review

Jan

[Hands-On] Half Breed Is A Fun Alien Shooter That Has Great Potential, But Could Definitely Use Some Work

Posted by Brandon Lancaster in Games, Reviews

Introduction

Half Breed, by iNoko Studios, is an alien-themed shooter that just landed on the Android Market today. As the title indicates, you play the role of a mysterious being who wakes up to find that he is now half-man and half-alien. If that wasn't enough, this creature has a whole arsenal of crazy powers, and is bent on seeking revenge against the people who made him this way.

Gameplay

There are two different game modes in Half Breed, story and multiplayer. Unfortunately, multiplayer isn't true online gameplay, as the only way to take advantage of it is to play with a friend over a Wi-Fi connection.

Jan

RLogitech-Ultimate-Ears-Triple-Fi-10_1304x840

Review: Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Earbuds Are True Hi-Fi In Your Pocket, And Your Lightened Wallet Will Provide The Extra Space

Posted by David Ruddock in Other Reviews

I'll make it known now, I've been itching to try out Logitech's Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 headphones for some time. Artem, the Android Police Chief, if you will, swears by this pair of headphones. I'm pretty picky about sound, so I wasn't entirely certain if I'd come to love them as much as he does. But after a couple of weeks with these rather pricey earbuds, I have to say, the sound is better than any other earbud I've used (admittedly, I've not tried any other earbuds above the $150 mark for any meaningful amount of time).

Logitech Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Headphones

Price: $400 MSRP (street price: $160-175)
What is it?

Jan

[Review] Seal Force Is A Unique Line-Drawing Game That Puts You In Command Of A Team Of Super Seals On A Mission To Save The Ocean

Posted by Brandon Lancaster in Game Reviews, Games

Imagine leading a team of highly trained special-ops on a mission to save the world from an evil villain bent on mass destruction. Now imagine those trained professionals have incredible super powers that make them unstoppable. What could possibly make that scenario more awesome? Super seals, that's what. Roll that all into one and you have the premise behind Seal Force, a unique line-drawing game by Nordisk Film Interactive unlike anything else I have ever come across.

First Things First

As I stated before, I have never seen a game quite like this one before. I've played quite a few mobile games and have yet to play an action line-drawing one.

Dec

Huawei Honor Review: This Is What A Budget Phone Should Be

Posted by David Ruddock in Honor (U8860), Huawei, Phone Reviews

Last Updated: December 26th, 2011

Budget phone. The very sound of those two words, together, makes me slightly ill. In fact, it makes me almost immediately seethe with a sort of "nerd-rage." I hate the way budget phones are peddled onto the tech-illiterate by commission-motivated hucksters at "Big Four" carrier phone stores. I hate seeing people get locked into 2-year contracts because they got a "great deal" on a smartphone. "It was free!" they'll say, and that the nice sales representative (his name was Jimmy) kept them from buying "something they didn't need," because they walked in with a firm spending limit and they weren't going to budge!

Dec

Review: Klipsch S4A Headphones For Android Combine Great Sound With An Awesome Control App

Posted by David Ruddock in Other Reviews

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a big fan of Klipsch. I like their style, their sound signature, and their products generally. I started with a ProMedia 2.1 computer speaker setup, and have since graduated to a pair of their reference bookshelf speakers, and I've been pleased the whole way through. I had never, however, tried their headphones. Until recently, Klipsch's in-line control headphones designed for smartphones had only fully worked with iOS devices. With the S4A, that changed - it's the first Klipsch headphone designed specifically for use with Android devices.

What's the word? They're definitely a Klipsch product.

Dec

Review: AKG K 830 BT Bluetooth Headphones Get High Marks For Controls And Comfort, But A2DP Is Still A Compromise On Sound

Posted by David Ruddock in Other Reviews

I've been on a bit of a headphone kick lately, and have tried out a number of sets from various manufacturers. The only on-ear headphones I've tried during this time, though, have been AKG's K 830 BT's, the company's only high fidelity Bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth headphones remain a relatively young technology, and have been growing steadily as more and more computers and smartphones adopt the A2DP Bluetooth audio transmission standard.

The 830 BT's are a very comfortable pair of headphones with some nicely designed (if plasticky) on-ear controls (track skip, volume, answer call, play/pause). But like all Bluetooth headphones, they suffer from diminished audio quality when compared to their corded counterparts, particularly at high volume and high frequencies.

Dec

Review: Etymotic Research hf2 Headphones Provide Unbelievable Fidelity And Clarity At A Reasonable Price

Posted by David Ruddock in Other Reviews

Before seeking out a few companies to find the best Android-friendly headphones around, I had never heard of Etymotic Research. Apparently, they've been around quite a while - since 1983, actually, and were among the first companies to market in-ear headphones to consumers. They actually claim to be the inventors of in-ear headphones (or "canalphones"), though whether or not that's actually true is apparently an object of some controversy.

Anyway, the good folks at ER sent me a pair of their hf2 in-ear headphones with Android-friendly inline controls and microphone, and I have to say, these headphones rock - the sheer difference in sound quality from your standard $30-80 earbuds is mind-blowing.

Dec

[Review] SummitX Snowboarding By Com2uS Offers Incredibly Realistic Gameplay And Stunning Graphics

Posted by Brandon Lancaster in Game Reviews, Games

Last Updated: December 21st, 2011

Ever since we reviewed Ski Challenge 12, I have been on the hunt for an equally incredible snowboarding game. Com2uS ended my search with the release of SummitX Snowboarding, a ridiculously awesome downhill challenge game for those of us who enjoy boarding more than skiing.

First Things First

Update: The developer recently added information about pricing in the description. Thanks guys!

I would like to mention a minor complain before we go any further - SummitX is listed as free in the Android Market and nowhere in the description does it mention payment of any kind. The description boasts 36 runs on 6 mountains, customizable boards, and different character options, however, when you start the game you’ll be greeted with an option to buy the full game for $4.99.

Dec

[Review] Grand Theft Auto III For Android Brings Criminal Shenanigans To The Palm Of Your Hand

Posted by Brandon Lancaster in Game Reviews, Games

Rockstar Games released the revolutionary Grand Theft Auto III in 2001, and they’re back again to blow minds with a 10 year anniversary mobile edition of the same game. If you’ve ever played GTA (and I know you have), then you already know how incredibly addictive the game is and how easy it is to play for hours on end without even thinking of stopping. The mobile edition is just the same - I’ve been playing it non-stop for the past day and I still can’t get enough.

First Things First

I should first mention that this game is currently only available for select phones and tablets.

Dec

Toshiba Thrive 7 Review: Less Like The Original Than You Might Think - But That's A Good Thing

Posted by David Ruddock in Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Thrive 7, Toshiba

The Toshiba Thrive and I don't exactly have a great history. And that's probably putting it mildly. In fact, in my first review of Toshiba's first Tegra 2 tablet (yes, I had to write a second one) earlier this year, I panned it so hard that I basically just started textually abusing the poor thing. So, at the behest of commenters and colleagues, I rewrote it. My revised review (here) was a little less harsh, but I'll be the first to admit: I didn't like the Thrive, and after spending even more time with it after the review, my feelings were unchanged.