Death of my Wireless

I was happily surfing the net using Opera Mini on my mobile N85 yesterday afternoon when my wireless dropped dead!

I could not connect to my wireless broadband!! I just could not detect my wireless network!

And I tried all afternoon and gave up by evening time. My wireless is dead! Dead!

So when SO came back, we fiddled with the wireless modem for a while but still could not get it to work.

I then took out the modem Singnet sent us last year when we recontract. I did not use this new modem cos the old one (the one that died yesterday) was functioning very well. And thus I did not see any point in doing so. Besides I was lazy.

Well, the new modem did not have the term "Wireless" stated anywhere in the box or packaging.

And when I connected the modem, I realised, yeah, this modem is NOT wireless! No choice. Beggars cannot be choosers! Just have to make do with the non wireless one.

But damn, I am still not satisfied. I am so used to using wireless for the past few years, I just dun like using wires! Besides, I mostly surf the net using my phone. And with NO wireless, I just cannot do so!

So i got SO to call Singnet technical support but they said if there is no light on the ASDL, then it's dead. Singnet said we could try calling the modem manufacturer, 2Wire.

He also was advised to call Singnet Sales unit to ask why we were given a wired modem instead of a wireless modem.

I feel so lost. I am so used to reading blogs and sites on my mobile. I checked the net using my phone about once an hour, sometimes even more. It's the first thing I do when I wake up each morning and the last thing I do before I sleep at night.

And not being able to detect my wireless network and surfing the net on my phone is starting to make me crankly and restless.

I am mumbling here. I have been sick for the last week. Been sick since last monday and I have been coughing since.

There's a new browser in town

I am a sucker for new stuff. Especially cyber stuff.

I am glad there is a new browser in town. Anything to break the monopoly of Microsoft.

Personally I have been using Mozilla Firefox and I have not been having much problems with it.

I have great faith in Google products. Their google maps are fabulous. So is their Gmail and Blogger.

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The Straits Times
4 Sep 2008

Google browser shines

It shows off application's features in challenge to Microsoft's Explorer

By Alfred Siew

GOOGLE yesterday showed off a slick Web browser that promises to let users surf the Internet faster. Going by the name Chrome, it could shake up the industry as previous browser wars have done.

Google is eyeing much more: In the same way users access their e-mail on the Web now, it wants them to do their word processing and spreadsheets on a more advanced browser in future, forgoing the need to install Microsoft software.

A trial version of Chrome became available for download on Google's website, www.google.com/chrome, on Tuesday, after the company inadvertently leaked information about it days ahead of time.

In a demonstration to reporters yesterday, Google showed off Chrome's smart features. For example, its Omnibox can predict what search term or Web address the user wants based on his past surfing patterns and those of other users online.

A user looking for Amazon, the online bookstore, may need to type no more than 'Am' to bring up the link to the site.

The new browser also comes with a privacy mode that lets a user surf the Internet without leaving a trail on a computer, a feature handy for those who share computers with others at home.

With Chrome, Google is taking aim at Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, the browser of choice for three-quarters of Internet users and which is pre-loaded on computers running on Windows.

The last browser war, which pitted Microsoft's Explorer against Netscape in the 1990s, left Netscape beaten.

Battle lines have been drawn now between Microsoft, which made its fortune selling software for personal computers, and Google, which wants to overturn that dominance with online alternatives.

By developing its own browser, Google says it is ensuring that its online applications - alternatives to Microsoft's Word, Excel and Powerpoint - can be run optimally in future.

To show that Chrome was faster than its rivals, Google yesterday set up a computer and compared the time it took to download two Java Web pages using Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. Chrome streaked ahead, completing the download ahead of its rivals. A webpage with, say, a 3D drawing loaded several seconds faster.

In a video conference with reporters at Google's offices, director of engineering Linus Upson said he expected power users to be Chrome's early adopters.

'But they will tell their friends...and we are confident it will get into the hands of millions of people,' he said. He noted that the browser, using open-source software code, would benefit from add-ons and updates created by the online community.

