Google Play Reco's: CJ: Strike Back

I have been playing this addicting yet simple jump game calle CJ: Strike Back. CJ is short for City Jump which was the original gameplay made by the game makers DroidHen Casual. The past City Jump game was already addicting enough and yet they have managed to up the gameplay with this new release of CJ: Strike Back.

The Hero of CJ: Strike back runs up the building side dodging and striking back at the ice/fire bombs and robots along his path. Each time he is able to strike back at a type of machine or ice bomb three times consecutively, the Hero gets Super and runs, slides and flies through everything in his path.

The game provides objective/missions that gamers are to accomplish to enable more point multipliers as you stack up and show off globally in the daily and overall rankings. Missions come in pairs, and the more you accomplish the more point multipliers you get.

The boss, stages is what makes CJ: Strike Back Special. So far I have only gone past the body boss and am now upto the Head Boss stage. Trust me in saying that defeating the boss challenges can be quite a challenge. You'll encounter the arm bosses early on in the game but in my case i tend to think of them as mini bosses are they prove to be quite easy to defeat. I always aim for the flying bots and the fire bombs because it turns the hero into this flying iron man like hero which seems to deal the most damage amongst the three transformations I have seen so far. However, remember hit them at the right time of your hero's jump cause a mistake could cost you the game as there is only one life in the game and if lucky to get a shield you get one extra chance otherwise its game over.

Overall it is a pretty fun and extremely addicting game to play and is worth a try. The game is free to download in the google play store. Only 20 thousand people or so have downloaded the application thus far but irregardless the average user rating is at 4.4/5 which is pretty high.

Click this link To download on the google play store CJ: Strike Back
Unfortunately, this game is only available in the Android Platform and is not compatible with phones similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Y. I would presume your phone would have to at least have 1Ghz to run the game smoothly.

Till the Next Time

-Metz-

Samsung Galaxy Note: 2 Month's Usage Review

With the rumors of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 2 coming out this September to October, I wanted to take a moment to give a full review of how Samsung Galaxy Note has performed with the daily grime of everyday life.

To start things off, The Samsung Galaxy Note (currently at 25k to 31k Philippine Pesos) is a pretty big phone for most people, at least that is until they get to use it. Packed with a 5.3 inch amoled display, and backed with a dual core 1.4 Ghz Cpu Processor, Full touch Screen with a pull out S Pen (Advanced Smart Pen), 8 Megapixel AutoFocus Camera and a 2Megapixel secondary camera, 1080p Video Recording and Playback, Android 2.3 Gingerbread Platform, and 16GB Internal Memory with a microSD expansion slot of upto 32GB. With all that pointed out the Samsung Galaxy Note is a pretty tightly packed device.

First thing one would think is this still a phone or a mini tablet? To put it frankly, it is still generally a SmartPhone as it still somehow fits into any user's pocket(back pockets are counted), but due to its size Samsung has been coining the word Phablet, showing how this is a result of a marriage of a regular sized smartphone and a tablet pc. With that aside, the next question people would ask is who would buy such a massive device? Frankly speaking, millions of people already have and based on user feedback it is mostly bought by people that want a full blown tablet experience without the hassle of the size and yet still manage to pass as a phone. From my experience, mostly people in the business community have taken a liking to this phone as they are able to fully utilize it in their business meetings and presentations while incorporating it into their personal needs in life such as social networks and social media.

My experience with the Samsung Galaxy Note has been both positive and negative, but thankfully more on the positive side which I shall be enumerating a little bit further. Currently, the model that I have at hand and have been using is the White Version of the Samsung Galaxy Note that is still in it's Android Software Version. I am currently waiting for the ICS update that was promised for the note which hopefully will help iron out some the quirks that I have noticed along the way.

The Samsung Galaxy Note isn't a difficult phone to use if ever you have already gotten used to the other smartphones around. But if you are a beginner to smartphones, or if you are coming from the iPhone, I noticed that friends had a difficult time going around and getting accustomed to the User Interface. New Users will definitely have to spend a day to explore and play around with the Samsung Galaxy Note, especially with the functionalities that are included in the use of the S Pen. Once you get a hang of things, using the S Pen and going around the Samsung Galaxy Note becomes a breeze.

