Android Wear is Flawed and Here's Why

Android Wear is Flawed

Here’s why

     RIP smart watches. The reality is that both iOS’ wear and Android wear operating systems have a core mistake that make us misuse technology, unless we find a real use for the monstrosity we pack in these accessories. We have to rethink the reason we buy smart watches – or ordinary watches - from the very beginning.

they look nice

     This all started when I was giving a speech to new people on what the watch I am using is, since many people are curious about “the mini-phone toy watch” as they call it for having the three buttons and Sony on it, also having no depth unlike real watches. Despite not many people fully understanding it, they have mixed reactions on how useful it will be. I find it very useful because at least I can call and not lose my phone, with my Bluetooth headsets, I can call and do almost everything remotely, and thanks to the updates of the SW2, I can prewrite custom messages in different languages too, and the new watch faces are a lot better in features and customizability.

my watch I've had since launch

    But when I looked at the next generation of watches, and the present one, sure some of them look fantastic, but there are two big mistakes with all the next generation. The first is the insane processing power, and the second is the insane price tag. Read on to know why.



   As I mentioned in the second paragraph, smart watches are not for everyone. Some people find it unnecessary, some people just don’t have arms big enough (it’s true) and some people would rather buy gold or Swiss watch rather than a computerized watch. In fact, even though I am dependent on my watch, I don’t pull it out all the time, and to be honest it sometimes attracts attention when it beeps and shines thanks to the application ( Notification for SW2 ) . And when I call from it/answer a call, people think this is my phone rather than a watch. And when I use it to time someone, or set the timer, people think it is an advanced watch. It does almost everything I need to do while outside except make internet calls. There is no notification I miss, etc.

 variations are unique

    But with the phone disconnected, my options are limited. It is a Bluetooth accessory after all, so I can mainly only open to read texts, use the calculator and all the time apps, etc. Sony limited the options of third party apps to work without the pair. This is because the watch is inferior in processing and memory than all its peers, but with all you see above, does one really need more processing to do this? And when you consider the battery, and the open-source OS that Sony made?



    Android Wear is an OS that requires 4GB memory to exist, and a lot of RAM to run. Does that sound familiar? This is the reason why the price tag will keep it too high to be a popular item, and too low for a luxury item. It is the price of a high-end phone back in the days of 2011-2012. History is repeating itself!

image copyrighted not mine

    One more reason why I do not like the standard Android Wear is that it is also Google, and thanks to Google’s experiments on Google play services, with the introduction of Wear and L developing is made easier on the part of the GUI. Obviously, that is a good thing, but the worst part about this is what I wrote in a previous article that if the Google version of Android is the most dominant then alternate OS and Android Stores will not help this Linux-based OS we all know and love when each takes a different path. Luckily, there are many alternatives, and there are phones that run Android without Google, but how many of us are willing to switch to that? 



    Personally, I am using a different store than the Play Store, and while I can never live without the Google backup services, At least a watch should have reasonable price, a variant OS, and all the features I need. Like the fitness and camera variants, not all watches are suitable for everyone’s needs. So I believe that an OS with minimal hardware requirements is a beneficial OS because it allows the watch to have more important features like battery life and water protection.



   I admit, The LG Watch R looks fantastic, but I am still proud of buying the SW2 and do not believe it is outdated yet. 

The biggest mistake you are doing right now

The biggest mistake you are doing right now

old unrelated photo, XD sorry but I like it

    We are all doing this crucial mistake that if you avoid can change your life forever. It took me more than 2 years to realize the solution to this, and now that I have been successful.

    I remember my first android phone was an LG P970, which for all you newbs, is a 512MB RAM and a 1GHz flat-cored processor, and the android version around that time was 2.3, and it certainly was seeing an exponential decrease in quality from the very beginning. Clearly, android at the stage it got popular was still not a good phone to entirely replace your Nokia phone and laptop social media lifestyle, was it? 

this was my first, after 1 month I dual-wielded this and an S2

   Well, yes and no. Back then, nobody really used a phone correctly, not even the companies packaged the proper equipment to care for your smartphone properly. But what is correctly? Simply put, we need a way to keep the phone in a good condition as good as it came, i.e. no lag, no “viruses” and more battery life. But it is as if Android is an alkaline metal that comes out of the oil as soon as you open it, and the air just rusts it away so quickly. Even having a SIM card in the phone was an issue!

here's a picture of a car battery because I desperately want you to laugh at my joke even though it isn't funny.

   To counter this, some people started using it as a Nokia phone: aka only stock apps, not even linking a google account to the play store. However these people overcharged their phones and eventually reached the 6-month syndrome only 1 month late. Personally, I’d never do that to any phone I get. YOLO all the way; why would you waste buying a smartphone if it would become a light brick? And even then, it was always prone to overcharge, and the transformers that came with the phone had the output current as low as 0.7A even at the Galaxy Note (Android 2.3.5 era) which made charging slow and discharging fast because the current was bad. Since the battery always gives the phone a different voltage depending on percentage, performance of applications and particularly widgets was affected on a permanent level, and third party replacements for everything stock android should do from home to lock screens to SMS and dialers (root of course for the full replacement). Custom ROMs, that were dangerous at that stage, began to surface and even I used one for cooler widgets and lock screens. 

only 2009 kids remember this. or wait..

