We were able to spend some quality time with the all new, just announced Samsung Galaxy S4. Check out the video below.
There are a few new features that Samsung has baked in that more than a few people will like. Some of my favorites are as follows:
13 MP Camera. There is some fuss about what makes a mobile camera good. Is it the pixels, or how the image is stitched together. Listen, I won’t refuse if Samsung wants to put 13 MP in it’s main shooter. They’ve also put a 2 MP camera in the front for a nice combo.
IR LED, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE supporting up to 100/50Mbps
In addition they have added Temperature, Humidity, as well as, IR Gesture sensors.
Drama Shot allows you to take a ton of shots and select the the best one. In addition, the Eraser feature allows you to erase something from the image if it was moving which will make for a lot nicer pictures on the fly.
Group Play might be my favorite since I had this idea a long while ago. You can play your music with as many as 8 different S4s. You can also control volume on each device as well as control them like a surround sound system with Left, Right, and Center phones as speakers.
The phone will also have an accessible battery as well as expandable storage via microSD.
As many aspiring entrepreneurs know, it can be really hard to stay motivated especially when you haven’t quit your day-job or are still in the funding process. That’s why the folks over at Incubate in conjunction with DJ B-Hen came up with the ultimate entrepreneur mix-tape. Yes, a mix-tape! Black folks make everything cool. I love this idea, and the mix is hot. Take a listen and get inspired!
for inspiration, check out these three cool start up ideas:
Oculus Rift – Virtual reality headset. Palmer Luckey is the original founder and designer of the Oculus Virtual Reality headset. If your feeling it, you can pre-order your set right here. Personally, I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time. It seems to be a size that I can handle, and the technology has really come a long way. There are games out right now that I’d love to play with this hardware. The design is fresh and modern as well so you won’t look to crazy with it on.
Kapture – This new iPhone app gives rewards to users who share images of their favorite brands. Honestly, I think it’s one of those apps where you think to yourself “why didn’t I think of that before?”. We are already sharing our experiences at our favorite stores, restaurants and parks. Why not get rewarded for it? Users get rewarded with possible discounts and even physical items. These items can even be gifted to others.
3Doodler – This is possibly the most unique item I’ve seen in a long while. This takes 3D printing to another level. Granted, it’s not precise, but you can literally draw anything you want in 3D with this little bad boy. Stencil’s or doodles, or even pieces of art. You can back this project on Kickstarter here.
Ever wonder what would happen if you ran 4kV through a Toshiba laptop? Me neither, but the dudes below tried it and it totally does NOT end up the way you think it would. Check out the video below to see what happens!
There are also a few more videos of these guys torturing other Toshiba products to the our delight. What’s really cool is that they don’t pass all the time, but it’s really interesting just to see what happens when you let’s say…put a large screen TV in a sauna. These and other profound questions to such mysteries can be answered with a simple click of the mouse button below! Let us know which was your favorite! Mine was the voltage test.
Before you judge me – I had to re-buy my PS3 because it along with my Xbox 360 got stolen a little while ago. Between the two I decided to go fore the PS3 because traditionally Sony ops for the ten year life cycle for their consoles. Thinking I knew better, I figure Microsoft would update quicker than Sony so I bought the PS3 since it has a nice blueray player and online play is free. Since I wagered Microsoft would put out their device before Q4 of this year, I’d just wait to get that console next.
Looks like my gamble was a little off. When I pulled the trigger on the purchase the rumors of the next gen device from Sony started to come in fast and heavy. Spec sheets, design mocks, and rumors galore! Today was the confirmation and the device sounds good. Sony hasn’t gone so far as to show what the device looks like yet, but there is an honest-to-goodness spec sheet available now. We also get to see the new controller.
Spec Sheet:
Single-chip custom processor, with eight x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores and 1.84 TFLOPS next-gen AMD Radeon based graphics engine
8GB GDDR5 memory
Built-in hard drive
6x Blu-Ray and 8x DVD drive
USB 3.0 and auxiliary ports
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1
HDMI, analog AV-out, and optical S/PDIF audio output
DualShock 4 controller, with two-point capacitive touchpad, three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, vibration, light bar with three color LEDs, mono speaker, micro USB port, stereo headset port, extension port, 1000mAh battery
PlayStation 4 Eye camera, with two 1280 x 800 cameras, f/2.0 fixed focus lenses, 85-degree field of view, 30cm minimum focusing distance, four-channel microphone array
It looks like Sony is putting a lot of emphasis on social gaming. New features include the ability to watch someone else play a game remotely or even take or yield control of the game online. It looks like you will be able to browse content with your smart phone as well.
