Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Same sh*t different day

It feels kind of redundant to review a game like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 no matter how big this franchise has become. Except for maybe a couple of tweaks, this is essentially the same Call of Duty you played last year, the year before that and so on. The adrenaline pumping single player is polished, exciting and short but you already knew that. The multiplayer is fast paced, deep and addictive. Guess what, you knew that too. So should you buy this game? Yes, if you’re a fan who will never get tired of Activision’s successful formula. On the other hand, if you never liked this series to begin with, Modern Warfare 3 definitely won’t change your mind.
Who doesn't like set pieces?
Who doesn't like set pieces?


The single player kicks off right after the events of Modern Warfare 2. Players join Soap McTavish, Captain Price and a bunch of new recruits as they race around the clock to stop the evil Makarov who’s hell bent on starting World War III. Players who’ve stuck with this series since Modern Warfare will get some sort of closure as the story comes full circle with a satisfying ending. There are also quite a few nods to previous games that were appreciated.


 
On Video: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3


As far as gameplay goes, you know the drill all too well. In every level you’ll encounter waves of respawning enemies till you trigger an invisible event marker or complete your objective. You’ll constantly be assaulted by set-pieces some of which even after three games (three Modern Warfare games i.e.) are downright impressive. Modern Warfare 3 is a painfully short game but there’s rarely a dull moment. I’ll give them that. Sure you’ll have a few minutes of boring shoot outs where you simply duck in one place and shoot the brain dead enemies baying for your blood but for most of the time, the game moves at an enjoyable pace. You’ll experience a slight respite from all the relentless shooting with a few stealth segments but before you start feeling like Sam Fisher, the poop hits the fan and its guns blazing till the end of the level.
Through the fire and the flames
Through the fire and the flames


After the five hour single player campaign (you expected more?) you can head online for some co-op via the game’s Spec Ops mode introduced in Modern Warfare 2, tackle the all new Survival mode or get lost into the game’s biggest draw, its competitive side. Versus play works like older games where you level up, unlock cooler weapons, customize them, choose your perks, killstreaks and go to town on your enemies. Unfortunately most of the maps present in this game are really small making your lifespan very short. After coming out from a game like Battlefield 3 where team work is essential to success, Modern Warfare 3’s lone wolf attitude felt a bit off. Plus the game’s become too fast paced for its own good with encounters ending in the blink of an eye. And since maps are so small, spawn points are haywire and once enemies start stacking their killstreaks against your team, prepare to die a lot. Still if you’re a fan of the game’s uber fast paced combat, you’ll enjoy what MW3 throws at you.

source:     http://tech2.in.com/reviews/gaming/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-same-sht-different-day/257372


Any.do app Review

There are plenty of To-do list apps available for the iPhone and Android and there are a ton of sites giving advice to people how to use them. While To-do list apps help keep track of the things you need to, they’re all extensive and the task of adding things to do is often time-consuming. Any.do hopes to be an Android app with a difference.

User interface design
The user interface and the way the app functions is what makes it stand out in a crowd hundreds of other personal information manager and to-do list apps. Unlike most other Android apps, Any.do comes with a fresh new user interface. When you first run the app, there’s a walkthrough that explains some of the features of the app.
Very easy-to-understand tutorial
Very easy-to-understand tutorial


All of the screens slide from side to side, something that Windows Phone7 apps do.  There isn’t much you can customize with Any.do, except for the basic colour schemes. Any.do comes in a black and white colour scheme. The aim it appears, is to keep the app as simple as possible, while providing features without scattering them over the interface leaving the user confused. All the buttons and menus are tastefully designed, so they look fresh and different from the default Android elements that you’re used to seeing.

Features
While the interface is minimalistic, there are a bunch of features that Any.do has to offer. Voice input, for example is present in the task entry textbox, like with many other Android-based apps. It’s the way one adds tasks to their list that makes it unique. Instead of manually entering the task and setting the reminder time or deadline for it, you simply drag it into a section for 'task to be done today, tomorrow, this week or later'.
Sorting of tasks, and auto-backing up of the task list
Sorting of tasks, and auto-backing up of the task list


Even the entry that you make is auto-predicted. So, for example, if you need to call someone tomorrow, it picks up entries from your phonebook as you type. You can add tasks to folders and also notes as you would on any other To-do list app. The fact that it supports Google Tasks makes entry even simpler. Assuming that you’re using Gmail at work, you also have a Tasks widget, which you can use to make entries. Those entries automatically end up on Any.do. All you need to do is slide them into one of those deadline periods.

Marking tasks as completed is also as intuitive as the other tasks. You simply slide an item to the right to mark them as done. To re-add a task slide it to the left.  To clear all completed tasks, simply shake the phone. You have the option to disable the feature, if you don’t want to lose your completed tasks list.
The alternative white theme
The alternative white theme


Clicking on a task brings up a range of options. For example, a task can be marked as high priority by clicking on the priority button. There are no multiple degrees of priority, though. The reminder and deadline setting window also looks very neat with its bright colours. Entering dates and time is fun and quick.

The app sets back-ups automatically as you use it. There are no options to set the refresh rate for syncing with Google Tasks, so if you’re adding tasks all the time, you might find some delay between the item being added to your device. Accessibility of the app on the phone is improved by the widget. Unlike other to-do apps, this one has a larger widget that lets you mark tasks as completed. The smaller of the two available widgets doesn't.

Performance
At 3.4MB in size, the installer on the Android Market weighs quite a bit for a To-do app. You’d expect an app that has these many features and a interface that looks this pretty to overburden your phone. Surprisingly enough, it’s light and easy to run, even on an outdated Motorola Milestone. It does not affect the performance of the rest of your phone.