   The life of the phone was short, then it turned into the laggy pop up-infested phone that takes forever to load WhatsApp and open the stock keyboard, and then you’d leave the WhatsApp session to once or twice a day, giving out a little sigh and mentally reminding oneself to google an android emulator to use WhatsApp from before using. Luckily, people caught on that Android phones need to have more durability and that is not by not being able to personalize them like iPhones, which feel like I am borrowing a friend’s phone and cannot use to their fullest.

danmaku death was running smoothly though, even during heat

    Phone Manufacturers and eventually Google realized this, and began to change their policies. The manufacturers started first by adding “slow charging” notifications, then increasing battery life, adding battery saving modes, more settings to disable background apps more effectively, adding “fast charging” ability to their hardware, increasing POWER OUTPUT FROM THEIR CHARGERS FINALLY (sorry for caps) which allowed their more useful lock screen widgets to take effect and not eat battery unlike the custom ROMs sometimes. For stock Android to surpass mods is a great achievement, it is just like Minecraft vs Tekkit (oh… we still didn’t reach the industrial age in Minecraft yet, have we?) Nevertheless, it is a terrific feeling to an extent.

I'd hire you creepers :3

    Google’s response to the growth of Android was actually a bad one, but I have already talked about that in a previous Choose Your Death article (if android dies, I die). With the increasing Google Play services that apps depend on, in the future, apps will have less permissions unless they utilize Google’s services, which give G more control over your device. I’ll leave that for you to check the article yourself, else I geek out here.

from the forums of Androidcentral

   So, what does this have to do with your present day phone? Should you be safe and not use it at all?

    Actually, split the expected 3-year life of your phone into a few stages: new, 6-month syndrome, a year and above. It is not actually 6 months or a year, depending on your usage.

   New is when no matter what damaging pop ups, hundreds of spam apps you install, and malicious widgets you load along with the live wallpapers you use, your phone will always be new. At least at the first 3 months and then you will get the 6-month syndrome. At this stage, it is always best to restrict background data of the game apps only, and just explore the Play Store to your heart’s content, do not overcharge it, and your phone may make it before the 6 month mark.

yay a new picture!

6-month syndrome is when your phone apparently feels worn out, but the process is actually reversible. If you had been misusing the charger, replace the battery. At this stage it would be advisable to only start replacing home screen and keyboard from now (not when it was new) because  it can tolerate it still. You should continue to explore the Play Store, but do not hoard items in your storage (I had over 300 apps at this stage, reduced them to 254). You can still use the apps to their fullest while running, but the fitness or GPS apps will be a hindrance unless absolutely necessary.

  After 1-1.5 years, you will slowly start to open less apps, so feel free to uninstall. Because at this stage, the stock keyboard takes time, the malicious software is a bit too much. A factory reset at this point will get it close to a 6-month syndrome so whether or not you should reset is still unknown to my experiments, though I’d stick around for longer. This stage is a bit mixed into different stages, such as the 2 year mark where Samsung devices must replace their batteries or some models can completely electrically disconnect batteries like Lenovos, and there is too much to write here, and if I write it all in one sentence Word gives me a blue line which is annoying. Just Google an old device before you buy it (if you are into buying old/mid-ranged devices) because the forums everywhere can be accurate.

  It is important to note that software updates are bad at late stages because they do not get understood properly unlike when the phone was new. You might say that phones do not get software support for so long, but remember that if you misuse the phone you can quicken its life cycle.

   Did you know all these before? It took me a long time to investigate, and I haven’t been writing for the blog for so long that my sentences are too tall. So if you are still sticking around, thank you so much. I bought a mid-end phone recently just to test my theory (namely the S duos 2) and I just bought a high-end phone which I will compare and review quite soon.

How to sync Outlook Calendar to Google

How to sync Outlook Calendar to Google

This is an extremely frustrating idea that updates take humanity a few steps backwards by stopping the different services from talking to each other. Flash isn't supported for Android 4.0+ anymore, and now Google calendar refuses to sync with Google Calendar app on Android? What is this?

  Luckily for you, I am here to tell you how to fix that, and also mention a few useful quirks for Google Calendar App in case you have too many "calendars" loaded at the same time (you'll see why soon). I used a Samsung device for this, and it does not screenshot. Without further ado, let's dive in.

  So you probably used the app Outlook.com for your mail, right? In this tutorial, it is completely useless. It's sync calendar doesn't work. But you can keep it. I know I am.

