I’ve recently developed a philosophy of using things to their fullest potential: originally, I was forced to replace my older gadgets with new versions repeatedly. It wasn’t until a short while ago that I decided against my consumption for a variety of reasons:

• It wasn’t a healthy way of gaining happiness (an interesting topic on its own).
• It wasn’t a wise way to spend my money — I already had an iPod Video, why did I need an iPod Touch? I could be saving up for that Macbook I always wanted.
• It wasn’t satisfying me anymore. I think I’d exhausted all satisfaction that I might’ve gotten originally from buying gadgets. That’s the problem with consumerism.

Don’t get me wrong — I still buy new gadgets: but now, my new gadgets typically are used to replace something thats been lost/broken/malfunctioned, or for the sake of convenience (combining two gadgets into one). Or to introduce a whole new concept into my life (I’m looking into getting a PSP…we’ll see how that works out, haha).

But I’ve discovered an alternative to the constant consumption and re-consumption of gadgets — using basic computer knowledge, a keen eye, and a spirit of adventure to find out how to leverage your gadgets and use them to their fullest potential. I’ve done what I’d thought was previously unimaginable — my deeds (so far) include:

• Putting Leopard 10.5.2 on my Dell Inspiron 6400 (I don’t advise you do it if you are of the faint of heart — I should also mention that it’s against Apple’s agreement you have to click in order to use Leopard, because you’re installing Leopard on non-Apple hardware). Don’t get me wrong — it wasn’t easy, and I only recently figured out how to do it to near-perfection, with sound and dual-monitor support.
• Installing Android on my HTC Touch. That one turned out to be a fail (fail used as a noun — yep: an event where one fails miserably and hilariously at an attempt; http://failblog.org), as everytime I tried starting Android up (I installed it as a .cab file so it can be easily installed and removed) I was left with a white screen or my phone would turn off. Fail.
• Tweaking my iPod Video 5.5G so I could play Pokemon Red on it. I also installed other themes on my iPod 5.5G so I could make it look ‘fresher’ — like an iPod Touch, if I may. Both using custom firmware (which might void iPod warranty, so be careful with that — I figured since my iPod was so old anyway, I might as well give it a shot, haha).
• I’ve also managed to make my Wii play .mp3 files, .mp4 files, homebrew games (that should give the secret away), and even — DVD’s. That’s right — and I didn’t even have to touch the hardware.

photo credit: You Are The Conductor..

I’m no expert. I’m just an ordinary guy — probably a bit nerdier, but still pretty ordinary. And if I can do it, you most definitely can — so here are a few lessons that I learned along the way.

• Google will be your best friend. That’s right. You’ll get by just typing in ‘(insert gadget name here) modifications’ or ‘(insert gadget name here) hacks’.
• If you fail once, brush yourself off and try it again. And if you fail again, then change something. Or Google it again.
• Forums will be your second-best friend. Register if you have to (I registered anonymously on InsanelyMac). Use their search functions regularly, because you probably won’t have been the first person to experience a certain kind of problem.
• Don’t try modding new gadgets. Unless you can afford to replace it — because typically warranties don’t cover that kind of stuff.
• Don’t be afraid to push it! I remember when I was installing OS X, I installed a bunch of incorrect drivers that eventually required a format. It was discouraging, and I had to start over again, but I remembered that I used to live without it just fine, and so I can continue to live without just fine. If you can’t live without it, then you might want to pay for it (legitimately — not that leveraging is usually illegitimate).
• Not all gadgets can be leveraged — here’s the Herbert rule: if it has a screen/screen output, it can be leveraged.

I’m not sure if anyone’s ever associated the term ‘leveraging’ with ‘gadgets’, but I recently learned of the term in a business course and I wanted to use it. That and the word ‘synergy’ really jumped out at me. If the public demands it, I will begin posting general guides on how to leverage gadgets, so it can be a learned process (these won’t be step-by-step though, I don’t like writing comprehensive stuff — sorry). And even if the public doesn’t demand it, I think I just might.

