tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211710572024-03-07T03:55:53.980-05:00Technology Spoon:Feeding technology to people one spoonful at a time.
My personal reviews, opinions, views on cutting edge technology and gadgetsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger264125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-53980980803364418352009-03-26T20:32:00.001-04:002013-07-15T22:33:48.594-04:00My HP Mini 1000 Netbook Review<div>
My mobile lifestyle keeps getting more mobile so I recently picked up an <a href="http://www.shopping.hp.com/mini/">HP Mini 1000 netbook </a>since my <a href="http://nokia.us/find-products/phones/nokia-n800-r6">N800 internet tablet</a> was not cutting it anymore. Not only had the OS become a hog and unstable and I was not able to do the firmware upgrade, the battery seemed to be going bad and lastly not having a keyboard made it almost useless for emails/IM on my commute. I'm not sure if I will keep it or craiglist it since it may come in handy for overseas trips for quick email and skyping. Back to HP Mini - Originally I thought about getting the <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?cid=OAS-US-KWG-CPUMacBookPro-US">new macbook Pro </a> but that was going to run me almost $3k! and having a perfectly fine maxed out G4 Mac desktop at home, apple not having a net book out yet(although rumors exist they will) made the decision to go with a $349 net book easy and even easier when the possibility of maybe <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5156903/how-to-hackintosh-a-dell-mini-9-into-the-ultimate-os-x-netbook">hacking it into OS X netbook as its been done with this dell mini</a><br />
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I think the HP Mini is the nicest out of all the netbooks out there compared to the <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat164200050013&type=category">ACER/Asus/MSI brand names available @ bestbuy. </a>It has a nice glossy finish, 1" thin and only 2.25lb, 2 USB ports and SD slot.<br />
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For the ladies that need something fashionable check out the <a href="http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=series_detail&category=notebooks&series_name=mini1000vt_series">Vivienne Tam edition</a>, its pretty sexy but be ready to pay twice as much. Looking good is not cheap.<br />
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I decided to upgrade the standard 1GB DDR2 mem to 2 GB which brought it to a final price of $475. After having my IT guru <a href="http://www.smutz2k.com/">smutz2k</a> wipe off XP home edition and install XP on it (making it more secure) I went ahead and paid for the premium version of <a href="http://www.joikuspot.com/home.php">Joikuspot</a> (had been using joikuspot light) and started sharing my 3G connection off my nokia E71 to the net book and its working great! Not only does the commute go by a lot faster but I'm able to do work just fine (I'm writing this on my way home now actually) </div>
If you are looking for something small and portable net book is the way to go (too bad apple doesn't have one out since I don't love PCs) Its a great little machine to do email, IM, web browsing office docs, and more. It's a perfect mobile companion and if you have a 3G phone that you can connect through you will enjoy near WiFi speeds everywhere there is 3G coverage (or just jump onto any WiFi hotspot). Lastly, even if you are not connected on your commute you can still use it offline or what the hell you could just relax and watch a movie off your SD or USB thumb drive.<br />
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Below is a youtube video of the HP mini<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_TBBBnqBtAI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_TBBBnqBtAI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-90499755894921771052008-12-12T22:14:00.002-05:002013-07-15T22:35:13.788-04:00Google Love update: Google maps and Gmail SMSI figure I would include two updates from two Google products I use and love dearly: Gmail and Google maps, seriously how did we survive before google maps and gmail? oh thats right we stopped and asked for directions and talked to each other vs. Gchatting all day.<br />
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-<a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/really-new-in-labs-this-time-sms-text.html">Send SMS from Gmail </a> lets you send SMS text messages right from Gmail (this makes me want to actually sync my address book with gmail contacts)<br />
<a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/default/maps-streetview.html#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=gh0smm&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=mobile%20street%20view&dc=gh0smm">-Google Maps Street View now available for Windows Mobile and symbian S60(nokia)</a><br />
walking directions is also another new feature available, no excuses to get lost now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-86661440076202416182008-12-12T21:59:00.002-05:002013-07-15T22:36:18.087-04:00Best of How To Hacks for 2008As 2008 is coming to an end most people spend their time putting together x-mas wish lists. I actually enjoy looking back and seeing how far we've come in technology in a year. I'll save that for another post but a similar list was put together over at one of my fav blogs lifehacker.<br />
