Pulp to Fiction

Showgirls from Computex Taipei 2013

2013-06-13T13:15:00.001+08:00

How To: Setup Google Now on HTC one X Asian Version

2012-12-10T13:43:00.001+08:00

Since the Jelly Bean update has been released for HTC one X international version, especially Asian model, many of us can’t use the Google Now features as the US or UK locale wasn’t present on our ROMs.

Here’s a simple setup guide to bypass the native locale in your HTC one X or any Asian smartphone with Jelly Bean installed (untried on other brand or maker).

HTC one X running on Android 4.1.1 (3.14.707.24)
Adjust your Google account privacy settings
Install Set Locale and Language from Play Store

How to get Jelly Bean on HTC one X?

Go to phone settings > About > Software Updates > Check now. Install the latest updates from HTC server.

Setup and adjust your Google account privacy settings.

Enable Web History
Enable Location Sharing

Download and install Set Locale and Language from Play Store.

After install, launch the program to set the system locale to English US or UK, then save.

Launch Google Now by press and hold the home button.

More guides: XDA, Android Authority

Hope this helps. Leave your comment if you are successful using this tips.

Cherri Bomb: This Is the End of Control

2012-07-17T12:06:00.001+08:00

If you've seen "The Runaways" (K-Stew 4eva), you know the story of the boundary-breaking all-girl '70s rockers. But Los Angeles' Cherri Bomb, a femme quartet with the same penchant for ripping through power chords, drew their name from not from the Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" but the Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna book Cherry Bomb: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Flirt, a Tougher Chick, and a Hotter Girlfriend--and to Living Life Like a Rock Star, which became their own personal girls-in-rock-who-rock manual. Either way, Cherri Bomb's living up to the name. The band made a splash with last year's Stark EP on Hollywood Records in October, but that was just a warm-up: Their debut album, This Is the End of Control, premiered on May 15, 2012.

The band cites Garbage, Foo Fighters and My Chemical Romance as influences, and their wrecking-ball riffs definitely wave a flannel flag. But their spectacular style is pure old-school rock 'n' roll: all-black outfits, bold hair and badass boots. Singer Julia Pierce sounds as hard-core as she looks, channelling Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland on "Spin" and showing off a breathier, softer side on "Mirror Mirror."

The young group's already hit the road with some of their heroes, opening for the Foos in Germany and playing dates with the Smashing Pumpkins. But Cherri Bomb are determined to be their own thing: "What if I say I'm not like the others?" Pierce sings on "The Pretender." If they keep rocking this hard, we'd say plenty of others will be following their lead.

Source: MTV Buzz

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 Now in Malaysia

2012-07-17T11:44:00.001+08:00

Once again, Asus delivers a complete package with its Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 Android tablet. The long-awaited Infinity maintains the slim, stylish, multipurpose tradition of its predecessor, the Asus Transformer Prime, while bringing an improved Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and a 1920-by-1200-pixel display along for the ride. This tablet blasts ahead of the pack to establish itself as the best-performing Android tablet we've seen to date, on all of our metrics except battery life.

The Infinity has some minor physical difference changes from the Prime. Asus moved the volume rocker from the top left edge (when held in horizontal orientation) to the upper edge, at at right. The Micro-HDMI port moved lower along the left edge, and below the Micro-HDMI port now sits the headphone jack (a more convenient location as compared with the Prime's upper right edge location).

The Infinity comes loaded with Android 4.03 Ice Cream Sandwich, 1GB of DDR3 memory operating at 1600MHz (an improvement over the type of memory used on the Prime), and a quad-core 1.6GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 T33 processor. When in single-core operation, the new Tegra operates at 1.7GHz. By comparison, the Prime's Tegra 3 processor operates at 1.3GHz for two to four cores and at 1.4GHz when a single core is in use; for its part, the processor in the Acer Iconia Tab A700 runs at 1.3GHz/1.2GHz.

Elsewhere, Asus has made a few other evolutionary improvements. Like the Prime, the Infinity has a rear 8-megapixel camera, but now the camera has a slightly wider aperture for low-light shooting--f2.2 instead of the Prime's f2.4. Asus updated the camera software, too, as well as the sensor and flash; but in my casual shooting the benefits of these enhancements were minor in low-light and daylight shooting. In side-by-side comparisons, I preferred the images captured by the Infinity; the colour and clarity was simply better than the Prime. (Another note: The high-res display made it easier to capture images, too.) The front-facing camera has been updated from 1.2 megapixels to 2 megapixels, so you can now obtain high-definition video chat.

