DRY BAGS

Everyone I know has gadgets. Mp3 players, iPods, laptops, cellphones, PSPs, Nintendos, bluetooth headsets, digital cameras, pocket TVs, portable DVD players and flash drives are only some of them.

And while each gadget we acquire comes with warranty, wouldn't it be good to use it for at least 5 years or even more? Wear and tear of course will always shorten a gadget's life. But caring for it is another thing. That's why we buy other accessories for our gadgets to keep them "safe from harm", such as protective sleeves, screen protective film, hard cases, and even anti-virus software.

But what about the elements? Dust, moisture and humidity can shorten a gadget's life, and even destroy it. And we all know how dusty it gets in Manila.

That's why I would like to introduce you to my friend, the drybag.

Drybags have been around for ages. Fishermen, scientists, archaeologists, and divers use them to protect their gear.

Now even photographers, film directors and reporters use them too.

The drybag is made of a very tough, thick and waterproof material. Mine's called Rubberducky, and is made of this duct tape like material.

And different kinds and brands of drybags have different ways of securing the bag too. Some are like the ziplock, and some have locks like this, where you fold the upper part of the bag, then secure it by locking the latches.

There are different sizes of the drybag too. From the biggest one, which fits klieg lights and other movie equipment, and there's the large one that can fit a whole desktop PC, to a medium sized one for laptops or video cameras, to smaller ones for mobile phones, iPods, cameras, jewelry, and your wallet.

The drybag protects your gadgets from sand and water, even bumps and scratches. This is highly recommended for people who love to travel, explore, and hit the beaches or rafts. Now you can work on your laptop and go sun bathing at the same time. I've used mine countless times at the beach while island hopping, and also at amusement parks at rides such as the Rio Grande Rapids and the Log Jam, and it has never failed me.

And you know what else is cool? The small, clear, ziplock type drybags make cameras absolutely waterproof. So you can take cool, underwater snapshots! It's a cheaper alternative to the waterproof cases that the camera brands sell which cost a minimum of P4500. Ouch!

Rubberducky drybags are available at Toby's Sports, in different sizes and colors. Prices range from P550-P3500.

FLEXIBLE WATCHING

Sony, world leader in audio and video, has done it again. This prototype was recently launched at a trade fair in Tokyo.

The pocket TV, which features a flexible LCD panel, is expected to retail starting at $100.

Wouldn't you just love to have this at home? When your folks start to fight, and your mom decides to hurl the TV at your dad, and the TV starts to bounce? I'm sure they'll end up laughing instead.

0% INTEREST- THE REAL DEAL

Having a credit card is nowadays sort of a must. You get good deals, lots of freebies, and it buys you almost 2 months of time to pay up for something you're already using. Especially if you follow your cut-off by heart.

Discounts from shops, a free extra dish or dessert from restos, free bags, flash drives, caps, shirts and the like from appliance shops, and the biggest perk of all, are the 0% interest promos.

Years ago, credit card usage was charged an additional 4-6% of the purchase price. Because that's how the bank/credit card company earned from that purchase. The surcharge was a turn off for a lot of shoppers, and it also meant a loss in sales for those establishments.

Years after, more and more people are getting credit cards, and the 0% interest schemes started, where you can opt to purchase a rather expensive item such as an appliance or gadget, in 3, 6, 12 and 24 month installments, at 0% interest.

Appliance fairs were put together in most malls, where all 0% participating merchants display their wares, from refrigerators, microwave ovens, TVs, sound systems, computers, and even furniture.

I actually know of friends who watched out for those fairs because they didn't happen often.

Now almost all establishments with electronics and gadgets offer the 0% scheme. I gotta admit, it is so much more enticing to buy something expensive in installment, than paying in cash. One, it's easier on the pocket, it gives you time to save up for the next bill, and two, the dent in your savings will also be in installments, instead of a huge chunk gone.

However, some establishments still refuse to offer the 0% plan. They either offer cash purchases, or straight payment/deferred charge to your credit card. While the deferred one still buys you time, it's still not as light as the 0% plans.

Why don't they offer it? This is because it takes like 2 weeks or even more for the bank/credit card company to pay the merchant back. And it's in cheque. So there. But still, other establishments understand that they lose a lot of business if other stores offer it, and they don't.