Want to turn that iPod into an iPhone? Want to playback dvd's on your Wii? Want your iPhone to push email to you for free? Head over and see their list of <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5107701/most-popular-how+to-features-of-2008">the most popular how to-features of 08</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-41545493558094135192008-12-03T07:29:00.000-05:002013-07-15T22:38:16.290-04:00Its an Amazon out there..well on your iphone at least<br />
As I was browsing through amazon I found out they <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000291661">now have an app for the iPhone</a> - so what? Well the amazon app not only lets you browse and buy items from your iPhone but the feature I found interesting was the "amazon remembers" feature. This feature allows you to take a picture of an item you may see at the mall with your iPhone and send it to amazon, (I do this already to remind myself of price or color of an item) it will then get added to your "remember" list (sorta like a wish list) and in addition amazon will search for similar items for sale and notify you. Talk about searching for the best price?<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-64784379855789985312008-09-22T19:28:00.004-04:002013-07-15T22:40:49.285-04:00New Phone, New blogs, New Apps: The nokia E71<br />
I finally upgraded to the Nokia E71 and are loving every bit of it. The 3G speeds make such a difference on my email downloads, and web searches. The GPS has come in handy too. The phone also runs a bit smoother and the new layout of the UI and design of the phone are top notch. I have been using the E series phones from the very first one; E61, E61i and now E71 and can tell you this one is by far the best and will probably keep me happy for a very long time.<br />
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As I write this I'm already <a href="http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/008/09/e72_e75_leaked_video_demo.htm">seeing leaked pics of an E71? and E75?! </a> Thats technology for you..always 10 step ahead of your wallet. From the leaked pics the E75 looks to be getting a slider QWERTY which may make the phone a little thicker. Luckily for me E71 seems to only be receiving a new color. Since upgrading I'm finding new blogs covering specifically the E71 - here is a list of the few I have come across so far:<br />
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-<a href="http://nokiae71.wordpress.com/"> Nokia E71 blog</a></div>
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-<a href="http://www.e71fanatics.com/">E71 Fanatics</a></div>
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These two blogs have been great in finding new themes, and <a href="http://nokiae71.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/take-your-music-with-you-lastfm-on-nokia-e71/">apps like mobbler</a> which is a last.fm player for the E71, a music service I have been using for a while on the N800</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-58767890296560761342008-07-25T12:54:00.005-04:002013-07-15T22:42:24.413-04:00To become ONE - Symbian and Android OS to merge?<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209600592">It seems like that is the fate of these two popular open</a> source mobile operating systems. Even though it doesn't make much sense from Nokia's perspective since the <a href="http://www.symbian.com/">Symbian OS</a> has been around for quite some time and<span id="intelliTxt" name="intelliTxt"> is established and successful. <a href="http://code.google.com/android/">Google's Android</a> is still an infant in the eyes of developers. So far developers are the only ones that have gotten to preview Google's Android. I think there is definite benefit for these two in working together as they have been for some time (the Nokia N800/810 tablet comes loaded with Google talk, and Google as the default search engine) but as of today it would benefit android more than Nokia which has the largest share of smartphones in the market. However Google is the popular rich kid who everyone wants to be friends with while Nokia smartphones here in the U.S are still not as cool due to the fact that carriers like AT&T and Tmobile hand pick which Nokia phones they want to carry. So lets just say that not all the cool Nokia phones make it over to the states.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-68164221976936013642008-06-13T13:14:00.000-04:002013-07-15T22:45:10.676-04:00The New iphone 3G still sucks<br />
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If you haven't heard <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">Apple </a>announced the much anticipated, rumored <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">iPhone 3G</a> this week at their WWDC conference. I followed the coverage closely via <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/steve-jobs-keynote-live-from-wwdc-2008/">engadget </a>and found a secret audio feed as well. With 3G, GPS and at $199! I put my name down for one but much <a href="http://samgonzales.blogspot.com/2007/01/reality-hits-iphone-its-not-sooo-great.html">like last time now that the dust is settling </a>I am staying iPhone free <em>again.</em> There is plenty of coverage so I wont go into many details but I will give my personal reasons why you wont see me in line come July 11th.</div>
