Urgh, been playing Plants Vs. Zombies on the iphone and it's really addictive. I've finished the Adventure stage and bought all the plants already.
I was just playing it earlier and got stuck again at level 5-5 where there are only chompers, pumpkins and cherry bombs. Hard because the zombies comes in waves at the end. I wonder how I did it the first time?
Anyway, going to try and stop playing this game and do something more productive now that the holiday is over. Got to start thinking about other things! Now before I go to bed and my brain goes through the thoughts of the of day, all I see when I close my eyes are plants. Damn it.
Well, at least it beats seeing Napoleon Total War.
Showing posts with label iphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iphone. Show all posts
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
transfer iphone contacts & new life for iphone 2G
Spend most of the evening trying to transfer the contacts from one iphone 2G to another iphone 2G. See, both my iphone 2G's don't have working wifi. The one that my wife uses has a problem with the screen (LCD crack at corner). So I wanted to switch her phone with the other phone.
The only problem with her phone was that itunes kept asking for the phone to be restored. If I did that, it would have erased all her contacts (and also broken the jailbreak). I couldn't SSH into the phone because the WIFI was out too.
So I spend almost an hour searching google for an answer. Previously, I used iphone tunnel suite and tethered the phone to get into it but that didn't work anymore. Finally, I found a replacement, iFunBox which immediately tunneled into the phone.
From there, I could copy the address book, SMS and history into the other phone. I think there's still some bugs though because when I tried to sync the other phone into itunes, it kept saying the phone cancelled the contacts sync. I only managed to sync the contacts into Outlook once. Probably the database in the phone is messed up already. I guess copying it directly didn't work.
Now I have a phone with a slightly damaged LCD screen. I'm in the middle of loading all sorts of games onto it. I'm going to turn it into a mobile gaming device. It's got no WIFI so I figure the only it's good for is gaming, listening to music and taking a few crappy pictures. Since the camera is only 2MP, it just doesn't cut it anymore compared to the iphone 4.
I think I can probably use it as a presentation kit too. I hacked the recognized device file in the phone so I can plug an AV cable into it. The phone can output movies to a LCD TV. Great for when I want to play a showreel onto a TV. I just copy it into the phone and play it back. Easier than carrying my notebook around.
Anyway, these games aren't going to last long. I get bored easily playing iphone games. They just don't last as long as PC games.
The only problem with her phone was that itunes kept asking for the phone to be restored. If I did that, it would have erased all her contacts (and also broken the jailbreak). I couldn't SSH into the phone because the WIFI was out too.
So I spend almost an hour searching google for an answer. Previously, I used iphone tunnel suite and tethered the phone to get into it but that didn't work anymore. Finally, I found a replacement, iFunBox which immediately tunneled into the phone.
From there, I could copy the address book, SMS and history into the other phone. I think there's still some bugs though because when I tried to sync the other phone into itunes, it kept saying the phone cancelled the contacts sync. I only managed to sync the contacts into Outlook once. Probably the database in the phone is messed up already. I guess copying it directly didn't work.
Now I have a phone with a slightly damaged LCD screen. I'm in the middle of loading all sorts of games onto it. I'm going to turn it into a mobile gaming device. It's got no WIFI so I figure the only it's good for is gaming, listening to music and taking a few crappy pictures. Since the camera is only 2MP, it just doesn't cut it anymore compared to the iphone 4.
I think I can probably use it as a presentation kit too. I hacked the recognized device file in the phone so I can plug an AV cable into it. The phone can output movies to a LCD TV. Great for when I want to play a showreel onto a TV. I just copy it into the phone and play it back. Easier than carrying my notebook around.
Anyway, these games aren't going to last long. I get bored easily playing iphone games. They just don't last as long as PC games.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Iphone 4 by Maxis "any day now"
Maxis just send me an email saying that they are bringing the iPhone to Malaysia "any day now". What does that mean, like next week? December? Hate ambiguous emails like this.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Update on the Android versus Iphone 4 in Malaysia
Did a bit more research about my search for an Android phone that can compete with the Iphone 4 in Malaysia. I just read about the Motorola Droid 2 release in the US and it's the phone I wrote about earlier. In Malaysia, the Motorola Droid phone is called the Motorola Milestone.
I hope Motorola launches it soon in Malaysia, hopefully before the Iphone 4 actually enters the Malaysian market. This the Android phone I have been waiting for to finally compete against the Iphone 4. I would want to hold one in my hand before finally deciding to buy it.
So far Maxis doesn't offer any packages for the Motorola Milestone so I don't expect Maxis to offer a package for the Motorola Milestone 2.
Update: Okay, I got it wrong. I shouldn't be writing postings at 3:18AM in the morning. The first phone I wrote about is the Motorola Droid X. This Droid 2 has less hardware specs than the Droid X. However, I'm quite excited about the Dell Streak which might give a good fight.
I hope Motorola launches it soon in Malaysia, hopefully before the Iphone 4 actually enters the Malaysian market. This the Android phone I have been waiting for to finally compete against the Iphone 4. I would want to hold one in my hand before finally deciding to buy it.
So far Maxis doesn't offer any packages for the Motorola Milestone so I don't expect Maxis to offer a package for the Motorola Milestone 2.
