Star Trek's Q Reads "The Raven"

SlideIT Keyboard

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
$8.34

TASTY:
A worthy on-screen keyboard replacement for your Android device that finally nails the swipe-to-type input method.

BUMMER:
Very similar (but superior) to its nearest competitor, Swype, which is currently available at no cost in the Android Marketplace.

COOL:
Simply slide your finger from letter to letter to enter text, and your word appears. Makes your phone’s physical keyboard nearly obsolete.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
My name is Tim, and I have an app problem. That is, I’m prone to try every on-screen keyboard replacement application that pops up on the Android Marketplace to see if it does the job better than the stock offering.

After many months of research, I’m back at square one. The standard keyboard is back as my default, and I find it to work just fine. My brief flings with SwiftKey (now out of beta and demanding payment), Swype, Better Keyboard, and ThickButtons, all ended tragically after a few days or weeks.

That was, of course, until I was asked to give SlideIT Keyboard a go. Coming in at $8.34 U.S. (or $5.99 Euro), this is the most expensive app of its kind.

And sporting many of the same features and functions as Swype, its free competitor, I installed it with an open mind, prepared for anything. After a solid day of working with it, writing most of this review and posting several long status updates to Facebook, I’m hooked.

Unlike Swype, I find SlideIT to give you just enough leeway in your swiping gestures to correctly guess your word nearly every time. Gone are the days of hunting and pecking my fat fingers across an array of too-small letters, numbers, and symbols. Now I drag my finger from letter to letter and watch each word appear, quickly and easily.

Honestly, it’s dramatically increased the usability of my phone as a platform for writing, and changed the way I use the device on a daily basis. That said, it could use some updates to allow users to skin the app, fatten up the keys a bit, and some address some user reports that the app could use some tweaking to increase successful word recognition.

In my experience, the stock skin is perfectly serviceable, while the accuracy rate is spot-on. Still, like with all on-screen keyboards, you’ll need to proof your words as you go to be sure you don’t compose bizarre messages with incorrect words.

It’s a small price to pay, and you’ll spent much less time typing on your DROID with SlideIT installed.

Word Drop

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
A charming little game that will delight users ranging from kids (think word searches) to adults (including hardcore crosswords fans.)

BUMMER:
Contains advertising, and occasionally will “ding” you for a word that clearly exists in the dictionary. (Though this only happened for me once.)

COOL:
You can find words hidden in the blocks using any gesture to combine letters into a word, including left/right, right/left, up/down, down/up, and even zig-zagged.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
Ben Garrett’s free Word Drop game combines a little bit of Boggle, a dash of Scrabble, and tosses in a touch of Bejeweled for good measure. It’s all adds up to a time-killer game that will challenge you to find words to clear each puzzle, with fresh letters dropping down from above.

When you start the game, a wall of faux wood blocks will rain down, filling your screen. It’s now your job to find words hidden amid the chaos. Use any gesture (left to right, up to down, even zig-zags) to connect the letters together into words. Alternately, you can click each letter in turn to link them together into a word.

Correct combinations will result in the blocks being cleared, and new letters will rain down to fill its place. Guess wrong and you’ll simply be told you’re wrong. (So there!)

Along the way you may want to shuffle the letters on your screen, or discard all of them for a fresh set. All the while a timer is running. The longer the words you create and the faster you clear them, the more bonuses will be awarded to both your score and the remaining time.

And when you select a valid four-letter word, a combo multiplier letter block will drop to fill into the void it leaves. Using the combo letter gives a boost to your score and time bonus.

With game modes spanning normal to hard, lightning to hard, and blocker to relax and untimed, there’s never a dull moment to be had when you launch Word Drop!

iPad + President Obama Mask + Syte Shirt =
Halloween Costume 2010

Forget the standard Halloween costume fare. It's high time we were true to our geeky selves. This year's costume is one part iPad, one part President Obama mask w/mic, and one part Syte shirt (Twitter and website).

Put it all together and I've got a mobile iPad (yes, you can control it right through the plastic front), sporting a few of his speeches in video form, a few dozen pictures and politically-themed images (some funny, some serious), and a not too-shabby mask.

Almost brings the shame level down to near-normal levels putting on the T-shirt that holds the iPad. Almost. Enjoy your Halloween, people!






Nice write up in their official blog to boot. Nice.

Top iPad Games of the Week

Monster 3D Brick Breaker Revolution for iPad: Monstrously fun brick breaker game sporting fresh 3D graphics, crazy power-ups, and wild boss fights.

Circuloid: Combines Tempest with Arkanoid, adding up to a seriously fun, unique approach to the brick breaking genre.

Battle for Wesnoth HD: Now 80% off (grab it!), this updated app offers the most in-depth strategy RPG for the iPad, bar none.

Galaxy on Fire 2: With a free universal graphics and content update coming soon, now’s the time to pick up this epic space shooter to save some green and get in the game.