Asus retains some of its now-standard Android customization features, including a custom keyboard that includes white keys with black text and a number row, and a control panel for quick access to the tablet's power settings, display controls, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles, rotation lock, and other settings.

Preloaded apps include Polaris Office, SuperNote, App Backup, App Locker, Asus Sync, MyNet (for streaming 1080p content across a network), and Asus Webstorage (with 8GB of free storage space for the "lifetime" of the unit, up from the Prime's one-year of free unlimited storage followed by paid storage).

The Transformer Pad Infinity comes in two variants – 32GB and 64GB. Both are Wi-Fi only and there’s no word on whether ASUS will bring in the 3G version. The 64GB retails for RM2,599 and is available now. Meanwhile the 32GB (RRP RM2,199) will be available somewhere in August. The price includes the ASUS Mobile Dock that packs a full-featured QWERTY keyboard and additional battery. Unfortunately, Malaysian did not have the option to purchase the tablet separately as the US and European consumers.

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 takes over from its predecessor as the top Android tablet available. You get high performance mixed with high style, and you don't have to make a lot of sacrifices to get both. Other tablets--including the Prime, which is expected to drop in price once this model gets into the market--may provide better value, but no other Android tablet will give you the full package that the Infinity does.

Source: PC World, Video from Tablet News.

Surface™ by Microsoft

2012-06-20T11:56:00.001+08:00

The Surface is the first tablet computer, designed by Microsoft itself. It has powerful specs and is made from high-quality materials in order to rival the best products out there in this category. The fact that it's going to run Windows RT or Windows 8 suggest that it'll be a lot more capable than the mobile OS-running tablets of today.

Surface for Windows RT tablet

Processor: NVIDIA Tegra-based ARM chip
Weight: 676 grams
Thickness: 9.3 millimetres
Display: 10.6-inch Clear Type HD capacitive touch panel
Battery: 31.5Wh
I/O: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
Software: Windows RT + Office Home & Student 2013 RT
Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, VaporMg Case & Stand
Capacity: 32GB / 64GB
Availability: "Around" the Windows 8 launch (fall 2012)
Pricing: To be determined

Surface for Windows 8 Pro tablet

Processor: Intel Core i5 (Ivy Bridge)
Weight: 903 grams
Thickness: 13.5 millimetres
Display: 10.6-inch Clear Type Full HD (1080p) capacitive touch panel
Battery: 42Wh
I/O: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini Display Port, 2x2 MIMO antennae
Software: Windows 8 Pro
Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, VaporMg Case & Stand, Pen with Palm Block
Capacity: 64GB / 128GB
Availability: "Three months after" the Windows 8 launch this fall
Pricing: To be determined

Essentially broken down into two specific models, the first Surface is going to be powered by Intel’s 22nm Ivy Bridge chips to give prospective owners that untouched “full Windows” experience. Conversely, the second model of the Surface is going to rely on an ARM chipset and it’ll be running the Windows RT experience. Of course, the Windows RT version of the Surface manages to be a tantalizing piece of hardware as it features a 10.6” Clear Type HD display with Gorilla Glass, weighs 676 grams, 9.3mm thin, microSD card slot, PVD finish, kickstand, and available in 32GB or 64GB capacities. Oh yeah, did we mention that it’s dubbed as the first PC with a magnesium case?

As for the beefier Intel-based Surface tablets, the differences include the fact that they’ll be running the full Windows 8 Pro experience, weighs in at 1.9lbs, thickness of 13.5mm, and they will be available in 64GB or 129GB storage capacities. Additionally, this Intel version will provide digital ink support thanks to the aid of a stylus (pen), which conveniently tucks away into the tablet’s body via magnets.

As we’ve seen with Apple’s Smart Covers for the iPad, they offer additional functionality, but Microsoft decided to kick it up just a notch with their take on it. Basically, the optional Touch and Type cover for the Surface, which sizes up at a mere 3mm thin, is a pressure sensitive cover that doubles as a fully functioning keyboard and track pad. And of course, the optional accessories for it include Touch Covers that are merely skins for the Touch and Type cover – so you won’t dirty up the keyboard with your greasy fingers.

Naturally, Microsoft really managed to bring the big guns to its last-minute event in Los Angeles, but surely enough, it’s something that’s compelling and enticing to behold. Honestly, the Microsoft Surface will make some people forget about these killer looking ultra books that are on the market. Furthermore, the Surface is being stamped with Microsoft’s name and recognizable Windows logo – though, they’re not necessarily “manufacturing” it. In terms of pricing, however, Microsoft was a teeny bit reluctant in giving us firm price points for its Surface tablets. On one hand, they’re going to be competitively priced to put them in line to other ARM-based or Intel ultra book-like laptops, but either way, it’s still unknown at this point. Lastly, availability is still pretty much up in the air for the moment, but as we get closer to that, pricing will also be made known.

