The Next Big Thing In Earphones

Named Consumer Electronic Show 2012’s Best of Innovations winner in the headphones product category, eers custom earphones are poised to be the next big thing in the earphones market. These are custom-molded to the unique shape of your ear canal in just five minutes, so they provide a set of earphones that will stay put, never fall out or cause discomfort in even the most extreme active environments, while promoting safe listening habits.

“Since ears are more unique than fingerprints, perfect fit and comfort can only be achieved with custom-fit earphones,” says Nick Laperle, president and CEO of Sonomax Technologies Inc. “As the world’s first self-fit, custom earphones, eers fill a huge void in the headphone market that just reached $2 billion in the U.S. alone. Our newest eers are the product of many years of hard work and are truly a testament to Sonomax’s role in the future of in-ear products.”

eers uses the SonoFit system to mold the headphones to custom-fit your ears. You attach a headband to your head, place the ear tips into your ears, activate the little pumps. You’ll feel your ears filling up with air (it’s not uncomfortable at all), and in five minutes you’ll have a custom fit. I did this process on the plane on the way back from CES and it’s truly very easy. I also waited the suggested 30 minutes after the fitting for the silicone to set, after that I had phenomenal earphones to use during my flight. I could barely hear the airplane engines.

The headphones come in two models: PCS-150 and PCS-250. The new design of both incorporates a lowprofile, ergonomic shape and earloop that comfortably cradles the back of your ear, while providing the channel for the wire from your sound source, as well as assisting you in proper insertion and removal. Both have an inline microphone, but the PCS-250 is a little more high-end with its two dual driver speakers that act as the tweeter and woofer similar to most home theater systems.

These headphones also are great for your workouts since they stay in so well. A hint to make them stay in is to make sure you use the included lubricant. This provides a good seal to ensure no additional noise comes in. The only drawback is they’re a bit pricey at $199 (PCS-150) and $299 (PCS-250), but well worth it if you’re an audiophile or music enthusiast. You can buy a pair at sculptedeers.com or Amazon.com.

 

The Toddy Smart Cloth Toddy Gear’s newest collection of eye-catching Toddy Smart Cloths was unveiled at CES this year, and is a must-have for your purse or bag-o-tech if you like having your gadgets fingerprint-free. Each piece is a durable plush microfiber cloth on one side for buffing and polishing, featuring the AEGIS Microbe Shield technology to protect the cloth and you from microorganisms that contribute to mold and mildew. The other side has a beautifully patterned silk microfiber for deeper cleaning.

Since the Smart Cloth is naturally hydrophilic, it’s ideal to clean your touchscreen gadgets such as your iPad or iPhone, as well as gaming devices. It also works well on eyeglasses, small household items or small smudges on car windows or plastic surfaces. It buffs out fingerprints and miscellaneous marks left by styluses or your keiki, whether they’re fresh or have been sitting there for awhile.

I love my Toddy Cloth and it’s by far the best I’ve seen. The colorful design also adds to the appeal. The 5-by-7 cloth retails for $9.99, or $19.99 for a three pack, at toddygear.com, bestbuy.com or your nearest Target. Additionally, businesses can customize and put their company logo on these cloths to use as promotional items.

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CES 2012 Highlights

The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) commenced last week and featured a record number of exhibitors with more than 3,100 companies on the show floor. It exceeded 1.85 million net square feet of exhibit space!

The main cutting-edge products this year included ultrabooks, voice and gesture-based technologies, smartphones and OLED TVs.

One of the biggest buzzes at the show was that this is the last year Microsoft will be at a CES. While Microsoft president and CEO Steve Ballmer delivered Microsoft’s historic last CES keynote address, he surprised the audience with Ryan Seacrest as his co-host and announced that the Microsoft Kinect (unofficially nicknamed the Kinect 2) will come to Windows Feb. 1. They demonstrated the new Xbox experience with Kinect, and will provide an entertainment hub with a new personalized viewer experience. Ballmer also demo’d the new Windows phone models Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan 2, and provided a sneak peek at Windows 8.

Next was the ultrabooks. It seemed almost every company had its own ultrabook to debut. In short, an ultrabook is a thin, sleek laptop, slightly larger than a netbook, but much faster. Apple’s MacBook Air was the first ultrabook to hit the market two years ago, and now the rest of the industry is catching up.

The best ones I saw were probably Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga, which is a Windows 8-powered ultrabook that transforms into a 13-inch tablet. Additionally, Acer’s Aspire S5 and Timeline Ultra, as well as HP’s Envy 14 Spectre really stood out.

New TVs seem to be coming out every day, but LG announced its phenomenal 55-inch 3D OLED TV. The 1-mm bezel is almost nonexistent, and it boasts a contrast ratio of more than 100,000,000:1, 50 times greater than that of LED/LCD displays. These OLED TVs display vivid colors and fine detail, helping to preserve images with utmost clarity and sharpness, even when displaying scenes with dark lighting.

Samsung unveiled its 46to 65-inch ES8000 LED TV that has a built-in camera and microphone for facial, gesture and voice recognition, and it uses Samsung’s Smart Interaction to listen and see your commands. The picture quality isn’t the best, but this is perhaps the way of the future: You don’t have to use a remote! Samsung also teamed up with NBC Universal to create 3-D shows (i.e., Battlestar Galactica) that you can stream right to your TV.

And, to add to the TV pool, Sony announced a Crystal LED display. The company used a 55-inch prototype at CES to display the new technology. This new display is self-emitting and uses Sony’s method of mounting ultrafine LEDs in each of the RGB colors, equivalent to the number of pixels. There are approximately 6 million LEDs in full HD. The light source is mounted directly on the front of the display, which increases light-use efficiency and, more importantly, a much more vibrant and colorful picture. The display will be able to produce images with higher contrast, wider color gamut, superb video image response time and wider viewing angles when compared to current LCD and plasma displays. The power consumption also is extremely low at under 70W. So far no release date.

Stay tuned for more!

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Studying Social Media Marketing

If you’ve considered a career in social media marketing, the Emerging New Media University (ENMU) is launching its first-ever accredited social media certification program in Hawaii this month. This new curriculum, created in partnership with Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training (PCATT), offers instruction on best practices and insights on developing and implementing largescale social marketing campaigns and advertising strategy.

“Social media is an advertising and marketing tool that every business owner needs to master,” says program director Quincy Solano. “This cutting-edge technology innovation is ever evolving, and we want to ensure Hawaii not only keeps up with the trends, but creates them. ENMU will help standardize and streamline the way businesses and communities do social media.”

The courses will be taught at the PCATT facilities at Honolulu Community College, and the curriculum will focus on teaching students how to formulate online content, social media platforms, creating a social outreach plan and much more. Instructors are key professionals in Hawaii’s social media industry, including Empowered Presentations president and founder Yancey Unequivocally.

You’ll need to complete the following four classes to obtain your Emerging New Media Certification:

* Social Media Marketing for Business 101: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Google+ and more. Build the foundation for your social media strategy and take your knowledge with social media from personal use to commercial use in the real world.

* Online Marketing 101: Use advanced online tools to reach a wider audience on the Web. This class teaches you the basics for newsletters, YouTube videos, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM) and more.

* Empowering Presentation Design: Learn presentation design etiquette and how to avoid the countless design drawbacks that can decrease the strength of even superb speakers. In this course, you will walk out knowing how to save your next audience from the corporate syndrome known as “Death by PowerPoint.”

* Empowering Presentation Delivery: Learn the importance of proper delivery of visual information, feel confident to stand and deliver before an audience of any size, and learn how to develop and organize a presentation for any audience at any event. Visit www.emergingnewmedia.com/university for more information or to enroll.

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New Year Means New Gadgets

Happy New Year! A new year means new gadgets, and by the time this publishes I will be on a plane to cover this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of technology. Below are some highlights of what we can expect this year.

The first thing to note is that this is the last year that Microsoft will be at CES. That is BIG news considering CES is the largest tech show of the year and Microsoft is always one of the anchors. It will be interesting to see what it will bring to the table to exit the CES scene with a bang.

Despite Microsoft’s withdrawal from future shows, this year is still expected to draw a large number of attendees as 149,000 registered (about the same as last year, and just a few thousand off from the record-setting 152,000 in 2006). CES will have about 2,700 exhibitors that will occupy more than 1.8 million square feet of space.

Typically, CES is known for the big mainstream companies, but this year it is rolling out the red carpet for a range of startup companies, and the area will be labeled “Eureka Park.” I’m looking forward to what these 80-plus young companies have to offer. I’m guessing many of these smaller new businesses will have some car tech car infotainment, connectivity and safety enhancements also are on the rise.

Lastly, 2011 was definitely the year of the tablet, but I think this year it will be the ultrabook. In case you don’t know what an ultrabook is, it’s a term that Intel came up with that refers to an ultraportable, lightweight high-end laptop (such as a MacBook Air). Ultrabooks are typically 13, 14 or 15 inches, so I expect to see a whole bunch of them from a variety of companies.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Waze

The community-based traffic app Waze has been around for a couple of years, but with its recent redesign and ever-growing user base, it’s even more useful and fun to use.

Available for your iPhone/iPad or Android device, you can view and share real-time traffic information with nearby Wazers. Since you can link it to your Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare accounts, the social aspect of Waze sets it apart from other traffic/navigation based apps.

The user interface is somewhat minimalistic yet effective to provide a safe method for a quick glance at the screen. There are big buttons you can easily push to view reports Navigate, Reports, My Waze, Share, etc. for the Menu. Here you can see live community-contributed traffic information and road reports, and receive notifications when you’re approaching heavy traffic, road hazards or speed traps. Then, when you hit the button on the bottom right, you’ll see the Report menu with more big buttons Traffic jam, Police, Accident, Hazard, Pave, Check-in and more. If you can do it safely, you can take a picture (I wouldn’t even attempt this unless someone else was driving or if I was stuck in very heavy traffic).

In addition, you can use Waze as a GPS. Traditional GPS systems are built on static, old-world maps and points of interest, which never reflect real-time information about new businesses, pop-up shops or live local events. Waze gives you free traffic bypassing navigation that features voice-guided turnby-turn guidance, a live map and rerouting suggestions. Note: Using Waze is draining on your battery, so have something to plug it into to keep your battery charged.

Start Wazing for free from Apple’s iTunes Store or the Android Market.

 

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Techie New Year’s Resolutions

As we go into 2012, here are some ideas for techie New Year’s resolutions you can make:

Back up your data

Not to be blatantly obvious, but do yourself a favor and commit to backing up your data at least once a week (preferably daily, if you have an automated solution), because you never know when something might happen. I still see many people who do not do this, and they find themselves between a rock and a hard place when their hard drive crashes, computer is stolen or even simple user errors such as deleting a file.

The easiest thing to do is invest in an external hard drive (1TB or 2TB is ideal), and make a copy of your hard drive there. Then, as a secondary, you probably won’t be able to copy your whole hard drive onto a cloud space, but you should use your cloud storage for your most precious photos and vital files. When you accidently delete something, you’ll thank yourself later!

Keep software updated

With the amount of vulnerabilities computer operating systems (OS) have, hackers are constantly targeting them. Do yourself a favor and keep your OS up to date to avoid a future headache. Windows, Mac and Linux all have automatic update mechanisms. Your OS should notify you when an update is available, but you should set up reminders for yourself at least once a month to manually do this as well.

Clean dust out of your systems

It would be a good idea to periodically take your computer outside and spray all the dust out of it with compressed air (mainly for desktops laptops, too, but they’re a little harder to open up). One of the main causes of system failures is overheating, and one of the major causes of overheating is dust buildup on components, especially on fans. When you clean it out, make sure to use compressed air and not a vacuum cleaner (it can build up a high static charge and easily kill your motherboard).

No phone use at the table

A final thought, but more of an anti-tech thought: In this age of smartphones, we’re tempted to have it always out and on, but it’s very rude to bust out your cell phone in the middle of lunch or dinner while you’re with family and friends (unless you’re showing them pictures or a new app). It’s fine if you’re by yourself, but please keep your phone in your bag and enjoy your company at meal time.

 

Martin & MacArthur’s iPhone Case

Koa iPhone cases are nothing new, but Martin & MacArthur jumped on the iPhone case bandwagon and recently debuted its iKoa iPhone case for the iPhone 4/4S. The feature that sets an iKoa case apart from other koa cases is the fact that it includes a secret compartment to stash a credit card or ID, with maybe a little room for some emergency coffee money.

“With the introduction of iKoa, we are continuing to re-invent the art of koa,” explains Michael Tam, CEO of Martin & MacArthur, who continues to develop new items for launch in the coming months. All koa used for the cases was harvested from fallen trees on private estates on the Big Island.

You can buy an iKoa for $179 from any of the Martin & MacArthur stores or online at martinandmacarthur.com. There are also plans to expand the koa cases to other devices (i.e., iPad) and selected Android phones.

 

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Beware Of Holiday Scam Artists

‘Tis the season for holiday scams. You procrastinators do not have much time left to shop before Christmas is here, but while you’re in a rush, don’t fall victim to the scam artists preying on you. Here are some common ones that are around this year:

* Bogus free iPad offers: I can’t tell you how many spam e-mails I’ve seen offering me a free iPad. If it’s too good to be true, it is indeed too good to be true. The victims of this scam are asked to provide a credit card number to get the iPad, then their credit card number is stolen and they never see the iPad. Another version of the scam asks you to take a quiz, and you must provide a cell phone number. You’re then signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week.

* Smishing: This is the use of SMS or text messages on your cell phone (similar to spam). A text message will come in from a supposed bank or online retailer asking you to verify your account information. With increased online shopping during this time, this has been more common. Just delete and ignore it.

* Suspicious holiday rentals: Cyber criminals have been posting fake holiday rental offers that ask for a down payment via credit card or wire transfer. No matter how tempting it is, stick with a reliable source for your vacation rental.

* Charity scams: Riding on the generosity of the holiday season, there have been various charity scams circulating via different means whether it’s a phone call for a veteran’s charity or an email to support a disaster relief (i.e., Thailand flooding). If it’s not a reliable source, ignore it.

* Holiday downloads: Be careful when you download holiday-themed screen savers, jingles or animations. These can be used by scammers to spread viruses and malware, which you can inadvertently spread to your friends via email or instant messages.

 

On another note, the 12th annual Holiday Science & Tech Fair 2011 is Dec. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center. This showcase of Hawaii’s innovative tech industry and skilled talent offers free resume evaluations from HR professionals, from 4 p.m. Pau hana begins at 6 p.m. in conjunction with the Wetware Wednesday Software Networking group sponsored by Bishop & Company.

Participating companies are Bishop & Company, Team Praxis, Sopogy, Referentia Systems, HMSA, Oceanit, Navatek, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and more. Companies can register at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to participate, and job seekers register at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 539-3794.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Elmo Calls

If you have an Elmoloving toddler in your life, you must download the Elmo Calls app for your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. My daughter turned 2 a couple weeks ago, and since then this has been keeping her completely occupied during all the car rides. Thank you, Sesame Street. This has now turned into an essential part of our daily commutes, instead of having to watch individual Elmo videos.

The app allows you to receive audio and video calls from Elmo or dial him yourself. Your keiki can receive voicemails from Elmo regularly and listen to the messages anytime. They also can do video chats that look similar to FaceTime. As a grown-up, you can activate calls or schedule Elmo to call for various situations (i.e., taking a bath, learning to potty or getting dressed).

Elmo Calls encourages your keiki to engage in imaginative play, practice listening skills and sing songs with Elmo. It also fosters self-confidence by encouraging children to celebrate important life moments such as going to the doctor or dentist, or learning the alphabet.

The app itself will cost you 99 cents from the iTunes Store, but includes a limited amount of content. I would suggest doing the $4.99 in-app purchase to activate all the categories (as opposed to purchasing them individually).

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An Arcade Experience On Your iPad

If you own an iPad and enjoyed the old glory days of Atari gaming, the iCADE Arcade Cabinet for iPad is a must-have for you and also makes a great Christmas present for the iPad person in your life. The iCADE was originally one of those “fake products” that was adored by the masses on the Internet and was made into a real toy. It puts your iPad into an authentic miniarcade cabinet complete with a full-sized joystick, arcade-style buttons and a slot for a quarter.

Using the iCADE is a different experience, and one that really expands the iPad’s capacity for gaming. It communicates with your iPad via Bluetooth, and offers a fairly authentic arcade experience with its clicky buttons and solid joystick the buttons feel and sound just like real buttons. It’s nice just to be able to play games on your iPad without cradling it in your lap or laying it flat on the table, making it better for your posture, too. iCADE’s specially designed cradle ensures safe loading and unloading of your iPad, while also providing a solid, secure fit even during the most intense game-play sessions. Furthermore, the cradle offers an ideal screen-viewing angle and quickly allows iCADE’s top-quality arcade controls to interact with your iPad via Bluetooth. Once your iPad is in place, simply launch an iCADE compatible app, “insert coin” and it’s game on!

To get started, the best deal is to download the Atari app from the iTunes Store for $14.99. This includes 100 Atari games, including Missile Command and most of your classic Atari favorites. Additionally, you can download a multitude of other compatible games including Commodore 64,

Space Inversion, Space Inversion 2, Emerald Mine, Sideways Racing and more.

Find the iCADE on sale at ThinkGeek.com or Amazon.com for $69.99 (original price $99.99).

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Free Shipping Day

A few years ago, the terms Black Friday and Cyber Monday were relatively new and weren’t widely known and used until recently. Now the new, new term to know is Free Shipping Day, which falls on Dec. 16 this year. I’ve been asking around, and not many people are aware of Free Shipping Day. It was started in 2008 by Luke and Maisie Knowles in an effort to extend the online shopping season.

Here in Hawaii, we often face high shipping costs, which frequently deters me from ordering items online. But when shipping is free, I have no hesitation to buy from the Web. Free Shipping Day is similar to Cyber Monday but designed to let you order something on the last probable day to have it shipped to you or your recipient (within the U.S.) on or before Christmas Eve for free.

As I write, 1,500 merchants were signed up as participants. Visit freeshipping.org to see who will be offering free shipping this year. The event will begin right at midnight EST Friday (7 p.m. Thursday HST) and end at midnight (7 p.m. Friday HST). No guarantees if all the retailers will offer the free shipping to Hawaii expect it to be a hit or miss.

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Click Chick’s Holiday Gift Guide

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s that time again Christmas! Here are some of my top picks that should be on your list for the techies in your life:

Air Swimmers Flying Sea Life

The Air Swimmers radiocontrolled sea creatures are marketed as toys for keiki ages 3 to 7, but I’m going to buy one (maybe two) for myself very soon. These are just way too cool! There are two different creatures one is a friendly clownfish and the other is a scary shark. They both have a range of up to 40 feet, and work with a 1.5volt AAA-powered motor that attaches to a small plastic pod on the bottom of the balloon (note you have to fill it with helium first).

The controller uses infrared reception to control the tail rudder’s speed and navigation, just like piloting a mini Goodyear Blimp. Some setup is required, but these Air Swimmers are perfect for your next party or to play a joke on someone. Find it for $35 at ThinkGeek.com.

.appBlaster The appBlaster is an iPhone accessory I saw at the recent Tokyo Game Show. It gives you a new augmented reality (AR) gaming experience, and it is designed specifically for use with the free Alien Attack game app. The AR feature of the game means the alien invasion comes straight at you from the surrounding area, so no matter where you are, there’s no place to hide. No batteries are required as it uses trigger-to-touchscreen technology. The triggers operate two pads that touch the screen and shoot the in-game blaster, allowing you to use both primary and secondary shooting functions to do some serious damage. Find this on Amazon.com for $47 or visit its British website for more information: apptoyz.com/appblaster/.

Amazon Kindle Touch 3G

If you’re looking for just a dedicated e-book reader (and not a full-blown tablet), the hands-down best one is the $149 Kindle Touch 3G (it’s even better than the $199 Kindle Fire). The Kindle Touch is a compact, lightweight and affordable e-book reader with an eink touch screen. It gives you access to a massive catalog of books, magazines, newspapers and audiobooks via Amazon.com’s popular store. It also supports mp3 files and text-to-speech for some titles. Find this perfect gift for the avid reader in your life at Amazon.com.

The Best Tablet: Apple iPad 2

Last but not least, that gift that really says “I love you” is the iPad 2 (you know I couldn’t leave this one out of my gift guide). In my humble opinion, even with all the tablets on the market now, none of them match up to the iPad 2. Also, to be fair, I do have an Android tablet (that I won’t name) for my 2-year-old daughter to play with, and she gets frustrated with it since it’s not as responsive to touch.

But, as with the iPhone, the iPad 2 is all about the apps. With Apple’s vast selection of apps, there is almost always “an app for that.” Until Google steps up the availability of apps, the iPad 2 will remain the tablet king. Pricing starts at $499 from Apple.com. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

CORRECTION: The Verizon website address is verizonwireless.com/workshops. The address in last week’s column is wrong.

 

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Verizon’s Free Smart Workshops

Many people I know own smartphones and sadly do not use their devices to their potential, or may not even know how to use the phone beyond its basic functions. If you happen to fall into this category, or just want to know more about your device, it’s good to know that Verizon Wireless recently started offering free workshops to help you learn.

These workshops range from learning about your Android device to your iPhone 4S or iPad 2, and both online and in-store options are available. The workshops offer you a comprehensive look at what smartphones and other “smart” devices, such as tablets, can do. The in-store workshops are led by specially trained data experts and sales representatives, and run between one and two hours.

The training ranges from basic to advanced. To give you an idea, the basic Android class teaches you about the features of your device and allows you ask questions, review basic hardware functions and show you how to customize your device. Whereas the advanced Android class lets you learn about the advanced functions on your device, including transferring content from your device, using social networking accounts, setting up multiple email accounts, using the browsers and troubleshooting. Whatever level you’re at, it should be beneficial.

If you’re interested in attending a workshop, find one near you and register here: verizonwireless.com/workshops. If you have specific questions you need answered, schedule a live Q&A session where a Verizon Wireless representative will answer your questions about devices and operating systems.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile Apps of the Week: Checkbook

The joy of holiday shopping is upon us, and if you’re a frequent debit card user, Checkbook will help you keep tabs of where you’re spending your money and help you make paper transactions a thing of the past. If you’re looking for a simple way to track your expenses (what you would normally write into your checkbook), this is for you.

The Apps is very simple and straightforward, as it’s not trying to be one-stop finance Apps such as Mint. Checkbook lets you track multiple accounts (including credit cards), enter in check numbers for the paper checks you actually write, save recurring transactions without having to retype all the details each time, and reconcile your transactions to see where you stand. Additionally, you can export your transactions via email to your favorite desktop program (i.e., Excel, Numbers, Quicken, Money, etc.).

Checkbook is worth the $1.99 to help you live paperless. Visit checkbookiphoneapp.com or the iTunes Store to download it to your iPhone.

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Rockin’ Out With Google Music

You may remember me writing about the Google Music Beta back in May, and now it’s finally open for business.

It’s almost a decade too late to pose a threat to Apple’s very successful, longstanding iTunes Store, but you Android users might have something to be happy about.

Google Music allows you to buy, store, stream and share tracks you already own, and it’s fully integrated with the Android Market. The store offers more than 13 million tracks from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI and the global independent rights agency Merlin as well as more than 1,000 prominent independent labels, including Merge Records, Warp Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Naxos. As with iTunes, average pricing for individual songs is 99 cents and $10 for an album.

You can purchase individual songs or entire albums right from your computer or Android device and they’ll be instantly added to your Google Music library, and accessible anywhere.

You also can download free exclusive music from the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Busta Rhymes, Shakira, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and Tiësto.

There are a total of about 20,000 free songs. You can share your songs with your friends, but they can only listen to it once (kind of as a free trial or try before you buy).

In addition, a unique feature is the Artist Hub. For a $25 fee, this allows you (whether you’re on a label or a do-it-yourselfer), to distribute your own music on Google Music. You can use the Artist Hub interface to build an artist page, upload original tracks, set prices and sell content directly to fans, essentially becoming the manager of your own music store. This goes for new artists as well as established ones.

For more information, or to get started, visit music.google.com and market.android.com for the new music app.

Note: You need to be running Android 2.2 on your device for it to support Google Music. Also, TMobile customers with Android phones can buy music without having to enter any payment information it will show up on your cell phone bill.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: IconSettings for iPhone

Many of my iPhoneowning friends users are gun shy when it comes to jailbreaking their phones.

For those of you who are hesitant to go through with it, IconSettings for iPhone offers you some of the benefits of jailbreaking your iPhone without having to actually jailbreak your phone.

Technically, IconSettings is not an app you can download from iTunes, but it’s a bookmarklet that can launch specific settings from your iPhone’s home screen.

You save a premade bookmark to your home screen and whenever you tap it, you are brought straight into the specific setting you want.

For example, if you want to adjust your Wi-Fi settings, you just click on the Wi-Fi button within the app, and it will immediately launch the Wi-Fi settings pane on your iPhone.

It also works this way for many of the other common settings that you would want

iPhone: http://iphoneza.co.za/IconSettings/.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

After seeing it at the Tokyo Game Show a couple of months ago, I’m glad to see the much-anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 finally hit the streets last week. The first release of this game cast a new mold for first-person shooters. Since then, it has become more refined, imitated by other games, and highly acclaimed, making it one of the more memorable franchises of its time.

If you’ve played either of the previous Call of Duty titles, this one will be very familiar, as Modern Warfare 3’s campaign picks up where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 left off. You play as Army Ranger Sgt. Derek “Frost” Westbrook, and your Delta Force team is trying to take back New York City from the Russian invaders. The U.S. is fighting back and gaining ground, while the Russian president seeks to re-assert his influence and depose the maverick leader Vladimir Makarov.

The gameplay is intense but loads of fun. The action takes place all over the globe, from the U.S. to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, yet it’s bridged together fairly well. It will take you about five hours to go through the game’s roller coaster ride of a campaign, but once you’re done with that, you can have more fun with the Special Ops mode. The Spec Ops offers 16 one-off missions that complement the events of the campaign, and lets you experience more of the conflict. Each one of these missions only takes about 10 minutes, but you can customize the difficulty level to make it more challenging.

Additionally, when you want even more options, the multiplayer mode is probably the best part of the game. The new weapons upgrade concept allows you to add proficiencies to your most-used guns, improve range and stability, or boost recoil. Keep in mind there are more than 40 weapons to choose from, along with proficiencies and attachments that makes for thousands of combinations.

Modern Warfare 3 is a must-have for gamers who love shooter games, but be aware it’s rated M for Mature. It’s available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $60, and the Wii and PC for $50. Find it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or at Amazon.com.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Happy Hour Hawaii

Another homegrown app to recently hit the app world is Happy Hour Hawaii. Created by Carey and Brandon Bennett, this fulfilled the couple’s dream of having a simple way to obtain up-to-date information about happy hours. This is a perfect app for you if you’re always looking for cheap eats/drinks at happy hour time.

“We want everyone to be able to find great food and drinks at decent prices,” said Carey Bennett when asked about this project. “We created the website first, then realized it would work best as an app, so we taught ourselves how to make iPhone and Android apps to really make the site work for the user.”

Using your device’s GPS function, the app will tell you where the closest happy hours and events are to you, or you have the option to manually enter a ZIP code (works on all islands). You can save your favorites or shake your device to use the Happy Hour Shaker to randomly pick one.

Visit HappyHourHawaii.com for the web version or it’s a free download for your iOS or Android device.

 

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Some Changes In Google World

If you have a Gmail account you may have already noticed the new look. At first glance I struggled with it, mostly because I’m just so used to the old look, but eventually the new look grew on me. If you really can’t stand it, you have the option to go back to the old look.

So what does the new look do for you? Now you have much more control over the look of the service, allowing you to drag sidebars to your preferred size/width, choose from a wider selection of highresolution background pictures, or decide whether you want lots of e-mail on your screen or more white space between your e-mails. Additionally your conversations are more streamlined to help you keep track of who said what.

For Gmail’s mobile side, it released a new app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It brings your favorite features from the Gmail mobile app and iOS into one app so you can be more productive on the go. It’s designed to give you the information you need with minimal effort and distraction, such as being able to find an e-mail in seconds with a search across your entire inbox. Unfortunately shortly after this was released, they pulled it off the App Store temporarily because of a bug, but hopefully by the time this publishes it will be fixed.

On another side of Google, a new version of Google TV will soon be available on Sony and Logitech devices. As you may recall, it released the first version last year with partner Logitech and eventually slashed the price to $99 from $249 after it flopped.

This new version hopes to fix some of the shortcomings from the previous version and bring all Web videos, apps and network programming into one place to house “millions” of TV channels and simplify navigation. The update is based on Honeycomb (Android), which is also used in tablets, and looks similar to the Apple TV interface. Prices vary, find a Google TV solution here: google.com/tv/get.html

Click Chick’s Mobile

App of the Week: Coldwell Banker App

With today’s low interest rates in mind, it’s a good time to buy! With that in mind, Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties (CBP) recently re-launched the Coldwell Banker iPhone app, and rolled out an updated Website (cbpacific.com). As a side note, my husband and I recently used CBP (with our dear friend and CBP agent Tina Magpoc) to sell and buy a home, and it was a great experience. We even had an offer on our home for sale the very day it hit the market!

CBP’s app allows you to search properties based on your location (using your phone’s GPS). You can access all the Honolulu Board of Realtors’ (HBR) listings as well as search properties across the U.S. and 25 countries worldwide.

The updated Website offers the same features as the app, and you can also do map searches, customize your views and searches (100+ search criteria). The site is optimized to support the important features such as property listings, open houses, property details and pictures. Additionally, the website’s new radius search allows you to choose preset radius searches based on your lifestyle or needs (i.e. beaches, hospitals, etc.).

Download the Coldwell Banker App for free at the iTunes Store, Android Market, or BlackBerry App World.

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5Star Safety On The Move

GreatCall, the makers of the Jitterbug cell phone, recently released 5Star Responder Device. It reminds me of OnStar, but for people instead of cars. The 5Star Responder is the first-of-its kind wireless mobile device that gives you a convenient option to protect yourself, especially if you’re in a dark parking lot and you hear someone following you.

“The 5Star Responder will revolutionize public safety,” says GreatCall CEO David Inns. “No matter how serious the situation even if it’s just to have one of our response agents stay on the line with you as you walk to your car late at night you can be assured that we are there with you until your situation is resolved.”

With the simple push of a button on the Responder, you are immediately connected to an agent who will identify you and your location, and can conference in your family/friends, or call 9-1-1 for you. Since the device is small, you can easily slip it into your pocket or purse, and even bring it when hiking (just in case you get lost).

The Responder rides on the Verizon network, and you can find it at greatcall.com/5Star for $49.99 (or soon locally in Walmart and Sears). The monthly fee is a bit steep at $14.99 per month, but for someone who wants an extra sense of security or has special needs, it’s well worth it. Additionally, there is a similar free iPhone/Android app called 5Star Urgent Response, and the service will still cost you $14.99 per month.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: MadPad

Attention all music lovers: Smule strikes again! You probably remember the popular Ocarina, Leaf Trombone, Magic Piano and Glee apps. Now Smule’s latest creation is MadPad. It helps you make music out of literally anything with your iPad or iPhone.

Capturing real world noise and turning it into music, you create soundboards by using your built-in microphone and camera. Each pad is limited to 12 different sounds, and it’s easy to capture. You tap to record, then MadPad automatically starts and stops the recording based on the sounds you generate. Once you’re satisfied with your 12 sounds, you can start creating your masterpieces.

A single finger tap plays back your sound (and the video clip), and if you tap and drag with two fingers, it tweaks the pitch of the playback up or down. The app also has a looping feature, which allows you to adjust the pitch and volume of individual sounds. If you’re not that bold yet, there are more than 50 free sets included with the app from pianos to piccolos, silly sounds to sweet guitars. As with Smule’s other apps, you can share your creations with the world via YouTube, Twitter or Facebook.

Sorry, Android and Blackberry folks, unfortunately this is only an iOS app. You can download it for $2.99 (iPad) or 99 cents (iPhone) from the Apple iTunes Store.

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Ace Combat Assault Horizon Takes Flight

Namco Bandai’s Ace Combat Assault Horizon was one of my favorite titles at the recent Tokyo Game Show, and because of that my husband thoughtfully gave it to me for my birthday. I’ve always been a big fan of the Ace Combat games, and on this one I find it interesting the story does not take place in fictional lands as it usually does. The storyline is actually written by New York Times best-selling author Jim DeFelice and takes place in the year 2015.

This time around, as a part of the 108th UN task force, you’re on a mission to stop an anti-government insurgency that is sweeping through the African continent. In short, a group of Russian rebels quickly become involved, and there is a threat that a warhead will be dropped on America in retribution for its role in the Kosovo War. Your job is to stop this from happening.

If you’ve played an Ace Combat game before, you’re aware that it’s not a flight simulator but an arcade flight game. In Assault Horizon, you’ll see a new gameplay system called Close-Range Assault (CRA), which increases the intensity and brings the action closer to you without the feeling of shooting at small, faraway dots typically seen in flight games. You’ll see CRA in action while you’re in the Dogfight Mode (DFM) for air-to-air combat and Air Strike Mode (ASM) for airto-ground targets. CRA is not optional, as certain aircrafts can only be destroyed using this method.

If you want to jump into a dogfight, fly close to an enemy aircraft and the push of a button gives you full control of your flight path, and you can aim more accurately. The dogfights are loads of fun, but can become mundane after awhile as some of these fights are long and drawn out. Additionally, getting out of the pilot’s seat keeps you interested as you man the door gun of a helicopter or play the role of a tactics officer while targeting enemy assets as your ground troops move in.

Another added feature is the multiplayer mode Capital Conquest. It involves two teams of eight versus eight, where each team takes turns either defending or attacking a world capital, such as Paris or Washington, D.C. In this mode, fighters, attackers, attack helicopters and bombers can fly together, and you have the ability to play some of the campaign together. You can even do these missions over and over again with different fighters and/or weapon loadouts to see various outcomes.

If you’re an Ace Combat fan, this is a must-have addition to your game library.

It retails for $59.99 for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Find it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or Amazon.com.

Siri and Your iPhone 4S

The Siri voice recognition feature on your iPhone 4S is designed to provide easy access to just about any random question you can come up with, but did you know your new toy also can be a security threat?

According to the security firm Sophos, Siri even can be activated on an iPhone 4S that has been password protected. This means someone can send emails, text messages, surf the Web, etc. by just activating Siri. If you’ve owned an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, you’re probably no stranger to this concept, as there were issues with the Voice Control.

Don’t worry too much. Do this simple workaround and Siri will be unusable when your iPhone 4S is locked: Settings>General>Passcode, slide the option next to Siri to “Off.”

I’m disappointed that Apple did not make this a default, but at least now we know how to fix it.

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Cool New Features For The iPods

As you are probably aware, the day after the new iPhone 4S was announced the world lost Steve Jobs, the brilliant entrepreneur who co-founded Apple. Had he not done all the things he did, many lives including my own would be very different today. People are comparing him to Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci and Walt Disney. It will probably be a long time before we see another great innovator like Jobs. At least I can say I saw him give his very last keynote speech at Macworld a few years ago.

In the midst of news of Jobs’ death and the iPhone 4S excitement, Apple also announced new features and more affordable pricing for the iPod touch and iPod nano. The touch will be available in new black and white models starting at $199 (and include iOS 5 and iCloud services), and the nano starts at $129. This is kind of geeky, but the day Jobs died, my husband bought me (and himself) an iPod nano to remember the sad occasion. So now every time I look at my little pink iPod nano, I’ll definitely remember.

Not much change to the iPod touch, just that it works with Apple’s new iCloud service. The iPod nano now features larger icons for even easier navigation of its intuitive MultiTouch user interface. You can choose from 16 new clock faces (including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse), and it can track your runs/walks (including pace/distance, calories burned and steps walked) out of the box without any accessories. There also is a motivational voice feedback while you listen to your favorite FM station (or favorite music, of course).

The iPod touch $199 version is 8GB, and there also are 32GB ($299) and 64GB ($399) models. The $129 nano is 8GB, and a 16GB version is available for $149 (colors available: silver, graphite, blue, green, orange, pink and (PRODUCT) RED). Visit your nearest Apple Store or apple.com to purchase or for more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Facebook

Facebook, thank you for finally releasing your iPad app! Yes, it seemed like it would never arrive, but at long last, the native iPad Facebook app is here. So what’s the big deal?

You iPad users very well know that previous to this, the only options for Facebook were to login with Safari or use the iPhone app, which was by no means pretty. This lack of a native Facebook app has frustrated iPad users ever since Apple launched the iPad more than a year and a half ago.

The app runs smoothly and it navigates fast. You’ll enjoy bigger photos, be able to play games on the go and tap to send messages. The major drawback is you can’t use Facebook Credits with the app you need to buy separate in-app currency through Apple’s own payment system. This move comes after Facebook required all of its game developers to switch to credits earlier this year.

Facebook for the iPad is free from the iTunes App Store. Of course, you can still download the iPhone and Android versions as well.

 

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Apple’s New iPhone 4S

After much hype, Apple finally announced the next iPhone we’ve all been waiting for. When it pushed back the announcement to the fall (last week), it increased expectations even more. It wasn’t the iPhone 5 we thought it would be, but the iPhone 4S. It looks exactly like the iPhone 4, but the inside is “all new.” It carries a speedy dual-core A5 processor for better performance and stunning graphics, a full 1080p HD resolution camera (for video), a new antenna design that allows quick file transfers and voice recognition capabilities using Siri.

“iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “While our competitors try to imitate iPhone with a checklist of features, only iPhone can deliver these breakthrough innovations that work seamlessly together.”

iOS5 includes more than 200 new features including Notification Center, an innovative way to easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption, and iMessage, a messaging service that lets you easily send text messages, photos and videos between other iOS5 users. This will be a free software upgrade for existing iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users.

iCloud’s free cloud services (including iTunes) allows you to stream your photos, videos and documents seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC automatically and wirelessly store them.

The 4S’s 8-megapixel (60 percent more pixels from the iPhone 4) camera includes a backside illuminated CMOS sensor for better low-light performance. A larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid IR filter produces sharper, brighter and more accurate images. The Camera app also launches much faster and the shot-to-shot capability is twice as fast.

Improving on the iPhone 4’s innovative stainless steel external, dual-antenna design, the 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to send and receive. Also, since it is considered a world phone, both CDMA and GSM customers can roam internationally on GSM networks.

The digital assistant Siri will only be included in the iPhone 4S (and presumably the iPad 2).

You may remember me writing about the Siri app some time ago, but the difference here is that this innovative app is built into the phone. It can call people, play music, send and receive text messages and emails, reading them in a natural voice, or set up events and meetings, remind you of your appointments, etc. Best of all, you can dictate in any app. Supposedly it truly understands natural language and follows complex commands. Since it’s conversational, it will reply back to you and you can reply back to it.

As far as 4S’s battery life, you’ll see about eight hours of talk time or six hours of 3G Web browsing. While using Wi-Fi, you’ll probably see about nine hours of Web, 10 hours of video playback or 40 hours of music.

The iPhone 4S will be available Oct. 14 and comes in both black and white. Sprint customers also will be happy to know it will be available on your network now, too. Prices start at $199 for the 16GB, $299 for the 32GB and $399 for the 64GB. For more information or to pre-order, visit your nearest Apple Store or apple.com.

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Amazon Stokes The Kindle Fire

Since Amazon initially released the Kindle in 2007, it has successfully sold more than 18 million. In an attempt to further compete with Apple’s iPad and delve deeper into the tablet wars, and after much hype, last week Amazon debuted the Kindle Fire for $199. Amazon also refreshed its line of e-readers with a $149 Kindle Touch 3G, a $99 Kindle Touch without 3G and a non-Touch $79 Kindle.

“Kindle Fire brings together all of the things we’ve been working on at Amazon for over 15 years into a single, fully integrated service for customers,” says Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. “With Kindle Fire, you have instant access to all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, the convenience of Amazon Whisper-sync, our revolutionary cloud-accelerated Web browser, the speed and power of a state-of-the-art dual-core processor, a vibrant touch display with 16 million colors in high resolution, and a light 14.6-ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand all for only $199. We’re offering premium products, and we’re doing it at non-premium prices.”

The Kindle Fire is the only device that runs the Amazon Silk browser, a “split browser” architecture that accelerates the power of the mobile device hardware by running with Amazon Web Services Cloud. It has a dual-core processor and runs the latest Google Android software, so you can download apps from the Android Market. It also sports a 7-inch color touchscreen display, and you can watch videos from Amazon’s streaming Prime service and play your music from the Amazon Store.

While the Fire is smaller than the iPad’s 10-inch screen and doesn’t have a camera, it is lighter and supports Adobe Flash (a seemingly huge issue everyone keeps bringing up). Additionally, all the syncing will be done wirelessly.

You can pre-order your Kindle Fire now at amazon.com/kindlefire, and it will be available Nov. 15. Unfortunately, the initial version of the Kindle Fire is Wi-Fi only. We can only hope Amazon will release a 3G version in the near future.

 

Google Flights Search

Google recently announced Google Flights Search, yet another airline flight search tool. This is not surprising since Google acquired ITA Software last year, the company that powers most of the big travel search engines (i.e., Expedia, Travelocity and Kayak).

It’s almost as if Google released this service before it was completely finished.

For example, no international flights, small U.S. cities (sometimes even large U.S. cities), premium class flights or one-way tickets are supported. Plus you’ll only see results from participating airlines, and there is no mobile app for this yet. Many improvements are apparently needed before this will be 100 percent useful. Despite those shortcomings, when performing a search within cities it actually supports, it’s fast as lightning.

On the plus side, you can do all of your searches without leaving Google’s main search page(no progress bar to wait for). There’s a clean, minimalistic interface that is familiar to Google, and the easy-to-look-at bar chart shows the cheapest dates to fly, along with the matrix display that filters flights by price.

Check it at google.com/flights.

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The Star Of Tokyo Game Show 2011

Sony’s new PlayStation Vita seemed to be the big star of this year’s Tokyo Game Show (TGS). And, of course, in this age of booming smartphones and tablets, mobile games shared that spotlight along with some titles that will be sure to please.

Here are a few highlights. PlayStation Vita is Sony’s next generation to the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and it will be available Dec. 17 (in Japan), along with 26 games (with more than 100 in development). The Vita has a battery life of about three to five hours when you’re gaming, and it does not use Memory Sticks or SD cards, but uses a proprietary memory card that will cost between $25 and $100, depending on the size (4GB to 32GB). I’m not surprised about that it’s a typical Sony practice to come up with another proprietary memory solution.

Unfortunately, Sony has no exact launch date for the U.S. Vita most likely at the beginning of next year. The retail price will be about $400 ($350 for the Wi-Fi only version). It looks like the 3G provider will be AT&T if you purchase the Vita with data capabilities. I think this huge Vita push is Sony’s counter-action to Nintendo’s revitalization of the 3DS.

In the social/mobile gaming world, Hangame and Gree showcased a multitude of smartphone games. Hangame is a company based in South Korea, and NHN Japan publishes its games it had various booths around the show, including a cute darts game for the iPhone (a free download on the iTunes App Store). Other featured games include various puzzle games (and even a jigsaw puzzle), chess, crossword puzzles and racing.

Gree had one of the largest booths at TGS. Gree is a social networking service that began seven years ago, and this is the first time it had an exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show. Gree’s games are an additional feature to its social networking service, similar to what we already see on Facebook in the U.S. The company gives away games for free and once users become fans of the games, some pay for virtual items such as clothing or cute pets.

My favorite game there was the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. All my favorite characters appear (release date Nov. 15 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and Vita in the future). My other pick is Namco Bandai’s Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. I can’t really tell thoroughly from just playing the demo at the show, but so far it looks like the graphics have significantly improved from the previous release, with more aircraft/weapons selections.

Finally, the other thing that caught my eye was the manga creation software ComiPo! It released a full English version that allows you to make your own high quality comics and manga.

You can easily create your own stories and situations with one of the 3D characters included in the software. The program also offers 100 unique body poses and facial expressions along with multiple background images, items, sound effects and word balloons. You download a trial 14-day version at crunchyroll.com/comipo (Windows only), or you can buy the full version for $49.95.

More TGS 2011 tidbits to come ...

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Previewing Sony’s Walkman Z-Series

I’m sitting here in Tokyo waiting for the Tokyo Game Show 2011 (TGS 2011) to kick off. And, no, that’s not some wacky Japanese TV game show, it’s a video game exhibition for the next generation of titles. You’ll be hearing about this next week and in future columns.

Anyway, while I’m here, coincidentally Sony announced its Walkman Z-Series of personal media players (PMP), which is the next step up from the Walkman W8 Android device. The W8 was a disappointment, but hopefully the Z-Series will erase that from our memories and be a big hit for Sony.

The Z-Series runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and 512MB of RAM. It has the usual WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Gyroscope capabilities, along with an HDMI port.

Other features include the “SMaster MX” digital amplifier, digital noise cancelling, Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE enhances the sound of compressed music files), Clear Stereo, Clear base, 5-band equalizer, 5-speed VPT Acoustic Engine, Dynamic Normalizer and xLOUD. It also sports a large 4.3-inch WVGA 480x800 screen with approximately 20 hours of battery life while you’re doing music playback.

A key Walkman feature is the W. Button. Here you can do intuitive music playback anytime with the touch of a single button. You can view album art, choose random playlists or listen to your music in categories (i.e., Upbeat, Relax, Mellow, Dance Floor, etc.). While the music is playing, the Visualizer lets you view various images (i.e., shapes, etc.), depending on the beat of the song.

The Z-Series will come in black or red, and 16GB, 32GB or 64GB storage capacities. Additionally, a variety of accessories will be available separately. The release date is slated for Dec. 10 in Japan, but it hasn’t been announced when it will be available in the U.S. Prices range from $360 to $560.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: ADP Mobile Solutions

For you smallto medium-sized business owners/managers, ADP, a provider of human resource outsourcing, payroll services and benefits administration, recently introduced its ADP Mobile Solutions app. The app is a free, easy-to-use solution that gives your employees access to their vital HR, payroll and benefits information via a mobile device.

“The ADP Mobile Solutions app is the most comprehensive and compelling mobile HR solution available to organizations seeking to provide their mobile work force with access to the tools and information they need to be more productive, wherever they are,” says Mike Capone, chief information officer, ADP.

You are able to view recent pay statements (up to five previous pay periods), access corporate directories, company news, manage time and attendance remotely and review ADP Retirement Savings information. These are resources previously available only to big players, and this app is much more accessible and affordable to help boost Hawaii’s businesses.

If your company uses ADP for its solution, the app is available for the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, Android and Blackberry operating systems. Visit adp.com/mobilesolutions for more information about the app.

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Verizon Releases DROID BIONIC

Here we go again, another new phone. But this time it’s the world’s first 4G phone with a dual processor. Verizon Wireless and Motorola released the DROID BIONIC last week, having announced this phone about a year ago.

It’s finally here!

Right off, it looks similar to the LTE Droid X2 with its 4.3inch qHD screen, but inside it sports dualcore 1GHz processors and 1GB of RAM with a sleek form factor, making it the thinnest LTE smartphone from Verizon. Additionally, the phone has 32 GB of built-in memory, a 16GB microSD card pre-installed, and can support up to a 32 GB microSD card. It runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, has an 8-megapixel auto-focus camera (with a flash and 1080p HD video capture), a front-facing camera for video chat, and an HDMI out (your own cable required).

Adobe Flash is preloaded on the phone, and it’s HTML capable. It’s “business-ready” with advanced security policies, resizable/scrollable email, calendar/task widgets, SD card encryption and Citrix GotoMeeting and Citrix Receiver for Android. It can also print to Wi-Fi enabled printers with the MOTOPRINT app.

If you’re a Verizon person, I suppose this is the phone to have until the next one comes out. It’s $299.99 with a two-year customer agreement, and you’ll also need to subscribe to a minimum Nationwide Talk plan of $39.99 for 450 minutes and a smartphone data package starting at $30 per month (which will get you 2 GB of data). Find it at your nearest Verizon Wireless Store, or online at verizonwireless.com.

Note: For a limited time, if you purchase a Lapdock ($299.97) with your DROID BIONIC, you’ll receive a $100 mail-in rebate when you subscribe to a $50, 5GB plan or higher.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Talkatone

Calling your family and friends via Facebook and Google Voice is now possible with the Talkatone app for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Similar to Skype’s approach originally offered on computers, you can use Talkatone to make phone calls and send text and instant messages directly from your iOS device.

When you first run the app, it will ask you to sign into Facebook Connect or your Gmail account. You also can sign into both. I forfeited the Facebook part mostly because the app will post an annoying message on your friend’s wall each time you initiate a call. Additionally, the friend you’re calling on Facebook must also have the app on their device. If you’re using Google Voice, you can use it as a VoIP phone since it uses your Google phone number to dial out.

Talkatone is the only app that allows you to use Google Voice over Wi-Fi and 3G, and is particularly useful for cellular dead zones or areas with an extremely weak signal. If you travel internationally frequently, this is definitely a must-have app. Download it for free from the iTunes App Store.

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It’s Kick Off Time For Madden NFL 12

It’s that time of year again football season is here, and that means the new Madden is, too! Madden NFL 12 continues the rich tradition of the franchise by bringing fans closer to the NFL than ever before by transforming on-field action and core gameplay modes, and driving innovation in six key areas: Playbooks and Gameplay, Presentation, Franchise and Superstar modes, Dynamic Player Performance, Madden Ultimate Team and Online Communities.

“Madden NFL 12 sets a new benchmark in the franchise by delivering an incredibly realistic NFL experience. The level of detail in the game is unrivaled it’s more authentic, more visceral,” says Cam Weber, general manager of football at EA SPORTS. “From the all-new collision system that allows you to feel every bone-crunching hit to the revolutionary Dynamic

Player Performance system that replicates how players’ skills and confidence rise and fall based on their onfield performance, Madden NFL 12 lives and breathes all the glory and heartache of the NFL. No two games will ever be the same.”

The first thing I noticed about the game was the pregame presentation. Before a game begins, you’ll see a realistic looking camera closeup of your favorite players as they parade onto the field, along with all the cheerleaders dancing around. The instant replays are cued up right after the big plays, but it seems the game ignores crucial plays sometimes, and the camera angles seem to be too similar.

There doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between Madden NFL 12 and Madden NFL 11, but still, after years of seasoning and tweaking, the result is Madden NFL 12’s highly realistic experience. The AI (artificial intelligence) this time around is more rewarding thanks to more believable opponents and the revamped tackling system. Because of that, there are so many possible strategies from the opposing team, so you’ll never know how your opponent will attack you. That keeps it fresh and exciting.

At the end of the day Madden NFL 12 is a fun, great addition to the Madden franchise and retails for $59.99 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $49.99 on Wii, and $39.99 for the PlayStation 2 and PSP (PlayStation Portable). Find it at your nearest

Best Buy (bestbuy.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or Amazon.com. Additionally, check out the mobile versions for your iPhone/iPad and Android devices, and the new (free) version called Madden NFL Superstars on Facebook.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: myBantu myBantu is a free online personal assistant that helps you with your dining, movie, shopping and local business needs. The searches give you personalized and relevant recommendations based on your wants and needs, considering your preferences and your social network.

Basically, the more you use myBantu the richer your personal profile grows.

Within minutes of making friends with myBantu, the service creates a profile consisting of your favorite social and lifestyle preferences from shopping, entertainment, dining and events, replacing the need for a la carte solutions such as OpenTable, Yelp and search engines.

For example, if you’re planning a date night, myBantu creates a personalized list of recommendations based on nine parameters including the user’s profile, past usage behavior and peer influence. In addition, myBantu enables you to act on these recommendations, such as making restaurant reservations, purchasing movie tickets, gifts, etc. myBantu is free and is available for your iPhone or Android. Note, although you can use it on your iPad, it doesn’t look that great since it’s not a native iPad app, just stick to using it on your iPhone.

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Apple Is Strong Even Without Jobs

You’ve probably heard that Steve Jobs resigned as Apple’s CEO. The announcement came as no surprise, as it’s been known that Jobs suffers from a rare form of pancreatic cancer (and underwent a liver transplant in 2009) and took medical leave in January.

In a letter he released to the Apple Board of Directors, Jobs wrote, “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.”

My guess is his medical condition became so severe he couldn’t work anymore. Although I’m a little sad, I think the timing of this announcement is good. Why? Apple is going strong, as it recently reported quarterly earnings show, even in a period with no significant product releases, holiday or back-to-school boosts. Plus, in about a month, a new iPhone will be announced for three major carriers, along with a possible “affordable iPhone” for the masses. All this places new CEO Tim Cook in a good position.

Although Apple’s stock fell a little after the announcement, I’m sure Apple’s future will be stable. The iPhone 5 is done, and based on Apple’s previous trends, the iPad 3 and iPhone 6 are well under way and definitely still have Jobs’ imprint on them. The same goes for other future generation products, such as the MacBooks and Apple TVs. And Jobs will still chair the Apple Board of Directors, so we’ll see what happens ...

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Sushi Star

It’s always nice to see Hawaii-made apps arise from the local scene. The latest one I discovered is Sushi Star created by Brian Dote and Peter Wubbels from Tapiki LLC. This app will give you a craving for sushi as you learn to become a sushi-making master.

“I always strive to build products that my family will enjoy and games are a natural fit for our 6-yearold daughter and 2-yearold son,” says Dote, describing his inspiration for the game. “Kaiten sushi (sushi boat/conveyor) is my daughter’s favorite and the kids love their iPhones and iPads, so it was a match made in sushi heaven. My company’s mission is to make deliciously fun mobile games.

What’s more delicious than sushi on an iPhone?!”

You’ll see more than six different locations around the world, each with its own unique ingredients. Start off making singlelayer sushi, then two and three layers. You’ll then see rotten sushi and death sushi (which are speed bumps for you to remove from the conveyor belt), and jumping sushi to keep things interesting. You can choose your difficulty: Start at the comfortable one-star level, then move up to the two or three-star level when you’re more confident in your sushi-making ability.

Sushi Star is creative and refined, and a blast to play very addictive! It’s available for the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad for $1.99, or you can download a free version (Sushi Star Lite) from the iTunes App Store.

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The World’s Best Free Music Option

These days, there is no shortage of ways to listen to and organize your music. We have iTunes, Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon Cloud Player, Google Music, MOG or Rdio to choose from. And the list goes on. Some services offer songs that are free and legal, but you can’t choose exactly which songs play (i.e., Pandora). Some providers let you download songs for a nominal fee (i.e., iTunes and Amazon) and you own them, while others have you pay a flat monthly fee, but you’re left with nothing after you stop using the service.

After years of negotiations with music companies, the European-made Spotify finally brought its service to the United States. Spotify gives us the golden egg of free, legal, song-specific convenience. The Europeans have been going crazy over Spotify for the last three years, and I’m so glad we now have it too!

Spotify is a polished program similar to iTunes that offers you access to more than 15 million songs with excellent sound quality. With one click, you share your playlists with friends on Twitter or Facebook, or see what they listen to most. The best thing of all, it’s free!

For the first time in Internet history, you can listen to any track, any album, legally, at no charge, with a few restrictions. Once you launch the Spotify software, it automatically recognizes and displays your music collection stored in iTunes library or Windows Media Player. There you can manage your songs and incorporate them into playlists, including songs offered by Spotify.

In Europe, approximately 84 percent of Spotify’s 10 million listeners choose to stick with the free plan, which is what I use. You’ll hear occasional ads and see banner ads in the Spotify software, but it’s bearable. Keep in mind if you stay with the free version, you’ll be limited to 10 hours of free music per month. Additionally, before you can enjoy the free version of Spotify, you need an invitation to join.

If ads annoy you, you can go with the Unlimited $5-per-month plan, which gives you no ads, no limits, and no invitation necessary to join. Or, even better, the Premium $10-per-month plan gives you no ads, no limits, no invitation necessary and the ability to sync to your phone/stream music. Also, the Premium plan allows you to download music to up to three computers or phones, and ready to play back even if you don’t have an Internet connection.

Visit spotify.com to start enjoying this new music experience. It’s also available as a mobile app for your iPhone, Android, Windows 7 device, Palm or Symbian.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Festivals of Hawaii

If you’re looking for something to do, make sure you download the homegrown Festivals of Hawaii App for your iPhone. The Hawaii Tourism Authority recently launched this app to provide details on more than 100 events throughout the Islands.

“Festivals of Hawaii brings together our residents and visitors to celebrate cultures and traditions in our islands,” says HTA president and CEO Mike McCartney. “This new mobile app is an effective marketing tool that not only delivers helpful information but also shares our unique island experiences and provides a taste of our rich cultural diversity to the world.”

When you launch the app you can select one of the six Hawaiian Islands, and you can search by categories: Hawaiian, Arts & Music, Cuisine, Sports, Ethnic Culture, Agriculture, Education, Nature/EcoTourism, Health/Wellness, Technology and Other. Additionally, you can search by location by hitting the “Near Me” button and it pulls up events closest to you.

Find Festivals of Hawaii for free on the iTunes App Store for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

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Nintendo 3DS Now More Affordable

If you’ve been on the fence about purchasing a Nintendo 3DS, as of Aug. 12 the price dropped down to $169.99 (from $249.99). Good opportunity to buy it now, but bad luck if you were one of the 830,000-plus folks who already purchased it at the higher price. On top of that, Nintendo will release a Flame Red color Sept. 9.

“Nintendo 3DS is an amazing piece of technology that offers players incredible 3D games without the need for special glasses,” says Laurent Detoc, president, North America, Ubisoft. “Beyond that, it’s an affordable dedicated gaming machine.

Simply put, Nintendo 3DS is a fabulous device. Ubisoft has been a big supporter of Nintendo 3DS since the beginning with eight Nintendo 3DS games released to date and another eight games coming out before the end of calendar year 2011.”

Nintendo is planning the release of two games this holiday season. Super Mario 3D Land will launch in November, while Mario Kart 7 becomes available in December. Super Mario 3D Land is a new platforming game that takes full advantage of 3D graphics to deliver puzzles, more precise jumping action and a remarkable new visual perspective on the Mushroom Kingdom. The game also marks the return of Mario’s fanfavorite Tanooki Suit, which allows him to strike enemies with his tail and slowly descend after jumping.

Mario Kart 7 is a new racing game that includes multiple characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, Kart customization and intense multiplayer action. Players can now race on land, sea and air, sail through the sky with the new hang glider feature and drive underwater in some stages. Both games are completely new and are designed specifically for the Nintendo 3DS system.

In addition to the great games, Nintendo 3DS has a host of features that make it the cheaper, musthave video game system this year. The new Nintendo Video service automatically delivers short 3D videos from the worlds of music, comedy, animation and Hollywood. A free application allows Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans to instantly watch TV episodes and movies.

And, of course, you can access the Nintendo eShop for a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been remastered called 3D Classics, Game Boy and Game Boy Color “Virtual Console” games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWar games. You also can view video game trailers, screenshots and information for games.

The two other colors available are Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue, and if you happen to be going to Japan before Sept. 9, the Flame Red color was released there as Red Flare. The Nintendo 3DS also features parental controls. Visit Nintendo.com/3ds for more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: iHeartRadio iHeartRadio is one of my absolute favorite apps! Although it has been around for awhile, I still find that many people have never heard of it, so I just had to write about it. The app delivers more than 750 Clear Channel radio stations from across America, and I think it’s better than Pandora since the music will still play in the background while you use other apps on your iPhone. If you launch another app while running Pandora, it will shut off the music and you’ll have to start Pandora all over again.

As far as Hawaii radio stations, you can listen to Star 101.9 (my favorite), Island 98.5, KSSK FM 92.3, KHVH 830AM and KIKI-AM 990. You also can bookmark your favorite stations, tag songs for purchase on iTunes and view song lyrics. Download it for free your iPhone/iPod touch, iPad, BlackBerry, Android or Windows Phone 7. Additionally, you can always listen online at iheartradio.com.

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Road Runner Broadband Extreme

I’ve been fortunate to have Road Runner Broadband Extreme hooked up in my house for awhile now, but it officially launched on Oahu and Kauai in July. It will be available on the Big Island later this month and on Maui next month.

“What makes Time Warner Cable Wideband and Road Runner Broadband Extreme different from other competing Internet products in Hawaii is the speed,” says Bob Barlow, President of Oceanic Time Warner Cable. “Road Runner Broadband Extreme is the area’s fastest residential service, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable continues to lead the way as the most popular broadband provider in Hawaii. Through our advanced fiber-optic network, we deliver innovative, cutting-edge products that speak to the growing needs of both the tech-savvy user and multimedia families who simply want the fastest speeds.”

Powered by DOCSIS 3.0 technology, Broadband Extreme features 30 Mbps for downloads and 5 Mbps upload. Of course, the fine print states the actual throughput speeds may vary, but after doing multiple speed tests, I can verify that I actually do see 30 Mbps for my downloads. It’s awesome! These are speeds that I normally see with direct fiber. In addition to Road Runner Broadband Extreme, the company is launching Time Warner Cable Wideband later this summer. This one features up to 50 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up.

“Our phones are ringing and hundreds have signed up and are enjoying their Road Runner Extreme service,” Barlow adds. “Although we have done minimal advertising, we are pleased with the response from our customers. We expect interest to continue with Road Runner Extreme and our soon to be launched wideband service. Our customers are looking for more speed and we are delivering it. We offer the fastest speeds on the islands.”

If you’re already a Standard Road Runner customer, it will cost you $35.95 per month more. Call 643-2100 to subscribe.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Skype

Skype is probably the most common name you’ll hear when referring to free Internet calling. The regular desktop version we’ve all come to know and love has been around for years, and the long-awaited iPad version is finally out. Kind of odd, but last week it popped up on the iTunes App Store, then just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. Apparently it went live prematurely and was yanked off as of last Tuesday, it’s back.

It’s nice to finally have a native Skype app for the iPad.

I’ve had the iPhone version for a while, but it’s just not the same as viewing it on the bigger screen. The video quality is OK, but I still prefer using my iPad’s built-in FaceTime feature. I only use Skype to talk to my friends who cannot FaceTime.

On the down side, there is no homepage and the user interface isn’t the most user-friendly. Additionally, there is no ability to buy Skype credit from the app (can only view how many credits you have), the Tags are not customizable and the essential buttons are a bit too small to press in portrait orientation.

Download Skype for the iPad for free from the Apple iTunes Store. An Android version was also recently released and supports the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.

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Spark For iPads with ZAGGsparq

Portable chargers are nothing new, and I usually don’t get excited about them until I discovered the ZAGGsparq 2.0. This little gem is specifically engineered to charge my iPad, and perfect for my next long plane ride since it can add up to six additional hours of video playback. Not to mention it holds up to four full charges for an iPhone, and supports other USB gadgets as well.

The ZAGGsparq 2.0 is a 3.5-by-3.5-by-1-inch, 8.6-ounce black square that resembles an Apple MacBook power adapter. It’s the perfect size to fit into your pocket or purse. On one side there’s a pop-up plug so you can plug it right into the wall. The other side houses the On button, four-LED lights that indicate the amount of remaining charge, and two USB ports.

The two USB ports are marked ‘Optimized’ (for devices that can take quick charging without any trouble) and ‘General’ (used for slow, steady charging for devices that utilize a smart charging chip). On a full charge, and as advertised, the ZAGGsparq can charge my old iPhone 3GS four times, but three times for my iPhone 4, and two times for my iPad 2.

You also can use the battery to charge other devices such as various cameras, a Motorola Xoom or an HTC Thunderbolt. Basically almost any smartphone, tablet, or any device that uses a USB charger should work.

It takes about nine hours to completely recharge the unit, but no biggie if you plug it in before you go to sleep. Since mine is so new, it’s difficult to judge how much the battery’s energy will degrade from continued charges.

Overall, the ZAGGsparq 2.0 packs a big punch in a small package. It’s worth the $99.99 price, especially if you’re a frequent traveler. Visit zagg.com to purchase it or for more information.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Puffin Web Browser

One of the biggest drawbacks users complain about with the iPhone or iPad is no Flash support, however the Puffin Web Browser app gives you the option to enjoy Flash-based videos (instead of having to view mobile versions).

It’s nice to be able to view content on your mobile device with full compatibility. It seems to work more smoothly on my iPad as opposed to my iPhone.

While using Puffin, your security and privacy are top of mind. Your anonymity is retained while using the browser since private data such as cookies and history is not kept in the cloud servers. All transmissions are encrypted, eliminating concerns about viruses or malicious pages. You can also enable the pop-up blocker and set a custom homepage.

Unfortunately Puffin is not optimized for all websites or Flash games yet, so it can be slow at times. I also notice that some sites are able to play the Flash video but not the audio portion. In any case, try it for yourself and download it for 99 cents from the iTunes App Store or Android Market.

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Too Lazy For Mobile Phone Security?

With the recent Rupert Murdoch scandal, cell phone security has been at the top of my mind. Most of you own a mobile phone or device (i.e., iPod, etc.), but how often do you think about its security? Perhaps if your phone was lost or stolen it’s at the top of your mind, but otherwise the reality is most of us don’t think about it until something bad happens. I recently came across a survey done by the Ponemon Institute (with consumers over 18 years old who own a smartphone), and here are a few highlights you should be aware of:

* Sixty-six percent of participants admit they keep a moderate or significant amount of personal data on their smartphones (includes email addresses, contact lists, photos, music, videos, birthdays and anniversaries).

* Only 10 percent of consumers say they turn off Bluetooth “discoverable” status on their smartphone when not in use.

* Forty-two percent of consumers who use social networking apps say they allow smartphone versions of well-known social networking applications such as Facebook to access the same-key chains, passwords and logins that they use on their desktops, laptops or tablet.

In addition, stay safe from mobile phishing (attempts to acquire your sensitive information such as usernames and passwords for your social networks or bank accounts). Mobile users accessing phishing sites are three times more likely to submit their login information rather than a desktop user.

With a phishing attempt, you’ll see an email asking you to update information on your account (i.e., Paypal). Once you click on the Webpage, it appears to be legitimate, but if you look closely, the URL is not correct. The page will have spaces for you to input your account information and password, but if you type in your info here, it will go to the attackers and not your account. The most common mobile phishing attempts are IRS and tax scams (a problem with your tax refund), donations to charities (most recently the Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief) and various social network scams (steal your information to attack your contacts and take your identity).

Another thing to consider: You might want to download some sort of Find My Phone App so it can be tracked down should you ever lose it. Enjoy your mobile device, but always remember to protect it.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Dragon Go!

The third in Nuance’s series of Dragon apps, Dragon Go! takes voice recognition software to the next level. The app understands what you want and gives you access to relevant results from 180 content providers including Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, OpenTable, Pandora, Yelp and Yahoo. You simply speak your query into your device and the Dragon Go! automatically determines and delivers the best content destinations via the new optimized Dragon Carousel. The most relevant pages are displayed first, and additional content from related providers is easily accessible on the Carousel. Download Dragon Go! for free from the iTunes App Store, exclusively for your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

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Google+ Challenges Facebook

Google finally made its move into social networking with its latest Google+.

It’s basically what many of you want Facebook to be. Or as Google describes on its blog, “We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships and your interests.” And so begins the Google+ project.

Key features are Stream, Circles, Photos and Profile. The Stream is the core part of Google+ and revolves around a Facebook-style newsfeed. Here you can add your friends from your Google Contacts into different groups called Circles. You can share updates with individual Circles or combinations of Circles. So if you posted a picture of your co-workers, you can share it just with your colleagues and not everyone (as you would have to on Facebook).

Next, the Photos section is fairly basic. It pulls the pictures saved in your Picassa Web Albums, and you also can view Photos from your Circles. From your mobile device, you can use the Instant Upload feature to have your photos and videos that you take with your phone automatically uploaded to a private album on Google+. You can then decide with whom you want to share them.

Finally, your personal Profile page replaces your standard Google Profile, and you’ll want to make sure you don’t put anything on there that you don’t want to be public knowledge since it’s searchable on the Web. In addition, the Sparks feature keeps track of your interests, so it sends you stuff it thinks you’re interested in. And Huddle turns all your “conversations” into one simple group chat (as opposed to sending text messages). Conveniently, everyone gets on the same page at once.

Google+ is free and at the moment by invite only, so its availability is somewhat limited. But as people spread invitations around, you’re bound to know someone who can send one your way. View a demo here: google.com/intl/en/+/demo/

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Crayola ColorStudio HD

Griffin Technology partnered with Crayola to create ColorStudio HD, an app that basically turns your iPad into a digital coloring book for your keiki. You can choose various types of crayons, pencils, paintbrushes and markers with your choice of color and tip size. An eraser will remove mistakes, or you can use the “undo” arrow to remove large sections you no longer want.

Downloading the Crayola ColorStudio HD is free, but if you want to unlock all 30 pages and additional content, you’ll need to purchase the Crayola iMarker for $30. More pages will be available in the future through app updates. If you don’t purchase the iMarker, you’ll have 10 free pages to play with.

This app isn’t the first digital coloring book for iPad, but the pages come alive on ColorStudio HD, with various animations and sound effects.

Additionally, a big plus is the ability to share your pages via email or Facebook. Find the app on Apple’s iTunes App Store, and the iMarker at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or griffintechnology.com/crayola.

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Experiencing F.E.A.R. 3 In The Dark

Recently released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Day 1 Studios, F.E.A.R. 3 picks up where F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin left off. You are in the shoes of the Point Man, a genetically enhanced soldier with superhuman reflexes. You have the ability to manipulate time, and you’re joined by the undead spirit of your deceased brother Paxton Fettel, an entity that possesses incredible psychic powers. Both of you are the son of Alma, an evil psychic. As you can probably guess, this paranormal first person shooter (FPS) game is definitely not for the keiki.

As you would watch a horror movie, you’ll experience the game’s full effect if you play it in the dark. Before you even turn on your game console you should turn off all the lights and try to play in an isolated room. Playing the game is similar to watching a movie, especially if you go through the campaign with a friend. While you play as Point Man, your buddy can play as Paxton and use his psychic energy to blast enemies apart (can be done either splitscreen in your living room or online).

Point Man plays as your prototypical FPS hero. He can go into cover, swap out weapons and use a slow-motion ability to dispatch enemy soldiers. His enhanced reflexes, such as the ability to see bullet being fired at him, set him apart from other F.E.A.R. members. On the other hand, Paxton plays a little more tactically as his interactions in the world can only come from using his psychic energy to possess enemy soldiers or pick up objects. If you play as him, you need to decide how to use his slowly recharging powers.

The gameplay is about what you would expect from an FPS game and has a simple scoring system. It rewards you for performing certain tasks such as “Get 50 Kills in a Row” and it counts as an Aggression challenge. All the challenges presented fall into categories: Aggression, Tactics, Aptitude and Psychic. The two brothers are always competing against each other, and whoever receives the highest score obtains the favorite son title.

Overall the game has a good horror storyline (if you’re into that), and good continuity from previous F.E.A.R. titles. If you stay with it, you can finish the single-player campaign in a couple of days. After that, have fun online. F.E.A.R. 3 is rated M for Mature and is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It retails for $49.99 (PC)/$59.99 (Xbox 360/PS3) at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com), Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or Target (target.com).

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: GoodRide

Calling all motorcyclists: Allstate Insurance Company just released GoodRide, an Apple app that tracks your miles and routes, and allows you to share it on your social network (Facebook and Twitter). It lets you log your rides and store the trip details for free. You can prepare for your rides with a rider checklist, view local weather reports and gas prices. So far, GoodRide is only available for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, but is scheduled to be released this fall on the Android Market. Visit allstate.com/mobile for more information and to see a demonstration.

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Do-it-yourself Home Security

My neighbors and I were recently visited by a pushy door-to-door salesman trying to sell a home-security system that is way too overpriced for what it does. For those of you who also received this knock on the door, know that Schlage’s LiNK system is a good do-it-yourself alternative that won’t cost you $50 a month. The Schlage LiNK system was released a couple of years ago, and because of customer feedback, recently added some new features.

You can now monitor and control Schlage’s ZWave enabled locks, lights, Trane thermostats and Schlage cameras from your computer or phone (iPhone, Android or BlackBerry), and record/archive footage. This new sensor integration enables you to check the status of your windows, doors and detect motion in and around your home (not only good for intruders, but emergencies such as fire or flooding).

The video recording from your cameras can be set to record when your doors/windows are triggered, or when motion is detected. The LiNK Web application now features enhanced (640x480) video quality with an expanded viewing window that improves the user experience when monitoring video from Schlage cameras. You can select high or low resolution quality.

My favorite LiNK upgrade is the ability to lock and unlock the doors with my iPhone/iPad. You can program up to 19 entry codes so each member of your household can have a unique code, and you can set one-time codes for the repairman, etc. Being able to turn lights on and off (using the Schlage Light Module) with my iPhone/iPad is nice, too.

Unfortunately, you won’t get away from a monthly fee with the LiNK system, but it’s only $8.99 per month. A starter kit retails for $300 (at Schlage.com), and includes one wireless deadbolt lock, one light module and one bridge module (connects to your home’s existing router and enables remote control light module). An additional deadbolt is $199 and a camera is $149 (wired)/$179 (wireless).

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Key Ring

Last week my friend Linda told me about how much she loves using the Key Ring app on her Droid phone, so I immediately downloaded it on my iPhone to try it out. If your bulging wallet/purse looks like mine, this will be perfect for you.

Key Ring allows you to consolidate all your rewards cards (including airline mileage cards) into one place. The interface is very simple. You push the “Add Card” button and it asks you if your card has a barcode. You then scan your card’s barcode with your camera phone, or if you don’t have a barcode, type in your membership number and it will generate a barcode for you. The next step is picking a vendor from the list, or if it’s not listed, you can type it in manually.

Now you’re all set to head to the mall without your huge stack of cards.

Note: Key Ring works best if your barcodes are scanned with a hand scanner at the checkout counter. The barcodes might be a little harder to read at a self-checkout kiosk. Key Ring is free and is available for your iPhone, Android, BlackBerry or Windows 7 Phone.

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Getting Motivated With ExerBeat

The Nintendo Wii is known for popularizing motion-controlled gaming and has a stack of fitness titles to choose from. Most recently Namco’s ExerBeat game caught my attention because of my need to slowly get back into shape after an injury. You can guess what the game does with the combined words “exercise” and “beat.” In every exercise you need to stay on beat to receive high scores.

If you’ve ever used the Xbox Kinect or PlayStation 3 Move and experienced the freedom of movement using those platforms, going back to a Wii game is a little difficult. However, as long as you hold the remotes exactly as instructed, you’ll be successful and the movements won’t be horribly bothersome.

ExerBeat includes more than 150 basic exercises - dancing, martial arts, body conditioning and mini-game-type party games. Don’t worry, you won’t be walking into an intermediate aerobics or kung fu class, it’s designed with the basic user in mind. The way you hold the controllers will determine your fun or frustration. Also note that exercises compatible with the Wii Balance Board and Wii MotionPlus are included to expand your gameplay options.

Various modes are available to encourage your healthy, ongoing fitness routine. An in-game personal trainer helps you customize your workouts based on personal goals and preferences, while daily and weekly challenges motivate you to consistently achieve accomplishments. You’ll see data on estimated calories burned after each activity, and your daily, weekly and monthly progress as well.

Overall, ExerBeat is very simple and will keep you motivated if you’re not already active. If you can deal with the things you’ll have to hold on to, step over and calibrate, you’ll have fun with this game. The key to the high scores is staying on beat and holding the controllers correctly. If you follow everything properly, you’ll be on your way to burning some calories in a fun way.

ExerBeat is rated E for Everyone and you can find it at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com) or Amazon.com for $20.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: KAYAK

Although KAYAK has been around for a few years, I’m still thoroughly impressed by how cool it is. In case you don’t know what KAYAK is or does, it’s an interactive travel website that aggregates data from multiple sources and lets you view the results in one place.

Both website and app give you an innovative search tool that shows flight prices from almost any origin to destinations around the world. The results you see were found by KAYAK users in the last 48 hours.

It’s been several months since I traveled, but last week I used the KAYAK app on my iPad to search for flights. Doing so reminded me of how much I love the app! You just type in your destination and travel dates, and thousands of results come back within seconds. Additionally, thanks to a recently added feature, there is a hotel button on the bottom of your screen, and when you click it, you’ll see rates, location, amenities and photos from accommodations in your destination city. Thanks to KAYAK, I saved $200 on my plane tickets!

Visit kayak.com or download the app from the iTunes App Store (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad), Android Market or BlackBerry World.

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Rescuing Old Photos And Slides

Roger Forness, MidWeek and the Star-Advertiser‘s vice president of technology, has been recently using the Slim Sharp 3-in-1 Digital Photo/Negative/Slides Scanner to scan/digitize all his old slides. He wanted me to share with our MidWeek readers how much he loves it.

This scanner allows you to revive your long-lost photos, slides and film negatives as you scan your memories into high-resolution 5.1 megapixel files (up to 2500 dpi). This is a stand-alone scanner with a nice 3.2-inch color screen so you don’t have to connect it to a computer. Since there’s a built-in SD card slot, you save all your scans to an SD card. If you don’t have an SD card available, you can always connect it to your computer as well (PC and Mac compatible).

The Slim Sharp can do 35mm negatives, 35mm slides, 3-by-5, 4-by-6 and 5-by-7-inch photo prints. It is easy to use and fast: You load the negatives/slides into the tray and, at the click of a button, start the scan. It averages about one to two seconds per image. The scanner intuitively does auto focus, auto exposure and auto-color balance so you don’t have to sit there and adjust each picture as it goes through. It’s also very portable, making it easy for you to take to Tutu’s house to scan in all of her photos, too.

The only drawback of the scanner is that doesn’t come with extra trays to load your slides/negatives. But extra trays can be purchased at TigerDirect.com (listed as Wolverine Data F2DS03-MAG Magnetic Slide Tray, Part No: W132-2020). Find it on Amazon.com for $125 (SVP PS9700 with 2GB SD card 3-in-1 Digital Photo & Negative Films & Slides Scanner with Built-in 2.4-inch LCD Screen) or at Sears.com (branded as the Ion PICS 2 SD, similar pricing).

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: LocalEats

The popular LocalEats app recently made its way to the iPad, and it is a must download for all you iPad users who appreciate good eats. The app is available in 50-plus U.S. cities including Honolulu, and shows a list of only local restaurants to include local chains, but no national franchises.

Unlike the iPhone or Android version, LocalEats for iPad features international cities including London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong and more. On each city you’ll see an information page that links to its Wikipedia entry and local weather. Since all national chains are excluded, this is great to help support the local economy.

There are many options for browsing, including utilizing the GPS to locate nearby establishments and narrow your results by mileage. You also can search via the Top 100, Best of picks, category, neighborhood, price or a combination of criteria. The restaurant information will give you price range, features, meals served, map and descriptions aggregated from other websites. LocalEats for iPad is free for a limited time on the iTunes App Store, so download it now! It’s also free on the Android Market, but 99 cents for the iPhone and $2.99 on BlackBerry App World.

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Another Cloud To Float On From Apple

Last week Apple announced a bunch of new goodies at its World Wide Developer Conference, including the long-awaited iCloud service that will provide wireless backup and syncing for your apps, songs, documents, books, photos, videos, calendars and contacts. All this is very similar and competitive to Google and Amazon’s recently released cloud services.

“Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices,” says Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iCloud keeps your important information and content up to date across all your devices. All of this happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it’s integrated into our apps you don’t even need to think about it - it all just works.”

As with Google and Amazon’s cloud services, iCloud is free and includes 5GB of storage space to use as you please. Your photos, videos, music, contacts and other files are stored on a centralized hub and accessible from any of your devices - laptop, desktop, iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. iTunes also will be in the Cloud and allows you to download your previously purchased iTunes items to all your iOS devices at no additional cost. Music that was not purchased from iTunes can be gained the same way with iTunes Match, a service that upgrades the crossover between your own library to Apple’s to 256 kbps AAC files and offers the same re-downloadability to your devices. This will cost you $25 a year.

Your photos can be sent up to iCloud via the Photo Stream service and automatically uploads the photos you take or import on any of your devices and wire-lessly pushes them to all your devices and computers. Your computers will store all your photos from the Photo Stream, and iCloud will store them for 30 days, giving you ample time to connect your devices to iCloud to download your latest photos via Wi-Fi.

Most importantly, I’m happy that after years of dishing out a hundred bucks each year for MobileMe services (Contacts, Calendar and Mail), it will now be free with iCloud. Apple claims it will be re-architectured and rewritten to work seamlessly. You will be able to share your calendar with your friends and family, keep your mailbox up-to-date across all your iOS devices and your Mail account will be hosted at me.com.

iCloud will be available in the fall, but iTunes in the Cloud is available immediately and requires iTunes 10.3 and iOS 4.3.3. The iTunes Match function will be released this fall along with the rest of the iCloud functions.

 

Mac OS 10.7 lion: Not Just an OS on Your Computer

The other big thing that Apple announced last week is Lion, the eighth release of an Apple operating system. It boasts 250 new features. A few standouts designed to make your life easier: new Multi-Touch gestures, systemwide support for full screen apps, Mission Control (an innovative view of everything running on your Mac), the Mac App Store built into the operating system, Launchpad and a completely redesigned Mail app.

The new Multi-Touch gestures allow you to interact directly with content on your screen for a more intuitive way to use your Mac. New gestures include momentum scrolling, tapping or pinching your fingers to zoom in on a Web page or image, and swiping left/right to turn a page to switch between full screen apps. All new Mac notebooks will ship with Multi-Touch trackpads and desktop Macs can use Apple’s Magic Trackpad.

Exposé, Spaces and Dashboard have been combined into one view called Mission Control. Instead of spreading out all your windows, Exposé separates them by application, making it less overwhelming when you have lots of apps open simultaneously.

Additionally, the built-in Mac App Store will have a few changes, but nothing too dramatic. Launchpad is an iOS-looking application launcher (basically a better way to launch apps), and finally, the Mail App looks more like an iPad app than the old version, making it easier to browse through your messages. These are just highlights of many more improvements.

Lion will be available in July as a download from the Mac App Store for $29.99. It’s an upgrade to Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, and a very small upgrade (only about 4GB).

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Angry Birds Take Off On Roku

Roku has come a long way over the years, from only streaming Netflix, to streaming hundreds of entertainment channels, to now entering the realm of casual gaming. The first game we’ll see out of its Internet TV platform is one of my all-time favorites, Angry Birds.

Roku will offer Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio video games, launch an Angry Birds video channel featuring Angry Birds animated shorts and sell Angry Birds merchandise all via the Roku Channel Store. The merchandise availability will be convenient - because of Angry Birds’ growing popularity, the merchandise (i.e., plush birds) are difficult to find around town.

“Angry Birds is the most popular and fastest growing casual game, yet it has been trapped on mobile devices,” says Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood. “We believe there’s a huge market for games like these on the TV. Just as we were the first to enable Netflix to stream instantly to the TV, we intend to be the catalyst for transforming the way people play casual games - starting with Angry Birds - on the biggest screen in the home.”

There aren’t many details out yet, but perhaps we’ll see this new casual gaming experience soon on a new player. It may even be compatible on the existing Roku hardware with some software updates. Stay tuned for details . . .

 

Twitter Begins Photo and Video Sharing

At last week’s All Things Digital Conference, Twitter announced that Photobucket will power its new native photo sharing capabilities. After years of leaving picture and video sharing to third-party services, this will make it easier for tweeters to upload and share media with their followers. Expect it to be rolled out within the next couple of weeks.

Twitter’s new service means that photos and videos will be directly connected to your tweets and viewable on Twitter.com without having to leave the website as you do now. At the moment if you want to attach a photo to your tweet, you need to use TwitPic or yFrog, and links appear next to your tweet.

Photobucket currently has 100 million users and more than 8 billion uploads, making it the world’s largest and most robust dedicated personal media site, and robust enough to serve Twitter’s rapidly growing audience.

Photos on Twitter will be tagged “powered by Photobucket” and link to a page that allows you to sign up or sign into your Photobucket account via Twitter to further edit, share or save your photos. Additionally, those of you who use mobile versions of Twitter will be able to add photos and videos from your apps as well.

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iPad 2 Has A New Best Friend

It’s not often that I’m thoroughly impressed with an iPad accessory, but I have to say that the ZAGGmate with keyboard (also known as the Logitech Keyboard Case) is the must-have accessory for your iPad 2. After it won the Macworld 2011 Best of Show award, the ZAGGmate for iPad 2 was one of the most highly anticipated iPad 2 products, and now it’s finally here!

ZAGG teamed up with Logitech to make this superbly awesome case, and this is unlike any other iPad case I’ve seen. Interestingly, it only covers your iPad 2 screen and leaves the back of it exposed. The case design complements your iPad 2 so well that you know the two of them were meant to go together.

“The Logitech Keyboard Case combines style and function in one great package,” says Azmat Ali, Logitech senior director for tablet products. “This is the first of several products we plan to introduce this year designed specifically to enhance the way people create, consume and communicate using their tablet.”

The ZAGGmate is made of precision-cut aircraft-grade aluminum and features military-grade, high-density padding. The protective case wraps around your iPad 2 to cover the screen and sides. Thanks to its unique design, the case only adds about a quarter of an inch to the overall thickness, so it’s easy to forget it’s even there. It weighs only 12.8 ounces (including the keyboard), so there is no noticeable bulk or heaviness. You can easily view your iPad in both portrait and landscape orientations.

The keyboard connects to your iPad 2 via Bluetooth, so there are no wires involved. I think it’s better than the one that Apple makes, as it’s much less bulky and the keys are highly responsive. These quickie keys make typing a breeze and easy for me to write a story on the go. The keyboard includes special function keys that work specifically with the iPad 2, and has a huge 510 mAH rechargeable battery that will last for several weeks without a recharge. Plus, since the device is rechargeable, you won’t have to worry about changing any batteries out.

Find it for $99.99 at Logitech.com or ZAGG.com. If you for some reason don’t want/need the keyboard portion, you can purchase just the ZAGGmate case for $69.99.

To add additional protection and personal flair, ZAGG sells InvisibleSHIELD covers for your ZAGGmate starting at $34.99 (for a limited time, these are 50 percent off when you purchase a ZAGGmate for iPad 2).

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: SpotWorld

SpotWorld is a new social travel guide with a mission to help you discover the world. The app helps you find the best spots to visit, tap into your social networks to share your own favorite places in real-time and interact with other travelers in the community.

This app merges a travel guide and social networking to give you a fun way to explore travel destinations. After you register, start your search by entering a town, city, attraction or landmark in the search tool, and SpotWorld will give you a brief history and explanation about that search.

When you perform your search, SpotWorld also will display the spots that are in and around that town/city with pictures, interactive media and tips to help you get the most out of your visit.

Make new friends on SpotWorld and give ratings for locations, mark spots you’ve been to and view those locations on a map. Right now there are approximately 500,000 spots available to browse.

Download SpotWorld for free on the Apple iTunes App Store. Unfortunately, it’s not available on other smartphone platforms at the moment.

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The Sudden Rise Of QR Codes

Last week I was flipping through a magazine with some friends and we landed on a page that had a Quick Response barcode (QR code) on it. Not thinking anything of it, I continued to turn the page, and both of them said, “Wait, what was that?”

I turned the page back, we scanned it with my iPhone and discovered a buy-one-get-one-free coupon from a local steak restaurant.

While this barcode type has been around for a long time, not everyone knows what it is and why it matters.

A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode in the shape of a square and consists of black splotchy-looking modules. It can be read extremely quickly using your iPhone (or other smart phone) and embeds a Web address for you to receive more information or perform a transaction.

Essentially a QR code is equivalent to an on-the-go hyperlink. It’s a growing way of accessing the Internet. In fact, I believe this will be the way of the future. Instead of looking something up on Google with your computer, QR codes offer the opportunity for you to perform an inquiry in seconds.

A recent report released by Mobio Identity Systems indicates the use of QR codes in America has risen by a whopping 4,549 percent (from 2010) during the first three months of 2011. The 35-44 age group dominates QR scanning at 26 percent, followed by the 45-54 group at 22 percent, and the 25-34 group at 22 percent. Surprisingly, the 18-24 year olds only made up 12 percent.

QR codes started becoming popular in Asia a few years ago, especially in Japan and South Korea. Only recently I’ve started seeing them pop up here in America. I notice businesses typically use these in publications, restaurant menus (receive a special discount or display pictures of the meals) or just randomly on a poster or flier.

Here are a few great free apps you can use to start scanning away (using your phone’s camera).

* i-nigma QR Code, Data Matrix and 1D barcode reader: My personal favorite, and it’s based on 3GVision’s barcode scanning technology, which has become the de-facto standard for the Japanese. Supports iPhone, Android.

* QR Code Reader and Scanner: This app can scan any two-dimensional code, plus you can create contact information (adds to your address book), calendar event, email address, geo location, call with a phone number, send an SMS or visit a URL. Supports iPhone, Android.

* RedLaser: In addition to QR codes, this app scans UPC, EAN, UPC-E and EAN-8 barcodes. You can create your own QR code from your contacts, a URL or text. It searches for prices with Google, TheFind, eBay and Half.com.

This one is probably best for comparison shopping, reading product reviews or making note of a product for later. Supports iPhone, Android, Blackberry.

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Google Music Catching Up To Apple

Last week Google branched into the music world and went live with its Google Music beta, allowing you to upload 20,000 music files to the cloud, then stream it to your Android device. This announcement was a part of this year’s Google I/O, the annual developer conference to discuss the next generation of Web, mobile and enterprise applications with Google. Not surprisingly, this also follows Amazon’s recent release of the similar Cloud Drive.

With Google Music, your music and playlists are automatically kept in sync. Even if you create a playlist on your phone, it will be instantly available on your computer or tablet. A feature called Instant Mix allows you to create a playlist of songs to that go well together. When you’re offline, your most recently played music is automatically stored on your Android device and you can choose to make specific albums or playlists available when you’re not connected. Another way to listen offline is caching your songs onto an SD card. This allows you to wirelessly sync your music to your PC.

Soon Google Music will have a stand-alone PC application that will allow you to sync content, create playlists and download music similar to how you do it with iTunes. I can foresee this becoming very appealing to music lovers who hate Apple. This is the content that you Android users have been waiting for. You will no longer need a third-party application to sync and control your music library. Now Google has an app for that!

Register to join the Google Music beta at music.google.com. It may take a while for you to receive an account, but take advantage of this while it’s free. Who knows how much they will charge when it comes out of the beta stage. Note, if do you have an Android device, you can download and install the Music app on your phone immediately, however you won’t be able to access all the features until Google grants you an invitation.

Another big announcement with Google I/O was the addition of movies to the Android Market. You can choose from thousands of movies starting at $1.99, and once you download a movie, it is viewable across all your Android devices. Google also released an update to the Verizon XOOM customers, and it will be included in the Android 2.2 and above devices in the coming weeks. It sounds like Google is trying to mirror iTunes with all this.

Over the past two and a half years, Google shipped eight releases of the Android operating system, and already they’re talking about the next version - Ice Cream Sandwich. The goal with Ice Cream Sandwich is to deliver one operating system that works everywhere, regardless of which device you’re using. It will bring everything you love about the current operating system Honeycomb, including the holo-graphic user interface, more multitasking, the new launcher and richer widgets.

As an Apple snob, I haven’t been that enthusiastic about Android products because of the lack of content. But things are looking up. Now I’m actually looking forward to seeing how much more Android will evolve.

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Keep Keiki Safe On Facebook

Although you must be 18 years old to open a Facebook account, many users are under the age of 13. In fact, my friend at work is thinking about letting her 12-year-old daughter sign up for Facebook for her 13th birthday, but is worried about Internet predators. With more than 550 million Facebook users out there, that is a valid concern.

The typical method you would use to manage your keiki’s account is by sharing the login, but it can be a full-time job to read all the feeds, messages and shared links.

Thankfully I have some time before I have to worry about this since my daughter is only 17 months old and can’t type yet.

To help with your Facebook concerns, CheckPoint Software Technologies Ltd. recently released ZoneAlarm SocialGuard.

This software is designed for those wanting to protect your kids against social threats on Facebook, such as online predators, cyber-bullies, hacked accounts and malicious links. It enables you to monitor your keiki’s Facebook account(s) for illicit content in their status updates, wall posts, messages and friend requests, and provides you with real-time email alerts when suspicious activity is detected (without having to be logged into their Facebook account).

While playing with SocialGuard, I used my parrot’s account as the testbed (yes, my bird has a Facebook page). How it works: You must have your keiki log into Facebook just once with SocialGuard, then you’re set to monitor the account. You can monitor more than one account at a time (it will appear as tabs within SocialGuard). In order for the program to keep sending you warning updates, SocialGuard must running on your computer.

I found it to be detailed, indicating potential strangers, age concerns and inappropriate links for my bird. Apparently three of his friends were flagged for age concerns (but it turned out to be no biggie, since they were his older dog friends). He had no cyberbullying going on, but had two potential strangers. It’s interesting how the program searches for these red flags. It digs deep into Facebook and examines circles of friends, and warns if the befriender is outside the circle, estimates their real ages and compares to stated ages and for predators, and checks wall posts and messages for key words/phrases.

ZoneAlarm SocialGuard can be purchased for a fairly nominal price of $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year at http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-socialguard-facebook-parental-control.htm. Before you buy it, try the free seven-day trial.

 

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iPhoneography: Mobile Photography

This week, instead of my usual Click Chick column, I introduce you to my guest columnist, Mililani High School junior Sachi Kasahara. She aspires to be a graphic novel illustrator and is an avid iPhone photographer, the focus of her story below.

Do you like bringing your digital camera with you every day? Or maybe you are walking along the sidewalk and you see the perfect shot, but no camera at hand. Don’t worry! We introduce to you the next portable and popular device among photography enthusiasts: The iPhone and the iPod touch (generation 4).

That’s right, folks! The iPhone or iPod touch that’s in your pocket right now. We introduce a new term popular among the photography community around the world: “iPhoneography.”

With the arrival of iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4, many app makers have published camera apps that mimic the quality and effects of high dynamic range cameras, or HDR. Taking the photo is half the fun, the other half is editing them, as it can be done all from the iPhone. From blur effects to color filters, photos can be edited with a touch of a button. (In this case, the screen.)Not convinced? No problem! For those who want to try it out as a hobby, here are the top five free must-have apps to get you started in the iPhoneography community:

1) Instagram: an application that comes with its own camera and unique filters to choose from. It also allows an in-app upload from your iPhone album. This social app is like Twitter and Facebook, dedicated to your photos. The instagram community is safe and positive, so you needn’t be afraid of feedback comments.

The interface is simple to use and every feature is self-explanatory. The use of “hashtags,” “followers” and “mentions” similar to Twitter will get you started on becoming a widely known iPhoneographer.

2) Pudding camera: Don’t let the foreign title in the app store fool you, this camera if full of nifty effects. Effects will include a “Motion x4” (shown below) and panoramic shots. It also has a wide range of lighting effects including black and white and a “vivid” option for those who want their colors to POP! Adjust the exposure levels on the screen from 2+~2-3) Phototreats: A useful app for all you filter-holics! Ever wanted a snowy effect? Maybe a little sparkle in your life? The simple interface of the app allows you to pick and choose from a selection of effects. All you have to do is ... choose! It includes the option of uploading your newly sparkled photo to the Steply community, a photo social app similar to Instagram.

4) ShotCamera: Ever shot a photo and it turns out blurry? Maybe the subject is moving around. If you wanted to take multiple shots at once, here’s an app for that. ShotCamera is a third-party camera app that takes up to 30 photos in as little as 3 seconds. No more bad photography days!

5) Fotolr PS: This free version of Fotolr photo studio comes with fun frames and touchups for skin, lips and even the eyes. It also includes frames and fun scenes. This app is recommended to the people who want to touch up their portraits before adding the fancy effects. iPhoneography is an inexpensive, mobile alternative to HDR photography. With many apps to choose from, dedicated to the best iPhone photos, the possibilities are endless. Best of all, you’re always going to have it with you. If you’ve thought about taking up photography as a hobby you may want to try with the iPhone experience first.

 

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TreatFeed For You And Your Peeps

Last week the Los Angeles startup company TreatFeed launched its innovative spin on social networking and e-commerce.

Rather than just a “one-dimensional” reward for a referral (i.e., one-time $10 credit), TreatFeed wants to reward you for your social recommendations with cash, products or exclusive offers.

How it works: TreatFeed aggregates deals across the Web. You visit TreatFeed to see the details, then ask your friends and family to join. When you find a great deal, you can recommend it to your Peeps (you have four generations of Peeps). If one of these Peeps actually purchases the deal, TreatFeed receives an affiliate commission and splits it with you. You’ll receive a percentage, and the Peep(s) under you receive a smaller percentage. It almost follows the multilevel marketing (MLM) model or a pyramid scheme, but this system takes advantage of the preexisting conversations between shoppers.

Mahalo to TreatFeed senior vice president Scott Roback, who took the time to speak with me about the company.

“People love sharing commerce opportunities, and by using TreatFeed, you can turn word of mouth sharing into financial rewards,” Roback says. “TreatFeed takes advantage of the fact that shoppers are already recommending products and services to their friends, and it rewards you for bringing in more users.”

This Social Tree model represents a smarter and more profitable way for you to monetize your purchasing recommendations. From a business perspective, it’s brilliant as TreatFeed’s advertising partners can market to an audience for an extended period of time as the sharing goes viral among various social networks. It doesn’t require consumers to return directly to the originator’s website.

TreatFeed is the creation of HauteLook founders Brett Markinson and Konstantin Glasmacher, who sold the flash sales platform to Nordstrom for $270 million a couple of months ago. The company raised $5.4 million in venture capital funding led by Norwest Venture Partners. Partners Josh Goldman and Tim Chang joined TreatFeed’s board of directors.

“TreatFeed is leading the convergence of e-commerce, gaming and the deal economy and is creating a service that is incredibly compelling for consumers and retailers alike,” Goldman says. “Consumers are already sharing deals on social networks, and TreatFeed has found a way to tap into this trend, rewarding users for their influence and activity. This is the first of a new generation of engaging, social commerce platforms, and we’re proud to be associated with this top-notch team of innovators.”

I remember when I first wrote about Twitter, I received many puzzled e-mails from readers wondering what the heck they were supposed to do with it. Now, who doesn’t know what Twitter is? As I’ve watched many companies such as this one grow over the years, I’m looking forward to seeing how TreatFeed will evolve. See it for yourself at treatfeed.com. Additionally, very soon you’ll be able to use TreatFeed with a mobile app for your iPhone, Android or BlackBerry.

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In The Cloud With Amazon Tunes

The rumors about Amazon were true - it has officially entered the music realm, and even managed to do it before Google and Apple with its Cloud Drive and Cloud Player. Together these service allow you to store music in the cloud and play it on any Android phone/tablet or computer, wherever you are.

“We’re excited to take this leap forward in the digital experience,” said Bill Carr, vice president of Movies and Music at Amazon. “The launch of Cloud Drive, Cloud Player for Web and Cloud Player for Android eliminates the need for constant software updates as well as the use of thumb drives and cables to move and manage music. Our customers have told us they don’t want to download music to their work computers or phones because they find it hard to move music around to different devices. Now, whether at work, home, or on the go, customers can buy music from Amazon MP3, store it in the cloud and play it anywhere,” Carr added.

You automatically start off with 5GB of complimentary Cloud Drive storage to upload anything, and organizes your files by Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos. New Amazon MP3 purchases saved directly to your Cloud are stored for free and do not count against your Cloud space. You can increase your Cloud to 20GB, 50 GB, 100GB, 200GB, 500GB and 1TB (1,000GB), priced at $1 per GB, per year. For a limited time once you purchase an Amazon MP3 album, you’ll be upgraded to 20GB of Cloud Drive Space.

Once you’ve chosen your plan, you’ll be prompted to download and install an MP3 Uploader tool. The software will then scan your drive and report how many music files you have available to upload and how much storage is on your Cloud. If you don’t have room for your entire selection, you can manually select which artists, songs or playlists you want to upload.

Using your Web browser you can listen to your music with the Cloud Player. The Player allows you to manage your music with download and streaming options. You don’t need to worry about regularly updating software on your computer to enjoy your music, and Amazon MP3 customers can continue to use iTunes and Windows Media Player to continue to add music to their devices.

Visit amazon.com/cloud-drive to discover your own cloud.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Eat St.

Hungry? The Eat St. app will help you find the closest lunch wagon. The app aims to be the best street food app in the world and includes food trucks and vendors in Honolulu. The recent launch of this Eat St. was co-branded with a new TV series on the Food Network Canada, and follows comedian James Cunningham as he checks out food trucks/carts across North America.

You can sort by distance, cuisine and popularity (with the option to click on a thumbs-up button). You can also view Twitter feeds, photos, menus, hours and specials. Here on Oahu I see about 30, but I’m sure the list will expand as more trucks/vendors are added.

Download for free at the iTunes App Store. If you don’t have any iDevices, you can use the Web version: http://eatst.foodnetwork.ca/ Vendors can add their lunch wagon on this link.

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OHA Papakilo Database

Last week the Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced its creation of the Papakilo Database, a digital library of significant historical and cultural information in Hawaii. More than three years in the making, this is the first source to integrate more than 225,000 records into a single digital resource. Papakilo collaborates several databases of land and government records, genealogy indexes and historic Hawaiian language newspapers into a single resource.

“The Papakilo Database will be the central repository of all Hawaiian knowledge,” says Clyde Namuo, OHA’s chief executive officer. “The information stored in the database is important to preserve the Hawaiian language, culture and history and lays the foundation for self-determination. This would not have been as robust as it is without the many community partnerships we have formed. We are extremely proud to be a part of this unique resource and extend our deepest gratitude to all those who made this possible.”

This database will save a lot of time for anyone wanting to access these valuable records. Seventy-one thousand records are from Kumu Pono Associates’ Mahele Aina Index, and approximately 53,000 records are from more than 45 different newspapers published in the Hawaiian language that were digitized and made searchable by Awaiaulu and Hoolaupai Hawaiian Newspaper Resources. In addition, records from the State Inventory of Historic Sites and the State Historic Preservation Department (SHPD) were integrated into Papakilo.

Here is a list of what the Papakilo Database currently includes:

* Environmental Assessments/Impact Statements from the 1970s and 1980s

* Hawaiian Genealogy Indexes: Includes marriage records (1826-1929), court records (1848-1915), probate and wills (1852-1916), and citizenship records (Naturalization 1844-1894, Denization 1846-1898, Passports 1845-1874)

* Hawaiian Newspapers: A collection of 48 newspapers published in the Hawaiian language from 1834 to 1937

* Hawaiian Place Names Collection: Compiled from the records of the Boundary Commission and The Board of Commissioners to Quiet Land Titles of the Kingdom of Hawaii

* Mahele Aina Index: A collection of land records from the Mahele (including the original registration of, and testimony for claims) indexed, and easily accessible

* State Inventory of Historic Places

* State Historic Preservation Department’s Index of Reports

* Various digitized reports and maps compiled by OHA

Others will be added later this year and in following years.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Nuclear Site locator

With the recent disaster in Japan, nuclear power plants have been on the minds of many. Yes, there actually is an app for that. The Nuclear Site Locator allows you to locate your current position relative to nuclear power sites, and provides information to prepare an emergency evacuation route.

The app features active evacuation ring markers surrounding sites in an emergency state, and with international incidents, two distance zones are indicated (local area and U.S. advisory based). You can search by a known reactor name or country, and photographs of sites are provided as best as possible. Security concerns may prohibit/limit the number displayed.

Thankfully we don’t have to worry about this too much in Hawaii, but it’s useful if you’re travelling or have ohana near a nuclear site. It sells for $1.99 on the iTunes App Store and the Android Market.

 

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The Risk Of Not Backing Up Files

A MidWeek colleague (who shall remain nameless) recently reminded me of the importance of the simple act of backing up a hard drive. Here is the tale of the nearly lost data:

My colleague received an iPad for Christmas, but his 4-year-old Mac was not compatible with it. He thought loading Mac OS X Snow Leopard to upgrade the operating system would help. Told the upgrade would take about three hours, he saw trouble coming when it took 12.

At first he couldn’t open any of the thousands of Microsoft Word docs he saved on his computer. One of our IT guys fixed that, and it was OK at this point.

The system then wanted him to update all the things from Apple that he had been “too busy” to update over the years. That part took all night, but it was still OK at this point.

Coming back the next morning, the computer asked him to update two more things ... 12 hours later the rainbow wheel of death was spinning and wouldn’t stop. He decided to reboot and saw a gray screen. It was a goner. He took it to the Apple Store Geniuses, and they could not retrieve anything. Per their recommendation, he contacted DriveSavers and sent his hard drive there.

A week later, engineers in DriveSavers’ “clean room” said they could retrieve 97-98 percent of his data, including everything he’d written in the past 17 years.

Painfully, but necessarily, he dished out $2,500, and they sent back all his data on an external hard drive with a recommendation to purchase a second one for a double backup before installing it on the new Mac he needed to buy.

Luckily, he can’t find anything missing. He did have to rename some photo files and remake some music playlists, but otherwise the 13,000-plus files he had on there were intact and readable. He now keeps a backup drive at home and another at work for safekeeping in case of theft/fire or who knows what else might happen to his computer.

The big lesson learned here is back up your computer! And do it often. I usually back up my computer at least once a week.

However, if you do run into trouble, know that DriveSavers is awesome! Not only did it recover data from my colleague’s hard drive, but the newspaper has used it a few times to recover data from seemingly hopeless hard drives.

I also have to mention that DriveSavers is offering free data recovery services (including free shipping) for Japanese tsunami victims. It is partnering with PC Kids, the leading IT solutions provider in Tokyo to offer free data recovery services to the residents of the Tohoku district (the hardest hit area) until May 31. Please pass this on if you know anyone who lives in that area. Visit drivesaversdatarecovery.com for more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Square

Square is the simplest way to accept credit cards for both individuals and businesses. There is no monthly contract, no monthly fees or merchant account required. Each user receives a free Square credit card reader, and within minutes of downloading the app, you’re ready to go. Square lets you accept most major debit and credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. If you’re planning a garage sale soon, this is a great tool to help your payments along, but I wouldn’t use it on the 25-cent items.

There is a nominal fee of 15 cents per swipe and 2.75 percent of the purchase for using Square. If you don’t have the card reader with you, typing in the card number will cost you 15 cents and 3.5 percent of the purchase.

Visit squareup.com to register and request your free card reader. Square is available on the iTunes App Store and the Android Market.

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Comparing The New PlayBook To The iPad

We’ve seen so many companies attempt to follow the trail Apple blazed with the iPhone, and now we’re seeing the pattern once again with the iPad. Many tablets were branded as “copycats” by Steve Jobs shortly after the iPad 2 launch. The latest iPad 2 contender is BlackBerry’s PlayBook. Last week Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind BlackBerry, announced the PlayBook is available for pre-order from your nearest Best Buy (or bestbuy.com), and will be in stores April 19.

The PlayBook was one of many that jumped on the tablet bandwagon at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. For RIM, the PlayBook isn’t just another BlackBerry, it’s a whole new concept. According to RIM, it’s “the world’s first professional grade tablet with an ultra-portable design that delivers industry-leading performance, uncompromised Web browsing with support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment.”

Hardware-wise the PlayBook is somewhat similar to Apple’s iPad 2. They both come in 16GB/32GB/64GB storage sizes with the same respective $499/$599/$699 pricing points, have front and rear HD cameras and contain dual 1 GHz processors. The PlayBook is smaller and thinner with a 7-inch screen/0.4-inch thickness, versus the iPad 2’s 9.7-inch screen/0.34-inch thickness. Personally, I’d rather have the slightly bigger screen if I’m going to take it on an airplane as my entertainment source.

The PlayBook in the future will be 4G capable and will run on the Sprint network, while the iPad 2 is only 3G capable and runs on AT&T and Verizon. It should be interesting to see what happens in the near future with the recent AT&T/T-Mobile merger - I think that will give the iPad 2 a greater advantage.

Looking at the software, the PlayBook uses the BlackBerry Tablet OS (QNX), and BlackBerry App World, yet I just don’t see much viable content. Rumors have been flying about the possibility of running Android apps on the Playbook. This will be a must if the Playbook is to have a chance of competing against iPad app market.

Additionally, a big deal that some folks make about tablets is Flash support. Yes,

the PlayBook does have Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (which the iPad 2 lacks), but it is slow and clunky, not really ready for “primetime.” Using a Flash player also has the tendency to reduce the battery life of a tablet.

For the business/enterprise user, the PlayBook will probably look more attractive than an iPad 2 because of the “out-of-the box enterprise support,” but keep in mind the iPad 2 supports Microsoft Exchange too. I use my iPad or iPad 2 all the time to check my company email and Microsoft Office attachments.

The bottom line is if you’re a diehard BlackBerry fan, and you have minimal needs (i.e., if you’ll primarily use it to surf the Internet and check email), the PlayBook is for you. Personally, since I actually make use out of the multitude of apps Apple offers, the iPad/iPad 2 is a better solution for me.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Angry Birds Rio

If you’re a fan of the original Angry Birds App, you’ll love the latest Angry Birds Rio. In this game, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to Rio de Janeiro, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to save their friends Blu and Jewel (two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming movie Rio).

Angry Birds Rio is as addicting as the previous games. This time around you’ll find 60 levels, completely new achievements and special hidden fruits.

If you’re using an Apple product, I suggest purchasing the Angry Birds Rio HD version ($2.99) so you don’t see the pop-up ads. If you don’t mind the ads, there is a free version with fewer levels, or a version for 99 cents that contains ads. It is available on the iTunes App Store or the Android Market.

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AT&T, Verizon Offer Free Calls To Japan

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami we recently witnessed in Japan, especially since I know several people there and it is a country I love to visit frequently. This is a sad time to watch the death toll rise and the radiation crisis unfold.

If you have loved ones in Japan, I’m sure you’ve been scrambling to contact them. AT&T and Verizon Wireless are offering free calls and texts to Japan.

Effective now through March 31, AT&T customers will not be charged for international long-distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan, as well as text messages. Additionally, by texting “redcross” to 90999 you’ll donate $10 to the Red Cross to assist with disaster-support efforts in Japan.

“We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in any way we can,” says Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this - we want to make it as easy and worry-free as possible for our customers.”

Similarly, for Verizon Wireless customers, calls, text/multimedia messaging to Japan from the U.S. are free now through April 10. As far as relief causes, you have more options. By sending a text message to any of following, you’ll donate $10:

* ADRA Relief: Text SUPPORT to 85944

* American Red Cross Relief: Text REDCROSS to 90999

* Convoy of Hope: Text TSUNAMI or SUNAMI to 50555

* GlobalGiving: Text JAPAN to 50555

* International Medical Corps: Text MED to 80888

* Mercy Corps: Text MERCY to 25383

* Salvation Army: Text JAPAN to 80888

* Save the Children Federation Inc.: Text JAPAN or TSUNAMI to 20222

* World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals: Text WAVE to 50555

* World Vision Inc.: Text 4JAPAN or 4TSUNAMI to 20222

I encourage you to take advantage of these free minutes/texts and donate to this worthy cause.

Honolulu Twestival

On a similar note, calling all Twitter and Facebook users, the Honolulu Twestival returns on March 24, 5-8 p.m. at The Venue. This event will raise awareness and funds for the Blood Bank of Hawaii. In its first two years, Honolulu Twestival raised more than $10,000 for international causes, including Irish charity Concern Worldwide (the International Twestival effort brought in nearly half a million dollars).

Ticket sales are the primary source of funds for the Twestival ($20 in advance, $25 at the door).The entertainment lineup features beatbox-dance performer Jason Tom, dancer-singer Willow Chang and singer-song-writer Emi Hart. Although this year’s Twestival has a local flair, Japan will not be forgotten. Attendees will

be encouraged to make special donations to the Hawaii Red Cross. While we continue to watch the crisis unfold in Japan, the need to sustain the local blood supply never subsides.

For more information, visit honolulu.twestival.com or follow @hitwestival on Twitter.

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A Shooting Game That’s Not For Kids

Recently released by Epic Games and Electronic Arts, the insane, very masculine first-person shooter game Bulletstorm is certainly entertaining. Built upon the Unreal Engine 3, and sister to the popular game series Gears of War, Bulletstorm delivers a new shooter experience that is stylish, creative and loads of fun!

Set in the 26th century on Stygia, a planet where paradise was lost and overrun with rampaging freaks, flesh-eating plants and creatures the size of skyscrapers, Bulletstorm tells the story of Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato. As ex-members of Dead Echo, an elite military force, Grayson and Ishi are mercenaries on-the-run across the galaxy until they are stranded on Stygia.

Their main objective here is to survive long enough to seek revenge on the one person responsible for their plight.

Throughout the approximate six hours it takes you to finish the campaign, Grayson’s hatred for his former commanding officer Serrano is apparent.

This is clearly Bulletstorm’s excuse for the character to go on a revenge-filled rampage. With the way Grayson complains all the time, you know he takes it all too seriously.

In Anarchy multiplayer mode (to me, a twisted version of a typical Horde mode), teams of up to four players fight together to survive waves of blood-thirsty mutants while scoring Skillpoints to advance.

You can’t just survive each wave - you need to earn enough points to pass onto the next group of enemies. To do this, your team has to work together to earn Team Skillshots, which gets you throw bonus points on top of what each Skillshot is worth (depending on how many people are involved).

In Echo mode, Bulletstorm tracks and compares your scores through locations found in the campaign. Basically it’s somewhere in-between a time trail mode and a race for the highest score as you replay sections of the campaign as quickly as possible to earn as many Skillshots as possible.

Through the Skillshot system, the game provides imaginative ways to perform spectacular kills with some of the most unique weapons you’ll ever see.

A couple of those include the Boneduster, a four-barreled shotgun that packs a huge punch, and the Headhunter, a sniper rifle that allows you to guide the bullet as it reaches its target.

Warning: Bulletstorm is not for the keiki, as the rating is M for Mature. It retails for $59.95, and is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The PC version has a download option, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions include a one-time user online pass registration code that gives you access to six bonus Echo maps and the exclusive Quiksilver leash. As a bonus, a lucky handful of Xbox 360 Bulletstorm Epic Editions will grant early access to the Gears of War 3 beta.

Find Bulletstorm at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or Amazon.com. Visit bullet-storm.com for more information and to view videos from the game.

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Apple’s Steve Jobs Unveils The iPad 2

As anticipated, Apple unveiled the iPad 2 last week (surprisingly by CEO Steve Jobs himself). Rumors of this improved version started popping up around September of last year, and now it’s here. In comparison to the original iPad (released April 3, 2010), this new version is 33 percent thinner, 15 percent lighter, adds two cameras, a gyroscope and a new dual core processor.

“With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has defined an entirely new category of mobile devices,” says Jobs. “While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”

iPad 2 maintains the same 9.7-inch LED backlit LCD screen and features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for fast performance and stunning graphics. The front-facing VGA camera is used for FaceTime video-conferencing, and the rear-facing camera captures 720p HD video. iPad 2’s battery will last about 10 hours. In addition, Apple added a Smart Cover option to protect the iPad screen ($39/polyurethane or $69/leather). The Smart Cover comes in multiple colors and is designed with a self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove. It folds into a stand for typing and viewing videos.

The iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, Apple’s latest mobile operating system that includes a faster Safari browser, iTunes Home Sharing and enhancements to AirPlay. Additionally, you’ll have the choice to use the iPad side switch to lock the screen rotation. iMovie and and GarageBand for iPad also are available for $4.99 each. iMovie allows you to shoot and edit videos right from your iPad, and GarageBand turns your iPad into an 8-track recording studio as it allows you to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures (even if you don’t play an instrument).

Apple made a good move to release the iPad 2 now since it’s fairly close to the Motorola Xoom launch last month. General public opinion is that the Android-based Xoom is probably the only “real alternative” to the iPad.

If you ask me, not really. While the Xoom is an impressive piece of hardware, the Android tablet market lacks content. Apple has worked hard at developing its iTunes store and iBook store, and has more than 65,000 tablet apps in its App store. Android Xoom has about 100 apps available.

So the burning question: Is upgrading to the iPad 2 worth it?

For me, yes. For you, maybe not. If you don’t have one now, then definitely buy one! But if you already own the original iPad, and you feel the iPad 2 does-n’t offer anything that much more extraordinary, then there’s nothing wrong with sticking with your current one. Heck, I would-n’t be surprised if Apple is working on version No. 3.

This time around you have the luxury of choosing between AT&T and Verizon (rather than being stuck with just AT&T). Whether you’re on AT&T or Verizon, the Wi-Fi version sells for $499/16 GB, $599/32GB or $729/64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G versions cost $629/16GB, $729/32GB or $829/64GB. iPad 2 will hit store shelves Friday, March 11.

Unfortunately, there is no pre-ordering available, so maybe I’ll see you in line at one of the Apple Stores.

Or, if you don’t want to bother fighting the crowd, visit apple.com Friday to make sure you snag one.

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Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Is A Blast

After a decade of waiting, iconic Marvel and Capcom characters join forces again in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. The battle begins when the renowned villains of these two universes conspire to wreak havoc across space and time, unleashing a terrible evil that threatens the existence of an entire civilization. In a desperate fight to survive, the Marvel and Capcom universes collide in a gigantic battle that will determine the fate of the two worlds.

There is never a dull moment as you fill the shoes of your favorite legendary Marvel and Capcom characters. As you battle in a living comic book art style, you and your opponent each have a team of three characters to fight it out in one continuous round highlighted with various moves and combos.

The game is powered by Capcom’s MT Framework, an advanced version of the graphics engine used for Resident Evil 5. When the fight goes vertical, you launch into the air, exchanging aerial combo attacks with furious bursts of color and light. When the pressure is on, you can call on your team members for an “assist” attack (3-on-3 Tag Team Fighting) that will throw off your opponents.

You won’t be bored with the popular returning characters Spider-Man, Ryu, Wolverine, Morrigan, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Felicia, Chun-Li, Tron Bonne, Magneto, Storm, Akuma and Doctor Doom. In addition, Crimson Viper, Viewtiful Joe and Zero will make their debut, and new characters joining the playable cast for the first time in fighting game history include Taskmaster, Haggar, She-Hulk, Chris Redfield, Thor, Trish, Super-Skrull, Amaterasu, Dormammu, Wesker, X-23, Arthur, Deadpool, Nathan Spencer, M.O.D.O.K. and

Dante! You will constantly be on your toes since each character has his/her own personality, abilities and plays differently.

Simple Mode allows the novice players to perform moves as a pro, whereas the Evolved Vs. Fighting system allows the advanced players to do signature aerial combos and aerial combos. You can also play in story, mission and training modes. The mission and training modes prepare you well for the many battles you’ll encounter. Each character has 10 missions, each beginning with simple moves, and quickly evolve to exciting, more complicated combos. Fun, fun, fun!

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is an absolute blast to play, whether you’ve played its predecessors or are a newbie. It’s a must-have, especially for the Marvel fans. The game retails for $59.99 and is available for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Find it at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com) or Best Buy (bestbuy.com).

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: IntoNow

IntoNow isn’t the first app that turns watching TV or a movie into a social networking experience, but it’s the best. Instead of having you manually input the name of the show you’re watching, you hold your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch directly to your TV and the app will instantly identify what you’re watching.

This is similar to what Shazam does for music. The accuracy of IntoNow is amazing. It identified all the TV shows and movies I played. For the TV shows, the app could even identify the exact season and episode. You can use it as a trial a few times, but you’ll need to register (for free), then you can integrate your Twitter, Facebook and Netflix accounts.

You can also find fellow users in your via your address book.

Download IntoNow for free from the iTunes App Store.

 

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‘Jeopardy!’ — Man Loses To Machine

Over the past four years, a team of IBM scientists set out to build a computing system that rivals a human’s ability to answer questions posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confidence. The result is a computer named Watson. This is not your “typical computer” built to beat you at a game of chess - try a game of Jeopardy!

Last week Watson competed on Jeopardy! against Ken Jennings (who won 74 straight rounds of Jeopardy!) and Brad Rutter (who retains the record for Jeopardy! winnings - $3.2 million). As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Watson totally dominated Jennings and Rutter, finishing the three games with a total of $77,147, more than the two humans’ $24,000 (Jennings) and $21,600 (Rutter) combined.

So what exactly is Watson? On stage it’s a large LCD monitor with a sphere-shaped avatar, but in reality it’s a massive collection of servers functioning as a supercomputer. These servers consist of 100 IBM Power 750 server units and are housed in 10 server racks in a room next to the Jeopardy! stage, not to mention it is equipped with 15 terabytes of onboard RAM. Basically Watson is as powerful as 2,800 powerful computers combined.

Jeopardy! provides the ultimate challenge for Watson because the game’s clues involve analyzing subtle meaning, irony, riddles and other complexities in which humans excel and computers usually do not. Watson’s ability to understand the meaning and context of human language, and rapidly process information to find precise answers to complex questions, holds enormous potential to transform how computers help people accomplish tasks in business and their personal lives.

Watson isn’t connected to the Internet, so any information it draws from was loaded into Watson by IBM engineers. It is competing against two people that basically know everything, but amazingly, Watson can analyze a clue delivered in conversational English and come up with an answer with the analytical engine. While watching these Jeopardy! episodes, you’d see Watson’s three possible answers (with probability percentiles) pop up at the bottom of your TV screen, along with its spinning avatar to show it thinking.

On all shows, Watson answered the questions so quickly that Jennings and Rutter barely had a chance to buzz in. It was a trivia bloodbath. However, for Final Jeopardy on the second show, the category was U.S. cities, and they were asked to name the city that has one airport named after a World War II hero, and another named for a WWII battle. Here is where Watson failed. The correct answer is Chicago, which Jennings and Rutter both answered correctly, and Watson answered “Toronto?”

Taking a look at its wrong answer, we see that Watson did not consider the restrictions set by the category itself. Watson only wagered $947, likely realizing it could still win. Watson’s strength is that it doesn’t have to worry about forgetting anything. As an emotionless machine, it can buzz in more quickly than the other contestants, as it computes the question factors with a numerical preciseness that humans cannot. But Watson’s weakness is its confusion with complex sentences (i.e. when contestants are asked to consider two indirectly related factors or ideas). Its confidence goes down, and the reaction times are slower. Additionally, it seems Watson doesn’t know anything about the arts. It reacted slowly to the art-related questions, and the one it answered correctly, the confidence level was only 32 percent.

It will be interesting to see if this will pave the way for the future of man versus machine ...

Overall, Watson was made to enable people to rapidly find specific answers to complex questions. The technology could be applied in areas such as health care for accurately diagnosing patients, to improve online self-service help desks, to provide tourists and citizens with specific information regarding cities, prompt customer support via phone and much more.

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A Massage From Your iPhone

Picture your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch giving you a massage. Yes, it can really happen with Human Touch’s AcuTouch 9500 massage chair. It has been selected as a 2011 Innovations Design and Engineering Awards honoree under the Major Home Appliances category for the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show. The AcuTouch 9500 with HT-Connect (an app) is the world’s first massage chair to deliver a completely personalized massage and wellness experience via Bluetooth at the convenience of any iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

“The AcuTouch 9500 is the only massage chair that provides an anatomic interface between the user’s needs and the advanced features of Human Touch massage technology, according to David Potter, vice president of design, Human Touch LLC. “Just one touch where you want to feel better and the AcuTouch 9500 goes to work delivering relief in as little as five minutes. HT-Connect knows who you are, what you need and where you need it. And it happens seamlessly through a wireless Bluetooth connection. It’s your own personal valet to feel better everywhere.”

I wish all massage chairs could be controlled with my iPad instead of having to use a clunky remote or a control pad on the chair’s armrest (such as the one I have right now). With my iPad, I can target pressure points and queue doctor-recommended massage routines. Maybe when the price comes down a little I’ll buy one of these for myself. It runs a little steep at $6,000 (humantouch.com/ht-9500.html).

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Google Translate

Google released its Google Translate app last week, and I have to say it’s way cool! This is definitely the future for translators. It’s perfect if you’re traveling abroad. Or, if you just need some help with your language studies, the app untangles your tongue quickly.

You can speak into your phone (15 languages supported) to translate words/phrases into one of 50 languages. You can then listen to your translations spoken out loud in any of 23 languages. It uses the same speech synthesizer voices as the Google Translate desktop version released last month - if you played with it before, you know the voices are clear and easy to understand.

In addition, you can view dictionary results for individual words, and access the history of your translations when offline. The full-screen mode is helpful when you need magnify and show your words/phrases to the individual with whom you’re trying to communicate.

The only drawback of the app is you need Wi-Fi or data connectivity (except when accessing the history) to use the app. That might be a little expensive to do if you’re overseas.

Download the free Google Translate for your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch from the iTunes App Store or for your Android device from the Android Market.

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Cutting-edge Razer Switchblade

Handheld PC gaming is on the horizon with the Razer Switchblade. This little wonder won the People’s Choice Award at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. The cool thing about the machine is the programmable keyboard with its tactile, transparent keys and a crisp display underneath.

“The main problem with mobile PC gaming so far is that no one has been able to port the full mouse and keyboard experience onto a small-size portable solution,” says Min-Liang Tan, CEO and creative director, Razer. “By combining adaptive on-the-fly controls and display, we managed to maintain the full tactile keyboard in a miniature computer while saving valuable screen estate.”

The Razer Switchblade is a little smaller and much more powerful than your typical netbook. Since it’s a concept prototype at the moment, I don’t have all the details on the machine. I do know that it has a seven-inch capacitive multi-touch screen and Intel Atom processor, runs Windows 7, and as mentioned earlier has a programmable keyboard. It is capable of playing video and games at 30 frames per second.

“With our established focus on human interface devices, moving the mouse and keyboard experience to the next level was a natural step,” continues Tan. “Razer isn’t just about bringing innovation to the PC, but creating products that will change the future of gaming. The Razer Switchblade is one such product.”

At this time Razer does-n’t have preliminary pricing or a release date. Although the prototype model it showed at CES looked fairly polished, Razer claims the final device may not look similar to it. The Switchblade is a great concept, but the challenge will be getting the PC gamers to step outside the box. Visit razerzone.com/switchblade for more information and to watch a video of the programmable keyboard in action.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Starbucks Card Mobile

Initially launched in September 2009, the Starbucks Card Mobile App for iPhone/iPod Touch allowed you to manage your Starbucks Cards through your device.

A couple weeks ago, the app was updated so you can pay with your iPhone/iPod/iPad or BlackBerry right at the counter (a barcode is generated and the cashier scans it from your device).

With Starbucks Card Mobile, your card balance can be reloaded directly from your device (or on starbucks.com from a computer) with your credit card or PayPal account, you can check your Starbucks Rewards status or find nearby Starbucks locations near you. If you have multiple gift cards to keep track of, this app is great to organize them. I’m still trying to use up all my Starbucks cards from Christmas, so it’s nice to have them in one place.

I’m disappointed that this app is not integrated with the functions of the myStarbucks app, which only offers a drink builder, menu and nutrition information. Hopefully this will be fixed in future app updates. Other than that, this app works smoothly for me and I love the ability to buy coffee with my iPhone.

Download your Starbucks Card Mobile for free at the iTunes App Store or BlackBerry App World.

clickchick@ midweek.com

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Logitech’s Wireless Solar Keyboard

If you’re a wireless keyboard user, you know the biggest problem with those is worrying about the batteries (or the charge) dying after a few hours. Logitech’s Solar Keyboard K750 eliminates the need to recharge or reload your keyboard with batteries. It has two integrated solar panels that can generate power in sunlight or artificial light from inside your home/office.

“The keyboard is still the best input device for typing e-mails and IMs, updating your Facebook page or posting responses to your favorite blogs - and the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 is the next big innovation in keyboard technology,” says Denis Pavillard, vice president of product marketing for Logitech’s keyboards and desktops. “The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard is powered by light but can work in total darkness for up to three months. Plus, with its PVC-free construction and fully recyclable packaging, it’s designed to minimize its footprint.”

The first thing I noticed about the 750 is that it’s easy to type on with the incurve keys, concave design and rounded edges. The keys support the shape of your fingertips and help guide your fingers to the proper keys without you having to look down. There are legs on the bottom to enable you to use it at an angle, but those two plastic legs are so flimsy they could easily break off.

To preserve your keyboard’s power, there’s an on/off switch along with a button that can show if the keyboard can generate any power from your current lighting conditions or not. When you press the “lighting condition” button while you’re under adequate lighting conditions, you’ll see a green light appear next to a smiley face. Likewise, if the lighting conditions are weak, a red light will appear next to a frowning face.

You can download the solar power app, a lux meter to help you gauge the necessary light to power the keyboard. The app gives you an easy at-a-glance interface about battery levels and provides you alerts when you need more light/power. The only drawback is the app only works on Windows (no Mac version). Just to clarify, the keyboard works with either operating system, but the solar power app will not work with your Mac.

It looks as if Logitech is leading the way for solar-powered keyboards with its Solar Keyboard 750. The best thing about it is that it’s environmentally friendly with no need for batteries. For more information or to purchase Logitech’s $80 Solar Keyboard 750, visit logitech.com.

Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T.9

The Cyborg R.A.T.9 is not your everyday mouse. Its appearance is something out of a sci-fi movie, and unlike your typical mouse, it’s highly adjustable to custom fit your hand. Meant for the serious gamer, the Cyborg R.A.T.9 is powered with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack that provides up to nine hours of game-play. Two hot swappable battery packs are shipped with your mouse so you’ll have power at the ready in case your other battery dies.

Most important, there are 42 grams of removable weights, which allow you to set your desired weight to meet your individual preference. Comfort was the first thing in mind with the interchangeable palm rest, adjustable pinkie grips, length, width and height settings.

The Precision Aim mode allows you to hold down a button and temporarily slow down cursor movement to steady your aim during a battle.

Additionally, five programmable buttons combined with a three-position mode switch allow you to create up to 15 user definable commands. The included Cyborg ST software allows you to remap programmable buttons and create custom macros.

R.A.T.9 is compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP. Sorry, no official Mac support. The retail price is $150, and you can find on Amazon.com. For more information, visit madcatz.com.

clickchick@ midweek.com

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Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Network

One of the big announcements at this year’s recent Consumer Electronic Show (CES) was the expansion of Verizon Wireless’4G LTE Wireless Network. Ten new devices will run on this network, and Honolulu, Lahaina, Kahului and Wailuku are included on the list of 140 expanding markets. Four categories of products are featured with the LTE network expansion (available by mid-2011): Tablets, Smartphones, Mifi/Mobile Hotspot and Notebooks.

As you may remember from my column last week, CES was all about the tablets. The Motorola XOOM tablet was one of the biggest stars there, and it happens to be one of the featured tablets that Verizon Wireless will have on its new 4G LTE network. The 4G LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab is the other. The XOOM has a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display and runs the Android Honeycomb operating system. The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch display, rear-facing 5-megapixel camera/front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, runs the Android 2.2 operating system, and Adobe Flash 10.1 is built-in.

Here we go again, more smart-phones. The LTE lineup includes: HTC Thunderbolt (exclusive to Verizon Wireless), LG Revolution, DROID Bionic 4G and the

Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone. Too many details to mention them all, but the highlight is the Thunderbolt. It features HTC Sense 2.0, Skype mobile with video, a 4.3-inch display and an HD 8-megapixel camera. Most of the other phones mentioned include HD support, Android 2.2 with Flash and rear/front-facing cameras.

The LTE mobile wireless access points are the Novatel MiFi 4510L and the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot. Both are dual-mode (3G/4G) and can support up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time. The Novatel MiFi is a little more compact and can fit in the palm of your hand or easily into your small purse.

Lastly, the LTE featured notebooks include the Compaq CQ10-688nr and the HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr. The 688nr has a 10.1-inch anti-glare widescreen LED display with an Intel Atom N455 processor with battery life of up to 8.5 hours. The dm1-3010nr is a little bigger with an 11.6-inch screen and a battery life of 10.75 hours.

Verizon Wireless claims the launch of this 4G LTE network has provided users with speeds up to 10 times faster than the 3G network. I haven’t been able to try it myself yet, but the claimed speeds are five to 12 megabits per second for the downlink and two to five Mbps on the uplink. For more information, visit verizonwireless.com.

Mac App Store

Instead of a mobile app of the week, I must make mention of Apple’s long-overdue Mac App Store. It kicked off a couple weeks ago with more than 1,000 apps and more than 1 million downloads on day one.

The experience of the iTunes App Store you know and love for your iPhone/iPod/iPad is now possible directly from your Mac. To install the Mac App Store function to your computer, you’ll need Snow Leopard on your Mac, then download a free software update (OS X v10.6.6). It will load to your dock.

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Motorola XOOM Rules At CES ’11

At the time of my Dec. 29 column about popular tech in 2011, the world didn’t have many details on Motorola’s Android Tablet.

However, as speculated, it was fully unveiled at last week’s Consumer Electronics Expo (CES), which my husband (aka “Mr. Click Chick”) again attended in my place while I was out of commission.

The theme at CES this time around was definitely all about the tablets, supposed iPad killers. Tablets, tablets, tablets were everywhere, coming out of the walls. Yet, of all of them, Motorola’s XOOM stuck out and won Best of Show as well as the People’s Choice Awards.

“Light, powerful and fundamentally different than anything else on the market, Motorola XOOM leverages the very best technology available today to redefine what a tablet experience can be,” says Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobility. “The first device to feature software designed specifically for tablets, Motorola XOOM goes everywhere you do and delivers everything you need.”

The XOOM is the first device on Google’s new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system designed from the ground up specifically for tablets. It improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multitasking, browsing, notifications and customization. It boasts a dual core processor with each core running at 1 GHz, 1GB of DDR2 DRAM, a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display and a Verizon Wireless partnership that will give you an upgradeable 4G option.

Adobe Flash support on the XOOM is a huge plus (something that’s always been a shortfall with the iPad), and its touchscreen/gameconsole-like display has a resolution of 1280x800 compared to the iPad’s 1024x768. You can watch 1080p HD video and output video to other devices via an HDMI slot. A front-facing 2-megapixel camera allows you to do video chats over 3G or 4G, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera can capture pictures and video in 720p. Interestingly, it also features a barometer, e-compass, accelerometer and adaptive lighting for new types of applications.

For on the go, Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction is available, and you can easily connect to your web-mail (i.e., Gmail, Yahoo) accounts or Microsoft Exchange e-mail. Opening and editing documents and spreadsheets, and viewing calendars or appointments will be a breeze.

The Xoom has 32GB of built-in storage and can be upgraded via an SD card slot. There are no specific details on price or date yet for the release of the XOOM. According to Motorola, the release will be sometime in the first quarter of this year for the 3G/Wi-enabled version and an upgrade to the 4G model sometime in second quarter 2011.

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Playing Namco Bandai’s Majin

My first impression of Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is that it’s similar to Zelda. This action-adventure title was recently released by Namco Bandai Games and boasts an engaging storyline filled with rich character interactions and robust game-play.

You go through the single-player campaign as Tepeu (a nimble thief). He is a legendary guardian and rumored to possess the ability to rid the kingdom of the darkness (a black ooze that is gradually engulfing the land). You end up rescuing and bonding with a mysterious creature (a gentle giant) named Majin. He reminds me of a cross between a Muppet character and a gigantic Chia Pet.

Your/Tepeu’s goal is to help Majin restore his power and memories. By doing both, you enable Majin to destroy the source of darkness. Majin is your muscle to fend off your foes and solve various puzzles. It’s these puzzles along with the nice visuals that keep you interested in the game. In addition, you find other characters such as birds or mice that drop you hints along the way.

The game will take you a total of about 16 to 20 hours to complete, depending on how long you spend on the puzzles. A couple of drawbacks I see are the underdeveloped combat (you only have two standard attacks, yet earn combos), and some of the characters’ voices need a little work. Also, sometimes Majin’s childlike behaviors become distracting. Despite those few things, it’s still a good game that I’d recommend.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is rated T for Teen and retails for $39.99. It is available for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and you can find it at your nearest Best Buy (http://www.best-buy.com) or Amazon.com.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Pidgin 101

If you grew up or have lived here in Hawaii for a while, chances are you’re very familiar with pidgin English and how to speak it. Here we have another locally grown app: Pidgin 101. Rather than a paper dictionary, this app is the electronic/portable way of translating our favorite Pidgin words for our non-Hawaii friends.

Local radio personality, comedian and entrepreneur Lanai Tabura decided to creatively use his knowledge of pidgin and share it with the world with this app. “Pidgin English is part of our culture, our history,” Tabura says. “If you were born or raised in Hawaii, it’s part of you and what makes us such a unique people. Hawaii is so special, and my kids need to know why we have all these kapakahi words, why we use them and where they originated. If this generation doesn’t preserve these words, it will be lost!”

Find Pidgin 101 for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store, and look for it in about a month on the Android Market and BlackBerry App World.

On a side note: I have to apologize about last week’s App of the Week feature: The big 99 cents sale that Electronic Arts was having on all its apps was taken down before that issue of MidWeek was published, so many of you visited the iTunes App Store to find those apps listed at full retail price.

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‘It Can Wait’ To Avoid Distracted Driving

As we continue to come off holiday mode, we’re well-reminded of the dangers of drinking and driving. In addition to that, I want you to keep in mind the hazards of distracted driving, particularly texting/talking on your cell phone. Although a hands-free law has been in effect in Hawaii since 2009, I see people using their cell phones/texting behind the wheel every single day.

My latest close call was a week ago when a lady jabbering on her cell phone went right through a stop sign and nearly hit me. Frustratingly, she didn’t notice what happened, even after I honked at her. Thankfully, I have not been hit by any preoccupied drivers yet, but for the unfortunate ones who have fallen victim to distracted driving, AT&T just released a documentary as part of its “It Can Wait” campaign.

This 10-minute video was distributed nationwide to schools, safety organizations and government agencies. It features eight individuals who volunteered their tragic stories to help AT&T educate its wireless customers (targeted at youth) on the risks of tapping away on their cell phones while behind the wheel.

“Distracted driving is an epidemic, particularly among teens who are confident in their ability to text or talk while driving,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Of the 5,500 people killed last year because of distracted driving, the largest proportion of fatalities occurred among young people under the age of 20. I hope teens will take this powerful video to heart and realize that when you’re behind the wheel, no text message or phone call is worth the risk.”

AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign initially launched in March 2010, and since then more than 21,600 consumers have taken the pledge not to text and drive on AT&T’s Facebook page, 16,700 AT&T employees on its internal social media channel and 10,000 on the AT&T Friends & Family page. The company will continue to raise awareness through this campaign that will span print, radio, TV, online ads and in-store signage.

I encourage you to watch AT&T’s video when you have a few moments: www.youtube.com/shareatt . Drive safely in 2011 and remember your distractions really can wait - that text message, phone call or even that ono plate lunch you want to eat so badly. Your life and other people’s lives are worth that extra 15 minutes before you reach your destination.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: EA Games Sale!

I can’t mention just one app this time - I need to tell you about the huge sale that EA Games is having on all its apps. All EA apps are 99 cents on the iTunes App Store. This includes about 60 apps, and keep in mind that the average regular price for each is $10!

Highlights include Madden NFL 11, Tetris, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Scrabble, Monopoly, Sudoku and The Sims 3 World Adventures. EA’s sale is probably a little leftover cheer from Christmas, so take advantage of it as soon as you can. I’m not sure how long it will last.

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Fun Gadgets For A Techie New Year

Happy New Year! 2010 has been a fun tech year as we saw the rise of tablet computing and many advanced smart phones pop out of the woodwork, so to speak. I expect 2011 to be filled with more tablets with some extra goodies here and there. Here are six things I think will be popular (or try to be) in 2011:

iPad 2

No official word from Apple yet, but the buzz is production on the next generation iPad will begin soon and will be available to purchase in April. The iPad 2 is rumored to have dual cameras, including a FaceTime camera for video calling, and a gyroscope for advanced motion-control sensing, similar to the iPhone 4. It’s also expected to be thinner than the current iPad and have an improved display. Who knows, if we’re lucky, it may even include a built-in USB support.

When the current iPad first launched last year, it was difficult to find unless you pre-ordered one. To avoid any iPad nightmares for you, as soon as I hear anything on price, pre-order availability, etc., I’ll be sure to let you know!

Motorola Android Tablet

In early December, Google Android’s Andy Rubin showed off a tablet running Android 2.3 at the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference. Other than that, not very many details were leaked about Motorola’s new Android Tablet, but there is a video posted on YouTube that implies the product will be officially unveiled next week at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011. Check it out at youtube.com/watch?v=quI2I 8wLPdc&feature=player_e mbedded.

HP Palm Tablet

Ever since HP bought Palm in early 2010, it promised to develop a product that would be similar to Apple’s iPad. Not many details on this one either, but we know it will run Palm’s WebOS, is code-named Topaz, and offers a Bluetooth keyboard accessory. Most likely Topaz will change to PalmPad, but I hope they’ll be a little more creative on the name.

RIM Playbook

A few months ago at Research in Motion’s (RIM) annual BlackBerry Developer Conference, the Playbook was announced BlackBerry’s answer to the iPad. It features a 7-inch multi-touch display, 1GB of RAM, a 3-megapixel front-facing camera/5-megapixel rear lens (with video teleconferencing), a microUSB port and Flash support (the latter two being the biggest lacking complaint against the current iPad).

Additionally, the operating system is the BlackBerry Tablet OS. Expect this to be in the $400 price range and available sometime early in the year. There may possibly be 3G and 4G models to choose from.

Nintendo 3DS

You may recall the Nintendo 3DS from a previous column - we’re still waiting for its release (slated for March) and it will cost you about $300.

This is the next generation of Nintendo’s DS portable game player and features a 3-D screen, Wi-Fi connectivity and a camera for 3-D photos.

Sony PSP Phone

A little too late to compete with the iPhone, but Sony plans to release its much-anticipated PlayStation Portable (PSP) phone sometime next year. From Engadget’s leaked photos, it looks like it runs Google’s Android operating system, version 2.2, but expect it to be version 3.0 for the official release. No official release date, but hopefully within a few months.

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Google Tech Support For Mom And Dad

I can’t tell you how many times I hear people talking about having to fix their parents’ computers when they go home for the holidays, or any time of the year, for that matter. While I’m sure these folks love to help out Mom or Dad, it can be a small bummer to arrive home and find a long list of tech-support issues that can be fixed easily.

This is such a common occurrence that last week some of the employees at Google launched a website called TeachParentsTech.org. Meant to save hours of valuable family time this Christmas, it’s a “tech support care package” for us kids to teach our parents computer basics.

TeachParentsTech.org is filled with more than 50 basic how-to videos that you can send to your parents, or really anyone who might need a little tech help. These videos cover a wide range of topics from copying and pasting to how to video chat (one that I had to deal with recently). Each video is very brief (less than a minute), so they should be able to sit through them without their eyes glazing over.

The website is very straightforward. You select Mom, Dad or type in a name from the checkboxes, tell them how shocked/impressed/worried/j azzed he/she has been when using his/her computer. Then you check off all the videos you think they need, and off it goes.

According to the Google Blog, the first 10,000 “served” will have the opportunity to send off a snail mail package as well. But when I tested this out, it was well over 6,500 (on the first day), so I’m sure it’ll be more than 10,000 by the time this story publishes. Plus, I didn’t see any option for me to send a snail mail package, so I don’t know how true that is.

If you need to save yourself a few hours this Christmas, make sure to send your techie care package to your favorite person in need of tech help.

 

Clickk Chick’ss Mobile Appp off thee Week: Christmass Tale

As Christmas is almost here, if you are an iPad owner (especially if you have keiki around), you need to download Christmas Tale for iPad. It’s a festive holiday book that’s great for Christmas lovers both young and old. The Christmas spirit unfolds as you meet Santa at his home in the North Pole and join him as he brings joy and happiness to all the children of the world.

As with most iPad books, you can either “Read it Myself” or “Read to Me.” Each page allows you to take your time and find the joyful interactions. If you can’t find them all, click “Tips” to reveal all the hidden features. Additionally, you can count down the days to Christmas with Santa, and make a wish list and store/send it via e-mail later. You’ll find a Christmas piano hidden in the Christmas tree, which you’ll discover as you decorate the tree. The piano’s notes are activated by pushing on the ornaments.

This app used to be free, but it’s now 99 cents on the iTunes App Store - a small price to pay for some holiday cheer!

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Click Chick’s Christmas Gift Guide

Merry Christmas, all! It’s that time of year again, and for those who still need to do some shopping, here are a few of my favorite gift ideas for 2010:

Vtech Kidizoom Plus Camera

This is the perfect keiki camera. It has a good, solid-resistant body coated with rubber, and it takes pictures - that’s about all you need when you hand over a camera to a kid. But really, it does much more than that with its affordable $60 price tag. Your keiki can become the family photographer with Kidizoom Plus’s capability to take 2.0 megapixel photos (not that kids care about megapixels) and videos, and edit them right on the camera.

The camera has 256MB of built-in memory (stores 500-plus photos or 10 minutes of video), and supports SD/SDHC memory cards 32MB to 16GB (not included). The screen is fairly small at only 1.8-inches, with very few button controls (good idea for a keiki camera). The fun feature is the ability to add or take pictures with goofy eyes, pirate hat, crown, etc. This will surely entertain your young one for at least a little while.

For more information or to purchase the Kidizoom Plus, visit Vtechkids.com or Amazon.com.

Recommended for ages 3-9, it comes in pink, blue and orange. If you want to save a little money, I saw the Kidizoom (not the Plus model) on my last visit to Target for $35.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm with PS3 Move Gun Attachment

As you may have seen in my column last week, Time Crisis: Razing Storm with the PS3 Move Gun Adapter is a great gift for the favorite gamer in your life. This will surely bring the arcade to his/her living room and keep them occupied for hours.

Razing Storm will cost you $60, the PS3 Move bundle $100 and the Move’s gun attachment for $20, bringing the total price tag to about $180. Easiest place to find all three is at Amazon.com.

AR.Drone

Earlier this year I wrote about the AR.Drone, and at the time it was not available for sale. Since then, it officially hit the market with a $300 price tag, so now you can buy this present for the kids in your life (especially the grown-up ones).

Just in case you don’t know, this is a quadricopter with built-in cameras and Wi-Fi streaming, and you can control it with your iPhone/iPad. You can even fly it inside your house safely. For more information and to purchase, visit ardrone.parrot.com and Amazon.com.

iPad

I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t know what Apple’s iPad is, so I won’t go into all that. The past few months I’ve been receiving countless questions as to what it can do and what can be done with it. My response is always what do I not do on my iPad. I’ve even gone so far as to write my columns on it.

So if it’s between the Kindle and the iPad - iPad. Nook or iPad - iPad. Touchscreen DVD player or iPad - iPad. You get the picture. Seriously, don’t waste your time thinking about it, just buy an iPad.

I think the biggest bang for the buck is the 32GB Wi-Fi version for $599. The 16GB is $499 (too small for me) or the 64GB is $699 (don’t need that much storage). But if you do need the data plan, the prices range from $629 to $829 for the same storage size options. I suggest buying it from Apple.com since you can have free personal engraving.

Correction: MiMedia does not yet have apps for BlackBerry and Android, but they are currently in development. Sorry for the misinformation.

 

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Time Crisis: Razing Storm On The Move

A visit to the arcade isn’t complete for me without stopping to play a good round of Time Crisis. For those of you unfamiliar with this game, it’s an interactive first-person shooter and you use a light gun to fire at your enemies.

Namco Bandai recently released the latest in the series, Time Crisis: Razing Storm, and this is by far the most intuitive point-and-shoot experience with the PlayStation Move for the PlayStation 3. Plus, the PlayStation Move gun attachment is well-worth the extra 20 bucks to enhance your Time Crisis experience.

In Razing Storm, civil unrest and terrorism plague the world as an influential and dangerous international military organization decides to declare war against the United States. The government deploys an elite task force to South America for the purpose of capturing the mastermind behind this conflict. The future of the free world depends on these special operatives. The warlord must be stopped before it’s too late!

The Arcade Mode provides a nice coin-operated adaptation as you experience the adrenaline rush of defeating a chaotic onslaught of enemies. As with the true arcade experience, a friend can drop in and out at anytime during the action.

In Story Mode, you can freely move about the stages as a member of the elite Delta Team. With an arsenal of weapons at your disposal, you can navigate through different areas and silence anyone or anything that stands in your path. You also can strategically take cover behind objects, as well as lock onto enemies with the new Auto Lock function. Note that you can only take cover in certain spots, and it’s done by pointing the Move controller straight up. To pop out of the cover, point the Move at the screen. Sometimes the game loses track of where you are, so you’ll end up staring frustratingly at the ceiling.

I suggest you always play this game with someone. It can be kind of boring by yourself. Plus, it’s more engaging and satisfying to cooperate with, compete with or steal kills from your buddy. Do play Razing Storm with your PlayStation Move, if you have one. Trying to play this game with the regular PS3 controller is a pain.

Playing online is better than playing offline as it provides increased difficulty from actual human opponents. It’s also the perfect game for busy new moms like me, or if you just don’t have a lot of time to invest in a video game. You can just pick up and go with it for quick thrills.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm retails for $59.99 and you can find it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or online at Amazon.com.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week:: MiMedia

MiMedia is a service that enables you to backup and instantly access your photos, videos and other files via the Web no matter where you are. In addition, an iPhone/iPad app was just released that allows you to access your MiMedia account from your iPhone/iPad.

The enhanced features on the app include a new landing page with navigation choices for photos, videos and music, increased sorting options (by artist and album), and secure upload of photos and videos from the iPhone.

To sign up for a MiMedia account, visit MiMedia.com. Monthly and annual options are offered, starting at $5 per month or $50 per year for 25GB storage. Unfortunately, you can only use MiMedia on PCs, but a Mac version is in development.

The iPhone/iPad app is free from the iTunes App Store, and also is available for your BlackBerry or Android phones.

Correction: MiMedia does not yet have apps for BlackBerry and Android, but they are currently in development. Sorry for the misinformation.

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iPad’s Competition In The Galaxy

The Samsung Galaxy Tab was recently released, making it the first piece of hardware competitive with Apple’s iPad. This highly anticipated tablet is the first to hit the market, and is available with the major carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.

It features a nice 7-inch multitouch screen (versus the iPad’s 10-inch screen). The touch response is immediate and reliable, much different than some of the Android phones I’ve played with. Its screen offers you the standard two-fingered spread-and-pinch for zooming in and out.

My first impression of the Galaxy Tab is that it’s a polished product with the strong backbone of the existing Android Market’s 100,000-plus apps. I thought the Tab would be a cramped version of the iPad, but it really isn’t. It reminds me more of spacious Android phone.

Other than the nice screen, the first things I noticed were the front-and rear-facing cameras. In comparison, the iPad does-n’t have any cameras at the moment, but you probably noticed the little puka at the top that could be a possible space for one in the future. Taking a picture or videos with the Galaxy’s huge 7-inch screen is awesome. It’s almost as if you’re previewing your pictures/videos on a digital photo frame. Another plus is the ability to support Flash, thanks to its Android 2.2 operating system. The iPad does not support Flash.

The Web browser looks nice, but certain websites are stripped-down, mobile versions. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn that feature off and visit the full-sized sites. You can delete the “m” in the website address, but frustratingly, the Galaxy always adds it right back in. In addition, power-wise, I find it odd you cannot recharge it from your computer’s USB port. It needs to be plugged directly into a power outlet. The battery will last you about six hours (versus 10 hours on an iPad).

The Tab comes with a 1GHz processor, 32GB of storage space and is $600 for a no-contract version, or $400 for a two-year contract option. There will eventually be a Wi-Fi only model available, but it hasn’t been released yet. Visit Samsung.com/GalaxyTab for more information.

Bottom line: This isn’t an iPad killer, but it’s a good attempt at legitimate competition.

 

Organizee Your Hard Drive

The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Hawaii Computer User Group (aka The Retired Officers Association User Group, TUG, the-tug.org) is hosting computer backup guru Gene Barlo at its monthly meeting (Dec. 4, 10 a.m., Oahu Veterans Center in Foster Village, 1298 Kukila St.).

Barlow has been a presenter in the user group community for more than 28 years. For many years he managed IBM’s user group support organization and has been called the “Father of PC User Groups.” Now retired, Barlow and wife Linda started their own company called User Group Relations (ugr.com), providing support to the user group community for the software companies they represent. Barlow will discuss the best way to “Organize Your Hard Drive.” Many of you will find this informative. Admission and parking are free. For more information, contact Col. Lou Torraca USAF (Ret), TUG president, at 254-3286.

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Facebook Introduces Modern Messaging

Last week Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of a new modern messaging system. With this new feature, you can send messages to your friends that will appear as mobile-phone text messages, e-mails or instant messages, based on the preferences you set for each friend. The way Facebook currently works, you receive alerts with your e-mail account when your friends post a photo or comment on your Facebook wall.

Facebook will give all users an “@facebook.com” e-mail address.

“This is not an e-mail killer,” Zuckerberg says. “Maybe we can help push the way people do messaging more toward a simple, real-time, immediate personal experience.” He also says that currently about 4 billion messages are sent through Facebook every day. Zuckerberg believes that modern messaging should be seamless, informal, immediate, personal and minimal. “It’s not e-mail,” he emphasizes.

This new messaging system is composed of three parts: seamless messaging, cross-platform conversation history and the social inbox. It incorporates e-mails, Facebook messages, SMS, other chat clients and possibly VoIP in the future. Instead of having a single e-mail here and there, every time you talk to someone it will become part of a stream of information.

The Messages feature is built for communicating with your friends, so it’s organized primarily around people. All of your messages will be together in one place, whether they’re sent over chat, e-mail or SMS - all your conversation history is easily viewable with a single conversation.

With the Social Inbox, your inbox will only contain messages from your friends and their friends. All other messages will go into another folder where you can look at it separately. You also can change your account settings to be limited and bounce any e-mails that aren’t exclusively from your friends.

Facebook didn’t give a specific date on when this will be launched, but did say that Messages and the e-mail addresses will be launched gradually over the next few months. Once you receive your invitation you can get started and also invite your friends to join you.

Clickk Chick’ss Mobile Appp off thee Week:: Black Flyday

With Black Friday happening in a few days, you’ll want to be sure to find all the greatest deals and share them with your friends. Black Flyday is an app exclusively for Android phones that enables you bargain-hunters to know the exact whereabouts of those Black Friday deals within a certain radius, and in real time.

Black Flyday helps you by maintaining communication with your Facebook friends and deal-hunting team members, while at the same time providing you with a comprehensive and global-view setting of particular shopping deals within a pre-set perimeter. So, the more people who use the app around you, the more beneficial it is for all of you.

A couple of the app’s highlights include the “deal scroller” and the map. The scroller scrolls all deals within your desired radius or friend network that may have otherwise been missed. The map shows the location of other “Black Flyers” so you can see and take advantage of the deals they’re buzzing about.

Black Flyday is a free download through Black Friday from the Android Market, Iconosys.com, BlackFlyday.com or Payloadz.com. After Black Friday it will be $9.99 for full lifetime coverage to send deals to your friends all year round.

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The Ideal All-in-one Printer For Busy Moms

Printers have come a long way the past few years, especially with the all-in-ones. With your busy lifestyle, having a small, good-quality allin-one printer to preserve your memories can be a life-saver, especially if you have kids. In an episode of The Talk, CBS’ new daytime show, the recently released Epson Artisan 725 was featured as part of a busy-mom segment. I wish I had been part of that audience, since each of those lucky audience members received an Epson Artisan 725 to take home with them!

“The Artisan 725 all-inone is designed to help busy moms show off their best creative projects quickly and easily,” says Julie Ernest, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America Inc. “The Artisan 725 seamlessly blends convenience and creativity with superior performing features and fun applications for your printing, copying and scanning needs. Whether it’s used to create birthday invitations, holiday greeting cards, print photos, or copy recipes, the Artisan 725 is the ideal solution for any mom, including those who love The Talk.”

Epson claims the Artisan 725 boasts the world’s fastest 4-by-6-inch photo print speeds (as fast as 10 seconds per picture), and you can print wirelessly from your computer or even your iPhone/iPad (with the Epson iPrint app). It features a touch panel 2.5-inch color LCD screen, memory card slots and full-featured copying and scanning capabilities.

The built-in wireless card uses Wi-Fi Certified networking and is easily shared with multiple devices. There also is an Ethernet port just in case you need to plug in directly. The touch panel is neat since you can easily preview, select and do your color enhancements/red eye corrections. If you’re concerned about paper consumption, the Artisan 725 can do two-sided printing and supports printing on recycled paper.

You can print up to four different pages on a single sheet with the adjustable paper tray supporting up to 8.5-by-14-inch media. Additionally, there is a dedicated photo tray for 4-by-6-inch and 5-by-7-inch media.

This printer uses Epson’s six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria ink and exclusive MicroPiezo print head with DX5^TM technology, delivering clear text and vivid, true-to-life photos. It also features exceptional image enhancement tools, including built-in Auto Photo Correction to automatically evaluate and correct images and red eye, and color restoration capabilities to easily bring old, faded photos back to life.

Epson’s Artisan 725 retails for $199.99, and you can find it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com), Office Depot (officedepot.com) or online at epsonstore.com ($50 off special).

With Christmas on the horizon, this is a great gift idea!

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Magic Fiddle

Last week Smule, the maker of multiple popular iPhone/iPad apps, released another hit app with Magic Fiddle. This app teaches you to bow, pluck, do a trill, vibrato and glissandi directly from your iPad. You have 20 songs to choose from and no skill is required. As with some of Smule’s other apps, you follow the streams of colored light to queue your music.

Magic Fiddle is $2.99 from the iTunes App Store, and worth every penny!

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Windows Phone 7 vs. The iPhone

We blinked again and - voila! - here’s another super phone trying to copy the iPhone. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its supposed iPhone killer, the Windows Phone 7. After months of waiting, and under much pressure, Microsoft finally released its phone last week.

According to Microsoft, its goal for the Windows Phone 7 is to “deliver a phone that truly integrates the things people really want to do, puts those things right in front of them, and either lets them get finished quickly or immerses them in the experience they were seeking.”

The phone is truly nice, and I do enjoy the easy-to-read display. It has an interface that features Hubs - People, Music and Video, Photos, and Games and Office. Because of this, you won’t see rows and rows of apps you typically see on an iPhone. Each phone has minimum hardware requirements that revolve around Qualcomm processors, nice big screens and 8GB of flash memory. They also have GPS, accelerometer, compass and FM radio. Phone manufacturers were given the option to add on their own features, such as AT&T’s U-verse Mobile TV subscription service.

To clear any confusion, I just have to mention the name “Windows Phone 7” is a bit misleading. It does-n’t run Windows software or require a Windows PC.

I think the name came from the latest Microsoft phone software release, Windows Mobile 6.5. Despite that, it does have built-in “Windowsy” features such as the mobile versions of Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Bing, Zune and Xbox Live.

Overall, it’s a pretty phone, but still not enough to make me switch from my iPhone. With only about 1,000 apps available, compared to 300,000 for the iPhone or 100,000 for the Android, sorry, that’s not enough to make me jump.

For me, it’s all about the cool apps, and not necessarily about the phone.

In addition, some initial drawbacks I noticed: no copy and paste, no folders for organizing your apps, no way to add new ringtones, no video chat, no front-facing camera, no sending videos as MMS messages, and my biggest pet peeve: no multitasking. I still have more, but those are the biggest ones.

If you’re still interested, various Windows Phone 7 models are available starting at $200 (with a two-year contract) from AT&T and T-Mobile. Visit microsoft.com/windows-phone/enus/buy/7/phones.aspx for a full list of phones or more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: LivingSocial

LivingSocial has been around for a while, but I only started using it a couple of months ago, and I’ve already saved money on a few restaurant deals. This app is a great way to find deals on not only restaurants, but also on a variety of items such as spa treatments, surf lessons and other services for 50 percent to 70 percent off retail value.

You create your free account from the LivingSocial website or mobile app, or use your Facebook account to login. The deals are e-mailed to you daily, or pushed to your phone daily with the app. Once you buy a deal, you can share it with your friends, and if three of your friends buy that deal, you receive yours for free!

Additionally, you can redeem your deal right from your phone rather than print it out and waste a piece of paper. LivingSocial is free and available on the iTunes App Store, Android Market or Blackberry App World.

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The Japan PlayStation Move Debut

Move over Nintendo Wii, Sony’s PlayStation Move is bringing motion-based gaming to the PlayStation 3 (PS3) in full 1080p glory. The Move came out in the U.S. in September, and coincidentally I happened to be in the Tech Mecca (Akihabara, Japan) the very day it debuted a couple of weeks ago.

The PlayStation Move’s controller consists of a main controller and a secondary sub-controller, similar to the Wii’s nunchuk but a little more advanced. The Move maintains the familiarity of a controller but integrates the PlayStation Eye camera (sold separately for $39.99) to integrate full body tracking and augmenting reality applications.

The PlayStation Eye has a maximum resolution of 640x480 pixels, and can be a bit sensitive to light. Your best bet to make it work for you is in a well-lit room. The 3D tracking relies on being able to clearly identify the glowing orb on the controller. The illuminated orb is the key to the Move’s precision, as the camera uses the orb to determine the distance between the Move and your screen.

In addition to the Eye, the PlayStation Move has a Shooting Attachment that allows you to hold the motion controller as you would a gun to easily aim at an in-game target. The trigger is interlocked with the motion controller T button, and enables you to intuitively play the game. Not only can you use this with shooting games, it’s useful with other games that require precise button input and control. It is sold separately for $19.99.

About 20 game titles will be dedicated to, or support the PlayStation Move by March 2011. Some of these titles include Resident Evil 5, Time Crises: Razing Storm, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest, EyePet, Sports Champions and Kung Fu Rider. Support from third-party developers and publishers will continue to further enhance the software title lineup to offer a high-definition motion-based gaming experience only available on the PS3 platform.

At the moment, the games offered to work with the Move don’t really do it justice, but the Move might be a good way for Sony to draw in more inexperienced or casual gamers. Find the PlayStation Move for $49.99 at your nearest GameSpot (gamespot.com) or Walmart (walmart.com). For more information, visit: http://us.playstation.com/ps3/playstation-move.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: 5-0 Radio Police Scanner

The 5-0 Radio Police Scanner lets you tap into the largest collection of live police, firefighters, aircraft, marine, emergency and ham radios. If you’re one who enjoys listening to these transmissions, it will help you stay in the know about what’s going on.

This app allows you to listen to feeds in the background with other apps running (just e-mail a link to yourself and tap it so you can listen in the background). For the beginners, there are police/EMS/fire codes built in so you can interpret what is being said.

When I downloaded the free version (5-0 Radio Police Scanner Lite), I could only see a feed from the Big Island. I didn’t try the paid version ($4.99 w/HD Radio included), but it supposedly adds 33,000 more feeds to listen to. The Lite version is free and available on the iTunes App Store or the Android Store.

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A Sneak Peek At Apple’s Newest

OS X Lion

Last week Apple gave the world a sneak peek at its newest operating system, OS X Lion, the eighth major release. Lion is slated for release next summer and is inspired by the iPad’s many software innovations. Last week’s announcement highlighted the new additions: Mac App Store, Launchpad and Mission Control.

“Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like,” says Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Lion has a ton of new features, and we hope the few we had time to preview today will give users a good idea of where we are headed.”

The Mac App Store brings the revolutionary App Store experience you find on your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to your computer, making discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier. This will be available for Snow Leopard users in about three months, and will come standard with Lion.

Similar to the Home screen on the iPad, Launchpad makes it easier for you to find and launch any app. Here you can organize, group and swipe through multiple pages of apps to find the one you want.

Lastly, Mission Control presents you with a unified view of every app and window running on your Mac, so you can instantly navigate anywhere. It also incorporates the next generation of Exposé, Dashboard and Spaces.

FaceTime Beta For the Mac

If you have an iPhone 4, you’re probably already enjoying FaceTime calls with your fellow iPhone 4-owning friends. The biggest complaint when this first came out was that you could only use FaceTime if you had an iPhone 4. Apple listened to the requests and released a FaceTime beta for your Mac.

FaceTime for Mac automatically uses your Address Book contacts so there is no need to create special buddy lists. Once it’s installed, the program doesn’t need to be running in order to receive a FaceTime call - FaceTime launches automatically when a call comes in.

The nice thing about this is that it doesn’t use any minutes for your iPhone 4-using counterparts. However, FaceTime for the Mac does require Mac OS X Snow Leopard and an Apple ID. Download the free public beta at apple.com/mac/facetime.

New MacBook Air

According to Apple, its new line of MacBook Air is the first of a next generation of notebooks that will replace mechanical hard disks and optical drives with Internet services and solid state flash storage. The new MacBook Air is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, and uses the same solid-state technology as the iPad to deliver instant responsiveness, up to seven hours of battery life and up to 30 days of standby time.

The machine measures an incredibly thin 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68 inches at its thickest, and weighs just 2.3 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.9 pounds for the 13-inch. As with the iPad, MacBook Air was designed to exclusively use flash storage.

Apple’s new MacBook Air is available now and comes loaded with Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Prices start at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.

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Enslaved: Odyssey To The West

NAMCO BANDAI Games recently released the post-apocalyptic action-adventure game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Developed by Ninja Theory and powered by the Unreal Engine 3, Enslaved is set 150 years in the future and takes place in an unrecognizable America, where war and destruction have ravaged the population.

Buildings are there, but in a state of ruin, covered with heavy foliage. Mysterious slave ships roam the land to capture the few remaining human survivors. These ships take their captives out west, never to return.

You go through the game as “Monkey,” a strong, brutish type controlled by the technologically savvy “Trip.” Both characters have been imprisoned by one of these slave ships but managed to escape. Trip is able to control Monkey with a slave headband that she hacked into that links them together - if she dies, he dies. Their journey to find the hidden village must be completed together.

Enslaved’s gameplay revolves around combat, strategy and environmental traversal. Monkey attacks and defends using his trusty staff, and delivers powerful melee attacks/combos, stun/plasma blasts and intense finishing takedowns. Unfortunately you won’t be able to take full advantage of these great combat moves until about halfway through the game. Additionally, there are puzzles all over the game that offer you opportunities to stop and think to break up the fast pace.

The artistic design of Enslaved is nice eye candy to keep you occupied. The characters are incredibly lifelike with subtle facial expressions and believable voice acting that add to the realism. Watching Monkey and Trip’s relationship grow throughout the game is an interesting dynamic and kind of makes you feel attached. It’s a nice adventure that keeps you engaged with its memorable story.

Enslaved is rated “T” for Teen, is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and retails for $59.99. Find it at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com), Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or Walmart (walmart.com). Visit enslaved-thegame.com for more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter

You may remember the Adidas miCoach fitness app I wrote about last month. Well, these past few weeks I’ve been playing with the free MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter to complement it. This app came out recently for Android, and has been out awhile for the iPhone.

MyFitnessPal.com is a leading social network with more than 1 million users interested in diet and fitness, and this is a mobile version to its already popular online calorie counter. When you first launch the MyFitnessPal app, you establish a personalized diet profile based on your individual weight-loss goals. Its myriad calculators allow you to track your progress throughout the day as you enter in exactly what you eat and drink, and the type and length of exercise you do.

The app lets you keep a diet/exercise diary using MyFitnessPal’s extensive databases - all your calories are calculated for you!

 

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eWaste Disposal And Recycling

Mark your calendars: It’s time to rid yourself of all those gadgets you can’t sell or don’t use anymore! Saturday, Oct. 30, is eWaste Disposal Day. This free event is sponsored by the University of Hawaii, and you can drop off your unwanted personal electronics for safe, guilt-free disposal.

“The accumulation of ewaste is a challenge to everyone, and improper disposal presents a variety of hazards to health and safety,” says David Lassner, UH vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “This is our third biennial opportunity to support the largest statewide ewaste disposal program in Hawaii, and is a great example of how the UH campuses are working together to advance sustainability around the state.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, electronic waste contributes 70 percent of the toxins found in U.S. landfills (lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.), while only contributing 2 percent of the volume of materials in landfills. Computers, cell phones, televisions and other electronics contain hazardous elements such as arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, germanium, lead, mercury, silver or zinc.

The university’s ewaste recycling program is designed to prevent these toxic materials from being released into our soil, ground-water and air. The drop sites will be open Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include John A. Burns School of Medicine, Leeward Community College, Windward Community College, UH Hilo, Kauai Community College, UH Maui College and Kealakehe High School on the Big Island.

Additionally, institutional drop-off will be offered Oct. 27-29 (9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) for all schools/universities, city, county, state or federal/military branches in Hawaii, small- to mediumsized businesses (fewer than 100 employees) and nonprofit groups. If you need to make a drop-off as an institution, you must pre-register. All equipment collected will be processed in North America in an environmentally responsible way, and we can thank our friends at Apple for the recycling services.

For more information and before you load up your car, make sure to check the list of acceptable items: hawaii.edu/ewaste.

Kaimuki Community Clean Up Project

If you have more than just ewaste to recycle, you can take your items to Kaimuki High School this Saturday, Oct. 16 (8 a.m.-2 p.m.), as part of the monthly Aloha Aina Earth Day Project. Saturday’s project will raise funds for Kaimuki High School, Moiliili Community Center and the Kapahulu Center.

This drive allows you to bring in your ewaste, HI-5 items, scrap metal (including auto parts, bicycles, metal appliances, lawn mowers, pipes, beams), telephone books, plastic bags, plastic hangers, used eyeglasses, hearing aids, reusable clothing, cardboard egg cartons, cooking oil and more. Basically you can bring just about anything except tires, TVs, microwaves, motor oil, paints, hazardous fluids or gas tanks.

Free towing of unwanted cars also will be offered, but you need to call 306-1876 to coordinate pick-up.

Visit hawaiimetal.com or opala.org for more information and a complete list of acceptable items. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) www.click-chick.com

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Reach Gives Gamers Tactical Edge

I’ve played every release of Halo since the franchise first came out in 2001, and as with the previous versions, Halo Reach did not disappoint me. Halo: Reach is the fourth installment of the franchise, but it’s a prequel to the first Halo. Halo Reach takes you to Reach, a sister planet to Earth, in the year 2552 just before a frightening surprise attack by a group of ruthless, terrifying alien invaders called the Covenant.

You go through the game as Noble 6, the newest member of Noble team (a group of Spartan soldiers stationed on Reach). The group consists of the leader, Carter-A259, his second-in-command, the bionic armed Kat-B320, heavy gunner Jorge-052, sharpshooter Jun-A266 and the deadly Emile-A239. Over the course of 10 missions, Noble team attempts to hold off the inevitable in an increasingly desperate fight for survival, escape, revenge and eventually for hope.

“The game is epic and compelling, and I think people are really going to enjoy the characters,” says Frank O’Connor, Halo’s franchise development director. “The game is true to its core, but it’s going to feel like a whole new world as well, and it’s exactly the kind of experience you want in an epic, sci-fi video game - or movie, for that matter.”

Right off I thought the best addition is the armor abilities, not to mention the nice graphics. The abilities are a big evolution from Halo 3, and drastically change the way you play, adding bursts of speed, jet packs (limited flight), invincible armor, a hologram of yourself to distract enemies and more. These capabilities give you a nice tactical edge.

The campaign piece is fairly short. If you dedicate an entire Saturday afternoon to it, you can finish it in six to seven hours. To most gamers that is disappoint-ingly short, but Reach’s focus is really the multiplayer mode. There are so many new game modes, battlegrounds, weapons, load outs and social/community features that you’ll almost never grow bored.

The bottom line is Halo: Reach is a must-have whether you’re a Halo fan or not. Even if you’re tired of the Halo formula throughout its 10-year history, you’ll still find great entertainment with this release. Find this Xbox 360-only game at your nearest GameSpot (gamespot.com) or Amazon.com for $60.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Flipboard

The Flipboard App for iPad is a fast and unique way to flip through the news and updates from your friends on Facebook and Twitter. It turns your social media into a magazine layout that is fun and easy to scan through quickly.

This app lets you create sections around topics or people you care about. You can choose from Flipboard’s suggested sections on topics such as sports, news, tech and style, with content from popular Twitter feeds. Or you can create an entirely new section by searching by topic, person or Twitter list to further personalize your Flipboard. Download it to your iPad for free from the iTunes Store.

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Get Cash For ‘Clunker’ Phones

Just as you would trade in or sell your old car to earn some cash toward a new one, NextWorth does the same thing for your phones, electronics (including game consoles) or video games.

Unfortunately I didn’t have any old devices I was willing to part with to actually test out the service, but in theory this is how it works:

Find your product on NextWorth.com and receive an instant quote, print the prepaid shipping label, pack/ship your item and they will respond back to you within 10 business days to ensure it is in the condition you claimed it was. After that, you’ll be paid via PayPal.

In order to assess the condition of your items, you go through a checklist of questions such as “Cracked Display - Yes/No?” or “What is the condition of your item?” I entered some mock items to see what they would be worth, and the amount of cash it quoted for a first generation 16GB iPod touch (“Like New”) was only $66.34. For that small amount of money, I’d rather just keep it.

On the other hand, for a 32GB iPhone 4 (“Like New”), the quote came out to $478.30. I consider that fair. I entered in some recently released video games, and the average amount was between $15 and $23. I thought those were low, considering the original price on these just-released games was $60. For $15, again, I’d rather just give it to one of the keiki in my life.

Overall, it looks like there is a wide range of how much cash you can get back in your wallet. In addition, this seems to be a good alternative to recycling and preventing more e-waste from getting into the environment.

NextWorth’s online services have been around for awhile, but it recently expanded to retailers such as Target and the military exchanges, but unfortunately the in-store service has not made it to Hawaii yet. Visit NextWorth.com to see how much money you can make on your gadgets.

 

Kauai Creates Product For Remote Controls

Homegrown in Kalaheo, a Kauai-based company called Microlite Tech recently released the Popup Microlite, a small LED light to illuminate the buttons on your remote control. If you don’t already have a remote with back-lit keys, this solution could appeal to you young folks and seniors alike - especially if you enjoy watching TV in the dark.

The Pop-up Microlite is a nickel-sized light that mounts on any remote using 3M adhesive backing and comes in glossy black. It has a patented pop-up feature that elevates the light source to reduce shadows from the protruding buttons. The light pops up with a simple push and when you’re done, push it back in so it’s out of the way.

According to Microlite Tech, there are an estimated 500 million remote controls in the U.S., with an estimated 450 million of those having no backlighting capabilities. “Ninety-percent of people enjoy watching TV or movies in the dark. That means there are a lot of people out there fumbling in the dark with their remote controls,” says Microlite Tech CEO John Teel.

I guess I’m definitely not the average user, since almost all the remotes in my house have backlit, illuminated keys (except for the ones that came with my TVs and cable boxes). Also, I generally don’t watch TV in the dark since I’m usually multitasking and doing 20 things while the TV is on (i.e. feeding the baby, folding laundry, washing dishes, etc.). Anyway, for the Microlite’s inexpensive $10 price, it’s worth a try if you do watch TV in the dark and have a non-backlit key remote. You can buy it on Amazon.com, or visit microlitetech.com for more information.

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Deal: No Contract Broadband2Go

We’ve seen many mobile broadband solutions enter the market recently, but Virgin Mobile’s solution is unique since you don’t have to sign a contract, pay any activation fees or go through a credit check. On top of that, it gives you unlimited data for $40 (pre-paid) a month!

“Many unlimited broadband offerings require a contract or are on networks with limited range, so they don’t meet the need for flexibility or true mobility,” said Neil Lindsay, chief marketing officer, Virgin Mobile USA. “The introduction of Virgin Mobile’s prepaid unlimited broadband for $40 a month will provide the access you need on a nationwide network without a contract.”

Virgin Mobile recognized early on the value of expanding the mobile broadband market to include nationwide prepaid service with the introduction of the Broadband2Go portfolio last year, and then launched the MiFi device in June. The new $40-a-month plan replaces the previous $20, $40 and $60 plans.

This very affordable plan is a huge deal considering the cheapest mobile broadband plans from other companies typically start at $60 per month, require a two-year contract and sometimes come with a 5GB monthly data limit. With the exception of Virgin Mobile’s plan, unlimited data plans are seemingly fading away. Operating on the Sprint Nationwide Network and developed in conjunction with Novatel Wireless, Virgin Mobile offers two different mobile broadband devices as part of the Broadband2Go portfolio - the Ovation MC760 and MiFi 2200. The Ovation is a USB device that connects to your laptop, and the MiFi is a wireless hotspot that can connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.

In addition to the wonderful $40 plan, if you only need a little data, you can pay $10 for 10 days/100MB (perfect if you’re going on a trip and just need to check e-mail). The nice thing about either plan is that you can literally leave your device in the drawer all year and just pay for it the two months out of the year you need it. Also note the Broadband2Go plans are both 3G only.

The Ovation MC760 will cost you $80 and the MiFi is $150. Find these at your nearest RadioShack, Best Buy, Boost Mobile or Sprint Store. Additionally, the devices are available online at Walmart.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com or VirginMobileUSA.com.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week - miCoach

With five more pounds to shed to reach my pre-pregnancy weight and the Honolulu Marathon right around the corner, I’ve recently started doing longer training runs. To assist me with tracking my progress, I just began using Adidas’ miCoach app for the iPhone. This app basically turns your iPhone into a personal trainer and uses real-time voice coaching to pace you through training runs.

As you first launch miCoach, you are prompted to create an Adidas miCoach account. It asks for some information such as your weight and height. You can then tell it what type of workout you’ll be doing, then choose a playlist to listen to on your iTunes.

While running, you’ll hear a voice coach give you updates on your distance, pace and the total time you’ve run so far.

When I’m not running with my training group, this is a great tool to stop me from being lazy and keep my feet going. miCoach is an iPhone-only app, and you can find it for free from the iTunes App Store.

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Move Over, Apple, It’s Google TV

We saw Google roll out its free phone service a few weeks ago, and now Google TV is coming. The service will be available in the United States this fall and worldwide next year. The announcement came less than a week after rival Apple unveiled its new Apple TV.

Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV we know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. So far, Google has partnered with Sony, Logitech, Intel and DISH Network. Samsung also says it may make specially designed televisions to run with Google’s software. Google TV will include video-on-demand products from Amazon.com, Netflix and Hulu.

This new service comes as Google seeks to explore avenues other than its search engine. At the moment, most of Google’s revenue is dependent on search advertising. Google product marketing representative Brittany Bohnet told Bloomberg, “Google will continue to make money from advertising that appears in the browser, as is the case when consumers use the search engine on a computer or mobile phone. It will not charge manufacturers to use the software for Google Web TV, nor will it charge content providers that make their material available. Google TV pulls together a list of results from your TV lineup and free stuff on the Web, and additional on-demand video from, for instance, Amazon, on demand. Some content will be free and some will generate a charge.”

There are 60,000-plus applications currently available on the Android Store and “thousands” will work on TV, and there will be new ones designed specifically for Google TV use. Google CEO Eric Schmidt says that Google will announce later this year partnerships with tablet computer companies that would use Google’s Chrome operating system (rather than Android software). It plans to make Chrome the center of an operating system for these tablets as an alternative to the typical Microsoft Windows.

In addition, Reuters reported a couple weeks ago that Google was in talks with music labels for a music download store and a digital song locker.

Visit google.com/tv for more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Netflix

After Netflix made its iPad app debut, rumors of an iPhone/iPod touch version have been circulating for months, and now it’s finally here! Although the screen of your iPhone/iPod touch doesn’t quite add up to your iPad screen size-wise, it’s great to have the option to stream your Netflix movies on your phone. The nice thing about this Netflix app is that it picks up where you left off, whether you watched your last scene from your TV, PS3 or Wii. The app only allows you to add and delete items from your instant queue, and you can’t browse all movies or manage your rental queue.

This app works wonderfully over 3G (as well as a Wi-Fi hotspot). You can download it for free at the iTunes App Store, but note you’ll need at least the $8.99/month plan from Netflix to qualify for the instant viewing feature.

 

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Apple Announces Cool New Stuff

As you may have noticed, about every six months Apple announces its latest and greatest. Last week was that time again, and here’s what we have this time around:

* Apple TV: For just $99, using the new Apple TV is a great way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows right on your TV using a tiny box. It’s only a quarter of the size of the first-generation Apple TV, hence it’s a streaming-only device. You can stream videos from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe, as well as access your music, photos and videos. Renting content from the iTunes Store starts at 99 cents.

* iPod touch: The new iPod touch is basically an iPhone 4 minus the phone. This one is even thinner than the original touch, and the main features are the Apple A4 processor, Retina display, three-axis gyroscope, 960x640-pixel digital camera (with HD video recording capability) and FaceTime video calling. Apple claims the battery life is 40 hours with music playback and seven hours with video playback on a single battery charge. Prices range from $229 (8GB) to $299 (32GB) to $399 (64GB).

* iPod nano With Multi-Touch Interface: The traditional click wheel we know and love is now gone from this nano. Apple’s multi-touch interface took over, so you navigate through your music by tapping or swiping. It’s about half the size of the previous version, so it can easily clip onto your clothing. There’s a builtin FM radio with live pause so you can go back and resume where you left off without skipping a beat. Prices are $149 (8GB) and $179 (16GB), and you’ll find it in silver, graphite, blue, green, orange and pink.

* iPod shuffle: This fourth-generation iPod shuffle is $49 and now has a VoiceOver button that allows you to hear the name of the song that is currently playing, and to switch among songs, playlists or Genius Mixes. It has 2GB of storage and the battery will last you 15-plus hours on one charge.

* iTunes 10: iTunes 10 is all about Ping, a new music-oriented social network. Similar to Twitter, you can follow your favorite artists and friends to see what they’re up to and see photos and videos they’ve posted. You also can see tour dates and read comments about other artists and albums they’re listening to. You can download this for free from Apple.com.

* OS4 Updates: Apple will release a new version of iOS4 (iOS4.1) to fix proximity sensor issues, HDR photos and offer Game Center support (for iPhone and iPod touch). Then iOS4.2 for the iPad comes out in November and adds streaming music and video from iTunes to iOS devices with AirPlay.

So there’s your list of iProducts for now. Find the Apple TV and the iPods at your nearest Apple Store or online at Apple.com.

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The New IntelliGo Mobile Hotspot

Last week I got my hands on Oceanic’s latest IntelliGo, a dual mode (3G/4G) mobile hotspot that enables you to connect up to five devices.

My first thought was “it’s the Sprint Overdrive twin.” They’re exactly the same (hardware-wise), since both use the Sierra Wireless AirCard W801 Mobile Hotspot. Since I already have an Overdrive, I was very familiar with how to use the IntelliGo.

“IntelliGo allows customers to really leverage the speed of the Time Warner Cable 4G network and the coverage of a nationwide 3G network on all of their WiFi-enabled devices virtually anywhere they go,” says Kiman Wong, general manager of Road Runner Wireless. “We are excited to be bringing our customers IntelliGo and the ability to connect their favorite Wi-Fi devices to our 4G mobile network.”

The IntelliGo is simple to use: Just push the button, wait a few seconds for it to turn on and connect your device. Typically the password is displayed on the LCD screen, which displays your connection status and battery life (lasts up to four hours on one charge). The WiFi range is up to 150 feet and also includes GPS capability and a MicroSD slot for up to a 32GB memory card, making it into a mini-storage device.

I primarily tested the IntelliGo with my iPad, and when I turned it on, I immediately received 4G connectivity. But that 4G only lasted a couple of minutes as I drove farther away from downtown Honolulu before it switched over to 3G. Throughout the course of my testing (and the same with my Sprint Overdrive), the 4G availability was spotty. I could only see 4G while I was closer to town, and never caught it at home on the West side.

While the device switches between 4G and 3G (when 4G isn’t available), there seems to be a lag in the connection, and you have to enter your password again, sometimes multiple times. To avoid this issue, I disabled the 4G to make it 3G only, and it ran much smoother this way.

The IntelliGo is a great product, but in general I think the 4G infrastructure here in Hawaii has some expanding to do. As with other 4G phones/devices I’ve recently tested, I could mainly see 4G in the downtown area. Once I’m out of downtown, I don’t receive a steady 4G connection.

But the bottom line is, when no other Wi-Fi hotspots are available, this is great to have with you.

The IntelliGo device costs $49 (after a $50 mail-in rebate and two year contract), and plans start at $34.95/month (2GB/month limit) and go up to $49.95/month (unlimited nationwide). Visit rrmobile.oceanic.com or call 643-2337 for more information.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Genius Scan

The Genius Scan iPhone app is amazing! It’s a camera-based document scanner for your iPhone. It takes a rectangular document, analyzes it for perspective correction, then sends it via e-mail or saves it to your image gallery. You can use pictures you previously took, or images right from the camera. Basically this turns your little phone into a scanner.

This app is very convenient for items on-the-go such as receipts. Download Genius Scan for free at the iTunes App Store.

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The Current Best Android Phone

It seems a new smart phone comes out every time you turn a calendar page.

The latest big release happened last month with Verizon Wireless’DROID X by Motorola. This is another phone that runs Google’s Android software. Before this DROID X, you may remember the original Droid’s release last November, the HTC Hero a month later, the Nexus One in January, the HTC Incredible in April and the DROID X’s closest rival, the Sprint Evo, in May - all deemed “the best Android phone on the market” during their time. But I guess you could say the DROID X is the current “best Android phone on the market.”

The first thing I noticed about the DROID X is the size. It’s huge: 5-by-2.6-by-0.4 inches, to be exact. It’s easily the physically largest app phone around. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since its size gives it the capability to accommodate a nice 4.3-inch eye-catching screen.

What a perfect way to watch your movies from Blockbuster On Demand ($4 for a 24-hour rental, takes about 90 minutes to download), and, of course, your other saved movies/videos.

The physical keyboard is gone from the original DROID, but there are still Menu, Home, Back and Search buttons right below the screen and a dedicated shutter button (for the camera) on the edge. Those buttons still throw me off since I’m used to an all-touch interface with the iPhone. This phone definitely is not lacking: It’s loaded with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, radio, a powerful speaker (helpful when you don’t have your Bluetooth headset on you while driving), and two microphones for noise cancellation. Not to mention the Android 2.2 operating system and the Flash Player 10.1 (keeping in mind iPhones still won’t support flash).

In addition, the DROID X’s camera is an 8-megapixel wonder with dual LED flashes. In my tests, the pictures looked great if they were taken in bright light/sunlight, but in a low-light situation the pictures didn’t come out too good (even with the flash). The camera also takes wonderful HD video for a cell phone. Unfortunately, the DROID X isn’t 4G capable, but at least you can turn it into a 3G Mobile HotSpot for up to five devices (extra $20 per month).

The DROID X is available at your nearest Verizon Wireless Store (verizonwireless.com) for $199.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) with a new two-year customer agreement. You’ll also have to spring for a Nationwide Talk or Nationwide Talk & Text plan (start at $39.99 per month).

So here’s your “best Android phone on the market” till we see another one ...

 

iPhone 4/iPad Cases

Instead of my usual “App of the Week,” I have to share the latest iPad and iPhone 4 cases I found. At the initial release of the iPad and iPhone 4, finding a good case was difficult for both. There are quite a few out there now, but I always enjoy the quality and look of Speck cases.

For the iPad, prices vary from $24.95 to $49.95. Models include the SeeThru Satin, SeeThru, PixelSkin, CandyShell, Fitted, ShieldView (screen film), PixelShield and PixelSleeve PLUS. The iPhone 4 cases include Fitted, CandyShell, PixelSkin, GeoMetric, PixelSkin HD and ShieldView (screen film ), and prices start at $24.95.

Visit speckproducts.com to see detailed product information and pictures.

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Kicking Off Football Season With Madden

It’s that time of year again - EA Sports’Madden NFL 11 came out last week to mark the end of summer and the start of football season. This year’s cover features New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees, so we’ll see if the “Madden Curse” continues with him. (For those of you who don’t know, the Madden Curse seemingly causes whoever is on the Madden cover to be injured the year the player is on it.)

While there are no drastic changes to the Madden experience, this version of Madden is by far the best. At first glance the graphics improvement is apparent. While you’re playing it, it’s almost as if you’re watching a live NFL broadcast.

The mantra for Madden NFL 11 is “Simpler, Quicker, Deeper,” and the first two (Simpler, Quicker) refer to the game’s biggest addition, GameFlow. This new feature allows you to pick plays as an NFL coach would and cut a full game time down to an average of 30 minutes (a typical Madden game was previously 60 minutes).

By matching plays to situational game plans, plays can be picked automatically for each down, or add a new level of strategy by creating and customizing your own offensive and defensive game plans. CoachSpeak allows you to listen to your coach as he calls in the play from the sidelines based on your favorite team’s tendencies. You can play this through a headset or your TV’s speakers, depending on your setup. The text also appears on your screen if you prefer to turn down the audio.

The third part of the mantra, Deeper, includes 3-on-3 Online Team Play. This is basically a cooperative mode as you and up to five friends can each control a squad of skill players: Quarterback, Running Backs, Wide Receiver/Tight Ends on offense, and Defensive Line, Linebackers and Defensive Backs on defense. This collaboration makes the experience a true team sport.

The game commentary is now by Gus Johnson (replacing Tom Hammond), and Cris Collinsworth provides his Emmy-winning analysis. Overall, it’s another great Madden, but there’s just something about the game (that I can’t quite pinpoint) that makes it seem unfinished. Perhaps it was rushed out the door too soon, or maybe it’s because of the few quirks. Otherwise, make sure to do the online play because that’s where the “real action” is experienced!

Madden NFL 11 is rated E for Everyone and is available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, the Wii for $49.99 and the PS2 and PSP for $39.99.

Find it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or on Amazon.com. Also visit easports.com for more information on the game.

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An Online 3D Portal To The Islands

Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Craig Carapelho, CEO of Team Vision Virtual, as he demonstrated his new website 3DHawaii.com, the first interactive, 3D travel-planning portal. This site incorporates Google Earth and provides potential visitors the most comprehensive selection of hotels, resorts, restaurants, shopping centers, beaches, parks, activities and visitor attractions.

After looking at every aspect of this site, it’s apparent the massive amount of work that went into this project - many kudos to the Team Vision Virtual Team! Carapelho mentioned this was in the works for two years before they finally launched it a few weeks ago.

“We have invested in and published hundreds of high-quality 3D buildings on Google Earth, which is going to drive a substantial amount of new Web visitor traffic to our destination and our partners,” he says. “For hotels and venues that choose to participate in 3DHawaii, they now have a new way of showcasing their property and an additional connection to the booking process.”

The site’s full interaction gives you the ability to “fly” to a location with a click of your mouse and go inside a building such as the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. There you can see the hotel, click on a live camera that you can control, book a room and see additional information/video about the property. This also is the case for just about anything across the state, but you can only book a room/activity from the paid sponsors.

Another good example is Aloha Stadium. It’s so detailed that you can see the ads inside the stadium, and later this year (before UH football season starts) you’ll be able to find your seat in the stadium. If you’re an expert on a certain area, you can “adopt a site.” When you click on the adopt link, it takes you to a screening questionnaire to make sure you’re “qualified” to take on the task. This feature is a perfect opportunity for local experts to share intricate details that a visitor (or even a local who doesn’t know the area) would want to know.

On the first day of 3DHawaii.com’s launch, 10,000 unique visitors were logged on. For a new website, that is a great number. At the time I spoke to Carapelho, the site was up for two weeks and there were about 25,000 visitors.

Right now there is no other site even similar to this, so it’s great that we have something this cutting edge coming right out of our backyard. Team Vision is planning to launch 10 travel markets, with two cities coming out later this year. Carapelho would not give the specifics on what cities, so we’ll have to be pleasantly surprised.

Additionally, an iPhone app will be launched in a few months.

Visit 3DHawaii.com to see this innovative website for yourself.

Note: You’ll need to install the Google plug-in first.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Prudential Locations

I’m always looking for real estate opportunities, and thanks to Prudential Locations’ new iPhone app, I now have access to the Hawaii Multiple Listing Services (MLS) right from my iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.

The app locates all homes, condominiums and land for sale on Oahu, Maui, Big Island, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai.

When you first launch the app, you need to sign in with your Prudential Locations (free) log-in. You’ll then see the Main Menu, which includes Properties for Sale, Open Houses, Sold Properties and an Advanced Search. Using your iPhone’s GPS and Google Maps you’ll see a list of properties in the vicinity of your current location (choose to view as a list or dynamic, expanding map). Your location is indicated with a purple pin, and all the available listings come up as green pins. This function is helpful when you’re driving around a neighborhood looking for houses in a particular area.

The Prudential Locations app is free and only available for your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. Find it on the iTunes App Store or prudentiallocations.com/iphone.asp.

Happy house hunting!

 

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StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty

Rumors of the long-awaited StarCraft sequel have been flying around for ages and the beta version has been out for awhile, but as of last week the full version is finally a reality! After years of development and testing, Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

For those of you not familiar with StarCraft, it came out in 1998, and is hailed by gamers around the world as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. The first release was so popular it sold 11 million copies. This version sold 800,000-plus just from pre-order copies.

“We’ve worked hard to deliver an epic continuation of the StarCraft story line as well as the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game with StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty,” says Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Combined with the next-generation online environment of the new Battle.net, we believe players will agree that StarCraft II offers an experience unlike anything we’ve ever created, and we’re excited to finally be able to share it with them.”

Most of your gameplay is online through the recently upgraded Battle.net, Blizzard’s gaming service, but if you choose to go through the solo campaign you’ll see the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor. You tailor your own experience by choosing your mission path and selecting technology/research upgrades to suit your style throughout this 29-mission campaign.

If you’re familiar with the first StarCraft, you’ll see some familiar faces as well as some new heroes. You’ll also see the return of the protoss, terg and zerg races. The game centers on the clash among these, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded and new unit types. This time around you can do voice communication, stat-tracking, cloud file storage and leagues and ladders.

One of the things I noticed when I first opened StarCraft II was its impressive cinematics and attention to detail. The experience so far has been a balanced multiplayer experience. When you first start off, you play a few matches to determine your skill level and you’re paired up with an opponent on your skill level. I’m far from done with the game, but from what I see so far I can say it’s highly addictive. I’ve already lost some sleep playing this.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is available for PC or Mac, and you can download it at starcraft2.com without the worry if the store has it in stock or not (Note: It must be done through your Battle.net account). Expect to spend $60, unless you need the $100 Collector’s Edition package.

The extra $40 for the collector’s edition gives you a 176-page StarCraft artwork book, 2GB USB flash drive in the shape of Jim Raynor’s dogtag, a behind-the-scenes DVD with developer interviews, comic book, a StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty soundtrack CD and more.

 

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Now Anyone Can Be An Animator

Xtranormal can turn anyone into an animator thanks to its unique text-to-movie (TM) technology. Through its innovative Web-based platform, movie-making is universally accessible and so easy to do. The very first movie I made with Xtranormal took me literally two minutes. I selected my characters, typed in my humorous script, added some emotion tags, gestures and props, and voila, the clip was complete and ready to share. Today it remains a classic that continues to be laughed at among my friends.

“As easily as adding smileys to instant messaging or chat, Xtranormal animators can bring the characters they create to life by simply dragging and dropping action icons directly into the scripts they write,” said Richard Szalwinski, CEO of Xtranormal Inc.

“Xtranormal distinguishes itself from all other consumer-facing animation packages, in that there are no timelines, time codes or animation curves. Xtranormal keeps it simple with text and icons.”

 

Although Xtranormal has been around since 2006, it recently gained some attention with the viral video iPhone4 vs. HTC EVO. This is just one example of how creative someone can be with Xtranormal and potentially gain a worldwide reach. Once you create your Xtranormal projects, they’re very easy to share on YouTube or Facebook, too.

The best thing about Xtranormal videos is that you direct your own character performance and cinematography by typing and dropping icons into the dialog lines. And, while you’re doing all this, there are almost no technical barriers that you have to wrestle with.

One big limitation of Xtranormal, though, is the number of characters you can put in your movies. You can pick either one or two characters, so you’re restricted to a monologue or a two-person dialogue.

You do have various characters to choose from, ranging from cutsie-looking animals to robots. The funny thing about these movies are the voices that come out of the characters. It’s always a very monotone/robotic-type voice and makes your video even funnier, especially if you’re doing a parody.

Visit xtranormal.com to start making your own movies.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week - Makeuptagg

Sometimes when I run out of eye shadow, or just want to change-up the colors, I’ll wonder what matches my skin tone, etc. I usually don’t have a color chart handy in my purse, but next time I’m in the store, the Makeuptagg app will give me that option.

When you first launch the app, you choose your skin, hair and eye colors. Push the “Results” tab and you’ll see what colors suit you. If you have the paid version of the app, you can also see the recommended brands to purchase and video demonstrations. All of Makeuptagg’s recommendations come from a collaboration of 14 make-up artists who work in the film, TV and fashion industries.

Makeuptagg is available for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad for free at the iTunes App Store (or $4.99 for the version with more features).

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An Easier Way To Make Android Apps

With so many apps available out there for smart-phones, you’d think it would be easy to make one for yourself. Typically you need some sort of programming experience, but Google just came out with the App Inventor for Android, a new tool that lets you (programmer or not) create your own app and be the developer. Instead of writing code as a programmer would, you visually design the way your app looks and use blocks to specify your app’s behavior.

For the past year Google has been testing App Inventor in classrooms around the country and found that this opens up the world of computer programming to students in new, powerful ways. “Students traditionally intimidated by technology are motivated and excited to program with App Inventor,” says David Wolber, professor of computer science at the University of San Francisco, who worked on the program.

One student from Professor Wolber’s class told Google, “I used to think that no one could program except CS (computer science) people. Now I’ve made dozens of applications for the Android phone!” Another student, who struggles with dyslexia, was inspired by App Inventor to take more computer science classes and is now learning Python, a computer programming language.

App Inventor allows you to create just about any app you can think of, from simple games to apps that inform/educate (i.e. utilize Android’s text-to-speech capability to ask questions aloud for study session). You can also use the GPS-location sensor to build apps that know where you are, remember where you parked your car or give you a tour of your school, workplace or favorite landmark. As a teacher, this is a great tool to make a quiz builder to save questions for your students to answer.

I can see great potential with this, especially in schools. Perhaps this will help the Android Store to grow bigger faster!

Visit https://services.google.com/fb/forms/appinventorinterest to request an invitation to obtain the App Inventor for Android.

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Battery Doctor Pro

Ever wondered what is sucking up all the battery power on your phone?Battery Doctor Pro breaks down just about everything you can think of into a simple format. The program displays the remaining usage based on the available battery capacity for your intended use. The app gives you useful tips, and you can view the charge log to track your charge time, type and remaining battery capacity.

Download Battery Doctor Pro for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store (iPhone/iPod/iPad) or Android Market (Android phones). There also are two other free versions (not as many features): Battery Doctor Free and Battery Doctor Lite.

 

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The Advantages Of New Hulu Plus

Hulu recently launched Hulu Plus, the first ad-supported subscription service to offer full current season runs of hit TV programs from ABC, FOX and NBC across multiple Web-connected devices in HD. Hulu Plus builds on the 100-plus content providers to bring you a huge offering of TV shows (current and classic).

“We’re thrilled to begin sharing this revolutionary new service with subscribers,” says Jason Kilar, Hulu CEO. “Hulu Plus is the first subscription service that offers consumers a wide array of today’s top, current TV series on all four screens, in HD. With Hulu Plus, now your favorite TV shows love you back.”

As a Hulu Plus subscriber, not only will you be able to watch your shows off the Internet on your computers in 720p high definition, but you can view them on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, select Samsung TVs, and Blu-ray players. Soon Hulu Plus will be available for your Xbox 360 and PS3.

I have Hulu Plus running on my MacBook Pro and iPad, and both look great. The streaming quality looks just as good as Netflix. I can see the improvement of this Plus service over the 480p quality from the regular Hulu.com. So far I haven’t encountered any problems with it. Other than the resolution quality, another big difference between regular Hulu and Hulu Plus is the amount of content you can view. Hulu Plus lets you go way back to all seasons of a show. What does-n’t change between the two are the commercials. You’ll still see the same amount of commercials, but it’s no biggie because those are minimal anyway.

Hulu Plus is still in beta, and it’s not for everyone. It’s catered more to those of you who want to catch up on your TV or view all the episodes of the most popular shows from today and the past decade. Some of the shows include The Office, The X Files, Glee, The Simpsons and even the Mary Tyler Moore Show. It seems the movie selection is limited, and you’re probably better off with Netflix for that.

Right now it’s available for $9.99/month as a preview, and subscriptions are offered by invitation only. To request an invite, visit hulu.com/plus. Even without an invite you can download a free Hulu Plus app for your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad to test it out.

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Nintendo’s 3DS Steals The Show

Nintendo’s 3DS stole the show at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which I sadly missed this year. The 3DS is the true successor to the Nintendo DS with its ability to display full stereoscopic 3D without the need for special glasses.

“The additional dimension of depth in 3D makes it easier for players to judge distances while giving developers a new tool to create games and experiences that play with both height and depth,” says Nintendo video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who pioneered the fully rendered 3D video game world with Super Mario 64.

As you probably know, expensive 3D TVs hit the market earlier this year, resulting in the start of the 3D era of home entertainment, especially with gaming possibilities. Sony recently released some 3D PlayStation3 games, but keep in mind you still need that 3D TV and special glasses. Ouch! That’s a lot of money you’ll have to spend for everything.

 

At least with the Nintendo 3DS you won’t face that dilemma. The bottom screen is a normal 3.02-inch touch panel, and the upper screen is a slightly larger 3.53-inch display. Three cameras (one inner and two outer) deliver the 3D effect and take 3D pictures. Rumor is that Nintendo is working on facial recognition technology to work with the cameras so the games will know who you are when you pick up your 3DS. That would be cool!

The 3DS also has a motion sensor, gyro sensor and a Slide Pad that allows 360-degree analog input. It still has an SD slot, which is helpful to let you expand your memory. Its 800x240-pixel screen is sharp and won’t strain your eyes.

A range of games will be available, both classics and newer third-party titles. Here are a few highlights: Mario Kart, ninten-dogs + cats, Paper Mario, Resident Evil Revelations, Ridge Racer, Kingdom Hearts, The Sims 3 and many more.

Nintendo claims the 3DS will be released by March 2011. However, if I had to guess, I’d say it will be out in time for Christmas. So far no price has been announced, but my estimate would be somewhere between $249 and $299. For additional information or pictures, check out http://e3.nintendo.com/3ds.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Google Goggles

Google Goggles is a visual app that allows you to snap pictures of items such as books, food products, paintings or landmarks and receive Google search results. Similar to the iPhone app RedLaser, you also can snap pictures of barcodes to identify products.

This app is basically object recognition with your phone’s camera. I can see this being useful while shopping or traveling (landmark recognition). I took pictures of all types of items from baby food to my TV remote, and the app recognized and performed a Google search on each with no problem.

Google Goggles is a free app exclusively available for the Android operating system, and downloadable at the Android Market. Unfortunately, this one is not available for the iPhone.

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Pros, Cons Of The First 4G Phone

The world’s first 4G phone is here! Sprint recently released its Android phone, the HTC EVO 4G. This is the first 4G phone in America, meaning you’ll be able to surf the Internet and check your e-mail faster while you’re on the go. Right out of the box, this phone reminded me of Verizon’s DROID with its huge (4.3-inch) eye-catching, crisp display and responsive touchscreen.

The 480x800-pixeled screen isn’t the only thing that’s huge. The phone itself is big, clunky and not easy to fit into your pocket or a small purse. Yet you can’t have a big, beautiful screen without a large phone, so it’s a small compromise. The 8-megapixel camera helps enhance the screen experience with the sharp pictures/video it takes.

Using the EVO 4G as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot is a nice feature, but I wasn’t able to make it work on my test phone. You can turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices (for an extra $30 per month).

 

Another nice feature is the kick-stand on the back. This is helpful to prop up your phone on the dashboard while using the included free Sprint Navigation app. Sprint Navigation is similar to using a regular car GPS, and it gives you audible turn-by-turn directions.

You’re probably familiar with the issues involving the iPhone’s lack of Flash video support - you won’t see that with the EVO 4G. You can view selected Flash videos with Flash Lite, which simply means you can watch some things, but not others.

Unfortunately, TV shows from Hulu.com and news from CNN.com don’t work.

The bottom line: This is the phone to have if you’re a Sprint person. But there are a couple of drawbacks I need to point out: poor battery life and lack of 4G service. I had to recharge the phone often after just a few calls combined with some e-mail and GPS usage. Not a biggie if you’re near a power source, but while on the road it can be a hassle.

Also, the majority of time I had the phone it was on 3G, even after restarting it. The entire time I had the phone I only saw it switch to 4G twice, yet I’m fairly confident this issue will be resolved in time with future infrastructure build-ups.

Despite those issues, I still think the HTC EVO 4G is a good phone. You can purchase it for $199.99 (with a two-year contract) at your nearest Sprint Store, Best Buy, RadioShack or online at sprint.com. Your minimum monthly fee will average about $80.

 

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Bank of Hawaii Mobile Banking

We’re starting to see more and more local-grown mobile apps come up, the latest being Bank of Hawaii’s first iPhone app that allows customers to conveniently check account balances, view recent transactions, transfer money between accounts and make online payments.

Since I don’t have an account with Bank of Hawaii, I can’t fully delve into 100 percent of the app’s functionality, but I can see this being a useful tool if you’re a Bankoh customer.

But this free app is worth downloading even if you’re not a Bank of Hawaii customer since you can find the nearest ATM or branch (including hours of operation) based on your current location. The app is only available for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad (iTunes App Store), and there are no current plans to develop it for other mobile application platforms.

 

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Keeping In Tune With doubleTwist

I had to buy a cell phone recently for someone in my family who isn’t really technologically savvy. He insisted that the phone had to play music, and it must be able to sync with iTunes so he could listen to all his songs.

Within his existing cell phone plan’s parameters, there were a lot of good phones we could have chosen with a free upgrade, not to mention most of them would work with iTunes after a little extra effort (file conversions).

But after attempting to explain all this to him, hundreds of dollars were still spent on an iPhone that, to this day, is only used to make phone calls and play music. Sigh.

Anyway, I have to say mahalo to my friends Chuck and Lisa, who told me about a neat program called doubleTwist. Had I known about this a few months ago, I think I could have avoided paying all that extra money.

So you won’t make that same mistake in the future, drill into your mind that doubleTwist exists! It’s basically a similar program to iTunes designed to sync your non-iPhone phones to your computer.

When you start doubleTwist, it looks strikingly similar to iTunes. It finds your existing playlists from iTunes, Windows Media Player, or you can assign to search directories for your media files. If you’re an avid iTunes user, you’ll have no problems navigating through. To sync the program to your phone, just drag your songs, videos or images onto the device once it shows up in the application. There’s no need to worry about converting the files because doubleTwist will do it for you, including re-encoding the music or making the videos the right size/bitrate for your phone. Note that in order for doubleTwist to recognize your phone, make sure you have it set to “mass storage mode.”

As a media player, don’t expect doubleTwist to replace iTunes, and note that it only syncs media and is not for syncing address books or calendars. If you want to purchase songs, it’s done with the Amazon MP3 Store (you can always purchase items from iTunes and have it converted). Some of doubleTwist’s drawbacks are its inability to display album art next to the main music list, and you can’t sort music by more than four categories. Despite that, remember that it’s free and the primary function is to sync your stuff.

If you use an Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phone or any other phone that you want to sync with your computer, doubleTwist is a must-have free program. Visit www.doubletwist.com to download the program or for more information.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: eBoy FixPix

If you enjoy some eye candy, the eBoy FixPix app will soothe your senses. This is a puzzle game with pixel-styled artwork intriguing to look at. The object is to fix the messed-up pictures. There are misaligned layers, and it’s your job to fix it.

Tilting your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad will control the movement of one layer, and if you don’t feel up to actually solving the puzzle, move your device around randomly to watch the pieces move. It’s quite therapeutic. A little tip: Observing the layers usually reveals a shadow. Use the shadow to help you solve the puzzles.

The bright, colorful artwork and gameplay together make this app worth it. Find it for $1.99 at the iTunes App Store.

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Finally, The iPhone 4 Debuts

Apple is finally releasing the iPhone 4 on June 24, which just misses Father’s Day, but close enough. What a great gift for your dad or spouse (on behalf of your keiki) - at least for my lucky husband, he’ll be getting the iPhone 4 “from our daughter.”

“iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.”

Some of iPhone 4’s highlights include the new Retina display, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 processor, a 3-axis gyro and up to 40 percent longer talk time. Not to mention it’s a significant 34 percent thinner than the current iPhone 3GS.

The Retina display has 960 x 640 pixels (four times the amount on an iPhone and 78 percent of the pixels on an iPad). The resulting 326 pixels per inch is so dense that our human eyes are unable to distinguish individual pixels when the phone is held at a normal distance, which makes the text, images and video look sharper and more realistic. The iPhone’s new camera on the front of the phone has a 5x digital zoom with a backside illuminated sensor with a built-in LED flash that allows you to take great pictures/video in a low-light environment.

In addition, this new camera allows you to do video calling with FaceTime (iPhone 4 to iPhone 4) over Wi-Fi. In the future, it will be available for 2010. You also can record and edit video with the new iMovie for iPhone. It allows you to cut your video clips, and add still images and a music sound-track from your iPhone. Once your video is done you can export it to 360p, 520p and 720p.

The A4 processor (what the iPad has, too) boasts a Cortex-A8 main processor unit paired with a PowerVR SGX 535, which handles the HD graphics of this new iPhone. These are directly connected to each other and two low-power 128 MB DDR SDRAM chips, allowing for faster data processing. The gyroscope gives the new iPhone the ability to detect pitch, roll and yaw. Coupled with the existing accelerometer you have a 6-axis motion sensing capability. As for the additional talk time, Apple claims you can talk for seven hours over 3G, browse for six hours over 3G, browse with Wi-Fi for 10 hours, watch video for 10 hours, listen to music for 40 hours or be on stand-by for 300 hours.

You may remember me recently writing that the biggest “fix” that comes with the iPhone 4 is the ability to multitask with the OS4 software. Hopefully it’ll be able to run efficiently without consuming too many resources and battery power. Also worth mentioning: There’s a second microphone that allows for noise cancellation when you’re in a loud place, and the iBooks app is included (Apple’s iBookStore).

iPhone 4 comes in black or white and costs $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB). You can pre-order online starting June 15 on Apple’s Web site (http://www.apple.com) or fight the crowds June 24 at your nearest Apple Store, AT&T Retail Store, Best Buy or Walmart. Note: If you’re an existing iPhone user, an early upgrade will cost you $399/$499, so be sure to check with AT&T on your eligibility.

 

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iPad Sales Soar To More Than 2 Million

Despite the heavy criticism I’ve heard from people around me, Apple’s iPad sales have topped 2 million since its April 3 launch. It’s been so popular that all the local Apple Stores here never have it in stock when I call or visit just to inquire.

“Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” says Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

As you may remember, I’ve had my iPad since the launch date, and I’ve been loving it since the moment I took it out of the box. I even put it through the test on a recent trip. On the way to my destination, my total travel time (with a four-hour lay-over) was approximately 16 hours. Even with that, my iPad still had a 20 percent charge when I checked into my hotel. That’s amazing, considering I watched three two-hour movies, played various games and read part of an e-book. On top of that, I traveled only a few days after the iPad release, so I was the only one on the plane with one. The screen was so much bigger and more vibrant than the video players offered on the plane, plus it was kind of fun making the folks next to me jealous.

Since the iPad’s launch, developers have created more than 5,000 iPad apps that take advantage of the multi-touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. It will run almost all of the apps available on the iTunes Store. Plus, the iPad is so versatile that I’m actually writing this column on it since my laptop is in the shop for a defect.

Internationally, the iPad is now available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

Additionally, Apple plans to release the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore some time in July.

Keep checking your closest Apple Store for availability or shop online at www.apple.com (prices start at $499).

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week - SoundPaper

There are a ton of note-taking apps, but SoundPaper sets itself apart by pairing audio-recording and type-entry capabilities together. It’s probably the most innovative way to take notes in a meeting, lecture or interview. It will work on an iPhone, but it works best on your iPad.

Although I haven’t been able to try it out on any interviews yet, SoundPaper is perfect for journalists. If you miss an important detail during an interview, you don’t have to skim through pages and pages of hand-written notes to find your answer. Just tap a word from that part of your interview and it’ll automatically play back what you missed. Once you’re done you can transfer your text, and audio notes via e-mail or directly to your computer. The same goes for students and lectures you want to document.

Trying to multitask using another app when you have SoundPaper open? You may do so, as the app will pause. Once you start the SoundPaper back up, you just need to hit the “Record” button.

Find SoundPaper at the iTunes Store for $2.99. I know that’s a little pricey for an app, but it’s worth it.

 

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Happy Birthday, AOL

AOL is an iconic Internet pioneer, but whatever happened to it?

Well, last week it turned 25. AOL was popular in the 1990s, but you hardly hear about it these days even though you’re probably visiting Web sites owned by it. My personal favorite AOL-owned Web sites are Engadget (engadget.com) and the recently launched KitchenDaily (kitchendaily.com). Other than that, it seems the only major thing AOL has going is the chat service. Admittedly, I still use my AOL chat account to utilize iChat on my Mac. Otherwise, I usually use the chat built into Gmail to communicate with people.

It’s a little sad to see AOL turn 25 yet hardly be recognized for the huge impact it’s had on millions of people. I still remember dialing-in with my phone modem, hearing that static-y connection noise (you know what I’m talking about) and anticipating the “You’ve Got Mail!” voice. Back then, receiving an e-mail was so exciting, especially since having an e-mail address was more of a novelty. Nowadays, e-mail communication is the norm.

AOL’s glory was brief as dial-up services died off and broadband connections from phone and cable providers took over. Its most recent quarterly results indicated its dial-up Internet service revenue dropped 28 percent to $283 million, and advertising revenue took a 19 percent dive to $354 million.

AOL’s co-founder Steve Case has a positive outlook, as it seems the company has been trying to reinvent itself as a content and advertising company since it broke away from the disastrous Time-Warner merger.

“It’s an honor to be back on the AOL campus and witness firsthand the abiding commitment to the company’s core mission and founding values,” remarks Case, a Honolulu native. “AOL’s staying power is a testament to its everyday relevance in American lives. That’s what keeps AOL thriving and allows it to evolve as it embarks on what promises to be another exciting 25 years marked by unprecedented innovation and creativity.”

Despite its ups and downs over the years, AOL still remains one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and in April ranked No. 5 in Web traffic among all U.S. Web properties, with 115 unique visitors, according to the market researcher comScore. Right now it reaches a domestic U.S. audience of more than 100 million unique visitors per month and more than 250 million unique visitors globally.

Last month AOL announced an agreement with Digital Sky Technologies, the largest Internet company in the Russian-speaking and Eastern European markets, to buy its ICQ instant-messaging service for $188 million. I hope AOL continues to find more opportunities such as this one to develop and grow. Keep up the good work, guys!

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: skobbler Navigation

Skobbler uses digital maps by OpenStreetMap (the “Wikipedia of maps”) and turns your iPhone into a navigation device. Yes, you can navigate with your iPhone’s built-in Google Maps app, but skobbler allows you to improve/change the map if you find any errors.

Some of the features include turn-by-turn GPS navigation, bird’s eye view map display, intuitive operation, precise audio devices, visual turn guidance, integrated iPod control for playback during navigation and day/night mode to view the map display.

You can download skobbler for free at the iTunes App Store. Some of the maps are slightly choppy and it seems to need a little polishing, but not bad for a free app.

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Retribution: Neo-noir Crime Drama

Dead to Rights: Retribution is a reinvention of the crime action series that thrusts you into a mature neo-noir crime drama as you play vice cop Jack Slate with your canine companion Shadow. It introduces an innovative hybrid combat system that seamlessly blends third-person shooting with hand-to-hand brawling and an AI (artificial intelligence) partner.

“We’ve completely rebooted the Dead to Rights franchise to deliver a satisfying, visceral and action-packed gameplay experience for existing fans and new gamers,” says Todd Thorson, director of marketing and public relations at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

“We’re boosting the action up another notch with an accessibly priced DLC pack filled with allnew missions and game-enhancing bonus content.”

So you’re a burly bullet-resistant cop who does-n’t have any issues with punching, kicking or shooting your way through bad guys in the name of justice. These brutal move sets are varied yet uncomplicated, making it easy to fight your way through loads of bad guys.

 

Your dog Shadow is as loyal as ever, and you’ll constantly see him there to lend his teeth and claws to the cause. He’ll follow your commands such as “come over here,” or “fetch me some ammo.” You can even play Shadow and see things from his perspective. If you do this, be careful, since he doesn’t share his master’s Kevlar outfit. Crouching low allows you to see enemy heartbeats through walls, and you can sprint through enemies to knock them down.

I noticed that although Jack’s body armor is excellent, you’ll succumb to gunfire if you run around and try to kill everyone at once, so it’s best you pick up a gun and use it. Typically you can find them in a crate or just lying around, or steal one from an enemy if you’re ambitious. You’ll want to fill up your meter, so ...

The game’s story of crime and corruption is cliché, but it has a good plot with good voice acting. Throughout the campaign you’ll see mostly gloomy alleys, warehouses, docks and industrial areas with occasional fine details (i.e. ads and movie posters). As mentioned above, it’s a bit cliché, yet I still found the gameplay to be fun.

Dead to Rights: Retribution retails for $59.99 and you can find it at your nearest Toys n’ Joys (toysnjoys.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or online at Amazon.com. The game is rated M for Mature, so this is not for the keiki.

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Lose the Belly

Since I recently had a baby, I still have 10 more pounds to lose before I reach my pre-pregnancy weight. The Lose the Belly app provides some good exercise tips I can use to possibly accomplish my goal, especially with weight loss around the stomach area.

The app provides nutrition information, before/after photos, methods of celebrity weight loss, videos on how to tighten the abdomen, a weight loss yoga sequence, slimming clothes tips and more. Download it for free at the iTunes App Store.

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HTC’s Droid Incredible: It Is

If a phone has the word “incredible” as a part of its name, I’d hope it would live up to it. The new DROID does just that. Far surpassing the Motorola DROID, the Incredible graced the wireless market late last month. The phone doesn’t offer any new, ground-breaking features, but it’s the best Android 2.1 product on the market today. The combination of enhanced software from HTC and a Qualcomm 1GHz superfast Snapdragon processor makes heads turn to this phone.

