Kuyi Mobile's Second Serving of Streetfood Tycoon.

It's past 1:00AM as of typing this and I should really be studying for an exam tomorrow night later tonight but let me sneak in a blog entry for all you guys. Worth the read, I promise! Plus writing this actually helps me by not boring out myself too much with all the studying I've been doing since the weekend. 

For all iOS device users out there, y'all can now download Streetfood Tycoon: World Tour, or what I'd like to call, the second, bigger and better serving of a truly great Filipino-made app! Following the success of the original Streetfood Tycoon gaming app, Kuyi Mobile, an independent game development company based in Manila, decided to feed us with the newer version of one of their games. 

Vans Waffle Sole iPhone 4/4S Case

Aaand I'm back! I got caught up with tons of things these past few days months, thus the hiatus. Summer 2012 ain't that good, too, since I haven't had time to go away from the hometown because of summer class, service for BLD Youth Ministry's YLSS, getting fit and this other thing which I can't really talk about here, or anywhere, for that matter. Ha ha! Anyway, let me make it up to you by posting about this recent purchase I made.

Called up Vans Off The Wall's store in ATC to reserve me a piece since these cases are selling like waffles, I mean pancakes! Got the chance to drop by the store earlier and I've been using it since this afternoon. The case is made of Van's new flexible rubber and is a replica of their famous Waffle Sole series. It added a bit of thickness to the iPhone but it's something that you'd get used to easily. 

I'm really digging the look and feel of my iPhone right now! If you wanna cop a case (or two), drop by any Vans Off The Wall concept stores right away since these cases are only available for a limited time only. Priced at PhP 1,198.00, the Vans Waffle Sole case is definitely one of the best-looking iPhone cases in the under PhP 1,500.00 category. 

Be sure to check out Vans Off The Wall's Facebook page and follow them on Twitter for more updates!

Wallpaper Clocks For Mac by Vladstudio.

Marcial's default desktop background is mesmerizing and calming and makes me just want to stare at it all day long. I had no intentions of changing it just yet but a certain post in PHILMUG caught my attention and brought me to Vladstudios. A few clicks and downloads were made and here's how Marcial's desktop background looks like right now.

The world in jeans! Ha ha! Wallpaper clocks refresh every minute to give the exact time and date. Installing one's quite easy and fast. Just check out Vladstudio to browse through their massive collection for wallpaper clocks and other customization for your computer. Vladstudio caters to the Windows platform, too.

Marcial.

I grew up noticing that I didn't have a father because of my grandfather. Marcial Limbao Belison, or Tatay Anse, is definitely one of the most important persons in my life. He spoiled me, yes, but he also instilled in me the value of hard work and helped me understand the concept of reward and punishment. I guess this thing I'm now typing on should be aptly named after him, for if not for the lessons he taught me while I was growing up, I'd have grown into one spoiled brat. 

There's no way I'd forget about Tatay Anse, and naming this thing after him sure etched more of him into my life.

Typed from a 13" MacBook Pro (late 2011).

Touch Screen Woes.

Apple iPhone 4 featuring my "Happy Songs" playlist. LOL

No, this ain't a rant about the Apple iPhone 4. I haven't found a single thing to complain about it and I've loved every moment of using it ever since I got it four months ago. A few minutes after its purchase, I got it a matte screen protector and it's precious glass screen has been clothed ever since.

Until it started to have air spaces aka bubbles on several places. I'm not normally OC but earlier today, I saw that there were a lot of air spaces already and I tried to get rid of them by slowly lifting the screen protector and gently placing it back by letting it go down with the support of a finger. Yes, I imagined I was mounting a fresh cut sample on a slide with Canada balsam. But this technique I learned from years of mounting slides evidently did not work on a plastic screen protector and a glass screen; it actually did more harm 'cause a number of air spaces became visible. I got a little pissed and I decided to remove the screen protector altogether.

My iPhone feels so bare now. In a weird way, I feel like I'm molesting it. And I don't like that. Ha ha. I'll be getting a set of new protectors tomorrow and hopefully, I can find something that's again in matte because I'm not really fond of those "crystal" screen protectors. Oh, and I hope I can find one that's not too expensive.