Verdict
Any.do is available for Android, as of now, but iOS and a web app version are going to be out soon as well. It’s free to use, makes adding tasks simpler than it is with the other To-do lists. It’s free, so it’s definitely worth a shot. If you’re someone who doesn’t micro-manage tasks to a minute level, you’ll find that you’ll be using this app for a long time.

source:     http://tech2.in.com/reviews/android/anydo-app-review/257612


Siri hacked to work on any device

Though Apple does not plan to bring iPhone 4S’ most celebrated Siri personal voice assistant feature to other iOS devices, Applidium has managed to get it to work on any device. Since the launch of the newest iPhone, Siri has become the most talked about attribute for reasons, both good and bad.
Siri may be coming to older iOS devices as well
Siri to work on any device


The app maker has now managed to crack open Siri and use its recognition engine on any device. So, now Siri won’t just work on iPads and iPhones, but also on Android devices and laptops. The guys at Applidium managed to talk to Siri without the 4S in picture. However, Siri’s backend requires a valid iPhone 4S unique identification string. Now, spoofing a string from the real 4S cannot be noticed by Apple, according to reports.

Applidium has described the process and also shared some tools to develop apps using this voice-enabled feature. These tools are in languages like Ruby, C and Objective-C. Though not completely perfect, they are beneficial enough to develop Siri-based apps. It even further encourages its tech readers to build an app using these tools.

source:     http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/siri-hacked-to-work-on-any-device/257542


Corsair announces world's first quad channel 32GB RAM kit

Corsair, better known for their high-performance components in the PC hardware market, announced the world's first high-performance quad channel Dominator 32GB DDR3 memory kit, today. The Dominator 32GB Quad Channel kit (CMT32GX3M4X1866C9) consists of four rigorously-screened 8GB DDR3 DRAM modules with Corsair's patented DHX+ heatsinks. It operates at 1.5V and is designed to run at 1866MHz, with 9-10-9-27 C9 timing. Corsair has compatibility tested the new 32GB Quad Channel kit with upcoming quad channel platforms, as well as current dual channel platforms.
For the enthusiast at heart
For the enthusiast at heart


The new memory kits have yet to go on sale so we don’t have any official pricing of it, yet. Here’s what Thi La, Vice President or Memory Products at Corsair had to say, "The new Dominator 32GB Quad Channel memory kit is designed for high-performance PC enthusiasts using the latest motherboards, whether they're overclockers, gamers, or simply want a large amount of state-of-the-art memory."  The new memory kit is designed to work with Intel’s upcoming Sandy Bridge-E CPUs, which will use the new LGA2011 socket.

source:    
http://tech2.in.com/news/pc-memory/corsair-announces-worlds-first-quad-channel-32gb-ram-kit/257532


Google+ a highlight in YouTube's redesigned interface

Google's at it, yet again! This time the search giant is reportedly mixing and matching looks to give the users of its popular online video viewing destination, YouTube, a makeover! And, if a report in the tech blog, The Next Web is to be believed then on its list of 'must-haves', Google has put Google+ integration right at the top. While still insignificant in numbers, the new look has managed to go public for some, and Google plans to make a uniform roll-out, soon. With Google+ being deeply integrated with YouTube, users will be able to view the content from YouTube, which their contacts have shared on Circles in Google+. Also, users will be able to browse through videos that have been recommended to them by their contacts. YouTube's colour scheme too will get some minor touch-ups. Reportedly, the new YouTube will have a gray background, instead of the existing white.
The new look of YouTube
The new look of YouTube


Also coming in is a video dashboard on the left, which contains Featured Videos, a category for recommended videos. This section will also contain sorted video subscriptions. Additionally, all homepage content will be moved to a single column to add more focus and visibility to the videos preview section. The 'full screen' option during videos, too, seems to have gotten an update. Users will now also have an option to shrink and expand the video, according to their preferences. Clicking on the YouTube logo in the redesigned site will take the users to http://www.youtube.com/guide. 

A click on the YouTube logo will take you here..
A click on the YouTube logo will take you here..


While this seems to be the list so far, we're sure to have more updates as we get closer to the uniform roll-out, which hopefully should happen soon, too. What is your take on this?

source:     http://tech2.in.com/news/web-services/google-a-highlight-in-youtubes-redesigned-interface/257582


3G roaming services to halt soon?

Telecom ministry had put forth a note criticizing the illegal 3G sharing that could lead to security threats. With support from TRAI on the same, the note was further sent to the Union Law secretary for further advice. The news has it that the DoT will ask phone companies to abolish 3G roaming agreements, reports Times of India. So, a customer cannot use 3G services in a state, wherein its operator does not have permits.
Illegal 3G sharing
3G roaming to stop soon?


3G customers of Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Aircel are permitted to use one another’s airwaves. So, a Bharti Airtel user can access 3G services even in Kolkata, irrespective of Airtel not having any license for its 3G service in West Bengal. Reportedly, this is different with 2G roaming, but violates 3G roaming license rules. These agreements will be terminated as soon as the Law ministry gives its clearance. Network providers like Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications will not be affected by the decision as they haven’t signed such agreements.

The chief executives of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Tata Teleservices and Idea Cellular sent a joint letter to the Communications Minister, Kapil Sibal stating that 3G roaming isn’t illegal and prior to the 3G auctions, there was a clear understanding on such deals. "Any determination now that this might not be the case would fundamentally alter the legal and economic basis on which the business case of 3G bids was evaluated, inevitably leading to a requirement to either refund the bidders or rerun the auction," the heads of the four mobile companies collectively stated.

source:     http://tech2.in.com/news/mobile-services/3g-roaming-services-to-halt-soon/257622


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