milkypink [dot] net

I enjoy last-generation (or last^2-generation) games, as anyone who started on them might, but I don’t feel a burning nostalgia for the Days of Yore in which single games came on multiple discs, or even cartridges that would get dust in them or would generally be fickle so you’d jam it in and wiggle it around a bit before getting it to work.

I like the games, yeah, but the media can go recycle itself.

I understand that vinyl records have a very specific sound quality to them, but I’m not convinced they’re higher quality than digital recordings, or even better quality (I’m differentiating a quantitative “higher” in which bit rates, etc are better and “better” which is less numbers and more of a “the overall feel is nicer” fuzzy kinda logic). I did listen to some records as a kid, most notably some Alfred Hitchcock stories I to this day still do not understand (XD) and some Copland pieces. My father’s digitized most or all of his collection by now, I think.

VHS, SNES, N64, even cassette tapes which I grew up on – I don’t feel any kind of awe for them, or strong emotional attachment. They’re just stuff. Moving the data from one form to another doesn’t make a difference to me – if the bits are intact then the source is the same as far as I’m concerned. Easier to back up, too.

I’m not saying I dislike all physical media, because I can’t quite seem to move away from tangible books, but media that’s already halfway there to digital may as well be all the way there. (If I had grown up on books that were sold on little cartridges you stuck in a handheld reader I’d probably be perfectly fine with moving away from that, to be honest.) I’m a little wary of digital media that won’t let you back it up due to DRM or other madness, but in general if I can make two or three copies in the event that something happens to the originals, I’m 100% fine with digital-only media.

Physical media just seems to have so many limitations – I’m sure even after I get my Lucky Star box set I’ll probably still watch my sub files because I can chuck them all in a playlist and run them straight through without having to change discs. I might also rip the DVDs and do the same. … Come to think of it, I really ought to do that for other series, too. Anyway, the point is I like to have free reign over my stuff and just let it run… as you might’ve observed by my occasional tendency to stick my entire 10k iTunes library on shuffle and let it fly. XD

So why don’t I own a PSP GO (I’ve no idea how to format that idiotic name) or the DSi?
Well for one, the DSi currently only comes in this awful hot pink (okay it’s not a bad hot pink but I really want light pink, sakura-pink, milky pink) and the LL (sorry, “XL”) exists in black and brown of all colors. (As a side note, why is it always brown? Why not white or blue or ANY other damn color? Are there really that many people who want brown electronics? It looks like it’s perpetually dirty!) Yes, maybe it’s petty but I want cute electronics and I will not bend! Years of nothing but black, grey and that hideous cream that every single computer tower seemed to be made out of in the 90s…. I want COLOR! Okay, truthfully I want pink but you get my point.

Will I chuck out my DS carts when Nintendo handhelds go digital-only? Eh, probably not, mostly because they’re tiny and there’s little point in paying twice for a game I already own. I’ve only got a few PSP games as it is, so assuming Sony doesn’t go nuts with DRM/copy protection I have no issues downloading games rather than buying UMDs.

Do I still buy CDs? Yes, but actually I tend to mainly buy CDs I’m forced to import, which now that I think about it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense since I could just buy iTunes cards or something and get music that way… but I think I shyed away from using iTunes too much back when it was full of DRM. I get most of my downloaded English music from amazon.com – I’ll only use iTunes if it’s the only place I can find it. I understand that currently CDs are actually much better quality, but I feel like in the future that might not be the case, if we move away from physical media more completely.

The only media I haven’t moved to digital with is books, something I’ve discussed in part before. The Kindle is not my ideal reader, nor is the nook, although it was an exciting step in the right direction. The format is keeping things too separate – there’s no one universal “book” format that you can easily convert to, unlike mp3s. You can’t download a book from amazon and use it on your nook, or from b&n and use it with your Kindle. It’ll probably take some time before that media war settles down and the consumer gets to win again. So I’m not ready to switch over just yet. It’s tempting, really tempting, but I can’t justify it at the moment.

