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Yahoo Signs 5-Year Deal with Mozilla, Becomes Firefox’s Default SE
7 Must Have Video Games This Christmas
Futuristic Kisai Clone Modifies Time Genetically
Got Milk? Samsung Galaxy Owners Respond Affirmatively

Yahoo Signs 5-Year Deal with Mozilla, Becomes Firefox’s Default SE

Posted: 20 Nov 2014 11:05 AM PST

Considering that Google has been paying $300M per annum to be the default search engine of Firefox, Yahoo must have put a lot of effort into beating that offer.

The word of the year must be “diversification” for Mozilla, as it ditched its 10-year default search engine in favor of Yahoo, and it started signing deals with local search engines in Russia and China. In other words, if you happen to be in one of those countries, don’t be surprised if Yandex or Baidu are set as default browsers. That doesn’t mean that Google has been abandoned altogether. Instead, it is still featured as a built-in search engine, just that it’s no longer the default one.

“At Yahoo, we believe deeply in search – it’s an area of investment, opportunity and growth for us,” pointed out Yahoo CEO Marrisa Mayer. “I can’t wait to see what innovations we build together.” That must be true, if they convinced Mozilla to drop Google as their default search engine. To put things into perspective, Google had almost 68% of the market share this May, while Yahoo barely has 10%. Not to mention that Yahoo’s search engine is actually powered by Microsoft Bing. The Yahoo-Microsoft deal will expire early next year, and then Yahoo will roll out its own search engine.

“Google has been the Firefox global search default since 2004. Our agreement came up for renewal this year, and we took this as an opportunity to review our competitive strategy and explore our options,” explained Chris Beard, Mozilla’s CEO in a statement today. “We are excited to partner with Yahoo to bring a new, re-imagined Yahoo search experience to Firefox users in the U.S. featuring the best of the Web, and to explore new innovative search and content experiences together.”

There’s a lot of dispute regarding the best Web browser out there, and Chrome may have the largest market share, but it lacks many important functions. Of course, there are plenty of add-ons that compensate for that, but it’s one thing when certain features are offered by default, and a completely different thing when you need to install extensions. If you want to take the Mozilla route, feel free to give Firefox Aurora (or Firefox Developer Edition, as it’s been known lately) a try.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Firefox Developer Edition that replaced Aurora, or the $25 Firefox OS smartphone for developing countries.

7 Must Have Video Games This Christmas

Posted: 20 Nov 2014 05:00 AM PST

As more and more video games release either broken or unfinished, we round up seven great must have games (that work!) that you should buy this Christmas.

The video game industry is having a bit of a rough patch at the moment. Despite sales of the PS4 and the Xbox One remaining strong, more and more of the games that are released on them are either broken, unplayable or have massive bugs on them that need giant patches to fix them.

This is completely unacceptable, that much is obvious, but with such a large amount of highly anticipated titles falling prey to launch bugs and errors, it’s harder than ever to figure out which ones are playable and which ones are not.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide. Spanning PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC, the next seven games have either overcome their troubles or never had any to begin with. Each comes highly recommended.

1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

The latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise could offer the series’ biggest change since things went from a World War 2 setting to games set in the current to near future. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare goes one step ahead of ‘the near future’ as it’s instead set in 2054.

In the year of 2054 it seems, the PMCs (Private Military Corporations) that many of the world’s armies already rely on in the year 2014, have taken over. They’ll fight any battle for anyone as long as the war wagers can afford it.

As a result of all that money flying around, players get access to the most hi-tech battle gear ever seen in a Call of Duty game. That includes Advanced Warfare’s swanky new exo suit which not only allows players to quickly dash out of the way, but it even lets them jump to ridiculous heights, put up super strong shields and even fire missiles from their shoulders.

These big changes will be available in the game’s much talked about multiplayer mode too, so you’ll be able to take advantage of Advanced Warfare’s new gameplay fun against both AI and real-life competitors.

