15 New Articles on MakeUseOf |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [April 23rd 2013]
- Get Creative With WordPress – 5 Interactive Ways To Use The Platform
- What Gadget Do You Most Regret Buying? [You Told Us]
- Can You Really Win Almost Any eBay Auction By “Sniping”?
- How To Take Amazing Photos Of Your Pets
- Bring Out The Fancy Side Of Your Droid With Android Fancy Widgets
- You Should Buy These: 5 Android Apps That Are Worth Every Penny, And Why
- Learn How To Take Notes While Watching An Online Video With VideoNot.es
- Enjoy Breathtaking Panoramic Views With SphereShare.net [Android]
- THQ Will Be Missed – My 3 Favorite Games From Its History [MUO Gaming]
- 10 Websites That Will Help Drown Out The Noise So You Can Stay Focused
- It’s Not Facebook, It’s You! 5 Ways To Fix Your Facebook Experience [Weekly Facebook Tips]
- Level Up – How To Improve Your Gaming Ability
- Get Over $200 Worth Of Windows Apps For $30 With The New PCBundler [Updates]
- Nintendo Wii U Review and Giveaway
| Cool Websites and Tools [April 23rd 2013] Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. The post Cool Websites and Tools [April 23rd 2013] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Get Creative With WordPress – 5 Interactive Ways To Use The Platform Posted: 23 Apr 2013 08:31 PM PDT
WordPress can be used to create an extremely interactive experience on your website, which can translated into a social network, a project management tool, a community board and more. Create a Private Social NetworkWhile there are options out there for private social networks such as Yammer, using WordPress to create that social network gives you so much more control over the experience. There are several ways to go about turning WordPress into a private social network – whether it’s using a theme or a plugin. One of the easiest ways to get it done is to use the theme P2, which creates a Twitter-like experience, allowing you to create and add users, post updates and more.
P2 also comes with threaded comments, real-time notifications for new comments, keyboard shortcuts and more. It can be used to create a private social network, or as a live-streaming tool of your own. You can see the theme in action on WordPress’ very own blog for its core development team. If you’re looking for something even more elaborate, you can give BuddyPress a try. We’ve taken an in-depth look at what it has to offer, so check out our review of BuddyPress here. It allows you to create user profiles, add friends, send private messages, create user groups, discussion forums and more.
Create a Help DeskIf you want to use WordPress to incorporate a more heavy-duty customer service experience on your site, there are a few themes that will get the job done. You can create a help desk, allowing customers or users to submit questions, support tickets and more, with complete functionality to manage these submissions. One great example of this is Woo Themes’ SupportPress. With the paid theme, users can submit tickets, while on the backend, you can assign the tickets to members of your team. SupportPress also goes one step further by allowing you to create a knowledge base as well so that users don’t submit duplicate tickets on questions that have already been addressed. Support Desk is another option available to users. The responsive theme, which will set you back $50, also allows you to create a community forum and knowledge base, as well as FAQ pages. You can see the theme in action here.
If you’d rather not spend a little less in order to get a Q&A site up and running, you can opt for a plugin instead. Q&A will set you back $19, while ClickDesk is free. The latter allows you to place a live chat feature on your site, and if you aren’t online to answer questions straight away, users can leave a message. Create a WikiAnother way you can get more out of WordPress is to use the CMS to create your own personal Wiki. The WordPress Wiki Theme, which costs $40, allows you to create user accounts, post content, categories and more. The theme is also completely searchable. See the theme in action here.
Woo Themes also provides users with the $50 option, Wikeasi, but if you don’t want to spend a penny, you can opt for the WordPress plugin WordPress Wiki Lite, but with the caveat of your Wiki sitting on one WordPress page within your website. Use for GTDWordPress can also be used as a pretty impressive productivity tool. You can use it as your own personal GTD tool or as a collaborative tool for project management. With the plugin, Project Tasks, you can turn your WordPress website into a project management tool where you can create and assign tasks, keep track of progress and keep a log of your completed work.
If you’re looking for something even more robust, CollabPress allows you to create projects, create and assign tasks, upload files, and view tasks in a calendar. Create a Directory, Classifieds, Jobs Board, etc.WordPress also lends itself to creating any kind of information board or directory. You can use it to create a business directory, a jobs board or a classifieds board. No matter what kind of information you want to collate into a directory on your WordPress website, there’s likely a plugin or theme that will get the job done.
There’s nothing to stop you from creating your own Yellow Pages-like service that could become a useful resource, and with the Business Directory plugin you can even monetize the service by enabling users to submit and post to your directory for a fee. Can you think of any other creative uses for WordPress? Let us know about them in the comments. The post Get Creative With WordPress – 5 Interactive Ways To Use The Platform appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What Gadget Do You Most Regret Buying? [You Told Us] Posted: 23 Apr 2013 07:31 PM PDT
Since starting to write about gadgets and technological innovations, I’ve seen as many bad ideas as good. In fact, I’d argue that for every essential piece of hardware released there are dozens that provide little to no use for all but a handful of people. Still, that doesn’t stop people buying these gadgets, and then regretting doing so for a long time. The ResultsWe asked you, What Gadget Do You Most Regret Buying? You responded well, with dozens of you casting your minds back and remembering technology purchases that unfortunately didn’t quite come off. The range of gadgets mentioned during the discussion was huge, so there isn’t really much in the way of conclusions to be drawn from the results. Notable mentions include a MiniDisc player, a Nintendo Wii, a Bada-powered smartphone, a Microsoft Zune, and a Microsoft Surface tablet.
One form factor that makes several appearances through the comments thread is the tablet. One commenter had bought several and found none to be particularly useful. Another bought a tablet as an upgrade to an e-reader, but is now back to reading on the single-purpose device instead. The lesson here is try the tablet form factor before you buy one, as it doesn’t suit everybody. As noted in the Comment Of The Week that follows, the key to trying to remove regret from the buying of consumer technology is to think before you throw your money away. Read reviews, poll your friends, seek advice from experts, and try a product out before you buy. Then make the sensible decision and live with that for as long as it is relevant. Comment Of The WeekWe had great input from the likes of Lynne McCurdy, Mark E. Smith, and andreas, to name just a few. Comment Of The Week goes to dragonmouth, who, as well as the respect of myself and hopefully everybody reading this, receives 150 points to use for MakeUseOf Rewards.
