Google gave its official search app an iPad remake late last year, and now it's smaller iPhone and iPod touch devices getting the new UI's treatment. As of Google Search App 2.0, the smaller iOS devices see a big emphasis on full-screen navigation, with an automatic full-screen mode and a dedicated full-screen photo search making the most of the limited display real estate. You can now swipe back to search results like you could with the iPad, and it's overall much faster in the app to hop between different search types as well as web apps like Calendar or Gmail. There's still something in it for you if you've already been deep into the iPad port's interface, as the tablet and the iPhone alike can now save photos directly to the iOS camera roll. You'll need at least iOS 4.2 to live in Google's non-Android mobile universe, but those that measure up can leap in through the source link.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/23/g...he-2-0-remake/ ...

Having already made headway into the digital frontier last year, video game subscription service GameFly is now ready to expand its sphere of influence into the world of mobile. The company's aspiring for greatness, announcing this morning that it plans to begin publishing iOS and Android titles as early as this summer. And that's not all, folks: we can expect to see the GameFly GameStore, a gaming-oriented competitor to the Play Store and Amazon AppStore, sometime this fall. In addition to its goal of being the biggest and baddest kid on the block, GameFly intends to don the role of philanthropist, setting aside a fund to assist struggling devs who might just need a few extra bucks to finish the next mobile masterpiece. If you fall in this category, the company's already accepting submissions, so read through the press release below to get all the necessary details.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/23/g...pps-gamestore/
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Microsoft's Kinect Accelerator program kicked off over a month ago, but at the time we were only made aware of the participant start-ups' names, not their innovations. So, when Microsoft offered us the opportunity to talk with the folks behind four of the program's participants -- Freak'n Genius, GestSure Technologies, Kimetric and Styku -- we jumped at the chance. Join us after the break to see what this quartet of fledgling companies has planned to propogate the Kinect effect further than ever.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/23/k...s-gestsure-te/ ...

[Viktor] is working on salvaging parts from a dead laptop. In his eyes the biggest gem to be had is the touchpad, so he set out to see if he could make the touchpad a standalone device. You might be envisioning the many hells of interfacing this with a microcontroller and writing firmware to measure and translate the input to HID compatible commands. The good news is it’s quite a bit simpler than that, with just one gotcha.
He looked around to see what he could find about the chip that drives the touchpad. He couldn’t locate an exact match, but a datasheet from a similar family of controllers make him think that there should be a PS/2 data and clock output from the chip. After probing the test points on the board he found them, as well as the voltage and ground rails. Above you can see he soldered an old mouse cable to the board and it works when plugged in.
But we did mention the gotcha. There doesn’t seem to be any support for the right and left buttons. Those were housed on a flexible PCB which attached to the white connector seen above. That PCB also connected to the computer so we don’t know if they will work with this hack or not.

http://hackaday.com/2012/05/23/lapto...ne-peripheral/ ...

Nintendo hits major milestone with 3DS sales figures

Nintendo

www.nintendo-europe.com

Nintendo's 3DS continues to post up big numbers, and according to Famitsu the 3DS has finally surpassed 6 million units sold in Japan. Nintendo has been on a sales spree lately, thanks in part to some proper titles for the 3D handheld device.
A rousing sales drive for holiday 2011 and consumers rejecting the PS Vita (especially in Japan) means that Nintendo's launch gaffes have been all but forgotten.
Officially putting the tally at 6,017,206 units, Nintendo in Japan is not the only one making headway. Sales for the device in the UK are also about to reach a milestone, as Nintendo believes the device will finally surpass 1 million units next month.
3DS has sold over 17 million worldwide; by contrast, the global sales total for Vita thus far stands at a mere 1.8 million.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...units-in-japan

