Linora Low » Gadgets

Samsung MV800 Contest

Linora Low — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:38:46 +0000

Samsung is out with a very happening gadget! Check this! A new camera and just like any gadget thats new i’m drooling already.. i want!!

As a person who takes a lot of photos.. because yes i’m narcissistic like that and also i just love capturing moments in life.. this would be perfect for me I love the fact that it is soooo slim too. i wear very fitting jeans and i dont’ like carrying a lot of bulky stuff, so this would be a suitable size for me.

Take shots of life in all angles.. the main website even teaches you how to pose! haha

And if you are camwhore blogger like myself, i’ve got some great news!!

Do you want to win this Samsung Camera MV800?

Samsung is giving out 30 units of MV800. All you need to do is watch a video and answer some questions. First things first make sure you have a facebook account and then allow the Samsung application on Facebook! Then watch this video.. i’m giving you a headstart so you can prepare for the quiz!

You can take part in the contest here - Contest application page - http://bit.ly/vHJBS5

Checkout more details bout the Samsung Camera by heading to their Samsung Univez Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SamsungUnivez).

Once you start the application you’ll notice that some people have already won! oh my gosh!! so fortunate!!

And if i’m Kiasu i would also want to have my name on the leaderboard!

I’m going to give a shot at the contest now.. wish me all the best and give it a go too ^_^

Techcentral has given this new camera good reviews and calls it a narcissitic delight and i fully agree!

The biggest selling point of the MV800 is how easy, and fun, it is to use. Most people buying compact cameras will never even use the manual options it offers and, although the MV800 offers plenty of control, its automatic settings are superb and seldom require manual override... it’s a superb little camera that produces images that look as good as it does. – TechCentral

This is the link for MV800 product page, if you want to find out more about the camera, here! if not check out the short summary here on the specs.

Sensor size (type)	1/2.3″ (CCD)
Max still resolution	4608 x 3456 (16 Megapixel)

Zoom capability	5X optical + 5X digital
Focal length (35mm equivalent)	26mm – 130mm
Max aperture	F3.3 – F5.9
Lens mount (D-SLR only)	N/A
Crop factor (D-SLR only)	N/A
Autofocus	Yes
AF-assist lamp	Yes
Image stabilization (Optical only)	Yes
Macro (min distance)	Yes (5 cm)

Built-in flash	Yes
External flash support	No
Supports conversion lenses	No
Supports underwater case	No

LCD size	3.0″
LCD resolution	288,000 pixels
LCD position	Tilting
Viewfinder	None
Viewfinder mag. (D-SLR only)	N/A
Viewfinder coverage	N/A

Manual controls	Exposure compensation, white balance
ISO range	80/100/200/400/800/1600/3200
RAW/TIFF support	No

Movie mode (format)	Yes (H.264)
Max movie resolution	1280 x 720
Sound in movies	Yes (Stereo)
Zoom usable in movies	Yes

Storage method	10MB onboard memory + microSD/microSDHC card
Storage capacity (out of the box)

Battery used	BP70A (1)
Battery life (CIPA standard)	200

Video output	Yes
HDMI output	Yes
USB output	Yes (2.0)

Dimensions (W x H x D)	3.6 x 2.2 x 0.7 in (91.4 x 55.9 x 17.8 mm)
Weight (empty)	4.3 oz (121 g)

Included software	Intelli Studio

Misc. notes	LCD can flip upward 180 degrees to face your subject — perfect for self-portraits.

Birth of Google Nexus One

Linora Low — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:08:00 +0000

A couple of days ago, i raved about how I want a Google Nexus. Then after filtering through some tweets and Mashable posts. I came across this wonderful video by Google of how Google Nexus One came to be

I don’t know about the rest of you. I thoroughly enjoy watching how things form As in how an idea first came to be. Then how someone took that idea and gave it a shape. After giving it a shape they then make it into a reality… yeah i’m such a nerd in that respect. And to think i didn’t like history in my school days.

and yes yes i know this story has been floating about for some times and i’m only sharing it now.. yes yes.. you still can’t stop me from sharing it. heehee

