According to the Guinness Book of world records the best ending ever to be written into a video game, exists in Call of Duty Black Ops. The popular first-person shooter was released last year and went on to become one of the best-selling video game of all time. The title did not come easy to the game, as over 13,519 gamers polled for the game.
Following close were Halo: Reach, the 13-year old The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time , God of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (in that order ) to complete the list of the top 5 games with the best endings.
The Top 50 Video Game Endings (Guinness) 50. Resident Evil 4 49. Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic 48. Ratchet & Clank: a Crack in Time 47. Crysis 2 46. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 45. Call of Duty: World at War 44. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II 43. Half-Life 2: Episode Two 42. Super Metroid 41. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 40. New Super Mario Bros. Wii 39. inFamous 38. Fallout 3 37. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 36. Gears of War 2 35. Bioshock 34. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty 33. Sonic Adventures 2 32. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 31. Kingdom Hearts II 30. Mass Effect 29. Super Mario Galaxy 28. Sonic the Hedgehog 27. Metal Gear Solid 26. Assassin’s Creed II 25. Assassin’s Creed 24. Shadow of the Colossus 23. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 22. Kingdom Hearts 21. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 20. Super Mario Galaxy 2 19. Mass Effect 2 18. Grand Theft Auto IV 17. Portal 2 16. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood 15. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 14. Halo: Combat Evolved 13. Halo 3 12. Pokemon Black and White 11. Super Mario Bros 10. Heavy Rain 9. Final Fantasy VII 8. Metal Gear Solid 4 7. Portal 6. Red Dead Redemption 5. God of War 4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 2. Halo: Reach 1. Call of Duty: Black Ops
Possible the most popular open-source video player that works cross platforms. VLC Player, has attained the much desired upgrade to version 2. Although still in its prime stage with the RC1 both Windows and Mac users will be greeted with a fresh new UI. Mac users will especially identify to the new Lion look styling. There’s also a new subtitle manager and support for multiple videos inside RAR files.
The iOS version is all set to be returned with a bang, whereas Android app gets a development update. The new VLC 2.0 RC1 is currently not available for Windows 64bit platform.
Google is preparing to launch a new cloud storage service that will compete directly with the likes of Dropbox, pogo plug, Rapidshare et all. The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday evening reported that Google is almost ready to announce the new service, which will be called Google Drive. Similar to Dropbox, which creates a virtual drive containing files that are mirrored on a user’s local hard drive and on cloud servers, Google Drive will allow users to store photos, videos, documents and other files in the cloud, and it will be accessible from computers as well as Android tablets and smartphones.
Expect at least 8 Gig of Free storage from the company and this number can be as high as 15 if you consider how generous Google is usually.
HTC has just updated their Facebook to announce its ICS rollout plan. ICS or Ice Cream Sandwich is the most anticipated Android update since android Froyo. it brings a whole host of changes to the table, and it will be interesting to see how HTC updates their Sense UI to add to ICS. According to HTC’s announcement the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE will be the first to get the updates followed by HTC EVO 3D, HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD
HTC has been working hard to get its Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades ready, and we’re excited to announce that our first round of ICS upgrades will roll out by the end of March for the HTC Sensation and HTC Sensation XE, followed soon thereafter by the HTC Sensation XL.
In addition, we can confirm Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades will be coming later this year to the HTC EVO 3D, HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. Stay tuned for more updates on Ice Cream Sandwich releases in the coming weeks
FOr those in the US HTC has announced ICS updates for the Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G and EVO Design 4G. The US devices will get updates by the end of 2012.
Nothing less than expected, Google on Tuesday announced the first beta release of its Chrome Web browser for Android-powered smartphones and tablets. With Chrome, Google is focused on aligning its mobile browsing experience more closely with its desktop browser.
Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is focused on speed and simplicity, but it also features seamless sign-in and sync so you can take your personalized web browsing experience with you wherever you go, across devices.
Really? A Parisian commercial court in France has fined Google to pay a fine of €500,000 for giving its maps for free. Bottin Cartographes, who was on the other side of the lawsuit claimed that the Company ( Google) has leveraged the market by giving away its Google Maps service for free, while others try to make a living off it.
“We proved the illegality of [Google’s] strategy,” said the prosecution counsel.
Google plans to Appeal the decision, and believes that the company has not eliminated competition in this segment and is purely giving away its services because it can.
Honestly, since when are Awesome products for free, looked down upon?
