While there are rumors of an iPhone mini or a budget iPhone... I think the next logical step would be to go the opposite way... a bigger iPhone.
Most of the Android phones coming out are 4.5" screens are bigger and Samsung has found great success with its big screened Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note/Note 2 phones, so it would make sense for Apple to get into that market.
While this may oppose what Apple has said about their iPhone being the perfect size... they (or Jobs actually) also said that they would not be making a smaller iPad.
This would also allow them to upcharge for a bigger phone (ie the Apple Tax) and open up several options for their iPhone line. The XL would be their premium/phablet line, the iPhone 5+ their main line and the smaller iPhone 4S form factor would be their budget line. And with LTE becoming standard, a bigger form factor would allow for a bigger battery.
Would you buy a bigger iPhone?
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
What kind of gear do I have?
While I call myself a big nerd... I'm more "big" than "nerd". I'm a regular on different forums and there are people out there who used to be like I was back in the day where they know all the technical specs, performance details and mhz of technology gadgets. Back then, it was really only desktop computers and notebooks... now with tablets and mobile phones... it's hard to keep up. So while I don't get caught up in all those numbers any more and I don't have a gaggle of equipment that I tinker with (nor do I spend all my free time flashing ROMs), I do have a number of devices:
Main Computer:
Sony SE VAIO 15" i5 1920x1080 FHD (wish they still had 1920x1200 WUXGA)
It's a good deck... took me a while to get it but it was the first FHD computer that came in at about $1k (end of 2011). Since then there have been more and while this particular model suffers from OrangeGate (the screen renders reds more orange than red) but it works. I've been meaning to replace the optical disk with an SSD... but I really don't think the price warrants the speed benefit.
Mobile Computer:
Toshiba Portege Z835 (Best Buy version) 14" i3 1366x768 (what I call Bleh-tina Display)
When Intel announced their Ultrabook initiative, I was ecstatic. I used to marvel at how thin Apple notebooks and always wished PCs would follow. I even bought a 13" MacBook Air and put Windows on it... but interestingly enough, I ended up just using OSX and the browser. It was then that I realized that for my home use, I don't really need a high power machine (I don't play graphic intensive games), but just something that was very portable, so I sold the MBA and ended up picking the Toshiba as my first Ultrabook because it had the keyboard layout I wanted (dedicated Pg/Home/End buttons) and all the ports without using a dongle. The bonus was with discounts and sales, it ended up being only $699 when other Ultrabooks at the time (again end of 2011) were $1k or higher. There are more Ultrabooks now in the $700 range but eventually when I replace the Tosh, I think they will be in the $500s (late 2013/early 2014).
Tablets:
iPad 2 32GB
Had an Asus Transformer (the first one)... sold it.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 8GB
After using a 10" tablet and now the 7", I actually think a 5-6" is better for portability... which brings me to...
Phones:
iPhone 4 32GB
Moto Xprt
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (my newest toy)
The Note 2 is a great convergence device for me. It's not my main phone, so you'll hardly see me making phone calls with this gigantic slab on my ear (although it doesn't look that big next to me)... but using it as a 4G connected tablet (with pen input!) is its main function. I think the market for "phablets" is going to get bigger are more people combine phone and tablet usage.
I eventually want to get a Win8 convertible unit, tablet + notebook (I like that Acer and Asus both have keyboard docks that are 2nd batteries) and the iPad mini if they ever put a higher resolution display on it. I'll also probably upgrade to an iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 (whatever they come out with this year).
So what do you guys have?
Main Computer:
Sony SE VAIO 15" i5 1920x1080 FHD (wish they still had 1920x1200 WUXGA)
It's a good deck... took me a while to get it but it was the first FHD computer that came in at about $1k (end of 2011). Since then there have been more and while this particular model suffers from OrangeGate (the screen renders reds more orange than red) but it works. I've been meaning to replace the optical disk with an SSD... but I really don't think the price warrants the speed benefit.
