Archive for the ‘Games’
Site Design Contest
My writing advice site, The Writer’s Well, is having a design contest – check it out!
EA Games On The Way To Apple Stores
It was big news this year when EA Games made the decision that their games would be made compatible with Macs. Well, the first wave of new games is scheduled to hit a brick and mortar Apple store near you soon, and to be in the online Apple store also.
The first four games are Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Need for Speed Carbon, Battlefield 2142 and Command and Conquer Three. Next up for release will be Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08. The plan is to release as many old titles as possible on the Mac platform, and all of the new titles on both Mac and Windows platform.
In response to an inquiry about the delay for Madden NFL ’08, an EA representative said “we’ve shorted the gap between the Mac launch and other platforms to just a few weeks. This is a huge leap compared with past launches. Over time, as EA gains experience in completing and shipping Mac games, the gap will narrow.”
Tags: ea games, madden nfl, tiger woods pga tour, need for speed
Get Your Hot Little Hands On A Hot Little iPhone
So, much like me, you haven’t finished saving up to buy that iPhone yet. Never fear, AppleGrrl is here! This post will list all validated places you can win an iPhone right now, and it will get updated as time goes on to add more. There are plenty of scam artists out there trying to con you into exchanging personal information for an imaginary iPhone that will never surface. This means that we may list fewer contests, but they will all be from verified, bonafied companies and you will really win an iPhone if you qualify. Let the contests begin! Good luck, and if you win one from one of these contests, please let AppleGrrl know.
Profy: Your Source For All Things Web 2.0, is having a contest here.
Gizmodo: Home Of Gadget Geeks Extraordinaire, is having a contest here.
LoopRumors contest info is here.
AppleiPhoneShow contest is here.
iLounge contest is here.
Insanely Great Tees contest here.
If you are having a contest to win an iPhone, let us know in the comments!
Tags: Win iPhone, iPhone Contest, Free iPhone, iPhone Giveaway, iPhone Sweepstakes, iPhone
[posted with ecto]
Free Games You Can Download
I’m not sure how many of these are Made For Mac, and how many are PC exclusive. Either way, who can pass up a hundred titles of legal, free, downloadable computer games? If you can’t play them on your Mac without having Windoze installed, send the link to a friend. (I know, I should know how many are for Mac. It’s been a busy Monday. I haven’t had time to go through the entire list yet.)
100 Free Computer Games You Can Download here.
the website claims that each version is the full copy of the game, and that each are in the public domain and free of copyright issues. Happy downloading!
Tags: download free games, free games, mac games, games for mac, games for apple, free apple games
Mac and EA Getting Their Game Faces On
Good news for Mac users who want more game selection. Because of the high numbers of staff members, family and friends who have switched to Mac, EA’s head honcho has decided to expand EA Game’s Mac focus to include all of their titles. There is no mention of how many of the games currently in their portfolio will work with the older 950 GMA video card models, but it’s a start.
EA hasn’t announced when the first titles will be available yet, but from the tone of the interview it sounds like they will be aggressively pursuing this. I would suggest looking for EA Games on the Mac OS platform with the year.
Executives from game publisher heavyweights Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) Latest News about Electronic Arts (EA) and Id Software joined Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple CEO Steve Jobs onstage at the Apple World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco to announce that both companies would port their popular games to the Macintosh Latest News about Macintosh computer platform.
“I have two teenage daughters. They live on MacBook. I have friends in the music business, in the movie business, in the photography business, in the graphic design business. They live on OS X. Our CTO at Electronic Arts lives on Mac, and we’re seeing EA technologists move to Mac in droves,” Bing Gordon, EA cofounder and chief creative officer, explained.
“And what do they all want … in addition to a cinema display? They want to go into an Apple store and they want to see all the latest EA games, simultaneously released with all of the other platforms. So I’m here today to announce we are going to rectify the situation. Starting in July, we are going to bring four of our biggest titles to run on OS X.”
