Posts filed under 'Gadgets'
It’s almost been 4 days since I’ve installed the new ROM which I stumbled upon Samsung’s Site. The first impression I got was a smoother running interface and secondly an improved battery life! The Keyboard selector does not hang like per before. Then again, the sluggishness could have been due to the fact that I might have overloaded my Omnia previously with all sorts of program which I wanted to test out. For this new ROM, I only installed back what I use as per what is stated at http://www.ourplaypen.com/2008/10/13/samsung-omnia-i900/
The battery level improved drastically especially under normal usage levels. I use the phone to receive and make business calls so you can expect pretty “heavy” usage. The battery level you would be surprise is still remaining at 100% and it’s already 6:47pm granted that its been pretty quiet over the last hour or two 
Normally under the same circumstances, I would have had to re-charge the phone already. But having said that… if the phone is used for heavy GPS or GPRS usage as well as games, the battery level does come down… then again.. shouldn’t it ? Everything uses power esp transmissions. Using the Internet Sharing to surf via 3G+ shouldn’t be a concern as the USB cable will charge the phone at the same time. Using WMWiiRouter as a wireless hotspot is a different case because both the WIFI and GPRS is running concurrently. All in all, I’m happy with the battery level for this new ROM and I would recommend it to those of you who are complaining of short battery durations.
You may download your own ROM from http://www.samsungmobile.com/promotion/omnia/index.jsp. Upgrade your phone today if you haven’t done so already. You’ll notice a marked improvement in the performance of your phone.
November 4th, 2008
It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog… but then again it has also been a while since I bought myself a new phone. Well actually, it has only been 1 year since my last phone purchase, a Nokia 6300 but what was more important in shaping my decision to get a new phone was the fact that my PDA (HP iPAX rx3715) was due for a change after having served me for many years.
After having had 3 weeks to play with my new Samsung Omnia i900, I’m glad to report back that its money worth spending even though I paid a hefty RM2800 for my unit. This does not include the new bluetooth headset I just purchased since my Ericsson one gives up on me after receiving/making 1 call after each charge. I also just purchased myself a cool car handsfree kit that helps me hold my Omnia when I’m driving and navigating with the cool GPS.
I’m sure a few of you would be wondering why I said the purchase was worth it? Well… since I consider myself as one of those “power” users instead of a “basic” user, I think the purchase was worth it. If you’re a basic user then I don’t think this phone is for you. Why? Coz apart from the Chic Factor, you’ll be under utilising a lot of the phone’s powerful features. For starters, I currently use the phone for the following tasks:
- As a Phone (Duh)
- As a Modem (Connected to Maxis 3G - HSDPA) for true internet mobility
- As a PDA - Organiser (Calendar, Tasks, Notes & etc)
- As a truly mobile platform for retrieval of Emails, SMS, & Immediate Notifications
- As a tool to avoid boredom (yeah games & puzzles)
- As a tool to stay connected? Oh yeah I mentioned that… to surf facebook & avantgo & various news sites
- As a GPS Navigator to help me get to where I want to be quickly without wasting petrol
- As a camera to take nice pictures and videos as and when needed
- As a Pen Drive (Storage)
- As a Media Player (Songs & PodCasts)
- A 3G Video Calling Phone… (No I haven’t used this yet… need to try it out with someone who has a 3G capable phone)
As can be seen, I am fully utilising and enjoying this phone. Basically, for RM2800, I got myself a Phone, a PDA, a Camera and a GPS device. If you add all of them up… I’m sure the cost will be around there if not more. Plus having all these features in one cool looking devide is just the way to go.
