Our New Toy – iPad 2

We wanted to buy the Blackberry Playbook when it was on sale but since the demand is high and the supply is low, we were not able to grab that chance. We even tried asking for Irvin and Faye to buy for us in the US but to no avail. They got the Apple iPad 2 and we were green eyes when they were showing it on chat. On Lito’s birthday, we went to Best Buy just to look around and the kids were glued to the Apple iPad station trying on the games – Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. Kyle and Aloysius were even fighting and want to be first. While there were no available demo iPads to use, (there were lots of people trying it too) we went to the Samsung Galaxy Tab demo unit and let Aloysius play there. The 2 tablets were almost the same and the gap on the price tag is not that substantial. Samsung Galaxy is priced at $ 449 while the 16GB Apple iPad 2 costs $519.

Lito left us to check out other sections and when he came back, the four of us are already occupying the whole Apple station, using all the demo units including Lex who sat on the table and were busy with his artwork using the Drawing Pad. He asked all of us to stop what we’re doing and leave the place but the kids are not moving. I heard Lex said “I want the big iPod” (he is using an old iPod Touch for his games at home) and the 2 older boys agreed so it was not a long time for us to decide and consent to the idea. We came home with our new toy as our All-in-one Gift this year (Birthday, Christmas and Anniversary) and everyone is happy. Lex turned out to be the most addicted because he slept while holding the iPad and while I was trying the apps when they were all sleeping, he suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and asked me “Mom, where is the big iPod?” then went back to sleep. Imagine, my 3-yr-old talking in his sleep about the iPad, he probably dreams about it too LOL!

Amazon Kindle E-Reader

I am a fan of technology. I’m amazed at how the new mobile phones look like and the features they offer. Although I can afford to buy one, I’m still holding on to my money (hoping that I’ll get it as a Christmas present hehe) because I am enjoying the Blackberry that I am using and also this new E-Reader that Lito bought in Kijiji. Unlike other E-readers, this one is so light, so thin and the pages look like paper. The backlighting is bright enough and there’s no reflection while browsing the pages of your favourite e-book. You can even adjust the font size depending on your preference. I wonder if others have that feature too. Battery life is longer too. Anyway, for a price of just over a hundred bucks, this gadget is a must for book lovers like me.

No need to subscribe to cable to enjoy Digital TV

We recently purchased an LCD TV – a 40-inch Sony Bravia (with bundled Sony Blu-Ray player) which was on sale – we’re only shopping if there’s a sale LOL. Prior to this purchase, we used to enjoy a 27-inch Sony TV we got from the old apartment and an HDTV Antenna to capture all the kids shows and channels where we just watch sports, news, CSI and Glee. We now use this antenna in the new LCD TV and we get digital high definition (HD) TV channels as if subscribing to Rogers or Bell Cable. We can capture all the Toronto HD channels like Global, CTV, CTS, CityTV, Sun, Omni 1 & 2, CBC, CHCH. I also discovered that we can watch FOX and another US channel featuring Hollywood movies for free. The shows that we regularly watch plus sports and news are in clear, crisp, digital format. I can watch more of the series I have neglected for the past year. So Grey’s Anatomy, Smallville, House, Gossip Girl are back on my list to watch and also new favorites like No Ordinary Family, Three and a half Men, The Good Wife and NCIS. My kids enjoy the wide screen but most of all we enjoy the savings we get. You too can. Just purchase an HDTV Antenna which costs around CDN$15-20 and use coaxial cable to connect to your LCD TV and voila, feast on digital madness.

Fresh Pepper in seconds

I am so excited because I was just contacted by a representative from CSN Stores, a site that has over 200+ stores that includes everything from speaker stands to cookware to homes decor. My latest discovery led me to a wide variety of kitchen gadgets that I've always wanted to have.

