The 30-second spot is a creative change in direction for the retailer, which tapped Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber last year to promote its Buy Back trade-in program. A rep for Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the ad agency that created that and this year’s spot, says Steve Jobs was an initial inspiration.

[More from Mashable: The 10 Most Blatant Design Ripoffs in Social Media]

“From iconic apps to inventions like SMS messaging we can’t live without, we’re putting a name and face to these amazing (and often unsung) innovators of mobile technology,” the rep said.

Such innovators include Philippe Kahn, creator of the camera phone; Kevin Systrom, founder of Instagram; and Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square. The rep declined to provide further details about the ad, though a video might be available soon.

[More from Mashable: NBC to Dissect Super Bowl Ads in Post-Game Google+ Hangout]

Kahn is credited with developing the first cameraphone in 1997 and is currently the CEO of Fullpower Technologies. Systrom, meanwhile, created Instagram with Mike Krieger and launched the popular photo-sharing app in October 2010. McKelvey founded Square, the mobile payment solution, with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in 2009.

According to a report in Bloomberg, Best Buy was planning to hire a celeb spokesman for its Super Bowl ad, but switched course after Steve Jobs’s death on Oct. 5. At that point, Best Buy chief marketing officer Drew Panayiotou, “realized Silicon Valley inventors are today’s stars.”

The ad comes as sales have slowed for the retail chain. Analysts are projected an increase of 2.6% for Best Buy’s sals in the fiscal year ending Feb. 25, followed by a gain of less than 1% for the following year. The chain also generated some bad pr over the holidays after it was unable to fulfill all its customers’ online orders during the holidays.

1. Sprint

This ad from 2006 shows off a Sprint phone’s advanced theft-deterring technology.

Click here to view this gallery.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Kevin Dooley

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Dear Fellow Shareholders

I welcome this opportunity to briefly review the progress our Company has made during 2011 and our objectives for 2012.

Pivotal accomplished a number of key milestones during 2011; the two most significant being our commercial launch of VASCAZEN™, for the US market, and the listing of our shares for public trading on the Canadian National Stock Exchange (CNSX).

Financial Update

I am pleased to report that since completing our reverse takeover in May 2011, which led to our public listing on the CNSX where we raised $3.1 million, we have been successful in raising an additional $2.6 million through a Warrant call in September. These capital raises will continue to support the progress of our commercialization programs. We are appreciative of the confidence investors have in the potential of our business and we will continue to look for value added investors in order to fund our corporate initiatives going forward.

Business Development

During 2011 the company achieved all of its stated business development milestones:

 

--  Taking our company public through a reverse takeover,--  Filing five US provisional patents for our unique formulation and for    combinations with other therapies,--  Securing an exclusive supply chain for the production of VASCAZEN™,--  Launching VASCAZEN™ clinical trials (Open label study and REVEAL    trial,--  Initiation of efforts with research groups to enhance our product    properties and intellectual property,--  Successful completion of a Warrant call, leading to a second round of    financing,--  Assessment and hiring of a Contract Sales Organization,--  Obtaining NPN license allowing for the sale of OMAZEN™ in Canada,--  Introduction of Pivotal at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress,--  Launching VASCAZEN™ in the US at the American Heart Association    Conference,--  Application to list VASCAZEN™ on US pharmacy reference guide,--  Training a dedicated contract sales force for our US market launch,--  Launching contract sales force in January 2012.

A key component of our business strategy is to maintain and establish collaborations with partners that will assist Pivotal in the execution of our commercialization, marketing and distribution programs. We are consistently evaluating and speaking with industry leaders and look forward to updating you on our progress.

2012 Milestones

What can the shareholders expect from our company during 2012?

 

--  Expansion of our product pipeline,--  Positive results from our REVEAL trial,--  Expansion of our worldwide patent portfolio,--  Positive results from our commercial sales efforts,--  Investigation of licensing opportunities,--  Expansion of our contract sales force,--  Issuance of scientific publications validating the efficacy of our    products and concepts,--  Working towards being listed on a US exchange,--  Continued presentation of our company to new individual and    institutional investors,--  Continued presentation of our company to investment analysts for    potential research coverage in order to more accurately reflect a fair    valuation of the company and its stock,--  Continued presentation of our company to investment bankers in order to    gage funding and corporate development opportunities,--  Continued communication of our progress to you on a timely basis.

