Finally….. Device Acquired

When was my last entry?

May?

And what month is now?

November?

Darn……it’s been a while.

Guess I’m just not as diligent as i used to in terms of blogging. But I guess i can have a thousand and one excuses, but in the end… I’M JUST PLAIN SIMPLY LAZY. But nonetheless, here I am with my debut after a long 6 months absence.

And guess what my topic is gonna be?

That’s right, sports fans. Another boring entry on gadgets. But this time, it’s about something that I now owned. Not some pondering, not some deep thinking, and definitely not some ‘what if’ situation. It’s now about something that rests comfortably (really? I beg to differ. But more on that later on) in the deep dark cavern of cloth which I like to call my pocket.

Remember my last entry? Of course you don’t. It has been 6 months, right? So for your convenience, just scroll down and indulge your eye sockets on my decision to NOT BUY the HTC Flyer.

So, it has been 6 months since I’ve been put away and denied of the current technology has to offer. I’ve seen people enjoying their iPhone 4, tapping their fingers on iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung Galaxy S2, Sony Xperia line of product. Even my wife has her share on the HTC Sensation. So, am I gonna be lift behind? Will I succumb to the dreadful feeling that the closeest people around me parade around with their powerful gadgets, while I’m pinned to the wall with my 600MHz, Symbian S60 3rd ed, 2 in screen which is called Nokia E72?

Heck, no!

Ladies and gentlemen, meet my new friend that’s going to silence all critics….Well, actually, the voices of critics are in fact, the tiny teeny little voices in my head that’s been screaming for me to get with the flow.

Too bright, ain’t it? Well, I took it a few minutes ago, and I have to bare with it

Specifications:

• 1.4GHz Dual Core ARM Cortex A9
• 400MHz GPU
• 5.3in Super AMOLED screen (that’s right, 5.3”)
• S-Pen
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread (soon to be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 2500mAh battery

Maybe some of you have an idea on the phone I’m talking about. After all, there’s only one Samsung phone that has that screen dimension. Now, why in the world would I be torturing my pocket with a 5.3in device stuffed inside? And believe me, it’s no joy to have it inside one’s pocket, especially if you’re wearing jeans.

And the answer is, I just simply love the device when I had my first hands-on at the launch. And the power that this gadget has, is simply worth all the trouble of carrying it around wherever I go. Well, it’s not my first time with an Android device, but the specs simply lets me run almost anything that a phone could be thrown at, even the kitchen sink.

But of course, like all Android devices, the GPS offline app is still something that I have to do without. It’s not like currently they don’t have a solution with the Papago GPS, but since this is a third party mod from the original, there’s just so much lacking in the current GPS usage on an Android phone, unless you opt for a data plan and use an online version instead. And for this reason, my Nokia E72 is still my best device to be used for going places, and I still have it neatly tucked in the same pocket as my new phone. And talk about tight spots…

All in all, I feel like I have finally ended my search in terms of getting a new phone. But of course, in just a mere short months, the phone technology will move 3 steps further and my Samsung Galaxy Note will be dwarfed by other monsters of its era. But for the mean time, I can finally sheath my sword and take a breather.

Only time will tell…

Да пабачэньня

Doing Math On My Possible Tablet Purchase

Kinda a short blog today. Still recovering from my trip to Kuala Terengganu.

On Friday, Maxis announced the latest addition to their tablet collection and packages. This new tablet, the HTC Flyer, boasts a 1.5 GHz CPU with 32GB on internal memory, a stylus pen (battery operated) plus having HTC Scribe and HTC Sense technology all in one. Only drawback is that the Flyer is still using the Froyo, instead of the Android 3.0+ Honeycomb, which is the currently used OS. Well, whatever the specs may be, Maxis is now offering the Fyler (RRP: RM2499) bundled with an Internet package in which one can get the Flyer as low as RM195. That's like a 93% discount for the Flyer. But of course, the Internet package is quite hefty. To enjoy the Flyer at the aforementioned price, you need to subscribe to a 16GB quota broadband package. The cost? RM152 after a rebate.

So, is it worth it? Let's do some Math here. If I'm not mistaken, all internet and broadband packages are still excluded from the 6% government tax (I don't see it on my Streamyx bill)

24 months of broadband package

RM 152 x 24 months = RM 3648.00

Price of HTC Flyer (Maxis)

RM 195.00

Total price

RM 3843.00

RRP of HTC Flyer

RM 2499.00

Actual monthly internet package that will be paid in 24 months

(RM 3843.00 – RM 2499.00) / 24 = 55.96 (around RM60)

 

Considering that the 3GB broadband package from Maxis is RM68, this may be something that I might seriously think about. But then, there is the upcoming LG Optimus Pad which is able to shoot stereoscopic pictures and, like the iPad, having a dual core processor. So, a few questions popping up on my mind:

1. Will Maxis be offering this device as well?
2. When will be LG Optimus Pad be launched in Malaysia?
3. Is the supposed rebate (RM96 to be exact) be for the entire 24 months, or sooner than that?

Awww…….my aching head.

__________________________________________________________

Just found out that actually I need to pay the RRP price upfront, and that the rebate is actually taken from my full payment of the device’s RRP (some rebate )

And so, doing my math (not gonna bore everybody with the formulae again), I’ll be actually spending RM6147 to have the device with a 16GB wireless broadband package.

