Back at homebase for a peaceful weekend with the family. It's so nice to get time with my parents, whom I haven't seen since Christmas. I really enjoy the days I spend with them and this weekend came just in time for me.
Also, I finally checked out the Zodiac at a comp usa and I loved it. totally recommend it and i bought it!
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Conspiracies and Drops in Tapwave Zodiac pricing
There seems to be a price war on the Tapwave Zodiac - it's down to below $285 on some sites and maybe it will drop more. But what has precipitated the sudden drop in prices? Low sales? high sales? A new model coming up? But Tapwave and every other website is mum so I'd assume it's all just a price war. Nevertheless, I'd appreciate your comments.
Also, I have an additional conspiracy theory regarding Amazon's website. I've been a dedicated amazon customer (and bookseller) for 5-or-so years now, and I have noticed that they have re-listed two relatively old items: the Tungsten T5 and the Tapwave Zodiac 2. I don't know if the same has been done for other electronics items over the past few days.
In previous Amazon listings, the T5 has been rated at 3 stars consistently since its release, whereas the Zodiac 2 was always near 5 stars. Now both are down to "no reviews" and "not yet released" status. I'm slightly suspicious of Amazon having imposed this status on both items, which I think is unfair to consumers, who wish to have accurate reviews regarding both items. I am curious about how often this re-listing occurs for other products as well.
Also, I have an additional conspiracy theory regarding Amazon's website. I've been a dedicated amazon customer (and bookseller) for 5-or-so years now, and I have noticed that they have re-listed two relatively old items: the Tungsten T5 and the Tapwave Zodiac 2. I don't know if the same has been done for other electronics items over the past few days.
In previous Amazon listings, the T5 has been rated at 3 stars consistently since its release, whereas the Zodiac 2 was always near 5 stars. Now both are down to "no reviews" and "not yet released" status. I'm slightly suspicious of Amazon having imposed this status on both items, which I think is unfair to consumers, who wish to have accurate reviews regarding both items. I am curious about how often this re-listing occurs for other products as well.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Concrete reasons for picking the Zod2
- battery life is twice that of comparable Palms
- great sound and speaker system (key for a music buff)
- joystick - pretty sweet
- two expanasion slots, supporting SDIO in one slot and SD/MMC in the other
- built-in Bluetooth
- beautiful screen, exceeds the T5 in the opinions of many
- nice new aluminum case by Tapwave
- will look different from everyone else's PDA
- cheaper than a Tungsten T5, even with the T5's current rebate option.
- great sound and speaker system (key for a music buff)
- joystick - pretty sweet
- two expanasion slots, supporting SDIO in one slot and SD/MMC in the other
- built-in Bluetooth
- beautiful screen, exceeds the T5 in the opinions of many
- nice new aluminum case by Tapwave
- will look different from everyone else's PDA
- cheaper than a Tungsten T5, even with the T5's current rebate option.
Getting the Tapwave Zodiac
I know i'm a great big nerd when it comes to technology products. And I shouldn't be. I'm not a gamer; I probably don't use my current PC to its fullest. But I love a good screen and I love a good deal. So I am totally excited to be getting the Tapwave Zodiac. Why am I so excited? I have no particular reason. Didn't I tell you I was a nerd?
Plus, finding a PDA has been a most agonizing process. I was all ready to get a Palm T3 until I learned that the price was rising, supplies were falling, and the T3 was all but impossible to find unless you wanted a refurbished model. So there went that idea. I was excited about the Zodiac from the start, but everyone's discouraged me, saying it's for gamers, etc. So I said Ok, I can go ahead and look into HPs and Dells. HPs were right out, considering that with the new line of ugly, big huge awful HP PDAs came (1) high prices and (2) the obliteration of the perfectly good older models. And I was all about the dells until techies at my medical school explained that the medical world really does love Palm best.
