Awaken by the Force, here is my take on Star Wars Episode VII

It felt like years since I’ve watched a movie in a cinema and if there’re any MUST watch movies this year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has got to be one of them. I could forgo Spectre but I can’t miss this - just because everyone was saying Luke Skywalker will succumb to the Dark Side in this movie. I had one too many times argued against it. Nonetheless, the best way to find out was to watch it! 

The movie started off just like any other Star Wars with the standard opening sequence and the crawl text introducing the episode. You can also expect to have at least one very dusty and hot desert scene. :) 

With such a title, one would most certainly come to realise it was about the rise of the Jedi… heck it was how each trilogy started off anyway. The newbies in the movie did a great job portraying their first steps from trying to escape the past to the discovery of the Force.

The story was something you would come to expect of Star Wars - lots of stuff about the Force, lots of tension between the Republic/Resistance and the remnants of the Empire now known as the First Order, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter battles (I was hoping 30 years would bring new fighters but I guessed wrong), weapon of mass destruction and the journeys of new (and young) characters. I was glad there was BB-8 - no doubt just as fun to watch as R2-D2. There was even an oversized Gollum-like Snoke that was, coincidentally, played by Andy Serkis.

It was a good move to bring back the veterans, namely Han Solo (oh yes! My favourite actor Harrison Ford may have aged, but he still portrayed Han Solo well), Princess (now General) Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and, of course, Luke Skywalker. This would then certainly mean the continuation of the Skywalker family thread. And this was what the marketing of the movie was leading fans to think of - Luke’s turn to the Dark Side by not having Luke Skywalker in the trailers except for one scene that showed his robotic arm on R2-D2’s head.

And out of 5…

4/5: If you are a Star Wars fan, you would love this and there is no doubt this movie is better written than Episodes I, II and III. 

4/5: Anything with Star Wars, you can expect excellent CGI. One note - BB-8 is real. If you just came out of a cave, you can even purchase BB-8 from somewhere out there.

4/5: If you are an action fan, you will never feel bored in this movie. Action right from the beginning. Blasters blazing, trademark light sabres humming and hissing, classic X-Wings and Tie-Fighters battles and X-Wing trench run-like scenes.

4/5 Overall: Star Wars fans will love this. It’s Star Wars at one of its best though there are plot holes that I can’t quite fill up (but if I talk about it, then it will be spoilers). Maybe these were intentional?

3/5 Overall: Non-Star Wars fans might be puzzled about what was all the hype about and might not appreciate the continuity of the movie from previous trilogies.

Errr… so… did Luke Skywalker follow his father’s footsteps? Did any of the veterans die? That’s for you to find out!

Sausages on Paper

I was wondering if FiftyThree will ever add 3D Touch sensitivity to Paper's drawing tools and was I glad that they did! The pen, marker and water colour produce wider strokes on a deeper touch. A neat trick for the pencil - light touch gives light strokes while deeper touches produce darker ones. I did the sausages above with the marker: Thinner lines with a typical touch while the sausages were created with a deeper touch - all done without lifting my finger.

I was also glad that they did away with the restrictive two step zoom and replaced it with a continuous mechanism (this feature along with the next one was introduced prior to the recent 3D Touch update).

Paper's "Undo" had gone through a few iterations - from spinning two fingers anti-clockwise to just tapping the undo button to the current (which I think is its best yet!) tapping with two fingers. Continuous tapping will further undo more steps.

Paper is still by far my favourite sketching app (despite my poor skills). However, one big complain from me would be the sync capability between devices. At this current advanced stage of cloud storage I don't see why the Paper in my iPhone can't sync with the Paper in my iPad.

On my wish list would be giving non-Pencil (FiftyThree's own stylus is called Pencil - not to be confused with Apple's version) users blending capability and the ability to zoom in further won't hurt at all. Besides that how about the capability to choose canvas size?

My 2 Minutes with the iPhones 6S and 6S Plus

View image | gettyimages.com

What can one do when one craves for a iPhone 6S but holding back because of the high price courtesy of weakening Ringgit and introduction of GST? Well, one would visit a reseller and at least hold the phones for a few moments!