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-Made of plastic!? Rather than metal like before..get ready to see plenty of scratches and cracks</div>
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-Still no MMS support or video recording, that means you can't record video. The iPhone's camera is only 2mp, has no flash and you wont be able to send or receive pictures.</div>
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-Although battery life has inproved tremendously the phone is still sealed and you are not able to swipe dead batteries on the go, so dont leave home without your charger.</div>
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-GPS is new but as of today you wont be able to use for navigation purposes?! It's basically Google maps with my location on steroids. Nothing else!</div>
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-3G means faster data speeds to browse the web on it but at what price? at&t has hiked up the data plan for the iPhone to $30 and that doesn't include SMS! So it's $10 higher than before. I'm grandfather into a $19 unlimited data/sms plan and for me to loose that is absurd. </div>
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So if you think the iphone at $199 is a steal, dont be fooled because you will probably end up paying more in the long run because of the increase in cost of the data plan. While the iphone 3G is a slightly better phone than the last version it's still not there. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-34055651030467376822008-06-13T13:12:00.000-04:002013-07-15T22:46:19.055-04:00U.S. open goes High tech<div align="left">
If you were not able to make the U.S Open this week in San Diego there is still ways to catch it live online at <a href="http://espn.go.com/">espn.com</a> where they've been streaming live coverage in near HD. In addition to the live video feed, the player comes with stats, fan feedback, interviews, and live scoring. </div>
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For those that made it the experience has been enhanced by the use of high tech multimedia devices and this makes me even more jealous I'm not there. Championship Vision, is what these little gadgets are called and they take the whole experience to a new level of interactivity. The handheld devices by <a href="http://www.wisedv.com/">Lvis </a> and <a href="http://myleaderboard.com/">myLEADERBOARD </a> track championship play offering live video/audio feed from up to 8 camera angles and up to the minute stats among other services like instant replay, all from the palm of your hands. Pretty cool.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-22598422822773708072008-05-30T06:19:00.000-04:002013-07-15T22:48:11.429-04:00Mac OS X Sync Google contactsUp until now I've been syncing my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">google</span> calendar flawlessly with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">iCal</span> and my N<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">okia</span> e61i using <a href="http://www.goosync.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">goosync</span></a> Their premium account lets you sync contacts too but I've been using the free account - actually the main reason I'm not syncing contacts is because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">google</span> does not give you the option to disable the add recipient of all the email addresses you've used at one point or another. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">don't</span> really want to keep an email address of someone I emailed once. I recently imported my contacts from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">gmail</span> to Mail and had over 1000 contacts to erase. <a href="http://googlemac.blogspot.com/2008/05/mac-os-x-1053-sync-google-contacts.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Google's</span> new Contact Sync </a>still <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">doesn't</span> address this issue but at least it keeps it synced without the need to export/import contacts, so if you always email the same people or <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">don't</span> mind having the contact info of someone you bought a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Wii</span> off <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">craigslist</span> then it may just be fine for you. Read the FAQ though it seems to have too many setbacks in addition to only working with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">iPhones</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">iPod</span> touch by default which is pretty lame, but there is already a way around this <a href="http://lifehacker.com/393855/enable-google-contact-sync-without-an-iphone-or-ipod-touch">here</a> its not a walk in the park but it gets it done. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">I'm</span> just <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">going</span> to keep importing/exporting like it's 1999 until they give users <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">a lot</span> more control over what contacts to sync on any device.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-77296358853132522212008-05-29T12:20:00.003-04:002013-07-15T22:50:35.326-04:00Wii Fit says I'm 47?!I picked up a Wii fit yesterday and after I set it up it told me I was overweight and had the characteristics of a 47 year old! I couldn't let a game tell me that so I started right away and setup a goal to loose a certain amount in 2 weeks - the wii will keep track of this. Overall the game is pretty sweet. I would have to say that my favorite has to be the balance games like ski salom and soccer, but I haven't fully played all the other games yet but soon enough I was sweating.<br />
