Google Calendar

I've been using Google Calendar for a couple of weeks now and I'm enjoying it. Adding an event is very easy. With it's "Quick Add" feature, one doesn't have to fill boxes, just type the event in a sentence in the box with all the details inside (e.g. Meeting with John tomorrow in the Mall at 7pm) and it will post your event in the calendar in no time. Now don't you think that's easy?

Yahoo! Widgets are better!...at the moment!

At the moment, I've been using both Yahoo! widgets and of course the Dashboard widgets in Mac OS Tiger. So far, I find the Yahoo! Widgets better than the one from Tiger. The widgets for Mac is not as exciting as those from Yahoo! The Radio widgets from Yahoo! are more diverse while those for the Mac is soooo limited. I may be wrong 5 months from now, but as of the moment, my bet is with Yahoo!

The Start of Change

Today I finally took the plunge in changing the wallpaper in the desktop of my iBook! Wish me luck!

An Apple Store/Distributor with Not so Many Accessories

I dropped by the MacCentral (or so I think), the store in Digital Exchange in Glorietta that claims to be an Apple products reseller, but they don't even have stocks of the screen protector for the iBook G4. Well, I would presume that other stores would have a wider range of accessories. 

Globe WIZ

For the very first time since I susbscribed to Globe's World Pass, I am able to use my World Pass account in a Hotspot, specifically here in COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF at the CONVERGYS BLDG. in the Republic of Makati. You might ask what the hell is the big fuss about it, a lot of people are doing it anyway. Yeah I know, that's why I'm making a big deal from it, because this is the first time that I will be able to use a service that I have been paying for almost a year now. Before, perhaps 5 months back, I tried to use it at the Starbucks in the ABS-CBN compund in Quezon City, but I keep on getting the denied access prompt. When I called the technical hotline then, they told me that they can find nothing wrong with my settings, and perhaps I could try it again, and here I am, after soooo many months, trying it again. Good don't you think?

Piracy!

Today I've encountered this issue again, perhaps it's very hard to ignore it as it is very rampant in the Philippines and in the world. Within one of the 3 Macintosh User's group forums, a member is contemplating of switching to the Mac OS from Windows, and one of the factors (actually 4th on his list) is the availability of pirated softwares for the Mac. He was very openly vocal to it that it earned him the ire of some senior members, most of them I know personally, and are "advocates" of legit softwares. My take on this is, I am not against those people who patronize pirated softwares, nor am I against the crackdown by the authorities thru the lobbying of the developers against those who sell and use these applications. But practicality-wise, for the consumer, since it's a cheaper alternative, then why not. What do I mean, for example, a legitimate Microsoft Office Suite, will cost around P15,000.00 while one can buy it for only P50.00 in the sidewalks (if you know where to look). See the difference? Another one, Video Compact Discs (VCDs), before an original VCD would cost around P500.00, but with the proliferation of pirated copies in the street the original discs now cost around P200.00, now that's a huge slash in the price don't you think? Now, it makes one wonder, how come, they could bring down the price to that level and yet before it was extremely expensive. Perhaps, the "pirates" now are becoming an open consideration when it comes to the affected industries. And what I'm talking about here are just those which one can buy, but with the increasing number in broadband users, the threat now has become more widened because accessibilty to cracked software in the internet has become as simple as looking at the sky.

Yahoo! Widgets for Mac

So I installed Yahoo! Widgets in my iBook hoping that I will find something that Dashboard can't do. Well I found out that the radio widget for 102.7 KIIS FM that I've installed in my VAIO notebook is not available for Macs. What a bummer really and I can't seem to find good radio stations both in widget form or in iTunes that will satisfy me.

IM with voice

Being a user of the world's only OS exlcusive to it's hardware, you would think that you're special. But being in such a niche market, being only the 5% percent of the computer users in the world, you're really in a disadvantaged position. Yeah, some applications maybe tailor-made for Mac users, and some may have spanking ways to launch or close or use a software, but there are also disappointments. I have been looking for IM clients with voice to use with the built-in mic in the iBook G4 but it's a futile attempt. Yahoo! has set aside the development of their famous Yahoo! Messenger for Macs. Thus OS X users are left with a barebones Yahoo! Messenger. The recently released beta version of GTalk from Google doesn't have any native support for Macs, one has to use a different IM client such as GAIM and sync to the google talk servers just to use the functionalities, which I could say is very nil. Yeah, there's PROTEUS which combines all these IM clients into one but it still lacks what's in Windows. Now I'm beginning to think that the glass is half empty when it comes to mac applications.

The Daet Project!

I've blogged about the surplus computers from Japan that my brother-in-law sent me a couple of months back. These are all AMD K-6's ranging from 400 to 500 MHz boxes. Well, by just upgrading the RAM and HDD I was able to make use of these old machines. One I made as a 24/7 torrent/download machine/server and one I set-up for the kids, totally stripped-down for their convenience. Then there's two of these machines set for my In-law's house in DAET, CAMARINES NORTE. I installed both machines to be used as an internet machine primarily, coupled with a DIGITEL Netvantage DSL subscription. I was afraid that only one would be useable online because they might not be able to afford a router at this time (and I do not intend to leave my Linksys WRT54GC Compact Wireless router here), fortunately though that the PROLINK Hurricane 9000 that came with the DIGITEL subscription is a Modem router without the router function disabled (how thoughtful of DIGITEL). But it only has one ethernet port and one USB port (the technician that installed it said that I have to call DIGITEL customer service to get hold of the USB drivers, fortunately I am resourceful enough to download the need drivers), so I plugged one box to the USB and the other with the ethernet cable, but when I tried it, the one attached to the ethernet port is not sending but can recieve data from the router, the NIC cards were in compatible size-wise, so I decided to switch their places and now, it's running smoothly.

Digitel DSL service

Yesterday was a wonderful day to me as DSL was installed in my in-law's place in DAET, CAMARINES NORTE, courtesy of DIGITEL's NETVANTAGE. What's good about it is the prompt service and courteous employees. I don't know if it holds true with other DSL service providers, but DIGITEL rehabilitated the whole wirings in the house a day before they installed the ADSL MODEM. Although, I could say that GLOBELINES' technicians did ask me if the wires in my house were ok ( but I think they should have inspected it just the same, but then again, it's another story ). A PROLINK HURRICANE 9000 ADSL modem was installed, although I might say that I don't think it's a brand new unit. The technician has 2 units in his backpack and none of it were in a box. It even has dusts on the cravices of the design, although the power adapter, the phone filter, the telephone cable and the ethernet cables were new. I asked the technician up front if the modem has the router function disabled and he said NO, good thing for me because the unit has 2 ports, one ethernet and the other USB. He did not tell me any username or password for the service. When he left, I started my naughtiness and installed my LINKSYS WRT54GC compact wireless router. Hoping that nothing would go wrong, and that manually setting it up is out of the solution since the technician did not give me any username and password and I was not able to enter the web interfaced modem set up since the default username and password for the modem has been changed, I popped the LINKSYS CD in the bay and left it to do it's work, and in a couple of minutes or so, it has detected the right settings and gave me a go signal to surf the net. I immediately opened a INTERNET EXPLORER in the desktop PC and pointed to THE FIREFOX HOMEPAGE. Then I booted up my VAIO notebook to see if the wireless component works and it does! Now, I'm using my iBook to write this blog using the BLOGGER widget.

Cheap Branded vs. Expensive Branded

Just this year I was asked by not less than 6 friends which notebook computer is ok to buy. I told them and I will tell the next batch that the only difference between the cheap ones from the expensive ones is the quality of the computer itself. At the moment, one of the cheapest notebook PCs out there is the NEO Q-NOTE, actually 2 of my fellow faculties have it. It's a very capable computer, able to match the specs of the expensive ones, but you will see the price drop when you get to feel the whole build of the notebook.Creaks and crakles can be heard when handling the notebook, the buttons feels like those cheap DVD players you could buy for less then P2K, in fact that is a perfect comparison, it does the same job but it feels a bit different than when one has, perhaps a Pioneer or a Sony DVD player. But then again, for a no-fuss user, why not?

