Shawarma Nights

Shawarma Nights
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

Shawarma Night here at Vy Residence!

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Tone of The Week

I haven’t been making tones for quite some time now. You can say I have been uninspired as of late. Here’s my 1st attempt after a few months in hiatus from tone making.

I have decided to upload to Nokia’s Mosh service but if you’ve been grabbing my tones and themes you can still find almost all of them on m9.com

Above & Beyond pres OceanLab ft Justine Suissa

Breaking Ties - Above & Beyond Analogue Haven Club Mix

96Kbps 28sec Stereo MP3

Remember: Trust in Trance, and the FORCE will be with you always…

Review|Aquapac Small Whanganui (650)

My friend Vane bought one of these and used it last week when we were in Boracay. I’ve always wanted to get one of these to protect my devices from the elements when I’m at the beach. I was always hindered by SHiT [Shipping Handling including Taxes]. I was happy to hear she got her case locally. So I got the number from her and ordered one for myself. Aquapac has always been one of the top brands for performance cases. No all I need is another beach bound vacay…

 

[It floats!!!]

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Review|Zest Air Lounge Burger

Review|Zest Air Lounge Burger
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

Since our flight from Caticlan to Manila was delayed we decided to hang out at Zest Air's lounge. I decided to order a double cheeseburger. It looks better than it tastes but it's filling and hot. I guess that counts for something.

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Congratulations Gervin & Bel

[Such a handsome couple]

Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines.

By far one of the best weddings I’ve had the pleasure of attending.

It was a destination wedding so it meant that people who were there really wanted to be there. So each event starting from the despedida de soltera, to the ceremony, reception and after party was truly composed of people close to the couple. I think this coupled by the beauty of the venue really put this wedding over the top!

[Sunset in Boracay: Mesmerizing]

The ceremony was held at Holy Rosary Parish and reception was at Discovery Shores. 1/24/09 which was also GK’s 30th birthday, more reasons to celebrate :D

[Kaw Family: Greggy is the CUTEST]

I really enjoyed Gervin’s surprise song for Bel and of course uncle Greg’s rendition of 月亮代表我的心 (yue liang tai piau wo te sin) [The Moon Represents My Heart], never knew father and son were crooners! The reception was hosted by our friend Kenneth Yap II [more commonly known as Per and more recently Pepe Le Per].

Great food, drinks, music courtesy of a live band, fireworks and lot’s of laughs. One truly AWESOME wedding.

Congratulations GK and Bel. I wish you good health, happiness, and that the FORCE be with you always…

[photos credits: Sharah Kaw]

Review|Maňana

Had lunch yesterday with 4 beautiful ladies [Annlee, Engie, Erika ‘Let Let’, Shas] at Maňana at the beachfront in Station 2.

We had beef, chicken buritos, tacos, the serving size for the platters were quite big and we were content on sharing and even had some left overs for take away.

It was a tasty meal and I really enjoyed it. Check it out if you want some Mexican flavours…

Boracay Day Tres

Boracay Day Tres
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

It's a bit cloudy today...

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Review|Kasbah

Review|Kasbah
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

Lamb Tangine, Beef Tenderloin Kabab, Shrimp Kabab, Pita bread...

The Lamb Tangine was pretty good. But the beef was tough and shrimps over cooked. Stay away from the kabab.

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

The View from Two Seasons Beachfront

The View from Two Seasons Beachfront
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

Getting some rays on the beach while sipping a ripe mango shake... Tsue dit. :)

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Review|Dos Mestizos (Boracay)

Went to this resto for Bel's Despedida de Soltera. Had a lot of tasty morsels of fine Spanish cuisine.

Food to try: Callos, this was really savoury and melts in your mouth. The Salpicao was very tender and well seasoned. The chorizo's flavour explodes in your mouth to caress your tongue with every bite. The fresh Gambas was also of note.

If you get a chance swing by Dos Mestizos... Great food and ambience.

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Belgian Chocolate Seashells

Belgian Chocolate Seashells
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

Yummy!!!

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Review|Miracle CDM

• 
• Category: Music
• Genre: Dance/DJ
• Artist: Above & Beyond Pres OceanLab ft Justine Suissa

 

Here’s another great trance gem from Above & Beyond’s side project with Justine Suissa: OceanLab. Judging by the lyrics it sounds like that this tune has a sort of *green* theme to it. I am enjoying this track quite a bit and I’m sure you will too.

Mixes of note: Above & Beyond Club Mix and Martin Roth Vocal Remix.

Marikina

Marikina
Originally uploaded by bnycastro

The day is coming to a close soon. Thought I'd take a snap.

