iPad Ordered

Happy Apple iPad Day! For those of you who have waiting for a while, the day to order had finally come. Now we just have to wait until the shipment date!

I just pre-ordered my Apple iPad. I ended up getting the 16 GB Wifi version. I had plan on getting the 3g one but with all the added costs, I just couldn’t justify it. Plus, if I need internet I’m sure I’ll have my trusty iPhone with me if wifi is not available. I’ll give it a try for a year and see if I want to upgrade to a 3g (or better) version when the second model comes out. And I hope that version has a camera and some multi-tasking.

Now I’m anxious to see how the iTunes App store will change. And what will be showcased the first week of shipment? I’m assuming there will be 3 different types of apps in the store: regular iPhone /iPod Touch apps that will work if you display it 2x its size, the apps that are hybrid and can display different versions depending on the device used, and the iPad-Only apps.

So, are you getting one? Pre-ordering? Or waiting a while to get it later? Or are you getting a tablet alternative?

Popularity: 1% [?]

My Thoughts on the Apple iPad

Apple finally unveiled the highly anticipated tablet today called the iPad. When I heard it was called the “iPad,” the first thing that popped into my mind was definitely not a multimedia device. I can understand Apple wanting to stick with the iPxx naming scheme, but they could have broken out of that and called it an iSlate or iTablet, or iTab or something like that. But, we’ll save the jokes for later. Let’s talk about this new creation!

Although I haven’t actually touched or seen an iPad up close, I already know I love and I want it. I’ve already thought about what I would use it for months ago. I’ve actually been shopping around for an eBook reader for some time now. I liked the simplicity of the Kindle, but also the complexity of the Entourage Edge that I saw at CES. The iPhone has spoiled me with all the touchscreen movements and commands that seeing buttons on a device like the just doesn’t seem appealing to me.

I’ve very happy that I waited on purchasing an eBook reader. I know I’ll be using the iPad for mainly that purpose. I don’t expect it to replace my netbook completely, but it can once more hardware is added to it (probably in the next versions). The iPad may seem bare right now, but I think it has a lot of potential. The new SDK is out, and seeing the kind of apps that developers are able to make for the iPhone just makes me think this iPad can pretty much do anything.

I’ve invested a lot of time and money in my iTunes App collection, so hearing that all iPhone / iPod Touch apps will work on the iPad was such a joy. That was definitely the right move on Apple. I can’t wait to play some of my games on such a big screen. It’ll definitely be a fabulous experience. Plus, if you invested a lot of money in your Kindle eBook collection, they will still be readable using the Kindle iPhone app. Also, I’ve always wanted a Wacom Cintq so I could draw and edit graphics right on the screen. Although the iPad isn’t as powerful, I can see basic features for it in a drawing app. I’m sure there will be stylus accessories coming soon.

Things I love about the iPad are:

• App Compatibility – being able to use iPhone apps on the iPad will prove to be very powerful. This will be in the hands of app developers and I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next!
• Design – the design looks gorgeous. It also seems a bit fragile, but that’s a great reason to shop for some amazing accessories. I’m hoping Speck will come up with something super awesome.
• Lightweight – it’s only 1.5 pounds and is super thin. It has the basic options and is prefect for the frequent traveler.
• User-Interface – the UI is familiar, elegant, and beautiful. Perfect for average users as well as super geeks.
• Color – why read in black and white when you can have color?

So those are my main uses of the iPad – ebook reader, gaming console, and an artist tool. As great as this tool sounds, there are a couple of drawbacks:

