The Room Game Review

The Room is a puzzle solving game exclusively for the iPad and is unlike anything you’ve seen before. The game has received several accolades already and is on top of several App Store lists around the world.

• Title   The Room
• Developer     Fireproof Games
• Platform    iOS (iPad only)
• Release Date September 2015
• Content rating   9+
• Size   125MB
• Price   $4.99

The Room is a puzzle solving game and a unique one at that. In this game, the puzzles are in the form of several intricately designed boxes that you have to unlock to find the secret within.The surfaces of these boxes are covered with an amazing number of small puzzles that you have to solve. Finding the answer to one reveals the clue to the next and step by step you solve all of them and eventually open the box and move to the next one.

The design of these boxes and the level of detail poured into them is absolutely amazing. Also, the way some of the clues are hidden, which are actually in plain sight but unless you solve one of the puzzles there is no way for you to know what you’re looking at is part of the next one.

To begin solving a puzzle, you have to click on a point of interest and it zooms into view. The puzzles are usually riddles whose clues are scattered around the box. At times you will find a key hole but to find the key that fits into it you will have to solve the right puzzle. Often the key itself is a mini puzzle, and you have to adjust it into the proper shape to fit the keyhole. Some things can’t be seen by the naked eye, in which case you have to get the help of a lens provided to you, which reveals hidden secrets and markings that usually require rearranging to fit a proper order.

If you get stuck, and I know I did several times, the game has a useful hint system that gently nudges you in the right direction. You get three hints per puzzle, starting from stating the obvious to pretty much telling you exactly what to do. I wish the hint system wasn’t so easy to use or had some sort of penalty because at times it is quite easy to just give up and use a hint instead of racking your brain further.

One the best things about The Room is how brilliantly it is optimized for the iPad’s hardware. There is no joystick and virtual button non-sense here. Tap on an object to zoom in and then interact directly with the objects on the screen. Slide on a ring to open it, turn the key to twist it, press a button operate it, pull a drawer to open it. This direct interaction with the objects help make you feel part of the game rather than just someone operating it from a distance. The game especially makes fantastic use of the gyroscope in certain levels, although mentioning that part would ruin the puzzle.

There is a creepy, haunting theme to the game, with an equally creepy backstory of a man who discovered some strange object with hidden powers. You learn about the story of the game through parchments that you find hidden inside the boxes and it slowly unfolds over the course of the game. It’s not exactly the greatest story ever told but helps set the tone of the game.

Graphics and Sound

One area where the game truly excels in are the visuals, which are unbelievably life-like. The wood on the boxes looks photorealistic, especially if you have the new iPad with the high resolution Retina display. The textures and the level of detail in the carpentry on some of these boxes is amazing and even when zoomed-in everything remains sharp and crystal clear. The lighting is also wonderful and sets the tone very well. And even with these detail-heavy visuals the game runs very smooth.

In terms of sound, the developers have done a good job making the game super creepy. Without the sound the game would have lost half its charm. It’s not about how much sound there is in this game, but rather how less of it there is. There is no background music at all. Sitting there in complete silence in a dark room of an abandoned house solving a riddle using clues left by someone who presumably is dead is quite an experience. The only occasional sounds you’ll hear are that of the machinery at work or the creaking of the house as you solve the puzzles. The best way to enjoy this game is in a dark room with your headphones on.

In terms of creating an atmosphere, both the visuals and the sound do a fantastic job.

Verdict

The Room has been a very unique experience for me. The puzzles are genuinely brilliant and the way they are presented is even more brilliant. It’s one of those games which, once you pick it up, you can’t put down unless you finish it.

Unfortunately, you will finish it very soon. It took me about four hours to go through all the puzzles in the game and in the end I was left wishing for more. However, you’re told in the end that there will be more levels in the future.

Still, despite its very limited nature, The Room is an adventure that must be experienced by anyone with an iPad. Few games generate the curiosity and amusement that this game does and are so hard to put down.

Pros: Amazingly designed, intricate puzzles; simple, intuitive controls; beautiful, photorealistic visuals; haunting story and sound
Cons: Gets over very quickly

5 Essential Blogging Tools

Do you blog?Are you a passionate blogger like me?Well then you are at the right place cause I am going to tell you abouut 5 essential tools which will help you in blogging.So lets get started.

1. Ping-O-Matic

        Ping-O-Matic is a service to update different search engines that your blog has updated.

     It regularly check downstream services to make sure that they're legit and still work.

    Make sure to only ping specialized services if they're relevant to your blog, otherwise you'll cause an          undue burden on them.

