Why Did I Buy This Thing?

What is the Blackberry Playbook?  The Blackberry Playbook is the first tablet device released by RIM, the makers of the popular Blackberry line of smartphones.   For being such a big player to the smartphone game, it has been surprising that its taken RIM this long to role out a line of tablets focused at consumers.

Getting Started

Amazon Product Link: 

Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (16GB)

LCD Screen Protector for RIM BlackBerry Playbook

Research in Motion Leather Convertible Case for BlackBerry Playbook (ACC-40279-301)

Ok, after much anticipation, I finally received my Pebble Blue Samsung Galaxy S3 today.  Unfortunately I had some troubles activating the phone on Verizon's network.

I popped in the SIM card and battery and fired it up.  It jumps right into the activation screen where it sat for the next 20 minutes before displaying an error instructing me to restart and try again.  I tried again. And again.  This went on for an hour and a half.  Arggghhh!

The Acer A500 was released in early 2011 in North America.  I have been waiting for the right time to make the investment and I believe that this was the tablet I was waiting for.  Was it worth the wait?  Read on!

Amazon Product Link: 

Acer Iconia Tab A500-10S16u 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer (Aluminum Metallic)

Acase Acer Iconia Tab A500 A501 AcaseView Screen Protector Film Clear (Invisible) for Acer Iconia Tab A500 A501 10.1 inch Touchscreen Tablet (3 Pack)

We just purchased a new vehicle and we started thinking about the future adventures we'd have in it.  It's a 2010 Mazda 5, and somehow having USB ports on the dash wasn't a requirement for me.  Enter the Black & Decker imobile Personal Electronics Charger.

Amazon Product Link: 

Philips Universal MP3 Car Charger with 2 USB Adapters

I read about similar mobile phone Wide/Macro camera lenses on a few different tech blogs and even checked out some of the image comparison galleries.  Priced at around $10, this was an impulse buy I had to make so that I could see the results myself.

Amazon Product Link: 

Bower VL38MS Small 0.38X Magnetic Wide Angle Lens

Flip Video High Quality .45 Angle lense + macro magnetic type + Ultra Fine Cl...

Its been over 7 years since I've been in the market for a home phone.  I had no idea what new features and standards were available.  I was pretty happy to find a home phone solution that plays nice with my Android powered cellphone.  Behold, the Panasonic KX-TG6582.

Amazon Product Link: 

Panasonic KX-TG6582T DECT 6.0 PLUS Link-to-Cell via Bluetooth Cordless Phone with Answering System, Metallic Black, 2 Handsets

This Kenwood KDC-X994 was purchased with Motorola Droid in mind.  I wanted a car stereo that would allow me to stream music from my mobile phone.  The KDC-X994 does that and more.

Amazon Product Link: 

Kenwood KDC-X994 eXcelon In-Dash CD Receiver with Built-in Bluetooth

A few weeks back I ordered a Rovio from Woot.com.  The product page on Wowwee's site explains it best:

Rovio™ is the groundbreaking new Wi-Fi enabled mobile webcam that lets you view and interact with its environment through streaming video and audio, wherever you are! With Rovio, you will always be just a click away from the people and places that are important to you.

Amazon Product Link: 

WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam

AndRovio

Spy Gear Spy Video TRAKR

I recently purchased a Verizon Droid, with it I picked up the package of 3 screen protectors.  The screen itself seemed sturdy enough, but having little experience with capacitive touchscreens I decided it was best to play it safe. 

I waited last year when the G1 came out. I was anxious for Android to come out and shake things up but I didn't want to be an early adopter. I looked forward to participating in an open source mobile platform because as an applications developer and, honestly, because it wasn't an iPhone.  The promise of a better platform was what it meant to me.  A system whose excellence is agnostic of its host.