Watchmen: Justice is Coming is an impressive tech demo
March 31, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch
There’s a whole lot of promise in the Watchmen: Justice is Coming game for iPhone/iPod touch. Unfortunately, the game is beset by some bugs and gameplay fumbles. The more I played, the more I got used to the quirks, but eventually there’s a certain monotony to the game that left me rather unsatisfied. Hopefully, as Mike reported, Last Legion Games will take note and keep improving the experience. I’m not saying it is bad — it is an amazing glimpse into the power of Apple’s mobile platform — but it’s more a tech demo at this point than finished game.
The gallery will take you through most everything in the game that I’ve found thus far. Essentially you start with a male or female character, do a cute “personality test” and your stats are generated. Your bikini-clad crimefighter is born, and aside from a username/password for accessing the server, there’s not much customization you can do — yet. As you go through the streets you’re able to check dumpsters, where you’ll pick up more costume parts. As you fight more bad guys (there are preset NPC’s throughout, but you can also challenge other human-powered characters — this is a MMO, after all), you’ll get more experience and you can eventually level up and enhance various skills.
Life in the game is simple, but there’s a story too. In fact, the game has a point system based on your random adventures as well as points for the story. So you can ditch the story and wander around, or you can focus on finding your sister. I won’t spoil any more of the story, but it’s not bad, and the progression is well done. If you’re a fan of the GTA series, where you can wander around or go on missions, you may be a little disappointed. There aren’t missions, really. Just one story arc and a bunch of random encounters to be had.
I haven’t finished the game, but I will say that, after I rebooted my iPhone to stop the incessant crashing, I find myself playing Watchmen every other day or so. Keep reading for more about the good, the bad, and the ugly in Watchmen: Justice is Coming.
Gallery: Watchmen: Justice is Coming
Continue reading Watchmen: Justice is Coming is an impressive tech demo
Watchmen: Justice is Coming is an impressive tech demo originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Watchmen: Justice is Coming is an impressive tech demo originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Road Tested: EcoRunner by Marware
March 31, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Accessories, iPod nano, Road Tested
As promised, we’re launching a new series called Road Tested where we try out various products for a month or more, see how they hold up to extended “real world” use, and report back our findings. To kick things off we’re looking at the EcoRunner from Marware [thanks to our friends at Dr. Bott for the review unit].
The EcoRunner is a “green” product in that the primary material is not neoprene, but “a revolutionary environmentally friendly material.” I’m not sure what that is, but I can say I like it better than neoprene — it feels just as soft, but the cells are smaller and thus the material is more supple. The EcoRunner can be worn on the wrist or arm (using an extender strap, included) and is designed for the 4th-gen iPod nano. There’s the requisite vinyl window for controlling playback and viewing the screen, plus the case can be used with the Nike+ Sport kit attached (there’s a strap to keep everything in).
Does it work? Well, there’s one caveat to our test: we used a 1st-gen nano, the white model that was infamous for being easily scratched. It’s increasingly tough to find cases for this model, but we found the EcoRunner is stretchy enough to accommodate the slightly thicker model. The side effect of this, possibly due to thickness or the more squarish design: the vinyl window busted (see gallery), leaving the unit exposed and capable of falling out. Call it a “stress test.” It’s definitely a design challenge to secure the vinyl in a way that won’t get too stressed, especially in cases where everything else is so stretchy.
The softness of the case can’t be understated. It is really smooth and lightweight and stretchy. I’m partial to wrist straps, because I tend to skip around my playlists depending on my workout. If you find yourself monkeying with your nano during a workout, this is a terrific wrist strap. The extension strap to use it on your arm adds virtually no weight, and holds up well, but bulging biceps might strain that window. The Velcro used is very high quality, but the stitching on the end can sometimes be a little tricky to thread through the grommet — so I recommend not removing it entirely. Just pull it off your wrist. One upside is that you can charge the nano in the case, so the entire unit becomes home to your nano. If you only use your nano for working out, you’ll never have to remove it from the case.
After a month (OK, nearly 2 months) of solid use — we’re talking about near-daily use on the treadmill and at the gym — the EcoRunner holds up well. As I said, using a 1st-gen nano isn’t recommended by us or the manufacturer, so I don’t know if the thinner nanos would bust the window after prolonged use. Other than that, there’s very little visible wear-and-tear, and I’d recommend this especially if you a) prefer your nano on your wrist, and b) need a case that’ll hold the Nike+ Sport kit. Your choices are pretty limited when it comes to both of those criteria, but the EcoRunner is a good bet either way. If you’ve had experience with this particular model, let us know in the comments.
UPDATE: Great questions in the comments! As far as sweat retention, since my wrist doesn’t sweat too much, I’d have to say no problems there. You might have an issue with a very sweaty bicep, but I feel the material’s tighter cells (as opposed the larger, more open cells found in neoprene) would guard pretty well against this. There’s no signs of staining, either.