Summary

Your Pivotal management team, which is a significant shareholder in the company, is proud of its 2011 achievements and looks forward to delivering on additional critical milestones in 2012. We are confident that our efforts will drive shareholder value and improve the quality of life for those individuals that will benefit from the usage of our products. Please visit our website at www.pivotaltherapeutics.us to read more about the opportunities we will be pursuing.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have.

Sincerely,

 

Eugene BortoluzziChief Executive OfficerPivotal Therapeutics, Inc.

About Pivotal Therapeutics Inc.

With offices in Toronto, Canada and Boca Raton, Florida, Pivotal Therapeutics is a publicly traded (CNSX: PVO) specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on the treatment of cardiovascular disease and overall health. Pivotal Therapeutics’ lead product VASCAZEN™ is a prescription medical food formulated to meet the dietary Omega-3 deficient needs of patients with cardiovascular disease through elevating Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic (DHA) to levels associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular complications.

OMAZEN™ is a greater than 90% pure, proprietary EPA:DHA fatty acid formulation commercialized for sale and distribution in Canada for the maintenance of good health through the elevating Omega-3 fatty acid levels. The unique formulation and dosage will be available to patients and consumers who realize the health benefits of Omega-3 supplementation with a quality product.

VASCAZEN™ is a greater than 90% pure, proprietary EPA:DHA fatty acid formulation, protected by a series of both issued and pending US and foreign patents and commercialized by prescription only. This unique formulation will provide the cornerstone upon which a family of cutting edge combination products, with efficacy across a broad spectrum of cardiac care, will be commercialized.

Disclosure Notice

The information contained in this document is as of Febraury 2, 2012. This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause Pivotal’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as “will”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “forecast”, “intend”, “plan”, “believe”, “project”, “potential”, and similar expressions with any discussion of future operating or financial performance or events. In particular, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the following: Pivotal’s inability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms; growth in costs and expenses; inability to compete with others who provide comparable products; risk that the Company’s products will not gain widespread market acceptance; risks relating to the Company’s ability to maintain its CSNX listing. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Editors’ note: Though we reviewed the Ravine 2 with a camera, the handset also comes without a shooter. That’s the only difference between the two models.

If Casio’s phones are known for anything it’s their extreme durability. And in that regard, the new G’zOne Ravine 2 keeps up the company standard. Like the original Ravine, the Commando, and the other G’zOne models before them, the Ravine should withstand just about any physical conditions while offering a midrange feature set that includes world roaming, 3G support, and push-to-talk (PTT). Sure, the design is bulky and photo quality continues to be disappointing, but call quality on Verizon Wireless is improved over the earlier handsets.

Design
It would be difficult to mistake the Ravine 2 for any other cell phone. It’s big (4.33 inches long by 1.99 inches wide by 0.83 inch deep) and heavy (4.85 ounces), and it sports distinctive features like a ribbed hinge and a ring around the external display. It’s far from pretty, but that’s not really the point of a durable phone. And in case you didn’t know that it was a Verizon device, the black-and-red color scheme will tell you so.

The thick plastic skin also stands out, especially if you’re jumping to the Ravine 2 from a trendy thin handset. The absence of any rubber sidings was surprising, but the Ravine has a comfortable, solid feel that inspires confidence. And even with the extra bulk, the handset slips easily into larger pockets.

Casio promises that the handset will be able to withstand shock, dust, vibration, salt fog, humidity, low and high temperatures, and immersion in water. Casio has a convenient list of these durability claims on its site, most of which do appear to hold up. We gave the Ravine 2 a bath, put it in the freezer, dropped it onto a hard surface, and generally banged it around (now I just need to find some salt fog). In each case it survived and kept on ticking. The moving parts, like the oversized ribbed hinge, also are built to last.

The 1.38-inch external LCD shows the usual information, including the date, time, signal strength and caller ID. The display is full-color, as well, though we would prefer to be able to access basic features without opening the phone.

On the back of the phone are the camera lens and flash, though there’s no mirror for taking vanity shots. The back cover is secured by a sliding lock to keep out moisture and dust, but it’s still easy to remove. Thankfully, the microSD card slot is located on the right spine just below the Micro-USB charging port. Both have locking covers, as you’d expect on a durable device. Over on the left spine are a bright red PTT/shortcut button (that you can program), the volume rocker, and a voice command key. All are easy to find by feel when you’re holding the Ravine 2 to your ear. On the downside, the headset jack is only 2.5mm so you’ll have to use an adapter for most headsets.

