Android Romming

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I rooted my phone earlier this year. I didn’t flash a new ROM right away, left that for another time, but did do that sometime in February. My husband has the same phone as me, only he got his in 2011. HTC changed phones from then on to be able to be unlocked without having S-off, but you have to jump through their hoops to get that done. Ultimately I wanted to get his phone rooted and ROM’d so there wouldn’t be any more “out of space” notifications with nothing he could do about it except for get rid of apps that won’t move to SD Card.

Yesterday I started that, finished it, but there are more tweaks he could use, and I didn’t even verify that he can make any phone calls yet. It was a messy affair though. Unlocking and then I couldn’t get it rooted, then it was, but it wasn’t, but … ultimately I went the full downgrade to a lower hboot to achieve full s-off. And then still these ROM’s wouldn’t flash, so I took the one I had on my computer (I had been working on his laptop to keep his phone separate) that I had started with … voila, it worked perfectly!

Hmmm.

So I then got him into a Sense ROM, it’s nice and nearly the same, but one thing is, you can delete bloat apps and you have wi-fi you can share (with your PC or other device) To solve my hubby’s phone problem I could have just wiped all the data to factory. Kind of a start fresh. But there is more bloat there, that way, and it can’t be removed, and little tweaks are not do-able, and … let’s just do it, it’s the right thing for many devices, not all, just many.

Windstream issue again

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This seems to be an occasional post: Windstream being offline, and they won’t fix it, don’t see that the problem lies on their end exclusively.

Yesterday, March 5th, around 8:50am it went out. Hasn’t yet come back (over 24 hours now.)

I just talked to my husband on the phone, and Windstream wanted to talk to us with the modem connected while they accessed it (the modem) … but then they realized they couldn’t find our IP address or something and knew that wouldn’t work so they put in an escalted ticket for it to be fixed.

Once again, it is the same thing. So now we wait for my modem to come back on with a DSL signal.

PS Vita – Games and Thoughts – February 26

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I’ve been playing Lumines Electronic Symphony DEMO on my PS Vita.

My High Score - Lumines Electronic Symphony (Demo)

I really like it and want to be able to Unlock the full game, but it’s just too steep of a price for me right now, with MLB 12 The Show coming out on March 6, plus Unit 13, and maybe also Sumioni: Demon Arts on my want list.

Anyhow, it’s odd to play a 10 minute puzzle-ish demo over and over and over, but I have been doing that. I like it so much, while the music isn’t my favorite sort of music, it’s OK. I like other Electronic stuff but tend towards hard rock, metal, modern hard, alternative, dark stuff … whether or not you include The Cure in that, but yes, I do, plus Clan of Xymox, two of my favorite, favorite, favorite bands, and Clan of Xymox’s most recent album Darkest Hour is more electronic than previous albums by far, but so different from LES music.

Another game I have is Army Corps of Hell. There is spectacular death metal music in it. I love that part of the game. I haven’t progressed past Level 2 yet. I just can’t quite beat that boss. I don’t try much, just 2 or 3 tries here and there a day. I need to put on my earphones when I play this game, appreciate the music all the more, and maybe that’ll get me beating the boss to progress a bit more. This is one game I want to fully finish and get all the Trophies for.

The baseball game won’t be in my hands until a couple of days after it releases. I pre-ordered it and my hubby will be picking it up on his way home from a trip. I don’t know when we’ll get the PS3 version. That’ll be nice with my PS Vita version to continue a game on the couch while someone else plays on the PS3 or play it in bed, in the vehicle, etc.

I’d also like Unit 13, but I maybe will only get it for my son, and see what I can do with the DEMO of that between here and there and make a decision later. $$ is at issue though.

Sumioni: Demon Arts looks beautiful and I don’t know if it’s my kind of game exactly, but it LOOKS gorgeous, I do like the Sumi-e art style. The premise looks promising. I’ll have to see about it once price and how big to download or if available as Retail version or not information is out.

I hope PSN will get Trophy info onto the PS3 and Internet trophy sites with our PS Vita Trophies. It’s frustrating to see my count go up and not be able to see it on PS3 or in the browser. Yes, I can see things on my PS Vita, that’s good. Oh, but there is a flaw I noticed with a PS3 game on my PS Vita. I was playing Warhawk and got a couple of Trophies yesterday. I synced and I’m at 59% on that game now. On my PS Vita though, it shows me at 58% now. It shows the same trophies, and the % is up from before but just 1% lower on my PS Vita trophy list view.

