Yup, just a few days after my Mac died my old screen followed suit and threw in its towel. My new monitor (Acer S273HLAbmii) is rather huge with its 27 inches. It’s a monster and it’s great for gaming and just about anything else. It’s full HD with a 1920 x 1080 pixels, perfect for video. Don’t know why I mentioned gaming — maybe because I downloaded UT3: Black Edition through Steam. Oh, how I’ve missed the UT universe — too bad I’m getting my ass kicked in multiplayer mode. Better get to it and practice a bit more.
Archive for the ‘Tech’ category
My Screen Died – I Have A New Screen
May 18th, 2012I’m A Gamer Again
January 12th, 2012
My life as a gamer started in the late 70′s with the legendary Atari 2600. I got it from my cousin when he got a new system (I think he got the Intellivision). I had heaps of games for the Atari but I traded it with a friend from school in the 80′s — it was supposed to be a temporary switch (I got his Intellivision) — but we never got around switching back. I wonder if he still have my dear old Atari system… Damn you Paolo!
I had a few other systems during the years like a bunch of Game & Watch handhelds (Parachute, Donkey Kong!). Skip to the launch of the original Sony PlayStation, had that — got it on launch day. Same with the Nintendo 64. Then came computers, trying to get a lowly 486 IBM to play Doom.
Years passed and I started playing Unreal Tournament 2003 when it was released, same with the 2004 edition. I was really good and got asked to join a clan or two. Good times. I also spent a lot of time at the legendary Atari forums (Atari owned the UT franchise).
Last Saturday I went and bought the Xbox 360, I’m a gamer again. It came bundled with Forza Motorsport 3 and Crysis 2. I also got Gears of War 3 (since it’s made by the same guys who brought us Unreal Tournament). Half an hour into GoW 3 I remembered that I can no longer play FPS (First Person Shooter) games anymore — I get terrible motion sickness and I feel dizzy as hell. Because of this fact I have spent my time playing Forza, It’s a driving simulator and I get no motion sickness at all. I’m still playing on the Easy setting, I’d like to finish the game before upping the difficulty. Here are some screens from Crysis 2, Gears of War 3 and Forza Motorsport 3.
I’m planning on getting at last one more driving game. Also a fighting game (I really miss Tekken on the PlayStation). It’s nice playing from the sofa and not be crouched in front of a computer screen. Gaming should be comfortable!
UPDATE: Went ahead and bought Tekken 6 too. The Tekken series is an old fave of mine and now all I need is a second controller and my friend Björn. Some nice wars in the past between us.
Also, added a bit of blue to the blog — I hope you like it!
New Earphones: Nocs NS200
November 29th, 2011
Yes, I got a new pair of headphones — again. I traded a pair of broken AKG K518DJ for a brand new pair of white Nocs NS200. I had tried to fix the AKG’s myself but I never got them to sound good again after trying to solder the cord. So, what do I think about these new ones? I like them. They are tiny and they sit comfortable in-ear (you get four sets of rubber tips in sizes small, medium and large). The sound is surprisingly good for the price range ($70), good bass and middle but the highs can get just a tad bit harsh/sharp in certain tracks — that might be due to crappy encoding or compression of the tracks in question). These earphones are targeted at Apple products (iPhone/iPod) and they have the same remote on the cord as the NS300 that I bought a few weeks ago. It lets you answer calls, change volume and track. It also doubles as a mic. Would I recommend these to a friend looking for affordable mid-range earphones to go along with their apple product? Yes, yes I would.
Link:
Nocs NS200
A longer, more professional review @ iLounge
My post about the Nocs NS300 Headphones
New Headphones: Nocs NS300
November 5th, 2011
I needed a new pair of headphones. I already got a great pair in the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 that I use when I make music and when I REALLY want to listen to music. Now, those are great in every way but they are a bit bulky. I needed smaller ones that was better suited for commuting and everyday use — “slit & släng” as we say in Swedish (translation impossible). So, I went with a pair of Nocs NS300. About the company, in their own words mind you:
NOCS is A Swedish brand formed 2008 by a couple of guys addicted to apple products. NOCS was formed because there were no headphones that could match the apple products in terms of design and performance. We strive to work with the finest materials, such as Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium and kevlar.
I bought them for about $75 dollars without finding a single review online. I asked my friends on Facebook if anyone knew about or owned a pair and could tell me their opinion — nothing. I got home, plugged them in to my iPhone and I was sorely disappointed. The sound was absolute crap. Then I realized I hadn’t pushed the jack all the way in and BOOM! These headphones are quite small but the sound is really impressive — mind you I’m comparing these to the much more expensive ones from Audio-Technica. Everything is there; low, mids and highs. I’ve been listening to everything from twangy Indiepop, Electro and Trance to Death Metal and it all sounded great. Features:
Speaker: 40 mm dynamic
Sensitivity: 109 dB SPL @ 1 kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohm @ 1 kHz
Frequency: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Housing: ABS
Cord length: 1200 mm
Cord diameter: 2.0 mm
Cord material: Kevlar, Copper, TPE
Strain Reliefs: TPE
Hats off to the guys at Nocs — I’m going to recommend these to anyone who asks for advice on portable, affordable headphones. Oh, and there’s a remote on the cord that lets you control the iPod. There’s a mic too so you can use it as a headset along with the iPhone.
Link:
Nocs NS300
WWDC 2010 iPhone 4!
June 7th, 2010
Yup, there it is, the iPhone 4. I just sat through Engadget’s live blog from WWDC 2010. Good ol’ Steve up on stage touting his new offerings. I’ve had my iPhone 3GS for a while now — 6 months? — and I think I had a post planned about my experiences with the device, comparing it to my previous phone. I miss three features from the Nokia 6220 Classic; the Xenon flash, the 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens, and if battery life is a feature, battery life. Those were the things I really liked about the Nokia, I hated the rest. Or rather, I liked it until I got the iPhone.
So, the just now announced iPhone 4 — what do I like about it? Simple. The 720p 30fps video. I’m sure I’d shoot more video with the new model, the video on the 3GS is OK but I dislike the old school, ugly as hell 4:3 format with 640 x 480 pixels. Ugh! It’s really 2003 — or 1973, or… — you get my point. Jobs also announced iMovie for the iPhone, yay! Can’t wait for that to come out. I have several camera apps installed, both free and paid, but I’ve never taken the step into mobile video editing on the iPhone. I’ve had my eyes on a few video apps, the one that seems best so far is the VeriCorder 1st Video (iTunes link), it certainly looks the part and from the in-use videos I’ve seen on the web it acts the part to. It’s got that solid, almost boring UI — like Avid. iMovie on the iPhone, bring it on! Oh, and when you’re at it: GarageBand! Haha.
The new iPhone has a higher resolution screen. That’s no biggie. It sports a new 5MP camera with some kind of flash, semi-stoked about that one. I think the cam on the 3GS is fine for point and shoot stuff. It has a new battery promising longer usage. That’s nice, I’ll have that, please. Then there’s the new front facing camera. What the hell? Why? No one I know use video calling and the few times I tried it myself I absolutely cringed (same with Video calling in Skype). It’s great for the hearing impaired though. Good for them. The new form factor is pretty nice, no biggie for me. It’s the new video features I’m looking forward to. 720p baby!
Hi. I'm Fred. I live in Stockholm, Sweden. I like: Music, TV, Gadgets, Photography, Video and the Webs. I also like to try out new things on the web and when I do I will write about it here. Nice! 