And then there are also the establishments who offer cash purchases or 0% interest but with a mark-up. Say that again?

Say the iPod sells for P15,000 cash. So if it's offered in 0% interest for 12 months, that's just P1250/month right? Wrong. These other establishments will let you buy the item for "0% interest" for 12 months, but at P17,000 already. Does that even make any sense?

I often argue with the salespeople at these stores, because they insist that IS 0% interest.

Duh! The reason why it's called 0% interest is because you pay the same amount in cash. If you can't afford YET to pay in cash, then go 0%. That's what it's for. Apparently, to them it's bad enough to wait for the bank to pay them for a credit card purchase, worse to wait for the bank to pay them in installments, so why not mark-up on the purchase to make it worth the wait?

I swear, I have been in numerous establishments all over Manila who offer this screwed up version of the 0% interest plan. Particularly in Cyberzones, in Greenhills and in smaller stores.

Shops such as Abenson, Electroworld, SM Appliance Center, and Anson's all have the REAL 0% interest scheme. That's where everyone should go. There's a reason why these shops are still around. And this is one of them.

I think that consumers shouldn't tolerate this. These establishments shouldn't take advantage of the 0% scheme. If they can't deal with the scheme, then why offer it?

Everyone shouldn't give these stores any business. So that they will be forced to either offer the real thing, or just don't offer it at all. Unless you don't mind the extra P3,000, then go right ahead.

If you know or chance upon any establishment who operates like this, you may report them to the Credit Card Association of the Philippines (CCAP) at 688-1888. Take note of the establishment name and location.

I'M TELLING YOU FOR THE LAST TIME

Of all the comedians out there, Jerry Seinfeld tops my list. Seinfeld episodes are in my iPod, and I can't wait to watch BEE MOVIE.

My sister was the first one to like him, she religiously watched Seinfeld years ago. And I got hooked too.

She found out about Seinfeld's audio CD from the web, a recording of his show entitled "I'm Telling You For The Last Time", wherein he puts together the best bits he got known for, and tells it for the last time.

My sister ordered the CD from CD Warehouse, this CD specialty shop in Greenhills. I introduced her to that place. I used to order my CD singles from them. Too bad they closed shop a few years ago. Their Robinson's Galleria branch didn't make it either.

As funny as the CD was, we were actually hoping that there was a DVD of the same show. We were sure the DVD would even be a lot funnier than the audio CD. We could just imagine his facial expressions that came with each bit.

Fast forward to 2007, my friend Jess (aka The Blade), shares the same enthusiasm for DVDs, comedy, and music. I asked him if he knew about Seinfeld's CD, and he says he has the DVD of that show.

Obviously I had to borrow it. It was even funnier than I thought it would.

The DVD starts with a "funeral", where a hearse enters a graveyard, and "mourners" follow the hearse.When the guys open the casket, it reveals bits and pieces of paper, with scribbles and notes on them. It's actually Jerry's old jokes.

Then it goes on to the eulogy, where fellow comedians such as Paul Reiser, Jay Leno, Ed McMahon, Larry Miller, Garry Shandling and George Wallace join the "mourning".

Garry Shandling even steals a bit from the casket. He figured since Seinfeld was gonna throw it all away already, he might as well use it his own shows.

I had to get my own copy, so thanks to the very reliable Amazon.com (excellent customer service by the way), a guy from a third world country gets his hand on a collectible.

This DVD is guaranteed to make you laugh the whole time.

I've watched it 5 times, and it still feels like the first.

MELTS IN YOUR HANDS

Everybody loves chocolate. And each one of us likes their chocolate in a different way.

Plain, with nuts, dark, bittersweet, white, chilled or not. But don't you hate it when you take it out of the refrigerator, and when the chocolate gets warm, it gets all gooey and sticks to the wrapper.

My friend Nova told me this about 2 summers ago, when we were vacationing at our friend Trina's beach resort in Batangas.

I incidentally just got some chocolate from the refrigerator, and in no time, it softened and was all over the wrapper.

Ever notice that all store bought chocolate are just on the shelves, and not in chillers? Putting chocolate in chillers moistens the chocolate, and when you take it out of the chiller into room temperature (obviously warmer than the ref's temperature), condensation happens and the chocolate "perspires".

