Eargasm Anew - AKG K404 Foldable Headphones

I've always said that music is my gasoline, and it truly is. I like it rock when on I'm feeling hyper or when I need to speed up my pacing. During road trips and work I go for techno  or indie, and when I need a quick 'disconnect' from the world I would listen to symphonies. I love listening to whole albums and discovering new material. It makes me feel alive and keeps me in my element.

Being an audiophile, one of the happiest luxuries that I go for is a decent set of player and headset, but I can't afford the super expensive ones. I try to avoid those in-ear headsets because I my ears feel 'raped' after two hours of use. My last one was the Philips Air Wear Headphones that I had with me for almost a year. It was really pretty and kind to the ears, while still giving a decent sound that could cope well enough with the wide variety of music that I listen to. However it isn't foldable and eventually got a lot of beating from my bag and one of the headphones just stopped working.

After that I couldn't afford another 1k+ headphones so I went back to using earphones. There are a lot of candy- colored headphones out there but they look too "jeje" for me and they only sound good when played loud.

I've been pining for a new headset for months and months now but Papa Ray kept on stopping me from buying one because he said it was too expensive for my budget. Only to find out that he intended to give me one for my birthday! Yeaaah!!

Here's the wa-poise look I had as I opened the gift:

 Wahahaha! Oh joy!

When I opened the gift (which was so nicely wrapped by the way), it was an AKG K404 Foldable Headphone set that comes with a pouch and 2 year-warranty. I was like WHOAAA!

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Lenovo Edge E130 - My New Buddy!

My 8 year relationship with my trusty 14" Compaq Presario laptop has ended more than a month ago, and I was the saddest when it happened. He's still such a beauty even after all these years.

 

  This laptop got me through numerous exams and undergrad thesis days.

 

Classic Polished metal surface:) It's really beautiful but this build made it awfully heavy too. :(

I did something stupid and had the battery stuck in its case for more than 5 years, it has since deteriorated and couldn't live without the plug. This is a Core Duo with a measly 50 gb of hard drive space, but it still performed like a pro, and handled all the needs of our first photobooth gig with no hassle. No performance issues at all for all the softwares that I have run on it, except for some display issues, probably a problem with the flex cable. But one sad day it suddenly it wouldn't boot up. 

After the herculean efforts of Papa Ray to dislodge the battery off it's holder, he found out that something near the power button seem to have burned, or got bitten off by ants.

With my graduate thesis so near and all, we had to look for a new laptop that would be able to keep up in terms of performance and be handy enough to carry around. Ray's first thought was to ensure that we had a Lenovo Thinkpad. This line is geared towards high performance laptops, though they're not popular in the Looks department.

After much research, struggling with budget versus performance and portability, we ended up with a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E130.

It runs with an Intel i5 Processor, with 4GB of RAM, and 500gb of storage, all for P30K! Seriously I think it's an awesome deal! We had such a hard time looking for this in Megamall Cyberzone because all the stores were out of stock, and Villman alone offered us to have it ready in their store by the next day.

So thank God we got the unit and here it is :D :D :D

 

Not baaaaaaaad yes?!

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Science via Art, and Vice Versa

Our professor invited Joey Tanedo from the College of Fine Arts to talk about the upcoming video presentation of our review paper. I thought we'll just deal with the technicalities of video making like the framing, the camera works, the gestures and the like. But what we talked about was something deeper. It was the marriage of Art and Science.

I first heard about this while reading Steve Job's biography (I blogged about it here). The reason why Apple remains to be the icon that it is, is because they were able to merge technological genius with a fine taste for art. You can see it in the way they planned their operating system, from the all the nitty gritty connections, to the design of their phones - everything is well thought of.

Now if they CAN do it, why can't we?

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Techthoughts: Bluetooth Keyboard for Samsung Tab 2 7.0

One of my can't-leave-the-house-without gadgets, would admittedly have to be my Samsung Tab 2 7.0. It's simple but powerful, and good enough for my browsing needs. However, touch-typing just cannot compare to an actual keyboard, as I really enjoy typing and I find it therapeutic. I'm also more able to express my thoughts when I type on a keyboard, especially for blogging and essays.

So Papa Ray thoughtfully gave me a Bluetooth Keyboard for Christmas. Yey! Well yes, it's been ages, but I'm writing about it now because I think it deserves some praise. It's been an indispensable buddy for my Tab. :)

My Bluetooth Keyboard

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Sun Cellular, The Good Choice in Postpaid

Its amusing to see how technology is affecting the lives of each of us, even changing our definitions of "necessity". Gone are the times when computers, and cellphones were mere expressions of luxury. Nowadays, if you wanted to keep up with the modern pace, you needed to be just a phone call away.

