Gadget Blog of a Third World Geek

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Site To Watch
2007-10-23 05:33:00
**update. I finally got a reply from wix! woot! Those guys act fast. Unfortunately, they're on close beta right now which means they want to work on their baby without the unnecessary disruptions from noobs like me. But they were very nice about it though, so I guess I will have to wait. blech.I will be one of those highly anticipating the invite from this website-- www.wix.comThe programming illiterate that I am, I have been salivating over flash web content for a while now and have spent ridiculously long hours searching for free flash apps. Now this site claims to allow me to create my own flash stuff without programming skills required.This I got to try out. If only I get that invite soon. Argh.[via Techcrunch]
More About: Watch , Site , Websites

Going Down In a Blaze of Style
2007-10-23 04:55:00
It's a sad world, and a lot of folks are misunderstood. People talk of AK47's and you conjure in your mind middle eastern pre-teens toting these weapons in deserts wearing shirts several sizes bigger than they are. They have these lost look in their eyes as if resigned to the fact that this is what their life is all about.These are sad realities. We cannot just wish them away with a wave of a perfumed hand. We could however show them this. It's the HK-AK-47. Go figure.This one's designed by Glamguns. I came across this while checking out akihabaranews to see if there's anything interesting going on. I'm not sure if this is one of those things that Hello Kitty fanatics will want to have. I have to hand it to to Glamguns though for their tongue-in-cheek irreverence. These guys are so religious, they even have one of their products dedicated to Mother Teresa.Behold the Motha T.These things could even be funny. If you can separate the loss of limbs that these things brin...
More About: Style , Going , Blaze , Goin

Enough Already!
2007-10-22 23:00:00
I've had it with laptop makers. I'm already up to my nostrils with their car-themed laptops. I mean c'mon, ferrari already beat you to it, let them have their fun. But no, the other companies had a bad case of the jonesies that they really have to tie up with other carmakers as well. Ok fine, what do we know so far?We have Acer tying up with Ferrari, Asus with Lamborghini, Itronix with Hummer, and the latest?NEC with Nissan's X-trail. Feel free to moan at this stage.Alright, so it's all that strategic alliances bs they teach at business school but is there no end to this? What will they think up next the Mac Chariot (chariot, for those not in the know is one of the more popular jeepney brands in the Philippines)?The thing with strategic alliances though is that it opens doors to more associations. It establishes a precedence that may be difficult to dismiss in future decisions. Right now, it's associating laptops with speed or of being heavy duty performers. What next...
More About: Laptop

The Dual Sims! ($20.37)
2007-10-22 11:17:00
"Dual sim holder with Ultra Slim design , no need to cut the SIM cards, install in minutes. One Model suitable for almost all GSM mobile phones. The Dual sim holder does not require power off to switch between numbers. Software on the dual sim shows onscreen Sim1 , Sim2 display. Enjoy the freedom of two mobile numbers in one handset! Now you can take advantage of different networks offers allowing you the freedom of both contract & pay as you go deals with only one handset. Installation of the dual sim holder requires space within the case to house the second sim card. Not recommended for use with PDA's or Smart phones. not 3G compliant." [via Gr8 Ideas]Somebody's bound to make a killing in the Philippines if they can bring this one here fast. We are a cellphone crazy nation, that and text-messaging too-- earning us the notorious title of being the text capital of what? The world?I've seen a lot of modified phones before that allows the phone owner to switch from one SIM to a...
More About: Sims

Mr. Clock Radio ($79.99)
2007-10-22 11:04:00
"A great gift for anyone who loves gadgets, the Mr. Clock Radio alarm clock can wake anyone up in over 30 different ways, from a gentle voice to a shouting drill sergeant. It can also tell fortunes, speak the time aloud, react to light or motion, wink and blink, and play music via AM, FM or iPod/MP3.Warning: If you hit the snooze button too many times, Mr. Clock Radio may scold you!" This one I really need. The digital alarm clock I have in my room only serves to send me deeper into sleep. That and the fact that it's the same digital clock with the one Laura Linney had in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". It gives me the creeps when I'm working very late and see the red digits hit 3:00 am. What if? Nevermind.This one however looks really lovely along my collection of weird sculptures. It should fit along nicely between my topless headhunters of borneo couple. Hmmm. Where in the Philippine Islands can I get this one?[via RedFerret and Skymall]
More About: Adio