While some say that its not a true workout and I'm not saying it is, it definately burns some calories and most of all its fun. I'm actually looking forward to getting home and playing again today - something I cant say for going to the gym. There are also more games that are "Balance Board-compatible" some are already annouced EA' Skate It, Bandai Namco's We Ski, THQ's cheerleader game and I'm sure more will come out. There are already balance board hacks out there - like using the board to surf Google Earth with a hacked Nintendo Wii Board (video below) Im glad I picked it up.<br />
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<object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKUDU9lE--E&hl=en&rel=0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKUDU9lE--E&hl=en&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-20616191475307944342008-03-20T00:09:00.004-04:002013-07-15T22:52:22.112-04:00Full HD video over USB or WLAN!Thanks to Nokia's project "noBound" this may come a reality sooner than later. We are all "bound" in one way or another to our smart phones. Not only are we bound to these wireless devices (mostly to be connected to the world) but we also have content on them (everything from pictures, short vids to full movies) that we like to share but we are in the HD era. Just look at sites like <a href="http://www.hulu.com/hd/">hulu.com </a>which features HD content, even P2P apps like <a href="http://www.vuze.com/app">Vuze (azureus) </a>. We love our cellphones and we all love HD content on our HD plasmas and noBounds brings both of these technologies together by letting you pair a cell phone or handheld device up with any display, even your shiny plasma at 30 frames per second over USB or WLAN. Click play on the demo video below to see it in action. I can not wait to be able to do this on my Nokia N800!<br />
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<object data="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=784138&server=www.vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=" height="321" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"> <param name="quality" value="best"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showAll"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=784138&server=www.vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color="></object><br />
<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/784138/l:embed_784138">noBounds! - blast Smartphones display bounds!</a> from <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/user400540/l:embed_784138">Bernd Steinke</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/l:embed_784138">Vimeo</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-90399377097514540402008-03-12T11:02:00.002-04:002013-07-15T22:52:47.979-04:00Mac Users: Opening UIF files on OSXFor those Mac users out there that end up with UIF files (a proprietary file format that works only in windows) and have no access to a PC to convert it to a dmg check out this cool little app <a href="http://vafer.org/blog/20080124001224">uif2iso for Mac</a> that lets you convert them. I worked like a charm for me!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-63679651674611077512008-03-12T02:38:00.005-04:002013-07-15T22:55:32.939-04:00Multi calendars synced! Nokia e61, iCal and Google CalendarMy life's schedules are spread all over the place. Until recently outlook on a PC, iCal on the Mac, GoogleCal with my girlfriend and the calendar on my nokia e61. While it worked ok I had a few incidents where appointments disappeared or were in one calendar but not on the other.<br />
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Tonight I have come one step closer to "sync heaven" I followed most of the advice from <a href="http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/emergingtech/edge/archives/google-calendar-on-nokia-e61e62-14123">Puramu at ITtoolbox</a> I did everything but use isync to sync my phone to iCal (the needed plugin was $15) which I didn't feel like I truly needed since <a href="http://www.goosync.com/">goosync</a> did what I wanted and over the air.</div>
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The setup goes something like this: (this is my personal setup so check Puramu's post for the orginal setup that may work better for you)</div>
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-I have iCal subscribed to my Google Calendar - I can see my appointments on iCal but can't make changes to it. (I am basically using that just to get alarms and see it on my desktop without having to open a browser) if you want to the two way sync between iCal and Google Calendar check out/purchase <a href="http://spanningsync.com/">spanning sync</a></div>
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-I'm using <a href="http://www.goosync.com/">goosync</a> which is free to sync between the phone and Google calendar, its easy and over the air (so I don't need to bluetooth sync it with isync, I can easily add stuff on my phone and sync over the air to my Google calendar which will then automatically update iCal) </div>
