At Long Last Nokia E72

Side-by-side with E71.




Released on October 22, 2009, E72 became a direct successor of E71 and an extremely solid addition to the E Series handsets. Boasting the same compact size (115 x 58 x 10 mm), layout, and plethora of features E72 remains the thinnest and the longest-lasting smartphone on the market. Unlike the recent additions to the family (E75, E52, E55), E72 sports the most optimal layout and hardware specs- 250MB internal memory, 5MP camera, full qwerty keyboard, 600mHz ARM 11 processor.

So why upgrade from E71? If you like to squeeze the most out of your phone, then you will love the faster processor, more on-board memory, better camera (better drivers besides the raw megapixel upgrade for much better day and night shots), 3.5mm headphone jack instead of the useless 2.5mm, and ability to charge through the USB port. The list of upgrades may appear rather minuscule, but it opens up major conveniences such as not having to carry a data cable AND a charger, using 2.5mm jack headphones or an adapter to use your own pair, and having an actually decent mobile camera whose shots aren't shameful to look at on your PC.

Onto the review then. Physical appearance and general feel: E72 sports matte black/silver/brown plastic that makes it very comfortable to hold unlike the glossy finish E71 had. The keypad is easier to work with thanks to the new plastic as well. The keyboard itself got 2 more keys on the bottom row at the expense of space bar width. New character layout is much more convenient with the addition of "(" ")" symbols as well as several shortcuts for phone's features like a quick bluetooth switch, quick silent mode, ability to use camera's LED as a flashlight. The soft keys under the screen have a better layout and a partial wooden-finish appearance. Lastly, the directional pad has the option of optical navigation. The external speaker has been moved to the left of the camera and seems to be more quiet than that of E71, but not enough to impair the overall performance.

The software side: we have the same old goodies like a solid GPS function through Nokia Maps or any other alternative program, microsoft office w/ full ability to edit documents, pdf reader, media player with a very wide support of formats (WMV/RV/MP4/3GP video, MP3/WMA/WAV/RA/AAC/M4A audio), now FM radio receiver is back, digital compass, and virtually anything else that the community has written programs for. I'll mention that business phones in fact make better entertainment phones since entertainment is a mere matter of software, and business phones pack productive hardware that's actually able to support your entertainment far better and longer than any entertainment-centered, "fun phones," on the market. Another dear piece of information is that E72 is already hackable and thus you get complete control of your phone plus additional software costs can be reduced to zero (better media players, IM clients, GPS software and maps, etc).

Lastly, the hardware side of E72: that I'll begin with the GPS receiver and its performance using the included (but myself-"upgraded" via full USA map) Nokia Maps. To provide an ultimate test, I did not use a-gps aka network assistance and made E72's chip work all by its lonesome in providing me with accurate step-by-step directions and distances. This experience was wonderful and receiver locked onto satellites quickly and worked accurately. Approximately 2 hours of GPS navigation did not deplete even 1/7 power bars which reassured the godlike life of the device just like E71. The radio receiver works like a charm, but requires headphones to act as an antenna. The camera is a real beauty considering it's one of the last areas of focus on a business device. Previous E Series models all suffered from poor camera drivers (namely poor control of the LED flash) that made 3 megapixel quality fairly useless regardless of lighting conditions and other factors. E72 and perhaps E75/52/55 finally cure poor drivers and images come out very well.

E71 via E72 camera in dark lighting, testing out the flash capability


The battery life and power saving management is still phenomenal and allows at least 2-3 days of moderate usage (texting, camera, music, GPS every few hours). Thanks to USB charge, you won't have to lug charger and USB cables with you to be able to connect E72 to a computer and charge it.

All in all, this is a solid all-around electronic device at a very affordable tag (roughly 380 USD right now) that can easily replace your standalone cellphone, GPS, media player, and perhaps a point-and-shoot digital camera. Why settle for less and buy ipods or garmins when you can have all of it in one slick candy bar?

Flowlights- The REAL Photoshop At Your Disposal

So after getting into raving a few months ago I've been looking for weapons of choice and ended up on the path that probably half the community ends up taking- flowlights.

What are they? 3-LED, 10 light mode plastic sticks that run on a simple AAA battery.


Come in all sorts of flavors and with a little soldering, nothing is stopping one from making a custom rig. Also, at the very least the soft cases shown above are HIGHLY recommended for beginners and experts alike.




And what can be done with these? Thats purely in the hands of your dancing and artistic senses.






These can be purchased from number of sites such as the home site www.flowtoys.com or www.liquidemotions.com

Hybrid rechargeable batteries are highly recommended- pre-charged duracells in plastic blister, sanyo eneloop, rayovac hybrid. 2 sets per pair of flows will allow safe charging of one set while the other is in use. With proper care, the AAAs should last 2-3 years so avoid cheap 15 minute chargers and anything with radio shack logo on it.