The internal TFT display measures 2.2 inches with a full-color 320×240-pixel resolution. As you’d expect, it’s nowhere near close to being a fancy smartphone display, but it doesn’t need to be. Colors are bright, graphics look fine, and the standard menu designs (you can choose between grid and list formats) are easy to navigate. You have the usual set of options like changing brightness, the backlight time, the display theme and wallpaper, the menu and dialing font size, and the banner.

I couldn’t ask for a better design for the navigation controls. There’s a large silver toggle with a central OK button that you can program to give one-touch access to four features. Surrounding it are two soft keys, a camera control, and a combination shortcut for the speakerphone and activating the camera flash as a steady light. Compared with many phones, that’s a useful set of keys that puts the best features in easy reach.

Farther down, there are the usual Talk and End/power buttons, and a Clear key that also opens the GPS features with a long press. The keypad buttons below have a spacious tactile design. There’s plenty of room for fast texts, and you can dial. I also liked the bright backlighting and the large numbers and characters on the keys.

Features
The Ravine 2’s main function is making calls, though it’s not without some productivity options. I’ll start with the basics first. The phone book holds 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for multiple fields. There’s also a separate PTT phone book that holds an additional 500 contacts; you can connect with other Verizon PTT phones. Verizon’s Backup Assistant will store your contacts on the carrier’s servers for safekeeping.

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I happen to like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 for what it is: a model that delivers the photo quality and speed that point-and-shoot upgraders are looking for in a size substantially smaller than a dSLR and with an interface that’s familiar to them.
But when it came out, I heard quite a few grumblings from people who wanted the real successor in the GF series. They didn’t mind the slightly bigger size in exchange for a physical mode dial and hot shoe. Well, it looks like Panasonic heard those grumblings, too. Or perhaps it was always in the master plan. In any case, the Micro Four Thirds-based Lumix DMC-GX1 is the successor to the GF1 that the GF2 should have been. It resurrects that camera’s better shooting design, most notably with the return of the physical mode dial, which Panasonic dropped from the GF2. It’s actually a little bigger than that model, longer and deeper, but the depth comes from a slightly bigger grip and I can’t fault it for that. Plus, it significantly improves on the performance and photo quality of both its predecessors.

But in other respects, it’s just a modest update of the two GF models that precede it to bring it up to currency. It incorporates the sensor that’s in the G3 (not the more advanced sensor from the GH2, despite the resolution similarity) and the current Light Speed autofocus architecture. Other additions to the camera are an electronic level and a one-button autoexposure override.

Though the GX1 delivers some of Panasonic’s best photo quality to date, the issues with so-so JPEG processing remain, and its noise profile generally still can’t match the NEX-5N. In good light, you can shoot JPEGs up to about ISO 400 without serious detail degradation, although even at ISO 200 you can see some softness, and at its lowest sensitivity of ISO 160, you can still see some noise in darker areas. But raw looks good up through ISO 800–a bit grainy and with some clipping in the shadows–and remains pretty usable at ISO 1,600. Colors render accurately and the exposures look on target.

The video looks good, and the 1080/30p MP4 option is a nice alternative to the interlaced AVCHD (although I don’t know why it doesn’t just incorporate AVCHD 2.0). It’s sharp and pleasingly saturated, and the image stabilization in the X series lens does a fine job, but like most of the models in this class, it suffers from annoying rolling shutter. The stereo mic also fares pretty well, and though sensitive doesn’t pick up any noise from the quiet power zoom lens.

While the GX1 lags the Nikon 1 J1 on single-shot or burst performance, it and its sibling the GF3 lead the class for shot-to-shot speed, which I tend to weight a little more heavily as long a camera performs pretty well on its single shots. It wakes and shoots in about a second: like the J1, the need to drive the lens while powering on slows the camera a little at startup. It can focus and shoot in good light in about 0.3 second and about 0.6 second in dim light. Shooting JPEG takes about 0.5 second for two sequential shots, which increases to about 0.6 second for raw; JPEG+raw feels adequately speedy. Using flash bumps the duration between shots by about a second. The GX1 bursts at about 4fps with LCD updates, a respectable time for its class, but as with many non-OVF cameras the display doesn’t update fast enough to keep a moving subject in the frame. It also has an SH (super-high) speed burst mode, which shoots 20fps for 2 seconds.

