Out of the Box: SEAGATE 160GB External Drive

At last I am able to log into Blogger. I thought I will never be able to post this here. Anyways, here it goes.

I am now at 60% full in this new drive and a lot of people are saying that this is already one big drive. Well, I was really after a big drive, but not an external one. But then I saw this Philips external drive enclosure which made me think twice about having to install it internally. I fell in love with how it looked. So I decided to get one and just get a 160GB 3.5 hard drive and assemble it myself. But, as it would go always, I can't find the enclosure. So I decided to drop the plan and look for a built external drive.













I came across 3 kinds of branded external drives. The Seagate 160GB external drive and two (2) 100GB Maxtor external drives , the Maxtor Basics™ Personal Storage 3200 and the Maxtor Personal Storage 3100 (older version but sleeker).

So I decided to get the Seagate for the simple reason that it got a good money per gigabite out of it. Now here are the Out-of-the-Box pictures.

This is the Front side of the package. As you can see, it's not as "sexy" as the Maxtor, but it'll do.This is one of the side. gives you an idea on how big it is.
Specs on one of the sides too!
And of course one of the sides (yeah it's got lots of sides since it's a box/cube in case you didn't know), has the colorful ads for multimedia capabilities.
This is supposedly the top, but when you remove that outer labeled portion, this part becomes the side.
When the top is opened, there are two chambers. The smaller compartment holds the cables, and paper instructions while the bigger portion holds the drive itself.
Here all the contents of the smaller chamber is laid out. There are two (2) kinds of power cable, one USB cable and one power-brick. Then of course the papers.
This is the front...er...the side where the label is. See those slots? You can see the 3.5" hard drive positioned on the side. Underneath are some screws which I guess will remove that grey cover for future "upgrades".
This is the "control panel". There is one power button, one slot for the USB cable and one socket for the power brick.

Irritating 3G Signal

3G technology is a welcome thought to me, being an early adapter, I consider emerging technologies as the way of the future. That's why I was so delighted to see a 3G signal here in our place. But alas, the signal now is more of an irritant than an advantage. Calling, even simple texting is very difficult when I'm between a GSM network and a 3G network. I hope Globe fix this problem soon! I can only hope.

iCal Works Finally!!!!

Finally after 5 months of having my iBook, I was able to make iCal work!

The problem started after I synchronized my Palm handheld with the iBook. When I start iCal, it would start to hang and eventually close. I kept on looking for ways to go around it but to no avail.

The other day, I decided to delete the data in the folders, but for some wierd thing, the data kept on coming back even after dragging all the folders of data into the trash bin and after a few seconds it keeps on coming back. Then I decided to experiment, I deleted one by one the iCal files from every folder in it. Finally it's all gone and I'm using it with a new clean slate.

Palm to release new Smartphone on September in Europe

A Palm spokesman was quoted to have said that the PDA maker is set to release their new Treo Smartphone in Europe this September.

In an effort to catch up with the two other leading smartphone manufacturers Nokia and SonyEricsson, Palm has announced that it will release it's latest smartphone on September.

The Treo Handheld has been the top selling PDA-phone combo has 2 variants at the present, the Treo 700w is running Windows Mobile 5 and another is the Treo 700p which runs the classic but aging Palm OS 5.

Windows Live Writer (Beta) bug #1

Ok, since Blogger doesn't have their own stand-alone Blogger Writer other than thru email or thru their web interface, I'm using Windows Live Writer (Beta) instead. As I've said the other day, it works, well, for simple text that is. You see, this Windows Live Writer (Beta) is marketed as a WYSWYG editor, meaning, "what you see is what you get", thus if I understand it right, I can write text and add pictures at the same time, then just click on the publish button and that's about it. But I guess I expected too much, you see this is still in Beta and the first bug that I encountered is, well, I can't publish if my blog has pictures inserted in it. I guess, if I need to add pictures, well, again, I have to open my web browser and go to Blogger's page and add the picture from there. Hohum!!!!

Google Desktop part 2

I installed Google Desktop 2 today, this is the 2nd time that I installed Google Desktop in my system. The reason why I installed it (again) was simply because I want to check out Google's Gadget. Hoping that I will be able to find what I can't with Yahoo! Widgets. But alas, I was mistaken, not only did I not find what I was looking for, Yahoo! Widgets are still the best looking ones out there. I can't even find a better alternative Blogging input for my Blogger accounts, not even from Google (who owns Blogger just in case you don't know). 

