Motorola SLVR, iPhone 3G and iPhone 4

These are the last three mobile phones I’ve owned. I’ve actually have owned five phones all together but I no longer have all of them with me.

2006
In 2006 I switched from Sprint to Cingular and bought the Motorola SLVR. I liked the candy bar layout and Motorola was pretty popular at the time. Maybe you can recall the days of RAZR fever, I feel like everyone had one. At the time the SLVR was probably close to $200 but with a new 2-year contract I got it for around $50. Overall the phone was solid. I never had any real problems with it and the reception was strong. I got really good at T9 text messaging during my time with the SLVR.

2008
In 2008 Apple announced their second generation iPhone. The iPhone 3G brought higher speed data services and GPS to the iPhone. They also announced for the first time the iPhone could be acquired for a mere $199 if you signed a 2-year contract. When the first iPhone was released I didn’t even consider purchasing it because of the inflated price tag. Fortunately, this time around I was due for an upgrade, it was like the stars aligned.

Me and a couple of friends waited outside an AT&T store from 2am until opening on the iPhone 3G launch day. There were problems on launch day with activation but when the servers finally cleared up I could access the non-WAP internet from my phone for the first time. Having Google Maps at my fingertips changed my life. I could drive anywhere and I could decide where I wanted to go next on the fly. No need to call that 411 number ever again.

The iPhone apps brought flexibility to a device that would otherwise just be a phone. Steve Jobs was right. The touchscreen gave the phone the ability to be anything. It started with a keyboard with unlimited characters then a piano then a game controller and beyond.

On the downside the iPhone 3G suffered from pretty spotty reception and crashing. The hardware was just not up to par. For some reason it was incapable of making long calls in 3G mode from my bedroom.

2010
In 2010 Apple announced their fourth generation iPhone. The iPhone 4 brought a whole new look to the iPhone and sported a higher resolution screen, front-facing camera, and more powerful hardware. I was unable to upgrade my iPhone when the iPhone 3GS was released but the iPhone 4 was released as my 2-year contract was expiring. It was like the stars aligned again… but actually Apple just releases a new phone every year.

This time around Apple decided to go with a pre-order system. On June 15th hundreds of thousands of people rushed to make their pre-orders online. Obviously the web servers were crippled by the weight within seconds. That morning I headed to an AT&T store and found out they weren’t allowing any in-store pickup pre-orders. Lucky for me there was a Best Buy nearby that were giving out in-store pickup pre-orders. When June 24th came around I didn’t even have to wait in line. Best Buy’s appointment system made it really easy to just walk in the store pick up your iPhone 4. Unfortunately they only had about 20 iPhone 4’s on launch day.

The first time I saw the screen of the iPhone 4 I thought my vision improved. The iPhone 4 has twice the resolution of the iPhone 3G and it really makes a difference. The more powerful hardware was immediately noticeable. Finally, the front-facing camera allows the iPhone 4 to use FaceTime (wifi video chat).

Unfortunately, many people have complained about the iPhone 4 reception issues. I haven’t witnessed any dropped calls under regular use so far but I have been able to reproduce the depleted reception bars when holding the phone in the described way. I’m still claiming these people are just exaggerating.

The iPhone 4 hasn’t changed my life the way the iPhone 3G has but the hardware changes has made those life changing features faster and more stable.

One feature that I do like on the Nano is the radio receiver. Unfortunately it lacks AM radio which I’ve been listening to more and more during football and basketball seasons. Most people think AM radio is unnecessary but I could see myself listening to AM channels during a run or even while waiting around. I guess this will need to wait for the next generation Nano as well.

In closing I’m not going to try and return my iPod Nano, I’d rather wait for the 6th generation Nano.

Unlike the XCM 1080p converter the HDFury2 requires an HDMI input which makes it only a viable solution for PS3 and Xbox 360. This is fine for me since I don’t own a Wii. The HDFury2 does not come with its own HDMI cable so you’ll have to supply one yourself. Luckily these are extremely cheap. The ability to send video and audio over a single low cost cable is a main reason HDMI is becoming so popular. The HDFury2 does come with a VGA to Component adapter for people with monitors with component inputs as well.

The HDFury2 does not require its own power source when running on a PS3 or Xbox360. However, if you want to run a blu-ray player you may need to purchase the external power adapter. The USB power cable can also be plugged in directly to your console. For audio you simply plug your 3.5mm speaker input to the HDFury2. Once you’ve got everything plugged in the HDFury2 does its job as specified. You’ll get full 1080p right out of the box with automatic image centering. Some people have complained about dim picture but most monitors will have the capability to brighten the picture. If you can’t get a good picture I suggest purchasing the Gamma X add-on. I’ll talk more about the Gamma X in my next post. Besides the cost of the HDFury2, I can’t really complain about anything else.