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Spain to award Shigeru Miyamoto Prince of Asturias Award for his work in gaming
Organizers for the annual Prince of Asturias Awards have bestowed recognition to an unlikely recipient for works in scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanistic works: Nintendo designer and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto has been recognized for his creation of several of the most well recognized characters in gaming as well as mainstream culture. His award will be in the "Communications and Humanities" category.
The award, which has been earned by such organizations as CNN and Google, as well as author Umberto Eco, is celebrating Miyamoto's commitment to game creation with a family and creative twist. The Awards organizers recognized that games such as Zelda, Mario and Donkey Kong have been designed not simply to create a positive gaming environment, but that Miyamoto was "the main architect of the revolution in teaching, educational and constructive video games."
For his contribution to gaming and the world abroad, Miyamoto will receive a diploma with the Prince of Asturias Foundation's coat of arms, as well as a sculpture and cash prize of €50,000 ($63,215).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ions-to-gaming

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The European browser game publisher's wares will be coming to the United States

GameSamba

XS Software JSCo

GameSamba has announced a partnership with European browser game developer XC Software to bring the latter's titles to North America. The Bulgarian-based XS Software has more than 25 million users playing their free-to-play games currently.
The first titles launched under the agreement will be Lady Popular, Managore, and Khan Wars. To celebrate the launch, GameSamba will be giving players 20 percent more Samba virtual currency with every purchase until the end of May.
GameSamba is also partnering with Miss California USA hopeful Ruthie Bram to promote Lady Popular with a contest. Participants in the Glamorous Pageant can earn in-game and real-world rewards.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-north-america

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Public interest should override recommendation, says Florian Mueller

Microsoft

www.microsoft.com

Judge David Shaw's recommendation to the ITC Commission that the import of 4gb and 250gb Xbox slim models to the US should be banned is unlikely to be enforced, says patent expert Florian Mueller.
The judge made the decision to recommend an import ban to the ITC Commission yesterday, ruling in a case between Microsoft and the Google-owned Motorolla which has the Redmond manufacturer defending itself against four counts of patent infringement.
Motorola, on the other hand, stands accused of not offering what are seen as essential patents for use by other companies under fair terms, violating the FRAND agreement by asking for an excessive share of profits.
Whilst Shaw has effectively ruled against Microsoft here, the actual outcome of the case rests heavily on two parallel cases in Europe which will establish whether Motorolla has operated within the terms of FRAND policy.
Nonetheless, even this judgment will be evaluated in the light of its potential effects on other businesses and the public.
"I've never seen an ITC judge make any other recommendation than an exclusion order if his initial determination is that there is a violation," says Mueller. "This is the normal course of business.
"Unlike judges at courts, ITC judges don't make the decisions: they merely recommend them. Their recommendations are very frequently not adopted by the Commission, the six-member decision-making body at the top of the ITC. Not only does the Commission overrule those judges with respect to the actual violations but the Commission also has the final say on remedies."
"The more Xbox games makers write to the ITC about this, the less likely an import ban will be"
Florian Mueller, Foss Patents

Mueller, who runs tech patent blog Foss Patents, also toldGamesIndustry International that developers and publishers are likely to petition the US administration to overturn the ruling.
"Even if the Commission agreed with the judge on some or all of the violations, there are public interest considerations for which an exclusion order should not be entered, or at least not before or during the Christmas Selling Season. The more Xbox games makers write to the ITC about this, the less likely an import ban will be.
"If many games makes write to the ITC, then I doubt that there will be ever be an actual Xbox import ban. What's more likely to happen is that a federal court in Microsoft's home state of Washington will set the terms of a license agreement that Motorola and Microsoft will have to enter into. As a result, Microsoft will be licensed and the Xbox won't be an infringing product."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...rce-us-360-ban

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Analysts chime in on what we'll see at the Xbox press briefing. Don't expect any next-gen talk

