The Palm Pre

In the past, I have ripped apart the Samsung Instinct, which was supposed to be an Iphone killer, barely touched the iphone.  As of recently, a desperate Sprint has teamed up with an even more desperate Palm and developed the Palm Pre.  This phone has a lot of potential.  Just to let everyone know, I am a current Iphone user.  

I recently had the chance to play around with the Palm Pre and it has many features that iphone users were looking for on the iphone 3g.  One feature is the multitasking ability.  Keeping applications open in order to get regular updates is a necessity.  For example, if you buy applications from apple’s app store, the only way we would know if there are any updates to those apps is if we open up the app store again, with the palm pre, it is constantly updating all of it’s applications, so we would be notified without opening up the app store on the Pre.  Another cool trick up the Pre’s sleeve is its ability to update over the air.  If you use calendars on google, yahoo, or even facebook, the palm pre can update all of this over the air, without plugging it into the computer.  This is very cool.  

Another great thing about the Pre is its WebOS operating system.  It uses linux, just as Mac’s do.  The system looks great, however there is a lot of lag when opening applications, probably a consequence of having multitasking.  The user of the phone I played around with also complained about the battery life.  Apple came back against Palm saying that it didn’t use multitasking on the iphone because it drained the battery, apparently they weren’t lying.  

Even though the Palm Pre has some interesting features, there are a few things that I don’t like about it.  

First of all, I do not like the qwerty keyboard.  It is way too small.  I ended up typing with the tips of my fingernails.  The keyboard is smaller than a blackberry keyboard.  The multitouch is really nice on this phone, first touchscreen that can compete with the iphone (may even be better), but I had problems understanding the gestures at first.  I did not have this problem with the iphone because there really isn’t a learning curve for the iphone.  There are gestures and ways to get around the Pre that have to be learned, not really a con, but I would have hoped for something a bit more seamless.  The palm pre is also incapable of capturing video.  And finally, the palm pre has a smaller screen, but at the same resolution as the Iphone 3g.  

The Palm pre is a good looking phone with a few cons, but I do believe that the Pro’s outweigh the cons in this case.  We have to wait until June 19th to see Apple’s rebuttal to the Palm Pre with the Iphone 3gs.  The 3gs offers video, voice control of phone and ipod, multitasking, and a multitude of other features to out do the palm, including faster processor and more memory, up to 32 gigs.  

The only thing I do not like about the iphone 3gs is not apple’s fault, but At&t’s fault.  The new Iphone 3gs will have MMS.   However, the Att network cannot accommodate the MMS feature as of yet so people who get the phone when it comes out (June 19th) won’t be able to fully experience MMS until later this year.  The Iphone 3gs will also be able to be tethered to your computer and the internet connection off the iphone can then be used with any PC or mac anywhere there is an ATT network.  This is really cool, glad apple is providing it, but again ATT said it won’t be available for at least a few months, and of course customers may have to pay more for both the tethering and the MMS.  We will see how people react.  

As for me, I may go back to sprint if the Pre holds true for the next few months and if ATT drastically changes its plan prices.

Filed under: Technology , AT&T, cell phone, Iphone, Iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, Iphone competitor, Iphone killer, New Iphone, Palm, Palm Pre, pda phone, Smartphone, Sprint

THE SIMS 3 RELEASED, my first impression

After being postponed nearly six months, the long awaited third edition to the greatest gaming franchise has finally become available.  The sims 3 holds great promises from open gameplay to the ability to make a unique sim that will behave and react in completely different ways from another sim.  Ever since I heard about the sims 3, I have been looking forward to it.  For those of you who read my previous blog posts about this game, I was really disappointed when EA decided to postpone the game.  All that is in the past now and finally the game of the year is available, and this is what I think of it.

AMAZING!

I own both a mac and a PC, so it was nice to see that the one disc can be installed on both platforms.  When I loaded the game up, it went through the same introductions as the sims 2.  Once you are able to pick the neighborhood, sunset valley, the real fun begins.  

