Got so many new toys these days, feels like Christmas, love it!

Both Vivian and I have been driving sedan ever since we got our drivers license back in teenage years, we have been wanting a larger SUV for the past year. Despite the raising gasoline price, we really like the feeling of higher seating position and the ability to haul more cargo of the SUVs. Especially since our business requires us to constantly shopping for house items or cargo paintings and things, a sedan's trunk space is just not enough. 

We first starting research in SUV last year and test drove the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne. I dragged Vivian into Land Rover dealership just so she'll learn how the Range Rover looks like, knowing the price, I never dreamed Vivian would agree to get one, but it doesn't hurt to window shop. What do you know, it was love at the very first sight! Vivian loved the interior of the Range Rover, especially comparing to that of Porsche Cayenne's dated interior and amenities (however, the Cayenne drove the best, the power, the sound, it is amazing!), the Range Rover interior was handsome, comfortable and very functional. Comparing to the BMW X5, Range Rover's air suspensions can lower the vehicle makes it easier to get in and out, which scored big points with Vivian. That was a year ago, and I can tell that she was intrigued...

For various reasons, we didn't get finalize on anything last year, then 2008 with the debut of the new BMW X6, I fell in love with its radical styling, and again, I dragged Vivian to the dealership to test drive the X6. Well, it is a BMW afterall, it had a lot of cool gadgets and the road feel was great; well, the "road feel" meant a heavier steering wheel, which was a no-no with the petite Vivian, who was breaking a sweat just turning the vehicle around in the dealer parking lot. X6 is cool, but I do have to admit, the sloped roofline in the back ate away a lot of trunk space, not very practical. So, we are back in the waiting pattern again...

Since last year, I would periodically check up on the news regarding Range Rover, and look up on Craigslist to see if there are any good deals with used ones. Well, the researches paid off, I found about the great year end deal (not really advertised) from Land Rover, which knocked off thousands from the MSRP. This time we moved on the opportunity, and a week later, I have this beautiful piece of machinery parked in front of our office!

It has only been two days since we got the Range Rover, I had to pick it up from the Jaguar-Land Rover dealership in Fresno, 155 miles away. I didn't mind, I was glad to test out the new ride. I like almost everything about the car, but there are few things that I thought could be improved:

Love it:

• Air suspension, lowering/raising the vehicle, very convenient to get in/out
• Smooth ride delivered by the huge wheels and again, the air suspensions
• Great visibility all around (especially compared to the small windows on the X6)
• Stereo system (700 watts delivered by 14 speakers!!)
• Turning radius (I can do donuts in tight spaces! the turning radius is actually smaller than my Acura TL!!)
• Bluetooth phone integration (not only it let's me to pair my iPhone with the car, the car actually pulls off the entire addressbook from my iPhone include the missed/dialed/received call info and display everyone on screen!)
• Quiet cabin (with 3-layer windows, it was very nice and quiet, even on the highway going 80 mph)

Not so hot:

• The navigation system is not very intuitive, while it is better than BMW's iDrive, it came short comparing to my Acura TL's nav system (which has one of the best navigation system in the industry)
• The touch screen control for the GPS/Audio/Phone is not very sensitive, I'd have to really push hard to get it to register the input, tiring
• Although the HSE version we got is V8 powered, 305 horses, the vehicle is almost 6000 lbs, and can feel a bit underpowered on the highway merging ramp. 

Lastly, it is funny to see Vivian drive the Range Rover, seeing the 5ft petite Vivian driving this big chunky SUV is quite a sight, but she is loving it!!

As a coffee fan, the worst part of every morning is having to dump out the staled coffee from the day before, wash the pot, replace the filter and wait for 10 minutes before taking a sip. Then when you go for the 2nd cup later, the pot you just made is already cold, or worse, it is bitter from being left on the warmer plate for too long; what a waste!!

That routine is history now, yeeaaa! I got a Breville Keurig Single Cup Brewer for the office, which I can choose from over 150 variety of coffee/cocoa/tea K-Cups (the single disposable filtered cups). Pop it in the Breville, and a minute later, volia! Instant gratification! Love it! Love it!

You might ask, isn't it more expensive to brew coffee this way? Well, as it turns out, it is actually cheaper. Each K-cup is about $0.42, compare to a Starbucks at $1.98 (grande coffee), and roughly $1 for the old 10-cup brewer. On top of being thrifty, it is one pretty piece of machinery too!

This has been a busy week for Apple, software updates to iTune and MobileMe were rolled out to accommodate the iPhone3G and the me.com launches, respectively. My .Mac account went offline Wed afternoon while it was being upgraded to MobileMe. While the online community reported the new me.com was up and running late Thurs afternoon, the new look didn't appear for me until 2am Friday 7/11 morning...

It is pretty cool tho...

Ok, I am going out to line up for the iPhone3G now...

