Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Mobile Devices

Why I’m Getting The New iPhone

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On September 18, 2013

In Apple, General Cogitation, Google/Android, Mobile, Technology

applesamsungIt’s not a secret that I predominately prefer Apple mobile devices. I’ve been using an iPhone since the 4 and prior to that I’ve been using an iPod since the first version. I’m not an Apple fanboy, though many have teased me that I am. I do not think the iPhone is a superior product over any comparable Android device. If I had to absolutely stop using the iPhone I would have no qualms about picking up an Android.

Windows Phone … well, that’s a different story. I would probably prefer two cans on a string next to a Windows Phone.

My contract is up; actually its been up since May. I knew a new Apple phone would be released this year so I’ve been holding off on renewing my contract until Apple decided to launch it. Obviously that wait is over. This Friday I will make a brazen attempt to get the iPhone 5S as part of my contract renewal. I’m getting the new iPhone because the iPhone is what I’m most comfortable with; that and I don’t want to spend the time reformatting all my music. I don’t bash any Android device because I’ve played around with one and they are really slick devices (unlike a Windows Phone where I was done using it within 30 seconds).

Generally I’ve been trying to only update my phone every-other-version of the iPhone. It saves on money and it feels like a more noticeable upgrade. My advice, if you are deciding which phone to get, don’t ask anyone that strongly prefers one or the other, just go to your carrier’s store and try out each phone. Choose the one that feels most comfortable and less likely to cause you any confusion when trying to complete all of your normal tasks.There are plenty of guru’s out there for Android and Apple phones to help you with any support issues you might encounter. Granted Apple has a bigger advantage with brick-and-mortar locations for quick, hands-on service and support but my understanding is most service techs at carrier stores are fairly knowledgeable of Android devices.

/cheers

The MMO Times: In Reverse Order

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On July 18, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIIIssue 83: Greetings Gregarious Gamers!!! I’ve decided that the headlines are going to be listed from earliest to most recent. I’ve noticed in past issues that often times I’ve found a headline that is a follow up of a previous headline and it didn’t make sense chronologically to show the latter one before the former. Hopefully this makes the news flow a little more logically. SDCC also started this week, did anyone go?

There are a some headlines I included with some non-traditional news. Some of the manufacturers are expanding beyond their normal scope or introducing new concepts that we may not have expected. I’m not going to say too much, you need to check it out. Age of Wushu, Final Fantasy, SWTOR and even some more World of Warcraft news await you below (or after the break). I also found a couple headlines about some titles introduced at SDCC or titles that I haven’t mentioned before. Good hunting!

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The MMO Times: OMG! Change Your Profile Image!

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On March 29, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIssue 69: PAX East is over and thus the news slows down. I mean all the great new information was already unveiled last weekend so there isn’t much to talk about that will usurp all the residual buzz. I tried to put together a few articles for your Easter weekend.

The first SWTOR expansion has an official release date (and don’t forget that this weekend is another double XP weekend), a new Turbine title related to the DC Universe, Runescape 3 and Neverwinter news and more! Check it out!

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App Spotlight: SWTOR Tools

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On May 1, 2012

In App Spotlight

I found another app that I have been enjoying. This one is going to be for a pretty specific audience though. Obviously you will need to have an iPhone and/or iPad (I’m not sure if this is available for non-iOS devices) and you will need to be playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you are neither of these then you probably won’t find this app very useful. If, on the other hand, you are a total iPad geek (*raises hand*) and you love playing SWTOR, then I highly recommend spending the $0.99 on this app! The app includes updated information on all companions, classes, skill calculators and datacrons.

The screens for classes and companions is purely informational. There is an overview and descriptions of each advanced class, so its kind of handy if you are still trying to decide what to roll or what advanced class to pick. The nice thing about the screens for the companions is that it is one of the few sources I have found that actually list the companions in the order in which you will receive them. Obviously it also briefly summarizes the information provided in the codex. It will show you armor type, primary skills and which gifts they prefer.

The skill calculator screen is probably the best part of this app, and the place where I can waste most of my time just goofing around. You will get to choose any of the advanced classes and construct your build just like you would do if you were at TORHead’s skill calculator. The best part is you can save the build to reference again later and you can save multiple builds for multiple characters.

A recent update has made the datacrons screen much more useful. This screen not only will show up what datacron (or matrix crystal) exists on each planet but, when you tap on an item in the list it will provide a text explanation of where to find the datacron. I do wish there were video links because trying to find the datacron using text descriptions is confusing. I think the part I like most about the datacrons screen is that you can load a saved character (from the skill calculation screen) and you can check off which datacron you have for each of your toons.

My iPad has always predominately been a business tool (and a testing guinea pig for my own apps) but this app has made it a handy gamer tool (well, at least for SWTOR). I would really like to see similar apps for other MMOs, like World of Warcraft (I don’t find the armory app appealing because I don’t always have my authenticator with me if I want to log in when I am away from my computer).

SWTOR Tools should be available for download from the iTunes App Store for $0.99.

Enjoy!

App Spotlight: TurboScan (& NotesPlus)

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On March 30, 2012

In App Spotlight

Perhaps this will be a new category on my blog because I have been playing around with various apps, some are free, some you have to pay for (I’m also starting to write a few of my own). Honestly I rarely pay for an app unless I am certain that I will get the appropriate use out of it for even the $0.99 that I pay for it. However, when an app comes around that really gets the geek tingling, I feel like I should share it with others. After all, I think the best way news of an app is spread is through word of mouth. I hope, one day, someone will do this with an app I write.

A co-worker encouraged me to download an app called TurboScan. It is an iPhone app for now, though I can see there being an iPad version for the new iPad. Basically this app “scans” a document using the phone’s camera (so you will probably have the best results with the iPhone 4 or 4S). If you use the Sure Scan 3x feature, you have better results with the scan. Sure Scan 3x takes three pictures of the document and essentially creates the best possible scan of the document using a merge of the three photos.

I think this app is great. The quality of the scan is almost undeniable and you can sync it with iTunes File Sharing, Dropbox, Evernote, or email it as a PDF. This app becomes an excellent business tool when coupled with NotesPlus (v3), which I use all the time at work. I can scan in a requirements document, e-mail it to my iPad and load the PDF into NotesPlus where I can add additional annotations just like I would to the printed document.

TurboScan should be available to download from the iTunes App Store and costs $1.99. As I mentioned above, it is only available for the iPhone (as of the date of this post).

Check it out!

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