We like this comment because it gets to the heart of the matter, which is trying to learn the lessons from past mistakes and doing all you can to avoid making purchases you’ll end up regretting. You cannot always predict the direction technology is headed in, but by conducting some research you can certainly lessen the odds of making a bad buying decision. We will be asking a new question tomorrow, so please join us then. We Ask You is a weekly column dedicated to finding out the opinions of MakeUseOf readers. We ask you a question and you tell us what you think. The question is open-ended and is usually open to debate. Some questions will be purely opinion-based, while others will see you sharing tips and advice, or advocating tools and apps for your fellow MakeUseOf readers. This column is nothing without your input, all of which is valued. Image Credit: Jorge Gaspar Sanz Salinas The post What Gadget Do You Most Regret Buying? [You Told Us] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can You Really Win Almost Any eBay Auction By “Sniping”? Posted: 23 Apr 2013 06:31 PM PDT
Actually, sniping – in its most basic form – is simply waiting until the very last second of an eBay auction and quickly plugging in a bid that is slightly higher than the user before you. It’s a controversial practice, and in some eyes, it’s almost as dirty as cheating. However, the truth is that it’s completely legal, not an eBay scam, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it. Let’s be real, though. You’ve probably sniped. Don’t deny it. If you’re an avid eBay hunter (who may even happen to use Chrome’s eBay extension) there’s likely been that one special something you found while browsing eBay and absolutely had to have. While at work, you checked it every other minute, punching in numbers that just barely went over your competition’s bids. As the clock neared five seconds, you went in for the kill, bidding an amount that was just high enough. Don’t feel too bad, though. Sniping on eBay is actually a pretty common practice, and while the above method is the most typical way of doing it, there are a few others. Let’s take a look at them. Sniping Cons
As aforementioned, the most common form of sniping is upping the bid little by little and swooping in at the last second a taking away your prize. As someone who has done this quite often, I can say that it is possible to win, but not always likely. There are a few risks. For instance, the seller could cancel the auction early 12 hours before it ends (which stinks), or the auction may not reach the seller’s reserve (which also stinks). No bueno. Then there’s the chance of someone out-sniping you. They may even have a few resources up their sleeve like an automated sniping service. Services like goSnipe and GIXEN automatically place your bid in the last few moments of an auction. The services tell you that they are fairly useful, but in all truth, it’s probably just a game of chance. With that said, I’m by no means recommending that you use them. I’m not even saying that you use them by saying that you shouldn’t use them in that “wink-wink, finger-guns” kind of way. Just don’t use them. OK? Sniping Strategies
While I am personally not a fan of automated sniping services, I will say that there are a few sniping strategies you could always try out. The first method is also known as incremental bidding. It’s basic, and there’s really not much of a strategy to it. Some users will tell you that’s it a good idea to keep two eBay windows open instead and totally skipping the bidding part. You should use one window for watching the time, constantly refreshing and watching the numbers fly by. However, use the other window as your official bidder and plug in the highest amount you are willing to bid in this one. This number may change as you watch the other participants, but as the auction draws to a close, you should click the Commit to Buy button in the final seconds to secure your prize. Another strategy is to use eBay’s proxy bidding system. Basically, you tell eBay the highest amount you are willing to pay, and it will automatically raise the increments for you up until this number. The catch is that if you and a user bid the same amount, then the user who offered their bid before you will be the winner. A good way to combat this is by adding an extra cent or maybe even a dollar to your amount. Granted, it would definitely be difficult to guess what other people are willing to spend, but it’s at least worth considering. A dirtier method of sniping would be to find a partner or an alternate account and throw out an outrageously high amount after your (or your personal account’s) highest bid within the last hour of the auction. As the auction draws to a close, the faux bidder would then withdraw his bid, leaving your amount to be the next runner-up. This is a bit sketchy, for eBay says you can’t retract bids by default. However, if you ask nicely, there’s a chance it could work for you. With that said, I highly suggest that you not do this. It’s too much of a gamble. Sniping Practicality
Let me be clear: you can win an eBay auction by sniping. But it is also very risky, and it may not be worth it in the end. Could you win in the final seconds of an auction? Of course. No one should tell you differently. In fact, it would be unfair if you couldn’t. However, you need accurate aim, a quick trigger finger, and a bit of luck. Do you believe that eBay sniping is ethical? Are you a successful eBay sniper? Image Credit: mastertoolman The post Can You Really Win Almost Any eBay Auction By “Sniping”? appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How To Take Amazing Photos Of Your Pets Posted: 23 Apr 2013 05:31 PM PDT
Pets provide a great subject for photographers, both professional and amateur alike. They’re unpredictable, busy, and inquisitive. Just like children, in fact. Having already shown you how to take amazing photos of kids, it’s now time to turn our attention to our furry and/or feathered friends. You may have already noticed I’ve used cats throughout this article. This is simply because I love cats and think they’re the most naturally photogenic animals out there. But these tips are good for all pets, no matter what their species. Hell, even smelly dogs are welcome to the party. Up Close & Personal
Keep your camera (or smartphone) close to hand at all times. Pets are notoriously unpredictable, and you never know when they’ll do something or act in a way that deserves recording for posterity. Be aware that you’re much more likely to get great results from photographing your own pet rather than someone else’s pet. They know you, they trust you, they may even like you, if we can ascribe such sentiments to animals. Spend time with your pet. Know how to read their feelings. There will be times when your pet is happy to be photographed, and others when they’re more keen on being left alone. Take heed of these moods. Natural Is Nice
I’m not a fan of posed photographs. You can tell when someone is trying just that little too hard to look good when the shutter button is pressed. If it looks bad when humans do it, it will also look bad when animals do it. Taking photos of your pets in their natural environment is a far better idea than dressing them up or making them stand in a certain place. Follow them see where they hunt, or sleep, or do whatever it is animals do when we’re not looking. This rule also applies to personalities. Try to capture the essence of your pet. If it’s a grumpy cat (no, not that one) then capture that. If it’s an energetic dog, then capture that. This is, after all, how you’ll remember them when they’re gone. On Their Level
The relationships we share with our pets is often an unequal one. We’re in charge, we’re their masters, we take care of their essential needs. We also look down on them for the most part. Literally. Most domestic pets are much smaller than us, so we tower over them. Try switching this perspective up when it comes to taking photographs of your pets; get down to their level and make your pet feel like it’s the star of the show for a change. Not only will this gift you interesting angles, your pet is likely to respond by either becoming docile and infinitely photographable, or playful and infinitely photographable. You win either way. Light=Good, Flash=Bad
Getting the lighting right is important when taking photographs of pets. The more natural the better, so shoot during the day with curtains and blinds thrown fully open. If shooting at night then use artifical lighting to create moods ( as demonstrated in the photo above. Then there is flash, which should be used very sparingly, if at all. Using flash will do two things: scare or temporarily blind your pet; make its eyes glow like it’s some sort of demonic presence. Neither of which is particularly useful. Treats & Tricks
If you need your pet to behave (rather than act naturally) there are various ways of making it happen. Using rewards for good behavior is an obvious example, with their chosen treat often having the power to get even the most rambunctious of animals to suddenly fall under your spell. You can also use a second person off camera to draw your pet’s attention in order to obtain a particular shot. Or you can throw a favorite toy in order to capture your pet in full flight. Or wake them from their slumber suddenly in order to ensure an alert animal. Patience Is A Virtue
Even if you follow all of the advice above you’ll still have to be very patient if you want to take photos of your pets that sail past being just ordinary to being exceptional. Like a perfect storm, various elements have to come together to make it happen. Shoot liberally, because somewhere in amongst a pile of nonsense photographs is likely to be one that captures your pet exactly how you wanted. But remember not to delete digital photos you initially assume have no merit, as you may regret it years later. ConclusionsOne last thing you should remember when photographing pets, or any other live subjects for that matter, is to enjoy yourself. While getting good results is important, it surely means nothing if you’re not having fun while seeking out that perfect photo ripe for sharing on social networks. Have you got any of your own tips for photographing pets? What has your experience been at capturing them on film to this point? As always we’d love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment in the space provided below. All are read, many receive replies. Image Credits: Schumi, Barb Crawford, Mel, Darren Kirby, Jonathan Goforth, Robert Couse-Baker, Jenny Downing The post How To Take Amazing Photos Of Your Pets appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bring Out The Fancy Side Of Your Droid With Android Fancy Widgets Posted: 23 Apr 2013 04:30 PM PDT
Today is a happy day for me. After using an old Android 2.2 device for over a year (and that only after my trusty Nokia 6070 went bust), I’m finally up to par with my fellow authors and readers, and started using a new Nexus 4 device running the latest version of Android. As you can imagine, this is quite a transition — Android has changed significantly since the good old days of Froyo — and having a device with enough room on it to actually install applications is also a refreshing change. As a newcomer to the real world of Android customization, I immediately started looking for wallpapers, launchers, icon sets, and widgets. Fancy Widgets is one app I kept hearing about in the olden days (which ended yesterday), but could never try for lack of space and screen real-estate. After checking out Matt’s 8 unmissable widgets for all Android versions, Tina’s 6 handy Android widgets, and Angela’s post on the similar Beautiful Widgets, I decided to give Fancy Widgets a try and see what I could come up with. Looking for customizable Android fancy widgets? Keep on reading, and give it a try! Setting Up Fancy WidgetsBefore getting started, it’s important to note that there are two versions of Fancy Widgets: a free one, and a paid one ($2.50) which goes by the name of Fancy Widgets Unlocker. You’re not going to find ads on the free version; rather, its limitation lies with the number of widget skins and styles you can apply. The free version offers 6 or so clock and weather skins for you to choose from, and some additional styles and widget sizes within each skin. With the paid version, your customization options increase significantly.
