Sunday, September 30, 2012

Android Apps Galore

Remember when that good old saying "there's an app for that" came out and the only company that could actually say that and not be lying was Apple? Then Android popped out of no-where and slowly started amassing thousands of apps. And those apps grew exponentially in number. Apple's have too, but not quite at the same speed as with Google Play. Now, as of September 2012, Google Play has over 650 000 apps with over 25 billion downloads! Those figures are still lower then the App Store's 700 000 apps and 30 billion downloads. But the point here is that Android is getting close to Apple's iOS. Android already dominates the market as far as market share goes, and it will be only a couple more months now till Android dominates in apps too. The glory days are soon upon us.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Week 3 Recap

This week brought more advancements in our ongoing commentaries. The Cake Loving Artist takes on more rebels in epic TIE Fighter action. The Cake Loving Artist also joins Hatok for more Kingdom Hearts. What are the heartless up to this week? And the two of them join Lorl and me for more democratic Mass Effect. Miss anything? Don't worry, as always we've got you covered. Just click on the links below to find archives of all the commentaries from this week, and all the commentaries we've ever done.

Apps Plus on Blip: http://blip.tv/appsplus
Apps Plus on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/appsplusblog

 As always keep in mind that our videos come out on Blip first, then a week later on YouTube, so click the Blip link to get the most up-to-date videos.

Friday, September 28, 2012

iOS 6: Part 7

Welcome back to the next segment in my ongoing talks about Apple's upcoming iOS 6 update. Today we're going to talk about how the Mail and Safari apps have changed and been improved.




Mail:

So the mail app has been redesigned (though if you ask me it doesn't look much different) to be more streamlined and easier to use. There are also improvements to add attachments like photos and the like to your emails as well there is a new feature that lets you create a "V.I.P." list so that you'll lever miss an email from the sources that matter most.


Unfortunately that is it. If you were hoping for some substantial changes to the way you used your email app on Apple's iOS devices then this will come as somewhat of a let down. Sure it's great to make things easier to use, but don't tell me you've "redesigned" the whole app when picture by picture comparisons to older versions of the app look almost identical. But minor improvements are still improvements, so it will be interesting to see just how useful and good these improvements turn out to be.

Safari:

Unlike the new Mail app, the new Safari app actually brings in a number of substantial and great sounding changes and enhancements. First off Safari works through the cloud with iCloud tabs meaning that you can open a tab and start looking at a website on your iPod and then resume looking at that same page over on your iPhone. Secondly Safari now saves web pages to your Reading List which allows you to still be able to see and read everything that is on a particular web page even when you don't have Internet connection. And thirdly if you're posting a picture to a website you no longer have to go through the arduous process of leaving Safari, opening up the camera app, taking a picture, going back to Safari, then posting the picture. Now you can do all that right in Safari, something that sounds great to me.


All of these improvements to Safari actually sound like the sort of features that I would use and all sound like, if done right, they could be great. With so many problems with Safari in the past, I've slowly grown to hate (I'm among friends when I say this) Safari. But changes like these could slowly start to change my opinion. It's still going to take a lot more then that to make me start loving Safari, but it's a step in the right direction.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Bad Piggies

Rovio's latest game is out! It's called Bad Piggies and for the first time it's the pigs from the massively popular Angry Birds that get their own game. And no you don't slingshot pigs at birds or anything like that. You actually help build things like carts for the pigs to ride in and collect different items throughout the level.
The game definitely looks like an Angry Birds game but plays like something else entirely which is great combo for success if you ask me. The game is actually a lot of fun, and it's a fresh feeling instead of just seeing yet another Angry Birds game. So I encourage you to check it out. It's available pretty well anywhere you can buy apps, so don't worry, you're not left out.

I'll have a full in-depth review for Bad Piggies coming out in the near future once I've had some time to play more of the game, in the meantime start building some contraptions! (At the end of most levels are explosive blocks, so if you still have a grudge like those angry birds against the pigs, then don't worry you can still beat the game and blow up all the pigs).

Apps Plus Comms- Mass Effect Part 6



 
A democratic run of the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360.

Commentators-
  • Lorl
  • Hatok
  • Ernesto Guillermo
  • Bryan, The Cake Loving Artist
  • Urdon
Buy this game

Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-3-and.html http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

Apps Plus Comms- Kingdom Hearts Part 6



 
 A commentary of the original Kingdom Hearts

Commentators-
  • Hatok
  • Bryan the Cake Loving Artist
Buy this game

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix and Disney

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-3-and.html http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- TIE Fighter Part 3



The Cake Loving Artist is back again to take down more of those pesky rebels.