Before we dive into this week's reviews: Let's Play Words With Friends on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. My Username is Timothymclain -- click here to get the free app and start a game!

iPad Reviews

You can read all of my past iPad application reviews at Appolicious -- click here.


Monster 3D Brick Breaker Revolution for iPad ($2.99)
This time of year, we’re all itching for a good fright. The developers over at Digital Chocolate (appropriate!) released this monstrously fun brick breaker title on Friday (10/29), just in time for us to overindulge in all its fast-paced craziness.

Sporting fresh 3D graphics, crazy power-ups, and wild boss fights, you’ll find yourself immediately at ease with both the controls and the familiar game play. A sugar rush powered by your kid’s trick or treating can only help you rack up the points. Trust me.

Slide the paddle across the bottom of the screen to keep the ball in play, bouncing between the bricks above to remove them. Some bricks drop power-ups; collect them and click the large icon to activate them.

There’s more than 20 power-ups in play (rockets, fury balls, magnets, nukes, more) along with nine different Halloween-themed balls and levels. Try the Frankenstein, Mummy, and Dracula balls and be prepared for some surprises.

Don’t miss survival mode (endless action with epic boss fights scattered throughout), be wary of the built-in AI that tweaks the difficulty as you play to match your mad skills, and try to unlock all 30 achievements as you go.


Circuloid ($2.99)
There’s only one way to clearly describe this must-have iPad exclusive – it’s the perfect marriage of Tempest (circular play field attacking the center) and Arkanoid (brick breaking with power-ups.) Sure, the standard array of bricks need breaking, but Circuloid wraps a circular track around them, then places two sets of paddles on opposite sides of the play field.

As you slide your finger around (or up and down) the screen, the paddles rotate, allowing you to bounce your ball into the bricks from any angle you choose. Be careful; the power-ups that pop out of these bricks can be tricky to catch!

For a real challenge, change the settings to let you control the paddles using your iPad’s accelerometer. You’ll be rotating your device like a madperson to keep the ball(s) in play, but I quickly found this control scheme to be more effective than the standard setup to score maximum points.

With 54 levels shipping today (more coming soon), 10 crazy-fun power-ups and special bonuses to grab, top-quality graphics with three solid musical scores to enjoy, this is a must-have fusion of old school games lovingly crafted into a fresh app that can only be played in your iPad.


Battle for Wesnoth HD ($.99)
This late-summer smash hit is back on the charts, updated and available for a limited time for less than the price of a cup of coffee. Once you spend a few hours inside this massive war/strategy RPG, you’re going to feel guilty.

That’s because there’s now 15 full campaigns offering a combined total of more than 200 scenarios to experience. And before you consider skipping this app because of its sheer size, reconsider.

There are three levels of difficulty to choose from, which helps the app adapt to both novices with limited time to play and hardcore D&D/strategy veterans seeking a real challenge. Plus, if you’ve picked up this title on your Mac or Windows PC, or even your iPhone, you can easily transfer save games between platforms to keep the action going no matter which device is close at hand.

Right out of the gate you’ll be able to dive into the campaigns, fire up a skirmish, or open a new multiplayer (online or hotseat) game. Fight to regain the throne of Wesnoth, step into the boots of a young officer sent to guard a not-so-sleepy frontier outpost, vanquish a horde of undead warriors, or guide a band of elvish survivors in an epic quest to find a new home. There’s months of content to be enjoyed here.

Take your time to soak up the storylines, upgrade your armor and weapons as you go, and take time to learn how to move, recruit party members, earn gold, and more. For .99, it can’t be beat.


Galaxy on Fire 2 ($6.99)
In a few short weeks, a massive graphical, content, and iPad update will hit for this content-heavy epic space shooter. Now’s the time to grab the current version, save some money, and start experiencing one of best games to be had on any Apple device to date.

Galaxy on Fire 2 has you taking on the role of Keith Maxwell, a Terran space pilot who’s been transported across the galaxy and 35 years into the future after a hyperdrive accident. You’ll need your wits about you to get back to Terran space, defeat the alien Void threat, and take down dozens of pirate hordes disrupting more than 20 solar systems and dozens of individual planets.

Spend as much time as you like on the main story line, or play Maxwell as a Hans Solo-type rogue, taking on mercenary and cargo missions to maximize profits, beef up your ship, and generally make trouble in as many star systems as you choose.

The space battle controls are solid, the graphics (even pre-update) are pretty impressive on your Apple device, and the included voice actor audio files make for a solid gaming experience. The attention to detail is evident in the crafting and trade systems as well.

The icing on the cake? A unique screen capture tool is built in, allowing you to freeze any battle, take a screenie, then upload it to Facebook. OpenFeint and Game Centre integration also allow you to boast of your exploits to a global audience.

TuneIn Radio

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Listen to your favorite radio stations and podcasts streamed to your phone when you’re on the go.

BUMMER:
Using the app for 2-3 hours at a stretch may tax your battery. (Hey, we own DROIDs. Keep your power cord plugged in for marathon usage sessions, people!) Contains ads.

