Archive for February, 2007

Flash Games Use Wii Remote

Published on February 28, 2007 0 Comments

Recently Stumbleupon Video launched a Wii version of the site that automatically detects the Wii Opera browser and formats the content for the Wii/TV. To me, the most notable thing that they did was add Wii Remote D-pad support for navigating videos and rating what you like/dislike. Their flash application was pulling button presses straight from the remote, not just clicks from the A button. Nintendo is allowing all of the key presses from the remote to not only hit the browser, but to also be accessed by online applications.

This morning I saw some related news that really caught my interest.

WiiCade is proud to announce the immediate availability of software that unlocks Nintendo Wii Remote functionality previously unavailable to online video games. This Application Programmer Interface (API) allows Flash developers to utilize the full range of buttons on the wireless remote device. Additionally, the API gives developers the potential to detect multiple, simultaneous button presses without interfering with the pointing capabilities of the remote; a feature not seen in previous APIs.

I have really been amazed how application development for the Wii has not come to us through unsigned code exploits or hardware mod chips, but instead through the browser. When people want new functionality they write a website for it designed specifically for the Wii. Wiiminder added tabbed browsing, not by modifying the code of the Opera browser, but by making a website that loads multiple pages and provides pop-up toolbars, all with web technologies.

I feel like this Wiicade API will mark the beginning of a whole new wave of Wii Flash games that will progressively blur the line between a game you play online and a game you buy on a disc. I’m hoping that the retail release of the Wii Opera browser will provide a much needed autohide function for the browser toolbar. I believe that if that happens, we may reach a point where Wii applications hosted on the internet achieve a level of maturity that rivals Nintendo’s own offerings in the dashboard. I can’t wait.

OpenID Spreads

Published on February 21, 2007 0 Comments

On a whim, I signed up for an OpenID at myopenid.com a few weeks ago. It seems like a great idea and I’ve love to be a part of the movement. Since then, several large sites, such as Livejournal, have added OpenID login support. Most recently, Digg has announced plans to support the system in the near future.

OpenID is a system that lets you set up your personal information in one place. Then, when you need to log into an OpenID enabled site, you feed the site your OpenID url. After a quick authorization process, the site pulls all of your data from your OpenID page. You can find out more about OpenID at http://openid.net/.

I did some more digging, and found out that you can set it up so that you can use an OpenID url on your own domain, without hosting your own OpenID server. So myid.domain.com can point to your credentials. Find out how to do that here: http://www.openidenabled.com/openid/use-your-own-url-as-an-openid

Via: Downloadsquad

"Why do you care about RSS?"

Published on February 9, 2007 0 Comments

Download Squad has posted great article talking about what RSS is, and why you should care.

We don’t visit CNN once or twice a day to keep up with instant news anymore; rather, it’s accomplished using RSS feeds effectively. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is the brainchild of Dave Winer, (and maybe others), who claims it was never invented .

Simply, RSS is digital content (words, mostly, but audio and video, too) that picks up the new posts (by bloggers, news organizations, and more) and with a feedreader (like Google’s Reader with its famous j, j, j keys – see more choices below), you can see which sites have updated content. With Google, you browse to the page and once you set it up with your favorite feeds, you can read new stuff from a computer, PDA, or smartphone. Once it’s working, you, too, can enjoy breaking news if you look at it once in a while (which is one reason I have 3 monitors). There’s a reader for every operating system, PC, Mac, PDA and smartphones included.

Read the full post

RSS and related XML technologies have already changed the way the web works behind the scenes, and it can also change the way you use it as an individual. I highly recommend that you give the article a read, because the information within will help you keep more informed and up to date with what’s important to you, in much less time.

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3D Acceleration in VMware Fusion for OS X

Published on February 8, 2007 0 Comments

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Somebody managed to get a hand on an internal beta build of VMware Fusion whose UI offers a way to accelerate 3D graphics in virtual machines, and even made a video of some serious 3D gaming action in Fusion.

This video kind of caught us by surprise.[...]

The author of this video (a woman if the female voice-over is any indication?) is obviously a dedicated VMware and Mac zealot. While I wish we had done this video ourselves, given how well the video has been received so far, I can only say “Thank You.”

So… who do I make the check out to again? I can’t wait for VMware and Parallels to go head to head when they bring this functionality to the Virtualization market for OS X and Linux.

Via: Infinite Loop, Via Digg

Last.fm + Warner = Much More Music

Published on February 8, 2007 0 Comments

I absolutely love Last.fm, as you can see from how many songs I have logged in my profile. Now, Last.fm users are getting a lot more music. Warner Music just signed a deal with Last.fm that gives the service access to all of its music. Warner has a lot of artists, so this should really round out a lot of playlists quite nicely. It’s also great to see a major record label embracing a new music distribution system like Last.fm.

Link: Download Squad