McDonald's, Nokia and Sony's NEX

Had another Big Breakfast yesterday at the other McDonald's store and they gave me this:
I asked for another one but the store manager told me it costs Php10 :P Forgot I was in Philippines :D I now wonder if all branches would give 1 for every McMuffin breakfast meal O_o

The Nokia Warehouse Sale is still on. There's one N82 waiting for a new owner. For Php9,999 - it's already a steal! It's just that 'touch' is in, I wonder if it will ever be sold :P

My future phone???
Check out the samples photos taken with the N8 at Nokia Conversations and you'll know why I'll keep my eye on this phone :P

courtesy of Nokia Conversations

Check out N8's official site

It will be available in the third quarter this year for only around €370.
Wuhoo??!! :D


Sony NEX3

Some pics of Sony's mirrorless camera have leaked over at sonyalpharumours:
and while the dxyum dudes are still analyzing the paparazzi shots, I am actively looking for the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm/f1.7 locally.
I wonder if there's a conspiracy between Samsung and Sony on this arena.
Samsung's mount is called NX while Sony is NEX O_o
Exciting times!

Drool!

Nokia N900 has landed on the Philippines, ain't that a beauty?!



courtesy of Nokia PH

I really want one but the camera is not as good as N82's :P

Unlocked versions are available for USD516.54 @ amazon.

And here's one very cool accessory:
Nokia Armor by Boxwave Co. for USD27.95 @ amazon

courtesy of Amazon

Wish I'll win one from some raffle draws :D

Anyway back to my N82...

Apparently this would be my 4th gift for 'it' :D A belt pouch which is actually for SE P990.

BTW, heads-up for some people out there. There's a Nokia 'Warehouse Sale' at Glorietta.
I saw some N82's going for P9,900! Hurry before supplies run out! :D

From the East

So we went to Club Manila East yesterday (click here or the screen caps for NST):

It was a good time to cool down specially that we are almost hitting 37degC.

Sun burn!

Would love to try jumping from these :D

The Kiddie Slide

And some shots within the waterproof pouch.
Not bad for the price :P
The boys enjoying the slide

Artificial waves was really fun

Coby having fun with the waves

And we were treated to an early dinner somewhere in Angono/Antipolo.
Here's a photo of 'Nilagang Manok' with an 'unborn egg' :p Yummy!

Ooops

The map was loading but it doesnt get updated on the phone O_o Got to find out how will it get updated.
Later.
N82blogged

DUH!?!?

I just can't believe it, Ovi Maps Loader suddenly worked on my N82!

1. Opened Nokia Philippines Maps support
2. Followed the same instructions I've been following before but this time
2.a Opened Nokia PC Suite
2.b Opened Maps Loader
Then voila! The apps worked!!! O_o
I've been doing this stuff to no avail and been rebooting my N82 for the nth time already but tonight it worked! Just successfully loaded Philippines' Map. Wuhoo!!! :P

Got to hit the bed for now :)

Going Waterproof

Spent a lot of time googling again due to an upcoming swimming trip. Been looking intently at Sony TX5 and Panasonic TS2 but in the end, my budget won :D

We don't get to go swimming much in a year so I told myself to settle for a water pack for the N82 or T500 and here's what I got (thanks Jam!) from SPF at Glorietta:


It even got a headphone out extension, something I don't think I'll use O_o

For Amazon [and/or iPod] shoppers you can check this.
Hope to get good snaps tomorrow :)

Breakfast

For a change, I decided to have a Big Breakfast at McDo.
BigBreakfast.PH


and remember BigBreakfast.SG? :D

PH won me on the egg and beef(?) patty, the rest goes to SG specially the quality of the coffee. The meal is enough for me and the hashbrown makes it just too much for my tummy :P

The Productive Mouse

I began exploring the capability of the NoAnyDelay (:D) A4Tech mouse yesterday.

16-in-1 feature screen and a very handy battery indicator. The mouse is powered by 2xAAA batteries. I wonder how long it will last. The AWLKB uses 2xAA. Let's see which one dies first.


