If I were to buy a 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata right now, here are my insurance rates for a 6-month policy with the same coverages.
State Farm - $415.06
Travelers - $354.00
Allstate - $273.00
Progressive - $217.00
Geico - $165.08
Geico is the cheapest by more than $50. However, they are also the only company to provide UMPD limits of $100,000 per person/$200,000 per accident. Although the premium difference is rather negligable (we are talking $5 or so), this is important because the Miata only has 2 seats. A limit like $100,000/$300,000 is wasted because I will never have 3 people in the car....
Actually, If I max out the coverages (except for collision) Geico is still $30 cheaper than Progressive.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Cell Phone Prices
Google just released their Nexus One phone today. I was excited to see it until I saw the price. $530 for the phone, or $180 with a 2 year contract. How do they expect people to "choose their phone first, then their carrier" if the cost of phone itself far outweighs practicality.
The phone cannot possibly cost that much to produce. I would price it at $300 maximum.
The same can be said about Ipods as well. I can buy an Ipod touch for $200. Or I can buy an "unlocked" Iphone (which is exactly the same I might add) for $500 - $700. You cannot possibly tell me that the technology for making a phone call costs an extra $300.
I call shenanigans.
The phone cannot possibly cost that much to produce. I would price it at $300 maximum.
The same can be said about Ipods as well. I can buy an Ipod touch for $200. Or I can buy an "unlocked" Iphone (which is exactly the same I might add) for $500 - $700. You cannot possibly tell me that the technology for making a phone call costs an extra $300.
I call shenanigans.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Passwords
I started listening to a new podcast today--Leo Laporte: The Tech Guy
I'm sure none of you know who this guy is, but he used to be the host on Tech TV's The Screensavers. His podcast is pretty interesting.
Anyways, today he pointed to two different password managers--Roboform and LastPass--which allow you to store all your passwords on a usb drive and autofill web forms with your username and password (only when your usb drive is in the PC!). The free version of Roboform only allows you to store 10 passwords, but the free version of LastPass looks like it will do more. I'm trying it when I get home today.
I'm sure none of you know who this guy is, but he used to be the host on Tech TV's The Screensavers. His podcast is pretty interesting.
Anyways, today he pointed to two different password managers--Roboform and LastPass--which allow you to store all your passwords on a usb drive and autofill web forms with your username and password (only when your usb drive is in the PC!). The free version of Roboform only allows you to store 10 passwords, but the free version of LastPass looks like it will do more. I'm trying it when I get home today.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Zune HD
So if you read only one line from this: The Zune HD coupled with the Zune Pass is one of the best musical experiences out there. Period
I've owned the Zune HD for a good 2 months now and feel it is time for a review. Please note that my experience with mp3 players consists of a Creative Zen Xtra, Ipod Shuffle, and Ipod Nano. I have only used an Ipod Touch a few times and although the apps are cool, I've never seen anybody listen to music on one. Huhh....??? It's also worth mentioning that I have developed a deep hatred of Apple over the years because of their insanely high priced devices *coughmacbookcough* and their terrible software *coughitunescough*
Let's give a little backstory first. I was becoming frustrated with my lack of music at work. All streaming video/music websites and software are prohibited from work computers. I had to resort to my Ipod in order to listen to music at work. Now my music collection mostly consists of songs ripped from friends cd's and through the college sharing network. The handfull of music that I have *ehem* obtained online is stuff that is not for sale in the US (Japanese Rock/Pop and European Techno). I was getting tired of listening to the songs in my collection and wanted more options.
I wanted a way to listen to new music at work that was not an online streaming service. Unfortunately the Itunes Genius software only mixes songs from your collection. On top of that it only mixes songs that are in the Itunes store, rendering half my collection useless for mixing.
Enter the Zune Pass.
$14.99 a month for 10 song downloads (to keep) and unlimited access to EVERY song in the Zune library. I can open the software and tell it an artist I like and it returns a 30 song playlist of music from both my collection and the online Zune library. Then if I like the songs I can download them to keep. Not only that, but I can set up a random playlist based on an artist or genre which will update with new music every time I connect my Zune.
Did I mention that if you are in a wifi hotspot that you can access the store directly from the Zune?
So now I have a random playlist of new music related to artists that I like which I can listen to at work.
The Zune HD is all about listening to music, and it does that really well. The device stores extra information about artists like pictures and biographies, and also lists similar artists. As stated before, this is the best music player on the market.
"But wait!" says the Ipod fan, "The Ipod Touch has all those cool apps and games!"
"Really?" I reply, "I have a perfectly functional PC for apps and a DS/PSP for games. Why would I want all that sub-par functionality on my mp3 player?"
The Zune HD does feature a little menu for apps on it, but sadly development is closed off for now. The only apps available are some simple games like chess and PGR, and a weather/calculator app.
It also features an internet browser which works fairly well.
The highlight of the extra features however is the radio, which I use every morning to listen to the Elvis Duran Show. It supports HD radio of course, and also song tagging for later download.
The OLED screen looks amazing. Nuff said.
I get about 2.5 - 3 days of battery life out of it, which translates to about 15 hours.
Microsoft finally has a product to take on the Ipod giant.
I've owned the Zune HD for a good 2 months now and feel it is time for a review. Please note that my experience with mp3 players consists of a Creative Zen Xtra, Ipod Shuffle, and Ipod Nano. I have only used an Ipod Touch a few times and although the apps are cool, I've never seen anybody listen to music on one. Huhh....??? It's also worth mentioning that I have developed a deep hatred of Apple over the years because of their insanely high priced devices *coughmacbookcough* and their terrible software *coughitunescough*
Let's give a little backstory first. I was becoming frustrated with my lack of music at work. All streaming video/music websites and software are prohibited from work computers. I had to resort to my Ipod in order to listen to music at work. Now my music collection mostly consists of songs ripped from friends cd's and through the college sharing network. The handfull of music that I have *ehem* obtained online is stuff that is not for sale in the US (Japanese Rock/Pop and European Techno). I was getting tired of listening to the songs in my collection and wanted more options.
