Contents:
Review of Labyrinth 2 for iPhone/iPod Touch
Labyrinth 2 is the latest version of Illusion Lab’s Labyrinth iPhone/iPod Touch game. Way back in August of 2008 I compared the original Labyrinth with Jirbo’s Marble Mash and Labyrinth won. So, let’s get to the review:
What: Labyrinth 2 (iTunes Link)
Price: $4.99
Age Group: 9+
Difficulty Rating: 1-10 Depending on Rating of Level Pack
Fun Rating: 9.5
Good:
Lots of new items to make levels more challenging and fun.
More levels can be downloaded.
Different level packs with varying difficulty.
Bad:
Some levels are hard.
Multiplayer requires Wi-Fi.
A little expensive.
Overall, this is a great game and gets a five out of five.
Macworld 2010 Thoughts
I have been going to Macworld in San Francisco for many years now. In past years, it has been a huge show, but this year it was much smaller. I was there in my MacKids T-Shirt, and I thought I would summarize the event for those of you who couldn’t come.
The show floor, which used to be in Moscone Center’s big room and small room was only in the small room this year. It was smaller because Apple wasn’t there this year. There were less than half as many booths, and since so many companies went to CES this year, there were less new products.
Of all the products I looked at, I only bought one thing:
A company called Scosche was selling a solar-powered battery that can power any USB device. More info is at http://www.scosche.com/products/sfID1/210/sfID2/318/productID/1905
Targus was having hourly raffles at their booth, and at the final raffle, where they were giving out their display models, we won a Bluetooth mouse, which I am using now. More info is at:
http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.aspx?sku=AMW51US
Fastmac had a cool wall outlet that had built-in powered USB ports for powering your devices. My dad bought one and I will let you know when it comes. More info: http://store.fastmac.com/product_info.php?products_id=458
If you got to go to Macworld and found anything interesting, post a comment!
Computer Poems: The Windows Blues
Sorry about the long gap between posts, but now I have a lot of content coming up in the next few weeks. Here is the next computer poem.
I’ve got the Windows blues,
Oh yes I doos,
I ‘ve got the Windows blues.
A thousand times it’s froze,
So I feel so lows,
Oh my PC has froze.
Windows 7 looks no brighter,
So I feel no lighter,
About this new update.
I’ve stayed up so late.
I’ve gone through a thousand hard drives,
Each one no longer alives.
My computer is discontinued,
The only parts I can get are used.
I’ve got the Windows blues,
Oh yes I doos,
I’ve got the Windows blues.
Review of Skee-Ball
Merry Christmas! If you haven’t checked out last year’s Christmas post, you should, it is very funny. You can find it here.
Skee-Ball is an iPhone/iPod Touch game. This is our MacKids review of it.
We’ll start with some explanation.
Skee-Ball is that classic arcade game where you roll a ball up a ramp and try to get it into a cup. This game is just like the real game, complete with the tickets. You can buy custom balls and other things with your tickets.
And now for our review:
Good: The graphics are good, the controls are easy, and it is a lot like the real game. I really like that you can buy balls that you can use. This is one of my favorite games.
Bad: The only bad thing I can say about this game is all of the prizes, except the custom balls, are useless, but that isn’t a big deal. You don’t have to buy them.
Difficulty Rating: 7
Fun Rating: 9
Age Range: 8+
Price: $0.99
Where: (iTunes store link) Skee-Ball
Overall, this game gets a five out of five!
Enjoy!
Mac 911: iBook G4
I recently got an iBook G4 for school stuff from the Low End Mac swap group. When it arrived, it turned on after a couple of tries. The previous owner had installed 10.4 on it, so I started using it. During the second set of updates, it froze while installing a security update. After that, it would boot up to the Apple logo with the spinning ball and froze there. I tried booting it off of all the discs we had (10.2, 10.3, 10.5) but it wouldn’t turn on. It wouldn’t read 10.2 or 10.5 and gave me a circle with a line through it for 10.3. We got 10.4 CDs and started it from them, but Disk Utility said the hard drive was bad. So, I pulled the 100 gigabyte drive out of my PowerBook G3. We took the iBook apart (last week’s InsideR Secrets) and put in the new hard drive. We had to remove about 50 screws to get the hard drive out. Once the new drive was in, we booted it back up from the 10.4 disc, and it worked. We installed 10.4, and it has worked since. I am blogging on it now.
