playing

Update to Google Play Store includes colorful layout

On the evening before the Google I/O keynote address, the Web giant has spruced up its Google Play Store.

Version 4.1.6, which appeared Tuesday night, features colorful home buttons for the store's App, Movies, and Games categories, as well as improved spacing for the "open" and "install" buttons on individual application pages.

The Wishlist feature also sports a card design that displays apps in rows of three from left to right instead of the previous top-to-bottom list view.

Meanwhile, Google Play Services has received new synching options for "App Data" … Read more

BlackBerry CEO likes tablets, just not as they are

ORLANDO, Fla.--OK, so is BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins a fan of tablets, or isn't he?

Heins, who made waves last month when he said he didn't see a place for tablets in five years, made some seemingly contradictory comments on tablets when he spoke on Tuesday during a Q&A session with the media while at the BlackBerry Live conference.

"We believe in a single element of mobile computing: one on your hip," Heins said.

Roughly 15 minutes later, Heins said BlackBerry was looking at the future of tablets and investing R&D … Read more

Analyst: Nintendo sold 55,000 Wii U units in April

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has released his monthly estimates on console sales, and not surprisingly, given recent months, April didn't look too swell for Nintendo and its Wii U.

According to Pachter, who estimates console sales in the U.S. based on retail checks, Nintendo sold just 55,000 Wii U units in April, down 19 percent compared to March. The company's Wii, which has been on store shelves for years, sold 75,000 units in April, according to Pachter.

Microsoft was once again the leader in the console market in April, selling 205,000 Xbox 360 units … Read more

Expect games, social, and Now at Google I/O 2013

"Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?" asks Tom Waits in his song, "Who are you?"

It would be beyond surprising to see Google fling more of its hardware out of low-flying dirigibles, strapped to wingsuits and courageous stuntmen, at this year's Google I/O, which begins on Wednesday.

But make no mistake: Google knows exactly "who" it is, and it's taking the confidence earned from a year of solid hits and few misses, and a strong first quarter of 2013, to define the parameters that it wants other … Read more

Google reportedly readying new Google Play Games platform

Google is apparently beefing up gaming's presence on the Android platform.

The Web giant is pushing out a massive update to make games on the mobile platform more social, according to documents reviewed by the Android Police on Saturday. Tapping the Google+ social network, Google Play Services will sport multiplayer functionality, leaderboards, and cloud syncing, according to the prerelease version (v3.1.36) of the APK.

In addition to streamlining game development, the platform's social sharing capability is expected to make games more viral, perhaps attracting new users who play longer. The new service isn't yet fully … Read more

Dynamic narration makes this action RPG a joy to play

Editors' note: The regular price for this game is $4.99, but it is on sale for a limited time for 99 cents.

Bastion is a faithful iOS port of the award-winning artistic action RPG that first came out for the Xbox 360 in 2011. Now you'll be able to explore the strange world of The Calamity on the go, and solve the mystery of the catastrophe that shattered our world (literally) into pieces.

Enter a broken world You play as the Kid, an adventurer trying to piece the world back together by finding crystal-like "cores" and … Read more

Nook becomes a more tempting tablet

CNET Update gives the Nook a second look:

In this edition of Update:

- The Nook gets more attractive with full access to the Google Play store. (Put a Kindle app on a Nook? Madness!)

- Acer gets creative with its latest Windows 8 laptop, the Acer Aspire R7. (Touchpad above the keyboard? More madness!)

- The first solar-powered aircraft begins its long journey across the U.S.

- Learn to add an event to your Google calendar from inside an e-mail.

- Hotmail users must face the music and move on to Outlook.com.

- Staples puts 3D printing … Read more

Barnes & Noble adds Google Play store to its tablets

Bowing to market pressures and customer demand for access to the full breadth of Android apps, Barnes & Noble has made the bold move of adding the Google Play store to its two latest tablets, the Nook HD and Nook HD+. The free software update, which also includes the Chrome Web browser, doesn't turn the company's tablets into true "open" Android devices, but it does make them much more open than they were. It will be available today to download from bn.com and will be rolled out to devices in the coming days via an … Read more

Angry Birds Friends flocks to iOS and Android

Angry Birds Friends has hatched from Facebook into a full-fledged iOS and Android app.

Available as of Thursday at both Apple's App Store and Google Play, the free game offers a socially-network twist. You compete against your Facebook friends as you try to take down those bad piggies.

All the points you rack up by slinging those angry birds are compared with those of your Facebook friends to see who emerges the winner.

Angry Birds Friends offers new tournaments each Monday promising new challenges, daily rewards, and a chance to take home the gold trophy.

Your tournament gameplay automatically … Read more

BlackBerry CEO says tablets will be useless in five years

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins is not a fan of tablets.

Heins questioned the need for the mobile devices in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday.

"In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," he said to Bloomberg.

Those are bold words for BlackBerry, which, of course, has had a checkered history with its sole attempt at a tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook. The PlayBook, which was a massive flop when it debuted without core BlackBerry e-mail and messaging apps, is now considered more of a bargain-bin item.

Still, there are … Read more