Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game

letitslide
I have a thing for physics games, and I've been known to post the occasional platformer or action game here and there. But Let it Slide is one of the brainiest games I've posted to date.

The idea is very simple, and far from original: You get a board with pieces arranged in a particular pattern; you have to slide those around until you get the special piece into its target location.

It's not even about finding out where the target location is - you can just hover over "dim tiles" and instantly see where you're supposed to bring the special piece. But getting it there is a whole different story.

There are five tutorial levels, which I strongly recommend you do. Then there are twenty "beginner" levels, but that's really a misnomer. If those are the beginner levels, I don't want to know what the intermediate and advanced levels look like!

Every time you finish a level you get a score based on how many clicks it took you - each level has a "par" (the minimum number of clicks it could be completed in), and your performance is compared to that gold standard. Because it's such a brainy game, getting it right is quite satisfying. I was downright proud of myself when I managed to finish a few levels. All in all, quite recommended, especially if you've got a few minutes of quiet. It might actually help you focus better later on.

Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/23/let-it-slide-is-an-engaging-difficult-puzzle-game/

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How Much Does Your Computer Stress You Out? [Chatroom]

A recent survey commissioned by Crucial has turned up a few interesting statistics on computer stress. 94 percent of respondents said they've had computer problems drive them up the wall, and a little over half aren't happy with how their little Internet box behaves in general. 18 percent even said computer problems are more stressful than taxes. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/82GggofY0Rw/how-much-does-your-computer-stress-you-out

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Microsoft Wireless Mobile 3500 Mouse Limited Editions Artist Series Review

Two years ago, Bill Kuch reviewed Microsoft’s Wireless Mobile 3500 mouse. Microsoft is still selling this popular mouse and has just added a new line of limited edition artist series versions. Nothing has changed with the hardware, but if you want a wireless mouse with a little extra style, check out my quick review.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

Package Contents

Wireless Mobile 3500 mouse
1 AA battery
USB transceiver

The new artist series line of mice feature artwork from 5 artists (Yellena James, Calvin, Ho, Zansky, Dana McClure and Matt Lyon). Each artist inspired mouse has a different design. I chose Matt Lyon’s design which you see here.

The mouse has 2 buttons with a center scroll wheel.

The sides of the mouse are covered in a rubber or silicone type material that provides excellent grip, but at the expense of showing dust and lint which sticks to the dark surface.

Flip the mouse over to find the 1 AA (included) battery compartment, USB transceiver and power switch.

The USB transceiver stores in the mouse when you’re not using it. Pressing the little button to the left of the slot will pop up the dongle so you can remove it. This is my only complaint about this mouse – that it requires you to use a USB port on your laptop or computer. You don’t want to plug the transceiver into a USB hub connected to your computer. Although it will work, you will probably experience some instances where the mouse will just stop working until you toggle the power switch on the bottom. At least this is what I experience while testing this mouse with my Macbook Air.

If you don’t mind losing a USB slot, this is a decent little mouse. It is small and sturdy, comfortable to use on any hard surface, it can run on 1 AA battery for up to 8 months and is plug and play compatible with Windows and Mac computers. It’s available in many different colors and now with these limited edition artist graphics.

What is your favorite mobile mouse?

Product Information

Price:$29.99
Manufacturer:Microsoft
Pros:
  • Compact
  • Runs on 1 AA battery for up to 8 months
  • USB transceiver stores in mouse
Cons:
  • Requires a USB slot
  • Rubber sides attract lint and dust

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews

Tagged:

Microsoft Wireless Mobile 3500 Mouse Limited Editions Artist Series Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 9, 2012 at 3:00 pm.

Boats-To-Go MP3 Boombox Review

Back in 1984 (geesh, I’m old) I received a wonderful Christmas present.  It was my very first boom box, and it had dual tape decks and a radio, and a line-in jack to plug up a microphone.  I didn’t want one of those single tape deck boom boxes, no sir. I wanted to be big time. I wanted the ability to copy tapes and maybe record stuff, and I was the envy of the other kids on the block, let me tell you. It was big, heavy, and oh so cool. And my parents shelled out several hundred dollars to get it. Looking back now, it’s sort of laughable, but then again, so were the clothes we wore! Boom boxes were part of the lexicon of my youth, and apparently a lasting part, because you can still buy one today at your local Walmart. Fast forward to 2012 and enter the Boats To Go MP3 Boom Box.  A mere fraction of the size and cost of its former brethren, but still big on cool.

