epic

Computer peripheral maker Razer posted a question on its official Facebook page late last month asking if fans wanted another mouse built for left-handed gamers. The company requested at least 10,000 "Likes" on the post within a month to give the idea serious consideration. It only took a week to reach that number.

Several years ago, Razer launched a basic five-button gaming mouse for left-handed folk, the DeathAdder, giving everyone an equal opportunity at the perfect headshot.

Now, after the recent affirmative votes from Facebook-ers, Razer plans to release a left-handed mouse based on the Naga, which is designed specifically for massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).… Read more

Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 has powered fictional games like Gears of War 3 and Mass Effect 3, but now the technology is being used to assist real-world endeavors at government bodies like the FBI Academy through the just-launched Unreal Government Network.

Epic Games today announced a long-term Unreal 3 reseller agreement with Virtual Heroes, an interactive learning simulation company based in Raleigh, N.C.

As part of the deal, agencies and units of United States and allied governments will make use of Epic's game engine for a variety of purposes through the UGN.

Read more of "FBI using Unreal Engine 3 crime scene sim" at GameSpot. … Read more

Mickey Mouse is gearing up for another adventure. In an interview with the Associated Press, Junction Point co-founder Warren Spector revealed details about Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii.

Due out this fall, the sequel to the action-adventure game Epic Mickey will boast drop-in, drop-out cooperative play with Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald will be AI-controlled when another human player isn't available.

Another new design choice for Epic Mickey 2 is full-voice acting. Frank Welker (Abu from "Aladdin") is slated to play Oswald, with other cast members also featuring human voices.

Read more of "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two due this fall" at GameSpot. … Read more

AUSTIN, Texas--Representatives from opposite sides in the "big data" privacy debate tangled Sunday over whether a proposed White House "privacy bill of rights" is necessary to keep Americans safe online.

During a "big data" panel sponsored by CNET at South by Southwest, Berin Szoka, president of the non-partisan, non-profit, tech policy think tank TechFreedom, argued that states and the federal government might have better results providing privacy protections for Americans by enforcing existing laws than they would if they adopted new regulations.

"We have a difference of opinion of when government should get … Read more

There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of to-do-list management apps in the iTunes App Store, but which one should you choose?

I found a couple of new task management apps recently that add something extra to the category. But using them made me realize that an old favorite of mine still stood up to the test of time and remains a great choice for lists and tasks.

It's no secret that many people like to use lists to get through daily projects, but when you have a task manager on your iPhone, you get handy additions like alerts, notifications, and editable tasks when your goals change. Whether you're just making a grocery list or planning a big business project, a good task management app can focus your efforts and keep you on point for success.… Read more

The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to force it to prevent Google from implementing planned changes to the company's privacy policy.

The privacy group filed a complaint (PDF) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia requesting a preliminary injunction against the new rules, which are set to go into effect on March 1.

Google announced last month that it would rewrite its privacy policy to grant it explicit rights to "combine personal information" across multiple products and services. Google's … Read more

The Electronic Privacy Information Center today asked regulators to look into whether Google's new Search Plus feature violates federal antitrust rules and poses consumer privacy concerns.

"We asked the FTC, as part of its current investigation of possible antitrust violations, to assess whether the changes in Google Search also constitute an antitrust violation, and also whether the changes in Google Search violate the consent order Google recently signed with the Federal Trade Commission" related to how Google Buzz was launched, EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg said in a conference call today.

For EPIC, it's a bit … Read more

The head of a consumer online privacy watchdog says U.S. regulators should look into Google's new personalized search to see whether there are antitrust or privacy issues.

"Google is an entrenched player trying to fight off its challenger Facebook by using its market dominance in a separate sector," Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy InformationCenter, told The Los Angeles Times. "I think that should trouble people."

Rotenberg also said the personalized results will make personal data of users on Google+ more accessible, which may raise privacy concerns. He said he is considering … Read more

One of the prettiest looking games on Apple's iOS platform turns out to be pretty profitable too.

The popular Infinity Blade franchise, which grew to two games last month, has earned Epic Games and developer Chair Entertainment more than $30 million since its debut near the end of 2010.

Epic announced that figure today, while noting that Infinity Blade II has brought in net earnings of $5 million in the month since its launch, a benchmark the company says took the first game three months.

The series was unveiled at Apple's once-annual music event in 2010 and was … Read more