• No Camera – the biggest drawback to my iPod Touch was the lack of a camera. When I first got my iPod Touch, I didn’t mind hunting for wifi hotspots as much as I did not having a camera. A lot of the apps used had a picture upload feature, and I wasn’t able do use it. Sure I had a separate camera with me, but pictures wouldn’t have the instant upload quality that I was looking for. I’m guessing there’s no camera option to keep the price on the device in the affordable range.
• No multi-tasking – is a big negative on the device. The iPhone has a much smaller screen, so running one app at a time sort of makes sense. But the iPad has so much screen real estate that running only one app at a time doesn’t make sense to me at all. I’d like to listen to music and surf the web at the same time, not just look at an album cover while the music is playing. When I’m surfing the web, I like to copy and paste text into Evernote so I can remember things. Closing apps and opening each one everytime seems to be a lot of steps to me. This is a software issue though. Hopefully we can see an update to the OS in the near future. Being a geek, I want a little more control over my devices.
• Storage Space – When I travel, I like to dump my photos onto my netbook so I have extra space on my sd and cf cards. I’m not sure if there’s an easy way for me to do this on the iPad. Looking at the specs, I don’t see a usb slot anywhere. And also, why would I want to store my photos on another machine just to sync it onto my iPad? This would make sense if I wanted to carry around my portfolio or a presentation on the iPad. I don’t see myself putting my vacation photos on here.
• Note-taking capabilities – The main reason I want an eReader is to read technology books (away from the computer). I’d like to be able to take notes on the pages and such, just like I would in a textbook. I’m hoping the iBook app or the other book apps themselves would have this feature.
• Model Options – I don’t quite understand why there are so many model options. Couldn’t Apple just cut out the wifi only models? Surely the hardware to add 3G capabilities isn’t over $100 is it? I say $20 extra max.

Overall, I think it would be an amazing eBook reader that happens to do a little more. Remember when the first iPhone came out? I didn’t do too much beside make calls, look pretty, and tell you what time it was. Look at what the iPhone is now. With the explosion of apps, it could do and be anything. So app developers, go code and make me proud! There is the incentive of being showcased front and center if your app is optimized for the iPad! I’ll be on the lookout for some amazing ones to review!

I don’t think the iPad is for everyone. But if you get one, what would you use it for? What do you like or dislike about it?

Many thanks TWIT.tv, GDGT, and SlashGear for their live blogging of the Apple Special Event! It was so much fun to follow and I felt like I was as the event!

For more information on the Apple iPad, see their official website.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Ninjas Nexus One Unboxing

When it comes to “unboxing”, ninjas know how to handle things…

This animation of ninjas unboxing a Nexus One by Patrick Boivin is fabulous! See more of Patrick’s animations here.

Thanks for the video link Cali!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Cocoon Innovations: Gramercy Bag

If you’re like me, you probably enjoy having your gadgets with you at all times, no matter where you are. Carrying them around can be a hassle. But that’s when this bag caught my eye at CES 2010.

It’s called the Gramercy Bag, created by Cocoon Innovations. Not only can you show off and use your iPhone in the bag, it also comes with a Grid It organizer that you can use to neatly keep all of your other gadgets in place when traveling! It’s such a simple yet effective invention. The design is sleek, professional, and compact — perfect for your average geeky traveler.

For more information on this new line of bags, please watch the videos below. You can also find out more about the company at Cocoon Innovations.com. Note, this bag was a preview at CES 2010 and is not available for purchase yet.

Video Interviews with Cocoon Innovation’s Ashley

Popularity: 1% [?]

CES 2010: AR.Drone Project

One of the more unique things to see at CES 2010 was definitely the AR.Drone. If you ever dreamed of being a pilot fighting aliens and monsters, then your dream has become a reality — augmented reality that is.

The Parrot AR.Drone Project is a quadricopter that you can fly using wifi and your iphone or iPod Touch. Imagine being able to see exactly what the pilot see on the quadricopter! And with augmented reality technology, monsters and aliens can be overlayed in reality. You can control your AR.Drone by just tilting your iPhone/iPod Touch.

The AR.Drone platform is open source, which is very exciting to software developers! I’m sure we will be seeing many new augmented reality iPhone/iPod Touch games appearing in the near future.

The release date and price of the AR.Drone is still unknown, but the future of gaming looks very bright.

For more information about the AR.Drone Project, see their official website.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Nexus One Phone and Droid

Here’s a photo I took over my holiday break. I ran into a friend/Google Employee who had the lovely Nexus One. The Nexus One is on the left, and the Droid is on the right side.

