[GAMES] Ninjump

Well, this is one of the games that I love to play because it's simple and easy to play while I'm waiting for bus or simply when I needed something to keep me awake. It is important especially since I have been staying up late for football matches lately.
Anyway back to this app...the interface is cute with a rather good background music...i love to play the game while wearing the headset...it gives the sort of Ninja feel.

Well, the game is pretty simple...when you press on the skin, the ninja will jump and you must avoid contact while on the move. When you jump, you will be able to kill the bird, fox and also other ninjas and rocket bombs as well.

If you manage to kill three of this in a row, then you will be able to jump higher and faster for a while. It is not a game that requires a lot of intelligence but definitely a good one when you just wanna chill and relax yourself. I got myself the highest score at 14000 plus though a friend of mine manage to make it 15k.

There are two versions, the free and the deluxe version with some additional challenge. I honestly feel that the free version is fun and good enough although I must admit the occassional lag due to the advertisement but nevertheless, it should not be a major issue.

So, if you are looking for a free game to occupy your time and help you waste your time while waiting, this is the one that I recommend you to. Simple, fun and challenging all at the same time!!

[REVIEW] HTC Aria

I guess it is cool to buy the iPhone 4, HTC Desire HD, HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S, the tablets or other high end smartphones but what if you are looking for a good smartphone that isn't that bulky. 
Well, you probably will be disappointed because all the smartphones with 1GHz processor have big screen...but in my opinion, if you are looking for a mini smartphone, the HTC Aria will be the one for you.

HTC Aria looks nice and elegant even in a smaller size

The look and design of the phone matters

Just when it seems that the next great smartphone will be humungous in size, it is great to grab a hold of the HTC Aria. The silver faux screws on the rear and the power strip on top with the volume rocker on the side are definitely a good choice for design. What sets HTC Aria apart from other great smartphones are probably the design. Cute is right word to describe the smartphone and yet it could still look sexy when you grab hold of it. A combination that definitely attract enough attention despite of so many other higher end smartphones that we are seeing in the market today.

The phone measured at only 4.1- x 2.3- x 0.46-inches and weights 3.8 ounces only with the 1,200mAh battery installed. The lightness of the phone made it comfortable to hold and play with the phone. The black rear of the phone also rejects fingerprints and could easily be taken in and out of your pocket. 

There is however a setbback on the design. I find it extremely difficult to open the phone and it is a neccessity for this phone as the storage card could only be inserted inside the phone, something that I find it to be quite annoying. Besides this, I felt that the design of the phone is pretty flawless.

DISPLAY 

When it comes to display, HTC Aria is definitely not as great as the iPhone or some of the higher end smartphones. Under the bright sunlight, the HTC Aria will require an adjustment to the brightness so that it could be seen clearly. Of course, it is not a big issue with the widget available for one to easily adjust the brightness to the maximum. 

No doubt about it, with smaller phones, it simply means that you will find it more difficult when it comes to texting. I definitely find it hard to get used to it after using the iPhone 4 for quite a while but then, I still manage to find some good keyboards from the Android market to help me on this.
The four main buttons on the screen remains the same, just as any other Android phones and I think it is smart as you could easily click on the Home, Menu, Back and Search button.

CAMERA

Well, the HTC Aria comes with a 5 Megapixel camera, pretty much competitive on paper but when it comes to performance, it really isn't as good as the iPhone 4. However, with some tweaks on the phone camera settings, you could still come out with photos with great satisfaction. Of course, on low light, it will be an issue for the camera since it does not come with flash for the camera. 

BATTERY

Now, when it comes to battery lifespan, the HTC Aria is top class and you will most likely be able to enjoy the usage of the phone for a whole day without worrying about charging your phone. I find that I don't have to worry about whether the phone has enough battery to last when I am using YenLeng's HTC Aria in comparison to when I use the iPhone 4. Anyway, it might due to the fact that I am playing more often with the Apple's toy but then, the HTC Aria definitely is strong on this area, most likely due to the much smaller screen.




THE SOFTWARE AND EVERYTHING ELSE
 
When I first play with the HTC Aria, I am totally in love with the HTC-built Sense overlay on top of the Android 2.1. Oops...before I forgot, the HTC Aria could be updated to Android 2.2 (Froyo) although it might not support 2.3 (Gingerbread). 
Anyway, when I play with the phone, I did not expect much on the speed front since the phone is only on 600MHz but I am quite impressed by the HTC Aria. With a few apps running in the background, I did not notice any particular lag or sluggishness. 
I also enjoyed switching the home screen as I downloaded some new homescreen such as the Launcher 7 (similar to Windows Phone 7). 

