Buzz, Buzz: Google’s New Social Tool – Google Buzz

What is Google up to now?

Google Buzz is the latest creation from Google. Basically Google Buzz is a social networking network in Gmail. In a way, Google Buzz is the new (and better) Google Wave.

The question is this: Will this be as relevant as Google wants it to be?

Google Buzz Intro:

Google Buzz for Mobile:

[Google Buzz Blog]

SuperBowl XLIV Review: Lackluster Ads And Unexciting Football

Now that we have all calm down from what is called the Superbowl, I think it’s best if we put things in perspective: The entire event was not as good as we all hoped it would be.

Hear me out for a second. It was a feel good story in the end when the saints finally won their first superbowl. But to be honest, the entire game was somewhat flat when you compare it to last year (Steelers-Cardinals) and even the last one before that (Patriots-Giants). There weren’t lots of exciting plays. There weren’t great catches and there weren’t any super plays I can remember from that game. It was boring. I was actually hoping for a more exciting game but I was let down.

In the end, congrats to the new Superbowl champs, New Orleans Saints.

Now onto the ads that most people talk about during the superbowl. What a stinker! Worst ads to be put on television. Has it got to the point where marketers think the American audience are just a bunch of idiots on a couch and therefore show a bunch of moronic commercials??? Don’t get me wrong, there a couple of commercials which made me laugh but the overall look was very bad.

Bad commercial after another were just popping up everywhere. Beer commercials showed the usual and others think that all men like to walk around in their underpants.

That Tebow ad which had people all up in arms was a totally flop because truthfully, it was boring! It didn’t catch my attention one bit. What a waste of money.

The winners of the best ads had to be the Google ad, Volkswagon and a few others but overall, it was a horrible day for advertisers.

The half-time show???? More like half time pee break. The Who? Are they still relevant?? I know CBS wants to keep things clean but that was the worst Superbowl half-time show I’ve seen. Hey CBS, how about a little more excitement next time. How about Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Prince (wht not!) and heck, you could have got Taylor Swift since she likes popping that weird face on our television screens.

People may find things different than I do but I really think that the entire event was lackluster. Bad half-time show, bad ads and uninspiring football. The only exciting moment was when Peyton Manning got picked off for a touchdown. That was the ultimate highlight of the game.

Maybe next year it will be better.

Till next time. Who Dat say they gonna beat them saints? Not the Colts. Saints – Superbowl champs

Click the Continue Reading link for my best picks for Superbowl ads:

The Google Superbowl Ad: This Is How You Make An Ad

Supposedly, this is the ad that Google is going to show during the Superbowl in the 3rd quarter. If It isn’t, I don’t care because this is one of the best ads I’ve ever seen. Simple yet sweet. Kudos to Google for another great ad!

Rumors Ablaze: Windows Mobile 7 Edition

Here come the rumors again. This time, it revolves around Windows Mobile 7.

Microsoft has so far done a great job of keeping their lips sealed about how their new mobile OS will look and perform. Some phone manufacturors such as LG have supposedly been given the specs required to run Windows Mobile 7.

The latest rumors are as follows:

• The new UI will be similar to the Zune HD UI
• The UI is described as being “very clean” and “alive” (whatever that means)
• The OS won’t support multitasking but the applications will pause themselves in the background
• Push Notifications
• No Flash Support (Not now at least)
• Full Xbox Integration (Avatars, Achievements, etc)
• Full Zune Integration
• Social Networking
• App Marketplace which feature a try before you buy support

The rumored launch date for Windows Mobile 7 is somewhere in September which is the time most Windows Mobile 7 phones will come out.

Microsoft has a lot of catching up to do because of the iPhone and now the surging Android OS. Expect the announcement at Mobile World Congress in the middle of this month.

[PPC Geeks]

Heavy Rain: One Of The Best Games On The PS3 You Might Never Buy

I don’t own a PS3. I have an Xbox 360 but I keep up with what games that come out for every console and one of those games is Heavy Rain.

Heavy Rain is a story about the Origami Killer and revolves around several characters who each have their own unique stories but are all centered around the Killer.

From what I’ve seen from all the gameplay videos, this game is truly unique. It’s well designed and has a unique style. Unfortunately, most people including myself don’t expect this game to sell well. It’s going to be critically acclaimed but possibly won’t have high sales numbers.

The game itself is not a high paced action game but rather a slow paced story driven game which many gamers might find unappealing. It’s going to find a niche among some certain gamers but majority will take a pass.

It’s really unfortunate when a game like this comes along and is so different with its style and gameplay that people won’t play it. Many people would rather hit up Modern Warfare 2 and blow stuff up than watch a great story progress.

It’s coming out 23rd February.

If I had a PS3, this game would be on watch list. Check it out for yourself.

Facebook About To Roll Out New Design (Again!)

It looks like Facebook is rolling another website re-design (again!) The guys at facebook can’t seem to make their mind on what they want their website to look like. Mine just changed and I’m reserving my judgement till I fully play with it

Dante’s Inferno Video Game Reviews: God of War? Yes. Do I Care? Hell No!

