Samsung Instinct Vs. iPhone videos

I was invited to the Sprint Instinct Webinar a few days ago, however, I wasn't able to attend but I've heard good things about the Sprint Instinct. I've recently seen their Samsung Instinct vs. iPhone video ads and I must admit that it's cute and clever.

Sprint pointed out the many things that is lacking on the iPhone which I think Steve Jobs might have addressed with their upcoming 3G iPhone. Things like the no GPS, slow EDGE connection, no Live TV, no video recording capability, and failure to connect with the iTunes store were shown on the videos.

While the ads are clever and cute, Sprint failed to point out whether the Samsung Instinct has the iPhone's multi-touch capability, or the full web browsing feature of the Safari Browser. These two things alone makes the iPhone sell plus the fact that it is a great music phone. Now we have yet to see whether the Samsung Instinct will be a great music phone. Here are the Samsung Instinct vs. iPhone videos:

GPS



Internet Connection



Live TV



Video Recording Capability



Music Download

The Google PageRank Algorithm Explained--sort of

Unless you have a PH.d in Math be warned that the following link will just give you a headache. I've just stumbled upon this post over at DP linking to this Pagerank computation report by Northern Carolina State University students.

I tried reading it and I did manage to get past the third paragraph until my migraine suddenly attacked. Anyways, it looks like it has been up for a while and maybe it's the same simple pagerank computation that some sites already posted (which I still can't understand).

If anyone knows a mathematician of some sort who could translate it in plain English, leave a comment.

2008 Audi R8

I've previously blogged about how the Audi R8 was used on Iron Man movie. I naturally got curious about it. I never thought Audi could make a sports car. I wanted to see if the Audi R8 is worthy to be Iron Man's car.

Well, I have to admit, the 2008 Audi R8 is pretty cool to look at, however, I still prefer my sports car to be sleek and low, more like the Corvette sports car. As for the car tech inside the 2008 Audi R8, it's pretty disappointing. The Audi R8 is around the $100,000 price point and I expected that the car would come fully loaded, however, according to CNET's take on the R8, things such as navigation system, Bluetooth integration, six disc changer are all optional and there's no connection for MP3.

As for the engine and handling, CNET's test drive gave the Audi R8 the thumbs up for its advanced suspension and handling of turns.

Maybe under the hood, the Audi R8 is a true sports car, however, as for the looks and in-car technology, it's pretty disappointing, nothing compared to any of the cars on the best sports car list over at Ridelust.com.

But alas, we can't expect Ferrari or Lotus to jump on the Iron Man marketing propaganda, their sports car already speaks for itself so Audi got hold of the gig and now has a good exposure.

Lenovo IdeaPad U110 Review

I didn’t know something this gorgeous could come out of Lenovo’s manufacturing plants. The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is actually the first Lenovo laptop that I have drooled over, specially the red model. I don’t know but fiery red always gets my attention in ANY gadget.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is Lenovo’s entry into the ultraportable genre. It has an aluminum lid that comes in black or red and has a screen size of 11.1 inch and only weighs 2.5 pounds. Though I don’t have a soft spot for 11.1 inch laptops that costs around $1,800 specially since I could get a more powerful notebook for that price, the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 surprisingly performs well.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 has a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor which pretty much can perform a variety of task similar to its more bulkier counterparts. Because I don’t have a 20/20 vision and since I hate wearing glasses and contacts, I find screen sizes below 13 inch a little harder to use. Though the Lenovo IdeaPad U110’s screen has a 1366 x 768 native resolution, you will still feel the strain in your eyes during prolonged use.

As for the keyboard, it’s very easy to use, almost similar to the bigger notebooks, maybe it’s because Lenovo used up all the space for the keyboard and left the touch pad way on the bottom, almost hard to reach. I recommend that you bring along a small optical mouse if you’re taking the Lenovo Ideapad U110 with you to the coffee shop.

One downside is that Lenovo left out an optical drive for the IdeaPd U110 though it’s understandable considering that most ultraportables did away with optical drives. I love that Lenovo is shipping this laptop with two batteries. The four cell battery lasts around 1 and half hour while the seven cell battery can last up to three hours.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 has the makings of a good ultra portable. For those willing to spend more than $1000 for a small laptop then they should consider the Lenovo IdeaPad U110.