I wanted a way to listen to new music at work that was not an online streaming service. Unfortunately the Itunes Genius software only mixes songs from your collection. On top of that it only mixes songs that are in the Itunes store, rendering half my collection useless for mixing.
Enter the Zune Pass.
$14.99 a month for 10 song downloads (to keep) and unlimited access to EVERY song in the Zune library. I can open the software and tell it an artist I like and it returns a 30 song playlist of music from both my collection and the online Zune library. Then if I like the songs I can download them to keep. Not only that, but I can set up a random playlist based on an artist or genre which will update with new music every time I connect my Zune.
Did I mention that if you are in a wifi hotspot that you can access the store directly from the Zune?
So now I have a random playlist of new music related to artists that I like which I can listen to at work.
The Zune HD is all about listening to music, and it does that really well. The device stores extra information about artists like pictures and biographies, and also lists similar artists. As stated before, this is the best music player on the market.
"But wait!" says the Ipod fan, "The Ipod Touch has all those cool apps and games!"
"Really?" I reply, "I have a perfectly functional PC for apps and a DS/PSP for games. Why would I want all that sub-par functionality on my mp3 player?"
The Zune HD does feature a little menu for apps on it, but sadly development is closed off for now. The only apps available are some simple games like chess and PGR, and a weather/calculator app.
It also features an internet browser which works fairly well.
The highlight of the extra features however is the radio, which I use every morning to listen to the Elvis Duran Show. It supports HD radio of course, and also song tagging for later download.
The OLED screen looks amazing. Nuff said.
I get about 2.5 - 3 days of battery life out of it, which translates to about 15 hours.
Microsoft finally has a product to take on the Ipod giant.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Not Sick
I've been lucky enough this year to avoid sickness thus far. Hopefully that will continue through the winter months.
I'm currently working on a Christmas list for my family. Funny how I still do that even though I'm not a kid anymore. Of course, the gifts become a little more realistic than just toys, but half of my list is still video games I want. The other half is geared more towards living--kitchen and garage tools. I'll probably post my list here when I finish it.
I also developed a budget for myself. When I was still in college I started keeping track of all my expenses. It mostly amounted to grocery shopping, eating out, and small gifts to myself *coughvideogamescough*. Now I have all these other bills to worry about: rent, utilities, gas, student loans. The student loans part is what's worrying me. I want to pay them off as soon as possible while still keeping enough cash on hand for the above items.
On a lighter note, I vaccumed my apartment for the first time since I moved in. It made a world of difference. You don't realize how dirty something is until you clean it. Speaking of cleaning, I need to wash the car sometime too...
I'm currently working on a Christmas list for my family. Funny how I still do that even though I'm not a kid anymore. Of course, the gifts become a little more realistic than just toys, but half of my list is still video games I want. The other half is geared more towards living--kitchen and garage tools. I'll probably post my list here when I finish it.
I also developed a budget for myself. When I was still in college I started keeping track of all my expenses. It mostly amounted to grocery shopping, eating out, and small gifts to myself *coughvideogamescough*. Now I have all these other bills to worry about: rent, utilities, gas, student loans. The student loans part is what's worrying me. I want to pay them off as soon as possible while still keeping enough cash on hand for the above items.
On a lighter note, I vaccumed my apartment for the first time since I moved in. It made a world of difference. You don't realize how dirty something is until you clean it. Speaking of cleaning, I need to wash the car sometime too...
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Time Change
The time change started a week early for me. On October 25th my alarm clock and desktop at work automatically switched to an hour behind. Lucky me.
I later found out that the time change date was just changed to be a week later than usual. There was an update for windows XP, but it was never picked up by the computers at work. Everything installed on our computers are controlled by a software group. Good job keeping our computers up to date guys...
Anyway, now that the time change has officially started, it sucks. I get out of work at 4:45. I used to have some daylight left after heading home. Now the sun is almost completely out of sight before I walk out the door. I don't see how this is supposed to save on energy. Now everyone will have their lights on from 5pm to 10pm instead of 6pm to 10pm...
Also, my phone is currently low on battery. You want to know what it does when that happens? The front backlight comes on and the light blinks every 2 seconds. There is no way to adjust this. You would think that when the battery is low, the phone would switch to some low-power mode in case of emergency. Great design guys...
I later found out that the time change date was just changed to be a week later than usual. There was an update for windows XP, but it was never picked up by the computers at work. Everything installed on our computers are controlled by a software group. Good job keeping our computers up to date guys...
Anyway, now that the time change has officially started, it sucks. I get out of work at 4:45. I used to have some daylight left after heading home. Now the sun is almost completely out of sight before I walk out the door. I don't see how this is supposed to save on energy. Now everyone will have their lights on from 5pm to 10pm instead of 6pm to 10pm...
Also, my phone is currently low on battery. You want to know what it does when that happens? The front backlight comes on and the light blinks every 2 seconds. There is no way to adjust this. You would think that when the battery is low, the phone would switch to some low-power mode in case of emergency. Great design guys...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Give me the Windows 7 Burger
The Windows 7 burger will be available from 10/22 to 11/06. It towers at 13 centimeters, with American size buns. Included are 7 beef pattties weighing in at 113 grams a piece. This is the biggest burger ever!
The first 30 people each day get it for the special price of 777 yen [$8.50]! (Normal price is 1450 yen [$17]
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Motorcycles
I've decided that I want to start a new blog concerning me and my motorcycle. I figure it will be a good place to record my riding adventures as well as keeping track of my repairs, oil changes, ect. This blog will still be my main one, so if you are not interested in motorcycles, you don't have to see the other.
