Google Chromecast to support more apps ahead of UK release

 

The Chromecast, Google’s media streaming dongle device, is expected to launch in the UK next month. It could be hitting our shelves as early as 1stMarch, with major electronics retailer Currys noting the date for provisional release.

Users can access apps and internet videos on their TVs by plugging the dongle into the HDMI port on DVD players or cable boxes. The device then connects to a WiFi network to allow the users to interact with their TV by using their Android smartphone like a TV remote control.

When the user presses the ‘Cast’ button on a compatible app, it will be reformatted and sent to the TV. Not only will this mean the content can be viewed on a larger screen, but all the clutter that comes with an internet app will be removed.

The dongle was made available in the US market last summer and now, ahead of the UK launch, Google are planning to offer a wider selection of apps.

The company placed the main focus of the Chromecast on streaming apps;working with popular video titles such as Netflix and music apps such as Rdio and Beats Music. Google also aims to use the dongle to present its video siteYoutube as a platform for viewing mainstream TV and film releases, in addition to short user uploaded content.

However, Google has recently opened up the Chromecast to third-party developers, launching an official Google Cast SDK to app makers and broadening its potential. In a blog post, the company stated: “That means even more of our favourite movies, TV shows and music will become available on the Chromecast as developers work with the SDK”. The device wasautomatically updated for users in the US market to take advantage of the Google Cast SDK.

As well as encouraging a wider range of audio and visual content from various sources, the new open platform could result in a new gaming experience. With the mobile gaming market booming, resulting in game apps outselling handheld consoles for the first time,  developers are likely to show an interest in this new form of interaction.

Devices are already available that allow mobile game play on TV screens, but Google’s extensive app store could easily give them the edge on the market.With casual and casino games now becoming as popular as PC and console games, many major gaming brands like butlersbingo.com could soon make their titles compatible with the Chromecast.

With a whole host of compatible apps expected to launch over the coming months, the Chromecast could prove very popular come its UK launch. Details on the UK price have yet to be released but retail estimates value the device at between £30-£40.

Top Free Online Games for 2013-2014

2013 was definitely a good year for online gamers – and there are so many to choose fromthese days – who knows where to start?  Not to mention the surge of online bingo sites – you can’t turn on your TV’s these days without seeing a campaign for one!   We thought we would let you know our top 5 for you to try for free!

DC Universe Online

This is perfect for those comic book fans out there!  You will see some of your favourite characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman as well as some villains too like the Joker! You get to choose whether you want to be a hero or villain and can utilise their weapons in your fight.  You can even create your own custom villain or hero, you can choose how they look and even their combination of super powers.  Have fun trying to conquer the universe.

Dungeons and Dragons

This is possibly one of the most famous online games around.  It is a multi-player game that allows you to visit the unexplored world of Xen’drik.  As it is a role playing game it allows you to essentially to create your own adventure.  It’s action packed so you can expect to meet all kinds of characters and creatures.  It does however feel very realistic – you can even change the camera view so you can see everything in a first person perspective.

Raider Z

After the kingdom of Rendel crumbles you will find that there are all kinds of vicious characters swarming the kingdom looking to make it their own. The tagline of the game is “Hunt Together or Die Alone”.  There is hope for you to save the kingdom but you need to join together with others and fight against those monsters.   You need to be careful though as these monsters are scary and will stop at nothing to complete their takeover.  

Age of Conan: Unchained

This game will introduce you to Conan the Barbarian!  In this game you will be allowed to explore Hyboria and know what it feels like to be one of the most renowned fantasy hero’s ever.  There are 12 different classes that you can choose from and you will have to engage in combat with all kinds of creatures and monsters in your fight to the top.  The graphics and animations are fantastic making everything feel realistic and more enjoyable to play.

The Lord of the Rings

If you were a fan of the Lord of the Rings books or movies – then you will love this game!  It allows you to be part of the action and even get your chance to explore middle earth in your own fight against the evil Salron.  You will find some of your favourite characters features such as Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, Strider and more.  Throughout the game at specific times the game will put you in control of one of those characters to earn rewards.  

We did mention that there are some great new casino sites that have launched too – so if you want to try something a little different, you can and for free with some of the best paypal casinos in this site paypal-casinos.co.

