Monthly Archives: August 2012

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack

  By admin | August 31, 2012 - 8:00 pm | , ,
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This review was originally posted December 15, 2011.

Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure Starter Pack

My kids have been all over Skylanders since the day we got it. My son says it’s a combination of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Super Mario Galaxy Wii. The starter pack comes with three figures that the players place on a wireless platform to activate in their Wii game. While playing, the players can switch them out and the Wii just knows who just took their piece off and what that player’s new character is. Each one has different powers.

Two players can play at a time. When playing the mini-games, there has to be two players playing against each other. I played against my son and though I’m not a huge video game addict like he is, I already feel a desire to have more characters than the three that the starter pack came with. It just feels too limited that way. There are 30+ figures available. Be prepared to spend more money, and don’t buy this if your kids are prone to losing their toys. You can’t play without the figures.

Overall, a great game. It’s the only Wii game my son will play right now.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

UPDATE (6/4/12): My son has collected nearly every character. Every time he beats the game, he buys new characters and then goes back and plays it again with the new characters. In the long run, he’s spent a few hundred dollars, but maybe it’s cheaper than beating the game and going out to buy a new game. At any rate, it’s a resounding thumbs up from him and his friends.

Native Union MM03I-BLK-ST Bluetooth Wireless Handset and Weighted Base and iPhone Dock

  By admin | August 31, 2012 - 7:53 pm | , ,
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Native Union MM03I-BLK-ST Limited Edition Curve Bluetooth Wireless Handset and Weighted Base and iPhone Dock for iPhone/Blackberry and Smartphones

This Native Union Handset and Weighted Base has a beautiful form factor. Less is more describes it perfectly. It’s sleek, with a low profile. The base is weighted so it stays in one place. One doesn’t see lights unless the lights are on. Otherwise, the whole unit looks uniformly black.

The only lights that are visible when the handset is on the base is the tiny charging light and the equally small Bluetooth light, both of which are a soft glowing white. They are unobtrusive at night.

As a charging station for my iPhone 4S, it’s wonderful. It comes with a universal charging adapter for the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4. What I like about this dock is I don’t have to take my phone out of the case to place it on the dock. To make it fit, I just don’t use the adapters.

As for the handset, sound quality is best when the phone and the handset are in the same room as the dock. Separating either one too far from the dock and we get a lot of static or interference. Even one room over can be a problem, so it’s not as good as using a cordless phone.

SOLUTION FOR SOME PROBLEMS

The manual was not very helpful for some of the problems I encountered, so I will share some of my solutions with you that worked for me. Keep in mind, I have an iPhone 4S. This may not work for everyone:

iPhone NOT AUTO-RECONNECTING:
1) Unpair the handset.
2) Turn off the handset.
3) Place the handset on the dock.
4) While the handset is on the dock, press and hold the power button (MFB) until you hear a tone.
5) Turn on the handset and pair your phone.

HANDSET HAS NO SOUNDS:
Go to settings –> general –> accessibility –> incoming calls –> choose “headset.”

I know the accessibility on my phone was initially set on “default” and that did not work. Changing it to “headset” and then later switching back to “default” somehow did the trick so that I no longer have to worry about getting sound over the handset.

CONCLUSION

I use this dock more as a charging station for my phone than for the handset. The handset is more comfortable to hold than the phone, but I’m stuck using it in the bedroom (where the dock is), so it’s not as convenient to use. It is very elegant. It looks pretty sitting on my nightstand. I just wish it had more range.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

Words With Friends Free App for Kindle Fire

  By Ani Fardreamer | August 30, 2012 - 5:27 pm |
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Words With Friends Free

Words With Friends Free is like Scrabble, except we can play with lots of people at the same time. I like it because I’m not stuck on one game waiting for the player to make a move. I just make my word, and leave to the next game. I could shut the game down completely and then come back to it hours later to make my move, and it seems most people I play do it the same way. I like it, because I can play at my own pace and yet play against opponents.

Just about the only thing I don’t care for is the ads that appear after every move I make. A screen pops up advertising Facebook Words With Friends and I always have to push the back button. I’d prefer something less intrusive. Other than that, it’s a fun game to have on my Kindle Fire. I don’t find it as addicting as others have, but maybe I just haven’t been at it long enough.

Force Heretic III: Reunion (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 17)

  By Ani Fardreamer | August 30, 2012 - 4:30 pm | , ,
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Force Heretic III: Reunion (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 17)

All I can say is at least the Reunion‘s plot wasn’t stagnant. It has direction, some loose ends are tied up. More is left for the rest of the series.

