boards

It really wasn't that long ago that the idea of playing chess against a computer was about as realistic as Mr. Spock's ears, but today's chess engines are so powerful that even free game software can challenge expert players. Or so we assume with Mayura Chess Board, which quickly eclipsed our limited chess-playing skills and proved an excellent piece of software as well.

Mayura Chess Board's board and pieces have realistic 3D highlights. That plus a pair of counters labeled white and black and a window to hold captured pieces add up to this game's … Read more

BERLIN--E-readers are a well-established product category now, but a company called Improv Electronics believes its Boogie Board products will help establish another: e-writers.

Boogie Boards use a variety of LCD technology that lets people write using a stylus, fingertip, or anything else that exerts some pressure. It takes no power to write on the tablet; whatever you write on it shows as light colors on a dark background.

The company's first product, the $40 Boogie Board, used power only when it came time to erase what a person had written. But it only carried a single page of information, … Read more

Dungeons & Dragons and other turn-based strategy games are alive and well. Gamers paint elaborate miniature fighters, monks, thieves, and monsters and send them out to battle on tabletops around the world.

OggBoard, a new Kickstarter project, is looking to bring those characters to life without plastic or paint. The concept is to mix augmented reality with board games so that knights and creatures take shape on your iPhone.

The OggBoard has an appealingly minimalistic design. It features a playing surface with small tiles and docks on either side for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Each tile is rendered on the screen as a different 3D character.

"We aren't just trying to make new apps, we are trying to change the way players and developers think about strategy gaming," said OggBoard co-creator Sam Lytle in an e-mail to CNET.… Read more

Editors' note: Apple announced today that Steve Jobs has resigned as chief executive officer, and the board has named Tim Cook, previously Apple's chief operating officer, as the company's new CEO. Jobs has been elected chairman of the board, the company said, and Cook will join the board, effective immediately.

Below, the text of Apple's press release on Steve Jobs' resignation:

CUPERTINO, California--August 24, 2011--Apple's Board of Directors today announced that Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board has named Tim Cook, previously Apple's Chief Operating Officer, as the company's … Read more

Ticket to Ride is another solid iPad adaptation of a classic board game, which has the same name, in which you race other players to build railroad routes across a map of the U.S. and southern Canada.

Fans of the board game (and its online version) will find this a satisfying reproduction of the original--but, of course, with the added bonus of not having to fumble with all the little pieces, cards, and bookkeeping. You can play a solo game in about 15 minutes, with no cleanup. If you don't know the game already, it's pretty easy … Read more

Small World for iPad is the two-player iOS adaptation of the popular European-style board game Small World, a whimsically designed, fast-playing game with a little bit of luck and a lot of strategy.

Small World for iPad looks and plays great, with the same board, artwork, and rules as the tabletop version. This exceptions-based game is relatively complex to learn: players compete to dominate the Small World map with randomly assigned combinations of races (for example, Trolls, Skeletons, or Amazons) and special powers (for example, Flying, Wealthy, or Alchemist). Each combination starts with a set number of tokens, which you … Read more

How do you get from point A to point B without your favorite backseat driver spewing commentary and driving tips? Well, now you can enjoy that familiar nagging even when you're alone in your car.

The new Mary On Board, a humorous dash-top device, gives criticism, driving tips, and navigational "advice" in two languages.

Mary On Board creator Dan Finkelstein said he was inspired by his wife (named Mary) to create a device that would "backseat drive" for him when she wasn't around.

Finkelstein explained that he was distracted by a phone call one day while driving, only to be reminded to move into the right lane by his wife, who was "motioning wildly and saying repeatedly, 'right lane!'"

So Finkelstein, who had been laid off from Unisys after 25 years, took on the task of inventing Mary On Board. The device was developed through the aid of a Utah-based company, Design My Idea.

The device is about as helpful as a Magic 8 Ball when it comes to dispensing actual directions. Instead, it offers about 15 preprogrammed sayings in English or Spanish, including "I so need a brake pedal on my side," "Admit it! You're lost because you wouldn't ask for directions," and "Don't you think you should slow down?"

The gadget retails for $19.95 on the company's Web site and through Things You Never Knew Existed. For every unit purchased, $1 will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation, Finkelstein said.… Read more

Ann Livermore is stepping down from running HP's Enterprise Business unit, and will join the company's board of directors, the company said in a statement. Her new seat will be added to the board and will not replace any current member's.

Until HP names a replacement, Livermore will serve as interim head of Enterprise Services.

HP also said it is eliminating the position of chief administrative officer. The man who currently holds that position, Pete Bocian, is leaving immediately, reportedly for a job in investment banking.

Chief … Read more

Six years. That's nearly how long it's been since the Xbox 360 first debuted back in the fall of 2005. The next year, the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 followed.

Typically, new consoles emerge no later than five years after the debut of the last iteration. This generation seems to be the exception. Perhaps that's because of the ripples of a recession, but we can also credit the Wii, PS3, and 360 for being hardy, versatile consoles. In fact, looking back at what these systems were compared with what they are now, it's hard not to … Read more