Super Mario Power Up Energy Drink

I was strolling around inside a Fye music store today and stumbled across some classic video game themed energy drinks. First up, Super Mario Bros "Power Up" energy drink. Amongst others, I also picked up a can of the PAC-MAN "Power Up" drink. Each can actually cost me $2.99 but putting these bad boys up in my office on Monday morning and when co-workers notice it next to my POW block is going to be priceless!

Make your own iPhone Gameboy Case

[Source: http://geekmorgan.com/images/gameboyiPhone.jpg]

Ever since we first read and posted about the iPhone 3G Gameboy case from ThatGirlsSite.com I have been drooling about it. I want it and I want it badly. It pains me not knowing where I can get one. A clever chap geekmorgan from the comment section posted his homemade solution. He used an Agent 18 Clear Case and printed out a classic GameBoy label and the results look great. I just might have to do this.

Palm Treo 680, a True Classic before the iPhone

Prior to the iPhone craze, Palm Treo was the smartphone that set the world off by storm. The original Handspring Treo 600 launched in 2004 made a big name for itself for having all the must-have features combined into one cool device that was very easy to use. Over the years, Palm has evolved and produced a few more handsets (ie. Treo 650, 700w, 700p, 680, 700wx, Centro, 800w etc). Many of which, is in my belief, the design inspiration for the iPhone you see today. Treo is known to be simple and intuitive; take a look at the dial pad touchscreen image below to see the close resemblance to an iPhone's UI.

For whatever reason, I've never gotten my hands on a Treo although I've always wanted to own one. Perhaps my reason for not owning one in the past was a pursuit for the perfect smartphone, one that features WiFi, GPS, 3G, high megapixel camera and etc... Having these criteria, I always looked elsewhere, hence I've owned, AT&T 8525, Nokia N95-3, BlackBerry 8830 and iPhone, etc.

Figuring I have some time while waiting for the iPhone 3G to become more available (without the crazy long lines) and having to commit more of my personal time and finance into this mobile blog, I've decided to pickup a GSM Treo 680 to play around for the time being. It would be part of my phone collection so it would no longer bear the pressure of being that 'perfect' phone. Since it will perform 90% of my day to day smartphone task, everything works out. If I am traveling to a foreign country and need GPS w/ pre-installed maps, I can easily switch back to the N95-3.

I picked the Treo 680 amongst others to add to my smartphone collection because of the following reasons:
1. It is one of the latest GSM Treo featuring most recent Palm OS Garnet 5.4.9 with its classic design (I don't like the Palm Centro look)
2. It is a smartphone with both Touchscreen and QWERTY and a tolerable EDGE data connection
3. According to this comparison guide on Treonauts, Treo 680 has the advantage in resolution (320x320), Weight (5.6oz), SDHC 8GB Support (only Treo680 goes up to 8GB) while holding its own in other hardware specs (CPU, Memory, Cam, Music, Streaming, etc.)

While Palm Treos' have had their shortcomings, especially Treo 680 (ie. no WiFi, no 3G, no GPS, VGA-only cam, 2.5mm stereo/headphone jack), I really can't complain paying $200 for a brand new unlocked unit off of eBay. For what its worth, this is a great and reliable smartphone that can be used to do everything an iPhone could plus more. For example, its EDGE connection is up to par with iPhone 1st gen but it has IM programs, Camcorder, MMS, Copy&Paste, and ability to view and edit Office Docs (PowerPoint slides viewed on Treo's 320x320 high res screen is amazing). Since it supports various popular mobile applications like Google Maps, GMail and OperaMini, I am anxious to give this classic smartphone a review. Considering my temporary solution to the N95-3's random shutdown is using EDGE(GSM-Only) mode, I wouldn't be in any more disadvantage.

The Mobile Experience Nostalgia: Nokia 8890

One of the best-looking, sleek-design premium phone in my opinion was the Nokia 8890. In 1999, this phone was the king of all phones. I specifically remembered its striking design featuring a minimalist outer-shell that is finished with a polished steel casing. The backlight for the LCD and keyboard had an xenon-like intensity which illuminates far stronger than any other Nokia handset on the market back then. The phone itself was pretty simple, it had all the functionality as all other Nokia GSM handsets. Perhaps a tad more memory for phonebook and ringtones; but the design alone was just so perfect as an eye candy. The phone retailed for $400; and as a college student, I could only wish there were some type of subsidized program through SBC/Pacbell so I could get my hands on this phone.

Smartphone Nostalgia: HP iPaq 6315

As I was typing a story yesterday, I briefly mentioned a classic Windows Mobile-powered smartphone HP iPaq 6315 which stirred my emotions for a bit. I had given this device serious consideration when I was in the market for my first smartphone. Due to financial reasons and the sales guy's negative feedback around the iPaq for its repeated bugginess, I decided to go for BlackBerry's first consumer-friendly phone: 7100t.

Still, thinking back, I was very attracted to this phone's well-rounded capabilities. While this phone is phsyically larger than it's competitors, it was a market leader in terms of power and functionality. The iPaq was a quad-band worldphone sold exclusively from T-Mobile USA and is powered by Windows Mobile 2003. Featuring GPRS-data and 802.11b, this smartphone was a communication/internet powerhouse. It even includes VGA camera, bluetooth and SDIO support. Giving the Treo 600, a very popular smartphone in the U.S. at the time, a run for its money. In fact, the only phone capable of competing with this phone did not exist in the US.

The key attraction goes back to its large 3.5" LCD and 802.11b giving this device great flexibility, productivity and an alternative to internet access without the need for a data plan. As mentioned in my previous post(s), 802.11b was often missing from most of the smartphones up until beginning of 2008 (considering this phone was on the market as of 2003). It's amazing that Amazon is still carrying this phone for $500 and eBay listing has it going for $200-300 range. Obviously, this phone holds its value. Thinking back, I wonder if this phone was a unicorn that got away, just like the other unicorn that got away from me (but I'll save that story for another time)

So, why in the world did I pass up this gem if I liked it so much. One word: reliability! The sales guy I was talking to was adamant about how buggy his iPaq 6315 was. He said at minimum, he has to reboot his phone twice a day. I guess it would be a pest not knowing if you are missing calls because your phone is frozen. Considering it was my first smartphone and I had to live with it through a brand new contract, I couldn't take that chance. Perhaps HP pushed the envelope in design, trying to cram every bit of hardware/technology into this marvelous concept; maybe the chip sets just weren't ready for this kind of application or maybe its Windows Mobile 2003 not capable of handling its mobile applications. Regardless, I still loved the concept of this smartphone and applaud HP's attempt in bringing a product to the market that was years ahead.

HP iPaq 6315 Specs (full spec here):

* 200MHz TI OMAP 1510 Processor
* 16-bit 3.5" Transflective Color Display
* Onboard Secure Digital Slot (SDIO)
* 64MB RAM (55MB Free)/64MB ROM
* Onboard 802.11b Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
* 1800mAh Lithium Ion Battery
* Weight 6.7oz; 4.7" x 3.0" x .7"
* GSM/GPRS 800-1900MHz

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