Sound and aesthetics typically haven’t always fused together in an effective way. Meaning the nicer-looking headphones or earbuds, like the iPod earbuds (admit it, they look alright) can sound terrible while a more simplistic set of headphones (like the Able Planet NC200 set of headphones we’d looked at not too long ago) can produce great sound. Never judge a set of headphones by its looks.

Note: In this review, I use the term ‘headphones’ and ‘earbuds’ interchangeably. I apologize in advance if this causes any confusion, and if it does just substitute the word ‘headphones’ for ‘earbuds’ (or ‘headset’, now that I think about it). Enjoy!

Usually, I don’t bring my Able Planet SG500 set of headphones on a regular day — because I know that:

1. I won’t need its performance.
2. It’s better off I don’t isolate the music, because I like to be aware of my surroundings.
3. I’m scared to look like a doofus and don’t want to get mugged.

Okay, so you might be thinking I’ve got some self-image issues to work out (that’s a whole other discussion) — either way, I’m trying to say that headphones haven’t always looked too hot. It’s not that they shouldn’t — because I think that no matter what happens, in the end, aesthetics do matter. Why have Macbooks sold so well? And iPods? And iPhones? Sure, they’ve got novelty and character — but it’s the streamlined look and feel that Apple’s got mastered. It’s not just Apple, either — a while ago, we looked at the Das Keyboard which nearly knocked my socks off with its performance — but also its flashiness.

Ideally, I’d have a set of headphones that were inconspicuous (yet looked good), but still played good music. I’m no audiophile, but I like to think I can tell the difference between iPod headphones and a live orchestra. So when the opportunity came up for me to have a look at the V-Moda Vibe II set of headphones, I jumped on it. I’d heard great things about the first set of V-Moda Vibe headphones, so I was only expecting more.

A bundle of accessories is included with the V-Moda Vibe II headphones.

Design

It’s freaking beautiful. I know it sounds cliche — but nothing else comes to mind. It’s just…beautiful. I think that the V-Moda Vibe II set of headphones is…really flashy. Seriously, I could see a celebrity or a model wearing the set of headphones.

I received the ‘Nero’ version of the Vibe II, and I approve. Its chrome touches match the black very well, giving it a more ‘sophisticated’ look in comparison to other sets of earbuds.

I was really impressed by the ‘versatility’ of the Vibe II earbuds — originally, since they were designed as a really, really fancy headset for the iPhone (and Blackberries), I would have assumed that the mic would be a pain in the ass and doubly as annoying if one didn’t have an iPhone to use it with. I can’t say that I like it, but it’s really not that noticeable. It blends in well with the rest of the Vibe II, and is positioned perfectly for me to speak into without using my hands to lift it up, like I see so many people having to do awkwardly with their Sony Ericsson headsets (hypothetically, since I don’t have a phone compatible with it).

The other piece of the Vibe II that I was initially a bit iffy about would be the call answering button. I thought it was weird how V-Moda decided to separate the mic from the ‘answer’ button, but it actually turned out to be quite a good idea — it’s very inconspicuous and doubles as a piece to secure the earbuds — adding to the build quality.

The Vibe II seems to be very sturdy, and it comes with a great case to shield it from travel damage. The case is made of leather, and again, really contributes to the ‘sophisticated’ and ‘fashionable’ feel of the Vibe II earbuds. I’m actually also a really big fan on the case, because it’s just..sweet, haha. I’ve wanted a case that could contain my earbuds/headphones safely for a long time, and I could never find one, which makes this one all the more enjoyable.

V-Moda was considerate enough to include both white-coloured earbud slips (they go over the actual speakers) and black ones — 4 different pairs of each colour, accomodating 99% of mankind’s ear sizes. I found that the default set fit into my ears pretty well, so I didn’t bother changing it. Taking them off (for cleaning — because they do go deep in the ear) was a bit of a pain, because they seemed really fragile and I didn’t want to cause any damage, but they turned out fine (for now). Putting them back over the speakers went a lot more smoothly.

The V-Moda Vibe IIs also introduced two very interesting features to me — the first being its threaded wiring, which makes it more durable in comparison to typical rubber wiring.

