Android Coming To A Gamestop Near You

Seriously?  Yep, sounds that way.  Looks like taking a bite out of a rather popular fruit/device maker wasn't all that Gamestop had planned.  Just the other month Gamestop announced they would be taking trades and selling Apple's iDevices.  And now it looks as if they are actually branding their own Android based tablet as well.

I for one, fear that they may be too late to this show for anybody to care.  Especially with the controversy surrounding them the last several months.  If they are willing to snatch coupons from game boxes, why would they be willing to do anything better with an actual tablet device.  Even when they are already carrying another brand of a similar type of device.  I'm actually surprised that Apple didn't include in their agreement with Gamestop that they be the only device provider for the game chain.

Anyways, if you'd like to read the entire story, swing by:
TechCrunch

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Shadowgun released yesterday on iOS...But Not on Android yet?

Yesterday marked the release for Madfinger's Shadowgun.  Why is this game significant?  I can easily answer that question with the obvious.  It's absolutely gorgeous.  The graphics looks outstanding.  The game was built on the Unity 3D engine and is a cover based third person shooter for mobile devices.  Yep, that means it will run on smartphones and tablets equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra chipset (and currently on iDevices).

And as of yesterday, it is running on iPhones and iPad's.  According to TegraZone, we should expect to see the Android port sometime in October 2011.  For those who haven't heard of Madfinger yet, you should check them out if you have a device capable of running Samurai II: Vengeance.  Which is a gorgeous looking hack and slash, samurai game.

Here is the backstory for Shadowgun.  You play as John Slade (a strangle blend of Gears of War style with Bruce Willis); who is the universe's toughest bounty hunter.  And you are hired to hunt a Dr. Edgar Simon who controls a crazy, mutant army.

Nothing sounds to unique about the story.  But seriously, a mobile game that looks like this, screw the story.  I'll play it strictly for the visuals alone.  If you're still not sold, be sure to checkout the game's trailer:





Look for a full review once this game hits the Google Android Market!

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Android Tablet App Review: BeyondPod for Android

One of the main purposes I use my iPod Touch for is podcasts.  Why?  Because they are one form of audio entertainment that can be found free of charge on iTunes.  There are literally millions of podcasts floating around the web.  And it is extremely easy to locate a very professional and high quality podcast to listen to.  So if you are using an iDevice, no problem.  iTunes makes it extremely easy to locate and download/subscribe to these podcasts.  But what if you are using an Android device?

There are a handful of podcatching apps in the Android Market.  But one issue I found with all of them were the incompatibility with iTunes' Podcast Feed addresses.  In numerous cases thr only podcasts I could get these apps to pull down were from regular RSS Feeds.  Save for BeyondPod.  Not only does it's User Interface shine amongst it's competition, but it makes listening to my favorite podcasts a simple task when not around my iPod Touch.

So how do we get the RSS Feeds into BeyondPod?  Really easily, that is.  BeyondPod places an entry into the system menu so when you long tap a link in the web browser the menu pops up.  If it is a RSS Feed URL simply tap the BeyondPod menu iten and it will import the feed into BeyondPod where you can edit some of the feeds settings and save it as a favorite.  After saving the feed, BeyondPod will parse the feed and pull down the list of available media for you.  From here you have the option to either stream or download the epsiodes for any given podcast.

You can also setup the app to automatically download new episodes as they become available.  Personally, I like to download episodes as I want to listen to them.  And respectively, have the podcast deleted once it's been listened too.  And BeyondPod allows for that to be done extremely easy.  I have yet to find any reason I needed to visit their website or Google a support issue for this app.

Let's say you're not a fan of using the web browser to locate podcasts RSS feeds.  You have the option to use the built in browser functions within BeyondPod to discover new podcasts.  When you first install it, you will notice that there is already a small selection of podcasts setup in each category.  From news, sports, entertainment, technology, etc.  I ended up clearing out most of these, and adding my own.  The organization functions found within this app have yet to be rivaled among other podcatching or podcast management apps I tried on my tablet.  Some worked just fine, but it's interface and design felt clunky and didn't seem to flow smoothly.  When launching BeyondPod, it feels like other top notch apps I have found.

