Unboxings & Choosing Your Next Smart Device

With the increasingly overlapping release dates of so many competing smartphone brands, it's been hard to keep up with the latest device releases. It's become harder to maintain a good grasp of what products give the best value for money, especially if you're on the lookout for your next phone or tablet. So reviews, specifically unboxings with demos, like the one below are really useful for evaluating products you may want to consider buying. The one linked below is for the about to be released Starmobile Diamond:



Increasingly, I find myself watching the feeds for sites like Rappler.com. You should look for local reviews when looking for a product to buy. The important thing is to see the Filipino perspective about a device before looking at it. Like other Asians, we don't necessarily have the same use-case scenarios that North Americans have. It's better to look for local tech journalists reviewing locally released products, so you get to experience a review that is as relevant to you as possible.

Also look for product information on stores you can physically go to to try the thing. It's common for stores not to give you hands on time with device, so walk away if the retail store does that. You should 'vote' with your money. Buy from the stores that give you the chance to test the product before you actually buy it. Let them know you appreciate the tinker time they give you.

So what will your next smartphone be? Where did you first hear about it? Did you watch a detailed review of it before deciding to go to store to check it out?

Keep Passwords Secure with Encryption

Using a text file for passwords has always been handy. It's portable and you can send it whenever you need it. But it is inherently insecure. There are a lot of tools that can help you secure your valuable passwords, especially in these days of hack attacks and prevalence of intrusions.

One tool I recommend to friends is Keepass. KeePass is an open source project that encrypts your passwords to keep them protected from prying eyes. It supports AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and Twofish algorithm to encrypt passwords. These are considered 2 of the most secure ways to encrypt data. In addition, Keepass encrypts all data it keeps and not just the passwords, so even your usernames are protected. It also features on-the-fly encryption, which means even if your computer freezes while you're using it, your data is safe. Keepass is also portable, so it doesn't need to be installed in a particular computer. That means it doesn't leave any traces on a computer you use. Convenient, especially when you have Keepass on a USB stick and you ask to use a friend's computer to access your accounts online. No worries from keyloggers as well. While it is running, you can press a hotkey and Keepass can automatically fill in the password when it detects your logging in with a username you saved in it. You can also generate very hard-to-crack passwords by using its random password generator. Since your using it already for keeping your passwords, you need not worry about remembering a difficult password. Keepass has a ton of advanced user features as well. You can check them out here: http://keepass.info/features.html. Best of all, it is free!

Did I get your attention now? Here's how to start using Keepass in 4 easy steps:

1. Download the portable version of Keepass from http://keepass.info/download.html:

2. Extract the files from the .ZIP folder:

3. Click on KeePass.exe from the extracted files:

4. Start typing in your passwords!

If you need something more robust to work across multiple devices, there are other options. For one, Keeper Data Vault. Keeper Data Vault is compatible with PC, MAC and Linux operating systems and apps for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, BlackBerry(r), Android, Vodaphone 360/Symbian are available. It's available in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. It uses also uses 128-Bit AES cipher encryption and syncs your data across all your computers and devices. A random password generator comes standard and is aptly called 'Dice'. Keeper also supports automatically filling in usernames and passwords, convenient when using mobile touchscreen devices like iPhones and Android phones.

The most robust security feature on it has to be the Self-Destruct Mode. If set to that option, Keeper erases all data after 5 unsuccessful login attempts. If you tavel a lot and you have your passwords stored in Keeper on a mobile device or laptop, this has to be the single-most important security feature if ever you loose your device or laptop. So if you happen to leave your phone or your laptop on the train or taxi, you know your passwords are still secure. You also don't have to worry about your data on your other computers or devices either. Even with Self-Destruct turned on, your other devices are not affected. Since Keeper syncs data, everything can be restored by using the secure backup & restore features.

If you're interested in trying out Keeper, you can get it here: Keeper 50% Off. If you use that link, you can get a 50% discount by using the code KP50 at checkout.

So keep your passwords safe and download these 2 applications. Be careful out there.