New Canon Rebel XSi commercial

Check out this new ad for the Canon Rebel XSi. This Rebel XSi commercial uses individual still images that is blended into a picture-trail motion commercial. The digital stills on this ad uses the Canon EOS-1D Mark III profession dSLR.

2008 Surefire Flashlights

I’ve just recently gotten hold of their 2008 catalogue and here are just two Surefire new flashlights for the year.

Surefire UA2 Optimus

Nope, it’s not one of the transformers but its looks may as well be. This flashlight has a microprocessor and a “virtually” indestructible LED, output levels of up to 200 lumens, Vari-beam technology, tactical strobe, and a built-in fuel gas among others.



Surefire UB2 Invictus

This one has a variable output of up to 400 lumens, a built-in fuel gauge, SOS emergency beacon, tactical strobe setting, and a combat grip. Though not out of this world looking than the UA2 Optimus, this is still one nice flashlight for those into collecting police gear or those who just want to own a powerful flashlight.

Panasonic VIERA PZ850

The Panasonic VIERA PZ850 is Panasonic’s first VIERA CAST Web enabled Plasma HDTV. The Panasonic VIERA PZ850 was first introduced during the CES 2008 and has been much awaited.

Features

The Panasonic PZ850 is already 1080P full HD capable and comes in 46 (46PZ850), 50 (50PZ850), 58 (58PZ850), and 65 (65PZ850) inch models. Like many of Panasonic’s newly released HDTVs, the Panasonic PZ850 has an integrated SD card so you can easily view your pictures, and an H.264 codec which allows you to view HD videos from your camcorder directly through the SD card.

The Panasonic PZ850 has a native resolution of 30,000:1 and a whopping dynamic ratio of 1,000,000:1, 24p native reproduction, gaming mode, PC input, and four HDMI connections.

What makes the Panasonic PZ850 a much anticipated HDTV is the VIERA Cast Web which enables it to view content directly from YouTube, Picasa Web Album, and Bloomberg.

Conclusion

Though I don’t see the point of viewing YouTube videos on a 46 inch HDTV especially since most videos on YouTube are not high definition which will only make those videos more washed out and grainy, but still, it’s a nice add on specially since Panasonic is famous for making good quality HDTVs.

Bring your iPods and Party in Atlanta

If you’re looking for Things to do in Atlanta, well, the most popular activity there is to party all night and get wild! Atlanta has some world renowned nightclubs and restaurants and the nightlife there is always hopping.

Sutra Club is one of the most popular nightclubs in the area and has been recently voted as one of the top 100 Nightclubs in the US by Nightclub and Bar Magazine. Aside from Sutra, you can also try visiting Dante’s Down the Hatch, a jazz club and Fondue Restaurant. Verve is another popular and happening place. You can take a break from all the partying on their outdoor terrace that provides a great view of the Atlanta skyline. Wherever you might plan to go wild in Atlanta, you can always be assured of finding a quality nightclub in the area.

Try booking with sightseeing tours provided by Trusted Tours and Travels. You can get a chance to win $150 in iTunes Gift Card if you sign up for their newsletter and if you do win, bring along your iPods just in case you still have a hangover from your wild party at night, you can still reminisce and bring along the pumping music on your trusty little music gadget.

Samsung HMX20

I've missed out reporting on this one but Samsung has come up with their own high definition flash-based camcorder, the Samsung HMX20. Unlike their previous HD camcorder which only records 720p videos, the Samsung HMX20 can record full HD videos at 1920 x 1080 pixels. This camcorder can also shoot 8 mega pixels of still images and has the capability to shoot stills while recording videos.

The Samsung HMX20 also features a 2.7 inch touch screen LCD and videos are recorded at 30fps. The Samsung HMX20 has an 8GB built in memory expandable with a SDHC card. CNET has a video up of their first look at the Samsung HMX20.

With all the features mentioned, this HD camcorder looks promising.

