Astraware Updates Sudoku to 1.40

Astraware's Sudoku - an already great application and way to pass idle moments - gets an update and a most welcome new method of managing puzzles.

Alternatively, download it here.

Release documentation states:

What's new in this version:

• A new type of assistance - Hold and Highlight which allows you to highlight a specific number or pencilmark. On touchscreen devices tap and hold the number or pencilmark in the side or bottom bars. On devices with QWERTY keyboards press P then the number for pencilmark or O then the number for numbers.
• A Puzzle Manager. Following requests from existing users, our extensive new Puzzle Manager allows players to select a specific puzzle to play, or delete puzzles they've already completed.
• Full screen support for Windows Mobile® Standard (Smartphone) devices with QVGA Landscape displays.
• Full screen support for Palm OS® devices with hi-res+ displays (320x480 and 480x320).
• Additional language support - Astraware Sudoku now includes Brazilian Portuguese alongside English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Free 'For One Week Only' Snap Software Download From SplashData & Demise of SplashBlog

Hurry to take advantage of a freebie from SplashData.

We haven't even evaluated this yet, as we wanted to give you the best chance to take advantage of a 'this week only' offer to have the Snap 'quick entry tool for palm'. It appears to provide an 'always available' toolbar for data entry, designed to interface with their own SplashNotes application, but which will also function with the built in ToDoList and Memo applications. Download it while you still can here.

We've not played with SplashNotes yet, mainly because with a Treo 650, there's precious little memory for new applications, let alone to fill with replacements for built in applications!

In other SplashData news, we must report the demise of the company's foray into blogging support applications, with the death of SplashBlog. In a statement on the SplashBlog website here, the organisers state:

Dear Splashblog user,

We regret to inform you that the Splashblog service will be terminated on Friday, August 10th, 2007. The Splashblog website, any uploaded pictures or content, and customer support will no longer be accessible after this time.

However, we value all of our users and don't want you to lose any of the content you have created since you began using the Splashblog service. Therefore, we have designed an easy way for you to save all of your published content.

To preserve your Splashblog content, please follow the simple steps below:

1. Go to Splashblog.com and sign in.
2. In the Blog Admin page, click on the "Manage Blog" link, then on the "Export Photos" link.
3. At the bottom of the page, press the "Create Zip File Now" button.
4. Click the generated link to download your pictures.

Once you complete this process, all of your pictures will be safely saved on your computer. Look for an email for more instructions on where you might move your photos to.

Regards,

The Six Apart Mobile Team.
--Ends--


Now Confused+Emotional is a huge SplashData fan of long standing, so it's always a shame when things go wrong, but we can't help think this is indicative of a new overly-commercial approach by SplashData. When we first encountered the company, back in the day, they appeared to be a developer-led company of great talent, producing software that filled a need and met with great success. We're proud to own SplashID, SplashPhoto & to a degree, SplashTravel. Regular updates provided welcome improvements and increased functionality, and they were always a company to watch.

Over the last 18 months or so, a new commercial focus has come into play, with often negative impact:

• The software doesn't keep pace with the rate of innovation from competitors (SplashPhoto for example is looking very limited when compared to Resco Photo Viewer, which despite the name, provides image editing facilities sadly lacked in SplashData's offering). SplashPhoto last received a feature upgrade in August 2003 (yes, 4 years ago) - subsequent releases have been bug fix & maintenance updates. And just look at SplashClock and compare it to the other products on the market. Compare the recent innovation from SpashData to a company like GX5.
  
  
• Irregular updates are revenue-generators with little real value to the loyal customer who continues to fund the company (there's not that much in the new SplashID that we can't live without).
  
  
• Pricing has begun to over value what we've already noted are applications looking a little dated. (the 4 year old SplashPhoto will cost you $30, which isn't small change in the world of Palm Apps; the more capable Resco Photo Viewer will cost you $24.95).
  
  
• Their new trend of outsourcing development (or buying in the work of other developers) is confusing the brand identity (witness the shoddy & ridiculously memory-hungry SplashNews developed by Smaato, a company that demonstrates that taking a good idea and making it free doesn't always benefit the end user).
  
  
• The revenue greed is most apparent in the 'professional' versioned packages now coming on line, milking the user for all they're worth. SplashTravel is a case in point.
  
