Friday, March 21, 2014

Review: 'Divergent' keeps you invested

<Deal Todayp>(EW.com) -- In the posters for "Divergent," Shailene Woodley has been given the stylized bod of a comic-book sci-action vamp, and her features are as coolly chiseled as her physique.

But in the movie version of Veronica Roth's 2011 novel, Woodley, I'm glad to say, is a lot more recognizably human, and that goes for her acting too. Her character, Tris, spends most of the film learning to leap and toss knives and risk death like a badass, and when she puts those skills to the test battling her society's corrupt leaders, there's no doubt that she's a superior, market-tested YA role model, like Katniss in "The Hunger Games." But she is also, as Woodley plays her, an intensely vulnerable and relatable character.

"Divergent" has cast some big names -- Kate Winslet, Shailene Woodley and Ashley Judd, to name a few -- and an even bigger expectation to blow out the box office when it opens on March 21. Whether you're already a fan who needs a refresher or brand new to the world of Beatrice "Tris" Prior and her struggle, consider this your initiation into the newest YA movie craze. 'Divergent': A guide to the newest YA movie craze

Tris, a.k.a. Beatrice, has been raised as a member of Abnegnation, one of five factions in a walled dystopia that was formerly Chicago and still looks, strikingly, like a semiruined concrete-playground version of that city. The members of Abnegnation dress in plain tan frocks, like the Amish, and they're all about puritan self-sacrifice. The other four factions ar e Erudite (defined by their transcendent knowledge), Candor (who are compulsively honest), Amity (the naturally peaceful), and Dauntless (the fearless tattooed warrior jocks in black - in other words, the sect that anyone cool would want to be part of). Beatrice and her peers have the right to choose a -faction for themselves (it's like picking a college - you can go to Yale even if your folks didn't). But when she takes the test to learn which faction she's best suited for, it turns out that she's in the rare forbidden -category known as Divergent, which means she has the qualities of three factions at once: Abnegnation, -Erudite, and Dauntless. It may sound silly to say she's an outlaw because she's self-sacrificial, brilliant, and strong all at the same time, but what's really forbidden is -independent thought.

Woodley, through the delicate power of her acting, does something compelling: She shows you what a prickly, fearful, yet daring personality looks like when it's nestled deep within the kind of modest, bookish girl who shouldn't even like gym class. Tris chooses to become part of Dauntless not because she has any special athletic skill but because it's her nature to go for broke. The first half of "Divergent" is a lean, exciting basic-training thriller, with Tris willing herself to do things like jump aboard speeding trains and fight with her bare knuckles. Woodley, at every turn, lets us feel as if we're in her shoes, not so much Dauntless as thrillingly daunted.

The second half of the movie goes on a bit, with too many rote combat scenes. Yet the director, Neil Burger (the fanciful craftsman who made "Limitless" and "The Illusionist"), keeps you invested, staging a rise-of-the-savior-heroine plot so that it seems less ritualistic than it does in the Hunger Games films. It helps that the drill sergeant, named Four, is played by Theo James, who's like an unflaky James Franco with a surly hint of T-shirt-era Brando; he brings off the neat trick of playing a hardass who is also a heartthrob. And it's nice to watch Kate Winslet go full ice-blood fascist as the Erudite leader who makes a scarily smart case for a society rooted in the fine art of -control. In many ways, she sounds similar to a movie executive, so I'm glad to see the launch of a dystopian franchise in which individuality, as embodied by Shailene Woodley, looks like it could mean something beyond hiply propping up the status quo. Grade: B+

See original story at EW.com.

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

John Donovan surfaces; Discount cards; What wing, Loretta? BEN Column, March 16, update 3

By BEN
jhummel@southjerseymedia.com
Web: nj.com/ben

Phone: 856-451-1000, ext. 556

Cell: 856-237-6645

U.S. Army: RA13815980

The column that says read us 28 times a week and win a prize.

-

Good evening!

-

If you have to mush on Monday, we're changing weather forecasters.

-

Dean Dellaquila fixed the microphones at Bridgeton City Council.

