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Coffee Talk #631: The Amazon Fire Phone and You

Yesterday, Amazon caused quite the stir with the Amazon Fire Phone. At best, it’s a compelling smartphone that offers some great features and backed by unique Amazon services. At worst, it’s a smartphone that’s exclusive to a mediocre network (depending on where you live) and backed by an ecosystem that isn’t broad as what Android or iOS bring to the table. For certain consumers (those that are technologically apathetic or ignorant), the Amazon Fire Phone seems like a great choice; on paper, the hardware compares favorably to other top-of-the-line smartphones and millions of people are already comfortable with buying from Amazon. For others (tech nerds), it’s tough to make a case for the Amazon Fire Phone…continued

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, Han Solo breaking his leg, Joel Embiid breaking his foot, or Kevin Love’s next NBA team, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Now that we’ve all had a day to think about the Amazon Fire Phone, here are some random thoughts (binary style!) on the product. Naturally, I’d love to hear yours as well. After you’ve read my binary list, please share your thoughts on the Amazon Fire Phone in the comments section. Are you hot for the product? Mildly intrigued? Or left with a sense of ennui? Whatever the case, I want to know! Now onto the Amazon Fire Phone binary list.

Good: The Amazon Fire Phone’s specs are good to great — 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, 4.7-inch HD LCD display with a 1280 x 720 resolution at 315 ppi, and 2,400mAh battery. It competes nicely in the high-end market, though there’s certainly room for quibbling.

Good: The device brings some excellent marriages of hardware and services. On paper, the camera looks good. More importantly, photo storage is backed by Amazon Cloud Services for unlimited storage. Firefly is a devilishly clever service that turns the Amazon Fire Phone into a 24/7 impulse shopping portal that’s fun and easy to use.

Bad: While there are some places where AT&T has great service, there are some where the service is dreadful. The service pricing isn’t the cheapest either. There are some people (mostly tech nerds) that won’t use AT&T products based on the company’s anti-consumer policies. It’s a shame that the Amazon Fire Phone is launching as an AT&T exclusive. Hopefully that window is small and the phone will come to other carriers before the end of the year.

Good: The phone comes with one year of Amazon Prime. This stellar service offers free videos, free music streaming, and upgraded shipping on most Amazon purchases. I’ve been an Amazon Prime member since the program’s inception and absolutely love it.

Bad: The phone’s pricing is inline with other high-end smartphones, but I expected something much more radical from Amazon. Considering that the Amazon Fire Phone is a gateway to all sorts of Amazon purchases — both digital and physical — I expected a much higher subsidy. Amazon’s e-readers and tablets are aggressively priced; the inexpensive hardware is made up for through digital and physical purchases. Considering that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is a fairly aggressive executive, I was disappointed by the conservative business model he pursued with the Amazon Fire Phone. I was hoping for something like a $99 phone with a two-year Amazon Prime subscription. Instead, he’s following the same model that everyone else uses.

Bad: For some people, Amazon’s app offerings will be just fine. Amazon offers a solid selection of Android apps through its own store. For certain consumers, that app environment won’t be good enough. The curated selection isn’t as diverse as what Google offers though Google Play or what Apple offers through the iOS App Store. In the context of the Amazon Fire Phone costing the same as any other high-end phone, I can see tech nerds having a problem with buying a phone that has a smaller walled garden than competing Android and iOS smartphones.

Good (Potentially): Amazon made a big deal about the phone’s “Dynamic Perspective” feature and the demo was awfully impressive. That said, I’m not yet convinced it will work as good as it was shown. I’ve seen several attempts at this type of usability and all of them were better on paper than they were in practice. Still, that demo almost convinced me. I want to believe it works that well and hope it does, just so it pushes competing operating systems.

Bottom Line: I was really intrigued by the Amazon Fire Phone press conference…until the product was announced as an AT&T exclusive. That killed most of the enthusiasm I had for the Fire. While I’m still curious about the Amazon Fire Phone, I’m really disappointed by the “me too” pricing and exclusive carrier. While I never expected it to replace my Apple iPhone or Google Nexus, I thought it could be a compelling alternative. For some people, the Amazon Fire Phone will be a great choice. For me, the carrier and app store limitations negate the phone’s interesting features.