All my other PS3 games show the same % between PS3 & PS Vita & Web browser. (oh, minus Bejeweled 3 which won’t sync to PSN Trophies — Sony has to implement a fix, and they should have done so ever since November 2011 when it’s been a known issue. Really annoying. I can’t look at my Trophies on my PS3 I played Bejeweled 3 on without sync auto-syncing every time I look. If I choose triangle and “sync” I get an error. All other thing, looking at trophies, sync starts, then hangs a bit, then finishes and shows me my trophies (but Bejeweled 3 isn’t on the Browser or other PS3 Trophy lists, only on my PS3 that I earned it on, but it’s not counted in my Trophy number. AUGH! When I realized all this, I quit playing it. I won’t play it again until Sony puts the trophies in the server. I got the game the day it came out, my hubby saved it for a xmas present for me. I didn’t play it until recently, thank goodness, due to trophy sync issue.)

There are several games for PS3 I haven’t done much with, or anything. There are games coming up for PS3 that I’d love to get. (Quantum Conundrum, Starhawk, and not upcoming but never got 2nd copy: Resistance 3) So put that all together and you have me, PS Vita, not enough games on it to satisfy me, but I do love the PS Vita. PS3, games to play, just don’t do much but play Warhawk sometimes, and more of Starhawk public beta, then less, and moreso waiting for 1.3 update to play more. So in a lull I think about the lack of a good puzzle full game for my PS Vita (Lumines!) and frustration at being stuck on Level 2 of ACoH. I KNOW what to do, just having a hard time getting it done. I love Little Deviants, but it’s a game that has challenges and is fun, but taxing and not something to “just play” like “Lumines” would be for me.

Another game for PS3 is WipEout HD. I need to play that so that I can maybe get better (I have to get better!) at PS Vita WipEout 2048! I started WipEout HD once in 2011. I didn’t do much, barely remember the game play. The PS Vita version is brutal. I’m stuck with 3 track things completed. That in itself was hard work. I’ve given up on that for now. Good DLC for WipEout 2048 is coming later (DLC will be: WipEout HD & Fury HD) and then cross-play can be lots of fun …

And now I have been looking at MotorStorm RC … and that is a PSN PS3 PS Vita dream come true! Sounds like a game I’ll like and so will my family and it’ll be so affordable. Yea!

PS Vita – FEB Feb. 15, 2012

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I love my PS Vita. We got our (my son and I) on Wednesday morning, the First Edition Bundle. We went to Costco afterwards, and we didn’t go inside, let my hubby go in alone, and we stood at the back of the Suburban, and open our boxes and drooled over them while videoing the unboxings.

Found out in the car the reason WHY YOU NEED A CAR CHARGER from Sony for the PS Vita if you want to charge your PS Vita in the car. Other USB thingies don’t do it. Quibble all you want, it’s all right since I don’t want to zap my Vita incorrectly and have a brick, or have it under powered and never charging enough in the vehicle … so the Sony PS Vita Car Charger is something I’ll be wanting to get. Actually 2 of them. Two more cords then too, the USB cords, so we can keep that in our cases and have it when we go out or between the PS Vita and the PS3/PC without taking our charge cords off of our docks in the house (what I wish for with all my heart, to allow the dock to permanently have the charge cord.)

So, officially in the documentation it says that the USB cord will charge the PS Vita only when the option is checked in the System menu options and the condition for charging this way is: The PS Vita must be off. It it’s On, no charging will occur. (People online are so upset about this. I can see what Sony wants though, fully charged things are nicer to work with, and USB charging doesn’t deliver that, so very trickle it is.)

Whatever the deal that it is, I am not saying I know all about it, I just have an understanding and acceptance of status quo. I’m not hip hopping around wishing to charge via USB ports on PC’s and PS3′s … I don’t like charging my HTC Evo phone like that, it’s so slow, so f—— slow!

In the First Edition Bundle is a 4gig card … big enough for awhile. Also the Little Deviants game (full card version) and a Limited Edition Official Case to carry the PS Vita and some peripherals and card. It’s a nice case, hard sided and zippers fully closed. The PS Vita will fit into it just fine with a silicone body thing around it probably.

