+•°°••°°•=_THE DUDE'S BLOG_=•°°••°°•+

MacHeist nanoBundle

2009-11-09T05:04:00.003+08:00

For all the Mac Lovers/Geniuses/Snobs/Fans... Here's something for y'all...

6 Mac Apps for free... Including Twitterific and Shovebox. What more can you ask for? 4 days left. So hurry!! Get yours today!!

Busy Busy Busy

2009-11-08T20:41:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Work has been consuming me. Been kinda busy as of November. RD is going in for a major overhaul. And we're probably gonna have a new location - outside singapore too!

It's about time...

2009-11-04T23:52:00.000+08:00

MSN has been having the same look for about quite a while already, don't you think? With the same old boring blue that they always have. But they did have a rebranding which renamed many MSN-related products to Windows Live.

Some of the MSN services affected by the rebranding included MSN Hotmail, which became Windows Live Hotmail; MSN Messenger, which became Windows Live Messenger; MSN Search, which became Live Search (now known as Bing) and so on....

It's also probably about time that MSN did some rebranding - which they did, and it looks really fresh from the previous shades of blue.

The new font is grey is color, and the MSN butterfly also has a new and sharper look. I'd say that since Windows 7, this rebranding is probably the next best thing which Microsoft did. Well, partially because I seriously think that the Windows Live branding was kinda stupid.

But wait. Not only has MSN changed it's logo, it has also made an update to it's website, which is currently still in preview. And I have to say that it looks promising. Seriously....

With the cleaner and uncluttered interface, I'd definitely set the new MSN website as my homepage. To be honest, I still don't like Bing that much (stupid name and fairly alright searches). If they were to come up with something better, I might switch to using MSN's stuff more often.

Wanna see the website for yourself? Click here

Oysters sibei BOOMZ leh...

2009-11-02T13:14:00.003+08:00

For the past one week I've been rushing my work so that I could have a great weekend. Which explains why I've been pretty busy and the lack of updates over here. Oh well... On Friday I was off and had dinner at Sun with Moon Japanese restaurant. Had a huge portion of sashimi and oysters!!

I didn't learn my lesson previously. I ate oysters before sleeping. Well, but in this case it's pretty different. Because.... well.... if you would know, you would. I won't tell you.. wahahaha...... Maybe I just react better with oysters..... LOL!!

Awesome fun for the past three days. I look forward to days like this. =)

Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2009

2009-10-26T14:55:00.000+08:00

I know I know!! I'm here now.. You guys can heave a sigh of relieve. I didn't go home after the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards, and I have been pretty busy after that. Which is why I am updating only now. First and foremost, I'd like to thank Nuffnang for holding this awards ceremony that allowed me to meet awesome bloggers from around the world. I'm extremely thankful to have been nominated as one of the five finalists in Best Geek Blog Category out of the 10,000 nominations that were submitted. Thank you to all those who voted for The Dude's Blog. I deeply appreciate the efforts of EVERY single person....: ....who has voted for my blog. Congratulations to all the winners of their respective categories as well as the nominees for being able to make it this far.

For those of you who want to know, I did not win the Best Geek Blog Award. It went to a blog which is more professional than mine. He totally deserved the award. That's none other than my favorite Mr.Gadget.com.au. Go check it out and you'll know why he won. =)

Now to the Awards Ceremony!! It was held on Friday at Pan Pacific Singapore in the Pan Pacific Ballroom. Initially, I had wanted to hire a chauffeur to drive us to Pan Pacific Hotel in an S-Class Mercedes Benz. Guess what? I was too busy that I forgot to make the booking. Ended up taking the normal cab instead which was wayyyyyy cheaper. So I decided to pick up Jasmine, my date for the night, in a normal old cheapo (Un)Comfort(able) Cab before zooming down to Pan Pacific Hotel.

We arrived at about 7.50pm. I know... The time stated was 6.45pm but we were caught in a huge traffic jam. The dinner didn't start exactly at 8pm because we only started seating around that time. So while watching the video of Nuffnang's history, the food was being served. It's nice to know how Nuffnang got to where they are today.