Source: Microsoft, PhoneArena, Engadget

Bizarre photo shoot of Galaxy Nexus

2012-04-02T00:54:00.001+08:00

Some things on the Internet simply cannot be logically explained. Like this photo shoot from a Live Journal blog by Russian user “strenger”.

According to the Google Translate, which I often doubt the accuracy of, “strenger” was called to a friends one evening to document some sort of dinner preparation when things took a turn for the interesting. Apparently, the woman found torturing the Galaxy Nexus in the photo shoot is doing so because she had a fight with her significant other. And he’s the one who bought her the phone.

The pictures really speak for themselves. The Galaxy Nexus was fried, used as a cutting board, drenched in raw eggs, covered in ketchup, used as a sponge to do dishes, thrown in a blender and dumped into a pot of boiling hot water. After all that, the phone supposedly still works. Yeah, sure.

I’m not quite sure if this is some sort of odd marketing campaign, or just one man’s freakish fetish finally coming to fruition. It’s almost disturbing in a weird way. But I’m sure there’s some sort of message to get out of the whole thing. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

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2012: War of the Tablets

2011-12-25T22:48:00.001+08:00

Starting from January 2012, notebook manufacturers will be putting their resources into making tablets. Non-iPad tablet vendors has started cutting prices in September in an attempt to reduce their overstock inventory and minimize losses, and the decisions are expected to trigger a new price war within the tablet industry, according to sources from notebook players.

This year we have witnessed the price reduction on Android tablets, noticeably Lenovo IdeaPad K1 pricing on launch day was RM1,499 in August and now selling at RM1,299 after they revised the retail price.

Samsung and Motorola have both seen weak tablet sales, while Research In Motion and HTC are looking for better results next year, according to DigiTimes.

Lenovo heats up the competition for Q1 next year with the introduction of Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet A1 and will land in our shores next month for RM799!

Spotting a 7-inch form factor, the new tablet is equipped with a single-core 1.0GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor together with 512MB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory as well as a capacitive multi-touch LCD display with a maximum resolution of 1024x600. Apart from that, it also comes with 0.3-megapixels front-facing camera and 3-megapixels main camera.

Other features also include magnesium alloy roll-cage inside its chassis, microSD card reader, micro-USB port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 and offline GPS navigation system. However, this tablet runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread that is usually used in mobile phones rather than the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system.

It will be available in black and white and released at all Lenovo Exclusive Stores as well as authorized dealers in Malaysia next month.

Source: Lenovo, LowYat.net

Wing Heong's viral video campaign “The Rice of Yok Man”

2011-12-25T12:16:00.001+08:00

1930's, on the eve of World War II, the Japanese Empire was eyeing the Malaysian food industry. In order to destroy the anti-Japanese forces in Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese have sent spies for infiltrating missions. The young Yok Man has been implicated by the incident...

An uncanny bak kwa superhero has burst into the social media scene, leaving almost half a million Internet viewers agape with the made-in-Malaysia cartoon hero.

The Rice of Yok Man (loosely translated as “the rise of meat man”) is a four-minute video about flat-faced Yok Man, whose character was inspired by the dried sliced meat (known as bak kwa) taking the form of famous Wing Chun martial arts master Ip Man.

Bak kwa is a traditional delicacy enjoyed by the Chinese community, particularly during the Chinese New Year.

The story is set against a hypothetical backdrop of World War II, with the Japanese portrayed as having the desire to conquer the Malaysian food industry.

A food war ensues between the Japanese warlords (who take the form of a sushi and a tempura) and the Malaysian camp , represented by Yok Man and his martial arts compatriots, the egg-head named Double-Yolk Egg and the feminine Seremban Siew Bao.

Witty lines in the Cantonese dialect lace the interactive video, which requires viewers to click the pause and mute buttons to assist Yok Man in winning his fight.

The video with English and Chinese subtitles was created as a publicity gimmick for a local dried meat company.

Source: The Star

Metallica Releases 'Beyond Magnetic' Digital EP

2011-12-13T13:54:00.001+08:00

Metallica celebrated its 30th anniversary as a band last week, performing four shows at the Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco, CA, exclusively for members of their fan club, the Metallica Club.