Plus, you know, I like the feel of books. (But that’s not a very concrete-type argument XD;)

or, Why I (Probably) Won’t Ever Buy an iPhone

• 1. Storage space. If, indeed, the iPhone is to be my ultimate all-in-one device, it needs to match up with my mp3 player storage expectations, which currently reside at 64GBs. “That’s unreasonable!” you say. But wait, there’s more!
• 2. Battery life. While I’m out, I listen to music nearly constantly, with the exceptions of plane takeoff/landing and some other small periods of time. On top of that, add cell phone data usage, possible calls (although not many, as I hate using phones for voice), and app/game usage and the battery really needs to last quite a long time. It’s not likely to. This is one of the biggest problems with all-in-one devices, in my opinion.
• 3. Multitasking. The iPhone (and indeed, the iPod Touch and iPad) cannot multitask. That is, it can’t run multiple apps at once. Yes, you can be on the phone and use an app, but you can’t run things in the background. I believe the argument against this was it would zap battery life (see above) but in the end, isn’t that the user’s choice? Except, with Apple, users don’t know best.
• 4. Ability to tweak. Apple enjoys being the ultra dictator of its mobile tech – they tell you what you can and cannot install and if you do anything to subvert this you are breaking the law, according to Apple, anyway. Certainly you put your device at risk if you choose to deviate from recommended settings and software, but this is your prerogative as a user. I certainly have no desire to brick my phone, but I’d like the option to install any program that catches my attention, not just ones sanctioned by Apple.
• 5. Physical keyboard. Admittedly this condition might go away if I got more used to on-screen keyboards, but right now I can’t imagine not having one in a pinch. Not to mention, using my phone of choice, I’m able to actually tilt the screen to view while still having access to a keyboard on a flat surface. It’s like a very tiny computer! (Well technically, that’s exactly what it is.)

In the end, maybe, somewhere, sometime, I may end up owning an iPhone. But it likely won’t happen in the next couple years.

Tags: apple, digi.tech, iphone

 

I’ve discussed before why the previous version of the iPod Touch wasn’t enough for me, but I still don’t own one, even though those requirements were met.

Why?

Because the Touch really ought to have a camera.

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense. Not only are companies sticking mp3 players into everything (including even tasers), but cameras are becoming ubiquitous. It’s true that smartphone companies need to make non-camera versions for people who work in high security clearance jobs, but every phone has the option to have one. Most computers and netbooks have built-in webcams, admittedly frequently pretty poor quality ones, but that’s beside the point.

Cameras are everywhere.
Including, as of Sept ’09, the Nano, which Apple introduced to a lot of confusion. Even saying it’s a Flip Mino competitor seems like a stretch to me.
Surely this is an affront to the more advanced Touch, which actually has the ability to utilize a camera in interesting ways via apps.
Why would a higher-end product get short shifted, while the entry-to-mid-level product stands out as actually getting an upgrade?

Theory one immediately brings one to think of another very similar Apple device, the iPhone.
To many, the Touch is just steps away from being an iPhone without the contract. Indeed, the insides are quite similar, minus the obvious difference of cellular capability and storage.
But the iPhone has a camera, and the Touch does not.
With the addition of a mic and speaker, the Touch inches closer and closer to being the contract-free iPhone many are wanting.
Why would Apple want to keep these two devices separate?
True, the iPhone is a pricier device, but most of the money spent on it actually goes to the carrier, not Apple (unless they are paying far more to Apple than I’m thinking). Would they really lose out so much?

Theory two popped up days before the announcement.
There was an issue getting the camera to fit/function properly. But why would there be such a late delay? Surely they would have worked out things much earlier, having planned the release date far in advance.
But technological mishaps are not always predictable, or easy to fix, so while a bit of a stretch, it’s plausible. And this rumor arrived just in time to make people feel very disappointed about the Touch receiving little to no improvements over the previous generation. The Nano getting a camera was just rubbing salt in the wounds.

Will the Touch get a camera in the next iteration?
I certainly hope so.
Do I need a camera in my mp3 player?
No, but the Touch is more than just an mp3 player – it is the gateway to hours of entertainment fueled by both music & movies as well as games & other apps.

I won’t buy a Touch until a camera is added (or, I suppose, my Gen5 iPod bites the dust hard – it’s chugging along, still) because I feel that if I do, Apple will finally add one right afterwards.
Tech is always advancing, so having the “newest stuff” as a condition only lasts about a month or less.. unless you have a lot of cash to burn (and I would note that such a method of spending is largely a waste), but when you can see an improvement coming (such as the storage upgrade), it is better to wait for it than to buy now and regret it later.

I look forward to the day when I can write up a review for an iPod Touch with a camera ♥

Please make it happen, Apple!

