HowTo: Update Facebook Status via SMS (cheap) - II

Someone tipped me off that Globe also has an app on Facebok similar to PixMe! for updating FB content. It's called UPD8. Here's how to sign up and start using it.

1. While logged on to your FB account, do a search for UPD8. When you get to to this page, click on Go To Application to start setting it up:

2. Click on Allow to grant the application access tyo your FB information:


3. UPD8 will ask you ro register a specific Globe mobile number. Key in your number and click Register:

4. Confirm the registration by clicking on OK in the window that pops up:
5. You'll receive a confirmation text message from 2838 that says, "Welcome to UPD8! To confirm registration, reply AGREE for free." Simply reply to that message with the word "AGREE".

6. After you reply with the word "AGREE" to 2838, you'll get a confirmation text on your mobile and a confirmation message inside of FB. Click on the agree check box and hit the OK button:
7. Another permission window will appear. Just click Allow to give FB permission to use the app:


8. After that you'll be directed to the main UPD8 app menus and they look like this:


9. Since you're new and signing up, if you click on Status Updates it will show an agreement. You will have to click on the Agree check box to accept to the 2.50 per update charge. This will allow you to use the service. After that click on OK:

10. Another permissions window appears to allow the app to do status updates for you (just hit okay in the succeeding window):

11. A confirmation that the process has been complete will appear in the main UPD8 page:


Now all you need to do is to send a message to 2838 using the syntax UPD8 *status*. Each update will cost you 2.50, although heavy users can go unlimited for 15 pesos a day. You can activate that by sending UNLI15 to 2838. If you're really, really must update it everyday and you update your status every hour, I'd recommend going unlimited for 5 days. That'll cost you 50 pesos, though if you push a lot of update it'd be worth it. Send UNLI50 to 2838 to get unlimited FB status updates for 5 days.

I must say that UPD8 has more features than PixMe does. I'm anxious to try all of them out, but that'll have to wait until i can get a proper phone for my second SIM.

HowTo: Update Facebook Status via SMS (cheap)

If you're a Facebook user and you'd like to update your status from your mobile, the usual way to go about it would be to confirm your number with Facebook and send pics and updates through MMS. Now if you're an avid FB user and you're in the Philippines the cost would snowball in a matter of days. I found a way to send updates and pictures to Facebook for 1 peso per update, though you'd have to be a Smart subscriber to do this. You can use a Facebook app called PixMe! Here's a quick guide on how to start using it:

1. Log in to your FB account, search for PixMe! then from this page click Go to the Application:

2. Click on Register in this screen to start the validation process:

3. You'll be asked to enter your Smart mobile number. Key in your phone number and click Register:


3. A window will pop-up to ask for permission. Click on Allow to authorize the PixMe app (click OK on the succeeding window that pops up):

4. You'll receive an SMS with this message:"Facebook notification msg: To validate ur cellnumber, txt FBVAL 123abc to 2330. If u r not XXnameXX, ignore this msg. This msg is free", where 123abc is the validation code and XXnameXX is your FB username.

5. Send a reply, following the syntax and the validation code in the message.

6. You will receive a confirmation message that the validation was successful.

7. Go back to the last PixMe! page you landed on after step 3 and click on the link to allow status updates:

8. You'll be asked to give permission again (click OK on the succeeding window):

9. You can now update your FB status by sending a messages to 2330. Use this command: FBSTATUS XXmessageXX (where XXmessageXX is the text of the status update you want to send). Each message is charged P1.00 .

There you have it. Enjoy updating your FB on the go.


UPDATE: Uploaded bigger versions of the screenshots to make them easier to recognize. Hope it helps

Browser For Kids With Autism

One of the things that has always amazed me about the open source development circles is the astounding number of user-developed apps. Programmers and developers often write new apps when they find apps already available don't do enough or don't behave the way they want them to. It's common to find out that apps are written because programmers and code hackers want more out of the apps they use. They then in turn release them as open source so others can use these apps, help debug them or improve them. Communities are often grown from these roots.

It's refreshing to see though that open source initiatives aren't the only source of good software. Individuals who want to create something for their loved ones or for causes often have the same drive as developers I mentioned, albeit for a different cause. One such piece of software would be the Zac Browser. It was created by a grandfather who wanted to help a grandchild with autism browse the web safely and independently. Assistive technology has always been expensive, and though the communities that support autism cause have grown over the years, that hasn't brought down the cost dramatically. This grandfather has made a great contribution to the cause of children with autism by making his browser free to the public.

The Zac Browser helps autistic kids focus their attention by using a simplified interface. It protects them as well by limiting their exposure to inappropriate content, filtering out any violent of otherwise disturbing content. The sites have been pre-selected by the developer and is updated regularly. The best part of it is that it is free to anyone who would want to try it.

I discovered this little gem while browsing for news about autism. AP featured it in a news article. I posted a video featuring the Zac Browser below:





The Zac Browser can be downloaded as an installer package or a "just run" no-install package. It works with Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME and Windows 98. No word yet if this will be ported to Linux, but I'm hopeful it will be.

Isaiah, Where Art Thou?

A lot of news recently about Via's other products(most recently, its latest Pico-ITX board), but nary one about Isaiah-based products. Most of articles about the Isaiah have to do with conjecture at this point. No product announcements of any sort. That's opposed to Intel's Atom, with a few final products already announced and waiting to be launched. One of them, MSI's Wind was already launched in some countries, AFAIK. No announcements have been made of any Isaiah-powered product that will launch in the next few weeks.

