More c902 shots

More shots from the 5mp camera on the c902. Pictures are a bit dark, but it's editable on the phone's photo fix software. Shutter speed is slow in night mode resulting in motion blur in one of the pics. In normal lighting shutter speed is much faster than the Nokia which requires holding steady for about 2 seconds. Will need to try out all the other shooting modes, but looks like I've found the perfect mix of phone and camera (for now), hopefully I'll remember to take more random pics like Steve.

W Hotel Diamond Head Penthouse Suite

Friend Lena who works for Starwood Hotels is moving to LA, so her co-workers got the penthouse suite at the W Hotel for her going away party. This 2 bedroom suite is huge!!! The pic with the sofa is only the hallway to the master bedroom. It has 2 1/2 bathrooms, large living room, large kitchen, and a wrap around balcony with views of Waikiki and Diamond Head. They got the room through the GM at the W, only had to pay the cleaning fee for a suite that normally goes for $4000 a night.

Took these pics with my new phone.

Size comparisons

From left to right: My old trusty SE K750, Nokia 6300 I picked up in Indo, and the new SE c902 in Swift Black. The new c902 packs a 5mp camera, enclosed in metal casing, and is the slimmest of the three. It's amazing how far cell phone technology has become in the past few years.

Will take the new phone's camera out for a test drive on tomorrow's night's W Hotel party at the PENTHOUSE!!

Sony Ericsson c902 in the house

My new phone has arrived today, was worried at first reading some of the negative reviews of the vendor, but is very impressed on how fast they got the phone to me all the way from New York (Placed the order on Monday, got it on Thursday).

Sony Ericsson c902

After some research I have decided to go with the c902. Mainly because the G900 runs on the Symbian UIQ OS, even though it has touch screen, it'll be slower. The G900 is a smartphone, and I'm over smartphones and touch screens, just looking for a simple phone that's easy to carry and can sub in as a descent camera when necessary.

Now I just need to decide on the color, should I go with the Swift Black or the Luscious Red?

PS3 is alive!!

Left the system off overnight, same thing, no pictures. Took out the game disc that was still in the machine and ready to unplug everything, thought I'd try force restart the system again. This time it WORKED!! The system reset its video setting, at last pictures and sound are back. Hopefully this unit would last longer than the last one, it's amazing why you don't hear about PS3 break downs as often as the xbox360, because apparently they do break down a lot.

PS3 no screen

It seems like it was just last month that I had to send in my PS3 for repair........ oh wait, IT WAS LAST MONTH!!! And now there's something wrong again!! Left the PS3 to download the update file for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (total download takes many many hours), came back an hour later and there was no screen or sound. The system still operates, and I'm able to start & shut down the system just fine, but NO PICTURE. Gonna unplug the system's power over night and hope it'd reset itself. I'll be making some demands this time if I have to call Sony again, 3 break downs in 6 month (4 total to date) is simply unacceptable. Maybe I should post my experience in a public forum, internet publicity seems to work pretty well in pushing companies to work faster these days.

New phone

Been doing some research on getting a new phone, and pretty much set my eyes on the newly released Sony Ericsson c902, a very slim bar form phone with 5mp camera. But today I came across another model, the G900, that has very similar specs, 5mp camera, almost same size (2.5mm thicker). The G900 has a larger touch screen with hand writing recognition and wifi connection, but doesn't have the sliding camera cover as the c902 (kinda want to protect the lens, this might be my primary camera, it's only 1mp shy of my Casio camera).

The prices are also identical, having a real hard time deciding. Was hoping to wait until end of the year to buy it in Asia, but the problem with me when I set my eyes on something is that I have to do it ASAP. I need suggestions!!!

Spec comparison

Gas price

With only 1/8 of the tank of gas left I decided to fill it up. On average it's about $50 to fill up my car, lately that figure has increased to $60, and today was $70!!!!! "There was something wrong with the machine" was my first thought, that's when I looked at the giant sign in front of the gas station, $4.41 for premium, even the cheapest grade gas costs $4.21. If I were to fill up the tank when it's almost empty it'd go over $80 for sure. Gas price has gone completely insane!

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Picked up MGS4, one of the most anticipated titles since the launch of PS3, and one of the reasons I got the system (another would be Gran Turismo 5). Was planning to pick up the game tomorrow, the day after the launch. But decided to make a quick stop at the store on the way back from delivery. Finished playing Act 1 of the game, very well made game. But it requires partial installs after each act which is a bit annoying.

Project PVC Racing Cockpit

Went down to Home Depot to pick up the PVC pipes and connectors today. Putting it together was rather easy since I have already have the tools to work with PVC pipes. Now the wheel is at the right height and pedals at the right position. The rig is light but very stable. Did a brief test run on GT5 Prologue and ran faster time than before. Can't wait for the full version of GT5 to come out!

Lost weight

Haven't measured my weight for about 3 months because 24hr fitness moved their scale and I was too lazy to ask where. Saw the scale today as I was leaving the gym and weighted myself. Turns out I lost about 5 lbs in the last few months, went from 183lbs to 178lbs. My low carb diet is working!

Racing wheel

Picked up the Logitech Driving Force GT for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, actually made the game harder/more realistic. The wheel turns itself if you're braking in a corner due to the weight transfer like a real car, trying to control the wheel is a new challenge. Also bought a 2nd hand game chair that's shaped like a bucket seat. Temporarily the wheel is mounted to my coffee table, but I'll be starting my PVC cockpit next week with the new slicker looking design.

New microfiber chair

Picked up my new chair from the warehouse. It's very comfortable, more comfortable than I remembered in the showroom. Bought it for watching movies, but I have a feeling I'll be falling sleep on it pretty often.

Racing cockpit

Now that I'm slowly turning my room into a entertainment room thought it should be time to finally pick up a racing wheel for the PS3. Been looking online for mounting options (don't want to put a tall table in the middle of my room), and came across this easy design using PVC. The creator made a good manual specifying all the parts needed, and I already have the tools and glues for PVC in the garage. It's been a long time since I've built something, should be a fun project.

Chair found!!

After searching through 12 stores looking for a chair to go with my new TV in the bedroom I've finally found one!! Just bought a armless microfiber chair in beige (the one on the far left), thought about picking up that lounger on the right, but at 5ft long it might be too big for my room (still want room for a coffee table in front of the chair). Now I'll be able to destroy newbies on COD4 online at a proper position.

Everyone has been raving about how good the microfiber material is, I'll finally get to experience it myself. Picking up the chair on Friday.

Funny note

Very funny note, sometimes I want to do the same when seeing cars taking up two parking spots, especially at the 24hr fitness Kapiolani parking structure.

Dear person,

I'm sorry I put a dent in your car. I didn't want to, but I did when I tried to park next to you. I am not leaving my information because you chose to use two spaces and I just wanted to park in one. The scratches are because I used a towel that had sand on it to try to clean the dent/paint off. Beaches are fun.

Please look your car over for the dent and scratches and each time you see them, remember not to park in two spaces.

Sorry!!!