Update: Okay, I got it wrong. I shouldn't be writing postings at 3:18AM in the morning. The first phone I wrote about is the Motorola Droid X. This Droid 2 has less hardware specs than the Droid X. However, I'm quite excited about the Dell Streak which might give a good fight.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Looking for an android phone to beat iPhone 4 in Malaysia
I was going to post the below as my facebook update but it was just too long. So I thought this would be a good post to re-start my blog again.
I think I finally found a phone that will beat the Iphone 4, it's the Droid X by Motorola. 2 LED flash, 3 mics! It's even got 2 antennas and the phone can double as a wifi hotspot for up to 5 devices.
Hardware wise, everything else is the same. Only the iPhone resolution is higher. It's like motorola made a phone specifically to outrun the iPhone 4. The T1000 to beat Apple's T800.
The itunes apps market is over rated. They may have more apps than Android but most of the apps are the same type and most of it are crap.
Too bad it's a CDMA model, doesn't work in malaysia's GSM network. If motorola makes a GSM model and maxis sells it with a package, I'll pick it over the iPhone 4.
As a long time user of the Iphone 2G, I've been through a lot with the Iphone. I've tried many different jailbreak and unlocks on it. I've tried all sorts of apps too. Some time back I realized all that work just to get the damn phone to perform like a 'normal' smart phone.
When I say normal, I want mms, working YouTube and wifi and email on it. The rest are all extras. I dont want to have to worry each time a firm ware comes out the damn phone will stop working because I unlcoked it.
I'm not sold the facetime app on iPhone 4. How many people am I going to find with another iPhone 4 to use it with? as it is, I only have 4 people on my Skype.
I was waiting for a very long time for the iPhone 4 to replace this Iphone 2G. The wait was so long, other competitors can along and are offering products that can beat it now. Now I don't have to be loyal to Steve Jobs anymore. I never liked Mac and have always been a PC getting and iPhone 2G at first had been a fluke.
Don't get me wrong, the iPhone 4 is still a fantastic phone and there is no other phone in the malaysian market that can beat it, I'll probably get it. I don't mind waiting longer but I don't know if my current iPhone can hold out. Every three days I have to put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to fix the wifi problem. Yeah, the crazy stuff I have to do to get the phone working like 'normal'.
You know what? As I write this I feel much better about myself. At first I was torn about thinking about another phone but after writing my thoughts down I can think clearer.
Writing from my iPhone
I think I finally found a phone that will beat the Iphone 4, it's the Droid X by Motorola. 2 LED flash, 3 mics! It's even got 2 antennas and the phone can double as a wifi hotspot for up to 5 devices.
Hardware wise, everything else is the same. Only the iPhone resolution is higher. It's like motorola made a phone specifically to outrun the iPhone 4. The T1000 to beat Apple's T800.
The itunes apps market is over rated. They may have more apps than Android but most of the apps are the same type and most of it are crap.
Too bad it's a CDMA model, doesn't work in malaysia's GSM network. If motorola makes a GSM model and maxis sells it with a package, I'll pick it over the iPhone 4.
As a long time user of the Iphone 2G, I've been through a lot with the Iphone. I've tried many different jailbreak and unlocks on it. I've tried all sorts of apps too. Some time back I realized all that work just to get the damn phone to perform like a 'normal' smart phone.
When I say normal, I want mms, working YouTube and wifi and email on it. The rest are all extras. I dont want to have to worry each time a firm ware comes out the damn phone will stop working because I unlcoked it.
I'm not sold the facetime app on iPhone 4. How many people am I going to find with another iPhone 4 to use it with? as it is, I only have 4 people on my Skype.
I was waiting for a very long time for the iPhone 4 to replace this Iphone 2G. The wait was so long, other competitors can along and are offering products that can beat it now. Now I don't have to be loyal to Steve Jobs anymore. I never liked Mac and have always been a PC getting and iPhone 2G at first had been a fluke.
Don't get me wrong, the iPhone 4 is still a fantastic phone and there is no other phone in the malaysian market that can beat it, I'll probably get it. I don't mind waiting longer but I don't know if my current iPhone can hold out. Every three days I have to put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to fix the wifi problem. Yeah, the crazy stuff I have to do to get the phone working like 'normal'.
You know what? As I write this I feel much better about myself. At first I was torn about thinking about another phone but after writing my thoughts down I can think clearer.
Writing from my iPhone
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Pear & pineapple
A funny conversation this morning during a meeting I attended.
X: Hey, is that a new Iphone?
Y: Yeah, I got it in Singapore. Malaysia very expensive. Over there, much less.
X: (picks up the phone and looks at it) Hrm, this doesn't look like an Iphone.
Me: (takes Iphone and look at it) Hey, this is not an Iphone. It's a China clone.
Y: It is an Iphone, how you know its a clone?
Me: Iphone has an Apple logo on the back, yours doesn't. Plus your USB port is on top of the phone, Iphone's USB port is at the bottom. (I show her my Iphone). Your phone is not an Apple lar, it's a pear. Looks like an Apple, but it's not, it's a pear.
X: More like a pineapple.
hahahaha.
X: Hey, is that a new Iphone?
Y: Yeah, I got it in Singapore. Malaysia very expensive. Over there, much less.
X: (picks up the phone and looks at it) Hrm, this doesn't look like an Iphone.
Me: (takes Iphone and look at it) Hey, this is not an Iphone. It's a China clone.
Y: It is an Iphone, how you know its a clone?
