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This month expect allot of changes to the site. It’s my summer holidays now so I have allot of time on my hands to do this. 

I have formed my plans into a list that I provide below. Also, feel free to leave some of your own suggestions and thoughts in the comments.

* = Confirmed. Green = Done.

• * 1. The launch of the Flash Point Gaming Technology Forums.
• * 2. Videos posted every day or every second day
• * 3. Writers can expect a brand new admin pannel
•    4.  A Christmas lights video
•  *5.  My MacWorld 2009 Predictions Video and Post
•    6. Christmas 2008 video
•  *7. Unboxing of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Overall the site will change a bit this month and next month. Thank you to all my writers for your work so far, please continue doing what your doing cause it’s great . This holiday season I will give you my best, so stay tuned on the site for technology reviews, previews, unboxings, videos and overall lots of posts for you. This holiday season FlashPointGaming.com is truly the place to be.

Visually, Tribal Wars lacks. But, gameplay wise Tribal Wars is very fun. This is a game perfect for casual playing, e.g. your not going to be playing it all the time, but you will play it when your bored and just want to relax. 

Tribal Wars is based around your villages, the main idea of the game is to conquer as many villages as you can. Villages earn you points, and you need to upgrade the buildings in these villages, to increase the amount of points that village has. Buildings are leveled up in your Village Headquarters, which is what your village revolves around. Buildings do have a limit as to how often you can upgrade them though, and they can range from anywhere between 1 to 30. You need to also build yourself up an army, so that you can protect yourself against other players who might want to take your village.

In order to noble or “take” another village, you need to have nobleman, and you can create one, once you reach the requirements to have an academy. Because you are playing among many other people, there are many villages to noble. You have to attack a village about 4 times, to noble it. But this dose vary depending on the distance the village is from yours. And you always have to remember to never send your nobleman alone. If you send your nobleman alone it has no protection. And they can’t defend themselves.

The Buildings In Your Village Include:

• Village Headquarters: You use this to upgrade/downgrade the buildings in your village
• Barracks: You use this to create an army
• Stable: You use this to create cavalry
• Workshop: This is where you create catapults and rams
• Smithy: This is where you research various things for battle
• Academy: Where you create nobleman to noble a new village
• Farm: This feeds all of the workers in your village
• Rally Point: Where you control your armies movements, to attack and defend.
• Statue: This is your Palidan which is a statue that attacks in battle
• Iron Mine: Gets you iron
• Clay Pit: Gets you clay
• Woodcutters Hut: Gets you wood

Overall, Tribal Wars is a great game. Even though it doesn’t look fun, it is great for anyone looking for a pass time game when they’re bored. Check it out -Here-

My Video Review:

So, my old mighty mouse was screwing up. I had that scroll ball problem, where the scroll ball stopped scrolling. When you use the scroll ball as often as I do, you would understand why I would replace my mouse. Plus it was free covered by my iMacs warranty .

So I thought that I would just talk about the mouse a bit. It has a 360 degrees scroll ball, which is very useful for panning and using allot of applications. Although it looks like it is only a one button mouse, you can customize the mouse to right click. It also has 2 buttons on the sides, which is very helpful for everyone on a Mac. When the buttons are squeezed together it will launch expose. Also the buttons on top are touch sensitive, so if you tap the right button or left it knows what you tapped and you can then make your click (you don’t have to use the tap feature though).

This mouse had so much potential, but the scroll ball has let it down. The scroll ball easily stops scrolling within 3 months, and usually the mouse will only last about 6 months before you have to replace it. The idea is great and when you first get your hands on it, you will really like it. But obviously they didn’t test it enough before placing it on the market.

I wouldn’t recommend this mouse, because for $69 you could get a mouse that will last 3x as long. But it is comfortable in the hand. And if your don’t use the scroll ball much, then this mouse will be a fine purchase for you, but otherwise don’t.

My Overall Rating:

 – 3 Apples

Here is my unboxing video:

So ya, please comment and tell me who you think will win .

