1. I have succeeded replacing the AT&T microsim with a local prepaid Globe Tattoo sim which I cut myself using a template I found somewhere.  It took awhile before I had the guts to do it but since as of now it is hard to find a prepaid microsim  anywhere.  Globe and Tattoo had publicized that they are selling them but whenever I visit their stores, they only have the postpaid versions (around 999 per month).  I am always with wifi access most of the time but I wanted to have a backup in case there is an outage (either ISP and Meralco).  The Globe tattoo prepaid 3g gets me around 300kbps speed.  I still yet have to try to see if i can put it back to a regular phone without an adapter and try subscribing to a daily unlimited plan.  20 pesos per hour seems okay enough for me for occasional use.
2. I noticed that, it also syncs the same apps that I downloaded for the iPhone and vice versa unless I manually delete them myself before syncing.  I can set it up so that the iPhone app opens at 2x zoom by default.   The Plants and Zombies iPhone version at 2x is acceptable enough and I don’t need to buy it again.
3. I have read and browsed for hours I am worried my  eyesight is getting worse because of it.  Thanks to these apps that make browsing from iPad so much fun: Flipboard, Vinio, and various magazine apps such as Metro, Wired, and Fortune which offer free trials.  I don’t expect to buy individual issues though but I would probably try a subscription at Vinio one of these days.
4. I have not even tried reading ebooks yet but someday I probably will.
5. I did not bother buying a display shield, because the one in my iPhone eventually bubbled up anyways.
6. I find that battery gets empty after 2 days without plugging to the outlet.  I use it for up to 4 hours each day I think.
7. Again, watching streaming video is not so enjoyable now because my home internet is not fast enough for it (Bayantel).  There is no incentive yet for me to buy US VPN service to access US streaming video sites because of this.
8. I am ashamed to admit that I’ve had sore muscles several days at a time because of the IPAD.  It is not heavy but it is also not as light as a small paperback novel.
9. I am considering buying a wireless keyboard for it sometime in the near future.  I would prefer to get something smaller but I am not so sure if non-apple keyboards would work with it.
10. Tried using remote desktop app with it and it works but still I have to do some setup with my router to make my laptop accessible from the internet.  Need to make sure I do it correctly and safe first before I dive deeply into this. But yes, the plan is to have this replace my heavy Thinkpad  when I go out of town.

© admin for Spy Pinay, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: apple, ipad, tablet

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Another interesting discovery in this mall is a mysterious shop called “Our Big Little Store“.  Actually, it was really so unnoticeable that I only found out the name of the store after I went out and already bought stuff from it.  Going inside, reminded me of small Oriental or even Filipino stores abroad, stores we call “Tokos” back in the Netherlands.  It was also a surprise to see that they were also serving food deli-style and that there are dining tables hidden to the right of the store.    Their menu includes some of the most interesting I’ve found in a while:  they have Balut Soup, Pigeon Soup, soups with Chinese-sounding names I don’t recognize, Adobo Egg, huge siomais, huge fresh Lumpias, wrapped takeouts of barbecue, sushi, siopao A (Asado) and siopao B (Bola Bola) funny I was even that stupid to ask what A and B where. hehe.  Let’s just say, they will see the likes of me again  sooner than later.  At first, it was kind of chaotic for there were too many people ordering but I was patient enough to wait and I took the chance to observe a bit.  Next thing I knew,  a lady already approached me to take my order (somehow reminded me of the Apple store in New York haha) ! Wow! I’m impressed

A few blocks away was my next stop.  It was the JT’s Manukan Grill I have long been hearing about.  I’ve heard and read good reviews of their Chicken Inasal.  By the way this store is owned by renowned Filipino actor Joel Torre.  When I got there,  I saw that the store was in a corner and lit up well.  It was open air — beer garden style.  Anyways, I looked at the menu and was pleasantly surprised how affordable it was: 88 Pesos for a Pecho! That’s the size of half a chicken.  It did not include rice but still, it still is a bargain.  I ended up ordering  Pecho and Chicken Wings to go.  The wait took longer than expected (about 15 minutes?).   While waiting I noticed that there were several interesting stores next to it.  Next door is Ferino’s Bibingka — a favorite of me and MrC and the one next to that is a mom and pop cake shop and another one in front was a Pancit Malabon.  It is also interesting to know then that it was the same area where I bought our Christmas Lantern (Parol) last year.  What an interesting place!

