Double the Necks=Double the Usefulness?

It's no doubt that you've probably seen a double neck guitar at some point, and while it does look amazing, one may wonder: Is there really a point in having two necks? Doesn't that seem kind of pointless and heavy? The average person only has two arms, what good does having two necks on a guitar have?

Double necks seem to have become more of something similar to a fashion statement than an actual practical instrument, as the general thought is something about how cool (or ugly) it looks. The practicality in the instrument is the difference of the necks, something commonly overlooked. Most double necks are usually a combination of a 12-string and 6-string guitar, which an average listener probably won't be able to differentiate, again leading to the "This thing is just a giant hunk of wood" argument. However, to a guitar player, the tonal capability of having both 6 AND 12 string necks is a great benefit to have. As a side note: some guitars have more than three necks, but each neck fulfills a separate purpose, in this case, a combination of 6, 12, and a fretless neck.

 Add with this a recording loop, and you have a trio of guitars playing at the same time, all without picking up three different instruments.

Is 3000 texts a month really THAT many?

According to TechCrunch, the average child age 13-17 sends about 3500 texts per month, which they equated to about seven texts for every hour awake; while at first this does seem like a lot of message spamming, allow me to elaborate (and make some tie-ins with statistical data to that Support packet we read in AP Lang...)

Assuming I'm in a conversation, which I do quite frequently with cell phones, the conversation generally lasts longer than two text messages, let alone seven; for example, my brother often tells me of his 3-part response due to content, which makes 3 text messages within one conversation. While I don't quite make a 3-part text (it's usually two), the 160 character limit reduces the amount that can be sent; the limit needs to taken into consideration when counting the numerous texts.

On the other hand, the facts that teenagers text the most out of any age group is definitely significant, especially since seven hours out of the 15 hours they're typically awake are spent sitting in a classroom where cell phone usage is forbidden; the statistics provided by TechCruch should at least tell of the timeframe, as it's unknown if this data is from summer break or during the school year. If the data was taken during the school year, then yes, this would be a major statistic; but if this was taken during the summer, it's completely normal for me to send seven texts an hour.

Babe I'm Gonna Blog (about) You

Clever blog title? Yes. AAAND it's going to keep going with the the theme of song-oriented blog posts.

In case you weren't familiar  with it, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is track 2 on Led Zeppelin's debut album, Led Zeppelin I. Because I don't want to write that all out again, I'll continue by referring to it as track 2 (not to be confused with Song 2 by Blur). This track is the first of Zeppelin's acoustic-oriented songs, featuring Jimmy Page's fingerpicking style; this song was also  the first "cover" of a folk song, and as with most of Led Zeppelin's songs like this, the original artist was not credited, instead, Page taking credit.

The song has two main riffs, a soft, mournful acoustic slowly progressing up and down the A minor key, and a harsher electric riff that takes the previous theme and amplifies it. When I listen to this song, the emotion relayed by Plant's voice is simply...moving. His loud emotional wails of sorrow throughout the song do a great job of relaying feeling. The feeling in this song is quite unlike anything that'll be found in mainstream music now; whenever I play this song on guitar, I can't help but bash the strings during the electric interludes.

As mentioned earlier, the guitar present is usually acoustic; electric is added occasionally to add emphasis in the appropriate parts. This song utilizes a fingerpicking style, something I still need to acquaint myself with properly. Overall, I'd rate this song as a definitely-not-beginner-song-but-not-that-hard-either song when trying to learn this song. There really aren't any bass or drum parts very notable in this piece, save for the electric interludes; Bonham adds his drums in these parts, but Jones' bass playing throughout the song isn't particularly memorable.

Next Song: You Shook Me, track 3 (This should be interesting, as I really haven't listened to this song much.)

Update to earlier post...

I was browsing around YouTube and found this...

First time listening to any of their live performances of this song, even if it is used as an intro. I'll make sure to include this video when I cover Communication Breakdown (after which this blog's named after) sometime in a later blog post...

Track 1, Album 1

So, after a dry wave (sorry!) of posts, I've decided to switch things up a little. At least once every week or so, I'll take a song, and review the styling and make-up of it. You'll probably guess who the artist will be...so starting this week off, as the title implies, will be the first track ever released by Led Zeppelin, of their album Led Zeppelin I: Good Times, Bad Times.

