Jay Lagare

A few months ago, Drawde mentioned to me how Sanyo Eneloop batteries are the best rechargeable batteries. They are a (back then) new type of batteries that are low self-discharge. This allows for the batteries to be charged at manufacture, packaged, and ready for use off the shelf. Of course this also means that in use, they last longer. This is especially noticeable when used in remotes, clocks, etc. Convinced, I tried looking for Sanyo Eneloops to replace the Sony rechargeable batteries that I have been using on my DSLR. But they were pretty much unavailable so I eventually gave up.

Then this morning, as I was putting my Sony batteries inside the charger (I didn’t need to recharge them often, which should have been a hint), I noticed the words “Cycle Energy” on the batteries. It sounded suspiciously similar to Eneloop or energy loop. So I did a quick search and found out that Sony Cycle Energy batteries are nothing but rebadged Sanyo Eneloop batteries! I had Eneloops all along! Nice!

I for one was eagerly waiting for the release of the SDK for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. I generally don’t like Apple products. I find them to too cutesy and dainty. I prefer my gadgets to be practical, tough, waterproof, and just works. But I am aware of the potential of the two aforementioned devices, especially the iPod Touch. And with the SDK, this potential would be unlocked.

But I forgot Apple’s history. When the SDK was released a few days ago, it immediately drew criticism due to it’s many restrictions. The last time Apple did this was 1984 when the Mac came out. Back then, it had the potential to take over the the personal computer market. But Apple chose to keep it closed and proprietary and eventually the Mac became just a niche product for the artsy fartsy intellectual wannabee crowd.

Maybe things will be different this time around since the iPod is essentially the quintessential media player. But unless Apple mends its ways, it’s goodbye iPod Touch for me. Too bad, it would have been great.