Prasys' Blog

Building a Home Server/HTPC – Part 2 (Picking the right OS)

Pradeesh — Sun, 26 May 2013 14:43:53 +0000

This is continuation of my epic guide writing a step-by-step guide for Malaysians (and people from other countries too) on building their own Home Server/HTPC or something in-between. If you have not read my first part , kindly do so by clicking here

In this part , I would be focusing on the software aspect. Assuming that you have built your HTPC/Home Server or a hybrid. Now we want to get it to run. There are two options that we can go for either taking the Windows route or taking the Linux route. I’ll briefly explain pros and cons for each of the routes.

HTPC

You can either go for Windows or you can go for Linux. For Windows , I would recommend up picking either Windows 8 or go for Windows 7 Home Premium. Windows would be an easier solution if you just want to set it up and get it running and familiar with the environment

However if you do not want to fork out money and/or feeling adventurous , there are few linux distribution that I would recommend . These are :-

I personally like OpenELEC , it has file-sharing out of the box , configuration via XBMC , low memory footprint and goodies. Going for linux means , you know that your resources can be used full-time on processing videos ,streaming content and things like that especially if you have a low-end HTPC and want to utilize it fully. Of course you have the option of getting ubuntu and installing XBMC on top of it. We would discuss more on HTPC Software in the next segment.

Home Server

No doubt that Linux is the champion in this domain because you could virtually set up a GUIless Linux pretty easily or with GUI (if you are not used to the command line). Generally people would opt for GUIless linux because it takes less memory and there are heaps of server roles for Linux – you could setup a network scanner (that allows you to share a scanner via the network) , media streaming . All of these are for free as opposed to using Windows

However , using Windows may have its perks. For instance Microsoft came up with Windows Home Server (now discontinued) which makes building home servers very easy. WHS pretty much allows you to backup your Windows machines with a click of a button , allows you to stream music/pictures via the Internet , all of this with a nice GUI and easy-to-manage tool. Alternatively you may pick up a copy of Server 2012 as well. I would probably explain one of these days on how to pick up a copy of Server 2012 for free !

As for good Linux distro which does similar to what Windows Home Server does ,you may get Amahi Home Server. Basically you need to install ubuntu or ubuntu-server 12.04 and run this amahi script. It would automatically convert and give you a cool web interface that allows you to control your server remotely just like how you would with Windows Home Server

Hybrid

It is much like HTPC , except you’ll have to opt for Windows 8 as it has DrivePool which allows you to create RAID-like drives for your PC that provides redundancy especially if you are going to store all your family photos and videos and also to torrent all your files in one go. It is much more easier to use compared to say Linux LVM.

But then again it boils up to down to you , for me – personally I would go for nothing less than Windows 8 for a hybrid configuration. Some of us may disagree with me saying that well-configure ubuntu would be sufficient as well.

In the next segment , I would take a look at some must have software for your home server and for your HTPC.

If you got any questions to ask , feel free to tweet to me or post a comment. I would probably share my HTPC/Home server setup in the next post or so

A Closer look at HyppTV for Streamyx & Mobile Devices

Pradeesh — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:40:17 +0000

I was fortunate enough to be invited to TM’s exclusive preview for bloggers on their next big thing – which was HyppTV for Streamyx and for Mobile Devices. I am not going to bore you with the details , but what I am here is to share few nifty things on HyppTV for STB

TM is conducting trial runs for 8Mbps Streamyx users as we speak. The new STB (Setup box) has a WiFi card built in and as well supports regular ethernet connection . The setup box is much smaller compared to last time , but what attracted me is that the new box runs on Android

Yep , that’s right. I was amazed that TM decided to go with Android or linux instead of using some proprietary software . They have got this right – kudos. I’ll explain further on how probably TM (hope if they are reading this) can improve this new HyppTV and take it to the next level

The box itself has USB ports (you are able to connect USB drives , keyboard and mouse and it works) , you have SPDIF/Out , HDMI , Ethernet connection and as well as WiFi

It also allows you to playback various different file formats. Yes 3GP is included and you know what that means right *wink* *wink* . It also supports mkv up to 1080p. So it doubles as a media entertainment box for you to playback movies. I am not sure if it supports DLNA that allows you stream content from your PC to the STB.

The device itself has 1GB of flash space , this is used for the OS and for TM to push new updates to the device.