The options to create a sim is unlimited, just like the game promised.  Everything is controlled by sliders and every facial feature can be controlled as well, from the mouth to the fullness and length of the eyebrow.   Once the physical appearance of the sim is decided, it is time to figure out the traits.  

The trait system in the sims 3 is completely new and redefined.  There are a total of five traits that can be selected from many.  Once it is selected, the trait will actively dictate your sims every action.  For example, one of my newly created sims had a trait of a klepto.  Because he is a klepto, he becomes happy when he steals.  Other extraneous traits include daredevil, evil, and neurotic.  

Building homes with the sims 3 is more or less the same as in the sims 2, with the exception of customization of course.  The designers of this game really pushed the idea of customization.  Anything can be clicked and customized to suit your style, including the car you buy for your sim!  A person can easily spend five hours designing and building a home (I don’t have much of a life these days).  

Another great improvement in the game is the career paths.  Now, careers are not limited to a few distinct paths, a sim can now become aspiring writers, painters, hackers, etc. depending on their traits.  For example, if you choose the trait computer whiz, you can become a hacker by hacking late at night.  Also, with books, there are royalties paid, instead of a lump sum.  Along with these new paths, each career also comes with many many opportunities.  These opportunities are presented to your sim and there is a certain amount of time to complete each one.  

I could honestly sit here and talk about the sims 3 a lot more, but there is too much for me to say.  My first impression is this, I am very impressed.  This is a solid game and the developers really did listen to all of us who wanted something more out of this game.  It is an amazing game, if you didn’t buy it yet, please do so, don’t miss out!

Filed under: Technology , Computer, Computer games, EA, Electronic Arts, games, maxis, Technology, The sims, the sims 2, The sims 3

Arun’s Mind new site

Hello all,

I have created a new site and will be making that my permanent blog.  The URL is http://www.arunsmind.com.  Be sure to bookmark the new site.  Hope you like it.

If there are any suggestions/comments you have, feel free to drop me an email, which can be found at the bottom of the new site.

Click here to view the new site.

Thank you,

Arun

Filed under: Uncategorized , Arun's Mind, Blog, Site, URL

Governor Bobby Jindal’s Rebuttal

Governor Bobby Jindal, who is the governor of Louisiana, rebutted president Obama’s speech tonight.  He is a rising star as many people say, but I think that his speech wasn’t what I thought it would be.  I didn’t like how he tried to link hurricane Katrina to the inefficiency of the United States government.  The government did not act as it should have during Katrina, but the government was still needed in aide and rebuilding the state.  One thing I found interesting was when Gov. Jindal said  the people who dealt with Katrina on their own (saving people with boats) did not need the government to intervene, people must take on more on their own without the governments help.  What I found interesting about this is that this is exactly what happened with the housing market.  People were getting sub prime loans without any government intervention and most of our current situation can be attributed to this failure.  I do think that government should stay out of our way and I am honestly terrified with a lot of these new technologies we see in shows such as a history channel series known as 2050, but I will talk more about that in another post.  When things get tough, it’s hard for things to get accomplished without the government.  In history, the government was involved in every crisis.  It is honestly who most of us turn to when there is a problem in the nation.

Gov. Jindal also criticized certain parts of Obama’s restructuring plan such as creating maglev trains.  I personally think that the infrastructure in this country is out of date.  There are nations out there who have many ways of travelling long distances.  We rely primarily on planes and cars.  I think the governor fails to realize that creating new infrastructure in this country will put a lot of men and women to work to not only construct this new infrastructure but also maintain and run it.  

I really do like Jindal, he has done a lot for the state of Louisiana.  I look forward to seeing him in the future and maybe even run for president, but I personally feel that there should be leaps in science and innovations in technology in order to move this country forward. I feel that this was hugely lacking in the last 8 years.   What I don’t like about the republican party at this point is that I feel like they are living in the past.  And as this country does get larger and larger, there is more that is required of the federal government.  I agree with Gov. Jindal that the government should be limited, but in the event of a crisis and to develop infrastructure, the government is needed in my opinion.