And honestly, I kinda like it since the home screen helps to simplify things...but then again, the Android multiple pages home screen has its' own advantages such as being able to look at news without entering any apps, update on the weather easily and also the ability to look at notes and to-do list in a glance, something that iPhone cannot do. 

Of course, like almost all other high end HTC smartphones these days, there is a polite ringer functionality. As soon as one lift up the phone to see who is calling, the ringer volume lowers down and if I flip the phone over, it stops ringer altogether and takes message quietly. Something useful especially when one is in a conversation and decided not to be rude by answering the phone. 

The email is push on the go (I find it as good as the iPhone), the FriendStream is good enough and there is the HTC Peep for twitters!!! Like all other HTC phones, there is the HTC Footprints to check on the places that you been before (particularly useful if you are a traveller...not me though).

WRAP UP

So, the question that remains after all this playing and blogging about the HTC Aria, is it good enough to be the smartphone for you? 
Honestly, if you are asking me to compare the iPhone and HTC Aria, I will definitely go for the Apple's Giant but then it is like comparing an Apple and a orange...one is sweet and the other is sweet-sour citric taste...both are different stuff!!

If you want the smartphone that is tiny, sexy, cute and yet able to perform marvellously, HTC Aria is the one for you but if you are a gamer or someone who would need to use your smartphone for a lot of emails, social networking, blogging and other business work, it might not be so suitable due to the smaller screen but overall, it is a classy smartphone, definitely one worth while for you to check on and given that it is also much cheaper than other high end smartphones...
 

HTC Incredible S for only RM599

Well, the Digi Smart Plan rebate promo on smartphones might have ended yesterday (31st of March) but if you are wondering if you could find any good bargain from Digi, there will be another promotion tomorrow and it is a one day promotion and only available for the first 300 customers who register the Dg Smart Plan and you could buy the HTC Incredible S for only RM599.

Well, this is definitely not a April fool's joke and so if you are really interested in buying a smartphone, here is the time. The HTC Incredible S has almost similar specification as the HTC Desire HD except for the smaller screen.

In fact, the smaller screen might even be more convenient and comfortable for users as 4.3 inch is probably just too big. So, we're talking about one of the high end smartphone at RM599...
So, be the first 300 customers to purchase the HTC Incredible S at an incredible discounted price at RM599 when you sign up for the Dg Smart Plan 24-month contract at Digi Retail Centres nationwide tomorrow (2nd April 2011)


Here are the list of Digi Retail Centres that have this offer:

Central Region

SoHoKL K-OG-03-04, Solaris Mont Kiara, No. 2, Jalan Solaris, 50480 KL. Times Square L01-36, Berjaya Times Square, No. 1, Jalan Imbi, 55100 KL. Klang Lot Unit B-G-8, BBT One, Lebuh Batu Nilam 2, Bandar Bukit Tinggi, 41200 Klang, Selangor. SS2 24, Jalan SS 2/66, 47300 PJ, Selangor. Sunway Pyramid Lot LG2.69, Lower Ground 2, No. 3, Jalan PJS11/15, Bandar Sunway Pyramid, 46150 PJ, Selangor. Bangsar Lot F140, First Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, KL.

Eastern Region

Kuantan Lot G22B & G23 (II), Ground Floor, Berjaya Megamall, Jalan Tun Ismail, 25000 Kuantan, Pahang.

Northern Region

Ipoh Lot C-01-04, No. 2, Ground Floor, Persiaran Greentown 3, Greentown Business Centre, 30450 Ipoh, Perak. Pulau Tikus 368-1-02, Jalan Burmah, 10350 Pulau Tikus, Penang.

Southern Region

Taman Molek 6 & 8, Jalan Molek 1/12, Taman Molek, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor. Seremban No. 15, Ground Floor, Jalan Kong Sang, 70000 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

Sarawak Region

Kuching Lot 506-507, Section 6 KTLD, Jalan Kulas Tengah, 93400 Kuching, Sarawak.

Sabah Region

Api-Api  Lot 5/G3, Ground&First Floor, Api-Api Centre, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

[APPS] Disney's Tron

Well, if you know me long enough, then you will know that I'm not a gamer but with the iPhone 4 around, there is a tendency to play some games especially when you have free time or while you are waiting for others. Anyway, I wanna write a short review on the game, Tron. It is a free app on Apple Store and it is really very good.