I use the Pulse Newsreader, and to me BeyondPod feels a lot like that experience.  It just works, and does so very well.  So if you are looking for a nice, easy to use, podcast manager; I would highly recommend BeyondPod.

There are two versions of the app, one for Android based phones and the other is for Android based tablets. It is a free download, however, the free app is the 'Lite' version containing a 7day free trial.  After that you'll need to purchase the BeyondPod Unlock Key for full usage.  But honestly, this app is that good and is well worth it's weight in gold for $6.99.

App in review: BeyondPod
Rating:


Pros: Awesome user interface.  Great user experience.  Compatibility with iTunes Podcast Feeds.  Been using  steady for a week and have yet to experience a Force Close on my tablet running Honeycomb 3.2.
Cons: The set of podcasts included in the app when it's first installed weren't one's I listen to.  No big deal, deleted them and went on with life.  This is the 7day free trial.  Full app unlock is $6.99.

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Feeling Jilted over NetFlix? There are other choices out there...

I have no problem letting it be known that I was more than a little torqued off about the 60 percent Netflix price hike.  Personally, I have been a NetFlix subscriber for quite some time now.  We only occasionally would rent a physical DVD, and between my wife and I; I was the primary user for the NetFlix streaming through my Wii and PS3 (occasionally through the iPad).  The previous pricing for their subscriptions was nice.  Basically, streaming account with one DVD rental at a time via snail mail for $2 extra.  Bringing it to a $10 cost each month.

Even though we didn't use it that much, it was nice to have when you do want to waste a Saturday afternoon.  Therefore, for the extra $2 bucks a month it wasn't worth my trouble to change my account to a streaming only setup.  However, now that the price has basically rocketed up from $10 to $16 ($15.98 to be spot on).  I'm re-evaluating our options.  So, I figured I'd make my thoughts public in this post.  This is me 'think out loud' about our current streaming/DVD options.

For DVD Rentals:
RedBox is a pretty prominent offering here in my area.  It's nice because you can reserve and hold movies for pickup. And their kiosks are everywhere in this area.  So going out of the way to return a DVD isn't a problem, and I have a couple kiosks closer that the post office is (where I'd normally return my NetFlix DVD's).

If RedBox doesn't have what we are looking for, there is a really good video store about 5 minutes from the house.  Their selection is huge, and they are one of 2 or 3 rental stores still left in our county.  They have movies ranging from the newest stuff to really old (and even some VHS for VCR lovers out there).

And the chances of us adapting to this method for DVD/BluRay rentals is a nonexistent problem, because we have been using these two sources all along.  So we'll continue doing this.

For Streaming:
This is where it gets a little messy.  I like to stream video from the web.  It's just simple to do it.  Find a good site with a nice offering of shows to stream and I'll have a blast.  At least until I watch most of their catalog that strikes my interest or until they quite updating it.  Currently, my streaming options include Crackle.com, Hulu.com, and OVG Guide for searching for shows to stream.

These are all nice offerings, but Crackle is very limited.  And Hulu has a good selection, but I'm not sure if it's worth the $8 a month for a Hulu Plus account.  I liked the fact that with NetFlix Streaming I could watch all of the old Doctor Who episodes.  And I've yet to find a different source for those.  But not a deal breaker for me.

My wife has a smartphone, and I have an iPod Touch, access to an iPad, a PS3, and my android tablet.  Which supposedly all have access to Hulu Plus except for my android tablet (as of this writing).  And I know my wife would use it to watch more current shows than she could find on NetFlix streaming.

I know there are other options, but I may ended up rolling through the free week trial of HuluPlus and seeing what they have to offer as far as selection goes.  Watching ads isn't a big deal to me, especially since I won't be living and breathing on their website all the time.  My other options include: video rental on my Xbox 360 and PS3.  I'm not a big fan of how Apple has setup their Apple TV offerings, so I'll be staying away from that option as well.

