Choosing Smartphones

Blackberry Bold 9000



As of late I've been very interested in smartphones. Back in the day these devices was referred as PDAs, but thats an outdated term. What makes these phones so smart? I'm not going to look it up but give my definition of what a smartphone is. It needs a giant screen, a way of inputting text either via a touch screen or a keypad, and the ability to connect to data services.

So I can only recommend 2 brands of phone if someone was to ask me what type of smartphone to choose. The Apple Iphone or a Blackberry. These two seem to be the most popular devices at the moment. So the first thing you need to ask yourself is what you use the phone most for. If you only do texting, instant messaging and emailing I would recommend you get the blackberry. You can do other things on it and use simple apps if you have a data plan, but its strong point its keyboard. It has a media player but its no where near as good as the iphone.

So, if you already own an ipod, and don't want to carry a phone, then this is the phone for you. You will need some practice getting use to the touchscreen keyboard but you will grow use to it. Its great for music as it is also an ipod with itunes to help sync and also give you access to content. Apple has the largest app store, and you can find some great things on there, but not everything on the app store is excellent. You can play lots of great games, and more gaming companies are developing stuff for the iphone. If you need to surf the web, they have the best browser around for a smartphone. And you can also text, IM and email too. Did I also mention that it looks very slick and thin?

So its basically very simple. If all you do is messaging then you should pick up the blackberry, and for everything else, I would recommend the iphone since there is lots of other things you can do with it.

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Hockey - Friends of We Care vs Avalanche

Photo Above: Taking A shot


Went to Aurora Leisure Complex last night to shoot my friends hockey game. It was an exciting game to watch due to the high amount of scoring. The final score was 7-4 for the Avalanche. It was my second time shooting a hockey game and the environment was a bit better than my first time. Learnt abit more this time with pull in and out and following the game. These hockey arenas aren't as bright as I would of like, but I guess thats to the OHL and NHL level rinks. Here are the photos from that set. Any critique or comments are always welcomed.

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Buying A Computer

People always seem to ask me advice about buying computers all the time. I just want to help all of you if needed in choosing your future purchase.

1. Have a budget. Its always good to know what you can afford. It also will help determine what you can get with your money. Its just a guideline, you might end up getting a computer that is much less or slightly more expensive.

2. Ask yourself what you plan on using the computer for. If you are just a casual user who uses your computer for the internet, watches youtube, creating word of excel documents, watching a movie - these tasks are very basic and any computer can handle these task. Or are you a gamer and playing the latest games?

3. Which stores to buy computers from? Well the most convenient places are big box stores, they maybe a bit more expensive but have a great return policy (please refer to the store), but the computers aren't that customizable. If you want a bit more competitive pricing and want a bit of customization, I recommend a smaller store such as canadacomputers and infonec (customer service isn't very great because people go into these stores knowing what they want instead of shopping around)

Now that you have answer these 3 questions, now we can get into the specs you see on flyers or online.

1. CPU - the brains of the computer and 2 main brands are intel and amd. At the time of writing this post, Intel has been the dominant player for the last couple of years and produced better products. AMD has a cheaper price point and have very similar performance. For casual users, can't go wrong with either. There are many grades of CPU just like cars, and you can tell from prices which ones are entry level and which ones are top of the line. If you are on a tight budget and a casual user, you can just get the cheapest computer and it will complete all normal tasks.

2. RAM - The more the better. Today the bare minimum is 4 GB of RAM.

3. Hard Disk space - 1 TB is the entry level requirement. This is where everything is stored, such as windows, your mp3s, your movies, your documents. Again, the larger the better

4. Video cards - well there are two kinds that comes with computers - dedicated and non dedicated. Whats the difference? for causual users, it is sufficient to use a dedicated video card. For more power users and programs such as games, require a non dedicated video card. It is like its own indepedant brain that processes what you see on the screen instead of sharing the processing power using the CPU to process video.

I would concluded these are the 4 most things to consider, but in the end, its what you can afford. You get what you pay for even without not knowing too much about computers. And just don't let the sales upsell you on any backup package or performance enhancement packages. And there are plenty of free software out there you can download for free such as anti virus and spyware. A little bit of reading and research can save you hundreds of dollars.