TRON

The developer for the game is Disney and there is another version, TRON: LEGACY which costs about $0.99 but I do not know how is it in comparison to the free version because honestly, I think the free version is good enough.
Anyway, when you enter TRON, you will have two options in the game menu, where you can choose to either play TANKS or LIGHT CYCLES.

For the TANKS, it is the modern adaption of Modern Tanks. The game has a top-down view, where you can see your tank as well as the enemies surrounding you.

 You will have two virtual joystick for usage. The one on your left is to control your tank's movement while the controller on your right is to control the turret and firing. Each tank will be given two available weapons, a turret and grenade-type weapon that helps you to shoot over the walls.

if you are not sure how to play, there is a menu in the setting that teach you HOW TO PLAY!! A good guide for beginner.

Strewn around each level are power-ups which can help out your tank. Weapon upgrades can increase the firing speed or range of each weapon. The weapon upgrades may also allow turret shots to bounce off of walls. Temporary power-ups can increase weapon range or the speed of your tank. There are other special use weapon as well such as the laser beams and mines. While playing with this game, the excitement is there and I like it that the sound and music is also very interesting, suitable for the game. It gives the feeling that you are at war or something like that. The movement and control using the two joysticks is awesome and very responsive. It is not a tough game but quite an interesting one that is suitable to play while you need something to do to occupy your time.

Then, we also have the LIGHT CYCLES...

ENTER THE GRID

This is probably the better game in comparison to TANKS if you are trying to entertain yourself while relaxing or waiting for time to pass. For beginners, I'll suggest you to look for the GAME CONTROLS option first to learn about the ways to play. You have two choice, one is by flick and the other by tap, just as shown below. I personally feel that flick is the better option. Tap is good in a way but I'm not so used to it so I prefer flick instead. The choice is yours and every individual have different preference.

 Basically, if you have watched Tron: Legacy movie, you will know how the game works.

 

 

 

The graphic is nice, the music and sound suits the game well, helps to create a very competitive environment. So, if you ask me, this is really probably one of the best free games available on Apple Store. There is however some issue with the game at the moment. It could not access to the multiplayer section, where you can play with your friends. I think the issue is with the server of the developer of the game but I couldn't be sure...hopefully after the issue has been resolved, I could review on the game about how it feels to play together with your friends.

iPad 2

There has been a lot of rumours about how the iPad 2 would look like but if you do not know, it has now been official. And to make it even more lively, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs had made a special appearance despite having taken a leave of absence due to ill health....

new design...thinner and lighter, yet faster...

It may seem that Apple has got it right again, with a thinner and lighter design of the second generation iPad. Apparently, it is even faster now...with the iPad using two powerful cores in one A5 chip. You will surely notice the difference when you are using it to browse web, watch movie, make FaceTime video call, gaming, and when you want to switch between apps. The smoothness and speed of the device will blow your mind away.

The camera is here...

Well, the front and rear camera is here. For those of you who like the idea of FaceTime, you have it here with you. Imagine using the the iPad for FaceTime...I'm sure it will be much cooler with the larger screen and faster processor. If you think that the camera is just for FaceTime, you are wrong...it actually enables HD Video Recording. The camera is also good for snapshots whether it be day or night. The advance backside illumination sensor allows you to capture great shot even in low light.

HD Video recording...this is definitely gonna be something that capture your attention!!

Even with the new design, the battery lifespan is still as impressive as the first one...an amazing 10-hour battery life. This is definitely good for mobility.

We also have the new accessory made especially for the iPad, known as the iPad Smart Cover...

Are you buying the idea as proclaimed by Apple?

Well, chances are most people will still buy into Apple's idea. But if you are still not convince that iPad is the tablet for you, you will need to check out the built in apps...apparently, according to Apple, the device that does it all does even more now. Here are some of the list:

• FaceTime
• PhotoBooth
• Mail
• Safari
• iBooks
• Videos, Photos
• Find my iPad
• iPod, iTunes, App Store
• Maps
• Youtube
• Game Center
• Notes, Calendar, Contacts
• Apps specially for iPad by Apple such as making music with GarageBand, edit HD movies using iMovie, write novels and many more...

