Testing wordpress via iPod Touch + wifi..

If u’re reading this, that means wordpressing via my new ipod touch works!

I bought my ipod touch via Lelong.com.my auction website for RM865 inclusive shipping. I outbidded others at RM855 which had been going on for almost a week, and I’m very happy with it. Additionally, I also bought a Boomwave Skull silicone case for RM60 (free shipping) from Mr. alexnek, an ipod & iphone accessories seller in LowYat.net forum.

Being the impatient geek towards gadgets as I am, I jailbroken my ipod the very same day I received it. Took around 1hour+ to complete it but it went smooth with no probs at all. It would’ve taken longer if I hadn’t do my homework on the procedures beforehand. Nonetheless, a new thing learned today.

Apps and songs soon filled up my ipod, whereas now it’s almost half of my 8GB space (should’ve bought the 16GB). Oh well, if I could find a cheap 16GB ipod, I’ll let go this one or just keep it for collection.

Here’s my current theme, named ‘Buuf’. I just love the 3D cartoony look compared to the default 2D icons with an empty black wallpaper. You guys can find it in the Cydia app under the themes category.

Neca’s KRATOS God of War 2 (Ares Armour)

Yet another 7″ fig I bought this month. It’s my first fig from NECA, so it’s gotta be something badass – the almighty KRATOS, from the God of War 2 videogame. It’s brand new for RM105 from Ebay.com.my website. There were a few types of the Kratos figs such as the normal Kratos, dark Kratos, Poseidon Kratos.. some which are variated between the open-mouth and closed-mouth. I chose the Ares Armour version because Kratos looks strong in it, despite whether the mouth was open or not but judging from the game, he grins a lot, so yeah.. took the open-mouth (I prefer to call it ‘grin’).

Not many accessories included though, just a pair of Blades of Athena, one Blade of Olympus, and the base stand. Articulation-wise, limited due to the permanent armour on his body, I could only create a few boring poses. Details on the other hand was great, although I believe it could’ve been better e.g. using real chains (like my previous Spawn figure) on the arms and blades. The paint-job was so-so to my observation, maybe it was meant to look ala ‘battle damage’ sort of dirtiness.

Overall, I think it looks good and scaled evenly to any other 7″ figs, and it’s one of the best Kratos versions out there. Huge fans of the God of War might appreciate this fig or perhaps they could grab the 13″ (with voice) normal Kratos version from the same company.

NECA Online = http://www.necaonline.com/

Kaiyodo’s Revoltech: DANTE Devil May Cry 3

Can’t stop talking bout action figs now, can I? Hehe.. Ok, this is a new type of action figure with a ‘revolver joint technology’ hence ‘revoltech’.. an innovative joint system that allows the figs to demonstrate any kind of dynamic and realistic pose unlike any other PVC action figure. It’s a new type ratchet (click) joint that will not only provide hyper posability but allow the fig to hold an action pose indefinitely.

Those who are new to Dante, he’s the hero in the DMC games, always equipped with his two guns “Ebony & Ivory”, a shotgun, a interchangeable guitar-scythe weapon, and his beloved sword. Also included are extra head (one open-mouth, another closed-mouth) and the fig stand that eventually one of the important parts to create mid-air poses with d fig. Here are some of the poses I’ve managed to create.. Enjoy!

The usual gun-in-your-face pose..

Mid-air guitar jammin’ pose!

Guitar transformed into a deadly scythe..

Using the bad-ass shotgun..

“Go West..”

Another kewl mid-air pose..

Multi-aiming pose..

Shooting while spin-falling..

“Let’s get ready to Rock & Roll!”

OH YEAH!!!

“Damn, I’m so exhausted after all those poses.. time for a quick nap.”

McFarlane Toys: Spawn – Series26 The Art of Spawn (Issue 7)

Yet another Spawn fig I found on Ebay.com.my on the following week. This fig had the original Spawn appearance (e.g. its massive red cape), equipped with three different weapons with accessories, and REAL chains. Unfortunately, this one was in Loose condition, so no box and no base.. which explains the cheap price I managed to bid off just in time before it ended. Hehe..

By the way, this is the 7″ fig version, not the 12″ version eventhough I found it on Ebay as well, but I thought I could use a different size fig for comparison purposes. Besides, the 12″ ones were expensive since they’re new, couldn’t find any BIB or Loose ones so far. Anyway, the fig is ok considering the size is perfect for small-mid sized desk, not too big and not too small. Articulation points are lesser than I expected, but then again due to its permanent cape shape, the only possible points would be among the upper body section.

No base needed as the cape covers much as a base anyway..

This one is a bit tricky to clean when it becomes dusty since it consist smaller parts and deep inner folds along the cape, and most importantly DO NOT WET the chains unless you wanna have the ‘rusty’ look on it. Well, that’s about it I guess. Perhaps next time I’ll get a cheap 12″ version, but I highly doubt it coz I personally would like the Spawn ‘Wings of Redemption’ to be the only 12″ Spawn.. sort of represents the ‘king’ of all Spawn figs.. haha!

Comparison between the 12″ and the 7″ Spawn figs..

