Your Games & Software Library

Complete XNA Game Studio 4.0 Programming: Developing for Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360 (Developer’s Library) Review

XNA Game Studio 4.0 Programming: Developing for Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360 (Developer’s Library)

Get Started Fast with XNA Game Studio 4.0–and Build Great Games for Both Windows® Phone 7 and Xbox 360®

This is the industry’s best reference and tutorial for all aspects of XNA Game Studio 4.0 programming on all supported platforms, from Xbox 360 to Windows Phone 7 and Windows PCs. The only game development book authored by Microsoft XNA development team members, it offers deep insider insights you won’t get anywhere else–including thorough coverage of new Windows Phone APIs for mobile game development.

You’ll quickly build simple games and get comfortable with Microsoft’s powerful XNA Game Studio 4.0 toolset. Next, you’ll drill down into every area of XNA, including graphics, input, audio, video, storage, GamerServices, and networking. Miller and Johnson present especially thorough coverage of 3D graphics, from Reach and HiDef to textures, effects, and avatars. Throughout, they introduce new concepts with downloadable code examples designed to help you jumpstart your own projects. Coverage includes

• Downloading, installing, and getting started with XNA Game Studio 4
• Building on capabilities provided in the default game template
• Using 2D sprites, textures, sprite operations, blending, and SpriteFonts
• Creating high-performance 3D graphics with XNA’s newly simplified APIs
• Loading, generating, recording, and playing audio
• Supporting keyboards, mice, Xbox 360 controllers, Touch, accelerometer, and GPS inputs
• Managing all types of XNA storage
• Using avatars as characters in your games
• Utilizing gamer types, player profiles, presence information, and other GamerServices
• Supporting Xbox LIVE and networked games
• Creating higher-level input systems that seamlessly manage cross-platform issues

From Windows Phone 7 mobile gaming to Xbox 360, XNA Game Studio 4.0 creates huge new opportunities for experienced Microsoft developers. This book helps you build on skills you already have, to create the compelling games millions of users are searching for.

List Price: $ 39.99

Price: $ 22.75

Complete Pogoplug Series 4 Multimedia Sharing Device POGO-V4-A3-01 First Look

Pogoplug Series 4 Multimedia Sharing Device POGO-V4-A3-01

• Share massive files privately and securely with no file size limits.
• Stream your photos, music and video library over your Wi-Fi or cellular connection
• Add up to 3 USB hard drives, a SD card and/or a 2.5in SATA/USM drive
• Free Mobile Apps for iPad, iPhone and Android
• NTFS, FAT, HFS+, EXT2, EXT 3 drive formats

Pogoplug Series 4 is the easiest way to share and stream your files, photos, music and movies while on the road. Simply add storage and access all of your files through the internet. Pogoplug makes sharing massive files or folders easy and secure. You can send large files without uploading or attaching. Pogoplug Series 4 is fast and easy to setup, just add an SD card, external hard drive, flash drive or e-sata drive. Pogoplug comes with free mobile apps that are available for iPad and Android. Requires Windows XP/7, Apple OS 10.6.6 and above. Compatible web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer 8/9, Mozilla Firefox 5, Apple Safari 5 for Mac, Google Chrome 12. Also works with Xbox360 and Playstation 3.

List Price: $ 99.99

Price: $ 89.99

Scholastic I Spy Mystery [Old Version]

• 12 fascinating mysteries
• 54 I SPY riddles
• 44 engaging picture screens
• Fun scavenger hunts and games
• Scenes personalized with child’s name

Discover a new way to play I SPY with 13 elusive mysteries that need your sleuth-finding skills. Choose a case file, and then earn mystery clues by solving I SPY riddles and searching for carefully concealed objects. Use your problem solving skills to follow the clues to solve the case of the Locked Gate, Midnight Mouse, Knight Fall and many more clever mysteries! I Spy Mystery will help your child’s development of Critical Thinking, Reading, Vocabulary, Rhyming, Cause & Effect, Following Directions, Visual Memory & Discrimination, & Problem Solving skills.