COOL:
This “radio in your pocket” app makes it easy to find and listen to thousands of radio stations scattered around the globe. (A must for world travelers, sports nuts, and even students learning world languages.) Plus, the pause/rewind DVR-like listening features add to the overall experience.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
My wife and I are unabashed (long suffering?) Chicago Bears fans. We do our best to never miss an ugly win, or loss, by “Da Bears.”

That’s why when a game is blacked out or we’re otherwise on-the-go during those magical football hours, we turn to our trusty DROID and the TuneIn Radio app to listen to the games, broadcast by stations like WBBM, WCFF, and KBOB.

The interface makes it easy to find stations by numerous methods – call letters, content type, local/location, by language, etc.

With more than 40,000 stations broadcasting sports, talk, news, and music programming, you’re sure to find a source of interest. Thankfully, the sheer number of available content sources is tamed by the app’s clean, clear navigation and sorting buttons, so you’ll never feel overwhelmed.

Plus, the Podcast channel is your link to hundreds of Internet-sourced content that’s presented by the types of music each ‘cast offers.

And once you start listening, the DVR-like controls to pause and rewind the stream comes in handy. Especially when my wife wants to hear the commentator recount yet another Peppers sack, Urlacher stop, or Hester returning a kick off for a touchdown. Go Bears!

Pixel Zombies Live Wallpaper

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
.99

TASTY:
Zombie fans can get their killin’ on anytime, anywhere with this unique live wallpaper offering.

BUMMER:
Some users report a battery issues after long use. (But, as I always say, you own a DROID – keep that charger cord close by!)

COOL:
Are the zombies overwhelming your defenders? Drop a shortcut on your desktop to trigger a nuclear blast to cleanse your screen of the devils. BOOM!

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
Your Android phone offers some truly useful built-in features. Live wallpapers isn’t one of them. That is to say, these fun, colorful “show-off” backgrounds that you can apply to your phone’s background don’t do much of anything besides, well, give you something to stare at while browsing through your home screens.

That’s why I was tickled to get my hands on Pixel Zombies Live Wallpaper this week. Finally, a developer who gets me – I’m a huge fan of zombie games (so long as I’m well-armed) and have a certain weakness for unique apps that turn up the fun quotient a few notches on my DROID.

After installing the wallpaper (and making sure live wallpapers are turned on in your Settings), Pixel Zombies turns your home screens into a battleground for blue zombie-killers to take out red zombies, while green civilians run for cover anywhere they can. Watch as the killers zap the zombies, or the zombies get their paws on some brain SPAM from the civis.

Feeling guilty about the zombies winning the day? Double-tap the screen to drop a tactical nuke. It’s the only way to be sure that they’re all dead. (Undead?)

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, Pixel Zombies is a guilty pleasure that won’t amp you up on caffeine. But it will increase the cool factor of your phone, and give you something to show off to your friends.

Just another day in my techie world...



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Timothy McLain | Apex, NC | timothymclain yahoo.com

Linlink

Platform: Android

RATING:
1 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
If you like memory games, you’ll love the premise of Linlink. Drag your finger to connect two matching tiles and watch as they disappear.

BUMMER:
Stutters and bogs down on many Android devices (including my stock Android 1 A855), making the game nearly unplayable. Contains ads.

COOL:
When you’ve got time to kill, and you have a very fast (EVO) Android phone near at hand, Linklink could be a great way to kill some time and sharpen your memory skills.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
Developer GoodTEAM Lab’s Linlink offers up a colorful memory-style game that has the potential to be a fun little time killer. I say potential, because this is the first game I’ve loaded on my DROID 1 (A855) that does such a perfect job of bogging itself down with slow animations and delayed reaction to finger-presses that it’s nearly unplayable.

You start with a downright massive set of small tiles that are begging you to clear them. Squint at your screen to find matches, then patiently press and hold on a tile.

Wait a few seconds, then drag your finger to its match. If you’re lucky, the game will successfully understand your gesture and clear the tiles. If not, it will unhelpfully make both blink red and leave them where they lay. No joy.

Until GoodTEAM Labs rewrites the app to run at the proper speed on all Android devices, it looks like only EVO owners sporting the latest hardware will be able to enjoy this title. Steer clear of this title otherwise, and let’s all hope an update is coming soon.

Access your library on the go, with the new Library Anywhere mobile app!

Library Anywhere is a mobile catalog for any library. It provides both mobile web (which works on any phone with a web browser*), and native apps for iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad™, as well as BlackBerry® and Android™.

* First release includes mobile versions customized for both iPhone and Android, as well as a universal version which works on any mobile device, including BlackBerry.

What can I do with LibraryAnywhere?

* Search the catalog
* View records
* Check holdings
* Place holds
* See what you have checked out
* Renew items
* See fines
* Showcase branches, hours, events
* Use your phone's GPS to find libraries near you
* And many other account functions

Library Anywhere features a fully customizable home page. So add a logo, or add links to your blog or Facebook page. Within Library Anywhere, create pages with your own content, such as book lists, announcements, and more. Add links to your existing "ask a librarian" features, too, like instant messaging or texting.

