I’ve been considering getting our little boy a Nintendo DSi — to replace our PSP-2000 — as his hand-held of choice.  I never really expected him to like the PSP since I loaded it MY games — not for a small boy.  He started playing my racing games then, so I had to get some “dinosaur” games for him to play.  No success there as dinosaur games aren’t really that much fun to begin with.  Which is why I’m now considering a DSi (or DS lite) for him. 

I found no less than 5 games that I’m sure he’d like to play:

1. Dinosaur King
2. Diego – Dinosaur rescue
3. Battle of Giants
4. Fossil Fighters
5. Ice Age 3

With just these games (and others for myself) I think the DS is already worth it (2 games in the PSP and our kid is already enjoying it).  Of course, gaming isn’t the only feature of the DSi.  Here are the other features that are enticing me to get one:

Popularity: 22% [?]

I got the recently released Nokia 6760 slide — as a replacement for my ailing SE P1i, last Christmas.  At first, I thought I’d miss the multi-media features of my P1i but after a while I was really glad to have found this phone.  No frills!  Simple communication in a small, light-weight package that comfortably fits in my pocket.

Here are the quick stats of this phone:

• 2.4 inch QVGA display
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• support for up to 8GB of storage via microSD
• there is A-GPS
• full slide out QWERTY keyboard
• support for Microsoft Exchange
• a host of instant messing features including Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger
• easily setup my web-mail/s (built-in feature) provided that mobile operators let you download data

This phone is such a bargain because of the feature set and great pricing.  It looks good and feels good. to use  And I’d say that it’s a quasi-smartphone — lacking good multi-media software and controls.  But it’s not a big deal since I really wanted a “phone” in the first place.

Popularity: 30% [?]

I gave in to the temptation and got myself a broadband plug-it last week.  I was originally looking at the SmartBro UAAP plug-its but had to get a Globe Tattoo unit instead — for practical reasons.

The Globe Tattoo Broadband units are as fast as the other broadband units in the market but with one exceptional feature that for me is quite practical — I can load anytime, anywhere using Globe’s Share-a-load option.  Since I carry a Postpaid Globe line I can easily pass a load by just texting a load-value.  No need to look for a Globe load site or Prepaid card vendor (though there’s always plenty of them in the mall of the mini-mart/convenience store).  I’ve been using it for a couple of days now and I find the P5/15min browsing charge quite reasonable.  Download speeds are fairly decent whether I’m in a 2G or 3G area.  Most broadband plug-its mention the 2Mbps speeds but I actually appreciate how Globe says it as it is.  I bought my unit thinking that is was gonna give me speeds of of only 512Kbps (max) and was surprised that it actually goes up to 2Mbps.  I’d rather like this approach, quote a modest speed but deliver some speed in some areas (HSPDA — I think this is the 3.5G areas we sometimes have), sometimes.

Quite useful and affordable for something so small. And if I want it to be a little more personal, there are plenty of funky colored skins to choose from.  Now I can work from any coffee shop — check my mail and review some reports and presentations without having to go choose a wi-fi spot.

Popularity: 33% [?]

After “mastering” the installed game in his Leapster 2, our son has moved on and is discovering the world of Dinosaurs!

This game is quite fascinating — even for grown-ups.  With various skills and information to learn such as:

• Dinosaur facts
• Fossil facts
• Scientific process
• Map skills
• Logic and reasoning skills
• Spatial relationships
• Matching skills

There are three skill levels to explore, each one progressively more difficult (but not impossible for a 3 year old) to play.  The graphics of the leapster is by no means cutting edge but clear enough to play and responsive enough to enjoy.  The controls are pretty simple: arrow keys + “A” button for specific action.  There are activities were you also get to use the stylus — such as when they go digging and cleaning for fossil bones.  I sometime find myself wanting to play it myself. But I have to hold myself back as it could ruin the progress tracker (Leapster is equipped with this so parents can see how their child handles a game).  There are also “rewards” for when a set task/activity or goal is complete.  I think I saw postcards, coloring pages, certificates and other printable documents in our”Leap Frog Connect” program — this is were game achievements are tracked.

