The Wait Is Over... S4 Arrives!

Posted by Payton Wilmott On Sunday, April 28, 2013 0 comments

Yup, yesterday was the big day for Samsung in Jamaica and I was on site (Digicel in Tropical Plaza) to watch it unfold. The Galaxy S4 went on sale at 10 am on April 27, 2013 for a special price of $75,000 plus GCT, and their were persons forming lines to purchase this eight core, 5 inch display Goliath of a phone called the S4. Spirits were high as you can see from the photo below, but not as high as the Facebook winners of the phone. So, as promised... I have gotten a hold of a Galaxy S4 and I'll be putting it through it's paces for the weekend, so by Monday I should have a short review for persons to enjoy. Until then... I have left an unboxing video below to enjoy.

Mr. Desmond Thompson (centre) is all smiles as he was the first person to purchase  the Galaxy S4.
he's flanked by Mrs. Nicolene Worthy-Donaldson, Sales Manager, Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics and Mr. Patrick King, Distribution Director, Consumer Sales Digicel.

















Am I the good guy or not?!?!?

Posted by Payton Wilmott On Thursday, April 25, 2013 0 comments


Have you ever played a game that was so good but half way through it you realize that... Wait, am I the bad guy?!?!... I am the one doing the most sinister things in the game and it feels wrong, but enjoyable. Well, let's start this first game review with a small dedication to the good/bad guys that starred three  of the most enjoyable games I played last year.


Syndicate 8 out 10
Oh the humanity...  The main character for this game... "Kilo"  is somewhat of a mindless assassin for a globe corporate company that has a ruthless CEO at its core, and is being mentored throughout the game by a sadistic sidekick that seems to be listening too much Tommy Lee songs. Anyhow, this game delivers a great FPS (First Person Shooter) experience and some of the most intense boss battles I have experience since  my days of gaming in 2012.  If you are looking for some fun and a bit of dark humor, then this is your one stop game.
Main Character Mental State: Silent and Ruthless
Fun factor:  High
Graphics and Sound:  Borderline Amazing
Overall : Great game that has a lot of replay value.


Sleeping Dogs 8 out 10
Ok, this game surprised me in a lot of way...  Imagine a GTA (Grand Theft Auto) game that doesn't give you access to weapons tell half way through the game. The result is you having a ball beating bad guys with everything else senseless kung fu style. In the game you play as a undercover cop "Wei Shen" in... China? or was it Japan? Ggrrr they look a like... an Asian country, where at times the line between being a good cop or a coldblooded gang member becomes very difficult to see.  Flying kicks, Leg breaks, Arm breaks, Counters, Fish (Yes... a fish... very dangerous weapon in this game), Tire Iron and everything else you can get your hands on make this game fun to play. I would highly recommend gamers to take note of this amazing game.
Main Character Mental State: Hardened Cop with no respect for authority... sound like a Jamaican.  
Fun Factor : Extremely High
Graphics and Sound : Great
Overall : Addictive gameplay that keeps you wanting more.


Darkness II  9out 10
 A mob boss that is possessed by an ancient demon named "Darkness" that grants him immortal pow... wait,wait... Tommy Lee made a video game??? Anyway, with a plot like that... just imagine how bad the villains are.  You play as the boss "Jackie Estacado"  with all his supernatural powers to your disposal , which is quite a lot of powers. If this game wasn't made to look animated I would certainly be having nightmare after each play through. At, times you may feel sorry for the villains in this game because you are so mighty and they are just weaklings... it's like Godzilla stepping on an ant... or Kiprich clashing Tony Matterhorn.  The game itself is a good FPS with some cool ideas added that aren't in most shooter today.
Main Character Mental State: Tormented, Demented, Possessed, and Borderline Crazy.
Fun factor : Extremely High
Graphics and Sound : Great
Overall : Great game that has major replay value.




Final Thoughts
Sometime having a main character that doesn't fit our social idea of being a general all round good  guy makes a game appealing and enjoyable. All hail the mentally unstable sadistic paranoid heroes that make video games cool. The product mentioned in this article was provided courtesy of Royale Computers and Accessories telephone#: 906-1067, 906-1068, and 754-5048.

Samsung Launches Galaxy S4 In JA! Plus Giveaways!

Posted by Payton Wilmott On Wednesday, April 24, 2013 0 comments


Monday the 22 of April I had the time of my life at the Jamaica launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 which is the flag ship phone for Samsung or should I say the flag ship phone for Android. So, was the event an eventful one? I was wowed again... Didn't know that was possible, but l was struck again by the lightening called Samsung. A lot of information was passed on to the media but I'll be the middle man and break the information down to it simplest terms for my readers.

Keynotes 

Digicel will be the first provider of the Galaxy S4 then maybe LIME after.

Price not confirmed as yet, but it will be on sale April 27, 2013.

Jamaica (Our blessed country) is one of the few countries that will have the Octa-Core version for sale.

I real think I should repeat this... Jamaica (Our blessed country) is one of the FEW countries that will have the Octa-Core version for sale.

