Apple

iPad: Final Fantasy Dimensions / The Walking Dead

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

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I’ve used the first gen Kindle Fire and the 7″ Kindle Fire HD and enjoyed both, but I finally decided to become an iPad owner. I’d describe myself as quite the Apple fan. I love their story, I love their attitude and I love their products. I use a 13″ MacBook Pro (2012) and the iPhone 4 and love both. They’re both very solid, sleek and sexy products with great operating systems (I also run Windows 8 on my MacBook and enjoy it). I love the iTunes store and have a lot of iTunes content, and I could still access all of my Amazon content via the Kindle and Instant Video apps, so the iPad was a great investment in my eyes.

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So now I’m the owner of a white 32gb iPad 4 as you can see in the blurry as crap picture above (sorry about that). So far it’s been a great experience. The retina display is absolutely amazing, text on websites looks incredibly crisp and HD movies look absolutely stunning. The amount of apps available is a HUGE improvement over the Kindle Fire HD (sorry Amazon) and I’m glad I made the purchase.

I’ve been enjoying Final Fantasy: Dimensions a lot so far. Dimensions is a modern Final Fantasy game created in the old 16 bit style and it’s a wonderful throwback. It looks and sounds great and so far it is a blast to play. It is an episodic title and the prologue is free, chapter 1 is $2.99 and the 3 remaining chapters are $6.99, or you can buy all of the chapters for $19.99. I think I’m going to buy the chapters as I get to them because the game is about 40 hours along and I’m sure it’ll take me at least several weeks to finish and I’ll probably get distracted.

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I’ve also been playing The Walking Dead, which I’ve played on the 360 but since the first episode is free I figured I’d try it out. I’m going to play the opposite type of character on my iPad playthrough, so I’m pretty much going to be a ruthless son of a bitch throughout the game 🙂 Should be fun.

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I’ve also checked out Infinity Blade II which looks amazing. If you have any other recommendations for must play games feel free to suggest them in the comments. Anyway, I’ve included a few more screenshots below. Enjoy!

iTunes 11 is here!

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

If CNET is correct, we’ll be seeing a revamped iTunes sometime today. Steven Musil notes that this will be the first major update to iTunes since iTunes 10 released in 2010, and it will have a revamped user interface with social networking integration.

I love iTunes and look forward to playing around with the new version as soon as I’m able to download it. The lack of social networking interaction is one of the only things I’ve felt iTunes has lacked. I’d love the ability to share songs I’m listening to (like Pandora allows) and maybe even share purchases and playlists. We’ll see what exactly Apple includes in less than 24 hours!

 

Amazon pokes fun at iPad Mini

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

If you visit Amazon today you’ll see this on the front page:

I’ve had the 7″ Kindle Fire HD for a few weeks now and I’m in love with it, so I’ll have to agree with Amazon, the Fire HD is the better buy. Don’t believe me? Just check the specs Amazon points out. Sure for $130 more you’ll have a wider range of apps to choose from (the smaller selection of apps available for the Fire is its only downfall in my eyes), but just look at what you’ll be missing out on. The Fire HD’s screen is stunning. Don’t believe me? Just play with one in a store. Watch a movie, view pictures, read a magazine. It’s a downright amazing screen. The speakers on the Fire HD are even better. The sound quality is great, and it can actually get pretty loud which is a nice improvement over the original Fire.

Don’t think I’m just hating on Apple. I use (and love) a MacBook Pro and iPhone 4. I just think Amazon makes the best tablet for me.

My MacBook Pro is here!

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

My 13″ MacBook Pro (also my first Mac ever) arrived after work yesterday and for the last 24 hours I’ve been in love with this beautiful machine. I intend to post some more detailed thoughts as I get to know the machine better, but for now I’ll leave you with a few (awkward) photos 🙂

13″ MacBook Pro
2.5ghz Intel i5
8GB RAM
500 GB hard drive

Chris Pirillo’s iPhone 5 unboxing

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

One of my all time favorite tech geeks, Chris Pirillo, unboxed his iPhone 5 live on YouTube today and it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re interested in the iPhone. The live stream is still going, but you’ll be able to watch the recorded version soon after it ends. At the moment the video is just over an hour, so there’s plenty of detail within.

Check it out:

Guild Wars 2 now on Mac!

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

My first MacBook is set to arrive in the mail Friday and now I’m even more excited because not only will I be able to play World of Warcraft and Diablo III on it without running bootcamp or an emulator, but I’ll now also be able to try out Guild Wars 2!

Yesterday it was announced on the Guild Wars website that Guild Wars 2 is now playable on Macs in beta form. Anyone who has purchased Guild Wars 2 can now download the Mac client. It’s in beta because the software hasn’t been finalized, however it’s a step in the right direction to release a Mac client so soon after the game’s release. Can’t wait to give it a try.

Decided to go Mac

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

So I’ve been a Windows PC user for my entire life. The only time I ever used a Mac was in Elementary school computer classes (ancient Macintosh machines) and typing class in middle school (colorful iMacs). I had always admired Macs, Apple and the wonderful story of Steve Jobs’ rise, fall and rise again (Pirates of Silicon Valley has long been one of my favorite movies, and Walter Isaacson’s biography is a wonderful read. I also enjoy Wozniak’s iWoz). The first Apple product I ever owned was an iPod video which I received in 2005, and it totally changed my life…Sort of. I mean I had been using a portable CD player all through high school and had to carry around a bulky CD holder filled with discs I’d burn just about every week as my musical tastes fluctuated.

The second Apple product I’ve purchased was an iPhone 4 which I bought the day I graduated basic training while on base liberty (October 2011). I had previously used a ‘dumb’ phone (Motorola Razr) and an almost smart phone (have no clue what it was, but it had a slide out keyboard and internet access at least). The iPod completely revolutionized how I listened to music, and likewise the iPhone totally changed the way I used a cell phone. I love the iOS and it’s simplicity. My iPhone is going to look just like anyone else’s iPhone. I can operate and navigate any other iPhone just as easily as I can my own, and what’s available on anyone else’s iPhone is available on mine as well through the well maintained app store.

I’ve always admired Macs, ever since the first Justin Long “I’m a Mac” commercials. Likewise I think seeing Macs used by all the tech savvy and ‘cultured’ characters on TV shows and movies has planted a desire to own a Mac in my head as well. However I think what really triggered the desire to purchase a Mac has been reading Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. I’ve always idolized Jobs, and the story of Apple fascinates me so much that it almost feels like it’s my duty to purchase and use a Mac.

There’s really nothing special about a Windows PC. There’s no standard model. You can purchase a PC from a wide variety of manufacturers and what you get will be completely different (in a sense) than what the next person gets. For many this is a good thing, however I always find myself with something less desirable, less solid, less functional than what everyone else has. I think the fact that there are really only a handful of models of Macs is appealing. I know exactly what I’m getting and I’m not going to end up with an incredibly inferior product (which I consider the Samusng RV520 laptop that I type this on to be).

Long story short, last Friday I ordered a 13″, 2.5ghz i5, 8gb RAM, 500gb hard drive MacBook Pro and it should arrive in the mail by the end of this week. I’m incredibly excited to learn a new operating system and to see just how well the computer will perform. I’ll be sure to post my thoughts as I acclimate myself to the world of Macintosh and OS X. Thanks for reading 🙂