New Address ---> http://memymotorcycle.blogspot.com/
I was inspired when looking for parts today and ran across this website.
http://www.zx11.info/zx12r/tests/diary.htm
Check it out if you are interested.
New Address ---> http://memymotorcycle.blogspot.com/
I was inspired when looking for parts today and ran across this website.
http://www.zx11.info/zx12r/tests/diary.htm
Check it out if you are interested.
Yaaaaaaaaar
Things have been pretty quiet as of late. That's not exactly a bad thing.
Last weekend I went up to school with a lot of stuff. I brought all my dirty laundry (The school washers and dryers are cheaper than my apartment,) bunny, food, music players, ect. I didn't realize I had so much stuff until we had to take it all upstairs.
On Saturday everyone went to the gym to work out. I masterfully slipped in by saying that I forgot my ID and then signed Steve's name instead. I found out that I don't like working out on machines. The treadmills are just plain weird. When running I feel like I am jumping up and down instead of actually running. To add to that, there is no wind generated because I am staying in one spot. The elipticals are not much better. They give a smooth, low-impact workout, but all the positions just felt awkward. My feet and legs just don't match any of the tilt options available.
Anyway, I've recently become addicted to Pokemon again. I started playing Platinum about 2 weeks ago and have been playing non-stop in my freetime. In a couple more days I will probably beat the main story. I sure am a geek...
I was also in a home-renovating mood at the beginning of the week. I managed to fix my toilet so that it doesn't run constantly by adjusting the floaty thing inside it. I also worked on the bathtub because it has a small leak. I measured the leak while at work one day and found that in 9 hours it leaks about 1 measuring cups worth of water. I found out how to turn the water to my bathroom off--There is a wood panel located outside the bathroom and on the opposite side of the bathtub. I had to chip the paint off the screws in order to get the thing off, but inside there is a knob for both hot and cold water. Unfourtunately, I did not have a wrench big enough to take off the knobs and replace the seals. I might try calling maintenance about it. Until then, the leak remains.
I also cleaned my apartment while I was at it.
Last weekend I went up to school with a lot of stuff. I brought all my dirty laundry (The school washers and dryers are cheaper than my apartment,) bunny, food, music players, ect. I didn't realize I had so much stuff until we had to take it all upstairs.
On Saturday everyone went to the gym to work out. I masterfully slipped in by saying that I forgot my ID and then signed Steve's name instead. I found out that I don't like working out on machines. The treadmills are just plain weird. When running I feel like I am jumping up and down instead of actually running. To add to that, there is no wind generated because I am staying in one spot. The elipticals are not much better. They give a smooth, low-impact workout, but all the positions just felt awkward. My feet and legs just don't match any of the tilt options available.
Anyway, I've recently become addicted to Pokemon again. I started playing Platinum about 2 weeks ago and have been playing non-stop in my freetime. In a couple more days I will probably beat the main story. I sure am a geek...
I was also in a home-renovating mood at the beginning of the week. I managed to fix my toilet so that it doesn't run constantly by adjusting the floaty thing inside it. I also worked on the bathtub because it has a small leak. I measured the leak while at work one day and found that in 9 hours it leaks about 1 measuring cups worth of water. I found out how to turn the water to my bathroom off--There is a wood panel located outside the bathroom and on the opposite side of the bathtub. I had to chip the paint off the screws in order to get the thing off, but inside there is a knob for both hot and cold water. Unfourtunately, I did not have a wrench big enough to take off the knobs and replace the seals. I might try calling maintenance about it. Until then, the leak remains.
I also cleaned my apartment while I was at it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Sony Fail
I absolutely hate Sony in every way (except for their LED-TV's) so I am very happy to post this. The PSP GO was released recently and it sucks. I'll highlight some of my favorite quotes:
"The PSP Go is a terrible, terrible deal for everyone but Sony."
"There is still no background downloading, which means that once you begin to download a game, you can't do anything else until it is finished.... Even worse, if you lose your signal or get disconnected, your [download] progress is not saved."
"Sony may have promised everyone a program which would allow you to trade in your old UMDs [Games] for credit or download tokens or some such, but now that we're at launch, the company has admitted that their plan... never really existed. If you buy a PSP Go, your UMDs are worthless; there is nothing to be done with them."
"In the middle of a recession, Sony has released the most expensive portable system on the market, and as an added bonus the company seemed to go out of its way to give the finger to existing customers. You can't even trade in your older system for the newer one to help with the price, because then you can't play your games."
"The PSP Go now uses a proprietary plug, which means no more generic USB cables. Your old chargers won't work either."
"[After buying the system,] it took around three hours to get to playing an actual game."
"If Sony continues this trend, expect a $500 PS3 that doesn't play Blu-ray discs"
See the full review here: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2009/10/psp-go-review-sony-is-charging-you-much-more-for-much-less.ars/3
Oh Sony. You built up such a good reputation with the PSOne and the PS2. Now you seemed to have jumped off a plane with no parachute.
In other news....
I recieved my Zune HD 32GB in the mail Wednesday night and have been obsessed with browsing the Zune store and downloading all the music I want (For FREE!!) That's right! No more *ehem* "getting" music from the internet. See my full review of the Zune HD once the "new technology OMG cool!!" phase wears off.
"The PSP Go is a terrible, terrible deal for everyone but Sony."
"There is still no background downloading, which means that once you begin to download a game, you can't do anything else until it is finished.... Even worse, if you lose your signal or get disconnected, your [download] progress is not saved."
"Sony may have promised everyone a program which would allow you to trade in your old UMDs [Games] for credit or download tokens or some such, but now that we're at launch, the company has admitted that their plan... never really existed. If you buy a PSP Go, your UMDs are worthless; there is nothing to be done with them."