InsideR Secrets: iBook G4
Today’s InsideR Secrets photo is the inside of my new iBook G4. It doesn’t work yet, but we will be replacing the hard drive soon, and then hopefuly it will. Enjoy!
Review of Sky Burger
Sky Burger is an iPhone/iPod Touch app.
My dad bought Sky Burger a while ago, and he let me play it on his iPhone. It seemed like fun, so I downloaded it. Now I can’t stop playing it! I thought it deserved a review.
We’ll start with a little background:
Quote from app description:
Sky burger puts you to work stacking burgers to order! Catch the right ingredients as they fall from the sky, and don’t forget that top bun when you’re done!
Good:
Fun and addicting!
Starts easy, gets harder.
Perfect for passing time when you’re bored.
Bad:
Makes me hungry!
Higher levels are hard!
Age group: 8+
Difficulty Rating: 1-10 depending on level
Fun Rating: 10
Price: $1.99
Where: (iTunes store link) http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311972587&mt=8
Overall, this is a great app! In fact, it is our first review to get a five out of five!
Twoey! IIe! Tooeeeee!
You may be asking, “What? Twoey? What are you talking about?!?!” I can explain. When I was in fifth grade (last year), we did reports on famous Americans. I got Steve Wozniak. I barely knew who Steve Wozniak was, so I did some research. He was co-founder of Apple with his friend Steve Jobs. He designed the Apple I, II, and III, and built the Apple I.
Back to my report. For my report, I really wanted to have an Apple II. I managed to get a non-working one to show for my report, then I had to give it back. I still wanted one of my own. That was almost a year ago, and just a few days ago, an Apple IIe arrived. I had bought it on eBay a few days before.
It included the IIe, a Disk II floppy (really!) drive and its manual, some software, and the original manual for the IIe. The eBay listing said that it was from 1983, but the motherboard said 1982. We had an old monitor out in the garage that my dad said he used with his Apple II. Turns out I heard him wrong, and the monitor was for a Mac II, not an Apple II. Oops!
The hookup for a monitor on the computer is the same as a standard TV video cable, but we didn’t think it would work with our modern (sort of…) TV. It worked! I played a few games, then turned it off. I put it in my room with the monitor for display and another Disk II I had bought for $5 at Weirdstuff in Sunnyvale.
The picture below shows it on display. The monitor is the one that doesn’t work with it (the only one I have). The Disk II on top is the one I had. Enjoy!
Click here to view picture
Where’s my Camera? and the September 9th Event
I still have the first generation iPod Touch. I never bothered to upgrade to the second generation. The only new feature was a built-in speaker. Big deal! So when I heard about the September 9th Apple event, and the chance of a new iPod Touch with camera, I got really excited. I really wanted an iPod Touch with a camera! The day of the event came, and I couldn’t wait to see what had happened. My teacher let me use a computer in class (PC) to look it up. I was amazed at what I saw. Here are the facts:
iPod Touch:
• Larger sizes: The third generation only comes in 32gb and 64gb sizes. The 8gb model is still the second generation. There’s no 16gb model.
• Faster processor: Games play faster. What else is there to say?
• Voice memos: You can now use the iPhone earbuds with microphone. They are included with the iPod Touch.
• Bluetooth 2.1: Faster Bluetooth
• NO CAMERA!!!
iPod Nano:
• VIDEO CAMERA!!! Video, but no still photos. Cool video effects.
• Larger screen: 2.2 inches (diagonal).
• FM radio: FM radio tuner with pause.
Other stuff:
• iPhone OS 3.1: Rearrange icons from within iTunes.
• iTunes 9: Interface changes. Home sharing.
I hope you found this interesting. Sorry about the big gap between posts.
Amateur Radio
Here’s my new hobby: amateur radio (ham radio). To do amateur radio, you must get 26 or more questions correct on a 35 question test. Tests have to be given by three General class or higher amateur radio operators. Tests are given from time to time by local clubs. If you pass the test, a few days later you will get mail from the FCC (in the USA) with two copies of your license. Your license will tell you what your callsign is. For example, I’m KI6ZON. Now that you have your callsign, you can get a radio and get on the air.
For my information on amateur radio, visit the amateur radio relay league at ARRL, or Google amateur radio.
If you live in the Sonoma County, California area, try contacting me on the local repeaters.
If you are an amateur radio operator or want more information, post a comment, or email us at mackidsblog@donaldlaird.com
Have fun!
