The first time we used this unit was on our trip to Maine and then back into Boston.  I would say that the unit worked flawlessly on that trip.  The directions were very clear and it alerted me just at the right time before an upcoming turn.  I am testing it out on my local streets here in California just to see how it performs.  I would say there is a flaw in the system.  With the TomTom, I was able to give priority on the type of route it gave me.  I was able to do the fastest route, avoid highways if possible, shortest route, and even avoid toll roads.  With this unit, when I go from my house to work, it seems to want to avoid the freeways if possible, even though taking the freeway is probably both the shortest and fastest way.  Another thing that is kind of weird is the interface.  I mean, come on, it uses Windows CE as it’s operating system.  Everytime I hit a button, it says what I’m pressing.  I mean, it says everything.  Every letter I enter, every command I press, it tells me.  There is no option to turn that off only.  It’s all or nothing with the volume control.

Overall, it was a good buy.  I’m still debating weather or not I should return it and get a refurbished TomTom or not.  The refurbished part kind of makes me nervous and the cheaper TomTom units don’t do text-to-speech (basically, they don’t read out the names of the streets).  For the price, I would say that the Magellan RoadMate 1412 is a good value.  If you trust refurbished units, I would go with a refurbished TomTom, but you just don’t know what you’re going to get.

Virgin America airlines is one of the latest airlines to open to try to entice customers with their service at a great price.  I must say that they were the cheapest I could find as far as ticket prices were concerned.  I was looking for a cheap flight from Southern California (LAX, Long Beach, or Orange County airport) to Boston.  Not only were they the cheapest I found for that day, but they one of the few direct flights.  Unfortunately, living in Orange County, about 10 minutes away from the Orange Country Airport, they only had flights out of LAX.  The good news is, while I was in Boston, they had their grand opening for flights flying out of Orange County.

My reviews will never be long so let me get to my likes and dislikes.  There were a few things that I did like about the whole experience.  One of the main advantages of being a new airline is that your planes look and feel new.  This ranges from the bathrooms to the individual seats in front of you.  Another small but innovative thing they did was food ordering from LCD monitor in front.  Of course, we don’t like the fact that airlines charge for food now, but what makes it even worse is that they push the carts down the aisle trying to sell you the food.  Ordering food from the LCD not only makes it a lot easier to pay for your food (slide your credit card right there), but it also means that there is less cart in the aisle.  The cart only came through once the whole time with drinks, which was a nice detail.  This was also the first flight that I’ve been on to offer WiFi.  The only thing that I didn’t like at all about it was the fact that they never mentioned that it was going to cost $10.  I’m not surprised that they are charging money for it.  I just didn’t  like the fact that they kept on highlighting it but never mentioned the price.

The main thing I didn’t like was the entertainment interface.  It was okay but I felt that the system was slow and the menu interface would get a little bit mixed up, particularly when I switched from TV to maps and vice versa.  My particular unit seemed to be a bit deffective.   For part of the flight I couldn’t get a TV signal.  I know that with satellite this can happen, but other people around me were enjoying their television fine.  I know that this is not too big of a deal because it could just be an isolated case, but first impressions are something.

Overall, I thought Virgin America Airlines was good.  I didn’t care much for the ambient blue light that was glowing in the ceiling.  I must say that it seems like they are trying to sell this to a little bit young demographic with all their designs, seemingly younger flight crew, and entertainment options.  I will say though, when buying airplane tickets, the #1 thing I’m still looking for is lower prices.  That said, if I can get a lower price and fly on Virgin America, I will say that is a plus.  In conclusion, I will say that I wasn’t blown away.  What I’m trying to say is, the amenities that were offered, I almost expected them to be there, especially with Jet Blue offering very similar features.

By the way, once again… if you are still using Internet Explorer 6, please upgrade.  Actually, if you are using Internet Explorer, my question is… why?    Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari are the way go.

As you can see… neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.  I just don’t have any graphic that’s in between.
Pros:Really good initial taste.
Cons: The taste and flavor was completely gone in less than 10 min.
Verdict: Even though the taste was good, it’s never a good thing where I can probably count the number of chews before the flavor goes away.  I can’t give it a thumbs down because the flavor is not bad, but the thumb is tilting down for sure.

The wife and I took a little mini vacation for a our five year anniversary.  I got a great deal on a room on hotels.com at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena.  I normally don’t book 5 star hotels nor can I afford to, but for a special occasion and a great deal, why not.  Next to the name listed on hotels.com, it said “Formerly Ritz-Carlton.”  Even though we only stayed one night, it’s definitely a thumbs up.

Here are a few pictures from the hotel.

So I’m going to start a new review section on my blog.  What am I going to be reviewing… anything and everything.  Candy, gadgets, restaraunts, etc.  Why am I doing it… well.. because I can and if something stands out to me, good or bad, I’ll share about it.

My first review is something I saw at the supermarket in the checkout line, the Ice Breaker Chews Sours.  Maybe I got a bad box or something, but these things are kind of hard to chew and the flavor doesn’t quite have the same kick as it’s hard candy cousin, the Ice Breakers Sours.  This is definitely a thumbs down.

Update: A quick explanation of why I gave it a thumbs down.  It’s all about texture.  When I first bit into it, I didn’t know if it was a bubble gum or something else.  I know it’s not much explanation, but still… if it’s chewy candy, I want it to be Skittle like or bubble gum like, but not something that I can’t explain.