My love affair with MP3 players

I collected CDs for years, and jumped on the MP3 bandwagon as well, filling up my computer hard drive.  Which led me to owning numerous MP3 players in various forms, including 4 different generations of iPods. After a few years though, it became a hassle having to carry them around in addition to my cellphone. So over the last several years, I gravitated toward using my smartphone as my music player because the various apps for listening to music provide me lots of options.  But listening to music on your smartphone, especially music in the cloud like Pandora and Google Music which uses a constant data connection, kills your battery quick. So I don’t use my cellphone to play music at a party, or lounging on the back patio in the evenings.

Enter the Boats To Go MP3 Boombox. (Herein after referred to as the ‘Boombox’.)

Features

The Boombox is almost the size and shape of a small Subway sandwich.  It is a little over 8 inches long, 1.5 inches thick, and 2.5 inches wide. Along the side edges and bottom edge is nothing. On the front is the speaker grill that stretches the entire length of the device, and 3 play buttons are above the speaker grill.  The buttons are for Backward, Pause/Play, and Forward. A fold out kickstand is on the smooth back of the device and surrounds the battery door which houses a Nokia Li-Ion replaceable battery.  The kickstand is a very nice feature because the device has rounded edges all the way around and won’t stand up without the kickstand.  The downside is that the kickstand seems very flimsy to me and is probably the first thing that is going to break on this device.

Along the top edge of the Boombox are all the controls and ports. You’ll find a volume button, USB port, SD card slot, aux line-in port, mini-USB power port, a power indicator light, and the power button that switches between off/music/FM.  If you slide it to FM, the radio turns on and you can use the forward and backward buttons on the front to scroll through the radio dial from station to station. If you slide the switch to music, then it will automatically start playing MP3 files on the SD card or the USB jump drive, whichever has been inserted into their respective ports.

In the box you’ll find the Boombox, a mini-USB to USB charging cable for charging with your computer, an aux line-in cable for connecting other devices (like cellphones) to the Boombox, the battery, and a clear water-proof dry-bag with lanyard for keeping the Boombox dry around water. To use the dry-bag you simply slide the Boombox in the bag, roll the top of the bag down several times and snap the fastener in place. You can now totally immerse the Boombox in water without fear! As a side note, I had no idea how to use the bag because there weren’t instructions in the box. I had to contact the manufacture to get instructions. I feel kinda silly now because of how easy it is, but I still had no idea how to use the bag.

Performance

This little sucker has a really nice sound.  The speakers are rated at 3W, but they sound much bigger than that to me.  When I turn up the volume all the way, I don’t even get that annoying vibrating distorted sound. It just sounds good, and honestly, turning it up all the way is a bit too loud for me.  I used numerous sizes of SD cards and USB drives and the Boombox recognized them all.  I even buried MP3 files in multiple sub folders on those devices and the Boombox found them all and played them.  I plugged up my Android cellphone to the line-in port and played music from the phone, and I also did the same thing successfully with my iPad, and 3 Android tablets.

I only have a few small complaints about the performance. The 3-button controls on the front of the device are very simple.  You can only go forward, backward, and pause/play. So you can’t go directly to the radio station you want and because there is no digital readout of any kind, you can’t tell which radio station you have landed on. Likewise, when listening to MP3 files from the SD card or USB stick, you can’t decide which MP3 files to listen to. If you organize your MP3 files into nice folders it doesn’t matter because you can’t control which songs it plays.  It just grabs songs and starts to play them. So if I was in the mood for just Jimmy Buffet, I could only listen to him if his were the only songs on the SD card/USB stick. I don’t guess that would be a big deal as long as you loaded up the music you want to listen to, but if you plan on loading up your entire MP3 library on an SD card and using this as your daily MP3 player, you’ll probably be a bit disappointed.

Google Nexus 7 tablet on the left. Across the top you see connected a USB stick, SD card, and aux line-in from the Nexus.

 

Finally, battery life of course plays a part in the performance of the device.  The company website states that you’ll get 4-5 hours of battery life, depending on the volume that you use.  I got closer to the 4 hour mark myself. When the battery is getting close to dying, the radio performance tanks, which should be no surprise. So one way of knowing when the battery is close to dying is how strong the station comes through on the radio.