Sent via my palm Treo Pro

Review|Breaking Ties CDM

• Category: Music
• Genre: Dance/DJ
• Artist: Above & Beyond Pres OceanLab ft Justine Suissa

I’ve acquired some more OceanLab tunes… I’m going to be reviewing my favorite single ATM. It’s Breaking Ties taken from their Sirens of the Sea album.

More often than not trance songs have lyrics that seem to make no sense. I mean it sounds good but you don’t really understand what the song is about. At closer inspection Breaking Ties seems to hit home somehow.

And even though I may return to empty places on my own.

Where I remember everything you want me to forget.

And you provide the parachute when I am falling like a stone.

And I remember there’s a life that I have not lived yet.

It might have contributed to my liking this track but you must admit… Above & Beyond with Justine Suissa is just a great great combo of awesome track production and vocal talent.

I am really liking the:

Above & Beyond Analogue Haven Mix and Durderstadt Mix. Gives me goose bumps galore each time I have a listen.

Trust in Trance!

Island Bound

I’m off to Boracay Island this weekend to attend a good friend’s wedding. Believe it or not this will only be my 2nd time to set foot on the island. Can’t wait to fill myself with Mango shakes and Chori-burgers.

I got myself some sun block over the weekend. That’s all I need right?

I’m still undecided if I should bring my netbook along. I really should be on the beach instead of online when I am there. So it might be a good idea to leave it at home… Both my mobiles have WiFi and there are a lot of free hotspots there so I can still stay connected. 

I was thinking of getting a nice beach ready case for my devices but have decided to go low tech and use a ziploc bag instead. I guess I’m ready as I’ll ever be :)

Review|palm Treo Pro Vehicle Charger

My brother was in SG recently and I asked him to get me one of these:

Package Contents:

Vehicle Charger

microUSB cable

Impressions:

The charger is very small and sleek. I like the white light that shows that it is operating. The included microUSB cable is very much welcome. Now I can leave the cable that came w/ my device at home for my Wall Charger and bring along this shorter cable for the car/office.

Usage:

Pretty straight forward you plug the USB end of the cable to the Vehicle charger and the micro USB end to your Treo Pro.

I’ve been playing around with different GPS applications and have really noticed the battery hit so I think this is a good investment for anyone who uses their device for navigation or if you are on the road a lot.

Need Help: Stolen 15.4” MB Pro S/N: W8845BW01GA | Reward: 25,000.00 PhP

I am helping a friend recover a stolen MacBook Pro.

It was stolen last Friday (09-Jan-09) evening at Puregold Shaw Parking Lot in Manadaluyong City. There is a reward of PhP 25,000.00 for any help recovering the system.

More info:

15.4in

4Gb RAM

320Gb HDD

Superdrive

512VRAM

S/N: W8845BW01GA

If you have any info please contact me via comment or email.

Thanks a lot!

Accessories Again!

Yes I’m talking accessories again. Every time I buy a new device I usually accessorize with a screen protector, case, storage cards the later being handed down from my previous devices.

Finally was able to swing by Vmall yesterday and had a proper screen protector applied by a professional. Got a CAPDASE protector glad to see it covered the top portion of the TP not just the screen. I also got a cheapo faux leather holster, there is a bit of wiggle room in terms of depth, I hope it will still fit when my silicone case comes. I am thinking of modding (read: cutting holes into the case) the case to allow for the wired headset and usb charger to be inserted when the device is in case.

After chatting with palm support they told me that I had to contact the store I bought from to complain about the missing adapter. I highly suspect that the sales guy forgot to put it back in the package after testing if the unit charges. I wrote them an email yesterday but have yet received a response. Oh well I guess an adapter will have to do for now.

It really bugs me that my Belkin dual USB charger and my Mobile Wonders Car/Wall charger isn’t compatible with the TP as it is compatible with:

HTC S730, Jabra BT3030, Jabra Arrow Lite, Motorola HT820.

Speaking of my HT820s I’ve yet to find replacement pads for it. I am thinking of doing a sock-mod which I saw in an episode of Tekzilla but I haven’t find suitable hosiery to make the mod.

I am thinking of getting a palm car charger just because it looks so good.

Just in time: my brother is going to SG next week.

Review|Palm Treo Pro

Here is my review of the Palm Treo Pro. palm’s latest GSM Windows Mobile device.

Packaging

palm has really outdone itself with the packaging it’s nice, classy, and simple. 

Unfortunately my package seems to be lacking the regular flat pins that are common here in the PH. I will try to contact palm about this.

What’s in the box:

palm Treo Pro

palm wired stereo headset

Li-ion 1500mAh Battery

micro USB sync /charge cable

AC adapter with interchangeable plugs.