Kinda.

The speakers can be heard, but there's a possible squeal that sends Dellaquila scurrying to each microphone trying to find out which one is causing it.

It's usually Dale Goodreau's.

We're letting you know, Goldie Wulderk, that you should be able to hear everybody.

-

"Re BEN March 15, Update 2:

"Hey, Jack,

"You put forth a great dissertation.

"Are you listening Dr. Jones?

"And your niche, Tom of Upper Deerfield, may be to start a right of left wing blog.

"From 8 to Great is the path we need.

"Lead us there!''

- Loretta Lee Dilks

-

We'll let you in on a little secret, Loretta.

Dr. Jones is our only hope.

-

We've never understood right wing and left wing, except on an airplane sand a chicken.

But what the heck is right of left wing?

-

The Fairton United Methodist Church has their $5 On Sales Cards again this year.

They are available from any church member or by calling the church at 856-451-4182.

They have 48 businesses on them and are good until March 1, 2015.

Proceeds go to our building fund.

Please come out and enjoy the Spring Sale Fundraiser at the Fairton United Methodist Church located at 20 Main St., in Fairton, on April 4-5 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We will have our indoor yard sale, baked goods, food, drinks, crafts and meatball sandwiches for sale.

Proceeds from the sale go to our building fund.

For more information, call 856-451-4182.

-

By this time, we expected John Donovan to be coaching the Philadelphia Union.

He was a lesson in jumping, screaming, rolling, yelling and twirling while coaching boys soccer at Schalick.

Nobody watched the games.

They all watched the coach.

It worked.

Donovan won titles after starting the program in 1986.

When they won their first South Jersey Group I title, Donvoan wass named Coach of the Year.

He won over 200 games coaching youth soccer.

Then we found out he hired people to work at a Bridgeton tomato processing plant during the summer.

That made him even more important.

Alas, the tomato processing plant is gone and so is Donovan.

Until he read in the column about Karen Bowman's walk down memory lane and a state champion coach of Schalick girls basketball 30 years ago.

That made Donovan surface.

"Ha, ha!

"That's right, I was once a famous Schalick High School soccer coach.

"You and Mike Cudemo are still famous.

"I saw your piece on Karen Bowman.

"Karen had 100 or more wins in three sports and, I believe, 86 in field hockey.

"Almost 400 wins in four different sports.

"Pretty impressive.

"And ... Hall of Fame for me?

"I was contacted this winter by the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association requesting my bio/stats for a spring induction.

"I replied that I really wasn't interested in going through that process right now.

"I wonder how many guys have turned that down?

"Always enjoy your column.''

- John Donovan,

K9 Connection Dog Training

Former Member: United States Police Canine Association

Phone: 856-264-4934

-

Karen Bowman was relaxed, concentrated, controlled while confidently urging on her teams.

You, John, who will turn 65 next year,were an out-of-control contortionist doing backflips and cartwheels around the field every time your Cougars scored.

-

John, if you don't want to do the Hall of Fame for ourself, at least do it for your boys.

They can at least say they put their coach in the Hall of Fame.

They don't induct teams.

They don't induct players.

So the coach has to be the school beacon.

Wouldn't it be great to see 1995 Inquirer Player of the Year Kevin Jackson again?

We have your record right here. You don't have to look it up.

You were 122-60, won six straight conference titles and two South Jersey Group I titles.

You left to work on your master's degree.

Has Hunt's contacted your about their tomato Hall of Fame?

-

MY KIND OF TOWN: Where it's time to get on a committee in your town, people.

Wiedmer: SEC now must deal with cynical committee

<Promo Codep>ATLANTA - Fourteen points.

If by some grave miscarriage of justice the Tennessee Volunteers are left out of the NCAA men's basketball tournament by a Selection Committee who's apparently allergic to Southeastern Conference basketball, that's the stat that may do them in.

When you score just 14 points in the second half of a conference semifinal game, as UT did in losing 56-49 to Florida on Saturday, you leave those who doubt you an out to leave you out.

