Gizmos
Sweet Deal: Hundred-dollar Zune at Future Shop (CDN)!
Nov 15th
If you’re looking for a digital audio player (aka MP3 player, PMP) and you’re on a bit of a tight budget, I’ve got just the right deal for you: a sweet, hundred-dollar 8GB Zune at Future Shop (for Canadians only — sorry, everyone else).
photo credit: renaissancechambara
If I didn’t have an iPod, I’d go pick one up right now. But since I do, I don’t think it’s anything to go nuts about.
In case you’re thinking of hocking it in a week to a friend or just an acquaintance for $140CDN, I’ve got one piece of advice: it’ll be hard to find someone to sell it to, due to the overwhelming amount of people that have iPods and MP3 players nowadays.
But, Christmas IS coming soon, and the Zune would make for a great first MP3 player. Please, parents, buy with discretion — if your kid is not in high school yet, there is no need to get them an MP3 player. Or a laptop. Or a Blackberry.
No, that’s not the 8GB Zune. But I’ve always been a supporter of the 30GB too. A much, much more interesting Zune experience — in my opinion. Plus the videos are much easier on the eys I would think.
So the conclusion — if you skipped everything and wanted to read everything in a summary, this is it: ignore it if you’ve got something, pick it up if you’re looking, and buy one for your kid only if he (or she) is in high school (for their social developments’ sakes).
Wow — just wow: The New 2008 Macbook and Macbook Pro Models
Oct 15th
In the beginning, there was the ordinary white Macbook. Then, a couple of years ago, they introduced the black Macbook. And now, in 2008, Apple has finally refreshed their Apple Macbook design. And boy, what a design it is.
Source: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/14/technology/15apple1.600.jpg
Similar to the colour and design scheme of the iMacs, these new Macbooks look absolutely beautiful. Stunning. I’ve always been a huge fan of the aluminum Macbook Pro — so much so that I was actually thinking of getting the Macbook Pro just for the aluminum finish.
Not only have the Macbooks been updated in their looks (not to say they weren’t beautiful in their older form), their specs have been updated too. Absolutely beautiful. Call me an Apple fanboy, but this baby is a Godsend. I would think that the updated NVidia graphics and the multi-touch trackpad would be the dealmakers though.
Source: http://www.svirtech.com.au/images/Apple_MacBook_White.jpg
Just one problem — its 13″ screen. At the moment, I’m using a Dell Inspiron 6400 with a 14.1″ screen, and it’s still tiny. The only solution I can suggest is adding an external monitor, and it looks like Apple’s kicked up the graphics to allow for an external monitor to be added onto the Macbook — prior to the revision, this could only be applied to the Macbook Pro.
Source: http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/152257-0810macbook_fam.jpg
Apple’s never failed at consumer design, in this reviewer’s opinion — and this revision is no exception. Apple’s Macbook has caught my heart, and my wallet.
Believe the Hype: Nintendo’s new DSi
Oct 2nd
It’s not exactly what I wanted it to be, nor expected it to become: Nintendo’s new DSi is still one pleasant surprise. Where do I begin?
Source: http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/10/dsi3.jpg
It’s got a camera. 0.3-megapixels. Whatever, right?
SD-card for MP3 playback. That sounds pretty interesting, especially considering the possibilities now that storage is available on the DS officially. If you’ve heard of R4, you’ll know that this opens up for piracy — basically, you can play ROMs of games on your DS that you can download for free. SD cards make this much more budget-friendly (as opposed to smaller MicroSD cards), but also open up much more storage (SDHC is going up to 32GB, although I’m not 100% sure whether or not the DSi will be fully compatible with SDHC).
Bigger screen — 17% bigger, making it a “whopping” 3.25 inches. Not too bad — I could always use more screen real estate.
NO GAMEBOY ADVANCE SUPPORT. Unfortunate, considering how I still have many GBA games I’d love to play on my DS (Pokemon Sapphire and Final Fantasy: Tactics Advanced come to mind). For a split second, it makes me concerned, but I realize that it would have to eventually be purged — out with the old, in with the new.
Last thing to be considered: connection with the Wii, which I thought was the main selling-point. It’s got some Photo-sharing feature — nothing big, in my opinion (how many photos have you got on your iPod? thought so). Not to be ignored is its DSiWare Store: similar to WiiWare, DSiWare is downloadable content for your DSi. This somewhat excites me, as this sounds like a more legitimate way to be using the SD storage.
