2011-4
22

(Part 1) Android Tablet – Unboxing…

Category: Android | No Comments

It’s finally here! If you been following this blog you will know that I placed an order for a R700,00 Android Tablet from Lightake.com on the 24th March – read here for the original post.  Well it arrived in my grubby paws on the 20th April.

I had been tracking it online so I knew that it was at the local Post Office before I got the slip saying to come collect.  Import duties worked out to be R98.61 so it was far less than I expected.

I was very worried about the packaging, and if the tablet would arrive in 1 piece or 1000 pieces…needless to say it was without merit as you will see by the unboxing photos below…

Layer 1: The package arrived unopened,  and no sign for wear from the long trip. It also felt very padded to the squeeze touch:

Layer 2 and 3: Beneath the yellow packaging there was a layer of bubble wrap surrounding a cardboard box…

Layer 4 and 5: Inside the cardboard box was another layer of bubble wrap and then…the actual packaging that the tablet comes in…

Layer 6: The tablet is inside a thin protective pocket inside the box:

Finally all packaging off this is what all inside the box and the first look at the device:

Inside the box is a 9V US charger, a connector with 2x USB and 1x Ethernet port, a manual and the Tablet.

Here you can see just how big the device is:

The only downside was the charger that shipped was a 2 prong rectangle US charger, not the round European type one that we know so well here in South Africa. But no fear an Ellies AC/DC Converter, set to the correct voltage and polarity enabled me to charge the Tablet over night.

To Be Continued…

2011-4
20

Gadgets for Geeks – PS3 Goodies under $10 (shipped)

Category: Interesting Finds, Playstation | No Comments

If you reading this blog, chances are you are interested in gadgets, and no doubt have a few around the house.  You most likely are also on the lookout for the bargain item that you “may use one day”.

Well todays post is aimed for those PS3 fans out there – goodies for less than $10.  If you don’t have a PS3 yet…bookmark this post for when you get one 🙂

Items listed on this page you can get from Lightake.com – Free Shipping Worldwide and I have used them enough to trust and recommend others to them.

 

1. On/Off Switch for PS3 Slim – $2.50 – Sony did not include an On/Off switch on the PS3 Slim consoles. If you want to save electricity and really turn your machine off instead of just putting it into standby, then you need this.

2. PS3 Controller Skin – $2.50 – Keep your controller clean and add extra grip. Also in Pink, Clear and Blue.

3. Dual PS3 Controller Charger – $6.50 – Now you can charge BOTH controllers from one USB port, very handy

4. Steering Wheel Frame for PS3 Controllers – $6.50 – Add more realism to your PS3 racing games with this frame that your controller fits into.

5. Mini PS3 Move Torch – $3.50 – These are torches modeled to look like the PS3 Move controller. Ideal to add to your keychain.

6. PS3 Move Skin – $3.00 – These are protective skins for your PS3 Move controllers (the real one not the torch 🙂 ) Also in Clear and Red.

7. PS3 Controller Battery – $4.80 – This is a replacement battery for when your PS3 controllers battery charge is not lasting as long anymore.

8. Mini PS3 2.5 inch Hard Drive Enclosure – $14.00 – OK this is over the $10 limit but it is so cool I had to list it.  Convert that spare notebook hard drive you have at home to a portable drive in this ultra cool enclosure modeled to look like a PS3 slim console – only smaller.  Also available in Blue and White.

As you can see these are some pretty cool goodies.  You can use the currency converter widget on the right to see how much it is in your local currency.

Enjoy and happy shopping!

2011-4
19

Lighterside: What the Customer Needed…

Category: LighterSide | No Comments

This would not be so sad if it was not so true!

(Source: ProjectCartoon)

2011-4
18

Monday Mix – Nando’s Adverts

Category: Movies and TV | No Comments

Nando’s is a South African chain for resturants with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando’s operates in 30 countries on 5 continents.  Nando’s specializes in chicken dishes with either lemon and herb, medium, hot or extra hot Peri-Peri marinades…hmmm my mouth is watering already…

Anyway, they are always making controversial adverts that get people talking. Here is a pick of some of those adverts.