OH YEAH! I fucking love the hors d'œuvre, or what most restaurants would call - appetizer. The Marinated Smoked Tuna with Feta, Herb Salad and Balsamic Olive Oil was fantastic. Apparently I was the first at my table to finish it and Jas was like, "You eat so fast????" Take a look at this picture and you'll know why.

I think you can already "taste" it just by looking at the picture itself. Yeah... It was really good. Comparable to the Tuna that I had at St. Regis. While having dinner, we were entertained by friends of my shifu (yes. I was once a magician), JC Sum and Magic Babe Ning. I was actually expecting more than what I saw, y'know, with him saying he's the top magician in Asia and all, I just thought the performance wasn't up to standard. So I kept on munching on my main course that came in just before the announcement of Best Geek Blog's Winner. He gave me a little souvenir just before he left. How sweet of him. This is my new friend, Arnold!
He's a really nice guy, and married i think. So you all char bor no chance with him liao. He won't bring you back to Australia with him. But you can definitely follow him at Twitter. I had a chat with Allan Wu(emcee) for a while cos he was sitting near to me and he was actually a pretty nice person to converse with. And then I took a picture with him after that.

I should have brought my DSLR. Look at how the flash destroyed the photo... I look like some thick-hair punk with a hunchback. I'm posting just because I know y'all are dying to read this post. Anyways, I got to take pictures with other people such as Xiaxue, who was grumbling in between pictures, while Mike(her boyfriend) stood by and watched. I thought he might be a little bored, so I talked to him. LOL. Yeah. I totally did.

And I love the next picture the most. Because 1, she's so darn sweet and a nice person to talk to, 2 the first picture that I took with her wasn't nice, she took this second picture with me. I'm a sucker for nice people can.

Dessert was really nice. I hate cakes, but the cakes that were served were totally awesome. It sorta tasted like Ferrero Rocher with a tinge of white chocolate taste. It was good.

After the awards were given out, the nominees were asked to go up the stage for a group photo. I don't have the full proper picture. So if anyone has that, please send it over. I'd appreciate it! So all I got was this!

I have tonnes of pictures that I have right here. So I'm just gonna post the rest up (not in order or sequence).

Does anyone friggin know this sweet girl? She just told me she's nobody...

Nuffnang Blog Awards Tonight

2009-10-23T07:14:00.003+08:00

Nuffnang Blog Awards tonight.

If you're going, see you there!

I just got back my laptop after sending it in for repair. Shit. Got loads of work to do. Now I'm broke as hell. Yeah. $903.32 to fix my LCD screen. Lesson learnt. $600+ for AppleCare is way cheaper than what you have to pay when it's outta warranty. Plus it gets you covered for the second and third year. So remember... ALWAYS get AppleCare.... Otherwise, the cost of parts and labour plus GST is gonna kill you.

Like how it killed me.

But I still love my MacBook Pro. <3

Sony Ericsson's Satio joins the snail phone group

2009-10-16T23:45:00.000+08:00

The new Sony Ericsson Satio (formerly known as Idou) is here. And I am very sad to say that I am totally disappointed with the phone. It cannot be used at all. Let me break it down for you. The phone has a 12.1 Megapixel camera attached to the back of the 16:9 widescreen display and 3.5 inch touch screen phone. The high-definition screen is excellent for watching movies and viewing pictures. Sony have said that their aim with this phone is to "bring everything together in one package" - music, camera and personal office equipment, which is what they've done. There are many apps pre-loaded into the phone, a web browser and even the ability to plug your phone into your TV and play movies through it. But I'd say that they haven't done a good job with the phone. Here's why. Once you looked at the awesome specs, and you have this thing in you hands, you'd feel that the slow processor of the phone just destroys the entire performance of the phone. Even without loading songs into the phone, you might feel that the phone is already lagging at some point. Loading movies into the phone makes it feel like a snail coach. I'd say that the speed..: ..is definitely comparable with HTC Magic (which was not marketed as a media device) but being marketed as a media device, the Satio is definitely not up to standard. Their selling point, which is the 12.1 Megapixels camera, does pretty decent pictures where there is sufficient light. Bring it to a darker place and iPhone's 2.0 megapixel camera definitely works better than it.

