Augmented Reality: Pretty Cool Stuff

I keep on hearing about "augmented reality (ar)" or mixed reality and never bothered to look into it until I was forwarded a couple of clips on YouTube by Samsung and USPS. Samsung developed an application to allow you to get a visual on how their series 7 TV set would appear on your living room wall and USPS developed virtual box simulator. This stuff has some serious potential and I also found a cool BMW clip on how they could apply said concept to assist their factory mechanics. Enjoy!

149 inch OLED TV... Still too small for me...

149" OLED... this will redefine Home Theater market!

An Apple a Day...

This week is the week of Apple news. Forget about President Obama's first State of Union Address or the Feds holding the rates steady, all eyes are on Apple. First, they rocked Wall Street with their $3B earnings in Q1 of 2010. Second, Google out-witted Apple Engineers with a true Google Voice web app workaround. Third, Apple announced the much-waited-rumored-sketched iPad Tablet device. Lets take a deep breath and digest the latter two news.

Google Voice Web App: I'll make this one quick; this has always been a battle of the wits. Simply speaking, Google Engineers are way too much of a bad-ass to take no for an answer, so they are proving a point by beating Apple's backwards-thinking App store by offering a fully functional Google Voice application via Web Browser. PC Mag has a good hands-on review here.

Apple iPad: What is this thing suppose to be? I'm lost. Steve Jobs pitched it as filler for a gap between a smartphone and a laptop but I can't figure out what does this serve. As it stands for me, my iPhone and laptop is what I take along pretty much everywhere I go. For me to grind out some real work, I'll bust out my work-issued 14" Laptop with a real keyboard and resolution (1440x760) for some spreadsheet action. While traveling, I rely on my iPhone a bit more to stay in sync with news, emails and calls. There really isn't anymore room in my bag for another device. For those without a Smartphone and a laptop, this is probably considerable, however, for a device that is suppose to rival a real computer, the OS (iPhone OS 3.2) isn't quite as capable (yet) to replace a laptop. For starters, Apple messed up in two areas: 1). Lack of Camera for video-conferencing and 2). Still doesn't support Flash... WHAT?!?. That said, this tablet is nothing but an oversized iPhone without the phone, atleast it has a microphone. For more detailed info on specs, checkout Engadget's post. At a starting price of $629 plus a monthly data premium from AT&T... I've already to tossed this one right next to the Apple TV section.

{Does anyone else besides me find the name iPad a bit confusing with iPod... both visually and phonically?}

123456, The Most Popular Password

According to this article from the NY Times, "123456" is the most popular password right up there with "password", "iloveyou" and "princess".

On a seperate news, NY Times will likely to charge, 2nd attempt, for audience to read their news articles online... its like taking one step forward and two steps backwards. (shaking my head in disbelief!)

Jawbone Icon Bluetooth Headset is out, Not Feeling it...

I remembered when Aliph introduced its original Jawbone bluetooth headsets with killer industrial design as well as performance that blew away most of the competitions. Along the way, Aliph introduced a couple of updates (Jawbone II, Jawbone Prime) but the bluetooth headset market has gotten extremely fierce thus making it hard to stand out like the original.

Yesterday, I received news on the new Aliph Jawbone Icon headset. This tiny jewel is supposed to have packed with all sorts of nice amenities including iPhone battery meter and some sort of app tie-in with their My-Talk website service.

Several things looks disappointing from my early gatherings: 1). They did not include a set of dedicated volume buttons figuring their auto adjust sensor would do the trick and 2). The design is a little too fashionable, to the point where it reminds me a set of fancy cuff links hanging off the side of your face. In all fairness, I've not tried this headset yet. But until I can get a review unit for a final verdict, I'm more looking forward to the new Spracht Aura BT headset that is coming soon.

Retrolink NES Classic Controller USB - $8 at Amazon

My cousin actually gave me one of these for Christmas. This is a retrolink-NES USB controller, perfect for them ROMs and Emulators. I noticed it going for $8 (shipped free if you are an Amazon Prime account holder). This is for a pre-order so they won't have stock until sometimes in Feb; better snag it when its cheap!

It's been a while...

Its been quite some time since I've posted anything here. Sincere apologies. I've been pretty busy at my work as my managers have really been challenging me (aka kicking my ass) but its a good feeling to constantly push oneself. That said, I'll actually be working towards a mobile commerce related project and will be sure to update my general experience in dealing with this upcoming project here. Speaking of which, I read that Digby just locked in a new retail client, Wet Seal which makes the mobile platform war quite fierce between Digby and UsableNet. My only gripe with UsableNet at the moment is that they insist on making you use a subdomain based on UsableNet.

As far as Mobile OS front, I've been playing around with Google's NEXUS One since around the Middle of December. Because of the NDA from the party where I had access from, I didn't want to post any feedback on it until this month. The procrastination got to the best of me so a perfectly good draft of Nexus One is just sitting on my desktop. In short, the phone is pretty slick as far as hardware and software integration goes (love that little vibration when you press on the touchpad) but the hardware itself doesn't make you feel like its a premium phone. Don't get me wrong, the OLED display is crisp and the Snap Dragon CPU is blazingly fast, but my general take with Android OS has been that it is trying to be too smart, thus taking away some of the control and decision making a user is accustomed to (case in point, I had a heck of a time loading my contacts from MacBook address book to the darn thing). There is no doubt in my mind, Android has the staying power and my prediction still stands, Google Mobile will dominate this space very soon.

Other updates:
Mobile Monday Brooklyn, is an event for all mobile fans to gather up and drink Free Beers. Check it out if you are in the neighborhood and talk mobile.

Random shoutout:
I just discovered OakleyVault.com, pretty steep discounts on my favorite brand of sunglasses and casual apparels.

Earthquake Haiti:
Please support them anyway you can. Red Cross is taking donations via Mobile, simply text "90999" and you'll be making a donation via your cell phone bill. More options can be read here.

Spracht Aura EQ Bluetooth Headset Looks Great

Spracht has been making quality bluetooth accessories for a while now, I've even covered a couple of reviews myself here and here. What they have announced today at CES is probably their hottest design to date: the Aura EQ Bluetooth Headset. It has already received so much buzz amongst the tech blog sites instantly. From "futuristic", "looks like a stealth bomber", to "alien symbiote", this hot little headset is sure to take the crown as the next hottest bluetooth headset.

Some noteworthy features: it amplifies receiving voice to account for exterior noises or bad connection and it has no buttons to mess with using a capacitive touch so you can adjust volume simply by sliding your finger on the unit itself (not sure how it holds up by accidental touch).

Review: Fring Video Calls on iPhone 1st Gen.

Few weeks back, Fring made an exciting announcement of their ability to let iPhone users get 1-way video conference via SKYPE. I had been all too busy for the past month to do any test on it. I finally was able to spend some time with this feature and here is my feedback on using Fring Video on iPhone:

Fring installation and registration on iPhone is pretty easy; the login process is much better than back in the hay days when I was trying to use my Nokia N95-3 to make 3G network test calls. You basically choose a username, password and provide a valid email address and off you go. The app is smart enough to save the login and password so you don't have to re-login each time you use the app. The next step is to login to your Skype account within Fring. Fring also offers the bridge to login to other IM/VOIP services, check out their website for all the details.

After setting up, my first couple of video test calls using a MacBook Pro did not work, I would only get audio portion of the communication; on my MacBook Pro, the video button was grayed out and can't be gauged (LED off). Then magically, on the 3rd try, it just worked; I was able to see the videos coming through and audio pretty clearly. Speaking of audio, I did find a small bug where pressing the speaker icon did not toggle between headset and speaker output... not sure this is a common bug or just from this particular first generation "pwnd" iPhone. I plugged in a stereo headphones w/ mic and worked pretty good, in fact, this is probably how I'd recommend using if you are on the road. I placed several test calls afterwards, some went through while others got a bit choppy (it would delay the video transmission upwards of 1 minute or sometimes just not engage; at times calls would also be refused even though it was accepted). The buggy conditions are not consistent to be reproduced. Through my own surmise, I am guessing it may have something to do with having to go through Skype via Fring server? Although this is an unverified thought. While this mobile experience hasn't been perfected, I must award some much deserved credit to the folks at Fring for once again, pushing their technology envelope to bring this to your iPhone.

The concept of having video conference on the call WITHOUT having to pay a hefty fee to telecom operator is a sexy thought. Think about your next business trip and as you are waiting at an airport lounge or coffee shop and see your loved ones via WiFi network on your smartphone (of course, if it supports transmission via 3G network is even sexier). Currently Fring supports video conference on iPhone and Symbian S60 (2-ways!); its just a matter of time before Android gets picked up and I'm sure this puts pressure at Skype or even Google Talk to start supporting this feature in native form. Very cool indeed!

Review: Pelican 7060 LED Flashlight

Flashlight technology has been improving drastically year over year since I was a kid. Thinking back, a flashlight must have been one of the most primitive mobile gadget we've all played with as kids (ie. camping, blackouts, sleepovers, etc...). I've always wanted to learn more about them and have been slowly collecting a small set of Maglites (2A, 2D LED, 3D) over time.

LED flashlights are in demand because it tends to draw a more intense lighting and in most cases uses less energy than traditional bulbs. Top of the line LED modules combined with high capacity lithium batteries can produce some serious lighting that our law enforcement officers rely on.

When Pelican released their new 7060 LED flashlight, I thought I would get my hands on a unit and step up to the big league. My first impression with Pelican's 7060 is that it isn't as compact has I thought it would be. Standing next to my 2D Maglite shows that its about 1" shorter and obviously more skinny. Considered a tactical flashlight, it is composed of hard plastic with grenade grip. Pelican outfitted this flashlight was an astounding 130 Lumen of lighting power, much higher than most of their competitors on the market (usually between 80 to 90 Lumen). The 7060 comes pre-charged right out of the box and first thing I did was to turn it on, and boy this flashlight means business. I was so impressed by its lighting, I ran into my daughter's room and turned off the lights (while my wife is changing her diaper), pointed my 7060 towards to ceiling which illuminated the entire room. This little flashlight lit up the entire room! Amazing!

I immediately pulled out the 2D LED Maglite and 3D Maglite for a comparison test; as you can see from the pictures below, the Pelican 7060 is the brightest hands down. I know I'm comparing Apples to Oranges seeing that I'm not using a Surefire or Fenix, but I will hopefully be able to arrange one soon. In the mean while, I've found some serious reviews from candlepowerforums.com for similar comparison.

Pelican 7060 makes it a good choice for those not wanting to deal with buying batteries as it comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a docking station along with a belt holder. Basically, this model is ready for you right out of the box. The battery has a run time of about 1.5hr and takes about 4-5 hours to recharge. While Pelican offers a cool 2-way switch (one on the side and one towards the back), I would have liked to see a lower power output setting (ie. go down to 10-45-90 lumens and Strobe to allow the battery run time to go up to 5-10 hour range. Pelican recommends to replace the battery after 500 charge cycles and I believe the replacement battery costs about $40.

Overall, I am very impressed by Pelican 7060's lighting performance. It is a very solid flashlight and super bright. I can see why the LAPD would choose this flashlight for their officers to use. If anyone is in the market for a solid flashlight, I would highly recommend taking a closer look at this unit. BTW, at the time of writing, there are 26 reviews on Amazon.com ($101 Shipped) in total and all of them have 5-stars!

Please find some photos of lighting comparison below (Left: 7060, Mid: 2D LED Mag, Right: 3D Maglite)
Beaming off the ceiling:







Beaming off the wall:

Review: Pelican i1015, toughest iPhone Case of all!

Mirror mirror on the wall, who in the land is the baddest, toughestt, biggest iPhone protector of all? Pelican i1015, is the baddest, toughest and biggest iPhone case of all.

I've reviewed a good number of iPhone cases on this blog, as far as for true protection, the Otterbox series have been the name of the game. But I think I've hit the motherload of all protection. The Pelican i1015 is a new case for your precious iPhone (also works with iPod Toch) and can withstand just about anything you can throw at it (or throw it at). To tell you how tough this case is, Pelican didn't even bother with packaging. The case comes by itself along with an aluminum carabiner clip attached, I think their marketing folks are brilliant for making two points at once: 1). it's a tough son-of-a-gun and 2). going green!

Lets get to the features: The i1015 case is virtually indestructible; it is crush proof, water resistant, shock and dust proof. Pelican warns you not to submerge the case in water. Pelican engineers has really put a serious case together for the most active iPhone/iPod user.

My first impression with the Pelican is amazement; this case is huge. It is sort of ironic to see such a huge case that turns your slick iPhone/iPod about 8 times its size. In Pelican's defense, they did toss in a compartment for headphone cord management. With your iPhone in this case, it reminds me of Zack Morris's 80's mobile and you can forget about fitting it in your pocket. One thing to point out is this is not intended to be used like a case for communication. The case has no external control to anything (volume, power button, touchscreen, data port or speaker); it was designed as a listening case (while shut) or to be used opened up (kinda reminds me of portable video game cases). There is a headphone jack for you to connect your headphones to it but unfortunately it doesn't support the microphone from your headphones. I think Pelican should have enabled that feature to make using the phone a bit more friendly.

Mr. Obvious will tell you that this case is definitely not for your average joes. Its really meant for professional grade outdoor activities. For those unfamiliar with Pelican, these guys are famous for their super tough storage solutions. This Pelican i1015 case certainly lives up to their name.

CoPilot Live Guided GPS App $19.99 Sale

Just in time for the holidays, CoPilot Live has a $19.99 sale for their GPS application for iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile devices. Considering most of the "other" solutions cost around 5x as much, this is a pretty good deal. Although given the competitive pressure from the native mobile OS (ie. Droid phones, etc...), voice guided navigation might become standard features soon. Until then, feel free to give this a try. A $19.99, its still a fraction of a stand alone GPS unit.