Bheestie saves your wet digital devices.
If it has not happened to you, it’s happened to someone you know. A piece of digital technology that has somehow found its way into the sink, the toilet, dropped in a puddle, gotten wet in your bag, thrown in the sink, or any myriad of situations. As a former restaurant manager I’ve even seen phones fall out of shirt pockets into the mop bucket. The fear that grips your gut and prevents you from breathing is real as you scramble to retrieve your device. Most would consider it a total loss. Some of us are familiar with the rumor of tossing it into a container of rice to absorb the moisture (it really does work). Now there is an alternative…
REI is introducing the BHEESTIE, the super absorbant pouch which will capture all the moisture from your soaking device and hopefully return it to working order. For $20 it serves as the ultimate back-up plan for those of us that are accident prone. Even if you’re not, it would be nice to have one of these handy for those rare occasions when something does happen.
The BHEESTIE is reusable, lasting up to a year if the bag is resealed after use. It may not save your laptop, but it works great for PDA’s, iPhone, Mp3 players, watches, and other smaller electronic devices. There’s no guarantee that your device will be in full working order, but it’s a back-up plan, and it’s better than nothing. The bag has an indicator when it’s absorbed the moisture, and if you’re device is extremely soaked, it may shorten the lifespan of the pouch.
Fans of the music video game genre rejoice, one of the classic games that started it all has finally come to the iPhone/iTouch. After years of playing on consoles, Guitar Hero finally comes to the mobile world. Currently we’ve been occupying our time playing games like Tap Tap Revenge and other similar style games, but nothing brings the feeling of full rockstar status like Guitar Hero.
The app, $3, has been downsized and altered slightly for mobile playing. The interface is simplified to appeal to a much wider audience that would not normally pick up the game on a console. Whether you’re new or a veteran Guitar Hero gamer, you’ll still be able to tap, strum, whammy, and slide to the beat of the songs on the game. The game currently comes with six songs: The Rolling Stones, Weezer, Vampire Weekend, and The White Stripes, just to name a few. If you’re looking to increase your rockstar library you can find more games in app, but it’s going to cost you.
A huge thanks to Activision for making this game a reality. No more air guitar while you listen to your music, now you can really jam out. Still, people might look at you funny…but who cares?
Guitar Hero iPhone App
Nothing takes you back like jumping back into the games of yesteryear. As a huge fan of the NES system, there’s a lot of classics that come to mind; Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Contra, and of course Super Mario Bros. The games invoke memories of late nights, binge eating, and “Nintendo thumb.” We’ve moved on to bigger games, better graphics, and updated storylines, but the characters will always have a special place in our heart.
Well get ready to throw that trip down memory lane upside down with a hack that most of us, I’m sure, will try. Now note that I said “hack” and not all hacks are necessarily legal, but it’s proof positive that this unique crossover is a labor of love and homage to the classic games.
Legal stuff aside, the Super Mario Bros. Crossover was created by a company called Exploding Rabbit and took approximately a year to perfect. The game is the original Super Mario Bros. game integrated with some very popular characters like Link (Legend of Zelda), Bill (Contra), Simon (Castlevania), Mega Man, Samus (Metroid), and the traditional standby Mario.
All of the characters have signature moves based on the moves that Mario has in the original game. Link uses his sword to break bricks and kill enemies, Bill from Contra uses his gun, Simon uses his whip for the same purpose, so the game is giving a unique spin with each of these weapons. If you’re a fan of the music, then note that when you select to play with a certain character the game’s music changes to match the series from which the character came. Now that’s some serious love and attention.
Now here’s a video for you to get an idea of what the game will look like. Warning, language may not be appropriate for all audiences.
If you’ve not heard of Bing, then you’re not following Microsoft. Bing has come into the search market with a bang offering users a unique way of surfing the internet. Recent rumors shared on the AppleInsider website state that Apple might be interested in offering another option other than Google when searching on their iPhone OS.
Currently the iPhone OS defaults to Google when you open Safari. Apparently Apple seeks to offer other alternatives to searching, perhaps looking to take away dependency on Google. According to the article, Apple is not dropping Google entirely, they seem to only want to make other options more visible. Also stated in the article, “Apple already provides an option to use Yahoo for web search in Safari, although that option is not obvious and requires visiting system settings to make the switch.”
