Mevio Tech

Simple interactive gaming apps are gaining momentum for their growing ability to connect people and keep users occupied in their downtime. Here are three of Olivia’s favorites on this episode of My Mobile Life.

Draw Something is like Pictionary for the online social world. This app makes it easy to connect with your friends through Facebook, Twitter or eMail, and to play ongoing games. No actual drawing skills are required.

Words With Friends is another interactive gaming app that has gained popularity for ease of use, connectivity to Facebook friends, and in-game chatting capabilities. If Draw Something is like Pictionary, Words With Friends is like Scrabble.

Zynga’s Texas Hold’em is another easy to learn (and hard to put down) online game. You can experience all of the thrills of Vegas-style betting with chips, risks and buy-ins, except you don’t have the financial fallout of losing your hard-earned cash. Play individual games with your friends or jump right in to tournaments.

Connecting with your friends to see live leaderboards is a popular feature of all three of these games.

“If you have time to kill and creativity to showcase,” says Olivia, “you can’t go wrong with these new social gaming apps.”

Cali Lewis has the scoop on how to buy and sell online via mobile on this episode of My Mobile Life.

If you want to buy stuff or sell stuff online, you are probably already familiar with CraigsList and eBay, two of the biggest online marketplaces. Now these buy-and-sell services are accessible through apps for your mobile devices. Here are Cali’s top solutions for buying and selling online via mobile, and also arranging for personal services.

Solution #1 - CraigslistPro from Escargot Studios is available on both iOS and Android. You can post stuff you want to sell and search for stuff you want from sellers local to you. GPS-based auto-location will automatically find and suggest Craigslist areas closest to you. Browse listings by photos using the photo wall, and see all listings on a map using the map browser. You can ost with photos to Craigslist and manage your Craigslist account (including editing, reposting, and such).

Solution #2 – If you prefer eBay auctions, then check out the GarageSale app (available on iOS only). GarageSale Touch lets you create, edit, track, and manage all your eBay auctions on your iPhone. You can start your own auction, upload pictures, respond to questions, and more.

Solution #3 - With the Zaarly app, you can ask for anything (e.g., bake a cake, do your laundry, teach you boxing, need a red couch) and name your price and the Zaarly connects you to local people who can fulfill your needs. The app is available on both iOS and Android. It’s free to ask for anything from the hundreds of thousands of local, experienced and trustworthy individuals and businesses using Zaarly in your neighborhood. Simply post a free request, and within hours you’ll hear from local service providers and professionals offering their services, products, one-of-a-kind experiences or new and used goods.

Jamie covers new releases this week on the latest episode of Press Pause Daily.

Starhawk (for PS3) – Starhawk is an intense air, ground, and vehicle combat game that gives you access to a large arsenal of weapons to choose from. You can run and gun, or you can choose from several ground and air vehicles.

It has a full single player campaign, but you can also head online with your friends by yourself or on 2 player split-screen to defend your claim against waves of enemies in 1-4 player Co-Op Mode. You can also engage in epic 32 player online battles and see maps dynamically change depending completely on each player’s strategy.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane (for PC) – The latest game in the popular Majesty series is Warlock: Master of the Arcane. It’s a turn-based strategy game. “In a time of chaotic upheaval, the player takes the role of a great mage, a warlord vying for ultimate power. Your mission is to build an empire, expand your borders, research new spells and conquer your enemies.”

Research and master dozens of spells, conjure powerful enchantments and discover awesome spell combinations.

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (for XBLA) – Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition lets you create worlds from the comfort of your sofa. Play alone or play with your friends. Explore, build and conquer! At night monsters come out, so make sure to build a shelter before that happens. After that, your world is your imagination. Jamie says “I mean come on. It’s Minecraft….on your Xbox….what could be more awesome than that?”

Datura (for PS3) – Datura is a PSN exclusive that looks to experiment with the possibilities of the Playstation Move. According to the Playstation Blog, you’ll find yourself in a mysterious forest. From there you’ll navigate your way through the game by controlling your character’s hand using Playstation Move technology. You’re immersed into the game’s unique experimental narrative and original way of interaction, which enables you to experience the world not only visually, but also empirically.

