Sony Ericsson Phones in the Da Vinci Code Movie

At last I was able to watch the Da Vinci Code Movie last night! It's a so so movie and well, talking about it here is...well off-topic. What excited me was to see the product placements of Sony Ericsson in the movie, expecially when I saw 2 interesting phones. Robert and Captain Fasche was using a SE K600i, 3G UMTS, Msgr. Aringarosa was using a SE Z500 and then there was this guy in the bus who was using a recently-announced phone (in fact I think Sony Ericsson announced it on the day when the movie was released), it's the new walkman phone the SE W850.

Load up...Surf up at Caltex Stations

Soon access to the World Wide Web will be easier in Caltex stations as Airborne Access, the Wi-Fi provider arm of PLDT, has signed an aggreement with Chevron, the owner of Caltex stations in the Philippines. The aim is to make all the Star Mart, Caltex's convenient stores a hotspot, where anybody with a wireless capable computer, or handheld can connect and surf the net. Right now, Airborne Access is offering as low as P100 for one hour to go online.

3G plus Walkman with the new Sony Ericsson W850

Sony Ericsson is really on the roll with another Walkman phone. The W850, it's a slider, a music player, a mobile phone with UMTS and tri-band capacity, a 2.0 megapixel camera with a lot more extras. It has gone away with the dust-collecting joy stick and has redesigned the d-pad.

SONY ERICSSON release a SPORTY CLAMSHELL

Sony Ericsson released the W710, a clamshell that sports a rugged appearance. It's another walkman phone so it's cool hehehe, with EDGE, Memory Stick micro for expansion and 2.0 megapixek camera, not yet sure if it will support the A2DP Bluetooth stereo.

NO Laptop on your LAP

With the complete transition of Apple computers to the Intel platform, they now have to address the most pressing problem that have been giving high end Mac owners the heat. I'm talking about the heat problems of the high end PowerBooks and now both the MacBookPro and the MacBook is experiencing. In fact the heating is so extensive that Apple has included a warning in the Manuals of the said new Macs. Even the "laptop" word has not been mentioned in the manuals. So if I were you, always be ready with the ice packs and burn creams, because, the lap-burns will surely set you out from the rest.

Palm Treo 700p

Palm released the newest addition to the Treo Line, the Treo 700p. It follows the launching of the Treo 700w which runs Windows Mobile. This new Treo is Palm's commitment to the Palm OS, to the simplicity of the OS, incidentally, this is also Palm's way recognizing the niche group that is loyal to the Palm OS. Even with the release of the Windows Mobile version, which catered mostly to the corporate/enterprise market maily because of it's capability to work with Microsoft servers used by these big corporations, the Palm OS version caters to the individual users who wants ease of use and simplicity on their smartphones. The Treo 700p runs on Palm OS 5.4.9 on 312MHz Intel XScale processor with a total 128MB total non-volatile memory (60MB user accessible), with the following features, EVDO high speed connection, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera and exapansion through an SD slot. The screen is a high resolution 320x320 which is slightly better than the Windows counterpart. 

Hello MacBook

Apple today announced their latest addition to their line of portable computers, the MacBook. It's the replacement to the aging iBook, and this time, it comes in two colors, a white and black one. It only comes in one screen size which is 13.1 inches, has all the bells and whistle of a new generation Mac such as, an Intel Dual Core processor, glossy screen, MagSafe power connector, built-in iSight, Bluetooth, Airport Extreme, Front Row remote and of course Tiger OS.

SONY VAIO UX Micro PC

Reminiscent of the SONY Clie UX50, a new super-ultra portable was released by the consumer electronics company, SONY. With the advent of UMPC from SAMSUNG ang other companies, SONY released the VAIIO UX Micro PC, as I've said, looks a lot like the Clie UX50, but instead of running PalmOS as it's operating system, the UX runs a full version of Windows XP Professional. Even with it's minute size, SONY was able to squeeze in, a Core Solo processor as the heart of the hardware. Other features include Bluetooth, WiFi, WWAN (EDGE upgrade) a biometric scanner (fingerprint), front and rear cameras, VGA out, Firewire, Ethernet port and 3 USB 2.0 with AV out. Will come out in July for $1800. Whew who'd buy a machine that expensive!

