HTC Panache Review | My First Smartphone

HTC Panache Review

First Published Date: July 24, 2011

HTC Smart Phones – Miles Away From Other Smart Phones

I left home deciding to buy a Samsung Nexus S smartphone. However, after seeing HTC Panache and Nexus S side by side, there is no way anyone can pick Nexus S over HTC Panache. This is my first HTC phone and I am impressed with some of the features HTC added to this phone which put the HTC Panache miles apart from other smartphones – and I am coming into that.

Let’s look at some of its features:

– Powered by Android 2.3 with HTC Sense.

– 1 GHz powerful Snapdragon memory

– 3.8-inch LCD WVGA capacitive touch screen

– Memory 1.1 GB eMMC/786 MB RAM

– Comes with 8 GB microSDT card pre-installed, you can extend it up to 32 GB

– 5 MP camera with LED flash. Can record 720P HD video.

How It Feels to Hold

The HTC Panache is a strongly built 168-gram camera. Its aluminum backplate, rubberized edges and solid body give you the feeling of ruggedness and durability. Its slightly weighted body does not interfere with regular use and feels good to hold in the hand.

Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot

If you have unlimited Internet on your phone, you can use it for your home without paying a separate Internet service and can save hundreds of dollars annually. I discussed more having Free Internet in the past. However, until now I had to use a cable to connect my phone and computer to get the Internet (tethering). The HTC Panache runs Android 2.3 which has built-in Wi-Fi hotspot and Tethering, you don’t need to connect using a cable anymore. You just need to change the phone’s settings to turn on Wi-Fi Hotspot (which can be done in 20 seconds) to use the Internet wirelessly. I must say, this is the feature I am enjoying most.

Distinctive HTC-Only Features That Put The HTC Panache Miles Away From Other Smart Phones

Here are some features that I like most about my new HTC Panache. I never thought these futuristic features would be available in a present-day phone.

– The HTC Panache knows when it’s in your pocket or in a bag and rings louder so you hear it.

– When it rings in regular condition, the ringer volume gets lower once you touch it to pick it up. If you want to silence the ringer volume completely, just flip it over. HTC made this feature especially for those times when you are in a meeting.

– When you are talking on your phone and want to switch to the speaker, just flip it over.

– It takes an amazing HD video. See it for yourself, as I have posted a video clip taken with the HTC Panache.

– Stream music, pics, and videos from the HTC Panache to your TV or home theatre system via DLNA certified devices.

– Many other HTC features you will not find in any other Android phones.

What I Don’t Like In The HTC Panache

Although the HTC Panache can shoot incredible HD video and you do not need to carry a separate camera like the Samsung Digital Camera to record HD video, its regular 5 MP digital camera cannot take good quality pictures without bright light. Also, I am not impressed with its speaker and it does not sound like a stereo speaker.

What the Future Holds for Smartphones

Smartphone technology is advancing so rapidly that it’s hard to predict with precise accuracy what our smartphones will be like in 10 or 20 years. One thing I can say with certainty that it will be our most important toy over anything else like laptops or desktops if it has not become one already.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Tablet Review

Asus Tablet Review

First Published Date: September 14, 2011

I spent roughly two months researching all new tablets and checking out some of them physically at stores.  It’s very hard to decide on a tablet these days as manufacturers are flooding the market with new models every few months.  During my research, I ruled out the iPad due to its high cost and restrictive hardware/software.  I also ruled out the BlackBerry Playbook and the HP Touchpad due to their inferior operating systems.  I decided that I’d be buying an Android tablet, and I narrowed down the list to three finalists with 10 inch screens that would fit my needs and lifestyle:
– Samsung Galaxy Tab
– Toshiba Tablet
– Asus Eee Pad Transformer

I was already leaning towards one of these, but I decided to ask my nephew Shim to do another round of research and pick the best of the three. And guess what? We both came up with the same pick: the Asus Eee Pad Transformer 10.1.

Why Not Toshiba Tablet and Samsung Galaxy?

Here are the reasons why I did not pick the above mentioned two tabs:
– Samsung Galaxy does not offer any ports like MicroSD, SD, USB, or HDMI.
– The Galaxy’s back is too smooth and starts slipping out of your hand if you hold onto it for a while.
– Toshiba’s front camera sticks out (as it is shiny and not blended  
  into its own color) and looks ugly.
– Toshiba tablet is heavier, bulkier, and ugly looking. If I want a tablet, I want it to be a slim and good looking.
– The option to add a keyboard doc and transform Asus Eee Pad Transformer to a laptop was my main plus point to go for Asus.

Hardware Pluses for Asus Eee Pad

-Beautiful, clear screen
-Easy to grip
-HDMI port
-Extra Storage (MicroSD)

Software Pluses

- Android’s Widgets are a huge plus, and iPad lacks them
-Flash video, which the iPad also lacks.

