Hello Earthlings, I am DROID

Earlier this month Verizon Wireless released its much-anticipated DROID smart-phone. This phone is the first to be powered by the Android 2.0 operating system, offering some nice refinements.

The phone physically matches up to its name. It looks “droidy” - all black and industrial, definitely a masculine phone. The 3.7-inch, high-resolution screen (854 x 480 pixels) is sharp, allowing you to view your e-mail, browse the Web and Google Maps in cinema style. The Google Maps Navigation provides you turn-by-turn voice guidance, and you can use voice shortcuts and say “navigate to (your destination).” Additionally, you can do your Google searches using voice-activation, and it will serve up your search results based on your location.

Another great feature is the five-megapixel camera with auto focus, a dual-LED flash and image stabilization. The camcorder has a 16:9 cinematic display and offers you one-touch playback and easy uploading to YouTube. The phone includes 16GB of storage (on an included memory card) and a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It’s customizable with more than 12,000 apps and widgets from the Android Market including music, news and sports games. The phone allows you to toggle among up to six apps at a time.

Verizon Wireless is marketing the DROID as an iPhone killer, especially in its recent TV ads: “iDon’t have a real keyboard. iDon’t run simultaneous apps. iDon’t have interchangeable batteries. Everything iDon’t, DROID does.”

I won’t even go there with the comparisons, since we are talking about two very different phones, but I can say that the DROID is definitely the best phone on the Verizon Wireless network. You can buy one for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 rebate. Check out www.droiddoes.com for more information.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Eliminate Pro
Eliminate Pro is the first online first-person shooter (FPS) that can fit right into your pocket. I was a little skeptical of this app when I first heard about it, but that quickly changed once I downloaded and played it. This FPS has live online multiplayer combat against real players around the world (or just your friends, if you want), along with a system for leveling up and purchasing weapons.

Your goal is to put the most advanced weapons to the test. You earn credits based on performance to buy better gear and upgrades. You can master multiple combat arenas as you experiment with jet packs, berserker shields, cloaking devices and a variety of power-ups. Your progress is easily tracked with Plus+ enabled leader boards and awards.

If you’re not ready to play against real people, you can practice with the game’s bots, but you won’t earn any credits for it. The graphics and sound are both polished, especially for a free iPhone game. You’ll just need to acquaint yourself to the controls a bit - playing an FPS on the iPhone was a new experience for me. This is a good time-killer if you’re stuck in an airport or a long line. Find it for free at the iTunes App Store.

A Virtual Tour With Google Street View

Hawaii was the only state for years that didn’t have Google Street View - now it’s finally here! Google announced high-resolution imagery of Oahu and Maui has been added to Street View on Google Maps, and that Hawaii is the 50th state to be featured in Street View (saving the best for last). I knew this would be coming soon since the Google Street View camera car was spotted on-island earlier this year.

Just a little background: Google Street View is a free feature you can use on Google Maps to virtually explore and navigate through roads and neighborhoods. You can wander down the streets of cities around the world, even if you want to gaze up at the Tokyo Tower in Japan or gander at the ancient ruins in Rome. The pictures are taken with special Street View cars that have unique cameras mounted to them. The cars take pictures at various angles as they drive down the street.

Street View first launched in May 2007 and has become popular worldwide. Comparing it now to what it used to be, I can say that Street View has really come a long way. Just to test it out, I Street Viewed multiple friends and family members’ houses here on-island as well as on the Mainland, and I found just about all of them. Amazingly, their houses even popped up in the smaller towns on the Mainland!

There are some privacy concerns about the photos used in Street View. Since they are taken on public property, you could very well see yourself in a Google Street View image (maybe even doing something embarrassing such as picking your nose). Not to worry though, using face-blurring technology, all faces and car license plates are blurred out and unidentifiable. And, if you prefer to not have your picture included at all, you can request to have it removed.

Take a few moments to enjoy a virtual trip with Street View at maps.google.com or use your Google Earth (earth.google.com).

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Flying Without Fear
Afraid of flying? There’s an app for that. Since we live on an island, a fear of flying is bad if you need or want to travel. Of course, you could always take a boat as they did in the old days, but that’s not really practical. To help you overcome your fear of flying, Virgin Atlantic released an iPhone app based on its Flying Without Fear course.

It starts off with an introduction video with Sir Richard Branson himself (owner of Virgin Atlantic) as he welcomes you to the app. You’ll then be taken through the stages of flight from a Virgin Atlantic pilot. He takes you from the beginning pre-flight to the final stages of flight, to landing. He’s also sure to include the different noises you’ll probably hear. Part three of the course answers common questions people have, split into various categories: engines, landing, pilots, sounds, takeoff, weather and wings.

After all that, you can start the exercises and rate your fears on a scale of “no fear” to “terrified,” in categories ranging from mechanical failures, emergency landings or even booking a flight. There are relaxation exercises that teach you to contain your panic.

Of course, this app won’t completely cure fears of flying, but it’s very educational to someone who may need it. Find it for $4.99 at the iTunes App Store.