Here are some quick directions on setting your PS3 to HDMI:

1. Connect your PS3 composite/component cable to your TV (not monitor), also connect the HDMI connection between the PS3 and TV if your TV has an HDMI input. If not just plug in the HDMI cable on the PS3 side.
2. Turn on the PS3.
3. Go to the System Settings > Display settings, and change the display to HDMI. If your TV doesn’t have HDMI connections you must do the rest blind.
4. Switch your TV to the HDMI input, accept the display changes by pressing X.
5. Disconnect the TV connections and hook up your PS3 to your monitor using the HDMI and HDFury2. Turn on your monitor. If you did everything correctly you should have a picture on your monitor. You are done.
6. If you couldn’t get a picture you might not have accepted the changes while you were hooked up to the TV. Try again making sure you press X after you’ve switched to HDMI blindly.
7. If you know you did everything correctly switching the PS3 to HDMI check to make sure your monitor is displaying the right input (VGA not DVI). If not, something is wrong. Maybe a defective HDFury2 or HDMI cable. Both are highly unlikely.
8. Try again by resetting your PS3 back to composite/component. Do this by holding down the power button while the PS3 is off and the light is red. I am referring to the power button in the front where the red light is not the power switch in the back.

Now for the actual review. This product takes in a component input and outputs it to a VGA port stripping the HDCP. It is capable of a few different resolutions and maxes out at 1920 x 1080. This is the second generation of XCM’s VGA boxes but it still falls short of my expectations. It is capable of outputting VGA in 1080p and you can easily switch between the resolutions and refresh rates using the buttons on the box. It continually ticked me off by being off centered and it does not remember the resolution settings you last chose.

One nice thing that this box features is the PC input. Most people will be wanting to multitask with their monitor so this box can be used as a switch between gaming and productivity. Unfortunately this product doesn’t work well enough for my PS3 gaming and I’d advise to go with your everyday KVM switch. This product does not come with a VGA cable so be ready to supply your own. It also only comes with a USB power cable so plugging it into another device is your only option.

Overall this product is Mega Mediocre…

In my next post I will be reviewing the HDURY2 which is currently my VGA converter of choice.

Product Specifications

I just got my first Digital SLR last week and already I can say it’s a steal for the price. I bought it for $430 but I’ve seen it as low as $400 shipped. The Canon XS is the entry level model of Canon DSLRs but it has most of the functionality you’d expect from it’s bigger brother the Canon XSi. This is a great introductory camera for anyone moving from a “Point-and-Shoot” to a DSLR.

The first feature I’d like to mention is the Canon 18-50mm EF-S IS II kit lens that comes packaged with the product. You won’t get much zoom out of it but the picture quality is quite good. This can be attributed to its built in Image Stabilizer. Secondly the availability of “Live View” is a great addition which brings live camera feed to the LCD much like a “Point-and-Shoot”. The addition of “Live View” makes the Canon XS a great transition camera, a feature which the last generation of DSLRs has lacked. Some might look down upon the 7-point AutoFocus but believe me its generally enough.

I took the following photos over the weekend, one in front of my house and the other in our hotel room.

Coincidentally, at the time I was looking for a mouse, Microsoft had just released a new line of ergonomic mice. The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and 7000. I decided to do some research and I found out that not many people reviewed either of the two and that people didn’t appreciate the silent scroll wheel. Since I was getting the mouse on the company dime I decided to give it a go for myself with the Wireless Laser Mouse 6000.

To be honest, my past experience with Microsoft wireless mice haven’t been so good. I remember the first one I got had a big USB receiver that never worked. Even when the mouse was directly in front of the receiver the connectivity would cut out occasionally. The Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 however comes with a small receiver much like many other brands. It even has a dock for the receiver underneath the mouse.

The feel of the mouse felt very awkward at first. The shape of the mouse is very low profile. It almost feels like your hand is almost lying flat. It also makes it awkward to use a wrist pad. After about a week I got used to it and it really feels extremely comfortable. I also have long fingers so this mouse really fits well in my hand compared to some smaller mice. The silent scroll wheel is also strange at first. It feels like you’re not as accurate as you could be, but in actuality it is more accurate and just takes getting used to. The silent scroll is also nice because I feel that I might be making too much noise scrolling long pages in a room with other programmers (No, I don’t have my own office). The newer Logitech mice have a gear switch at the bottom to activate the scroll clicking which I would have liked to have seen on this mouse as well.

The side thumb buttons are also useful for web browsing when you set them to “Back” and “Forward”. The buttons are a little small for my taste though.

I really can’t complain about anything else about this mouse. If you want a rechargeable battery just get the Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 which is the same thing with a charging dock and a sleeker color scheme. I’ve been using the stock batteries with my mouse since I got it about 6 months ago.

Overall I’d give this mouse a 8.7/10

Official Product Page