Finding a live version of this song is kind of chore, as Zeppelin didn't usually put this song into their setlist, most likely due to multiple vocal harmonies, and the occasional guitar harmony (although I have NO idea how they pulled off Achilles Last Stand...) 

The track starts off with short hi-hat quarter notes, proceeding into eighth notes for the entire song; I tried to play this myself, and it's by no means easy to do; throughout the entire song, Bonham (drummer) plays eight notes on the hi-hat pedal, at the same time maintaining a constant eighth note beat on cowbell, abnormal snare patterns, AND a non-linear bass drum pattern. Once this pattern is all put together, there's STILL the bass triplets at around 0:25 in; what sounds like a double-bass pedal sound is somehow made by a single pedal, through some confounded technique (I'm not that great of a drummer =P)

The guitar part in this song  is kind of repetitive, and is consequently not one of favorite songs to play, but the chorus and verses are good songs to learn for beginning guitarists. When I first tried to learn this song after only less than a year of playing, the solo pretty much broke my fingers when I attempted playing it...even after a few more years of playing I still can't get the descent at 2:03 right.  After the second solo, the guitar part fades into the background with minor solos played behind the Plant's small phrases, with Bonhams beats taking over at the end of the song.

To rap this post up, the bass part of this song is a great example of what bass parts should be; although I'm not usually in favor of unison parts with the guitar, Jones (bassist) has two separate solos, at 0:55 and 2:01, which doesn't happen very often. I've trying playing this song on bass (my brother's bass is still lying around), and it's definitely fun to play, especially since a lot of songs's bass parts are the same duhnuh duhnuh duhnuh over and over again...

Sorry for not covering lyrics/vocals, I really don't pay attention to them as much as other parts, since I always get distracted by the instrumentals. Unless the vocal part contains something major (yes, I do realize it's half the song), I probably wont make a separate section for it.

Battlefield 3 Review Part 3: Multiplayer

The final part we've all been waiting for: multiplayer.

Multiplayer in Battlefield has always been the highlight of the series, and Battlefield 3 is no exception. Large scale 24-man battles, vehicles, and oodles of guns and attachments make Battlefield 3 the best in the series (so far).

Having 24 people seems like it would be a major issue at first...but the immense size of the maps in BF3 solve that issue with ease. This however, brings the issue of too much space in the map into play, which can and does become an issue from time to time. The PC version fixes this by offering a 64 player option, but unfortunately on the consoles, 24 is the limit; Dice tries to fix this by restraining the maps to a certain size, but I can still say from experience that I do occasionally run out of people to shoot at.

Vehicles always add a different flavor to the battlefield of Battlefield; BF3 has the standard armament of tanks, boats, and helicopters are present, along with jets being brought back. Vehicles can be modified in a way similar to attachments can be added to weapons, with three slots pertaining to separate categories to modify. Vehicles in Battlefield provide a means for either transportation, or more commonly, protection. As a player, vehicles can get VERY annoying when no engineers are present to take them out, leading to a quick ragequit. On the other side, being IN a vehicle gave me a 43 killstreak, so I'll restrain from complaining.

In the previous Battlefield game, Bad Company 2, guns could only be modified with the use of specializations, similar to Call of Duty's perks; this only allowed for one attachment at a time with little customization. In Battlefield 3, each gun can be separately modified with three attachment slots: optics, barrel attachments, and gun modifications (such as extended magazines). The ability to have more that one attachment at a time without using something like Bling/Warlord (Call of Duty perk that allowed multiple attachments on one weapon) made my day when I found about it.

Battlefield 3 Review Part 2: Co-op

Co-op is a feature becoming more prevalent in First-person shooters nowadays, however, co-op campaigns usually have problems with lasting value, and overall enjoyment; for example, Modern Warfare 2's co-op was somewhat enjoyable during the first few playthroughs, but the short, repetitive objectives of each mission led to another game in my dust-heaped cabinet. Co-op generally works the best in free-roam games such as Grand Theft Auto and Mercenaries 2; the unpredictability of free-roam, together with the uncontrolled chaos presents a new experience every time.

The co-op of BF3 follows a separate story from the campaign, but like the campaign, doesn't efficiently establish proper characters; I still don't know either character's names, or even WHY the things in the co-op were happening. From what I could tell, there was a large boom-boom in the subway and people were freaking out...a fairly generic, overused plot.

