Windows.com compared to the recent redesign of blogging website, WordPress.
Despite 'dismal sales' of Windows 8, their is no shortage of websites adopting its minimalistic design of matte colours, thin text and clean lines. The design Windows calls "Metro" has spread like wildfire, not only appearing in many popular websites across the inter-webs but in operating systems like the new iOS 7. "Metro" first appeared in Microsoft's digital encyclopaedia, "Encarta" back in 1995, before the program was discontinued in 2009. It was then spotted on Microsoft's short lived "Zune" portable media players and Windows Media Player. The user interface was perfected over the years and drew inspiration from 'International typography design' or 'Swiss design,' a design that has existed in magazines for centuries often substituting images for text.
Look familiar? International Typography Design is the common factor.
The 1980's West Berlin train sign depicted above is similar to various elements of Windows phone, a 1950's book cover of International Typography Design which depicts the famous 'grid principle' has a striking resemblance Window's "live tiles" and the introduction to popular designer, Josef Albert's work shows to be much like the menus found in Windows phone. International Typography Design originated in Switzerland in 1920 and by the 1960's the design escaped from the swiss borders, becoming an international phenomenon. Its principles are simple; clean, structured and vibrant. A complete design overhaul saw the highly anticipated Windows operating system dramatically shift and adopt swiss design. Its unveiling in late 2011 caused much uproar in the PC community, who wondered why Microsoft would 'complicate' an already great user interface. Windows 8 was met with luke warm sales but was complimented by designers. Along with the overhaul, Microsoft redesigned their website to match Windows 8 and its mobile counterpart, windows phone. It wasn't until early 2012, when websites too started altering their designs, adapting to a simpler more metro-like appearance. Now lookalikes can be spotted in many email clients, operating systems and websites, but really how can we blame them?
The much anticipated, Apple Worldwide Developers Conference went underway today at the Moscone West convention centre in San Francisco, California; seeing many rumours like iRadio and Mac OSX Mavericks become reality. But the true star of the event was the unveiling of iOS 7. Met with eager applaud, the mobile operating system confirmed that it was going to be simplistic, that it was going to be bold, that is was going to look like every other mobile OS out there; Windows phone, Android and Web OS
Last Year's developers conference saw Apple doing the same thing, introducing the notification centre that ripped off Google's Android blind, jumping on the cloud service bandwagon after Google and Amazon had rolled out their's and releasing iMessage that mimicked Blackberry message. At the D11 conference, Tim Cook was asked if Apple can keep up the pace of product innovation, review the comparisons above and below, to make up your own decision.
From throwing a shoe at the president to propositioning Facebook friends for casual sex, we run through the top 10 most controversial iPhone Apps.
"I Am Rich" Released in the App Store in August of 2009, this $1,000 dollar app, which merely displayed a picture of a diamond, created much controversy when two customers unintentionally bought the app thinking it was 'just a joke'. Both complained to Apple who quickly yanked the app from their store and refunded their money. Developer, Armin Heinrich hasn't seen a penny of the $6,000 that were spent by the other six customers who intentionally purchased the application, leaving us to suspect that Apple took much more than their 30% cut. The app has since been reposted and can now be purchased for $10.
"Sweatshop" As the picture above would suggest, this new controversial app is about exploiting child workers in a bid to create 'Le Shoe'. Apple ironically pulled the game from their App Store shortly after contacting the developer, saying "it was uncomfortable selling a game based around the theme of running a sweatshops." The quote is more laughable than its gameplay, where the user is asked to block fire exits and increase work hours in a bid to create as many shoes as you can to earn a gold medal. In the 'About' section in the flash version of the game, creator, Littleloud wrote that they and Channel 4 worked with experts on sweatshops to integrate some of these realities into the game design to spread awareness.
"Slasher" Released in the midst of a huge wave of stabbings in the UK back in 2008, this simple app, depicting a picture of a knife and playing a psychotic tune of knife slashes and screams when you wave your iDevice, caused controversy throughout Britain. After much outrage, Apple quickly took the application off their App Store. The app was reposted four years later in 2012.
"My Shoe" The application is just one out of a pool of political apps that Apple has rejected to avoid controversy and anger from their users. The game, like many online games and videos at the time, parodied the incident of when an Iranian journalist threw a shoe at American president, George W. Bush. The game is much like Backflip Studios' Paper Toss, where you would hold your iDevice in your hand and swing your harm, in an attempt to hit the cartoon president with a shoe overcoming wind and other obstacles.
