Yeah, I named my assistant after Tony Stark’s.  She (as opposed to most of my other gadgets and prized possessions I dorkily name, I imagine this one is a female) is a white Samsung P1000 Galaxy Tab.  And I bring her with me to everywhere I go.  She keeps tracks of all my meetings and other important files I need to constantly refer to during said meetings.  Mostly, she acts as my styling assistant, but Pepper, like her namesake, can do so much more than that.

She can do what other tabs can, plus she can take calls and answer text messages.

600 x 1024 pixels, 7.0 inches
16gb storage 512 RAM, microSD up to 32gb
3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

Pao actually gave this to me for my birthday last June 7th (he calls it Mrs. Potts, as in the teapot from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and which Angela Lansbury voiced), and it’s the best gift ever! I don’t even usually like all-in-one gadgets, but I really like this one.  I was thinking of getting something like an iPad since it’s so convenient when you’re always discussing pegs and looks off the runway and you just need to a nice monitor to browse through tons of photos and magazines.  I find a laptop too heavy for that task.  A tab is definitely more lightweight and portable.  I use mine during photoshoots to browse pegs for models and photographers.

Before, I constantly felt the need to email designers and other suppliers in between pull-outs and sourcing because I used to be able to do that only when I get home late at night.  I also needed a camera to take photos of clothes for approval.  Add to that, my old Palm Treo was getting worn out.  So I was thinking of buying a phone in addition to a tab.  Easier said than done–both would obviously cost me a pretty penny.  Pao solved all my immediate problems when he gave me Pepper Potts.  And, unlike an iPad (which was the first thing I considered), I can still optimize the storage by buying different SD cards up to 32gb.  The one I’m using is from my old DS lite. which is only 2gb, and that’s where I store most of my music, videos and some work files.

Pepper Potts has a front and back camera so you can do video calls or take self portraits easily (I don’t have to struggle inside the fitting rooms when I need to take photos of clothes that I am wearing).  Just don’t expect that I’m able to take ninja shots, because it’s bigger than your regular phone and taking “discreet” photos will not be as easy.

I can also open my email accounts, chat on Google Talk (Yahoo Messenger, too, except I don’t use it anymore), send SMS, browse photos and surf the net, of course.  It’s very convenient when you’re always on the go and you want to make the most out of your time by being productive while in transit.  I actually edit spreadsheets and Word documents from here, and can even view Flash videos.  It’s also synchronized to my Picasa Web, so I upload tons of runway photos there to save up space and Pepper just loads them up when I have Wifi.

I also love the fact that I can access the cached Google map of Metro Manila without having to go online.  I’ve relied on this plenty of times especially when I have to pick up clothes from designers whose studios I’ve never been to.  (Thanks Stylebible.ph for everyone’s contact info, haha!)

Phone calls, admittedly, can be a bit tricky.  Earphones came with the bundle, which also has a built-in mic.  Unfortunately, I misplaced these.  I am now looking for a bluetooth headset.  Without earphones, calls you take in are automatically on speaker mode.  There’s a mic at the side of the tab which does a pretty good job of picking up my voice even when my leather case is closed shut and Pepper is an arm’s length away.  I’m using another set of really stylish headphones, but that’s for another entry.

When I find some free time, I read e-books.  I’ve already reread Pride and Prejudice, finished The Marvelous Land of Oz (which is the book that came after The Wonderful Wizard of Oz or Oz post-Dorothy) and am currently rereading Great Expectations.  They were all free downloads!

Or I watch videos like this one.  Points if you know what movie I was viewing here (I have a girl crush on Emma Stone).
I actually finished watching Hobo with a Shotgun on Pepper Potts while waiting in line for last week’s Eiga Sai.

I don’t have a lot of games here (though plenty are offered free), it’s really mostly for work, but these above are the default applications.  I think that’s one plus about having an Apple/Mac–they have better games than Android.  But as I use Pepper for work, it doesn’t matter to me (and besides, I’ve always been more of a console gamer).  What few games I’ve downloaded are enough, and all of them are free, so far (like Fruit Slice, which is the free copycat version of Fruit Ninja).

What’s great about the Galaxy Tab is that it uses Android 2.2, meaning it synchronizes with my Google accounts.  I am a terribly heavy Gmail/Google user.  It has all my contacts from there and my calendar from Google is fully utilized.  That’s actually the part that got me a bit creeped out since I feel like Google has way too much information on me now, even down to my schedule everyday, who I’m meeting with and where.  Imagine if any of these got into the wrong hands!  I read this article about a hacked Gmail account and I got really worried, so I took pains to doubly secure my main account on Google with their 2-step authentication process.  I even downloaded the Google Authenticator app and a Barcode Scanner, haha.

It’s pretty slim, so it easily fits into my satchel.  I have more trouble fitting my wallet inside that; it’s a lot bulkier.

All in all, I can say this gadget is really perfect for me–and I don’t say that about everything I own.  It’s just that everything I need is right there, I love it!  I most probably would’ve bought something else if I didn’t need a phone.  Luckily, Pao gave me this and it’s so much better than having anything.  And it uses Android, too!

Pao bought it at The Hive in Glorietta, which has fantastic service (he actually went inside the Samsung store first, which had the total opposite. You know, the usual unhelpful store attendants who were more like tambays).  Both stores were selling it for the same price, which, around that time, was 24,000php.  I think they were having a promo then, as I passed by Samsung again and they were advertising it for a higher price.

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