When I heard FrozenByte – the guys who made the games Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds: Survivor – was making a new game I was thrilled and knew I’d want to play it. When I heard it was a fantasy side-scrolling platform action game that required using three players in harmony to solve challenges, I was curious about what it would be like … and if I would still be thrilled when I was done!
Let’s just get this out of the way quickly. Word Ace is my new favorite game, and is the best game currently available for the Palm Pre. OK…I know saying that any game is better than other games on the Palm Pre may not be much of a compliment…but this really is a fantastic game.
Anyone who read my review of the original Touch Diamond will know I wasn’t all that big a fan. In my experience it was slow, cheaply made and its battery life was appalling. The great thing about HTC is they keep trying and seem to learn from past mistakes, which made me all the more interested in testing the Diamond2. Off the bat I’d like to talk about looks, since that was one of the big selling points of the original. Whilst the Diamond was wrapped in a consumer-style glossy plastic shell, that upon closer inspection felt cheap, the Diamond2…
After a time most iPhone cases start looking alike. There are, in fact, a relatively small number of styles from which to choose and all cases take a different approach to one style or the other. Precision HSD Holster For iPhone 3G and 3GS falls into the belt-holster style but definitely brings its own unique aspects to it. Let’s take a look and see if this is the next case you should grab.
Kids, don’t try this at home. No, not because the awesome, amazing super-useful Gorillamobile might release and send you precious iPhone crashing to the ground, odds are it won’t, but you never know when you didn’t tighten the suction cup on the back of the case just right. But isn’t it fun to know you COULD hang your iPhone upside down? The folks at Joby have been kind enough to let me take a close look at both their Gorillamobile and Gorillapod mobile device stands, and I’m impressed. Both the Gorillapod and the Gorillamobile are device stands that, unlike traditional…
Buying a laptop case has always been a challenge for a very simple reason: very few laptops share the same external dimensions. This is a problem that goes back to my first two portables – the Compaq LTE and Mac Portable, which were vastly different in size and configuration. As a result, many of us who have depended on laptops for years have an odd collection of ill-fitting bags scattered in our storage areas. Some were included with laptops, others we bought to fit whatever laptop seemed like it would be the center of our lives for years to some….
This is a pretty simple app, but one which could be quite useful to those folks who spend a lot of time in their cars, whether that means travelling long distances, or commuting into town each morning. This app lets you use your Palm Pre to track how many miles you are getting per gallon of gas, and how much money you are spending on gas. To begin, just create a new account with the name of your car. Enter the current odometer reading and you are good to go. For the most accurate results, you should start with a…
SplashData has been creating software for the mobile market since 2000. Over the past 9 years, their products have expanded from the Palm OS to also include RIM, Windows Mobile, Series 60, and iPhone/iPod Touch handhelds. SplashID, a secure wallet / password protection program, was one of their earliest offerings and continues to be a strong part of their product line. Gear Diary has taken a look at SplashID a few times in the past. You can read our earlier comments here and here, and Doug recently looked at SplashID for the Palm Pre. I’ve used SplashID for a number of…
Yes…I do mean THAT Connect 4. The one you loved as a kid. sliding checkers into a plastic frame, trying to make four in a row. This is one of my son’s favorite games, and I love the fact that he is so interested in a game from my own childhood. And thanks to the folks at Hasbro and EA Games, you can now enjoy this classic game on your Palm Pre (10 times before you will have to pay for it).
Over my writing career, I got to review a lot of different navigation programs. They were especially popular on the Windows Mobile platform. Among them, one of my all-time favorites was iGo (released in North America as OnCourse Navigator). Now iGo is available on the iPhone. It’s been modified a little, keeping in line with their “My Way” PNA (personal navigation appliance/assistant) devices. It’s grown a little, changed a little and been fitted to take advantage of some of the iPhone’s features and characteristics. Although it’s been largely ignored by a lot of reviewers, especially in North America (where the…
Roger that…10-4! OK, so my wife and I can sit for hours and watch cop shows…The First 48, Crime 360, Cops, Lockup, etc…and when I say hours I really mean all day! We spend a lot of time in Columbus, Ohio and like to know whats going on, mainly where is that police cruiser headed running lights and sirens! I guess we are nosy like that, but BBScanner fuels our need for busy body information.