There is at least one downside to the upgrade however which comes in the lack of backwards compatibility with PS3 games. This is a major shift in the status-quo that we are used to from Sony. They usually pride themselves on an ecosystem that spans several generations. Personally I don’t think it’s a bad move, but time will tell whether or not it’s a good move. One thing is for certain, and that is that someone at the top is listening to what’s going on in the market. Sony seems to realize that if they drag their feet here, they will be left in the dust by the likes of up and coming whippersnappers like the Valve Steam Box and the Android Ouya consoles.
Update: Check out this awesome new video of the new “Destiny” Trailer from Bungie (creators of Halo) for PS4!
Update#2
Apparently the PS4 will have the ability to play used games, however, the folks over at Eurogamer are saying that
Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s head of Worldwide Studios wasn’t able to clarify past vague comments about how selling used PS4 games would work. This is becoming a sore point as the next generation Xbox System is rumored to lock down games so that no one other than the original purchaser can play them.
So I’ve already written about NBA 2K13 when it first came out, and usually that’s the end of it. However, I’ve been playing and noticed some things that you might not know – and some folks playing online definitely don’t. It’s gotten to the point that there seems to be a pretty big gap between folks who know how to play this game effectively and those who just suck it up for the rest of us – running around not passing the ball and such. Therefore, as a courtesy, me and Stephen Straker (my lil cuz) came up with a 5 point list of why your doing it wrong and how to improve so the next time I’m on your team online you won’t screw it up for me and our teammates.
5.) You spent all your VC on clothes and accessories.
You don’t know how angry it makes me when I’m playing on the black top and I see someone bling’ed out and his mid-range jumper is bumish. This person should be beaten with a stick with rusty nails. What you need to do is make sure you spend your VC on actual skills instead of that cool jumpsuit you copped for like 5K VC.
4.) You play like it’s a game.
Admittedly, this is a weird point – but hear me out. Games these days are advancing and though this game is no where near reality – its a lot closer than you think. Items such as height, strength, play-style all go into your match-ups If you are a PG and under 6’5″ you have no business trying to make that shot in the paint against KG in the post. It’s not going to happen…PERIOD. Don’t take that shot. Same goes for online match-ups so you have to think about the situation your in. Calling plays (even though I don’t do it too much) also helps to turn the tide against savvy players. Run the pick and role at least! This will at least create a little space between you and your man so the probability of your shot going in is higher. This is especially crucial when you haven’t fully built up your player yet.
3.) You’re not a team player
When playing the game you will go through streaks. Sometimes you’ll be hot and hit everything you see, while other times you’ll be cold. You need to know how to avoid and overcome double-teams especially if you become a star player, by passing the ball. You’ve got to trust your teammates sometimes and the game rewards you heavily with a good teammate score the more assists you get. This little skill helps out online as well which leads me to my next point.
2.) STOP BALL HOGGING!
It’s so annoying when a ball hog gets the PG spot on the Black Top. They never pass, and try to score all 21 points by themselves. All that ends up happening is everyone on the team gets annoyed and eventually stops helping or quits. It’s extra annoying because your overall win ratio goes down when you lose. I’ve got a couple go-to peeps that I can play with when online but they aren’t online all the time so I’m going to need you to step it up if I’m on your team.
1.) Equip skills that suit your ideal playing style
What this means is spend your VC wisely on attributes and signature skills that make sense for the way you play and the way you designed your player. An example is if your player is really big and pushing 7ft you should make sure to increase your offense under the basket as well as your dunking ability. Having the “Bruiser” signature skill will drain energy from your match-up so later in the game you will have the advantage. Increasing your shot ability from three range is an added threat but I’d wait that out until your other skills are polished first. You probably won’t need the “Highlight Film” Skill or the “Ankle Breaker” just yet. I think people just go for what is cool before taking a second to actually think about a strategy that makes sense for the type of player they want to be.
Do these 5 things and I promise you’ll get better a lot quicker and your teammates will thank you!
Hey folks – quick heads up that the Galaxy Nexus 4 which has been totally sold out for the last month is now available in the Google Playstore. If you were thinking of picking one up, I’d head over there and put your order in real quick before it becomes too late! I put in for one myself and the site is saying it ships in 1-2 weeks for both versions (8G and 16 G). This is Google’s latest in the Nexus Series, and it comes with the vanilla (raw) version of Google’s latest mobile OS Jellybean. Are you getting one?
