I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Nexus 4, after scouring Ebay for days after selling out. Luckily one Ebayer got his hands on it and was selling it for $475 in North Carolina when everyone else was selling it for $600+ so I clicked the Buy It Now without a second thought.

Firstly the box was very simple to open unlike the Nexus 7 situation, just a charger and wire inside with the phone nothing else. I was happy the phone was fully charged and once I signed in my GMail account it started automatically downloading most of my Apps. One thing that Android does that I like is that it also copies the wireless profiles from your previous Android devices so after the initial wireless connection it seamlessly connects to your wifi from previous saved profiles.

First impressions:

• I’m liking Android 4.2 Jellybean – Nice Improvements and Even Smoother
• The Camera is pretty good in low light shots
• The phone is light, I’m forgetting that its in my pocket
• All the Apps are working with it
• I’m loving the Keyboard

Its gonna take me a day or two to fully configure all the Apps I have on it, I keep using one thing and jumping right into and forgetting to configure the others. Do I think Google made the right decision with LG, well time will tell but as off right now I’m loving the phone and if you are a fan of Android phones then you will love this. I like the Samsung S3 but I’m loving the Nexus 4, the operating system just feels so clean and it just wants to be used. I’m going to write a full review at a later stage but for now this is my first impressions after one night of using it.

This is one of the final hits the G12 has taken and it looks like it was the last one. Canon G12 Series is heavy duty and can take a beating, but the other day I forgot that I left it on my bike jacket and pulled the jacket out of the car. It took a nasty fall onto concrete and I thought it wouldn’t work, but it worked fine but then it kept getting worse, the screen would only work if I pressed hard and took a picture, if I didn’t press on it the picture would be distorted too. I’m honestly very annoyed that I was careless, I have had this camera for so long and it has been best all round point and shoot I have ever had, and even now that I’m getting the G15 I still wanted to keep using the G12, I might be tempted to pick up a used one just because it really is that good of a camera. My G11 went out almost the same way so its frustrating to see these cameras just sitting there and the only place that fixes them is in the US and no where else.

I’m a huge Canon fan and I have been using my Canon G12 for a few years now and it was a decent upgrade from the G11. I got the G1X which was supposed to be the top of the line monster from the G-line but it didn’t hold up to my expectations. The Macro distance was honestly disapointing, its fast but not as fast as the G12 feels so I didn’t use it as much. When I heard about the EOS M I was excited, a Camera from Canon that is the size of the point and shoot but with mountable lenses, and with an adapter you can use the Canon Lenses I have and that is what appealed to me.

After reading a few reviews they said that sometimes it took up to a minute for it to focus depending on the lens. That is a disaster, the first great mirrorless Camera from Canon and everything on paper said they got it right but if it can’t focus quickly then it would be pointless.

Now the G15 is here, and it is the perfect camera for my needs, fast focus, excellent macro, bulky and slightly smaller so its the perfect fit. A faster process so it takes better pictures, the perfect camera for my needs. Then there is the price, the G15 is $500 and the Canon EOS M is $850 and another $200 for the lens adapter to use the DSLR Lens on the Mirrorless camera. I was willing to spend $1000 for a point and shoot but it has to perform at that price, but in this instance the G15 wins on both price and performance.

I have been a huge proponent of Google and their Android platform, I love it, its great, flexible and the selection of phones are insane, so many to choose from. I liked what they have done with their Play Store, now its really organized and only getting better. Even with the release of the Nexus 4 I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

My one major issue with them is the region segregation, its annoying as hell, Apple honestly makes no difference what so ever. If your account is registered in the US then you are treated as if you are within the US and get access to all the software, shows, and movies.

Google operates differently, even if you are a US account with a US Credit Card and Address you don’t get access to everything on the US store which drives me nuts. Except if you have a US sim in your phone, but if you have a tablet then it does it based on your location.

While I was in the states I bought Iron Man, Transformers, and Star Trek, just movies I love watching again and again just to see how the Nexus 7 works with and they are amazing movies. And I downloaded it onto my machine not just streaming, so I can take it back home with me to Kuwait and play it normally. Now in Kuwait with the movies on my device it won’t let me play them, are they serious, thats just ridiculous. People willing to pay for whats legal but if you stop them from getting it legally then they will get it illegally, what they are doing is ridiculous, they are seriously stopping a source of revenue, people want access.

Apple products are amazing I will say that about them, even though I hate the company, and even for my love for Google, they have screwed up and they need to learn from Apple that got something right. Fix this already.