So! As you may remember, I am still out one fully functional laptop computer. Ai is a nice stopgap, but she’s really for travel and is less than spectacular for heavy video viewing.
Enter Sony’s CW series – the latest refresh to their C line that caught my attention way back with the ability to have a pink (!) laptop. In the end, I chose the white giant that was Shirayukihime (a customized FZ series) due to various factors and although she died, I’m still, for some reason, considering another Sony laptop. No hope for me, really.
The specs and pricing look good; my current preferred spec set is as follows:

• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.80GHz) (6MB L2 Cache! ♥)
• Genuine Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional 64bit (choosing this for XP compat ability & also for Fresh Start)
• Poppy Pink (like I would chose any other color, really. if the pink is hideous I might go the white route but I’m hoping it’s okay XD)
• 320GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm) (I could go the 500GB route, but to be honest I’d rather have a large external drive than a huge internal one, so)
• 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066 (not overkilling here, I can add more RAM later to suit my needs)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GT230M GPU (512MB VRAM) (pretty powerful vid card, which means Sims ♥)
• CD/DVD playback/burning (not going with the BluRay drive because, not sure I would use it.)
• Fresh Start (a.k.a. no Sony bloatware, free trials, etc. gunk-free lappy? yes plz!)
• Standard Capacity Battery (VGP-BPS13) (I’m debating whether to go the extended life batt on this, only $50 more for 6hrs vs 4hrs, so. hmm.)

I’m tempted to wait a bit to see if Sony offers any deals with the holiday season coming up, as well as keep an eye out for potential issues with this model – orders just opened yesterday, so no one’s got theirs yet, I think. For that purpose, I stalk the forums at notebookreview.com – they were very helpful with information about the FZ series, and there was even a walkthrough explanation for how to disassemble (which was handy when I wanted to clean out the dust).

In other digi.tech news, I think I’ve pretty firmly decided that until the iPod touch has a camera (which I suspect will happen post-x-mas) I’m not upgrading. I suppose, unless, my current iPod bites the dust, but it’s a pretty sturdy piece of tech, so that looks unlikely :D

And finally, in the most exciting news, Barnes & Noble has released their own ebook reader, called Nook. It’s quite similar to the Kindle, but with some important differences:

• two screens, but, not the way you are thinking. on top, an e-ink screen. on bottom, a capacitive color touchscreen ♥♥ which is spectacular.
• microSD card slot, which means you could have a potentially infinite number of books/files
• pdf support! ahhh… so nice…
• supposedly will use ePub format? which is not too bad (better than Amazon’s format, anyway, DRM still included presumably)
• lending books to friends this, I am SO excited about. I mean, okay, I don’t lend out books a whole lot, but just, the acknowledgment of that’s what people do with books is ♥
• easy switching between Nook, PC, iPod Touch, etc. etc. (the PC addition is important, Kindle’s only got iPod Touch/iPhone)
• wireless provided by AT&T, which, I don’t really care too much about what company does this, but it’s worth noting

Basically? I’m currently stupidly excited about this tech for no easily explainable reason. But I will hold back! and wait for the device to actually SHIP and get used by some early adopters (a.k.a guinea piggies) before seriously approaching the purchasing process. I mean, it’s not even shipping until Nov 30th, so. Naturally, if it’s awesome supply will be short for holidays but I think I will live. I’m thinking it would be most useful for things like my Japan 2010 trip, so there’s enough time between then and, say, July for supply to meet demand. XD

So, it’s been a couple weeks (more?) since I last updated this. I’m pretty sure “Sporadic Updates” would be my middle name, if I didn’t already have one.

Apple did release a 64GB iPod Touch, and I am tempted to buy it. However, because of all of the camera rumors (supported by a disassembling of the new Touch) I think I am ultimately still going to hold off. An image Zannah posted on plurk cemented my thoughts pretty well – making mention to the fact that Apple may be planning to just sell bunches of new Touches only to release one with a camera post-holiday season. (It isn’t as though such a thing hasn’t happened before – the 32GB Touch was released this way.)

So I’m going to wait. And even if one doesn’t come out post-holiday, it’s sure to have gotten at least a bit cheaper by then anyway… win-win really I suppose XD
Getting a new, more functional laptop is most important at the moment anyway. Ai is cute and everything but she has some problems…. and I’m probably working her too hard, realistically speaking. October is my target month, a little after Windows 7 has been released. After that point, it’s just a matter of good specs and the best deal.

In the meantime… I’ll occupy myself making jewelry.

Okay so it’s almost September.