The question for Google now is whether users will bite. Early adopters such as undergraduate Chin Su Yuen, 22, are already sold. Noting that the software is faster, she said: 'I have opened Facebook with 2,000 items on it, and it took a longer time to load on older browsers.'

Before Chrome, the alternatives to Internet Explorer have been Apple's Safari, Opera from Opera Software and Firefox from the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, which Google helps fund.

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Star features in new browser

GOOGLE has promised that its new Chrome Web browser will be faster and smarter than its competitors, including Internet Explorer from rival Microsoft.

The company is banking on three star features to lure Internet users. They are:

# Omnibox

This is the box where you type in a website's address. It also allows you to write any term, say, Felicia Chin, and it will bring up a list of websites on the actress.

Before you even finish typing, Chrome predicts what you are after by looking up websites you visited previously, and by referencing similar searches by other Web surfers. If you have visited, say, Wikipedia.com, the box also lets you search for things on that website, without typing in its address.

# Privacy mode

If you do not want others to find out what you have been surfing, there is a new Incognito feature. It ensures that traces of your Internet session are erased the moment you exit the browser.

This means things such as virtual 'cookies', which track the items you browse on Amazon.com, for example, are not stored on the computer, so others cannot access them.

# Smart tabs

Users often surf several webpages at once on multiple tabs on their browsers. In Chrome, these tabs run on separate 'processes', so if one website takes up too much of the computer's resources or causes the software to crash, each tab can be shut down individually.

The other pages, loaded separately on other tabs, can continue running.

With current browsers, a problematic website can sometimes cause the entire browser application to freeze up.

Would you pay $2600 for a PSP?

Who on earth in their right mind would pay $2600 for a Sony PSP. That amount can buy a nice laptop.

Frankly, I dun know if the lady was gullible, ignorant or plain stupid? Mostly all three.

If I was quoted such a ridiculous price, I would just walk away. What a con job and no one can do anything about it. How many more unknowing and ignorant suckers would be suckered by this shop?

But according to CASE, what the shop did is not considered overcharging. So criminally they are not illegal And CASE even said that retailers are free to set their own prices because of differences in cost structures and locations.

GASP! Double Gasp! That means they can technically commit daylight robbery and the police cannot do anything about it! *Faint*

That's why I never shop for any IT or electronics or electrical products from Lucky Plaza. Only ignorant tourists do.

Bunch of blood thirsty blood suckers, they have there.

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The New Paper
06 Aug 2008

Woman pays $2,600 for 'upgraded' PSP

Salesman told her she was paying for 'original' software licences.

HER 12-year-old daughter wanted to buy a Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) to share with her friends.

On 12 July, a 41-year-old sales assistant, who wanted to be known only as Nicole, went with her daughter to shop for one at Lucky Plaza. After checking with several shops, she found out that the price ranged between $300 and $600.

She told The New Paper that she went to a shop owned by Yeow Tat Trading Enterprises. She said that the sales assistant there was polite and helpful, and helped her daughter to choose a black-tinted PSP.

He advised Nicole to upgrade the software on the PSP, explaining that this would allow her daughter to play more games as well as surf the Internet, among other things.

When Nicole asked him how much the games cost, he told her that they were free of charge. He added that she only needed to pay for the PSP and licence for software upgrading. He then took the PSP away to download the games and upgrade the software, she said. He returned 15 minutes later with the PSP and the bill - a whopping $3,550.

Said Nicole: 'I was shocked. I thought he had written an extra zero by mistake. 'I told him that if the upgraded PSP was going to cost as much as a laptop, I might as well get my daughter a laptop.' Nicole said that her daughter agreed that the PSP was too expensive, and said she didn't want it anymore.

But the sales assistant told her that it was too late as he had already downloaded original software onto the PSP and the licences were costly.