Konfabulator for Windows and Dashboard Difference

I have known that Mac users have been boasting of their Dashboard since it was implimented in OS X. But some people still don't know that Apple took the concept from Konfabulator which is now called Yahoo! Widgets. Well anyways, they  serve the same function, using small applets that uses a very small portion of the CPU's resources to run their thing. The main difference that I see between Yahoo! widgets and Dashboard is that...Yahoo! widgets run right in the windows desktop while Dashboard runs at the back of the Mac desktop and one still has to pull it up. Also the it's easier to look for the right Yahoo! widget for the user than the Dashboard web interface. Then again, they both serve their purpose. I will be downloading the Yahoo! widgets for Mac later, but don't you think it's a bit or redundant for my system.

The Windows and Mac Diiference:

As I immerse myself into the "Mac lifestyle" everyday, I am starting to believe that the Mac fans are right, there's really not much difference between the two operating system. The major concern that I am having with the Mac is the "lack" of the right-click of the Windows OS. But it's not that it's really not there, it's just as easy. Then access to the applications in the Mac is much more user extensive than with Windows but then again, as they say, it's just a matter of getting used to.

Internet Addict!

Oh my GOD! I'm an addict! At first I was denying it, but I came to realize it when we went to the province during the Holy Week and there was no internet access in the  house where we stayed. And on the first day, I was staring at the notebooks and desktops hoping that I get connected to the internet to no avail.

The Digital era

Yesterday I attended my niece's graduation and my daughter's last week. You know what I noticed that majority of the parents and guardians, irregardless of how they look (basis for their status in life) are using digital cameras! Though were using handycams, but still the majority are into the digital photography. And they say that the Filipinos are poor.

Mac OS on a Windows PC?

Ok, so now the Boot Camp has been released, and all the spotlights is focused on the said development, how come very little effort is exerted to install OS X into a Windows Machine?

Dvorak predicts Apple will Adopt Windows: A look back!

Today I was browsing the different local forums and this one caught my attention. The PhilMUG (one of the local groups of Mac enthusiasts) had this thread a while back as a reaction to what Mr. John C. Dvorak said a month ago, regarding Apple would pretty soon adopt Windows as it's operating system or very much close to that. Most of the reactions (even from the top moderators of the site) were skeptics and some even labeled Mr. Dvorak as some sort of a nutshell. But then, just yesterday, Apple released "Boot Camp" a software, even in Beta, that would make it possible for Windows to be installed in Intel-based Macs. Without further elaborating on the issue, I think Mr. Dvorak found himself vindicated by Apple's action. And now that portion of the thread in PhilMUG is quiet. But hey it's still too early in the morning.

The SE Z525

Ok, what's up with sonyericsson today, they have announce 2 addition to their line up and the only modifications from the original design are minimal. First, there was the SE W700, which aside from the new colors, it's exactly the W800i. Now, the Z520 got a twin sister of some sort because of the release of the Z525. What's the difference, well, SE has re-mapped of some kind the camera button to function as a PTT (push-to-talk) button and that's it! Duh!

The Sony Ericsson W700

Introducing the new sonyericsson phone, the W700! So what's new with this walkman phone? Except for the Titanium gold and white color variations, everything else stays the same. Then again, there's always those who wants to be different from everybody else. Sort of, exclusivity for the exclusive.

Too long to install

I upgraded the Hard Drives of my AMD-K6 boxes today. Well, I'm sort of "still upgrading" since after I replaced the hard drives, I re-installed windows and unfortunately the system is not recognizing the software. So, temporarily, I am installing UBUNTU and would install XP later from the CD ROM. Hope it works.

What's the Point with Macs

I still don't get it with Mac fans. Ok, there's the cult thing, but after that, what else? Excusivity of owning a mac. I don't see anything exclusive in owning something that is relatively cheaper than the what most people has. I don't see any prestige in using something that is basically very hard to use. Admit it or not, Windows is still easier to use than an Apple computer. I for one got myself an Apple computer just for the sake of having one. So I would know what's with these machines. Oh add the fact that it's cheaper then most machines in it's class. Then again, what's the point, when one has to leard things from scratch?

Blogger Widget

At last a widget for Blogger. I've tried a lot of widgets but I can't seem to find the right blogging widget. Now that Google (who incidentally owns Blogger) released a widget for Mac that will make blogging easier. The reason why I am looking of a Blogging widget for the simple reason that the Blgger interface in the web is buggy and sometimes won't publish my blogs, plus of course the fact the tedious work that one has to endure just to post a blog. Well anyways, now that this is here, it's Blogging time!

Alcatel OT-C850

Will you look at this cellphone, this is one sexy uber to the max mobile phone! What's inside? well it has 1.3 megapixel camera, a 65K color 176×220 screen, plays MP3s (256 MB of memory onboard, plus a MicroSD slot) and EDGE. It's basically a phone with very nice looks!

Writely-Google

Remember Writely? It's the on-line word prossesor that could replace Microsoft's Office (Word) because it's free and doesn't take up any space in your hard drive. Well, it's been bought by Google. Now let's just wait and see what happens next.

Nokia E61 Approved!

Ever since the cellphone era dawned on us, I have had only one Nokia cellphone, the Nokia 100, I still have it, but can't use it since it's NAMPS which no local networks support anymore. Anyways, since then, I have only like maybe a couple of Nokia phones, and one of them is the E61, it's supposed to be a Messenging phone which will take on the Motorola Q head-on. I like the style and features because they did not skimp on it. I just hope it's not mediocre. Maybe I would get it, but then again, it still depends.

Smart 3G

Ok, when I learned about the SMART 3G free trial service, I immediately bought a SMART SIM card to test the service on my phone. The immediate problem I encountered was, how to set my phone up to use the service, so I called 8881111 hotline and was told of the settings which were different from my phone. I had to rely on my own reliable GUT feeling to find out how to get a 3G signal at first. When I was able to get that 3G icon on my phone, my problme now was how to use the high-speed internet browsing that 3G is promising. Well, after the NO-help from SMART's Customer Service, I just, again, relied on my intuition and launched my phone's browser, but to my dismay, Globe's GPRS browsing is faster than SMART's claim on their 3G service. I tried it on both, Sony Ericsson's browser and Opera mini but I keep on getting slow connections. Then I tried using my phone as a modem and link it via bluettoth to my notebook and Palm PDA but the attempt was futile. Just like SMART's GPRS settings, I find it hard to connect to the web. When I gave up on it, I now tried Video Calling, again it was a futile attempt. My calls kept on getting dropped. Oh well, what could one expect from a half-baked release, just for the sake that they be known as the first one to launch the service in the country.

D-Link DWL-122 USB Wireless Dongle

Hi guys, I'm back!!!! I'm going to start it slow. I got myself a D-Link DWL-122 USB Wireless Dongle the other day. I did so because I still hasn't got back my Linksys compact Wireless router from work. Anyways, I installed the dongle on my main box, just because it's the only one capable of USB 2.0. But if I have the chance I will change my set-up to a wired one. Why? Well you see, I have one box, has a wired connection and is my downlaod center, it's where I keep most of my downloaded media. Now, with the wireless set-up, I get some flickering every now and then with the USB dongle, my guess is that it can't cope with the bandwidth requirements of the video streaming, oh I use VLC Media player by the way. And I'm not getting 54 Mbps full speed from the dongle, since my wireless router is on the receiving area and my box is in the basement, maybe this is another factor adding to the bandwidth bottleneck. Anyways, dropping down a CAT5 cable is a bit tiring but I'll weigh my options if these flickering keeps on bothering me. 'Til next time!

3G ala Globe & Smart

Smart was the first one to come out with their 3G ads (just days after NTC has officially granted them their frequencies) and just recently, Globe has updated their website now boasting of a 3G ad. But after close scrutiny of both info-mercials, I've noticed that the two ads has very similar content. Not that this is impossible, but I'm wondering, is it collusion between the two competing networks, is it a case of one copying the other (again, what's new with this one), or is it simply a "coincidence" that even the wordings are the same? Nonetheless, both claims that 3G would be a hit and it would not go to where MMS is right now. Although I'm very "optimistic" that 3G would be accepted my a slight majority. I just hope (again, for the nth time) that the price will not be as prohibitive as the GPRS charges. Then again (see!) why not start an affordable unlimited data plan?

You see (there's supposed to be a segway to this topic), Globe could very much incorporate 3G services with their WorldPass service and give a truely seamless connectivity! Just a hint.

