Review – Nintendo DSi XL
The Nintendo DSi XL has been out for a while and there have been many reviews and opinions about it. Many have complained that it is too big (aka not portable). This review will give you the point of few from a 40+ year old, long time gamer.
OK, so I’ve said I’m over 40 and you’re saying “of course you like the XL, you’re eye sight sucks.” Let me crush that first. While I do wear contact lenses, I am near sighted and have no problem seeing my DS Lite (yes, I still have my Zelda TriForce limited edition DS Lite). Read more…
From Brief to Beat – Cali Lewis now hosting GeekBeat.TV
Fans of GeekBrief.TV can now find Cali Lewis on GeekBeat.TV. GeakBeat.TV is hosted by Revision3. While I could go on and on about both Cali and the show, I’ll let you check it out for yourself.
Be sure to subscribe to the new show and let Cali know that we love her (in a purely technical, platonic way).
Should I buy an iPhone 4?
As with most iPhone 3GS owners, I am eligible to upgrade. But should I? With IOS 4 running on my iPhone 3GS, I am quite happy. And I love my Tom Tom GPS dock, which isn’t compatible with the iPhone 4. And tonight I read a strong rumor that Verizon Wireless will be launching the iPhone in January 2011. Trust me, the Retina Display, higher resolution camera, camera flash, and 512MB RAM are attractive, but are they enough?
Well, for now, I am waiting patiently. I’m still unemployed, so dropping $300 on a gadget weighs a little heavier than it used to. And I still have a strong feeling that if Verizon launches an iPhone, it will be a 32GB model and AT&T will show their trump card, a 64GB iPhone 4.
Nintendo officially announces the Nintendo 3DS
March 23, 2010
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: Launch of New Portable Game Machine
Nintendo Co., Ltd.(Minami-ward of Kyoto-city, President Satoru Iwata) will launch “N intendo 3D S”(temp) during the fiscal year ending March 2011, on which games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses.
“Nintendo 3DS”(temp) is going to be the new portable game machine to succeed “Nintendo DS series”, whose cumulative consolidated sales from Nintendo amounted to 125million units as of the end of December 2009, and will include backward compatibility so that the software for Nintendo DS series, including the ones for Nintendo DSi, can also be enjoyed.
We are planning to announce additional details at E3 show, which is scheduled to be held from June 15, 2010 at Los Angeles in the U.S.
Source: Nintendo of Japan
First iPhone App Written!
It’s nothing fancy, just the “Hello World!” app that Apple so kindly put in their developer documentation. I even went above and beyond with a custom icon and some fancier text in the app. Now my only problem is that it’s taking forever (over an hour now) to get a Development Provisioning Profile from Apple.
Update: I finally got a DPP and I’ve installed the app on my iPhone. Now to learn some more about developing for the iPhone in Xcode!
I should be programming
An old friend of mine, Ron, responded to one of my Facebook updates by saying “Are you writing some iPhone apps during this time?”. That’s a damn good question. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on Program/Project Management in hopes of landing a PM job with Microsoft, but so far that hasn’t panned out. I’ve been considering expanding my knowledge base beyond that, but didn’t know what to concentrate on. As an avid iPhone user, I can’t believe that Ron had to point out the obvious to me. Well, after this post, I am going to signup for the iPhone SDK and hopefully have my “Hello World” app written in no time.
Thanks Ron! You seem to be the angel of reason on my shoulder.
Experienced Program Manager seeking employment in US, UK or Canada
Energetic, results-oriented professional with experience in program management, engineering, and sales. Expertise in Internet Technologies, Data Center Engineering, Mobile Data & Media, Employee Management, Product and Channel Development, Problem Resolution, and Sales Process Flow. Management experience includes programming, technical and sales staff. Reputation for improving processes, achieving goals, increasing company value, and exceeding revenue objectives. Consistently recognized by senior management with excellence awards.
Resume available upon request via email.
I should be blogging
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged and normally that would mean that I am extremely busy. But for some reason, I’ve been unemployed since last November and I haven’t made a single post. Well, that’s going to change. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to commit to posting at least 2 blog posts per weekday. Weekend posts may occur, but I am not committing to them.
Mini-Review: Plantronics Voyager 855 Stereo Bluetooth
After much coveting of this unique bluetooth stereo headset, Amazon’s recent price drop has allowed me to purchase it. And I am way impressed.
This is a unique headset. It starts as a standard bluetooth earpiece. 
And for phone calls it does a great job. It has adaptive noise reduction and multipoint technology to connect to multiple phones. 7 hours of talk time and 160 hours of standby.
Where this product shines is its ability to stream audio via the A2DP protocol. When connected to my iPhone 3GS, I can listen to podcasts and music through the single earpiece. This is extremely convenient when you want to keep an open ear to hear your environment.
But it gets better. Attach the secondary earbud, drape the light, cloth cable around the back of your neck and you’ve converted this earpiece into a full stereo headset. There is a fit kit with 3 sizes of earpieces. For me, the medium gels fit great and provide good sound isolation. Since the secondary earbud and cable are so light, you can pop it out temporarily to hear your environment.
While this isn’t a full review, it covers the highlights. Here comes the pros and cons.
Pros:
- Ultralight
- Versatile – A2DP in either mono or stereo
- Audio Quality – On par with my current favorite, the Motorola S9HD
- Inexpensive – I was able to purchase this headset for under $35 ($120 retail)
Cons:
- No hard case – Only a soft pouch (which doesn’t fit the charger)
- Micro USB Charger – Everything else I have uses Mini USB
- Doesn’t include a travel charger – Since it is Micro USB, I need to purchase one separately
That’s it for now. If you have any questions, leave a comment.
Letter to Fox regarding the cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
After reading Fox’s explanation for canceling TSCC over at SciFiWire, I wrote a letter to the executive quoted in the piece (kevin.reilly@fox.com) expressing my opinions. I urge anybody that would like to see TSCC brought back from the ashes do the same. Here is the email that I sent:
Mr. Reilly,
I read your statements about why Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TSCC) was canceled and Dollhouse brought back for another season. I watched both shows religiously (unfortunately on DVR due to my responsibilities as a parent) and I am very disappointed with the studio’s decision to cancel TSCC. Rather than go on about why I feel it was a bad decision, I would like to direct you and your peers to the comments over at Scifiwire.com regarding your studio’s choices:
http://scifiwire.com/2009/05/fox-execs-explain-why-the.php
Many science fictions fans are still feeling the pain from the Firefly debacle and this isn’t giving them any more security in the future of any show that Fox decides to run in the future. After reading the viewer’s opinions, I feel that the studio should at least consider a wrap-up 2 hour event for TSCC similar to what CBS did for Jericho, so that the story line can be wrapped up. As the number of comments grow over at SciFiWire, you may also see that you had a lot more viewers than you originally anticipated.
Thank you for your time.
-Scott
=========================
http://www.techgeekblog.com