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Sensor (effective resolution)
16-megapixel Live MOS
12.1-megapixel Live MOS
12.1-megapixel Live MOS
16-megapixel Live MOS
16.1-megapixel Live MOS
17.3 x 13.0mm 17.3 x 13.0mm 17.3 x 13.0mm 17.3 x 13.0mm 17.3 x 13.0mm
Focal-length multiplier 2.0x 2.0x 2.0x 2.0x 2.0x Sensitivity range ISO 100 – ISO 6,400 ISO 100 – ISO 6,400 ISO 100 – ISO 6,400 ISO 160 – ISO 12,800 ISO 160 – ISO 12,800
Continuous shooting
4fps
unlimited JPEG/7 raw
3.2fps
unlimited JPEG/7 raw
3.8fps
unlimited JPEG/7 raw
4.2fps
unlimited JPEG/9 raw
5.0fps
unlimited JPEG/ 7 raw
Viewfinder
magnification/ effective magnification
Electronic
1.4 million dots
100% coverage
1.4x/0.7x magnification
Optional
None
Optional
Electronic
1.5 million dots
100% coverage
1.42x/0.71x magnification
Autofocus
23-area contrast AF
23-area contrast AF
23-area contrast AF
23-area contrast AF
23-area contrast AF
Shutter speed 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 2 minutes 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 4 minutes; 1/160 x-sync 60-1/4,000 sec; 1/160 x-sync 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 2 minutes; 1/160 sec x-sync 1/4,000 to 60 secs; bulb up to 2 minutes; 1/160 x-sync Metering 144 zone 144 zone 144 zone 144 zone 144 zone Image stabilization Optical Optical Optical Optical Optical On-camera flash Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Video AVCHD 1080/60i @ 17 Mbps; 720/60p @ 17 Mbps 1080/60i/50i @ 17, 13 Mbps
720/60p @17, 13 Mbps AVCHD or Motion JPEG QuickTime MOV 1080/60i/50i @ 17 Mbps
720/60p @17 Mbps AVCHD or Motion JPEG QuickTime MOV AVCHD: 1080/60i/50i @ 17, 13 Mbps
720/60p/50p @17,13 Mbps: MPEG-4: 1080/30p/25p @ 20Mbps AVCHD 1080/60i/50i/24p (60p sensor output) @ 24, 17, 13Mbps; 720/60p @ 17, 13Mbps
QuickTime MOV Motion JPEG
720/30p Audio Stereo Stereo Mono Stereo Stereo, mic input
LCD size
3 inches articulated
460,000 dots
3-inch fixed touch screen
460,000 dots
3-inch fixed touch screen
460,000 dots
3-inch fixed touch screen
460,000 dots
3 inches articulated
460,000 dots
Battery life (CIPA rating) 250 shots 300 shots 320 shots 310 shots 340 shots
Dimensions (inches, WHD)
4.5 x 3.3 x 1.8
4.4 x 2.7 x 1.3
4.2 x 2.6 x 1.3
4.6 x 2.7 x 1.6
4.9 x 3.5 x 3.0
Body operating weight (ounces)
11.8 (est)
11
9.3
11.3
17.8
Mfr. price n/a $499.95 (body only, est) $499.95 (body only, est) $699.99 (body only) $899.95 (body only) $699.99 (with 14-42mm lens) $599.95 (with 14-42mm lens) $599.95 (with 14-42mm lens) $949.99 (with X PZ 14-42mm lens) $999.95 (with 14-42mm lens) n/a $699.95 (with 14mm f2.5 lens) $699.95 (with 14mm f2.5 lens) $799.99 (with standard 14-42mm lens) $1499.95 (with 14-140mm lens) Ship date June 2011 January 2011 July 2011 December 2011 December 2010

I really like the design of the GX1, though I do have a few quibbles. It’s a little bigger than the rest of the field, but none of these is sufficiently small with a lens attached to be considered significantly smaller than the others. It’s got a nice-size grip and thumb rest, which makes it comfortable to hold and shoot single-handed, and it feels well constructed.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 photos

The camera includes a flash similar to the GF3’s, which you can hold tilted back to bounce the light, a nice touch, and the hot shoe doubles as a mount for an optional electronic viewfinder. Aside from that, the controls have a fairly typical layout. The mode dial includes the usual set of PASM modes, plus two slots for four custom settings groups, scene modes, and Panasonic’s rather uninspiring Creative Control special-effects modes. There’s also an iA intelligent auto override button for quickly jumping in and out of auto mode, a Panasonic-specific implementation I like, and a video record button.