Doesn't mean the Vols won't make the field this evening. Doesn't mean they shouldn't make the field, especially given some of the officials' whistles that went against them in the final minutes against the Gators.

But it also means that Cuonzo Martin's third Big Orange squad best hope that ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's assessment that Tennessee is no worse than an 11th seed is correct.

"They are going to be, I think, a very difficult team in the NCAA tournament from what I've been able to see this year playing them three times," said Florida coach Billy Donovan.

"I think, certainly, they're an NCAA tournament team. I don't think there's any question about it."

When you've missed March Madness the last two years, there's always questions. When the SEC is perceived to be so weak that on more than one occasion ESPN's Dick Vitale has proclaimed, "You could argue that the SEC only has two teams that deserve to get in -- Florida and Kentucky," there's no way to avoid questions.

And having the top-ranked Gators and curious Cats face off in today's conference title game does nothing to weaken that argument.

Particularly when Kentucky has won each of its games in this tournament by double figures and Florida held the Vols to 14 points in the final 20 minutes after UT owned a seven-point advantage (35-28) at the break.

No one may indeed beat Florida the rest of the season. The Rolling Reptiles are that good, blessed with the kind of chemistry and consistency that is so often found in teams starting four experienced, talented seniors.

So it's no disgrace that Tennessee lost, though the actions of official Pat Adams in teeing up UT forward Jeronne Maymon in a tie game with 4:39 to go bordered on disgraceful.

Maymon did make a gesture toward the UT bench as Adams went to the scorer's table to record what would have been Maymon's fourth foul. But Maymon never looked at the official and never said a disparaging word. A better ref would have, at the very least, told Maymon to calm down or Adams would be forced to give him a T.

Instead, the technical became Maymon's fifth foul, which meant he was disqualified, Florida hit all four free throws on the play and while UT somehow rallied to tie it at 49 with 2:48 to go on Jordan McRae's lone made 3-pointer of the game, they were never in control from Maymon's technical on.

And all that ignores the foul on Florida point guard Scottie Wilbekin with 1:20 to play, that appeared to be an elbow to Vols guard Antonio Barton's head but was merely ruled an offensive foul, which kept UT from shooting free throws and possessing the ball.

If Adams works another tournament game this spring at any level -- today's SEC final, the NCAA tourney, the NIT or one of those pay-your-way tourneys the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men are competing in, there needs to be an investigation.

But that doesn't mean the Vols would have beaten Florida if Adams had been circling the moon. Florida's defense just wouldn't let them score.

And because Georgia couldn't score enough to beat Kentucky, it would appear that the Gators, Wildcats and Vols are the only three SEC schools likely to make the NCAA field.

But that doesn't mean it's completely fair. The Bulldogs' Rating Percentage Index was 67 on Saturday afternoon, too low to be a serious bubble team. The 19-13 record also isn't much to shout about, especially given early losses to Davidson and Georgia Tech.

But while Iowa has lost six of its last seven games, including a loss to lowly Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tourney, Georgia has won five of its last seven, including a road victory at LSU, which was something Kentucky couldn't do.

Yet the latest NCAA projections have the 20-12 Hawkeyes as a 10th seed and the 19-13 Bulldogs nowhere to be found.

"They're a lock for the NCAA tournament. We're not," Fox said without mentioning Iowa by name.

"Who is picking the field? Is it a computer? Is it just numbers, or do we look at who is a good basketball team right now?"

It appears that right now it may be better to get run over in the Big Ten than win in the SEC. But with football spring practice under way, and the SEC tourney again overrun with Kentucky's Big Blue Nation, it's hard to know if anyone but the players and coaches really cares. And until that changes, the SEC's sparse NCAA bids may not.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com

Shore sales make a comeback

Posted: Sunday, March 16, 2014, 1:09 AM

For those who have delayed buying a Jersey Shore vacation house for any reason - maybe an allergic reaction to Dodd-Frank mortgage reform, or post-Sandy confusion compounded by flood-insurance phobia - the experts' counsel is this:

No worries.

"Sandy is past news," said Marge Swanson, a mortgage consultant with Trident Mortgage in Ocean City. "The lenders are lending. It's kind of behind us."

