Gadget thread

Justice4243 · 2013-04-13 20:36:33

So, I'm kinda a gadget junkie...and I'm guessing many of you guys/gals are too.

So here's a thread to talk about gadgets we have/want.

Also, feel free to get your Inspector Gadget and Rescue Ranger impulses out here. :P

We'll start with Ultra-books:

I think as far as appealing to power users, Sony has a stranglehold on the market. The T-series (though, pretty damn big for an ultra-book) sports 1080p, a touch-screen, bluetooth, an optical drive as well as 8 GB ram and a even a blu-ray player with the higher end models

I have this one.

The VAIO-DOU 11 series was a close contender because I originally did want something a bit smaller, but I had trouble justifying spending more money on something that had less features.

The bluetooth is pretty rad as it works well with these:

Good Lord, I love these things. Not only do they double as bluetooth headphones/headset for phone use, they rest on your shoulders around the back of your neck. This means you can walk around with them all day without your ear(s) getting pissed off at you. There are also magnets behind each speaker so they can stay firmly attached to the device instead of dangling from it. These made my cell-phone a viable method to listen to music on the go or on the bus. They also now work with one of my PCs if I want to listen to something with headphones but also want the freedom to walk around the room.

Something else that basically never leaves my side:

My Fitbit tracks my steps, calories, how active I've been (provided my activities don't involve primarily hand motions). It also has a daily goal of 5 miles walked, 10,000 steps, and an active score based of my METs.

This has helped me loose a ton of weight and start putting on some muscle. You just have to buy into the idea that the goals on your dashboard are things worth attempting to hit.

Something I want to own:

The Pebble, a phone that syncs with your iPod or Android phone.

It has a rechargeable battery, so your trading having to charge it every seven or so days for a watch that sync with your phone.

Tycho (of Penny Arcade fame) mentions it and causally links TVTropes here.

Obā-san · 2013-04-13 20:40:47

man these all look pretty cool

Justice4243 · 2013-04-13 20:43:28

The Fitbit has got me a few compliments when I pull it out of it's tiny holster.

Despite wearing it almost 24/7, it's so tiny that almost no one ever notices it.

The bluetooth headset can also be hidden if one has long hair, or wears collared shirts pretty often.

In my case, I can walk around with it on my shoulders and no one ever notices. :3

Imipolex G · 2013-04-13 20:47:55

Not too big on gadgets, but sometimes I've thought I might become a guitar gear junkie if I had lots of expendable cash and time

Previous Calica · 2013-04-14 12:47:12

One of the other students in my cohort has a Pebble. He seems to be really enjoying it so far.

glennmagusharvey · 2013-04-14 14:10:43

I don't like the peer pressure to own and show off gadgets.

Justice4243 · 2013-04-14 15:37:23

No one's exactly going from thread to thread passing judgement on people based on what they have or don't have. I just thought it would be cool if people had something they wanted to share that they own and think is nifty or would like to own and thinks it's nifty.

^^ Nice to hear to someone is enjoying theirs. A few of my co-workers are showing interest, save the one who "Doesn't want to interrupted by her watch at someone else's convenience.

'Course she doesn't own a cell phone for the same reason.

glennmagusharvey · 2013-04-14 22:22:40

I'm not talking about here on HH.

I'm talking about, in meatspace, where everyone's so damn obsessed with showing off their cool new smartphone or tablet or whatnot.

...ehh, maybe that was a post better suited for IJBM than HH.

Justice4243 · 2013-04-15 00:28:50

I kind of want one...

Obā-san · 2013-04-15 00:30:32

how could you not

Obā-san · 2013-04-15 00:30:43

i should like post my gadgets

Salix Babylonika · 2013-04-15 00:46:27

my gadgets are a dumbphone from the dollar store and an old watch.

Obā-san · 2013-04-15 01:01:31

i have this amazing budget laptop and these headphones

i am blinged out yo

Justice4243 · 2013-04-15 01:07:05

Mojave Music said:
my gadgets are a dumbphone from the dollar store and an old watch.

...was that a a statement about how much your phone sucks, or is it really a phone from the dollar store?

Princess Alice · 2013-04-15 03:04:30

The only cool "gadget" I have, really, is my Nexus 7 tablet.

I love that thing to death. It's god a decent-sized screen that's not as small or annoying as a phone's is, but it's not a pain to take everywhere like a full-on laptop would be. Plus it's perfect for internetting in bed, which I'll admit was part of what I had in mind when I bought it.

Salix Babylonika · 2013-04-15 03:10:54

Justice42 said:

Mojave Music said:
my gadgets are a dumbphone from the dollar store and an old watch.
...was that a a statement about how much your phone sucks, or is it really a phone from the dollar store?

I purchased it at a Dollar General.

Tre · 2013-04-15 05:15:39

Justice42 said:

I kind of want one...

> voiced by Stephen Fry

Stephen

frakking

Fry

LOL I WANT ONE TOO

Justice4243 · 2013-04-15 11:57:34

Justice42 said:

Mojave Music said:
my gadgets are a dumbphone from the dollar store and an old watch.
...was that a a statement about how much your phone sucks, or is it really a phone from the dollar store?

