Color Wallpaper

Here is what I need an app that would just show one color on my phone's screen. Why because I was trying to make some light photography design. You know when you set the camera for long exposures and then use a light source to write or draw things.

As far as I know there are no apps dedicated to that so I tried to use a background changer app. I found a few that do solid colors but Color Wallpaper by Song Siyu seemed the best.

You can select from a multitude of shades.

The screen fills up with the color as a nice preview.

Unfortunately ads pop up during the preview leaving and unwanted trail of new colors when trying to make a light photo. It failed to give me what I was looking for in a full screen color app. Granted I did not try this as wallpaper app so it would not be fair to review it.

I had to delete it since it was not what I wanted, also tired Drawing Pad but that kept crashing so it was alos deleted. At the end I use SketchBook Mobile which allows you to fill a sketch pad to any color with no ads or unwanted extra color.

Hopefully soon I will review the other two apps and show off some nice light images but until then have a Happy Holiday and keep downloading.

Moon Phase Pro

A good looking Moon Phase app. It gives lots of moon phase information especially good for us amatuer photographers.

You can change locations and check the calendar for future or past days but I just like the simple interface that sends you a message every week.

Here's why this is a 90% program...
Cons:

1. Sometimes it is slow, but you can modify the picture settings.

Pros:

1. Very accurate.
2. Like the simple interface that can change with a simple touch.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (90%)

Play it at:
Amazon: Moon Phase Pro $0.99 although I got it when they had a free day.

Realm of the Mad God

Okay technically not a download but it had to be mentioned. This is a massively multiplayer online game and is free to play. You are a fighter of  a certain class and go around killing monsters and gods for loot. The more you stuff you get the stronger your character gets and there is no end, unless you die.You play it on Steam or like me on Kongregate.

Above is the entry flash page. You can see the credits, legends of the game, play, choose servers, and review your account. If you play at Kongregate you get bonus content and can earn Kongregate points.

You start out in the Nexus where you can chat with other, trade for better stuff, or get free drops. You can check your vault or change your character. Buying stuff is an option but I do not spend money on games. The guys who now make this game are constantly updating and celebrate many holidays with special items and places. From there you can pick different rooms once they reach 85 people the realm is closed.

The game play is simple, go out and kill monsters and gods. Sometimes they drop pouches full of goodies. Keep and upgrade good things until everything you have is maxed out. The better the item the more rare and the stronger you have to be to get it.

Here's why this is a 100% program...
Pros:

1. Super fun time.
2. Great game play.
3. Mostly cool community.
4. It is challenging.

Cons:

1. Lots of spamming.
2. Super strong players ruin the game by running ahead without clearing.
3. Lots of cheating.

Rating: 10 out of 10 (100%)

Play it at:
Kongregate: Mad God, free to play, some item cost money

My Phone's Home Screen

Not sure what my home screen says about me but it the apps I use the most on my phone. To recap I have a Droid X which is about to turn 2 years old in December and it has about 200 apps installed.

Facebook: A must id your social or bored.

FM Radio: I love the radio and is one of the main reasons I avoid the iPhone. This phone has a real radio tuner which is great.

Text Messaging: A must in modern society.

Settings: I need a quick access to the settings like changing the wi-fi or clear the cache.

Play Store: Best app store around and easy to navigate.

Browser: Just the default browser, I do not search the internet much on my phone so it I have never upgraded.

Shopkick: I like collecting points, even if I never use them.

Google Goggles: Great for QR codes, tags, or just scanning pictures to search online.

Camcorder: The default video recorder, I do not take video often but I would like the option close at hand.

Voicemail: I tend not to answer my phone so I always need voicemail close by.

Amazon Kindle: Again I do not read much on the phone but there are some reference books I like to keep close.

Camera: The default camera app is sill the fastest. Other camera apps tend to crash or get sluggish.

The four at the bottom are defaults also.
Phone, contacts, texting, and more button.