Said Cheryl Huber, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach in Ocean City: "Most people have decided that life is too short."

Maybe not most, but certainly many. New houses are going up, market observers here say, and previously owned houses are moving, with bidding wars in some towns because for-sale inventory is limited.

A condo in Diamond Beach, already under contract for the full price of $799,900, went into a bidding war with multiple offers, said Robert Snyder, an agent with Weichert Coastal who sells in one of the two most popular Jersey coast zip codes, the Wildwoods.

"You see that with people who are trying to move up," Snyder said, adding that there are not a lot of listings.

In the other most popular zip code, which includes Ocean City, 259 building permits were issued for 2013, up from 152 in 2012.

And in tiny Longport, all 1.6 square miles of it, there were 27 new permits, said Suzy Lawler, an agent with Long & Foster. It may not sound like much, but considering that five out of 10 houses occupy about 4,000 square feet each, they cover a lot of real estate.

All this is not to say Hurricane Sandy is just a memory - it's anything but. Those new houses, if they are in flood plains, must adhere to new federal rules Buy Cheap elevation, which can require that structures be at least 12 feet above base. And those flood-insurance prices will be elevating, too. But with the U.S. House's move earlier this month to ensure that annual premiums not rise more than 18 percent, vacation-home buyers will get something of a break - if President Obama signs the legislation. (The Senate passed the measure in late January.)

House hunters are doing "more due diligence, just to see if there was water damage," said Snyder. And they are asking about elevations, Huber said.

"Buyers are smarter. They know what they are getting into. They want a Shore home," said Rick Butera, a branch manager for HomeBridge Financial in Bayville, Ocean County. "Before, values were escalating, but Sandy put a damper on it."

Whatever obstacles a would-be buyer - one who can afford another mortgage - thinks might exist between second-home dream and sand-dune reality are scalable, market observers said. But that buyer will need patience, cash, and a good credit score, because cheap VA or Federal Housing Administration mortgages are not available for traditional vacation homes.

You have to prove you can afford the second home, Butera said - that's what the Dodd-Frank reform is all about.

"It's cumbersome, but you can get through it," he said. And different lenders require different amounts on down payments.

Consumers have noticed, said Chace Gundlach, mortgage-banking regional sales manager for Citizens Bank. "They say, 'It's not as easy to get a loan. It's not just one assets statement; it's a couple of years' worth of W-2s.' "

Which, apparently, is why so many people are paying cash for their vacation homes: They don't want the bother.

"Out of 10 buyers, maybe five are paying cash," Lawler said, "even before Dodd-Frank." Butera said he is seeing the same on Long Beach Island, as is Gundlach at Citizens' Avalon branch.

The latest U.S. trend data from the National Association of Realtors, from 2012, showed 46 percent of all vacation homes (purchased primarily for personal or family use, rather than for investment) were paid for with cash.

Where does that leave buyers whose lexicon doesn't include the words liquid assets?

Crawl before you walk, Butera advised: "Get something that makes sense. Trade up in a few years."

That something might be a foreclosed property. Opportunities exist, said Gundlach, but the process can be exhausting: Prior owners can get nasty, ripping out bathrooms and kitchens, making the property unlivable.

A property like that needs to be fixed before you can make settlement. If the lender has assumed control, it could be a minimum of six months before it can be purchased.

But in the end, for a house at the beach, it may very well be worth it.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Developer Interview: Causal Bit Games On Scratching That Hardcore Itch With Insanity's Blade

"This is how I want to feel while I split my enemies in half"

We recently reported on the confirmation that Causal Bit Games is bringing its retro-inspired action title Insanity's Blade to the Wii U eShop. Looking like the best 16-bit hack-and-slash game you never played, this digital download aims to capture the feel of genre classics like Rastan, Black Tiger and Ninja Gaiden. Causal Bit founders and directors Chris Obritsch and Daven Bigelow were kind enough to sit down with us to chat about the game, the Wii U and working with Nintendo. Splitting enemies in half was also mentioned, so consider yourself warned.

