My New Toy! (GoPro HD Hero 2 Surf Edition)

Omigish, I’m so excited about my new toy! Ginoboi is to be thanked/blamed for this new purchase. It’s perfect because we might be swimming with whale sharks when we take our annual long vacation next month. I’m going to take pictures, but I want to try taking videos for a change too! I’m really more of a photos guy, but I want to learn how to edit videos on iMovie and the whale sharks might be the best bet for my first try. Besides, it would be nice to take video as well of the trips we take. Who knows, I might have a future in videography. I got the GoPro HD Hero 2, the surf edition, but I still need to purchase a head strap, so that I could take pictures and at the same time, capture videos as well. Oh wow, i’m so excited to get in the water! And hopefully I can debut my first underwater video by next month!

UPHORIA Party with Sony in Singapore!!!

I’m sooo excited because I’m about to leave for Singapore in a few hours because I’ve been invited by Sony to attend their HUGE party called UPHORIA Party with Sony! It’ll happen on Saturday with tons of activities, some open to the general public, while others exclusive to ticket holders.

UPHORIA Party With Sony represents the culmination of several months of activities that started in July with the “Like Creativity Love Sony” photography-based contest and the “Like Performing Love Sony” event- a singing contest held throughout the region.

During the Uphoria Party, the latest Sony gadgets will be highlighted at several experience zones at *SCAPE; for example Loft will provide access to BRAVIA Internet TV services and visitors can experience first-hand the unique media “throwing” function of the latest Tablet S. At the aptly-named Sweet Treats zone visitors can relax and test the latest digital cameras, etc.

Another highlight of the party will be performances throughout the day by regional Sony Music artists like Slot Machine from Thailand, Hao Ren from Malaysia and Singapore’s very own Julia Abueva. This will culminate in an exclusive night concert showcasing renowned international acts Train and Mike Posner.

Seriously?!? This was my reaction when I found out I’d get to watch the exclusive concert of Train AND Mike Posner! I couldn’t believe my luck! 2011 is shaping up to end with a UPHORIC bang for me! But later, Friday, there’s also media interviews with the artists! I hope I get to ask a question or two from the two acts.

And of course to see and try out the gadgets and experience them first hand! Will I be able to resist purchasing a couple for myself to bring back home? Let’s see!

I better wrap this up and start packing for my 6am flight later! I’ll be blogging and tweeting from Singapore so I could somehow bring you guys with me as I experience this awesome party and concert over the weekend! I can’t wait to tell you guys what’s happening.

Laterz!!!

Sony’s love.Christmas 3-Day Consumer Treat

For all you Sony fans out there, you have to check this out! This coming Oct 21-23, Sony is holding a 3-Day event at the Megatents Events Place in Ortigas! This 3-Day event is open to the public exclusive to this Christmas season.  It is a combination of ALL their previous activities namely the Sony Expo, Promo Raffles and the first ever Sony 3-Day Sale.  They’ll have musical acts (not only from Sony Music artists but also up and coming artists from their “Like Performing, Love Sony” contest),  fun games and interactive displays as well as exclusive deals (instant pick-a-prize items, freebies, exciting raffle prizes – one of which will be an all-expense trip to Sony’s year-end party in Singapore! – and up to 70% discount on selected items) at the venue.

And aside from love.Entertainment (see poster) and love.Great Deals (see poster), they will also have love.Best Service.

They will have:

love.Best Service

A) VAIO Services:

1. Free cleaning:  LCD, Keyboard, Fan & LCD replacement on CS series

2. Data back-up & recovery

3. Bios update

4. Vaio update

B) Alpha Services:

1. Free main body cleaning (which includes CCD, mirror, SI screen, focus screen, viewfinder)

2. Applicable to In-warranty & Out-of-warranty, locally distributed and purchased overseas.

C) Solid Services

1. 20% discount on LABOR FEEs for ALL categories

          2. 30% discount on DIAGNOSIS FEEs for ALL categories

          3. 10% discount on parts for consumer A/V products

4. 5% discount on parts for VAIO products.

Go check it out, all you techies and gadget lovers out there, October 21-23, 2011! See you there!

