Beamz has been firing lasers in the name of limb-flailing performance for a few years. Today, it's announced it's working with popular music-mixing software Virtual DJ to provide the aural filling in its laser sandwich. The controller is the same four-beamed multi-button affair we've seen before, but now with a custom version of the aforementioned DJ application to call its own, and make the set-up a cinch. On screen you'll see two representations of the Beamz controller (instead of decks) with instant visual feedback to let you know which beam is mapped to what. You can configure four different triggers at one time, controlling cue points, looping and so on. To add functionality, you can then use the large buttons at the base of the device to rotate through different mappings. The emphasis, of course, is on performance here with nary a rotary nor fader in sight (we imagine you'd be using your other controller for that, right?). The software and hardware combo are being bundled together as a deal, and if you want in, you can do so right away for $200. Not sure if it'll fit in your workflow? Perhaps head past the break, and see if that video doesn't change your mind.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Project Holodeck gets a virtual hands-on ahead of launch (video)
The team behind Project Holodeck has a daunting task ahead: it has to combine a virtual reality headset, two PlayStation Move controllers and a Razer Hydra into a unified VR input system that somehow feels natural. From what we've seen in Road To VR's hands-on with the system, the group might just pull that off. There's no mistaking the sheer amount of equipment strapped to your head -- not to mention the Lenovo laptop on your back -- but the effort does create an immersive virtualization of the player's body where walking, arm movements and body lean all work more or less as you'd expect. Although significant stretches of development lie ahead, including fully fleshed-out games and the eventual use of an Oculus Rift, there's already teases of potential commercialization and a second generation that would include lighter, sleeker components. Those curious enough to watch two grown men stage a living room swordfight (and provide insightful answers afterwards) can watch the battle after the break, and head to the source for more details.
Source: Road To VR
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Amazon announces Coins, a virtual currency coming to the Kindle Fire in May
Introducing Amazon Coins
Coming in May, Amazon Coins is a new virtual currency for purchasing apps, games, and in-app items on Kindle Fire
Amazon Coins is an easy way for Kindle Fire customers to spend money on developers' apps in the Amazon Appstore, offering app and game developers another substantial opportunity to drive traffic, downloads and increase monetization even further
Amazon will give customers tens of millions of dollars' worth of Amazon Coins to use on developers' apps in the Amazon Appstore-apps and games must be submitted and approved by April 25 to be ready when Amazon Coins arrive in customers' accounts
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2013-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)-Amazon today announced another new way for app and game developers to make money on Kindle Fire-introducing Amazon Coins-the new virtual currency for purchasing apps, games and in-app items on Kindle Fire. Amazon Coins is an easy way for Kindle Fire customers to spend money in the Amazon Appstore, offering app and game developers another substantial opportunity to drive traffic, downloads and increase monetization. When Amazon Coins launches in the U.S. this May, Amazon will give customers tens of millions of dollars' worth of free Amazon Coins to spend on developers' apps on Kindle Fire in the Amazon Appstore. Amazon will also make it quick and easy for customers to buy additional Amazon Coins using their Amazon accounts.
Amazon Appstore developers will earn their standard 70 percent revenue share when customers make purchases using Amazon Coins. Developers with apps and games currently in the Amazon Appstore for the U.S. don't need to do anything with their apps to capitalize on this new opportunity. Developers not yet in the Amazon Appstore should submit their apps soon-only apps submitted and approved by April 25 will be ready when Kindle Fire customers have Amazon Coins to spend across the Amazon Appstore. Developers can learn more about Amazon Coins today at http://www.amazon.com/amazon-coins.
"Developers continue to report higher conversion rates on Amazon compared to other platforms," said Paul Ryder, Vice President of Apps and Games for Amazon. "Now we have another new way to help developers reach even more of our millions of customers. Amazon Coins gives customers an easy way to spend money on developers' apps on Kindle Fire in the Amazon Appstore-and we're giving customers tens of millions of dollars in Amazon Coins to get started. Developers who aren't yet in the Amazon Appstore will want to make sure their apps have been submitted and approved by April 25 so they're ready for customers to start spending their Amazon Coins."
"We've already found that the average revenue per user on Amazon is higher than other Android platforms," said Keith Shepherd, CEO of Imangi Studios. "We're very excited about the monetization opportunity with Amazon's new virtual currency."
"Everyone recognizes Amazon's success in the e-commerce world – now the Amazon Appstore has become a major player in the mobile app marketplace," said Misha Lyalin, ZeptoLab's CEO. "Amazon's new virtual currency is designed to open new opportunities for developers and make things easier for customers. This is a great example of appstore innovation and we want to support it."
"We've been extremely pleased with how well our games monetize on Amazon," said Michael Grobe, Chief Financial Officer of GameCircus. "We're very excited about the launch of Amazon's new virtual currency."
Amazon Coins is the latest in a series of new features and services for developers that make Amazon the most complete end-to-end ecosystem for building, monetizing and marketing their apps and games. Recent announcements include:
In-App Purchasing for Mac, PC and web-based games, enabling developers to let customers use their Amazon accounts to purchase virtual goods and currencies from games on those platforms
Game Circle, which includes capabilities like Achievements, Leaderboards, Friends, and Whispersync for syncing games across devices, and leads to better engagement with games
Game Connect, which lets developers marry the ease and security of shopping on Amazon with the convenience of having virtual goods delivered directly to customers' game accounts
A/B Testing, a service that helps developers improve app functionality, retain customers and increase monetization
Adobe AIR Native Extensions, which makes it simple for Adobe Flash developers to add In-App Purchasing and Game Circle features to their apps and games
Amazon Mobile App SDK Eclipse Plugin (beta) allows developers to rapidly and reliably integrate Amazon APIs into their Android projects, speeding up development and cutting down on project setup time
Developers can get started at the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal (https://developer.amazon.com/welcome.html).
