Hijinks Inc.

Category: Reviews

  • Hijinks Reviews: Red Dead Redemption

    Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar’s new (I say new layered heavily in italicized sarcasm because the game was actually released way back on May 18th) open ended, Western themed action adventure game that was released to raving reviews from just about everybody. This is the part where you say, ‘Hey, Rockstar, I recognize that name, didn’t they make the Grand Theft Auto games? I love killing prostitutes and running policemen over in stolen cars!’, but before you get all gung-ho about the mayhem you can create in the wild wild west, let me help you by more accurately describing what you can expect after the jump.

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  • Lexitron is back, and redder then ever.

    Length: One round lasts two minutes.
    Replayability value: Endless.
    Who should buy it: Anyone who likes clever word games.
    Price: $2.99
    Is it worth it? Yes!

    My favorite app back on Installer was a word game called Lexitron. The game was a modified version of Boggle, in which you were given six letters and asked to form as many words as possible within a time limit. The simple concept and great execution made it a fantastic game. When I upgraded to the 2.0 firmware, I was disappointed to see that Lexitron was no where to be found in the new App store.

    Thankfully, Digicide finally got their copy of the SDK in the metaphorical mail and Lexitron is now available. This new version has upgraded (downgraded?) the previous silver accented GUI to what can only be described as a blaring shade of red. I live in Nebraska, the land of the Huskers, and even I can’t take that much red. In the old version of the game you could switch between vertical and landscape mode just by flipping the iPhone/iPod one way or the other. Not so in this latest iteration, but that doesn’t come across as a negative thing. The UI is obviously designed to be played in landscape mode, and the improved usability almost makes up for the color scheme.

    At 2.99 Lexitron is a must buy. Don’t let the aesthetics bother you. the core gameplay would be fun even if the GUI consisted of neon green and taupe. We’re happy Digicide brought this to the App store, and hopefully we can look forward to more great games from them.

  • .Me – Apple’s missing link

    Except it’s not.

    It’s a nice thought that the revamp of .Mac will yield a brilliant and usable service to connect everything in your digital life, but the likelihood of that happening just isn’t very high.

    Colin Pape of Seeking Alpha thinks that Mobile Me (or .Me as some are calling it) is going to be the magic bullet for Apple, and it will suddenly tie all their products together. I’m sure that’s what Apple is aiming for, but they’ve neglected .Mac for so long that I’m not sure an overhaul and a new name is going to be enough to breathe life into it.

    On the other hand, some rumors suggest that Apple will be turning .Me over to Google for a portion of it’s revenue. Though with Steve’s ego, I find this hard to believe. It’s a nice idea though, imagine a Google run service that would allow for unlimited email/file storage and instant syncing of your contacts/calendar/photos/email/music from your phone (iPhone or Android) to the web, and your home or office computer.

    While the promise of an easy solution all in one place is nice, why pay for it? Nothing .Mac currently offers is worth the yearly fee, you can easily find free or cheap alternatives to most everything it offers.

    Only time will tell I suppose. I’d be more than happy to be wrong on this, the more innovative products and services Apple launches the better.

    [ In the interest of full disclosure, I currently hold stock in Apple ]

  • Sprint broadband

    Sprint Ovation U727

    Recently the company I work for had the need for Internet access at a job site where there were no traditional means of connection, so we decided to give Sprint’s wireless broadband a try.

    For the choice of card, I opted for the USB Ovation U727. The tech support said it boasted the highest signal strength of any of the USB models due to the flip-up antenna.

    We have an older Dell laptop we needed access on, so I bought a PC card USB 2.0 adapter to run the Sprint card on. I had difficulty, however, getting the card to stay connected; it just kept connecting and disconnecting through the USB.

    I quickly realized that the problem was in the PC Card adapter, because the card worked fine plugged into the USB 1.1 port on the laptop. So much for trying to maintain current standards…

    Once connected, I was impressed at the speed, though I couldn’t stream video very well, most of the broadband meters clocked the connection at just under 650 kbps…. not bad for broadband wireless if you asked me.

    When downloading software updates from their own server, I averaged around 80 – 90 KB/sec, also faster than I had expected.

    We’ll see how service fares on site, which happens to be in Crete, NE. The map shows the general area being in a ‘roaming’ zone, but we’re waiting on clarification from Sprint on that detail.

    All in all, initial impressions were good, but overall opinion is pending network performance on site… will keep you posted.

  • Eggs make electronics shopping memorable

    Newegg.com review

    I’ve been using NewEgg for the past several years as my main source for computer hardware and almost refuse to buy anywhere else. Between personal and business I’ve purchased close to $15,000 worth from them and still counting.

    Their prices are hard to beat and their shipping is some of the fastest I’ve ever seen. They have an egg-cellent search engine for drilling down exactly what you’re looking for and the user interface is simple and no-nonsense.

    They specialize in electronics and computer hardware and software but sell a variety of other products including household appliances that range from refrigerators and microwaves to washers and dryers. Imagine Best Buy being crushed by a giant egg falling from the sky and you get a good idea. Oh, and for all you Mac fans out there, they’ve got those too.

    *Disclaimer*

    NewEgg.com is not in any way associated with this, though maybe they should license it as their theme song