Archive for the 'Computing' Category

Cellphone Plans

Published by
James
at 3:38 HKT Jul 26, 2008 in Gadgets, Thoughts and Computing. 0 Comments

Earlier last night, PCCW contacted me in regards to my cellphone contract renewal. I had been given some thought in the past month or so as to whether I should stick with them or to find some other cellphone service provider who has a more comprehensive call + mobile data packed deal.

I have been trying those 3’s pay as you go rechargeable SIM cards for a little over a month and their 3G coverage seems to be inline with PCCW’s from where I have been accessing their service. 3.5G coverage was a little less than PCCW’s but not something with much noticeable difference other than the phones service indicator which indicates otherwise. The nicest “feature” of a pay as you go rechargeable service is that one would never have the service charges gotten out of hand unless one charges it with over something like a thousand dollars at a time, I suppose. My data usage with a very moderate and careful use was about a coupon pricing of around $170 at a rate of $0.02 each KB, which works out to be about 8MB. However, for strap free web browsing, one would really need several folds of that in order to be home PC like free. Yet the $488 per month quasi unlimited use package that all suedo conspired suppliers seem to have is simply too costly for me. Besides, one time I have noticed by loading just one single average web page with mostly text alone came to be over 2MB in data transfer, the KB packet tariff unit is simply ridiculously costly. While the pay as you go method is a save way to ensure no over indulgence, it isn’t exactly ideal despite that fact that 3 allows number portability to be transfered to their rechargeable plans.

2 days ago, after scrutinizing PCCW’s website, I called PCCW to inquire about any special (hidden) deal on mobile data usage packages in accordance to 3’s current “free iPhone” plans which is in mobile data with audio call orient but to no avail. Last night, the PCCW saleslady showed me a “special Kung-Pau manager-approved ultimate insider Oracle chosen one for company staff only” plan. I didn’t care of the bloated status, it just sounded like more inline to what I was hoping for so I took the contract renewal. A little later, I have just found “The Plan” to be newly listed on their website as such, which isn’t surprising but as they say, read the fine prints (you know, the rules that they have neglected to mention)…

  • Waiver of monthly charge of moov on mobile/ M.HD pass during the first 2 months. Starting from the 3rd month, customer has to pay the standard monthly charge ($48)
  • Mobile data service additional charge is $10/10MB, usage is rounded up to the nearest 10MB, maximum charge is $298 per month
  • Mobile data service does not include downloading or uploading files, or any other kinds of data access, from a computer using a mobile handset or SIM embedded data module as a modem, in which case $0.08/KB will be charged

Since it is so new, I am sure the out calling saleslady hadn’t had time to learn the fine prints herself as most of these callers work for an out sourced calling agent rather than the service provider themselves. Getting back to those fine prints, the mobile data access is actually more like their special $18/30MB web viewing package where one must go through their PCCW website portal to access other website only with this, one is not required to go through the portal (I was explicitly ensured as such). The problem is, while I can’t be sure that I would not be downloading anything, I am sure I would be uploading photos on the way! The $0.08/KB premium is what I have been trying to avoid all along. The only solution now would be to keep my $48/month 3MB $0.01/KB thereafter mobile data package just to make sure it would not be 8 times as much.

This whole deal doesn’t sound as bad as it sounded semi-good either, actually. I have been paying over $120 per month with just 3MB mobile data allowance with sometimes over $150 in the odd months plus 3’s rechargeable cards anyway. So adding the $48 back to the new $98+12 plan but with 60MB+3MB data is in fact a bit more usage allowance than I could hope for 2 days ago with any service provider without needed to pay at least another 2 to 3 hundred HKD. I am sure the mobile data package pricing would drop soon so I can modify that along the way.

Move Over Sunken Inviciboshield

Published by
James
at 11:01 HKT Jul 25, 2008 in Gadgets and Computing. 0 Comments

Golden Shellback is coming soon.


Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain.com on Vimeo.

