Every time there’s a tragic school shooting or mass killing, we hear about video games. We hear that they’re ‘killing trainers’ and need to be regulated and controlled because they are dangerous and poisoning the minds of our youth. Studies show all violent media consumption desensitizes us, but that is very different than making us killers, as the image shows. Image Source – QuickMeme
Laggy Android touchscreen response has been covered so much it’s practically a meme; we’ve heard with each device and OS version they’ve solved it ‘this time for sure’. But here is the blunt and simple reality – the flagship Samsung Galaxy S4 is even slower to respond than the iPhone 4S, let alone the iPhone 5 or the newest devices! And before Windows Phone folks start feeling smug, the Nokia Lumia 928 from Verizon falls in just behind the Galaxy S4. Check out all the results here.
I thought I had done a review of the original WiFi2HiFi, but I’d actually just complained about the ordeal getting the copy I’d won in a website giveaway. But the app itself was good enough that when the new version was announced I was interested in trying it. My experience was not very good, with unexplained lost connections and dropouts. Type of app: Wireless audio app Platform/where to buy: iPhone/iPad; available in the iTunes App Store Developer: Clever & Son AG Description: Using the WiFi2HiFi application any iOS device in reach can tune in to the music you’re listening to on…
You might have heard of the Grand Theft Auto games, which are either the cause of all evil or just a video game depending on your perspective. The fifth entry (or 7th counting Vice City and San Andreas) was just released – and has already sold over $800 million during its first 24 hours of retail and digital sales. Wow. By comparison, GTA4 sold 3.6 million copies for $310 million on launch day – 2K games isn’t telling how many units of GTA5 were sold. And in the UK GTA5 replaced Call of Duty: Black Ops as the fastest selling…
Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and once again Facebook is getting on the action. Last year they introduced the option to change your language to ‘Pirate’ – and they have brought back the option this year! Go to Settings, then Account Settings, and Language. Once you’re done and ready to go back, access ‘Ye Ship’s Rigging’ to change!
I love the under-served genre of dungeon defense games, such as the 90’s Dungeon Keeper games. In these games rather than playing the dungeon-raiding hero you are the master of the dungeon, warding off adventurers! A great looking new entry to the genre ‘Evil Master Overlord’ is coming to iOS and Android soon. Check out the trailer! From the developers: Evil Master Overlord (EMO) is an exciting dungeon defense game with a recognizable tile-matching puzzle style mechanic that will soon be available on the iOS and Android platforms. It will appeal to gamers who cannot get enough of the dungeon…
While the PC world is full of free-to-play action-RPG games with plenty of loot and quests and things to kill. But getting a solid entry for your iOS or Android device is harder: Spacetime Studios pioneered with ‘Pocket Legends’, then a year ago introduced ‘Arcane Legends’. The ‘Realm of Shadows’ expansion recently launched, and the game is an absolute blast! Type of app: Multiplayer Online Fantasy Role-Playing Game Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play for Android. Developer: Spacetime Studios Description: Arcane Legends has loads of content, including: + Free to play forever…
We all know both the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 are excellent phones. But since the iPhone 5 is now ‘obsolete’ and the S4 is just a few months old, it might surprise you that in ‘real world’ tests the iPhone 5 is considerably faster than the S4. The tests were intended for the iPhone 5s, which is insanely fast. You can see all results here, but I do realize that these sorts of tests are seldom an indication of exactly the experience someone will have. For some it is all about app-switching, others are data-throttled, and so on. Personally…
Pocket has been around iOS users for quite a while (previously as ‘Read it Later’), and it provides excellent offline reading capabilities that integrate with several other apps to let you read what you want, when you want. For iOS 7, Pocket has gotten better in several important ways including speed and responsiveness, updated design, and background capabilities. Here are the main things included in the newly released Pocket 4.6: Fresh New Design – Changes to every screen in Pocket, as well as a new app icon to complement the look and feel of the new version of iOS. Instant…
What did your kids do this summer? One family challenged their kids to come up with an app idea that their iOS developer father would help them make real. The result? Pic It! With tagline ‘A word is worth a thousand pictures!’, Pic It is a multiplayer game where you submit a picture based on a word to get points. Pic It reminds me of a variation of Apples to Apples – one person starts a round and chooses a word. The others in the game submit pictures based on that word, and the person who started the round chooses…
Along with a rather anemic product announcement keynote, Tim Cook reiterated the upcoming release of iOS 7, and with it iTunes Radio. While some have called Apple ‘late to market’ with iTunes Radio, I would say they are launching at the perfect time. Some of the reasons include the established user base of iTunes, and profit struggles of streaming services. Here are ten reasons to get excited for iTunes Radio: iTunes Integration: If I am listening to something in iTunes and want to go to Slacker, I have to stop, exit, flip pages and launch. With iTunes Radio you just…
While Apple is really good at upgrading operating systems on older devices, eventually they ‘sunset’ devices based on capabilities. This typically means you can no longer get an app that has been upgraded to require a newer OS version, but now Apple is allowing users who are looking for apps with an older OS to download the ‘last compatible version’. There seem to be limits on devices and apps, and some potential issues about non-working older versions – and nothing has been made official by Apple. But for now it works, and it is awesome.
