Bubble Girl

Bubble Girl  Download this Game Free!!

Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free on Play Store.

Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups.

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.
• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.
• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.
• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.
• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.
• No Ads while playing.

Download Free on IPhone :

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-bubble-girl/id998959933?ls=1&mt=8

Download Free on  Android Phones 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl

Download in Windows Phone 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/apps/bubblegirl/9wzdncrd2wj9

4 Video Games Free for Xbox Gold Members in July 2015

One of the primary benefits of being an Xbox Live Gold member is that you get free games each month. Sure, the service costs around $60 per year, but the games you’ll get are worth far more than that, even if you’re only interested in playing a fraction of them.

Previously, members could only count on Microsoft to give away one free Xbox One game and two free Xbox 360 games each month. Starting in July, the company will begin offering two Xbox One games each month, which is good news for Xbox One owners looking to fill out their library of games.

Remember, even if you don’t have an Xbox One yet, you can redeem your free games either on Xbox.com or your Xbox 360. Then, if you buy an Xbox One in the future, you’ll be able to find those games in your account and download them. It’s like buying a new console and suddenly having an instant library of games to play.

Without further ado, here are the free Games With Gold for July 2015.

1. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Platform: Xbox One

Original price: $29.99

Available: All month

Metacritic score: 83

So what if Microsoft gave the Xbox 360 version of this game away to Gold members in April. Now you can have it on Xbox One.

Like all Assassin’s Creed games, this one whisks you to the past, where you’ll be tasked with sneaking around and killing bad guys. The setting is particularly exciting: you’re dropped in the pirate-infested Caribbean Sea during the colonial era of 1715. You have the standard wall-climbing and back-stabbing the series is known for, but there’s also a huge focus on exploration and ship combat. Many fans consider this the best Assassin’s Creed game yet, so be sure to download it for free while you can.

2. So Many Me

Platform: Xbox One

Original price: $14.99

Available: July 16 to August 15

Metacritic score: 78 (on PC)

This adorable indie platformer is all about clones. You play as a cute spherical character who duplicates himself at the drop of a hat. Your clones follow you every step of the way, but they’re easy to lose if you’re not careful — much like Lemmings.

Eventually you’ll discover different kinds of clones with new abilities that will help you make your way though the game’s many environmental puzzles. The reviews for the PC version have been pretty strong, so it’s definitely worth a look when it launches on Xbox One.

3. Plants Vs. Zombies

Platform: Xbox 360

Original price: $14.99

Available: July 1 to July 15

Metacritic score: 89

From Bejeweled to Peggle, developer Popcap knows how to make killer games that appeal to casual and hardcore gamers alike. Thought it’s been for a while, Plants Vs. Zombies definitely fits the bill. This “flower defense” real-time strategy game has you plant combat-ready flora in your front yard to stave off hordes of zombies trying to shamble their way into your house (and gnaw their way into your brain).

You spend your time choosing seeds, collecting sunlight, and pelting cartoonish zombies with weapons like pea shooters. It’s one of those games that’s easy to start playing, but hard to stop because it’s so much fun. If you haven’t played it yet, be sure to give this one a try.

4. Gears of War 3

Platform: Xbox 360

Original price: $19.99

Available: July 16 to July 31

Metacritic score: 91

The human race is in dire straits as Gears of War 3 kicks off, which means it falls once again to you and your team of burly soldiers to save the day. Armed with machine guns, chainsaws, and a mighty weapon called the Hammer of Dawn, you set off to end the alien threat once and for all. No pressure, but if you fail, it’s pretty much curtains for humanity.

With enough epic set pieces to fill a summer blockbuster, Gears 3 is a thrill ride from start to finish. And after you’ve watched the credits roll, don’t forget to try the multiplayer modes. They’re just as gory and intense as the campaign.

RARE REPLAY'S 10,000 GAMERSCORE INCLUDES PREVIOUSLY-EARNED XBOX 360 POINTS

When announcing the 30-game compilation Rare Replay onstage during Microsoft's E3 presentation, developer Rare announced up to 10,000 achievement points were up for grabs in the collection.