Why Samsung Onmia ? Well, first of all I didn’t hessitate to try out Samsung although I’ve never tried Samsungs before. But since I did have my HP PDA which utilises Windows Mobile, I was more or less already comfortable with the operating system. Learning how to use the unit took only a fraction of the time. What took the most time was the configuration and messing around with the system. yeah 3 weeks in total… and still messing…
Here’s a list of programs which I have installed onto my device which I strongly recommend to owners of the Omnia (listed not in any particular order of preference) :
- S2U2 (Slide2Unlock2) - http://slide-2-unlock.en.softonic.com/pocketpc
- Microsoft Voice Command - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/microsoft/about-voice-command.mspx
- SPB Mobile Shell - http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/?en
- SPB Time - http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/time/?en
- fring - http://www.fring.com/
- Garmin Mobile TX (GPS Software) with Malsingmaps - http://www.garmin.com & http://www.malsingmaps.com / http://www.malfreemaps.com
- Resco Keyboard PRO v5.11 - http://resco.net/pocketpc/keyboard/default.asp (Helps speed up data entry… making it easier to type in stuff without using the stylus)
- WMWifiRouter - http://www.wmwifirouter.com
Other Programs which I have installed onto my unit:
- SPB Pocket Plus - http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en
- SPB Traveler - http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/traveler/?en
- SPB Pocket PC Tips & Tricks - http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/tipsandtricks/?en
- Games - SPB Games - Air Islands, Arkaball, Balltracker, Brain Evolution, Bubbles, Matches, Sudoku, Xonix & etc
I’m not writing a review on the unit here but basically just skimming on the surface as to what the Omnia can do. Do you think this phone suites you? For an indepth review on the Omnia, check it out at http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i900_omnia-review-267.php
October 13th, 2008
Added to my Nintendo Wii collection is my latest Wii Fit. I must say that although the board costs a whopping RM500+ for the US version and RM300+ for the Japanese version (it ain’t cheap!), I did have quite a lot of fun with it so far. If you actually calculate the costs of paying for the Wii Fit and paying for GYM fees, I’d say this is a lot more worth it. Of course for those of you who are serious in your workouts, nothing beats a proper gym setup.
Anyway, having said that, the Wii Fit has been keeping me, my parents as well as my nephews busy “working” out. My favourite part of the program must be the YOGA exercises. It does help with your posture and if you’re serious about the exercise routines, I’m sure this is a good health product to own. It’s fun too!
Basically this Wii Fit is a board that hooks up wirelessly to your Nintendo Wii. It will detect your balance points (I believe there are 4 zones/quadrants) and it also tells you your weight. Take it as a high tech weighing scale. It can calculate your BMI and center of balance and with that it allows you the ability to basically control movements by leaning side to side and front to back like a human joystick and the “character” on screen will do the same. So with that, you can play balance games (heading soccer balls, skiing down slopes, snowboarding, moving balls into holes, & etc) as well as do exercises like Balance (Yoga), Strength (Pushups), Hoola hooping, Boxing, Step Aerobics & etc.
If you own a Wii and you haven’t tried it out yet, I highly recommend it to you! Go for a demo somewhere and I’m sure you’ll be hooked. It definitely brings interaction to the next level. The only problem with the board is that… like all games… it tends to collect dust after a while. Then again, if you’re motivated enough and keep a strict routine, I’m sure it’ll help you keep fit and have better posture in the long run. It definitely gets you off your A** for sure! Overall a very good product and idea from the inventors.
For more official information, please proceed to http://www.nintendo.com/wiifit/
September 11th, 2008
It’s after Christmas and I finally got hold of this latest game from Capcom. It was recommended by In-Tech to be one of the year’s best games for the Wii, so I went out to buy this game to try it out myself…. and I’m glad I got it. Its by far the most interesting game I’ve played to-date. The graphics are interestingly bright and simple. Animations are cute and it’s a puzzle solving game which tests your wits without having to bust it. Though I’m only on the 3rd quest, and I’m sure it gets harder as I go along, it moves at a pace that does not intimidate the most brainless player. You don’t have to use must brain power to get through the stage but guess what? though the stages are “simple”, I did die once each time before I got through the stage… so as you can see… it’s not that simple as well. I think it’s just hard enough to test your senses and wits.
There is approx. 30 hours worth of game play to be enjoyed and you can play with them slowly as and when time permits. Just perfect for the busy individual in this modern world. The Wii controls enable you to manipulate objects in the game to solve the puzzles. That actually makes you feel very immersed into the game and very into the character of Zack. Of course you have guides along the way which teaches you what to do with these object and ways of controlling them.
This game can be play either as an individual or as a group effort. Solve puzzles together.. that’s what the wii is good for…. getting people to interact together to enjoy a game. That’s what I love about the Wii… GET THIS GAME!
December 28th, 2007
Nintendo is now including the Wii Remote Jacket for the Wii Remotes in all new hardware being shipped. For Wii owners who purchased their systems prior to this addition, they are offering to send free Wii Remote Jackets for their existing Wii Remotes. If you would like to request a Wii Remote Jacket, please proceed to their website at http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/jacket/jacketrequest.jsp
October 16th, 2007
Are you a Transformer fan? I’m sure if you are then you would have caught the latest movie on the big screen and I’m sure you would have loved every bit of it. Many of my friends have watched the show at least a couple of times. For me, I’ve only watched it once but have spent many hours on the Wii playing the Transformers Game.