"In the middle of a recession, Sony has released the most expensive portable system on the market, and as an added bonus the company seemed to go out of its way to give the finger to existing customers. You can't even trade in your older system for the newer one to help with the price, because then you can't play your games."
"The PSP Go now uses a proprietary plug, which means no more generic USB cables. Your old chargers won't work either."
"[After buying the system,] it took around three hours to get to playing an actual game."
"If Sony continues this trend, expect a $500 PS3 that doesn't play Blu-ray discs"
See the full review here: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2009/10/psp-go-review-sony-is-charging-you-much-more-for-much-less.ars/3
Oh Sony. You built up such a good reputation with the PSOne and the PS2. Now you seemed to have jumped off a plane with no parachute.
In other news....
I recieved my Zune HD 32GB in the mail Wednesday night and have been obsessed with browsing the Zune store and downloading all the music I want (For FREE!!) That's right! No more *ehem* "getting" music from the internet. See my full review of the Zune HD once the "new technology OMG cool!!" phase wears off.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Nintendo DSi Review
I've owned my DSi for almost a week now and have spent some quality time gaming with the little guy. I've found both good and bad points to having the new portable versus the old DS lite.
First and formost are my recomendations for upgrading. If you have a DS phat, it is time to upgrade. That thing is bulky, ugly, and has terrible screen quality.
That said, if you have a DS lite, I see no reason to justify the $170 price tag. I have owned a DS lite since it was first released in black and have easily logged 200+ hours onto that thing. There are simply not enough new features on the DSi to warrant an upgrade.
Why did I upgrade? Well I sold my DS lite to my girlfriend Emily and bought a DSi. I also wanted to upgrade my flashcard.
I have broken my review into categories. If you are interested in something particular, just jump to the bolded headings.
Asthetics DSi 10/10 <--- DS Lite 9/10
I absolutely love the feel of the DSi compared to the DS lite. The lite had that shiny/glossy coat of paint on it that aquired many, many fingerprints. The DSi has a matte finish which not only prevents fingerprints, but also makes the unit feel more "grippy". The colors are also very bright and solid. I'm glad that there are no dual color schemes (red/black, blue/black).
The buttons were all changed to use the "clicky" buttons like the DS phat and Gameboy SP. The power and volume sliders have also been changed to use the clicky buttons which is a big plus. No longer will I accidentally bump my DS up to full volume or have it turn off in my pocket!
The screen was made slightly bigger than the lite, but I can't tell the difference unless they are held up side-by-side.
The DSi also sports an SD-card slot which supports SDHC. I popped in my 8gb micro-sd card and it worked without a hitch. Having some extra space is nice, but the internal memory can store 400+ pictures and also has room for the downloadable apps/games. It's just a matter of time before the DSi firmware is cracked and you can play retail games/homebrew from the SD-card without the need for a flash cartridge.
I like the design of the DSi much better than the lite. It just feels good when playing games on it.
Cameras DSi 3/10 ---- DS Lite null/10
One word--Useless
The cameras on the front and back seem to be of the same quality--poor. The quality is good enough to trade pics with your friends and post on the internet, but not for printing photos. There is also a facebook button which uploads photos of your choice directly to facebook (no menus or anything!) Sadly, the camera/s are slow. It takes a long time to boot up the DSi and enter the camera mode (10 seconds?) After taking a picture, there is delay before you can take another one. Finally, there is no option for taking video. The DSi is obviously no replacement for a digital camera.
The image "morphing" features are cool little additions, but there really needs to be more options. Why are there no picto-chat features for editing images? I want to draw funny faces on my friends and add text! Also, why can't I take the "stamps" and apply them wherever I want? The face recognition is cool, but doesn't work half the time (i.e. when wearing sunglasses.)
The DSi doesn't need the cameras. They are never going to be used in retail games as the games must also be compatible with the older DS models. The cameras probably drove the price up too. *Sadface*
Operating System DSi 5/10 ---> DS Lite 7/10 ---> Wii 8/10
The built-in user interface looks very similar to the Wii. There are buttons arranged in a horizontal line on the bottom, while the top screen shows a random picture from your collection. Why is the interface not an exact replica of the Wii? Only 5 icons can be on the screen at any point in time, yor the rest you must scroll to the right. Annoying. Not to mention that by default all the precious screen space is filled up--Settings, Cartridge, Picto-chat, Camera, Microphone, Download Play.
Second, using the touch screen is mandatory... In some places. Everything on the main menu can be accessed using buttons. However, if you go into the options menu or camera menu, you MUST use the touch screen to select options. This is a dumb move on the designers part.
Finally, unlike the Wii operating system, you cannot access it during a game. This means you can't pause the game and take a quick picture. You also can't turn on and off the wireless card from in-game. If you are playing a game like Pokemon, you must make sure the wireless is turned on in the options menu BEFORE you start playing the game. It is not dynamically turned on and off as needed. Goodbye battery life.
Battery Life DSi 8/10 ---> DS Lite 10/10
I can play a game on the lowest screen brightness for more than a few gaming sessions. I hear it is worse than both the phat and lite, but if I don't have to charge it everyday (erm.. Smartphones) I am happy.
The charger is once again different than all the others. Why Nintendo changes the size and shape of the charging port is beyond me. It just creates more confusion and waste on the consumer end. Also, the part that plugs into the wall is slightly larger than previous iterations.
Downloadable Content DSi 3/10 ---> Wii 6/10
The downloadable content for the DSi sucks. Period. I can pay $2 to download a mario themed calculator. That definately won't be taken away by the teacher when I whip out my DSi during math class. Much of the content is simply stripped down versions of DS games. Puzzle League, Tetris, and Dr. Mario all have "express" versions for $5 which allow you to play the games that were released years ago. No online play, no wi-fi play, no extra modes, no stat collecting. I would much rather pay $20 and grab a physical copy of the game with all the extra features. That aside, it will be interesting to see what kind of games appear on the DSi downloads.