List Price: $ 29.99

Price: $ 5.92

Additional Your Games & Software Library Products

New LightWave 3D 8 Cartoon Character Creation, Volume 2: Rigging & Animation (Wordware Game and Graphics Library) Review

LightWave 3D 8 Cartoon Character Creation, Volume 2: Rigging & Animation (Wordware Game and Graphics Library)

Companion CD includes new plug-ins to enhance character setup and animation, available only in this book! Quality rigging and animation preparation is vital for creating characters that can truly act and make an audience believe they are live, emotive beings. LightWave 3D [8] Cartoon Character Creation – Volume 2: Rigging & Animation includes both general theory and comprehensive tutorials for every aspect of rigging and animating 3D characters. Learn how, why, and when to use the most efficient techniques so you can have fun animating your own fantastic 3D characters. Learn all about rigging characters, including weight mapping, bone creation, IK, and deformations. Discover advanced rigging techniques, including expressions, FK/IK blending, quadruped rigging, and more. Find out how to use the animation controls and animate using inverse kinematics. Explore the intricacies of facial animation, including morphs, facial expressions, lip sync, and advanced morph controls. Learn how to use dynamics for secondary body motion and clothing.

List Price: $ 49.95

Price: $ 27.11

Encyclopedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite 2011 DVD-ROM

• 100,000 articles
• Three complete encyclopedias
• Two dictionaries
• Thesaurus.
• Spanish-English Translation dictionary

With more than 100,000 articles, the Ultimate Reference Suite 2011 has more content than any other reference software! Owning the Encyclopedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite is like having a complete reference library right at your fingertips.With three encyclopedias, two dictionaries and thesauruses, the New Spanish English Translation Dictionary, rich multimedia, interactive article and media tours, homework tools, a complete atlas, timelines, online magazines, and more, the Ultimate Reference Suite is the knowledge you need from the world’s most trusted source.

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Price: $ 25.69

Latest RHEM 3 [Download] Review

RHEM 3 [Download]

• A Fantastic World.
• Mind-Bending Puzzles.
• Hidden Rooms And Secret Passages.
• Non-Violent, Non-Linear Gameplay.

Set in a labyrinthine world of hidden rooms and secret passages, strange vehicles and odd machines, RHEM 3 opens the door to a new journey of mystery and adventure. In search of a certain black gem, hints hidden in a secret library and clues offered by the peculiar inhabitants of RHEM will assist you in your quest. With an adventurous spirit, logical thinking, and keen puzzle-solving, you will slowly but surely divine the location of this curious treasure and unveil the secret it.

List Price: $ 29.99

Price: $ 29.99

Latest Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa (Jewel Case) Review

Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa (Jewel Case)

There are no people to please and no money to horde; there are only animals! To succeed you’ll have to discover the unique behaviors of each species and build food and water sources to suit them. Plan your ecosystem well so that you can help both predator and prey achieve balance in the wild.

List Price: $ 9.99

Price: $ 0.99

Latest Sony PRS-T1 Pearl Red 6″ eBook Reader with Wi-Fi First Look

Sony PRS-T1 Pearl Red 6″ eBook Reader with Wi-Fi

• Features -
• Wirelessly shop with easy access to 2 million titles at Reader Store. Borrow free books from your local public library or download Google public domain books. Plus, get immediate access to websites like Wikipedia and Google search
• With a crystal clear paper like screen, you can read for hours, even in direct sunlight. The screen has no backlight or flicker like a standard LCD screen and features 8 adjustable font sizes plus adjustable contrast and brightness
• Enjoy a whole library in your hands. Store up to 1200 titles on 2GB of included memory or add optional MicroSD media to expand your storage to 32GB. Customizable file management also lets you manage your ebooks and music from within your Reader
• Plug in your headphones to listen to audio books or to music as you read

