Kal El

I have just gotten myself a new gadget - a Hard Drive Dock! Reason for buying this gadget? Hehehe I somehow lost the Western Digital MyBook adapter (entah tertinggal kat mana entah) and needed fast access to my files. Since none of the shop sells the adapter for MyBook, the cheapest and most practical solution would be this fantastic Vantec Nextar Hard Drive Dock. Amazing! Now instead of having one external hard disks, I could have a few - wah lau wei! (Tapi kan at the expense of my WD MyBook la... takpe, jumpa adapter nanti I'll replace the HD in the poor MyBook hehehe)

Here's a description of the product from DealsDirect.com

The Vantec Nexstar® Hard Drive Dock is a complete and easy way to add or swap hard drives to your computer. It gives you the flexibility of connecting any SATA I/II hard drive to your computer via USB 2.0 connection without opening up your computer case or installing into an enclosure. Simply just insert any 2.5" or 3.5" SATA I/II hard drive into the NexStar Hard Drive Dock and you are ready to transfer, copy, or backup files. Quick and easy, the Vantec Nexstar Hard Drive Dock is the perfect solution to access your hard drive in seconds.


Features

• Install and Access Hard Drive in Seconds
• Simple to Use Design; No Need to Add Enclosure or Open Case
• Eject Button for Easy Removal of Hard Drive
• Supports 2.5"/3.5" SATA I/II Hard Drive up to 1.5TB
• Add Storage to Any System with USB
• Plug & Play
• Attractive Blue LED Power & HD Activity Light
• Transfer Rates Up to 480Mbps w/USB 2.0


Specifications

• Model: NST-D100S2
• Device Support: SATA I/II Hard Drive
• Device Size: 2.5” or 3.5” Hard Drive
• Internal Interface: SATA
• External Interface: USB 2.0
• HD Capacity: Up to 1.5TB
• Power Supply: Dual 5V/12V 2A
• Material: Plastic
• Dimension: 136x83x87 mm

System Requirements

• Intel Pentium II 350 MHz Compatible or Mac G3 Processor & Greater
• Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista or Mac OS 8.6 & Greater
• USB-Equipped System
• For USB 2.0 Speeds, the System Must Support USB 2.0 Specifications

Ah ha we have another toy! Since Streamyx teruk sangat service depa... nah, we've registered for P1 Wimax and true enough the reception mantap! We've been wanting to register for this service lama dah but it was unavailable kat Bukit Antarabangsa until one day balik dari kerja and there was a P1 Wimax booth at the entrance to our condo - apa lagi we took the opportunity to register and instantly got the gadget - installation pun senang tak perlu tunggu orang TM yang sungguh payah nak contact dan get them to come to service. The line was activated within hours and now we're enjoying a faster Broadband Internet access - so, goodbye Streamyx!

Tata titi tutu...

After eying Mahid's iPhone several times and dok beranganing owning one for myself hehehe I finally got to own this awesome gadget - thanks to my beloved, who else, KN lah! Yup it was a gift - no particular occasion just a token a love I guess... thank you hon!


So ever since I got this magnificent piece of technology ahahaha asyik-asyik install itu ini on the phone - that's my kinda thing. I love the games! Download-able games - even the free ones are superb. Kal El memang tak berapa gemar main game but with this iPhone i've become a game freak pulak - especially love the bowling and tapping game...seronok I tell you!


Since this is my first non-Nokia communications gadget I do find it troublesome to get use to the navigation - memang Nokia lah paling senang and user friendly I think. There are some features on Nokia which are not available on iPhone yang kadangkala pisses me off. Tapi apa pun I enjoy this iPhone very much! Nokia tu... bawak la jugak ke hulu ke hilir guna untuk snap-snap pics hehehe - I still love the 5MP camera with flash on my N95!

Ada orang tu beli PDA phone baru. Well not la so new sebenarnya dah bermingu gak tapi Kal El baru je dapat peluang tayang kat sini. No not me, bukan Kal El tapi KN yang beli. Kal El masih setia dengan Nokia N95 ni. Hehehe nanti-nanti la nak tukar pun bukan sekarang sebab N95 Kal El ni elok lagi. I am eyeing on iPhone kot tapi tunggu Maxis bawak masuk la agaknya. Tu pun tak pasti nak beli ke idak, banyak factor nak kene consider especially now kan. KN memang happy gila la dapat PDA ni. Memang dia nak phone. KN earlier on wanted the diamond punya (yang camera dia segi-segi - rasanya macam yang Dr Shah beli) tapi Kal El tak suka dengan shape dia. Furthermore this one slides up and down bising betul phone yang ni. Bukak sket bunyi, tutup pun bunyi hehehe. Kalau Kal El memang suka la bunyi-bunyi ni alangkan jam tangan pun dulu guna yang ada 6 alaram dan boleh compose alarm dia - Casio Baby G Mummy Kal El belikan for my birthday - ada lagi Kal El simpan and still works well.
I kinda like this new phone yang KN beli ni perhaps sebab it runs on Windows and rasa sesuai la untuk KN tapi yang Kal El tak berapa kenan is that kene pakai 2 tangan nak menjawab sms sebab kene guna keyboard QWERTY tu. Sungguh dangerous masa driving. Apa-apa pun sayang, hati-hati la ya? Muahs!

