rhk111’s Blogspot
My views & reviews on anything & everything

‘E-mail and Social Networking’
Over the past couple of days, I found that it is more convenient to use the iPad for things like checking e-mail, or my social networking sites (SNS) than using my laptop. To do the same thing with my laptop, I would normally go and sit on my computer chair, fire up the laptop, wait 4-5 minutes for the laptop to boot, then open up Opera to access e-mail or SNS.

This is in contrast with the iPad, which I basically just pick up, bring it anywhere as opposed to being tied down to a desk, open up the screen in one second, then click away on the icon of the e-mail or SNS, and off you go.

I initially was frustrated by the fact that there were very few Facebook or Twitter apps on the iTunes store, and what are available were not free, and relatively expensive. I later found out why: It is easier to use Safari to access those sites, because Safari allows you to bookmark webpages on the home screen.

So what you do, is go the website using Safari; Then hit the “+” button at the top of the page, and then select “Add to Home Screen”. You then end up with the link on the homescreen, and for popular websites like Facebook, you even get the correct icon to go with it. Strangely, though, you don’t get the correct icon for Gmail.

‘Easy Operation’
One thing I observed about the iPad, is that it is so easy to operate, that it opens up possibilities for use by the very young … and the very old. My fifty year old Aunt, for example, who has almost never used a computer, suddenly became addicted to “Plants versus Zombies HD“. We literally had to pry the unit out of her hands to stop her from playing. I may need use my stun gun if things gets worse …

My 70 year old mother, who doesn’t know squat about computers, suddenly is playing “Blackjack HD” and “Solitaire Ace” like a pro. Even our household help is getting into the act.

Its not that simple, of course, because I don’t think my mom or aunt will be able to handle using iTunes and downloading stuff, but other people could do that for them, like me, for example. Bottomline is that the iPad’s simplicity, easy to use interface, portability and content is introducing computers to those people who have never used it before.

We initially thought my mother needed to go thru one of those computer seminars for senior citizens, but with the iPad, she is up and running after only a few instructions. I’ve always wanted my mother to learn how to use computers, but not this expensive. Nah, she’ll get over it. LOL
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I, had a dream. The dream started more than a decade ago, after my first annual subscription of Time Magazine was over. I was then left with a stack of magazines about two feet high. I asked myself, “what the fuc_ do I do with these now?” It seemed a shame to throw it all away, with their nice pages and photos, sometimes excellent articles.

I tried sorting them out, but those that were left eventually were never read again, consigned to some dark space around the house until they were thrown out. It was then that I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to have some sort of a portable gadget that could store all those pages, and still capture that experience of seeing those nice pictures and pages?”

Well, it is now 2010, and that dream has finally been realized, with the Apple iPad (sob).

‘Physical Properties, and Touchscreen’
I knew the iPad was going to be heavier than my Kindle 2, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this heavy. It won’t cause you muscle problems on your arm from holding it up for hours on end, but when handling it, you know something is going to break if you drop it because of all that weight.

I bought a silicone case, because I didn’t want any case to end up adding to the weight. But after hefting the unit around, nope, that flimsy silicone case is not gonna do it. I need something more solid, that will also protect the large screen. Probably something leather. We’ll see what the gadget accessories store has in store for us later.

The touchscreen is fantastic. ‘Iba rin talaga ang Apple touchscreen.’ After using a couple of touchscreen phones, whose responsiveness are pretty good, by the way, I still find using the iPad’s touchscreen to be somewhat like “Magic”, as if I am just gesturing, and things happen onscreen. Much like Tom Cruise and that virtual keyboard on “Minority Report”. Its just so fast, so smooth, so effortless.

Even the screen rotation is different: On the HTC Hero and the SE X10 Mini, the screen would go blank for half a second, then show in landscape mode. Not so with the iPad. It rotates in real time. You can actually see the screen rotate, then change shape in real time. Wow.

