pool

8 Ball Pool is an addictive billiards app for iOS featuring colorful graphics and a robust online community. Developed by Miniclip and optimized for the iPhone 5, this billiards game lets you play with friends from both the Miniclip and Facebook communities.

I have to admit that before I started playing 8 Ball Pool, I was a bit worried I wouldn't have much luck against the other players. I play the game in real life about as often as I go to the dentist, not because I don't like it, but because the opportunity rarely arises.

Fortunately, I … Read more

During the time leading up to March Madness, many offices across the country organize their own pools. With OfficePool 2013 for Mac, users can set up tournaments and make their picks, but with functions below those available with similar Web-based services.

OfficePool 2013 is available as a free trial version with a time limit; the full program is available for $12.00. There was no native installer, but the program downloaded and installed quickly. While OfficePool 2013 for Mac came with no instructions, setup is fairly intuitive for those who have used similar Web-based applications. Support exists for downloading current … Read more

Want to learn how to win at pool and have your friends owe you pitchers of beer? Luis Sousa, Ricardo Alves, and JMF Rodrigues from the University of Algarve in Portugal have designed a solution that could have you sharking before you flash your toothy grin.

PoolLiveAid employs a ceiling-mounted camera hanging above the pool table that reads several different factors that will affect the angle of the shot: the position of the player, pool cue, table, and balls. It then calculates where your shot is likely to end up, mapping it onto the table with lasers. … Read more

Pools aren't just for swimming, you know. Brooklyn art studio Red Paper Heart made some pretty nifty art with a swimming hole and 65,000 ping-pong balls. Before you dismiss that as an exercise in lunacy, take a look at a clever interactive pool party experience for yourself in the video below.

Red Paper Heart created the mesmerizing show in conjunction with city guide Web site UrbanDaddy, all for a tequila promotional event in Hamptons, N.Y.. The art studio programmed some software (using C++) to control the projector-driven light show that reacts to music. To enhance the visuals, the group enlisted a team of synchronized swimmers and some tuxedo-clad scuba divers to class up the joint.… Read more

Every year there's always one or two gifts that prompt you to ask yourself "what were they thinking?" You know it's something you'll never use, and you're left with the question of what to do with it. This year, don't let it sit in your closet collecting dust, and most certainly don't throw it away. Turn that unwanted gift into something you do want, be it cash, a gift card, or another item you'll actually use. Here's a few different ways you can deal with the gift you loathe.

Sell … Read more

A group of wireless-industry companies -- including AT&T, Clearwire, and HP -- have agreed to a patent pool that could mean fewer lawsuits over the use of LTE technology, Via Licensing Corporation announced today.

The technology-licensing company said it hopes more companies will join the program. In addition to AT&T, Clearwire, and HP, the initial companies contributing their patents to the pool are DTVG Licensing, KDDI, NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, and ZTE.

The LTE patents are so-called "frand," or standard-essential patents, which are technologies required to be licensed on "fair, … Read more

Packed into a simple interface, the game Pool! comes with limited playing options, but it will become the favorite time waster of those who like playing 8-ball in real life. No stunning effects here, just simple pool playing.

At first launch, pool players won't be surprised by the limited play option available and the lack of a Help file. The explanation is simply that you don't need any help, as the game is a no-brainer. Players can choose whether they play the game against the computer or a friend, and Options are limited to just enabling and disabling … Read more

Some things don't make sense. At least to one's eyes.

So when I saw the YouTube video I've embedded, I wondered whether it could possibly be real. Yet this purports to be a pool table on a cruise ship in rough water.

The poster claims that this pool table was a cruise ship called "Radiance of the Seas" on its way back from New Zealand last December.

I went to the Royal Caribbean site to check whether this might be true. And, indeed, there I found the boast that this is the first self-leveling pool … Read more

LAS VEGAS--One of the gadgets getting a little buzz here at CES is a spherical wireless waterproof speaker that floats in your pool.

It's called the Splash 100 and comes from Behringer, a German pro-audio company, which is surprising considering it will retail for a mere $99 when it comes out later this year.

We didn't get a chance to hear it yet (alas, the demo model didn't have sound) but it will allegedly have a 230-foot range (via a 900MHz RF signal) and deliver 3.5 hours of sound from its rechargeable battery.