2.ScribeFire

    ScribeFire is a full-featured blog editor that integrates with your browser and lets you easily post to all of your blogs.

  You can post to blogs from Wordpress, Blogger, TypePad, Windows Live Spaces, Tumblr, Posterous, Xanga, LiveJournal, or any other blog that supports the MetaWeblog or MovableType APIs.

You can edit and update existing posts. You can schedule posts for the future (if your blog allows that). You can delete posts. You can save drafts.  You can tag and categorize. You can upload images. You can edit visually, or you can use HTML or Markdown. You can post to multiple blogs at once.

3. InboxQ

   InboxQ delivers a real time stream of questions related to your business, products, industry or general interests from Twitter directly to your browser.  Questions are the most powerful engagement opportunities on Twitter.  You can use your knowledge to help people while also identifying potential customers and earning targeted followers.  InboxQ is easy to use and totally free.

4.FireShot

   FireShot helps you capture web page screenshots, perform quick editings, add text annotations and save captures as PDF or Image file, send to E-mail, Print or Copy to clipboard, Export, Share on WWW or Upload to FTP.This screen capture tool does not depend on website for saving images to your computer, so captures are instant and produce no traffic.

The captures can be quickly annotated and:

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This version is working *only on Windows*.

5.Zemanta

   Zemanta improves your regular blogging dashboard. It recommends images, links, articles and tags while you write. It allows you to enrich your own content and link to other media with as little effort as possible — a single click. 

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Motorola Wins Patent Case Against Microsoft

The regional court in Mannhein ruled that Motorola did not infringe on Microsoft's patented technology that allows applications to work across different handsets without requiring developers to write separate code.






This marks a notable victory for Motorola, considering the (now Google-owned) company has lost three previous cases against Microsoft in Germany.
Germany has garnered a reputation as a battleground for global patent wars, due largely to its cheap and quick court process compared to other countries

Why Is NFC Not Getting Popular

It has been quite a time since NFC(Near Field Communication) took off.The first phone to get NFC is

(I think most probably) is the Nokia 6131.

Nokia also had NFC in its Symbian phones like the Nokia C7,Nokia 700,Nokia 701 & the 808 Pureview. NFC is cool and sometimes kinda fun too. I have played Angry Birds on the Nokia C7 with my cousin on NFC & it was quite fun.

Sony Xperia Ad Showing how NFC is used

However,you will agree with me that NFC is still not popular enough and most phones don't come with it.Why?

Well you see there are various difficulties with NFC.First of all,the Antenna.It has to be placed on the back(i.e. just under the battery cover or even part of the battery).However,today's smartphones are getting thinner and thinner and more and more difficult to handle.Just a Galaxy nexus or S III & you will understand what I am talking about.

Now imagine this you touch your expensive smartphone with someone else's expensive smartphone and suddenly,the smartphone falls down.!!!!!!!!!!!Gone!!Your smartphone is gone.How will you feel?

Thats what I am talking about.

Google Enables Street View On Google Maps Site For iOS

iOS Maps has still not been update  by the Apple and after the problems with iOS maps were found,the established map makers jumped unto the competition to show iOS users their own maps

Now,Google has enabled its street view in the mobile Google Maps site for iOS.

It’s a stopgap feature as a dedicated Google Maps app is still some way out, but it works well enough. You just search for an address where Street view is available (or drop a pin manually) and hit the peg man icon that’s synonymous with Street View .

You get the familiar 360-degree view that you can pan around with your finger, but there are a few features missing. For one, the awesome compass mode is not available (even though Safari for iOS supports both accelerometer and magnetometer access for JavaScript).

Also, you can’t zoom in to get a closer view of buildings. There are also no transition effects as you navigate the streets.However,landscape mode is available.

Carphone Inventory Reveals Galaxy Nexus 2

The following shot from the inventory system of the British retailer shows what might be an accessory for a Galaxy Nexus 2 and a 32GB version of the Nexus 7.

iPod touch 5th Generation

Apple iPod 5th cycle overhaul to 80GB, dark

At Fruit's September 12 media occasion, Steve Livelihoods bounced right into introducing a upgraded fifth-cycle iPod. Not a huge amaze here, as we accepted the sixth-cycle "poignant motion picture iPod" could not be affirmed until later in the year or even promptly in 2007. Underneath the natural and still-scratch-inclined polycarbonate and metal skin of the redesigned iPod (a.k.a. the 5.5 crop, or 5.5G) falsehoods a more develop iPod, a large number of steps wiser and additional capable beyond its one-year-old forerunner. The iPod increases a considerable number of incremental upgrades, incorporating a brighter screen and preferred motion picture electric storage device essence, but undoubtedly the most unbelievably engaging perspective is the tantalizing value purposes of $249 for the 30GB form and $349 for the colossal 80GB form (ready in both white and dark). While it could at present not completely location the necessities of a brand new inhabitant total of iTunes motion picture watchers, the overhauled iPod is the most fit one to date.