The major differences are:

• Nexus One had a newer version of Android OS which displays the photo/video galleries much nicer, smoother transitions, and better widgets than the Droid
• Hardware-wise, Nexus One doesn’t have a slide-out keyboard.
• Nexus One is only available on the T-Mobile network now, unless you buy an unlocked phone, whereas the Droid is on Verizon.
• The Nexus One is much lighter.

For more information about Google’s Nexus One phone, see their official website and check out DroidDoes.com for more information about the Droid..

I personally think both phones are very nice if you are comfortable with the Android OS. The preferred phone carrier would be the deciding factor for the two phones. Both come with the Google Maps Navigation system, so that alone is worth getting either phones. If you like the Nexus One, Verizon will get it in the Spring. If you want it now, go with T-mobile or buy an unlocked phone. ;)

Popularity: 2% [?]

CES 2010: Lenovo Tablet

I’m really excited about CES 2010 now, especially after seeing Revision3 Tekzilla’s review and first look at Lenovo’s Tablet/PC Hybrid! It’s an amazing way to bring a tablet and a PC together! Check out the video to see why I’m excited! :D

Popularity: 1% [?]

A Glimpse at Droid

Half of my day consisted of reading your tweets and reviewing apps and gadgets. It’s been quite productive. :) Pictured above is the Motorola Droid, running on the 2.0.1, and the free Google Maps Navigation service. This service alone is worth getting the phone. The turn-by-turn voice navigation is quite awesome. :) Stay tuned, a full review of the Droid to come soon!
Read more

Popularity: 1% [?]

Wii Game Review: Wii Fit Plus

If you’re a computer-chair potato like me, you know it’s hard to fit in any exercise (or movement for that matter) into your daily schedule. But Wii Fit Plus is a fantastic game to help motivate you to exercise. This is a nice upgrade from the previous version. If you already own Wii Fit and the balancing board, you only need the $20 game upgrade. If you don’t own it at all, you can buy the complete package for only $89.99 (on sale on Amazon – save $10).

Wii Fit Plus still uses the previous User Interface — which is good because it’s easy to use and it’s very familiar to Wii Fit owners. Additional features include a calorie count — so you can keep track of how many calories your burn after each exercise and throughout the entire workout. There are 15 new training games (which are my favorites) that will have you flapping your arms, running, and even do karate moves! It’s not only fun to play, it’s also hilarious to watch!

Wii Fit Plus also comes with new yoga and strength training moves. Any position yoga or strength training you didn’t unlock in the previous game will be unlocked in Wii Fit Plus. Wii Fit Plus routines can be set up so you would do exercises designed to improve specific ares. This is done by combining activities.

Changing players during the game has also become is much easier! In the original game, you would have to close your session, and then select the new player. In Wii Fit Plus, you can simply click on “Change Player” and the next player can start playing the same game. Best of all, all of your data transfers nicely over into the new game.

With the new improvements and additional games, I highly recommend this game for parties and individuals who need a fun way to be more active. I give it a 9 out 10 stars. Below is a more detailed review of each individual new mini game in Wii Fit Plus.

Reviews of each new Wii Fit Plus Training Game

The new Wii Fit Plus Training games are a lot of fun! They combine aspects of the original Aerobics and Balance games in the previous version. The wide range of mini games are quite impressive. Here are my reviews of each of the 15 new mini games.

Perfect 10 – In this game, you want to add up the numbers to 10 (in easy mode) by wiggling your tush to hit bouncing balls that add up to 10. This is a great mental and booty exercise game. Finish it to unlock the advanced level — adding numbers up to 15.

Obstacle Course – This one is definitely my favorite because it’s not a short game, and you do feel like you’re running an obstacle course on American Gladiators, or something similar to that. Run by walking quickly on the balance board. When you need to jump bend your knees and stand up. The balance board will pick up the weight shift. Be sure not to JUMP or remove your feet from the balance board. This will cause you to start the course over. This took me a while to get use to, but after the 3rd time, I finally got the hang of not jumping off the board. It’s a great workout that requires quick thinking and a steady pace.