Other alternatives if you're shopping around too:
Green Cine: a mail order service much like the NetFlix DVD service starting at $9.99 a month.  I don't know much else about this service.  But here you go. http://www.greencine.com/main

Mspot Movies: they work off of a club or credit style service.  And you can rent digital movies starting at $1.99 and going up to about $4 to $5.  Not bad for the occasional rental, but could get pretty costly with prolonged use.  They do have a Rental Club you can join as well. http://www.mspotmovies.com/

And of source Blockbuster has a mail order style service and some On Demand stuff, as well. 1 Disk at a time will cost you $9.99 a month and 2 at a time will set you back $14.99 a month.

And Amazon has an offering now as well that is pretty limited but is likely to grow: http://www.amazon.com/gp/prime which is $79 a year.

So if you know of any other legitimate sites that can act as a NetFlix replacement, drop us a line in the comments section and let us know!

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Mobile App Review: TuneIn Radio

Every once in awhile, I seem to stumble upon really cool stuff.  And this is no exception.  Over the weekend I was at Best Buy playing with their Android tablets.  My wife took the Motorola Zoom for a spin and loved it.  While playing with it, she found "TuneIn Radio".  She installed it on her HTC Evo 4G (and absolutely loves it).  So I figured why not see if it is available on my iPod Touch.  And it is.

So, what does it do?  Easy, it streams radio stations from the internet (both AM and FM stations; for those who need AM access).  But that's not all.  It can use your location to compile a list of radio stations local to where you are located.  If you want to branch out a little, you can search for radio stations or specific songs/artists.  Are you a podcast fan?  I am.  And guess what?  You can also stream podcasts (without having to sync them via iTunes).  Playback is nice and smooth and sounds great.  The app also identifies the name of the song and the artist while it plays.  If you're using it on a iDevice with the iOS 4 update, you can multi task with it.  You can also record a desired station for playback later.

The app is free for Android users (requires Android 1.5 and up).  Drop by the Market to get it for Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=tunein.player&feature=search_result

For your iDevice, requires iOS 3 and up.  And it is currently $0.99 cents from the App Store.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tunein-radio/id319295332?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2

The app is extremely easy to use, and allows you to have a list of your favorite streaming stations in one place on your mobile device.  It's also available for other devices as well.  It's supported hardware list is:


Mobile

• Android
• Palm
• BlackBerry
• Samsung Bada
• Windows Phone 7

Other Devices

• Google TV
• Yahoo TV
• Roku

Check it out.
I'd give this about 4.75 stars out of 5.

*All images are copyright of Synsion Radio Technologies

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This Week In The News: E-Ink gets Color, 3G Ipod Touch Adapter, Ask.com Troubles and more!

We have several newsworthy topics this week.

Finally, E-book Reader enthusiasts finally get color screens!

E-Ink and LG Display showed off their color electronic paper screens today in Japan.  Until now, user's who preferred colored screens over traditional e-book readers with monochrome screens have had to go the route of the iPad .  Some retailers (namely Best Buy and Kmart) have been carrying color Android-based ebook readers as well.  However, after some hands on time with the Pandigital ebook readers in Best Buy.  I'd have to say that the touch screen capabilities aren't quite what they could be.  Of course, this could also cause cost to go up as well.  One of the biggest deterrents in displaying color with e-paper displays is the lack of a light source behind the display panel.  The screens rely on 'ambient' light for display.

With the color screens this hasn't changed. Of course, this feature is also a huge contributor to the battery life of the device.  So, common sense tells me that if you like your e-book reader, and would like to see shades of colors.  Go ahead and look forward to this.  However, if you are looking for something more on par with a display experience of say a laptop or netbook.  You may be better suited for the time being with an iPad or one of the Android e-reader options.
Source: http://bit.ly/bfu4ew

3G iPod Touches coming soon to the Sprint 3G Network...

