Indie

I love a good game bundle. And the Humble Bundle folks are back with another one that's just for Android users. Well, sort of--it's also for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.

The Humble Bundle for Android 2 comes with four indie games: Avadon: The Black Fortress, Canabalt, Cogs, and Zen Bound 2. Purchased separately, they'd cost you around $57 (almost--see below).

When you buy the bundle, however, you set the price. Two bucks. Twenty cents. A 10-spot. A portion of the proceeds (whatever portion you want, in fact) can go to charity, so it's not crazy to open your wallet a bit more than you otherwise might.… Read more

Roger Ebert, perhaps the country's best-known film critic, has posted a note to Twitter that says Netflix has "largely stopped buying streaming rights to indie films."

Ebert, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times who was also part of the long-running TV show "Siskel and Ebert and The Movies," began tweeting about Netflix's lack of independent films on Friday. Ebert's Twitter posts were first spotted by Hackingnetflix.com.

The first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize, Ebert is well-sourced in Hollywood, but he did not offer any other details to support his claim. … Read more

After only 15 minutes of play, I'm already disoriented and feeling queasy but I'm going back in; Hexagon is both dizzying and addicting.

Developed by Terry Cavanagh (known for VVVVVV), Hexagon throws you in an orbital endurance run where you must guide a triangle around a (you guessed it) hexagon and dodge collapsing obstacles. Sounds simple, right? Try surviving for even 20 seconds on your first couple of tries.

Each stage is separated by 10-second runs and themes itself after a shape. Each level throws faster, more-complex patterns to try and crush your three-sided friend. In addition to … Read more

These days, mega-hot movie properties almost always get the app treatment, whether it's a game or some "interactive companion." And right now, there's no hotter property than "The Hunger Games."

Thus, you'd expect that any tie-in app would come from a big developer: EA, Gameloft, or even the studio's own label.

Surprise! The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire for iOS is in development by Adam Saltsman, an indie developer best known for the browser-based games Canabalt and Gravity Hook (both of which have recently been adapted for iOS).

So, what will the … Read more

Does anyone miss those days when everyone owned candy bar Nokias and switched phone plates as often as their outfits? Because I do.

I remember walking through malls and seeing kiosk after kiosk of crazy phone plates just waiting for me to take home and snap on (be sure to line up the buttons with the holes!) After I heard the resounding click, I knew I had a brand-new phone just like that. Not really, but you get the idea.

These days, there are numerous phone covers and skins you can choose from, but they don't have quite the … Read more

While fans of the Indiana Jones franchise wait to see if Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford will pursue a fifth installment in that movie franchise, Indy fans on Facebook can spend a little time visiting Dr. Jones through Zynga's Adventure World.

Indiana Jones and the Calendar of the Sun is a spinoff of Adventure World, Zynga's puzzle-based social game. The chapter is part of a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Zynga to bring Indiana Jones to online mini-games for the first time. … Read more

I'm a big fan of the Humble Bundles, a series of name-your-own-price game collections that have reportedly raised more than $2 million for charity.

The latest, the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle, plays fast and loose with the word "bundle," but it's still a worthwhile buy.

See, the original deal was for a single game: Frozen Synapse. (Last I checked, one game does not a bundle make.) But there's now a bonus game: Trauma. And if you pay more than the average purchase price (which is currently $4.66), you get the Humble Frozenbyte … Read more

I know "Five-deal Wednesday" doesn't have nearly the same ring as "Five-deal Friday," and believe me, there's nothing I like better than an alliterative headline. But when so many awesome deals pile up on the same day, sometimes you just have to cut loose your alliterative leanings.

Sigh. If only grammar rodeos were real.

Anyway, today I've got three (three!) freebies, a dirt-cheap monitor, and a couple of sweet game bundles. Read on:

1. Wal-Mart wants you to know that in addition to regular old 4x6-inch prints, its photo department offers … Read more

Congrats to Bryce M. of Tonawanda, N.Y., for winning a Davek Note Bag and umbrella in last week's giveaway. Now, on to this week's prize.

A few months back, we gave away $300 in custom men's shirts from ShirtsMyWay. This week, we're adding custom pants to our gratis-goods ensemble with a $400 voucher for jeans from custom clothing site IndiDenim.

If you win, all you have to do is head over to the site and unleash your inner jean designer. You'll choose the fit (relaxed, trouser); wash (dark, vintage tinted, distressed, and so on); and style (pockets, pocket embellishments, fly, hem style); and then add your measurements. Your dream jeans will arrive in about four weeks. If they don't fit perfectly, you can exchange them for jeans that do.

With jeans sold on the IndiDenim site generally running about $200 max, you'll be adding two new pairs of fancy-schmancy pants to your wardrobe. The site sells both men's and women's denims.

So how do you try to win this week's prize and live out your "Project Runway" fantasies. Let us enumerate the basic rules. Please read carefully; there will be a test--as well as a strut down the catwalk. … Read more