Coffee Talk #630: Remembering When Val Kilmer Was Cool

At E3 2014, I had a disturbing conversation with some…younger people about Val Kilmer. Some of the kids remembered him primarily for being a crap Batman in Batman Forever. A few of them knew him as “that funny guy in MacGruber.” Sadly, none of them were familiar with Val Kilmer in his prime. Going off of the photo below, it’s hard to believe that he was once one of the coolest people in Hollywood — especially for young kids and teenagers. Val Kilmer was the guy in movies that every kid wanted to be. Let’s use today’s Coffee Talk column to remember when Val Kilmer was cool…continued

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, what will happen to the Miami Heat’s Big Three, pregnant Stacy Keibler, or Khal Drogo playing Aquaman, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Val Kilmer got the world’s attention in the 1984 spy parody Top Secret! As a huge fan of the Abrahams/Zucker/Zucker movies (Airplane! had a profound impact on my outlook in life), the star of Top Secret! was automatically cool to me. He was hilarious and charming in the movie — kind of like Han Solo with the sarcasm dialed up to 11. 1985’s Real Genius is one of my all-time favorite movies, with Val Kilmer playing the coolest smart person that ever lived. His performance in the movie inspired thousands of kids to become super-nerds and go to college. While Top Gun has aged poorly (watch the Honest Trailer below), one thing that hasn’t changed is that Iceman will always be cooler than Maverick. Millions of moviegoers know this to be true. Let’s wrap up Val Kilmer’s prime with 1988’s Willow, a criminally underrated movie. Has there ever been a fantasy movie protagonist that was cooler, funnier, and sharper than Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan?!? Madmartigan pisses on Aragorn!

From 1984 to 1988, there wasn’t anyone cooler than Val Kilmer. People that disagree with this are either too young to know, haven’t seen movies from this era, or have highly questionable taste. It was borderline painful to hear young E3 2014 attendees dismissing Val Kilmer as a crap Batman. While there’s no denying that he…wasn’t very good in Batman Forever, his work prior to that film already cemented his coolness.

Out of curiosity, what was your favorite Val Kilmer role? Please let me know in the comments section!

Arena of Fate E3 2014 David Bowman Interview (Crytek)

Arena of Fate is an upcoming multiplayer action game that’s being developed by Crytek’s Sofia studio. It features five-on-five battles with characters from different eras and cultures (both historic and fictional). On the practical side, Arena of Fate skirmishes can be completed in 20 minutes or less, making it ideal for gamers with tight schedules. On the cool-as-hell side, it’s awesome watching Little Red Riding Hood vs. Jack the Ripper, Nikola Tesla vs. Frankenstein, Baron Münchhausen vs. Robin Hood, etc.

In the E3 2014 interview above, Crytek publisher producer David Bowman talks in detail about Arena of Fate. Kindly watch the clip to learn more about the game and to see it in action. For additional details, the press release is copied below.

History’s Greatest Heroes Clash in “Arena of Fate” – a Brand New IP from Crytek

Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Sofia (Bulgaria), May 22, 2014 – Step into the shoes of legendary heroes from history and fantasy and lock horns in “Arena of Fate”; an action-packed online multiplayer game coming to PC and consoles soon from Crytek.

Featuring fast-paced 5 vs. 5 battles, Arena of Fate expands Crytek’s range of Games-as-a-Service, and will be playable for the first time at this year’s E3 expo in Los Angeles. Players will be free to choose from a huge roster of famous characters before engaging in star-studded skirmishes with fresh gameplay twists.

Among the iconic figures in Arena of Fate are the likes of Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper and Baron Münchhausen. Tap into their famed traits in battle as you bring Frankenstein back from the dead, use Jack’s cleavers to gruesome effect, and launch across the map on Baron Münchhausen’s cannonball!

Managing Director of Crytek Black Sea and Game Director of Arena of Fate, Vesselin Handjiev, said: “Imagine Joan of Arc and Robin Hood cooperating to hunt down Little Red Riding Hood – Wouldn’t that be terrific? But besides the game’s iconic heroes, which everyone in the team really loves, we are also challenging ourselves to carefully craft a streamlined player experience that allows for both greater accessibility, and rich, deep, action-packed gameplay. We are very excited to meet the first wave of players in the arena this summer, and will be listening carefully to the feedback we receive and making the community’s contribution a key part of our efforts to perfect the fun.”

The game is being developed by Crytek’s Sofia studio, which was established in 2008 following Crytek’s acquisition of Black Sea Studios. Originally founded in 2001, Black Sea

Studios made their name with critically acclaimed real-time strategy game “Knights of Honor” and sci-fi online RTS/RPG hybrid, “WorldShift”.