Me: Iphone has an Apple logo on the back, yours doesn't. Plus your USB port is on top of the phone, Iphone's USB port is at the bottom. (I show her my Iphone). Your phone is not an Apple lar, it's a pear. Looks like an Apple, but it's not, it's a pear.
X: More like a pineapple.
hahahaha.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
My adverture with technology
So what have I been up too lately? Well, I've been spending time with technology.
Lately, I got me a new notebook. I never owned one before but I sure have meddled with quite a few. When I started out in the IT world, I started of with a desktop. I liked the Desktop because notebooks were small and dinky. However as time when on, I saw the benefits of owning one (like being able to facebook in private on a larger screen than my Iphone in the office).
I've been installing and uninstalling software on it. Just when I thought I got everything right, I formatted the whole damn thing because of a glitch. Good thing it was so easy to start up again now that I've backed up all the stuff onto my external Hard Drive.
Actually right now I'm on the notebook writing this on my sofa at home. I could have done this from my Iphone but using a keyboard sure is faster.
So what notebook did I get? I got the Benq S41. Okay, most people are quite surprised when I mentioned that I got a Benq. Those who know me know that I love technology, most would have assumed I would have gotten a HP or a Dell. Actually that was my first choice but after some indept research, I found that the Benq S41 was a better deal. First of all, my priorities are for gaming and video editing. So the most important thing is a good video card and decent processor. The rest can all be upgraded.
The S41 came with a Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0MHz processor. That's pretty decent mid-range processor. The best part of course is the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M video card. Normally, for a mid-range video card the most powerful I could find was a 8400M. Not much of a difference but when it comes to rendering video, it does save me a lot of time. I upgraded the hard disk to 300G and boosted the RAM to 4G. So my mid-range notebook can probably out run most beginner top range machines out there.
I got a Windows Vista score of 4.8. Doesn't say much but it is an indication of its processing power. Heck, this machine got a higher score than my desktop. My desktop is handicapped at a 3G RAM, too lazy upgrade the ram to 4G right now.
The other IT stuff I've been playing with was my Iphone. I took a big risk to upgrade the firmware to V2.2.0. It's quite nerve wracking upgrading the firmware by yourself and jailbreaking it.
It was all going fine and I was using the phone for a month until I dropped it a few days ago. I was going to put it on the sofa but it slipped and fell onto the floor. When I picked it up, a small corner of the LCD had streaking colors. It was a sign there was a leak in the LCD panel, over time two thin lines grew all the way across the screen. It was a like a cancer growing and growing. That just so pissed me of. The damn thing is still under warranty actually but I got to get it back to London so its just not worth the hassle.
I did the next best thing. I asked my wife if I could use the same identical Iphone I got for her. Hers was just sitting in the drawer as she never used it. So upgraded the firmware and jailbreaked it and the best part is... I could back it up and now the phone is almost identical to my old phone. Damn I love this backup feature on Iphone.
The new firmware is missing a few key features compared to the old firmware. In V1.1.4, there were softwares I could download like WeTool which let me send contacts and forward SMS. I don't have that in the new firmware. Kind of sucks.
Actually, right now I'm just glad I have spare Iphone lying around for me to use. Otherwise, I'm stuck with a phone that has a hole growing larger and larger over time.
Lately, I got me a new notebook. I never owned one before but I sure have meddled with quite a few. When I started out in the IT world, I started of with a desktop. I liked the Desktop because notebooks were small and dinky. However as time when on, I saw the benefits of owning one (like being able to facebook in private on a larger screen than my Iphone in the office).
I've been installing and uninstalling software on it. Just when I thought I got everything right, I formatted the whole damn thing because of a glitch. Good thing it was so easy to start up again now that I've backed up all the stuff onto my external Hard Drive.
Actually right now I'm on the notebook writing this on my sofa at home. I could have done this from my Iphone but using a keyboard sure is faster.
So what notebook did I get? I got the Benq S41. Okay, most people are quite surprised when I mentioned that I got a Benq. Those who know me know that I love technology, most would have assumed I would have gotten a HP or a Dell. Actually that was my first choice but after some indept research, I found that the Benq S41 was a better deal. First of all, my priorities are for gaming and video editing. So the most important thing is a good video card and decent processor. The rest can all be upgraded.
The S41 came with a Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0MHz processor. That's pretty decent mid-range processor. The best part of course is the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M video card. Normally, for a mid-range video card the most powerful I could find was a 8400M. Not much of a difference but when it comes to rendering video, it does save me a lot of time. I upgraded the hard disk to 300G and boosted the RAM to 4G. So my mid-range notebook can probably out run most beginner top range machines out there.
I got a Windows Vista score of 4.8. Doesn't say much but it is an indication of its processing power. Heck, this machine got a higher score than my desktop. My desktop is handicapped at a 3G RAM, too lazy upgrade the ram to 4G right now.
The other IT stuff I've been playing with was my Iphone. I took a big risk to upgrade the firmware to V2.2.0. It's quite nerve wracking upgrading the firmware by yourself and jailbreaking it.
It was all going fine and I was using the phone for a month until I dropped it a few days ago. I was going to put it on the sofa but it slipped and fell onto the floor. When I picked it up, a small corner of the LCD had streaking colors. It was a sign there was a leak in the LCD panel, over time two thin lines grew all the way across the screen. It was a like a cancer growing and growing. That just so pissed me of. The damn thing is still under warranty actually but I got to get it back to London so its just not worth the hassle.