Photo by Steffan Chirazi courtesy of Metallica.com

‘Beyond Magnetic’ is available exclusively via iTunes in North America for one week only. Once the week expires, the songs will be available via all digital retailers. The EP features a batch of songs that were recorded during the ‘Death Magnetic’ sessions but didn’t make the album. The band performed each of the EP’s four songs live during the anniversary celebrations and then gifted the rough mixes of the studio versions to fan club members afterwards. Now the whole world can enjoy ‘em. Metallica are nothing if not generous and considerate of their fans.

The band released a statement about the EP and why they choose to release the songs now:

“During the ‘Death Magnetic’ album sessions in 2007 and 2008, we originally recorded 14 songs. When it came time to pick the songs for the final album, we decided on 10 songs that you’ve all come to know over the last three years. Some of you may have heard bits and pieces of those other songs on ‘Mission Metallica’ (remember ‘Mission Metallica’?!) or heard rumors about them during the recording process, and wondered, ‘What ever happened to those other four songs???.’ We kept them in the vault and decided to pull them just for this special celebration, so here are the four leftover tracks from the ‘Death Magnetic’ sessions. They are ROUGH mixes, unfinished to their original degree of mixing from March ’08. These four songs were released as gift to our closest fans, the members of our Fan Club, to enjoy. Now they’re being made available to you.”

"Beyond Magnetic" track listing:
01. Hate Train
02. Just A Bullet Away
03. Hell And Back
04. Rebel Of Babylon

Metallica's 30th anniversary celebration ended late Saturday night with drummer Lars Ulrich telling fans to listen for news to come in mid-January 2012 about something very special coming in June.

Source: Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles

Groupon Malaysia Deal: MiPow MACA-Air and MACA External Battery Cases

2011-12-10T21:34:00.001+08:00

Link to Groupon Malaysia page:

[Up to 37% Off] iPhone MACA Air External Battery Casing + iDock from RM139. Nationwide Delivery Available

Link to Groupon Malaysia page:

[Up to 37% Off] iPhone MACA Air External Battery Casing + iDock from RM139. Nationwide Delivery Available

Product specifications:

ASUS next generation of Eee Pad Transformer revealed

2011-10-20T13:43:00.001+08:00

The AsiaD in Hong Kong has shed some lights on the next generation Asus Eee Pad Transformer. Jonney Shih, Asus chairman, teased the media with the Transformer Prime, yes – that’s what it will be called.

He also affirmed that it'll ship with a quad-core NVIDIA chip, 10-inch display, mini-HDMI port, a 14.5-hour battery, an SD card slot and a top lid that looks precisely like its Zenbook line.

ASUS has posted a new video teaser for what appears to be a next-generation Eee Pad Transformer. Titled "The next Transformation," the clip is pretty light on details, though the mysterious device does make a brief appearance toward the end, sporting a design similar to what we saw last week, with ASUS' Zenbook lineup.

Finally, we were informed that it'll be called the Transformer Prime, and while a final ship date wasn't given, we're told to expect more news on that front during the November 9th "official reveal."

Source: Engadget

Rumour: Asus Eee Pad Transformer 2 scheduled for November 7th release

2011-10-12T11:57:00.001+08:00

There are rumours circulating on the internet stating that Asus Eee Pad Transformer 2 are scheduled for November 7th release date.

Asus CEO Jerry Shen had also said that the company is planning to release the tablet before the end of the year, and that looks to be confirmed by UK retailer LambdaTek.

LambdaTek has posted a listing for the Transformer 2 on its website as model TF201-1I020A with a release date of November 7th, which would certainly hit the release window that Asus mentioned. The posting also has a list price of £448, which is in the range that a $500 tablet might be listed in the UK. The listing even gives specs including a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, 32GB storage, 1GB RAM, and Android Honeycomb (3.x).

Asus also was confirming that it is set on pricing the upcoming tablet at USD$499, and that is some pretty good news.

NVIDIA also has confirmed the dual-core Tegra 2 (Kal-El) SoC chipset would be ready on September.

The Transformer 2 could be reaching our shore in late November or early December and that would definitely be a very nice surprise.

Source: LamdbaTek via PhoneArena

Avril Lavigne Sheds Tears in Her Latest Video

2011-09-11T00:48:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, Avril Lavigne released her latest video from the Goodbye Lullaby album: “Wish You Were Here” (video embedded below), a song written by Lavigne along with Martin Max and Johan Karl Schuster.

This release marks the third video from her album, following productions for the songs “What the Hell” and “Smile“.