Finally upgraded the home internet speed. Previously with AT&T DSL, it would take 5 seconds for Gmail to load up, at information age like today, that's like watching grass grow. Couldn't take it anymore... We changed it to Comcast cable modem, knowing that the bandwidth might vary due to the neighborhood usage, but from previous experience, it is still faster than DSL dedicated line. Here is a comparison on the down/upload speed, what a difference!!!

Before:

After:

Gotta love technology! I am sitting in the passenger seat typing up this blog while Frank speeds down on the Interstate I-5 towards LA, and the best part is, I am actually doing this blog in real time, online!

Itching to know how? Want to know my setup? ;-) I am sure when it comes to technology as cool as this, anyone can be as geeky as me!

Gears:

• Novatel U727 EVDO BroadBand USB Card (Sprint, 1.5Mbps)
  
• CrandlePoint Pocket Router PHS300 (802.11b/g, EVDO router, 4x wifi connections)
  
• MacBook Pro 15"
  

I can simply plug the U727 into my MacBook Pro to get online, but that's nothing new, not cool enough. Here is the cool part: the U727 USB can directly plug in to the PHS300 pocket router, and the PHS300 will automatically broadcast the internet connection out, just like a regular home wifi router, and supports up to four laptops to jump online at the same time. So, even tho Frank is flooring the gas pedal and challenge the limit of our rental mini-van on the highway, I am happily cocooned in my personal moving wifi bubble, browsing online... Now that's cool!

Frank calls himself the "GearWhore", but I think "GearSlut" is more accurate. ;-) Every time we travel together, we end up bringing more electronic gears to land Apollo 13 on the moon. Two years ago, the four of us, Frank and his wifey Connie, I and my then still girlfriend Vivian vacationed in Florida for two weeks. We drove up and down the length of FL hitting all the major tourist destination like clockwork. However, by the end of the tour, our car was probably more worn out by all the battery juice we drained out of it. We definitely went overboard that time with our 1x radar detector, 3x iPods, 3x laptops, 4x cameras, 1x DV, 3x GPS, and of course 4x cell phones... At night, all the LCD and LEDs from our junks decorated our cabin like strobe lights in the discotheque! We are slaves to our gears... ;-)

If a picture is worth a thousand words?
Then this picture tube is definitely worth thousands of bucks!

It will be our 5th anniversary (7/11) soon in about a month, over the course of five years, we got closer, have grown together, and also became more practical. I didn't want to buy Vivian another LV bag or spend another romantic weekend at a spa, I wanted to give her something that she really needs.

So, after witnessing her hunching over her laptop all day everyday, complaining that her neck hurts due to her bad posture, I thought a nice HUGE monitor can help her see better and thus avoid further "work-related" injuries.

Got the biggest LCD monitor they offered at Apple, check this baby out!!! As with all Apple products, this 30" monitor radiants elegance. While other 30" monitors out there costs hundreds of dollars less, it was still not enough to change my mind.

Simply beautiful, beautifully simple!

Steve job announced Safari beta for Windows platform at the WWDC this Monday.
Safari!! on Windows!! need I say more?

Downloaded as soon I heard the news, set Safari as my default browser as I opened the application for the very first time... as it turns out, it was a brave move, too early.

While I drool everytime I use the Safari on Vivian's MacBook Pro, the Windows beta version was utterly disappointing... while the Mac version is blazing fast, the Windows version was slow to the point of unusable!

Have to work on my patient, four more months to go for the OS X Leopard release, that's when I am going to get my very own MacBook Pro, can't wait to say Sayonara to the Windows' world!!

Been super busy at work lately, nothing new there. Aside from the countless number of emails, meetings, classes and fire fightings, I also made a trip to Atlanta, a trip to Cashiers North Carolina and a trip to Boston, all since my last blog entry. Frequently, in the midst of going thru airport security or rushing to the gate, I’d encounter events and things that really amused me -- an obese guy accidentally let out a fart as he bends over to pick up his bags, or some hot chick in Orange county getting booty searched by the airport security… at moment like this, I’d always hide my smirk and make a mental note to remember to write about it in my blog, but, the reality is, I seldom do.

My actions can never catch up to my intentions.

To end this pointless blah-blah, here are some pictures I took with my new, badass Leica!! Loving it! Thanks to my baby Viv for the wonderful birthday gift! Xoxoxox Muuu-u-a-aaaah!

I have been lusting after this handsome retro looking Leica for the past few months, patiently waiting for it to become available. While this Leica D-Lux 3 is still categorized as a Ultra-Compact Camera, it is a big step up in size comparing to the SONY T7 I currently own.

