Ceddy's Random

Friday, March 8, 2019

Apple Airpods - Unboxing Review

Cedric Penarubia March 08, 2019 0 Comments

Apple Airpods Too Good or What Not?

I want a pair, however...

I've been longing to have one of them. And finally, after 3 years (yeah way too long ) I decided to buy a pair of it as I find the review seems to be good as legit.

But why so pricey?

Its been 3 years yet the price still the same. Just a pair of Bluetooth headphones with a staggering price of $160. Along with its hefty price tag, For some, It's a symbol of Luxury brand itself - Apple. And second, A giant technology company.

What about other cheaper brands?

A lot of $20 to $60 wireless earphones exist, but they are not particularly high quality. And the sound quality and user experience might not be as good.

And no doubt that it's extensively integrated with the Apple Ecosystem and deliver great performance.

Totally Locked - Walled Garden

For Me, There is no way out to shift from another ecosystem.

I'm totally locked out to Apple.

From iCloud, Airdrop, iMessage, Facetime (As most of my colleagues, friends and family members uses it ) Moreover, I'm not into the luxury thing, however, I find Apple seems to provide a unique experience to the user.

And, Another diminutive beast was added to my Apple Ecosystem.

Without further ado, Here's my quick unboxing review of the Apple Airpods.

Apple Airpods was introduced on September 7, 2016.

The case of the Apple Airpods has a resemblance to a dental floss case. Pretty neat and has a minimalistic design.

Hidden inside is the airpod itself.

Under the small packaging can be found the lightning cable. Just use any iPhone plug or whatever you have (for charging)

It comes with a booklet explaining how to pair with them. Some warranty information as well.

I bought an accessory - Jelly case to protect the case from scratches.

As per Apple, It promises that the battery life of the charging case will last up to 24 hours, up to 5 hours of battery life on one charge and 15 minutes of charging equals to 3 hours of battery life.

And it seems that Apple is correct (*of course). As I use the airpods for the very first time, the charging case is 80 percent and the earphones have both 80 percent battery life. I used them for listening to music , watching youtube on my iPad, Netflix on my MacBook, and podcast for two days without charging on the wall outlet. And I can see that it delivers a promising result and a unique experience.

How to Pair?

It is so easy. Make sure that your iPhone's Bluetooth is enabled.

Flip the case of the Airpod near to your device.

Airpods will gonna pop out to your screen like the one below:

Just tap connect, wait for a second and that's it.

Battery indicators from the earphones and the case will show up.

Now, you are good to go 😃

Note: I will update this content and will create a follow-up review after 3 weeks.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to share and subscribe to my RSS feed.

-Ceddy

Sunday, January 20, 2019

BEST ONLINE VIDEO STREAMING SERVICE IN THE UAE

Cedric Penarubia January 20, 2019 0 Comments

Movie Time!!!

It may be almost the weekend, but that doesn't mean you need to have big plans to go out.
I have listed the most used streaming services in the region that you might wanna try.
Streaming services are very popular these days and I decided to summarize them for you to try ( Thank me later) And by the way, they accept mobile payment just in case your credit/debit card doesn't support online payment.. (Yey!)

Below is the popular streaming service in the region on which I tried all of them.
Of course, they offer a month of trial. If you are satisfied with the service, then you have the option to pay on the succeeding months depends on how many users you opt to subscribe.

Starz Play

Starz Play emerges in the UAE 2 years ago (as far as I remember). Starz Play is an app from STARZ cable and satellite television network that allows you to stream their library of popular films and original television series. I am familiar with this streaming service ever. As on my previous job in the Philippines (As a call center agent) We are selling this as an add on package for American customers who has a cable subscription package.

Starz Play has there owned original contents. Some of the popular Starz Original Series below:

I tried their service for a month of trial and decided not to continue, Why? As at that moment, they have limited movies to offer yet they merely focus on their original collections and some of the movies that I searched was not readily available. Starz Play offers Arabic movies, classic tv shows, and Bollywood movies dubbed in Arabic.

Starz Play comes with Yuppflix which offers Bollywood movies and tv shows, different genres with 12 languages including Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

You can register up to 5 devices and payment of 35 dirhams monthly. For more faq, you can visit this link.
Or if you want to try their one month trial, you can always visit their website by clicking on this link.

Next is

Netflix

Contrary to Starz Play, So far this is my favorite streaming provider, although they just launch last January 2016, a few set back once Starz has emerged. They managed my expectation and I was so happy that most of my favorite movies were available. They have their own exclusivity of Netflix Originals, And as usual, they offer one month of a trial as well. You have the option to choose

So, what is Netflix? It's an American media-services provider headquartered in Los Gatos, California.
So yeah, #Stateside folks.

For the Netflix, unfortunately, you can only subscribe to their service by means of credit and debit card payment, so if you are unsure if your card supports online payment, better check with your bank.

Recently, Netflix was trending because of their own award-winning original series like Birdbox, Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black.

