The Beanster Blog

Review|Burger King Triple Stack Whopper Meal Originally uploaded by bnycastro This burger is just huge opted for the large coke and fries. I think I will skip lunch today. Damage PhP 309.00 Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

My friend Chinang gave this to me a few weeks back and I've been meaning to post about it but managed to put it off for some reason. Here is the 1st PDA I've ever owned a Compaq iPAQ h3870 [IIRC the last iPAQ before hp bought Compaq]. It's a beast of a device compared to today's relatively tiny PDA phones. It brings back a lot of memories of fiddling with the Windows Mobile Classic OS [formerly Pocket PC], this actually got me hooked on WM and was pretty high tech for it's time. Alas this old fossil's battery which is both internal and non user replaceable is now dead. It still works if I plug it into AC power though. These old devices didn't have NVFS [non volatile file store] and lost data when you lost power, a definite bummer for sure but I've learned to do power management and the importance of backups through this early limitation. I'd like to point out however that today's devices do have NVFS which is great, modern devices also have swapp...

May pass kami, tayo wala BANG! Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC S730 Windows Mobile® phone.

Eating at Capricciosa Originally uploaded by bnycastro With the high school barkada. Good vibes. Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC S730 Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy Birthday -- Paolo Canivel Ria Suiza -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict Py Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... -- via Google webmail

Happy Birthday -- Philipp Llave Pats Co -- May the FORCE Be With You...

Review|McDonald's French Fries Originally uploaded by bnycastro At PhP 42.00 per order (which is a medium size for other territories) it is an ultra expensive snack and not very filling at that. I guess it's been too long since I ordered just fries everyone just usually gets a meal and I was confused when the drive thru lady asked for 42 I was like 42? Really? Crunchy salty and oily... Love ko toh? Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy Birthday -- Fergus Lao Chistine Uy -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Enthusiast sites are reporting that Windows Mobile 7 has been delayed to early or mid 2009. With Google releasing it's 1st Android phone a few hours ago. Apple's Mac OS for phones, Symbian, RIM all in the mobile OS race it comes to a surprise that MS isn't pushing for an earlier release. I do think that a late but great release is better than a fast yet buggy release. There is no question that WM has room for improvement. Let's hope the elves at Redmond are working night and day to improve my mobile OS of choice. We can't really be too hard on MS for releasing the next version 0.5 or even 1.5 years late... look at palm OS it's been 4 years since they released anything [although rumor has it NOVA is due out Apr 09]. I think WM should evolve or it will suffer the fate of palm. Consumers want ease of use, multimedia, fast browser, messaging whilst the Enterprise wants these with security. I think MS can do it they just need more time.

Let this be a lesson to your my fellow gadget fiends [yes we are fiends, admit it!] -- DO NOT FRIGGIN' WATCH UNBOXINGS AND VIDEO REVIEWS OF HIGH END DEVICES THAT ARE NOT IN THE MARKET YET. -- That being said if you still want to salivate over HTC's latest top of the line slider... Head on over to mobilitysite's video unboxing and review HERE -- I had previously put this device in the 'DO NOT BUY' section of my list... I keep a mental list of devices that can replace my current 6 months into owning it [if it lasts that long that is] well the TyTN2 is well over the 6 month period and I had resigned myself to getting back into the QWERTY bar herd with either A) a palm Treo Pro or B) an hp iPAQ 914c with the Treo Pro inching out on a slim lead because it is just plain sexy!  -- That all changed a few minutes ago when I saw the video I linked to above.  -- The screen is just... drool worthy and the response time on the Touch Pro is really impressive. My graphics driver l...

Happy Birthday -- Karlo Gloria Joyce Tiu Susan Sy Maia Lazo Leland Fong -- May the FORCE Be With You… Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... Sent via MSI Wind U100

I decided to converge my devices in late 2003. I wanted to combine my PDA [a Pocket PC] and my mobile phone. I reckoned that having an all in device would be more convenient and economical. I would only need to carry one charger, one data cable [or none at all if I use Bluetooth]. Fast forward 5 years of having a converged device and here I am and I still have 2 devices because I have 2 lines a SMART and SUN line. My 2 devices [ATM] are both Windows Mobile powered. HTC TyTN 2 Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional HTC S730 Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Both may be considered as converged devices. I can do all the things that are important to me. Make calls, sms, email, get and listen to podcasts, listen to music, watch videos, play games, do some docs or spreadsheets, surf the www, snap photos and video. Sounds impressive right? Well you bet it is... But here's the dilemma: Although a converged device may be a 'jack of all trades' it may not be a 'king' of any. Personally I...

