Of all the Twitter clients I’ve tried Tweetbot is at the top of a very long list of Twitter clients. Tweetbot ranks among the top of all Twitter clients because it easy to use while still being robust enough to handle the most demanding of Twitter users. Among the more useful features are sliding a tweet right to view replies and sliding left for more detailed view of the tweet (scroll up for replies, if any exist). Most timelines include the ability to search the downloaded tweets (use search on the left navigation bar for a more powerful search).

What Tweetbot doesn’t do for you is make you fit into how the developer envisioned the application being used as the only way it can be used. Tweetbot offers quite a few options to help customize it to suit you. You can change the font size (tiny to huge), display name ( full name, user name or both), date format, navigation (hiding or displaying favorites, search, profile, lists, re-tweets and mute filters), streaming, quote format and much more.

Beyond the left and right sliding of tweets Tweetbot makes use of another gesture: triple tap. Triple tapping can cause one of the following user configurable actions: reply, re-tweet, favorite, translate, or view in Favstar. Translation occurs in the app in the form of a dialog box. In the few tweets I tried translating, it translated quick enough to be useful. Presumably translation translates tweets to the default language of the iPad, as this is one of the few features without any user customization. Given that the developer’s domain has DNS entries for Google Apps, translation is likely handled by Google. Having never heard of Favstar I found it to be an odd choice for the triple tap gesture however, users of the site might like it. Favstar allows users to get more detailed information about tweets; think analytics for tweets.

One feature I especially liked is the ability to import and export Twitter accounts into Twitter’s iOS application. This meant I didn’t have to re-type all my Twitter account information to start using Tweetbot. People with multiple Twitter accounts will particularly like the easy transition.

Tip: Leave your Twitter account setup in iOS and uninstall the Twitter app to retain Twitter integration in other applications yet save the space; this will also stop double data and Twitter polls from both Twitter applications.

Alerts in Tweetbot work as they should except for one simple oversight. Tweetbot doesn’t have the ability to run in the background and poll for new tweets in your Twitter stream. Tweetbot alerts for mentions and direct messages any time but the lack of background updating for Twitter stream as a whole feels like an oversight; for users that want or need such a feature. Tweetbot does allow for “streaming” of your Twitter stream but only when open and the active application.

With a simple push of the button, Game Stew Studio hopes to show you a “Reel” good time with its latest release, Tower of Fortune, out now for iOS ($.99).  Can a monochrome, slot machine RPG really hope to hold its own amongst some of the heavy hitters currently making the rounds in the iOS App Store?  Only The Gadget Gurus can say for sure!

Gameplay

Tower of Fortune attempts to take one of the most complex styles of gameplay and reduce it down to one that takes little-to-no effort.  Tower of Fortune is an RPG, set long after the adventurer in the story has retired.  His daughter has been taken from him, and there’s nobody left but he to rescue her.  That’s about all of the story we’re given and, more or less, all of the direction we’re given for gameplay.  You’ll spend the first few minutes trying to figure out what to do, and end up spending a few hundred gold coins in the tavern.

It’s in this tavern that you’ll learn the two basic parts of Gameplay: “Spin” and “Stop”.  That’s it.  Sure, there’s a few other parts such as assigning weapons and armor and buying goods from the market, but at its heart, Tower of Fortune is a slot machine game.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a lot more fun than it sounds. Each wheel of the slot can have attack, be attacked, earn XP or earn money, with the first wheel dictating the actual turn of play.  If more than one wheel matches up, the action is multiplied.  This can be good or bad; imagine getting attacked with each wheel matching!  Subsequent actions result in combos that amplify the effect of the action.

Unfortunately, none of this is explained to you anywhere, and you’re forced to find it all out on your own.  This game would really benefit form some sort of tutorial or manual, and it loses a point or two for its lack.  The game will often find players starting out by wasting all of their money at the tavern before they learn how to earn more.  You haven’t figured it out, yet, have you?

