LEGO Indiana Jones Temple of the Crystal Skull Review
03 October, 2008
One of the largest sets released so far, the Temple of The Crystal Skull is a flashback to the older Adventurers series that had mini themes for the Amazon and Egypt. The suggested retail price of $79.99 might seem a bit steep for some parents but if you have a child that is into the Indiana Jones films or is a die hard Lego fanatic they will have hours and hours of fun with this set. One of the core principals of Lego is the ability to build almost anything from nothing more than a handful of bricks and bits. This was a most welcome addition to our collection and something that I know will be used for years to come.here are so many incredible things in the set but it all starts out with the large detailed base plate. This is what almost everything gets anchored to and provides stability for the temple. Base plates like this are few and far between; not only is it the non-typical green but it has stenciled rocks and a clay color to it. Any time things are stenciled you are getting more detail and that can add to how a child uses it, the replay value and the number of ways that it can be used. While these pieces are a little more delicate than others, with a little bit of care they will last for years. Once you unpack the set you should read through the instructions so you are aware of the various perks of the set.
Product Description:
What is the secret of the Temple of the Crystal Skull? Indiana Jones and Mutt want to find out, but first they'll have to get past Irina Spalko, and then survive the temple's collapsing stairs, firing spears, hostile warriors, and many other tricks and traps. Includes Indiana Jones, Mutt Williams, Irina Spalko, Russian Guard, two Ugh Warriors and three Akator Skeleton minifigures, plus top-secret features straight from the movie's action-packed climax. 929 pieces.
ONLINE LEGO STORE FOR MORE LEGO SETS
Labels: Amazon Products, Lego, Lego Sets, Lego sets Review, PRODUCT REVIEWS
posted by admin @ 14:46,
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IPEVO Free.2 Skype Phone Review
20 September, 2008
We‘ve recently started using Skype hardware by little-known vendor IPEVO. SOLO models for the desktop (pictured) and FREE.2 USB handsets for the road. The SOLO plugs straight into your ethernet network, and also functions as a tiny ethernet switch, providing a port for your computer if you only have one RJ-45 jack at your desk. It took me less than 5 minutes to get running with no “Quick Start Guide” crap or drivers required. Since I already had a fully juiced Skype account, the SOLO logged in flawlessly with no hassle. Happiness ensued.The full-color screen is easy to read and the angle can be adjusted. Unlike more “enterprisey” phones, there is no excess buttonage, and the unit in general is very easy to figure out and use. Despite a couple minor nitpicky items (could be easier to access voicemail, not enough speed-dial stuff, needs conferencing built in), the SOLO is a solid practical phone at less than $200 (USD) per seat.
If you are familiar with the free-1 then you’ll feel right at home with the free-1, it has the same clean layout and slick design as it’s predecessor with a few added tricks. First of all IPEVO have added a small LCD screen that allows you to view your Skype contact list direct from the phone. This is a big plus as it makes the phone a lot more independent, even though it must remain connected to a computer via USB. The second addition to the free-2 is the record button, a feature that lets you easily record your Skype calls.I’m less fond of the FREE.2. I suppose it works well for what it is, but I don’t like having to think about starting special software to take advantage of all the features. Everything should Just Work without having to worry about additional moving parts. (Oh, and everything should integrate flawlessly with Address Book too.) The hardware itself seems to work well enough, but until the software side is more streamlined and polished I’ll likely stick to headphones and the MacBook Pros built-in microphone.
IPEVO also offers a dedicated conference unit named XING which we may pick up in the future, but have not played with so far.
For more IPEVO Products please visit IPEVO Store
Labels: Amazon Products, IPEVO, PRODUCT REVIEWS, Skype accessories
posted by admin @ 01:09,
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Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 500GB hard drive Review
19 September, 2008
The Western Digital MyBook Essential Edition is a pared-down version of the MyBook Premium Edition that we reviewed. Available in sizes from 80GB to 500GB, this external hard drive features the same exterior design as the Premium Edition. It also uses the same 7,200rpm hard disk drive, so we expect the performance to be on a par with that of the Premium Edition. The Essential Edition drive has only a USB 2.0 connection (the Premium Edition can also connect via FireWire) and doesn't come with the EMC Dantz Retrospect software that ships on the Premium Edition. Also, the capacity meter on the "spine" of the drive glows green instead of blue.
