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HTC Desire - September, 2010
Androids... everybody needs good androids... (In an episode of the awesome Red Dwarf show).
Despite my comments about cell phones (see the Rokr Z6m section), my time with an iPod Touch
and the Dell Axim before that showed me that a pocket device can be so much more. In the fall
of 2010, I joined the Android craze, and it couldn't have been at a better time. The operating
system really has many of its kinks worked out, and the app store is very mature.
Moreover, however, US Cellular finally has these, so I didn't have to jump ship to Verizon.
I am very happy with my HTC Desire (rooted and modded with CyanogenMod), and seem to
post
about
it
often.
November 2011 Update - Tried to upgrade to a Motorola Electrify, but this Desire more
than holds its own, so I'm going to hang onto it a bit longer. Plus 4G is coming next year...
Amanzon Kindle 3 - December, 2010
A year ago, I was trying to decide between a Kindle and an I-can't-believe-I'm-considering-it
iPod Touch. Since they were running around the same price, it seemed crazy to get something
that could ONLY read books (though since I didn't have a smart phone at the time, the free-for-life
Internet browsing was tempting). A year later and realizing that I don't read as many books
as I thought I would (partially because I hate staring at a glowing screen at night), I
started looking at the Kindle again. Plus the fact that it's less than half the price it used to
be makes it even more tempting. But this year people are saying: Get an iPad that does
so much more than read books. Well... yes... at 3 times the weight and price. Plus now that
I've re-converted away from Apple again (Android is SO freeing), I'm not that tempted to go back.
The Kindle is so light and easy to read, I've gone through 3-4 full-sized books in less than two weeks
(a big deal for a full-time software developer and devoted husband/father). I try not to
spend money on books, since I can get them at the library for free, but so far, I have
a pretty good backlog of promotionally-free books plus another half-dozen brand new ones from
my 'Professional Development Fund' at work, so I should be good for a couple of months, at least!
October 2011 Update - New Kindles came out. Not impressed. I don't want to muck up my screen
with fingerprints, and, while mildly horrendous, the keyboard is much better than having to arrow
around a virtual keyboard.
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Casio Telememo -
So, this is a bit of a stretch as far as a 'computer', but I love this watch. I appreciate analog watches
and prefer them to digital chronometers, but I like some of the abilities you get
with a digital watch. This thing has both! The analog portion lights up and also glows in the dark
(which is a bit creepy when I just come in from outside), and the digital has all the
normal features and then some. I especially like the countdown timer, so when timing
food or other activities, I just carry the timer with me. Even more neat (but,
unfortunately, something I don't use that often) is the watch's capability to store
phone numbers (or other numbers). Programming them in is a bit of a pain, but before
I changed my SPAM phone number to a more memorable one, this was really nice to be
able to quick reference it on my wrist (you know, for filling out the occasional
mall sweepstakes entry form!). Now, I currently have a couple rewards program's
numbers in there. I amazed a Marriott desk clerk when I read off my number from my watch.
Jan 22, 2012 - This watch made it into My Blog!
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Cameras Through the Years - June 29, 2010
I've owned and used quite a few digital cameras through the years. It took me until June,
2010 to realize that, "hey, these things have computers in them too!" This can easily be seen
in the shot to the right of our Canon SD1000 that recently bit the dust. I assume it was
opened one too many times in my pocket. Eventually the lens started refusing to come out all
the way, and I'd have to power-cycle it about a dozen times to take a picture. Not fun when
you're trying to capture your baby's incredibly cute smile. So I did the most natural thing
(to an engineer): I took it apart!
After playing around with floppy-based Sony Mavicas in high school (that was fun...) and
checking out a few different models from the awesome IT building at IA state, I finally
purchased a Canon Powershot S230. (Maybe I had an A20 before that, or maybe it was just one
that I checked out from the IT services) It was a display model at Best Buy, so I bought their
extended warranty plan... something I would never do today. It was a good thing, however,
since almost 2 years and 11 months into my 3-year warranty, I realized the camera had a stuck
spot on its image sensor... a blue pixel appeared in the same position on every picture.
Somehow, the staff at the Best Buy I visited figured it qualified, and I traded in for the
aforepictured gutted SD1000 which has been our pocket camera ever since.
As I started noticing the blue-pixel problem, but before remembering the warranty card I had
stashed in a drawer somewhere, we bought a Canon S2IS megazoom camera. I had always hated
the tiny zoom on my camera, and I loved the flip-out LCD screen. I tried out the slightly more
expensive S3IS over Christmas 2006 but realized I we didn't need a $450 camera, when the
S2IS had a great deal going on. (I really didn't care about megapixels after 5 at that point)
The S2IS has been great for trips and scenery, though its bulk means it doesn't end up being
used as often as the pocket cameras. The image stabilization and zoom during movies, however,
make this my current favorite camera.
October, 2011 - We haven't used this much over the last year, as the Lumix does pretty
much all this does in a smaller package. I passed it on to a fellow employee to get a few more
years of enjoyment out of it before it becomes totally obsolete.
Since I seem to be extremely loyal to Canon, we figured the most logical way to replace the SD1000
was with its bigger brother, the SD1300IS. Image stabilization and 4x zoom: nice (though the 4x
is a bit of a gimmick considering it starts out at widescreen...which as I've used it over the last
two weeks is actually pretty nice). Performance: Argh! Maybe it's the 12 megapixels it has to
write to the card every image (though lowering the resolution didn't seem to help), but if it
doesn't take a picture instantly when I click the shutter (even with the half-shutter-to-focus
trick), I lose the moment I'm trying to capture. We sort of made fun of a relative's Kodak that
took forever to take a picture, but I'm really surprised by Canon on this one. Maybe the more
expensive SD1400IS doesn't have the problem, but from the reviews I've read, the Canons aren't
that fast any more. Which is sad, since while the SD1000 was running, I compared these two, and the
SD1000 ran circles around the SD1300IS from shutter lag to shot-to-shot time. This one's probably
going back...
As I write this (actually, the inspiration for writing this), I'm awaiting delivery of a
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. I've read reviews on a lot of cameras, and tried several out
at the store, and this one just excites me. (Well, okay, that and the fact that I got it for $90
under retail with an Amazon sale + coupon) But it has more zoom than our S2 in a pocket-sized
package. It's a bit bigger than other pocket cameras (but potentially comparable to our older
PowerShots), but it's a 12x zoom camera that fits in my pocket! Supposedly it can do 16x
intelligent zoom without looking too digital, and since I'll definitely not run it at 12MP, I should
get a tiny bit extra even then. It has the dedicated movie button both Amanda and I have come
to love, and you can zoom during video (also very important). Speaking of video, it records
HD video in AVCHD format (hopefully taking up less space than Canon's MJPEG I've been stuck with
for years). I don't exactly care about HD yet... still a bit behind the bandwagon on getting a big
TV... but it's nice to have the option. Aside from what reviewers I've read
say is an excellent auto mode, this thing has so many menu options and other bells and whistles
to keep this computer engineer satisfied. Oh... it also has GPS to auto-tag photos. Neat! Perhaps
I'll update this page when it arrives... which might actually be... right now!
Jan 2012 - So the lens quit focusing. Did you know that most credit cards extend
warranties for an extra year?? With the warranty money, we moved up to a ZS-9... which actually
has fewer bells and whistles than this, but has better quality results, is faster, and has a
wider and longer lens. The ZS-10 (which is the realupgrade to the ZS-7) apparently takes
really bad pictures thanks to a much faster lens/sensor that sacrifices quality for speed.
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Dueling MP3 players: 32GB iPod touch vs 80GB Zune
In summer 2009, woot had a deal on an 80gig Zune. Since our old Rio Karma MP3 player
bit the dust, Amanda hasn't had a music player in the living room (besides *shudder*
a CD player). This thing certainly fits the bill, with enough storage for all our
'legitimate' music (we've purged everything else) and access to Zune Pass to listen
to almost any music legally. The wireless sync is beautiful (after MS replaced our
non-functioning refurbished model with a brand new one: customer service WIN!), and now that we have
a Windows 7 machine with an awesome media player, I can record movies or shows
(currently a large collection of Dora and Diego off cable) and send them right up to
the Zune to play on the TV. Excellent!
The iPod was a painful thing for me (to actually buy an Apple product), but I got a
relatively good deal on it (and it was a Fall-'09 pseudo-birthday present!),
and I'm certainly in love with it. I don't use it as much
as an MP3 player, as a replacement for the X30 as a pocket computer. E-mail/calendar/web
surfing are a breeze. E-book and Biblereaders are awesome (Olivetree transferred
all my previously-purchased translations just fine). Plus, with over 100,000 apps,
there are plenty of games and other utilities I can use. And with 32 gigs (as
opposed to the 512MB card in the Axim), I can have most of my music and
videos that I'm watching (Yay, Red Dwarf!) on the device at the same time.
So now we're in the unique position to compare iPod vs Zune. Honestly, if I just
wanted an MP3/video player, I'd stick with Zune (and perhaps get a Zune HD, so I could
get web surfing and potentially apps down the road). The Zune Pass is incredibly
worth it to listen to all kinds of music legally. But for a pocket PC replacement,
definitely the iPod Touch hands down. It's much more (to me) a pocket computer
rather than an MP3 player.
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sC#rambled - Computers & Other Gadgets
Amanda's family is, and frankly, she talks to them a whole lot more than I talk to my
Verizon-tethered relatives. I've always said I didn't need anything fancy (never had a
camera or mp3 player or web access before), but I now love the ability to switch
between my audiobooks (nice on my 35-minute commute) and talking on the phone, and the
standard-sized headset is interchangeable with regular headphones. Plus the guys at the
local Radio Shack seem to love giving things away.
Amanda uses a W385, seen at right. It's the free one,
but still has a camera and
bluetooth... which I lovingly used to put the Goonies ringtone on for her!
X10 Remote Control System
for a measly ten bucks at Amazon! The thing does everything I cared about with some
bonuses like a clock and temperature display. For $10, you can't go wrong!
