MenQ: An $80 netbook

As I was searching youtube for videos of new netbooks i'm eyeing to get (hopefully), I came across this video of an $80 (a little less than P3000) netbook. What do you know? It wasn't a fake video. It actually is a very small and affordable netbook. From the specs alone it is very similar to a pda phone a few years back:

- samsung arm cpu
- 64Mb ram
- 7" screen
- OS: Microsoft CE

Suprising enough, based on the video, it's fast enough for basic needs (surfing the net and office docs). I think this will be great for grade school students for research on the net and paperworks or even budget offices for employees to use (just use the zoom function or adjust to a bigger font for weaker eyes.) If ever this gets to our shores it will be of very great use to our under privileged students in public schools.

T-Mobile Sidekick

A few weeks back I got a hold of 3 classic cellphones from T-Mobile. A Sony Ericsson T616, Sidekick 2, and a Sidekick 3. I was then curious if a Sidekick would work here in the Philippines. After much surfing I found out that most of the features (email and IM) could not be activated since it passes through T-mobile and Sharp's servers. So I just tried to see if I could just make it work here even for just calling and texting. Further research says that the original owner should call T-Mobile to get a sim subsidy for a local sim to work. Since it was just sent to me from the US, I won't go through the trouble. But further prodding shows signs that the SK 3 could be made to work here. Here's what I did:

- After the phone asks for a sim unlock code, just press cancel

- Go to Settings and select Sim Center

- Choose Enable Sim Password (If already enabled select change password)

- Type in the password then re-enter

- On the "waiting for activation" screen, Press Menu + L to bypass

- Go to settings and select network options > Rescan and Select Manually

- Select your network and your good to call and text

Hope this helps. Although being able to use only half of it's potential sucks but if you just want to play with it, this is a good way to make it work.

Quick Peek: Iphone 3g

We all know what it is. It´s an Iphone 3G, an updated version of the first Iphone (or as I see it just an Itouch with phone capability). Had a couple of chances to try it out (at a Globe Telecom Branch in SM Molino). Globe Telecom has offered it with a post paid plan or you could purchase one from them at an outrageous price for a glorified Ipod.

Aesthetic wise, it´s very pretty. Flat touch screen at the front with a single button below center of the screen to return to home menu. Size wise you could pretty much hold it without feeling awkward. It is a little wide but just a few mm thick so it is pretty handy. The phone itself is still a smudge magnet so better keep a microfiber handy. The GUI is clean and looks sophisticated simple no nonsense icons.

Performance wise, it is no sprinter. When you choose an icon it takes a second sometimes two to switch to the menu/program. Tried using the finger-friendly-keyboard to input a search query. No such luck. More often than not I press the letter beside the one I really wanted to press. I don´t think I have chubby fingers to miss them. The letters look big enough but I couldn´t get the hang of it (maye with some practice or maybe just tried it in landscape mode). Also tried it to watch videos on youtube. It has a very nice program that optimizes the youtube experience. It automatically moves to landscape mode once the video plays. Eventhough it just hooks up with 3G it is fast enough for light browsing or watching videos on youtube (eventough it is quite pixelated). The features I liked about it is the motion sensor and finger scrolling. It senses when you place it on its side and automatically converts to landscape mode. As for finger scrolling, I like it because it is much easier than dragging a tab on the side, you just flick and it goes.

If I have money to buy one of these, I won´t get one. Why? I prefer HTC PDA phones because I can do much more with it and with the ones coming out and had come out I see them much sexier than the Iphone. I´d just get myself 60GB old ipod for music and video on the go. But if someone gives one to me, I´m all heart.


*pic from wiki (security personnel won´t let me take a picture)

PSP 2000: S-Video Cable

On neat feature on the PSP Slim is that you can output videos from your PSP to a tv, lcd, or hi-def tv set. I opted to get the s-video/av cable combo since i don't have those oh so sexy hi def lcd/plasma screens. The other reason is that i could hook this up to the AV head unit in my car. What's good about this is you could directly display through the tv or lcd what practically is being shown on your PSP like videos, settings, or audio equalizer. The con of this connector is you could display the game you would like to play or other applications you may have stored. The games/homebrews could only be displayed if your lcd tv is 1080p capable or you have one of those vid boxes that converts the signal to be displayed on regular tv sets or even pc monitors.