Battlefield 3's co-op possesses the same issues as every co-op; repetitive kill-anything-and-everything-you-see tactics lead to fast boredom. The incentive of BF3's coop is unlocking new weapons in multiplayer, supporting the idea that the true point in first-person shooters is the multiplayer; developers may as well completely avoid wasting resources on developing anything BUT the multiplayer.

Battlefield 3 Review Part 1: Campaign

It's not often that Battlefield gets a new entry in its series, but with the 25th being last Tuesday, Battlefield has finally acquired a new title: Battlefield 3.

Arguably the real sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2, Battlefield mainly shines in its mulitplayer department. This review will be split into three parts covering the three different modes Battlefield 3 has to offer: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Co-op.

BF3's campaign so far has been a typical linear shooter, much to my dissapointment; the game does not really offer any type of choice for the player to take, with only one set objective at a time, while shooting dead-eye accurate AI. The AI's inability to miss makes playing through the campaign, even on easy, somewhat of a challenge, as RPGs fired by enemies will seldom miss, making the death screen something ridiculously common.

On the graphics side of Campaign, the current generation console's age is beginning to show, as the PC version is quite clearly superior. After installing an optional HD texture pack on my Xbox, some textures are still a little muddled and blurry, but still crisper than the beta a few weeks ago. BF3's lighting is VERY good, with deep contrast and lens flares making the game that much shinier.

Animation and voice acting in BF3 is another strong point; with Dice's (the developer) new Frostbite 2.0 engine, animation is quite fluid, and a lot of entertainment can be gained just by watching people dive to prone and get back up again. BF3 is one of the few games that actually allows you to see your feet when you look down, a feature usually restricted to Halo games. The voice acting doesn't have the emotionless tone many games succumb to, with much feeling embedded into your fellow infantrymen as a jet makes a swooping run overhead.

Later on in the week I hope to assess to other two parts of BF3, as I get deeper into the multiplayer side. With multiplayer always being a favorite of mine in the Battlefield series, I'm very excited to make the second part of the review, but I'm not making progress by sitting here typing...

The Next Nexus

When Google started its Nexus phone line with the Nexus One a seemlingly long two years ago, the Nexus torch was lit, with Google's goal as "One Android for all." Google's (produced by Samsung) Nexus phones have always been top-of-the-line technology, with the highest possible specifications possible at the time of creation; when the phone was realeased, having a 1ghz processor was relatively unheard of at the time. Now, two years later, the newest Nexus phone, the Galaxy Nexus, sports a 1.2 ghz dual-core processor, a prime example of Google giving effort to be the best of the best.

Only three buttons this time...

Samsung has finally managed to develop a higher resolution display than Apple's revered Retina display; the newest Apple phone, the iPhone 4s, has a screen resolution of 960-by-540 pixels; the Galaxy Nexus, borrowing some technology from Samsung's sister Galaxy series, has a gargantuan 4.65 inch display, allowing for full 1280-by-720, the equivalent to the average desktop computer resolution.

Unlike most Android phones, the Galaxy Nexus doesn't have the option of expandable storage; only two models will be made, with 16gb and 32gb. This can be viewed as some sort of limit similar to the iPhone, but unline the iPhone, the back panel is able to be taken off to remove the battery, something the iPhone is still lacking.

Another advantage the iPhone has is in its newly upgraded camera, posessing an 8mp camera over the Galaxy Nexus' smaller 5mp camera. Fortunately, the Galaxy Nexus has full 1080p video capture, equivalent to Apple's capturing ability.

The final blow to Apple lies within the internal software; the Galaxy Nexus is the first  phone to have Google's new Android 4.0 operating system (as it is Google's child). New features such as facial recognition and screen capture (similar to hitting the "Print Screen" button on a PC) set it out from the previous iterations of Android, 2.3 and 3.0. Interestingly, the option to resize widgets (another thing Apple is still missing) is present; stacks are also being brought into the app mix. The new operating system aims to be a generic operating system for both tablets and smartphones alike; this means getting a similar interface to Android 3.0 Honeycomb, currently running on Android's newer tablets.

iPhone 4s...Not Entirely Different

Today, Ocotober 14th of 2011, marks the next generation in Apple's iPhone series, as the new iPhone 4s is released.

