Revamping ALL The Things!

While the Twitter update posts are here to stay (for now), I've neatened them up for now - no longer are they just for very week, most of them are for longer periods of time so that they hold more stuff to read rather than one line short tweets. I've also updated WordPress... again - no surprise there. What has changed, however, is the mobile theme. It is now catered towards newer iOS and Android browsers rather than older mobile ones - not like I have any visitors on those old mobile browsers anyway.

While I can't say there'll be a new blog post on any kind of schedule while my brain is still permanently in some kind of transition - I think it's time for a new interest or two to start leeching its way back onto my blog.

Photos: Event Decks - Into the Breach

Ever since I started playing Magic I've always been fascinated by preconstructed decks - now Wizards of the Coast has a new series of preconstructed decks which are a little more competitive in nature called Event Decks. They cost more - but they also need less extra cards to improve them compared to the Intro Packs that are around now. I thought I'd share a few photos of this awesome set which looks great.

Skin oils are visible on the box - which is responsible for some of the streaking you see.

The deck box is cardboard - so it won't last you as long as your Ultra-Pro ones, but it's still pretty darn good.

The product contains the main deck in one pack, the sideboard in another pack, an Into the Breach folded insert, a standard Magic 2011 introduction insert and a cardboard divider so that you can separate your sideboard from your main deck. I'm not sure if the deck box will still fit your deck with proper deck protectors - I believe it'll be a snug fit if your deck protectors are thick ones similar to Ultra PRO ones.

2011: The Unknown Future

I decided, even if I haven't been blogging much, it's probably still a good idea to talk about last year. Here's the much shorter list I made for 2010:

1. I think I probably just really want to find a better job (at least a more interesting one).
2. Blog more – already got a backlog of stuff to post – just haven't prepared them for posting on the site – I think once a week is realistic, but I'd rather have a post up twice a week. Considering I'm now working, three times a week doesn't work any more. Twittering every day might just work though.
3. Pass more exams. I screwed up one exam last year pretty badly, and I'm not keen on failing any more.

Here's the progress report:

1. I did find a more interesting job - thanks to chewxy.
2. I ended up practically not blogging, and even now my twittering hasn't been regular.
3. I managed to pass one more paper. This year, I have a better chance of passing the remaining one simply because it's easier to study now.

Over the past year, in my old company, I switched departments for a different job. I found a new job, thanks to chewxy. Here's hoping I get confirmed - which should be in about two weeks time.

I finally bought a new phone - a Samsung Galaxy S. That's not to say I didn't buy into iOS - I have an iPad and I love it. My Magic: the Gathering playing slowed down again, but that's nothing new.

I haven't set any new goals for this year. It's becoming a trend - but it's not like I don't want to set any goals - I just haven't thought of anything.

Card: Awakening Zone

My favourite card from the next set is [card]Awakening Zone[/card]. I don't know why, but it feels like the kind of card I play often. =D

Going Shopping for a New Phone

Recently it's been becoming more apparent that I'm having less and less free time to blog (and tweeting more instead) - but that's really because I've been doing two very important things: studying for my exams in April and shopping for a new phone. As far as studying for my exams is going, it's not going well. I'm not sure how to study for something I've studied for before, and practising isn't quite working as well as I'd hoped. Finding a new strategy is a lot more difficult than I thought. I guess I'll be roughing it out until I find new motivation and methods to study properly.

Shopping for a new phone hasn't been easy either. There are now three smartphone-type operating systems to choose from - the last time I went shopping for a PDA + phone combo in 2006, I had only one choice - Windows Mobile. Now, there are three main contenders in my view - Windows Mobile, iPhone OS and Android. (I'm aware of Symbian, and even more aware of Blackberry - but let's face it - the flagship devices of these two OSes are totally incomparable to the other three. Perhaps the iPhone 3GS is lagging in this area now, but I'm sure the next iteration due this year will change that - and when I'm shopping in this window of time, it's worthwhile to wait 2-3 months.)

The best thing is that phones of this class have gotten much cheaper. They used to cost RM2,500 to RM3,000 pretty easily - and while they still do sometimes, they can often be bought much cheaper a lot earlier in their life cycles. (like say RM2,000)

Windows Mobile's flagship device is clearly the HTC HD2. Nothing else comes close to it. The biggest reason I dropped it out of contention was the fact that Windows Mobile is going to be replaced by Windows Phone 7. And Microsoft seems to be fully intent on alienating its current userbase. With every announcement they make about Windows Phone 7, I get less and less happy. I can't blame Microsoft for the radical changes they are going for for WP7, but they could have at least made an effort to keep their remaining userbase.

Let's move on the iPhone. The current flagship is crappy compared to the HTC HD2 and the HTC Desire. It has one button. It doesn't have a nice home screen - if you could call what it has a home screen. (I lived with a home screen like that once. That was when Palm OS was king, and was about to be dethroned because it forgot that OSes need updating.) What it does have however, is awesome third party support. There are apps for everything - and if those don't satisfy all your needs, you can jailbreak for the remaining missing features - customizable home screen, lock screen info and so on. However - the current flagship is set to be replaced this year, and so anything could happen.

The Android flagships are probably the Google Nexus One (for the US) and HTC Desire (for the rest of the world). Considering that Android's situations is similar to what Windows Mobile's situation was previously, it's difficult to know when they will be replaced - although a good bet is within a year's time. I didn't even consider Android until I saw it for myself and realized why it just fit. I don't even know why. Widgets on the home screen, the apps all felt like what I was used to. The openness of the platform seems the same as Windows Mobile - except that the SDK default language is Java - which I'm guessing can make things a little sluggish at times - but I'm not worried since there's an accompanying NDK for those apps that really need speed. When people realise that speed matters more, they'll work on apps in the NDK.

So, currently, I'm planning to purchase a HTC Desire - but I'll be waiting 2 months to see if Apple can change my mind. It hasn't won any points with me with iPhone OS 4, but Android so far certainly has won many with version 2.1.