  
• The commercialism is never more apparent in the SplashData blog, which completely fails to see the value in communicating with customers in the way that blogs allow (but seems instead to suggest that having the SplashData website is not doing the job well enough). For example, announcing that the new version of SplashData, released 22nd June, was actually being 'early' released to coincide with Independence Day is just tacky; failing to post a reader comment pointing this out demonstrates just how contrived the 'blog' is - if you don't want criticism, don't mislead the public - they pay your wages.
  
  
• Now SplashBlog goes under. A further example of revenue greed, we're sure the SplashData company of old would have developed this useful application to support the leading blogging environments of the day; instead, because it was easier and bought into the revenue generator which is subscription services, SplashData failed to read the marketplace, and has now failed. Lesson learned, we wonder?
  

All in all, SplashData demonstrate the harm done to the Palm platform by Palm itself. Once one of the great Palm innovators, the uncertain future has turned this company into a revenue generator first, innovator last - in our opinion.

Time to Die... Again & In Newly Found Glory

Sometimes it's not about sharing what's new, but sharing what's best. In the case of Blade Runner, it's both 25 years old and in many respects very new; and it's unquestionably among the best.

In what must be one of the most anticipated releases of the DVD age, Blade Runner: Final Cut is being prepared for release, less than a week before Christmas Day, 2007.

This major campaign will introduce several versions:

• Blade Runner - 2 Disc Special Edition:
  
  Disc One:
  Ridley Scott's all new "Final Cut'.
  
  Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:
  - Commentary by Ridley Scott
  - Commentary by Executive Producer/ Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher and Co-Screenwriter David Peoples; Producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber
  
  - Commentaries by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer
  
  Disc Two
  Documentary - "Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner"
  
  A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film - from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history.
  
  
• Blade Runner - 4 Disc Collector's Edition
  
  Containing the 2 discs of the Special Edition, the Collector's edition also boasts 2 further discs, containing 3 alternative versions of the film, as well as an "Enhancement Archive" bonus disc of enhanced content that includes 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film's history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more.
  
  Disc Three
  1982 THEATRICAL VERSION
  
  This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford's character narration and has Deckard and Rachel's (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape scene.
  
  1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION
  
  Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.
  
  1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT
  
  The Director's Cut omits Deckard's voice over narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.
  
  Disc Four
  BONUS DISC - "Enhancement Archive"
  
  - Featurette The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick
  - Featurette Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film
  - Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (Audio)
  - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery (Images)
  - The Art of Blade Runner (Image Galleries)
  - Featurette Signs of the Times: Graphic Design
  - Featurette Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling
  - Screen Tests: Rachel & Pris
  - Featurette The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth
  - Unit Photography Gallery
  - Deleted & Alternate Scenes
  - 1982 Promotional Featurettes
  - Trailers & TV Spots
  - Featurette Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art
  - Marketing & Merchandise Gallery (Images)
  - Featurette Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
  - Featurette Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers
  
  

• Blade Runner - 5 disc Ultimate Collectors Edition
  
  Containing the 4 discs of the Collector's Edition, The Ulitmate edition also includes a 5th disc, containing the ultra-rare, near-legendary WORKPRINT version of the film, newly remastered. It will be presented in a unique 5-disc digi-package with handle which is a stylish version of Deckard's own briefcase, in addition each briefcase will be individually numbered and in limited supply. Included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner car, collector's photographs as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott.
  
  Disc Five
  WORKPRINT VERSION
  
  This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn" sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending," altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more.
  
  Also includes:
  
  - Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner
  - Featurette All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut
  
  This version will be available in standard DVD format, as well as HD-DVD and BluRay High Definition variants.

It's hard to imagine a more comprehensively thought-out and packaged re-release of a 25 year old movie - such is the significance of the original release, and I for one will be first in line.

The only significant thing that appears to be missing is the excellent Mark Kermode-presented Channel 4 documentary, 'On The Edge Of Blade Runner' (2000), which was originally rumoured for inclusion on disc 5. It was on YouTube until Warners objected; hopefully it might appear in this Warner package, and has simply been left off the content detail.

Source for package contents: The Digital Bits