The iPhone 4s is remarkably similar to the the iPhone 4, keeping its original design and volumetric profile; the differences reside inside the iPhone 4s' core. Sporting a new camera, rated at 8MP over the 5MP old camera, and a new dual-core A5 chip, the iPhone 4s just seems lilke a minor hardware update rather than an entirely new generation.

As seen from the picture, both phones are visually the same, with the only way to distinguish being internal. With the new hardware specs, Apple has finally updated to current top-of-the-line phones, now being rivaled with the Samsung Galaxy SII and the HTC Evo 3D, both of which have dual-core processing ability.

(Taken from http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/13/iphone-4s-teardown-nothing-to-see-here-folks/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29)

Apples advantage still remains as its incredible popularity; people will buy the iPhone simply because it's an iPhone...unfortunately disregarding whether it's actually a decent phone or not (which is it, now.) The basic "shiny object!" approach is generally taken towards the iPhone series, which isn't necessarily a bad approach, but leaves room for error in judgement. For example, the 5MP camera the iPhone 4 has is generally an average to lower quality camera by today's smartphone standards, with cameras in upwards of 12MP being developed for mobile handsets being developed. Apple finally decided to step it up to the current competition, but the average person wouldn't notice the new camera anyways. (I don't really use my phone's camera either...)

More noticable is the new dual-core processor inside the iPhone 4s; lag will be less prevalent with the new processing ability, a relatively new addition to the phone market. With two processors handling...processes, one can take on the job of running the system, while the other can take over control of handling user-operated apps. In other words, one runs in the background, while the other handles what you're currently doing, such as browsing the web on Apple's Safari browser.

With all the new iPhones circulating now, Apple's chat system, iMessage, has the ability to become the bane of SMS messaging, and possibly a major hazard for carriers. With iMessage, the user has the ability to avoid the cost of SMS messaging, a very hated part of a cell phone plan. Google, with Android, will probably follow suit soon after, with SMS eventually curling into a ball in the corner, wondering why no one wants to play with it. This move from Apple, I can approve of.

More Screaming 12-Year Olds Playing Video Games...Just What We Needed

Apparently, the NPD Group thought it would be a great idea to research the age groups associated with playing video games...the results are as follows:

"Today, 91 percent of kids (approximately 64 million) ages 2-17 are gaming in the U.S., an increase of 9 points when compared to 2009. While the percentage of kids gaming has grown significantly across all age groups, the fastest growth has been among kids ages 2-5, with an increase of 17 points in gaming incidence when compared to 2009. The other segments driving this growth are females and teens ages 15-17."
(http://www.npdgroup.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/pressreleases/pr_111011)

Now, what might qualify as "gaming" is a very broad category, something not defined within the article. Later in the post the author states:

" In order to qualify as a gamer, respondents had to report that they currently, personally play video games. "


Again, this is a very broad, undefined categorization, and as such, renders the data of less value. Should the general population be more worried with 91 percent of kids playing video games? If playing video games refers to poking a button on a gaming device that happens to be turned on, more than likely it's just the media over-exaggerating. Again.

Minecraft Mining Straight Into Your Pocket

With all the success the PC indie-hit Minecraft has had, it's a wonder this hasn't happened sooner, but nonetheless, it happened: Minecraft is now available for all Android devices.

For those unfamiliar to Minecraft, brace yourselves for a wall of text:

Minecraft is a block-based game, similar to your childhood memories of building with Legos; everything is block oriented, from the dirt you walk on to the clouds gently moving over the landscape. Two goals exist, with separate game modes accompanying them. Creative mode allocates infinite resources to the player, allowing them to build to their heart's content, whatever that may be. Survival mode presents the challenge of surviving, as the name implies. With the recent update to 1.8, hunger has been added into the management of the player, giving a new dimension to worry about.

Many creatures exist in the Minecraft world, also presented in a block-esque art style; unfortunately at the moment, they're nonexistent on the mobile version, but hopefully Notch (creator of Minecraft) will be kind enough to Android users to add them in later. The creatures, or "Mobs" (short for mobile), are used as resources along with normal blocks, with items such as leather or wool from cows and sheep. Once the sun goes down in Minecraft's 10 minute day, hostile mobs such as zombies and animated skeletons start to spawn, and attack any player in sight. Hostile mobs generally provide resources for weapons, such as gunpowder and arrows.

