windows

Logitech G700 gaming mouse impressions
Logitech's G700 gaming mouse

Logitech’s G700 gaming mouse

 

I almost forgot how comfortable my old Logitech MX Revolution mouse was until I got the G700 yesterday.  The bigger form factor on this mouse just fits my oh-so massive hands very nicely.  After spending some time using it on Windows, pointing and clicking, felt comfortable.  The textured thumb and pinky rests give it a very distinct feel, and the clicks, felt…clicky.  Setting up the whole thing was quite easy, as is opening the package.  Yeah, I am mentioning the fact that it didn’t take special tools to open the box up.  There are just some products out there that are a bitch to open, mainly blister packs, and there are some that are just near complicated to do so, and it feels like the manufacturer does not want you to start using their product.

But anyway, after unboxing the mouse, and plugging in nano receiver and downloading the latest software, you can start customizing the mouse in about 10 or so minutes.  I am pleasantly surprised too that the batteries it came with were Sanyo‘s Eneloops.  I use a bunch of them on my flash guns, and by far the best set of rechargeable’s I’ve used.

The software has a myriad of options, from setting what DPI it goes to when you press the DPI button, assigning one of the 18 buttons the mouse has.  It also auto detects installed games on your computer and allows you to set specific buttons to do what ever it is you need it to do.

Anyway, I finally was able to sit and play SWTOR for a little bit over an hour, and the only thing I can think of was “how come I never got this a long time ago”.  It felt very comfortable, and my hand did not suffer any fatigue as it normally does with my previous mouse (a Logitech MX510.. My previous MX Revolution had some issues with it double clicking when it’s not suppose to.)  Hitting each of the macro buttons were seamless. P

In any case, stay tuned for a further review on this, the Logitech G700, and also my gaming-centric keyboard.

 

 

Time to Catch Up, Apple.

iPhone 5. I hope people out there are disappointed by this lackluster device, because I am.

I’m not an Apple guy by any means, but I was actually hoping for a well spec’d phone from them this time. Not to say that the specs of the new iPhone 5 aren’t good, I’m just saying that it’s nothing new or impressive.

The two biggest upgrades to the iPhone are 4G LTE and the 4 inch screen. Apple will probably go as far to say that they are the pioneers of 4G technology, when they aren’t. Of course, now many more people will know about 4G LTE, considering that the technology is now on an Apple iPhone. Then there will be the people (especially those on AT&T) questioning how it is different from HSPA+, called 4G on the AT&T iPhone 4S. On Android devices running HSPA+ it is titled as such, or H+.

The 4 inch screen is lacking as well, and it isn’t even HD. It’s a 4 inch screen! Most phones are of 4.5 inches to 5.2 inches, with 4.8 being the average “sweet spot.” This iteration is a 16:9, a widescreen Retina Display. Of course, the pixel density is stellar, something I actually can complement an iPhone about. But it still isn’t HD. Apple is going to continue with its Retina display.

They added Facebook sync in iOS 6, so now all Facebook contacts will be on the phone if desired. Guess what? Android did that. From the start. Another thing Apple has blatantly stolen from Android is the notification pull down from iOS 5. Catch up, Apple.

They’ve used the same camera as the iPhone 4S, just with a newer, thinner, more durable cover. Improvement, but won’t change the fact that the iPhone will produce blurry images and pretty much work like a brick in low light situations. Even so, this overshadowed the brilliant Nokia PureView Camera on the Nokia Lumia 920, a gorgeously designed phone with a simple and clean user interface on Windows 8.

The processor it’s running is the Apple A6 chip. A dual core CPU with quad core graphics, essentially making the media experience smooth. But internationally, there are Android phones running quad core CPU’s along with quad core GPU’s. Apple is behind a bit on this one.

Apple decided to get rid of Google Maps in favor of their own native Maps. The native Maps app has a fly-over feature, essentially mimicking Google’s Street View and Building View. Oh, and the biggest thing improved for the iPhone’s maps? It now has turn-by-turn navigation! Isn’t that a surprise, the Maps application has features that Google Maps and Google Earth have had nearly from the get-go! Oh, Apple, catching up.

Siri has also had some updating, and now it copies the Google Now, Android 4.1’s native voice actions app. Siri can now tell sports scores and allow you to make reservations on the go.

But perhaps one of the most talked about things is the new dock connector, misleadingly called the Lightning dock connector. For one, the Lightning cable is only a USB 3.0 cable. Most iMacs are at USB 4.0, making for insanely fast data transfers. Also, people with all the speaker accessories will now need to buy special adapters so their new iPhone 5’s will be able to fit on the dock! A question asked moreover about this new dock is why didn’t Apple just go with the industry standard MicroUSB? The world may never know.

With all the similarities to Android phones, why isn’t Apple the company getting sued?

Point is, Apple is merely evolving the iPhone brand, but in the process making it less innovative, and less… Different.

Exciting, isn’t it? Apple is the one having to play catch up in the technology world.

Will you be waiting in line to buy the iPhone 5? Or will you wait for it to cool down to get it? Maybe you’ll wait for the inevitable launch of the iPhone 5S? How about switching to an Android 4.0 device or a Windows 8 device?

Time for a laugh.