A large portion of this assessment of the 5.5G iPod will blanket unique offers and appearance numbers. For a closer take a gander at the essential outline and base offers of the iPod, peruse this assessment.

Same look and feel

The iPod's physical specs are practically the same as these of the initial fifth cycle. It's still one of the sleekest elevated-limit players around at 4.1 by 2.4 by 0.43 crawls and 4.8 ounces for the 30GB and 4.1 by 2.4 by 0.55 crawls and 5.5 ounces for the 80GB model, which has precisely the same extents and weight as the now-old 60GB form. For me actually, the 80GB form (the one we in reality explored) feels nicer in the hand than the razor-slim 30GB. The 80GB is alluring for film addicts both for the limit (iTunes films are about 1.5GB) and the preferred electric cell essence (appraised for up to 6.5 hours); furthermore, its a fantastic esteem at $349. However the $249 retail sticker for the 30GB form is remarkable, phenomenal Windows Media players for example Innovative's 30GB Zen Vision:M and Toshiba's 30GB Gigabeat S cost practically the same in the city.

The 80GB iPod in dark following to the 30GB Toshiba Gigabeat S.

The iPod is still somewhat simple to scratch, both on the non-abrasive and sparkling plastic face and the prototypal metallic rear. Fingerprints adore the iPod above and beyond they do most players. You'll doubtlessly prefer to move the iPod in a case, or at slightest secure the screen with glue picture, following now you'll be viewing $9.99 iTunes motion pictures. I think the dark form looks nicer, but scratches appear on it effortlessly. A late Nano-like scratch-and print-confirmation aluminum case could have taken the iPod unbelievable.

The unique iPod additionally has a brighter screen--by up to 60 percent. Not that the iPod had a faint screen in any case, but brighter is unfailingly preferred, specifically when it doesn't take a swing at the expense of electric storage device essence. In a side-by-side correlation of the old and late screens (at default shine), the newfangled iPod is discernibly brighter. Yet following upgrading the old iPod to firmware 1.2, which around different things includes brilliance control, the old iPod screen at the brightest setting matches just the revamped one's default setting. Electric cell existence will take a hit at the higher setting, so turn it like a pro just when your'e viewing movie or review photographs. You would be able to even alter spendor while looking at a motion picture by clicking the Select catch twice around the same time as playback. Conversely, you might as well turn the brilliance down when listening to sound; as consistently, the iPod might be seen with the backdrop illumination turned off.

You would be able to modify brilliance both within the Settings menu and while you're viewing a film.

I still have an issue with viewing movie for above and beyond 30 moments on that humble 2.5-crawl screen. All the more a kickstand could accommodate for without hands survey, however a larger-screened unit similar to the Cowon A2 or Archos 604 could have made the convenient iTunes film encounter all the more fulfilling. There are some versatile extras for example the Memorex iFlip that dock with the iPod and build its review size to up to 8.4 creeps. However the restrictive dock connector isn't almost as advantageous as a standard USB port, the iPod profits from its many dock connector-based third-gathering extras.

With a fresh spin, Fruit does an exceptional work of minimizing bundling and bunched frill, which incorporate a recently composed set of white earbuds, an exclusive USB link, a delicate case, and a dock connector. Unfortunately, for example countless MP3 players in present times, you'll need to make good auxiliary to get a capacity connector ($29). You moreover don't get an iTunes programming Disc, which leaves nonconnected people in the dust. But also while the advanced headphones sound OK, they didn't stay solidly in my ears (no froth earbud blankets in this form).

The 80GB iPod with its packed adornments: observe the absence of a capacity connector.

A wiser iPod

The iPod's upgraded programming likely improves it. For one, you would be able to quest tunes utilizing a letters in order-style moment quest. The final choice in the Music menu, Pursuit places a several-line virtual console at the lowest part of the screen; the first letter you select carries up all virtuoso, collection, and melody titles that start with that letter, with collections and virtuosos demonstrated by symbols. Comes about pop up rapidly as you drop in revamped letters. In the event that you sort in ca, you'll get consequences posted by every last trace of the titles that begin with ca, then keep on with any notice of the letters ca in any title. It's a small additional advanced beyond the hunt offers found in the Inventive Zen Vision:M (and different players that in fact designed venture-by-letters), but on the grounds that you need to select Done to skim your effects, its a tad more dull to utilize.