Mod Your Mac Contest Results
The results of our first contest ever, the Mod Your Mac Contest, were underwhelming at best. Here is the breakdown:
257 emails about the contest. 256 asked legitimate questions about deadlines, submission methods, where to get the skins, etc. which I answered both in email and by making a post dedicated to user questions. 1 of the 257 emails told me the prizes were “stupid”. In reply to that, based on the number of entries I got, I’m glad I didn’t spend more on prizes now. So there was interest, and the contest was promoted everywhere online, by myself and many other people, link sites and forums. Lesson learned: interest is not the same as participation. (more…)
Endgagdet Scuttlebutt vs Apple Stock (POLL)
Please take this Twiigs poll regarding the Endgadget / Apple fiasco from earlier this week. Get some preliminary background first by reading these:
The original breaking news on MacWorld is here.
Follow stories are here and here.
The Poll (Courtesy of Twiigs Poll Creator):
DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE MOD YOUR MAC CONTEST!!
[tags]Poll, Apple Stock, Endgadget[/tags]
The “Cult” of Apple
Hi, I’m Leslie, and I’m a Mac addict. Can I build a PC from the ground up? Sure. Have I used PCs and Macs in dual networks? Absolutely. I’ve worked at companies that were PC exclusive, Mac exclusive and those that had a little of both. Through it all, I’ve been a Mac loyalist for over 20 years – ever since my first Apple IIe. Remember those, and the days of Basic? I do.
I am a Mac loyalist because I truly think, after years of using both, that their computer is superior to the PC in all areas but one (I’ll go into that in a minute). Even so, no computer has been built that doesn’t have room to be even better. Don’t tell that to a card carrying Apple Fanboy or Fangrrl, though. You may get beheaded. Why am I writing this on my Apple Grrl blog, where I usually show nothing but love for All Things Apple? Because a few bad Apple fans are spoiling things for the rest of us. These fans have collectively become known as the Cult of Apple, and have generated the kind of lampooning and dislike (and occasionally outright hatred) that can be found on this funny page by Maddox. The problem is that all Apple users are beginning to be seen that way, and it really chaps my hide.
Here’s the thing: Apple is awesome, but it isn’t perfect. No company is perfect. There is always room for improvement. Whether you stand behind the world of Gates or Jobs, in the world of computers it can only get better. Always. Technology moves at breakneck speed, and that in itself means no design or concept or software program is ever really “finished”. To not acknowledge that hobbles your argument, and to not have your users call you on it when you need improvement hobbles a company.
Apple has promoted the concept of their computers as a “lifestyle” since they first came out. They have marketed their computers using the “Cult of Apple” concept, and they have done a beautiful job creating the atmosphere of Mac users as a family. They have tapped into the minds of people everywhere – wanting to connect and be part of a whole in this isolated technological age. It’s been 20 years of marketing genius. Even their commercials today (I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC.) tap into the subculture they’ve created, one where Mac users are told they are somehow cooler and smarter than PC users.
This is starting to backfire on Apple. What is happening is twofold: first, when your customers buy into this concept they stop telling you when they have issues with your products, preventing you from fixing any problems and second, they become so insufferable no one else listens to them when they try word of mouth marketing for you, and you loose sales. Sure there are some reasonable Mac users (I like to think I’m in that camp), but there are a lot more Mac users who are insufferable, holier-than-thou bores.
I know, I may be lynched by a Mac Mob for saying so, but hear me out. I love to convert PC users to Macs, because I think they are better overall, in spite of their flaws. I have the hardest time doing so, because as soon as I try to open a dialog about it, the PC user assumes I’m just like any other fanatical Mac user, only able to spout marketing jargon from Apple’s vast reservoir of catch phrases. I never get the chance to compare PC and Mac use side by side, showing my experience with each and why I think that particular person might benefit from a Mac. That is the most irritating feeling in the world, being lumped in with a handful of loonies.
I’m hoping that this article will serve as a wake up call for at least a few of the members of the Cult of Apple. You are killing your product. Apple will continue to have a minor market share if you continue to push PC users away with your shrill, honking, cooler-than-you, better-than-you, Apple-is-perfect attitude. You have become the Rosie O’Donnells of the computing world. You may be smart and funny, but no one takes you seriously because you are annoying, loud and shrill. As one Mac loyalist to another, I’m begging you – please, please, please get off your high horse so we can improve Apple, and sell more of them in the long run.
What would I like to see Apple improve? Several things, actually. Let’s take a look. Everyone who uses Apple computers knows they are gorgeous machines, that use gorgeous software. Part of their appeal is the time Apple has spent on the design as a whole. Everything about it is truly pleasing to the eye. In many cases I’d even call it soothing – it’s as if they designed their computers and software with the intent of making their users feel safe. It’s one of my favorite things about Apple. Could PCs look this way? Absolutely. I have no idea why they don’t try harder to be… just, nicer all around.