DIY Shoe Pouch for Nike+ Sensor

Linora Low — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:09:07 +0000

I’m going to share my new love which i have been using for the past one month now. Ever since I got my Ipod Touch – yes this is another post about how much i love my toy – I have been going at it rather consistently on the threadmill and gym. Itouch is my best friend when it comes to my entertainment and music. Anycase one of the reasons i love it is because of the Nike+ feature it has. The only downside to the Nike+ sensor with Itouch is that it requires you to have a Nike+ shoe. Fehh.. my sister had one so i considered using it for sometime. My next problem was that her shoe is not exactly ‘beautiful’ and neither is it fitted to my size. Yes she’s younger than me and I have a smaller foot. After going online for a bit I realised that there are number of ways to ‘hack’ wearing you’re own running shoe – or whatever shoe – while still using the Nike+ sensor. There are three main ways I found on the net.

The Tape method

Nike+iPod Sensor Attached by Tape Wendy Bumgardner © 2006
Some people tried tucking the sensor underneath the laces of their shoes. Then to secure it they use sticky tape. Great for a quick fix but rather impractical since I would be damaging my shoe and leaving glue residue on the sensor.
The Velcro Method

Nike+iPod Sensor Attached with Velcro by Wendy Bumgardner © 2006

What happens is you sew a piece of velcro on the tongue of your favourite running shoe and have the other piece of velcro stuck to your sensor. Stick the sensor on the shoe and lace up. Fast and effective but this means if you were to ever shift to another shoe you need to have a velcro for it too. I’m not going to sew a piece of velcro on everyone of my shoes!
The Pouch Method

This is a great method. Only problem is you have to buy it. Such as the Marware Shoe Pouch : A simple pouch that attaches to your shoelaces with Velcro, very inexpensive. Or even the Grantwood Pouch. While they may cost only around like $10, it would still cost a bomb for me since I have to consider shipping charges for it. I’ve gone to most of the Apple stores and partner stores in KL - and no they don’t have what I’m looking for. But for anyone overseas go ahead and get them at the two links i’ve shared.

Since I don’t want to fork out anymore money then i already have to. I decided to make my own little pouch for my sensor. Yeah i know i’m soooo terribly proud over it. I told my mom and she said i did a McGuyver haha. I found my sister’s unwanted and old Nike basketball finger protector. I made sure she didn’t want it before I tore into it and made it completely something else for my benefit. First I got ready two things. One my mom’s sewing kit and some piece of velcro i found lying around.

And then i got to work. What you are about to see is the process of boredom taking form into something worthwhile. Me practicing on my sewing skills and to figure out how to not waste money

Snug as a button. I think that’s the phrase. Or is it snug as a glove. And there you have it my own pouch and check it with it’s own Nike symbol. Eat that!

And it’s firmly in pace too. I went for my first run with it and still all good.

Although according to some of the sites I read, I may need to callibrate the sensor again with the Itouch. No matter I’m happy! Now even when i head to penang I stil got my little pouch to check on my runs. Sweet!!

Itouch’ed Me

Linora Low — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:42:58 +0000

Don’t think naughty for this. Last two weeks, I mentioned about my new entertainemtn which I stole from my brother.. the Sony PSP. Well after playing it for a while, i got bored. I finished the Lord of Rings Tactics during motion capture. Doing shoot is a tiring process cause you have to wait around a lot. So I figured I might get a new source of entertainment, that will benefit me during other times. I feel a bit guilty getting it but so far it’s been wonderful playing around with it. Say hello to my new iPod Touch the 2 generation.

I’m still fooling around an getting used to this piece of work. Before I thought the whole Itouch was overrated. I still think it is -nyeh -:P but getting it has been quite fun. I will not shift over to an Apple Mac, cause I love my PC, although i did consider it once. Buying the Ipod Touch was just me breaking a way a tad bit and just venturing into the world of an Apple. It’s fun I can tell you. So lets see what is so sexy about this gadget that got me hooked. Cool Things I dig about the iTouch:

There is a built in speaker now with the 2G iTouch.
Touch screen (like duh!)
Wi-Fi through Safari
Music and Video Playback
Push Email
16GB worth of space
Volume control on the side
Games to keep me entertained
I’ve got like a few different versions of the Bible on it!

