Saturday, June 29, 2013

Samsung Note 10.1. An excellent tablet or is it?

I've finally gotten my hands on a tablet, the Samsung Note 10.1 N8010 series (WiFi only, no 3G). I traded in my Ipod classic to get money off the purchase. So now I am completely Apple free. Now I've not had the chance to use the tablet much but here are a few points of note(pun no intended) I've noticed so far.


Weight

Unless the device is rested, using proper holder/cover, this is somewhat tricky to hold and angle for use.




I've invested in a cover which also doubles as a prop stand, both vertically and horizontally. The Samsung note 8 seems a good optimum size for a tablet and boasts a faster processor. My next venture will be that one since most other specs are equal, bar the processor, battery duration and weight.

Screen

The screen resolution is adequate for most uses, but those used to higher resolutions would notice some details. But only just. Both the Note 10.1 and Note 8 has the same screen resolution 1280 x 800, but owing to the smaller screen size, the Note 8 has 189 ppi to the Note 10's 149 ppi.
In bright light conditions the screen does present a problem common to most touch screens, finger prints and smudges galore. The glare issue isn't much considering it can be compensated for by increasing the brightness.
This is where the pen comes in handy. Even though it seems superfluous to the touch screen experience the S-Pen has a lot to be desired for.

 

S-Pen

The Note series incorporates the Samsung S-Pen stylus which is an integrated into the body. This prevents wayward accessory syndrome. Wacom tablet technology is utilized which presents pressure sensitivity (1024 levels) and other benefits not found in similar devices.

My device however seems to be having issues. One of the reasons I bought this device was so I could practice and improve my drawing skills. But being an used device I'm wagering that this device has had some damage. So till such time as I come across a new stylus I cannot be sure to the true usefulness. ***There are several tutorials online to adjust the pens sensitivity and something else, but requires having to pry open the button. I've done that and mucked around with combinations for nearly an hour but it just reverted back to slightly annoying in a few days.***

I use a trust flex tablet on my pc to sketch and even though I'm not up to commercial quality just yet, I do manage decent drawings and sketches .

 

 TouchWiz

Initially I was concerned with Samsung's TouchWiz interface, but it's just an overlay and doesn't pose much issue with app development as I initially worried it might require proprietary tools and development as opposed to vanilla Android such. It does have a certain appeal and there are ways of rooting to plain Android schemes but unless if you are an ardent purist I suggest against it.

Flash
Image representing YouTube as depicted in Crun...
Image via CrunchBase

Flash, ah ahhh, he'll save every.... er ahem. Another bone of contention is Flash. Whereby it was supported until a few odd months ago. Now it is no longer de rigeur Android, but could be installed via non-google play installers to support Flash once more. Huzzah. Why it was removed no one knows. There exist YouTube apps (especially the official one) which allows to peruse the youtube videos all the live long day, but if you happen to venture to other sites featuring flash content, you are out of luck, unless if you do the aforementioned.

 

Overall Experience

The experience on it so far has been smooth, although I do primarily use it for reading PDFs and my Kindle app. The device does come bundled with Photoshop Touch edition. I figure it is primarily a photo editor and does not lend well to sketching. I have see the sketching ability on YouTube using a note 10.1 but owing to the pen situation I have still to verify it.


Battery life is adequate, considering you do not leave WiFi running and there are few built in features to better handle power depletion but at a hit on performance. Bar the weighty issue making it somewhat unwieldy, this is a very good tablet with top-notch specs for the person seeking a productivity enhancement tool as well as a entertainment device.



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Limbo brings platform games back with a vengeance

Limbo Screenshot
Limbo Screenshot (Photo credit: JesseRad)
Limbo is one among few of recent platform games which is reinvigorating a genre which was all but lost by being outgrown and evolving to the great 3D craze which almost directly followed its virtual obsolescence (read more here).


The artwork is sombre without being overly brooding. The reductionist non-existent colour palette is offset by layered atmospheric scenes and complimented with intricate attention to detail and mechanics which alone is impressive. After playing the downloadable demo, it is evident that this is not just a looker. The puzzle solving element requires more than serial advancing and requires non-standard thinking to counter.

