A mere two weeks after their latest release, Zynga can certifiably say they have another hit. That’s right, Hanging With Friends is already topping charts and hanging the competition. Being the next in a family of highly successful social word games (like Words With Friends), Hanging With Friends certainly has the right pedigree and seems to be asserting its place in the Zynga domain. Like Words, Hanging has you playing multiple games with friends or random opponents alike (whichever you prefer), except this time the game is Hangman — with a twist, of course. The objective is to craft mystery words that your opponent has to decode, all the while attempting to decipher the words your opponent throws back to you. The game comes complete with strategic lifelines for hints, instant replay to see your opponent’s guesses, and of course the cute characters we know and love when turns deplete and peril approaches (although it’s centered around balloons, not nooses, so totally family friendly).

So here’s both the good and bad news: the game is bound to keep you on your toes (well… fingers), provide endless entertainment, and serve as another way to keep in touch or make new Friends. This means it will be yet another addiction to add to the list, and if you’re like me, another realm of competition to obsess over. But worse things have happened.  Zynga: I think I can reasonably say that your games are changing the frontier of how the phone can be used to connect, play, and ponder. I thank you for your Friendly developments and I can’t wait to see what kinds of wordplay will come next!

Apps that aggregate are among my favorite things to find — as you can certainly tell by my fondness for IM+, which allows you to message everyone on every account from one app. Now there’s an app out with a similar premise, but for actual social networks. In other words, instead of having to check your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter from three separate portals, you can now access them all from one simple domain: Stroodle. Appropriately named like the dessert, as this app is certainly a sweet treat (and, not to mention, one that weaves several layers and parts into one delectable entity), Stroodle enables you to add and access all your favorite networks, update and be updated by all of them, and even engage in crossposts so that you don’t have to write the same thing thrice. Further, the developers certainly had the users in mind, as they created the sleekest, easiest interface around, and no registrations or additional accounts are required (phew!)! Granted, actions are not as extensive as you would get through sole access to one network, but you can save more detailed endeavors in Facebook and the like for later. If you’re concerned about keeping up with all your favorite networks simply and simultaneously and most importantly on-the-go, then you should certainly savor some Stroodle.

Gone are the times when everything was good and simple. It seems that every day, even amidst all the opportunities and advancements, more issues arise, more agendas are exposed, and more people and places are in need of help. As much as I wish I could assist and advocate for every cause, instigate some much-needed change, save the world, and be back in time for dinner, the fact of the matter is there just aren’t enough hours in the day to even know about everything that’s worth fighting for. As shameful as it is to admit, life can get so hectic that it is impossible to keep the larger issues in sight all, or sometimes even part, of the time. But at the heart of change is action, and at the heart of action is knowing. That’s where ONE comes in. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no doubt that Facebook has had an impact on society as we know it, and now it’s about to take civilization to new levels — Civilization World, that is. The beloved game is expected to reach new heights this summer as it becomes integrated into a social gaming platform on Facebook. As Sid Meier, Civilization’s creator, has said in discussions about this change, the opportunities that Facebook presents in terms of how it connects people and could enable players to engage with Civilization with their extended networks provides a way to re-imagine Civilization and bring it to a more interactive, connected and social sphere. This will also allow the development team to find new ways to approach the classic strategy of the game, and will provide an approach to the fan favorite that takes our current internet culture into account. As a Facebook installation, Civilization will potentially get into the hands of an even wider audience.

Speaking of hands though, what does this mean for mobile? While a Civilization app exists, will the Facebook integration turn it into a social app on mobile devices as well? Will we see people building their civilizations with each other across multiple devices and platforms as well as from many places? As the new title, Civilization World, suggests, there is certainly a new world for the game to conquer, and it is social, mobile, and expanding. What civilizations will Civilization World conquer next?

In what has been cited as the most massive tech deal in years, Microsoft won the acquisition of Skype to the tune of $8.5 billion. As the PC world has been seeing a steady decline, with all the opportunity finding itself in smartphones and tablets, Microsoft realized that it needed to make a drastic move — no matter the costs — and found itself the proud new parents of the already popular, stand-out video conferencing service, Skype. Skype will be integrated with the Microsoft enterprise systems and will become a new division of the Microsoft company, putting the power to dictate both video conferencing standards and trends into the might hands of Microsoft. The addition of Skype to Microsoft is also one more way to ensure that even if people are not using Microsoft devices, they are still engaging with Microsoft tools and services. Read the rest of this entry »