BlackBerry Curve 8520

BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370

By next month (September), Research in Motion will release the newest version of the BlackBerry Curve family, the 9350/9360/9370. This entry level smartphone has also the latest update of BlackBerry’s operating system which is the OS 7.0 This BB Curve is different from the previous models. The first thing that you’ll notice is the design of this smartphone because it is only 0.43 inches thin and very lightweight. Also RIM decided to remove the music keys that were seen from the old models to this new Curve and added a 5.0 megapixel camera with flash. I heard also that these 3 versions will all support 4G and have 512MB of internal storage. I’m deciding already to get a new model of this Curve but what’s holding me back is that I’m still satisfied with my BlackBerry Curve 8520.

Working in an I.T. department and sharing technical knowledge with my expert co-workers helped me to decide to change my preferred phone brand to BlackBerry. I was able to get my 8520 Curve from my post paid plan and right from the start, using this smartphone made me realized (with advised from a friend) that I am true fanatic now of Blackberry. I even purchased a book to get more information and tips for this phone. The 8520 is a budget QWERTY phone minus 3G but with WiFi capability. It is pre-installed with an operating system ver. 4.6 but can be upgraded to OS 5. By the way, this Curve was the first model to have the optical trackpad used mainly in navigating tab functions and helpful as a cursor for browsing the internet. The music buttons are present on top acting as a shortcut key for quickly playing videos and songs. At the left side part, you can see the headphone jack and, micro USB port and one of the two miscellaneous buttons which I configured used as a shortcut for BB’s music player. If you look on the right side portion, there is the volume rocker and the other miscellaneous button which this time I applied as a snapshot for a point and shoot device. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 has a 2.0MP camera without flash that I only use for quickshots because it cannot be a replacement digital camera.  In front, you will see the keypad that you’ll immediately distinguished that this phone is made for business. Initially, my first experienced in typing words for SMS in BB Curve was difficult because during that time I was still familiarized with the keypad of a standard mobile phone. But now, I can say I’m already a skilled user starting from sending emails to entering combination of characters like in BB messenger.

The 8520 BlackBerry Curve

BB's basic music player

Aside from having a well-built smartphone, the great news of getting a BB Curve 8520 is the BlackBerry Internet Service and the applications that you can download from the App World. Just a reminder, the Internet Service of BlackBerry is not free however you only need to spend a small amount to get unlimited access for social sites. As for my BIS, I have the BB Social which I activated from my telco provider and to ultimately experience this service, what I did was to download social networking sites such as Twitter, for sending tweets to my followers and follow individual activities, Uber Social App which is much easier to use since it has a simple interface and of course! Facebook which has a new version 2.0 For messaging, the 8520 comes already with BlackBerry messenger which I truly liked especially for communicating with other BlackBerry users and “BB groups” updates and discussions. Yahoo messenger, Google Talk and other instant messengers are also installed but again you need to turn on first BB Social to use them indefinitely. Words are not enough to express how much fun I’m having with this phone from its design, features and services. Honestly, I recommend this to my friends because of the benefits they can get from this phone or maybe you!

 

 

ASUS K42F-VX138 (Intel core i3 2.4 ghz, 2gb ram, 320gb HDD)

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011, the largest event for tech shows showcased the newest version of different laptops by several manufacturers such as DELL, Samsung, Lenovo and HP. The event also introduced the 2nd generation of Intel’s Sandy Bridge chips that can be tested to the latest desktops computers. Many kinds of tablets were also present in the said tech expo in order to compete to Apple’s Ipad like the Dell Streak and Blackberry Playbook. Honestly, in this year 2011 there are countless tech gadgets that we can choose from to satisfy are technical and computing needs that’s why I’m glad that I purchased my first laptop as my Christmas gift so that I can used it for my daily needs.