Mobile Computer:
Toshiba Portege Z835 (Best Buy version) 14" i3 1366x768 (what I call Bleh-tina Display)
When Intel announced their Ultrabook initiative, I was ecstatic. I used to marvel at how thin Apple notebooks and always wished PCs would follow. I even bought a 13" MacBook Air and put Windows on it... but interestingly enough, I ended up just using OSX and the browser. It was then that I realized that for my home use, I don't really need a high power machine (I don't play graphic intensive games), but just something that was very portable, so I sold the MBA and ended up picking the Toshiba as my first Ultrabook because it had the keyboard layout I wanted (dedicated Pg/Home/End buttons) and all the ports without using a dongle. The bonus was with discounts and sales, it ended up being only $699 when other Ultrabooks at the time (again end of 2011) were $1k or higher. There are more Ultrabooks now in the $700 range but eventually when I replace the Tosh, I think they will be in the $500s (late 2013/early 2014).
Tablets:
iPad 2 32GB
Had an Asus Transformer (the first one)... sold it.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 8GB
After using a 10" tablet and now the 7", I actually think a 5-6" is better for portability... which brings me to...
Phones:
iPhone 4 32GB
Moto Xprt
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (my newest toy)
The Note 2 is a great convergence device for me. It's not my main phone, so you'll hardly see me making phone calls with this gigantic slab on my ear (although it doesn't look that big next to me)... but using it as a 4G connected tablet (with pen input!) is its main function. I think the market for "phablets" is going to get bigger are more people combine phone and tablet usage.
I eventually want to get a Win8 convertible unit, tablet + notebook (I like that Acer and Asus both have keyboard docks that are 2nd batteries) and the iPad mini if they ever put a higher resolution display on it. I'll also probably upgrade to an iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 (whatever they come out with this year).
So what do you guys have?
Monday, January 7, 2013
Do nerds follow sports?
It's already known I'm an MMA fan but the NBA is actually my favorite sport. A group of friends have been doing Fantasy basketball for years... before the Internet and all these online leagues. I remember we had to compile stats from the newspaper each day and I even wrote a program to add up all the stats each week (this was before one of us started using Excel on Win 3.x/95 a few years later). I won our first year with a lineup of Shaq/Mourning (no one wanted to draft rookies) and Mookie Blaylock.
Much has changed since then and while we still have to do our stats partly manually (we compile by week rather than in total)... Fantasy basketball has been a great way to follow not just your local teams, favorite teams or favorite players... but all players. I guess because of all the numbers and stats, it's the nerd way to follow a sport.
I've long been a Clipper fan... since the days of Danny Manning, Charles Smith, Ron Harper, Ken Norman etc... so to finally see them succeeding is great. So stoked that Stern interfered and CP3 ending up in the Red/Blue than the Purple/Gold. I feel bad for Dwight over in LaLa land... and it's a bit weird that they can't put together more wins... but if the Clips can get to the Finals and win a ring... that would be awesome.
That would of course trip up LBJ's plans on multiple rings in Miami... but maybe that will spur him to move to SoCal in 2014 (fingers and toes crossed). I would become a Laker fan again if it was Dwight, Nash and LBJ and NO Kobe.
Much has changed since then and while we still have to do our stats partly manually (we compile by week rather than in total)... Fantasy basketball has been a great way to follow not just your local teams, favorite teams or favorite players... but all players. I guess because of all the numbers and stats, it's the nerd way to follow a sport.
I've long been a Clipper fan... since the days of Danny Manning, Charles Smith, Ron Harper, Ken Norman etc... so to finally see them succeeding is great. So stoked that Stern interfered and CP3 ending up in the Red/Blue than the Purple/Gold. I feel bad for Dwight over in LaLa land... and it's a bit weird that they can't put together more wins... but if the Clips can get to the Finals and win a ring... that would be awesome.
That would of course trip up LBJ's plans on multiple rings in Miami... but maybe that will spur him to move to SoCal in 2014 (fingers and toes crossed). I would become a Laker fan again if it was Dwight, Nash and LBJ and NO Kobe.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
TV Musings
It's been a while but I might as well go over what I'm currently watching now:
Network TV
Revolution:
Another JJ Abrams "Am I only going to last one season?" show. I like the premise but there are too many plot holes and questions.
Elementary:
All I can say is Lucy Lu. But... the Sherlock by Johnny Miller (aka ex Mr. Angelie Jolie) is pretty good and it provides a twist to your crime drama.
Big Bang Theory:
Never watched this before but finally watched all the previous seasons over the last few months... basically Friends for Nerds.
Glee:
Less high schoolish now.
Nikita:
Weird that they are Division now.
