Open To Anything

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday June 17th, 6:30-10:30 PM) I’ll be sharing my experiences with JoikuSpot and Qik at the San Francisco Open To Anything event at Absinthe…

Check here for updates and pictures!

Update: Here’s a great summary of the event - thanks Dennis :)

And here’s more pictures.

Geeking out

I’m at the BarCamp MobileCamp San Francisco v2.0 today…

Keep an eye on this post for updates and pictures!

Update: So I made a presentation on hacking mobile devices, and it went quite well, but with all the excitement, I didn’t make any videos :)

I found other pictures, too.

LG Vu camera

A few weeks ago, I looked at the LG CU920 (Vu).

I was rather disappointed overall, but I was impressed with the 2 megapixel camera, which features auto-focus and macro, but no flash.

The resulting pictures speak for themselves. Nice eh?

It’s amazing how much of a difference auto-focus, macro, a decent glass lens, a 2-stage shutter button and decent image processing can make…

Low-light performance is pretty good, but colors fade a bit in bright light. I can live without the flash :)

The only major problem I experienced was with the EXIF date being wrong for each picture, while the file creation date was right.

In the end, this is definitely the best 2 megapixel camera I’ve used since Sony Ericsson’s W800i, and I’ve played with quite a few!

Nokia N95 8 GB, US version

Thanks to Nseries WOM World, I was recently able to use a Nokia N95 8GB, US version (N95-4) for a few weeks. Being the past owner of an original Nokia N95 and the current owner of a Nokia N95-3, I was very excited to get dirty little hands on a Nokia N95 8 GB :)

The main differences between the N95 8GB and the N95 are screen size (2.8″ vs. 2.6″) and flash storage (8 GB built-in vs. expandable micro-SDHC). I suggest you check out my pictures and videos (one and two).

I’m madly in love with the larger screen! It’s even protected by a thicker plastic window that’s virtually flush with the housing (ie. it’s frame-less).

I’m not nearly as excited about the 8 GB built-in flash storage… Micro-SDHC flash storage currently tops at 16 GB (32 GB max.), and a separate micro-SDHC card reader provides significantly faster transfers than the sub-par USB 2.0 interface present on the device.

One day, I’d like to combine the “plum” back housing, battery & lens cover of the N95-1, the guts of the N95-3 with micro-SDHC and US-compatible HSDPA, and the front housing & larger screen of the N95 8 GB into the definitive franken-N95 :)

Ultimately, you’re choosing between a larger screen + 8 GB built-in flash storage vs. a smaller screen + expandable micro-SDHC flash storage. Either way, you’re getting loads of sexy über-phone goodness and one of the best cameras on the market today.

London calling

I’m in London for DevStation this week… Here’s an evolving set of pictures shot with my Nokia N95-3, including a visit to the Telectroscope!

That’s all :)

Update: Videos are up.

Life with the HP Mini-Note

I’m sitting on the patio at Cafe Flore in the Castro on this balmy spring evening (70 degrees at 11 PM) in San Francisco, blogging on my HP 2133 (Mini-Note) instead of my MacBook Air - oh the things I do for my dear readers :)

Now that I’ve played with my Mini-Note for a couple weeks, I’m really not quite as excited about it as I’d like to be. Here’s a summary of my experience so far…

Pros:
- Small
- Über sexy anodized aluminum
- Nice build quality
- Great keyboard
- Good screen resolution (almost too good?)
- Integrated Bluetooth
- Lots of memory and storage

Cons:
- Too heavy for its size (> 3 lbs)
- Bulky 6-cell battery and AC adapter
- Screen too dim at times (and no LED backlight?)
- Small trackpad (and horrible buttons)
- Fan is almost always running
- Overly sensitive accelerometer
- Poor video performance

I’m still running Windows XP Pro, now with the official drivers - I’ve also upgraded to XP SP3.

The screen resolution is good but possibly too good for my eyes. As a result, I’ve set the screen to 144 dpi (150% original size), which is a definite improvement.

I’ve downloaded the official SuSE Linux disk image, and I may be taking it for a spin very soon.

Overall, the Mini-Note is a nice machine with good features for the money, but I’m not sure it’s the right machine for me.

I think the upcoming Asus 901 (Eee), with its Intel Atom CPU, integrated Bluetooth, multitouch trackpad, and more manageable 1024×600 pixel screen resolution, may be a better choice for me.