Besides holding and admiring the rose gold 6S and silver 6S Plus, the other thing I did was to test out 3D Touch. The expected Haptic feedback was really solid. A little of peek and pop here and there. The next thing I tried was to switch between apps using 3D Touch by pressing deeper on the left of the screen. First time didn't work but the second time it happened. Not 100% intuitive, then, but good enough to spawn rumours that the home button is on its way out.

I had to hit myself when I realised that I've forgotten to test out how deep pressing would turn the software keyboard into a trackpad (similar to touching the keyboard on the iPad with two fingers). Unfortunately, I was already miles away from the store. Another time, then.

Concluding: While I was all excited over how Apple introduced 3D Touch during the keynote, I left the store feeling both Apple and developers have yet to squeeze out the technology’s full potential. There are still some ways from "cool to have" to a "must have". But don’t get me wrong. If I have got the money, I’d get one and being masculine and all, I’d get the rose gold one. :P

Zite Integrates into Flipboard and I discover a Dude Who Spent 18 Hours in a Starbucks

I love Zite because it learns to show me the news that I like to read. I also like Flipboard because it's presents news in a nice layout. I had wondered when will Flioboard do the inevitable after it acquired Zite - 2 become 1. Well, I'm sorry to say I found out about it only today because I've not used Zite for a long time. I could hardly finish my Feedly "Must Read" news!

I might have been too lazy to post this but the newly formed Flipboard-Zite relationship actually thought I would like to know a Huffington Post dude's experience when he decided to spend his 18 hours in a Starbucks, from open till close. Well, Flipboard-Zite was right. I did read the whole thing and now you could, too, if you decide to click here.

Shivers, Batman - First Impressions of Paper by 53 for iPhone

Was shivering from fever and guess what came to mind? Drew this with the newly released iPhone version of Paper by 53. Don't laugh! It's a big deal for me to be able to draw a Batman lookalike!

I was thrilled when I heard a iPhone version was on the way because up until now I've still not found the ideal drawing app for the small screen. If anyone can, I guess 53 could. They did a great job with the iPad version.

First impressions were it is still difficult to draw on the small screen. Probably that's why iPhone 6 Plus exists. The worse part was the iPhone version does not sync with the iPad app. That was kind of disappointing. However, all the drawing tools were the same and I like the undo better than the iPad one where you need to go in circles with two fingers. And now it's possible to take photos or import one in to doodle on.

What I didn't like the most was the zoom. There was just one level of zoom. If you wonder how it works with the Pencil, well, I don't know. I don't got no money to own one yet. :(

Note: The halftone dots were done using the Halftone app.

Siri vs Google - The Jicama Wars

I interrupt your daily reverie to report that today, when I asked “Siri, define jicama”, Siri searched the web for "G" instead. After some light cursing, I launched the Google app for iOS and asked to “define jicama”. The correct results came flooding in.

It means:

ji·ca·ma

hikəmə,ˈhē-/

noun
the crisp, white-fleshed, edible tuber of a Central American climbing plant of the pea family ( Pachyrhizus erosus, family Leguminosae ), cultivated since pre-Columbian times and used especially in Mexican cooking.

Let the truth be told, Siri lost not because it didn’t know what jicama was but because I’d pronounced it wrong in the first place. It’s “hic-ca-ma” and not “g-ca-ma”. Google won because it actually knew that “g-ca-ma” was the wrong pronunciation of jicama and yet gave me the right results.

Well, there has to be a reason why Google is where it is today, right? :)

View image | gettyimages.com

An Encounter with Nana's Green Tea

What was supposed to be just drinks on a Sunday became a full lunch. On a mission for a quick drink, my partner and I stumbled upon this place called Nana's Green Tea. We were attracted by its parfait photo put up on Instagram by a relative last year. Only reminded by the promotional signage (indeed, placement of signage is very important!) on the way up from 1 Utama's parking, we headed there without hesitation.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Apr 26, 2015 at 6:56am PDT

The set meals seemed like a deal at RM21.90 each considering that the food itself already exceeded that price if you ordered ala carte, what more there was also a drink that would come with the set (not that RM21.90 is cheap by any means). Presented with not much of food choice (especially if you compare with chains like Sushi Tei, Sakae Sushi, etc.), we ordered the Salmon Don and Loco Hamburg sets with Azuki Latte (red bean) and Matcha Latte, respectively. Note the loose usage of the word latte which we normally associate with coffee together with milk. There were no coffee in the drinks today.