Things I Shake my Head to:

The battery life is not something that’s much to be desired
The volume of the inbuilt speakers aren’t that great
Using it to surf the net means only 2 hours of battery life
I’m probably going to go blind if i keep watching videos on it

It is now my favourite friend when I gym.. Although i think i should be concentrating more on the workouts rather than trying to get the song to put me in the mood. I found some great tracks for that. Not to mention it’s not that heavy. Plus while on any of the cardio machines, I can prop it up on the dashboard and just watch a movie while running, walking.., whatever. Sweet!

My stars for the Itouch…. I give it. 3.5 / 5.. honest man. I’d give it a huge 4.5 if only they would amp up the battery. But if anyone knows how i can do that… lemme know.

My New Entertainment

Linora Low — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:55:09 +0000

In the life of a Motion Capture Actor’s day, I tend to have a lot of waiting around to do. Before I used to bring my laptop. Yes I nearly carry my baby XPS where ever I go. Even more so while waiting for shoot so that I can kill time, if not i’ll just die from boredome. but I found that a bit cumbersome. For a number of reasons.

Too heavy
Too big
Have to bring adapter.
Not enough space on the table.
I feel very shy bringing it sometimes.

So I have found a new toy to bring to shoot now. This little baby right here. It’s not mine, but I am now claiming it as mine.. Since the original owner hasn’t played with it for sometime.

I didn’t realise how much fun this device would be till i started playing with it. Even more so why I love it is because I get to go wireless with it. I can check my mail on this thing!! Yeah i know I’m so terribly out dated. My pros of the PSP vs my XPS:

Uber light
Battery shoujld last relatively well for gaming / not for long usage of the net though.
Entertaining when I’m bored.
I don’t need to lug around my adapter.
I can hold it in my hands!

So what, if it only got to see the brighter side of why people like playing the PSP only now. Sure i may as well be a zombie very soon because all i can think is getting to the next level or something. Right now I’m playing Lord of The Rings Tactics. It’s nothing to like shout about I’ll say but it sure is keeping me awake. Hehe.. This is roughly what it looks like on my PSP screen.

I was so annoyed when I forgot to save my game and then my battery ran out. Like Ackkkk!!!!!!! My game! My game! Sigh now I gotta play all the levels again.. sigh…. Ah well.. and that is my latest entertainment module.

I Won Something

Linora Low — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:05:52 +0000

Free Stuff. Free stuff is always good and I like it even more when it is given to me willingly . Not too long ago, a couple of my friends had entered the Seagate Memories competition. The competition required you to send in either a video or a picture of a particular memory that was special to you. It will then be subjected to a voting process by the Seagate Panel as well as viewers. I didn’t enter the competition, I tried but my video was too long and I ended up getting lazy to put it up. The duration was less than 15 minutes if I’m not mistaken and mine was slightly more than that. But it was a special video memory and I didn’t know how to cut it up. I’ll share one day here though what that video is. So yeah anyway, I had registered as a voter for the Seagate Memories competition and two of my friends won. One is Nigel Sia who won the video memory and another was Aaron Ho aka CincauHangus who won the photo memory. Check it out below.

[flv]http://videos.seagatememories.com.tmp.anchor.net.au/video/processed/videos/VIDEO48790e857ad5e.flv[/flv]

This is Aaron’s photo and if I’m not mistaken.. I think that’s Mae?

And since Nigel won, I was selected as one of the voters who would win a little something.

“For taking the time to vote in the competition and for the winning entry ‘Precious Memories by Nigel Sia’ in the Video Category, Seagate would like to reward you with a Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini.”

Wee Hoo.. this is what I’ll be getting.

It’s a Maxtor One Touch Mini.. Honestly I’m not very sure what it is but I’m assuming that it has something to do with an external harddisk. It’s that or or it could be just the casing. Check out the specifications here. Either way I’m quite happy I got something So thanks to Seagate and Maxtor for the prize!

The Dell XPS

Linora Low — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:26:09 +0000

People say hello to my new at latest TOY!!!

After all the mucking about with the HP Pavillion which i had originally wanted really badly. I ended up buying the Dell XPS…I know one friend of mine who used to work in Dell under sales is gonna smack me (pls don’t smack me ) I personally love the cool packaging.

Oh and cool part was they did a tie up with Creative and I got free Creative earphones which sounds great . Oh and Dell went the extra mile by giving a CD cover for all your Dell and other laptop drivers. And yeah… they needed to make their own XPS cloth for cleaning the monitor.. I’m grateful

So why did i finally pick the DELL XPS?