Tekken 6

I’ve already enjoyed Namco Bandai’s Tekken 6 in Japan’s arcades, and now it’s finally available to play on your own game console at home. Whether you’re a Tekken veteran and went through all five Tekken prequels over the last 14 years, or a complete newbie, this version is refreshing and easy to play.

One of the first noticeable things is the most comprehensive cast of characters in the entire series thus far. The character lineup features 41 fighters, including the old classics (i.e. Kazuya, Heihachi, Jin, Nina, Lei) and six new ones. These include Bob (big American fighter, speedy for his size), Leo (German martial arts specialist), Miguel (powerful Spanish brawler), Zafina (has unusual almost witchcraft-like stances), Alisa (an android with chainsaws and a jetpack) and Lars (he moves similar to Jin, obviously a part of the Mishima bloodline).

There’s more than enough Tekken gameplay to go around with the various modes. Arcade Mode is good because it allows you to gain ranks for individual characters. The Practice Mode gives you the time to polish your moves, while the Offline Mode gives you the chance to fight against the CPU or other players. Online play gives you the chance to play against others around the world and view or be on the leader-boards. And, last but not least, the new Scenario Campaign mode gives Tekken a nice twist.


In this new Scenario Campaign mode, it’s almost a combination of being in a first-person shooter-type of environment combined with playing a traditional head-to-head fighter game. You go through the adventure as two of the new characters - Lars and Alisa - and it’s the only place you’ll see these characters’ full video ending. It’s the best way to figure out Tekken 6‘s plot. Additionally, after you finish the first few levels of the Scenario Campaign, an Arena Mode is unlocked. This allows you to play through the storyline as any of the characters.

I could go on and on about how much I love this game, but I have to say it’s the best Tekken to date. The graphics, the character variations, the training options and the new Scenario Campaign Mode make it well worth it.

Tekken 6 is rated “T” for Teen and retails for $59.99 for your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. A PlayStation Portable (PSP) version is scheduled to release sometime this winter. Find it at your nearest Toys n’ Joys (toysnjoys.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or Best Buy (bestbuy.com).

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Katamari Forever
Katamari Forever is another recent release from Namco Bandai Games, and is the follow-on to the original Katamari Damacy, released in 2004. This release boasts the largest collection of stages, modes, songs and cousins. There are 50 playable cousins that you can equip with a variety of accessories.

The game has 34 levels and only three of them are entirely new. Otherwise the gameplay is the same with a different storyline. In this game, the King of All Cosmos is left unconscious after an accident. You, as the Prince, work with your cousins to construct a RoboKing to temporarily replace the king. The goal of the game is to pick up as many objects as possible (rolled up in a ball) in the allotted time, and make your katamari as big as possible.

Overall, Katamari Forever is very simplistic, and if you’re into puzzle-type games, you’ll enjoy it, but I’m not sure it’s worth the retail price of $49.99.

Underwater Tunes

If you’re a lap swimmer, you know that going back and forth in the pool can be monotonous. I always enjoy listening to music while I’m running, but swimming? Yep, it’s possible. Finis’ SwiMP3 is designed for you swimmers out there.

The SwiMP3 is a waterproof mp3 player that is created with a unique sound transfer feature that gives you underwater sound clarity. It uses a patented bone-conduction technology that vibrates from your cheekbone to your inner ear so you can hear it clearly underwater.

At first I was a bit skeptical that this thing would actually work as advertised - water and electronics usually don’t play well together. To produce decent sound underwater, you need to turn up the volume very loud. Out of the water, you can barely hear it. Don’t even try to compare the sound quality to a regular mp3 player - heck, it’s a music player that works underwater!


SwiMP3 comes with its own media manager software, but it’s not worth using. Loading your music is quite simple. When you plug your SwiMP3 into your computer, it shows up as any removable hard drive would (on a Mac or PC, mp3 or WMA files). If you’re using iTunes, the SwiMP3 pops right up in there, too.

It connects to your computer with a USB connector, which also charges the device. It takes about three hours for a full charge, giving you approximately eight hours of playback. Additionally, it has 1GB of storage (approximately 240 songs).

The headphones are very sturdy and clip right onto your goggles or mask. They also are surprisingly comfortable to wear, as they stay in place resting on your cheekbones. But I have a small issue with the buttons on the goggles - they’re tiny, and it makes concentrating on your swim a bit distracting if you need to make adjustments to your tunes. The buttons on the goggles include on/off, volume, next/previous track, pause and shuffle functions.

The bottom line: Listening to your favorite songs takes the monotony out of swimming laps, and if you’re a dedicated lap swimmer or triathlete, the SwiMP3 could be your new best friend. Find it online for $150 at Finisinc.com or Amazon.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone: App of the Week: NASA
A couple weeks ago NASA released its first app for the iPhone/iPod touch. This is a dream come true for space geeks. You can see up-to-date space mission information with this all in one easy-to-use app.

NASA’s app collects, customizes and delivers an extensive selection of dynamically updated information, images and videos from various sources. You can see NASA countdown clocks, the NASA Image of the Day, Astronomy Image of the Day, online videos, multiple Twitter feeds, track the positions of the International Space Station and see satellite imagery (with the option of overlaid with country borders/labels).

Not only is this app way cool, it’s free at the iTunes Store. Note that it requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.