If you’re like me, then you’re always looking at start-ups lamenting about how you came up with the idea for the mp3 player back in high-school and someone stole your idea. We have tons of ideas, but don’t quite know how to bring them forth into reality – be it funds, or drive, or whatever stands in the way of a good idea’s fruition. Well keep reading, I have good news for you.
I spent some time with Brian Shields, Co-Founder of Incubate NYC. Incubate is a program developed by Brian and Marcus Mayo to help those of us with brilliant ideas to take said idea and give birth to it in reality. It’s a start-up program specifically designed for first time entrepreneurs. When I spoke with Marcus, he told me what makes the program unique is the support system that comes along with being in the program. Being in the fox hole so-to-speak with others can be profoundly helpful. Seeing how someone else solves a problem can be helpful to you or vice-avers. He also mentioned that three main keys to the success of a particular project are getting started, knowing what to focus on, and sticking with it.
The program is a 5 week “Bootcamp” – which is basically workshop to refine your business ideas and concepts. However, what’s cool is that the program doesn’t stop there. Once the bootcamp is finished, graduates still have access to the Incubate NYC resources and community. It seemed quite unique to me, and I’ll update you guys once I’ve gone through it.
Honestly, many people were really looking forward to play Raiden in his ultimate Cyborg Ninja Form and the change is coming closer than ever. You can definitely count me in as one of those folks and Konami has just announced that it’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengance Demo will drop next week on the 22nd. The demo will show the first chapter in the game which is pretty cool. The game drops officially on Feb.19th.
It looks like Raiden has some internal mental issues that he’s coping with, and unfortunately, other people are around for him to work out his frustrations on. Oh well, pretty much everything in the game is collateral damage as his sword can cut almost everything.
See the latest “Jack the Ripper” trailer below:
UPDATE:
I got a chance to play a demo that came with the Zone of Enders HD Pack. So let me say this – the graphics are amazing! I actually took a few moments just to look at the work that went into the model of Raiden. A ton of effort clearly went into making this game candy for the eyes.
In terms of gameplay – it has similar elements to the regular Metal Gear franchise in that you can store weapons and health items in sort of an app drawer where you can call upon them in the middle of a fight. As you can guess, a huge part of the game-play is the High Frequency Blade Raiden is carrying. That thing is crazy – cutting just about everything other than walls or doors that mark the end of an environment. Trees, boxes, cans – you name it – all get sliced. The cutting mechanic does take some getting used to though I won’t lie, and got frustrating at times. Especially when you are fighting at a fast pace. I couldn’t get all the moves down, but I think with a little more practice I’ll probably get it. I just have to be willing to traverse that learning curve.
If you are looking for a stealth game – look elsewhere. This is strictly an arcade game. I don’t even think Raiden can crouch. He can’t even jump that high either, which sort of annoyed me. I’m pretty sure there will be all sorts of software and battle upgrades you can get later so I’ll look forward to that. If you ask me, this is looking pretty good and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full version.
We got a chance to review the new HTC 8X with Windows Phone 8. I got the navy blue phone which was really nice. No doubt you’re asking the question: How is it different than any other phones, and any other Windows Phone 8 devices. Well keep reading to find out. As usual, I’ve divided the review into two main portions. The stuff I liked and the stuff I didn’t.
What I liked:
Size:
The screen is 4.3 inches which isn’t the largest display out there, but it definitely gives you plenty of room to see what’s going on. The dimensions end up making it long (132.35 x 66.2 x 10.12 mm) but it really fits the Windows Phone motif where you have to scroll forever to get to what you want. It’s also really slender so it’s comfortable to hold on to.
Screen:
It has an HD 720p screen and it certainly looks like it. The screen is beautiful to look at and all the colors are really vibrant. The black background wasn’t as nice as Nokia’s “true black” which apparently kills all light around anything being displayed for a richer black background, but the 8X screen really isn’t too bad.
Speed:
Everything was snappy and I really think this was due to both the processor and the nature of the OS. Windows Phone 8 doesn’t have a lot going on so it’s gestures are really simple and the results are a really simple and smooth experience. I never get any stutter of any kind when scrolling around. CPU is a Qualcomm® S4 1.5 GHz, Dual-core processor which doesn’t slouch around. Add that to Verizon’s LTE speed online and I didn’t have to wait for anything. Downloading was zippy, watching video was fast. This was really a pleasant experience. Whenever I wanted to do something – I didn’t really have to wait any real length of time to get going.