To post a comment visit the main site with the video HERE

And here is the video:

Well, Microsoft have once again copied Apple, sigh . When they held an event on October 13th 2008, they proved that lately they have no original ideas. When they showed Multi-Touch I sighed, and then when they showed their very Dock-like Taskbar, I passed out (not literally) but I really think they could have made allot more out of this OS by coming up with original ideas.

Just take a look at these pictures, first the Taskbar:

WIndows:

Mac OS X Leopard Dock:

And now Multi-Touch:

Windows:

Mac OS X Leopard:

You be the judge, but if this copying continues they can kiss goodbye to them being the top OS anymore. Windows 7 is going to be just as big of a joke as Vista in my opinion.

DSi

So about 3 weeks ago now, Nintendo held a conference where they announced a few things. The main thing they announced was the new DS the DSi which will supersede the current model the DS Lite (not completely though, I believe they will still ship the DS Lite as a stripped down model). The new DS is said to be 12% thinner, have slightly larger screens 3.25″ each screen, it will have an SD card slot for transfering photos, and have a 3mp camera on the outer case, as well as on the inside of the system located on the hinge. 

The new DSi features a brand new interface not seen on the previous models, which has a hint of “PSPness” to it, having a sort of Grid like theme. The new DS has a photo editor, similar to the one on the Wii. It has the DS browser built in so you can surf the web easily using wifi. It also now has it’s own shop and Nintendo is renaming Wii points to Nintendo points, so that you can use your points on your DS. Because they have now added two cameras to the system, you can take photos using the photo editor and edit the photos the way you would like. 

In terms of the outer look of the system, there are not many changes, they have moved the power button from the side to the front, below the D-Pad. They have added an extra light to the top lights on the hinge, for power, charging and wifi. And the one big change was, they have gotten rid of the GBA slot now, which will possibly be alright if they have a virtual console for the DS, but if they don’t then I can imagine many people including myself, will not be to impressed.

Over all, I think that this will be worth upgrading to when it is released in other countries besides Japan, at the moment it costs 18,900 Yen over there, which is about $170 US Dollars. It’s set to be released in other countries early next year.

Wii HD

After an article was posted on What They Play, some rumors have been flying around about a possible new Wii. Although these rumors are not yet confirmed there is some evidence to suggest that this is true, What They Play wrote: “In 2003, Nintendo declared that $34 million was spent on R&D. This figure steadily climbed to $103 million in 2006 and the following year bumped dramatically to $370 million”. Obviously something is going on, no company would raise money spent on Research and Development by so much, if not to work on something dramatic.

So now we wonder, what will be in this Wii? Well at the moment the biggest thought is true “Next-Gen” graphics and I have to say if they had as good as the PS3 and 360s graphics, I will be EXTREMELY impressed as Nintendo has always been behind on their visual quality.

At the moment we are looking at around 2011 for the release date for this guy, but, as no one from Nintendo has leaked or said anything about this, and the contract between AMD and IBM ends on December 31st, which also may be extended if they decide, we truly can only sit and wait to see what happens. 

Here it is:

Another great Apple keynote, this time refreshing the Macbook family. Steve Jobs explained everything about each Macbook, why they did it, and even how. We were given a report about the current state of the Macs and how they are doing in the market, and how they put together they’re Macbook pros.

Macbook

The Macbooks are now questionably the best they can be, we now have an aluminum case on them (except for the bottom model, where they kept the plastic), we have the led backlit display, more finger gestures, better pricing and better graphics capability.

These now run on nVidia 9400m graphics processors, have and led backlit display, and one trackpad that you use to click to.

Overall these guys are now excellent and more affordable, I would definitely recommend if your looking for a new Mac, going for one of these.

