Friday, June 26, 2009
Ah Beng Bear
[Author's note: Baby's 1st birthday photos are up on FB, linked through here!]
Baby bear in his Ahbeng shirt and pineapple hairdo.
Labels: Babyyyy
posted by the soft & poofy one @ 10:33 PM | PermaLink |
|
Monday, June 22, 2009
Milestone moment
Never thought in a million years that I'd say this, but I thought the heels that I wore home today were as comfy as flats.
I suppose it helps that I'd been wearing a higher pair of heels for the most part of the day...
Labels: Gushing / Aimless banter
posted by the soft & poofy one @ 9:15 PM | PermaLink |
|
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Hello, Android.
I finally got my new cellphone, a HTC Magic. The phone is also known as the Google Ion, G2, MyTouch, Sapphire, and possibly other ridiculous variations that I do not know about, in other parts of the world. HTC needs to get some more credible people to approve the naming of their products. (MyTouch?!)
I'd to go through some rather eye-rolling experiences to get the phone, but anyway, that's over and if you would like to hear about it, ask me when we meet up. I realized that each time I tell the story, it gets shorter. Soon I'll be able to Tweet it.
So far, I'm totally loving the Magic. How do I love it? Let me count the ways...
1. Android, baby!
For those who have a bit more of a life than I do, Android is Google's operating system that is currently running on mobile platforms. Ultimately, Big G's plan for world domination includes running android on netbooks, something that I look forward to trying out.
As with most things Google, Android's latest version 1.5 (cutely named Cupcake) is clean, simple and pleasing to the eye. My previous WM phone was skinned, so it looked just about alright, but what sheer joy not to have to customize the phone's look out of the box, and yet not be blinded by its hideousness!
Also, no more RGBY circle of lagginess, bye bye Windows Mobile! WM was only tolerable because of the huge population of consumers and developers out there using it. Meaning, there were lots of apps, themes, and troubleshooting guides (very, very important) that I could easily Google if I wanted to.
Besides that, the only other possible selling point of it is the alleged ease of sync-ing with Outlook and whatever other Microsoft enterprise software that you may use. As I do not use any MS software that could be synced with WM, it is of no value to me.
Doesn't hurt that the Android logo is so darn adorable, unlike the yawn-worthy 4-color windows and that monochromatic apple. Zzzz.
2. Painless sync with Google apps
This was a major plus point for me since I use several of Google's in-the-cloud products (Mail, Calendars, Maps, Talk). With the native applications of the respective products, syncing up the data between the Magic and Google's servers was seamless.
3. No keyboard, less bulk
The hardcore txters swear by it, but it adds bulk to the phone. It takes a while to get used to the phone, especially if you're used to T9 on a physical keypad, but I got the knack of it within a day or two. I hate to say this, but, to quote my piano teacher from an era long gone, 'practice makes perfect'.
Incidentally, the Magic's onscreen QWERTY keyboard can be flipped into landscape orientation so that the buttons are wider. I have fat fingers by most standards, and I can use the keyboard fine, thanks to the AMAZINGLY effective prediction algorithm that automatically corrects my typing. So most people should have little problem using it (Meds excluded because she has stubborn fingers and she is pro-Nokia and pro-buttons...)
4. iPhone-like interface, minus the arrogance
I'm a PC user at heart. No matter how much I love the way Macs look, their really cool branding and marketing, I'm still a Windows geek chick. Can't help it, I cut my teeth on Windows as a kid.
I'll admit that the Magic is reminiscent of the iPhone, but then again, which major touchscreen PDA phone isn't these days?
What makes it stand out though, is that it does not try to send that 'I am so damn cool and sexy, all other OSes bow down before me' kind of message. Android is about open-source (as compared to the iPhone's proprietary app store concept) so anyone can develop and Android app and put it in the App Market for download (for free or for a fee).
Which brings me to my next point...
5. It's all about the apps
iPhone has it's App store, Android has its Market. And it makes lots of sense since it is an open-source system that allows (and encourages) individual developers to make useful and fun apps for users. The number of apps in Market (Android's app store) is significantly lesser than that of the iPhone App Store, but considering how much longer the iPhone has been around, it's not so bad after all.
To fully unleash the power of Android on the Magic, you have to download apps. Not only does this customize the phone to your usage habits, it also increases the functionality of the phone. Think of it as a cellphone version of Firefox with all its addons and plugins.
Of course, the phone is not without its faults. Here's a quick list:
1. Internal memory ONLY 512MB? Sure, the SD card slot accepts up to 16GB (and 32GB if you upgrade the ROM) but with the falling prices of memory, I don't see why they couldn't include at least a few GB of internal memory.
2. Slightly laggy when flipping between portrait and landscape modes. Not sure how they could attempt to fix this... more RAM? Dunno, I'm not a techie.
3. Glossy black and white. Singapore got the black/maroon trimming combi, some places got black/blue trimming (yum!). It's subjective, I know but I wish they'd made them matte so that it doesn't accidentally blind people or act as a fingerprint magnet. At least my white Magic is less of a fingerprint magnet than its black counterpart.
