Rovio’s spinoff Hatch to bring streaming game service to Android

Hatch, a new company that spun off from Angry Birds’s creator Rovio, is hoping to become the Spotify for mobile gaming. The new company is looking to let Android users stream and play games without downloading games onto their phones and have added “unique social features.” It’ll give anyone with an Android device free access to games without any updates or in-app purchases. The service and developers will supposedly get revenue from “integrated, unobtrusive advertising and brand storytelling.” Hatch is also planning to offer a paid subscription option to give gamers additional features. These features haven’t been specified at the moment.

Hatch partnered with Huawei Technologies to use its cloud-based servers. The service will let players compete or even help while playing online games as well as broadcast gameplay footage. Hatch says that even single-player games can be changed to have you receive online assistance from other gamers. Some of the 100 games expected at the time of launch include Badland, Monument Valley, Pac-Man CE DX, and many more. There will also be Hatch-exclusive games like IslaBomba: Ready To Boom. The company plans to launch the service via an invite-only beta sometime in the first half of 2017.

Source: Android Authority

Of course your phone needs a bed, too

We’ve seen a lot of weird gadgets and accessories in our time but this one has to be one of the stranger ones. Introducing Phone Bed—a bed to put your phone on at the end of the day. Nope, it’s not a charging station. It’s simply a bed for your mobile devices. You can place your phones on top of the bed’s satin linens and tablets inside the velvet lined compartments. While you think this might be a joke, it’s a real product sold on Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global site. And how much will it set you back? Well, US$100.

As described on the site: “The phone bed makes putting our smartphones to bed a regular part of our nightly ritual. First we tuck our phones in, and then ourself. By giving our phones their own bed, we can say goodnight to our day and get the sleep we need to wake up fully recharged.” Okay. We’re not sure what to make of this. But if you’re looking for a funny gift this Christmas. This should be on that list.

Source: The Verge

‘The Walking Dead’ will keep newest baddie in season 8

AMC

The Walking Dead’s most controversial and disturbing villain yet isn’t disappearing that easily. According to actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, his character Negan will be around for a while. While he made a full-length episode debut in the season premiere, not much has been seen of him in the past few episodes. But Morgan has said in an interview with Howard Stern that he’ll be showing up in the next couple of episodes and he’s sticking around for quite some time. “I know I will be on board for season eight,” Morgan said. “We’ve finished [season seven] a week ago. The next two, I’m really big in. I’m fucking heavy in those.”

If you read The Walking Dead comics, this news isn’t much of a surprise as Negan has a long arc in the comic books. Plus, having him on the show just keeps the conversation about it going. The Walking Dead has been seeing some of its lowest ratings in years. And perhaps keeping a controversial character on might help. What do you think? Will this keep you watching?

Source: Polygon

Apple AirPods could be weeks away

Apple's bluetooth AirPods, which were promised back in October and which have been delayed, are apparently a few weeks away from coming to market according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The AirPods are the wireless solution to the removal of the headphone jack on the new iPhone 7 and are the best bet for users who aren't keen on using dongles or Apple's Lightning EarPod headphones included in the case. Cook reportedly told a customer via email, "Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay---we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks." This means that the AirPods should be hitting Apple Stores in early to mid-December, just in time for the frenzied shopping season.

Source: MacRumors.com