All in all, the DSi is shaping into a very interesting contender. However, I would’ve liked its connection with the Wii to be stronger, somehow. Sadly, we in the North Americas will have to wait until late 2009 to be able to pick the DSi up off a shelf, so don’t hold your breath. Or, fly over to Japan and pick it up next month.
Blow me Away: The Samsung i8510 and the LG Renoir
Sep 30th
You might’ve heard of the Sony Ericsson K850. 5 megapixels of glory, right? Best camera on a phone nowadays, right? And you would’ve been, but if you have been keeping up with the times, you’d have noticed two phones emerging from some manufacturer’s labs: introducing the LG Renoir and the Samsung i8510. Both rocking 8-megapixel cameras that blow the K850 right out of the water.
Samsung i8510
Source: http://digital-lifestyles.info/copy_images/samsung-i8510-lg1.jpg
If my chronology is correct, Samsung revealed their i8510 a couple of days earlier than LG did with the Renoir. Here are some of its specifications:
- General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
- Physical Dimensions: 106.5 x 53.9 x 17.2 mm, 140 g
- Display: 2.8-inch 16M color TFT, QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels)
- Storage: 8/16GB flash storage, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
- Camera: 8 megapixel autofocus, mechanical shutter, automatic lens cover, dual Power LED flash, digital image stabilizer, geotagging, auto panorama shot, face detection, smile detection, blink detection
- Video camera: MPEG4 VGA@30fps, QVGA@120fps high-speed recording
- Operating System: Symbian 9.3, S60 3rd edition UI, Feature Pack 2
- Battery Life: Li-Ion 1200 mAh, Talk time: 8 h 30 min, Standby: 310 h
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi with DLNA certification, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out, universal microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS
For a full list of specifications, please visit GSM Arena.
CutEdge Analysis:
Samsung isn’t cheapening out on the i8510. First and foremost, this phone’s got a whopping 8-megapixel camera. Although I know it’s not much, it’s still eye-bulging. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any test pictures to prove the Samsung i8510′s camera quality, so we’ll just have to go with the hype for now. Still, the camera overshadows its other features, which are at least up to par: honourable mention goes to its 16GB of flash storage, its 240×320 pixel display, its HSDPA connectivity, and last but not least, its remarkable battery life.
Don’t expect it to come cheap, people — I’m smelling a similar price tag to the Nokia N95 when it first came out.
LG Renoir
Source: http://www.cnet.co.uk/i/c/blg/cat/mobiles/lgrenoir/3.jpg
Sadly, that isn’t my hand. Not that the hand looks particularly nice (no offense meant), but because I wasn’t the one that got to hold the LG Renoir. Not only do I think it has a much better name than this “Samsung i8510″, but it’s also shinier, which scores some bonus points with me.
Head over to GSM Arena or Phone Arena for the Renoir’s specifications (yeah, I got a bit lazy, plus formatting would have been a pain — sue me).
CutEdge Analysis:
Where Samsung’s i8510 seems to have up-to-par specs, so does the LG Renoir. They differ in only minor ways, several being: the Renoir has a maximum capacity of 8GB (half of the i8510′s),but its got a bigger screen (240×400 pixels). Luckily for you readers, I was able to find a test picture taken with the Renoir’s 8-megapixel camera. Yeah, it’s not the greatest quality, but it’s not half bad for a cell phone.
Source: http://www.cnet.co.uk/i/c/blg/cat/mobiles/lgrenoir/testpiclarge.JPG
Welcome to the Jungle
It just never stops evolving. From less than a single megapixel, to five, and now eight, with recording quality of 30fps — that of DVD quality, arguably, cell phones are just getting more and more powerful. They’ve got beautiful displays, powerful processors, ample storage, but probably hefty prices to match. I would suggest putting off purchases until this kind of stuff becomes more mainstream — as they do, prices will go down. However, if you’re a phone fanatic or a camera junkie, waiting might not be a good idea (hop onto the 8-megapixel bandwagon!).