Luke, Mara, Jacen and Danni find Sonama Sekot. Hegerty is there and at least participates a little. It’s about time. Up until now, she was too weak to keep up, lost in a coma, and too traumatized to go out on missions. What is her purpose again?

Sonama Sekot is a huge disappointment. It’s a little too far out there, more sci-fi than fantasy. I just couldn’t bring myself to accept this living planet that presents its form as spirits of dead or living beings, has the power of the Force, can move itself from place to place. It even tries to be profound but fails miserably. Sekot is no Vergere.

Han, Leia, Jag, Jaina and Tahiri are on Esfandia, trying to defend the communications center from the Yuuzhan Vong. Without Esfandia, the Chiss territory is cut off from the rest of the galaxy.

While on Esfandia, they meet the Brrbrlp, also known as the “Cold Ones,” another set of beings I relegate to the category of “unbelievable.” They are sentient creatures who float through the air and are extremely fragile. They don’t play much of a role, except to give Han and Leia another alien to worry about protecting.

Tahiri must literally battle her inner demon. I have never been a fan of Tahiri’s. Her struggles with her inner self was fine, but the battle and the result of it all was ridiculous. Not to mention that it caused both Tahiri and Jaina to be in a coma, which was happening at the same time as Danni was in a coma. What kind of story happens when three of the characters are in a coma?

Reunion feels so much more like Star Trek than Star Wars. I’m glad the trilogy is over, but Sekot is bound to be in the next book. I hope Gregory Keyes can figure out a way to make it palatable. He did a wonderful job with Conquest.

TweetCaster

  By Ani Fardreamer | August 29, 2012 - 12:54 am |
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TweetCaster for Twitter (and Facebook)

I’ve installed both TweetCaster and Seesmic on my Kindle Fire and have been waffling back and forth between them ever since. So far, I like TweetCaster better. When there are photos, I can see a thumbnail of it in the stream. When I choose it, I can see the photo within the app. I can see replies to other people’s tweets. When I pick a link, I’ll see it in the browser, but I can get back to TweetCaster with the back button.

In contrast, Seesmic doesn’t display the thumbnails. If I choose to see a photo, it takes me to the Fire’s browser and I can’t get back to Seesmic with the back button. I can’t seem to view replies to other people’s tweets, either. Seesmic is just a little clunkier.

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2

  By admin | August 29, 2012 - 12:50 am | ,
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Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 (2TB: 2 X 1TB) (RND2210)

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 is my very first experience with my own server. It’s designed for the home user. “Complete set-up in less than 8 clicks ,” it advertises. I thought this one was the one for me.

SETUP

It turns out setup was more difficult than I expected. The first steps were easy. I just had to plug it into an outlet and attach it to my gateway.

The instructions directed me to pop in the CD and there would be a wizard. No wizard appeared. I was on my own. I had to read through the manual, but it still left me confused as to how I was to proceed. Slowly but surely, I made my way.

The photo sharing application was easy enough to find. What I wanted was Memeo, the backup software. Online, there was a link to the software. I downloaded the software to find that I have a 31 day trial.

ReadyNAS Remote, the software for accessing my files remotely, was hidden away. I downloaded it from their site before I found it on the ReadyNAS screen.

MEMEO

First, let me detail my most frustrating experience. This server comes with one lifetime license for Memeo, the backup software. The software does not come preloaded on the server. It is not on the disc. I had to hunt for it on the web.

When I found it and downloaded it, it said I have a 31 day license. No activation code was included in my package.

I called Netgear. Not their problem, they say. Call Memeo.

I called Memeo. Voicemail only. Leave a message. I left a message. No response.

It was all too frustrating.

I did try the trial version. Backing up took all night and half the next day. It’s painfully slow. Acronis backed up the same files in hours.

Netgear finally answered my email (took two days) asking if I downloaded the product and saying Memeo automatically recognizes the license when it’s installed. Not. I wonder if they read my email. They also offered some possible explanations, like antivirus and such; but by then I had given up, uninstalled Memeo, and went with my Acronis True Image for backup.

PHOTOS II

Photo II requires that I drag and drop photos. I couldn’t just direct the Photos II to the directory where I had already downloaded all my photos. Maybe there is a way, but it’s not obvious. I did not want to drop so many photos into this thing and have a duplicate set of photos on my server, so I just stopped right there.

There is no Photos II app for iPhone that I could find. We have to upload to Photos II from our iPhone via email.

READYNAS REMOTE

ReadyNAS Remote is actually very useful. In order to use it, I downloaded the ReadyNAS Remote software (available online or in the iPhone App Store) onto my iPhone and my netbook. I can place files on the server, and someone with the software and the proper password can access them. Just remember to set permissions for the phones and other computers to be able to access the files.