Two of the most obvious gestures I can use are the Undo and Redo.
Hold double-click button then simulate undo gesture, Textpad undo'es 'lazy dog.':


Hold double-click button then simulate redo gesture:

Pretty impressive really. Less time to switch from mouse to keyboard.

There's also the 4D wheel. If the app screen doesn't fit the screen horizontally, just go to the Section B of the superimposed layout, then the scroll button will work horizontally.


I have yet to explore the rest of the items available with the A4Tech mouse:


Blogger Setting

Fortunately there's this option in Blogger


and was able to create this blog w/o any fuzz like it's easier to put two images side by side.

Am glad to see this screen again:

Am loving the uncluttered/wireless desktop in front of me... more space for the papers :D

Wireless
Using the AWKLB in the office is a joy, it's easier to type and my table seems so clean and uncluttered. So I got the itch to continue 'uncluttering' my table and so I got myself a wireless mouse. I would have gotten Apple's Magic Mouse but it's just too expensive (same price with AWLKB).

The more common brands available at the local shops are A4Tech and Logitech. The A4Tech offers more features than the Logitech. Logitech looks more rugged and will last longer but commands a higher price which I don't want to spend on for a mouse. The first one that got my attention is A4Tech's BT-630 (BlueTooth) which looks something like the G7-630 (with receiver) but noticed a smaller and cheaper one which is the G7-200.

I am using it right now and while it's light, very smooth and responsive, I think it might just be too small for my hand. I'll wait and see if I have to 'upgrade' to a bigger one like the BT-630 :P

One of the A4Tech's feature is the 'No any Lag' which until now I can't just comprehend. Maybe it's an inside joke or something... A4Tech please let me know what exactly does it mean :D Here's a screen cap from their website:

No any Lag?!

Anyway, took some mugshots last night:

A4Tech meets the Apple

But where's the USB Nano Receiver?!
Here, let me show you:

Pretty clever me thinks

Sizzling Batteries
I charged my very old AAA GP batteries last night and used it today on the mouse. A few seconds later, I heard something and noticed something was sizzling and smelled some burning wires!!! Found out it was coming from the mouse, hurriedly took out the batts while uttering expletives :D I thought I fried it. Fried mouse anyone?

I then tried another set of batteries and the mouse was okay. I'm just so glad that it was just the battery that got fried [whew!].

For rechargeable batteries I suggest you start using the hybrid ones (ready to use from the shelves).

And one last thing. This new editor from blogger (with the Amazon Associates on the right side during editing sucks :P) It took me more time to set up this blog, argh! Took me some time to align all the pics and I can't put them side by side anymor. Oh well. Learning curve :P

Apple and Nokia!
Okay as promised here are the two gifts I got for my N82.

Extra Keys
The Uber Cool Apple Wireless Keyboard via BlueTooth

It was love at first sight for me when I saw this piece of computer accessory some years ago. My friends know I'm not a fan of Apple|iPod (yes there's a site called www.anythingbutipod.com) but this keyboard really got me at first meet. It's so small and sleek and sexy! I can't believe I'll be buying one and so it is now officially my first Apple product :D

The existence of Nokia's SU-8W Wireless Keyboard got me thinking of getting a wireless keyboard but it's kinda hard to find locally. I liked the idea of using a WL KB with my N82 and after some googling found out that some N82 users have successfully paired it with an Apple WL KB!

So I looked for one and the rest as they say is history. Got it for a decent price and so far I am very impressed|happy with it. When connected with the AWLKB, the N82 serves like a very small PC and it goes to show how it fits the computer-cellphone Swiss Knife title. I can now chat via Slick, type SMS/mails and google stuff conveniently. I can even plug my N82's display on the TV for bigger screen when needed.

The Nokia Wireless Keyboard SU-8W Support Software is a prerequisite before the AWLKB can be used and paired w/ the N82.

Every N82 users should get one.