The portions were reasonable and the food acceptable. Nothing to shout about but nothing to really criticise either. I particularly like the Matcha Latte - it tasted almost like concentrated milk green tea. I was geared for a normal milky green tea (I was silently wishing for an ice-blended but there was no such option with the set) until I tasted it. Very satisfying if you don't mind the slight bitterness of green tea overdose. :D

We almost gave up on dessert because of a heavy breakfast but being kiasu Malaysians, we decided to order the Matcha "Nama Chocolate" Parfait. I'm at a lost because I didn't taste any chocolate but the rest of the stuff - green tea and vanilla ice-cream,  red bean, cornflakes, whipped cream, green tea jelly - made for a good dessert. No regrets here.

If you are looking for a Japanese meal, the limited food menu might not satisfy you. 2/5

However, if Japanese desserts (primarily green tea-based) are what you fancy, this could be one of the place for ya. 4/5

Looking for ambience while you enjoy your desserts? I particularly like the ceiling and the reflection off its surrounding glazing. It's bright and a place to hangout for a couple of hours. Good air-conditioning, too. 3/5

Yes, I would like to return to try out more of its parfait and other green tea-based drinks but I'm in no hurry to do that anytime soon, though. 3/5

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Apr 26, 2015 at 7:36am PDT

Nutshell for iOS Quicky Review

It’s not everyday that I get impressed by a video app for the iPhone mainly because… I don’t take videos (not in a million years) but somehow this app that I saw being promoted in the App Store last week made me try. For a totally dumbfounded beginner, this app sure made things possible.

The instructions were simple enough and the interface was as east as 1, 2 and 3. You just take three photos and the app will compile everything into a short video (it’s got slow motion, too!) for you. After that, you can add/delete text and animation for each. You will be amazed at the outcome! It’s worth noting that while you take the 3 photos, the app actually continues to record so be aware of that when you want to frame your subjects. When everything’s completed, you can save your masterpiece into your phone or share it through social media.

The official video below would explain the whole thing better than me so take a look.

My Ratings

Amazingly simple, yet wields impressive results. Truly for the beginner. 4/5

Unfortunately, the video quality could be better but I suspect it’s necessary tradeoff possibly for smaller file sizes. 2/5

Did I tell you that it’s all in square format like Vine and Instagram? So it’s not going to look interesting on your TV or LCD screens. 3/5

Despite all the flaws, it’s important to keep in mind that the app is designed to be simple and the video is for easy sharing so give it a break, ok? 3/5

衝上雲霄 / Triumph in the Skies (Film) Review

With a name like that, those who had never watched the two television series might have the impression that Triumph in the Skies will focus on how pilots and cabin crews overcome their daily challenges, particularly in civil aviation. On the other hand, Hong Kong TVB drama serial enthusiasts will feel right at home here. Featuring a stellar cast of Francis Ng (the original cast member), Sammy Sammi Cheng, Louis Koo, Charmaine Sheh, Chilam Cheung, and (because I'm a banana and not a Taiwanese series/movie fan, I don't know who this other person is), this film will sure attract a lot of viewers.

If I remembered correctly, after the TV series ended, a lot of my female friends were crazy about Chilam's Captain Jayden Koo, better known as Captain Cool. I don't see why they won't go crazy again after this movie.

The movie began with the original theme song by Eason Chan, a lot of slow-mo and artistic directing. Fans will definitely be impressed. Otherwise, and because I've not watched the television series, it would take some time to pick up what the movie was all about because I don't see the story leading anywhere at first.

It will later become evident that it's a light-hearted (mostly) romance movie with three main storylines. Throughout the movie, it was quite obvious the directors were flexing their artistic filming techniques with camera angles and colour filters, not unlike those you see in CSI: Miami minus the flares and an overbearing Horatio Caine.

If you're looking for a romance movie for the evening (really it's for Valentine's Day but just in case you miss it, there's still the Chinese version on the 15th day of the new lunar year), you can't go wrong with this. You might even get a few laughs here and there. 