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That “i” in the step-up OE2i adds a microphone for cell phone calls along with an Apple-friendly inline remote compatible with more recent iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models. (Some Android smartphones also recognize the remote functionality, but volume control from headphones that carry the “Made for iPhone” stamp doesn’t always work).

These headphones are smaller and lighter than Bose’s original OE headphones that launched in 2008 and earned my approval for their excellent fit and comfort. Your ears will still get a little steamy under the OE2s in hot weather, but the material is plush for equal weight distribution, and just as importantly, they fold up to fit into a compact carrying case (included).

While they don’t isolate noise as well as an over-the-ear model, they do pretty well muffling the sound. (If you want better noise isolation, go with the Bose QuietComfort series–which require batteries to cut out atmospheric sounds–or the Bose AE2 “around-ear” headphones.)

Bose claims that the newly redesigned earcup ports produce a more balance and natural sound without the manufactured “boost” across the frequency range. CNET contributor and audiophile Steve Guttenberg and I both listened for those improvements and agreed that the OE2s sound more natural and don’t suffer from “Bose bloat,” a term we coined for the obtrusive bass boost. Of course, some folks like the extra bass, so you may not enjoy these as much as the original OE headphones.

I also compared the OE2s to a pair of on-ear BlueAnt Embrace Headphones that have similar sound qualities and retail for slightly more.

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If you’re in the market for a high-capacity, easy-to-use network storage device, with the prices that started at $750 (for the 5TB version), the LaCie 5big Network 2 will definitely get the job done. Those who want to get the most out of a NAS server, however, should also check out the Editors’ Choice DS1511+ from Synology.

Design
At a glance, the LaCie 5big Network 2 looks more like a black box of a spaceship than a storage device. The almost perfect cube-shaped device has nothing but a big round LED on the front that shines solid blue when the server is turned on or flashes during data activities.

On the back, you’ll find five drive bays that host five SATA hard drives. These bays are locked in by a latch that can be opened with a coin. Once opened, each bay can be pulled out easily in case you want to upgrade or replace the hard drive. You do need a screwdriver to install or remove the drive from the tray. Note, however, that the servers come preloaded with five hard drives; if you decide to replace any of them, it voids the warranty. This is a little counterintuitive, as the server’s design is clearly intended to let users service its internal storage easily.

The hard drives come preset in RAID 5 configuration but they can be changed in to other configurations, including JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 6, and Auto RAID. Auto RAID is LaCie’s proprietary flexible RAID configuration available with the version 2.0 of the NAS OS that LaCie announced recently. Similar to Hybrid RAID of Synology or XRAID 2 of Netgear, LaCie’s Auto RAID automatically set up hard drives in the best RAID configurations depending on the number of hard drives being used. On top of that it also allows for upgrading an existing RAID setup to larger capacities without having to rebuild the RAID from scratch. Note that it would take a long time to upgrade the hard drives (tens of hours for each) and you can only upgrade one drive a time. However, this is quite normal and similar to when you need to replace a hard drive in a RAID 5 setup. The server is still working during the upgrade, just at a slower speed.

Also on the back of the server, there are two eSATA ports and two USB 2.0 ports to host more storage. There are also two Gigabit Ethernet ports. These ports can be used at the same time to either balance the load or for failsafe purposes. Unfortunately they can’t be aggregated to increase the data throughput rates of the server.

Like the Network Space 2, the 5big Network 2’s setup process was fast and easy. The device includes the LaCie Network Assistant software that helps identify the NAS on the network and maps the network drives, so you can use them as connected hard drives. The software also helps launch the device’s Web interface that helps further customize the NAS server.

Features
The LaCie 5big Network 2 runs the newer 2.0 of the NAS OS, which, among other things, offers full support for Lion, including its Time Machine. We tried this out and it worked as intended. You do need to turn the support on via the Web interface, however, as support for Time Machine is by default turned off.

