Here’s a video interview I whipped up for Padvance on Razer’s Project Fiona Windows gaming tablet. As I mentioned before, it was one of the most talked about products of CES 2012. In this video, product evangelist Hilmar Hahn gives an overview of Project Fiona and shares Razer’s future plans with the product. Check it out and let me know what you think (please!).
Tag: PC Gaming
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
After being away from home for almost two weeks, I’ve been reunited with my precious consoles. This weekend I plan on playing some Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD. I’m a pretty big mark for Oddworld Inhabitants and really want to see how this remake fares. I’m also addicted to Run Roo Run! by 5th Cell. The game is a simple platformer that’s structured like Angry Birds. It’s cute and charming, which is no surprise coming from the creators of Scribblenauts.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
HP Envy 14 Spectre Hands-On Preview
HP nabbed a ton of attention at CES 2012 with its HP Envy 14 Spectre “Ultrabook”. One of several laptops competing with Apple’s MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre stands out with its premium build. However, it also has a slightly higher-than-average price and weight for this product category. This $1,399 laptop packs a 14-inch screen in a package that’s 0.79-inches thick and weighs 3.9 pounds. As with most HP premium laptops, the Envy 14 Spectre boasts Beats audio. Here are the full specs:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2467m 1.6GHz
- Screen: 14-inch Radiance display, 1,600 x 900 resolution
- Memory: 4GB RAM
- Storage: 128GB mSATA SSD
- Thickness: 0.78-inches
- Weight: 3.9 pounds
- Dimensions: 12.87 inches x 8.7 inches x 0.79 inches
- Ports: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SD card reader, Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet
- Keyboard: Chiclet, backlit with sensor to brighten when you approach
- Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, WiDi
- Battery Life: 9 hours estimated
After opening the laptop and messing around with keyboard, I was impressed by its luxurious feel. The lid, screen, touchpad, and palm rest feature Corning Gorilla Glass for a premium feel and great durability. The keyboard felt very comfortable; while I’d need more time with the machine to say for sure, my initial impression is that it’s as good as the one on the MacBook Air 13 but with a stiffer feel (really a matter of preference). Clicking, dragging, and two-finger scrolling on the touchpad felt very smooth.
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The lid of the Envy 14 Spectre is gorgeous…until you touch it. It is, by far, the biggest fingerprint magnet I’ve seen in years. Considering that it’s black glass, I shouldn’t have been surprised, yet I was still taken aback by the amount of smudges the lid picked up. If you’re the least bit affectionate with your electronics then you’ll be cleaning the Spectre every three minutes or so. The running joke among tech writers is that this is a security feature being tested by HP since the laptop picks up fingerprints easily. (Tech writers are generally not that funny.)
The Spectre’s screen is bright and beautiful, with broad viewing angles for sharing. The 1,600 x 900 resolution is unusually high for a 14-inch screen. Some people love the extra pixels and detail. Others, particularly those with bad eyes, might end up enlarging the text size to make things usable. Personally, I loved the display, despite my eyes sucking. The high res “Radiance” display adds to the premium look and feel of this notebook.
The HP Envy 14 Spectre stands out from the crowd with its liberal use of Gorilla Glass and beautiful screen. However, with other vendors aggressively pricing their Ultrabooks, will people be willing to pay a bit more for a laptop that’s a bit slicker and heavier? I’d love your take on this product. Please let me know if you’re interested in the HP Envy 14 Spectre and if you think it will be a top-selling Ultrabook.
Coffee Talk #442: CES 2012 Aftermath
CES 2012 has come and gone! What did you think of this year’s show? Any products or technology jump out at you? Taking an informal poll of my friends in attendance (mostly videogame journalists, a few tech writers), television technology was the most exciting thing at CES 2012. Between…
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, wishing that Steve Nash gets traded to a playoff contender, Snooki starting a boxing promotion company, or celebrities Tebowing on the red carpet, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
CES 2012 has come and gone! What did you think of this year’s show? Any products or technology jump out at you? Taking an informal poll of my friends in attendance (mostly videogame journalists, a few tech writers), television technology was the most exciting thing at CES 2012. Between OLED TVs and 4K TVs, there were several televisions on display that had my peers drooling. These are models that most people won’t be able to afford this year or next, but are glimpses of television’s exciting future.
Personally, I was impressed by LG’s Blast Chiller. Found in select LG refrigerators, Blast Chiller can bring take a can of beer from room temperature to icy cold in about four minutes. I’m trying to get LG to send me a review unit…and several cases of Guiness so that I can thoroughly test Blast Chiller.
I was disappointed that Sony didn’t get more attention with the Vita. I suppose that most videogame writers have had Japanese units for several weeks already, but my tech writer friends didn’t really seem too interested in Sony’s next handheld. If anything, tech writers and mainstream journalists seemed fascinated by Razer’s Project Fiona. Being new and unusual definitely helped Project Fiona grab some headlines.
Here are the three products that came up the most in conversations with my peers:
- Razer Project Fiona — Razer’s gaming tablet is extremely powerful, but is it something people want?
- Samsung Galaxy Note — Is it a phone?!? Is it a tablet?!? What is it?!?
- HP Envy 14 Spectre — HP’s answer to the MacBook Air is beautiful and covered by Gorilla Glass.
