Gaming: GTA V - A Short Review

For a computer game to sell $1 billion in just 3 days, it has got to be one hell of a game. This is the case for Rockstar Games' latest installment in the GTA series, GTA V. For 5 years, fans have waited for this sequel since the release of GTA IV. But what really makes this game extra special for all the hardcore and even non-hardcore gamers out there? In a few points I'll discuss some of the features of this heavily debated game.

Gameplay
GTA V follows the same style of play as its predecessors. The game is still on third person point of view, players can use melee attacks, fire guns and different kinds of weapons, fight enemies (and civilians), and the ability to use different kinds of vehicles all throughout the game. If somehow you deviate from your mission and you decide to run across town breaking laws (physics included), your wanted meter goes high like the previous versions.

Setting
GTA V is set on the fictional city of San Andreas, which is heavily mirrored on the areas around Southern California in the United States particularly Los Angeles. In fact, you can be able to see a lot of familiar buildings around the fictional city if you happen to live somewhere in Los Angeles. The iconic Hollywood sign which was changed to Vinewood and a whole lot more.

Features
GTA V won't be a blockbuster hit if just showcased the same features as its previous installments. Some added features includes the ability of the player to hide and take cover behind vehicles to avoid taking damage from shots fired by the enemies, multiplayer and co-op mode enables multiple players to play certain missions such as racing and bank heists. Another cool feature of GTA V is the ability of multiplayer groups from other Rockstar Games game to have the same team such as multiplayer teams from games like Max Payne 3.

Graphics
It can be safely said that almost 90% of gamers nowadays heavily consider a game's graphical quality to measure its awesomeness. So for GTA V, don't bother. It's just the same old high quality graphics that's almost realistic with in game explosions that's sure to blow your minds.

Conclusion
So those are just some of the things that I can mention about GTA V. For those of you who have waited long enough for the game, this is your time to crank up gaming time once again. And should you find playing the game a bit too easy or you have finished it in no time, don't worry. For games like Watch Dogs are coming to town.

Moto: Tips on How to Save Gas on Your Motorcycles (And Other Vehicles, Too)

Part of the reason why a lot of people choose to get our own vehicle or a motorcycle in particular is because we either hate using public transportation, public transportation is expensive, or both. But with the non-stop rise and (slight) fall of gasoline prices, it's becoming a little hard on the pocket, too. So for those of you who want to save up on the precious gas on their motorcycles or their cars, here are some helpful tips for you to know or perhaps some additional useful information if you already know some.

Lose That Weight
Motorcycles and a lot of generic vehicles on the road such as cars have an ideal weight which it can maximize it's engine power without sacrificing much on the gas consumption and all. So basically the more weight you put up to your vehicle, the more power it will require to move at a desire speed thus needing more engine power that would require an increase in gas consumption. So if you ever plan on going on a trip, try to pack lightly and bring only necessary items with you so as to not increase the weight load. In addition, filling up with a full tank also adds weight to the vehicle, so if you're just driving within the city, from your home to the office most of the time, better yet not fill up the tank so soon. Just be sure to check your levels to see if its already time to go to the nearest gas station.

Check Tire Pressure
This tip is actually one of the most talked about gas saving techniques anyone can muster should the topic of gas saving arises. Always be sure to have your tires inflated at the recommended rate to avoid unnecessary stress to your tires and to save your precious gas as well.

Gear Changing
Another tip you could use to save gas is to shift your gears properly. Traffic is nearly inevitable, but it should not be an excuse for anyone to not shift gears smoothly. If your motorcycle has a tachometer, it is best to shift gears when the tachometer reads at about 3500 to 4000 RPM's. However if your bike does not have a tachometer (like mine), you could just "feel" your bike's engine to see whether it sounded "strained", that would mean the need for you to shift gears already. To some riders, this can be quite easy, but to the inexperienced ones, a little practice would help in saving your vehicle's gas.

Braking and Speed
If you are riding on your bike but not really have the need to speed up, you really don't have to. As this would mean more power to your engine that would be needing an increase in gas consumption. Braking also increases the consumption of your gas as it would slow down your bike (obviously) and it would need an extra effort by your engine to bring you at your desired speed once again which would mean another chance of increasing gas consumption. So maintain low speed if you're not on the rush, leave the brakes alone if you don't really need it to save more gas.

Bike Displacement
Another thing that most people don't get is that the higher the displacement of your bike, the larger your gas consumption would be. Why? Because these large displacement bikes are more powerful, they are a lot faster and can go from zero to 120 in just a couple of seconds. And because doing that would require more engine effort, that would also mean a bigger need for gasoline. So bigger, faster bikes = more fuel consumption, small displacement bikes = less gas. It's not that hard to figure out.

So there you go, folks. those are just some of the little tips to help you save gas and get you farther with less gas consumption. Got any other tips on saving fuel? Don't forget to comment, share and ride safe!

Tech: Apple's iPhone 5C - Will it help turn the tides on the smartphone wars?

In the wake of Apple's bold announcement about their first economy level smartphone ever the iPhone 5C. It has captured the attention of a lot of people not only in the tech world, but even those who still don't have a smartphone and want an iPhone for their first super computer handset. But what are the features of the iPhone 5C? Will it really help in turning the tides on the ongoing smartphone wars? Here's a couple of points to help you decide whether this phone is the right one for you.

