December Tech Update

PC
Sims 3: I got it fro Christmas. I am just starting, and I think it is an amazing game, but for a person who has never played Sims, it can get complicated, with a sharp learning curve. However, as the hours pass, it keeps on getting more fun. Only thing is my Sim got pregnant. It's going to cause a lot of headaches...

Football Manager 2010: Looks great. Still haven't opened it yet...lol. More on that next month.

Wishlist:
Burnout Paradise.
World in Conflict.

Ipod
Fifa 10: Although the controls take a little bit getting used to, the gameplay is great. Graphics are great as is the depth of the teams. I think it is the best soccer app in the app store, by far. Beware of the buttons A and B getting mixed up, as you can touch one and if you're not accurate, the opposite can be touched, causing headaches at goal opportunities.

Ragdoll Blaster: If you like physics or puzzles, this game is for you. Strategically shoot ragdolls to try and get one of the ragdolls to hit a red target. Gets much harder with obstacles and such.

NFL 2010: I don't play football. Even then, playing NFL 2010 is very entertaining. Time slows down for you to make key plays such as juking and turning. Although some passes received look downright impossible, or vice versa, the element of fun prevails.

Pocket Tanks: A game with simple graphics, but the objective of shooting the other tank with a armada of random weapons is appealing. You can easily play with a friend by passing the ipod or iphone back and forth. Wins lots of points for always working multiplayer, unlike many multiplayers which don't work that well.

World Cup Espn 2010: For soccer junkies this is the best app. Stats and starting line ups for all the teams, plus news. Full coverage on the South Africa hosted world cup. Organized well, instead of googling all of this additional info.

Wishlist:
Modern Combat
NOVA
Asphalt 5

Coming Next: Showdown between FIFA 10 and RS 2010, two soccer games for the App Store.

October Tech Update

Ipod Apps

Boxhead Zombie Wars: The games finally arrived in the app store! Although it is a stripped down version, without key weapons such as rockets, grenades, and airstrikes, it does contain the basics. To set off charges, you double tap on the charges you set off.

Bailout Wars: Defending the white house, in Bailout Wars, you flick, tap, shake, and toss bankers around to prevent them from taking the bailout money. Sort of like a Castle Defense game with a comical twist, Bailout Wars succeeds in its depth of achievements, and slight variety of stationed snipers, uncle sam's, and tanks. However, restoring lost bailout money is impossible, making the game perhaps a bit too challenging.

Bloons TD: An online flashgame, it is a towers defense game with a twist. To make it kid appropriate, you shoot balloons with monkeys. However, there are different types of monkeys, including boomerang monkeys and others with 4 upgrades each. The more "bloons" you pop, the more money you receive. In emergency situations, the user interface can be slow and hard to touch precisely.

Music

One Republic's Waking Up: A great album in my opinion, provides a more rocky track instead of the occasionally slow-moving Dreaming Out Loud album. Favorites include All the Right Moves, Good Life, and Marchin On. Songs strike a darker tone, but with uplifting titles and lyrics.

Owl City's Ocean Eyes: Adam Young (Insomnia boy) creates a dreamy, masterful album. A few songs are remade, like Saltwater Room and Hello Seattle, but I think they are even better than before. For teenage boy's self conscious about listening to poppy, dreamy music, they should at least give the soundtrack a try, as some of the songs are goofy, while others are deep, providing a wonderful, uplifting album.

Boys like Girls ft. Taylor Swift-Two is Better than One: At first I thought this meant two boyfriends is better than one boyfriend. Now I get it. I think.

Books

The Weather of the Pacific Northwest: Written by University of Washington professor Cliff Mass, this book answers plenty of questions on the weather of one of the hardest places to forecast on earth.

Three Random Apps I Own Reviews

iSpy: A creepy reminder of how technologically advanced our world really is. This app provides live video footage of numerous places around the world, including Times Square, Alcatraz, a restaurant in Lafayette, California a busy street in Hong Kong, and much more. Even scarier or better is the ability to control the cameras on certain shots. Flick your finger to move the camera around and use the pinch and separate with your two fingers, similar to finger motions used on safari web browsing. .99

NFSU (Need for Speed Undercover): Arguably one of the best racing games made with stunning graphics and a great soundtrack. Controls are the standard accelerometer but the make or break factor is the story line and the intermediate videos explaining key points in between races. A little bit steep price, considering you can get Fast and Furious for 1.99 which is also a great game for the movie. 4.99

Appboxpro: There are numerous apps for random, occasionally trivial tasks such as conversions, battery life, clinometer, flashlight, etc. Getting tired of sorting through each of these semi-useful apps and having them waste precious space, I tried out the Appbox Pro for .99. Amazing value for a wide variety of apps, and these apps are usually above average in its class. For instance the flashlight function has a wide variety of colors with a precise color and brightness meter.