If you ask me, this connector suits me ust fine as I only hook my PSP to the head unit of my car to play some tunes and to my tv set at home to watch a few videos that are converted to be played on the PSP. As long as I don't have money to burn for a new 1080p lcd screen, i'm sticking with this one.

PSP Slim & Lite: Ice Silver

I gave in to the gamer in me. I bought a PSP slim. I got the ice silver, really wanted to get the spiderman 3 edition but it's a tad expensive for my pocket. I succumbed to peer pressure (haha!!) and some of the new games that are coming out are really great. Graphics wise, they are good if not great. Unfortunately, after 2 weeks of playing, some moisture got in through the d-pad and it made it have a life of its own. At first, the "up" button wouldn't work. Then the "left" would fight with the "right" button until everything just went. Got it fixed but pressing up has a bit of a delay. I guess I could live with that for the moment because I don't have games that really need the "up" button too much. Another thing, I noticed that my eyes strain a lot faster when playing for long hours than playing with the PC or my PS2. I guess small screens and my eyes don't really mix. Played a few games, finished some of them but that will be on a nother post or maybe i'll make another blog for it. We shall see.

Cd-r King Laptop Cooler

My previous laptop cooler gave up on me after a few months of service. It had three fans that gave up one by one and was just soaking more heat. Off I go to cdr king to get a replacement. What do you know they have one that tilts the laptop to get a fresh stream underneath. Another good thing about it is the tilt is adjustable.

From the side you could see the tracks that locks the fan so that it could be tilted. Problem is the first two or three positions won't lock so it's useless. Just use the first position that locks.

The front part has a stopper to prevent your notebook from slipping. It also has rubber cut-outs to prevent scratches. The problem i found with this is the headset, mic jack, screen lock, and volume control of my notebook are all located at the front so i had to improvise.

The feature I liked most is the swivel. you can swing it left or right so if you have to show a document, pic or what not to someone beside you, you could just swing the whole thing with ease.

It's powered through the usb port and I think it could handle notebook sizes from 12" up. Been using it for a good two months and it's still working. Hope this one lasts longer than the last one.

Zebra Z5-A Arrow Tip Pen

I always like tinkering with my Hermes/JasJam. The only problem is I always had a hard time using the diminutive stylus. It was like holding a toothpick. I also can't lay it down anywhere because I might misplace it. That will be a bother because it will leave the silo open, doing a soft reset will be a problem, and the unit will feel incomplete.

So I researched a little on what I could use as a stylus. I wanted something like a regular pen, still useful, light, and inexpensive (just in case I misplaced it, it won't be a pain) With the help of people at http://www.airfagev.com/ forums, they suggested a Zebra stylus pen.

I found one at National Bookstore for, are you ready for it? A measly P65.00!! It's a 0.05mm black ink sign pen. On it's tip is what it calls an arrow tip which could be used on a PDA/PDA phone. Now it's easier to fiddle with my phone with this pen.

Schaps WM6 Pro 4.30 ROM for hermes

I finally had the courage to update the ROM of my jasjam with Schap's WM6 Pro 4.30 ROM. It had all the bells and whistles I needed. I'm not really a heavy ppc user but it pays to have a good one.

As for the features, here's the list:

Main features:

WM6 version 5.2.1948 build 18548.0.7.0
HSDPA enabled
Video call enabled
Smart dialing enabled
VOIP enabled
Windows Update enabled
Office Mobile 6.1
Office Zip and Fax viewers
OneNote Mobile 12.0.4518.1055
Windows Live 10.6.33.600
Remote Desktop Mobile
.NET Compact Framework 3.5
Updated OEM
Bugs from previous version should be fixed OEM applications:
Comm Manager 1.8.3.0 [UPDATED]
Camera app 4.02.27035
ArcSoft MMS 4.2.8.1
FTouchFLO + Configuration tool
Enlarge Start Menu 1.1.31247.2
Bluetooth FTP 1.2.31241.9 [UPDATED]
Bluetooth BPP 1.6.1.0 [UPDATED]
Bluetooth SAP 2.02.0925.5
Task Manager 2.0.31249.1 [UPDATED]
Audio Manager 1.2.1017717 [UPDATED]
HTC Camera Album 1.0.1030720.0 [UPDATED]
Voice Recorder 1.10.712711.2 [UPDATED]
Streaming Player 2.20.1007717.0 [UPDATED]
HTC Bluetooth QuickLink 0.4
HTC Home 2.1.1005722 + Home Settings [UPDATED]
Quick Launcher 1.0.824711 [UPDATED]
HTC Random Access 4.0.1009721 [UPDATED]
Connection Setup 1.0.31247.2 [UPDATED]
Network Plugin 1.0.29714.1
Adobe Acrobat Reader LE 2.00.288531
Adobe Flash Lite 2.1
Pocket RAR 3.71
Jeyo SMS Backup 1.1
Headphone Equalizer 1.0.2.0
WM5torage 1.80 [UPDATED]
FieldTest 2.15 [UPDATED]
SIM Manager 6.34 [UPDATED]
SIM Tool Kit 4.50 [UPDATED]
SMS Service
HSDPA Switch
Advanced Configuration Tool 1.1
Advanced Task Manager 0.7
VoIP Settings 0.9
Registry Editor 0.9
TaskSwitch 1.0
Minimize 1.0
RotateScreen 1.0

