MarcForrest.com

Month: November 2010

  • Nokia N8 Review

    As I mentioned a while back, the guys from Nokia kindly sent me a Nokia N8 to review for 2 weeks through the #N8ReviewZA competition.

    From the minute I opened the box, I have to admit that I was really impressed with the phone. It’s actually a bit of an understatement to say it is JUST a phone, because the N8 packs a whole lot more into the device. There are a couple of things that impressed me with the phone, which I will list a bit further down the page, but there is still that room for improvement.

    As you know, I am an iPhone fan through & through, but to be honest ol Nokia & I go way back. Right back to that 3310. Ahh, those were the days hey. You could play snake all day, as well as this cool thing called SMS. The fact that you could change the face and colour of the phone made it so much cooler as well. I don’t think I will ever forget the Nokia 6210. Now that was a phone (in it’s time). To be honest, still one of my best phones ever. Had exactly what you needed. Still today, I have a Nokia E52 for work, which is a brilliant device. Does exactly what is needed and a little more.

    The fact is, Nokia have, and to a degree make some of the best mobile devices around. It shows. They are THE biggest mobile handset provider in the world. But, I think I lost my “lust” with the Nokia when they started deriving away from simplicity. When they moved to N-Gage and the likes, I think they closed a gap.

    But that said, the Nokia N8 is definitely one the newer Nokia devices to really impress me. The device is built with multimedia in mind. If you think about it, we are consuming media more and more. Be it taking photos, or listening to music, or even watching videos, the N8 is a solid & complete device in the multimedia sphere. If I have to compare it to the iPhone in this regard, the N8 wins. The fact that you have a built-in HDMI port to display HD content on your TV or monitor is a big plus. With the iPhone, you need to buy a separate cable, which only works with some apps.

    But when it comes to overall user experience, I have to say, iPhone takes the cake. The usability of an iPhone, for me, is by far one of the best user experiences I have ever encountered. Everything just works. A couple of times I had the N8 crash on me.

    I thought I would put down a list of Pro’s & Con’s about the N8, and compare it to the iPhone where I can:

    Pros

    • The HDMI port. This is a biggie. You can watch movies, view photos, and even display the device interface on a HDMI capable device. The HDMI converter cable is included in the box, so no need to buy any accessories.
    • USB ON THE GO. Also included in the box is a mini USB to USB converter, which allows you to plug-in a flash drive with media on and view it. This means if you have an AVI video or picture on the device, you simply plug the flash drive in and it allows you to play the content. This means you don’t have to fill up your phone with unnecessary rubbish.
    • Dual charging. This is also a nice one to have. You can charge the phone via the mini USB port, or via the supplied standard Nokia charger.
    • Built in FM transmitter. This means if you have music on the phone, you can play it on your car radio, by setting a frequency on the device, which it transmit to the car radio. Very very cool. For the iPhone, you need to buy a separate transmitter to get this to work
    • Ovi Music & Maps. Included in the N8 box is a 6 month subscription to the Ovi music store for UNLIMITED music downloads. This means you can download full albums and play them on the device, or through the FM transmitter or HDMI port. The drawback of this though is that the unlimited downloads are DRM’d which means you only play them on the device or a selected windows PC. Also included is Ovi maps which offers free navigation software with turn by turn instructions. On the iPhone or most other devices you need to buy a separate app to allow you to use this functionality.
    • Lastly. The camera. A full 12MP built-in camera with Carl Zeiss lens. The clarity on the photos is amazing. You can also record HD video at 720p. A small niggle here is that the Ovi store doesn’t have any really cool photo editing apps that the iTunes store offers. Check out this fantastic blog post about the Nokia N8 Camera