I did the next best thing. I asked my wife if I could use the same identical Iphone I got for her. Hers was just sitting in the drawer as she never used it. So upgraded the firmware and jailbreaked it and the best part is... I could back it up and now the phone is almost identical to my old phone. Damn I love this backup feature on Iphone.
The new firmware is missing a few key features compared to the old firmware. In V1.1.4, there were softwares I could download like WeTool which let me send contacts and forward SMS. I don't have that in the new firmware. Kind of sucks.
Actually, right now I'm just glad I have spare Iphone lying around for me to use. Otherwise, I'm stuck with a phone that has a hole growing larger and larger over time.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
How to make free phone calls from your handphone
My father just showed me something really cool, how to make free calls to land lines from the handphone. He bought a new Nokia phone, E51 which had WiFi and could also make SIP calls. His friend recommended he use www.voipstunt.com, a SIP provider.
So what's a SIP provider? Basically, they allow you to make calls over the internet to a phone number. What's interesting about voipstunt is that they all you to call land lines in Malaysia and a few other countries like in the US, United Kingdom and Australia for free. Just sign up and you get free 60 minutes the first time. Buying credits get you more free land line calls.
Now most phone won't be able to make SIP calls on their own so you have to download a program to make VOIP calls. I use Fring on my Iphone and it works for a variety of phones too like my father's Nokia E51. I downloaded the Fring software onto his phone and signed in using his VOIP account.
The nice thing about fring is that you can also chat and do voice calls to friends on your MSN Messenger, Yahoo messenger, Skype, ICQ, Google Talk and a variety of other messenger services. There is a dialer in there that lets you call any phone number either through SIP or Skype so you can choose to use your SIP or Skype account. I tried calling a friend in Canada with the skype account, it worked. Connection was a little dodgy at times but other than that, it worked quite well. I spend 30 minutes on the phone talking to someone in Canada for almost free! (I have to pay for my Wifi connection at home after all).
So now, if I go to anywhere with wifi, I can call a Malaysian land line for free. So I can call lets say my office from my handphone at home for free. Cool right?
So what's a SIP provider? Basically, they allow you to make calls over the internet to a phone number. What's interesting about voipstunt is that they all you to call land lines in Malaysia and a few other countries like in the US, United Kingdom and Australia for free. Just sign up and you get free 60 minutes the first time. Buying credits get you more free land line calls.
Now most phone won't be able to make SIP calls on their own so you have to download a program to make VOIP calls. I use Fring on my Iphone and it works for a variety of phones too like my father's Nokia E51. I downloaded the Fring software onto his phone and signed in using his VOIP account.
The nice thing about fring is that you can also chat and do voice calls to friends on your MSN Messenger, Yahoo messenger, Skype, ICQ, Google Talk and a variety of other messenger services. There is a dialer in there that lets you call any phone number either through SIP or Skype so you can choose to use your SIP or Skype account. I tried calling a friend in Canada with the skype account, it worked. Connection was a little dodgy at times but other than that, it worked quite well. I spend 30 minutes on the phone talking to someone in Canada for almost free! (I have to pay for my Wifi connection at home after all).
So now, if I go to anywhere with wifi, I can call a Malaysian land line for free. So I can call lets say my office from my handphone at home for free. Cool right?
Saturday, June 07, 2008
what's new with the Iphone
I've added some new programs to my Iphone:
Iphonevideorecorder
The unpaid version of this program only allows 30 second recordings. I found a crack online for it. Now my Iphone is complete, it is finally like a 'normal' phone with a video camera. It encodes in mp4 format. You record a video and then after you are done with it, its in an uncoded format. It takes about a minute to encode a minute of video so there is no real time encoding to mp4.
Fring
Fring offers VOIP for the Iphone. I came across their application as I was surfing the net. I was wondering if Iphone has such a large sofware community developer out there, someone must have developed a VOIP software for it... and someone just did. Fring offers Skype calls over the Iphone. What this means is, if you have free wifi connection, you can use the fring account on your Iphone to make a call. I haven't tried calling anyone with the Fring yet (no one to call!). Another added bonus of the Fring account is that you get to also add all your chat contacts from MSN, Yahoo, etc.
Meebo
Meebo is actually just a bookmark to a website which allows you to chat online with your MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Gtalk, etc friends. Doesn't work in my office wifi, they blocked all the chat websites. If I really want to chat with someone, I have to walk to One Utama to use their free wifi.
Docs
This is a utility tool. With this program, you can open up the directories in your Iphone. So basically, the Iphone turns into a large storage device (kind of like a thumb drive). To access it, you need to connect to it through SSH. I upload my PDF photoshop tutorial files into it so when I'm in the office editing photos, I can refer to my Iphone.
The Iphone can't open PDF files larger than 6MB so I have to break down the files into every ten pages. Kind of tedious but at least I can read the files.
There are other programs I have on the Iphone like MxTube, Convert (it's a measurement converter), gemlogic, OrbLive, etc. All this are pretty common programs.
I don't really like this OrbLive program as I'm afraid of privacy issues. How it works is you install it on the Desktop PC at home and leave it connected to the internet. It will stream media to your Iphone through the internet. It works better if you have a TV Card tuner so it will allow you to watch TV on the Iphone. I don't have a TV Card Tuner so I can only stream photos, videos and music. I'm afraid someone might get into my Orb account and they'll get my private media files.
