1. Formatting your text using the WordPress client for iPad is not going to happen, no options available at all for that.

2. The lack of multitasking can be a pain, as you can only focus on doing one thing at a time on the iPad. No alt-tabbing to check on IMs or email in another window. If you’re taking notes and want to switch out, you’ll have to close the notes app first. Can’t wait for iOS4 and multitasking to happen on the iPad.

3. The onscreen keyboard is pretty decent, I could take notes at a half decent clip (even with my two-fingered typing skillz). Didn’t have to bust out the Nokia Bluetooth keyboard at all.

4. Transferring files to and fro with ease will be an issue, unless you have a data connection handy. While images transferred over fine with the camera connection kit, I had to email files from my HTC Desire over to myself at times, and then download the attachment via email on the iPad. Must remind myself to get my Dropbox account sorted out soon.

5. If you happen to be shacked up in a hotel with free Internet, but only on a wired connection, you’re pretty much screwed.

This is still only the second day that I’ve had the iPad out in active field duty, and I’m still figuring out the best way to do things with the combination of apps that i have. If anyone has any better suggestions, I would love to know and learn more.

What I’m carrying: Flip Mino HD, mini tripod, an assortment of USB chargers and cables, the Apple camera connection kit, and finally, my iPad 16GB WiFi. Not lugging a digital camera around this trip as I plan to borrow one from some media friends based in KL, also because I couldn’t be arced to heave my Canon 550D around, and my Panasonic LX3 is on loan to a colleague.

Just heard the boarding announcement, see you all when I land.

What’s more, getting data on my 3G iPad wasn’t so tough, all that needed to be done was to sign up for a multi-sim plan, and cut that sim down to microsim size. At a cost of just S$5 a month, I can get a secondary sim card to use in the iPad for 3G purposes, and at the same time, continue using my same mobile data plan. After all, i’ve yet to really come anywhere near the 12GB monthly limit.

To start, @longadin(1) kindly provided me with a handy printout from buy-microsim.com(2), which had a template I could refer to to figure out which bits of plastic on my sim card were safe to chop off.

Once the necessary lines were drawn out, simply whip out the scissors and chop away. I recommend you leave some excess plastic on to begin with, so you don’t accidentally cut off too much. Its way easier (and cheaper) to just trim the sim card down to size, than have to go out and pay for a new one because you cut off too much.

Chopped, and fitted into the microsim tray of the iPad. Not too much trouble, thankfully.

Its also important to note that you can’t exactly get 3G up and running from the get go, as the iPad’s 3G settings need to be configured appropriately. Else you’ll simply face an error message to the tune of “Cellular data not subscribed”.

In the case of SingTel, simply head to Settings > Cellular Data > APN Settings and use the following:

APN: internet

Username: guest

Password: guest

Once done, that’s pretty much it. Took me all of five minutes to tape down my new secondary multisim, mark down the lines, and chop away. Factor in the time taken to get the newly chopped sim card into the iPad and to enter the appropriate APN settings, and you’ll need less than 10 minutes tops.

Links referenced in the above blog post:

(1) www.twitter.com/longadin

(2) http://www.buy-microsim.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=6

In typical blogger fashion, putting things down in writing in public is likely a good way to keep myself on the straight and narrow. In this case, keeping track of my progress at training up for the upcoming Vertical Marathon at Swissôtel The Stamford in November this year. It’s now May, and that gives me more or less five months to get my lard butt in shape, and hopefully lose a couple of kilos in the process. Also, I signed up for the Vertical Marathon the last round, but chickened out at the last minute. Ahem.

While I write this, i’m sweating a puddle in my study, having woken up at 630am this morning for day one of my ‘training’ regimen: jogging around my HDB block as a warm up, and then climbing up the 25 floors of my HDB block. Suffice to say, 25 storeys took me approximately 15 minutes to do, resting in between included.

The view from up top was spectacular in the early hours of the morning, totally worth the climb, and I would have taken a snapshot to share, but a) i didn’t bring my phone along, and b) i was already seeing a number of stars spinning around my noggin.

Now to see if I can squeeze in a trip or three to the gym during the week.

Given that my last post was back in late 2009, it seemed high time that I actually made use of this blog. So here goes.

The picture above shows a pair of film SLR cameras that belonged to my dad; a Fujica AX-1 and Asahi-Pentax ES II. I just picked up a Canon EOS 550D about a month ago, while those two actually came back to Singapore with me after the Chinese Lunar New Year get together back in February. According to my old man, the pair are about as old as I am, having bought them around the time I was born.

While I do edit the top tech magazine in Singapore, I’ll be the first to admit that my skill set doesn’t reach far into photography. Yes, I used to own a string of Canon Ixus compacts since the Ixus V2, and my other compact is the Panasonic Lumix LX3. At this stage, you could classify me as the classic gear whore; owns some damn good stuff, but hasn’t done anything noteworthy since aside from going “Oh yea, I have that one as well”. My Flickr Pro account is evidence enough; one or two half decent shots by my standards, and everything else is pretty much meh. I’m no film user either, and opening the film loading bays of the Pentax and Fujica cameras above took me more than a few minutes to figure out.

So what better way to really start getting into photography than going back to the basics?

Both the Fujica and the Pentax were in pretty bad shape. The shutter seemed jammed on both, while fungus had taken up residence just about anywhere there was glass. Better yet, when visiting the Camera Hospital at Sunshine Plaza earlier today on the recommendation of Lucas, the store owner found that the pentaprisms(?) on both cameras were borked. Replacements go for about S$180 each, not counting the fee for cleaning and servicing the cameras. So I decided to just get the Pentax fixed first, and leave the Fujica for another day when I have extra cash to spare.

This more or less means I won’t be picking up a Sony PS3 anytime soon for my growing stash of Blu-ray movies, but getting down with photography might not be a bad decision after all.

