MacBook Pro Retina - Display #4

By Flo 2013-05-29 Apple No Comments

Last week I noticed a small white spot on the lower side of my display. It was very noticeable but it either developed over time or must have suddenly appeared last week because I inspected the display very closely when I got the replacement the last time.

50 days of warranty left! – Let's visit the Apple store at the CentrO in Oberhausen. ;)

The ghosting problem is now well known to the employees and seems to be far more common than it was when I visited the Apple store for the first time with the MacBook Pro Retina. Ingo is the best employee I've ever talked to in the Apple store. He was very understanding about my complaint and immediately acknowledged the bright spot as a technical fault. Maybe it was due the fact that this was the third faulty display I received (which I told him) but luckily it has been replaced within 40 minutes. I was glad to receive a Samsung panel again and could leave the store with a brand new and flawless display.

Well, all good things come in fours‽ This is the 4th display I got with my MacBook Pro Retina:

  • 2012-07-04: Received the first MacBook Pro Retina with an LG panel – Sent back because of bright white lines
  • 2012-07-18: Received a completely new machine with an LG panel – Brought to the Apple store because of ghosting
  • 2012-10-19: Got a display replacement with a Samsung panel – Brought to the Apple store because of a white spot
  • 2013-05-23: Got a display replacement with a Samsung panel – Everything is fine (so far ;) )

I really hope the initial problems with the Retina displays are solved and that this was the last display replacement I will need. ;)

Bethesda Soundtracks

By Flo 2013-05-29 Games, Media No Comments

I know Mary Elizabeth McGlynn for being the voice of the Silent Hill soundtracks but I was a bit surprised to hear her also on the Dishonored Soundtrack!

By the way, a few months ago several soundtracks of Bethesda videogames were release on iTunes. Next to The Elder Scrolls it is possible to buy the sound of Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Dishonored and Rage.

Please note that the Fallout soundtracks don't cover the wonderful and relaxing songs of the 40s which really define the mood of the game if you ask me. What you get instead are the ambient sounds and the theme music of the game which were created by Inon Zur.

Type2Phone

By Flo 2013-04-20 Apple 1 Comment

Thanks to LifeHacker I found this useful app called Type2Phone. I always loved the way iMessages could be send and received on the iPhone and via Messages app on the Mac aswell. For writing notes, reminders or messages on WhatsApp I still had to type directly on the iPhone. With the help of Type2Phone this is no longer necessary and I can type on the iPhone as fast as on the Mac! :eek3:

After pairing the iPhone with the Mac via Bluetooth the app sends any keyboard input immediately to the iPhone (of course only if you click on the app and not when it's in the background :D ). It works incredibly well and it's also possible to send special commands e.g. to emulate pushing the home button, turning brightness up/down, lock the screen, play, pause, volume control, etc. Very useful is that the well-known shortcut CMD+A for selecting the whole text works aswell. A quick copy and paste on the iPhone is possible without a problem.

It is free until Sunday, so be sure to get it today. :) By the way: The app works with any smartphone that supports Bluetooth keyboards and therefore it can also be used with Android phones. ;)

The Last of Us

By Flo 2013-04-20 Games No Comments

When there is a new survival-horror or post-apocalyptic game to be released I am always excited to see trailers and how it develops.

A few weeks ago I saw the first impressions of The Last of Us. You can also find a trailer on the official website.

It seems to be an interesting mixture of survival-horror, post-zombie-apocalypse, sneaking and thoughtful used fight elements. The visuals shown in the trailer were stunning and the broken and collapsed buildings almost begged to be discovered. :D

Unfortunately the release will be PS3 exclusive and I have to wait many months for the PC release as I did for GTA IV. But I am sure it will be worth the waiting. :rolleyes:

Konami presents the Fox Engine

By Flo 2013-03-16 Games, Media, Web 2 Comments

I'm looking forward to the next real Metal Gear Solid videogame since last year.

Konami now released a video with 11 minutes of "Metal Gear Solid - Ground Zeroes" gameplay. I could not believe that this was actual gameplay footage until the cutscene changed without any transition to the well-known third-person perspective the player is controlling Snake from.

The game is currently under development for PS3 and Xbox360 but could also be released for next-generation consoles such as PS4 and the next Xbox. :eek3:

I hope this game will bring back the good old Metal Gear Solid charm. "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance" did not blow my mind but I already expected that. :rolleyes:

EDIT: Hideo Kojima presented an awesome new trailer at GDC 2013. :eek3:

4 Screens on a MacBook Pro Retina

By Flo 2013-03-15 Apple, Hardware 2 Comments

Some things you only believe if you have tried them yourself. My MacBook Pro Retina offers one HDMI and two Thunderbolt ports which made me quite curious about the maximum amount of displays that could be connected. :}

There were people who already connected three displays to it, but I never saw anyone using VGA adapters instead of Thunderbolt displays. ;)

I can confirm that adapters work too:
MacBook Pro Retina with four screens

macbook_4screens4

macbook_4screens2

macbook_4screens3

This creates a huge desktop with a width of 6560px (or 7960px if you consider the true retina resolution). :eek3:

Why all this? Well, because it is possible. :D

 

Bethesda Store

By Flo 2013-03-14 Games, Life, Web 4 Comments

How cool is that? Bethesda just opened a merchandising online-store. Of course the Fallout section immediately caught my attention. :rolleyes:

Usually fan or theme t-shirts are so geeky that they don't fit to the rest of an outfit, but I think the Vault-Boy hoodie with its plain grey colour is an exception. Furthermore the shipping costs of $11.13 (~8,60€) are quite reasonable. :D

Now I'm sitting on the fence. :rolleyes:

EDIT: Now the estimated shipping costs changed to $19.38 (~15€)... Strange. :mwah:

Dishonored DLC upcoming

By Flo 2013-03-14 Games No Comments

The Knife of Dunwall will be released on 16th April, 2013. I'm really looking forward to some fresh air in the Dishonored universe. :eek3:

There will be new areas to explore and some interesting new powers, weapons and items. The possibility to call some whalers for help during a fight sounds pretty funny. :D

Well, in mid April we will see what the new parts of the story will be about and how this extends the existing storyline. As the announcement suggests the DLC will provide a new perspective on some things in Corvos life. ;)