Update Your Facebook Status With Twitter

The other day I was asked by a friend how I update my Facebook status even if I'm offline. I just said I updated through my mobile. Well, that's half true. I actually set it up so my Facebook status is updated with every tweet I post. I have been using Twitter a lot longer than Facebook and it seemed logical that I should use Twitter status updates to likewise update my Facebook status. Good thing about it is I can update my Twitter status by sending a text message to @tweetitow (more on that in this blog post: Send Twitter Updates Thru SMS).

Here's how I set up Facebook to update with my Twitter updates...

1. Login to Facebook and use Search get to the Twitter application page. It's best to just use Search within Facebook, the URL changes from user to user so I won't link to it directly:

2. Once there, click on Go to Application:



3. Authorize the app by clicking the Allow button:


4. Key-in your Twitter details:

5. After that you'll be redirected to your personal page where you could tweet from within Facebook. Click on the Allow Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status button:

And you are all set. All your tweets will appear in your Facebook as status updates. Happy tweeting!

Send Twitter Updates Thru SMS

Updating Twitter using my mobile used to be expensive. Since I am in the Philippines, I was limited to sending international SMS to Twitter's UK number. But then I discovered phTwitters. Then it stopped working. It was free after all and nobody was required to pay anything for it. I'm not really sure if they stopped because they didn't have enough resources to sustain operations. No matter, though. I found @tweetitow.

With @tweetitow, I simply send a text message to their number and it gets posted on my Twitter page. The major plus to using it is it's free, aside that is from the cost of sending a regular text message that is.

Here's how to sign up and use it:

1. Register by sending an SMS to any of the following numbers (really useful if you have unlimited texting, there's a number for each carrier):

• Globe: 0927-338-9183
• Smart: 0928-102-0579
• Sun: 0923-986-0673

2. Use the following format (without the quotes): 'REG username password'
3. You'll get a text confirmation from a different number.
4. Reply to that number to have your status updated.

There, you should be all set then. Be sure to drop by this Tweetitow's FAQ's to make the most out of service. If you're new to Twitter, drop by the Twitter Help page to learn more about how it works.

If you enjoy the convenience of using @tweetitow, please consider donating load to them to keep operations running. They don't charge anything so they need help maintaining the costs for cellphone numbers used in the service. As much as possible, please send call cards instead of e-load or autoload. They will be able to use call card load a lot longer than the electronic kind that expires in a matter of days. Just send a Direct Message to @tweetitow for details on how you can send your valuable donations to keep the Filipino tweeters tweeting from their mobiles :-)

Happy tweeting!

Kindle - Now International!

Just read this a few minutes ago. The Kindle can now be shipped, with the wireless subscriptions, internationally. I checked the link that had the country-specific information and the Philippines is one of the first 100 countries it can be sent to. I can have a Kindle and use it here!




I've been wondering about getting one since the first gen came out but I never thought they'd be bringing it to the Philippines this soon! This is another great geek gift. If you have a geek in the family and you're looking for a perfect gift for the Holidays, get your geek a Kindle.

And by the way, that makes me wonder whose 3G network they are on? Smart or Globe?

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

Unlocked Palm Centro Now Available

Palm, Inc. announced today the availability of an unlocked version of its popular Palm Centro smartphone for the US market. Now offered unlocked for use on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless (three of the US's largest carriers), Centro gives U.S. customers the ability to choose the mobile phone service that fits their needs. Palm concurrently announced the availability of the Google(TM) Maps service for mobiles with My Location builtin on the unit itself, giving users faster access to local maps and driving directions.

The unlocked Centro will be available in a slightly updated white color with grey accents. Available in 25 countries worldwide, the Centro offers customers flexible ways to keep in touch with friends, family and co-workers through voice, SMS text messaging, email or the web. The Centro is Palm's smallest and lightest smartphone to date. The Centro is now available from the official Palm Store (online) for $299.