I am a proud owner of an iPod Touch.  I have had mine for a couple of years now, and truly don't remember how I ever got along without one.  I use it for everything from listening to music, to checking my email, and in some cases my Netflix viewing; depending on where I'm at.  Earlier this year, you may have heard about the guy who developed a case for the iPod Touch that would basically turn it into an iPhone.  Now, Sprint in cahoots with Chinese based company ZTE are bringing a case-like accessory that will allow 2nd and 3rd generation iPod Touchs to have access to Sprint's 3G data services.

This eliminates the need to have to seek out a wi-fi hotspot whenever you need to go online with your device. This connectivity however, does come with a price.  As they say 'you have to pay to play'; it still holds true.  This device will sale for $79.99and will run $29.99 a month for service.  On the bright side, there is no annual contract for using the device.  On top of adding the 3G connectivity, the device will also allow up to 2 other devices access online.  So consider it a cross offering comparable to the iPad 3G plan AT&T offers (monthly pay-as-you-go usage) with a device like a 3G Mi-Fi for internet connection.  Look for the ZTE Peel in your Sprint Store on November 14th.
Source: http://bit.ly/b3iOhO

Ask.com Got Spanked....By Google?

Remember back in the day there was this cool little Search Engine called AskJeeves.com.  To do a web search a user could surf over to their site, and punch in their query phrased as a question.  Like "Do monkey's really eat bananas?" and it would kick back you search results.  The Jeeves apparently got kidnapped or feel of the face of the planet because they eventually turned into Ask.com.

Here's the scoop, Barry Diller bought Ask.com for $1.85 billion dollars.  Not a bad turnover for the seller.  Mr. Diller's main goal was to give Google a run for their money.  That was in 2005. As we all know Google has basically exploded to 'super-search-engine-service-offerer status' since then.  With the inclusion of services like:

• Gmail
• Google Voice
• Wave/Buzz/Orkut
• Google Maps/Google Earth
• The now dead Goog411 project
• Blogger
• and to mention just about everybody on the planet now uses Google

It was sure to be a hard race.  According to the article at Bloomberg.com, Google holds around 65% of all search traffic.  While Ask.com holds around 2%.  Granted, not many have attempted to go up against the search giant that Google has become.  Now that Ask.com has had to unfortunately downsize their staff.  They are going to concentrate on their Q&A services that they were known for back in the day.  Does this mean that they cartoony Jeeves character will make a come back?  Don't know.  But one thing is for sure, they need to get the ball rolling.  Because by admitting defeat in predominately Google territory and going back to doing what they were good at before the whole 'let's challenge the big dog' mentality came about, they have to essentially make up for lost time and efforts.

Source: http://bit.ly/9WCiuC

Kinect on Linux!

Lastly today, I will hit on a topic that caught some attention from the opensource community last week. With the launch of Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox 360, the company Adafruit offered a $2,000 'bounty' for anyone in the opensource communities who could crack the Kinect and make an opensource driver.  Hector Martin has done so.  Checkout his video linked on OMGUbuntu for more info.

For those not in the know, the Kinect is a motion detecting camera that grants gameplay similar to what you experience with Nintendo's Wii.  Yet, you hold no controllers.  It works by sensing depth perception and motion tracking.  Once this device gets some real world implementation with Linux I may definitely check into one.

Source: http://bit.ly/bpBIZq

Until next time, Happy Surfing!

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Mobile Game Review: Zombies Ate My Baby for iPod Touch/iPhone

Since Halloween is just a couple of weeks away, I thought it was only suiting that I review a few Halloween themed games.  This weeks review is for 'Zombies Ate My Baby' for the iPhone/iPod Touch.  I know, the title sounds kind of bad, but it isn't quite what you're thinking.  The premise is, a girl and her boyfriend were on a date, and her boyfriend gets killed by a zombie while trying to protect her.  So, she kills the zombie and to her surprise, she finds that killing zombies is kind of fun.  So she sets out for revenge against the undead.

Controls:
The controls are pretty simple, basically the player character stands in the middle of the screen and pivots to aim in any direction around the screen.  You can control the character via taps on the screen or via tilt.  I was using the touch method to play.  And it plays pretty good.  Zombies approach from all sides/corners of the screen and simply tap on them to shoot them.  You'll end up fighting through about 20 waves of zombie attacks.  Meanwhile; guns, grenades, and health packs will spawn on the screen to help you out as you play.  The levels go by pretty fast, and at times the action on the screen can be flat out hectic.  But it never ceases to be fun.

