Blue is Me

Tag: sony xperia

  • New May 2016 Gadget Update

    Here’s my tech gadgets as of present (May 2016):

    Computers

    Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Yoga (2016) – replaced my 2015 Thinkpad Yoga 14

    This is my main / entertainment laptop now. I’ve ditched my X240 and Yoga 14 for this basically. A light, convertible laptop, weighs only 2.8lbs (substantially lighter than the Yoga 14 which I previously had), docks with a one link dock connector and wireless dock, has that traditional Thinkpad robust build quality and great trackpoint keyboard, and is convertible which means I can watch movies in 4 different modes, and comes with a gorgeous 1440p OLED screen to boot. Just perfect. It replaces my Thinkpad Yoga 14.

    Asus ROG G751 (2015) – replaced my 2011 HP Envy Beats, 2015 Thinkpad Yoga 14

    This is my main gaming laptop since August 2015. I hook it up to my Creative T4W speakers, Shure MV51 mic, Asus ROG Gladius mouse and Aorus K1 mechanical keyboard to do some serious gaming and video editing work. The GTX 970M graphics card just screams and it has GSync and cool afterburner LED lights in the back as well courtesy of XoticPC. It is quite heavy though, being a 17 inch gaming laptop, so it basically stays on my desk unless I have to move out.

    Vaio S (2016) – replaced my ThinkPad X240
    My main travel laptop now, it has everything you want. Only 2.3lbs, 13″ screen, 9 hr+ battery life, VGA, Ethernet, HDMI, 3 usb ports in such a slim and light package, etc the businessman’s laptop for traveling. It replaces my Thinkpad X240.

    Mac Mini (2012) – replaced my 2012 MacBook Pro 13
    My main multimedia / programming computer.

    Tablets/Phones
    iPad Air (2013)

    The iPad Air is my go to tablet for surfing, gaming, music or reading.

    iPhone SE (2016) – replaced my 2013 iPhone 5S

    The iPhone SE is my main camera and video recorder. No other smartphones can beat the combination of its camera + shutter speed. Plus love the small size which is what cameraphones should be! light and small. It replaces my aging iPhone 5S.

    Sony Xperia Z3C (2014)

    The Sony Xperia Z3C is my main Korea phone, mp3 player and messenger device as it has been since late 2014.

    Blackberry Priv (2015)

    The Blackberry Priv is the phone I use in Canada/US and its a great phone for web browsing/surfing, and document editing as well. It replaces my Blackberry Passport.

    Gaming

    Vulcan Flipstart
    For playing retro Windows games

    OpenPandora
    For playing DOS games

    New Nintendo 3DS

    For playing Nintendo Games

    Sony PS Vita

    For playing JRPGs

    Nvidia Shield Portable

    The Nvidia Shield is my emulator console and also doubles as a game stream capable tablet for my Asus! Video here:

    Music

    Master & Dynamic ME03 (2015) – replaced 2014 Klipsch X12i, 2014 Bose Quietcomfort 25

    Master & Dynamic ME03

    These have replaced my old earphones (Klipsch X12i, broken) and my now broken Bose Quietcomfort 25s (warranty expired) as my travel headphones. Because they are in-ear headphones they are also easier to carry, and block out some noise passively which is nice.

    Denon Music Master MM400 (2016) – replaced 2014 Sennheiser Momentum

    Absolutely the best over ear headphones I’ve ever had, these now have replaced my Sennheiser Momentums which were falling apart as well.

    Creative Soundblaster Roar 2 (2015) – replaced 2013 Bose Soundlink Mini

    These have replaced my Bose Soundlink Mini as my new portable speaker, sounds great and comes with a variety of features like mp3 player, voice recorder, USB DAC etc

    Creative T4W (2015)

    Its my 2.1 speaker system I use to connect to my Asus, but can also be used for bluetooth, PS4, Mac Mini, record player etc alot of things it has traditional RCA analog input as well as optical in.

    Cameras

    Nikon D5100 (2013)
    My DSLR camera for serious video making. I usually pair it with my Samyang T1.5 24mm cinema prime lens.

    Sony Music Video Recorder (2014)
    This camera is mainly used for casual recording video blogs, music videos and video reviews. Basically my youtube camera now.

    GoPro Hero3+ Silver (2014)
    My camera for action shots like biking, scooter, hiking, swimming, etc

    DJI OSMO (2015)
    My go to camera for taking cinematic walking shots, party shots, basically it simulates having a DSLR + stabilizer + tripod + glider which is amazing

    DJI Phantom 3 (2015)
    My drone which is useful for taking aerial footage, personal cameraman, and hooks up to the autopilot app for more modes like orbit, cable cam and follow me.