More Western Digital Hard Drive visit Western Store
Labels: Amazon Products, PRODUCT REVIEWS, Reviews
posted by admin @ 00:53,
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Crysis Warhead Complete review
Crysis Warhead Complete Review
All of the claims you may have heard that Crysis could only run on nuclear-powered supermachines were greatly exaggerated. But if for some reason you worry that this stand-alone companion to the ultragorgeous first-person shooter will bring your PC to its knees, you should know that it's highly scalable and ran smoothly on a number of machines during our testing. It also looks better, with clear attention given to the game's artistic sensibilities and the lusher, denser environments. But rest assured, developer Crytek has enhanced more than just the graphics engine. Vehicles are more fun to drive, firefights are more intense and focused, and aliens do more than just float around you. More emphasis on the open-ended environments would have been welcome, but a more exciting (though shorter) campaign, a new multiplayer mode, and a whole bunch of new maps make Crysis Warhead an excellent expansion to one of last year's best shooters
If you didn't play Crysis, Warhead's story may be initially confusing, given that you hit the ground running with little exposition. You play as Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, the brash Brit who was a bit player in the original game. Psycho tends to play by his own rules, always willing to ignore orders and jump into the fray if that's what the situation requires. The story runs parallel to the events of Crysis, though his strident attitude--and a dramatic cutscene near the end of the game--definitely make this Psycho's tale, even if the actual plot remains the same. In any case, you and your US Special Forces team are investigating a tropical island besieged by North Korean invaders. However, your greatest menace comes in the form of aggressive aliens that turn the luxuriant jungles and glowing beaches into a frozen wasteland. You and your teammates, clad in nanosuits that grant you special abilities such as super strength, temporary cloaking, super speed, and additional armor, confront both threats across a variety of large environments. Psycho's brazen confidence does more than just establish a gutsy protagonist: It sets the stage for a more focused and intense series of battles that keep the pace moving more smoothly than before. Warhead still offers some of the same kind of sandbox levels, but thoughtful enemy placement and map bottlenecks keep downtime to a minimum. You can approach assaults on beachfronts and Korean encampments in a number of ways, so if you're a stealth enthusiast, you can employ your suit's cloak setting and sneak in, or attach a silencer to your sniper rifle and take out your human foes from a distance. If you would rather employ hit-and-run tactics, you can jump into the heat of battle, cause a ruckus, and use your suit's speed function to zoom away. However, Warhead is clearly focused on the guns-blazing approach, gently nudging you into full-on encounters with its mission objectives, character dialogue, and level design. When you reach primary and secondary destinations, you'll get besieged by large numbers of enemies, both human and (later on) alien. Given that human foes also don nanosuits, they're not necessarily quick to fall; as a result, these sequences are exciting and challenging, and you'll need to use your suit abilities and cover opportunities to your advantage. The easily triggered explosions of enemy vehicles and hazardous barrels further intensify these pockets of activity.
A number of set-piece battles confirm this slight shift toward action-packed mayhem. Your first encounter with a hulking alien war machine may not have the same impact as a similar one in Crysis, but it happens earlier than you'd expect, and it establishes the alien presence with adrenaline-fueled drama. That battle is a wonder, as is a later defensive mission that has you fending off a series of aliens, and requires you to shift focus frequently and use every weapon in your inventory. Another great sequence is a train level that, at first, seems much like similar sequences in a number of other shooters. You can stay on the train and use turrets to gun down the opposition, as expected--but you can also jump off and engage the opposition at any time, giving even this near-cliche sequence plenty of replay value. A linear journey through an underground mine is the obvious misstep in regard to level design, given that it never so much as hints at the open-ended action that makes Warhead a superb shooter.
