I almost want to say that I can’t live without my phone but that would be ridiculous. Of course, I can live without my phone. I just wouldn’t feel complete. Two Mondays past, I exposed my phone to the elements; rain, slush and cold, for about 2 hours.

It flickered on and off for a while and later died; faced with the prospect of losing my phone I had a mini panic attack. Surely, I can live without my phone but do I want to?

I once read that no one loves their phone completely, there’s always something you’d like to change or add to your phone. This is true; my phone is far from perfect but it brought me so much joy, convenience and ease I feel it’s perfect enough.

I’ve had my I-mate Jamin (aka HTP Prophet, Qtek S200) for almost a year now. It’s my first ever pocket PC.

Prior to this, I had an Innostream 55, a very cute little phone, great conversation piece… but not so great phone. It shipped with an application called Lady Scheduler and a slew of other wacky stuff. The battery got wonky on me and I got tired of carrying a cell phone, MP3 player and a PDA.

I did a little research and opted for Jamin (ok, I liked the name!)

I won’t bore you with the details, there’re lots of reviews on the internets.

First thing I did was to get a 2GB SD card; I have so much awesome crap on there it’s daunting.

The Good:
• My songs, podcasts and videos on the go
• WIFI
• EDGE
• Word, Excel, PDF viewer
• Outlook with calendar, contacts etc.
• MSN Messenger, Skype and any other IM type compatible with WM5
• 2 Mega pixel camera – Most of the pictures on this blog were taken with the phone’s camera
• Bluetooth
• Voice dialing for contacts and applications
• A slew of downloadable third party applications
• Charging via USB cable
• OK battery life considering all it does

The Bad:
• Sluggish (200 MHz CPU), not as fast as I’d like it to be, although you get used to it
• Poor quality speakers, I barely use this, I normally hook it up to my Bose computer speakers
• 2.5MM headset jack, I have a 3.5MM converter, tragedy averted.
• Camera lag and not so great night time pictures
• Requires frequent resets to keep it sane

That Monday, I took out the battery and the SD card, and laid it out to dry overnight. I put it back together in the morning and… viola! Like magic it worked.

I appreciate my phone now more than ever, I wonder if there’re other people out there who feel the same way about their phones.

del.icio.us tags: i-mate jamin, htc prophet, mobile phones

Celebrating and showcasing the wealth of artistic talent in BC’s fast-growing African community

All events at the WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac (off Victoria Drive)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2

African Cabaret doors open 8 pm, show 9 pm

Entertainment by animated Congolese storyteller, actor, musician, 

dancer Jean Pierre Makosso; multi-talented Guinean percussionist and

kora (harp-lute) player Kocassalé Dioubaté; the high energy Kokoma

dance and drum performance ensemble, led by Maobong Oku from Nigeria; 

and a rare solo performance by Guinean master-musician 

and multiple Juno Award-winning artist 

Alpha Yaya Diallo of the African Guitar Summit supergroup

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Heart of the Baobab dinner 7 pm, show 8 pm

Dinner (optional), prepared by the Nyala African restaurant, 

followed by a performance on kora from master-musician Daniel Janke; 

African dances from the young women of the Miyanda troupe; 

and two full sets  of West African music, masks, storytelling, 

and dance from Masabo,  helmed by athletic balafon 

(marimba)-player Fana Soro

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16

A Night in the Sahara doors open 8 pm, show 9 pm

Sudanese music from five-piece band Sudan’da led 

by oud (lute)-player Aladeen Abdalla; trance-inducing North African 

rhythms and bellydancing with Egyptian drum-master Adel Awad and Sahara; 

and the contemporary grooves of DJ Nils from the Beats without Borders 

collective to take us dancing into the wee hours

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17

African Carnival dinner 7 pm, show 8 pm

Chef Hinda from Djibouti will serve tasty African tapas. 

Storytelling from Nigerian actress, playwright, and yarnspinner Comfort Ero; 

the irresistible rhythms of young Afro-Cuban drum and Zimbabwean 

marimba ensemble Kutapira; and two full sets of dance music from

Guinean groover Aboubacar Camara, his band Doundounba, plus special guests

An African/Caribbean Jam or DJ will play out each night
The WISE will have an all-ages license for these events
Tickets $18 each show ($15 concessions)
Pass for all 4 shows $55 (or $45)
Available at Highlife Records - 1317 Commercial Drive
SofiaBooks. - 450 West Hastings
Banyen Books - 3608 West 4th Ave, and by phone at (604) 737 8858
More info at http://www.zula.ca
Festival Baobab is co-produced by Alliance Française de Vancouver, 
the WISE Hall, Zula Productions, & Bluehouse

Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC

Soweto Gospel Choir

5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet

L’ALLIANCE pour la planète.

The 1st of February 2007:

Participate in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming!

The Alliance for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is calling on all citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet. http://www.lalliance.fr

People all over the world should turn off their lights and electrical appliances on the first of February 2007, between 1.55 pm and 2.00 pm in New York, 18.55 for London, and 19.55 for Paris, Bruxelles, and Italy. 1.55pm in Ottawa, 10.55am on the Pacific Coast of North America.

This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.

Five minutes of electrical down time for the planet: this does not take

long, and costs nothing, and will show all political leaders that

global warming is an issue that needs to come first and foremost in

political debate.

Why February 1? This is the day when the new UN report on global climate change will come out in Paris.

This event affects us all, involves us all, and provides an occasion to show how important an issue global warming is to us. If we all participate, this action can have real media and political weight.