We only got the cradle, one for each of us, and WipEout 2048, 1 for each of us. That was expensive enough! I wish I could have gotten something else, but $ as it is, it just wasn’t feasible. I didn’t exactly WANT WipEpout 2048 that much, but did get it so we could all play WipEout together, PS3 & both Vita’s at the same time together. It has that ability as well as single campaign and it’s something I should learn how to play.

I have tried it before. On the PS3, for like 2-seconds (it seems) I wasn’t any good. On the PS Vita I am horrid at it. I try and have a little progress, but it’s so frickin hard … I’m trying not to give up.

Really it’s sad. I could have just gotten Lumines ES but I was trying to be nice and have something we could all play together. So I don’t have that. I did download the Demo of it after we were home and playing with the PS Vita’s. It’s a cool game, RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!

So then today I got points from BB converted to use on BB.com to buy something. I wanted Army Corps of Hell, it comes out on Feb 22. So I got that and paid for shipping to get it right away. I couldn’t use my certificate with that order though, cause it was for more than I bought (I hate how BB does that!!!) (They could bank the rest of the certificate for another time, and have you pay the tax out of pocket, or whatever, but whatever.)

So I didn’t finish that order until I looked for something more to buy so I could use the whole certificate and get something else I really wanted, using my PayPal account to pay for the rest. I would have gotten Lumines but it’s NOT on Best Buy’s WEBSITE!!!!!! ACKKKKK! So I pre-ordered MLB 12: The Show for PS Vita with store pickup for Mar. 6.

There are other games coming out that I want, 2 copies of Unit 13, and yes, Lumines still. There will be more for the PS Vita sooner than later, but only so much $ to use for it.

Tomorrow is Vitaday!

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It’s the beginning of the rest of the world Launch of the PS Vita by Sony (PlayStation) … February 15th the First Edition Bundle (3g+WiFi) is available, with the full launch on February 22, 2012.

The PS Vita is a really nice device, it’s very desired in our house. Touch screen and dual analog sticks are the two things that are tops, the bottom touch pad is bonus, and the OLED screen is an added bonus. It’ll be cool to finally hold it at home and let our PSP’s get a look at it’s much more Savvy relative.

Vitaday, Vitauary 15, 2012. That’s tomorrow’s date.

Advanced Thought Process – Thinking Aloud about PS Vita

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Today is February 10. It’s been a fast month so far, and that is solely because of February 15th, which is Vita Day! We’ve been looking forward to this day (without knowing for sure it would be this long at the outset) for just over a year. We watch the introduction of the NGP via Sony’s broadcast of their press conference on the internet in the browser, January 2011. Yes, we watched it ‘live’ but the exact date isn’t what I’m going for here.

We had planned for [ what became the PS Vita ] to be Christmas presents for me and my eldest son. All year we looked forward to that, only to be totally blown to pieces when they announced an early 2012 launch for the whole world, but a December 2011 launch in Japan. Oh well, we picked up the pieces and found other things to wish for, for Christmas 2011.

All in all, I was sold on the new device via the internet that January 2011. It’s sleek but not TOO sleek, it’s not skinny by any perspective. It has the nicest light heft feeling when holding it (I got to play around with one in December 2011 at a PS Vita Mall Event.) The OLED screen is bright, colorful, deep, wonderful.

My PSP is good. But it looks so dull, on any brightness setting, compared to the OLED PS Vita. I haven’t done a side by side comparison yet. I don’t have an actual PS Vita in my house. I didn’t carry my PSP around with me to compare it at the mall either. Having them side by side in less than a week will be nice.

Some people online are writing about getting their pre-orders of the PS Vita shipped already, but that was a mistake and halted. Lucky them.

In any case, we have them pre-ordered at a brick store. We’ll pay for them on the 15th. I’m hoping we can get some accessories and games too. There are not a lot of games we are interested in right away. There are a few.

In the 1st Edition Bundle there is a case, the PS Vita, a 4g Card, and Little Deviants game. That game isn’t one I’d pick exactly, but it’s not un-welcomed. For me I often just won’t play something unless there is a reason that I find out about it that will drive me to wish to play. Simply being “popular” isn’t the thing. Actually, that’s exactly a mark against something :)

The Vita will also come with 6 AR cards. It’s capable of playing AR games with those cards, and also can do WAR without the cards in AR games. With the PS Vita there are 3 free downloadable games officially announced to work with the cards, and I guess WAR as well.

Cliff Diving, Tabletop Soccer, and Fireworks.