Happy Birthday -- Ricky Gabionza Garry Gabionza Rosabelle Nadal Fe Veran -- May the FORCE Be With You… Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... Sent via MSI Wind U100

It would be great if someone bought me this USD 18,000.00 bronze statue and smuggled it to the PH. Better start practicing my jedi mind trick… Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... Sent via MSI Wind U100

-- Get a better view here: WIRED.com

YAIK - Yet Another iPhone Killer HTC's newest shot accross the iPhone bow is the HTC Touch HD which started to make it's appearance last week is now official on HTC's site. This touch-centric device is clearly designed to subvert the iPhone. Here's some specs and some images of the Touch HD. 3.8in TFT 800x480 WVGA flushed touch screen Qualcomm® MSM 7201A™ 528 MHz RAM: 288Mb ROM: 512Mb HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Dimensions: 115 mm x 62.8 mm x 12 mm (4.35 in x 2.5 in x 0.47 in) Weight: 146.4 grams (5.164 ounces) with battery Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0) Built-in 3.5 mm audio jack, microphone, speaker, and FM radio Battery: 1350 mAh microSDHC 5MP AF / 0.3MP Camera FM Radio, G-Sensor Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional -- What's Hot: 3.8in 800x480 WVGA 3.5mm Stereo jack 528MHz Processor 5MP Camera What's Not: No Flash f...

I'm liking the Microsoft "I'm a PC" Advert :) --

Review|Burger King Triple Stack Whopper Meal Originally uploaded by bnycastro This PhP 185.00 meal is definitely filling but I got a sense of being pwned by BK… The picture was nowhere near how the actual burger looked like. Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... Sent via MSI Wind U100

I think it is really stupid that all these WM device manufacturers are trying to *kill* the iPhone with all these touch only devices. I for one want a front facing QWERTY bar device. We all know that the choices for these are very very limited as of this writing. I do hope that this changes in the very near future. Please please please don't kill the QWERTY bar form factor. -- At the moment both my devices are QWERTY sliders and I've blogged before that I want to go back to the QWERTY bar form factor. -- I am still waiting for the Treo Pro to reach Manila soil... I am still undecided if I will get rid of the TyTN2 or S730 or keep em all and relegate one as a spare device. -- I do feel that there aren't any new WM6.1 standard QWERTY bar devices being announced. -- Hey manufacturers are you listening???

Engadget is reporting that Taiwan based MSI is developing their second gust for their Wind line of notebooks... The U91 and U120 might get the Atom 330 [dual core], HSDPA [woot], and Vista [meh!]. I hope it doesn't come out too soon because I just got my Wind! Ha! -- Click HERE for Engadget's story.

Every time I get a new gadget I usually also accessorize it. It is no different with the Wind. Here's a snap of my brand new mouse. It's a Logitech V470 Bluetooth Laser Mouse. I wanted something that was wireless and with this I was able to keep the USB ports clear. I got this last weekend and it's the 1st accessory that I've bought specifically for the Wind. I plan to look for a better slip case or notebook bag for the Wind over this coming weekend. I just feel the free case that came with the Wind is just ok for carrying the notebook and not much else. I still intend to look for a 6 cell battery Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

If you follow my humble blog then you'd know that I haven't had a personal computer at home since late October 2007, when I sold my SONY VAIO UX280P. Well that has all change last week when I finally decided to get myself an MSI Wind U100. I've owned quite a few notebooks in the past few years 2 of them MSI so I wasn't unfamiliar with the brand at all. I actually recommend it to people who are on a budget but still want relatively good quality [a Taiwan brand is better than the China brands like APEX ]. Here's a rundown on the notebooks I've owned: -- MSI M645 - 15.4 inch - 2005 MSI S262 - 12.1 inch - 2006 SONY VAIO UX280P - 4.5inch - 2007 MSI Wind U100 - 10inch -- Let's go thru the specifications of the Wind: Intel® Atom™ N270 Processor 1.6Ghz Intel® 945GSE+ICH7M Chipset 10in Widescreen LED Backlit 1024x600 2Gb RAM 160Gb 5400RPM HDD WiFi 802.11b+g Bluetooth 2.0 EDR Graphics Card Output (15-pin, D-Sub) X 1 USB2.0 Port X 3 Mic-in Port X 1/L...

Happy Birthday -- Sara Denise Mendoza -- May the FORCE Be With You… Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always… Sent via MSI Wind U100

Happy Birthday -- Bryant Chu Ralph Chua Sy Hong Gue -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Rest in Peace TTP Originally uploaded by bnycastro Venice's Angkong passed away last Sunday morning. He's in a better place and now one with the Force. Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy Birthday -- Al Brian Yap -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict Py Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... -- via Google webmail

Happy Birthday -- Beatrice Arano Rachel Carpio -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict Py Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... -- via Google webmail

Happy Birthday. -- Noelle Wang -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy Birthday -- Marie Afuang -- May the FORCE Be With You...

I love this tune...

