Weekend Loot!! XD

Alright, I was supposed to post this before, but I guess I was too preoccupied with a lot of stuff so yeah. Anyway, better late than never.

Last weekend, I actually TONS of loot and stuffs that it felt like it was Christmas already!! XD Remember I said in my previous blog post about me buying my gundam kits in megamall after I opened an account in BPI? Here it is:

There was like a crazy sale of Gundam kits in Toy Kingdom that I HAD to get me the complete set of Gundam 00, which happens to be my favorite in the Gundam series. I got myself the 1/144 First Grade kit, which was really cheap. The prices range from as low as P299 – P450. Not bad at all.

Sadly, I don’t have a complete tool set yet to assemble and paint them all, so I’ll be keeping them for awhile, till I have the tools to finally assemble them. Atleast I have all 4 which is good enough for me.

The following day, I went out to meet a friend of mine whom I promised to treat out at a local pizza joint. She also wanted to meet me so that I can finally have my hands on the long awaited delayed christmas/birthday gift; a copy of Castlevania. XD

And yes, I’m rubbing it in my cheek. I’m such a Castlevania fanboy. XD

But the one thing that caught me off-guard was that she has other gifts to give me as well!! First was this little cutie:

It’s a poring slime from the MMORPG; Ragnarok Online. He serves as a paperweight in the office, and a cute display too. XD But this was by far the best of them all:

At first I thought this was for her, but I was surprised when she suddenly gave me this one. You see, I play DotA (Defense of the Ancients) a lot with my GF and friends, and Traxex the Drow Ranger happens to be my favorite hero. Yeah I know this isn’t Traxex, but she looks JUST LIKE HER, so who cares about the name. I’m calling her Traxex the Drow Ranger and that’s that. XD

She’s simply a sight to behold. Now I don’t usually collect figurines, but since this one’s a gift (and one that I like a lot) its definitely a keeper. A special thanks to my friend; Stacy Garcia for these wonderful goodies!! You’ve definitely made my day man.

And last but not the least, I finally got my netbook it’s much deserved skin protector. Here it is:

Now my netbook is definitely personalized, and looks more badass with its brand new “tattoo”. XD A special thanks as well to my ever-loving GF; Kate Navasero for my netbook’s brand new “tattoo”. XD

Hopefully by Christmas, I get to finally have my own digital camera as well, just like my GF’s, so I can take better pictures for my blog. ^___^

I HAZ NINTENDO DSi XL!! XD

It’s finally here. XD

I never thought this day would arrive, but it’s finally here. Honestly, I didn’t expect on getting myself a brand new Nintendo DSi XL, because I was supposed to use my money to have my PS3’s Bluray drive repaired so I can play Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. However, as soon as I was contemplating where to have my PS3 repaired, I thought to myself, “why have my PS3 repaired when I will only be playing it once every week, when I can have a portable handheld that will keep me busy everyday, specially during my commute when it’s the traffic is so damn heavy?”
I asked a couple of friends of mine about it; whether I’d go have my PS3 repaired or get myself a Nintendo DSi XL to backtrack on games I missed out when I sold my Nintendo DS Lite back then. Majority of my friends seem to agree that the DSi XL is the better choice as opposed to having the PS3 repaired as I’m more on the go than I am at home.
Having said that, I went ahead and called my trusted local gaming shop; Rocksoft Online (www.rocksoftonline.com) and ordered my package there. Since I was a regular customer; they gave me such a sweet deal with my Nintendo DSi XL. They gave me the unit for Php 11,300 (roughly $225) which is packaged with:

• iEDGE flashcart (easy to use, hassle-free flashcart)
• 4GB microSD card (SanDisk with free SD card adapter)
• 220V charger (the one included in the unit was 110V since it was a US unit)
• Crystal casing (to prevent scratches on my DSi XL)
• Screen protectors (to prevent scratches on the screens)

The sweet thing was, they even threw in free shipping to my office which was really nice of them. Loved their service.
Anyhow, I got my package at around 12NN, with their delivery personnel waiting for me at the office (I was out at the time he arrived). After giving him my payment for the package, he let me inspection the unit for any issues with it whatsoever. Top notch service Rocksoft guys, kudos to you people!!
Anyway, here’s a simple unboxing of my unit:


The front and back of the box. Pretty nice. They really made an effort to show you that their screens is 93% bigger than the original Nintendo DS lite (the one which I owned before) but we’ll get to those screens later.