Last time I remember, it was just the beginning of August.

There were, of course, a couple weeks of Family Time in there so that probably sucked up most of the month.



But, September! That is exciting.



If you are wondering why, then you probably don’t have an iPod and/or are not waiting to upgrade your mp3 player to one.



Finally, finally, finally! my desires for a 64GB iPod touch will be fulfilled. The iPhone has increased to 32GB, and on top of that, rumors are flying about the touch getting a camera (?!) and a microphone! I am so glad I waited XD

But I’ll post more about that when it’s released and I buy one, likely in the next couple of weeks.

Instead, I’d like to talk about my experience with my netbook-as-laptop-replacement so far.
In general, it’s not bad. I can still do all of my net stuff, listen to music, and work on creative projects. All good things.
However, there are one or two things that are really bothering me.
1) Video playback is subpar to impossible. Streaming is by far the best method for watching stuff, but even that is laggy.
2) Any form of gaming is pretty much impossible. Lately I’ve been missing the Sims, and wondering about The Sims 3, which, of course would not at all work on this underpowered machine.

So, it’s not perfect, and really, it’s not meant to be a permanent replacement. But I am reaching my limit.
Even though companies like Dell are offering free Win 7 upgrades, that’s not all I’m holding out for.
I’m waiting for technology to move just a little further, for deals to get just a little better, and to find a machine that really makes me feel completely confident that it’s what I want, and will want for the next 2-3 years (at a minimum).

Occasionally I’ll peak at company websites, compare configurations and prices, but nothing’s struck me as perfect yet.
The wait is feeling longer and longer, but maybe some new shiny tech will help tide me over for a while :D

In my long, torturous journey to wait for a sufficiently sized iPod Touch, I’ve though only of reaching the 64GB mark. 64GB was to be my trigger. Apple would release it (possibly this month), and I would buy it. Seems simple.

But now. Now I am thinking, “if I’ve been waiting this long, why buy mid-cycle just for a size upgrade?” Increased storage is not a major hardware revision, what if iPod Touch 3rd Gen is something incredibly awesome? This seems unlikely, mind you, I can’t imagine what they could add that would make me feel like it was absolutely necessary to own; my phone has GPS and runs various internet-related apps fine. I have a camera that I would never replace with the meager 2MP that’s in the iPhone right now, or even 3MP should they dare to upgrade. If I wanted a combination device with a good camera I would have bought a different phone, that’s for sure.

What could they add?

The problem is, because I don’t know, Apple might catch me off guard. I hate being one-upped by companies who release versions every year, only to be caught between the cycles I want. My iPod isn’t broken yet (and this, this is also bad logic. If something of one brand breaks, why buy another model of the same brand?) so there’s no need, and this has held me over for a long time. I am not sure how much longer it will last, though.

My resolve may very well break if a 64GB version appears in the next few weeks.

↑This↑ is my laptop. It’s shiny and white, and 1.5 years old.
It’s also a fickle little thing.
I’ve had various hard-drive-connection related problems with it, that annoy me to no end. I’m always lulled back into feeling comfortable with it, but I’m afraid one day it just isn’t going to cooperate anymore, without warning :/
(Well, whenever it throws a fit it’s without warning anyway…)
I’m trying to get better about backing up everything important on my little pink hdd but I can’t back things up every second of every day.
This is yet another reason why I want to have an iPod that can hold all of my music at once…

I already explained why I won’t buy an iPod Touch until it comes in a 64GB+ flavor, but what about other technology?

The Kindle. Amazon’s attempt to jumpstart the ebook market is pretty neat, I’ll give you that, but there’s one thing I can’t STAND about it.
It’s black and white! No, scratch that. It’s darker grey on light grey. I know monocrome is the only thing e-ink can do right now, but I just can’t let myself take that plunge. I know I’d never use it the way it is now.
My love of physical books not withstanding, the lack of color really turns me off to ebook readers. Sure, a lot of books don’t require color, but some do! I’d love to flip through magazines on something like that, especially with the ability to zoom in… (oh Japanese magazines, I love you, but your print is so small I need a magnifying glass to discern the kanji sometimes). Once I took that step forward into portable electronics with color, I never wanted to go back. The days of monochrome are over!
But technology must advance to the point where price comes down before Amazon will use it.
And on that day, I will seriously consider buying a Kindle. But not until then.