Extra Power

After the 'incident' last Saturday, me running (actually hiking!) with a dead N82 - I decided to get an extra battery for my N82 and it's my second gift for it. Just got it today actually. I was looking at the Nokia DC-11 Extra Power Charger but again it's hard to find. N82's batt is Nokia BP-6MT and it costs half of the DC-11 and would be easier to run around with. At the start of a race, I'll just put one newly charged 6MT in my N82 and it will be just like Tony Stark with his nuclear powered heart :D Iron Man 2 showing end of this month :P



Forward Delete

Before I got the AWLKB, I got a USB BT adapter 'cause I intended to use the AWLKB with my desktop computer in the office. The AWLKB is very easy to type on and I wanted to optimize my expense.

I was able to get it working this morning... only to find out that the AWLKB can't do 3 things (amongst other things?) we [IBM] PC|Windows users are used to:

1. Forward Delete
2. Home
3. End

The last two I can live with but #1 - I just can't stand it. I can't even lock my workstation!

Google to the rescue and got what I needed from the UAWKS site. Before I left the office, I was already able to lock my workstation \m/

Some screen cap with the help of N82 :P

and trying to show how the forward delete works. Cursor behind letter 'b'
then pressing fn+delete
so for locking my computer, I need to press CTRL+Alt+[Fn+Del].

Pretty cool really... only I'm afraid I'll get tired bringing it with me back and forth the office and home and I'll end up getting another one O_o. Haha!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Yesterday's (First ever!) Merrell Adventure Run at Wawa Dam, Montalban (Rizal) was a blast [good]! So much has to be said and I just want to post what I can. I can't believe I'm blogging at 3 in the morning [bad?] :P

I think it would have been more appropriate to call it a hike instead of a run. Shoes with ample support on the ankle would have been better due to the diversity of the terrain. Wawa dam is a beauty and I don't mind going back there with my bigger cameras. I'm not even sure if it was a blessing that my N82 died on me before I got to the 8km mark as I was stopping most of the time to take some snap. The last half of the trail was the more beautiful part of the trail. I will google later to check other participants' snaps specially the two mountains(?) and the dam itself with big white rocks below it [good! \m/].

So part of the Bad part was my N82's batt dying on me. My NST crashed hence it was not able to tag this photo together w/ the trail. The [ugly] sattelite view of the trail shows how exciting the 'run' was. Here's a clickable screen capture to the NST site. Check out that altitude! I was not even able to track our road trip to Wawa Dam as me and my friends had to use the Garmin Navigator to bring us to the place [good and bad].


Here are some of the snaps I took on the trail.

At the starting area

The agony has begun

Local folks looking around

Dried water paths
(The trail could been more exciting if not for El Nino [very bad])

Just one of the great scene on the trail


I 'lost' one of my toe nail even before 1hr of the 'race' [very bad :D] It was where the 'fastest' part of the trail where you can run going downhill and I had to run sideways (reminds me of some scenes in Man vs Wild). I'm not sure if the very thin(?) and slippery(?) socks that I was wearing helped kill my toenail [ugly]. But I was glad I could feel the grip of my trail shoes on the different surfaces of the trail [good]. I had to dig my heel on those nasty sands on the downhill parts.

Some part of the hills where burnt (called 'kaingin' in Tagalog) and it really looked ugly [really ugly]. I guess the locals had to that for some practical reason. The locals were very friendly and I took some time to talk with some of them specially the little boys and girls who were summoning the runners to go and speed up the hike/run [good] :D

First encounter with water


Hitting sand


Hitting gravel


My trail shoe 'survived' the trail and I just had to give it a rinse when I got home. I got some sore muscles specially the ones that we don't usually use when running on the road. I was not even sure I could finish the race when I felt my right leg was feeling thick or bloated. Fortunately, I was able to go on. Toward the last part of the race I was jumping and balancing on the big white rocks. One slip will cause a 'wipe out' :D I'm glad a I got this good pair of trail shoe [good!].

My N82 died after taking this shot and before hitting one of the most beautiful part of the trail. Lesson learned, I should give it a full charge while I'm sleeping and having my own recharge and I think I owe the N82 another gift.

More on the other 'N82 gift' soon :)

Time to go back to sleep and what's left of it.