"SnapChat" The following application allows users to send pictures to their friends that can only be viewed by their friend for 10 seconds before it is deleted stored on the developer's servers. Despite this, users are using the application to send nude photos of themselves to other people, these are the same people who are unaware that you're able to hold the home and power button together and take a screenshot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stopping you from being a moron but if you're below the age of 18, you could technically face 15 years in prison.
"Bang With Friends" Created by Colin Hodge, the popular app promising to make it easier for people [especially women] to ask for casual sex to their Facebook friends was cut short after it was banished from the App store for being too 'vulgar' for Apple's liking. The service, which only notifies both parties when their is a match, has one million users, with users logging over 70,000 times a day. The app, although banned from the App store, is of course still available on the Google Play store.
"Boyfriend Trainer" Originating as a flash game developed by Games2win, the iOS app allowed users to abuse a virtual boyfriend in a bid to "train him to be the ideal man." In the game the user controls a virtual girlfriend, who must physically abuse a boyfriend character through various levels or "lessons," like slapping him when he looks at other women or strangling him when he drives too fast. While the game attempted to spread female empowerment with a comedic twist, it ended up becoming criticised for the comedic portrayal of domestic violence.
"iBoobs" Unfortunately, despite its name, Apple wasn't behind this saucy application, but was behind its death in 2008, branding it "objectionable content" for its 'kid-friendly' app store. The game, which allowed users to control the movement of set of tits through the iphone's accelerometer has since been reincarnated on the Google Play store with the addition of achievements like "monster shake," and is available for $2.44.
"Door of Hope" Created by the morons of "Setting Captives Free,"the mobile application is just one of a wave of 'gay cure' apps, allowing 'homosexuals to be cured 'on-the-go' in only 60 days'. Following waves of negative press and public outrage, Apple quickly yanked the app from the App store in just a few days. The app, however, is still available on the Play store for free, its page bombarded with negative reviews has been rated "one star" by 800 users.
"Lulu" Created by Luluvise, the mobile app allows women link their ex-boyfriend's Facebook account and categorise them through hash-tags like #bigfeet, #6foot or #opensdoors to inform or warn their fellow 'girlfriends' of the guy they are dating. The idea, which sounds innocent enough, has garned negative reviews from pissed off boyfriends, demanding their profile to be deleted from the site, stating the app is a "sexist double standard."
Below, we run through the top 10 iPhone/ iPod Touch games of 2013 (so far).
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"The Walking Dead: The Game" Released in Early August last year, this zombie episodic adventure game has been met with critical acclaim with reviewers applauding its clever storyline influenced by the player's decisions.
The game centres around convicted murderer, Lee Everet and his bid to endure through the zombie apocalypse that has hit Georgia. In the story, he rescues and cares for a young girl named Clemintine and meets many other survivors, where he makes friends as well as enemies.
Prepare to be amazed as you follow Lee through five, 2-hour episodes, where you'll discover what it means to survive and the lengths of which people go to do so. All five episodes of The Walking Dead: The Game are available on the iOS App Store. As of writing this article, the first episode is currently free, episodes two to five can purchased individually for $4.99 or the entire season can be purchased for $14.99 (25% off). For now only iPad 2 and iPhone 4 devices or newer are supported.
"Temple Run 2" Welcome to the new and improved Temple Run. The original game offered a simple yet infamous concept, 'the endless running man', avoid death by swiping. However the new temple run offers more than a few rocks in your way and gives the player a fresh gaming experience with stunning retina graphics.
Just as "Temple Run" starts getting stale, Imangi Studios releases its new and improved sequel. Whats lost are the chunky rough graphics and quite limited obstacles, replaced with smooth, crisp gameplay and exciting new obstacles and power-ups.
In place is a new leveling system, used to unlock power-ups and abilities. And more importantly, the addition of 'green gems' which can be collected when running and exchanged to give you a second life if the three monkeys, (now replaced with one giant money) catches up with you.
While some may argue that the new Temple Run is too complicated, no one can argue that the addition of power-ups and green gems have made the newest Temple Run one of the best games of 2013.