So keep all your chocolate in room temperature, even after you've opened it and have some left over. That way, it will always "melt in your mouth, and not in your hands."

Unless you like your chocolate gooey, then go right ahead.

SMALL WONDER

I recently purchased the Asus Eee PC 4GB, and I can't tell you guys how happy I am with it.

Since it's built for mobility, I will be using this genius for this blog. So expect a blow by blow account of its performance in other posts too.

I have been wanting a small laptop for ages now. I also told myself that I would only go for laptops that are 14" and below. I don't wanna lug around a 15" or 17" laptop everywhere, especially since I am a commuter. The Lifebook from Fujitsu immediately caught my eye, the price didn't. I just needed something for sending emails and surfing the web. And I was never gonna shell out more than P30,000 for a laptop. So knowing how much small laptops go for these days, the search wasn't gonna be easy.

I also wanted a laptop that would fit in any bag. I've always hated the shape of common laptop bags, and they're just so darn bulky. And for a commuter, you're just asking for trouble.

I heard about the Asus Eee PC a few weeks ago, and how some friends of mine wanted one. I went to the Asus site and checked out the specs. The specs were pretty decent I thought: 512 RAM, 40GB HDD, with Wi-Fi, LAN slot, a webcam, a built-in mic, a memory card reader and 3 USB slots. That's pretty darn good for something that small, don't you think?

But I still wasn't hooked on getting it. I wanted to see the real thing, and try typing with it and carry it around. 'Coz actually using it is a whole other thing. Some people might just buy something 'coz it's cute. I wanted both functionality and image.

I also searched the web for other user reviews, and it's pretty unanimous, the Asus Eee Pc is worth the buck.

I first went to SM Megamall's Cyberzone, and most of the shops were either sold out or only had it in black. The colored ones suck big time, 'coz they don't have a webcam, and it costs the same as the white and black one. Duh.

But I got to at least hold it and try typing with it. The shops do not have a demo unit 'coz opening the unit is like tearing off a seal, meaning if you wanna test run it, you gotta buy it.

It comes pre-installed with Linux, a freeware OS that hardly takes up any space in your HD, which contains basic laptop functions, and also has basic Microsoft Office elements such as Word and Excel.

Prices range from P18,500 cash, to P19,800 0% interest for 12 months. Pretty easy on the pocket.

Typing with it for the first time takes a little getting used to, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. But I definitely was fixed on getting the white one. I didn't want to settle for the black one, 'coz one, I'm not the type who settles, and two, the black one looks like a tiny IBM Thinkpad. No thanks.

Apparently, the first shipment of the Asus Eee PC all came in white. But that was December 2007. And it also made the news, so it flew off the shelves even before 2007 was over. Come January, the new shipment all came in black and the colored ones. As to when the next shipment is coming and if there will be white ones with it, no one knew.

So the search for a white Asus Eee PC had begun. It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that right now. I went all over from the computer shops at Gilmore, V-mall, SM City's Cyberzone, to even asking my friend Arnel, an IT friend of an advertising company, to call his suppliers and ask about the white Asus. They told my friend they could place an order for it, and my order will come either on the last week of January or the first week of February. And their price is P18,500 cash only. I didn't bite. Cash purchases of the Asus Eee PC at Gilmore was as low as P16,500, they just didn't have the white one. So I wasn't willing to pay P18,500 cash and wait for 2 and a half weeks. I had to look again.

My friend Henry suggested that I go check out Robinson's Pioneer, now called Robinson's Forum. Apparently, that useless mall will soon be turned into a tech mall. Goody. But that's not anytime soon, so I was hesitant on going 'coz I was almost sure that it would be a waste of time.

For a soon-to-be tech mall, there were hardly any computer shops. There were only about 4, the others were cellphone shops, one sound system shop, and a bunch of photo studios.

But lo and behold, a shiny, white, Asus Eee PC was sitting in one of the store's display window. I could almost hear the "Alleluia Chorus" playing in my head when I saw it. I had to go around and check the shell of the laptop if it was indeed the white one, and not just a colored one (the inside panel of the white and colored ones are both in white).