AGREED TO REDUCE PRICE

He agreed to reduce the price to $3,100, but Nicole said it was still too expensive. He then offered reduce it further to $2,610, saying that he wouldn't include anti-virus software.

When Nicole insisted that she didn't want it, he said she still had to pay for the licences of the downloaded games, which would cost $2,000. Said Nicole: 'Although it was crazy that I had to pay $2,000 for nothing, I thought that I could not expect the shop to pay for the licences.

'I couldn't walk away as it would be irresponsible of me.' She asked him why other shops sold PSPs for between $300 to $600.

'He claimed that the PSPs they were selling were different because the licences for the software were not original.'

Convinced by the shop assistant, she paid $2,600. But her brother told her that night that she had paid too much.

They went back to the shop the next day and asked to see the licences for the software, but were told it was confidential. The shop insisted it did not overcharge Nicole, but agreed to waive the service charge.

After lengthy negotiations, the price came down to $1,400. But Nicole insisted the maximum she would pay was $1,000. She got her way and received a $1,600 refund. 'It was still very expensive but I did not want to waste time,' she said.

She later went to the Consumers' Association of Singapore but was told that because she had agreed to pay $1,000, it could not pursue the matter further. 'All the while, the sales assistant had an innocent face, and was helpful and appeared sincere,' she said. She added that she was not intimidated into paying.

When contacted, Yeow Tat Trading Enterprises declined to comment.

'My friends all say I'm so stupid,' Nicole said.

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No need for extra licences, Sony says

PSP users can download official firmware upgrades from the PlayStation network that are free for all users, said a Sony spokesman.

These firmware upgrades include security patches and the use of services from partners like Skype. No physical upgrades are available for the PSP but users can buy accessories such as the Skype headset to make Skype phone calls, and the PSP Camera to take pictures.

Official PSP games are sold individually in the optical disk format known as UMD, available through authorised resellers. They can also be bought from the PlayStation Network at http://asia.playstation.com and transferred from their PC to the PSP through the PSP Media Manager, also available at the same site.

There is no need to purchase additional licences to play PSP games. Any unauthorised modifications to the PSP will void the warranty.

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Buyer beware, Case says...

THE New Paper examined the $2,600 PSP to see if original software had been installed on it. The 'upgraded' PSP had a software version of 3.90 M33-3, which is understood to be a common hack to enable pirated games to be downloaded onto the PSP. It is not original software.

As for the anti-virus, The New Paper understands there are no commercial anti-virus programmes available for the PSP.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said 31 cases involving Yeow Tat Trading Enterprises had been reported over the past three years.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said customers such as Nicole can ask for a full refund if she had bought something she did not intend to buy. He added that overcharging is a breach of the Consumer Protection Act.

But Nicole's case cannot be considered overcharging.

He said retailers are free to set their own prices because of differences in cost structures and location.

'We think that businesses should compete fairly. If you quote something higher, the consumer has the right to buy from somebody else who can quote lower. 'A competitive environment will ensure that prices are kept down.'

To avoid being overcharged, Case advises consumers to compare prices from various shops, verify claims made by retail shops with the main dealer or distributor, and do market research such as reading online forums before buying.

Google Lively

This new Google application is Google's answer to 2nd Life. However, as this site is still very new, there are limited avatars, limited rooms and limited content.

Otherwise, it is pretty cool.

But instead of spending more time online, why dun we get a life, offline?

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The Straits Times
03 July 2008

Google ventures into virtual reality with new 3-D socialising software

SAN FRANCISCO - IN the latest expansion beyond its main mission of organizing the world's information, Internet search leader Google hopes to orchestrate more fantasising on the Web. The Mountain View, California-based company unveiled a free service on Tuesday in which three-dimensional software enables people to congregate in electronic rooms and other computer-manufactured versions of real life.

The service, called 'Lively,' represents Google's answer to a 5-year-old site, Second Life, where people deploy animated alter egos known as avatars to navigate through virtual reality. Google thinks Lively will encourage even more people to dive into alternate realities because it isn't tethered to one Web site like Second Life, and it doesn't cost anything to use.