Deliveries

I went to the local 2Go branch earlier to pick up my uMobile SIM card. The delivery guy came by 12:00 PM yesterday but I couldn't accept the delivery because I didn't have a photocopy of any of my ID's. He showed me the instructions from uMobile stating no to deliver the SIM unless the recipient provided photocopies of proof of identity. I told him I'd drop by their office after work the next day.

So I went to their Balibago office at 7:30, waited till 8 AM, eventually signed forms, and left with my new uMobile SIM. When I got home, I was barely out of my socks when an AIR21 delivery guy parked in front of the house. He was delivering the memory I won a few days ago. Schweet!

I've plugged in the SIM in my trusty Treo650 and let it sit for a while. I'm currently testing the RAM using Memtest86+. Memtest86+ will take a few hours to finish. Hopefully nothing is terribly wrong with the memory.

Palm Launches Centro

Palm announced that it will make the Palm Centro smartphone available to StarHub mobile customers in Singapore. This follows an announcement last week of the Centro's availability in Mexico through the mobile services of TelCel and Movistar. So far, the Centro has sold a million units in 6 months.

I'm eagerly awaiting the Centro's launch in the Philippines. The Centro isn't cutting-edge technology anymore, owing to the fact that it's connectivity is limited to EDGE networks and it still uses the now aging Palm OS 5.4 (Garnet). However, I think it still provides excellent value to first-time smartphone buyers and fans of Palm products. I just hope that when they do introduce it in the Philippines, they'll maintain the low price. A low price point will spur wide adoption in the now crowded smartphone market segment.

HowTo Twitter

There are a lot of guides out there. I am publishing this so I can point friends to some site on the web they can check to follow the steps.

First step is to sign up for a Twitter account. There's a good guide over at this blog : The Cyberprince Chronicles. It contains screenshots to boot. The thing you really need to set-up is the device updates. You only need to send an SMS to the UK number once. It will send you SMS updates free-ever-after if your Twitter preferences are set right.

Now the boon of Twitter wouldn't be the same without the ability to send updates from your mobile phone. But how to do that without breaking the bank? Sending SMS to the UK number will set you back 10-15 pesos per, depending on your cell subscription. You can send updates through to a local number accessible through the Globe or Sun networks. You can find instructions on how to use that gateway here: Pinoy Twittters.

Well what about Smart users, you say? Fear not, your kababayans have you covered. Go over to The Pinoy Twitters SMS Portal, register to participate in the forums and follow the instructions on how you can send to a local number that posts to Twitter. It only costs a peso, but if your a heavy-duty Twitter I'd suggest using something like the ALLTxtPlus for trigger-happy texting. I personally use phTwitters sparingly so it doesn't get overloaded. It's something that the maintainers are spending money on and are providing for free to the Twittering public. One way to run it to the ground would be to Twitter every 3 minutes about how boring your commute is. Never do that.

Once you're done, follow me :-) My page is at http://www.twitter.com/daysleeper_ed. Happy Twittering :-D

A Pragmatic Approach to Mobile Computing

I have always been reluctant to call myself a geek. The popular definition sees geeks as technically adept people working in highly specialized fields. I would have less reluctance to call myself one given today's emerging definition of a geek. Geeks are people who are fans of a particular interest and they carry out their devotion with a passion. So I am a geek by that standard. I hold a particular interest in computer hardware, open source technology and volunteer work. I'm not particularly savvy at any of those fields of interest, but I talk about them with a fervor that can only be matched by street preacher.

One thing that particularly interests me is making technology work for the layman. Living in a country like the Philippines, most people do not have access to the latest in gadgetry or computer parts. I take a more pragmatic approach by making the most of what is available and focusing on cost versus utility. Let me draw a comparison. In the US, mobile computing would mean having a decently spec'd laptop with a powerful processor or a PDA-phone at the least. A broadband wireless connection is also necessary to keep you connected wherever you may roam. All three are available in the country today. However, the cost would be prohibitive save for executives and businessmen. It isn't really worth your money to spend that much when your budget or your needs don't justify it. So I tell friends they can have the same mobility for less.