Conclusion

Even with the various misc drawbacks I have mentioned, with a price of $29 the Boombox is a huge value. Big sound, easy portability, multiple ways to listen to music, and a nifty kickstand make this device a wonderfully affordable gift for just about anyone. Boats To Go pitch this product as being ideal for situations where you are around water, like the pool and on the lake.  But I think it is great for just about any situation, especially parties and gatherings where you want some music playing in the background.  I highly recommend it.

Product Information

Price:29.00
Manufacturer:Boats To Go
Pros:
  • Big sound
  • Multiple Options for inputs
  • Kickstand
Cons:
  • No wall charger
  • Controls are very basic
  • Flimsy kickstand

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Home Tech, Pocket Gear

Tagged: , ,

Boats-To-Go MP3 Boombox Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

Nokia Charges Into Smartphone Market With Look-at-Me Lumias

Nokia unveiled its first mobile handsets powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 OS on Wednesday, and its Symbian OS days now seem like ancient history. The company raised the bar for mobile phone users' expectations with the debut of its new flagship device, the Lumia 920. This handset's standout feature is its PureView camera. "With the Nokia Lumia 920 we have made it possible to shoot pictures and video at home, outdoors, in a restaurant or even at night, and come out with professional-looking results," said Jo Harlow, EVP of Nokia Smart Devices.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/231c49bb/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C760A830Bhtml/story01.htm

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Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster

boomshine
One click; just one single well-aimed click. That's all you get in Boomshine.

That single click triggers a chain reaction; circles start exploding, and other circles colliding with the shockwaves explode as well, creating their own shockwaves, which then catch other circles.

It's been done before, yes, but this one is a great iteration. The soundtrack is mellow, with lots of piano and some nice percussion (not electronic - it sounds like drums).

At each level you need to make a certain number of circles explode to go on to the next level. I got up to level 12, where you get 60 circles and need to make 55 of them explode. And then I kept trying and trying, but simply couldn't get it. I did get to 54 circles a couple of times, but as they say, you don't get points for trying.

There's no time limit, so you can carefully study the pattern of motion and place your click at the exact right place to create the best chain reaction. I've found that clicking near the middle of the screen works quite well, especially if the balls are slowly moving in that direction. By the time the first shockwave dies off, the oncoming balls usually hit it and the chain reaction continues.

What level did you reach? Screenshots please!

Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/16/boomshine-is-a-soothing-yet-frustrating-time-waster/

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Red Samsung Galaxy S 3 available at Carphone Warehouse in the UK

Android Central

Just last week Samsung dropped a whole range of new colors for the Galaxy S 3, but as you would expect not everyone seems to be able to get all of them, everywhere. In the UK at least, the Garnet Red variety is available should you desire one. The phone is exclusive to the Carphone Warehouse in the UK, but seems to be available at the same price as the other colors, and across the major networks provided by the retailer.

Previously we've seen the Garnet Red Galaxy S 3 offered up by AT&T in the United States. And, whilst differing European carriers were displaying the black, and grey versions at IFA 2012 in Berlin, the red S 3 was nowhere to be seen. We've still not seen the brown version yet either. 

Source: Carphone Warehouse

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/kL4NZ1VgWuA/story01.htm

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Motorola Goes for Bleeding Edge With New RAZR Line

Motorola has unveiled three new devices in its Razr smartphone line, touting extended battery life and larger screen size as their main selling points. All three will be available from Verizon Wireless later this year. They will come preloaded with various Google services, including the Chrome browser, Google Play, Google Maps, Voice Actions for Android and Google+. All three will run on Ice Cream Sandwich and will be able to be upgraded to Jelly Bean when that becomes available.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/23271617/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C760A930Bhtml/story01.htm

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Everything You Need To Know About The New Kindles, The iPhone 5 Announcement Announcement, Hands On With the Lumia 920, and More [The Best Stories Of The Week]

A lot has gone down this week, and even more is coming next week. Now that the iPhone 5's announcment has been announced, it's almost go time. Quick, catch up on the avalanche of new Kindles, the Nokia 920, the crazy PureView scandal, and the lastest iPhone 5 rumors while you still can; next week's gonna be a doozy. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/2TU6fjYj5f8/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-kindles-the-iphone-5-announcement-announcement-hands-on-with-the-lumia-920-and-more

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Amazon Decides To Let Users Opt-Out of Ads on the New Kindle Fires After All [Kindle]