Nintendo Life: Can you tell us a little about the development team behind the game? What prior experience do you have?

Chris Obritsch: Causal Bit Games is a two-man development team. I do all of the graphics, sound of music soundtrack FX and lead code. Daven codes a lot of the tricky stuff - he's the math! Creative wise, I have a background in multimedia design and have been doing design for the past 10 years. I worked as a Creative Director on Print and Web Projects such as Maxim and various Industry Publications. I began building games for clients professionally in 2013, but game development has been a hobby since 1987 on my Commodore 64. I am also an avid collector and player of retro video games.

Daven Bigelow: I have been a game development enthusiast and indie dev for many years while also being a published author on Construct game development. Often I can be found making an example or tutorial file, or teaching game development to anyone who wants to learn. Chris and I have become good friends since meeting in 2011 and have established a really strong creative and problem-solving think tank between the two of us, and we always have ideas of what's coming next.

What games have specifically inspired the creation of Insanity's Blade?

Chris Obritsch: Insanity's Blade is a lot of my favourite games jumbled into one! It started off as a tribute to Batman and Ninja Gaiden on the NES, but it didn't feel like enough to me. It became a little bit of Black Tiger, Magic Sword, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - insert your favorite classic here! Basically, anything I love playing and coming back to started being thrown into the mix. The cart scene is a nod to Rondo of Blood, although is technically nothing like that fight. The multiple daggers is very Black Tiger. The monster overload is very Magic Sword. But the game still plays like a combination of Batman and Ninja Gaiden on NES - just with a lot of extras.

Daven Bigelow: I really love the retro games, and whenever Chris is thinking of what to do next we both search our memories for the awesome 8-bit and 16-bit games we used to play and bounce ideas around until we have the perfect addition to the game experience.

"Insanity's Blade is a lot of my favourite games jumbled into one...basically, anything I love playing and coming back to started being thrown into the mix" The title started as a tribute to 8-bit gaming, but has recently moved into the realms of 16-bit visuals. What's the reasoning behind this change?

Chris Obritsch: This is actually the second version of the 16-bit arcade-style visuals. I had started another version to see what it would look like with full-blown 2D FX and a flattened out stage. I had made real time 2D shadows, but it killed the engine and I dropped it. The game started off as 8-bit and I had always loved the idea of a really nice homage, but as we progressed it just didn't feel like it was doing my story justice, and I wanted to add so much more to the game that a Nintendo [NES] couldn't possibly do. It was when we added co-op into the mix that I decided we had crossed the line - the game on an NES would have flickered so bad and slowed down with the co-op sprite it would have been unplayable. So to 16-bit we went! I started drawing the graphics in a backup of our working files and then showed it to Daven - he loved it. We also did a vote on our Kickstarter to see if everyone was OK with it, and it went over without a hitch! Only a couple of people asked that we keep the NES graphics as a second version of the game. So the game will come with the arcade graphics and an 8-bit NES version.

Daven Bigelow: Insanity's Blade felt like it had reached its potential in the 8-bit version, and although it was a really solid game, we both felt we could do even more with the story and gameplay experience by upping it to 16-bit. Both versions will still get released, so it really was a win-win situation.

What's the reaction been like from the community to the PC demos you've released so far, and how have you incorporated this feedback into the final product?

Chris Obritsch: So far the majority of people who have played it, especially with the latest beta, have loved it. Most of the feedback came during the original beta release with Kickstarter, and we have listened to most of it. Things like fixing the wall jump, adding co-op, widescreen support and difficulty settings have all been added in. We want people to have as much fun playing the game as we do, and have compromised in several areas to make sure they do! And by compromise I mean to not make it impossibly hard - I live on that stuff, but from the feedback we got there aren't many dinosaurs like me left!!

Daven Bigelow: I'm really happy to see the positive feedback we've been getting, after all the hours bug fixing and coding new features Chris and I always appreciate the welcomed response! There has been some struggle too, of course. At one point we were releasing new betas almost every week and it was interesting to make a new post saying "Download the new demo!" and shortly after watch "Let's Play!" videos appear with a three-week-old build.

