MOBIDEV - Android Apps: The Best and the Worst

I'm not really much familiar with Android phones but of course, I've played some applications. The following mobile applications that I'll be discussing is the best 3 and the worst 3 I'm familiar with, with some I'm using at times.

Let's start with the worst...

3. Twitter

What's up with Twitter really? Trending, what? I'm sorry I don't really get what's up with Twitter. Retweet and retweet. Sorry for being a hater, but for all I care. What's up with Twitter that makes it addicting to such many people? Sorry, I'm not really a fan.

2. Paper Toss

Quite a frustrating game. I don't have the patience of dealing with this game. Although I've beaten some high scores, it just irritates me everytime. Perhaps what irritates me the most is that even if the "power" of the wind has the same range, slightest move in how you throw the paper will turn your paper flying in the direction you're not expecting it to. This is quite similar with the game Basketball Shot, although I think I'll like that one more since I'm into basketball whatever the game is. HAHAHAHA.

1. Fruit Slice, Super Mario Cat, etc.

Games that are rip offs. What the hell? The games Fruit Ninja and Super Mario have been successful all the while and these still came into the scene? Not only that, game interface is quite lame and is not interesting to the eyes (well, in my eyes in this case). Might as well develop another game app. But of course not apps like you just make the balls bounce all over the screen. Something innovative. But these? Come on. These are not the kinds of apps you expect to enter the market.

And now onto the best ones...

3. Angry Birds

Angry Birds. Cool name isn't it? Haha. The first time I tried it I found it quite boring. What's up with birds making the pigs explode or something like that? But then I found the game fun since it challenges your accuracy with things. And you try and try until you destroy the pigs. HAHAHA. Might be boring for some but the name is really catchy. You see. Angry Birds. Try it out. It's quite fun, really.

2. Ninjump

Adrenaline comes in. You make the character run up in the walls. Not only that, the twist is you do this by fighting with other things such as other ninjas and don't forget the squirrels. Great way to pass off boredom and just live the moment of running up the walls in the game. Just watch out for the shurikens and the dynamites.

1. Fruit Ninja

This app is hell lots of fun. The thrill of cutting the fruits while trying to avoid bombs is really cool. You even have to slice the fruits in such a way that you gain more points/combos to get a really high score. Top it off with the bananas that freeze time or burst lots of fruits in your way or even both at the same time. Fruit Ninja is definitely an exciting past time most especially when you're bored and with friends competing to topnotch the score. But then the bombs really tick me off, it's hard to get mad when you hit a bomb while trying to slice fruits.

So, basically that's it!

After Week 13 of INTRICT

I can't believe that time is really that fast. It was just May 26 when classes started and now the first trimester is about to end. It was also the last INTRICT class yesterday, (Wed., Aug. 20, 2k8) and I'm glad it was a lively class, what a way to close the curtains for INTRICT... well for those who will pass, HAHAHA.

Got to class as usual, saluted Sir Oli and he greeted me with "Rektikano, keena-keena." I don't know why but thank you Sir Oli for starting my day with a cheer, haha. So much for that one...

Sir Oli discussed in class that CCS is the only college who does defenses (well, I didn't really know that). He also stressed out that come the second trimester, the ICTM students will start their training on public speaking and on defenses through ORGMNGT and it will continue all throughout the succeeding courses after ORGMNGT. As the training goes on, of course, the system will get more strict and more difficult, which I think is appropriate so that ICTM students will be trained well on how to become really effective in public speaking and how to conduct defenses excellently. Sir Oli also narrated to us situations in defenses that are really inevitable, particularly the trembling of the students, not coming well dressed and groomed, crying of the students who can't handle the defense anymore (HAHA!), and so on, AND SO ON. After hearing those things, I somehow pondered on how well I will do when I come to that point... kinda worried really since I kinda suck at speaking in public, unless it is a memorized piece, hahaha. At least I've learned something from Sir Oli's kwentos, and that is when it comes to things like these, one always have to prepare well. One cannot afford to come to speak and defend his/her presentation without preparing really hard for it; otherwise, for ICTM students, it will be a "See you next term.", a dreaded sentence that an ICTM student would not like to hear from the professor.

Also I wasn't that hardships, difficulty, well in long terms: countless sleepless nights, can bring together individuals to be really close. Sir Oli narrated the story of the Luzviminda groupmates, it was amusing since through success and failure they have fun through treating themselves out, like travelling to places. Sir Oli even mentioned that even the parents can become close through this, nakikiusyoso rin pala sila sa mga ginagawa ng mga anak nila, hahaha. Also, when it comes to groupwork, you really have to bring up each other and as much as possible, help each other out to avoid failure in subjects. If one fails in the group, the whole group is dead since that someone will repeat the course wherein he/she failed. It's all a matter of teamwork, after all it is really true that two or more heads are better than one. Then again, I hope that I can handle my groupmates-to-be in ORGMNGT well, hehe, otherwise, it's MARTIAL LAW for the group, and yes, I will be the dictator, hahaha.