When people say the phone has 12.1 Megapixels, I say, so what? Being a photographer, we know that doesn't mean the higher the number of the megapixels, the better the camera is. Unless you are making huge prints for a huge billboard or something, you don't need such a huge capacity of megapixels. Even when megapixels mattered, there was little visible difference between cameras with seemingly different ratings. For instance, a 3 MP camera pretty much looks the same as a 6 MP camera, even when blown up to 12 x 18" (30x50cm)! I know because I've tried. Have you?

Camera makers use the number of megapixels a camera has to hoodwink you into thinking it has something to do with camera quality. This gimmick is used by salespeople and manufacturers to you feel as if your current camera is inadequate and needs to be replaced even if the new cameras each year are only slightly better. Sharpness has very little to do with image quality, and resolution has little to do with sharpness.

So do your homework before you buy the Satio and don't brag that you have best camera phone out there because you never know that a bunch of pro photographers might be thinking how stupid you are. For more info about Megapixels, click here

Can't Get Enough of Beats By Dr Dre? Satisfy your crave with HP Envy 15 Beats Edition.

2009-10-13T17:02:00.000+08:00

Two week ago I posted about Beats Tour™ In-Ear Headphones by Dr Dre. And now they have something new - The HP Envy 15 Beats Edition, which is Core i7-powered. They made a pretty smart move by bundling a pair of Beats over-ear headphones as well as bundling Traktor LE for live DJing (As you know, most DJs use Macs).

Exact hardware inside the Beats edition isn't detailed, but HP promises a Core i7 and likely preserves the Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics as well. At US$2,299, you can get the upgraded Envy the same day as Windows 7 becomes available, October 22nd.

With the Adamo that could slice the Macbook Air in half, and with this seriously hot laptop here. We just have to see how Windows 7 performs. This is seriously gonna get interesting.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR VOTES

2009-10-12T01:57:00.000+08:00

The Voting for Nuffnang Asia Pacific Awards has officially ended. I SINCERELY thank everyone who has taken time out to vote for The Dude's Blog. You know, it feels like as if I was running for Presidency - except that there wasn't any money or awesome posters involved.

I already have had my suit prepared for the awards though I'm definitely still contemplating if I should actually wear a bow tie or a neck tie.

Well, I'd be lying to say that if I wasn't excited at all because I totally am! I am actually looking forward to meeting the Nuffnang team. They're really an awesome bunch. Staying overnight at the office just to prepare for the awards, i think they deserve more than a pat on the back. =)

Anyway, THANK YOU everyone once again for voting for The Dude's Blog. I deeply appreciate it. You know I mean it. =)

For those who are attending the red-carpet event, see you there!!

Ping! - iPhone-to-iPhone messaging made easy

2009-10-10T03:13:00.001+08:00

I actually spread the message on twitter, plurk and facebook that Ping!, a BBM-like (Blackberry Messenger) application that it was free for a moment (during the launch period only) and apparently few of my friends actually went to download it to test the app itself. If you’ve ever been a blackberry user, you’ll get the gist of this app immediately, think Blackberry Messenger but for the iPhone.

I have to say this again. Singaporeans are pretty slow at picking up new stuff. This includes Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Tumblr, MP3 Players and many more stuff. Apparently they can't appreciate the beauty of a well developed product until the masses are using it. So it's understandable that some retards did not make use of the advantage to download Ping! while it's free. Yep. It now costs US$0.99 to download to app from the app store.

Ping! is an instant messaging client for the iPhone that looks and feels like the built in iPhone SMS client. Basically, it aims to provide free iPhone to iPhone messaging (as well as iPod Touch on wifi). Instead of dealing with IM systems that log you in or out, this smart app makes use of Push-notifications. The best thing about this is that you can chat with your friends overseas without having to pay roaming charges, monthly costs and offline messages are guaranteed.

All you need is your iPhone/iPod Touch (wifi/3G), create your unique Ping! ID and ask your friend for his/her Ping! ID and you're ready to go. Sounds interesting? Get yours at the App Store!