Graphics:
The graphics are presented in a cartoon style.  The story progresses between levels by way of a comic strip; which is short, but conveys the story in a fun way.

Other Features:
The game features everything you'd expect from fun, yet simple gameplay to even offering achievements via OpenFeint.  As you play, you will of course unlock achievements.  Even if you aren't trying for achievements.  You're eventually going to see the achievement pop-up on-screen.  And you can post your achievement to Facebook at that time is you so choose.

The achievements are pretty neat as well.  I was able to unlock the 'Berserker' achievement by killing 499 Zombies, 'Straight to Hell' by taking 299 points of damage, 'Rambo' by firing 999 bullets, and 'Nurse' by healing 299 wounds.  All of these wear achieved within just a couple of levels.  Once you unlock the achievement, you can later access the Trophy screen from the main menu to see them listed.

Boss fights are pretty simple, but often challenging.  The first boss fight is against a zombie-soldier.  He will pace up and down the left end of the screen and toss grenades at you.  Meanwhile, you are on the right edge of the screen using a baseball bat to smack them back at him.  Once he is defeated you get to save a cool picture that can be used as a unlock screen wallpaper later.

Final thoughts:
This game is a fun way to kill a few minutes.  With the twitch based gaming it offers, I can't see myself spending extended periods of time playing this title.  But for a satisfying burst of quick game time, it will more than suffice.  At 99 cents from the App Store, this title is a definitely download for some instant fun.

Zombies Ate My Baby from the Apple App Store
Requires iOS 3.0 or later and it compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

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Unreal 3 Engine Makes Debut on Apple's iDevices!

Been pretty busy as of late, so I have some catching up to do.  Last week an app by the name of 'Epic Citadel' arrived on Apple's App Store.  No big surprise, new apps show up all the time.  But two things picked my interest: 1- the name of 'Epic' being included in the title and 2- it runs off of the Unreal 3 Engine.

I downloaded it on the iPad right away.  And I must say, that I was immediately blown away.  For some time there has been rumor and speculation that the Unreal 3 engine would eventually bring forth a 'mobile' version.  But honestly, I wasn't sure how well it would hold up in the transition from being a major pc/console graphics engine to making the jump to small, handheld, mobile device.  But to be honest, it is pure awesomeness.

The app is pretty much a tech demo.  There are no goals or achievements to accomplish.  The app simply lets the player explore this lush environment.  And it is great.  From the fine details to the shaders.  It's all sweet.  There are no other players/people/npc's wandering the worls, so it feels a little lonely.  But keep in mind, it's only real purpose is for Epic to be able to show off what can be done with it's diverse graphics engine.  

From what I have been reading 'Epic Citadel' is actually a game that is in development, that should be arriving on the iDevices by year's end.  This app was Epic's way of showing us their hand of cards.  And I must say, it's pretty freakin' awesome.  Personally, at this point; I don't care what the final game will be about.  Story set aside, replayability set aside; I will purchase that app once it hits the App Store.  By the way, the 'Epic Citadel' demo is free.

Check out the section on Epic's site about this awesome app: http://www.epicgames.com/technology/epic-citadel

and the link to the Itunes App Store:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/epic-citadel/id388888815

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Software of The Week: TVersity free media streaming!

Recently, I was in need of a solution for accessing my media via streaming from my computer. First, I figured out exactly what my needs were.  Simple, I needed away to access media from my desktop computer via my local wireless network.  I would be accessing the files mainly from my iPod Touch and possibly from a laptop or two later down the road.  After a few minutes searching the web, I landed on TVersity.  The download was only 13.5 MB's for the free edition.  TVersity is rather versatile as well; you can easily stream to iPod Touch/iPhones, Nintendo Wii's, PSP, Xbox 360 and PS3 systems.  As well as various other wifi enabled devices.

