Yes, that's right, I said adorable. Because Cueboy Quest really is!

You play an 8-bit cowboy whose goal on each level is to get to the door (and thus to the next level), but the door is often locked. To get it to open, you must shoot at one or more targets, and those targets aren't always in your line of sight. For example, on one level the the target is a balloon which is stuck all the way at the other end of the screen. You must first nudge it free, and then watch it float up and try to shoot it before it floats clear off the screen. Your bullets are chunky pixels that have some weight - the have arcing trajectories, so you don't always hit exactly where you aim.

There's another level where you must jump on the balloon as it floats up, use it as a platform to get to the other end of the screen, and then turn to shoot it very quickly before it flies away. Each level is very short, and most of them are quite easy. And not only are the graphics 8-bit blocky, but they're large too. Simply beautiful!

Cueboy Quest is an adorable 8-bit style physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/22/cueboy-quest-is-an-adorable-8-bit-style-physics-game/

TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN RF MICRO DEVICES

My daughter recently spilled water on her computer and killed it.  She was devastated because she didn’t know how she could do her schoolwork without a computer.  Luckily, hers was repairable, but we could have been facing a considerable expense if we had to replace it.  Kid Computers understand how important computers are to education, [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/09/30/an-affordable-computer-for-kids-from-kid-computers/

F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE EMULEX ACER

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

• The top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt's long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device -- until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life]
• Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn't the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it -- plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone's connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It's disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed]
• LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we're still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral]
• Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral]
• Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral]
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity]
• Casio G'Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life]
• Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog]
• T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn't appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware]
• You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life]
• If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn't announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog]

Other platforms

• Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango.
• The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral]

Refreshes we covered this week

• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out
• How to force Mango to your phone right away
• Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?

Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ba2_4ifVoF0/

NINTENDO NOKIA NVIDIA ORACLE

Zombies, Run! is a fitness game for the iPhone which has now received Kickstarter funding of over 400%. It is an adventure type game where you have to physically take part. You do this by running in the real world, in your area, collecting medicine, ammo, batteries and...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/nTQTWeh5VsE/

INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA

Time Warner has been streaming live TV to the iPad with its TWCable TV app since March and the most recent update brings even more traditional TV standbys to the tablet experience. Now live in v2.5.0 is a basic search function (titles or episode name only, keywords, cast and crew are coming soon), support for closed captions and the ability to block certain channels on the app for parents. There's also a few bug fixes for those experiencing audio issues or not seeing their HD channels in the lineup -- subscribers can check out the official blog for more details or just grab the free app on iTunes.

TWCable TV app update brings captions, search, and parental controls originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/02/twcable-tv-app-update-brings-captions-search-and-parental-cont/

VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR

As you may have read, Google officially launched its mobile payments platform Google Wallet recently, which allows you to pay for products in the real world by tapping your NFC-enabled Android phone against a compatible card reader. Shortly following the initial announcement of the technology in May, payments giant PayPal went on the offensive, filing a lawsuit against Google and two former PayPal executives who now are in charge of mobile payments at Google. Allegations of ?misappropriation of trade secrets, and ?breach of fiduciary duty? were thrown out against these individuals. Clearly, it's messy. While the lawsuit itself spoke volumes about PayPal's view on Google Wallet, the eBay-owned company has not really commented on Google Wallet over the past few months. Until now. We sat down with PayPal's director of communications, Anuj Nayar, who candidly gave me the company's opinions on Google Wallet and NFC technologies. We know that eBay and PayPal have a somewhat interesting view on NFC technology. In a recent earnings call, eBay CEO John jokingly said merchants refer NFC "not for commerce." But PayPal has dipped its toes in the NFC pool with support for Android, which Nayar explains as 'keeping an eye' on the technology.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wG2TT49oWTE/

SONUS NETWORKS TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES TNS TIBCO SOFTWARE

Here comes the second episode of a thrilling three-part saga. Not content with simply selling ten million units of the GT-I9100 -- its flagship device -- in the course of the last five months, Samsung's ready to flood the good ol' US of A with a healthy dose of the Galaxy S II, and it has three carriers -- Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile -- already signed up on the dotted line. The Epic 4G Touch has already made its way into stores (not to mention the hearts of customers), and Ma Bell's next in line to appease the masses.

This time, things are a smidge different. Whereas Sprint opted to enlarge the screen and add in a few other select design tweaks, it appears that AT&T wanted to keep its variant -- appropriately named the Galaxy S II -- as close to the international smash hit as possible, opting for the same display size, squared corners and battery (albeit, with a twist). As it turns out, the tweaks are much more subtle than they were on last year's Samsung Captivate, which arguably looked almost nothing like the original Galaxy S. So does AT&T's model fit in with its two close compadres? Was its design choice the right decision for this go-round? Follow us below to get the full scoop.

Continue reading AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II review

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/HelMFjc7TFQ/

UNISYS TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES

Months after losing support from handset maker Nokia, the MeeGo mobile OS lost another major backer when Intel announced Wednesday it wouldn't continue with the Linux-based operating system. Instead, Intel will partner with Samsung to develop Tizen, a new open source Linux build. Intel launched MeeGo in 2010 with partner Nokia, but soon afterward Nokia turned away from MeeGo in favor of a deal with Microsoft.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/73384.html

RF MICRO DEVICES RED HAT RADISYS RACKABLE SYSTEMS

If you spent your childhood longing to fly, you're not alone -- and one Princeton grad may have come one step closer to making it a reality with a prototype magic carpet. Ok, it's not actually a rug of the magical variety, but a 4-inch piece of plastic electrified by tiny conducting threads. It works as such: by applying a current to the sheet, tiny air pockets form underneath, propelling it forward one centimeter a second. Since it requires air pockets to move forward, the carpet must stay close to the ground -- making it more like Marty McFly's hoverboard than Aladdin's preferred mode of transportation. Better yet, the inventor has plans for a solar powered version, which would free the carpet from heavy battery constraints and allow it to travel freely over larger distances. Check out the video and source after the break for more deets.

Continue reading Prototype magic carpet uses electrified threads to 'fly,' Aladdin pre-orders (video)

Prototype magic carpet uses electrified threads to 'fly,' Aladdin pre-orders (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/01/prototype-magic-carpet-uses-electrified-threads-to-fly-aladdi/

SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL

If you didn't notice, Amazon was really on one this week, and we were there with pad and pen in hand to document the drama. Come along with us, won't you, to discuss the silkier and more fiery points of the tablet smörgåsbord that was the week in technology news.

Host: Brian Heater
Guest: Richard Lawler, Terrence O'Brien
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: All Along The Watchtower

02:35 - Live from Amazon's tablet event in NYC!
03:15 - Amazon Kindle Fire impressions (video)
04:15 - Kindle Fire vs. BlackBerry PlayBook... Fight!
05:15 - Amazon Kindle (2011) impressions
12:30 - Is a 10-inch Kindle Fire coming? Amazon says 'stay tuned'
16:39 - Amazon Silk browser spins a faster mobile web, courtesy of cloud servers (video)
19:39 - Amazon Kindle Touch impressions (video)
30:20 - Windows Phone 7.5 Mango review
38:40 - Ice Cream Sandwich gets a two-minute tour, courtesy of a lucky eBay shopper (video)
41:30 - Apple wants to 'talk iPhone' on October 4th
44:37 - Windows Phone 7.5 'Mango' update begins rolling out today

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Engadget Podcast 258 - 09.30.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/30/engadget-podcast-258-09-30-2011/

WESTERN DIGITAL VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA