Big tablet comparison iPad 2 vs Xoom vs Playbook vs G-Slate

Thanks to our friends from phonearena.com for giving us this nice comparison video.
This video goes over hardware, OS, cameras, web browser, and more on the Apple iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook, and the T-Mobile G-Slate.
All I can say is I am happy to have the iPad 2.

Order & Chaos Online first impression review on iPad

Order & Chaos is a MMORPG for most iOS devices.

The game is made by Gameloft they are pretty much known for taking popular console or PC games and making a similar game for your mobile device.  There are allot of people that complain about this.  But I for one am happy they do this because you get very ambitious games like this.  Also they do a pretty decent job at it.  This game will be mainly compared to a little game call World of Warcraft.

Order & Chaos Online is $6.99 in the App Store.  This comes with 3 months of online subscription.  As far as I can tell you can not play this game unless you have an active subscription. After the 3 months you will need to pay monthly at 99¢, 3 months at $1.99, or 6 months for $2.99.  I don't feel this price is to much if they are able to keep people interested and able to provide new content.


The game contains 4 races Human, Elf, Orc, Undead.  You can then choose between male or female.  Then you can choose your class Warrior (good we weapons and armor), Mage (powerful spell caster), Monk (important healing skills), Ranger (good a ranged weapons). When you get to customizing it seems a little limited.  So not sure how many configurations of characters you are going to see out there.

The controls are fairly standard for this kind of 3rd person view you have.  The left side virtual thumb stick controls your characters movement.  You can swipe just about anywhere else to look around.  On the right you have your options for attacks and spells and jumping.  


Menus are pretty straight forward.  You can look at your Bag it contains your items.  Under Character you see what clothing, armor, weapons you have equipped.  Quest is where you can select or view and drop quests you have accepted.  Spells is where you can change the spells you are using also under Talents you can upgrade your talent tree.  I have not gotten much into the Social or Team options but will try them out soon.

Graphics on this game are decent but I was expecting better.  The game is compatible with multiple iOS devices so maybe that is why graphics seem a little low rez. I see a fair amount of pop-in when running around.  Also I am running this on the iPad 2 I would like to see some use of anti aliasing or something to take advantage of the power.  Animations look ok but but there is not a whole lot of them.


I don't have allot to talk about game play other then it seem to be pretty standard getting a quest and doing what you need to finish it.  I am hoping there is some good variety in the quests.  I really don't want it to be come a grind fest.

I believe this is a game that will keep me playing for a while.  I have never jumped into a MMORPG because I don't want to get tied to a PC for hours at a time.  I think maybe if this is something I can pickup and play for 15 to 30 minutes it might be a big win in my book.  After I get some more time into this game I will post a full review.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/order-chaos-online/id414664715?mt=8

Gameloft's MMORPG iPad Order & Chaos Online First Look

Gameloft has just released a new MMORPG game on the iPad and iPhone.
My first look into the game this looks like to be the most complete MMORPG on the iPad to date.
I have not been able to find any reviews for the game yet but there are some trailers out there.

The game comes in at $6.99 and comes with 3 months of online game play included.
But if you want to continue to play will will need to pony up for a subscription.
Subscriptions will be 99¢ per month, or $1.99 for 3 months, or $2.99 for 6 months.
This does not seem unreasonable to me but it all depends on the amount of content and the users that join.

I am not a big MMORPG person but may give this one a try.  If so i will be coming with my full review.

Huge EA Game sale on iPad

This weekend Electronic Arts is having a huge sale on iPad games.

Games are up to 90% off.  Many new games at $0.99.

Max & the Magic MarkeriPadMar 23, 2011$0.99
iTunes


Utlimate Mortal Kombat 3iPadFeb 10, 2011$4.99
iTunes


Dead SpaceiPadJan 25, 2011$0.99
iTunes

Crackle video streaming app review for iPad

Crackle It's On is a new Video Streaming App for the iPad.
The app streams TV Shows and Movies over the internet.
The app is free but the videos are ad supported.  Ads are fairly frequent but the show is still watchable.
Streaming quality is decent.  I have watched one move and a couple TV shows without any issues.
The selection is not so great now but there is some decent stuff to watch.  I really hope this app takes off to compete with services such as hulu plus.
Oh did I mention there is some Seinfeld episodes.  Im in.


CURRENT MOVIES AND TV*:
MOVIES
Hundreds of movies including: THE DA VINCI CODE, BIG DADDY, GHOSTBUSTERS, GRIDIRON GANG, 21, WE OWN THE NIGHT, SNATCH, EIGHT MILLIMETER, ULTRAVIOLET, QUARANTINE and more
TV
Thousands of full-length episodes; series include: SEINFELD, SPIDER-MAN, SAMURAI X, MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN, THE THREE STOOGES and more

Find out more at www.crackle.com

Sorry for Video production it could be much better.

iPad App Angry Birds Rio Game Review

Is Angry Birds Rio a sequel or a movie tie-in / promotion game?  With some better visuals and same great game play is this a good follow up to Angry Birds?  Lets see.

Story:
In this game these angry birds aren't fighting pigs this time they are rescuing their fellow bird buddies from the evil parrot Nigel.  The second chapter you will be flinging your fowl friends at the mischievous monkeys.  At the end you will fight the evil Nigel to rescue the  Blue Macaws the main characters of the Movie.

Game Play:

If you have played Angry Birds you will be accustom to the way this game plays. You will still be using a huge slingshot to fling birds at your targets. It feels as if they have made the game a little easier to get through the levels but left it extremely hard to master.

Graphics and Sound:
The graphics have been taken up a notch.  The game still has the cute crazy animations as the first but the environments have been made less bland.  When moving or zooming in and out in the levels you will see there is some nice detail to the foreground and background artwork.  The birds fly away in spectacular fashion as you break their cages.  The monkey’s expressions are very comical.

Lasting Appeal:

The game now has 60 levels in two chapters.  But with more promised levels to come every couple months.  You can get through the level pretty quickly but will take some time if you would like to earn all three stars.  There is also fruit you can collect to boost your score.  There is no multi player but they do include Game Center support so you can brag to your friends about all the birds you have freed.

Final Thoughts:
I have stated before that Angry Birds are not my most favorite games.  But I have to admit I am drawn more in by Angry Birds Rio then the others.  The game seems to be a bit easier for me so I have less frustration and this is a very good thing.  The game right now is $2.99 on the app store and I believe this a good price and no one will regret this purchase.  This game does surpass most movie tie-in games.

Muchipad.com finial score:

Story	8
Game play	8
Graphics & Sound	9
Lasting Appeal	8
Final Score	8.25

Splashtop Remote Desktop Sharing App Review iPad

Splashtop is a remote desktop sharing app that works with Windows and MAC.
This app lets you connect to your computer from where ever you are.  There is a small desktop app you need to install to be able to connect.
The app adjusts the resolution of your screen to match your iPad while you are connected.
The sound and video goes through very well especially when connected on the same network.
I have used this app to actually watch Hulu from my desktop PC to my iPad.
Please watch my hands on review to get more details.

Remote Desktop App Splashtop on Sale $1.99

The Apple App Store now has the popular Desktop sharing app Splashtop on sale for $1.99.
This is a good deal down from $4.99.  I can also say this is one of my most useful applications I have on my iPad.  I use this all the time to go back to my PC and run programs see sites with flash that I can see on my iPad.  This is nearly turned my iPad into a full featured PC.  But I will be having my full review shortly on Splashtop.
Also there is a free version you can try before you buy.

New iOS Update 4.3.2 Resolves FaceTime, 3G Issues

On Thursday Apple has released an update to the iOS 4.3.2 to resolve some issues with Facetime and 3G connectivity.  The update, iOS 4.3.2, fixes a glitch that would occasionally result in blank or frozen video during a FaceTime call. It also fixes an issue that prevented some international users from connecting to 3G networks on the iPad 3G.  This comes one month after iOS 4.3.1 update.

World of Goo iPad Game App Review

Video Review~

I have never played World of Goo before but this is a wonderful way to be introduced into this zany world. World of Goo is a puzzle game you take control of cute little Goo Balls that works wonderfully on the iPad.