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Apple not the fruit, but the makers of the ipod

I would like to come out and say I'm not really a apple lover, nor do I hate their products. So I was looking on influences of the past decade and I do have to agree that apple has revolutionized the world. When the first ipod came out, I just thought it wasn't going to succeed and it was just going to be like any other mp3 player. But look where it is now, everyone in north america has one, and now it has evolved to be one of the most used and popular phones on the market.

I recently took an interest to discover why the masses are flocking to apple products and started to want an iphone. Sex sells. And so does sexy products sells as well. People in North America has bought into the white computers and ipods they come out with. Its cool to use an apple now. I see lots of people buy into apple products very frequently wanting the newest and latest of their product lines (reminds me of cars and computers). Owning an apple product now stamps you as being with the times, and their marketing dept has done a very excellent job selling apple the brand to their users.

Itunes, the store where people buy and download digital goods has to be the main reason why it has become so popular. The songs are so affordable at 99 cents. and the collection is so massive. Sure people know where to get songs for free, but there is sometimes the hassle of searching of them, and downloading them using software that might have spyware, or they might end up downloading virus, but with a store like itunes, there isn't much to worry about. Even your grandmother can easily pay for a song and start downloading it. (if she knows how to use a computer)
The other companies which makes mp3 players failed was there wasn't a support for users to download songs even for a cost. They just cared about the player and users needed to find their own way to obtain the content. Also, they probably just thought it would just be another mp3 player. By that time, I'm sure it was too late for other companies to compete as the ipod followers had huge market control. I keep on mentioning north america. Well ipods aren't that popular in asian countries, and someone correct me, but I suspect that the itunes doesn't have a great collection, and even 99cents can seem alot to people who don't have alot of money or who works in sweat shops.

And the final thing I want to point out is that apple is the leading consumer smartphone manufacture at the moment in north america. All other brands are playing catch up, and my personal favourite android is looking good, but its just trying to at least match the iphone, then maybe then it can take over, but right now, its still playing catch up. The app store has very affordable apps, and there are free apps out there as well. Of the 3 smartphone app store, apple is ahead by alot, and many developers are developing things for the iphone because of the masses that can use their software. (useful or not thats another thing) Its like having a computer without the internet. The smartphone are for people who do more than just talk on the phone. In the future I will talk about blackberry and the iphone in comparison.

Apple has created a very popular brand, and everyone is buying into their products. Although their products are much more expensive than the competition, they don't have to worry. They know their products is much more sexier, and has better functionality, with a giant marketplace for content. Bravo Apple! but how long will it be till I own one of your products? Oh, I don't even use quicktime which is made by apple.

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New Years Resolution

Its the first day of the year, and from watching some television last night, the media seem to mention alot about new years resolutions. I have never been big on new years, so this doesn't really kick into my head. After quickly thinking about a resolution it is just simply goals people try to accomplish.

Alot of people from the television broadcast mentioned that they never keep to their resolution. Is it that their goals are so far fetched that it is not obtainable? It is always nice to reach for the stars, but alot of everyday people mentioned goals of just being more healthy like eating right or just exercising. If you put the time into doing anything, I'm sure one can achieve it. We just need constant reminders what we are trying to do, and why we are doing it to keep us on track.

After writing the last two paragraphs, you must wonder if I would set a new years resolution? Well, I have things I want to accomplish which I wouldn't put under the category as new years resolution. Its like life, always a work in progress. Trying to perfect the art of living on earth. Doing what we need to do to survive. To obtain happiness and to enjoy everything that surrounds us as much as possible. I guess this is very generic but I think it really sums up what people do and we need to better ourselves to do all these things.

We should always have a goal in our life, where it is on new years or your birthday. The media just seem to be using new years as a motivational tool to remind us that we should try to accomplish this goal. For self motivated people this is surely not a problem and just another day. In writing this piece, I further realized that this is just more just to inspire people to do something, than some tradition that seems to just come and goes.

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Good Bye 2009 and Happy New Years

Good Day to all.