I'm always amazed at the pepper mill that the waiters use on my pizza each time I request for fresh pepper. I love the flavor and aroma of pepper especially if they are freshly grinded. I would love to have this BergGHOFF Pepper Mill as post Mother's Day gift in my latest internet find. This kitchen and dining table wonder is made with high quality grinder mechanism in ceramic to prevent corrosion. The stainless steel housing is stylish and convenient to use. It comes with a Salt Shaker perfect in our dining pleasure. What's more interesting is that this is an electric/battery-operated mill, you don't need to twist and turn.

What Irmee wants, Irmee gets :)

I was surprised! I was just telling Lito that I saw a good bargain for a netbook in a Best Buy flyer and last night I got my early Mother's Day (and Birthday daw) gift. I am so happy. I used to have that motto - "What Irmee wants, Irmee gets" when I was a teenager but time and circumstances changed that attitude. I thank God I'm not like that anymore (well, sometimes hahaha). I put "I want, I want with a smiley" comment on the ad making it in my wish list to buy when I have my own job. Lito granted my wish and now I got my own Netbook to use. Our Lenovo and Twinhead are always busy because the kids already know how to use a computer and linger on that poptropica and starfall sites. Now I have something to call my own personal gadget because it's pink.

What is a Netbook?
A netbook is a small to medium sized, light-weight, low-cost, energy-efficient laptop, generally optimized for internet based services such as web browsing and e-mailing.

The form factor of a netbook is smaller than that of a notebook and they are very light in weight (usually 2 to 3 pounds). Common features include a small screen (usually around 7-inches to 10-inches diagonal), wireless connectivity, but no optical disc drive, and a smaller sized keyboard (usually 80 percent to 95 percent of normal size) - perfect for smaller hands like mine haha.

I haven't tried using it yet. Too excited maybe but I need to read the guides first before I explore on my netbook. Based on the reviews I've read, it's a good buy considering the functionality, style and of course, the price. I can't wait to blog, plurk and facebook without someone telling me to hurry hahaha. For now, I'll just smile and savor my very first Pink Netbook - an Acer Aspire One D250

Product Specs:
Model: AOD250-1729
OS: Genuine Windows 7 starter
CPU: Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.60GHz)
RAM: 1GB
Storage:160GB hard drive / multi-in-one card reader
Display: 10.1″ WSVGA (1024 x 600) TFT display (Acer CrystalBrite Technology)
GPU: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
WiFi: 802.11 b/g WLAN
Lan: 10/100 LAN
Webcam: Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam
Color: Coral Pink and White
Battery: three-cell battery – up to 3.0 hours life depending on configuration and usage
Thickness (closed) 2.5 cm
Weight (including Battery) 1.11 kg
Dimensions 10.2″ (258.5mm) W x 7.2″ (184.0mm) D x 1.0” (25.4) H

From IPod to IPad

I was just starting to like the IPod Touch and still dreaming of owning an IPhone. My latest discoveries on the IPod Touch features made me use the gadget often, mostly browsing on the internet and playing games. Now that the kids also liked it and have preferred it over PSP (Kyle likes to play kids games that Lito downloaded), I can't get a chance to use it. Good thing, Apple has come up with this new revolutionary gadget. The tablet computer (I think it falls into that category) is an oversized IPhone with a 9.7-inch-touch-sensitive display surrounded by a thick black border. IPad will be roughly 1.3 cm thick and weigh just over two-thirds of a kilogram. It's a cute combination of a laptop and a smartphone, I only think they missed the camera feature on the IPad to complete my wishlist. Anyway, I hope I can have mine when it comes out to the market so I can use it and run the IPhone applications without the kids games. The kids will probably think the size fits me and hopefully stick to the IPod.