I also bought 24, Season 6 on DVD. It comes in 3 disk. All the episodes are highly compressed but that's okay as I was going to convert it to the Iphone format. The conversion program I used, Handshake had a problem recognizing the chapters in the disk. It could only convert the first four chapters and missed out on the other four on each disk. At least now I can watch some TV programs on the Iphone.
It's a bit tedious to watch TV shows longer than 30 minutes on the Iphone, my hand gets tired from holding it and the volume is too low in a noisy room. The only time its fun to watch is when I'm in bed hiding under the covers in the dark. I hide under the covers as the acoustic sounds better. I feel like a little kid again.
Most of the time now I just watch the podcast news video I download. I have CBS Evening news with Katie Couric, ABC podcasts and CNN podcasts. I don't really like listening to audio podcast, I prefer video podcast... much more fun. It's also very distracting. I tried watching it at a traffic light once while driving, I almost missed the green light. I don't think I'll do it again.
Iphonevideorecorder
The unpaid version of this program only allows 30 second recordings. I found a crack online for it. Now my Iphone is complete, it is finally like a 'normal' phone with a video camera. It encodes in mp4 format. You record a video and then after you are done with it, its in an uncoded format. It takes about a minute to encode a minute of video so there is no real time encoding to mp4.
Fring
Fring offers VOIP for the Iphone. I came across their application as I was surfing the net. I was wondering if Iphone has such a large sofware community developer out there, someone must have developed a VOIP software for it... and someone just did. Fring offers Skype calls over the Iphone. What this means is, if you have free wifi connection, you can use the fring account on your Iphone to make a call. I haven't tried calling anyone with the Fring yet (no one to call!). Another added bonus of the Fring account is that you get to also add all your chat contacts from MSN, Yahoo, etc.
Meebo
Meebo is actually just a bookmark to a website which allows you to chat online with your MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Gtalk, etc friends. Doesn't work in my office wifi, they blocked all the chat websites. If I really want to chat with someone, I have to walk to One Utama to use their free wifi.
Docs
This is a utility tool. With this program, you can open up the directories in your Iphone. So basically, the Iphone turns into a large storage device (kind of like a thumb drive). To access it, you need to connect to it through SSH. I upload my PDF photoshop tutorial files into it so when I'm in the office editing photos, I can refer to my Iphone.
The Iphone can't open PDF files larger than 6MB so I have to break down the files into every ten pages. Kind of tedious but at least I can read the files.
There are other programs I have on the Iphone like MxTube, Convert (it's a measurement converter), gemlogic, OrbLive, etc. All this are pretty common programs.
I don't really like this OrbLive program as I'm afraid of privacy issues. How it works is you install it on the Desktop PC at home and leave it connected to the internet. It will stream media to your Iphone through the internet. It works better if you have a TV Card tuner so it will allow you to watch TV on the Iphone. I don't have a TV Card Tuner so I can only stream photos, videos and music. I'm afraid someone might get into my Orb account and they'll get my private media files.
I also bought 24, Season 6 on DVD. It comes in 3 disk. All the episodes are highly compressed but that's okay as I was going to convert it to the Iphone format. The conversion program I used, Handshake had a problem recognizing the chapters in the disk. It could only convert the first four chapters and missed out on the other four on each disk. At least now I can watch some TV programs on the Iphone.
It's a bit tedious to watch TV shows longer than 30 minutes on the Iphone, my hand gets tired from holding it and the volume is too low in a noisy room. The only time its fun to watch is when I'm in bed hiding under the covers in the dark. I hide under the covers as the acoustic sounds better. I feel like a little kid again.
Most of the time now I just watch the podcast news video I download. I have CBS Evening news with Katie Couric, ABC podcasts and CNN podcasts. I don't really like listening to audio podcast, I prefer video podcast... much more fun. It's also very distracting. I tried watching it at a traffic light once while driving, I almost missed the green light. I don't think I'll do it again.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Playing with the Iphone
Haven't written much lately, that's because I've been busy with a few things.
I've been learning how to meddle with my Iphone a lot. Here are some of the things I've accomplished so far:
1. Putting ringtones into the Iphone. This wasn't too hard. In the original unlocked Iphone, you could only buy ringtones online. I finally learned how to create my own ringtones. I also learned how to use Adobe Soundbooth CS3 a little. Not easy I must say. I wonder if I have the tutorial stashed away somewhere for Soundbooth. Anyway, now I got different ringtones for different people. For my office, I have the Mission Impossible and Macgyver TV theme. I think it's most fitting. Every time I get a call from the office, I have to do some Macgverism (yeah, there is actually such a word!).
2. Installing NES and Super NES into the Iphone. This was the hardest part. I had to first learn how to FTP into my Iphone. It wasn't easy, I had to download a few FTP programs to get it right. Basically, the Iphone first needs SSH connection. I downloaded it from the installer. Then I had to download a FTP program to connect me to the Iphone. My old WS_FTP didn't have SSH FTP connection. I settled for SmartFTP which is going to expire in 30 days. Better find a new one.
Anyway, now I got some old arcade games in the Iphone. I have Punisher, Golden Axe, Street Fighter 2, etc. The interface is quite hard because the buttons aren't real buttons you can press. I find games that are not too intense easier to play. Beat em' up games are harder as I have to constantly press some buttons and the Iphone gets really warm too. I can't save any games on this. Not sure why when it's suppose to work.