 Well first step is to install the Google Calendar App. Don't open it.

exactly the Samsung one. from totalchoicehosting.com

  Next you need to go to the stock android app called "email" that looks like the stock SMS app too (depends on manufacturer) for comparison purposes, this app looks like this and is definitely pre-installed.

no sync for you, bad app

  Now if you still want to use Outlook.com for email, make sure you uncheck email sync from the next step.

  Open the stock email app, click the menu button, add exchange activesync account, go through the steps, make sure sync calendar is checked. After you are done with the process, go to settings, account settings, sync settings,  go to sync schedule and set it to five minutes.


  Close the email app, then open Google Calendar app, and it should be synced. If you have a problem you can again add the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync account but that's just repeating yourself.

    Now to the important thing: Calendars to display. On your Calendar app, click the menu button and then on calendars to display.

from makeuseof.com

   If you are using Outlook.com as well, you will find two of the same email: the one with many different calendars (such as "birthday calendar" and "USA holiday calendar") is your working calendar, and the other one is from Outlook.com. Make sure you uncheck that one, and then toggle the check of the working one. The calendar should be synced.

   Now that you are synced, go to the email app, and in the sync schedule settings and set it to push, because now you are good to go.

   If you have any issues, make sure that you toggle the email app settings before the Google Calendar's sync. There is a manual sync button at the email app. Try the email app first before you try the Google Calendar.

from thegeekdaily.com

    I hope this has solved the issue, and I find it really frustrating, as exporting and importing calendar to my Google account instead made me lose a lot of data, and I only needed to view it in the app rather than have it on my Google account.

Choose Your Death: The Future of Android

Choose Your Death: The Future of Android

This is the third entry in a series. Read the previous one here.

Is android dead?

   It may not look like it, but android is dying, and we can prevent it. But before we can come to that conclusion, we first need to dive into the history of Android.

   A simple Wikipedia search would tell you the open source software that originated from a camera software, but that is not the history we need to conclude evidence. It's the behind the scenes' little clues that rarely appear to the public. These clues were around us all along.

froyo wasn't good though

    Nowadays whenever you hear android, you hear Google. Google adopted android and created the Play Store. So there is pre-2.2 and post-2.2 for android store. Then the android fragmentation issue starting increasingly spreading, so Google countered that with Google Play services and a bunch of a few more API to help developers reach a wider audience, and save people with old phones from splurging money unlike the iPhone. Now, the Android site has the API for android L and the Wear even before the first android L software is out. 

Good interface, bad intentions

    Looks like Google likes working on an android software, right? Especially since it recently acquired Motorola and all of its future nexus devices and wearables will be on it, it seems like Google wants to continue forever, right?

Just put "phone" in-between the two words

    Wrong. Android was only a platform for Google to test its ground in. Then, after it becomes completely professional at it, it will launch Chrome OS for smartphones and eventually abandon Android, leaving someone else to care for it.

    Actually, the fact that Google wants to impose more Google apps to be built-in to the new android phone is just to have enough test subjects for more statistics and bug-fixing experience. Google is taking it slower than ever though, because it will go on for a longer while.

    These APIs for Google play services are also a test for its own OS, so instead of an android OS upgrade, you get to use Google's code instead. Take good note of this because this is the seed of Chrome OS.

    But so what? Android is open-source, and there are enough developers in the world ready to replace the play store with dozens when Google abandons it.



     Well, what about the hardware manufacturers? Things aren't looking too good for us there either. Samsung, the main competitor against Apple in the western market, is also making its very own operating system: Tizen OS. With Samsung's stunning success to android exclusive updates and having a big global market share, for it to leave the Android market is to leave a real big gap. Luckily, there is no point in worrying about that as there are many other manufacturers that have the potential to adopt devices. I am not talking about Sony, HTC, or all that, but rather any local vendor.

    Honestly though, I am not worried as much in the near future about main supporters of android abandoning it. There are Huawei phones that exist without the Play Store that run android, as well as various Nokia devices. However, the threat is there, and will continue to grow in the next few years, and it will be alarming.

very creative and innovative and artistic logo.

On the other hand, Google is not only gaining benefits from open source then planning to abandon it; the search giant is also trying to take this migration in steps, and ensure developers would want to switch over to Android One, which Google controls. I know it’s tempting as a developer or as a phone manufacturer to switch there, but it’s sad and destructive.

Above all else, remember to choose open source software, because you can. Nobody wants a world where we can’t be programmers or engineers because everything else has been patented or owned by someone else. Especially that software can be owned, patented, and privatized. It’s duplication isn’t always as successful either.

Mini Speaker: Mini Bees Hands-on Review

Mini Speaker: Mini Bees Hands-on Review

  Found a cute Chinese office toy of your favorite droid and decided to splurge money on it blindly without understanding the controls? Well, fear not, because I have included a video that figures out how to start it up and use it.


 Now, I didn't explain the Radio feature because I realized it afterwards. Just adding the audio jack alone will serve as the antennae.