In spite of the beauty of the interface and the ease of use, there are Apple programs I don’t use. Two programs at the top of the list? Safari and Mail. I would love to be able to use Safari. It is gorgeous, and it makes the whole Internet prettier as you surf. It simply doesn’t work 80% of the time, so I use FireFox instead. Apple needs to take a look at the fact that many web sites, whether Apple likes it or not, are made for Internet Explorer and FireFox functionality. When you surf the Internet and forms don’t work because you are on Safari and Safari refuses to be compatible? That hampers your Internet use. Apple needs to do what FireFox did – find out how to make Safari compatible with all forms and such online, even the ones geared for IE. Then it might get back people like me who work online and have to have 100% functionality.
As for Mail, I am not sure where to start. My big issue with Mail was that it refused to see half my email accounts. It allows them to be input, but you never get messages from them. This mainly happened on the email accounts I run from my own web sites on my own server. Obviously that is a huge problem, so I switched to Thunderbird. With Thunderbird I’ve never had a single issue retrieving my mail from any of my 20 or so email accounts. Personally, I also didn’t like the Mail interface – it was too simplistic (a frequent complaint about Apple). I don’t mind if a program comes with it’s settings set for the computer idiot, but I should be able to reset the settings for someone like me, who wants more control over my experience. Mail does not allow that.
In other Apple issues that I’d like to see improved… gaming. Apple used to be cutting edge for gaming, but not so anymore. It made me very angry that I had to shop for my budget, getting a MacBook instead of a MacBook Pro. The MacBook should be perfectly good for what I do – I’m a writer. But I also like to have fun, and the only thing I wanted MacBook to have that it didn’t was a decent gaming card. I have no idea why Apple chose to put in a non-upgradable GMA 950 card into its MacBooks and iMacs, but they did. And if you game at all, you know that card stinks like two week old gym socks dipped in curry. You can’t even play Myst Online with that card! Apple, Apple, Apple. I love you, but what were you thinking? How about letting those of us stuck with the GMA 950 bring it in to the local Apple Store for a free or low cost upgrade? Oh right, you stuck it on the motherboard for some reason so it isn’t that easy. Have I mentioned how much that sucks? Not even the Genius Bar can help this issue.
Are you beginning to see how never acknowledging Apple having room to be even better can hamper your Apple experience? Apple has had these issues for years, and has yet to fix them. Why? Because its users are so loyal that they won’t demand better from the company they are so loyal to. I’m begging you, Apple users… be loyal, but be practical. Don’t be afraid to tell Apple when you want something better. They have great customer service, they always have – if enough voices speak loud enough, they will start to change for the better. Join together to be better, kinder, less shrill Apple users. It will only benefit all of us in the long run.
Woz weighs in on Apple Fanboys
Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved
Myst Online Released For Macs
Yesterday GameTap announced the released of Myst Online: Uru Live for the Macintosh. They touted it as being for the MacBooks and iMacs running the Intel Core Duo processor. Not only am I a Mac junkie, I am a Myst junkie, so it was with great excitement I went over to their site to get started playing this new version of an old favorite. Alas, it was not to be. As pretty as it looks (as always with the Myst series), it is not compatible with the MacBook I just bought in December. For what it’s worth, if you have the newest graphics processor, you will be as impressed as ever with the beauty of the game. Feel free to play it and review it in the comments.
In a stunning blow against loyal Mac users, GameTap and Cyan decided not to support the graphics cards in the MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Minis released as late as December of 2006, when Apple was still running the GMA 950 graphics processor interface. So, unless you bought a MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini or MacBook Pro with the newest graphic interface, you’re sunk. I think that is terrible marketing on their part. Making a purchase of a Mac is a significant investment, and I think it stinks that people who committed their money to Mac before the end of 2006, or who couldn’t wuite afford the price tag on the MacBook Pro, are being ignored by the game makers.
Shame on you, GameTap and Cyan.
From the site: System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later, 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor or faster (Intel only), 512MB RAM, ATI or Nvidia graphics, 3GB hard disk space, broadband Internet connection. GameTap notes that Myst Online is not supported on Macs that use the GMA 950 graphics processor. That includes Mac minis, MacBooks and some low-end iMac configurations.