IPTV

Sometime ago, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the largest telcommunications company said that it is interested in diving into IPTV (internet television). Actually, there is really a future in IPTV but, if they are planning to go with subscription services, then what I can say is GOOD LUCK! Right now, since the advent of cheaper Broadband subscription, people, like me, has been introduced to downloaded shows thru the help of BitTorrent. To tell you the truth, I have been using and watching television (cable) less and less after I have discovered the power of the BitTorrent. So, what's the point in going into paid subscription for IPTV.

Yahoo! Go

Yahoo! a couple of weeks ago launched Yahoo! Go, it's a service where a Yahoo! user could have "everything" he needs where ever he goes as long as he has access to the internet. Basically, this is like Google's personal homepage where one could personalize the contents of the page and Google's Desktop, an applet where you could add more applets to your convenience. Let's see which one works better. Both though can be accessed thru a web enabled mobile phone.

The CES

HAPPY NEW YEAR to Everyone! Happy indeed, since the year is started with a landslide of products both old (enhanced) and new products. Lots of new ultraportable notebooks which, aside from either the processor, the monitor or the design, but still no too much oohs and ahhs on this side of the fence. Then there were the HDTVs, oh man there are lots of them, aside from getting bigger and bigger, they get better screen resolutions and functionalities, oh they're getting cheaper every year.

HD-DVD and Blue Ray Players are coming out, not so interesting here since it's evolution. Bill Gate's Key Note is not that much of entertainment. Dell's shift to the high-end market is gaining. XM portable players are interesting, but not too interesting since, again, it's US-centric. Not much on gaming and wireless networking. Oh and speaking of wireless networking, the much anticipated Palm Treo 700w from Verizon is out, selling for $400, that's a lot! But early reviews are saying that it won't beat the Treo 650 when it comes to functionality. Then again, Palm programmers has shown their best capabilities shown by how much they've improved the Windows Mobile 5.0, in favor of the Treo 700w. Some say it's going to be the best Windows Mobile 5.0 device but it's still can't match the Treo 650.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May we all celebrate Christmas with it's true meaning, the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ!

Go Meebo

I just found about this today. Meebo.com, it's a website that serves as an Instant Messaging repository all that the same time. More like e-messenger.net, but Meebo has more soft and fluid interface. It can connect to AIM, YM, MSN, JABBER & GTalk. It runs on AJAX and is pretty good integrating all these IM in one website. No need to wait for long loading times for each client. Unfortunately, it's still in the early stages so, it's basically all IM and very minimal features. But the developers promise to come up with more exciting capabilities. Another all-in-one IM client is Trillian. Enjoy and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Real Fashionista Phone - Dolce & Gabbana RAZR V3i

The Dolce & Gabbana Motorola RAZR V3i. Only 1000 will be made and plays iTunes. Can be bought from D&G botiques and is really SEXy. Very nice packaging too!

The Sony Ericsson K600i -- Uber SEXy

I've got a NEW TOY! After my SE K700i showed signs of impending retirement, I decided to scout for a potential replacement. I was thinking of the O2 Xphone, the very SEXy Motorola RAZR V3, the very capable SE K750i and then the SE K600i. As I've posted before, it was really a dilemma on what phone to get. Then last week, when I can't sleep and my SE K700i kept on trying my patience, I decided to do a last minute round check on the available phones on the market. Still the RAZR, the Xphone, the K600i and the K750 was in mind, but I added the SE Z520i. But when the time came, I decided to go with the 3G phone, the very slim and very capable and of course the ver elegant, SE K600i. Up 'til now, I can't stop staring at it and touching it, oooooh that feels good hehehehe.

Anyways, although it's features are somewhat desiring when compared with the K750, I decided to take the K600i because of it 's looks and because I am assuming that the local networks will be beta testing their 3G servers very soon as Globe started with a teaser in one of the big malls a couple of weeks ago. Investing on a 3G handset is a wise idea since this is where everybody is heading.

I am used to the SE UI and I might say, it's very easy. My only gripe is the keypad. It's so flushed into the body that I have trouble pressing them. But then again, it's the price I have to pay for such a wonderful and uber sexy phone.

The Battle of the Widgets

As Yahoo! upgraded their new baby, Yahoo! widgets from Konfabulator. It's only a matter of time before the two other companies who are also offering widget-like applications to do the same. Microsoft has it's own Gadgets which can be used in conjuction with it's Live.com website. The only problem with Gadgets is that, you can only use it online. Then there's Google's Desktop. It's an applet that has some other applets run within it. Yeah it can run offline and it indexes your hard drive's content but it's so simple looking and hugs some noticeable resources (although not that much). The reason why I'm more bent to like Yahoo! widgets is that, it's very pleasing to the eye and makes my desktop look cool. It also can work offline. Did I say it's cool? Anyways, to each his own and why not just try it all, they're all FREE anyway!

Yahoo! Widgets

"Central...Konfabulator is changing Call Sign...Konfabulator is now Yahoo! Widgets!" That's right folks, Konfabulator 2.1.1 is now a fully-owned Yahoo! software and is now known as Yahoo! Widgets 3.0

As was reported here previously, Konfabulator or should I say Yahoo! Widgets is the same technology that has been used to design the very eye-candy Dashboard of Mac OS but now thry Yahoo! widgets can be experienced by Windows users. The widgets, which is the center attraction, uses very little resource of the CPU and comes in a wide variety of sorts. Check them out!

Windows Remote Desktop

Remember I posted here (or maybe in my Yahoo! 360 account, anyways), about me trying to "revive" some old CPU's, mostly running AMD K-6 550MHz. Well, there is one unit from Dell, but this time it's faster at 730MHz. I've installed WinXP SP2 and very minimal applications so as not to slow it down. I've also upped the RAM to 256MB since most of the other CPU's I have here have a max RAM of 128MB (since most of these junks only has 64MB in their GUTS). Anyhow, I've decided to dedicated the "Dell" as my torrent client and it's sole purpose is to download TV shows. I never realized that these shows were that clear. Yeah, I've heard that they were HD but man was it clear. So, I placed the Dell near my main CPU and hooked it up in the network, and since I don't have (yet) a KVM switch, I have to manually, and painstakingly, reach to the back of my CPU to remove the monitor cable and plug it into the Dell. The I remember that thing called Windows Remote Desktop, and here it is. I can now see what's happening to my Dell Bittorrent machine. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Kubuntu - the Linux Disaster

I am a very optimistic guy, I always leave an open mind with regards to everything, you know, always give the benefit of the doubt. When I heard about the open source community a few years back, I told myself that I would give it a try, after all, they are all promising a lot of things against the friendlyness of Windows. But after a few years of monitoring the open-source community, I realized how technical one has to be to use Linux. Yeah it's stable and whatnot, but then again, how about those who wanted ease of use from their PC's. Just recently, I asked a friend to give me a copy of one of those Linux releases, the KUBUNTU (where do they get these names?!). Anyways, since I've got a lot of unused and old hardware, I decided to install KUBUNTU into one of these systems since I've heard that even with minimal hardware, with Linux, one can still appreciate the functionalities of the latest computer models.

INSTALLATION: from the forums I've read, it says that installation is not as long as installing Windows, but then again, I proved them wrong. My KUBUNTU installation took me a little more than 2 hours (heck I have to postpone my dinner party just because I don't want to leave the installation process). When I finally got it installed, I was hoping that it would be fast, but then again, it was too slow for me, giving in the factor that my system was old, it was still slow. Then came the part that I have to install some programs, the first thing I wanted was to surf the net. You know, try it out in the real world. I liked the interface, very eye-candy and cute. The web-browser that came with it, KONQUEROR, was just like Firefox (both uses the same Mozilla kernel), tabbed borwsing and all, but it lacks some plug-ins, like Macromedia's Flash Player. So I downloaded the plug-in and when I tried to double-click it to install, it doesn't budge. Here started my woes. Little that I know, that in Linux, one has to know how to use the CLI or the command prompt. SHIT! When I played with it for say, around 2 hours, I finally knew some commands and tried to install the plug-in again, but this time, it tells me that something in there is having a conflict with one of the components of the plug-in, and when I tried to just cut and paste the files to the supposed directory, DAMN, I couldn't find where the file system is.

