2 year swing

  • September 12, 2008

    Tech Lust

    Hi. My name is Joe Casabona, and I have an technology addiction. Over that last few weeks I’ve been accumulating a list of tech stuff I really want, and subsequently try to justify buying. Of course, money is also a contributing factor, but I can probably move some funds around, right?

    The short list of stuff includes:

    • The Dell Mini PC– This one I think I can justify buying because it’s a cheap laptop that runs Windows, an OS I currently lack. I have reservations about dual booting my Mac or running a program like parallels. I want to keep the two separate and run them simultaneously. This would allow me to browser test in IE, as well as do somethings I can’t do (or do well) on my Mac (I’m talking to you, Blackberry). Speaking of…
    • The Blackberry Bold– I am waiting on baited breath for the day this phone comes to Verizon Wireless users. This phone has literally everything my Blackberry does not- better (full) browser, updated OS, camera, WiFi, regular sized headphone jack. I cannot wait for this one.
    • Sega Dreamcast– I was in my local video game shop the other day, reserving The Force Unleashed, which I got a feeling of nostalgia for the great but underrated gaming console. Looks like I’ll be scouring ebay soon.

    Of course, there are plenty of other things, like a bluetooth receiver for my iPod Touch, etc, etc. Those things I can probably buy on a whim depending on how good I fee. And what, might I ask, are the tech things you really want to buy?

  • January 19, 2008

    The Switch

    macbook

    Surprise, shock and amazament are just some of the reactions I got when I told my friends this: “I made the switch to a Mac.” Now I’ve express my excitement about Macs before, but never actually thought I’d make the switch. The catalyst was that my third Windows laptop in 5 years crapped out on me. I knew it was time for a change.

    There are probably numerous articles out there about ‘making the switch’ and peoples’ experiences, good and bad, about it, So I won’t do that. I will be writing more frequently about stuff for Mac, and more than likely comparing them to stuff for Windows, because deep down I’m still a Microsoft man. But at four days, I will give my first impressions.

    • This will obviously take some getting used to. The interface is drastically different from Windows and I was actually able to pick up on stuff pretty quickly. But the whole file system, app navigation, etc. is not native to me (but I’ve got to say the app navigation is awesome).
    • Spaces and Expose are my best friends. It makes app navigation so easy. Also, F3, which shrinks all of the windows so you can easily select one- genius.
    • The Dashboard. The widgets are great. I thought I had everything at my fingertips with a simple Google search. Now I literally have all the info I want with the push of a button.
    • As a programmer I feel the development environment will be very different, and hard to adjust.
    • However, with amazing Mac only programs like Coda and Things, I think I’ll survive.
    • I still hate iTunes. Sorry guys, I just don’t like it. I need to find a good alternative (hopefully Microsoft will get on releasing WMP 11 or Zune Player for Mac soon, but I won’t count on it).
    • Syncing my Blackberry seems to be a pain. I did it once successfully and now it gets stuck when I try to sync my Tasks. I’ll have to do something about that. I hope PocketMac supports Entourage 12 (2008) soon.

    Well those are my first impressions. I’d like to do a write up on Coda, Things, and some other applications when I have time, but with the Spring semester starting in less than two weeks, I can’t promise anything.

  • January 4, 2008

    Microsoft Zune (gen II)

    Zune

    This Christmas I got an 8GB Zune, as my 2 Year Swing is rapidly reducing to the 1.5 year swing. After 18 months with the Creative Zen Vision:M I realized I didn’t really need 30GB of space for my music, and wanted a smaller model. I thought the new Zune looked excellent, and I was not wrong.

    I want to break this down into two parts- the Zune and the Zune vs. the iPod. The reason being people, I feel, buy the iPod solely because of name recognition. I honestly feel the Zune is a better product- but I will get to that later on. Right now, the Zune as a device.