I’ve been following this game for while because I actually read the Divine Comedy. I was interested to see how the guys at EA would convert such a piece of literature into a video game. After reading about the circles of Hell, I’m not surprised that somebody wanted to make that into a video game.

Dante’s Inferno is loosely based on the poem. Dante is the poem is actually a weak person so it’s not surprising that EA wanted more a super human personality to take his place.

The release day is next week. Tuesday I think. EA has come up with a Superbowl ad to get everyone’s attention. Watch it now:

Some reviews have been pouring out and everybody is constantly saying the same thing: It plays like God Of War!

I think anybody who has seen gameplay footage of the game should already know that. The fact that everybody keeps saying it’s like God of War is starting to get annoying.

Honestly, the last time i checked, almost all games copy from each other in their genre. Devil May Cry = Bayonetta. Anybody catch that? Also to be clear, a couple of people who worked on God of War actually worked on the Dante’s Inferno project.

Does it play like God of War? You bet but that’s not what I’m focused on. I want to know what the story is about and in that instance, there is a vast difference. It’s a different story,a different main character as well as different levels and enemies.

Granted, some reviews did point out some of the repetitive combat as well as a laid back storyline. In defense, a hack and slash game is going to be repetitive and as far as story, I will have to judge that for myself

In a the end, saying that Dante’s Inferno is just a God of War clone and therefore there’s no point playing it is somewhat absurd to me. All games borrow different elements from others all the time.

I will be picking this game up when it comes out. If I had a PS3, I would be getting God of War 3 as well. I play games and if you are a true gamer, you would do the same too. Don’t hate, appreciate.

IGN Review of Dante’s Inferno:

Dear Steve Jobs, Where Is The REAL Apple Tablet??

I guess everybody has seen/heard about the Apple iPad (insert joke) that Steve Jobs announced today.

Here’s the the problem: I don’t believe it’s real

The rumor mill may have superhyped this device but in reality, the device itself is (very) underwhelming. Steve Jobs basically said the iPad is better than a netbook. Be honest with yourself: You know that’s far (very far) from the truth.

I’ve already listed the specs and prices for the Apple iPad. Here’s what it DOESN’T have:

• No camera/webcam
• No tethering
• No voice support
• No TV subscriptions (widely rumored)
• No textbooks
• No background apps
• No new notifications system
• No complex multitouch
• No Adobe Flash support
• No brand new platform (basically it’s the iPhone OS under the hood)
• No new take on the tablet UI, no significant on-screen keyboard advances
• No USB port for device connection, such as flash drives (a problem for road warriors hoping that this will replace a notebook/netbook)
• While the device is unlocked, the choice of micro SIM limits carriers

Oh yeah, did I mention the 3G option includes AT&T??

The event itself was somewhat a letdown. We all expected to hear about the iPad but there wasn’t even a mention of something for the iPhone. Nothing. Zilch.

Maybe he’s saving that for an iPhone event. (I really hope so)

The only high point i think was the price. Everybody figured the device would be expensive but we were all surprised when we heard it the 16GB version was going to be $499.

Apple has always been the company of innovation. If any other company had an event, nobody would have given it a second thought.

As a fan of Apple and most of it’s innovation, I was a little disappointed by today’s event. I expected more but got less.

Maybe there’s a 2G iPad, it will be better. Hopefully.

The Apple Tablet Arrives..In The Form Of A Giant iPod Touch =Apple iPad

The Apple Tablet is official called the iPad (insert joke here).

Here’s the full specs:

• 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
• Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
• Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
• Weight: 1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model; 1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
• Digital compass
• Wi-Fi model: Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
• Wi-Fi + 3G model: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz), Data only, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
• Storage: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor
• In the box: iPad, Dock connector to USB cable, 10W Power Adapter, Documentation
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit
• Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable
• Video formats: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
• Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
• Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
• Keyboard support for English (US) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
• Dictionary support for English (US), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin), Russian
• Accessibility: Support for playback of closed-captioned content, VoiceOver screen reader, Full-screen zoom magnification, White on black, Mono audio
• Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery (rated at 10 hours using Wi-Fi)
• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
• Built-in speakers
• Microphone
• SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)
• PC or Mac support

The iPad prices are listed as following:

• 16GB Wi-Fi only: $499
• 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $629
• 32GB Wi-Fi only: $599
• 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $729
• 64GB Wi-Fi only: $699
• 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $829

Here’s the link to a video for the event: Apple

Here’s a poll question:

Apple iSlate/iPad: Most Hyped Up Device. EVER!

I love the best device as much as the next guy but this is getting out of hand!

Apple’s unknown device is most likely to be announced this Wednesday and the rumors about the specs of the device are flying all over the place.

Some are claiming that this will be the device that will finally kill the newspaper and magazine companies and others are saying this is the device of the future.

I know it’s common for people to speculate about upcoming devices from Apple and other companies but now everybody and their grandmother claims to know what this device will look like.

I remember when Apple announced their rock and roll event and everybody expected huge things. But all we got was a nano with a video camera and an ipod touch with no camera. Disappointing.

The more we hype this device up, the more we could end up disappointed.

I really hope this device is up to hype but in reality, I know that some of us are going to be disappointed.