The photo above shows the iPhone 4 with the matte screen protector. See the little "off" part on the mid-left hand side of the screen? That's the little devil which started the air space infestation.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

The first Apple product aka iGadget I owned was the first generation 512MB iPod Shuffle. Twas quickly replaced by the first generation 2GB iPod Nano which unfortunately got pick-pocketed while I was walking around the grounds of the UPLB Feb Fair. I waited for a bit before I got hold of a new iPod and after two months worth of allowance plus the money I earned from cleaning gardens and washing our car, I finally got hold of a 160GB iPod Classic in Black. Me and the iPod Classic spent a good three years together until it finally gave up on me. I was devastated because that's 160GB worth of my artistic life, but the thought of me getting an updated or more advance iPod helped me move on and start saving up for it. I got my fourth iGadget, a fourth generation 32GB iPod Touch, March of this year and I instantly fell in love with the iOS. It's simple yet very functional. It's a no-fuss thing, really. I fell in love with the iOS so much that after around three months, I decided to sell my iPod Touch and get an iPhone 4. And I lived happily ever after. Lol. 

Steve Job's passing was a momentous event and I think I need not write about it here. As an Apple device user, I deem it necessary to pay my respect to the man who has helped sculpt today's technology. And so, I purchased my sixth "iGadget", the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

I'm gonna start reading it this afternoon after I finish my paper for a subject (which is actually due next week, but I'm quite pumped up to do it now). Luckily, I got one of the only two copies in National Bookstore (SM City Calamba branch) for PhP 1275.00.

Yes, I sacrificed a week's worth of stickers for this. Lol.

App Post: Camera+

I own an almost three-year old Nikon D40 and I've somehow outgrown the habit of lugging it around. I still use it for special events but you won't find me carrying it everyday mainly because of the weight it adds to my back pack. 

Thank God for Steve Jobs (RIP) and the rest of Apple Inc for the iPhone 4. It's 5 mega pixel sensor does wonders and it sure saves me the weight from lugging my D40 around. I somehow maximized the capabilities of my iPhone 4's camera over the months that I've owned it and I began to search for an app which would up my iPhone 4's camera feature. A friend of mine introduced me to this certain app which promises photos that looks like it came from a D/SLR and edited with any popular post-processing software available today. 

Say hello to Camera+, dubbed as the "ultimate photo app". I don't think this app is available for free but for a measly 0.99$ (roughly 45.00PhP at the time of the purchase) from the Apple App Store, you can enjoy this app to its fullest. You can take photos using the app itself and edit them right after or you can import previously taken photos and edit them in Camera+. 

Photo up for editing.

Edit photos using pre-loaded scenes.

Adjust photo orientation.

Crop photo.

Edit photo with preloaded effects.

Edit photos with retro effects.

Edit photos using special effects.

Edit photos using analog effects which can be purchased.

Add simple borders to your photo.

Add stylized borders to your photo.

The screen caps above shows some of the things that you can do with this app. You can also edit your manual settings when taking photos using Camera+. I have yet to try all these features and effects so y'all have to wait for my future posts with contents coming from this app. Ha ha. For now, here are some photos I took and post-processed using Camera+.

Scenic view of Mt. Makiling, UPLB (HDR effect)

Platters from Ristretto (Played with the depth of field)

Coin Purse from Vigan, Ilocos Sur (Toy Camera effect)

Ravioli from Mi Bonitos (Adjusted the color and depth of field)

This entry gives out only about a half of what Camera+ offers. Click here to visit their official website and know more about this app.

App Test: Doodle Jump (Full Version)

If you happen to see me sitting or standing in a corner and rocking my phone sideways and then letting out a "demmit" gasp, don't worry, I'm most probably just messing with this game. Lima Sky's Doodle Jump is one heck of an exciting game, I tell you; although I think I need not tell you guys since statistically, it's one of the most played games on iOS devices and also other phones with the platform required for the game. 

The player navigates the four-legged creature called the Doodler up a series of never-ending platforms without falling or getting killed by aliens or whatever creatures that might come in its way. The more platforms you pass, the higher the score that you'll get! 

I purchased the full version of the game for my iPhone 4 from the Apple App Store for only 0.99$ (roughly 45.00PhP at the time of the purchase) since the free version only allows players to "jump" only up to 12,000 points. This one's definitely a good game for when you're standing in line for some time or when you start to feel bored while waiting for someone or something. Ha ha!