Unique to Minecraft is its continuous updates from Notch; as the game is currently in Beta, Notch continuously adds new features to Minecraft, such as the Nether, a different dimension used for fast-travel. More recently, the addition of Strongholds and Abandoned Mineshafts have been added, giving a new adventure-oriented goal (hence the name "Adventure Update")

Surrounding Minecraft's development is the ever-growing fanbase; many Internet memes have spawned up from Minecraft, mostly involving the signature creeper, known for its destructiveness.

Whenever you see one of these green monstrosities, in the game or in real life, RUN. As the creeper gets closer, it lets off its signature "HISSSSSSSS", which is followed by a TNT-sized hole in the ground, or your creation.

Despite being made completely out of blocks and having a sort of childlike appeal, Minecraft can be surprisingly terrifying at times; walking around underground is made much more frightening when the dynamic light system cancels out all light except the faint orange glow of your torches. I've probably jumped out of being scared in Minecraft more than any movie I've seen, and the objective of those movies is to scare you. Something about being all alone and vulnerable in the middle of the Earth just gets to you...

Later in 2011, Minecraft is also being released for the Xbox 360; despite being made out of simple blocks with pixelated graphics on them, Minecraft actually requires a decent PC to run it, leading many of the wannabe player being unable to have access to Minecraft. Hopefully it will be more similar to the PC version than the mobile version is; the mobile version only has a creative mode currently, with a few survival elements such as ladders added in.

4G Rollout

4G has been around for over a year now, and unfortunately is still stretched far and few between, with only a few towers present in the US.

Sprint began the 4G wave with its WiMAX network in early 2010, and being the first to do so, attached the phrase "The Nation's first 4G network" onto its name. Soon after, Verizon Wireless began to start their 4G services, but using different technology, referred to as "LTE" (Long Term Evolution). AT&T and T-Mobile also have a similar 4G service, but once again, it uses a different technology, HSPA+; both companies simply upgraded their current networks from 3G and slapped on the 4G label.

What actually classifies as 4G? According to the International Telecommunication Union, only LTE-Advanced, and WiMAX 2 networks would be capable of the 100mbit/sec output...and these networks won't be availiable until about 2014.

Sprint has finally given in to the LTE wave, and is planning to cover 120 US markets. This will mean Sprint will be responisble for managing two 4G networks, with WiMAX still not being available in some states, including Iowa.

What this means for current phones on Sprint's WiMAX 4G network is uncertain, as they probably won't be compatible on the new LTE network. In turn, phone favorites such as the EVO 4G and Epic 4G will be rendered useless on the new system, and will be restricted to using only 3G and Wi-Fi unless Sprint decides to have mercy on the midwest.

(Not Quite) Out of Beta and Releasing on Time...

October 25th is fast approaching, and to work out potential kinks in the system, Battlefield 3 is now in an open testing phase, something I've already poured hours into.

So far, the Beta has yet to show Battlefield 3's full potential, as the signature vehicular combat is absent from the beta (dont ask me how you would fit an APC into a subway). A few bugs and glitches are rampant in the beta, but as it is a BETA, they're completely acceptable at this point, as long as they're to be fixed in the near future.

So far, bugs include a few texture pop-ins, falling down holes in the map, and the occasional squirming body glitch, an amusing glitch where the player's body is stuck on the ground wriggling and shooting. The player currently affected by glitch is unaware, however, but any enemy can shoot the squirming "body" and score an easy kill; this glitch is most likely present as a networking bug.

Another more irritating glitch is the lack of ability to get friends together into a game; open spots are very infrequent, making it almost impossible to get a squad of four people into a game together. Hopefully, Electronic Arts will fix this problem, as I can't stand playing first-person shooters by myself, yelling at people without any of my friends to hear me griping.

The Beta closes on October 10th, with the full retail release coming out the 15 days later on the 25th.

Bassism

Ignored by many, known by few, out comes from the back view: The bass player.

What may define a bass player may vary, and what comes to mind is also just as various. But despite these differences, most bass players share a common trait: being overlooked. Most bands are characterized by the frontmen guitars and singer, and thus the bassist becomes a small figure in the background, exemplified by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones:

See the OTHER guy with the guitar? That's a bassist.

What many fail to realize is how the band's ability to play is affected by the bassist; the rhythm section is the glue holding the band together. When the guitarist starts to go out of tempo, a solid bass player can bring them back to the correct time.