While i’m still digesting the loads of information shoveled my way, along with finalizing coverage for both HWM and HardwareZone.com, I realized that somehow, large scale events like these always find a way to slap me in the face. Kick me in the nads. Throw a wet blanket over the fire. Break my heart. You get the idea.

Case in point? The Nokia N97 Mini. Why so? Part of the answer lies in the fact that i’m now using a Nokia N97. The full-sized one that comes with mode storage and a directional keypad. The picture below neatly illustrates the second part of the answer to the question.

On the left: a white Nokia N97 Mini. On the right: my personal Nokia N97. Almost 200MB of free phone memory on the Nokia N97 Mini, versus a smidge above 10MB on their slightly older (former) flagship device.

Damnit. Damnitdamnitdamnit. Why, Nokia, why do you do such things to me?

Anyone willing to trade a N97 Mini for my  used, but very well kept N97?

Michael Arrington’s CrunchPad appears in today’s Singapore Straits Times. The Straits Time team apparently interviewed the Fusion Garage chaps last week. In short, the specifications as revealed by ST is as below:

Dimensions: 12.77 x 7.83 x 0.74″

Weight: 1.2kg

Screen: 12″

Hardware: 1.6GHz Atom & 1GB RAM

Software: Webkit browser/operating system, developed by the Fusion Garage team

Peripherals: 1x USB port built-in, for keyboard or mouse

Connectivity: WiFi & 3G, with option for mobile broadband

Price: Unconfirmed, estimated US$399 (approx. S$575)

The Crunchpad is apparently on track to be launched by November this year. Kudos to the Straits Times team.

Below are some snaps from the newspaper piece; click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

Camera: Nokia N82, Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200), Aperture: f/2.8, Focal Length: 5.6 mm, ISO Speed: 100, Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

This shot was up a cliff at Tanahlot, Bali, where one of Bali’s seven sea temples is located. Also happens to be quite the popular tourist trap too.

Camera: Sony DSLR-A700, Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20), Aperture: f/6.3, Focal Length: 250 mm, ISO Speed: 800, Exposure Bias: +0.7 EV, Flash: Auto, Did not fire

Taken at Pier 39, San Francisco, a group of seals laze around under the watchful gaze of a solitary seagull in the early hours of the evening.

Nokia’s clearly been preparing for the N97 for quite some time. From late last year when the N97 was first announced, to the hiccups over the recent Ovi Store launch, it’s clear that Nokia’s banking on content. The Ovi Store, as well as the other parts of the Ovi Initiative (Share, Files, Maps, Mail etc) are clear indicators that content is where its at, whether creating, sharing or consuming. New devices like the N97, as well as older devices like the 5800 XpressMusic are in turn platforms for users like you and me to create and consume that content, with Ovi coming in between to help with the sharing aspect of things. It’s not just about the apps, mind you, its also about content such as ring tones, mobile phone themes and wallpapers; content that is still very much a large part of the mobile ecosystem in countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Add carrier billing into the mix, and Nokia’s got the basis for a very attractive revenue stream.

For all that to happen however, efficient and reliable delivery networks need to be in place; namely 3G connectivity and its ilk. Whether you call it Broadband on Mobile or HSDPA, Nokia’s basically banking on the various telecommunications service providers to be able to provide those networks to the end user, whether downloading map data on Google Maps, keeping tabs on your Twitter account when away from your desktop or plain Internet access while chilling out at your favorite coffee joint.

To a certain extent, Singapore’s got the head start on the other countries in the region, what with SingTel, M1 and StarHub already having relatively affordable data plans available. Personally, I’ve been on a S$15 data plan from SingTel for the past year or so, getting about 1Mbps downstream, with 50GB of bandwidth thrown in. Thanks to the magic of Bluetooth tethering with my laptop, I’ve been able to get online from just about anywhere on the island. M1′s got a prepaid mobile broadband package going on too, charging S$18 for three days’ worth of unlimited data on the island. StarHub’s got something similar as well, dubbed MaxMobile Prepaid, which even comes with a USB mobile broadband modem for a relatively affordable price. Failing that, there’s always one of the many Wireless@SG hotspots available at any Starbucks outlet, for example.

Malaysia on the other hand, appears to have their own set of 3G services available; both Maxis and Celcom, for example, have been offering 3G data packages for quite some time now, though the much larger land mass means that coverage isn’t anywhere as comprehensive, with coverage mostly confined to the major cities throughout the country i.e. Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu etc. Common complains include frequently dropped calls and crappy and slow international links. This section on LowYat.net, one of the hottest internet communities in Malaysia, says it all.

The Nokia N97′s a device that’s clearly designed for the Internet. With the widescreen display and widgets that work best with an active data connection i.e. Facebook, weather, email etc, getting the most out of the device clearly requires that the user has access to some sort of connectivity, whether its 3G or WiFi. Take a picture with the 5MP camera and upload it onto Ovi.Share or Flickr. Open up Nokia Maps and look up the nearest ATM or the location of the nearest MRT station. Hit up the Nokia Music Store to purchase and download some tunes over the air. Load up Twitter and Facebook to check up on friends and family while taking that train ride back home. Doing a spot of internet banking while waiting for your lunch appointment to reach the restaurant. Getting in some emails while on the taxi. All these activities need some form of internet access, and unless you’re lucky enough to be around a reasonably fast WiFi access point whenever you need to get online, 3G is pretty much your next best bet.

Without data, a cutting-edge smartphone like the Nokia N97, or say, the new Android-powered HTC Magic won’t be any better than any other cheap mobile phone that does nothing more than making and receiving calls. The devices are already waiting in the wings, it’s going to be up to the service providers to give the end user a good enough reason to pick up a smartphone.