Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter

In most games, dying is a bad thing. You have to start all over again, or at least revert to the last save point and lose some progress. Not so in Survival Lab: in this pixelated gem you play as a lone individual pitted against ruthless weapons in a sealed chamber. You have to run, jump and duck, collecting little yellow things (I have no idea what they're called).

For each donut-like yellow thing you pick up, you gain a bit of experience. If you manage to collect several in a row without getting hit, this counts as a combo. You can see my mad combo skills in the screenshot, of course. Collecting combos is a good thing, because a ten-point combo gives you for more experience than just collecting ten dounts one by one (getting hit in-between).

Having experience is useful, because once you die, you get to a screen where you can upgrade your skills. You can learn to run faster, double-jump (and then double-jump higher), and duck. You can also gain more armour so that getting hit won't kill you so quickly.

What makes this simple game so addictive is that when you die, your experience doesn't reset. You just go back to the same level, or another level of your choosing, and keep accumulating more and more experience. Lots of fun, especially if you're into the whole retro-gaming thing.

Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game

In BattlePaint, you play a cube. In fact, you're not even a cube -- just a square. But boy, are you fast! And you can shoot in all directions. That's important, because there are baddies coming in from all over the place.

The "baddies" are swarms of other squares, in all sorts of pretty colors. They track you all over the screen, and you run around very quickly and just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. If that doesn't sound very emotionally deep, it's because it isn't. But it's fun!

After you shoot a baddy, it splashes paint as it disappears. You need to skate across this blob of paint and "eat it up" to get points. This game is fast. It clocked in at around 60-70 FPS on my system, and was loads of fun to play. It does tend to insult you when you die, though, but don't be offended -- I don't think it's personal.

BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LimeWire shutdown leads to massive drop in music piracy

LimeWire might not have been the downloading program of choice for elite users like those of you reading Download Squad right now, but there's no denying its popularity with the average user. So when the Gnutella-powered LimeWire was shut down once and for all, there was little doubt that the impact on music piracy would be significant.

As TorrentFreak reports, the number of users utilizing P2P applications in the U.S. has nosedived -- to a level 43% lower than this time last year. Based on previous numbers, that works out to about 12 million fewer downloaders. The findings are based on a survey conducted by NPD.

What's particularly interesting is that while there are still plenty of LimeWire alternatives, it looks like most users have simply given up on music downloading -- or at least that's what they're telling survey reps on the telephone...

LimeWire shutdown leads to massive drop in music piracy originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire Web browser for iOS goes multiligual, adds related sites feature

Skyfire, the popular Flash-video-playing Web browser for iOS and Android, has released a new version for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. The update includes a handful of important changes, including seven new localizations: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

There's also an improved support process for when you need to submit feedback or bug reports to Skyfire's team of developers. User agent switching has been enhanced as well, allowing you to choose among desktop, iPad, and iPhone views of the websites you browse. Skyfire has added a 'related sites' feature, bringing a nice discovery element to the app, too.

You can find the new version of Skyfire in the App Store -- existing users can simply check for updates, of course.

Skyfire Web browser for iOS goes multiligual, adds related sites feature originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutomateIt is a light-weight and free Tasker clone for Android

AutomateIt, as the name so handily implies, is an automation app for Android. The basic premise is that you have events, such as receiving an SMS or a certain time of day, which are triggers. These triggers then fire off one or more actions, which can start applications, set your phone's volume, and so on.

AutomateIt is, basically, a free version of Tasker, but with a much-reduced set of triggers and actions. For all but the most advanced users, however, AutomateIt will be just fine. There are triggers for various battery levels (you might want to shut off Wi-Fi only when you get below 25% battery), or you can have it track your location with GPS and start an application when you leave your home/office.

To download AutomateIt, and to see complete list of triggers and actions, head over to AutomateIt on the Android Market. There's a QR code after the break.

Continue reading AutomateIt is a light-weight and free Tasker clone for Android

AutomateIt is a light-weight and free Tasker clone for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charge Your iPad 2 Battery While On The Go

If you travel frequently with your iPad 2 then you know how important battery life on the go can be. That’s why you need one of Griffen Technology’s PowerJolt car chargers for your iPad 2. PowerJolt Car Charger for iPad 2 Even though Apple’s iPad 2 has a longer lasting battery the device still needs [...]

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Daily Tip: How to track your data usage

Have you ever wanted to know how to track how much data your iPhone or iPad are using? If you’re on a capped plan, you probably should, especially now that there have been accusations AT&T have been fudging data numbers. There are a few different ways in which you can track how much data [...]

