jr
the blog, continued
Saturday, January 5, 2008
How could I have had a month of posts without talking about gadgets at all? There you are, the gadget of the year and another 10 great toys that you can actually own, at more sane prices.
Gadget of the Year
Undoubtedly the most talked about gadget of 2007 is the Apple iPhone and although there are a couple of glaring omissions in its spec sheet you just can't fight against the lure of Apple's latest halo product. Previewing on the iPod Touch (since the iPhone only reaches here 'sometime in 2008'), the design is extremely minimalist chic which is synonymous with the taken-a-bite Apple logo by now and the fully touch-sensitive user interface is just frigging cool. While it may not sport 3G, only has a 2 megapixel fixed focus snapper, will likely to be locked to one mobile operator and should cost alot when it Does arrive, that doesn't diminish the fact that it is The gadget of 2007. Techno geeks, get a N95 8GB. Techno-sexuals, this way to the coolest convergence device yet please.
and the others....
Notebooks
Sony Vaio TZ
Amazingly compact but yet packing in computing power of an average machine, this stunner packs a ultra low voltage processor to extend it's battery life. Flash memory instead of hard disk storage can also be configured to save power, weight and improve shock resistance.
Toshiba's Portege R500 does all of that too with a 1" bigger LCD screen (12.1") and weighs about 100g lighter, but just look at the this. $2999 - $4999.
Asus Eee PC
UMPCs seems likely to be the next big thing with the appearance of the Eee for combining big name manufacturer, full functionality as well as an extremely pocket friendly price tag. The LCD may be 7" with flash memory of 4GB, 512MB RAM and no optical drive, but this Linux based costs just $598, upgradeable if you must run on Windows. Dump that $1k+ smartphone and carry a real computer to work instead.
Mobile Phones
Sony Ericsson W910i
Sony Ericsson got design in a big way this year and this is arguably their best effort yet. Large 2.4" screen and a nicely designed interface with typical SE usability. So it's not the best Walkman ever nor is its photos Cybershot-sharp, but who cares? Just look at the thing. $608
Sony Ericsson P1i
I would've bought this myself if not for the price at launch. Rather attractive for a smartphone, big screen, lovely keyboard, wifi and 3 megapixel auto focus-equipped snapper. All it's lacking is GPS and that's not even important because you can't get lost in Singapore. $728.
HTC Touch
The HTC Touch is surprisingly compact and stylish for a smartphone but its trump card must be the touchFLO interface. You can actually access many features without the stylus now, which is rare for a Windows Mobile device. Well, much like a prelude to an iPhone then. $668.
LG Prada
The first luxury model to not be based on an existing phone (like the D&G Moto V3), this was again an attempt to have a iPhone-style device. Again, the design and attractive masks the fact that its spec sheet is very average. But well done to LG for upping it's image in a big way. ~$800+
Nokia 6120 Classic
You may own a N82 or N95 8GB, but Nokia's best is still at the simpler side of things. Compact size, no 5 megapixel or smartphone gimmickry and a low price tag. In short, it's exactly what it's supposed to be: a communication device. $338.
Portable Media Players
Samsung P2
The P2 is the Touch's closest competitor at this point in time, with a full touch screen interface and that sole Menu button below the 3" screen. Looks gorgeous too. Pricey though. The P2 runs from 2GB to 8GB priced between $299 and $459. Touch 8GB is priced at $498 but comes with wifi.
Microsoft Zune 80
While flash memory takes over the world with the first 32GB players rolling out of Creative, just the Zune 80, iPod Classic and Archos 605 are left in the market of hard-disk based memory media players. And the 2nd generation Zune is absolutely sexy with that gigantic 3.2" screen. Unbeatable memory per dollar ratio too. US$250.
Digital Cameras
Canon IXUS 75, Canon IXUS 860 IS
Choosing between the 75 and 860 IS is a matter between small size and features. The 860 IS has an extra megapixel (8) max resolution, a wide angle lens (like higher end Panasonic Lumixes) and comes with image stabilization. However the difference in thickness is 5mm. Which is more than you imagine. Both comes with a nice big 3" LCD screen and performs nicely as point and shoots though. 75 $499, 860 IS $669.