The Evolution of the HTC Touch: HTC Touch HD
Sep 16th
The HTC Touch debuted in June 2007 — a whole year before the iPhone was made available to Canada. After a friend of mine introduced it to me, I hadn’t given it much thought until I ended up looking for a smart phone — it was down to either the Samsung Jack or the HTC Touch. The only edge the HTC Touch had was its Wi-fi, so I took it. This was half a year ago, March 2008.
How far we’ve come along: HTC has since introduced the HTC Touch Dual, HTC Touch Cruise, HTC Touch Diamond, and recently, the HTC Touch HD. I’m impressed by how well HTC is capitalizing on its Touch line — the Touch provided the reassurance that mainstream customers needed to trust HTC, and slowly, it’s making its way into the market.
Source: http://www.coolhunting.com/images/HTC-Touch-Diamond-Angle.jpg
While I thought the HTC Touch Diamond was enough for the rest of the year — after all, hype had only recently been calmed, HTC kicks all Diamond owners in the nuts with the official announcement of the HTC Touch HD. While it does look like a sweet phone (with a screen bigger than the iPhone), I’m not sure that it’s come soon enough — the iPhone already has quite the hold on Canada. Perhaps in retrospect, HTC should’ve just skipped the Diamond and gone with the Touch HD — but in a sense, I guess the Touch Diamond has a different “feel”.
- HTC’s official press release: http://www.htc.com/www/press.aspx?id=65236?=1033
- Leaked photos + forum thread: http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-professional-news/272214/introducing-the-htc-touch-hd/
3G Plans for the extra $30: Get ‘em while you still can!
Sep 14th
More than just a few friends of mine have the iPhone 3G. While I’m a huge fan of the iPod Touch and its Wi-fi capabilities, I have to say that the iPhone offers much more flexibility in data: especially when equipped with the $30 for 6GB of data transfer. Actually, 6GB is more like “unlimited”: according to CNet, only one percent of users use more than a gigabyte of data transfer.
Unfortunately, looks like the plan is ending soon: according to Boy Genius Report, new plans will be introduced to Rogers on October 1st — meaning you folks have only got a couple of weeks to finalize those 3G plans!
I’ve included a screenshot for you to see if your phone is compatible with the plan — sadly, the HTC Touch is not. And the Samsung Jack is. Oh well, looks like I have some regretting to do (just kidding, no Wi-fi on the Samsung Jack). If you can get it, then what are you waiting for? The convenience is beautiful — whether you want it for research-on-the-go or browsing Youtube, you absolutely need to grab the plan. Quick!
Enter the Click: A Look at the Das Keyboard
Aug 15th
Keyboards and mice – accessories known to man ever since the breakthrough of this device known as a “computer”. If there’s anything to describe the keyboard industry, it’ll be the word “abundant”. My local Future Shop has a keyboard section rivaling its section of Wii games and PS3 games put together. I’ve got more than a few keyboards lying around in my house, and those are just the ones I found while cleaning up. Such a variety explains why searching for that perfect keyboard is so hard – but you’re in luck, because the one we’re having a look at is the Das Keyboard (officially known as the Das Keyboard Professional).
Design Perspective
Let’s cut right to the chase – keyboard alone, minus the cord: I would proudly call the Das Keyboard one of the finest-looking keyboards in the industry. The keyboard body is made of a glossy black plastic: no matter how much I admit to loving the glossy black, I would admit that it does attract finger print smudges as well as minor dust particles sadly easily. You’re going to need that cloth Das Keyboard company included in the bundle to clean off the smudges and dust pretty often.
The LEDs the Das Keyboard uses are unique, to say the least: where most companies have a standard LED light, the Das Keyboard features unique icons that get lit up: for example, instead of just an LED light with “Caps Lock” over it, the Das Keyboard has an icon that says “A” that lights up when the Caps Lock button is pressed. I definitely approve of this innovation because when the LED is off, it looks like part of the keyboard body – a good disguise for an LED. Absolutely beautiful.
Caps Lock button off: wait, is there an LED? Looks like part of the body to me…
Caps Lock button on! Isn’t she purdy?