Story wise, I don't think there's anything new here. Even the intended touching moments are predictable. You'll see all the veteran actors and actresses at their usual best although Louis Koo's and Charmaine Sheh’s tendency to outshine the rest is apparent here.

My Ratings

If you're looking to romance your partner with a love story, you're in luck - you get 3 with a little subplot for the price of one movie. Just don't go in expecting new materials. 3/5

Looking for some aviation adventure? Then this is not it. 2/5

In the mood for some of Hong Kong’s favourite hunks in big sunglasses and pilot uniforms? What about Hong Kong's (and Taiwan?) leading ladies? Look no further. 4/5

Overall, while the movie didn’t show how the pilots triumph in the skies, it is nonetheless a visual feast with love stories that are well suited for the purpose as a Valentine’s Day-cum-Chinese New Year film. 3/5

Cosmochoria - A Quick Review About Terraforming in the Nude

What is Cosmochoria? According to the developer:

Cosmochoria is a love letter to old-school action / arcade games like Asteroids, Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. Cosmochoria is a mesmerizing way to kill hours: hopping between planets, unravelling forgotten mysteries, killing aliens and planting seeds to sprout new life across a long-barren galaxy.

I would personally like to add that Cosmochoria reminded me of the psychedelic Jeff Minter game Llamatron that everyone I knew loved (but obviously which I don’t and yet had spent hours playing it!?).

Ahem, personal nostalgic moments aside, lets get back to my take on the Steam Early Access version of Cosmochoria. Early Access would mean that the game is still in development but good enough to be played. In other words, it’s the beta or whatever version.

Under normal circumstances, I would not have purchased this but it must be the lure of terraforming (I'm still desperately searching for a good modern day God game) and what more, doing that in the nude in space except for a helmet!!!

Ahem, ahem. Anyways, in Cosmochoria, you hop from planet to planet but because your size is not proportional, it's like you are actually hoping from rocks to rocks... which makes it look rather appealing. You will need to plant seeds and nurse them to grow while at the same time fight off aliens that appear out of no where (I assume wormholes). There are boss battles, too after every few planets you save. Well ok, I apologise for the long winded narration when the whole game could be described in a paragraph. :D

Graphically this game is simple but at the same time rather appealing. 3/5

The gameplay can be a little slow at the start but will become frantic in no time. So provided this is your cup of tea, I'd rate it a 3/5. Would be higher if not for the very difficult boss battles (difficult for me, at least!).

There's basically no story there yet but probably things might come together better when the game is fully polished. I'd also like to see the save game feature return soon. Otherwise, I'd call this an above average game that's unique in its own way. 3/5

Update: Cosmochoria will be out of Early Access come Monday, 27 April 2015 and become a full game.

Crossy Road Quicky Review

New discovery. I suck in Crossy Road. I guess this means I automatically suck in ancient Frogger, too. My fingers are just too trigger happy. Once I start swiping and tapping I can't stop and will quickly bump or get flattened by a vehicle or just fall into the river or get squashed by a high speed train.

My problems aside, Crossy Road is a rather simple game where you tap and swipe your way to cross endless roads, rivers or railway tracks. Maybe there are more surprises later but my skills are so limited that I couldn't get very far. Don't think you can stay on safe ground for long because what appears to be a eagle will swoop down and carry you away. I love the simple blocky graphics that are not the very common pixelated ones but closer to LEGO blocks.

So... if you have a busy schedule and would like a quicky, perhaps Crossy Road can be your companion... unless you have great motor skills which you could just go on and on and on... 4/5

Simple game, simple graphics but done nicely. 4/5

It's got in-app purchases but it won't be a problem if you're just happy with a few characters. 1/5

Game play couldn't be simpler. 2/5

SimCity BuildIt for iOS Review

I've been avoiding freemium games but somehow let myself get stuck with one or two every now and then. The last time was with Godus, hoping it will be an amazing mobile version of the legendary Populous but was truly disappointed by the bugs and timers. This time around, SimCity BuildIt got my attention.

Even though it's SimCity, fans of the desktop version would be displeased with all the irritating freemium timers while those looking for complexity and micro-management may not find the game up to the task. BuildIt is, at the core, what most freemium games are best at - build things and wait for timers to pass to proceed further OR just pay your way through with real cash. 

