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Co-Optimus gives Valve's FREE 4 player Shooter a 5 out of 5 Co-Op Score. Definitely worth the price of admission.
It's a primitive game, in that respect. Your marines can't take cover, the maps lack any real sense of depth, and there's still no scope for genuine tactics. To succeed in Starcraft II you need to do what you did in Starcraft: namely, mine fast enough to build enough units to beat the waves of bad guys that are being thrown at you.
My initial impression is similar, or as one of the comments to this article suggested perhaps they should have called it Starcraft HD. The visuals and cut-screens are definitely NOT dated but the game play feels a bit like 1999. This isn't so much a fault with Starcraft 2 but an element introduced with most modern Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, Starcraft II lacks tactics.
No cover, no flanking, no ability to garrison troops in key structures. Even the idea of matching troop types with specific counters is drastically reduced. No Starcraft 2 is definitely a "traditional" RTS game. So my initial single player impression leaves Starcraft II feeling a bit dull. I am enjoying the game but I wonder if those use to the more modern titles like Company of Heroes will find it lacking?
I downloaded the beta of the Audible app for my Android phone. I am running a Sprint Hero by HTC that has been upgraded to 2.2 Cupcake. Overall, I am impressed, but I had been waiting so long for this capability that it would have been difficult to make me upset.
The installation wasn’t overly difficult. It was not yet available on the marketplace when I installed it, but a barcode scanner and the page I was sent to after joining the Google group made it easy to get started. I did have to change the setting on my phone that allows me to install applications from sources other than the marketplace, but this setting came right up during the install process. I was a bit concerned about space since the 2.2 operating system is supposed to leave only a small amount of space for applications left on the Hero. I would have preferred it took advantage of the new version to install to my SD Card. It did however fit on with the other “necessary” apps I have on my phones.
Initial setup was very easy. I simply input my user ID and password and it went looking to the main Audible website for my library. I began downloading the first book to the device in moments.
The application currently only supports the Enhanced Format and this is my only real complaint. The files generated by this format are over twice the size of Format 4 and four times the size of Format 3. My untrained ear doesn’t notice a big enough difference between Format 3 and the Enhanced to warrant the extra space requirement, or more importantly the extra time it takes to download that large a file. I was unable to download a full file from the 3G service near the Plaza in Kansas City, but my home Wi-Fi was able to get them just fine. The 241 GB file took roughly half an hour. The good news is that I didn’t have to wait for the whole file to download before I began playing it. This meant I could listen to the book on my way home, and then download it completely once I was there. Still, I think supporting other formats would go a long way to increasing the usability of the service while traveling.
The application loads relatively quickly, compared to other apps I use, and it does a great job of keeping my place even after the phone has been turned off and rebooted. This is important since I have long felt that I have to reboot the phone more than once a week to keep it snappy, and some of the books I listen take longer than a week of traveling back and forth to work to finish.
The features inside surpassed my expectations. I have previously used two different MP3 players and an Blackberry with Audible so have seen several different levels of features and interfaces. This was the best I have worked with. Once a file is selected for play I am given the following tabs along the top: Now Playing, Details, Chapters, and Bookmarks.
Now Playing has all the tools for navigating the file including a “back 30 seconds” button and a button to set bookmarks. The time that the file has played displays on the left and the time remaining displays on the right between them is the chapter number. There is a beautiful summary section in the center of the screen that includes title, part number, author, and the cover art.
The Details screen gives the Audible book summary as it appears on the website.
The chapters screen gives a listing of all the chapters in the file. Here I would have liked it to continue chapter numbering between parts rather than to list the chapters in that part beginning with 1. However, I suspect this has more to do with the files themselves than the Android application. It is still nice to be able to get directly to the beginning of the chapter. The chapter numbers from the Now Playing screen correspond to the chapter numbers here.
The bookmark section simply allows me to navigate directly back any section I have previously bookmarked with the button in Now Playing.
Overall, I haven’t had any real problems with the application. I’m looking forward to seeing what if any improvements they make to the final release when it hits the marketplace. Until then, I am just excited to finally have this capability on my phone.
See this other blog entry for some excellent screenshots and another opinion.
http://www.droiddog.com/android-blog/2010/05/audible-private-beta-for-android/
After a recent positive review stating that theiPhone 4 reception issues were not something that should prevent someone from buying the new iPhone, the nationwide testing firm has now changed its mind and given a thumbs down to Apple's latest efforts. In lab tests, Consumer Reports says the signal "can significantly degrade to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal." Three iPhone 4s were tested in an RF isolation chamber, and while the signal fell out on the new iPhone, CR didn't see the same issues on an iPhone 3GS or a Palm Pre. The tests also showed that putting some duct tape (of course!!) on the lower left portion of the iPhone antenna strip helps a great deal, and they speculate a case would do the trick as well. The testing firm adds that the iPhone 4 scored at the top of the list in every other feature, so the reception issue is a deal-killer for the firm. CR says that Apple will have to provide "a permanent -- and free fix" before it recommends the iPhone 4.
Hydrogen-powered cars, like Honda's FCX Clarity, face a lot of hurdles, not the least of which being a fuel source requiring more energy to produce than it in turn gives out as energy.
Co-optimus reports Lionhead is committed to providing an improved co-op experience in Fable 3... but these enhancements may have a few pitfalls.
Great, so now I need a co-op prenupt.
Steam has announced its "Perils of Summer" sale running through July 4, with each day bringing new daily deals. Steam is also offering deals on it's Publisher Packs, 50% off THQ Complete Pack, 75% off 2K Complete Pack and more...
'Perils of Summer' Daily Deals for June 24th
Gateway (Acer) releases ID49 and ID59 Notebooks, 14" & 15.6" versions that feature an inch-thick aluminum housing, LED-backlit (1366x768) display, an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, an optional Nvidia GeForce GT 330M GPU with Optimus graphics switching, up to 500GB of storage space, a DVD burner, a multi-card reader, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11b/g/n wireless connectivity.
Impressive looking systems coming out of Gateway (of all places). I find the the 14" version with the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M (Model ID49C08u) the most appealing at only $850 ...
87"-.99" (H) x 13.46" (W) x 9.64" (D) - 5.07 lbs
An ultraportable with Dual 7" touchscreens, 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 ULV, Windows 7 Home Premium, 62GB SSD & 2GB DDR3 RAM... If this is what the Courier was fated to be it's no wonder Microsoft dropped it. Too thick, too bulky... functionality could make up for it but early reports are not promising. Out this summer?
Ha! The ultimate iPhone vs Android battle... Fight it out with remote controlled helicopters using your phone as the controller! There's an app for that.
Side by side new and old Xbox 360s... No memory card support so you will have to do your transfers with a USB thumb drive.
Dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest technology, gaming and gadget news. Warning: This blog may contain frequent interruptions as other random topics are introduced.
n. (skiz-oh-THEME-ee-uh):
1. Rarely used term for repeated interruptions in a conversation by the speaker introducing other topics.
2. Digression by a long reminiscence.
