Chrome Game Review: From Dust

For the Chrome-Gamers out there. "From Dust" by Ubisoft is a high-end graphics-heavy game (really breathtaking visuals) that is available in the Chrome Web Store. This goes to show the potential for larger apps doing bigger things right in your browser thanks to Chrome’s Native Client.

Get "From Dust" from the Chrome Web Store

The Official "From Dust" Site

However, here's the kick to the front of my pants, my Chromebook doesn't have the graphical power to play it, which is uber disappointing because I bought it with the hope it would be better tuned for Chrome games.

What a let down, because when I played this on Playstation 3, I was mesmerized  The gameplay is both challenging, unique, and fun-as-hell, but the story and setting are what hooked me.

You basically play a benevolent spirit-god in an origin myth of some primordial people, assisting them as they exit the underworld and enter the land of the living using your god-like powers. To me, that is a vindication of video games as an expressive medium, it gives us a creative narrative in which we interact and take a direct role in advancing. Oh the possibilities...

U4EM2MFWHSVT

5 "Polite" Suggestions for the Chromebook

It's been a couple weeks and change since my previous article on my Chromebook, and after rereading what I posted, I feel as if I was too harsh. I've gotten more used to the little guy and now I'm proud to say that, despite issues (which all gadgets suffer from in some way), I think the Chromebook is an awesome invention with devastating potential. Most of it's failings can be easily ignored, because it makes up for it with it's innovative strengths. So here are some of the ideas I came up with to improve the experience. I don't know no technical jibber-jabber, so I have no idea if these are even feasible ideas, but there's nothing here too fantastic, and hopefully the men and women of Google are already hard at work implementing these basic ideas.

1. Let the Chromebook run Android Apps

If this topic were a horse, it would be dead and I'd be beating it, but whatever. It's still the most sensible and desperately needed upgrade that could fling the Chromebook quite easily into super-stardom.

Android OS has consistently proven itself through mainly one saving grace, the Google Play Store. With the vast sea of Apps at your disposal, any limitations of the hardware can generally be overcome. Chromebook should be able to rock some sweet Play Store apps. Chrome OS and Android OS are comparable in scope, 2 GB of Ram is more than enough to run your average Android app and a 16 GB hard drive can be stuffed to the gills with all the smartphone classics. Some time ago I owned a BlackBerry Playbook tablet which featured an Android Player, allowing it to utilize selected Android apps. It's the same principle with the CB. There will no doubt be complications with touch-screen involved, but anything that can be done with a finger can be done with a mouse cursor, more or less.

2. More Touchpad Gestures

Dolphin Browser (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The touchpad is really starting to grow on me, it's becoming eerily comfortable. The problem is it doesn't really go beyond scroll and context menu (unless you wanna gamble with those flag things). I want to see all important functions for browsing be elegant scribble-gestures on the touch pad (like a figure skater on the ice). Split the fingers to X out a page, slide them together again to open a new tab, glide them in an up and down direction at once and you open an incognito page or whatever. It's all a delicate dance. This seems to me to be a task less suited for a simple touchpad and better for a full 10-finger capacities touchscreen that's being used as a touchpad. Cause that would be awesome, like having Dolphin Browser-style gestures. Think about it...

3. More Native Apps

It's time to bust this myth that we shouldn't have any native software on Chrome OS, it's backward forward-thinking. Just because Chrome OS began as an internet browser doesn't mean it has to be JUST an internet browser anymore. It's an OS now, it needs to act like it. Chrome OS needs some better native applications to access data stored on the computer and use it. The video player wonks, the music player wonks, the "Files" app is mediocre. Since I finally got Google Drive to work Offline, document editing has been great, but still, Scratchpad wonks, and now that I have GDocs offline, it serves no function whatsoever. I can also list a bunch of functions I would rather do natively than in browser window. Give us a real media player, with playlists and libraries, no more searching through Files, give us a real interface to play with our stuff.

Google Chrome OS on VMWare (Photo credit: berrytokyo)

If 'El Goog' is dead set on us going straight to the cloud and nowhere else, the very least they could do is give us some richer web apps, ones that can go offline and interact with data and files on the SSD. Google Play Music on Android plays MP3s that are natively stored, why couldn't they do the same for the Chromebook?