My Prediction on Mobile OS

Published by
James
at 15:30 HKT Jul 1, 2008 in Gadgets, Thoughts and Computing. 0 Comments

After owning and using several old and new WM phones up to last year’s WM5.0, and in this year one of the latest S60 phone, along with Nokia purchasing the rest of Symbian, I predict this collaboration between mobile giants marks the begin of the end of WM crap.

MSN Account Invation Had Been Attempted

Published by
James
at 11:59 HKT Jun 27, 2008 in LoadACrap, Thoughts and Computing. 2 Comments

Just got an MSN message from a MSN contact regarding some new photos being published which needed my MSN login to access those photos. As soon as I inadvertently signed in, I realized it was a hoax! So I quickly tried to change my password for MSN Live Messenger only to find out there is no such function within the official client software application! A quick search found a site provided with a link for just that purpose which sent me to some “support.microsoft” site as it asked me to sign-in to my account. I thought that was kinda strange, so I went to www.msn.com instead which I know it is a legit site and signed on there.

The “change password” function was still nowhere to be found but I finally got it done on one of the sign-in pages in Microsoft. More searches revealed the account.live.com site that gives me the function. I had signed in through www.msn.com and got there with the function ready for me without asking me
to sign-in again, so I think it is legit. Do so at your own risks only.

PITA in this electronic age!

XP Directory Synchronization

Published by
James
at 15:28 HKT Jun 24, 2008 in Computing. 4 Comments

Allway Sync is a freeware and very easy to use.

iPhone 3G is in

Published by
James
at 7:19 HKT Jun 10, 2008 in LoadACrap, Gadgets, AudioVisual and Computing. 2 Comments

and the 2G is officially RIP.

At USD$199, I ‘envy’ those who had paid could afford over HKD$4K for the cracked 2G model against my advise, and couldn’t help but laughing wondering WTF that newly announced dealership of the 2G model by 3 for the HK and Macau market was all about.

Although Apple has switched the 3G model back to their usual selling outlets as with all other Apple products, ie screwing all the local gray marketeers, the 3G model is on the HK Apple online shop without a price and looks like they are not taking orders at this moment. That means one can still get the closed to HKD$5K 2G model from HKSincere and pretend to be the coolest dude for awhile still.

Unlike the 2G model, I am able to find one or two great features on the iPhone 3G though; talk time in 3G mode (only manual switching, no auto hanging switching between 2G/3G for this phone) is a whopping 5hrs at a great USD listed price!

Which reminds me, perhaps a Whopper for lunch today or very soon. Yum. :-P

Oh!  Ah…. one more thing…

This iPhone 3G is like an iPod Touch at about HKD$800 less with a free 3G phone attached albeit without a video call camera … Sounds GREAT to me!

Once again, just as I had predicted…

Published by
James
at 12:24 HKT Jan 11, 2008 in AudioVisual and Computing. 0 Comments

Studios backing HD DVD could soon switch sides to Blu-ray

Going iWalletless

Published by
James
at 18:25 HKT Nov 4, 2007 in Gadgets, Computing and Arts&Crafts. 0 Comments

Why bring a $500 wallet for carrying the money when I usually have less than $300 on me most of the time? Like its leather counterpart, I may soon no longer need a digital wallet for my digital photos.

Just bought a Nikon Coolpix S700 digital P&S camera. Along with it, I headed over to the computer centre to find a larger SD flash memory card for this 12MPix DC. Trandscend has a 4GB class 6 (fastest) SDHC for HKD$260! For comparison, my first ever 80MB CF cost me HKD$1680!

At these prices, I see no point in carrying a digital wallet anymore. Besides, my digital wallet does not accept SDHC anyway.