Samsung is giving away one Galaxy S4 a day on their Facebook page. Samsung Electronics Co. is offering the chance for consumers in Jamaica to win the coveted Samsung GALAXY S4 through the “Be the First” contest on its “Samsung Mobile Caribbean” Facebook page. Samsung is making it simple for users to be the first to get their hands on the highly-anticipated Smartphone, which has not yet arrived in Jamaica. Users can simply enter the “Samsung Mobile Jamaica” Facebook page and click on “Be the First.” On that page, you can choose from a list of posts about the GALAXY S4 and share it on your wall. Your friends play a vital role in your chance of winning the coveted Smartphone, as posts with the most “Likes” for the day wins. If you end up in first place in the contest, you are assured of taking home the prized GALAXY S4. Samsung will be giving out one phone per day to first place winners from April 22 through April 27. Winners will receive a GALAXY S4 on Saturday, April 27 at Digicel Store in Tropical Plaza at the Samsung product experience area.

Sigh, wish I had a lot of Facebook friends... Oh well... Anyhow, I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the Galaxy S4 reaches in my office soon for a review, I and promise that you as my readers will be the first to see the joys that is Samsung. So until next time... hustle safe.

Nexus 7 and iPad Mini Review

Posted by Payton Wilmott On Tuesday, April 16, 2013 0 comments

The saying goes... bigger is better but these days tablets are being built in all shapes and sizes to please the consumer. The most popular size in tablets these days are the 7" inch and 8" inch tablets. So we got hands on the Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini to what's the fuss. I know that having an iOS device and an Android device in the same article might cost me my sanity afterwards with the horde of Apple supporters arguing their points and the allegiance of Android supporters arguing theirs... So I have broken this article in two to keep my safety.


iPad Mini
Hey, I flipped a coin to see which device went first folks; so don't start the complaining just yet. The iPad mini is the latest addition to Apple's line of products and it seem to be what most consumers were waiting on. This device has a very impressive specification sheet and an 8" inch display that is argued to be its weakest link. But, before I point out this device strong points and short comings let me provide readers with a compound version of the specification sheet.


Weight : 308 g (10.86 oz)
Display : LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touch screen, 16M colors, 768 x 1024 pixels (162 ppi pixel density), 7.9 inches.
Memory Card slot : No
Internal : 16/32/64 GB storage, 512 MB RAM
WLAN : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth : Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR
Camera : Primary - 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, 1080p@30fps, video stabilization, autofocus, Secondary - 1.2 MP, 720p@30fps, face detection, Face Time over Wi-Fi.
Operating System (OS): iOS 6, upgradable to iOS 6.1.3
CPU : Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9
GPU : PowerVR SGX543MP2
Sensors : Accelerometer, Gyro, Compass
Siri natural language commands and dictation
 
After viewing an impressive specification sheet like that you would be wowed until you notice... The display is not Retina Quality!!! (Song of doom playing in the background.... Muhahahahha).  Which leads me to the Pros and Cons section of my article. This section is to highlight points that consumers  may consider a joy or a pain to deal with.

Pros
  • Battery Life ( 10 - 11 hours of heavy usage)
  • Weight (It's incredibly light... any lighter and it would float off my desk when the wind blows).
  • Build Quality (It feels sturdy enough  to be used as surf board and still be functional).
  • Access to Apple's highly successful App store.
Cons
  • Lower resolution display than competitors.
  •  Price (It's an Apple product... enough said)

Final Thoughts
This device is amazing when it comes to power and performance and there is no doubt about that. Apps (applications) load up instantly and navigating through the OS is smooth and quick without any lag. The rear camera is the best I have seen on a tablet to date the only component missing is a flash. The display may not be this best on the market but it isn't awful as some may paint it. For around $40,000 or $50,000 dollars you can get 16gb Wi-Fi only version locally brand new which is not bad compared to what large 10" inch tablets are being sold for locally. The iPad Mini is the only Apple Tablet I wish I owned personally because it just feel perfect in the palm of your hands... Please don't hurt me android users. The product mentioned in this article was provided courtesy of Royale Computers and Accessories telephone#: 906-1067, 906-1068, and 754-5048.

Nuqleo Launch 2013

Posted by Payton Wilmott On Friday, April 5, 2013 0 comments


On Thursday the 14 of march I had the privilege to be at the launch of a new line of electronic products being introduced to the Jamaican market by the company NUQLEO. At the launch Oscar Gordillo who is the Regional Sales Manager  for NUQLEO spoke of the new line of tablets and phones being cost efficient and premium built. Also the launch had various phones and a 7" inch android tablet to tinker with and evaluate. One obvious observation that could be concluded was that all phones would be Dual SIM and have the ability to use memory  cards for a variety of purposes. A few guest speakers were present at the launch to endorse and give testimonials about some of the NUQLEO line of products. Matthew Deleon who's the Managing Director INTCOMEX Jamaica explained that they were fully backing the NUQLEO line of products and that they were their main distributor. The Quantum 7 (7 inch tablet) was the spotlight for most of the event with its mid range specs but low end price. This 7" inch tablet will retail between 13,000 to 15,000 dollars (the price is determined by the retailer)and is pretty decent specification wise. Andre Sewell owner of Techshopja.com which an online electronic sales company;  purchased the tablets from INTCOMEX started selling them last December and commented  that the response has been tremendous. "It works pretty well. The display is pretty clean. It doesn't work the fastest, but it won't frustrate you," said Sewell commenting on the tablet. He retails them for $13,000 and has sold 70 to date.