The first thing that I myself was impressed with and had been able to incorporate into my daily life is the usage of the S Pen. From, making quick notes for shopping, the grocery list, to jotting down meeting notes and reminders, the S Pen and Samsung's Patented S Memo have become a very important part of my daily routine. I can take a Photo, Use the S Pen to do a screen capture then crop to be included into the S Memo and take down notes then share them with friends right after. If you are an artist like one of my friends you can even create digital masterpieces to be shared just as easily to everyone. How one can use the S Pen and S Memo, S Planner, and more is left entirely to the users creative mind.

In terms of using the Samsung Galaxy Note as Phone, call quality is quite good, but noise cancellation still needs a bit of work but isn't so bad. Music playback is also just as good, though not something I have used a lot. Navigating around the different applications that have been installed is also a breeze cause of the dual core processor chip that the Samsung Galaxy Note is equipped with. The main User Interface where the widgets are also just as easy to go through and the selection of widgets that are available for the users can choose from are numerous and highly intuitive. With the coming Ice Cream Sandwhich update and the Jelly Bean which hopefully will come to the Samsung Galaxy Note the end user experience should be greatly improved.

Camera and Video quality is very good but is not the best in the market. Compared to the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S3, and HTC One X, the Samsung Galaxy Note still has a lot it can improve on. Thankfully there are camera applications in the Android Market that can compensate on those points such as Camera360 Ultimate. I am also expecting that once the software has been updated from Gingerbread to ICS and Jelly Bean there should be a marked improvement on the user interface and user experience with regards to taking Photos and Videos.

Everything that Samsung Galaxy Note has promised to deliver on has been accomplished with just minor quirks. These are things that hopefully will be improved if not with the software upgrade with the  new and Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 2 which is being rumored to be running a Quad Core Chipset.

There are really only a few things that bothered me about the Samsung Galaxy Note. The first thing was the lag I would experience as I scroll through the windows that contained widgets, but when i get into the applications view everything just runs so smoothly. I suspect it might have something to do with the task management and allotment of ram space for certain tasks. I also was puzzled with the lag with certain games that should be running smoothly like Temple Run, though it might be a coding issue  due to the screen size that the program has to compensate for but it might also be due to the Gingerbread software. So these things I am hoping to see a marked improvement once I get the ICS or Jelly Bean on the Samsung Galaxy Note.

In terms of aesthetics, the Samsung Galaxy Note does leave a subjective taste on a lot of people's palate. Irregardless of size the Samsung Galaxy Note feels a little plasticky on touch which I remedied by replacing the back case with a case I bought from the local phone shops here in MegaMall that doubles up as a cover for front panel like a folder giving it a more sophisticated look and feel.

Transferring data from the Samsung Galaxy Note to the Mac PCs we have weren't as straight forward as one would expect either. It isn't your straight plug and play as you have to go first to the wireless networks, select USB setting and select connect to pc before you can actually plug the phone's cable to the Mac. Once Connected you have to select Connect to PC again for the Mac to identify the SD cards to transfer data and photos. With the HTC One X its all just plug and play, Same with the iPhones. Hoping that the Upgrades can fix this process which is something I would doubt as even my Samsung Galaxy Y has to go through the same process.

Overall I would most likely recommend this phone to friends but only to those that would need something to carry that is lighter than a tablet and still be useful in presentations and/or Office work or for those that just wants something different and have a need to really stand out as placing this phone in your pocket is doable but uncomfortable especially in tight jeans. Battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Note is amazingly good and lasts pretty much throughout the day with out the need to recharge. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 just around the corner, is this still going to be a good buy? I would say pretty much yes as you should expect that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to be in the Upper $/Php Price range, and aside from the fact that its most probable only advantage to the current note would be a slightly bigger screen and a bigger cpu, the one's who already own a Samsung Galaxy Note would most likely not care much to purchase the Upcoming Samsung Note 2 just yet. But that is just a matter of opinion and who knows I just might purchase one myself once it comes out ;)

Till Next Time

-Metz-

Goole Play Reco's: Oregon Trail: Settler

I have been hooked on farming and building games for the past couple of weeks and one of my favorites thus far is the Oregan Trail: Settler by Gameloft. It basically is a game that brings you back to the gold rush era of the wild west. Initially you'll start out as a miner and his family hopeful of getting that big gold mining break. With missions to guide you through your search for gold, you start to grow from your nuclear family into a bustling western town full of people, industry, and heck even a bandit every now and then.