Available on: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

2. FIFA 15

Like the aforementioned Call of Duty games, you can expect a FIFA game to be released every single year. With all of the licenses from every big name club, league and player you can think of (as well as the tiny ones you’ve probably never heard of), the FIFA franchise is the go to game if you want to play as Chelsea in the Premier League rather than ‘London FC’ in the ‘English League’ (as is the case with PES).

Licensing technicalities aside, FIFA 15 signals another significant stride forward in the world of football simulation. The big change that publisher EA was boasting about this time round was goalkeepers as those in the net now perform as realistic as ever, with the acrobatic leaps and hopeful dives of the real game being witnessed here.

Not only that but the game is now more emotional than ever before. Players in FIFA 15 frown at bad tackles and get in the faces of those who slid at their ankles whilst missed shots or great goals see disappointed or enthusiastic yells, respectively.

Available on: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

3. EA Sports UFC

A less established sports game than FIFA 15, however, is EA Sports UFC. After picking up the license when former UFC publisher THQ went under, EA gave their incredible sports sim touch to the world of octagon fighting.

It’s a purchase that seems to have proved successful too as EA’s debut UFC title is great. From the meatiest of right hooks to cartwheel spins and knees to the face, EA Sports UFC’s gameplay is as fast-paced and gritty as the real life sport.

The graphics on this one are also fantastic – with sweat glistening on fighter bodies and the way that blood splatters grossly onto the floor of the octagon. It’s to great effect though and you’ll be able to see just how much damage you’re doing as you take on opponents.

Available on: PS4 and Xbox One

4. inFamous: Second Son

inFamous: Second Son meanwhile, is one of the PS4′s brightest exclusives. Literally.

Second Son stars Native American lead Delsin Rowe as he finds himself imbued with some massively powerful fire abilities. From his flame-y rocket attacks to his thunderous ground pounds, Delsin uses his fire skills to take out the DUP, a shady government organisations that wants to take those with powers out.

Later in the game Delsin also gets some neon powers and with the technical muscle of the PS4 really being put to the test by developer Sucker Punch, Second Son looks absolutely gorgeous.

Available on: PS4

5. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

An Xbox One exclusive now as rather than being a new Halo game (the full version of Halo 5: Guardians isn’t out until sometime next year), Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been released to bring all of the existing Halo games to the newest Xbox console.

In the collection you’ll get reskinned versions of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 including both their single and multiplayer modes. Furthermore, not only will you be able to shoot it out against players of those Halo games, but buying Halo: The Master Chief Collection provides you access to the Halo 5: Guardians beta.

That’s not quite a new Halo game, as mentioned, but given just how many fantastic Halo games you’re getting access, Microsoft could almost be forgiven.

Available on: Xbox One

6. Civilization: Beyond Earth

Next up we have the latest version of a generally PC-only franchise. While the Civilization games of old gave us new ways to take over Earth, Civilization: Beyond Earth explores what happens when the Earth is considerably less inhabitable and it also gives us a chance to see what life in Civ would really be like if we won by a space victory.

In Beyond Earth not only is there a massive wealth of new, futuristic technologies from the likes of sci-fi films, pop culture and some very smart science-y stuff (Animal Husbandry be gone!) but there are also alien factions to battle or befriend.

Like Advanced Warfare, this is the biggest change to the turn-based series yet. Arguably some players may miss the old ways of Civ games before but for most, this offers a much-needed shake up to the series.

Available on: PC

7. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Also offering a well needed shake up is Dragon Age: Inquisition. EA and BioWare’s supernatural RPG made a big misstep after the initial, well-received outing of Dragon Age: Origins when Dragon Age 2 disappointed many. Not only did its combat gameplay leave much to be desired but many players also felt that the game’s sections were too closed off for it to be a ‘true’ open-world game.

Inquisition is looking to fix that then, with its world letting you roam around it until your thumbs get tired from twiddling your controller’s analogue sticks. Combat is much improved, with strategic placements of characters and targeting of limbs and other body parts now having a tangible effect on battles. Graphics have been spruced up too and bolts of fire and magic look even more impressive than ever and you can see the battle scars, war wounds and general blemishes on a character’s face.