And if you're a LibraryThing for Libraries customer already, you get the integrated tags, access to over 500,000 reviews, recommendations related to each item, and notes about other editions.

Library Anywhere also provides a fully Section 508-compliant version of your existing catalog, to be accessible to all.

"With the high level of functionality and the low pricing, this competition will lower the threshold for mobile technology into the reach of almost any library."
—Marshall Breeding, Smart Libraries Newsletter

It's easy to load! Be on the go in no time—with your library's catalog in your pocket. Order Library Anywhere today by calling 1.877.340.2400, or by emailing Peder.Christensen@bowker.com.

To learn more, visit http://www.librarything.com/forlibraries.

P90X Yoga X | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | Insanity/P90X #10 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Stand Up Desk (plans) (Why you should, too!)

Evernote

Platform: Android

RATING:
3 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Capture your ideas and thoughts right on your phone, quickly and easily.

BUMMER:
Lacks both offline storage options and note sorting and organization tools. Current version of the app cannot be moved to your SD card. Sometimes has trouble fetching older notes.

COOL:
Whether you prefer typing out notes, taking pictures, or recording audio, Evernote unlocks the power of your phone to capture any thought or idea in real-time and then sync it with your computer or mobile device.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
Some of us get our best ideas in the weirdest of places. Whether it’s on a train heading into town or while we’re on the run (literally), many of these ideas quickly slip away before we have a chance to grab a pen and paper.

Evernote, thankfully, turns your smart phone into a nearly-perfect thought and idea recording device. Whether you prefer typing out notes, taking pictures, or recording audio, Evernote makes it super-easy to capture any thought or idea in real-time and then sync it with your computer (Mac/PC), iPhone, or Android.

However, it’s not perfect. The app lacks any kind of sorting or organization tool for your notes. Plus, the app is useless without an always-on Internet connection and an Evernote account.

Finally, older notes sometimes have the nagging habit of being unavailable.

The folks at Evernote Corp. have pledged gobs of cash to upgrade and extend the capabilities of this popular application, however, so we’re likely to see all of these issues resolved in the coming months.

For now, it’s worth your time to install and get comfortable with the app. After all, when pen and paper are unavailable, we all need to record those million dollar ideas somehow. And your trusty DROID is always with you, ready to serve.

ProOnGo Expense

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE (Add Premium Services: $.99 to $4.99/month)

TASTY:
Takes the pain out of tracking and submitting your expense report. We all knew a computer could do this better than we could, right?

BUMMER:
Must be running OS 2.0 or higher. Has trouble converting some receipt images taken in poor light, forcing you to edit expense data by hand. Free version allows for only five expense items per month.

COOL:
Take a picture of each receipt and this app will extract the merchant name, date, and amount, then add it to a stock or custom spreadsheet report.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
If you have an expense account, you’re a lucky devil. That said, your company also insists that you stay on top of your expense data. That stack of receipts and AMEX charges won’t make this month’s expense report for you, pal.

But ProOnGo Expense offers the next best thing, turning your mobile phone into a portable expense report generator that goes everywhere you do. In theory, the app offers up everything you’d want out of an expense service: As you make charges, immediately take a picture of the receipt and upload it for processing. The app will scan the image and extract the necessary information, store the original image, and add the item to your current report.

Plus, adding mileage and hand-written receipts is just as effortless, if it does require some patience to review, edit, and save each item to be sure it’s correct.

That’s where a small amount of pain comes into play. We all know our DROID camera’s take pretty excellent photos – if the subjects are stationary, relatively flat, and in excellent lighting. Apply the same tips to taking pics of your receipts and the recognition software will do a much better job of processing your images. Ignore these tips and you’ll spent far too much time editing your data. Trust me.

The free version limits your scans and imports to a measily five items per month. Paying for the various levels of “premium service” will unlock key features like storing unlimited data, and sending your data to your own spreadsheet templates.

The app does a solid job of inserting the original receipts and all data into your custom forms, likely making your resident bean counters that much happier when they see your report in their inboxes.
Processing some images can take several minutes, and hand-editing data can be a chore.

That said, this is a solid start for the firm, and I have high hopes that future updates will bring faster, cleaner recognition and tighter integration with the larger expense report tools in use by larger companies.

Top iPad Games of the Week
Week of October 25, 2010

Apps Reviewed:

FarmVille by Zynga: As if you weren’t addicted enough to this Facebook game, move your virtual farm from its clunky Web interface to your iPad in all its HD, multi-touch glory.

Reckless Racing HD: Kick up some serious dirt and drift your way around backwoods racetracks in this instant classic. Cletus, Bubba, and the rest of this motley crew are waiting!

Samurai II: Vengeance: Breathtaking manga-style graphics combine with crazy-intense (gory) battle sequences in this satisfying hack and slash brawler adventure. Chopping foes in half was never this bloody fun.

