Reto Meier's Gadget Compendium

The Current Lineup

  • Galaxy Nexus
      • Phone. My current Android phone. It's the lead Ice Cream Sandwich device and features a NFC and a truly gorgeous screen. It's even got the status LED that disappeared for the Nexus S. I'd say this is my favorite Android device since the Nexus One. 
      Fast, thin, light, and with a big beautiful screen, it makes other handsets look like toys.
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
      • Tablet. I really like this device. It's thin, light, and lasts forever between charges. I used to use a Xoom at work and a 7" Galaxy Tab when travelling, but this device blows them both away. 
      It's got 16:10 10.1" screen that's bright and clear. It's the perfect platform for web browsing, game playing, and movie watching. I used it non-stop on my trans-Pacific flights, and use it daily as a second (or indeed third) screen at work or at home in front of the TV. 
  • Kindle 3G
      • Reading. Since buying a Kindle I've read twice as many books each month as I had before. QED. 
      I love the physicality of hardcover books. I have a collection of near-enough 500 hardback books which you can take from me when you pry them from my cold dead hands. I still buy hardcovers from my favorite authors, but as an alternative for paperbacks the Kindle is a no brainer. 
      I could use the Kindle app on the Galaxy tab, but I find backlit screens unpleasant to read over long periods, and the battery life on a Kindle (especially when you turn off WiFi/3G) is outstanding. 
  • Canon EOS 500D
      • Camera. My first real SLR! I bought this as a replacement for my Cybershot when I reached the limits of what it could do in low light and macro photography. I've found it to be a great camera, not too bulky, and the perfect model to learn more about taking great photos
  • Nexus One
      • Driving. The first Nexus device, and probably my longest serving Android phone so far. I really like this phone and still carry around a Nexus One to use for in-car Navigation and testing / demoing apps. The portable hotspot on my Galaxy Nexus means I don't even need to put a SIM in it.
    Honorably Discharged

  • Nexus S

      • Replaced. Was the lead Gingerbread device and the first to feature NFC and a gyroscope. The Galaxy Nexus has the same beautiful display, but in a thinner, bigger screen device.
  • Motorola Xoom

      • Replaced. The first Honeycomb tablet, this 16:10 10.1" dual-core beast was a lot of fun to play with. It's heavy though, and thick, compared to the Samsung tablets. When I started playing with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 I found myself leaving this one at home. 
  • Galaxy Tab (7")

      • Replaced. I used to love this for travelling, but the 10.1" Tab is about the same weight, thinner, and has a bigger screen - making it perfect for playing games and watching movies on flights.
  • PSP 3000

      Disused. I loved my PSP for about 6 months before it gradually fell into disuse. 
      I finished NBA Street Showdown and at least two titles from the Burnout franchise during my commute before a combination of an impending book deadline and the seemingly interminable load times for saved games in Dungeons & Dragons Tactics resulted in it lying forgotten and uncharged at home. 
      These days my Galaxy Tab and Nexus S provide all the game playing entertainment I need.
  • ASUS Eee PC 701 / ASUS Eee PC 1005 Netbook

      Replaced. Though I didn't mention it in my acknowledgements, my first netbook - the Eee PC 701 - deserves significant credit for my first Android book being written. I bought it for £200 on Tottenham Court Road for the express purpose of using it to write my book. 
      Cheap, light, and with a fast SSD disk and sub-10 second boot time, nearly every word and line of code that went into the first edition was written on this.
      I bought the Eee PC 1005 as a replacement for writing the 3rd edition of Professional Android, but I was seriously disappointed. The SSD is gone, it's bulkier, heavier, thicker, and it cost more. Now I just use my MacBook Pro to do my writing and my tablet(s) for email, gaming, movies, etc.
  • Sony Cybershot DSC-N1

      Replaced. My first proper digital camera, and still a favourite. Compact and featuring touch screen controls, this 8.1 MP camera helped to ignite my interest in photography. Some of my favourite pictures where taken with this handy little camera.
  • Motorola Droid

      Replaced. The first Android device with a WVGA screen and running Android 2.0, it was also the first CDMA Android phone making it decidedly less useful once I brought it back home to London. Luckily the first Nexus One prototypes weren't far behind.
  • HTC Magic

      Replaced. The first Android device I got to play with before anyone else and the first phone we gave away to all attendees at Google I/O.
  • HTC G1

      Replaced. My first Android phone, and still my favourite smartphone keyboard. When I got this my book was written (though not yet published) and I was still working at Goldman Sachs. Seems like a lifetime ago - was actually 2008.
  • Sony P910i

      Replaced. My first smartphone(!) and one of the first things I bought after moving from Australia to London in 2005. It had a touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, and Internet access - which combined with Google's Maps and Gmail apps gave me a glimpse of what the future might hold.
  • Archos AV 320

      Disused. Kicking it old. Skool. I bought an AV320 instead of an iPod back in 2003. It seemed like an obvious choice at the time as it let me watch video as well as listen to music. It's 20Gb hard drive wasn't solid state, so you could feel it spin if you moved it while it was on.
      I remember thinking at the time how awesome if would be if you could write apps that would run on it. 
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