My New Toy: iPhone 3G[S].

i've had some time to digest the news of the latest iteration of Apple's new iPhone 3G[S]. after following the live feed from Gizmodo, and watching the keynote broadcast of the event last night, i gained a secured feeling that perhaps this is a good time to jump on the iPhone bandwagon. i don't think this new iPhone is the best it can be, but it's much better than previous iterations, and therefor good enough.

i posted on my Twitter feed quick impressions of some of the features and specs that were updated such as the extended battery life, and the 32GB of storage; two of the biggest selling points for me. everything else were novelties that will help enhanced the enjoyment and experience of the mobile device during the everyday use.

as i'm looking to converge my iPod with my cell, my intent with the 32GB of storage is to fill it with mostly music, TV shows, and some videos i've edited. in addition to storing more music and videos, the iPhone 3G[S] camera takes 3 megapixel photos, and can also capture & edit video. both of these features can eat a good deal of storage.

the extended battery life is always a welcome. anything that allows me to get through a day without having to worry about the battery going dead is good news.

Talk time:

• Up to 5 hours on 3G (no change)
• Up to 12 hours on 2G

Standby time:

• Up to 300 hours (no change)

Internet use:

• Up to 5 hours on 3G
• Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Audio playback:

• Up to 30 hours on audio

Video playback:

• Up to 10 hours of video

i think where i hold some disappointment is the advancement in technology that Apple did not incorporated into the iPhone, such as an OLED display panel instead of a LCD. substantial battery life could have been furthered with this technology. a case redesign would have been nice to distinguish the third gen from the second gen. and... no, i guess that's it. i would have like to have seen Apple utilize a 720p optic sensor for video capturing, but i suppose a sensor that small doesn't exist yet.

my only reservation is the network it runs on. i've heard mixed feelings about AT&T regarding their cell coverage, or data plans. most love the phone but hate the service, because it doesn't allow customers to take full advantage of what the phone can do.

at this moment i don't think i need much from the iPhone 3G[S] and AT&T. as long as i have connection to my cell & data plan, features such as basic web, email, and instant message services are all i require for now. at least until i can figure out what else i want from the iPhone 3G[S].

i may take the "wait-and-see" approach; just take a step back for now, and see how early adopters feel about the new revised phone. i'm sure the feelings will most likely be a positive one.

all-in-all i feel relatively good about this new iPhone. i can't wait! :)

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: LEDs & BMX

another frequently visited gadget site, Boing Boing Gadget, has an entry describing a neat little accessory that attaches to the wheel of any bike. at an idle state it's just a row of bright LED lights flashing is an unsorted manner. that is until the wheel begins to spin. then something magical happens. an image appears. these images manifest in various patterns of light and colors, or even a 2D or 3D image. there are two devices; one is called "Video Pro", and the other is "Monkey Light" by MonkeyLectronic (clever, huh?). it's a row LEDs that when spun within a bike wheel the can create some visually appealing effects. check out the video below.

34 second into it you'll see a flatland rider pulling off some nice moves while making good use of the Monkey Light device. this looks like a great way to get some attention from a crowd during a street performance. i doubt, however, this would be acceptable during an actual competition. i can see how something like this would be too distracting and even annoying. still, it's a nice way to add some pizzazz to your routine.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: BMX & QWERTY Keys.

this is unbelievable! two posting of the same theme. who would have predicted it?

anyway...

one of my most visited gadget site, Gizmodo, has an entry posted regarding a line of BMX handlebar grips by Odyssey that resemble a QWERTY keyboard. Gizmodo is not the originating source, but the Gadget Lab over at WIRED.com.

the grip design looks to be that of a QWERTY keyboard fashion, but upon closer look at one of the rows of keys it spells out the name "Aaron Ross", a rider for Odyssey. the row just above it spells out the company's name.

it should come as no surprise that tech geekery and BMX goes hand-in-hand, but like this? this is completely unexpected. next thing we'll see is BMX frame with a printed circuit board design painted on it. i'd like to see that.

peace,
@riel

My First Linux Script.

from the days of DOS, Win95, and Win98 i was very curious about DOS batch scripting and automation. it's neat that you write a list of instructions for the computer execute. even setup a simple text-based menu driven interface using runlevels. DOS batch scripting was pretty powerful for automation back in the days, and the batch scripts i wrote were minimum 3 pages, maximum 10 pages long.

as the years went by a co-worker introduced me to AutoIt - a windows oriented scripting language similar to Microsoft's VB. and thus continued my fascination with scripting and automation.

this past semester i took a Linux class. one of the lesson covered was BASH shell scripting using the vi editor. most of my understanding about scripting came from prior experience of using AutoIt. the only difference was the syntax structure of the language.

one of the final labs for the class was to write a shell script where the user is asked to enter their name, the month born, and the year born. the output of the script was the acknowledgment of the user's name, and the calculate age based on the month and year. also there needed to be a loop to re-run the process until the user quits.

i submitted a scrip that covered all the requirements specified by the lab. it even contained multiple loops; after each question given is answered by the user, the script responds with confirmation before moving on to the next step.

you may download the script here.

all-in-all it was pretty neat, and well written for a newb. though i'm sure most of you Linux gurus could accomplish the same goal with only 4 lines of code. however it was my first attempt, and with Linux becoming a force to be reckoned with, hopefully it won't be my last.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: OLED & BMX.

the following YouTube video combines two of my favorite things in the world.

first, the video is demonstrating a technology called OLED. a new type of display where the individual pixels (the little dots that make up the picture) are self illuminating. that is to say that they do not require a backlight, and therefor require less power than an LCD display of the same size. the future may have this new tech as the standard display panel for all TV's, laptops, cell phones & other small gadgets, and perhaps outdoor signs.

second, what is that being displayed 10 seconds into the video? why, it looks to be a BMX rider pulling off some half-pipe moves.

nice.

peace,
@riel

The Screwdriver: My Motive, My Opportunity.

when i was a kid i used to break my toys to see how they worked inside.

• all of my G.I Joe and Transformers toys would last for about a couple of months before i started to take them apart.
• i remember owning one of the earliest video game systems. it was a TV game console that resembled like a late 80's cell phone. it had games on it like Tennis (Pong). i was fascinated with the knobs and switches so i took it apart.
• my dad came home with a CB Ham radio. in minutes i was on taking to a truck driver. four hours later i tore it apart curious about the insides.
• i took apart my Atari 2600. luckily i was able to put it back together again, and work. i wasn't going to mess with that.
• one of my early BMX bikes was constantly being taken apart and put back together just to enjoy the pure mechanics of the process.
• i added speakers to a clock radio in my room.
• from Radio Shaq i bought mini lights and switches to illuminate a storage cabinet i attached it to.
• i wire up the cable box to all the TV's in the apartment using a selector switch.
• i used to own an early Sony MD deck until the disc drive got stuck. i opened it up and temporarily got to work again.
• i've taken apart all of my computers to study the board layout.

above are just a few examples i can remember off the top of my head.

i blame my curiosity as it consequently caused many of my toys to not fully recover, or at all. however it is not without it's conspirator.

the screwdriver was my motive, and opportunity. it allowed me to explore the insides of my curiosities. it helped me to get through the shells, the barriers to the wonders of electronics, wires, and mechanisms. it was the one toy i could never get inside.

peace,
@riel