The ballads video features a sparse set which makes the singer appear especially isolated and vulnerable while singing to the ballad, and yesterday Lavigne tweeted about her tears to fans, saying “the tears are real… no onions!!”.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Scratch Test (Try it at your own risk)

2011-08-17T16:21:00.001+08:00

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 features a chemically strengthened screen made up of Corning Gorilla Glass that helps protect it from bumps and scratches - keeping your tablet looking bright and new longer.

So just how strong is Corning Gorilla Glass? The guy at Asus ROG (Republic of Gamers) is getting bored at what they are doing and try something new.

Any of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer owners can try it at their own risk but not the last part of the video for sure.

Source: asusrog

HTC Flyer aren’t flying at all in Malaysia

2011-08-11T10:52:00.001+08:00

HTC Flyer is a portable 7-inch tablet with a digital pen that can do more for you than you can imagine. From creating masterpieces with a stroke of a paintbrush, to taking multimedia notes or even signing digital documents, HTC Flyer puts you in control of any situation. With streaming movies at a touch of your finger, HTC Flyer turns any moment into something special.

For whatever reason, the flyer hasn't exactly been flying off those shelves since its launch a few months ago. Good news however is that from today, HTC have decided to drop the RRP of the Flyer to a cooler RM2099 and on top of that, when you purchase a HTC Flyer, you'll get one of five limited edition skins to pimp up your new tablet. I have to say, the skins looks pretty cool in their own way, a little gaudy, but cool nonetheless.

Why I’m not buzzing at all? A single-core 7-inch tablet selling at RM2099 – I can get a 10.1-inch Tegra 2 (dual-core) tablet at RM1498 in the form of Asus Eee Pad Transformer. That’s why the HTC Flyer aren’t flying at all in Malaysia.

Source: Lowyat.net

Loudtalks brings Push-To-Talk to Android, Blackberry or Windows Mobile Phone and PC

2011-08-09T12:34:00.001+08:00

Loudtalks (beta) is a free cross-platform push-to-talk (PTT) app for Android that turns your device into a walkie-talkie and allows you to talk with others in private or over public channels. Multi-platform support, real-time streaming with high quality voice, contacts availability and text status, multiple public channels for up to 100 users and in-app facility to map a hardware push-to-talk button are some of the highlighting aspects of Loudtalks.

In addition, you can create multiple accounts, manage contacts, create a new conversation channel with personalized PTT privileges and set your Loudtalks status, status message, audio alerts, theme colour and manage contacts as you like. All you need is a valid Loudtalks account to start indulging in conversations with online users all over the world.

When launched, Loudtalks asks you to login with your account or signup for a new account (if you don’t have one already). Once you log in, you can start adding contacts and channels to your account and find online people all over the world to share your thoughts with. Just select a contact or channel of your choice and start communicating with them by pushing the Hold and Speak button. The app keeps running in the background unless you turn the service off. This allows listening to incoming conversations even if device is locked.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer 2: The Sequel coming in October 2011?

2011-08-08T17:55:00.001+08:00

I haven’t got to know the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101, an Android tablet that employs Asus's netbook expertise, including a keyboard dock that not only makes typing easier - it also doubles the battery life and boosts connectivity.

Asus has just confirmed that they are working on a spanking new Transformer tablet – which will aptly be known as the Transformer 2, of course. This news comes after Asus released their Eee Pad Slider tablet. As for the Transformer 2, the sequel to the Transformer was confirmed by Asus chairman Jonney Shih himself, having mentioned to Forbes that they are currently working on it, but when probed further, he did not reveal further details concerning the hardware that we will be getting inside, apart from the word “impressive”.

Needless to say, this has set the rumour mill to go into overdrive, where some say that the Transformer 2 tablet will run on NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 (Kal-El) SoC that is due for a September debut. Currently, the Transformer tablet (16GB) will set you back by RM1499 (USD399) thereabouts, where it won’t come with the docking keyboard, relying on NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 SoC and a high-resolution IPS display instead.

So which one are you going for, the current Transformer or the Transformer 2?

Pictures courtesy of Pocket-Lint.

Samsung Galaxy R in Malaysia?

2011-08-02T15:33:00.001+08:00

The Samsung Galaxy R (also known as I9103) is the first handset to walk in the shoes of the Samsung Galaxy S II. A slightly stripped down version of Samsung's flagship, it wears similar looks, packs an equally powerful core and only downgrades the camera to 5 megapixels. Actually, the Galaxy R is the first of many other versions of the S II that we expect to follow – just as was the case with the original Galaxy S, which got a separate version for each major US carrier. The Galaxy R on its part is said to hit a couple of European markets including the UK, and come with a slightly cheaper price tag.