Now it’s your turn! Please share any CES news, products, and technology that caught your interest.
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
I just got back from CES 2012 and I’m off to New York in a few hours. Since I won’t have access to my home consoles, my next few days of gaming will be on my iPad. Of course I’ll be playing lots of Civlization Revolution. I’m also excited to play Run Roo Run!, a new game from 5th Cell, the creators of the phenomenal Scribblenauts. I’ve only played a few minutes and I’m already charmed by this super-cute platformer. I’m actually looking forward to the plane ride to JFK just so I can play more!
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
Are You Interested in Razer’s Project Fiona?
Razer revealed “Project Fiona” at CES 2012 — a high-end gaming tablet featuring an Intel i7 processor and Windows 8. This isn’t your typical tablet; it doesn’t use an efficient mobile processor and doesn’t play relatively small apps. This is a powerful machine that plays gamepad-enable PC games out of the box. Check out my article on Project Fiona at Padvance if you have a chance. I’m super curious to hear if this product interests you. Please let me know!
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Coffee Talk #441: What CES News Are You Looking Forward To?
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, hoping Snooki and Justin Bieber get into a fight at CES, catching up with old industry friends, or catching up with your old co-host, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’m in Las Vegas for CES 2012! Most of my time will be spent writing stories and filming video for Padvance, but I’m going to make some time to roam around and look for cool stuff. Are there any products you’re looking forward to? There’s going to be so much awesome tech at the show and I’d love to know what products interest you the most. Here are some of the things I expect to see.
- Somewhat affordable OLED televisions
- Quad-core Android tablets
- Killer SSD drives at lower prices
- Windows 8 products
- Wearable tech
- Tons of Ultrabooks (MacBook Air competitors)
- Free Drinks
Give it some thought and please let me know if you want me to try and catch anything for you.
Coffee Talk #440: A New Year, New Videogame Ringtones!
As a few of you know, I’m starting off 2012 with a new computer and a new phone. To keep the whole newness thing going (and hopefully bring me some new luck), I’ve decided to use new videogame sounds on my phone. Previously, I used…
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, Jessica Biel getting engaged (*sniff*), Brock Lesnar possibly returning to pro-wrestling, or the republican caucuses, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As a few of you know, I’m starting off 2012 with a new computer and a new phone. To keep the whole newness thing going (and hopefully bring me some new luck), I’ve decided to use new videogame sounds on my phone. Previously, my phone had a pair of sounds from Final Fantasy VII: the fanfare riff and a piano version of “Those Who Fight”. They were fantastic as a notification sound and a ringtone, respectively, but it’s time for something new!
For 2012, I’m going with sounds from The Legend of Zelda. Right now I’m juggling three different clips for notifications. The first two are from the original game: the “secret” sound and the fanfare sound. I also have an orchestral version of the fanfare sound from Skyward Sword, but I’m digging the old-school sounds a bit more. As for my ringtone, I’m using a clip of Fredde Gredde’s excellent acoustic Wind Waker medley. (He’s selling MP3s of his various videogame covers using a name-your-price system.) May the Zeldafication of my phone bring me luck in the new year!
Any of you using videogame sounds and/or music on your phone? Want to join me in changing phones sounds in 2012?
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
I’m going to spend the weekend packing for two trips (Las Vegas and New York) and getting ready for CES 2012. I’m sure I’ll fit in a few games of Civlization Revolution for iPad, but aside from that I plan on playing…nothing! Instead, I’ll live vicariously through you. So how about it? What’s on your weekend playlist?
Coffee Talk #439: Your 2012 Most Wanted Games List
2011 was a fantastic year for gaming and 2012 looks even hotter! What are some of the games you’re looking forward to this year? Is your list full of sequels you expect annually? Perhaps it’s a franchise that’s making a long-awaited return. Or maybe it’s something…
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, Ricky Rubio’s surprisingly strong play, choosing between Luck and RG3, or your favorite kind of pasta, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
2011 was a fantastic year for gaming and 2012 looks even hotter! What are some of the games you’re looking forward to this year? Is your list full of sequels you expect annually? Perhaps it’s a franchise that’s making a long-awaited return. Or maybe it’s something brand new and exciting. I’d love to see what’s on your 2012 most-wanted list. I’ll kick things off with some of my picks.
- Diablo III — It’s Blizzard. It’s an action-RPG. This game will own me.
- BioShock Infinite — I completely expect an epic story with crazy-deep gameplay.
- Any DLC for Dragon Age II — To be totally honest, I’m more excited for more DA content than Mass Effect 3. I love all BioWare games, but I’m more of a fantasy guy.
- Sound Shapes — Easily the PlayStation Vita gaming I’m looking forward to the most.
- The Last Guardian — It’s Fumito Ueda’s last game with Sony and I’m hoping he goes out with a bang.
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII — The early buzz is that this game will blow XIII away.
- Final Fantasy XIII-2 — I like moogles. Sue me.
- Tomb Raider — I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw at E3 2011. There’s a ton of potential with this game and I’m cautiously hoping for another great Lara Croft adventure.
Of course there’s lots of stuff I’m leaving out. Loads of my friends and colleagues are psyched for Overstrike, Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us, Borderlands 2, Metal Gear Rising, and more. So how about it?!? What’s on you 2012 most-wanted games list?