We should've done this at F1 Rocks

2009-10-09T21:42:00.004+08:00

Seriously, this is sooooo friggin cool. You should just watch the video and feel the vibe from the whole performance itself. Cos nothing I say can be compared to how good this video is.

Yeah. And we never thought of that eh? Well, I suppose they'd most probably rehearsed it before the actual performance. Damn. It's so darn cool. I'mma watch it again.

OH. And thank you all for all the sweet birthday wishes that were on Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, SMS, Ping!, Twitter, in person and over here as well. You guys are so awesome.

iPhone OS 3.1.2 Is Out - Jesus Phone's sleeping problems fixed.

2009-10-08T23:56:00.002+08:00

Apple has released a much-needed patch - iPhone OS 3.1.2 which solves the sleep issue in the previous version, in which the iPhone refuses to wake up.

Other issues that have been fixed includes:
• Sporadic issue that may cause iPhone to not wake from sleep
• Intermittent issue that may interrupt cellular network services until restart
• Bug that could cause occasional crash during video streaming

The size of the update is 241.7MB. Download it from iTunes.

I haven't had any problems with any of the above. Looks like maybe I should just update it for safety? Or should I just wait a little longer to see if others are gonna complain? I think I'll wait.

Having those problems above for your iPhone or iPod Touch? DOWNLOAD NOW!!

Phishing attack targets Hotmail - 10k accounts hacked

2009-10-07T22:43:00.000+08:00

On Monday, thousands of accounts on web-based e-mail system Hotmail have been compromised in a phishing attack, software giant Microsoft has confirmed.

a list of more than 10,000 e-mail accounts, predominantly originating from Europe, and passwords which were posted online.
Microsoft said it had launched an investigation. hishing involves using fake websites to lure people into revealing details such as bank accounts or login names.

"We are aware that some Windows Live Hotmail customers' credentials were acquired illegally and exposed on a website," said a Microsoft spokesperson.
"Upon learning of the issue, we immediately requested that the credentials be removed and launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers."

Graham Cluley, consultant at security firm Sophos, told BBC News the published list may just be a subset of a longer list of compromised accounts.

"We still don't know the scale of the problem," he told BBC News.
Technology blog neowin.net was the first to publish details of the attack. It said the accounts were posted on 1 October to pastebin.com, a website commonly used by developers to share code.
Although the details have since been removed, BBC News and Neowin has seen a list of 10,028 names beginning with the letters A and B.

BBC News has confirmed that the accounts are genuine and predominantly originate in Europe.
The list included details of Microsoft's Windows Live Hotmail accounts with email addresses ending hotmail.com, msn.com and live.com.

Mr Cluley advised Hotmail users to change their password as soon as possible.
"I'd also recommend that people change the password on any other site where they use it," he said.
Around 40% of people use the same password for every website they use, he added.

Hotmail is currently the largest web-based e-mail service.

Source: BBC

I Got my Beats Tour by Dr. Dre Headphones!

2009-10-03T23:48:00.003+08:00

I've been contemplating on which earphones/headphones to get. I finally settled on one! =) I have been contemplating over different brands - namely Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic, In-Ear Beats Tour by Dr. Dre as well as Beat Studio by Dr. Dre Headphones.

Those who have no idea who Dr. Dre is, you are either a girl or must have been on Planet Boring. Right. So.... Dr. Dre is the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment, always appearing in music videos of Eminem. Want to know more about him, read here. The Beat Studio by Dr. Dre Headphones received a lot of media attention with it being shown in many music videos such as these below.

Yep. That guy on the top left picture sitting in the chair with Eminem Spock behind is Dr. Dre himself. Being an audiophile with the love of music, I decided to check out Beats Studio. Turns out majority of the people who used it loves it. Even DJ Havana has her own custom Beat Studio by Dr. Dre Headphones. But I wanted something with portability, something that i could bring along with me without the bulk.

