Okay so I have had my R4DS for a couple days now and here are my thoughts. The set up/software installation in the end was very easy, but the documentation was not the best. I believe there are several videos on YouTube that explain this process very well so I wont bother to do the same, unless the readers demand it. It was a matter of finding what files that need to be copied to the MicroSD card, which wasn’t included with the one I bought. Luckily I had a 1 GB one in my cell phone. After that, you load up the files you want on it. That’s it!
I wont go into the legal issues of putting ROM’s on it but know that I believe in paying for my software and games. (but believe that some software pricing is just CRAZY) If you dont pay for your software then there will be less options.
I added some homebrew applications, some music files and some games. It works exactly as advertised! It adds the extra functionality that should have come with the DS to begin with, or been a Nintendo provided one!! If Nintendo had half a brain they would start selling their games as ROM’s and also sell a similar device! It’s such a pain to carry all you game carts with you when you travel or commute. “WAKE UP NINTENDO!!” Another option is to include a ROM download with any software bought. It’s not rocket science, lets do it!
So would I recommend this product? Yes, It’s a must have!
1-10 Rating (10 being the best): 10
Price: A bargain at about $30 +/- plus the price of the MicroSD
There are so many services out there jockeying for all the social media attention. Twitter is in the lead but it’s system problems have been really pissing off it’s loyal following. They really have to get their act together before “we” all decide to leave. FriendFeed is picking up the slack and i think it might end up replacing Twitter as my main stopping point in the social world. The thing I like most about it is that you can import all your RSS feeds from every service you participate with. From flickr to twitter to jaiku to blog feeds, plus it allows comments. This is what Robert Scoble would say is the “coversation” piece of the puzzle that he loves so much. I agree it does add an extra element to the space but still think that the simplicity of twitter wins out. That’s if they can get their system up to par.
What do you think? Should we move to FriendFeed and import all our feeds? Should we stick with twitter and hope it improves, or should we just go to FaceBook and call it a day?
I ordered my R4DS a couple days ago from Amazon and it still hasn’t arrived!?!? I am so excited to get my hands on this little piece of technology. There are so many homebrew applications out there for the DS it isn’t even funny! There is even a Linux port for the DS.
You can start your search over at Wikipedia for information on Nintendo DS Homebrew.
I will post more when the little bugga is loaded up with some choice morsels.
PS. I wonder if it’s illegal to take a game you have bought and put the ROM on an SD card?? Probably is, but if I were Nintendo I would start selling their back catalog ROM’s on the internet (Not just on the Wii). It could be like iTunes for Nintendo games. I think a lot of folks that “find” ROM’s on the net would be willing to fork over some cash for legal versions of these old school games. Hell, I know I would in a second. If you look at my Wii i have all the classics. Just a thought @Nintendo
I have a less than one year old MacBook with 2GB’s of RAM and I have a 3.5 year old eMachines PC running Windows XP. I use both systems on a regular basis, and it seems that even with an older PC Adobe Photoshop is faster. I know it’s hard to compare a desktop and a laptop machine but a new Mac with the latest Photoshop should be faster than a 3.5 Year old system!!
I am not such a Mac Fanboy that i will refuse to use a PC when it is the better solution. The only thing that might get in my way would be the difference in keyboard shortcuts. Luckily I dont use many of them.
Have you noticed this in your use of Photoshop? Do you only use the Mac version or only use the PC version? Do you think it’s a desktop versus notebook thing? Let me know.
Okay, okay, I feel the urge to start creating some videos again! I have been in kind of a slump recently and havent had any idea what the heck to do when I am not working and spending time with my family. I am of the opinion that everyone needs a little time away from everything, even your family. So, I have been going through a long list of things I like to do, and I have pretty much settled on the video thing. I dont have much time to do planning or editing so I think it will be off the cuff and using my FlipVideo or something similar. I would love to have a partner in crime for this project but my schedule is so crazy that I think it might be impossible, so I am going it alone. Branding is kind of difficult because I dont know how much i want my name out there, but it seems that people want to know you… I guess I will just use “ET” of “Almost a Geek” or something along those lines. I am kind of inspired by a lot of my friends on the web like: iJustine.com, 808Talk.com, Ryan Ozawa, Beachwalks.tv, Revision3.com, Leo Leporte, GeekNewsCentral.com, and a lot of other people out there!
What am I going to film? That’s a good question! I will probably film things that I think are cool or that draw my attention. I am officially starting today….well when I get home and grab my FlipVideo!!
I live in Seattle now so if you want to see anything in Seattle let me know and I will try to get it on video and on the web!
PS. Getting a lot of comment spam these days so if you want to communicate with me it would probably be better to use www.twitter.com/almostageek until I figure out a way to stop the comment spam!!