Similar to the previous version of the NAS OS, the interface of the version 2.0 is simple and straightforward. It consists of two lines of big buttons on the bottom and the right side of the webpage. Each button is a category, such as Users, Shares, RAID Management and so on, and when clicked on shows all the functions and settings of that category on the main part of the webpage for users to customize. Since there are only so many buttons that can fit on the two sides of the page (three on each side), the lower right corner area of the page contains little icons of other categories that you can drag out to replace any of the buttons that are currently displayed on the sides.

We actually like the way the server’s interface is organized as it’s intuitive and self-explanatory. Most users will just need a few minutes to familiarize and know what to do without much help. This is especially helpful when it comes to enable the server’s features and changing the RAID configuration. Most of the time, all you have to do is a few clicks.

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6349302Is it against the law to shoot demons in a police station?None

Five centuries ago, a man named Bryce Boltzman was born. Through a variety of supernatural events, he was transformed from an ordinary man into an immortal demon hunter. When you live so long that all of the people you love have passed away, finding motivation to carry on is the most difficult challenge of all. Bryce hides his overwhelming bitterness with repetitive jokes that lack the acerbic wit or incisive criticism to make him an enjoyable character. His mortal partner, Arcadia Maximille, is devoid of personality. So though these two characters spend most of the game together, an engaging bond fails to develop. In fact, Arcadia’s purpose is unclear. Because she can die, it makes little sense that she tags along with Bryce in his demon-hunting missions, and she frequently needs to be rescued since she’s susceptible to the monsters’ snarling attacks. It’s an odd pairing, and though there are brief flashes of heartfelt emotion, most of the time the heroes exist as either passive participants or minor annoyances.

The action is able to compensate for the poor cast, at least when it’s running on all cylinders. On a superficial level, NeverDead is a typical third-person shooter. Though there aren’t any cover elements (nor is there a need for them), the moment-to-moment action is fairly predictable. You have an arsenal of standard guns–pistols, automatics, and the like–and mow down enemies in a variety of predictable locales with equally predictable level design. Corridors lead into courtyards where fights erupt, and the flow continues in this manner until the ending credits roll. Aiming at your foes while running around arenas works well enough, though it’s hardly noteworthy. As a pure shooter, NeverDead is functional though nowhere near as exciting as its more prestigious peers. Thankfully, there’s much more to this game than tired tropes.

As the title of the game implies, Bryce cannot be killed. However, though neither pain nor death causes him fear, he can still be put out of commission by his abundant enemies. Attacks cause his arms, legs, and even head to pop cleanly from his body, and in your dismembered form, you have to scour the playing field to reassemble those pieces. Obviously, your actions are affected by what part of your body is removed. If, for instance, you lose your left leg to a ravaging puppy, Bryce mutters about his absent appendage while hopping around one-legged. Losing an arm is handled in an even more interesting way. Once disarmed, you can no longer aim your reticle at those attacking you, but because you still have control over your fingers, you can spray bullets wildly from wherever your arm is currently located. This is particularly useful if an enemy is gnawing on your fleshy forearm.

Even in glamor shots, Bryce looks a bit ragged.

If you sustain enough damage, or the enemy lands a clean shot at your neck, you wind up as just a head rolling around. In this form, you can perform a speed roll to travel quickly, but you’re pretty much helpless against demonic spawn. You need to quickly locate your torso so you can reattach yourself (assuming you maneuver to your neck stump, which is rather tricky during a chaotic fight) and then round up your legs and arms. If you wait a few moments or nab a power-up, you can regenerate instantly. However, if you fail to find the rest of your body, you can be hit with an abrupt Game Over. There are only two fail states in NeverDead. As a head, you can be eaten by a creature, and if you’re too slow to perform a simple minigame, you end up in its belly forever. Otherwise, the only way you can fail is if your partner falls in battle and you don’t resurrect her quickly enough. Neither of these situations happens often, so you don’t have to worry much about passing into the afterlife.