The game progressed quite swiftly for the first few level ups until the in-app purchases rear its ugly head when you start to run short of money and when newer materials need longer time to be manufactured. I’m also puzzled at how far you need to progress before it is possible to unlock disasters, which obviously is one way to get you to make in-app purchases (IAP) if you can’t wait.

Besides that, I don't get the part where you need to go through the whole tutorial again before being able to sign in to Game Center to sync the game with an existing iOS device.

Well, the game isn't all bad because it's got nice graphics with realistic traffic on the road, reflection off buildings and shadows depending on the time of the day. Besides that, I like the way daylight will give way to night with building and street lights coming on. I also like that it is possible to easily rotate and tilt the city around so that certain buildings or structures do not get lost behind bigger and taller ones.

Playability could be worse but there are more rotten freemium games out there than this. 2/5

It's got crazy timers that get crazier as you progress. Developer also employs strategy to test your patience in the hope that you will eventually crumble and fall and opt for IAP instead. 0/5

User interface is rather well done. 4/5

Graphics are definitely a plus point here though I wonder why there are no special festive decors during Christmas. 4/5

In the end, for those that played through all the real SimCity games, there is a high chance that this is not your cup of tea but may provide some eye candy to help sweeten your mobile life. 2/5

Shadow Blade Quicky Review

I can't believe that I can get hooked on an action platformer, especially on an iPhone. First of all, I mega-suck when it comes to action games. Secondly, playing on a touchscreen will quadruple my fail.

BUT Shadow Blade played flawlessly on the iPhone and the gesture controls are great! Combined together with decent but a little moody and dark oriental-styled graphics (maybe it will look even better on the retina iPad!), I think the game is just fine. I think I like it best because of its quick level designs. The action is fast-paced and there are less enemies to kill or else I would just keep getting killed and delete the game. There are secret areas that you will need to look for while at the same time complete the levels fast enough to earn three stars.

As I said, I suck so I've been only able to complete two stars 99% of the time because I'm just too slow. There are two types of controls, one with gestures and another with touchscreen controls (like a gamepad). I've never tried the latter because I fine the gestures to be intuitive enough for me.

So, there you go, a really quick review so that I can get back to the game! Oh, by the way, the game's free on the iOS AppStore now so go grab it!

Looking for some quick and fast-paced action? This is one of them! 4/5

Looking for something that looks really nice? This will pass. 3/5

If you want a platformer that has looooong levels, then this is not what you want. 1/5

If you are a busy person and just want a quick fix, this is one of the better ones! 4/5

Don't worry about the controls. They work fine on touchscreen! 4/5

Apple, Handoff My Sorrows

#93010341 / gettyimages.com

Recently, I've managed to test out Handoff with Pocket, the app that saves a copy of a webpage for offline reading. While reading on the Mac, I had wanted to move to a different spot in the house. Being a small house, this different spot is only less than 5 meters away but in a different room.

Even though mini, my Mac is still desktop class so what better time to test Handoff by bringing the iPhone along. To my pleasant surprise the Pocket icon appeared on the bottom left corner of the lock screen. I just needed to swipe that icon upwards (similar to swiping the bottom right camera icon to take a quick photo) and voila! Pocket launched and I resumed my reading.

However, I grieve because I didn't know that Handoff is not supported on my iPad generation 3 but works on the first iPad Mini! You know, I tried to put it behind me when Apple released the 4th generation iPad just six months after the 3rd generation with a much more powerful processor and a Lightning port. Oh the pain!

System Requirements

Handoff and Instant Hotspot

Handoff and Instant Hotspot are supported by the following Mac models, and require OS X Yosemite:

• MacBook Air (Mid 2012 and later)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 and later)
• iMac (Late 2012 and later)
• Mac mini (Late 2012 and later)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Handoff is supported by the following iOS devices and requires iOS 8. Instant Hotspot requires one of these iPhone or iPad devices with cellular connectivity and iOS 8.1. Instant Hotspot also requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.