If you played only that level, you also wouldn't see the host of improvements that power the action, particularly the improvements to alien artificial intelligence. The general design means that these robotic rivals will occasionally still be floating around above you, but they have more obvious smarts now, and they find ways to pummel you with ice pellets while remaining just out of sight, staying on the move, and using cover more often. Human enemies also seem more aware of their surroundings, flank you more often, and activate their nanosuits' armor to minimize damage. They also use the limited visibility that the jungle affords them quite well, hiding in brush to stay just out of sight. There are some remaining problems, particularly if you take potshots from a distance. Occasionally, the AI won't react when you snipe at an enemy, and foes using turrets will sometimes let you walk right up behind them. On the whole, however, Warhead makes clear improvements over the original in this regard, which in turn makes for better combat overall.Vehicles feel sturdy, which is just as well, because you'll be driving them often, either to cover ground more quickly, or just to take pleasure in mowing down enemies with your mounted weapons. You can have a good deal of fun blazing a trail through the jungle while showering your foes with steel death, and the destructible environments further exaggerate the devastation. A scene in which you speed across the tundra in a hovercraft is done particularly well, offering a good sense of speed but pushing you into enemy hotbeds, giving you the chance to stop and fight or zip away with a quick glimpse of Koreans riddling aliens with bullets.
The improved vehicle handling is also noticeable on one of the new multiplayer maps, on which two teams battle in--and out of--the tanks and helicopters scattered about. This is good stuff, and it showcases Warhead's new Team Instant Action mode, a mode noticeably missing from the original Crysis. It's just good old Team Deathmatch, but it's done well, and the maps are improvements on those of the original. Snipers are still a threat, but the size of the maps are better suited to deathmatch battles, and more thought and care seem to have gone into small but important factors, such as weapon-cache placements and player spawns. The Instant Action and Power Struggle modes are still accounted for, and many of the original maps return, offering a large suite of online options that make online Warhead combat more appealing than its predecessor. Note that unlike Crysis, the expansion requires the online component to be installed separately, and isn't accessible from the single-player game.
Both online and off, Warhead is a beauty. As mentioned before, the game looks better than Crysis, and it runs better too. A test machine that struggled a bit to run the original at high settings ran Warhead smoothly with the same settings. Yet as much as you may have heard about Crysis' technical prowess, you'll still be impressed when you feast your eyes on the swaying vegetation, surging water, and expressive animations. Don't overlook the improved art design, though, which surpasses the original's oft-sterile look thanks to several striking vistas, such as one featuring an icy naval vessel stranded in the frozen tundra. The audio is almost as terrific. Various creaks and groans make heading down a narrow glacial pathway all the more harrowing, and weapons sound appropriately powerful. The voice acting is strong, and the understated soundtrack sets the right tone without ever getting in the way.Warhead's single-player campaign should take you no more than six hours or so to complete, but not only does it invite multiple play-throughs, it costs only $30--and doesn't require you to own the original. In other words, there is no reason why anyone with a capable PC shouldn't play Crysis Warhead. It's more focused, it's more intense, and though it doesn't provide as much of the sandbox feel as Crysis veterans would wish for, it still delivers on every other front.
Review by: Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot
Labels: Crysis Wahread, PC Games Review, PRODUCT REVIEWS
posted by admin @ 00:53,
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LEGO Mars Mission MT-61 Crystal Reaper
10 September, 2008
Product DescriptionFrom the Manufacturer
The power to complete any mission. For any mission, on any surface, the MT-61 Crystal Reaper always has the equipment to get the job done. This rugged all-terrain vehicle is ready to collect the energy crystals needed to power the astronauts¿ vehicles and technology, but the alien strike-ship has a different plan.