Hardware Minuses

-No USB Port on the pad itself (its on the dock)
-Screen gets fingerprints very easily (worse than the iPad)

Software Minuses

-Honeycomb still needs some fine tuning, browser sometimes crashed when playing video
-No built-in task killer, software must be downloaded to enable this
-Android Market doesn’t have as many free apps as Apple’s app store

What I Like Most About Asus Tablet

Its price and the option to use it as both a tablet and a laptop.

What I Don’t Like About Asus Tablet

Its power supply cord is too small. 

As I write this review, stores in Canada are getting ready to launch Sony’s new Tablet. In 2-3 years, expect to see even more great tablets on the market.  The fierce competition will drive prices down and make them much more affordable.

Warren Buffet–The World’s Most Successful Investor

The Sage of Omaha

First Published Date : April 6, 2011 ADawnJournal.com

He is considered to be the greatest investor in history and is usually ranked as one of the richest men on the planet. He is Warren Buffett and he has become a legendary figure in the investment world.

Born Aug. 30, 1930, Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and is the third wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of about $50 billion. While Buffett is known for his immense fortune, he is also known for giving away money and has announced that upon his death, he will give away 99 per cent of his fortune to charities, including the Gates Foundation, which is the charity of another very wealthy man; Bill Gates.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett was educated at Rose Hill Elementary School until his father was elected to Congress in 1942. At this point, Buffett moved to Washington with his family and attended Woodrow Wilson High School.

One of the most interesting aspects about Buffett was his keen business sense, even from a young age. He had an understanding of how to make money and he began making money as a child when he was selling chewing gum, magazines and Coca-Cola door-to-door. He also knew how to save money and began putting money away for a rainy day.

At the age of 14, Buffett had filed his first tax routine and even used his bicycle as a $35 deduction because he used it on his paper route.

At the age of 15, he bought a pinball machine for $25 and put it in a barber shop. Only a few months later, he had several pinball machines in many different shops across the city. This was just the beginning of what would be a legendary business career.

As a child, Buffett spent time in a stock brokerage that was near his father’s company and when he was 10 he went to the New York Stock Exchange. At the age of 11, he had three shares in Cities Service.

By the time he was out of college (University of Pennsylvania), Buffett had $90,000 in savings thanks to sound business investments and a good sense of the stock market.

He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and then enrolled in Columbia Business School because two of his financial heroes taught there. From there, he received a Masters in Economics and then went to the New York Institute of Finance.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Buffett worked as an investment salesman and securities analyst and in 1970 he became a general partner at Berkshire Hathaway, where he is now the CEO.

In the 1952, he married Susan Thompson and his first child, Susan Alice Buffett was born the following year.

Only a few years later, he bought a five-bedroom house in Omaha for $31,500. The fact that he still lives there shows the incredible character of Buffett who could afford his own country, but chooses to live in a regular home, in a regular neighborhood.

Due to all his partnerships in various companies, by 1962, Buffett was a millionaire with a fortune over $7.1 million by 1962. That same year, he merged all the partnerships into one and bought Berkshire Hathaway

Throughout the 1950s, Buffett began to acquire stocks in media including the Washington Post and ABC.

From 1960, when he became a millionaire, to 1990, the fortune of Buffett continued to grow thanks to excellent investing and shrewd business deals that led him as a controlling shareholder in many large companies. Buffett became a billionaire on May 29, 1990 and only 12 years later he was worth $11 billion. At this time, he announced that 85 per cent of his Berkshire holdings would be given away over time, to five foundations. The largest donation was to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 2008, Buffett was on top of the world, literally. It was that year that he reached $62 billion in net worth, making him the richest man in the world and pushing Bill Gates off the top of the list, where he had been for 13 consecutive years. The next year, Gates was again the richest man in the world but Buffet was second.

One reason for the drop was the loss of $25 billion in one year by Buffett due to the financial meltdown and crisis of 2008 to 2009.

Even with the financial meltdown, Buffett bought General Electric preferred stock, netting him a good increase in net worth.

Buffett separated from his wife in 1977 but remained legally married to her until 2004 when she passed away. His daughter currently does charity work through her own foundation. In 2006, Buffett married his long-time partner Astrid Menks, who was 60 years old at the time and had been introduced to Buffett by Buffett’s wife. Buffet, his partner and his wife were very close and all remained friends for several years.

Unlike many other CEOs, Buffett does not make millions in salary, but instead brings home only $100,000 in salary, making all his money from investments.

Buffett is also a big fan of the game bridge and often plays it with Bill Gates. He is also a fan of Nebraska football and can be seen in the stands whenever he has time to attend a game.

Another interesting fact about Buffett is that he does not carry a cell phone, nor have a computer and he drives his own car, rather than have someone drive him where he has to go.

Naturally, a great deal of recognition has come to Buffett. He was named the top money manager of the 20th century by the Carson Group, as one of the most 100 influential individuals in the world in 2007 according to Time Magazine and he has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. ‘

An mild-mannered man, Buffett is truly unique in the world of business and a fascinating person to learn the world of investing from.