Not only was the DSi XL unit itself huge, but even the manuals are now bigger and thicker!! It’s like ridiculously thick!!

Here it is, the charger, the Nintendo DSi XL, and the new XL stylus.

The new stylus is pretty comfortable to hold but can be a hassle to bring. So I just kept it at home, incase my mom wants to use it instead of the regular DSi XL stylus.


The DSi XL itself. I got myself the bronze unit, and it has a slight brownish tone to it, but it’s the closest I can get to it being black (unless of course Ninty decided to release one).
The screens are HUGE. And the surprising thing about it is, the game didn’t look stretched out. In fact the look even more better in the larger screen than they ever were back in DS Lite. I love the screens so much, that I’m willing to play all of the games I finished back then in my DS Lite and finish them all over again. XD
Here’s a sample of how it compares with my sister’s Nintendo DS Phat:

I don’t regret ever purchasing the DSi XL. In fact, its probably the best decisions I’ve made so far, and I’m loving it. Ahhh together atlast… XD

My BPI banking experience.

Yesterday, I was out with my GF, and I decided to finally open my savings account. My first bank of choice was BDO, since I love the fact that they open on weekends and are open longer than most banks. Add the fact almost all of the BDO branches are located within SM malls, it was a no-brainer.

So I lined up with all my requirements, or so I thought, at the BDO branch in SM Bicutan. When I got to the customer service rep, she mentioned that the 1 of the IDs I presented; my college alumni card, wasn’t valid and that I needed a 1x1 ID pic.

I know its my fault for not asking earlier, but I’m simply disappointed coz I remembered this:

BDO – We find ways.

It was from this commercial:

Ironically, for someone who says “they find ways” they never did anything to find a way to help me in opening my savings account.

So I went to Megamall with my GF, to simply buy my Gundam kits, and resigned myself that I prolly will be opening an account next payday when I have all the necessary requirements ready.

As me and my girl were walkin in the mall, we noticed there’s a BPI Express on there entertaining people who wanted to open their savings account.

So I inquired if I can open, but I told them outright that I only have my company ID and my alumni card as IDs. Initially they did mention that the alumni card ID is not a valid ID, however, they asked if I had any accounts with BPi in the past. I told them that yeah, I had a payroll account under BPi when I was working for a call center company. The attendant then asked his manager if they can do something for me, and they immediately entertained my savings account application!!

The sweet thing about opening a savings account in BPI was that they only required an initial P500 deposit to open an ATM account unlike BDO which required a minimum of P2000!! Sweet~

So I went ahead and filled up the form and they used the 2 IDs I had with me (take that BDO!!) and they started processing my application!! Remember I don’t have any 1x1 ID pictures with me earlier when I applied for a savings account in BDO? Well the manager in BPi simply shrugged that problem off by simply taking out his digital camera and taking a picture of me on the spot while I was applying for my savings account. WOW!! Now that’s what I’m talking about finding ways.

And to top it off, they were generous enough to offer me credit card application (which I was planning to do prolly later this year) and they simply used all of the information I supplied earlier with my savings account and a copy of my latest payroll slip. They didn’t ask for a copy of my certificate of employment anymore, as they said, they’ll do the legwork in investigating my employment with my current company. Also they were patient enough to explain to me throughly all of the stuff that I needed to know about my credit card and all the possible charges, etc. It was uber-convenient and I can see that my GF was kinda jealous at the level of service I got from BPI compared to when she opened an account with BDO.

I got my ATM card 5 mins after I applied for it, and its now ready for use. Man that’s gotta be the BEST banking experience I’ve ever had. And as much as it sucks for BDO, but seriously BDO, you ought to change your tagline to “We find ways… to make life harder for you”. I’m definitely a BPI fan now. Great job guys!! I loved how you took my banking experience even farther. Thanks BPI!!

