– Yeah, I meant to write this on Sunday but I’ve been tired from working on super secret project, commuting, and writing for the site. Ha!
– Last week was one of the best the site has had in a few months. My Droid X review has been getting some nice traffic. This story on SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 was promoted by the excellent people at WrestleZone and ProWrestling.net. It was a very strong week in a season where there isn’t a whole lot to write about.
– The mobile version of the site is pretty popular. Mobile traffic has been up in the last month. I wonder if it’s because the mobile version make it easier and faster to load stories from a phone. Here are the top five device types that visit the site:
iPhone
Android
iPad
iPod
BlackBerry
– As always, thanks so much for all the support, comments, and excellent company!
With its unique controls and story mode, will Power Gig be able to take a slice of the pie that’s dominated by Guitar Hero and Rock Band? I’d love hear your thoughts on the matter.
Engadget posted an excellent preview of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. One aspect that was touched on (lightly) was the operating system’s connectivity with Xbox Live. The site chatted with Microsoft corporate vice president Joe Belfiore and found out:
We were told by Joe Belfiore during a meeting that there would be two kinds of games on Windows Phone 7 devices — turn based, “app” games, and Xbox Live content which would be full-on arcade experiences. We’re dying to get our hands on something more than just a brief demo of The Harvest, but that’s not possible yet.
Although gaming details were sparse, I highly recommend checking out the article. It reveals a lot of details on what should be an excellent alternative to Apple iOS and Google Android. Whether it’s too late for Microsoft remains to be seen, but the details Engadget revealed are very exciting.
Last Friday’s Apple iPhone 4 antenna press conference was amazing. Steve Jobs put on a masterful performance to quell the rage generated by tech bloggers over the company’s flagship device. I learned so much from watching the presser. Here are five nuggets of knowledge I extracted from Apple’s event.
1) Apple Loves You — I lost count of how many times Steve Jobs said that Apple loves its customers and loves making its customers happy. For a few seconds, I stopped seeing Jobs on stage and saw WWE Brother Love instead. It was mushy and gushy, but like so many love affairs it was also conditional. Apple loves its customers so much that it will give them free cases…but only until September 30th.
2) The iPhone Antenna Issues are Overblown — I agree with Jobs’ point that this issue is overblown. That’s just the nature of Internet reporting these days. The major tech blogs have been posting multiple stories on the iPhone 4’s antenna woes every day for the last few weeks. Out of the three-million consumers that have purchased the iPhone 4, the reception issues only affect a small percentage.
3) The iPhone Antenna Issue is More Serious Than Apple Will Admit — Jobs was simply brilliant at spinning the issue and some of you have already bought it. The Apple Care number of 0.55 percent is absolutely meaningless. That’s the percentage of iPhone customers that have complained, not the percentage that experienced reception issues. Some people never call to complain about any issue. A lot of Apple users followed the issue closely and knew that calling Apple Care wouldn’t solve anything.
Jobs also made the “one additional dropped call out of 100” seem small, when in reality it’s a significant number. According to one expert, the typical phone drops 1.5 calls per 100. If the iPhone 4 drops one additional call per 100 than the 3GS, that’s a sizable increase in terms of percentage.
Illustrating the “death grip” on other phones was another clever trick. Apple didn’t say where the test was being held or show an iPhone 4 for comparison. Furthermore, you don’t even need the full “death grip” to interrupt signal on the iPhone 4. Several videos have shown that a strategic poke will muck with the signal…which means Hulk Hogan’s finger poke of doom works on the iPhone 4 and Kevin Nash.
4) Apple Tests iPhones with Cerebro — I was blown away by the pictures of Apple’s antenna design and test labs. Covering tech and gaming for more than a decade, I’ve seen some really impressive labs, but Apple’s blew them all away. It’s totally Cerebro from the X-Men comics and movies. Just awesome.