Flight Control – AirCraft Carrier Commander HD: Original Flight Control fans can upgrade from ho-hum airport to battle-ready aircraft carrier, landing military assets, repairing them, and sending them back into battle against waves of foes.

Reviews

You can read all of my past iPad application reviews at Appolicious -- click here.



FarmVille by Zynga (FREE)

Facebook (FB) games are all the rage, none more so than Farmville, which was created by those capitalistic overlords of social gaming at Zynga.

If you’ve used FB even a little (and who hasn’t?) the chances are good that your News Feed is filled with FarmVille updates from your friends. Millions of people play the game everyday, planting and tending to their virtual crops, swapping gifts with others, and even chatting through the service.

And hovering above your sun drenched virtual fields, barns, and other do-dads are the Zynga developers, who this week launched an updated FarmVille FB app for your iPad.

The app itself may be perfectly free, but playing the game costs real money. And that means micro transactions to the tune of $4.99 to $49.99 to purchase in-game cash. This virtual green allows you to buy seeds, items, and gifts, and is generally a requirement to get the most out of FarmVille. And it goes without saying that your iPad must be connected to the Net at all times to play the game. (No offline farming for you!) Add to this the central requirement of having an active FB profile just to open the game, and all but the FB faithful need not apply.

In fact, your first step once the app opens is to login to Facebook, and then watch as your iPad replicates your farm (or starts a new one) right on your multi-touch screen.

And that’s when things get interesting. Scrolling around your farm stutters at times, but is generally smooth and natural. The status update windows, which pop up when you harvest or plant items, seem crudely drawn. Pinching and zooming is also fairly clean, with some stuttering depending upon the size of your plots.

Clicking on your plots of land and other controls opens a series of menus that are far superior to their FB equivalents. Even receiving and sending gifts is a snap on the iPad, without forcing users to endure the multi-screened FB messaging system. A few finger presses and you’re done.

Push notifications help keep you in-the-know about your crops and other activities that need tending to every few minutes or hours. And, of course, the app makes it easy to post things to you and your friend’s FB pages to update everyone (who doesn’t know how to click Hide to stop the insanity) about your latest exploits.

After installing the app, I spent a fair amount of time visiting my FB friend’s farms, some so large the app crashed once or twice while I watched dozens (hundreds?) of individual, white “Loading” circles turn into grass, animals, barns, trees, corn stalks, and other assorted do-dads. (Really Mom, a dozen rainbow-colored cows? Acres and acres of corn that would make any ethanol producer blush? Plus a Farmer’s Insurance blimp floating above it all? It’s a crazy virtual mess in your world!)

This weeks updated version of the app offers graphical tweaks, a revised menu system to make it easier to get to certain tools and other resources, better support for all iDevices, and code enhancements to speed load times and reduce crashes.

These are welcome updates that will go a long way in keeping us addicted to FarmVille no matter where we may roam.



Reckless Racing HD ($4.99)

I’ve played just about every racing game available for the iPad. That’s why when Reckless Racing HD popped up in the App Store this week, I downloaded it with zero expectations. Would the eight race tracks (16 if you count reverse versions), numerous vehicles, and racing controls be smooth and make for a satisfying gaming experience?

I’m happy to say that from the first moment I pressed my gas pedal to the firewall to hear and see a cascade of virtual stones and dirt flying from my back tires, I knew this was going to be a truly unique racing experience.

If you’re even remotely into racing games, this is a must-buy. The top-down view sports rich HD graphics, and the tracks are just curvy enough to challenge your drifting abilities. Add a quality musical score and lots of “Yeehaw!” hootin’ and hollerin’ when you take a jump or cut off a fellow racer, and you can’t help but smile and enjoy the ride.

Take some time to play with the controls and remember that a few small taps on the directional buttons make for good turns; hold down left and right at your peril. (But an occasional stone-flinging donut is fun, right?) After a few minutes of practice you’ll be finger-tapping your way through the field of backwoods competitors with ease.

And when I say backwoods, I mean “the heart of Dixie.” That’s where Bubba, Otis, Lurlene, Cletus, and Floyd are waiting to challenge you.

Starting each race presents you with a litany of choices. Are you up for a dirt rally, hot lap time trial, or delivery time trial? What kind of vehicle do you want to drive? What color should it be? Want to try a dirt or asphalt track? Plus, as your skills increase, you’ll work your way through the bronze, silver, and gold difficulties as well.

Looking for an even greater challenge? Dive into the multiplayer to compete with the best of the best, then post your best times on the leaderboards for all to see. You can even trade ghost races with anyone you wish, and an in-game chat module adds an additional layer of smack-talking to this top-quality iPad gaming experience.


Samurai II: Vengeance ($2.99)

One minute, ten seconds. That’s how long it took before my virtual samurai beheaded his first victim. In rapid succession I then sliced several foes in half (both ways, mind you) and generally littered a jaw-droppingly rendered Japanese fishing village with dozens of corpses, grunting out a litany of “HUTs!” as my razor-sharp blade did its dastardly dance.