Mail and SMS are sent using the built-in apps. We are sorry but with the current iPhone software development kit it’s not possible to send sms to more than one contact. We all have the same situation. Here is mine: I coach three varsity sports. Believe it or not, coaches are in constant contact. Whether it be scheduling or getting a scouting reports, I need groups for the coaches I contact in each sport. Also, with today’s technology, we always have numbers and emails for all of our athletes. Changes in practice times or games are now as simple as…
Let’s have a show of hands. How many of you watch the Today Show in the morning. It is pretty hard to miss, since it is about five hours long, yet I manage to do so since I leave the house before 6:00 each morning. So, I rarely get to watch the show upon which this app is based.
Imagine a speaker that can go anywhere, play anything, and do it all without wires. Now, give it a fun shape and some wireless controls. There you go, now you have the Cyfi, which is a fantastic portable wireless speaker. This is exactly what I need for activities like camping, hiking, or even just sitting on the deck enjoying the day. Sound good? I thought it might. let’s take a closer look.
I am pretty happily married, and have been since before dating sites like Match.com became all the rage. So, needless to say, I do not have an account at Match.com or any other similar sites. That being said, I can certainly see the value they might offer the modern connected single. In fact, my sister-in-law met her husband that way. In the interest of making sure this series is complete, therefore, I wanted to mention this app and make sure that interested individuals know that they can access their Match.com accounts from anywhere using their Palm Pre. That being said,…
I have always wanted to learn a foreign language, to be able to converse fluently with people from other cultures, and to basically not feel like a total tool tourist when traveling. I’ve also always heard that the best time to easily learn a second (or third) language is during one’s formative years, and that even by high-school or college it gets much more difficult. It’s no exaggeration to say that I am well past formative, and I’ve been out of high school for 24 years. While I have never believed that one could ever reach a point where learning…
There is a fine line somewhere between homage and outright copying, and also a line between recreating the best elements of a classic in a modern setting and bringing something that was shackled by its’ time into the future warts and all. Black Sigil is a game that captures much of the magic from the 16-bit era of jRPG’s such as Chrono Trigger, Vay (recently released for the iPhone), the Lunar series and so on, but it also brings along a load of things many gamers might have hoped would have stayed back in the 1990’s. If you can’t tell…
Here is a great little accessory to make using your iPhone and iPod touch and even better experience. Agent18’s StandHere is a compact holder that let’s you go handsfree while watching video. Small enough to throw in your gadget bag, it allows you to choose the right viewing angle. In addition, a 3.5mm headphone jack lets you plug in your favorite set of speaker for an even better experience. At $24.95 it is a great accessory to keep with you all the time. I know I will…
iFrogz has quickly become one of the leading accessory manufacturers for Apple’s iPhone. From cases to headphones and charger and speakers their products are both functional and extremely stylish. I recently received one of their Wrapz cases for the iPhone 3G & 3GS to review. This silicone case comes in a variety of color choices and at a price of only $14.99 it’s worth a look. The Wrapz case is available in seven color variations: (Thick Black, White, Royal Blue, Red Ruby, Gun Metal Grey, Pink Panther and Clear. I received the Clear version. Inside the case you’ll find iFrogz…
The iPhone has continually proven it’s worth as a game platform. Many games ported from other platforms have done well while the iPhone interface has given a rise to totally new ideas. Some of these ideas are so inventive, putting the game down becomes next to impossible! Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is imaginative, beautiful and addictive!!
Ever since I graduated from college with a degree in Journalism, I have tried to keep track of which newspapers have the best writing. Consistently near the top of that list has been The New York Times (for the record, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, CNN, and the AP Newswire round out my personal top five). So, I was pretty excited to find the New York Times app on my Palm Pre.