Apple has declared war on Christmas by announcing a slew of new products set to ship this holiday season. While most tech nerds knew the iPad Mini was coming and many surmised that the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display was in the works, there were a few surprises. New models in the iMac and Mac Mini lines were also unveiled. While most Apple fans were thrilled by these new products, those that bought the “new” iPad earlier in 2012 were a bit annoyed that Apple unveiled a fourth-generation iPad too; the company typically refreshes its iOS products once a year, so this was a bit soon.
Out of all the products Apple announced today, I want to know which one excites you the most. Please vote in today’s poll and expand on your answer in the comments section.
Sony Computer Entertainment America has posted a live-action commercial for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The combatants include Kratos (God of War), Nathan Drake (Uncharted), Cole MacGrath (Infamous), and Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet). I’m a fan of live-action anything featuring Sackboy. He’s especially cute when he’s dishing out violence against larger, more menacing opponents. While Sackboy is clearly the star of the show, the other guys look great too. This is a fun and well-done bit of advertising.
Check out the spot when you have a chance and kindly share your thoughts on it in the comments section!
The new Iron Man 3 trailer is out and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Called “Tony Stark’s Darkest Hour,” this trailer shows off some of the tribulations Tony Stark/Iron Man will be facing in the movie and teases his new villain: The Mandarin. Played by the outstanding Ben Kingsley, The Mandarin is one of Iron Man’s most powerful foes. In addition to his keen intellect and deadly martial arts skills, The Mandarin has ten rings that allow him to do a variety of things: elemental blasts, psionic energy manipulation, gravity control, disintegration beams, etc.
He’s also Chinese…and Ben Kingsley is not. As talented as Kingsley is, it’s weird that a Chinese villain with a Chinese name will be played by a British man of Indian descent. Changing the race of Nick Fury or The Kingpin is one thing, since those characters aren’t tied to specific ethnicities, but this guy’s name is The Mandarin…and it’s because of his Chinese background, not because he hurls tiny oranges at Iron Man.
Anyway, when you have chance, check out the clip and let me know what you think (please!).
It’s a big week for Xbox 360 racing fans with the release of Forza Horizon, the latest installment in Microsoft’s venerable driving-game series. If shooting is more your bag then Medal of Honor: Warfighter should keep you happy. PlayStation Vita owners have a pair of new titles for great gaming on the go: Street Fighter X Tekken and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz. Lastly, The Unfinished Swan is available for all PlayStation Network members this week. I really, really hope some of you guys and gals give this game a shot. It’s wonderfully different.
For the last week, I’ve been vaping with the Elips-C from Ovale USA. This is a simple e-cigarette with a really svelte and stylish form factor. While it doesn’t have the versatility of Ovale’s eGo-C, I was very happy with the device. It offers very good performance for its size. This is a good kit for beginning vapers that want something that’s easy to use, but aren’t ready or don’t care to experiment with the myriad of parts available for vaping devices with a 510 connection. It’s also good for advanced vapers that want a complementary device — something small and pocketable for when they leave their big gear at home. Here’s a breakdown of my thoughts on the Elips-C.
What’s in the Kit: Currently available for $89.99, the Elips-C kit comes with two batteries, five atomizer heads, two atmozer locks, two mouthpieces, five tank cartridges, three mouthpiece covers, replacement O-rings, a USB charging cable, a USB wall adapter, and a user manual.
Form Factor: In terms of length, the Elips-C is actually shorter than most “standard” e-cigs that mimic the look of tobacco cigarettes. However, it’s wider and flatter. It reminded me of a kazoo…which reminded me of WWE Edge and Christian. And as E&C taught us, kazoos totally rule! When I sent a photo of the device to you guys in the RPad.TV Google+ group, RPadholic N8R mentioned that it looked like a stick of lipstick. Whatever the case, this is a very small device that feels great in the hand is very pocketable. I was very happy with the Elips-C’s form factor and build quality.
Performance: The Elips-C kit comes with two 350 mAh batteries. For comparison’s sake, the V2 standard battery is 250 mAh. I was getting a little under three hours of run time off of a single charge. When I used the Elips-C as an all-day device, I usually went through four full batteries a day. The kit comes with a USB passthrough cable, but performance is only “pseudo” passthrough. You can vape and charge at the same as long as there’s life in the battery. If the battery is completely dead, you won’t be able to vape while it’s plugged in. That’s not too big of a deal though since you get two batteries.
