Lenovo Twist 12.5 Touchscreen Laptop Review

Lenovo ThinkPad Twist Convertible UltraBook

First Published Date: September 12, 2013

Lenovo Twist Laptop Review

I bought my last laptop Acer Aspire Timeline about three years ago and so far it has worked without any problems. I kept it in crisp condition and was able to sell it for $200. This time, to try something different I decided on buying a Lenovo ThinkPad Laptop/Tablet. This is my first time buying a Lenovo product.

Specifications

– 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3537u processor 2.00 GHz 4MB cache

– 500 GB Hard drive

– 8 Gig RAM

– It’s an Ultrabook combining laptop/tablet together that can bends, twists, folds, and spins.

– Dolby® Home Theater® Stereo speakers

– Magnesium Alloy Construction – only 20 mm thick and weighs 3.45 lbs

– A hybrid hard drive and solid state drive. Active Protection System prevents hard drive from system failure.

– Wakes up from sleep mode in two seconds

– Spill resistant keyboard

Cons

– Feels a bit heavier than other Ultrabook. I think this is due to its heavier keyboard. A feature to detach screen from the keyboard would have been nicer.

– Although Lenovo says battery has 6 hours life, I cannot get it to work more than 4 hours.

– I don’t understand or see any value in The TrackPoint center button. I find it meaningless, but it could be due to the fact that I never dealt with such a button in my life.

– I am not impressed with its Dolby® Home Theater® Stereo speakers. My cheap $250 Acer Netbook has a better sound system.

My Take

I like its rugged, rubberized durable construction. Its overall design and looks feel and look elegant and extraordinary. If you don’t mind the few cons I mentioned above, I think the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist Convertible is worth its value (around $1000 to $1100 + taxes in Canada).

Casio F-91W – The World's Best & Cheapest Value Watch

Casio Black Classic Casio F-91W - The Legendary Watch Everyone Should Own

If you ask around and show the legendary Casio F-91W, most likely people would be able to recognize this watch.

The Casio F-91W is one of the best, cheapest, and the most popular watches in the world. You can buy many other cheap watches these days, but a watch with the same high quality as the Casio F-91W will be hard to find.

Casio started producing the F91W in 1989, and it’s still in production to this day. Casio produces 3 million units per year. The Classic Casio F-91W has survived and stood the test of time and remains the most popular watch in the world.

There are several factors that made the Casio F-91W become so popular: it is durable, unique, simple, functional, looks good, and feels comfortable to wear.

The learning curve to get acquainted with the Casio F-91W is not steep. It is very easy to learn and looks remarkably good on everyone, whether you are young, old, male, female, or kids.

The Casio F-91W is a minimalist watch that offers a simple LCD screen, three buttons or pushers, a stopwatch, a calendar and a battery life that can last somewhere between 7 to 10 years.

What I don’t understand is how Casio can still make and offer this timeless watch so cheap without compromising quality and features.

In Canada, you can grab the Casio F-91W for around $20 CAD. In the USA, it’s a mere $10. That’s a shocking value price given the fact that these days a fast-food meal costs around the same amount.

My video review of the Casio Classic Black is available below:

Timeless Classic Casio F-91W The Best Cheapest Watch

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.

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.