Category: General Articles

Sky Drift PlayStation 3 Review

Since the release of Super Mario Kart in 1992 kart racing games have been flooding the market and so many of them have been released that the genre has almost been killed. Let’s face it, kart racing isn’t exciting anymore.

Sky Drift, however, is a kart racing game that puts all others to shame and breaths new life into the genre. The tracks are fabulous and although there are not many, you will fall in love with the few that are present. The races are exciting and full of action. Throughout the race there are signs pointing you in the right direction. If you should lose control and spin off the track and crash you are instantly re-spawned and thrown back into the race. Most of the time you start from where you left off. The game is quite easy and most kids will love it.

There are many things you can collect which will enhance your racing skills and give you better enjoyment as the game progresses. You also have weapons to take down opponents and other stuff to protect you from getting hit. If you love speed this game is what you need.

There are three different modes to choose from and all of them offer something unique and satisfying. In survivor mode you race for a certain time and when the timer stops the person in the last place is eliminated from the game. This goes on until there is only one player left.

In campaign mode you have to race several tracks. All of them are different and you have to adjust your strategy in order to overcome really hard obstacles. Unfortunately, you can’t customize the tracks and must choose one that is available in the game. However, it’s nice to play against other real humans and you will have plenty of excitement in your living room. Play too long and it can become rather tedious and mundane. Because of the limited tracks available, you will spend many hours racing too familiar territory and yawning all the way to the finish line. It’s best to play the game once and put it away for good, or swap it on eBay.

Sky Drift takes kart racing to new heights. It has everything to make the game wholly satisfying. The good looking tracks and non stop action make this a fun game for kids and adults alike. The limited tracks to race are a serious flaw, but won’t affect your fun too much. But another downside is the high price the developers are asking. $15 is a bit high for such limited content. Sometimes selling at a reasonable price isn’t only fair, but allows you to sell much more and in the end your profit margin is bigger. Far too many gaming companies are just out to make a quick buck.

Gaming Notebook – Knowing the Pros and Cons of a Gaming Laptop and Gaming Desktop

If you go to a computer shop, you will notice that there are now selling gaming notebook from various brands like Dell, HP and so on. For a person who loves gaming, he may feel that laptops are not meant for playing games. Desktop computers are considered to be very powerful for playing games. However, the recent laptops that are mainly designed for enjoying high-end games seem to be equally efficient.

Let us study the pros and cons of gaming notebook and desktop computer and try to find out which one is better:

Pros

1. It is a portable device. You can carry it wherever you want. You can take it to your college, to your pal’s house, etc.

2. Since it runs on battery and can connect to the web wirelessly, you are free from the hassles of cables

3. Before you purchase the device, you can customize it by asking for the processor, RAM amount, and video card of your choice.

Cons

1. At the price of a gaming laptop, you will be able to purchase even more powerful desktop PC for playing games.

2. Because of its size, laptops tend to get heated up quickly. Some systems get so hot that you will not able to place it on your lap.

3. Size of the keyboard is also a matter of concern. Desktops give you full sized keyboard, however on laptops you are restricted to small sized one.

When you compare the pros and cons, you may think that desktops have slight advantage. However, problems like heating and keyboard size among laptops can be solved easily. With practice you will be type quickly and for playing games, you can make use of a gamepad. As far as heating is concerned, you can connect a USB cooling fan. Also keep in mind that all laptops do not get heated quickly. As far as price is concerned, you can customize the laptop according to your needs and purchase a system that best fits your buck.

In order to promote, gaming notebook, many retailers also give away many freebies like gamepad, USB pen drives, free games and software. The best thing such kind of laptops brings to you is the power mobile gaming. You can be at a coffee shop or at your friend’s place and start gaming wherever you want.

Acer Predator G5 Gaming PC Review

Acer Predator G5 gaming PC is one if not the industry leading top gaming PC out there. The G7 might have all the nitty gritty performance extras as would with any high end system but the G5 comes with some impressive features and a drop dead look. The G5 with its overall black look with some orange trimming makes it quit an attractive PC. A handle is fitted at the back of the case and a carefully placed sloping top. When you pop, open the DVD drive you are greeted by two Predator like mandibles. However, the mandibles seem to be too much of plastic and pose the question of their long-term durability.

