Samsung Experience

I went to the Samsung Experience Showroom at the AOL/Time Warner Center over the weekend to check out new products.

Two products that caught my eye were the Samsung Miniket- a small flash-based video MPEG 4 recorder that also plays/records MP3s and Samsung SCH-S250- a cell phone with a 5 mega pixel camera.




The Miniket is as small as a pack of cigs, with an internal memory of 1GB- which is kinda small for recording videos or storing MP3s. I usual don’t dig device convergence, but this seems like a cool little gadget to have on short trips. Speaking of convergence, the SCH-S250 takes it to another level. I can’t believe this cell phone has a higher resolution than my camera! The LCD display on this phone is amazing- you can barely see the pixels and the colors are so vibrant. But I must admit this phone is a bit bulky and unfortunately, this will only be released in Korea.

Honorable mentions are Samsung YH-999, a portable media player with a 20 GB hard drive and 3.5” LCD screen and Samsung SPH-V5400- a cell phone with a 1.5 GB Hard Drive. The Samsung YH-999 is the thinnest in the class of portable media players that I’ve seen and can actually fit in your pocket. The only downside is that it only works with Windows Media Center and the display models I’ve played with had poor screen and audio quality. It's out and available now. The Samsung SPH-V5400 cell phone also has a FM radio, MP3 player and TV output- making it a truly portable media/communication device. Of course, it will only be released in Korea.





BTW, if you haven’t visited the Samsung Experience Showroom, I highly recommend it, especially to the tech-heads that live in NYC. The revolving “Matrix” style plasmas and the interactive colorful lighting conduits are worth the trip alone.

Restaurant Review: Montrachet and Church Lounge

As promised, I'm posting my review for Montrachet .

I had high expectations, since it’s where David Bouley first started in New York and it’s owned by the same group responsible for Nobu, Tribeca Grill and Layla (the award-winning Myriad Restaurant Group with Drew Nieporent and Robert DeNiro).

When we first arrived, the snooty maitre’d gave us a hard time since my friend didn’t call to confirm the reservation and apparently gave our table away. Why do we have to call twice for a reservation? Isn’t that what exactly reservations are for -to actually RESERVE the table?

Then, he slyly pretends to look at his book and tells us he has a table available but in TWO hours. At this point I was already pissed off and was about to leave. But then he quips, “Let me see what I can do.” He went in to the dining room and quickly comes back. Well what do you know, low and behold, he shows us to our table. But I could see right through his ploy, which was an obvious attempt to get a hefty tip. I wasn’t gonna fall for it- especially since the restaurant was half EMPTY!

Anyway, moving on to the review. Since it was restaurant week, I ordered from the prix fixe menu- not that I could afford any of the items from the regular menu in any case. I chose the escargot for appetizer, the pork loin for entrée, and the warm chocolate cake for dessert.

The escargot was a bit chewy and tasted average at best. The grilled pork loin was dry and the sauce (if you can call it that) was mediocre and nothing to rave about. Although the chocolate cake was good, any decent restaurant wouldn’t mess that up. I know it may sound that I expected too much from a prix fixe menu, but if you want to attract new customers, shouldn’t they at the least try to make the dishes a bit exceptional?

What was exceptional was their extensive wine list- it was thicker than a phone book! The sommelier was quite knowledgeable and friendly. I picked a bottle of Burgundy, naturally, since the restaurant was evidently named after it. The wine was bold but not too dry, unlike what I am used to-surprisingly excellent.

The service was above average, especially for a French restaurant. The waiters were very prompt and never left our glasses empty.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with the food. I may have ordered the lesser items in the menu- but it wasn’t convincing enough for a return visit. I give Montrachet a 2 out of 5.



We headed over to Church Lounge at the Tribeca Grand Hotel for a nightcap. Not too many places in the city impress me anymore, but Church Lounge was an exception. The hotel’s enclosed common courtyard with the balconies overlooking the lounge (ala Luxor in Vegas) is a site to behold. The plush furniture and couches were very comfortable and chic along with the artistic accent lighting. The drinks were also excellent. I tried the perfect 10, tartini, and air mail which were alittle pricey at $12 a pop- but unfortunately standard fare for NYC. If you’re ever down in the Tribeca area I recommend you pay a visit. I give Church Lounge a 4 out of 5.

razR goes Black

Oscar presenters and winners get free goodie bags worth $15,000 in return for their “hard work”. What a bunch of lucky sons of bitches. It’s not enough that they have fame and fortune- but do they have to get the limited edition Black Motorola V3 Razr for free? Yeah, I’m jealous- bastards….

Via: CNET News

How small can you go?

How cute is this MP3 Player ? Someone’s bound to lose them or worse swallow them by mistake. Look how they stack it next to iAudio player and that’s small as it is.

No specs displayed on MobiBlu site yet. So we’ll shall see….

