Electra Instant Contact Cleaner. San ka pa?

I want to make this sound like a commercial so here it goes:

Have computer problems bogged you down? Your computer doesn’t want to boot, or is acting up on you?

Then check out Electra Instant Contact Cleaner. With a few squirts of Electra Instant Contact Cleaner, you can wipe your computer problems away like magic!

Let’s check out Gary, who currently has an issue with his computer:

Gadget Buying Tips (renamed ‘Lowdown on Gadgets’) article is now out

Well it was supposed to be an article about gadget buying, but was edited to come out as “The lowdown on gadgets”, a kind of opinion / commentary about gadgets. Which is good, I suppose, considering it wasn’t edited as much. Who can possibly predict what editors think really? IMHO, we might as well be on completely different planets both in writing style and in what we’re trying to say.

There’s an error in a paragraph where I say “Two things to remember about buying laptops”, the first (size and weight are king) is mentioned, but the second was completely edited out.

At any rate, like I said, it’s all good. Some people might disagree with this one, but I’m fairly sure I’m being forthcoming and honest when I say, for example, that people should, even if they had the money, buy what’s best for them as opposed to the top of the line models.

Continue reading Gadget Buying Tips (renamed ‘Lowdown on Gadgets’) article is now out

PCWorld.com Top 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time

PCWorld.com listed it’s “Top 25 Losers” (ouch!) ever. To wit:

  1. America Online (1989-2006)
  2. RealNetworks RealPlayer (1999)
  3. Syncronys SoftRAM (1995)
  4. Microsoft Windows Millennium (2000)
  5. Sony BMG Music CDs (2005)
  6. Disney The Lion King CD-ROM (1994)
  7. Microsoft Bob (1995)
  8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001)
  9. Pressplay and Musicnet (2002)
  10. dBASE IV (1988)
  11. Priceline Groceries and Gas (2000)
  12. PointCast (1996)
  13. IBM PCjr. (1984)
  14. Gateway 2000 10th Anniversary PC (1995)
  15. Iomega Zip Drive (1998)
  16. Comet Cursor (1997)
  17. Apple Macintosh Portable (1989)
  18. IBM Deskstar 75GXP (2000)
  19. OQO Model 1 (2004)
  20. CueCat (2000)
  21. Eyetop Wearable DVD Player (2004)
  22. Apple Pippin @World (1996)
  23. Free PCs (1999)
  24. DigiScents iSmell (2001)
  25. Sharp RD3D Notebook (2004)

Of the three MS products I’ve only encountered Windows ME and IE 6.0, the other one being MS Bob, which I didn’t even know went to market.

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First takes on the Canon Ixus 60

Sitting on my desk in some protective cloth-like casing it came with is the Canon Ixus 60, spec’d as follows:

  • 6.0 megapixels
  • 3x optical zoom
  • 2.5″ lcd screen
  • Resolution max/min: 2816×2112 / 640×480
  • Sensor size / type: 1/2.5 / CCD
  • weight: 140 g (4.9 oz)
  • Inclusive 16mb. SD card
  • dimensions: 86 x 54 x 22 mm (3.4 x 2.1 x 0.9 in)

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First takes on the Nokia N91

I was very excited to receive one of the first Nokia N91s to come into the country a few weeks ago. I was made aware that it was amongst, if not the first unit to arrive via a letter accompanying it saying so. In retrospect however, the fact that it came from a PR company means it’d benefit them to make me think so, but I’m fairly sure it’s at least amongst the first.

It came however, not in its original box, but in a (very nice) Nokia backpack, filled with the requisite manuals, cables and a set of very nice speakers and a headset. After some investigation it turns out the speakers weren’t inclusive and were only there to help prove the sound was up to par and connecting to it was easy, via a standard 3.5mm connector, placed conveniently at the top. This allows you to just slap it onto your average stereo headset or amplifier, bringing your sounds along with you, which is the point of this particular phone.

I used it for most of a full week, and liked it a lot. Nokia makes models for every specific target audience in each model lineup, and the N91 is it’s music player model for the N-Series. So while it has the required connectivity and other features (triband, 3G, Bluetooth, 2mb cam, USB, etc.) seen throughout most of the N Series, it’s particular strength is its music player, featuring Windows Media Player 10 and the clincher = 4gb. hard disk.

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First takes on the Amoi Blue M626 Laptop

m626 amoi blueThe Amoi Blue speaks “Cheap” from the moment you open the box, take out the contents, ditch the manual (which is all in Chinese so you’ve no choice but to ditch it), and use it.

Feature set is standard. It’s among the first with a Intel Core Duo processor, offers presentable graphics and gigabit LAN, but I won’t waste time in saying my first and lasting impression: it feels, (and therefore is) – cheap.

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First takes on the NEC Versa M350 1704DW

NEC Versa M350 1704DWI think the Acer 3242WXMi now has some competition after I took this one out of the box last night. At this very moment, it’s sitting on the desk running on batteries, with all the screensavers and power saving options turned off so I could time how long it takes till it dies.

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