Daily Tip: How to track your data usage is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Microsoft buys 666,624 IPv4 addresses from Nortel for $7.5 million

In times of a shortage, people tend to stockpile certain things. And with the looming exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, it's really no surprise that Microsoft jumped all over Nortel's stash of nearly 700,000 addresses when they became available for purchase. Nortel, of course, has been selling off what assets it can as the company battles through bankruptcy proceedings.

Microsoft ponied up $7.5 million for the Nortel pool, which works out to just over $11 per IP address. There were reportedly 13 other interested buyers, but only Microsoft and three others actually submitted bids.

With the last block of IPv4 addresses already issued, snatching up 2/3 of a million in one fell swoop is a smart move by Microsoft, and we're sure they have plans for the IPs. As far as what those plans actually are, we'll just have to wait and see -- though something cloud-based seems like a safe bet.

Microsoft buys 666,624 IPv4 addresses from Nortel for $7.5 million originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crackle starts streaming all of its free movies to Roku, PS3, Sony TVs and Blu-ray players

Sony's Crackle has had a more successful life so far than its previous iteration as Grouper, streaming movies, TV shows and shorts to various devices since launching back in '07 and announced today its full library will be streaming to the PS3, Roku boxes, Sony Blu-ray players and Bravia TVs. Expanding full access from just the Google TV (there's also an Android app that currently streams some of the items) it's taking credit as the only provider offering free full length flicks including Ghostbusters, Bad Boys, A Few Good Men and more for free on these platforms. The drawbacks are video that tops out at 480p standard definition and Hulu-style commercial interruptions but if you absolutely must watch Weekend at Bernies II without spending any money it is an option -- at least, as long as the PS3 browser doesn't crash with an out of memory error like it did for us. It did work better on more capable platforms, so check out the full details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Crackle starts streaming all of its free movies to Roku, PS3, Sony TVs and Blu-ray players

Crackle starts streaming all of its free movies to Roku, PS3, Sony TVs and Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay

If you play Scrabble (or a scrabble-like game) from time to time, you may want to check out Scrabble Helper. This simple website is a godsend when you're at a loss for words. Simply enter whatever letters you have, and the word you'd like to connect with. Scrabble helper comes up with a whole bunch of suggestions sorted by score.

The site lets you select one of five dictionaries - Scrabble International/US, Lexulous International/US, and Words With Friends. Some people might say this constitutes cheating -- I think if the other side knows you're doing it, it's definitely not cheating. And it doesn't take the challenge out of the game, because implementing Scrabble Helper's suggestions and deciding which words you'd like to connect with still takes a fair bit of thought.

Very handy, though perhaps not one for the Scrabble puritans in the crowd.

Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An Explanation of That Time Warner Cable Bill [Humor]

The New Yorker has sunk its erudite claws into the mysteries of a Time Warner Cable bill. So just what are those line items you never bother looking at? More »

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Are you concerned about your headphone jack?

Yeah, me neither… But I’m sure that some of you out there are worried about dust, dirt or liquids invading the headphone jack of your phone or other device. The iCatchi is $6.95 accessory that plugs into the jack when you don’t have your headphones plugged in. It protects the jack from all sorts of [...]

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How Aol Spends Its Money: Episode 40,000 ? The Great Scratch Card Hoax

One of the great things about working for Aol is the company's dedication to making its 5,860 5000 remaining employees happy and motivated. Only this morning, for example, a package arrived at TCHQ packed full of materials promoting Aol's "4th Canvas Collection Unveiling" -- an initiative where upcoming artists are commission to produce art to promote the Aol "brand". Sounds awesome, right? Right. But it gets better: also included in the package were scratch cards, allowing we loyal Aol foot-soldiers the chance to (quote) "WIN A LIMITED EDITION SIGNED ARTIST PRINT FROM THE NEW COLLECTION!" Surely even a cynic like me could get on board with that, right? RIGHT! I grabbed my Aol hat, raced to a browser window and... well... video below...

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AVG Mobilation for Android tablets is a full-featured security suite

AVG has been offering a pair of Android security applications for a while, and both the free and paid versions of its app have proved to be extremely popular with Android users. Now the company has launched a tablet-specific version as well.

Called AVG Mobilation for Android, the new app offers protection from malware, and a handful of other useful functions. Mobilation also provides a backup system which can secure your contacts, call logs, bookmarks, apps, and SMS messages. There's an App Locker, which allows you to password protect any app you've got installed on your Android device, and as if that wasn't enough, AVG has also built spam blocking and and task killing functionality into Mobilation.

Free and Pro versions of AVG Mobilation for Android tablets are due soon, but pricing and dates have yet to be confirmed.

AVG Mobilation for Android tablets is a full-featured security suite originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS adds $4 in-app purchase for noise reduction, self timer

For the grand old fee of $3.99 you can now have access to two very alluring photographic features on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad 2: noise reduction for your low-light shots, and a self timer so that you can be in your own photos!