"Toca Hair Salon 2" I know what your thinking, "A hairdressing game? I would rather poke my eyes out with sticks", but you would be wrong to do so. The second installment of the popular hair salon game is nothing more than fantastic. Shaving half a person's hair off, giving them an afro or transforming them into a character of your favourite TV Show, makes this one of the best apps of 2013.
It may not as exciting as fighting a Zombie Apocalypse, but never the less "Toca Hair Salon" is definitely a game to pass the time. With the addition of hair colouring, straighteners, curlers and shavers, you're able to transform you're character into anyone you see fit. Thankfully if you get too carried away with the electric sheers you're able to regrow the hair with the G.R.O.W potion.
Along with new tools, the app's mediocre graphics have been updated to take advantage of the retina displays on the new iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. "Toca Hair Salon 2" isn't challenging but what it can guarantee is keeping you entertained on the bus or in a que.
"The Room Pocket"A mysterious story involving dark secrets kept locked away in an intricate security system. You're presented with a what seems to be an ordinary safe, but the safe is nothing but ordinary.
This puzzle app is much like 'Escape the Room' online games, where you are locked into a room and need to find items scattered across the room to build gizmo's and make your escape. However in this case the room is replaced with a safe and instead of getting out, your job is to get in.
"The Room Pocket' can get frustrating at times, but with the addition of a clever storyline, (slowly revealed as you progress through the stages), as well as intricate contraptions to unlock, you never tire of this puzzle app; even when your on the same level for an hour.
The Room can downloaded for free on the i0S App Store, but only includes the starter level. You will need to pay $1.99 to play the other stages. Due to its demanding graphics it's only compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPod Touch 5 or newer.
"Pudding Monsters" From the people that gave you "Cut the Rope", comes a charming new strategy game. Starring mutated pudding cups that have weirdly grown an eye, as they fight to be one. No seriously, thats the aim of the game.
You'll be moving pudding pieces around a slippery floor, using the brick walls, objects and other monsters given to help you. Sliding a pudding piece with nothing impeding in its path results in it flying off the edge and the restart of the puzzle. The goal for each puzzle is to join every blob on the board together, to get all three stars you will need to gather the blobs in the highlighted position.
Its quirky charm and simple concept make "Pudding Monsters" my favourite game of the year and drew me to finish all 75 levels. It deserves all the success that ZeptoLab's other hit game, "Cut the Rope" came across.
"Earn to Die" or as it should be called, "Die to Earn", is a zombie game (yeah another one), however instead of a sophisticated storyline or character building, you just run over zombies over with your upgraded truck.
This zombie apocalypse game originated in life as an online flash game. After a staggering 150 million plays it has just recently been released to the i0S App Store.
The game is simple; you drive zombies over with cars. The more zombies you run over and the most ground you cover will be calculated and you will be given money to buy new upgrades and cars. Upgrades include a bigger fuel tank, faster engines to snipers and spinning blades attached to the roof and bonnet of your car.
Packed with more tracks, more cars and more upgrades than the online version, this severely addicting game will have you driving over zombies into the hours of the night.
"The Act" Taking a whopping 9 years to create, this hand drawn app (set out as a movie), tells the story of Edgar, a window washer who falls in love with a nurse he sees inside the window.
He daydreams of meeting her at a bar, where you control his level of flirting by swiping your finger to the left or right of the screen. Swipe too much to the left and she'll just walk away, swipe to much to the right and she'll run away. These simple left and right controls appear in every 'mission', where a perfect balance is needed to pass.
The i0S game involved dozens of former Disney animators that had worked on films like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Over the course of 9 years they had created over 230,000 individual drawings for the game.
"The Act" is currently available on the i0S App Store for 99 cents but expect it to return to its original, yet deserving price of $2.99.
"Need for Speed™ Most Wanted" Electronic Arts has once again proved to be the best producer for Racing games on i0S, with their latest title running rings around the newest releases from Gameloft and Firemint.
With crisp retina graphics, you won't be able to pull your eyes away from the screen as you race through the stunning city that is Fairhaven. Racing alongside rivals, invading police; competing to become the "most wanted". The wide-range of vehicles, makes up for the no car customisations, but struggles to make up for the fact that you will need to spend actual money to buy any of the good cars.
