A GPS watch that looks natural...

This has got to be the most natural looking GPS watch. In fact, I think it can be worn everyday without attracting too much attention to itself. It is a new model from Casio that is targetting more to runners than trekkers.

It is able to calculate speed continuously. It can also set current position and target position. The watch will then calculate the direction and distance to the target position. I am not sure about how useful or applicable this watch is for trekking. I'll surely be very interested if it can serve this purpose well.

Among other functions, it can also display GMT time and times in different cities. The charging takes about 2 to 3 hours. That is about the same as the time it takes to charge a mobile phone.

I'm really looking forward to a discreet looking, useful, and power efficient GPS watch.

Do point to the following Website for more detail:

http://www.casio-intl.com/news/2006/gpr_100.html

Bluetooh watch? It's the beginning to more interesting things to come...

While browsing through the magazine section in a local shopping mall, I stumble upon an article about Sony Ericsson's collaboration with Fossil in developing a bluetooth watch. The watch communicates with Sony Ericsson phones and has features such as caller ID display, turning off the ringer, reject a call, and control the MP3 player on the phone.

I wonder how nice it would be if there are hidden OLE in the dial that would display SMSes the phone received. Nevertheless, the watch sure is a sweet beginning for more interesting things to come.

Mercedes watches? Am I mad?

I chanced upon a Mercedes boutique at the airport while on the way back from a business trip. There were a little time to spare so I took a look at the watches. Some of them were actually quite attractive.

The above is an example. I have not found out who designed and manufactured these watches. Anyway, just want to share them with you all.

First mini-trip with my new Citizen.

I have just came back from a mini-trip with my new Citizen. During the trip I have re-visited a waterfall near where my parents live. Here are some pictures I took.

The Citizen half submerged in the clear water of the waterfall.

Citizen on the rock.

Citizen riding on my friend's slipper.

Hope you all enjoy the pictures. Anyway, there are good news about the promotion thingy I have been talking about in my previous entries. I have got it! There are more new tricks to learn in the near future.

Also, the hunt of the studio apartment is already in progress. I have done several viewings and will most likely decide within these few weeks. Sad to say that I may not have enough spare cash to buy new watches in the near future. :( In fact, I need to squeeze to find money to buy furniture for the new home.

Anyway. I wish everyone happiness and see you all again in my next post. :)

A clock for my new place?

I've been back from my business trip more than a week ago. Finally, I'm sitting down and writing an entry. Many things happened lately. One of which is I have to move out of my current rented place by the end of next month. No. I'm not being evicted. It's just that the landlord decided to take back the place for his own use. I'm sick of this cycle of changing a place every year or two.

 

But hey. It's a new experience for me. I'll most likely be moving into a studio. I'm no longer sharing an apartment with other people. I'll be staying on my own during this transitional period. In the next few months, I will be going apartment hunting. Yes. I will be having my own place in this city that I've been staying for the past six years. I can decorate, design it whichever I like. Yes!

 

I'm going to have a really nice clock in the living room. I know good ones does not come cheap but hey, if it lasts forever then it's worth it.

 

Geeky or not, this one here is interesting. A wooden LED clock. The LED light emits from within the wood block. Take a look:

 

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/835b/

 

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/additional/large/solid_wood_clock_animated.gif

Hunting for the white dial Citizen Navihawk.

I have seen the white dial Citizen Navihawk in a store before. However, I have no luck finding it on ebay. Tomorrow I'll be on a week-long business trip. So, I really hope I'll return to good news about the promotion thingy I was talking about in my previous post. I'll definitely buy a Navihawk if things work out for me.

 

Over the past weekend, I have bought a macro filter for my digital camera. From now on I will be spending more effort to capture better photographs for the blog. In fact, I have just used my Citizen Promaster to test drive the filter.

 

Have a nice weekend!

Tomorrow may be one of the most important days of my life...

