Digital Rucksack DR-467-WY

The Digital Rucksack DR-467 is a large backpack of sorts that is meant for professional photographers or techies who basically lug around their entire apt with them. It comes in several different colors, Yellow/White, Pink/White, Tan/White, and Black. It will fit not one but two D/SLR cameras, several lenses, laptop, cellphone, and still leave just enough space for a notebook. The bag is large with lots of compartments that you can place things in it. However, the cottony yellow interior lining is meant to find things easier and provide extra cushioning for your gadgets. When I first put the Rucksack on it was empty and lightweight for the size of the bag on my back. However once I started loading it up with gear it started to get heavy pretty fast. The straps are wide to provide extra support and the back of the bag is cushioned to provide better posture for your back. You don’t feel too weighed down but as the stuff starts to pile in, it does start to bring me back to the days of High School, when I had to lug practically my entire desk around because I had no locker.

The main compartment is where you would pack your D/SLR and lenses. A nice feature in this compartment is that the Velcro padding that resembles compartment ‘walls’ are actually removable. Which is perfect for those who need to pack bigger or small lenses and lights. Not having constraints is certainly a benefit for a professional photographer. The back of the bag that leans against your back is where the laptop goes. It’s a stiffer compartment and will only fit a laptop up to 15″. That is not to small or too big and most folks would not carry around a laptop bigger then that. The only negative I found in this compartment is that your laptop better not have a paunch as it is a bit snugly in fit. Which is great for making sure your laptop is secure but it will take a little elbow movement to get it in the back compartment. Also if it is to thick, it could be a bit uncomfortable on your back as it does press right up against it. The larger compartment between the back and the main compartment basically stores everything else you need. It has plenty of interior pockets, one to store your MP3 player specifically, others to hold pens or other random items. There is also an exterior netted pocket to hold a bottle of water.

If you are a traveler, then you will like the ease of portability of the Rucksack too. It has horizontal straps on the back of the bag that make it easy to slip on to a trolley. So if you have a carry on luggage just slip it on to the handles and push it around the airport or train. It will be safe and sound. Afraid of your bag getting dirty, wet, or soiled from the weather? The Digital Rucksack comes with an elements cover that resembles a shower cap for your bag. Just slip it on the front of the bag and it will be protected. When you get to clean and drier location just rinse off the elements cover and it will self dry like an umbrella. Then fold it up into itself and put it back in the bag.

Overall the Digital Rucksack bag is great for those who need to lug around everything but the kitchen sink with them. It has enough space and compartments to store all the gear you could possibly have then have room for more trinkets you collect along the way. I like the fact it comes in feminine colors and for a lot of women some bags are not big enough for everything, but even for me it holds everything and I carry a lot with me. The only downer is that it does get a bit heavy on the back after awhile and it could be a bit cumbersome to walk around with casually but if space is what you are looking for without having to carry another bag in addition, then I highly recommend it. The Digital Rucksack DR-467 retails for $79.99 at B&H Photo.

Sensitivity V

If the Digital Rucksack is made for the hardcore tech schlepper, then the Sensitivity V was made for the weekend getaway blogger. This bag is truly the epitome of cool backpacks. It’s simple, sleek, and carries the basics. A true minimalist blogger bag.  It’s shiny black color is perfect for the trendy hipster in all of us and its made of Elasto-Guard material to provide extra protection. When I put it on it contoured to my body sort of hugging it.  The Sensitivity V is very lightweight and is not meant to feel like you are being bogged down with loads on your shoulders. The shoulder straps are comfy and its sternum strap can be clipped to provide extra support if needed. The bag also has an overall cool feeling to it literally. It may have been hot where I was but the bag with the items inside seemed to stay cool on my back.

The Sensitivity V is comprised of several compartments. Two U shaped compartments on the outside of the bag, laptop compartment in the back, a side exterior pocket for your MP3 player, and another exterior pocket for a bottle. The bottom U shaped compartment is meant to hold your D/SLR. A velcro Elasto-Guard loop holds the lens in place and the body of the D/SLR is held in place with Elasto-Guard material as well. The interior of the bag is once again a cottony yellow material like the Digital Rucksack. The top U shaped compartment would also fit additional lenses or other necessities. There is also a zipped pocket in this part of the bag as well. If you need more room, the bottom of the top U shaped compartment can be unzipped and the bottom and top compartments become one.