No doubt that people behind the Netflix create such series that entice more customers to sign up with them. You have the option to subscribe to the following

I tried their premium for a month of trial and I have utilized all their service feature. That includes the Ultra HD availability. I am using an iPhone X and has the Dolby Atmos capability. Only a few selected movies and series are available like Okja, But the audio and video quality is superb.

I love to watch documentaries such as BBC Documentaries by Sir David Attenborough. And Netflix has all the content. Though the price for its premium is a bit pricey compared to its counterpart, the real game changer here is the Dolby Atmos capability. I'm keen to audio and video quality that's why it is hard for me to switch out to other video streaming provider. I can notice as well that regardless of the speediness of your internet connection, the Netflix itself adjust the quality of the video so that it can still provide a stream playback without any buffers at all. As for the Starz Play, You should have at least a stable internet connection.

If you're on a budget, You have the option to subscribe to their basic package. With a standard quality content. However, if you want to stream into 4K Quality content, You can subscribe to Starz Play as it offers 4K Content ( as per availability of the device and content) for a mediocre price of 35 DHS.

Anyways, it's up to you guys to decide which is better.

The third one is

WAVO by OSN

WAVO is an online streaming platform where you can watch your favorite shows, Hollywood and Arabic blockbuster movies, kids' content, Live sports, WWE and original content. Wavo is powered by OSN-Orbit Showtime Network, A direct-broadcast satellite provider serving the Middle East and North Africa.

You can watch a live stream content from HBO, Paramount Channel and some of the OSN Sports Channels. Nat Geo Wild, Sky News, and Disney Channel are available as well.

Exclusive TV Episodes such as True Detective, Camping and Insecure are available as well.

There is a trial of 14 days. In order to activate the trial, credit/debit card is a must for you to use the service.

If you want to experience live streaming, especially to sports network channels and cricket channels. I can highly recommend this streaming service. And it will cost you for $9.99 every month.

Some of the movies that I searched were not available, and some of the HBO Livestream content is unavailable due to restrictions.

So far, those are the 3 Live Streaming Content that I can recommend.

Any questions or feedback please comment below or you can always reach me out thru my social media accounts.

Thanks for reading and see you on my next blog.

--ceddy

Monday, January 14, 2019

Food Review - Hot Palayok Restaurant and Grill

Cedric Penarubia January 14, 2019 0 Comments

Food Review - Hot Palayok Restaurant and Grill

Buffet Restaurants- Bang for your wallet!

Buffet restaurants are everywhere in the city of Abu Dhabi. Offering different promotions to attract customers.

If you want an Asian Cuisine, One restaurant that I can recommend is

The Hot Palayok Restaurant and Grill.

Unplanned Food Trip

This was an unplanned food blog trip (seriously). A friend of mine invited me to try a newly opened branch at Abu Dhabi World Trade Center. I have experienced dining with them before on their other branch at Madinat Zayed Shopping Center. I don't have time to write a review for some reason.

Catchy, Detailed and Impressive

But.. One thing that catches my attention on this branch is how they put up everything. Everything is well set up. Impressive Patio with an accent of blooming shaded flowers and accent of hue brown.

The Patio

Classic

Sugar cubes?

Manila Fame!

The interior design of the restaurant is ambered with hue brown, that defines the color of a palayok- a clay pot used as the traditional food preparation container in the Philippines (that's why they named it after). Comfortable couches too. The sugar cube lighting and the huge wall graffiti is very catchy too.

It was a peak hour ( around 2:30 PM) when we visit the restaurant and we were advised to eat at the patio as there is no vacant table inside.

During my dining, They are currently serving Filipino Cuisine. Seafood, chicken and beef dishes.

Traditional Filipino sweets and desserts such as ice cream are available too.

"palitaw"- sweet rice cake

Sushis, cakes, and fruits are available too!

And ice cream station? ✌

There is a made to order cakes if you want too 😉 Especially made for birthdays or christening.

made to order cakes

There's a grilling area wherein you can request the chef to cook a specific dish listed on the menu. Either beef or chicken. I tried the beef. I forgot to ask whats the name of the dish, but trust me, the beef is so tender and juicy. Superb taste!

To see is to believe

I'm allergic to chicken, so beef instead.

This is what I ordered. The beef is so tender!

Menus to choose from

Grilling Station

Due to my curiosity, I asked the waiter when do they offer promotions for Buffett.

Listed below are the schedules for your reference and the pricing as well.

Tuesday - Asian Cuisine

Wednesday- Barbecue Night

Thursday- Seafood

Monday and the rest - Filipino Cuisine

Weekdays: Lunch is 29 DHS. and Dinner is 49 DHS.

Weekends: Dinner and Lunch will cost you 49 DHS.

The waiters and waitresses are very attentive and will assist you anytime. Very friendly and *good looking too 😉 . Here's the team of Hot Palayok World Trade Center Abu Dhabi Branch.