Story:

World of Goo pretty much lacks any real kind of story. But the atmosphere and cute little Goo guys draws you in as much as if there was one.  All you need to know is you will need to control your little Goo Ball buddies to make it through a level to the exit pipe.

Game Play:

You control your gooey little buddies by dragging them off their web construction.  That little Ball now becomes part of the sticky web to get you a little closer to your goal.  You will need to use the different

Watch ESPN app review on iPad

UPDATE:  Watch ESPN has been updated to 1.1 and now is optimized for full resolution of the iPad.  Also the videos now are streamed in full resolution.  :)

Watch ESPN app lets your watch ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU on your iPhone or iPad device.
To be able to stream ESPN you must be a subscriber of ESPN through Brighthouse, Time Warner, or Verizon FIOS TV.
This is an iPhone app but works good on the iPad you have to expand the app to fill the screen like all iPhone apps this makes the app look a little grainy.  But not to noticable when streaming the video.
The video quality is decent but I am looking forward to this being a full iPad application.
I have had no problems streaming any of the video.  I would suggest if you have one of these ESPN providers and you are a sports fan this is a for sure download.

Watch my hands on:

Jailbreak your original iPad on iOS 4.3.1 using Redsn0w.

Jailbreak your original iPad on iOS 4.3.1 using Redsn0w.

This guide is only for original iPad users. This won’t work for your iPad 2.

Here are the steps:

1) You need to first download the Redsnow 0.9.6rc9 file (based on whether you have a Windows or Mac) and then save this file on your desktop in a folder named Redsn0w.

2) You also need to download the iOS 4.3.1 firmware file (it should be titled iPad1, 1_4.3.1_8G4_Restore.ipsw).

3) Next, open up the Redsn0w zip file and then extract it into the folder.

4) Then connect your iPad to your computer. This should automatically open up iTunes.

5) In the Redsnow folder launch the Redsnow application. If you are using a Windows computer then you may want to right click on the Redsnow icon and then run as administrator.

6) You will then have to select the corresponding IPSW file. Browse for it and select the iOS 4.3.1 firmware file (the file mentioned in Step 2).

7) After Redsnow verifies and successfully identifies the firmware file, click next to proceed.

8) Now, Redsnow will start preparing jailbreak data.

9) You will then have to choose what jailbreak options you want. You need to make sure that Cydia is selected. Then click on Next.

10) You need to then switch off your iPad and plug it into your computer. Once you do this click on Next.

11) The next steps involve putting your iPad into the DFU mode.

12) The best thing about these steps is that the instructions are written directly on the Redsnow application.

13) You need to follow the instructions carefully and as soon you finish your iPad will reboot.

14) After this Redsnow starts uploading the kernel and new RAM disk into your iPad.

15) Once the process is complete you will be notified and you need to click on the finish button to exit the application.

16) Once you do this, your iPad reboots again. This time it may take upto 5 mins before it boots back on.

17) Once it does, your jailbreaking process is complete.

If you have followed the instructions properly then you will be greeted by the Cydia icon on your iPad’s home screen.

Source iPad.net - http://www.ipad.net/jailbreak-your-ipad-on-ios-4-3-1-using-redsn0w.html

AppShopper app for iPad Review

Targus VuScape iPad 2 Case Review

The Targus VuScape iPad 2 case is a full case that protects the back and the front.

The case is made of synthetic leather and soft microfiber reinforced by a hard cardboard structure. The case feels good in the hand with the soft leather like material with some extra padding. It does a good job protecting the front and the back but questionable about the sides and corners. The iPad clips in and feels secure in the case but can be a little hard to put in and take out. The case does not use the magnetic on and off switch that Apple's Smart case uses to turn on and off the iPad 2. The case can fold to form a nice viewing angle for video. Although there is no good angle for typing. The case also does not seem to add as much bulk as others do, but nothing as slim as the Apple Smart case. I would recommend this case for someone looking for a case that provides more protection and does not add that much bulk.

Bing App for iPad

The Bing app for iPad is surprisingly decent.  With weather, news, movie trailers, and full Bing search this is a full feature app.  Touch interface is nice and very fluid.  Bing search via voice categorize by web, photo, shop, and video. I say give this one a try.