Geeky Gifts

Now we all like receiving birthday cards. Sure, those paper cards with sweet sappy lines, colorful images and sometimes made with fragrant papers are nice and would melt the heart out of anyone. Birthday cards such as the one pictured here from cardsdirect.com can come for as cheap as $4 a piece. However, if you think that these kind of birthday cards are just to traditional and blah for the geek that you're going to give it to, why not add a touch of extra geekiness by adding an infrared LED name badge.

You can store up to 8 messages on this Infrared LED name badge with different symbols. You insert it on the envelope with the Birthday card then insert a sticky note saying, "turn me on" or something and then insert your sweet or funny message on the LED badge. It's a very cool gift that would instantly melt the heart of any geeks. The LED badge pictured below is from Brando shop and measures 12 x 40 with a magnetic clip. Sorry, Mac users, this one is compatible with Windows Operating System only. Maybe you can get a higher priced one in one of your MAC stores.



Anyways, this is one cool way of personalizing your birthday cards or any greeting cards.

LED Flashlight for Engineers

I just got this press release in the mail today. I honestly don't know what it's for. I mean it looks like a desk lamp rather than a flashlight.

Anyways, it's the AltusLumen TRI-L Magnesium rechargeable LED light. This product has a 360 degree hinge and a foldable tripod shape. Since this product is marked as "for engineers", I'm assuming that they have to put this on their helmets or something. It also has a dual light source.

Anyways, the picture is nice so I thought I might post it. For more info, check the manufacturer's site: www.altuslumen.com. This device costs $99.

Drive a Hummer

Let's face it everybody wants to own a Hummer. It's one cool car. However, Hummers can be expensive and it's not exactly your typical family four-door sedan. So, what can you do in order to drive a Hummer, aside from going to your local dealer and test-driving one? Well, you can contact a rent a car service and drive one.

Sure, renting Hummers can also blow your budget compared with just renting ordinary cars, but come on, it's a Hummer! So next time you’re on vacation and a car rental is within your travel budget, spend a bit more and experience driving a Hummer!

Hummer H3 Specifications:

Engine: Vortec 3500 3.5L cylinder
Horsepower: 220/164 @5600
Torque: 225/305 @ 2800
Front Chasis: independent SLA torsion bar, 46-mm mono-tube gas-charged shocks, 36-mm tubular stabilizer bar
Rear Chasis: “Hotchkiss” design multileaf, semi-elliptical single-stage leaf spring, 46-mm mono-tube gas-charged shocks, 25-mm rear solid diameter stabilizer bar

More at specs at H3 Source.

Web Hosting Reviews

If you’re a newbie webmaster or just someone who wants their own site/blog, the first thing that you will need is a web host. The web host will be the one who stores your files and allocate bandwidth to your visitors. Searching for a good host is a tough job. In most webmaster forums, the most common question asked is “which is the best web hosting company?”

Depending on which webmaster forum you’re on, you can get a reply or two and if you’re lucky maybe even up to five replies, however, those replies are usually not enough to make an informed decision. It’s because those who have replied have their own preferences and there would be seldom two users who will suggest the same web host.

Your next alternative is to search Google for web hosting reviews. Again, Google would churn up millions of results but the ones on the first pages may or may not help you. Sometimes, there are review sites that would end up on the first pages of a Google search result which is more or less an affiliate site so you won’t get a balanced review there, they’d only encourage you to sign up because they would get commissions.

You’d occasionally stumble upon some web hosting articles but they too are just articles that link to a web hosting review site filled with affiliate links. So how can you make an informed decision? Try to visit the sites that turn up on your Google search page until the second page. Find the web hosting review sites that have user reviews. The one without user reviews is most probably just an affiliate site.

Try to ignore any best choice, recommended choice, etc but focus on the user reviews. After visiting around five sites, you can find a common denominator or common choice amongst users. Narrow down your choice to the top five web hosting companies and do further research. Now that you have your top five web hosting companies, try to find reviews of these companies. I recommend searching forums as well for in depth reviews of the specific web host.

After that doing your homework, you can now make an informed decision regarding the best web host for you.