As you can see, I've given Linux a chance and my verdict is...I DON'T LIKE IT! Until, perhaps, these Linux people made using Linux more simple, then perhaps, I would give it another chance. But until then, I would probably stick it out with WINDOWS.

The Flock part 2

I'm testing if this post will get thru. If it does, then, as I've said before, it's easier to post blogs from just one application without the hassles of logging-in and waiting for the page to load up (although I've got broadband, my system needs cleansing). Hope this works though.

Konfabulator 2.0

I just heard this today. Konfabulator 2.0 a product of Yahoo! Now &..Dashboard&.. capabilities will NOT be limited to Mac users. And what&,s wonderful about this product is that it&,s FREE. Unlike similar products from other software developers like Stardock which is a resource hugger and pricey at that.
Konfabulator 2.0 uses widgets, again similar to Mac&,s Dashboard. There are a lot widgets available at www.widgetgallery.com for download. Right now I&,m using the calendar, memory and system widgets which from my view is doing fine when it comes to using my PC&,s limited resources.

SKYPE 2.0 Beta

Skype has released a beta version of 2.0 now it comes with Videoconferencing. Personally, I love Skype, since the voice quality is good. There maybe some quirks but then again, I attribute these bugs to my broadband connection. The bandwidth that our local telcos is offering is not much as with their counterparts from the Americas. Nonetheless I can use it and I can't wait to test the Video conferencing feature. Enjoy!

Firefox 1.5 is OUT!

The latest & "safer" version of Firefox has been officially released. It boasts of faster browsing, live bookmarks, improved pop-up blocking, integrated search & improved security as some of the improvements done to it added to the ever-famous tabbed-browsing.

The Philippine Podcasts

Just recently, the Philippines launched a group of podcasts made locally, most of it, podcast versions of magazines and tv shows. I downloaded a couple of them, the m-pH podcast and the T3 Philippines Podcast.

It's a start, but if the m-pH peeps continue with that kind of format, well, it's LAME. It goes the same with the T3 magazine podcast. I mean, you flaunt that these are Philippine podcasts for Filipinos and yet you discuss things that Filipinos CANNOT get. Yes we the 5th Gen iPod is already available locally, but to discuss about iTunes and the contents of iTunes is, well, not Filipino. Ok, maybe they could mention it but not totally make it your topic for the whole podcast. Heck, we can't even purchase from iTunes Music Store. Then they talked about the SONY rootkit fiasco, hehehe how many filipinos do you think has purchased these CDs and how many CDs do you think are for sale in the country? Oh and how many Filipinos do they think has a PC? I would agree that the PC penetration base is starting to grow, but it's not enough.

And the discussion is NOT DYNAMIC. Guys, use your ingeniuity! There are lots of topic to discuss which I think is worth talking about like the increasing shift from dial-up to broadband connection. The increasing trend in wireless networking at home and it's wide deployment in the urban centers. These things are local news and that's what you're supposed to be, local podcasts with local content.

A Fragmented User's Group

I know I could be labeled as biased in writing this assessment since I am an active member of another users group, but then again, I don't see any conflict of interest between my group and their as we cater to a different genre which can actually compliment one another.

Anyhow, my friends keep telling me how fragmented this group is for quite some time now, but I never believed them until about a month ago when I stumbled upon a thread in their group and I was shocked. I never realized that they have two "official" websites claiming they are the legitimate one and now a third one came out just a couple of weeks ago, but this 3rd one is more of a Blog than anything else, focused in exposing the bad sides of one of the "legit" sites.

I know some people in these groups, since some of them are members of my group too. They are infact some of the influential members in my group. I too have some "encounters" with these people but we are civil with each other. I am saddened by the fact that these people has lost control of their groups and that it has come to a point where name calling has become a norm.

The Advent of Office Suite Alternatives

Is the end near for Microsoft's Office suite? I think so! Microsoft's own .Net initiative failed years ago because they were too early in the game. Well, some would rake in when they're early but with Bill Gates' situation, it's the other way around. What's .Net? Well, Microsoft planned it as the alternative to installing softwares in every PC but instead having to access these applications in a central server. But when they launched it, PC penetration in the market was too small, so as internet penetration. Now, Microsoft has re-launched .Net initiative into Live.com and OfficeLive.com (not yet operational). Well, Live.com is at the moment just like MyGoogle, it's bland and simple.

Speaking of Google, they are one of the reasons why Bill Gates is up in arms getting Live.com up and running ASAP. Google has recently teamed up with Sun Microsystems and the talk in the air is that they are in the planning stages of creating an online office alternative that will run on Google's servers. Then there are these two little domains which other than OpenOffice, is threatening Microsoft with their Live.com and OfficeLive.com, they are Writely and Numsum.

Writely is an online Word Document processor, it's simple and it let users share the documents, same with NumSum but is the Spreadsheet counterpart. One can even post the Writely document as a Blog!

The time is right for these on-line initiatives to start because more and more people are using broadband. With it, they will free more space in their hard drives and would create more space in their pockets because all these are FREE.

Portable AIDS testing Device

A team from Harvard Medical School has invented a small device capable of testing for the CD4 count of a patient. To test a sample, you drop some blood onto the chip and then place it into a reader which then tests for the blood CD4 count. Not completely portable—yet—but definitely a step in the right direction.

Drive + Play from Harman-Kardon

Ever since I got my iPod Nano, I've been interested in how to integrate it with my daily life. And part of my daily routing is driving. So it only follows that I get interested in news about how I could integrate my iPod Nano into my car. Presently I am using a casette deck adapter to play my songs from my iPod into the car stereo system. I have been checking the local Pod Users Group when I stumbled upon this.
The Harman-Kardon Drive+Play system. The Drive + Play consists of three components: A backlit LCD pivoting display, which is designed to be mounted where the driver can easily see the screen while keeping their eyes on the road; a five-button navigation control unit – the navigation wheel is similar to BMW’s iDrive wheel, but mimics the iPods controls; and the “Brain” – the unit that connects everything together. The brain of the system features a wireless FM modulator with five factory frequencies and one definable by the user. It also has a 3.5mm auxiliary output so you can connect it to any vehicle that has an auxiliary input jack. An auxiliary input allows the user to route other audio signals like satellite radio through the Drive + Play to the vehicle’s audio system.
The Drive + Play charges the iPod when connected and shuts off when the car turns off. The unit returns to the place in the song where you left off when the vehicle is turned on again. Well, I just hope this will see Philippine shores soon!

"Bionic" Eyes

Hope this is not a hoax, but then again, we can always dream right. Well, Isreal-based VisionCare has said they have invented an implantable device that might help people with Age-related Macualr Degeneration. The Implantable Miniature Telescope, which just finished its Phase II/III clinical trials, consists of two wide-angle glass microlenses that refocus incoming images away from the damaged macula and over to healthier parts of the eye. The IMT is surgically implanted into one cornea of an AMD sufferer in an outpatient procedure, and provides a 2.2x or 3x magnification to the affected eye, while the other eye is left to monitor peripheral vision. Nice one!

The Palm TX

As you might have well known, Palm has launched two new handheld. One of them is the TX. Yeah, when I tried to Google Palm TX, it gave me a whole bunch of results regarding Texas hehehe. Anyways, I got to play with this new toy from Palm. Yup it runs on Palm OS and NOT Windows Mobile as some of you might think. It has the same housing as that of the Palm Tungsten E/E2/T5. The difference from the T5 is that the TX has WiFi (finally!), slower processor (to compensate for power), it will not work as an external drive unlike the T5 (although thru 3rd party applications like CardExport one can make it act as if it's an external drive - Flash Drive). The casing is sort of black-blue in color.

I don't know if it's just the GlobeQuest WIZ connection in the launch or the Blazer browser installed is really fast in loading and refreshing webpages. The screen is wonderful and big. It uses the new Palm Universal connector. It's currently selling in the Philippines with an SRP of P18900.00, this is wireless connectivity made affordable.

Change

Things change, and as blogs start growing in the technological world, sa as this one. This should've been done long long time ago, but I only got the urge to do it now. As you may have noticed, this blog has been mostly about technology news. So the new name (hehehe or re-branded?). Welcome to the new BloogerGan-Tech Site. See more of you soon!