    • Interface: Extremely intuitive. 3 buttons, clearly labeled, and the direction pad is touch making navigation very quick and easy. The software interface is excellent. One menu with bigger fonts and then top navigation for the sub-menus. Smart idea by Microsoft. And, it looks great. You really feel at home using the Zune.
    • Zune Player: I think even if I didn’t have a Zune, I’d use the player. It’s light weight, visually stunning and super easy to use. I’d also like to attribute my listening/watching podcasts to Zune player, as it makes podcasting (word?) very easy. Integration with any number of Zunes is a snap. And don’t worry about losing your music to autosync, because the Zune player prompts you for auto or manual sync. Furthermore, it allows two-way sync, which means I can take music from the Zune and put it on my computer.
    • Functionality: I could go on for days about the Zune’s functionality. The features it offer are second to none. First, the social. This function is awesome. You can tell what other Zunes are near, what they are playing and you can send music from your Zune to another Zune. Sure, it only allows for three plays, but you can’t scrutinize Microsoft for not wanting the RIAA on their back. This can really open up a lot of possibilities for the future of mp3 players, even if no one talks about it. The other awesome feature is the built in WiFi. If you have a wireless network in your house, just connect the Zune to that network (using Zune Player) and you can send music, videos and pics to your Zune wirelessly, anywhere the network reaches. Excellent.

    All in all it’s an excellent device. In the next post I will talk (in some detail) about why the Zune is better than the iPod, though you might be able to tell I set myself up pretty well in this post.

  • October 8, 2006

    Canon S3 IS

    Canon S3 IS

    A couple of weeks ago I wrote about “the 2 year swing” and my intentions to buy a new digital camera. Since then I purchased the Canon Powershot S3 IS and could not be happier. I liked my Nikon Coolpix 4100 for what it was worth, but the Canon is just so much more powerful, with a multitude of shooting modes and options.

    At about 3x3x4.5 and .91 pounds, it is significantly bigger (albeit slightly lighter) that my 1.5×3.5×2.6 and 1 pound Nikon, but as I mentioned in the previous post, size was not a major factor in the decision. Zoom was the prominent factor, and with 12x Optical Zoom, I went with the right choice. There is also the option of getting newer, more powerful lenses for it, which is absolutely great. Plus, with 6 mega pixel photos, they come out not only close, but clear and crisp. Another great feature about the camera is the amount of shooting modes it has- 12 to switch from, with an number of options to play with on each one. For sports composite, which I used a lot on my Nikon, all I have to do is hold down the button to take as many shots as I want. My favorite shooting mode, however, is the Manual mode.

    Last semester I took a photo class where we learn about how to control the shutter speed, the amount of light that entered the camera, how to utilize the focus and a few other factors essential for good photos. With the Nikon I was not able to put this knowledge into practice. With the Canon not only can I do all of the above, switch between manual presets and control the flash, a simple option that was left out in the making of the Nikon.

    While there is so much more to talk about with my new camera (like the movable, “tumble” screen), I just wanted to touch on my favorite features. If you want to take great, professional looking pictures- this camera might be the best in its price range (~ $400). If you would like to see some pictures I have taken, you can go to my Flickr site and take a look at my Washington DC and [most recent] Yankee Game pictures. Later!

  • September 20, 2006

    The 2 year swing

    It is no secret that I am kind of a tech geek. What this means is I ‘need’ lots of cool gadgets all of the time. This also means I need the most recent gadgets all of the time. Laptops, Digital Cameras, amazing smart phones, etc. What this amounts to is what I call “The 2 year swing.”

    The 2 year swing is a term I came up with for about how long I will keep any given gadget. This summer’s new laptop came approximately 2 year after the tablet PC I had (and still have). My Treo came 2 year after my old phone (which was a matter of circumstance) and last good PDA, and now, almost 2 years to the day after I got my Nikon Coolpix 4100, I am in the market for a new digital camera.

    While I am very happy with the Nikon, and might end up keeping it, I want something more. As I get more and more into photography, I find that in some places my Nikon falls short. Most notably, in Optical Zoom. With 3x Optical Zoom, I am not getting the kind of picture quality I want at some places, like concerts. Last night while shopping around, I found the Canon Powershot S2 IS, with 12x Optical Zoom, and 5 megapixel photos. Based on some of the sample shots I saw, it also has a great shutter speed, which was a major player in me buying the Nikon. While I will need to try out the camera in a store before I buy it, I am looking for something very similar to that. Its only downfall is size, but that is a minor detail for me. Maybe I will see what my friend at Mekosh.Org will do. Later!