PS: I just found this commercial from BPI. Their tagline with “Let’s make it easy” and I agree. They definitely made everything easy for me yesterday, and I couldn’t be more happier. Here’s the commercial:

And here’s another commercial of BPI:

Life with my Nokia C3

It’s been roughly 2 weeks atleast since I’ve been with my Nokia C3. At first I was abit skeptic about it being an absolutely great phone. I mean I was really torn whether or not I’d get a C6 or the C3, since I’m such a fan of the N97 mini’s touch+QWERTY setup. Most of the people I talked to and even online reviews say its pretty much worth every cent considering its relatively affordable price, so I made the jump. And after 2 weeks, its an absolute joy to own this phone and I’m glad I made the purchase. Although I’ll tell you right now, that having both touch+QWERTY is definitely the best setup for me, I’ve learned to love my phone’s unique set of capabilities and just being an all-around reliable phone.
Since I love gaming, first thing I did was I immediately looked for games for my Nokia C3, and here’s some of the games I got:
Red Alert Mobile

Dictator Defense

Considering I haven’t played much game on a standard S40 Nokia handset, these are pretty impressive. I particularly play Red Alert Mobile a lot when I’m bored as I’m a Red Alert fan, and playing it on my Nokia C3 is definitely awesome!! XD
Oh speaking of impressive, I’m quite pleased that the Nokia C3 is about at par with my old phone; Nokia 5130 XpressMusic, when it comes to battery life. The thing lasts for about 2 days straight without charging and considering I’ve been using Wifi, Bluetooth, Playing games, Media Player, and doing some calls every now and then. It’s definitely a great reliable phone and something I’m pretty pleased with.
Speakin of reliability, I love the phone’s build. It’s pretty sturdy and has a nice metallic finish on the back while sporting a glossy front. It already suffered 2 falls already, and it still looks just like new. It’s definitely business looking and believe me you won’t believe it’s a really cheap fone once you get your hands on one.
As for the built-in camera, I generally liked what I saw considering it’s the same spec as my old Nokia phone.

But despite having the same megapixel as my old phone, the Nokia C3’s built-in camera has some minor improvements, particularly when it comes to capturing video. Now, it runs smoothly, compared to my old Nokia 5130 XpressMusic. Here’s a sample video:

Nokia C3 video test

Another great thing about the Nokia C3 as well is the fact that its got some built-in community apps that can easily connect you to Facebook or Twitter. And I’m glad that the built-in community app can easily upload your photos from the phone straight to Facebook/Twitter. SWEET~
Lately, I’ve been using my netbook less due to the fact that I do most of my surfing on my phone nowadays, and that’s a good thing I guess, since I don’t need to always be stuck on a desk to get online. I’m pretty thankful atleast that I choose Nokia C3. ^___^

Goodbye my Nokia 5130 XpressMusic… Hello to…

…my brand new Nokia C3. XD

As much as I love the Nokia N97 mini, I have to admit, its way expensive here, and sadly I can’t afford one in anytime soon. And in my line of work, I need to be connected online most of the time. And with the increasing number of emails I get from work most of the time, and the fact that I can’t always have my laptop with me to get connected; I went ahead and decided on getting the Nokia C3 instead.

I got it for a pretty affordable price of Php 6,300 ($126) and I think its a good deal. Here’s a simple unboxing of my new Nokia phone.

I’ll be setting up my new phone in a few minutes, as I need some time to learn the new features. I’ll definitely miss my old phone; the Nokia 5130 XpressMusic. It served me well for over a year which is a testament to the reliability of Nokia phones. Hopefully my new Nokia C3 will be just as reliable as my old Nokia 5130 XpressMusic phone. ^__^

I HAZ PLURK!! XD

Yep, I’m now officially a plurk-addict. XD

Considered by many as the rival service to Twitter; Plurk has alot more going on for it and appeals more for those more geeky. And I for one LOVE it!! XD

I guess I love the level of interactivity and feature-set that caters more for those who wish to share more than just a simple 140 message over the net. Plurk offers a much easier way to share videos, photos, links, and even has a timeline of when you posted what online. Another cool feature for me is that any plurk I post automatically gets tweeted on my twitter account. Snazzy if you think about it.

