Thursday, March 31, 2011

Tidbits: Battery Lifesavers, The Governator, and a New Resident Evil Game?

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This morning I stumbled upon a pretty good article about the HTC Thunderbolt Android based phone.  Do I have a Thunderbolt?  No, am I getting one?  No.  But my wife uses the HTC Evo, and as of late she has really been complaining about her battery life.  I found she had turned her screen brightness all the way up.  Which of course, was the kiss of death for her battery life (plus she lives on the phone causing even shorter battery life).  So, I forwarded her the link to this article and figured why not post the link here as well.  So if you have an Android based smartphone give this a quick read:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/five-battery-life-savers-for-htc-thunderbolt-and-other-androids/46747

On another note, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new role.  Teamed with Stan Lee, he is now "The Governator".  That's right.  He has been transformed from action star, to politician, and now the only sensible thing for him to become is a superhero.  The stort takes place after Arnold leaves political office, he becomes a superhero to fight crime.  It will be semi-fictional; using details from his real life to establish the character.  Look for it in your comic book store next year.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Comic-1031268.aspx

Lastly, guess what...Another Resident Evil game is making it's way to gamer's consoles.  The new title is called "Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City".  Not much is known about the title other than it is a co-op shooter and player's now take on the role of Umbrella Security Services instead of the B.S.A.A. or the original S.T.A.R.S. teams.  Honestly, I loved the original Resident Evil titles.  For me the series started losing ground later in it's life.  But this could honestly be a neat experience.
For more details on the game, head over to: http://stickskills.com/news/1556/first-details-on-resident-evil-operation-raccoon-city-unveiled/

And for a look at the teaser trailer, see below:




Happy Surfing!

Tablets, iPads, and other Manufacturers...Oh My!

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Looks like the old motto: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em", isn't one that Dell & HP exec's are even considering.  Instead, they decided to go the "All-American" route and start smack talking.  That's right.  We all know that Apple has been pretty much dominating the tablet corner of the technology market ever since the iPad was released.  Myself, not such a huge fan of how Apple keeps their gadgets locked down.  I like having the freedom to do what I want with my tech.  With that said, is iOS bad?  Nope, it's a pretty good system for a mobile device (all Apple based restrictions aside).  And it is very simple for people to use; people who may very well shun other forms of technology.

So, with the recent release of the iPad 2 by Apple; we are starting to see the feathers on their competition start to rise a little.  No doubt other manufacturers are starting to take notice that they are quickly losing ground in the tablet industry.  Recently, HP's Senoir VP of America's Solution Partners spoke out for his distaste in how Apple handles their business relationships with their partners.  Going on the record to say "Apple's relationship with partners is transaction, completely" and carrying on to say "Unlike Apple, HP is a very friendly channel" in an interview with CRN.  The point of his interview eventually leads up to his concern for their new line of tablets that will be touting the webOS.  Personally, I feel he should be very concerned about the upcoming system.  Reason being, if you follow technology you may have heard of webOS.  The system was developed by Palm (the makers of the once famous PDA brand); and was used in their debut phone: Palm Pre.

The Pre was a good phone, and the software got great reviews.  Much like Android it is running on a Linux kernal.  However, it seemed that the Pre couldn't stand it's ground against the iPhone.  Eventually Palm was facing a dire future, and HP acquired the company.  Now they are using the webOS for their mobile devices. And how many advertisements do you see on the web or tv for webOS?  Not many, if any.  I know their tablet line hasn't released yet.  But the PR departments are going to have to start feeding the public some pictures and footage of how this works within their products and start building fanfare.  Without that, I'm affraid a lot of people will set webOS on the backburner.  That would be bad.

Why?  Easy, another company competing in the tablet market will create even more competition.  Competition is good for us (the consumer) because it helps drive down costs as we raise demand.  Maybe then we can actually get a decent Android tablet under the $500 mark without having to buy an e-reader and mod it.

Enough on HP's stance, what is Dell saying?  In a recent interview with CIO Australia, Andy Lark (Global Head of Marketing for Dell) believes Apple will fall and Android will reign (not a direct quote) in the mobile market.  There is even room for Windows there too.  I have to hand it to Dell.  They have been supporting multiple operating systems for some time.  At one point, they allowed purchase of new systems with choice of Linux or Windows.  And it appears that they will continue that mentality with their newest tablets (which are slated to come out later this year).  Mr. Lark went on to say that their strategy is "multi-OS"; meaning they will offer Windows 7 or Android's latest rollout of Honeycomb on their tablets.  That is also a good thing.  People like choice and options.

