1st Impressions

1 Paper War is a tower defense game. If you are expecting the graphics of Filed Runners, this isn’t it. But in a way, the simplified hand-drawn graphics allows you to concentrate on game play and not get distracted.

Game play is what you would expect from a TD title. You have towers, turrents, missle launchers, and radars to use against the tanks and planes trying to get through. Placement of these items is a bit off-set from where you touch. Thus gives you a clear view of the exact placement on the grid.

My one big suggestion would be in game escalation of difficulty. Even on easy mode, it seems to start out with heave tanks and not enough money to progress very far. My son got quite far in it, and it seemed to get very easy at the point that you had a couple of radars and large guns. I would love to see this a bit more balanced. My only other suggestion would be descriptions on the selected towers. There are air defenses and ground defenses and part of my problem is that I could not keep them straight.

While I had no problems, my son had severel crashes. For that reason, I would suggest a restart after the install.

This $0.99 game (originally $2.99) should be checked out by fans of the TD genre. There are better ones out, but there a lot worse as well. A lite version is available as well.

I have to admit that I didn’t know quite what to expect when I loaded Vanquish: The Oath of Brothers on my iPhone and opened it up for the first time.  For some odd reason I was expecting it to be a classic RPG but soon discovered that I couldn’t be further from the truth.

Instead it reminded me of an arcade game that more closely falls into the action-adventure category.  Set in China during the era of the Tree Kingdoms, Vanquish is a side-scrolling hack & slash game where not only the plot but more importantly the graphics of the game are reminiscent of the artwork of that period. The game is almost totally done with black and white artwork that reminds me of hand painted art from that era. The exception to the B&W environment is the special effects that are shown in color. While the color is used sparingly the effect is to make it more visible and the result is surprisingly beautiful.

The character you control, one of the three brothers, is on horseback and as you scroll from left to right you control the height of the character on the screen (moving left and right from his perspective) as well as limited forward and backward movement using a virtual joystick on the left of the screen.  You also can chose one of two different types of attack. As you defend a coach from hoards of enemies and accumulate kills you receive gems that can then be used to trade for other items or redeem for a new life if you are killed.

While I haven’t spent a great deal of time with the game (being in a hurry to share it with the rest of you), I have to admit that, while I don’t typically play games of this genre, I am sufficiently drawn to the graphics of this game that I want to spend more time just so that I can experience more of it.  Vanquish is due to be released later this month. While I typically don’t play and therefore would be hesitant in recommending 2D side scrolling action adventure / arcade games such as this, the artists at Gamevil did such an excellent job on the artwork that this game definitely deserves a second look.  If I were asked to rate the game I would give it 3 stars out of 5 – but the artwork alone generated one of those stars all my itself.

CPP is an absolutely amazing camera app. It has replaced seven different camera/photo apps on my iPhone. It even replaced my built-in Photos app because I can not only email from CPP, but the sharing features also allow you to share photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Flikr. But that sharing functionality just scratches the surface.

One thing that really sets CPP apart is that it has a sandbox-like feature. Photos you take land there, and you can also copy in photos from your regular library in order to edit them. Once you are done with them, the can be synced back to the camera roll.

The photo taking aspects are what you would expect from a quality app. It contains a timer, multi-burst mode, anti-shake, a digital zoom, and a touch-to-focus capability. You can also turn on an option to take a photo by touching anywhere on the screen.

The editing features are what impressed me the most and replaced the most apps. Besides being able to adjust the regular hue, contrast, sharpness, saturation, tint, temperature, and brightness, you can crop (in rectangles or circles), rotate, flip vertically and horizontally, add a “flash” after the fact, add geolocation, tags, copyright, and even password protect them.

While all these photography and editing options seem daunting, the built-in help tells you what all the icons mean and is broken down by category to make it easy to look up.

I do have some suggestions. I would love to have Picasa added to the list of places to upload/share photos with. I’d love to see the ability, if Apple allows, to set a photo as a background. I would also like the ability to add text other than just copyright, and the ability to change the font, size, color, and location of the text.

Don’t let these minor suggestions keep you away from thus amazing app though. Anything that can replace Apple’s two built-in apps pluss several others that combined still lacked some of these features us a steal at $1.99. This one definately makes my Must-Have list.

UPDATE: Heard back from the developer after he read my review.  The app already has Picasa upload ability.  I’m not sure if he’s talking about email-upload or not, but a Picasa album sync of the Quick-Roll is more on the lines of what I was thinking.  He also pointed out that the settings will allow you to replace the copyright text and/or date with custom text and allow you to change it to one of  a select number of colors.  I’d still like to have that a bit more rebust though.  For example, I’d love to be able to add a copyright or just the date in small text in a bottom corner, while also being able to add a large event title in different color/font centered on the top of the photo.  Also, while I used the app to upload a photo to Facebook, it would be nice to have the ability to add comments to them as you post them.

