Author: Ben Chambless

Small business owner, application developer and database administrator. Ben's writes about business apps, family life, and tips for dads on his site, Small Biz Dad.

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Reviews

Wondershare Data Recovery [Desktop App Review]

Have you ever accidentally deleted a file from your computer?  If you’re like most of us the answer is yes and it can be very frustrating to know the file was there…and now it’s gone.  I run a consulting business and there have been times where clients have come to me to try and recover files that were absolutely vital to their business.  I’ve tried a variety of methods in the past…there were a handful of successful recoveries but most were not.

wondershare data recovery

So today I’m looking at Wondershare Data Recovery for Windows.    There is also a version available for Mac.  The Windows version is available for Windows 8 but I tested it on Windows XP.  The full system requirements can be found here.

Wondershare Data Recovery Features

-4 Recovery Modes

  • Wizard Mode Recovery – Find files by answering questions
  • Lost File Recovery – Recover deleted files with their original file name and path
  • Partition Recovery – Recovery partitions with data intact
  • Raw Recovery – Deep scan the system even from a corrupted drive

– Safe and Effective Recovery

  • 550 File Formats – Photos, video, docs, etc.
  • Any Data Loss Situation – Recover deleted, formatted, or other inaccessible files.
  • Not Just For Hard Drives – USB, External drives, mobile phones, cameras, etc.
  • 100% Safe – Windows data recovery works without damaging your data

-Flexible and Precise

  • Pause and restart later when you have time
  • Save previous scanning result and import it to resume recovery without scanning again
  • Filter your search by filename, date, and size.

 – Preview Before Recovery

  • Preview Common File Formats
  • Image preview helps you see the file to determine if you want to recover it
  • Preview of documents and archives lets you confirm in advance whether each file is indeed one you want to recover

– Easy to Use

  • Retrieve data with 3 easy steps.  No previous recovery experience required.
  • Wizard Mode enables beginners to recover data by answering only two questions

wondershare data recovery

Real World Test

To test Wondershare Data Recovery I used my office desktop.  I had transferred a client’s data several months ago from his old hard drive to a new one.  To do this, I transferred it to my desktop hard drive then to the new hard drive.  Once safely on the new hard drive I deleted the copy on my hard drive.  So I decided to test Wondershare to see if it would recover this data.

I would like to tell you that I had to go through a lot of complicated steps to recover data (it would help justify a higher fee for me) but I can’t.  I simply used the raw recovery method and chose where to recover from.  Wondershare recovered virtually all of my client’s files which I had deleted months ago.  I was very impressed.  The great thing about Wondershare is that you can recovery from USB sticks, external hard drives, mobile phones, cameras, iPods, and more.

Conclusion

Wondershare also features the ability to filter your scan based on filename, date, or size.   The one feature that get’s my attention is the ability to save the scanning result for later use.  So you can perform the scan first…save it…then load the results and start the recovery when you have time.  I can’t tell you how many times with other apps that I have sat there waiting for the process to finish because you had to do it all at once.

In my tests with Wondershare, I have to say I was very impressed with the speed and ease of use of the app.   If you have the need to recovery files for yourself or others then it’s a great purchase.

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Reviews

Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer [iOS Game Review]

A few weeks ago I reviewed the hidden object game, Twin Moons from G5 Entertainment.  In my mind, hidden object games fall into two categories.  Free roaming, in which you move around freely and must discover your next steps and Guided, where the game takes you to a scene and you must find the list of items.

The latter has a tendency to be a little boring to me because I usually can’t get into the story line.  But today I’m looking at Righteous Kill 2 from G5.  Righteous Kill 2 is a guided hidden object game which shows you scenes and gives you a list of items to find.  What makes Righteous Kill better than other guided hidden object games is the story line.  You play the role of a NYPD Investigator Erica Dean who is trying to solve a series of murders by the mysterious “Poet Killer”.

Righteous Kill 2 gives you the chance to play some mini games which gives you a little variety.  One of the games lets you dust for fingerprints on several items in order to find evidence.  As you find items, you are led to different locations and more crime scenes.  Eventually you must revisit certain scenes in order to unlock more clues.