‘iBooks, and Comics’
Among the first apps I downloaded was “iBooks“. Hasn’t bought a book yet, but a free book is automatically downloaded, in this case, “Winnie The Pooh”. I found the lighted screen to be better than my Kindle, because of the backlight. Bezos will say that its bad for the eyes, etc., but I disagree. I’m already spending hours reading stuff on my laptop with its backlighted screen, so a few more hours shouldn’t be a problem.
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‘Battery Life’
Battery life on the unit with heavy use (i.e., around an hour of Wifi everyday, lots of installation and removing of apps, 15 minutes of calls, etc.) initially was only 24 hours max, so I have had to charge it everyday. I guess that is the price to pay, for having so many features, on such a small battery source. Charging time to 100% is the typical two hours.

The installation of the ADW Launcher software supposedly not only changes the homescreen user interface, but also helps improve battery life, and it seems to have worked marginally effectively, as it increased battery life by about half a day with the same heavy use.

‘SMS System’
The stock SMS system on the phone is enough to get you going initially, but it is incredibly lacking in features, even basic ones, like deleting messages. This is both good news, and bad news. Bad news since it is so crappy, but good news because Android allows you to download and use third-party SMS systems out there which are really, really good.

Of course, the problem is that downloading and using a third-party SMS system becomes mandatory instead of optional, but still, using one has enhanced my SMS experience tremendously. Among the available systems out there, I decided to use “Handcent SMS“. It is truly outstanding, as it has better aesthetics, like “balloon” type threaded messages similar to the one used on the iPhone, and other features like “Pop-up SMS”, which means SMS is shown on the screen right away when you receive it.

It even shows the new SMS on your notification bar when you drag it down. Also there’s a widget on the homescreen showing the messages. It truly is one of the best SMS Systems for Android available right now. And, of course, it allows basic functions like deleting SMS.

‘Widget Issue, and Lock Screen Improvement’
One thing you gotta love about Android and its customiable nature, is that whenever there is a problem, or something you don’t like about your phone, there is a solution out there most of the time. Not all of the time, but most of the time.

For example: On the first review, I was bitc_ing about the fact that one widget occupy all of the screen, but it turns out, that there is a solution out there. A software called a “launcher” named “ADW Launcher” is available on the Android Market, and it allows a better, more user-friendly User Interface (UI) that allows you to put multiple widgets on one page.

It even allows for an Android 2.1 feature where all seven homescreens can be previewed at once when pushing one of the main buttons. The interface for this launcher is very similar to the UI I was used to and prefer with my HTC Hero. Here is a video of how it looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpEbYiTiFdw
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‘Physical Attributes’
The unit is smaller than a playing card lengthwise and widthwise. It is also quite light, which makes me wonder everytime how they could pack all those features, on such a small and light package. The battery doesn’t seem to be replaceable, though.

The back and sides of the unit is in one piece, and is replaceable. The set came with two colored back cases, black and lime green. Am sure that in the very near future, more colorful and creative cases will be available.

There are no stock screen protectors as of this writing, but the celphone ladies would be happy to cut out a large one to custom fit to your screen.

There is only one store selling a clear, silicone-like case for the unit (and I asked a lot of stores), and it is at the “Go Green” Telecoms shop at the Festival Mall in Alabang.

‘Excellent Hardware’
What bowles me over with this phone, is the truly excellent hardware they came up with it. I have to say that in terms of the hardware part, this phone for me truly is a work of wonder.

First off, you have very small phone, and yet it has ALL the features of major smartphones out there. It has Wifi, GPS, Digital Compass, Accelerometer, etc. I keep wondering how the heck they were able to fit all those items on such a small package. And not only that: So many features, for such an affordable price.

It even has a proximity sensor (turns the touchscreen and backlight off automatically when phone is put beside your ear), something which my old HTC Hero lacked, even it was worth more than twice the price.

It still boggles me that I have this small phone, which can do all the things the regular sized smartphones can. Virtual Reality applications? This small baby can do that just as well as the bigger units, with its GPS, 3G, Digital Compass and Accelerometer.
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I’ll start off the review by stating my initial conclusion of the phone, and then expounding on each point later.

