World Of Goo for Android - Game review

What is World of Goo? Just a super cool and fun game for PC, Mac, Linux and Wii. It's a physics-based puzzle game that has won many awards.

It's about creating structures using living balls of goo. Create bridges, towers and other structures to help the other goo balls (the ones that are not used up in the structure) reach a pipe (an exit pipe).
Sounds easy. But like I said, it's a physics based game, so the structures you build will bend and break. So you will need to overcome gravity, spikes, hills and cliffs. There are several types of goo balls in the game, each of which has unique properties.

There is also a sandbox area where all the extra goo balls that enter the pipe (in every level you need to get X ammount of goo balls in the pipe. Anything over X will be extra) can be used up to create massive towers. The objective here is to compete with other players worldwide by building the tallest tower possible. The company (2D Boy) announced that they will port it to Android too.

So here we are. On 28th (yesterday) it was launched for Andoid phones and tablets. I was a little skeptical at first, but once I saw the loading screen (when game starts) I knew: we got a perfect port! It's absolutely the same as on PC (the only thing missing is the option to disable sound).
I am very happy now as World of Goo is one of my favorite PC games, and now I have it on my android phone too. It has good puzzles, nice graphics, great sounds and music, and awesome physics.

The price is ~3$ now (has a discount) and IMO it's worth every penny. Also there is a free demo version. I can say that this is probably the best game I have played on my phone.
Here is a video preview of the game:

IMO this is going to be a massive hit. This game wipes the floor with Angry Birds :)
The only thing we need now for our Android devices is Super Meat Boy and Limbo. OK maybe even Braid :D (addictive time-manipulating puzzle game).

Gofman & Tsukerman - Ethnica (Club Mix)

Found this track while I was searching for an Armin Van Buuren song. I'm not into trance music that much (hate that some of them are way too long, and repetitive), but I like this one. The only thing that is missing IMO are the female vocals (voice of Audrey Gallagher... ). This is only a "demo" version, the full song is 6 minutes long, and you can easily find it on youtube. It's nice to listen to while driving :)

Abstract Wallpaper

 

DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

I don't know what this is, but I like the shape and colors of the object :)   Like I said, I'm not really a fan of computer generated pictures/wallpaper but this one is different.

Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

This is REAL music! Not the sh!t they play today on TV and the radio; and the worst part is people don't like what they hear (mostly), but they keep playing that sh!t so many times that it gets in your head no matter what. Don't be a mindless drone, listen to real music, music that has a message, has a nice melody, music that is played on real instruments and not made on PC. This is an epic ballad from Metallica, from 1992.

Blue Eyed Cat Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE --->  HERE

A beautiful blue eyed cat for you guys :)

Stephen Walking - Top of the World

Another electro dubstep track from Stephen Walking. Hope he makes more songs like this. Add a little vocal (I'm a sucker for vocal electro dubstep <- female vocal that is) and it will rule! It's really great to see that people are not limited to "dirty" dubstep only (you know, the wub wub for 5 minutes kind of dubstep). The only problem with this track is that it is short (again...).

Another Green BMW M3 Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

Heavily modified M3 by Martino Auto Concepts, with D2 Forged wheels. I really love this color. Pity you can't find it anywhere, as it is a custom mixed Lamborghini Verde.

Dubai Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE 

Just Dubai and the world's tallest building :) (Burj Khalifa - 828m)

Best Android Music Player

I have tested quite a few android music players, and have come to the conclusion that PowerAmp and Neutron are the best. Let's take a look at both.

PowerAmp - Cool features and easy to use

This player has been around for quite some time now. It looks good, it is very easy to navigate, and has a lot of cool features. I really like the queue function on this app and how it auto advances back to the playlist you where listening to once the queue list is done.
Other key Features:
- 10 band optimized graphical equalizer for all supported formats, presets, and custom presets. The EQ really works, and it's way better than any other player's EQ. It also has separate Bass and Treble control.
- crossfade
- gapless
- plays songs from folders and from own library
- lyrics support, including lyrics search via musiXmatch plugin
- OpenGL based cover art animation
- downloads missing album art
- 4 configurable widget types
- configurable lock screen with optional Direct Unlock
- headset support, automatic Resume on headset and/or BT connection (can be disabled in settings)
- tag editor
- visual themes, including support for external/3rd party skins
- fast library scan
- high level of customization via settings
On the other hand, sound quality isn't as good as with Neutron music player...