The 6 most underrated games for Android: May 2013 edition

 

There are a lot of fun games on the Google Play Store, but it's difficult to find a game that isn't overshadowed by a game that has millions of downloads and high ratings. So just like last month, we've gone into the depths of the Google Play Store searching for some of the best underrated games, and we're back to show you what we've found. As usual, if you'd rather watch the video, just head down to the bottom of the article...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority  

 

 

5 of the Best Online Games

With the online gambling market continuing to offer a variety of great deals (largely due to the substantial amount of competitor sites), there’s never been a better time to enjoy a few games yourself.  But how should you go about deciding which of the many games available are worthy of your attention?  Well, hopefully this list of the best five should help,

Poker.   It might be seen as a bit of a cliche in the betting world, but poker is a classic for good reason: it’s great fun!  Unlike some card games, poker’s learning curve is reasonably easy for a beginner to negotiate the web’s world of usernames means that you can play with complete anonymity, so you don’t have to worry about pressure.    There are a huge amount of different websites that offer poker from low levels to get you started up to the big stakes for whenyou’ve got used to playing.  888 Poker, Full Tilt Poker and Party Poker are all good websites to start with.

Bingo.  In the last few years, online bingo has absolutely taken off, with new websites springing up almost every week to offer their own versions of this popular game.  Because competition is so high, it’s actually a good time to get involved, with sites outbidding each other to attract custom.  Different companies are offering some great deals such as more than doubling your first initial stake, so if you put £10 into your site account, they will double it to £20 (and on some occasions more than that).  There are usually a range of different games that can be played for both low and high stakes.

Blackjack.  An absolute Vegas classic, blackjack been a part of the gaming industry for years.  Gloriously simple to pick up and play, it’ll take you less than five minutes to learn how the game works (if you don’t already) and get going.  If you’ve got a good memory for remembering which cards have already been dealt, you might find yourself playing at quite an advanced level quite quickly.  Incredibly addictive, Blackjack makes for a really good introduction to casino gaming.

Roulette.  Another classic that’s synonymous with Vegas, roulette has its own sense of theatre, and offers a lot of potential for strategic play.   If you want to get started on roulette, it’s important to remember that the European version will actually give you better odds due to it having one less 0 square.  It also has one fewer green square, which also drops the house odds. Like blackjack, Roulette is quite simple to start off with but has its own learning curve for those looking to play for bigger stakes.

Casino games.  The other main group of games that are popular online are the virtual equivalent of the old fruit and slot machines, with almost all modern casino sites offering their own versions.  Some of the games originated in Egypt, such as the popular Cleopatra’s Pyramids, and others are simply based on the classic ‘3 lemons’ style fruities.   Whatever the design, thesegames never go out of fashion, and are beloved by those who love the ‘classic’ pub feel they get from playing them.

HMV Stores to Live On in the U.K.

The HMV chain of music retail stores in the United Kingdom has been purchased, pulling it out of administration status.

HMV filed for administrative protection – the U.K. equivalent of bankruptcy – this past Jan. while it went in a search of a buyer. Despite having closed 66 of its stores during this time, the company has indeed found a buyer in Hilco, the company that also holds the Canadian HMV stores, has agreed to purchase the remaining 141 stores which are comprised of 132 HMV branded stores, and the remaining nine Fopp locations.

Hilco plans to retain all of the 2,643 employees in the company, and will move away from a plan that would have seen the HMV stores move deeper into tablets and away from music and video.

While no price of the purchase was announced, The Hollywood Reporter stated that some reports pegged the price of the company at £50 million, or approximately $76 million USD.

