Category: Mobile Tech

Coffee Talk #337: Buying the Same Game Again and Again

2K has pulled a Nintendo on me. By that I mean that it has me on the hook for three versions of the same game. Hell, I don’t even remember how many times I’ve bought Super Mario Bros. for various…

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, Paul McDonald’s unfortunate exit from American Idol, Scarlett Johansson moving in with Sean Penn, or Manny Pacquiao possibly fighting Kermin Cintron, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve played more than a thousand hours of Civilization Revoltion for iPhone. I’ll play more than a thousand hours of Civilization Revolution for iPad. If 2K releases an Android version, I’ll buy that and play the hell out of it too. 2K has pulled a Nintendo on me. By that I mean that it has me on the hook for three versions of the same game. Hell, I don’t even remember how many times I’ve bought Super Mario Bros. for various Nintendo platforms.

Several of my friends have bought multiple versions of Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy IV, Chrono Trigger, etc. From the originals to portable versions to digital downloads, it’s kind of astounding that we’ve bought the same game over and over again. How about you? Have you bought the same game multiple times? Or are you free of this madness? If you’re among the afflicted, please list the titles (and platforms if you can remember them) that you’ve bought over and over again.

Today’s Poll: Gaming or Phoning While on the Toilet

Today’s poll was inspired by RPadholic Sandrock323. He mentioned that he never uses his Nintendo DS while…uh…making a deposit in the bathroom. He believes that his DS is too sacred. Do you agree? Is it okay to play some DS or PSP while doing the #2? How about web browsing on your Android phone or iOS device? Kindly take today’s poll and elaborate (hopefully not in a gross way) in the comments section.

[poll id=”111″]

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I can’t stop playing Civilization Revolution for iPad…but I must. I’ve only scratched the surface of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP and I really want to play more of it. The game is so clever and stylish. It brings me back to glory days of point-and-click adventures. I’d also like to play more Final Fantasy III on my iPad. Unfortunately, it’s only optimized for iPhone, so I have to double the resolution. It still looks pretty good…and job systems frickin’ rule.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

HTC Sensation Sizzle Video

HTC has officially announced the HTC Sensation for T-Mobile. This super-hot Android phone previously went by the codename Pyramid. Packing a qHD 4.3-inch screen, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and a new version of HTC Sense, the Sensation should be…well…sensational!

I love the phone’s specs, but I wish it had a kickstand like the Evo 4G (Sprint) and Thunderbolt (Verizon). I’m positive that the phone will have T-Mobile WiFi calling (love this feature!) and hope that it will have Swype (need this feature!). I’m getting conflicting information on whether the phone supports T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ 42 network. Support for HSPA+ 42 would definitely take my eyes off the upcoming T-Mobile G2X and keep them glued to the Sensation.

Any thoughts on this hot phone and the accompanying video?

Amazon Launches Cheaper, Ad-Supported Kindle

Consumers that really want an Amazon Kindle but are low on cash will want to check out the new ad-supported model that hits in May. Dealing with ads on the Kindle home screen and the screensaver saves you $25, lowering the cost of the Kindle to $114. Here’s a bit more from handsome Dan at PC Magazine:

The screen saver and home screen bar are the only places customers will see ads and offers, according to Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle content. “We are not interested in doing anything that interrupts the reading experience,” he said.

As described by Gandinetti, the advertising doesn’t sound all that obnoxious. Is it worth $25 to consumers? Or will people pay a bit more to read books without being assaulted by ads.

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My Favorite iPad News Apps

The iPad is such a fantastic device for reading news. It offers a reading experience that blends magazine/newspaper browsing with the interactivity of the Internet. I’ve been playing around with several news apps on my iPad 2 and love that I can flip through pages as if it were a magazine. I also love that I can click on a video or slideshow that illustrates a news story. It’s such a delightful way to consume content.

Here are my five favorite news apps. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I’d love to check them out.

1) CNN — I love the default setting for this app. You have blocks of images with headlines that lead to text articles or videos. The content is strong and diverse (who knew that CNN would be a great source for entertainment news?!?). I think this is a great example of serving up a simple magazine-like experience with Internet features.

