theVooner's weblog

A weblog for theVooner.com where the best cool gear and gadgets get reviewed.

last modified Jul 15, 2003 at 1:45

Saturday, August 31, 2002

Problems with the CLIE

I had a really funny problem over the past few days with the CLIE. The Memory Stick drive would all of sudden stop working. After a few hours, it would work again. I looked online and checked with another friend and apparently this problem is pretty common among the CLIE NR70V. What to do?

Well this is another opportunity to check out and look at new PDAs. There are two that I really like right now. First of all, I'm definitely going back to Pocket PC. Having said that, the two that I like are: 1) the new iPaq 3975 (I've always been partial to the iPaq), and 2) the Fujitsu Loox 600. Both PDAs look really impressive. I'm particularly fond of the Loox which has a lot of interesting add-ons like a super fast processor and built in bluetooth (to hook up to my phone). I'm going to go take a look at both models again this weekend. I think the CLIE still looks the best and has the coolest design. But, it may just be about time to trade up.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 9:06 | 2 comments

Friday, August 30, 2002

TV in the Bathroom

Marata has come up with this neat TV called the Tilevison. (I looked at it's website but couldn't come up with any info.) Basically its a 10" or 15" LCD screen incorporated into a tile which can be mounted in your bathroom. I read that the TV heats up so that the screen doesn't steam up while in the bathroom. Nice. But I don't think I spend that much time in the bathroom to warrant getting a TV for it.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 19:58 | 0 comments

Wednesday, August 28, 2002

Dreaming of being a DJ...

This one's for Danchan. I've seen DC's music setup which is really neat. But I don't think he has yet to move up to the Kaoss Pad 2 by Korg. It's a super cool effects processor that can even make a tone-deaf person like me into a rocking DJ. It's got that neat touch pad in the middle where you can control the effects. The rest of the gizmos are way over my head but I'm sure DC would appreciate a fine piece of equipment like this.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 1:22 | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

New TV

Our new dresser/TV stand arrived in my new place and I just set up the TV on it. I completely forgot how much space a standard TV like our 20" WEGA takes up. Hmm... what to do?

Well of course, my first reaction is... BUY A NEW TV! Well I think I said that before. I was looking at the 32" Plasma TV's even though they cost more than some of the older 42" model. In truth, a 42" Plasma would be just too big. 32" would be really nice, but is still pretty expensive.

LCD is of course an in between product for now. Sharp's got some great LCD TVs including a massive 30" model. But that 30" LCD costs as much as the Plasma TVs so I don't think that's really an option. The 20" version would be the same size as the TV I already have. Panasonic has a pretty neat 22" widescreen LCD which caught my eye earlier today. At about US$2000 (roughly 40% the cost of the 32" Plasma) I think this could be an interesting option.

As I wrote before, Sony also has a new LCD but it's only meant for NTSC and not PAL so I will probably rule that one out.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 1:44 | 0 comments

Monday, August 26, 2002

Alive and kicking...

After a fun weekend of celebrating my birthday, I finally made it back to the reality of another working week. Anyway, I came across this neat little device. It's called the Beamer and is described as the "world's first Phone Video Station". What it does is basically add video to any standard phone line. It has a really nice design and looks very attractive. Also, at US$499 for two units, that isn't very expensive.

But, in these days of webcams (that usually cost less than US$100), I wonder if there's a need for such a device. Then again, I have a webcam, and I never use it. And I don't see myself chatting with my parents over the Internet. Instead, the phone is still the way to communicate. So is this device good or bad? I don't know, but I am curious...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 17:06 | 0 comments

Friday, August 23, 2002

Back from Taiwan

I just got back from a marketing trip in Taiwan. Much like Hong Kong, Taiwan has more than its fair share of electronics. The one thing I noted was that there are a lot generic, local brands, many of which never make it over here. Asustek makes laptops for Sony, and they had some pretty neat models on display. BenQ also had a lot of really neat products. But in truth, they were all sort of cheap versions of the good stuff that's out there.

Well... it's theVooner's birthday this weekend. So let's see what kind of gifts he's going to get!

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 2:00 | 0 comments

Monday, August 19, 2002

Minolta F100 Digital Camera

In my ongoing search for a new digital camera, I have somehow stumbled across the Minolta F100 digital camera. In fact, my first digital camera was a Minolta some 6 years ago. The F100 seems to be getting favorable reviews from most users.

It more than adequately fits the bill for my criteria of a new digital camera: 4MP, AA batteries, light/compact, etc. The only problem is that it uses SD memory cards which means I will still have to buy another type of memory card (and be limited to 128MB) but I already have a 64MB from my Panasonic D-Snap so I could probably use that memory card as well.

This just seems like a better choice than the Sony. Hmm... will theVooner buy something other than a Sony??? ...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 18:44 | 0 comments

Sunday, August 18, 2002

Motorola Talkabouts 6400 & 7200 model

Ever since I was little I loved those darn walkie-talkies. Some 2 years ago or so, I bought the Motorola Talkabout 6300 which is just awesome. But because it uses the FRS frequency, it's sort of limited to a 2 mile range. Ok for rural use but you need more in a city. I used it in Tokyo the last time I was there because it was pretty expensive to get us both hooked up on mobile phones there for just the week (while she went to the women section, I was around the corner at the GADGET shops!).

Anyway, Motorola has since come out with the Talkabout 6400 which is similar in size and shape, but runs on both the FRS and the GMRS frequency. Which means the range grows by 2.5 times to 5 miles (from 2). They also have introduced the new T7200 which is supposed to be the most advanced model yet (whatever that means). But it doesn't look as nice as the 6400.

Time to put up the old Talkabouts for sale!

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 22:21 | 0 comments

Saturday, August 17, 2002

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Headset HBH 30

I walked by the store the other day and I saw this new bluetooth headset. It was much better than the one I got with the my T39 Ericsson. I know it would work with my Nokia 7650, but I had such a lukewarm response overall to the reception (too many complaints from others that they couldn't hear me) that I sort of gave up on the idea of a bluetooth headset. I wasn't sure if it's the bluetooth technology or that first headset model.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 9:18 | 2 comments

Friday, August 16, 2002

Dell Inspiron 8200

Just Arrived! My new laptop is finally here. I'm very excited. It weighs a ton, and while it doesn't look very different from the Inspiron I had before (Inspiron 4000) this one has a lot more meat inside. I didn't have much a choice (compared to my previous dilemma of choosing a desktop) because my study room didn't have a phone connection so a laptop it was going to be.

Look for a review soon.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 0:05 | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

Panasonic MD Player

When I was trading all of my stuff in last week, I was wondering if I should trade in my old MD player for one of the newer ones. There is a cool one by Panasonic, the SJ-MR250 that has a docking station with really neat speakers attached. Of course, it's a NetMD with USB connection, etc. so you can hook it up to the computer. More importantly, it looks really nice and I'm quite tempted to go out an look for it. But I actually have too many music devices right now and I primarily listen to my MDs in the office where I prefer this old, beat-up player. At least no one will want to steal it off my desk!

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 16:43 | 0 comments

Monday, August 12, 2002

Sony's New LCD TV

I was scouting around this weekend for some new gadgets to get. I was admiring the new Plasma TVs when I happened along the new Sony WEGA LCDs. Wow, they look really cool. I saw a catalogue/flier which showed that Sony was about to introduce a 23" LCD version. That would be perfect. However, with LCD prices still high, Plasma may be a better options. Many of the 42" Plasma screens were around US$4000. I should add that the 32" Plasma's actually cost more. I believe its because the 32" Plasmas are the newer models with better technology and better resolution.

Anyway, the LCD screens are very expensive. The Sharp 28" model costs about as much as some of the cheaper 42" models. I'm not sure how much these Sony screens will be when the come out, but I bet it's expensive.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 3:04 | 0 comments

Saturday, August 10, 2002

Sony P800 Mobile Phone

Sony has stepped up the marketing of their new tri-band (yes it will work in the US on selected networks) P800 mobile phone. The phone is set to challenge the Nokia 7650 that I bought with a built-in camera, and MMS functionality. It's got touch screen functionality, a PDA (Symbian OS), and most important of all uses the new Memory Stick Duo. I also really like the new HBH-30 Bluetooth headset. It looks a lot neater than the headset I have and hopefully, it will sound a lot better too! Hopefully SonyEricsson won't disappoint us and release this phone sometime soon and not keep us waiting another 6 months. The rumoured date is September but you never know with these things.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 16:26 | 0 comments

Friday, August 9, 2002

Gadgets

Well I'm about to move house so I did some spring cleaning today. I sold off 3 old mobile phones, 2 MP3 players, and 1 old PDA for a pretty good amount. Thus, I'm ready to buy some new things. I've decided to get a new laptop, primarily because I will have to use WLAN in my new place as the study has no phone line. I'm also working towards a new digital camera. I'll definetly be looking for some new gear in my new place. I'm going shopping tomorrow!

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 7:53 | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 6, 2002

Toshiba Sora Digital Camera

Toshiba has a new digital camera out in Japan called the Sora. I particularly like the Sora T20 which is very small and looks very stylish. Unfortuntaley, it uses the SD memory card, its own rechargeable battery, and only has 2 Megapixel resoultions. I'm still searching...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 22:48 | 0 comments

Monday, August 5, 2002

New Digital Camera

In my search to get my gadgets under more "manageable" control, I am looking at what new digital cameras are available. After travelling for the past month with a laptop, digital camera, PDA, 2 mobile phones, an MD player, PLUS all the extra things that come with it like chargers, plugs, adapters, etc. I'm just tired of lugging all this stuff around.

The first thing I want to "shrink" is my digital camera. While the Sony DSC-85 takes awesome pictures, it's just way too big and heavy of a camera for me to be carrying around. Add the charger, adapter, and the wires, and it's just a big bundle of pain.

So I'm in the market for a great digital camera. First, I want a small camera. Second, I want one with large memory capacity. Third, it should still be relatively high resolution (high megapixel), and lastly, I want a decent battery option like rechargeable AA batteries.

Well, there isn't a model out there that really fits the mold. If you want large memory capcity, you'll have to look at compact flash cards. Memory Stick, SD, and Smartmedia tend to be stuck at 128MB. I am inclined to want a 4mega-pixel camera. Add size and the AA battery and I'm left without a camera.

The Sony P9 is my first choice. But the Memory Stick and battery+charger has turned me off a little. The Canon S40 is a bit heavier, and while it uses CF, still has the battery issue. Same with the Nikon. The Minolta and the Olympus has the reverse problem, AA battery but use the SD/Smartmedia card. Kyocera and Panasonic would be new memory type.

Any ideas?

theVooner

posted at 18:57 | 2 comments

Sunday, August 4, 2002

Laptop vs. Desktop

Ok, I'm about a week away from getting a new PC (after I move), so once again, I am struggling with what to buy. I pretty muched settled on getting a laptop when I realised that I have more than enough space for a desktop, and more importantly, that today's LCD displays are bright, large, and overall just pretty cool.

Viewsonic, Eizo, and Samsung (I saw a really amazing 19" display with UXGA resolution in Seoul) all have great screens.

Hmm. What to do?

theVooner

posted at 18:37 | 0 comments

Saturday, August 3, 2002

From Korea

So I'm in Seoul right now. Nothing much new to add. I just wanted to let you all know about some of the cool stuff I saw. First of all, there isn't that much gadgets that is available here. Everything is pretty much the same: laptops, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, etc. except that a lot of it is in Korean so no joy for me.

The one big thing here has to be the TVs. There are a ton of Plasma and LCD TVs. Plasma screens are huge (I swear they must be at least 60+") and the LCD TVs come in all shapes and sizes. However, they aren't very cheap. I was expecting more of a bargain (and maybe I would buy another one) but they are pretty expensive. Especially with the strong won these days. Looks like it's back to Hong Kong for gadget shopping.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 2:40 | 0 comments