June 2014 – Mattina Technology

Android Smartwatches and the Future

Yesterday Google revealed the Android SmartWatch. The first two companies to release Android Smartwatches are LG and Samsung. LG is selling their smartwatch for $229 and Samsung is selling their smartwatch for $199. Both watches have 4GB of space and 512MB of ram. Samsung claims that their smartwatch will last one day with it’s 300 mAh battery. The LG Smartwatch has a 400 mAh battery. The smartwatches are compatible with all Android phones running Jelly Bean 4.3 or later. Saying “Ok Google” will allow a person to ask their watch useful questions.

If I had an Android Smartwatch I would use it to check the weekly forecast, sports scores and technology headlines. I used to think that smartwatches were useless, but I have recently changed my mind. It often takes time to pull out a smartphone; it would be so much faster to glance at a smartwatch. The new Android Smartwatches are thin and sleek. I think that the Android Smartwatch has a very bright future and I can’t wait to see what developers do with it.

The LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are available at the Google Play Store.

-MT

Mario Kart 8 Review

Mario Kart 8 is the latest entry in the Mario Kart series. It is a fantastic game and it pushes the series in a new direction. It pushes the series in a new direction because it introduces Anti-Gravity. Anti-Gravity tracks have players driving upside down and on the sides of walls. Anti-Gravity also allows players to get a speed boost by bumping into other racers. It gets really intense.

The game also introduces new courses, new characters and new karts. Some of the new courses are really imaginative and creative. For example one course takes place at a Water Park and another course takes place on a Sweet Canyon. Mario Kart 8 also brings back some classic courses like Moo Moo Meadows and Rainbow Road from N64. Moo Moo Meadows is one of my favorite courses in the Mario Kart series.

I don’t like the character selection in Mario Kart 8; I hope that they add more characters via DLC. Nintendo didn’t include classic characters like Diddy Kong, King Boo and Dry Bones. However I do like the Kart customization in Mario Kart 8. This feature lets the player customize a Kart’s wheels, body and glider.

Mario Kart 8 is the first Mario Kart game in High Definition and it delivers. The game also introduces new items that play a factor in the game. The super horn allows racers to destroy the blue shell. It is finally possible to avoid the deadly blue shell. The game isn’t perfect but it is more balanced then previous Mario Kart games and overall it is a exhilarating experience.

9/10

-MT

Amazon Unveils New Fire Phone

Amazon is entering the Smartphone Market on July 25th, 2014. Yesterday the company announced the Fire Phone. The Fire Phone’s most intriguing feature is its dynamic perspective. This feature adds a 3D like effect to the smartphone. The Phone also uses an application called firefly to scan items into the phone so they can be purchased or researched. I am surprised that Amazon is entering the smartphone business. They have already entered the tablet market and television market with the Fire TV.

The Fire Phone will be sold through AT&T. The 32GB model will be $199 and the 64GB model will be $299. The Fire Phone has a Quad Core Processor and 2GB of ram. It also has a 13 megapixel camera with a 4.7 inch display in 720p. The specifications look impressive and it will be interesting to see how it competes with other smartphones.

Source: Amazon

-MT

Capcom is now for Sale

It is now possible for a large company to buy enough shares to takeover Capcom. The company did not renew its takeover defense that protected it from a buyout. I would love to see a company like Nintendo step up and buy Capcom. The company would be a great purchase for Nintendo because of all the franchises that Capcom controls. Some of Capcom’s top franchises include Mega Man, Street Fighter, and Resident Evil. This would also help Nintendo secure more first party exclusives for the Wii U.

Source: IGN

-MT

Nintendo at E3 2014

Nintendo had a solid press conference this year. They showed us more footage from the upcoming Super Smash Bros game and announced three new playable characters. The new characters that they announced include Pac-Man, Palutena, and Mii Fighters. I think it’s amazing that the new Super Smash Bros game will include four of the most iconic video game characters; they are Sonic, Mario, Mega Man and Pac-Man.

