Tag: Google

Google Doodle brings back a magic cat for a fun Halloween game

Momo is back!

Around the time of Halloween in 2016, Google delivered one of the best Doodle games of all time: Magic Cat Academy, in which users swiped to make a feline with a magic wand cast spells and get rid of ghosts coming to haunt it.

On Friday, the day before Halloween 2020, we got the sequel, in which Momo — yes, the cat has a name — goes underwater to fight ghosts one more time. It feels like even more of a challenge than the last round, but that also may be because I played with a mouse on my laptop this time and used my phone the first time.

Enjoy!

[jwplayer CFZqSh9q-q2aasYxh]

‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ fans will love the latest Google Easter Egg

The site will get flipped (but not upside-down).

Google has given us some fantastic nostalgia trips as of late with its Easter Eggs.

There was the recent Cha Cha Slide one in which you clicked and the site did the dance, and the one with all the Friends jokes.

And now, with the 30th anniversary (!) of the incredible Will Smith series upon us, Google has given us a fun one.

Simply type in “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” into Google and click on the “Fresh” California license plate (referenced in one of television’s greatest theme songs) on the right side of the page.

From there, your Google page turns gets flipped (not turned upside-down though), and looks really old.

From there, you can play around with the links, which produce some funny quotes from the series from the iconic handshake to, yes, Alfonso Ribeiro doing The Carlton. And when you click elsewhere on the page, you see Jazz get tossed.

So good!

[jwplayer 3l9mw6g4-q2aasYxh]

Fortnite’s beef with Apple and Google, explained

This is so much.

Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

Fortnite and its parent company Epic Games have never been afraid to shake things up. That’s how it became the most popular game in the world today.

Now, they’re taking that same attitude that got them there to the doorsteps of two of the biggest tech companies in the world in Apple and Google.

Fortnite mysteriously disappeared from the Apple Store on Thursday without a trace. If users already had the game downloaded to their phones, it was still there. But anyone looking for the game? It was nowhere to be found.

Come to find out, Apple flatout removed it from the App Store.

A few hours later, it was also banned on Google’s Play Store.

Then, shortly after that, Epic Games dropped a commercial on Fortnite and YouTube called “Nineteen-Eighty-Fortnite” and everything went off the rails.

Lost in all the madness? Don’t worry. Here’s what’s happening.

Wait, wait, wait. Why did Apple ban Fortnite?

So on Fortnite, there are these things called V-Bucks. Think of them as virtual tokens you can use to purchase new “skins” and collectables on the game.

To actually get V-Bucks, though, you pay real life cash. Generally speaking, to this point, about 1,000 V-Bucks cost $9.99 in real life when purchased through the Apple Store or the Google Play store. Until now, those have been the only mediums to purchase them through on mobile platforms.

Until now, anyway. And here’s where things get tricky and the beef starts brewing.

Epic Games changed that. They created an in-game direct payment system that charged $7.99 for those same 1,000 V-Bucks instead of $9.99.

So they’re saving gamers a couple of dollars?

Yup, exactly. Instead of having them pay for the V-Bucks through Apple’s and Google’s systems, they give them a better deal in doing it through their own.

Why would they be shut down for that?

Well, it’s a problem for Apple and Google as the hosting platforms. This tweet from Esports expert Matthew Ball explains it well.

In exchange for hosting Fortnite on the App Store on the Google Play Store, the platforms review the app for users and charge a 30% commission on in-app purchases.

Epic Game’s in-game store circumvents that 30% commission, which Apple and Google say is a violation of the original agreement. So, therefore, they’ve removed the game.

So as long as this in-app store exists we won’t see Fortnite on our phones?

If you don’t already have it, no. At least not for iPhones anyway. Fortnite is still available through other app stores on Android systems. Tough luck, iPhone crowd.

Don’t worry. Epic Games isn’t sitting still, though. They’re suing both Google and Apple for the removal of the game from their platforms. And, the thing is, they clearly expected this to happen.

What do you mean?

Epic Games broke out those lawsuits against both companies shortly after Fortnite was removed from both Google Play and the App Store. They counted on each company taking the actions they did.

And, as a public response, they dropped a Fortnite-style commercial you might recognize.

This is a clear shot at Apple’s famous Super Bowl commercial set in an Orewllian “1984” dystopia from back in the day.

That’s feels mad dramatic here, but whatever. You get the point.

What’s their purpose in all of this?

That’s the thing — it’s hard to really say. They’re calling the current system they’re working in a “monopoly,” and they’ll battle it out in court to try and prove it.

But, honestly, it just seems like they’re trying to skip over paying the commission fee to their current distributors in Apple and Google which…fine.

But they’ve turned this into a public relations battle and it’s hard to tell how much ground they actually have to stand on.

This is weird and complicated.

Very much so. But it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Fortnite fans, you’ll want to keep your eyes on this one.

[jwplayer 6YKYPoxe-q2aasYxh]

Everybody clap your hands for the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ Google Easter Egg

Real smooth.

We all love a good Google Easter Egg, and thanks to the 20th anniversary of Cha Cha Slide by DJ Casper, we have ourselves a really fun one.

(Apologies in advance for getting this song in your head like it did with my coworkers, but maybe we should collectively take a Cha Cha Slide break and dance for a few minutes).

It’s a simple one: just google Cha Cha Slide, find the microphone under the video and click on it. The result? Your web page will literally do the dance per DJ Casper’s instructions as you keep clicking on the icons.

[jwplayer 77jr8Gtv-q2aasYxh]

The 12 best Google Easter Eggs of all time

DO A BARREL ROLL!

We recently covered the best Google Doodle video games, which reminded me of something else that delights us all when using the tech company’s search engine: Easter Eggs.

Anytime one of the little hidden features from Google pop up, it gets shared like crazy on social media — “Type in this and see what happens … click on that icon and watch what goes down.” I was reminded of this one because typing in Pac-Man brings the classic game up immediately.

So here’s a collection of some fan favorites, and there’s no doubt we’re going to be adding to this list down the road:

1. Do a barrel roll

Type that in and enjoy the result.

2. The Friends characters

Type in the name of any of the six main characters, find the icon that’s posted on the side of the page and click on it.

3. Google in 1998

Type that in to see what the search engine looked like way back when.

4. Wizard of Oz

This one is fun. Type in the classic movie, click on the ruby slippers and watch:

5. Thanos

Write it in, click on the Infinity Gauntlet and … snap.

6. Askew

I couldn’t look at this one for more than 10 seconds. Type it in and the resulting page looks … askew.

7. The answer to life the universe and everything

Of course, it’s 42. For all you Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy die-hards.

8. Flip a coin, Roll a die

In case you don’t have either handy.

9. Festivus

The pole!

10. Tic Tac Toe

Forgot to throw this one into my games post, but you can play against the search engine, and “impossible” mode lives up to the billing.

11. Metronome

For musicians, this is helpful.

12. Is Google down?

Google answers that question with a resounding NO.

[vertical-gallery id=920488]

[jwplayer 0W1Czd8Y-q2aasYxh]