Recommenations of the Week: September 26th

Welcome back to this week's edition of Recommendations of the Week. Let's begin.






Shop Deals:

For the majority of the "bigger" apps in the AppStore, and by bigger I mean closer to full fledged games such as Dead Space as apposed to a mini game like Doodle Jump, they can be quite expensive. Of course this is all relative. People complain non-stop when game developers released games for more then $5 on the App Store, yet they don't say anything for dropping $40 on a game for their X-Box which theoretically should have eight times more content (if we went by pricing) but doesn't actually. So if you're one of those people who complains about costly apps and resorts to not buying the app, don't fret, there are alternatives. And I'm not talking about jailbreaking your device (something that I originally did to get past the cost of buying so many apps), no I'm talking about shopping for deals. Apps actually go on some amazing deals and they go on sale more then you'd think. These sales often can be quite high too. For instance there was a great app a few weeks ago normally priced around $10 brought down to $0.99 for the duration of the sale. And it's prices like that that you really can't beat. So if you're in the neighbourhood for some "expensive" apps but don't want to cough up some cash, just wait it out a few weeks, there are good chances your app will go on sale.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Kingdom Hearts Part 5


 A commentary of the original Kingdom Hearts

Commentators-
  • Hatok
  • Bryan the Cake Loving Artist
Buy this game

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix and Disney

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-3-and.html http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

App Bites #33: Best of Cracked Vol. 1

Welcome back to another edition of App Bites. Let's begin.







Best of Cracked Vol. 1:

So I talked about the official Cracked app for Cracked.com (one of my favorite websites ever) a little while ago. In case you don't know what Cracked.com is, it's a humor site that has articles, and videos and more that are all extremely funny and definitely worth reading. And they have an official Android app which has some of their articles and whatnot all in one convenient place. But there are so many hundreds and thousands of things to read on Cracked.com so what if you only want to see the best. Well that is why they came out with Best of Cracked Vol. 1 the app which has the top 25 most viewed articles, videos, and photoplasties of 2011 all one quick and easy spot to access. It's a really great app, and trust me you will not be let down by the articles, they're absolutely hilarious.

You can grab the Android app right here.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Mass Efect Part 5



 
A democratic run of the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360.

Commentators-
  • Lorl
  • Hatok
  • Ernesto Guillermo
  • Bryan, The Cake Loving Artist
  • Urdon
Buy this game

Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-3-and.html http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

Brick Wars #38

And Brick Wars is back, for another comic!



I couldn't kill off R2, now could I? 

New models in the set include the battle droid's console in the first panel, and the turbolaser cannons in the second. I wasn't able to fit enough of a laser in that panel along with the cannons, so I had to make a second panel with more of a laser. It fits together quite well, even if I do say so myself.

Again, the program I use to make the lasers is LSMaker, the best program out there for adding in laser and lightsaber effects to both still shots and movies. So go check it out if you'd like to make lightsaber movies!

Another thing, the Brick Wars Archive is complete, and offers links to all of the past comics, as well as including comments I've made looking back at my old work.

For more Star Wars and me, check out TIE Fighter, the series I'm doing on that classic PC game.

Anyways, see you next week!



Saturday, September 22, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Week 2 Recap

As the saying goes; another week another set of commentaries. If you missed out on any of them you can always check out the multiple links below to see our commentaries in a whole host of locations. Don't forget to click the link to the page "Commentaries" above for a full archive with links to all the commentaries we've ever done. This week our adventures in the likes of Mass Effect, Kingdom Hearts, and TIE Fighter all advanced further on so make sure you didn't miss a part.

Blip Page: http://blip.tv/appsplus
YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/appsplusblog

Friday, September 21, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Mass Effect Part 4


 
A democratic run of the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360.

Commentators-

  • Lorl
  • Hatok
  • Ernesto Guillermo
  • Bryan, The Cake Loving Artist
  • Urdon
Buy this game

Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-3-and.html http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

iOS 6: Part 6

Welcome to the next segment in my series about iOS 6. Today we're going to talk about additions and improvements to FaceTime and that thing that you might remember called phoning.





FaceTime:

So the only major change to FaceTime is that you can now use it over cellular and Wi-Fi services. This also extends to iPads where you use your phone number to FaceTime. So FaceTime hasn't really received any drastic changes, but this is quite a handy one, although I feel like it should have been there since the beginning. If you've read my other parts in this series you'd know how critical of everything Apple does these days is and I'm not going to change that now. FaceTime is a great feature, don't get me wrong, but this change isn't the type of big thing that will get me excited.