The minimalism is carried throughout the game with a very short menu system and control system which consists of moving, jumping and using objects. The very minimal sounds are more than adequate with certain end game effects enough to make this writer jump.

Try the demo now it's available at http://limbogame.org/ on Windows, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360. For fans of platformers this one is sure not to miss.


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Where have all the Platform Games Gone?

Super Mario Bros, one of the best selling vide...
Super Mario Bros,  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Platform games were one of the mainstay genres in the early to mid 90's popularized by the likes of Super Mario Bros. Owing to improving hardware processing capabilities, developers sought novel ways to gain audiences, with the result that platformers were slowly relegated to handheld devices or flash games.

This neglected genre has had some noteworthy editions of indie fame, such as Braid and Super Meat Boy, quite recently. With it has come a resurgence and has reinstated its proliferation on all major gaming platforms.


The latest in this genre, Limbo is an excellent marriage of art, gameplay and entertainment. Click here to read more.
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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Man of Steel: A review.

Superman: The Man of Steel
Superman: The Man of Steel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Man of Steel was released yesterday, today being the 15th of June 2013.

Starring Henry Cavill and Amy Adams, this reboot sees stylistic aspects reminiscent of other Zack Snyder titles replace the pristine sleekness with more brooding tones.

It is welcome for most sequences which occur on earth, but the view of Krypton itself is more akin to Star Trekesque gritty metallic architecture rather than an alien race with its homologous designs and history.

The score is spectacular courtesy Hans Zimmerman. That coupled with the promising trailer set the expectations high for a great piece around the mythology of Superman origins and first ascension to full power.

However, what occurs is deft foreshortening, in some parts apropos, in an effort to blend the first two sagas of the early 70's visions of the Superman movies. This leaves a gaping void in the mythology, to people familiar with the comic origin arcs or the 70's movies. True no movie would have the duration required to expound the details of the origin story but at least devoting one whole movie to cover the most salient ones would have sufficed.


While a few aspects of the comic arc was illustrated, far few details were overlooked for this to be anything other than a tepid recasting. There is no great gems of wisdom, nothing more than a passing mention of the reason of Superman's abilities, nor exquisite battles which further delves into the abilities or limits of an early Superman coming to maturity. The battles that occur hardly engross the viewer to the brink of hopelessness nor the triumph of overcoming insurmountable odds while promoting the mythology, nothing to merit a re-viewing.

The sequences of the early super boy and wandering recluse is the saving grace of this film. Those sequences were well developed and executed, bar the oil rig fiasco which looked much better in the trailer. Some of the visuals were breath taking, however, that won't be enough to rescue the whole movie. Enough material has been spun into the movie to enable more than a handful of variegations, though. So any takers for sequels to redeem this attempt? Anyone?

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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

After Earth

After Earth is a coming of age, re-conciliatory trek slash science fiction. Starring Father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith, this offers a subtle blend of special effects. The interior design is somewhat more of a new age tryst than the straight lined, modular designs prevalent in most sci-fi. Earth is typical in its tapestry and not unfamiliar to what could be found in most unspoilt wildernesses.

Based on the plots main setting, Earth circa 1000 years from now, where most life evolved to hunt down humans is misleading in more than one way.  Firstly, how can a planet devoid of humans evolve to hunt humans, unless if they meant something similarly sized and physically inferior. And less than a handful of animals were shown to engage the young Jaden Smith. That too with minor adaptations if any to hunt humans.The only exception is the alien lifeforms that came aboard the craft as a training specimen for new recruits.

The pace is somewhat languishing and the uptake similarly from most viewers lukewarm, if the snores of one of the audience members is anything to go by. There are intermittent plot hitches spread at almost regular intervals to ensure some level of interest.

The core myth is hardly tenable to provide likelihood of offshoots. It was hardly tenable for the plot itself.

An appealing movie if you liked Soldier (Starring Kurt Russell, 1998) and/or whole wheat bread.
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