Steve Jobs

Just a couple of years ago, if you were to look up the term “techno idiot” in the dictionary, my picture would accompany the definition. I actually thought that if you left a floppy disk in the slot, it would melt. I was always afraid of technology, even as a kid I’d shy away from hi-tech stuff. But when I finally got into photography in 2008, I knew I had to step it up. Everyone told me that I needed some techno savvy if I wanted to take the hobby seriously. Having just started this blog a couple of months earlier, the time was ripe to bloom, however late. So this explains why despite my age, I consider myself a Steve Jobs baby. I never got to learn Windows. I had a computer, but I stuck to emails and surfing. It wasn’t until I got my first Apple product, the iBook G4, that I truly learned about computers.

I started out with the simple tricks on iPhoto, uploading pictures and organizing them, and soon I was taking more classes and learned other stuff like Lightroom and Photobucket. As for my blog, thanks to my blog guru Karen Pamintuan, she taught me the basics of blogging, like how to upload photos and videos and links. Before I knew it, I wanted to do more, much more on my blog and other computer stuff, and although I’m still far from what you would consider a techie, I must say I pretty much have come a long way. I never knew any other computer, never knew any other OS, as much as I knew my Mac. For the longest time, my iBook was also my desktop, since I abandoned my real desktop ages ago. Then I decided to get a proper desktop, so I invested in my trusty iMac, on which I learned most of what I know about computers now. Now I can troubleshoot most of the simple problems, I back up on Time Machine, and I can do the most basic HTML, at least on my blog.

And don’t get me started on the other gadgets. I’ve been through the iPod Photo, the iPod Video, and my current, the iPod Classic 120G. I still have my iPod Touch (which I ironically never touch anymore), and of course, my new body part, my beloved iPhone. I don’t even know what I’d do without it. Especially with my two life-support apps, Pet Hotel and Pocket Frogs, not to mention my apps on Twitter, Facebook, WordPress and Instagram, I’d be an emotional wreck without it.

Anyone who gets to read my blog regularly would know how much I am into Apple products. Apple used to be THE brand of choice of the elite, the cut above the rest who used Windows. But soon, the very same people started to poo-poo the whole Apple craze, instantly shunning its mass appeal and labeling it as pop hysteria and therefore would tout the lesser known rivals as more superior, but I’m not into that technology brandism; I really wouldn’t know which one is better anyway. All I know is, ever since I got my iBook and the conga line of gadgets after that, I’ve been less afraid of learning new things, the internet became my best friend, and I’ve been able to find my online presence especially in the form of this blog and in my photography. So my Apple gear is sentimental to me. I have a hard time letting them go. I’m still keeping my iBook and my iPod Touch even if I hardly use them anymore. My MacBook is ESSENTIAL to doing our radio show in the morning. It’s the laptop I use to do the Top Ten and to write the news. Funny, I left my MacBook at home for the first time, on the day Steve Jobs died. Even before we got the news, I realized how much I depended on my laptop to do my everyday tasks. I guess it’s the perfect analogy for Steve Jobs. Having him gone is like leaving your iPhone or your laptop at home. You suddenly realize how important they are to your daily routine. I hardly go through a day without logging on to the net for work, for my blog, to check on my Pet Hotel, to read my regular websites, etc. I would feel naked without my Apple gadgets. And now the world feels stripped of the genius of Steve Jobs.

I Finally Got My Underwater Strobe!

I finally took a GIANT leap for my hobby and got something I never thought I’d invest in — an underwater strobe (Sea & Sea YS-110A). I always told myself that my underwater photography was just a hobby, that I wouldn’t invest too much the way I did with my land photography. But after all these months of joining our monthly NUDI night (the underwater photography club I’m part of), I learned one thing: one main reason my photos sucked as compared to the other photos — strobes. And after yesterday’s dive that yielded very little good output, mainly because of silt and light issues, so I finally decided to take a deep breath, and jump. Why all the drama? Basically it’s very expensive. It’s no joke to buy a set-up. It’s not just the strobes that cost a lot, but the accompanying plate, arms, brackets, and fiber optic cables, which added up, costs about as much as the strobe itself.