I’ve seen others posting on blogs about how they are not impressed, the games look boring, whatever, cheap.

Well they aren’t impressed, that’s too bad. I know it’s cool to get things that are novel, for awhile. Is this novel? Yes. Is it something that’ll stick around? Well, it is already around. There are AR games for the PSP, for instance, with a camera add-on. Other things exist.

Kind of how 3D is not new, but still novel, not widespread, will stay novel … until holodecks arrive. AR and WAR will be more popular I think, and be a bridge to those holodecks. :)

I’m looking forward to the Fireworks game. I love fireworks. It’ll be fun. We’ll see how long that lasts. I’ll try and be sure to post my thoughts on all of this later, once the PS Vita and all that gaming is in my grasp.

The thing about the PS Vita that is really nice: Trophy support. Games for the portable now can have real trophies that sync with one’s true PSN Trophy List. Integration. Woo! Hoo!

What games will have trophies? That’s up to the game devs. I am interested in the AR Suite games, will they have trophies? No word on that, so either they do or they don’t. Either/Or with a hedged bet towards the latter.

There’s a game I’m interested in. It’s something that is fantasy and it’s just something I bet would have certain folks up in arms about it. So, I won’t say more than that.

I like the idea of Lumines & Sound Shapes too. The new Vita version, of Lumines, and Sound Shapes is a totally new game, I’ve been following it’s development some this past year.

MLB 12: The Show will have a PS Vita version that will work with the PS3 version, that is awesome, but it’s cost prohibitive. To do that in the beginning of March, when it’s available, it’ll be $100 for both pieces of software. Ouch. I want other games though. As time goes by there will be more published. I’ll be getting what I can from BB & Amazon with bonus points …

The Playstation blog has a list of compatible PSN games with the PS Vita, it’s not a final list, but it’s missing all the digital full PSP games we’ve bought, and lists SOME of the mini’s I got from PSN Plus for free, and some of the ones I bought outright, but not all of it, not by far.

I wanted to play Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake, as well as Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign. We’ll see.

Now a thing that would be necessary to have is Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe. I’d prefer Pixel Junk Monsters Super Deluxe for PS Vita. Anyhow, the Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe page from Q Games has a PSP –> Vita vertical symbol on the bottom right of the page. No word anywhere that I can find about it being re-done for the Vita or anything though. PJMD is not on the playstation blog list. I have also read about those with Vita’s already in the US cannot download PJMD from the Vita store, it’s not compatible, they are told.

There are also lots of apps for the PS Vita, a camera with video support now. I’m just waiting for a Get Glue app. I need to suggest that on their site. I’ve been spending more time in the PS forums of late, instead of doing stuff like that. FWIW

Playstation Site

Lego Train Track

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I have a LEGO Train, no power functions yet, and no track yet. I would like to get all of that, to have a decent layout. But …

Lego don’t have any good track in their shop at home store, there is some on eBay for WAY TOO MUCH MONEY! It was $15.99 at one time in the store, now it’s not there, and on eBay it’s way above, from $50 on up, mostly, auctions sometimes a little lower, or a lot more, and buy-it-now up and up and up. It’s way too steep for me, and LEGO really should put that package back into the store.

I do not want to, nor will I do so, make a track with “flexible track” only. That’s my option right now. Thus I have none and see no time in the future that I can get any.

It’s frustrating. LEGO 10194 Emerald Night is a great looking train, and I want to run it around a track, but there is no reason to even get power functions for it when there is no good track to be had. I suppose I should get them anyhow, just in case they stop stocking the power functions I need.

Starhawk Public Beta & PS3

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I was invited to the Starhawk Private Beta in 2011, thus automatically included in the Starhawk Public Beta right away, though I’d have been anyhow since I’m PS Plus. One of my children had gotten an invite to Starhawk Private Beta also, so he’s in with the Public Beta too.

No other family members have been able to play it yet. Still another month before it’s truly open to the public without invite. FWIW that’s fine with me ;)

There are troubles in our house about where the PS3′s are and who can play what, or when. There are obliging rules that just are common sense, ask or tell intentions, or ask or something else. Like, I have the 2nd PS3 in my craftroom/office with my Playstation Monitor. Makes sense, but it doesn’t make sense for someone to go in there and play Warhawk, go in there and shut the door, and not tell anyone that they are there. Then I go there to either play Starhawk, clean up, organize, or craft, and when I open the door expecting a dark room with no one in it, I get the shock of my life (every time it happens!)