Haven’t blogged much because I am in the middle of “doing a start up”. Can’t really talk too much about it due to an NDA I gave to myself. I can talk about some of the things I am going through or that you might go through when starting a business. I guess I will put what I am learning in a list form:
Make sure you incorporate or get your LLC stuff in order. Why? Because a lot of companies wont deal with you unless you have a Federal Tax ID and proof that you are a “real” company.
FInd a good place to work. Saving money by working at home is great but if you cant focus it might be time to rent a little office or at least go to a library or coffee shop. I have a 1 year old son at home so working from home is not an option unless it’s late at night.
If you cant get funding you might want to use corporate credit cards(as soon as you incorporate you will start receiveing lots of these in the mail). I heard this yesterday on some talk radio (NPR?) show. First I was against it but after a couple minutes I thought that it might be good in some situations. Of course you have to have have control.
Fake the funk. You may only be a one or two person shop but if you have great business cards, letterhead, answering service, great website, etc you can look like a million dollar shop. Don’t cut corners here. Your first impression has to be as if you are a Fortune 500 company. These days it takes little to no money to present yourself bigger than you really are.
Google is your friend. Everything you need is on Google! Google search and Google analytics are my two favorites. Google can tell you where to find something or how many people are coming to your site and everything else in between.
Know who is coming to your site and what they are doing on your site. Analyze your website traffic with a fine toothed comb!!
Let you customers guide you. When you are a start up some of your best advise can be come for free from your customers. They will tell you what is good and what is bad about your company. Listen to them!
Engage your clients/customers/partners/etc. People like to belong. No i wont say “social” anything (^_^)
Get a white board for your ideas (I will probably do a video on this). I got this idea from 2 people. Eric Rice and iJustine. Put down your ideas, your to-do items, shopping lists, things to talk about on your podcast, blogging items, etc. These things are cheap and very good for your start up.
GSD (Getting shit done). This is like GTD (Getting things done) but with more ‘umph’. Make your to do list on your little white board or piece of paper or favorite to do list solution. Start getting shit done!! Just because it’s on a to do list doesn’t mean it’s important in the grand scheme of things. Lots of people are specialist in GTD but very few of them are specialist in GSD. GSD is taking your to do list and picking the most important items and getting them done in order of importance. The rest can be reevaluated if you finish the GSD items or pushed to the next day or deleted all together.
I really love my FlipVideo (30 min model)! It was cheap and it does one thing very well. It captures a pretty good quality video and that’s it. To get the video off of the camera you then flip out the USB connector (I think that’s why they call it the Flip Video). It’s durable and takes AA batteries, which makes it very convenient if they run out. You just pop into your favorite store and pick up some new ones, although I recommend using rechargeable batteries to save money and the Environment.
There are some shortcomings with the FlipVideo. First there is no expandable memory. It would have been nice if they added a SD Cards slot on the side so you don’t have to worry about running out of memory. Second the quality is good in well lit areas but darker areas video leaves a little to be desired. Lastly it’s a little thicker than I think it needs to be. I know they could make it a little thinner with little to no effort.
The FlipVideo has made me rethink the way I shot video. I have a very expensive HD Mini DV camera but it’s a pain to get the video into the computer. The Flip lets you just drag and drop, no need to play and capture like with Mini DV. Tapes need to DIE!! Solid state or HDD based recording media is the way to go. The easier it is to get onto my Mac the better. For quick internet videos or videos of you kids walking, I am thinking the FlipVideo or something similar is probably the way to go. If you need high production quality, stick with the high dollar HD cameras.
What I would like to see on the next version of the FlipVideo? Well, here is my list:
Expandable Memory (SD)
A little bit better quality video
Slimmer but still rugged
Better low light
Keep the price reasonable
Thats it! I don’t think I am asking for too much. I am pretty sure they will tackle most of these things in the next version, since they all make sense. Progressively improving the product is what we are asking for and not taking away from the original theme of Fun, Cheap, Quick Video.
PS. This product is hot! I and to go to 3 stores to find one!! Best buy was sold out and was lucky enough to find one (the last one) in Target!!
Driving in Japan is fun! If you get a chance rent or borrow a car and go get lost. Make sure you have a map or Navi (GPS) system if at all possible with your home location preprogrammed, so you can get back!! Luckily I was driving in a place where I lived for 5 years. When in Tokyo I always have a GPS and a Compass!! It’s a pain in the neck in Tokyo so you need all the tools you can get!! Once you get out of the cities there are many things to do so go get lost!!
Picked up a Magellan Navigation System at Costco the other day. It only cost $149.99 and it does exactly what I need it to do….get me home! LOL
You can enter addresses and it takes you to the location very easily. It tells you when to turn and all the normal stuff you would expect from a GPS. It also has an SD slot so you can upload new maps.