For any mission, on any surface, the MT-61 Crystal Reaper always has the equipment to get the job done. With its twin spinning harvester blades, rotating treads, and a detachable spaceship, rover unit and research lab, this rugged all-terrain vehicle is ready to collect the energy crystals needed to power the astronauts? vehicles and technology. But the alien strike-ship has a different plan! Includes 3 astronaut minifigures, 2 glow-in-the-dark alien minifigures and commander alien minifigure! Comes with step-by-step instructions to make your MT-61 Crystal Reaper fully remote controlled by adding LEGO Power Functions. Requires LEGO Power Functions items 8881 Battery Box, 8883 M-Motor (x2), 8884 IR Receiver and 8885 IR Remote Control, all sold separately. Perfect for children ages 8 and upMORE LEGO SETS CLICK HERE
Labels: Amazon Products, Lego, PRODUCT REVIEWS
posted by admin @ 21:47,
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LEGO® Police Command Center 7743 From Lego Shop
Product DescriptionFrom the Manufacturer
LEGO® City Police Command Center (7743) - The ultimate crime-fighting vehicle! The police are able to keep watch and protect the city from anywhere with their mobile command center. The Police Truck is fully equipped with sides that open up, control room, tools, quad bike, and much more.
The police are able to keep watch and protect the city from anywhere with their mobile command center! The Police Truck is fully equipped with sides that open up, control room, tools, quad bike, and much more. Command station has a gate that really lifts open. The cab and trailer are detachable. With the cab attached, truck measures over 14". Includes four minifigures. 524 pieces.
Features
FOR MORE LEGO SETS CLICK HERE TO VISIT LEGO STORE BY AMAZON
Labels: Amazon Products, Lego, PRODUCT REVIEWS, Reviews
posted by admin @ 21:34,
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STALKER Clear Sky Preview
07 September, 2008
Life is not easy for a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Besides the excessive punctuation between the letters of your job title (making a complete muck of stalker business cards), you inhabit the Chernobyl exclusion zone inhabited by angry militants, well-armed bandits, and irradiated boar--all of whom would take pleasure in guttin' you, boy. We hit the zone running this week and are here to offer our final thoughts on S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, the prequel to the acclaimed Shadow of Chernobyl, before its release on September 15.Clear Sky is a shooter, pure and simple, but also throws in elements of role-playing and survival horror games. Weapons are rated in strength, accuracy, rate of fire, and overall condition, which all deteriorate over time. Luckily for you, enemies tend to drop their own weapons when they, you know, die, and you can grab low-level replacements at any time. There are also a number of parts like scopes and larger ammunition clips that can be combined with firearms to increase their respective attributes. Early on we can already say how fun it is to pimp out your gun with items earned in the heat of battle. Although there is no custom creation tool for your looks, the combinations of weapons and armor at your disposal are endless.
There's also somewhat of an economy at work in the zone, and you'll pick up rubles along the way that can be spent at trading posts throughout the area. After a few hours of capping bandits and stealing their loot, we stopped by a trader in hopes of purchasing a shiny new American shotgun. We had more than a dozen basic Russian shotguns along with a number of pistols, worth thousands of rubles. But no. Blame it on the radiation, the sinking dollar, whatever--the trader would only offer pennies on the ruble for our weapons, a total of about 300 RU. Of course, he wanted nearly 3,000 RU for his shotgun, so we casually tipped our hat and left his humble shack. There's hope that different traders will offer better prices for your wares, but we decided to take our economic frustrations out on the enemy instead of haggling with miserly shopkeepers.
The opening portion of Clear Sky takes place in the Great Swamp. There reside enemy factions, bandits, and the friendly faction by the name of--you guessed it--Clear Sky. Clear Sky claims it's doing research on the zone to discover the reason behind the sudden increase in explosive radioactive bursts that kill everyone in their paths. Something about an intruder had gotten past the Brain Scorcher to reach the center of the zone, and the zone isn't happy at all about it. (The writing and dialogue aren't going to win any awards, if you were wondering.)
