Mich's Musings » toys & gadgets

gifts

mich — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:39:20 +0000

If you still haven’t sent your loved ones who live overseas or back in Manila gifts for Christmas, you can still try and settle for flower delivery, just so that they have something to remind themselves that you are thinking of them. Or there are also tons of sale during these days (clearances for all those items they stocked for Christmas). In fact, gadgets are very much in demand (like say iPad2). So what have you given family or friends for Christmas?

tablets

mich — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:46:01 +0000

One of the gadgets that will surely be given or bought this holiday season is the tablet. There are a few choices out there for those that are looking into buying one. Of course there is Apple’s ipad2. I already know some kids who will be super thankful to “Santa” on Christmas when they open their presents. Another option is Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. My brother is using one and so far he’s liking it. Another choice would be RIM’s bb playbook, now I don’t know much about the blackberry but a number of our cousins are using them so maybe we’ll be seeing one of them get a playbook soon? Well, whatever your choice is I’m sure you will enjoy using said gadget and be part of your daily routines.

of babies

mich — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:21:43 +0000

When you’re pregnant and preparing for the baby, I don’t know about you but the first time around I scoured all the pregnancy checklists to compile all the items that they recommend you have. If had the money I would have bought everything. With my first baby, I learned which items are a must and which are nice if you have the money. Which we applied when I got pregnant the second time. One of the things that has proven useful is a baby carrier. With I, after scouring the internet for reviews, we decided on buying the ergo baby carrier. And I really appreciated it on times when it is raining and I have to pick up E from school. Or the time we went to the Blue Mountains and did a short hike, it was much better with I in the ergo.

tablet

mich — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:38:11 +0000

It seems that Samsung is coming out with its own tablet to rival the ipad. Of course one of the features it is boasting is that it has full flash support. I wonder how it will fare against the ipad though?

Here are the specs:

Network: 2.5G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz;
3G: 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
OS: Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Display: 7.0 inch TFT-LCD, WSVGA (1024 x 600)
Processor: Cortex A8 1.0GHz Application Processor with PowerVR SGX540
Camera: 3 MP Camera with Auto-Focus and LED Flash, 1.3MP front camera for Video Telephony
Wireless Connectivity: WiFi 802.11n / Bluetooth 3.0
Sensor: Gyroscope sensor, Geo-magnetic sensor, Accelerometer, Light sensor
Memory: 16G / 32G internal memory with up to 32G external memory slot
RAM: 512 MB
Connectivity: 30 pin connector
Size: 190.09 x 120.45 x 11.98mm
Weight: 380g
Battery: 4,000mAh (7 hour movie play)

Features:

Android Market and Samsung Apps for more applications and contents
Readers Hub, Media Hub, Music Hub, Social Hub
Adobe Flash 10.1 player support
Thinkfree Office, Swype, Hybrid Widget

What do you think?

smart phones

mich — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:21:03 +0000

Ten or more years ago, I used to be updated with all the latest models of mobile phones in the market or coming out. Especially the Nokia ones, when it was all the rage before. Over the years though with tons of models being churned out by the different companies, I guess you tend to lose interest unless you’re in the hunt for a new phone. I’m currently using a Nokia E63 one that came free with the plan we signed up for (or is it the other way around, we signed up for a plan because we wanted to get a free phone) last year to replace my mobile that swam in a bowl of soup.

Anyways, I’ve been happy with the E63 so far with over a year of using it but have been wanting to switch to iphone especially when the iphone 4 came out. I’ve also been comparing it to other smart phones and have also considered one or two models to get instead (if I am able to change phones) but sometimes I still go back to the iphone and only because it has loads more apps for it compared to the other OS.

Here’s a comparison:

safe flight

mich — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:28:54 +0000

Baby girl’s birthday is just around the corner and we still don’t have any plans for it. Initially, I considered having a small get-together at a park but am finding it very hard to prepare for, what with all the food and stuff to bring to the park. Not to mention I either have to cook (which I really don’t have any plans to) or I would have to order so we have something to feed the guests hehe. Another idea is to just go away for the weekend, since baby girl will most likely not have a care how we celebrate her 1st birthday nor will she likely remember what we did. So now I’m sort of in research mode on where we can go. Dual purpose too as MIL will be here by then.

On another note although we definitely won’t be flying anywhere, I came across this product for kids. I think it is a great idea to have this when flying with babies/toddlers. It’s CARES which stands for Child Aviation Restraint System. It’s a harness-type safety device designed for children who weigh between 22-44 lbs (10-20kgs, generally 1-4/5 years old) and are sitting in their own airplane seats. It has been certified by Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore with certifications in other countries in process. I think this would be great to have on our next vacation (maybe even to the US for Disney vacations for the kids, cross fingers!). For more information on CARES you can go to their website at http://www.kidsflysafe.com or thru CARES Australia at http://www.caresaustralia.com.au/.

e-reader

mich — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:22:10 +0000

I was at the mall earlier today for some errands and while passing by Borders I noticed that they had posters up of an e-reader they were launching. Didn’t have time to check it out but got an email today about it.

Here’s the Kobo reader .. a new competitor to Amazon’s Kindle.

One of the major things that attract me to it is the price point, it’s selling at A$199 and available locally compared to buying Kindle from Amazon’s US website and at a higher price plus shipping. Kindle does have the advantage of more book selection. Hmm, me thinks me likey Kobo haha .. is it worth to get though?

birthday gift

mich — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:36:08 +0000

On my birthday, I wasn’t expecting any gifts since we’ve had a lot of expense the past months with a new baby and with E’s school. But when Ichi went to the mall purposely to get me a gift, I started to wonder what he’ll come up with. I was thinking that maybe he’ll buy me some blouses or perfume or if he’ll splurge maybe a wii since he knows that I want that esp with the games that whole family can enjoy. So what did I end up getting for my birthday? a Nintendo DS Lite, the special mario edition and E has been the one putting it to good use haha!

gaming gadgets

mich — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:02:15 +0000

With the weekly catalogues from the stores that we’ve been getting we’ve always seen wii bundles always on offer. And with little boy getting interested in some of the games we’ve been really tempted to get one. I think for now it’s a matter of being able to choose the right bundle at the right price. I think there’s one now that seems like a good deal and with the included games just right for little boy. Hmm, seems I need to take a quick look at the budget now haha!

so what did E get?

ichimich — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:35:22 +0000

I mentioned in a previous post about my mum’s birthday that even though it was her birthday it was E that received a present. Actually he got two, one was a space police lego that he has been wanting for a long time (leave it to mamita to buy it for him haha .. lucky for him that it was one of the cheap ones and that it was on sale) and this … a BEN 10 bike. Early Christmas and birthday gift for E. We asked him if he wanted the cars one (which was cheaper) but he really insisted on getting the Ben 10 bike. It’s timely too that it’s nearing summer when we can bring him to the park so he can get lots of practice riding the bike.