Needless to say, I bought it right then and there. It cost me P19,000 straight payment to my credit card, but I was wise enough to split the amount in two, so I could use both my credit cards. So that makes my purchase 2 months o%? Hahaha. =)

Now for the lowdown:

1) The Asus screen is 7", but the actual body is around 9.5". I wish they could have made the screen 9" instead, but 7" is just right for me. Not for people who use glasses though.

2) Maybe the reason for not stretching the screen size to 9" is because of the speaker panels on both sides of the screen? Well, they could've relocated it below the keyboard, right beside the touch pad.

3) The tiny touchpad (about 1" x 1'5") takes a little getting used to. But you could buy one of those tiny mice instead, and go wireless with bluetooth.

4) The screen resolution is 800 x 480 pixels, so you might wanna resize those wallpapers you want first.

5) with only 4GB of HDD space, you might want to get an external hard drive for your files. Hi-res photos, MP3s and videos shouldn't be stored in the Asus, or else, it will slow down like hell. Always empty the recycle bin, and delete temporary internet files. Yes these files do make surfing a breeze, but having it all in this laptop won't make it all that breezy either.

6) It comes with a protective sleeve, but it's still not thick enough to protect the Asus from bumps and scratches, especially if you have other stuff in your bag such as keys, your cellphones, wallet, etc.

7) The Celeron processor is known to heat up very quickly, so it is advisable to have a fan nearby, or use the Asus in airconditioned areas.

8) Still want to have software installed? Don't fret, you can still install the software in your external hard drive, and only have the software shortcuts in the laptop. I currently have iTunes in my Asus, and my whole library is in my external HDD.

9) Most new and bigger laptops have an internal, rechargeable battery. The Asus has an external, rechargeble battery, where the battery is actually a part of the body of the laptop. Meaning, the laptop runs without the battery installed, a long as it's plugged in of course.

10) The Asus comes pre-installed with Linux, but you can have it installed with Windows XP as well. It's just gonna take up almost double of what the Linux OS did. Linux doesn't recognize all external devices like XP does, so better to swith to XP.

11) Switching to XP disables some keyboard functions that only works with Linux, such as Volume up and down, and the increasing and decreasing of the screen brightness.

12) A full charge of the battery gives you about 3.5 hours of juice on the Asus. So minimize battery consumption by turning off the screensaver, set automatic shut off of monitor when not in use, close laptop when not in use to enable sleep mode, and make sure external devices aren't plugged in when not in use.

13) The webcam's resolution is only 0.3 MP. Clear enough for web chatting, but not too high that your webcam image freezes.

14) It also comes with a built-in earphone jack, an extra mic jack, a VIDEO OUT jack for an external monitor (for presentations), and a multi media card reader.

15) The Asus touchpad's default setting it set to a very sensitive value. Adjust its sensitivity by going to the Control Panel, and click on Mouse.

16) The 512MB RAM is upgradeable to up to 1GB. But doing this actually voids your 1 year warranty. And it's like throwing away the initial 512MB RAM 'coz the Asus doesn't have an extra slot for an extra 512MB RAM.

17) This doesn't have an optical/CD drive. So what? The Macbook Air doesn't either. Just store everything you need in your external HDD and you're good to go.

All in all, the Asus Eee PC is just what I was looking for in a laptop. I don't even see myself replacing it in the near future, and I'm sure it won't even slow down much because I ain't storing anything in it.

An 8GB version will be out very soon. You guys might want that instead. But retail will be around P30,000. Might not be wise anymore to get that. You'll be better off getting a 15" Acer or a Toshiba for P40,000.

I love how I can use almost any bag of mine for it. Whether it's a knapsack, a body bag, or even a clutch, it'll fit right in.

Yes I know the white one will be hard to maintain, but we all know looking good is never easy.

WELCOME

I put up this blog because I am very opinionated on anything I see, hear, taste and touch.

In this blog you'll find tips, recommendations and reviews on almost any topic you can think of.

I am in no way an expert on any of these topics, I'm just ecstatic about anything, and I'm just here to share the joy or pain if necessary.

I will try my best to keep the blog updated for everyone, and I apologize this early for any future laxity.

First post up very soon.