There’s almost no aspect to an Android Fancy Widget you can’t customize. On the Settings screen, you’ll find everything from specific time, date and weather settings, to refresh settings, appearance settings, and a way to customize what happens when you tap different parts of the widgets.
The app can display weather information from AccuWeather or Google Weather according to a location you set. You can also set the app to use geolocation or GPS to detect your location automatically. Refresh intervals can run from 15 minutes to 24 hours, with easy control over when refreshes happen and when they don’t. For example, you can set Fancy Widgets to never refresh at night. The Appearance settings is where it gets really interesting, though. From here you can set your clock and weather skins, control things such as font color and background transparency, and decide exactly which items you want to see on your homescreen widget. You can even set the widget to show the current moon phase.
Fancy Widgets is available is 27 different language, so chances are you can have you widgets tell you all about the time and weather in your own native tongue. Done playing with the settings? It’s time to see what you came up with. The WidgetsDon’t worry, you’re not done customizing these yet. Playing with the settings is just the first step in getting a widget that looks great on your home screen.
When adding a Fancy Widget to your home screen, you can choose between 5 different standard widget sizes. Each widget can be resized after adding it, but each size is going to have different information included in it according to what can fit and what you chose to include, so resizing doesn’t always yield good results.
Once you have the widget, you can still choose between several different styles for each one. There are more of these available in the paid version of Fancy Widgets.
The bigger the widget you choose to display, the more available information you’re going to have on your screen. The biggest widget of all, for example, includes a detailed daily weather forecast along with little weather icons and high and low temperatures for each day. You can, of course, add and remove elements from the widget as you wish, and end up with something a little less cluttered.
Bottom LineAndroid Fancy Widgets isn’t for everyone. For the customization addicts, there are other, more customizable options to play with. For the beginners, there are simpler options that don’t require the same amount of work. But this is exactly what makes Fancy Widgets a great option for everyone in between: It’s customizable enough to achieve the right look for your personal home screen, while being simple and easy enough so that almost anyone, beginners included, can easily set it up and use it. What’s your favorite widget app for Android? Share in the comments! The post Bring Out The Fancy Side Of Your Droid With Android Fancy Widgets appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You Should Buy These: 5 Android Apps That Are Worth Every Penny, And Why Posted: 23 Apr 2013 02:30 PM PDT
I always found it strange that we’ll pay $5 for a cup of Starbucks without a second thought yet deliberate over the value of a $0.99 app. I do it all the time! And the stranger thing is that the app will almost always provide more bang-for-its-buck than coffee will. But keep reading and I’ll tell you about six paid Android apps that are worth their price. Disclaimer: I understand that there are a GREAT many paid apps that are worth purchasing. Due to the limited space of this article, I’ll be covering the most general apps that nearly everyone can benefit by using, so I’ve left out a lot of apps that have a more specific purpose. SwiftKey ($4 USD)
What It Does: At its core, SwiftKey replaces the touch keyboard on your Android device, but it’s so much more than that. This app can analyze your typing patterns and learn from it, providing you with the most accurate predictive text. It can handle multiple languages – even simultaneously. With the latest SwiftKey Flow feature, you can type by swiping instead of tapping for even more convenience. Free vs. Pro: SwiftKey doesn’t really have a free version, per se. It offers a 30-day free trial where you can use SwiftKey with all of its features unlocked, but once the trial runs out you’ll need to buy the app. SwiftKey is the very first app that I ever spent money on and I do not regret it to this day. My girlfriend, who never even considered paying for mobile apps, ended up buying SwiftKey. It’s that good. Nova Launcher Prime ($4 USD)
What It Does: Nova Launcher is a prime specimen when it comes to Android home screen launchers. It has many of the usual launcher features, like scrollable dock, custom app drawers, infinite page switching, and small features that make the entire experience that much more smooth. It’s fast, but requires at least Android 4.0. Free vs. Pro: When you buy Prime – Nova’s Pro version – you also get: drawer groups (organize apps into folders in the app drawer), action gestures (start certain apps with pinch/swipe/etc), app hiding (reduce app drawer clutter), dock swipes (a gesture on a dock icon performs a different action), unread counts (for mail, SMS, etc), and more. Basically, Nova Launcher Prime is one of the most powerful home screen launchers you’ll ever find. Tasker ($3 USD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learn How To Take Notes While Watching An Online Video With VideoNot.es Posted: 23 Apr 2013 01:01 PM PDT
Strangely, there doesn't seem to be a seamless solution in sight. Note taking apps are dime a dozen, but try to make one work while watching a video and you will burn out your Alt-Tab shortcut keys. One workable solution is using a desktop sticky application alongside a video and have it on top of the video window. Or use the vastly underrated Microsoft OneNote. But it is not a smart solution. That tag belongs to VideoNot.es. A Note Taking App with a Difference
VideoNotes is geared to be a free educational tool for online learners who do a lot of their learning on sites like YouTube, Coursera, Udacity, Khan Academy, and EdX. I am sure, more will be added soon. The French educational startup UniShared created the platform with an idea driven by collaborative knowledge sharing. Let's put VideoNotes to the test and learn what makes it a pretty good addition to your study kit. VideoNotes piggybacks on Google Drive like an integrated Google Drive app. Every note that you create is saved with its associated video URL to your Google Drive account. You can log into VideoNotes with your Google account. As you can see in the screenshot below, the interface is divided into left and right areas for the video and the notes respectively. If you want a bit of handholding through the minimal features, click on the name logo on the top to start the brief interactive tour.