Samurai II: Vengence, an age 12+ title from the minds of MadFinger Games, is unapologetic about its intense, bloody-brilliant hack and slash game play. Coming at us a full year after its award-winning predecessor -- Samurai: Way of the Warrior -- cut its way into the top-seller charts, the new iteration sports full 60 frames per second animation, along with upgraded graphics and sharpened controls, so even diehard fans of the original will appreciate the attention to detail in this must-have 3D brawler.

This time around, Daisuke is on a quest to take down his arch-enemy Orochi. He’ll stop at nothing, and spare nary a soul, as he hacks and slashes his way from a seaside village to a flying fortress and, finally, to the Isle of the Dead. Along the way you’ll set up special attacks, enjoy bullet-time animations of the goriest kills you’ve ever seen on your iPad, and deftly roll away or towards your foes to progress through the action.

Add in a healthy dose of karma-collection (cut open those barrels!), environmental puzzles, crazy traps, and hidden items to boost your stats, plus a full-on gorefest in the new survival mode, and Samurai II is destined for a well-deserved place on every manga and brawler-style game fan’s iPad.


Flight Control – AirCraft Carrier Commander HD ($4.99)

As a long-time fan of the original Flight Control app, I’ve lately succumbed to what I’d call flight controller fatigue. Guiding commercial aircraft of all sizes, along with those pesky-slow helicopters, to their proper landing spots has left me a little bored and prone to causing accidents just to hear and see the results. (The humanity!)

That’s why I was excited to see Flight Control – AirCraft Carrier Commander HD pop up in the App Store this week. Gone are the pedestrian jumbo jets and Cessna’s. Now you’re in control of seven kinds of military aircraft, launching from four distinct aircraft carriers.

Of course, you’ll still need to safely guide your planes, jets, and attack choppers to their landing zones. But once on the deck, you’ll need to quickly assess their damage and apply one of three distinct repair services to make them flight-worthy again.

And once they’re fixed, you’ll need to send them back up to – wait for it – counter incessant incoming waves of enemy bogies who are tying to bomb your carrier back to the stone age.

This is clearly the all-new Flight Control game I’d been waiting for. Ignoring the repetitive soundtrack (one looped sample), broken English in the interface (It’s Step not Stap, Mr. Chen), and need for multiple touches just to move to the next level (odd), each level is intense and the app does a good job melding line drawing action with critical time management pressures. There’s 48 challenge levels to survive, along with two dozen “coach levels” to choose from.

Goodbye flight controller fatigue, and hello post traumatic stress syndrome. Stay frosty, my friends. This is one gaming experience that requires you to stay on your toes and think fast, lest your carrier sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Looking Back, Staring Ahead: Fixing Education
Does what works yesterday work today, or tomorrow?
Why is it that ADHD gets worse as you travel from West to East?
Should we be more standardized, or more flexible?



Here's a deep response to another popular RSA Animate video related to Capitalism and Marxism:

Visitor 15,000 hit mclainhome.blogspot.com at 11:38 a.m. today...



...and, yeah, it was me. Just checking in folks. Enjoy the reviews, workout posts, personal photos, and all the rest, coming at your daily from the McLain's in Apex, NC.

That is all. ;-)

XKCDViewer Android App

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Take Randall Munroe’s classic webcomic with your geeky self anywhere you and your smart phone may roam.

BUMMER:
If you’re not already a geek, fan of geeks in general, or understand the breed (both male and female), then the XKCD strips may not appeal to your funny bone. (Just leaves more humor for the rest of us math and/or technology-savvy souls!)

COOL:
The added ability to touch any comic to see the embedded text commentary helps this “one of several XKCD viewer apps” rise above the rest.


If you’re like me, then part of your morning routine involves combing through a newspaper to catch up on all the news you didn’t get a chance to read online the day before. For my wife, it’s all about the comic strips. And what she can’t find in the trusty News & Observer here in Raleigh, NC, she finds on the Web.

For me, a majority of my favorite comics (strips and otherwise) are just a click away online. And three times a week, it’s treat to head over to http://xkcd.com to catch up on the latest XKCD strip.

If you’re a hardcore math nerd or do any kind of technical work with computers or the Internet (think programming, HTML coding, making your own circuit boards, etc.) then it’s likely you’ve heard of XKCD.

It’s difficult to accurately describe the feature, but here goes: XKCD offers a high-brow, Dilbert-like comic strip that randomly deviates from hilariously-drawn circuit patterns with accompanying text to stick-figures talking about the finer points of existence to insightful commentary on the Web, Java, programming, math, language, sarcasm, and more.

Thanks to developer Tom Coxon, the XKCD Viewer app now lets us take Randall Munroe’s classic webcomic with our geeky selves anywhere our Android phones may roam. Just open the app, turn your phone to landscape mode, and you’ve got yourself the very latest, perfectly sized and oriented XKCD comic to read.