Yes they have a few applications installed – mainly Calculator , E-mail and Internet Browser

The Internet Browser is the default browser (Chrome) that you get with Android phones .

Now I am not going to go much on HyppTV for mobile , but they have done a pretty amazing job that allows you to change channels on the fly without needing to go back and change. I’ll try to review it later if I get the chance

Now if folks from TM are reading this , there are few suggestions from me in order to make HyppTV the next-big-thing

1. Open up the market – kudos on using Android. Now get local developers (I mean Malaysian) to develop applications. I think developing for Android is pretty easy thus allowing them to easily port it to HyppTV. This means that people can enjoy apps that they use in the phone as well. If possible get Google Play Store or probably come up with your own play store . Another example is would be for Muslims whereby it would send out push notification on prayer times which maybe handy dandy – i know such app exists in Android eco-system , bring it to the big screen

2. With Android it opens up a potential , now with a web camera + wireless keyboard and mouse , entire TV + HyppTV would be a skype box. It would be easier for kids who are overseas to easily communicate with their parents. Who wouldn’t mind seeing it in the big screen ? Instagram anyone ? Put these two in it and you have it

3. Make it accessible for hackers (like myself ). We want to explore what this little device could do – probably we would root it , install Jelly Bean and tweak it. Please do this

I see that HyppTV is heading towards the right direction – combine that with content and ASTRO would have a serious competitor . What it means for me and you – more choices , more content , lesser price. We are the winner at the end of the day when there are lot of choices for consumers

Building a Home Server/HTPC – Part 1 (Hardware)

Pradeesh — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:56:04 +0000

When it comes to your digital life things are different. These days , we use smartphone , notebooks , tablets , desktop computers. Our lives are revolving around digital stuff and part of that is making sure all of your digital stuff is kept safe and sound, but along with that is making it equally easy to access.

HTPC – makes your dumb TV into a smart TV Picture taken from pablotron.org

This is where the home server comes it . Frankly , it is is nothing new – you might be running one already,(without you know). Home server is a PC that is going to run 24/7 , keeping all of your data , files , flims , music , photos (and even porn ) .This PC would be running 24/7, so it is always going to be on. Don’t worry about power consumption , we would be going green That’s besides providing any network capabilities or streaming servers you might like to add such as streaming to your iPhone wirelessly , PS3 etc.

Initially , I thought of writing on how to build a home server ,but I am going to tweak it slightly for people who are going to build a HTPC or a hybrid. In this part , basically we would be spilling out the requirement and roughly estimate the cost that needed to build one of these beasts

Requirements

Firstly you would be needing a computer. If you have old motherboard , processor laying around you could probably use it to build your own server. Again it boils down to your requirements on what you plan to do with your server. If it is just a simple file server that backs up your important documents , picture probably your old Pentium 4/Pentium 3 computer could do the job. If you want to do streaming of movies that you have downloaded to your PS3 or your iPad , you would probably need a modern computer.

Anyway , I have spelled out and calculated on how much it would cost. We are talking about a decent home server which allows us to stream music/photos/movies ,back up and a decent HTPC

The first one is people who are looking for pure servers , it would not be connected to HDTV , so we are not focusing on graphics card

Roughly you would be needing around MYR/RM 1200-MYR/RM 2000 to build your own file server/HTPC or a hybrid. We will also make an assumption that for pure home servers that there is no need for DVD drive and the installation of OS can be done via USB

Price is obtained from this site . This is a rough guide feel free to tweak based on your requirements

pure home server

Purpose : backing up/centralized storage/streaming server

Intel Core G465 - RM108
ASROCK B75M-DGS – RM199
Corsair DDR3 4GB PC1333 – RM94
WD SATA 3 1TB drive X 2 = RM 376 (RM 188 each)
500GB SATA 3 SEAGATE – RM159 – OS Drive
Silverstone Strider 600W – RM279
Simple casing – RM 60/RM 50 (you could get an expensive casing if you wish)

TOTAL COST : RM 1285.00

Additional Information : You may swap the processor for Intel Core i3 (if you plan to do media streaming , aka stream your downloaded shows to your PS3) , that would inccur an additional RM 300. If you want to save further you may remove one of the hard disk (either the OS drive or the additional 1GB).

It boils down to your requirement , feel free to adjust or you may even consult me by leaving a comment or sending me a tweet !

