Archive for category Software
App Spotlight: Labyrinth 2 for iPhone
Posted by Ben in Application, Software on January 25, 2010
Enjoyed by children and adults alike, Illusion Labs really hit the mark when trying to reinvent a classic childhood favorite.
App Name: Labyrinth 2
Platform: iPhone
Price: $4.99
Overall rating: 5/5
Remaking a classic childhood game onto the iPhone is no easy task, but it can be accomplished. First completed by Codify AB with the original version of Labyrinth for iPhone, Illusion Labs reinvented the game with new features galore! Game elements that only a digital version could provide, it brings the idea of a labyrinth game to a whole new level. With things like cannons, bumpers, magnets, fans, lasers, etc. you can imagine how much time your could kill with this application for just $4.99.
The game play doesn’t even stop there; complete with over 20 default packs, each with 10 mazes each, even without the internet you have 200 courses to take on. And when even a small connection is available to you, you can jump into the download section and browse a infinite selection of user created courses. One of the only downsides it that you have to design your custom maze from your computer, not right on your iPhone like so many had wished. And with awards in the game, you can always feel like your working toward something… even if it doesn’t matter.
Using the accelerometer to control the board has its ups, but if your going to try and play this game while on your morning commute to work, you better try another game. Even the slightest movements can cause your ball to roll all over the place, even right into traps! On the other hand, this could make for some more action between you and your buddies. That’s right, not only single player is available, but multilayer is available via bluetooth or WiFi, allowing you to stretch the game even farther!
The Bottom Line: For $5, a game that can kill countless hours of time is always a plus. And when you can link with friends and never run out of levels to play, I don’t imagine your become bored of this game anytime soon! It’s quite a challenge to play if your on a bus or in the car, but sitting at your desk or a table makes the game just a little easier…. but it can make you frustrated quite easily when you become stumped on certain levels, but just don’t let the game get to you. A game I’d recommend to anyone, the re-invention of this classic childhood game is a game I’m glad came to the App Store!
What Counts as a Hackintosh?
My Dell Mini 10v running a retail version of Snow Leopard. For $300 this is one of the cheapest and easiest Hackintosh's out there. But are you up for the challenge?
Also known as the OSx86 project, getting a non-Apple made computer to run any form of OS X is considered an accomplishment, and there’s even a name for your new machine: A Hackintosh. Officially, its against Apple’s Terms of Service to run OS X on hardware that wasn’t created by them, but wheres the fun in that? Now because it’s against Apple and what they believe, creating a Hackintosh isn’t for everyone, but if your a good sport, you’ll go buy the retail Leopard disc and at least reward Apple for a good operating system.
So do you have a Hackintosh? Do you plan on making one? Well I’ll share a key secret: there is no 100% guide to making a Hackintosh. Part of the challenge is picking pieces that are going to work in your machine, then you have to decide if your going to run a clean copy of Leopard or a modified version thats more/ less suited to your hardware. Kalyway, iATKOS and iDeneb are examples of modified Apple software thats been created to assist you in your journey. The advantage to running these modified versions are that your probability of success is higher, and most hardware-related errors can/ are solved in therse versions. On the downside, because its modified, it might not run just like a Mac, as a clean copy would. Its up to you which you choose, but if you can get a clean copy running flawlessly, your less likely to run into problems in the future.
A Hackintosh can be anything, in any shape or form. Seen above, you can see my Dell Mini 10v running a retail version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.1 to be exact!) and so far its been smooth sailing. The Dell Mini lineup is a small setup of netbooks that can run Leopard pretty dang well right out of the box, and for the few errors you encounter, some great guys (melkort and bmatlis I believe) created some great software to make the process much simpler. On another note, the desktop Hackintosh is probably the most popular as it saves you money and provides a great deal of hardware flexibility and choices when it comes to Apple’s selection.
Don’t get the the idea that running a machine like this is a walk in the park. Sometimes its just a matter of building a computer and running software the way it was designed, on the other hand, hardware and software hacking knowledge can and will be required to get your machine up and running. Its always a risk, but the reward is great.
App Spotlight: chompSMS for Android
Posted by Ben in Cell Phone, Software on October 23, 2009
The chompSMS app is no real application, but an enhancement to your current SMS app.
App Name: chompSMS
Platform: Android
Price: Free (with carrier texting)
Overall rating: 4/5
An application that iPhone owners could only dream of, chompSMS is available exclusively on the Android OS and supercharges the SMS available on your phone. chompSMS can be used as a replacement to the built-in SMS application, or you can just use it to boost the features of your current application. The application even offers there own message network called the “chompSMS” network. To use their texting service instead of your carriers, you’ll pay a flat rate of $0.12 per text.
They try and tell you this is “much cheaper” then using your carrier, but doing the math, sending 200 texts through there network would run you around $24. Pay an extra $6 and you could probably get unlimited from your own carrier. On the other hand, this is quite a deal for international text messaging, if you do that a lot, but be sure if you do text your pals over seas that your not jacking up their bill.
The application itself enhances the messaging experience nonetheless with a slew of features including: quick compose, chat style bubbles (like on the iPhone), quick reply option, various user interface customizations, notification customizations, ring tones per contact, and blacklisting. For a free application, it really fixes the holes left from the default app.
The Bottom Line: Its an excellent download that really enhances the way you text people on your phone. The app itself is free and is well worth downloading, but the rates for using their personal network are a bit outrageous. Runs fairly smoothly most of the time but can have a little lag every now and again, but not enough to keep you from using such a great app.