So how is the hot swapping on the G5? Located at the bottom front fascia of the G5 is a panel that opens to let you access two hot swappable hard drive cages. A lever is available to allow you the ease of access to these cages and you can place your 3.5-inch hard disk that you can secure using tiny mounting studs. Fitting your new hard drive in there will not be much of a problem… more on that some other time.

The G5 for its size packs in some impressive performance attributes. If you are to set the resolution to its maximum of 1920?�1080 with most games today it will deliver as promised. I recently tested out Cyrsis since I was having heavy lagging issues on my other PC. The G5 with high graphic settings together with 8x anti-aliasing it performed pretty good with frames averaging from 39fps and if I have the resolution reduced and in game settings lowered I get frames as high as 59fps. I intend on carrying out more performance tests and see how this G5 handles but so far, I am impressed.

One of the great things about the G5 is that it makes little or no noise when you are throwing all your system demanding games at it. When you consider purchasing the G5 know that it does not come with a monitor. Now for a quick breakdown on other features you will get on the G5: a multi-format memory card reader along side a 1TB Hitachi hard disk. It gives you connectivity options, with a gigabit Ethernet, VGA, DVI, an HDMI port and incredible choice of 10 USB 2.0 ports. However, they fell short by not including a USB 3.0. It is shipped in with a clean installation of Windows Home 7 Premium not to forget a basic budget mouse and keyboard are bundled with the base unit.

A New Laptop Purchase Might Not Be Warranted

Troubleshooting computers can be tricky sometimes. They’re like cars in a way: if you don’t know what lies underneath the hood, you could easily have a hard time finding out what the problem is. They’re also like cars because it’s sometimes better to replace individual parts than to buy a completely new machine, especially if you’re talking about an Apple computer. If you have a feeling your laptop could be damaged, it may be time to purchase an Apple laptop motherboard and get it fixed.

Apple computers are highly prized because they meld design and functionality together in a way that most other manufacturers wish they could emulate. Because no one can match what they offer, they tend to charge a premium on their laptops. Unfortunately, their laptops are vulnerable to damage just like any other laptop. For example, if you were to drop it from a certain height you could end up causing extensive damage to the machine. Also, a power surge could end up destroying internal parts like the Apple laptop motherboard. If your machine is damaged and inoperable, you may be tempted to buy a new one, but you’re much better off replacing the component that’s damaged.

Before you buy a replacement motherboard, you should make sure that the motherboard is indeed the problem. If a power surge preceded your problems, then it would be reasonable to assume that either the power supply or the motherboard would be at fault. Try testing your power supply unit on a different laptop to see if it’s still functioning normally. If it is still okay, you should test various components and peripherals to see if they’re fine. If they’re not, you should probably purchase a replacement Apple laptop motherboard and go through the procedure of replacing it.

When it comes to actually purchasing the part, you could buy a brand new one, but you’re probably going to have to pay a premium for it since it’s an Apple part. Alternatively, you could try purchasing a used component. People frequently sell their laptops online and the undamaged parts of them could end up being available for people like you at a fraction of the cost of new parts. You and your computer would not end up noticing the difference in terms of performance or reliability too. Additionally, you’d be doing something good for the environment if you bought a used Apple laptop motherboard. A new parts means that new resources have to be utilized. A used part though means recycling has taken place, which is always good for planet Earth.

The final piece of the puzzle is performing the actual replacement itself. If you don’t have any experience doing this kind of repair, you might want to hire a computer support specialist to perform the operation for you. If you do have some experience, you can tear into the machine and perform the repair yourself. Just make sure that you diagram or take …

The Rise and Rise of Social Networking Websites

What exactly is social networking? Firstly, I should point out that this is not an entirely new phenomenon, and, at its most basic it has existed forever in the coming together of individuals into specific groups, based on what they have in common. Be it a small rural community getting together to talk about local issues, or a selection of people becoming linked through an affinity for dressing up as Harry Potter, these are the social networks of old. However, while ‘in-person’ networking obviously does still exist, online social networking sites are now what most people think of when they hear this term.

Social networking websites provide a platform for people to create and publish online content simply for the benefit of sharing it with other people. They offer a stage for airing opinions, thoughts, experiences, pictures – almost anything that people want – and they enable conversations to take place around them. There are endless options in terms of the social networking software that enables individuals to write blogs, start forums, post videos, and begin conversations online and social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all use different combinations of these elements to satisfy their growing base of users.