I would like to make my last entry on this blog for 2009. First I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hopefully had a wonderful holiday so far. For those who read my blog I would like to thank you for taking the time to check it out. I will continue to blog in 2010 and hopefully with more wonderful topics.

Everyone seems to be doing a recap of what has happened during the past year and I would like to reflect on things that meant something to me in 2009.

1. My Lovely Girlfriend. It has been another wonderful year with her. Been through lots this year and more great things to come in the future. She has been very supporting and taking care of me and my family. There is never enough thank yous that goes out to her. As always, she has made me a better person in ways I wouldn't of figured out on my own. So I guess every year she will be number on this list.

2. Photography my new hobby. It has been wonderful experience with the all the images I've captured and the feedbacks I've been getting. Still a work in progress and put a dent in my pocket, but it is a great hobby to have (much better than something like smoking). More pictures will come in 2010, and hope I will get better

3. My 2 New York trips were wonderful, and lots to do there, right now the best city on my list but still haven't visited any other places. Still have to visit central park next time. Great time, great food and memories the last a life time.

4. The ups and down of life is something we deal with everyday. We learn from our mistakes and be better people. Also, enjoy all the happy moments and achievements we had this year and repeat these great events.

5. Friends. What can life be without great friends around you. Thank you all for making me part of your life. Lots of great moments and may more good times roll. I don't think I can sit here and name every moment, but you all know what I'm talking about.

6. Work. How we all have to do it. It would be a lie if I didn't include it as part of my list. I spend majority of my time in a year at work, and spending 8 hrs a day there and the only other thing I spend as much time or equally to is my bed. Been a challenging year, but things have improved and glad I was able to make the IT side of things run smooth in my opinion. Sad to see my friend leave but at the same time really happy she has found a wonderful new life ahead of her.

Again, I want to thank everyone and wish them a great 2010. Looking forward to hearing from you all in the new year.

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Facebook usage

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites people visit. You can easily follow someone's life if they are actively using what facebook was meant for or evolved to be. Someone said to me that they don't use facebook, then I thought deeply of a few types of users.

1. The ones that have a account and tried it out and not really actively involved with their online lives. Well, I believe these type of users don't have much they want to express themselves, or have any interest in other peoples lives. Would I say they lack social skill? yes perhaps, but I would say, these people don't really care about people online and if they really wanted to keep in touch or know about someone or see some pictures of their family and friends, they would just pick up the phone, or go over to look at their photo album in person. I would say that is perfectly acceptable, except there are so much more out there, such as people posting video clips of themselves, or photos are trips/events and even notes entry about their ideas such as my blog right now.

2. The second group I would like to classify are the people who have an account, but like to follow their friends online but don't really have much they want to share. I think thats a great idea to see what is happening, and if you do meet them in person, there are so many more minor details to talk about, or something as an ice breaker. I think thats the next level up from the first example I used. I believe it helps more to help share your thoughts and whats on your mind. Hence the popularity of twitter. Everyone has an opinion, its just if they want to share it. Not sure if you will like the response or not, but everyone has the right to express their opinion in this country.

3. I think I should of posted this category first. It is the people who don't use facebook at all. I really feel these people just don't really care and do not want to share with anyone or be found by other people out there. I don't have anything against that. They can be anti social, or just have the wrong impression on the potential that it really brings and how it connects people. Thats why I strongly believe these people just don't want to be found, and just live their own life and find things out the old fashioned way or either a sit down or phone call. Not that facebook replaces these 2 ways people interact with each other, but its just another vehicle of socializing and networking in society today.

4. I think everyone belongs falls under regular users. You post items, play the games, share your status. It just makes life so much more simple when you don't have to tell everyone you know you have a midterm and can't go out, or how your engaged to that special someone. It can show your character and what interest you have. For me, I can also see it as an advertising tool, or to really just something to express yourself. Ahhh. Its like a tattoo, and you can express your way with media.

This thought has been on my mind for days, and it just really bothers me while people use technology, they just fail to utilize this, and while they have many questions of events and status while everything is in front of them. But facebook would only work, if people actually used it. And from the popularity of the site, it shows that millions of people do like to interact and express themselves. I guess the others are just not the avg joes, and are different.

Merry Christmas

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