With all these features, it seems that the iPad is a must buy new tablet. Has Apple finally got it right? Well, if you are an Apple fan, it will be obvious that this is the tablet for you but if you are open to other OS, it is hard to say that iPad is way ahead in comparison to Xoom and also the upcoming Blackberry Playbook as well as other tablets. But then again, Apple has managed to stir and grab the attention, just as the iPad has.

Whats app...

Well, this is probably one of the best apps that one should have after buying iPhone 4. If you are using Android phone like the one YenLeng is using in her HTC Aria, then you could actually download it for free. However, on iPhone, it will cost $0.99...not too expensive for an app that has 4.5 stars...that's how good people are rating it...and there are 89 ratings given the last time I check.

Anyway, I realized that it was really good for communication, especially if you have friends who are using smartphone and they are on data plan as well...I'm lucky to have quite a number of friends using Whats App Messenger. I could chat with people like my sister, Chiew Lian, Addie, Alicia Yap, Evon and many others....and to be honest, you wouldn't even notice it to be using your data plan...it seems like just another sms that you are receiving from your friend.


Here are some of the snapshots that I have taken:

This is the favourite menu, and from here, you could look at the people in your contacts who are using Whats App....no need to bother about adding them like how you do on MSN or other Messenger...Whats App Messenger will automatic detect the people on your contacts who are using this application, whether it is an Android phone or iPhone or even Blackberry.



It is simple to use and for those of you are using it for the first time, you might be required to fill in some details for registration but it won't really take too much of your time.

Now, just like any other Messenger, you could set a status so that others could see. If you are using it for the first time, your status will probably be like mine, informing others that you are using Whats App Messenger by saying "Hey there! I am using Whats App." Of course, you could easily change the status into some of the common ones as shown on the image above...you have an option to edit your own status, just like when you are using MSN Messenger.

The interface is easy for usage and you could easily read the messages on Whats App. When you receive any message, there will be a notification informing you of the message, just like when you use sms. The push notification is very good and it helps to connect with my friends easily.

Here is the setting for you. You could tell a friend about this application either by sms or email. In the chat settings, you could change the display name, the chat wallpaper as well as to determine if you want to allow preview to be available. You could also download the Emoji Free Emoticons...so that you could send cute emoticons to your friends. If you want to block your friends, it is also possible from the settings on the application.

Of course, I also love the application because it is so user friendly and it even allows you to choose to either broadcast the message or even have group chat. This is amazing especially for those of you who have a lot of common friends in different place. Addie is in Ipoh, Liang Hin is in Singapore, Alicia is in KL and I'm in between Ipoh and KL so it really does help by having group chat.

For those of you who are using iPod, I am sorry to say but you probably could not purchase the app from the Apple Store at this moment but if you are interested and keen on jailbreaking your iPod, it is possible for you to have the application as well although I strongly believe that jailbreaking is not as cool as purchasing the app.

Given that the social network has become so important in our community today, I believe Whats App Messenger is definitely one of the most relevant app in our community today. If you are interested in using other application to chat, you could also consider Nimbuzz, PingChat and many others. My brother has shared about Nimbuzz in his previous post so you probably can look at it again. Nevertheless, Whats App would be my number one app for now...something that I must have if I own the iPhone, which I do now...

Viber - Free Phone Calls for Iphone, Ipod Touch and Ipad

Viber is a free Iphone application that allows you to make free phone calls to another Iphone owner who has the application installed. This application is currently one of the most popular free VOIP applications that are available in the iTunes Store and Iphone users who have downloaded the application can call whenever there is Internet connection be it Wi-Fi or 3G.

Viber is not only works with Iphone but it is also compatible with other Apple products like Ipod Touch and Ipad which use iOS 4.0 or newer. For Ipod Touch 3rd generation and older, a headset with mic is required to make the phone call using Viber.


After downloading and installed Viber on the Apple device like Iphone or Ipod Touch, one will requires to setup the application by entering a mobile number so that Viber can send an activation code to the mobile number. For Iphone, the activation code will usually be send to the Iphone, while for those who are using Ipod Touch or Ipad, they will get the activation code on their mobile phone. After the activation, Viber is ready to go and one will be able to save a lot of phone call charges by calling family and friends using Viber. Extremely good when call oversea.


One of the thing that I like about Viber is I feel that the sound is better than regular phone call especially when I'm in a Wi-Fi zone where the Internet connection is fast - assuming the receiver's Internet connection is the same. In the latest version, Viber includes call quality indicator, which really do me a great deal of favour in finding the location with the strongest Wi-Fi signal.