If that’s not enough, Plurk also has some sort of achievement system called “Badges” and leveling system called “Karma”. What this means is each post you make in plurk gives you incentives and adds more reason than just “posting some random tweet” over the net. Level up your Karma, you get access to more features and get to customize your plurk page more. Gain more badges, it gives you a sort of "bragging rights” on your page detailing all the stuff you’ve achieved in Plurk so far. Call me a sucker for achievements, but I love it. XD

So give it a try and who knows, you may end up coming back to plurk for more. XD

You can view my plurk page at http://www.plurk.com/diobrando or you can simply click on my plurk tab on the right panel of my blog page. ^___^

How I fell in-love… with the Nokia N97 mini

I suppose the title says it all. Yes, I’m in-love with the Nokia N97 mini.

It’s been a few days since I sent back my Nokia N97 mini trial device back to Nokia, and I’ve been missing it since. T___T During the past few weeks I have been with the unit, it’s had its fair share of pros and cons, but overall… it was something that I fell in-love with. Some people think I’m crazy to be choosing the N97 mini over the N900 since the latter was much more powerful and versatile than the N97 mini; but for some reason the N97 mini hit the sweet spot for me in being both versatile and utilitarian at the same time. It may not be as powerful, but it does the job, something I have known Nokia phones for. And most important of all, this unit single-handedly removed my initial fears about slider-phones. Nokia certainly took this to heart and built one of the most sturdy slider-phones I’ve handled so far. Genius.

Here’s my Pros and Cons with the unit.

PROS

• The unit doesn’t wobble or creak at all. I’ve never had an issue of the phone creaking out or having any loose parts during my use and that’s saying alot considering this is a slider-phone.
• The unit is both lightweight and study. The aluminum body gives the phone a durable build quality without being heavy (unlike the N900 which weighs like a brick) while giving the phone a look of sophistication and oozes with sexiness. XD
• The OviStore is definitely a good pack-in. It may not be as mature as the iApp store or Android marketplace, but for what its worth, its definitely a good start. I love the free apps!! XD
• Ovi Maps is definitely a must have feature for me. It was certainly awesome to know that the Ovi Map app works both offline and online. It was a very handy feature, specially when I was trying to go to a place I’m not familiar with.
• Out of the many apps I got from the Ovi store, the 2 best apps I got were; Emoze (email client) and Socially (twitter/facebook feed client). A definite must-have for most people who wanted to be connected most of the time.
• For one thing, I tried out this app from the Nokia BetaLabs called Nokia Notifications. It’s my favorite widget as it gives me instant notifications of all updates that happened so far (like who called, how many people sent me an SMS, emails I recieved, etc.) all under one window screen. I can’t wait for Nokia to apply this to all other Nokia phones.
• The setup used in Nokia N97 mini, is definitely something I found a sweetspot to. I like having both touchscreen input AND a full QWERTY keyboard. Something that I would want to have in my future phone if ever.
• The 5MP Carl Zeiss camera is a joy to work with. It’s definitely gonna save me money instead of me buying a separate digital camera, my phone can do the job.

CONS

• I honestly didn’t like the fact that the battery life didn’t even last for more than 2 days atleast. I noticed that at the end of the day, I always end up charging the phone, something that I didn’t like. I kinda wished they did something about the battery life and made it last longer, since this isn’t the N900.
• Having a touch resistive screen can certainly be a bother, as it doesn’t have the same level of accuracy as an iPod/iPhone. And add the fact I have big hands in using the devices.
• While the Symbian OS is definitely much more easier to use than the Maemo, it still has quirks. Most notable of these quirks is the double-tap/single-tap issue, where there’s parts of the OS you’re required to double-tap, while others just a single-tap on the icon would do. It’s confusing to say the least, but not something that’s a deal-breaker.
• Apps hangs/crashes from time to time, probably dude to poor memory management. There are times I get “Not enough memory” warnings even if there’s no app open at the time.
• As a music lover, I’m quite disappointed with the performance of the music player here. The sound system wasn’t as loud as my old Nokia 5130 XpressMusic, and the headphones that came with the unit are a pain to use.

Overall, that’s my experience with the N97 mini. Yes it may not be perfect, but I can’t help but root for the phone as it simply fits most of my needs to a T. Simple, and elegant; just what I’ve come to expect from a Nokia phone. Even my dad love it!! XD As much as I love the phone, the unit cost is wayyyy too expensive here in the Philippines. For the same price, I could buy myself a new netbook. So as much as I want one, I’d rather wait for prices to come down or check out its spiritual successor; the Nokia C6.

Till then, I’ll be dreaming of my Nokia 97 mini…. XD