Although I’ve never owned a Leica, it is definitely a familiar name to me. Leica, the grandfather of camera-makers, was the first to introduce a practical 35mm camera, aspheric, multicoated, and rare earth lenses and among many other innovations. Leica’s statement “lifetime investment in perfect photography” proven to be true, attested by its first original M3 (1954) camera, which is still being manufactured and still being regularly used by photography aficionados world-wide today! Known for its exceptional lenses, and simple yet functional design, it is said that photographs taken with Leica lenses were distinguishable from photographs taken with other lenses, go ahead and argue on this…

I have the habit to carry my camera around with me everywhere I go, literally. My T7 is so compact, I have it stored along with my mouse, iPod and other electronic goodies in my laptop bag. While the D-Lux 3 is much smaller than any SLR, it is still massive next to the T7. So why, you might ask, am I opting for a bulkier camera, not to mention a very expensive Point-n-Shooter?

I love the look of D-Lux 3. Call me superficial, or whatever vocabulary you can think of, but it is all about the looks to me. D-Lux 3 is simple in design, handsome in styling, it is just eye-catching!

I love the specs of D-Lux 3. Not all mega-pixels are created equal! The size of the sensor used in today’s digital cameras can be as small as your pinky-fingernail or as big as a stamp for the same mega-pixel count. The aspect ratio of the CCD sensor used on this camera is 1.65! Its 10 mega-pixel CCD captures the picture in native 16:9 format, with max resolution of 4224x2376 and features ISO as fast as 1600. The camera is highly flexible and offers abundant manual adjustments. So it is perfect for someone like me, who doesn’t know a whole lot about photography but is not afraid to divert away from all the automatic options.

Although I carry my T7 everywhere I go, I am finding myself less and less likely to take it out and use it. The flat, noisy pictures the T7 is only making me not even want to bother with it. Now, the Leica, can not to get my hands on it, point and shoot…

The Mac arrived while Vivian and I were on our vacation in Hawaii, we almost cut our vacation short to come home for it. This is Vivian's new laptop, it is also Vivian's very first experience with Mac -- she is now a believer!

Everything about this Mac just reeks of elegance. From the packing material to the OS X, Apple just got it right! The attentions paid to the details is just amazing, I couldn't resist myself to take pictures as I open up the box for the very first time. Everything has its place, neat, organized, simple, and just made sense.

Vivian was laughing at me as I took pictures of the Styrofoam, to me, it is just amazing how slick the packing material can even be!

As a notebook, the Mac Pro notebook is in a league of its own, sleek lines, clean look, immaculate package. It is simple but with a huge presence, less really is more.

I can't wait to get my own Mac in April when OS X Leopard releases...

This is mad cool! Connected online while traveling at 500+ mph!!
Too bad my laptop battery will be giving up soon……

Yahoo! Is rolling out it new online map system, and guess what? It looks exactly like that of Google Maps!

Can we say lack of creativity?!??! Shame on Yahoo!

By frankly, the live traffic feature on Yahoo! Maps is pretty cool.

From the latest Google newsletter:

Folks who visit the Googleplex in Mountain View, California often compare it to a college campus - there are people engaged in group meetings, in solitary work, and when they can, they make time to eat, play or exercise. One of the most campus-like elements is a thriving program called "Tech Talks" - regularly scheduled presentations offered by Googlers or our guests on a wide variety of subjects. AnyGoogler can attend a talk on, say, "Collecting Meteorites in Antarctica" or "High End Computing and Scientific Visualization at NASA." Now you can also watch these talks, just by searching GoogleVideo for [techtalks]. We obtain clearance from all speakers so TechTalks can be posted publicly, and will continue to add them to GoogleVideo. We hope you enjoy these sometimes obscure, always informative, insights into current events, research and ideas as much as we do.

http://video.google.com

Today is my first time chairing the JEDEC Task Group (JC40.4 AMB2) conference call. Must admit, I am nervous.

39 minutes until show time...

Intel shelled out few million dollars on the design of a new company logo. Is it worth it? You be the judge.

To me, the new logo looks a lot like that of Samsung’s...

Haven't got your XBOX 360 yet?
Don't know which store carries it?
Use this XBOX 360 Tracker to see the latest price/availabilities in various stores!

Apple has done it again!!
Check out the new iPod -- iPod nano!

- 0.27" thin
- 1.5 oz!
- color display
- 14-hours battery
- 2GB/4GB

Can we say "slick"?!?!

GMail is here! (well, officially here, open to public)

More and more of my friends are switching to GMail, Yeah!! So, here I offer few "cool" tips for ya:

"dots" ignored:
GMail ignores the "." in your Gmail address, so you can be creative with it. If your email is someone@gmail.com, then emails sent to some.one@gmail.com, s.ome.one@gmail.com will all go to your someone@gmail.com inbox.

Aliases
Again, if your email is someone@gmail.com, then, someone+junk@gmail.com or someone+ebay@gmail.com or someone+porn@gmail.com all points to your someone@gmail.com inbox. GMail ignores characters after the "+" sign in your username. Useful to help you sort your mails, create filter, or battle junk mails (you can now sign up web sites with an alias)

Google released its own IM -- Google Talk, a combination of text and voice chat. Another step for Google to overtake the world...

MoBlog - I'm loving this Moblog thing! Here's my car as I get ready to go home from the office.