Bird’s-Eye Bulls-Eye – If there’s one game you have to sit out and watch someone play, this is it! You become a bird and the object is to land on various targets to earn more time on your clock. The more time you earn, the more time you have to reach other targets on the land (and water). Flying to these targets will require you to flap your wings and stand still when you hover over a target. Little flaps will help guide you slightly upward when near a target, and big flaps will guide you farther. You really feel like a bird playing this! Unlock the advance level to fly over water and even to the top of mountains and blimps! Warning – be sure to stretch a lot, else your shoulders will be hurting afterward. Humans don’t normally work these wing muscles much. ;)

Driving Range – allows you to work on your golf moves. Turn the Wii Balance board to the side, and use the Wii Remote to swing. The game will show you how balance you are and correct your position. There’s no time limit, so relax and keep golfing. You can also take practice shots before each ball.

Skateboard Arena – is very fun once you get the hang of it! You turn the Wii board around and stand on it like a skateboard. Skate over lights to earn points and even go up ramps! The more points you earn, the more levels you can skate in. If you skate board starts slowing down, step off with one foot and push (just like a real skateboad) to gain momentum.

Snowball Fight – is definitely one of my favorites. You are snowball fighting against a whole army of Mii’s. Well, not really, but when you’re by yourself, it seems like an army! Hide behind a shield, but peek out to throw snowballs at your opponents. Step to the left to peek out on the left side, and step to the right to peek to the right. But be careful not to get hit with snowballs! Use your Wii Remote and aim at your opponents. Press down to throw snowballs at them!

Rhythm Kung Fu – is really cute. I’m a bit off rhythm for the faster moves, but I love how you can use the Wii Nunchuk and Wii Remote to mimic the moves. It’s a big improvement over Rhythm Boxing. I like how you can watch the Mii’s and just follow their moves right after instead of waiting for them to complete full moves.

Island Cycling – this is another one of my favorites. Although I’m not really on a bike, the moves you have to mimic does feel like I was riding on one. Just take fast steps on the balance board to move your bike faster, and use the Wii remote to maneuver the bike to the left or right. The object of this game is to capture all the flags on the island. There is no time limit, so you can go as quickly or slowly as you like. This game also gives you the chance to go and explore all parts of the Wii Fit Island. It’s incredibly scenic and fun indeed. Once you captured all 12 flags, head toward the finish line and then unlock the advance mode — 22 flags. Boy does this game work out those leg muscles!

Segway Circuit – this game is awesome and so much fun! You can zone out and feel like you’re really on a Segway! There’s a giant gopher on the loose, stealing all of the beach balls. The object of the game is ride around quickly and pop all of the beach balls. At the very end, chase the gopher around and pop the last beach ball. Be careful because he’s quick! Jump on ramps on your Segway to gain speed. Use the Wii Remote to steer to the left or right. And balance yourself on the board as you would on a Seqway. Very fun if you enjoy quick games.

Tilt City – the object of the game is to make the falling balls land in their matching colored-canister. Sounds easy right? There are two levels of boards that you control. The top one is controlled by holding the Wii remote on it’s side. The second level are controlled by your feet using the balance board. It gets pretty tricky with multiple balls dropping down. Quick hand-eye-feet coordination is needed to score high! Quite fun and challenging!

Rhythm Parade – you use the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk as your batons and you march down the streets in a marching band. Raise your ‘baton’ as you see lights coming down either side of the screen. This is not my favorite mini games because my feet and hand coordination is quite off. Once I get the hand motions down, my feet are off rhythm. Try it! Maybe you’ll have better luck than me.

Big Top Juggling – tests your balance skills. Balance yourself on a big ball as you use the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk to juggle balls tossed at you. It’s not one of my favorite — probably because I keep falling off the ball. But I’ll give it another try soon.

Table Tilt Plus – I simply adored the original Table Tilt games. This game tests your balance and speed. The new version is much more difficult because balls now have the ability to land on poppers that launch them onto a higher pedestal. It’s very challenging as you have to control where the ball lands as well.

Balance Bubble Plus – I got really good at the original game, and this version just took me by surprised! It’s quite difficult once you enter the dark cave and try to balance and maneuver around monsters in there. This works your eye and feet coordination and is quite challenging.

