mar 17

Why I love the Xoom

March 17, 2011
I have gone over 3 days without charging it and it is still showing 28% battery life remaining.  This is with decent usage throughout the day including emails, twitter, browsing and plenty of posting on forums.

And I am just absolutely loving how Steinheil's SGP Ultra Fine screen protector is doing on the screen.

mar 15

Xoom Steinheil SGP Ultra Fine Review

March 15, 2011
When I decided to get a screen protector for the Xoom, I started browsing around for reviews and videos to determine which one to get.  I run a Zagg InvisibleShield on my Epic 4G, and while it's nice, I'm not a huge fan of it anymore.  There's certainly that orange peel look to it and the thickness/tacky feel to it is a little weird sometimes.  It does its job of protecting the screen, but you can clearly tell that there's a protector on it.  So Zagg was off my list to begin with so off I went to do a ton of research and reviews from other people.

I mostly had to check out install videos and photos off iPad screen protectors, but the major companies that were being tossed around over at XDA was Skinomi and Steinheil.  I ultimately decided on the Steinheil SGP Ultra Fine because of its matte finish and fingerprint-resistant attribute.  One of the things that really bothered me about having the Xoom is how it's such a fingerprint magnet.  When the screen's off, the unit just looks dirty.  I'm always hesitant to wipe a glass screen thinking I'll scratch it (even though I probably won't since it's Gorilla Glass), so having a fingerprint-resistant protector was the highest priority for me.

Read the rest of the review after the break.


Steinheil's SGP Ultra Fine Screen Protector on Motorola Xoom
Decided to take some slightly better photos of the Prius' interior outside in the sunlight today.  Since I no longer own an SLR, my Epic 4G is about the only camera I easily have access to.  Car will hopefully be shot by Super Street sometime in the near future, and after the feature runs I'll get something up on Tunerzine including photos of the wrap install and some write ups.  Check out more photos of the interior after the break.


So a little less than two weeks ago I decided I'd try to pursue the fun task of trying to cap my gold in World of Warcraft.  Unfortunately it's been a busy week and a half with work, finishing up a couple of website projects and migrating another one, so I haven't been able to play as much Rift or WoW as I would like.  Thankfully Blizzard has an awesome Android app to allow me to play the Auction House during downtime or when I'm at the gym or what not.

Check out some screenshots after the break of my progress so far.  I hit 50k gold and spent around 8k on Elementium Ore, prospected it all and restocked back up on gems.  Today I hit over 50k again, and decided to buy up a ton of Pyrite Ore, Elementium Ore and Volatile Earths in order to replenish my stock of Ebonsteel Belt Buckles.  I also decided to take my my hundreds of gems and transmuted some into Shadowspirit Diamonds just to make it easier to unload.  The profit is about the same selling 18 gems or one Shadowspirit Diamond.

I don't plan on spending any more gold until I completely empty out my inventory and bank this time around to see what amount I hit.  If I run out of belts, I'll probably grab some Volatile Earths if they're cheap to restock - especially since I quite a bit of bars still sitting in my bags.

mar 07

Prius interior is done!

March 7, 2011
Just picked up the interior for the Prius from Brian Garin over at Infinite Auto Design and I must say it looks great.  It fits the theme of the car perfectly, just simple and clean.  I didn't want to go too extravagant since at the end of the day it's still a Prius and not a Mercedes.  I will work on getting some better photos to post up soon.


mar 06

Xoom must have app: Thumb Keyboard

March 6, 2011
OK so I caved in and paid the 1.66 for the Thumb Keyboard app and immediately it has jumped towards the top of the list for must have apps if you're using a tablet.  It simply just makes typing a breeze on a tablet and for those that are used to typing quickly on a keyboard, it is probably the closest you can get without a physical unit.  Huge kudos to the app developers for creating such a great product.  Now to go and play with its settings to fit my preferences.
mar 06

Posting from the Xoom

March 6, 2011
So I figured I'd test out how posting from the Xoom would be tonight and so far so good.  I have gotten a little more used to typing on it and while it's not over 100 wpm that I'm used to doing on a physical keyboard, it is certainly not as painful as I thought it would be.  I had a good chance to do some heavy browsing today and so far I haven't ran into any force closes.  The unit is definitely very speedy and for the most part does everything it was made to do well.  I played Dungeon Defenders for a bit and found it a smooth and pleasant gaming experience overall.

I haven't spent as much time as I would like with it, switching between doing some work and trying to catch up to my buddies in Rift.  So hopefully I'll have my review on the Xoom ready sometime next week.  It'll probably be more thorough at that point as I'll have some serious hours invested into it and will be more accurate as to its shortcomings, if any.

Having said that, the onscreen keyboard needs arrow keys to place the cursor where I need it instead of making me poke on the editor.  Probably time for me to suck it up and get the Thumb Keyboard app soon to test out.
Just about a week after I successfully ordered my Motorola Xoom, it arrived today at my front door.  Unfortunately I had quite a bit of work to do still, so I threw it on the charger and let the battery get nice and full before I dove into playing with it.  So with about six hours of tinkering around with the Xoom I figured I'd post up some impressions and go a little in depth on why I chose an Android tablet over an iPad (or iPad 2) and just my general thoughts on Android in general and the direction that tablets are heading.  There's probably going to be a lengthy post after this jump as I'll just start regurgitating everything that's currently in my brain, but if you're really wondering what the differences are between an iPad and a Xoom and which one may be for you, the post might be worth reading.  So check it out after the break if you're interested, or just want to know how the Xoom feels in the hands of your everyday nerdy consumer.



Excuse the low quality photos, only had my Samsung Epic 4G handy to take photos with
mar 01

The XOOM is on its way to me!

March 1, 2011
After successfully jumping on the 25% off deal that had a small window of opportunity due to a Motorola coupon snafu, I've been anxiously awaiting confirmation that my order was shipped.  Unfortunately I didn't select two-day shipping at the checkout - I was too anxious fumbling around for my wallet, sitting in the middle seat while 18,000 feet in the air on a US Airways flight - so I'm stuck having to wait for UPS to Ground it to me for a Friday delivery.  Makes for an early birthday present to myself, can't wait to tinker around with it!

News has started to spread that ARC International has filed bankruptcy and will no longer be accepting orders and all outstanding orders are cancelled.  Currently it's being reported that the future of the company is uncertain, but it's truly sad to see such a premium and high quality parts manufacturer to succumb to the stress of today's economy.  I have always been supportive of companies that stress quality over quantity and getting what you pay for.  ARC was one of those companies that focused on research and development, fitment and making power with their products while looking good doing it.

It's always interesting to see how the industry copes with manufacturers that want to focus on high quality products, entering the market at a much higher price point than its competitors.  Perhaps it was just marketing, or export costs, or even the conversion that hurt ARC, but nonetheless it's a little sad to see the constant demise of Japanese parts manufacturers in the current state of the industry.

We wish all the best to ARC and hopefully someone will carry on their tradition.  This industry certainly needs more companies to step up to the plate to craft nice products.  I ran an ARC airbox on my supercharged tC and it was certainly a nice piece.


ARC airbox on my TRD Supercharged Scion tC