When they think about Max Payne, some gamers remember the gritty character, others recall the engrossing narrative but all of them evoke the unforgettable bullet-time. This game looks better in slow motion than anything else that is on the market and it is a worthy successor of some outstanding shooters. The visuals have been improved and the storyline remains just as strong, despite the fact that it wasn’t written by the original series creator.

Sharply applied game mechanics

If you were concerned about the fact that another writer would ruin an excellent character, you can put your worries to rest. The action shifts from the dark alleys in New York to the slums of Sao Paolo, but the transition is silky smooth and it is just as exciting to explore this new environment as it was to claw your way through the urban jungle. New enemies lurk behind every corner and you need to be just adept in taking advantage of the highly destructible terrain.

It is a pleasure to see how everything around you is reduced to rubble under heavy fire, but it is just as challenging to keep your cool under the hail of bullets. The game mechanics are just as sharp as even and you can’t afford to take too much damage, because health doesn’t regenerate. You need to make the most of the health packs and use Bullet Time and Shoot Dodge wisely, which brings a sense of urgency to every mission.

Move on, but never forget

Max Payne is the same troubled character that you know and love, but despite the plethora of mishaps that affect him, his feelings are just as intense and convincing. You can almost feel his pain and frustration, so as the narrative shifts to South America gamers will get immersed into the action just as quickly. Max is supposed to protect a rich business man but things take a dramatic turn when his wife is kidnapped, an event that drags Payne deeper into a rather complex story.

It is remarkable how this title succeeds in preserving the noir atmosphere in an environment that is frequently associated with sunny beaches and warm climate. You can almost feel the pressure crushing the character and as the campaign unfolds, the less shiny parts of this seemingly idyllic setting are revealed. Tormented by regret and constantly pushing himself to the limit, Max Payne seems to me stuck on a one way voyage that will lead to his demise.

Everything suggests that he is willing to accept such a grim outcome, except for the burning desire for staying alive that is reflected by each of his actions. I won’t spoil your fun with more details, but leave you with this trailer to enjoy a taste of what awaits for you in Max Payne 3. The franchise set the bar incredibly high and while the latest installment is great, there is room for improvement in terms of visuals, so it gets 4 ½ stars out of 5.

Max Payne 3 List Price: $59.99 Price: $59.96 Read Reviews

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When looking for an email service, most of us look for the same things: storage space, an effective spam filter and how good it is at organizing your messages into different categories (work, friends, leisure activities).

Gmail

Gmail is Google’s free email service. As well as email it also has a chat function and has almost unlimited free online storage. Although Gmail is free, it does place adverts next to your emails. Currently, having a Gmail ID is necessary for all Google services except generic web search. A single email ID is your free pass to a host of web services like free blog and website hosting, online document creation and sharing, free email group hosting, social networking, free photo-sharing, submitting your websites and blogs to Google Webmaster tools and lots more.

Hotmail

Windows Live Hotmail is another free email service from Microsoft. It also offers practically unlimited storage, a search option, good security, POP access and access via your desktop. Windows Live Hotmail is also one of the best free email services for organizing your messages into different categories and filtering out spam. As for Google, a Windows Live email ID makes it possible to use free online file hosting, saving games like F1 racing and others associated with Microsoft, submitting your website or blog to Bing Webmaster tools etc.

Yahoo Mail

The best known competitor to Google and Microsoft in the free email service field is Yahoo! Mail. Like Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail has unlimited storage. It also includes SMS texting, social networking and instant messaging. The spam filter though is not quite as good as those you get with other free email services. A Yahoo ID is also necessary for Yahoo Answers, submission of blogs and websites to the Yahoo search engine and other Yahoo services like Yahoo Contributor.

Facebook Messages

Many people now use social media websites to send and receive email messages to their friends and relatives. As you would expect given its global reach, Facebook Messages is the most popular free email service connected to a social networking site. It integrates email messages with the online chat function so if a friend you are talking to goes offline anything you type to them in the pop up box after that will be sent to them as a message. It is also stores your chat sessions as messages and it is easy to organize your messages, either deleting or archiving them. MySpace also has a free email service that lets you send messages to people even if they’re not on MySpace themselves.

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• How to Monitor Your Internet Connection Speed

Do you use wireless internet modem devices often? I do. Hence the problem of maintaining a stable connection while nothing is being downloaded or uploaded, such as when I am reading a blog post or email messages. Idle wireless connections often get broken, so it’s necessary to keep the network busy!

A very simple method to ensure that the wireless connection doesn’t become idle is to repeatedly Ping one or more remote servers. This can be achieved by writing a few simple lines of code in Windows Command Line language. A Batch (.BAT) file and an IP-list file for pinging is all you need!

STEP 1: Create a batch (.BAT) file using Windows Notepad.

Create a text (.TXT) file and paste the following lines:

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:TOP
 
@echo off
 
cls
 
echo Ping test in progress...
 
for /F %%i in (iplist.txt) do ping -n 1 -a %%i >> result.txt
 
echo .
 
echo .
 
echo Result is ready.Thank you very much.
 
GOTO TOP

Save the file using the Save As option, and change file type to “All Files”, entering the name of the file as “Ping.BAT”.

STEP 2: Create a text (.TXT) file with the list of IP addresses to be pinged.

Now in the same folder, create an ordinary text file with IP addresses, one in each new line. You may use “4.2.2.2”.

Save the file as “iplist.txt”.