I would say that I like to keep things simple. Even though this phone is a mini-computer I do not need anything complicated in my daily life. Now the 200 other apps hidden by the "more" button are mostly just for fun.

CrossMe Color

CrossMe Color

The follow up to the great puzzle game CrossMe is here and in full technicolor.

Menu Screen

Level screen

Game play, I wonder what it will be?

As with the original you are given a blank grid and using colored numbers you must fill it in until the correct picture appears. At first it seems easy but the possible outcomes become more difficult. If you make a mistake and do not notice then it can get frustrating. 

Each puzzle should take a minute or two but it is still tons of fun. Round of applause for the people at Dynamix the makers of this and PrinterShare Mobile Print which I also have installed. They keep it simple and user friendly which is not true for all current mobile applications.

Here's why this is a 100% program...
Pros:

1. Great layout and ease of use.
2. Very calming
3. Works well, never crashed.
4. Can become very difficult and works your brain.
5. I got a $1.00 mp3 credit upon purchase but not sure it is still active. 

Cons:

1. Needs more puzzle for free.

Rating: 10 out of 10 (100%)

Got it at:
Amazon: CrossMe Color $4.95, 

CrossMe

CrossMe

While it has been months since I played Angry Birds but I have been playing CrossMe all the time. This is a nonogram Japanese puzzle where simple pictures are hidden on a grid and number hints on the grid's border tells you how many boxes should be filled in.

There are many puzzles and even a possibility to upgrade to a colored version with more complex pictures.

Here's why this is a 100% program...
Pros:

1. Very calming
2. Works well, never crashed.
3. Can become very difficult and works your brain.

Cons:

1. Needs more puzzle for free.

Rating: 10 out of 10 (100%)

Got it at:
Amazon: $4.95 and you get $1 mp3 credit, CrossMe

Optimum App For Laptops

Optimum App For Laptop

It is all your cable TV channels on your laptop. The software you download is pretty simple and requires only an Optimum Account and a monitor that is not separate. Apparently the first thing the software does is look if your screen is built in. If not then it won't download.

It works pretty well but there is some buffering in HD. It is not as sharp as many other services but you can watch one show on TV while another is playing on the laptop. This brings back my ability to watch two shows at once that I lost after the analog signals went dead.

Here's why this is a 90% program...
Pros:

1. Free for customer
2. Works as advertise
3. Watch two shows or change the channel on your TV.

Cons:

1. Buffering...

Rating: 9 out of 10 (90%)

Got it at:
Optimum: Only free, if you have an account and a laptop.

Audubon Birds: A Field Guide to North American Birds

Audubon Birds: A Field Guide to North American Birds

This is why they invented mobile apps.

I have never been thrilled about the scientific apps out there because at the end books were always better or to do calculations pen and paper. This is one of the few that I think the app is better than the book version.

Loading screen...

Login screen

Category selection

All them pretty birds

I am selecting Bronzed Cowbird

Options for identification include pictures of male and females, range, voice, description, and similar birds.

Most birds have songs and calls listed.

You can hear their voices to confirm what you may be seeing in real life.

Imagine if all Audubon books were turned into apps. The access to see, hear, and learn more about the world around you without having to swim through a sea of internet waste would be great.

I hope encyclopedia makers and other scientific publications take a second to copy and improve on these types of apps.

Here's why this is a 100% program...
Pros

1. You can hear and see the birds
2. The way it is set up is simple.
3. You can add your own content.

Cons

1. No knowing bird types can slow your search

Rating: 10 out of 10 (100%)

Got it at:
Amazon for free but currently it is $2.99,
Audubon Birds: A Field Guide to North American Birds

Help need Screen Capture for Android?

Does anyone now of a good Screen Capture tool for Android phones?

Look at this I have to use a digital camera and it gets more reflection than screen.

My phone is not rooted (hacked) and I am not going to root it. So this tool must be free and able to work on the Droid X type of Android phones.


