Every Single Article Written by N - All 1343
Welcome To The New FleshEatingZipper!
As much as we’ve loved our website, for 2012, we decided we need to build something that was really made for us. The old shell you’ve been looking at for the past year was assembled hastily over a weekend and despite all the wonderful value our articles have brought, we know that YOU NEED MORE and WE WILL GIVE YOU MORE! For starters, go grab the 1920x1080p wallpaper version of our 2012 wallpaper for your own desktop right here, then carry on to see what we’ve changed!
SOPA Support Drying Up As Gaming Companies Feel The Heat
We’ve talked before about the evils of the SOPA bill, which is temporarily shelved for Congress’ holiday recess, and that everything must be done to prevent its passage. The bill would allow the government to shut down entire web sites on the suspicion of transmitting or harboring pirated material. While tech companies like Google, LinkedIn, and Foursquare have argued against it publicly, media conglomerates and content holders still comprise a long list of supporters of the bill who are looking to protect their content. Well, that crowd just got a bit smaller.
You Just Got An Android Phone, These Are The Apps You Need
Google recently reported that 3.7 million Android devices were activated between Christmas Eve and Christmas, which means a lot of people just got sparkly new smartphones. We’re pretty big Android fans here, so we want to lend you some expertise when it comes to picking out some essential apps to start your journey. This isn’t going to be a mechanical ‘THESE ARE THE 50 BEST APPS YOU CAN GET’ article, but rather a smaller amount that we use regularly. (This article assumes your phone is straight out of the box and not rooted or ROM’ed out.) Without further ado, here are the Android apps you need to throw on your phone right quick!
Facebook Messenger For Windows Is Useless [UPDATED]
![Facebook Messenger For Windows Is Useless [UPDATED]](/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FacebookMessengerDesktop.jpg "Facebook Messenger For Windows Is Useless [UPDATED]")
Okay look, I’m a bit of a Facebook apologist. When Engadget bandied around the rumor that the big blue social network was releasing a stand-alone client for Windows, I was eager to ditch Windows Live Messenger, the only chat application I’ve even bothered to open for the past decade. Well, ladies and gents, you don’t need it, because it’s not worth your time.
The Long, Slow Death Of Silicon Knights
Earlier this year, I wrote that Silicon Knights’ action-horror game Eternal Darkness was the best GameCube title ever made. I was actually indifferent to the game when I started playing it, but when my roommate became an observer, my appreciation went through the roof. There was something about its crafty gameplay and incredible narrative that won me over. “These guys are on to something,” I thought. Now nearly a decade later, it seems that the only thing that the Canadian game developer is on to is losing a lawsuit that has consumed most of the company’s essence for the past four years. Should they lose entirely, how much farther can founder Denis Dyack pull the company?
Samsung’s Gargantuan Galaxy Note To Finally Arrive State-side Next Year
Kelly has admitted to me that he would love a phone with a large screen, which seems ironic considering he totes an iPhone 4. He handed me his phone after I’d gotten acquainted to the Galaxy Nexus‘ 4.65″ display and the iPhone looked like a glowing postage stamp. The massive Galaxy Note – which is still a phone mind you, not a tablet – I might have just the tool to reel him over The Dark Side. The biggest problem, however, is that American carriers are probably going to screw the whole thing up before it even arrives in stores. The beautiful super-AMOLED display on the Galaxy Note measures 5.3″ at a resolution of 1280×800. The biggest feature is actually an included stylus as the phone’s size actually allows for enough real estate to comfortably jot down notes and drawings. The TouchWiz additions also allow for some cool Courier-esque copy and paste action. Who knows, it might even get in a bite of some Ice Cream Sandwich considering its release timeframe, but they might screw that up, too. Still, even if the device’s dimensions don’t entice, I have no doubt it’ll be a cool playground for ROMers and mods alike.
So Samsung, whenever you’re ready, we’ll be more than happy to give the device a fair shake
Source: The Verge
Sprint Starts To Build Their LTE Network, But Is It Already Too Late To Compete?
Yes, that little yellow dot is Sprint’s current LTE coverage, perched over the small town of Kankakee, Illinois, a stone’s throw from Chicago. While the site exists for testing purposes for a network that won’t even start to roll out in earnest until next year, it’s a harrowing reminder that Sprint is way behind the competition in rolling out next-generation cellular tech, even if the other guys are fumbling a little.
Now Bored To Death, Google+ Admins Now Censoring Mildly Offensive Images
The image above of formee full-time TechCrunch writer, and complete Apple fanboi, MG Siegler, was removed from Google’s services abruptly. As he writes on his blog, he’s not mad about the incident, but he is curious about Google’s opaque policies regarding photos that feature flipped birds. While all services have issues with policy in their youth, this strikes me as odd considering Google has had years to learn from Facebook regarding this stuff. That they failed to disclose this to MG is another issue entirely.
Verizon To Charge For The Convenience Of Paying Your Bill [UPDATE: Verizon Decides Against It]
![Verizon To Charge For The Convenience Of Paying Your Bill [UPDATE: Verizon Decides Against It]](/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/VerizonCharge650.jpg "Verizon To Charge For The Convenience Of Paying Your Bill [UPDATE: Verizon Decides Against It]")
UPDATE: After making the announcement, both the entire population of the internet and the FCC – yes, the FCC – revolted against the increases. Verizon has now backed down from the charges.
So this is cool. Starting January 15th, Verizon customers are going to be charged an additional $2 every time they pay their bill through their automatic phone system or online through their web site. The only way to get around this? Set your account up for automatic withdrawal, which hardly seems like a convenience considering they’ll probably just ‘automatically withdraw’ an additional $2 per month that way, anyway. I can see the situation now…
Will Americans Be Nicer To The PSVita Than Japan Was?
“But N, there’s a supply shortage in Japan following their successful launch!” So after two booming days for Sony’s next-generation handheld after its debut in Japan, the PlayStation Vita’s sales fell by 78% week-over-week to nearly last place, behind the 3DS and the original PSP. While a shortage is implied, bear in mind that the Japanese audience has also been traditionally wired for first day/first week releases, which is how it’s been able to set such amazing entertainment records in those categories. A front-loaded release isn’t really out of the ordinary. The problem is: does the Vita have legs?