Filed under: Politics , Barack Obama, Bobby Jindal, Governor, Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana, Politics, President Obama, Rebuttal, Speech

Our country, what is happening?

Our country is between a rock and a hard place.  Everything that we are experiencing as a nation does not seem promising.  Unemployment is at an all time low.  Some cities in this country has an unemployment rate of over 15 percent.  The national average unemployment rate is at 7.6 percent.  High school graduates aren’t able to get jobs.  People are not buying American products or purchasing much of anything these days.  There is an undeniable division in Washington among democrats and republicans.   Obama seems to be going back on a number of promises that he made during his campaign.  His administration seems to be dysfunctional because every week we have someone resigning.  

My concern and question is this; what is this country coming to?!  I have just read an article about Roland Burris, apparently he did have connections with Blago before he was nominated and now he’s being asked to resign.  President Obama passed a stimulus bill that was completely opposite of being bipartisan.  Republicans seem to be completely against the Obama administration.  Democrats seem to be unwilling to work with republicans.  The amount of dysfunctionality in this country is really astounding and heartbreaking.  Even though there are many problems facing this country today, the only solutions that are being developed are from our president and no one else.  People who don’t agree with our president should stand up and come up with something else and really come to a genuine compromise.  Of course there is protocol that is followed in congress for passing legislation, but when republicans don’t want to come up with their own plan it’s hard to understand their problems.  The democrats want to spend large sums of money that will be borrowed from other nations in order to bring us out of this crisis(it may or not work but we will have borrowed another trillion dollars regardless), but when they don’t want to hear what republicans have to say it causes a huge division in this country that is not fair to the citizens of this nation.  

Obama has signed executive orders in reducing the amount of troops in Iraq and closing down Guantanamo, but he has no plan of how to do either.  

What is this country coming to?  It seems that these hard times are causing more division in this country rather than coming together and figure something out.  All of these politicians should figure something out and forget about their popularity in their districts.  People need to put aside their petty differences and figure things out in this country because I for one am really worried about our future.  Will our children be able to say that they have led better lives than we have?  The way things are going I can honestly say I don’t know.

Filed under: Politics , American, Barack Obama, bipartisanship, crisis, democratic, democrats, economic crisis, Economy, Future, independents, Politics, President, republican, stimulus plan, United States of America, USA

The Sims 3 (disappointed with EA)

Just as a Note, today was the day the sims 3 was to be released.  We all know it isn’t

and I would like to reaffirm how upset I am that it has been postponed.

Filed under: Technology , Computer, Computer games, EA, entertainment arts, games, Gaming, maxis, new release date, PC, PC games, The sims, The sims 3, the sims 3 postponed, the sims new release date

Lost Season 5 Episode 6 “317″

Last week, I was very unhappy with the episode.  This week, I have made a complete 180.  I suppose it wasn’t very fair of me to say that the season is going downhill based upon one episode.  This show is a rollercoaster ride and it is a very long ride with ups and downs and plateaus.  Last week we were going down.  This week, we went up.

We saw in this weeks episode that everyone must go back to the island.  The beginning takes us to a room where scientists first discovered the island.  This episode didn’t go into much more detail than that.  We find out that the lady in the church is Faraday’s mother, but not much else as well.  What this episode basically showed us was that everyone that came back to the “real world” has now in some way or another gone back to the island.  Faraday’s mother says that they must board a plane, flight 317, to Guam.  This is the “realm” where the island will be passing through.  Everyone, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, Kate, Jack, Ben, as well as Frank Lapidus, who is the pilot of this flight, and a new character who we know nothing about.  (I am only assuming he is a new character because he has played large roles in other shows including HBO’s House of Saddam, I doubt he, as an actor, would agree to show up for 3 minutes in this show).  Sun, Kate, Ben, and Jack all arrived on the plane through the same way, Faraday’s mother told them to.  Hurley somehow  was informed to be on the plane, and it seems that Sayid, and Lapidus are on the plane by meer fate.

