My Next Android Phone
// February 19th, 2011 // No Comments » // Android, Blog, mistical.com
I normally don’t upgrade to another phone until at least 2 years later. I always purchase I phone that will last me 2 to 3 years at a time but it is hard to pass up such a phone as the Galaxy S2.
This is likely going to be a pretty big upgrade in some ways, small in others, when compared to my current Galaxy S phone, the Vibrant. I just hope that Samsung can provide us with more frequent updates on the T-Mobile version than what they never did for the Vibrant.
Linksys WUSB600N v2 on a Hackintosh
// January 13th, 2011 // 6 Comments » // Blog, Guides, mistical.com, Tech
I recently just put a cheap, but also great hackintosh system together while also dual-booting with Windows 7. It is my first hackintosh, however, not my first Mac.
This post will explain how to get the Linksys WUSB600N v2 to work with your Hackintosh build. There is just 1 minor problem that exists with this wireless usb device, and that you will have to replug it in each and everytime you either restart/boot or awake from sleep. Otherwise, I’ve had absolutely no other issues and no disconnects or slow speeds.
Real quick, here is my build specs for the hackintosh running Snow Leopard 10.6.6:
GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2V Motherboard
Intel Core i3-550 Clarkdale 3.2GHz Processor
XFX nVidia GT240 1GB DDR5 Graphics Card
G.SKILL 4GB DDR3 Dual Channel Memory
Samsung Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB Hard Drive
Now you will first need to install the Mac drivers for an Ralink RT2870, which is what is inside of the Linksys WUSB600N v1 and v2 (version 2). You can grab those from downloading them at Ralink’s website.
Now as of this post, I am using driver version 3.0.3.0. These work great, I’ve heard of success with earlier drivers as well though I never tried those nor did I ever obtain links to them. If you are having any issues with later drivers after 3.0.3.0 then please contact me, I will be able to provide you with driver version 3.0.3.0 if you are unable to find them.
Once you have these installed, restart OS X.
Once you have restarted OS X, open Terminal. Follow and type the following commands correctly and then press the enter key after each line listed below.
cd /System/Library/Extensions
chmod -R 755 RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext
chown -R 0:0 RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext
cd
cd /System/Library/Extensions/RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext/contents/
sudo nano info.plist
At this point, you will be asked your administrative password, type it in and continue the following:
Look for the following line below, you will find it faster by using the page down shortcut ctrl+v.
Linksys – RT2870 – 2
Then right under this key, find this line (integer)
<integer>113<integer>
Then change the value of 113 to 121.
<integer>121<integer>
That will be the only line you need to edit and touch in this. Now press the following keys to save what you just did.
ctrl + o
Make sure to use the exact same file name, info.plist, as it will already say. Then ctrl+x to exit out.
There are just 2 more fine steps and you will be able to use a wireless connection!
cd
sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions
Now restart your computer, as I said earlier, you will more than likely have to unplug and plug back in the Linksys WUSB600N device as well as each time you restart/boot or awake from sleep.
You will use Ralink’s Wireless Utility to connect to your network. Save a profile so you do not have to constantly keep typing your security key as well. You may close Wireless Utility once you are connected, you do not need to leave it open.
Special Thanks go out to aldeem over at InsanelyMac for most of this guide, and then myself for the rest of it and additional information.
Remove Layar from Samsung Vibrant (or other devices)
// September 30th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // mistical.com
I usually do not mind bloatware to begin with, and I almost never use them either anyways. But after a while, you just want a clean device after having a while to play with it. Especially a Samsung Vibrant for how great this phone is, not just the screen.
I just wanted to take the time and explain to you how you can remove Layar and other “bloatware” applications that either T-Mobile, AT&T or others provide to you with your Galaxy S phone (Vibrant, Captivate, etc) if you want them gone for good. Now you will need root to do any of this. Rooting your phone is extremely easy and safe.
There are many methods to root your phone, you can look over at the XDA forums for easy ways to do it for your device. One quick method to root is by using the One Click Lag Fix app found in the Android Market. Do not let the name fool you, and you do not need to use the lag fix to get root either. You can unroot with this app or any other app, at anytime. Though there is no reason to unless you are sending the device back to T-Mobile or your carrier.