PURE HTPC

Purpose : Connecting it to HDTV , watching your favorite shows (in HD or not HD) /pictures with family members or friends , streaming online content , reading news in the big screen.

To know more about my HTPC experience , click here to read

Intel Core i3 3220- RM345
ASROCK B75M-DGS – RM199
Corsair DDR3 4GB PC1333 – RM94
WD SATA 3 1TB drive = RM 188 (media drive)
Crucial SSD - RM229- (OS Drive)
Silverstone Strider 600W – RM279
Simple casing – RM 60/RM 50 (you could get an expensive casing HTPC casing)
NVIDIA GeForce GT610 – RM 159
Windows Media Centre Remote – RM 69 (you may grab it from here)
Logitech K400r Keyboard – RM 122 (Wireless Keyboard with trackpad , you can sit back in the couch and navigate)
HP Blu-Ray Drive – RM 200

TOTAL : RM 1715 (add RM 270 if you plan to purchase Windows 7 Home Premium)

Additional Information : To cut down further you may remove SSD or remove the need for Remote Control or get a cheaper Wireless Keyboard as well. The remote control helps when you want to pause/play/rewind quickly. Alternatively you may opt for AMD if you wish to cut down on graphics card cost and processor cost or replace the blu-ray with a DVD ROM drive

HYBRID

Purpose : Best of both worlds

Intel Core i3 3220- RM345
ASROCK B75M-DGS – RM199
Corsair DDR3 2X 4GB PC1333 – RM188 (RM 94 each)
WD SATA 3 1TB drive X 2 = RM 376 (RM 188 each)
Crucial SSD - RM229- (OS Drive)
Silverstone Strider 600W – RM279
Simple casing – RM 60/RM 50 (you could get an expensive casing HTPC casing)
NVIDIA GeForce GT610 – RM 159
Logitech K400r Keyboard – RM 122 (Wireless Keyboard with trackpad , you can sit back in the couch and navigate)
HP Blu-Ray Drive – RM 200

TOTAL : RM 2157 (add RM 270 if you plan to purchase Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8 )

Additional Information : To cut down further on your budget you may want to replace SSD with a normal HD or get a different wireless keyboard. You may also many want to reduce your RAM or replace blu-ray drive with dvd-writer

NAS vs HTPC/Home Server vs Media Streamer/Player

A NAS is a network area storage generally you could grab one for RM 500 and add hard disks. It allows you to torrent , act as a file streamer , music streamer . There are lots of downsides , for instance your support is limited. You can’t do much , in other words you can’t expand. With a Home server aka PC you can expand. As your home network grows you can add more memory or get a larger disk for your server and it would cost cheaper in the long run.

As for Media streamer , it is only great if you have a NAS or a home server whereby you could stream your content. However you are still limited in a way that you can’t stream Spotify or Hulu without getting a premium account. With a HTPC , you could load up Spotify and stream for full. Plus with a full blown PC , you got a lot of options to tweak on the audio or video.

If you are looking for something simple but don’t mind the limited functionality , you may go for Media streamer or NAS. If you want full power

Oh one more thing….

Do read my next segment on Operating Systems for your HTPC/Home Server

Alternatively feel free to post a comment or tweet me

[Thoughts/Review] Alcatel One Touch Glory 2S (RM 50 Smartphone)

Pradeesh — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:29:21 +0000

Recently in conjunction with RM 200 Smartphone rebate which I blogged way back , a lot of changes had happened. For instance the limit for smartphones have been lifted (which means you could use the rebate for any smartphone). Various telcos are offering various things. For instance Maxis offers free smartphones when you sign with a contract (postpaid)

DiGi on the other hand seems to be the only telco that is offering a smartphone for RM 50 (after the rebate). The phone is free , you would just have to pay for the prepaid SIM Pack which is RM 50.

There are a lot of people asking about this phone , if it is good or not. Sadly you are not able to find a review for this phone. So I decided to write up a short review , the time I spent playing with the phone. I did not get the chance to snap some photos otherwise it would be here as well.

To know more about the package , kindly visit here.

Phone specifications

DiGi’s website does not specify much about the phone and if you Google it around you may not even find a lot of information. The reason being is that the phone is marketed as Alcatel One Touch T’Pop elsewhere in the world

The phone runs on Android 2.3 , 1Ghz processor , Bluetooth 4.0 , WiFi (802.11n) , 3G capable (HSDPA) and a basic screen resolution of 320×480. You can take a look at full specs here

First Impression counts…..

