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Dec

Honestly, Kind Of Dull: Broken Sword II - The Smoking Mirror Review

Posted by Matt Demers in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

It's safe to say that while point-and-click adventure games have a very niche market, there's a select few mediums where they work well. Touch devices and PCs have always been prime candidates, as their interfaces lend themselves to a control scheme that isn't overly complicated: click to move, click to interact, click to do everything.

Especially with this year's The Walking Dead games garnering so much praise, the genre could be in for a little bit of a renaissance. With the recent release of Broken Sword II - The Smoking Mirror: Remastered, Android gamers will get an updated look at a game that many have touted as one of the best adventures in the genre.

Dec

RHA MA350 Earbuds Quick Review: Easy On Your Wallet And Your Ears

Posted by David Ruddock in Other Reviews

The MA350

The MA350 is an earbud produced by RHA, subsidiary of the UK firm Reid Heath Ltd., based in Glasgow. RHA currently manufacture only two models earbud, both of which use the same audio guts - one of them just has inline controls. The MA350's are the model without them. They retail for $40 (buy here). A small carrying pouch and three sets of eartips are included.

The Sound

For $40, the RHA MA350's produce sound that is - I would argue - far more comparable to headphones of the $80-100 range. My primary point of comparison, therefore, were my trusty old Etymotic Research hf2's (equivalent to the hf5, which are $100 street price, $150 MSRP).

Dec

Audiofly AF78 Headphones Quick Review: They Sound Great... If You Have Perfectly Shaped Ears

Posted by David Ruddock in Accessories, Other Reviews, Reviews

The AF78

The AF78 is the latest from Australian headphone maker Audiofly. They're also the company's flagship product, and their first IEM (in-ear monitor). They come with 4 sets of rubber tips, two sets of foam Comply tips, a microphone*, storage tin, airline adaptor, a splitter, and cleaning tool. They cost $200 (buy here). (*different model)

The Sound

The AF78s do sound great given their price. And they also have something of a trick up their sleeve. They're what's called a "hybrid" headphone, utilizing both a balanced armature and a traditional dynamic driver in each ear. This makes them something of an oddity in the audio world.

Dec

Phiaton Moderna MS 200 Earphones Review: These Aren't Dr. Dre's Earbuds, And That's A Good Thing

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Other Reviews

I don't do a lot of earbud reviews. In the past, the buds I've reviewed have always been Bluetooth. Thus, reviewing a set of wired 'buds was a little different for me. When it comes to headsets like the Moderna MS 200s from Phiaton ($120), it's all about the sound quality and comfort - things that matter for Bluetooth 'buds, like practicality, battery life, and ease of use are all thrown out the window. Wired earbuds are easily one of the more "analog" pieces of tech that we review, which also makes them one of the most difficult. Essentially, what "sounds good" is a very subjective assessment, because, simply put, what qualifies as "good" to me may be "meh" to you.

Dec

Top Gear Stunt School Revolution Review: Almost As Bad As Jeremy Clarkson's Hair

Posted by David Ruddock in Game Reviews, Games

I want to start this review by saying I love Top Gear. I really, truly do. The show's had its ups and downs, but I've seen every one - twice. So when I heard that the only mobile game to be graced with the trademark television series' name was headed for the Play Store, I was actually a bit excited.

It then took my hopes, shot them in a dark alley, and stuffed them in the trunk of a rental PT Cruiser. God, this game is bad. I don't even know what the developers were thinking when they unleashed this unabashed pile of feces to the masses.

Dec

Making Editing A Snap: Snapseed Review

Posted by Matt Demers in App Reviews, Reviews

It's hard out there for a photo app these days. After the runaway success of Instagram, a lot of imitators popped up thinking that if they offered the same "snap, filter and share" features, users would flock to them, as well.

Sadly, this means that we have legions of piss-poor imitations without any clear alternatives; as the filter features became more ubiquitous, they almost provoke a roll of the eyes when announced. Unless an app fixes glaring problems with the market leader or offers some other kind of of advantage, users will find themselves wondering "What's the point?"

I was interested when it was announced that Google would be acquiring the Snapseed because it seemed almost in reaction to Facebook's purchase of Instagram.

Dec

Modern Combat 4 Review: Playing By Big Boy Rules On The Small Screen

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, Reviews

Gameloft has carved out a nice little niche for itself by taking popular console games, and tweaking the formula (and title) just enough to get away with it. The Modern Combat series has been presented as the mobile equivalent of Modern Warfare, and it's just reached its 4th incarnation with Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour. Does this formula of console-style play still work on Android?

Gameplay And Story

Modern Combat 4 is a first person shooter that makes heavy use of cinematic elements to tell what we can only hope is a good story. The game is split up into missions with a few auto-saving checkpoints along the way.

Dec

Flying High: Falcon Pro Review

Posted by Matt Demers in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, Reviews

Despite Twitter making it difficult for developers to maintain third-party clients, they just keep popping up. This week, we take a look at Falcon Pro, which seems to marry the idea of beauty, functionality, and smooth animations into a solid contender for the best of its kind.

^{Hey look, we're in this screenshot!}

Falcon Pro had roots as Falcon, a Twitter widget that was fully-functional and looked damned good, to boot. However, fans were restless for a full client release, so the development team released Falcon Pro, first as a beta and now as a complete package.

Dec

Dropping Some Science: Splice Review

Posted by Matt Demers in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

I first played Cipher Prime's Splice when it was part of a recent fourth Humble Bundle, and it still enjoys a place in my Installed Games list on Steam. It's a puzzle game that involves taking different strains of bacteria and "splicing" them, moving around cells in order to fit an provided outline. Of course, you have a set amount of moves, and added "mutation" cells will change the game in different ways: for instance, one mutation will cause each cell attached to it to grow, or split identically. The trick is to plan ahead and think strategically in order to finish each level and move on.

Dec

[Quick Look] Afraid Of Scratching Your Nexus 4? Check Out Spigen's 'Steinheil Dual' Front + Back Protector

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Other Reviews

The Nexus 4 is unique among Android phones, as it's one of the first to feature glass on both the front and back. As such, thoughts of seeing the brand new handset covered in scratches has haunted my dreams since I first cracked the box open. Fortunately, Spigen has me - and everyone else with an N4 - covered, thanks to the new Steinheil Dual front+back protector.

Now, let me get one thing out of the way: I'm not normally an advocate of screen protectors. In fact, this is the first one I've used in... a long while. I may have forced myself to use them as part of a review in the somewhat recent past, but this is the first time in years I have personally chosen to stick a piece of plastic over the display of my phone.