***OPEN BOX***   This NEW product you are browsing has been inspected by our certified technicians to ensure that it meets factory specifications. It is guaranteed to be in perfect working order but it is sold in AS IS condition (for example, the box may be torn, etc) and returns will not be accepted. Please contact us with any questions BEFORE placing an order.  We accept PayPal and all major credit cards. We do our best to describe each item we are selling to the best of our ability. Bear in mind that the Item is sold as-is with no warranty. Use the contact us page to request additional info or images on this product. Features: Wi-Fi access to over 2 million titlesWirelessly shop wherever you are with easy access to 2 million titles at the Reader Store. Borrow free books from your local public library or download Google public domain books. Plus, get immediate access to websites like Wikipedia and Google search. Ultra compact and elegant stylingWeighing less than 6 ounces, the lightest 6 eReader around is no bigger than a paperback. This slim, 0.35 inch device has an elegant curved profile for easy holding and carrying in a pocket or bag. Clear Enhanced Touch screenSimply touch the superior 6 clear enhanced touch screen to call up your favorite books, swipe your finger to turn pages and zoom in and out by pinching your fingers together or apart. E-Ink Pearl V220 glare-free screenWith a crystal clear paper-like screen, you can read for hours even in direct sunlight. The screen has no backlight or flicker like a standard LCD screen and features 8 adjustable font sizes plus adjustable contrast and brightness. 12 Built-in DictionariesOn board are 12 dictionaries including 2 English language (British/American) and 10 translation (to and from French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Italian). Double-tap a word to find its meaning or translate into one of the 5 supported languages. Note-takingReader allows you to write on the page or hig…

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Six Apart presents Japanese iPhone developers


Image by nobihaya
I, Six Apart and a dozen iPhone developers from Japan will be hosting a special press reception on Jan 7th (during MACWORLD EXPO/ SAN FRANCISCO).

Considering that yen went up so quickly, I believe the travel expense for the US press to visit Japan is much higher this year. So I brought the Japanese developers over to the US.

Most of them speak English and will be available for individual interview as well (I believe).

Unfortunately, the size of the room is limited and the event is only open to the member of press (bloggers and podcasters).

Here is the registration info:

Join us for a special press event to find out iPhone secrets from Japan such as:

- Watching TV on your iPhone – the hottest topic right now in Japan
- Draw on your computer screen using an iPhone
- Real-time 3D animation on iPhone
- Beautiful mahjong games
- Samurai chess
- Enjoy a private geisha dance for only 99 cents

WHEN: JAN 7 6.30pm
WHERE: a venue 10min walk from Moscone Center
REGISTRATION REQUIRED:
www.mobileinjapan.com/page/macworld-expo-japan-iphone-app
At this event, Nobuyuki Hayashi (aka Nobi), one of the most famous Mac/iPhone journalists from Japan will be briefing and taking questions about iPhone market in Japan.

You will also meet ten of the top iPhone developers from Japan including:

Conit (Samurai Chess), GClue(iKoto, iGeisha), HIcorp (Mascot Capsule), Hudson Software, J’s Avenue (Realtime 3D animation library), JYProduct (FingerPiano), PokeDía (PokeDía), Royal Gadget, SunSoft (Mahjong Solitaire), UEI (aka Zeptotools, showing ZeptoPad 2.0, ZeptoLiner, iShodo).

Watch our video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l5Am1xYDCw
www.dothehudson.net/en/index.html

—–

Info about individual products:

( a few more developers has joined after the list was completed)

[1] ZeptoPad 2.0 & iShodo – Zeptotools / Lifestyle
ZeptdoPad 2.0 will let you draw on your computer screen using iPhone wirelessly.
Whatever you will draw on iPhone will be displayed on you computer screen live.
Zeptotool also can show iShodo (a Japanese caligraphy app) and
ZeptoLiner (an outline processor)
vimeo

[2] iGeisha + iKoto – GClue, (+HIcorp) / Lifestyle or Music
iGeisha will display a traditional geisha dance in 3D using HIcorp’s
mascot capsule technology. You can change the view angle in real time.
jp.youtube.com/watch?v=-6kB52IKywM
jp.youtube.com/watch?v=_F6mMO_OGoY

[3] MascotCapsule eruption / Development platform
Mascot Capsule eruption is a 3D library that will help you create a 3D avatars on your iPhone. It has been used for iGeisha by GClue.

[4] Samurai Chess – Conit / Game
multiplayer network chess game with Samurai twist
jp.youtube.com/watch?v=jeyRkKaY-Zs

[5] PokeDia – PokeDia / Lifestyle (but he will depart on 8th)
PokeDia is a very unique freeform diary software for you iPhone.
jp.youtube.com/watch?v=GLGlHzuYzbI“

[6] Mahjong Solitare – SunSoft /Game
There are many mahjong solitaire for iPhone but this is the one with
Japanese aesthetic; it will even let you zoon into the mahjong piece.
jp.youtube.com/watch?v=iBqL8gddqzA

[7] Finger Piano – JYProduct /Music
There are many piano applications for you iPhone, but this one has
some built-in score and can be used to practice those score.
jp.youtube.com/watch?v=21qPT7wVsy8

[8] 3D demo application – J’s Avenue/ Game?
J’s Avenue has a background in gaming. They are porting there 3D
background/character animation library to iPhone.

