As most of you probably know, the iPhone is an extremely popular smartphone which has been sold to millions of customers around the world. In fact, most of us here at The Flickcast use the iPhone on a daily basis as our smartphone of choice.

But just because the iPhone is popular and most of us use it, that doesn’t mean we don’t take a shine to other smartphones worth checking out. One such device coming soon is HTC’s Incredible 4G, which is headed to Verizon Wireless later this month.

Up until now, details on the new device have been relatively scarce. We do know it’s been approved by the FCC and is expected to be released soon. Fortunately, the folks over at Android Police have dug a little deeper and come up with even more info.

Not only do they have some new info on specs, they also managed to snag a few photos of the device as well. Regarding specs, the display will reportedly be 4″ in size and the device will be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor.

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In 2010, Jerry Holkins, aka Tycho, posted chapters for what he hoped would become the third installment of Penny Arcade’s steampunk RPG game series, but then much to the dismay of fans, not much else was heard of about the game.

Cut to 2012 and not only does the game have a developer, indie devs Zeboyd games, but it should be released sometime this summer. I got a chance to sit in on the panel where the game’s creators, plus Holkins himself, discussed how the game resurfaced and came to be.

What is obviously different right from the start in On The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is the SNES-style art and graphics. The previous two games looked a bit more like one of Mike Krahulik’s comics, but this third game is less comic, more Final Fantasy. The battle system and dialogue boxes are reminiscent of all my favorite RPGs growing up, but combined with the snarky, sometimes foul dialogue always present in the Penny Arcade games, it’s more like an R-rated version of Dragon Warrior.

During the Q&A portion of the panel, fans asked a lot about the other apparent difference in On The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness 3, which is the absence of a customizable protagonist. In this third installment, players take on a party of Gabriel, Tycho, and Ann. The developers mentioned that they may wrap up the story of the previous protagonist, but you won’t be able to play as him. However, there will be enemies in tiny hats, and tiny hats make everything funnier, so it all balances out.

On The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 will be available this summer on PC, Mac, Xbox, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android.

Yes, you read that right. Facebook is apparently closing a deal to buy super cool photo sharing service Instagram for a Billion dollars.

Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg announced the deal on, where else, his Facebook page. Here’s the gist of the deal from Zuck himself:

I’m excited to share the news that we’ve agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.

We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.

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With the exploding popularity of smartphones like Apple’s iPhone, there was also a corresponding rise in the number of people taking photos with those devices. One of the most popular photo apps ever to hit the iPhone is Instagram.

Since its release, Instragram has been exclusive to the iPhone. However, as we previously told you, that exclusivity is now at an end because, as of today, the app has been released for Android.

In case you haven’t used Instagram (you really should, btw), the app allows users to capture photos and edit them using a number of filters that give images a cool “retro” look. Users can also use selective focus tools to enhance and customize photos further.

Said pictures can then be shared with other Instagram users and also on Twitter, Facebook or via email. Filters can be applied to images imported from a device’s camera roll as well.

The new Android version of Instagram supports devices running Android 2.2 or later. It is available immediately for free in the Google Play store.

PAX East is a week and a half away and if you’re going to the convention now’s really the time to start planning what panels you’ll be attending, which booths you absolutely have to check out, and which musical guests you’ll be rocking out to at the nightly concerts. Luckily, there’s a nifty app called Guidebook, and the guys at Penny Arcade have released an entire digital guide for PAX East, so you’ll be able to plan your entire weekend right on your mobile devices.

Download the app via the appropriate app store and once you’re in, search for the PAX East 2012 guide. It has everything you’ll need to successfully survive PAX East: the entire schedule of panels, concerts, and tournaments, map of the area including restaurants and bars to check out, a full list of all the musical guests, exhibitors, and shuttle schedules to the various hotels and venues. Within the app, you’ll be able to design your own schedule for the convention, add to your “to-do” list, and track the #PAX hashtag on Twitter.

There’s even a section detailing the Boston Indie showcase, a fantastic bunch of games that everyone, attending the convention or not, should check out, since they’re all mobile based.

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If you’re not a fan of launching birds into the air so they can land on and destroy pigs who’ve built castles and more, then you haven’t really lived. Angry Birds pretty much came out of nowhere and now dominates the mobile gaming space.

So, when Rovio, the makers of the game, decide to release a new version and, more to the point, make it really affordable, we take notice and bring the details to you. That’s right, today the company released Angry Birds Space for iOS and Android devices, as well as OS X and Windows PCs.

In this, the fourth major Birds release, users will get to fling birds on zero-gravity planets while utilizing new gameplay features such as slow-motion and lightspeed destruction. Sounds awesome.

“This is Rovio at its finest, and we are more than excited to bring Angry Birds Space to all our fans worldwide,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio. “This launch marks a huge step for us as a company, and our whole team and partners have really pulled together to bring out a fantastic array of exciting products and experiences.”

Angry Birds Space is available for $0.99 for the iPhone and iPod touch, with the HD version available for $2.99 on the iPad. The Mac version is available for $4.99 in the Mac App Store. The Android version is free with advertisements in the Google Play marketplace, with an ad-free versions available for $0.99 and an HD version for Android tablets available for $2.99 in the Amazon Appstore.

Click through fior the full Rovio press release and a bonus video highlighting aspects of the game.

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It isn’t just movies and music at the South By Southwest event, there’s also comics. Comics and technology, to be exact.