Besides, I already know from my Asus 701 (Eee) that I’m comfortable with the smaller keyboard.

I’ll keep you posted!

LG Vu: the good, the bad, and the ugly

So I’ve been using my LG CU920 (Vu) for almost a week now and - sorry for the cliché - it’s no iPhone killer!

Despite 3G support and a much nicer camera, the user experience is far from polished…

The good:
- It’s small, thin, and light
- 3G support with DUN
- Nice 2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and macro (see some pictures)
- Impressive sound quality over Bluetooth (A2DP stereo support)
- Streams 3GPP (for Internet radio)
- Video recording
- Haptic feedback
- Removable battery
- Good battery life

The bad:
- Resistive touch screen (not sensitive enough, no multitouch)
- No flash or lens cover on camera
- No gapless music playback
- No iSync support (not even via hacked plugins)
- No accelerometer, WiFi, or GPS
- No USB data cable or Micro-SD card supplied with device
- Micro-SD slot behind battery
- Proprietary audio/USB/power connector
- User interface problems (scrolling is difficult and counter intuitive, landscape setting is not saved for browser or virtual keyboard)

The ugly:
- Screen is unreadable in direct sunlight
- Crashes randomly (and hangs temporarily)
- Bad Java support (not full-screen, no virtual keypad for menu shortcuts makes it impossible to zoom in Google maps)
- No file browsing over Bluetooth (incomplete ObEx support, transfer works)
- No multitasking other than music (and this disables the camera)
- No configurable POP3/IMAP/IM client
- Inoperable without SIM inserted

BTW, I’m not evaluating the TV service (mediaFlo) since I’m not signed up for it.

That’s it for now :)

Etymotic Research hf2 review

I’ve already mentioned Etymotic Research, purveyors of fine canal earphones such as the wireless ety8, and the professional-grade ER.4 - one of my reference listening devices.

The hf2 are wired canal earphones similar to the ER.4, but designed primarily for use with the Apple iPhone. As such, they also function as a headset and feature a connector specially designed to fit the iPhone (reduced diameter body and 4-prong 3.5 mm jack).

While the ety8 are also designed for use with the iPhone, they don’t function as a headset like the hf2. Furthermore, both the ER.4 and the ety8 are more expensive than the hf2.

The hf2 are molded from a pleasant (both to the eyes and to the touch) soft black material. However, the headset, which is located on the right cord, detracts from the overall design by being rather bulky (see pictures).

I tried the hf2 with other devices and the earphones worked properly, but the headset only worked with the iPhone, and should work with some Blackberry devices (like the Curve). As for Nokia N-series devices (like the N95, N81 and N810), the hf2 can be used via the remote control (it should not be connected directly).

When used properly, the hf2 sound absolutely fantastic and attenuate outside noise extremely well. In addition, they operate exactly like the earphones/headset supplied with the iPhone.

I noticed an extremely mild difference in sound quality between the newer hf2 and my older (both design and age) ER.4. I prefer the high-end on the hf2, but I prefer the low-end on my ER.4. In fact, the transducers in the hf2 appear to have a similar frequency response the ones in the ety8.

The verdict? Great performance and great value - thumbs up for the hf2.

Pictures taken with the Nokia N81 8GB

I’ve already covered the pros and cons of the Nokia N81 8GB as a music phone. But what about its camera?

Like the other 2 megapixel N-series devices I’ve tested, the camera in the N81 8 GB features an LED flash, but no auto-focus or macro.

It takes similar pictures to the Nokia N75, but suffers somewhat from the green tint problem I experienced with the Nokia N76.

Compare the picture above with this one which I snapped at the same time with my Nokia N95-3 - note the difference in color balance…

In the world of 2 megapixel cameras without auto-focus or macro, the Blackberry Curve (and to some extent the iPhone, despite lacking an LED flash) takes better pictures than the N81 8GB.

Hopefully, Nokia can address this with future firmware!

Nokia N81 8GB music phone

As you’ve probably noticed, it’s been a bit quiet around here lately… But fear not. Despite being rather busy, I’ve managed to review some products and line up a few more!

The first one of these is the Nokia N81 8GB, kindly provided by Nseries WOM World. It’s a music phone with 8 GB of built-in flash storage, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera - the successor to the microdrive-equipped Nokia N91.

Take a look at my pictures and videos (1 and 2).