So in addition to the iPod that I recently bought (then lost, and had returned to me), I’ve bought a few other new tech toys recently. 

One of them is a new phone, a Verizon Wireless XV6700 (see right).   As you can probably guess from that image, it’s a phone/Pocket PC. It’s got a side-keyboard (which is basically QWERTY keyboard) that slides out from behind the phone when you want to use it, and is hidden behind the phone when not needed; the screen shifts from portrait to landscape view as necessary. Very cool. Initially, I found I liked it much more as a Pocket PC than I liked it as a phone; I couldn’t seem to get the volume loud enough for my liking. Through googling, I did discover some registry hacks that enabled me to boost the volume a bit; I remain puzzled, however, why it wasn’t easier to adjust it manually.  Sure, there’s a volume control, but even at its highest setting, I wasn’t previously satisfied with it.  Now, I’m okay with it, though it still isn’t a *great* phone.  Overall, it’s a great *gadget,* when you factor in all of its capabilities though. Having the integrated Pocket PC is very cool, as it ensures that I’ll never be without something to read. And it’s got full mobile-web capability, meaning I can not only check my email, I can also actually surf the web, though of course many sites are all but unreadable on mobile browsers.  Still, it’s handy. It’s also got integrated bluetooth, so I got myself a bluetooth headset to go along with it; that I’m not too happy with. It *really* isn’t as loud as I need it to be; or, rather, it’s not loud enough when you need it most (i.e., in the car). 

Speaking of bluetooth, when I bought my iPod and continued to get my earbud cord tangled on things, I wondered why in the hell Apple hasn’t made an iPod with integrated bluetooth for wireless headphones.  Well, there still isn’t any such thing, but there are bluetooth iPod accessories, such as the iMuffs bluetooth headphones (which conveniently also works as a bluetooth phone accessory).  Haven’t gotten this one yet (it’s on its way), but it sounds pretty awesome.

And speaking of wireless things in general, the other day I got myself a wireless laser mouse, which is way cool too. I’m not sure what the difference between a laser mouse and an optical mouse is exactly, but the box claims that the laser mouse (or this one anyway) is 20x more accurate than an optical mouse (not that I ever had any accuracy problems with my old corded optical mouse).  When I bought my current PC, I opted for the wireless keyboard option, which came with a wireless mouse too, but the mouse that came with the keyboard was such a featureless piece of crap, I couldn’t bear to give up my optical mouse.  I’d grown accustomed to the handy back and forward buttons located on the sides of the mouse, and the one that came with my keyboard didn’t have them (so into the Big Box of Computer Peripherals I’m-Not-Currently-Using-But-May-Someday-Want in the basement).