Righteous Kill 2 Features:

  • 21 crime scene locations
  • 16 original mini-games
  • Police files for 11 victims
  • Heart-pounding twists and turns
  • Richly detailed, changing environments

So far the graphics have been excellent and the difficulty level is just right.  There have been a few items that I had to use the hint on.  One negative, some of the scenes are a little too dark and make it difficult to make out small items.  But for the most part, the scenes are great and the game play is entertaining.  I haven’t solved Righteous Kill yet but I am actually pretty involved in the story line and am looking forward to solving the mystery of the “Poet Killer” .

The app was not found in the store. 🙁
Go to store Google websearch
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Reviews

Twin Moons: Hidden Object Thriller [iPhone Game Review]

Who doesn’t love hidden object games?  I have always loved the freedom of a hidden object game due to the fact that you don’t have to follow a linear path.  This reminds me very much of old school DOS games like Zork.  You are free to wander as you want.  Some hidden object games even allow for multiple endings.

Twin Moons is a hidden object thriller that I looked at for the last couple of days.  Twin Moons is nice looking game that has a pretty good story line to keep you interested.

You play the role of Jack, who is a researcher at the very creepy Twin Moons Institute.  Jack is in a car accident and has no memory with the exception of a few flashbacks.  That’s where you begin the journey in Twin Moons.  You must collect objects and discover new areas to unlock memories.  These memories eventually unlocks the mystery of Twin Moons.   Jack has  a notebook which keeps all relevant information as you discover it.  This makes remembering some key facts much easier.

As Jack continues to explore Twin Moons you begin to discover some of the truths of Twin Moons, like the fact that they are working on a mysterious portal that has world changing implications.  Jack’s flashbacks remind him of his fiance, and other fellow researchers at the institute.

Twin Moons Features:

  • 31 separate locations to explore
  • 20 mini-games to play
  • 18 achievements you can earn
  • 2 alternate endings
  • Vivid characters and intriguing story line

I have played a few hidden object games and usually the story line is quickly forgotten.  But with Twin Moons I found myself wanted to solve the puzzles so I could find out more of the story.  This led to some long stretches of playing time.

You can choose the difficulty level when starting a game and I chose the middle of the road setting.   The game is pretty difficult at this setting and I can’t imagine what the hard setting is like.  The mini-games are pretty tough at times and I found myself really having to work at them to solve them.

I don’t play games that often but Twin Moons certainly kept my attention and I will continue to play (since I still haven’t completed it).

The app was not found in the store. 🙁
Go to store Google websearch
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Reviews

Create A Pandemic: Plague Inc. Review

I’m not a big game player, in fact my phone/tablet only has three of them installed at the moment.  I usually just look at the productivity apps in the app stores but occasionally I’ll wander over to the games and see if anything jumps out at me.

Well, I found one the other day that intrigued me.  The game is called Plague Inc. and basically your job is to create a pandemic that wipes out the entire population of the earth.  Lighthearted game right??  I was a little disturbed at the premise until I played for the first time.  The strategy and realistic simulation of the game makes it a very enjoyable game to play.

Create Your Bug

The first step in Plague Inc. is to create your pathogen.  You choose from Bacteria, Virus, Fungus, Parasite, Prion, Nano-Virus, and Bio-Weapon.  The game has three levels of play Casual, Normal, and Brutal.  In the beginning you can only choose Bacteria.  You must beat the game on Normal or Brutal level to unlock another pathogen.  Now you give your pathogen a name.  I guess you could be creative here or name it your third grade teacher’s name if you so desire.

Modify The Genetic Code

Now comes the part where you can modify the genetic code of your bug before the game begins.  Through gameplay you will eventually discover all of the genes but you can unlock all genes through an in app purchase if you don’t want to wait.

Release It

Plague Inc. includes over 50 countries to infect and your next step is to choose one to release your bug.  Where you release your pathogen decides how you will proceed in later steps.  Different types of pathogens flourish in different regions and climates.

Gameplay

Now that your bug is released it’s time to ensure that it is not snuffed out by some Tylenol Cold.   You gain DNA points throughout the game by popping dna “bubbles” that come up on the map and when your disease spreads to a new country.  You use these points to change your Transmission, Symptoms, and Abilities.

