Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the team at 1337pwn.com!

iNXES Update Still "In Review"

We submitted our 1337pwn.com iNXES update to the AppStore more than a week ago and we're still waiting for approval. Apple has indicated that they have reduced staffed over the holiday and AppStore updates, etc would be slower. We hope that they can turn around approval quickly and get it up on the store. We will keep you posted. Thank you for your support and patience.

Plus, a big thank you to the AppStore team that got stuck working over the holidays!

Happy New Year and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

Android

We've been working on development with the emulator for a couple of months trying out ideas, etc. Now that I have Android hardware in my hand, I find myself getting a feel for the whole Android vibe. It's rubbing off on the team as we work to make the 1337pwn.com Android Marketplace application something special.

Is it an iPhone killer? No, it's not. It is a unique device in its own right with a whole bunch of interesting features, but for me, it won't be replacing my trusty iPhone. It will be seeing plenty of action as a second "recreational" phone... development phone. We'll keep you posted.

don't pwn alone(tm)

Waiting for Approval

We submitted our 1337pwn.com iNXES XBOX Live Friends List 1.1 update to the AppStore last Monday and it's still pending approval on Apple's side. It's taken a little longer than expected as the AppStore backend was being updated from Dec 24-27th. Sunday was the first day that the developer services were back in action. With services restored, we hope that the performance update will be approved by them shortly.

UPDATE:
I just got an email from Apple indicating that AppStore activities are moving slowly as they will be short staffed through January 5th. Hopefully, iNXES 1.1 gets approved sooner than that. We will keep you posted.

Thank you for your patience and support!
don't pwn alone(tm)

Friday

Like many of you, the 1337pwn.com team is enjoying the post-holiday decompression with a little gaming action. For me, it's been a mix of Halo 3 Team Swat, Geometry Wars 2, and an opportunity to spend more time with Fallout 3. Later tonight, Left 4 Dead is on the agenda with MonstroCromo and a cast of the usual suspects.


Of course, it hasn't been entirely fun and games. We like to mix gaming with a healthy amount of coding. On that note, I got a finally shipment confirmation that my Android G1 is on its way. Woot!


Thank you for all of your support and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

Happy Holidays!

The gamers behind 1337pwn.com want to wish you and yours a safe and wonderful holiday season. If you see my gamertag, borocouncilman, online, send me a text message and we can party up.

Thank you all for your support and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

1337pwn.com iNXES 1.1 has been submitted to the AppStore

The first update for the 1337pwn.com iNXES application has been submitted to the AppStore. With this release, we have focused on performance and user improvements. The result is much faster and more responsive application. The performance improvement will be startling if you are accustomed to 1.0.

With this performance improvement, smooth scrolling is now supported. You can use your finger to smoothly browse anything displayed on screen. Tapping on a panel will now quickly bring it to the foreground.

The updated application will hopefully appear in the AppStore within a couple of days (see update 2). With v1.1 completed, we are now focusing on the integration of new requested features for v1.2.

UPDATE: And, yes, the performance improvement is jaw dropping.

UPDATE 2: We're still waiting on AppStore approval for the update. Apple has acknowledged that they have reduced staff over the holidays. Hopefully, they will post it soon.

Thanks again for all of your support.
don't pwn alone(tm)

Readying iNXES v1.1 for Release

Very shortly, we will be submitting the v1.1 update for the 1337pwn.com iNXES XBOX Live Friends application to the AppStore. The update brings with it markedly better UI performance/framerate with smooth scrolling of panels in all views. With the code changes completed, we're running through regression testing and excited to get it out there to the user community. We're pretty stoked about the improvements.

UPDATE:
I spent Sunday hunting down a nasty stack crash bug -- brutal stuff, but diagnosed and solved! The remainder of the evening will be running through testing and adding some usability odds/ends.

Thank you for all of your feedback/support.
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES Week 1

It's now been a week since our 1337pwn.com iNXES XBOX Live friend list hit the AppStore. I wanted to take a few moments to thank everyone for the terrific feedback and support. As always, we're working to make our applications even better. It's been a fun week!

The iNXES application climbed to the #5 spot of top FREE Social Networking apps this week. The AppStore offerings that are rated higher include FaceBook, MySpace, and AIM. We don't expect the 1337pwn.com application to crack that ceiling, but it's certainly good company.

On the development side, with 1.1, we've improved performance and taking care of some optimization. Testing has gone very well. After we get that deployed, we will get to work on 1.2. Of course, we'll post progress to the blog.

Thank you!
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES v1.1

Work continues on the upcoming v1.1 update of iNXES. The point-release includes performance and code optimization along with some functional tweaks. If there's anything you'd like to see in v1.1 or perhaps another release, leave a comment below or send an XBOX Live message to borocouncilman.

