The Recoiless Shotgun from BERRETTA

Now this is what I call a SHOTGUN! It's recoiless! Everyone knows how hard it is to fire a shotgun especially if one is not "built" for it. But with this knew gun from BERRETTA, all those recoils are a thing of the past.

Berretta Extrema2: In the Hands of a Master

Blogged with Flock

Gizmodo "Face-lift"

Gizmodo has changed the design of their website and it's more clean and less cluttery (is there such a word?) than before. It's better looking with the same old very good tech news.

Gizmodo++

Blogged with Flock

iTunes updates and iPod Updater

Apple released today iTunes update 6.0.5 and iPod updater 2006-06-28, both have whopping 41.8MB and 18.9MB respectively. I've noticed that just this week, Apple has released a couple of updates both for OS X and for Quicktime. Man those downloads where big, I wonder if these were "updates" or re-download of the softwares themselves. 

Yahoo Messenger Exploits! I've been victimized!

A friend of mine sent me a link thru Yahoo messenger the other day. Stupid of me to try out the link, and it forwarded to a Yahoo log-in page, so with all the stupidity in the world, I entered my Yahoo log-in details, and lo and behold, after a couple of days, I can't log-in to my Yahoo account, good think I was able to recover it.

Blogged with Flock

I thought my iPod DIED!

Whew, I got myself a new 5G 30GB iPod. When I plugged it in my PC, I was notified that the software needs some upgrading, so I did through the iPod updater, but after the update, my iPod suddenly gave me that "folder with an exclamation point" icon, how ever I tried with my PC and the RESTORE option in the iPod software, it doesn't work. Then I decided to try it on my Mac, whew, thank GOD the software was restored, for a minute there I thought I have a spanking new paperweight.

Blogged with Flock

SkypeOut for FREE and IT WORKS!!!

Yesterday I got an email from SKYPE telling me that they're giving me one (1) hour of free calls to ordinary phones using SKYPE. At first I was hesitant, knowing that their FREE calls are only for US to US calls, but then I thought that this is only for one hour so maybe it's true. I decided to try it this morning, I dialed my friend's number in Australia, and lo and behold, it rang. Then I hang up, decided to call my own cellular number and again, it rang. I dialed my friend's number in Singapore and when he answered I jumped to jubilation! Imagine, an hour of international calls to ordinary phone,  I don't need to wait for my friends or relatives to get online, all I have to do is, open up SKYPE and dial, it's as simple as that.

Blogged with Flock

Driv-e-mocion

Oh how I wish they have this here in the Philippines. I surely wouldn't have any problems speaking a piece of my mind to all those arrogant, ill-mannered Public Utility Vehicles.

AU-MY Innovatively Designed Products for Modern Day Living.( innovative design, modern living, gadget, bargain, best value, best price)

Blogged with Flock

White Sony Ericsson W810i

The world is dominated by blacks and whites. After the success of the Sony Ericsson Walkman-phones, SE is now out to dominate the neutral-colored phone market.

The cellphone will have the same specs and come with a grey headset and memory card. Quick refresher on the w810i specs: EDGE, 2 megapixel camera, quad-band, USB 2.0, Memory Stick Pro Duo of up to 2GB, and 22MB internal memory

Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog

Blogged with Flock

Widsets -- Widgets for your phone

WidSets is a very simple and yet clever little service that brings information that you normally have access to over the Internet, directly to your mobile phone. It uses mini-applications called widgets that keep an eye out on updates to websites you normally visit several times a day. This is done through RSS feeds, which push information from these websites directly to your phone, whenever they are updated.

As long as your phone is JAVA enabled then you don't have to worry about it. I have tried this just today and it works, though there are only a few widgets available, but hey, in a few weeks perhaps your favorite widgets  might already be available for download. And most of all this is a FREE service.

WidSets has a useful feature called Traffic Monitor, which helps you monitor how much data WidSets is using in total and how much data is used by individual widgets. There is also a limit you can set for the data transferred by your widgets - we'll send a notification to your Widsets-widget on the mobile and let you know when the limit has been exceeded.

To get started, click the Sign Up - button on the left-hand side of the home page, fill out your personal information, email address and mobile phone number and activate the account by downloading and activating the WidSets client on your phone.

Note: WidSets does not currently work with Nextel, T-Mobile USA or BREW-enabled phones (e.g. Verizon, Alltel, U.S. Cellular), or Palm devices.

WidSets Beta

Blogged with Flock

Opera 9 is out

The much-awaited Opera version 9 is out. With much better features than the old ones. This time it offers the "IN" these days which are the WIDGETS. What I like about Opera is the text to speech function, works best for lazy people like me.

One Georgeous Stethoscope!!!!