Tomorrow. Er... Actually it should be this morning because it's past midnight as I'm writing this. When the sun rises, I will go to work as usual. You know, as they say, same shit, different day. But this day is different. I'm going to talk to my manager about my intention to apply for a job change within the department. If he gives me his blessing, I will be promoted.

 

A promotion. It was, to me, so distant for the past few years. I guess it was a combination of many factors. Now, there is finally a ray of hope for me to move ahead. To climb up the corporate ladder as they say. I must grab the opportunity because opportunities are few and far in between.

 

Come tomorrow, I'm going to wear my new acquisition, a Citizen Promaster to work. Hopefully it will bring me luck in my negotiation. If everything goes well, I will definitely get a Citizen Navihawk. Till then, only time will tell.  :)

A watch forum is as political as an office.

I certainly think so. That a watch forum is as political as an office. It's a gathering of people with different background, culture, habits, and pet peeves. All supposedly have the same interest and hobby but sometimes quarrel errupts. There will be opposers, supporters, haters, and people who stand on the fence. It's both funny and sad to watch. It's reminiscent of office politics that we have to endure day in a day out. The higher you climb, or the longer you stay, the more vivid it is felt.

 

It's time to get a GPS watch and go out to the world and wander. I've been thinking of getting one for a while. The Casio GPS is priced quite reasonably on the second hand market. The functions are easy to understand and use. It's really handy to have in a foreign city or back country. However, reviews say the battery only last about 2 hours per charge. That means, in order to conserve battery, one has turn it on sparingly only to confirm the position.

 

http://www.megatime.de/uhren/protrek/gps2.jpg

 

I do hope they keep on refining it. Up to a point when it became smaller, and the battery lasts longer. I've been a sucker for multi-function, digital watches recently. And that's okay, at least it keeps my mind off the office for a while.

 

 

Found a potential cherry...

In my previous post, I was mentioning about finding a bracelet with integrated magnetic compass. I was saying that the compass completes the watch. It will be my everyday, and traveling watch. 

 

Well. I think I may have to scrap the idea. It turns out that the bracelet (metal) may affect the reading of the compass. It's true. At least it's true for the bracelet of my Citizen Promaster. When testing using a handheld compass, the needle moves when the bracelet is close to the compass.  

 

Later on, a kind fellow forumer suggested this:

 

http://www.suuntowatches.com/assets/product_images/200/101941000000000.jpg

 

It is a small compass (about 30mm wide) that clips onto a watch strap. Some stores sell it together with its own velcro. Based on the description of this compass, it is no toy. It is 'jeweled'. I expect it to be useful at least for navigating in a city. I travel quite often and having a compass is handy in a foreign city.

 

Clipping it onto the bracelet will not be an option. The bracelet is too thick and the metal of the bracelet will affect reading. I would think that I will need to replace the bracelet with plastic, velcro, or other non-metal strap for this solution to work. I think this is viable. Too bad I would have to put aside the beautiful bracelet though.

 

 

Looking for a cherry to put on my icing cake.

It may sound absurd but after my recent trip, I really appreciate the usefulness of the compass. I purchased a $2 compass and it had to be the best $2 I have ever spent. I should have brought it along for my Bangkok trip last year. It would have saved me so much walking and agony while trying in vain to find a certain historical building.

 

Recently I won a Citizen Promaster watch from the bay. You can see the pictures in my previous posts. This Citizen has everything that I needed and more. I love to have a calendar with day, date, and month. It has it. I love to have two timezones. It has it too if I set the analog and digital time to different time zones. The only thing I hope it has is the compass. Yes it has a bezel compass. It works by setting the watch to a certain angle to the sun. It is not always possible to see the sky. Especially so if you are in a concrete jungle. Therefore, I really hope to have an integrated magnetic compass on the watch.

 

One option I can take is to replace the bracelet with an after-market one that has integrated compass. I do love the original bracelet. They look nice enough to me and rather comfortable to wear. But, if I can find a suitable bracelet with a functional compass that would be the cherry on my icing cake.