PROS:
+ lots of memory (2 x 1 TB)
+ redundancy helps prevent data loss
+ small form factor (smaller than a toaster)
+ ReadyNAS Remote works

CONS:
- difficult to set up for the average Joe
- Memeo software needs to be downloaded from website (must hunt for it yourself)
- Memeo license activation code not included and it did not self-activate as promised
- poor product support for Memeo
- Photos II cannot be directed to look at a directory. Must drag and drop.
- no iPhone app for Photos II
- ReadyNAS Remote software is a hidden add-on on the server. Look for it.
- only two hard drive bays, already filled

CONCLUSION

I wouldn’t recommend this server to a computer novice. If you expect plug and play, you won’t get it. The eight click setup never happened for me. It took me at least a day to get comfortable.

Don’t expect any support from Netgear for the add-ons. The support rep on the phone told me that much. Personally, I think that’s not kosher. If it’s advertised as part of the package, some support should be provided, or at least some responsibility for that support.

My Acronis True Image is working quite well with this server, and I’m happy for it. As extra backup protection for my photos and a place to drop files I wish to share, it’s great. Just know what you’re getting into before you buy.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.

Star Wars: Death Star

  By Ani Fardreamer | August 28, 2012 - 3:44 pm | , ,
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Star Wars: Death Star

by Michael Reaves

Death Star is unlike most other books in the Expanded Universe. The pacing is much slower and there are very few battle scenes. In fact, the first half of the book is spent setting up the scenes and introducing the characters. There are quite a few of them, all from disparate places, whose paths don’t cross until the middle of the book. The second half of the book focuses on A New Hope from the point of view of the Imperials and those who live on the Death Star.

We do get to see a side of the Death Star that’s not revealed in the movies and have some questions answered. The people who built the Death Star, who were they and what did they think of all the destruction? What was the relationship between Tarkin and Vader? Why did Leia look so nicely put together after having been tortured?

There were quite a few romances which I had hoped would progress farther than they did, and the second half of the book could have been more emotionally gut-wrenching than it was. But even so, I did enjoy the book for the chance to glimpse at the lives of those who lived and worked on the most feared battle station of its day.

 

Body & Weight Monitor App for Kindle Fire

  By admin | August 28, 2012 - 3:40 pm |
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Body & Weight Monitor

I use the Body & Weight Monitor every day to keep track of my weight. I simply enter it and it tells me if I’m in a healthy range, draws me a graph, tells me how far away I am from my goal, how much I’ve gained or lost since yesterday.

There’s a section for monitoring body fat, but what I’d really like to monitor is body water. There is no entry for that.

We can enter measurements, though. There are ten different areas we can keep track of: waist, hips, chest, calves, thigh, neck, forearms, upper arms, wrist, baby bump. It’s useful, if we want to lose a few inches.

I like this app. I keep it on the app bookshelf, because I use it so much. It’s the easiest way I’ve found to monitor my weight and provide me incentive not to overeat.

Lightsaber App for Kindle Fire

  By admin | August 27, 2012 - 10:41 am | ,
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Lightsaber App for Kindle Fire

I put this Lightsaber App on my Kindle Fire. Basically, when I wave the Fire, the lightsaber turns on with sound effects. Wave the Fire around and it sounds like I’m swinging the lightsaber. The saber itself doesn’t move much, save for a little wiggling. Touch the saber and it turns off. I’m not sure what else it should be expected to do. Nice to have for a Star Wars fan.

 

BISSELL Spotlifter Powerbrush Handheld Deep Cleaner

  By Ani Fardreamer | August 27, 2012 - 10:37 am |
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BISSELL Spotlifter Powerbrush Handheld Deep Cleaner, 1716B

BISSELL Spotlifter differs from Spotbot, because it doesn’t sit in one spot. One uses this much like one would use a handheld vac. Press the pump handle to spray, push or pull the machine flush with the carpet to scrub, angle the rear end up to suction the liquid out.

My cat threw up two hairballs a couple of days before I got the machine — one on the carpet, the other on the couch. I let them sit so I could test this Spotlifter. The stains had time to set, but I was able to remove them successfully.

I thought this would be perfect for the stairs. It would work, but the pump action spray made this unappealing. I tried the first couple of steps and gave up. The pump is like that on a spray bottle, but it has a long return time. When I use the spray on a slightly larger area, I squeeze . . . wait . . . squeeze . . . wait. It’s only convenient to use on small spots. I guess that’s why they call it a SPOTlifter.

If what you want to do is lift spots, this machine will do the trick. It’s not made for larger areas.

This product was provided for review by the Amazon Vine program.