The 141 stores included in the sale are:

Aberdeen, Ayr, Banbury, Bangor (Wales), Basildon, Basingstoke, Bath, Belfast Donegall Arcade, Birmingham Bullring, Blackpool, Bluewater, Bournemouth, Bradford, Brighton Churchill, Bristol Broadmead, Bristol Cribbs, Bromley, Bury, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Canary Wharf, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chester, Chichester, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Cwmbran, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster, Dundee, East Kilbride, Eastbourne, Edinburgh Fort Retail, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Princes Street, Exeter, FOPP Bristol, FOPP Cambridge, FOPP Covent Garden, FOPP Edinburgh, FOPP Glasgow Byres Road, FOPP Glasgow Union Street, FOPP Gower Street London, FOPP Manchester, FOPP Nottingham, Gateshead, Glasgow Argyle, Glasgow Buchanan, Glasgow Fort, Gloucester, Grimsby, Guernsey, Guildford, Hanley, Harlow, Harrogate, Hastings, Hatfield, Hereford, High Wycombe, Horsham, Hull, Inverness, Ipswich, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Islington, Jersey, Kettering, Kings Lynn, Kingston, Leamington Spa, Leeds Headrow, Leeds White Rose, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool One, Livingston, Llandudno, Maidstone, Manchester 90 Market Street, Manchester Trafford, Mansfield, Merry Hill, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Newport (Wales), Northampton, Norwich Gentlemans Walk, Norwich Chapelfield, Nottingham Victoria, Nuneaton, Oxford, Oxford Circus, Peterborough Queensgate, Plymouth Drake Circus, Poole, Portsmouth Commercial Road, Portsmouth Gun Wharf Quay, Preston, Reading Oracle, Romford, Selfridges Oxford Street, Sheffield High Street, Sheffield Meadowhall, Shrewsbury, Solihull, Southampton, Southend Victoria, Southport, Speke Park, Staines, Stevenage, Stirling, Stockport, Stratford upon Avon, Stratford City Westfield, Sunderland, Sutton, Swansea, Taunton, Thanet, Thurrock, Truro, Tunbridge Wells, Uxbridge, Westfield London, Wimbledon, Winchester, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worthing, Yeovil, York.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

55 EA Games for iOS Are Currently Only $0.99

To gear up for Easter Weekend, EA is slashing prices on some of its most well known games on iOS, with some prices up to 90 percent off. If you’re going to grandma’s house on Sunday—I am—you might want to stock up to make the visit more endurable. Or, if anything, to finally try out Mirror’s Edge for iPad even though it’s been out for years.

CultOfMac has graciously compiled 55 of EA’s iOS games that are currently only a buck, which is a steal for many of the titles listed. Really, it’s about time we gave Angry Birds a rest. Find a new addiction; NBA Jam for iPad, or Dead Space for iPad, or even Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for iPad. There are iPhone/iPod touch counterparts, too, so don’t feel left out here.

See something you like? My wallet doesn’t, but I certainly do. Time to take Bop It! for iPad The Sims 3 for a spin.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

How Online Games Have Improved Over The Past Few Years

Online games, they have been around for a long time now and despite online games receiving a lot of negative comments, I personally lap them up. Talking on a personal note here, I like the enjoyment of playing an online game. There is nothing better than sitting in the comfort of your own home and playing a game against a friend who could be at the other side of the world.
 
When online games first surfaced they were sketchy and nobody really knew what they were. However, in the world today everybody knows what online games are. They certainly have improved over the years.
One major reason for the rapid growth in online gaming is HTML5 language. HTML5 is a markup language that is used for structuring and presenting content on the internet. It is a vital part of the World Wide Web as we know it today. The previous version was HTML4.0.1, that came out in 1999. It is open source and it is completely free. HTML5 is quickly turning into a great game development platform. Over the past few years we have seen the gaming quality really shine and this is all down to HTML5. The real winners here are the consumers, with developers really pushing the boundaries and bringing us the likes of Casino Games, that not only entertain, but could also bring us some good fortune too.
 
In the future, I would like to see HTML5 becomming more and more common. The only way in which this is possible is if developers start using it to push the boundaries of the code to create even more fantastic online games. I would really like to see this type of game becoming more immersive. I want to be in the game, not be in a room playing a game.
 
What do you think about this topic? Are you a gamer? What's your preferred gaming platform? We would love to hear your thoughts, please leave them below.