Neutron Music Player - Clean and powerful sound

When I first saw this player I was skeptic. I admit, it doesn't look as good as PowerAmp. The only thing that caught my attention was the "professional HD 32-bit audio rendering core ... deliver best possible sound quality..." line. So I installed it for a test. Conclusion: best SQ when it comes to music players. But that sound quality has it's tolls... You need a pretty powerful device to run this app, that means 1GHz+ CPU and 480x800+ screen resolution.
Now let's look at the features Neutron has to offer:
- 32-bit audio decoding/processing for high quality HD audio
- Surround sound DSP (Ambiophonic R.A.C.E. technology).
- Crossfeed DSP (for better stereo music listening experience with headphones).
- Rumble Filter DSP (to protect speakers from overloading with frequencies below 20 Hz).
- Streaming audio: M3U, PLS, ASX, RAM.
- Accurate gapless playback.
- HQ Resampling with 3 modes: fast (low CPU usage), quality (higher CPU usage), audiophile (highest CPU usage <--- but worth it)
- Dithering (to improve audio quality by eliminating quantization in signal).
- Crossfading (including manual track switching in playlist).
- HQ 4-band parametric equalizer (I like this a lot!)
- Real-time multi-band spectrum analyzer (looks cool)
- Master and Preamp digital volume adjustment
- Fully customizable.
- Smart CPU/Battery consumption
This app is still under development but I bet that in the near future it can top any other music player.
There are quite a few things that I don't like about this player. Ex. With PowerAmp I can control the music from my car stereo (BT playback. I can play, pause, next, previous). These controls won't work with Neutron music player. Also Neutron isn't as smooth as PowerAmp (navigation in the menus) and is a bit more complicated to use. Don't forget, Neutron wasn't made for looks, it was made for pure music experience.
Sound Quality on PowerAmp 7/10
Sound Quality on Neutron 10/10

For now, I keep both. Neutron for car audio because of the good SQ, and PowerAmp for home use, because it is so simple to navigate and find a song. Both apps go for ~ 5$, and in the end, both are good and worth the price (but I like Neutron more).

Skrillex - Reptile

Everyone knows Skrillex... he has become a legend among electro / dubstep loving people. I also like the guy :) Of course not all his creations, but quite a few (I consider some too "dirty", and I'm not into dirty wub dubstep). Here is one song I haven't heard so far, yet it has been around for 6 months now (LOL no?). Enjoy Reptile's theme from Mortal Kombat.

Wine Bubbles Wallpaper

 

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

By now you already know that I absolutely adore macro shots. They are so different and special because they give you a different perspective over things, also attention to the small details that you don't notice oterwise.

Klaypex - Gamefire (feat. Mike Diva)

Just another great song from Klaypex. This guy is new, but he makes great songs. Also he is offering his music for free. So IMO he deserves to be know. Let's support the guy (or guys) by promoting him on sites, blogs, facebook etc.
To download the whole album from Klaypex click here. You can like and follow him on facebook by going here. Enjoy the music.

How to flash and root your Samsung Galaxy S2 with ODIN

Got yourself a Galaxy S2 and want to update it to newest firmware, but KIES won't work on your PC? No problem. ODIN is way better and it takes only 1 or 2 minutes to flash.
Samsung KIES is a cr@p software. It installs hundreds of DLLs and in the end it still won't work. If you are lucky and get it to work, good for you, if not, just use ODIN. You can also root your S2 in a few seconds.
Flashing your phone won't void your warranty, but rooting your phone will. So don't forget to unroot your phone to get your warranty back.

1. Get ODIN 1.85 (for windows) ---> DOWNLOAD

2. Install KIES on your PC so your phone will have all the drivers it needs.

3. Next you need to obtain the firmware you want to flash.
I used the "GT-I9100_OXA_I9100XXKI3_I9100XXKI3_I9100OXAKI3" firmware (europe, android 2.3.5). You can easily find original samsung firmwares on XDA forum or by Google.