Unfortunately with the change in music in the present, the average listener may only become accustomed to the boring three-note beat of whatever pop-sensation is on radio: the same three-notes, over, and over, and over, endlessly cascading into the listeners' ignorant ears. Is the reason lack of skill? Or is it faulted to lack of creativity? Maybe one day, music can go back to the colorful melodies of songs such as Ramble On:

Notice the MOVING bassline: constantly changing patterns, never playing the same thing twice. This type of bassline exemplifies that bass player's ability to develop their own characteristic personality; something rarely seen in the mainstream radio.

The other thing that gets to me is how a bass player wouldn't simply get bored playing the same notes repetitively; when I play guitar, I try to vary the part as much as I can, otherwise it turns into a boring streak of nothingness.

Another great example of variety is "Hey Hey What Can I Do":

Notice how smoothly the guitar and bass go together (and mandolin, just because John Paul Jones can). Jones is often credited for never playing the same thing twice, and he lives up to his legacy quite well. With songs like this, I have to listen to it multiple times to absorb all the different parts, instead of simply listening to it once, with a singer (is a rapper a singer?) mindlessly babbling about how his or her life is seemingly worse than ours, even though he or she is rich and famous from making mostly synthetic noise (which they might call music).

The Mother(board) of Guitars

Over the hundreds of years guitars and their iterations have been around, not much has changed; maybe a different wood here and there, maybe different techniques to making them. With the intrdoduction of electric guitars around the 50's the first major change in hundreds of years had finally arrived.Fifty years laters, the electric guitar is still riding on the same concepts praised in the 1950's: standard electromagnetic pickups, volume potentiometers, tone knobs and such; but with the new decade comes new technology.

Gibson, a major guitar manufacturer, has already been massively known for developing "Robot Guitars", a guitar with built in tuning technology set in the headstock; pitch sensors raise or lower the tension of the string based on the desired tone. While not a major leap in technology, any new ideas are welcome in the guitar world. The hi-tech Gibson Firebird X both presents the major leap needed, and the new ideas savored by the masses.

The Firebird X is based on Gibson's Firebird model; but that's where the similarities stop. In the headstock of the guitar, robo-tuners are built in as a first measure of tech, but further down the neck, the body is an information-overload, filled to the brim with large varieties of electronics that most guitarists will recognize as normally "stomp-box effects" (Small boxes connected between the amp and guitar to utilize effects such as echo.

Inside the guitar, immedately noticable is the motherboard, not what is normally found in a guitar; this means the guitar has some sort of processing ability. An app store has already opened up for third-party developers to take their stab at whatever processing software the Firebird X posesses.

The amounts of knobs and switches on the Firebird is absolutely stunning; in addition to the standard volume and tone knobs, the guitar has a 5-way pickup selector, alowing muliple pickup combinations. To complicate the guitar further, each of the 3 pickups can have their polarities switched, be changed from series to parallel wiring, and even be switched to single-coil. As guitar player, I wouldnt be ablt to even understand half of this monster's abilities. And even when just the prevously mentioned is stated there's STILL more switches. In the picture, three effects are shown on the red toggle switch: compression, disortion, and an equalizer. On the white switch, there are three more options between PU/Prog (whatever that is, PU probably refers to pickup), piezo (acoustic guitar-style), and tuning. And if THAT was excessive, guess what: there's ANOTHER toggle switch on the top of the guitar. The blue toggle switches between different modulation effects, such as delay and echo. So if you were to mathematically process the combinations, over 2,000 combinations are possible, granted most of them wouldn't be noticeable.
And after all this, it comes to the final question: How much will it cost? Unfortunately, with 2,000 combinations comes a greater 5500 dollar price tag...enough to buy about 2200 school lunches, enough to last over 12 years of school. So if hunger isn't a main concern for you, and you're a guitar player, the Firebird X will be present if you enjoy hi-tech shiny things.

The Last (Unlimited) Plan Standing...

Unlimited data is such a joy to have...but with the rumored future release of the anticipated iPhone 5 on Sprint's network, Sprint customers may have to soon wave "bye-bye" to their (and my) beloved unlimited data plan. Let the picture illustrate my emotion: (thanks, Techcrunch; http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/05/verizon-confirms-unlimited-smartphone-data-plans-to-be-retired-on-july-7th/)

Earlier in 2011, AT&T revoked their unlimited plan, instead replacing it with a montly data cap due to high usage. Before Verizon had posession of the iPhone, AT&T's flagship device was Apple's iPhone, leading to a majority of AT&T customers to only use AT&T for said phone.