This month has turned into the month of Gadgets.

I seriously think I overdosed on a lot of these things and I don’t think I will have enough time to totally play with them.

On the way:

• Google Nexus 10
• Apple iPod Touch
• Google Nexus 4 (Got It From Ebay)
• Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9″

Those are too many gadgets at one time, I feel like a gadget whore, and I wasn’t expecting all of them to come at the same time. This is going to be an overload of geekiness at this rate. My last iPod touch was from 2009 and I said I wouldn’t get one unless they made it with more space or overhauled it, well they overhauled it and I liked it, so I placed an order after Apple kept cancelling because of my account. The Amazon Kindle Fire HD I ordered a while back so I wasn’t expecting it to coincide with the Google products that were coming out, and now they are all out for delivery.

Too many boxes to rip open! The only delay I’m facing is my Nexus 4, delayed three weeks, damn you Google!

That’s just insane, the phone just disappeared, both the 8 GB & 16 GB version, within 20 minutes.

I would expect Google to expect a large amount of order and manage their stock, but it sold out across the globe. And they screwed us who were waiting on the schedule since they said it wold open 9 am PST but turns out it opened up even earlier and was gone right away.

Now it is either we wait for Google to release more units or go onto Ebay which some sellers are selling the phone for $200 over the $350 original tag price.

Having lived with this laptop for about three months now, I can safely say it is without question the best PC laptop I’ve ever owned. Every review out there just raves about this machine. Here’s what you need to know:

• Retina-esque 1920×1080 resolution in an amazingly high quality 13.3″ IPS display
• Intel’s latest 17 watt Ivy Bridge processor with (finally!) decent integrated graphics
• 128 GB SSD with fast 6Gbps interface
• Just under 3 pounds
• Decent 5 to 6 hour runtime
• Classy brushed metal case and cover

Pros:

• The best ultrabook currently out there, it seems Asus just keeps stepping it up, if you are looking for a thin powerful Windows laptop then this is it.
• 4.5 to 5.5 hours battery life with full media use
• Amazing Screen, Very Bright and clear Details
• Light Up Keyboard, and a very nice feel to it
• The SSD & Processor are insanely fast, about a 17 second boot time from scratch and 5 seconds from sleep. These are numbers we wouldn’t even dream of before.
• I love the aluminum clean cut finish of the Zenbook, surprisingly it doesn’t get too hot
• it has just enough ports to make it useful
• With the USB 3.0 I managed transfers of 100 to 130 MB/s from my External Seagate HD
• The best thing is the price as well, its an amazing machine for $1299 and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an ultrabook

Cons:

• The only downfall is the annoying sensitivity of the touch pad
• Windows 7 that came wwith the ASUS was the home version and had bloatware, so I decided to do a clean install which worked perfectly, and it booted even faster, it is up and running within 12 to 17 seconds, nice and smooth.

Specifications:

• Intel Core i7 -3517U 2.4GHz
• Widows 7 64bit Unlimited (I reinstalled it because of the bloatware)
• 4GB Ram
• 128 GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics

Simple Conclusion:

I love this laptop and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a thin and powerful windows laptop. I started using it everywhere, I take it everywhere with me and it has taken a few odd drops with no issues at all. Its fast, lightening fast and it boots up within seconds, I can’t recommend it enough, and the price honestly is very reasonable.

Now this is really cool, the new Nexus 4 turned out to be better then I expected and the release date is set for November 13th and I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on it. Even though my Galaxy Nexus is still running strong, I love the Nexus line from Google. All my worries about it being from LG has been set aside by this interview by The Verge.

Nexus 4 specs include a 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus display with 1,280 x 768-pixel resolution, an 8-megapixel camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The phone starts at a affordable $299 unlocked and it will launch in the United States on November 13th.

The Samsung (005930)-built Nexus 10 tablet sports a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel display with a pixel density of 300 PPI, a dual-core 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos chipset, 2GB of RAM, NFC and a 5-megapixel camera. Pricing starts at $399 with 16GB of storage and tops out at $499 for the 32GB model, and both will launch on November 13th alongside the Nexus 4

I know I will be getting my hands on both devices, I have wanted the updated Nexus phone for a while, but the Nexus 10 is a surprise. I love how Google changes manufacturers every once in a while depending on who has the best to offer.

There have been a lot of action cameras of this kind with different features, and GoPro has just leap frogged the competition with the new Hero3. They claim it to be smaller, lighter and record better quality footage than its predecessor.