Copy-pasting the video URL loads the video and you are ready to begin your lesson. VideoNotes gives you more help for finding out the URL for any Coursera video. The screenshot below shows that the video is loaded and ready to be played.
As the video starts playing, you can shift your attention to the notes editor on the right and start capturing important points for your learning and recall. You can start by naming your note so that you can refer back to it later when a bunch of them have piled up in Google Drive.
VideoNotes is simply not about putting down lines of notes while the video plays on the side. Each note that you capture on the notes editor is automatically synchronized with video. So, you can click on a specific note and the video will jump to that precise point on the timeline. This is the "smart solution" to note taking I was talking about earlier. The Note Taking ShortcutsVideoNotes gives you a few shortcuts that give you hands on control over your note taking:
All notes are automatically saved to Google Drive and you can access them from the File Menu. You can also access them directly from Google Drive.
Collaboration with Google DriveIf you have a group studying around a common video, Google Drive's collaborative feature can be exploited to the hilt. The notes do not have to be linear. Everyone can chip in to add discussion points on a video tutorial. Teachers can create their own video tutorials or use an existing one and explain it with points in the notes editor. Collaboration with students opens up lessons to deeper understanding and recall. A Few QuirksIt's a good beginning as a note taking platform for learning videos. But VideoNotes isn't perfect it. The notes editor is barebones right now. Text formatting features would go a long way in making the notes richer. Real-time chats could help to make learning more discussion oriented. There are workarounds that make YouTube a more social experience. Hyperlinking a note to an external resource is a feature I would love to see get implemented. Also, right now there is no way to share your notes with others from within VideoNotes. You have to log into your integrated Google Drive account and share from there which is a bit irksome. But a new application can be forgiven its wrinkles especially when it does the simple thing well (and is free). Here the simplest thing is the benefits of taking notes and saving them with the relevant points on a video. If you use video tutorials for learning, then VideoNotes is a must try. But tell me…how do you take notes while watching video? And how does your method compare with VideoNotes? The post Learn How To Take Notes While Watching An Online Video With VideoNot.es appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Enjoy Breathtaking Panoramic Views With SphereShare.net [Android] Posted: 23 Apr 2013 12:00 PM PDT
When the Google Nexus 4 first came out, one of the nicest new features it introduced was Photo Spheres. These are immersive 360-degree panoramic views you can take with the phone’s camera app, no extra gear needed. In the hands of a skilled photographer they create views that are the next best thing to actually being there. One of the few drawbacks of the format is that it requires a special viewer to enjoy: You can see the photos on the phone itself, or within Google Plus. But not everyone likes to use Google Plus, and even if they do, it’s a general social network dedicated to more than just finding and displaying photo spheres. If you’re looking for a service that’s all about Photo Spheres, without any of that pesky “friending”, “circling” and commenting that go on in a social network, look no further than SphereShare.net. This handy tool is made up of two parts: A website and a companion Android app (if you’re an iPhone user, you’re out of luck — but you can try something like DMD Panorama). The SphereShare WebsiteAs you go to SphereShare, the first thing you’ll see is a long list of clickable thumbnails, each labeled with its location:
Click a screenshot, and find yourself standing right in that location:
The panoramic view will fill your screen, panning majestically across the scene. On a 24″ monitor, the view is impressive. And when I stretch the browser window to span both of my 24″ displays, well, it’s really just like being there. You can also take control of the view by clicking and dragging with your mouse to look around, or scrolling with the wheel to zoom in and out. Viewing images on SphereShare is brilliant, because it’s simple. You don’t have to sign up, become anyone’s friend, or join anything. Just click an image, and you’re there. In fact, to enjoy a live version of the view in the screenshot, simply click here. I also like how all of the menu items and other information is overlaid on the image, putting the photo front and center. You can see a few buttons in the top-right corner of the screenshot above. There’s also some information about the image itself in the bottom-left corner, but that can be difficult to read until you pan and get the background just right:
Signing In And Rating ImagesIf you want to take a more active part in the SphereShare experience, you can sign in with your Google account. This lets you rate photos:
While you must log in to rate photos, your name is not shown anywhere after you rate. That’s nice because you can offer your honest opinion and help the community curate the best of the best without being afraid to give poor images low ratings. The website has several other features, such as viewing photos on a map or sorting them, but what you’ve seen above is the bulk of the experience. I love how simple and straightforward it is. The only significant feature I didn’t get into was uploading photos: You can upload Photo Spheres using your browser, but really, a better way to do it is with the dedicated mobile app which we’re going to look at next. The SphereShare Android AppWith somewhere between 5,000-10,000 downloads at this point, SphereShare’s Android app is no Instagram-style runaway viral hit. Still, it is well rated (100 ratings giving it an average of 4.4 stars), and has been updated recently. Unlike the website, the app does prompt you to log in right off the bat:
Its list of permissions is not overly invasive, though: It just wants to view “basic information” about your account, and wants to know your email address. Once you log in, you’ll find yourself looking at a grid of photo spheres not unlike the one on the site:
Tap a tile, and you’re taken to a page with its metadata:
This feels like an extra step, but it’s not too bad. Tap the thumbnail at the top of the metadata page, and the photo sphere will download and display. You can pan around just like with a photosphere you take on your own device, and it’s lots of fun. Like the website, the app has a menu for sorting images:
The map view is nice because you can easily zoom in and find images taken in your vicinity. Sharing Photo Spheres Using the AppPhoto spheres are best viewed on a large display, so the main reason to download the app is that it makes it easy to share photo spheres you’ve taken on the device. And upload button is on the top-right corner of the screen; tapped, it lets you pick an image viewer, and then an image. Once you pick a photo sphere to upload, you can name it and specify whether you want to share it with the world or keep it private:
And then it’s time to upload it. As simple as could be, really. When done, the photo page looks like this:
And you can see the image you’ve uploaded, as well as share a link to it with anyone. Simple, fun, and effective. Issues And Final ThoughtsWhen using the SphereShare app, I’ve had a number of network issues that caused login failures. Restarting the app did not always fix the problem:
While the issues were annoying and did detract from the experience, I found the SphereShare well-designed and straightforward. Simple, easy to use, and fast. I love the idea of disconnecting Photo Spheres from Google Plus, breaking the forced “social connection”. Sometimes an image is just an image, not an attempt for Pluses and comments. Will you be trying out SphereShare? I would love to see some links to beautiful panoramic views in the comments! The post Enjoy Breathtaking Panoramic Views With SphereShare.net [Android] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| THQ Will Be Missed – My 3 Favorite Games From Its History [MUO Gaming] Posted: 23 Apr 2013 11:01 AM PDT
With the passing of a couple of months, I have had time to really think back about what THQ has done over the years, and it reminded me of some of the awesome games it is responsible for. While its history may not be remembered in the same way Nintendo or Square’s would be if they were to ever go under, THQ deserves to be remembered for some quality titles. Today, I am going to reminisce about my favorite games from THQ. I am not claiming these as “the best” list of THQ games, because I am not writing from a pure quality standpoint. Rather, I am approaching from the perspective of the games I enjoyed the most at the time when they hit the market. Saints Row: The ThirdNot only is Saints Row: The Third my favorite game from THQ, it just might be in my ten favorite video games ever made. If you’ve never played Saints Row: The Third, or any of the Saints Row games for that matter, the best way to describe them is to call them Grand Theft Auto with the volume cranked up to 11.
