scrabble

Buzz Out Loud 760: 100 penny challenge

We've offered more than 99 pennies in reward money as a challenge to the first person who can make some e-salt that will stop the snail robots from taking over our planet. Of course, running would probably also work as they are snails. Also Microsoft and Yahoo are fighting and we children don't like it. But Time Warner might. We also talk a little bit about some phone that's coming out this week. From Apple. I think it's called the over-hyped phone. Or iPhone. Or something.

Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 760

Microsoft letter … Read more

'Scrabble' on Facebook: Too little, too late

Electronic Arts, the video game giant that owns the rights to digital versions of the board game Scrabble, has announced that later this month, it will launch a Facebook application version of the game in conjunction with Hasbro.

Unlike the last time we saw an announcement like this, it actually extends to the United States. (Remember, rights to Scrabble are owned by different companies in the U.S. and abroad--here, it's Hasbro, there, it's Mattel.)

"Scrabble is one of the best social-game brands in existence, and we've worked diligently with the Hasbro team to ensure that … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 697: Men behaving badly

In the news today, men are scamming and being scammed online, Jerry Yang (Yahoo) and Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) are getting nasty (in a legal-sounding way), the official Craigslist blog calls the unofficial Craigslist blog a deceptive text-ad-runner, and we ladies are just over here in the corner being nice to each other. Er, except the ones with the AVPR1a gene. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 697

Yahoo versus Microsoft: Thanks for the letter Steve; Now give us more money or get lost http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8396 http://www.nypost.com/seven/04072008/business/ yahoo__sets_reply_to_microsoft_attack_105424.htm … Read more

Scrabble launches on Facebook: Yanks need not apply

An official Scrabble application, developed by RealNetworks' Gamehouse division, recently launched on Facebook's developer platform. Will it be a Zombies-caliber success? Probably not.

It's been clear for a while that the copyright holders on the classic board game Scrabble have been none too pleased with the wildly popular Scrabulous, a developer-created Facebook application that mimics the design and rules of the original. So it seemed that, after months of legal threats, the companies behind Scrabble would be taking a step in the right direction to actually launch an official Facebook app to offer users a legal alternative to … Read more

'Scrabulous' debate may rewrite the rules of the game

"I'll go on a hunger strike!"

So said one adamant Facebook user in the wake of the news that game manufacturers Hasbro and Mattel were trying to do something about the wildly popular, unquestionably addictive online game known as Scrabulous.

The game, which rose to fame when its creators turned it into an embeddable Facebook application, is a word game that's a whole lot like the classic board game Scrabble. It uses a playing board with "bonus" spots just like Scrabble. In fact, the rules are identical to Scrabble's.

The companies in charge … Read more

Big surprise: Scrabble manufacturer targets 'Scrabulous' online game

That noise you just heard was the sound of several hundred thousand procrastination-happy Facebook users gasping in panic.

Josh Quittner at Fortune reports that Hasbro, manufacturer of the timeless board game Scrabble, is trying to shut down Scrabulous, an unauthorized electronic version of Scrabble that has gained a rabid following on Facebook. The reasons are obvious: licensing. Scrabulous profits from advertising revenue. Hasbro, citing infringement, wants to see it scrapped.

There's no online version of Scrabble, but as Quittner notes, electronic rights to the game belong to video game manufacturer Electronic Arts. One of Scrabulous' creators confirmed to Quittner … Read more