When Verizon introduced the iPhone on its list of devices back in February 2011, customers were promised their unlimited plans, but following AT&T's suit, went back on their word and four months after the iPhone 4, unlimited data was cut from yet another carrier. See a pattern going?

Sprint has already began capping their unlimited Hotspot data (this really shouldn't affect too many people, sorry if you do) in preparation for the iPhone 5; Sprint, in a kind of a low move, also raised its early termination fees from 200$ to a quite ridiculous 350$, AND also discontiued its Sprint Premier program.

When the total bill for your monthly plan exceeds 169$, you qualifiy for a special "thank you" from Sprint, which my family's plan qualifies for. One of the benefits of this service is being able to get your hands on a new phone before it officially launches; for example, the EVO 3D's release date was June 24th; I was able to purchase the phone on June 21st and recieved in on June 23rd, a full day before its release.

Sprint, like Verizon before, promised its customers continuation of its unlimited plan, of which Sprint is the only provider of. Unfortunately, Sprint's network is not quite as strong as Verizon's network, and subsequently will not be able to hold the stress of thousands of iPhone users, along with other smartphone users, straining the network.

STOP BUYING SO MANY iPHONES, YOU'RE RUINING MY UNLIMITED.

Apple Slap!2

I know I've been bashing a lot on Apple lately, but an email I received brought up another of their faults.

While the actual product itself (iTouch/iPhone) may actually be a polished product, the familiar white earbuds associated with them are far from quality. Apple is KNOWN to produce high-standard products, but with all the revenue Apple gets from the mindless mass of buyers, couldn't they divert at least some funds to develop higher qualities earbuds?

Standard Earphones

Of course, if you actually want "superior acoustic accuracy, balance, and clarity" (quoted from Apple's site, http://www.apple.com/ipod/in-ear-headphones/), and of course have a spare 79$ to drop for them, you can buy yourself your very own...standard in-ear earphones, as the standard iPod earphones are an older style. The original style is criticized for being unable to project suitable bass tones to you ears; it would be a smart move for Apple to simply include their (superior) earphones, and drop the original design altogether.

In-ear earphones

Those familiar with the 3rd generation iPod shuffle might recognize the small box on the side of the in-ear headphones; in another Apple scam, the 3rd generation iPod shuffle can only be controlled by said box; regular earphones are out of the question, and only earphones licensed by only Apple themselves are compatible. This makes it impossible to use an auxiliary wire to connect it to your stereo system. That is, unless you have the one and only Apple docking station. Fortunately, you can snag this of the internet for less than a dollar, if you find yourself with an iPod shuffle in the first place.

And yet, people STILL buy them.

Back to the Battlefield!

Video game release season is fast approaching, and with the close of 2011 brings the entrance of quite a few highly anticipated titles. Among the multiple triple A titles being released, the first on my list is Battlefield 3.

The Battlefield series has been in play since 2002, with the first title Battlefield 1942, back when 3D games were still next-generation thought. The Battlefield games are characterized by its intense large-scale battles, with multiple set classes to choose from ranging from the vehicle-devastator Anti-Tank Class to the deadly Recon Class. Each separate class possesses its own unique abilities, such as the Engineer's ability to repair vehicles.

The most recent Battlefield game, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (not to be confused for with Battlefield 2) was released the same year as the First person shooter (FPS) giant Call of Duty's Modern Warfare 2. Although not in direct competition yet, the flame wars were just beginning to kindle in the FPS flame wars soon to sweep the internet.

This year, Dice has decided to directly to step into Call of Duty's face by releasing at the fourth quarter of the year, a spot usually reserved for shooters like Call of Duty and Halo. Battlefield has its own array of weapons to shunt at Call of Duty, namely Vehicles. Unlike Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3 will possess its own customization system for not only infantry classes, but now vehicle classes included.

This year's Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3 (developed by Infinity Ward), will have quite the battle this year, with irresponsible parent's 12-year olds frantically screaming in both games' headsets.

ESRB...consider emphasizing what that giant "M" means on the boxes of the games you review. I don't know how you would feel listening to high-pitched squealing in YOUR ears...

Apple slap!