So their are a few downsides, but that isn't enough to drag the game off the 'Top 10 Games of 2013' list. With its stunning visuals, great music and its huge selection of cars, 'Need for Speed™ Most Wanted' may not be the best in the series, but its definitely a close second.
"Wake the Cat" Make the cat's dreams come true by directing a piece of yarn through slides, teleporting slippers, trains and fans, to wake up the sleeping cat with the yarn it desires.
Created by Chillingo, the same people who brought you "Cut the Rope" and "The Act" comes a cute physics driven game. Using the equipment given to you, you must wake your cat from a deep slumber by directing a ball of yarn in his way.
The first few levels of the game are quite easy. But as you progress through the many stages, its starts to become difficult, as the yarn is placed farther away from the cat. Just like many other of Chillingo's games if you complete the level in an excellent fashion you will receive all three stars.
With its dreamy animation and pleasant music score, this physics based game will pull the heart strings of any user playing. If you dislike cats as I do, I can assure you its still a really fun game.
"Banzai Blade" Created by the "Cartoon Network", this ninja app takes the elements from endless running games and HalfBrick Studios' Fruit Ninja, fusing them together to create an action-backed i0S game.
A powerful demon threatens to spread evil across the land of Nihon; it's your destiny to destroy his army and defeat Eternal Oni. To do so, you must use your advanced ninja skills and razor-sharp sword to cut the demon army into shreds and kill the demons that have taken over the temples.
Swipe the screen to slice enemies like fruit and deflect incoming fireballs. Collect blossoms to upgrade your weapons, armor and charms. Then unleash your power on evil goblins, dragons and demons.
With the addition of upgrades and one-on-one battles, you'll forget that its a rip-off, and enjoy the game as much as you would if you were playing 'Temple Run' or 'Fruit Ninja'.
Due to my lack of patience, not many applications on my mac are actually up to date. Eventually I clicked the update button and finally got the new, revamped iTunes 11, and was shocked to find out that Apple has once again copied Google!
iTunes 11 (released 29 November 2012)
New Google Images interface (released 25 January 2013)
After further investigation, (I googled it) it seems that the popular search engine is the culprit. The new google images interface was rolled out 2 months after iTunes 11 was released. Thats 5 months after Samsung was ordered to pay 1 billion dollars to Apple after they were found infringing on several of their patents.
If you are surscribed to CNET's YouTube Channel you will probably be familiar with their "How-to contributer", Jason Cipriani. Cipriani has been with CNET for the past few years, showing mentally challenged smart phone users how to.... "Change iOS device name in iTunes" or my personal favourite, "How to Unfollow a Facebook post after leaving a comment", guess what you press the 'unfollow' button people! Their has been many complaints from many Youtube users, and CNET subscribers, with many unsubscribing, unable to cope with the contributor. While some have resorted to throwing themselves off a building. I am just one of the few that have survived.
You've heard through Popup windows, News Websites, Junk Mail of people making thousands of dollars through the internet by writing ebooks to filling out surveys. Well is it true? Can you really make that much money online?
The newest "making money on the internet" craze is buying and trading stocks. On the left is a list of videos that came up when I googled "How to make money on the internet," all videos shown promised to help me earn '$1500 an hour' with just a few clicks, claiming that every minute I could be getting a 75% return. All videos were posted by a users who had only one video or had multiple videos about making money on the internet with the same website, the same trading site, "Cedar Finance'. The people posting these videos are not 'making thousands of dollars per month by trading stocks', most of these users are affiliate marketers, hired by the company and paid a percentage of every purchase they bring to the company. In fact, if your interested in doing the same you can sign up to Clickbank and persuade (or scam) people to invest in the new "Make money on the internet by doing nothing" website or the new Mediterranean Detox diet ebook.
Cedarfinance.com allows users (once they have deposited a minium of $250), to gamble their money by investing in high risk, high return digital/binary options. All the videos promised that it would be 'easy' and 'simple' to earn hundreds of dollars. However according to various complaints on ScamBook, claiming the website had taken hundreds of dollars from their account, after they were not refunded their money.
Despite the several complaints that it has to its name on ScamBook and the hundreds of misleading youtube videos, I do not believe that CedarFinance is a scam. Just a gambling site that's no different from the likes of online poker. But before you create an account, their are many more ways to making money on the internet that are much safer to invest in.
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