SMART WiFi's Twin

PLDT has silently launched a fixed-wireless broadband service the PLDT my DSLw. It's basically SMART WiFi rebranded which is also a rebranded Meridian service. Now, while writing this blog, it just occured to me that they are marketing this as an added service to their existing subscribers who CANNOT be reached by their DSL service. As you know, DSL has a weakness wherein only subscribers within a certain radius of their swith station can be serviced. and perhaps the SMART thingie is for those who CANNOT be reached by any wired telephone system.

Writing the Nintendo DS

Looks like Nintendo is really bent in making the Nintendo DS an all-around portable console. To make it more interesting, some Nintendo DS is now being installed with DECUMA, a handwriting recognition software first seen in the now extinct SONY Clie PDA's. This is a good choice for Nintendo, now that 2nd screen will really have a function that is useful.

Avantgo part I

I am have re-installed my Avantgo software in my Zire 72 after reading somewhere the Avantgo has upgraded it's software servers to now add RSS support. I am currently re-syncing my Zire72 to check if all my RSS feeds I configured earlier into the Avantgo servers will really be synced. Good luck to me!

Google Desktop2

When Google launched the first Google Desktop, I was one of those who didn't jumped right away into the wagon, especially after reading some of the privacy concerns (hehehe who knows what secretes I keep within my hard drives that even I doesn't want it found), but after a while and after the Google Desktop 2 release, I downloaded it and since then, I've been enjoying it. I was afraid that it would hug much of my desktop's limited resources, but I was surprise to find out that it really doesn't use up much, not after it has indexed your files that is. What I really like about it is the SCRATCH PAD, it's a Notepad type of widget that automatically saves what ever you type within it. Saves me time from clicking on my Notepad icon and saving it after typing things in it. Overall, the Google Desktop 2 is really a big help, with it's indexing capabilities, now looking for long "lost" files in your PC is just a few clicks away. Oh and did I mention that searching your HD is also fast? See ya!

The SAMSUNG ML-1610 Laser Printer

I recently "acquired" a SAMSUNG ML-1610 Laser Printer. What's funny about this printer is that, it's being sold very cheap in the market. Heck, it's cheaper than most of the other ink jet printers out there. It is a monochrome printer made with home users in mind. Has a USB interface only and can only hold 150 sheets of paper on it's tray. Due to simplicity it has only one multi-function button. I don't care if it only has 2MB of internal memory, this is not a big deal to me since I will not be printing graphics extensive documents with it. At the moment I now own 3 printers of different generations and types. This is my 3rd printer and I really like, I still haven't seen much of it's potential but then again, it's less than a week since I got it.

The FLOCK

The FLOCK, this is the codename for the next generation Firefox plus more features than your ordinary web browser, in fact, it's designed for the so-called WEB 2.0 I'm testing the developers copy, although there are still lots of bugs in it, I might say that I like one of it's supposed feature already. In fact I posted this blog from with the browser itself. A user of Flock can blog from right inside the browser if for example the user likes one of the articles in the web page he's in at the moment. Blogger is supported, hopefully other blog servers will be supported when the official launch comes. I'm going to bet my ass that this one is going to give Microsoft a run for their buck!

Palm with Bluetooth Internet Connection Sharing

At long last, I was able to connect my Palm Zire 72 to my PC using Bluetooth and now I am able to use Internet Connection Sharing and browse the web even if somebody is using my PC. Hehehehe I've been trying to do this for some time now but was not successful in my previous attempts probably because of lack of interest. It's quite a relief to use my PDA to surf the net without worrying about my GPRS charges. The next thing is to challenge the range which would "probably"  prevent me from getting a WiFi enable PDA hehehe.

SMART WiFi -- on the way to SUCCESS

I would agree to people saying that SMART WiFi is a success. Although there
are still some quirks regarding speed and customer service, it's acceptable
considering the service being still oh so young. The winning factor to this
service is, semi-broadband even without a phoneline. It's really the hassle
of the phoneline application that disappoints applicants. But with SMART
WiFi, all you have to do is go to the nearest business center and fill up
the forms, after a week or so, you have an always-on internet connection.
These days, it's more important to have a connected PC than to just have a
phoneline, since less and less people are now using landlines because of the
emergence of unlimited cellular calls. Overall, it becomes more cheaper this
way.

Globelines VoIP

Today I tested my first ever VoIP call using my landline and DSL carrier
Globelines (take note that I'm paying them and they're not paying me a cent
to do this ad). I called my Mom in New York thru my PC using Globelines'
soft phone. the voice quality was superb, considering it was done using the
PC. Heck I'm ok with it since I'm only paying around P2.80/min as compared
to PLDT's P5.00/min on their soft phone. This is the only thing I could say
regarding these VoIP, bring it on!!!!

Let me give you some scratch!

Oh my GOD! The cute and wonderfully beautiful iPod Nano has dermatological
problems! There are some Nano owners complaining that the screen easily gets
scratches! Good thing (and I hope the Philippines is included), Apple has
promised that they will replaced Nanos that have factory defect just like
easily scratchable screens.

Additionally, Apple acknowledges that the screens on some Nanos have cracked
and has agreed to replace the models with new units. The company says it
hasn't received many complaints about scratches. "We do not believe it's a
widespread issue," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said Wednesday.

Dowling says the plastic shell of the Nano is made from the same material
used on other recent iPods. He suggests that if users are concerned about
scratching, they should buy one of the many Nano cases that will soon be
available. Apple attributes the cracked-screen problem to a vendor defect
affecting "less than one-tenth of 1%" of Nano shipments.

Another Card Format?

Just when you thought that the multitude of memory cards out in the market
are enough to make you puke, listen to this. Sony and SanDisk today
announced a smaller Memory Stick card format; Memory Stick Micro or M2,
designed to be used with mobile phones, being a card that can be inserted
into a mobile phone case slot, and used to store pictures, music and videos.

M2 measures 15 millimeters (mm) by 12.5mm by 1.2mm, significantly smaller
than the Memory Stick Duo card format, measuring 31mm by 20mm by 1.6mm. M2
cards can be inserted and removed up to 12,000 times. M2 is compatible with
Memory Stick Pro it can be loaded into an adapter card and inserted into a
Memory Stick Pro slot on a notebook computer - such as Sony's Vaio, a video
recorder, PlayStation, TV, even kiosks in Japan, and have content loaded
onto it. Memory Stick is the second most popular memory card format, with a
quarter of the world memory card production volume, second to the SD format
with 41 percent, according to industry researcher TSR. The MMC format is
third with 12 percent. In Sony's fiscal 2004, over 50 million Memory Stick
cards were shipped, with cumulative shipments of 100 million since the
format arrived in 1998.

Memory Stick isn't a world-wide standard like VHS, but nor is it a failed
format like Betamax.

Sony has digital rights management (DRM) technology, called Magic Gate, on
all Memory Stick formats, which allows content providers to specify none,
limited or totally free copying rights. The card isn't locked to the
particular device it happens to be in.

M2 runs on either 1.8 volts or 3.3 volts, making it suitable for mobile
phones from a power usage point of view. It also has an eject control design
intended to prevent cards flying out of phones and getting lost. The
insertion slot is intended to be on the outside of the phone, making M2
insertion and removal much easier than a SIM card or battery.

M2 can hold 1GB and has a roadmap out to 32GB. A 1GB card could have 2 hours
20 minutes of QVGA 768Kbit/s video stored on it. Memory Stick Pro holds 4GB,
Duo 2GB. In general capacities on such flash memory formats are doubling
every twelve months or less. We should be able to expect a 2GB M2 card in a
few months after the 1GB card becomes available in the first half of 2006. A
4GB M2 card might arrive in 2008.

Just days ago SanDisk announced a rival micro SD format memory card, the
Gruvi. It also has a DRM facility, a different one. Nice for SanDisk; it can
punt two micro memory card formats to the phone and content companies.

It's Spreading...and it's Spreading Wildly!

A new mobile phone virus has been found in the wild that can spread from cellphones to PC. The virus infects (as usual) a Symbian OS phone either thru Bluetooth or after being download and then infects a Windows computer when the memory card from the phone is used on the PC. This will then propagate to the internet and vice versa.