Documentation

palm did not bother including a CD but has instead put a 1st setup option on the device. I did not bother with it as well because my system already has WMDC. It’s a nice touch though. It is disappointing that palm did not include a screen protector, an extra stylus or even a simple case. I like that they’ve made the wall charger smaller it will be easier to carry around or throw in my gadget bag.

Specifications:

Windows Mobile Professional 6.1

Quadband GSM & Tri-band UMTS with HSDPA

Qualcomm^® MSM7201 400MHz

128Mb RAM / 256 Mb ROM

3in 320x320 Flush Touch Screen

QWERTY keyboard + D-pad/Beacon + Ringer Toggle + WiFi Toggle + 4 App Keys + Side Button + Volume + Power Button

microSDHC expansion [not hot swappable]

3.5mm jack [finally]

Bluetooth 2.0 EDR

WiFi 802.11b/g

2MP fixed focused camera

GPS [aGPS supported]

IR port

Rear facing mono speaker

Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion battery

Dimensions: 114 x 60 x 13.5 mm

Weight: 133g

The specifications are nothing to rave about really. I mean you see these in most modern devices. This is believe it or not the very first GSM Treo to have WiFi built-in and yes it was released in 2008. I guess it boils down to design and execution. This device is sleek & sexy, it is the thinnest and glossiest Treo to date. I like the thin, the glossy not so much. The finish on this device is a finger print magnet. OCD people you’ve been warned.

Upfront -

Just above the screen is the earpiece and beside it is a charge indicator, red means charging & yellow is fully charged, AFAIK it only shows charging state. It would’ve been nice if it showed bluetooth status too, I am sure some one will make a mort script for it though.

We see a 3in 320x320 display and a flushed screen. It not only makes the device look good but it also in my opinion makes tapping on the screen easier. The 320x320 is one of the youngest resolutions to hit the Windows Mobile platform and most software houses have started to update their applications to support it. There will be titles that may not display properly. The screen is gorgeous and very responsive nonetheless.

palm did away with the hardware softkeys some might take issue with this but I find that using your thumb to hit the on screen softkey non obtrusive. The 4 way dpad also doubles as a voicemail alert, by default it only works to alert you of voicemail. I don’t use voicemail so I’ve installed a mort-script which controls the beacon and alerts you when you have unread SMS/E-Mail. The dpad is surrounded by 4 buttons Start, Calendar, OK, Messaging these are in turn flanked by the green/send and red/end keys. What’s great is palm extended the use of these buttons. So you get more out of them.

Start = Start Menu

Option + Start = User customizable

Ok = Ok/Close

Option + Ok = Task Manager

Calendar = Calendar

Option + Calendar = Notes

Messaging = Messaging

Option + Messaging = Tasks

Option Green/Send = Internet Explorer

Option + Red/End = Lock Keys & Turns Screen Off*

In addition:

Option + P = Backlight settings*

Option + Shift [left side] = Search*

*these are hard wired and cannot be changed the rest is fair game.

Now those are a lot of buttons & combos which really make using the device much much faster. Now on to the QWERTY keyboard… the front facing QWERTY keyboard is a wider version of the one found in the Centro devices. I feel that palm should’ve used the tried and tested smiling Treo keyboard. Still this one is growing on me.

Left side:

We see three buttons [yes more buttons] a volume +/- and a side button which activates the camera when you hold it down. I’ve added an action via a registry edit to add an action for a single press [I will post a tip on that].

Right side:

Here we see the WiFi Toggle which is really a neat addition, it makes turning on WiFi and connecting fast and painless. palm included an IR port which I’m sure some users will appreciate.

Top side:

We see the power button which cycles the phone radio on/off only – it does not turn the device off completely. Personally I find this odd: I mean you can turn the phone radio on/off via the comm manager so why didn’t they just make it a normal power button. Opposite it is the ringer switch which is a real convenient way to put your phone on vibe when you are stepping into a meeting or going to a place where your phone should not be making noises.

Down bellow:

We see a micro USB connector for sync/charge, the mic, and last but certainly not the least a 3.5mm stereo jack. Finally no more converters: you can now use your normal size headphones with this device. For someone who uses his device as his music player I highly appreciate this.

Back side:

We see a fixed focused 2MP camera surrounded by a silver ring. I maintain that all devices should have auto focus cameras & a flash these days. Come on palm! The mono speaker is located almost to the curving part of the rear which will help lessen muffling when your Pro is laying flat on the table, a nice touch.

In the trunk:

You may be wondering where the expansion slot and soft reset hole went. Well palm decided to put the soft reset hole under the battery door just beside the stylus silo and the microSDHC slot is under the battery door as well. This would’ve been fine if the battery door was not a PITA to take off. I do appreciate that palm has added a lanyard/hand strap loop. The stylus is a bit short for my tastes but I’ve always used a separate stylus/pen anyways.

