Tech Humor (of Sorts): Rumors of the Demise of PC Have Been Greatly Exaggerated…

DOOM! If you have an eye or ear close to any device that drops tech news into your world, you’ve probably been hearing of the “death of the PC” or its imminent demise from a few business analysts and other cracked crystal ball gazers. As someone who’s not a tablet/phablet user or huge fan and who knows plenty of people who prefer a larger screen experience for assorted work and entertainment, I have to poke a finger in the eyeballs of these analysts paid to say that crap and wag those fingers back and forth until they see the point. We’re NOT all headed into tiny screen world just yet and there are plenty of options for folks who like living larger and want to enhance their setups in a few ways.

Not counting the rabid PC “master race” clowns who deny any other choice for entertainment purposes while also denying their own childhoods (yeah, yeah, yeah, suuuuure you “never played a console game” in your life… maybe if you’re under 20 and was kept in a cage), there are plenty of normal Joes and Janes that like a PC or laptop as everything from a game machine to a prose and art producing monster. If you’re a dedicated device user sitting there squinting at that small to medium sized screen reading this (and about to have your expensive toy knicked by some sneering traveling highwayman), here’s a peek as some of the cool stuff you’re ignoring in favor of that “handy” device. You may want to read quickly on that device, as I hear one is stolen every fourteen seconds… or less in some areas. Eeek. Eeek. Halp, Police.

Continue reading

Review: Bloody V3 Multi-Core Gun3 Gaming Mouse – Shooter’s Paradise?

Bloody V3 MouseThrow a dead stuffed cat anywhere on the Internet and you’ll hit a gaming mouse review or recommendation. It’s a tough and packed market these days, what with big name companies getting their products out through big PC gaming tournaments worldwide, all sorts of promotions, pro review recommends and community board high fives pumping up interest in the best and often, most expensive mice you can buy. Then there’s A4Tech and their quiet storm of putting out some decently awesome peripherals and seeing what happens as folks like me try them out. Well, without a glowing trumpet or flaming flag in sight, I can safely report than the Bloody V3 Multi-Core Gun3 Gaming Mouse is a really awesome deal at $39.99 (or less if you shop around) and it’s also an excellent mouse FPS fans should take to like ducks to water. Packed with features (and some nice goodies inside the box that make it an even better value), the V3’s only drawback is the option to buy into what amounts to a cheat upgrade that allows even more functions to an already solid peripheral. Continue reading

Gallery: Applied Design @MoMA (1 of 3)

applied designAnd here you go in case you can’t make it to the very cool Applied Design show here in NYC (or if you’re a total cheapskate but have an eyeball for art): a bit of a walk-through in image and movie form. Some of these pics and vids are shot by me, some by artist Linda Dennis who tagged along for the experience (and got to play Pac-Man again for the first time in a long while and Tetris for the first time ever. Too bad the Pac-Man had a “ringer” joystick (which means no one but someone who can work with that thing like it is will make it to the kill screen, which isn’t a short process, mind you). Enjoy! There may be a test later (but I doubt it). Bonus points if you spot yours truly in any of these pics. Trying to stay semi-anonymous on the Internets these days is a total pain in the neck… but I guess I’ll need to get used to it…

More images and a short video below the jump (and more to come tomorrow)…

Continue reading

Update! A4Tech G11 Wireless Mouse: From Simple to Super (With a Click of a Mouse)…

Oops. Since I was so crazy last year with suddenly having to move the site to a new host between November and December, I had a bunch of posts cooking that didn’t run in all that chaos and ended up saving about 15 completed and incomplete ones as drafts on a USB drive that I misplaced (I thought I’d left it at the library or a Starbucks nearby). Once I’d gotten word that I didn’t need to leave WordPress (whee!), I had to redo a bunch of those old posts, but with too much other new stuff flying in, I missed out on a few including this one (Oops). 

G11MouseAs noted in my earlier mini-review, I’m pretty pleased with the A4Tech G11-570HX  overall for general usage, art (yes, I draw with a mouse sometimes – so sue me) and gaming purposes (primarily RPGs, if you have to ask). While the G11 looks pretty simple when compared to more expensive mice out there, it’s comfortable to use for hours at a stretch and quite a surprisingly versatile peripheral once you download and install the Office Shuttle Software that turns what looks like a plain ol’ wireless mouse to Super Wireless Mouse, adding a wealth of functions that definitely justify the price point.