When you are using the wireless internet modem device, just to make sure the connection is unbroken run the Ping.BAT file and keep it open minimized while you browse the web. When you are done using the modem just close the window “Ping.BAT” until the next time you need it. Also, to get rid of the pinging results just delete the “result.txt” file. You may view the file just for fun or to see how the pinging times varied while you were connected.

Let us know whether this technique solved the connectivity issues with your Wireless Internet Modem Device.

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Although many of us are choosing to forgo the mad airport scramble in favour of a four hour car ride to somewhere vaguely sunny, to me, a holiday wouldn’t be a holiday without a plane involved somewhere.

Whether you’re travelling with friends, your partner or the whole family, the airport is always going to be a stressful place. However, there is the promise of technology.

Finally, apps and other gadgets are coming through to conquer long queues to the check-in desk, delayed flights and lost baggage, among all the other horrendous things airports and flying brings.

Here’s my pick of the top 5.

5. The baggage tracker

One Aussie airline has had the brightest idea in the history of air travel – electronic tags that are attached to your luggage in order to track it.

Attached at the check-in desk, this little tag contains information about the passenger and flight destination, and can be located from anywhere in the world. So, as long as it doesn’t fall off your bag, you may never have to deal with an incidence of lost luggage again.

Currently, the “Q-Bag tag” is only available on Qantas, but hopefully it’ll soon be snapped up by other airlines.

4. iFlight UK app

This app resembles an airport arrivals/departure board, and tracks flights in and out of the UKs nine major airports.

You can search for your flight using the flight number, or just track the flights to/from the airport of your choice. Never again will you get to the airport super early to find that your flight has been delayed by hours and hours.

3. iPad/iPhone 4S

OK, less of a gadget, more of a revolution, but one of these two little things could save you hours of boredom before or whilst you’re flying.

Especially useful if you’re travelling with kids, just fill the memory with fun games and ebooks, and know that you’ll be hearing, “But I’m BORED!” a lot less.

Siri is a great way to keep little ones (and big ones) entertained. Just get them to ask silly questions, and see if they can find the hidden funny answers from the IVR software. Hours of fun, trust me.

2. Noise cancelling headphones

These can often be pricey, but if you want to keep your sanity on a long-haul flight, noise cancelling headphones just might be your saviour. Besides, they’re cheaper than a first class ticket and you will have them ready for our return flight.

The best ones I’ve discovered are the Bose QuietComfort 15 – they replace noise with excellent quality sound, so you can drown out that screaming baby with crisp clear acoustics.

1. External battery

If you fly a lot, this could be one of the most useful purchases you make. Having an external battery to plug your phone, iPad or iPod into can make the world of difference on long haul flights, or even if you’ve been delayed at the airport.

In my experience, the best one is the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation, a compact battery that will power up your Smartphone or tablet in record time with juice to spare. It’s also compact, so taking it on the plane is no hassle.

You’ll never again have to resort to watching the in-flight movie.

Mophie Juice Pack Plus Case and Rechargeable Battery for iPhone 4 & 4S Retail Packaging (Black)

Wireless Phone Accessory

• $99.95 List Price
• $59.99 at Amazon.com

Product Description The juice pack plus is a 2,000 mAh rechargeable external battery concealed inside of a protective form-fitting case for the iPhone 4. It more than doubles the battery power of your iPhone 4 and provides the complete protection of a soft-touch case and shock-proof band.... Read more

New Trent iCruiser IMP1000 11000mAh External Battery Pack for the new iPad, iPad2, iPhone 4S 4 3Gs 3G, iPod Touch (1G to 5G), Android Phones (Samsung Galaxy Note S S2 S3, HTC Sensation EVO Thunderbolt, LG Optimus V), Blackberry (Bold curve Torch), Droid(Motorola Razr) (Charge iPhone 4s >5 times, charge iPad 2 >1.1 times)

Electronics

• $99.95 List Price
• $99.95 at Amazon.com

Product Description Charge iPhone 4s >5 times and charge ipad 2 >1.1 times The 11000mAh iCruiser will charge your iPad 2 1.1 times and charge your iPhone 4s 5 times. Bring one iCruiser with your travel and you will never run out of battery for your mobile devices.... Read more

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We all now depend on our home computer for things from online shopping and booking tickets for events, shows and holidays to getting directions from Google maps, keeping in touch with friends via social media like Facebook and Twitter and catching-up with TV programs. That’s why it’s so frustrating when your internet connection speed drops to a crawl.

A simple test you can do is to open a browser window and type either speedtest.net or speakeasy.net into the address bar. At either website, clicking “Begin Test” will let you see both your upload and download speed. You can then compare these with the standard speeds that your Internet service provider is advertising. If it is significantly below what you are paying for, phone them up and check why the speed of your internet connection is slower than it should be.

It is also a good idea to repeat these tests several times a day for a period of several days so that you can get an idea of the average speed of your internet connection. Many people find it useful to keep a record of these results in a Microsoft Excel or text document.

You can buy and download an internet connection speed monitor – there are even some free ones available online. Read the installation information carefully before saving and running the program on your computer. If you leave an internet speed connection monitor running while you are browsing the internet and make a note of the time and speeds, it will help you to see when your computer slows down and why – it may be at a certain time of day or when you go to a certain website that requires a lot of bandwidth. You can increase your connection speed by regularly running anti-virus, defragging and keeping up-to-date with the latest fixes and service packs.

Windows 7 Taskbar already has a total connection speed and network usage monitor (just go to the Networking Tab). Apparently Microsoft Windows 8 Taskbar comes with individual program-wise network usage monitor, but if you plan on sticking with Windows 7, Vista or XP you could use a third party software for monitoring network usage and connection speed.

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