Right now, it seems most mobile device users are either fans of Apple or Android devices.  Is there room for another player (HP/webOS) in this market?  Will Apple's iPad eventually get larger than itself and drop from it's high place?  Will their be an Android uprising in the future?  My answer, who knows.  But one thing is for sure, the future for computing is exciting and it's a great time to be a gadget lover.

My only hope is that we can eventually get our hands on a tablet without shelling out $500 or $600 dollars for the low end model.  My opinion, that should be the target price for the high-end models of these devices.  And somewhere are current Netbook costs should be where we see the devices price points sitting.  It's coming, but all in good time.  Until then, Happy surfing!


Source Article: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/30/dell_hp_execs_lash_out_at_apples_ios_successes.html

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

PC Game Review: Microvolts-Free 2 Play FPS Shooter Madness!

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One of the reason the blog updates have been coming so sporadically is due to my stumbling upon an awesome game called "Microvolts".  It's currently in Open Beta and is free to play.  it was pretty ironic that I found this game.  I was messing around on YouTube about a week prior and saw some video footage of someone playing this game.  At the time I thought it looked pretty cool, but the video had no info of what game it was or how to find it.  Luckily one of the MMO newsletter's I get in my email each week had an add for it.


Here's the skinny.  You're character is one of 4 toys.  We have Know, Naomi, Pandora, and C.H.I.P.  They are engrossed in a rather messy war.  Every player can play as one of these four characters.  The real joy comes when you have collected enough MicroPoints (MP) to redeem them for custom parts for your character (like new hairstyles, clothes, pants and shoes, and even bling).  There are RPG elements to this game as well.  Every match you play will help you build experience points that will count towards your level (I'm currently a Level 7).
The Kitchen Map

There are currently 9 Maps (Junkyard, Castle, Neighborhood, House Top, Model Ship, PVC Factory, Chess, Battle Mine, and Toy Garden).  Each map is amazing detailed.  For example, the Chess map takes place on a patio table outside.  With a chair on each side of the table lending it's seat as the spawning area for the players.  They can then leap up ontop of the table via a jump pad.  There you will encounter a giant chessboard that you can use the pieces for cover as you make your way across the table battling other players.  Each map makes you feel as though you are a renegade toy, with everything being oversized.  It's awesome.  If you've ever played "World of Padman", the levels are very much the same in terms of shear size.

The game types include Team Deathmatch, Free For All (Deathmatch), Capture The Battery (Capture The Flag), Elimination, Item Match, and Close Combat.  The first three are pretty self-explanatory.  However, the Elimination Mode is just that.  It's a version of Team Deathmatch with no respawn.  Forcing you to play by the rules and help your team survive the round, if you'd killed; you're out.  Close Combat restricts each player to Melee weapons only and takes place only on the Chess map.  Item Match simply causes random drops whenever a player is killed.  Survive the map working as a team and collecting drops to help you win the match.

The weapons are insanely fun to use.  Instead of trying to make each weapon look realistic, the developers went with more plastic made, or toy friendly designs.  The weapons look like something you'd see packaged with an action figure.  You start out with rather low damage weapons in the beginner levels, but once you build up enough MicroPoints you can upgrade each weapon class and get the fancier, more powerful firepower.  The roster of weapons are pretty standard stuff to online shooters: melee weapon (some form of shovel, wrench, chainsaw, etc.), rifle (a rapid fire weapon), shotgun, sniper rifle, gatling gun, bazooka, and grenade launcher.
My version of Knox with the second tier Bazooka (the Pound).

Each weapon class has it's own set of unlockable versions.  Each version has it's own set of stats that will play a factor in it's operation.  This game reminds me a lot of the early days of Team Fortress 2.  Just the way the game handles, and the controls are pretty universal to typical FPS titles.

Upon entering the game, it's pretty standard fanfare.  You'll have to register a free account over at: http://www.microvolts.com/
From there you can start to "Charge You Battery" by doing things like linking the game to your Facebook account, completing your profile, reaching specific levels within the game, etc.  Once you're battery is charged you can unlock special rewards like extra MicroPoints for buying goodies for your characters.  You'll only have access to 2 of the 4 characters when you start (Knox and Naomi).  However, Pandora and C.H.I.P are available to unlock with your MicroPoints for further expansion.
The Shop.

As I mentioned above, one of the real joys comes when you start decking out your character with it's unique look.  This is done the same way as upgrading you're weapons; through the Shop.  Simply click on the Parts you want to see.  And if you are the appropriate level and have enough MicroPoints, you'll look unique in no time.  Once your items are bought. you can equip or unequip them by moving them from your inventory to one of the empty boxes hovering around your character.  And right now if you log 10 hours or more in one week you're entered into a contest to win one of 2 iPad 2's.  The first giveaway will be for hours logged the week of March 28th through April 4th.  And the second for hours logged the week of April 4th through April 11th.  So, hop in game build up a lot of MicroPoints to pimp out your character and this will have you logged time towards you're 10+ hours in no time.  Plus this game is insanely addictive, so you'll want to log more time into the game.
Customized Naomi.