To make more money, we go back to the main screen and select any portion of the tower (hence, TOWER of Fortune).  From here you’ll battle enemies and bosses in an attempt to win back your daughter.  The gameplay, while a bit repetitive, is still fun and I’ve found myself coming back to it while doing various tasks throughout the day.  With simple, one-handed gameplay, it can be played waiting in line at the supermarket, sitting on the bus on the way to work, or on the couch while you watch TV.  Once you’ve figured out HOW to play, it’s a fun little game with a great gameplay style.

Graphics/Design

Tower of Fortune’s unique, monochrome design is actually quite refreshing.  It’s very 8-bit and retro and feels much like the Gameboy games of old.  Detail isn’t applied so much to the graphics, but rather to a gameplay style unique to the app store.  In a world full of “HD” and “Retina Display”, having a throw-back to simpler times is pleasing to the eyes and well worth the purchase.  The lighter design also makes it easier to see in the dark, so if you’re concerned about waking your significant other while you play in bed, you can turn down the brightness and still see the game.

Enemy units are all unique and follow themes based on your location in the tower.  Bosses are bigger than the average enemy, and all characters animate in a retro-style that fits in well with the rest of the game.  The only issue with the animation and graphic style is the fact that animations happen every time and there’s no way to skip them.  After you’ve been bonked on the head with a bottle for the 100th time, you’ll wish something else would animate.

Sound

In line with the graphic style, the sound design is 100% retro.  It’s a lot of chiptune-type, 8-bit digital music and it really fits with the overall style of the game.  At maximum volume, it can get a bit loud, but is pleasing to the ears at lower volumes.  Each move of each character makes noise, and Big Stew has stated that they have plans to increase the amount of background music and make improvements there.  Much like games of yore, the sound and background music can get repetitious, which seems to fall in line with the rest of the game.

Overall

With a retro feel in both sight and sound, and a simple style of gameplay, Tower of Fortune has the chance to provide a decent amount of fun.  Players who find time consuming games a bit too…time consuming, will enjoy the quick-hit style of one-click play, and players looking for a bit more under the hood will enjoy the RPG elements.  Neither style really overpowers the other, which may deter users who would prefer one over the other, but this game is certainly playable by players of any skill level.  While sound and animation can be a bit repetitious, it shouldn’t drive players away from enjoying this game.  At $.99, this game is perfectly priced and certainly prepared to give you a dollar’s worth of entertainment.

Guru Review Score:

Gameplay: 8/10

Graphics/Design 8/10

Sound: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

Gameplay

The premise of Wrestling Manager pretty much gets explained in the game’s title.  Wrestling Manager is an iOS game that allows you to play the part of the less-often explained and, until recently, less-often seen side of the professional wrestling world.  You take on the role of the owner of an upstart backyard wrestling organization with a goal to dominate the world of professional Wrestling.  You become the promoter, match planner and boss of whatever league you decide to develop.

The main interface centers around a calendar of events.  Here you’ll put together promos, matches and special events, all selected through a random pack of cards that you’re given at the beginning of the game.  In much the same way as many games on the iOS market today, more cards can be bought for a nominal price, or earned with an inordinate amount of in-game currency.  It’s this calendar section that makes up the brunt of the game and where you’ll spend most of your time developing each day’s card.

Once you’ve developed your entire card, you’ll launch into that day’s event and the game will simulate the results of each match and promo in an attempt to level up your wrestlers and the remaining cards.  Depending on the level of your success, you’ll be given feedback at the end of each match.  Admittedly, over the few hours that I played, I wasn’t able to put together much of a card that would earn me anything than some beat writer telling me that I sucked.  I’m not quite sure what the secret to success is at this point, but i hope to find out over more time with the game.