Our latest tech gadgets by Nintendo and Brother

Wii

The kids got their early christmas gifts and are now addicted to playing as soon as it was set up in their room. The "Wii" sounds like 'we', is a gaming console. We chose it over the Xbox and PS3 because of its diversity. Wii is a game for everyone. Not only for the kids but also for the kids at heart. The Wii Sports and Wii Fit is really for adults who needs to be fit while playing even on indoors. My friends who has tried it confirmed that they really sweat playing the games. The other meaning of Wii per wiki - Nintendo's spelling of "Wii" with two lower-case "i" characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side, representing players gathering together, as well as to represent the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect movement in three dimensions. Nonetheless, Wii is not just a gaming console, it's a reason to get together with your friends and family and play today's hottest games. I hope to try it sometime (tennis and boxing), when the kids are not playing. Here they are, in one of their Wii moments:

Brother Multi-function Printer
Aloysius has many printing needs in his school projects that opted us to buy a multi-use printer. We got him a Brother MFC-495CW which is a 4-in-1 device: print, scan, copy, and fax. What made us decide is the separate four-ink system which is more economical than buying a single cartridge with 3 colors in it e.g. HP. and also the connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB for Aloysius to be able to print or scan using his laptop from their room.

The Brother MFC-495cw is compact stylish printer chock full of features. The outside casing is done in a mix of black and dark gray with the Brother logo on top of the ADF and the MFC-495cw label on the adjustable LCD.

Here are the other features of this mid-priced multi-function printer. The 15-sheet Automatic Document Feeder is located on top of the scanner for unattended scanning, copying or faxing. Adjustable paper clamps allow for use of various types of paper. It has a flatbed scanner for scanning and copying individual documents, bound items, and thick projects. Aloysius can scan to computers, e-mail, OCR, media cards, etc. in a variety of formats including JPEG and PDF. Brother also includes the Auto Crop feature on the MFC-495cw allowing multiple items to be scanned at once but saved as separate files.

Kitchen Gadgets and Appliances

My favorite part of the house is the kitchen because that's the only one I can call my own domain. So in looking for our own/or renting a house when we arrive in Canada, I'll make sure that the kitchen will be one of the things to be considered. Planning what to put in your own kitchen is not a problem with the internet and online shopping. I recently found an online kitchen shopping site where it doesn't only give you choices of appliances and gadgets to buy for your kitchen but guide you as well.

I enjoy preparing meals for my family. It helps if you have kitchen gadgets to make your preparation easier and faster. With numerous brands and types to choose from, it's hard to be going thru the search engine each time. A online shopper like me would prefer a complete kitchen shopping portal where recommended brands of a particular product, the online stores where it is available, price range and the links are displayed. I liked smoothies a lot, I tried searching for a blender and this online kitchen shopping site showed me Blender Quick Picks and Blender Types. When I chose a Oster Beehive Blender , it showed me a list of all stores where it is available, the cheapest on top of the list and the reviews of each kind. It's really a one-stop-shop for kitchen appliances.

Just joined the Motorola Bandwagon

After 3 years, I finally let go of my Nokia 6230 and joined the Motorola Razor bandwagon. I got a Motorola RAZR V3i Rose – a pretty more-for-a-lady-type of phone which didn’t cost me a fortune in fact I got a good deal because it looks almost new. Thanks to Mia or Ems, my sister-in-law‘s friend who collected all the lavender shaded phones and decided to get rid of one. Got lucky here! Now, I am officially a member of SMCD a.k.a. Motorola Fanatics. Anyway, let’s go down memory lane and remember all the cellphones I had for the past 8 years:

1999 -Motorola Analog phone
2000 - Nokia 5110/Nokia 6150 (cover)
2001 - Nokia 3210/Nokia 3310
2002 – Nokia 3310 / Nokia 3315
2003 – Motorola Accompli (PDA Phone) / Nokia 3650
2004 – Nokia 3650 / Nokia 3120 / Nokia 6230
2005 – Nokia 6230
2006 – Nokia 6230
2007 – Nokia 6230 / Motorola RAZR V3i

I just discovered I am a loyal Nokia and Motorola user pala. What about you?