Blackberry 9000 aka Bold Review

Watch out, Apple, Blackberry is on a rampage. Blackberry recently announced its newest mobile phone, the Blackberry Bold or Blackberry 9000. Though it looks nothing like the iPhone, feature-wise the Blackberry 9000 could give the iPhone a run for its money.

Design

The Blackberry 9000 still sports the same looks as previous Blackberry handsets. It still has that QWERTY keyboard we all know and love but it has a more slimmer profile and features and interchangeable backplate.

Features

Like I said, the Blackberry 9000 may not look like an iPhone is packed with features that could further increase RIM's smartphone market share that the iPhone has eaten up. Though it doesn't have the iPhone's 3 inch screen, the Blackberry 9000 sports a half-VGA 420x320 resolution LCD display, making images and videos look stunning and clear. The Blackberry also sports a 624 MHz processor, almost at par with the iPhone's processor so you can multitask all you want on this device.

In order to make use of its high speed processor and superior display, the Blackberry Bold has a high performance web browser that can display full web pages. The browser also supports downloading attachments and streaming videos.



The Blackberry was never known to be a "fun phone". In fact, their ads are obviously geared for businessmen, however, since the iPhone has bridged the gap between work and play, naturally, Blackberry needs to follow suit. In order to address the Blackbery 9000's fun side, RIM added a 2 mega pixel camera with video recording capabilities, a superior music player that has an equalizer, 1GB on board memory expandable with a microSD card to store your music files, and a full-sized headset jack.

Connectivity options is abundant on the Blackberry 9000. First, it supports triband HSDPA, has dual-band WiFi, AND GPS! And because of its fast processor, users can even use the navigation function while on a call.

And of course, it still has what loyal Blacberry users need, access to the Blackberry server and DataViz Documents to Go suite to view and edit Word and Excel documents.

Conclusion

So, with all these features, would Blackberry users on the brink of switching to the iPhone be convinced to stay? Hopefully the Blackberry Bold is enough.

OMG! Google is running Scientology ads on my blog!!

WTF is that about??!!! This is a gadget site! Why the heck is Adsense running Scientology ads?!! Just to make sure that the ad is really about Scientology I clicked on it and lo and behold! It IS about Scientology, the religion!

I don't mind some that some unrelated ads are being shown once in a while, but ads about religion? Come on, Google! Work on your Adsense algorithm. I mean, was there ANYTHING at all on my recent posts which actually talks about religion? Or just because a blog is under the Science and Technology section of most directories, it automatically gets Scientology ads?

I know there's some tip somewhere in the web that talks about optimizing Adsense to show ads that are REALLY related to your site. I guess I better start Googling on that and start applying it here.

Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin

Sony Ericsson announced their new technology called Project Capuchin which bridges Java Me and Adobe Flash Lite technologies. According to Sony Ericsson, this new technology will allow more feature rich content for mobile phone users.

With Project Capuchin, content created by Adobe Flash technology can appear as Java ME applications. What this means? Hopefully full web browsing feature on mobile phones or the ability to watch flash videos and content using Java applications.

Good job, Sony Ericsson. Now get to work, developers.

Crazy Rhinoplasty Gadget

Don’t have the money to undergo Rhinoplasty? Well, this Rhinoplasty Glasses might do the trick for you. The nose piece on this thing vibrates at 7,000 Hz per minute that creates a gravitational force and excites the growth of your nasal bridge cartilage. According to the makers, if you wear it for three minutes everyday, you will see improvements on your nose in two to three weeks time. If you can bear to look geeky for three minutes a day, then you might want to give this a try. Or you can just stop being a cheapskate and find yourself some decent Maryland rhinoplasty surgeon to do the job for you.

Via: Gadgets Infoniac

Tesla Roadster

Now this is one gorgeous electric car. I've always been put off by electric cars because their design is just so blah. Most of them are compact and looks budget cars. This is not something I can say for the Tesla Roadster.

Yes, the Tesla Roadster is an electric car and no, it's not a concept car because it will roll out in the market starting next week. Before you reach for your check, be warned that this car will set you back $109,000 for the standard model and the fully loaded version will set you back $124,000.