XXKI3

XX = Europe.
K = 2011.
I = September.
3 = Version

Here are the other letter codes:
CE--> Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands
DC--> Thailand
DD--> India
DX--> Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam
DZ--> Malaysia, Singapore
JA--> South Africa
JC--> Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia
JP--> Arabic
JV--> Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,South Africa, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey
UG--> North America
UH--> Latin America, The Caribbean
XE--> Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine
XX--> Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, United Kingdom
XW--> Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Nordic, Spain, United Kingdom
ZC--> China, Hong Kong
ZH--> Hong Kong
ZS--> China, Hong Kong
ZT--> Taiwan

The firmware I used came in .exe format, and it auto extracted to a .tar file.

4. Now we prepare the phone for flashing
- Enable debug mode on the USB terminal (settings -> applications -> development)
- Power off your phone
- Turn the phone on holding the Home button + Volume Down + Power. (this will enter Download mode)
- It will boot in download mode and you have 2 options: volume up ENTER download mode, volume down REBOOT to normal mode.

You need to press volume up. After that you have successfully entered in download mode.

5. Start ODIN on PC and plug in your phone. Check that the COM ID field turns yellow.

6. Now click on PDA and select the firmware you downloaded at step 3 (.tar/.zip/.rar file). Press START and wait. Do NOT disconnect your phone during the flash process.
After the rom is installed, your phone will reboot once. After reboot you will find your rom installed.

If something goes wrong, just remove and reinsert the battery and repeat the process all over again.


Now let's root the KI3 firmware.

You need CF Root kernel from here. Since this is only a kernel, you need to have the relevant firmware already on your device.
example: I installed the OXA XXKI3 firmware, so i need the CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXA_KI3 file.
Search that page for your relevant firmware's kernel.

Once you have it, extract it so you have a .tar file.
1. Start ODIN
2. Press the PDA button and select your CF root kernel file (.tar file)
3. Shutdown your phone, and reboot in Download mode (volume down + home + power, then when asked for confirmation, press volume up to enter download mode).
4. Connect your phone to PC, and wait for the COM ID to turn yellow.
5. Press START. Once the process is over, your phone will reboot.

DONE. Your phone is now rooted, but it shows an annoying yellow triangle at startup.
So the next step is how to remove that yellow triangle (or you can leave it thre, it won't affect your phone at all).
To remove the yellow triangle, you need the stock kernel of XXKI3. DOWNLOAD <--- password is intratech@XDA
Extract it so you will get .tar file
Now flash this .tar file on your phone. The flashing procedure is the same as above. You just have to use kernel .tar file instead of cf root .tar file.

To unroot your phone, just install the whole 2.3.5 firmware all over again.

Next post will be about flashing custom ROM and custom Kernel for extra performance and battery life. So check back soon. :)

Pop Levi - Wannamama

Another great tune. First time I heard this song was when I played PURE. Then the other night I heard it again in Chuck (TV series - S2E14) and I really liked it :) This song is so underrated, so I decided to share it with you guys. It's from the album "Never Never Love". Perfect song to listen to while driving, skateboarding and cycling :)
Enjoy

Colorful Wallpaper

 

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

Just a colorful HD wallpaper with an "I Love You" message. Enjoy this digital art. Also I had a hard time to decide if it is "color" or "colour". But both words mean the same, it's just the difference of spelling in American english and British english. :D

Birthdays - great birthday app for Android

Useful birthday reminder app. I tested quite a lot of birthday apps and widgets, and IMO this is the best. It has a lists of all contacts with birthdays, so you don't have to search anymore. You can even import birthdays from facebook.

It includes a few nice widgets, so you will be up to date on who's birthday is next, + a status bar notification for maximum visibility. There are 2 versions of this app on the market, 1 is Free, the other one is payed. The payed one costs about 3$. I use the Free version of "Birthdays"and am very satisfied with it. So if you need a cool and good birthday reminder app, look no further; I already did that for you, and found this to be #1.
It looks simple, it's lightweight and I haven't noticed any battery drain (using it since a few months now), plus it is free.