1. Moerse Big Meal

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCCDKQgd41c]

2.  Jumper Cables

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omogPrwo7Ko]

3. Blind Chicken Boxer

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNaiahM-lwI]

4. Julius Malema Election Change (Banned)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Aq042KPSg]

5. Evita Bezuidenhout Options A and C

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONTqdp5scmg]

6. Vernon Koekemoer and Chuck Norris

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5BdBb96qyg&NR=1]

 

(Source: YouTube)

2011-4
17

QR Codes – Generate Your Own

Category: Interesting Finds | No Comments

You might have noticed websites or products showing a strange picture like this…

OK, if you have wondered what this is – it is a QR (bar)code.   To quote a website called QRStuff.com :

A QR Code (it stands for “Quick Response”) is a mobile phone readable barcode that’s been big in Japan forever, broke into Eurpoe a while back, and is now getting traction in USA.

In it’s simplest sense think “print based hypertext link” – simply encode a URL into the QR Code and then point a mobile phone (or other camera-enabled mobile) at it. If the device has had QR Code decoding software installed on it, it will fire up its browser and go straight to that URL.

But it doesn’t stop there – a QR Code can also contain a phone number, an SMS message, V-Card data or just plain alphanumeric text, and the scanning device will respond by opening up the correct application to handle the encoded data appropriately courtesy of the FNC1 Application Identifiers that are embedded in the encoded data.

The technical specifications for a QR Code are set down in the ISO-18004 standard so they are the same all over the world, and the only signifcant variations from one QR code to another (apart from the data it contains) is the number of modules required to store the data. A Version 1 QR Code is a 21×21 array of data elements with the array increasing in size by 4 modules for each increase in version number. The largest standard QR Code is a Version 40 symbol that 177×177 modules in size and can hold up 4296 characters of alphanumeric data (theoretically) compared to 25 characters for a Version 1 QR Code.

While there is still a lot of scope for improvement, the resolution of average present-day camera-enabled portable devices is such that the size of the data modules (dots) on a QR Code of Version 5 or above (37×37) presents a real risk of incorrect decoding of the symbol by the device. When creating a QR Code intended for use with mobile phones and PDA’s it’s best to stick to Version 4 or lower, and a QR Code symbol of at least 2cm (0.85inches) across.

To make things a bit more robust, the QR Code also contains its own error correction data, internal orientation calibration and self-alignment markers. In this way it doesn’t matter whether the QR code is upside down or wrapped around a curved surface, the message will still get through.

I use an app called Barcode Scanner on my Android phone.  Here is a list of QR Code compatible applications for the different phones out there.  OK now load an app and then scan the QR Code above and read the message…

Pretty cool hey…but back to the reason for this post – you can easily create your own QR Code online.  Choose the type of information that the code will be displaying – email, text, url, link, etc – and then save the picture – all from here – QRStuff.com It could not be easier!

Keep an eye open for the QR code competition coming soon!

(Credit: QRStuff.com)

2011-4
16

Android: Silent Time

Category: Android | No Comments

If you are anything like me, you go into a meeting, turn your phone on silent and then forget to turn the silent mode off when the meeting is finished…

Worse yet is not knowing that your spouse is trying to get hold of you urgently while you are in the meeting…and the phone is on silent!

You need to get – Silent Time by Quite Hypnotic Studios

Now there is a free and paid for version ($1.99), but I have been using the free version and I am impressed with it.

You can either schedule times when the phone needs to automatically go into silent mode, or you can set a quick option to silent the phone for the next X amount of minutes.  There is a widget you can add to your home screen for quick access also.

Another option is that you can choose to turn the phone Vibrate on an incoming call on or off, but the feature I like the most is that you can have exceptions lists. My wife’s cell number is listed as an exception and  if she calls me while Silent Time is running the phone WILL ring – remember it could be an emergency…

Anyway if you often need to put your Android phone on silent and forget to turn silent mode off again…get this app – you will NOT be sorry!
qrcode or Android Market