Phone:

Apple has done something really smart here. For the last few years everyone has spent so much time improving every other aspect of the phone that they sometimes forget about improving the sole thing that phones were originally made to do- that being phone people of course. But Apple remembered this time around and they made some pretty nice enhancements. If you get a phone call but you can't answer it at the moment (say you're driving, at the movies, or in the middle of some important conversation, etc.) then you can swipe up on the screen to reveal options like a set of preset messages that you can quickly select to send to the person notifying them as to why you can't answer like "Can't talk right now, call you later". This is actually such a useful feature that I could see myself using quite often, of course there are those people that never phone at all anymore who might feel that this improvements and the ones that I'm about to talk about are pointless, but for the rest of us this is great.


One of the other options you can select once you've swiped up is the reminder options which remind you based on preset times when to phone that person back. Again this is a feature that I could see myself using. I'm a very forgetful person and I'm constantly setting reminders on my phone for just about everything. So to have one more thing taken care of for me would be a warmly welcomed help.

Up last is the "Do not disturb" options in which you can select to not to be notified about any incoming calls or any other notifications for that matter. You can also pick to only receive calls from a select group of people or contacts. This is probably my least favorite new feature, not because there is anything wrong with it, but because I could see the above two enhancements being more useful.

All in all the new FaceTime features fall short, but the phoning options are greatly enhanced.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Kingdom Hearts Part 4



 
 A commentary of the original Kingdom Hearts

Commentators-
  • Hatok
  • Bryan the Cake Loving Artist
Buy this game

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix and Disney

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-3-and.html http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

iPhone 5





So with the announcement of the iPhone 5 earlier this week, people have had some time to calm down and think about what is going on. So I figured today was a good time to for me sum up and voice my opinions about the latest iPhone.

First off since everyone was expecting the iPhone 5 last year, and then got the iPhone 4S instead, you'd imagine that people would come into this a little more critical then before. The iPhone 5 needs to be revolutionary beyond a doubt. If you've been reading my ongoing segment about iOS 6 (the operating system that the iPhone 5 runs on) or if you've done a little research yourself, you would know that iOS 6 alone is not very revolutionary and would not be enough itself to hold the iPhone up to its hype. So now the burden of revolutionizing the iPhone falls on aesthetics and core features in the hardware of the phone.

So what does the new iPhone have or do that is so different from the previous ones? Well since one of Apple's biggest obsessions is with its look and feel, let's begin by talking about the iPhone 5's design. The new screen is slightly bigger then its predecessors coming in at 4inches. This follows the trend of smartphone screens getting bigger and bigger each year. This is also one of the most dramatic changes to an iPhone since, well, ever. Notice how I said "one of the most" dramatic changes. There is actually an even more significant change to the look and that is that the bottom, where you plug that typical white cord connector has been re-done. Now you can no longer use the same connector that you've been using for the past 9 years, instead we have the "Lightning Connector" as it is called. The iPhone 5 is also thinner then before, and Apple even went so far as to call it the "thinnest phone ever" even though there actually are thinner phones. The rest of the look is pretty much the same.

On the inside the iPhone 5 runs on Apple's A6 chip which is said to use less power and is significantly smaller then previous chips. And the two cameras have been beefed up to include things like a 720p front facing camera which will make using FaceTime a lot better looking.

These are the most substantial changes, but if you want more details and specifics then hit up Google.

But let's talk a bit now about this whole thing. The way I see it is that Apple has 'done it again' so as to say they've captured the attention of millions, and somehow managed to impress a large group of people while also making a lot of people question if the new iPhone is really worth it, which going by stats, it really isn't. Of course try telling this to the die hard Apple fan, or the guy who just wants to look cool which he thinks an iPhone will do.

So as far as revolutionary goes, the iPhone is anything but. Yes it has a few nice new features but those are only nice in comparison to previous iPhones. If you look at a multitude of other phones out there you come quick to realize that the iPhone 5 shouldn't be able to compete. But analysts have been quick to say that it will compete, and it will compete well. Personally I'm still holding out for the day that more people realize that the iPhone isn't as great as the stigma around it makes it seem. This is slowly happening of course what with Android controlling a majority of the market share for smartphones and showing no sign of slowing down.

It will be interesting to see how everything plays out. Yes a ton of people will buy the iPhone 5, but the real question is how many people are going to love it, and how many people will be coming back for the iPhone 6.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

New Kobo Tablets

Earlier this week Kobo formally showed off their three new eReaders/tablets: the Kobomini, Koboarc, and Koboglo. Being a huge fan of everything Kobo I immediately checked out the new tablets and they look awesome. But how do the stats compare? Well I'll let the facts talk for themselves.



