Raymond Padilla

Feeling Up Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G + Pictures

I spent a little time with HTC’s Android-powered Evo 4G, which is coming to Sprint next month. The first thing that jumped out at me was the screen — it’s frickin’ huge! I enjoyed the 3.7-inch screen on the HTC Nexus One when I spent a few days with it, but the 4.3-incher on the Evo 4G makes it look ordinary.

The shape isn’t as unusual as the HTC Incredible’s, but it’s still on the boxy side. If you dig the curves of the Apple iPhone of Palm Pre then you might not like the aesthetics of the Evo 4G. Looking past the surface, the phone uses HTC Sense, which is much friendlier than stock Android. I really like what the company has done with Sense; the downside is that you’ll have to wait a little longer for Android updates due to the customizations.

The camera took decent videos and pictures. I wasn’t expecting too much in this department. HTC hasn’t been the best when it comes to image quality and there doesn’t seem to be much of an improvement (keep in mind that I only played with the device for a few minutes).

Compared to Samsung Galaxy S — which I’ll be writing about in a few minutes — I preferred the Evo 4G’s screen size and interface. The company also has a strong track record with Android, whereas Samsung does not. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the photos!

LEGO: RPad Pictures from Bsukenyan

RPadholic bsukenyan sent in a batch of photos that combines his RPad.tv chick magnet with his latest hobby — creating custom USB flash drives. This is some pretty cool stuff and I’m pretty sure he could make a killing selling these things. Perhaps I should talk him out of becoming a gaming analyst so that he can concentrate on selling custom crafts on Etsy. Check out the photos!

Can Google’s Chrome Store Bring Down Facebook Gaming?

At today’s Google I/O 2010 keynote, the company showed off a beta of its upcoming Chrome Store. Set to launch some time this year, the store brings a variety of apps — including games — to consumers through a web browser and the power of HTML5. Think of it as a centralized place to find, download, buy, review, and discuss web apps (or an App Store rip-off, whichever you prefer).

On the gaming front, Plants vs. Zombies was shown…because we all need to buy a third version of that game (and we will). More impressive was a version of LEGO: Star Wars. Think about it for a second…(done thinking?) — this is a full 3D game running on your web browser. Sure, we’re not talking about Final Fantasy XIII graphics or anything, but this could be a huge step in advancement of web games. With the Chrome Store’s potential reach, the capabilities of HTML5, and the growing anti-Facebook sentiment, casual games through the Chrome Store could be a hot.

Naturally, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Google’s Chrome Store. Think it has a chance to topple Facebook as the king of casual games?

I Love 1C for Publishing Theater of War 2: Korea

I want to give 1C a big hug for announcing Theater of War 2: Korea. I’m just thrilled that there’s a war game that’s not based on World War II. I’m so frickin’ sick of that war! If you added up all the gameplay hours spent in WWII, it would be more than 7,943 times longer than the actual war (by my completely unscientific estimate). Here’s the deal from press release:

Replay the events of the first hot war of the Cold War era, the Korean War, also known as the Forgotten War. Players will be involved in two campaigns, both set in the 1950’s: the North Korean (June 25 – August 20) and the American (September 15 – October 8).

Sure it’s an RTS for the PC (not my usual bag), but I just love this game for not using WWII as a setting. Hallelujah!!! Now if someone made a game based on this French Banana War Eddie Izzard keeps speaking about….

Super Polygon FFVII Cloud Strife = Best Cosplay Ever

This outstanding photo of a cosplayer dressed as Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud Strife was tweeted by several of my friends. It stands out for eschewing realism and being true to FFVII’s primitive graphics. I’ve seen lots of great cosplay costumes (mostly from Japanese cosplayers) over the years, but this is one of the best, most original, and funniest I can recall. Check it out! I know you’ll love it.

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Google I/O 2010 Keynote Day One HTML 5 Coolness and More

Hey guys! I’m at the Google I/O keynote armed with my BlackBerry. A lot of the keynote content will be geared towards developers, but there should be some cool stuff that interests you. Keep refreshing this blog post for updates and I’ll try to check up on your comments. After the keynote is done I’ll add some pics. Stay tuned!

– Hrm. WiFi and mobile signal is overloaded. This is what happens when too many nerds are in one place. Most of the people around me are checking their smartphones (superphones?), iPads, or laptops as they’re watching the keynote. It’s kind of rude actually, but I’m absolved since I’m press. Ha!

– Clicker.tv shows off how HTML5 can be used for entertainment. It’s pretty cool. Check it out on Chrome if you have a chance.

– Crap. My web server appears to be borked. What the hell am I paying those guys for?!? *sigh* Great timing guys! I’ll be sure to switch next year.

– Peeps from Mozilla and Opera are showing how cool HTML5 is on their respective browsers. The video capabilities are pretty awesome.

– Adobe dude is showing how HTML5 can be used with Dreamweaver, Illustrator, etc. You can tell Adobe is loving Google right now. He teases a lot of Google devices running Flash…that will be seen tomorrow. Tease.

– An HTML5 version of Tweetdeck — my favorite Twitter application — is being shown. It works pretty well and looks almost as nice as the Adobe Air version.

– Google will launch the Chrome Web store to sell web apps and games. Plants vs. Zombies and Lego: Star Wars are shown. The former is expected, but it’s cool seeing a “reak” 3D game running on HTML5 through a browser. The framerate looked a little choppy, so I’m assuming it’s early.