   Turning it on will automatically turn it to radio mode where it will keep scanning the FM channels. After it's done, you can briefly rotate his head back and forth just like the MP3 version.

  The only different controls are the play and pause, that just re-initiate the scanning of the radio channels.

  The speakers do have clean sound, but every time you press on and off, everything resets, which isn't good. Also, the maximum volume is great but not fantastic. Every time the device is turned on, all settings reset to default, and radio mode is on.

  I hope that these are enough instructions for you to not feel ripped off and try again. This speaker isn't cheap: it really does as advertised.

Dear iPhone 6 haters

Dear iPhone 6 haters

  Oh you Android fans throwing tomatoes at iPhone for copying Android very late because it’s out of ideas. How dare you insult iPhone 6 like that?

  Actually, you should direct more hate on it, but this time the obtuse iPhone zombies might wrongly accuse us of being jealous on the iPhone 6. Of course, nobody has the right to insult the users themselves, so we just start pointing out how slow-paced the iPhone series is, right?

  Ron’s joke was good, but when Samsung and HTC gang up like that, we don’t look very good at making fun unless we are innovative. So let’s spread our innovativeness by sharing these kind of user-generated jokes along social media. Android fans should always remind the rest of the world why supporting open-source products is the only thing that is saving humanity from destruction (by titans!)

  Initially I also thought of comparing an iPhone 6 with the Motorola Nexus 6, because since Google bought Moto and the Nexus series is closer than ever to being Google’s perfect realization of the Android OS, but it has not yet been revealed completely.

   What about initial thoughts on the Apple Watch? It’s probably going to be a total rip-off, however with outside looks it’s almost on par with the Samsung Gear models, I’ll give it that. It does look glossier that Sony’s previous retro edgy looks on the sides. But with their surprisingly bulky buttons, it barely feel like what I expected the iWatch would turn out to be.

   What do you think about the misleading title? Be honest. The rest of the articles aren’t so misleading.

September Smartphone 2014

September Smartphone 2014

thanks to this blogger for transparent eyes

    
   Every beginning of an academic year, and most people do a back to school shopping spree, nerds do their own hunting. This year we’ve got a lot of smartphones that just load more numbers and more digits into their processors but what we really need to limit ourselves with here is functionality.

  Although I say that and here is a specifications comparison of the four flagship native KitKat phones, namely the LG G3, the Sony Z2, the Samsung S5, and the HTC M8.

  Before the comparison tables, I was actually reluctant to include the HTC, because their model numbers are simply confusing, and they always try to remake every model they have. They are going to make a Windows Phone model out of this too.

  What’s special is that all these phones were released in 2014, which made me drop the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 out of the list although it should be worth comparing.

   This year around I shall consider the budget phone of the year, which, surprisingly isn’t an android. Let’s introduce it first: The Nokia Lumia 525. As any living human being, I always advise that the RAM of a smartphone have to be => 1GB and no less. Nokia loves to trick you into not getting one of these, and their apparently well-sold Lumia 520 is very similar with the exception of RAM.

   Budget phones are not just about the initial price; it’s also about the lifespan. Generally dual core 1 GHz phones should have a good life span if the OS allows it. iPhones degenerate quickly, and so do Android phones if used extensively, or connected to shady networks. Nokia’s version of any software is usually the safest to go, however it’s best to have a full experience on any phone, so steer clear from the Nokia X and Nokia XL as they do not have proper Google Play stores, while the Windows phone does. Microsoft also has some cool cloud and other services, and if you are an Xbox fan it’s a bit of a plus.

click to enlarge

*=two different models exist with 16GB,2GB RAM and 32GB, 3GB RAM respectively


   Now that Sony decided that increasing phone resolution is not worth the battery life drop, I am really considering waiting for the PS4-game enabled Xperia device. Hooray for smuggling video games into study areas!

  As for the table, this time I’ve went on to do something new and almost completely try to omit the extremely similar features and repetitive ones. Since these flagship smartphones are directly competing with each other, the main focus will be on the differences rather than similarities.

  The CPU, GPU, Chipset, etc., are exactly the same for all. The native OS is as well as Bluetooth, so I only included some of them because they are more important. Mainly, all these Quad-core processors are of equal caliber, and there shouldn’t be a great difference in there, but the LG sure has stepped up its game by including two models, and one of them (the 32GB internal storage one) has a whopping 3GB RAM. 

   Most people consider this a “Shame on you, Samsung” because the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 had 3GB of RAM, and the S5 looks like a downgraded version released in the wrong order of time. But compared to every other manufacturer it doesn’t lose much ground.

  Apparently HTC M8 is planning to rob iPhone of its user base, with no need to change the SIM card or try to fit it into a small adapter in order to use an Android device right now. Speaking of the odd measures of HTC, they have a phone with a dual 4MP? What does that mean? It means it is essentially 4MP, but with better brightness and faster focus on images and videos. If you already have a digital camera, then trying something new is not bad, but it sure is a little bit of a risk to get a flagship phone with the inferior camera. However, for selfie enthusiasts, this phone is better than your iPhone for taking a front-camera selfie with back camera iPhone quality. Have you ever seen a phone with 5MP on the front? HTC really targets the iPhone users this time.

