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Buzz Out Loud 1496: Goodbye to the Winklevii (Podcast)

On today's show, why horny Amish guys shouldn't sext while driving their horse and buggies and why somewhere in the world, Martin Short is currently clenching his butt cheeks. Yep, it's a Donald Bell show. Also, ISPs are adopting graduated responses to piracy and Apple gets a patent that may or may not be broad depending on how you define "N."

PopCap Games snares a mystery buyer?

PopCap Games, the company behind the hit titles Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, is reportedly in the process of being acquired for more than $1 billion.

Multiple sources tell TechCrunch that the company is definitely in play. Just one problem--the sources don't know who the buyer is.

The blog reported that game giant Zynga took a look at PopCap, but suggested that with an estimated annual revenue range of $100 million to $150 million and a price of more than $1 billion, the premium might have been too high.

EA's name has also come up, though for a … Read more

Free Amazon app of the day, June 21

You bought it from the games marketplace on the Xbox 360. You've played the demos and flash versions of it on the PC. Now, you can it get for free on your Android smartphone or tablet. The last of three PopCap exclusives to be released in Amazon's Appstore for Android is none other than Peggle, and it's the free app of the day.

A couple of things before downloading: As with all three PopCap exclusives, Peggle is a Wi-Fi-only download and the file size is approximately 75MB. Once installed, just move it over to your phone's SD card, and the internal file size gets considerably smaller (just mere kilobytes).

Some of what you can look forward to are: 55 standard levels and 75 grand master challenges; Adventure, Quick Play, Challenge, and Duel modes; the ability to replay your memorable moments; and new tricks, like Off the Wall, Double Long Shot, and Extreme Slides, earn you more bonus points.

Suffice it to say that it will work on the majority of Android phones to date. The app is supposedly not optimized for tablets--pixelation may occur--but if you have one, try anyway. It's free!

If you find yourself having a problem with downloading the game directly through your smartphone or tablet, here is a workaround:

Go to Amazon's site and log in to your account. Hover to Amazon for Android tab on the sidebar to the left. Click Apps. Click on the image of the app of the day (which takes you to the page) and on the right side you'll see a Get now with one-click button. It may warn that you're buying an app that may be incompatible with your device. Just click OK (and buy). It'll start to download in your account on the PC. Once it's done downloading, you can then install through the Amazon Appstore on your phone.… Read more

Free Amazon App of the Day--5/31/11

You've been waiting for it for a long time. We told you it was coming. It's been available on the iPhone forever. Well, it's finally here. The second of three PopCap exclusives to be released on Amazon's Appstore for Android is none other than Plants vs. Zombies, and it's the free app of the day.

Frankly, there's really no need to tell you how the game works (I think we've all played it at least once), but I will tell you a few things before downloading. First, as with all three PopCap exclusives, Plants vs. Zombies is a Wi-Fi-only download. Second, the file size is approximately 75MB.

Lastly, despite the small number of Android phones in the compatibility list on Amazon's site, we can verify that it also works on the HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Droid Incredible, and the HTC EVO (which are not listed).

Suffice it to say that it will work on the majority of Android phones to date. The app is supposedly not optimized for tablets--pixelation may occur--but if you have one, screw it; try anyway. … Read more

Caps Lock detector

You're sure you've entered the correct password, yet you can't log on. Turns out, the Caps Lock was on; you just didn't notice the tiny LED or whatever is supposed to alert you to your stray thumb. Or maybe you're trying to type a line of text yet keep turning the Caps Lock on when you mean to turn it off? fRUSTRATING

DKOSD's zipped download includes a Vista Version that is compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista and Windows 7. DKOSD requires Microsoft .NET Framework, but you can download it for … Read more

PopCap Games and Amazon get exclusive

Amazon knows what mobile gamers want--popular titles and freebies. By inking high-profile studios to exclusive launches, the company has generated plenty of positive buzz around its Appstore and continues to build momentum, especially with its free App of the Day offers. The first being the hugely popular exclusive free download of Rovio's Angry Birds Rio.

So to follow up Amazon's success with its deal with Rovio, the company recently signed an exclusive agreement with casual gaming company PopCap. Chuzzle is the first game to roll out from PopCap and is also the free download of the day. Other … Read more

AT&T makes broadband data caps official

AT&T's usage caps for its DSL and U-Verse broadband services start today.

The blog Broadband Reports, which first broke the news of the caps in March, is reporting that starting today customers throughout the country are now subject to the caps on AT&T's terrestrial broadband services. AT&T confirmed that the new caps have gone into effect throughout AT&T's broadband footprint.

Now AT&T DSL subscribers will be limited to 150 gigabytes of uploads and downloads per month for regular DSL customers and 250GB of broadband usage per month … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1460: Twitter breaks the Osama Bin Laden news! (Podcast)

Twitter shines in another moment for citizen journalism and the internet. And then there's that guy who live-tweeted the whole raid, without knowing about it. Sony officially apologizes for the PSN outage and they're giving back to the users, but is it enough? And we "Like" what the BOL Menu is serving.

The 404 808: Where we now have your credit card number (podcast)

Today we're joined by Robin Yang, a gamer that made her first CNET appearance on PreGame last year and will soon move to Seattle to work for PopCap Games, the creator of online casual games like Plants vs. Zombies, Bewjeweled, and Peggle. But before she heads out west, she's guest hosting today's show about the PlayStation hack fallout, a man arrested for singing Kung Fu fighting, the next "Terminator" film, and a Google survey about smartphones in the bathroom.

The 404 Digest for Episode 808

In the world of online gaming, the man without a credit card is king. Man arrested for singing "Kung Fu Fighting." Terminator is back, Justin Lin to direct. Google says 39% of smartphone owners use them in the bathroom. Follow Robin Yang on Twitter and Friendfeed.

Episode 808

Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

PopCap Games unveils 'experimental' game studio

PopCap Games has created a new development studio aimed at delivering fast-to-market titles, the company announced today.

Dubbed 4th & Battery, the new "experimental" studio is made up of current PopCap developers who want to "create smaller, simpler, and sometimes edgier games," the company said. PopCap pointed out that in traditional gaming development models, creating a title can take a long time. And in the process, fewer titles are actually released. With 4th & Battery, the company hopes to get more titles to the market far more quickly.

PopCap Games is no slouch in the gaming … Read more