It’s all pretty standard simulator-style gameplay.  There’s a lot of reading, a lot of stats, and a ton of number processing.  You’ll need a decent amount of time to plan a really good card, which is where the automated setup portion comes into play.  At any point in time, during selection of promos, matches, etc., you might see an “A” in one of the boxes.  Clicking this will allow the simulator to set up whatever it is you’re trying to select without you needing to give it much thought.  In my experience, the game did a great job of selecting things for me, but it’s just not a fun way to play the game.  The real fun is in making your selections!

Graphics/Design

It’s obvious that Serious Parody spent a great amount of time with their design of this game.  From the naming of the wrestlers and locations to each individual screen, the visuals in this game are really pleasing to the eyes.  Screens are consistent across most of the game, and it always gives me a chuckle to see what wrestler names are going to come out of the next pack!  The high resolution on the iPhone is crystal clear, but a word of warning: this game gets a bit grainy up-scaled on an iPad.

Sound

So here’s my biggest (and really only) complaint with this game.  There’s no sound.  I reached out to Serious Parody and was informed that it was either a choice between sound or adding factions.  Their next decision is between achievements and sound and, considering the landscape of gaming today, I’m guessing sound is going to lose this match, as well.

Overall

I’ll come right out and say it: I really like this game.  I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy another sim game.  I’ve played all of the kairosoft games and was really hoping this wasn’t going to be a clone.  Thankfully, Wrestling Manager takes on a life of its own, with it almost being a deck building game, akin to Magic:TG and the latest Assassin’s Creed card game.  Games like that are a nice change of pace from the Angry Birds and Draw Somethings.  I’ve got a few issues with some of the aspects of this game, so it’s far from perfect.  It’s a bit pricey, which seems to spit in the face of the fact that they’re also charging for in-app purchases.  That whole “No Sound” thing is a HUGE bummer.  It would have been great with a few audio clips of fake wrestlers cutting promos, but it’s understandable why it’s not there.  But this game is a solid purchase and definitely shows a lot of promise.  Whether or not this game will ultimately justify it’s $10 price tag is really up to you, but if you’re looking for a great wrestling simulator (especially in the giant sea of wrestling simulators on the market…wait…) than Wrestling Manager is the game with which to go.

Guru Review Score:

Gameplay: 9/10

Graphics/Design 9/10

Sound: 0/10

Overall: 8/10

I was sent an Accell composite AV cable for review from Accellcables.com. They list that it is compatible with iPad, iPad 2, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (1st gen), iPod touch (2nd gen), iPod classic, iPod nano (3rd gen), iPod nano (4th gen), iPod nano (5th gen), iPod with color display, and iPod with video. Its main purpose is to allow you to display movies on another screen, but it also includes the capability to charge and/or charge and sync your device. It is a very generous 5 feet long, and feels very well-made.

To make this product work, you must find the composite input of your television; there are three cable inputs – a yellow cable for video and red and white cables for left and right channel audio.

The instructions that came with the cable were not very clear on what would be displayed during use, but I quickly came to realize that it was strictly for watching videos. You cannot mirror your device’s screen or play games on a television. This appears to be an Apple limitation rather than a cable limitation.

I did try to use the cable with another older (2nd gen) iPod Touch, but could not get it to work although it is listed as a supported device. I successfully tested it watching Netflix movies as well as Slingplayer for iOS. Quality was limited to 480, but on a 32” TV was very watchable.

With all that being said, this is an awesome product. It bears the “Made for iPod” seal meaning that it has met Apple’s rigids standards. The cable works great with basically any television. It is an analog cable so you’re limited on the resolution, but if you have a spare television that you want to use, or a small lcd monitor in your car, it works great for that purpose.

I tested this cable on the headrest monitors in my mom’s car, and it worked great. I was able to connect my 4G iPod Touch to the inputs of the monitor and watch movies without issue.

This cable retails for $39.99, and that’s a bit pricey. It appears to be well made, and I would recommend this cable to anyone with a supported Apple device who would enjoy watching videos on another screen. It carries a 1 year warranty, and Accell Cables sells a ton of other cables you might find useful for your electronic products.