To give you an idea of the customizing options available for the characters, here is a customized version of Naomi from another player I was playing with this afternoon.  The only other thing to cover is the sound, which is pretty common as other FPS titles right now.  Each character has it's own phrases they say when the taunt or when the get killed.  And some of them are pretty funny.  And definitely lighten the mood when you're killed in the middle of a crazy fire fight.

Overall, I'd rate this game 9 stars out of 10.  And that's only because it's still in Beta.  I can't wait to see how this game matures.  I've been playing this game pretty regularly now for about a week and the playerbase has done nothing but grow.  With more and more people playing with each passing day.

So do yourself a favor, if you love games like Team Fortress 2; you have to check this game out!
In the meantime enjoy the trailer:





Happy surfing!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tech News: Google and Java Creator, Cloud Girlfriend, Duke Nukem Delayed Again

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This week in news, Java's founder now working for Google?  No girlfriend, need a girlfriend (but without the cost and drama), then why not make one in the Cloud?  Can it be that Dukem Nukem Forever was delayed again?  Yes.  It is.

It appears that Google has gotten a slice of the pie, or should I say a sip of Java...That's right, the gentleman who founded Java is now in Google's corner.  Mr. James Gosling developed the Java programming language.  That's right.  That's the very programming language that has done just about everything from server-side applets and scripts to making the little games that so many of us played online in the early days of the internet.  Java could do about anything, very versatile and usable.  What could potentially come from this?  What will he be involved with?  Who knows.  But apparently Mr. Gosling left Sun Microsystems right before Oracle's acquisition was finalized.  Not to mention a Oracle v. Google lawsuit about licensing fees.  No matter how you roll the dice, I like his stance on Larry Ellison (CEO of Oracle).  Read the article here: http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-brief/55050-founder-of-java-now-working-for-google

Need a girlfriend to make you look good on Facebook?  Try Cloud Girlfriend. Basically, a user will pay a fee that grants them access to a customizable "Girlfriend" that will chat "sweet nothings" to them back and forth on Facebook.  All your friends will see a "girlfriend" talking to you, and not realize that they are actually a paid service.  It gets better, the company is touting that they don't use bots to do they talking.  So that means you are actually chatting with a real person.  If this is even able to get past Facebook's Terms & Conditions, think of the "stalking" possibilities that some weirdos may very well bump into.  Anways, if paying for a virtual companion is your thing, knock your socks off.  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/cloud-girlfriend-start-offers-fake-relationship-facebookers/story?id=13241621

This isn't really news from this week, but it's true.  Those of us who have waited for years for Duke Nukem Forever; well, it looks like we'll be waiting for another month.  I'm sure a lot of people probably got pretty hot at this, but I found it kind of funny.  After waiting as long as we have for the game, now another 30 days or so, not such a big deal.  But I haven't preordered it yet either.  So, I don't have anything to gripe about.  The fact that we'll be getting Duke's newest game in my lifetime is reward enough.  But to appease the public, here is a short video that Gearbox released.  Check it out:



Over the weekend we lost two great inventors, US Scientist Paul Baran passed away Saturday, March 26, 2011.  He was one of three scientists who invented "packet-switched" networks.  Which ultimately led to the birth of the internet and networking technologies we use today.  He was 85 years old.

The second doesn't have much to do with computers or videogames, but his invention has managed to find it's way into million's of homes worldwide.  Harry Wesley Coover Jr. passed away Saturday, March 26, 2011 due to congestive heart failure.  He was 94 years old.  Mr. Coover developed what was originally named "Eastman 910" and later became known as "Super Glue".  Mr. Coover's invention has become a huge staple in a lot of situations.  According to the article from the New York Times; Mr. Coover's son-in-law was quoted saying his father-in-law did "very, very well in his career".  But goes on to say that Super Glue did not make him rich.  Mr. Coover was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/business/28coover.html?_r=2&src=busln

Quickie Movie Review: "Paul"

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Well, my wife was finally able to pull me from my lair that is known as my computer room over the weekend, but she had to do so by promising to show my alien lifeforms.  Then she took me to see "Paul".  Okay, let me honest.  It really wasn't a hard sell for her.  I am a geek for all things science fiction.  Whether it's giant man-eating aliens or little green men, or large headed "greys".  I like them all.  Not prejudiced.  Plus this flick has a great cast.  With the likes of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost (both from "Shaun of The Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" fame), Jason Bateman, Seth Rogan (as Paul), Sigourney Weaver, and Kristen Wiig.  Not too mention a handful of cast from other movies and televsions shows who also make appearances.