Kate somehow lost Aaron, and the only way that she agreed to go back tot he island was if Jack promised not to ask what happened.  I hope they do solve that, and Jack should of asked her once they were all in the air, thats what I was expecting.

This episode was very interesting, there were a lot of things happening and a lot of people coming together with no other explanation but fate.  Everyone that got off the island is going back coincidentally the same way.

One thing that stood out to me was that there was a theological subtheme in this episode.  In the beginning of the episode, Ben and Jack are in the church.  Ben tells Jack about one of Christs desciples, Tom.  Ben said that Tom questioned Christ’s ressurecction but later did believe it.  And by looking at what happens in next weeks episode (preview) we can see that John Locke somehow comes back to life or is resurrected.  I found that very interesting and I cannot wait for next weeks episode.

Share what you thought about this episode.

Filed under: Lost , 317, ABC, Ben, coming back to island, Faraday, Fate, flight 317, Frank Lupidus, Hurley, Island, Jack, Jack Shephard, Jin, John Locke, Kate, Locke, Lost, Lost episode 6, Lost season 5 episode 6, Lupidus, Prime time television, primetime television, resurrecction, Sawyer, Sayid, Sun, television, tv, Tv shows

Do you agree with Obama’s 787 Billion Dollar Stimulus Plan?

Do you agree with President Obama’s 787 Billion Dollar Stimulus Plan?

The reason I am asking this is because I am reading a lot of articles that quote republican senators and congressmen saying they are not voting for this bill because their constituents do not approve of this bill.  I want to see if what they say holds any water.  Please vote. 

Note that no personal information is asked or taken, your vote is strictly your own and anonymous.  

If you vote NO, It would be great to hear What you don’t like about this plan.  Not only for me, but for other people reading this as well.

Filed under: Politics , $787 billion, 787 billion dollars, Barack Obama, deflation, depression, Economy, energy, energy crisis, foreclosure, housing market, inflation, infrastructure, job, jobs, Obama, plan, Politics, poll, President, President Obama, recession, stimulus, Stimulus package, United States, work

Airplane Crashes in Buffalo, NY

An airplane crashed at around 10:20 on Thursday night.  The airplane, which was run by Continental airlines, was heading from Newark to Buffalo when it all of a sudden nosed dived into a home.  All 49 people on the plane died.  Two people who were on the ground were rushed into the hospital, and there might have been one fatality on the ground as well.

This is truly very tragic.  My heartfelt condolonces go out to the families of the people who were onboard this airplane.

What is bothering me is that recently there have been so many airplane crashes in my opinion, more than we usually hear about.  I feel like I hear about some airplane crash every one to two weeks.  Do other people feel the same way that I do?  I am obviously not going to stop flying, but I definately am more weary of flying.  The last plane crash that we heard about was in the Hudson river.  Thank god everyone on that flight came out doing well.

Filed under: Current Events , Airplane, Airplane crash, airport, Boeing, Bombradier, Buffalo, Continental airline, Crash, New York, NY

A virtual keyboard?

I-Tech’s Virtual Keyboard has been around for some time, but only recently have I had the honor of playing with one myself.  At first I was skeptical because there are actually no buttons that you press.  How do you input information then?  Well there is an infared sensor that detects hand motion and a laser emits a keyboard on any flat surface.  When you press on a “key” the input has been made and the device registers it.  This is the future of computer interfacing in the now!

Infared-Laser Keyboard

I have to admit though, there are some limitations to this device.  For one, you can’t use it on all devices.  You can’t even use it on all computers.  There are only drivers for windows 2000 and windows xp.  I know a bit out-dated but it is still really cool.

Filed under: Technology , Computer, Desk, Future, Hardware, Infared, Input Device, Keyboard, Laser, Mouse, Peripheral, Technology, Virtual Keyboard