– Old guy from Sports Illustrated (EIC) is showing how HTML5 will help reinvent his magazine. He’s showing a live prototype using HTML5. He describes it as a “highly edited, curated, searchable, open, and social take on sports.” Video is embedded into individual articles. A radial wheel is available in each artcile; it allows you to hit up related content. Articles can be promoted with tools like Google Buzz. Advertisements are slick…and a little evil — a camera ad is shown and can be viewed with different lenses, eventually using Google Maps to show where consumers can buy it. That’s awesomely clever.

– Hmmmmm. Now I’m wondering if there’s a bigger Internet problem going on. I can’t access numerous sites now. Perhaps Google broke the Internet.

– Google Wave is being integrated into Google Apps. That makes much more sense if it’s going to be used as a collaborative business tool. If you’re a sysadmin that uses Google Apps, you can grant users Wave access now.

– Okay, the site is working again. Google didn’t break the Internet.

Coffee Talk #148: Will Nintendo Sell Millions of Wii Vitality Sensors?

People raised their eyebrows at Nintendo when it announced that it was going with a dual-screen handheld for its next portable system. Even more people laughed at the notion of an underpowered console that relied on a “gimmicky” motion-control scheme. In both cases, the company sold millions of units of hardware. With that in mind, do you think the company will sell millions of Wii Vitality Sensor accessories?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Lost spoilers (please), Bryan Danielson going off on Michael Cole, or Hanley Ramirez phoning it in, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

On paper, it sounds boring…maybe a little stupid. It’s a frickin’ heart rate monitor! While I had my doubts about dual screens and motion controls, I knew they had the potential for fun. There’s nothing fun about a heart rate monitor.

Having said that, I know I’m not smart enough to doubt Nintendo. I’ve done it too many times in the past…but I can’t help questioning the company on this one. Shigeru Miyamoto is undoubtedly a game design genius, but can he make the Wii Vitality Sensor fun? I’m not so sure. Yet Nintendo has proven its doubters wrong so many times that I’m doubting my doubts.

All this second guessing is giving me a migraine. I know that quite a few of you have this anti-Nintendo thing going (rather unreasonably, in my opinion), but forget about whether you’ll like it or not. Do you think the Wii Vitality Sensor will sell? Do you see a way that it can be fun? What do you think a Miyamoto game featuring the Wii Vitality Sensor would be like? Make sure your heart isn’t beating too fast as you answer these question. I am not responsible for what happens to you as you type.

Jollibee Makes a Cameo on Glee

I’m filing this under “I still can’t believe this actually happened” — Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee made a brief appearance on last night’s episode of Glee. I’m guessing that most of you have no idea what Jollibee is; as far as I’m aware, California is the only American state with Jollibee restaurants. It’s like the Philippines’ McDonald’s. Hell, in the Philippines Jollibee kicks McDonald’s ass. Anyway, here’s the story from GMANews:

In a move that has left the global online Pinoy community quite amused –and the rest of the world quite bewildered– the popular US television show Glee featured a background cameo of what may well be one of the most recognized icons of pinoy pop culture: a Jollibee fastfood restaurant.

If the “global online Pinoy community” is amused, I’ll be delighted if it makes Americans flock to Jollibee. I’m guessing most of them will hate the burgers. They have a very distinct taste that’s geared towards the Filipino palette. In my opinion, the burgers are kind of crap…but the fried chicken is good.

Even though I’m not much on Jollibee’s burgers, I’m proud that the successful chain made it into one of the most popular shows in America. Pinoy power!!!

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Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Avatar Clothes Coming 5/20

Star Wars nerds will want to save up some Microsoft Points for all the excellent dolly avatar clothes inspired by The Empire Strikes Back. Arriving on May 20th, the eve of the 30th anniversary of Empire, there are tons of avatar duds that will please your inner geek. Here’s the word from StarWars.com:

In total, look out for the following: Imperial snowtrooper (male and female), Boba Fett (male and female), Lando costume with cape (male), Chewbacca (male and female), Rebel snowspeeder pilot (male and female), Han Solo Hoth outfit (male), Leia Hoth outfit (female), Bossk (male and female), C-3PO (male and female), AT-AT pilot (male and female), and props like a tauntaun pet, a ballcap with Yoda ears (male and female), and a lightsaber!

I’m not big on premium avatar goods, but some of these costumes are pretty cool. Right now my avatar has the Modern Warfare 2 goggles and chocobo accessory, which were both free. I’m probably not going to buy any, but these Empire costumes are awfully tempting.

Any of you going to pick these up?

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Disabled Woman Denied iPad Because She Wanted to Pay in Cash

Diane Campbell, a poor and disabled woman, was unable to purchase an iPad at a Palo Alto Apple Store because she wanted to pay in cash. Apple’s policy states that iPads can only be purchased with credit or debit cards. KGO-TV San Francisco reported:

Being disabled and on a fixed income, Campbell held off on buying a computer until the Apple iPad came along. It was small, mobile and perfect for her needs. So, little by little she saved up the $600 she needed to get one.

“It took quite a long time for me to just save up this small amount of money to go down and purchase one,” she said. “I had my cash in the backpack and I went up proudly to the counter and told them, ‘I would like to purchase an iPad.'”

“They said, ‘Sorry, we don’t take cash.'”

People are currently allowed to purchase two iPads with a credit or debit card, according to KGO-TV. The idea behind the policy is that Apple doesn’t want people buying up oodles of iPads, exporting them, and making a killing by selling them in regions where they aren’t available. I get that. The policy also makes it so that people like Campbell have difficulty buying a product. Sure, it might be easy to say, “Well go open a ‘free’ bank account or get a pre-paid credit card,” but shouldn’t she be able to use common currency to purchase goods?

*sigh* I think I’m just sensitive to money issues today. Sorry!

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