Archives for November 2005

It is less than 15 days to go for the release of Xbox 360 in North America. I was at BestBuy yesterday afternoon and saw an Xbox 360 demo unit with one game loaded called Battlefield 2, a first person shooter game. My first reaction was, “What incredible clarity!” Truly amazing graphics, a step up compared to the original Xbox.

The release is scheduled November 22 with a starting price of $299 for the basic Xbox 360 unit. It comes with a one wired controller, a detachable faceplate, and standard A/V cables. A souped-up version is available for $399 and comes with a 20GB hard drive, a wireless controller, a wireless headset, a limited-edition wireless Media Center remote, and HD-capable component A/V cables.

If you are interested in the hardware, the Xbox 360 is powered by an IBM PowerPC-based CPU running at 3.2GHz and 0.5GB of RAM, the 360 sports a customized ATI graphics processor capable of advanced antialiasing and shader effects. Xbox will have the processing power to deliver true 720p and 1080i wide-screen HDTV images for all of its games (by contrast, most games for the original Xbox maxed out at a DVD-level 480p).

Multichannel surround sound is also standard, and the 360 natively supports up to four wireless controllers to cut down on cable clutter. The only downside is The Xbox 360’s optical drive is a standard DVD model. It is limited to just 8.5GB of disc space. Compared this the upcoming Playstation 3 which will be using Blu-Ray drive which can store up to 25GB of DVD disc space.

Last but not least, the 360 will double as a CD/DVD player. Although an expensive one. Rushing out to get one? I’m not sure. I think I’m going to wait several months until Playstation 3 comes out, then compare the two and then decide which one to buy. In the meantime, I got an old Xbox waiting to be played. I hope the original Xbox games will come down in price now that the Xbox 360 is out. And it will, it’s just a matter of time.

I came home last night from a get together with friends. There were plenty of food, a few beers and of course, we played the popular game of poker called Texas Hold Em. One trend I’m beginning to pick up is I really suck in this game. Four games and each time an early exit. I don’t plan to quit my job and become a full time poker player like those you’ve seen on TV. It’s just not going to happen.

What’s seems to be the problem? I’m either too aggressive or just unlucky. I would like to believe the latter because we all know a “hand” in any card game is completely random. Having a good hand involves a lot of luck. I think a good understanding of the odds and a good understanding of the opponent goes a long way.

I think I take too many chances in this game. I guess I get too excited when I get a good hand. It’s hard not to when there’s an ace staring you in the face. I don’t have a lot of patience, either. Given my history, I should probably just stick to Hearts or FreeCell. Hehe.

Well, it looks like I lost my Treo 600! I have been looking for it the last 12 hours. I’ve check 3 possible places I may have left the phone, but it hasn’t turned up at all. Consider it lost and gone forever. Phone gone in less than 60 days!

I’m trying to make a deal with Cingular so that I can qualify in the new plan, meaning getting a new phone at a discount price, but I’m not quite there yet. I’m literally days away from qualifying, but I didn’t get any breaks at all from Cingular. Putz!

Also, there’s a price difference between new and existing customers. So, it might be better to jump ship to another provider as a new customer to get the phone I want for the right price. So much for loyalty. For some reason, it always comes down to dollars and sense.

In the meantime, I’m getting a replacement SIM card for free, but I still have to pay taxes on the $25 fee although offset by $25 credit to my account. Thanks, Uncle Sam. It seems you never miss anything. I hope you spend my tax dollars wisely.

Talking about urgency! Cingular is sending me a replacement SIM card via regular mail which will arrive in 2-3 days. Thanks, Cingular! I know I can always count on you.