Hijinks Inc.

Category: Apple

  • iPad Car Mount

    Potentially more dangerous than texting while driving, it’s the iPad car mount!

    iPad Car Mount

    For myself, I’m primarily using it as a ridiculously large GPS and for some sweet cover flow music navigation (notice the audio out cable at the top right), but I could see some serious problems arising if someone decided to try and watch a video while driving. Although I must admit that I’ve used the 3G to stream the audio version of Tech News Today on my drive home.

    Is it legal? I don’t really have a definitive answer and it likely depends on where you live and how you use it, but I talked with a local law enforcement officer here in Lincoln, NE and he seemed to think everything was kosher with my car mount as long as I wasn’t using it for playing videos, email, etc. That’s here in Nebraska, your mileage might vary depending on local and state laws.

  • I tried to review Osmos for iPad

    I tried, I really did. I bought the game before it was even in the top 100 (its now #1 in popularity and gross sales). I beat the Odyssey campaign in about two hours, and I even logged a couple hours in arcade mode. This was the middle of last week. Since then I’ve tried to play it every day, and every day I shut it off a minute later and go play more Small World.  I get that its trippy, I get that. I also understand that if I habitually used LSD, this game would be AWESOME. Here’s the thing: I don’t, and this game gets really boring, really fast.

    The core concept is proven. You absorb things and get bigger. Yeah, like that game, and that one, also this one. I could go on. It falls apart about the time you beat the Odyssey and realize that whats left is the exact same thing you just played, only ten times harder. I don’t have a problem with challenging games, but I do have a problem with turning a casual arcade game into a hardcore puzzle game without any kind of a learning curve. I have a feeling the developers finished the core game, polished it, realized they needed to add more content, and then piled on a bunch of gameplay modes and additional levels without properly tuning them.

    I want to give Hemisphere the benifit of the doubt and believe that they will continue to update the game into a better experience. Frankly though, I doubt I’ll have the motivation to pick it up even if they do.

  • Hijinks Reviews: Flight Control

    Publisher: Firemint
    Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad
    Cost: $0.99 [iTunes Link]
    Updated: June 22nd, 2010 for iOS 4
    Version Reviewed: 1.8

    Before I get started, I’d like to point out that Flight Control is by no means a brand new game, I wasn’t able to find an exact release date, but  it’s been out for at least a year. Although some of you may have played this game already, it’s new to me; so there you go.

    This game is one of the most simple and challenging games I’ve played on the iPod touch. It’s a simple and obvious premise. There’s planes and helicopters flying around, and you are flight control, you have to find a safe way for them to land, and they must land on the correct landing strip. (more…)

  • Sneak Peek: Decipher for iPad

    It’s been quite a while since we released an iOS app, largely in part because we’ve been busy doing custom app development for some local companies, but we’re back. That is as soon as Apple approves it.

    In the mean time, let me give you a sneak peek at our latest creation, Decipher for iPad!

    Decipher for iPad

    This is the followup to one of our previous games, Decipher Extreme. In essence it’s the same game, just redesigned for the iPad with higher resolution graphics and a cleaner interface. Decipher is based off the classic puzzle game Mastermind, the objective of the game is to guess the color pattern hidden at the top of the screen, pretty simple, yet quite addicting.

    Want a free copy when it gets approved? Of course you do! Just sound off in the comments with your guess on what day Apple will approve it. Closest guess will receive a promo code for the game.

  • Activating an iPad 3G Micro SIM without an iPad

    Activating an iPad 3G Micro SIM without an iPad

    So you’d like to turn that old iPhone into something a little more useful than an iPod touch, right? Well now you can, just order a replacement SIM from AT&T for $15 (which should come pre-scored so you can use it as a full size or micro SIM).

    You can order your “replacement” SIM here: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/accessory-details/?q_sku=sku4530230

    After you’ve installed your new SIM card in your iPhone, follow these steps. (more…)