Digital Cordless Phone

Cost about RM300, works but annoying especially the mushy buttons and dodgy speakers. Not the easiest or intuitive to use. Should have gone for Panasonic instead.

Not recommended.

Nokia E90

Peer pressure and changing communication needs saw me succumbing to swiping the ever willing CC. The previous PDA phone that lasted quite a while was the Dopod 838pro. Used it for about a year perhaps a bit less or a bit more. Did not get nor make much calls then, so its more PDA centric functions suits me well. As the calls get more regular, I used the lowly Motorola 220 (if I am not mistaken) but its sorely lacking in PDA functionality. This made me get the HTC Touch Dual which has a sliding keypad which brought it closer to a phone than a PDA. However, its quite fiddly and though it has a nice iPhonesque touch-flo interface, it still does not suit my needs.

I have been eyeing the E90 for quite some time yet its bulk held me back. Since there are no other phones - oh, I did use the Sony Ericsson's P1i for a couple of days - gave it to my daughter, I'll just have to make do.

The best feature so far is its Internet capability. Sweet 800 pixel wide screen allowing browsing to almost any site including maybank2u. Excellent. Sadly, its FM radio is terrible. The lowly Motorola functions much better. Its only been a couple of days but I am really warming up to it unlike the P1i. Oh, synchronising with MS Outlook is painless and quick. Even firmware updates is smooth w/o any heart stopping moments.

The cheapest in Kuala Lumpur/PJ now is at RM2,890 with AP warranty but must be paid in cash. Otherwise its RM3,200 with basic accessory. Authorised retail is RM3,888.00.

HTC Touch Dual

I have been using the Dopod 838pro for quite some months. A great device yet my craving for new gadgets could only be staved off for so long. A logical progression would be to go for the HTC Tytyn but I just don't fancy a similarly sized device. I wanted something smaller and lighter.

I bought the Sony Ericsson P1i which has a keyboard - errr, if you could call it that. RM 1,500 for the AP Set with a 1GB memory card. Big mistake, I don't expect it to behave like Windows Mobile but I do expect it to be elegant. It was not. I had a steep learning curve and was quickly frustrated. I ended up giving the thing to my daughter.

It was only then that I saw the HTC Touch Dual. RM 2,350 with a 2 GB micro SD card. Small size with physical sliding keyboard. So far so good. It lacks Wi-Fi though but its not a big deal as surfing on the tiny screen would be torture.

Bottom line, windows mobile user should stick to their OS or try the iPhone...

Bluetooth Mouse - Logitech vs Microsoft.

As mentioned in my previous post, I have been intending to do this for quite some time. A comparison between the Logitech V270 and Microsoft 8000 blue tooth mouse. These were used with both a Sony Vaio SZ and TX series notebook. Amazingly, the Logitech paired with both notebooks without a fuss while the Microsoft - the one who also makes the operating system - requires some blue tooth stacks to be downloaded and installed. Weird.

Once paired, they both worked flawlessly until you use the blue tooth to transfer files to another notebook or PC. Then it goes haywire, while the transfer is in progress. Once completed it will be fine again.


The Logitech is a tad bigger with clean designs which I favour. It works great and is comfortable to use. The ratcheted scroll wheel is great and affords greater control when scrolling. It uses AA batteries.

The underside is plain with only the glow of the red sensor light to indicate that its alive. The Logitech is supplied with a zippered neoprene case. Nice and simple.

The Microsoft and its fancy acrylic case which also houses the blue tooth dongle. BTW, the Logitech does not come with a blue tooth dongle. Too bad for those without blue tooth built in, either lose a USB port or deal with wires.... It uses AAA batteries.

There are three extra buttons, am not sure about the ones on the side but the one in the middle, above the scroll wheel is to toggle between mouse mode and presenter mode. This is to activate all the presenter buttons and stop the mouse sensor.

My least liked feature is the smooth scrolling scroll wheel. Too smooth that its hard to have precise control.

The busy underside of the Microsoft with the controls for Microsoft PowerPoint, laser pointer and volume. Works great during presentation. No glow of light to indicate if its alive, press the laser pointer button if you need to know. Just don't point it to your eyes...

Both are great devices for their purpose. Personally, I find that I gravitate more towards the Logitech for daily use most likely due to its larger size hence more comfortable to hold and its ratcheted scroll wheel.

Logitech = RM 279.00

Microsoft = RM 429.00

Both highly recommended.

Motorola Razr v8 & W220.

For the past decade or so, since I discovered the Palm Pilot and subsequently Windows based PDA phones, it became the primary tool for my mobile communications needs. I don't really need much actually, just the odd calls. PDA made more sense as my mobile data is more important. Recently these changed as my current work requires more mobile talk time, data remains essential but communications moved up a notch. Hence the need for a tool that is more biased towards telephony.

I still keep my PDA thus looked out for something cheap, basic and durable that I can just shove in my jeans. The Motorola W220 fits the bill, a cheap no frills flip phone. The only extra is its built in radio tuner. The black facade in the front cover hides some lighted icons for calls, sms and battery status. These only came on when required to do so. Battery life is excellent. The only thing I did not get was speaker phone function, thus it became less than ideal for my purpose.

It was also at this time that the Razr v8 was launched. I wasn't too impressed but went to the shops nevertheless to check it out. Impressive specs, 500MB internal storage, speaker phones, blue tooth bla bla bla. Feels good in the hands. So I got it. Connected to the PC, it behaves just like a thumb drive - you need to tell it to do so - instead of syncing via software. Just drag and drop and it became an MP3 player. The only thing that I dislike about it is the fact that the shiny surface is a magnet for thumb prints. Oh, and also the fact that Motorola refuses to use the standard mini USB connector...

The W220 = RM 399.00 and I get a free Motorola Lanyard;

The Razr V8 = RM 1,699.00 and I get free protective screen for the front and internal screen.

Thumb Drive

UPDATED COMMENTS in PURPLE

The old thumb drive that is fast reaching the end of its usefulness as my need for ever larger portable storage materialise. Power point presentations and digital photos eats up space ferociously. On the physical side, I am annoyed that the cap of the thumb drive has become loose and tend to fall off. Not that it really matters, its just annoying. Note the dirt and grime due to being attached to the key fob of my bike. It really is a tough little thing able to withstand the heat, humidity, rain and shine of being dangled to the bike in my daily commute.

The new with 4 GB capacity. Cost RM 169.00 which I am sure could be had for much cheaper in Low Yat.

Looks tiny in the package but is actually slightly longer and wider than the old drive.

Cap off and USB connector protruding. Interestingly, the protrusion is spring loaded. The catch has to be pressed down and outwards until it clicks in place so that it does not retract when pushed into the USB port.

Freebie Skype, unfortunately, the offer expires last year.

The U3 software which auto plays and annoys me. Even after formatting, its still there registering itself as the C: drive !

Finally manage to get rid of this annoyance. It resides in a hidden partition taking up about 200 MB. The software autoplays and identifies itself as a CD drive with the LaunchPad programme. Annoying. It could be deleted permanently using the LaunchPad Remover software downloaded from the Sandisk site. This will delete the partition and format the drive.

Removable disc G - even good for Ready Boost in Windows Vista.

Before formatting.

After formatting, 3.8 GB available. The rest of the space most likely taken up by the U3 software and hidden.

Transfer speed between 2 - 5 MB/s. Definitely much faster than the old thumb drive.

The bright red orangey light signifying that it is in use.

Pros: 4.0 GB capacity with no caps to lose and fast transfer speed.

Cons: Annoying U3 software, no lanyard provided.