Sometimes you win

One of my favorite iOS games is "Infinity Blade".

The same game is playable on both the iPhone and the iPad, so you don't have to buy it twice. In the screen shot above, taken prior to the latest update, the "god-king" gets his...

(Infinity Blade and the characters depicted in the screen shot above are copyright Chair Entertainment and Epic Games, Inc.)

Trading up...

So I sold my Dell Streak. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, in fact it was one of my favorite toys. I'd upgraded the Android OS firmware to the official 2.2 (Froyo), and rooted it. I had even bought "Need for Speed: Shift" when it was on special and really was into playing it on the 5 inch screen.

The problem was I really didn't want to re-purchase the huge collection of games and Apps I had bought (mainly on sales) for the iPhone. I was also eyeing the iPad, not the iPad 2, but the entry level Apple refurbished iPad with a new battery and outer shell and same guarantee as a new one.

Anyway, I cut a deal with my spouse - sell the Dell Streak so that it cost less to buy the iPad. So now I have an iPad. It is pretty amazing.

Rooted

Last night I finally managed to "root" my Dell Streak. I was debating whether or not I should, but to do something as simple as a screenshot an Android device needs to be rooted. Apparently I could connect it to a PC and take a screenshot using the Android SDK, but that seems an awful lot of hassle for something that is so simple on the iPhone. Yes I know that iOS and Android are two totally different animals, but I've got quite used to easily taking screenshots. Anyway, it was relatively easy once I'd found out that I needed to use version 1.55 of "SuperOneClick", and not the latest version. It was definitely a quicker process than upgrading the Dell Streak's firmware from 1.6 to 2.2 (the latest firmware available for the Streak at the end if last year). That was quite a process, but I learned a lot about ADB Drivers and factory restores while doing it - I had a few glitches along the way, and the mini tablet was unusable for a day or so, but it was worth it. The 2.2 firmware has some nice features although the new Dell Stage launcher really didn't impress me, but the great thing about Android is that I was able to download and install an alternative launcher which suited me better.

Take a small Tablet

My Christmas present last year was a Dell Streak. Originally called the "Dell Mini 5", it is almost too small to be called an Android tablet. With its 5 inch screen, it is a large Android phone, the screen around half an inch larger than the Droid X. It is a cell phone because of Android licensing requirements, but I'm using it as a mini tablet.

iPhone no longer cool?

Well it's no surprise when you have one of the most popular smartphones, that some people regard it as not "cool". This very sentiment was expressed on the Buzz Out Loud podcast last week (Buzz Out Loud 1333: Introducing the Ginsu Air). Is BOL still "Cool" - I don't care, I listen occasionally anyway.
As for the iPhone, when I decided to get an iPhone, just after the iPhone 3G was released, I didn't do it because I was "cool", I thought it would be a nice gadget. Now I still like the iPhone, despite its flaws, and use it more as a information portal and secondary gaming device than anything else.

Hey gogga!

Just a shout out to GOG.com, who sell DRM-free "Good Old Games" at good prices.

I've been happy with the games I've bought from them. They sell DOS games (Like Duke Nukem 3D, Redneck Rampage), and Windows games, but I haven't really looked into other platforms. Whats really nice is that the DOS games are wrapped in DOSBox so they run under Windows. Yeah, I know you can do it yourself, but then you have to get the DOS game and the latest official patches and tweak DOSBox.

They also have Myst, Riven, Serious Sam, the earlier Fallout and Unreal games, along with a bunch of others, ready for download.

Countdown to Monday

It is not often that I look forward to a Monday. Like most people I look forward to the weekend.

However, this coming Monday, June 8, is when Steve Jobs is expected to announce the next generation iPhone during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

It will be interesting to see what changes have been made since the pictures of the "Lost iPhone prototype" were published.

On a personal note, I'm hoping to finally upgrade my iPhone 3G. The date on which the next generation iPhone is to go on sale is also expected to be announced. Then it will be a waiting period until the crowds of eager buyers thin enough for me to get one without having to stand in line.