5) It Doesn’t Matter What You Think! — Steve Jobs should have borrowed one of The Rock’s catchphrases and screamed, “It doesn’t matter what you think!!!” at the press. Ultimately, it doesn’t what any of us think of the issue. Apple is going to sell millions of iPhone 4 units no matter how big or small you think the antenna problem is. At best, the antenna debacle is just an annoying bump on the road. The iPhone 4 is a fantastic product with one pretty big flaw that most consumer will ignore.
Anyway, that’s what I learned. What did you pick up from the “antennagate” press conference?
Last Friday, a few of you got into the old Final Fantasy VII vs. Final Fantasy VIII argument. You’ve already shared your thoughts on your favorite Final Fantasy games, so today’s Coffee Talk is all about blasting the FF games you think are overrated while defending the honor of your champion.
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, Floyd Mayweather not signing a deal to fight Manny Pacquiao in November, the proper response to Oosthuizen, or the ridiculous phenomenon of icing (Smirnoff), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As for me, I don’t see any other choice than FFVII. While I agree that it’s the most important game in the series and quite possibly the most important RPG in videogame history, I also think it’s immensely overrated from a gameplay standpoint. Looking at it solely as game, it’s good but not great. A baby dolphin dies every time someone claims that it’s the best game in the series — that’s the punishment doled out on Earth for people being wrong.
Anyway, I’m hoping a few of you continue the Final Fantasy fight you started on Friday. Have at it!
The Motorola Droid X is here and it’s selling like toaster pastries (most people don’t have time for hotcakes)! If you’re considering this excellent Google Android phone, check out my four-part review. It’s a fantastic handset and one of the two best Android phones available today. Find out if it’s right for you!
The trailer for The Social Network — a dramatization of the origins of Facebook starring Justin Timberlake and directed by David Fincher — is partially cool, but mostly unintentionally funny. At least that’s what I think. I’d love to hear your opinion on the trailer. Is it interesting? Or is it a sign of a monumental flop to come?
Earlier in the week we talked about some of our favorite videogame endings. Today let’s talk about our favorite intros! There are so many games that hook you in with brilliant opening sequences, leaving you with a feeling of, “Damn I want to play this game!” It’s an awesome thing. So many gamers point to the opening of Final Fantasy VII as one of the best ever. While I agree that it’s good (though overrated like most everything else in that game), this extremely underrated Final Fantasy III is better and needs some love. Check it out:
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, Verizon selling out of the Motorola Droid X, John Daly getting his act together, or Green Lantern’s movie costume resembling salmon, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Earlier in the week we talked about some of our favorite videogame endings. Today let’s talk about our favorite intros! There are so many games that hook you in with brilliant opening sequences, leaving you with a feeling of, “Damn I want to play this game!” It’s an awesome thing. So many gamers point to the opening of Final Fantasy VII as one of the best ever. While I agree that it’s good (though overrated like most everything else in that game), this extremely underrated Final Fantasy III is better and needs some love. Check it out:
Anyway, what are some of you favorite game intros? How did they make you feel? Shout it out in the comments section (please)!
My copy of Dragon Quest IX arrived earlier in the week and I can’t wait to dive into the game this weekend! I’m probably going to be tired from super-secret project so plopping down on the couch or by the pool with my Nintendo DS sounds perfect. I’m still enjoying the hell out of Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, so that will be my mindless-diversion game.
Here are NPD Group’s console software sales figures for June 2010. There are a lot of repeats on June’s list, with Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption leading the way. There’s also one omission that annoyed me. And the the top ten are….
Ugh. Just Dance is back on the list and Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver didn’t make it?!? Come on people!!! Oh well, as a Harry Potter nerd at least I can be happy about the number nine spot. Expelliarmus bitches!
What did you think of June’s top ten? You surprised that Red Dead is still dominating? Wasn’t it interesting that the only version of Toy Story 3 that made it on the list was the handheld one?
– Yeah, I meant to write this on Sunday but I’ve been tired from working on super secret project, commuting, and writing for the site. Ha!
. This music game uses a 
(Nintendo DS)