IHomeScreen is a little $0.99 utility that let’s you put your contact info on your lick screen. Several wallpapers are provided, or you can use your own. The app simple overlays your selection with the information that you select for the “card” as well as the banner message across the bottom.

I think the app could be improved in a couple of ways. First, I would like the little banner message to be optional and have the option to include it on the top if the screen, the bottom where it is now, both, or neither. Secondly, I would love for there to be options for font color and opacity of both the gray banner background and white card background.

Sure, you could do something similar to this on your desktop, but until Apple let’s us have a truly functional lick screen, this app provides an easy way to get some useful info there in case your iPhone gets lost. If that ever happens, you will consider this a buck well spent.

QuickDial Pro is a $1.99 app that creates icons on your home screen for quick access to contacts. It allows for a single-rap action to either call, text, or email the contact at the number or email address selected for the contact when you create it. The contact’s photo shows up as the icon with a little indicator in the bottom corner to indicate the method of communication.

The way it does this is kind of unusual. The information actually appears to be using Safari to generate a web page that you then save to your desktop like you would a bookmark of any other kind. I am not sure if it us this method of creation or not that causes this, but when you launch one of these icons there is a bit of delay in actually dialing them or pulling up the SMS app. With texting someone, it actually flashed a splash screen during this delay. When dialing someone, the screen flashes, but no splash screen was displayed.

Besides this delay that I would love to see addressed. My only other suggestion would be some way to Det up a contact with no selected communication means and have it prompt you. Short of that, it would be nice if the app title for the icon indicated communication method so that multiple “apps” for the same person didn’t look identical in the iPhone search screen.

While the app gets poor reviews in the app store, I disagree with them. The app worked fine for me and can come in real handy. I’d probably give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

I’m hoping some of the bugs in the iPad are due to the fact that it was running OS 3.2 and that some of this stuff will be addressed in 4.0 (hopefully in March). Here are some things I’d really love to see:

• Multi-tasking




• Background wallpaper




• A very informative and customizable lock screen




• Better push notifications




• Additional and custom sound options for alerts and notifications




• Wifi syncing




• Flash




• Improved browser that will allow for things like posting to forums




• Tags and/or keywords for bookmarks




• Ability to create and edit playlists




• Ability to create photo albums and move pictures from one to the other as well as organize them within an album




• Photo album sync with Picasa




• Bluetooth keyboard support




• Bluetooth speaker support




• Bluetooth and wifi file transfer of free apps, contacts, events, photos, and DRM-free music




• Compatibility with the iPad’s keyboard dock and camera accessory pack




• Ability to reply to SMS alert without leaving current app




• Battery life that comes somewhere close to advertised levels




• Profiles to set sounds and alerts based on location and/or time of day and overrides to that based on caller or alert type




• Saved profiles of different setting configurations




• Icon sorting by category and other options




• Folders of icons on desktop




• Better Audible.com support (accurate chapter settings for example) and direct access to Audible downloads via Wifi or 3G




• Ability to delete native apps and re-download them from the store at a future date if needed




• Ability to save app data and settings in case you reinstall it later

A couple of nights ago I laid awake during the night and my thoughts turned to a game that I once played on my Windows Mobile smart phone a few years back.  While I could picture the game in my mind, I couldn’t for the life of me remember the name.  As it turned out, the game was named Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. What I regretted the most was that my phone died before I got very far into the game and I was unable to complete what was turning out to be a game that was as humorous as it was challenging.

Imagine my surprise when, just the following day, I was to told about a Director’s Cut version of the same game that had now been ported over to the iPhone.  Despite the fact that the game was priced at $6.99, I didn’t hesitate logging into the iTunes store and purchasing a copy.

The difference between the version of the game that I played on my old phone and the Director’s cut is easy to see from the very beginning.  While the earlier game followed the progress of George Stobbart, and American tourist in France, as he attempted to solve the bombing of a café in Paris, the Director’s cut not only contains that complete story line but also follows the efforts of Nico Collard, a character that was only seen briefly in The Shadow of the Templars, as she attempts to solve the murder of a Parisian luminary. I can only assume, since I have not had time to progress too far into the game thus far, that the two story lines will overlap more as the game progresses.  This additional story line adds a considerable amount of new content, so even those that have already played the original can find something new here.

As far as game play in concerned, the game used a simple “point and click” (or “point and tap” on the iPhone) interface in which you interact with various items located in absolutely beautiful hand painted backgrounds, often with conjunction with items that you have added to your inventory.  During the course of following the story line you are not only challenged by various puzzles but are also entertained by some of the best wry humor that I have experienced in any of the dozons of iPhone games that I have purchased to date.

If I had any complaints at all about the game it would be the price.  While the introductory price was $6.99 when it was released in the iTunes store earlier this week, I would think that far more copies will be sold once the price drops some.  As much as I like the game I think a price of $4.00 would be far more reasonable.  That is particularly the case for those that purchased the original.  It would be nice if the “director’s cut” additional content could be added as an in-app purchase  for an “upgrade” price.

