o9Media

The first session of the WIP Drip is dedicated to an iphone Work In Progress by Emanuel Sá. Emanuel has made many contributions to the customization world but this is his first iphone theme, named Douce.

With many iphone themes coming out these days, what could set your icons up to be “different from the pack” and stand out? Well he has creating something just like that with Douce. Douce was meant to be simplistic, gloss-less and squarish in stance.

If you are into having original looking icons on your iphone/ipod touch, then stay tuned to the thread on MacThemes for updates and a release date.

As it seems, Google has been engulfing the tech community with all sorts of new releases and products to have you connected to Google: Google Desktop, Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Mail, iGoogle, YouTube, Blogger, Android, the list goes on. Today, Google announced their newest edition to the family, Google Chrome, an open-source web browser project. It was revealed today on Blogoscoped along with a 38 page scan of a “comic book” detailing Chrome in all of its “metallicy” goodness. As a conveyor of the news it is my duty and obligation to read all 38 pages and report back on the finer of points. However, if readers will take a moment to acknowledge who I am and the laziness I display, you all know that isn’t going to happen. Though, as mentioned above Blogoscoped gives a brief, information laden recap of the comic if you were as inclined as I was to read it.

Due to my lack of enthusiasm I don’t want to discourage readers into thinking this will be a bum release. From what I have read, I can assure you this will be big, very big. Despite all the hype, there is no word yet on when we will get to use Google Chrome.

The optical illusion genius, David OReilly, is working on his latest project, titled ihologram, which gives the illusion of a 3D hologram jumping off the screen. As OReilly says on his site, “The application works by assuming a constant viewing angle (35-45 degrees), typical for when the device is placed on a tabletop. The 3d scene’s perspective is warped using anamorphosis, the same technique used in Hans Holbein’s painting The Ambassadors. This application does the exact same but updates dynamically.” The software works by using the iPhone’s built in gyroscope to calculate it’s rotation on the y-axis, which gives the controller the ability to look around the environment by turning the device.

The internet is an odd place. Fads come just as the wind blows. Every so often you’ll strike a fad that catches your interest, but is left unexplained. If you’ve been caught in the recent barrage of Anime-esque avatars on your friendly Twitter account or in the forums on your favorite site - You may find yourself as perplexed and as intrigued as.

This newly created craze comes from FaceYourManga. Of course as I usually do, I decided to blend in with the crowd and made one myself. I even ended up making several for friends who were less inclined to do so themselves. It is very similar to making a Mii on the Wii but with different options and more attention to detail. A fellow Twitter-goer related my avatar (pictured above) to the infamous Numa Numa guy. Which if you were never fourteen years old was a popular fad itself at one point.

I’ve been sitting here, as I usually do, trying to figure out the best way to not write an article. I’m pretty good at it if you haven’t noticed, but a promise is a promise. So, I immediately went to work on Google searching for that new, exciting plug. Yet, I always found myself not doing my work. I decided to analyze what my brain found so fascinating every time my mind would deviate from the task at hand. And every time I would catch myself using one of the various social networking tools of the web.

I have more social networking tools than I’d like to admit. Running through the list sounds like I may be over-exaggerating; Facebook, Twitter, Brightkite, and Socialthing. The reality is that I update each daily and go into withdrawal when I don’t. Which to me seems a bit overboard. But the alarming reality is that there are people who frequent these websites more than I do and on a larger scale. Some probably won’t get the connections, which is okay seeing as how two I currently belong to are in beta. That said, I would be more than happy elaborating.

Regardless of the full functionality of o9Media right now, today is June 9th - And what does this mean? Yeah, the details of the new iPhone 2 along with the release of the iPhone and iPod Touch firmware 2.0. I’m pissing myself in excitement as Steve Jobs is currently presenting the keynote at WWDC. The new firmware and keynote should come along later today.



Get more info on today’s keynote here
EDIT — It’s here!
EDIT — I seem to have gotten ahead of myself, the new software will be out early July.
Goddamnit.

Ever since the release of Photoshop 1.0 for the Mac in 1990, people have shelled out hundreds to Adobe for its high quality photo editing software.  That is, until now.  As of March 26, 2008, Adobe released the public beta of Photoshop Express:  A free, Flash-based tool for uploading and editing photos. I joined the beta to bring you the good, the bad, and the buggy. You can find it here. Each account clocks in at about two gigabytes of storage, with many extra features. Photoshop Express is solid as a photo host.  When you sign up, you are given a gallery, which anyone can view. Mine can be found here.

The editing was just as I expected: lacking. For your average computer user, there are plenty of options.  However, for serious users, this cannot replace Creative Suite 3, or any previous versions. I’m not surprised, I didn’t think Photoshop would be free, but it felt strange not being able to draw on my picture and unable to insert a text box.  Although this was a bit of a letdown, you should still remember you aren’t paying for it.            


Bottom line, if you bought (or stole) Photoshop, you probably won’t be needing Px any time soon. Though, if you don’t have any decent image editing software, you might as well give Photoshop Express a try, it’s free, and it has all the tools Mom and Pop will ever need. It’s still the beta, and a lot can change.  Adobe has said that they would like to add subscriptions for extra storage and features.

Who knows what we will see?

Hailed by some as one of the most addicting games of the century, Guitar Hero has rapidly become a party favorite. Allowing players to pit their guitar-strumming skills against one another in either head to head battles or a complex career mode, it seems that Activision (the makers of Guitar Hero) has outdone themselves in sales.

There is a catch, however. Gibson Guitar Corporation has announced a lawsuit against many retailers of this popular game as well as Activision itself. The accusations state that Activison has violated a patent filed in 1999 that described a “System and Method for Generating and Controlling a Simulated Musical Concert Experience,” as found in a filing by Activision.

Don’t fret my friends…no pun intended…as Activision continues to declare that they will fight the lawsuit saying that they are clear of any allegations that have been brought against them. With the difference between the actual game and experience and what Gibson Guitar filed for in 1999, I don’t expect to see Guitar Hero to stop selling any time soon.

Lockout fans rejoice as you will now get to play your favorite, ice-cold map! Blackout, also know as Moonlight Sonata, is a very strict remake. Unlike Avalanche, it holds the [almost] exact layout as its predecessor. Aside from, of course, some minor gameplay tweaks, jumps among other things, to make it feel and play at 100%. However, as you’ll notice on the left, the environment is holds very distinct differences. For one, it is no longer the Forerunner structure that Lockout was, now deemed a UNSC research station — At night! Hence its code-name. I for one love nighttime maps, so this’ll be a really fun play.

You can read more about Blackout here and get the maps April 15.

Sorry Andras, still no word on a new Blood Gulch.

This may as well be old news to some, but if you haven’t yet seen or heard anything about Halo 3’s Legendary Map Pack you’re missing out. The pack will be released April 15 for 800 MS points, the same as the Heroic Map Pack — Indicating it will only contain three maps. The first of the three is Ghost Town, a viny, Warlock-esque map designed for close combat. The map is set in the same jungle as Sierra 117. The second map, Avalanche, is a remake of the Halo: Combat Evolved map, Sidewinder. Oh, Hell Yes! Avalanche is said to still hold the familiar U-shape map layout and the sandbox gameplay of Sidewinder that made it so dear to us fanboys. However, many elements have changed. . . and it has a hornet! The last map, Moonlight Sonata, will debut tomorrow.

You can check out upcoming updates at Bungie.net