The ASUS K42F

The sexy glossy finish cover

From unboxing the ASUS K42F, I appreciated the manufacturer because of the simplicity on how the unit was packaged and it was also able to include a separate box for the battery pack and a strap for the power cord. The first thing I noticed when I held this laptop is the attractive glossy finish of the lid and it only weighs 2.2 kg aprrox. 5.0 lbs. with battery attached to it, still manageable to carry but compared to other laptops it is heavier. Almost all of the ports are available, if you are holding it facing the front you can see on the right side panel the DVD drive capable of playing multiple CD and DVD formats, one USB 2.0 port and the power cord plug used in connecting the AC adapter. If you look at the left side portion you can spot the headphone-out jack, two USB 2.0 ports and HDMI port. And at the very front side, there is the card reader that I hardly noticed used in inserting different types of memory cards for expandable storage. The battery at the back is a 6-cell battery pack capable of running this notebook for at least 3 to 4 hours but most of the time I’l just use this for indoor meaning I just removed the battery then plugged the AC adapter as a desktop replacement. Keypad wise I’m impressed because it has spacious keys suitable for typing each letters faster and some of the keys have blue characters used in activating the shortcut keys for example by pressing FN + F11/F12 will lower and increase the volume of the internal speaker. As for the touchpad, I rarely use this because I still haven’t learn the multitouch feature so I just use my trusted wireless mouse  as my pointing device. By the way, ASUS K42F has an Intel core i3-370M, 2.4 ghz processor with built in VGA (Intel GMA HD) capable of producing high definition videos and can also play standard games like Torchlight. Aside from that, it has a 14 inch HD LED backlit display that is convenient to watch at. It is also installed with Altec Lansing speakers for audio however from a heavy metal fanatic opinion it is not enough in genetating loud sound even if the volume is on the highest setting so I just bought a separate speaker for this. As for the softwares, it comes with DVD drivers used in installing the operating systems and to turn on some of the features of this notebook for example the Facial Recognition Logon used for security that replaces the basic BIOS password that you just need to look at the preinstalled webcam to boot up this computer. For the mean time, I can say that the K42F did respond very for all my needs. I hope that my new notebook will last much longer as ASUS declares that their laptops have lower malfunction rate after 3 years of usage.

Very smooth keypad and multiple trackpad

The right side ports including the DVD drive

The left side ports with HDMI

 

Ipod Touch (4th generation)

King of Kings: The Ipod Touch

From my previous blog about media players, the Ipod Touch is still the beast as the best digital audio players around the globe. Apple Inc. did not fail most users in providing top of the line products including this device and by the way the company has just released the fourth generation of the Ipod Touch minus the call and GPS features found in the Iphone 4. Let us find out what are the reasons why the Ipod Touch are well recognized by different people. The newer model of the Ipod touch has a high resolution retina display the same as the Iphone 4 where in, it is still fit to use outdoor because you can still see clearly the applications you’re using even in direct sunlight. Also you will recognize immediately the front camera that is missing from the older models. At the back, you can see the desirable glossy silver cover and 2 added features which are the HD camcorder and built in microphone. Below the unit, there is the dock connector,  standard 3.5 mm headphone minijack and a tiny speaker which I can say one of the cons of the Ipod Touch because when I matched this up to my cellphone it produces lower sound even in the highest volume. For the applications, well I have no doubts why this player is the best choice because of the millions apps you can download from the Apple store and also if you’re primary concern is music you can go directly to iTunes. One of the apps that is already installed from the device is Face Time used for video calls that you can access through WiFi. If you want to use this mainly as a video player, you will never regret in downloading the VLC app because it supports almost all video and audio formats. As a gaming device, Sony and Nintendo needs to cope up quickly because the Ipod Touch is starting to steal the market share in terms of portable games. And at the same time you dont need to purchase the games separately because from what I said there are many titles to choose from online (free or paid). From what I surveyed  over the Internet, the best looking games that you can download both for Iphone and Ipod Touch are Rage HD that will cost you for $1.99, it is a first person shooter set in a post apocalyptic time and Infinity Blade that you just need to ignore the price tag because of its awesome graphics even if played only in a small screen. But, if you’re a casual gamer don’t forget to check out Angry Birds, it’s a game that you will have a second thought if you want to mess up with birds. It also has a Game Center app which you can compete to other gamers, you just need to have an account to access this. There are still many things to say about the Ipod Touch but it is much better for you to try this portable device in order for you to feel the great experience what most users had felt. Kudos to Steve Jobs!

The high resolution retina display

The newer version of the Ipod touch has a back camera used for HD recording

Nokia E72

Who do you think is the best manufacturer of cellphones right now? Is it the cream of the crop Apple Inc. which just launced the Iphone 4? Is it the combine effort of Google and HTC which manufactures touchscreen smartphones with built in Android operating system? Is it the trust and tested Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry phones for sending emails? Is it the Palm WebOS which was acquired recently by HP known for using different applications at the same time (multitasking)? or Is it still the Finnish company Nokia which is the leading maker of mobile phones worldwide according to different surveys. In my opinion, it will always depends on the users which type of phone they can completely handle everyday when it comes to personal or work usages and if you are searching for a smartphone that will accommodate all your personal or business needs, you can try the Nokia E72.