For that special someone... :P STAR WARS SHOP

Happy Birthday -- Rosemarie Boyle Andrew Chua -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict Py Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... -- via Google webmail

Happy Birthday -- Michael Sun Paraiso Bautista Tanya Cuaso -- May the FORCE Be With You... 

Apple Let's Rock Event concluded last night... Here's the summary of what's new from Cupertino: -- NEW iPod Nano NEW iPod Touch NEW iTunes Version NEW iPod / iPhone Firmware NEW Accessories HD TV Shows NBC Shows -- APPLE -- The iPod Nano gets a glass front / aluminum back and a curved finish which makes it look and feel thinner. The nano went on a diet and got taller... -- The iPod Touch gets a refresh as well. It gets volume controls, speakers, and Nike+ [with 2.1.1] -- The iPhone also gets a FW update, with all the complaints we are hearing about the iPhone it is good that they are constantly pushing out updates. -- iTunes 8 is out. It has a new Genius option [also found on the new iPods] which acts as a media suggestion engine [ala last.fm] -- New Accessories for the above goodies. -- Content is not really applicable to the PH which is why I still won't be getting an iPod. ---- Overall I think fanbois and girls will go crazy over these...

Here's an image of what's rumored to be the new look and user interface for Apple's ultra popular DMP. Apple's Let's Rock Event will be starting in a few minutes. I guess we will see if this rumor holds true pretty soon. via Gizmodo GIZMODO LIVE BLOG : APPLE LET'S ROCK EVENT

So far I am liking my 1st day with the Wind :D It's running Windows XP Home SP3 out of the box. The heart of the device is Intel's N270 [aka ATOM] 1.6Ghz processor which runs the OS without hiccup so far. Remember though that my system has 2Gb of RAM and 160Gb HDD. A note on the HDD: mine came with 3 partitions -- 40 OS / 110 Storage / 10 Hidden for OS. I like the fact that it is not the anemic SSDs which are usually loaded in some mini/netbooks. The notebook also has WiFi and Bluetooth, a card reader, and a webcam. The power brick is tiny as well. I'd like to say that the build quality on this MSI is really really nice. The screen is bright and crisp. Typing on the keyboard is comfortable and not really a strain for me. If I do have a complaint it would be the single unit design of the key bellow the track pad. It is really hard to press and register a click. One can easily add a usb mouse, rf or bt mouse though. Overall I am not missing the media drive at the moment, ...

Happy Birthday -- Charmaine Lui Pio Eric Paraiso Brian Mariano -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict Py Castro / Bny / 王清河 The FORCE Will Be With You Always... -- via Google webmail

MSI Wind 1st Boot Originally uploaded by bnycastro I slapped on the battery and powered on the wind and it's doing a 1st boot thing. It's the 1st notebook I've owned with this cause usually I install XP myself Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

I have been blabbering on about getting a notebook for quite awhile now today I finally broke down and decided to get an MSI Wind U100 in Empire Black. I shot my friend Danny of ACENET an SMS and he said that a unit with 2Gb of RAM and 160Gb of HDD space is available. That actually has double the memory and capacity of the model on MSI's site... NICE! It's running XP Home which is fine by me. I'll be swinging by V-Mall after work so I can get my mitts on my new toy er...  tool. I've already filled my Pirate Nero 4Gb drive with some installers of essential apps the rest I'll just get off the net. I'll be sure to share my experiences with the wind right here on the Beanster Blog so check back soon.

Final score: DLSU 57 - 65 ADMU Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy Birthday. -- Enrique Yoingco -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy Birthday -- Vanessa Paras -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

The NY Times is reporting that the iPod line from Apple Inc will be getting a refresh (and probably price cuts for older models). September 9, 2008. iPod Fanbois/gurls have a few days to get their drool on... NY Times Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

If you've been following me on plurk or twitter you'd know that I'm attending a 4 day Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) Basic Training Course for Pollution Control Officers (PCO) for our company. Basically the PCO is tasked to make sure that the business is complying to the laws of the land in regards to the environment. The good... There are laws in place for safe guarding our air, water, land quality. That's AWESOME! Captain Planet is getting a big boost. The bad... It seems that this seminar is focused more on MONEY. I don't know why I am surprised it's government. Most of the compliance discussions have been about getting permits, fines, penalties. I could not take it anymore so I asked the lecturer. What could we do to bring down emissions and minimize waste water. His response: Our mandate is to check for compliance, maybe you should ask the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on what can be done. NICE! It would've ...

Happy Birthday -- Grace Sy -- May the FORCE Be With You... Vincent Benedict P. Castro / Bny / 王清河 Sent from my HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile® phone.

[Jek and Jaime Antonio] -- Yesterday a whole bunch of good friends went for Jaime Antonio M. Inocencio's christening. Papa Jek and Mama Jec thanks for picking me as a god father. It was great to see everyone again. Jaime Antonio is so cute like me!!! :D Hahaha -- photo courtesy of: Maui