I’m very satisfied with the unit, but I do have some issues with it, all of it related to the the software (the X10 Mini is using Android version 1.6). Some Android users will find some features to be lacking from the unit, while first time Android users will find the experience to be less than what it should be (though they won’t necessarily know what’s missing).

The issues aren’t necessarily a “showstopper”, though they do result in a “lesser” experience than what I have been the HTC Hero. I guess that sort of thing always comes up when you switch to a new model, or manufacturer.

I will be making some comparisons of the software with the HTC Hero (using Android version 1.5), which I feel has the superior Android integration than the one Sony Ericsson has at the moment.

On a positive note, I think the unit is a great engineering feat. In terms of the hardware, the unit is really, really good overall.
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
* Argentina vs. Germany
- Another blockbuster match, as both sides are aiming to win. I’m rooting for Argentina, definitely. The Germans are formidable, indeed, after that drubbing of England, but they have been inconsistent, somewhat on-off, on-off with their games. They were “on” against England, I hope they will be “off” against Argentina.

* Ghana beats USA, 2-1
- I was really hoping the USA would advance at least one more round, but that was not to be.
- There really is a problem with the USA’s defenses, as they have been giving up early goals to their opponents all throughout their matches. Their offense is okay, but that defense is something they really need to work on.
- You don’t see much in team sports where a poor country like Ghana gets to kick out the most powerful country in the world out of the World Cup not once, but twice in a row now.

* Germany beats England, 4-1
- I was anticipating a close match between those two, but Germany came and practically swept the English off the field.
- And now its official: Wayne Rooney is one of the biggest flops in this World Cup.

Sunday, July 4, 2010
* Germany beats Argentina, 4-0
- I knew Germany was good, but a 4-0 drubbing of Argentina? Wow. Now all both of my bets are out of the World Cup contention, the USA, and Argentina.
- No other team has been beating their opponents as impressively as Germany. They have scored 4 goals in a game for at least three games now. They definitely are the favorites.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
* Netherlands beats Uruguay, 3-2
- Refused to read any World Cup news before watching the Netherlands vs. Uruguay game on Studio 23 this morning, and it was truly a WC level game, at least before Uruguay conceded two goals within three minutes of each other in the second half.
- The Dutch celebrated a little bit too early, and the game got more exciting after Uruguay scored another goal with only two minutes remaining in the game.
- I wonder why Studio 23 doesn’t show the remaining time on the top of the screen like in other countries during the games.
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Sunday, June 20, 2010
* Italy draws with New Zealand, 1-1
- Italy initially looked very impressive. They play with a lot of calm and composure, and they were magnificent with their passing plays, both on defense and offense, the best I have seen so far among the teams. The problem is that despite them dominating possession and attempts, they just couldn’t seem to score. They kept attacking the All-Whites all game round, attempt after attempt … but just couldn’t get the ball in between the posts. I get the impression that the Italians play very well technically AS A TEAM, but just don’t have that extra individual skill that would enable them to dominate their opponents easily in terms of scoring. And to think this game was against a team ranked so far down compared to them. They are among the favorites, but the way this game ended up, I think its a wide open field out there for the championship.

* Brazil beats Ivory Coast, 3-1
- Wasn’t able to watch the match, but it seems Brazil was stretching its muscle and showing everybody who’s boss. After Germany’s second game meltdown, the name of game in this tournament is consistency, though. It still remains to be seen how consistent Brazil will be in the coming games.

Monday, June 21, 2010
* Portugal massacres North Korea, 7-0
- Surprised by the score, since North Korea was able to hold powerhouse Brazil to only two goals while scoring a goal on their own in their last game. Since the Nokors played so badly in this first televised World Cup game in North Korea, I expect some of the families of these players to be on their way to concentration camps after the Nokors play their last game. LOL

* Chile beats Switzerland, 1-0
- Chile dominated the possession and number of attempts, but it still took them 75 minutes to score their goal. The undermanned Swiss (Behrami got the red card on the 30th minute) weren’t losing most of the time, but they weren’t winning, either, due to their lack of offensive plays, just content on playing defense. In fairness, in the few attempts they made, some came mighty close.