3. Transferring movies to the Iphone. I've been transferring some of the DVD's I haven't watched yet to the Iphone. I have to encode it into mpeg4 or H264. I think H264 is a better compression, I use Handshake, it's a freeware and it's quite easy to use. The only down part is it takes really long to encode one DVD. I think it takes about the whole duration of the movie, if the movie was one hour, the encoding will take about an hour too. So what I do is I usually leave the PC on over night and encode a few DVD's.
I only watch action movies now on the Iphone. I can't watch a movie all at one go on it. The only time I watch a movie is when I'm waiting for someone or in my bed just before I sleep. I need plot lines that are easy to follow and pick up after constant stop and plays.I think I'll go find some TV series and try downloading it into them. I wonder if I can find Heroes season 3. I've been meaning to catch up on 24 season 5 too. I'll see if I can borrow the DVD from anyone, I don't want to be paying too much for the box set.
My apartment renovation is slower than I expected. There's a lot of things that have to happen in a sequence so if one thing takes up too much time, it affects the others. Really irritating.
I got to get things done for the wedding too! Really behind in time.
I've been learning how to meddle with my Iphone a lot. Here are some of the things I've accomplished so far:
1. Putting ringtones into the Iphone. This wasn't too hard. In the original unlocked Iphone, you could only buy ringtones online. I finally learned how to create my own ringtones. I also learned how to use Adobe Soundbooth CS3 a little. Not easy I must say. I wonder if I have the tutorial stashed away somewhere for Soundbooth. Anyway, now I got different ringtones for different people. For my office, I have the Mission Impossible and Macgyver TV theme. I think it's most fitting. Every time I get a call from the office, I have to do some Macgverism (yeah, there is actually such a word!).
2. Installing NES and Super NES into the Iphone. This was the hardest part. I had to first learn how to FTP into my Iphone. It wasn't easy, I had to download a few FTP programs to get it right. Basically, the Iphone first needs SSH connection. I downloaded it from the installer. Then I had to download a FTP program to connect me to the Iphone. My old WS_FTP didn't have SSH FTP connection. I settled for SmartFTP which is going to expire in 30 days. Better find a new one.
Anyway, now I got some old arcade games in the Iphone. I have Punisher, Golden Axe, Street Fighter 2, etc. The interface is quite hard because the buttons aren't real buttons you can press. I find games that are not too intense easier to play. Beat em' up games are harder as I have to constantly press some buttons and the Iphone gets really warm too. I can't save any games on this. Not sure why when it's suppose to work.
3. Transferring movies to the Iphone. I've been transferring some of the DVD's I haven't watched yet to the Iphone. I have to encode it into mpeg4 or H264. I think H264 is a better compression, I use Handshake, it's a freeware and it's quite easy to use. The only down part is it takes really long to encode one DVD. I think it takes about the whole duration of the movie, if the movie was one hour, the encoding will take about an hour too. So what I do is I usually leave the PC on over night and encode a few DVD's.
I only watch action movies now on the Iphone. I can't watch a movie all at one go on it. The only time I watch a movie is when I'm waiting for someone or in my bed just before I sleep. I need plot lines that are easy to follow and pick up after constant stop and plays.I think I'll go find some TV series and try downloading it into them. I wonder if I can find Heroes season 3. I've been meaning to catch up on 24 season 5 too. I'll see if I can borrow the DVD from anyone, I don't want to be paying too much for the box set.
My apartment renovation is slower than I expected. There's a lot of things that have to happen in a sequence so if one thing takes up too much time, it affects the others. Really irritating.
I got to get things done for the wedding too! Really behind in time.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Iphone short comings
My Iphone when I first got it.
One of the reasons I got the Iphone was because of the internet browsing experience. First of all, I have to say I've rarely used Safari before I got the Iphone. In fact, I was hardly ever an Apple user.
Now with the Iphone, I'm tempted to download Safari to my desktop. I like how Safari lets me browse webpages as full pages on the Iphone. That's fun. I get to check almost all the websites I normally visit.
The only hard part is blogging, the damn Iphone doesn't have a copy and paste command. When I want to add pictures to my blog, I normally copy and paste the html code from my flickr picture but since I don't have copy and paste, I would have to individually type it in the whole html code. I haven't tried it yet but the codes are damn long and I don't want to try.
There's quite a lot of short falls for this Iphone that you expect in any other Malaysian phones:
1. No MMS. There are some additional programs you can download but it's not the same like how you have MMS messages on normal phones. Maybe MMS traffic isn't such a big thing in the US but over here, MMS is catching up. I can't receive or send MMS now unless I install additional programs.
2. Cannot send and receive contacts. My old Samsung phone could only receive contacts from Samsung brand phones, not Nokia. So this one didn't really bother me. I have to manually type it out in a SMS if I want to send someone's contact.
3. No video recording. Video recording is only available with additional downloads. That's a bummer. It already has a nice camera, why didn't they build in a video recorder?
4. Phone numbers are displayed wierd. When I save phone numbers, normally I would type starting with 012 or 013, etc and save it under my contact's name. However, when a contact calls me, it doesn't display their name even though their number is saved. The reason is because all phone numbers are displayed starting with +6012 or +603 etc. It's quite irritating so now I have to re-type all my contact's number.
5. First call out doesn't work. This is a wierd problem, if I call someone the first time, the phone doesn't connect. Only on the second or third attempt it works. For example, if I want to call my house, I would search it up in the contacts and press the phone number and it'll start dialing. I hear the engage tone and it says call failed. I press the call again and then only I hear the dialing tone.
6. Typing on the keypad is really slow. I thing I getter speed typing on a numerical phone keypad. Because it's a touch screen phone, I don't get to feel the numbers like a normal keypad. If you type fast, sometimes you end up pressing the wrong keys. Granted, the spell check works pretty good on the Iphone, sometimes when I type in Malay it can be really irritating.
7. Cannot download ringtones. This one doesn't bother me too much. I just started learning how to create ringtones from my list of MP3's for my samsung phone. However, I can't do that for this Iphone. I suppose there must be some way to create your own ringtone. I know it recognizes only mp4 format ringtones. I just have to find a way to get it into the right folder.
8. Short battery life. If I use the Iphone for heavy internet browsing and watching movies, then the battery life is just 3 hours up time total. Not very long. I thought of buying another USB cable to charge the phone in the office but the cable is RM68, too expensive to get.
9. Can't edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. Okay, granted this isn't a Windows Mobile 6 OS phone, but I would have loved to have the option to edit Microsoft Office documents. Right now, I can't even safe the documents to the phone. I have to browse and view it online only.
10. Surfing on EDGE is expensive. I have to be careful that I don't browse the internet when the EDGE is turned on, it can be really expensive. I only browse if its on WiFi. So far I have WiFi now in most of the places I use the Iphone... except when I'm driving and I shouldn't be browsing the internet when I'm driving!
There are other small things that bothers me about the phone. Other than the 10 points I listed, this is a pretty good phone for the GB169 price I paid. In Ringgit, it was only RM1054 so for that price range I think I got a pretty good phone. I think the biggest competition to this phone would be the HTC Touch phones. Their screen doesn't display movies as clear as the Iphone though.
I'm starting to convert all my DVD's to Iphone format now so I can watch it when I have nothing to do. I just finished watching No Country For Old Men, Flags of Our Father and Zodiac on the Iphone. 3 very long movies which I watched while I was waiting for Chui Yan in One Utama and at work ingesting tapes.
I think the next thing I'm going to get is my laptop after I settled my expenses for the apartment. I see the price of the notebook I want from Dell is getting cheaper. Good thing I didn't get it earlier!
Friday, April 04, 2008
Iphone & writing
I managed to lay my hands on an Iphone today. I was estatic!
I borrowed it from someone in the office. I was testing the WiFi settings in my office and it was fun. I used it for 2 hours and I think I drained half of its battery. It didn't have any movies or songs to test it out on. Too bad.
I borrowed it from someone in the office. I was testing the WiFi settings in my office and it was fun. I used it for 2 hours and I think I drained half of its battery. It didn't have any movies or songs to test it out on. Too bad.
I loved the safari browser. It opened up most of the webpages with ease. I tried browing my own blog with it. I only had problems with the youtube's that I had in my blog. That's okay, I can just view that in the youtube widget it has.
It also has a problem viewing java in some pages. I couldn't open wikimapia properly. Not a plus point as it would certaintly help to be able to see areas tagged in wikimapia. I know they have a map in Iphone but it doesn't have a large users community like wikimapia.
It just felt so good to hold it in my hands. I know I'm just going to love holding one that I can call my own! 3 more months until they launch Iphone in Malaysia... I hope!
Typing on the keyboard was a bitch. I had to flip it to wide view so that the keyboard was wider. I kept punching the wrong buttons. However, if I type fast, without looking at the keys too much, I get better results. So it means I should use the 'force' and try not to focus too much on typing.
For those who hen peck their keyboards while typing, they might have a problem with the Iphone's keyboard. As for me, I type pretty fast on my own desktop keyboard as it is. All those time spend chatting on IRC has improved my typing skills.
One of the things I used to love to do was type out song lyrics as the singer was singing the song. It was karaoke keyboarding. I tried to see how fast I could keep up with the guy/gal singing while I type out the lyrics. I find I could keep up with oldies pretty easily with little error. For modern pop songs, I can't keep up. Not because I can't type fast enough, I can't hear the words in the lyrics. I often mishear what they're saying!
My typing is a lot better than my hand writing.
There is one skill I learned when it comes to writing, to write without looking. When I was in film class, we had to watch films and take notes because we would have exams based on the films we watched. I had to learn how to write in the dark. I couldn't see what I was writing, so I just wrote blindly as fast I could on my notepad. Surprisingly, when the lights came on, my writing was pretty legit.
Now I can write without looking down. It helps when I'm copying something. It saves time looking up and down. At first, it always feels a bit unnatural, but when you begin to tell yourself its okay to make mistakes, just write... you'll find that you can do it naturally. Give it a try, you'll be surprised at the results.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Leaving the country
I thought today was going to be a slow day... until someone called me for a meeting at the end of the day. I thought okay, shouldn't take too long. I just finished writing a proposal so I had some time to spare.
Turns out everything turned topsy-turvy. At the meeting, we were discussing travel plans and suddenly my name came up and now I have to go along with the team to... hrmm, I can't mention the city but it's outside out of Malaysia and the flight is going to be damn long!