To guide you through the swamp, you have a handy PDA. The map showcases friendly, neutral, and enemy locations, and also exactly how big the area is. While it remains to be seen how much of the zone is cut off by fields of deadly radiation early in the game, if you zoom out of the map, you can see that the exclusion zone is huge. That's good, because it's also filled with valuable artifacts that can boost your abilities and resistance to radiation, or be sold for heaps of rubles. Your PDA also has a list of primary and secondary objectives, and a handy button that will highlight their locations. Because the factions are fighting a dynamic war that developer Deep Silver claims is different every time, there is also a faction page that gives details on each group's combat strengths and resources. After we took out several enemy strongholds, it was admittedly a blast to see Clear Sky's borders and resources expand.Combat is basic first-person shooter fare, with a few twists. Particularly nasty bullet wounds will bleed, and you'll need to access your inventory for a bandage to stop the bleeding or else your health will continue to deplete. There are basic squad commands later in the game, but at this early stage we fought alongside Clear Sky soldiers. The health system is unforgiving, and you'll need to take lots of cover--this is not a run-and-gun shooter.
Clear Sky guides will escort you through the zone to previously unreachable locations. One such location was a stalker outpost located right next to a military base. Unfortunately for you, that particular military base is not friendly, and a soldier immediately opened fire with a mounted machine gun, forcing you to take cover behind boulders and trees--wait, not trees. Bullets slice right through the wood. After many deaths, we gave up trying to single-handedly take down the base and absconded to the stalker outpost for our next mission.Source: Gamespot.com
For more video game click here
Labels: PC Games, PC Games Review, PRODUCT REVIEWS, Reviews
posted by admin @ 10:03,
,
Life is not easy for a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Besides the excessive punctuation between the letters of your job title (making a complete muck of stalker business cards), you inhabit the Chernobyl exclusion zone inhabited by angry militants, well-armed bandits, and irradiated boar--all of whom would take pleasure in guttin' you, boy. We hit the zone running this week and are here to offer our final thoughts on S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, the prequel to the acclaimed Shadow of Chernobyl, before its release on September 15.Clear Sky is a shooter, pure and simple, but also throws in elements of role-playing and survival horror games. Weapons are rated in strength, accuracy, rate of fire, and overall condition, which all deteriorate over time. Luckily for you, enemies tend to drop their own weapons when they, you know, die, and you can grab low-level replacements at any time. There are also a number of parts like scopes and larger ammunition clips that can be combined with firearms to increase their respective attributes. Early on we can already say how fun it is to pimp out your gun with items earned in the heat of battle. Although there is no custom creation tool for your looks, the combinations of weapons and armor at your disposal are endless.
There's also somewhat of an economy at work in the zone, and you'll pick up rubles along the way that can be spent at trading posts throughout the area. After a few hours of capping bandits and stealing their loot, we stopped by a trader in hopes of purchasing a shiny new American shotgun. We had more than a dozen basic Russian shotguns along with a number of pistols, worth thousands of rubles. But no. Blame it on the radiation, the sinking dollar, whatever--the trader would only offer pennies on the ruble for our weapons, a total of about 300 RU. Of course, he wanted nearly 3,000 RU for his shotgun, so we casually tipped our hat and left his humble shack. There's hope that different traders will offer better prices for your wares, but we decided to take our economic frustrations out on the enemy instead of haggling with miserly shopkeepers.
The opening portion of Clear Sky takes place in the Great Swamp. There reside enemy factions, bandits, and the friendly faction by the name of--you guessed it--Clear Sky. Clear Sky claims it's doing research on the zone to discover the reason behind the sudden increase in explosive radioactive bursts that kill everyone in their paths. Something about an intruder had gotten past the Brain Scorcher to reach the center of the zone, and the zone isn't happy at all about it. (The writing and dialogue aren't going to win any awards, if you were wondering.)To guide you through the swamp, you have a handy PDA. The map showcases friendly, neutral, and enemy locations, and also exactly how big the area is. While it remains to be seen how much of the zone is cut off by fields of deadly radiation early in the game, if you zoom out of the map, you can see that the exclusion zone is huge. That's good, because it's also filled with valuable artifacts that can boost your abilities and resistance to radiation, or be sold for heaps of rubles. Your PDA also has a list of primary and secondary objectives, and a handy button that will highlight their locations. Because the factions are fighting a dynamic war that developer Deep Silver claims is different every time, there is also a faction page that gives details on each group's combat strengths and resources. After we took out several enemy strongholds, it was admittedly a blast to see Clear Sky's borders and resources expand.Combat is basic first-person shooter fare, with a few twists. Particularly nasty bullet wounds will bleed, and you'll need to access your inventory for a bandage to stop the bleeding or else your health will continue to deplete. There are basic squad commands later in the game, but at this early stage we fought alongside Clear Sky soldiers. The health system is unforgiving, and you'll need to take lots of cover--this is not a run-and-gun shooter.
