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Apple was just awarded a whole mess of patents by the USPTO. But one stands out in particular: a 3D display and imaging system. Wave your hands and the system picks up your movement. Sort of like the Xbox Kinect. Or, uh, exactly like the Xbox Kinect. More »

Facebook's doling out new features to the masses this week. Their Google-Plus-alike Smart Lists will help you divide up the friends you care about. And their new email summaries will mush together the thousands of notifications you get from friends you don't. More »

I can't wait for 2013. That's the year where Intel's Haswell architecture arrives, bringing three very important things. One, the ability to run your laptop for 24 hours on one charge. Heaven. Two, 10 days on "connected standby." More »

In case you were wondering when and where all was to be revealed about Windows 8, the answers "now" and "here," respectively. You can—and should—tune in live to Microsoft's Build conference keynote here: [Build] More »

Computer hardware manufacturers have been guided by Moore's law—that chips double in power every 18 months—for decades. A newly discovered trend, however, seems to be outpacing old Moore, making computers and mobile devices more power efficient in the same timeframe. More »

Alongside the update that added a skill calculator to the official Diablo III site, Blizzard also added in depth character pages to give you a better idea of how each class works. Although they obviously share some features with the class pages on the old site, there are some nice new features that show off the main differences between each class. Be sure to check out each page through the links below.

Barbarian - Demon Hunter - Monk - Witch Doctor - Wizard
The first noticeable difference between these new pages and the ones on the old site has to be the Key Features bar on the side of each class page. It essentially compresses the reasons to play each class into a few short paragraphs, which also gives a very good idea of the playstyle of each class. For example, the Barbarian's page brings attention to the shouts that they can utilize to buff themselves and their allies, while the Witch Doctor page gives a short description of how pets add to the flavor of the class. Right beneath the Key Features is an in depth look at the resource used by each character, which brings attention to both the lore and functions of Fury, Hatred/Discipline, Spirit, Mana, and Arcane Power.


Each class page also provides the character's background. In a brief overview of the lore behind the classes, a short paragraph tells the motivations and objectives of each class to explain why they risk their lives fighting the Burning Hells, from the Wizard's quest for fame to the Monk's desire to embody the will of their one thousand and one gods. For anyone who read the old character pages, there might not be anything new, but the background section could provide a welcome refresher nonetheless.


Shortly after the backgrounds, there are two extremely interesting sections. The first is the Unique Equipment section, which goes over the items that can be used by that class and no other. The Monk has the ability to use not only fist weapons, but also daibos that can be used to attack and deflect incoming projectiles. The Demon Hunter page describes the ability to use and dual wield small, fast firing pistol crossbows. The Barbarians are able to use their immense strength to wield massive weapons, enormously big two handed weapons that can be used to pulverize enemies. Barbarians also are able to use nearly every weapon available in the game. The Wizard uses orbs to augment their powers and wands to project their abilities through enchanted lengths of wood. Finally, the Witch Doctor can use ceremonial daggers that are normally used in human sacrifices and mojos, which are off-hand items that seem functionally similar to the Wizard's orbs.


After going over the weapons each class can use, the character pages also give us a glimpse at what armor progression will look like through 3D models at the bottom of each page. While we have seen progression concept art before, seeing the armor sets in 3D more accurately depicts how the look of your character will change as you progress from act to act and difficulty to difficulty.


Each character page also has a link directly to their skill calculator located at the top, sitting right next to tabs for active and passive skills. While the skill calculator might be all you need for exploring the skills for each class, these tabs do provide an excellent side by side look at each skill and rune effect without limiting you to looking at six active and three passive skills at a time. In these tabs, you are also allowed to search for a skill by name, and can click on filters to only view one type of skill at a time, such as discipline skills for the Demon Hunter or signature skills for the Wizard.

Although I'm sure reading that description was enjoyable, I can assure you that these new character pages are an extremely fun read for any Diablo fan. So as I said before, be sure to check out each page in its full glory through the links at the top of this article.

It's not the most detailed look, but Tom's Hardware noticed a cameo of the newest Start Menu in a Windows 8 video demo. It looks... pretty bare. Stark white-on-black text, very few buttons, and, importantly, where are the programs? More »

Today, the Diablo III website got an upgrade in the form of an official skill calculator. No longer will you have to go back and forth between lists of skills and their rune effects to plan your characters! The skill calculator itself looks very similar, if not identical, to the skill UI seen in the beta, and has three groups of skills for each class. To use it, simply head over to the Skill Calculator page found on the Diablo III site, select your class, and the rest is pretty much self explanatory. You should keep in mind that the numbers inserted into skill descriptions are based on level 60 characters with level 7 runes.

The skill calculator also provides a very convenient way to see the description of each skill and its rune effects, along with the icon for each skill. If you're starting from the home page instead of the link above, select the Game tab, look under Tools, and you'll find the link to the skill calculator there. The Game tab also provides an interesting look at future updates to the official page.


Another update on the official site is a new page on Diablo III's shared stash. Although its not anything new, it does provide a nice overview of the stash's functions in the upcoming game. The article about the shared stash also reveals that Hardcore characters will have access to a different stash and Auction House than Normal characters. The wording of the section on the Hardcore stash also seems to hint that there could be some items available only to Hardcore characters that you can't find on Normal, or possibly the other way around.


Other than that, the site was also updated with a What's New in Diablo III page. It provides short paragraphs on Runestones, Followers, Crafting & Artisans, the Auction House, and other major parts of Diablo III that were previously unseen in the series or have been improved upon for the third installment. For the sections that have pages on the site, there are links to click through to. However, for features such as Artisans and Followers, there are no official pages yet, but we'll be sure to let you know when those pages get updated.

Today, the Diablo III website got an upgrade in the form of an official skill calculator. No longer will you have to go back and forth between lists of skills and their rune effects to plan your characters! The skill calculator itself looks very similar, if not identical, to the skill UI seen in the beta, and has three groups of skills for each class. To use it, simply head over to the Skill Calculator page found on the Diablo III site, select your class, and the rest is pretty much self explanatory. You should keep in mind that the numbers inserted into skill descriptions are based on level 60 characters with level 7 runes.

The skill calculator also provides a very convenient way to see the description of each skill and its rune effects, along with the icon for each skill. If you're starting from the home page instead of the link above, select the Game tab, look under Tools, and you'll find the link to the skill calculator there. The Game tab also provides an interesting look at future updates to the official page.


Another update on the official site is a new page on Diablo III's shared stash. Although its not anything new, it does provide a nice overview of the stash's functions in the upcoming game. The article about the shared stash also reveals that Hardcore characters will have access to a different stash and Auction House than Normal characters. The wording of the section on the Hardcore stash also seems to hint that there could be some items available only to Hardcore characters that you can't find on Normal, or possibly the other way around.


Other than that, the site was also updated with a What's New in Diablo III page. It provides short paragraphs on Runestones, Followers, Crafting & Artisans, the Auction House, and other major parts of Diablo III that were previously unseen in the series or have been improved upon for the third installment. For the sections that have pages on the site, there are links to click through to. However, for features such as Artisans and Followers, there are no official pages yet, but we'll be sure to let you know when those pages get updated.

It was only a matter of time before the iPhone Whale became an internet meme, and these examples show just what fans have already come up with. Click here for more pictures. Continue reading to see the Nyan iPhone Whale.

[via Smosh - Tumblr]