I have two big complaints with the entire system. First, the Wii and DSi are two separate entities. Even though both of them can be tied to the same Nintendo account, points and games are not shared. Now I have $15 left over from my Wii purchases and $10 from the free points that come with the DSi. Tracking this has got to be a pain.
The second complaint is that there is no virtual console on the DSi. That means no Mario or Zelda on the go. The system certainly has the power, but Nintendo fails again. I own the NES Mario Brothers on the Wii. I should be able to play it on my DSi. Period.
Game Compatibility DSi 10/10 ---- DS Lite 10/10
Contrary to popular belief, there is no region locking on the DSi. I popped in a couple of my Japanese games and they all ran fine without a hitch.
Of note, the North American DSi only supports menu languages in English, Spanish, and French.
Also notable mention, the DSi cannot play GBA games. That means no portable guitar hero and no pokemon ruby/saphire syncing. I can deal with that, I have a Micro for my GBA games (which I prefer to playing them on a DS Lite.)
Web Browser DSi 7/10 ---- DS Lite null/10
The web browser works better than expected. It is zippy as long as there is a solid wireless connection. I could use Gmail, Google Reader, Facebook, and a few webcomic sites fully featured; None of that mobile crap. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because the user interface could be improved. Using the touch screen to browse is awesome, but using the buttons leaves much to be desired. Nintendo could have taken advice from the PSP on this one.
I hear the DS Opera web browser is really bad, but I personally have never used it.
Conclusion
If you don't already own some version of the DS, you should pick up a Lite or DSi. Is the DSi worth the extra $40 over the Lite? Probably not. While there are some noticable improvements with the system hardware, many of the "improvements" are quite gimicky.
The game library on the DS however is very strong. There are numerous 1st party sequels (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby,) along with many new game franchises (Pheonix Wright, Scribblenauts, Trauma Center, Proffessor Layton,) that will keep you playing for ages.
I know if you are a Sony fanboy I won't be able to sway any opinions, but I have owned a PSP for over a year and only played a couple of games I liked. The library has too many re-makes and sequels for my tastes. Not to mention that both the hardware and software are more expensive.
I'm happy with my DSi but I wish some of the features were implemented better. I feel that it is a good upgrade hardware-wise with the potential to see massive improvements. If the Wii was any indication, it could be years before Nintendo decides to fix these problems with a firmware update.
That's my 2 cents.
First and formost are my recomendations for upgrading. If you have a DS phat, it is time to upgrade. That thing is bulky, ugly, and has terrible screen quality.
That said, if you have a DS lite, I see no reason to justify the $170 price tag. I have owned a DS lite since it was first released in black and have easily logged 200+ hours onto that thing. There are simply not enough new features on the DSi to warrant an upgrade.
Why did I upgrade? Well I sold my DS lite to my girlfriend Emily and bought a DSi. I also wanted to upgrade my flashcard.
I have broken my review into categories. If you are interested in something particular, just jump to the bolded headings.
Asthetics DSi 10/10 <--- DS Lite 9/10
I absolutely love the feel of the DSi compared to the DS lite. The lite had that shiny/glossy coat of paint on it that aquired many, many fingerprints. The DSi has a matte finish which not only prevents fingerprints, but also makes the unit feel more "grippy". The colors are also very bright and solid. I'm glad that there are no dual color schemes (red/black, blue/black).
The buttons were all changed to use the "clicky" buttons like the DS phat and Gameboy SP. The power and volume sliders have also been changed to use the clicky buttons which is a big plus. No longer will I accidentally bump my DS up to full volume or have it turn off in my pocket!
The screen was made slightly bigger than the lite, but I can't tell the difference unless they are held up side-by-side.
The DSi also sports an SD-card slot which supports SDHC. I popped in my 8gb micro-sd card and it worked without a hitch. Having some extra space is nice, but the internal memory can store 400+ pictures and also has room for the downloadable apps/games. It's just a matter of time before the DSi firmware is cracked and you can play retail games/homebrew from the SD-card without the need for a flash cartridge.
I like the design of the DSi much better than the lite. It just feels good when playing games on it.
Cameras DSi 3/10 ---- DS Lite null/10
One word--Useless
The cameras on the front and back seem to be of the same quality--poor. The quality is good enough to trade pics with your friends and post on the internet, but not for printing photos. There is also a facebook button which uploads photos of your choice directly to facebook (no menus or anything!) Sadly, the camera/s are slow. It takes a long time to boot up the DSi and enter the camera mode (10 seconds?) After taking a picture, there is delay before you can take another one. Finally, there is no option for taking video. The DSi is obviously no replacement for a digital camera.
The image "morphing" features are cool little additions, but there really needs to be more options. Why are there no picto-chat features for editing images? I want to draw funny faces on my friends and add text! Also, why can't I take the "stamps" and apply them wherever I want? The face recognition is cool, but doesn't work half the time (i.e. when wearing sunglasses.)
The DSi doesn't need the cameras. They are never going to be used in retail games as the games must also be compatible with the older DS models. The cameras probably drove the price up too. *Sadface*
Operating System DSi 5/10 ---> DS Lite 7/10 ---> Wii 8/10
The built-in user interface looks very similar to the Wii. There are buttons arranged in a horizontal line on the bottom, while the top screen shows a random picture from your collection. Why is the interface not an exact replica of the Wii? Only 5 icons can be on the screen at any point in time, yor the rest you must scroll to the right. Annoying. Not to mention that by default all the precious screen space is filled up--Settings, Cartridge, Picto-chat, Camera, Microphone, Download Play.
Second, using the touch screen is mandatory... In some places. Everything on the main menu can be accessed using buttons. However, if you go into the options menu or camera menu, you MUST use the touch screen to select options. This is a dumb move on the designers part.
