handle non-player character functions in the world, a different set of servers to handle encounters with "bosses," and another set that handles functions directly involving the players' characters.

Facebook reaching out to feature-phone users

(CNN) -- If you access Facebook via the Web browser on a "feature phone" -- a simpler, less powerful cousin to the smartphone -- your experience might improve significantly over the next few weeks.
On Friday, Facebook announced an upgrade to its "lean" mobile site m.facebook.com. This upgrade integrates the full range of features found in Facebook's mobile site for smartphones and other phones with touchscreen browsers: touch.facebook.com.
This update is being rolled out gradually to Facebook users. Facebook product designer Lee Byron explained: "With the new m.facebook.com, users with high-end touch devices will see a rich touch-friendly interface; for users with feature phones, the site will look and work great. ...There will no longer be a difference between m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com, we'll automatically serve you the best version of the site for your device."
Here's why this is a smart move -- one that I wish more online sites and services would emulate.
Too often, as popular sites and services upgrade their mobile offerings, they cater primarily to smartphone users -- which means they end up leaving the vast majority of mobile users further behind. According to new numbers from ComScore, currently only 29% of handsets in use in the U.S. are smartphones.
A brief definition: While the lines between the two types of devices are becoming blurred, smartphones are defined as having operating systems capable of running "native" apps with a wide range of sophisticated functions, and fully featured web browsers (usually based on the Webkit browser). Feature phones tend to be cheaper, simpler, and more limited. Often feature phones lack touchscreens, and they usually run simple apps based on Java.
While smartphones are getting more popular, and many feature phones are getting smarter -- well, at least getting better Web browsers -- most mobile users aren't yet willing to handle the costs and complexity associated with smartphones. Consequently, feature phones will likely continue to be a huge part of the mobile market for at least a few more years.
MSNBC reports that Facebook currently has about 600 million users worldwide, and about 250 million of them already access Facebook from their cell phones.
With an enhanced experience for simpler cell phones, I'd expect that Facebook might quickly grow its mobile user base -- and probably also pick up a lot of new website users.
That's the point: Facebook's business model hinges on getting as many people as possible engaged as much as possible. This means finding a way to efficiently serve the mobile devices they're using today -- not just targeting the mobile devices they might be using a few years from now.
The move to upgrade and unify Facebook's mobile Web experience also will streamline Web development for Facebook. As if it isn't complicated enough to maintain native apps for each major smartphone operating system (iOS, Android, BlackBerry, etc.), maintaining multiple mobile website versions consumes considerable time and resources.
"Every time we launched a new feature, we had to build it multiple times across different code bases," wrote Byron. "Once for facebook.com, then again for m.facebook.com, touch.facebook.com, and in native applications as well. Honestly, we weren't very good at doing this, so certain features were missing on different devices."
Coupled with Facebook's recent acquisition of Snaptu -- a popular platform for Java-based apps that runs on most feature phones -- this consolidation of the company's mobile Web efforts indicates an unusually inclusive mobile strategy.
Facebook is clearly taking a hard look at the mobile market that actually exists, rather than the one that most developers and wireless carriers seem to believe, or wish, exists.
If Facebook can move fast to serve feature phone users well, while other social media services -- except Twitter, of course -- tend to treat feature phones as an afterthought, it's more likely to maintain loyal users for the long term.

Storytelling: Video games' next killer app

(CNN) -- As a recent resurgence in video game storytelling, buoyed by increasingly literate titles like "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" and "BioShock: Infinite" illustrates, interactive fiction is closing in on other forms of narrative entertainment.
The problem, as experts like Ultima creator Richard Garriott and Infocom veteran Steve Meretzky explain in a recent documentary, is that gaming is a relatively young field. Game makers still haven't mastered their craft the way artists, playwrights and filmmakers have.
When compared to more time-honored forms of storytelling, video game creators are just beginning to come to grips with the massive range of toys available in today's high-tech toolbox.
But after taking a backseat to 3-D graphics and white-knuckle action around the CD-ROM's heyday in the mid-'90s, scriptwriting and dialogue are suddenly becoming killer gaming apps once again. Witness recent nail-biting episodic game adventures, the resurfacing of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks for smartphones and eReaders, or fundraisers fueling all-new interactive fiction titles.
For this we can credit numerous factors, both sociological and practical alike. Modern consoles' longer lifespan, increasingly mature audiences and stabilizing production budgets are forcing developers to look beyond jaw-dropping graphics and sprawling 3-D worlds to drive fans' enthusiasm.
Combine that with the rise of touchscreen devices like the iPhone and tablet PCs (seemingly tailor-made for classic point-and-click adventures), plus indie studios' need to find cost-effective ways to compete, and you have an unexpected renaissance in virtual storytelling.
Most importantly though, is this: With well over three decades of experience now behind them, entire generations of gaming fans and designers tastes' are quickly maturing. Thanks in part to a raft of new technologies and trends (social games, mobile games, user-generated content, etc.) that facilitate new storytelling methods, game makers are just starting to fully explore the medium's potential.
Need further proof? The Writer's Guild of America is now doling out awards for game writing, and original video shows are being built around top video game franchises.
Major publishers such as THQ and Electronic Arts are embracing the principles of transmedia, or telling stories across multiple platforms and formats. At the same time, offbeat titles like "Strange Rain" and "Limbo" are increasingly pushing the boundaries of gaming vernacular.
The old industry maxim that "adventure games are dead" is quickly being proven both ill-informed and archaic.
Whether the future of game storytelling strongly resembles the past, as it does in "Gabriel Knight" creator Jane Jensen's new, long-awaited supernatural tale "Gray Matter," remains open for debate.
And critics are torn as to whether tomorrow's titles need denser dialogue or less verbose scripts, fancier or more threadbare set pieces, and more fixed direction or greater freedom of choice.