Packing a slightly smaller, 4.2” display than the S II, the Galaxy R also comes with a new processor – dual-core Tegra 2 replaces Samsung's 1.2GHz Exynos. Additionally, Samsung has done a bit of redesign – while the S II could compete with the thinnest and lightest smartphones in the world, at the same time being made out of plastic, the Galaxy R feels solid, crafted out with both metal and plastic, all coming in a body that's a hair thicker.

Source: PhoneArena.com

HTC Sensation in Malaysia

2011-06-07T20:33:00.001+08:00

This smartphone has arrived in Malaysia and retailed @ RM2299 claimed IMCC. HTC Sensation is HTC first dual-core processor smartphone. Checkout the rest of the specification here.

Maxis is rumoured to be the candidate to launch this model. It could be due to Samsung Galaxy S II soon to be launch by Maxis and decided to delayed the HTC Sensation launch to a later date.

Samsung Galaxy S II coming to Maxis soon

2011-05-30T22:25:00.001+08:00

Just saw this on Maxis website. It indicates that Maxis will be bringing in the Samsung Galaxy S II soon.

*** UPDATE: It’s official. Check this site.

Avril Lavigne: Goodbye Lullaby

2011-02-27T13:35:00.001+08:00

Pop/rocker Avril Lavigne is back with her fourth studio effort, Goodbye Lullaby. Read on to get a glimpse of the sure fine hit.

After a long hiatus, 26-year-old Avril Lavigne is back with her impressive fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby.

What was created in late 2008, Lavigne decided to shed her snarly punk princess persona from her third effort, The Best Damn Thing and the number one hit, “Girlfriend,” and return back to her roots from the 2002 Grammy nominated record, Let Go and the 2004 rocker, Under My Skin.

“It’s stripped down,” says Lavigne. “I love performing that way, so I really felt like it was time to make a record like that.”

Besides the somewhat consistent mellow vibe that lingers throughout the tunes overall, Lavigne’s record label, RCA, wanted her to balance out the album with some radio friendly material.

A compromise was reached when Lavigne worked with songwriter, Shellback (P!nk, Britney Spears) and producer and pop hit maker, Max Martin (Kelly Clarkson, P!nk) whom Lavigne worked with previously on 2007’s The Best Damn Thing.

They were able to pop out the albums lead pop single, “What The Hell,” which Lavigne describes as the least personal track to her off the record. The anthemic pop lead managed to settle comfortably in the Top 10 position on iTunes.

The other tracks whipped up by Max Martin include the rumored single, “Wish You Were Here,” reminiscent of P!nk’s, “Fuckin’ Perfect,” and Demi Lovato’s, “Don’t Forget,” with the words, “I remember all those crazy things you said / You left them running through my head / You’re always there / You’re everywhere / But right now I wish you were here,” while the explicit attitudinal cheery number, “Smile,” reflects Lavigne’s rebel-like vibe with the bratty lyrics, “You know that I’m a crazy bitch / I do what I want / When I feel like it.” The pre-chorus is a sure fired up hit maker in the making with a cheery chorus that follows, “You’re the reason why I smile.” The song, clearly directed at current boyfriend Brody Jenner chants, “I woke up with a new tattoo / Your name was on me / And my name was on you.” (Both Lavigne and Jenner have tattoos of each other’s names.)

The last pop induced number, “I Love You,” Max Martin helped deliver is highly reminiscent of Jen Leckman’s, “Your Arms Around Me,” while Lavigne sings, “La, la, la,” along with the melody and is almost shortly identical to that of Alanis Morissette’s hit, “Thank U,” during the bridge’s, “oh, oh.” Though the tune holds its own and could easily be a radio hit, Lavigne makes a slight hint towards ex-husband Deryck Whibley with the bridges lyrics, “Even though we didn’t make it through / I am always here for you.”

The rest of the record could easily be compared to a modern day Alanis Morissette with a rather simplistic twist. The rumored single, “Push,” written by Lavigne and best friend Evan Taubenfeld (whom coincidentally duets on the track), starts out with an acoustic vibe with jumbled fast paced lyrics. Though the chorus comes across screechy, the lyrics are very reminiscent of the rebel Lavigne with the lyrics, “I’m capable of taking care of myself / So if you fuck this up / Than go take a hike.” The tough love track was produced by Lavigne’s ex-husband, Deryck Whibley, front man of Sum 41.