Continue reading

The iPic Is Just About Perfect (Almost)…

iPicIf you’re using any sort of capacitive touch screen device, there’s always those silly moments where you find that modern convenience less than responsive. Either you’ve got long nails, you bite your nails and have sensitive fingertips, you’re wearing gloves you can’t text with or you’re dealing with someone’s device you might not want to touch so much (where’s my hand sanitizer?). Anyway, Woodees (they make a rather cool pair of wooden ear buds I’ve yet to try, but have heard some cool things about) has a nifty little peripheral called iPic that lets you go from frustrated to Flickmaster Flex as soon as you take it out of the package. As I don’t have an iOS or Android device (shocking!), I decided to see if the iPic would work on a few game systems with different types of touch screens and it preformed quite well indeed.

Continue reading

Got A Legend of Zelda Fan on Your Holiday Gift List? STL Ocarinas Will Get Them Grinning…

Whether you’re a gamer or not you probably know someone who’s a Legend of Zelda fan. Trust me, even if you don’t THINK you do, all you need to do is ask around and in under five minutes, it’s like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (And yeah, I have a weird connection to Mr. B as well – live in NYC long enough and that sort of thing happens). Anyway, if that person or person just so happens to be someone you like enough to want to gently drop a holiday or other occasion day present into their hot little hands, one (or more) STL Ocarinas should make them smile for years to come and then some…

Continue reading

KontrolFreek’s FPS Freek Havoc & FPS Freek Infinity: The Science of Shooting Stuff Faster

 

Whether you play a lot of console FPS games in online or single player modes, you know that getting the drop on that enemy before you’re ventilated is all that matters and everything you can do to make that perfect shot is a good thing. Atlanta, GA-based KontrolFreek has been around for a bit providing console FPS fans with some cool controller enhancements that actually improve performance without the need for spending a ton of money on a custom pad or taking apart your favorite controller. The KontrolFreek Havoc (inspired by Call of Duty Black Ops II) and KontrolFreek Infinity (inspired by Halo 4) are a set of analog thumb stick extenders that actually add more range of movement to your character while requiring less pressure on the sticks, meaning you can play longer and better as soon as you snap these onto your favorite gamepad.  Hey now, don’t be such a skeptic! There’s actual SCIENCE here to prove it! Go, Science!

I was quite surprised at how more responsive games like Killzone 3, Resistance 3, Halo ODST, Metro 2033 and a few others I tried out with the Havoc and Infinity on a few different first and third-party pads I have around the home office were and both even work well with other   genres where extended play usually brings tired digits.  If there’s a FPS fan on your holiday gift list, either (or both) would make a perfect addition to their package. Grab a pair of either for $19.99 MSRP at a game shop near you, but if they don’t have these, you can order direct from KontrolFreek for $13.99, a savings of $6 with FREE shipping if you order $25 or more of merchandise. Sounds like a deal if you ask me. Anyway, get to it and maybe tell a few friends so they can get in on this. Of course, telling people you play AGAINST that you’re putting holes in them faster because of KontrolFreeks is probably not a good thing (but it will make the folks at the company happy, that’s for sure)…

Mind Food III: DABBLE – As The Word Plays, People!

If that header is a tiny bit confusing, don’t blame me, blame DABBLE, the new ridiculously fun and challenging word game (available in traditional board game and digital formats) that’s going to get you and your friends hooked after a single play. What works so well is how the game nudges you into thinking fast while expanding your vocabulary in each frantic five minute session as you rack your brain to come up with the winning wordiness. The rules are dirt simple to learn: two to four players need to sift through the 20 tiles they’re given and come up with two, three, four, five and six-letter words before the timer runs out. Points are scored based on leftover tiles and the first player to 100 points wins the game. An average game lasts around 30 minutes or so, but you’ll want to add an extra 15 – 20 minutes for sessions with younger kids and your snarky friends who keep trying to add made up words from some goofball urban dictionary.

Continue reading