• Phone 5 or later
• iPhone 4s (sharing iPhone calls only)
• iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad Air 2
• iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display, iPad mini 3
• iPod touch (5th generation)

My First Days with the Mac Mini

#112299692 / gettyimages.com

I didn’t do much with the little teeny weeny desktop computer from Apple other than to install Spotify, Steam client, Gimp (because I’m totally confused with the iPhoto app - there are simply too many weird albums and events (what’s that?!) popping up… it got me so confused that I went to download the more complicated Gimp!). I also installed Civilisation 5 via Steam, a gift from my bud. Haven’t got the time to mess with the game yet, though. Been busy with something just as "mini" lately.

As I type more on the Mini, I discovered OS X or rather the Mac’s idiosyncrasies such as there are no page up, down or home and end keys. Did I tell you I had been a Windows user all my life since 3.11 days? I had some problems holding “ctrl + arrow keys” to skip words because on the Mac keyboard, it’s “option + arrow keys”. I’m also still confused with the file system like where should I keep photos. Oh yeah, I discovered that shortcuts are called aliases on OS X and “delete” on the Mac keyboard is actually “backspace”. If you want to do the Windows “delete” thing, you will need to hold “fn + delete” on the Mac!

Nonetheless, sitting back and surf the web is such a breeze, especially with the very nice Magic Trackpad. I can’t stop saying all the good things about the Magic Trackpad. Spreading four fingers would reveal the desktop (though I only have a “Applications” and “Games” folder on it but I’m sad to know I will fill up a large portion of it with stuff eventually). Tapping three fingers and holding on the top of a window will move it. There are a tonne of options to activate on the trackpad preference. Double tapping (which also means “right click” in the Windows world) on a word would produce a list of menus and one of them is to quickly look up the meaning of it. Nice. Unfortunately, with everything good, there’s still always something to complain. I can’t seem to be able to double tap and hold on to an icon or folder or window to move it. I need to press down on the Magic Trackpad.

Another reason I had to buy a computer was to backup my iPhone and iPad and I couldn’t help wondering why in the world would iTunes be THE app that does the job. The name itself would depict it as a media player app but I don’t suppose this bothered anyone else. I’m also puzzled why couldn’t I select to automatically backup on both iCloud and iTunes?

As you may notice, this post is quite unstructured. This and the Getty image above reflect rather well my current learning curve with the Mac and OS X so I guess that's enough confusion for the day. :P

My first hours with the late 2014 Mac Mini

#157331713 / gettyimages.com

First comment I received upon delivery to my doorstep (ordered via online Apple store - took just about 3 working days to arrive) was in the tune of "really? That's all?" because a much bigger desktop was expected. There were just three packages:

1. Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

2. Mini DisplayPort to VGA adaptor 

3. THE Mac Mini, of course 

Next up was to open the packaging and set up the Mac Mini. Pairing the keyboard and trackpad was a breeze as it was all automated even before the Mac load up the OS. Connecting to my wifi was a pain because I kept getting disconnected so I disabled it. Finally, after keying in my name and password as the admin, I am in OS X Yosemite. 

Frankly, my heart dropped a little expecting to see the colours pop out like from an iMac or a MacBook but I know, I’m using the poor guy’s Mac so it’s my screen that’s not producing the colours. I quickly went on to launch that gear-looking program called “System Preferences” to set up my wifi and proceeded to install apps from the Mac App Store. The first one was, amusingly, Pocket, followed by Feedly. I still can’t quite get over why I searched for Pocket first but it is a great app after all.

Next, I started to chat with my bud via Messages (that was after setting up and getting it connected to my Apple ID, of course) and he reminded me all about Apple’s sandbox so I had to download Google Chrome browser by first launching Safari to go to Chrome’s website to download the installer. Installing third party software that’s not Apple approved was not easy at all (first time using OS X, remember?). After the installation a window popped up and I was staring at it not knowing what to do for quite awhile until I clicked on the huge Google Chrome icon and dragged it out of the window. Ah, so that was how it should be done. =.=“

I spent the rest of last night and the wee hours of this morning reading through my RSS feeds via Feedly and then, bed time. Oh did I mention that I was pleasantly surprised by the Magic Trackpad and OS X’s awesome gesture controls? It was almost like using a touchscreen and not a desktop! Gosh, I wonder why Microsoft never made the trackpads even half as good. It’s all in the software, right? After just a night of using the Magic Trackpad, I absentmindedly did the same gestures with my office laptop trackpad only to be reminded that I was using Windows.

