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Disney Shuts Down LucasArts Just 154 Days After Acquiring It
Apr 03, 9:48PM
Pour one out for the Gold Guy tonight, my fellow gamers. A sage pillar of the industry has fallen. Just 154 days after acquiring LucasArts as part of their larger, $4B acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney has dissolved the classic video game development company. Beginning today, Disney will continue to license out the LucasArts properties (namely Star Wars), but has ceased the development of all internal projects. Some projects (such as the incredible looking Star Wars 1313) may find new homes with other development houses, but their status is currently up in the air. While the move was not unforeseen (the company’s last few games haven’t been very successful, and rumors of projects being shuttered have trickled in since the acquisition), that doesn’t make today’s news any less disheartening. A part of my childhood — a part of an entire generation of gamer’s collective childhood, really — goes down with LucasArts. To the 150 people reportedly laid off today, and to everyone who had a part in the LucasArts legacy, we thank you. Thank you for bringing us into the world of Guybrush Threepwood and Monkey Island. Thank you for Maniac Mansion and Day Of The Tentacle, two games which helped to prove that video games could be funny, and somehow remain funny to this very day. Thank you for Grim Fandango and Full Throttle. While we may never get the sequels that we’ve been collectively clamoring for for well over a decade, these games helped to introduce the gaming world to project lead Tim Schafer and opened the doors for his company, Double Fine Productions (the folks behind Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, and one of the biggest Kickstarters of all time) Thank you for The Dig, a game that got me through a particularly terrible flu in the third grade and re-sparked my then waning interest in computers. Thank you for bringing Sam and Max into the digital world. Though they live on at Telltale Games (which, like Double Fine, is a team founded by LucasArts alum), LucasArts was the first company to see Sam and Max’s potential as more than just a lil’ indie comic book. Thank you for Star Wars: Battlefront (co-developed with Pandemic Studios, also since shuttered), The Force Unleashed, the X-Wing series, for your part in Knights Of The Old Republic, and for countless other memories. LucasArts had its hits and it had its misses, but theirGoogle Forks WebKit And Launches Blink, A New Rendering Engine That Will Soon Power Chrome And Chrome OS
Apr 03, 9:00PM
Google just announced that it is forking WebKit and launching this fork as Blink. As Google describes it, Blink is “an inclusive open source community” and ”a new rendering engine based on WebKit” that will, over time, “naturally evolve in different directions.” Blink, Google says, will be all about speed and simplicity. It will soon make its way from Chromium to the various Chrome release channels, so users will see the first Blink-powered version of Chrome appear on their desktops, phones and tablets in the near future. The “Collaboration Has Been Fantastic” As Google’s VP of Engineering Linus Upson and Alex Komoroske, Google Product Manager for the Open Web Platform team, told me yesterday, the decision to fork WebKit was entirely driven by the engineering teams and solely based on the fact that the engineers felt constrained by the technical complexity of working within the WebKit ecosystem. Komoroske noted that when it comes to working with the other companies involved in the WebKit project, the “collaboration has been fantastic.” This decision clearly wasn’t made lightly. Indeed, as Upson stressed when I talked to him yesterday, “management asked a lot of hard questions” about this move, but in the end, the decision was made in order to reduce the technical complexity of evolving Google’s rendering engine in the direction the team wanted to go in. Blink: Speed And Simplicity Specifically, Komoroske noted, Chromium’s multi-process architecture is very different from the rest of WebKit (Chromium is the open-source project behind Chrome and Chrome OS). Having to integrate Google’s way of doing things with WebKit and what the rest of the WebKit partners were doing was “slowing everybody down,” Komoroske said. As an open-source project, both Chromium and Blink are open to outside committers, though as is typical for these kinds of projects, they’ll have to be nominated to become project members. For now, WebKit and Blink pretty much look the same, but Google expects that they will evolve in very different directions over time. Komoroske, for example, would like to run iframes in different processes, but that’s something that’s very difficult to do with WebKit right now. For now, though, developers won’t notice too much of a difference as most of the work will focus on internal architectural improvements. Google says, for example, that it will be able to “remove 7 build systems and delete more than 7,000 files—comprising more than 4.5 million lines—right off theAnother Bitcoin Wallet Service, Instawallet, Suffers Attack, Shuts Down Until Further Notice
Apr 03, 8:13PM
Bitcoin’s wild surge in value has made it even more of an attractive target for hackers. Another wallet service called Instawallet said it is suspending itself indefinitely until it changes its security architecture. The crypto-currency, which currently trades at $129.90 to the dollar, has risen by almost fourfold in the last month, as new clarity in U.S. financial regulations and a banking crisis in Cyprus helped send Bitcoin’s value skyward. But that’s also increased the load of hacking attacks on all of the major exchanges and Bitcoin service providers. The thing is that without a trusted third-party payments processor, Bitcoin transactions are irreversible and happen anonymously. So it’s almost impossible to reclaim losses after theft, making wallets for the crypto-currency an ideal target for online thieves. It’s not clear how many customers Instawallet had or how much it is holding on behalf of others. Bitcoin Magazine said in late February that while Instawallet