Basic Run Plus – is very similar to the basic run in the original Wii Fit aerobics games. However, you’re running with a cat at the beginning of the game instead of a dog, and the path is different. At the end of the run, there’s a short quiz to test how observant you are. So be sure to check out your surroundings as your run. Do well, and unlock the long run mode.

For videos of each of these games, see the official Wii Fit Plus website.

Fun for the Whole Family

Another thing that I really love about this game is how all of mini games tie together into one big Wii Fit Island! If you played the previous version of Wii Fit, you’ll notice that they used the same landscape — the land you see when you run around on the track. In Wii Fit Plus, when you’re running or biking, you’ll see the same course but with the addition of a much more land. The Wii Fit island is very nice and peaceful and you can roam all around it in the Island Cycling game.

Read more about Wii Fit on their official website. You can also purchase the game with or without the balance board on Amazon. The one with the balance board is currently on sale — save $10!

One more thing, since my family and friends are always over and playing games, I highly suggest getting a Wii Fit Balance Board Silicone Sleeve for your balance board. It makes cleaning the board much easier and comes in an array of colors! And if you don’t have a Wii Gaming System yet, go get one!

Feel free to leave a comment or questions below. I’m reviewing this game because it is one of my favorite games. The views expressed in this blog post are my own and do not necessarily represent Nintendo.

Related Posts and Links

• Purchase Wii Fit Plus Upgrade for $19.96
• Purchase Wii Fit Plus and Balance Board for $89.99 (Save $10)
• Purchase Wii Gaming System for $199.99 (was $250.00)
• Got my Wii Fit!
• Wii Fit Hula Hoops
• My Wii Fit Profile

Popularity: 2% [?]

Geeky Gifts for Your Holiday Shopping List

Trying to find the perfect gift for a particular geek? Lucky you, I hand-picked a few geeky items to help you with your holiday shopping list. Good luck this holiday season!

Book Geek

Kindle Wireless Reading Device
Perfect for the bookworm friend. They can carry their library with the – up to 1,500 books! This is actually something I’m saving up for. It’d be nice to be able to carry my library right in my purse. The built-in PDF Reader is perfect for my documents as well.

The Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7″ Display) is also available in the US Only.

Some of my favorite books are also available in Kindle edition:

• The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
• Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
• The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Movie Tie-in Edition (rack) (Narnia)
• Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Gadget Geek

Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (White)
Perfect for capturing the most memorable holiday moments. Currently on sale for $99, was $149.

iHome iP27BR Portable Travel Alarm Clock For ipod (Black)
I own this iPhone travel alarm clock / charger / speaker gadget and I absolutely love it! It charges my iPhone when I’m asleep and the big display of the clock is perfect when I wake up. Not to mention, my music sounds great on it. There’s a small remote to control what’s playing.

Geek Gamer

The Beatles: Rock Band (for Wii / PS3 / Xbox 360)
Geek gamers and music geeks alike would love this. It’s the perfect entertainment for any party!

Wii Gaming Console
This is my favorite gaming console! I especially love it because of Wii Sports and Wii Fit! And I can’t wait for my Wii Fit Plus to arrive!

PlayStation 3
Looking for a great Blu-Ray player? This one serves both gaming and movie viewing purposes! Adding this to my wishlist. :)

Nintendo DSi
Perfect gaming device when traveling with kids. Comes in a variety of colors. My favorite educational DS games are Brain Age and Big Brain.

Apple iPod touch 8 GB (3rd Generation)
Believe it or not, my iPhone and iPod Touch are my mobile gaming consoles! There are plenty of games in the iTunes store to keep anyone busy. There’s also productive and educational apps as well. :)

Movie & TV Geek

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy & BD-Live)
Know of a Harry Potter fan? Pre-order the latest movie for only $15.99.

Star Trek (Single-Disc Edition)
Who doesn’t love Star Trek?!

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2
This show will have you laughing for hours! Happy geeks watch The Big Bang Theory. :)

Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]
Great movie for the whole family!

The Guild: Seasons 1 & 2
Great and funny show about a group of online gamers.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
A musical about heroes and blogging!

(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar (feat. Felicia Day)
Awesome song about online gaming.

