The NYC Experience

At 6:30 August 4th the trek began. Armed with an HP hw6515 with its formidable GPS feature, two laptops (Compaq R4000, Dell 640m), Nikon D80, Sony NWA-808 Walkman, along with the Sony Ericsson W810i. My father and sister will be joining me on this tech infested discovery of New York City.

The big lights, big city, big hustle is what awaits us. Now the challenge of making the 8-hour drive from Guelph, Ontario was going to take its toll on my fatigued body. The past couple days I have been prepping my self and my gear for a 5 day adventure in New York City (there will be a lot of walking). From the list provided you can assume how my lust for electronics has consumed me.

The HP hw6515 isn’t the newest GPS toy on the market, but that could be a plus for the frugal techie. This specific model was loaded with the iGO application which has a very pleasant navigational voice, along with easy to use routing options. The unit provided what I found to be incredibly accurate directions and I much more prefer it than the TOM TOM application available for the HP which had issues with accuracy, something that is of obvious importance. Unfortunately the screen is very glare-prone and is incredibly hard to be viewed in direct sunlight. We’re highly relying on this device to keep us on track and so far, it’s doing the job. Without XM or Sirius, our music selection is very limited in regards to radio. Infamous southern-country-rock bands are constantly being streamed through the airwaves. From Lynard Skynard to Journey, it gets a little much. I get the message America! I’m here, quit reminding me. That’s where the laptop comes in. My personal Dell 640m is perfect for a long road trip due to its extended battery life and 14.5” screen, making this a portable powerhouse, pushing around 6-7 hours without the use of Wi-Fi. Not only am I able to listen to my entire music collection, it’s incredibly easy to make play lists on the fly with an ample user-interface as compared to your standard MP3 player. My sister, sitting in the back, is watching the OC on the 17” Compaq R4000. Although on the bulkier side when compared to my 640m, it does provide plenty of viewing space. Battery life will obviously not last the 8-hour trip, so we made sure to bring a 75W DC power converter. That will keep her quiet for a while, enough at least for my dad to give me a history lesson and do a little bonding.

Finally, the tiresome journey had come to an end and entering the Jersey Turnpike I couldn’t help but feel a bit like Tony Soprano with Tom Waits playing in the background. So, we made it all in one piece and without the hassle of maps or any sort of bygone method of navigation. Now to decide what to do with all this technology. Do I leave them on me to get robbed? Do I leave them in the hotel room to get stolen? Or do I leave them in the car to get jacked? Just a little over-exaggeration…

Arriving in NYC was overwhelming to say the least. One always has a vague image of locations they’ve seen in movies, TV-shows or images. But there is something to be said about viewing a geographic local, and physically being immersed in it. Granted I felt Times Square to be smaller than my mental comparison, but after spending some time commanding my way through hundreds if not thousands of people I couldn’t help but immediately feel like a New Yorker. Be it a good thing or a bad thing, it felt powerful. I can imagine very few places could make you feel this way.

We had decided, once we had all unpacked to make our way down to Times Square. Since it was about a 40-minute walk from the hotel we were staying at we decided to make the trek. After all, we were cooped up in a car for the past 8 hours or so. We began heading towards Central Park, where we started abusing the spectacular functionality and clarity of the Nikon D80. After discovering many a-homeless men, we kept heading for Times Square. Upon arrival amidst the chaos and glory of it all, I had made a point to stop at the Virgin Records Mega-Store to absorb the atmosphere of Sir Richard Branson’s brain child. And absorb I did. From vinyl to CD to direct downloads via Zune’s marketplace, audio temptation was surrounding me. I approached the Zune station as if it were a shrine (you see the Zune is not available in Canada). Pre-loaded with a modest amount of music and video the Zune really demonstrated its capabilities. I was expecting a larger form factor, but was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a comfortable size, granted a bit larger than the IPod in comparison. Functionality, screen size and general user interface was absolutely gorgeous. For a second I thought, “Finally! Microsoft has done something right and is able to kick Apple’s ass!” But there’s always that important yet commonly over-looked DRM factor. Apart from that the Zune is a gorgeous piece of portable music/movie storage that delivers excellent audio quality, with some added features (radio for starters).

So after exploring a bit more of Times Square, I couldn’t help but notice all these cheap electronic stores selling everything from iPODs to PSPs.

Buyer beware: These stores tend to sell refurbished products. It seems very enticing but these products tend to have a shorter life span.

Shortly after that, we had decided to take your standard double-decker bus guided tour. I won’t bore you with the basic touristy details, but it was well worth the money for a first timer in NYC.

After making our way back to the hotel, we relaxed with a couple beers and enjoyed the spectacular view from our hotel upon the Queensboro Bridge. And thus ends the day.