Home Page

Outer Space Game Platform

Stats

As of the moment, the full version offers nine (9) different playing platforms. These platforms differ from one another with the background and the creatures that appear on the game. I think one very important feature of Doodle Jump is that there's a very small chance of playing with the same arrangement of platforms to jump to so there's no way that you'll learn or memorize a certain game. 

Doodle Jump is available for Apple iOS, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Phone 7, Samsung Mystic, XBox 360 Kinect and Windows 7.

App Post: Fruit Ninja (Full Version)

Another addicting and easily my favorite game installed in my iPhone 4 is Fruit Ninja from Halfbrick Studios. You basically slice the fruits and avoid missing three and also avoid hitting the bombs that are thrown out occasionally. Special bonuses are also given if you cut three or more fruits in one slice! The free version lets you play up until a score of 125 only and that, my friends, is just not enough! Ha ha! I decided to get the full version for Apple's App Store for only 0.99$ (roughly 45.00PhP at the time of the purchase) and boy, I've been more addicted ever since. 

The full version offers the training mode (Dojo) and four (4) game platforms (Classic, Zen, Multiplayer and Arcade).

Fruit Ninja by Halfbrick Studios

Home Page

Game Modes

The Classic mode's objectives is to slice as many fruits as you can without any time limit. Of course, you need to avoid missing fruits and the bombs. The Zen mode lets you play for only a total of 90 seconds per game and the objective remains the same; slice 'em fruits! The Multiplayer lets you, well, play with other players via WiFi and the Arcade mode is basically like the Classic mode with the only difference that you're only given a minute for each game. I guess it's safe to say that there's a game mode for everyone, eh? Ha ha!

Fruit Ninja is available for Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, Symbian (Nokia), Bada (Samsung), XBox 360 (XBLA) and Windows.

App Post: Angry Birds (Full Version)

Angry Bird from Rovio is probably one of the most famous games to ever hit the mobile scene. It was first released in 2009 for Apple's iOS devices but developers have also made versions for other touch-screen based smart phones like those with the Android operating system. 

The game's pretty basic, with the main objective as to hit the green pigs with the Angry Birds using a slingshot, but it somehow requires the player's knowledge on projectile motion so as to get higher points. It's really addicting and it's a good way to spend some null time. 

I got the full version from Apple's App Store a couple of weeks ago when I finished all the levels in the trial version. For 0.99$ (roughly 45.00PhP at the time of the purchase), you get to play with six (6) main levels (with a total of 378 sub-levels) plus one bonus level (Golden Eggs) of pure squeaky Angry Birds goodness. 

Below are screen caps taken from my iPhone 4 and you'll see from the photos that I've only finished level 1 but that's only because I don't proceed to another sub-level if I don't acquire scores that'll reward me with three (3) stars! Ha ha! 

Home Page

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Bonus Level

So, there! I know most, if not all, owners of iOS devices and other smartphones already have Angry Birds but I highly encourage everyone who has not yet downloaded the full version to go get it! It's totally worth your 0.99$!

Finished the entire full version? Y'all can get several different themed games of Angry Birds like Angry Birds Seasons, Rio, and the Halloween versions! And you can always hope that T-Mobile brings this to the Philippines! Ha ha!

Angry Birds is available for Apple iOs, Maemo, HP Web OS, Android, Symbian^3, PSP/Playstation 3, MAC OS X, Windows, Web GL, Windows Phone 7 and Google Plus.

App Post: Blogger

I've had the Blogger app for iPhone for about two weeks now but this is actually the first time that I tinkered with it. It's actually a little nifty app for blogs/write-ups on the go.

I'll take a screen shot of this particular entry as I'm typing this so as to see if attaching images takes no fuss.

Screen cap done. Attaching...

It took merely 5 seconds for the image to be attached, but I think that's because of the image's small file size. I just don't know if I can move the image to a specific part in the entry. Oh well, let's see once I publish this one.

So, apparently, I can't change the position of the image using this app. It's all good though.

Also, I hate that it doesn't have the function to change text alignment. Being the type of person who wants all his paragraphs "justified", it sucks that I have to use a notebook and access this particular entry just so I could fix text alignment.

Despite my qualms, I won't be erasing this app just yet. Let's see if updates will fix some of "my" problems.