The added ability to touch any comic to see the embedded text commentary helps this “one of several XKCD viewer apps” rise above the rest. It’s light, loads each comic in a hurry, and makes viewing a breeze. Plus, the app makes it super-easy to share each comic image to your favorite social media outlets, send as an SMS, email attachment, and more.

So give this “webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language” a shot, both on the Web and on your DROID. It’ll be time well spent.

P90X X Stretch| Workout
Fitness Blueprint | Insanity/P90X #10 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Stand Up Desk (plans) (Why you should, too!)

Realized this weekend that my constant back pain needed tending to -- time to slate a long-needed recovery week. Start w/stretch and work my way across the week for extra Yoga, core, and more. Thanks Tony. It is a puzzle indeed...

UK Computer Store Ad
Star Wars Genius: Made without George, Anthony, and friends?

Point Inside

Platform: Android

RATING:
4 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Navigate your local mall like a power shopper with this handy interior map collection.

BUMMER:
Not all malls and shopping centers are available, with more coming online weekly.

COOL:
Save time and grab special deals the next time you head out the door to shop. Nice.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
The holidays are nearly upon us (Black Friday, anyone?) so now is the time to fire up your DROID and grab apps that will help you save time and money when you head out to the local mall. Point Inside is a free app that tackles both needs head on, so long as you’re in a larger city with fairly well-known shopping centers.

Firing up the app, you’re first presented with a familiar Google map of your local area. (Thanks, GPS!) The local malls available in the app are just a finger-press away, with each record displaying the address, phone number, hours of operation, along with an interactive map.

Zoom in and out to find your favorite stores visually, or click the stores link to see each retail location in alphabetical order. Clicking on each store in the mall will return you to the map, with a helpful pin stuck into the overhead map. Each record contains full contact information, along with special promotional offers (if available.)

With an additional link to the many food options available, you won’t have to mindlessly wander through the food court ever again.

So plan your shopping offensive this year with Point Inside, and you just might save some time and money. And we could all use more of both, right?

Will & The Flyers:
Made the Final Four in Apex, NC Youth League!




Disc Golf w/Jim: P90X Legs, I got 'em.

Gigbox for Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
The ultimate app for finding and participating in live concert experiences through your smart phone. (Who doesn’t want to chat live with fellow concert-goers and instantly share pictures of the event?)

BUMMER:
Only works well if a large group of attendees are using the application. Works best if you’re an avid Last.fm listener and this sister service already knows which artists and musical genres you favor.

COOL:
Takes the live concert experience to a whole new level, enabling smart phone users to chat and share images in real time during the show.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
Live music lovers, rejoice! Gigbox is likely to become one of your favorite apps, especially if you’re a concert junkie.

First up, finding concerts. The app ties seamlessly into Last.fm’s artist and venue database, effortlessly alerting you to where and when your favorite performers will be appearing based on your Last.fm listening history. If you’ve never used Last.fm, head over there now and get with it! Free, unlimited streaming mixes of your own personal radio channels await.

Next, login to Gigbox using your Last.fm credentials, taking both the pain out of joining Gigbox’s growing user community and using your Last.fm playback data to power the concert and artist search results.

Once you’ve bought tickets to a live show, use Gigbox to find out more about the venue, then grab GPS-powered driving directions.



Once you arrive, login to a hosted chat room to exchange IMs with other attendees, rate the concert during the show, and share photos with everyone in real-time. Images taken at other events by Gigbox users are just a click away anytime, anywhere.

The only downside? The app only works well if a group of people are using it during your show. So tell your family, friends, and anyone who will listen to install Gigbox and use it at your next concert. Rock on!

P90X Legs & Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | Insanity/P90X #10 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Stand Up Desk (plans) (Why you should, too!)

iPad Pro Tip:
How to take screen captures of your iPad apps, then move them onto your computer

I'm an image hacker, have been for years. I know just enough about SnagIt (screen capture software for Mac/PC) and Photoshop to make some pretty OK websites, email newsletters, etc. So having an iPad and trying to take screen captures has, until today, been a mystery.

Here's how to take a screen capture of anything on your iPad:

Simultaneously click the small Sleep/Wake and large round Home buttons at the same time. Your iPad screen will flash white, and you'll find the image waiting for you inside the stock Photos app.

To move the image to your Mac:

1. Connect your iPad and launch Applications > Image Capture. (I saw my iPad right in the tool and could move the images right to my desktop with a click. Your iPod/etc. should also work this way.)
2. Go to Preferences > General.
3. Under Camera, select Image Capture in the “When a camera is connected, open:” option, and then click OK. Now when you connect your 
iPhone/iPod touch, Image Capture will be launched and you can choose where you want to download your images.

If you're a Windows user:

1. Connect your iPad via the USB cable, open Control Panel, and go to Scanners and Camera > Apple iPhone (or iPod).
2. Right-click on it and choose Properties from the menu.
3. Go to the Events tab and choose “Camera connected” from the “Select an event” drop-down menu.


