6FootBombshell

Social networking has made my addiction to gadgets, especially cell phones, reach new levels.  I was anti-social networking 12-18 months ago but after pressure from my friends to join Facebook, I’ve been a crackhead ever since.   It wasn’t enough to have all my FB notifications come to my Blackberry but I had to have it come to my Droid and my iPod.  Then Twitter came into my life.  It wasn’t enough to just download UberTwitter, an application specifically for Blackberry phones, but I had to download TweetDeck to my iPod and to my Droid.   Is that not insane?  Then WordPress.com got a Blackberry application.  Then it got a iPhone/iPod application.  It wasn’t enough for me to just blog when I turned on my laptop but now I need to blog on all my gadgets?  Is that not insane?

As I sat at the Dwele concert (3 blogs down) I couldn’t help to notice all the light illuminating from the hands of almost everyone in the audience.  Literally, almost everyone.  Here we have this sexy ass man crooning on stage and people couldn’t put their Blackberry, iPhone, Droid, HTC’s down.  Every moment needed to be tweeted or facebooked.  Dwele’s in the background setting a serious mood.  Singing his best baby-making music.  Since most of the crowd were couples you would think that there would be more cupcaking but instead of being unable to keep hands off each other, they couldn’t keep their hands off their phones.  And nothing, I mean nothing, should keep you away from copping a few squeezes on your main squeeze.

The social networking matrix has controlled most of our minds.  I recently lost all my gadgets to water damage – iPod touch, a Blackberry, a Droid.  When I noticed all of my items submerged in a puddle of red colored juice, my heart began to race and immediate anger began to boil my blood.  The first thing I thought was “OMG!  Now how am I going to tweet?!?”  Not the fact that my very new Droid was less than a month old, my new Blackberry was less than 2 months old and my iPod Touch 64GB was less than 6 months old so all that money I spent never crossed my mind.   Not until hours later and phone calls made that I realized that none of my items would be replaced because my insurance doesn’t cover juice damage.   A loss in my ability to  tweet, facebook, reddit, digg it, flicker, wordpress, rss feeds, BBM, IM and every other form of this crack outweighed that all the money I spent was out the window and I would probably have to rebuy every single gadget I owned.

It’s been a couple of weeks since this epic loss and I feel like a 2 bit crackhead in withdrawal.  My backup phone I purchased just to have a phone has none of the social networking capabilities and I feel like killing myself.  How pathetic is that?

Hi.  My name is Anjie.  And I’m addicted to social networking.  *shrugs*

I knew I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t jump on the iPad-wagon!  I’m convinced it’s an oversized iPhone that looks ridiculous.  I mean who’s carrying that thing around?

In what is probably an unwise move that will alienate me from the two halves of my readership (that is, me and my mother), I’ll admit that I’m a technological half-caste. I’m a staunch PC user, but am easily swayed by pretty Mac things. Like a magpie to silver jewellery, and a certain Magpie CEO to flagrant self-promotion, I swooped on the iPad test model at Harvey Norman. And boy, was it pretty. I felt like Harry Potter flicking my magic finger … Read More

via One 2 Five

I’m Apple and AT&T’s official iPhone hater.  So you know I was ecstatic to hear about the new iPhone 4G.

Whooptie-freaking-do!

Rumored to be released in July, the new iPhone 4G has already been pre-ordered by 600,000 people, crashing Apple’s and AT&T’s systems today.   I remember when the first iPhone was released and hundreds of thousands of people packed the stores to pay whatever the price was only to see it for like $200 cheaper a month later.  Didn’t we learn anything from that?  You 600,000 should have waited a few months or years and got it at Wal-Mart for the reported $99 it’s now selling the 3G for.  Well that’s what I would have done if I wasn’t on #TeamBlackberry and #TeamDroid.

Although I’m an admitted iHater, I’m still mature enough to give props when it’s due.   Of course the obvious 4G status will allow voice, data and streaming multimedia at a much faster speed.  There’s also speculation that the 1GHz Az processor that’s in the new iPad has made it to the phone.  Which makes the power and the speed of this mobile computing a BEAST.  Apple had to step it up since the Droid Incredible’s processor smashed the iPhone 3G.     The ability to create folders on the home screen and multitasking are now available (another thing Droid Incredible smashed Apple on).  Instead of going through pages and pages of applications they can now sit in a folder on your home screen.  You will also be able to run multiple apps all at once.   The iPhone Gods have answered the prayers of many of its owners with these 2 new features.

iHate to say it but I can’t stop there.  This phone gets better and better with the more research I do.  Steve Jobs claims the megapixel resolution “is higher than the maximum pixel density that the human retina can differentiate.”  But there’s an eye expert on record saying that Jobs claim is straight marketing puffery.  The 4G will have a 5 megapixel, 5x zoom FRONT facing camera, 20% larger battery than the 3G, it records video in HD, Bing has been added, iBooks, thinnest smartphone on the market, stainless steel, glass, scratch resistant… I can keep going and going and going.  The phone is a monster.