2) Flipboard — This is a fantastic app for flipping through news and social content. It initially generated buzz for offering a visually pleasing way to read links and view photos found on your Facebook and Twitter feeds. It sets it up in a newspaper-like way that lets your flip through batches of content. The app also has channels you can add, such as gaming and tech, that pull content from a variety of top sources. There are even site-specific feeds. For example, reading TechCrunch on Flipboard offers a more visually appealing experience than going to the web site.

3) BBC News — This is a straightforward app that offers an elegant touch experience and fantastic content. I highly recommend reading BBC News (by any means) at least once a week. It gives you a nice “outsider” view of world news and American politics. If you miss what news reporting used to be and are tired of the heavily opinionated news cycles that dominate America then you should definitely catch BBC News. The iPad app is clean and convenient way to browse the outstanding content.

4) Huffington Post — I’m familiar with the “slide” version of HuffPo from using it on Chrome OS. It’s definitely on the busy side, but it lets you browse through a ton of content quickly. It’s easy to sift through dozens of opinion pieces, videos, slideshows, and aggregated content using the iPad app. This is much easier to use in landscape mode. You really need the additional width to see all the content.

5) The Daily — This is one of the most ambitious “digital magazines” for iPad. I like where it is and love where it could go. The content quality is uneven, but the delivery is super slick. It uses images and touch in a way that’s dynamic and elegant. News Corp offers a free two-week trial before charging $0.99 per week or $39.99 per year. While I love how it takes advantage of the tablet experience, I’m not sold on the content quality just yet.

Area 5 Launches Atomix Videogame Magazine for iPad

My pals at Area 5 have launched a new iPad magazine called Atomix. I saw a bit of it during GDC 2011 and was really impressed. Of course I’m biased because they’re my friends, but they do awesome work and I expect Atomix to be very popular. If you have an iPad, I’m sure those guys would appreciate your support. It’s only 99 cents an issue. I’m going to try to buy it thrice….

iPad 2 Headed to Toys ‘R Us in May?

The war between Apple iOS devices and traditional gaming machines is heating up! According to ModMyI, Toys ‘R Us will start selling the Apple iPad 2 in May. The site received a view images from an employee training sessions and they’re all about familiarizing Toys ‘R Us reps with Apple’s latest tablet. Here’s more:

We received a tip this morning from a Toys R’ Us employee that the venerable children’s toy store will begin selling the iPad 2 next month. Although there have been rumors in the past about Toys R’ Us possibly carrying the iPad at some point in the future, this is the first we’ve heard from an actual employee that an iPad launch at the toy store is imminent.

And there’s photographic evidence to back up the claim. Obtained during an employee training session, the pic clearly illustrates the iPad 2 presented in some form of employee training and testing process — something that would naturally take place shortly before a new product launch.

While it’s easy to find iOS devices and gaming machines at Best Buy, Target, and other broad retail outlets, videogames have ruled the roost at Toys ‘R Us. Do you think Toys ‘R Us is a good fit for the iPad 2? Should Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony be worried?

Source via BoyGeniusReport

Today’s Poll: Is the Motorola Xoom a Flop?

According to an investor note from Deutsche Bank, Motorola’s Google Android tablet — the Xoom — has only sold 100,000 units since its February 24 launch. Considering Motorola’s aggressive marketing campaign and the Xoom’s hype as an “iPad killer”, most people are dismissing the product as a failure. Others think the Xoom’s relatively modest numbers are inline for a product in an immature market; they believe that it was always stupid to compare the Xoom to the iPad, simply because the OS and apps aren’t ready.

What do you think? Is the Xoom a flop? Or are the estimated sales about right for a product that’s half baked?

[poll id=”110″]

T-Mobile Launching $59.99 “Unlimited” Everything Plan

T-Mobile will launch a $59.99 “unlimited” plan that’s good for all the talking, texting, and data you can handle…with a catch. The company has offered fantastic contract-free pricing for customers that purchase phones unsubsidized. These are branded “Even More Plus” plans. However, along with the sweet price cut comes a not-so-sweet restriction on data.

According to TmoNews, the monthly allotment for 3G and 4G data is 2GB (the previous limit was 5GB). After that, speeds will be throttled to EDGE. While the new Even More Plus plan is fantastic for most consumers, heavy data users will find it too restrictive. If your data use is minimal or you pull mostly from WiFi then I highly recommend this plan. It’s a great value and, as I noted in the past, it’s a great time to sign up with T-Mobile.

Any of you tempted by T-Mobile’s new Even More Plus unlimited plan?

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