Features:

• 2.0GHz or 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed
• 1066MHz frontside bus
• 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB
• MagSafe power port
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
• Mini DisplayPort
• Audio line in
• Audio line out
• Kensington lock slot
• Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking²(based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification); IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
• Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory³
• Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
  
• Built-in iSight camera
• Mini DisplayPort
• DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
• VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter
• Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter
• Macbook 2.0Ghz Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement)
• Macbook 2.4Ghz Built-in full-size illuminated keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement)
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Built-in omnidirectional microphone
• Combined optical digital input/analog line in (minijack)
• Combined optical digital output/analog line out (minijack)
• Supports Apple Stereo Headset with microphone
• 45-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
• 60W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
• MagSafe power port

Price: 2.0Ghz $1,299.00, 2.1Ghz $999.00, 2.4Ghz $1,599.00, 

Macbook Pro

The new Macbook Pros are amazing, they have two graphics cards in them, the new 9400m and the also new, and exclusive only to the Macbook Pros, the new 9600m GT. They have a full aluminum case, and come in 3 models, a 15″ 2.4Ghz model, a 15″ 2.53Ghz model and a 17″ 2.5 Ghz model, although just like the Macbooks with the base model being the same as the old one, the Macbook Pros have the same design for the 17″ top laptop.

Features:

• 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed; or 2.53GHz or 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache
• 1066MHz frontside bus
• 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) or 4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB
• 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
• Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640, and 800 by 500 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched
• MagSafe power port
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
• Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
• Mini DisplayPort
• Audio line in
• Audio line out
• ExpressCard/34 slot
• Kensington lock slot
• NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor with dual-link DVI support; 256MB of GDDR3 memory on 2.4GHz configuration; 512MB of GDDR3 memory on 2.53GHz and 2.8GHz configurations
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory³
• Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
  
• Built-in iSight camera
• Mini DisplayPort
• 50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
• 85W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
• MagSafe power port
• Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking²(based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification); IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
• Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
• Built-in stereo speakersBuilt-in omnidirectional microphone (located under left speaker grille)
• Combined optical digital input/analog line in (minijack)
• Combined optical digital output/analog line out (minijack)
• Supports Apple Stereo Headset with microphone

Price: 15″ 2.4Ghz $1,999.00, 15″ 2.53Ghz $2,499.00, 17″ 2.5Ghz $2,799.00

Macbook Air

The Macbook Airs have not been changed much except for they are now running on nVidia 9400Ms, have had a processor boost to 1.6Ghz and 1.86Ghz, have a Mini Display Port and they have also had a hard drive boost to 120GB and 128 GB Solid state drive.

Price:  1.6 Ghz $1,799.00, 1.86Ghz $2,499.00

Cinema Displays

These are the new Cinema Displays, very sleek, glossy and oh so gorgeous. Apple have made some very nice changes such as, adding a built-in iSight camera, adding a built-in Mic, and built-in speakers, so you are pretty much set for all your media needs. The display has 3 usb ports on the back, and a new cable that has 3 connectors, a USB connector, a MagSafe connector and your Mini Display connector to power the Display itself, all of these will connect into you Macbook, Macbook Pro or Macbook Air. But the Display dose have 2 cons, 1 it lacks a non glossy version for people who don’t like seeing they’re reflection and everything behind them reflected onto the screen, and 2 it comes in only 24″ but maybe that will change in the future.

Features:

• Built-in iSight camera with microphone
• Built-in 2.1 speaker system
• Kensington security slot
• AC power cord
• One cable with three connectors: Mini DisplayPort, MagSafe, USB 2.0
• Three self-powered USB 2.0 ports
• 24-inch (viewable) LED-backlit thin film transistor (TFT) active-matrix liquid crystal display
• Input voltage: 100V to 240V AC; 50-60Hz
• Maximum power: 212W (LED Cinema Display while charging MacBook Pro)
• Energy saver mode: 1W or less
• Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
• Storage temperature: –4° F to 116° F (–20° to 47° C)
• Operating humidity: 20% to 80% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet
• Supported resolutions: 1920 by 1200 pixels, 1280 by 800 pixels, 1024 by 640 pixels
• Display colors (maximum): 16.7 million
• Viewing angle: 178° horizontal; 178° vertical
• Brightness (typical): 330 cd/m²
• Contrast ratio (typical): 1000:1
  
• Response time (typical): 14 ms
• Height: 18.84 inches (47.84 cm)
• Width: 22.57 inches (57.32 cm)
• Depth: 7.76 inches (19.71 cm)
• Weight: 21 pounds (9.5 kg)

Price:  $899 U.S

Here is My Video on the Event: