Review - The Motorola Droid w/ Android 2.0

First, some specs:

- Carrier: Verizon
- Available: October 30th 2009
- Networks: CDMA dual band (800/1900 MHz); CDMA2000 1xRTT/1xEV-DO rev.0/1xEV-DO rev.A
- Display: 3.7-inch screen with 854×480 (16:9 widescreen) capacitive touchscreen
- Camera: 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash and video recording
- Operating system: Google Android 2.0 OS
- Input: QWERTY keyboard, touchscreen
- CPU: 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 Processor
- Memory: 256 MB RAM / 512 MB ROM
- Memory card: microSD/microSDHC
- Connectivity: GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm HeadPhone Jack
- Misc: AMR-NB/WB, MP3, PCM / WAV, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, WMA
- Media: MPEG-4, H263, H264, WMV
- Form factor:
- Battery: 1400mAh Li-ion
- Talk Time: 420 minutes
- Standby Time: 450 hours
- Dimensions: 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
- Weight: 169g

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A lot of hype and a few questionable commercials later, the Motorola Droid for the Verizon network has been released. To my dismay, I do not receive a strong reception in the rear half of my apartment. Both Sprint and my former carrier, T-Mobile, have great reception here. So right away, that was a downer. But, aside from that, the new features Android 2.0 brings are great. The Droid's headliners are Google Navigation and it's overall speed.

Google Maps had been, for quite a while, not considered a true competitor to standalone GPS units. With Google Navigation, this all changes. Turn-by-turn direction has been dead on so far and it's beautiful. Although, I've yet to test it exhaustively, my first glimpse of it in action showed a lot of promise.

Also, many have touted the Android OS as a multitasking beast but the G1 proved to be slow. That said, it was by no means perfect but it was good enough handset to gain a strong following of users and developers. The second generation Android phone, the Droid, on the other hand, handles anything you through at it with ease. Although, not considered the successor to the G1, it's related to the G1. These loose ties between new phone models and successors makes me if Apple might be regretting being the sole manufacturer and distributor of the iPhone.

With all the Android phones out there, it's up to the consumer to decide which one is best for them. With Apple, the consumer needs to decide if now is good time to buy or, if another newer version is around the corner, wait. This tends to create mixed emotions when people buy Apple's latest and greatest only to find out the following morning that what's they've bought has already been made obsolete.

In closing, the Droid has definitely won my approval, hands down. I'm just waiting to get my hands on some accessories now so I can complete the Droid experience.

Buying the Sony PRS-700BC

So, contrary to one of my last posts, the SonyCard promotion for $200 off a single $349+ purchase does not apply to anything outside SonyStyle.com or Sony stores. Even though their wording was a bit vague, I'm not upset, since these things happen with offers that are too good to be true.

If you've read my last post, you would know that I was robbed recently. I won't do into details about the incident since you can read about it here, but I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings. I was reading manga with my PSP with it's picture viewer. It allows you to quickly zoom and pane images; a great feature not without it's flaws. Constant zooming and panning is an arduous task. But enough of that, the point is I wanted to read on the go, that's why I was carrying my PSP in the first place. So with the SonyCard plan not working out as anticipated, I've decided to get an e-reader.

If anyone reading this has an e-reader, whether it be Sony, Amazon or Panasonic brand, please share your experiences with them. I'm interested on hearing what you all think of it even though I've already committed myself to Sony.

flower: The Game

flower is the newest PSN exclusive released on the PS3. As a flower peddle flowing through the air, you grow in size and the game quickly shows its charisma. As the level progresses, the landscape comes to life. It's controls, revolving around the SIXAXIS, defy expectations with their rock-solid responsiveness and it music is a gem adding a therapeutic element to the experience: it's the most mature, most revolutionary title to land on the PS3.

thatgamecompany cusping aside, a more critical stance makes it hard to deny similarities to the classic game, Snake. You know, it's the only fun game that came with your non-qwerty phone back in the 90's. Even still, flowers elegant design, crisp visuals and solid controls make it a worthwhile experience.

Review: The Life Changing Wii Fit

I'm sure you've heard about the Wii Fit. It's still topping the charts in most country's top 10 lists. The games premise is obvious: to got you into shape. But one that I hadn't expected was corrective posture and balancing exercises.

I got the Wii fit as a Christmas present. Back when I was in high school, I'd constantly push myself everyday to get the most out of my daily exercises. I found that it gave me an edge over other students when endurance and strength exercises we're involved. It was my being, my mantra; to try my best. So, I imagined the Wii Fit putting me into some kind of schedule so that I'd pick up where I left of in high school and get my physique back into shape.

My first impressions of the Wii Fit was that this was entirely possible. The strength exercises were everything I expected. After the first 1/2 hour of my session, I really thought this would get me back into the routine of working out in the morning. But, that's also when I tried the yoga section of the first time.

You see, the Wii Fit doesn't just give you all the exercises it want. You have to earn them by trying out the other exercises and games. At first glance, I thought that this was going to be a gimmick, a way to squeeze a minute or two of playing time into your Wii Fit sessions. That might even be the case, but for me, it shed light on a whole new way of exercising: yoga.

I've never had correct posture. I don't know why. Maybe I needed to feel the edge of a rule like so many other had to go through in Catholic school, or maybe I should have been smacked a few times at the dinner table. The fact is, I'm a sloucher and when it's cold, I cuddle my shoulders in. When I walk, I'm very tense and yada yada yada. I have a lot of flaws when it comes to standing up. Using the Wii Fit, I was able to actually see my imperfections in front of me. It was the ability to correct my imbalance. My body responded accordingly. I feel lively like I did back in high school and I can stretch much further than I ever could before.

Even though I don't log that many sessions on the Wii Fit, I catch myself doing this exercises on my living room floor, at work on my lunch break, or at night for no good reason than to give my body that good feeling again. It really is an amazing machine and I look forward to using it more often.