Given its size, I had middling expectations of the device’s flavor and vapor production. Those expectations were exceeded. Both the flavor and the vapor were good. While you’re not going to get the same kind of performance as you would from a large tube mod (nor should you expect to), this little baby does well for such a small vaping device. When you compare this $89.99 kit to what you get from Safe Cig or V2, you’re getting more for your money. The one minor quibble I had was that the Elips-C’s draw is a little tight. That’s a personal preference though.
Consumables: One of the biggest advantages the Elips-C has over the original Elips is that it uses standard eGo-C atomizers. The latter used an all-in-one cartridge that was expensive (currently $15.99). Regular eGo-C atomizers are cheaper (five for $25.99 at Ovale USA) and can be found from numerous vendors. The device also uses a proprietary e-liquid cartridge (five for $6.99), which was expected given its atypical form factor. Ovale USA sells juices with fine tips that fit directly into the cartridge. If you’re using juice from another vendor then you’ll probably need a syringe for refills.
Verdict: I was very happy with the Ovale USA Elips-C. The form factor is just cool and stylish, while the performance is better than most devices this size. For novice vapers, this is a great kit that’s super-easy to use and maintain. For experienced vapers, this is a nice complementary device for when you’re out and about. It’s very pocketable and fantastic for stealth vaping (at parties, dentist offices, restaurants, etc.). The downside is that you’re tied to proprietary consumables and won’t enjoy the versatility of something like the eGo-C. However, I don’t think this product is really in the same category as the eGo-C. In my mind, it competes with starter kits from companies like Safe Cig and V2. In that context, this is a better kit that appeals to more types of vapers. And really, it just looks cool!
Justin Leeper’s book Still Man Fights is now available on paperback! Many of you know Justin from his fine hosting in RPad.TV videos, while others of you know him from his days at Game Informer or as a jobber in the Minnesota independent wrestling scene. Give the brother some support and pick up his book. It has a sweet cover, is a fun read, and will only run you $7.99.
In addition to it being a healthier alternative than smoking tobacco (my opinion, not an endorsement), there are two reasons why I’m really into vaping — the community and the vendors. I touched upon the community aspect a bit in Coffee Talk #527. In general, the vapers that post in forums like ECF are really supportive. They’re all former cigarette smokers that are happy to help others find the best way to avoid tobacco cigs. They welcome newcomers and help people learn about the different gear available. Given the vast number of choices out there, vaping can be daunting, but there are many vapers that are more than happy to help others learn.
One of the biggest differences between the vaping crowd and the tech crowd is that “noobs” aren’t looked down upon. Let’s use mobile phones for example. If someone posts about how much they enjoy Symbian phones, there are thousands of Android and iOS users just waiting to tear him or her down. In the vaping world, if someone enjoys e-cigs like Safe Cig or V2, they’re not looked down upon. Yes, they’re considered “beginner” devices, but it doesn’t matter if these people don’t want to move onto advanced devices like the ProVari or mechanical mods. The important thing is that they found something that helps them avoid tobacco cigarettes.
Then there are the vendors. Many of the companies involved in vaping are small businesses. Yes, they’re trying to make money, but they’re trying to do so by promoting a positive hobby. I love underdogs, so I love that these businesses are competing against huge tobacco companies. As a (really) small business owner myself, I feel good about supporting these kinds of companies. There’s just something about purchasing from mom-and-pop companies that makes me happy.
Buying a game from GameStop is nothing more than a clinical experience for me. Supporting a shop like The Vapor Spot gives me good vibes. As far as publishers go, I feel nothing when buying a game released by Activision, EA, etc. When I buy a tank from Valley View Vapes or e-juice from Orb Vapor, I get warm fuzzies.
So yeah, for me vaping is a much better option than smoking tobacco. As I learned more about the world of vaping, it became way more fun than I ever thought it would be. And that’s largely because of the wonderful community and excellent vendors involved. I love these guys (and dolls)!
Since so many of you are big (American) football fans, here’s some space to talk about the latest NFL games. Whether you’re discussing your fantasy league players, the Patriots edging out a much-needed win, or Eli Manning/Victor Cruz spoiling RGIII’s run in East Rutherford, please talk it up in the comments section!
Tablet computers that dock into keyboard enclosures so that they can be used like laptop computers are going to be huge in the next year (from a product-release standpoint, anyway). A large number of PC manufacturers have upcoming Windows 8 products that fit into this category (whether people actually want them is another matter). Check out the HP Envy X2 pictured above, for example. Tech nerds have been arguing over what to call these computers. Many are using the term hybrid (hybrid computer), while others prefer laplet (laptop + tablet).
What do you think these things should be called? Kindly vote in today’s poll and explain your answer in the comments section.