Download Squad

If you've been a Download Squad reader for a while, you've probably heard about the 3-D molecular puzzle game, Minim. I reviewed it back in May, and Jason reviewed it again in July (oops!). However, I've got my hands on the iPhone version now, and it's worlds better than the Flash one we played before.

The object of Minim is to match up various numbered molecules until you clear the board. When you combine two of the same number, they form a single molecule that's one number greater. Eventually, you'll wind up with just one left, and you've won the level. The thing is, Minim is a lot more fun when you can use the iPhone's gestures to rotate the game board to see what you're working with. Using the mouse in the web version was fine, but the sense of manipulating the puzzle with your fingers adds an extra element of awesome. Check out the trailer after the jump to see how it works.

Minim isn't fast-paced (although you do get time bonuses for quickly solving puzzles), so it's ideal for mobile play on the bus, in the subway, or at your desk. It's cool, we won't tell your boss. The game comes with 50 basic levels, and there appear to be another 40 mystery levels, if you make it that far. For 2 bucks, you're getting your money's worth if you're a puzzle fan.

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"Bring out the GIMP."

"GIMP's sleeping."

"On second thought, let him sleep. We're not gonna be using him anymore anyway."

You heard Zed and Maynard right. It looks as though Canonical's plans for Lucid Lynx don't include the OSS Photoshop alternative.

Prevailing sentiment seems to be that the GIMP is is considered to be a 'professional' application and not necessary for the average user. OS X and Windows systems don't ship with Photoshop, so Ubuntu doesn't really need to provide that level of functionality out-of-the-box. Basic editing duties will likely be handed off to F-Spot, which also includes album management.

GIMP's interface complexity was also considered a strike against it. Ultimately, Canonical is striving for a default set of apps that are simple and straightforward enough for average users. After all, power users can still head to Synaptic or run apt-get from a terminal window to install anything they need.

[via OMG Ubuntu]

Google is holding a press event to talk about the upcoming Google Chrome Operating System. The company is not ready to release the OS yet, and won't actually have a finished product ready for another year. But Google announced that starting today the project is open source, which means that you can download the source code today.

So what exactly is Chrome OS? It's an operating system based on a web browser called... Google Chrome. The idea is that you won't have to (or be able to) install a single application directly on your PC. Rather, all of your apps will be run from the web and all of your data will be stored in the cloud.

That doesn't mean the computer won't be able to play games or interact with USB peripherals. For instance, Google demonstrated that you can plug in a camera and watch videos using a web-based video player or copy files to cloud-based storage. And because Google has been working to give web apps access to your PC's hardware, even video games with 3D graphics should be possible as long as you have a video card that's supported by ChromeOS.

The version of ChromeOS that Google demonstrated today is still a work in progress, and we were told that the user interface could change significantly before the final product is released. But the OS already boots in just 7 seconds, and Google says it takes another 3 seconds to launch applications.

The screenshot above shows an app menu that you can use to launch some web apps. You can create permanent shortcuts to these programs by "pinning" them to the ChromeOS toolbar. See those tiny tabs at the top? Those are pinned tabs.

There will also be persistent "panels" that pop up and stay on top even when you flip between browser tabs. For instance you can bring up a Google Talk panel, a music player, or a notepad.

ChromeOS will be automatically updated each day by connecting to the web and making sure that you have all the latest updates.

What do you think? Are you ready for an OS that's effectively useless without an internet connection? While the operating system stores some data on a local storage partition, Google says it's basically just a user cache area and that data will all be synced with the web. That means if you lose your netbook or buy a new one, you should be able to pick up where you left off without missing a beat.

Stay tuned for details. The news conference is still underway. In the meantime, you can check out a few more photos after the break.

Update: You will be able to perform some tasks while offline. For instance, you can cache movies, music, or eBooks and access them while you're on a plane. But the OS is primarily designed for interacting with web services.

Update 2: If you have absolutely no intention of picking up a machine with Google Chrome OS, there's good news: All of the new features that show up in Chrome OS will be able to work with the Google Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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We've just been tipped off that 1080p or 'the highest-quality HDTV standard' has begun to appear on YouTube.

So far there doesn't seem to be a way to search for the high-high definition videos, and the only example I have is a Nokia video of some poor, disadvantaged Indonesian farmer -- but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before YouTube/Google officially announce the changes to their video player.

In the meantime, if you find any videos that have been enabled for 1080p playback, share them in the comments!

The Nokia video is included after the break, if you want to see what the quality looks like.

[thanks to Revo for the tip!]

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Often lauded as the 'CCTV state' and 'the most surveilled country in the world', the UK may soon deliver a killing blow to the Internet as we know it. Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing is reporting some leaked legislation from the UK government that would remove any kind of freedom or privacy that the Internet grants its users.

The proposed amendments to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act would allow the Secretary of State (or 'Pirate-Finder General') to alter the law on an ad-hoc basis without approval by Parliament (the UK's Senate).

Cory goes on to site the potential repercussions of these proposed changes:

1. Immediate remedies for copyright infringement -- jail sentences and removal of Internet access can be meted out purely at the discretion of an unelected official (that is most likely under the sway and pay of media lobby groups).

2. The raising of pirate-hunting militia -- the Secretary of State could "confer rights" to music labels and movie studios to help them protect their works. It would be within the rights of the copyright owners to compel ISPs, schools and businesses to hand over details of those using their network for 'nefarious' purposes.

3. Pirate-hunting duties could be forced upon ISPs -- not merely content with perusing ISP records, the Secretary of State could force ISPs to act as gatekeepers. You can imagine how it might impact your surfing experience if a copyright lawyer is forced to peruse each and every one of your emails to check for plagiarism...

Cory goes on to cite other implications, but you should probably just go and read the article itself. And as he says, if you're a Brit, or even if you know a Brit -- this is serious news. You can't really expect something like this to make it through government... but really... who knows?

[via Boing Boing]