Angry Birds Space Review

I never thought the day would come when physics and fun could be used sincerely in the same sentence, till today!

I’m sure most of us are familiar with the game Angry Birds, right? If you aren’t, Angry Birds is a mobile phenomenon developed by Rovio Games. This is what it’s all about, evil pigs have stolen their eggs and the birds are furious. Armed with a catapult and bird at the tip of your finger you launch your birds at the pigs wooden, bricked and iced fortresses. As you lunch your birds their trajectory is affected by power, angle of lunch and of course gravity.  

 

Angry birds space takes the same formula and mixes it up a bit. Ever wondered what gravity would be like in outer space? Well this is your answer!

Evil pigs from “outer space” have kidnapped their eggs! And here we go again! But with Angry Birds Space things are a little different, here the zero gravity environment means that your birds will travel in a straight line, but you can also alter your direction with the use of gravity wells surrounding celestial bodies which draw your birds towards them. Yea, it may sound complicated now but trust me it’s not rocket science. Once you get into it, its super fun and I guarantee you’ll be hooked in to time! 

These new elements ensure multiple ways to play and finish each stage. Some pigs even float in atmosphere bubbles which when popped by the nudge of an asteroid or bird result in them freezing up, it never gets old! Unlike other Angry Birds games this Angry Birds Space comes with Boss Fights, which seem styles after classic Sonic the Hedgehog games without saying too much.

Also with the introduction of new birds, a square bird that can detonate to freeze any nearby blocks and pigs, and a huge green bird that acts like a wrecking-ball doing heavy damage to anything in its path.  The yellow triangular dive-bombing bird has been redesigned, allowing players to change his trajectory launching him further at any target after being deployed from your catapult, it seems that you CAN improve on perfection!

Angry Birds Space is available on PC, Macintosh, iPad and iPhone, for a token amount. But Android users get it for free of charge, why? Because where worth it! 

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Esisalat Gaga (Huawei U8180 IDEOSx1) Vs Mtn Rave (ZTE v821)

Over the last few months the Nigerian blackberry craze has slowly been, or at least partially subdued by a new emerging android craze. Beginning with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Tab , the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note has turned a small flame into a raging inferno and Nigerian mobile providers have decided to even further fuel this android addiction by releasing their own branded fully functional android phones.

I’m talking about the Etisalat Gaga and the MTN Rave, truth be told these phones are a far-cry away from delivering the kind of first class experience high end android devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note and the SonyXperia S have to offer. But for those who are interested or curious about the android phenomenon but don’t want any costly investment yet, these are ideal entry level devices to satisfy your curiosity. 

MTN Rave (a.k.a. ZTE v821) is an android phone with a 2.4 inch TFT resistive touchscreen , capable of displaying 56k colours. Equipped with a QWERTY keyboard it also has 256 Megabytes of internal memory what can be upgraded up to 32GB via microSD. Its camera takes 2MP stills, and it runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo). It also comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G as is standard on most android phones. The device is priced at Twenty Thousand Five Hundred Naira (N20,500), at any MTN Walk-in centre.

The Etisalat Gaga (a.k.a. Huawei U8180 IDEOSx1) is a full touchscreen android device with a 2.8 inch screen capable of 256k colours and 512 of internal storage upgradeable to 32GB. Its camera takes 3.15MP stills also running Android 2.2 (Froyo). It also comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G. This device is sold for Eighteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine Naira (N18,999), and Etisalat outlet.

At a glance this is a no brainer, the Gaga offers a 2.8 screen which can display 256k colours while the Rave only has a 2.4 screen with a mere 56k colours. The gaga has a 3.2 MP camera while the MTN alternative only has a 2 MP camera. The Etisalat Android has 512 Megabytes internal memory and the competition has 256 Megabytes internal memory. To add insult to injury the Gaga is also a Thousand Five hundred Naira (N1,500) cheaper. In conclusion, the Etisalat Gaga squashes the MTN Rave flat, the only down side is the lack of a dedicated keyboard but if you’re not that fond of texting and tweeting you’ll have no problems. The Gaga may not be a high end android phone but in the low end android market in Nigeria today, it definitely is a great deal choice.

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[OUT-DATED] Nigeria’s 3G Telecommunications Providers Data Service Reviewed: Prices and Data Allowance

It’s finally here! Admittedly I’ve been on this topic for a while and it has taken a little longer than I anticipated to put-up this article. Today I’ll compare the data bundles and price of the data services provided by the county’s leading telecommunication providers, namely Globacom, MTN, Etisalat and the latest addition to the 3G spectrum Airtel Nigeria.