I should wait for the LG Optimus Pad then.

Gone….Even Longer

Mak aih……makin aku kata nak jadi rancak blogging, makin laju pulak aku menghilang. Setakat 2-3 bulan tu takpe lagi, alih2 dekat 7 bulan pulak. Makin teruk la habis blogging aku ni. Tapi apakan daya, mulut jer kata nak buat, semangat agak kureng sikit la. But ape2 pun, aku nak gagahkan diri kali ni untuk blogging sehabis baik mungkin.

So, what can I say about what is up with me in the last 7 months? What else……. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Maklum la, aku sekarang ni berstatus setuden masa penuh. So, itu je la keje aku. So, what makes me drop in my blogging frequency? The answer……. pure and simple MALAS. Mmg hilang mood aku untuk blogging for the last few months. Tapi bukan la itu aje pun ape yg aku buat.

Alhamdulillah, I’m now a home owner. Akhirnya tercapai la jgk hajat aku untuk menjadi pemilik rumah, walaupun bukan di atas tanah. You’ve guessed it right, sports fans. Aku baru jer beli apartment. Tapi x boleh la nak tunjuk lagi. Belum siap lagi pun. So, wait until one of my blogs next year (ntah2 next blog aku mmg next year nnt) and I’ll have the pictures to accompany my blog.

Aku penah blog dulu about my dilemma when I was buying a phone. Well, today’s a bit different. Sbb nafsu aku pun tgh beralih arah jgk ni. Sejak 2 menjak ni, tablet PC is becoming the new black, when it comes to techno gadgets. Masa phone technology advanced to a whole new level, mmg ramai org pakat berebut2 nak dapatkan phone with the latest addition of functions. And mmg dulu pun penah aku baca yang phone is slowly migrating to become a computer. And mmg best pun to have it all in the palm of your hand.

Cume satu je la masalahnye……brape banyak la korang boleh enjoy on the palm. Dulu takat SMS, MMS….dan apekebendentah, boleh la gune skrin 2”. Tapi slowly we decided that it’s not enough to have the hardware be of high end. The experience has got to be too. Jadi mula la start skrin phone ni jadi makin besar. Aku rase sekarang ni paling besar pun dalam 4.3” (not counting Samsung Galaxy Tab, as I feel it’s more of a tablet than a phone).

Hence, the tablet market is opened for business. Yang paling successful setakat ni….dah tentu la iPad. And at the time of me writing this, you still need to queue up on any day that new stocks arrive in order to have a shot at owning the iPad 2. Betul la ape yang aku dengar from kawan aku sorg ni, kalau nak beli iPad 2 dengan bersantai2, ko tunggu la 6 months lepas dia launch.

Tapi frankly speaking, iPad ni bukan la cup of tea aku. Betul…… menatang ni banyak advantages dia. Mainly the number of Apps yang go with the Apple OS ni. Part tu aku mmg x nafikan la. Tapi 2 sebab utama yang jadikan aku agak kurang bernafsu kat iPad ni. The lack of Flash support, and the limited connectivity with the outside world. Mmg Apple saje have all this untuk pastikan they can maximize their profit not through the actual iPad sales, but also on software as well.

Tapi…..dengan munculnya tablet2 di pasaran sekarang dan tak lama lagi, the tablet wars is in for a fierce and cruel bloodbath. Already kita dah ada Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook, Dell Streak 5 (just naming a few). Next week pulak, HTC Flyer will join the carnage and mayhem. Tapi aku still nak tunggu LG Optimus Pad before actually making a decision (eh eh…mcm aku nak beli jer ni. entah la)

Kali ni aku nak buat something different pulak dengan blog aku. Korang tau tak Maharaja Lawak? Tak tau? Aisehmen, mmg agak outdated korang ni. Ramai oarang dok tengok, and ramai lagi orang yang dok sebut pasal benda ni. It’s merely a collection of all Raja Lawak’s finalists from the last 5 seasons, and putting them all in one humongous ring. Some remain their identity (Nabil, Sepah, Amir…), while some allied with fellow partners and create a new group (Jozan, WAI).

But aku saje nak cite pasal group yang aku rasa agak menarik jugak, which is Jambu. Jambu ni consists of Yus (Raja Lawak 1 champ) and Tauke (4th place on the same season). Seriously, aku mmg tak tahan lawak diorg. Mmg at some episodes, other groups perform better then them, tapi setakat ni belum lagi aku nak kritik pasal persembahan diorg. Tak percaye ke? Well, for the first time ever done on this blog, watch the videos of the performance over the past 7 weeks and decide for yourself.

 

Lawak ke tak, you be the judge k. Lagipun lawak ni subjective, so tak semestinya apa yang aku suka, korang pun suka jugak kan?

Going to a different subject, about my other hobby. Another addition to my Transformers collection, the Takara Tomy MP-09 Rodimus Convoy. For those who haven’t the faintest idea what the heck I am talking about (it’s normal since Japan models tend to name their collection a bit different from their American counterparts), it’s actually Rodimus Prime. The likeness is really close to the 80’s series. And the best part, it can transform to both Hod Rod (sports car) and Rosimus Prime (truck). Just sort of a teaser, here’s a picture of the box. Hahahahahaha…

Well, I have my plans for the weekend, tapi tunggu la next blog aku (tahun depan kot)

Kenavo