Like GTA, Saints Row features crime-ridden open gameplay. Unlike GTA, any element of realism is thrown out the window, and it’s just unmistakably insane. Where GTA takes itself somewhat seriously, Saints Row, and most specifically The Third, is not even aware that word serious actually exists. Thankfully, the Saints Row franchise will live on with the passing of THQ, and the fourth entry will be out soon – a world without the insanity of Saints Row is a world I don’t want anything to do with. Company Of HeroesI am not a huge fan of real-time strategy games, with only two exceptions: Age of Empires, and Company of Heroes. Company of Heroes did a fantastic job of scaling the game down to smaller battles and smaller squads of units, which made it far more suited to someone like myself who does not partake in the genre regularly.
Company of Heroes was one of the first RTS games I can recall that let you zoom all the way in, and it created a much more human feel for your units. When one of them met an untimely end, you actually felt something, which is uncommon in most strategy games. Even though it scaled down the size of the battle, there is still plenty of depth for hardcore fans of the genre. Relic, the developers of Company of Heroes, was picked up quickly during THQ’s auction, so we don’t have to worry about not seeing any more entries in the franchise. DarksidersDarksiders is an incredibly underrated game. Sure, much of the concepts are pulled directly from Zelda, but there is plenty of originality, and the more “adult” feel gives it an interesting twist. Sadly, the game did not catch on with gamers as well as THQ would have hoped, and the sequel performed even more poorly, but it will always hold a special place in my heart as one of THQ’s most enjoyable games.
The dark art style is beautiful, and the exploration elements in the game are incredibly well done. I think a large portion of its failure came from THQ not having the money to give it the marketing push it deserved. Saints Row: The Third could have easily suffered the same fate, if not for the fact that the game went viral thanks to the help of sites like Giant Bomb. The fate of Vigil, the company behind Darksiders is unknown at this time. Many of the employees have moved on to new development studios, and Darksiders still sits in limbo. Platinum Games has expressed interest in acquiring Darksiders, so hopefully the game is able to live on with a better marketing push from whoever picks it up. ConclusionNo long-winded conclusion is necessary here. I will simply say – RIP THQ, you will be missed. The post THQ Will Be Missed – My 3 Favorite Games From Its History [MUO Gaming] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Websites That Will Help Drown Out The Noise So You Can Stay Focused Posted: 23 Apr 2013 10:31 AM PDT
But headphones are only part of the solution. This is because if you play music you know, whether it has lyrics or not, you will likely be distracted by it to some degree. So instead of listening to your favorite songs, band or even genre, branch out a bit and try something different – you might be surprised how much it really helps. Focus With Different Sounds, From Rain To Coffee ShopsOne method you can use is sounds, whether its rain and thunder, a trickling creek, birds, etc., there are a lot of nature sounds available. In addition to those, there are also plenty of other noises like ones from a coffee shop, or even just white noise. Rainy Mood
Rainy Mood is a website that instantly plays the sound of rain, accompanied by thunder and the subtle chirping of birds. Tina has shared about RainyMood before and it’s great for an instant solution to focusing sounds. There isn’t a limit to the audio, the interface is clean and there’s even a video of the day, which features a song that sounds great accompanied by the sound of rain.
If you want to control the volume, there’s a one-button toggle at the bottom of the page that you can use to take the volume from high to medium to low to mute, and then back to high. Rainy Mood is also available as a mobile for Android and iOS, both of which cost $4.99. The Rainy Mood website does have a mobile version, however, and if you don’t need the features of the apps, it is sufficient. SounDrown
SounDrown features the sound of rain, like Rainy Mood, but instead of just rain, it also features sounds of other environments, like coffee shops, waves crashing on a beach, trains, crickets, white noise, fountains, and even kids. The interface certainly is up to the quality of Rainy Mood, but if you’re looking for a bit more variety of sounds, it’s a decent option. iSerenity
iSerenity has actually been mentioned before on MakeUseOf by Jackson. Since that article, it looks like it has undergone changes. The interface isn’t the greatest and looks half finished… or half torn apart. However, the sounds work and that’s what matters, right? There are various sound themes, from rainforests, to waterfalls to… hairdryers and vacuums. There are 21 sounds in all. SimplyNoise And SimplyRainSimplyNoise specializes in “colored” noise, like white noise, pink noise and brown noise. Basically the colors represent varying octaves – white is the highest, brown is the lowest. Aside from these three colored controls, there are also two other buttons for oscillation and a timer.
SimplyRain is a SimplyNoise website that does exactly what the name implies – simply plays sounds of rain. In addition to the volume, oscillation and timer controls that it and SimplyNoise both have, it also has controls to toggle thunder sounds and adjust the intensity of the rain.
When I tried to load both SimplyNoise.com and SimplyRain.com on a mobile browser, they didn’t load completely. There are however, mobile apps for both iOS and Android that are only $0.99. In addition to the mobile apps, you can also download 6 different sounds after donating any amount from as little to $1.00 to $10.00 or more. NatureSoundPlayer
NatureSoundPlayer.com has a simple interface and features 8 different sounds from nature. There aren’t any titles, of these sounds though. Instead, there is an image that describes each sound. For instance, “waves” has a picture of waves and a beach; “campfire” has a picture of flames, and so on. You’re also able to play multiple sounds at a time, allowing you to create your own mix. NatureSoundsFor.Me
A website similar to the previous one is NatureSoundsFor.Me, which allows you to mix four different sounds, but features many to choose from. Seriously, the selection is impressive and they don’t just stop at “nature sounds”. They also include ones such as tribal drums, heart beat, several kinds of birds and other animals, holiday tunes, even… wait for it… Darth Vader. In addition to the variety of sounds and the ability to mix 4 of them, you also have controls for each sound that allow you to adjust the volume, balance (right and left speakers) and intervals. The interval feature allows you to break up the sound to add more variance to the mix. If you want to mute everything without having to drag each volume control down and messing up your mix, just click the speaker button in the bottom left corner to pause it. You’re also able to save the mix as a link or export it as a file to share with others or access it later without having to remake it. You’re also able to search compositions created by others by “Top”, “Newest” or “By Sounds”. WhiteNoise 24/7
WhiteNoise 24/7 has been mentioned before on MakeUseOf by Tina. However, contrary to it’s name, WhiteNoise 24/7 doesn’t just do white noise, but also nature and mechanical sounds. These different sounds are located under the tabs at the top titled, Unlimited, Nature and Mechanical. The Unlimited tab features pink and white noise, as well as the sounds of rain, shower and vents. As the title of this page implies, there’s no limit to these sound tracks. The Nature Sounds page features the sounds of a flowing river, hard rain, ocean waves and rain with the sounds of large droplets. Mechanical Sounds feature a ventilator, dishwasher, washing machine, static and shower. Several of these sounds are also actually available for free downloads. Coffitivity
Unlike many of these websites, Coffitivity has a nice, clean, and modern interface. But that’s not all that counts – its sound is great too. It’s simply coffee shop sounds – that’s it. The idea behind Coffitivity is that the ambient sound of coffee shops (and similar places) combined with music help inspire creativity. You’ll see on your website that they specifically say Coffitivity isn’t meant to be listened to by itself, but combined with the music you listen to. They even provide a helpful graphic displaying the volume level that Coffitivity should be at in comparison to your music.