McFarlane Toys: Spawn – Wings of Redemption

After all these years of ridiculous spending money on car mods, I’ve decided to move on to another hobby – action figures. I’ve always wanted to start my own collection but the question is.. where do I start? Or should I say.. what should I start with? Anything could be the kick-start of a collection but which particular fig that will seriously keep me on track and further expand my knowledge, passion, and probably financial strategy, in collecting them in the future. It’s gotta be something big, something awesome, something that can make your friends hate you, something like.. SPAWN.

It would be unwise for an action figure collector to NOT have a Spawn fig in their possession. With that in mind, I got myself a 12″ (that’s ~30cm tall!) Spawn ‘Wings of Redemption’ fig from Ebay.my for RM150. It’s in BIB (Back-In-Box) condition, meaning it’s not entirely new, perhaps the previous owner only opened it once and placed the fig in a display area, perfectly protected it from dust.. and later decided to let go in the end since no one was interested to buy from him. Oh well, my luck then!

Action Figures For Dummies:
MISB = Mint In Sealed Box = new in unopened box.
BIB = Back In Box = not new but it’s repacked into its original box.
Loose = no box provided, only the figure.

It still stands well-balanced even without the base.

This 12″ fig (2004) is actually a remake of the original 6″ (2002) which apparently is twice the original size (approx. 3x the height of my old Nokia 6230), extremely detailed, and quite heavy to hold. With only a few articulation points, there’s not much choice in the possible poses that you could come up with. I did try a few twist and turns around the arms and head but ended up with the original pose being the best. Apart from the physical point of view, just by having this on your desk not only it looks amazing but a tribute to one of the most must-have fig for a true Spawn fan. Even my friends were amazed just by looking at it (wanted to hold but I insist it was VERY heavy).. hehe

A close-up view on the head.. *mean greeny eyes*

My 2nd GPS Navigation Device.. Garmin Nüvi 205

A second one?! Hehe.. yup! But of course, I had to sell the previous unit in order to get this upgraded version of the 200. Mind you, this is the limited “piano-black” finish edition, and it’s RM750.. yes, it is cheaper!! Thanks to a seller nicknamed Rafizi, from LowYat.net forum, who sold me the unit eventhough it was reserved for someone but since he/she didn’t give any feedbacks/replies for such a long time, I got it instead. Yeay! Anyway, those who are interested can have a look at his LowYat.net selling thread. (He has the limited edition units!)

Garmin Nuvi 205 “Piano-Black” Limited Edition

What do you mean Upgraded?
The moment I switched it on, I realized the first of the many upgrades is the graphical display. The visual buttons are now nicer with the edges having curves while the colours are shaded like 3D. As for the top bar which is now used only for navigation, the turning arrows/distance are incorporated at the top left corner. Apart from visual upgrades, the 205 has a Trip Log function, which basically records where you’ve been driving/travelling according to the map. This trip log can be viewed via MapSource software as I mentioned in my previous post. Be aware, this is not a Track Log which many have been mistaken of. A track log records where you’ve been driving/travelling according to your actual gps location, this function is useful if you want to add untracked roads that are not displayed in the map. Anyway, the 205 only has the Trip Log function, not the Track Log. Another handy feature is the “Where Am I?” function, which displays nearby hospitals, police stations, gas stations, addresses and intersections. It marks the location of your car when the unit is taken from its holder so you always know where you are. This is indeed a vital feature whenever you’re in an unfamiliar location especially during emergency situations. Other than those upgrades I’ve mentioned, the 205 has some hotfix and firmware updates that speeds up the satellite lock-on as well as the navigation refresh rate (e.g. turning now looks smoother than 200).

Garmin Nuvi 205 (US version): 2GB internal memory.

If I were to choose between Nuvi200 and Nuvi205?
Get the Nuvi205. Slight difference in the price, but lots of upgrades. Comes in many colours too.. the standard silver, greyish black, pink, piano-black, red, and white. Besides, I believe Garmin no longer produce the 200 since 205 is in the market.

My 1st GPS Navigation Device.. Garmin Nüvi 200

Finally! After years of patience and dozens of reviews and feedbacks, I got my 1st GPS device at an entry-level price of RM800! Woohoo!! Been digging through numerous gps forums for the best model dedicated for a newbie like me, and I gotta admit it’s great! What’s even greater, the Malaysian maps are impressively updated, and free too! Checkout these local sites..

• MalSingMaps (Malaysia & Singapore Maps)
• MalFreeMaps (Malaysia Free Maps)

Bought it online through LowYat.net forum from a seller nicknamed PDAGears, who happens to sell not just the 200 model, but also 200W (“W” represents Widescreen version), 205, 205W, and many others. He was having a promotion which attracted my attention and it seems (at that time) the best bargain than other sellers could offer. Those who are interested can checkout his Lelong.com.my or LowYat.net store site.

Ok, I’m a noob. What should I do?
It’s really simple to use. If you can operate a PC, you can definitely handle this little gadget. All it takes is just a 5-10mins of basic knowledge, and you’re all set! Seriously, with the pre-installed maps already in place, all I had to do was turn it on, let it lock on to my position for awhile (for 1st time use, it is recommended to be outside underneath a clear sky for the satellite to lock onto your gps device), then I set my destination, and that’s it! The designated route will be highlighted and I’m ready to navigate with my car! I didn’t even need to read the manual..