You can remove most bloatware with Titanium Backup which is free in the Market. You could also use Root Explorer however that is not free in the Market. So if you are in this same scenario and do not want to pay for Root Explorer than this easy method will work for you. You can also back up all of these apps with Titanium Backup in case you ever decide to want to use these again and want them back.
When you are removing applications, make sure you know what exactly you are removing. I take no responsibility if you remove something you should not that could lend up to messing up your phone or bricking it.
Use Terminal Emulator if you do not already have it, if not, you can grab it from the Market. Then in Terminal you are going to type of the following:
su
rm /data/app/com.layar.apk
rm /system/app/Layar-samsung.apk
Then there you have it, you have successfully removed Layar. You can actually use this method to remove other apps as well if you are unable to uninstall them in Manage Applications in your phone or with apps such as Titanium Backup.
If you are unsure of the application name, you can use this ‘ls’ command to find it.
su
ls /data/app/
ls /system/app/
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Walkthrough
// August 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Gaming, Guides, mistical.com
Here is the Sniper: Ghost Warrior Walkthrough that I created. You can either watch it below, or you can easier select which Act’s or Chapter’s you are having trouble with from the playlist.
Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Map Pack Video Preview in HD
// May 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Gaming, mistical.com
Alan Wake – Episode Three: Manuscript Pages Locations Guide
// May 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Gaming, Guides, mistical.com
Here is the locations for all of the Manuscript Pages in Episode Three created by me. Split into two parts. Watch in High Definition. By collecting 25, and all scripts that are not found in Nightmare mode and then all 106 of these, you will earn yourself 3 achievements.
Alan Wake – Episode Two: Manuscript Pages Locations Guide
// May 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Gaming, Guides, mistical.com
Here is the locations for all of the Manuscript Pages in Episode Two created by me. Watch in High Definition. By collecting 25, all regular and then all 106 of these, you will earn yourself 3 achievements.
Alan Wake – Episode One: Manuscript Pages Locations Guide
// May 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Gaming, Guides, mistical.com
Here is the locations for all of the Manuscript Pages in Episode One created by me. Watch in High Definition. By collecting 25, all regular and then all 106 of these, you will earn yourself 3 achievements.
Alan Wake – Episode One: Coffee Thermoses Locations Guide
// May 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Gaming, Guides, mistical.com
Here is the locations for all of the Coffee Thermoses in Episode One created by me. Watch in High Definition.
Iron Man 2 Review
// May 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, mistical.com, Movies, Reviews
Last Thursday Night, my girlfriend Jordan, my brother and my good friend Michael went to see Iron Man 2 at the midnight release. We literally sat through 20 minutes of trailers, the most we have ever had to sit through. I am not necessary complaining about it but 20 minutes is a long time to watch trailers, we saw this movie at an AMC theatre.
The movie was fucking awesome and I really enjoyed it. I think I can say the same for all of us too that saw it too. If you see it, make sure to stay till the end of the credits. Majority of our crowd in the theatre stayed after the movie to watch the clip that we all knew was going to happen, just like at the end of Iron Man.
First off, there were a bunch of easter eggs, if you are interested in finding out what they were, click that link and enjoy. If you have not seen the movie, I would not recommend you read it. There are more articles out there on Google you can go to which provide more pictures of the easter eggs and discussion.
Now about the movie, the action scenes were awesome and well done. The best part I loved about the movie, is the final fight scene and the weapon that Tony Stark/Iron Man uses. If you have seen the movie, you know what I am talking about. If you have not seen it yet, you will know what I am talking about when you get to the scene.
I was also sketchy at first with Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as Rhodey. Do not get me wrong, Don Cheadle is a fucking badass actor and the same goes with Terrence Howard. But in the end, I think Don Cheadle deserves the role of Rhodey. The moments and humor between him and Tony/Iron Man throughout the movie were greatly written and well done. The chemistry was perfect, I think.
You will also notice that a lot of new characters are introduced in this movie than the first one. I have read around that more of the characters could of had a little more screen time such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson and Clark Gregg especially. I do not 100% agree with this, but I do think they should of had a little more screen time. I am barely a fan of Sam Rockwell and his acting, but he did play the role of Justin Hammer good.
In the end, I rate Iron Man 2 a 10/10. It is definitely worth seeing and paying for. You can not go wrong here with the purchase, unless of course you do not like Iron Man or maybe even the first one.