The game closely follows the story line from the movie but you can either play the good Autobots or the bad Decepticons. For me, I have yet to try the Decepticons but I heard its almost a direct opposite than if you were to play the Autobots. The actions are pretty good and the scenes are always time based so you’ve got to be pretty good at aiming at things, bashing things, throwing things like lamp posts at your opponents as well as transforming from a robot to a car to speed away to somewhere & vice-versa.
Needless to say the overall game play is wonderful and immersive. The perfect combination of speeding to a location, then transforming and bashing up your enemies and transforming back again to rush elsewhere just makes you feel as though you are really into the character. You will really need to experience it for yourself to understand what I mean. The graphics are pretty good for the Wii and I would recommend this game to anyone out there who is a Transformer fan. If you’re not a fan then this game could feel repetitive as most of it, albeit the different locations and scenarios, entails you bashing or defending something (in this case… ultimately the ALL SPARK)
October 14th, 2007
 Are you a pool or snooker buff? If so then this game would keep you occupied for a good number of hours. Unless you are one of those rich boy or girl who has a private table at home, this is the next best thing to having your own table. Besides, it’s been saving us lots of money playing pool at home rather than at the Pool Parlor which is at least a whooping RM18.00 (approx USD5.30) per hr! Now that’s a rip off!
Back to the game, as with any pool game, you are able to play against a second player or a computer with two Wii Controllers possible without having to pass the controller back and forth. You can either play the game with either the Wii Controller alone or together with the nunchuck. With the nunchuck you have slightly better control of the views and angles (though not mandatory). The action of hitting the ball with the pool stick can simply be achieved with a simple wave of the wii remote. You don’t even need to do a pool action push towards the screen. Overall the controls could be refined for a better playing experience. A few other problems with the game would be the lack of camera angles, sometimes making it hard to anticipate the correct angle to hit the ball. The music sucks but it can be switched off and you could replace it with your own background music through your own CD player if you wish. There are various environments, tables, opponents, ball sets, cue stick, music tracks as well as game modes ranging from 8,9,15, etc balls to play.
Overall a good game for those who wish to play pool at home but could be improved somewhat.
October 7th, 2007
Is visiting the carnival your cup of tea? Have you always had fun playing with games in the Carnival but later on found out that they get too costly? Well… you can enjoy this fun but brainless game from the comfort of your home, albeit without the smell of popcorns and cotton candy. There are approximately 25 games to choose from: Alley Ball (like bowling), Day The Races (Horse Race), Popping Balloons with darts, Sledge Hammer to test your strength, throwing balls to knock down milk bottles, Dunking a midget, Shooting ducks, Coin Pushing Machine, Prize Picking Machine, shooting water guns to pop balloons, throwing rings onto bottle necks, Wishing Machine & loads more.
As with most Wii games, the throwing, tossing and aiming actions make full use of the Wii remote IR and Motion Sensor capabilities. The game control could have been better programmed as reported by some other players but to me, its supposed to be a fun brainless game… and that it is. This is a good game with cute mini games to occupy your time.
For most people, this game might seem like a waste of time but for people like my wife, countless hours can be spent playing virtual carnival games to accumulate virtual ticket/coupons to redeem virtual gifts. Well one thing good is that the games on the Wii are free. If we had to pay for every game that she has played like in a real carnival, I think we’d be broke. Yes dear, the sombrero hat and scuba tank with the clown nose looks good on you Can we go to sleep yet?
October 3rd, 2007
Guess what? I just found out that with the latest system update (version 3.0u) for the Wii, you can now use your USB Keyboard to enter text when on the messaging and shop channels. Not all types of USB Keyboards work but some Microsoft, Logitech and Apple Keyboards have been reported to work fine with the Wii. This should save lots of time without having to use the Wiimote to click in your alphabets one by one…. especially true when you need to type a relatively long message to your Wii buddies! This one is a good edition. Try it out on your machine, it might work! Kudos to Nintendo for this useful update.
September 5th, 2007
We have all heard about Wii Straps breaking under pressure but which Wii Controller strap do you own? You can refer to the picture below to see which Strap you own. If you own the original strap instead of the newer strap , then you should proceed to the Official Nintendo Wii Site to order your replacement!
If you own the Original Strap, it might break under pressure. Don’t take risks… don’t harm people and objects around you. And remember, even if you have the newer strap, you should try to stay calm and collected when playing Wii Games and not let go of the controller under full swing. Of course that’s hard to do, knowing how addictive and exciting Wii games can get!
September 2nd, 2007
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