Smart phone is my necessary tool

I bought a smart phone last December, and passed a half year. That is very useful tool for me more than I imagined. Most advantages are I can connect Internet anywhere, and I can use various of applications what I need.

I installed very useful these applications as follows,

Skype
Needless to explain about Skype. I mainly use it for Instant messaging. It's rare to use as telephone.

English Dictionary (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
This is my favorite dictionary. I have a paper edition and CD edition. I got it for mobile phone edition at once.

Google Mobile App(English edition)
I am a Google fun. I also get Japanese edition, but English edition is more functionally. You can use Google services without browser.

Twikini
I like Twitter. I can post and read messages anytime anywhere by this application.

The followings applications are pre-installed

Dictionary walker
English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries. I can look up in the dictionary if I meet words I don't know.

NAVITIME
I can check the train timetable and the directions, or I can find the best way or a shortcut to the destination.

Active Sync
I can synchronize mobile phone's organizer and Google Calendar or My contact. It's really useful.

My smart phone have two Internet web browser, IE and Opera. But I don't use thme so frequently. Because it is better to use the service oriented application.

Face masks help prevent swine flu infection?

Japanese medical authorities say that it's very important to prevent swine flu to wash your hands, rinse your mouth and wear face mask. I believe that wash your hand and rinse your mouth are effective way. But I doubt whether face mask can prevent swine flu.

It might be true that some surgical masks help stop droplets from spreading, if used correctly, flu mask are more likely to reduce flu risk, at least better than not to wear them. But honestly speaking, you can't count on those disposable masks to completely protect you against the swine flu.

Before swine flu is raging, I have been in a habit of washing  my hands with soap. It's far more important than flu mask.

 

I climbed Mt. Takao.

I climbed Mt. Takao. It was the 6th time this year. There are multiple routes you can take. I took #6 route I like most. The trail follows a stream. Actually, sometimes the trail and the stream become one. It was a best choice in this early May because of deep, brilliant green and beautiful. I only hiked about two miles, but it took one hour and a half.

Why I Like Twitter

As Twitter grows in popularity, a number of my friends who have heard me talking about it have started asking me why I like Twitter so much. Although I enjoy chatting about the topic and am glad to do so anytime, I thought writing a post on it might be helpful.

1) As a way to interact with and meet a diverse group of people.
I am able to do this on a scale that is impossible with other services - this comes from Twitter’s one-to-many structure. This also creates the ability to have semi-public “conversations” that others can “listen” in on or participate in.

2) As a way to get the News.
It turns out that if something is interesting, people like to talk about it with their friends. Thus, I share and receive all kinds of news through Twitter in a way like never before.

3)As a means of self-expression.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about blogging over these last couple of years is that it gives me the ability to express what is on my mind and share it with others. Twitter does the same but on a more real-time basis. As a result, I find myself opening up to an “audience” of friends about the way that I see the world.

If you are new to Twitter, I suggest giving it a go for a month or so. Like most communities, you reap what you sow, so try to participate in whatever way feels right. There is no one “right” way to use the service. Hopefully my thoughts on it are helpful, and please let me know if you ever want to chat about it more extensively.

Twikini – My favorite Twitter app for Windows Mobile

Do you want to buy Kindle DX?

Amazon announced Kindle DX, ebook reading device, to ship this summer. The price is $489, it isn't cheap. But you can download ebooks from Kindle store by high speed wireless network for cell phone without extra fee. It isn't expensive. In Japan, you can not PC-less download, but you can download it to your PC over Internet and transfer to Kindle by USB cable.

For avid readers, Kindle DX is very convenient device. In my case, my reading time is commuting time and I don't want to carry some books in my bag.

Some readers don't want to read books by electric device like Kindle. I understand it is their pleasure they sometime glance at their bookshelves, and come across a book they want to read again.  But the number of books is increasing day by day. Few people have enough room to stock them all. And Kindle's ebook cheaper than paper's.

Unfortunately, you can not buy Kindle from Japan. Amazon doesn't ship it to Japan. You may buy it when you travel to U.S. or there might be some way to get it. Another problem is you can not buy ebooks without mailing address in U.S. and U.S. credit card or check card.

I am considering if I ask my friend who live in U.S. to have bank account and check card for me.

Slumdog Millionaire

I went to "Slumdog Millionaire" with my wife yesterday. I can honestly say that I think it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. This movie has a fantastic plot, excellent acting, action, romance… in short, it’s an instant classic.

We went to a movie together for the first time in a year. Everybody see movie by himself, but it's very fun to talk about it togther. Then I go to a movies with my wife in the morning because I like to go to lunch after it done. We enjoyed to talk about our first Indian movie for a while.

I and my wife have not seen Japanese movies for a long time because they are no good from our experiences. They say they are not so bad recently. But we don't want to go because of Japanese movie world fault, not us.

Anyway, I think everyone should see this movie!