Flip-flops
2007-10-22 01:40:00
**update(4:44pm): the laptop in question was initially expected to hit the under $200 range. Could have been a scoop, yeah? That would have totally unleashed my inner gadget freak and totally include it in my unending list of gadgets to buy. According to engadget, this one's now being sold at $358 (introductory price) in Taiwan. Now this is confusing. Sure, technology is supposed to provide us with options, but not to the extent that it would have our head spinning wondering what we should buy.Take my case for example. I wanted a portable media player (PMP) so I can watch my favorite animes on the go. I was content (and even ecstatic) with saving some dough for Zen Vision W which would have set me back by around $350.Then the Nokia 810 Internet Tablet came into the picture carrying a $479 price tag with internet capability and almost the same lcd display size with the Zen. I flip-flopped on that one 'coz you know, what's another $130 if I can get all those nifty features that...
More About: Laptop , Flip , Flip-flops

Goodbye, Fried Legs
2007-10-20 07:58:00
Now this is a gadget I like. I'm sick of putting an additional pillow on my lap so some part of my anatomy wouldn't get hard boiled or fried when I try and update my gadget blog on my bed using my notebook.his Magic Idea Notebook USB Cooling Fan "allows faster extraction of the hot air out of a running system, which stabilizes the operation of the NB and prolongs its lifetime".The rest of the specs below from Win Win Industry.1. World's first Patened NB Air Extracting Fan. It allows faster extraction of the hot air out of a running system, which stabilizes the operation of the NB and prolongs its lifetime.2. Universal Clip for fastening USB power interfaces, Compatible for all major NB brands3. Weighted only 60g. Compared with other bulky NB cooling pads, it is very suitable for storage, and carry.4. Simple styling, elegant shiny paint finish, and LED light decorations, all enhancing the technological feel of the product5. Pentacle exterior designs offer a mysterious touch of th...
More About: Legs , Goodbye , Fried

You Can Ring My Bell
2007-10-20 07:38:00
Nyahahaha. This one had me on the floor laughing.Ok, so this is bordering on the sexist prompting several sites to label this one NSFW (that's Not Suitable For Women). It's called a call me panty. It has a pocket for a mobile phone so that when you're just lazing around the house wearing only your knickers, lugging your mobile, you can still use both your hands. And ermm, you're supposed to turn the vibration alert on so that when somebody calls....I have to wipe the grin off my face now.This one was originally posted at Techie Diva.
More About: Ring , Bell

Hello Voyeur!
2007-10-20 07:24:00
There's this new service that Singapore Telecoms offers. The service involves a remote camera that allows the owner to manipulate it using his cellphone. It has really good intentions too. Just imagine the apprehensions that you have as a parent while you leave your precious kid in the hands of a nanny. You want to make sure that everything's ok right? This service is very handy I think.But in most cases, services like this can be double-edged. Who knows what evil purposes men can have in their hearts for something like this.[via engadget]
More About: Voyeur

This is Not for Everyone
2007-10-20 07:00:00
Ok, take a deep breath, relax, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.This is about to blow you away. The name of the camera is H3DIII-39MS DSLR. Doesn't ring a bell? It's manufactured by Hasselblad. Still nothing?Ok this one, brace yourself, boasts of a 39 megapixel resolution and comes with a $44,000 price tag.I know, I had the same reaction when I first read about it.How on earth does a picture with a 39mp resolution looks like? Can you, like, see its molecules moving? And who would buy a camera that costs that much?Apparently, this camera is used for architectural and still life photos. And there are people who actually buy these things. We only question their motives because we, obviously, cannot afford them.You can't get this in any of those corner malls though. You need to go to a specialty shop just to get a glimpse of this baby.This comes out in stores January 2008.[via engadget]
More About: Digital Cameras

The Grim Ripper
2007-10-20 06:52:00
This one's called the gripper, shortcut for the Grim Ripper .Nah, it's actually named the Talking Digital Hand-Grip Exerciser. A lame assed name I think. When you introduce a somewhat kooky gadget, you need to come up with a really cool name for it (like the gripper) to compensate for its uselessness.This gadget is supposed to measure and tell you using a female voice, the strength of your grip (so you won't ever forget), and even has an LCD screen to show you the actual number (for those who are forgetful and deaf as well).This thing is in league with that Digital Push-up Counter that I posted about here.[via engadget]
More About: The G

Interruption
2007-10-20 06:36:00
The trouble with having a life is that you cannot just stick to one aspect. Other portions of your life clamor for your time as well, shouting their tonsils out until they're hoarse, which led me to abandon my sworn blogging duty. Anyway, we're back to regular programming. And have I got a lot of gadgets for you!!Powered by ScribeFire.
More About: Interrupt