After installing a small packet of software, a user can enter Lively from other Web sites, like social networking sites and blogs. The Lively application already works on Facebook, one of the Web's hottest hangouts, and Google is working on a version suitable for an even larger online social network, News Corp's MySpace.

'We know people already spend a lot of time online socialising, so we just want to try to make it more enjoyable,' said Ms Niniane Wang, a Google engineering manager who oversaw Lively's creation over the past year. Although Google is best known for the search engine that generates most of its profits, the company has introduced other services that are widely used without making much, if any, money.

Google's peripheral products include its 3-D 'Earth' software, Picasa for sharing photos and programs for word processing, calendars and spreadsheets. Google has no plans to sell advertising in Lively, Ms Wang said. But the service could still indirectly help the company if it encourages people to remain online longer.

Google's management reasons that more frequent Web surfing ultimately will lead to more moneymaking clicks on the ads it shows alongside its search results and millions of other Web sites. Lively's users will be able to sculpt an avatar that can be male, female or even a different species. An avatar can assume a new identity, change clothes or convey emotions with a few clicks of the mouse. T

he service also enables users to create different digital dimensions to roam, from a coffeehouse to an exotic island. The settings can be decorated with a wide variety of furniture, including large-screen televisions that can be set up to play different clips from YouTube.com, Google's video-sharing service. Lively users can then invite their friends and family into their virtual realities, where they can chat, hug, cry, laugh and interact as if they were characters in a video game.

As a precaution, Google is requiring Lively's users to be at least 13 years old - a constraint that hasn't been enough to prevent young children from running into trouble on other social spots on the Web. Google spent several months testing Lively among a group of Arizona State University students before opening the service to the public through its 'Labs' section - a technology sandbox set up for the company's experimental products. -- AP

The PC Show 2008

I arranged with SO to go to the PC show this afternoon. SO was reluctant to go cos his boss was on leave and he's covering for her. He claimed he was very busy and had meetings all lined up all day.

You dun know how many threats I have to whip out to get him to go along. I told him if you dun go to the PC show with me, I am going to splurge on whatever I want. And that includes a top of the line laptop, a playstation, and maybe even a video camera.

SO left his office at 2:30pm and he was just grumbling about how he had no breakfast and no lunch. That little bitch was just whining and complaining how hungry he was. That bitch needs to eat several times a day and if he skipped a meal, he can be extremely bitchy and sourface! Not like me, I can skip breakfast and lunch and yet I dun feel hungry.

Anyway, I told him that if the food court below the PC show center was not that crowded, he could have his lunch there. But when i reached there, that place was packed! There was not a empty table in sight.

I sms SO that he could buy fruits as a snack to fill his stomach and then i went to the fruits counter. The fruits there were so expensive. Everything was 2 to 3 times more expensive than elsewhere. A piece of honey dew or papaya which normally cost $0.60 to $0.80, costs $1.50 there. Yeah, i think it is daylight robbery. SO said he would never eat there cos everything is so double priced.

The PC show was crowded.....there was barely room to move, there were hordes and hordes of bargain hunters hustling for space.

With a hungry and grouchy bitchy SO in company, I dare not linger too long to window shop. Luckily, I am the type of person who know what I want. I had read the PC show paper supplements that comes with the newspaper and did my research online. I also had checked out the booth number of the stuff I wanted.

I wanted a micro SDHC 8Gb memory card for my Nokia N95 phone and a Creative Xmod. And maybe a Canon MP610 printer.

So we wandered about a while first to get our feel, before zooming in the the Sandisk booth, Level 6, B1812. There were 2 types of micro SD card on sale. The normal 8Gb version cost $65, the ultra mobile version cost $72.

It was a steal! The papers advertised the price as $105 and this is $32 cheaper than I expected! And at least $50 cheaper than elsewhere. So I sent off SO to queue and make payment as I wandered about a bit.