Camera:
The camera took really nice pictures as you can see below. Many of which weren’t in the best of lighting conditions. I’m not photographer, but I was impressed and think it will get the job done for those of us who just need to snap a quickie on the go with a significant other, or with family and friends. Skype worked really well with the front facing camera except that movement seemed a little blurred when I moved around too much. The front facing camera is 2.1 MP which is really competitive in the phone market these days.
OS:
Microsoft wasn’t lying. This OS really was tailored to the user. It’s all about displaying my personal and relevant information without really having to delve too deeply to find it. All of my emails (and we’ll talk about this later) are a tap away and I can see how many I’ve missed while my phone was in my pocket. I can see messages, and items ready for download. It’s like I’ve got an assistant with all of the information for my day ready for me which is really cool. I do however miss widgets though, but the live tiles try to fill that gap. If your coming from Android, you will probably miss them. Yet there is definitely something to be gained from the simplistic approach.
What I didn’t like:
Power Button Position:
On some Samsung devices – the power button is on the side so you can wake/sleep your phone the the tap of your thumb. That would be nice with this phone because it’s so tall. I found myself having to adjust my grip just to get my pointer finger in a position to hit the power button which was a little annoying. Also, the button is not really raised so I couldn’t tell if I had hit the button or not. On several occasions I had not hit the button, but had been pressing on the space between the button and the right edge of the phone.
Google Sync Not Active:
So apparently Google and Microsoft are not playing nice and the user is beginning to feel it. Google has disabled it’s exchange active sync. What that means is you won’t automatically get your Google Calendar appointments or contacts transferred over to your shiny new Windows Phone. I did notice this when I was testing the HTC 8X. None of my Google Calendar events were in my Windows Calendar. None of my contacts either. To add fuel to the fire, I wasn’t able to use Google maps either, however, I hear that’s being fixed. That issue wasn’t too bad since I actually like Windows Maps. It has cool features like available wifi hotspots which can be handy, and places to eat and check out based on your location.
Build:
The Phone build wasn’t bad. I really liked the soft material on the back, but I didn’t like that there was no option to remove or replace the battery. I also didn’t feel like the phone was a really expensive device. I’m getting spoiled by Nokia and Apple and their superb build quality. Now, even when a phone has no real defects – if it doesn’t feel like a work of art, I’m not too impressed.
Summary:
All in all – I do recommend this phone, especially to those who would like to upgrade from their present Windows device. It’s a solid phone that really performs well. I have no complaints in terms of negative experiences besides the Active Sync issue with Google which is not to be overlooked. If you feel like you are immersed in the Google ecosystem and can’t do without your Google contacts and calendar then you may have a problem. This will definitely effect a large amount of people who will switch back to Android or for fear of losing data will stick with Android and not get the chance to check Windows Phone 8 out. It’s a shame really because I love testing new devices and seeing what else other companies are coming up with. Google’s move reeks of “sheep herding” and I don’t know about you, but I’m no sheep.
BMW recently showed off their new i8 and i3 concept cars here in New York City so I got a chance to take a look at them up close. You can peruse the gallery below for some images. What I will say is that when these vehicles are for sale, they will be highly desirable. Other car makers are jumping on the electric band wagon of course but BMW seems to have bode its time for a while. Good move it seems as company’s like Fisker, and Ford have been forced to make some recalls on their electric vehicle offerings.
I definitely don’t mean to say that BMW has the best electric vehicle as that remains to be seen, but I will say that BMW seems to have the most stylish electric vehicle in the i8. Even the Tesla Roadster, as sexy as that vehicle is, just doesn’t seem to be the paragon of affluence and technology that the i8 exudes. Looking at this car, one really feels like they have arrived in a sci-fi future.
The vehicle has unique offerings like laser lights which are more efficient that LEDs, and, of course, have a more focused wavelength that other light sources. The sports car boasts around 100mpg as well as a 3 cylinder
r combustion engine that powers the rear axle. The two engines work together for improved overall performance.
The only gripe I had is when I order mine, i don’t want the colors so loud. That blue can get old fast I think. Otherwise, you will sure turn heads if your the first person to own one of these puppies!