Geek Traveler

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook – 10.5 Hour Battery Life

Know of a geek who’s always on the go? Why not make their luggage lighter with this netbook? It’s only 2.9 lbs, $335.56, and has a 1.3 MP webcam and 10.5 hours of battery life. It’s actually small enough to fit in a purse. ;) Available in black and blue.

Photo Geek

Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD
Canon Powershots are just amazing. I love the size and quality of photos taken from them. This one has a nice big viewing LCD and 3x optical zoom, and comes in a variety of colors. Available for $149! Also, for a limited time, the camera will come with a free 4 GB SD memory card!

XShot Camera Extender – Black (XS2379)
Perfect for taking pictures when no one is around. Also a great gift of the geek traveler.

Joby GP1-EPEN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Pink)
I absolutely LOVE my gorillapod. It’s perfect when I want to record videos (especially time lapsed ones) or take a timed photo. Get creative and put your camera on a bike or tree for different angles. It comes in a variety of colors.

Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card
Perfect for the super shutterfly! He/She will never run out of memory again! Just make sure their camera takes SD cards before buying!

Geek Wardrobe

Well, geeks need clothes too. Here are a few items that speaks their language!

OMG Pwnies Tee – my favorite ladies’ geek t-shirt.

There’s No Place Like 127.0.0.1 T-Shirt – because there is no place like home!

Geek Love Poem T-shirt – because you’re the CSS to my HTML!

SQL query – laughs.

Newbie – for the geeklings!

Creative and Artistic Geek

Wacom Intuos3 6 x 8-Inch Pen Tablet
Although there’s a higher model of the tablet, I think this model is great for the money. I personally use this model on a day-to-day basis and I love it. The Wacom Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet is also available for a bit more.

Cricut 29-0001 Personal Electronic Cutting Machine
This personal cutting machine is perfect for the paper crafters and scrapbookers. No computer is required for operating this.

Still can’t pick a gift? Why not get them an Amazon Gift Certificate and let them pick themselves! They’re perfect for purchasing mp3s, Kindle books, or anything on Amazon. iTunes Gift Certificates are awesome as well!

Popularity: 1% [?]

La Crosse Technology Power Battery Charger on Sale!

Amazon has the La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger on sale for $24.99 today only. Its usually around $33-$35. We use it for charging the AAs on our Canon SLR and Nintendo Wii remotes. The nice feature with this charger is that it has a display on how much of the battery is actually getting charged. For instance, we had a batch of batteries that are rated at “2600 mAh” but only charge up to 1500 mAh. This information is useful since it would have led to a much shorter life on our camera flash. The charger also features a refresh feature to help extend the battery life.

This is a guest post written by Albert from Albertech.net.

Popularity: 1% [?]

MMS on the iPhone!

AT&T in the US finally made MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) on the iPhone today. Yes, finally. Now you don’t have to use my MMS on iPhone workaround anymore. However, if you don’t have an unlimited sms and mms data plan, you may still want to use the workaround to save you money. Otherwise, just use the more simpler way.

So how do you get it on your phone? Here are the steps:

1. Plug you iPhone 3G/3GS into iTunes
2. Select you iPhone and click on “Check for Update”
3. It will ask you to download a new carrier file. Select Download and install.
4. Now restart your phone.

To test it out..

1. Click on the “Photos” app.
2. Select a photo
3. In the lower left corner, click on the arrow
4. You should now have a new choice — MMS
5. Click on MMS and the photo will be inserted into a new MMS
6. Click on the + button and select a contact to send it to.
7. Click on “Send”

And that’s it! Congrats, you just sent your first MMS on your iPhone. Welcome to 2002. :)

Popularity: 1% [?]

How to send MMS on an iPhone

My friend recently upgraded to an iPhone and asked how she could send photos to her friends. Inspired by my friend, I wrote a tutorial on how to send MMS on an iPhone.

