TG Daily | Technology, Science, Entertainment, and Business News

Angry Birds

| FREE | Rovio Mobile Ltd.

Angry Birds get festive makeover | TG Daily - TG Daily | Technology, Science, Entertainment, and Business News

Rovio's promising a Christmas edition of Angry Birds, saying it will be offered as a free upgrade to the Halloween version. The company tweeted on Friday to say that a release date would be dependent on Apple's approval of the app. The game will initially be available for Android and iOS devices only, although Rovio is hinting at a Windows 7 version. And  Finnish website Ylex has pictures, showing birds and pigs alike wearing Santa hats and a barrier of Christmas trees through which which the angry birds have to smash in order to reach their porcine enemies. New levels have also been added. Rovio looks to be aiming to capitalise on the success of the game with a series of merchandising spin-offs. The company's already marketing Angry Birds plush toys, due to go on sale in December, for $14.99. Last week, the Daily Telegraph reported that Rovio is planninng versions of the game for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, and the company is also reported to be working on a Facebook edition. There have even been rumors of a movie. Angry Birds has become one of the App Store's best-selling apps, with more than 13 million downloads of the free version of the game, plus another seven million paid-for downloads. Read More

Maps

| FREE | Google Inc.

Google updates Android Navigation app to allow for walking | TG Daily - TG Daily | Technology, Science, Entertainment, and Business News

Google's turn-by-turn GPS software for Android has been updated with a feature that you don't see all that often in GPS programs: walking directions. For those times when you're not behind the wheel of the car, now you can have all the same benefits of the GPS program as it tracks your every movement and tells you where to turn. The functionality will be nearly identical to the existing Navigation app on Android, except it will of course pull from Google Maps' walking directions instead of the driving version. This means stuff like one-way streets, parks, and pedestrian walkways is calculated into the navigable landscape. Users will also be able to opt for a satellite view of the map as they walk down the streets, instead of the standard map view used in the car/driving version of Navigation. Another feature for walking users is the phone will vibrate when you need to take a turn. In a blog post announcing the update, Google cautions, "Use good judgment about routes that can't be walked." In rare instances, Google's walking directions place users on streets that have no sidewalks or ask them to cross an intersection that is only accessible by cars. Of course, it's Google, and everything is in beta mode and carries around the appropriate warnings. Anyone running Android 1.6 or later, which should be the vast majority of all Android users, will be prompted for the update to Google Maps. Read More

MP3tunes

| FREE | MP3tunes, Inc

MP3Tunes app integrates Android, iPhone, and the cloud | TG Daily - TG Daily | Technology, Science, Entertainment, and Business News

If you have an Android phone and you're worried about losing all those songs you bought with the Amazon MP3 app, MP3Tunes is here to save you. MP3Tunes, which has heretofore been relegated as a piece of software for PCs only, now has an app on Android that lets users back up their music to remote servers. That makes it easier to not only save those precious MP3 files, but also eliminates the hassle of transferring the files from the phone to a computer which involves cables and/or microSD card adapters, and who wants to deal with that? MP3Tunes also lets users playback their stored collections on any Internet-connected device like an iPhone or iPod Touch (however, Apple restrictions prevent iPhone owners from being able to upload their music collections). The service is free for anyone storing up to 2 GB of music, and there is a $40/year option for those who want up to 50 GB. Read More