The film was put together in a fashion that is fun, and provides a fresh take on classic alien films.  Think "E.T."; but funny and primarily for the old kids and adults.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play the films leads; who have just visited Comic-Con and are going on a road trip before heading back to the U.K.  The road trip has them visiting famous spots of alien contact or alien conspiracy.  On this trip they happen upon Paul, who is just looking to go home.  The hilarity ensues from there.

Not too mention there are so many references to other films that hold a place in every nerds heart.  From references to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, E.T., Predator, and even Lorenzo's Oil.  Who can't like that?  Exactly, it's awesome.  End of story.

The movie is rated "R" for sexual references and drug use.  But you could also bunch the language in with the "R" rating as well.  Language aside, this film is truly awesome and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun movie to watch.  This one is for you!

See the trailer:

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

PS3 Demo Review: Mortal Kombat

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The Mortal Kombat Demo hit the Playstation Store on PSN for everybody yesterday.  And let me just go on record to say: "THANK YOU!".  Ok, that's out of my system now.  So, if you haven't played it yet; you may be asking, "What's so great about another Mortal Kombat game?".  You're answer is in the question.  It is a Mortal Kombat title!
Mortal Kombat PS3 demo

Mortal Kombat was introduced to the world back in October of 1992, and has spun off numerous subsequent titles, a television series and several movies; and let's not forget the cartoon (ok, the tv series/movies/and cartoons all left a lot to be desired).  But nonetheless, the franchise has been able to retain it's popularity.  Gamer's have been pretty well been catered to throughout the years as well.  When the world cried out for a great fighting game, we were giving Mortal Kombat.  When the world said they wanted more 3 dimensional fighting games, we got a Mortal Kombat set in 3D arenas.   And with the newest incarnation, we are taken back to the basics.  The game is once again back to it's 2D side fighting action that we have come to love from the franchise.  Let's be honest, the 3D arenas weren't really that great.  The real joy of this game is that we get to play as our favorite MK fighters, but with updated costumes, moves, and even the classic stages (The Pit and The Forrest both look stunning in the demo).
Mortal Kombat PS3 demo

In the demo gamer's can select one of four fighters to play as.  We have access to Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Mileena, and Johnny Cage.  Each fighter has their own entrance cutscene before each fight.  There are only two stages playable in the demo: The Pit and The Forest.  Both are rendered in stunning detail.  Likewise, both stages have their own stage fatality.  The Pit's stage fatality is the classic uppercut off the bridge.  You enemy will fly up in the air, off the bridge and be impaled on the spikes below.  The Forest's stage fatality involves throwing your enemy in the mouth of one of the trees in the background.  True to Mortal Kombat form, the violence is as  heavy as ever.  With gallons of blood being shed during each fight.  The controls are pretty much the same as they ever were.  A couple of buttons perform kicks and punches, there is a grab button, and then a series of special moves.
Mortal Kombat PS3 demo

Speaking of special moves, back in the day we had game guides or strategy guides that would outline each of the special moves and fatalities for every fighter in the game.  Now, simply pause the game and go into the 'Moves' menu, find the move you want and see the button combination for that move.  Nice touch.  Most of the classic moves are back, from Scorpion's Spear to Johnny Cage's Nut Punch; there is plenty to enjoy this time around.

New to the series are the X-Ray moves.  These new X-Ray moves will deplete the bar of built up energy at the bottom of the screen (this energy bar allows you to pull of super moves and attacks).  Once you have built up enough energy, simply press the button combination for the X-Ray move (usually L2 + R2) and your fighter will blur a little before the background turns black.  Your fighter will then execute a rather painful looking combo upon the enemy in which the camera shows an X-Ray view of what that attack is doing to their internal organs and bone structure.  Insanely violent, pretty gross looking, but awesome at the same time.
Mortal Kombat PS3 demo

The gameplay in the demo is limited to a single Ladder (which consists of 4 fights and teases a Goro encounter).  The actual gameplay is sharp and responsive and the graphics/character design is absolutely gorgeous.  I am not a big fan of paying full retail for a new game, but I will make an exception for this title when it's released.  And when you complete the ladder in the demo you will be treated to some nice video footage of the final game which shows more X-Ray moves, stages, and fighters (see below the jump for more info on that).

***Spoilers Below***
Do Not Read if you want to complete the demo first to see for yourself.  If you don't care, keep reading.