So I decided to check out Beats Tour by Dr. Dre In-Ear Headphones and Apple's In-Ear Headphones. Both have pretty good reviews. But I wanted something that is better than just good quality sound. I wanted headphones that could deal with low-bass and: high treble. I decided to give it a shot. I tried both of the headphones and I have to say that I love both of them. I was even surprised that Apple made such awesome headphones (or earphones as I like to call it. I mean, it's plugged into the ear isn't it?)

But in the end, I decided to go with Beats Tour by Dr. Dre though it doesn't have the remote and mic. Cos number 1, I love the sound (it's very important), 2, Wires are made in a way that it doesn't get tangled up . Even if it does, it's easy to take out the knots. 3, not many people in Singapore use it - which means I don't have to stand with others who use Audio Technica Headphones/Sennheiser which is sooooo common right now.
Yeah. I still like the shutter shades that my sister gave me. Anyway, when I first put the Beats Tour in my ear, it totally didn't fit. you have to actually find the earbuds that fit. I know they look similar in size but trust me, they're different sizes for the different kinds of ears.

Next month down the road, I'mma get Beats Studio by Dr. Dre since I'll be needing it for work soon~ =) Laters.

This is what happens when you die if you have a geeky brother

2009-09-30T23:33:00.001+08:00

I think the title pretty much sums up everything. This dude puts his brother's cremated remains into a SPARCstation case and gosh... to think that I was nominated for Best Geek Blog. Well, for starters I wouldn't do that to others.... But I wouldn't mind my remains being put in a Mac mini case. LOL! JUST KIDDING.

Apparently "Beam Me Up Scotty. I'm done here" were among the departed's final words.
From his brother, sam 3.14:
"His friends and family were able to leave their final good-byes on post-notes. Anyone who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot. All notes will be sealed in plastic and placed within the case. There has been one complication. His daughters like the look of it so much they aren't now sure if they want to bury him."

Okay. How thoughtful. But I'm not sure if the departed wanted this.

Oh! Microsoft finally launched their final version of their free Security Essentials Antivirus. Apparently, I have used it for the past few months and I've got to say it works pretty well. NOT ON MAC, of course. It's for my Windows 7.

Though I think this is alright, I would prefer that you get better antivirus apps like Kaspersky, Panda or BitDefender. They're way better than this though this is definitely better than Windows Defender. But wait! If you think that your PC doesn't need a firewall, think again. YEP. That's it. There's no firewall included in this one and their core is anti-malware only. So think again, if you're thinking about giving up on that antivirus of yours.

But hey! Here's something for the home users: Avast! Antivirus (Free)
The only Free Antivirus that I trust. Works awesome.

Krrunching my way to Asia-Pacific Blog Awards at Uniquely Singapore

2009-09-29T13:58:00.012+08:00

On the 25th of September, I received an unexpected e-mail from Rain Chai, who's in charge of Nuffnang's Ad Operation and Blogger Relations, with this friggin' awesome news that my blog was chosen as one of the 5 finalists for the Best Geek Blog (Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards)! How cool is that?!!

I'm not sure who nominated me but thank y'all very much. I appreciate it. But why Best Geek Blog? Now I'd probably gonna have to explain to people that I'm "technically inclined" rather that "geeky". Darn.... Am I really that geeky? Okay.. Fine then... Geeky yes, nerdy no.

I'm really honored to be a part of this. And I have to thank everyone who nominated and voted for me. So, being a finalist, I’m already invited to Singapore for the Blog Awards Ceremony on 23rd October 2009! So, some of you must be wondering, how can you vote for me? You can either go here, or vote from the nuffnang panel on the right. For your vote to be counted, you have to vote for other categories as well. But once you reach Best Geek Blog, do vote for me. I appreciate it. You can vote once every 2 hours and once you've voted for me, you can tweet about it with using the hashtag #nnawards and it will appear on the main Blog Awards page itself (but that's optional) and so that I know who the kind souls are who voted for me and I can thank y'all properly.