Don’t be a iHater like me.  Go get this phone if you’re on AT&T.  I will continue with my better service and larger network at Verizon. *shrugs*

No, Pacman Jones isn’t in the news again.  This time the real Pac-Man has made the headlines.

This brings back so many childhood memories!  Was anyone else addicted to Pac-Man like me?  I remember feeling like I had an early case of Carpels Tunnel Syndrome at 10 years old.  Even today, when I go to an arcade I look for that yellow machine first.  As I give the list of “top scorers” the evil eye and the mad scientist laugh, I pull out my $20 roll of quarters and begin to take out each and everyone on that list as if my life depends on it.  Well, at least I try to.

Released 30 years ago in Japan by NAMCO developer Toru Iwatani, Pac-Man came to the U.S. in the fall of 1980 and instantly became a pop-culture sensation.  Then his homegirl, Ms. Pac-(wo)Man arrived in 1981.  Navigating the little yellow “thing” around the screen as it took in all the dots, fought off 4 of his or her ghostlike arch nemesis and gobbled up cherries, strawberries and bananas, you could easily spend hours upon hours on this thing.  It was never-ending.  Then in 1999 a Florida man became the first to ever “beat” the game.  He achieved the perfect score of 3, 333, 360.  And I thought I was addicted.  Geesh.

Happy 30th birthday Pac-Man.  Wow.  I’m truly showing my age.

If you’re a gadget/tech freak like myself, then you’ll love what I believe is the absolute picks of the year.  With the help of GQ, here is a list of must haves for 2010.

Best New Tech: GQ’s 2010 Gear PreviewMotorola Backflip $TBA; available this Spring
We have a feeling this will be our favorite Android phone based on the design alone. It has an ample, full QWERTY keypad, a zippy touchscreen, plus an additional touchpad on the reverse side for navigating through the phone without obstructing the screen—great for scrolling through long articles on the web. And when placed on a table as shown, it can turn into a clock or a digital picture frame.

___________________________________________________________________________Lenovo IdeaPad U1 $1000; available June 1st
The conundrum of the year is this: ultraportable laptop or tablet? The Lenovo IdeaPad gives you both. Use it like a normal 11.6 inch, Windows 7 laptop, or pop it out as a standalone tablet for when you really want to go portable.

_________________________________________________________________________Samsung 7000 Series LED TV $TBA; available in the first half of 2010

Yes, this thing is super thin and the picture is awesome, but what we like the most is the chrome, four-legged stand—it gives your set a more Design Within Reach-feel as opposed to, say, a Radio Shack one. Plus the 7000 Series has a 3D processor if you decide to make the jump and get a 3D Blu-ray player this summer.

__________________________________________________________________________Sennheiser/adidas CX 680 Sports $120; available this Spring

mPower Emergency Illuminator $290; available in March

An LED flashlight designed by the Porsche Design Studio, the mPower Emergency Illuminator has replaceable CR123 batteries in one tube and a rechargeable reserve battery that will keep its charge, even if it’s not used for 20 years, in the other. It also has a USB connection to charge mobile phones and other devices.

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Samsung HT-C6730W $TBA; available mid-2010
There are plenty of home theaters in a box out there, but this one stands out because of it’s sleek piano black finish, 7.1 surround sound—yes that’s seven speakers and a subwoofer—plus apps that give you access to Netflix, Pandora, and Twitter.

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Powermat 2X Portable Mat with Integrated Battery $100; available in April
It’s time to ditch the wires in 2010. Simply throw your phone on the Powermat and you’re done—nothing to plug in and no spaghetti tangle of wires to deal with. Older Powermat products required you to place bulky covers on your phone, but this year you’ll just need to replace your battery with a Powermat one—in other words, it won’t change the look or feel of your device. This portable Powermat is meant for the road warrior: it can charge 2 things wirelessly and has a battery containing up to four full device charges—for shorter trips, you won’t have to deal with wires at all.