Implementing challenge in a game without death is no easy feat, and it’s when developer Rebellion tries to ramp up the difficulty that things take a turn for the worse. Reassembling your body after being dismembered can be a frustration because enemies are apt to repeatedly attack your prone form before you have time to move out of the way. Watching helplessly as your head gets battered around levels is a serious problem, especially when you have to perform a time-sensitive action. Navigation is also clunky. You can destroy the environment to hurt enemies, which serves as an inventive and satisfying strategy. However, battlegrounds get so cluttered with physics-enabled junk that getting around, either by walking on your legs or rolling as a head, is extremely finicky. This is compounded by a petulant camera that sticks on every object and wall you come across. Although you rarely fall in battle, fights often become tedious affairs because simple actions are hampered in so many ways that they fail to coalesce into satisfying action.

This issue of NeverDead’s sporadic difficulty is most evident during the boss fights. Just about every one of the giant baddies you face off against has its own special problem. A multi-limbed boss you battle early in the game is a serious struggle, even though you most likely won’t die. The museum in which you do battle is chock-full of so many broken pillars, exhibits, and other odds and ends that simply moving around is an inconvenience. Heck, you won’t even be able to see properly half the time. When you get close to the boss (which is inevitable considering how often you get stuck) he spits out a green fog that reverses your controls. Can you say never fun?

6349301Good thing demons have predictable patterns.None

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These are good times for all of you looking to purchase a new mobile phone, with retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Wirefly, Best Buy and RadioShack offering many of the popular devices for less. Today we’ll talk about the two last mentioned retailers and their newly unveiled special offers.

Best Buy is offering a free $50 Gift Card with any activation. The campaign has already started for Reward Zone members, while the general public can join in on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th. In order to participate, you first have to register your mobile phone number online by February 12th and then purchase and activate it at Best Buy by December 31, 2012. Once you get the new phone, you’ll receive a $50 Best Buy gift card for free.

RadioShack on its end announced “Mobile Low Price Guarantee.” If you present a print ad from a newspaper or circular with retail competitor’s lower advertised price for an identical postpaid or no-contract phone in store, a RadioShack associate will validate the offer and match the lower price. The cool thing is that this works up to 30 days after purchase, so even if you find a better deal after few weeks, you can still get part of your money back. Lovely!

About The Author

Dusan Belic

Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The “convergence” is what he’s most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do.

In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it’s an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he’s there to try it out. He admits though, he’s still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which “sings” perfectly with the mobile PIM application.

Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.

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Beware of too many verbs, adverbs and pronouns. This advice comes from Cornell University researchers, who discovered that genuine reviewers reference the actual hotel, whereas the fakers talked up external experiences and travel companions. For example:

My husband and I stayed at the James Chicago Hotel for our anniversary. This place is fantastic! We knew as soon as we arrived we made the right choice! The rooms are BEAUTIFUL and the staff very attentive and wonderful!! The area of the hotel is great, since I love to shop I couldn’t ask for more!! We will definatly be back to Chicago and we will for sure be back to the James Chicago.

Unlike someone who had something real to report about the hotel, this person goes on an unrelated tangent because he didn’t have an impetus for writing the review. 

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And, exclamation points. As with product reviews, nobody has that much enthusiasm for a hotel. At least not six exclamation points and an all caps adjective’s worth. Also, adverbs like “very” and “really” are warning signs. 

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And, too many mentions of the hotel. This is what we call overcompensation. Like obvious subliminal marketing, fake reviewers think they are doing a better job if they mention the name of the hotel over and over again. 

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Too long, too short. Kenny Thai got caught soliciting fake reviews for the Thaison Palace Hanoi (see: below). In it for the free goods, we see two patterns. Short, off the cuff reviews that have no content and novellas. If we were to write a fake review, we wouldn’t take too much time, like Ben F. “Great place for students! Great staff! Very friendly. Stayed November 2011, traveled with friends.” But then some like to go overboard, like PrincezzP77, who wrote a 15 paragraph long description of her stay. Again, nobody is that crazy about hotels unless there’s something in it for them. 

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Or, just use an algorithm. Based on their findings, those Cornell researchers we mentioned developed a 90 percent accurate algorithm for detecting fake hotel reviews. Easier than sifting through the sham prose. 

Design
If you’re familiar with the MyTouch Q’s predecessor, the MyTouch 4G Slide, you won’t find many surprises here. Also a QWERTY slider, the MyTouch Q’s look and feel are very similar and it’s practically the same size. Measuring 4.7 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide and .5 inch thick, the MyTouch Q is not small or trim by modern definitions. And tipping the scales at 5.6 ounces, the phone isn’t light either. Compared with much thinner smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile, the MyTouch Q is plump and portly. Still, I found its softly curved edges comfortable to hold, and the gray soft-touch back coating provides a sure grip and repels grease and prints.