When you complete the demo you get to see a kind of fuzzy shot of Shao Kahn's throne with the words "Kombat Kontinues" infront of it.  Then sit back and enjoy the video.  The video shows several more fighters than what we know have been released.  It shows Sonya, Stryker, Sindel, Cyrax, Sektor, Nightwolf, Shang Tsung, Reptile, Kitana, Jade, Lui Kang, Kung Lao, Ermac, and yes; Kratos!  It also shows a selection of stages that look very familiar from Ultimate MK3 all rendered in gorgeous 3D.  We get to see what appears to be some stage fatalites which include, a scene from the street stage where Cyrax is standing in the background as a car speeds toward an injured Lui Kang.  It proceeds to run him over, and we get an X-Ray view of his skull cracking and his headless body falling down to the street.  The second noticeable stage fatality shown I can only assume is in Scorpion's Lair, where Scorpion can be scene holding Sub-Zero's head into a puddle of lava, and when Sub-Zero's head comes up out of the puddle his face has been burned off showing his skull with lava dripping from the eye sockets.

Also showing off all new "Test Your Might" levels, minigames and unlockables.  I also believe I overheard some chatter about online play as well.  I absolutely can't wait for this to hit the streets.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Movie Review: "Battle: Los Angeles"

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This was opening weekend for "Battle: Los Angeles". And believe it or not, I actually made it out to finally see a movie on it's opening weekend.  I'm sure if you're reading this you have probably already seen the trailers and commercials for this flick.  I'll be the first to admit that the commercials and trailers are pretty cryptic about what L.A. is fighting against.  However, I'll do this a little backwards.  Was the movie fun?  Yes.  Would I recommend this movie to someone else?  Absolutely.

First off, I'll have to admit; the only other movie I have seen where Aaron Eckhart has a role wa "The Dark Knight" (he played Harvey Dent/Two-Face).  He played a decent part, but left the role somewhat lacking.  However, in his role as SSgt. Michael Nantz in this film takes the cake.  I felt that he pulled off a very strong role, and completely nailed it.  With other actors lending their talents: Ramon Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Michael Pena, and Michelle Rodriguez to name a few; the movie was nothing short of strong acting.

*****Possible  Spoilers Below*****

One the best highlights of this film for me was the fact that the vast majority of the cast weren't big name, main stream actors.  This film was perfect for a host of secondary characters lending their support to the main conflict of the movie and to how Eckhart's character was dealing with the situations at hand.  For the first time in a long time I left the theater feeling satisfied with what I had just seen.

As far as the story goes, it isn't exactly original.  But it's more of a hodge-podge of many different plots.  The aliens appearance were somewhere between 'District 9' and 'Transformers'.  And contrary to the title, the entire world was under attack.  Not just L.A.  However, the entire story takes place in L.A.  So plot confusion is forgiven.  In my opinion a little more work could have been done on the design of the aliens themselves.  I thought the drones and some of their weapons looked a little cooler than the aliens did.  But, I can also forgive that.

We haven't exactly been running short of alien invasion films over the last several years.  But this one has to be the best.  I felt that it delivered on what I had hoped we would get with 'District 9'.  This movie contained everything a good science fiction film should: the emotion, the enemy, the struggle to overcome.  The viewer definitely gets thrown into the middle of an alien invasion.  And let's be up front some of the marketing for this film was pretty creative.  Anyone remember the leaked 'UFO Lights' from Jerusalem a month or so ago?  Yep, it was for this film that video was made.  Pretty cool.

Anyways, enough rambling.  This film is great, go see it.
I'd give it 4 spaceships out of 5.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Movie LetDown! No 'At The Mountains of Madness'!

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In an interview posted today over at: Guardian.co.uk with Guillermo Del Toro it was revealed that a film adaptation of "At The Mountains of Madness" (originally penned by the legendary H.P. Lovecraft); more than likely will not be happening.  Del Toro who is known for directing some pretty big and ambitious films in the past (from "Pan's Labrynth", and the marvelous work on the "Hellboy" series).  No doubt Del Toro would have been just the director for a movie adaption of one of Lovecraft's most loved works.

It appears as though the movie would have been granted an 'R' rating in the U.S.  And apparently Universal didn't want to take a gamble on such an undertaking.  Especially since the estimated budget was around $150 million dollars.  That's a pretty good chunk of change to be gambling with.  Who knows, sounds like right now the world may just not be ready for a trip through 'At The Mountains of Madness'.  By the way, if you are a fan of classic science fiction and have not read this short story yet, do yourself a favor and read it ASAP.

Amazon Link to: 'At The Mountains of Madness' paperback