Vaping Diaries #10: Variable Wattage E-Cigs — The Next Big Thing

Last month, I wrote about the benefits of using variable-voltage e-cigs. Being able to change the voltage of a vaping device allows for more versatility. Vapers can achieve different tastes, throat hits, and vapor levels from different e-juices and equipment through these devices. The latest trend is variable-wattage e-cigs. They allow for the same kind of versatility, but make things easier for vapers. Today I’m going to talk about how variable-wattage vaporizers differ from their variable-voltage cousins.

Let’s use an oven as an analogy. The important things to remember are input and output. Setting the temperature of an oven is like setting the voltage on a variable-voltage e-cig. In both cases, the input is controlled. In the case of the oven, the actual temperature can vary between models and technology (gas, electric, convection, etc.). In the case of the e-cig, the actual wattage can vary depending on the resistance of cartomizer used.

Variable-wattage e-cigs allow you to control the output. Say your ideal vape is seven watts. A variable-wattage e-cig will give you seven watts, whether you’re using a low-resistance cartomizer at 1.7 ohms or a high-resistance clearomizer at 3.0 ohms. There are people that argue that the output is the most important thing for vapers and variable-wattage devices allow for truer output than variable-voltage devices. They’re especially useful given that resistance ratings can be inconsistant and can change over the life of a product. You won’t have to worry about any of that with a variable-wattage e-cig because the device will adjust the voltage as needed in order to give you the desired output.

The Evolv Darwin (pictured above) has been viewed as the best variable-wattage device on the market, but it lacked competition and cost more than some vapers cared to spend. Recently, newer devices that cost a fraction of the Darwin have been released. While early reports indicate that they don’t perform as consistently as the Darwin, these devices can be had for 1/5 or 1/4 of the price.

A lot of hardcore vapers are clamoring for more variable-wattage devices and many are keen on ProVape releasing a variable-wattage version of its venerable ProVari e-cig. I expect the trend to really kick off in 2013, with more models from more vendors. For vaping enthusiasts, variable-wattage devices will be the next big thing.

Today’s Poll: Star Wars Episode 7

As if Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm wasn’t big enough news on its own, the company also announced that Star Wars Episode 7 will be coming in 2015. This is huge, huge news for all of nerdkind. Some Star Wars marks are afraid of the upcoming movie; they feel that the original trilogy gets tarnished by every new film. Some, particularly fans of Timothy Zahn’s excellent Star Wars novels, are excited by the prospect of seeing cool characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn on the big screen.

How do you feel about Episode 7? Are you worried it will be as lame as Jar Jar Binks? Or are you excited for a movie that’s Han Solo cool? Please vote in today’s poll and expand on your choice in the comments section!

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Bryan Singer to Direct X-Men: Days of Future Past

Marvel has announced that Bryan Singer will direct the upcoming mutant movie X-Men: Days of Future Past. (Presumably) based on one of the most popular storylines from the Chris Claremont era, Days of Future Past is a time-jumping tale that has the X-Men trying to prevent an alternate (and sucky) future where mutants are hunted by the government and placed in internment camps. X-Men fans should be delighted by the return of Singer; many felt that the movies he directed (X-Men and X2) were the best of the bunch. At the time of its release, many critics felt that X-Men was the best superhero movie to date.

The next few years should be busy for Marvel’s mutants. The Wolverine is set for a July 2013 release, while Days of Future Past is slated for July 2014. As a fan of the books, I’m really look forward to Singer’s take on the Claremont classic.

How about you? Are excited about Bryan Singer directing X-Men: Days of Future Past?

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Coffee Talk #532: Disney vs. LucasArts vs. Marvel

When Disney announced that it had snatched up Lucasfilm, most people speculated on the ramifications the acquisition would have on the world of movies. Astute gamers knew that developer/publisher LucasArts was part of the deal too. With a staggering roster of iconic characters to choose from and an established videogame arm, Disney has the potential for some crazy videogame crossovers. What kind of games would you like to see from Disney, now that it has LucasArts?…more

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, Verve’s Ethiopia Duromina, the new-look Lakers’ impotent Princeton offense, or whether Taylor Swift is hot/not, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

When Disney announced that it had snatched up Lucasfilm, most people speculated on the ramifications the acquisition would have on the world of movies. Astute gamers knew that developer/publisher LucasArts was part of the deal too. With a staggering roster of iconic characters to choose from and an established videogame arm, Disney has the potential for some crazy videogame crossovers. What kind of games would you like to see from Disney, now that it has LucasArts?

Yesterday, RPadholic bsukenyan mentioned a Marvel vs. Jedi vs. Sith game. Can you imagine a Smash Bros.-type romp with Wolverine, Buzz Lightyear, Boba Fett, and Aladdin duking it out? Do you see an adventure game with (the amazing) Spider-Man helping (and annoying) Indiana Jones? How about the Disney princesses getting a lesson in sass from a coked-up Princess Leia? There’s a ridiculous amount of possibilities!

Let’s forget for a second that the early buzz is that Disney is planning to focus on mobile and social games over console games. What kind of titles would you like to see from Disney? What killer crossover possibilities are brewing in your mind? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

Sexy Videogame Halloween Costumes

As I was “researching” the important matter of sexy videogame Halloween costumes, I came across Yandy.com. This online store has a wide variety of costumes based on iconic videogame characters. Some of them are really cute, while others are so provocative that they’re borderline uncomfortable. Sexy Princess Peach is an obvious target for sexing up, but there’s something slightly wrong about making alluring costumes based on adorable videogame characters like Pikachu and Yoshi.

