The Cheap Stuff

This should teach me to buy cheap. Lesson learned I guess.

Over the holidays I bought a 9" Polaroid tablet via Lazada because of the cheap price tag on it: Php 4,149 (US$93.29). For a small tablet I could use primarily as a comic book/ebook reader. Not bad, right?

Unfortunately, I didn't do a physical check of the unit before I bought it-- not even to check at the shops that were selling the product. So when I got the tablet, suffice to say I was pretty disappointed. The Android OS was slow, the touch screen glass wasn't that responsive and could be easily scratched, and the casing was made of plastic so it felt light-- and cheap.

But I made do with it, and at least it was lightweight enough for me to carry around. Unfortunately, one time I knocked my bag which had the tablet against a jeepney handle while I was commuting and-- boom! I later discovered when I got home that the impact had cracked the surface.

Bloody effin cheap stuff. Ah well...

A Non-Geek's Introduction to Smartphones

Remember the Nokia N8 I got? Well, I finally managed to post a review of it on my CNet Asia blog.

My assessment? Here's the conclusion:

So, is it a good phone? Overall, it's a definite yes, though I would say it's not perfect. I've read one non-review online about the N8 and I do think in terms of geek cred, it may not cut the butter. But for those non-tech masses who see phones as just something to use in terms of calling, texting or even as a camera, it's a perfect upgrade into smartphone territory. Which I think is what Nokia's all about anyway.

Thanks to Ed for his most excellent shot of the Nokia N8!

Nokia Phone Home!

Look what showed up yesterday with the delivery man: a Nokia N8.

You can also check it out here and here. Will give it a whirl, the phone review to follow.

The Weekend Flu

Well, more for my computers than for me.

One of my USB flash drives caught something last Friday in an Internet shop and passed it on to my PC, laptop and my other USB flash drive. Unfortunately, I thought my NOD32 anti-virus was good enough to catch those things to begin with. So I spent the whole weekend downloading Malwarebytes, Kaspersky and Superantispyware to flush the damn bugs out.

Fortunately, it seems to have worked as the folders in both my USB flash drives have stopped disappearing right before my eyes. It's also a good thing I backed up all my writing material at the start of year because I lost almost everything in my writing USB flash drive.

The ironic thing was that I haven't written any fiction since then because of work. Funny how things seem to work out, eh?

Happiness is Getting Freebies (Even if Only Temporary)

Nowadays I get to write more than I ever did in my previous job.

But a nice benefit to the work I do are the new gadgets I get to review-- which means I use it until the bosses take it from my (cold, dead) hands to return 'em to the manufacturers.

The first one out of the box was the Windows Optical Wireless Mouse 3000, which was a nice fit for my laptop. Obviously, this was my first experience with a wireless-- what do you expect with a technophobic, penniless cat-- but I had to make sure I wasn't awed out when I did the review. Careful, careful: we are all cool cats here.

Good thing it was easy to use: a couple days with me and I managed to do a review quickly enough. Yes, I was given a two-week duration to check it out. But what the hell, it was a slow period for me and I didn't want to look like I was slacking off before the new bosses.

But the next item I'm set to review is definitely interesting: a Samsung SGH-F250 mobile cell phone. More than a phone, it's a music player with a very distinctive speaker at the back of the slide screen. It will probably take me a while to review this as I've gotten another assignment. (These reviews usually have a 500-word limit while the new one is a six-page tech study.)

In the meantime, I can use my pre-paid Globe chip with this one while I test it out. Unfortunately, I can't get attached to either of these as I still have to return them. No such thing as a free lunch, yes? Still, I wonder when they'll give me a laptop or a game console to review...

Updated to add: Took me a while before I could turn off the T9 predictive text on this one. Grrr. But overall, it's a music player that you could use as a phone. Unfortunately, I'm a Nokia cat through and through so it's back to my old phone for me.

Click Your Pic Old-School

You know the saying that eyes are the windows of the soul? Well, it's time for payback for your eyes.

I'm selling a Minolta Vectis S-1 camera for anyone who's interested. It's a rush sale so the price is negotiable, but let's start with 40% off. Likewise, it's a DSL-type camera though it's not digital. But then again, I know some people still prefer to do the hard work and I understand completely, being the technophobic cat we all know and love.

Here's the specs for the camera:

Type: Single Lens Reflex Autofocus camera body
Manufacturer: Minolta plant in Malaysia
Film Format: Advanced Photo System
ASA/ISO range: available films had 100 to 800 ASA (100 to 400 ASA still available)
Lens Mount: Minolta V-Lenses Bayonet
Modes: programmed modes, fully automatic mode, manual modes
Exposure Metering: TTL with 14 field measuring photo diode, spontaneously switchable to spot metering (button), second 4 field photo diode for TTL flash metering
Focusing: CCD-based phase-detecting TTL autofocus
Shutter speed range: 30 sec. downto 1/2000 sec., with flash 1/125 sec. or slower
Flash: guide number 14, also used as autofocus support light
Weight: 365 g without Lens + Film + 2 × Cr2-Battery
Dimensions: 126,5 x 76,5 x 63,5 mm

If it weren't for the fact that I don't have money now, I'd want to get this. For one, because my old camera conked out on me finally. For two, it's small and handy, as well as being light-weight thanks to its plastic structure.

Interested parties can email me at estranghero at gmail dot com and remember... (*whispers*) it's a rush sale!


Update: Well, I've put it up here and here to sell...