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Splashtop's Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad feature lets tablet users create virtual controls and more
#1 Remote Desktop Leader Splashtop Introduces Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad -- Ability to Create Keyboard Shortcuts, Mouse Controls and Virtual Joysticks, Optimizing for Your Favorite Apps
Built-in Remote App Profiles include Microsoft Office, Media Players, Browser, and Games; Easily Extensible to Support Others
• Built-in game and work profiles expand ease and speed of work and play
• Featured as Macworld First Look
• Being previewed at Macworld, Booth 758
MACWORLD-SAN FRANCISCO and SAN JOSE, Calif. - January 31, 2013- Splashtop Inc., the worldwide leader in cross-device collaboration and remote access, announced the Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad add-on for its Splashtop 2 app for iPad and Google Play tablets. Splashtop 2 business and personal users will be able to customize their tablet experience by creating keyboard shortcuts, virtual joysticks, mouse controls for faster and more seamless remote access with their Macs and PCs. Splashtop 2 with Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad is being previewed in booth 758 at MacWorld (booth 758) and can be purchased by Splashtop 2 tablet users directly from within the app.
According to a recent survey of Splashtop users, people are by and large using Splashtop to remotely access a wide range of apps including office applications, browsers, gaming and media apps. With this in mind, Splashtop created the Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad add-on to give people a better and easier way to control and use their apps on their mobile devices.
"Over 12 million people already appreciate superior remote access performance with Splashtop 2 and Splashtop for Business," said Mark Lee, president and co-founder of Splashtop, Inc. "With the Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad add-on, we're not only bridging any device, anywhere, but also enabling users to customize the way they access and interact with their favorite apps, entertainment and data - creating even greater convenience."
Professional workers, students, teachers and essentially anyone on the go will appreciate how Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad enables the ability to create on-screen virtual shortcuts to the most frequently used functions and also virtual mouse controls to make their work go even faster. Profiles are built in for popular apps such as Microsoft Office, Media Player, QuickTime Player, browsers and Mac OS X. Key Features
• Ability to create customized virtual joy stick with buttons for gamepads
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls for most frequently used apps
• Built-in productivity profiles for Microsoft Office (including PowerPoint slideshows),
Media Player, QuickTime Player, browsers, Mac OS X and Windows 8
• Built-in game profiles for Diablo III, Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, with more coming soon
Pricing and Availability
The Configurable Shortcuts & Gamepad add-on for Splashtop 2 is available for $0.99/month or $9.99/year subscription and is available for purchase from within the Splashtop 2 app for iPad and Google Play tablets.
For more information on Splashtop 2, visit http://www.splashtop.com/splashtop2. For more information on Splashtop, please visit http://www.splashtop.com; follow the company blog athttp://www.splashtop.com/blog, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Splashtop and on Twitter at @Splashtop.
Supporting Resources:
Splashtop home: http://www.splashtop.com Splashtop 2: http://www.splashtop.com/splashtop2 Splashtop for Business: http://www.splashtop.com/business Splashtop Whiteboard: http://www.splashtop.com/whiteboard Download Splashtop Streamer: http://www.splashtop.com/streamer Benchmarking videos: http://www.splashtop.com/splashtop2#performance-tab
About Splashtop
Splashtop Inc. delivers the best-in-class cross-screen productivity and collaboration experience, bridging smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and cloud. Today, over 12 million users enjoy the convenience of Splashtop Remote Desktop, named to Apple App Store's Top 25 Best Selling iPad Apps of All-Time. Splashtop provides superior performance and ease of use for iOS, Android, RIM, Windows and MAC users who want to remote access their desktops, apps and data anytime, anywhere. Capitalizing on the BYOD/CYOD trends, Splashtop for Business is a secure, high-performance remote desktop solution designed to mobilize workforces in minutes, with full compliance to company IT policies. It provides an on-premise centralized console to monitor, manage, activate/deactivate and audit employee remote access of applications and data across computers and clouds. Many organizations are adopting Splashtop for Business as a faster, more cost effective way to address mobile VPN compatibility issues and RDP over WAN performance challenges, as well as to scale and accelerate existing VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) to mobile knowledge workforces. Splashtop also partners with mobile device management (MDM) vendors, system integrators, security networking vendors, and service providers to deliver flexible SaaS and on-premise solutions for businesses.
Splashtop Whiteboard allows teachers and students to turn their iPad, Android tablet, B&N NOOK or Amazon Kindle Fire into a mobile interactive whiteboard at a fraction of the cost of a traditional IWB. Teachers can collaborate, annotate, and share curriculum and content in many formats, including Flash, with all the students while walking around the classroom. Anywhere Access Pack is a Splashtop 2 add-on that allows users to seamlessly access their computers across 3G/4G, Internet and firewalls, using our Splashtop Bridging Cloud(tm), a global relay server infrastructure across US, Europe and Asia. Splashtop Bridging Cloud delivers best-in-class security, reliability and global performance.
Invested in by Storm Ventures, DFJ, NEA, and SAP Ventures, Splashtop is leading the wave of mobility and cloud computing - delivering enhanced productivity and collaboration by bridging users to apps, data and services on any device. For more information on Splashtop, please visithttp://www.splashtop.com.
