GeekwithEnvy

Technology

Nintendo Direct E3 Shows Us Big Titles for Wii U

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Nintendo Direct E3 did show off some big titles for the Wii U including Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World and Super Smash Bros. However, Wii U owners will have to wait quite a bit longer before many of these titles are available. Some of these titles won’t be available until 2014, but it’s nice to get a sneak preview of what’s going on behind the doors at Nintendo and things are looking promising.

00:56 Pokémon X and Pokémon Y
04:13 Super Mario 3D World
07:43 Mario Kart 8
10:56 Wii Party UWiiU Logo
14:52 2013 3rd Party Releases
17:40 2013 Wii U Nintendo eShop Releases
19:25 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
23:59 The Wonderful 101
25:58 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
28:54 Bayonetta 2
31:50 Monolith Soft
34:23 Super Smash Bros.
38:33 Nintendo E3 Booth Tour

Apple Announces iOS 7 with Big Changes

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ios7controlcenterWWDC2013

Apple has officially announced iOS 7 and the changes are huge. Changes to the look and feel of the operating system are so drastic it will likely make your phone feel like it’s a new device. Changes include the addition of Control Center, Multitasking, Air Drop and iTunes Radio. There are also major changes to notifications, camera, Safari, and photos.

Control Center

You can now adjust the most commonly used settings on your phone by simply swiping up from the bottom of the screen to access the new Control Center.

Multi-Taksing

You can now switch between apps by simply double pressing the home button and then swiping between open apps, all while seeing the app in it’s entirety and while running

ios7Multitasking
iOS 7 Multitasking

Air Drop

The popular Mac feature is now coming to the iPhone with iOS 7. You will now be able to share photos and more directly to other Apple devices around you instantly all without a wifi router. It’s peer-to-peer wi-fi that allow you to send things like photos to multiple users and multiple devices at once, without bumping phones.

iTunes Radio

iTunes radio will now offer iOS users a way to listen to music for free with ads and with iTunes Match it’s ad-free. The music playing service will be much like Spotify and Pandora.

iTunesRadioiOS7
iTunes Radio

Notification Center

The Notification Center has seen some dramatic changes that include a cleaner more transparent look and the ability to see the notification center without unlocking the iPhone. The new notification center will also add a new “Today” tab that will give you a summary of all the information you want to see for that day along with a “Missed” tab to catch up.

For a complete look at iOS 7 that includes animations and hi-res photos, head to Apple’s website.

Apple To Live Stream WWDC Keynote

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wwdc2013Logo

Apple will offering a live stream of the WWDC 2013 keynote today on the Apple website. You can also watch the live stream on the newly added “Apple Events” channel on Apple TV.

Live Streaming video requires Safari 4 or later on Mac OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later. If you’re looking for older videos from Apple’s past events you can find them archived here.

Xbox One Offline Gaming Only 24 Hours

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xbox one

If there was any uncertainty about whether or not Xbox One would be an always-on console, it’s pretty much clear now.

It’s not technically online “all of the time” but Xbox One will only allow you 24 hours of offline gaming and anything after that you will only be able to watch movies and television. If you are on another console besides your own, you will only get one hour of offline gameplay. This will likely rub gamers the wrong way and many who are already on the fence may choose the Wii U or Playstation 4 instead, based on this feature alone.

With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.  ” -Microsoft

Xbox One games will be tied to your console but you will be able to trade in disc based games, that is, if the publisher allows it and they are likely to charge you a fee. You will also be able to give disc based games to your friends as a gift but they must be on your friend list for at least thirty days and you can only do it once.

One plus about the console is that you will be able to buy games online or in-store on day one of a game’s release. I’m hoping that this particular feature becomes the standard for all consoles.

It’s also important to note that Microsoft may change things up in the future, especially if things go sour with sales or complaints. So remember it’s still early and we have yet to see how this all plays out.

You can get full details on Xbox One game licensing here and you can also see the online requirements here.

Tornado Path Seen From Space

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OKTornadoSpace
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

The devastating E-F5 tornado that struck central Oklahoma on May 20th 2013 caused 2 billion dollars in damage and has taken up to 24 lives. This powerful storm has left a scar on the Earth’s surface that can easily be identified in this image from far above the Earth.

The photo was taken using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra spacecraft. This is a false-color image that clearly shows the path of the powerful tornado that lasted nearly 40 minutes as it continued to move along for 17 miles.

You can see a larger view of the image with it’s caption from NASA.