If you're interested, and would like to win exclusive invites to the Blog Awards Ceremony, CLICK HERE to find out how. But hurry, Blog Contest ends on 3rd October 2009, 1200 hours while Video Contest Ends on 10th October 2009, 1200 hours.
So, the Blog Awards Ceremony will be held at Pan Pacific Singapore Grand Ballroom at 5.30PM with Black Tie as the dress code, which means it's a formal red carpeted event. Hmmm... What am I gonna wear? What are others gonna wear too? I think I'll leave that to later on. Anyway, sponsors or what they call partners, include Pringles and Uniquely Singapore.

Right now, please vote for me. I'll friggin' love you. Remember, you have to vote all categories before it's counted as 1 vote.
Thank you all once again! Appreciate it! Way to go Nuffnang!

F1 Rocks Concert

2009-09-27T16:00:00.004+08:00

When I was given the tickets to the concert, I was like, "uh.... I still have to go all the way there?" After last night, I'm so glad I did. I never have the thing for F1. Or rather, the point is I'm not a conformist. People would be talking all about F1 and go whoa this and whoa that, I'd be just like, okay.... so? (it's like, what do you want my response to be? Cos i dont really care.)

So... I got there with my lunch, and they said "NO FOOD" so I had to finish my Mega McSpicy and large Sprite before I went in. Thank goodness I drank water before I went in, it was so darn crowded I'm tellin' you... First performance was by DJ Havana Brown, who's #1 DJ in Australia. And she's soooooo hawt.

This is the kinda DJ's that we're missin' over here in SG. Singaporean DJs are lack of talent and so full of themselves. Well, if you don't belong to that category then congrats.

Then we had B.E.P takin' over the stage makin all of us go BOOM BOOM POW!! They sound much better LIVE than on CDs with their non stop dancing beats. I'm telling you, if you went clubbing, heard their song, and started dancing your ass off, trust me, this is totally different. This was WILD!

Taboo looks much better in person. I know the photos are a little small but fret not, the VIPs can head over to the VIP Section for clearer pictures. Oh, and even though it looks small, trust me, we weren't that far away from them...

Fergie was soooooo hawt. Yeah... I always told my brotha she looks like a tranny. But she looks really hot in person. I think the photos I see online don't do her justice. Well, if that isn't enough for you, she was thrusting her pelvis onto Taboo's thighs... Or is it...? well, I'll leave that to your dirty mind.

And Fergie's voice is REALLY REALLY that powerful. What you hear on CDs, it's much better LIVE hearing her sing. Oh well, what can I say..... She hot, she can sing, she can dance, she's fun... but she's married.... LOL.

We then went for a break cos we were sooooooo thirsty from singing and dancing with B.E.P. I bought 2 cans of Red Bull and a bottle of Sprite. I down the 2 cans of Red Bull immediately and then I continued to drink the Sprite as we returned to the stage.

I wasn't there to watch Beyonce actually, but she was actually what people were all looking forward to... I'm surprised B.E.P didn't get down from the stage, but Beyonce did. She blew us away with her opening act, while Singapore surprised her with her song, Irreplaceable. The video is below. She was really pleasantly surprised.

Then we had a small cameo from Justin Timberlake (on screen) Just before her Single Ladies performance, which I thought was REALLY GOOD. I'm telling you, I had a huge dislike for the song before last night. Her performance changed my mind.

With all her booty shaking (her trademark i think) and with the combination of her vocals and showmanship, she has turned me into a Beyonce fan. Seriously. She's sucha nice person, she even gave Michael Jackson a tribute with her song, Halo. People beside me were crying when she sang the words, "Michael I can feel your Halo..."

She ended by saying "I AM..." and we shouted "Beyonce.." She repeated, and we shouted the same thing again. Then she said, "I AM YOURS" So sweet right... JAY-Z's so friggin lucky....

I'm really happy to have gotten the tickets for free. Thanks Jessica. Happy until I went Geylang with my dad and sis to have BIG prawn mee for supper. Well, F1 Rocks really rocks!! Laters dudes!

iPho- Um.... I mean Notepod...

2009-09-24T01:59:00.001+08:00

I know, I know... I've been posting things about iPhone for the past few posts right? Don't worry. This isn't about iPhone. Looks like iPhone, but it's in fact a notebook! Check this out!! It's Notepod. Hahahaha...
Ain't it cool? Yeah... I'mma get one too... Maybe one for my sis as well~ =) Cos they're 3 in 1 pack.