Thank you for all of your support and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES lands in TOP 10 Social Networking Application

The 1337pwn.com iNXES XBOX Live Friends List has landed in the TOP 10 list of AppStore applications. We want to thank everyone for their support! We are currently working on a 1.1 update that will be submitted to the AppStore soon. It takes user feedback into consideration and includes a few performance improvements.


Be sure to check out the "READ ME" in the application as it contains answers to common questions. It's updated frequently as we've been providing user support.

Thank you and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES Day 1

With several thousand downloads, 1337pwn.com iNXES is already at #31 on the chart of free Social Networking applications in iTunes AppStore. We did that volume in less than a day and that's with general availability hitting around 2PM ET.

Our servers have been seeing a lot of action today, but nothing has gone down and things are holding up well. That alone is a feel good for the 1337pwn.com team.

Response has been almost entirely positive with folks eager to see where we take the application in the next release. From the moment you launch it, iNXES is a bold step in a new direction and we're going to be taking it even further. There will be a v1.1 in the coming weeks that will address a few of the feature requests and general application feedback. Sincere user feedback is always appreciated.

Most common user question of the day is "Do I have to upgrade to the 2.2 firmware?". The answer is YES. Our application actually uses some of the SDK additions in 2.2 so you'll need to upgrade.

Thank you all for your feedback and support...
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES requires firmware 2.2

The 1337pwn.com iNXES XBOX Live Friends application in the AppStore requires the 2.2 firmware. While iPhone users are quick to upgrade their devices, some iPod Touch users have remained on earlier firmware for one reason or another. If you have not upgraded to 2.2 yet, you will have to upgrade to run iNXES.

Thank you all for your messages and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES is Available for Download

In some areas, you can now download iNXES using iTunes on your computer. It's not available via any searches yet, but can access it directly using the link below.


We'll update this post once the app starts showing up on the iPhone AppStore application.

UPDATE:
Now starting to show up in the United States iPhone AppStore application if you use the above direct link.

don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES is APPROVED for Sale

Wow, 4 days from submittal to Apple AppStore approval. As you read this, the iNXES application is propagating through the iTunes servers and should be available for download in a few hours. I will post a link as soon as the new 1337pwn.com XBOX Live Friends application is available.


Thank you all for your feedback and support!
don't pwn alone(tm)

Playstation Home... er uh... WOW. Run away! Run Away!

After a good bit of frustration, I managed to get the Playstation Home Beta up and running on my PS3. Following about an hour in Sony's virtual world, I thought that I'd share my initial impressions.

First, it feels dated. Yes, the graphics are impressive and it's clearly using the power PS3 hardware, but that's not my issue. The whole mechanics of moving around and the the animation associated with that movement. It's pick up and play, because we've seen this 3rd person experience for what, like 10 years now. Of course, the stiff walking animation that feels entirely inorganic doesn't help that impression. Despite the considerable effort/money that was put into it, you've got something that gives the appearance of a face-lifted application from a generation ago. Sony's own Little Big Planet has more convincing human behavior in sack dolls.

Second, it's like walking in a nightmare where Sony related content is pumped into every orifice of your body. At a most basic level, it feels like Sony has built an virtual experience where you can stroll through a world of advertising. Again, this feels like the VRML experiences of more than a decade ago.

Third, all of that advertising might be easier to swallow if Sony wasn't charging you for every facet of your virtual life. Check out these two items available in the mall. Take a close look and you'll see a virtual residence being sold for $4.99 and a couch for $0.99.



$0.99 for something that you sit on... virtually. By comparison, the residence is a bargain. Horse armor is more practical. And it's obvious from the limited selection of free clothing, etc that the world is going to be filled with this stuff.

On that note, if you are parent, stop reading this, go to your PS3 and make sure that your kids don't have access to your credit card. Delete all of your wallet information off the machine.

Sony would be far better off creating more interesting things to do in this virtual world and less emphasis on making me watch Twilight trailers at every venue. It's such a blown opportunity that it gives me a headache.

out.
don't pwn alone (tm)

P.S.
Readers of the blog know that I am HUGE fan of MGS4 and LittleBigPlanet. I really like my PS3, but I have to call Home for what it is.

"NXE in the palm of your hand"

During a client meeting today, I pulled out the iPhone and showed off iNXES, the new 1337pwn.com XBOX Live Friends application. They picked it up in their hands and immediately remarked, "This is NXE in the palm of your hand". Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

I'm really happy with where we landed for 1.0. We set the bar pretty high in bringing the 360 user interface to the iPhone/iPod Touch platform. The final product exceeded everyone's expectation. Of course, I'm already working on a feature list for 1.1.

