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
Xelibri Mobile Phones
I was doing a little shopping this past weekend and noticed that Siemens was making another big push. There are a number of new Xelibri phones out for this fall/winter. They are pretty cool if you ask me but almost not very practical. While design is a big winner (which is why I believe Sony Ericsson can make a pretty strong comeback) there also needs to be some pretty strong supporting elements. Surprisingly, Siemens has been gaining market share. Anyway, for those of you in the GSM world, here's another design for you.
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 6:36 |
0 comments
MERRY X'MAS EVERYONE!
Thanks for dropping by through the year. I hope 2004 will be just as exciting and wonderful for everyone. Have a safe and fun holidays. Have fun shopping and don't forget to buy from good retailers. Peace, love, and gadgets to all...
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 18:58 |
0 comments
X'mas gift to myself
To take advantage of discounts, my Amex points, and a very generous no-interest payment plan (hey, its no-interest!), I bought myself a super cool X'mas present...
A new 32" Hitachi Plasma TV. With the price and everything, I just couldn't resists. I subsequently went out and bought US$400 worth of DVDs to watch.
Guess what I'll be doing during the holidays!
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 20:32 |
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X'mas gift...
Be carefully what you write. I was just given the Nokia 7600 as a gift. It's an really odd phone. I like the idea of making a change, but it's strange. What I can say is that the camera is awesome. Through software or whatever, this camera takes really great pictures at night or in the dark. I just wish 3G were here...
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 20:14 |
2 comments
Nokia 7600 3G phone advertised
Nokia today started advertising for their 3G handset, the 7600. This was a surprise to many as Hong Kong has yet to roll-out it's 3G network. The ad was quick to point out that it would be compatible with Japan's 3G network. Which, from my understanding, would mean it is NOT compatible with Hong Kong's to be launched Hutchison 3 network. In addition, the 7600 is only GSM dualband 900/1800 which means it won't work in the US. So while I think the square design is cute I kinda do want one... the practical side of me may not get this because its impractical.
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 18:52 |
0 comments
Sony F828 Digital Camera
For those of you that have Sony's larger digital camera (the older F7xx series), then the Sony F828 is for you. The headlines state that is the first 4 Color Super HAD CCD Digital Still camera. Not sure how good that will be but it's going to be available this weekend. I'm not keen on those large digital camera's unless its a full scale digital camera like my D100. But some people might like this.
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 2:03 |
0 comments
Braun Shavers
I guess a much more practical gift for this X'mas would be to get one of the new Braun Shavers. The new Activator series looks pretty cool. It has its own base which cleans and charges the shaver. I have one of the earlier generation of these.
The FreeGlider also looks cool. It comes with its own shaving lotion/condition which makes it ideal for those that like blades and shaving cream. I'm a nut for these things. I have 3 Braun shavers right now. But I haven't bought one in at least a year. Hmm... maybe it's time to upgrade?
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 1:40 |
0 comments
New HP iPaq PDAs
Now that I have my Sony Ericsson P900, I have vowed off the need for a PDA. Yes, I sold my HP iPaq 2210. So it came as no surprise that I completely missed two new HP iPaqs. The H4155 looks like an upgrade to both the H19xx series and even my H22xx series. One great features is the addition of both bluetooth and WLAN into the device. But that addition came at a price as it removes the CF flash slot which I though was a great selling point of the H2210. So it's still not an ideal product in my opinion.
The H4355 builds in a keyboard into the devices which makes it look more like a Blackberry device. Pretty cool, but if HP wants to learn something about design, they should check out the the Sony Clie UX50. I love that design!
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 0:21 |
2 comments
Mini-drives: Freecom's USB card; Sony Micro Vault
I've been thinking about getting one of those USB mini-drives for sometime now. They are pretty cheap and can be quite useful for transfering data. They are a little bit easier than having to continue to use CDRW's back and forth. With USB drives now up to 1GB and rising for something the size of a key, they can certainly hold enough information.
Freecom has introduced a USB Card, which is a drive shaped like a credit card. Its a pretty nifty design though others might be more useful. The limited space (128MB) is certainly not enough by today's standards.
Sony's designs are very good too but they command a premium. I especially like the Micro Vault series. But, do we really need to pay a premium for something like this? Probably not. I'll probably shop around for the cheapest solution and see what comes up.
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 23:46 |
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Two more days till PSX is out
There is two more days till the PSX is officially released. I have to wait probably a few more weeks after that for some of the 3rd party features that I want. Even though the newly posted FAQ on Sony's website does make some changes to the original specs (as BBC correctly pointed out), it still does not change the fact that I want one. Not currently having a PS2 makes a huge difference to my decision and as a result, I might just have to get one...