At first glance , it seems to be a decent phone (have a look at the YouTube video). However , the screen feels cheap and very fragile (What do you expect – Gorilla Glass ? IPS panel ? AMOLED ?)

There is nothing to rave about quality. Well it is good enough to make home-made 3GP videos . That’s all I would say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wb8iEnt2JA

Worth it ?…..

Well if you are looking for a secondary phone or if you are looking for an entry-level smartphone and not willing to spend more than RM 100 , then this is the right phone. You could easily use it to WhatsApp , Tweet , Instagram , Facebook and do light surfing. It could handle CandyCrush too I suppose.

I would certainly pick this phone up and use it as a backup phone , no doubt about it. I’ll try to get the full phone and review it

If you have used the phone and have anything to add , please do not hesitate to comment

Oh yes keep in mind that the phone is locked to DiGi. You need to contact them to get it unlocked !.

myDefrag – Defragging Tool for Windows

Pradeesh — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:40:26 +0000

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog. If you are wondering, if I am still alive – yes I am. I got myself a job and I am more into tweeting instead of writing articles. I choose to tweet because I can get responses instantly and sharing two-way works wonders. Anyhow , I decided that for some awesome stuff , I need to do a full-write up in my blog so that it stays here for a long time and becomes a point of reference for anyone who wants to learn or to discover new things.

Source : Wikipedia

Today , let us take a look at fragmentation and why it happens and learn a little bit more about defragging your hard disk

How fragmentation happens?

When a new file is saved to a hard disk, it is placed in the free space at the end existing saved data till the hard disk is full or you delete some previous files. When a file is deleted from the hard disk, it leaves a free space (an empty spot). The more files you delete , the more empty spots you have. The problem is free space will not be continuous as you keep deleting data and this poses a problem. What’s the problem , now when new data is written it will be filled in the empty spots and the data is written would not be continuous , so your hard disk would have to spin and pick up bits and pieces , this would translate to slower access time to files.

However this does not happen with Solid State Drives due to the nature of these drives , it happens with regular hard disk that we commonly have in our computers

Think of it as Rubik’s Cube – an unsolved Rubik’s cube is how fragmented data looks like (Image Source : Computer-Repair)

Benefits of Defragging

These are some of the benefits associated with defragging :-

To Improve the Speed – Programs will launch faster when their data assosicated to it , grouped together. This means the hard disk would spend less time in rotating and collecting data. You would get faster response time
To Improve life span of the hard disk - Mechanical parts of hard drive travel less when the disk is defragmented which reduces the chances of your hard disk failing

Why MyDefrag ?

It is a freeware Defragging program that works wonders. It started off being jkdefrag and the author decided to call it myDefrag and make it closed-source (it used to be open-source).

Anyway unlike many other paid applications or hoax application. It does wonders actually. It uses standard Windows API de-fragmentation to perform the task.

What this means is that unlike some third-party tools , this application is safe as it does not forcefully move the files , instead the changes are handled gracefully in Windows. Plus , the default Windows application is pretty slow and it is somewhat limited. MyDefrag allows you to write your own custom script and allows you to specific how to defrag files and such. This gives much more customization and control over standard Windows tool.

MyDefrag – Simply select a script , select a drive and hit run !

You may download MyDefrag from here. In order to take myDefrag a step further, I recommend you to get Jasipon script – it simply allows you to customize your needs. For instance games/big data that you use frequently (which you can specify gets pushed front of the disk (where it is much more faster) whereas less frequently used data (such as backups , old files) gets pushed to the end of the disk.

As for me , my performance boot time did increase and I did notice in overall performance , especially when trying to access my data disk (which is not SSD) .

