
30 October 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Food, Photography, Tech World

29 October 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Tech World
One thing that’s very unique with the iPhone 4s is Siri.
Apple describes Siri as, “The intelligent assistant that helps you get things done. All you have to do is ask.”. I describe it as, “A robot inside a phone”. It does not only do what you say, it somehow converses with you which is really amazing.
My Husband had initially set up Siri in American English but she was having difficulty understanding my words. Then we changed her settings to Australian English and it was only then that she was able to get what I was saying. Amazing how this application can distinguish accents! I love it!
Here are some screen captures of my conversations with Siri.
I have asked Siri what her name was a couple of times and I swear, she gets annoyed with me.
I wondered if she was female and when she answered “None”, I can’t help but ask if she was gay. Her voice sounded female though, so I refer to Siri as a “she”.
I wanted to know if she thinks of herself as a human being so I asked her what she wears.
If my network falters, she’s frank about it.
Sometimes I talk to her as if she’s a human being.
I ask Siri to update details of my contacts for me.
The Husband and I asked Siri to send a message to him. We chose a word that may be difficult for her to understand (given our accent) and Siri was able to understand it still.
But seriously, some days I do ask Siri to text my husband when I arrive home.
Siri also cancels messages I’m about to send when I change my mind.
One afternoon after I got home from work, I decided to tell Siri that I’m tired and read below what she replied to me.
One time, I greeted her with a simple “Have a nice day” and she answered back one of the funniest replies to me.
Sometimes I ask her to tell me a story before I go to bed.
Or sometimes a simple “Good night” will do.
I don’t often use Siri but the app is surely useful when you’ve got your hands full, when driving, running or walking. Plus, the Husband and I get a laugh sometimes with its amusing and funny answers.

25 October 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Tech World, The Married Life
I was on postpaid plan for two years and my contract ended May of this year. It so happened that two weeks prior to vacationing in Manila (March), my simple Motorola mobile phone broke. Since we were already in Manila, the Husband encouraged me to buy a smart phone. With hesitation, I gave in and bought myself a Samsung Galaxy Mini, my first ever smart phone. I enjoyed using it so when I came back to Sydney, I opted to go back on a prepaid account.
I knew there was a new iPhone coming out but I forgot exactly when it will be available in Australia. I’ve been pretty busy with work, writing and being with family and friends that there were days I’m not even sure what date it is. When the Husband dragged me into our mobile provider’s store two Fridays ago, he said he will just register my postpaid account.
I was nonchalant when I sat myself in the client’s area and let the Husband do the talking with the staff of the store. I was truly oblivious on what’s happening. Then the Husband came up to me and said, “You are getting your iPhone 4s today.”
“Are you serious????”. The only three words I managed to say in my wide-eyed shock.
“Yes! Can’t you believe it? They have available iPhone 4s’ today.”
“iPhone 4s? Is that today?”
“Yes…you didn’t know?”
“I forgot.”
“Well then…surprise!!! You are getting a new phone in about 20 minutes!”
I signed the registration form and in 20 minutes, the staff was able to set up my account and before I knew it, I was being handed my new phone.
There’s more to this story than just an acquisition of a material blessing. It could’ve been any thing really.
This story is about my Husband thinking of a way to amuse me, surprise me and indulge me. This is about my Husband making a day extra-ordinary and extra magical for me.
If I enjoyed using my Samsung Mini Galaxy (I still use it for my Philippine number), I’m enjoying my iPhone 4s more.
I’m not a techie person. When it comes to phones, I just look for anything that will cater to my needs. For years, I only need a phone which I can use for calling and texting, that’s why I’ve hold off from buying a smart phone. This year, I finally gave in to owning a smart phone because I need a phone for calling, texting, having access to the internet and for taking photos. Owning an iPhone 4s is a bonus for me because it’s just easy to use and I finally get to in synch it with my iPad 2.
With the iOS 5 update that happened recently to Apple’s mobile devices, I am able to appreciate owning an iPhone more. Nowadays, I get to send messages to my Husband and friends from all over the world via iMessage. While some people may take the iMessage for granted, I appreciate it because I now receive messages from friends overseas. For example, my friends from the Philippines never text me because sending me a text message will cost them PhP15.00. With iMessage, it’s free.
I’m still discovering what the iPhone can do for me but right now, I’m having fun playing with Siri, which Apple describes as, “The intelligent assistant that helps you get things done. All you have to do is ask.”.
Here’s a sample of one of my conversations with Siri below. Some conversations are really funny but functionality-wise, Siri has googled stuff for me, told me what the weather will be like on a certain day, change details of a specific contact for me and even called and text my contacts for me. Later this week, I’ll share with you some screenshots of my exchanges with Siri.
The Husband and I compared the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s when it comes to speed and the iPhone 4s is faster. We opened the website at the same time and the iPhone 4s was able to load the site a few minutes quicker than the iPhone 4. Even when we took photos, the iPhone 4s is faster and has better resolution. Here are some sample photos below.
I tried taking food photos at home and the details are sharper even if I took this photo in low light.
Here is another photo taken in low light.
You know I have a soft spot for sunset shots so when I saw this beautiful sunset in our balcony, I thought of using the iPhone 4s. The end result was not bad at all.
The photo below is one of the lighted “balloon” at Hyde Park. I zoomed in then took a photo and the image was still sharp.
This one below I believe is another great capture of the iPhone 4s.
All the sample photos were only resized and cropped but never enhanced to show the capabilities of the iPhone 4s’ camera.
Interesting Read: How Does the iPhone 4s Camera stack up against other Cameras?

7 October 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Tech World
I have a collection links to tributes and articles on Steve Jobs, please click here.

6 October 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Deep Thoughts, Tech World

Thank you, Steve Jobs…
for making this world a better place
for changing the way we live
for bringing the world into our hands
for making innovative gadgets user-friendly
for inspiring us with your wisdom
for making me see the beauty of technology
for teaching me how to embrace it.
Well done, Steve Jobs…well done!
The internet is abuzz with so many tributes and articles on remembering the life of Steve Jobs. Please click on the links below:
Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak Tearfully Remembers Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs and the Reserved Seat
Sad Goodbyes to Steve at the San Francisco Apple Store
People Reach for Steve Jobs in Large Numbers
Bloomberg Businessweek on Steve Jobs
Over 100 Newspaper Front Pages Around the World Mourn Steve Jobs