    All of this equipment can be seen in my camera equipment video here:
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtzPo8qwzLE

    25 most awesome gadgets I own:
    1. Sharp Zaurus C1000 (2004) – Clamshell Linux PDA
    2. Sony Clie UX50 (2004) – Clamshell Palm OS PDA
    3. Sony Vaio UX (2006) – Slider UMPC
    4. Vulcan Flipstart (2007) – Clamshell UMPC
    5. Nokia N95 (2007) – Dual slider Symbian smartphone
    6. Archos 7 (2008) – Linux based PMP
    7. HP iPAQ 210 (2008) – One of the last Windows Mobile Pocket PC
    8. Nokia N810 (2008) – Linux based internet device
    9. Sharp Netwalker (2009) – Pocket Smartbook
    10. MS Zune HD (2010) – Touch controlled MP3 Player
    11. Fujitsu UH900 (2010) – Pocket Netbook
    12. Onkyo DX (2010) – Dual screen Netbook
    13. Toshiba Libretto W100 (2010) – Dual touch screen Netbook
    14. Sony Tablet P (2011) – Dual touch screen tablet
    15. Blackberry Porsche (2011) – Ltd Edition Blackberry
    16. HP Pre 3 (2011) – Last Palm & WebOS smartphone
    17. Open Pandora (2012) – Linux based gaming console / umpc
    18. Nvidia Shield Portable (2013) – Android gaming handheld
    19. Apple iPhone 5S (2013) – the last great small Apple phone
    20. Razer Edge Pro (2013) – most powerful standalone gaming tablet
    21. Nokia Lumia 1020 (2013) – 41mp Windows smartphone
    22. Sony PS Vita Slim (2014) – current gen Sony handheld
    23. Neptune Pine (2014) – Smallest Android device
    24. Blackberry Priv (2015) – Touchscreen / Slider Android smartphone
    25. Lenovo X1 Yoga (2016) – First OLED Convertible laptop

  • New gadget update (Nov 2014, before I leave)

    Ok, so now that I’m going to Korea, and also learned not to be as materialistic, I’m getting rid of alot of my crap. So here’s the stuff that I’m keeping and bringing to Korea.

    Here’s my tech gadgets as of present (Jul 2014):

    Computers
    Lenovo Thinkpad X240

    Lenovo Thinkpad X240
    Lenovo Thinkpad X240

    What can I say? I used to think Thinkpads were very boring looking, but now I realized how useful they are. This has become my main laptop for doing anything, work or study. At 12″ and 3.4lbs, very portable, with the latest Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, fingerprint reader, smartcard reader, amazing keyboard, LTE capabilities and TWO batteries that last for 14+ hours, this is an amazingly well constructed and reliable laptop. I will probably be using it for years to come, or at least as long as my Dell Latitude (6 years so far).

    Tablets/Phones/etc
    iPad Air

    iPad Air
    2013 iPad Air

    For a long time I didn’t want an iPad as I thought it was just an oversized iPhone. But now I realized after using it more, that it fits a different need. Large games, ebook reader, a portable music recording station, a video editor, and guitar amplifier are some of the things I use it for. I used it so much that I actually sold my Macbook Retina in favor of the iPad. With a bluetooth keyboard, it becomes almost a laptop replacement. And with LTE, much more useful.

    iPhone 5S

    iPhone5S Gold
    2013 iPhone5S Gold

    Call me an Apple fanboy, but I don’t like big screens. Screens that are too big are easier to scratch, and suck more battery. The iPhone’s 4″ screen is great. Plus the camera is still the best on any smartphone. I keep this phone now mainly for taking pics and video, as its still the best for those things.

    Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

    Sony Xperia Z3C
    Sony Xperia Z3C

    As mentioned before: 1) its got the same footprint as my iPhone5S, 2) 20.7MP camera, 3) waterproof and dustproof, 4) HD audio decoding, 5) microSD slot, 6) 2 day battery life, 7) PS4 remote play
    I mean need I say more? This is hands down the best compact Android phone out there right now, better than the Galaxy, LG, HTC One, Huawei, Xiaomi, Lenovo, ZTE, Archos, what have you.
    Sony needs to advertise this more. 2+ days of battery life!

    Meta M1

    Meta M1
    Meta M1

    After looking at the Moto 360 and Apple Watch and Pebble watch for a while, I decided to get the Meta M1. Why?
    1) It’s very stylish, 2) I like gold and blue (no other smart watch offers this combination), 3) long battery life, 5-7 days, 4) decent water resistance (not as much as Pebble but good enough and 5) it doesn’t distract me from talking to my friends. I agree with this watch’s philosophy that notifications are just for glancing at, and I noticed that my usage behavior changed when I am wearing it. Now, I just glance at my watch and keep talking to my friends instead of pulling my phone out and typing back a message. This is a good change to me. I just wished it supported Asian characters.

    Music
    Sennheiser Momentum

    Sennheiser Momentum
    Sennheiser Momentum

    The best headphones I’ve ever listened to. Wow. Better than the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros and the Audio Technica A900s, even without a headphone amp! It gets pretty loud by itself, and is very comfortable to wear as well, on par with the Beyerdynamics in my opinion. But wow, I’ll probably just carry this one instead of the BD and ATs as this one is closed back and has decent passive noise cancellation, as well as being more portable than the BDs. Yet it sounds much better despite being smaller. Sennheiser, you have a winner here.

    Bose Soundlink Mini

    Bose SoundLink Mini
    Bose SoundLink Mini

    Bose really surprised me with these speakers. Great full range sound, great bass, a lot of volume from such a small speaker. Anyways these are my portable speakers, for use with parties and BBQs and the like.

    Cameras
    Nikon D5100

    Nikon D5100
    Nikon D5100

    My DSLR camera. Works great with many lenses.

    Sony Music Video Recorder

    Sony music video recorder
    Sony music video recorder

    My replacement for my Canon HFM400. It’s basically a more compact, portable, wide angle version of the Canon with better sound. A worthy upgrade for traveling.

    …And thats it! That’s a noticeable reduction from the 18 gadgets in my previous gadget posting. I’ve literally reduced the number of gadgets I carry by half. All my laptops, tablets, phones, cameras, headphones, etc only comprise 9 devices now.