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 3:18 |
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Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware ... Avoid LS Collection HK!
I was recently in Small Claims court trying to settle a dispute with a retailer. A retailer in Hong Kong (for those of you in Hong Kong, please don't ever shop at L.S. Collections) sold me a watch (Ikepod) which did not work. We're talking about an expensive piece of Swiss machinery. After finally figuring it out, I returned it to them. They told me there were serious problems with the watch -- things were "broken", etc. So of course, I said, if it's so damaged, should I not be entitled to a replacement as the watch was brand new? Of course they avoided me for weeks and then finally said NO. So I have to take them to court. Silly retailer... they could have just returned the damaged watch to the manufacturer if it was so truly "broken". Anyway, I'm taking them to small claims court. Now I'm also out to do a proper publicity campaign against them. L.S. Collection, you stink. I and anyone that I know will never buy from you -- and I'm the ultimate shopper. Sorry for the digression.
The morale of my story is that as we head into Christmas, many of us will be carried away by shopping. But it's truly Caveat Emptor sometimes and you have to be careful. In the US, you are fairly protected with lots of money back guarantees and 30-day trial periods. But in many parts of the world, there is no recourse. So I suggest you always follow this maxim and be careful. This is especially true with some Asian retailers who regard customer service as a joke. But let them be aware that in this day and age, the door swings both ways. Customers have rights too and some of us will fight back.
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 1:03 |
3 comments
theVooner's 2004 Christmas Wishlist
Yeah, its that time of the year again. There are certainly a number of items that I think are going to be on people’s Christmas wishlist that I already have (like the Sony Vaio TR2 and new mobile phones like the Sony Ericsson Z600 and P900), but I still think there are items out there that should still be interesting. Here are some of my more interesting choices:
10) JNC SSF-810 MP3 player. Ok, the iPod is still the king and it’s been on my list for the past few years. But I still haven’t bought one. I don’t know why but I just haven’t. BTW, I think it’s pretty funny about the whole iPod battery life debate – is a really funny look at things. Then again, I probably haven’t owned a gadget for more than 18 months! Ha. Anyway, the JNC SSF-810 is very much a mini size update of my FL100 MP3 player. Except that this tiny marvel packs a 1GB memory. It’s much smaller than an iPod, comes with a multicolored LCD, built-in FM and voice recorder, etc. For its size, it look pretty impressive. It’s so new that even on the JNC website, its not yet listed! There are others like the Creative Zen which look good as well, but for its size and capacity, this new model looks very impressive.
9) Segway. I still think the Segway is the silliest but still the most intriguing gadget out there. Trust me, if it were legal here, I’d definitely get one. It’s just plain silly and fun to be zooming around on this thing. I also think the technology is cool although I hope I don’t crash ala President Bush (there were pictures of him falling off a Segway). Certainly, I wonder if it would work on my golf course?
8) Zenith Open El Primero Watch. I certainly have my share of coveted watches and there are certainly many good choices out there. I know that Patek and Lange are still the premier watches to own, but if you want a reasonably affordable timepiece, that looks outstanding, I would say the Zenith is a good bet. Many of you probably have not heard of Zenith but let me just say that they make good internal mechanisms. The Open El Primero looks pretty amazing with its unique see through face. It’s a big watch but it’s really nice. I hope to be getting one soon.
7) PDA Phone. It’s not often that I recommend convergent devices, but this year, there are some very good options and choices out there. First of all, there’s the Sony Ericsson P900. Of course, I own this so I didn’t want to appear unobjective by recommending it. The XDA II is also a very nice choice although I decided to choose the P900 instead and I don’t regret it. There are other models from Palm, Handspring, Motorola and other even smaller manufacturers like Q-tek. With technology improving, some of these products (especially my P900) should give mobile handset a run for their money.
6) Dunhill Board Games. Dunhill makes an amazing assortment of simply stunning board games. Made from gorgeous leather, there is a Cluedo and Monopoly board which is simply spectacular. There are also Chess boards, checkers, a really cool bridge set, a tic-tac-toe set and a really cool set of dice. These just wreak style and coolness. For looks and appeal, nothing could be better.
5) New Laptops. I decided to generalize this because my favorite laptop right now is the one I already bought – the Sony Vaio TR2! That would be a bit too biased of me to recommend so I’ll be a bit more broad. There are lots of new laptops out there and with the Centrino chip (yes I’m now convinced of its superiority in terms of battery life and speed), it’s a good time to upgrade or get a new laptop. I particularly like the jump to 15” widescreen (and even the 17” widescreen) though I would still recommend higher screen resolutions. Sony still has some of the coolest models and besides the TR, the Z series and the new super tiny X505 Extreme looks pretty impressive (Japanese model for now but soon to be introduced worldwide I’m sure).