   A sad point to note is that Samsung is using the new charger, which is why I colored the USB field black to contrast. Version 3.0 of the micro-USB is actually something like a micro-USB version 2.0 with a smaller version stuck to it. The micro-USB v2.0 is just the normal one we use on most android and even old Nokia and Samsungs. Of course the Samsung Galaxy S5 is backward compatible, but that just means one more sophisticated cable in your house. You’d want to need it for faster transfer speeds on your laptop, as my 1TB hard drive really goes smoothly with that cable as well, so it’s not a lie, but personally, I believe it’s not worth it unless you live alone. Most people who live in a family probably store their old mobile phones for headsets and chargers, or even other family members are likely to buy from the same manufacturer. Generic Nokia phones had a standard, newer iPhones now have a standard, most Android devices have always maintained their unspoken rule about standards, so why now, Samsung? You were the early adapters of micro-USB v2.0, why are you selling it out now?

  Both Sony and Samsung were competing really hard with the camera specifically. The Xperia has the higher MegaPixels at 20.7 which is magnificent, and the resolution is probably better (more square-ish) than Samsung’s. It is amazing though, that you can record a video on a phone with a resolution higher than the screen itself. Playback is a waste on the cell phones now!

  Things I forgot were that the Galaxy S5 and the Xperia Z2 are both waterproof.

  LG is quite spectacular with the screen this time, completely winning in the pixel density war as well as the resolution. Having a lower brightness on one of the earlier adapters of the Corning Gorilla Glass series is a plus point. Most people assume that brighter is better just because it is a word that mathematically refers to a positive change in a variable, but actually a screen with lower brightness is a lot less stressful on the eye, and also heats up less. Of all my experience, a Samsung phone with an AMOLED display would heat from the front extremely, to the point where the “dust” on your hand would electrostatically become released from your fingertip. An LG device normally heats up whenever the 3G or the screen are on and white light is displayed, but only the upper part where the upper speaker and wifi are positioned. Glad that Samsung is using Gorilla Glass 3 this time around.

  I almost went through everything, and I did not really intend that, but for now I will delay all the other points regarding general phone issues to a later date. Which phone appeals to you most, and are you actually planning to buy a flagship this September? It is the beginning of the academic year, so I’d love quick responses in the comments below. Play More Zelda!

Top 3 Underrated Tech Gadgets of all Time

Top 3 Underrated Tech Gadgets of all Time

   Remember when, as a kid, you wanted to become a spy? When you hoarded a huge amount of sunglasses and walkie-talkie looking plastic objects? Those were the days, man.

   So now, when sending a file via Bluetooth no longer fascinates us, is there something out there to spark our excitement, as a tech geek and/or a child? I hope these three I found can fascinate you as I did.

 #1: Android phones with T9 keyboards

  Okay, so T9 keyboards are the best keyboard ever, and android is the best mobile software ever, so why not combine both and feel the shiny awesomeness? Samsung has already done that for you stuck-in-the-past ‘90s kids. Twice, actually. And nobody knows that! It’s like Samsung whispered it to China’s ears the second time and I have no idea what happened to the first. If you can get your hands on one, and you can speak Mandarin, then root that device to English already and duplicate it with your magic wand or something. How did you get it from the start unless you had a magic wand, right?


  On a side note, this probably isn’t the first android T9 phone of all time, just is for Samsung.

First, the SCH-W999 . The first T9 Samsung device that has entered the realm of internet and runs native android 2.3. If that’s not awesome, then I don’t know what is. Take a look.

from technave.

  The second one is the one released in 2013 which led to all the rumors about a Samsung Galaxy Folder (?) just because the phone can flip (??) seriously people, where are you all copy-pasting this from? Just because Samsung patented a dual-screen phone with mechanics doesn’t mean that China is their experimental grounds. China, home to more than 1 billion people, is a great market for large numbers and more accurate statistics, but more importantly, it’s a market! The customers are real people, not experimental bots, ok?

from Sammyhub.

   Pretty cool phone right? You can read more about it from here, since, this post isn’t about it entirely anyway.

#2: Audio jack adapters

  I don’t even know why in 2014 we still have 2.5mm audio jacks around. My Xbox controller has it, Nokia phones have it (well, not in all phones), and I have no idea who even has working 2.5mm headset that doesn’t buzz if it goes to a different manufacturer’s device, or one in a different year of production. 

  We just have to thank these little adapters for existing, because they can let us use our expensive apple headsets on a GPS lacking device, so the NSA couldn’t track us down, and also because it’s an extinct beauty. 

  Like the 2.5mm jacks, their adapters are obviously and eventually going for a really close death. But until then, they deserve a salute.