Gadget of the Year
Undoubtedly the most talked about gadget of 2007 is the Apple iPhone and although there are a couple of glaring omissions in its spec sheet you just can't fight against the lure of Apple's latest halo product. Previewing on the iPod Touch (since the iPhone only reaches here 'sometime in 2008'), the design is extremely minimalist chic which is synonymous with the taken-a-bite Apple logo by now and the fully touch-sensitive user interface is just frigging cool. While it may not sport 3G, only has a 2 megapixel fixed focus snapper, will likely to be locked to one mobile operator and should cost alot when it Does arrive, that doesn't diminish the fact that it is The gadget of 2007. Techno geeks, get a N95 8GB. Techno-sexuals, this way to the coolest convergence device yet please.
and the others....
Notebooks
Sony Vaio TZ
Amazingly compact but yet packing in computing power of an average machine, this stunner packs a ultra low voltage processor to extend it's battery life. Flash memory instead of hard disk storage can also be configured to save power, weight and improve shock resistance.
Toshiba's Portege R500 does all of that too with a 1" bigger LCD screen (12.1") and weighs about 100g lighter, but just look at the this. $2999 - $4999.
Asus Eee PC
UMPCs seems likely to be the next big thing with the appearance of the Eee for combining big name manufacturer, full functionality as well as an extremely pocket friendly price tag. The LCD may be 7" with flash memory of 4GB, 512MB RAM and no optical drive, but this Linux based costs just $598, upgradeable if you must run on Windows. Dump that $1k+ smartphone and carry a real computer to work instead.
Mobile Phones
Sony Ericsson W910i
Sony Ericsson got design in a big way this year and this is arguably their best effort yet. Large 2.4" screen and a nicely designed interface with typical SE usability. So it's not the best Walkman ever nor is its photos Cybershot-sharp, but who cares? Just look at the thing. $608
Sony Ericsson P1i
I would've bought this myself if not for the price at launch. Rather attractive for a smartphone, big screen, lovely keyboard, wifi and 3 megapixel auto focus-equipped snapper. All it's lacking is GPS and that's not even important because you can't get lost in Singapore. $728.
HTC Touch
The HTC Touch is surprisingly compact and stylish for a smartphone but its trump card must be the touchFLO interface. You can actually access many features without the stylus now, which is rare for a Windows Mobile device. Well, much like a prelude to an iPhone then. $668.
LG Prada
The first luxury model to not be based on an existing phone (like the D&G Moto V3), this was again an attempt to have a iPhone-style device. Again, the design and attractive masks the fact that its spec sheet is very average. But well done to LG for upping it's image in a big way. ~$800+
Nokia 6120 Classic
You may own a N82 or N95 8GB, but Nokia's best is still at the simpler side of things. Compact size, no 5 megapixel or smartphone gimmickry and a low price tag. In short, it's exactly what it's supposed to be: a communication device. $338.
Portable Media Players
Samsung P2
The P2 is the Touch's closest competitor at this point in time, with a full touch screen interface and that sole Menu button below the 3" screen. Looks gorgeous too. Pricey though. The P2 runs from 2GB to 8GB priced between $299 and $459. Touch 8GB is priced at $498 but comes with wifi.
Microsoft Zune 80
While flash memory takes over the world with the first 32GB players rolling out of Creative, just the Zune 80, iPod Classic and Archos 605 are left in the market of hard-disk based memory media players. And the 2nd generation Zune is absolutely sexy with that gigantic 3.2" screen. Unbeatable memory per dollar ratio too. US$250.
Digital Cameras
Canon IXUS 75, Canon IXUS 860 IS
Choosing between the 75 and 860 IS is a matter between small size and features. The 860 IS has an extra megapixel (8) max resolution, a wide angle lens (like higher end Panasonic Lumixes) and comes with image stabilization. However the difference in thickness is 5mm. Which is more than you imagine. Both comes with a nice big 3" LCD screen and performs nicely as point and shoots though. 75 $499, 860 IS $669.
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