If you are a bit of a command-line junkie and ever wanted to use APIs but wished you could get that data straight from your favorite shell, GoogleCL is for you. GoogleCL is a new open source project that allows you to utilize major Google APIs without writing code. It defines a set of commands that you can use as command-line utilities and access a number of Google services. For example, you can upload pictures to Google Picasa Web, create a new event in your Google Calendar, upload a blog post to Google Blogger, export your contacts to a file and much more.
We haven’t been able to independently confirm this one, but a T-Mobile tipster tells us that T-Mobile had the largest number of new activations on Saturday for their promotion. Every phone was free with new activation and 2 year agreement.
We’re getting closer and closer to Google’s planned Chrome OS release this fall, but still the hardware side of the equation is looking a little less shiny. As of today we don’t know exactly who will be bringing Google’s little laptop OS to retail first, but now we have a few more clues. Google’s code repository contains build configurations for Acer, Dell, and HP hardware, suggesting the OS is being tested by those manufacturers, and while this isn’t hard confirmation of device support it does back up what we’ve heard previously.
Valve has released a new, still-in-beta version of the wildly popular online shooter Counter-Strike: Source, adding in new achievements, “domination and revenge” systems and other improvements that don’t muck with the game’s core experience. More »
Apple With all of the chaos going on around the lost iPhone case, everyone has more or less assumed that Apple is behind the police department’s actions in searching Gizmodo Editor Jason Chen’s house late last week. Of course, no one believes that the sheriff is working for Apple, but most people seem to be under the impression that Apple wants to get to the bottom of the case, and that the company is pulling strings in law enforcement to try and do that. However, some new information discovered by Wired suggests that the story may be more complicated than that.
One of our trusty sources just shot us over a plethora of Apple iPad application screenshots. Everything from the iPad version of Twitterrific, to Flight Control, to Flick Fishing, to Reuters Pro — we’ve got it in here. Let us know what you think… but oh man, these look absolutely delicious. We also have a couple shots of the iTunes store for iPad, and you can browse apps using CoverFlow from your iPad.
Got a great idea for a hat or weapon for Team Fortress 2 ? Valve wants to hear about it — better yet, Valve wants you to make it. The TF2 blog reports that Valve has already seen plenty of solid submissions — items you can get a hold of in today’s update. If you’re the creator of one of these items, you’ll find a special version waiting for you in your backpack.
The Rock Band Network Music Store is live! New music by Jonathan Coulton, KMFDM, and Steve Vai included. Hit the link for the full list. Read More: Rock Band Forum Read the comments on this post
Microsoft’s anti-ghosting claims were recently put to the test by the good folks over at Tom’s Guide , and if you’ve been holding off on pulling the trigger to make sure it really lives up to the hype, you can finally cut loose and part ways with your hard-earned Greenbacks — maybe, anyway. For those unaware, Microsoft designed the SideWinder X4 to handle up to 26 key presses at once (it’s a “pro gamer” thing, we’re told), but it also allows for macro recording and profile / mode switching. According to the critics, the X4 is a step backwards in terms of design, particularly when compared to the flagship SideWinder X6 (which can be had for around $40 right now). Essentially, they could only really recommend it for those that actually do have ghosting issues when gaming, though they confess that said crowd is a relatively tiny one. But hey, don’t take our word for it — hit the source link and discover the truth for yourself.
Canadians, get ready for some savings come March. My friends over at MobileSyrup have been tipped-off to a new promo that is starting March 1st at The Source, and will run through to the end of the month. Starting next week, you’ll be able to get a $50 or $75 in-store credit when you purchase a Bell smartphone or QWERTY device. Of course, the usual 3-year contract does apply, and there’s no doubt other stipulations and ‘fine-print’ I’m unaware of at the moment, but you get the deal. $75 credits will be available on the BlackBerry ( NSDQ: RIMM ) Bold 9700, BlackBerry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry Curve 8530, the Palm ( NSDQ: PALM ) Pre, Samsung Omnia 2, Samsung Galaxy, AND the Nokia ( NYSE: NOK ) N97.
For the past couple weeks, we’ve been following some interesting developments with Twitter – things that most end users probably would know or care about. As we suspected, the quickly-growing company is putting more emphasis on engineering, taking “steps… to make our engineering division more open and transparent,” according to the team’s infrastructure manager, Evan Weaver . “Much of Twitter’s success has been enabled by open-source software, and we want to give back,” he continues. And there’s a lot of giving back going on, from a new blog to new recruiting efforts.
Despite a few harrying run-ins with some large white tents at Manhattan’s Fashion Week-hosting Bryant Park, we can honestly say we have no idea what’s “in” this year for arcade gaming headgear. Still, even with Konami’s lack of zebra print or a sly celebrity endorsement, we’ve got to hand it to them for this fashionable new ” Metal Gear Arcade ” number. The arcade game is based on Metal Gear Online , but the head gear adds 3D and head-tracking to the experience. There’s also a physical gun controller, and the sit down arcade cabinets pump out your gunplay in huge 5.1 sound. This new arcade incarnation of the game will be playable at the AUO Expo in Japan this week, but we have no idea how long it will be until we can look this badass from the comfort of our own couch.
About a week after we ran an update on the Alienware M17x stuttering audio problem, Dell’s community manager John B. has written in to let us know that the company has posted a fix. It entails using a particular BIOS revision, dropping to the Windows native mass storage driver, and installing the latest Alienware wireless card driver, all of which are available for download at the source link below. In Dell’s testing this has removed the latency spikes that have caused the rather undesirable audio st-st-stuttering issues, but many commenters over at Direct2Dell aren’t so sure, indicating that this targeted fix is actually a miss and that things are no better. If you’re affected, give this fix a shot and let us know whether you have success.
For the last few years, comedian Jay Mohr has hosted the Interactive Achievement Awards and kicked the show off with a not-for-kids, profane half hour of jokes about the year in gaming. Here are some of the cleaner ones. Note that one of Mohr’s favorite themes is the lack of diversity in the crowd of several-hundred game designers, executives, public relations people and reporters in the crowd. -”You guys might notice we have some women here voluntarily tonight. That’s a big moment for us.
Filed under: Software , Open Source , Friday Favorite The phrase “game changer” is no doubt cliché and overused, but every now and again it just fits. I had heard about Notational Velocity when Merlin Mann posted about it on 43Folders. It changed how I use my iMac, MacBookPro, and iPhone, bringing them all together in a very cool way. The app has been around for awhile ( we talked about it five years ago !) but some new features and new technologies make it well worth another look. It took me a minute to understand why I’d want Notational Velocity, it because it sounded like yet another “everything box” like Yojimbo , which I was already using.