Even cellphone use had its own evolution, do you remember the time when SIM cards cost one thousand effin pesos? hahah. Now they peddle it on streets like peanuts. Calls used to cost us a fortune but now telecom companies are competing to have the best unlimited package in the market.

Papa Ray has been a loyal Sun Cellular postpaid subscriber since 2007, and for the budget conscious, Sun  has been consistent key player in providing affordable quality service. In fact, the Sun offers are really attractive that I was convinced to get a prepaid account. My favorite service is the Sun Powertext where you get Unlimited text, 4 hours of calls, and 500 texts to other networks for only p200 a month. I swear super sulit.

For postpaid users, they provide a wide range of combo's for all types of communication needs, whether you're a hardcore texter, someone who makes lots of calls, or does alot of mobile browsing. The plan 699 is best for the average consumer, while plan 999 is a great deal for those who are looking for unlimited mobile data, added with unlimited texting to Sun subscribers. For each plan, you get to choose the type of usage scheme, either go for unlimited call or text, or go for a fully consumable plan.

PLAN 699

Call & Text Unlimited

• Unlimited Calls & Texts*
• P250 Consumable** (except International/Domestic Operator-assisted calls)
• 350 FREE SMS to other networks

Text Unlimited  

• Unlimited Texts*
• P450 Consumable** (except International/Domestic Operator-assisted calls)
• 350 FREE SMS to other networks

Fully Consumable

• P600 Consumable** (except International/Domestic Operator-assisted calls)
• 350 FREE SMS to ALL networks

* Local Sun-to-Sun Calls and/or Texts only.
** Consumable may be used for the following:

• Sun Cellular calls to other networks – including NDD & IDD
• Sun - to - Sun MMS
• SMS2Email

PLAN 999
Text Unlimited
Get the following:

• Unlimited Mobile Internet
• Unlimited Texts to Sun
• 4 Hours Calls to Sun

They also offer the free handsets. Not only do they have great talk and text service offers, they also throw in really cool gadgets in the pack. Featured right now are the latest releases from Alcatel, with specsheets matching the high end phones of today.

Most of our relatives in Cebu use Sun Cellular, so we get to make the most out of all the unlimited services. Ray is even able to hold conference calls with relatives, with up to 6 people at a time, for family discussions, and still the call quality is superb. Now that's what you call bang for the buck!

We think it's really cool how telecom companies come up with great deals to outshine each other and the happiest of them all are us consumers. For those who are seeking to have a great postpaid deal, check out Sun Cellular roster of services at www.suncellular.com.ph

Line Play - Social Networking in 3D :)

Not too long ago, we blogged about Line, a mobile app that doesn't just do free calls and messaging, but also adds more fun to the experience by throwing in fun stickers, a timeline, games, camera, and more. Me and my roomies have been getting a kick out of playing with Line Camera, the filtering and sharingoptions are quite like Instagram but this allows you to play more with your photos by adding fun icons, effects, characters, blings and all that jazz :P At first i thought it was "baduy" but when I started playing with it I couldn't stop cutie-fying my photos anymore :P :P Heehee!

Just recently they added another cool feature to their services: Line Play. Hmmm it a nutshell, it's like interacting with your only friends in a 3D space instead of just via text/ photo feeds from Facebook/ Twitter. :D It allows you to create your avatar, furnish your own space, then visit the place of your friends and you could do things together like drink tea, have some snacks, water plants, or just chat away. It's really super cute.

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Hush.. The Butterfly has come (HTC)

We took a while prior posting this entry because we've been HELLA busy for the past few weeks. Nevertheless this is one of those blogs that we looked forward to working at mainly because we're actually fans of the product. #fanmodeON!

We found ourselves marching from Laguna to Dillingers over at Greenbelt 3 last February 26 for the launch of HTC Butterfly. I'm glad we got invited for this one because I've been curious as to what the hype really is about. Much praise has been said of the Butterfly for its stunning design and features, and we wanted to see it with our own eyes.

  

Dillingers is actually a steak and brew restaurant, there was just a small HTC tarp near the door and a handful of people on the tables, so we were a little hesitant to get in. Turns out, we were led to a corner where there was a small gray-walled tunnel that led down to the Prohibition lounge, a wine bar and pub with a reception area. I think the setup was really classy and old school, like the guests were being invited to a secret. Perfect way to present the elegance of what was to come.

