Microsoft Kin Two Review

So, you have Verizon, you want a smartphone, but you don't want the price of the data that comes with it.  Enter:  The Kin two by microsoft.  The Kin line of phones was discontinued about a year ago due to several reasons.  First of all, it was basically just a prototype.  Microsoft used this phone as a beta test for their operating system, which eventually became the windows 7 phone os.  Also, this phone served another important purpose.  It was the first phone to have an online sync. system.  Basically, they developed a system to connect your phone to the internet "cloud service."  From here, your pictures, videos, music, etc. could be viewed on your computer as well.  The reason the phone failed was because it was marketed as a smartphone, which i'll come back to later.


The Kin Two is a decent phone, and it definitely has its strong points.  This phone is without a doubt the most advanced phone that Verizon offers without a data plan.  This phone sports features found on more expensive phones, such as a 3.5mm headphone jack, 8gb memory for music, an excellent music player (with radio), a capacitive touch screen, and a slide out qwerty keyboard, and it has an 8mp camera with led flash.  So, as far as features go, this phone is pretty much the best of the feature phones.

But, as always, you can't have your cake and eat it two.  This phone definitely has its drawbacks.  First of all, the volume button does not deactivate when the screen is locked.  Yep, that means you might be surprised in a movie, when your phone rings at full volume.  Also, the phone can be quite laggy sometimes, and doesn't always ring, which is a MAJOR problem.   

So, basically to wrap things up,  the Kin is a pretty good phone, but the problems above really make it hard to recommend this device.  But, since this phone has wifi, it is pretty useful in some situations.  

Pros: 
Wifi
Smartphone features in a feature phone
great camera
good keyboard

Cons: 
Crappy, but usable web browser
doesn't always ring
volume buttons don't turn off when screen locks

Status Report!!!

Ello everyone,
So far, we have been hard at work here at Gt Dev. Studios, and we are currently developing two games, both are platform shooters.  Khan is working on Pixel Partners, and I, Gweedin, am working on a super-mario style game, which does not have a name at the moment.  Pixel Partners should be coming out soon, and my game should be coming out within the next few months.

Thank's for visiting our site, and make sure to check back soon for updates, and releases!!!

Which Phone Should I Take???

With all these phones coming out, which one should you choose?
Well, first, lets start with the os (operating system):  here you have two main choices.  Although ios and android are not the only os's, they are definitely the most popular (which means they have more apps and more features).  So, which one is better?  Well, just by looking at these pictures, it is easy to see  the basic layout of these two operating systems. The iphone operating system has a simple, easy to use interface.  On the other hand, the android has a more advanced, and more open operating system.  Personally, I would choose android over iphone, for several reasons:  It is a very open interface (meaning all apps are allowed on the app store, and are not restricted at all by google).  Also, simple things such as a removable battery make android phones a more practical device than the iphone.  For novices, and people who might have a hard time navigating the interface, the iphone is a better choice.  Also, reasons to choose the iphone would be if you have a large itunes music collection, which may or may not be easy to load onto an android device.  The main drawback of the iphone, however, is the lack of a storage expansion slot (for sd cards).  Since android has this, you can buy a 10 dollar sd card to increase your phone's memory.  with the iphone, you have to pay a large up front price for more memory.  If you are in the market for a smartphone, some good brands are HTC, Samsung, Apple, and LG.  Also, depending on your carrier (T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, or Att) your phone selction will be different, so be aware of that.  Good luck!

Track Your Runs With Nike+

Nike+ is nothing new, as its been around since May 2006, but it is definitely one of the most underrated "run trackers" on the market.  With all these fancy GPS "run trackers" like the Garmin 610, a touch screen gps watch (pic below), how does Nike+ stack up?
Well, I've ben using my Nike+ sportwatch, and sensor combo, seen in the picture below, for about a year now.
And I have to admit, as much as I would like one of those sleek (although pricy) GPS watches, the Nike+ system is actually very accurate.  During my runs, I can easily look at stats, such as: calories burned, stopwatch, milage, mile pace, and time of day.  And best of all, the nike plus watch has a usb port to plug into a computer, where you can upload your run onto www.nikeplus.com  Here, you can se detailed graphs that show milage, speed, and more!  Also, ou can set goals, join challenges, and even compete with friends.  Also, If you have an ipod touch, or an iphone, you can download the free nike+gps app to track your runs without a sensor.


Pros: 
Pretty Accurate
Easy to use
Cool Graphs on the website

Cons:
Sensor should come with a way to attach it to any shoe, not just nike shoes
Nike Plus website is laggy

Nintendo 3DS Review

After working hard and gaining a substantial amount of money, I decided to get my hands on the new Nintendo 3DS.  I've been a great fan of Nintendo, playing their addicting and fun-filled games.  With the New DS upgrade in the family along with a number of great games announced to release during E3, I finally bought one.  The console doesn't disappoint.  Well, soon it won't anyway.

When beginning to try out the 3DS, the 3D effects CAN get a little tiring.  Your eyes may strain a little after playing for a few hours, but once you get used to it, it will go away.  In addition, there's a 3D depth slider you can adjust to whatever suits your eyes.  It's a great feature, I find myself adjusting the slider to explore the difference it makes to my games.

