The smart home seems to be the way of the future. You can get a smart device to control just about anything in your home now. There are ways to control your lights, adjust the temperature in your home, view and talk to people at your front door, remotely monitor your security system, and much more. It’s not really any single device that makes your home smart, but the way all these devices can be controlled or work together in your home. Prices have come down a lot on this technology, so it is easy to jump in and get your smart home started. The problem is not knowing where to begin. I’m just starting my smart home now, so I’ll like to give you some tips on what I have experienced trying to get a smart home up and running.
Latest Entries »
I’ve got a 1080p television with my PS4 connected to it and a 4K television with my Xbox One S on it. Games look great on both televisions. Horizon: Zero Dawn looks amazing on the PS4 at 1080p and Forza Horizon 3 is over and above expectations with its HDR and 4K upscaling. I’ve been keeping my eyes on the PS4 Pro and the newly released Xbox One X because I always want the latest tech. I’ve even thought about getting the PS4 Pro just to use it on my 1080p television, but do these two systems really offer that much more for our gaming needs?
Gaming sites and magazines are already talking about the next generation Playstation 4 (PS4) and Xbox 720. Even though these names aren’t set in stone, we all know what systems they are talking about. Sony has made a lot of mistakes with the PS3 that will need to be fixed if I’m going to get a PS4. I own both the Xbox 360, since launch, and the PS3, a year after launch. I’ve seen many updates between both systems. I’ve seen new exclusive games come out that have kept people tied to their favorite console. I’ve even had to deal with the mistakes made with both systems. But after all this, I still favor the Xbox 360 much more than the PS3. Let me review what Sony needs to work on to make the PS4 work for me and probably many other gaming enthusiasts.
I’m a big first person shooter (FPS) fan. It was the original Doom on the PC that got me into this genre of game. Other games took me into new worlds and let my imagination explore what lie before me, but Doom actually put me into a fluid three dimensional world with ominous sounds and evil creatures that charge at me… I know that Castle Wolfenstein did the same thing, but I never got the same excitement as I did with Doom. Just knowing that there might be something ahead, in the dark, made me cringe while I moved forward using the keyboard and mouse.
I’m always excited to see what new innovative features are released with each generation of shooters. Doom was just a bunch of flat characters, with choppy animations, that attacked on a flat alien space station. At the time, it was amazing, but to see it now just reminds me of how far technology has progressed. Quake and Unreal introduced us to 3D polygon characters. They moved more fluid through worlds that now had stairs, ladders, hills, and cliffs. No more flat worlds. Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 added better artificial intelligence to the characters. They ducked behind cover when being shot at. You could also shoot them in the leg or arm and see them react differently. Halo on the original Xbox brought us new wide open worlds to explore and battle across. They felt more alive with foliage and life. Characters looked more lifelike and less blocky. It really showed us what could be done using the technology of the time.
DC Universe Online came out January 11th and I picked up for the Sony PS3 a week later. I had been playing World of Warcraft (WoW), just getting my Night Elf Druid up to level 73. I’m wanting to get into the latest WoW Cataclysm expansion but the grinding through levels really wears on me… yes I do dungeons, but at this level, there isn’t much variety. Well, enough of WoW, this is about DC Universe Online (DCUO). It is a game that is going to have many comparisons to WoW. Having played WoW, I can explain the differences from a non-biased perspective. I’m a console gamer at heart but understand the keyboard and mouse controls of a PC. This is my first impression of DCUO since I’ve only played it a week. I picked up the PS3 version because I prefer the controller over the mouse/keyboard and love to sit on my couch and play the game on a big HDTV. I will try to include more updates later.
Apple and Google are both trying to get into your home and in front of your television. Both are doing it a little different but are offering many of the same features. Do we really need something new?… a new remote control, a new device to connect up to our TV, a new piece of equipment to learn? I’m on the fence with this decision but am keeping an eye on both devices.
I was able to pick up my new iPhone 4 on day one! When it comes to gadgets like this, that is how I am. When I got my iPhone 3G, I waited in like at 5:00am at the local AT&T store to get it. Something in me just has to have it when it’s released. That is the geek in me. With the iPhone 4, it was easier. I just pre-ordered it at Best Buy and they made an 8:00am appointment, the day before it was released, for me to come in and pick it up. I got there, stepped in side, sat down, and had my new 32GB iPhone 4 handed to me.
I’ve had it a few days now and have spent a lot of time with it. Just today I put emoji icons in front of my folder names… so I have a football in front of the name for my ‘Sports’ games folder, headphones for my ‘Music’ folder, and a camera on my ‘Photo’ apps folder. With all the good, and bad, news flying around about the new iPhone 4, I thought I would put in my two cents worth. There has been enough in-depth reviews, so I will keep this simple. Just do an iPhone 4 review search in Google to get all the juicy details.
I never thought I would get into button mashing games. I didn’t like Ninety Nine Nights or Devil May Cry. I’ve got Bayonetta (Xbox 360) and have enjoyed it some. But Dante’s Inferno is what got me into the button mashing genre of games. I guess I should stop calling them button mashers now. Maybe a ‘timed response with correct weapon, grapple and a bit of dashing’ is correct, but a little complicated. Anyway, I got into the groove (no pun intended) after starting Dante’s Inferno (Xbox 360) and ended up getting God of War 3 (PS3) and Darksiders (Xbox 360) to go with it. I actually finished all three and thought I’d give you my comparison of them and tell you which one I had the best time with. There are enough reviews out there to tell you more about each game. God of War 3 is only available on the PS3. So if you own an Xbox 360 and wonder what God of War 3 is like, play Dante’s Inferno. Darksiders and Dante’s Inferno are available for both systems.
Groovy's Geek Corner 