Damn! I don't know if it's just me, of is this Steth a one georgeous bitch!!!! It has noise cancelling technology in it and it's made by one of the leading makers of audio products, Bang & Olufsen. Although it's battery operated, but still having one of these hanging on your neck will not just attract patients, if you know what I mean!

Swedish Filesharers Fight Back

In response to the closure of The Pirate Bay website, swedish hackers had defamed some Swedish government websites. Ironically, www.thepiratebay.org is up again, running on servers somewhere in Netherlands.

Email in the middle of the sea

As I make this email/blog I am in the middle of the sea. No I'm not on a Cruise Ship nor am I on an oil rig, it's just fortunate that as I cross the Burias Pass on a banca, I can still get a very decent signal from my mobile phone carrier Globe telecom. The wonders of technology.

Lenovo Computers are "Security Threat"

The US Department of State said earlier that the 10,000 Lenovo
computers that they have acquired will not be used for sensitive
materials as these computers can pose a security threat to the
country. It believes that Lenovo, which retained the Thinkpad brand
after it acquired it from computer maker IBM, can and might use the
computers to spy on the US government. Lenovo is partially owned by
the Chinese government. According to Microsoft officials, makers of
the Windows operating system which Lenovo uses in their computers,
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) can tweak or modify their
Windows softwares to suit the manufacturers "needs". It was said the
manufacturers could hide softwares or programs within the windows
operating system.

The Pirate Bay.org Shut Down

Swedish authorities has shut down ThePirateBay.org site for reasons
related to piracy. According to the site, the raiding team cannot
tell them the reason why they have to shut down a site before any
legal debate could occur. ThePirateBay.org is a very famous site for
downloading bittorrent files.

Sony Ericsson Phones in the Da Vinci Code Movie

At last I was able to watch the Da Vinci Code Movie last night! It's a so so movie and well, talking about it here is...well off-topic. What excited me was to see the product placements of Sony Ericsson in the movie, expecially when I saw 2 interesting phones. Robert and Captain Fasche was using a SE K600i, 3G UMTS, Msgr. Aringarosa was using a SE Z500 and then there was this guy in the bus who was using a recently-announced phone (in fact I think Sony Ericsson announced it on the day when the movie was released), it's the new walkman phone the SE W850.

Load up...Surf up at Caltex Stations

Soon access to the World Wide Web will be easier in Caltex stations as Airborne Access, the Wi-Fi provider arm of PLDT, has signed an aggreement with Chevron, the owner of Caltex stations in the Philippines. The aim is to make all the Star Mart, Caltex's convenient stores a hotspot, where anybody with a wireless capable computer, or handheld can connect and surf the net. Right now, Airborne Access is offering as low as P100 for one hour to go online.

3G plus Walkman with the new Sony Ericsson W850

Sony Ericsson is really on the roll with another Walkman phone. The W850, it's a slider, a music player, a mobile phone with UMTS and tri-band capacity, a 2.0 megapixel camera with a lot more extras. It has gone away with the dust-collecting joy stick and has redesigned the d-pad.

SONY ERICSSON release a SPORTY CLAMSHELL

Sony Ericsson released the W710, a clamshell that sports a rugged appearance. It's another walkman phone so it's cool hehehe, with EDGE, Memory Stick micro for expansion and 2.0 megapixek camera, not yet sure if it will support the A2DP Bluetooth stereo.

NO Laptop on your LAP

With the complete transition of Apple computers to the Intel platform, they now have to address the most pressing problem that have been giving high end Mac owners the heat. I'm talking about the heat problems of the high end PowerBooks and now both the MacBookPro and the MacBook is experiencing. In fact the heating is so extensive that Apple has included a warning in the Manuals of the said new Macs. Even the "laptop" word has not been mentioned in the manuals. So if I were you, always be ready with the ice packs and burn creams, because, the lap-burns will surely set you out from the rest.

Palm Treo 700p

Palm released the newest addition to the Treo Line, the Treo 700p. It follows the launching of the Treo 700w which runs Windows Mobile. This new Treo is Palm's commitment to the Palm OS, to the simplicity of the OS, incidentally, this is also Palm's way recognizing the niche group that is loyal to the Palm OS. Even with the release of the Windows Mobile version, which catered mostly to the corporate/enterprise market maily because of it's capability to work with Microsoft servers used by these big corporations, the Palm OS version caters to the individual users who wants ease of use and simplicity on their smartphones. The Treo 700p runs on Palm OS 5.4.9 on 312MHz Intel XScale processor with a total 128MB total non-volatile memory (60MB user accessible), with the following features, EVDO high speed connection, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera and exapansion through an SD slot. The screen is a high resolution 320x320 which is slightly better than the Windows counterpart. 