The second would have to be the interesting headphone connector design — I haven’t seen anything like it before, but it really makes sense and functions well. It’s a great balance between the pure 90-degree headphone connector (like the JVC Gumy headphones, which I thought was awkwardly fitting and also a bit susceptible to wear and tear), and the straight-up plug-in headphone connectors (like the iPod headphone connector, which would be very susceptible to wear and tear).

Sound Isolation

The V-Moda Vibe II uses a more passive form of sound isolation — because they go in-ear, they don’t need an active filtering system like LYNX Audio to cancel out noise. I did find this to be equally as effective though, because I couldn’t hear people standing eight feet from me carry a conversation (their voices became barely distinguishable when they were four feet from me) while I was listening to music on my Dell Inspiron 6400 at 1% of Windows Vista volume in Windows Media Player.

I was initially a bit skeptical about how well these in-ear headphones would feel; I always had the notion that in-ear headphones felt a lot more intrusive and disturbing, and would fall out a lot. Although they did fall out quite a bit (sporting clips included to solve that problem), the ‘proper’ way to put the Vibe II earbuds would ensure that they stayed in your ear. I never really got around to using that method, because I grew tired of trying to learn how and I personally thought those sport clips looked really cheezy (plus I couldn’t put them on very well…my hand eye co-ordination isn’t the greatest).

I had trouble hearing a lot of things that were going on around me, which got to a tipping point when I couldn’t hear a telephone on my desk (of course, I’m kind of easily swept away by music). But in all honesty, the background noises were masked very well by the V-Moda Vibe II in-ear headphones — for better, or for worse.

Sound Quality

I’m going to say straight up — they were good, but they weren’t really that outstanding. Don’t get me wrong — the sound was rich and there weren’t many tinny or weak spots, but I just expected more from the V-Moda Vibe IIs. Then again, sound testing is very subjective — and I’m not always the most accurate judge (hey, I’m just a man).

Again, same ol’ test playlist:

• Back in Black by AC/DC (for the guitar intro)
• Devil’s got a New Disguise by Aerosmith (electric guitar performance)
• Good Life by Kanye West featuring T-Pain (bass)
• Janie’s got a Gun by Aerosmith (vocals)
• Live & Let Die by Guns N’ Roses (instruments)
• Live Your Life by T.I. featuring Rihanna (bass)
• Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses (guitar solo)
• This Love by Maroon 5 (vocals and instruments)
• Whatever You Like by T.I. (synthesizer and bass)

For one thing, I expected punchier bass. The bass was already quite strong on the V-Moda Vibe II set of headphones, but it just lacked the punchiness that would have made it perfect.

Songs with midrange and treble were reproduced quite well with the V-moda Vibe IIs. In fact, the midrange really stood out for me — acoustic/electric guitars sounded very clear. I think that the snare drums weren’t very distinct though, but that could’ve been a file/encoding issue.

What’s the Verdict?

In comparison to the Able Planet NC200 set of headphones I took a look at earlier this year, I would say that the V-Moda Vibe IIs can stand their ground. They’re a lot more portable, fashionable, and produce comparable sound quality — which says a lot. However, the V-Moda Vibe II set of headphones were not as comfortable, and personally I felt that the the NC200s produced a punchier bass, which I really look for in headphones (I feel that it’s overlooked sometimes).

And although I love its fancy designs, personally, I feel that if you don’t care about aesthetics as much and you want better sound quality, you’d be better off with another set of headphones (Able Planet NC200?).