Get it here!

Battle of the Smartphones

2009-09-22T23:59:00.004+08:00

It's been about a few weeks since I've gotten my hands on my iPhone, like many others, I think the iPhone is awesome. But I'm sure that there're many things that Apple can do to make it much better than it is right now. I've been lucky have hands on experience with Android OS, Blackberry OS, iPhone OS, as well as the old and crappy Symbian OS or even the worst Windows Mobile.

I've tried HTC Magic and HTC Hero. Between the 2, I prefer Magic's body while I prefer the UI of Hero. While I can't have the best of both worlds, HTC has given Hero a 3.5mm audio jack, unlike, the Magic, which needed a USB connector - which is totally troublesome to me. If you're fine with Hero's awkward body shape, then go ahead, because other than that, it's much better than Magic. 1 thing I noticed about Magic is that when lots of content are being stored in the phone, it slows down terribly. Developers who develop on the Android platform can't implement multitouch games or apps. I'd choose to stay with my iPhone 3GS though there are some pretty cool and neat widgets on Hero. Unless, you're talking about Sprint's Hero, then I might totally reconsider.

I've also tried Blackberry Storm, which is the first Blackberry mobile device not to have a physical keyboard. Hands on with he Blackberry Storm proved that physical keyboard for Blackberry would be just better than a virtual one. Namely because you have to touch AND click the screen to select, which is a pain in the ass. Push e-mail works awesome and audio transfer was very easy. However, when it comes to videos, encoding plays an important part as Blackberry can't read some file formats. Having said that, the video lags when being played and you try to forward the movie. Slow.... slow... and really.... the thing can go really slow..... However, if you remove media content, it works just fine.

Next up, is the screwed up Symbian OS which I tested on N97. THE WORST PHONE EVER TO CALL ITSELF A MOBILE COMPUTER. Terrible. Slow processor, unstable applications, terrible UI and it just goes on .Hardware problems, such as the camera shutter which scratches the perspex lens cover, causing it to be more problematic. If you want to buy it, I've got 1 word for you. DON'T. Those who bought it. Well, you can just throw it away...

Window mobile. Gosh. I dread this piece of shitty crap. Lemme say this. ANY phone. ANY PHONE. Whatever brand. HTC, Dopod, Samsung, whatever.... Sucks. Totally. I've got MANY friends who are iPhone converts that came from using Windows Mobile. Which is probably the reason why Windows Mobile's share of the smartphone market has been in decline year-on-year. I haven't tried 6.5 yet so I shall not comment on that.

Last but not least. The iPhone OS. As much as I know I'd sound like a fan boy saying this but I'm going to be fair on this. I love iPhone's OS. The iPhone 3GS responds to the touch really quickly and it has no lags or whatsoever except when loading my list of videos which includes The Dark Knight, Made of Honor and so on... The great thing about it is that it's got a really cool app store which allows you to download stuff, just like Android. As well as the compass, which surprisingly, I use a lot. I can use my iPhone as a remote to control my mac, read news on the Straits Times app, and even arrange my contacts and sync it with my Macbook Pro. Browsing web on the iPhone has been made really easy as compared to Blackberry Storm, or even HTC Magic. So basically, the ease of use is there, and it does not lag as much as other phones. But I have a problem with the iPhone. Battery life. As you know, I can be very much of a media freak, considering that I have owned a ZEN Vision W media player. I like watching movies to pass time on the train (though now I take taxis more often unless it's rush hour then I'll take the train.) And the iPhone has got a problem with that. Though the video and sound is crystal clear, the battery deflates pretty quickly. Heavy usage will end up having me to charge it end of the day. Another thing is that sometimes apps can cause battery life to be really shorter. So there's actually cons using the iPhone.