So there I was on the track back to Tungsten. But then I found a terrific Tapwave support site, run by users who are very enthusiastic about their PDAs, and found much-needed support for my attraction to the Zodiac 2. One thing I love about the PDA world is that you really don't need to get the top of the line merchandise to fit your needs for the next 5-6 years. It's such a niche audience that actually owns PDAs that new models aren't revolutionary compared to their predecessors, and people don't replace PDAs too often. You can get a much older model and get by for a long time (which is why I was attracted to the T3 in the first place). But when all's said and done, the Zodiac is a terrific deal, has a lot of memory, and a big, beautiful screen with support for sandisk's wi-fi card. I love a company that's willing to work with what's already out there, rather than relying on absolutely everything being proprietary (ahem, PalmOne)
Plus, finding a PDA has been a most agonizing process. I was all ready to get a Palm T3 until I learned that the price was rising, supplies were falling, and the T3 was all but impossible to find unless you wanted a refurbished model. So there went that idea. I was excited about the Zodiac from the start, but everyone's discouraged me, saying it's for gamers, etc. So I said Ok, I can go ahead and look into HPs and Dells. HPs were right out, considering that with the new line of ugly, big huge awful HP PDAs came (1) high prices and (2) the obliteration of the perfectly good older models. And I was all about the dells until techies at my medical school explained that the medical world really does love Palm best.
So there I was on the track back to Tungsten. But then I found a terrific Tapwave support site, run by users who are very enthusiastic about their PDAs, and found much-needed support for my attraction to the Zodiac 2. One thing I love about the PDA world is that you really don't need to get the top of the line merchandise to fit your needs for the next 5-6 years. It's such a niche audience that actually owns PDAs that new models aren't revolutionary compared to their predecessors, and people don't replace PDAs too often. You can get a much older model and get by for a long time (which is why I was attracted to the T3 in the first place). But when all's said and done, the Zodiac is a terrific deal, has a lot of memory, and a big, beautiful screen with support for sandisk's wi-fi card. I love a company that's willing to work with what's already out there, rather than relying on absolutely everything being proprietary (ahem, PalmOne)
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Enraged at the US Government
In case this cannot be inferred from previous posts, my cousin was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. Tomorrow morning she is going through surgery (I'm assuming a partial colectomy, though I don't know for sure), and she is really nervous.
My cousin lives in San Francisco. Although she has her green card, she will not obtain her US citizenship until 6 months from now. Her mother has not seen her for several years, and now a visit is understandably urgent.
My aunt has applied for her tourist Visa persistently over the past few weeks, so that she could be with her daughter during tomorrow's surgery. Unfortunately, the US government has repeatedly refused her. American officials in Mumbai told my aunt in perfect Hindi that she should wait 6 months until her daughter gets citizenship, and then =visit. My aunt's response: "But if my daughter dies, who will I visit?"
The US officials have argued that my aunt will not leave at the termination point of a 1-2 month visa, yet my aunt has no history of outstaying her visas in the past. They have argued that she is using this situation as an excuse to immigrate to the United States. How a government could interpret a daughter's potentially terminal illness so cruelly is beyond me. So far, no number of doctors' letters or pleadings are working. So now, we are hoping that the lawyers at my cousin's workplace (Microsoft) will have more success.
My aunt believes that she is being treated this way because she is a widow. I really don't know why the visa officials are on such a high horse, but frankly I am really distressed. It is an extremely low point in the history of a country, which champions justice and family values, to treat its people this way. My cousin has come to feel at home in the United States and has worked hard to make her way here; she has lived here for the past 15 years. She spent large chunks of time here without any visits home in order to earn her green card. I find it extremely tragic that she and her mother are being treated so callously in her hour of need.
My cousin lives in San Francisco. Although she has her green card, she will not obtain her US citizenship until 6 months from now. Her mother has not seen her for several years, and now a visit is understandably urgent.
My aunt has applied for her tourist Visa persistently over the past few weeks, so that she could be with her daughter during tomorrow's surgery. Unfortunately, the US government has repeatedly refused her. American officials in Mumbai told my aunt in perfect Hindi that she should wait 6 months until her daughter gets citizenship, and then =visit. My aunt's response: "But if my daughter dies, who will I visit?"
The US officials have argued that my aunt will not leave at the termination point of a 1-2 month visa, yet my aunt has no history of outstaying her visas in the past. They have argued that she is using this situation as an excuse to immigrate to the United States. How a government could interpret a daughter's potentially terminal illness so cruelly is beyond me. So far, no number of doctors' letters or pleadings are working. So now, we are hoping that the lawyers at my cousin's workplace (Microsoft) will have more success.
My aunt believes that she is being treated this way because she is a widow. I really don't know why the visa officials are on such a high horse, but frankly I am really distressed. It is an extremely low point in the history of a country, which champions justice and family values, to treat its people this way. My cousin has come to feel at home in the United States and has worked hard to make her way here; she has lived here for the past 15 years. She spent large chunks of time here without any visits home in order to earn her green card. I find it extremely tragic that she and her mother are being treated so callously in her hour of need.
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