Happily, perhaps the answer is all of the above. Let's hope tomorrow's visionaries etch new chapters into the annals of gaming history by offering creative new ways to rewrite the script.

YouTube adds live channels

(Wired) -- YouTube Friday began hosting live streams. But don't go looking for how to get your basement version of Wayne's World on the internet just yet: For now, this power is reserved for pre-approved "trusted partners," not for the kitten-on-the-keyboard masses.
YouTube isn't saying just how many live casters it will enable from day one but that it intends "to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead." It's clear from the new YouTube Live page that there is more than enough to get the ball rolling with quantity and variety.
An especially nice touch? You can add an upcoming live stream to your calendar.
YouTube has hosted a small number of "event" live streams, but this is the first time it is getting into territory pioneered by such players as uStream, Qik and Justin.tv. Unlike these services, however, there is no mobile functionality for YouTube streamers yet, so nothing will come from smartphones or tablets.

Limiting participants, requiring a certain kind of encoder and keeping it out of the mobile space are all part of what Google says in an attempt to ensure a level of quality. But it will also help minimize the chances of "Chatroulette moments" for a service which, despite the vast volume of material it accepts and hosts, still studiously tries to keep NSFW material off its site.

No BlackBerry PlayBook? Blame Flash

(WIRED) -- Research In Motion is preparing to release its much-awaited response to the iPad, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, a month behind schedule.
Among other reasons, Adobe Flash is probably contributing to the delay.
The PlayBook was supposed to be out the first quarter of 2011 but is now set to release April 19.
Some publications speculated on Thursday that the PlayBook's late launch is related to touchscreen supply. The PlayBook also lacks a finished software development kit for making apps, and won't have native mail, messaging and contacts apps.
Difficulty getting Flash to work properly on the PlayBook is probably another one of RIM's woes.
Let's take a look at the evidence. First, other tablet makers have had trouble with Flash. Motorola's Xoom launched without it, despite the fact that Motorola highlighted Flash support as a key feature.
Even though Flash Player 10.2 for Android is now available in the Android Market, the version meant for Android 3.0 Honeycomb (which the Xoom runs) is a prerelease version with significant limitations and lots of instability.
Second, sluggish performance and battery drainage have been problems for Flash before, and they're the reason Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave for nixing Flash support on Apple's mobile products.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab, which runs an earlier version of Android, is the only major tablet that currently supports a shipping version of the Adobe plugin.
Finally, Wired.com's Erik Malinowski tried a PlayBook tablet at CES and reported that Flash performance proved to be a "choppy and (ironically) limiting experience."
RIM officials at the time were tight-lipped about the tablet's expected battery life, saying only that it would be more than an hour. That was an early version of the tablet, but choppiness in one of its key features doesn't bode well.
Without great Flash support, a PlayBook tablet would practically have nothing to do.
Last year RIM drummed up Flash support for the upcoming PlayBook, saying that it was going to deliver the full internet experience. That would, in theory, give the PlayBook an edge over the iPad.
"We're not trying to dumb down the internet for a small mobile device," says Mike Lazaridis, RIM's CEO, during the PlayBook demonstration. "What we're trying to do is bring up the performance and capability of the mobile device to the internet."
RIM's planned April 19 launch lines up with Adobe's claims that Flash will be available for tablets "within a few weeks of Android 3 Honeycomb devices becoming available."
It's been six weeks since Motorola released the Xoom, and April 19 is probably as long as Adobe can wait before Flash can no longer be considered "a few weeks" late.