Vaping Diaries #217: The Force Vapors Eric Trotter Interview

It was excellent catching up with The Force Vapors CEO Eric Trotter at Evaporate Los Angeles. As a Star Wars nerd, I absolutely love the company’s theme and style. As a vaper, I’ve enjoyed several of The Force Vapors’ juices. The owner of Evaporate LA turned me onto Leia’s Creamy Cookie and I’ve been a fan ever since. More importantly, Eric is a cool guy that runs an honest company that has longterm goals in vaping, as opposed to numerous cash-in-now ventures that I’ve encountered. In the interview above, Eric talks about how he got started, The Force Vapors’ e-liquid philosophy, the company’s current flavors, upcoming flavors, and more. And yes, as a Star Wars nerd I totally used this interview as an opportunity to make several dorky Star Wars references. For that, I thank (and apologize to) The Force Vapors. Ha!

Coffee Talk #629: Random Thoughts on E3 2014

Now that we’ve all had a few days to absorb the multimedia assault that was E3 2014, let’s talk about the show! I was working for two outlets during E3 2014, so my schedule was all over the place. I did see a lot of great games, but it’s likely that you guys and gals were exposed to more from reading various articles and watching different videos. The thing that surprised me the most about E3 2014 was that there were a lot of mainstream games that excited me. For the last couple of years, independent games like Journey, Sound Shapes, and The Unfinished Swan were my big favorites. While I certainly enjoyed several indie games at E3 2014, there were a lot of mainstream games I had a blast with too. Here are some random thoughts on the show…continued

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 start of the 2014 World Cup, getting into a car accident on the way to The Vape Summit, or said accident crushing your coverage plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Nintendo Ruled — The Nintendo booth is usually the happiest place at any E3, but this year it was my happy place. I absolutely loved Yoshi’s Wooly World, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Super Smash Bros. 4. Although I kept calling it Zelda Samurai Warriors, I had more fun than I expected to with Hyrule Warriors. Kicking ass with Zelda was extremely satisfying. I knew nothing about Splatoon going into E3 2014, but it was great fun as well. At the end of the day, Yoshi’s Wooly World was my favorite game of E3 2014.

Nintendo’s E3 2014 lineup was so well received that many people said things to me like, “I’m totally getting a Wii U now!” and, “Sweet! I’m really looking forward to dusting off my Wii U!”

On a side note, I pitched a high-ranking Nintendo of America exec on using Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” to market Yoshi’s Wooly World. Can’t you hear the commercial?!? “Oh baby baby, it’s a Wooly World.” That totally works…in my head, anyway.

Because I’m Batman: Rocksteady Studios’ first couple of Arkham games took Batman (and really, all superhero games) to new heights. I have a strong feeling that Batman: Arkham Knight will be the best yet. The demo had several elements from the previous games that I loved, plus some all-new Batmobile gameplay. The Batmobile stuff was so much fun that I can see myself enjoying that aspect of the game for hours and being completely satisfied. While I was disappointed that Batman: Arkham Knight got pushed to 2015, the E3 2014 demo showed a game that’s absolutely worth waiting for.

Indie Love: Naturally, there were several indie games that I ended up loving. Some pals from Sony instructed me to play Hohokum and I’m so glad that they did. This exploration/puzzle game is so aurally and visually pleasing that it’s easy to forget about the game’s goals while you’re soaking up the lovely sights and sounds. The game’s soundtrack is by Ghostly International and features several tracks by Tycho. Hohokum just made me happy every time I played it and the same thing happened to everyone that I dragged over to spend time with the game. This was probably my second-favorite game of E3 2014, so thanks Nate and Zach for making me check it out!

Meanwhile, at the Microsoft booth, my buddy Charla instructed me to check out Lifeless Planet at the ID@Xbox area. Another exploration/puzzle game, I was really struck by the sights and sounds of this one too, but in a very different way from Hohokum. While Hohokum is all about making you feel happy, Lifeless Planet is all about creating a sense of isolation as you explore a desolate world. The game’s graphics and sounds do a fantastic job at creating a sense of foreboding solitude. I definitely want to see more of this one…but in a brightly lit living room so as not to wig out.

Lastly, Galak-Z is an old-school sci-fi shooter that blends elements of classic anime and shooting games. It’s fun to play and watch other people play. If you’re into masochistic shooters that delight you with difficulty then you’ll definitely want to check out Galak-Z. I fully expect this game to be a darling among videogame journalists.

