defense

Google hires DARPA Director Regina Dugan

One of the Pentagon's most tech-forward leaders is heading to a new job at Google. Regina Dugan has been the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which works on military technology for the U.S. Department of Defense, for the past three years.

"Regina is a technical pioneer who brought the future of technology to the military during her time at DARPA," a spokesperson for Google told CNET. "She will be a real asset to Google, and we are thrilled she is joining the team."

Although Google confirmed Dugan's hire, it … Read more

Mount your attack

Allied Star Police is a fun little game with a touching backstory: developer PopCap Games helped create this simple, side-scrolling castle-defense-style game through the Make-a-Wish Foundation, for a 9-year-old with leukemia whose wish was to make a video game.

Befitting a game co-created by a 9-year-old, Allied Star Police is action-packed, quick to play, and not too complicated--with cool graphics and animation (even cooler on the iPad) and a loud, rock-out soundtrack. The game pits you (the Allied Star Police, of course) against the evil Flamions, as you send competing waves of well-armed vehicles toward each other's bases.

Your … Read more

LightSquared network still harms GPS, says draft report

LightSquared's planned 4G wireless network caused "harmful interference" to the majority of GPS receivers used in recent government testing of the network, according to reports citing a draft version of the test results.

LightSquared plans to offer network services like wholesale Internet access to companies such as Best Buy, but concerns about the network knocking out personal or military GPS devices have been raised by the Defense Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, and GPS companies and users. The LightSquared network uses frequencies that are near to those used by GPS devices.

In response to earlier tests, the … Read more

Medieval castles, magic, and an onslaught of angry monsters

DroidHen's Defender for Android puts you at the gates of a medieval castle under attack.

With your trusty bow, a bottomless quiver of arrows, and a few magic spells, you're the kingdom's only hope of fending off what seems likes endless waves of monster assailants.

To start, you are equipped with a basic bow, fixed in position on the left side of the screen. As enemies bull-rush your castle walls, tap and hold anywhere to send a continuous stream of arrows to that point. If you drag your finger across the screen, you can also get a … Read more

Defend your castle!

In Defender for Android you must have fast fingers and a sound defensive strategy to protect your medieval castle from monster attackers. Luckily, you have a pretty sweet bow (with unlimited arrows) and a pocket full of magical spells to help you in your efforts.

As monsters charge your castle walls, tap and hold your finger on them to shoot your bow. For larger waves of targets, you can also drag your finger across the screen to get that machine-gun-spray effect. And when you find yourself being overrun by a particularly feisty pack of monsters, just drag one of your … Read more

Dell Streak 5 gets stamp of approval from Department of Defense

The Dell Streak 5 has become the first Android-powered device to receive Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) certification.

Thanks to a host of applications designed to enhance the large phone's security, the Streak 5 will be used for the Defense Department's secure but unclassified communications. Military personnel will soon find that they have access to information from their desktops, as well as the ability to command and control programs much like they would in controlled environments.

The certification process began in September 2010 when Dell started working with the DISA in an effort to provide a secure, Android-based … Read more

Defend your sheep from certain doom

TowerMadness has been around for a while now, but the unique challenge and several updates over time make it a must-have for tower defense fans. Featuring 3D graphics that look great on the Retina Display, TowerMadness challenges you to defend a flock of sheep from an onslaught of attacking aliens. You can view the action from above or use a reverse-pinch gesture to zoom in on the action. You'll play on 49 included maps, but you can purchase 28 expansion maps from within the game. A recent update added five more maps, and two new weapon upgrades to add … Read more

Tiny Heroes, big Tower Defense legacy (iOS)

There is no shortage of tower defense games at the iTunes App Store. Even in the beginning, developers understood that the touch screen was a natural fit for placing towers on a game board.

One of the first out of the gate, GeoDefense, was an immediate hit with tower defense players, providing a level of challenge that was mostly unmatched in the iTunes App Store. The game was developed by David Whatley of Critical Thought Games, a one-man development house. He developed the game in six months on nights and weekends. Our very own Josh Lowensohn wrote a story featuring Whatley … Read more

Defend against the swarm

GeoDefense Swarm is the follow-up to GeoDefense, and is an extremely challenging open-path tower-defense game. Like its predecessor, GeoDefense Swarm stands out for a unique play style that mixes frantic arcade action with bang-your-head-against-a-wall puzzle-solving. Aside from the new open-path format, GeoDefense Swarm has much in common with the original GeoDefense, from its psychedelic vector graphics to its drag-and-drop interface and the same selection of upgradeable towers (GeoDefense Swarm adds a sixth tower, the Thumper, which deals damage in a wide area). You're still destroying a set number of waves of geometric "creeps," all with differing health … Read more