Part of me is looking forward to it, I've never been to that part of the world before. The other part of me is dreading it, I hate travelling. I was hesistant but they insisted I go. Okay, I won't fight it. I always wanted to go there one day.
I checked the weather, looks like its going to be cold. I've asked my mother to dig out my old winter jacket. Finally, I get to use it again. I hope its still around. I know the inner lining of the sleeve is torn, so I have to get that repaired. Other than that, I have a flurry of e-mails and phone calls to make; equipment to prepare... all the logistics is going to be a headache.
I did a mental calculation of how much allowance I will be getting, quite a tidy sum but after factoring the cost of living in that city, I don't think much would be left. Food itself is going to cost a bomb! At least there's public transportation over there.
Chui Yan is already estatic that I'm going, she's preparing a list of things to buy there. I don't even know I have time to do any shopping at all.
Speaking of shopping, I checked out the price of the Iphone over there. The unlocked Iphone in Malaysia is cheaper. However, the downside of the local unlocked phones is that there is no warranty. If I buy the phone over there, then I have to unlock it anyway so there goes the warranty too.
I when to visit Maccity at One Utama. I asked them when they were going to get their Iphones in Malaysia. The guy said probably in June or July. That's also when Iphone is getting the new version 1.4 software upgrade. Price estimate between 2000-3000. The guy said, if the US currency continues to fall, it could be cheaper.
Hrmm, now I know why the unlocked phones are going for so cheap. They're probably trying to clear their stock before the 'legit' ones come in. It was only a few months ago, the unlocked Iphones were still selling at RM2500 for the 8GB model. Now, its only RM2000.
Okay, I guess I can wait until July to see what happens. Looks like I won't be buying anything for myself this coming birthday. Its sort of a tradition where I always buy something nice for myself on my birthday. Maybe by July my interest in the Iphone would have worn of. I always get really excited about some new technology but 3 months down the road, its not new anymore and there's something else over the horizon.
Turns out everything turned topsy-turvy. At the meeting, we were discussing travel plans and suddenly my name came up and now I have to go along with the team to... hrmm, I can't mention the city but it's outside out of Malaysia and the flight is going to be damn long!
Part of me is looking forward to it, I've never been to that part of the world before. The other part of me is dreading it, I hate travelling. I was hesistant but they insisted I go. Okay, I won't fight it. I always wanted to go there one day.
I checked the weather, looks like its going to be cold. I've asked my mother to dig out my old winter jacket. Finally, I get to use it again. I hope its still around. I know the inner lining of the sleeve is torn, so I have to get that repaired. Other than that, I have a flurry of e-mails and phone calls to make; equipment to prepare... all the logistics is going to be a headache.
I did a mental calculation of how much allowance I will be getting, quite a tidy sum but after factoring the cost of living in that city, I don't think much would be left. Food itself is going to cost a bomb! At least there's public transportation over there.
Chui Yan is already estatic that I'm going, she's preparing a list of things to buy there. I don't even know I have time to do any shopping at all.
Speaking of shopping, I checked out the price of the Iphone over there. The unlocked Iphone in Malaysia is cheaper. However, the downside of the local unlocked phones is that there is no warranty. If I buy the phone over there, then I have to unlock it anyway so there goes the warranty too.
I when to visit Maccity at One Utama. I asked them when they were going to get their Iphones in Malaysia. The guy said probably in June or July. That's also when Iphone is getting the new version 1.4 software upgrade. Price estimate between 2000-3000. The guy said, if the US currency continues to fall, it could be cheaper.
Hrmm, now I know why the unlocked phones are going for so cheap. They're probably trying to clear their stock before the 'legit' ones come in. It was only a few months ago, the unlocked Iphones were still selling at RM2500 for the 8GB model. Now, its only RM2000.
Okay, I guess I can wait until July to see what happens. Looks like I won't be buying anything for myself this coming birthday. Its sort of a tradition where I always buy something nice for myself on my birthday. Maybe by July my interest in the Iphone would have worn of. I always get really excited about some new technology but 3 months down the road, its not new anymore and there's something else over the horizon.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
My Iphone wish
I want an Iphone! I want an Iphone!I had nothing much to do today so I when over to Midvalley. I was going to stop over at the Dell showroom to check out their laptops again but I got sidetracked. I stopped over at this PDA shop I had seen before. Previously, I was looking at an O2 Atom Exec. I asked them what PDA did they have that would allow me to surf the internet and use youtube and facebook. The guy took out from the bottom of the counter an Iphone. It was the 8GB model going for RM1999.
They had brought it in from the US and unlocked the software. They didn't provide any warranty for it except software support. Quite risky buying one, but then again the normal warranty only covers manufacturer defects. If you drop or break it, Apple won't cover it under warranty anyway.
I was so going to flip out my credit card and buy it on the spot. It took a lot of will power to pull myself away from the Iphone and walk away. The salesman was very dissapointed I think.
Next, I drove over the Digital mall in section 14 to buy some stuff. I saw someone also advertising the Iphone for sale. The 8GB model was RM2000 while the 16GB model was RM2400. This guy provided a one month warranty. Plus, their phones have the new january Iphone software updates.
It's either between a Dell notebook for RM3810 or an Iphone for RM2000. The notebook, can play games, edit videos, and surf the net. Iphone, I can just put it in my pocket and surf anywhere with WiFi. That includes my office and One Utama. Argggh... I can't decide!
Either way, I'm getting either one of these on my birthday.
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