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Learn How to Develop a Game with Cocos2d-x

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Operating system differences are definitely one of the biggest disadvantages in app and game development. Certain OSes use different programming languages, so it’s really hard to have your apps available both on Android and iOS. Luckily, there are some software solutions that make development as seamless as possible.


One of them is Cocos2d, an open source software framework that can be used for game and app development. With this tool, you will be able to develop an application in a specific language and have it run on different platform–be it Android, iOS, or the Web. If you ever wanted to use Cocos2d and never knew how, XDA Forum Member sortris wrote a thorough guide showing the process of game development on Mac OS X. The provided guide shows how to create an Android and iOS game by using the C++ programming language.


The guide covers only the basics, so don’t expect your game to be as advanced as Angry Birds. It is, however, definitely a good place to get started with game development. After a few tries, you should be able to build your own game.


You can learn more about development using Cocos2d-x by visiting the Create game with Cocos2d-x & JavaScript thread. Head over there to find out more about this project.


The post Learn How to Develop a Game with Cocos2d-x appeared first on xda-developers.


T-Mobile to launch the Xperia Z3 on October 29

The Xperia Z3 is coming to town and it will be stopping by T-Mobile first. The US carrier has just announced availability details for Sony's latest and greatest to give their subscribers time to prepare and save up for the device. The Xperia Z3 will go on sale across the country starting October 29. But those too excited to get their hands on the device can opt to join the pre-order spree starting on the 15th to be able to get theirs before the national launch.



There is, after all, reason to be excited about the Xperia Z3 as Sony has seemingly pulled out all the stops in the latest iteration of its flagship. From some angles, it might seem just an incremental upgrade over early 2014's Xperia Z2 but nonetheless it represents Sony's best effort in the smartphone market. The 5.2-inch screen still sports a Full HD resolution but also boasts of the usual Sony BRAVIA and TRILUMINOS display tech. The beating heart of the device is a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon, assisted by 3 GB of RAM. The 20.7 megapixel camera may, at first brush, seem similar to previous iterations, but Sony has added a new ingredient to the mix in the form of a 25 mm wide-angle Sony G Lens.


More than just the raw hardware specs, the Xperia Z3 pushes the boundaries of what Sony's mobile devices are capable of. Already known for its water proof (or just water resistant, depending on where you live) smartphones, the Xperia Z3 excels even more with the highest IP65/IP68 grade, enough to survive a dip in soda and a slathering of Nutella. Despite the rather resource hungry hardware, the smartphone's large 3,100 mAh battery is advertised to last you 2 days at most. And for the gamers in the crowd, Sony has debuted PS4 Remote Play which turns the smartphone into a wireless remote game controller and window for the latest gen console.


All those can be yours at $26.25 a month for 2 years with zero down. That is, of course, if you're part of T-Mobile's family. Those who pre-order the Xperia Z3 starting October 15 at 12:00 a.m. PDT will be able to receive their device before the smartphone formally launches nationwide for everyone else. And for those who are not part of that "un-carrier" crowd, the Xperia Z3, in another incarnation, will arrive on Verizon as well as the Xperia Z3v, a variant that adds Qi wireless charging for the price of a bit of thickness.


SOURCE: T-Mobile

VIA: SlashGear





Sony Xperia Z3 Compact arrives in the US carrier-free

Sony has just opened the gates to allow folks in the US to purchase the very new Xperia Z3 Compact mini flagship. But unlike its new strategy with the bigger Xperia Z3, Sony is using it's older business model of selling the device directly and without carrier support and subsidy. That means you can get the Xperia Z3 Compact and use it on any network of your choice, but of course that also means coughing up more dough upfront compared to spreading it out over two years or so.



We still don't know why Sony decided not to have an Xperia Z2 Compact, but that will no longer matter as the Xperia Z3 Compact is the small-sized smartphone to beat. Unless, of course, you consider price tags, in which case the new Moto G is still the top contender. As with the Xperia Z1 Compact, this smartphone is like a smaller reflection of the Xperia Z3. It may not share the same high-end specs, but it continues Sony's tradition of putting the best that you can find in such a cramped space.


This means a 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage expandable up to 128 GB. The screen remains at 720p, a bit of a disappointment, but still quite decent at 4.6 inches. The rear camera is, of course, 20.7 megapixels, now improved and better than ever. The front-facing one totes 2.2 megapixels capable of recording 1080p video. The Xperia Z3 Compact shares many of the special features that its bigger sibling has, including IP65/IP68 dust and water proofing, a 2,600 mAh battery advertised to last for 2 days, and, for the first time, PS4 Remote Play that turns the handy smartphone into a gaming console remote.


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With all those features, plus Sony's usual pricing scheme, it shouldn't be surprising that the device carries a $529.99 price tag. There are discount promos available, like 10 percent off for students or $100 off for Sony Mobile Capital One members. The Xperia Z3 Compact comes in the new Sony color scheme of White, Black, Orange, and Green though only the white one gets a white front while the rest are matched with a black face.


SOURCE: Sony

VIA: SlashGear





Google Now ahead of Siri, Bing in search result accuracy

Smartphone, smartphone in my hand, who's the fairest of them all? Aside from our bad rhyming skills, the answer to that question must be fairly obvious, but in the interest of those who want actual numbers and statistics, a study conducted by SEO consulting firm Stone Temple showed a clear winner in the battle of the digital assistants. A test conducted on the built-in search assistants from Google, Apple and Microsoft showed that, of course, the search giant was miles away in terms of accuracy of results, although it might be lacking in the fun department.