"If Capcom and Konami still made games like this, I would be throwing my money at them all the time" Shovel Knight is another download title which seeks to emulate the experience of past consoles. Why do you think there's such interest in this kind of retro visual style today?

Chris Obritsch: For me, this style is what I grew up with. It's what I still want to play. I still love it - it still feels like a video game when you can see the pixels and see that someone spent time drawing out the animation for something. The art style still shows. A retro game was/is always a quick burst of intense excitement. You won't typically waste a day to a week of your life playing a retro game, unless it's an RPG. For someone like me who has no time to play games for extreme lengths of time anymore, this is just a better choice. I will always love not being hand-held in a game. I love the rush of adrenaline when you get to a really hard boss and you know that if you die you have to do everything all over again - or at least from a previous a checkpoint. If Capcom and Konami still made games like this, I would be throwing my money at them all the time!

Daven Bigelow: I definitely agree with Chris, and also think it's awesome that these games both have their own unique elements and stories to tell. On top of the retro elements it's really great that the games are playable on the computers and consoles of today. The games industry may remember the thousands of classic titles and ask "Why make more?" but to me it's indie titles like Shovel Knight or Insanity's Blade that let us reconnect the best parts from gaming's past with modern comforts like widescreen and modern controller support and say, "This is why I loved my NES, this is the story I want to tell, and this is how I want to feel while I split my enemies in half".

You've gone for an authentic audio sound as well - can you talk us through the production of the game's chiptune soundtrack? How important was it to get the music right?

Chris Obritsch: I was raised on music so I'm a bit of a perfectionist with this stuff. Although I've done a couple of the songs on the soundtrack, I wanted people who could step up to the plate and blow my mind. The music is all done through freelancing - we had one musician doing things earlier on but now we have a 10-year veteran of chiptune music step up and he's knocking everything out of the park! The music is all authentic Famicom VRC6 chiptunes, no exceptions. Because the VRC6 had more channels it sounded more like early arcade music. And in my opinion this stuff is far better than early arcade music! Whenever my new musician sends me a sample of what he's working on, I'm like a kid in a candy story - it's just epic stuff, can't wait to get the whole track!

Daven Bigelow: I love listening to chiptune music even outside of the games themselves, so I knew that memorable music would really make Insanity's Blade even better. It was Chris who did the talent search but he found some great candidates and I think it's a big part of the game now!

"The other game we have in the works is being developed with the Wii U in mind so we are looking forward to showing that one to the public a little more after we have it cleaned up" You're very early into the process of porting the game to the Wii U, but what has Nintendo been like to work with so far? When can we expect to see the game hit the eShop?

Chris Obritsch: Nintendo has been fantastic so far! No delays, and everyone is terrific! But it's very very early on so there isn't much to tell. Once we have a better idea of how to tackle the Wii U port we can give a better timeline.

Do you have any plans for a 3DS version as well?

Chris Obritsch: I'd love to say yes, but this is a very up in the air. It will have to be developed separately from what we've done so far. We'll see further down the road if this is an option.

Daven Bigelow: I sure hope we can get on 3DS, that would be awesome.

Will you be looking to make use of the Wii U GamePad's second screen in any way?

Chris Obritsch: For this first game, there's not really much of a point aside of showing the game on the screen. The second game we have planned has split screen and we can always use the second screen for the second player. Lots of options there!

Daven Bigelow: Yeah, there's nothing too fancy that we expect to do with Insanity's Blade, but we'll see how it goes.

Do you have any other projects in the pipeline that you can tell us about?

Chris Obritsch: Yes we do - Insanity's Blade has a long storyline. We will probably split it up into three games. We'll see. The other game we have in the works is being developed with the Wii U in mind so we are looking forward to showing that one to the public a little more after we have it cleaned up. Right now the alpha version is on the back burner until Insanity's Blade is completed - since there are only two of us working on the code and GFX!

Daven Bigelow: We are always thinking of cool ideas and writing them down for later, it will be great to announce them as well after Insanity's Blade is out in the wild!