Love Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

When you are in love you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss

You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly. - Sam Keen

The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love someone else.. - Unknown Author

Trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you never knew. - Author Unknown

Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it's better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together. - Author Unknown

Korn ft. Skrillex and Kill the Noise - Narcissistic Cannibal

Finally those youtube suggestion videos have payed off. Was listening to Nickelback and this tune was right there after the Nickelback one ended. So I clicked it :)  It's a little hard for my tastes, but I like it. Will be a great tune to listen to while I drive :D They say that listening to hard music (rock, dnb, dubstep, etc.) while driving makes you angry, and makes you push the pedal to the metal. Well I don't know what to say about that, because I can floor it even on Mozart's Lacrimosa or the song from Hitman Blood Money (Ave Maria singed by a little girl). Anyways, check out the tune:

Autumn Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

One of my favorite seasons of the year: autumn. Like I said before, I enjoy the rain. And this season has the most rain (where I live). Also I like how all the trees turn from green to red/brown/yellow. You can snap so many amazing pictures during fall. Always loved the look of the yellow/brown leaves on the green grass. Amazing scenes before the whole land goes into hibernation. In school we often associated autumn to melancholia (aka. sadness). It's right between life and death (where life is summer, and death is winter). The possibilities of summer are gone, and the the cold winter is closing in...

Stephen Walking - Light Pollution

While I was looking around Youtube and Facebook for new songs, I found this on Monstercat site. It's quite a nice tune. Problem is, it's too short :) IMO 3 minutes is not long enough.

Lamborghini Aventador Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is a two-door, two-seater sportscar, unveiled by Lamborghini in February 2011. The Aventador was designed to replace old Murcielago. The suggested retail price is €255,000 in Europe, £201,900 in the UK and $379,700 in the U.S.
It uses Lamborghini's new 690 bhp (510 kW) 6.5 liter 60° V-12 engine, and can hit 0-100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 349km/h! This is one hell of a supercar!

Swiftkey X - A.I. keyboard for your phone

Swiftkey X is probably the best android keyboard. With this keyboard you can use up to 3 languages simultaneously. It works so good, that I managed to write a full page of text (microsoft word) on my X10 mini pro using the onscreen keyboard; and the X10 mini has a 2.5” screen!
All this with very few mistakes (come on, you make mistakes even on full size PC keyboards, let alone on a 2.5" screen).

How does it work? It auto corrects your typos and automatically suggests some words as you type. So you can type “hpusw” and it will spell out “house” when you hit space. You don’t even have to focus on the buttons, just type and the words will appear.
This app can learn from your online profiles such as Facebook, Gmail and Twitter, and will continue to learn from what you write on your phone. The language engine that runs under SwiftKey X is smart, but it’s not complacent. It is continually learning from the way you write to give more accurate predictions. This means a typing experience that just keeps getting better. It can even predict your next word before you press a key.
Swiftkey X features world-leading language technology: "based on the new version of TouchType's advanced Fluency language inference engine... the world's most accurate prediction and correction technology".

The supported languages (so far) are:

US English
UK English
Afrikaans
Basque
Catalan
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
French (CA)
French (FR)
Galician
German
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Kazakh
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese (BR)
Portuguese (PT)
Romanian
Russian
Slovak
Spanish (ES)
Spanish (US)
Swedish
Turkish

Like I said, you can enable up to 3 languages at once, and it works VERY well (I say this from personal experience). Also support for QWERTY, QWERTZ, QZERTY, AZERTY, Scandinavian and Russian layouts. It also has support for themes, so you can personalize it to fit your phone's current theme.

This is another app that's worth every penny. Especially if you type a lot on your phone. It will seriously boost your writing speed. Just give it a little time to learn from what and how you type.

Ephixa - Turret Error

Another sick tune from Ephixa, again with heavy bass. If you like this song, give a thumbs up to him on facebook (here). Also you can visit his site for more music by clicking here.
Now turn up the volume and enjoy this great tune.