[9] Teru Teru Bozu – Royal Gadget / Lifestyle (but he’s departing on 8th)
Young entrepreneur, Fumiyasu Takaura, has turned Japanese traditional
lucky charm, “Teru Teru bozu” into an iPhone app. He will show how you might even change the weather using your iPhone.

and more …

Microsoft Windows Live Essentials 2011 launch


Image by Axel Bührmann
Darren Huston, global vice president of Microsoft’s online and consumer business, believes consumers are in for the rides of their lives.

View on black using Fiveprime’s Black Magic

Press release:
Microsoft makes big play for the South African consumer

Microsoft’s aggressive push into the consumer market has been given a further boost with the official launch of Windows Live Essentials 2011 — a free suite of programs for photos, movies, instant messaging, e‑mail, blogging and family safety.

Live Essentials 2011 is the latest chapter in a veritable wave of consumer-facing software from Microsoft, which includes its Windows 7 operating system, the Office 2010 productivity suite, the Internet Explorer 9 browser, its Bing search engine, the upcoming Windows Phone 7 and Kinect, a gaming system controlled solely by gestures and voice commands.

Speaking at the launch in Johannesburg today, Darren Huston, the global vice-president of Microsoft’s consumer and online business, said today’s marketplace was being shaped by the consumer.

“Consumers have assumed control and they want to connect to more of what they love anytime, anywhere, on any device,” said Huston. “At Microsoft, we’re listening closely to understand consumer needs and their expectations for technology that is personal, relevant, and social.”

Windows Live Essentials was designed specifically to take full of Windows 7. It includes Windows Live Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Messenger, Mail, Family Safety and Writer. New to this release is Windows Live Mesh, which allows users to automatically synch various devices across the internet. Consumers can download Windows Live Essentials 2011 by visiting www.explore.live.com.

At the launch, Huston sketched a vivid vision of a technology world in which consumers want experiences across all of their screens to be seamlessly connected, relevant to them and easy to navigate.

“They don’t want to think about technology, they want it to ‘just work’, no matter the time or place. But ease of use is not enough. Today, technology has to be more personal, more relevant and more social,” said Huston.

One of the main things people do on their PCs is communicating and sharing with the people in their lives. The new Windows Live Messenger now connects users to Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and hundreds of other sites. Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker work seamlessly with Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and other popular photo/video sharing sites, while Windows Live Mail connects easily with Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and other popular email services.

Another highlight of the new suite is its ability to organise, create and share photos and movies. With Photo Fuse, users take multiple photos of the same subject and then combine the best parts into one perfect photo. With Windows Live Movie Maker, users take their favourite photos and easily turn them into movies to share with family and friends, complete with transitions, titles and captions.

Organising photos is even easier with facial recognition: once people are tagged, the program automatically searches the entire photo library for their faces.

The launch also saw sneak previews of Windows Phone 7 and a prototype of a Windows-powered slate device, which the company hopes to bring to market in 2011.

From mid-2011, Windows Live Essentials will also be available in five indigenous languages in South Africa: Tswana, Sotho, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans.

"The way people organise, connect and share with each other is changing,” said Huston. “We designed the new Essentials to connect you and all you that’s important to you across your multiple PCs and devices, including the services you use every day so you can get more done with your photos, movies and friends.”

Latest Beginning Game Development with Python and Pygame: From Novice to Professional (Expert’s Voice) First Look

Beginning Game Development with Python and Pygame: From Novice to Professional (Expert’s Voice)

Like music and movies, video games are rapidly becoming an integral part of our lives. Over the years, you’ve yearned for every new gaming console, mastered each blockbuster within weeks after its release, and have even won a local gaming competition or two. But lately you’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about a game idea of your own, or are exploring the possibility of making a career of this vibrant and growing industry. But where should you begin?