Arrow:
Didn't start watching it until I read it had good reviews on ScreenRant.com. I actually think it's pretty good.
Modern Family:
Still very funny.
Fringe:
It's different to watch Future Fringe.
Cable:
The Walking Dead:
Good episodes this season.
Homeland:
More unbelievable in its second season.
Dexter:
Another one I never watched but caught up on this year.
The Ultimate Fighter:
Not that many standouts this season.
On hiatus: Alphas and Warehouse 13.
I miss Eureka.
I want to check out Last Resort, but it's going to be cancelled, at least they said it will have a definitive ending.
Network TV
Revolution:
Another JJ Abrams "Am I only going to last one season?" show. I like the premise but there are too many plot holes and questions.
Elementary:
All I can say is Lucy Lu. But... the Sherlock by Johnny Miller (aka ex Mr. Angelie Jolie) is pretty good and it provides a twist to your crime drama.
Big Bang Theory:
Never watched this before but finally watched all the previous seasons over the last few months... basically Friends for Nerds.
Glee:
Less high schoolish now.
Nikita:
Weird that they are Division now.
Arrow:
Didn't start watching it until I read it had good reviews on ScreenRant.com. I actually think it's pretty good.
Modern Family:
Still very funny.
Fringe:
It's different to watch Future Fringe.
Cable:
The Walking Dead:
Good episodes this season.
Homeland:
More unbelievable in its second season.
Dexter:
Another one I never watched but caught up on this year.
The Ultimate Fighter:
Not that many standouts this season.
On hiatus: Alphas and Warehouse 13.
I miss Eureka.
I want to check out Last Resort, but it's going to be cancelled, at least they said it will have a definitive ending.
Friday, August 24, 2012
UFC 151 Cancelled
So this is how I understand it:
1. Hendo gets injured, tells UFC yesterday and pulls out.
2. Dana tries to get Machida as a replacement but can't.
3. Dana White talks to Chael Sonnen who agrees to fight Bones in 8 days.
4. Dana White tells Bones, who consults with his coaches, and turns it down because 8 days is not enough time to train for a new opponent.
5. Dana and friends cancel UFC 151.
6. Dana gets Machida to agree to a fight Bones at UFC 152 on Sept 22, and Bones agrees (4 weeks is enough time).
7. Machida decides to cancel because he doesn't think 4 weeks is enough time.
8. Now Belfort will be Bones' new opponent on Sept 22.
9. But Dana blames Bones for why they had to cancel UFC 151 (and yet does not mention Machida mesing up the 152 card, who had more time to train).
And, to throw more into the drama... supposedly Hendo was injured 3 weeks ago, tried to train through it, Sonnen knew about it and that's why he was egging Bones on during that same time period.
So why does Dana blame Jon Jones? And why do people think this will hurt Jon Jones' popularity with his fans? I think Jones made the right decision... and I think Dana is getting too caught up in the hate because he had to lose money by cancelling UFC 151.
1. Hendo gets injured, tells UFC yesterday and pulls out.
2. Dana tries to get Machida as a replacement but can't.
3. Dana White talks to Chael Sonnen who agrees to fight Bones in 8 days.
4. Dana White tells Bones, who consults with his coaches, and turns it down because 8 days is not enough time to train for a new opponent.
5. Dana and friends cancel UFC 151.
6. Dana gets Machida to agree to a fight Bones at UFC 152 on Sept 22, and Bones agrees (4 weeks is enough time).
7. Machida decides to cancel because he doesn't think 4 weeks is enough time.
8. Now Belfort will be Bones' new opponent on Sept 22.
9. But Dana blames Bones for why they had to cancel UFC 151 (and yet does not mention Machida mesing up the 152 card, who had more time to train).
And, to throw more into the drama... supposedly Hendo was injured 3 weeks ago, tried to train through it, Sonnen knew about it and that's why he was egging Bones on during that same time period.
So why does Dana blame Jon Jones? And why do people think this will hurt Jon Jones' popularity with his fans? I think Jones made the right decision... and I think Dana is getting too caught up in the hate because he had to lose money by cancelling UFC 151.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Yes... I'm alive...
I got to give it up to bloggers... being able to post daily or even weekly is a task.
I can't believe I've been so lazy I haven't even posted all of 2012.