However, achievement hunters may need to take note of one minor detail before jumping in. Speaking with Rare Gamer, Rare's Jason Thomas clarified that the games in the Rare Replay collection are linked to the Xbox 360 releases of Rare classics, meaning that any points one might have earned in the Rare games previously available on the Xbox 360 cannot be re-earned and are instead counted toward the overall achievement score in Rare Replay.

While those points cannot be earned again for playing the same game, there's still some benefit to having the points on your existing account. According to Thomas, those who previously played the games on 360 will unlock bonus content faster due to already having the achievements from the digital game.

"So the 360 games [in the Rare Replay digital collection] are as they currently are on the 360, nothing added or taken away. The benefit of this is that you get to use your existing achievements to get a head start in unlocking the bonus content within Rare Replay," he said.

This communication between both the games and Xbox systems also means players will already have a head start in many of the games thanks to the ability to import save data.

"Furthermore, your saves carry across too thanks to the wonders of the Cloud – if you saved it up there on 360, it’ll be there on Xbox One. Now some swift maths should then give you a hint as to how much Gamerscore is within the remaining games and it’s fair to say we’ve pushed the boat out on that one and broken normal conventions," he said.

Rare Replay is a compilation of classic Rare games including Banjo-Kazooie, Battletoads, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark, and others. It will be available for the Xbox One on August 4, 2015.

THE BUBBLE GIRL - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game !

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free at Play Store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it  at windows app Store.

https://www.windowsphone.com/en-au/store/app/bubblegirl/2f34f7fd-79d0-4eb1-a438-cd4e8c77788d https://www.windowsphone.com/en-au/store/app/bubblegirl/2f34f7fd-79d0-4eb1-a438-cd4e8c77788d

The Bubble  Girl - The fun Game  for  iTunes!!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-bubble-girl/id998959933?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

 Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups. 

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.

• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.

• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.

• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.

• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.

• No Ads while playing.

THE BUBBLE GIRL - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game !

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free at Play Store.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it  at windows app Store.

https://www.windowsphone.com/en-au/store/app/bubblegirl/2f34f7fd-79d0-4eb1-a438-

cd4e8c77788d

The Bubble  Girl - The fun Game  for  iTunes!!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-bubble-girl/id998959933?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

·        

Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups. 

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.

• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.

• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.

• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.

• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.

• No Ads while playing.

New build 10149 of Windows 10 Mobile updates browser, adds flashlight

Microsoft offered a new version of Windows 10 Mobile to the earliest adopters in the Windows Insider Program on Thursday, accelerating the release of new beta versions of its mobile operating system.

Build 10149 offers a number of improvements for people brave enough to install it on their devices, including a new button in the Action Center that turns on a phone’s flash so that it can be used as a flashlight. Cortana’s Notebook user interface has been finalized as well, with a combined profile and settings page.

The new build, which went out to users in the Fast ring of the Insider Program, also includes branding for Microsoft Edge, the new browser that the company previously included under the Project Spartan code name. That update also moves the address bar to the bottom of the screen and allows users to request either the mobile or the desktop version of a website. The browser has been given a new app ID to go along with its new name, which means users will lose any favorites, cookies, history and saved Reading List items after upgrading from a previous build.

Phone shutterbugs will probably be happy with the new build, which includes support for animated GIFs in the Photos app for phones that have 1GB of RAM or more. It also supports automatic upload of photos to OneDrive, so people can easily save the images they take to Microsoft’s cloud storage service. It’s a feature that wasn’t available for Windows 10 Mobile users, but that Microsoft had included in past versions of its mobile operating system.

Last week, Microsoft launched build 10136 of Windows 10 Mobile, which didn’t allow direct upgrades from what was then the most recent build. In order to get the latest software, users had to downgrade to Windows Phone 8.1 and then re-install Windows 10 Mobile. Build 10149 fixes that problem and allows direct upgrades. That comes alongside other bug fixes and experience improvements, including a fix for a bug that prevented text notifications from appearing for incoming messages.