I love the flexibility of these bags. I always seem to to run into these problems. The extra space is much appreciated but the fact that I can even have that option is nice even if I don’t need it.  Lastly the laptop is religated to the back of the bag and the max is 12″ and it is a tight fit too. Looking at the bag it looks like I’m sliping the laptop into a neoprene case sewn on to a back of a backpack. The straps contain two media pouches for either your telephone or MP3 player or both. On the left side of the bag is a bottle holder and on the right side of the bag is were you would ideally put your MP3 player. This compartment is called the music media pocket which will allow for easy use of your earphones.

The Sensitivity V is a the bag that has it all, good looks, lightweight, and supports all the typical needs of your average blogger. You can easily pack your laptop and camera and hit the road and not feel overwhelmed with a bag that looks ridiculous on your back or makes you look anything but cool. The bag contours to your shape and will handle the elements well. If you are looking for a bag that will carry the basics, still looks trendy - and is thin - yet still manages to be a reliable backpack then the Sensitivity V is the way to go and that’s nothing to be sensitive about. The Sensitivity V retails for $89.99 at Amazon.com

Conclusion:

The Good: Both Bags offer flexible compartments and durability. Holds all the necessities and protects them well. Comfortable shoulder straps.

The Bad: Can be become a bit uncomfortable after awhile. The laptop area rubs against your back and it can hurt if pressed against it for to long. Just like with any loaded backpack, take it off your back after a while.

Earlier this year we reported about the 3rd Space Vest from TN Games. For those not familiar with the vest - it lets you feel the intensity of playing FPS shooters as if you where in the game. So you can feel what it’s like to get shot in a hail of gunfire or body slammed. I thought the vest was pretty cool already but now that I stumbled on it in pink, I think it’s even better. There are plenty of girl gamers out there who will love this. So now you can be feminine while feeling the pain of gunshots. The pink 3rd Space Vest can be found at Target for $169.99.

We are all obsessed with guitars because of 2 famous rhythm games I don’t need to mention.So for those who want to take it to the next level, this is a unique item for the home. The Guitar Towel Warmer will warm your cold towels for you so that they are toasty warm. I’m not really sure how safe it is but they come hardwired or plug-in. Almost like their version of the electric or acoustic guitar. It’s perfect not only for warming towels but cold bathrooms too in the dead of winter. The Guitar Towel Warmer is made of a nickel and gold finish and the price of one is $2992.33 to $3022.56!! Yes you read that right! So if you are that desperate for warm towels, maybe going to the local laundromat for 50 cents for 15 min would be a lot cheaper to warm them up. 

The Enhanced version of The Witcher (2008) is a marked improvement over its first release in 2007. In addition to the game disc, the loading times in between cut- scenes and frame rates were improved, two additional stories were added, a game guide, a map of the Witcher environment, and an audio disc of the actual music that is in the game is included. Over 250 patches were added as well as a hard copy of Andrrzej Sapkowki’s, “The Last Wish”. The Last Wish inspired The Witcher and the book has been translated from Polish to English. Additionally, this is the first RPG that has been painstakingly translated into several languages and is available on the American version game disc. Kudos goes to CDPROJEKT for accomplishing such an amazing feat.

It is important to note, that if you’re going to play this game, that you will need a PC with a bit of hard ware muscle. The hardware requirements to play The Witcher on Windows XP and Vista is that it has to have at least 2 GIGS of RAM (1 GB on XP and 2 GB on Vista), 18 GIGS of free hard drive real estate and a display card that supports the 256 RAM architecture (ATI or NVIDIA cards are the video display hard ware of choice). And the PC has to be at least a Pentium 4 with at 2 GHz. The Witcher is truly a gamer’s game and it incorporates the BIOWARE engine technology that drives the action by giving credence to the scenic, dark and medieval like environment that permeates throughout the game. My Dell XPS gaming Windows Vista PC handled the Witcher with superb aplomb.

On the surface, the premise of The Witcher is simple and elemental at best but be forewarned that the story delves much deeper by examining the dark and grimy underworld of the events and seemingly twisting subplots with imperfect characters (the word seedy comes to mind). This is indeed quite a change in an RPG. Suffice it to say, this explains why the game is given a mature 17+ rating. In addition to being a character that does not have any problems letting his sword and fist do the talking, one can also surmise that Geralt of Rivia is quite the lady’s man too. Yes, the Witcher has its share of naughty adult trysts and some conversations are laced with profanity.