The real satisfaction of all this effort will come when we can get it into your hands. The application was submitted to the AppStore on Monday night. It's in their review queue and I always agonize over that wait. I'm hoping that we'll see it available in the store on Sunday or Monday. If anyone from Apple is reading this, sooner would be GREAT.

Thank you all for your support and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

iNXES has been submitted to the AppStore

iNXES is the next generation XBOX Live Friends list application from the team at 1337pwn.com. As the creators of the most popular XBOX Live application in the AppStore, we have put our expertise to work with a totally new mobile XBOX 360 experience.


User Interface
With the NXE as inspiration, the 1337pwn.com team has brought the excitement of the new XBOX 360 user interface to iPhone/iPod touch. From sliding panels to avatars, you can now browse your friends on the go as you would on your XBOX 360.

• Touchscreen, gesture-based navigation
  
• Full NXE-style gamer card when browsing friends
  
• Complete profile support including name, location, and biography
  
• Detailed play history including achievement progress graphs
  
• Automatic sorting of gamers by status and gamer tag
  
• Send Message shortcut through XBOX.com
  
• Shortcuts to Online Stats for popular applications
  
• Browse Top Games on XBOX Live
  

Technology
The user interface is matched with a new server infrastructure leveraging our full year of experience delivering mobile XBOX Live applications. As an Official XBOX Community Developer, you will not be putting your Live login at risk.

• Add gamertags within the application
  
• Import gamertags from XBOX.com using our exclusive utility
  
• Automatic refresh of data while running
  
• Force manual refresh by shaking device
  
• Offline access via integrated caching
  

Availability
The application has been submitted to the AppStore and should be available within a week or so. As with our existing XBOX Live Friends List, this will be FREE application. We'll keep you posted and let you know as soon as it hits.


For More Info
Leave a post in the comments section or send a message to borocouncilman via XBOX Live.

Thank you all for your help and support and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

1337pwn.com iNXES Status Update

Our new XBOX Live Friends application has held up well under testing. We're putting the finishing touches on it and submitting it to the AppStore. We will keep you posted. Thank you all for your feedback and support!

don't pwn alone(tm)

1337pwn.com Top XBOX Live Games for Week Ending 12/5

With just every major XBOX 360 for the holidays now behind us, Gears of War 2 maintains a stranglehold on the top spot. While it's been reported elsewhere on the net that Halo 3 leapt to #1, our data does not show such a trend. If you look at our popularity index representing gamer share, it's not even close right now. Of course, it's entirely likely that Halo 3 will sit back on top with the release of the upcoming map pack, but we won't see it until 2009.

1. Gears of War 2 (1000)
2. CoD: World at War (778.29036388569)
3. Halo 3 (656.86497089459)
4. Call of Duty 4 (624.97162109393)
5. Left 4 Dead (291.88045442575)
6. Fallout 3 (214.93502365666)
7. Fable II (188.29063632318)
8. Rock Band 2 (173.66982391456)
9. GTA IV (165.47853646576)
10. Madden NFL 09 (160.43844274726)
11. Guitar Hero III (139.38810537882)
12. Guitar Hero World Tour (128.78120544512)
13. Gears of War (110.41891805988)

37. Guitar Hero II

For the moment, CoD: World at War is slowly gaining support in the 360 community and will probably overtake Gears of War 2 as players tire of Horde mode. I love Horde mode, but Left 4 Dead makes the Gears Horde look just silly.

Let's just say it, straight from the 1337pwn.com team, Left 4 Dead is probably the best multiplayer game on the console right now. I would like to put specific emphasis on the word "multiplayer". With Left 4 Dead, you actually play with other people and play together out of necessity. You must work with your teammates -- the headset isn't an option. You're never playing alone in Left 4 Dead. Anti-social, silent, no headset types need not apply.

In other titles, it's easy to become a loner, sniper, or unstoppable one man killing machine. Alternately, find yourself playing "alone" on a team of 4-16 people. Left 4 Dead is a whole new ball game. Rambo tactics are a ticket to death and a player caught by themselves will get turned into zombie lunch post haste. Yes, it's that awesome.

Thank you and...
don't pwn alone(tm)

1337pwn.com iNXES Update

Yes, the blog has been quiet as work continues on iNXES, the new 1337pwn.com XBOX Live Friends Application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It's been a busy week of testing and tweaks as we prepare for submission to the AppStore.


Per our earlier post, it's a fairly radical rethink of the concept. We hope you're soon able to enjoy the labor of our efforts.

Thank you all for your feedback and support.

don't pwn alone(tm)