4. More Free Stuff

The 100 GB of Google Drive space was an amazing sweetener for the new Chromebooks, an offer that was well worth it for choosing a Chromebook as your next mobile computer. Not to mention the ballin' 1 TB for Chromebook Pixel users. Why not do more stuff like that? I mean Google has their entire cloud-service empire at it's disposal, surely it could spare a good deal or two. Why not gives us some credit to buy music or a couple of movie rentals on the Play Store? Why not cross promote and give us some tokens for buying apps for Android? How about just a rebate, sent right into our brand new (mandatory) Google Wallet accounts? This could actually up the competitiveness against Windows and Mac, because they don't give you crap (who else hates only getting the trial version of Office). The Chromebook remains most attractive because it's a cloud surfer designed to command Google's pre-existing internet menagerie anyway, so why not use exclusive deals from said menagerie to hock more Chromebooks. Everybody wins!

5. Do something with the Desktop

I realize this is a petty complaint, but bear with me. It serves literally no purpose. The only option when you click up the context menu is to 'change wallpaper'. It exists solely to exist, it seems, and that's fine for a lot of things but not in an OS, no sir. The shame is there is so much you could do with it. Take Android's cue here and fill it with apps and widgets (yes, Chrome Widgets!), make us want to go back to the desktop from time to time. However, make sure it looks like Chrome and not Android. Clean and simplified, like a kitted-up version of the New Tab screen in desktop Chrome.

Leaked on Picasa: Sony Nexus X?

Is this real? Supposed images of the Sony Nexus X pop up on Picasa

I can haz?

Nexus 7 is better than iPad

We all know it.

Nexus 7 Started Selling Out As Of Last Week

Who wants a 5 inch Ice Cream Sandwich?

AT&T to roll out Android 4.0 update for Samsung Galaxy Note on July 10th Wish I had one... The 'awesomest' update? S-Note gets hand-writing to text function. Things are looking up, kid...

Google Docs Walks! Google Drive Thrives!

I'm a big fan of Google Docs, or as it's now called Google Drive, and this new expansion has opened the cloud service to file formats beyond just documents. I've always liked the idea of having all my documents available to me as long as I have an internet connection. The fact that it's Android counterpart blends so well with the whole cloud network seals the deal. Now for the super-cherry on my big pile of cherrys (I f**king love cherries, bro), Google Drive now has a desktop paradox folder, one of those hard to fathom wonders of the emerging cloud revolution. It allows you to place a Google Drive folder in Windows Explorer so you can save your Word or Open Office docs, or anythign else really, right to Big G's cloud storage. It's able to do this because your Drive exists on both your hard drive and the internet, or something. It's nifty even if it feels a bit like evil sorcery.

While I like the Drive, I'm dissapointed that Google felt they had to do away with the whole Google Docs brand. I thought it was becoming a distinct alternative to client-side doc writing, allowing documents the freedom to have multiple real time authors, easy doc conversion, URL links for sharing, growing integration with the rest of Google's gang services and all the other perks of being part of the internet, rather then shoveling data onto it (It's not a big truck. Old-ass reference for the win!). It's name is also a disappointment, but that's the usual for Google. It's a fine designation for an app, but in many places, mainly on Google's OS platforms like Android, the title will be truncated to remove Google, and it will just say “Drive”, which is confusing and stupid, but what should I expect, it does it with everything else; Music, Books, etc.

The genuine problem I have with G-Drive (such a better name) is the same I've had since it was Google Docs, you can't edit content offline, which remains the biggest stumbling block to the advancement of the cloud in general. Every time my internet goes out, I have to switch back to Open Office to get any writing done. I'll also sometimes find that I've been writing a lengthy document that hasn't been saving because I neglected to notice the net was down, than I just X-out the sucker, thinking I'll find it later. Ok, that hasn't happened to me yet, but it totally could, and that's puts the kind of fear in you where you think you need to vote for an idiot to be safe.

What the Drive needs is an offline document editor that's client-side, installed on the hard drive. If they don't have a stupid name in mind they could call it Google Docs, or something like Google Docs Editor or Google Document Writer, just give it a name geeks can respect in their tools. This really doesn't seem difficult, just place it on top of the Drive sync software. You then should be able open a native Google Docs program and save your file directly to the drive. It could also simultaneously upload saves while editing, and update the document automatically if edited somewhere else. It's the true application of the cloud, where desktop and internet exist simultaneous to one another.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what Google comes up with in their burgeoning mega-cloud. Google Drive is by far my favorite cloud storage, though they all have their strengths, and it has become my go-to site for my professional documents. However, Microsoft SkyDrive giving me 20 gigabytes of data at no cost, for a reason I'm not entirely sure of (I think it was a gift), has endeared me as well. You got anything for me too, Big G? Peace.

What is Google Play? Unrelated: what happened to my Android Market app?