HMV extends massive sale to raise cash, stay afloat

His Master's Voice is singing a sad, sad song -- the dog-tricking disc-flogger is selling off a huge amount of stock on the cheap, reportedly to raise quick money for creditors. Extending its 'big sale' for at least another month means a whole basement of bargains, but is the retailer in real trouble? Go to HMV.com today and you'll see it plastered with 'big sale' banners, which have been up since Boxing Day. Retailers all cut prices on stuff they didn't flog before Christmas, but the sales usually end come the first week of the new year.

HMV this week announced another flog-off -- a Blue Cross Sale -- that starts this Saturday, seamlessly continuing its new year sale for another month with 25 per cent promised off "a wide range of titles and products" Apparently it's "not [its] standard January sale, but trying [a] new tack to generate cash to meet bank covenants", according to ITV News' Laura Kuenssberg. "Not good," she adds sagely.

"We thought we'd freshen our promotional mix up a bit and try something a bit different that will hopefully stand out from all the other sale offers on the high street right now," an HMV spokesman told me.

[Source: CNET - Click here to read the full story]

Sony launches web store for PlayStation games, movies and TV shows

Catching up to Microsoft's own web-based Xbox store, Sony's unleashed a new online store for its movie, TV and video content-- but neglected to mention it. Titled the Sony Entertainment Network, and separate to its own book store we were able to login to the UK site and found that content pricing matched what we've seen on the PlayStation Store and other Sony digital shops. As an example, the complete Mass Effect trilogy rings in at £60 ($96), although Sony is kind enough to offer links to discounted titles, PlayStation Plus highlights and other offers at the top of the browsing sidebar -- Tokyo Jungle is today's holiday deal at £5 ($8). Purchases can be done through the store, with the product downloaded to your game console when it's turned on next. Video content, meanwhile, can be purchased and then played on your PC, as well as on the PlayStation 3, PS Vita,PSP, Sony Tablets and compatible Xperia smartphones. Even if you're balking at some of those early prices, it might be worth browsing through some more palatable festive deals by visiting the source below. We'll have more when we hear the official line from Sony.

[Source: Engadget]

Why Wii U could make it a Nintendo Christmas

Nintendo has been pretty busy recently, particularly with releases for its Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL games consoles. But while many will be looking at picking up the latest Professor Layton adventure or New Super Mario Bros 2, others will be holding out for the launch of the Wii U.

All things considered, it’s beginning to look a lot like a Nintendo Christmas, but what will Wii U bring to stores ahead of the festive season?

Wii U – a new games console for a new generation
With Wii U, Nintendo is not just updating its existing hardware line-up, it’s bringing something very new and exciting to the table. The rather nifty touch-screen Wii U GamePad controller works alongside – or in some cases instead of – your main television and interacts with what’s on screen in ways like never before. The new games console comes with an incredible line up of launch titles and is available in a bundle with the family-friendly Nintendo Land and as it’s a HD device, there is great potential for enjoying video and audio content too.

New Super Mario Bros. U – the brothers are back
What better way to celebrate the launch of a new console than a fresh take on one of the most beloved franchises around? Nintendo is launching the Wii U on November 30th and will put out a whole range of Wii U games to support it, but perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated of them will be New Super Mario Bros. U. Using the new Wii U GamePad and four Wii Remote controllers, up to five players can play together and with easy drop-in players can jump in quickly. The GamePad also allows you to play in single-player mode which means others can use the main TV.

All the above, as well a high profile games that include FIFA 13, ZombiU, Rayman Legends, Mass Effect 3 and Call of Duty Black Ops 2, it looks like gamers lucky enough to get their hands on a Wii U games console will have plenty to keep them entertained well into 2013.

[spon Guest Post]

Coke Zero Offering up 5x PS Vita before UK Release

I am so excited about the launch of the PS Vita, even more amazed that five lucky people have the chance to win one before they are readily available. Read this…

We know that the only thing that beats being the first to get your hands on a new games console is bragging to your friends about it. Coke Zero is going to make the improbable possible and not only give five lucky winners a brand new PlayStation VITA, but give them the best bragging video ever – a personalised congratulatory film featuring international supermodel Bar Refeali.

As well as getting your hands on the most anticipated console launch of 2012, the five winners will receive a personal tribute from international supermodel Bar Refaeli as an extra special reward. 

So how can you enter this once-in-a-lifetime competition? Watch this video, the click this link.