OK guys, if you’re reading this post it means that you most probably own a sexy iPhone 4 or 4s. You’ve made love to it, cradled it in your pocket for days, and have sworn everything to it. You tell everyone how beautiful a phone you have and yes you can even take it underwater. But, deep down, there is this one dark secret that you feel embarrassed about and it becomes a frustration which you try to justify every day: that your iPhone 4s has really crappy battery life. Take it out at 9AM and you’re down to 50% battery after lunch. Sucks doesn’t it?
EDIT 2: Instead of hardware, iOS 5.1 users can download the i-Patima app that lets you use the camera underwater. DOWNLOAD IT HERE.
EDIT: Since the new iOS 5.1 update that changes the way users access the camera from the lock screen, Patima is releasing an adapter that will allow you to continue using the iPhone4s as intended underwater.
Some time ago I got word of a pretty little item that would amaze SCUBA divers and iPhone users. Made in Korea, the Patima underwater housing could withstand pressures up to 300 meters deep. That’s almost 1,000 feet and way way beyond recreational depths. Well I finally got the chance to try it out thanks to Jovic of Splash UW Imaging. Before I continue, note that I am not affiliated with Splash UW Imaging in any way nor do I get anything from the sales of this product.
My geeky brain is exploding (like right now) because I can’t contain the excitement! This isn’t the first time Star Trek had a crossover series. But Dr. Who.. well that’s something else!
Last week, I met up with my staple group of high school friends who play board games semi-regularly. And one of them was really surprised to see me with an iPhone 4s when I swore by my Android-powered Galaxy S II last year (LOL!).
Well I still have my S II and would never trade it off. I feel that for PIM and multitasking, it’s hands-down Android. They have better means to help you stay productive on the cloud. Despite Apple’s iCloud, I don’t feel it as much (unless if you probably own several iDevices). But because Android is powered by Google and Google has just become so ubiquitous, you can’t go wrong.
There is ONE thing that Android doesn’t have though. And it’s a huge collection of board game ports into iOS. I’m not referring to Monopoly or Scrabble. Or Words with Friends. I’m talking about the geekier ones you can find on Board Game Geek which are so hard to come by locally. On iOS, a huge chunk of these titles are readily available for a fraction of the price. With multiplayer online support via GameCenter.
Here’s a roster of some of my growing collection above:
Hive Online – A hex based strategy game where you need to surround your opponent’s Queen Bee.It’s kinda like Chess.
Carcassone – A classic tile-based kingdom builder that has become one of the pillars of Euro-themed board games.
Ticket to Ride – Another classic. It’s fairly simple to play: each team has to build the longest railway system. You get points for completing train routes. It was free for some time.
Bang! The Bullet HD – This is one of my all-time favorite card games (featured back in 2010). One sheriff, two deputies, one renegade, and three outlaws. The twist is that the roles are hidden from all players except the identity of the sheriff. Game ends when the sheriff and his deputies kill the outlaws or vice versa. The “renegade” wild card wins if he’s the last man standing.
Kard Kombat – From Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. It’s Mortal Kombat .. with cards. Sort of.
Caylus – A popular Kingdom builder Euro-themed game, Caylus is a race to build and expand King Philip the Fair’s castle and make France strong!
Puerto Rico HD – Puerto Rico is still newly discovered and it’s your job to dominate the island. This is a popular role-playing board game that’s also kingdom-builder themed.
7 Wonders Scorer – This is a scoring app for 7 Wonders, a board game that is coming soon to iOS!
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Are any of you guys fond of board games? The experience of playing with cardboard vs digital is very different, but one thing’s for sure — the digital version beats cleaning up afterwards!