© admin for Spy Pinay, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Gilmore, New Manila

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

• Slow internet kills the experience.  Looking for apps in ITunes is extremely slow. Downloading is slow.  Browsing is slow.    You cannot appreciate your IPAD without good internet connection.  No multitasking means waiting until something finishes.  No reading on the side allowed.
• You need a US ITunes account in order to use the App Store.  I’m glad I had one.
• Make sure you have a protective shield for your screen.  Trust me — you would need it.
• Make sure your IPAD has a case and is always inside a case.  Protect it from elements.
• Protect your IPAD from kids or pets.  This gadget is not very kid safe. I know the apps are very kid-friendly but the hardware isn’t.
• Unlike the IPhone, it has a Horizontal/Vertical lock.
• It is actually heavier than it looks.
• If you don’t want a stiff neck, mount it on something that would raise it to your eye level.
• It is hard to share it with others.  Not all apps can be logged out cleanly.  Make sure you log out your Itunes account before you pass it on to someone else.
• Most apps made for the IPAD  are more expensive than apps made for IPhone.
• I need a  separate keyboard to type comfortably with two hands.
• The screen is not as amazing as what Steve Jobs claimed it would be.

I am not so sure if I am getting one for myself.  However, with the prospect of IPhone OS 4 /iOS 4 iPad firmware update
coming out soon then just maybe I might just give it a second look.

© admin for Spy Pinay, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: apple, gadgets, ipad, tablet

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

After a few days of using my old phones I decided that it’s time to get me a new phone.  For the past 6 months or so, I’ve been noticing and considering the IPhone after seeing it in action when I visited my sister’s place.  It was indeed the Gadget of the Year.  First of all, it stands out from all the rest due to the large amount of applications (free and cheap) available in the App Store.  It was indeed a toy with a phone feature.  It is essentially the same as the IPod Touch but the latter has no possibility of 3G internet and phone of course.  IPod touch is half the price but knowing myself, I didn’t want to carry (and be responsible for) more than 1 gadget.

I visited a Globe Telecom store in Greenhills and was told that they are out of stock and I would need to be signed up in a queue.  She said it would take not days but months to even get one! Sheesh. Frustrating.

For days, I tried to find out ways how I could get one.. I can buy one from the US or Canada but those would be locked.  The HongKong online Apple store seemed perfect: it sold factory unlocked phones but I had no idea how to ship it here. There’s also some online stores such as the KIM Multiply store.  My hubby did not think it was wise to buy from those online stores so I scrapped the idea.  I did call them up though.  I found out their store was located in Tayuman.

And so how did I end up having one?  While browsing computer shops in Megamall I ran across two stores that sell factory unlocked phones. These are obviously gray market stuff. I was not so sure if I would trust these stores.  One managed to show a demo unit for me.  Everything seemed to be ok and authentic. The price was a bit more than Globe’s (3,000 more) but not that high.  In the end, I decided to go home first and research more about it before I make a final decision.   Also, I have to make sure I am getting the real thing  and to know that I have to know the product a bit more.

After a few days, I knew I was ready to go back to the store.  To my surprise, the sales guy wasn’t there and it was another person who seemed not to remember me from last weekend.  She told me they had no more stocks of the 16GB but only the 32GB.  So I went home quite disappointed.  At least I was able to get the phone number of the other store.

That weekend, I first called that other store and found out that they had it.  A few hours later I was there. I brought my laptop so we could activate the phone right there using my ITunes account.  Fortunately, I had been a US ITunes User for several years already. No need to create one.  I was able to download apps with no problems. While I was there, the guy from the other store found me and was so regretful seeing me buy the phone there.  I told him he wasn’t there when I came back a few days later and that they had no stock then.  So I went here instead.

Since I had my phone, I have already downloaded so many apps.. I even bought one: Plants and Zombies which was the best selling app during that time.  There’s so much cool stuff one can play with I can’t even begin to enumerate.  Maybe the next few posts I will talk about IPhone-related stuff.  Stay tuned. Gosh! I love my IPhone!

© mixxy for Spy Pinay, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: IPhone

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh