Thursday, November 23, 2006

Samsung

So I was unpacking the so-called Samsung Hero. A phone that costs a mere 3500 bucks (I got it for free btw). I was pleasantly surprised.
The build quality of the phone is superb. The keys are big and have a good feel. Tactile. Easy-to-use. The quality of the plastics used in the phone is phenomenal. It has a nice velvety feel to it. I'm mighty impressed with Samsung. I had expected a cheap, low-quality Korean product but was surprised to find a value-for-money, high quality product from Samsung.
I am, btw, a stout Nokia supporter when it comes to phones for alot of reasons but after using this phone, I'd say I'm pretty open to buying a Samsung phone, in particular one of those slim Ultra edition phones.
Sony-Ericsson is a strict no for me, due to reasons, namely:-
1. It's a Sony
2. I don't like the memory sticks. Proprietary shit.
However, they're walkman phones are pretty good. The quality is great and they have some neat features. However, the lack of a real OS is at times annoying.
Motorola? Awesome looking phones but an equally horrible User Interface. The standard UI used for the RAZR, KRZR, SLVR, etc. look like they've been ripped off a 5 year old colour phone. It's absolutely shocking that a company can get away with something so disgusting.
That's why Nokia is the best. Great build quality. Symbian kicks ass. Feature packed phones. Legendary ease-of-use and user interface. However, they don't do to well in the looks department.
Samsung looks to be almost as good as Nokia and with the kind of money they're pouring into R&D, they'll probably trounce SonyEricsson and Motorola in the near future.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Over the course of the next week, I shall be introducing you to R.D. Sharma and Kahlil Gibran. The prospect of introducing you to the most dreadful authors in the world gives me a great deal of sadistic pleasure.

Monday, November 20, 2006

An update was due, and here it is.

As everyone knows, Exun took place on the 11th and 12th November, 2006. Went well. It was also my last Exun. Ironically, the end-of-school and similar such sadness shit hasn't sunk in yet.
The Exun sweat shirts, I feel, will take a while coming but it will be done if all the juniors are "helpful" ;)
During my absence, the PS3, the Nintendo Wii and the Zune have been launched. Here's my take on them:-
Sony PlayStation 3
A Waste of money. Spend it on the Wii instead if you want to play good, fun games.
However, there are certain good things about the PS3. If you want a powerful machine with an awesome processor (read: the Cell) then go for the PS3. The PS3 will let you install PPC based Operating Systems. Yellow Dog Linux and Fedora Core 5 have been successfully installed on it. It also comes with a BluRay drive. All for 600 dollars. A pretty good deal if you think of it as a Linux desktop, though I don't see what you'd do with one.
Bottomline: Sony looses big bucks on every PS3 they sell. So go buy it, if you want Sony dead!
Nintendo Wii
It was codenamed "Revolution" and, if you ask me, it has done just that: revolutionized the gaming console industry. While the X-Box 360 and the PS3 pushed for more number-crunching power and High-Def graphics, Nintendo has stuck to the basics: better gameplay. The revolutionary controller, the Wii-mote, is one of the most endearing features of the Wii. The price, $250, is also welcoming and is unlikely to burn a hole in your pocket.
Zune
The Zune hath arrived. And it's darned good. Put aside Apply fanboyism for the moment, see some pics, read some reviews and check it out. It really is good. The Zune might not, and probably WILL NOT, hurt the iPod much right now, but I suspect the second iteration of the Zune will give Apple's iPod a good run for its money.
Oh, and if you thought the iPod had a good looking user-interface, then check out the Zune's UI. You'll probably drool over it.
Microsoft doesn't suck that much, now, does it?
More later.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Saddam has been sentenced to death, two days before the Bush administration is expected to "face the music". Coincidence? I think not.
Yes, I think Saddam deserved to be punished. However, I neither agree with the timing of the sentence nor the sentence itself. Capital punishments, imho are inhuman and should be abolished. Such medieval practices are best left in the medieval ages.
Anyhow, Exun is coming up. Being the President of Exun is tough. Never realised it.