Tech Review: Garmin eTrex 20 Handheld GPS

I just purchased a Garmin eTrex 20 handheld GPS (released in late September 2011) and I decided to do a quick user review of it.

Here, check out my video:



This is my first GPS device, which means I can't do a relative comparison with other units.

So, based on its own merits, here are my comments on the eTrex 20:

1. Build quality is solid, and when loaded with batteries it has a nice, reassuring heft to it. Dark grey areas are rubberized for wear resistance. USB connection is hidden under a rubber weather-resistant flap, and the micro-SD slot is protected inside the battery compartment, which are thoughtful design features.

2. The glassy LCD screen is tad reflective when viewed under direct sunlight.

3. Ability to decode both GPS and GLONASS satellite signals is a very useful feature. In the field, it takes less than a minute to get a position fix, and the precision is quite good, around 4 metres at best.

4. It works well inside vehicles too, I've tried it in buses and get practically instantaneous position and speed readings. It will definitely work as a car GPS, though that is not its intended function.


Would you like to know more?
- GPS (Wikipedia)
- GLONASS (Wikipedia)

Goodbye To Tanjong Pagar!

Here's my video of the last train service to leave Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, taken from a pedestrian bridge.




Apparently there was an additional 11:00pm train driven by the Sultan of Johor himself.

I didn't catch that but somebody else did; please check out his video.

So... I only managed to film the penultimate train.

I love that word.


Would you like to know more?
- Video of last train out of Tanjong Pagar, driven by the Sultan of Johor
- Video of last afternoon train

Snapshots of Malaysia

Here is a video and some photos I took on my travels in Malaysia over the past year.

For this video, I took fairly short clips because my previous computer had less than 10 Gb free space to store all my media files, but this is no longer a limitation. In future videos, longer segments will be more common.



As for the photos, I picked those with striking colours and patterns... plus some with a touch of curious.

I try not to feature photos of regular touristy attractions - because, as you know, they have been photographed millions of times.












Public hand wash (May 2010) - Johor Bahru












Motorcycle park (May 2010) - Johor Bahru












Sculpture (May 2010) - Johor Bahru












Bus number 666 (Jun 2010) - Larkin












Gazebo (Jun 2010) - Kota Tinggi












Raw latex (Jun 2010) - Kota Tinggi












Street football (Jun 2010) - Kota Tinggi












Melaka Sentral (Jun 2010) - Melaka












V formation (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Viaduct (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Menara Taming Sari (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Colourful trishaws (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Old propeller (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Rusty musket (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Ornate bridge (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Jonker Walk (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Use Malaysian rubber (Jun 2010) - Melaka












Berjaya Times Square (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Maybank (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Muzium Negara (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Sultanate of Malacca (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Communist hat (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Demolishing Pudu Prison (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Petaling Street (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Petronas Twin Towers (Jul 2010) - Kuala Lumpur












Parit Waterfall (Aug 2010) - Cameron Highlands












Giant vegetables (Aug 2010) - Cameron Highlands












Double helix (Aug 2010) - Cameron Highlands












Strawberry (Aug 2010) - Cameron Highlands

Unlike in my previous photo galleries, I've decided not to mention the brand and model of the cameras used for these pictures, since it doesn't really matter.

Suffice to say that they were not SLRs and no tripods were used for any of the above shots. That's right, they were all handheld.

Please tune in next time for a media-rich, day-by-day account of my recent journey to Japan!

Planes And Trains

I've been travelling a bit in the past year, and thus I have accumulated so many hundreds of photos and videos that I'm not sure where to start.

Stay tuned for a more substantial series of blog entries soon, but for now, here are some videos about the transportation I took during a short trip to Kuala Lumpur a couple of months ago.

Enjoy!

Flying from Singapore to KL



Taking the KLIA Ekspres



Taking the Aerotrain at KLIA



Return flight to Singapore