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This setup works for me because I enter most of my meetings while on the phone and on the go but if you are more of a desktop jockey you may need spanning sync and the isync plugin.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-15398523251169483842008-02-20T18:38:00.003-05:002013-07-15T22:57:29.806-04:00R.I.P HD DVD - the battle is over....and blue ray came out on top. Toshiba <a href="http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm">announced yesterday</a> it will discontinue HD DVD production. while I'm sad for Toshiba and HD DVD supporters Im kinda happy this battle is over. I had been holding off buying a new dvd player because of the battle between the two formats but was willing to hold off on to it settle down. Like others I also saw this coming. Most recently Warner Bros made the decision to back Blu-ray and then <a href="http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/5673.aspx">Wal-mart (the largest U.S retailer) also picked Blu-ray over HD DVD last week.</a> and it was game over. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-67016240689478613922008-02-18T12:34:00.002-05:002013-07-15T22:59:05.342-04:00Order your starbucks from your iphone<br />
I <a href="http://dvice.com/archives/2008/02/order_coffee_di.php">saw</a> <a href="http://gizmodo.com/343686/iphone-starbucks-ordering-screens-look-like-the-real-thing-precede-apple-patent">this</a> concept earlier this month and was wowed by the fact that this isn't out yet or a more formal announcement has been made. The apple-starbucks relationship has been there since the iPhone but now with <a href="http://www.dailywireless.org/2008/02/11/starbucks-att-wi-fi-everywhere/">at&t taking over the wi-fi servic</a>e at starbucks (previously offered by tmobile)this makes a lot of sense. While its only a concept for now and all I have seen are snapshots of the screenshots it looks like it would only work while on the Wi-Fi spot at your local starbucks which doesn't make much sense. If anything I would want to place an order before I arrive at starbucks, doesn't that make more sense? Either way I think this application would be a sweet deal for all parties involved and make it easier for some of you that own an iPhone. I on the other hand will still have to wait in line and actually exchange words with my local barista as I own a nokia :\ to look at some pretty <a href="http://www.genoco.com/link/interactive_quickOrder.html">screenshots head over here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-14420407741982768822008-02-18T12:08:00.002-05:002008-02-18T12:24:36.119-05:00shake n bake? your nokia n95 shake it but don't bake it..shakeme is a symbian application for the nokia n95 that lets you do all the following things by just shaking the phone:<div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">keylock: lock and unlock keypad by shaking the phone</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">bluetooth: on/off bluetooth state by shaking the phone</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">silent: on/off silent profile by shaking the phone </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">backlight: switch backlight on by shaking your phone</span></div><div><br /></div><div>shakeme is not the only appliction being developed <a href="http://bysamir.fr/#">by Samir</a> I was also pretty impreseed by the other apps like shutup(when the phone is ringing you can silent it by flipping over the phone) NokMote (detects movement of the phone to control games very much like the wii remote) and rotateMe (allows you to switch the phone screen from portrait to landscape by turning it) </div><div><br /></div><div>I was very impressed by all these apps and cant wait to see them in action! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-80891327476108059462008-02-06T07:37:00.000-05:002008-02-06T09:48:00.444-05:00Turn your phone into a Wi-Fi Hotspot!<a href="http://www.joikuspot.com/header_spot.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 314px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" height="119" alt="" src="http://www.joikuspot.com/header_spot.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It had been a while since I blogged about anything but this deserved it as soon as I read it, I had to check it out and share it.. if you own a nokia phone running the symbian s60 Operating system and have 3G coverage here in the US or Europe you are going to love this... <a href="http://www.joikuspot.com/">Joikuspot </a>allows you to share your 3G connection over WLAN to any device. for more info and to dload joikuspot visit <a href="http://www.joikuspot.com/">http://www.joikuspot.com/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-20245844613449831572007-12-13T07:09:00.000-05:002008-12-09T12:46:30.895-05:00Try it before you buy it [Cell phones]<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R2FbETVT5UI/AAAAAAAAAKU/67lNphSjppY/s1600-h/samsung.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143492378901079362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R2FbETVT5UI/AAAAAAAAAKU/67lNphSjppY/s320/samsung.