Engadget Reader’s Meetup and Christmas Party

December 20th, 2008 omo

So I went.

It was cold. I waited for 2+ hours (starting from about 5:05 to about 7:20) in the freezing weather. It was snowing all day, and it kind of turned into light sleet at around 5-5:30. Then it stopped for about half an hour and started to rain at around 6:20. The wind picked up and temperature dropped. It sucked.

But I was about #99 or #102 or #112 (depending on how many people cut) in line so I walked away with a 4gb MicroSD card curtesy of Sandisk. What is that worth? $10? But I also walked away with some other miscellaneous junk like a Blackbird USB key (very neat, well-designed thing…I guess they give it away to people who bought the Blackbird 002 fer reals) and some Awethumb. Awethumb, people. We got Awethumb. So lame. There’s also some weird USB adapter thing from SanDisk that rocks my socks because now I have a real M2 card reader (about damn time).

There was also a 3-month subscription of Rhapsody included. ^_^;;

And that’s the door prize. Some of them anyways. For the raffle prizes they gave away, in order of my memory stack/interest:

  • 2x Nokia N96
  • 1x Nokia N85
  • 1x Nokia N82
  • 4x Zune 4gb
  • 2x Zune 16gb
  • 12x Peek. Yes. 12.
  • 1x That server thing I wanted
  • The two Fallout 3 bundles
  • 1x Slingbox HD and Slingcatcher and something?
  • 1x Palm Treo Pro
  • 1x That butt-bug thing that you can customize
  • 1x Self-reading pen…whatever it’s called
  • 2x Kodak digicams
  • 3x Kodak digital photo frames
  • 4x Noise-cancellation headphones from Samsung
  • 2x Bluetooth Headphone from Samsung

So yea, I probably missed a couple things here or there but it’s a lot of stuff.

So there’s this chick named Veronica Belmont who used to work for Engadget until she moved on. Someone told me to get her autograph. I was slightly curious so I looked up this e-celeb and found she’s actually in Qore. I guess I can check out the Christmas edition and see. At any rate, I didn’t know who this person was and it’s odd finding a fan out of the blue. One thing leads to an other and it (well, more like curiousity) became a reason why I went despite the painful weather.

I did end up seeing her because somehow I squeezed my way to the front…long story. And she was standing with the rest of the Engadget crew that wasn’t on stage and running the show. So I talked to her real briefly and got an autograph for a tease. Heh.

Long story is long, but it has to do with me not winning a prize but won back something hard-earned, thanks be to God. It was appropriate, too as it involved an obscure gadget as well. Maybe another time.

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Everglide S-500 Is Holiday Tease

December 2nd, 2008 omo

So a while back during the pre-Thanksgiving Woot-off, I got a pair of these Everglide S-500 which are now on sale for the same price from buy.com. That means I paid an extra $5 to get them about 2-3 weeks early. I suppose it’s not a terrible loss. Oh by the way you can pick from white or black. I got the white ones because I was slow with the wooting and the black ones ran out.

I can help you with a review, at least.

These are strictly cheap, big, comfy headphones. They are a little on the bulky side but I think that’s a good thing for most people. That keeps out the sound from outside (especially since you want to use these massive things in a stationary setting) and that always translate to a better sound.

But the S-500′s mids and highs are disappointingly flat. My Shure e2cs kicks its butt. The bass response for these Everglides is obviously better than a pair of ear buds (of any kind) but that’s really the one of only two redeeming features. Bass sounds bassy but probably a little too dense, but the drivers provides a filling sound.

The other redeeming feature is that they are comfortable. For the record I wear glasses and have relatively big ears, and after an hour of use they only feel a little warm. Definitely good for long-term gaming.

In fact, these Everglides are touted as exactly that–comfortable gamer headsets for those tiresome, long Naxx raid nights. But speaking of online gaming and vent and all, it actually doesn’t come with a microphone built into the headset. The package comes with a separate, simple clip-on mic that you plug in separately into your PC. It’s definitely A HUGE MINUS because who wants 2 sets of wires dangling? This really bothered me. I mean, sure, that also means you can use the mics separately if the need ever arises, but I guess that is why most PC headsets…have a mic attached to the headset? EPIC FALE IMO.

These made-in-China headsets are definitely worth $15 just because of their solid headphone aspect. The mids responses well enough that they make good gamer headphones in terms of getting crisp sound effects from games, but it’s no improvement over good PMP earbuds for music. Rest of it is sorta disappointing. Despite the solid feel of the whole package the non-integrated mic is a major issue I have with it. In the end, I feel sorry for anyone who paid the $90 or whatever price they were as MSRP, but they can make a good throwaway headset or a casual Christmas present.

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eBay Takes, Gives

November 24th, 2008 omo

The Fatwallet thread is probably the most authoratitive thread to follow on this holiday’s eBay $1 “doorbusters.” Starting today, for the next 14 days, eBay will randomly pop out $1 Buy-it-now auctions of various goods NOT worth $1 over the course of the day. You just have to look at what’s on sale that day at their holiday site portal and be refresh monkey about it.