GoPro claims the the Hero 3 is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the old model. To top that off, the top-of-the-line Black Edition is capable of capturing video at up to 4K resolution—as long as you don’t mind slowing recording down to 15 fps. I honestly think the 4K speed is pointless for action use because its only 15 fps which will look very choppy, no screen can play that high a resolution yet.

There are three different versions of GoPro now, the Black, Silver and White. That being said, a faster processor in the Black camera allows it to capture lower-resolution footage at higher frame rates than in the past, and it offers 1080p60, 1440p48 and 720p120 modes for slow-mo situations. Lower-spec models are also none too shabby: the Silver packs an 11MP camera and can capture 1080p30 video, while the rather more humble White packs a simple 5MP camera. One new interesting feature is wifi in all the devices, they have heard our cries, you can now turn on and record through a remote wifi device. They all work the GoPro app because of their Wifi feature, but the Black Edition comes with a dedicated remote.

I wasn’t going to wait, I already ordered two Black Editions which will ship Mid-November and I am looking forward to getting my hands on them.

I had a chance to get my hands on the Zain router, running on the LTE/4G frequencies in Kuwait which still hasn’t been fully certified from the Ministry of Communications. So people are asking the main reason for the delay is MoC, they have everything deployed for a little while now, but as usual politics is what stops things in Kuwait, but MoC is a totally different story.

Getting my hands on it I had a bit of skepticism but I did try AT&T’s 4G services and I have seen how fast it is and its scary fast. So the first thing I wanted to do is test it where ever I can, and this case I tested it at work and friend’s places and my home. Overall I am impressed with the hardware, it is solid and gets a lot of signal, decent speed even when it is low signal, and that was the important test for me, even with low signal it was getting decent speeds around 10 MB.

It’s a Huawei modem, looks good and simple, 4 Ethernet ports on the back and right now the services are not open to the public. The worst signal I got was ranging from 8MB to 16MB, up to 32MB to 42MB. Those are some very scary speeds, and surfing the net feels lighting fast, I do love fast internet. And for 33 KD a month honestly its not too bad, but the cap should at least be 200 or 250 GB not 80 GB

Pros:

• Gets decent speed even with bad signal
• It doesn’t have to be next to a window like Mada so you can place it inside your house and it will work
• It has reached 42 MBPs with me, which got about 4.1 MB down with downloads

Cons:

• The Cap is 80GB, thats nothing compared to the speed
• You can buy more space but its overpriced in my opinion
• Its not consistent at times, but I think they are just ironing out a few kinks in the system

Based on what speeds can be reached you can reach which is 2.1 MB/s to 4.1 MB/s you can use up your 80 GB cap in 11 to 6 hrs depending on your speed. And previously the 21 MBps had a 60 GB limit from Zain so logically it should be at least 120 GB based on their original capping scheme. Overall I think the cap is ridiculous but they are going to do it then a person should get a good bang for their buck with a 250 GB limit.

If you reach the cap you can buy an extra 25 GB for 12 KD or 5 GB for 3 KD, overall I think the pricing is off and not proportional but at least they give you an option to buy more data. For a 15 month contract you get the first three months 50% off and the device for free with 33 KD per month after the first three months. Overall the package is pretty good.

Testing In Shuweikh

Sometimes it would hang a bit, in an odd way and torrents would slow down even when the surfing speed is still high so its a bit surprising. The main issue is consistency, nothing beats a fiber connection but if you don’t have the option then this is the next best thing for surfers. Some gamers will like it but if you care about your ping then this is a bit on the high side. So its great for surfing and certain amount of downloading, not for heavy internet use, but its the perfect back up to your home internet if something goes wrong.

Testing in Miseela/Bidaa

In my case I have crappy land lines so I depend on WIMD and I’m honestly very happy with them even though they are a bit congested still at least a solid 12 to 15 MB and hitting 20 MB in the evenings with no cap. If you can have fiber thats always better but then again this device will really do the job because 4G coverage is supposed to be all over the country by the time it rolls out.

Testing In Fintas with One Signal Bar

Overall I think its an excellent product but they are working out the kinks, it did really reach those high speeds but we have to keep in mind nobody is on the network and it isn’t commercially available so until it is then we can judge the real speed based on the number of users, I hope they have the band width to accept the number of users who will get on board. I’m not sure when it will go commercial because the issue isn’t with Zain its with a governmental entity and you can never guess when they will be done.

Speedtest with VPN on, overall not bad, surfing speed feels quick