Google’s awesome new App
Their Maps App (Application) being out of Apple’s iOS 6 may have hogged headlines in recent times. The big news from the world of Apps has been the launch of its new exploration App called Field Trip. A “location-aware” App, Field Trip dishes out interesting facts about whichever place you might be in, even without prompting or searching. Call it an always aware discovery engine right in your hands.
Google’s digital assistant App ‘Google Now’ is a bit similar to ‘Field Trip’ but the key difference is it runs and delivers interesting information without any prompting. Unlike ‘Google Now’ which is available only with Android Jelly Bean (4.1) devices, Field Trip is available on Android handsets running Gingerbread (2.3) upwards. Check out the cool new App on Google Play or at the official website — www.fieldtripper.com. Google has promised the iOS version of the App for Apple mobile devices soon.
Cyber Games at Goa
Serious gamers head to Goa this weekend to pit skills against one another at the fourth season of the Indian Cyber Gaming Championship. Winners of the championship there will head to international events, including the Malaysia TGX 2012 and Electronic Sports World Cup in Paris later this year.
The gamers or ‘cyberathletes’, as they call themselves, will compete in three categories — console games, PC games and mobile games. They will take to the virtual field under popular titles ranging from Counter Strike Go, League of Legends, Battlefield 3, DOTA 2, Blur, Tekken and FIFA 12. More than 7,000 gamers are expected to participate.
A press release from the organisers quoted Akshat Rathee, chief gaming officer at NODWIN Gaming as saying: “Cyber Gaming in India is still in its nascent stage but there is an immense potential for growth. Though gaming, in general, has come a long way in India, where the concept has turned into a cultural trend thanks to social media, smartphone applications and interactive entertainment.”
According to the FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2012, the Indian games business was valued at 13 billion INR (259 million USD) in 2011 which was up 30 per cent annually.
Bad Piggies take centre stage
Game publisher Rovio Software, known the world over for its smash hit Angry Birds, has released a new game ‘Bad Piggies’ that turns the tale around a bit and this time makes users help the bad piggies travel the world in crazy machines. The game, launched on September 27, has already been declared a smash hit, becoming the top-selling paid App on iTunes charts.
Rovio has achieved cult status among developers for its innovative gameplay and addictive storylines. Its Angry Birds game was taken up by Disney for its promotional tie-up for the movie Rio .
Bad Piggies costs $2.99 on the iTunes App Store.