Via: I4U

Bluetooth - Going wireless

I just purchased my first bluetooth headset. Yeah, I know I’m a little behind. But I’ve always seen people walking around the city with them on and honestly, they look like Borgs from Star Trek- hence, a complete dork.

It’s bad enough we have to deal with those people walking on the street or shopping with wired headsets and seemingly talking to themselves like mental patients out of Bellevue.

Well my friends, I’ve caved in- I’ve had a bluetooth cell phone for a while now, and seemed such a waste of unused bandwidth. Also, this isn’t just any other headset it’s the latest and greatest from Jabra- BT 800 .



It has a caller ID screen built-in, vibrate/ring tone, noise cancellation and voice command dialing. I’ll probably hardly ever use my cell phone now. But I promise you’d never see me walking around in public with them on. If you do, kick me please.

Well they won’t be shipping it till next month. I’ll post my review once I receive it.


Via: Jabra BT800

Debbie does Playboy

Debbie Gibson gone wild ? WTF? She’s over a decade late for anyone to even give a crap. I guess that’s what happens when you haven’t had a hit since like what- late 80s?

I guess that means we’ll have to wait till 2015 for Britney or Christina to take it all off…if they haven’t already.

Via: Mega Star

Woo + Rock = Spyhunter?

I am a big fan of the video game 'Spyhunter'. I played it for hours in the arcades, when I was a kid and as an adult on the PS2. But I am even a bigger fan of John Woo films, i.e.: ‘The Killer’, ‘Hard-Boiled’, ‘Face/Off’ and yes even with Jean Claude GoddDamm’s ‘Hard Target’.

So I am a bit baffled as to why and how the great Woo-man got involved making a movie out of this video game- and with The Rock, no less. Yes, that’s right, the wrestler. Apparently, Mr. Woo did not smell what he was cooking…nor did he watched 'The Rundown'.

What's worse, the released visual effects shots seemed so cheesy. It looks like some leftover CGI from Final Fantasy. I hope to god this isn’t as bad as his last ‘paycheck’. If he values his career, he needs to reunite with Chow Yun Fat ASAP.

Via: JoBlo

Samsung’s YP-T7 MP3 Player

Ok, this is my last iPod bashing entry for today.

Apple take notes from Samsung, this is what a flash-based MP3 player should look like. Nice color screen, it looks sweet. I wonder if it has FM radio and recording?

In any case, way to go Samsung, oh but wait, it’s only available in Korea. Damn yoooooouuu!

Update: Will be sold in the US in a month- can't wait.

Via: Engadget

Ipod Shuffle vs. Sandisk MP3

I’m not an iPod hater (ok maybe just a little)- it's just that the iPod shuffle disappointed me (see my previous post). But here’s someone who also feels that the iPod shuffle, well- sucks.

But I'm not a fan of Sandisk either, however, comparing it or any other flash-based MP3 players for that matter makes the shuffle look- prehistoric.

Via: Dave’s iPaq

Television Without Pity

This just might be the best season in television. With so many quality shows like ER and CSI and reality programs like the Apprentice, how can anyone keep up? All I can say is thank god for Tivo. But what if you don’t own one or if it suddenly just crashes when you’re conveniently not around? Ah but alas, there is that awesomely omniscient world of the inter/web.

And no, I’m not talking about downloading it from bit torrent sites like Azureus - cause that would be illegal (*wink*). One of the best websites to visit (an oldie, but goodie) and catch up on your favorite shows is Television Without Pity. You can find all sorts of goodies like episode summaries, forums, links, etc. Check it out and thank me later….

So which shows should YOU be watching? Here’s a quick list of my favorites:

1. Lost – The best new show this season period (sorry ‘Desperate Housewives’ fans). I must admit when I first saw an ad for this show, I thought it would bomb. It looked like it was going to be a serious version of Gilligan’s Island. But anyone who watches the show can tell you (or not tell you) that there’s more than meets the eye. With mysterious plots like: Are those dinosaurs in the island? What’s a polar bear doing in the jungle? Does the kid have supernatural powers? How in the world can that paraplegic walk? Who are “the others” that we’re keep hearing about? and subplots of characters criminal/dark past- makes this show a cult hit. For those of you who watch the show- I’ve read several and often hilarious theories on the show. The best one I’ve read so far is that the island is a government experiment gone wrong- which seems logical but who knows….only J.J. Abrams does.

2. 24 – I’ve never watched the previous seasons of 24, but I’ve heard this season is the best by far. Although some parts may seem a little over the top (i.e: Would a Secretary of Defense really commit suicide along with their daughter for their country? Or how bout a federal agent robbing a convenient store just to stall for time to align the satellites? Would a parent really kill his child for a terrorist cause?), these types of ridiculous and often nail-biting situations what makes this show a great fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. And of course, who can forget the addition of Shohreh Aghdashloo from ‘House of Sand and Fog’ playing the psycho-empathetic-terrorist mother. She has such a presence on screen and you just wonder what she’ll do next. Does anyone recognize the actor playing her husband? He was in the B-movie 'Hanging with the Homeboys' with John Leguizamo. I always smirk when he's on- a hispanic from the Bronx playing a Middle Eastern terrorist.