Microsoft

www.microsoft.com

E3 2012 is fast approaching, and as usual, the big three platform holders will be holding their respective press conferences on Monday and Tues (June 4 and 5) right before E3 itself officially opens its doors. There have been tons of rumors about Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, but what should we realistically expect to see?
GamesIndustry International rounded up several leading games analysts to get their take on each of the console manufacturers. In part one, we'll take a look at Microsoft. In parts two and three we'll showcase Sony and Nintendo (which is the actual order of their briefings.)
Microsoft arguably is in the best position (certainly in the US, where the company's Xbox hardware continues to outsell the competition) and at this point in the cycle, it's all about maintaining momentum while trying to expand the audience via Kinect and Xbox Live.
Here's what the analysts had to say.
Jesse Divnich, EEDAR
Microsoft is in a very comfortable position at the moment. I believe their E3 will be focused more on the total entertainment experience the Xbox 360 can deliver. But yes, the typical Halo, Forza, and Fable trailers are likely to be shown, on-top of a few family focused Kinect titles.
The console manufacturer under the least amount of pressure is Microsoft, so I expect them to stick to a similar script as last year. I don't foresee them announcing anything too jaw dropping or off-the-wall. The ball is really in Sony and Nintendo's court to break the current momentum Microsoft has and I don't foresee Microsoft sabotaging that momentum by their own doing with some outside of the box presentation--sorry, Cirque du Soleil is unlikely to make an appearance again.

David Cole, DFC Intelligence
One of the biggest things Microsoft is pushing is the diversity of the Xbox 360. In the new DFC Intelligence report Consoles as Entertainment Hubs, we noted that in March 2012 Microsoft announced that over 50% of time on Xbox Live was spent in non-game related activities. Microsoft's goal is to increase that ratio even more so that the Xbox 360 is a central entertainment hub of the living room. There is a major race to bring entertainment services to consumers both on television sets and mobile devices. While Apple and Google may have an advantage on mobile devices, the Xbox 360 gives Microsoft an edge in the living room.
"Microsoft must also demonstrate greater influence in the much larger casual games market. Many hardcore gaming enthusiasts probably won't like the coverage of casual games"
Billy Pidgeon

So Microsoft will clearly focus on the diversity of the Xbox 360 and I expect to see a lot of Kinect products, including unique uses for the Kinect that are non-game related. With that being said I think it is important for Microsoft to show they are not leaving gamers behind. So to that expect to see a focus on a handful of big titles like Halo 4 and some big third-party titles like Call of Duty Black Ops 2.
Billy Pidgeon, M2 Research
I think Microsoft will focus on software and network services at E3 2012. There will be a strong emphasis on hardcore titles including Halo 4, and there will be at least two previously unannounced first party games. I'm also expecting several big third party titles with downloads, characters, modes, or other assets exclusive to Xbox 360.
Although the press event will stress software and services for hardcore gaming, Microsoft must also demonstrate greater influence in the much larger casual games market. Many hardcore gaming enthusiasts probably won't like the coverage of casual games, but Microsoft will throw out some hardcore red meat at regular intervals to keep hardcore fans engaged. Microsoft will demo some quality casual and family entertainment (often with Kinect) and we'll likely hear more about the value of the subscription-subsidized $99 Kinect bundle offer for all sectors, including family and mass market. It's possible Microsoft will announce additional consumer value bundles to stoke hardware sales going forward.
You can bet Master Chief and Halo 4 will make a splash

Microsoft will likely showcase multiple improvements and new features for the Xbox LIVE network. These could include games and entertainment features provided by partners for tiered pricing models similar to premium cable deals. Tiers might include game and entertainment features provided by partners such as EA, ESPN, Netflix. I'd also like to see Microsoft add more value to the free and Gold levels of Xbox LIVE. Free casual games would add great value and would help Microsoft better prepare for competition with upcoming services from Apple and Google.
As Xbox LIVE has systemic connections to other Microsoft networked services and direct connections to web, PC and mobile devices, Microsoft typically promotes these connections to make a case for games as a proprietary cross-platform service. This has been more marketing than action to date, so I am hoping ...