Les Unite: Several of you feel that Assassin’s Creed 2 was the pinnacle of the series and the games have been going (slightly) downhill ever since. I’m totally with you on that, so I was cautiously optimistic after being delighted by the Assassin’s Creed Unity trailer. After seeing the demo, half of me feels that Unity will be the Assassin’s Creed game that many AC2 fans are crying for. The other, more cynical half of me fears that Ubisoft whipped up an outstanding trailer and demo. Still, let’s be optimistic here and (cautiously) hope that Assassin’s Creed Unity ends up being the game that many longtime AC fans want.

Your Turn: Naturally, I want to hear how E3 2014 played in your head. What did you love? What did you hate? Any games surprise you? Any games disappoint you? As excited as I was to be at the show, I’m more excited to hear your thoughts on E3 2014, so fire away in the comments section (please)!

Watch Me on Tower of Vape (Please)!

Embedded below is my Tower of Vape appearance from a few weeks ago. Host Rich Gavina and I covered a bunch of vaping products and issues in our long chat. We talked about how I started vaping, e-cig hardware, what makes a great vape shop, what I’m trying to do with the vaping section of RPadTV, and lots more. It was lots of fun being on Tower of Vape and I hope to make another appearance this year. Also, I’m happy I got to name drop a bunch of people/companies that have been instrumental in my vaping journey — Seth Killian, Matt from Vape Star, Ahlusion, and others get the rub from me. Lastly, to all the people that have emailed me to complain about me not vaping on camera, I vaped plenty on Rich’s show. Ha!

Heat vs. Spurs: Your 2014 NBA Finals Predictions

The 2014 NBA Finals look like an outstanding matchup on paper. There are so many great plots and subplots permeating the contest between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. You have the old “Big Three” of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili vs. the current, dominant “Big Three” of James, Wade, and Bosh. You have the best coach in the league (Gregg Popovich) vs. the young half-Filipino mastermind (Erik Spoelstra). The Spurs are still scarred by having the 2013 NBA Championship in their hands and watching it slip away, anxious for redemption in the 2014 NBA Finals. You also have the awesome possibility of Greg Oden winning a championship ring before Kevin Durant, which would be funny just so you can say, “See, that’s exactly what you want in a #1 draft pick.” There are several more stories that make the 2014 NBA Championship so much fun and (in the immortal words from The Goonies) it all starts here.

I’d love to hear your predictions for the 2014 NBA Finals. Who will win and in how many games? Will Tony Parker’s ankle and hamstring hold up longer than Dwyane Wade’s knees? Which players will rise to the occasion? Which ones will flounder? Kindly leave your predictions in the comments section.

As for me, I’m hoping for the San Antonio Spurs in six games. Even though I don’t trust Tony Parker, I’m a big fan of Gregg Popovich’s sense of humor, Tim Duncan’s stoic excellence, Manu Ginobili’s receding hairline, and Marco Belinelli’s uncanny resemblance to a Final Fantasy Tactics supporting character. That said, LeBron James is at the height of his powers and Wade’s knees are healthier than they ought to be. While I’d like to see the 2014 NBA Finals end with the Spurs in six, the Heat in six seems like a more reasonable outcome.

Now it’s your turn. Predictions please!

Vaping Diaries #216: River Bottom Fog Sauce Review I

Vapers that love authentic tobacco are in for a real treat with River Bottom Fog Sauce. This relatively new e-liquid company specializes in juices made with naturally-extracted tobaccos (NETs). While River Bottom Fog Sauce is one of the newest NET e-liquid companies in the business, it has already established itself as a top-tier juice maker, as far as NETs go. I’ve been vaping three of the company’s juices for the last few months: Fabulous & Burley, St. James Parish, and Poet & Scholar. I was very, very impressed by these juices and surprised by the quality.

River Bottom Fog Sauce juices are available through VapingWatch for $22 for a 30ml bottle. While the price is more expensive than competing online NET vendors, the prices are inline with retail offerings. The juices come in glass bottles, but don’t have a dripper. If you’re into NET juices or are looking for an authentic tobacco taste then I highly recommend checking out River Bottom Fog Sauce’s offerings and giving the company a shot. As for the three flavors I’ve vaped, here are my tasting notes.

