Under the Category of: I FN WANT ONE!

SCREW Virgin Galactic!  Why would someone drop major coin to go into low earth orbit for a couple of minutes when they can spend significantly less on a personal Martin Jetpack? Below is  video from The Martin Aircraft Company who makes the huge  jetpacks that enable a person to fly up to 30 miles at 30 mph on just one tank.  The Martin Jetpack complies with the FAA Part 103 Ultralight Regulations. The Ultralight class does not require an FAA recognized pilot’s license.

My New iPhone

HELL YES!!!!! Picked up my iPhone yesterday at the Apple store in the CambridgeSide Galleria.  No waiting in any silly lines, no back orders, no ridiculous eBay price.  I just walked in, asked for the 8GB version…and whalaa….they immediately produce one  from behind the counter.  I took all of 5 minutes!  Good for Apple to learn from the mistakes of both Microsoft and Sony in their failed launched of XBox 360 and Sony Playstation 3.

The phone is fantastic.  The account setup process via iTunes was a piece of cake.  The user interface is ground breaking.  The applications are amazing.  I particularly like the iPod, Safari web browser and, the Map apps.

My only complaint at this time is there seems to be no solution to tie the phone into my works Exchange server (I knew that going into the purchase).  And, there seems to be no games!    The on screen keyboard is also taking some time to get used too.  I do have faith that these issues will be over come in time.  Its still an amazing phone!

My MacBookPro

Last week I finally received my new work laptop.  I decided to go with the new MacBook Pro and so far I am very happy with the decision.  My IT set it up so that I may choose to boot to Windows XP or Mac OS X at start up.  I am using the XP boot for work and the OS X boot for personal computing (mainly photography).  Below are the laptop’s detailed specs:

Spec Products: SkinTight

Many of you know that I recently got a 700w Treo.  Many of you also know that I pretty much despise the device.  That is, until now.   While in St. Maarten a couple of weeks ago, Carmen (who owns a Treo 650) introduced me to an elegant case manufactured by Spec Products called SkinTight.  Three features of this product make it a must have for any Treo owner!!!! 

First, the molded ergo grips and buttons make the device a hell of a lot easier to use  This is especially true with the middle navigation thumb buttons, which I always found impossible. 

Second, the case provides a hinged crystal clear plastic window that not only protects your screen, it also (and I would argue more importantly) disables the annoying touch screen.  Don’t get me wrong….I love using the touch screen with my stylus while using the device as a PDA.  I hate it when you hold the devices up to your ear to use it as a phone and your ear changes the time from GMT-5 Eastern US  to GMT-4 Caracas, La Paz; inadvertently sends a txt message; and/or changes a calendar item.  (Note to Treo Engineers……in future models, please provide a hard button to turn off the touch screen). 

Finally, SkinTight’s rubber molding acts as barrier for your SD Memory Expansion Card.  Without SkinTight, the SD card sits in a slot at the top of the device, locked in with nothing more then a spring loader that pops the card out if pressed.  This annoying feature caused me to lose my 2 GB card on Friday, resulting in about $150 worth of mobile applications (that I had stored on the card) to vanish.  This is guaranteed not to happen with a SkinTight case as the molding wraps around the entire device, exposing only the Qwerty keyboard.  Alas, I will step off of my soap box.  Please heed my advise, from one consumer to another, if you want a Treo you must pick up a SkinTight case.

An Xbox 360 | Finally!

I finally was able to get my hands on an XBox 360 Premium Game System last night.  My friend and work colleague, Joe Preston, and I drove to the Toys R’ Us in Peabody, MA to pick them up.  Mind you, this was after a failed attempt to procure the rigs at the Best Buy right down the street.  This brought up a conversation that I have had several times since the release of the 360…..what the hell were the brainiacs at Microsoft thinking with this distribution strategy???

Regardless, I am happy to finally have one.  I was able to purchase it for $399.99.  However, KB Toys forced you to buy three additional games and/or accessories.  This ended up not being that big of deal since I was planning to buy an extra wireless controller and pick up three games anyways.  The games I bought were:

  Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™

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The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™

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  Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™

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Now its time to get my geek on!

Treo 700w

  Last week I finally bit the bullet and dumped my old Nokia 6810 for a Treo 700W Smartphone with Windows Mobile 5.  This also meant that I had to switch from Cingular to Verizon (sort of bummed about that as I really enjoyed being able to have a phone that I could use Internationally).

Too date, I am pretty impressed with this device.   As Palm’s first Smartphone to support EvDO, I am thrilled with the data speeds I am afforded via Verizon’s High-Speed CDMA network.  This allows me to stream Live TV via SmartVideo, easily upload/download photos or video clips, and receive other large work documents like PowerPoint Presentations, etc.  I put a 2GB Secure Digital card in the memory expansion slot, so I have a ton of space to store large files and applications.  Also, the Bluetooth integrates the phone with my new car’s audio system (For whatever reason my Nokia’s Bluetooth would not pair) .

Things I am not so keen on. First, I am working through some dexterity issues associated with the touch screen and the QWERTY keyboard.  I find myself often hitting wrong hard and soft buttons.  I hope this changes over time as I get more acclimated to the phone.  I also am not happy about the fact that you cant use your expansion memory to as virtual memory.  With only 32MB (64MB is the standard these days) of available RAM, it runs out of juice pretty quickly if you have multiple apps open or are streaming large video files. Lastly, I think they should have put some type of protection over the SD slot so that your memory does not accidentally pop out.  This almost happend to me over the weekend—not a fun feeling. 

All in all, I am pyched with the upgrade.  Its a lot of phone and I know I am just scratching the surface regarding how I will end up using it for work and play.  If anyone is interested in a more thorough review, I would urge you to check out the one provided by MobileTechReview.