Pick one of three actions:

* Start this program – The default program is Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard, which will take you through the process of downloading your pictures. You can also choose a different program from the drop-down menu.

* Take no action – Choose this option if you want to manage your photos with iTunes. Windows won’t do anything automatically when you connect your device.

* Save all pictures to this folder – Choosing this option will automatically download your photos to a folder that you choose whenever your device is connected.

Source: http://www.iphonelife.com/node/98

Family Locator
by Life360

Platform: Android

RATING:
3 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE (For now!)

TASTY:
Use your smart phone to see where your family members are on a real-time map, and much more.

BUMMER:
GPS usage can drain battery life on some DROID models, while sometimes poor GPS location fixes and delays in transmitting tracking data ache for an app update in the near future.

COOL:
Track your family members via live GPS maps, no matter whether they’re using an Android or iPhone.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
If you and your kids own an iPhone or Android device, Life360’s cross-platform Family Locator (Android) and Family GPS Tracker and Safety Center Pro (iPhone) stand ready to help you track and locate each other in real-time.

That’s the promise. In practice, the app has a nasty habit of draining your battery due to constant GPS usage, and many users (including yours truly) have consistent issue with GPS fixes that are miles off their mark, and sluggish positional updates.

Tip: Head over to http://life360.com to find out how to disable the always-on GPS fixes.

In addition to tracking your family, the Life360 service also displays the location of registered sex offenders who may wander within range of your kids, embed emergency ID information for use in missing children situations and medical emergencies, and securely send messages to one another over the service.

With some much-needed tweaks to the standard settings to reduce the battery impact, and better handling of GPS tracking, Family Tracker could quickly become an indispensable app for every parent, bar none.

"The iPhone and Android apps are both currently free, and any amount of people from one family can download an unlimited amount. Eventually, each download will be $2.99 but we don't have a specific date in mind for implementing that. Right now Life360 is focusing on development of the product." -- Tony Pham, VP of Marketing, Life360.

P90X Yoga X "Namaste!" | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | Insanity/P90X #10 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Stand Up Desk (plans) (Why you should, too!)

FactBook

Platform: Android

RATING:
3 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Tap into reference facts about dozens of countries, powered by two of the most popular (free) sources of global data available online.

BUMMER:
An excellent starting point for country research, but lacking updated, in-depth information provided by for-pay services (such as CultureGrams.) Forces a large data download that (currently) cannot be moved to your SD card.

COOL:
A clean, slick overlay that lets you tap into basic country data and reference facts from your mobile phone.

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
For many years, novice online researchers have relied on two free online sources of country data and reference facts: CIA World Fact Book and the United Nations.

Taken together, this pair of sources provide sometimes dated but always spot-on data to kick-start basic research needs for dozens of countries around the globe. Now FactBook ties this pair together via a clean, user-friendly interface right on your DROID.

For many users, the app will prove useful as a time killer or to simply learn something new about a country of interest. Tapping into basic information about a region or individual country’s economy, population, government, or geography is a breeze.

That said, if you’re looking for research-quality data that’s up to date and editor reviewed, FactBook is a poor choice. For-pay resources like CultureGrams have editors who update country reports and their supporting data sets every few months, while gathering intelligence from locals on the ground in more than 200 countries.

Still, once the developers enable “move to SD card” the resource-hogging FactBook app will again be loaded onto my DROID for casual use whenever the mood strikes.

Brain Cafe | Food Quiz

Platform: Android

RATING:
4 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Hungry? Brain Cafe tests your knowledge of local and global cuisine. A must for all epicures!

BUMMER:
Forces a large data download that (currently) cannot be moved to your SD card.

COOL:
Boasting high-quality images and challenging questions, you’ll be hungry to learn more about all types of foods in dozens of countries around the globe!

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
I’m partial to food. It can be colorful and visually appealing, while at the same time firing up our taste buds and satisfying our hunger all at the same time. Now you can pair your love of good eats with a challenging set of global quizzes to test your knowledge of all things foodie.

The interface is easy to navigate, and the images of everything from bread to veges and everything in between is a treat for your senses.

After nailing a tough set of questions about your favorite region’s offerings, be sure to post your results to Twitter or Facebook to amaze (and hunger) your friends no matter where they may roam.

I learn something new every time I fire up this tasty little morsel. The developer’s will (hopefully) soon allow us to move the large data files over to our SD card to lessen its impact on our limited phone memory. Then it’ll be bon appetit!

P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | Insanity/P90X #10 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Stand Up Desk (plans) (Why you should, too!)

Donald Duck Explains Glenn Beck (Video)
Spot-on instant animated classic...



Puzzled about Glenn Beck's appeal? I know I am.

Our friend Donald goes through the modern day American experience and exposes both the allure of Beck's free FOX show and his for-pay Insider subscription-based service. "Sucks to be you." Sure does. Worth a few minutes to put Beck into perspective.