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div>buying a new cell phone is tricky, yeah there are sites with tons of info but it can be time consuming - you can visit the store but most likely they only have dummy phones that arent even functional, so playing with the user interface and OS is out of the question. It ususally takes me months of research before I change phones, I ask around alot, and usually try to convince my friend to buy it first...if thats too much for you and you just want to test it - check out <a href="http://www.tryphone.com/home.seam">tryphone.com</a>, not only does it let you virtually play with the phone but also read reviews, specs, and even has demos on how tos - (I wish I would've had that when setting up SIP on my e61) they only have a few phones for now but expect to see a list grow.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-77412592593609555192007-12-11T10:58:00.000-05:002007-12-12T10:22:21.250-05:00web 2.0 bubble video - hilariousUPDATE: seems someone <a href="http://kara.allthingsd.com/20071211/here-comes-another-bubble-takedown/">didnt like the video</a> and its now not on youtube but can be watched on metacafe - click play<br /><br /> <embed src="http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/958560/here_comes_another_bubble.swf" width="400" height="345" wmode="transparent" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed><br><font size = 1><a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/958560/here_comes_another_bubble/">Here Comes Another Bubble</a> - <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/">Click here for more home videos</a></font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-77923405242241712002007-12-10T12:25:00.000-05:002007-12-10T13:08:54.031-05:00Upgraded my Nokia n800 to OS 2008this past weekend I upgraded my <a href="http://europe.nokia.com/phones/n800">n800</a> to run the new <a href="http://europe.nokia.com/A4579470">OS 2008 </a>-(which runs on the new N810) it had been a while since I had done any but everything went fine and I'm now running os 2008 - while I think the n810 is a nice upgrade from its predecessor I did not see enough reasons to buy one especially when <a href="http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9816300-7.html">OS 2008 surfaced.</a> Apart from the GPS and QWERTY keyboard that slides out it didnt seem like much of an upgrade on the hardware side - on the software side the UI is very sexy and while there are still some things I would like to see Im happy overall. <br />Why didnt I just get the n810? was the question I kept getting (since I like having the latest gadgets) GPS? with google maps "my location" I really dont need it -I may still get a bluetooth gps receiver for those times I want 100% accuracy but the more I use gmaps mobile the more Im happy (except for the "avoid highways" option it lacks)<br />QWERTY? Im a big texter-why I have a nokia E61i rather than an N95 so this was probably the only main reason why I woulve upgraded but at around $200 price difference it was not worth it - come to find out OS 2008 now launches the full QWERTY touchpad on the n800 when you press the square button - this was only launched before by tapping your finger on the screen which did not work for me all the time - this is my new way of typing now but I still use the stylus here and there.<br />you can find an N800 for as low as <a href="http://www.buy.com/prod/nokia-n800-internet-tablet/q/loc/101/204055141.html">$228 at buy.com</a> while the n810 is retailling around $500<br />so my recommendation is if you always wanted an n800 get it now that the price has dropped and/or if you already own one flash it to OS 2008 - <a href="http://europe.nokia.com/A4305010">follow the easy steps here</a><br />for further reading, more reviews, etc etc visit - <a href="http://www.internettablettalk.com/">http://www.internettablettalk.com/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-85999192757070723812007-11-28T12:47:00.000-05:002008-12-09T12:46:31.246-05:00New Google Maps version: My location is almost GPS good!<div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R02raHsSveI/AAAAAAAAAKA/Vn6l5AbjtRI/s1600-h/Screenshot0007.jpg"></a></div><div>I use google maps for all my direction needs and even though I've almost come to buy a bluetooth GPS for more accuarte directions I havent - mainly because google maps does a great job - the only part thats a pain is inputting where you are if you dont know where you are? the new updated version tackles this with their "my location" feature..its not using GPS its using the information from near mobile towers to approximate your location..its not GPS of course but its pretty dammm close to it.. if you dont have google maps on your phone yet this is a good reason to get it.. I upgraded earlier today and as you can see it pin pointed my location pretty good and was able to zoom in. while I was writing this the app moved my location twice - it send the blue dot to "my location within 1800 meters" when before it was 1400 meters which was the more accurate location -I am guessing this happens when the phone switches towers.. </div><br /><div>see the video on how it works <a href="http://www.google.com/gmm/mylocation.html?hl=en">here </a>and go <a href="http://www.google.com/gmm/index.html">here to download it </a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R02raHsSveI/AAAAAAAAAKA/Vn6l5AbjtRI/s1600-h/Screenshot0007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137951215129378274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R02raHsSveI/AAAAAAAAAKA/Vn6l5AbjtRI/s320/Screenshot0007.