Possibly sick of the millions of Android / iPhone / Blackberry adopters asking for correct APN et al, Airtel has officially released settings for all possible handsets in this image graphic below.
While their main APN remains “airtelgprs.com” other settings may be needed for some devices.
Oh dear, Nokia had earlier confessed that it knows of the major battery issues plaguing its new flagship Lumia phones. The latest update (1600.2483.8106.11500) was meant to “enhance standby time as well as to bring an improvement to the issue reported by some customers in December. And indeed the update did bring some relief to our devices, But know Nokia has been hearing complaints about the poor audio quality and Camera related problems being faced by Nokia Loyalists.
[box border=”full”]
NOKIA:
We’ve seen your comments on the latest update for the Lumia 800 and wanted to take the opportunity to quickly address some points.
First of all, the primary target of the latest Lumia 800 update (1600.2483.8106.11500) was to enhance standby time as well as to bring an improvement to the issue reported by some customers in December, that their phone wasn’t able to access the full battery charge capacity correctly. We can confirm that we have successfully tested that those improvements are working. Additionally, we’ve noted your concerns regarding audio and camera settings and are going to address those in a series of future updates, ie. these will not be included in this specific update. It is also important to understand that only the Nokia Update for Lumia 1600.2483.8106.11500 will introduce the mentioned improvements. If you want to see what update you have installed or what software version you currently have on your Lumia 800, please check Settings>System>About and then tap the box for “More information”. The “Firmware revision number” shows 1600.2483.8106.11500 if you have installed the latest Nokia update for Lumia successfully. To make sure that your Lumia 800 is up to date and always gets the latest features, go to Settings > Phone Update and select “Notify me when updates are found”. Then, as soon as a new update is available for your Lumia 800, your phone will automatically display a notification.
Also always use the original Nokia Fast USB Charger AC-16 or the Nokia Charging and Data Cable CA-185CD that came with your Lumia 800, as they are specifically designed to charge the Lumia 800 as efficiently as possible. Only a charger with an output of 1000mA will fully charge your Lumia 800 battery. If you have several Nokia chargers at home, just check the respective labels or plastic parts as the product name is mentioned there.
Last but not least, the Diagnostic App was designed for internal testing purposes. In general, your battery is fine as long as the full charge capacity is more than 1000mAh. For the future, if you are checking your battery life, more useful information on the Battery status can be found by focusing on Settings>System>Battery saver. It will tell you both your remaining battery life in percent as well as the estimated time remaining, plus the time since you last charged your phone (as soon as you have disconnected your phone from your charger). If you have concerns about your battery capacity, please contact Nokia Care (phone numbers and locations can be found via www.nokia.com/support).”[/box]
Indian Army Chief V K Singh today launched the digital version of Indian War Comics (IWC), which will be available for users of upcoming version of Aakash tablet PC to be supplied by Datawind.
This particular idea itself is not only laudable, but I think each one of us must realise that there is something which will make tremendous difference,Those of you who have been lucky to read the Amar Chitra Katha and know what it did to you, to know your own history, I think these war comics are going to make a fantastic difference. Specially when they are loaded on to the Akash tablet”
– V K Singh
The comics will be available free of cost on both the Ubislate and Aakash TAB.
“We will put these comics on both Aakash and Ubislate tablets,”
-Datawind CEO Sunit Singh Tuli
These comics are really popular in their print form and will add to the tablet madness that has struck our country.
Google announced today that three of its web services will be getting an arrow to the knee. Picnik, a photo-editing company that Google acquired in 2010, Needlebase, the data management platform and Google owned Sky Map Android app will go open-source by mid-year.
Picnik, was supposed to be integrated into Picasa, allowing users to edit their images online. But, the company will now be shuttered. Needlebase is possibly the only service out of the three that no-one has heard of, acquired from ITA Software, on June 1, 2012. The technology is being evaluated for integration into Google’s other data-related initiatives.
Sky Map was created by half a dozen Googlers at the Pittsburgh office in their 20 percent time to show off the amazing capabilities of the sensors in the first-generation Android phones and offer a window into the sky. This will now be converted to open source.
Google is knows for acquiring and ending companies faster than most people can develop a business plan.
Considering how Apple just reinvented the text book with the new iBooks 2 App, the best feature about iBooks 2 is the ability of authors to write textbooks and publish them on iBooks. To make that project easier, Mac users can now download the iBooks Publisher App. This new app allows would be book sellers the ability to drag and drop photos, videos and even Microsoft Word files into various templates. If you use iWork you can drop a Keynote presentation into the doc, and it becomes an interactive widget. Authors can also arrange glossaries by highlighting and clicking words, and clicking again to add a definition.