#3: Kreyos smartwatch

It looks geeky, it was there before the Sony Smartwatches AND it’s multiplatform. I would’ve bought it first except that the only way to get it was online. I seriously think it should be more popular than the qualcomm toq.


So what electronic device that you think is very useful or cool that wasn’t mentioned in this short list? Comment below what you feel.

Why Oculus opened RakNet

Why Oculus opened RakNet

image from digitaltrends

   My predictions were right on the spot, again as expected. Allow me to use this entire paragraph as proving that my fortune-telling skills were right and to celebrate this yet again.

   Now that boasting is over, let’s get right back on topic. Why did Oculus make RakNet open source the moment they bought it? Well, the obvious benefit is encouraging more developers, which would bring indie developers, more attention from developers’ fans and novice developers, and more importantly, modders. These are the groups of the gaming society that usually come first, then gamers come hurrying along, but only a good bunch of them have gathered like bees on nectar.

  Expanding the games library is very crucial step towards actually becoming the new Xbox or DS. Speaking of Xbox, RakNet is also what Sony’s Virtual Reality headset, Project Morpheus uses. Cross-platform online games could become more powerful, more interactive, more always online. This would also mean ease in cross-platform releases, so that Oculus can reach Sony’s fanbase too, since developers will be encouraged to make games for Oculus they’d also be willing to make it compatible with Japan’s dominant gaming console (even if VR doesn’t catch on now, by logic, there is a huge existing dedicated gamers for Sony more than Oculus). Xbox has a lot to catch up on now!

  Here lies a question that only you can answer: can Oculus be trusted? After Facebook bought it, Facebook probably want to expand its test subject base to a group that will not escape so easily. After Facebook’s famous psychology experiment involving two colleges, can we really trust them?

  It is a shame to admit, but we gamers have problems with “escaping” a game, because most people who play games at some point say they use it to escape reality. If you begin to play this virtual reality game, you escape reality even more than just the screen. Even without the screen, gamers can go to extreme levels just to make sure that at the end of the day, they’ll have 4 hours of gameplay uninterrupted, even going into fire to save one’s Xbox. A single player life simulation game can easily let me lose track of time, but multiplayer is worse, because it involves real human rivals for resources.

   Simulations were always used in special training, pilots being one good example to test these equipment, thus assessment criteria was obviously well established a long time before we even heard of virtual reality. Consequently, it will be so easy to test your reactions, train you for more puzzle solving, or just simply make a gigantic maze game that is the exact replica of a lab rat’s and measure the differences in speed of figuring out that you needed to push the ball uphill or something (bonus points for fMRI).

   Even in an MMO, everyone eventually passes by the same quests, and it is easy to draw a pattern in the sequence of these quests, and from them give a conclusion on what kind of test would suit this user more than the next. It would also say a lot about behavior, cleverness (been so long since I used that word) and potentially expose you to be “sold” to other scientists who only want a certain group for testing (e.g. people with higher IQ, people who didn’t flee the first time they entered the boss room, etc.) or more realistic stuff, like whether you are fit in real life, real life depression, age group, smoking, sensitivity to loud sounds (that’s actually a thing) and so on. 

  The best part of this to the scientists is that they can zip through all the legal stuff and test. Gamers are like real prisoners now, because they are actually there in real time, with all external factors excluded. Imagine this: would you look away when you see something twice your size, or did you accidently click on the controller because your brother threw his toy at you? Most probably the former, because your parents won’t even leave you disconnected so much for you to even get that far in the game to become worthy of holding the title of Test Subject in the first place. Unlike social media, logging out is not so simple. There will probably be so much to lose when you do that: hourly events such as Bonus Time in Happy Wars, penalty for death.

I am using the word test subject for a reason!

   These little little candy are what keep us continuing on and on, because in online games, it’s a race, and usually the one with less life wins, gets to spawn kill higher level monsters all the time and boss around a group of midgets to PK anyone who gets close to his hunting grounds. Then when he’s done, he PKKs them and comes back to town as the rich hero of high reputation, and anyone who says the truth are just haters who will be treated like mute criminals forever.

  Other players are aware of that, and won’t give up the race so easily. That’s why they’ll grind and grind in a real time system that would feel like labor and go on for real life days. These people are the most vulnerable to testing, because we all know that even when they realize that the game is messing with them, they are not ready to log off and check the forums, because they are willing to forgive the game for this “bug” and that “glitch” just because he’s grown attached to his new toon and has to make it stronger as soon as possible before surprising others.

   Going back to the original question, will we really trust Oculus after Facebook acquired it? Let us know your opinion in the comments. Don’t forget to read the last choose-your-death article, because there might be more. Play More Zelda!  

What Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus Rift really means for gamers

What Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus Rift really means for gamers

    Facebook recently bought a virtual reality company called Oculus Rift. Bad news. Really bade news.

it'll be worse with VR, but it'll be cooler

    I’m sorry for being so pessimistic. Let’s look at the future in another way, if there is a future. I could write a Choose Your Death article on this, but it’s too typical. So, why did Facebook purchase VR headset designers? To control their minds? Because glassholes aren’t enough to cause a zombie apocalypse, and Facebook wants to rival G+ on the fate of humanity? That VR headset is obviously for anything other than walking casually. Then again, maybe the Oculus Rift didn’t have a design cut for Virtual Reality games that much.


This was amazing though.
 I'm impressed!

    Remember that Rift is almost like a pioneer in trying to make VR enter every normal household. Making something mainstream doesn’t go right from the first try. It’s like trying to light a campfire when it’s your first time. They need all the resources they can get their hands on, including the soaked branches. Facebook’s support will most certainly allow more research in VR to consumers, maybe it’s the wrong step, but it’s a step nonetheless.


    It’ll all be the problem of that they’ll enable the hardware to know stuff about you that you didn’t want, such as GPS all the time, heart rate, mood (I mean, come on, it’s on your brain, surely they’ll be able to detect your brain waves in an instant). Probably, they can also tase you, deafen you, blind you, etc. but on purpose. The risk of brain cancer and all these stories related to using computers on your head, such as phones, will not differ in this case, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is that if Facebook suddenly decided to help the poor thieves out and make you blank out for them to sneak into your house and take that new 4K smart TV you just bought. Or if some hacker managed to do it.

Photoshop is just not my thing, but I'll keep trying anyway

   The weird thing is that Facebook might actually do those things. I read once that they save all the deleted posts, before they were even published the first time, without your consent. Why? Because they wanted to know why you deleted and understand what people want, or so they said. I don’t anyone seeing that I deleted “i gpt an new headsey” and typed in “I got a new headset.” instead; it was just that I was typing on my smartphone with the wrong hand, and there is no reason to investigate the trend of trying to correct spelling mistakes. However, Facebook wants to have CONSTANT pulse of feedback about you, and your location, and what phone you use. Emphasis on location.

   But now Facebook can now your iris shape, and maybe that’ll be the new password. So, when thieves come to steal, they’ll amputate your finger for the iPhone 5S, and enucleate your eye for the device. Great, now all we need is a skateboard that unlocks with your weight or socks that power on with your toe prints, so you’d end up with only your left side healthy. We really need a better system, like DNA marking by GPS so we’d all be doomed into slavery, but at least nobody can steal that device from beneath our skin… oh… wait.

more technology relying on that it can only be unlocked by you, not by memories of PINs

   Either way, say goodbye to gaming on this model of the Oculus Rift. Facebook has plans to redesign the logo, thus it’s safe to conclude that Facebook wants to make a slimmer model to be able to rival Google Glass. I’m not sure about allowing real life visibility though, because that would ruin the purpose of VR. It could be like shutters or blinds so they’d be “safe” for street roaming, but not losing at the VR side. That may look like a bad idea, but that will spark better ideas that will define what VR will ultimately be used for.

Imagine playing a zombie shooting game in HD?

   Whether its real screens, to holograms, to VR, social media should not come in before games. MMO games should not be first, despite all the anime in Japan about that VR must be MMO. First, it’s actual solo games laying the carpet, preparing the core gameplay elements. Then social and MMORPGs can follow. If we start the other way around, the internet will be experimenting with our minds. Yes, I watch too much anime, but who doesn’t? Play More Zelda!

Galaxy Gear Comparison

Galaxy Gear Comparison  

  Now with more variations of the Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, it seems that Samsung is trying to cover its mistake by making many options for us to choose from. Although in actuality, aren’t they all the same?

  First, and foremost, what is Samsung’s mistake that they are trying to cover? I don’t know either. It’s a hypothetical question. Just kidding. While I may believe the problem is not hardware related, but rather marketing related, I know what measure they’re taking to avoid whatever mistake it was: and that is to add superior hardware and more features which you do not know if you’d use. In fact, it’s the same approach with the new smartphone S5, even though that doesn’t make it a bad thing for the smartphone. For a watch, however, what are the chances that there’d be a huge difference between an 800MHz and a 1GHz Dual-core when you never use it?

  I have a feeling this is just to get a higher price, but let’s talk technically. Here's a comparison of the specs, even though not all the specifications are confirmed.

  I believe that the Gear 2 and the Gear Neo are almost, if not exactly, the same, with the exception of the camera. Not sure what they want here, even though it’s good not to include a camera. Some people are allergic to cameras, no joke. Many places in some Gulf countries are not allowed to have cameras, and it’s good to consider everyone.

  All the generation 2 has a new OS, which is a hybrid between Samsung’s OS that it plans to introduce to the smartphone market, and compatibility for android devices. Again, it’s only for the new Samsung Galaxy devices, with no shame to the square screen, with the exception of the Fit, acting like a banner or a neon sign on the top of a shop with those fearless dimensions of its.