We find the resident and legendary monster-slayer (Witcher), Geralt of Rivia on a dark, and in some respects a rightful passage in his adventures in choosing between what is right and wrong. Hence, the choices that Geralt are presented can ultimately change the outcome of events in the game. As with life, this is an interesting perspective with a multitude of scenarios and outcomes. Characters like elves, dwarfs and an assortment of fellow advisories and enemies add flavor to the game play. The Witcher takes a departure from the traditional RPG of this modern day era, by serving up three possible endings. These endings are based on the choices that Geralt makes.

After skimming through the game manual a bit, I decided to dive right into the action (I passed on the tutorial because of my familiarity with the game). The game has three levels of play: Easy allows Geralt to rapidly gain abilities and strengths (such as the ability to cast spells and having strength to sustain prolonged attacks) and the characters provide assistance. Difficult painfully prolongs the abilities and strengths that Geralt gets and the characters offer little assistance. The hard setting essentially leaves one to their own earned skills, where one has to actually know the ingredients to cast a spell (you get no love at this level). I chose Easy because I wanted to progress through the game at an accelerated rate due to the review of this game.

Game play is controlled via a combo of using the mice and keyboard in tandem or by using the mouse by itself. Throughout the game I switched in between the two and discovered that using the mouse and keyboard together proved advantageous in fight scenes because it enabled me to be right in the action with the over the shoulder view which is standard in RPG play. Using only the mouse gave me a wider view of my environment and I found it much easier to control movements in the game by dragging my mouse (I didn’t have to concern myself with remembering a bunch of keyboard commands). However, using the mouse to fight with at times was a tad unresponsive and sluggish. However, the good thing about using the mouse and keyboard combo is that one can configure the command keys on the keyboard. Thus, over writing the defaults!

Getting around in the game revolves around the menus. The menu is operations central. There you can take a look and access the different things that you acquire during game play. It is here where you can invoke the drop and drag feature to use items (such as using food and drinking potions to gain strength as well as to cast spells). Also, using the keyboard and mouse function is where one can actually create macros without using the ESC key to pause the game for some of the aforementioned functions. Communication with other characters in the game is achieved by clicking directly on them to start a dialogue. It is from this feature that you learn a great deal about what is going on in the world of The Witcher. Plus, you also gain an insight into each character.

The Witcher essentially has five chapters and each chapter has several subplots. The game environment is breathtakingly gorgeous and very surreal in its tone. There was less than a 2 second pause in between the cut-scenes, and the voice acting was much improved over the first release of this game.

After several days of intense game play, I finally made it to the end of my outcome. However, I’m not telling (I’m not a spoiler!) My over-all impression of The Witcher is this is one RPG that is rich in game play and solid in character and plot development. At times it felt as if I was actually in the game and then there were times when I thought I was watching a big budget cinematic experience. The game is very deserving of all of the accolades and awards that it has garnered!

The Witcher conjured up fond memories of having a bit of old school play (remember, Diablo anyone?) mixed with just the right amount of new school. Above all else, The Witcher is one of those games that can be played again and again without losing its luster. And with several different outcomes to the ending of the game, it beckons ones curiosity to discover them all! Just make sure you get some sleep and drink plenty of fluids because you’ll need them for this white knuckle adventure!!

Conclusion:

The Good:
Very affordable game, superb game play, excellent and breath taking cinematography, intuitive game controls, a generous amount of included media (audio soundtrack, hard copy of game guide as well as an electronic one, the making of The Witcher DVD, and a hard copy map of the fictitious world of Witcher). Easy to play at the easy setting although, I would suggest going over the game guide.

The Bad:
Spotty voice acting (although this has been dramatically improved from the original release).

Guitar:
The Fender Stratocaster is once again the guitar of choice for Rock Band 2. What is different this time around is that it’s now wireless, it has a body that resembles a nice wood cherry finish, it also sports quieter buttons, a less squishy strum bar, and is overall just a more studier and well made ‘guitar’. The wireless aspect is especially the best part for me. I can wander anywhere with the guitar around my living room and not get tangled in cords and the freedom it allowed me as far with play is wonderful.