At Dillingers

The marketing head, Francisco Turno, and country president Richard Javier were there. I actually liked the product presentation. Straightforward and no frills. You can check http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-butterfly/ for the specs.

The HTC Butterfly is the first to bring 441ppi screen resolution in town. Take this: magazine photos are printed at about 300 ppi, museum-grade photos work with 400ppi, while this phone comes with 440ppi. So just imagine the display calibre this phone packs itself with. True enough, when we tried it, we were welcomed with unparalleled color vibrance for a phone. It was pleasure enough just to browse through the screen!

The phone also comes with a dedicated imaging chip. Well, not all 8mp cameras are created equal. Even some 12mp cameras suffer with over saturation of colors. But the HTC butterfly makes use of an imaging chip for quick shooting and better image processing. Guys, the thing can snap photos in as quick as 0.2 secs! Faster than you'd say "smile!" :p You'd never miss a precious, or hilarious moment with this one. :)

It also comes with a front 2.0megapixel camera for those vanity shots and group barkada pics (when you couldn't find someone else to take your group picture and you have to make use of "tantsameter" to fit all of you in the frame. Heheh!)

Product demo was straight forward and product-centered

Video shooting is also topnotch quality, as again, this is the first to offer 1080p HD video playback and shoot. That's like bringing your HD TV wherever you are. For whatever purpose you may have in mind, it also has a  slow motion video capture and playback capability, so that's being able to capture the smallest details of your basketball game, make fun of your friends while they eat, or just take a surreal moment of the time when your crush said "hi!".

We weren't able to check the actual performance since we only got to play with it for a short time, but so far I'm really liking the intuitive HTC Sense OS. And at 2gb RAM and 1.5Ghz, you'd expect that this is a blazing fast device.

One thing we had to check out were the audio quality and speakers. Being music lovers, this is one of our top priorities for a phone. For the previous One X and One X+ handsets, the sound quality with headsets on were good because of Beats audio, however when you use the speaker it tends to get distorted. For the Butterfly I tried to stream a couple of songs, one electronic rock, and one with heavy bass, over the internet (yes there was wi-fi), and the sound quality was pretty nice, with considerably loud volume, thanks to the built in amplifier.

rarr! I want one!!

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Lenovo Launches the Z-Series Notebooks

Ever since its "re-branding" on 2003 (it was originally founded as "Legend" in 1984), Lenovo has been a strong contender in the computer industry, offering highly capable models for very affordable prices. It's also one of the first to introduce laptops with different colors that appeal to both yuppies and business professionals. They also manufacture mobile phones though they are more popularly known here in the Philippines for their computers. In fact, both our desktop and laptop units at the office are from Lenovo (though the older models are still from HP).

Last February 20, Lenovo launched their newest line of IdeaPad products, called the Z-Series over at E's Bar at the Shangrila Hotel. If the U-Series/ Ultrabooks are for those who want it thin and sleek, while the V series are for heavy duty notebook performance needs, the Z-Series tries to capture that sweet spot in between. Which just makes sense since most consumers are getting really techie nowadays and people would want something that can both "wow" and "deliver".

“Our slim IdeaPad Z touchscreen series equipped with Windows 8 is a testament to Lenovo’s long term commitment of driving innovation by expanding into new form factors as we lead the way to the PC+ era. The Z series blends fashion, form, and function to address the evolving needs of Filipino consumers looking for a slim, versatile, and intuitive personal computer with great multimedia and multi-touch features at a competitive price point.” - Vicky Agorilla, General Manager.

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Are You Ready for Line?

Last Thursday, while everyone else rushed to their valentine dates, we drove through the heavy C5 traffic to check out the product launch of the latest messaging craze to hit the Philippines: Line.

Interestingly, Line was launched last 2011 after the Japan earthquake. Communication systems have been severely damaged and kept people from contacting each other, and data service was found to be more effective. So they came up with a messaging service that allows for messaging and calls using data connection. And because it's Japanese, you can count that they'd do it with their own sense of fun and style (Japan-japan characters, colors and all). Only two years after their launching, they already have 231 million users around the globe and counting, so I guess it just makes a lot of sense for them to launch the product in the text-crazy land of Pinoys. :)

The basic services of Line are free calls, free messaging, photo/location sharing and group messaging among peers. Now this is quite already available for other messaging services like Viber and such, so what makes Line different? I downloaded the app to find out. App size is 15mb so it's good enough for the average smartphone, it's available for iOS, Android, and Blackberry OS, it's also being developed for Windows.

So basically this is the homepage. It looks very much like Facebook, and it even has its own timeline.

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