NEW TOY: CASIO PROTREK PRG-80T-7V

MY NEW TOY: A WATCH by the name of CASIO Protrek Triple Sensor PRG-80T-7V. I bought it on Thursday 22 October 2009 at Hang Thai Watch SS2. I paid RM1000 for it. It bundled with lightweight Titanium Strap instead of Rubber ones found in Newer and more sophisticated but bulkier PRG-120T which costs RM100 more.

It comes with 1 year worldwide warranty. Overall, I enjoyed my new toy. MORE FEATURES than my TISSOT(R) T-TOUCH(R) which was given by my dad for birthday back in 2003.

Without further ado, here's some information, photos and specifications of my new toy...



Name: CASIO Protrek Triple Sensor PRG-80T-7V

Serial Number: PRG-80T-7V
Manufacturer Name: CASIO





Other features:

- Electro-luminescent backlight

- Full auto EL light, afterglow

• Solar powered

• Low-temperature resistant (-10 °C/14 °F)

• Digital compass

Measures and displays direction as one of 16 points

Measuring range: 0 to 359 °

Measuring unit: 1 °

20 seconds continuous measurement

Graphic direction pointer

Bidirectional calibration and northerly calibration function


• Altimeter

Measuring range: -700 to 10,000 m (-2,300 to 32,800 ft.)

Measuring unit: 5 m (20 ft.)

Auto memory measurements (up to 40 records, each including altitude, month, date, time)

High Altitude / Low Altitude Memory

Cumulative Ascent / Descent Memory

Relative Altitude Display

Altitude Tendency Graph

Altitude Differential Graphic

Altitude alarm

*Changeover between meters (m) and feet (ft.)


• Barometer

Display range: 260 to 1,100 hPa (7.65 to 32.45 inHg)

Display unit: 1 hPa (0.05 inHg)

Atmospheric pressure tendency graph

Atmospheric pressure differential graphic

*Changeover between hPa and inHg


• Thermometer

Display range: -10 to 60 °C (14 to 140 °F)

Display unit: 0.1 °C (0.2 °F)

*Changeover between Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F)

• Duplex LC display

• World time

29 time zones (30 cities), city code display, daylight saving on/off


• 1/100-second stopwatch
Measuring capacity: 9:59'59.99'

Measuring modes: Elapsed time, split time, 1st-2nd place times


• Countdown timer
Measuring unit: 1 second

Countdown range: 60 minutes

Countdown start time setting range: 1 to 60 minutes (1-minute increments)

Others: Auto-repeat, progress beeper


• Daily alarms
5 independent daily alarms


• Hourly time signal

• Battery power indicator

• Power save function (automatically disables LCD if the watch is left in the dark for approximately 60 to 70 minutes, and sensor measurements if the watch is left in the dark for six or seven days)

• Auto-calendar (to year 2099)

• 12/24-hour format

• Regular timekeeping: Hour, minutes, seconds, pm, month, date, day

• Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month

• Approx. battery operating time: 6 months on Rechargeable Battery (Operating period with normal use without exposure to light after full charge)

21.5 months on Rechargeable Battery (Operating period when stored in total darkness with the Power Save function ON after full charge)

• Size of case/total weight
PRG-80 : 62.3 X 52.2 X 14.2 mm / 77 g

PRG-80L : 62.3 X 52.2 X 14.2 mm / 76 g

PRG-80T : 62.3 X 52.2 X 14.2 mm / 117 g

PRG-80YT : 62.3 X 52.2 X 14.2 mm / 117 g



References:

http://world.casio.com/asia/wat/protrek/prg_80/

SPECIFICATIONS SUMMARY:
CASIO Protrek Triple Sensor PRG-80T-7V
Series : Protrek One-Touch Operation
Band : Titanium Band
Dial : Water Resistant: 100 M ; Glass: Mineral Glass
Size : 62.3 X 52.2 X 14.2 mm / 117 g
Movement :Solar Quartz
Water Resistant : 100 M
Warranty : One year international manufacturer's warranty

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry...

Gadgets: My New toy: Garmin nuvi 255W

My New toy: Garmin nuvi 255W with "JUNCTION VIEW".

Today, 11.30am, I purchased a NEW TOY. It's no other than "GARMIN NUVI 255W".