For starters, it has much better specs than the HP Pavillion D6715tx plus it is cheaper, by a good 1000+. The HP dv6715 was around RM5999 in comparison with the DELL XPS M1530 which is only at RM4600. I was with my brother at the time and he had tried his utmost to convince me to not get the HP. Btw he’s a young kid, that wanted the XPS quite badly for reasons that I think didn’t really justify why he needed it when he had a desktop – which granted is spoilt at the moment. Anyway, I had weighed the thoughts of getting the Dell Monster and the Prettiness of the HP Pavillion. I mean really the HP Pavillion is a gorgeous looking laptop as some of you would remember in my previous post. But he and Mister G had a point I’d save at least a good RM1000 over by buying the Dell. Cheaper and specs like so:

Intel Core 2 Duo Centrino T7500 2.2 GHz
Windows Vista Home Permium
Nvedia GEForce 8600 GS 256 Dedicated graphics
2gb of DDR2 Ram
250gb HDD
15.4 inch screen
A slid in DVD reader and burner
3 usb ports, HDMI port, SD/MMC/MS/PRO card reader, SIM card reader at the back for 3G surfing.
Webcam and Mic Integrated into the laptop
Fingerprint reader (although i think a bit redundant)
Bluetooth and WIFI built in
Touch pad Media controls
2.6 kg (pretty light)

I’m pretty happy with it overall Very happy at the performance and the keyboard is great, it has this really soft touch in comparison with the HP which is tad stiff for me, which i had denied because i still wanted to get it before. The aluminum finish for the palm rest is excellent too. Doesn’t make the laptop as hot as it would be because heat is dispelled more due to the material. Cons though First I’m not crazy about the slide in cd slot. Because it’s slide, i can’t pop in a mini disc anymore. I know not everyone uses it but some of my applications do. So a bit annoying. Plus i don’t really like how the XPS touchpad mouse on the laptop is nearly the same level as the keyboard and palm rest. Because of the level, my finger tends to keep brushing against it, causing me to make even more mistakes then I already do.Â Unlike the HP, which has a button for you to turn off you touch mouse pad and is slightly more dented than the palm rest. But i will commend in with the Dell application for the touchpad that allows the touchpad to be disabled the minute a usb mouse is plugged in. So good cover. Yeap, i don’t regret buying it… and Thank God they had installment plan… pheww

My New Camera Canon Ixus 860 IS

Linora Low — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:24:26 +0000

OOOOOOOOOooooooo Joyy!!!!!!! Today during lunch hour, i went out with Ari and guess what I got! A new camera. A Canon Ixus 860 IS to be exact. Now as much as the signing of this payment was quite painful, but for the quality you get and the functions on this little baby it was so worth it. Right now in Low Yat, there’s a big photo fair going on by Foto-Shangri La. Here’s the thing though, their sales people are hardcore and they do a good job. I nearly bought my Canon from them only because they gave away a number of freebies which in all honesty I DO NOT need. The price range it was going for was about RM1400 and they refused to go lower.At fotokem they managed to slash it down further for me to RM 1370…So let’s review the package. Package 1 – Foto Shangri La

Canon 8.1 megapixel camera
2 gb memory card
screen protector
Original hard casing
1 metal neckchain
1 year warranty
Two premium tickets to GSC Pavillion to see Alien vs Predator 2
Canon bag
Alien Vs Predator 2 album
Alien Vs Predator 2 some paper bag
- RM 1400

Package 2 – Fotokem

Canon 8.1 megapixel camera
2 gb memory card
screen protector
Original hard casing
1 year warranty
One free printing of an entire photo album worth RM99
free discount coupons for printing your picture albums 30% off..
Instant lifetime membership to get discount every time i want to print pictures 25%
- RM1370 with credit card or RM 1350 hard cash.

Well while some may like the fact of watching the movie and all… but I don’t really need to. Besides I’m not around on Sunday. I’ll be up in Penang, so no point in getting the Pavillion GSC Tickets. I choose and zoomed in on only a Canon after much consideration. Why? Because all this while I bought a canon my Ixus 50. Which I had bought due to Giden’s convo last 3 years ago.. now soon to be 4 years. The camera has served me very well, but sadly it is time for an upgrade and while it still functions well. For me I love the camera, especially since i started blogging seriously of late. These last three shots were taken with my part camera in crime Ixus50.

The hard casing of the Canon Ixus

The beautifully wide LCD screen of the Canon.. Oooooh look soo shiny. Haha. It’s fantastic the colour is amazingly sharp and bright.

And of course what it looks like from the front. I managed to capture a cheeky gleam on the side. PLus Canon never fails in quality. I’ll give a comparison, Olympus 8megapixel camera compared to my Canon Ixus 50 which is 5 Megapixels only. The image quality on Canon beats the Olympus down flat! Colour is more vibrant, and the shots are clearer compared with the 8MP Olympus. Olympus has made some good sturdy cameras, but Canon has been in this business for ages. They know their product and most importantly they know what their market wants with a camera. So I’m very with my new Canon Ixus 860IS. My review of the camera shall be up shortly… But for now I must say a fond farewell to my old baby, which I had forked out RM1600 for then…. sigh…

Writing Block…. or not?

Linora Low — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:56:18 +0000

I’m having a writing block. I wanna write something but I don’t know what to write about.. I thought of writing something to do with another gadget I saw in Low Yat today during lunch…This crazy Asus gaming monitor which is going at RM999…………What???? My monitor is only 19″ inch and it cost the same price…@#$@

ASUS PG221 monitor for gamers enthusiasts. The monitor boasts 22-inch widescreen LCD (with 170° vertical and 160° horizontal viewing angle), 15 watt subwoofer, 2x 10 watt speakers, 1.3 megapixel camera (rotatable), USB ports, mic/headphone jacks, and VGA/DVI inputs.

Then I thought about writing something to do with Giden teaching me Tracy Chapman’s song Fast Car… or maybe him being forced by me to learn the Ingrid Michaelson song Keep Breathing…. which I love by the way…..This was the scene where Meredith announces to the wedding guest that Burke and Christina’s wedding is over. I cried for this scene and it didn’t help that “Keep Breathing” is such an emo song. But it’s just what I needed when I was suppose to feel and act sad for a shoot. Or that fact that I’m bored to death with trying to level up in Warbook. What is Warbook? Well it is this flat surfaced game on Facebook,which can get very very addictive. Just like any other game, however people get hooked on to it because it’s such a simple game of math. Whoever that is the biggest in troops or with gold is most likely at the top of the leaderboard. Basically you are a particular hero – General, Mogul, Warmonger, Necromancer, Automator, Slayer or Visionary – and then you conquer other peoples kingdom with your army. Cool but bad thing about it, is that people can get a bit nasty and also just a bit vengeful in the game lol…it’s fun though… but man it’s such a pain to level up in Warbook! Plus my net AND the warbook server is lagging…. sighh so I can’t really go on anymore much with it today…. just to fed up with it.

Well waddya know… I actually had something to just mumble on lol.

N82

Linora Low — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:14:07 +0000

The phone that I have been waiting for in the market for a long while now. That I went to even the extent of asking Nokia’s Vice President Tapio Hedman, his thoughts on it…. which in a way I am embarrassed.. lol… but I was curious. The N82, is a candy bar version of my N95 and after much tying to sell the phone and no buyers. I ended up using the phone and I absolutely think its a very handy phone to have. Dang it… thats a phone!!

Specs are:

Symbian S60 OS
5 megapixel cam, carl zeiss lense
Wi-Fi
GPS system
Supports N-Gage when it relaunches next month.

Sigh… what more can I ask for. Here’s T3s video on it. That said though. I hope the battery is gonna last longer and also I hope that the camera has better quality now. I have no complaints on the music quality. The down side of the phone by the looks of it though are the keypads.. my gosh they are small!! They look just about the size of the tip of my nail. It’s already bad enough with the n95 that i feel stunted when trying to send an sms. Also looking at it sideways.. it looks a tad thick….then again it can’t be any thicker than the N95. What I do love about this phone are the S60 applications. There are some really handy stuff and best of all NOT i repeat not as irritating as a PDA! I absolutely can’t stand the PDAs.. which reminds me, that’ll be another entry… PDA vs Symbian phone…