In addition, they also have a lot of interesting information and link to a huge study that was done to show how the ambient sounds help inspire us creatively. Incorporate “Focus Music” Into Your WorkflowBut what about music? What if sounds just aren’t your thing? I personally don’t mind sounds – but at the same time, it’s nice to have a change. However, remember what I said in the second paragraph of this article about the problem with lyrical music causing distractions? Yeah – I definitely have that problem. There are two websites specifically geared toward providing music and beats that will help you stay focused. Focus@Will
I actually discovered Focus@Will through Justin’s article, and since then have been addicted – it’s awesome. The idea behind Focus@Will is to play music that has no lyrics, doesn’t demand your attention, allows you to constantly focus and perhaps is a complete different genre that you aren’t used to, but you still enjoy. Focus@Will has eight different genres. I find myself listening to the Up Tempo one the most, but all are fantastic. The website is simple and all of the controls are nice and big, instead of being hidden and hard to spot. The controls include a loop mode, which starts a 100 minute productivity cycle (great for a focused time block); play/pause; next song, which won’t play that same song again; volume; and a genre dropdown menu. The Focus@Will blog has a lot of great information about how to induce focus with music – even the volume matters. They’re also growing and are still in Beta, but will be launching mobile apps soon. NOTE: Focus@Will is currently only available for Chrome browsers. In addition, refer to some of Justin’s thoughts from his article featuring Focus@Will:
Get Work Done Music
Get Work Done Music is an even simpler website than Focus@Will. Upon going to the website, it’s user-ready. It just streams upbeat and primarily non-lyrical music from SoundCloud. Nothing really to learn about it and hardly any controls. There are four buttons: play/pause, Fast and Faster buttons, and a “next song” button called “gimme the next one cap’n” Pro Tip: Combine The Two TypesThis tip has already been introduced to you in the section about Coffitivity, but that isn’t the only website you can use this with. Perhaps you want to combine some Classical tunes from Focus@Will with some nature sounds – just have both websites open. The idea is fairly simple really, but I want to give Coffitivity all the credit, as I likely wouldn’t have thought it, had they not mentioned it first. ConclusionThis works! I’m doing it right now and I use these methods literally every time I write. Having variety is nice though because despite being able to vary things up a bit on one particular website, having other ones to choose from helps to mix things up a bit. You may have noticed that this article focuses primarily on websites. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t mobile apps out there that do this – there just weren’t any that really stood out to me. A while back Jackson covered nine iPhone apps that help you sleep, although these can likely help you focus too. Don’t be discouraged though – there are Android apps available. Look through the Android market for apps with the kinds of features mentioned here in this article. The really good ones, may come at a small cost. Do you have any suggestions for websites or apps that you use to help you focus through the use of sounds, noise and music? Feel free to share with your fellow readers in the comments – we’d love to hear about them too! Image Credit: Focused girl with headphones via Shutterstock The post 10 Websites That Will Help Drown Out The Noise So You Can Stay Focused appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It’s Not Facebook, It’s You! 5 Ways To Fix Your Facebook Experience [Weekly Facebook Tips] Posted: 23 Apr 2013 10:01 AM PDT
Facebook offers a lot of opportunities and it is up to you to customize your experience. It’s a little like real life. You can do great things, work hard, be a positive example, help others, or you can waste your time; it’s your decision. The difference is that Facebook is much less complex and occasionally comes with great instructions. So what is it that you struggle with on Facebook and how would you like to turn that experience around? 1. Wasting TimeBecause Facebook is so great at what it does – presenting you with the latest information from the people and things you care about – you cannot help but get sucked in and spend hours on reading status updates, peeking through photo albums, watching videos, or playing games. And if you don’t read everything that has been posted to your News Feed since the last time you visited, you feel like you are missing out. This is not a productive use of your time!
There isn’t an easy way to escape from this time sink. First you need to be determined! Ask yourself:
The answers to those questions will reveal what you want Facebook to be for you. Once you have an understanding of what you appreciate about Facebook, observe yourself the next time you use the social network:
Based on your initial idea of what you want Facebook to be and the baseline assessment of what it actually is now, take action!
2. Feeling BadFacebook is a reflection of who you are and how you think. When you approach Facebook with the wrong mindset, it can make you sad, anxious, and envious. Approach it with the right mindset, however, and it can leave you happier, inspired, and grateful for having so many awesome people in your life. Which alternative would you prefer?
A recent study revealed that people who are more engaged in Facebook, tend to suffer from higher levels of anxiety. This is hardly surprising. Lonely or introvert people with a less intense social life find it easier to connect using social networks. Yet seeing people having an exciting social life in the real world can be incredibly depressing. But it doesn’t have to be! It’s tough, but you can be conscious about how you approach Facebook (or life in general) and how it makes you feel. It’s a key part of customizing your Facebook experience. Try these tips:
3. Revealing Too MuchPer default, Facebook shares everything. Whatever you share with Facebook, is shared with the world. And whenever Facebook introduces an update, the default is ‘open to all’. Hence it’s important to regularly review your privacy settings and make sure that privacy relevant information like your birth date, your phone number, or your personal photos are hidden from the general public. You can easily check what your profile looks like for another person from within Facebook. Go to your Timeline, i.e. facebook.com/your_user_name. You can get there by clicking your own name anywhere on Facebook. In the top right next to Activity Log click the arrowhead to expand the Settings menu and select View As…
From the top left, select as who you want to see your Timeline and Profile. You can enter a friend’s name or view your profile as the public, i.e. a random stranger would see it.
If you see something that you don’t want a specific person or the public to see, track down that particular piece of information and update its settings. 4. Sharing Too MuchSome things should remain private! None of your friends want to hear about your every bowel movement, nor do they want to hear you complain all the time, unless you are really having a tough time and need help. In that case, why don’t you just ask for help? This is probably the toughest one, but don’t Like and re-Share too many Facebook posts. It will drive those people nuts whose News Feeds are inundated with your Likes and Shares.
