Browsing articles from "February, 2012"

Feb 26, 2012

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Sony PlayStation Vita Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Weird

If you follow me on twitter you will have noticed that I am currently enjoying a much needed vacation in Thailand. Taking a break in Thailand is always relaxing except for one thing… The flight. It took me nearly 30 hours of traveling just to get to Bangkok and another half day to make it to my current island. However, knowing this would be a long day(s) of travel I picked up a brand new Sony Playstation Vita to play while in transit. After a few days of intense game play I decided to write a an independent review of the Sony PlayStation Vita and share it with anyone who is interested.

Sony PlayStation Vita Review

The Basics:

Sony’s PlayStation Vita, codenamed “Next Generation Portable”, is Sony’s successor to the PSP (playstation portable). With the Vita you get the familiar hardware form of the PSP but dramatic improvements on virtually all other aspects. Unlike the PSP the PlayStation Vita has dual touchpads on the front and rear (weird… See below), two cameras, 5 inch screen, & WiFi just to name a few. Combine these all together and the Vita truly leads the way for future handheld gaming devices. Simply, The PlayStation Vita is simply the closest console experience you are going to get in a hand held device.

What I like about the Vita: The Good

It fits in your pocket even though it’s bigger than iPhone and even bigger than the old TMobile Sidekick (which is my second all time favorite phone :/ ). With that being said, having a device bigger than the iPhone means your getting a bigger screen and the PlayStation Vita does not disappoint with its 960 x 554 display. Even though its not Retina quality it’s barely noticeable.

I also like its durability. I dropped it once while on the plane and once while walking through the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge in Hong Kong. Both times it didn’t break including the 2nd drop which was on a hard floor.

Super quick switching between the apps. The well built OS makes it effortless to switch between all the different functions of the PlayStation Vita.

Most importantly- the gaming experience you get on the PlayStation Vita is unlike anything every seen in a handheld. It’s leaps and bounds ahead of anything out there. There is NO competition.

What I don’t Like: The Bad

The front an back cameras are both pretty weak. After 10 pictures and a video or so using both sides, I abandoned the camera function all together. Definitely it’s weakest feature.

The Battery – on a full charge I get about 3 solid hours of game play before I get a low battery warning. A full charge takes about 2 hours which isn’t terrible but I expected more game play time. The battery life is by far it’s biggest drawback but I imagine Sony will release a secondary battery back soon.

Storage – no built in storage. All of the Vitas storage is held on removable drives that can get costly. The bundle I bought came with a extra 8GB card which was nice. Additional cards should run you about $100 for a 32GB, $50 for a 16GB and $20 for a 4GB

As of now there are only around two dozen games (some of which are absolutely outstanding). I know that’s going to change but it would have nice to see Sony launch the Vita with more game options.

What’s unique about the PlayStation Vita: The Weird

The most unique and definitely most innovative aspect of the PlayStation Vita is that it has touch capabilities on both the front AND back of the device. It was slightly awkward and cumbersome at first but after some active gameplay I found it to be the next step in gaming technology.

The Near Application- The Vita comes with a location based application that let’s you see other Vita users in your vicinity as well as the gaming trophies they have won. As I’m both an early adopter and on a remote island, this function has been worthless but I can see how this might be a neat function down the line.

The cover slot where the games go is kind of hard to open. Long nails or a small tool is almost required to pry that sucker open. Seems like a design flaw that should have been picked up early in the development stages.

PlayStation Vita: Non-gaming functions

- Web Browser: worse than your smartphone

- Google Maps: same as your phone or tablet

- Camera: Worse than your phone

- Music: Standard quality – nothing special

- Videos: see music.

- Complete integration with the PS3 and PlayStation Network

These features are nice to have but rather unnecessary. Most likely if you need to look something up, take a picture, or get directions your smart phone is going to be a better option. However, in the event you don’t have a smart phone or it’s not reachable the PlayStation Vita makes a tolerable substitute.

Honestly though nobody is going to buy the PlayStation Vita for those features alone and Sony knows this. The power is in the games and that’s where the Vita excels.

