Facebook Will Add Video-Conference Features

Facebook could start offering video-conference service for its 600+ million users. The biggest social network in the world could make a partnership with Skype for this, as we are being told by Bloomberg Business. Sources from the company (Facebook) declared for the American publication that the discussions and negotiations between the two companies started since last year.

Skype was founded in 2003 by the Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and Dane Janus Friis. The Skype software was developed by Estonian developers Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jaan Tallinn, the same individuals who together with Niklas and Janus were also originally behind the peer-to-peer file sharing software Kazaa. In April 2003, Skype.com and Skype.net domain names were registered. In August 2003, the first public beta version was released. At the moment, their membership base is more than 650 million people, pretty much the same figure that Facebook has.



Introducing a video-conferencing service would be considered as an answer from the social network to Google and Apple, companies that are already offering this feature through their software platforms. Currently, the video-conferences represent 41% of the total connections being made using Skype.

Some Facebook functions are already integrated in the newest versions of the client-program Skype and if this partnership will come to an end, the video calls will be done directly using the browser.

Facebook announced last year a new communications platform which will grant unified access to the instant messaging system offered by the company and an email account based on such addresses as user@facebook.com

The new video-conference system could be integrated in the platform that Facebook will released and which isn’t yet public, being still tested.

Read more »

Video Game Market Continues to Expand

U.S video game sales are up, with the market for hardware, software, and accessories expanding by 3 percent in February compared with the same time last year. While it may not be the only successful gaming device, Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360 and Kinect motion-sensing controller have been flying of the shelves and making the biggest impact on the market.

Market Researcher NPD Groups have reported that $1.36 billion was spent on gaming technology in February 2011. This figure is made up from money spent on consoles, mobile devices, game, and accessories, and is up from $1.33 billion from the year before. What makes this growth even more impressive is that it had absolutely nothing to do with portable devices, with portable sales down a whopping 27 percent.

However, the drop in the portable market is down to timing more than anything else, with consumers anticipating the up-and-coming Nintendo 3DS. The Xbox 360 had its biggest ever month, mostly because of the highly successful bundled sales of Xbox 360 consoles and Kinect controllers. Digital downloads and social network gaming is also having a big effect, even though software as a whole was down by 8 percent.

“Full game and add-on content digital downloads, social network gaming, and consumer purchases of mobile apps are some of the areas where we’ve seen the greatest percentage growth over last year,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. Points cards are also doing well, making up 22 percent of the entire gaming accessories market in February, a growth that does not look like slowing down any time soon.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops” from Activision Blizzard Inc. was the No. 1 game in February, with many analysts calling it the best-selling game ever made. “Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds” from Capcom USA was the second-best-selling game, followed by “Just Dance 2″ from Ubisoft for the Nintendo Wii platform.

Read more »

iPhone 5 With a 4.3 Inch Screen?

The iPad 2 launch is at the corner and the whole tech world is waiting for this moment. At first, there have been only rumors, but now this is an official event – Apple is going to unveil iPad2 on March 2 (according to New York Times and Reuters). Without any doubts, after the release of iPad2, the entire focus will be redirected towards the launch of the long awaited iPhone 5. And, maybe, the buzz around the phone will be bigger, being given the mainstream access that it has and the fact that the iPhone market is bigger than the iPad one.

Even after the release of iPhone4, we have been bombarded by rumors, valid or not; created either solely for some website’s traffic or just to feed the buzz. But, at this moment, all the tattle is slowly transforming into facts and even leaks from the company, with or without intention. One of these “informers” is the glass screen manufacturer, which provides the components for the frontal screen of iPhone5.

However, the full authenticity of this image couldn’t be confirmed; but it gives us some clues about the construction that iPhone 5 could have, by looking at the similarity with iPhone4. We can see that the biggest difference is the increased size of the screen, which extends near the edge of the housing.

As we can see out of these computer modeled we can see that the screen could have the size up to 4.3 inches, which will make the useful area even bigger, creating a visual impact supported by the thinned frame.

