Strange & Charmed

Like most bloggers, I have a separate email address for my blog correspondences. This would be my Miss.Trenchcoat at yahoo address that I keep listed on my blog and use for all sorts of websites, etc. Well, because I throw this email around all the time, it has become a sort of repository for tons of junk email, so I have gotten into the habit of just never checking it anymore for fear that it will one day explode. This morning, however, I actually went in to see the status of my inbox, flooded with spam and such, but also I discovered that I had a ton of emails from people who had written to ask me questions about my blog and videos, etc. So, I spent the morning cleaning out the inbox and replying to some very old messages that dated back to September. I just wanted to apologize to anyone who reads that may have emailed me a question and never received a response until today. I am going to make an effort to check that email more frequently to clean it out and reply to my readers questions in a timely manner. I did want to put out one idea, however, and that is, if you have a question about a blog post, for the benefit of others, perhaps it would be better to post a comment on my blog, because I always reply to those, and it would be good for others to see the question and my answer in case they were wondering the same thing. Thanks everyone!

I think I have found the perfect solution for writing on the go. The Incase Origami Workstation for iPad is a simple but unique Apple Bluetooth keyboard case that folds into a stand for the iPad. Not only does it lock your keyboard in place for a secure fit, but it also allows you to use your iPad while it is in another case. I am really enjoying the simple factor about this, and also the fact that it does double duty as a case for my bluetooth keyboard. All in all, this case is a great option for those who want to turn their iPad into a mobile workstation with the help of a case/keyboard/stand solution, and for only $30, it may be one of the better deals on the market right now! (Keyboard not included!)

Gameplay: You place your finger on the screen and draw a line for your skier to ride along. Every hill, dip, jump, and gap is created with your hand movements. Along the way you build up speed and make jumps to build up your score. You can go through gates to increase your speed and can go through a tunnel of gates to get your speed WAY up. You have to watch out for red gates which will kill your skier and jumps where for a moment you are not allowed to draw a path. Keep going fast and jumping high to set your own high score for each run you try. There are no levels, no achievements (That really needs to be added), and no real goals – just go as long as you can and rack up as much points as possible.

Controls: Amazingly simple – you just place a finger of your right hand on the screen and start going up and down to draw out the path for your skier to go along. Think of Line Rider, but your rider is moving while you draw. One way to build up speed other than the speed gates is to make a short up and down motion to create constant rolling hills. When you do make a jump, take your finger off the screen and your skier will automatically do tricks to boost your score, just watch out for his height indicator so you can make a landing for him! You have to be careful with your path too, since if you make too sharp of an angle upward or somehow create a wall, your skier will crash into the ground. Alerts come up on the right side of the screen with a distance indicating what is coming up, such as a gate or a jump. A bit tough at first to see some of them if your hand is blocking that part of the screen, but with some time you develop your own way to notice them and the little cues they give.

Graphics and Sound: The graphics are good for this game with crisp lines and nice colors. The skier is just a white stick-man and the graphics are rather cartoony, but it works well for the game. One thing I love is when you build up speed, a very stylized rainbow shoots out your back to give you the feel of speeding along the ground. The most noticeable thing of this game is the music! A heavy guitar rock solo plays which just pumps you up to go fast and pull of big tricks. It is very cool! In addition, the music playing after you inevitably crash and die is such a somber piano solo that I felt sad for my little guy every time he passed away.

Overall: This is an awesome game! It is a perfect time waster for when you have nothing to do for 5 or 10 minutes. It’s controls are great, music is amazing, and the concept is simple and pulled off well. Get this game while it is on sale and you wont regret it. Even if you are viewing this post later and it is back at the normal sale price is $2.99, it still maybe worth it to buy this game. Although a bit of research shows me it’s been on sale “for a limited time” since December 21st, 2010 – so you may not have to worry too much of a price increase.

Cousy’s Grade: A-

As you probably already know, tomorrow Apple begins selling their new, slimmer, sleeker, faster, dual core, dual camera iPad 2! I, like most Apple fanatics, was in awe of the new model as I watched the event online, but as an owner of a first generation iPad, I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to shell out another $500 for the newest model, or sell my original iPad to offset the difference. Inevitably, however, I decided that the new iPad 2 was not for me because there was nothing new being offered that I would actually use.

The cameras, while a great addition, are not something I need in my tablet. I have a digital camera that also does great HD video, and a MacBook Pro with iMovie for video editing and Photo Booth for self portrait taking. What I love about my current iPad is that it does everything I need it to do when I am on the go, which means web surfing, emailing, reading, writing, and app use. I can’t say that I have been in a situation yet where I thought to myself, I could really use a camera in this iPad. That doesn’t mean others haven’t been in that situation, but it just isn’t one of my needs and it certainly doesn’t warrant me spending another half a grand at least on a new model.

My opinion of the iPad has always been thus: the device will become what you need it to become, if your willing to open your mind to it. The tremendous success of the iPad has come from the fact that various individuals have been able to use the machine to do a variety of tasks that it was probably never originally expected to do. Since I am already beyond thrilled with the tasks I am able to accomplish with my iPad, I have no use for a new model with a few extra features, and that is that!

Now, to the second part of this post, why I think anyone holding out on the iPad should take the plunge on the iPad 2. Simply put, this new model is the best its going to get in terms of features. Now that the iPad has two cameras and an even faster processor (on top of the fact that the first iPad is still pretty darn fast) there isn’t much more anyone would need that would realistically be put in future models. It’s not like next year Apple is going to install a DVD drive in the machine, thats not the direction tablets are going in. Maybe, just maybe the iPad will get a retina display, but the quality of the current screens is nothing to complain about. The iPad probably won’t get an SD card slot, because it’s not a device centered around expandable memory, but rather ‘in the cloud’ memory.

There is a laundry list of features people think they want in the iPad, but honestly, I don’t see Apple expanding much more. So for anyone who is holding out, all I have to say is to go for the iPad now, and to buy a model with the specs you may need in the future. Max out on internal memory if you think you may need it, and go for then 3G if you can afford it, because their is nothing worse than regretting your purchase and forcing yourself to upgrade sooner than you need. Apple may wish all it’s customers would upgrade their devices every year, but in reality those apple fanatics are few and far between.

Now to go back to something I mentioned earlier, my opinion of the iPad is that it is what you make of it. If you know you want an iPad or think it may be useful to you in some way or another, my best advice is to go with the iPad 2 and begin using and enjoying the device sooner rather than later. I bet you will surprise yourself with the use you get out of it once you have it in your life. It has been such a great device for myself and for so many people that I think it is worth the risk to go for it now!

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you have probably figured out that it can sometimes take me a long time to pick between multiple options of a device or accessory that I need. In particular, I had been searching for a great iPod speaker with charging capabilities for over two years when I finally found a speaker that suited all my needs only a few months ago. I had originally wanted a Bose Sound Dock Portable Speaker, but I found the hefty price tag of $399 to be much to high for an item I knew I would not be using on a daily frequency. I wanted something cheaper, but still with a Bose like quality of sound. I also wanted something small and slim that would fit nearly anywhere I needed to put it, another issue I had with the Bose speaker as it was a bit larger than I desired.