Gshocker's Toys

Going.. going.. GONE

Manny heads to Los Angeles for the rest of the season. We will miss his big hits and his strange antics. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to Dodger Stadium and the much bigger outfield. Welcome Jason Bay!!

iPhone Interface Wins?

 It looks like  Apple is getting lots of new converts now that the 3G and GPS are built into the phone. This was something that had kept some people away (along with the price) because so many other phones in the same range offer both of these. Now that Apple is offering this as well what is going to keep people using the iPhone?

It must be the interface. The so simple to use interface that has just about everyone talking about how great the phone is and how easy it is to surf the web, get email and do basic tasks. I have even talked to friends who were hard core power users of other more advances system who have given those up for the ease of use that the Apple iPhone offers them. Is this the magic that Apple has discovered?

I have popped my SIM carb back in my iPhone after using my N95 for a few months. I am torn between the advanced features that the N95 offers vs. the extreme ease of use that the iphone offers. One thing that I think will be hard to give up is the SlingPlayer that I use on the N95.. This is something that I do not see happening on the iPhone for some time if ever. Also the great camera and ability to make good quality video with the Nokia. 

In the end I think the day to day use on the iPhone is simple and quite easy and will continue to make power users drool. Many may even give up some features that they have come to expect for the simple to use interface and simple small apps that the iPhone offers up.

iPhone App test

Just giving the TypePad iPhone app a quick try. Seems like a decent way to type a quick blog while on the go. I am not sure if I prefer the keyboard on the Nokia more. Well tomorrow a longer post about the apps from the laptop.

Andersen's Walnut bread

If you have ever eaten at Andersen's bakery in Tokyo you know that you walk in there and all thoughts of carbs go out the window. There are so many good looking goodies in there and once you grab your tray and tongs it is hard to not grab all kinds of things. Never go in there hungry!

Lucky for me my wife went thru Ueno on the way home to the US and was able to grab some of my favorite Walnut bread on the way thru there. Of course now I am down to the last half of the loaf and I start thinking about when I might get some of this again :-( .

Well if you are ever in the Aoyama or Ueno area I highly suggest stopping in and having a look around.

Stargate Worlds.. WOW

This looks like a pretty cool concept. I like the IP and would certainly enjoy trying an MMO with a different theme.

iPhone App Lovin?

I have been trying out a few of the iPhone apps in the last few weeks and some are pretty cool and some are basically useless. There are lots of good ideas out there but many of the restrictions that Apple has paced on the official apps keep the best away.. Well Gizmodo has a great article about this so rather than rambling on on my own I figure I would just post it here.

Japan iPhone Launch

iPhone 3G SoftBank Japan
by AkihabaraNews

People are going crazy now.. Can't wait to see how well the iPhone does over there as if it is a big hit we should see lots of cool apps and accessories.

Flight to nowhere...

Well I boarded my flight from Boston to San Diego last night around 5pm Boston time and everything looked good. We got a bit delayed at the gate due to weather along the route but finally pushed back and taxied for take off. After heading out and lining up we heard one of the engines shut down and then the pilot came on over the loudspeaker. He told us that the plan behind us had seen something leaking from the wing and a crew was coming out to see what it was.

After about 30 minutes the crew got there and started trying to figure out what was going on. The second engine was shut down and the plane lost power so we were stuck out here with no AC or lights (not so fun). After about 45 minutes of this (was getting quite hot in there) we were told that we would be towed back to the gate. The stuff was fuel and they did not think it was serious but needed to be fixed back at the gate. Once we got hooked up for the tow the AC came back on which was very nice..

We got back to the gate and they announced what they thought the problem was. it sounded logical enough and that as soon as they got confirmation that this was the problem we would be heading out again. Of course if you did not want to go you could get off and re-book a flight.

An hour or so later we were back on our way. As we pushed back it seemed like this time things would go smoothly. We had been giving a credit or some sort that should get emailed to us next week and free movies for the flight. As the plane powered up the engines to start to move on its own power we were finally heading out.. BUT.. we moved about 100 yeards when the plane stopped and once again the engines were shut down. The same thing was going on and this time it seemed much worse. Fire trucks etc came over and we were once again towed back to the gate.

This time they let us de-plane but were not sure what we would be doing. It was now 9pm and we had been sitting on the plane for 4 hours for a 5 and a half hour flight and had gotten nowhere. I had had enough at that point and rebooked for a later day.. It them too the next hour and a half to get my bad back. The flight eventually left at 11:30pm for San Deigo but I was not on it. Who knows if they landed in San Diego (since the airport closes early) or if they got diverted to LAX and then took the long buss ride down ( I have had that happen before).

Oh well.. maybe Friday I will actually get to San Diego.

D700.. WOW Nikon...

Well everyone knew it was on the way but the official announcement went down and it is just like everyone had hoped. I guess you can call it the mini-D3. A  cross between the D300 and the D3 with the light sucking sensor that the D3 offers this is sure to be a popular model in the Nikon lineup.

The pricepoint at $2999 will fit in quite nicely with the current lineup and offer people a nice range to choose from. I am curious to see which direction people will lean now that this one is out there.. Will it hurt the D300 sales even though it is more money. I can say that when I first read about it I was thinking about selling my d300 so that I can have two sensors sizes that are the same (D3 and D700). but the cost is a bit more than I want to spend when my main body will still be the D3.

One nice thing is that owners of the D300 can use the same battery grip. This will make the D300 / D700 combo a nice setup for someone looking for a backup body. One full frame and one DX sensor gives you some nice options with your lenses.

I would imagine the used shops in Japan will get a flood of used D300 bodies.. and Ebay will see a flood from the US market. Could be a good time to grab up a used D300 body.

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Tags: Camera, Nikon, D700