HP Slate better than the iPad?

Slate or iPad?

I've been wanting to buy an ebook reader forever. I had set my heart on the Amazon Kindle and just when it finally became available here, a friend persuaded me to wait for the Barnes and Noble "Nook" because it looks better, with a color display. So I bought an iPod Touch in the meantime and I'm happy with it so far, though I get eyestrain if I read a book on it too long--the screen is just too small for my astigmatic eyes.

Now that the iPad has been released to mostly rapturous reviews, I was thinking of getting one when it gets here--but after reading about the soon to be released HP Slate's specs--I've decided to wait. The Slate reportedly will have a camera, webcam, SD card reader, Adobe Flash support and USB port--all the stuff the iPad lacks. I hope this prompts Apple to add more features to the iPad... I like its design better but it would be so great to have a tablet computer/ebook reader with all the extra bells and whistles.

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Documents To Go® for my iPod touch

I finally downloaded the Documents To Go office application from the App Store for my 64 gig iPod touch . I've used this on my old Palm Zire 71 device and I'm glad it has been made available for iPhone and iPod touch users. I was leaning on buying the Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite that my friend Wacks absolutely swears is amazing, but in the end I went with what's already familiar to me.

The $9.99 (P460) basic Documents To Go do not have PowerPoint editing and email exchange access, so I decided to get the Documents To Go Premium for $14.99 (P756.39) instead. I'm not much of a techie person but I've just got to be able to create or edit my Microsoft Office documents on the go, so this is a very useful addition to my mobile applications. Now if only I could do something about the iPod touch screen shifting from portrait to landscape view, when I tilt it sideways while reading, it would be perfect.

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Drooling over the Apple iPad

I've been drooling over the Amazon Kindle 2 for months and was planning on getting one last Christmas... my blog friend Marty told me that the Barnes & Noble "Nook" seems better due to its colored screen. It got me thinking that I might just as well wait for Amazon to release a Kindle with the same features because the Nook is not available for shipping in the Philippines.

I bought the 64 gig iPod touch to tide me over 'til then and it's been amazing so far... it's sleekly designed and very user-friendly. It's such a great gadget I think I'm well on my way to becoming an Apple geek because of this. If I could find an MS Office application so I could type my reports on it--I'd be in hog heaven...

But wait, Apple just released their iPad tablet computer and it looks really good. Now I'm thinking I should have bought the 32 gig iPod touch instead since I won't be needing so much memory once I get the iPad. There's still a few months to go before it gets here and I might change my mind yet but I'd love to have one.

It's like the Kindle on steroids! The iPad has this iBooks application and I could buy books at the Apple store and read them on the go. It doesn't make sense to me now to buy the Kindle--which just functions as an ebook reader, when I could have the iPad which does just about everything netbooks can do. At least that's what the early iPad reviews say.

Update: Demand For iPads Exploding: Apple Could Sell 8-10 Million This Year, Suppliers Predict .
             Apple IPad a ‘Winner,’ ‘Game Changer,’ Reviewers Say

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Gadget Shopping: BPI Installment Madness at Glorietta Mall

check your promo credit limit here first

I received a text message from my bank BPI a couple of weeks ago that there will be a "BPI Express Credit Installment Madness" on December 9-27, 2009 at the Glorietta mall. This promo increases your credit limit up to 3X your regular limit offered to BPI credit card holders every quarter (you have to be a card holder for at least a year). So if you'd like to buy high-priced gadgets this is a great offer since you could pay for it at 0% interest for up to 12 months.

these gadgets are pure temptation

Since I'm supposed to purchase my sister Mayet's birthday gift to our nephew Jian, I thought I might as well try this. So off I went to Glorietta. After checking how much I'm allowed to spend on my Edge card at the BPI desk (alarmingly high, it turned out), I started to browse the gadget aisles. If you are weak-willed--I would advice you not to go anywhere near this promo. I'd like to think I'm a prudent person but I was mightily tempted to charge every gadget I fancied on my credit card. That was scary.

my new 'love'

Fortunately I sobered up soon enough and talked myself out of buying a backup netbook for my perfectly working year-old Lenovo Y410 laptop. Anyway I was just supposed to buy Jian a new cellphone but his mom decided to buy him a laptop instead--I tried to foist the Acer netbook I was drooling on on her but she was ticked off because her Acer laptop's LCD conked out on her within 2 years. So she chose a Compaq Presario instead. I ended up buying a new iPod Touch as a gift to myself so I'm not too bummed. All in all a good day for gadget shopping.

Update: BPI text message ~ promo extended to January 15, 2010

Update 2.0: summer BPI installment madness promo @ Glorietta mall, March 3 to April 15, 2010
Update 3.0: back to school installment madness @ Glorietta, June 9-27, 2010

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Drooling over the Amazon Kindle 2

come to me my cutie...

I have always been an avid reader so when the Amazon Kindle first appeared, it piqued my interest immediately. Never mind that it was not available in the Philippines, I kept on going back to the amazon website just to drool about the possibilities. A device you could read on without the glare? Count me in.

I have downloaded ebooks on my Palm Zire 72 for years. I used to have the Zire 71 before that, until I threw it on the floor in a fit of stupidity and broke it ( I was instantly mortified ) but I digress. The glare is terrible for my poor eyes but bookworm that I am I still read on its puny screen. I even read my medical books there because it's handy.

...leave me alone!

So now I'm in a bit of a quandary since the Kindle has just been made available for shipping here--now I can't decide if it's worth the US$350 ( inclusive of custom duties and taxes ) it would cost me to order it . This article from yahoo only made it worse. The geek in me says "go", the practical side of me says "think long and hard". Hmmm... but it is so pretty, light and handy. I could read wherever I want... I also would go bonkers if someone steals it! I'm going nuts. Help.

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