Using Google Now (built-in to the Google App) and Siri on an iPhone 4s and iPhone 5, and Cortana (still in beta version) on a Nokia Lumia 635 Windows phone, they presented each platform with 3000 voice queries to test them not on their capability as a digital assistant, but on the results presented in the knowledge box. It's not really a surprise that Google Now scored the highest in terms of most enhanced results and complete answer. In fact, it was no contest at all, with its score of 88%, compared to 53% for Siri and 40% for Cortana.


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Google Now, of course, is not infallible, although it gives more varied results than the other two as it pulls answers from varied sources and presents it in varied ways, including carousel results, step by step instructions, a structured snippet included in the regular search results, and others. Siri doesn't only source its results from Wolfram Alpha (which they tried to position as a Google killer before) but also from Wikipedia, Yahoo and Bing. And a lot of people have whiled away minutes asking Siri silly questions to get funny answers, so we can't really say that people use it for actual information.


As for Cortana, the newest kid on the block, so to speak, most of the results in the tested queries sent YouTube results to answer the questions, which is often not helpful at all. It also uses data from the Oxford dictionary and Wikipedia. However, it seems to not still be fully integrated with Bing, the Windows search engine. But the study shows that Cortina's accuracy will improve if they completely integrate it with its own search engine. Nevertheless, both Siri and Cortina have a long way to go in terms of catching up to Google Now, based on this study (and probably most of our real-life experience).


SOURCE: Stone Temple


Angry Birds Seasons goes ballin’ with NBA edition

It may not be the most popular sport in the world, but here in the good 'ole United States, we go crazy over basketball. And everytime October rolls around, we go even crazier as the NBA season officially starts. Apparently, the folks over at Rovio are also excited for this as they announced that Angry Birds Seasons is not about Halloween or Thanksgiving, but rather about that orange ball that 10 grown men are passing and shooting around. So this means our dearest birds and angry pigs have joined the basketball fever.



The Ham Dunk edition of the Angry Birds Seasons brings 10 basketball levels and an additional five more based on the NBA Global Games. Expect the bouncing birds and sniggering hogs we've come to love and/or, but there are also some additions to the basketball party. The new Shockwave Power will be able to do bigger damage to the hogs as it empowers good 'ole Bomb. And if you happen to get the Spalding Ball, it can literally "bring down the house." If you ever get into overtime, Shock Bird will be there to save the day.


Now if you're really addicted to the NBA, you can buy the NBA Pass which will give you an additional 30 levels, with one level representing each of the 30 teams competing in the league. You'll be able to tour around all the NBA cities, like Piggiewood in Los Angeles or ride a piston engine in Detroit. Each team and city has been given the Angry Bird treatment, so expect a lot of birdy and piggy puns your way.




The Angry Birds Ham Dunk edition is available for free from the Google Play Store. However, there are in-app purchases, just like the $0.99 NBA Pass so don''t forget to fix your settings so that no unauthorized buying may occur when you share your phone or tablet with a friend or even children.


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SOURCE: Angry Birds


HTC puts out tutorials for new Eye Experience software

Just to push the issue a bit more, HTC has just released new tutorial videos to coincide with the launch of its new HTC Desire EYE smartphone, which is probably has the world’s most powerful selfie camera at the moment. The new videos - seen on HTC's YouTube channel - range from the informative tutorial to the “what were you thinking?!?” – so allow us to share these with you.



The first video show one of the Desire EYE’s very innovative features – that is, Face Tracking while on a video call. The video also gives instructions on how to share your screen if you want to show it over a video call. Pretty nifty.




The second video shows the Split Capture feature which enables the user to capture video (and take pictures, we suppose) using both front-facing and back camera. This gives you “both sides of the story”, HTC says.




The third video tells of the Auto Selfie and the Voice Selfie – two ways of easily taking photos of yourselves with the Desire EYE’s powerful 13MP front-facing camera. These features have been seen on other phones before – like priming your phone to automatically take a picture when you smile, or when you say “Cheese!”




The fourth video is where we begin to venture into strange and “why why why?!?” If you’ve ever wanted to “photoshop” your face for a selfie, then HTC gives you Live Makeup – a chance to smoothen your face before you selfie. Watch the video while we facepalm.




The fifth video is a cringefest, to be honest. HTC somehow thinks that it is “cool” to mix your face with someone else’s. Why would you do that? But if you ever wanted to, HTC has that for you, too. Oh dear.




If you currently using one of the HTC latest device like the One M8, the "EYE Experience" enhancement will be also made available to HTC's recent models soon.


SOURCE: HTC on YouTube





Google testing video checkup with doctors

Google knows everything. That’s what most people say. You want to know something or stalk someone, Google the term and you’ll see hundreds to thousands of search results. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn. If you start searching for symptoms of an illness, more often than not, you get scared because there’s a tendency for you to self-diagnose after reading a lot of websites that are not really reliable.



The key to understanding one’s health with the help of the Internet is not to believe in everything you read. One of the top health websites today is WebMD. The things written there are facts. Don’t trust Wikipedia as the content are not always accurate.


To help people who are searching for symptoms, Google has launched a Helpouts-style feature wherein video chats with doctors are offered. The service is still in its trial phase so Google is covering the costs for now. In the future, there is a possibility of having to pay for virtual appointments.


Virtual checkup may not be ideal but it is more convenient and probably a lot cheaper too than going to a doctor in person. You’re both “seeing” doctors anyway so there shouldn’t be any danger. As long as Google commits to only hiring real doctors for the chats, it should be okay. Let’s see how Google will roll this one out.


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This feature is something I’d personally I appreciate because I search for symptoms and illness all the time, trying to diagnose myself. Yes, I’m that kind of person…such a scaredy-cat to go to a real doctor.


VIA: Engadget





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