I immediately noticed the responsiveness of the Incredible’s beautiful 3.7-inch WVGA (480x800) touchscreen. The display features a “Leap” view for quick access to all seven home screen panels. There is an optical joystick, and dedicated touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys to help you navigate smoothly. This is to replace the trackball navigator found on previous devices and is similar to a trackpad. Additionally, the Incredible has a proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass, integrated GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g). And last but not least, one of my favorite features is the 8-megapixel camera. It takes great pictures and video for a little cell phone.

 

As with other Android devices, you have access to the Android Market to buy your apps (30,000-plus available).

I have to say that HTC’s DROID Incredible is hands-down the best phone on the Verizon Wireless network, and one of the fastest Android devices out there. Find it at your nearest Verizon Wireless Store for $199.99 (after a a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement), along with a required Nationwide Talk plan (starting at $39.99/month) and an E-mail and Web for Smartphone plan (starting at $29.99/month, unlimited).

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Glee

Calling all Gleeks! If you enjoy singing or even just watching the popular TV show Glee, you’ll love the Glee app. This app is created by Smule, the same company that makes the creative music apps Ocarina, Leaf Trombone and Magic Piano.

Glee provides automatic pitch-correction and harmonization for the melodies you sing. The correction isn’t perfect, especially if you use your iPhone’s built-in microphone. The built-in song selection is limited to only three - Rehab, Somebody to Love and You Keep Me Hanging On - with about 20 more available for $1 each. To make up for the missing songs, the A Cappella mode allows you to sing any song, and you can sing along to the songs you have loaded into iTunes.

In keeping with Smule tradition, the Glee app allows you to hear recordings made by other singers around the world. You also can broadcast your own creations and invite others to add their own vocals.

Great app, but I’m disappointed with the limited built-in song selection and lack of Glee classics. But it’s still worth the 99 cents from the iTunes App Store.

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A Sneak Peek At Halo: Reach

The much-anticipated Halo: Reach game is slated to come out this fall, but if you already own Halo 3: ODST, you can download the Halo: Reach beta via your ODST disk now. Since May 3 and going on through May 19, this beta is open to millions of people to experience and test out Halo: Reach.

Building upon the successes of its predecessors, Halo: Reach breaks new ground with a host of new content and features, and claims to deliver the most thrilling and feature-packed multiplayer experience yet. With new game types, weapons, armor abilities, players rewards, customization options, social settings and more, this multiplayer beta introduces a wave of innovations that will take the award-winning Halo multiplayer experience on Xbox LIVE to the next level.

Additionally, an introduction video to the Halo: Reach beta debuted on the Halo 3: ODST game disc. Since the beta became available, the video is available from multiple sources (Google “Aisha Tyler Halo video” and you’ll see many links to choose from). In this lighthearted video, actor Aisha Tyler breaks down all the action-packed new game types in the beta and offers insider tips, all while wielding a variety of life-size Halo weaponry. It’s a must-watch for any Halo fan.

On a side note, Halo no longer falls under Microsoft. Activision recently took over Bungie’s Halo franchise, so it should be interesting to see if there are any drastic changes. I doubt it, but if there are, it can only be good.

“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” says Harold Ryan, president of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”

Stay tuned to Bungie.net and Halo Waypoint on Xbox LIVE throughout the Halo: Reach beta for regular updates and original content, including new videos, interviews, montages, highlight reels and screenshots and updates on the latest playlists and community-organized multiplayer matches.

The full version of Halo: Reach is available for pre-order from participating retailers worldwide in Standard, Limited and Legendary editions. Developed by renowned studio Bungie, Halo: Reach launches in the fall of 2010 exclusively on Xbox 360.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week - 411 Prep: SAT Math

My friend’s daughter has been studying for and taking SAT and ACT practice exams over the last couple of months, so it prompted me to do some research on what might be out there for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad. Since my weakness is math, I hunted for one that would help in that area, and found 411 Prep: SAT Math.

Even though I’m not studying for anything, I went through most of it and it was a great review of what I learned in school many years ago. I can see this helping a student review for “the big test.” This SAT Math app was designed by a SAT tutor and it includes detailed lessons that review math the way it is tested on the SAT. There are more than 500 different question types so you won’t have any surprises on test day.

The Dynamic Flashcards are great - there are more than 2,600 of them to choose from and I can see these helping you spot similar questions on test day. You also can set goals and target your studying for a specific score so you can tailor your preparation strategy and go through the practice exercises in the right frame of mind. I highly recommend this as a supplement (not as a substitute) for the test prep. The best part of it is the portability to have it downloaded on your device without having to lug around clunky books.

Download the 411 Prep: SAT Math app for $4.99 at the iTunes App Store.

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Shopping For A New Compact Camera

It’s been years since I bought a compact digital camera as I’ve been getting by with my iPhone and Canon EOS Rebel SLR. Now that I have a baby, I wanted something pursesized and good enough to capture the precious moments in high-resolution and High-Definition (HD) video without having to tote around my SLR camera.

As I was camera-hunting, I set my spending limit at $300, and I promised myself I would not go a penny over that. Mission accomplished: I found everything I needed and more for $250 with Canon’s 980IS.

Just visually, I admire the colors it comes in: silver, blue, purple and gold. The colors give the camera a fun look, almost its own personality. Functionally, there’s a 3-inch LCD touchscreen that makes navigating through images and menus convenient. The touch response isn’t as smooth as an iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, but it’s better than no touchscreen at all. As you’re flipping through your pictures/videos, you can view them three different ways: by physically flicking the camera, using the touch-screen or with the good ol’ button. Flicking the camera back and forth, left for the next image, right for the previous image, is cool, but it can be a little annoying if you accidentally move the camera in a certain way. The touchscreen works but can be slightly frustrating since it’s not as responsive as my iPhone. The fastest way to go through the pics is with the button.

There are not many compact cameras that can do HD video, so one of the biggest deciding factors for me to purchase the 980IS was the ability to shoot HD video. It records 720p HD video, plus it has an HDMI output for easy playback onto your HDTV without having to involve a computer in the process. This 12.1-megapixel camera includes a 5x optical zoom lens with an ultra-wide 24mm lens and optical image stabilization.

The 980IS isn’t the latest and greatest, but you receive a great package for the $250 price. The best place to find it is on Amazon.com (free shipping). It took mine less than a week to arrive.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Kokua Traffic

If you have a long commute to work during rush hour, one of your first thoughts when you wake up in the morning is probably, “How much traffic is out there right now?” At least that’s one of my thoughts as I’m getting ready for work. Kokua Traffic is a local-grown app that uses Google Maps as a base, and displays the last 20 accidents and incidents on the road with red pins (dynamic incident indicators), along with your location (blue dot) and some good places to eat along the way (green pins).

The app has a great concept, but I would love to see it link up to the Honolulu City & County’s traffic cameras to get visuals. Thankfully, with future phases of this app, the link to the traffic cams will come. Showing the accidents/incidents with pins is good, and the information loads fast. However, since I’ve been testing this out, most of the accidents/incidents were two to four hours old, some even up to six hours old, with no recent activity. The idea of the app is for you to see where you are in relation to the latest accidents and what time they occurred, so you can take an alternate route if needed.

If you want to check this out, download Kokua Traffic for free at the iTunes App Store.

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A New UH Computer Engineering Degree

From my late father to my uncles and cousins, I have a whole family that came out of the University of Hawaii’s (UH) College of Engineering. This fall, the College of Engineering will begin accepting applications for a new bachelor of science degree in computer engineering. Too bad this wasn’t available when I was about to graduate high school many moons ago.

“We are very excited about the addition of computer engineering to our degree offerings,” says Peter E. Crouch, dean of the College of Engineering. “We are now better positioned to attract students to the college in an important area of engineering for Hawaii.”

The computer engineering degree program will be taught collaboratively by faculty from the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical Engineering and the College of Natural Sciences’ Department of Information and Computer Sciences. The curriculum will be devoted to computer hardware and software, computer organization and architecture, computer security, software engineering, computer networks and Internet technology, embedded systems, computer-aided design, multi-core and parallel computing, and wireless networks.

 

“Computer engineering is a combination of both electrical engineering and computer science,” said Alan H. Teramura, interim dean of the College of Natural Sciences. “It made perfect sense to combine our expertise from both colleges to create this exciting new degree offering at UH Manoa.”

If you’re interested in this degree, you can submit a completed application to the UH Manoa Admissions and Records Office. If applying as a freshman, you also must submit your SAT or ACT scores and high school transcripts. Additionally, you should already have algebra, trigonometry, analytic geometry, physics and chemistry classes under your belt. Visit www.ee.hawaii.edu for more information.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Field Agent

Field Agent pays you money to use it! The process begins with a client who needs information creating a job requesting specific information with the Field Agent Web site (www.fieldagent.net). Field Agent then reviews and broadcasts a request to agents (iPhone users with the Field Agent app installed).

“Now more than ever, companies are looking for ways to efficiently gain field intelligence on products and services,” said Kelly Miller, co-founder of Field Agent. “In an economy where unemployment is near record levels, it’s rewarding to be part of an idea that can create income for thousands of people.”

You, as an agent, use your iPhone to collect and return information and receive payment for your service. The payments can range from $1 to $8, depending on the job’s degree of difficulty.

Information requested by clients may include retail pricing and display information, event images, photos of items for sale and consumer surveys that can be completed anywhere an iPhone can be used.

When you want to claim your money, you need to do it from the Field Agent Web site, and it’s paid out through PayPal within 48 hours. Download Field Agent for free at the iTunes App Store.

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The New, Improved iPhone OS 4.0

In the midst of the whole iPad hype, Apple announced the evolution of the iPhone operating system - iPhone OS 4.0. This release seems to fix some of the shortcomings of previous models.

“iPhone OS 4.0 is the fourth major release of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system,” says Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re delivering over 100 new features, including multitasking, folders, a unified inbox, deeper Enterprise support, and an iPhone version of our iBooks reader and online iBookstore.”

The lack of multitasking is probably the biggest complaint I’ve heard about the current iPhone operating system. The new popup menu in OS 4.0 will show four apps, but you’ll be able to run at least 12 apps simultaneously. Unfortunately this feature will only work on the iPhone 3GS and the third generation iPod touch.

If you have loads of apps on your iPhone/iPod touch, as I do, and sick of scrolling through a hundred screens to find your one app, the home screen folders will be a big help. You’ll be able to take an app and drop it on top of another to create a folder. To name it or see the contents, just tap it for an expanded view.

E-mail has always worked well on the iPhone, but if you have multiple accounts, you have to go into each account individually as opposed to one screen. This new unified inbox will fix that issue and give you limited options for message sorting (i.e. thread your messages by conversation), the ability to add Exchange accounts, create playlists in iTunes, 5x digital zoom for the camera, and open e-mail attachments with compatible apps. iAd, Apple’s new mobile advertising platform, comes into play now. Until now, when you clicked on an ad, it would usually take you out of your app to a Web browser, but iAd allows the ads to be embedded into the app. Perfect revenue-generator for the app developers, but not so great for you, the consumer. Some of the other additions mentioned in the announcement are spell check, persistent WiFi, tap to focus video, gifting of apps, birthday calendar, rotate photos, customizable wallpapers for the home screen and much more.

iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod touch users will see the update this summer, and it will be available for the iPad in the fall. Visit www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os for more information on iPhone OS 4.0.

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Line2

If you use your cell phone so much that you’re always paying extra charges, or frequently have a bad cell signal, the Line2 app is probably for you. This app allows you to use your WiFi network or 3G connection to make phone calls off your iPhone, iPod touch (second generation) or even your iPad.

This is the first VoIP app that offers advanced call features such as call waiting, hold, transfer and conferencing for up to 20 people. The online control panel is at toktumi.com, and here you can enable the caller-specific forwarding rules with different voicemail greetings, call blocking, call screening and voicemail, etc.

The Line2 app will not drop your call if you receive another one on your regular iPhone line. You also can switch between Wi-Fi and 3G with no call disruption. Additionally, creating a new number is quick and easy, but sorry, the 808 area code is not available.

Find this app for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store. The service is free for the first 30 days, then $14.95/month thereafter (or pay as you go $19.95/month). It’s worth the monthly charge if you’re always on the phone.

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Putting The iPad Through Its Paces

Even though I reserved my iPad online, I opted to pick it up at the Apple Store to ensure I had it in-hand on the release date. I didn’t go crazy and line up at four o’clock in the morning as I did for the iPhone’s release. This time I took it easy, slept in and went to the Apple Store at 10 a.m. to pick up my iPad. Oh, and by the way, over 300,000 iPads were sold on day one.

The Apple Store at Ala Moana has my applause. They were extremely efficient and friendly, and the line moved so fast that I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. The Apple Store staff even handed out bottles of water and provided umbrellas for the rain coming down. Also, I was caught by the a local TV news camera crew during my very short wait.

I love my iPad, but I have to say there are generally two groups of iPad people out there - the lovers and the haters. As you can probably guess, I’m with the lovers, so I’ll start off with the positives. Apple had the decency to give the iPad a really fast processor so everything responds and opens/loads very quickly. Surfing the Internet is day and night from doing it on a little iPhone, mostly because you don’t have to keep zooming and panning to see everything. The battery life is phenomenal. From the moment I freed my iPad out of the box I was able to use it for two days without having to re-charge it. Most of the existing iPhone apps work on the iPad.

 

And it’s not just an e-reader, and it soars way above a Kindle or a nook, so don’t even try to compare them. Yet, it’s not a laptop either. It’s more a great tool to view your books, music, videos, photos, e-mail and surf the web.

Most of the people I work with are on the hater end, so I’ve heard just about all criticism humanly possible about the iPad. Yes, there are some drawbacks. The one that irks me the most is that you need to constantly wipe off your fingerprints. There is no USB support, no Flash video support, and you can’t work on your Google word docs. Also, it doesn’t come with a case, and the one that Apple sells is flimsy at best.

The bottom line is my daughter likes “her” iPad and reading all her Dr. Seuss books off it, so that makes it all worth it. Right now just the Wi-Fi version ($499-$699/16-64GB) is available, but soon the 3G version ($629-$829 16-64GB) will be out too. If you want to buy the Wi-Fi model, so far both Apple Stores seem to have a good stock of them, or visit http://www.apple.com to purchase online.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: What Chefs Eat

Do you ever wonder what Hawaii’s top chefs eat when they’re not cooking for other people? The What Chefs Eat iPhone app gives you their favorite spots, including late-night eats and favorite ramen shops. The app includes Hawaii’s top chefs. The idea for this came from co-founder Melanie Kosaka and master sommelier Chuck Furuya. It was developed as an iPhone app by Eric Nakagawa of ICanHasCheezeburger.com.

“Breaking down the digital divide between larger businesses that have the resources to expend on Web sites and mobile marketing and small businesses that may barely have the resources to develop a Web site was a key factor in deciding to do this project,” Kosaka says. “We think What Chefs Eat is a winwin: chefs gain exposure for their restaurants by making recommendations, and smaller restaurants gain notoriety by having a top chef select them as a favorite dining spot.”

Download the What Chefs Eat app for free at the iTunes App Store.

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God of War III: Getting Revenge

If you’ve played God of War II, you know the ending was a big cliffhanger.

The ex-Spartan warrior Kratos rode on Titan Gaia’s back as she scaled Mount Olympus to pursue a challenge with gods versus the Titans along with Zeus and friends. This set God of War III up as the final game in the trilogy.

As with God of War I and II, God of War III is exclusive for the PlayStation 3 and is a single-player game set in the brutal realm of Greek mythology as you play Kratos. As you saw at the end of God of War II, this game starts you off scaling Mount Olympus on the shoulders of Gaia, and then takes you through the dark depths of hell to seek revenge on those who have betrayed you. You’re armed with double-chained blades with an array of new weapons and magic, and you must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout the merciless quest to destroy Olympus.

The very first thing that caught my eye was the stunning graphics. Kratos explores areas that are up to four times larger than in God of War II, and carve through armies while you ride on the back of Titans. We’re talking living, moving breathing levels that are as tall as the Empire State Building. You’ll see the signature God of War game-play with brutal combat, intricate puzzles and a compelling ending to Kratos’ epic story.

One of my favorite features is the ability to ride the creatures. You can manipulate some of these menacing Greek mythological creatures against their will and use them to cross huge chasms, defeat your toughest enemies and reveal puzzles and secrets. Additionally, new deadly weapons such as the Cestus (powerful metal gauntlets with devastating strength) give you the ability to learn new techniques and launch explosive attacks.

Overall God of War III sticks to the strengths of its two predecessors and is even better. The combat is easy to master and the added moves and weapons give it more depth. The creative visual design along with the well-crafted puzzles stimulate your game-play senses. If you’re a God of War fan, this is a must-have.

God of War III is rated M for Mature and retails for $59.99. Find it at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com), Toys N Joys (toysnjoys.com) or Amazon.com.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Surfboards

Before you hit the waves, you want to make sure you have the board that suits you. Choosing the correct surfboard and equipment can be a confusing and complex experience. The Surfboards iPhone/iPod touch app written by world champion surfer Shaun Tomson is designed to help you make sense of the shape and design features that make up a surfboard. This app gives you an overview and explanation of the best equipment to go along with a surfboard to make the most of your surfing experience.

With this app, Tomson wants to put an end to surfers’ guess-and-test method of surfboard consumption. “When I am out in the lineup, I often see people struggling on unsuitable equipment,” he says. “When a person starts out on the surfing journey, the trip can be made infinitely easier if one starts out with the right equipment. This little application is designed to do just that: Help understand and select which board and equipment will be the most suitable right now to maximize the fun factor and make learning and improving as painless as possible.”

The app features 15 of the most popular surfboard shapes with 50 hand-drawn illustrations. The board shapes are recommended to you based on your skill level, and there are 18 surfboard design features ranging from rails to rocker. In addition, choose from 15 essential accessories from wetsuits to wax. For the rookies, a 5,000-word surfing glossary and A Surfer’s Code is available, along with a listing of master shapers and contact information.

Find Surfboards for $1.99 at the iTunes App Store.

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Lullabelly: Music For Babies In The Womb

Playing music to your pregnant belly can be beneficial to both you and your unborn keiki. Music can help you relax, fall asleep or put you in a better mood if you have the pregnancy blues. When I was pregnant last year, I would put earphones around my stomach every night to play music for my daughter. My husband even sang songs to my belly while playing his guitar. It’s just too bad I didn’t know about the Lullabelly back then.

This Lullabelly Prenatal Music Belt is the modern way to safely and comfortably play music, lullabies, audio books, voice recordings or whatever you choose for your unborn baby. This device is easy to use - just plug in any music player (i.e. iPhone, iPod touch or CD player).

It comes with a dual adapter and earphones so you can listen to what your baby is hearing.

Since I’m no longer pregnant, I asked the expecting MidWeek managing editor Yu Shing Ting to try out the Lullabelly for me.

“I tested the Lullabelly while at home this weekend and it was very easy to use (a huge plus for someone like me who is not good with techy stuff),” she says. “I wore it while I did laundry, cooked and watched TV. It was very comfortable, and I didn’t even really feel it on. I just had to remind myself to take it off after an hour because the instructions suggested use of no more than one hour at a time and limited to two to three times per day.”

The Lullabelly uses safe sound levels so that the maximum volume is similar to you or your other half speaking or singing aloud. The speaker has a built-in volume control dial so when you use the dual adapter, you can separately control the volume of your earphones and the volume of the music playing to your baby. The Lullabelly is soft, adjustable, lightweight and machine-washable. It also comes with a large front pocket, ideal for carrying small accessories or your mp3 player.

Remember that playing music during pregnancy helps reduce your stress levels, and could encourage development of language and memory skills, which lays the foundation for your baby’s learning abilities. Listening to music also may improve your baby’s sleep habits after birth. I can say that my daughter sleeps through the night, and has done so since she was born, but there’s no proof if it’s from the music or not. Maybe we’re just blessed with a good baby!

The Lullabelly comes in sky blue, apple green, pink, chocolate and yellow. Find it online at lullabelly.com or at amazon.com for $55.

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Cutting-edge Gadgets Galore At AVCO Show

We rarely have tech shows here in Hawaii, but next week (March 31-April 1) The Audio Visual Company is scheduled to have its first tech show at Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. AVCO will feature cutting-edge gadgets such as Panasonic’s larger-than-life 103-inch plasma screen (pictured here), interactive boards, video conferencing systems, multi-media solutions and more.

“There is something for everyone at the AVCO Tech Show,” says AVCO president Thomas Lee. “Our theme is ‘Collaborative Communication.‘By bringing together multiple manufacturers, they can showcase products and technology that will support customers’ communications capabilities.”

More than 100 manufacturers will show off their latest gadgets. Panasonic, Extron Electronics and SMART Technologies have guest speakers who offer free special seminars and presentations. Panasonic sales representative Thomas James will delve into a wide range of products and technologies that are used for health, security, entertainment, education and communication with his presentation titled, “Panasonic’s Ideas’ For Life.”

 

In addition, Extron Electronics’ Michael Bax will present, “Simplified AV Control Solutions” and “Implementing Cost Effective AV Technology in Classrooms,” and SMART Technologies’ James Roe will cover all aspects of key collaboration between U.S. Military Command in C4 ISR, training and communication along with the impact SMART Capabilities has in the military/DHS theater.

Featured exhibiting companies include 3M, Canon USA, Cisco, ClearOne, Fujifilm Hawaii, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Servco Toyota and Tandberg, to name a few. While you’re there, enter to win one of two 42-inch high definition televisions. Also, a 3M Super Close Projection System along with hourly door prizes are set to be raffled off (must be present to win). For more information or to register for your free admission, visit www.theavco.com.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Street Fighter IV

Capcom’s Street Fighter IV for the iPhone/iPod touch is a breakthrough for the future of mobile games, especially if you’re a Street Fighter fan. The game was rebuilt from the ground up to take full advantage of the iPhone platform while still remaining true to the legendary series’ high-action arcade roots.

You’ll see eight classic characters: Ryu, Chun Li, Able, Blanka, M. Bison, Dhalsim, Guile and Ken. Veteran players will instantly recognize the robust move sets including the Unique Attacks, Special Moves, Focus Attacks, Super Combos and Ultra Combos. Newcomers might want to start off in the “Dojo” mode, which gives you good practice ranging from simple to advanced lessons.

Last but not least, Street Fighter IV isn’t complete without being able to play head-to-head in the Versus mode. You can do this via Bluetooth with another player who has the Street Fighter IV game app on their iPhone - this feature makes the game ultra-fun!

The controls in Street Fighter IV are managed using a unique “Visual Pad” system created specifically for the iPhone. By activating “SP Move Assist,” you can trigger your char-acter’s Special Moves with a tap of a button and a directional input. Hardcore players can disable the feature and enter the complete command manually, if you so choose. Additionally, you can fully customize the interface by repositioning controls anywhere on the screen as well as setting the level of transparency.

Find this at the iTunes App Store for $9.99. It’s a little pricey for an app, but well worth it.

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Windows Phone 7: iPhone Killer?

Since Apple’s revolutionary iPhone came into the world, numerous companies have attempted to make “iPhone killers.” None of them has come close to being successful, but Microsoft just announced its Windows Phone 7 series. This could be the real competitor we’ve been waiting for. To be released just in time for the holiday season, this is probably the most groundbreaking phone since the iPhone.

Microsoft’s announcement took place in Barcelona, and Microsoft’s chief executive officer said, “I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones. In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience.

“Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people, and all kinds of seamless experiences.”

Other than having a multi-touch screen, an accelerometer and a five-megapixel camera, the phone is organized around a set of hubs: People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace and Office. These function as sort of super-applications. For example, the People hub is not just your contacts. Here you can social network and stream updates from Facebook or Windows Live (no Twitter yet, but hopefully it will be added by the shipping date).

Pictures allows you to share photos and videos with social networks in one step, and integrates your photos with the Web and PC. It gives you a central place to post and sync your updates to Facebook and Windows Live. As a part of Game hub, the Xbox LIVE tile on the phone is probably the most impressive thing. It’s Xbox LIVE tied to a phone! Your LIVE profile will be tied to your phone, and you can see your gamer avatar, achievements, gamer points (for your phone games) and gamer profile.

The Music + Video hub makes this a Zune Phone, since the Zune Marketplace is integrated into the phone. You can sync your content from your computer and listen to your favorite FM radio stations. The Marketplace is where you’ll buy apps and games.

Bing and Bing Maps are built into the phone as the default search and map services. And last but not least, the Office hub gives you access to Office, OneNote and Sharepoint in one place for you to read, edit and share documents. Additionally, the phone’s browser is Internet Explorer.

So far, Microsoft is working with Qualcomm, LG, Samsung, Garmin Asus, HTC, HP, Dell Sony Ericsson and Toshiba for hardware, and AT&T for service. Each phone will have a Bing button and a Start button, and the phone manufacturers will be able to decide their phone’s shape and whether or not it has a keyboard. No price has been announced yet, and we’ll just have to wait until December to see it. Visit http://www.windowsphone7series.com for more information.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Words With Friends

If you enjoy Scrabble or other word games, you’ll love the Words With Friends app. It is so addicting that it helped me (discreetly) survive an extremely boring two-hour-long function I had to attend.

Words With Friends plays similar to Scrabble as you have seven letters to work with, and the board has the standard double-letter, double-word, triple-letter and triple-word blocks. You can play up to 20 games simultaneously and choose to play against your friends or a random opponent. If you exit the app, you’ll receive a text message notifying you that it’s your turn.

In addition, you can chat with your friends within the game and invite other friends through Facebook or Twitter. This game is a great example of social gaming, and so far has a community of more than 500,000 players. Download it for free at the iTunes App Store. A $2.99 ad-free version also is available.

 

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Let’s Help Get Hawaii Up To Speed

Compared to other places in the nation and around the world, Hawaii has some of the slowest Internet connection speeds. I had a perfect firsthand example of this on my last trip to Japan. The very slowest connection I received there was probably about the average speed I have at home. Even when I lived in Texas a few years ago, my Internet speed there was so much faster than what I have now. If you’ve traveled around, you probably can say the same thing about your speeds.

A possible remedy is an initiative called Gigabit Hawaii. This is a community based appeal for Google to make Hawaii one of the test locales for its recently announced ultra-fast broadband service. Local government has already made an official request. Google says a “level of community support” would be a deciding factor.

Reflecting on the economy, Dan Leuck of TechHui and Ikayzo says, “Being on the most isolated island chain on earth, the speed and quality of our connection to the Net directly impacts our ability to communicate, learn, educate and conduct business. Google’s gigabit broadband initiative could help reinvigorate communities and businesses in an economic downturn.”

If Google selects Hawaii, the state could reap the benefits in a multitude of ways. Several leading members of the local high-tech community drafted a multipoint support document and formatted a petition. Olin Lagon of Kanu Hawaii stated his support: “Unlike most parts of the U.S., our residents are separated by ocean. Enabling gigabit broadband directly into our communities could have a profound impact on better connecting our neighborhoods and islands as well as invigorating our challenged public educational system.”

Here are some of the reasons stated on the petition why Hawaii is an ideal choice for Google’s gigabit initiative:

* Hawaii’s speeds are among the worst in the nation. According to the 2009 CWA report on Internet speeds (http://www.speedmatters.org), Hawaii ranks No. 47 in terms of average download speed.

* Hawaii is the most isolated and import-dependent state in the union.

* Hawaii represents a huge telemedicine test bed opportunity. We’re the first state to offer online physician visits statewide - 700,000 HMSA members, or 54 percent of the state’s population.

* Google has offices in 17 states but no Hawaii presence. It would be a great place for software engineers to escape the colder weather of Mainland winters, and one of the most inspiring places on earth.

Your help is needed to make this happen. Sign the petition online by March 15: http://www.techhui.com The goal is 50,000 signatures, so spread the word to all your family and friends. Links to resources and media on this effort are also available on the TechHui Web site.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Angry Birds

The name Angry Birds pretty much sums up my parrot’s attitude these days, but there’s nothing angry about this game app. It’s addicting to launch various birds from a slingshot to hit green pigs. These pigs have stolen their eggs, and that is why these birds are angry.

The game consists of two worlds and more levels than many other game apps. The levels steadily increase in complexity as well as the capabilities of the angry birds you propel at the pigs. If you hit a pig with a bird or debris, he’ll pop.

Once all the pigs are eliminated, you’ll progress to the next level. You may need to use some strategies to pop all the pigs before you run out of birds to sling.

Angry Birds is fun, addictive and worth the 99 cents from the iTunes App Store.

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Control A Drone With Your iPhone

One of the most anticipated tech toys of this year is the Parrot’s AR.Drone. It’s a quadricopter with builtin cameras and Wi-Fi for video streaming, and best of all you control it with your iPhone or iPod touch.

The streaming video that comes through your iPhone/iPod touch enables you to control the AR.Drone as if you were sitting in the pilot’s seat. The idea behind this is to mix a video game and the real world together. The drone is composed of a central cockpit surrounded by four propellers, each with its own engine. It generates its own Wi-Fi network, and when your iPhone/iPod touch connects to it, it turns into a true piloting station.

There are two cameras: One is under the drone’s structure and connected to an inertial measurement unit, and the second one is at the front. This front camera is the one that broadcasts and streams to your iPhone/iPod touch. With the mix of these wide-angle and high-speed cameras, and the three axes accelerometer, three axes gyro and ultrasound sensor, piloting this thing is a breeze for even the youngest or non-tech-savvy person.

 

Controlling the AR.Drone from your iPhone/iPod touch lets you move forward and sideways to corner and change direction by using your phone’s built-in accelerometer. In addition, your phone’s touch pad has the command buttons for rise, down, rotate, move back and move forward.

The AR.Drone can be safely flown inside. For inside flights, a hull surrounds the propellers and protects the quadricopter if it hits something. For outside, a shaped hull reduces the area to the wind for better maneuverability. It also has the ability to do multi-player flights for aerial fights between two AR.Drones.

The AR.Drone is a dream toy for any kid (big kids included). I can’t wait until this comes out, but there’s no word on how much the AR.Drone will cost or when it will be available - supposedly sometime this year. For more information, visit parrot.com.

 

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Siri Assistant

The Siri Assistant app turns your iPhone into a personal assistant by using voice recognition to accomplish everyday tasks such as buying movie tickets, making restaurant reservations or checking the status of a flight. Basically, you talk to your phone and it makes plans for you.

Siri is simple to use. Just launch it and speak into your iPhone’s microphone. “Where is the closest Starbucks?” or “Table for two at Sam Choy’s today at noon,” and within seconds you’ll receive your answer. This beats going to Web sites or having to launch separate apps to do your searching.

Siri partnered with the successful Dragon Dictation app creators for its capability to recognize your voice’s context and intent to receive accurate question-and-answer results. Other launch services Siri is working with include OpenTable, MovieTickets.com, TaxiMagic, Citysearch, Yelp, Yahoo Local, GAYOT.com, Rotten Tomatoes, NYTimes.com, Flix Movie Reviews, BooRah, WeatherBug, AllMenus, LiveKick, Maponics, Flightstats, True Knowledge, Localeze, West World Media, Eventful, and more added every day. You can download Siri for free at the iTunes App Store. Sorry, this won’t work with an iPod touch, and you need iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

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