So speaking of super heros… this morning DC Comics finally released an iPhone/iPad comic reader app. Following in the footsteps of Marvel, it’s built by Comixology, and so basically works exactly the same way.
I had a grand plan to give it a test run and let you guys know what I think – but unfortunately it crashes every time I try to use it. My understanding is that this is a known problem on old iPhones and should be fixed soon. I was, however, at least able to get a look at the basic interface even if it wouldn’t run long enough for me to actually download a comic. You can see from the side-by-side comparison here that it looks pretty much just like the Marvel app.
I recently had the chance to play with the Marvel app on an iPad, and I have to say – it’s pretty amazing. Though I don’t have one myself and didn’t have plans to get one anytime soon, I can definitely see the merits of using the device to read comics. For me, the experience is just as good as reading one in print – which definitely cannot be said for reading on the iPhone. The frame-by-frame way of reading due to the small screen (pictured right) just does not work for me.
Just as the Marvel app has some free comics (go download the first issue of Runaways if you’ve never read it!), the DC app has a few freebies as well: Batman Black & White, Origin of Batman & Origin of Superman, and the first issue of Bayou.
I’ve always kind of been a DC girl over Marvel if I had to choose, and so I’m pretty excited about this – especially since it also includes the Vertigo imprint, which means Sandman and Fables among others. Of course, they’ll have to get it working first for me to really be on board – or I should get an iPad. Maybe some day…
This amazing animation was created to promote Waiting for Superman, an award-winning documentary which takes a look at how America’s education system is flawed and explores new approaches to help it grow strong again.
Both Barnes & Noble and Amazon have cut the prices of their electronic reading devices, but it may still be too late to compete with Apple.
Barnes & Noble’s nook has been reduced from $259 to $199, which may put it closer to the impulse buy or gift category. Perhaps more significantly, the firm has also decided to release a Wi-Fi only version for $149. The lack of 3G access means users won’t have the “get a new book anywhere” function, but there will likely be many potential users who’ll see that as a price worth paying to save $50. The Wi-Fi only model will still have an internet connection in AT&T hotspots and in Barnes & Noble stores.
Meanwhile Amazon has reduced the entry-level Kindle from $259 to $189. That’s quite the series of discounts considering the original Kindle launched less than three years ago for $399. The larger Kindle DX remains at $489 which is looking very expensive after this week’s price cuts.
Is this simply a case of price competition between B&N and Amazon? It’s possible, but the announcements have come in such quick succession that it seems unlikely one is reacting to the other’s move. The chances are it’s more to do with the success of the iPad and the way its book-reading features not only look very impressive, but by most reports are better to use than might have been expected from a non-specialist device.
There’s no denying that if all you want from the device is to read books in the best way possible, dedicated e-readers will usually perform better than an iPad, or even a netbook computer. But a single-function device has to be in a very distinct price category from a multi-function machine, which is why even just changing the first digit of the price tag from a 2 to a 1 might have been an important step for the e-reader firms.
Another effect to watch out for in the wake of the iPad is whether B&N and Amazon reduce the emphasis on the additional features of their devices. While they can easily argue the book reading of the Kindle is superior to the iPad, features such as surfing a monochrome web or playing chess come off as pretty flimsy compared with the Apple experience.
It’ll also be interesting to see if the release of iBooks for the iPhone and iPod touch makes any difference to the e-reader market. My gut reaction is that the combination of small screens and high prices will mean most see it as a poor substitute, but it may deter a few people who’d been on the fence about getting an e-reader.
Watch carefully as these diamonds are being moved from the top of the sheet to the bottom and try to explain what is happening in the comments section below. Please note that there are no camera tricks or special effects used in the video.
One day after the release of Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS4, it’s time to examine whether it really lives up to the hype.
As I have a second-generation iPod touch rather than an iPhone, there are a few features which aren’t available to me. I’ll start by summing up the general online response to those, but do let us know in the comments section if your experience differs.
Multitasking: This is largely the flagship feature of the update. Technically it’s not multitasking as such, but rather a case of being able to freeze applications rather than close them when switching to another app. It’s a little early to come to any conclusions about how it works in practice as it’s down to each app developer to decide how they implement the feature, so there may be a lot of app updates in the coming weeks.
Wallpaper: You can now change the background wallpaper on the home screen. This isn’t a major deal to me either way as I’d imagine the plain black background offers the best contrast for the app icons, and it’s not as if you have plenty of empty space as with desktop operating systems.
Bluetooth keyboard support: Those who’ve used it may feel otherwise, but I can’t see many combinations where the benefit of typing on a real keyboard isn’t outweighed by the small screen of an iPhone.
Now to the features which are available to me:
Folders: You can now organize app icons in folders, as with most desktop icons. From what I can tell, this is probably more of a benefit to people with a lot of apps installed. The process certainly works pretty smoothly (though it’s slightly easier to rearrange the icons in iTunes on your computer), and apps are automatically put into categories, though you can rename a folder. It takes a little while to feel the benefits as you have to relearn where every app is positioned, but after that, it feels as if it saves time. The changes mean the menu screens can now cope with 2,160 apps, which sounds somewhat excessive to me.
E-mail: The two main changes are that you can bring several accounts into one inbox, and that messages are threaded. As I use my iPod to access a Gmail account, this doesn’t really bring anything new to me.
iBooks: While it’s nice to have it on here, the prices for new books are far too expensive for something I’ll be reading on a small screen. I also find the app runs noticeably slowly compared with third-party rivals such as Stanza. The PDF support is certainly useful, but is very reliant on the design and text size of the document: anything which isn’t large enough to be legible in full-page mode becomes too fiddly to read pleasurably. If anything, the shortfalls of the app are a fantastic advertisement for the iPad.
Spell checking: I was quite impressed to see this pop up in third-party apps such as TweetDeck. At the risk of tempting fate, this probably isn’t a feature aimed at me as, being a professional writer, I tend to use spellcheck only when using word processors rather than e-mails or status updates.
Wi-Fi: It wasn’t until researching this piece that I realized this change had been made, though I had noticed the effects. The iPod touch now stays connected to Wi-Fi in sleep mode (not, of course, when switched off), so some features such as e-mail can stay active and new message notifications will be up to date as soon as you re-open the device.
Other new features include the ability to give apps as a gift, photo tagging if you use iPhoto on a Mac, and custom playlists on the iPod touch. I’ve not explored the latter except to establish that it certainly doesn’t seem intuitive, but it’s certainly a positive that this is the only feature change where I’d need to look up any form of instructions.
Overall, there’s nothing revolutionary here; but there appears to be a few useful benefits along with what feels like a minor drop in speed. Given the way Apple portable devices are as much about how using them feels as the raw performance specs, that minor drop may be very significant to some users.
Apple claims there are more than 100 new features in iOS 4. That may well be true, but some of these are very minor changes such as relocating the airport mode setting to a more prominent position in the settings menu or choosing a password rather than PIN on the phone lock.
For many of us geeks, cartoons defined a large part of our childhoods. If you grew up any time between the 1960s and the 1990s, you probably wax romantic about the plethora of amazing shows that played on Saturday mornings. For me, much of my entertainment came from the Disney Afternoon. Those particular shows just seems to resonate with me, even more than earlier exposure to cartoons such as He-Man and Thundercats.
Although, the more I think about my favorite shows growing up, the more I see a pattern. In fact, it’s quite possible that this pattern is integral to my geek progression.
So today I wanted to share a list of my 10 favorite cartoon geeks, whose mere presence inspired me down my own geeky pathways.
I was excited to see the first commercial released for StarCraft 2 since I had the luck to be included in the Beta testing phase that ended at the beginning of June.
The Waiting Makes it Worse
With such a long waiting period for a new release, there are always huge expectations. Take the Star Wars prequels for example, where years and years of waiting ended up in bitter disappointment when George Lucas failed to produce a quality product.
However, the difference between Star Wars and StarCraft is that Blizzard actually cares about what its fan base says, and has proved as much by opening the StarCraft 2 Beta to thousands of users. Those familiar with the original version, a large portion of who still play it on a regular basis, understand that there is a vast difference between the cinematic elements that are such a focus of the commercials, and the actual game play. If you’re looking for the game basics and fundamentals to have changed from Starcraft to Starcraft 2, then prepare to be disappointed. Unlike Lucas, Blizzard has maintained the game’s core integrity and resisted the urge to sell out under pressure. Don’t get me wrong, there are huge improvements in the “tech tree”, completely new units, and improved graphics and 3D modeling, but the basic game is still intact and just as addictive as ever.
A Careful Balancing Act
One of the main focuses of the Beta was to ensure that each race was carefully balanced through build time, unit cost and abilities to ensure that there are no “Zergling Rushes” that spoil game play. Incrementally, updates were applied to the Beta, adding or removing abilities and tweaking in game elements to ensure that no one race could dominate the others with an unfair advantage.
Leveraging Leagues and Placement
Another issue that seasoned players are familiar with in the original StarCraft is fixed in the sequel. In the previous version, you never knew if you would be playing playing against someone who couldn’t operate a mouse or a seasoned veteran with the potential to obliterate you with an unreal amount of units in less time than it took for you to build a single barrack. The Beta showed an intense interest in the balancing of players into leagues so that you can play against people relatively around your skill level.
In the new version, after starting you off with 5 starter matches against complete novices, on specially designed maps that slow down game play, you’re placed and scored on each match you win or lose. After even just a few rounds of being completely annihilated, when you score that first victory you’ll be fully hooked and eager for the next match.
You can mix it up playing 1 on 1 upwards to 4 on 4 players, with each a completely different experience as tactics and strategies shift. The league placement makes it possible for you to continue to improve your skills while avoiding frustrating scenarios where you couldn’t possibly win time and time again.
Online RTS VS. MMORPG
The part of Starcraft 2 they opened to Beta was the online multiplayer, so I can’t speak to the concerns about storyline and cinematics not matching up to related gameplay, but I can say that I am already missing having access to the game since the Beta closed to prepare for the full release. The real benefit of the match based real-time strategy game is that you can easily play just a couple of short quick rounds without having to plan an entire day or weekend organizing a raid. If “husband duties” call my name, then I can wrap up that match and go back to the real world in a matter of minutes.
Watching the Calendar
While you wait for the release you can take an entrance Exam for the Terran Dominion, or even join in a Propaganda campaign for some prizes. I eagerly anticipate the full release of StarCraft 2, and hopefully Blizzard can learn from Lucas’s mistakes and hope that it doesn’t have a Jar Jar Binks included to mess up their long anticipated return.
I recently had the chance to play with the Marvel app on an iPad, and I have to say – it’s pretty amazing. Though I don’t have one myself and didn’t have plans to get one anytime soon, I can definitely see the merits of using the device to read comics. For me, the experience is just as good as reading one in print – which definitely cannot be said for reading on the iPhone. The frame-by-frame way of reading due to the small screen (pictured right) just does not work for me.
Both Barnes & Noble and Amazon have cut the prices of their electronic reading devices, but it may still be too late to compete with Apple.