It will be of great use to me in the future for whatever I may need it for, and I plan to continue using it in the car so I’m not stuck watching videos on my tiny 3.5” iPod screen.

-Brianna Stebbins,

Reviewer and host of Simulcast Jr.

Dear inquiring consumer,

The iPad, it’s the dominate tablet all over the world. It’s the bar all other tablets are judged by and so far, none have been able to top it. So what about the Kindle Fire? Well in this Guru’s opinion, the Kindle Fire isn’t a “tablet” in the same way the iPad is. For most people, the iPad could easily replace your laptop computer. It has a large 9.7″ screen that is, hands down, the best display on a mobile device. There are thousands upon thousands of apps available for the iPad with more coming out everyday. The Kindle Fire is more of an E-Reader with some really great extras. It in no way could replace a laptop, but it’s not really meant too.

The iPad has a beautiful 9.7″ screen with a total weight of around 1.4 lbs. It’s not exactly an ideal weight for holding and reading. So book reading, web browsing, or just holding it for a long period of time will be cumbersome. You’re going to end up “propping” it up on something somehow. If you are primarlily looking to read books, magazines, comics, and web browse, the Kindle Fire is a much more suitable size. Coming in at 0.4 lbs and a 7″ screen, the Kindle Fire is easier to hold for extended periods of time.

On the other side, the iPad is a much better multimedia device. The larger screen and higher resolution makes watching Netflix, TV shows and movies an absolute dream. There are many accessories out there like the Spiderpodium and Bracketron 360 that let you prop the iPad up in order to watch video on it  giving you a excellent watching experience. If you plan to watch a lot of video content or are on and off airplanes frequently, the iPad is going to be the clear winner. Not to say that watching video on the kindle Fire is bad, it’s quite good in fact. However, the iPad’s screen really makes HD video shine in a way the Kindle Fire’s display doesn’t have the ability.

Both the Kindle Fire and the iPad have all the major apps you’d want in this type of device. Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora Radio, and Angry Birds are all there. The major difference is the Kindle Fire is built based on a version of Android made for phones. Most of the apps are the exact same experience you’d get on an Android phone. They’re not terrible, but definitely not suited for the larger 7″ screen. The iPad, on the other hand, has a huge selection of robust apps specifically made for it’s huge display. So if running apps or playing games is your thing, go with the iPad.

On paper the iPad is the superior device, but in actual day to day use, it all comes down to what you want. Another huge consideration is that the Kindle Fire is $200, placing it $300 less than the cheapest iPad (they start at $500). Both Amazon and Apple have a great ecosystem for music, movies and TV shows, so you’ll have great content on either device. The big decision comes down to what you’re planning on using the device for. That’s a decision no one can make for you. Choose wisely and enjoy!

Sincerely,

Mike The Boss Guru

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To determine if a piece of technology will fit into a person’s life, we first have to look at their current setup and how they use it. Since we’re talking about me, let’s have a look at my day to day setup and my usage patterns.

I have a custom built Windows desktop that I purchased specifically to play Star Wars The Old Republic. However, I quickly turned it onto my main podcasting computer and it also serves as my media server. I use this computer once, maybe twice a week not including SWTOR.

I also have a 13″ Macbook which was my primary podcasting computer and media server before I bought the PC. Now I use it strictly for Garageband to edit The Gadget Gurus Podcast once a week.

Last but not least, I was lucky enough to receive a Google CR48 during the pilot program. Since receiving it, I have used the CR48 as my primary computer for my day to day needs. About six months ago I replaced Chrome OS with Ubuntu to give the laptop some more functions.

So could an iPad or Android tablet replace some or all of these devices? Lets take a look.

Clearly the iPad has some great games, but nothing on the level of SWTOR so I’ve got to keep the desktop. Plus the iPad is an extension media device, hardly capable of being a media server. Although with the new found ability in iOS 5.1 to stream movie purchases along with TV shows from iCloud and the addition of Airplay, I could argue the iPad is damn close.

