Droid Eris

Everybody is all up in arms about the Motorola Droid, touting it as the new iPhone killer. I stopped by the local Verizon store today to check it out and see how it stacks compared to my iphone 3G. I'm not going to review it, as every tech site out there has done that already ad nasuem. I will say though, that if I weren't already in a contract with AT&T, I'd probably be very tempted to buy this phone. Verizon is simply a better network and even their customer service is superior to AT&Ts. I used to have a Treo 700P on Verizon's network, and this is where I had my first taste of Verizon'a 3G, also known as EVDO. Although at the time, it was newer technology, I was impressed. It even worked well when I tethered my phone to my laptop, giving me almost wifi speeds.

AT&T speeds just don't seem to match up. The Droid is a great alternative if you want to stay on Verizon, but it too has some shortcomings, namely the bulky, box like design, lack of true multi-touch and a keyboard that seems redundant, mainly because it's keys are flush requiring you to have to look as you type anyway, and there's a little fingerpad, which is pointless if it's touchscreen anyway.

I decided my iPhone was much sleeker and aesthetically pleasing and started to walk out the store, when I caught sight of the Droid Eris. Another Droid phone? Yes, this one made by HTC, in fact it looks like a repackaged HTC hero. I liked the slimmer, smaller form factor, the rubberized casing, and the blackberry like trackball. It too has a touchscreen, and also has haptic feedback. The Eris has a decent 5 Megapixel camera and shoots both pics and video. That's not bad at all. Unlike Motorola's Droid, it runs Android 1.5 (compared to 2.0) and seems a bit slower because of it. It's still pretty zippy and the EVDO is quick. The added bonus, it has multi-touch, where you can zoom in and out with a pinch, just like on the iPhone. The Android store is growing quickly, with only the Apple App store with more applications. The Eris is $99 for a 2 year commitment. Check out my pics below! If you're on Verizon, and don't want to switch carriers, either Droid phone is a great option!

Barnes

Barnes & Noble Delays Nook Shipments To Stores

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Collecting Comic Books

Today I went to throw out my trash and sort my recyclables, like a good New Yorker should. While down there, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, stacked up in the corner on the table. A huge pile of mint condition comic books! I can't believe my luck, and I'm assuming someone's mom inadvertently tossed out some kids collection, while they are away at college. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and what a treasure it was. It's probably not worth too much as most of these comics are only a few months old, but valuable to me, because they remind me so much of when I used to collect comics myself. Unlike this unlucky bunch, I lost my collection when I decided to sell them to an unscrupulous comic store owner for pennies on the dollar because I needed the money in a hurry. I can't believe the comics I had, including Wolverine's Limited edition 1 -4, which in mint condition today can be worth upwards of $500 for those 4 alone. I also had the Wolverine series and a bunch of classic X-Men comics. I know I can't realistically start a collection now, but these few that I've found today will be bagged carefully and who knows, maybe one or two of them will be worth something 20 years from now. One thing that finding these comics has reminded me also is the art of reading and collecting comics is something that the digital age doesn't quite get. There are a bunch of apps for the iphone and some websites that allow you to read the comics on your digital devices. A few times I've been tempted to download a comic only to change my mind at the last minute. Now I realize that buying the actual comic is like buying a piece of art. Although you enjoy it for the story, you also collect it in the hopes of it appreciating in value. At the very least, it's something you can pass along to your children and they can enjoy comics the same way you do today. You lose all that with these digital comics. Although they have a place and are certainly fun, they can never replace the real thing!

Monoprice iPhone/iPod Battery Backup

"Monoprice iPhone/iPod Battery Backup: Such a deal" - TUAW.com

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/26/monoprice-iphone-ipod-battery-backup-such-a-deal/?icid=px-iphone


In a previous post about offshore iPhone chargers, a few astute TUAW readers mentioned Monoprice.com as a good source for chargers, connectors, and computer, TV and audio cables.  

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