It was just too crowded to really browse. I have a great phobia for crowd and people. Lots of people. I started to sweat and my breathing became difficult. I started to make my way to the queue where SO was. I did took a few photos on the way back there. I would post it up once I load it up into my phone.

After SO had made payment, we walked around Hall 6, without realising that we had forgot to take part in the Sandisk lucky draw, which came with every memory card purchase. Not that the prizes were that fantastic, but still freebies after all. Damn!

One other thing that I was looking for was PSP games. We searched high and low and did managed to find a small isolated booth selling games. Some PSP games were on offer, one for $39, three for $99. There wasn't any games I really wanted, so we left after a quick browse.

Next, we went down to the 4th level, Hall 4. This was where all the major brands are; Canon, Creative, Samsung, Acer etc. The only thing I wanted from here was the Creative Xmod. The usual price was $139. Sale price was $69 and it came with a free Zen USB adapter.

Creative was at one corner of Hall 4, Booth A 1801.There wasn't much customers around and the cashier queue was practically empty. Actually I was not quite sure whether I wanted to buy Xmod, cos I was not sure if I would actually use it. The purpose of the Xmod is that it functions like an external soundcard, making low fidelity, xtreme fidelity. It is suppose to make MP3 sound better than CDs and turn stereo music and movies into virtual surround. So I thought, why not, since there were some great reviews on the item and it was on sale!

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=668&product=15913

I was also looking for a printer/scanner and had decided on Canon Pixma MP620, which costs $338 and weigh 10 kg. SO was in a bitchy mood. He said, you buy it, you carry it. I told him it comes with a free trolley and he can pretend to be a air steward lugging his luggage. He rolled his eyes.

I was still considering as to whether I wanted a printer cos I had just managed to make space in my study room for a printer. But then my laptop memory space is more than half gone. With only 80Gb memory space, I had only about 40Gb space left, rendering the laptop sluggish at times.

So finally I made the decision to NOT buy the printer at this fair, but at the next IT fair, which would be probably 6 months later. I still like the Canon MP620, but I think there would be other better grade printers at better price few months down the road.

And I told the bitch SO that I needed to buy a new laptop first, before getting a new printer/scanner. He said, okay....want to buy now? I told him, nope, not now but soon. And I want a better laptop, one that comes with at least 3 Gb RAM, 320 Gb storage space. Now that model retails for about $2300 and if we pay by istallments, it comes out to be about $100 per month for 24 months.

I am so getting a brand new laptop this year!

SO was now whining about how hungry and faint he was. I told him I wanted to take some more photos. I left him at the entrance and made my way along the side of the Hall and snapped several photos.

After that, we made our way down to the food court at Suntec. It was crowded but there were still empty seats. He had curry vegetables and rice for lunch and I had fish curry and rice.

After lunch, we made our way to Marina to take a bus back and on the way, that BITCH made me draw $140 to pay him back. Normally, he would pay for such things, but today, that whiny bitch insisted that I have to pay him back for what I bought today!

Normally, I would paid back what i bought, but I dun pay full price, I paid either 50% or 80% of whatever I bought for myself. And if the bitch was in a good mood, he would waive the payments. But this time, he said I wasted his time, and thus wanted me to pay for the full sum! He even lead me to an ATM!

Frankly, I was not in a good mood either. I hate shoppping with grouchy, whiny people and SO can be a real bitch at times when we are not shopping for him.

So I withdrew $130, intending to pay him only $100 and leaving only $30 for my personal use. No way, I was going to pay him $140. Dream on, Bitch!

He gave me $10 change back, cos he really thought I was paying $150. Ha! How stupid can he get? I told him, I should only pay him $70 cos the price of the micro SD card should be paid by him, since the phone and card would be his in a few months time anyway. He rolled his eyes.

In the end, I paid him $120, leaving only $10 for myself.

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As we reached Marina, I told him John Little was having a 20% storewide sale and I wanted to grabbed some stuff. I informed him that we would either visit it today or over the weekend.