April 2013

Disney Kills Off LucasArts, Here Are Their Five Best Games

Game development studios, like any other company, are subject to the whims of their corporate masters. So when Disney bought LucasFilms and LucasArts last year I thought there were two potential outcomes – either rebirth or death. I just didn’t see them letting the studio continue to languish. And while it is a sad day, the reality is that LucasArts has been largely a publishing and licensing house for a number of years. But they remain the source of many of my favorite games, so as Disney kills off LucasArts, here are their five best games! For more specific details,…


Gaming Foot Controller for PC Launches Kickstarter Campaign

When you think about gaming controllers there is the keyboard & mouse and traditional console controller that immediately spring to mind. Then you might think about the Wii and Kinect motion controllers, or perhaps driving controllers or flight sticks for specialized games. Everything based on hands – but what about your feet? That is exactly what the folks at StinkyBoard were thinking and now their gaming foot controller for PC launches Kickstarter campaign! Project Title: Stinky Board foot controller for PC Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: May 2, 2013 URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/289858283/stinky-the-gaming-footboard-step-up-your-game From the developer: The Stinky…


40 Years Ago We Emerged From the Desert of Disconnect

The Jewish festival of Passover ended earlier this week and with it members of the Jewish community returned to eating leavened products known as chametz in Hebrew. (Most people I know end the holiday with the Jewish delicacy known as pizza.) According to tradition the Exodus from Egypt introduced a 40 year period when the Israelites wandered in the Sinai desert. (Three cheers for living in an era of GPS!) Having spent a few weeks hiking and camping in the Sinai I can only begin to imagine what 40 years (were the story historically accurate) must have been like. I…


Kogan Agora Mini 8 Android Tablet Review

With compact tablets like the Asus Nexus 7 and the iPad mini rapidly gaining popularity over larger 10″ models, Kogan has updated their range of slates with a new Agora Mini 8″ model. Kogan’s big claim to fame (as often is the case with Kogan products) is first and foremost its low price: AU$119 for the 8GB model, and AU$129 for the 16GB model. This significantly undercuts the 16GB iPad mini’s AU$369 starting price, as well as being almost half the cost of an Asus Nexus 7 (16GB, AU$249). Previous tablet entries have proven the adage “you get what you…


Rampant Games Has a Birthday Bash and We Get Free Stuff

Rampant Games is the creator of the excellent humor-tinged indie RPG rayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon. Jay Barnson is the ‘Rampant Coyote’ and is the guy behind the entire operation. He just celebrated his birthday, and to celebrate Rampant Games has a birthday bash and we get free stuff! There are a few ways to get deals to celebrate Jay’s birthday. First off, if you already have Frayed Knights, you should definitely pick up the free strategy guide! Next, for the next two weeks you can get Frayed Knights for 50% off. There is no special code or coupon,…


Introducing The Mood Simple Shell iPhone 5 Case

I am sure we have all had or seen the old mood ring. You know the ring that changed colors and could show others how you were feeling. If you do not remember the rings, surely you wore a hyper color t-shirt back in the late 80’s. For those wondering where these stylish technologies have gone, you are in luck. What better way to show your colors than on the back of an iPhone 5? Grantwood Technology is now shipping the Mood Simple Shell case for the iPhone 5 which will react to the temperature of your skin and change…


Ford Adds More ‘Sport’ to the 2013 Ford Explorer SUV

Ford “reinvented” its popular Explorer sport ute for the 2011 model year, shedding its frame-based roots for a unibody platform shared with the likes of Taurus and Flex. For 2013, Ford is adding the option of the twin-turbo V-6 EcoBoost engine in the midsize ute – calling the new model Explorer Sport. To add more of a sporty nature in the new Explorer Sport, engineers beefed up the platform rigidity to allow for the added power while also enhancing ride and lateral stability. A new crossmember was added underneath the transmission tunnel area and the front strut tower supports were…


LifeProof Launches Total Water Protection Program for iPhone and iPad

I got my hands on a LifeProof case for the iPhone shortly after the line launched. I was impressed by how great the LifeProof case was at keeping my smartphone safe. In fact, shortly after I got the LifeProof case I was in a T-Mobile store buying a hotspot sim card. Someone asked me if it was one of those new LifeProof cases. I threw my iPhone across the store and while it was in mid air I said, “I certainly hope so.” I was THAT confident the phone would be fine. It was. At the time, however, I was…


Pelican ProGear Cases for the iPhone 5 Now Shipping

Judie and I spent time at the Pelican Booth during CES 2013 back in January. While there we saw their assortment of heavy-duty coolers, their line of Pelican ProGear backpacks and their upcoming Pelican ProGear Cases for the iPhone 5. The Pelican ProGear Cases are now shipping and offer a great addition to the growing number of tough cases available for Apple’s current smartphone offering. The first of the Pelican ProGear Cases for the iPhone 5 is the Pelican ProGear Vault. The ProGear Vault is super-tough and adds great protection from the elements. In addition it offers “insulating elastomeric shock…