Sony Bravia NX800 Series HDTV $4600; available this Spring

_________________________________________________________Tivit $120; available this Spring

__________________________________________________________________Parrot AR.Drone $TBA; available late 2010

So there you have it!  These items are HOT!  I got my eye on 1 or 2 of them.

It’s that time of year again.  Hours of combing through malls, Walmarts and online stores for that perfect gift is nearing and I want to give you head start.  Here are 10 hot items under $200 that your friend, lover or homey lover-friend will enjoy much more than the American Express gift card you were about to purchase.  It’s all about electronics and gadgets.  Gadget junkies, this is your year.  Beware, some of these items are Recession Proof.  Enjoy!

• For the sexy, chic, computer geek such as myself, the lady in your life will enjoy the Heart Beat USB Memory Key necklace by Swarovski.  This stainless steel heart covered in Swarovski crystals, is a 1 GB key that holds up to 250 songs or 1,000 photos.  Original price:  $180.  Current price; $90.  You can find this at any Swarovski store or online at www.swarovski.com
• iPod Touch 8GB.  It has room for over 1,700 songs and up to 10 hours of video.  The iPod touch allows you to connect to the Internet where there’s any Wi-Fi connection, Nike + iPod support built in just for you fitness gurus and the best part, the touchable screen.  I was going to suggest stepping this gift up a notch by downloading a few of the newest hottest albums the person you’re buying this for may like, but that brings the gift over $200.  It is a very good idea though!  Price:  $199.   You can find online at www.apple.com or at any Apple Store. 

• We all heard about the British phenom, Jimmy Choo, lending his creativity for a line at clothing store H&M.  That collaboration sent shockwaves to all fashionistas world wide.  If your lady is a shoe addict these grey, suede peep toe shoe with studded straps are TO DIE FOR!  She will love them!  She may even show you how much she loves them with them on .  Price: $179.  Available at H&M stores.
• The Nintendo Wii.  Back in the day the video game player was a must have for every child but with the Wii, it’s our turn.  Price:  $199.  You can find this at any Walmart or Target.  www.walmart.com or www.target.com

• If you already have the Nintendo Wii, the video games to get are Sport Resort, New Super Mario Bros (gotta think about the kids) and DJ Hero.  Hours of interactive fun everyone can enjoy.  Wii Sports Resort price:  $49.96 www.walmart.com; New Super Mario Bros. price:  $ 49.96 www.walmart.com; DJ Hero price: $119.82 www.walmart.com 

• If you need to stay up-to-date with the latest cell phones, Verizon Droid by Motorola is a must have.  Released less than 2 weeks ago, the Droid is the answer to the iPhone.  It’s ran on Android 2.0 and Google is to thank for an application like Google Search by Voice.  Looking for the closest sports bar?  Just say “sports bar” and the Droid will pull up all the sports bar in the area that you’re standing in..real time.  Price: $199 with new 2-year contract.  www.verizonwireless.com or at any Verizon Wireless retail store.

• If you’re addicted to the CrackBerry like me then the BlackBerry Tour 9630 and BlackBerry Storm2 9550 are must haves.  The Tour is the first BlackBerry with a 2 GB sim card and the Storm is the first touch screen BlackBerry, but make sure you get the Storm 2.  Storm 2 fixed all the wrongs of the first one.  You’ll love it!  (Storm is exclusively with Verizon Wireless).  Storm price:  $179.99 www.verizonwireless.com; Tour price:  $149.99 (Verizon or Sprint).
• Grown men love grown things.  If he loves watches then he loves anything Invicta.  You typically can’t find these watches under $200 unless you are really good at finding bargains and I found one for him.  Invicta Men’s Russian Diver Sport Quinotaur!  Enough said.  Price: $203 (I know I know…I cheated by $3 but your man will love this!)  www.shopnbc.com.  They also sell Invicta’s at TJ Maxx.
• We all love digital cameras but an instant film digital camera??  The PoGo Digital Polaroid Camera, developed by Polaroid, instantly prints the images you capture.  The icing on the cake?  You don’t need any ink.  The camera uses a paper embedded with colored dye crystals that are activated by thermal pulses as the paper passes through the printer!  FIRE!  Price:  $179.88 www.walmart.com or Walmart stores.

• Lastly, for the Martha Stewart in us all, a life size wall mural.  These are hot!  Price: $124 www.gifts.com

This should get you on your way to a good 2010.  Enjoy!