Plus, it will be a huge spike in my learning curve. I’ve never used a strobe before, and it’s a totally new skill to master. How near, how far, at what angle, how much light, etc. I’m nervous and excited at the same time! It would major investment fail if my photos don’t improve after this! Hehehe…I just hope my output will be exponentially better, directly proportional to the expense I just bled out. Hopefully I can dive this weekend to test drive my new baby. Anilao, and it’s wet denizens, humanda kayong mga potah kayooo!!!

Free Phone Everyday For A Month On RXTMR!

Yup, you read it right, we’re giving away a free phone everyday, for a whole month, on The Morning Rush! If you’ve been listening since Monday, ChiChi And GiGi (Me and Gino) have been giving away a Nokia X1-01 to one of the four people who landed at number one on the day’s Top Ten. So here’s how it works: every single day, we have four hours, so four batches of ten, and four number ones. At 10am, right before we end the show, we raffle off the phone among the four number ones, and the one we pick, gets the prize. So we love it because it’s half-merit (since you need to land at number one of that hour) and half-chance (because we have nothing to do with the final choice of the winner).

Someone mentioned something we did years ago, when we gave a mug as a prize to each person who wins the top spot. And it became some sort of trophy, as to who wins the most mugs. It’s kind of the same now, only the prize is much better than a mug. So it’s a nice way to thank you guys who tirelessly join the Top Ten every single day. Who knows, tomorrow it might be you! Good luck guys!

The Fire And The New “Gadget”

Prologue: When I was on my way home after boardwork, I was shocked to see a dark plume of smoke rising from where I could estimate our village was. Of course this sent chills down my spine and sent me into panic mode, given that we’ve already had a fire in our family’s history, and it’s something I’ve grown to dread extra. So I sped up a little faster, and soon as I had my sight on our house, and saw that it was smoke-free, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. But sadly, there was a fire around 3 blocks away, still a little too close for comfort, so we watched and waited until thankfully, the firemen were able to put out the fire. After all that stress, I whispered to myself that I needed to detoxify and therefore: “I NEED TO GO SHOPPING.”

Which brings me to — I finally bought it! The Ikelite 6242.95, the underwater casing for my Canon S95. It’s not really a gadget, but a “gadget”, since it only houses the official gadget. Whatever. I needed to upgrade my underwater photography gear, which I had since 2003. So no more Olympus Camedia 5060. The Canon S95 takes really kick-ass images, much better than my old camera. It’s great for low light, and I’ve seen pictures from regular folks and the underwater creatures looked incredible! So since I’m leaving soon for my annual long vacation, I decided to buy the casing since we might go for a dive or two, and I’d flog myself if we see spectacular stuff and I don’t have my camera with me. I still plan to buy strobes for my new set-up, but the strobes can wait. For now, I just need to be able to bring my camera into the depths of the deep blue. I can’t wait! I want to go diving already!!!

 

Close Your Apps!

After you use an app, how do you close it?  For most iPhone users, we just press the home button, and it “closes” the app and proceeds to the home page.  But apparently, we were told that it doesn’t really close it, it just brings you to the home page, but leaves the apps running.  And why are we talking about this?

Last Saturday, Delle and I were hosting a wedding, and during dinner, there we were tweeting using our iPhones. When it was time to do the program, we clicked our respective home buttons, clicked on the sleep button, and proceeded to do host the wedding.  After the hosting, Delle took out her phone and it was dead.  She tried to turn it on, but nothing. Thinking it already conked out so soon, she was going to bring it in for repairs.

This morning, Delle announced on air that her phone died. A lot of people told her to just do a hard reset and what do you know, it did the job! Instantly, it was back in order, back to how it was working.  The reason I’m telling this story, is that apparently, not closing your apps could sometimes cause your iPhone to crash.  So a lot of our techie listeners taught us how to properly close our apps. I’m sure many of you know this already, but for people like us who had no idea there was such a thing, this is a useful tip.

Step 1 – Start from your home page.

Step 2 – From here, click the home button twice. It will present you with the apps that are still open. It should look like this:

Step 3 – Press any one of the open apps and hold, and it will give you options on which app you want to close by little minus signs appearing above each app.  Press the app you want to close. Simply repeat as necessary.