As with a lot of beta software, there are also some nasty bugs in this release. Much like in Build 10136, there’s a final setup screen missing, so the phone will show the lock screen without the date and time after a device has first been updated. Microsoft Engineering General Manager Gabe Aul said in a blog post that users should let their phones sit until after the date and time appear on the screen.

In addition, users who are upgrading from build 10136 may encounter an “80091007 error.” Aul said Microsoft is working on a fix, but people who encounter the error and want to get their phone on the latest build as soon as possible can downgrade to Windows Phone 8.1 and then re-enroll in preview builds using the Windows Insider app.

Finally, there’s a “very rare” bug that could lock users out of their phones for hours at a time. Because of an issue with the phone’s Trusted Platform Module, you may be “unable to unlock your phone after entering your PIN and it keeps letting you type even though you entered your pin correctly.” Anyone who encounters the problem should let their phone sit for one to two hours and avoid turning it off, since that might make the problem worse and require a reflash of the phone.

Overall, Aul said that the new build is “faster, more stable, and more polished overall” and that it has been in use at Microsoft for a few days. The company still hasn’t given a definitive launch date for the mobile version of its new operating system, other than to say it will be coming after the public launch of Windows 10 for PCs and tablets on July 29.

THE BUBBLE GIRL

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free at Play Store.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl

·         Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups. 

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it  at windows app Store.

https://www.windowsphone.com/en-au/store/app/bubblegirl/2f34f7fd-79d0-4eb1-a438-cd4e8c77788d

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.
• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.
• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.
• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.
• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.
• No Ads while playing.

Xbox One games will be playable with the Oculus Rift...sort of

LOS ANGELES — Xbox One games can played with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, but it's not what you think it is.

At E3 2015, Oculus VR co-founder and vice president of product Nate Mitchell told Mashable the Xbox One will be able to stream games to the Oculus Rift, but what you'll see will be more like being in a theater with a really big projection screen.

SEE ALSO: The Xbox One's $150 Elite controller may be the best controller ever created

"You'll be able to [stream Xbox One games] to the Rift on a projection screen on the moon," Mitchell said. Although he didn't elaborate in detail, he did confirm the feature will be similar to the Oculus Cinema app for the Samsung Gear VR that simulates the feeling of watching movies on the moon and in the theater.

Just imagine what you see below, but with Xbox One games on the screen instead of movies:

It's not full-blown VR gaming like Sony's Project Morpheus for the PlayStation 4, but the idea of being able to play on a virtual screen that's massive already has me excited the idea of being able to play on a virtual screen that's massive already has me excited since I really dug watching movies in Oculus Cinema.

While Sony has embraced VR, Microsoft hasn't done the same for its Xbox One. Instead, the company is pushing its HoloLens "mixed-reality" headset with games like Minecraft.

That's not to say Microsoft has no interest in VR at all. That's really not the case. The company is working closely with Oculus VR and Valve VR to optimize Windows 10 for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift headset and HTC Vive. Additionally, the company is partnering with Oculus VR to include an Xbox One controller with every Rift.

There may be no real VR experience on the Xbox One (yet), but it wouldn't shock us if they're looking into it and just haven't announced anything so far.

At its E3 press conference, Microsoft announced that backwards compatibility is coming to the Xbox One. The feature is currently in beta mode with 21 titles available for gamers.

Microsoft will open the service in fall 2015 and hopes to have approximately 100 games playable for holiday 2015. The company has a poll in which gamers can vote for Xbox 360 titles that they want to come to the Xbox One.

Technology is not preventing all Xbox 360 titles from being transferred; legal rights are the problem. Video game publishers who previously allowed only the Xbox 360 to host their games will need to authorize the games for the Xbox One.

Gamers’ digital titles that are part of the backwards compatibility list will be available in the “Ready to Install” menu of Xbox One. Xbox 360 disc games that are on the list will need to be inserted into the Xbox One to download and kept in the system during play.

THE BUBBLE GIRL

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free at Play Store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl

·       Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups. 