Finally, unlike the Wii operating system, you cannot access it during a game. This means you can't pause the game and take a quick picture. You also can't turn on and off the wireless card from in-game. If you are playing a game like Pokemon, you must make sure the wireless is turned on in the options menu BEFORE you start playing the game. It is not dynamically turned on and off as needed. Goodbye battery life.
Battery Life DSi 8/10 ---> DS Lite 10/10
I can play a game on the lowest screen brightness for more than a few gaming sessions. I hear it is worse than both the phat and lite, but if I don't have to charge it everyday (erm.. Smartphones) I am happy.
The charger is once again different than all the others. Why Nintendo changes the size and shape of the charging port is beyond me. It just creates more confusion and waste on the consumer end. Also, the part that plugs into the wall is slightly larger than previous iterations.
Downloadable Content DSi 3/10 ---> Wii 6/10
The downloadable content for the DSi sucks. Period. I can pay $2 to download a mario themed calculator. That definately won't be taken away by the teacher when I whip out my DSi during math class. Much of the content is simply stripped down versions of DS games. Puzzle League, Tetris, and Dr. Mario all have "express" versions for $5 which allow you to play the games that were released years ago. No online play, no wi-fi play, no extra modes, no stat collecting. I would much rather pay $20 and grab a physical copy of the game with all the extra features. That aside, it will be interesting to see what kind of games appear on the DSi downloads.
I have two big complaints with the entire system. First, the Wii and DSi are two separate entities. Even though both of them can be tied to the same Nintendo account, points and games are not shared. Now I have $15 left over from my Wii purchases and $10 from the free points that come with the DSi. Tracking this has got to be a pain.
The second complaint is that there is no virtual console on the DSi. That means no Mario or Zelda on the go. The system certainly has the power, but Nintendo fails again. I own the NES Mario Brothers on the Wii. I should be able to play it on my DSi. Period.
Game Compatibility DSi 10/10 ---- DS Lite 10/10
Contrary to popular belief, there is no region locking on the DSi. I popped in a couple of my Japanese games and they all ran fine without a hitch.
Of note, the North American DSi only supports menu languages in English, Spanish, and French.
Also notable mention, the DSi cannot play GBA games. That means no portable guitar hero and no pokemon ruby/saphire syncing. I can deal with that, I have a Micro for my GBA games (which I prefer to playing them on a DS Lite.)
Web Browser DSi 7/10 ---- DS Lite null/10
The web browser works better than expected. It is zippy as long as there is a solid wireless connection. I could use Gmail, Google Reader, Facebook, and a few webcomic sites fully featured; None of that mobile crap. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because the user interface could be improved. Using the touch screen to browse is awesome, but using the buttons leaves much to be desired. Nintendo could have taken advice from the PSP on this one.
I hear the DS Opera web browser is really bad, but I personally have never used it.
Conclusion
If you don't already own some version of the DS, you should pick up a Lite or DSi. Is the DSi worth the extra $40 over the Lite? Probably not. While there are some noticable improvements with the system hardware, many of the "improvements" are quite gimicky.
The game library on the DS however is very strong. There are numerous 1st party sequels (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby,) along with many new game franchises (Pheonix Wright, Scribblenauts, Trauma Center, Proffessor Layton,) that will keep you playing for ages.
I know if you are a Sony fanboy I won't be able to sway any opinions, but I have owned a PSP for over a year and only played a couple of games I liked. The library has too many re-makes and sequels for my tastes. Not to mention that both the hardware and software are more expensive.
I'm happy with my DSi but I wish some of the features were implemented better. I feel that it is a good upgrade hardware-wise with the potential to see massive improvements. If the Wii was any indication, it could be years before Nintendo decides to fix these problems with a firmware update.
That's my 2 cents.
Monday, September 28, 2009
New Shoes
It's been a long time coming, but I finally replaced my old, beat-up running shoes. Mind you, these shoes have seen endless miles and have trekked all over Japan. I purchased them before going to Japan and wore them every day while I was there. Recently the rubber on the bottom has started to wear off and holes have been appearing on the top. I hate to retire the old guys, but when comparing them to my new shoes, they show their age.
That being said, I bought some new Asics on Sunday when I took Emily out shopping. I tried other brands of shoes, but Asics consistently fit the best. I didn't really buy anything else, but we had a good time window shopping.
On Saturday we had our bi-weekly Anime Ensemble meeting. We got to listen to our recordings of the previous song and practiced the new one. The club is actually going somewhere and has a definite direction! Yay!
That being said, I bought some new Asics on Sunday when I took Emily out shopping. I tried other brands of shoes, but Asics consistently fit the best. I didn't really buy anything else, but we had a good time window shopping.
On Saturday we had our bi-weekly Anime Ensemble meeting. We got to listen to our recordings of the previous song and practiced the new one. The club is actually going somewhere and has a definite direction! Yay!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Apple
Those of you who know me probably know that I hate Apple.
Why?
The same reason I hate Sony.
Their products are expensive just for the sake of being expensive. You pay for the brand. I can buy the same thing from another company that is of the same quality for far less.
Second, their proprietary software and hardware sucks. Why must Apple use a different format than everyone else? If I wanna hook my laptop up to a monitor I don't want to carry around an adapter cable. If I buy an mp3 player, I don't want to use the included headphones. If I wanna put things on my ipod, I don't want to use itunes.
And now that we are on the subject of itunes, I have been using it lately and I have come to hate it. First of all, I deleted the tunes on my ipod only to learn that I cannot sync it with my library.
Why?
Because I have an 8gb ipod nano and a music collection of 81gigs. Itunes says, "You don't have enough space on your ipod!" No crap! I want you to randomly sync music on my ipod so that I may hear random music in my library on the go. Itunes says, "Nope, you can't do that."
So I have to create a playlist that pulls 7 gigs of random songs from my library and manually sync them over. Fine. I can deal with that.
