[tech junkie]

Plants vs. Zombies

[Rating:9/10] Everyone knows that everything is better with zombies. Plants vs. Zombies is no exception. This 28MB download from Popcap games will ensure that from now on, you won't have a minute of boredom while sitting in from of your computer. Essentially, instead of shotguns and chainsaws repelling hordes of the brain eating undead, you make clever use of your green fingers and some rather obviously genetically mutated plants to build a line of defense between them and your back d...

GTA for the iPhone

It was inevitable. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was released earlier this week for the iPhone. The was ported from the Nintendo DS and PSP version by the Rockstar Games folk on Leeds. Although I haven't played the other two versions, the game is apparently almost identical. It is available from the iTunes store for £5.99 and carries a mature/17 rating for the swearing, sex and violence that is necessary in any GTA game. My only notable experience with GTA in the past was with GTA IV o...

Challenge your grey matter

[Rating:8/10] There was quite a lot of noise about Machinarium when it was released and everyone started playing it. I thought I'd keep my opinion to myself until I had finished the game. The game was developed and released by a small independent Czech studio Amanita Design and was simultaneously released for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. A great feat you may think, but actually just a clever move by developing the game in Flash. So basically any OS that has a compliant Flash player is able...

Update: Tweetie 2.1 for iPhone

[Rating:9/10] A quick update on the review for Tweetie 2 for the iPhone. Version 2.1 was made available a few hours ago and it has delivered the goods. Support for lists, native retweeting and geotagging. Awesome x Rad. I've upgraded the rating to 9/10.

Tweetie 2 for iPhone

[Rating:8/10] For some time now I've resisted the urge to try out any of the pay-for Twitter applications on the iPhon, mostly because I've found the free ones to be more than sufficient for my needs. Tweetdeck for the iPhone has delivered all the functionality that I've needed and it was responsive enough for me not to be on the lookout for anything better. I've also used Echofon before I tried Tweetdeck. Another great client, but I stopped using it when I started using Tweetdeck on my lapt...

Commodore 64 emulator for the iPhone

[Rating:7/10] After some initial hiccups with getting (and keeping) the application in the iTunes App Store, Manomio are back with C64 (iTunes link) and 8 free games. At first you may find yourself questioning your sanity, but after dropping £2.99 in the iTunes store and playing one of the old classics, you'll be pulled right back to you gaming roots. Now maybe it was just because I was stuck on a two hour flight and had nothing else to do after I had finished reading my Stuff Magazine,...

Plex and the ultimate media center setup

[Rating:10/10] I've been using XBMC on my old Xbox as a media center for a few years now and it has served me well. In fact, it is still serving me well, but it doesn't have the horsepower to get HD content onto my TV. It also doesn't have some of the features that I'm after in a media center. Some time ago I started playing with the free app Plex (Plex was born out of XBMC) on my iMac at home and I was very impressed with what it could do. The only problem was that my iMac was nowhere nea...

Protect your iPhone

[Rating:9/10] I've never really been a fan of cell phone covers or cases. Usually because you end up compromising on the functionality of your device or you end up doubling its size. My 2G iPhone ended up looking like a expensive German bathroom fitting that had been attacked by a child with an angle grinder. Not a pretty site, but I never saw a cover that appealed to me. Mind you, I wasn't really trying very hard to find one. I was determined not to let my shiny new iPhone 3GS suffer the ...

Borderlands – conquer it with your friends

[Rating:7/10] I'm still not sure about Borderlands. I can't really fault the game. The graphics are great, it makes me laugh and it's built from the ground up for online co-op. It walks a fine line between a FPS and RPG, probably my two favorite genres, but there still just seems to be something missing. I'm probably only about 25% of the way through the game, almost all of which has been done with at least one buddy in co-op, but I haven't had that, "I must lock myself in the house and play ...