Fabulous & Burley: This is a mix of burley tobacco and a light vanilla flavor. Burley is one of my favorite tobaccos for vaping e-liquids and I really enjoyed River Bottom Fog Sauce’s burley extraction. It’s flavorful and smooth — a great tobacco choice for an all-day vape. The vanilla was good for me too, but not great. There are some fantastic burley and vanilla blends on the market, such as Vurley from Ahlusion and Vita Bella from Goodejuice. While I really enjoyed Fabulous & Burley, I like the two aforementioned juices a bit more. That said, this juice is certainly in the same league and I would totally understand someone that prefers Fabulous & Burley over Vurley and Vita Bella.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

St. James Parish: This is River Bottom Fog Sauce’s perique offering and my favorite juice covered in this review. I love perique tobacco, but juices made with it can have a certain “funk” that turns off some vapers. (Some equate the funk to a wet sock…but in a good way.) Even as a perique lover, most perique e-liquids aren’t something I can enjoy as an all-day vape. St. James Parish surprised me with its approachability. It has the rich, strong, and distinct flavor of perique, without the funk. That’s pretty remarkable. If I met someone that was interested in the type of flavor that perique offers, St. James Parish would be my first recommendation. It’s wonderfully flavorful, but much more approachable than other perique e-liquids on the market and, unlike many of its competitors, it’s a juice I can vape all day.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

Poet & Scholar: Out of the three juices in this review, this is the one that needed the most steeping. Initially, I wasn’t high on this honey-cigar blend; out of the mail, it had a floral quality about it that I didn’t enjoy. After a month of steeping, the floral taste backs off and the earthy cigar comes to the forefront. From that point on, the juice was much tastier to me and became something I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s a nice blend of earthiness and light sweetness. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two juices in this review (I prefer pipe tobaccos over cigar tobaccos), it’s very well done and certainly a juice I’d recommend to vapers looking for an authentic, high-quality cigar e-liquid.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of December 27, 2012. When the e-liquids arrive, I leave them uncapped for five minutes. Previously, I left them uncapped for about two days. After the liquids are given a few minutes to oxidize, the caps are put back on.

RPad.TV e-liquid reviews focus on the flavor of the e-liquids, since throat hit and vapor production can be altered by the PG/VG ratio and nicotine level selected. Each juice is vaped over a period of days in a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Coffee Talk #628: What You Want From E3 2014

E3 2014 is just around the corner. Honestly, I’ve been avoiding thinking much about it. My June is pretty nuts — E3, The Vape Summit, hosting a pair of store grand openings, family visits, and more. Obviously E3 shows are something that I always look forward to; they’re wondrous events that are unlike any other trade show I’ve attended (and I’ve attended a ton of ’em). It’s always awesome seeing new games, seeing how other games are coming along, watching the press conference spectacles, watching the publisher pissing contests, and (most of all) catching up with longtime colleagues in the gaming business. Still, I’m so detached from the industry at the moment that I don’t…continued

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, 50 Cent’s new album, the rumor that Marvel will cancel the Fantastic Four comics to spite Fox’s FF movie, or weeping that AJ Lee is off the market, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

That’s not to say that I won’t be busy. I’ll be spending the bulk of my E3 2014 days working for EGM and a couple of minutes each day doing daily video recaps for a foreign outlet (they love me in Singapore). While I won’t have much “free” time, I’ll be using it to check out a few indie games that I’m high on and checking out stuff for you guys.

So how about it? What are you looking forward to at E3 2014? Are there any games that you’d like me to check out on your behalf? Is there an aspect of the console war that you’d like me to keep tabs on? Is there an executive you’d like me to throw a drink at? Share your E3 2014 hopes, wishes, dreams, and requests in the comments section (please!).

Vaping Diaries #215: 4Kast Vapor Drip Tip Interview

Several weeks ago I met Justin Kelley, co-owner of 4Kast Vapor, and was surprised by his drip tips. 4Kast Vapor has launched with drip tips made from bullet shells, with a pressed delrin core. Drip tips made from 9mm and Smith & Wesson 40 caliber bullet shells are obviously cool, but the pressed delrin core makes these drip tips unique. 4Kast Vapor drip tips are fantastic for sub-ohm vapers; the delrin core is great at dissipating heat and also features wide bores for maximum airflow.

4Kast Vapor drip tips are currently available in brass and nickel finishes. In the interview above, Justin details an upcoming drip tip called The Gambler. It also features a pressed delrin core, but has a copper shell. The outside features the four suits of playing cards, as opposed to a laser etching of Kenny Rogers’ face.

Check out the interview above to learn how 4Kast Vapor got started, the labor-intensive process of making the company’s drip tips, and other details. 4Kast Vapor drip tips are currently available at Vape Citi and other fine stores. Special thanks to Vape Star Koreatown for letting Justin and me film at the shop!