Eschewing the large 4.3-inch or even 4.5-inch panels gracing many of today’s modern Android handsets, the MyTouch Q relies on a smaller 3.5-inch LCD screen. Immediately, I noticed how fuzzily the low-resolution screen (480×320 pixels) rendered details in app icons, photos, and especially text. Contrast wasn’t great either, with the black background of the Android app tray, for instance, appearing grayer than it should. Viewing angles also were disappointing and tilting the device in any direction off axis quickly killed image quality.

Below the screen are illuminated capacitive buttons for typical Android controls including Menu, Home, and Back. Instead of the Search key, though, there is the Genius button, represented by a circular “G” logo. Long-pressing this key, a staple of T-Mobile MyTouch devices, fires up the phone’s voice command capabilities. You can tell the MyTouch Q to do simple tasks like “Send text message to John Smith, running late,” or “Find the nearest espresso.”

The MyTouch even can be commanded by voice to launch specific applications or play favorite music, which is handy if the phone is buried deep in a pocket or bag. In my experience, the feature worked as advertised. That said, don’t be fooled into thinking this is as powerful or intelligent as the Siri assistant on the iPhone 4S. While I could dictate a pretty lengthy text message, if I paused midstream the device assumed I was done and wouldn’t check whether I had more to add, which is something Siri does.

But why waste time with voice commands for messaging when you could use the MyTouch Q’s standout feature, its full QWERTY keyboard? Though there are only four rows of keys instead of the complete five rows boasted by other devices such as the eagerly anticipated Motorola Droid 4, the Q’s main input method is usable. I was able to bang out messages relatively accurately and quickly despite the cramped layout and minimal spacing.

On the whole it’s a good effort, though I have to complain that the spacebar is small, the keys are hard, and the keyboard itself flexes alarmingly. Fortunately, the keys are backlit and there is a wealth of dedicated buttons for common punctuation marks, as well as buttons for @, .com, and “Text,” and a smiley-face button for emoticons. Alternatively, if you just want to use the virtual keyboard, the MyTouch Q features Swype switched on by default while the stock Android entry method can be selected.

Phone controls and ports are kept to a minimum, with the only physical buttons being two tiny volume keys on the left side and a power key on the top edge. Also on top sit the MyTouch Q’s 3.5mm headphone jack and Micro-USB port. The back houses a 5-megapixel camera, LED flash, and large speaker. Under the flimsy battery cover is a microSD card slot populated by a 2GB card, which can be reached without removing the battery. The same, though, can’t be said for the standard-size SIM card slot.

Features
Running the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS, the MyTouch doesn’t offer Google’s latest version, Ice Cream Sandwich (version 4.0), but honestly neither do most current handsets, let alone most basic Android handsets. All the essential and powerful Android capabilities are here, such as Gmail, Google Maps, and access to the over 500,000 apps, not to mention movies and books, available for download from the Android Market. The phone can handle personal and corporate e-mail accounts and the usual text-messaging tasks. You tackle multimedia primarily through the simple onboard music and video software.

The design of the shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen has been tweaked. In addition to the usual icons for phone, text messaging, and browser, there’s also one for e-mail. Frankly, it makes for a cluttered feel and I don’t much care for the icons’ cartoon look either.

It’s also distracting how all the phone’s seven home screens are clogged with either T-Mobile bloatware or massive widgets. I suppose that’s both the appeal and the weakness of Android, since you can remove and customize icons at will. Speaking of apps, there are a fair number of useful titles preloaded, including Google Books, Slacker Radio for streaming Internet radio, Google navigation for free turn-by-turn GPS guidance, and a basic version of TeleNav (the premium version costs $2.99 per month).

SmartShare enables the MyTouch Q to link to DLNA-enabled computers and stream video or music files across Wi-Fi networks. The phone also can make calls over Wi-Fi, if you have better luck accessing a wireless router than a T-Mobile signal. Be advised, though, that the feature still counts against your voice plan minutes. Another service, T-Mobile TV, streams a collection of live channels such as Disney and Fox News, to name a few, but costs an extra $9.99 per month.

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