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R02rZ3sSvdI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/aZIlIQvfWLg/s1600-h/Screenshot0006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137951210834410962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aXHSD-dhhcQ/R02rZ3sSvdI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/aZIlIQvfWLg/s320/Screenshot0006.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-31628690242317868002007-11-28T09:24:00.000-05:002007-11-28T09:29:51.768-05:00fly virgin america 2 for 1I wrote about <a href="http://samgonzales.blogspot.com/2007/07/flying-virgin.html">virgin america back in july </a>and they are now flying out of the DC Area and with this deal I may just have to fly for no reason. this offer comes as the result of a partnership of <a href="http://revision3.com/diggnation">diggnation</a> (an internet video show in case you didnt know or watch) and virgin who sponsored this week's episode. visit <a href="http://www.virginamerica.com/diggnation">www.virginamerica.com/diggnation</a> for all the details - there are some black out dates but basically book your flight and your buddy flys for free...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-69787379538623535632007-11-16T10:48:00.000-05:002007-11-16T11:00:06.732-05:00Order your Pizza via Text Messagingi havent had papa johns in a minute but after i saw these <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071115/ap_on_hi_te/texting_for_pizza">news I started craving it</a>...why would you be calling papa johns to order your meat lovers pizza ? having to listen to their recorded greeting, waiting on the phone (killing minutes) and finally being answered by a high school kid with bad attitude.. you can skip all that and just text away.. Papa johns rolled out this SMS based ordering option this week to 2700 stores in the U.S..looks like dominos also has something similar allowing to <a href="http://www.dominos.com/home/mobile.jsp">place orders with web-enabled phones </a>.. not via text messaging but over in the U.K they seem to be able to do it via text the <a href="http://www.dominos.co.uk/smsexplained.aspx">dominos site had info on SMS ordering </a>right now texting just seems alot easier so I give papa johns my thumbs up<br />for more info on papa johns sms ordering visit <a href="http://www.papajohns.com/sms/">http://www.papajohns.com/sms/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-24959642479508567572007-10-12T10:39:00.000-04:002007-10-12T10:57:20.275-04:00more on the state of VoIPOn yesterdays post about <a href="http://samgonzales.blogspot.com/2007/10/not-enough-time-to-blog-vs-nothing.html">not blogging where I mentioned my</a> thoughts on the state of VoIP.. I talked about how the industry had become boring for me.. and today's post on <a href="http://techdirt.com/articles/20071011/021016.shtml">techdirt </a>further reinforces my feelings on this by going into the third stage of voip that never happened.. my thoughts especially on features that VoIP was supposed to bring that could not be done on traditional phone line systems..I know this from personal experience, my parents wish they had stayed with their old phone line.. vonage is just too unreliable..even people in the industry still have a POTS line.. sure they may have a secondary vonage line but keep their old system as a back up.. so yeah its a cheaper solution but just cheaper..no features that wow me.. (getting your voicemail on your email is so 2002) not only that but do i realy want to get a service from a provider and not be sure if they will be there next year.. I mean lets look at sunrocket, lawsuits with vonage, outages with skype....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171057.post-34126365444525207652007-10-12T00:25:00.000-04:002007-10-12T00:48:01.809-04:00another one bites the dust..google at it againat the end of august rumors of a google phone were at its peak - it was the iphone all over again..<br />and I said it wasnt going to happen.. I guess I was right, like <a href="http://samgonzales.blogspot.com/2007/08/google-phone-rumors-gphone-already.html">I said the gphone already exists</a> . as these rumors are being straigthen out.. much like the <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/07/business/gphone.php?page=1">Herald tribune's article </a>I said that they would focus only on the OS part of it.. getting into manufacturing cell phones is just too dirty.. they do apps well..actually they do apps great but entering a more into the wireless space isnt going to be easy..however they've been acuqiring the right companies in this space and its going to be interesting to see how they bring it all together.. they recently acquired <a href="http://grandcentral.com/">grandcentral.com </a>(one number for life - you get a phone number and it rings up to 4 phones simultenously) then <a href="http://www.zingku.com/">zingku.com</a> (mobile social networking) and a few days ago I saw it got <a href="http://jaiku.com/">Jaiku.com</a> (a presence, microbloging mobile app) which I loved but was restricted cause it only worked on nokia's s60 vs twitter that worked on any mobile.. so as you can see with jsut the last 3 examples theya definately lining something up..and these are just the ones I know... maybe I should read throught my 1000+ RSS feeds..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2