Oh yes , feel free to comment to share your experience. If you have any other programs to recommend (freeware) or if you are a developer of a defrag program and want it to be reviewed. Just drop a comment below

Flashing ClockWorkMod for ZTE Acqua

Pradeesh — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:43:30 +0000

This guide explains on how to flash ClockWorkMod for ZTE Acqua. Generally ClockWorkMod is a third-party Recovery Tool that allows you to flash or upgrade your Android easily. You could basically unlock the potential of your android device. It allows you to perform a full backup of your device. On top of that it allows us to upgrade our Android version to 4.1.2. Yes , that’s right folks it is possible for us to upgrade to Android 4.1 and enjoy the new benefits as well. Even if you do not plan to upgrade , you could use this tool to easily root your device which unlocks a whole new chapter (more after the jump)

First thing first . I would like to take this opportunity to thank KonstaT for porting ClockWorkMod (CWM) for ZTE Acqua and for porting CM10 (Android 4.1.2) for our device. Without his efforts , basically we would be stuck with ZTE’s horrible 4.0.4 (it is decent but then it just does not cut it)

Requirements

ZTE Acqua (Malaysia Model) – There are many variants of this , the Malaysian Model is V880E
You must be familiar with Command Line and ADB. XDA-Developers is a good place to start (I’ll try my best to walk you through)

YOU MUST ALSO REMEMBER THAT BY DOING THIS , YOU’LL BE VOIDING YOUR WARRANTY. SO DO NOT COME AND BLAME ME IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

Steps

These steps were obtained from MoDaCo. I have modified it to include additional information

First thing first is you need to ensure that Android Debugging is enabled. For more information on how to enable it kindly refer to this guide here

1. Download the ZTE USB drivers

2. Download and install Android SDK tools and platform-tools to get adb and fastboot (Alternatively if you are lazy or if you have limited bandwidth you may download adb and fastboot from here which was uploaded by TheManii)
3. download recovery-cwm6027-atlas40.img recovery image , which you may obtain it from here

4. create a new directory somewhere (I would recommend creating a directory in C: and call it as flash) and copy adb.exe, fastboot.exe and recovery-cwm6027-atlas40.img into it
5. plug in your device via USB cable and install drivers . Windows will ask you for ADB Device , just simply point it to ZTE ADB Debugging device and it should be alright.

6. Once that is installed fire up Command Prompt (be sure to run it as Administrator)

6. cd into the directory (i.e C:\flash) you created and execute following commands in terminal window

adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash recovery recovery-cwm6027-atlas40.img
fastboot reboot

7. If everything goes alright , you have installed it perfectly
To boot into ClockWorkMod by pressing volume down while powering on or using ‘adb reboot recovery’

If you have any issues , feel free to report them to the developer and if you are stucked or need assistance , feel free to leave a comment here or just tweet me @prasys . I’ll gladly help you out

Next week , I’ll try to write up a guide on how to flash CM10 (Android 4.1.2) on ZTE Acqua

How To Root ZTE Acqua & Any Android Phones

Pradeesh — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:13:45 +0000

Remember the review that I posted on ZTE Acqua. Yep , I am now using it as a secondary phone for my work purpose. Now , ZTE Acqua works perfectly as a normal Android phone , however I want to take it further. What’s the point of using Android phones when you are unable to customize it ? In this guide I show you on how to root ZTE Acqua and any other android phone that runs Android 4.0 and above. Before we get into how to root let us take a look at the purpose of rooting

Why Root ?

The purpose of rooting is slightly different from jailbreaking (iPhone) . In iPhone , the reason why you jailbreak is to overcome the limitation of iOS itself , but the reason you want to root is to make the most of the phone itself. Mostly the reasons why Android device are rooted is to allow you to access the flash memory chip (the operating system). This allows us to modify core files. In my case , I’ve managed to install Xperia launcher on my ZTE Acqua as my default launcher. Plus it allows me to customize and remove bloated applications from the ROM. For instance , ZTE Acqua comes with some bundled stuff like Google+ , Chrome which are installed in ROM. I have managed to remove them and install Google Now.

KEEP in mind that rooting your device may void the warranty

So how do I root ?

This simple guide shows you could root. This method works with most of the phones out there and I have tested and it works with my ZTE Acqua. The method seems universal for all Android 4.x phones. All you have to do is to follow this guide located at XDA-Developers. You would probably have to register first in order to download the file.

Just follow the simple guide , be sure that you have installed ADB Drivers for it and be sure to turn on Android Debugging functionality for the device. If you need help on turning it on , refer to this guide .

I have included a video tutorial [ Credits : BluechipJ] for people who prefer a video step-by-step guide on how to root their device

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EpkrCq1gfM

So where do I go from here ?