Design
The first thing that separates this whole new iPhone handset from all of the other iPhones out there is the colorful design that has not been seen on any apple phone in history. All the typical iPhone controls are still present, the front and rear camera and flash are still visible. But what bugs me with the iPhone's colorful feature is that it reminds me (and a lot of people) of a recent smartphone with the same colorful casings (Nokia Lumia, anyone?)

Features
The iPhone 5C is running on Apple's latest iOS7 so it should be performing on top notch level while you use it. It's 4 inch retina display gives its users the same high definition experience one will have on the typical iPhones. Now this may not be large enough like the other iPhones and Android devices nowadays, but with the price tag of this baby, one cannot even complain.

Battery
This perhaps is one of the most important aspect of any smartphone in general yet it seems the most neglected one. But somehow Apple has managed to give this baby a whopping 10 hours of talk time, 10 hours of web browsing via Wi-Fi or LTE and 250 hours of stand by time. And given the juice time of a lot of devices out there, we can say the iPhone 5C is a competitor in this area.

Price Tag
With just a price tag of $99 USD or roughly about 4,300 PHP, the iPhone 5C is really an eye catcher and will surely get the attention of many Filipinos who are looking for a great performing device with an affordable price tag. This will surely rock the 4,000 to 5,000 range Android and Windows smartphones once it hits the Philippines shores.

Verdict
For a very affordable price and the name of the brand it carries, the new iPhone 5C will surely make an impact on the cheap smartphone market not only in the Philippines and the US, but on the other areas of the world as well. The only downside of this device may only be its plastic cover, which will be tested through time, not to mention the availability of free apps on Apple's app store. But who knows? On the rise of cheap Indian and China smartphones, this will just be a perfect match.

Tech: Smartwatches - Is it a threat to smartphones?

With the recent news about the release of Samsung's own line of smartwatch called the Samsung Galaxy Gear, there were a lot of mixed emotions and reactions about it. Some say it's probably one of the greatest thing to happen since the dawn of super smartphones and some say it will just fade into the blackness like a lot of other "breakthroughs" that tried to go head to toe with the huge wave of smartphones and tablet production like a lot of PC company's efforts to sell Ultrabooks. But unlike Ultrabooks, these smartwatches could possibly pose a threat to the booming smartphone industry. But could it really? There can be multiple factors and I'll be stating a few.

Convenience
For more than a decade, man has been trying to reduce the giant breakthroughs of the past into their own pockets. Supercomputers became the modern PC, then came out the laptops, then the netbooks, and then it turned to tablets and smartphones which it may be painful to admit, can work double and more efficient than the older models of PC's. But with these smartwatches, not only were they able to pack so much into something so little, they even made it more convenient by shaping it into a form of a watch. Which I can say, is a bit more convenient to carry around than a bulky smartphone.

Functionality
As stated above, smartphones and tablets can now function more efficiently than computers of the past. So needless to say, everything you would ever need from a computer can now be within an easy reach. But can manufacturers pack in so much power into something that can be strapped into your wrist? Only time will tell. But for now I could only say they can just put in so much but may not give the overall functionality that smartphones and tablets possess nowadays.

Price Tag
Gadgets nowadays can be described in one statement: as they get smaller, they get more expensive. But some say the price does compensate for the convenience it provides, plus the power is uncanny. Take for example, Sony's Xperia Z, one of the highly regarded smartphone in the market today, costs at about $769 or roughly 34,000 in Philippine peso. And for some people (those who can really afford it), consider this price reasonable as the gadget's performance is top notch. The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, can be yours for the price of $299 or roughly 13,000 Philippine peso, the same price for a Dell tablet or an iPad mini. Can people pay for something more than 5 times smaller than an iPad mini? Only time will tell.

Verdict
There is no final verdict on this one my friends. As it is too early to judge the fate of smartwatches for now. Maybe people will bite into the convenience it brings, sacrificing a small portion for a greater purpose perhaps? But as I have said earlier, only time will tell. How about you guys? Are you ready for the smartwatch craze? If I were to ask, I'll wait just a little bit more, for smartwatches to turn out like these before I bite in:

Tech & Entertainment: World of Warcraft Movie, The Long Wait Is Over

Geeks and nerds from all over the globe have been waiting for one thing for a very long time since the idea was conceptualized and announced a couple of years ago. The film adaptation of one of the most successful franchise in the history of PC gaming which has been the center of talks between gaming enthusiasts from all walks of life. This particular game my friends, is called World of Warcraft. And it will finally be on the big screens soon enough, as recent reports said.



World of Warcraft the movie will be produced by Legendary Pictures; the same company that brought you the recent Batman movies, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, Clash of the Titans, Inception, 300 and even the upcoming Godzilla remake. This alone would make nerds and geeks of all ages giggle in excitement. And if that's not good enough news for you, it will start filming next year in Vancouver, proof that the movie will not be a full CG animation film like some other movie adaptations of other video games in the past.

The game is set to be released in 2015, possibly clashing with the most awaited book based movies like Avengers 2, Man of Steel 2, Fantastic 4 reboot, The Hunger Games as well as Assassin's Creed the movie, which we all know is from a video game as well. Are you excited about this amazing announcement as well? Let me hear you thoughts. Feel free to comment below!