Remember, if everyone was a little more considerate, we would all waste less time on Facebook. Fortunately, a recent study shows that around one third of all Facebook posts are self-censored. Another study suggests that self-censorship could be related to not wanting to… cause a huge discussion, offend or hurt someone, or be boring or repetitive. Sounds like a great number of people actually is considerate already! 5. Depending Too MuchDon’t let Facebook rule your life. Make sure you have people’s contacts and birthdates stored outside of Facebook, so you can stay in touch in case you get banned or locked out. Back up your photos and other personal memories, so you don’t depend on Facebook to save them for you. Generally, use Facebook like any other tool, don’t depend on it for your (social) life!
ConclusionYou control your Facebook experience. Make it a good one, but don’t make it an intense one. Facebook is a tool to stay in touch with real people in real life. The goal is to have a real social life outside of Facebook. How do you use Facebook and how much time do you spend on it each day? Image credits: Nowhere via Shutterstock, Woman Riding Bicycle via Shutterstock The post It’s Not Facebook, It’s You! 5 Ways To Fix Your Facebook Experience [Weekly Facebook Tips] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level Up – How To Improve Your Gaming Ability Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:31 AM PDT
Of course, that rush can turn to despair when you're repeatedly stomped. Losing a game time and time again isn’t fun, and isn’t instructive. The only way to solve the problem is to improve gaming skills and dominate what once defeated you. But how? Knowledge Is Power
There's a difference between experience and knowledge. You'll never become an amazing League Of Legends or Starcraft 2 player by just reading articles or watching Day9. Yet reading about strategies can boost your confidence and competency, and is often the first step towards becoming a better player. By reading about a game, or watching instructive videos, you can learn core concepts that are important and not immediately obvious. You can learn what weapons or abilities are favored in certain situations, understand how different builds work, and learn more about different control schemes. This information will remove knowledge barriers between you and your opponent, which means you won't lose because you had no idea what to do. That's important – losing without knowing why has caused many a rage-quit. Where do you go to learn about your favorite game? That varies, of course, but there are some common resources. YouTube is a great place to find instructive videos and may lead you to additional reading. Noxxic is a solid source for builds in today's top MMOs. And game forums are a must-visit, as others will link to top guides or post their own. Learn From Losing
If you play a game, you'll lose. No one is perfect and everyone is, at some point, a newbie. The difference between those who become great and those who quit is in how players lose. Every loss happens because another player did something that you didn't anticipate or correctly counter. Even if you've followed the first tip, and thus know what to do, you may not know how to do it, or when. Only experience can teach you this, and those who beat you can become your best instructors. When you lose, your goal should be to find out why you lost, and rage-quitting runs directly against that goal. You also can't learn if your response is to immediately throw out your strategy, pick another class, or declare a unit worthless. To learn from losing you must pick a path, commit to it for a time, and then think about the results. Most of all, you must be willing to accept that you lost because you did something wrong. Technology can help, too. Replays can help pinpoint problems, but only a few games offer a replay feature. Recording software like FRAPS or WeGame will let you analyze your loss and see details that weren't apparent in-game. And if you win, you can boast about your mad skillz on YouTube! Enjoy The Game With Others
Enjoyment can be easy to forget when trying to improve your skill. The game itself begins to fade away, replaced instead by competition, a constant and tiresome struggle against strangers you'll probably never play twice. This can take its toll – many people trying to ace a game have quit because of burnout. Gaming with a core group of online friends is an excellent way to solve this problem. These people can see flaws in your strategy that you missed, provide encouragement when you lose, and offer the social outlet many people need to thrive in the face of adversity. PracticeAbout 10,000 hours stand between you and mastery of a skill. That works out to 416 days. Not 416 days in which you practice some, but 416 straight days of non-stop practice. For most people, spending this much time in a game is absurd, and that's okay. The basic concept remains intact. The more you practice, the better you'll be. Practicing is not the same as playing the game. Practice means pushing your abilities through repetition, challenge, or both. You can't practice a game based on a competitive 1-on-1 ladder by joining team games, nor can you practice for coordinated team deathmatch by playing capture-the-flag with strangers As a result, you need to schedule practice aside from time spent playing, even if you do both in the same game. You can have fun in a public match, or mess around with your guildmates in non-competitive play, but when it comes time to practice – practice. Bring The Right Tools
The quality of a hammer doesn’t determine the skill of the carpenter. But experienced carpenters tend not to work with hammers bought at the dollar store. Gaming is no different. Keyboards and mice don't make you more skilled, but they may decrease the possibility of an accidental screw-up costing you a game, and they're more pleasing to use. I grew up gaming on mice with physical trackballs and I'd never, ever go back. Today's high-resolution laser mice are smoother, more comfortable and customizable in ways I could only dream of as a teenager. Should you be tight on cash, and you're not sure which peripheral to go for, I recommend upgrading your mouse first. A solid gaming mouse can improve accuracy and comfort. After that, grab a keyboard – unless you play or want to play a team game, in which case a headset is a must. ConclusionWhile most games sold today are easy to start playing, many are extremely difficult to master. The gamers who earn world-first heroic raid kills in World Of Warcraft are playing the same game as those who sit in a capital and emote hugs for hours on end. They're just playing the game on a different level. Before you really digest any of these tips, you may want to ask yourself if you care. Unless you become a professional, the time you spent mastering a game will bring you no money and little glory. Mastery must come not out of a desire for tangible benefits, but instead a desire of mastery of mastery's sake. Image Credit: Vincent Samaco The post Level Up – How To Improve Your Gaming Ability appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Get Over $200 Worth Of Windows Apps For $30 With The New PCBundler [Updates] Posted: 23 Apr 2013 08:30 AM PDT
Users who take advantage of this offer will receive seven top-selling Windows software, including TuneUp Media (which you can also get for free from our Rewards program), PCKeeper, VideoConverter Pro, Audio Recorder, Switch (also available for free download as a MakeUseOf Reward), Phototangler, and PASSWORDfighter. A nice variety items has been chosen for this bundle, and the price alone could be worth it to some users. For instance, TuneUp Media is a popular app that lets you organize your music collection, normally coming at a retail price of $49.95. PCKeeper, a $39 tool, offers 15 tools in one: a disk cleaner, an anti-theft tool, an uninstaller, a duplicate finder, antivirus, and more.
Altogether, the package offers a total of 87% discount from normal retail prices, and licenses for all program are delivered to buyers upon purchase. Most apps in the bundle have free trials available, and these are linked to from the product pages in the bundle. This way, you can check the programs out before you decide if you want the bundle or not. But don’t take too long. the bundle will only be available for two weeks, until May 6. If you would like to take advantage of PCBundler or learn more, visit the official website. Do you think that PCBundler is a good deal? Will you make use of it? Source: PCBundler The post Get Over $200 Worth Of Windows Apps For $30 With The New PCBundler [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nintendo Wii U Review and Giveaway Posted: 23 Apr 2013 05:30 AM PDT
Check out the other giveaways we’ve organised this Gaming Month! The original Nintendo Wii brought plenty of new ideas to console gaming. It focused on the movement of the unique Wiimote controllers in order to control gameplay. It enabled some popular, even iconic, titles such as Wii Sports that offered plenty of fun for everyone of all ages. However, the Wii wasn’t perfect, and the Wii U tries to address this as well as add more to the unique gameplay. These improvements, along with other details, are reviewed in detail below.