Also produced by Whibley was the clap-finger snap-cutesy track “Stop Standing There,” self-penned by Lavigne which starts off with a frustrated Avril wondering what’s going on in her significant others head. “You’re just standing by / You’re just wasting time / Why don’t you just tell me the truth / About me and you?” The probing Lavigne sings in the bridge, “Stop standing there / Stop acting like you don’t care / Stop being scared,” and ends the number with, “Please tell me who you are / So I can show you who I am.”

“Black Star,” a twinkling star-like melody is only a 1:40 intro into the record, the track was self-written for Lavigne’s first fragrance commercials jingle. Lavigne’s soft and enchanting voice sings to her fans with the simple words, “Forever you will be a shining star.”

The eleven-year-old in the making track written before Lavigne ever signed a record deal, “Darlin’” is a cute uplifting acoustic number about wanting better for someone she cares for. “Pretty please / I know it’s a drag / wipe your eyes and put up your head / I wish you could be happy instead / There’s nothing else I can do but love you the best I can,” she sings.

“Everybody Hurts,” one of the earliest tracks written for the record starts out with an acoustic melody sure to win over lingered off fans with the first listen. With lost and confusion, Lavigne sings, “Don’t know if I can do this on my own – it seems I’m losing something deep inside of me.” With hopelessness, she sings, “It feels like nothing really matters anymore,” but uplifts the listeners with the chorus, “It’s okay to be afraid – everybody feels this way / and it’s okay.” It’s a reassuring and pleasant listen throughout.

The ‘90s grunge ballads, “Not Enough,” and “Remember When” that pop up on the record are ear grabbers from the start. Both reflect Lavigne’s recent divorce situation with Deryck Whibley whom coincidently produced both songs. “I’m sorry if this hurts you,” Lavigne vulnerably warns in the beginning of “Not Enough.”

“These feelings I can’t take no more / This emptiness in the bottom drawer / It’s getting harder to pretend / And I’m not coming back around again,” Lavigne sings in the self-penned number “Remember When,” chorus.

The self written tracks on the record, “4 Real,” and “Goodbye” were produced solely by Lavigne, something of which she admits never saw herself doing. But with an impressive first timer producing credentials, Lavigne sings “4 Real’s” catchy ethereal bridge with the words, “Hold me down / Hold me now / I’m safe / I’m sound / When you’re around.”

“Goodbye,” the simplistic ballad, which Lavigne described as the most personal, inspired the title of the record. What Lavigne claims was the most, “raw and vulnerable track” she’s ever recorded in her career, starts with a piano and cello as Lavigne sings goodbye to her ex-husband as a sense of closure. “Always know / That I love you so / Goodbye brown eyes / Goodbye for now / Goodbye sunshine.” The lullaby ballad rings, “La-lullaby / Help me sleep tonight.”

What could have been a very tearful number turned out to be a rather bittersweet reflection of what once was. “Goodbye, my love,” she sings while the strings linger and fade until the end, sure to raise goose bumps and tears for listeners alike.

It’s the perfect track to wrap up the record, end the chapter, close the book and move on.

But don’t be alarmed if you revisit for another listen or two.

By Annie Martin

Video source from YouTube.

Fake memory cards

2010-11-23T11:58:00.001+08:00

We often hear people saying that "if it's cheap, it's inferior". Well, that may not apply for some services or products, but when it comes to memory media it is often the case. The fake ones are generally sold online or via unscrupulous retailers at half the price (or sometimes much less) of the real McCoys. So what difference will it make when using a bogus media?

For starters, counterfeit memory card wouldn't work as well as the real deal. The most distinct difference would be its performance. Write speed and transfer rate are slower, and storage capacity of the fake ones may even be lesser than indicated. There are reports of people buying a fake 2GB memory media, only to find out that it can hold just half its capacity.

Most flash media come with a warranty card in the packaging. If you've bought a fake media and it fails, there is no way the real manufacturer will replace it, even if its brand name is pasted on the card.

The failure rates for the imitations vary, but don't take the chance. The last thing you will want to happen is for the card to fail when you are in the middle of a holiday. Some of the fakers tend to get corrupted when formatted, or when read by card readers.

So how do we spot the tell-tale signs of a counterfeit?

Packaging

The fake card came with what appears to be genuine-looking packaging, as shown below.

The genuine SanDisk boxes have a hologram logo sticker on the front of the box, in the bottom left corner, just above the SanDisk logo, but this fake box is missing the sticker.

The "SanDisk Ultra" text on the genuine box is also much more embossed and glossy, and the "II" text to the right of the "Ultra" on the fake box doesn't line up with the rest of the text.

