Tag Archives: gadgets
Gadgets

Ooops! Apple Did It Again

By on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

I for one was eagerly waiting for the release of the SDK for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. I generally don’t like Apple products. I find them to too cutesy and dainty. I prefer my gadgets to be practical, tough, waterproof, and just works. But I am aware of the potential of the two aforementioned devices, especially the iPod Touch. And with the SDK, this potential would be unlocked.

But I forgot Apple’s history. When the SDK was released a few days ago, it immediately drew criticism due to it’s many restrictions. The last time Apple did this was 1984 when the Mac came out. Back then, it had the potential to take over the the personal computer market. But Apple chose to keep it closed and proprietary and eventually the Mac became just a niche product for the artsy fartsy intellectual wannabee crowd.

Maybe things will be different this time around since the iPod is essentially the quintessential media player. But unless Apple mends its ways, it’s goodbye iPod Touch for me. Too bad, it would have been great.

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Gadgets

Micro microSD Reader

By on Sunday, March 9, 2008

cdrkingmicrosdreader.jpgWhen I recently got a microSD, one of the things I did was to research for a USB microSD reader. I found the really nice Greenhouse microSD Reader online and at Galleria but it was P450 each! I also found the Kingston USB microSD Reader online but doesn’t seem to be available at local stores.

Then this afternoon, I saw a clone version of it at CD-R King, purveyor of cheap (and sometimes unreliable) CDRs, DVDRs, and electronic gadgets. But I thought what the heck. How many ways can you go wrong with a card reader, anyway? And besides, it’s just P150. So I got one :D

Physically, the CD-R King reader is exactly the same as the Kingston. It’s not as small as the Greenhouse but it’s small enough at just about the size of the USB connector. It also has a protective plastic shell so you can just keep your microSD in the reader and you have a USB flash drive.

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Gadgets

Asus EEE PC 900

By on Thursday, March 6, 2008

asuseeepc900.jpgThe Asus EEE PC 900 has been shown by Asus at CeBIT 2008. It’s got the same small and cute form factor as the originals but now has an 8.9″ screen, 1GB or RAM, and 12GB SSD. Those are exactly what I’ve been waiting for! Time to start saving up.

More info here and video here.

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Gadgets

Pentax K100D Storage and Firmware Upgrade

By on Sunday, March 2, 2008

Picked up a SanDisk 4GB microSDHC package to upgrade the storage capacity of my Pentax K100D. The package because contains a 4GB microSD, an SD adapter, and a USB SD reader so I figured it’s a good deal. As soon as I got home I excitedly plugged the microSD into the adapter and the adapter into the camera. Memory card error. WTH? I removed the adapter, plugged it into the reader, and plugged that into the PC. Works fine. I did a search and discovered that, as I suspected, the camera does not support SDHC! Fortunately, there is a version 1.02 firmware update that provides support for SDHC. I promptly downloaded and started the update. After a few tense minutes (there is always that risk of turning your beloved electronic gadget into a brick) the update completed. I restarted the camera and lo and behold: 1386 photos at highest resolution and best quality!

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Gadgets

Asus Eee

By on Saturday, January 12, 2008

asuseepc.jpgYesterday, as I was heading out for lunch, I encountered Tessa at the elevator lobby. She was carrying this small black neoprene case that almost without a doubt contained an electronic gadget. From the dimensions, I concluded that it was an Asus Eee which I’ve heard and read quite a bit about. But to be sure, I asked her and she confirmed that it is indeed an Eee. We talked about it a bit but since lunch was waiting, I scheduled a visit with her for later in the afternoon. As soon as I got some free time, I went up to her office and played around with the Eee.

The Eee is a diminutive device. It is around an inch thick and about the size of A5 paper and quite light. But it seems well-built and quite robust. The screen is small but quite usable especially when applications are in full screen mode. The keyboard is also small but still quite usable. The 900MHz processor is not too powerful and the 512MB RAM not too big but the response of applications is quite snappy. The storage is a (surprise!) small at 4GB, but quite fast since it is solid state (i.e. flash-based). If you need more, you’ll need to use external storage via up to three USB ports. But then again, most everything are stored online these days. Speaking of online it has both wired and wireless network interfaces.

But here’s the killer: It’s Linux-based! I know what you’re thinking. That it would be a complex beast. But no, it is actually seems quite easy to use. It has two mode: simple mode and full mode. In simple mode you’re presented with a very simple tabbed menu with large icons that even a grandma would like. Full mode, on the other hand, is the traditional Linux GUI with access to the applications you expect including my favorite: ssh. Oh yeah!

Do I like it? Hell yeah! But being new to the market, it’s still a bit expensive for my liking. But if someone were to gift me one, I wouldn’t say no. The black one please!

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