angry birds

At last! Angry Birds and CERN to create board game

I think I have found a solution for Zynga.

The company needs to get together with the United Nations peacekeeping forces around the world and create a board game in which people get killed, but not really.

How is it that I have had this quite brilliant notion?

Well, I have been stimulated by the news that Rovio, they who have enriched so many lives with Angry Birds, have got together with CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research, landlord for the Large Hadron Collider) to create new and amusing experiences to exercise young minds.

These will be under a … Read more

Angry Birds app infiltrated by Bad Piggies

Watch out Angry Birds. Those Bad Piggies are hogging in on your territory.

Yesterday's update to the one and only original Angry Birds game for iOS and Android finds the piggies snorting it up in 15 of their own "pig-themed" levels.

Borrowing from the Bad Piggies game released a couple of weeks ago, the new levels prompt you to build various contraptions to coax the pigs along from start to finish.

The game's Surf and Turf level has also been spruced up with 15 new levels, each with the usual arsenal of sling scopes, king slings, … Read more

SpaceX rocket engine shut down at launch

Monday's CNET Update finds a few problems:

Although it appeared to be a flawless launch, there was a problem with one of the engines of the SpaceX Falcon 9. About a minute after takeoff, one of the engines detected a drop in pressure and shut down. Video posted on YouTube shows debris falling off in what some have called an explosion. SpaceX said the engine did not explode, but rather the protective fairing for the engine ruptured due to the pressure change. The other engines compensated for the failed engine, as was designed to happen if there was a … Read more

Angry Birds Star Wars to reach our galaxy on November 8

Those Angry Birds will soon be facing the dark side of the Force in the next installment of the popular game series.

Scheduled for download on November 8, the new game for iOS, Android, and computers will see the birds square off against the pigs but in the familiar "Star Wars" galaxy.

In Angry Birds Star Wars, the birds will take on the personalities of the intrepid heroes, with the red bird assuming the lead role as Luke Skywalker. The evil piggies will be playing for the dark side of the force, taking on the roles of Darth … Read more

Is the Xperia TL worthy of James Bond?

Friday's CNET Update is highly classified:

In today's tech news roundup, we're trying to not feel overwhelmed with the number of smartphone choices at AT&T this holiday season. AT&T showcased its upcoming gadgets at a New York event Thursday night, which included Sony's Xperia TL. You'll find the Xperia on the big screen this November in "Skyfall." Other high-end phones to keep an eye on include the HTC One X+, the LG Optimus G, and the Nokia Lumia 920. If you're looking for something with trendy features (like … Read more

Star Wars, Angry Birds mash-up? Yes, please

A mash-up between "Star Wars" and Angry Birds may be coming soon.

Rovio, owner of the popular Angry Birds franchise, today updated its Tumblr blog with an animated image of a something -- presumably a very Angry Bird -- wearing a Jedi robe and holding a lightsaber.

The post says the company will have "behind-the-scenes content, animations, comics, and much, much more" on the page over the next few weeks.

Rovio didn't provide many details, besides hinting at something happening in New York's Times Square at 10 a.m. ET on October 8. The … Read more

Why Apple dumped Google Maps

Thursday's CNET Update hit a fork in the road:

You've seen the mockery over Apple's new map app and how it will sometimes give users wrong information. But a report from All Things Digital is shedding some light on why Apple cut off Google, even if Apple's maps were not perfected. In short, it comes down to voice navigation, which has been included on Android phones for years. Apple wanted it, and Google wanted to keep that perk for Android. Google may have been open to negotiating (it wanted Google branding on the app) but Apple … Read more

Angry Birds sequel Bad Piggies hogs top spot among iOS apps

Those Bad Piggies may not be so bad if they can soar to the top of the iOS charts in just a few hours.

Released from its pen earlier today for iOS and Android, the Angry Birds sequel is the most-downloaded paid app among both iPhone and iPad users.

A brand-new game rarely hits the top spot in Apple's App Store so quickly. But being the latest installment in the hot Angry Birds lineup gives Bad Piggies a strong leg (or hoof) up. Game maker Rovio has gotten a lot of mileage out of Angry Birds, but the company … Read more

Apple user data uncovered by hackers

Tuesday's tech news roundup is cracking the code:

Members of the hacker activist movement AntiSec claim they accessed an FBI agent's laptop and found the unique device identification numbers for 12 million Apple iOS devices. The group posted one million of these ID numbers online. Hackers criticized the data that these UUID numbers can reveal about a user, and called into question what the data could be used for.

These UUIDs are not the same as Apple ID email and passwords used to log into iTunes accounts. Rather, these are unique serial numbers for every Apple device, and … Read more

'Something Pig is coming' in next Angry Birds game

A new variation of Angry Birds teased by game maker Rovio could find you on the side of the pigs.

A lone red Angry Bird nestled on Rovio's Bad Piggies Web site is innocently minding his own business. But click on that bird, and a torrent of pigges rain down upon him until he's flooded by his green attackers.

Beyond the tagline: "Something PIG is coming," Rovio offers no further clues on the upcoming game. But the video suggests a reverse spin on the familiar concept in which you would instead join forces with the pigs … Read more