The new mobile phone virus, dubbed SYMBOS_CARDTRP.A, propagates on Symbian Series 60 devices. Once the mobile phone virus infects a PC, it will eventually launch WORM_WUKILL.B, a worm that attempts to spread the infection to other PCs.

SPEED UP!

After being thrown into circles yesterday, I finally got some tangible results. Now my DSL speed is 768 kbps! When I jumped into the DSL bandwagon last year and subscribed to  Globelines Broadband, I got 386 kbps for my P1995.00 monthly subscription. Fair enough for me since it's waaaay fast compared to dial-up. Even when rival PLDT myDSL bumped up their speeds last May 2005, I was confident then that my DSL provider would not let me down. So, on September 20, 2005, I checked out <a href="http://www.globelines.com.ph">Globelines'</a> website to see for any promos or to that extent, anything that would interest me. Then I saw that they've updated the broadband packages that they're offering, this time, the P1995 has 768 kbps! So, I immediately called Globelines' customer service and ask if I could have my speed bumped up, and they said all I have to do is to go to the nearest Business Center and fill out a Service Modification form and wait for my speed to increase, pretty easy huh?! NOT!!! The next day, before going home, I went straight to the Business Center here at Habay Road, Bacoor, Cavite. To my surprise, the customer service representative told me that I have to pay 2 months of my current monthly fee as to preterminate my DSL subscription so I could avail of the new speeds. Even when I told her that I already called their HOTLINE she still insist that it's going to be a termination of service and that there might have been a MISCOMMUNICATION between me and the girl on the phone I talked to the night before. So, I just told her never mind and I'll just come back after two months to have my service upgraded. When I got home, I called the Globelines Customer Service Hotline right away and asked for clarification. Still, what the guy told me was the same thing the girl the night before told me, that it's just a SERVICE MODIFICATION! He told me that he'll call me back to clear things up with that girl in the Business Center. True enough, after 30 minutes, the guy told me that everything has been settled and all I have to do is to go to the Business Center and just fill up the necessary forms. Then after 2 minutes from the guys call, the girl from the Business Center called up and told me to drop by anytime (pretty long huh?). So, I went, but when I got there, she told me that I don't have to pay the pretermination fee anymore but I still have to have my line disconnected to avail of the new speeds (man this is getting irritating!). So I told her the guy on the phone told me otherwise. So, she told me that she'll clear things up first with their head office and she'll just call me the next day (which is today). Fine! When I got home, again, I called up the HOTLINE and reported the Business Center girls incompetence, even them at the HOTLINE could not believe it happened. Today, I got a call from the Business Center girl and told me that everything's all right and that my speed has now been updated. Whew dude, it's that simple, she just doesn't know what she's supposed to know. Just imagine how unproductive it would be to a very big company to send someone to remove the hardware from my house and eventually install it back again! What do you think?

PLDT will Acquire DREAM Satellite

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company is buying DREAM Satellite. This is to augment the telecommunications firm's plan to go into the Direct-To-Home (DTH) service. Acquisition of Dream Satellite would enable a joint venture between PLDT and America's largest direct-TV provider, Echostar Communications Inc., to finally take off.

PLDT and Echostar are planning to invest $85 million in pay TV operations in the Philippines through satellite receivers, not the traditional cable system that is prone to piracy and signal theft.

Philippine Multi-Media System uses PLDT's Mabuhay Satellite to broadcast content to more than 100,000 subscribers nationwide. Dream Satellite is considered more expensive than the traditional cable providers.

Sources said that if talks with Dream failed, PLDT would open negotiations with other direct-to-home providers such as Pacific Cable Inc. and GV Broadcasting.

Under the plan, the joint venture between PLDT and Echostar will provide clients with home antennas. It will also supply more than 2,000 video and audio channels.

Free OPERA Anyone?

OPERA browser is now FREE! The ads at the top is now gone and is now part of the competition between Firefox & Internet Explorer. Try it now!

The WiFi Hotspot

NOTE: This blog was supposed to be posted last September 17, 2005 Saturday -- This is the first time I've accessed the internet thru a Hotspot and man am I bored. If you are wondering what a Hotspot is, well, it's a wireless access to the internet using a broadband connection outside your home e.g. cafe's & malls. I was sooooo excited to use it, since I also know that I have universal access to WIZ hotspots (Globe's Wireless Internet Zone) because I am a Globelines subscriber and they have this WorldPass thing where in I can use the same userid and password that I use in my Globelines DSL account. Ok, I plugged my notebook pc into the only power socket I've seen in Starbucks ABS-CBN. Found a 91% WiFi signal and figured out (which is the most common form of learning for me) how to log in and access the internet. But when I entered the userid and password of my WordPass account, I was denied! OMG! Now, how do you think will I be able to surf the net and let time pass by, while my wife enjoys herself with the company of her highschool friend? Good thing I am also a subscriber of Globe's Mobile Phone service (it only shows how a die-hard Globe subscriber I am huh?), and with it, with just a few taps from my phone's keypad, I was able to acquire a userid and password. Whew, that was some "universal Access" huh?!

5 cents IDD from Globelines!

TOLD YOU! After the Philippine government approved the implementing rules of VoIP it wouldn't take long before the telcos will release their own versions of VoIP. It was Bayantel that released it first, then followed PLDT and now Globelines has released their own version. Globelines has three different types and pricing schemes for the subscribers and public. They have reduced the 40 cents charge for their landline subscreiber to 20 cents per minute, 10 cents/min for those who'going to use their all-in-one prepaid card Globe1 and 5 cents for Globelines Broadband subscribers through the softphone that will be available for download starting September 20, 2005. So why the heck subscribe to those VoIP services, when I can get the same price advantage with my own phoneline.

The New iPod Nano -- the iPod mini killer

Apple has recently launched the iPod Nano, the iPod mini Killer! Yup, the iPod mini is now obsolete and will be replaced by this new spanky iPod Nano. Very small and thin, with colored screen and click wheel. Although the click wheel center button is bigger than the usual. It will use the same connector for the dock but the headset jack will be at the bottom of the unit. I will come with 2GB & 4GB sizes. And comes in two colors as well, Traditional White and the new Black. Enjoy!

Updated my Speedtouch 580(i) Firmware

I've just updated the firmware of my ADSL modem/wireless router from 4.2.7 to 4.3.2.6 It's got a new UI to start with. At first I thought I did something wrong, and praying nothing bad will happen (like going to have a big useless paperweight) and luck was on my side. No I guess I can't call Globelines Broadband customer support since they don't even know I have a Speedtouch 580 with me hehehe.

And so, it has begun ... VoIP in RP

PLDT just announced a new service for subscribers of both their DSL service and landline service. It's VoIP in the flesh. Cheaper rates to the US and other selected destinations. As low as 8 cents/minute. Either use the soft-phone thru the PLDT DSL website or use the ordinary PLDT landline phone using a pre-defined prefix num. And so, it has begun....

Finally, a Disney Channel

From here to there and back again. I went back to my old Home Cable provider after learning that they have Disney channel back in their line-up. It's what really made me move to SKY cable in the first place. Now, I'll be giving SKY cable a call to have thier services for me discontinued.

WiFi at Home

Last night, I've officially tested my Wireless Network at home, and the signal is impressive. Due to wiring constraints, my Wireless Router/Modem, Speedtouch 580, is in my room. I then went to the recieving, the basement and the car port to check for the signal strength and the results where very impressive. The signal loss in the basement was just around 20% considering that the house has mostly concrete walls. The signal in the carport though was a little weak, but still the link between the notebook and the router was still strong. I guess an access point near the main door would give me a better signal than what I have right now.

VoIP

Ever since I asked my DSL provider to change my DSL modem from a USB type to an Ethernet type, my adrelin to put up a wireless network at home never went down. I planned to get myself a wireless router, it was supposed to be a Linksys, but the Speedtouch 580 is very much welcome. After which I began searching for the right Access Point to provide wireless signal all over the house. Then I began looking at VoIP after I tried Yahoo! Messenger's Voice call. Damn! Potential with Broadband is way too many. I was glad though that the Philippine goverernment has released the guidelines for the launching of VoIP in the country. Now, it's just a matter of months before major companies start selling VoIp services and bet you, it's going to be a call frenzy to every country in the world.

WiFi Network: ON!

Today, I've officially turned on my Wireless Network at home. Supposedly, I was to turn it on next week, as I haven't bought my Linksys wireless Router yet. But, with some miracle, the wireless router just landed in my hand (although not a Linksys). Now what are the odds of that?

Yahoo! Messenger Voice call

After having my DSL modem changed from USB to Ethernet capable one, I started exploring the different possibilities that I can do with my PC. I even explored VoIP. Thus leading me to the BETA version of Yahoo! Messenger. It is capable of calling another YM user! And bet you, the voice reception is pretty good (just make sure the other person has broadband as well)! At first I tried the Voice Chat function, yeah it was good, but not good enough, choppy voice and irritating most of the times. Then I tried the Call function and got hooked to it from then on. How about you try it?!

Gmail Talk

Everyday, I make sure I go to http://news.google.com to check on what's new in the Tech world. Just the other day, I read that Google will be launching an IM client in a couple of days. And lo and behold, when I opened my Google News today, there is was, Gmail Talk. It's basically and IM client based on Jabber technology. One disadvantage of it is, you can only call and chat with Gmail account holders. But still the possibilities are there.

Something's Cooking?

I don't know if it's my sister's untechnologically savy thing and she was able to unearth something in Outlook Express that is somewhat helpful, or it's part of Microsoft's updates. Nonetheless, I liked it.

It's pretty much like Gmail's feature of stacking up emails as a conversation type of filing system. Again, I like it!

Singing Plants

This blog has been long overdue. I was supposed to write this way back June when I started passing the Manila City Hall route. No, I'm not in anyway related to any transport group or anything, I started passing that place because of the location of mu current job.
Anyways, since I don't a car to work, I am a regular passenger of FX/AUV colorum vehicles. I'm from Bacoor, Cavite and it's the fastest and most convenient way to work for me. So, now back to the blog. I always go down at Manila City Hall to get another ride to Morayta and it's there while waiting for the next ride that I noticed something peculiar.
Every morning, the Manila City Hall staff plays some music from the PA system, but when I look around, I don't see any speakers at all. I spent sometime (the consequence of which was I was late for my morning class) looking for any evidence of the speakers in the area, which proved to be a futile attempt. And everytime I get closer to a pot of plant, the music gets louder. Then, it took me sometime to realize what an ingenious way that they have hidden the speakers. They've placed it under the flower pots! And there were a number of flower pots scattered in the said area.
I know this is also done in other countries, but this is the first time I've experienced/seen this kind of innovation. And I was really amazed!

From USB to Ethernet Modem -- FINALLY!

The other day, my DSL Provider, Globelines, finally replaced my SPEEDTOUCH 330 USB ADSL
modem after 2.5 weeks of waiting. But the good news is, they did not charge me a single
cent. They replaced it with a SPEEDTOUCH-Alcatel 511e Ethernet ADSL modem. Though the
Globelines CSR told me that the modem change will just take a week and it took more than
what they promised, the personnel that replaced the modems were very professional and
arrived on the set time that I asked them to come over. Nonetheless, I am presently
impressed on how the new ethernet modem is working so far.
The differences between the USB from the Ethernet modem are: No more setting up DUN (dial-up
networking) with the ethernet, no software driver to install and sort of runs faster and
better than the USB thing. Although when I tried to search the internet for information
about my "new" ethernet modem, it turned out that the modem model itself is 2 years old. As
per the box which still says it's from Speedtouch-Alcatel while the new ones are already
from Speedtouch Thomson.
Well, the reason why I asked my modem replaced is because I'm planning to set up a wireless
network at home. See YAH!

To buy or NOT to buy!

I have two printers at home, one is a very old HP Deskjet 420C (my very first printer) and a somewhat old Epson C20 double-cartidge inkjet printer. Both has served me well, right now I' using the HP solely for black printing while the Epson for colored printing. I haven't gone into printing digital hard copies of the pictures I have in my hard drive yet. Still not worth it in my opinion.

It's that time of the year to replace the inks in both of my printers, the problem is, as with the HP inks, they're expensive, so expensive that there are printers out there that is at the same price level just for the ink itself. I am not a fan of ink cartridge refills, as I think they're not of the best qualities. With the Epson, well, I've been using replacement inks with it for sometime now, but with the last two cartridges I've used, well, I was disappointed. And then again, though cheaper than HP inks, it's still a tad cheaper than a whole printer set. So now, I'm in a dilemma, to buy just the ink or buy a whole new printer for that matter? What to do?!

Sony Ericsson BT PC remote Control (HID)

I consider this generation pretty much hi-tech. These kids grew up without knowing that before one has to go up to the TV and change the channel with a clicking knob. What they grew up with is the ever powerful remote control. Most of them has not seen those red payphones and those black, heavy, rotating analog home landline phones.

But, this week, I started using my cellphone, a Sony Ericsson K700i, to control my Powerpoint Presentations. Everyone of them was awe-struck at the marvel of the thought. They were used to professors, staying beside their notebook computers and pressing either the spacebar or the arrow buttons to move to the next slide and vice versa.

With the current technology, and it's free if I may add, I can move around and still change the slides at will, without asking any of my students...."next slide please!"

I'm sure glad I'm using a SonyEricsson!

I sure am glad that I'm using a Sony Ericsson phone, although almost everything about it is better than Nokia and other mobile phones out there, but also because it's not using Symbian. I'm not against Symbian as well, in fact, I like Symbian very much because of it's versatility, but then again, it stops there.

A week ago, while I was in class, I forgot to turn the Bluetooth radio of my phone, an SE K700i. Then all of a sudden, I kept on getting a file sent from a BT device. Curious as I am, I keep on accepting the damn file but to no avail. Nothing was accepted nor recieved. When I asked around, I found out that one of my student's phone is infected with the CommWarrior mobile phone virus. Whew! What a relief!

"Windows Longhorn is changing name...Windows Longhorn is now Windows Vista!"

Codename Windows Longhorn is now defunct, Microsoft has officially launched the real name of the next Windows operating system. It's Windows Vista! So from this day onwards, Windows Longhorn will be called Windows Vista!

Evolution of Public Busses (on my perspective)!

> No Aircon
> No Aircon with blasting FM radios
> Only provincial busses have airconditioning
> City busses have airconditioning
> Provincial busses have aircon with FM radios (and casette players that play those everlasting medley with that same tempo and beat) & TV
> City busses have airconditioning with FM radios & TV
> Provincial busses have airconditioning with FM radios (and casette players that play those everlasting medley with that same tempo and beat), TV & Betamax
> City busses have airconditioning with FM radios, TV & Betamax
> Provincial busses have airconditioning with FM radios (and casette players that play those everlasting medley with that same tempo and beat), TV & VHS
> City busses have airconditioning with FM radios, TV & VHS
> Both provincial and city busses have airconditioning, FM radios, TV & VCD players
> Both provincial and city busses have airconditioning, FM radios, TV & DVD players

The Motorola RAZR V3x

When I saw the RAZR V3 a year ago on the web, I was awe-struck by the beauty the phone possess, but when I got to hold it in person, I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of feature-set and the somewhat wide appearance, and yet, I still consider it uber-sexy!

Now, behold! The evolution of am uber-sexy phone to an uber-beauty & brains! Featuring the Motorola RAZR V3x!

After sometime of speculation, and being called the Motorola V1150, Motorola officially made an announcement about this new phone and it's features. Other than the sexy looks & Bluetooths (which it shares with it's sister), it now has, 2.0 MP camera, a VGA camera for 3G cameraphone capabilities, an expansion card, enhanced graphics processor for high performance 3D graphics and J2ME™ for the ultimate in 3D gaming choices, Motorola's SCREEN3 technology solution featuring zero-click access to news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content, Progressive downloading to view media files on demand, support of AAC+, MPEG4, WMV, WMA, MP3 and Real Video/Audio files, advanced speaker-independent voice recognition: state a number/name and be connected without pre-recording, over the air synchronization with the PC via SyncML, & WAP 2.0 browser. Now who wouldn't be in-love with this baby?!

Ready for UPGRADE...but with what?

It's the time of year for cellphone upgrades. I'm ready to upgrade my phone, a SonyEricsson K700i . But the woes of deciding to what phone is very difficult.

I have looked around and have limited my choices to the Sony Ericsson K750i/W800; Nokia 3230; Treo 650; Motorola RAZR V3 or the Sony Ericsson S700. So there's really not much to choose from.