XDA-Developers is a great place to check out if you haven’t been. You’ll find tons of customization and even tweak. For starters you may want to get Pimp my ROM [Google Play Store]application . You can pretty much tweak your phone , and may even improve your performance and even unlock hidden things in your phone. In my next guide , I would probably share the things that I have tweaked in my ZTE Acqua if folks are interested

Philips AquaTouch AT750 Review Part Five: Conclusion

Pradeesh — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:22:37 +0000

Like all great things , there is a start and there is an end to it. In this part of the review , I would be concluding my thoughts on the AquaTouch AT750 . So if you haven’t read my Philips Aqua Touch Review , please do so now. Read from part 1 so that you’ll understand the whole journey and how I am in love with the AquaTouch

In this segment , I would be answering to some of the popular questions which I have compiled from my comments section and as well as via Twitter with the #Philips50Shaves hashtag or @direct mentions

Questions Asked By My Followers & Readers

Q : Would this make a suitable gift for my boyfriend/husband ?

A : Why not . If your boyfriend is using a razor or even an electric razor and you want to gift him this , it makes a prefect gift anyway. Trust me , I wouldn’t mind one for my birthday

Q : Is it worth it to spend RM 399 (~USD$ 131) on this ?

A: It depends if you have heaps of facial hair. If you do , yes this makes it much much more easier to maintain it. Otherwise I would say, you could stick it to a traditional razor.

Q : OMG I was following your reviews and it is ‘teh sucks’. I know that razors are the way to go , I have tried and electric razor sucks to the max. YOUR REVIEW IS BIASED !!!111oneoneone

A: Uh probably you have tried a different electric shaver and it may not be to your liking. It is unwise to generalize. Anyhow , if you like razors go with it. I am just sharing my experience here with my readers about my experience about the AquaTouch. It can be positive or even negative , but mostly my experience with the AquaTouch is positive

Q : So what makes AquaTouch AT750 to stand out against other electric shavers ?

A: The word AquaTouch , to be honest , the biggest thing I like about the AquaTouch is that it is 100% water-proof and the ability to do a wet-shave. That’s about it

My Thoughts & Conclusion

Well I have been using the AquaTouch for nearly a month and it has been a pretty good experience. Mostly I am enjoying the ability to either perform a wet-shave or a dry-shave. Being waterproof is another bonus as well. To make it easier , I have summed it up for on what are the aspects that I like & dislike about Philips AquaTouch AT750

Pros :-

Lightweight
100% Waterproof
Works with Wet Shave (Ideal for Folks who are migrating from traditional Razor)
Eco-Friendly/Energy-Star Compliant (Drains ~ZERO Watts When it is fully Charged)

Cons :-

No Pop-up Trimmer
Poor Dry Shave Performance

As you can see , there are some drawbacks with the Philips AquaTouch AT750. Firstly and foremost , this model lacks of a pop-up trimmer . The trimmer can be found in higher end models , but however I think Philips should have included that as well as it would be handy-dandy for people like me who would want it to just trim my beard. Another thing which I quite didn’t like about the AquaTouch AT750 is that the dry shave performance isn’t that great. Even my old dad’s shaver outperforms the AquaTouch when it comes to dry shave (remember the small electric shaver – yep that is the one) .

Having said that , I think that Philips AquaTouch AT750 makes a great first time electric razor/shaver for those of us (like myself) who want to migrate into the world of electric shaver. It makes as a perfect gift for your son/husband/boyfriend/father (especially if they are still using one of the old razors). It is reasonably priced well , although I would appreciate if Philips Malaysia would try to price it under RM 300 as it would attract a larger crowd here in Malaysia for people to migrate to an electric shaver. Overall my experience with AquaTouch has been smooth , I did not encounter a single technical problem or what-so-ever during the period of my review

Once again I would like to this this opportunity to Philips Malaysia for giving me this review unit and to review an electric razor and thank you to my readers as well for reading and commenting on the Philips AquaTouch AT750

Acknowledgment

I would like to say that its not a sponsored post by Philips Malaysia but more towards my experience with the Philips AquaTouch itself. The review can be negative or positive as they have spent out that each reviewers have their freedom of expression to express their thoughts. Stay tuned for that

My Journey with Philips AT750

Part 1 : Saying Hello

Part 2 : <3

Part 3 : Tips & Tricks

Part 4 : 100% Aqua

Part 5 : Conclusion

Feedback on RM 200 smartphone rebate for all

Pradeesh — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:03:28 +0000

Last week or so , I did post about my thoughts on the RM 200 smartphone rebate. Today , when I checked Amanz , I was shocked to see that the government removed the requirement stating that it can be only used for phones below RM 500. Now it seems that they allow you to buy any phone of your choice with any price. So it means you could buy a Galaxy Note or iPhone 5.

