Stephen Chinnadorai

There are too many things I want to buy this year, I’ve tried to cut it down to only what I really want and need. This is a brief list of some of the most important things I’m hoping to purchase this year.

MacBook Pro

My aging Core Duo 2.0GHz MacBook was my first Mac, and it’s served me well for the past 2 years. When I first bought it, it had only 512Mb RAM and a 60GB hard drive. Since then, I’ve upgraded the RAM to 2GB - this made a huge difference, and I can’t imagine going back to less than 2GB; I have also upgraded the 60GB hard drive to a 160GB - which also now seems impossible to live without.

A next-generation MacBook Pro (whenever it comes out) will be what I’m getting next. As much as I love the MacBook’s classic Apple White look, the MacBook Pro is the way to go - with better general performance and graphics power.

Dell 2408WFP

Right now, I’m writing this on a tiny 13-inch MacBook screen - I need a bigger one. I decided to go with Dell’s 2408WFP, from all the positive reviews Dell displays receive, and the fact that it is slightly cheaper than Apple’s ones. 24 inches seems to be a great size for general productivity and watching movies. This screen could also double-up as one for my PS3, as it has an HDMI port with HDCP.

50mm f/1.8 (or f/1.4)

After several recommendations, I decided the 50mm prime should be my next lens. However, I’m still deciding between the 50mm f/1.8 and the more expensive f/1.4. The way I see it - the f/1.8 is great for beginners wanting to get a first experience with primes, and the f/1.4 is the one that takes slightly better pictures, and lasts a lot longer. Some are recommending getting the 1.8 first, then if I like it, get the 1.4. I’d rather by one than two, though. Maybe your comments would influence my decision on this.

iPhone 2

If the second iPhone (which is obviously coming out in June) has enough new features, or new design, and has 32GB storage, then I will seriously consider getting it. I’m happy to pay for the handset itself, but O2’s overpriced contracts are stopping me from getting an iPhone. 

Message to O2: Make a cheap (Less than £15/$30) contract for those of us who don’t make 600 minutes of calls a month, but still browse the web - your sales will go through the roof. 

That’s about all I can think of right now. I’m pretty sure some new gadget will appear that I will want later this year. Whether I will get all of these things is another blog post, this is just what I’m aiming for by the end of the year. 

It’s almost been 6 months since I bought my 16GB iPod Touch in October 2007, and I haven’t looked back on my old 5G video iPod since. After Steve Jobs announced the iPod Touch, I immediately checked it out at the Apple Store and decided to buy it. I’m glad I went for the slightly more expensive 16GB model, because it is almost completely full of music, videos and photos.

Some people like to think of the iPod Touch as a pointless device - why not get the iPhone instead? There are several reasons you would buy an iPod Touch over an iPhone:

1. You already have a good/better phone than the iPhone
2. The iPhone costs so much that you could buy an iPod Touch and a Nokia N96
3. You don’t want to be forced onto one network, on a pay-monthly contract
4. You want 3G or HSDPA internet access, rather than EDGE.

The list could go on much further, but I think those are the main reasons.

The iPod Touch does everything else the iPhone does, with the exception of making phone calls and SMS messages - other than that it’s a fully-functional media player, organiser and web browsing device. It even has the exact same multi-touch interface you get on the iPhone.

I also think the iPod Touch’s design is much nicer than the iPhones. The mirrored finish on the back is nice, and it’s 8mm thinner than an iPhone. With an iPod Touch you now get three options of storage: 8GB, 16GB or 32GB. At the time of purchasing, there were only the first two available - I would have gone for the 32GB if it were possible.

iPhones are great for people that can’t stand carrying around an iPod and their phone, and have the money to spend on an 18-month O2 contract. But if you want the latest phone technology, with the latest music technology, you should buy both an iPod Touch and a similarly priced phone - it will still be cheaper than an iPhone in the long term.

One blog is created every second, and you happened to find mine. As you might be able to tell, my blog is new. I haven’t got round to installing all the plug-ins I want, and I’m still not quite happy with the look of the site. Did you know that 99% of people who install Wordpress just delete this “hello world!” post and replace it with another (not really, I made that up). But I decided to keep it and write my own words inside it.

I’m not new to blogging - in fact you may have even seen my name around the Internet already. I write for Dabbledoo Media’s Appletell website mostly. I am, however, new to personal blogging. I’ve never had a personal blog before, because I just didn’t feel I needed one. But in the ever-growing blogosphere, I felt it was time that I set-up a place for me to write. In my blog I’ll be covering various topics, most of which will revolve around technology.

I’d like to take the time to say thank you to Nick Humphries and Michael Mistretta, two great people with great blogs that inspired me to create this blog.