New Macbook

Before I start on this post, my netbook recommendation article is just around the corner. I actually started writing on it until something new in my life distracted my computing activities. My laptop of 4.25 years died two weeks ago. I have been "living" off of my aunt's laptop and I honestly miss my Toshiba Tecra M2. Her laptop is actually better in terms of performance. I wouldn't trade my old laptop for anything but I do miss having a computer. I was considering doing all my computer stuff on my PDA and see how long I can go without a computer. In my attempt I quickly realized my PDA was meant only for light internet use. I still needed a big enough screen to browse the web and to do multimedia work. I initially wanted a netbook hence my research into almost all major brands and models of netbooks. My opinion on which netbooks are good will follow in another post. The reason why I did not push through with getting a netbook was because it did not fit my needs. Most of my computing is done at home or somewhere (i.e. coffee shops) where there is an outlet. I also have tried several computers, including the Mac Pro, that basically had little/no lag when loading and running applications and I want the most performance for my money. I was also hoping that I would get back to sound and video editing, some tasks a netbook might struggle with.

I realized that I wanted something that could replace my dead laptop and nothing less. I was then in the market for an affordable yet powerful laptop. The brands I could trust for laptops are IBM (now owned by Lenovo) and Toshiba. My first laptop was an IBM and it was solidly built. I have several first hand experiences with Toshiba. Mine lasted 4.25 years. By the way, those were "hard" years as I "lightly" abused my laptop with CPU intensive software and lugged it around with some bumps along the way. My mom's 8+ year old laptop is still running. My dad's Toshiba is with my brother. Back to my story, so for my new laptop search, I was open to any brand. Since there are no Toshiba netbooks, my initial search for a netbook exposed me to laptop brands I normally shun because of my Toshiba loyalty. I narrowed my laptop of choice to the Lenovo Y430 because of good reviews, the high performance to price ratio and it was on sale by $150 at Circuit City. I went to Circuit City to check it out and I liked what I saw. I confirmed that I did not like some brands because of their keyboard feel and/or flimsy trackpad. (Tip: Before you buy laptops, especially online, go to your local store and test drive it. You would not want return a laptop and pay restocking fee (~10%) because of an uncomfortable keyboard. Think of the keyboard and trackpad like shoes. They fit and suit different people.) The Lenovo laptop had a metal finish, glossy screen and most of all excellent keyboard and trackpad. I wanted to think over the purchase because I really did not need a laptop ASAP. Plus, it allows me look and shop around for better ones. After a lot of researching online, the Lenovo Y530 which was the big brother of the Y430 was better and was also available in Circuit City a bit more expensive (bigger screen, RAM and hard drive) but with the same $150 discount (edit: already sold out from Circuit City!). I went back to the store ready to purchase the laptop and to my dismay the $150 discount was one day expired. I missed the promo by a day and they would not cut me some slack! Oh well, that gave me some time to look around some more. The following week, guess what?, the promo goes back only for the Y530 and I went to Circuit City again about to purchase the laptop before it goes out of stock or the promo expires. Sweet.

I was already imagining myself with the laptop and seeing how I can use it at home. Something did not feel right. Behind the scenes, I've been looking at Apple laptops. I was especially interested in their refurbished iMac along with AppleCare. It made sense in terms of performance to price ratio but I soon realized I still needed the portability of a laptop. Looking at the laptop prices discouraged me as this was about three times the price of a netbook and twice of that of a non-Mac laptop. Going back to Circuit City, I was looking at Vista on the model Y530 and it looked nice and flashy but it also looked more of the same as my old laptop. Having tasted OS X in numerous occasions I knew this was the OS for me. So I said to myself, with the Lenovo Y530 in front of my face, to at least go to Best Buy and see the Apple Macbook.

Now, I've seen the new Macbook at Microcenter before and I've read the reviews. When we arrived at Bestbuy, I saw that they had on display the OLD Macbook. The sales guy said that they have the new ones on stock but they're not on display since they didn't have security tags to put on them. With much inner debate and thinking, I decided to go for the NEW Macbook.

The reasons why I got the Macbook were:
1. I needed a laptop that could last me the next couple of years just like my Toshiba. Now, the Macbook with 3 year accidental insurance was still cheaper than my Toshiba laptop alone (standard 3 year international warranty). As I read in one blog, it is expensive to go cheap. For instance, if I wanted to edit video and got a cheap laptop I would spend more time rendering than if I got a more expensive more capable latpop. Time is gold.

2. I did not want to deal with repairs and constantly calling a 1-800 number in case my laptop failed. I liked the solid aluminum unibody case and the glass screen and glass trackpad. I liked that within the first year, I can go to any Apple Store or Best Buy and have my computer serviced. The 3 year accidental insurance will provide out-of-warranty coverage for the following 2 years.

3. OS X. This OS is so much better than Windows. I still would probably use Windows for applications I cannot find for the Mac. However, OS X is more intuitive and stable and this hopefully would increase productivity.

I plan to also post a review on my Mac experience on the Macbook. One final tip, for financing your Mac purchase, Apple stores offer the Juniper card with 3 months zero interest. Best Buy, at this time, offers zero interest for purchases about $500 for 18 months. (Disclaimer: Promotions and terms and conditions may change any time so refer to Apple Store and Best Buy for the latest information.)

Any tips for a new Mac user? Thanks!

Election Surprise!