If you are accustomed to taking camera photos and then sending them via multimedia message (mms) to people, you’ll be sad to know that the iPhone lacks this mms feature. Luckily, there’s a workaround for this. What you want to do is email the photo to your friend’s phone. This would require you to know who their carrier is though. Here is a list of some popular US cellphone carriers and their mms email:

US Carrier	MMS Email
AT&T	mms.att.com
Sprint / Nextel	messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile	tmomail.net
Verizon	vzwpix.com
Virgin	vmobl.net

So in this example, let’s pretend our friend John Smith lives in the US, his cellphone number is 1 (234) 567-8910, and his cellphone carrier is T-Mobile. To get his phone’s email address, we would need to append his 10-digit phone number to carrier’s email address format. So John’s mms email would be 2345678910@tmomail.net.

Here are the steps on how to send John Smith a picture message:

1. Edit one of your contacts. (Pictured above)
2. Copy and paste their number into the email field. Remove any special characters.
   1. Click on the phone number.
   2. If you have the iPhone 3.0 OS, press down on the number, and menu will pop up. Select “Select All” and then “Copy,” then “Cancel” on the top left.
   3. Click on “Add New Email”
   4. Press in the email field until a bubble appears, let go, and click on “Paste.”
   5. Now edit the number and remove all special characters, and append the correct carrier email.
   6. If you are running iPhone 2.2.1 or lower, skip the copy/paste steps and add in the number manually, appending the carrier email.
3. Save the contact by clicking on “Done”
4. Now go to the Photo app and find the photo you want to send.
5. At the bottom, click on the leftmost button and select “Email Photo.”
6. This will add your photo into the Mail app to send.
7. Tap on the “To” field and a plus will show up.
8. Click on the +
9. Find your contact.
   1. If the user only has the one email account, it’ll select it by default.
   2. If the user more than one email account, select one by tapping on it.
10. Once you’re back in your mail app, hit “Send.”

Read more

Popularity: 3% [?]

iPhone Games Page

I have to say, it’s a totally new gaming experience on the iPhone. With my iPod Touch (1st generation), I had to wear headphones to hear the sounds. But having the sound just play freely on the iPhone is pretty awesome. It makes making video reviews much more interesting as well!

The iPod Touch and iPhone have replaced my Nintendo DS Lite for some time now. You can’t blame me since iPhone games costs so much less than DS Lite ones! And after much finger flexing and icon dragging and dropping, my gaming page is organized on my iPhone. This is only the first page out of a few, but it’s the one I use the most! The only bad part about moving over to the iPhone is having to start over on all my games. At least this time, there’s sound. :) I hope there’s a way to save games in between devices in the future.

So, what are your favorite iPhone/iPod Touch games?

• Rolando / iTunes $5.99 / Lite Available
• Rolando 2 / iTunes / $9.99 / Lite Available
• Sally’s Spa / iTunes / $0.99 / Lite Available
• Sally’s Salon / iTunes / $0.99
• Dizzy Bee / iTunes / $2.99 / Lite Available
• Dizzy Bee 2 / iTunes / $2.99 / Lite Available
• Cooking Mama / iTunes / $6.99 / Lite Available
• Bed Bugs / iTunes / $1.99
• Chop Sushi / iTunes / $2.99 / Lite Available
• Topple 2 / iTunes / $0.99 / Topple 1 is Free
• SEGA Columns Deluxe / iTunes / $1.99
• Super Monkey Ball Lite / iTunes / Full Version $5.99 / (Lite version not available anymore)
• Mega Man II Lite / iTunes / Full Version $4.99
• Must.Eat.Birds / iTunes / $0.99
• I Love Katamari / iTunes / $7.99 / Lite Available
• Critter Crunch Lite / iTunes / Full Version $1.99

Tip: Always try out the LITE versions (if available) before buying games. You want to know that you’ll enjoy it before making a big purchase. Enjoy!

Popularity: 4% [?]

My New iPhone 3Gs!

It’s a boy.. and a girl! @dragonal and I finally made the plunge to get iPhones tonight. We waited for a very long time. I’ve been using my iPod Touch for the past few years to test out apps, but having an iPhone is much more convenient. Now I don’t have to worry about finding wifi hotspots for certain apps. The important upgrade was actually having a camera, and the auto-focus on the new one is quite nice.