Well there is good news to the folks who wanted to purchase the phone of their dreams. My question is why don’t they do this in the first place , there wouldn’t be any drama or sort or better yet come up with 2 options such as offer phones which are < RM 500 but with some awesome pre-paid plans for the people who really need it. It is that simple , bundle something like UMobile – RM 28 for 500MB data , voice calls and SMS . The second package could be for those who wish to apply for a premium/flagship phones such as Galaxy/iPhone 5. If they would have done this in the first place , I would applauded . Question is why isn’t a proper research being carried out before implementing such a thing

Anyway it is never to late and I just hope that it wouldn’t be abused. Knowing Malaysians

[Giveaway]Free Magazine Subscriptions and Holiday Promotions from Zinio

Pradeesh — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 03:07:05 +0000

Ho Ho Ho – I am ~~your santa/father~~ pleased to announce that the kind folks over at Zinio is very kind enough to giveaway 9 subscriptions to my readers which I’ll describe shortly on how you could win yourself one. Secondly , Zinio is having awesome holiday promotions whereby you could even win yourself an iPad Mini.

For those of you who have not heard of Zinio, well they are one of the largest online newsstands and bookstores, with thousands of digital titles from around the world available for reading – right from Readers Digest to Elle . The beauty of it is that you could download in on your iPad/Android Tablets such as Nexus 7/10 and read while you are on the move. Plus you are going green as well (which is another reason why I like Zinio). On top of that , the Explore section lets you to read thousands of article for free (yep , you do not need a subscription for it).

Here are some of the awesome promotions which I think you should not miss.

Holiday Sale Part II

Hurry up – It Ends on the 7th of January 2013 . You get 50% off on all their top 350 magazines , which is totally worth every cent that you pay!

My Zinio Holiday Sweepstakes (Psst – You may win an iPad Mini)

It Ends on the 7th of January 2013 as well . There are 3 iPad mini to give given away. All you have to do is submit a picture of your favorite device and where you would use it to read Zinio. Easy isn’t it ? Click on the link to check out the details . Oh yes , the sweepstakes is only opened to legal residents of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Zinio Subscription Giveaway

Once again , I am very thankful to the great folks over at Zinio who provided me with 10 FREE full subscriptions to my readers and it is opened to all of my readers. Keep in mind that I would be taking up one , and the rest of the 9 subscriptions will be given to my readers. You’ll be getting the subscription for magazine of your choice and it is opened to everyone who resides in every single part of this world !

Cool…so how do we enter ?

1. Just post a comment here stating your interest (i.e which magazine subscription that you would prefer). For the entire list , please check out Zinio

2. Just keep your fingers crossed ! (Some say that you’ll have do run around in circles to increase your chances of winning. I’m not sure , but just give it a shot)

3. ?????

4. PROFIT ! (if you are the chosen one)

So…How are the winners selected ?

Simple , I’ll be using Random.org to pick the winners. If you are the chosen ones , you’ll be contacted. Please keep in mind that you are REQUIRED TO PROVIDE YOUR FIRST NAME AND LAST NAME when you are contacted.

Terms & Conditions (The Legal stuff)

It is opened to everyone (no country restrictions)
The Winner’s name along with the Random Sequence would be published publicly.
Suppose if the winner is not contactable within 48 hours after the draw , a new winner would be selected
You need to ensure that your are contactable. Be sure to include your valid e-mail address and if possible include your First Name and your Last Name in the comments section. Alternatively you may use a nickname and I would contact you to gather your details
THIS CONTEST WOULD RUN FROM 29th December – 5th January 2012
1 entry per participant (If it is found that you have cheated , you would be DISQUALIFIED)

Privacy Policy

As a computer science graduate and as a blog owner , I know I hate spams and I treasure your data as well . So please kindly read our Privacy Policy on how we collect data and how we store them. For winners , basically I would collect your e-mail address ,first name and last name

and……*May the Force Be With You*

Good luck !

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank the great folks over at Zinio for providing my readers my a chance to win a subscription of their choice. I also would like to acknowledge that I would be be taking up a subscription that was given to my readers personally for my own use.