Hat tip to Pippa for contributing this link which discusses the issue from the angle of “Why did Apple even set it up this way?” and lists games that will work on your Mac running the 950 chip set.
Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved
Top Software Tools For Your Mac
John C Welch, long a Mac advocate, has published his list of the top 22 Mac Tools. Coming in at Number 22 is the blogware that I use to write all of my blogs, Ecto. I have to agree – I can’t imagine my life without this useful, simple and inexpensive little software tool. I can publish to all 18 of my personal blogs and blogs for hire in one program, without switching back and forth or worrying about logging in every time – Ecto takes care of all of that for me. Plus it allows me to drag and drop files and photos from iTunes, iPhoto and other Mac applications, and it has a built in Amazon module for entering Amazon Associate links. It even makes linking easy, and has a simple interface for switching back and forth between code and rich text editing. You don’t even have to worry about your blogging platform – it accepts all of them, from the free Blogger to the more complex and expensive platform Movable Type.
His list is divided into two parts for publishing purposes – it was too long to print all at once in Information Week. Other tools that made the first half of the list include FTP tool Transmit, SyncServices automatic data sharing (commonly called iSync), the multi-function text tool BBEdit, for those of you with windows Mobile there is Missing Sync, the dynamic duo of ConceptDraw and Omni Graffle Pro that work to recreate Visio-like interface for the Mac, the business AV and social chat tool iChat AV, the ever-present AppleScript, companion piece Script Debugger, email and scheduling software Entourage, game program SketchFighter, and the time-saving TypeIt4Me. Of these tools, I’d say I use Entourage and iChat AV on a daily basis. So out of numbers 22 – 11, at least three would make my list as well.
In part 2 of his list, he continues to awaken us to the awesome capabilities of our Macs and the software written for them. People switching from Windoze to Mac should take note of this entire list – it eliminates many of the functionality issues you have mentioned in the past as preventing you from making the switch. This list just goes to show that the Mac can do anything Windoze can do, and better. Leading off part 2 is the replacement for OS 9′s convenient and simple Location Manager feature, Network Location. To be fair, the home user won’t get much use out of this unless they are running a network of Macs, but the IT professional certainly will.
Also on the list are Apple Remote Desktop, the all-purpose Mac Link Plus Deluxe (this little program can open any file format – trust me, you want it in your Mac toolbox), Parallels for Mac (if you haven’t heard of this one yet you are living under a rock), Remote Desktop Connection (this one seems a duplicate of Parallels to me), the multi-purpose screenshot tool Snapz Pro X, dual boot tool BootCamp, PDF by Adobe (I agree with him that all documentation should be in PDF, not EXE or any other format), launch manager Lingon, and ACL handler Workgroup Manager.
Out of the second part of the list, I’d have to disagree with the inclusion of Parallels and BootCamp. That’s because I’m a Mac purist. I appreciate that the ability to run Windoze on a Mac makes it more marketable to the stubborn PC market, but why would you make your Mac as hacker-vulnerable as a PC by running Windoze on it at all? I’d wholeheartedly agree with PDF – there should be no other document format used – it is completely scriptable, and much less prone to transporting viruses than EXe ad other document formats, not to mention how universal it is. I’d never heard of Snapz. I’ve been quite happy with Apple’s built in Grab utility, but I’ll be checking out both Snapz and SketchFighter after reading this list.
What software do you consider essential for your Mac? Let me know in the comments!
Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved
Apple Signs Exclusive Gaming Deal With EA Games
Breaking news: Apple has signed an exclusive deal with EA Games to develop a series of platform-specific games for the iPhone and Apple TV. This is a huge added feature that will only add to the sales of these Apple products, already in high demand.
EA already makes a series of games for the iPod family that has been quite successful. This success is expected to bridge over into the new platform ready games as well.
The new games will be available through iTunes for a low price (around $4.99 for iPods) that should appeal to customers from all financial levels. Having the games downloadable through iTunes will make them doubly appealing for Apple TV users who want to play them as a multiple player game on any TV.
Stay tuned to Apple Reporter for more once an official deal between Apple, EA Games and Namco is signed.
Read more about the deal here, here, and here.
Tags: Apple, EA Games
Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved
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