Vizio TV and TV Mount Review

After having an ample time to get really see how these products have worked under everyday use I am finely telling you my pros and cons of these products.

First up the TV. I got a Vizio 32" 720P LCD, model VO320E. I ordered it from dell.com for $350 + tax. I have now seen this TV for less but at the time it was a pretty good deal. Over all the TV has a very good picture, and a few nice features. I have my 360 plugged into the second component, and every time I switch to it, it remembers to go straight to the 360. One thing lacking is that the remote does not have a button to switch to the VGA. Another draw back is the built in speakers. I find them to be rather lacking in the sound quality department. I do have it hooked up to another sound system so I do not use the built in speakers. The time is takes to change channels is a little slow, but it's not big enough to warrant not buying it. The one other thing that some might find annoying is the little Vizio logo is always glowing, when off, it glows orange when on it turns to white. I have the TV in my bedroom and the light does not bother me but it might bother others. In the end I would say it is a good HDTV, definitely worth what I paid for it.

Now for Dell.com
When I was ordering the TV I was also offered a free 6' HDMI cable (a $30 according to dell). Once I got my order confirmation I saw that I was charged for the cable. I called dell and they told me that they could not do anything until I received it. Once I got it I called again, got transferred all around and finely got to someone who could help me. In the end I was told that the website was wrong and that the free HDMI cable was supposed to have ended months ago. In the end I shipped the cable back to them and got a full refund. I still find it unacceptable that dell would not update something like this.

Lastly the TV mount
The TV mount from MountsandMore.com I got was a Peerless Paramount Universal Tilting LCD/Plasma Wall Mount. The TV mount feels well built and sturdy. It did take two people to put it up, so I would not recommend trying it by yourself. The way the mount tilts is nice. You can choose between a few preset angles or just set your own. The best thing about it is that you don't need any tools to adjust it. The ratchets that you loosen are attached to the mount, a nice touch. The biggest draw back is that it can be a little difficult to plug stuff into the back of the TV because it is so close to the wall, but if you tilt the TV it is okay. Another nice thing about the mount is that it's not too hard to take the TV off the wall. All it takes is a screw driver. It's not so easy that I would do it often, but it's not to much work if you want to move it to watch the Super Bowl.

Wanna buy a Xbox Live account?

Want lots of gamersocore with out playing games to get it? Want a twitter account that already has a few 100 followers? Well if you do I have the site for you. It's called Assetize. It is a website where you can buy and sell different type of internet accounts. The list of accounts includes Xbox Live, PSN, twitter, plus other email and social networking sites. There really is no limit to what type of account you can sell. I think the idea of paying money for any type of account is just stupid. I am kind of surprised that this site is still around because I know that it is against Microsoft's TOS to transfer a Xbox Live account, and I am quite sure that it is the same way for many other sites who's accounts that are being bought and sold on this site. One problem with this site is that it could lead to a larger amount of account theft. But I'm not saying the site should be shut down, as long as the web sites do not have a problem with their accounts being sold. Then I see no reason why this site should be closed.

Thanks to Samir for the tip

Madden 10 Demo Impressions

I just finished downloading and playing the Madden 10 demo. I have only played it once, but I can already see some of the problems from past years of Madden coming back again. The linemen don't play like real linemen, the defense doesn't really seem to be aware of where the ball is, and the graphics are not that much of an improvement, especially when you look at some of the pre-release screen shots. The one thing I did like was that they fixed the play calling screen. But I do find it funny that they are trying to sell that as a new feature in the game when it is very much the same as the play calling screen as Madden 99. The only reason it needed to be fixed was because they broke it. Looking at some of the other things that are supposed to be new and exciting was rather funny, like "make trades", or make-a-team. I remember making my own team in Madden 97, 13 years later and that is still supposed to be a new feature? The one thing I saw that did look a little promising was the ability to play in online leagues. That is something that could be fun and is also worthy of being added to Madden. I would like to play a retail copy of the game to see if has any other improvements. Sadly the demo only lets you play one game with one minute quarters.

Good Deal on Used Games

Right now Hollywood Video is having a sale on all their used games, all games priced $30 and less are now $5. This is for Wii, PS3, and 360. I already picked up Grid, Burnout Paradise, End War, plus a few other games all for $5 each. This is going on at all Hollywood Video stores that do not have a Gamecrazy in them. For more info and a list of games people have found check out this Slickdeals.net thread.

The Future of this Blog

Well it's been a little while but I'm back. I will be updating at least once a week. I will still focus on video games but will also talk about gadgets and anything else that I think would be worthy to be posted here. I will be reviewing any and all video game and technology related items I get my hands on. Speaking of which I must give a shout out to Mounts and More, a website that specializes in TV Mounts and Projector Mounts, who will be giving me a TV mount to review on this blog. If you have any ideas or anything they want to see on this blog in the future just leave me a comment below.

Pac-Man+Fashion=???

Pac-Man has now been incorporated into fashion. Hit the link for more pictures.



Link, Via Dvice.com

Civilization IV: Colonization - My Thoughts

I have been a long time Colonization fan. When I heard that they were remaking the game I was very excited, this was something I had been waiting for for a long time. The original Colonization was one of those games that was fun but also had some big time annoyances that hindered the experience. This remake has fixed all of those.

So far there are only two things that have been removed that I miss from the original game. The first is the “go-to” command. The other is when you tell your ships to head to the new world from Europe, you can't pull it back if you accidentally send the ship.

My only other complaints with the game is that the music is not as good as it was in Civ 4, and you can't make a colonist work if he has half a turn and it does not tell you this. The first time it happened to me I thought it was a glitch in the game.

Now for what I like, of which there is a lot.

• Everything has been stream lined, you can load and unload cargo with 2 clicks of the mouse.

• The way you get Founding Fathers is awesome. If you do lots of trading it will be easier to get economic founding fathers. Same if you are doing lots of fighting you will have an easier time getting military minded founding fathers.

• The king has been made out to appear mean. The way he looks and the sound work together nicely

• When you give into the king and kiss his ring, it makes you feel weak for giving into him.

• The natives no longer randomly attack you. They also no longer attack every treasure wagon they see.

• No DRM besides needing the disk to play, not even an install code.

• The $29.99 price point is nice break.

Overall I think this is a very well done remake of the original game, if you were a fan of that this is a must buy game. If you have never played a Colonization game now would be a great time to try one out.