gun

Snipe on the city's baddest baddies

Contract Killer puts you in the shoes of a master sniper for hire. Work your contacts, look for missions, and complete hits in order to gain new weapons, experience points, and money. Become a good enough killer, and you might be able to climb your way to the top of the underworld ladder.

Sniping is simple. Just tap and drag around the scene to find your target. Once you find him, tap the scope button to zoom in, drag around to adjust your crosshairs, and fire away. Aim for the head for an instant kill. But watch out, because crime … Read more

Use your Android to scope out and snipe enemies from afar

Army Sniper puts you behind the scope of a standard-issue U.S. Army sniper rifle, which you must use to pick off enemy troops from afar. Without your long-distance support, your unit has no chance of accomplishing its critical counter-terrorist mission.

Army Sniper's controls are extremely simple. Tap anywhere in the vicinity of an enemy to engage the scope. Then, tilt your mobile device around in space to adjust your aim. Tap the button on the right to shoot, the button on the left to slow your movements and make finer adjustments in your targeting, or anywhere else to … Read more

The 404 868: Where time is not important (podcast)

Wireless Internet access and cellular service are coming to New York subway stations, but like the Second Avenue subway line, it might be awhile before you can check it out. In the meantime, we're suggesting that the MTA install air conditioners to keep riders from passing out on the platform.

The rest of today's rundown includes an Apple fanboy in London already standing in line for the iPhone 5, Domino's Pizza's latest marketing campaign in Times Square, and Blockbuster luring angry Netflix customers with its own unique movie rental service.

The 404 Digest for Episode 868

A blogger is already camping out for the iPhone 5. Domino's Pizza runs unfiltered customer comments on a Times Square billboard. Blockbuster takes advantage of the rise in pissed Netflix customers. Next Media animation: The Dark Knight Rises Trailer.

Episode 868 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Race to the death!

Death Rally is an iOS adaptation of (and homage to) the classic, much-loved top-down PC racer of the same name. Much like its predecessor, Death Rally has a gritty feel (although much more PG than on the PC) and some of the best racing gameplay and graphics on its platform.

At its most basic, Death Rally is a 2D arcade racer in which you duke it out for pole position in short, brutal races against multiple opponents, with some help from your guns. You control your car with a virtual left joystick (the lack of fancy controls means you need … Read more

Keep your Angry Birds, we'll take something a bit more classy

Birds and weapons? Sounds like a certain smartphone-game-turned-cultural-touchstone, right? Well, don't worry; we know you've heard enough about that particular phenomenon to last a few lifetimes.

No, this little blog item is about something far less widespread than a popular iPhone app. In fact, the "gadgets" in question here--if one dare call them that--are truly rare. So rare that they're expected to draw $2.5 million to $5 million at a Hong Kong auction later this month.

And though they were created in the early 19th century, and are anything but digital, they still manage to impress with the obvious technical mastery of their makers. … Read more

The 404 796: Where we're playing offense tonight (podcast)

If Wilson is the brains of The 404, and Jeff is the brawn, then what is Justin? Aside from answering that question, we're also thinking of new names for Jeff's hockey team and talking about Adobe's new software rental program, the iPad 2 coming to Toys "R" Us stores and Best Buy vaults, and the future of the Apple iPod Touch.

The 404 Digest for Episode 796

Adobe Creative Suite 5: Why buy when you can rent? Photoshop Touch SDK drives three Adobe iPad apps. Aviary.com puts light image edits in the cloud.

Episode 796 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Radio Shack: Free gun with your Dish Network

Updated 10.40 p.m. PT with comment from Direct TV

Culture is a strange thing. Elements that appear normal in one culture--say, drinking a beer on the street when you're as old as 20--are reviled in another.

So one has to accept that pockets of humanity see the world in their own way.

However, a promotion by Radio Shack in Hamilton, Mont., might move one or two people to move there just to benefit from its full-bore imaginative core.

For the Ravalli Republic reports that the Radio Shack Super Store in Hamilton has a very fine sign of … Read more

Humans are the enemy!

Super Mega Worm is the Mac version of the retro-looking iOS arcade game of the same name, in which you control a giant bloodthirsty worm that's out to wreak some (cartoonishly) gory eco-vengeance.

You control your mega worm ("Wojira," in classic megamonster-movie style) as you navigate back and forth across a horizontally scrolling landscape, burrowing into the earth and then emerging to feast on eco-unfriendly humanity (pressing Z to pick up speed, or to spit acid when you're above ground). Your game ends when your ever-shrinking energy bar is depleted, so you have to keep eating … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1396: Alien communication fragmentation (podcast)

See, the problem with alien communication fragmentation is that the aliens will have a hard time finding us. The real question, though, is whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Also, we ponder whether we need a new rule about how no, you cannot turn off the Internet because of your inter-border protest issues ... EGYPT. Plus, LinkedIn goes IPO, Amazon is killing it, and the world is introduced to the CataPot. --Molly

Listen to the rain and move to shoot: iPhone apps of the week

According to a recent study by IDC, the iPad has definitively dominated the tablet market, accounting for almost 90 percent of tablets shipped worldwide in the third quarter of 2010. It stands to reason that fourth-quarter results will probably be even higher after the big holiday season. Now that many of the early naysayers have come around to the larger iOS device, I have to think the launch of the iPad 2 in April will be leaps and bounds more successful right out of the gate.

I got the first-generation iPad when it came out for obvious reasons, and probably won't be buying the new iPad personally at launch time (though we will certainly have them here at CNET for testing). But what about you? Are you one of those who decided to wait for the second-generation iPad?

As usual, Apple is not telling us much about its shiny new device, but there have been plenty of rumors regarding a higher-resolution screen, front- and rear-facing cameras, and much more at the various rumor sites.

I'm interested to see who is planning to pull the trigger on the new iPad in April. Let us know your plans in the comments.

This week's apps include a strange interactive storytelling app and a shooting game that cleverly uses the iPhone 4's gyroscope technology.… Read more