After Carly posted about B&N’s iOS7 ‘warning’, I got several emails from app developers warning me about potential issues with apps and iOS7 that would be resolved with updates released soon. Getting these is a reminder that it is critical that you fully assess the potential impact of updating on the apps that are critical to your daily life. So … unless you know your apps are all updated, or you only use Apple apps and basic functionality, then it might make sense to hold off for a bit. Also, be sure to (always) back up before updating the OS…
The iPhone is great, so is iCloud ability to automatically upload photos. It is great for viewing and sharing photos across devices, but most importantly it provides a backup in case something happens to your phone. My mother recently got her first iPhone and quickly regretted not setting up iCloud when her phone died and took two months of pictures! She got the phone through Verizon after a succession of Motorola Droid devices, and was looking forward to the whole family being on iMessage together across the country. But the Verizon folks didn’t prompt her to set up iCloud or…
A week ago, satire site The Onion posted ‘Nation’s Female Joggers Know They Will One Day Be Assaulted, Buried In Woods’, where women acknowledge this as simply part of the circle of life. All fun aside, as fall arrives it’s a good time to step back and remind ourselves of the need for enhanced safety on shorter, cooler days. I wrote about early morning running tips in the first part of spring as I started to see more people emerging from their winter cocoons, and now as school is back in session and the mornings are darker it makes sense…
Media Critic Anita Sarkeesian made her name primarily by shedding light on the treatment of women in video games. After YouTube videos on the subject, she sought Kickstarter funding to produce a professional series. Asking for $6000 she got nearly $160,000! The third in the ‘Damsel in Distress’ series was recently released, and it is worth checking them all out. You can also check out her Feminist Frequency site and Tumblr page for more info. Here is the series in order: For me one of the saddest things has been the vile and violent responses to these videos, and that…
Every fall high school seniors start looking at colleges to attend. Part of that is deciding what major to pursue. For many that is a practical matter of employability, for others more a pursuit of passion. But regardless of your motivation, there are clearly some majors destined to make more or less money than others. NPR broke it all down. It was interesting reading some of the comments … or perhaps sad, as many would conflate earnings to overall value to society, which seems like something no one would really believe at this point. You can get the complete report…
Last week Apple made official the phones we knew they’d been planning to introduce. This came a week after Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 announcement, which a friend summed up as ‘exactly what we already knew’. No surprises from Moto X, HTC One, or Samsung Galaxy S4 either. All fantastic devices, but are we losing out because of spoiled surprises? Everyone made a huge deal about how the only surprise from the Apple announcement was the realization that the 5C was NOT the ‘low cost’ phone so many in the media had talked about, but instead the mid-range iPhone 5 replacement….
I was surprised I never did a netbook gamer review of Gothic II Gold. Why surprised? Because it is in my ‘Top 5’ games, and I have played yearly since 2003. It is a huge, open-world, story-based fantasy RPG full of Orcs, Goblins, Mages, dragons and an intriguing plot. The game remains amazing to play and one of my favorites. Type of app: Role-playing (RPG) game Platform/where to buy: PC; available in the GoG.com Store Developer: Piranha Bytes Description: What’s cool about it: – Includes Gothic II and the expansion pack Night of the Raven – A great variety of…
The Island: Castaway was a surprisingly fun blend of strategy and simulation, and the sequel takes you back to the island before the original castaways landed. You need to uncover a mystery as you learn loads of skills and recipes. It is better and more fun than the original, providing hours of fun and tons of new things to do! Type of app: Simulation game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version available here; available in the iTunes App Store Developer: Awem / G5 Entertainment Description: The Island: Castaway 2 has loads of content, including: – A huge, colorful island to…
I wrote about the Kickstarter and early development of Legend of Dungeon, noting the title made me roll my eyes – but the trailer made me smile! I called it “a classic, lo-fi dungeon-crawling, rogue-like, real-time, beat-em-up, co-op romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously?” I’ve played some and it is fun, and now it’s available on Steam for $9.99! Here is the basic description: As you journey deep into the dungeon, you will find weapons, items, and long forgotten magic.. ..if you’re lucky, it might help you to fight off the droves of mysterious creatures you will encounter. There…