I actually beat Zero Mech and the ancestor inside it a few days back but I wasn’t able to activate New Game+ mode so I had to go try beating them again. This time, I used the cheat exploit: Every time Zero Mech or the ancestor beats me, I exit Infinity Blade, terminate the Infinity Blade process, and start again in front of Zero Mech. Saved time going through the low-level champions again and again. I finally beat them both again and activated New Game+. Now I’m harvesting gold for the Zero Mech equipment now available on the store. This game sure is worth the $4.99 spent!
iPhone Weekend
Michelle and Jeanne went to visit the grandparents and attend Tin and Jansen’s wedding. I was left at home suddenly with plenty of time. I still did some usual chores: laundry, cooking, washing the plates, washing the car, etc. But somehow I still had extra time. Okay, I know why :P
Anyway, what better to spend spare time on than continue learning iPhone software development! The two days, I played around with Objective-C, the Interface Builder, and of course XCode. Learned quite a lot!
And when I wasn’t studying, I was using the iPhone to watch How I Met Your Mother and to play Infinity Blade with its The Deathless Kings content pack (damn Zero Mech!).
Sena UltraSlim Leather Pouch
I’ve said that putting the gorgeous iPhone 4 inside a case generally fuglifies it. But such is not the case with the Sena UltraSlim Leather Pouch. It is a slip-in pouch made of luxurious textured soft leather. The inside is lined with soft velvety material to protect your phone from scratches. The bottom has unobtrusive holes for the speakers so that you can still hear your phone. Definitely well-thought-out. And the best thing about it is that it fits like a good high-quality leather glove. The fit is so perfect that it add negligible bulk to the phone. It is is a perfect match to the understated elegance of the iPhone.
Rating: 5/5
Smartphone Market Share
Nielsen released data on smartphone market share as of Nov 2010 to Jan 2011. From an OS perspective, definitely it shows the Android juggernaut’s seemingly unstoppable rise to the top. From a hardware perspective, it’s interesting to note how Apple and Blackberry(!) still hold a huge chunk of the market. But HTC is waiting on the wings.
It seems that at this point, focusing on iOS development is still a good strategy. Noting, of course that the other iOS devices, iPad and iPad 2, are the leaders in the tablet space. But investing in Android development should already be in the pipeline.
Nokia <3 Microsoft
“WTF!” was my immediate reaction when I read about Nokia CEO Stephen Elop’s announcement that Nokia is partnering with Microsoft and putting Windows Phone 7 in their phones.
A few days ago, Elop sent out a memo likening Nokia to a burning oil platform. There was anticipation that a big change is coming, perhaps Nokia joining the Android juggernaut or perhaps Nokia joining Elop’s former employer Microsoft.
Unfortunately, it was the latter. Apparently, Elop has decided that they Nokia must first and foremost beat Android. I guess this is a nod that Android will beat the iPhone. Unfortunately, his decision precludes choosing Android. Too bad since, choosing Microsoft is IMHO just dumb.
The iPhone is formidable because it is such a tightly-controlled well-directed “closed but powerful ecosystem”, to quote Elop himself. More importantly, behind that control and directions is a true visionary: Steve Jobs. It also enjoys with a considerable lead time in the market and in the number of developers and apps.
Android is formidable because, being open, a lot of players can (and did) join in: HTC, Motorola, SonyEricsson, Samsung, and LG. Even the KIRF makers in Shenzen are joining in. With the huge marketing effort by these players and the huge availability of phones, comes a lot of developers and apps. Who cares about fragmentation? The PC is fragmented. There is no doubt Android will beat iPhone. It’s the PC vs Apple II all over again.
But WP7? It is the descendant of Windows CE and Windows Mobile both of which were failures. The constant rebranding should be clue enough. Symbian is not any worse than WP7. Heck, Symbian has more apps and developers than WP7!
There could be some synergy in Microsoft and Nokia working together, combining their strengths in marketing and technology development. But such close cooperation might actually alienate HTC and others who also make WP7 phones, nudging them completely to the Android side.
Elop has just failed Nokia’s stockholders.
UPDATE: I guess investors feel the same way because Nokia’s stock took a dive a bit after the announcement.