  • Transmission:  This is how your pathogen is spread.   The more transmissions methods you use the faster your disease progresses.  Choose from bird, vermin, insect, livestock, blood, air, and water.  There are multiple levels within each method.
  • Symptoms: Here is where you decide what effects your pathogen has on it’s host.   Your disease starts as a basic bug so you must add symptoms to make it more deadly…but you must do this at the correct timing for maximum effect.  Symptoms in Plague Inc. include Nausea, Insomnia, Coughing, Cysts, Rash, and Anemia.  Of course as you expose each symptom more symptoms based on that one become available.
  • Abilities: This is where you customize the strength of your disease and resistance to eradication methods.  You can choose from cold resistance, heat resistance, drug resistance, and bacterial resilience (with the bacteria pathogen).

As you evolve your pathogen in Plague Inc. , the game simulates the spread and effectiveness of the disease.   You also get news items which help you know how to evolve your pathogen next.

Plague Inc.  features in app purchases which allow you to have immediate access to several features or you can play the game and slowly gain access.  You can also purchase the full version which basically removes ads, fast forward, and other options.

Conclusion

I tried this game based on curiosity but after playing it a few times I am hooked.  The gameplay is somewhat slow and there is some waiting around but it’s very interesting to see how certain symptoms or transmission methods affect the spread and effectiveness of your transmission.  If you can get by the morbid goal of eradicating the entire earth, then give Plague Inc. a chance.

Plague on Google Play

Plague on iTunes

Categories
Games Reviews

Let’s play Global Thermonuclear War with Wargames WOPR

How many times have you seen the 1983 movie Wargames?  If you’re a computer geek, and I bet you are, then you have probably seen it more than a couple of times.

The movie features a high school,  old school, hacker (Matthew Broderick) who breaks into corporate servers via dialup modem so that he can play their new games before they are released.   I’m sure many Android gamers would love to get their hands on the newest games before they are released.    He’s also not above changing a grade or two on the school computers.  But then he accidentally hacks a government computer and wackiness ensues.

Fast forward 29 years and we have Wargames: WOPR for Android.    The officially licensed game features images and storyline from the movie.  You are playing the role of WOPR (War Operation Plan Response), the super computer from the movie.  You face off against different characters from the movie as the storyline proceeds.

The goal is to string together objects to remove them from the board.  If you remove missiles, it damages your opponent.  There are also health tiles which heal you, radar tiles which allow you to launch special tactics and money tiles that you can use to launch mods.    To add complexity, there are tiles on the board which belong to your opponent and if you don’t remove them in time, they act against you.The gameplay is a pretty basic puzzle but they have included several different mods and tactics which you earn throughout the game.  These add a level of complexity which actually makes the game much more challenging and entertaining.  You have the option to upgrade these tactics and mods with “memory” you earn with each level.  The amount earned depends on how well you play the level.

In the first levels, the enemy only has missiles that you must deal with.  But in later levels, they add enemy health tiles and radar tiles.  If the enemy fills their radar to 100% then they can launch a special weapon against you which you have 4 turns to destroy.  These different tiles means that you must decide whether you want to destroy,  the enemy missiles, health, or radar tiles.  This add a level of strategy to a game which, on it’s face, is a simple puzzle game.

Wargames: WOPR is very entertaining and doesn’t get boring due to the way they change things up every few levels.  I found myself playing for a lot longer than I should have on my Droid X and Nook Tablet.   And honestly, you don’t have to be a fan of the movie to love the game.  In fact, I think the story line will be fresher and more entertaining to someone who hasn’t see the movie and doesn’t know where it’s going.

I don’t usually buy games but this one caught my attention and it was worth every penny.  Check it out.

Market: Google Play

Cost: $0.99 USD

Developer: Be Rad Entertainment

Other Reviews:

Shall we play a game? WarGames: WOPR may be the best 99 cents you spend all week – AndroidCentral.com

Mutually-assured destruction in WarGames: WOPR for iOS and Android – InsideMobileapps.com

WarGames: WOPR  – PocketGamer.co.uk