angry

The App Store is home to countless Angry Birds knockoffs and Fruit Ninja slice-alikes, but rarely has a game so blatantly borrowed from two big hits. Cut the Birds plays exactly like Fruit Ninja, but instead of fileting flying fruit, you're slashing birds--mad-looking birds.

Indeed, there's no mistaking the inspiration for these foul-tempered fowl. Their colors, their shapes, and even their frowny expressions look straight outta Angry Birds. The question is, did developer SolverLabs LLC cross the copyright-infringement line, or does the game constitute a parody?

I'm no lawyer, but to most customer reviewers in the App … Read more

Another step forward in the march toward the Singularity--robots playing Angry Birds.

Our manufactured robotic friends have the unfortunate trait of being classic trend-followers rather than trendmakers. So the fact that robots are now playing Angry Birds must mean--as if there was ever any doubt--that Rovio's signature game is officially a big deal.

Specifically, the Bitbeambot, which looks like something constructed from tinker toys and leftover racks from your local Old Navy, currently holds the No. 1 spot on the "Robots that Play Angry Birds" leaderboard. … Read more

CBS MoneyWatch's Jill Schlesinger helps us understand why Wall Street is disappointed with Apple's fourth-quarter results despite year-over-year growth across its iPhone, iPad, and Mac properties.

We return the favor by telling Jill why she should care about Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich updates, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and why babies under 2 years old shouldn't live in front of digital screens.

Also, stay tuned after the break for news about Sony PlayStation Vita launch delays, and Jeff chimes in with a surprising pitch for the future of portable gaming. Heads up, Sony and Nintendo!… Read more

The PlayStation Vita won't be out for the holidays, Apple stores are closing during a memorial for Steve Jobs, and Android's Ice Cream Sandwich version comes with several new camera features.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Emily is home from Chile, and is welcomed back with an Ice Cream Sandwich rumor, a couple iPad rumors, and the duck timer, which we ignore, as usual.

On last week's show, we bet that the Droid Razr would be announced today and alas, it was! The score is now 3 to 2, which means someone is going to have to do something totally embarrassing in the next couple weeks.

Also this week, we unravel some Ice Cream Sandwich details; Emily gets all riled up about Amazon buying poor Palm; we remind ourselves that Sony Ericsson isn't actually Sony; we discuss the likelihood of an iPad mini and an iPad 3 next year; and we wonder why Angry Birds-maker Rovio would want to go public. Does it have anything to do with the CEO's nickname being "Mighty Eagle"? We hope so. … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Andrew Stalbow of Rovio, after revealing some stats on the success of Angry Birds at the Web 2.0 Summit here, let drop that a new bird is coming in the October update of Angry Bird Seasons.

Stalbow did not say what the bird would be, just that the game has been providing hints to users in recent updates and ancillary products. A slide he displayed of the Mighty Eagle bird showed a small, duckling-like yellow bird in the corner, which may be the new bird. But more on this as it develops.

As for those stats, Stalbow reeled … Read more

Angry Birds maker Rovio could go public next year, according to the company's chief marketing officer and "Mighty Eagle," Peter Vesterbacka.

"We're not ready to file for an IPO tomorrow," Vesterbacka told Bloomberg Television in an interview published today. "Maybe a year from now." He went on to say that his company is valued at around $1 billion, and would likely go public on that valuation if and when it files its papers for an IPO.

Rovio is best known for its Angry Birds mobile game--which Vesterbacka told Bloomberg has seen 400 … Read more

You may have noticed a distinct lack of Angry Birds in your Audubon guide. Fortunately, artist Mohamed Raoof has you covered with a series of naturalized Angry Birds digital portraits.

Some of the feathery subjects look like something you might spot hanging out on the bird feeder in your back yard this winter. So cute.… Read more

A new series of Angry Birds iPhone/iPod/iPad speaker docks is winging its way over from accessories maker Gear4.

The units feature a red Angry Bird ($79.99), an explosive black Angry Bird ($99.99), or an evil helmet-wearing pig ($99.99). Each includes a 2.1 speaker, power adaptor, 3.5 mm line-in cable, and 3.5 mm port. Though Gear4 is hyping the products' release now, they're not available just yet as "coming soon..." is splashed across the Gear4 Web site.

We've already seen Angry Birds plush toys, T-shirts, bras, Halloween costumes, stickers, and amusement park attractions, to name just a handful of tie-ins to the Rovio game.

These new Gear4 speakers might be excellent products, but the onslaught of Angry Birds gear is starting to give the popular game that Disney/Star Wars/Mario Brothers uber-merchandised feel. Kind of makes you wonder how far away Mighty Eagle Condoms might be.… Read more