My Gear

This page is dedicated to all my favorite gear that I use on a regular basis.

HEADPHONES: Monster Beats By Dr. Dre

Monster is notorious for overcharging for products that are the same, if not lower quality than competitors’.  So when these headphones first came out, I thought they were all hype.  But that all changed when I happened to demo them in Fry’s one day.

Here’s what I like…
1.  super comfortable on my ears
2.  music sounds amazing (you can feel the music if that makes any sense)
3.  collapsible design (so you can stow them on the go)
3.  detachable cord (so if I accidentally yank the cord and break it, the headphones aren’t useless…i can just go replace the cord)

Here’s what I don’t like so much…
1.  requires 2 AAA batteries, whether you want noise cancelling on or not
2.  easily broken hinge? i’ve had no problems so far, but there’s no shortage of ppl complaining about this on the net.

Would I still buy this today?
Short answer yes.  But these headphones are very expensive by my standards.  If these weren’t a gift, I don’t know if i could have spent so much on headphones by myself.  But now that I have them, they have been awesome for my daily bus commute, airplane rides, and working at coffee shops, and I don’t see a worthy successor for these yet…

CELL PHONE: T-Mobile G1

The first Android cell phone.  A little buggy and slow by today’s standards, but this was the phone that started the Android movement and has led to phones like the Droid and the Nexus One.

What I like:
1.  Backed by Google, so new development and updates to the operating system and applications are constantly happening.  Google Maps, Calendar, Chat, Gmail, etc. work better on Android than any other phone I’ve seen.
2.  Physical keyboard, so you can touch type instead of having to look down at a touchscreen.  (It’s also got a touchscreen keyboard too if you prefer.)
3.  The phone is not shiny or flashy, but it’s not trying to be.  It’s about function.
4.  Replaceable cheap batteries, so I can always have a spare around in case I run out of juice.
5.  Multi-tasking, so you can run multiple apps at once.
6.  GChat. I know I mentioned this above already, but this is a huge feature.  It’s the equivalent of BBM for blackberries.  Send as many messages as you want through GChat to other Android phone users, or just to people on the computer.

What I don’t like so much:
1.  No 3.5mm headphone jack. You have to use an adapter.  Not a dealbreaker, but one more thing to carry.
2.  Slow processor. It can’t compete with today’s Android phones, and it has trouble running some applications
3.  Buggy. It can be buggy at times, but usually a quick reset will fix the issue.

Would I still buy this today?
No, the processor isn’t fast enough anymore.  Problem is, I don’t see a worthy successor yet.  I’m waiting for something like the Nexus One, but with a physical keyboard.

DESKTOP COMPUTER: Mac OS on a PC = Hackintosh Tower

Thanks to Lifehacker, I’m able to use a PC as a fully functional Mac, aka a Hackintosh Tower.  It’s the best of both worlds.

You get to run the latest version of Mac OS on top of the line parts, but without paying inflated Apple prices.
You also get to run Windows 7!  (It’s win-win!)…all for ~$900.

Here’s the main specs…

Intel Quad Core 3.0GHz
8GB of RAM
2GB Hard Drive for Mac OS 10
1GB Hard Drive for Windows 7

Visit Lifehacker for their awesome guide for how to set this up.

Would I still buy this today?
Definitely…2 paws way up!  Unless I could afford an actual Mac Pro Tower which is about 3x the price for very similar specs.

NETBOOK: Mac OS on a PC = Hackintosh Netbook

Thanks to Gizmodo, I turned a Dell Mini 9 Netbook into a 9″ Portable Mac, aka a Hackintosh Netbook.For $249, this is the cheapest Mac that money can buy.  And at 2.28lbs and only 1.07¨, I can toss this thing in my pack and forget it’s even there; and since it’s so cheap, I don’t have to stress about breaking it, getting it wet, or having sand kicked in it.  It’s also awesome for bringing your flash videos (ex. youtube, hulu, etc) from room to room in your house without missing a beat.

Specs:
9″ Screen
Mac OS 10.5
32GB Solid State Hard Drive
2GB RAM
Webcam

Visit Gizmodo for their awesome guide for how to set this up.

Would I still buy this today?
Probably not.  The successor to the Dell Mini 9 is the Mini 10.  I don’t have a Mini 10, but I think that’s the way to go now.  Better keyboard, bigger screen, and still capable of installing Mac OS 10.6 better than any other netbook.  Gizmodo also has a guide for how to do this. Enjoy!