And viola, all your apps are properly closed.  People advised that it’s better to close all apps when not in use. Try it, you’d be surprised at how many apps are still open! By the way, the same applies to iPod Touches and iPads. Thanks to Sumi and Cherry for the step by step instructions!

 

Find My iPhone

OMG, I can’t believe how amazing this is! I just tried this and it actually works!  Basically, if you lose your iPhone or iPad or iPod Touch, MobileMe can help you find it with Find My iPhone. Just enable Find My iPhone in the MobileMe settings on your iPhone or iPad. Then sign in to me.com from any computer or using the Find My iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to display its approximate location on a full-screen map. If it’s a little confusing and all this sounds like gibberish to you, just click on THIS.

Follow the very simple instructions, and voila, you can now locate your iPhone wherever it may be!  In case you lose it or someone steals it, it can show you the general area where your phone is.  When I tried to locate my iPhone, it showed like a map of our village, and the dot where my iPhone is supposedly located was just a street off.  So if you’re not sure if you lost your phone or just misplaced somewhere in your house, this is the best thing for you!

You can apply this to your iPhone, your iPad, even your iPod Touch.  For iPhones though, you’ll need iOS 4.2 for it to work.  And if this is the first time you’re creating your free account, you’ll have to be on an iPhone 4.  I don’t know if there’s a way to put it on an iPhone 3G.

I was supposed to blog about the RX Christmas party today, but while waiting for the pictures to load, I was going to sync my iPhone, when iTunes prompted this new thing and I was blown away!  I just had to post it right away.  I know someone who just lost his iPod Touch and it’s nerve-wracking.  If he only installed this, he would at least know if it’s still in the house or if it was already stolen.  He won’t get the exact address of the thief, but he’ll know the general area of where it is now.

I highly suggest you guys install this, it’s unbelievably awesome!

Ay, Phone!

I finally gave in.  Friends always hear me say that I’m NOT into iPhones, and that I’m NEVER getting one.  Well, well, well, look do we have here.  I’ve always been into Apple products, especially the iPod line.  And when the Touch came out, it was practically an iPhone, minus the phone, further cementing my assertion that I don’t need the iPhone, because it would be redundant.  I honestly don’t know what happened.  Next thing I knew, I was at my telecomm company getting my unit.

Aside from the exterior, it’s basically like the iPod Touch, only with calling and texting.  But boy, did I have a hard time with transferring my contacts from my Nokia phone to my iPhone.  The usual remedy is Nokia PC Suite, but I have an iMac and a Macbook and PC Suite works only on Windows.  I tried iSync (the Mac equivalent of PC Suite), but it wouldn’t detect my device, therefore, it wouldn’t sync.  I downloaded the plug-in for my specific phone model, and it was supposed to work, but no dice.  I called out of Facebook, Twitter, to anyone who might have ideas.  I was flooded with so much options that my head felt like it was going to explode.  I downloaded software upon software approaching the problem from such different directions.  Eventually, I thought iSync was still my best shot.  So after trying options after options blindly (many times I had no idea what I was doing), I stumbled on the Bluetooth angle.  Apparently, I had to pair up my phone first with my iMac.  My iMac gave me a code to input on my phone, then it paired, then iSync started to get all my contacts from my phone! It worked like a charm.  So all my contacts were stored in “Address Book” of my computer.  Then I pugged the iPhone to iTunes, then when I synced contacts, I diverted it to my Address Book.  Voila!  All my contacts transferred in a couple of minutes.

So now I can enjoy my iPhone 4.  Do I like it?  I’m having a hard time with the texting, coming off qwerty, but I really like the chat format of the messages, like in the Nokia N8.  And just as I posted recently, I was victimized by the Auto Correct, turning “pero” in “perv” when I was texting my boss.  I switched it off immediately.  I super LOVE the camera.  I don’t know what it is, but I really like how the iPhone takes pictures.  It’s like a point and shoot already.  So I think I’ll be posting photos on FB and Twitter more often now.  I still can’t figure out how to surf the net though.  That’s my next project.