What I really love about the game is the ease of play, without the stress of having to grind too much to get to a certain task or level. Each challenge though isn't to be taken lightly and one has to manage resources well as not everything is unlimited, a good example of this would be the wood from trees and food. I have found myself building storehouses just to make sure that every tree chopped down doesn't go to waste for future building purposes otherwise I'd find myself purchasing saplings to help regrow the forrest. Food can also be easily depleted due to the number of industries you would be putting up so finding a balance between food production and industry requirement is a must. There are also occasional town tasks that require your judgement and the result could affect your town's overall morale. Then there are your occasional weather disturbances, from floods to typhoons, and tornadoes. You'd have to decide on whether to spend hard earned cash to prevent any damages or simply spend in game coins to minimize casualties in your town. All that has to be put into consideration of course along with management of your own energy to do the tasks required. It is because of how all of these were integrated in the game that makes it quite addicting and fun to play.

Aside from the in game challenges you can also call on your friends to help or if you prefer to be the helper and be linked together via social networks. If you feel proud enough with what you have achieved thus far you are even given the option to share everything that you have built to the world via share to facebook option.

As of to date, only 124 thousand people have downloaded the application and is continually being improved but, even with such a small number of people playing the user experience of all is rounded up to 4.6/5 which is pretty high for a new application.

So if you are the type who likes to build stuff from ground up, or simply wants to practice building his/her own mini empire in the wild west, or the type to likes to practice the balance of economics then this is definitely a game for you to try out.

Here is the link in Google's Play store for to download Oregon Trail: Settler. This android game application is free. it is also available for IOS units such as IPads and IPhones free of charge as well.

Have fun trying it out.

Till Next Time

-Metz-

Facebook Poll Survey: What People Mostly Use Their SmartPhones For

Just Recently Concluded a survey with friends on their SmartPhone Usage. Irregardless of platform or device type, everyone still uses their smartphones for practically the same things as specified below.

Based on their feedback, Keeping updated with friends and social media news is very important for  almost every SmartPhone user. They would even go as far as saying that they get updated with news both local and abroad through social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Being able to simply slide through each updates with ease is a very important consideration for most of the SmartPhone Users. Social Networking functionalities don't require much power but the better the software and more cpu and ram a phone has the better it is for the end user experience.

Taking pictures of what's happening to them at any given time, from fun to sharing immediate news and happenings is apparently very important to a majority of SmartPhone Users. They like to snapshots about themselves as it is easier to show people what is going on rather than writing about it. Not Many though take videos in comparison to still shots. Panoramic shots, night shots and other effects are also mentioned to be equally important to capturing that once in a lifetime experience. The better the Quality of the shots the more likely they'll be purchasing the phone.  A good megapixel camera is often what they would be looking for at first, then saturation and effects one can apply to that of pictures taken is next, which is secondary for most as they tend to use varying applications both free and paid to alter the pictures after. Photos and Social Networking for a lot if not all of the users go hand in hand as applications like instagram, streamzoo, and Camera360 allows users to take photos, enhance them, and then share it via twitter, facebook, foursquares, and more.

For Music, what they like are those that can convey deep, rich sounds just as much as delivering pitch without the annoying static and scratchy background noise. If the phone can enhance their favorite beats even better. Of course the ability to customize the base, pitch and volume along with the equalizers would be a huge plus for the audiophiles. Aside from music quality, and seemingly more important than quality of sound is memory capacity. The more flexible in terms of storage space for data such as MP3, photos, and other files the better it is for them. If a phone doesn't have a slot for a memory card expansion then it should have at least 32GB of memory, 16GB is barely enough for a lot of these respondents as many have mentioned that music files alone would consume roughly about 8 to 11GB of space, leaving very little for their applications, contacts, document files, etc. But, preferably an expansion slot that allows upto 64GB would be most appealing if not a deal breaker for most.