I purchased it at a Dollar General.

OK Looked into this. Cool beans.

I was hoping they actully sold phones for a dollar, though. :P

Justice4243 · 2013-07-02 20:28:23

The Pebble is going to be available in Best Buys starting Sunday. :3

Also, wife and I are getting new phones. She already got one, I'm getting one soon.

My current phone is the HTC My Touch Slide.

Friday got the Samsung Galaxy S4, which, admittedly is pretty bad-ass looking. My only issue is that there is no physical keyboard (sorry, but fuck the swipe system and auto-correct). Turns out this is easy to correct.

I ordered both keyboard solutions (especially since the later works with the PS3) and look forward to grabbing a new phone within the next week or two.

Obā-san · 2013-07-02 20:42:44

i guess speaking of gadgets i have a nexus 7 now

it is nice and does tablet things, i like it a lot

Princess Alice · 2013-07-02 21:30:43

Ooh, let's be queer autistic unemployed midwestern Nexus 7-owning buddies!

Miss Miko Mayonegg · 2013-07-02 21:31:14

NEET

Tre · 2013-07-02 22:21:27

I have a Nook! It's like a Nexus 7 but inferior! :P

CAN I JOIN

Obā-san · 2013-07-02 22:24:12

Tre said:
I have a Nook! It's like a Nexus 7 but inferior! :P

CAN I JOIN

Quip · 2013-07-02 22:29:51

-insert "You Can't Sit With Us" image macro here-

Tre · 2013-07-02 22:30:06

But you don't own a Nexus 7 either!

Quip · 2013-07-02 22:37:10

Cornelius does, which means I do because shared property.

Hence, I am a queer autistic unemployed midwestern Nexus 7 owner. :P

Tre · 2013-07-02 22:38:54

You live in North Carolina though!

Quip · 2013-07-02 22:39:07

I just moved to Minnesota.

Tre · 2013-07-02 22:39:11

Crap.

Imipolex G · 2013-07-02 22:45:14

Obā-san · 2013-07-02 23:18:23

screencap(s) because why not

Princess Alice · 2013-07-02 23:43:16

How does CyanogenMod compare to the stock firmware, in your opinion? I've considered installing it on mine but I didn't know if it was worth the hassle.

Obā-san · 2013-07-02 23:54:23

It has a few nice things, and it is not too much of a hassle installing it with ClockworkMod if you've already rooted it.

Also i really recommend franco.Kernel

Princess Alice · 2013-07-03 00:12:05

Follow-up question: How difficult is rooting it? :X

Obā-san · 2013-07-03 00:15:10

anywhere from "pretty easy" to "moderate hair pulling"

Princess Alice · 2013-07-03 00:22:17

Ah.

I suppose some Googling is in order.

Justice4243 · 2013-07-03 00:24:11

I almost jail-broke my HTC because I desired hot spot capability back without paying 15 a month for a thing my phone already does.

Though, Elixer II fixed that without a jailbreak.

Princess Alice · 2013-07-03 02:37:53

Welp I installed CyanogenMod

If nothing else, I like that it doesn't require me to have all the Google fluff that you can't uninstall with the stock firmware

Tre · 2013-07-03 02:58:06

CyanogenMod is great.

I desperately want a working version of it for my phone but apparently there's a calling issue with it that's a total bitch to fix on the development side of things, so that kinda decreases the appeal. Love it on my old phone and the Nook though.

Princess Alice · 2013-07-03 04:02:42

It feels a bit more responsive than the stock firmware, somehow.

Also, how do you change the system font?

Princess Alice · 2013-07-03 04:22:42

Ugh, note to self, don't be helpless. Google things instead of bugging people them on the forum.

Obā-san · 2013-07-03 19:10:56

Central Avenue said:
It feels a bit more responsive than the stock firmware, somehow.

Also, how do you change the system font?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jrummy.font.installer&hl=en

that said the fonts i've tried have not rendered very well for the most part...

glennmagusharvey · 2013-07-03 20:21:57

Y'know, if I could have a free-to-try period using one of these things, I might end up with this.

Princess Alice · 2013-12-06 12:03:29

Cyanogen has an M1 build of KitKat out already, though right now it's only for the Nexus 4, 5, 7, and 10

brb flashing

glennmagusharvey · 2013-12-06 16:44:11

So I learned how to repair bad wires in earbuds/headphones yesterday. I think so, at least.

I might try it sometime down the road. The fact that these headphones' wire has to be bent in order for them to work is kinda irritating me.

Obā-san · 2013-12-06 16:49:15

ah yes the wonderful wide world of shorts

fortunately the cable in my headphones is relatively easy to replace

that said for my next pair i'm definitely opting for ones with a cord that can be unplugged as taking these apart can be a wee bit nerve-wracking for me. >_>

Obā-san · 2013-12-06 16:49:43

what pair(s) of headphones do you have btw?

glennmagusharvey · 2013-12-06 16:51:51

It says GPX digital. It came with a portable CD player we bought years ago.

Princess Alice · 2013-12-06 16:55:59

It always amuses me when headphones are labeled "digital"

Obā-san · 2013-12-06 16:57:09

Ah, I see.

Gadget thread

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