With internet shops situated in just about any street or corner of the city, I find it much more cost effective to just carry a thumb drive. USB thumb drives go for around 700 to 900 pesos for one that can hold 4 gigabytes worth of files. To make it more useful, load it up with the open source software package called Portable Apps. Portable Apps comes with a browser, email client, IM client, office suite, anti-virus and a bevy of smaller apps that extend its usability. The advantage of Portable Apps is in the way it behaves. All the apps are self-contained and will work off the USB drive without the need to install it in the host machine. That means plug it in to any Windows machine and it'll run. When your done just pull it out and walk away. All your settings and files will be preserved on the drive. It beats having to lug around a 7-pound laptop any day.

The next cheapest option is already in your pocket - your phone. Think about it. You carry it around. You never leave home without it. You can connect to the internet with it. The challenge is choosing a phone that will let you do browse, email and IM. One of the cheapest options is the LG KU250 with a street price of around 6,000 pesos. It's a 3-G phone that can be quite usable if your willing to exert a little effort. Installing the Opera Mini browser will make viewing sites not optimized for phones easier. If you have a Google Mail (Gmail) account, you can download an app that allows you to access your email directly without a browser. IM on this phone is a little limited though. You'll have to access your IM accounts through web-based services like Meebo. The only downside to using a phone is the small keypad. This isn't a deal-breaker for you folks who can type 30++ words per minute on your phones though.

If you're still looking for the full functionality of a PC in a small package, then consider the miniature wonder that is the Asus Eee PC. It's a tiny 7-inch laptop that's equipped with wifi. Calling it tiny may be a bit of an understatement. This thing weighs a little more than a pound. Given its svelte proportions, its small screen will require some squinting and its small keyboard can be difficult to type on. No worries for those of you who have LCD monitors, keyboards and mice waiting at your desks. The Eee PC can output to a monitor and has USB ports for connecting your keyboard and mice. Away from your desk, you'll have to make do typing with your index fingers. It's most useful for typing up short documents and emailing on the go. As with most PCs nowadays, it already comes with a browser, email client and an office suite pre-installed. The Eee PC price ranges from 17,000 to 19,000 pesos, depending on where you buy it.

When all is said and done, there is a solution for everyone's budget. Pick a solution that suits your needs and hopefully it won't kill your wallet.

Treo 500v

Been a while since I've been excited about anything Palm has been releasing. I just found out about the European launch of the Treo 500v. And let me tell you I like the idea. The Palm user community has a healthy mix of opinion. A lot of long-time users decry this as another step towards failure for the company. Others like myself see this as Palm's way of extending it's market share to the bigger niche of traditional mobile phone users.

I think my wife will appreciate this device, however pared down it is. I love my Treo 650 and all, but the fact remains that the wife isn't impressed and she doesn't want a Palm at all. I emailed her about the Treo 500 and after talking to her about how its going to work she told me she would be "OK" with trying one out. Ah, finally! My chance to convert my wife to one of the Palm faithful.

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...

More Linux in Consumer Phones, Please...

With the cellular phone market still in a flurry over the uber-expensive iPhone, it's easy to overlook some rather nifty development is occuring. Just take a look at this article from Computerworld. It stresses the strengths of Linux, mainly how deep customization can go and that it is free (both in cost and in licensing), 2 reasons that could push app development to a rapid pace. I'd like to see more function-laden Linux phones for the low-end market ;-)

AvantGo on My Treo650

I've started using AvantGo
(http://my.avantgo.com/home/index.html?learn_more=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.avantgo.com%2Ffrontdoor%2Findex.html)
to download webpages ("news channels" in AvantGo lingo) to my Treo.
Its a great convenience to be able to sync your Treo of your PC and
read the pages without having to be tethered to the internet. Useful
when travelling in areas without a decent wireless signal. Or when
you're just trying to save on data charges -- like me! I hate Smart's
metered GPRS (http://www.smart.com.ph/SMART/Value+Added+Services/Data/AV_Text_Gprs.htm).
The only downside was the darn app ate up a huge chunk of my phone's
internal memory. I might just have to find something lighter.
Suggestions, anyone?