Coffee Jar Wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

Few facts about coffee:

Originally, coffee was eaten. African tribes mixed coffee berries with fat, thus forming edible "energy balls". Coffee is the 2nd most traded product in the world (first one being Oil). World wide coffee production is about 6 million metric tonnes. It takes 5 years for a coffee tree to reach maturity. The average yield from one tree is the equivalent of one roasted pound of coffee. Coffee berries are picked, dried and then stripped down untill all is left is a green bean that gets roasted. Of the various botanical species of coffee trees in the world, only two are extensively cultivated commercially: Arabica and Robusta (where Robusta contains 50% more caffeine than Arabica, and has a much more bitter taste). While coffee was available in Europe as early as 1608, mostly for the rich. The first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1683. A Belgian living in Guatemala invented the first instant coffee in 1906 and later immigrated to the United States. His name, ironically enough, was George Washington (not the president). The largest coffee-producing nation, Brazil, is responsible for 30 to 40 % of total world output.

Enjoy. :D

P.S. I hate coffee...

Dj Kas - Requiem for a Dream (Dubstep mix)

Another great dubstep tune. It has some great bass, and I like it a lot (can't say the same about my neighbours...). You can hear the original tune loud enough, it's not all washed out from the bass like other remixes.
Still running without speakers (they burned out), but X-Fi + Sennheiser headphones = killer combination (maybe Xonar sounds better, but I am very happy with my sound setup at the moment)
Leave in 360p mode (good quality), as 480p tends to be lower quality. Enjoy.

Walnuts wallpaper

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

Here are a few facts about walnuts: walnuts are a rich source of energy and contain many health benefiting nutrients, minerals (iron, manganese, magnesium, selenium, zinc, potassium, calcium and copper), antioxidants and vitamins (E, B6, etc.) that are essential for optimum health.
So eat a handful of walnuts a day, and you will have enough recommended levels of minerals, vitamins, and protein.
But don't eat too much, or you will have problems with your stomach and will also gain weight, as they are high in calories and fat (the healthy kind of fat; but still, fat is fat).

How to make your Android phone's battery last longer

Here are a few tips about how to save battery on your android device.

1. Switch to 2G from 3G networks.

I rarely use 3G, and only to check my emails or see if there are new status updates on facebook. Other than that, I always keep my phone on 2G. This has a big effect on battery life.

2. Turn WiFi and Bluetooth OFF when you are not using them

WiFi and Bluetooth are both heavy battery drainers. So turn them off when you aren't using them. (this is very obvious, but I have seen a lot of people with BT and/or WiFi ON most of the time. Even if they wheren't using them...).

3. Set a lower Screen Brightness level

The most power demanding part of your phone.

Your phone is equipped with a light sensor, so it will darken and lighten according to the surrounding light. So don't use 100% screen brightness. Set it to 75% and you will see a huge impact on battery life.

4. Switch to airplane mode at night

That way you will save battery, and will also have less radiation around your phone.

Use Tasker or any other app that automatically switches to flight mode and back to normal mode at preseted time intervals.

5. Turn internet data OFF

If you are not using it, you should turn it off for extra battery juice. (Sony Ericsson phones have a simple switch in settings, some samsung phones need APN switcher to do this. So download APN manager/switcher from the market and use it). This will stop your apps from syncing (untill you turn it on again).

6. Underclock your phone

This requires root and an overclocking app (SetCPU or Tegrak). Set your CPU to lower speeds when in Sleep mode (screen off mode). Just pull the Max speed of your CPU a little bit down, and save it to Screen Off profile. That way whenever your screen will turn off, your CPU won't use 1GHz but 500MHz or whatever speed you set it to.

Your CPU has min. and max. speeds.  MIN is the minimum speed your CPU is operating (it will not go under the min. frequency). For ex. if you have 1GHz with min. 300 and max. 1GHz, you can set the min. to 150-200MHz, and the max. to 500MHz when screen is off.

Don't set the min. speed too low, or it will take your device forever to wake up from standby (and will lag when you recieve a phone call).

7. Don't use live wallpapers

Sure, they look cool and all, but they are battery hogs.

8. Monitor your device

Sometimes an app can go berzerk and will start to eat up more CPU power (for no reason...).

I made a tutorial of SystemPanel last week. You can find it HERE. Download it, and use it to monitor your device.

Love Drops Wallpaper

 

DOWNLOAD FULL SIZE IMAGE ---> HERE

Just a simple wallpaper, with water drops and the shape of a heart on glass (window). Enjoy.