Is Public Mobile $15 Unlimited Plan Worth Switching Home Phone For?

Is Public Mobile $15 Unlimited Plan A Threat To Prepaid Wireless and Landlines?

First Published Date : May 30, 2011 ADawnJournal.com

Looking to capture a chunk of landline and prepaid wireless market share, Public Mobile has aggressively launched a $15 Unlimited Plan campaign throughout its coverage area. However, the question lurking in everyone’s mind is will it be the end of the prepaid and landline home phone? Or, will the traditional home phone and prepaid wire even survive with this $15 Unlimited Plan being available?

Let’s talk about prepaid wireless first. I think Public Mobile will be able to put a noticeable dent in the prepaid wireless market share with this plan. The only two groups of consumers I see still going with the prepaid plans are those who use prepaid occasionally and do not know about this offer or don’t want to go through the hassle of going to a new company because of the use of prepaid on a very limited scale (but not occasionally).

How about the landline home phone? Will it become extinct? I don’t think it will. There are groups of people who will always be reluctant to give up their home phone lines for cell phones. The reason people have a home phone service is because they want something reliable and a physical line, whether it’s a phone line connected through traditional copper wire or a line through cable wire, so they have that mental peace knowing it won’t stop working due to signal issues or other unseen issues like a cell phone. Also, it’s a matter of convenience and reliance having voice messages left in an answering machine physically located at home than somewhere else on cell phone companies’ servers. It’s a lot easier to maneuver the big buttons on an answering machine and home phone than a tiny, hard-to-find cell phone buttons.

One of the groups that would be reluctant to give up their home phones is the baby boomers. Another group would be people who are just into their 50s and not too obsessed with cell phones. People under 40 will be those who are likely to give Public Mobile $15 Unlimited Plan a try, and Public Mobile should be able to put a dent in this group’s home phone market share with their cleverly-designed strategic ads.

For my own part, I do not use a home phone, although I have to have a home phone because of my older parents. My dad can’t press or find the right buttons on a cell phone because they are too small and my mom always flips the cell phone (meaning she puts the earpiece near her mouth and the mouthpiece near her ear) if she tries to make a call. However, if I was buying only for myself I would definitely cancel my landline home phone and save $20 a month with Public Mobile’s $15 Unlimited Plan.

Samsung ST65/ST67 Camera Review

Digital Camera Technology Can Change So Much in Five Years

First Published Date : June 8, 2011

My last digital camera before my Samsung ST67 was a HP Photosmart R817. I bought it in 2006 for $270, which was not cheap. The features were not bad, but nothing extraordinary compared to other cameras back then. I have been using this camera for 5 years without any problem; however, digital camera technology has brought so many new features in the last few years that with its bulky charging and photo sharing doc with tangles of wires and incapability to produce an HD video, it made sense for me to buy a new digital camera which can do it all, keeping accessories to its minimum. And the Samsung ST67 is the one I picked after searching electronic stores for months. I don’t need to carry a separate digital camera and an HD video camera anymore, as this tiny Samsung ST67 can do both jobs (take pictures and shot HD video) amazingly. See the picture and video clip yourself, if you are still skeptical about Samsung.

Do you believe that Nikon, Sony, Canon can give you better products because they are more expensive and have been around longer? I don’t. All my household products are Samsung. They look a lot better than other so-called famous pricey brands, saved me thousands of dollars and running amazingly well without any problem so far. This is no joke – whenever I bought Sony in the past, I ran into problems. However, I never had any problems with any of my Samsung products so far. So, as you can possibly guess, the main reason behind picking this Samsung ST67 digital camera was its price – at $129 this is a bargain which would be hard to surpass for me.

Let’s look at some Samsung ST67 features:

Ultra slim – feels like carrying nothing at all. I still remember the pain of carrying 2 cameras tangled with wires, chargers, and docks on my Cuba trip. With my new Samsung ST67, I just need one USB cable, as it can charge from a laptop.

14.2 MP resolution and 5X optical zoom.

Records in HD 720p resolution at 30 fps (see the video clip, link provided at the bottom).

Smile Shot and Blink Detection technology can automatically take pictures when subjects are smiling and eyes open. Also, there’s another feature called Beauty Shot which can take away blemishes on the face.

Smart Filter lens can take normal pictures looking like miniaturized or model-scale, and the Fish-eye effect can give videos distorted, cool looks. The Sketch and Defog effect can add emotion or an ultra vivid vibe to pictures.

Is the Samsung ST67 worth $129? Absolutely yes. Technology is bringing innovative and exciting products so fast that what you buy today will be obsolete tomorrow, so you don’t want to spend a lot of money on products like cameras, laptops, and so on. Try to spend as less as possible and use it for as long as you can. However, if you can’t do that and end up buying a newer model again shortly, spending less the first time around will cause you less regret than spending a fortune initially.