This is the gadget we use to cheat Astro so that their programmes can be viewed on the TV inside my room. It can be used to connect ASTRO to two sets of TV as well as video cassette player to two sets of TV. Awesome! Now I can malas-malas in the room watching ASTRO yey!

Ever since we've got this toy we never had to buy DVDs again - movies, sitcoms, even photos and music are now downloaded and stored in this 250GB DiVico TViX Hard Disk Player thus saving space for DVD storage in our reading room - the storage capacity of the Hard Disk Player is currently limited to 250GB but definitely expandable in the future when the need arises.


The unit is small and portable enough for us to carry anywhere around or out of the house. We can now even bring our multimedia along on outings and connect the unit to a TV - and zap! we have our own in-house movies (if the hotel doesn't have any). The unit comes with a full functionality remote control.


The TViX Hard Disk Player supports most video formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVi & VOB) and MPEG-4 (AVI, XvID). The unit also supports IFO and ISO files for full navigation DVD back up - so if you go on vacation, for example, you don't need to carry DVDs with you but copy them into the TViX. The Hard Disk Player can be used as a digital photo album with slide show with music background. It can also be used as a music library supporting MP3, Ogg and WMA formats. You can also organize a custom play list of your favourite music to have it played continuously on your TV or your sound system.

Cool eh?

Due to the recent Hard Disk crash, it was time to upgrade to a new set of external storage. So I decided to get the Western Digital's My Book 500GB (I would actually get a 1 TB if I really could choose as this was a present from KN).

As usual, KN would surprise me with things I even slightly mention an interest in but since that day my HD crashed beyond repair (but thank God I could salvage most of my important files using a recovery software I purchased on the Internet called ZAR - I had to kiss RM107 goodbye but it was worth it) KN went to Low Yat to get me the My Book 500GB.


Until now, a week later, the HD is only 10% filled... just what am I going to store in there eh? Just imagine if I had the 1 TB! Whatever it is, thanks dear for the rescue.

What I like most with this new toy of mine is the software it comes with; Backup Software, Autosync Software, HD Diagnostic Software and the best thing is, it has a lighted knight-rider like indicator telling how much space you've used on the HD (Refer video below).

I have recently updated my 6 months old Nokia N95 firmware. Believe me, the phone has been working wonders after the update. My last firmware was dated 2006 and with the latest updates it feels like a totally brand new device. As if I have just purchased a new multimedia phone all together. The camera works better, zoomed pictures are just brilliant. The DVD quality video is crispier and a couple of new games available. The phone's working more efficiently now without sudden crashes like it used to before the update. Updates can be done from your PC to your phone. To check for updates and step-by-step guide to update installation, visit the NOKIA website. Do back-up your phone's content ensuring that all important data are back-ed up either into the memory card or your PC.

Yup, KN bought a new toy on February 23rd 2008 - something that I originally wanted so badly, well since I think a couple of years ago, but have been postponing the intention due to the fact that owning it would be an expensive hobby - a DSLR.

Since there are many more things that require my financial attention - my medications, our everyday life, the kids and many other commitments, I would have to put owning a DSLR aside for the time being. Moreover we just bought a 7mp HD Kodak Easy Share in December and a 5mp Nokia N95 for my birthday - enough for decent photos - and as a matter of fact these two gadgets did a fairly splendid job capturing the memories during our last vacation to Solo and Jogja.

Whatever it is, this is the beauty of being married, everything that is mine is KN's and everything that is KN's is technically mine - ahaha hope so! But I have a problem using something that did not come from my pocket - unless I have some contribution in the purchase, which in this case, I didn't, not a single cent, and the DSLR was again purchased without me present. Perhaps because KN knows that I might talk some sense and eventually cause a change of mind but being me, always looking at things on the brighter sight - I don't have to think about purchasing a DSLR anymore (I'm lying - I actually still want one to call my own and do as I like with it) as long as we stay married - clever eh?

So this DSLR, it's a 10.2mp Sony Alpha A200 with a kit lens that costs KN to part with RM1999.0o - heheh it's actually much cheaper than what I wanted - a Nikon 40Dx. So KN has been so happy with the new toy these few days, snapping photos of basically everything,
including our trip to KL Tower to celebrate Ka'ngah's 74th birthday on Feb 24th (her actual birthday is on Feb 26th) as well as our dinner @ Bora Ombak on Feb 25th . So, cheers to higher resolution pictures!
So far the camera is easy to handle and have been producing beautiful images (to beginner photographers like me an KN lah) We definitely have a lot to learn but again as I mentioned early, I really have problem using things that are in reality not mine. Guess I have to get myself one after all.

Since I was not able to get myself a DSLR for my birthday and since the trip to Jogja is coming up real soon, I am desperate for a camera. Even though my N95 could give me good quality photos but I would like a real camera (preferably a DSLR) to capture clear, memorable images but decided to get a digital camera to replace our old Swivel Nikon that we bought 4 years ago.

So we went to Ampang park and looked for the best bargain. The initial intention was just to recce the place for the best bargain and decide later, perhaps come back some other day to purchase it but guess we couldn't wait a day longer and purchased the camera on that same day from the first shop we visited.

It was indeed a good bargain, we bought a Kodak 7.0 High Definition Digital Camera with 3x optical zoom, image stabilizer and 2GB memory card, plus some other exciting gifts. All for RM660. having tried the camera for more than a week now, yes I personally like it and good enough for the time being until I can afford a DSLR. Coming soon!

Here are two photo of the Kodak High Definition digital camera.