    Cons

    • The Ovi store. I don’t suppose I can really call this a con, because it does have some cool features like paying with your cell bill, so no credit card required. But for me, it’s the lack of apps. Maybe I’m just spoilt with the choice that the Apple app store offers, but I really couldn’t find any “exciting” apps on the Ovi store. I did find Angry Birds & Gravity (The best Nokia twitter client), but other than that, nothing really that grabbed my fancy. As I said above it would be nice to see some cool photography apps to compensate for the cool 12MP camera.
    • The interface. This is probably one of the biggest bugbear for me with the N8. To get anywhere you need to “tap” in and out of menus. It just doesn’t feel right, after using the iPhone for so long. But…that can all be changed with 1 software update from Nokia ;) I don’t think Symbian is built for a touch screen device. It just doesn’t seem to work.
    • Battery life. Ok, ok. There isn’t much to write home about, about the iPhone battery, but I was pretty dismayed by the N8’s battery. The fact that it has 2 charging points does make up for a bit though.

    Overall, I have to admit I was pretty convinced by the Nokia N8. I think, if the iPhone was out of my reach (for whatever reason), I would put this on my list of phones to get. I would actually go as far to say, that because everyone in my family now has an iPhone, I could easily opt for the N8 on my next upgrade and I would keep it as a spare phone, and use it as a primary Multimedia device in both my car and home.

    A big big thanks go to the guys & girls at Nokia for giving me the opportunity to review the N8. It’s really awesome to see companies like this interacting with the bloggers & tweeters of South Africa, and giving them these cool opportunities.

  • Bloodrunner review

    The first post & review from local Phone fan Simon Boulle takes a look at the awesome locally developed iPhone game by the guys from Funonyourcell down in Cape Town

    Of all the iPhone games I have ever played, I have played very few sidescrolling games, the genre of game that Bloodrunner belongs to, and found it to be quite fun.

    Bloodrunner gives you the control of a little vampire, a funny looking character who looks like a bat crossed with a shark, who needs to drink blood to stay alive. By tilting your iPhone (or iPod touch) left or right, tapping to jump and tapping again to double jump you move the Bloodrunner around various levels made up of castles and dungeons (there are 50 in the game) to collect drops of blood and make your way to his coffin to survive another day. The catch is that the blood slowly drains away, so you need to make it to the coffin before running out of blood.

    If this sounds quite gruesome, and not at all child-friendly, fear not. The graphics (with support for the iPhone 4’s retina display) are very charming (as seen below) and have a very cartoonish style.

    The Bloodrunner

    The in-game music is incredible, and almost worth the price of the game alone. If you prefer, you can listen to your own music while playing the game.

    There are 50 levels in the game, and they can be played separately. For example, I got stuck on level 5 and was able to move onto level 6 and if I wanted to, even level 10. The difficulty increases nicely over the first 20 or so levels. The first few levels introduce you to the basic concepts and the various obstacles that the game puts in your way (holy water, wooden stakes etc.).

    The controls are easy to use, though it did take me a few goes until I became comfortable with them. Although the “guide” says the Bloodrunner is a human and not a bat, I did find the jumping to be more like flying, as it is possible to jump numerous times in the air, and reach higher platforms in a level. Each level is quite straightforward, however some obstacles can be a little tricky and cause you to die a couple of times before you pass the level. I would have preferred a three life concept, where after dying once you come back to the place you died, instead of starting the level. After you have died three times, then you would be sent back to the beginning of the level. It is a minor preference of mine though, and doesn’t detract from the game that much.

    Game over

    There is a high score for each level, and you can replay each level to try and improve that score. OpenFeint integration is included for social connectivity and seeing how your high scores rank amongst all the other players of Bloodrunner. As usual, it is purely optional.

    Overall, I really enjoyed Bloodrunner. The graphics and music are great, and at a price of $0.99, it’s a no-brainer purchase. Bloodrunner is available on the US iTunes Store.

    My thanks to FunOnYourCell for providing me with the opportunity to play the game, and to Marc for giving me the opportunity to review it.

  • Majek’s Goldilocks – Mobi series shot on iPhone4

    One of the best kept secrets of the iPhone4, is the fact that it has a FULL HD video camera build into the camera app. I have used it a couple of times, and even did a post about some of the cool video editing apps for the iPhone recently.

    You may have seen the video called Apple of my Eye, which was one of the first ever short movies to shot & edited on the iPhone4. The movie shows off some of the great features of the iPhone 4, as well as the ability to place the phone in some obsure and previously hidden places, like on a model railway train.