These new features are available as an in-app purchase for the excellent (and free) Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS. $3.99 seems a little bit expensive, but there's no denying that noise reduction and a timer are incredibly useful features. Judging by the sample screenshots, the noise reduction algorithm is rather excellent, too.

We can't get our head around one problem with the self timer, though. How do you set up an iPhone to take a photo of yourself? Can you prop it up against some books? It's not like there are many vertical planes to rest your camera against in real life -- and you're not going to leave your iPhone unattended in a public place while you pose for a photo.

iPhone photographers, if you can think of a good use for the self timer, leave a comment!

Download Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS from the App Store

Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS adds $4 in-app purchase for noise reduction, self timer originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily Crunch: Augmented Reality Edition

Cute Pixelated Camera Decals For Your Wallz Your Daily Well-Designed Ceramic Stove Internet Explorer 9 Officially Released (Just Not For XP Users) Yeah, I Could Rock That: AMD?s 5�1 Eyefinity Setup Looks Sick Tech Companies Come Out In Force For Japan Relief

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Quadrotor Drones Can Juggle Balls with Each Other [Video]

We've already seen the murderous quadrotor drone juggle a ball with itself but that was just child's play! In this video, the quadrocopter plays a bit of catch with a human target and even bats the ball to and fro with another quadrotor drone. They keep the ball up in the air for quite a long time too. [Robots.net] More »

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Netflix Canada announces new bandwidth management settings for capped users

The second bit of news for Canadian Netflixers in less than 24 hours deals with the other pressing issue facing the service in the Great White North: bandwidth caps. While they exist in the U.S., many Canadian ISPs have set the max amount of data allowed at much lower levels and they may cut further if a recent CRTC decision on usage-based billing stands. In response, starting today Netflix.ca accounts all have a new Manage Video Quality setting that lets users select Good / Better / Best bitrates as defaults for their video streams. According to CPO Neil Hunt's blog post, previously watching 30 hours of Netflix would typically consume up to 30GB of data, while now it can be as low as 9GB under the "Good" setting. Of course, dropping bitrate means lowering picture quality accordingly, despite promises that "the experience continues to be great." Even with HD and 5.1 audio available, PQ probably isn't your highest priority if you've turned to streaming, but it remains to be seen if customers find the compromise suitable, and whether a similar option comes to U.S. users facing similarly limited connections.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Netflix Canada announces new bandwidth management settings for capped users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pediatricians Will Ask Kids about Facebook to Gauge Depression [Facebook]

Hello there, lad. Breathe in. Breathe out. Good! Now I'm going to take your temperature. Looks fine. Would you mind stepping on the scale? Hm. Okay, now how many Facebook friends do you have? Oh. Hm. I see. More »

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Useful keyboard shortcuts for Twitter.com

When Twitter.com unveiled its recent overhaul at the end of 2010, one of the least-discussed features was the addition of some excellent keyboard shortcuts.

Some keyboard shortcuts only work from some pages, but we'll mark those where appropriate.

• n -- post a new status update (works from any page)
• r -- reply to your selected tweet
• t -- retweet (only works on Twitter profiles other than your own)
• m -- direct message (but it doesn't auto-fill the recipient)
• / -- move the cursor to the search box
• . -- move back to the top of the page, and check feed for updates
• g then h -- go to your home page (twitter.com)
• g then r -- see your @ mentions
• g then m -- see your direct messages
• g then p -- go to your profile page (twitter.com/username)
• g then u -- go to a specific user's profile page (it pops up a dialog box)

For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, type ?.

Now, if you don't use Twitter.com (which is about 65% of Twitter's users), these keyboard shortcuts probably won't work. Every installed Twitter client has different keyboard shortcuts (and some don't have any at all). If you want to lessen your mouse hand dependency, your best bet is to simply head to Google and type the name of your client + "keyboard shortcuts".

For more tech tips, check our tips index.

Useful keyboard shortcuts for Twitter.com originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game

Sticks is another one of those rare games where the intro is actually worth watching. It introduces you to office worker Bob, who is basically a wage slave fantasizing about a better existence.

Then, on his way back home from another grueling day at the office, he passes a huge sign which says "Sticks." This is where the game starts.

Each level has a number of coins hovering in mid-air, and your goal is to place sticks that lead those coins to Bob -- but you only have a limited amount of wood to play with. As soon as you're done placing your sticks strategically, hit the big Play button and let nature, or rather gravity, run its course. The coins will drop down, and if you place your sticks correctly, they will roll all the way to Bob.

The soundtrack is soothing and playful, and didn't get on my nerves even after playing for quite a while. All in all, a very cute game, especially for a day at the office.

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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