People are also now using their smartphones for emails and web searches more now versus using their pc and tablet, thus having a good email client and web browser on the smartphone is an advantage. The respondents have recommended the email client interface of the following Samsung Galaxy Note, HTC One X, and Samsung Galaxy S3. They liked them cause of the ease of use especially with the Samsung Galaxy Note being the more favored one due to similarities with an actual PC/Tablet Email Interface Feel.

Gaming and Navigation are both notable, and is quite important to a number of users, this is where the phone's GPS and/or Mapping tech and apps are quite important. Many of those that have a Smartphone are now relying on their phone's capability to guide them turn by turn to the places they go to rather than using a separate Navigator. The phones that have GPS are proving to be the most favored by users in this aspect as it allows them to navigate without the need for an internet connection, all that they would need is an application that allows navigation via downloaded maps. In the Google Play Store the most popular GPS Navigation application is MapFactor. iPhones unfortunately don't have this functionality, though are still able to navigate using online maps and 3G, but not as accurately and timely as those with the GPS installed.

For the Gaming part users are more particular with how capable their phone is with handling games from something as simple as angry birds to the more complex and cpu/ram eating operating games such as Riptide and more. But in general, most of the respondents don't really use their phones for gaming until they are ready to head home or simply passing the time waiting for someone. Battery life is the common fear of users, as they feel that if they play they could inadvertently drain precious battery that could be used for emergency situations. Most users, in the survey don't play graphic intensive games much either as some of them complained of their units heating up during gameplay. Common games that are favored on a day to day basis are those that are easy, addicting, and mentally challenging such as angry birds, amazing alex, zombirds, bubble shooter games, etc.

Only a small number of the respondents use their smartphones for watching videos(many of which are porn) and for shopping and office productivity i.e. Word Document Editing, Power Point Presentations, Excel Sheet, etc. However, irregardless of which if blown up to a multiple of worldwide users the number is still quite significant. For them, a phone that can not only support these but enhance their user experience for these tasks would be their ultimate phone dreams.

Pulling from this particular Survey, one can see how people have evolved in terms of how they use their Phones. We are rapidly moving into an era of full integrating technology with our daily lives and the more integrated a gadget can get with our lives the better. The more "fluid" the experience, irregardless of who or what made the phone the better. Brand is a name for most users that want quality, but if the brand starts to fail to deliver and another does, there shall be no hesitation for people to move. Once it becomes a standard expect that people will want more, much much more.

Till Next Time...

-Metz-

Google Play Reco's: Viki - Free TV and Movies

I have just recently come across a very fun and entertaining application in the google play store that is amazingly free. If you are the type who likes watching unconventional TV shows and movies and if you don't really mind subtitles than you should come and check out Viki - Free TV and Movies.

Viki - Free TV and Movies are a growing collection of TV series and movies from across the globe, though most of the ones that are available for viewing in the application are shows from UK, US, Japan, Korea and India. There are some from Venezuela and other countries too. The list of the episodes that they cater to are currently expanding and the genre is from comedy, anime, to even horror series and movies, which for a horror fan like me, is quite a treat.

Here is what Viki is from the makers:
Watch the best TV shows, movies, music videos and other premium content in high quality, translated into more than 150 languages by a community of avid fans. Top titles include the hottest Korean dramas, Japanese anime, NBC Universal, BBC, History Channel, A&E, Bravo and Bio TV shows, and movies from Bollywood to Latin America to Africa, from top studios and film festivals like Cannes and Sundance. Fun in any language!

- Discover great shows from around the world in "Featured" and "Coming Soon"
- Watch in your language, with more than 150 total languages to choose from
- Share your favorites with friends via Facebook, Twitter, SMS and email
- Stream videos anywhere and anytime with a WiFi or 3G connection

The current overall rating of the Application is at 4.5 as of this writing and most of those that have used it would be around the 4+ range in terms of that rating. With just about 5K users that have downloaded the application, one can say this is quite new. The quality of the video is just right for Smartphone and tablet users and can be adjusted in the settings menu. Default setting is at 240p which makes streaming a breeze. 

So if you are bored and want something to watch while waiting or just simply passing time before heading to bed, check out Viki and who knows you might end up getting hooked.

For the iOS peeps, not to worry, viki is also available in the apple store and is free for download as well.

Till then...