Under the hood:

The Treo Pro is powered by a Qualcomm 400Mhz Processor which is robust enough for most tasks. It has 128Mb RAM / 256Mb ROM which is normal nowadays. It is Quadband GSM with Tri-band UMTS w/ HSDPA, and will work with any SIM card since it is unlocked. Frequent travelers will be satisfied with this. As I mentioned earlier this is the 1st GSM Treo with WiFi, finally palm get’s it! I just hope it is not too late for them. GPS/aGPS has also been added, turn by turn navigation is made possible by 3rd party apps which sadly was not included [I believe Google Maps is useless outside NA].

Software:

Today screen search plug-in

Sprite Backup

Google Maps

MyTreo [quick setup]

Quick Tour [device intro]

HTC Camera

HTC Task Manager

HTC Comm Manager

Adobe Reader

QuickGPS

Microsoft Voice Command 1.6

Most palm customizations that we saw on the 750 are now gone. It doesn’t bother me that much because Win Mob 6.1 has threaded SMS built in already and you can even search it, honestly I never really used the other palm today plug-ins except the dial look-up plug-in. Not a deal breaker since the platform has thousands of applications available to it. It would’ve been nice to see a GPS app as well but I guess palm is trying to cut costs. It is good to see that palm has decided to include HTC Task Manager

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Conclusion:

The palm Treo Pro is a great addition to the Treo brand. palm has stepped up it’s design, updated the specs, and added tons of shortcuts while making the device thinner and sexier. It makes looking at and using the device a joy. Having Quadband GSM and Tri-band UMTS w/ HSDPA support makes this ideal for the business traveler. Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional gives it almost infinite customizability and a plethora of applications.

Pros:

World phone with all the bells and whistles you’d expect, Fast Data, WiFi, Bluetooth, and even IR.

Generous with buttons / shortcuts.

QWERTY bar

flush, clear. crisp and responsive touch screen

3.5mm jack

Cons: 

320x320 resolution is fairly new some apps may not display well.

Finger print magnet

Poor camera

Soft reset hole / microSDHC slot is under the battery door.

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some comparison shots:

[side by side with it’s predecessor the palm Treo 750]

 

[the Treo Pro is thinner yet has a lot more to offer]

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

I knew when the lady at the post office came out with a big and heavy looking box that it wasn’t the silicone case I ordered and was in fact my set of Star Wars Encyclopedia… OMFG! This thing is big…

Tips & Tricks|Add an Extra Press for Treo Side Button

This works on both the palm Treo 750 and Treo Pro.

By default the Side Button on your 750/Pro will have only 1 function Press and Hold. With this simple registry hack you can get an extra press.

Copy the following to notepad save as .reg and apply on your device.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shell\Keys\40C7]
"Name"="Side"
@="\"\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Camera.lnk\""
"Icon"="\\windows\\shellres.dll,-8263"
"BtnWnd"=dword:00000000
"Flags"=dword:00000000
"WndCls"=""

Then go to Start > Settings > Personal [tab] > Buttons to change what it does.

Accessorizing the Palm Treo Pro

As I previously posted I recently bought a Palm Treo Pro. I have been using it for the past few days loading up my applications and personalizing my gadget.

I’ve ordered a silicone case for it from PDAir and it’s shipped but I don’t expect it to arrive in 2 weeks. Right now I am using it with a cheapo holster case and just being extra careful.

I was disappointed albeit not surprised that I couldn’t order a Clear Armor Case from Case-mate, the Philippines is not on the list…. AGAIN! I am still on the fence if I should get the Treo Pro invisible shield or bodyguardz protection. Application seems to be really complex and I am not the most patient person and will probably just muck it up. ATM I just cut up the packing screen protection since I had to go out of town and wasn’t able to visit GH to get a proper SP installed.

For memory I slipped my 8Gb microSDHC card instead of the free 4Gb microSDHC card which I got with the TP. Thinking of slapping that on my HTC S730 or the palm Treo 750 [if I am able to finally figure out why it’s been turning off].

As I mentioned in my review the device is glossy and slippery so I have attached a hand strap, I am glad palm added a lanyard/hand strap loop on this Treo.

For power I think I’ll be charging it USB cable mostly. My Wall & Car charger, Belkin dual USB Wall charger isn’t working with the TP’s micro USB cable. My TP package also doesn’t have the regular flat pin adapters which are common for the AC outlets here so I just might leave it at home.

My i.Tech Arrow Lite and Jabra BT3030 are working well with the TP so I’m pretty much covered in the Bluetooth headset department. Since the TP has a 3.5mm jack I find that I am using the included palm wired headset and some iPod earphones [yes the crappy in box ones]. I am looking into getting a nicer set of headphones but it’s not an immediate concern.