While it is no way a “deal” as much as a sweepstake (and note that you do have to pay income taxes on their “ultimate items”–which at some point can be a 2009 Corvette. Today it was a $5000+ plasma TV–do the math how much taxes that is for you), it’s a fun way to kill time and if being a refresh monkey is something you do normally. Everyday there will be 3 items for sale, 2 items are cheap things (today was also Wall-E SE DVD set and Jawbone 2) that have 50 BIN auctions that will pop up over the day. The expensive, “ultimate item” is a one-shot thing.

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Ming, This One Is For You

November 14th, 2008 omo

From Gizmodo:

Let’s paint the picture of why this invention is so monumental. You’re sitting there, on the boat, preparing to fillet some freshly caught trout. Even though your generic knife is just resting on a table unprovoked, it flips into your eye where it gouges away like a spoon on a grape. The sensation hurts, but you retain 30% vision in that eye after minor surgery.

Now let’s paint the same picture with the Ginsu.

You’re sitting there, on the boat, preparing to fillet some freshly caught trout. Even though your 12V, Ginsu Outdoor Electric Fillet Knife is just resting on a table unprovoked, it flips into your eye where, powered by fearsome wattage and a blade that can even cut the old Ginsu that cut the older Ginsu, it will slice directly into your cerebral cortex before slicing down your body and falling to the boat floor where it cuts a hole in the very fabric of time and space itself.

I wonder how much this costs.

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Das Keyboard QQ

November 11th, 2008 omo

I like a nice keyboard, but I also know it shouldn’t cost $130.

What bothers me is that having USB ports and card readers on the keyboard is the best place! Why the hell do people put it on their monitors and whatever? Why aren’t there more keyboards that supports this?

For what it is worth, if you seek that weighted keyboard ergonomics, keytronics make a few good ones for $20-30. It’s a good buy. They also offer a 2-port USB one that goes for just under $40 on Newegg. I can live without the clicking sound personally. I learned how to type using those classic IBM CLINKCLINKCLINKs and while they are fun to use, they are a PITA in terms of making noise when you don’t wanna hear it 2 am in the morning.

But yes, USB hub on keyboard please.

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EasyBloom

October 27th, 2008 omo

Over at Engadget:

EasyBloom is a digital censor. What you do is you plug it into a plot of dirt that you wish to study, leave it there for a day or so, and pluck it out of the dirt and hook it up to a computer. It will then tell you what it knows, recommend what plants are suitable to be planted there, and it can even diagnose a plant’s illness if you put it near an ailing plant. All for $60.

It seems a miracle-like device, but this is just a clever concept. At least they finally gone to market.

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I Love Old People

October 17th, 2008 omo

Bless po’ol’ grandmama.

Remember when we switch over DTV, give your grandparents a call and see if they need help!

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XOHM Is Live

September 29th, 2008 omo

PC Magazine has a very down-to-earth article explaining XOHM in functional, non-geek terms. Read it.

It’s important because WiMAX is one of the two major items that will push out the last mile of the internet. Broadband (and to the same extent, cable and telephone) service in America is expensive to roll out not only because of the low population density, but high costs due to legal reasons. Doing it wireless jumps all of that.

The other item that will push out to the last mile is, as you know, cellular protocols like the various 3G things.

And the “last mile of the internet”? You can read about it, for example, here.

I think I said this before, but stories of missionaries in rural africa giving out their email to barely nurished but curious children as they crowd around rarely-seen white people begging for water and their email addresses is so 21st century that it’s mindblowing. But that’s how they contextually connect to the outside world.

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Flurry of Cheapness

August 19th, 2008 omo

I am having problems with my desktop’s random crash-ness. i’ve narrowed things down and I highly suspect my fanless and aging 7600GT is the culprit. Since I can’t really stand to wait anymore I pulled the trigger on a Radeon HD 4850. 2 days later I found a HD 4870 for only $60 more. UGH.

Is the performance worth $60 between a 4870 and a 4850? In short, yes. Do I need it? Obviously not if I was fine with a 7600GT.

But the problem is, Nvidia is having hardware problems yet they have the best bang-per-buck right now for the fanless/speed/price combination I want. I could alternatively get a fanless Radeon but it would be something like $80 for a small speed upgrade. Concensus is that the 4850s and 4870s are the best buys right now, and it would be some time until ATI releases a 48xx series board that is passively cooled. Budget or not.

So I guess I’ll just have to bear with it. Worse comes to worse there’s always eBay.

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Libra

August 13th, 2008 omo

Libra is a Windows cataloging program for DVDs. Not sure what else it’ll do but I’ll give this a spin today once I get home. It can turn your webcam into a barcode scanner? LOL.

Otakon was fun. Will do it again. Thank you all–staff, golfers, guests, friends old and new.

But what is this? Howie is LOLOLNA’s boss? Much fun to be had with this!

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