Koboglo:


Size: 114 x 157 x 10mm
Weight: 185g
Processor: 1GHz
Display: 6'' E Ink XGA Pearl screen, 1024x768 resolution
Light: ComfortLight technology
Screen: Non-glass touchscreen
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB
Storage: 2GB built in, 32GB expandable with Micro SD card
Battery: Over 1 month (55 hours of continuous use)
Colours: Black Night, Pink Sunset, Blue Moon, Silver Star

Kobomini:



Size: 102 x 133 x 10mm
Weight: 134g
Processor: 800MHz
Display: 5'' E Ink touchscreen, Vizplex V110 display
Screen: Non-glass touchscreen
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB
Storage: 2GB
Battery: Over 2 weeks
Colours: Black or white

Koboarc:


Size: 189 x 120 x 11.5mm
Weight: 364g
Processor: 1.5 GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM
Display: 7'' IPS
Screen: 1280 x 800 HD resolution, 215 ppi
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB
Storage: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Battery: 10 hours of reading
Colours: Black or white

Audio: dual front-facing speakers and universal 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with SRS TruMedia sound
Camera: 720p HD front-facing camera (1.3MP)
Operating System: Android 4.0
Software: Tapestreis (Kobo's interface)
Media: Music Player, Photo Gallery, Video Player
Web-Browsing: Android 4.0 browser

Recommendations of the Week: September 19th

Welcome back to more recommendations. Since we're only days away from the changing of seasons and the beginning of fall, it's only suiting that we talk about some fall related things. Let's begin.





Coffee Time!:

In the spring and summer I can't go near any hot beverages like coffee or tea or hot chocolate, etc. So it's actually quite nice when the summer ends and the colder weather comes back. With fall comes winter and winter brings on my old routine of daily cappuccinos and the like. Of course it's a bad habit considering the expense, so that's why I end up usually buying a box of tea for a few bucks and using that for a while. I especially like buying the boxes that come with a bunch of different flavours because then it's like I'm having something new and exciting everyday without actually having to go out and buy anything- it saves time and money, and what's better then that? Anyways when it gets cold head out and pick up something, whether it be a coffee or tea or really whatever floats your boat, its a great way to start and finish your day.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Apps Plus Comms- Mass Effect Part 3



A democratic run of the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360.

Commentators-


  • Lorl
  • Hatok
  • Ernesto Guillermo
  • Bryan, The Cake Loving Artist
  • Urdon
Buy this game

Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts

http://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-1-part-1.htmlhttp://apps-plus.blogspot.ca/2012/09/apps-plus-comms-mass-effect-part-4.html

Brick Wars #37

Oh dear. Looks like R2's speech impediment is a detriment to his friends sometimes.

What will happen next time? Will R2 be the next droid to go? Or will he manage to get the shields up in time? Or will it be a third option, unnamed as of this moment?

Nobody knows, for this is Brick Wars, the webcomic which throws all your prior conceptions out the window. (Or should that be airlock, since we're in space?)

I enjoy that macro shot in the first panel--it really looks like there are mini droids on the top of the Queen's ship. I might have to do that sort of thing more often.

Until next time,


Wii U Games List

With the formal announcement of the Wii U earlier this week, everyone has been talking about price points, release dates, the controller, etc. But I thought first I'd just show the list of game titles coming out on the Wii U at launch. So below is a list of the games coming out organised by company releasing them. Which one(s) interest you the most? Are you going to get a Wii U?

505 Games

Funky Barn

2K Sports

NBA 2K13

Activision Publishing, Inc.

007 Legends
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Transformers Prime
Wipeout 3
Skylanders Giants
Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing

Capcom

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

D3Publisher

Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game

Disngey Interactive

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Electronic Arts

Mass Effect 3
Madden NFL 13
FIFA Soccer 13

Frozenbyte

Trine 2: Director's Cut

Gaijin Games

Bit. Trip Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

Majesco Entertainment

Zumba Fitness Core

Maxmimum Games

Jett Tailfin

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

Tekken Tage Tournament 2
Tank! Tank! Tank!

Nintendo

Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
Ninja Gaiden III: Razor's Edge
Sing Party
LEGO City Undercover
Wii Fit U
Game and Wario
Pikmin 3
The Wonderful 101

SEGA

Aliens: Colonial Marines
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Shin-en

Nano Assault Neo

Tecmo Koei American Corporation

Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper

THQ

Darksiders II
Wheel of Fortune
Jeopardy!

Two Tribes

Toki Tori 2

Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed III
Just Dance 4
Marvel's The Avengers: Battle for Earth
Rabbids Land
Sports Connection
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
ZombiU
Rayman Legends

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Scribblenauts Unlimited
Game Party Champions
Batman: Arkham City- Armored Edition