I've been listening to my random music at work lately and rating them on my ipod for future use. I figure it is a good way to organize my music by what I like and what I don't. Wrong.
You can't transfer song ratings from the ipod back to itunes.
You know why? Because syncing isn't enabled. I call SHENANIGANS
Oh and I just noticed this--When you select a song on the window there are 4 little arrows to click on. Guess what!
They link you to the song in the itunes store.
Now why in the world would I want to buy a song that is already in my library?
I'm glad I'm getting a zune now.
Edit: Also, I just noticed that I have duplicate songs in my library. Awesome. Also, itunes runs really slow when playing music and trying to browse my collection at the same time. Good job.
Why?
The same reason I hate Sony.
Their products are expensive just for the sake of being expensive. You pay for the brand. I can buy the same thing from another company that is of the same quality for far less.
Second, their proprietary software and hardware sucks. Why must Apple use a different format than everyone else? If I wanna hook my laptop up to a monitor I don't want to carry around an adapter cable. If I buy an mp3 player, I don't want to use the included headphones. If I wanna put things on my ipod, I don't want to use itunes.
And now that we are on the subject of itunes, I have been using it lately and I have come to hate it. First of all, I deleted the tunes on my ipod only to learn that I cannot sync it with my library.
Why?
Because I have an 8gb ipod nano and a music collection of 81gigs. Itunes says, "You don't have enough space on your ipod!" No crap! I want you to randomly sync music on my ipod so that I may hear random music in my library on the go. Itunes says, "Nope, you can't do that."
So I have to create a playlist that pulls 7 gigs of random songs from my library and manually sync them over. Fine. I can deal with that.
I've been listening to my random music at work lately and rating them on my ipod for future use. I figure it is a good way to organize my music by what I like and what I don't. Wrong.
You can't transfer song ratings from the ipod back to itunes.
You know why? Because syncing isn't enabled. I call SHENANIGANS
Oh and I just noticed this--When you select a song on the window there are 4 little arrows to click on. Guess what!
They link you to the song in the itunes store.
Now why in the world would I want to buy a song that is already in my library?
I'm glad I'm getting a zune now.
Edit: Also, I just noticed that I have duplicate songs in my library. Awesome. Also, itunes runs really slow when playing music and trying to browse my collection at the same time. Good job.
Where's the Exitement?
I post about the most mundane things on my blog sometimes... So where is all the excitement in my life?
Well I just don't talk about it after the fact.
For instance, Emily and I went to the airshow over labor day. We ran into a guy at the train station that had extra tickets. $20 for two was a sweet deal when they are $22 a piece at the door. We had a great time there. Lots of planes to tour and events to see, carnival food to eat (we split a turkey leg. I felt like a caveman holding that thing!) It was warm and the sun was shining all day...
Until it started raining.
We just stole some prime seats to watch the Thunderbirds fly when the rain started. It wasn't bad at first, we sat under my tiny umbrelly. Let's wait it out we said, the'll still fly! We should have ran for our lives back to the train station...
It started raining so hard that everything up to my knees was soaked. Needless to say the umbrella didn't help much. That was a cold and dreary ride home.
Did I also mention that my friends started a singing club called the Anime Ensamble? (I call it Ani-an.) The plan is to sing an intro/outro song from an anime as a group and add an Anime Music Video to it. We recorded our first song two weeks ago (Evangelion - Cruel Angels Thesis). We get together every 2 weeks at CWRU; The first week to practice a song (pronunciation, meaning, ect.) and the second week to do the recording. During free time we work on the AMV together. Cool stuff.
In gaming news I just beat Batman Arkham Asylum and Gears of War 2. Right now I'm playing Fable 2.
In electronic news I sold my laptop and DS lite to Emily. She bought me a blue Zune HD 32GB in return, which will be shipped as soon as Microsoft makes more. I also ordered a blue DSi (to match the zune and replace my lite,) along with an 8gb micro SD card, M3i (for playing Japanese games as the DSi is region locked,) and Pokemon Platinum. I'll make more posts on the full review of my new purchases in the upcoming weeks.
There is a lot happening, I just don't post about it all the time >_<
Well I just don't talk about it after the fact.
For instance, Emily and I went to the airshow over labor day. We ran into a guy at the train station that had extra tickets. $20 for two was a sweet deal when they are $22 a piece at the door. We had a great time there. Lots of planes to tour and events to see, carnival food to eat (we split a turkey leg. I felt like a caveman holding that thing!) It was warm and the sun was shining all day...
Until it started raining.
We just stole some prime seats to watch the Thunderbirds fly when the rain started. It wasn't bad at first, we sat under my tiny umbrelly. Let's wait it out we said, the'll still fly! We should have ran for our lives back to the train station...
It started raining so hard that everything up to my knees was soaked. Needless to say the umbrella didn't help much. That was a cold and dreary ride home.
Did I also mention that my friends started a singing club called the Anime Ensamble? (I call it Ani-an.) The plan is to sing an intro/outro song from an anime as a group and add an Anime Music Video to it. We recorded our first song two weeks ago (Evangelion - Cruel Angels Thesis). We get together every 2 weeks at CWRU; The first week to practice a song (pronunciation, meaning, ect.) and the second week to do the recording. During free time we work on the AMV together. Cool stuff.
In gaming news I just beat Batman Arkham Asylum and Gears of War 2. Right now I'm playing Fable 2.
In electronic news I sold my laptop and DS lite to Emily. She bought me a blue Zune HD 32GB in return, which will be shipped as soon as Microsoft makes more. I also ordered a blue DSi (to match the zune and replace my lite,) along with an 8gb micro SD card, M3i (for playing Japanese games as the DSi is region locked,) and Pokemon Platinum. I'll make more posts on the full review of my new purchases in the upcoming weeks.
