Tag Archives: Developer

Technology

Developer modifies 4th-gen iPod with built-in Wi-Fi and Spotify

Leave a comment

iPod touch is officially the only iPod Apple has ever released with Wi-Fi connection, but what if other older iPods also had an internet connection and access to streaming services? That’s exactly what developer Guy Dupont was able to do with his fourth-generation iPod, which was modified with built-in Wi-Fi and the Spotify app.

The fourth-generation iPod (and we’re not talking about the iPod touch) was introduced in 2004 with a really small display, Click Wheel, and no wireless connections. This hasn’t stopped Dupont from turning one of these iPods into a modern device — kind of — that can even access songs from Spotify.

In fact, there’s not much of the original iPod left in this modified device. That’s because the developer replaced almost all the internal components to achieve this, keeping just the original case with Click Wheel (via Engadget). Even so, the final result is quite interesting and fun to see.

The “sPot,” as called by Dupont, has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, plus a color screen and an internal 1,000mAh battery. He used a $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W and a Micro-USB connector to create and install a version of Spotify (using Spotify’s official APIs) that resembles the classic iPod interface.

Dupont demonstrated the modified iPod running Spotify and sharing the audio with an external speaker via Bluetooth connection in a video on his channel, which you can watch below:

The project cost less than $100 in total, but the developer has no intention of selling modified iPods with Spotify. Instead, he shared more details about how he built the “sPot” on Hackaday and also the source code of the software he created on GitHub.

Although this doesn’t seem to be something many users will do with their iPods, it certainly makes me wonder what it would be like if Apple had offered new versions of iPod classic or even iPod nano with Apple Music support.

What do you think of the idea? Let us know in the comments below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Read original article here

Technology

Tencent Acquires Majority Stake in Don’t Starve Developer Klei Entertainment

Leave a comment

Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Klei Entertainment, the studio behind such games as Don’t Starve

and Mark of the Ninja.Klei Entertainment founder Jamie Cheng took to the the studio’s forums to announce the news and to assure its fans that “as part of this agreement, Klei retains full autonomy of creative and operations across all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent, and more.”As for what’s going to change, Cheng mentions that while there are some “boring accounting changes” that will need to be adjusted to, he will still be running the studio as before, with “no changes to staffing, projects, or other operations.”

Cheng continued to discuss why this decision was made and, among other things, how it will help Klei Entertainment continue to do what it does best – “making unique experiences that no one else can.”

“Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world,” Cheng wrote. “Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances, and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed. This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can.”

Tencent, which has invested in other companies that have produced such titles as Path of Exile, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Clash of Clans, Fortnite, and more, helped Klei distribute its games in China in 2016. Furthermore, Don’t Starve Together was the first game to launch on Tencent’s WeGame platform.

These past collaborations helped make the decision for Klei to allow this acquisition, as Cheng feels that it is the only company that “would let us retain the level of control that we demand.”

Klei Entertainment’s newest title, Griftlands, is currently available on PC in Early Access and is also expected to be released on Nintendo Switch later this year.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.



Read original article here