* Spain beats Honduras, 2-0
- Well, at least Spain is living to its lofty billing, no more nasty draws, or gad forbid, losses.
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I passed by a couple more Abenson’s branches to looking for the LG LH70 in 32″, but alas, none of them had stocks of the unit. However, on one of the branches, a Salesperson suggested to me that the best LCD TVs, are those with “Motion Adjustment Systems” of some sort, and started referring me to the Sony models.

I was intrigued, because for one I haven’t owned a Sony TV set in a long while, primarily because they were just too damn expensive. One model, though, the W-Series model KLV-32W550A they were selling for a very good bargain price. The sticker price was at P47.9k, but the Salesperson told me that they could bring the price down to P39k if I pay in cash, or straight charge by credit card.

The discounted price was still above the budget I set for the new LCD TV, but after looking at the demos, I finally decided to give it a try. The unit had, after all, the qualities I was looking for: It was in Full HD, 32″, and had a 120 Hertz screen refresh rate. And its a Sony, a good, established brand name.

After a couple of weeks playing with it, the big question I guess people will ask is, was the higher price, and better specs of the unit really worth it, compared to the Nextbase Devant DP800 I was supposedly “upgrading” from?

The answer is a resounding YES … but also a resounding NO.
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Thanks mainly to the fact that there has been nothing but World Cup Soccer day in, day out on TV where I currently am, plus dramatic, quality games like the US versus Slovenia match, I am slowly starting to appreciate the game of Soccer a lot.

‘No Physical Barriers for Filipinos’
While it is has become sort of a cliche, it really is true that there are no physical barriers for Filipinos to overcome in Soccer, unlike in basketball, where our naturally short stature keeps us from excelling anywhere more than the South East Asian level.

I mean, you don’t have to freakishly tall to excel in Soccer. In fact, most of the top Soccer players right now are not really that tall, well within the Filipino Player’s height range, like the United State’s Landon Donovan, for example, who is only 5′9″. Or Lionel Messi, who is even shorter at only 5′7″.

Now, I’m not gonna say that the Philippines can win the World Cup if we decide to take up Soccer. But I feel that we will at least be able to possibly excel at a higher level, like the Asian level, since we don’t have that physical barrier tying us up.

‘Less Science’
Now, on to appreciating Soccer. The first difference you notice about Soccer as a basketball fan, is that there seems to be a lot less “science” to the sport compared to basketball. If you watch a basketball game, they talk a lot about the type of defense (variations of the zone, or man-to-man, etc.), type of offense (rotations, triangel offense, etc.) all throughout the match.
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It’s World Cup season again, and most of the world is again having Soccer fever. But, just as Dave Letterman said in his monologue last night, “we don’t care”. He was saying it for Americans, but it also oh-so-true for Filipinos.

‘Mandating Schools to Play Soccer’
The problem I think with Soccer, is that the only way to appreciate the game, is to play it. If you haven’t played it, its hard for you to identify with almost two dozen men running up and down a large field and scoring only once per hour. You wouldn’t be appreciate how hard it is to control that damn ball with your feet.

There are, however, some really gifted individuals out there with terrific coordination, who can handle a soccer ball just as easily as Jimmy Alapag dribbles the basketball. Seeing that out on the field gives you a better appreciation of the game.

So the only way to popularize Soccer in the Philippines, is to get more people to play it. The best way to do this, is to mandate into law that all schools in the country incorporate it into their Physical Education curriculum.

But this is tricky politically, because people would ask questions like why Soccer? Why not the national sport “Arnis” instead? So what what if the rest of the world plays it, it doesn’t mean we have to also, at least not to most Filipinos … yet.
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