That’s right, at SXSW in Austin, TX yesterday Marvel announced a new initiative, in the form of an iOS and Android app, and the first of many steps in its Marvel ReEvolution called Marvel AR. This new app, developed in conjunction with Aurasma “brings the world of print and digital media together for a comics experience like never before.”

Sound exciting? Well, if you want to know more, check out all the info below from the official press release.

Yesterday, at the SXSW Interactive Festival, Marvel Entertainment unveiled Marvel AR, the first major augmented reality app from a comic book company. As part of the recently announced Marvel ReEvolution, which brings the world of print and digital media together for a comics experience like never before, the Marvel AR app powered by Aurasma will be released on April 2 for iOS and Android devices. Fans can first discover the power of this new app in Avengers VS X-Men #1, arriving in comic stores on April 4 and kicking off the comic book event of the year in which the world’s most popular Super Heroes go to war!

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Given the proliferation of smartphones with decent to very good cameras, it made sense that what followed was a whole lot of camera and photography apps for those smartphones. Among the most popular for iOS devices, with over 27 million registered users, is Instagram.

But what of Android and its users? Are they supposed to sit on the sidelines and not be able to enjoy all that Instagram goodness?Not much longer, apparently. As we previously reported, the app was announced for Android in December but not specific release dat was given.

However, at the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger of Instagram hinted that the Android version of their app is coming “really soon.” In fact, Systrom briefly showed the app running on his Galaxy Nexus and claimed that “it’s one of the most amazing Android apps you’ll ever see, in some ways, it’s better than our iPhone app.”

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Angry Birds can rightfully be classified as a phenomenon. Between the countless downloads and the merchandise that sells like gangbusters the game has reached the top pop culture status.

Rovio likes to keep the game fresh, with constant seasonal updates and other new level packs to keep the fans coming back for more. While these updates do present some minor new additions to the Angry Birds experience, there hasn’t been any major advance in the game play since day one.

That is all changing with the impending release of Angry Birds Space, the next installment in the series, and the first to revolutionize it’s game play. Space will showcase gravity free physics, and force players adjust while sending their mad avian buddies through small gravity fields set up around the environment.

Up until now the game play was a bit of a mystery, it was hard to imagine what that meant compared to the standard Angry Birds action. With the help of an astronaut, actually in space no less, Rovio has revealed exactly how this new physics will work in your pig hunting adventures.

Beyond the massive cool factor of having an actual space inhabiting astronaut play with Angry Birds plushes to demonstrate gravity free physics, the game play on display in this new video is awesome. We can’t wait to get our hands on Angry Birds Space when it is launched March 22nd.

Check out the physics showcase video after the jump.

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Even though we love Apple’s iPhone here at The Flickcast, that doesn’t mean we don’t occasionally look at offerings from the Windows and Android world. In fact, if there was a phone other than the iPhone we would use, it would probably be the Galaxy S from Samsung.

Mostly due to the tight integration with Google and the Android OS, the Galaxy S is a smartphone we can see taking the place of, or being side by side with, our beloved iPhones. But up until now, we’ve resisted the temptation.

However, thanks to the diligent folks at BGR, we now know that the Galaxy S III is coming soon and we also know that the specs on this new device are going to be even harder to resist. Here’s the specs:

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Because we can’t spend all our time watching movies, TV shows, reading comics or other indoor pastimes, we occasionally have to venture outside into the world. When that happens, we often need something to entertain us. I’m talking about, of course, toys.

Of course, being the mostly adult, very geek people we are, our toys can’t just be any old run of the mill item. Enter the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Quadcopter.

The AR Drone 2.0 was announced at January’s Consumer Electronics Show and will be released in May for $299.99. It features a 720p front-facing camera that allows users to capture their flights in HD, and a 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer.

The device also features a new “absolute flight” mode that enables users to pilot the Drone by using a smartphone or tablet. the Android and iOS apps can also be used to share flight data with friends.

Limited quantities will be available on April 9 from Brookstone and can be reserved starting today. In the meantime, click through to see the AR Drone in action.

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At the beginning of February, developer RC3 released an Android game inspired by pop star Justin Beaver entitles Joustin’ Beaver. The game plays off of Bieber’s real life celebrity woes and resembles his hairstyle and fashion sense in the form of a beaver. Bieber’s people responded to the game with a cease and desist order under the claims, not that they have a problem with Bieber being made fun of through the app, but that consumers may see Bieber’s trademarked likeness and feel the product is an officially licensed product from Bieber himself.

RC3 responded that there is no doubt that Joustin’ Beaver is inspired by the pop sensation. It is undeniable for them to even try to do so. They do contend however that the game is created as an act of parody which is legally protected by first amendment rights. RC3 filed suit against Bieber to protect their game (and most likely garner lots of press that the game would have never originally received to further push sales of it).

“In an effort to comment upon the Defendant’s life, the Plaintiff, RC3 developed the aforementioned App entitled ‘Joustin’ Beaver.’ The App, a video game, is a parody of the commercial success of the Defendant and any celebrity. The parody app portrays a beaver floating on a log down a river. The beaver presents with bangs, a lance, and a purple sweater. The beaver knocks ‘Phot-Hogs’ that are attempting to take his photograph into the river with his lance. The beaver also signs ‘Otter-graphs.’ The beaver also must dodge the ‘whirlpool of success,’ which will lead beaver out of control, while navigating the river.”

Joustin’ Beaver is currently on sale on the Android marketplace for .99.

Stay tuned to The Flickcast for all your gaming news, even Justin Beaver on occasion.