-Metz-

Amazing Bangkok: Day 3 - Floating Market Tour

This is going to be the third day feature of our Bangkok Trip. In this third article you'll get to see the sights of the Popular Floating Market. Surprisingly I found out that almost every hotel would be able to set you up for a day or overnight stay at the Floating Market. One had to give a day's notice to the receptionist to schedule the trip. The tour group that handles the tour can speak manageable english which is good enough and once you've reached the place its pretty much no guide and you can pretty much go around and check everything out yourselves as long as you get to follow the meet up time expectations.

This is the welcoming sign to the floating market. The sign is also a bridge that connects the two sides of the riverbank

Here's what we saw on the day of our Floating Market Tour

The usual mode of transportation from the hotel to the Floating Market were these vans which took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there. One thing to note - vehicles in Bangkok are right hand driving

Once there you'd be briefed of the meet up times and possible activities one can do there are the market. This is the boat's dock where you are to ride one of these boats taxi's that'll take you around the Floating Market. For the locals living here, traveling and marketing their produce by boat is a regular day by day thing for them.

Boat service at the time of this writing is at 150 Baht, once you board the boat there will be a camera man to take your photo which he will later on sell to you once you get back to the boat dock. The picture will be in a small plate which is quite a cool souvenir to take home with you.  

This is an example of what one is about to see as the boat service brings you around the market place.

The water is rather dark but thankfully not stinky. They have been able to keep it from smelling irregardless of how seemingly dark the water looks. 

Boat traffic is quite common at the Floating Market and it is advised by everyone including the one paddling the boat to please keep your hands inside the boat and not on the edge as your hands and arms may get injured if caught between two boats.

Not everything being sold in the market place are on the boats but is still quite accessible. Simply inform the boat service guide to bring you to a store you find interesting by the river bank.

A lot of the shops are quite unique and features a lot of souvenir items one can bring home to family and friends. Not all of them accept credit card transactions, but surprisingly there were some that do accept card transactions. But if I were you carry enough cash for trips rather than charging your cards and getting horribly surprised with the bill once you reach home.

The boat vendors are also known for selling rather sweet and scrumptious meals and fruits. Some of them are able to cook in their little boats. 

Boat Traffic as you can see here is both fun and stressful depending on how you take in the scene. Us we took it as a picture opportunity. As mentioned earlier do remember to keep your arms and hands within the boat or get the risk of being painfully squished in the boat traffic jam. 

There are so many things to buy here at the Floating Market and they seem to have something for everyone. 

I am always amused as to how resourceful people can be in their given environment. Who would've imagined cooking let alone barbecuing in a tiny space such as this. Mind you everything smelled so delish.

In case you were thirsty you can always buy from one of the boat vendors ice cold drinks both local and international brands, but if I were you I'd recommend trying the local branded drinks. The unique taste can be quite pleasing to the palate and besides you wont be able to get a taste of them when you are back home. 

Fresh Fruits from the local farm around the river is always so tasty. Lots of bananas and mangoes are being sold  here at this picture and I have to say they are very sweet. And what is so cool is that they all do it with a smile that is genuine and heartfelt.

Be prepared to be met with so much culture and history in the boat trip not to mention the different colors that represent Thailand as a Nation is present even here.

As you can see here, the boats are mostly paddle power. There are other boats that are motor powered but that is for the second part of the Floating Market tour that'll bring you to more of the wonderful sights along the river.

A lot of the items for sale are indicative of their religious beliefs, in this case Buddhism. Special thing to mention here is that you aren't allowed to check in a Buddha statue - you can only hand carry the statue.

Everything is so colorful in Bangkok, even here in the market one can see how much they love to incorporate colors into their products. 

All of those herbs and spices that one has a somewhat hard time looking for in supermarkets are easily found here and fresh. The price is most likely a whole lot cheaper than any other place.

The items sold here vary from religious items to fashionable outfits such as these bags and hats.

As one can see most of the shops are only accessible through the boat ride. Simply tell the boat lady(most of the one's paddling are women) to bring you to a shop that suits your fancy.

Here you can see a lot of the hand crafted novelty items one can bring home to family and friends.

This is one of my favorite shops along the river cause of the ingenious designs made from wire. They have crafted items to resemble that of motorbikes to even toys such as transformers for the kids and collectors alike.