So how can businesses capitalize on this? Well, as with everything, there is obviously no cut and dry answer, and what works for one business may be inappropriate for another. Targeting appropriate existing social network websites to spark dialogue with your customers is definitely a good idea, but another, lesser walked path is to create a bespoke social network designed specifically for your customers. Your members would design their own profiles and upload videos, blogs and profiles and be in control of their own privacy settings. With interactive walls, activity feeds and the ability to search for other members using multiple criteria, your social network would have the potential to create a real sense of personal ownership and involvement with your brand. Hot topics or news stories relating to your brand could be discussed, and this would amount to a fantastic way for your business to converse with customers, listen to what they are interested in and to expand your online consumer base.

It all seems rather simple when put like that, and you would be forgiven for being sceptical as to how easy it really is to just create a social network from scratch. However, in reality it only takes a few minutes to set up and once people begin to interact with it, then it is only a matter of days or weeks before your own social network is up and running. At a time when everyone is clamouring for a bite of the social media apple, setting up a social network moderated by you that enables real interaction with your customers might just be the way forward.

Promote Your Business for Free Using Social Media

Small businesses are in a roll the past few years. Gone are the days where they need to spend big bucks just to market their products or services. Now, any business owner with access to the Internet can showcase his wares to a wider audience with the help of social media. So you don’t have the funds to advertise in print and TV? No problem. All you need is Facebook, Twitter, and other online channels in order to get your business noticed at little or no cost.

For instance, you have a small business but can’t afford setting up a traditional store. By selling your stuff online, you do not have to maintain overhead costs apart from your Internet subscription. Here’s how to get started:

Create Your Online Store

Websites like Multiply are godsend to small business owners. All you have to do is sign up, create an account, post pictures of your products and voila! Instant online store created for free. Of course, you will have a lot of competition, which is what you can expect from free accounts. To stand out among the horde of online stores, you need to be creative. Multiply has lots of great-looking templates that you can use for your website. Take high quality pictures of your products and upload on your site. Presentation is everything so you need to use good quality camera to take snapshots of your products. Remember, you need to thwart the competition so you have to do the extra effort.

If you do have some cash to spare, you can create your own website, with its own hosting. Here you can customize all you want to get the look and feel you like for your store’s image. You can hire a web designer to make your website look pretty or you can just use a WordPress platform and choose from one of their professional-looking templates.

Use Facebook and Twitter

Now is the time you put your Facebook habits to good use. Create a fan page for your business and link your online store here. Post pictures of your products in your fan page and garner as many likes as you can. This shouldn’t be hard; a little emotional blackmail to your friends will do the trick. Ask them to spread the link to your store as well. Post regular updates about your products and services to keep them interested.

Same goes for Twitter. Twit the link of your online store and garner as many followers as you can. With a little help from your friends, your business will gain potential customers.

Of course, there’s eBay and many others.

You can’t write about online selling without mentioning one of its pioneers, eBay. It’s easy to set up an account and post pictures of your merchandise. In order to thrive in eBay, you need to get positive reviews to get more customers and retain existing ones.

If you would like to heed the …

Trying to Find Good Gaming Laptops For Under $1,000?

Most gamers will play their computer games on their laptops because they were simply not able to find good gaming laptops without spending a ton of money. With technology improving so much over the last decade, you can not only find laptops for gaming, but you can find one that will rival any desktop that is out there today.

Asus has made a name for themselves in the computer industry rather quickly. While the have swarmed the mini niche, they are also putting out full sized laptops that would make anyone happy. The most prominent of these is the Asus Eee PC 1005HA. This machine is quick and will handle just about anything that you throw at it. The best feature is the fact that it costs under $500!

If you are scared to try one of the new kids on the block, Dell also has a great laptop for gaming that will run you only $799. The Dell Studio 15 Laptop Computer is fast, has a ton of memory and was built with gamers in mind. Being one of the biggest companies in the industry, you know you are getting a quality machine.

Toshiba is another company that is putting out a great machine for gamers. The Toshiba Satellite A505-S6960 will only set you back about $700 and is going to give you everything that you need. It is amazingly light at only 6.4 pounds adding to the attractiveness of the machine as a portable gaming center.

