Blek game app brings your scribbles to life

The newest kid in the Android gaming world is less Angry Bird and more Picasso. Blek is one of the more unique games out there which really takes advantage of the touch-screen nature of the smartphones and tablets out there. You can watch the scribbles and patterns that you draw cooly come to life in simple animation that nevertheless captures your attention.

But it’s not just about drawing abstract lines and swirls. There is actually a point to the game. The object is to draw a pattern that will be repeated throughout the screen. Your reason for doing this is to hit the coloured balls that are also on the screen, but avoid the black holes. The genius is that there are no specific moves that you have to master in order to win the game, but you can be as imaginative and playful as you can. Each of the “puzzles” that you have to beat can be solved by different patterns that you have to think of.

The game has already worn several awards in European award-giving bodies, including Best Mobile Game in Casual Connect Europe and Content Award Vienna. It also received an Excellence in Innovation Award from the International Mobile Gaming Awards. It is very simply designed, minimalist in fact, but the moment you start playing with it, it becomes your personal work of art. More than a game of skill, this is more of a game for the imagination.

The game used to be available for iOS only, but now it has come to the Android platform. You can download Blek from the Google Play Store.

Benches in Massachusetts to charge gadgets through solar power

It’s a beautiful day outside and you want to just sit on a bench, marvel at nature and post on social media how wonderful it is to be not inside the four corners of your office or school. But alas, your mobile phone doesn’t have enough juice anymore to take a picture and post it on Instagram (#smartphonebatteryproblems). A project from Changing Environments, a company associated with the MIT Media Lab will help you avoid that kind of situation by building solar-powered benches that can charge your gadgets.

Called Soofa, the benches will be equipped with USB ports that can be used by benchwarmers to power their phones or tablets as they read a newspaper or book, whether physically or digitally. The first few benches will be installed in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is funded by Cisco Systems. But the company is looking at building a network of Soofas all over the state not just for the convenience of passers-by in need of a quick charging fix, but even more so, to encourage people to at least go outside, even while glued to their gadgets.

More than just a charging station, the benches will also become data hubs, to check on the noise and air quality levels of the places where they’re installed. People will be able to access the data online when they visit the Soofa website, so they know where is the perfect spot to enjoy a few minutes of quiet, away from the crowds and the pollution. Other data that will be gathered would be how many people go to each bench everyday and how many hours of solar power charging it was able to provide that day.

According to Jutta Friedrichs, the co-founder of Changing Environments, they are looking at reversing the idea that computers “took people off the streets” and now using technology to actually make people come outside and play. "We want to reactivate the city and create a new shared social experience,” she said.

VIA: CNet

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Samsung Gear Live Review: That's a Pretty Big Baby Step

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Change Your Android Phone's Settings Based on Where You Are

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Possible first look at Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 compact

What we have here will be pure assumption at this point, but if it is true, this will be our first look at Sony’s upcoming flagship line – the Xperia Z3 and the Z3 compact. At least, that's what these leaked pics purport to be. If we assume the best, it does look like Sony will still be pushing with its OmniBalance design framework with the upcoming models.

The pictures show what could be the front panels of a white Xperia Z3 and a black Xperia Z3 compact, side by side, and a full shot of the white Z3. The design lines look familiar, no radical changes apparent. We can see the slim side bezels that have been the trademark of some handset manufacturers, including Sony and LG.

Honestly speaking, there is not a lot of information out there regarding the Xperia Z3, being that this might actually be our first look at the unit. Could the timing of the leak mean that Sony may unveil the phones at the IFA trade show in Berlin this year? Might happen, but then again it might not.

We need to remind you that despite leaks that point to its existence, we have not confirmed if Sony will ever will release an Xperia Z2 compact handset. The Xperia A2 is practically a Z2 miniature and could probably fill that role, but there has been no confirmation or information out of Sony. If these images be true, then might we see Sony skip the Xperia Z2 compact totally?

SOURCE: Weibo

Story Timeline

• Sony Xperia Z2 Compact surfaces in series of leaked images


• Sony Xperia A2 is practically the Xperia Z2 compact


• Xperia Z2 can be rooted with bootloader still locked