birds

The 404 1,069: Where we say goodnight to the bad guy (podcast)

The dating Web site eHarmony got hit by the same group that released a list of LinkedIn member passwords yesterday, so be sure to change your passwords for both if you have accounts.

Buzzfeed also parsed through the list of leaked passwords to reveal some pretty depressing sentiments from employees. While many accounts used overly simplistic passwords like "LinkedIn" or "password1," some of the more disturbing pass phrases include things like "suicide," "solonely," "iwishiwasdead," and "divorce." They're still not very strong in terms of security, so be sure to add a special character or a number during the bleak changeover.… Read more

That didn't take long: Angry Birds Space hits 100 million downloads

Angry Birds Space has reached another important milestone.

Rovio announced on its Twitter feed today that the game has been downloaded 100 million times since its launch in March. The news comes just over a month after Rovio announced that the title had hit 50 million downloads in its first 35 days of availability.

Back in April, Rovio said that Angry Birds space has become the "fastest-growing mobile game" ever released and had beat out all previous installments in the Angry Birds franchise. It appears, based on the span of time between announcements, that Rovio's game has … Read more

Firefox's lucky 13 finally sees 'Speed Dial'

The bottom line: Firefox 13 is a worthy expression of Mozilla's ideals. The browser is competitively fast, sports a new minimalist look, and includes some excellently executed features. Unfortunately, that describes most of Firefox's competition, too.

Please note that the First Look video below is still applicable to Firefox 13, as is this Firefox How To collection, even though it features Firefox 4.

Review: For those of you who spent last year away from the Internet, it's the year that Firefox went from annual major-point updates to a Chrome-style quick-release cycle. How quick? A new major version … Read more

Firefox's lucky 13 finally sees 'Speed Dial'

Please note that the First Look video below is still applicable to Firefox 13, as is this Firefox How To collection, even though it features Firefox 4.

Firefox's lucky 13 finally sees 'Speed Dial'

Please note that the First Look video below is still applicable to Firefox 13, as is this Firefox How To collection, even though it features Firefox 4.

New Angry Birds Space episode leads to Utopia

Those Angry Birds in space are still making me angry, only now they've added a new episode to thwart me even further.

The latest update to Angry Birds Space for iOS launches a new episode into orbit, this one dubbed Utopia. Unfortunately, I haven't progressed past the initial Pig Pang, so Utopia and all the episodes leading up to it remain locked to me. (Anyone know a good unlock code?)

Rovio describes Utopia as a delicious food planet with 10 new levels complete with popcorn, cookies, and candy apples to tempt the hungry pigs. Players can "bounce … Read more

Nokia Lumia 610 can't install Angry Birds, Skype, and more

Nokia and Microsoft have run into problems with the new Nokia Lumia 610. While trying to avoid the fragmentation issues faced by Android, Windows Phone has properly shot itself in the foot -- with a catapult and an Angry Bird.

The budget Lumia 610 is the first phone powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone software to arrive with just 256MB of RAM -- and it turns out many Windows Phone apps just won't work on the phone. That includes Angry Birds, the smash-hit game from Nokia's fellow Finns Rovio, and even worse, Skype, which is owned by Microsoft. As snafus go, this one is pretty delicious.

Read more of "Nokia Lumia 610 can't install Angry Birds, Skype and more" at Crave UK. … Read more

A new polish for Chromebook and Chromebox

In today's show, we test Google's new operating system, chirp goodbye to Nextel, and pay our Russian bills with green pigs:

The reviews are out for Samsung's new Chromebook and Chromebox, running on the newly updated Chrome OS. And the bottom line is that it's better than the last version, but still not all that impressive. (Especially since the Chromebook has limited capabilities and costs more than a tablet.)

The Nextel network will officially be killed-off in June of 2013, and Sprint is pushing Nextel customers to use Sprint Direct Connect devices.

There's a new … Read more

Pay $2 to promote your Facebook status?

In today's show, we're buying status updates, finding a new route and building a new game addiction:

Would you pay $2 to get your Facebook status message seen by more people? It's something Facebook is testing in New Zealand. (And tell me your two-cents on the issue via Tout!)

The Foxconn factory for Apple products is preparing to build the much anticipated Apple television set. The chief at the Foxconn spilled the beans in a news conference.

According to 9to5Mac, the next version of iOS will not include Google Maps. Rather, it will have Apple's own mapping software. … Read more

Angry Birds maker to launch new title: Amazing Alex

Rovio is preparing to launch a new game to follow its wildly popular Angry Birds franchise.

The company's CEO, Mikael Hed, said in an interview today with Finland's YLE breakfast television show that Rovio will be launching Amazing Alex in two months. The game will feature an educational element as players control a young boy named Alex who enjoys building things.

That word from Rovio comes after the company acquired the intellectual property rights to Casey's Contraptions, a title developed by Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut. When users surf to the Casey's Contraption Web site now, … Read more