My Macbook hasn’t seen much action since I purchased the PC and received the CR48. It was my primary podcasting computer but was replaced with the Windows tower for The Gadget Gurus because Skype works so much better on Windows. So I only use the Macbook for podcast editing in Garageband. It truly is a fantastic program. Now the iPad has Garageband but without a file system importing multiple source files and exporting just doesn’t work. Unfortunately Android tablets, as far as I know, have no good audio editing program.

Onto the Chromebook. This has been my day to day, web browsing, blogging, music listening, and couch computer. I was absolutely blown away how much I used “just a web browser”. Of course I got bored and curiosity got the better of me and I installed Ubuntu. So could an iPad or Android tablet replace the CR48? Honestly, almost. Aside from uploading and downloading files from the web both tablets might fit here. They both have Squarespace and WordPress apps, decent text editors, and many ways to listen to music.

A tablet would be lighter and easier to carry. A bluetooth keyboard would make blogging and writing reviews fairly easy, not to mention I could read ebooks on it. I currently have a Kindle Fire, which I love, but would have no need for it with a tablet.

So I could replace my Kindle Fire and my Chromebook with a tablet. I’d gain overall portability by having one device, but I’d lose the full file system and full web browser of the Chromebook. I also prefer the 7″ form factor to 8-10″ but that’s a sacrifice I could make.

The only major hang up is traveling with just a tablet. I hate the feeling that I can’t get something done due to the limits of my technology. Maybe by the time Windows 8 rolls out it will be the magic combination I’m looking for, but right now I couldn’t primarily rely on just an iPad or an Android tablet. There is just too much missing that even a simple Chromebook provides. As tablets get more and more powerful, I am sure things will change. Apple, in particular, is leading the way in software with Pages, Garageband, and iPhoto for iOS. With more desktop class applications like these, it’s only a matter of time when a tablet can legitimately replace my primary computer with no compromise.

By the way, you can pre-order the New iPad HERE!

Apple’s latest quarterly results were astounding! It was the best quarter for any technology company in history. Apple’s profits are doing nothing but rising and they have amassed a huge surplus of cash. So naturally, when you are on top, you become a target. This latest assault places partial blame on Apple for the poor working conditions and poor treatment of the people working in China building their products. However, Apple isn’t the only company using Foxconn and the technology industry is by far not the worst when it comes to worker treatment.

The NYT didn’t take aim at Microsoft, who has the Xbox built at Foxconn, when 300 workers threatened suicide over pay. They failed to point out that Sony has the Playstation built there, that HTC and Motorola both use Foxconn to make their smartphones, and Amazon’s Kindles are all built there as well. Do all of these companies get a pass because they aren’t recording record breaking profits? Why weren’t they targeted?

I’ll tell you. Bullshit headlines. The New York Times is using the oldest trick in the book. We like to call it “link bait”. They have wrapped a real problem in a grim story and made Apple the bad guy. I don’t have to tell you that corporations are amoral. What’s the goal of a company? To make money. Apple is doing just that. The suggestion that Apple should take it’s crazy money they have hoarded away and some how change the labor situation in China is completely irrational. Foxconn and companies like it work in a completely different way than we do here in the United States. We have laws, unions, and government organizations that provide protection and support for workers.

Is Apple a company or a political lobbyist? It’s not their problem to mess with how the economics work in China. Would they like to have all of their products made in the United States and still have profits close to what they have now? Sure, and I want an flying car and a lightsaber.

If the New York Times wants to write a humanitarian piece, stop pointing the finger at Apple and take a look at diamonds (like they did in 2006), oil, or freaking sneakers for crying out loud. These industries have a far higher “cost” to bringing these products to the United States.

Apple’s billions of dollars isn’t enough to Change China’s economic strategy and the way they do business. When the United States owes China over $1 Trillion, what makes you think one company could have anything to do with the way they make money?

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