    The guys that produced this awesome short file are a production house called Majek pictures. They have also recently released a new Mobi series, called Goldilocks. The whole series has been shot on an iPhone4 as well, as well as edited mostly on the iPhone4. Only the heavy post-processing has been done on a mac. Here is the first episode of the series.

    The guys from Majek also recently released a free iPhone app (iTunes Link), which allows you to view the Goldilocks series, as it is released in FULL HD, as well as behind the scenes videos & pictures. So far the series is on episode 3, and I have to admit, I am really enjoying it. If you don’t have an iPhone, fear not, you can still watch the series on the Goldilocks Vimeo channel.

  • Garmap iPhone App

    The guys from Garmin got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago, to let me know about the Garmap iPhone app. I been trying out for the last few weeks, and I am really impressed. I have covered a couple of the South African GPS apps, including NDrive, CoPilot & Navigon previously.

    The Garmap iPhone app (iTunes Link), which goes for $59.99 on the app store, is co-developed with the local guys from Garmap South Africa, and includes the latest mapping software & technology, as well as Turn-By-Turn voice guidance to get you to your destination. The mapset in the app is the South African are the latest 2010 mobile maps as well.The maps are pre-loaded, which means you don’t have to use your internet connection to see the maps, they are all built into the app.

    During my testing, I found the app to be one of the fastest to lock onto GPS signal on the iPhone4, meaning that as soon as you open the app, you can almost instantly see where you are.The points of interest in the app, are also very up to date, and includes all sorts of POI’s like banks, entertainment & even vehicle service centres.The app also allows you to route to a specific GPS co-ordinate, which is handy for the like of geocaching etc. Another must have in any GPS app/device is the traffic camera alerts, which the Garmap app has as well.

    There are one or two things that I didn’t like about the app though. Firstly the app does not run in background mode on iOS4 software. This means, if you exit the app, it doesn’t continue running in the background, but exits the app and then restarts it when you open it again. It would be great if the app supported background, and let it run while you on a call etc. The other thing that I found a bit hard to use in the app, is that it uses scroll up & down buttons to navigate through the menus, these should be “finger scrolling” rather, as it makes it easier to use, while on the move. This could be a personal preference thing for me though ;)

    Overall, I was pretty impressed with the app, and will definitely be keeping it in my GPS folder. For me the thing that stands out the most, is that it is from a South African company, which means the maps & poi’s are always going to the most accurate. If you looking for a GPS app for the iPhone I highly suggest this one :)

  • Logitech Harmony 600 Remote Review

    Logitech Harmony 600 Remote Review

    Ever had one of those days, when you can’t find the remote. The days that end up with you turning over every single piece of furniture in the house, only to find it stashed away in the drawer where you left it the night before? Or when your PVR remote decided to suddenly stop working because the batteries have run flat ? I know I have. Often.

    Enter the Logitech Harmony 600 universal remote. Simple to set up, and even simpler to use. The universal remote, allows you to pre-program all your electronic devices in your home. This means your PVR, DVD, TV & Surround sound system; can be controlled from 1 single remote.

    The setup of the remote is as simple as connecting to the Internet, selecting your equipment from a menu, and uploading it to the remote. You are also able to set specific programs up, which allow you to for example, “Watch a DVD”, and all the right buttons will be pressed. I been using one for the last week, and I am in awe. This is the ideal device for anyone who has more than 1 remote lying around.

    The Logitech Harmony 600 remote retails for around R650, and is the ideal gift for the man who has (almost) everything.

    The guys from Logitech also dropped off a new Logitech Colour Mouse to try out for a while. The wireless mouse is available in a number of different colour schemes from Blue right through to Pink.

    The new Logitech Colour Collection mouse is lightweight & simple to use. Given my rather large hands, I adjusted to the mouse in no time at all, and have grown quite fond of it. They are priced at around R349 and can be purchased at most electronic retailers. Nice little stocking filler (hint hint wifee :))