Have Apple and Microsoft struck an alliance? It would appear so initially, but because Apple is already offering Yahoo, perhaps they will make Yahoo another prominent option. There’s a very long standing history in how the companies involved have been mixed into all this. Microsoft has been asking for Bing to be more prominent, Apple has integrated some of Microsoft’s mapping technology into their services, and Apple is not entirely happy with the dependency of some of their core apps on Google’s presence. It’s a long and drawn out history that the article does a great job detailing.
Personally I’m not a fan of Bing, I don’t see it becoming a huge factor on the OS as a search option, but we’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you happy just using Google on Safari when you go online, or do options like Yahoo and Bing make a better offering?
Finding a PS3 with backwards compatibility is liking finding the Holy Grail these days. Many of some of the greatest collections on the PS2 are huge fan favorites. Last year Sony released the God of War collections on the PS3 much to the fans delight and while the game was the same, the upgraded graphics provided a breath of fresh air to the series and made the game fun to play again. Could Sony be releasing more collections in the future?
According to Kotaku, a survey was recently held asking gamers which collections they’d love to see on the system, and the following games were listed: Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, and Yakuza. Great games, but according to 1UP.com, Sony would most likely make collections from their 1st party games such as Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Gran Turismo to name a few.
These HD collections would be a great way revive the franchises but also provide PS3 owners a chance to play the games that are no longer compatible with their systems. Money gouging? Perhaps, but having all the games in HD quality all on one disc is an appealing offer, especially at one price.
What are some of the games you look most forward to? Did you like the HD God of War? Let us know what you think.
Apple seems to continue it’s ongoing trend with the midas touch. It’s not that touch tablets are anything new.
Companies in the past have created Windows based touch pads that have been adopted by companies like UPS and FedEx. Personal Windows tablets have never really hit the level of critical mass that Apple seems to have hit with the release of the iPad on April 3rd.
Whether it’s the trendy fad, fancy marketing, or just millions of “fanboy” users, the iPad has definitely come out strong with 2 million units sold in 60 days. It took 28 days to sell the first million and it appears that in the same amount of time, it sold another million. With this ongoing trend, it will be interesting to see how things go further into the year. Just last week the iPad was released internationally in several markets. The numbers in those markets are too early to count, but it can only boost the already successful launch of this product.
To further strengthen the the use of the iPad, it’s been noted that the iPad has another 5,000 apps added to its already robust library. According to CNN, there is a total of 200,000 apps that are compatible with the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad. With lots of options, users will find ways to get their work done despite the functionality of a full laptop. Are you one of the 2 million units sold and if so, how are you functioning with it?
I’ve been a fan of iLounge, featuring the best in iPod, iPhone, and now iPad accessories and news, since the beginning. I remember when they launched and thinking that this site really had the pulse of the apple consumer market community. Their extensive coverage of all things mobile in the world of Apple has always been spot on and their reviews have been extremely useful in the purchase of several of the products I’ve picked up over the years. I’ve seen the site go through a number of changes in design as well as the addition of new items as they’ve been released, but they’ve never missed a beat in terms of news coverage.
Currently on their site, I highly recommend the “iPod Bible” which is released every year much to my wallet’s dismay. Don’t let the name fool you. It started out as just covering the world of iPods and accessories, but it extended to include iPhones when they were released, and now more recently includes the iPad. The “Bible” as it were called is more then just a catalog of accessories, it has reviews, news, updates, hints, tips, and tricks, full of information for just about any generation of device you might have.
Their forums are highly active, they are extremely active online via Twitter and Facebook, and I highly recommend you sign up for their RSS, because the new is everything you wanted to know about your devices and more.
Being a huge fan of Square the news that they were releasing an iPad app really excited me. Square has been very active recently with apps released on the iPhone/iTouch and with the release of the iPad, it was only a matter of time before it would happen. Currently some of the bigger apps they’ve released include Chaos Rings, Crystal Defenders, Final Fantasy I & II, and Song Summoner.
Recently Square has made two big announcements, the first being the release of FFXIII image gallery, which was previously released on the iPhone/iTouch, but the iPad version now supports 3D images. With use of the regular red and blue glasses, the images will come to life in a whole new way. The second announcement was the release of an actual game involving the iconic Chocobo.