3. West Wing – I’ve been watching this show on-off over the years. It always had solid screenplay and good performances overall. But after hearing that creator/writer Aaron Sorkin would be leaving the show- I thought, well, that would pretty much be it. But this season has been nothing short of spectacular. They really shook things up in the White House. Being that it’s President Bartlett’s last year of his second term, everyone’s curious to know who’d be the next president? Jimmy Smits? Alan Alda? Or Lumberg from ‘Office Space’? Add that with Bartlett’s MS episodes, Leo’s heart attack, CJ’s promotion and Josh leaving for Jimmy Smits' campaign- then you got one hell of a season.

4. Boston Legal – The best spin-off this season period (sorry ‘Joey’ fans). Creator David Kelly took the best elements of ‘Ally McBeal’ and ‘The Practice’ and rolled it into one show. The ever-so-creepy James Spader keeps this satirical law firm on it’s feet and the recent addition of ‘Murphy Brown’ will keep us guessing. And of course, the two words make this show truly awesome: William Shatner. He truly deserved wining the emmy and the golden globe, cause I can’t even tell whether he’s acting or just being his looney self.

These boots are made for walking....

Because of the recent blizzard that hit the Northeast, I was forced to get a pair of winter boots this weekend- a pair of Timberland's Mukluk 6" Boot to be exact (shown on pic).

First, let me just say that these boots rock! Not only is it made of waterproof leather, it's lined with Thermalite and Goretex XCR. So it kept my feet warm and dry even though it was 8 deg F (-10 deg F with windchill) last night! Yea I know, I shouldn't be walking around in this weather, but sometimes you gotta play in the snow.

The quick-laces also made putting them on a snap. It literally takes a second to take them off or put them on. They also water-sealed the front part of the boots so water or snow wouldn't seap through. There is a cushion around the ankles and in the sole so it would be a comfortably tight fit. You gotta hand it to Timberland, they put alot of thought on the design and quality of these boots.

So, I give these boots a 4.8 out 5. It would've been perfect 5.0, if it was fashionably trendier designed with a New York hipster in mind.

The Bow Conspiracy

Check this out. The Sony VAIO logo is actually a symbol of a man bowing. Subliminal? A Sony conspiracy? You decide.

Check out other collections signs and artworks of a bowing man.

Web tip: Although the site is in Japanese, you can use Google or Altavista's Babelfish to translate the webpage.

Via: Kuzuoreru

Restaurant Review: Palma NYC

Palma NYC 

One of the perks of living in NYC is having a diverse selection of cuisine just within a few blocks radius. Last week, I went to Palma – an Italian restaurant with a Mediterranean flavor. I highly recommend the fisherman’s stew- a tomato soup-based stew with a mixed of seafood (mussels, clams, scallops, squid and shrimp) baked under a flatbread crust, but it may be too spicy for some people. This may seem strange, but it actually tastes like eating seafood pizza with spicy tomato soup. I know it sounds a little revolting, but trust me- it’s GOOOOD.

So, I give it 3.5 out 5.

Restaurant week starts today, so next up is Montrachet. I’ll be posting a review, so stay tuned.


Via: Palma NYC

Fake Apple Store

This cracks me up. Someone had a little too much time on their hands, but entertaining nevertheless. Check out the Apple Mysteron- a quintessential Apple product.

Via: David McCandless

24 inches of LCD heaven.

2 footer. 

It looks like Dell's coming out with a new 24 inch LCD widescreen with a built in memory card reader (I wonder how true that is).

I've been lusting Dell's 20.1 inch widescreen last year, ever since my 15-inch LCD was crapping out on me. So, this will be a good present for myself. I'm glad I've held out.

Via: Neo Win

iPod Shuffle. Puh-lease, gimme a break.

What's the big deal?? 

Am I the only one who is not fooled by this? It's a flash-based player with no screen for $100-$150??

You've got to be joking, Mr. Steve Jobs. I've had this for more than 3 years now and it's called a Creative Nomad Muvo. Do yourself a favor and buy one at Amazon for half the price. And guess what? The recent Muvo models actually has a SCREEN, a FM radio and recording.

But you've got to hand it to Apple's Marketing Department. They know how to make mountains out of mole hills.

The razR is out ....

....and ready to cut.

If you think this is a blog devoted to Motorola's V3 RazR, then you are in for a treat. Ironically, I don't own a Razr (too expensive for my taste)- but I admire its bleeding edge design and style. Ergo, I'll be posting content that are analogously similar. Or, at least that pertains an interest to moi.

Actually, I haven't figured what this blog is for. But just like life, it'll be a work in progress and as open-ended and random.

Stay tuned.