I can only find one real problem with its design though: the way the cord emerges from the keyboard is much too obvious. For such a glossy, and otherwise heavenly keyboard, it’s a real eyesore to see the cord so explicitly seemingly erupt from the keyboard body. I propose a solution for the next design: why not create a balcony to cover the cord, and have a place to attach the cord to on the right or left side to hide the cord more? I expected such a simple feature to come with the Das Keyboard, seeing as how it came with my HP stock keyboard two years ago. If I sound a bit upset, that’s because I’m actually very disappointed with such a design flaw. The only benefit I can see to such a design is its durability, to which I will respond: my HP keyboard has not been treated kindly, and still has its cord stuck in it very tightly. Besides, keyboards don’t seem to be the type that will have to worry about durability.
Look at that, it’s so blunt! It just sticks out. It’s gross – almost, unnatural to the design. Shame, really.
An example of a design allowing for a well-concealed cord. I see my keyboard everyday, so this is an absolute necessity – just because it’s not wireless, doesn’t mean it has to show off its cord. And this design should be pretty standard – it came with my HP keyboard.
The cord can hook right on to that latch, allowing for cover. If I can’t see it, it’s not there, right? As good as wireless.
I rest my case. On one hand, you see the Das Keyboard’s cord stick right out – and near the bottom, you barely see the HP’s cord stick out. Where one blatantly emerges, the other relatively naturally connects. I’d prefer the HP design to the Das Keyboard one any day.
Ignoring the imperfect small detail, the Das Keyboard’s design would’ve been near perfection. If anyone questions the practicality of the cord, I will justify Das Keyboard’s inclusion of it: they claim it’s for better response time, which I can’t really attest to – I play Counterstrike: Source just as badly with it (haha, I guess it’s a matter of the player and not the keyboard, eh?), but what I really appreciate is the integration of the two USB ports on the side. Without the cord, such a feature could not be implemented, and the Das Keyboard would be…well, just another keyboard. Right now, I can plug my Logitech G5 in there and I can’t see any performance issues. However, I still would’ve liked for something to be implemented to make the cord much less obvious.
Typist Perspective
Let’s put it this way – the Das Keyboard is a joy to type on. With every push of a key, you get an extremely rewarding and unique clicking sound. It’s not like the click of a mouse, but rather, more comparable to that of a typewriter. Although I’m not from the typewriter generation, I can appreciate the feeling. However, I got a few complaints of that loud, obnoxious typing – when I was on the phone with a friend. This thing is nearly as loud as the crowds at a Bon Jovi concert.
It sounds great, and boy, the Das Keyboard sure feels great. There is hardly any resistance when the keys are being pushed on, in comparison to my HP keyboard, which is a relative pain. In fact, I think the Das Keyboard can give Logitech keyboards a run for their money (I’m also the proud owner of a Logitech MX 3000 keyboard, which is nearly as fun to type on).
Human Perspective
Which brings us to the final portion of our review: my personal human experience with the Das Keyboard. I can say without a doubt or a second thought that the Das Keyboard provided the most unique keyboard experience I’ve ever had the pleasure of using – no boast. With the clicking (which makes it seem to respond much faster and be much more snappy), the fun-to-push keys, the LED’s, and the glossy black design, this isn’t the kind of keyboard I’d use once and end up tossing it into my closet. I’d flaunt this baby every time someone came over (as long as I polish it a bit earlier with the included cloth – hey, it’s really useful).
I didn’t kill many more people in Counterstrike: Source (in fact, I think I got worse at it, shockingly), but it was much easier to write this review and change my blog’s design, and do ordinary tasks with such an extraordinary keyboard. I felt like I was driving to work at McDonald’s while cruising on a Harley Davidson or a Ferrari. It’s a beautiful thing.
As of today, I was able to connect an iPod Video 5.5-gen as well as a Logitech G5 mouse to the two USB ports on the Das Keyboard without running into any performance or power issues.
Conclusion
If typing means anything to you, you absolutely have to consider the Das Keyboard. I’ve been droning on and on about how great it is, I realize, but it’s really just that great! I can’t stress how fun it is to type on this baby. It looks great (except for the cord thing), sounds (arguably) great, and types excellently. Although the USD $129.00 price tag may discourage some mainstream purchasers, I recommend the Das Keyboard to each and every single person that uses the computer relatively extensively or for a large portion of their day.
If you’re looking for even a more unique experience, you absolutely must take a look at the Das Keyboard Ultimate: dig this, a keyboard without any letter engravings on it! I haven’t had the opportunity to personally review this, but if it’s anything like the Das Keyboard, you can’t miss out!
