Having Way Too Much Fun with the Blog

I know this is probably lame, but check out what I did for the page not found function of the blog! Lol! Boy am I a nerd, but that is what this blog is about isn't it.

Click this Link... IF YOU DARE!

Mighty Text: Text from Your PC

There are times when I'm in situations where I can't pick up my phone to look at an incoming text. Circumstances such as these are common for most people. Text messaging is a great means of communication, but they are limited because you would have to pull your phone from you pocket and look at the screen. Now that texting is less of a new fangled thing and more of a means of communication people know what randomly grabbing your phone and looking at it means. It can be considered rude.But when you're in class or a business meeting, often you have a laptop for notes.

I blacked out personal information to protect friend's privacy. The program shows contact names & pictures when synched
with your Google Contacts account.

Mighty Text:

With Mighty Text the problem being rude by reaching for your phone. Put simply, the application syncs your conversations with MightyText.net and communicates between your phone and the website almost seamlessly. The application is designed to work with Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Now, this program is old news, but the recent updates have drastically improved the application and  related browser software. The update put out June 19th made some amazing improvements. You do need to be running Android 2.2 and up in order to enjoy the fun and games. 

Future Updates I'd Like to See:

The one thing I would love to see on the next update is a means of communication between tablets and phones. Since my primary mobile computing device is the Transformer Prime, I would love to see this application play nice with fellow Android devices. Heck, why be so limited, I would love to see this application play nice with iPads too. It already plays nice with Macs since all three browsers are used on them. I may love Android, but I have no problem letting the Apple crowd enjoy the benefits of this service too. 

Additional Uses:

Let's say you leave your phone at home or some other location and you need to communicate with someone. Access to a computer, any computer, with a web browser will solve the problem. So long as the phone is on and send & receiving signal you can communicate with anyone and use your own phone number while doing it.

The program also tells you who is calling you, so if you want to determine who is calling you and if it is worth it for you to excuse yourself to take the call. 

How to Get It:

Just jump on over to the Google Play store on your phone or head to it with your web browser by clicking this link. So long as you are logged into your Google account getting the app will be automatic. The app is the low, low price of free!

On App Development & Stupid Reviewers: A Rant

The Back Story:

I recently reviewed an app called To-Fu: The Trial of Chi over at TriForce Radio. As games go, this one was really fun, cute and enjoyable to play. I will likely play it again as well as have my nieces play it next time I see them. It was the free app of the day for 5/18/12 on Amazon's Appstore so I got a paid app for free. That was nice. When I enjoy a good game I like to post a review to help the developers in selling the app. Since I couldn't sleep I jump on the Appstore to post a review to do the developers proud. I think the game is on par with Where's My Water, Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. Well, when I got there I read some of the other reviews. There was a very large number of low ratings including a massive amount of 1 star ratings. It turns out the reason for these poor ratings for the most part where due to two different reason. The first is simple enough. The game did not work on certain phones. I can sympathizes with those people, but poor ratings usually does nothing for correcting that problem. Emailing the developer does more. But despite that stupidity there was a greater level of stupidity shining forth in words that shall be forever immortally live on thanks to my screen shots (for some of them at least).

An Explanation:

You see, in the To-Fu game there are two OPTIONAL in app purchases. Both are $0.99. One unlocks all levels at once so you don't have to play through them to get to the next level. The other is called Golden To-Fu. It is much like the Mighty Eagle in Angry Birds. If the play gets stuck on a level and wants some help, by invoking the Golden To-Fu the level is completed perfectly. Again, to be perfectly clear, BOTH ARE OPTIONAL. The game itself is normally $0.99. So if you where to buy all in app purchase in addition to the game your total cost would be $2.97. I've spent more for a burger and gained less satisfaction from that then I did from this game.

The Stupidity: 

So the primary complaint about the app can basically be summed up like this. HOW DARE THE GREEDY DEVELOPERS CHARGE ME FOR SOMETHING I DON'T REALLY NEED TO PLAY THE GAME ESPECIALLY SINCE THE GAME WAS FREE TO BEGIN WITH!!! As you can see form the screen shots, that was a summary, but a somewhat fair one.

