My new toy

This is my latest toy, a full fledged portable media player: the Archos 605 WiFi. A 30 GB, portable audio-video player with 4.3 " LCD display. And this is the clincher, it is WiFi enabled, which means anywhere you can access a wireless network, this baby can browse the Internet. Right in the palm of your hand (ie., if you have big hands.) Yes, it's big, bigger than the normal mp3 / portable media player. But what you get for that is a screen with 800x480 pixels - amazing video and photo quality, better Internet experience (no more squinting to read that text).

So, first let me point out the good stuff:

• BIG Screen - translates to better video, photo-viewing and web browsing experience
• WiFi - browse the web, share music Peer 2 Peer (P2P)
• DVR - Digital Video Recording: record your TV program, connect to your TV, browse the web and see the videos on the TV screen.**
• Supports Flash - you can watch youtube videos.
• It's plug and play, connect to your computer and you're good to go - you don't need custom software (read iTunes) to be installed, get your player registered, and go through the whole drill to transfer songs / videos.
• The touch screen.

Now for the bad parts:

• Size - it's huge, compared to the nifty iPods and Zunes, and other media players
• Sound quality - it is at best, passable. Can't compare to the iPod
• All the accessories, if you can call the parts needed for achieving full functionality that, come at an extra cost. That means that after spending $280 for the player, you've got to buy the plug-ins, the DVR etc. so that you can browse the web, listen to podcasts etc. (and we're talking about $150 plus).
• The Aesthetics - not the Archos' strong point: the Apple iTouch wins this hands down.
• Custom USB cable. You can't use the normal USB cable that you bought from the shop on the corner.

So, for the inevitable comparison with the Apple iTouch, I'll let this youtube video (which, by the way, you cannot watch on the iTouch, ha!!) do the talking.
Archos 605 WiFi Vs iTouch comparison video

Conclusion - if you want a better video, photo and browsing experience, look no further. It's bulky, the sound quality is passable, but it's got a lot of wicked features which can kiss some iTouch ass.

My new phone

Bought myself a new phone yesterday: the MOTOROLA MotoRokr E6. I've been postponing this expenditure for quite a long time now, but my old phone, a Nokia 3230, which has endured a lot, including a dip in the swimming pool (along with me) and numerous falls. It finally started showing sure signs of ageing by switching for no apparent reason whatsoever, and other signs of senility (I'm not complaining because I got Rs. 2300 for it). Anyways, last night my wife dragged me to the "Mobile Store", a new chain of mobile supermarkets. The service is quite good, though I would've liked to see more models.

I was confused between the Nokia N73, a feature rich, but bulky, phone priced at Rs. 16000 odd, the Samsung U 600 priced at around 14K, one of the sleekest slide phones available and I was quite attracted to it, and the Motorokr at Rs. 13700. What clinched the deal for Motorola (and I've had a couple of bad experiences with Motorola before), was the PDA features.

MotoRokr E6 is a feature rich phone, with all the bells and whistles. It's got a 2 MP camera, music player, FM radio, bluetooth etc, and it is quite slim for a PDA phone. There is a wireless stereo bluetooth headset available, which is said to be awesome. My wife said she's gonna buy it for me when the mobile store guys get it (hopefully, next weekend).

Usability wise, it's a sea change for someone who has been an ardent Nokia follower for the last 4-5 years. The stylus is a new change, and I'm still getting used to it. And I like the fact that i can connect the phone to the comp and it gets charges: quite useful for a geek. You can check your mails, store your Business cards (haven't tried that one yet), read office documents, spreadsheets etc. There is a normal stereo jack (Nokia, please give this), 2GB memory, 30 preloaded mp3 songs, and you can use this as a web cam and modem.

One glitch, I had to copy the contacts from Nokia phone to the SIM, and then to the Motorola from the SIM. And the way the contact details are stored in Nokia is completely different from Motorola, which ended up creating separate contacts for a home number and a mobile number (stored in one contact in Nokia). Guys, it's time you came up with a standard here.

That apart, I'm looking forward to a long association with this phone.

Splashr