We arrived at the Apple Store (made an appointment online first of course), and they gave us a ticket and said someone will be with us soon. The moment the guy stepped away, another Apple Genius came by and took our tickets. Very fast service! After filling out the online form to get the first phone activated, the Apple Genius got a glimpse of @dragonal’s HTC Magic (G2) phone and was so excited about it. LOL He kept wanting to take it to show his friends. I guess they see nothing but iPhones all day huh? ;) Well, there’s a geek moment for you!

Then the second phone was activated. The Apple Genius mentioned something about 6 hours before everything is moved over — not surprised because the last time I changed services, it took 24 hours. Surprisingly, the moment after I was given back the phone, it was all activated and both voice + data worked. Wow. So activation probably took 1 or 2 minutes! We were in and out of the Apple Store in no time.

Afterward, we sat down on a nearby bench, downloading apps. Our phones felt naked. ;) I’m a very happy camper. Now I just need to buy accessories, like a car-charger. My iPod Touch car-charger apparently is not made for the iPhone.

Read more

Popularity: 1% [?]

gdgt Launched!

There’s one thing that you need to know about me if you don’t already — I LOVE GADGETS. I’m a total gadget geek and I’m sure a lot of you are as well. I had two friends call me “Mary Poppins” recently because I was pulling all sorts of random gadgets out of my purse. I’ll take it as a compliment since she’s quite a lovely lady. :)

So what can make me more happier than having a new shiny toy to play with? Joining a social network built around a community of shiny gadgets of course! I joined gdgt today and absolutely love the concept and community. The website is run by Ryan Block and Peter Rojas — two amazing gadget gurus, along with with the rest of the gdgt team!

So how does it work? My friend Veronica will tell you how!

Read more

Popularity: 4% [?]

Canon or Nikon? ;)

So, which do you choose? Canon or Nikon? I was just happy to have them both in my hands. haha

Popularity: 16% [?]

Canon Powershot SD790is

A lot of people have been asking me for small point-and-shoot camera recommendations lately. I guess Christmas is around the corner huh? ;)

The best deal that I know of right now is probably the Canon Powershot SD790IS. This camera made it’s debut earlier this year, so it’s defintely not old technology (yet). heh I bought this camera about 2 weeks ago. Costco currently has it on sale for $179.99 (with coupon). Not bad at all!

The big 3″ LCD screen is quite lovely. The built-in mic is so clear! That’s great because I know my voice isn’t that loud. There’s face detection software to focus on people’s faces.

The buttons on the camera are a bit odd. They’re really thin, but they work well. It took me about 2-3 days to get use to the buttons. And if you’re familiar with Canon Powershots, it won’t take you long to figure where everything is. The scrolling button is my favorite. It’s like a classic ipod button that you can scroll to view all your photos.

I’m not too fond of the retro boxy look, but it’s growing on me!

Here are some more notable features:

• Advanced 10.0 Megapixel Digital ELPH camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer.
• View your crisp clear images on a large 3.0-inch PureColor LCD II screen for bright, accurate color with great viewing from a wide range of angles.
• Improved Face Detection Technology sets the focus, exposure, flash and white balance automatically.
• Motion Detection Technology automatically detects subject movement and optimizes exposure control and ISO settings to reduce image blur.
• III Image Processor ensures sharp images and better functionality; enhanced Canon Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB

If you get this camera, I hope you enjoy it! And feel free to ask me questions about it.

Read more about the Canon Powershot 790IS.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Wii Remote Hacks

Building sophisticated educational tools out of cheap parts, Johnny Lee demos his cool Wii Remote hacks, which turn the $40 video game controller into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer.

This video just made me flip with excitement! It’s just amazing the things you can do for little cost! The video features a researcher named Johnny Lee who shows us his amazing Wii Remote hacks. Just wow. I’d love to see these hacks implemented in classrooms!

Source: TED: Talks Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote

Popularity: 13% [?]

Canon EOS 40D

This just came in the mail today! My newest gadget is now the Canon EOS 40D. I absolutely love it. The battery was still being charged, so I haven’t done any test shots with it yet. But I’m very excited to use it for the next wedding that I’m attending!

Read more

Popularity: 6% [?]

Next Page »