Nintendo also showed off a batch of their upcoming exclusives. These exclusives include Splatoon, Mario Maker, Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10, Yoshi’s Wooly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. The new Mario Maker game looks like a really creative title. I can’t wait to make my own Super Mario Bros levels. To see all of Nintendo’s E3 announcements click here.

-MT

Sony at E3 2014

Sony had a big press conference for 2014 but not as big as last years conference. They showed off several exclusives including Uncharted 4 at Thief’s End, Little Big Planet 3, The Order: 1886, Mortal Kombat X and Bloodborne. Little Big Planet 3 looked interesting and is coming out this November. It looks like there are more playable characters in this version of Little Big Planet. For more information on Playstation’s new games click here.

-MT

Microsoft at E3 2014

Microsoft showed off a bunch of their exclusives at E3 this year. The exclusives that they showed off this year include Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Crackdown, Fable Legends, Project Spark, Halo 5: Guardians, Super Ultra DR3 Arcade Remix and Scalebound. I think that Halo: The Master Chief Collection looks pretty sweet. It will include Halo 1 Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4. There was a lot of speculation that Microsoft was just working on Halo 2 Anniversary. It will be great to see these games on the next generation Xbox. For more information on the Xbox games revealed click here.

-MT

OSX Yosemite Revealed

On Monday Apple announced a new operating system for their Mac Computers. It is called OS X Yosemite and it will be released this fall for free. Apple introduced a number of new features that will be included. One of those features is better communication between the iPhone and the Mac. For example, it is now possible to answer or make a phone call from a Mac Computer. It is also possible to send and receive text messages on a Mac. Another cool feature is something called Instant Hotspot; Instant Hotspot allows a person’s Mac to connect to the internet through their iPhone.

The new operating system also has a new design. It is more transparent and easier to see through the toolbars and windows. The notification center has been redesigned making it easier to quickly access widgets such as the calendar, the weather and the calculator. Spotlight has also been redesigned; it looks more like an application now.

A lot of the applications have been updated as well. For example, the Mail application now allows a person to send large attachments easily. Safari has also been updated and it looks like Apple is taking a page from Google’s textbook. The search has been updated to show suggestions from Wikapedia, Itunes and Bing. According to Apple, Safari is more responsive and more energy efficient then Firefox and Chrome.

I like how Apple is making communication between the iPhone and Mac better. I am also excited to try out the new and improved Safari. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Firefox and Chrome. I currently use Google Chrome and I think that it is the most responsive. To sign up for the OS X Yosemite Beta click here.

Source: Apple

-MT

Unboxing Mario Kart 8

I recently purchased Mario Kart 8 from my local Target Store. It was 64.99 and it comes with a free downloadable game. So far Mario Kart 8 has lived up to the hype. I think the game is a lot more balanced than previous Mario Kart titles. My favorite aspect of the new game is the HD graphics, it looks really amazing in HD. I highly recommend Mario Kart 8. It is the best game on the Wii U so far.

-MT

Gamecube Controller Adapter Revealed for Super Smash

Nintendo recently announced that they are making a Gamecube Controller Adapter for the Wii U. It will plug into two USB ports on the front of the Wii U. Right now the only game that will work with it is Super Smash for Wii U. It supports up to four Gamecube Controllers. There is also no word on whether or not it will support the Wavebird Controller.

The Gamecube Controller has always been the best way to play Super Smash and I am ecstatic that it will be coming back. I will definitely pick up one of these adapters when they are released. It would be awesome if this adapter worked with other games such as Mario Kart 8 and The Legend of Zelda Windwaker.

Source: Nintendo

-MT

Apple is buying Beats for 3 Billion

Last week Apple announced that it will be acquiring Beats for 3 Billion Dollars. Apple has a lot to gain from this deal. They will be in control of the Beat’s Headphones, Beat’s Speaker Lines and the new Beat’s Music Service. Beat’s founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine will also be joining Apple.

I think Apple has a lot to gain from this new acquisition. They have a lot to gain because of the people that are joining Apple and the branding that Beats has. It will be interesting to see what Apple does with Beats in the coming months.

Source: Apple

-MT