Anyways, just wanted to post stuff that's on my mind:
1. Ultrabooks are here to stay:
The 2nd gen ones have me excited, especially the ones who got rid of that gross 1366x768 resolution and went Full HD (Asus Zenbook Prime and the yet to be released Acer Aspire S7). Speaking of Zenbooks... the UX32VD seems to be very popular, not only because of the Full HD, but because the memory and HD are upgradeable... and... it has a dedicated GPU.
2. Tablets, tablets, tablets:
Finally Google announced the Nexus 7. Great that it's $199... bad that is has no microSD slot. The highest memory model is 16GB which is not a lot, and the 8GB entry level one only has about 5.9GB of space after the OS and things... booooo. I wonder if the rumors of the iPad mini are true.
3. Samsung vs. Apple:
Seems like these two are battling it out in the smartphone arena. Played with the Galaxy S III and it is an amazing piece of hardware... I will probably end up getting one. The Note is also popular and something I am considering instead of a tablet (yes... even a 7" seems big). But... the Note II is coming out and rumor is it will be releasing early, in September, to battle the iPhone 5 that is going to be out in October. Whether you like Apple or not... the iPhone 5 is going to sell like bonkers... whether they update it or not.
4. Biggie no more?
While I finally found a replacement for Biggie, my old Dell Inspiron 8000, a Sony SE 15.5... I find that I don't use it as much as my Toshiba z835 or my MBA. So I may just go all ultrabook all the time. I haven't even touched an optical disk in forever.
Maybe I'll post again before 2013.
I can't believe I've been so lazy I haven't even posted all of 2012.
Anyways, just wanted to post stuff that's on my mind:
1. Ultrabooks are here to stay:
The 2nd gen ones have me excited, especially the ones who got rid of that gross 1366x768 resolution and went Full HD (Asus Zenbook Prime and the yet to be released Acer Aspire S7). Speaking of Zenbooks... the UX32VD seems to be very popular, not only because of the Full HD, but because the memory and HD are upgradeable... and... it has a dedicated GPU.
2. Tablets, tablets, tablets:
Finally Google announced the Nexus 7. Great that it's $199... bad that is has no microSD slot. The highest memory model is 16GB which is not a lot, and the 8GB entry level one only has about 5.9GB of space after the OS and things... booooo. I wonder if the rumors of the iPad mini are true.
3. Samsung vs. Apple:
Seems like these two are battling it out in the smartphone arena. Played with the Galaxy S III and it is an amazing piece of hardware... I will probably end up getting one. The Note is also popular and something I am considering instead of a tablet (yes... even a 7" seems big). But... the Note II is coming out and rumor is it will be releasing early, in September, to battle the iPhone 5 that is going to be out in October. Whether you like Apple or not... the iPhone 5 is going to sell like bonkers... whether they update it or not.
4. Biggie no more?
While I finally found a replacement for Biggie, my old Dell Inspiron 8000, a Sony SE 15.5... I find that I don't use it as much as my Toshiba z835 or my MBA. So I may just go all ultrabook all the time. I haven't even touched an optical disk in forever.
Maybe I'll post again before 2013.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Netflix problems on your Nintendo 3DS?
For anyone who got one under a tree today for themselves or a munchkin... you may have experienced the following error code:
Error Code: 006-0803
Googling around, people are saying because of Christmas, that the servers are overloaded and that is the cause. I'm not too sure because I was able to get Netflix to work on one 3DS but got that error on another.
The only difference was I set up Parental Controls on the 2nd one. So when I removed them, guess what... I was able to start Netflix.
Initially, I just put Parental Controls on 3D image viewing so I just removed that but I got a different error code. When I removed ALL settings... it worked.
Not sure if that's a coincidence but you might want to try that to see if it helps you out... good luck and Happy Holidays.
Error Code: 006-0803
Googling around, people are saying because of Christmas, that the servers are overloaded and that is the cause. I'm not too sure because I was able to get Netflix to work on one 3DS but got that error on another.
The only difference was I set up Parental Controls on the 2nd one. So when I removed them, guess what... I was able to start Netflix.
Initially, I just put Parental Controls on 3D image viewing so I just removed that but I got a different error code. When I removed ALL settings... it worked.
Not sure if that's a coincidence but you might want to try that to see if it helps you out... good luck and Happy Holidays.
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