Kyosho Mini-Z MR-03 w/ Makers RX-7 Unboxing and Setup

Finally got my hands on this lovely piece, so here we go:















Now for the first setup and the reason I got 03 in the first place- Skyline GT-R 1970

Mini-Z Are Going Offroad

Thought I'd share my recent collection additions with an appropriate setting. Ford, Subaru, and Mitsubishi duking it out.

Mini-Z Painting & Detailing Hints and Tips

After doing miniatures, model kits, and various other paint jobs I've concluded that the RC bodies are the most demanding, but the right tools will yield a superb and durable finish. I'll make this brief and cut straight to the chase.



Tamiya acrylics tend to get rubbed and beat off of the Z bodies quite easily and will require frequent touch-ups, but are fairly easy to work with. Testors enamels surpass the oversea brother, but can end up too thick when sprayed on if the painter is a little careless or trigger happy. Both of these can be removed with simple acrylic or enamel thinners and some rubbing. Now, Testors Pactra Polycarbonate Coating sprays on in thin layers, yields very even and consistent finish, can withstand quite a beating and cannot be removed with some simple thinner. Furthermore, the ideal finish can be achieved with only 1 to 1.5 coats and up to 3 coats of paint will retain all of the details beneath them. If you mess up you have room for a primer and a recolor coat without endangering the finish.


Pactra Candy Purple and Testors Gold Enamel details

Whats the next step to completing your masterpiece? The details and trims. The weapons of choice now are:

Testors Enamel Paint Markers with user-trimmed tips prior to use that will ensure precision and control;



Micron archival ink pens because not only do they come in 0.2mm tip variety, but can withstand a glosscoat laquer easily unlike their competitors.



I've tested(from bottom to top) Micron, Sharpie, and Gundam Marker on top of white Pactra layer and topped with Testors Glosscoat with the following result-



So there you have it folks, for a clean, durable and professional RC body finish your friends are Pactra spray cans, Micron markers, and Testors enamel paint markers. Happy painting!

Monster Hunter Freedom Motion Revive Series action figures

I would've never guessed that another superb video game would get proper set of action figures, but Bandai made it happen once again! Despite the fact that MRS figure are considered "trading" in Japan, sold by cases with same inner packaging to hide the identity of the figure you buy, they easily surpass all domestic 3.75" lines like Star Wars, GI Joe, etc.

The articulation of MRS figures is superb even though the male figures sport some very fancy and clunky armor. Even the finer lines like Mobile Suit in Action suffered from waist armor limiting the hip movement, but MRS do surprisingly well for having full tassets instead of just small skirt armor. Knees and elbows sport double-hinge joints allowing for human range of movement; wrists, upper arms, and thighs all come with a swivel joint to further the degrees of motion; and last but not least- head, hips, feet have ball joints and shoulder fancy double-ball joints for an extreme range of movement for a 8-10$ figure.

The base looks good, but what about accessories and weapons? Depending on how anal you are about matching your game gear to figures, MRS may impress or slightly disappoint you. Weapons range from mediocre to highest end, but end up as an overall impressive set. 2 long swords, 2 great swords, 1 sword and shield, 2 dual swords, 1 hammer, 1 hunting horn, 1 lance, 1 gunlance, 1 bow with a quiver, 1 light and 1 heavy bowguns. Some of the joke accessories include barrels (1 with a felyne), well-done (or "burnt" in my case) steak, a felyne mask, and a hunting horn. Very decent selection indeed down to the extra accessories. Some weapons come with little pegs to help the figures hold them thus each figure comes with sloted and non-slotted pairs of hands.

Considering the general lack of good game figures and rather disappointing 3.75" US lines, Motion Revive Series should definitely hit the spot despite the importing costs. Mine came out to be 75 shipped for a case of 8 (a full set of these figures) which isn't too bad on all accounts. There are 2 available sets today and the only differences are figure recolors and weapon colors or lack there of(in my case).

More images here:
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq249/skv0124/MiscFigs/MHF_MR_Rathalos1.jpg #1-9
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq249/skv0124/MiscFigs/MHF_MR_Velprey1.jpg #1-9
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq249/skv0124/MiscFigs/MHF_MR_Kirin1.jpg #1-3

THE set of upgrades for Xmod Evo to steer it clear of trashcan.

Yes, 2.4 ghz radio thats in most cordless home phones and routers. Why? Any xmod owner should know how junky they are out of the box even for some home fun, but this upgrades makes it a semi-hobby grade RC.

Is JUST the radio enough? No because the chassis itself is far from flawless, so #2 on the list are GPM Adjustable Knuckles vs GPM's regular junky looking and working, 3-screw knuckles:






Now we have 0 wheel wobble and car is actually drivable on RCP track or anywhere else at high speeds, but is this enough? Not just yet.

Last upgrade- shaving the wheel pegs to fit Kyosho Mini-Z MA-010 rims.





And now the Xmod is complete. Drives very similar to a Mini-Z or any other quality RC. Can have different offset wheels to accommodate different bodies without looking funky. Has actually round, quality wheels and doesn't have to use xmod tires that are getting harder to come by. Lastly, can easily accept a drift tire kit for some slipping and sliding without buying an xmod-specific 15$ kit.