The books can then be published straight to the Apple iBooks Store for either Free or a maximum of US $ 14.99, The paid books will go on revenue share with Apple, in a 70/30 split where the Authors get 70% of the total sales.
The App itself is quite amazing as we ant hands on with it.
When you start it up , it shows you a bunch of templates.
You can select your type and then continue to drag and drop media as per your convenience.
Apple has released a new version of the iBooks publishing platform yesterday at the Guggenheim museum in New York City. The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store. It features a lot of new improvements including the ability to share textbooks. The reason for giving iPad’s to students in universities becomes even more useful starting today.
The App allows fullscreen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn with just a tap or swipe of the finger.
Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world, Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”
-said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
Apple Reinvents Textbooks with iBooks 2 for iPad New iBooks Author Lets Anyone Create Stunning iBooks Textbooks
NEW YORK-January 19, 2012-Apple® today announced iBooks® 2 for iPad®, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks textbooks offer iPad users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more. iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don’t weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore? with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac® can create stunning iBooks textbooks.
“Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”
The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store™. With support for great new features including gorgeous, fullscreen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.
iBooks Author is also available today as a free download from the Mac App Store and lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore. Authors and publishers of any size can start creating with Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. iBooks Author lets you add your own text and images by simply dragging and dropping, and with the Multi-Touch™ widgets you can easily add interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote® presentations and 3D objects.
Apple today also announced an all-new iTunes® U app giving educators and students everything they need on their iPad, iPhone® and iPod touch® to teach and take entire courses. With the new iTunes U app, students using iPads have access to the world’s largest catalog of free educational content, along with over 20,000 education apps at their fingertips and hundreds of thousands of books in the iBookstore that can be used in their school curriculum, such as novels for English or Social Studies.* The iTunes U app is available today as a free download from the App Store.
*Some content is available only for iPad.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Windows server 8 will introduce the Resilient File System, or ReFS, as a “next generation file system” built on the foundations of the NTFS. The new gen file system is designed by reusing NTFS’ API / semantics engine to retain a high level of compatibility with NTFS features. The new file system design is aimed to protect against latent disk errors, resist data corruption, uphold metadata integrity, grant large volume, file and directory size. The whole concept is to reduce the massive file corruption and fragmentation users face with NTFS and Windows in general.
The key goals of ReFS are:
Maintain a high degree of compatibility with a subset of NTFS features that are widely adopted while deprecating others that provide limited value at the cost of system complexity and footprint.
Verify and auto-correct data. Data can get corrupted due to a number of reasons and therefore must be verified and, when possible, corrected automatically. Metadata must not be written in place to avoid the possibility of “torn writes,” which we will talk about in more detail below.
Optimize for extreme scale. Use scalable structures for everything. Don’t assume that disk-checking algorithms, in particular, can scale to the size of the entire file system.
Never take the file system offline. Assume that in the event of corruptions, it is advantageous to isolate the fault while allowing access to the rest of the volume. This is done while salvaging the maximum amount of data possible, all done live.
Provide a full end-to-end resiliency architecture when used in conjunction with the Storage Spaces feature, which was co-designed and built in conjunction with ReFS.
The key features of ReFS are as follows (note that some of these features are provided in conjunction with Storage Spaces).
Metadata integrity with checksums
Integrity streams providing optional user data integrity
Allocate on write transactional model for robust disk updates (also known as copy on write)
Large volume, file and directory sizes
Storage pooling and virtualization makes file system creation and management easy
Data striping for performance (bandwidth can be managed) and redundancy for fault tolerance
Disk scrubbing for protection against latent disk errors
Resiliency to corruptions with “salvage” for maximum volume availability in all cases
Shared storage pools across machines for additional failure tolerance and load balancing
What are the capacity limits of ReFS?
The table below shows the capacity limits of the on-disk format. Other concerns may determine some practical limits, such as the system configuration (for example, the amount of memory), limits set by various system components, as well as time taken to populate data sets, backup times, etc.
Attribute
Limit based on the on-disk format
Maximum size of a single file
2^64-1 bytes
Maximum size of a single volume
Format supports 2^78 bytes with 16KB cluster size (2^64 * 16 * 2^10). Windows stack addressing allows 2^64 bytes