The extender strap adds a little over 6 inches to the overall strap length. Total that’s 11.5 inches (see added gallery image). My puny biceps fit fine, but if you have some massive guns then yeah, you might have a problem.
Gallery: Road Tested: EcoRunner
Road Tested: EcoRunner by Marware originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Road Tested: EcoRunner by Marware originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone 3.0 beta 2 is available to developers
March 31, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Software, Developer, iPhone, SDK
Earlier today, iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2 was released to developers. The big news is that push notifications and in-app purchasing followed this release, giving developers a chance to try them out. Engadget has reported on significant instability with beta 1, so here’s hoping that’s been improved.
There’s also good and bad news with this release. The good is that MMS and tethering are supported in beta 2. The bad news is that Apple asks developers not use them. It’s like owning a Ferrari without wheels.
If you’re a developer, you know how to get this. Let us know how it goes, and have fun.
iPhone 3.0 beta 2 is available to developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iPhone 3.0 beta 2 is available to developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Releases iPhone 3.0 Beta 2 for Developers
March 31, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Apple released the 2nd version of the iPhone 3.0 OS and SDK Beta today, bringing developers a number of feature improvements and stability fixes.
It’s good news for people like me who are using the beta on their primary phones, against their own good judgment and the advice of Apple and everyone else. The official build number is 7a259g, and this release marks only two weeks since the announcement and initial release of the iPhone 3.0 software.
I had a suspicion that this build’s release timing might have something to do with the recent discovery that if you’re using the brand new Skype app with the 3.0 firmware installed, you can apparently make calls over your 3G connection instead of just on Wi-Fi. But, lo and behold, 3G voice calls still work with Skype using the new beta. In fact, a lot of the buggy issues I complained about earlier seem to have been resolved with the latest update, including the mic failure when used by third party apps.
So far, most of the changes I’ve noticed have been improvements to overall performance, less freezing, and generally fewer bugs. Spotlight loads up a lot quicker, and returns results faster, too. Battery life seems to be better, or at least it hasn’t drained completely while streaming internet radio over 3G. Using the first beta, I could literally watch it die none too slowly when doing this. The real test will be seeing how long the phone can go without a power cycle, since gradual OS slowdown and eventual failure was my biggest problem before. There’s also a weird “Store” menu in the iPhone’s Settings whose purpose isn’t yet clear.
If you were hesitant about using a pre-release build on your primary device, 7a259g may be reason enough to take the plunge. I’ll let you know if any major issues crop up with extended use.
10 Horrible Things the Conficker Worm Could Do to Windows
March 31, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
It’s the worst thing ever! If you listen to 60 Minutes and the rest of the media, the Conficker Worm will eventually bring down the entire internet and introduce 100 years of darkness to the world.
In reality, no one knows for sure what the Conficker Worm will actually do once it’s been activated on April 1, 2009. There is speculation about zombie machines, and espionage, and the possibility of tearing a hole in the time space continuum. All of those theories are valid, but we just don’t know.
Chicken chain announces pre-fab restaurants?
March 31, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Church’s Chicken issued a press release this morning announcing factory-built, pre-fab “modular” restaurants, which will be delivered on flat-bed trucks and be up and running in three days. The release, however, is dated April 1, so I suspect this is an April Fool’s hoax. (Cool idea, though.)
First Look: MLB.com At Bat 2009
March 30, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Opening Day of the Major League Baseball 2009 season is just around the corner, and MLB.com At Bat 2009 (click opens iTunes) has been released. Beware — this post contains bad baseball metaphors.
This year’s app has all the tools. After you agree to a list of Terms and Conditions as lengthy as a major-league player contract, a list of all of the games currently in progress or scheduled for the day appears. Starting on April 6th, every game will have Gameday enabled, which lets you view stats and a pitch by pitch recap of what’s happening. Tapping a player’s name brings up a virtual baseball card, complete with career and season stats and a line score for the game in progress.
Also on April 6th, a new feature will touch all the bases — live Gameday Audio from either the home or visiting team radio announcers streamed to your iPhone. As with last year’s At Bat app, you’ll be able to pull up video clips of games shortly after key plays occur.
Do you miss plays while buying a beer or standing in line for the men’s room? No problem, since the app also has a live box score.
MLB.com At Bat 2009 hits a home run! You can get the entire season (including postseason play) for US$9.99. Note that you’d pay $14.99 for just the Gameday audio on MLB.com. There’s also a rookie (lite) version available for free that doesn’t include the streaming audio. Check out the gallery below.
Gallery: MLB.com At Bat 2009
First Look: MLB.com At Bat 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
First Look: MLB.com At Bat 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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