   There is now water resistance, and a heart rate monitor. The Fit also claims to have better battery. That’s very impressive. What isn’t, however, is the better processor, because you won’t need it. I am talking because I bought the Sony Smartwatch 2 so I am not looking for a replacement. The only thing that the Gear 1 has over the SW2 at that time was the ability to emulate full android apps. But the SW2 never lagged with me despite having inferior processing power. Also, speakers are embarrassing, which is a bonus point to the Gear Fit, since it won’t answer your call.

  There isn’t much for me to say after this. I’d like you to examine the table once more. Which part is more significant to you. Which watch would you choose? Tell us in the comments, and Play More Zelda!

P.S. This was written in Word 2013, and it’s quite annoying. Powerpoint is ruined, and Word is frustrating. Don’t even ask for a review.

Just look at all the blue mistakes, because I wrote “I’d” instead of “I would”, or that ending the sentence with from is a little informal. As a gamer, I always want to score perfect. Naturally, I usually like to go for a perfect-looking document, but now I’m nowhere near close to satisfying Word. It’s always suggesting new things to write even when the old ones are 

Choose your death: Google’s WWIII

Choose your death: Google’s WWIII

Google's motto deciphers into the exact opposite

      Google is opening the double doors to Hell, also known to optimists as the Future. Why is that? Sure, there is enough evidence for every other tech company to have the potential to become the next Shinra. However, we cannot live in fantasy forever, and we should update our vision of the future, because the future is shaping right in front of us.

it won't remain an innocent carriage donkey for long

    First, and most apparent, the eight robotics that Google purchased by the end of 2013. Why? Google, the dominant search engine that has an open-source smartphone software and can potentially professionalize any computer-related industry, is not trying to make robots replace humans’ jobs. This theory is over-used, and while yes, it is beginning to surface in Japan, might not be as radical and pivotal in hanging the weight of all humanity as military robots might be. People like us don’t even have a say in these things. It’s disgusting as to how our race don’t even learn from our mistakes, we are taught history in school and don’t comprehend the logic that made wars arise. One simple thing we should know is that it’s one person’s discrimination and misunderstanding that led to both World Wars.

   I am not against robots at all: in fact I am very progressive and open-minded, but military robots are a different thing. Usually, I’d fake braveness, but I am not stupid enough to go stand in front of a gundam or a nightmare like Princess Euphemia just because I’d assume the person inside would have any morals left. That is, if there is anyone inside in the first place. See, the biggest problem is, we aren’t going for gundam, but we are going for a group of giant automated arthropod-like buggies that can aim and shoot all on their own, not without connecting to your smartphone and auto targeting based on what your brain is looking at, that don’t require a person inside to operate. That’s the biggest mistake right there. No, I will not go and explain how robots might have a mind of their own because that’s far-fetched, but I am saying that even when obeying orders, military robots are just what they are: mass-murdering machines.

at least this one has a human inside, for now. The reason why I think that they'll be automated is because of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. Anything is possible, and what made the leap in our current day technology is the WWII, as necessity is the mother of invention.

Despite what she looks like now, she's actually a good character... I understand if you never believe me again though.

     Now, why copying insects, arachnids, and myriapods will be all the rage in the future? Simple: Boston Dynamics is copying mammalians right now but what is the most dominant class on the planet? Insects. These not always detritivores are very successful in a countless number of features, but they are often joined with other arthropods in their detritophage niche. In our case, robots never feed, and insects never had shortage of food as a problem, and being the most successful beings they are, I don’t see why aliens would talk to us rather than talk to the real ones governing the planet.

arachnid, but all the same.

      But most insects are herbivores. So there might be shortage of food for them sometimes. That’s why you should take a look at what is happening all around you: metamorphosis. Not only inclusive to insects, this amazing process allows changes in diet, type of locomotion used (Wings!), and etc. Combined with insects’ co-evolution with plants, the future will simply be a lot deadlier if beetles suddenly became titanic and started eating humans. It's like upgrading hardware of you desktop PC, except on a bigger scale.

not a predator.. yet

    But this is not a scientific research on why cats aren’t as cool as bugs, but rather that the way science mimics animals, which are way more successful than us in adaptation just the way they are. Now mirroring them while adding really hard metal alloys and featuring a human size, and then the rest of humanity has but to say its prayers.

worst part of the whole story is, that the idea is already used in real life.

   Just kidding. Or am I? I’ll leave you judge. But it’s not like these 750+ words will change the future anyway. Next thing we should be doing to counter this is building towns that look like anthills or something instead of burying underground to hide from planes (or in our case dragonplanes or aeroflies) or living in giant ships that have the exterior representing other animals. This may seem like rant to you, but after 80 years it might not be so. Until then, Play More Zelda!

ants are chemists!

Here's some non-violence related but potentially creepy robots.
This might be a series. But if you don't like it, at least head by the souvenir freebies before you leave the blog.