These data service account for a sizable portion of their turnover, this is why they invest so much money into branded USB modems, routers and Mifi dongles.

For the purpose of this article only the most popular and accessible data plans were taking into consideration. Plans including time caps or windows of access (night and weekend plans) were excluded. The minimum cut off mark per bundle is five hundred naira (N500). This is a strict comparison between price and data allowance to give you a real Idea of the cost of a Megabyte in Nigeria today.

Mtn Nigeria

Mtn Nigeria can boast of having the largest market share in Nigeria with about 42 million active subscribers as of the end of the Q4 2011. They offer a variety of data plans, their largest being eight thousand naira (N8,000) for 5 Gigabytes (5GB).  Supported devices include basic handsets, Smartphones, USB modem sticks, routers and Mifi dongles. Here’s a brief summary of MTNs data offering.

In comparison to other mobile providers MTN plans are few and less confusing but some plans tend to overlap. For example it is possible to pay five hundred naira (N500) for 150 Megabytes and one thousand naira (N1000) for 100 Megabytes. Although the latter option has a 24hour limit it would be more logical because you would be entitled 300MB for a thousand naira.

 

Globacom Nigeria

Golbacom Nigeria has the second largest market share in Nigeria with an active use base of about 20 million subscribers at the end of Q4 2011. They have even a larger variety of data plans, their largest being eighteen thousand naira (N18,000) for twenty Gigabytes (20GB). Supporting similar devices as their rivals, we summarised their mobile offering below.

Even though at a glance they seem to have more options their plans are tailored for specific devices, as a result some plans seem redundant and you could get more megabytes for the same amount of money, or even pay more and get less megabytes for your money. 

For example, depending on the device you wish to subscribe with, you may be advised to pay six thousand naira (N6000) for 3 Gigabytes when an option is available to pay five thousand naira (N5000) also for 3 Gigabytes. 

Etisalat Nigeria

Labelled the fastest growing network of 2011 with a growth rate of 13.02% at the end of the Q4 2011 and an active user base of about 11 million subscribers, Etisalat Nigeria recently acquired its 3G licence allowing it to compete evenly with other mobile providers. With data plans similar to MTN in scope and size Etisalat largest data option is eight thousand naira (N8,000) for 6 Gigabytes. Supporting identical devices as their competition, here’s a summary of their data offerings.

Awfully similar to the offerings of MTN Nigeria, Etisalat seems to give you a little bit more in terms of megabytes for your naira. Having similar support for devices, plans never clash or overlap but as a result may be a little bit more expensive.   

Airtel Nigeria

Over the years this mobile operator has been know by many names, and for a long time it was the underdog of the bunch. But as of the beginning of this year it joined the ranks of operators offering 3G connectivity to their subscribers. The future of Airtel seems to be looking up. With an active user base of 18 million subscribers it is the third largest in Nigeria. Its largest data option is fifteen thousand naira (N15000) for 10 Gigabytes.  

 

With more plans than MTN and Etisalat but not as much as Globacom it would seem that Airtel found the middle ground, but on closer inspection they fail the same way Globacom did, with redundant and overlapping plans. It’s the only operator to offer you as low as 80 Megabytes for five hundred naira (N500) and only offers you a little over 10 Gigabytes for fifteen thousand naira (N15000).

To give a better insight into the price schemes of MTN, Globacom, Etisalat and Airtel we’ve took the liberty of placing all four networks by themselves for easier comparison.

For about a thousand naira all four providers offer very similar amounts of Megabytes. MTN Nigeria represented by the yellow line, seems to have a structured billing plan even though some of it plans seem to overlap. It is the least economic option if you require less than 2 Gigabytes monthly or more that 10 Gigabytes monthly. Globacom on the other hand is simply erratic, because their plans were specifically tailored to particular groups of devices, though not restricted to these devices. Also with its large number of data plans it offers, its’ clear their data offerings need some restructuring, then again in terms of Gigabytes it does offer the most economic options in the long run. 

Etisalat’s pricing peaks between 2 and 4 GB but in the long run is the second most economic option for user who requires a large amount of data. Airtel seems to be playing it safe offering the most economic option for users who use 2 -10 Gigabytes monthly.

In truth all their current data plans coupled with the mobile operators being offered to the Nigerian public may suit some individuals currently, but if your need for data increase of reduces you may find yourself paying more for less. In this kind of situation what really determines which plans give true value to the consumer, are the policies these mobile operators have on data plans.

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