was one of the easiest services to use, it was also the least secure because it used a “URL as password” mechanism for protection. Instawallet says it is going to open a claims process for any customers who stored funds with the service. If there are multiple claims for the same URL, they’ll presume that the first claim filed is the legitimate one. (Scary, indeed!) INSTAWALLET SERVICE NOTICE The Instawallet service is suspended indefinitely until we are able to develop an alternative architecture. Our database was fraudulently accessed, due to the very nature of Instawallet it is impossible to reopen the service as-is. In the next few days we are going to open the claim process for Instawallet balance holders to claim the funds they had stored before the service interruption. Important information on claims submission: For the first 90 days we will accept claims for individual Instawallets. Your wallet’s URL and key will be used to pre-populate a form to file the claim. After 90 days, if no other claim has been received for the same url, your Instawallet balance under 50 BTC will be refunded. If several claims have been filed for the same url, we will process those claims on a case by case basis, under the presumption that the claim we received first belongs to the legitimate balance holder. Claims for wallets that hold a balance greater than 50 BTC will be processed on a case by case and best efforts basis. InstawalletAfter Being Acquired By Google, Shipping Service Bufferbox Is Preparing A Bay Area Launch
Apr 03, 7:43PM
Bufferbox, the Y Combinator company based in Canada that aimed to fix all of the issues that we have with receiving packages, has started to tease out a San Francisco Bay Area launch. Google acquired the company for a rumored $17 million to $25 million back in November with little or no discussion about the future plans for the product. It’s clear that this could be a huge part of Google’s recently announced ‘Shopping Express’ same-day delivery service. Want to pick something up from a Bufferbox instead of having it brought directly to you? No problem. Middle men are completely cut out. The service has been operating without interruption in the greater Toronto area, but this area of California would be more than just a test. We know that the current package delivery system here in the United States is broken, and the government-funded postal service is pulling back on things like…delivering on the weekend. Google is clearly getting into the space in a big way, and the tease on Bufferbox’s homepage, which probably picked up my browsing location, says it all: Right now, all you can do is give them your email address to “pre-register,” which gives Google a pretty good idea of the demand for the service. We’ve reached out to Google for more details, and will update if we do hear something more. This is definitely a space that we’re tracking closely, as another Y Combinator company doing something similar, Swapbox, recently launched in the Bay Area. Instead of shipping something to your address, it goes to your Bufferbox, so that you can pick it up whenever you like. Right now, when you have something shipped to you and miss the delivery person, you’re pretty much screwed and have to wait for them to come back, or worse, go pick up the item yourself at a factory. If your package does get delivered, it just sits on your doorstep, being gawked at by your neighbors. This is a bit similar to the notion of having a P.O. box, but it isn’t a box or address that is static. You can get deliveries to any of the locations that you want. Additionally, these things should be available in the open, so you can get your packages at any time of the day or night, rather than before the post office closes. As we know, testing things out in theFounder Stories: Lumosity's Mike Scanlon On Exercising The Brain
Apr 03, 7:00PM
Understanding the dynamics of a research-driven software company can be complex. To gain some insight, I recently interviewed Lumosity co-founder and chief scientist Michael Scanlon. Lumosity is an online training program for your brain that helps you improve memory, attention and other cognitive abilities. The site launched in 2007 and reports 40 million members.One Year Later, Nearly Half Of Instagram's 100 Million Users Are On Android
Apr 03, 6:47PM
Instagram has been around for what feels like forever, but it seems like just yesterday that the app migrated over to Android after being a long-time iOS exclusive. Today marks one year of Instagram's presence on Android, and to celebrate the company shared on its blog that in just that short time around half of its users come from Android. Last we heard, Instagram had over 100 million active monthly users in February, growing at a rapid pace at that. The push over to Android was a huge part of that, garnering over 1 million downloads in the first 24 hours.Gmail Search's Autocomplete Gets Smarter Predictions, Using Past Searches To Help You Find Things
Apr 03, 6:40PM
The Gmail team announced some improvements for search within its product today, calling out better predictions for autocomplete based on who you contact the most and what you’ve searched for. Given that Google is the king of search, this is a welcome and obvious improvement. Additionally, Gmail users and Google Apps for Business users will start getting some features that they didn’t have previously, including thumbnails from contacts. Autocomplete and suggestions have been a huge part of Google’s main search product for a while now, and it’s pretty accurate based on trends that are going on in the world along with what you’ve searched for in the past. Here’s what the Gmail team had to say about the improvements today: If you’ve searched your email for “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” or other lengthy phrases, it just got easier to find what you’re looking for. Autocomplete predictions in Gmail may now include your past Gmail searches. Past searches as well as the new contact thumbnails shown below are rolling out to all Gmail users globally, including Google Apps for Business customers, over the next few days. A good example of why this might be useful is if you search for emails from a specific person, like your boss, or if you’re someone who travels a lot and does searches for flight itineraries. It’s no Gmail Blue, but it will definitely save you time and effort. Since Gmail’s goal is to collect all of your email communication without you having to worry about what to delete, with its archive feature, search is a key component that makes its service attractive. Globally, Gmail is the leading web-based email service, so it’s trying to roll out tweaks and new features like the refactored compose screen to help you get more done. The company is putting more weight behind giving the service a better mobile experience as well, launching version 2.0 of its iOS client last December to mostly decent reviews. In essence, Gmail has been in beta since it launched nine years ago, completely recreating the email experience that we were all accustomed to until 2004. With things like search, archive and threaded conversations, Google hopes to continue to make email faster and more responsive so that your inbox doesn’t become bloated with things that you’ll never read. And when you do need to read something, you can just search for it.Aardvark Co-Founder Max Ventilla Departs Google To Read A Lot Of Books On Education
Apr 03, 6:40PM
One of the early proponents of social search and part of Google's social team has left the company, and he has a big reading list ahead of him. Max Ventilla, co-founder of early social search company Aardvark and recent member of the Google+ team, had his last day at Google yesterday.A Few Crazy College Fees That Are Driving Education Online
Apr 03, 6:19PM
Howard University sneaks in a $100 “globalization fee” to fund international travel, regardless of whether students study abroad. Another school charges $185 for an “undergraduate entering fee”, reports ProPublica. “It’s all smoke and mirrors in some ways, the issue of tuition and fees,” admits Terry Meyers to, an English professor at the College of William and Mary. It’s these insanely high costs of college that are driving higher education online at a crazy fast pace. College tuition has increased a mind-boggling 1,210% in 30 years. According to the College Board, the average debt of college graduates is a whopping $13,600, growing at 2.1% beyond inflation since 2005. Compounding the problem is a mountain of hidden fees. In the Oregon university system, fees added as much as 40% to tuition costs, as of 2007. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, students pay: a $675 “service fee” $47 in “activities fees” a $327 “basic health fee” a $3,209.50 “curriculum fee” Colleges typically justify fees to maintain a certain quality of life, but they’re force-feeding students ostentatious social expenses without their consent. I loved the rock climbing wall at UC Irvine, but I’m not sure students would agree that it’s worth the debt. At some point, manicured parks must give way to priorities. As a result of the skyrocketing costs, California is considering stripping their university system of the power to deny online courses for credit. The largest university system in the world has already announced a pilot with Massively Open Online course (MOOC) provider, Udacity, for $150 remedial lower-division courses at San Jose State University. Professors, by and large, are freaking out about a new proposed law to mandate accepting online course credit. “There is no possibility that University of California faculty will shirk its responsibility to our students by ceding authority over courses to any outside agency,” wrote the faculty senate in a strongly worded letter. The move to online education will eventually end high education as we know it. Research professors will lose the revenue from undergraduates and administrators will lose funds for pretty campuses. Colleges are shooting themselves in the foot with these crazy fees.Twitter's Mobile App Now Includes Support For Twitter's New "App Cards"
Apr 03, 6:02PM
Following its announcement yesterday, Twitter has today updated its iOS application with support for the new Twitter App Cards feature. According to the Twitter app's page in Apple's iTunes App Store, version 5.5 of the app brings a number of improvements, including the ability to "help you discover, install and launch your favorite apps from Tweets."Twitter Is Building A Gateway To The "Web" Of Mobile Apps
Apr 03, 5:23PM
Twitter is making a move to become the jumping off point for discovering, browsing and accessing the mobile app ecosystem, the company announced yesterday, in a somewhat understated event only developers were invited to attend. The event, due to its nature, was filled with geekier terminology like "footer tags," "deep linking," and "URL schemes," making summaries of its announcements hard to parse by the everyday Twitter user who isn't as familiar with what some of these things may mean.Betaworks' John Borthwick To Join Us For Disrupt NY
Apr 03, 5:15PM
With Disrupt drawing closer, we're pleased to announce that John Borthwick will be back for another Disrupt. As the founder and CEO of betaworks, he has a unique vantage point of all parts of the New York City startup scene and there's likely no one better to give us a solid pulse on the city that never sleeps.Facebook Home Screenshot Leaks Suggest We'll See An Image-Rich Interface With Sharing Close At Hand
Apr 03, 5:00PM
Facebook is set to debut a special Android product tomorrow, and now 9to5Google has an early look at what we might see, courtesy of Evleaks. The screens depicted on renders of the so-called HTC First smartphone hardware being created by the Taiwanese company. The images show tweaks to the basic Android UI that include easy access to status updates, photo sharing and check-in functions, as well as an emphasis on images.Modus Is Trying to Shake Up the Fat eDiscovery Industry
Apr 03, 5:00PM
It's no secret that most lawyers are not on the cutting edge of technology. And while the internet has been great for many businesses, it's buried lawyers in an avalanche of digital data they are ill equipped to manage. This has driven the growth of an entire "eDiscovery" industry, with software and services vendors of all sizes, from mom-and-pop shops to publicly traded behemoths.
Vdio Opens In The U.S. And UK With No Subs Model For Movies And TV, Rdio Users Targeted First
Apr 03, 4:51PM
Vdio, a video streaming service created to complement the Rdio music service, is today making its first public, live appearance. The site -- offering not all-you-can consume subscriptions but pay-per-view films and TV shows, with an emphasis on new releases -- is opening for previews in the U.S. and UK, with $25/£20 gift certificates going out to people who are already subscribers to Rdio's premium Unlimited tier, or who subscribe in the next 60 days.Microsoft Finally Updates SkyDrive For iOS With iPhone 5 And iPad Mini Support, High-Res Photo Downloads & More
Apr 03, 4:45PM
Microsoft just launched SkyDrive 3.0 for iOS. It took Microsoft quite a while to get this upgrade into the App Store. Rumor has it that there was a bit of back and forth between the two companies over the 30 percent revenue cut that Apple would take when users buy additional storage for their accounts through the app. It’s not clear how the two companies finally resolved this issue, but as far as I can see, the updated app does not feature an option to buy additional storage. Update: Here is Microsoft’s statement: “"We worked with Apple to create a solution that benefited our mutual customers. The SkyDrive app for iOS is slightly different than other SkyDrive apps in that people interested in buying additional storage will do so via the web versus in the app." The update is now available for download and finally features support for the iPhone 5′s larger screen and the iPad mini. The app also received a few design tweaks that bring it in step with the rest of Microsoft’s cloud-based products by introducing the same flat design that now graces SkyDrive, Outlook.com and the Outlook.com calendar online. Most importantly, though, the app now features some updates to how it handles photos. Users can now, for example, download full resolution photos to their iPhones and iPads. The new version also gives users full control over the size of the photos the upload and download and photo metadata is now retained when users upload a photo to Microsoft. Microsoft also says that “opening and saving files to SkyDrive works better with other apps on your iOS devices.”Trapit's First B2B Tool Is A Publisher Suite For Building Branded, Customized News Apps
Apr 03, 4:18PM
Content discovery startup Trapit is launching a new Publisher Suite today, with tools for publishers to build their own branded, customized versions of the Trapit experience. Spun out from research institute SRI International, Trapit uses the same artificial intelligence technology as Siri and allows uses to create "traps" that find content that's relevant to a given topic. Last fall, the company said it was looking to power other content recommendation apps beyond Trapit itself, and it announced Asian TV conglomerate Astro as its first partner (as well as a strategic investor).Vidpresso Adds Photo, Touchscreen Support To Help Bring Twitter To TV
Apr 03, 4:00PM
Increasingly, TV networks are tapping into social networks like Twitter and Facebook, asking viewers for their opinions and putting them on air. What most people don't realize is that doing so can be an expensive endeavor, especially for local affiliate stations and their production studios. Vidpresso wants to change that with a low-price, cloud-based alternative to replace the pricey equipment that networks would otherwise buy to support the addition of new features to their broadcasts. And it's adding features to make its product suite even more attractive to TV producers.Ooomf Shutters Its App Discovery Platform, Relaunches As A Freelancer Marketplace For Web & Mobile App Projects
Apr 03, 3:59PM
Ooomf, a startup which raised half a million in seed funding last fall for an app discovery platform, is already closing that service down and pivoting to become a marketplace to connect developers, designers and copywriters with web and mobile projects. The new service will operate under the same name, and founder Mikael Cho tells us that during its private beta last month, ooomf has already approved over $125,000 in projects, with 90 percent connecting with one of the site's professionals.The App Economy Is In Rude Health, Says Flurry, But Mobile Browsers Are Being Squeezed By Facebook
Apr 03, 3:53PM
App analytics company Flurry has taken a look at how U.S. consumers are splitting their time between mobile apps and browsers. The company found the iOS and Android app economy is in rude health: with consumers spending 80% of the average two hours and 38 minutes per day that they use smartphones and tablets spent inside apps, while only a fifth of that time is spent using mobile web browsers.If at any time you'd like to stop receiving these messages, just send an email to feeds_feedburner_com_techcrunch+unsubscribe-hmdtechnology=gmail.com@mail.feed2email.net.
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