In terms of hardware, the 3DS is slightly not up to par with what I expected.  Using the 3D camera is an awesome feature, as well as the augmented reality games and the "Face Raiders" game, but the quality of the camera is kind of depressing, with a low 0.3 MP camera outside and inside.  In addition, the built'in internet browser is a little difficult to use, without Flash compatibility also.  However, the 3DS isn't for surfing the web or taking pictures, it's for playing games.  The new analog stick, accelerometer, and gyroscope at a brand-new spectrum of possibility for developers, and hopefully they will take advantage of that soon.

The price of the hardware is also hefty, at $250, but with the games the console provides it will be worth it.  Bottom line:  You have lots of games, the 3DS is bomb.

Pros:
-Great games
-3D function
-Great features (camera, internet, gryoscope, accelerometer, 3D)

Cons
-Price
-Low quality camera
-Only worth the price if you have a supply of games

In the end, I give this product an 8 out of 10.  Check back for more reviews soon!

Khan

Project In Development

Announcing our first project:
Pixel on paper by game developer Khan Tango!!
More details will be coming in the next few days/weeks, so keep an eye out for new posts!
Also, Gweedin is working on some graphics for his new game, which does not have a name at the moment!  So, remember to check soon for updates, and we MIGHT have release dates for y'all in several days.!!!

New Developing Platform!

After using the famous gaming platform, Game Maker 8 Pro, to create my games for about 4 years, I decided to find a new developing platform.  After looking on sites to publish and share my GM Games to, I stumbled upon a very popular site, Kongregate.  I reviewed it and noticed that you could get money for posting games on the site!  I quickly decided to post my video game (which will be posted on the site soon) that I made from Game Maker onto the site.  Unfortunately, the site only supports .swf and Unity3D files.

And so, the development team has found a new developing program that we will create our games from...

Stencyl!

This developing engine is EXTREMELY easy, yet allows the programmer to focus more on testing and designing the game, rather than sit and code all day.  Thus, the team will be using this platform to create games, and a new game will be announced soon!  *wink* *wink*

In addition, the team has created a Twitter page!  Check it out by clicking the twitter button on the top left or right!  Well, see you later!

GT Studios: Plans For the Future

Hello.  I'm Khan, from GT Studios.  You may not know much about us, so I'd like to tell a little bit more of what I, as well as my partner, plan to complete in the future.

GT Studios is a game developing website, aimed toward creating simple yet fun Adobe Flash and Game Maker games to play, and we hope to submit our games to Kongregate to receive additional feedback in playing our games.  We're very familiar with technology, and we plan to go somewhat far in what we create.  In the summer and winter, we will most likely be more productive and will update the blog more frequently than during spring and fall, but we plan to update the blog everyday if we can.

On the site, we plan to talk about news in our upcoming games, and even allow you to play them via Kongregate on the tabs shown above.  However, we will also be discussing broader topics, like technology overall, creating product reviews and/or news of upcoming pieces of technology coming soon as some of our posts as well.


Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding us, feel free to email us at patesho@gmail.com.  Later!

Macbook Pro Review

First Impressions:


Just after opening the box, it is obvious that this machine has been constructed from quality materials, and represents a simple, yet elegant design.  So, It definitely has the good looks, but what about everything else?   

A Few Days Later......
After having used this laptop for several days, it is turning out much better than I had originally expected.  The trackpad i huge, for one, which is a giant plus, making it easy to navigate the interface.  Also, the keyboard is nice, and very responsive.



(pic)


The battery life on this thing is pretty good.  Average life is about 5-7 hours so far.  Pretty good, considering my previous laptop could only stay unplugged for an hour o a good day.  It charges up pretty fast too, about 1:30 to go from 5% to 100% battery.  Also, the magsafe power connector is turning out to be a lifesaver.  I woud have knocked the laptop off the table at least twice by now if the cord didn't   disconnect.

As for performance, the processor is pretty good, 2.3ghz dual core i5, so a total of about 4.6ghz.  Pretty good.  I can run almost all of my programs at once with no problems.  However, when the cpu usage is increased, so is the heat, and this laptop can get pretty dang hot.  The internal temperature of the processor reached about 86-90 degrees Celsius, which is over 150 degrees F.  Graphics intensive applications (games, video editing, etc.) probably won't work that well on this computer however, as there is no dedicated graphics chip.


Overall, this is a very nice machine, and is a good all-around laptop.  However, nothing is perfect, and it has its drawbacks.  The high price is definately one of these drawbacks, as a windows machine with similar performance can be purchased for $200-$400 less than a macbook pro.  Also, the bottom of the laptop can get hot at times, which might be a concern if you intend to keep it on your lap for long periods of time.

Pros:
  • Great Build Quality
  • Nice trackpad and keyboard
  • Fast boot up
  • Great Battery Life
Cons: 
  • Gets hot sometimes
  • Expensive adapters necessary for connecting a display
  • Costs more than windows systems with similar specs




Welcome to GT Studios Blog!

Welcome to the official GT Studios blog! Here, we will be discussing all about upcoming games that we will have in development, including a bunch more information. Check back soon for updates!