Any help or links will be greatly appreciated.

McAfee All Access 2012

McAfee All Access 2012

Got this free my normal McAfee Total Protection I first got in 2004. Generally McAfee is a great piece of computer security. Occasionally it slows down the computer but it the job and I have never had problem with threats or viruses since 2004, especially since I have never turned off my desktop. Unlike previous editions there is no limit to what device you can download it on.

Mobile Security

This is the component or phones. It gives you the ability to track, secure, and erase your phone. My Droid X is about to be two years old and I have had zero problems. Still I am using online features and download more apps than I can keep track of so it seemed like a smart idea.

McAfee Security Pin screen, it's 90210...just kidding, maybe.

Options screen

Warning Messages

It keeps warning me of three things...
Device Admin: This allows remote erasing and other remote actions. I will not turn it on because since I never have the phone away from me it may cause more problems like accidental erasure.

GPS Disabled: Yeah I never use the GPS on my phone. My city has a great 3G network and GPS would not add anything except for battery drainage.

Auto-Backup Disabled: Again this is a battery drainage issue, plus my phone came with an auto-backup that works great. So another redundant feature.

Here's why this is a 80% program...
Pros

1. The PC edition changes little to nothing
2. Mobile security is only noticeable when downloading apps
3. Lots of customizable functions

Cons

1. Can slow down the computer in certain cases
2. Yearly cost is ridiculous

Rating: 8 out of 10 (80%)

Got it at:
Full Edition at McAfee.com: Free upgrade after that $99.99 a year
Mobile Componen at Google Play: Free with subscription

Side note: I hate the fact I cannot screen capture on my phone so excuse the reflections.

CamStudio Portable

CamStudio Portable

This is a screen recording app that works from a USB drive. You can define the shape of the recording area, the frame rate, and other functions. It is lightweight but the files can be large.

The small application screen very efficient.

The screen size is defined by the corner arrows you see at the four corners of the screenshot.

The CamStudio Player showing what you just recorded.

Notice a problem.

Well if you did not notice the screen size I selected was correct but it was shifted to left and up by one-third. No matter what I did to the setting it was always recording off center. It was high quality and I could adjust but still very annoying.

Here's why this is a 80% program...
Pros

1. Easy to use
2. Great playback
3. Lots of functions
4. Very lightweight

Cons

1. Off center recording
2. Some of the functions are not clear to a novice

Rating: 8 out of 10 (80%)

Got it at:
PortableApps: Free

This copy I have is older, allegedly they updated so I will too soon.

Blogger Comments Problem

Blogger recently added a Reply feature to there comment system and if you have a small blog with less than 200 comments pictures. Now if you have over 200 comments or like me 2000+ comments the whole comment system is ruined and it is nearly impossible to use.

Check it out you can now reply to each comment individually except those stopped at 2009. Yet I still get comment everyday even in 2012. So to see your new comments you have to hit the "Load more..." link for 5 minutes until you see the newest comments.

What I had to do is turn back to the old system that takes you to a second page in order to comment. Using a simple code I can alter the color of my comments to make them stand out against regular comments. I love the look of my custom comments but the best part is to see the newest comments all you have to do is click the "Newest" link.

I appreciate the reply option but they obviously did not test it on blogs with 2,000+ comments per page. They did not give users an option to use the Embedded comments without reply or with a Newest link. Also getting a reply from their Blogger Buzz Blog is useless, they only accept praise.

Solution
Switch from Embedded to Full Page.
Hopefully a new update will fix it.

Here's why this is a 10% feature...
Pros

1. Reply is always easier for the commenter.

Cons

1. Email updates on the comments do not take you to the newest "Reply" making it difficult to find the newest comments.
2. Newest comments are hidden under the useless "Load More" link.
3. Font and color is changed for the smaller and less unique.

Rating: 1 out of 10 (10%)