4) Sony T1 Digital camera. Of all the new digital cameras available, the Sony T1 looks the most impressive. 5 Megapixels in a tiny, credit card form with a 2.5” LCD screen! Works for me. The downside? Sony’s use of its own MS Duo memory card. More memory cards to buy. Yuck!
3) New Plasma TV. If you haven’t made to jump to a new Plasma TV, there’s no better excuse then now. First of all, the prices have come so far down, its rather depressing for those of us that bought it early on. Although the argument that LCD is a viable competitor, based on what I’ve seen, in terms of resolution and price, I still believe that Plasma TVs are a good bet. My current favourite brands include Hitachi and Panasonic for the 32” and 42” models (Hitachi in particular has a very outstanding new model), and Pioneer for the 50” ones. 62” versions are also on the way, but honestly, they are too big for most standard rooms (living or bedrooms). It’s the right time to make the move and upgrade! (BTW, I was upset to see that there are now quite a few US$2200+ 42" Plasma screens given I paid over 4 times that for mine! Oh well.)
2) Sony PSX. Just in time for X’mas, Sony has launched its updated PS2 system with a recordable DVD drive. I think it’s the perfect add-on and just may push me to buy one. Initially it will be NTSC only (from Japan) so it won’t be that complete as I won’t be able to record TV here in Hong Kong which is PAL. But that’s ok... because my top X’mas wishlist is...
1) DVD Recorder. Despite all the format problems and the potential of a new blue-laser replacement, this to me is the ultimate X’mas present. I’ve been wanting one for some time now and the prices are coming off rapidly. I particularly like the new line-up from Sony. The new RDR-HX10 and HX8 come with a built-in hard drive. The GX7 and new GX5 look like good recorder models. And even for those that still want their VHS, there’s the VD6 with a built-in VCR. Plenty of choices, formats, and brands to chose from, with importantly, cheaper prices now. Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Toshiba all have very solid options though I must admit that Sony’s support of multiple standards is a plus. It’s time to seriously consider one.
Happy Holidays!!
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 2:46 |
0 comments
Swivel mobile handsets
I was just looking at the Japanese handsets to get an idea of where we're going. So far there are now over 1.6m 3G subscribers there. The handset design trend that I've been noticing is a swivel design. Basically, these are clamshell designed mobile phones that instead of 'flip' open, swivel open. I first saw one designed for the KDDI CDMA1x 'Au' service about a year ago. But there have since been a lot of new models. Take the Panasonic P505. Don't even get me started on other specs. The screen resolution, camera, etc. Overall, this is a really cool design that could eventually be the shape of future designs to come for both for 2G and eventually 3G services. I can't wait. It's been a few weeks since I've had my mobile...
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 23:32 |
0 comments
Hitachi New Plasma TV
Ok, I know I've talked about it in the past, but yesterday was the first day that I actually got to see the new Hitachi Plasma TV PD5000TA. I have to admit that I really like it. The resolution looks the same but the brightness and contrast has increased quite a bit. So much so that I'm worried now because all the flaws are just too apparent in videos. The 32" model is certainly calling me and I might just have to go get me a nice Christmas present for myself!
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 21:00 |
1 comments
Gameboy Advance TV Tuner
As an add-on, Hong Kong has many different things you can add to game machines. We have hard-drives for game systems, speakers, lights, you name it. Included with that is this device which turns your GBA into a TV. Kinda cool I guess except who wants to watch TV on something so small? That can't be good for your eyes.
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 23:22 |
0 comments
DVD Recorders... the next generation toy
DVD recorders are the next thing to buy. It's got to be. The only problem holding them back is all the problems with the different competing standards.
A glance at Sony Japan's website today, shows them heavily promoting DVD recorders. There are a host of new models available and they come in all different shapes and with different options. Some have a built in HDD, others have a VHS option. Not to mention that the new PSX will have a recordeable DVD drive as well.
The problem is that the next wave of recorders are also on the way. Blue-laser DVD looks as if its set to replace current DVDs. While it still looks like the technology is in the testing phase, Sony has beat most people to the punch with its new Blu-ray recorder. the BDZ-S77 looks set to hit the markets soon. With so many choices and formats, its no wonder that even theVooner doesn't have one yet.
But that may change pretty soon...
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 19:33 |
0 comments
Sony TR2 Review Posted!
Sorry it took so long... but the review is finally posted. It's a brilliant machine and should still be hard to find especially going into Christmas. Get one if you can...
theVooner@yahoo.com
posted at 0:48 |
0 comments
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