There is a lot happening, I just don't post about it all the time >_<
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
100
This is my 100th post on this blog. Of course, I logged 205 posts on my Japan blog and 11 on my Goemon blog before the movement of time put an end to those, but I still feel that this is a good accomplishment.
My cousin is in Japan. Read about it on his blog
http://deceive-regret.blogspot.com/
In other news, I have now owned my new motorcycle for over a month now and already sprang a flat tire. It took me over a week, but I finally got it fixed and ready to go. I will buy a new tire before next spring because plugged tires are not exactly the safest thing on the road (especially when there are only 2!)
Speaking of which, I have a running list of things to work on during the winter. The list is rather long which begs the question--Was the bike worth the money? The answer is slowly turning into a no because of all the miscellaneous things I need to do. The right front fork needs fixed, new rear tire, new brake pads, new turn signal, 5th gear needs fixed, and I want to clean up the engine/fuel tank. It looks like the bike will be a money sucking black hole, at least for the winter. At least it will be a good introduction to fixing motor vehicles.
My cousin is in Japan. Read about it on his blog
http://deceive-regret.blogspot.com/
In other news, I have now owned my new motorcycle for over a month now and already sprang a flat tire. It took me over a week, but I finally got it fixed and ready to go. I will buy a new tire before next spring because plugged tires are not exactly the safest thing on the road (especially when there are only 2!)
Speaking of which, I have a running list of things to work on during the winter. The list is rather long which begs the question--Was the bike worth the money? The answer is slowly turning into a no because of all the miscellaneous things I need to do. The right front fork needs fixed, new rear tire, new brake pads, new turn signal, 5th gear needs fixed, and I want to clean up the engine/fuel tank. It looks like the bike will be a money sucking black hole, at least for the winter. At least it will be a good introduction to fixing motor vehicles.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Origami
It is similar to papercraft but has 2 crucial differences: There are no scissors or glue involved. Paper is folded to make cool shapes.
I recently got involved in modular origami at work. Modular origami can be created by using mathematical equations and has limitless possibilities as long as the equations are not broken. Each piece is made up of "modules" or multiple pieces of origami all folded the same way. The pieces fit together using pockets and tabs to form interesting shapes (or an uninteresting cube).
I've created 3 pieces so far: cube, gyroscope, and greater stellated dodecahedron consisting of 6, 12, and 30 modules respectively.
Each module is made from a 4.25" square cut from my daily morning meeting sheet. It's one good way to recycle. I just wish I had more colors....
I recently got involved in modular origami at work. Modular origami can be created by using mathematical equations and has limitless possibilities as long as the equations are not broken. Each piece is made up of "modules" or multiple pieces of origami all folded the same way. The pieces fit together using pockets and tabs to form interesting shapes (or an uninteresting cube).
I've created 3 pieces so far: cube, gyroscope, and greater stellated dodecahedron consisting of 6, 12, and 30 modules respectively.
Each module is made from a 4.25" square cut from my daily morning meeting sheet. It's one good way to recycle. I just wish I had more colors....
Friday, August 28, 2009
Blood
I gave blood at work this morning. That was the 3rd time I've ever done it. I'm passing my blessing into the health system so that when I grow old and weary I won't feel bad taking others blood.
Things went smoothly just like both times before. 62 pulse, 120/80 blood pressure, and sufficient minerals in the blood sample they do. Good to see I'm still in good health.
I really should exercise more though.
Things went smoothly just like both times before. 62 pulse, 120/80 blood pressure, and sufficient minerals in the blood sample they do. Good to see I'm still in good health.
I really should exercise more though.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Another Day Another Dollar
Or a couple hundred dollars if you're me ^_^
Friday is always a slow day here at work. I don't know if the boss realizes it, but everyone seems to come in late or not at all. Granted, most of the people that don't show up work from home but it is still really quite.
I love quiet.
I started reading Death Note this morning and am finding it to be an easy read. Watching the Anime all those years ago probably helps. My word and character recognition is great compared to my speaking skills after 6 months. I guess some things go away more easily than others. I want to take the JLPT level 2 test again this year. Registration is starting soon and the test is in December.
Can I really pass it though?
I failed it last year by a few percent (see 3%) and have been out of practice. However I hear that if you can recognize all those characters and understand what they mean then you have a much better chance at passing.
It's weird... I never really got into the high level grammar during my studies (I still use mostly the grammar from Genki I and II--First 2 years of study) rather than all the stuff I learned in Japan. You just don't have the opportunity to use the more rare phrases in daily conversations.
In any case, I will look into it more. It is a good chance to get out of Cleveland and go to Chicago for a weekend (I could even stay with Jim Kogler! Juggling club's President and Computer Science Capstone partner-in-crime!)
I wonder If I have the willpower to accelerate my studies.
Friday is always a slow day here at work. I don't know if the boss realizes it, but everyone seems to come in late or not at all. Granted, most of the people that don't show up work from home but it is still really quite.
I love quiet.
I started reading Death Note this morning and am finding it to be an easy read. Watching the Anime all those years ago probably helps. My word and character recognition is great compared to my speaking skills after 6 months. I guess some things go away more easily than others. I want to take the JLPT level 2 test again this year. Registration is starting soon and the test is in December.
Can I really pass it though?
I failed it last year by a few percent (see 3%) and have been out of practice. However I hear that if you can recognize all those characters and understand what they mean then you have a much better chance at passing.
It's weird... I never really got into the high level grammar during my studies (I still use mostly the grammar from Genki I and II--First 2 years of study) rather than all the stuff I learned in Japan. You just don't have the opportunity to use the more rare phrases in daily conversations.
In any case, I will look into it more. It is a good chance to get out of Cleveland and go to Chicago for a weekend (I could even stay with Jim Kogler! Juggling club's President and Computer Science Capstone partner-in-crime!)
I wonder If I have the willpower to accelerate my studies.
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