When will they launch an updated Zonbu Mini Desktop with Isaiah in it? Any products that will compete with say the likes of the MSI Wind? Or at least a Via Artigo powered by the Isaiah chip? I'm waiting, still.

Tekzilla, Finally!

Dang! I finally got in a viewer comment in Tekzilla. I feel a semi-almost-famous buzz around me head. :-)

Mine was the first viewer comment in the video below:



I was also quoted on the show notes! Coolness :-D

Music Search

I've been busy with little projects at the office, mainly creating presentations for training people. The exposure is limited but at least its giving me a chance to gear up on my presentation skills. Crowds are typically small, 15-20 at a time. We have these small training sessions scheduled twice a month, which gives me ample time for research and preparing my material.

On my quest for better presentations that are less boring, I looked for sites that offered royalty-free music to use. One of the sites I found was Partners In Rhyme. To get a sampling of the kind of Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects they offer, click on the link. You can download the music and sound effects you need for your multimedia projects today, royalty-free at Partners In Rhyme.

Another site I found that had nice short tracks was Accelerated Ideas, get free tracks by clicking on the link.

Tekzilla 4

Now what could be cooler than a show inspired by the Internet Wayback Machine? View the show here:

Tekzilla 3

Took me a while to download this episode. Been busy with other stuff. Anyway, if you can't download it, might as well watch it:



Morgan Webb (another TechTV alumna) guests.

Reading Again.

I've been meaning to do some serious reading while on my day-off, and read I did. You've probably read from my Jaiku page that I had read Blind Shrike (Richard Kadrey), which I really didn't like but still finished as was my habit with fiction. I started reading Halo (Tom Maddox) shortly after that and like the light way the story presented what a future with machine-intelligence would be like. It was a light read and entertaining. I finished Halo late-morning yesterday. I promptly started reading Geek Mafia (Rick Dakan) after that, which is a bit more contemporary and somethign I liked since it was about a comicbook-geek-turned-con-turned-fugitive-turned-redeemed-hero. I just finished Mafia and I went online to briefly update my blogs. And here I am again, searching through ManyBooks.net for any interesting eBooks I might find.

I am reading again, is the good news. I've always loved to read, though my love for books has waned over the last few years. I've only read an occasional book or two each year. Having a Treo650 has changed things a bit. I save all these books on it, and since I always have it with me I just flick it out whenever I feel the urge to read. No more I-want-to-read-but-I-forgot-to-bring-the-book situations. I'm using eReader (and the associated file format) to read these books. I've found it better than PDF , even if I do have PalmPDF on my Treo. I've reserved it for the "need-to" situations when I have no other choice but to view documents in PDF. I hate the fact that its so resource-hungry, especially when loading long books. I simply find it hard to read stuff using PalmPDF. eReader files are small by comparison, so I get to save more stuff to my media card. Who could say no to that?

Anyway, I'll post about more books I read as time goes by. Right now, I need to catch some ZZZ's...

D-I-Y Media Center

I'm itching for another device. The Mediagate MG-35. Three reviews after I see an ad and I'm convinced this would make a great media device for my home. I've been wrestling with storage lately, as three years worth of burned media is starting to pile up. I already have three large CD wallets stealing closet space from my wardrobe. I just bought a fourth one from CDR-King. I'm having second thoughts about storing my music and movies on my PC, since I usually reformat my hard drive regularly. My first thought was to get a NAS, and that idea I've given up on. It would be extra handy if I could carry my storage device around.

Then I see an ad in PC Buyer's Guide for the Mediagate MG-35 and the idea grows on me. I can solve several problems with one device. It's small enough to lug around. It connects to PCs for managing media. It doesn't require MS-Windows to manage that content :-)) It can connect to your LAN, you can use it as network storage (NAS). It can play movies or music on it's own and supports the main plethora of codecs you'll need, including Ogg Vorbis, Divx and Xvid. Its outputs can connect to your TV or stereo. It supports (at max) a 500GB hard drive. This is one flexible device. I want it! There is the question of money, though. Haha... It's a bit too expensive for my means. So I'll have to be content with writing about it and why I want it.

BTW, here are the reviews that I read:

• http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?cid=5&id=5823
  


• http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/article.asp?SCID=&CIID=36918


• http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/index.php/taxid;2136212605;pid;199;pt;1

XM-Sirius Merger

The uneven ground upon which the XM-Sirius Satellite radio merger stands was clarified in a news article on the Washington Post. I was first exposed to XM radio stations when I stumbled upon it while using AIM. I never really gave it much attention until I realized how good the music selection was in their channels. So naturally, it interested me when I found out that XM's merging with Sirius, its direct competitor in the satellite radio business. Anti-trust and monopolistic concerns aside, I think the merger can make a difference in their collective bottomlines. Competition between the two has gotten so worse that they're losing a lot of money and satellite radio isn't taking off that fast. Investor confidence wasn't taking off as well, that is until they announced they'd merge. If they get past all the regulations and do merge, I hope their next step would be to go international. Maybe accept subscriptions from some country near the Pacific with long historical and cultural ties with America? ;-)

Anyway, I was just thinking. If everybody had such a wide selection of music playing on good high quality radio, wouldn't that discourage file-trading? Wouldn't it be easier to just change the channel instead of downloading music online from strangers who's computers might be loaded with viruses and malware? Convenience would be another advantage. I play music from my phone's MP3 player. I have the CDs tucked away somewhere. It's a hassle to juggle the files around when your mood suddenly changes and you want to listen to something different. If only satellite or hi-def radio were available here. I'd buy something like this to keep on myself or something like this in the car. If only...