Nokia E72

The QWERTY keypad & optical trackpad

The E72 is the follow up to E71 and from the outside appearance from these two phones they are almost alike that you need to look closer to see the differences between the two phones. The design of E72 is very similar to other smartphones in which you can easily identify that it is a smartphone because it has a wider body and a QWERTY keypad but the first thing I noticed immediately from the design is the metallic cover of the battery at the back which set it apart from other competitors and remains pocketable. The operating system of this phone is Symbian 9.3, series 60 3rd edition which I think needs a complete overhaul even though Nokia just released the latest version of it’s OS which is Symbian^3 but still there are more features that are satisfying in this phone. One of this is the Mode Switch for changing two homescreen setups that you can swap for personal or business use. It also comes with built in office document editor including (MS Office 2007) that you don’t need to purchase separately compared to other Nokia phones. When it comes to web browsing experience, still manageable although it is not a touchscreen phone it was able to provide good results especially if you’re watching videos over the Internet for example YouTube because it offers full flash support but much better to download a 3rd party application as a web browser like Opera Mini. In using the Nokia E72, the keypad is user friendly where in you can type each letter easily in sending messages and at the same time the optical trackpad which many users are frustrated did not bother me because I was able to navigate different menus quickly by swiping my fingers on it but if you are not contented using this you can just turn it off. The other key feature that I had fun with is the flashlight that you can activate by pressing the spacebar on the keypad and you can see this illuminating at the LED flash which can replace a standard flashlight. The camera on E72 has a 5 megapixel autofocus that provides excellent image quality results and it was also able to include in changing the color tone of the picture you’re going to take. In playing audio in E72, Nokia always ensure not to disappoint on this category, creating a great audio player including its loudspeaker function. For navigation, it is bundled with GPS that you can access freely to Ovi Maps and for entertainment, for example you are in a long  line waiting for your turn, you can just grab your E72 and play 2 preinstalled time waster games which are Block Cascade Fusion and Top Hit Solitare but if you are not happy with these games you can just download more games to Ovi store but don’t forget to register first. All in all  the E72 is a good smartphone capable of performing outstanding outcomes especially for business users. Actually, Nokia already has a newer model for its E series which is the E73 but this time I’m expecting a small favor from Nokia which is to include a DVD in installing the softwares needed so that a user mobile device can communicate to his computer such as Ovi Suite without looking for it in the memory card.

The 5.0 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash

One of the main menu view of E72

 

Apple Macbook (Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD)

Apple Inc. is planning to release an upgraded version of their iMac desktop that has a touchscreen functionality that you can still use as a regular desktop using the Mac OS when it is on upright but when you swivel it down it works like a big Ipad. Aside from Apple’s iMac, the company is also known for their laptop products including the Macbook Pro which garner great reviews for it’s features and usages specially for professional laptop users and as for moderate users, Apple Inc. has the Macbook.

13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display

side ports including HDMI

The Apple Macbook is a compact laptop because it only weighs 4.7 pounds that you can simply carry out from anywhere you go and it can slid to any type of laptop bags since it’s 1.08 inches thin only. The display of Macbook is 13.3 inches diagonally and it is a LED-backlit glossy widescreen display for less power consumption. This laptop has an Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26ghz) inside that is suitable for basic productivity such as web browsing, email/chat, audio/video entertainment and applications that are used in work. When it comes to graphics and video support, Macbook has a NVIDIA Ge Force (320m graphics processor with 256mb of ddr3) which I think right now is the recommended video processor for most laptops makers. Actually, I enjoyed watching my sister playing Plants vs. Zombies because of the game graphics using her Macbook. As for input, it has a multi-touch trackpad for simple but accurate control like the point and click and dragging abilities that you can apply in several programs. According to Apple’s website, the Macbook has a lithium-polymer battery that runs for 10 hours and if you are just using this for indoor it comes with a power adapter for much longer use. The Macbook is pre-installed with the Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard and aside from that it also comes with different applications for example Apple’s internet browser Safari, QuickTime as a media player and the equivalent of Windows Messenger which is the iChat. For communications, it has a built in Wi-Fi 802.11n that is compatible still to 802.11 a/b/g and a Bluetooth version 2.1 for transferring files, songs, videos and photos wirelessly and for connections this notebook includes 2 USB ports (it could have been 3), HDMI port for connecting your LCD or LED TVs and the standard audio in/out. Apple’s Macbook surelly delivers in terms of the design, features and performance. However there are 2 downsides which Apple should consider for future upgrades of their Macbooks, replacement of the internal battery and additional slot for memory cards.

comfortable full-size keyboard and precise multi-touch trackpad

side DVD slot

A4Tech Mk-650 Metallic earphone & Genius SP-i160 portable speaker

When I purchased my cellphone, it comes with a stereo headset however I’m not pleased with the design & audio quality with this accessory so I used my spare Creative earphone that was never been use completely brand new but after two months of usage I was able to hear static sound coming out so again it is time to find a replacement. I was considering to try out another Creative product which is the EP-630 (in-ear earphone) since it has a noise cancellation capability but the price tag is expensive for me luckily, I stumbled upon the A4Tech Mk-650 Metallic earphone. This earphone also has a noise isolation feature that reduces background noise that is important to me specially when I’m going to work. I’m amazed with the design of it and even though it is metallic it’s lightweight at the same time very cheap and it will provide you as well astounding bass once you use this earplug. I also acquired the Genius SP-i160 portable speaker so that I can use it while I am relaxing inside my room listening to my favorite Heavy Metal songs. This portable speaker can be adjusted to expand its sound coverage and suitable for gadgets that have standard 3.5 mm audio jack such as Ipods, digital audio players, cellphones and notebooks. The manufacturer also manage to include a mini jack converter that you can plug for those devices that have built-in 2.5 mm audio jack. I highly recommend to check out these two Taiwan company based products. I’m pretty sure you will not regret them.

A4Tech Mk-650 Metallic earphone

Genius SP-i160 portable speaker

FHM Collections

Everyone of us tried to collect different stuffs such as toys, vintage cars, old coins, postage stamps, books and other things that interest us. Fortunately, I maintained collecting magazines not only just ordinary magazines but the fastest selling magazine in the country which is For Him Magazine in short FHM. I started collecting FHM in the year 2005. During that time it only cost 120 pesos then they changed it to 125 pesos because of the economic recession I think and there our times that it will cost you 150 pesos for special issues like “The 100 Sexiest Women in the World” every year and special collectors issue which FHM celebrated their 10th year anniversary last month. FHM mag focuses mainly on every aspect of a man’s life that’s why this glossy magazine features women celebrities, sports, cars, dating and relationship tips, sex stories, gimik guides, entertainment, etc… I enjoyed personally reading interviews of sexy ladies of course! with good personalities, ladies confessions, current events, game and movie reviews, FHM letters and as a tech enthusiast, I always check first their latest gadget reviews from which I get some ideas. I will continue to collect this magazine as long as it exists and maybe this year I can attend to their 100 Sexiest Women in the World party. More power to FHM!

My FHM collections...

Gadget ideas!

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic

The Christmas season is already over and I think almost all of us were able to received gifts particularly to those people who are tech lovers which they were hoping to get the hottest smartphones, plasma/LCD or the latest LCD 3D TVs, game consoles (PS3 slim, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii), digital audio players (Ipod Touch or Zune HD) or even the newest operating system of Microsoft which is Windows 7. So as a gift for myself, I bought the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic. This is to replace my old cellphone and Mp3 player which this phone both possess when it comes to usages.

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic

The Nokia 5630 belongs to Nokia’s  XpressMusic family (Nokia 5130, 5800, etc…) which focuses on playing different audio formats and designed with dedicated music keys for easy access in playing your preferred music. I checked several websites for cellphone reviews and found out that this phone is considered as one of the smallest smartphone in the market today, running with the Symbian OS S60. Aside from being an XpressMusic, it has a built in WiFi for web browsing experience and full support for flash and java content in viewing videos in the Internet. Also Nokia was able to include a mobile office as a document viewer for Word, Excel and Powerpoint and PDF files but in order for you to edit document files for example file name .doc, you need to purchase the complete application to Nokia download center (Ovi store). Since I also wanted to replace my previous PDA, the Nokia 5630 functions as an organizer starting from calendar activities (monthly, weekly and daily), events setup such as to do list until to adding important notes in the phone.

I’m impressed with the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic features and since this cellphone is a Mp3 phone, I was able to listen to Heavy Metal songs with good audio quality but I was anticipating that you can adjust the volume much higher especially listening to loud music. In terms of Internet mainly video streaming (You Tube) I was pleased because you can watch a video on a Real player mode that you just need to wait for a couple of minutes for the video to buffer then after that it will continuously play. The only thing that confuses me right now in using this phone are the applications that you can utilize with the unit such as the Nokia Ovi Suite that you need some time to learn each uses of the program. But all in all, I’m satisfied with the performance of the phone I got.