Windows Live Writer (Beta) Works

Ok, after my test blog using this Windows Live Writer (Beta) and hey, it works. What is nice about this application is that it directly publishes the blog into the server and what it looks like is exactly how the blog looks like including the site template. I will be experimenting next time to post with pictures as this application promises WYSWYG editing.

Windows Live Writer (Beta)

Ok, I've read about this application yesterday but only decided to download it today. What interests me is how it will publish my blogs straight into Blogger considering this is from Microsoft.

Globelines Broadband Speed Upgarde

Just this August, Globelines upped the speed of my DSL connection from 768kbps to 1.2 Mbps, although I hardly notice it since I only get 60% of the supposed speed. Nonetheless, I appreciate the speed upgrade. Then again, what I've noticed is the change in their branding of their wired broadband, from Globelines Broadband to Globe Broadband. I wonder what'll be their plans with it?

Blogger Beta

Today I tried to switch to the new Blogger Beta (though to tell the truth, I don't know what's in the new Blogger), but it won't let me. I guess, I'll have to stay with the old UI 'til they decide to switch all the users, 'coz for now, according to Blogger, only a limited number of users are being migrated.

The SONY MYLO wireless device

I remember SONY tagging their CLIE handhelds as part of their MY Life On-line series. Now it seems that they're bringing it back, but this time, as an independent wireless device similar to their UX50 (which is also a reincarnation of a CLIE model) but leaner. It's got Google and Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, SKYPE and Opera web browser but no cellular connectivity, only WiFi. It can play MP3s and can even share music wirelessly to other MYLO owners in the area.

The mylo has 1GB of flash memory, backed by a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot. Its screen is a 320 by 240 pixel 2.4-inch LCD. It'll retail for $350 when it hits the shelves in September.

Now I'm getting excited and confused. I was eyeing on the Nokia E61 to be my "convergent" device but I guess I'm only after the WiFi connectivity that the E61 offers. That way I could walk around the house without lugging my notebook, just to chat with friends online. Well, I guess it's anything goes for me.

Sony Mylo: Media Player With WiFi, Skype, Browser, and Messaging - Gizmodo

Jabra 330 for P1990.00 ONLY!!!

Hey, not only does Jabra comes out with functional bluetooth headsets, now, the prices are falling!!!! I jst read from an ad in a broadsheet that it's Jabra 330 model is only P1990.00! Heck if only my Jabra 265 has ran out of juice and had it stuck it's feet up in the air, I would right away grab one for my own again hehehehe.

Surprise! Free Wifi

Whenever I have work in Makati, I would always spend my spare time in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the Convergys Bldg., and use up my monthly allocation of my WorldPass account, then today, I decided to wait for my time at the admin office. When I opened my notebook to browse on my lectures, lo and behold, the airport signal at the top portion of my notebook has 3 bars! And my widget made it's usual sound when ever it has updated it's content. Surprise, surprise, there is a Linksys wireless network that is open to the public! So here I am typing this blog in the comfort of the Dean's office couch.

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Sony Ericsson M600 and the Nokia E61

Here I go again, I've blogged about these two phones a couple of months ago, and I might say I am very much impressed by both. Last week I was strolling in a mall and saw that the M600 is already available locally, it's P20,300.00 in that store, now I know it's price range, then in a local mac forum the Nokia E61 is running around P24,000.00. Whew very close, both has it's own identity, the M600, the minimalistic design and of course the proven SONY ERICSSION badge of flawless connectivity and synchronization with other devices, which Nokia lags far behind. While the E61 has a very compelling feature that is lacking in the M600 which is the Wi-fi capability. Only the M600 has that touch screen. Both doesn't have any camera as they are aimed for business folks, both are 3G capable and is ready to recieve (only) video calls. Of course both are expandable with their own set of minute memory cards. Then the only thing that I dislike is, their OS, both uses Symbian OS, the M600 uses the UIQ while the E61 the Symbian 90. The reason for the dislike? Well, mobile viruses that attacks this operating system. Yeah some would say that it's a small price to pay for not being to causeous in accepting unknown files. I would agree if you are 100% pathogenic for suffering Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but for "normal" individuals, though very careful with transferred files, that accidental push on the YES button is detrimental to my P20 thousand phone. This is the same reason why I am still with Sony Ericsson phones (with the exception of the P- series), because it's immune to these malwares. Nonetheless, if I follow strict procedures, it won't be too long before I get my hands on these or at least one of these wonderful toys. There goes my savings again.

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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

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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++

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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

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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

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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!