MOMETEK's Guide: Review

Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Windows 10 - Pros

My last post onWindows was about the installation. I'm sure that everyone would like to know the pros and cons of Windows 10. This blog covers the Pros. I'll be doing the Cons in my next post.

Sony, Panasonic, and YouTube

Español: Logo Vectorial de YouTube (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had a Sony DCR-SX45 and loved it but it had just one shortcoming... Durability. I have six kids and the camera got knocked around a lot. After two years, the camera finally quit. Maybe it was the huge rainstorm that soaked it a year ago. Who knows. As good as a camera that was, I need something a little more durable - and waterproof.

I still would recommend the Sony, as the quality is awesome, to anyone with less than three kids. You can check it out here on Amazon.

That said, I decided to purchase the Panasonic HX-WA03. It will be my first "unboxing" video when it comes in, which brings me to my new YouTube channel. There's not much there yet since I am focusing right now on my "This (not so) Boring Life Channel".

That said, I'll probably start reviewing some gadgets that I've used for a couple of years that are still on the market, like my blender. Some gadgets prove their worth, not out of the box, but a year down the road, after constant, normal use. So the Panasonic may not be my first video review.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Laptop Bags

I was quite content with my old laptop bag, in spite on how bulky and beat up it is. I bought it in 2002 when I spotted it in Meijer when looking for a diaper bag, as the one that I had at the time was falling apart. I also had a thin laptop bag, and a purse. Let’s just say, it got interesting when we had to go anywhere.

The one thing I love about this bag is that I could carry everything in it. Think purse/laptop/diaper bag all in one. The front pocket had many smaller pockets for everything, including IDs, credit cards, pens, pencils, disks, cell phone and whatever any other little thing you want to carry with you. It has two large pockets, one is lined for a laptop, the other is where I had used to keep diapers and wipes and whatever else I need to keep a baby happy.

It also came with a separate laptop sleeve that you can use separately (not shown as I seemed to have misplaced it in the last year or so). It’s too bad that High Sierra doesn’t sell this particular bag anymore, but they do have a many other designs to look at.

When my youngest was potty-trained, I began to dislike carrying it around, especially when I didn’t bring anyone with me. So I started to look for alternative. One bag (which has since fallen apart), was too small to carry a laptop, so I would have to also carry the separate laptop sleeve.

I finally decided to try to find a smaller, or at least lighter alternative. Enter the Solo Vintage Laptop Bag. It’s very inexpensive and in spite of the cost, it has a lot to offer in terms of space. The only thing that’s missing from that photo, is my laptop (which I was using with a webcam to take the photo) and larger notebook, which I don’t carry on me much.

There’s still space in there for a couple of diapers and a flat container of wipes. You can se more photos on the amazon link above.

The only downside: the materials that are used are pretty cheap. The edges of the strap are starting to fray and it doesn’t seem to hold up to the abuse I had put the larger bag through. I wonder if their more expensive designs like this one and this one are better made.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

My Tablet adventures - Intro

My mother-in-law bought me an andriod tablet, a Coby Kyros mid8120, for my birthday. I've been setting it up with apps so it's much easier to do things, like read emails, books, and even post to this blog.

If you just want the basics, this tablet is as basic as it gets. It costs around $130 on Amazon.com, which for you convenience, you can check my store (powered by Amazon, of course).

I'm still trying to get used to the on screen keyboard which is a little more difficult than I had anticipated. I've certainly memorized where the delete key is, but as I use my tablet more often for blogging and emails, I should become a little more accurate in hitting the keys.

For the cost, it's a decent tablet. It's a resistive screen, but it's surprisingly responsive. It does take a little while for it to boot and I seem to have to resart the wi-fi once in a while. Especailly when it goes into sleep mode, but I suspect, it has a little more to do with the apps I installed. I'll have to get back to you on that in another post.

While it does come with "Getjar", a form of app store, the apps are limited. I had to get around the lack of the android market by searching the forums. Fortunately, I did not need to "root" my tablet, as in, going into the root directory and risk "bricking" it.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, "bricking"a tablet means that you make your tablet as useful as a brick, either by messing with the wrong files, or dropping in water.. Even if someone doesn't brick a tablet, in most cases, it does void the warranty.

I will be adding a new page, which will have resources for tablets, along with some useful sites that will help you streamline your life (yeah, I had to say it).