Apple is one of the companies that know how to “capitalize” the buzz around a product and to convert it into a strong marketing strategy. When you have millions waiting for your products, it is much easier to work on this. We don’t have yet an official announcement regarding the launch of iPhone 5, but (again) rumor has it that summer could be a good choice.

Read more »

Hegemony Gold Wars of Ancient Greece v1.5.0.19577-THETA

Hegemony Gold Wars of Ancient Greece v1.5.0.19577-THETA

In 2010 indie developer Longbow Games released Hegemony: Philip of Macedon, a historical strategy game set in ancient Greece. Today the developer announced that it has released Hegemony Gold: Wars of Ancient Greece, a downloadable expansion of the original game.The ancient Greeks crafted for themselves a world like no other, a world where each city had its own unique – and often fantastic – culture. From the Spartans, a culture built on a foundation of slavery, a culture that – with no need to earn a living – had dedicated themselves to the ideals of physical perfection, and ironically espoused the virtues of freedom; to the Athenians, a nation of unparalleled art and architecture – the likes of which, even today, remain unmatched in originality and richness – a nation whose constitution afforded democratic power to even the lowest class of citizen; the stories of Greek civilization must have sounded like myth and legend to an outsider.

It was in this environment that the concept of hegemony was born: the idea that one city-state could assert cultural dominance over the entire Greek world.

Despite the eternal struggle for dominance between Athens and Sparta, neither of these giants would forge a lasting hegemony. It was a goal that would remain unfulfilled until Philip of Macedon, king of the relatively unknown nation of Macedonia, revolutionized Greek warfare and conquered the entire Hellenic world, permitting his heir, Alexander the Great, to take the unified army of the Greeks and build an empire so vast that even Julius Caesar was said to be visibly intimidated by the stories of this incredible achievement.

This is the world of ancient Greece. A world of feuding city-states, of heroism and deceit, and of legendary leaders. A world whose monumental legacy would leave our own world forever changed. This is the world of Hegemony.

Publisher: Longbow Digital Arts
Developper: Longbow Digital
Genre: Historic Real-Time Strategy

Release name: Hegemony.Gold.Wars.of.Ancient.Greece.v1.5.0.19577-THETA
Size: 201MB

Download

http://d01.megashares.com/dl/uQtxnT6/Hegemony.Gold.Wars.of.Ancient.Greece.v1.5.0.19577-THETA.rar

Read more »

Star Ruler v1.0.6.2-OUTLAWS

Star Ruler v1.0.6.2-OUTLAWS

Outlaws released indie/strategy game for PC entitled Star Ruler. Take command of a vast interstellar empire and safeguard your species from total extinction in a procedurally generated 3D galaxy (with the option to flatten it) from 1 System to 10,000+! Prove your species’ ingenuity through a deep and intricate combat system where anything (from individual components on ships to the stars themselves) is a target of opportunity. Twist other Empires into submitting to your galaxy-class wit with diplomacy and wheel-and-deal your way to supremacy. Research new kinds of weapons, engines, shields, and more, all of which retain their unique benefits as the game progresses, with a research web whose contents are shuffled every game at your option. Exploit interstellar phenomena such as asteroid belts and stars and exploit them for yourself or destroy them to deny your foes. Create and destroy new worlds through advanced technological research. Match your strategy against up to 10 other opponents (online or LAN-linked). Save the game when dawn breaks and boot it back up at dusk. It isn’t over until you say it is! Drop in and drop out at any point; disconnecting players will not disrupt the game!

Key features:
    * Vast, Procedurally Generated Galaxies
    * Intricate Ship Design and Exciting Combat
    * Unique Research System
    * Easy to use interface, complex gameplay
    * Engaging AI opponents
    * Extensive modding support
    * Original Soundtrack

Release name: Star.Ruler.v1.0.6.2-OUTLAWS
Size: 167.82 MB

Download

http://hotfile.com/dl/107999680/c60183e/Star.Ruler.v1.0.6.2-OUTLAWS.rar.html

OR

http://www.fileserve.com/file/cxEhZ5n/Star_Ruler_V1_0_6_2_Outlaws.rar

OR

http://www.filesonic.com/file/137354021/Star.Ruler.v1.0.6.2-OUTLAWS.rar

Read more »