And with that, I would like to end this post and prepare for bed, TONIGHT. ;)

Two Minutes with the iPhone 6 Plus

A resourceful friend managed to get a gold iPhone 6 Plus even before it officially reach our shores and I was somehow lucky enough to handle it for a couple of minutes. My first thought was represented relatively well by the image above. The thing was humongous. Holding it next to a Galaxy Note (the first one), the iPhone was visibly taller but not significantly wider.

The next thing I did was to try Reachability. Double tap on the home button and voila! Unfortunately, my thumb was not long enough to reach the other corner so one-handed usage on the bigger iPhone 6 would be a challenge for me. After that, I tried to put it into my work pants and ok, it fit. Didn't manage to try that while sitting, though. My friend stressed that the phone was blazing fast and he proved it by opening some CAD drawings (with the AutoCAD 360 app). While on the iPhone 5 the drawings needed to keep refreshing and were super lagging whenever we pan or zoom, on the iPhone 6 Plus they were smooth and I didn't notice any refreshing of the images. I wouldn't have been that impressed had I read this article earlier on how the newest iPhone managed to outperform the Galaxy S5 and HTC One.

I had been dreaming of owning a iPhone 6 Plus mainly because of its battery life and the potential to replace my ageing iPad (still not possible as of this moment because there are still plenty of apps on my iPad that could not run on the phone). After my hands-on for two minutes, I'm still hoping to own one but slightly, only slightly, less sure about it.

The Practical Review of iPhones 6 and 6 Plus

I'm sure, like me, you were thrown with plentiful reviews of Apple's latest over the past weeks and it's always fresh to read about one that is not of the technical kind but of the real world type. No better place than to bring the phones to Disneyland to test their prowess, then.

This is where the reviewer set aside the technicalities and placed emphasis on user experience while, presumably, having fun at the theme park. Check it out here.

via TechCrunch.

What's new on iOS 7.1?

iTwe4kz has most of the features highlighted in his video below:



Besides that, there's a bit of a speed improvement for iPhone 4 users as well. I've also noticed that iOS 7.1 made my iPhone 5 visibly faster because deep inside I've been complaining to myself that my phone was starting to lag... or could it be that it was a restart after the upgrade? Hmmm...

Generally, I like the new updates to the phone app but didn't feel quite right with the keyboard with the thicker text. There is something else that no one seem to have mentioned (but then again this could be something that I didn't notice throughout the previous iOS 7 iterations?) - when you first turn on the phone from standby, the lockscreen wallpaper seems to pop out at me. Anyone notice the difference?

video discovered via MacRumors.

Flappy Bird Review (but why is it such a hit?!)

I was not going to download and try out Flappy Bird, I was certain, until Cult Of Mac posted that developer Dong Nguyen is going to take down the game from the iOS AppStore and Android Google Play. So, being a kiasu human, I had to check it out since it's free...

It's a simple, pixelated game where you tap and tap and tap and... to keep your bird afloat. Sorry that sentence may have sounded cheesy but that is really what you have to do.  Of course, if it was that simple, it wouldn't be such a hit. You have to keep your bird afloat by tapping (ah, cheesy cheesy) at the right time to navigate between gaps produced by two green pipes (not unlike the popular Super Mario Bros platformer of yesterday).

To me, the game is so damn bloody hard and a lot of my birds had hit the pipes and, hopefully, not died but just momentarily unconscious. It's good to know that after each lost, a new bird with a different colour takes its turn.

As to why the game is so popular, I am totally at a lost here. My only guess is that people like challenges: I can keep my bird up and go through all those openings without hitting a snag much longer than YOU!

I personally am not very interested in this genre, even those endless runners (but I didn't know what got into me when I purchased that Marvel one though that is a potential post to ramble about), plus this being so difficult and challenging my motor skills... Rating: 1/5

However, I'm not sure if there are any other games out there that are this successful with the download size of just 2.5MB! Rating 5/5 for file size!

And I've found this rather mindless video of the game on YouTube for you to get a feel of things:

I'll just leave you at that while I just go for one last game...