The setup was pretty easy, pretty much double click the setup icon and roll through the wizard.  Once up, I was able to use my iPod Touch's Safari web browser to navigate to my hosts computer's local IP address and I was able to stream a video clip in just a few minutes.  When the program initially accesses a video is transcodes it on the fly, this eliminates the need for having to convert a video file from it's native format to an iPod/Apple ready format.  It does take a few minutes to do the on-the-fly conversion, but it worked very well when it finished.  Likewise, I was able to access the same video file from my laptop as well.

Think of this little gem as setting up your own Video On Demand service within your local network.  The host interface is very well laid out and makes it easy to stream your media files; as well as, subscribe to web content as well.  During setup, the wizard does ask you to enter your YouTube login if you desire to aggregate your favorite YouTube clips too.  The free version looks like it will handle all of my needs for the time being, but should you need to access premium content on sites like Hulu, Sling, and several others; there is a Pro version which costs $39.99 per license.  However, the free version will serve your local content and access some web stuff.  Overall, this is an excellent solution for streaming media.  There are ways you can stream via the internet, but for local streaming setup was a snap.  Likewise, there are other methods of streaming your content, some of which are available for a price from Apple's App Store.  Personally, I like free.  And with the free TVersity and the web browsers I already use, I can achieve my goal.

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This Week In The News: 'My Bad McAfee', iAndroid, and more

This week has a few noteworthy news topics. McAfee Attacks! iPhone meet Android, you're new OS. We get a new Doctor...Who that is!

First up this week, McAfee attacks! During an update that McAfee rolled out, widespread complaints started rolling in. Apparently, the update quarantined the 'svchost.exe' file therefore causing affected computers to continuously reboot themselves. The 'svchost.exe' file is a critical system file that Windows uses during boot and runtime to operate. McAfee is noting that only a small percentage of user's were affected. But according to several articles (including this one from PC World http://www.pcworld.com/article/194776/mcafee_error_little_relief_in_sight.html ) mention complaints from hospitals and in some cases, law enforcement.  So tell me, how can a 'security' company rollout such a problematic update?  Surely McAfee has some sort of quality assurance control, that allows them to ensure the integrity of each update and even each software release they produce.  Sure, we are used to companies like Microsoft releasing regular service packs and updates which have been known to fix a few bugs, but create a few more.  But when this happens to your antivirus/web security tools, you're now open to other attacks too. 

Personally, I used to be a McAfee customer (when I bought my first Dell about 6 years ago).  Then I moved to Norton, didn't stay there long.  Now I am happy with AVG.  The reason I moved from the previous two companies: they're software got too big.  They both decide to implement scanners for everything from email to file scanning.  Those systems became bloated and caused things to run slow for me.  So far, I haven't encountered any issues with AVG.  But they day that AVG grows too big for itself, I'll move on to another solution then as well.  I say do security, do it right, and with as little intrusion on the system and it's resources as possible.  As with anything, if you are looking for an antivirus solution, do your homework for what is best for you.  Big names aren't always the best solution.


Next up in the news: the iPhone is hacked again, this time to run Android.  Mr. David Wong; who is well known with certain iPhone hacking/jailbreaking communities, has managed to get a first generation iPhone to run the Android operating system.  Does Android take over the phone?  Nope, it's dual boot.  Using OpeniBoot the device will boot up the Android OS.  According to Wong, the system is still a little buggy, it is possible.  This isn't possible on a stock iPhone or iPod Touch.  The device has to be 'jailbroken' first (which voids the Apple Waranty).  Apple Insider


Also in the news, this last Saturday we were treated to the regeneration of a new Doctor on Doctor Who (in America anyways, the UK are a couple episodes ahead of us).  I'm a relatively new Doctor Who fan, but if you are a sci-fi fan and have never checked out Doctor Who...Do yourself a favor and give ti a chance. 

Finally this week, the Ubuntu 10.04 Release Candidate was released.  This means we are getting pretty close to the official 10.04 release.  The beta releases and release candidates can be downloaded now for those of you who want to check it out.  http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=06022

Happy Surfing!

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