SLING IT!

It's amazing, how much new technology is now making its way to the market for consumers to take hold of and make life much easier.
To me, whatever is new out there, is something worth trying. Come to think of it---somebody out there, has basically squeezed his brains out to come up with the technological concept. Besides,if it really makes us enjoy something that wasn't possible a decade or so ago, then we really have to check it out.
The newest gadget that has some really good entertainment value is the slingbox. Why? It allows you to watch your TV shows virtually anywhere in the world where you have an internet connection. It uses the principle of place-shifting instead of timeshifting. Place-shifting allows you to watch TV shows you receive at home in other locations. So if you have the slingbox already set-up, you can just watch your favorite TV shows on your laptop or any PC anywhere in the world provided you have an internet access. Isn't that great?
Set-up is easy. In layman's term this is how it works. You feed your video source to the sling box, be it your cable box, dvr, or vcr, then the sling box processes it so it can be transmitted over the internet, and the slingbox has an IR blaster that basically serves as a remote control over the connected video source. So even if you are ten thousand miles away from home,you can control the slingbox to cause some changes to the video source, by just clicking on a remote control image representation on your PC or laptop screen. You have absolute control of your video source even if you are halfway around the world. You can browse your TV guide, browse the menu, even record shows if you have a dvr(digital video recorder) connected to it--all in the convenience of your computer through the internet. See how it works. Then Sling it!

Get Unwired!

Do you spend more time in front of your computer than in front of your TV? If so you are among those who are helplessly hooked on the computer for whatever reason. And unless you have an internet connection, the computer is a boring companion, right? You can load it up with useful programs and entertaining games, but it doesn't offer as much adventure as driving along the internet highway.
The internet just has an immense library of information, that you can basically move from one spectrum to another. You always end up with something interesting to read, to download, to watch to, to listen to, and to do many other stuff with.
But how many of us still go for a dial-up connection? It's cheaper than high-speed internet but the downside is that, you waste your time waiting for things to finish downloading. In other words, you have to have patience to be able to deal with it.
Sadly, I'm too hyper-tech-savvy(take note) to wait for slow connections. Simply put, I have no patience for slowness in terms of information exchange. So I opted for a DSL connection--the fastest so far in my vicinity at top speed of 384 kbps, but actual downstream is only about 15o kbps. Do you notice how much attenuation the signal suffered. It could be caused by several factors. But I am not going to talk on that subject at this time.
What can I do with my dsl connection? A high-speed connection is better shared over a network through a wireless router with data encryption. And that to me, is the best use I can think of with my existing internet connection.
At first I installed a DLink wireless router, so my home immediately turned into a hotspot. The installation was easy as well as the configuration. In a few hours, I was able to connect to the internet wirelessly using my wi-fi enabled laptop. It worked fine, but the concrete walls in between rooms greatly diminished the signal, that I had to get another D-link wireless repeater.
I got it in the U.S. though, cause when I tried looking for it in Cebu and asking the computer stores for its availability, they usually just gave me that puzzled look, like I was just making up the name of the gadget and it doesn't really exist. You know, they're not updated too!
When I installed the wireless repeater, it worked well but still I wasn't satisfied with the signal strength. Then luckily on my next trip to the U.S., I acquired a DLink MIMO wireless router. It really has superb speed and signal streaming filters for a consistent signal transmission at a wider perimeter. I was so glad I got it, cause now I am unwired anywhere in the house and with a 16-bit encryption capability I can be assured that no outsiders can easily eavesdrop on my wireless network. The good thing is, you don't have to be a networking expert to be able to put up one in your home. You just have to follow the setup instructions provided in the CD that comes with the device. And why D-Link? I am not endorsing the product but it just so happen that I find it easier to install. It's more user friendly than other brands out there. Give it a try! Wireless convenience is priceless.

My First Baby--A Toshiba Portege M100

I am gadget crazy, and yeah, that's a fact. I spend more money on gadgets than clothing or anything else. The truth is, technology's pace is so fast, that I have to chase it, literally. And the newer and more advanced gadgets I have, the more in pace I am with technology.
And with technology, the trend is always mobility and powerful features in one package. That's why, the smaller the gadgets are and the more powerful features they have, the more expensive they become.
What is it in me? I love technology gadgets that come in small packages--and I'm referring to the physical size not the features.

My first laptop is a Toshiba portege M100, with a 12.1" super bright screen. The thing I love about it is it's small size and light weight as well as it's wireless feature. It also has a very sleek design, everyone drools when they see it. I am happy with it, in fact, I still use it more often than my other laptops.

My Fujitsu P1500D

PC or laptop? Laptop or tablet? Portable or ultra-portable? How about a laptop that converts to a tablet and is ultra-portable? It's the ultimate mobility gadget!

The fujitsu lifebook 1500D has an 8.9" screen; it's convertible to a tablet; it uses pen-based technology; and employs the latest log-in security feature which uses biometric scanning. Add to that it's wi-fi capability and you will be totally overwhelmed with the beauty, and the genius behind such a small package. You can easily carry it around. It also comes handy with the pre-packaged Evernote software that makes saving pages in tablet mode much easier be it a web page or any application you're working on, into an endless scroll of notes archived and arranged in chronological order using a date stamp. Technology doesn't make it any easier than that.
This toy is definitely my new favorite!