Hello MacBook

Apple today announced their latest addition to their line of portable computers, the MacBook. It's the replacement to the aging iBook, and this time, it comes in two colors, a white and black one. It only comes in one screen size which is 13.1 inches, has all the bells and whistle of a new generation Mac such as, an Intel Dual Core processor, glossy screen, MagSafe power connector, built-in iSight, Bluetooth, Airport Extreme, Front Row remote and of course Tiger OS.

SONY VAIO UX Micro PC

Reminiscent of the SONY Clie UX50, a new super-ultra portable was released by the consumer electronics company, SONY. With the advent of UMPC from SAMSUNG ang other companies, SONY released the VAIIO UX Micro PC, as I've said, looks a lot like the Clie UX50, but instead of running PalmOS as it's operating system, the UX runs a full version of Windows XP Professional. Even with it's minute size, SONY was able to squeeze in, a Core Solo processor as the heart of the hardware. Other features include Bluetooth, WiFi, WWAN (EDGE upgrade) a biometric scanner (fingerprint), front and rear cameras, VGA out, Firewire, Ethernet port and 3 USB 2.0 with AV out. Will come out in July for $1800. Whew who'd buy a machine that expensive!

Universal Binary Skype is out

Now Intel-Mac users will not have trouble with their Skype using much of the resources thru Rosetta, Skype has released version 1.4.0.49 which will run natively on both PowerPC and Intel processors. 

SMART's DATA charging is BETTER

Smart's charges for data at P10 for every 30 minutes is way better than what Globe is charging at the moment. Globe still uses the old GPRS charges for data at P0.25/kb and from it you'll see that globe should start thinking of adjusting their rates. Smart's offer is way like-able especially to heavy data users. This price scheme is at par with the prices offered by hotspots operators. Although it's going to be disadvantageous to those who's been used to using their mobile phones as internet messaging devices. Now they can't just leave their handsets connected 'coz if they do, they'll surely accumulate a lot of charges, and for prepaid users, then say goodbye to your load in a jiffy! Now, where did I put my SMART SIM?

Streaming iTunes music around the house

I am currently listening on my Apple iBook here in my room to songs in my desktop PC which is in the basement. My room is on the 2nd floor. Thanks to the power of wireless technology, I don't have to store music files in my trusty notebook, and instead, when I feel like it, just access the music files in my desktop thru iTunes. The experience is flawless, and it's just like the files are in my notebook pc, and with this technology, I could go around the house and still access the files. In fact, if my wife decides to listen to other songs in my music folder on another notebook pc (VAIO in this case), all she has to do is open up iTunes in the VAIO notebook and access the same files and play different songs from what I'm currently listening to. Pretty neat if you ask me.

SONY launches the PS3

SONY today launched the PS3 and will be available by November of this year. The specs are fascinating but the price is disappointing. It will come in two varieties, one with a 60GB HDD and another with a measley 20GB HDD. The "cheaper" one lacks Wi-Fi, a memory card reader and HDMI out, ouch! Prices would be $600 for the "complete" version while $500 for the "cheaper" version. SONY decided to change the "boomerang" controller and stayed with the "old" playstation controller design with some upgrades such as: X,Y,Z, pitch, roll, yaw and lateral motion detection, Bluetooth for wireless capabilities. Unfortunately, it will not have the "force-feedback" or vibration functionality seen in the Dual Shock controllers due to some "interference" with the motion sensors.

"World's Thinnest" phone from Samsung

Motorola's RAZR has been stripped off the title as the World's thinnest phone by Samsung with it's SGH-X820, which is about 6.9mm think (or should I say thin?). It's as thin as the iPod nano. Though thin, it packs a lot on feature, like the 2 MP camera, MP3 playback, Bluetooth and the now-becoming-a-standard on Samsung phones the TV-out port. I saw a lady the other day sporting a Samsung phone (not this one though) and I thought it was already pretty thin, so I thought. Anyways, I'm very interested in getting one, what holds me back is the UI of the phones, oh and it's too bright for me, anyways, maybe, just for the sake of owning one, why not.

Why the iPod is still the Best Portable Media Player for me.

A lot of Portable Media Players out there are trying their best to beat the iPod from it's current place as the No. 1 Music Player in the world but always falls short. Why? Well, aside from the stigma that the iPod gives the owner and the closest that it gives the owner to the prestige that owning an Apple product gives, practical-wise, it all boils down to the ease of use of the system. I have yet to see a portable music player that can compare with the iPod's ease of use. No minute buttons, no tiny screen, it's simple and it's simple. Want to choose a song? Just thumb through the playlist, and click the center button and the music is playing. Still not satisfied, even when in the pocket, one could maneuver to the next song or put the whole system in stand-by with just one hand even without looking at it. That's how easy it is.