“Sony has been more willing than most to offer gamers more quirky and experimental games, and by adding in the Move controller, this experience could be a pretty interesting one,” says Jamie.

The Daily App Show reviews the Dream Camera photo App from Palm Shadow Apps.

Dream Camera allows you to apply effects to your photos in real time as you capture them. The effects fall into four categories.

Color – Choose from color, black and white, sepia, redscale or cyanotype.

Contrast and Brightness – Default, light, strong and extreme settings for effect or simply to adjust to available lighting conditions.

Special Processing – Filter mode lets you select from plain, dream, X-Pro1, X-Pro2, 70s and art.

Edge – Choose fading such as vignette and matte.

Dream Camera allows you to easily switch from front to back facing camera. You can also impose a grid to help compose your shots, do timed shots (or bursts of several shots in a row), and make use of the flash on your iPhone 4 or 4S.

Email and print directly from the App, or share your photos on your favorite sites including Facebook, Twitter, Picasa and Filckr. It includes support for review and batch uploads as well.

Dream Camera saves your photos and video directly to Camera Roll, so you can access them either through the built-in browser on the App or the standard iOS Photos app.

The App can also be used for video, where you can apply the same range of effects in real time.

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.Requires iOS 5.0 or later.

Average rating at the App Store is 4 1/2 stars. Cost is 99 cents.

On Thursday of last week, The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a bill that would allow private businesses to share information about Internet traffic with the government and with each other. The purpose of the bill, according to lawmakers, is to protect networks against cyber attack and help the government investigate cyber threats.

Who supports the bill, who opposes it, and why? Although the bill has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Facebook and others, CISPA has been criticized by privacy and civil liberties advocates, including the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They believe that the law would open the door to surveillance of the general public, containing few limits on government or industry monitoring of an individual’s Internet use (whether or not they are committing malicious acts online). Mozilla has released the following statement.

While we wholeheartedly support a more secure Internet, CISPA has a broad and alarming reach that goes far beyond Internet security. The bill infringes on our privacy, includes vague definitions of cybersecurity, and grants immunities to companies and government that are too broad around information misuse.

Supporters say that the bill is necessary to deal with cyber threats from China and elsewhere. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers had this to say during debate.

We have nation states who are literally stealing jobs and our future. We also have countries that are engaged in activities and have capabilities that have the ability to break networks, computer networks. Which means you can’t just reboot. It means your system is literally broken. Those kinds of disruptions can be catastrophic when you think about the financial sector, or the energy sector, or our command and control elements for all our national security apparatus.

What is the status of the bill? 206 Republicans and 42 Democrats voted in favor of the bill in the house, with 140 Democrats and 28 Republicans voting against it. The bill now goes on to the Senate. Cybersecurity legislation has stalled in the Senate for several years, but Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that he’d like to move forward with consideration this month. If approved there, President Obama has threatened a veto, although the administration has not always followed-through on such threats in the past.

Watch Shelly Palmer’s video report on CISPA.

Jeff McCord shows us a couple of his favorite iPad accessories on this episode of The Moxie Mo Show.

Jeff Explains.

What are the newest and moxiest iPad accessories? Check out the Moxie Mo’s 2 most favorite accessories that will change the way you use your iPad forever. Check out Wacom’s new Bamboo Stylus pen and the Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case!

Wacom’s Bamboo Stylus for the iPad - The Wacom Bamboo Stylus allows you to draw, sketch, take notes, and express yourself creatively on your iPad. With a firm, balanced feel, it offers a comfortable way to take notes in meetings and classroom settings or to sketch out ideas on the go. A slim tip offers exceptional precision for drawing or navigation, and the tip’s special coating ensures a pen-like feel on your tablet’s touchscreen. Wacom offers a free download, the Bamboo Paper App, which works like a virtual notebook on your iPad or home computer. Available in green, black, blue, orange, pink or white. MSRP $29.95.

Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case - With its surprisingly lightweight yet strong, aluminum construction and integrated Apple commands, the Keyboard Buddy Case is designed to be the ideal complement to the new iPad’s on-screen keyboard. The Keyboard Buddy Case syncs up quickly and easily using Bluetooth 2.0 technology, and built-in smart cover technology puts your iPad to sleep when not in use. Additionally, use built in tabs to stand your new iPad up securely in either landscape or portrait mode. It comes equipped with a built in rechargeable lithium polymer battery. One charge lasts 2 1/2 days, so it won’t slow down your iPad. MRSP $89.95. Available for $44.95 at Amazon.

You may have been hearing rumors about this for some time now, but now it’s official. Today Google rolled out “Google Drive” – their entry into the Cloud syncing space.

From the Google Blog:

Today, we’re introducing Google Drive—a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff. Whether you’re working with a friend on a joint research project, planning a wedding with your fiancé or tracking a budget with roommates, you can do it in Drive. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond.

Drive incorporates your Google Docs, it’s searchable, and you can access it from anywhere, with Drive software for Mac or PC and a Drive App for Android (with iOS app to come).

5GB of storage is free and upgrades are available for the following monthly charges.

• 25GB for $2.49
• 100GB for $4.99
• 1TB for $49.99

When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB. We don’t know yet how this effects those who have already purchased more storage for their Gmail.

Here’s a video from Google with more info.

Olivia has everything you need to know to get started with Facebook Timeline on this episode of My Life Scoop.

Timeline offers a platform to tell your life’s story with a whole new kind of profile on Facebook. Here are the basics.

Once Timeline becomes available for your account, it’s visible only to you for the first seven days. You can either take it live immediately or use up to a week to customize it and get it looking just the way you want. You profile image and cover photo can be changed as often as you like. The top of Timeline will include your mini bio and about section, with links to friends, photos, maps, subscribers, likes, notes, subscriptions, music, apps and more.

Your most recent updates and activity will always be at the top of the two column timeline. You can jump to a specific time by choosing a date on the right sidebar.

For each post on your Timeline, you can choose what is highlighted or hidden. The star in the upper right of an update will highlight, the pencil allows you to edit or delete, and determine who to share posts with.

Timeline also allows you to enter life events as well as routine updates. Just click on Life Event and choose the type of event you want to add. Milestone occasions are listed for you to easily find.

Your activity log allows you to see everything you’ve done on facebook since you joined, and you can control what is shared and with whom. You can also hide or delete activities that have already occurred. To fine-tune how all of your content is shared, you can go into Privacy Settings from the upper right of the top navigation bar.

Although the change to Timeline may seem overwhelming at first, it doesn’t take long to setup and adapt so that you can get the most out of your Facebook experience. Remember that what you’ll see on Facebook is what you engage with the most often.

Do you have favorite tips or tricks for using Facebook Timeline? Leave us the deets in a comment.

Jamie has news about the next Halo Trilogy, plus two new Wii U games coming, on today’s episode of Press Pause Daily.

If you’re a fan of Master Chief, mark November 6th down on your calendar. That’s the date that Halo 4 is being released, according to an announcement from Microsoft. 343 Industries is doing the development, taking over from Bungie for the next set in the Halo series, which will be called “The Reclaimer Trilogy.”

Halo 4 begins four years after the end of Halo 3, and it is reportedly being designed as a complete three-part story arc. It’ll have connections to all the other Halo media as well. Master Chief John-117 and Cortana are back, and this time they’re discovering a Forerunner planet. One of the major plot points will be Cortana’s exposure to the Halo.

If you’re a 360 player and Halo fan, you’ll definitely want to check it out.

Also, in some pre-E3 news, Shigeru Miyamoto says Nintendo will be debuting two Wii U games there this year – a new Super Mario game and also a brand new Pikmin game. E3 will be held June 5th through the 7th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.