Due to copyright restrictions (no, these are not officially licensed products), some of these costumes have great names. The one based on Link, for example, is simply called “Green Adventurer.” Ha!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the selection of sexy videogame Halloween costumes I’ve curated for you. I spent hours on Yandy.com doing all this research for your viewing pleasure! When you get a chance, please let me know which costume is your favorite.

Disney Buys Lucasfilm, Star Wars Episode 7 in 2015

In one of the most enormous moves in movie and pop-culture history, The Walt Disney Company has announced that it has acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05-billion. But wait, there’s more! The company has also announced that Star Wars Episode 7 is slated for 2015 and will kick off a new Star Wars trilogy. Here’s more from Disney CEO Robert Iger:

In 2015, we’re planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 — the first feature film under the “Disney-Lucasfilm” brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 — and our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years. We’re very happy that George Lucas will be creative consultant on our new Star Wars films and that Kathleen Kennedy, the current Co-Chair of Lucasfilm, will executive produce. George handpicked Kathy earlier this year to lead Lucasfilm into the future. She’ll join Disney as President of Lucasfilm, reporting into Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and integrating and building the Star Wars franchise across our company.

Wow. Just wow. Between Lucasfilm, Marvel, and Pixar, Disney now owns some of the most beloved pop-culture franchises in the world.

That said, I’m also scared of this acquisition. Iger saying that Disney plans to release a Star Wars film every two to three years sounds like a recipe for over-saturation. Of course it’s impossible to say how successful this acquisition will be. For now, I’d love to hear your initial reaction to Disney buying Lucasfilm, as well as your thoughts on a new Star Wars trilogy. Share your feelings — don’t let go of them like a Jedi — in the comments section (please!).

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Coffee Talk #531: 5 Major Improvements in Android 4.2

In addition to unveiling the Nexus 4 phone and Nexus 10 tablet, Google released details on Android 4.2. Advertised as “a new flavor of Jelly Bean,” some people are under the impression that this is a minor update to Google’s mobile operating system since it’s not getting a unique codename. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Android 4.2 has several significant updates. Here are five major features in Google’s latest OS…more

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, the glorious start of the 2012-2013 NBA season, TSA horror stories, or why so many female Halloween costumes are slutty, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In addition to unveiling the Nexus 4 phone and Nexus 10 tablet, Google released details on Android 4.2. Advertised as “a new flavor of Jelly Bean,” some people are under the impression that this is a minor update to Google’s mobile operating system since it’s not getting a unique codename. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Android 4.2 has several significant updates. Here are five major features in Google’s latest OS.

  1. Miracast: This is Android’s equivalent of Apple’s AirPlay, but with potentially broader support. It allows users of Android phones and tablets to wirelessly display their content on televisions. This is fantastic for games, movies, and Brazzers TV shows. Initially, this feature will require a separate box that plugs into a TV’s HDMI port, but there will be upcoming televisions and boxes with Mircast support built in. Enterprising game developers will want to take advantage of Miracast’s independent screen use, allowing the phone/tablet to serve as the controller while the action takes place on a television.
  2. Gesture Typing: As a Swype user, this is the feature I’m looking forward to the most. Gesture Typing is Google’s take on gesture-based keyboard-entry. It allows Android users to trace words on screen. It also uses a prediction engine, bringing up possible words you might use next. Last week I was jazzed to learn about SwiftKey Flow, which offers these same features, but I rather not have to rely on a third-party keyboard at all. With Gesture Typing, there’s a good chance that the stock Android keyboard will have everything I want.
  3. Improved Camera Software: This has long been a weakness with stock Android. Tests have shown that two phones using the same optics will produce different results, with images from phones running vanilla Android coming out worse than those from phones running third-party software. Given the popularity of mobile-phone photography, that’s an inexcusable deficiency. In addition to improved image quality, the new camera software has been tweaked for easier one-handed use.
  4. Multiuser Support: This is a tablet-exclusive feature that’s great for families or households with multiple Android tablet users. Using a simple login system, Android tablets can be customize so that each user has their own unique apps, widgets, backgrounds, and more. While I personally detest sharing my consumer electronics (I consider them extensions of my arm…and soul), I appreciate how useful this feature is for families.
  5. Lockscreen Widgets: Many Android fans point to widgets as one of the biggest advantages Google’s OS has over Apple iOS. Widgets will be even more useful in Android 4.2, since they can be placed on the lockscreen. Being able to see information without having to unlock your phone is a wonderfully convenient feature. Some Android fanboys believe that widgets on the lockscreen also negates the advantage Windows Phone has with its live tiles. While I wouldn’t go that far (live tiles are pretty cool), this is an undeniably useful addition.

Those are just some of the new features found in Android 4.2. How do you guys and dolls feel about the latest and greatest in Google’s new OS? What’s the coolest new feature in your opinion? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s an absolutely loaded week for game releases, with heavy hitters like WWE 13 and Assassin’s Creed III hitting store shelves. The latter is accompanied by Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, which serves as a companion quest for the PlayStation Vita. But wait, there’s more! Need For Speed: Most Wanted might have a recycled name, but it (allegedly) brings all-new racing-action to the table. Ragnarok Odyssey brings the world of the hugely popular Ragnarok Online to the Vita. A group of Konami classics gets the compilation treatment in Zone of the Enders: HD Collection, while Sony’s venerable Killzone series gets bundled up as the Killzone Trilogy Collection. Lastly, if you’re looking for a game about a bunch of guys (made up of blocks) walking to a volcano (also made of blocks) then LEGO Lord of the Rings will be right up your alley (portable versions hit first).

Any of you picking up new games this week?