Amazon has announced a whole raft of Kindle e-readers and tablets. But the interesting ones to me were the tablets. There are 3 of them, the Kindle Fire 8.9″ HD with 4G, the Kindle Fire 8.9″ HD, and the 7″ Kindle Fire HD. The bigger Kindle Fire HDs compete directly with the iPad while the smaller competes directly with the Google Nexus 7 and the much rumored iPad Mini. The battle of the big three is heating up even more. What’s interesting is that while Amazon started with books, Google with ads, and Apple with songs, pretty much all of them are now selling the same stuff: books, ads, songs, movies, etc. But Amazon has a huge leg up: shopping. Google and Apple would do well to get into that, maybe by buying eBay?
It’s Almost Here
Apple has finally sent out invites to their much anticipated September 12 press conference. What is almost here? Why, the iPhone 5, of course!
It’s not the new iPhone because, well, there’s that shadow there. It will be a taller phone with an aluminum back but still following the general design pattern of the iPhone 4/4S. Pretty much what all those leaked purported iPhone 5 photos all over the net show.
Although the display will be taller, the horizontal resolution will remain the same as the iPhone 4/4S because they want to leverage the current existing Retina apps. Apps not automatically supporting the new display size will be letter-boxed.
It will have a quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and 64GB storage in line with current smartphones specifications. But these will not be highlighted or maybe even mentioned.
Finally, it will support glasses-free 3D and will have a second rear-facing camera at the lower section for taking 3D photos and videos.
Now let’s see if I got anything right.
OtterBox Commuter for iPhone 4/4S (Class A)
The Otterbox Commuter is a mid-level risk case slotting between a bumper and a heavy-duty case like the Otterbox Defender. Unfortunately, they’re rather expensive at P2,100 or thereabouts at local shops. And then I saw Edong’s Class A OtterBox Commuter case for his Samsung Galaxy S-III. “Class A” is a euphemism for knock-off so it was way cheaper. I was impressed with the quality (for the price) so I got one for my own phone.
Just like its “inspiration”, the case is composed of two pieces: a silicone inner layer and a polycarbonate outer layer. The silicon layer covers the back and wraps around the edges giving the screen a slightly raised protective rubber bezel. This protects the screen from direct contact when the phone is face down. The buttons have touch-through covers but are still reasonably easy to press. The proprietary Apple USB port is covered by a flap and should be easily accessible to most accessories. There are cutouts for the camera, flash, and silent switch. The silent switch is still easily accessible with a finger.
The polycarbonate layer clips onto and around the silicone layer giving it another layer of protection. The whole case fits the iPhone snugly and makes it look like it could bounce off the floor. I’m just concerned about the the durability of the polycarbonate considering this is just a “Class A”. But at P300 (and could be lower) a pop, it should be less painful to replace.
Range Day
Haven’t gone to the range for some time so I invited Leslie and the others. But almost everyone eventually backed out and it ended up being just Leslie and I confirmed. We went there this morning and to our surprise, JC, who didn’t actually confirm showed up! With the group complete, we headed over to the range and squeezed off some rounds. I was happy that even though I haven’t had practice, I was able to keep a reasonably (for me) tight group. Only problem is I kept getting jams because of a limp wrist! Need to work on that.
Bonding Weekend
I made a spontaneous (yes, I can be) decision to go to my parent’s place for the long weekend. Unfortunately, Michelle had to work extra hours due to work lost from the days of flooding as well as from the loss of her laptop so it was just Jeanne and I.
Sat Aug 18 – Michelle drove us to the airport. After checking in, we had a quick breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts before going to pre-departure and boarding. Jeanne slept throughout the plane ride. We were met at the airport by my dad, my, mom, and Ioan. We headed straight to a mall where my mom picked up some stuff. Then we had lunch at Road House Cafe where we had corn soup, chop suey, and lechon kawali. Pretty good, but then maybe I was rather hungry. After lunch, my dad headed to the department store, which was holding a sale, to look for good deals. My mom waited while Ioan, Jeanne, and I went to Book Sale and browsed through the kiddie books. I was watching two kids and I survived! Yeah! After my dad was done, we then went on home.
Sun Aug 19 – We went to the beach. We were there early so we had the beach to ourselves for the morning. We swam and treated the kids to a boat ride. When the sung got higher and hotter, we came out of the water and had lunch of lechon and grilled fish. Typical beach fare. There was also durian. I gave Jeanne some but she didn’t like it too much. We left the beach soon after, just when the crowd started arriving. Back home, we had snacks with coffee. This transitioned to early dinner. And then was followed by dinner. It was eat and eat and eat. I felt so stuffed!
Mon Aug 20 – Early in the morning, we went to the plaza for a morning stroll. I the accompanied my dad for a change oil of his trusty truck. While waiting, we dropped by a convenience store where I got the kids some biscuits. We then went home and I spent the rest of the day resting and napping while Jeanne had fun playing with Ioan and Viela. I only went out when we went for dinner at Tatay’s Grill ‘n Bar. We had shrimp sinigang, tuna roe, and tuna belly. Great food! After dinner, the kids headed over to the mini-playground where they had a blast. Then we went to Iliganon for durian shake. Jeanne tried it and she said she liked it better than the fruit. Good idea for those who want to get started on the joys of the fruit.
Tues Aug 21 – We went to the plaza for a morning stroll again. After breakfast, I rested and napped again (hey, it’s a vacation after all!) while Jeanne played with Ioan and Viela. After lunch, we prepared to leave for the airport. My mom and dad took us to the airport. We had a late snack before they headed off to the city to buy stuff. Jeanne and I checked-in and headed to pre-departure. It was crowded! Several flights were delayed, including ours, so there were more waiting passengers than normal. Fortunately, one of the delayed flights arrived and we were able to finally sit down. Soon after, our flight arrived and we boarded. This time around, Jeanne was awake and was constantly chatting all the way till landing. Michelle picked us up at the airport and then headed home for dinner.
Four days of bonding with Jeanne and spending time with family. Now that’s a great weekend! If only Michelle were there, it would have been complete. Next time.