Universal Binary Skype is out

Now Intel-Mac users will not have trouble with their Skype using much of the resources thru Rosetta, Skype has released version 1.4.0.49 which will run natively on both PowerPC and Intel processors. 

SMART's DATA charging is BETTER

Smart's charges for data at P10 for every 30 minutes is way better than what Globe is charging at the moment. Globe still uses the old GPRS charges for data at P0.25/kb and from it you'll see that globe should start thinking of adjusting their rates. Smart's offer is way like-able especially to heavy data users. This price scheme is at par with the prices offered by hotspots operators. Although it's going to be disadvantageous to those who's been used to using their mobile phones as internet messaging devices. Now they can't just leave their handsets connected 'coz if they do, they'll surely accumulate a lot of charges, and for prepaid users, then say goodbye to your load in a jiffy! Now, where did I put my SMART SIM?

Streaming iTunes music around the house

I am currently listening on my Apple iBook here in my room to songs in my desktop PC which is in the basement. My room is on the 2nd floor. Thanks to the power of wireless technology, I don't have to store music files in my trusty notebook, and instead, when I feel like it, just access the music files in my desktop thru iTunes. The experience is flawless, and it's just like the files are in my notebook pc, and with this technology, I could go around the house and still access the files. In fact, if my wife decides to listen to other songs in my music folder on another notebook pc (VAIO in this case), all she has to do is open up iTunes in the VAIO notebook and access the same files and play different songs from what I'm currently listening to. Pretty neat if you ask me.

SONY launches the PS3

SONY today launched the PS3 and will be available by November of this year. The specs are fascinating but the price is disappointing. It will come in two varieties, one with a 60GB HDD and another with a measley 20GB HDD. The "cheaper" one lacks Wi-Fi, a memory card reader and HDMI out, ouch! Prices would be $600 for the "complete" version while $500 for the "cheaper" version. SONY decided to change the "boomerang" controller and stayed with the "old" playstation controller design with some upgrades such as: X,Y,Z, pitch, roll, yaw and lateral motion detection, Bluetooth for wireless capabilities. Unfortunately, it will not have the "force-feedback" or vibration functionality seen in the Dual Shock controllers due to some "interference" with the motion sensors.

"World's Thinnest" phone from Samsung

Motorola's RAZR has been stripped off the title as the World's thinnest phone by Samsung with it's SGH-X820, which is about 6.9mm think (or should I say thin?). It's as thin as the iPod nano. Though thin, it packs a lot on feature, like the 2 MP camera, MP3 playback, Bluetooth and the now-becoming-a-standard on Samsung phones the TV-out port. I saw a lady the other day sporting a Samsung phone (not this one though) and I thought it was already pretty thin, so I thought. Anyways, I'm very interested in getting one, what holds me back is the UI of the phones, oh and it's too bright for me, anyways, maybe, just for the sake of owning one, why not.

Why the iPod is still the Best Portable Media Player for me.

A lot of Portable Media Players out there are trying their best to beat the iPod from it's current place as the No. 1 Music Player in the world but always falls short. Why? Well, aside from the stigma that the iPod gives the owner and the closest that it gives the owner to the prestige that owning an Apple product gives, practical-wise, it all boils down to the ease of use of the system. I have yet to see a portable music player that can compare with the iPod's ease of use. No minute buttons, no tiny screen, it's simple and it's simple. Want to choose a song? Just thumb through the playlist, and click the center button and the music is playing. Still not satisfied, even when in the pocket, one could maneuver to the next song or put the whole system in stand-by with just one hand even without looking at it. That's how easy it is.

Notebook PC Battery life

A lot of new "affordable" notebook PC's are popping-up in the market today, though the specs of these computers are comparable with most high-end ones, most have one drawback in my opinion, the battery life. Most of them has only 2 hours operating time. What do you think you could do in 2 hours time? Just when you're getting to enjoy your work then poof, there goes the low battery alarm. It's unfortunate that a lot of establishments are becoming hotspots, meaning the use of a mobile computer has more meaning in these times. 

"3" logo on Globe's Phone

Looks like Globe messed up when they were looking for a picture of one of their 3G capable Sony Ericsson phones. At this site, you'll see that the Sony Ericsson K608 has 3's logo right smack on the screen.

Globe 3G video call -- it works!