Apple’s much anticipated tablet is now out.  I followed the GizModo live-blogging as well as the trending  Twitter comments (think it was hilarious that the iTampon topic is still trending there!).  Instead of lengthy Facebook comments on it, I thought I’d put all my thoughts (1st Impressions as it were) in one place.

The iPod replaced my CD player.  The iPhone replaced my cell and PDA.  The iPad will likely replace the Kindle.  But since I don’t read, and don’t see it replacing a real laptop or TV, count me among the list of those that are NOT going to be sleeping on the sidewalk in sub-freezing weather in order to get my hands on one of these.  As one tweet put it, the most amazing thing about the iPad was the anticipation.  But you can bet that the hype will still continue around the release date of the WiFi version in a month, and then again in 90-days when the 3G version comes out.  If there is anything that Apple is good at, it’s marketing.

The  iPad is basically a cross between a Kindle and an over-grown iPod Touch.  It may replace the Kindle and perhaps a small netbook PC, but Apple purposefully designed this thing so as to not cannibalize their iPhone and laptop product lines.  Not measuring up to those items is going to make it somewhat “less than” what it could have been.  But then again, I don’t even want to think of the cost had they taken it any further.

So, why am I not going to get a iPad.  Here is a list…

• Price.  The entry-level price without 3G is $500 and it goes up to $630 with 3G capability.  The ultimate price of a 3G 64GB model is a whopping $830.  At that same $500 entry-level price point, I can get a 2.1ghz, 64-bit, dual-core laptop with 4GB of ram, 250GB hard drive, camera, USB ports, keyboard, SD slot, DVD burner, HDMI output, replaceable battery and all the functionality of a real PC.  It would not have a touch screen, but that doesn’t always make the best interface anyway.
• Users are still locked into only the apps that the App Store approves of.  It’s like buying a TV with LG or Panasonic telling me what channels and shows I can watch.
• Even the Nano can fit in a camera.  If this thing is going to compete with netbooks for internet access, it should have come with a camera.
• While it does come with WiFi, there is not wireless syncing.  You are still married to that proprietary 30-pin iPhone cable.  Apple missed a perfect opportunity to go with a standard mini-USB connection.
• The unit comes with Bluetooth, but my suspicions are that it it may be limited to things like keyboards.  If it allows for wireless headsets and Skype over 3G, I’d be very surprised.
• No background processes…even with a 1ghz processor.  Shame.
• No removable battery.  That could be an issue for those that think of this as a notebook replacement.
• No CDMA.  Even though it will be unlocked, it looks like Verizon is still out of the picture.

All is not bad news, however.  The battery life on this thing is estimated at “up to 10 hours”.  That is impressive.  Of course the battery life on my iPhone is up to 12-hours of 2G talk time and 10-hours of video playback, so we will see how it works out in real life.  Since it advertises “Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music”, something tells me that it may not have any/much more battery life than an iPhone.  If that is the case, the battery belongs in the list above and not as a selling factor.

App compatibility is a good thing though.  From what I’ve read, you don’t even need to re-purchase your iPhone or Touch apps.  They will sync right to your iPad and work right out of the box (but in low screen resolution).  Having the entire library of available fart apps and asian beauty apps already in the app store is a good thing.  Not having to repurchase them is a good thing.  Being limited to that selection though is the other side of that two-edged sword.  When the jailbreakers get done with this thing, I can see it really becoming useful.

The new iBook functionality is said, by some, to be a Kindle killer.  While it makes a very sexy ebook reader (in the full technology sense of that adjective), I don’t see it as a replacement.  The Kindle costs half as much.  Part of the shtick of the cult of Apple is pricing that makes it an exclusivist status symbol.  It’s like that expensive hood ornament and “gold package” that you can get on a car.  Not everyone has the money for that though, and I believe there will always be a market for a well-built and cheaper alternative.  Generics sell for a reason.  The iBook functionality will definitely compete with the Kindle, but I don’t see it killing it.  In another couple of generations when the price comes down, and if they can replace some of the Kindle’s subscription content, it may be an entirely different story entirely.  That will especially be the case if  iBook becomes part of an iPhone 4.0 OS.  As one commenter stated, the iPad may change the future of publishing, but it won’t change the future of computing.

Finally, there is a small selling point that I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere.  Contrary to the plain black background on the iPhone desktop, the screen shots of the iPad had actual photo wallpaper.  This bodes well for iPhone 4.0 OS predictions.  But I think it goes to the core of why some people buy the technology that they do.  There is a certain clientele with the “Oooo….a pretty blue one!” mentality out there.  The iPad is pretty.  Aesthetics is a big part of it.  What you can do on it will look great while doing it.  But in a way, it reminds me of that very beautiful Miss Teen USA contestant from South Carolina that was asked about geography and stammered around about “such as” and “so forth” and ultimately become a dumb blonde joke.  If folks want sexy, like a trophy wife with a famous last name used as a status symbol, they need look no further than the iPad.  If they want functionality at the same price point though, I think they are going to look elsewhere.