It seems that right after posting about wars between Apple and Android, the very company I was talking in a previous post about decided to fight back against the Apple giant: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/18/samsung-countersues-apple-in-australia-claims-iphone-ipad-2-v/

For once, the company being sued (again) by Apple is actually taking a stand! This doesnt happen very often, which is quite surprising considering how blatantly often Apple sues for another product being "too similar" and the likes.

Personally, while nice and shiny, Apple's products don't exactly appeal to me, especially with the myriad of superior Android devices. Apple's success comes from the fact that everyone, no matter how ridiculous the product is, buys Apple's products. Despite being fairly similar to other smartphones on the market, when the Iphone 4 was available on Verizon's service, people rushed to buy it, simply because it was an Iphone. If you were to ask them why they bought it over an Android phone, they probably would answer "It's an Iphone..." without any type of actual reasoning.

When I'm asked why I chose an Android phone (which sadly doesn't happen enough), I answer: Superior processor (1.2ghz dual-core vs a single 1ghz), more RAM (1gb vs 512mb), and more customization, a thing Apple is very strict about.

Think about it like this: if Apple allowed better customization, why is nearly every Iphone/Itouch jailbroken? You shouldnt have to break through the firmware JUST to change the background. One of the only features I'll give to Apple's devices are they're sleekness and shininess...

Samsung Galaxy S II....Epic Touch 4g

At this moment, the only thing negative I have to say about this device so far is the cumbersome name...Is it really necessary to have seven (SEVEN!) different parts in a single name for a phone? Not according to Samsung.

For those unfamiliar with the...SGSIIET4G (Even as an acronym, it's still a monster of a name), this phone is the latest of Samsung's galaxy phone series, and as such, is quite the beast in performance sporting a beefy dual-core 1.2ghz processor and 1GB of RAM.

What's always annoyed me most about phones is how ridiculously fast they manage to get outdated, but this is to be expected with the rate of technological increase. I always enjoy having a top-of-the-line product, and with the release of the GSII, my Evo 3D is that much closer to being a thing of the past. Unfortunately, I'm bound to this device for another two years, but as long as it holds up and keeps receiving software updates, I'm completely fine with keeping it.

Back to the rate of phone upgrading: even just two years ago, the top dog of phones on the market were phones like the HTC Hero and the Iphone 3g...quite a step back in terms of software and hardware. The ability of having Flash 10.1 on your own handheld phone? Unheard of. Back then, the Iphone was the phone to have (and some people would still argue it still is), and now, Apple has Android to compete with. Android seemingly came up from nowhere, and took the phone world by storm, developing hundreds of new devices with large varieties to choose from. Want a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard? Done. Or maybe one with a 4.3" screen? Accounted for. With Apple and iOS, your only choice is the current generation of the already technologically behind Iphone.

Gibson Guitar Factories...Slashed

Now, when any guitar player who knows his guitars get the mentioning of "Gibson", the reaction you're most likely to see is melting of the face, followed by the collapsing of the body. Gibson is the iconic manufacturer of the perhaps more iconic Les Paul, a guitar revered by those not willing to break their life savings into a little (but REALLY heavy) guitar:

The stigma of the Les Paul is often associated with legendary guitar players such as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Slash, of Guns n Roses.

 But, I digress.

From CNN: "On Aug. 24, armed agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided two of Gibson's Tennessee production facilities and its Nashville headquarters. The agents confiscated nearly $1 million in rare Indian ebony, finished guitars and electronic data, according to Juszkiewicz. It was the second time in two years that Gibson's factories have been raided by the feds over the rare woods it uses to build its guitars." (http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/02/smallbusiness/gibson_guitar/index.htm)


 The plain idea that our government would rather raid a Gibson factory, which provided all the legal documents for their materials, than work on something more pressing such as...well...creating jobs...for example, just doesn't click in my mind. Even if Gibson did violate the Lacey Act (following the foreign countries' law regarding exports of natural materials, in this case, wood), shows how our government would rather pursue trivial matter than to actually focus on the country's major issues.

Equally appaling is the idea that the federal government completely skipped over the part of negotiating with the company, and instead lept directly to seizure of materials. Unless their purpose was to sell said valuable materials (and that would be a LOW move), bringing a guitar player as myself to wonder...what are they going to DO with all that precious wood? More importantly, what will happen to all of those $3,000 guitars that were confiscated? Bashing a guitar is one thing; letting it sit there, unplayed, is almost as unacceptable.