The Problem:

The problem is that these idiots have no clue. They think all developers are greedy so and so's who are out to rob them blind. Ranting about dishonest business models and how awful these people are. The fact of the matter is those people are worse then the supposed demonic developers they are cursing. I have seen people waste money on things of less value then this game and do it happily. The majority of these bad reviews are from people who got the damn app for free anyways. These people are so greedy, self centered and ignorant that they whine that the developer is offering an OPTIONAL in app purchase if someone just so happens to be lazy or just wants to play more casually. While they are doing this they think nothing of the TIME and the MONEY the developers themselves have sacrificed to make this game. The best part is that the developers didn't make these sacrifices for these whiners. They made them because they were investing. They were taking skills they had learned and translating them into a good that others would pay MONEY for. This is called economy. By working they hope to make money. Much like I write because I hope to gain money from my efforts. So to me, the problem is not the developers. They simply are trying to achieve the dream of financial independence. It is fun to note that the makers of this particular game are a small company, not the huge corporation that some would have you believe. 

Your Thoughts:

Now you have heard my opinion and rant. What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you agree with me? Disagree? Think I'm nuts? Do you think there is a solution to this problem? Is there a problem at all? 

I'll be honest, all comments are welcome so long as they are not abusive or foul. I will not delete an comments because you disagree with me so long as you follow the above guide lines. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Other Screen Shots:

Please note, all of these comments were posted on a public forum. I have not edited these comments in any way. 

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Chameleon for Android Tablets

A couple years back the best option for an Android tablet was some crappy thing thrown together in China that was basically a large poorly designed phone. A year ago the Android tablet started to take form. The evolution was much like that of the initial Android phones. It was a rough start, but now the tablets offered are amazing. Android 3.0 to 4.0 are all well designed tablets. But here's the thing, Android is all about customization! My phone is customized to fit me personally and it is amazing! The same goes Android tablets, but because they are a bit newer the possibilities are still developing. Here is where Chameleon comes in. This project is a custom launcher (or skin) for Android tablets running 3.2 and up and is based off of your preferences.

The pitch is really simple. You use different apps at different times of the day and/or depending on where you are at. Why should you have to swipe between home screens to get where you want to be? Well, Chameleon answer that. The launcher uses GPS for geofencing and/or by wifi networks to determine with home screen is front and center when you turn on your tablet. Examples. You wake up in the morning to a screen with email, news and traffic front and center. You arrive at work with a email, calender and office software. You go to lunch at your favorite cafe and your social network & personal stuff screen pops up when because it recognizes the wifi network. Just before quitting time the home screen with traffic and new pops back up. When you arrive home your entertainment home screen is front and center. The best part is that every home screen is customizable. Also you can switch between the different screens with a swipe of a finger just like normal Android. Also, it is much prettier than the basic Android home screen options. Don't get me wrong, the default options for Android are awesome, but Chameleon takes it to the next level. It doesn't hurt that Chameleon adds eye candy to the mix. 

So for the next 15 days Kickstarter will be hosting the fund raising that gets this software off the ground. Expect release of the product is September 2012 in the Google Play store (and hopefully others). But if you want to jump into customized home screens before everyone else AND without having to pay extra. A $5 donation gets you into the game early.

Here is the Kickstarter project. If you missed the donation window, here is the website.

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OfficeSuite Pro 6 for Android on sale in Amazon Appstore

Update: This Sale is over, but the app is good quality in any case.

The Amazon Appstore has place Office Suite Pro 6 on sale for just $0.99! I thought I got a deal when I bought it for $5. Normal price is $14.99. It is a great productivity app and it works well on tablets and phones alike. The best part, if you buy it within the next couple days you also get $1.00 toward any mp3 purchase through Amazon. You can buy a single song for $0.99 or it can be applied towards a album purchase. Either way, the cost of the app by itself is worth it. After all, that double cheese burger from McSquikers isn't going to be all that useful to you later. This app will keep on working for you.

Click the link to jump in on the goodness.