Archive March 2011

So I was one of those people that went nerd crazy when Nintendo announced its 3DS. Obviously I'm a big geek when it comes to anything and everything technology related, and the idea of a glasses-free 3D display intrigued me. I kept up with the news and pre-ordered one with Best Buy as soon as I was able to. Like everyone else that was interested in the 3DS, I read each and every article that was released once the unit got into people's hands. But one thing I refused to do was spoil the system itself by playing a demo unit somewhere. I avoided that at all costs until I was able to pick mine up, which was this morning. I charged the sucker up and picked up two games, Super Street Fighter IV and Ghost Recon Shadow Wars. Yes the launch titles are pretty weak, especially for a Nintendo product, so I went with what the majority of the websites out there recommended were worth the money.

Read my first day impressions after the break.

Been a little missing in action thanks to Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy and trying to hit level 50 in Rift (and working, of course). But I just wanted to chime in on those that have been asking me my feelings on Rift now that it's been out for a month and I'm level 50. So I figured I'd put up a little post on just random thoughts on Rift as of right now and I promise I'll do a thorough review of the game along with a review of the Xoom sometime in the near future now that I don't have to worry about leveling every night.

Read more about Rift after the break.

I have gone over 3 days without charging it and it is still showing 28% battery life remaining.  This is with decent usage throughout the day including emails, twitter, browsing and plenty of posting on forums.

When I decided to get a screen protector for the Xoom, I started browsing around for reviews and videos to determine which one to get.  I run a Zagg InvisibleShield on my Epic 4G, and while it's nice, I'm not a huge fan of it anymore.  There's certainly that orange peel look to it and the thickness/tacky feel to it is a little weird sometimes.  It does its job of protecting the screen, but you can clearly tell that there's a protector on it.  So Zagg was off my list to begin with so off I went to do a ton of research and reviews from other people.

I mostly had to check out install videos and photos off iPad screen protectors, but the major companies that were being tossed around over at XDA was Skinomi and Steinheil.  I ultimately decided on the Steinheil SGP Ultra Fine because of its matte finish and fingerprint-resistant attribute.  One of the things that really bothered me about having the Xoom is how it's such a fingerprint magnet.  When the screen's off, the unit just looks dirty.  I'm always hesitant to wipe a glass screen thinking I'll scratch it (even though I probably won't since it's Gorilla Glass), so having a fingerprint-resistant protector was the highest priority for me.

Read the rest of the review after the break.

Decided to take some slightly better photos of the Prius' interior outside in the sunlight today.  Since I no longer own an SLR, my Epic 4G is about the only camera I easily have access to.  Car will hopefully be shot by Super Street sometime in the near future, and after the feature runs I'll get something up on Tunerzine including photos of the wrap install and some write ups.  Check out more photos of the interior after the break.

So a little less than two weeks ago I decided I'd try to pursue the fun task of trying to cap my gold in World of Warcraft.  Unfortunately it's been a busy week and a half with work, finishing up a couple of website projects and migrating another one, so I haven't been able to play as much Rift or WoW as I would like.  Thankfully Blizzard has an awesome Android app to allow me to play the Auction House during downtime or when I'm at the gym or what not.

Just picked up the interior for the Prius from Brian Garin over at Infinite Auto Design and I must say it looks great.  It fits the theme of the car perfectly, just simple and clean.  I didn't want to go too extravagant since at the end of the day it's still a Prius and not a Mercedes.  I will work on getting some better photos to post up soon.

OK so I caved in and paid the 1.66 for the Thumb Keyboard app and immediately it has jumped towards the top of the list for must have apps if you're using a tablet.  It simply just makes typing a breeze on a tablet and for those that are used to typing quickly on a keyboard, it is probably the closest you can get without a physical unit.  Huge kudos to the app developers for creating such a great product.  Now to go and play with its settings to fit my preferences.

So I figured I'd test out how posting from the Xoom would be tonight and so far so good.  I have gotten a little more used to typing on it and while it's not over 100 wpm that I'm used to doing on a physical keyboard, it is certainly not as painful as I thought it would be.  I had a good chance to do some heavy browsing today and so far I haven't ran into any force closes.  The unit is definitely very speedy and for the most part does everything it was made to do well.  I played Dungeon Defenders for a bit and found it a smooth and pleasant gaming experience overall.

Just about a week after I successfully ordered my Motorola Xoom, it arrived today at my front door.  Unfortunately I had quite a bit of work to do still, so I threw it on the charger and let the battery get nice and full before I dove into playing with it.  So with about six hours of tinkering around with the Xoom I figured I'd post up some impressions and go a little in depth on why I chose an Android tablet over an iPad (or iPad 2) and just my general thoughts on Android in general and the direction that tablets are heading.  There's probably going to be a lengthy post after this jump as I'll just start regurgitating everything that's currently in my brain, but if you're really wondering what the differences are between an iPad and a Xoom and which one may be for you, the post might be worth reading.  So check it out after the break if you're interested, or just want to know how the Xoom feels in the hands of your everyday nerdy consumer.