I bought it from "AUTOMOTIVE SYNERGY", SS23, TAMAN SEA, PETALING JAYA.

I paid RM1238 after rebate. It comes with extra freebies:


i) Garmin Leather casing (see photo below)

ii) Garmin Travel adapters + cable (see photo below)

iii) Pre-loaded main maps: Malsing maps (Malaysia and Singapore maps). In addition, I was given New Zealand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Hong Kong. TOTAL MAPS from 12 COUNTRIES.

Picture and video are worth 1000 words. Here's some photos (will upload Video in by this Weekend).

Above, view of the "Navigation map (MalSing) #1. Below, view of the "Navigation map
#2



Above: Right view
Below: Left view with SD Card slot


Below, Back view



Above, Welcome menu screen. Below, The "setup" menu



Above, "POINT OF INTEREST" under "Where to?" menu.

Space for video. Will upload by this Saturday.

For your reading pleasure, Here's a user review I get from a forum:
http://www.gpsreview.net/garmin-nuvi-255w/

"Begin:

First the good:

1. The new interface is by and large great. The map refresh is much much faster than any of the other Nuvis. It now shows a smooth rotation when making turns too, looks really cool. It seems to show the names of surrounding streets more frequently than what I've seen on my roommate's 250W as well.

The turn arrow display is really nice and gives you a much better idea of what to expect as you approach an interchange.

2. Incredibly fast satellite lock. I was astonished actually at how quickly it's been able to pick them up after turning it on. First time took less than 20 seconds or so and after that it's been nearly instantaneous. Was able to get a strong signal sitting in my house no problem. That definitely doesn't work with the 250W.

3. I think the unit may capable of determining time zone on its own. There is no option for setting your time zone, it just has a Time Format and Current Time (which has an auto checkbox next to it) in the time options.

5. It's a nice looking unit, very sleek and dark.

And now the bad...

1. Sound. This absolutely is not the same speech engine found on the other Nuvis. The voices on the 255W are very robotic sounding, hard to understand and made a huge number of road name mispronunciations during the trip today.

What it sounds like to me is that the audio files themselves on the 255W have a very high degree of lossy compression applied to them. The 250W or 750 vs. the 255W is like listening to the uncompressed wav audio from a CD vs. very low bitrate MP3s or something to that effect. Even at 100% volume it was almost impossible to hear on the freeway.

I have to think this is due to Garmin putting less storage space in this unit or something. Wonder if it's possible to use the voices from the other units with an SD card or something... Extremely disappointed overall on the sound front.

2. The green bar at the top of the screen when not navigating an active route now simply says "Driving (direction) on (Road Name)" - it does not show you the names of the upcoming next street the way I've seen other Nuvis do. I have no clue why they would have taken this out, that was a great feature.
. The power switch feels quite flimsy and prone to breakage, just sitting here comparing it to the 250W's, it's definitely looser and feels solid.

So, it really does seem like its one step forward and two steps back with Garmin and new products. They add great things like the new fast UI and fast satellite acquisition, but then go and put in crap sound, take away features like the upcoming cross street names etc.

by a forummer called Ryan "THE END"


Without further ado, here's the Specifications.
SPECIFICATIONS:

Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 4.8"W x 2.9"H x .8"D (12.2 x 7.4 x 2.0 cm)
Display size, WxH: 3.81"W x 2.25"H (9.7 x 5.7 cm); 4.3" diag (10.9 cm)
Display resolution, WxH: 480 x 272 pixels
Display type: WQVGA color TFT with white backlight
Weight: 6.1 ounces (172.93 g)
Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life: up to 4 hours
Waterproof: no

High-sensitivity receiver: yes
RoHS version available: yes
Maps & Memory:
Basemap: yes
Preloaded maps: yes
Ability to add maps: yes
Built-in memory: internal solid state
Accepts data cards: SD™ card (not included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations: 1000
Routes: 0

Features:
Voice prompts (e.g. "Turn right in 500 ft."): yes (internal speaker)

Speaks street names (e.g. "Turn right ON ELM STREET in 500 ft."): yes

Voice-activated navigation (operate device with spoken commands): no

Lane assist (guides you to the proper lane for navigation): no

3-D building view (displays buildings in 3-D): no

Auto sort multiple destinations (provides most direct route): no

Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation): yes

Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, off road): yes

Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.): yes

Bluetooth® wireless technology (connect to your phone for hands-free calling): no