We’re happy we got this. Our son is happy because he’s having fun.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Our son got a Leapster 2 (from his grandparents) last Christmas — we’re happy that its educational, he’s happy because it’s fun!
It runs on AA batteries (for hours) and it comes with a built-in game. The controls are pretty straight-forward: arrow keys, A + B action keys, plus a Pause and Home button. Out of the box and its already ready to run. I just inserted the batteries and he started playing right away. He’s only 3+ by the way which says a lot about the Leapster’s ease of use and playability!  He repeats the games and don’t find them boring — though we had to make sure that the games were age-appropriate.

He’s happy even if he only has 2 games to play.  We might get him more soon as he’s close to finishing one of his games.  The only thing wrong with the Leapster 2 is that it’s designed for right-handed kids.  Our son is left-handed and has to be conscious of the placement of the stylus.  Not a big deal!  I just extended the stylus string so that it doesn’t feel awkward when he’s using it.

It also looks tough — tough enough to handle the use of a 3-year old.

Popularity: 38% [?]

We’ve been on an extended Christmas break and very eager to start writing again!  That was a very relaxing and fun Christmas Season.  Lots of get-together/s with family and friends.

So long 2009, hello 2010!

Happy Year of the Tiger, everyone!

Popularity: 38% [?]

Here’s something new you don’t see everyday — ready to implement home plans! At www.HousePlansandMore.com of HDA, Inc., you can select from ready-made plans that can be readily implemented or use as a starting point for your own house plan. Quite practical if you ask me.  I was in the real estate business for a time and believe me when I say that ready-to-implement house plans are time savers!  Houseplansandmore.com offers a wide array of plans and services that are quite helpful (and I already mentioned — time saving).  from beach and country house plans to waterfront home plans I think they just about have every plan imaginable.  There’s also the cost estimator and HDA residential estimating services wherein floor plans can be selected depending on your budget.  The HDA residential estimating software is helpful in that the site can determine estimated cost to build just by entering a zip code.

From the floor plans to the cost and residential estimator this website should be a must for new and future home builders — whether you’ll be the homeowner or the contractor.

This site will definitely be useful in the coming years planning for our future (dream) home.

Popularity: 61% [?]

We’ve been itching for a beach vacation of late since we never got to enjoy summer this year.  Looking around the various vacation site when we stumbled upon — Hedonism Resorts.  Very intriguing!  With various land or water sports, beach, spa, fitness center and Special Activities to choose from i think I already know where I want to go next year.

The vacation packages offered cater to adult and single people — those you enjoy staying up late and sleeping in.  And the catchy part of their offer –”…with absolutely everything included in one upfront price you never have to think about money” it just hits the nail in the head!  This is exactly what a vacation should be — worry-free and stress-free.  Just one upfront fee and you can already do whatever you want?!? Sounds to good to be true.  Well, Hedonism Resorts hints on two things — they offer a good vacation and a truly worthwhile experience.

Popularity: 75% [?]

I never thought that I’d ever need a mobile broadband connection so it was quite a relief when one of our officemates lent me her Smart Bro plug-it when the office wlan connection was down.  I was surprised with the ease of setup and speed of the connection.  If we weren’t paying for ou home broadband I would surely invest in this mobile one.

There are various plans to choose from, and there’s even a “Share it” package to consider.

Another plus is that these work even in the provinces — just not sure how far north or south it works but in the place where we have employees this is what they use.

Now, should I or shouldn’t I?!?

Popularity: 100% [?]

Went to Canteen (again) since the Mrs and I couldn’t decide where to eat lunch — and we really wanted to have lunch out, so….

There were lots of people this time.  It was almost 1pm but finding a seat was a little difficult.

I ordered beef.  She ordered fish.  We enjoyed the food.  No dessert time time — we wanted to watch our weight.  The ice cream and banana was tempting but we resisted the urge.

Here’s another take on their unique “numbering” system — we got the Letter “O” this time (took a picture of “K” though)

Next week ulit!

Popularity: 99% [?]