The days of being stuck in your room because you have to play on a desktop are over. For well under $1,000, you can buy a great machine that will serve as both your gaming laptop and your home computer as well. It’s time to get out of the house and hit the road with your gaming laptop notebook.

Gaming Laptops Vs Standard Laptops

It can be confusing when trying to purchase a laptop that fits in with your requirements and budget especially when it comes to manufacturers pushing you to buy their products. It does not have to be that complicated as buying a gaming laptop can be simple as you want it to be. You may be interested in a laptop because you want to work whilst on the move or is a replacement for a desktop computer.

This article will give you useful tips on securing the best gaming laptop. A gaming laptop will use performance based components to produce outstanding graphics. The type of games you buy will help you in deciding how much to spend on hardware components for the laptop. Another criteria to consider is future game releases as you want to make sure the laptop can handle these games as well.

Another consideration is your game play style as some gaming laptop may have too much power and performance for you to handle. The majority of standard laptops today are able to run many games as technology has become cheaper and far more advanced. Laptops can handle games such as World of Warcraft or games that have a good FPS and will also save you money in the long run.

The major different between gaming based laptops and your standard laptops is the hardware components inside the laptop. You can get a performance based laptop that 2GB of RAM with a decent graphics card, 250GB hard drive and Core 2 Duo processor at an affordable that can run most games. With a gaming laptop the hardware specifications should be a minimum of Quad Core processor with 4GB of RAM, 250GB+ hard drive or SSD (Solid State Drive) that offers the ability to play two or more games at once.

You need to look to see if the laptop can be upgraded in terms of its hardware components i.e. added in extra hard drives or replacing them, the maximum amount of RAM memory that can fit inside the laptop. You also need to look at seeing if these main components are interchangeable.

A warranty is essential must when buying a laptop due to the expensive hardware components inside the laptop.

When buying a gaming laptop, it is important to do research so that you do not end up with a laptop that does not meet specifications. The ideal place to look first is online as you can visit the manufacturers/retailers websites to see what kind of laptop they have in stock but also you can make comparisons between different laptops. Another area to look at is review sites and online forums as this will give you an idea as to what other people have said about the various laptops in terms of their performance.

In conclusion, the main differences between these devices are its components and how they perform to produce images on the screen whether it is from a standard laptop or …

Managing Video Marketing Costs Under Control

You simply can’t afford not to. Part of the strategy is to advertise your business enterprise merely particular times, is going to save you finances.

Each and every small business proprietor needs to be quite conscious these days of where each and every penny is going. They need to come up with tight spending budgets and stick to them diligently or they could struggle with being forced to shut down their business altogether. Among the key aspects where small business enterprise owners make some mistakes is in either spending too little or too much on marketing and advertising costs. Advertising, marketing as well as promoting your small company or business could make or break you and you have to get expert assistance before you invest a lot of dough into the process.

The initial thing you need to do is some research. Just before you even hire any outside experts or firms you must know some important issues yourself. The very first thing you have to think about is: who am I selling to? Quite simply, what exactly is my target market? Who is going to buy my products as well as exactly who do I would like to purchase my merchandise? These are two different concerns and you need the answers to the two prior to starting. Advertising costs could significantly get out of hand in the event that you do not have a clear cut plan of action.

You need to figure out who your competition are and exactly what they are doing for advertising as well as marketing, including exactly what their websites look like and how they offer their products. Does their site have a shopping cart option or online catalog? Is there an interactive reply box for clients to contact you? Exactly how is the contact made? Are there Flash banners or other animated graphics? You have to rate each one of their websites on a scale of 1 through 10, with ten being the best and having the most desirable features. In business it is alright to acquire ideas as well as things that work, that is why people protect their business secrets so dearly. There is nothing improper in modeling your own site with your rivals, particularly when you are starting out and have no room for error.

Website developing as well as layout are expensive and there are several solutions to go about putting one together. To start with, figure out what you would like it to look like and storyboard or pre-plan every single page and the different links. Once you have that you should get a firm or freelance artist that specializes in setting up sites. Most companies and freelancers make use of Dreamweaver or various other identical software such as Front Page to make their sites. It is advisable to see samples (live website urls) that match what you have in mind for your own site before choosing your designer. You may want …