We’ve got ourselves the $350 Nintendo Wii U Deluxe, which includes 32GB of storage instead of just 8GB offered by the $300 Basic version. Plus, the Deluxe version offers several other goodies, so the additional $50 is worth paying. The GamePadThe most important addition to the Wii U over the Wii is the GamePad. This device is basically an entirely separate computer that you can hold in your hands, except that it’s a highly advanced controller. Nintendo probably took inspiration from the DS portable console (read our review of the Nintendo 3DS XL) and its dual-screen configuration, then created the GamePad to be used with the Wii U. However, the GamePad has its complexities and therefore, Wiimote controllers are still required for multiplayer gaming on the Wii U. We’ll get into that a bit later.
Now, gameplay with the Wii U isn’t entirely on your TV — the player using the GamePad controller will also be told to look down on their GamePad’s screen for additional gameplay features. This can be useful for a number of different purposes, such as:
The GamePad is loaded with functionality which makes it extremely capable. It includes a 6.2-inch, 158 ppi touchscreen display, along with a camera, microphone, home button, dual analog sticks, a directional-pad, gameplay buttons and triggers, and TV remote functionality. It even comes with a stylus in order to keep the touchscreen fingerprint-free. It is powered by its own Li-ion battery, which you can charge via the included micro-USB charger. Packaging and First ThoughtsThere’s plenty of stuff that comes with the Wii U. When you open the main box, you’ll find that you can pull out two individual compartments, each containing different items. Within the two compartments you’ll find:
It’s all nicely organized, so you’ll easily find everything as long as you open up all the compartments. The rather compact sensor bar is only needed whenever you use a regular Wiimote controller. Also, although a sensor bar is included, Wii controllers aren’t and must be purchased separately. This is crucial if you wish to play with friends. It’s also important to note that only one GamePad can be connected to a Wii U at any time. Although you can have up to a maximum of 5 simultaneous players, only one person can use the GamePad; the others will have to use regular Wiimote controllers. When I first took the Wii U out of its wrapping, I noticed that it’s rather small for a full-fledged console. The original Wii had this property as well, and Nintendo didn’t change the size but they did pack better hardware into the same amount of space. The front of the unit is rather simple — there’s the power and eject buttons, a slot to insert the game disc, and a compartment to swap out the hard drive if you choose to do so.
The backside of the unit has connections to support different devices, including the sensor bar, a TV via either HDMI or AV Multi Out, and two USB ports. There are plenty of ventilation ports along the sides, and a lone fan in the back to push out hot air. The risk of overheating is minimal as long as the console unit is sitting in a generously open space with good air movement.
Playing with the Wii UIt’s a blast to use the GamePad. You feel like you have a lot of control in your hands — and you certainly do. While it might not be the best controller to use for Wii Sports or Just Dance, it’s perfect for practically any other title. I would say that the controls are placed very well on the device so that all buttons can be easily accessible.
The GamePad is a bit on the heavy side, so while it is possible, it’s a bit hard to hold the device with just one hand. Children may have to hold it with both of their hands — especially because it’s best not to drop it. However, the build quality of the console as well as the GamePad are excellent, as you would expect from Nintendo. The GamePad is a bit more robust, however, simply because of how much it will be handled.
The GamePad brings a slightly different aspect to gameplay from the original Wii. The focus is now not entirely on movement, but more on traditional console gameplay as the Wii U borrows some ideas from the Nintendo DS. The GamePad still incorporates movement via the built-in accelerometer, which is why the Wii U doesn’t need the sensor bar unless you’re also using Wiimote controllers. While you can play all games with the GamePad, it may still be ideal to use the regular Wiimote controller and nunchuck for some titles such as Wii Sports. Wii or Wii U?The Wii U offers plenty of gameplay improvements that make it worthwhile to buy or upgrade from the Wii. First, an upgraded graphics processing unit from AMD allows for higher-resolution gameplay with fantastic 3D rendering, which addresses one of the main gripes about the original Wii. The addition of the GamePad also offers plenty of new options for game developers to tap into. While the higher-resolution graphics and GamePad can only be used with newer, Wii U titles; the Wii U is still very capable of playing all your favorite Wii titles using the standard Wiimote controllers. My college dormitory has a Wii U in its lobby for residents to play on, and it’s used daily with a number of fun titles.
The Mii framework allows multiple people to play on the Wii U and have data associated with them across multiple games. You need to create a Mii in order to play on the Wii U, and doing so is pretty fun. The GamePad can snap a picture of you and have the console create a Mii character that looks very similar to you. Of course, you can always fine tune the Mii before finalizing its look.
PitfallsWhile the Wii U is plenty of fun, and the new features keep the console very interesting, there are still a few downsides to consider. Firstly, the GamePad is so feature-loaded — it has to communicate wirelessly with the console in order to send control data and receive a video stream for its touchscreen — it’s essentially a computer in your hands. As such, the battery life of the GamePad is relatively low at just three and a half hours. This may not be ideal for hardcore gamers who have day-long gaming sessions, but other people may find the battery life to be decent enough — three and a half hours of gaming is still a good while. Although it’s not an ideal solution, it’s also possible to use the GamePad while charging it with the micro-USB cable. It’ll limit your mobility, but at least you’ll be able to use it for as long as you please. Additionally, as the Wii U is still a Nintendo product, don’t expect to get many highly popular titles on the console that can otherwise be found on Sony or Microsoft consoles. Instead, many of the games that will be available are oriented towards children or families, or otherwise include iconic Nintendo characters. The Wii U is still better off in this regard than the original Wii, as there are titles available such as ZombiU. Should you buy the Nintendo Wii U?All things considered, the Wii U is still an impressive console that is capable of entertaining gameplay. It’s also great that the Wii U is among the more affordable consoles of the Big Three. I highly value the ability for the Wii U to play the older Wii games, as there are some titles that I wouldn’t quite want to give up. So whether you have yet to own a Wii console, or if you’re looking at upgrading from your original Wii, I would definitely recommend the new system. MakeUseOf Recommends: Buy! How do I win the Nintendo Wii U?Step 1: Fill in the giveaway formPlease fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. MakeUseOf giveaways are open to readers worldwide. Fill out my online form. Step 2: Share!You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to share the post! (Note: no points will be awarded.) Alternative entry method: Use your points!Exchange your MakeUseOf points for an entry into the competition. First, create a MakeUseOf account, earn points and exchange your points for an entry! Learn more about our Game system and Rewards program. By participating in this giveaway, you agree to the giveaway rules. This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, May 3rd. The winner will be selected at random and informed via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! Send your products to be reviewed. Contact Jackson Chung for further details. The post Nintendo Wii U Review and Giveaway appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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