There's Always A Bigger Fish
2007-10-18 02:15:00
Uh-oh looks like Zen Vision W's in trouble. I wrote about a gadget that I really wanted to have here. But the very recent announcement by Nokia of its N810 Internet Tablet has me biting my cuticles (kids don't do this) as if I'm in a serious conundrum. It doesn't hold as much memory as the Zen (it can accommodate up to 8Gb worth of memory via SD compared to Zen's built in 60Gb memory) but it has all these nifty features that makes up for that one indiscretion. It can hook you up to the internet via WI-FI, has an integrated GPS receiver, it can partner with your phone via Blue tooth, and it can oh just read about it here will ya.. I've made up my mind.I'm sorry Zen, but you're off the list. Your ass, as they say, is grass.[via gizmodo]
More About: Fish , Always

Wrong
2007-10-18 02:05:00
I know, I know, this is not the usual gadget thing but this one had me smiling (goes to show what a crooked mind I have) very early in the morning when I saw this one. It?s supposedly a cigarette extinguisher of some sort. It looks so? WRONG. This one?s from Tokyo Mango.
More About: Wrong

Foresight
2007-10-04 09:57:00
I think what we sorely lack as a country is foresight. We are too preoccupied with the here and the now that we would rather gamble on things that would benefit us in the short term instead of postponing satisfaction for an ever more fruitful reward in the future. If countries were given a version of the marshmallow test, we would be proudly waving the banner of the flunkies.We have politicians skimming off the top of all projects thrown their way. What Miriam Santiago mentioned during the NBN hearing about the standard kickback rate of 10% was an open secret. Still I was aghast to hear her say it out loud with almost the entire country listening. 10%. Imagine that.That?s 10% of the witholding taxes we pay every month. That?s 3% of our gross monthly salary. That?s 5 hours of work every month ending up in the pocket of some politicians.And that is only the tip of the iceberg, add to that the unliquidated advances, the discretionary intelligence funds, the junket trips etc.. e...
More About: Foresight , Special Interest

Blogging For Money: Exclusive Post for Pacland
2007-10-01 21:39:00
Lately there have been a few forum posts on earning extra money on the internet. Some of these posts were bordering on the scandalous (internet scams, get-rich-quick schemes), while there are some legitimate posts as well. There are even a few that tried to promote blogging as a way to earn money, although no one has ever tried explaining the blogging-for-money concept a little deeper.If you happen to like Philippine basketball, chances are, you've been to teampilipinas.blogspot.com. It's just a simple site that aggregates the big news involving Philippine basketball (much like Pacland's model). If you observe this site, you will see a lot of Google ads in there. That's the most fundamental way of earning money by blogging. Visitors go to your blogsite, and you earn money via the page impressions (or visits), if these visitors click on the ads, there will be a higher rate of pay; these are what we call 'click throughs'.I once joined a forum where the owner of teampilipina...
More About: Exclusive , Money , Blogging , Post

Traffic Congestion
2007-08-19 09:49:00
Traffic jam, when you're already late..And so goes Alanis Morisette's take on irony, a rather stretched version of the word's true definition. Traffic jam or as we pinoys love to call it ? traffic ? is perhaps one of the major contributors to the shortened life expectancy of the Manila resident. Going to and from Makati during rush-hour is punishment enough that going to hell after the end of a sinful life can be considered redundant.For all the ruckus that traffic causes, like floods, the Philippine government seems unable to address it. It is a problem that only gathers momentum as the years go by. Perhaps it's easy to pontificate from the comforts of a computer chair but one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that we have too many vehicles plying too few roads.We have already determined that the problem would not be solved by more road widenings (there's no more space!). We now need to focus our attention on the number of vehicles roaming the city. Codin...
More About: Traffic , Congestion , Special Interest

Down With Piracy
2007-08-08 09:43:00
Avast, me hearties!I have this really ominous feeling about the dawning of the Blu-ray age.Blu-ray disc is the name of a next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. ? www.blu-ray.comWhat is not said in the site is whether this is yet another attempt to curb movie piracy. I guess the big businessmen involved have given up on government policies being the key driver to stopping illegal sale and distribution of movies via the very popular DVD format, so now they?re fighting off these digital pirates with technology.But Will It Succeed?I don?t think so. One of the things that have been deplored by the movie and music industry over the years is the seeming inability of the DVD format to prevent un...
More About: Piracy , Special Interest