4. HTC branding How come Singapore got a version that was printed with HTC on the back cover instead of Google? While I have my reservations about Google, it is an infinitely cooler brand than HTC. Besides it already says HTC on the FRONT of the phone. Talk about being protective...
5. Camera shutter lags. Not sure if it's because the focusing takes more time than usual, but it's something I can live with. The picture quality is also decent (3.2 megapixels) and there's video, too.
Comparisons between the Magic, the iPhone 3G-S are inevitable, since both are being launched around the same time period (a month or so apart?). I did consider the iPhone, despite all its horrendous flaws I might have opined about earlier, but Singtel, the pride and joy of our country, is monopolizing the iPhone. And I'm not a Singtel user.
With their atrocious mobile pricing plans (hello, no per second billing? And no data charge cap?) and number portability, if M1 or Starhub got the iPhone instead, Singtel would see their customers fleeing to their competitors. Instead, they chose to strike an exclusive deal with Apple and forced their customers to take 1 of 3 data-centric mobile plans.
Well, take that Singtel. Screw you and your absurd marketing strategy/pricing plans for the iPhone. HTC Magic, I CHOOSE YOU! ... oops sorry, had a Pokemon moment there.
Anyway, the Magic is a really really nice phone, and easy to use too. If you don't hate touchscren phones, and can live without Apple's 'pinch-zoom' function, get the Magic. It's very much an issue of preference, but the following is my rationale for choosing a Magic (and Android) over an iPhone.
The iPhone has been around for a while, and will always be around in one form or another. Maybe down the road there'll be an iPhone 4G, iPhone 5G-S, iPhone Leopard, iPhone Tiger, iPhone Cheetah/Hippopotamus/whatever.
The Android phone, however, represents a shift in the way the mobile development market operates, and in a sense, reflects the Web 2.0 spirit of customization.
Unlike Windows Mobile or Apple iPhone OS, Google Android's users are in charge. Power that was typically wielded by big conglomerates - power over how you should use your phone, how your phone should look, how your phone's branding should be controlled - is now being placed in the hands of the consumers. Sure, Google loses some control over their product, but that is precisely the essence of Web 2.0 - user-generated content, customization, crowd-sourcing, power to the people.
Why do I want to use Android in the HTC Magic? Mostly because it has great functionality, looks good, and is fun to use. But at the heart of it all, it's also because I want to be part of this revolution that the mobile phone platform and industry is and will be experiencing.
And oh my goodness, did I just write so much about a phone operating system? YIKES!
Labels: Cool stuff, Geeky things
posted by the soft & poofy one @ 11:48 PM | PermaLink |
|
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Watcha lookin' at?
Labels: Babyyyy
posted by the soft & poofy one @ 5:24 PM | PermaLink |
|
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
My famous travelling companions
Teehee. Apparently, when we got interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer on our 2007 US trip, a picture of Meatbar and GG made it onto their website.
(Click picture to view enlarged version)
You'll notice that the caption for the photo states that Meatbar and GG were trying to "find the entrance to Independence Hall for their scheduled tour".
Yet, while it's been a couple of years now, I suspect they were actually searching for directions to the nearest Philly cheesesteak place. (Mmm... juicy cuts of meat slathered with melted cheese and an assortment of toppings, on a soft and poofy bun. Slurp.)
Anyway, I am suddenly immensely thankful that a 5-sec clip of me conversing with a giant cardboard cutout of E!'s Kristin on Sunset Blvd did not come and bite me in my e-Behind.
[The original Inquirer story can be accessed here, but it makes no mention of the valiant Singapore adventurers who searched the Philadelphian landscape for the best Philly Cheesesteak ever.]
P.S. In case you're wondering why I'm not in the photo, I was deliberately avoiding the cameraman. Everytime I saw him trying to take a photo of me snapping some touristy shots, I quickly put my camera down and walked away. Mwahaha. Must have frustrated him a lot.)
P.P.S. I realise I've not posted in a while, cos I've started posting more regularly on Twitter (follow me - @softandpoofyone. It's really nifty for posting quick thoughts that I may have forgotten before I have time to write an entry here. I will still be updating here, of course, since 140 characters is hardly sufficient for anyone to craft a decent thought.
P.P.P.S Stay tuned for Baby at the Zoo pics! :)
Labels: LOL
posted by the soft & poofy one @ 11:26 PM | PermaLink |
|
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Did you know?
Instructions on how to open emergency exit onboard a NEL train
Apparently, it's not enough to just 'hit hard'... Good luck on opening those train doors on days you're feeling feeble.
(I'm having these images in my head of some poor dude bashing the button very hard till his hand's all mangled, but can't stop cos the indicator's not lighting up. Morbid, I know.)
Labels: WTF / Rants
posted by the soft & poofy one @ 12:28 AM | PermaLink |
|