PhotoCal with Event for iOS Puts Photos in Timely Context

Yunasoft Inc.’s PhotoCal for iOS Remember those peanut butter and chocolate “Two great tastes that taste great together” commercials of yore? I wonder if Yunasoft had that in mind when they created PhotoCal with Event for iOS. By combining the date and time users have taken pictures using their iOS device with events existing in their calendar, PhotoCal puts images and events in an easy-to-use calendar layout that makes locating and arranging photos as easy as pie. Best of all, PhotoCal autoarranges the images and inserts them into the day they were downloaded/taken, right down to the minute the pictures…


Hidden Wonders of the Depths HD for iPad Review

In the world of casual gaming, the dominant game type os Hidden Object adventures, followed by Match 3 games. Match 3 games have come a long way since Bejeweled, with RPGs such as Puzzle Quest being the most obvious example of taking the standard format in a new direction. G5 has just released a new game based on Match 3 gameplay, but it offers much more than that. So let’s take a look at Hidden Wonders of the Depths HD for iPad! Type of app: Match-3 Puzzle game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version available here); available in the iTunes…


Wacky Wine Bottle Wine Glass from Gadgets and Gear

Gadgets and Gear’s Wine Bottle Wine Glass in action If you are a sophisticated oenophile, or at least pretend you are, avert your eyes! If you don’t give a rat’s posterior about the niceties of wine drinking decorum and want a super-sized libation serving, have I got the glass for you. Gadgets and Gear now offers for the non-discriminating wine drinker the Wine Bottle Wine Glass, a wine glass fused to a standard-sized 750ml bottle.  Such a utilitarian design is doubtless causing the 18th century founders of Riedel glassware to spin in their graves. Top-tier wine glasses, and let’s face…


Chris Potter The Sirens Review

I have known about Chris Potter for years, but mostly as a sideman, playing with Paul Motian, Dave Holland and most recently as part of Pat Metheny’s Unity Band. At the same time I have also become more of a fan of his efforts as a leader – his ‘Follow the Red Line’ live album from 2007 remains a favorite, with Viva Las Vilnius being essential listening from the last decade. He has recorded with a variety of labels through the years, and has recently joined the historic ECM label, and has just released his debut for ECM. Let’s take…


Popcornflix Digital Movie Application Releases on Xbox 360

Popcornflix, an online digital movie platform, has released their Xbox 360® application which allows users to navigate with their voice or a hand wave.  That’s right. The Kinect controller, the “hands-free” motion sensing input device offers yet another fun, interactive interface experience. Access is free for Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers. Xbox 360 users can use this app to view and pick new arrivals, the most popular selection or browse all movies. Users can also use the app to search movies by genre, title, actor or director. Popcornflix offers several eclectic movies from a wide range of genres that include action/thriller,…


NBC Promotes Smarter Passwords in “The More You Know” Spot

A few weeks ago, there was a lot of buzz about vulnerabilities in Apple’s security — and as a result, they rolled out two-step password verification — I tried to encourage my dad to enroll his Apple ID in it as well as my mom’s. I might as well have been speaking a foreign language, because he stared vacantly at me, shrugged, and said: “I’m sure it will be fine.” If he won’t listen to me about using smarter passwords for better password safety, then hopefully he was watching NBC, because tonight I saw a “The More You Know” PSA…


2013 Toyota Highlander Limited 4WD in the Grinding Gears Garage

Toyota claims its Highlander midsize crossover utility vehicle pioneered the segment that saw traditional frame-based carry-alls attain more carlike attributes by converting to unibody architectures. Despite that, Highlander never really became a “household name.” That’s kind of a shame, as Toyota’s midsizer offers quite a few variants of its three-row CUV including choice of powertrains – four- or six-cylinder gas or hybrid engines – and front- or full-time four-wheel drive, along with choice of base, SE, Limited or new Highlander Plus trim grades. The current Highlander is the second-generation of the nameplate that received a mid-cycle refresh a few years…


Your Health is No April Fool’s Joke – The Monday Mile

Today being April 1st, you can expect to spend the day regaled by all sorts of ‘witty’ fake ads, fake ‘news’ items and so on – we have already seen Google out with a ‘YouTube closure’ and others, and it is easy to predict that many others will follow for Apple, Microsoft and more. Over at the Greatist they have a parody article about getting ‘six-pack abs in a day’ – and it is worth reading for a laugh. But as many wind down from a day of excessive ham, bacon and chocolate, it is worth remembering that your health…


Clash of Clans for iOS Review

My latest and greatest addiction came from a source I never thought would put me on an iOS game; the bow hunting forum that I actively participate in had a post about joining the Texas Bow Hunters clan on Clash of Clans. Several of the members expressed their enjoyment of the game, so I thought maybe it was time to try it out. In a few short days, the game has become a huge addiction, and it turns out to be a lot of fun. Let’s take a quick look. Clash of Clans is a combat strategy game that requires…


Divinity Original Sin Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Increasingly developers are not just looking to Kickstarter for full funding of a project, but also to help get specific features into a game, deliver multiplayer or extended art or something else. Developer Larian Studios looked at what they could do themselves, and decided that with a successful Kickstarter project they could realize all of their goals for the game. Personally this was an ‘insta-back’ for me, as Divinity Original Sin Launches Kickstarter Campaign! Project Title: Divinity Original Sin game for PC (potentially also Mac/Linux) Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: April 26, 2013 URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin From…