Apr 23

I’ve been MIA, because for the last 48 hours, I’ve been playing with my new toy, a 32GB iPod Touch. Ras and I had decided on purchasing a Touch a couple weeks ago through Brad. His school has a partnership with Apple Korea and gets a 20% discount on most Apple products. There was communication between Ras, Brad, and the Apple guy to get a 32GB iPod for Ras, and a 16GB iPod for me. Up until this point, I had been using a 1GB Yepp for my MP3 playing needs, so I didn’t think I need the top of the line model. After almost two weeks of delays, we were told there was trouble ordering the 32GB iPods and Ras would only be able to get a 10% discount on it anyway, while I would still get the 20% discount.

Two days ago while shopping at Costco, we saw that the 32GB iPods were being sold for 519,000 won, which was 20,000 won more expensive than it would have been with a discount through Brad. Plus, if we bought them then, we could play with them that night, instead of waiting to have them ordered. Up until this point, I was going to get the 16GB version. I had been using a 1GB MP3 player anyway, so 16GB would have been sufficient for me. Then I got to thinking… If I were to teach private classes (not saying that I do), upgrading to the 32GB would be equivalent to 3 hours of teaching private classes. So, that’s how I justified it. 3 hours of private rates = 16 more gigs. Ok, I was sold.

We’ve both been playing with our iPods for the last two days, and can I say… It’s so freakin’ COOL! I’ve never subscribed to the hype of the iPod because it was just an MP3 player. Sure, it was cooler than most, but it still just played music like all the others. What made me finally buy the Touch, was the versatility of having an MP3 player, video player, my photos, web browsing, and the functions of a PDA, all in one sleek and sexy machine. I don’t really care about a phone function, so I don’t see myself ever getting the iPhone. I like being able to see my contacts, my daily planner, flip through photo albums, check the weather, write an email, and watch TV shows, all in the palm of my hands. All I need now are native Scrabble and Bejeweled games, and I’m all set.

We had also ordered BodyguardZ protective film through eBay and they arrived today. I watched the instructional video while covering both our iPods with it. I want to cover up my iPod for two reasons: 1) to protect it from scratches, and 2) when I decide to sell it, it will be in pristine condition.

What is the material?
A: The material is the same material used to protect cars from the scratches, sometimes referred to as ‘car bra’ material.

Jan 13

Everyone has been making predictions about what new product Apple will unveil at Macworld 2008, slated for this coming Tuesday.  There have been banners hinting at what’s ahead.  They read: “There’s something in the air“.

If you believe this insider tip, here’s what Apple plans to announce:

Macbook Nano is go!
Fri, 01/11/2008 - 6:35pm — mike
A little bird tweeted that the MacBook Nano will be announced next week. It will be half the size of a MacBook, 3/4 of an inch thick, SSD drive, no optical drive and will use a new thing called Beam Technology to transfer data faster than Bluetooth. The little bird also said something about watching TV on the iPhone.  Could that be what’s in the air?

What do you think about that???  If it’s true, I can’t wait to see it.  There are lots of fanboy speculations here.

Sep 19

About a month ago, Ras bought a portable media player (PMP) - the Cowon Q5. It’s a 60 GB touchscreen media player that can stream local TV shows (and record them while watching), holds music, videos, photos, has a dictionary and encyclopedia, is a navigation system, and runs Windows CE. Check out a video of it HERE. More about SPECS here. Engadget has a blurb about it HERE.

  • 5-inch wide-screen, 16-million-color TFT LCD with ultra-fine 800×480 (WVGA) resolution and touch-sensitive interface;

  • HSDPA modem, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless networking;

  • Windows CE Internet Explorer browser;

  • FM radio and recorder, voice recorder, built-in stereo speakers, and TV-out supporting component and composite connectors;

  • DVR functionality with video (MP4) recording from TV, VCR or camcorder;

  • GPS navigation;

  • up to13 hours of audio or 7 hours of video playback; and

  • 40GB or 60GB hard disk.

The navigation system has been such a lifesaver when driving in Korea. The instructions and voices from the system are in Korean, but Ras hasn’t had too much of a problem. Since having it, we’ve gone to the the public swimming pool in Yeoido, the Flickr Launch in Gangnam, Ocean World, Anmyeon-do, Jenay’s apartment in Suwon, and Greg’s apartment in Mok-dong. I can’t wait to explore more of Korea with it - I love road trips!

Jun 26

Wow, this is amazing! Read a little more about it here.

Dec 18

Mac fanboys are in a tizzy because the new iPhone was announced today, and it’s NOT even from Apple! Cisco owns the copyright, which they applied for 10 years ago. Brian of Gizmodo sort of apologizes for misleading everyone, but not everyone is happy:

Brian Lam is an Ass

Damn You Brian Lam