The protective cases for the cards are also different, with the case for the fake card being slightly smaller. The fake card didn't actually fit into its protective case properly, as the case appeared to be slightly too small.

Most of the time, the packaging will give it away. Fake memory media normally comes in shabby-looking boxes. Established brands like SanDisk and Sony will have a hologram sticker on the box stating its genuine origin, while fake memory media often comes in an inferior-quality box and doesn't display a hologram sticker. Some stores will even attempt to sell the frauds as it is without the box, at a much lower price.

Labels

Note the faded red print on the back, and the "TM" next to "CF" at the top right side on the fake.

Note there is no serial on the bottom of the fake (serial blurred on the real one).

Look at the card carefully for its serial number. Chances are that if it is the real deal, the media will have a serial number on it. Frauds will often bypass this process and produce cards that don't carry any serial number. Note that the wordings on fakes may be printed wrongly. There are reports on the Web where people have bought cards from "Sorry Corporation". Go figure.

Dimension

Since the pirates don't have the exact same mould that the original manufacturers have, the cards that they roll out often have missing notches or catches. These media may not sit in the memory slot properly (due to size and design) and could thus hinder operation.

For all the potential memory card buyers in Malaysia and around the world, Micron and Intel recently has announced a new type NAND flash called TLC (triple-level cell) chips. The downside of TLC NAND Flash is that the performance isn’t as good as SLC or MLC as it takes longer to write three bits compared to one or two. On top of that, as more data is store per cell, the longevity won’t be as good.

Many manufacturer from China has started using this TLC chips to produced mass-market OEM or fake memory cards and the unscrupulous resellers are making profits out of it by positioning its pricing, same or equivalent to the MLC or SLC memory cards.

Sources: TLC NAND Flash, Fake Memory Cards

[VIDEO] Android vs. Windows Phone 7 vs. iPhone 4… in a grilling contest

2010-11-15T23:08:00.001+08:00

WARNING: Do not try this at home.

This video by EZGrill (YouTube) shows which smartphones can withstand the heat from a barbecue grill and last longest in the fire? Let’s take a look at the contenders, T-Mobile G2, HTC Surround and iPhone 4.

And the winner is…?

Source: EZGrill

iNO CP09 mobile phone for the elderly

2010-10-14T13:21:00.001+08:00

Have you ever wanted to buy an elderly mobile phone for your parents? Look no further, as iNO Mobile by Foresight Technologies (S) Pte. Ltd. has exactly what are you looking for? Foresight Technologies (S) Pte. Ltd. is Singapore company established in 2008. Professionally managed company with proven track record in R&D, sales and support of mobile phone for the silver hair group.

The currently available model in Malaysia are the iNO Mobile CP09 and has been distributed by Mobile Concepts (M) Sdn. Bhd. (MCM). The phone features a large keypad buttons, a SOS button on the back of the phone, large OLED display, antenna-less FM radio, bright LED flashlight, loud speakerphone and a dedicated switch to keypad locked the phone.

The recommended retail price for iNO Mobile CP09 is RM238.00 (Black or White colours) and it’s available throughout the Peninsular and East Malaysia, subject to selective retailers.

Don’t wait no more, go get a precious gift for your parents now! If you have parents who are above the age of 55-years-old, this is a very suitable mobile phone for them.

Although, only iNO Mobile CP09 are available in the market at the moment. But MCM and iNO Mobile are planning to bring in more models to the Malaysia’s market in the future.

Sources: Mobile Concepts (M) Sdn. Bhd., iNO Mobile

iNO Mobile is a trademark of Foresight Technologies (S) Pte Ltd. Other names may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks.

iPhone 5 coming soon?

2010-09-02T16:16:00.001+08:00

While in Malaysia, the people are still drooling all over the iPhone 4, which still haven’t reach our shore yet. The Cupertino’s company are planning to solved the iPhone 4 antenna issue once and for all with a next-gen iPhone model.

According to the source—and we (iLounge) have to say that we find this part hard to believe—Apple is pushing up the release date of the fifth-generation iPhone to early 2011 (as soon as January) because of the antenna issues with the iPhone 4. It’s unknown whether this will be a repackaging of iPhone 4 components in a different shell or something more substantial. We (iLounge) reiterate: it’s hard to believe. But as with so many seemingly far-fetched early reports, it’s not impossible.

The rumour isn't all that sexy but probably has the most truth to it; it involves Apple allegedly developing less expensive all-silicone Bumper cases to distribute to consumers as part of its iPhone 4 Case Program.

Sources: CNET News, iLounge