Talk about some odd suggestions based on someone looking at a T-Shirt.

I don’t what is more odd…the Rice Krispies Treat cereal or the $30k Generator.

But a couple weeks ago, I was browsing the iOS App store and saw it was available for $2.99. So I went ahead and picked it up. First of all, it is a universal application which already gives it 1 star in my book.

The first thing you notice is that this game is really good looking. We tested it on an iPhone 4s, iPhone 3GS, iPad and an iPad 2. All looked about the same and played great.

For those unfamiliar with the game, you pick a big cat and play various games with it. Those games earn you money which you spend in the store. Also as you play, you unlock new animals. My daughters say there is a panda but I have not been able to confirm that.

Outside the activities, you can also play with the cats.

One example of the activities you can try is jump roping.

Here is a shot of the “store” where you can buy new games, food and accessories.

Overall my 3 and 5 year old love the game but there are a couple issues. When ever my kids select certain cats, the game just seems to lock up. We also keep having issues where the kids progress gets lost which forces them to start over. (I was forced to play the game for close to 30 minutes to get her back to where she was).

The controls work ok, but some of the motions could be a little more forgiving. My 3 year old had one hell of a time with the sitting motion and it took me a good 4 or 5 tries to make it happen as well. For the money, I recommend giving it a shot. It has a couple minor problems but overall it is a very good iOS game.

I would give it 4 paws out of 5.

Here are a couple shots that I took.

The world and art style is simply amazing. I plan on taking more video and screen shots during the next event. I was too busy having a blast to remember to take screen shots.

First you need to use Frost and fire spells to align the crystal to look like this.

Then use the buttons at the top of the ramp to rotate the 3 rings to match up.

When facing off against a dragon, one of my Mammoth friends decided to take to the air and meet the dragon head on.

My friends just started up a blog and this is one of his newest projects. I think he’s crazy (And am probably right) but impressive none-the-less.

Check it out!

http://blog.grambonet.com/

Watch this video on YouTube.

A couple weeks ago I finally got my hands on a Kindle Fire.

I am also an owner of an iPad, iPad 2, and Archos Android Tablet.

Overall I love the Kindle. But there is a major problem….no way to lock out the ability to purchase stuff without a password.

As you can imagine, the Kindle is highly integrated into Amazon’s various services. Having access to the Kindle store, Amazon Streaming (Prime Member FTW), MP3 Cloud, and Amazon App store is great. But it comes at a price. In this case, about $40 worth of UmiZoomi videos.

My 2 year old son is a pro at navigating the other tablets. After about 5 minutes, he managed to figure out the navigation on the Kindle Fire. He manged to find the Amazon video streaming section. Within seconds, he found the kids shows and started clicking the Buy Season buttons. By the time we caught on, he had purchased 2 seasons worth and was getting ready to purchase some more shows. Thankfully the customer service reps at Amazon gave us a full refund. (Thanks!) I was also told that a “kids mode” is in the works.

Other than that issue, we have loved the Kindle. I will tell you that it is NOT as good as an iPad…..but it is less than half the price. I was also concerned that the size might be too small. But it is perfect for sitting on the couch reading a book, surfing the web or my new favorite thing…reading magazines on it.

The one thing I wish Apple would steal….er…..develop, is the most recent app carousel. Just like flipping through album covers on an iPad, the front screen of the Kindle allows you to flip through your recent apps. This coupled with the Kindle is broken up into sections like Video, Web, Music, ect. make it a breeze to navigate.

I am surprised how substantial the Kindle feels. The glass on the front is smooth as….well…glass and the back has a slightly rubberized back to it. I checked out a ton of Android tablets that were twice the price and nothing has come close to the build quality on the Kindle.

Once they get the kids mode figured out, the kids will get to play with it more. But in the mean time, my wife and I get it all to ourselves….which is not a bad thing considering how awesome it is.