The Tesla Roadster is equipped with a 6,831 cell lithium ion battery which weighs about 1,000 pounds. The battery can be fully charged at 3.5 hours and can go on a 225 mile journey on a single charge. The Tesla roadster can go from 0-60 mph in four seconds and can reach speeds of 125 mph.

Even if you have the dough to spend, it will take around 15 months before your order is delivered as the first 600 Tesla Roadsters for 2008 has all been sold. Orders are now being taken for 2009 models. If you don't have the dough to spend, then lets you and I just drool over the pics below.

Google Adwords vs. Adsense

During my search for ways to optimize and monetize my blog I’ve come across Adsense and as you can see, I’m running it on my site. Then, during my frequent visits to webmaster forums, I’ve come across the term “adwords” and I thought this was another Adsense program but then it didn’t make sense as to why Google will come up with two same service. It turns out Adsense is the program wherein publishers such as bloggers and webmaster run in order to publish Google Ads. Adwords on the other hand is the program that advertisers use to buy ads from Google which Google displays on the Adsense program.

If you’re thinking of using Adwords to increase your site’s visibility on the Internet, then this blog post about Adwords optimization on StylishDesign might help you out.

Gadgets on Iron Man

Update: Gadgets on Iron Man 2 post now up.

I've just came home from watching Iron Man and I have to say that is the best damn Super Hero Movie I've seen in a while. I was actually quite surprised and I wasn't expecting to like it. Maybe it's because the movie is so full of gadgets that's why a gadget lover like me was enamored by it. Anyways, there were many mouthwatering gadgets on the movie but here are just three that I actually remember. Sorry, no movie screen shots, just the actual products:

Tony Stark's / Iron Man's Mobile Phone: LG VX9400



Frankly I was surprised and disappointed after seeing Tony Stark's mobile phone. It's an LG VX9400. I'm pretty sure of it, having reviewed it before (see my LG VX9400 review). It's the only phone with a rotating screen. Though the LG VX9400 does have a coolness factor for their screen and the ability to watch TV on the go, I doubt that a businessman and a rich guy like Tony Stark would settle for it.

Tony Stark's / Iron Man's car: 2008 Audi R8


Finding Tony Stark's car was easy. There was no mistaking that 4 circles so I knew that his car was an Audi. It was only a matter of Googling before I found his car. There are only a handful of Audi sports cars out there. The 2008 Audi R8 has a V8 engine and is an all-wheel drive. Pretty cool but I still associate Ferrari's with the rich and famous.

Tony Stark's / Iron Man's home phone: VTech LS5145


Come on, with that 2 second on screen time, it's hard to miss this VTech cordless phone. It's easy enough to find since VTEch only has four cordless phones with picture caller id feature. It has picture caller id because Gwyneth Paltrow's face popped up when she called. This is just a guess though but the VTech LS5145 has other cool features aside from picture caller id. You can use MP3 or polyphonic ringtones, can connect to Bluetooth phones, and has a 64k color LCD.

Well, that's it. Anyways, watch Iron Man to see other cool cars and gadgets. Can't wait for the sequel (I hope it has one).

From the Blogroll: Price for the 3G iPhone unveiled?

While I was doing my regular blogroll hop, I've come across this post from the guys over at Techdudes stating that the price for the 3G iPhone will be around $199 since AT&T is willing to subsidize $200 for those that will get the 3G iPhone with a 2 year contract.

That's a pretty cheap price for an iPhone but knowing AT&T and Apple, this probably is just a rumor. I mean, it's not an Apple product without the excessive pricing, right? :D

LG Scarlet Video

Check out LG's Scarlet TV ad. There was a lot of hype surrounding LG's Scarlet unveiling at Los Angeles. LG designed the unveiling to be mock premier for a supposed Scarlet TV Series. Guests at the premier were surprised to learn that it was actually the unveiling of the LG Scarlet rather than a TV series. Well, it IS a "TV Series" thanks to LG's "clever" play of words.

Anyways, the LG Scarlet is supposed to be the world's thinnest LCD TV. From the video, this looks like a gorgeous LCD TV. Can't wait to get my hands on this one.