Netbooks. I’ve talked a little about why I’ve thought about buying one, but I still haven’t taken the plunge.
The reason? They’re just not unique enough for me.
I feel like buying one is traveling back in time and picking up the latest model from 2003. Sure, they’re small, and sometimes cute, but what do they really do? Do I really want to spend $400 on a nearly throwaway computer?
Things that would make me swoon and would push me towards buying one:
A swivel touchscreen. This would allow me to use it for fun things like browsing digitized magazines, drawing while bored, or even writing small notes down. Basically, it would be awesome. (This is the main thing that’s keeping me from snapping one up right away! Admittedly I have to do some more in-depth research, but if there was one, I think I would have probably heard about it by now? Vaio P-like proportioned Korea model not included.)
More RAM. On average, netbooks seem to top out at 1GB of RAM (with some only allowing up to 1.5) I can live with the 1.6Ghz processor, but 1GB of RAM seems a little slim for me. 2 would be perfect, though.
Color! I’m so glad that some companies are latching onto the idea that netbooks can really express individuality, but since I’m so picky it’s difficult for me to find ones I really love.
Looooooooong life battery. At least 6 hours, preferably more. My netbook will be my travel companion, and outlets are frequently not found in airports… at least not for travelers. Sure, you say, 6 hours should be plenty for any trip across the US. Oh yeah? Well what if I’m going to Japan? 14 hours of travel and no sleep means 8 hours (at least!) of no netbook use D: Extra batteries are a possibility of course, but it’s yet one more thing to bring around with me.
Screen size. Yes, small is good, but if it’s a tiny computer, you should at least maximize the area where you can see things on the screen! (I’m looking at you, Eee!) This has gotten better with the newer models, but then it just gets weird with the Vaio P. I really hope other manufacturers don’t follow Sony’s example on that one… α~ (ー.ー”)

{ Edit: quick google search showed me the Eee T91 and T101, which I somehow managed to miss in all of the CES coverage?! anyway, will keep an eye out for those babies… (*　・・*)　♪ }

I used to be really focused on owning a Japanese 携帯 (cell phone). Really really focused.
So much so that I bought a hacked Sharp phone for use in the US. It was fun, but not perfect, and it was missing one important thing: I wasn’t in Japan.
Not to mention the phone was a couple years old at the time, technology had moved forward… But I really enjoyed using it for a while.
Now, I have the Tilt, a pda/phone made by HTC (also known as the Kaiser or the TyTN II), and I can’t really imagine having something that could do less.
Since I have a pda phone, I have an unlimited data plan, which I do my best to take advantage of （＾▽＾笑） but isn’t unlimited outside of the US （（（ T_T） (of course, right? but anyway..)
I post to plurk, to twitter, I read feeds through the google reader’s iPhone designed interface, I can even check LJ but I usually don’t since the main reason I check is for communities that have downloads…. facebook sometimes, I guess. Oh and wikipedia and google! But mainly for settling arguments about information… XD
At this point, I feel really crippled if I can’t be connected when I want to be.
I notice this mostly while I’m travelling, especially on planes. I know some airlines have started to implement wifi, but that’s only within-country usually (much like JetBlue’s satellite TV offerings, they go out when you head over international waters) so that doesn’t help me during the trips I would most like to use it – overseas flights! But being in the foreign country is difficult, too. I’ve been lucky enough to find a nice hotel in Tokyo that provides complimentary internet access, but other places weren’t as good. In London, both times, I had to rely on either paying a heavy fee for day to day use (when I wouldn’t even be there a whole day!), going to a netcafe (blech!) or hitting up a McD’s with free wifi… Paris was even worse, despite it being a ridiculously nice hotel. I don’t remember why, but I remember spending a lot of time in the nearby McD’s to get my internet fix… Even in Hawaii, the resort’s internet was paypaypay.
Internet is everywhere, guys, just accept it as a normal comfort like air conditioning! (which, if I might add, I’d be more than willing to swap for internet access…)
It was harder for me then, being so desperately connected to friends through the internet only, but even now it’s unsettling if I can’t have my normal morning routine of breakfast & rss feeds :/
Maybe I can’t understand it because I live a mostly quiet life in an isolated area, but I don’t want to go on vacation to be further deprived of entertainment! Like going to a secluded area on an island that barely has anything but tourist shops, that isn’t relaxing! It’s just boring. Same goes for camping. I don’t find the idea of living outside to be exciting or appealing. When I go on vacation, I want to do something.

And if I can’t do something, at least let me have the internet and I won’t complain.