Do I REALLY need it? Is it just for the sake of navigation?
Yes and no. I need it because quite frankly, I’m not familiar with my whereabouts outside of where I live.. like duhh.. and no, not just for navigation. I could plan my routes ahead before my travel, selecting various points/locations I would like to detour to avoid traffic jams or tolls, etc. For this matter, I need to download the free MapSource software provided my Garmin into my PC.

MapSource: Viewing the map.. (click for bigger picture)

Once installed, I ran it and from here onwards, the gps excitement begins. For example, I can preview the routes I’ve always taken to/from work.. and to my surprise, all these while I took the longest route! There are a few shortcuts I never knew about! Let’s say the shortcut saves me 1km each day, big deal right? But what if it’s a month? That’s 30kms! By using the newly found shortcuts, I’m able to save my monthly car petrol worth of 30kms!

Now, who says that gps devices are just your personal navigators? They are your travel advisers!

My New Nokia E61i In-Depth Review

The Journey Begins..
Previously, I had my reliable Nokia 6230 phone for more than 3 years before I thought it was time to update myself with a new phone. It took me a few months of in-depth research on a few phones to suit my taste and needs, namely Nokia since it was more user-friendly than others.

Comparison between HTC S630 Cavalier, Motorola Q9, and Nokia E61i

I had a few choices – HTC S630 Cavalier, Motorola Q9, and Nokia E61i. All which have the obvious thing in common – the QWERTY keypad. Yes, I decided to stop using the alphanumeric keypads and move on to a proper (and more accurate) keypad. Both the HTC and Motorola phones operates with Windows Mobile 6 which I thought at that time was the best OS for me, whereas the Nokia uses Symbian. I would love to try out the new Windows Mobile 6 OS but new doesn’t mean perfect, so I decided to take on the Symbian and see how things go from there onwards.

After many months waiting for any of those 3 phones to arrive here, the Nokia E61i came first and I grabbed it straightaway. I could elaborate on the first few months of my experience with the phone but let’s just get straight to the points.

Looks Good To Me..
I never had a phone with a width larger than 2inches, I admit it is very wide but comfortable enough to hold in my hands. Locking and unlocking the keypad with either hand is easy, but the typing needs to get used to if you’re migrating from an alphanumeric keypad user to a qwerty keypad interface. What I like about this phone is the large 2.8″ screen, capable of 16 million colours output – so pictures and videos are easy on the eyes.

Comparison between the Nokia E61i and Nokia E61

As an upgrade of the previous E61 model, the E61i has a 2Megapixel camera at the back. Guess what, this phone can be used as an online webcam! We can also use the camera for video calls but there’s a catch – if you wanna see the video while you’re video-calling, the other person can’t see u.. and if you’re aiming the camera to you, you can’t see the video. So, you gotta turn the phone around once in a while occasionally if you’re really into video calls.

Anything Else I Should Know?
Incase if you’re wondering why does the keypad’s backlight keeps going on and off at odd times.. it’s because the phone has a light-detector underneath the small LED (top left corner above the screen). I believe it automatically turns on the backlight during the night or within a dark room and turns off when it’s already bright enough during the day. This definitely saves the battery life efficiently, which I would like to add, the E61i is blessed at a superb 1500mAh battery life compare to other phones which has a common 800+mAh.. so, you don’t have to worry if you’ve forgotten to charge your phone the whole day. Mine took a few days (of normal calls and frequent text messaging) before the battery when flat.

Battery, MicroSD card, SimCard slot, and the 2MP camera

What About The Softwares?
It’s Symbian OS 9.1, Series 60 v3.0.. so whatever softwares you find on the internet, make sure it meets those two main references. Currently, I have a few softwares installed on the phone such as an anti-virus protection, files and folders explorer, an mp3 player, browser, instant messengers, voice inbox recorder, and a few games as well. Basically, it doesn’t slows down the phone unless you install too many softwares onto the phone’s memory. My advice, install onto the memory card if possible. Leave the phone memory for phonebook addresses and other important things. Get yourself a higher capacity memory card (1GB seems ok) for your photos, videos, etc.

I Wanna Get Connected..
It has 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth (sadly v1.2, not v2.0), Infra-red (can be used as a remote), USB v2.0 Pop-Port (synchronizing and transfering datas), BlackBerry connectivity, Push E-mail, Text-To-Speech (reading messages), wireless presentation & printing (haven’t tried these functions yet), and did I mention it also works as a webcam? Try searching for Mobiola WebCam software on the internet.

Using the Nokia E61i as a webcam (click for bigger picture)

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll write more on the phone and the softwares (the ones I’m using and used before) in the next part of the review. Hope you guys have a clear idea on what the Nokia E61i has to offer, but incase you still have the patience and cash, why don’t you guys wait for the upcoming E71? Hehehe..

Any comments or enquiries are sincerely appreciated. Thanks!