It’s a small room, quite small. Not a room for someone to stand there playing a game and someone else doing crafting or organizing, I’ve tried it before, it’s just not something that works. It’s a one-person space, the way the electricity and internet are in the room it’s the only place to put the Monitor, my desk, ps3 is right there in the corner at the front where the door is. There’s a big table behind with a lot of my craft stuff on it, and then a big cabinet full of my other craft stuff, a file cabinet with the printer on top. That’s it, just crammed full. With me in it, it is comfortable. Some other people are way bigger.

All I ask is let intentions be known, ask for my preference. I’d say, please take the PS3 upstairs for awhile. Just turn it off, unplug it and move it up, then move it back. Please.

Or … kick them off the big TV in the living room.

So it goes, I didn’t get to play much Starhawk in December 2011. It just didn’t work out. I prefer playing with someone in my house, either Starhawk or Warhawk. So I just can’t play with my son if the PS3 is being used by someone else in my office. Or if it was out of my office.

I’ve told my son that I’d prefer they only play with the livingroom PS3 would be when their Dad isn’t home, or in the afternoons when he’s working IF they get the school work done. Otherwise they can use their handhelds if they must game. Leave the livingroom for their Dad.

I want to play Starhawk more. I’ve actually considered getting the PS3 #2 and the monitor into the livingroom so we can all play together, then putting it back down again. A pain, but not such a pain as having to yell up and down to each other. Also, it’s just part and parcel with my other idea, get the PS3 out of my office and bring it to my bedroom if you must play Warhawk on one of the smaller screens.

Why do I want the PS3 in my office? I have a place for it, it goes nicely with the PS Monitor, I can watch 3D movies there, invite my children to view one of the movies when I want to. I only have 1 pr. of 3D glasses. With how often I can use the 3D features, or 2D gaming, it makes sense to have it in my room. But it makes sense then to move it temporarily upstairs when Daddy doesn’t want to game in the livingroom.

OK, thanks. Anyhow, I like Starhawk, but would like to play it more, I have yet to even ever get into a Hawk. I never was comfortable in Warhawk flying, and still am not. I like ground combat just fine, and have much room for improvement. I only get better with more practice. Plus now my daughter picked out Tron Evolution as a game for me today when they were at GameStop looking for a DS and PSP game, and got 1 free if they bought 2. That’s a 3D game, so I’d like to be able to use that, watch the movie again, play the 3D game that came with the monitor(Motorstorm …), play Resistance 3 … lots and lots of gaming I could do there, plus Bejeweled 3 which I got for Christmas and haven’t played yet. And, there are other games and movies. I have a traveling salesguy husband. So my office is a haven for crafting, movies, and gaming.

The PS3 is a slim one and is easily moved to another location for sometimes if wanted. My position is viewed as selfish. Well, it might just be that, but it’s the only place that is mine, and I’d be fine sharing the PS3 the way I note above, I am jealous for my space, that’s a given that no one can understand if they don’t get it. I mean getting it would be understanding and understanding only comes when … ah, well, not worth saying anymore.

I just want to play and get leveled up and watch and do some more. I’ve given up having the PS3 in the bedroom until we get a 3rd. That means no discs to watch at night in bed. That’s OK. I’d bring up the PS3 if I want it, but I hate gaming in there. Have always hated it. It’s not my thing. He’s loved it. So it’s a compromise, he can use it there in the bedroom, I’d prefer it’s home base to be in my office. If it’s that big of a deal, then don’t use it. Or ask ME to move it for the time and move it back again. You don’t have to move it, just ask me to do it.

Starhawk is cool anyhow. It’s gonna be way better when it comes out as a full game. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get it right away, or how many copies we’ll be able to get. We need a 3rd PS3, it’s not just a game thing, it’s a wonderful Blu-ray player. So it’s not my place to make a decision, I don’t make any money. I’m a nobody. FWIW

Wikipedia is blacked out for 24 hours today

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I support their move. It’s hard on us though. Just bit me. I knew about it ahead too. But it’s a truth universally acknowledged, show people how bad something could be, and they will finally believe it.

I do applaud their blackout on January 18, 2012.

Every Category in this blog system is applied to this post, therefore, and every TAG … it’s just not reasonable to list every tag, so I’ve used ‘Everything’ and ‘Nothing’ as my TAGS.