Armageddon for INTRICT is coming up... August 27, 8-11AM.

The class is the done, but there is still the final exams and also the course card distribution.

Be back next time, I have to go. God bless you all. :)

After Week 12 of INTRICT

Highlight for the week: S13 DANCE SHOWDOWN

Since we all got -30 points in the data report activity that we had, we must prepare a dance number for INTRICT class. And so we did... we performed on INTRICT class last Wednesday, August 13.

The groups were amusing, really!

Not gonna blog much about what we learned this week in INTRICT, but I'm just gonna tell my favorite moments of S13's dance showdown.

1. Lupit pala ni Alvin sumayaw. Together with AC, they really looked good in performing even though, according to AC, they just finished the dance that morning.
2. Kreeno was funny, trying to imitate the moves in their group. Billy Crawford mode, haha.
3. Quino babes (haha!) was fanning himself with bills, grabe benta talaga 'to, hahaha!
4. In my group, Cesz, Kim, and Kris wore skirts for the dance, haha. Nahiya tuloy. XP
5. In my group, again... Kevin (Reyes) did his intro thingy na medyo malaswa, haha!
6. Jerik had an 8-second monologue as if he was Chris Brown... sus, asa. Remix? Haha. XD
7. Angas ni Nicole sumayaw, hahaha. DAMN.
8. Sumasayaw pala si Master Chief... Joshua! Hahaha! Feel na feel!
9. Meg kumakanta habang sumasayaw, haha! "Shampoo, sabon..." HAHAHA.
10. Vince and Sherv's dance showdown... Sheeet, yumanig buong Gokongwei because of these two, hahaha! XP

So much for this... What we got? Reviewers for the upcoming finals exam in INTRICT... and what else...

Coverage? THE WHOLE BOOK.

Enough blogging... basa na ng libro. X(

Massacre ba ulit sa August 29? HAHA. Like INTRPRG, damn it!

After Week 11 of INTRICT

INTRICT Week 11... August 4 and 6... Let me look back...

Well, we had this particular activity wherein Sir Oli gave us sheets of paper containing a list of sales of cars on a particular area and year and then we should gather the data from these. The scenario was we had to prepare the data and present it in front of a company meeting, consisted of the executive members. Each round of the activity was given a time limit, and consequently NOT EVEN ONE GROUP came up with a correct and appropriate "data report". It is because for every wrong answer, a group accumulates negative points (of course, if a group gets it right, the group accumulates plus points). With that, all groups got -30 points, hahaha. And so, we were informed that in order to erase the -30 points we all accumulated, we must prepare a dance number that we will be performing in class. Oh well, BRING IT ON, hahaha.

The discussions this week was really quite interesting since we talked about the Y2K problem and how the data storage device we all know today as USB evolved from the big (and I mean BIG) floppy disk measuring 8 INCHES per side.

What's really interesting with the Y2K problem is that the primary concern of every programmer, analyst, and whosoever is regarding the "depletion" of every data in the world or in other terms, worldwide systems failure since the year will be back to the --00 digits. Imagine that, two zeros can cause a major, worldwide problem. Because of this, there were sleepless nights to those programmers, analysts, and whosoevers who were trying to come up with solutions in order to prevent the total worldwide systems failure. Sir Oli even narrated that even La Salle, the BEST school when it comes to Computer Studies (let's go CCS! HAHA), was troubled with the Y2K problem because the all the data of the university will all be abolished. Take for example that no one can enroll, no one can even enter the campus, and so on.

Lastly, Sir Oli told us how the floppy disk evolved into the USB device. But here's the catch... bakit kaya habang paliit ng paliit yung structure ng device, lumalaki naman yung capacity for storage? HAHA. Seriously, it's somehow difficult to understand, haha. Imagine from a square thingy measuring 8 inches per side has become a device measuring 2 inches? DAMN. LOL, haha! And oh yeah, there's a format with the how the capacity increases, for example, 2GB becomes 4GB and then 8GB, and then 16GB, and so on. According to my memory, the pattern is like 2^2, 2^3 and so on. Aaaamazing!

Oh wait, before I forget, I didn't know that the Philippines' entire internet connection is linked to Taiwan. We are connected with Taiwan through those transatlantic wires. Damn, the world is so HI-TECH na talaga, hahaha. Oh yeah, DLSU also has those fiber-optic lines that connects every building in the campus for internet connection. DLSU not only has those fiber-optic lines, it also has a satellite, which is responsible for the internet connection of the whole campus. Not to mention, Planet Goks is the primary source of internet connection in the entire DLSU Campus. Let's go CCS, haha!

So, I guess that's it... I'm sleepy now!

Still have a game tomorrow, GO LA SALLE!

God bless you all! :)

After Week 10 of INTRICT

Week 10 of INTRICT was really HELL... Or to correct the statement the week of July 28 to August 1 was HELL!

We had this midterm project, a 5-chapter paper, needed to be done by the quad group in INTRICT class. The midterm paper project is about the Makro field trip, by the way. And there, I had to work with my quad group: Sherv, Koko, Jet, and I. But consequently, Jet failed to attend the field trip so basically he will really not be able to help us in the paper. So it's just me, Sherv, and Koko.