Thanks to Chris and Daven for giving up their time to speak with us.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Holster for BlackBerry Q10

Date : 11 Mart 2014 Salı - 17:20, Category : TECHNOLOGY

Promo Codes: Seidio SURFACE Holster for BlackBerry Q10

Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Holster for BlackBerry Q10

For today only, purchase the Seidio SURFACE Holster for BlackBerry Q10 and save 50% off the list price! The durable spring clip on the SURFACE Holster holds your BlackBerry Q10 securely in place, and then lifts for quick access. Both the felt liner and t

For today only, purchase the Seidio SURFACE Holster for BlackBerry Q10 and save 50% off the list price!


The durable spring clip on the SURFACE Holster holds your BlackBerry Q10 securely in place, and then lifts for quick access. Both the felt liner and the face-in design protect your screen from scratches and exposure to outside elements. This holster can be worn in any one of seven different positions, ranging between horizontal and vertical. * Requires SURFACE Case for proper fit (sold separately)

Learn More and Buy Now

Canada Deal of the Day: Ballistic SG Series Hard Shell for BlackBerry Z10
Source : crackberry.com

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Sunday, March 9, 2014

Titanfall PC Pre-Order: $10 Off Promo And Pre-Load Before Tuesday

<Reviewp>Still on the fence about Titanfall? UK-based retailer is dangling a flat $10 off code for those in North America, just a few days before the Tuesday release date next week. If you're so inclined, you can grab Titanfall's Origin key for $49.99 after coupon code XXYB8X-LHFV73-66QFG8

For those abroad, the global release date is on March 13, just two days after the North American release date. (If you're in South Africa however, you're basically SOL until Respawn Entertainment gets a chance at figuring out the server situation).

On the console side, only the Xbox One will be released on the previously determined date (the 360 version is now delayed to March 25 in the US and March 28 in Europe).

All in all, hype for Titanfall appears to be justified thus far based on beta plays - at least, for those that enjoy FPS games. If you've decided to grab the PC version, pre-loading well advance is highly recommended unless you have a fast connection for the 20GB. If you're on a SSD and storage is low, you might want to plan advance because the install will be 50GB.

Monday, March 3, 2014

[Deal Alert] Get 8 Free Games In Today's Amazon Game Pack, Including Buddy & Me, Gravity Guy, And Sonic Jump

The Play Store is filled with great games to cram onto your mobile device, but there's another Android marketplace you may have forgotten to check. Don't worry, I have your back. Amazon Deal.com/?tag=androidpolice-20">Amazon is currently offering eight free games as part of today's Game Pack. If you throw in the usual free app of the day, that actually makes nine games you can get just by hitting up Amazon before the day is up.

This pack contains some real time killers. Gravity Guy is a compelling experience that has been around for a while, and Buddy & Me is just absolutely adorable. Sonic Jump is a made-for-mobile vertical platformer, while QuizClash is there to provide a round of fun for people who prefer a bit of trivia with their entertainment.

The full list of games and their original prices, along with links, are provided for your convenience below. Note that two of them will only run on a Kindle Fire.

App of the Day: Thanks, Timothy Walter.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Best Buy deal makes iPhone 5s a bargain

Craving an iPhone 5s? Review has a deal for you today and Saturday.

Come into one of its 1,400 stores that do trade-ins and turn in a working iPhone 4s or iPhone 5 and you will get a $150 minimum trade-in that can be used to get the iPhone 5s 16GB model ($149.99) for free.

Customers must be eligible for an upgrade and activate a two-year contract with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. The offer is good for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and March 1.

You can check the trade-in value of your old phone at www.bestbuy.com/tradein.

Best Buy has had to get creative in the hyper-competitive smartphone marketplace. In February, it pledged $50 in credit to anyone who would plan to get their next upgraded phone from the retailer.

EARNINGS: Best Buy stock jumps on return to profit

Getting a steady stream of customers in the door is important for Best Buy, which on Thursday announced that its fourth quarter earnings were better than expected. However, profit arose from cost cutting not sales.

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