It's been almost a week since Globe launched their 3G with HSDPA service and I was able to test the video call part just today. The call went flawlessly, I pulled up the number of my wife on my Sony Ericsson K600i, pressed call and it got connected. The good thing is, I didn't have to use any wired or wireless headset because the voice quality was great! The video was smooth but a bit pixelated though features on my wife's face was recognizeable. The only drawback is, the signal is not a wide as SMART'S yet. Oh well, I will just have to wait for it to widen.

Opera Browser's Text to Voice is very useful!

While writing this blog, I am listening to an article from Inq7.net. Yup, listening, I am using Opera Browser's built-in text to voice feature. It's very easy to use, open a web page, highlight the sentence or paragraph you want voiced out and right click, choose speak and it will read out to you the articles. Though monotonous, the voice is ok, and understandable. Not like other text to voice features of other softwares, this one simply works. One good way to multi-task if you're going to ask me.

The New Mac Commercials

The New Mac Commercials are hilarious! It's straight to the point, no going aroung bushes (somehow I find that fascinating). Simply put, I'm a PC and here's what I can do, and I'm a Mac and here's what I can do. But then again, it appeals to the young generation, to individual users, do you think it will appeal to corporate/enterprise clients? Well, perhaps not, but then again, the ones hadling IT in the corporate world are in the younger generation, so, it's a bit logical, since these are the people who's going to work with these machines, then those in the higher ups would be listening to the IT guy's recommendation on what to get. And since the Mac is one stable machine, well, you get what I mean!

Firefox vs. Camino

I may not be a Computer Engineer nor a Software Developer, but I don't need to be one to notice the difference in loading time and refresh times between Firefox and Camino in my iBook. This I know, that both are developed by the same people from Mozilla.org. I wonder why? Well, if you like you can try it yourself. Since I've downloaded both, I've been using Camino more often than Firefox, but then again, I'm using both more often than Safari, OS X's native browser. Then again, I would rather use Safari than Internet Explorer anytime, not that I'm afrain someone will go in my iBook maliciously, but one can never be too careful.

Rush and get yourself a Mac

There is a very reliable rumor that Apple will be releasing the MacBook, the replacement for the iBook this coming May 9, 2006. This means that distributors and resellers alike are most likely to drop their prices on their current inventories. Local reseller Ynzal Marketing is holding a SUMMER DEAL PROMO, where a 12" iBook G4 which normally sells from P61,980 can be acquired for as low as P53,980 and it comes with FREE Airborne Access account. Hurry up and grab one Mac now, oh don't worry, it's not as difficult as it looks, it's actually pretty easy as long as you don't scare yourself that much, heck I don't think one would get scared with the eye-candy looks of the Mac OS X. Anyways, you can reach Ynzal thru telephone numbers: 413-7575 or 4137578-79

Flyakite OSx

I've installed Flyakit OSX in my notebook PC and it's great. Although there will be some Mac enthusiasts that would give bad comments on one pretending to ba another, heck I don't care, as long as I'm liking what I'm seeing. Anyways, Flyakite OSX is an emulation software that will change the look and feel of a Windows machine into more like a Mac machine. Pretty helpful to those who are planning to shift to the Mac, but still not ready to plunge on the new system yet. It will also add fun to those who are not familiar with the software and seeing something not windows on a supposed windows machine. So far, even up to the startup and beachball icon is or should I say looks authentic. Try it out, you can always revert back to the windows look anytime, just uninstall the application and you're back to the windows world. Oh before I forget, remember that this is just an emulation software, meaning, it just coats the windows better looking icons and whatnot, meaning, it's still windows at the bottom and that it's still prone to virus and worm attacks. Enjoy and have fun!

Opera Mini 2.0

Opera Mini 2.0 is out. In fact I've already downloaded and installed it in my phone. Ever since Opera released the Mini version of their famous Opera browser, I've used it most of the times instead of the WAP browser of my SE K600i. What I liked about the Opera Mini is the speed and how it renders HTML web pages into something that is viewable in my phone's small screen. Because the rendering/conversion happens in the Opera servers, it uses very little of my phone's resources and the file size of the webpages are reduced thus minimizing my GPRS charges. Pretty cool huh! The new version corrects the previous flaw, unable to download files from any website, now, one can download and store the files in any JAVA capable phone.