Shout out to Sarah Lambie, I couldn’t have made this review happen without you!
Samsung: the Thorn in Apple’s Side could Take Over
Apr 7th
I haven’t actually been paying much attention to Samsung due to all the attention I already give brands such as Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, Apple, et al. However, I’ve been noticing a lot of beautiful Samsung products cropping up lately, like the YP-P2, and now the Instinct announced by Sprint. What do these two items have in common? I have absolutely no idea…
…except for the fact they are both directly competing with Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. The Instinct is to be supported by Sprint, the iPhone already to AT&T. Why does Samsung choose to be the thorn in Apple’s side?
Let’s face it – Samsung’s come a long way from the 90s till now. From its unreliable reputation to its now glowing and competitive products, we saw the drive to compete against the huge players such as Sony and Toshiba. All I can assume is they are also trying to take Apple on, as they are the biggest of the big when it comes to the gadget market (around 70% of mp3 players out there are iPods!).
Can they do it? Can they actually surpass what Dell, Sony, and Creative have failed to do? The only piece strategy that I think they might need to bolster would be their marketing campaigns – where are they? Sure, you’ve got a video on Youtube. But, unless you want to stay second, you’re going to have to air way more commercials, Samsung! They’ve got the product. They’ve got the money.
Analysts always overlook that little fact that the iPod’s marketing campaigns were golden. And unless Samsung really puts some more “oomph” into its marketing campaign, add some creativity and heavy rotation, it’s never going to take a painful bite out of Apple.
What is going to happen to Samsung? I have no idea – but I think that I will be supporting both sides. I do believe Samsung’s products are very innovative and interesting – but Apple always seems to be a few jumps ahead of them (the iPhone was released way before the Instinct was announced, but the Instinct is a cooler name). Besides, I’ve got an iPod Video, so I can’t talk until it gets replaced. Maybe with a Samsung product.
Mobile Phone Remains Motorola’s Business
Mar 26th
Drawing more information from the well of Dailytech, I’ve discovered to my delight that Motorola will definitely remain in the mobile phone game. In fact, Motorola’s so dedicated that they’ve decided to split into two separate companies – one dedicated to mobile phones and the other focused upon broadband and mobility services that the corporate companies and governments are just eatin’ right up.
This is great news. A few months ago, I wrote about this predicament mostly with pessimism and regret because of the seeming lack of hope for the company. However, I must say that I’m awed by Motorola’s resiliency and dedication to the business. Damn, I feel good.
Now I don’t mean to be rude, but I hope they finally succeed this time around. They need a revolutionary product like the original RAZR, one that challenges everything that we’ve come to define a cell phone as. Sure, they can improve upon the products and step the camera’s megapixels up all they want – but I think all that has already come to a peak. Someone out there is going to figure out an excellent idea, and once they do, they’re going to make their company extremely rich people.
Source: http://d.yimg.com/…fault-512×365.jpg
Visit:
http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail.jsp?globalObjectId=9430_9359_23
Blu-Ray’s Last Line of Defense – Gone?
Mar 20th
Apparently so, according to Dailytech. The latest version of SlySoft AnyDVD HD came with the ability to rip the Blu-ray DVD’s movie in high-def. As both a tech enthusiast and a pretty stereotypical asian, I must say that I’m pretty interested in such a piece of news. However, let it be known that I don’t pirate. After all, if I started pirating, it could wreck the delicate balance between the two worlds of legitimacy and piracy.
Source: http://img.infotropic.com/i/061224_1g.jpg
What does this mean? Since Blu-Ray’s defense has been cracked before, I suppose that Sony will be forced to invent a third method of encrypting the data. And they’ll have to do it soon – because if they let this go as rampant as the forging of fake DVDs do, the Blu-Ray market will be saturated with cheap, fake copies of movies in their original high-definition format. What a nightmare for the movie industry.
As a loyal movie fan (not a fanatic, just a fan), I suggest that you be very careful about which side you decide to take. Sure, the piracy might seem much more affordable, but if everyone thought like that on a larger scale, we wouldn’t have any new movies to watch because the companies would all go broke. They’re still fatcats – for now, but let’s face it: they’re not as fat as they once used to be.