Check out the new candidate for this years election!

Calling the Philippines

My good friend called me one night to ask if he can use Vonage on a WiFi phone in the Philippines. The intention was to make local calls to the Philippines while not making exorbitant payments through regular international long distance calls and without the need of prepaid phone cards. I searched Google for results and found a Linksys phone (WIP330) and, as I read in a blog, compatible with Vonage via Softphone. Softphone is a service where Vonage provides you with a USB dongle and make calls on the go. I believe the dongle is only "software" that allows you to access their Voip software and subscribing to Softphone activates this feature. By setting up your WiFi phone with Vonage/Softphone Voip settings, you can make calls anywhere where there is a WiFi signal. Now all this seemed exciting until I remembered Skype.

Skype I believe provides a cheaper solution. For the earlier described way, you purchase monthly Vonage plan ($25 for unlimited calling or $15 for 500 minutes) and WiFi phone, which is about $220 for the Linksys WIP330. An alternative is Skype where you first sign up for a monthly $3 unlimited calls to US and Canada and a yearly $30 for a SkypeIn number (50% discounted with $3/month plan and allows user to have a regular US number). After setting that up, one needs a WiFi Skype phone, which is about $150 for a Netgear Wifi Phone. Overall, the Skype route is a cheaper.

What both ways achieve is this, by calling a US number from your phone here in the US, you are calling the WiFi phone in the Philippines at local rates. It's like getting a second line in the US. The catch is that you need a WiFi connection. With WiFi hotspots sprouting in the Philippines, this isn't really a major deal breaker. Your school or office place may already have a good WiFi hotspot.

Another solution is to subscribe to Smart Communications 3G internet via your Pocket PC or Windows Mobile Phone with Skype for Windows Mobile installed. This may also work with other phones that have 3G capability and Skype for mobile phone compatibility. At the current rate of Php 10.00 per 30 minutes of internet at 3G broadband speeds, the additional cost for greater coverage beyond WiFi hotspots may be worth it.

I haven't really tried any of these but I know that Skype will work with a US number overseas as I have made international calls that way. I was hoping that you, my avid reader, can give me insight into your own experience, suggestions and/or comments.

So, how do you call your loved one's in the Philippines or abroad?

Should I get an Apple iPhone 3G?

The second installment of the iPhone comes out tomorrow here in the US. I remember around this time last year when my best friend got the first version of the iPhone. He called me up second day after the release of the phone to ask me whether he should get it or not. After having read blogs and rumors on the phone I said to him: "It's expensive given that you have to sign up for a 2-year contract paying at least $60/month and $500 for the iPhone(4GB). Money aside, you are getting great features such as real Internet browsing and an iPod." I ended the call with a joke saying, "Get it so I can play with it." That afternoon I got hold of his iPhone! I felt as if it was Christmas morning as we were opening the slick package the phone came in. From my first-time experience to the many times I've borrowed his iPhone, I can say that it is one of the best mobile phones I have handled. However, I chose to purchase a Cingular 8525 instead.

The Cingular 8525 (Later called the AT&T 8525) was on sale in craigslist for $350. Not wanting to extend my contract for 2 years and having little use for Internet browsing while on move, the Cingular 8525 proved to be a better choice. I usually went to places that offered Wi-Fi (free or subscription based - which was just not too often enough for me to get a Data Plan for my phone). The only place where I needed Internet while on the go and without Wi-Fi was in my friends car, the same friend who happened to own the iPhone. I was getting every feature of the iPhone minus the Data Plan. I browsed the Internet over Wi-Fi. I played music over my stereo Bluetooth headphones. I watched movies. I even tried on a skin that simulated the iPhone interface! Moreover, I had some features not found on the iPhone then. Whenever I had to connect to AT&T data service for Google Maps (another iPhone like service) I would connect via 3G which meant faster Internet speeds. I could also install programs. I could take videos with my 2 megapixel camera which sported a flash. I installed a 2 GB memory card and have another 2 GB card with me. I could use Skype on my phone and make voice calls over the Internet. Overall, I was pleased with the features I enjoyed without being too expensive.

Arguably, the iPhone was expensive because of the ease of use it provides to its users. The reason why you could not initially install software was because your really did not have to. Apple may have also wanted to sort out bugs before allowing 3rd party developers to make software. The interface was well thought of to the point where even little kids do not have to learn anything much to navigate along the menus. Users didn't have to worry about adding memory card/s like I did but Apple chose to provide a beefy 4 GB or 8 GB of memory out of the box. I paid for the cheaper Cingular 8525 the time I spent to configure the phone, install additional software, learn the menu structures and purchasing memory cards.

Today, the day before Apple's launch of the iPhone 3G, I answer the same question my friend asked me last year. Should I get the new iPhone? My answer is the same. "It's expensive given that you have to sign up for a 2-year contract paying at least $75/month and $200 for the iPhone(4GB). Money aside, you are getting great features such as faster Internet browsing, an iPod and GPS." I would ended my advice with a joke and say, "Get it so I can play with it."

Since I go to places with Wi-Fi, the monthly subscription for the Data Plan is not worth it. If I was on the road more than I am right now I would rethink getting the iPhone. I would also get the new iPhone without the data plan. Right now I consider a Data Plan-less iPhone 3G as my Cingular 8525 plus GPS.

I wanna hear from you, would you get an iPhone 3G?