The Games:

Uncharted: Golden Abyss – playing this game will make you a believe in the PlayStation Vita. It’s the game that I’ve been hooked on and the one that has made the Vita a worthwhile purchase for me

Welcome Park – Comes preloaded on the Vita
LittleBigPlanet
Hot Shots Golf
ModNation Racers
Wipeout
…and many more

There is also a built in store where you can buy games directly from the Vita. Just make sure you have enough storage!

PlayStation Vita Tech Specs:

Weight: 1.4 pounds
Dimensions: 3.3″ x 7.2″ x .7″
Sensors – Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), three-axis electronic compass
ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor
Quad-core graphics processor
512 megabytes of RAM

For the non gadget heads, that’s twice as much memory as the PS3 and more power than the iPad 2. Not bad for something that fits in your pocket.

Final Verdict:

Absolutely incredible as a stand alone gaming device. I don’t recommend buying it however if you are looking for a smart phone or tablet experience. The PlayStation Vita shines best when it’s gaming but makes way for far superior products in its other functions.

As mentioned before the PlayStation Vita finally brought console level gaming to the hand held market. Bigger than an iPhone, not as cumbersome as an iPad, and definitely an upgrade from the PSP, it’s the ultimate solution to those looking to take their hand held gaming to the next level.

Also, save ourself a get the wifi only version for $50 less (plus the cost of a plan). You don’t really need 3G capabilities.

Where to buy the PlayStation Vita:

Amazon.com – $250 to $300 depending on wifi/3G and game bundle.

**Special offer through March 31st**: Use this link and order with a Discover Card on Amazon and enjoy free one day shipping using the code DSCVRSHP.

Fitness, Gadgets & Gear

Feb 24, 2012

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Nike Fuel Band Tech Specs & Nike Fuel Band Videos

Here’s a cool video about the Nike Fuel Band and how it can be used by different people doing extremely different activities. Check it out:

Another:

Now that the Nike FuelBand is officially out, here is a more detailed list of the tech specs. If you havent already, take a moment to read my Review of the Nike Fuel Band

Sizes

Small 5.79 in (147 mm) circumference
Medium 6.77 in (172 mm) circumference
Large 7.76 in (197 mm) circumference
Depth 0.6 in (16 mm) at LEDs,

0.75 in (19 mm) at latch
Thickness: 0.27 in (6.90 mm) at LEDs
0.32 in (8.00 mm) at latch

Nike+ FuelBand comes with two easy to insert links so you can fine tune your fit:
0.32 in (8 mm) and 0.63 in (16 mm)

Weight

Small 0.95 oz (27 g)
Medium 1.06 oz (30 g)
Large 1.13 oz (32 g)
8 mm link 0.07 oz (2 g)
16 mm link 0.11 oz (3 g)

Sensors

A built-in 3 axis accelerometer measures your motion while in use

An ambient light sensor detects environmental light levels. The brighter your environment, the brighter your display.

Display

20 Color LED lights to show your progress

Array of 100 white LED lights:
Shows time, NikeFuel earned, calories burned, and steps taken. You can cycle through all this with the push of a button.

The brightness level automatically adjusts according to your environment.

100 white LEDs
20 Color LEDs
Button
Water Resistance

The Nike+ FuelBand is water resistant. It is safe to wear in the shower or when dancing in the rain. Since it’s not waterproof, it’s not recommended for use while swimming.

Connect and Sync

Connect to your computer with the built-in USB 2.0 or use the included USB cable and stand.

Bluetooth pairing to mobile phones for use with the Nike+ FuelBand app for iOS 4.3 & 5. Check back soon for compatibility with other handsets.

Airplane Mode for disabling radio connections.

Battery

Two Lithium Polymer Batteries
Your Nike+ FuelBand should stay charged for up to four days.

In the Box

Nike+ FuelBand
8mm and 16mm links (8mm link is already inserted into your Nike+ FuelBand)
Sizing tool
USB charging cable
USB stand

Materials

TPE 43%, Polypropelene 34%, Magnesium 14%, Stainless Steel 9%
PVC free
Package is 100% recyclable paper.

This should clear up a lot of the tech related questions to the Nike Fuel Band. As always though, feel free to leave your questions in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them.

Gadgets & Gear