No, I’m not another Playstation/Sony fanboy. No, I don’t own a PS3. No, I don’t have a Blu-Ray player. But I have to admit – doggone it, Sony seems to just have the formula for success. A year ago, the name PS3 would bring stenches of failure and skepticism. Now, the PS3 carries a much more appealing vibe – but how did Sony do it? From what I’ve seen and thought about, I’ve come up with 3 main factors:

Source: http://blog.chip.de/xbox-ps3-watch-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/meri-final-fantasy-xiii.jpg

1. Exclusive AAA Games

• God of War III
  • Planned to be released exclusively for the PS3 in 2009, you can definitely expect God of War III to cook up a few hundred (or thousand, even) units being sold.
• Gran Turismo 5
  • A friend of mine very recently ditched his Wii for a new PS3 (traitor). I asked him why he’d make such a ludicrous decision, and he told me that his favourite game Gran Turismo 5 was coming out for the PS3 soon. I guess that’s a valid choice on his part – after all, he did end up spending $300 on a steering wheel and a set of brakes. Wow.
• Final Fantasy XIII
  • My personal favourite will have to be Final Fantasy XIII – I played Final Fantasy X and that really drew me into the genre. Either way, it’s still a definite force to be reckoned with and I think that it’ll be something to look forward to. Hopefully some of you out there will agree with me.

Source: http://z.about.com/d/playstation/1/7/U/6/Img3669_tif_jpgcopy.jpg

2. Blu-Ray Player

With HD-DVD out of the picture, and Sony consistently marketing the PS3 doubling as a Blu-Ray player, the PS3 will definitely sell a lot more units. Being amongst the most affordable Blu-Ray players on the market (sadly), the PS3 could very possibly be the media-powerhouse of “next-gen” consoles. Heck, even Microsoft plans to integrate a Blu-Ray player into the next generation of their Xbox 360.

Source: http://www.cheaplaptops.org.uk/wp-content/laptopimg/2007/09/ps3.jpg

3. Pricing

The most major factor in this the transformation has to have been the change in pricing. By halving the price and the overkill specifications, as well as the drop in hardware prices, Sony has been able to manipulate the prices so that they become more affordable – somewhat in the range that the Nintendo Wii resides in. I find that this reason alone made it all the more appealing for me to entertain the idea of purchasing a PS3 – and thus, I think that this is the killer reason to get the PS3. The introduction of the 40GB version really popularized the PS3, and it earned a new place on the shelf next to the Nintendo Wii. Heck, I might even get a PS3 thanks to the price drop (I’m a starving artist, despite what you think).

Not only did Sony prove the general public wrong, they also retained their established position as a household, widely-known, mainstream household brand. By turning the PS3 around, they’ve found an alternate method to continue to generate income, and also continued the reputation of the Playstation legacy. Despite being a Wii supporter, I’ve owned a PSone and PS2 before, so it’s very possible that I continue my own Playstation journey with a PS3.

Breaking news just now, the Format War is (almost) over. Toshiba has allegedly backed out on its own creation, HD-DVD, leaving Sony and the Blu-Ray format the last man standing, triumphant even through the thick and the thin. What’s the matter? Why did Toshiba exit the battlefield? And how did Sony plan such a strategy, to ensure its victory? Just a few points to consider:

• Even though Toshiba might have won the war, Sony’s Blu-Ray discs would still have been used for Playstation 3 games – giving it some insurance.
• Speaking of the Playstation 3, it sure is one hell of a gaming console, but doubled as a Blu-ray player – meaning not only was it a great bang for a buck, it also enabled hardcore gamers to experience the Blu-ray definition on the side.
• Toshiba’s gaming counterpart, Microsoft, really did not take much of a role into pushing HD-DVD out there, whereas Sony did relatively well in promoting their own format.
• The initial disappointment with the Playstation 3 resulted in a stalemate in the format wars. However, as the popularity of the Playstation 3 grew, the popularity of Blu-ray grew right along with it.
• The Blu-ray disc looked much stronger on paper – and even though that doesn’t exactly ensure a victory, it sure gives it the edge when comparing storage capacities and bandwidth.

Source: http://digital-lifestyles.info/copy_images/blu-ray-japan-sales-lg.jpg

It’s safe to say that you can go out and purchase a Blu-ray player or a PS3 now. If you ask me, what really pushed Toshiba over the edge would either be Warner Bros. abandoning it, Wal-Mart abandoning it, or NetFlix abandoning it (er, it’s not very likely, but NetFlix does have some influence right?). Or Best Buy abandoning it. Either way, we all saw the walls crumble in recent news.