Some tweaks:
OS only ROM
Free extended ROM
4MB pagepool
Big storage
Optimized cache
Best Bluetooth A2DP settings
Bluetooth DUN support
Direct3D Mobile support
Avoid MicroSD issues
SDHC support
Improved power management
Automatic network time/zone synchronization
Supports new GSM/UMTS bands
Error Report disabled
Customer Feedback removed
Integration with Vista WMDC
Date on single line
3G icon & prefix
Nicer 3G icon
Nicer font
New shortcuts keys (New SMS, battery, Task Manager, soft-reset,...)
Subfolders in Start menu
Schap's theme
Black skins
Vista look icons

All I could say is it's great! There are a lot of updates and I haven't found any bugs at the moment. It runs faster and my battery runs longer compared when I was still using the original WM5 ROM that came with my device.

If you want to see what it looks like and get yourself a copy. Here's a link from xda-developers.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=355774

If you like the new ROM, you could always donate to Schaps.

New Year, New Toys!

As we welcome in the year of the rat, I welcome in my new toys. Last year, I had to sell my phone to fund my engine overhaul as it was badly needed (it was burning a liter of oil almost every week). So I was stuck with my back-up phone, my very old nokia 8210. But alas, it is now being bugged with problems due to it's old age. So I had to scrunch up my remaining money plus my christmas bonus and get a new phone. Off I go to the shops, marketplace threads of the forums I visit, and friends that sell mobiles.



As my wife and I were scouting the phone shops we frequent, I found the phone that I always wanted to have the HTC Hermes (aka dopod 838 pro, i-mate jasjam, spv m3100). I asked for the price just to check it's current value. Luckily, it narrowly fit my budget!! So I was haggling a bit when my wife somewhat liked the phone next to it, a dopod 818 pro. Since my wife was also in the market for a new phone, we asked for its price. It too somewhat fit our budget. So the following day we bought the two phones. Yey! Two gadgets in one outing.

What I really liked about the jasjam is its slide out keyboard. It made texting and making documents with a Windows Mobile device a lot easier. It's also a 3.5G capable so surfing on the net with the cellular line would be faster. It has wifi so whenever there's a free hotspot I could check my e-mail or visit online forums. Bluetooth, Irda, and a mini-usb port are also included for file transfer or syncing with a computer. The only thing that I didn't like about it (just like my old v3x) is that it has no regular headphone jack. You have to have a usb headset or buy a usb to 3.5mm jack converter. It's currently running on the stock WM5 but it won't be for long (the itch to modify. hahaha!) I'm still learning the in's and out's of the device so i'll just try to update you guys on the things i'll be doing to the device.

As for the dopod, for connectivity, it has Bluetooth, Irda, a mini-usb port, head phone jack, EDGE capable, and has WLAN. Sadly it has no slide out keyboard. The upside to this is it's lighter than the jasjam. I also noticed that the battery life of the 818 pro lasts longer than the jasjam. I think it's because the processor eats less battery. For expanded memory it has as MMC/SDIO slot rather than a micro sd slot of the jasjam. Good thing is MMC's are cheaper than the micro sd ones. This is also currently running on WM5 (I will also mod this phone slowly. hehehe).

In the meantime, i'll keep both phones as stock as possible until I settle on a particular WM6 upgrade.