Space X passes major test of rocket technology

Elon Musk's Space X has successfully launched a commercial telecom satellite



via PCWorld http://www.techhive.com/article/2068840/space-x-passes-major-test-of-rocket-technology.html#tk.rss_all

Join Santa and his elves in the countdown to Christmas Eve

After 11 months soaking up the sun in the tropics, Santa and his elves are back at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas Eve. In addition to making toys, they need to clear the snow off 23 elf homes, candy factories and command centers in Santa’s Village.

Santa's jet-skiing all the way to the North Pole from his tropical vacation

To join in the flurry of preparations for Christmas Eve, visit the Village every day through December 24. You'll have the chance to join the elves as they catapult presents and race with reindeer—and you'll be able to send holiday wishes to friends and family from Santa himself. The elves make a little more progress each day, so be sure to stop by the Village to see the latest.

Come back to Santa's Village every day to see the newest games and scenes

Meanwhile, a team of Google engineers are working hard to track Santa’s sleigh with the most advanced maps and holiday technology available. On December 24, grab some cookies and apple cider and settle down in front of your computer, phone or TV to follow the big guy across the globe with our Santa Tracker. See where Santa’s going, the number of presents he’s delivered, and what he’s thinking throughout the evening.



Keep up the holiday cheer across all of your screens. Once the elves approve, we’ll launch the Google Santa Tracker app for Android in mid-December. Use your phone for on-the-go flight practice with the elves or cozy up near the fireplace with your tablet to follow Santa around the world as he delivers presents Christmas Eve. If you have Chromecast, cast from the Santa Tracker Android app to explore the Village or track his route right from your TV. Or, worried you’ll forget the big day? Download the Chrome extension to count down to Santa’s takeoff while browsing the web for holiday gifts.

Help the elves get ready across all your devices

Download the Chrome extension for easy Santa tracking from your browser

Be sure to come back to Santa’s Village each day to find new ways to celebrate—and from all of us at Google, happy holidays!



Posted by Sandy Russell, Elf Creative Director



(Cross-posted from the Lat Long Blog)



via The Official Google Blog http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/join-santa-and-his-elves-in-countdown.html

Here's why Amazon drones may never land at your door

China issues 4G TD-LTE licenses, paving the way for more iPhone sales

WinSCP 5.1.8

WinSCP is an open source free SFTP client and FTP client for Windows. Legacy SCP protocol is also supported. Its main function is safe copying of files between a local and a remote computer.

via FileHippo.com http://filehippo.com/download_winscp/ [[ We are also giving web service. Email:wasim.akh2@gmail.com]]

Angry Birds Go! Angers Players With Exorbitant In-App Purchases

Have you had enough of Angry Birds yet? I am one of the countless who fell for it hook, line, and sinker – and more, if possible – but by the time Angry Birds Space came around, I was rather sick of it. It seems, however, that Rovio is not about to let go of its hit franchise and is instead entering the Department of Milking It. Come December 11, remaining fans of the franchise can spend the holiday break playing Angry Birds Go!, a kart racing version of the game.

In spite of my rather skeptical intro, I have to be honest and say that the idea of a kart racing game bolstered by the Angry Birds concept is not all that undesirable. If it’s anywhere close to the experience that Mario Kart offers, then I am willing to give anything a try! There’s also the fact that Rovio has been quite good at spinning the free-to-play model and still making money out of it.

So far, so good, yes?

Here’s the not-so-good part: gamers find Angry Birds Go! “finding it positively stuffed with in-app purchases.”

New Zealanders are already “enjoying” the game, earlier than the official release in other parts of the world. And those gamers have been reporting that the in-app purchases are just way too much. For some, there is an inherent resistance to in-app purchases, but I think it’s safe to say that more and more people are welcoming them. That is, if the price is right.

With Angry Birds Go!, however, you can expect to pay as much as $99.99 for a fully upgraded kart – which you may very well need at some point! Still, there are many other in-app purchases such as gems and upgrades which won’t take such a huge chunk out of your credits. You will also have to exercise patience when your birds need to re-energize (if you don’t want to spend money).

Here’s a little teaser to get you excited in spite of the negative vibe coming from those who have played the game.

[Image via 100extensionsforgames]

The post Angry Birds Go! Angers Players With Exorbitant In-App Purchases appeared first on TechBeat.

via TechBeat http://techbeat.com/2013/12/angry-birds-go-angers-players-exorbitant-app-purchases/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=angry-birds-go-angers-players-exorbitant-app-purchases

Sanebox review: Recover your email sanity