Available on: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Have a game that you think we missed off? Leave a comment and let us know.

Futuristic Kisai Clone Modifies Time Genetically

Posted: 19 Nov 2014 12:58 PM PST

Tokyoflash has just launched another limited edition wristwatch which will make you struggle to tell the time, at least in the first few days.

Not that this would be news to anyone. Tokyoflash has been making cryptic timepieces ever since it was founded, and with the Kisai Clone it’s only continuing the tradition. That’s about the only thing that’s common to all Tokyoflash watches. Other than that, the design of this one is quite unique, and the signs of progress are present not only there. The Japanese watchmaker has ditched replaceable batteries in favor of a Li-Ion battery that charges via an USB cable that’s provided in the package.

Kisai Clone is available in four different versions, depending on the color of the strap and LEDs. Hence, you can choose between a black or white wristband and green or blue LEDs. If you were to ask me, I would tell you that the black strap/green LED version is the best-looking of all, even though the white/blue combination is attractive, as well.

Besides telling time (if you know how to read it), the Kisai Clone can also display the date. On top of that, the watch comes with an alarm and an animation that’s probably meant to dazzle anyone who’s looking at it. Between 6 pm and midnight, the animation will pop up every quarter of hour. The effect will resemble having a starship strapped to your wrist.

Charging the battery takes 3.5 hours, and a full charge should keep Kisai Clone up and running for up to 1 month, depending on how often you use the animation. Considering that it doesn’t feature an energy hungry display, there aren’t any features that drain the battery as quickly as in the case of smartwatches. Even though one month is more than enough, I feel that such watches should have a longer battery life.

As all the other Tokyoflash watches, Kisai Clone is a limited edition and will only be available for a short period of time. It costs $99, so if you want it, head over to the manufacturer’s website and claim yours within the next 29 hours. Liking the product page on Facebook will bring down the price by $4, and while that’s not a lot, in today’s world, every discount matters, no matter how small.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Tokyoflash Kisai Sequence or the Kisai Rorschach e-Paper wristwatch.

Got Milk? Samsung Galaxy Owners Respond Affirmatively

Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:17 AM PST

Milk, Samsung’s non-potable platform for all-media, will be available in the form of a video player for short clips exclusively on the Galaxy line.

There are two very different opinion currents regarding Milk Video, and neither is correct. Some tend to think that given the short clips, Samsung means to compete against Vine. The Korean giant thinks it can last more than six seconds, so it has no quarrel with Vine. On the other hand, there are some who believe that Milk Video goes against YouTube, but the latter enables people to upload even ten-hour long videos, while the former will resume to clips that are several minutes long. That being said, Samsung’s video player app fits somewhere in the middle, being able to host music videos at most (don’t expect any concerts or prog rock videos, as those are far too long for this).

Milk Video will feature various channels to which people can subscribe. For example, there will be Funny or Die videos, as well as clips made by Vice. By the looks of it, the player will be more about entartainment than news.

The app doesn’t have that many reviews on Play Store, and not all of the current ones were written by happy customers. Among the things that people are complaining about are the login procedure, the slow UI and the fact that the Milk Video channel is followed by default. Seeing how this is an Android app, the fact that people can only login using their Facebook account and not the Google+ one is a major downside.

Bottom line is: if you own a Samsung smartphone from the Galaxy line and want to watch short clips, head over to the Play Store and install it. The app doesn’t seem to be compatible with my S2, however, so I’m going to assume that it only works with the newer models. Oh, and Galaxy tablets are excluded as well, so Samsung must be thinking that watching videos on a smartphone’s display is much better than on a tablet. Way to go, Samsung, way to go!

Also, it doesn’t matter how much PR Samsung’s video player app is going to get, the following clip will still pop up on the first page of Google search results when you’re looking for “Milk Video.” Enjoy it!