The Android Market, Google's bargain bin of awesome, is no more. Raising from the depths comes the enigmatic and slightly perplexing Google Play Store. What's changed? Pretty much just the name. Long live the Google Play Store!

There's more to it than that of course. The whole Play thing is a huge re-branding of Google apps and services under one heading (cause just Google isn't enough) and according to my secret source (the Internet, shhh) it's integrating it's various digital distribution platforms into one convenient system. Ergo and such, you've no doubt noticed some of your "favorite" Google apps receiving new names. The new family includes; Play Music, Play Movies, and Play Books (please keep in mind that some of these services are only available to rich white boy countries, no offence intended to white boys who aren't rich OR to Asian countries who are included in this category) Here's a simple equation I created to clear up this unification, I call it the "Playthagorian" Theorum (get it, lol);

Android Market times the sum of Google Movies plus Google Music plus Google Books equals Google Play divided by the sum of Play Music times Play Books times Play Movies x Android Apps. Thanks 8th Grade Algebra!

What's REALLY new to Play? Well, how about daily deals on apps and music and stuff, much like the Amazon Marketplace with it's free paid app a day idea. Also, remember that new privacy policy they harassed us for so long about reading, because of that, apparently they're also able to hock their ads more effectively. For example, ebook purchases will now effect the ads you see in Play Movies (cause now that you've read the book you need to be disappointed by the movie), which effects the ads in Play Music (cause the movie sucked but the soundtrack was tight), and so forth and etc.

With this fellowship of the ring forged, and Google Wallet acting as Frodo, Google is poising to march to Mount Jobs and... I think my analogy can end there. They're going to be able to directly compete with iTunes for control of the digital media sales market, because while the Play Store looks just like the Market, it's focus is shifting from browsing and buying on your Android phone, to more of a one-stop Google department store you visit on your daily desktop/laptop surfing and pushing the content right to your device. If you have ever used the Market's website to download an app before, you know that it's quite convenient. You browse for your choice in a nice big desktop window, you connect your smartphone to your account, and when you purchase your app, your phone beeps, and you find out it downloaded itself onto your SD card before the "Thank you for shopping..." page even loaded in your browser. Now that's convenience! Now Google want's that ease of distribution for all it's other impulse purchase websites for that obvious, but never mentioned, reason anybody does anything with a computer or the internet, compete with Apple. The Market has always done great, but the three media apps have been struggling since their creation. Sewing them all together and creating a media Frankenstein seems as good a way as any to rebuild interesting, and one brand name helps. However, one does not simply compete with Apple...



Check out this YouTube video from the new The Google Gamer Blog: Official YouTube Playlist for a brief overview;

What effect does this have on the gaming? Nothing I can tell. Games are still treated the same as apps except for the usual categorization difference within the shop, and on your phone they're still just tossed in there with your other apps. It's a travesty that music, movies, and books get individual representation, but games are left to blend in to the background. How great would a Play Games app be, organizing all your grinding and button-mashing and DPSing into one convenient interface that could share to G+ or something. The name even makes sense, as opposed to Play Books, that just sounds like a bad Spanglish translation.

It seems a shame to toss out the iconic Android name for a somewhat meaningless white-washed title like Play. One does wonder if Google is tossing out the old school Android moniker for a slightly more efficient clone that bears the Google logo instead. Than again, if it makes things easier for the customer than who cares. It's also possible we could see the Chrome Web Store eventually march under this banner if Google really wants to integrate everything they could possible sell or paste an ad bar to. They sure have been into that lately.

Check the links for more info and better spelling (though significantly less wit and charm) and tell me what you think of the new Play family. Peace.

English:::
"One company, one store: Why Google axed Android Market for Google Play" from Digital Trends
"The Android Market is now Google Play" from Phandroid

Spanish:::
"¿A dónde fue el Android Market?" desde Esmandau.com
"Google unifica su oferta de aplicaciones y contenido"desde ArteOrebe.com

OnLive To Be Integrated Into Google TV Products

OnLive To Be Integrated Into Google TV Products

 

Some time ago I read an article that concerned Google and gaming. It seemed someone had found a bit of code or something (I don't know the technicals) that showed the Google TV set top box could support a controller.

There were no real mentions of this or it's intention by the Google people, but that's cool, it was clearly a potential that they wanted to give their device if they ever choose to develop it.

However, what was easily dismissed was in fact the seeds of something greater, Google was poised to enter the console war by a feint. A complete sneak attack! But who would have thought they would bring such big guns to the fight...