MSN® Direct compatible: yes
FM traffic compatible: yes
XM® Navtraffic & Radio for U.S. compatible: no

Speed limit indicator (displays speed limit for most major roads): yes

Where Am I? (find closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection): yes

Garmin Locate™ (marks position when removed from windshield mount): no

ecoRoute™ (calculates a more fuel-efficient route) : yes

Qwerty or ABC keyboard (choose keyboard layout): yes

Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes

Garmin Garage™ vehicles compatible (download car-shaped icons to your device): yes
Garmin Garage™ voices compatible (download custom voices to your device): yes

Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos): yes
World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator: yes
Picture viewer: yes
MP3 player: no
Audio book player: no
FM transmitter: no
Headphone jack/audio line-out: no
Remote control: no

Garmin Lock™ (anti-theft feature): yes
Touchscreen: yes
Dead reckoning: no
Motorcycle-friendly: no
Trucking-friendly: no
Geocaching-friendly: no
Marine-friendly: no

Additional: This USB mass storage device is compatible with Windows® 2000 or later and Mac® OS X 10.4 or later.

That's all folks, thanks for having the patience to read this...

REFERENCES:

1) Official Garmin website. - for specifications.
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=13431#featureTab

Goodbye SE K810i, Hello SE K850i

(SORRY FOR HAVING SO LIMIED PHOTOS... Streamyx down again, will upload by Wed 3 December 2008.


Above, this is how my previous phone looks like...

In case you are wondering what "SE" Stands for, it's SONYERICSSON. Yup, I bought a new handphone to replace my K810i. It's no other than K850i. Colour: Silver Blue (new colour). I bought this phone for RM500 after selling off my 9 months old K810i for RM400. Why I ended up buying this phone?

I originally paid a RM80 booking for SE C902 Titanium Silver James Bond Edition. But at RM1200, I don't have the money to pick up as I can't find my Public Bank PASSBOOK. I told the shop ("Venus Comm" in Digital Mall, PJ) that I will collect 1 week later. Well, 1 week passed and I still can't raise cash to pick up the "James Bond Phone".

To cut the story short, I only managed to raise RM1000. Went back to the shop, Looked at other options, realised that I can get a "BETTER EQUIPPED BUT THICKER PHONE" for RM9xx including Warranty Extension (to 18 mts phone and 12 mts LCD). It's no other than "Silver Blue" SonyEricsson K850i.



The Screen is bigger (2.2" vs 2"), ALSO Touch screen menu, Xenon instead of LED Flash, Cool backlights (See picture below), BETTER Camera and Picture Quality overall. Only "letdown" is that the phone had been in the MARKET for 12 months, compared to NEWLY LAUNCHED TWO WEEKS AGO James Bond Edition.

FINAL WORD: NO REGRET buying This phone though I COULD HAVE been 1 OF THE 1st Owner to own a JAMES BOND PHONE Sigh...

Here's MORE PICTURES of the K850i...


Front view


Side right

Back view


Menu View



Here's the specifications of the K850i... (1)

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100

Status Available. Released 2007, October
Size Dimensions 102 x 48 x 17 mm
Weight 118 g
Display Type TFT, 256K colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3
Customization Composer, download, order now
Vibration Yes
Memory Phonebook 1000 x 20 fields, Photo call
Call records 30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2)/microSD , 512 MB card included
- 40 MB internal memory
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD No
EDGE Yes
3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps (K850i only)
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0
Features Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser WAP 2.0/HTML (NetFront), RSS reader
Games Yes + downloadable, order now
Colors Luminous Green, Velvet Blue, Quicksilver black
Camera 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, video(QVGA@30fps), xenon flash and 3LED video light; auto lens cover, secondary videocall camera
- Java MIDP 2.0
- FM radio with RDS
- MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player
- TrackID music recognition
- T9
- Image viewer
- Picture editor/blogging
- Organiser
- Built-in handsfree
- Voice memo/dial
Battery Standard battery, Li-Po 930 mAh (BST-38)
Stand-by Up to 400 h
Talk time Up to 9 h


References:
(1) www.gsmarena.com

That's all folks... Thanks for having the patience to read it...