Beginning Game Development with Python and Pygame is written with the budding game developer in mind, introducing games development through the Python programming language and the popular Pygame games development library. Authored by industry veteran and Python expert Will McGugan, who worked on the MotorStorm game for PlayStation 3, you’ll be privy to insights that will not only help you to exploit Pygame to its maximum potential, but also make you a more creative and knowledgeable games developer all round.

• Learn how to create advanced games by taking advantage of the popular open source Python programming language and Pygame games development library
• Learn about coding gaming preferences, sound, visual effects, and joystick/keyboard interaction
• Discover the concepts that are crucial to success in today’s gaming industry, such as support for multiple platforms, and granting users the ability to extend and customize your games

What you’ll learn

• Take advantage of Python and the Pygame library to build compelling cross-platform games
• Learn to best use these technologies to turn your dream game into reality
• Create professional games by accounting for sound, special effects, and user interaction through the joystick and keyboard
• Build both two- and three-dimensional games, and learn more about the factors that contribute to choosing one approach over the other
• Provide users with the means for extending your games through level creation and custom modifications as a means to build a vibrant community around your product
• Package your games in a manner that allows even novice computer users to install, use, and update your games with ease

Who this book is for

This book has been written for any budding games developer. While knowledge of the Python language helps, it isn’t required. To help new programmers along, two early chapters are devoted to an overview of Python.

List Price: $ 39.99

Price: $ 15.00

Latest Real-Time Strategy Game Programming Using MS DIRECTX 6.0 (Wordware Game Developer’s Library) First Look

Real-Time Strategy Game Programming Using MS DIRECTX 6.0 (Wordware Game Developer’s Library)

Delving into the concept of real-time strategy, this guide includes practical, hands-on programming and use of artificial intelligence; a unique graphics engine developed by the author; and multiple game design strategies along with programming code.Real-Time Strategy Game Programming Using MS DirectX 6.0 should probably be read by any aspiring C/C++ game developer for its real-world perspective on the process of designing successful strategy games. Filled with tips on what works and what doesn’t, this book not only provides a perspective on the working lives of game programmers, but it also shows how to simplify working with DirectDraw and DirectSound–two important parts of Microsoft’s DirectX game platform–using the author’s custom C++ classes.

The most interesting aspect of this book has to be its real-world insight on the realities of game development from someone who’s been there. (As the author notes, a game programmer’s lifestyle offers plenty of challenges, insane work schedules, and, of course, potential rewards.) Early chapters sketch out the game development cycle, from initial idea to proposal, and then onward to staffing, project scheduling, coding, and testing. (If anything, these chapters will demystify how some of your favorite games were designed.)

The heart of this book is the author’s C++ framework that simplifies DirectX programming using DirectDraw (for 2-D graphics) and later, DirectSound (for sound). The author presents his own code and classes for essential aspects of DirectDraw programming from drawing shapes and images to creating professional animations. Additional sections cover the fundamentals of building strategy games (where players command armies, for instance, and place them on various tiles, or game terrains). There’s much expert knowledge here on writing games in this vein, but the principles of animation–plus the reusable C++ code that simplifies DirectX–will certainly justify the price of this book.

Written for the C/C++ programmer who wants an introduction to game programming, this is actually more than a technical book. Besides a good introduction to DirectX, this text provides a nuts-and-bolts perspective that shows how some of today’s successful games are designed and coded. –Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Real-Time Strategy game basics, gameplay, design and project management for games, programming style and tips, Windows programming fundamentals, design documents, the development cycle, macros and data types, DirectX and DirectDraw basics, bitmaps and color modes, drawing lines, rectangles, images and clipping, text output in DirectDraw, loading graphics files, LLE compression, animation overview, AI and characters, animated backgrounds and effects, landscapes, game interfaces, objects and creatures, pathing (BFS, DFS, and A* algorithms), DirectSound.

List Price: $ 59.95

Price: $ 17.00

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Latest Happy Tails: Animal Shelter [Old Version] Product Review

Happy Tails: Animal Shelter [Old Version]

• Over 99 unique animal stories
• Unlock levels to take care of special animals like wild fawns
• Learn from your own animal library full of fun animal facts

It’s up to you to shelter and nurse your little friends back to health! You’ll get to care for and love hamsters, puppies, kittens, bunnies and more in your very own animal shelter. Learn each animal’s story and give them all a happy ending by finding them perfect new homes.

List Price: $ 1.49

Price: $ 2.38