So OnLive and Google are coupling off to bring us a high-strung, ADD baby called Pwning. OnLive is an up-and-coming gaming-on-demand service that pumps high-def video games threw your tubes and onto your computer, your tablet, your TV, your phone, and most things with screens. What gives it this incredible power? The cloud, of cource.

OnLive plays it's catalog of games on it's own computers and sends you the action in the form of a video stream. At the same time, you're mashing the buttons on your keyboard or controller and it's sending the directions to the sprites on the web, all simultaneous and such.

At least that's how I understand it. I'm cool with the explination being magic too.

So this creative use of emerging technology means potentially anything with a moniter can play some hardcore, graphics heavy pwnage. That's a direct afront to both the Console and PC Gaming markets. No longer would man toil at lowered frame rates or being deafened by loud-ass cooling fans. The hard part would be done by the super-heroes of the internet, and we enjoy the fun.

This is just another one of those examples of how Cloud Computing is a clear alternative to pretty much everything. Crazy stuff...

So why have you never heard of OnLive? Because everyone's afraid of it. You can feel the hesitancy in the industry towards it. No one wants to play with the new kid. Critics are scrambling to dissect it and out it as a mere mortal, while the giants of the industry just ignore it and hope it goes away.

Becoming buds with Google just made sense. Like two boys on the playground, Google and OnLive are spoiling to take on the whole class.

This move gives OnLive that industry support it needs to flourish, plus Google's fat stacks won't hurt. Google benefits as well, they no longer have to tinker about with the idea of gaming while never really committing, like a woman on a diet eyeing a piece of chocolate cake she knows she wants. OnLive has a solid manager and Google has a solid fighter. It's like Rocky or something.

In many ways it's a perfect match. Google has never been a hardware company or a software company, they're an internet company, that's what they do almost flawlessly. Using their whole network as a cannon for game bombs just makes more sense than building an entire system from scratch. Pretty sneaky sis...

Another thing OnLive has lacked is decent games. It has a few gems, but no where near even the backest of back catalogs of the Gaming Giants. Google's presence and cheddar might certainly be able to sway some big titles to the service, and, dare I say... invest in making "Cloud Games".

Issues of lag have been reported in the more top-tier games, which I suppose is to be expected with this futurist space technology, and now that Google, the Imperial Space Navy of the Internet, has it's back, expect to see those problems disappear. Not to mention, the Google Fiber project, a venture into actual internet service providing, is boasting connections at 1 gigabit/second, well well well above OnLive's optimum required connection speed, we could see crazy smooth YouTube demos pretty soon. I hope you're enjoying yourselves Kansas Cities (both Missouri and Kansas).

OnLive's presence can also seriously affect the sales of the Google TV set top box. It's struggling at the moment, because it's so lacking in content, but Google's impressive app library is growing everyday, putting some cool stuff on your boob tube. With OnLive, the box ups the ante with real, hardcore gaming, not just Android casual games and Angry Birds ports.

I personally feel this is a major boon to both companies, a union that just makes sense. In a way, success is really their's to lose. I know Google fairly well, but I don't know OnLive or how they operate. If they can deliver on what they promise, they can leap out ahead of every gaming platform; console, PC, mobile, tablet, TV set top biggity boxes, etc., with Google along to help pick up the money. Good things 'a coming, people, lord willing. Peace out.

- Julian H.

Google Gamer +1

Google Gamer Go!

There is a world of gaming out there, a lifestyle if you will, that is easily ignored and readily dismissed. However, I assert that the internet giant known as Google can provide enough of a gaming experience to satisfy not only our urge to game, but our calling to be a gamer...

Join me as I examine what it is to be a GG, or a "Google Gamer".

There are three main mediums for enjoying Google's assortment of video games. The Android operating system on many smart phones is the most well known. From the Android Market you can gain access to some really high quality games, like those provided by our brothers at GameLoft, as well as the classic time-wasters, like Angry Birds and Words with Friends.

Next is the Chrome Web Store, available to anyone with the Google Chrome web browser installed on their computer (which honestly should be everybody). The CWS has plenty of games that get far more indepth than the ones on Android. It's the classic console vs. handheld distinction.

Lastly is Google+ Games, the social gaming app of the social networking website Google+. It's your basic Facebook-style gaming section, which just fine for a little casual gaming. I'm all about G+ these days, +1ing like it ain't no thang. Join me on G+ at my profile and get my take on the fledgling hangout.

And the best part is, most of these games are free as the breeze, always a plus for a thrift hound (or should I say, plus one?).

I'll get more in depth in the future, until then, may your quests be epic and your grinds be fruitful.

- Julian H.