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.
• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.
• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.
• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.
• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.
• No Ads while playing.

THE BUBBLE GIRL

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free at Play Store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl&hl=en

·       .Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups. 

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.

• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.

• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.

• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.

• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.

• No Ads while playing.

How the Cheaper Xbox Could Shake Up the Console Wars

HoloLens stole the show at E3. The challenge for Microsoft is to not let it become the next Kinect

Microsoft is continuing to use its HoloLens “mixed reality” headset to steal the show at E3. On Monday, it brought down the house with an onstage Minecraft demo in which one player wore the headset to play the game while another player used a tablet. On Tuesday, it unveiled another demo, this one connecting the HoloLens to Microsoft’s most important gaming franchise, Halo. 

At its booth on the show floor, Microsoft shuttled attendees in batches of 10 into a room that resembled the inside of a spaceship. Each one was outfitted with a HoloLens headset and walked into a briefing room, where a hologram of a battlefield emerged from a table and a computerized voice ran through tactical instructions. The groups then played, on Xboxes, the multiplayer mode of Halo 5: Guardians. The headsets weren't involved in the gameplay itself. 

The Halo demo showed off the advantages and shortcomings of HoloLens. On the plus side, you could walk around with them (something that would be impossible, or at least inadvisable, with an Oculus headset), while the HoloLens gave directions through the hallways of the "spaceship." However, the actual portion of the screen where a hologram can appear is relatively small. Don't expect to see any holograms in your peripheral vision. The width of the image is a major reason why the current generation of virtual-reality headsets is more convincing than its predecessors.

While the HoloLens is making Microsoft look pretty visionary right now, there are plenty of dots yet to be connected. The augmented-reality headset presents a two-pronged challenge. The first one is technical. It’s just not that easy to create a device that makes holograms appear to be actual objects in the physical world. Microsoft is having increasing success with that task, as the Minecraft and Halo demos show. 

But HoloLens will also one day have to be a product that Microsoft sells or otherwise distributes to the public. Pretty much all the questions about how HoloLens becomes a business remain unanswered. The actual Halo game sold to consumers will not have a mixed-reality component. 

A cautionary tale is Kinect, the motion-sensing camera that Microsoft released in 2010. The camera allowed people to play games and otherwise interact with their Xbox consoles using gestures and voice command. It was an immediate hit. But despite an early wave of neat applications, Kinect never really developed into a platform for developers in the way that other successful computing devices have. Microsoft’s vision for Kinect got muddled and the project ended up losing momentum. 

There are a lot of parallels to HoloLens. Even though the gaming applications are at the front of everyone’s mind this week, the device comes from a different division of the company. It is not clear whether Microsoft sees this as a tool for primarily gamers or professionals, or whether it could convincingly develop it to be both things at the same time. Microsoft hasn’t released a software developers kit that would allow people to make independent apps for the HoloLens. The company does say it is working with some partners, but isn’t giving any details.

For now, caution is the word with the device. “We’re trying to be a little bit conservative about HoloLens just because it is a very new platform and we’re still exploring it,” says Shannon Loftis, Microsoft’s general manager for global games publishing. “We obviously don’t want to over-promise. I don’t think we’ll under-deliver.” 

In the last two years, Kinect became a liability for Microsoft. It bundled the camera with the Xbox One, which made it more expensive than the PlayStation 4. After initial sales lagged, Microsoft finally began gaining ground by letting people buy the Xbox One without Kinect. While the company is stepping carefully to bring HoloLens into the Xbox fold, it has all but pushed Kinect out the door. Not once during the company’s 90-minute presentation on Monday was it mentioned. 

Pushbullet launches Portal, an app to transfer files between Android and your PC

Pushbullet also touts that Portal serves as an easy repository for finding any of your transferred files. No need to dig through Android’s file manager—just open up the Portal app and you’ll find everything you’ve sent over.

While Pushbullet has a similar capability for sharing files to your phone, it’s much faster to go the Portal route, which sends them directly over your local network.

Additionally, if your device has an SD card and Android Lollipop, you can specify the transfer go directly to your external storage.

