Witching Hour: Shopping

My little star

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:59:19 GMT

Meet my favourite little guy Patrick ...... bald pointy head, pot-bellied, perpetually topless but with that megawatt smile that never fails to make me laugh. He's such a cute little guy that I just had to bring home. Posing in front of my Dell with my other happy little Beanie who represents me on MySpace, and with some of his other buddies. I know I have too many soft toys already, but how to resist when they're all so adorable? They make great gifts for all occasions.

It's my birthday the day after .... *wink wink* .....

MUVO T200

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 12:11:41 GMT

I had initially opted for the Zen Stone Plus because it comes with an in-built speaker, had a longer playback time of 20 hrs and includes a silicon skin with clip though its charger adapter had to be purchased separately. The Muvo T200 has a playback time of 9 hrs but comes with a built-in USB connector so it can be plugged directly into a computer for charging and files transfer. Both models offers FM radio, voice recorder, personalised LCD screen with a choice of 6 colours and date & time function, and additional stopwatch function only for the Zen.

At Challenger, I tested both models for its sound quality. I tried out the Zen through its in-built speaker but found the sound quality not that great. I might as well use an old set of computer speakers to connect up if I do not wish to use the earphones. Both the 2GB models were priced at $99 (member price $95, a miserable savings of only $4) and at $149 for 4GB. In my earlier entry, I mistook the price of the 2GB Muvo to be $69 which was for the model without the LCD screen. Though both came with a choice of 3 to 4 colours, I preferred the Muvo with its sleek shiny casing instead of the matt pearlised colours for the Zen.

From the specs comparison, the Zen seems to be the better choice as it has an additional stopwatch function, in-built speaker and longer playback time .... but I didn't like its squarish shape and matt colour casing. I could do without the stopwatch function as I don't really need it. I was drawn more to the Muvo's slim and shiny thumbdrive casing with its built-in USB connector (no cables, yay). After some deliberation, I decided on the 2GB Muvo in white (reminded me of the Ipod) as the store had it only in either black or white. I might have chosen pink if it was available as it was a sweet colour, but I love white too.

Specifications: 2GB Muvo T200

Display:	128 x 32 pixels 65k color display
Size:	25.0 x 77.7 x 11.0 mm
Weight:	20.6 g
Songs:	1,000 WMA/66 hrs 500 MP3/33 hrs

Battery Life:	Up to 9 hrs audio playtime
Audio Playback Formats:	MP3, WMA/WMA (DRM9), Audible Format 2,3,4

Battery:	Rechargeable embedded Li-ion battery
Power Charging:	Yes
Connectivity:	USB 2.0
FM Radio:	Yes. Up to 32 presets
Voice Recording:	Yes

Back home, I plugged it into my Dell to charge ..... I was told by the sales person to charge it for 8 hours (for first time use) but found that it was already fully charged after just 1 hour. After trying out some of the songs and the various radio stations, I decided to check the battery level and found that it had dropped by one third so decided to continue charging it for a much longer period as recommended. The Muvo came with the Creative Media Lite software starter pack which offers CD ripping and music file transfer, volume restriction which locks your preferred maximum volume and automatic updates for the player's software. I then transferred my song list from windows media player through a simple drag and drop which took just a couple of minutes. Done .... and my favourite songs are now in my little Muvo.

Update ..... after having tried this little gadget, I'm convinced I should have chosen the Zen instead as the battery is depleted quickly, especially after using it all day. And I need to have a computer available for recharging which is rather inconvenient. Too late for regrets.

Too quiet in here

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:09:50 GMT

Zen Stone Plus Muvo T200

I'm thinking of getting an MP3 player because one of the labs where I'm spending a great deal of time in is way too quiet and spooky. That place is beginning to give me the creeps and that 'tick-tick' coming from those freezers do not help either. When I look at those freezers, I could just imagine something crawling out from there .... perhaps I've watched too many creepy shows in the past. But then this is no ordinary lab as these freezers store cadaveric parts. Don't ask why I am working in such a lab. I've even resorted to talking to myself just to create a bit of noise .... and no, I've not gone looney.

I went browsing for an inexpensive MP3 player at the Challenger store which had some Creative models displayed. The Muvo T200 seems quite a good bargain at only $69 (member price) for 2GB, 9 hrs of playback, LCD display and with a convenient built-in USB connector and I love both the white and pink players. Only thing is I would also need to get a set of speakers to go with this model as my intention is liven up the lab while working in there. I do not like to use earplugs as it feels painful after a while and I would not be able to hear the phone ring.

Back home, I googled for other Creative models and found the Zen Stone Plus ($99 for 2GB) with an inbuilt speaker which is great as I would not need to get speakers. I'm not sure how good it sounds but I can always go and try it out. If it's fine, I think I'll go for this instead. Does anyone know of other inexpensive MP3 players with built-in speakers?

Bazaar finds

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:20:14 GMT

Drill bit shaped pendant Cluster pendant Spear shaped pendant

I love campus bazaar days. They give us a much needed break from our 9 to 5 routine and sometimes I get the joy of unearthing something interesting or quirky from the usual knick knacks on display. Most of the items are inexpensive so it's fine to indulge. I might not end up with anything but I can still enjoy the browsing.

Yesterday I picked out this bronze coloured chain with a pendant shaped like a drill bit. It had caught my eye as this is one of my favourite colours for such accessories, the other being silver. I found the spiral design carved in its centre rather unique. As its length was a bit long, the seller kindly helped to adjust the hook.

Another favourite is the one with a cluster of rings, a tiny cross and small metal tag on a brown leather thong which was purchased from one of those small accessories shops. I didn't realise there were words inscribed on the tiny tag until I took a closer look. It says 'I feel about you, makes my heart long to be free' .... it seems the designer was trying to declare some sort of longing and though not grammatically correct, I got the gist of what he/she was trying to say. Perhaps a gift meant for one's secret love?

The other one with the bronze coloured spear shaped pendant was another find from some shop I cannot recall. I just love these unique designs.

Pretty stuff

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:52:24 GMT

Lovely self-designed handmade accessories from www.HeirloomAsia.com.

I chanced upon this website featured in ST Digital Life and was so impressed with the lovely accessories created by the website's owner Jenny Chua. They're so very pretty that you just want to get them all.