Consumer Electronics Live 2009

Last November 14, I’ve been to World Trade Center (Manila) for the Consumer Electronics Live 2009 (CEL09). It’s the local version of CES in the U.S.. It’s my second year to be there in the Biggest Tech Expo Show in the Philippines. There were several consumer electronic manufacturers and distributors that I checked such as Philips and Canon (which I think were the 2 largest booth in the event) Lenovo, Electroworld and Silicon Valley. Aside from gagdet shows, there were also auto shows which I was able to photographed the 5th generation of Chevrolet Camaro(Bumblebee from the Transformers films), free seminars particularly tech blogs and techno-anime cosplay contest. So here are some of the gagdets that I test out:

Dell Adamo XPS

The Adamo XPS is the thinnest, ultraportable laptop made by Dell to rival Apple Macbook Air or MSI X-slim series. This laptop has a 13.4 inch widescreen / 16:9 HD display and its 9.99 mm thinness. It is powered by 1.4ghz Intel Core 2 Duo and the good news is it’s already pre-installed with  the lastest operating system of Microsoft which is Windows 7 Home Premium version 64-bit.

Buffalo Ministation

In order for us to store large amounts of data that we can carry anywhere especially for office presentations we need a portable external hard drive. The Buffalo Ministation(Metro portable HD) is an external hard disk that has a storage capacity ranging from 250gb to 750gb. This external storage features Bumper Body Shock protection that protects the device from data damage and it is surrounded by rubberized protectors for anti-shock. It’s also USB-powered which means you don’t need a separate power supply very fitting for laptop users. There are 3 available colors to choose from Black / Red / White.

Oakley O ROKR Pro

Since rainy season is over and summer is just around the corner, a pair of sunglasses with built in MP3 player would be your investment this coming summer. Oakley’s O ROKR Pro is not only an eyewear with built in audio player but it’s also Bluetooth enabled that you can answer incoming calls wirelessly and if you have an Ipod that has a Bluetooth adapter connected on it you can listen to your music without the messy wires or cords. Oakley also designed this eyewear with a Hydrophobic element that is resistant to water, skin oils and dust.

Verzio Skii

Verzio Duplii Exec

Verzio has released two mobile phones in the market, the Verzio Skii and Duplii Exec. The Verzio Skii has a multi-touch panel that are intented for buyers looking for cheap cellphones that have touchscreen capabilities. This basic phone also provides MP3 and MPEG-4 player user interface. While the Verzio Duplii Exec is equipped with a 3G for video call and conferencing. The rear camera is 3 megapixel while the front camera is 0.3 megapixel. By the way, Verzio is known for producing cellphones which you can  use two different sims at the same time (Duo 2.0 sims) that these two phones also have.  You can get additional information to their products by going to their website www.Verzio.com.

Ozaki iMini Pet

If you’re planning to buy a gift this coming Christmas suitable for kids you can try out the Ozaki Imini Pet. This is a Ipod Dock with an alarm clock that has a dancing pet on top which will move in tune to the song that your playing. It is not only for Ipod but you can also use it with Ipod Nano, IPhone and Ipod Touch because it is created with different seating frames applicable for these Ipod players.

I’m looking forward to the next Consumer Electronics Live. Im hoping there will be more gadget shows we can attend here and I’m wishing in the future if that is possible I can go to the Consumer Electronics Show which is the Biggest gathering of tech ethusiasts around the world. See you next year!

Upgrade!

Recently, I upgraded my desktop computer because my old PC does not function properly anymore and I wanted to have a computer that can perform faster responses (web browsing, downloads, etc…). The first thing that I purchased is the MSI K9N6 motherboard. This motherboard has a built in sound card like most other motherboards and a video card. I didn’t get a separate video card since I will not be using my computer for games, media entertainment and photo and video editing. Since, I have a motherboard suited for AMD processors I bought the AMD Athlon X2. Its a 2.7ghz true dual core design and it also has a Cool n Quiet technology feature which I like because everytime I’m using my PC you will not be able to hear any excessive noise coming from the processor. But to achieve the fastest desktop PC I needed, I should have faster memory that’s why I also included to get the Apacer 2gb ddr2 PC800. For internal storage I have the Samsung 80gb harddisk that’s enough for me to temporarily store the files that I downloaded using Limewire. Also as a back up, I bought a HDD IDE 3.5 enclosure to use it for my previous 20gb harddisk. This is where I store my audio and video formats, photos, documents and software installers. Right now, I’m satisfied with the performance of my upgraded PC and hopefully it will last long. How about you what type of desktop computer you dream of?

PC Parts