The impact on you: Pushbullet is a hugely popular Android app because of how tightly it integrates your phone and computer. Portal is a nice add-on to have if you want a simple way to send a picture, video, or document directly to your device. No need to use the old-school method of emailing it to yourself or waiting for it to sync through a cloud service.

Here's a Forza-branded Xbox One Elite Controller

The Xbox One Elite Controller might already be the ultimate console gamepad, but here's something we didn't expect to see — not so soon, at least. We found these at the Forza 6 stations in Microsoft's E3 2015 booth: Elite Controllers with Forza-branded thumbsticks and a faceted D-pad celebrating 10 years of the franchise (the first Forza Motorsport debuted in May 2005).

We don't have any other details right now other than they exist. Branded parts makes a lot of sense for Microsoft, especially if they're sold as interchangeable parts (vs. the entire controller package), but while we think it's safe assume these will go on sale at some point this year (Forza 6 will launch in September, the Elite Controller in October), we honestly don't know. So for now, let's just enjoy some pictures.

Box for Office Online lets you edit Office docs from the cloud

The online cloud storage service, Box, is now an official Microsoft OFfice 365 Cloud Storage Partner. Users will see new integrations with Office Online, making it easier to be productive without having to install the full range of Office programs on every device they own. 

According to Box, there are over one billion Microsoft Office files on its cloud at the moment. That makes Office files the single most uploaded files proliferating Box. To make it even easier to access and edit those files, Box created Box for Office Online. This new service is designed to bring users the best of Office Online's online editing capabilities for Office documents paired with Box's multi-device cloud service.

Users will be able to access, create, and upload Office files from a range of devices through their web browser. Box for Office Online users shouldn't have to open any installed programs to complete their Office tasks, which makes it useful for those times you need to use a shared computer, in a pinch.

In April, Box began opening up to developers with the release of an SDK. So, this corporate pairing with Microsoft may be the first in a series of new features coming to Box.

It will need all the extras it can get to compete with big name cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox. This isn't news to Box as it has been repeatedly spearheading free storage campaigns to attract users. Whether it sways users or not, it will be a handy feature for the billions of Microsoft documents already situated on its cloud.

THE BUBBLE GIRL

Bubble Girl - Fun and Addictive Bubble Pop game! Get it free at Play Store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.bubbleGirl&hl=en

·       Bubble Girl is an entertaining game for kids and all age groups. 

• Pop the maximum amount of bubbles without losing lives.

• Soothing visuals and engaging sounds for immersive game play.

• Choose between two difficulty settings. Easy and Hard.

• Pop the power up bubbles to earn additional points.

• Beware of the naughty bubble. When you pop it you lose a life.

• No Ads while playing.

What to expect from Microsoft's Xbox One press conference

Microsoft's super-soldier Master Chief, from the venerable Halo game series, will have a busy schedule on Monday.

That's because the software company and video game console maker will kick off Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game industry's largest annual trade show, with a press conference dedicated to Xbox. The company will devote much of the show to Halo 5: Guardians, one of the most anticipated games of the year. It launches in October.

E3 serves as one of the best opportunities for Microsoft to grab gamers' attention for the next Halo game, as well as set the tone for its Xbox One game console. The Xbox One has finally found its footing with consumers over the last year thanks to aggressive price cuts and a more robust game lineup. Much of that progress has been making up for time lost against the competition.

Tune in: CNET's live blog of Microsoft's E3 event on Monday

Before launching the console in November 2013, Microsoft faced heavy criticism for shifting away from game playing and toward television, with a large focus on cable box integration and other media capabilities. It didn't help when the company attempted to impose new restrictions on how players connected the console to the Internet, requiring a sign-on once a day to play games, and limiting how people could lend games to a friend or sell them back to a retailer. Many of those policies were nixed leading up to the launch.