Reality Virtuation Saves Money

Published by
James
at 11:55 HKT Sep 24, 2007 in Family, Thoughts and Computing. 0 Comments

It is coming to the festive season now. In the old days, people traveled a relatively long way to visit friends and relatives during major holidays bringing gifts for everyone. To this date, the in-laws still go through the whole nine yard every Christmas decorating, exchanging gifts, turkey and all. With cars and airplanes nowadays, traveling is no longer such a big issue; except for 3 things, gifts well thought out, time to shop, and the money to spend. In a big family, this yearly chore has become quite a numbed burden. Add friends to the equation could drive many up the wall.

The Internet has been bringing many conveniences to the web surfers. There have been email, instant messaging, eCard, online purchasing, and many more. It’s been a couple of years now since we have entered the “Web 2.0 Age” which brings us Social Networking.

In a social network, friends not only can send greeting messages but send virtual gifts like a drink, a growing plant, a giraffe, items for the house; draw on friends wall; give them hugs and kisses, lick them, or drop-kick them; put a tattoo on them, or even Vampire bite them!

Virtually speaking, of course. None of these cost a dime. Well, except for the ISP service charges and the time to watch that growing plant grows into something unexpected like a shoelace hanging a rotten Godzilla (no, u can’t really do that yet but perhaps in version 64.13.2b service pack XI you could - that’s if the distribution date isn’t going to be postponed for the 5th time).

With all those widgets available, one saves a lot of money which they don’t have to begin with and perhaps regain some long lost friendships a long way as well. What can be easier than doing the “let’s not and say we did” without actually having to say it out loud to your friends and not needing to actually dress-up, go out the door, spending 8 hours in search of the ultimate gift of all time… repeatedly every single year, attend the gathering for an hour and a half, and then never even call each other for another year minus 2 weeks.

The chilling thoughts make we want to quickly grab that “Festive Gift” widget and start sending the latest trendy festive gift before they became cliches.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot (or AMF - Pick this acronym up from the movie Flight of the Intruder). Gotta lrn mor abbv wuds, RdaYs u cant r8 2 kids & Xpec ‘em 2 undastan u on da Net no mor.

More modern communication breakdown.

Published by
James
at 3:15 HKT Sep 12, 2007 in Science, Thoughts and Computing. 0 Comments

After I have blogged about VoIP , I now have MSN and GTalk permanently installed on my work PC; GTalk through web GMail permanently, with Gizmo Project and Mercury occasionally on my Powerbook. The problem is, MSN and iChat offers video chat, audio chat as well as IM but GTalk offers audio chat and IM only. While there are methods and applications that offer crossed platform IM, audio and video chats are seemingly only available with the same application on both ends. Adding the different computers and OSs, Gizmo Project is pretty well the only application that can do both audio chat as well as IM when both ends have it installed or IM only when just one end has it installed with the other end having some other IM client install; and GP works on both PC and Mac.

Here comes the Web 2.0 age.

Well, actually social networking services have been around for a couple of years. While I have only just been invited to join my first social networking service, I found out there are many of them around such as Facebook, Windows Live Spaces, MySpace, Google orkut,…… The list goes on and on. I don’t want to have to join 50 services just to be able to do one thing with all my friends and colleges.

It would be nice to be able to consolidate different types of applications into one suite like that of Windows Live or Google. Still, not everyone are installed with the same suite.  While I am using GMail, GTalk, and GCalendar, I could use G.orkut which would integrate at least the “contact” (email address book) very well; but no, friends used MSN Live Messenger and/or Facebook (Hey, which one has most babes anyway?).  Just like we have many languages in the world, modern communications are just not as simple as the plain old landline telephone.

So what do we have now? Direct SMS/MMS (video calls with 3G phone), SMS relay notification, over cellphones; Push Mail, mobile web, IM, VoIP over smartphones? Then there is the different cellphone systems over the 5 Continents. Unless you have the top end cellphone nowadays, you may be carrying 2 or every 3 different cellphones if you travel around the world often. Many many ways but all with different hardware/software.  Carrying chargers alone could back your back.

Ohura! Scotty! I want that universal translator online and I want it now!  I kiss all humanoid  females, alien or otherwise!