To make things worse... MY FRIGGIN' LAPTOP FAILED AGAIN. ITS FRIGGIN' BACKLIGHT BURNED OUT... AGAIN! And so I had to spend the night at Maynilad Study Center (it's near Starbucks at Taft) after coming from Pep Squad training. I arrived at the center at about 10pm or so, came down to have dinner, and went up again to work. In between the worktime I spent, I've had a few naps, which I really needed. It was a good thing that I didn't fall totally asleep... or else... DAMN.

I worked on Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. What's even worse is that Sherv fell asleep... I really had to do Chapter 5 on my own, while Koko was finishing Chapter 1 and 3. I was wordless until around 1:30AM, and really pissed off at the time because I hoped to finish by 2AM but remained at a few sentences minutes after 2AM. I finished the paper with what I can do and with all the energy I had left. I don't know how I survived that day without getting any SLEEP at all. Yes, I DIDN'T GO HOME to finish my part on the paper. I even walked through Taft Avenue at 5AM to get to my friend's unit, of course, to take a bath and get ready for the day. Thank God I wasn't held up, stabbed, or whatever.

That 11PM-5AM was the LONGEST time I've ever had in my life...

And FACT...

I only got 7 hours of sleep in the last 72 hours of July 28-30.

SLEEP HAS BECOME MY MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE AT THIS POINT OF MY LIFE.

After Week 9 of INTRICT

Direct Reading Electronic (DRE) or Optical Mark Readers (OMR)...

In INTRICT class, we discussed which machine between the DRE and the OMR is the suitable one for electronic voting. Of course it involves data capture, and in turn, there are factors to consider in choosing the best one for efficient and effective data capture and these are:

• reliability
• accuracy and correctness
• speed of data capture
• completeness
• the "WOW, I LIKE IT!" factor (user-friendliness), and;
• other factors depending on the environment in which the device will be used like: environmental applicability, disability considerations, cost and life of device, and hygiene in use

If I were to choose which of the two should be implemented and chosen for electronic voting, I would go for OMR. Why? First, DRE usage will pave way for hygiene problems since it is a touch-screen machine. Imagine the germs and bacteria that can pile up in the DRE screen from the 1st voter to the last voter (EEW!). Second, DRE is has the lesser quality of durability. Imagine when one voter gets mad and suddenly punches the screen, the DRE machine will then get destroyed And third, OMR can scan lots of votes in such a short time span. The DRE may seem easier to use but imagine that one voter can take and consume much time in the voting process. It's a fact that we cannot wait for more than 3 months or so for a new president, senator, or whosoever is elected.

Also, we should always remember that input and output always go together... After all, how can you have an output if there wasn't any input? And also, how will you know what you did in your input if there isn't any output? Simple logic and philosophy. Input captures data while output present possible and needed information to make choice of what data is to be captured.

Had the Makro Makati Field Trip by the way... Whatever happened. It was tiring. And there were occurences wherein we cannot hear what the lady was explaining and telling to us about a particular area in Makro. Sheesh.

Got to rest now, 00:25... DLSU vs. UP later @ ULTRA, 14:00. God bless.

My mind is still... Blargh.

After Week 8 of INTRICT

July 14. Simple... Remember these important matters...

Planning, Analysis, Design of the target I.S., Implementation, Support and Maintenance

-> These are the stages of an I.S. development

Data Capture, Data Storage, Information Processing, Distribution and Access to Information, Presentation of Information

-> These are problems in information

Remember, also, the 9 functional units of an enterprise for organizational knowledge and of course the 6 elements of an information system.

Sir Oli gave us a group assignment, and that is to design and come up with an information system that can be THE solution to both the business and information problems of the coco-juice company problem scenario.

So... Sherv, Jet, Koko... Let's get mind ****ed again, haha. At least it's easier now... or is it?

Magandang I.S. para sa kumpanya ng coco-juice... ano nga ba...?

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July 16. We didn't have INTRICT class because Sir Oli was sick. It was raining hard that day, ang sarap matulog, kaya medyo nakakatamad pumasok nung araw na 'to, hahaha.

We were given an activity even though we had no class. List down different devices, their characteristics, and situations wherein they are best used.

Grabe... we have so many devices already. They just keep on developing and evolving, hahaha. I can't think of how those people came up with those different devices. Like yung mga card reader, barcode, game controller... pati 'tong keyboard na ginagamit ko ngayon, haha. I wonder how our world will be like 15 years from now... well, in the technological aspect that is... with all of those gadgets and gizmos around us...

On the down side, I already imagine how our world will be like, in the natural aspect, 15 years from now... Out of the blue 'to ah, haha.

Think of our environment, 15 years from now... Imagine...

Kaya boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen... Be disciplined enough.

Sorry for the random thought, napaisip lang talaga.

RAR. Ang hirap na talaga mag-backtrack! GRR!

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That would be all. God bless us all. :)