Microsoft has spent the time since rebuilding the Xbox's image under the leadership of Phil Spencer, the former head of Microsoft's in-house game production team. Spencer shifted the Xbox division back to more serious game-playing, even as he made tough decisions about the platform itself, such as making the Kinect motion camera a separate accessory. He's also been candid in outlining where the Xbox One has needed to improve -- including such as making it easier for developers to create games -- and where the company had strayed from its mission.

It's been quite the turnaround.

After Sony's PlayStation 4 handily beat the Xbox One in US retail sales for more than 12 straight months, Microsoft managed to inch ahead in December 2014 thanks to a $50 price cut that put the console at $350. That effort has paid off: Sales of Xbox hardware in May were up 81 percent from the same time a year ago, according to market researcher NPD Group.

But maintaining that momentum isn't a given. Sony remains an industry leader in promoting the best and most promising games from independent developers, like the highly anticipated No Man's Sky, a space exploration title, and the upcoming puzzle game The Witness from indie superstar Jonathan Blow. While Microsoft is expected to give more airtime on Monday to indie developers, it still lags behind Sony.

Sony has also secured high-profile deals with game makers to bring exclusive game add-ons to the PlayStation. These include special maps and weapons for the space shooter game Destiny, which Xbox owners still don't have access to. These exclusive deals remain a powerful force in the console industry, where deciding which platform to choose often boils down to which one your friends play and what platform delivers the most for your money.

Microsoft also seemed to be on the sidelines of the virtual-reality race. That changed Thursday, when it announced a surprise partnership with Facebook-owned Oculus VR that will bundle Xbox One controllers with the Oculus Rift when the headset ships next spring. Xbox One games will be also playable in a virtual home theater thanks to Windows streaming technology now being developed to bridge the PC and the Xbox platforms.

Microsoft will talk about these and other developments Monday when it gives us a snapshot of Xbox's present and future. Heading into the event, here are key themes to look out for.

Halo 5: Guardians front and center

This year's E3 marks the moment Microsoft can flaunt Halo as the biggest strength of the Xbox One platform.

The sweeping epic space opera remains the closest analog to Star Wars in the video game world. The exploits of Master Chief as he participates in intergalactic warfare still rank among the most iconic gaming experiences in the industry, alongside the likes of Nintendo's Super Mario, Electronic Arts' Madden football and Take-Two Interactive's Grand Theft Auto.

Halo 5: Guardians marks the second major Halo installment made by Microsoft's in-house studio, 343 Industries, instead of series' creator Bungie. The studio delivered a hit with Halo 4, proving it can develop successful Halo games and setting the franchise up for another trilogy of titles.

The government is helping fund a Minecraft-style game for teaching kids about the environment

Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon. The block-based exploration and crafting game was snapped up by Microsoft for $2.5 billion last year and has helped inspire competitors from giant toy companies like Lego.

Even the government is interested in building on Minecraft's success: The Department of Education is helping fund a project known as "Eco" that looks a lot like Minecraft, except with a few added twists: There's a looming ecological disaster and players must band together to make a community -- agreeing on laws and living in harmony with the environment.

If they fail, the world dies forever. Strange Loop Games, the company behind the game, describes it a "global survival game" and says failure results in "server-wide perma death."

Eco is designed to help teach middle school students about environmental science and was awarded a nearly $900,000 grant from the Department of Education last month. It has completed a test phase where 60 students in five classes tried it out, according to the grant contract. The prototype for that test run also received a DOE grant of around $150,000.

The latest grant will help build out new features, including a teacher dashboard, and let researchers figure out how effective the game is by collecting data on 150 students in 10 classrooms. Half of the classes will use the normal environmental teaching plan, while the other half will supplement the curriculum with Eco -- letting the developers see if the game actually helps boost students' understanding of ecology.

Minecraft itself is already used by some educators for things like building replicas of ancient Roman apartment buildings and teaching problem-solving.

THE BALLOON  BOY

The Balloon Boy - Free fun Game  for Google play store !!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PixotriTechnologies.BalloonBoy&hl=en

A boy goes soaring up into the sky after holding on to too many balloons.

• Help him to get back down by popping all the balloons before time runs out!

• Be careful of the dangerous balloons which will result in penalties....