Chocobo Panic has users attempting to keep control of the many Chocobos bouncing around the screen. The game allows for up to six points of touch, so get together with six of our friends and keep the Chocobos from going chaotic on the screen. Sounds like a lot of fun, but for how long? I’m interested in seeing this game and actually interacting with it.
It was also confirmed that Chaos Rings and Crystal Defenders would be coming to the iPad in the near future. This will excite many iPad owners who have been waiting for Square to make a big splash on the larger device.
In the world of gaming, there’s gaming and then there’s GAMING! For some gaming is a way of life, a calling, joining guilds, going on raids, beta testing, being the first to do something, it’s geek cred in certain circles. Gamers are almost a unique breed of individuals feasting on junk food, energy drinks, and running on only mere hours of sleep. For the ultimate prize a gamer will sacrifice much in order to attain true victory, but alas, because we are only mere mortals, we all ultimately succumb to fatigue.
Conquer your fatigue with energy drinks, and I don’t mean Bawls or Red Bull, I’m talking about something uniquely fashioned for the gamer in mind. First up is Mana Energy Potion, packaged in a potion bottle and colored just like the potions from your favorite games. Revitalize yourself with liquid energy and heal your lost mana points with this flavored drink. How powerful is it?
- Each tiny shot is loaded with 160mg of caffeine and tons of other energy boosters.
- As much caffeine as two cans of Red Bull®
- Provides 5-8 hours of smooth energy.
- No sugar, so no aftercrash.
- Each six pack contains 6 (duh) 1.69oz bottles.
If you’re looking for an alternative, perhaps you want something to refuel your HP (hit points for the uninitiated) then check out Health Energy Potions to give you another 5-7 hours of energy to get you over that gaming edge. Powered by vitamins, the drink will offer you the following:
- Each tiny shot is loaded with 160mg of caffeine and tons of other health boosters.
- As much caffeine as two cans of Red Bull®
- Powered with goodies like Elderberry, Ginseng, Biotin, and Folic Acid.
- Provides 5-8 hours of smooth energy.
- No sugar, so no aftercrash.
- Each six pack contains 6 (duh) 1.69oz bottles.
And finally for those with a more unique sense of lifestyle, perhaps say…a lust for vampires. Fuel your all night raves with the Blood Caffeinated Potion complete with real blood bag packaging. Fulfill your undead fantasies and take a sip.
- A great (and gross) energy potion – with the same color, nutrients, and consistency of real blood.
- Comes in a resealable, transfusion-style blood bag.
- Yummy fruit punch flavor.
- Caffeine: 80mg per bag
- Energy Blend Includes: Iron, protein, and electrolytes.
- Blood Type: D (for delicious)!
- Unit Volume: 3.4 fl oz (100ml)
So there’s something for everyone! Which one are you?
Barnes and Nobles, who have been hanging on tightly to their Nook reader has finally decided to release an app on an Apple device, an move that Amazon was smart enough to do years ago with the release of their Amazon Kindle App. Purportedly the Kindle app does very well on Apple devices, and now with the iPad’s iBookstore, what type of reception will the BN app have on the iPad?
The BN eReader will stand up to some stiff competition in an already saturated market, but variety is the spice of life, right? It’ll be interesting to see how many people are swayed to this app and if habits will change from what they are already using currently.
In an excerpt from their announcement:
BN eReader for iPad is designed to offer an easy, yet sophisticated, customizable reading experience. Users can choose from multiple ways to view their library, including professionally designed themes with elegant and complementary text and page colors, as well as fonts; and instantly switch between portrait and landscape views based on personal preference. BN eReader for iPad users can further personalize their reading experience with unparalleled options: literally millions of colors for text, pages, highlights and links; eight typefaces and five text sizes; and a variety of margins and customizable spacing options.
What I see as a huge win for the app is the support of the Nook’s “LendMe” technology, which allows users to share certain eBooks with their friends. This is made easier with the integration of the iPad’s address book. The book loan is good for 14 days, which is more than enough time to introduce the reader to a new author, series, or genre which BN hopes will be enough to drive sales.
A similar app has been available on the iPhone and iTouch as of last year, but still so late to the game, I’m personally not aware of anyone using the BN app, with the majority opting to use the Amazon Kindle app instead. Do you have a preference and if so, are you a fan of the BN app?