Notebook PC Battery life

A lot of new "affordable" notebook PC's are popping-up in the market today, though the specs of these computers are comparable with most high-end ones, most have one drawback in my opinion, the battery life. Most of them has only 2 hours operating time. What do you think you could do in 2 hours time? Just when you're getting to enjoy your work then poof, there goes the low battery alarm. It's unfortunate that a lot of establishments are becoming hotspots, meaning the use of a mobile computer has more meaning in these times. 

"3" logo on Globe's Phone

Looks like Globe messed up when they were looking for a picture of one of their 3G capable Sony Ericsson phones. At this site, you'll see that the Sony Ericsson K608 has 3's logo right smack on the screen.

Globe 3G video call -- it works!

It's been almost a week since Globe launched their 3G with HSDPA service and I was able to test the video call part just today. The call went flawlessly, I pulled up the number of my wife on my Sony Ericsson K600i, pressed call and it got connected. The good thing is, I didn't have to use any wired or wireless headset because the voice quality was great! The video was smooth but a bit pixelated though features on my wife's face was recognizeable. The only drawback is, the signal is not a wide as SMART'S yet. Oh well, I will just have to wait for it to widen.

Opera Browser's Text to Voice is very useful!

While writing this blog, I am listening to an article from Inq7.net. Yup, listening, I am using Opera Browser's built-in text to voice feature. It's very easy to use, open a web page, highlight the sentence or paragraph you want voiced out and right click, choose speak and it will read out to you the articles. Though monotonous, the voice is ok, and understandable. Not like other text to voice features of other softwares, this one simply works. One good way to multi-task if you're going to ask me.

The New Mac Commercials

The New Mac Commercials are hilarious! It's straight to the point, no going aroung bushes (somehow I find that fascinating). Simply put, I'm a PC and here's what I can do, and I'm a Mac and here's what I can do. But then again, it appeals to the young generation, to individual users, do you think it will appeal to corporate/enterprise clients? Well, perhaps not, but then again, the ones hadling IT in the corporate world are in the younger generation, so, it's a bit logical, since these are the people who's going to work with these machines, then those in the higher ups would be listening to the IT guy's recommendation on what to get. And since the Mac is one stable machine, well, you get what I mean!

Firefox vs. Camino

I may not be a Computer Engineer nor a Software Developer, but I don't need to be one to notice the difference in loading time and refresh times between Firefox and Camino in my iBook. This I know, that both are developed by the same people from Mozilla.org. I wonder why? Well, if you like you can try it yourself. Since I've downloaded both, I've been using Camino more often than Firefox, but then again, I'm using both more often than Safari, OS X's native browser. Then again, I would rather use Safari than Internet Explorer anytime, not that I'm afrain someone will go in my iBook maliciously, but one can never be too careful.

Rush and get yourself a Mac

There is a very reliable rumor that Apple will be releasing the MacBook, the replacement for the iBook this coming May 9, 2006. This means that distributors and resellers alike are most likely to drop their prices on their current inventories. Local reseller Ynzal Marketing is holding a SUMMER DEAL PROMO, where a 12" iBook G4 which normally sells from P61,980 can be acquired for as low as P53,980 and it comes with FREE Airborne Access account. Hurry up and grab one Mac now, oh don't worry, it's not as difficult as it looks, it's actually pretty easy as long as you don't scare yourself that much, heck I don't think one would get scared with the eye-candy looks of the Mac OS X. Anyways, you can reach Ynzal thru telephone numbers: 413-7575 or 4137578-79

Flyakite OSx

I've installed Flyakit OSX in my notebook PC and it's great. Although there will be some Mac enthusiasts that would give bad comments on one pretending to ba another, heck I don't care, as long as I'm liking what I'm seeing. Anyways, Flyakite OSX is an emulation software that will change the look and feel of a Windows machine into more like a Mac machine. Pretty helpful to those who are planning to shift to the Mac, but still not ready to plunge on the new system yet. It will also add fun to those who are not familiar with the software and seeing something not windows on a supposed windows machine. So far, even up to the startup and beachball icon is or should I say looks authentic. Try it out, you can always revert back to the windows look anytime, just uninstall the application and you're back to the windows world. Oh before I forget, remember that this is just an emulation software, meaning, it just coats the windows better looking icons and whatnot, meaning, it's still windows at the bottom and that it's still prone to virus and worm attacks. Enjoy and have fun!

Opera Mini 2.0

Opera Mini 2.0 is out. In fact I've already downloaded and installed it in my phone. Ever since Opera released the Mini version of their famous Opera browser, I've used it most of the times instead of the WAP browser of my SE K600i. What I liked about the Opera Mini is the speed and how it renders HTML web pages into something that is viewable in my phone's small screen. Because the rendering/conversion happens in the Opera servers, it uses very little of my phone's resources and the file size of the webpages are reduced thus minimizing my GPRS charges. Pretty cool huh! The new version corrects the previous flaw, unable to download files from any website, now, one can download and store the files in any JAVA capable phone.

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.