scattered technology news

Super Paper Mario – (Wii) 3

For many Wii owners, a long drought of quality games has plagued their leisure time as their shiny new white console gathers dust on a shelf. That drought has ended since Nintendo has shipped out “Super Paper Mario,” the latest installment in the Mario franchise which harkens back to the side-scroll/two-dimensional glory days of the NES. Unlike the previous installments of Paper Mario, the latest rendition somewhat withdraws from the turn-based RPG engine and now makes use of the classic platforming action that made Mario what it was over 20 years ago.

While the turn-based system has been removed, several classic RPG features remain such as experience points, health points, and side quests. To further improve upon their game, Nintendo has not only made it a classic side scroller, but also gives Mario the new ability to shift the fabrics of dimension allowing him to see in the third dimension. While this is incredibly innovative and does lead to many thought provoking puzzles and hidden items, it does have one large drawback. The primary reason it fails to please is that while stomping enemies in the 2nd dimension is quite intuitive and almost instinctive, in the 3rd dimension, trying to crush monsters as thin as paper when one is also as thin is paper can become quite frustrating. Despite this, the overall game play is quite enjoyable. Further interesting interactions lie in the ability to switch between Princess Peach, Bowser (he’s not the villain!), and Luigi as each of them has different skills. Along with their unique skills and physical attributes, each character can use a Pixl, a sort of tool which allows the player to perform feats such as bombing, hammering, or even shrinking. Read More

Review: Shure SE210 Earphones 5

Skatter Tech got a hold of the Shure SE210, an upgrade to the popular E Series, a few weeks ago and we have been quite pleased with the headset’s performance. The headphones included with most MP3 players, including iPods, are not exactly top notch. Purchasing a high quality set of headphones makes quite a big difference. Although the SE210 is at the bottom of their line of high-end earphones, it is still one of the best ones available on the market. (We reviewed the SE210-K Black)

Shure SE-210 Specs:

• Sound Isolating Earphones
• Hi-Definition Micro Speaker
• Frequency Range: 25Hz – 18.5kHz
• Included: Deluxe Fit Kit & Case
• Available in Black or White
• Price (MSRP): $179 $150

If you own the previous E2c model, the first thing you’ll notice is that the new SE210 earphones are much smaller and lighter. We felt the material also looked cheaper, but the sound it produced proved us wrong. Shure kept the headset in the Y-shape form factor instead of switching over to other styles such as “behind-the-neck,” which Sony uses in their headsets. Unlike its predecessor, which had a 56-inch cord, the Shure SE210 offers flexibility by including a 36-inch extension cord to go along with the short 18-inch headset. (54 inches total) Finally, Shure has improved the performance of the bass since it could barely be heard in the E2c’s. Read More

Samsung UpStage M620 – Sprint 176

Last week Sprint announced the availability of the Samsung UpStage (aka SPH-M620). Sprint was kind enough to provide Skatter Tech with a unit for review. The dual-sided UpStage is notable due to having a phone on one side and a iPod-like Mp3 player on the other.

Although the phone is extremely compact, at first glance, the front side of the phone looks dull due to the tiny LCD display. However everything changes after turning the unit around to the backside. In terms of basic features the Samsung Upstage features a 1.3MP camera, MicroSD, Bluetooth, and background Music Playback. As a bonus Sprint’s service allows access to 99 cent music downloads, Live TV, Internet Radio, Games, Web Browsing, and other Power Vision services.

Samsung SPH-M620 Specifications:

• Provider: Sprint Exclusive (CDMA)
• Form Factor: Dual-Sided Candy bar
• Dimensions: 1.73W x 4.07H x .37D inches
• Battery: Up To 6.3hrs Talk Time with Wallet
• Screen: Front 176×65 & Back 176×220 pixels
• Digital Camera: 1.3 MP with 5x Digital Zoom
• Storage: ~53MB Internal + MicroSD (2GB max)
• Sound: Standard Headphones with Adapter
• Others: Bluetooth v1.2 + 4hr Wallet Battery
• Price: $150 + Tax w/ New 2-Year Contract

UpStage Body: 5/5 stars
This phone is tiny, measuring only .37 inches thick, making it thinner than the Motorola RAZR. Although a bit larger, the phone resembles the shape and form factor of an iPod Nano. The front side of the phone has a Alpha-Numeric Keypad for making calls or text messaging. The back side looks like an iPod Nano, but with a large screen and an square touch pad. The phone is small enough to fit in most pockets and can be placed flat on its back or front. The phone almost doubles in size after placing into the battery wallet, which I assume most people plan to use. Although the case allows access to both sides of the phone, it still becomes quite tedious to keep switching back and forth. Despite the fact that the unit is harder to hold with the wallet, the flexibility of removing the case is an advantage. Read More

April 07 PS3/Wii/360 Games 1

It looks as though if April is going to be another slow month for game releases. However there are three high anticipated games arriving. The Wii will be getting the Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, which now has better graphics, and Super Paper Mario, which brings back the popular traditional Nintendo characters. Finally, F.E.A.R., a popular PC and Xbox game will be hitting the Sony PlayStation 3!

Wii:

• Prince of Persia: Rival Swords – Ubisoft
• Bust-A-Move Bash! – Majesco Sales Inc
• Super Paper Mario – Nintendo

PlayStation 3: F.E.A.R. – Vivendi Games

Xbox 360: 2006 FIFA World Cup – EA Sports

Game Lists: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Related: Upcoming PS3, Wii, & 360 Games: March