Clear Sky guides will escort you through the zone to previously unreachable locations. One such location was a stalker outpost located right next to a military base. Unfortunately for you, that particular military base is not friendly, and a soldier immediately opened fire with a mounted machine gun, forcing you to take cover behind boulders and trees--wait, not trees. Bullets slice right through the wood. After many deaths, we gave up trying to single-handedly take down the base and absconded to the stalker outpost for our next mission.Source: Gamespot.com
For more video game click here
Labels: PC Games Review, PRODUCT REVIEWS, Reviews
posted by admin @ 09:50,
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ASUS Eee PC 900 16G (8.9" Display, Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB Solid State Drive, Linux) Pearl White Review
01 September, 2008
Product Description The new Eee PC 900 offers you more options for your mobile computing needs. Incorporating a shockproof design and weighing 2.18 pounds, you will find it "Easy to learn, work and play" - making it your best outdoor companion anywhere, anytime. The large 8.9? screen size allows for more screen space - making it more comfortable on the eyes reading and editing documents when viewing a single A4 page without the need to scroll left or right. On the top of this screen is the 1.3 Megapixel Webcamera that works synchronously with the 802.11b/g wireless to provide web conferencing anywhere, anytime for easier web communications and increased work efficiency. Another great feature is the built-in 16GB Solid State Disk (SSD) which offers 15 seconds boot times that makes for a quiet, energy saving, shock proof design, which is ideal for reporters, wildlife photographers and other like-minded outdoor enthusiasts. Preinstalled on the Eee PC is the Linux operating system, and Open Office for numerous office applications. Lastly the special FingerGlide makes operating the Eee PC easy and convenient through simple finger movements on the touch pad that allows for scrolling horizontally and vertically through documents by swiping two fingers up or down across the surface of the trackpad, or zoom in or zoom out of pictures by making pinching or stretching movement with your fingers. With all of these features the Asus Eee PC makes for a fantastic purchase as a well-equipped second PC or a Web access tool so beat the crowds, and get yours today before they sell out! Intel UMA Graphics Card 1.3 Megapixel Webcamera WiFi 802.11b/g Wireless 10/100Mbps LAN Hi-Definition Audio Speakers and Microphone Memory Card Slot - MultiMedia Card (MMC), Secure Digital (SD) Card, SDHC Connections - 3 x USB, VGA, Headphone, Microphone, RJ-45 (LAN) Approximate Unit Dimensions - 8.85? (W) x 6.69? (D) x 0.78? ~ 1.33? (H) Approximate
Product Details
Size: 8.9" screen
Color: Pearl White
Brand: Asus
Model: EEEPC900-W047
Dimensions: .79" h x 8.86" w x 6.69" l, 4.35 pounds
CPU: Intel Celeron 1000 MHz
Memory: 1000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 16GB
Processors: 1
Display size: 8.9Features
Easy to learn, work and play
Excellent mobile Internet device
Exciting multimedia enjoyment
shock proof
Excellent on the go
Size: 8.9" screen
Color: Pearl White
Brand: Asus
Model: EEEPC900-W047
Dimensions: .79" h x 8.86" w x 6.69" l, 4.35 pounds
CPU: Intel Celeron 1000 MHz
Memory: 1000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 16GB
Processors: 1
Display size: 8.9Features
Easy to learn, work and play
Excellent mobile Internet device
Exciting multimedia enjoyment
shock proof
Excellent on the go
Labels: ASUS EEE PC, EEE PC, PRODUCT REVIEWS
posted by admin @ 02:21,
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