This is just one of the few stores that accept credit card payments and even provides the money changer service for those that forgot to change their money to Baht.

Wood carving arts are also quite common along the river. All of them were quite exquisite and if we had more in terms of baggage limit would have loved to bring quite  number of them home.

Here you can see the motor boats and the bridge that serves as a walkway for the local residents from one side of the river to the other. Though I haven't seen anyone actually use the bridge. I would presume they are too used to simply using their boats as the main mode of transport here.

These are some of the homes along the river with their own mini boat ports.

The Floating Market is no small area as you can see here. There is an entire community that thrives very well here.

You'll also notice that they too have specialized shrines for their Gods along the river. Some big some small but all showing how much respect they have their beliefs.

The walkways from home to home as shown here are quite simple but more than enough for their needs.

There are parts of the river that actually get wider than what was shown earlier. The height of the bridge and homes also indicate that the water levels here tend to go up periodically.

There are even cute coffee shops and cafes that one can stop over and enjoy the scenery with. 

From here we dock and start talking the walking tour of the Floating Market:

Here they are making my favorite Thai dessert: Sticky Rice and Mango yum!!!

HEre are more desserts one can try, but was already too full to try it. But they smelled so delicious nonetheless.

I love how the place is setup. So much life and color around the Floating Market not to mention the food!! :D

I even got sight of these chinese medicinal herbs that are supposedly good for different ailments.  

Satay Anyone??? This is one of the local favorites and so is that Coconut in the background. 

I was really marveling at how much life and how thriving the commerce was here in the Floating Market. I have to warn you that you can't leave the place until you have tried and seen all that there is to see especially the food here.

Something that you shouldn't pass up. Spices and more than one could count all fresh and so cheap.

Dried Fish anyone?? :) tasty

Here people just cant get enough of the food here :)  

These are little toys that you can bring home to the kids :) both big and small

Even in a place like this there are advertisements. Notice that this ad has a QR code because most of the Thai's are completely wired digitally.

This was one of my favorite things to try there - reminds me of Takuyaki balls but instead of octopus or squid they use spring onions and other veggies as fillings.

For those that want a full meal there are tiny cafes and riverside restos that one can eat at such as the one above

The first impression of the river isn't exactly as welcoming but it isn't so bad. The color is mostly due to the increase of water plants due to the high amount of nutrients it gets from the farms and people around it. Though generally it kills the oxygen of the water I believe the locals are working on improving it's condition. There is no smell that comes out of the river either so that is something to be at ease with.

This is where we started touring the rest of the river side away from the floating market to see the different farm lands and residences that are around the place. The Thai's are very proud of how they have been able to preserve this part of their culture and dont be surprised to see satellite TV in every household here. Their farmers are very well compensated and taken care of.

One of the larger shrines that I have noticed in the river tour. I presume the more well off a family is the larger their shrine is, but irregardless I am impressed as to how they really honor their deities. 

The stretch of farm lands are really beautiful. 

This is one of the town halls that we spotted as we toured the river.

The place is really lush with plantation. I felt quite at ease here for some odd reason considering that I am a full fledged urbanite.

This is one of the Inn's along the river where guests can check in for the night. It also is the mark of the end of the tour for those that opted for the day tour of the Floating market like us.

These are the places where the guests will be staying if they decide to stay for the night. First impression was like a motel taxi room but with a nice rustic feel of the place.

Beside the River Side in is an antique shop which reminds me of the History Channel show The Pickers. If they had a chance to get there I am pretty sure they would go gaga over the stuff displayed here, most especially at the cost.

This is a quaint little coffe shop/bar for the guest of this inn. From here our van was waiting to take us home.

From the hotel to the Floating Market to back home, roughly took us the whole day. My advice is to schedule this early on your trip to Bangkok so that you can reserve the rest for fun shopping and site seeing in the city. Also make sure you have enough Baht for souvenir shopping at the river cause of the limited amount of place to have it exchanged in the Floating Market. Also don't spend your buck on everything here, in the next article I'll feature an awesome bargain shopping place that is sure going to get you shopping like a madman and work our those leg and arm muscles.

Till the Next Time....

-Metz-