I have loved my K700i so much that it has become some sort of benchmark for my future phones. Here are some of the considerations for my upgrade:

Sony Ericsson K750i/W800:
- Unmatched screen quality and resolution
- expansion card
- 2.0 MP camera
- camera image quality
- Bluetooth connection (pairs seamlessly with my PC & Palm)
- multimedia capabilities
- user interface
- somewhat bland design, lacks the wow factor

Nokia 3230:
- design
- 1.3 MP camera
- camera image quality
- multimedia capabilities
- it's slow and not so direct interface
- Bluetooth connection (although I haven't used a Nokia and I don't know how it's going to be with data transfer and synchronization with my PC & Palm)

Treo 650:
- design
- only a VGA camera
- wonderful big screen
- thumbpad
- applications & softwares (I don't have to carry 2 devices at one time)
- bigger than my other phones
- multimedia capabilities
- seamless synchronization with my PC

Sony Ericsson S700:
- has the biggest WOW factor of them all
- superb screen size and resolution
- 1.3 MP camera (but hey, I only use 1.3 MP setting with my Cybershot digital camera anyways)
- expansion card
- bulky
- multimedia capabilities
- Bluetooth connection (pairs seamlessly with my PC & Palm)

Motorola RAZR V3:
- has that WOW factor
- very slim (though wider than the rest)
- nice screen resolution (but is not at par with the SonyEricssons)
- only VGA camera
- limited internal memory
- no expansion slot
- Bluetooth connection (though I don't know how it will go with synchronization with my PC & Palm)
- did I mention that it's very slim?
- oh and with it's current price, it's got a free Bluetooth headset that comes with the package

So now what?!

Google Earth?

Google just recently launched their Google Earth Service. It's basically like the Google Maps with satellite imaging but this time the coverage has expanded to outside the US & Canada and in certain areas, the user can even tilt the image to get the 3D images of the landscaped and buildings. Although their are paid services which offer more detailed searches and images, the free portion give me some delightful experiences. But unlike Google Maps which is web-based, Google Earth will be need a downloadable program to run.

I was so amazed that when I searched locations in the Philippines, that not very many places has been photographed. Fortunately though, Cavite was one of those with extensive pictures and I was able to see our house from a "bird's eye-view".

I saw The SEGWAY...in RECTO!

I was on my way to the bank lunchtime today to check on my payroll account, and as I was walking out the university gate, I saw a familiar thing, looking at it closely, I was really dumb-struck to realize that it was a SEGWAY. You know, that "revolutionizing" thing. That thing that looks like a platform with wheels and moves mimicking the human movement and balance. Anyways, what really was unbelievable for me was seeing it here in the Philippines, much more in RECTO. They were being used by non other than promotion people from Unilever Philippines distributing Cream Silk sachets samples. There were 4 of these amazing things being used only for promotional gimik. Man, UNILEVER sure has the bucks to spare for these things huh?!

A Surplus Notebook

Just yesterday, I was able to get hold of an "old" laptop/notebook. The brand is unknown to many, even me, and I doubt that if I go to any computer shops, they would know this brand. It's called PURPOSE, hehehe heck, I even tried to GOOGLE it and found not match. I said it's old because it runs on PENTIUM II 400 MHz, has 128 MB RAM, 3 GB of HDD and a 16-bit LCD screen. It was running Windows 98 and by the forces of the dark side, it was terriby slow.

My brother-in-law, gave this notebook to my wife, well, if you'll just look at it, well, it's small, as compared to the VAIO that I am currently using. But when I started tinkering with it, I saw the flaws, and tell you there were a lot. The whole body case creeks, and bends everytime I exert pressure on the thing, the battery is just running perhaps on the small juice it's got left (it won't survive if you try to unplug it from the mains), the whole keyboard marking's a mess (good thing I memorized most of the keyboard markings), and the space where one could rest his left hand while typing heats up like a furnace.

I tried updating the software, so I could use it to surf the internet, I installed the USB Moden driver for our DSL line and updated IE and installed MAXTHON browser (why not FIREFOX you might ask? Well, the disc space is a very big factor). MS OFFICE installed is OFFICE 2000 and I won't dare to upgrade it anymore. I tried installing the DRIVER for my USB Flash Drive to no avail.

I thought of using it for my daily lectures instead of bringing the very big VAIO everyday, but decided not to, this thing might die on me and I might get into prison for it hehehe. I'd be playing with this baby for sometime and well, to the shelf it'll go.

Hope for the Blind!

A retinal implant is being developed by a company which might restore limited eyesight to patients with hereditary vision loss. It works with a microcomputer worn by the patient either as a spectacles or on the waist. The eyeglasses have a built-in camera and transmits the images to the implant.

NOKIA 770 v2?

There is this strange image of a NOKIA device, no names yet, but has some resemblance to the NOKIA 770 Internet device. Perhaps a v2.0? Pretty sleek though, wouldn't you think?

The W800 cousin? SE W600

This is the cousin for the K750 twin, the W800. It's a Walkman branded Sony Ericsson phone. Has the characteristics of the S700. Nice, but not impressive, but still nice. And what's with the orange color theme?



It doesn't sport an external media by way of the MemoryStick Duo slot, but it does have 256MB integrated memory, MP3 and AAC support, a standard 1/8th-inch stereo headphone jack (at last!), FM tuner, 1.8-inch 220 x 176 pixel 262k color display, 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo speakers, Bluetooth, and tri-band EDGE support.

The Sony Ericsson Z520

I don't know with you guys, but I have this fetish with SE phones. Just take a look at this newly-announced SE Z520. Isn't it lovely (sorry for the pun)?



It's got a 65k color 1.8-inch 160 x 128 pixel display, VGA camera, Bluetooth, and quad-band radio without EDGE at this time.

The Motorola V6 PEBL

Well, if you're going to ask me, the new Moto-Phones have very nice designs, although I'm a bit taken back by their User Interface, it's a bit bland. But then again, it's only my opinion.

New Nokias

Nokia never fails to amaze me, here are some of their new releases for this quarter. Damn! I've lost count on what Nokias are there in the market.



Now the phones! There is the 6111 a slider tri-band GSM phone (900/1800/1900) with EDGE, with a 1 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and an FM radio. The 6060 is an entry-level dual-band GSM flip phone with an external LED for call/message notifcation and MP3 ringtones.



And for the Series 40, here are some of them. The 6280 (above, left) a tri-band 900/1800/1900 EDGE phone with a 2 megapixel camera, second VGA camera for video calling, miniSD slot, Bluetooth, FM and visual radio support. The other one is the 6270 (above, right) no second video camera but adds stereo speakers. It’s a quad-band EDGE phone.

The Sony Ericsson 4!

Sony Ericsson is about to officially launch a new set of phones, using the Japan plus S700 concept. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Mozilla Browser Address Bar

Ever since I've upgraded my PC, I have been using most of the Web Browsers available with IE being used the least. And just a few minutes ago, while using the Mozilla Browser, I found a very simple yet interesting fact about it's address bar, well, it can serve as a search bar as well. It may sound stupid, since most of youprobably knew this for some time now, but it gave a smile on my face finally being able to know this small feature of the browser.

Although most new browsers have this function, most of the search boxes integrated in a browser are totally separated from the address bar, some even doesn't have it on installation but is an add-on. The reason I liked it so much is that, I don't have to point my cursor to the other search box and click on the search button, with this one, I only have to deal with one box, the address box, and simply click on the right button to tell the browser what to do. Another good thing this feature shares with the other search boxes is that it is configurable.

Apple: Intel Inside?

It's true, Steve Jobs just announced that Macs will now shift from IBM PowerPC processors to Intel. Before, it was the PowerPC processors that set Macs apart from the Windows PC (aside from the wonderful design of course), but now, it has been revealed that the Mac OS has been running on Intel processors for some time now in the Apple labs. I wonder what will prevent Windows users from booting up their PCs with Mac OS now that they are using the same processors?

The Slim PS2 in White

I like the Slim PS2, it's so petit yet so powerful. The size may not be intimidating but play with it and you'll learn to appreciate the magnificent power it hides inside. The respect is there and even with the impending rise of it's next generation kin, it'll still command the respect for sometime.