But comparing the iPhone with Blackberry and Android (I shall not even add in the other stupid OS) To me, it's really much better to have the iPhone as I'm can be very impatient when it comes to gadgets. If you have a Mac, you can fully utilize the Mac apps as well as the iPhone apps. Push e-mail works as well as the Blackberry and the contacts are really easy to manage. If Android could be as good as the iPhone OS, I'd switch immediately. Or maybe I'd buy it and use it as a second phone. Right now, JARVIS works just the way I want it to be. I just need more battery life.

Oh. And by the way.... I've made up my mind. I'm getting the Plantronics Bluetooth. Now I can have the excuse to buy a car. Muahahahaha....

iPhone, Check. iPhone Case, Check. Bluetooth, Hmmm...

2009-09-21T21:16:00.007+08:00

After buying my iPhone, I've been using that piece of Intelligent machine to the max. So, I've ordered my iPhone Screen and Back shield online and should be here in a day or two. I'm actually really happy with the case that I bought at the IT Fair at a bargain price of $25. Was actually thinking of getting the Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite iPhone case. Well, looks I'm probably not gonna get it so soon.

I'm actually looking at bluetooth earpieces now. And I'm stuck. Apple came up with their bluetooth earpiece for iPhone few years back. And they did a great job. Awesome reviews everywhere. People you converse you can hear you crystal clearly, and likewise, the other way round. But, they've stopped production. But I still know where I can get them.

But.... there's another earpiece that has caught my attention. That would be Plantronics Discovery 975. It's sleek design has really caught my attention. The previous bluetooth earpieces I've owned were not really my type. This one, stood out from the rest of the other bluetooth devices I've seen.

Not only that, it comes with a carrying case - not just any carrying case, but a carrying case that could juice up the earpiece when it's flat.

Now, the thing is that I'm looking to buy only one of the two. Apple has made it so easy to sync the iPhone and the Apple Bluetooth earpiece - Just charge it together on the dock provided, and it's paired. Downside, it doesn't have any mute or last number redial. Also, if you want to change the volume of the call, you gotta do it on the iPhone itself. Plantronics Discovery 975 on the other hand supports multipoint technology. Which allows you to connect to 2 devices, or maybe 2 phones, if you're that kiasu, at the same time.

I'm still not sure what I want. Gosh... This is tough man...
Oh! And congrats to Alex Goh! He's now working at Microsoft as a Web Evangelist! =)

Sprint Hero from HTC

2009-09-19T23:20:00.005+08:00

After getting my hands on JARVIS, I totally agree with what Preetam told me. He said, "After being spoiled by iPhone's graphics and ease of use, you wouldn't wanna go back to any other phone." I had a chance to use my sister's HTC Magic with Android OS loaded. So I could compare it with my iPhone 3GS.

I have also experienced the new HTC Hero's new interface. Though it runs pretty smoothly, the shape of the phone makes it pretty weird when holding it. But HTC has came up Sprint Hero (for the Sprint network) with better looking phone shape.

Instead of having that awkward bend at the bottom of the phone, it now has got a body similar to what HTC Magic has. Pretty good move, i should say, but why is it only available for Sprint in the US? But then even though they have a body similar to HTC Magic, it seems to have lost its WOW factor and that it looks pretty much generic.

Well, I'm happy with JARVIS, but that doesn't stop me from geeking at other tech stuff. Oh well, JARVIS is awesome.

Some Random Stuff

2009-09-17T22:47:00.007+08:00

JARVIS has been pretty awesome. For those who don't know what JARVIS stands for, it's Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.

Courtesy of Explosm.net
iPhone is the Shitz!! Especially if you're using a mac. The syncing, it's way better than any Windows mobile phone out there with its own Windows OS. Get an iPhone, get a Mac. Make the most out of the awesome gadget~.

credit: sister (sent link to me via msn)

RIP PATRICK SWAYZE

2009-09-16T15:10:00.003+08:00

Patrick Swayze passed away on Monday Night at the age of 57. (Coincidentally, Vincent Schiavelli, who played the subway ghost, died at the age of 57 due to cancer too, in 2005.) Was pretty shocked and upset to hear that. Been following news on him about 20 months ago since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. If you didn't know, he starred in classic movies like 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Ghost'.

I loved him in 'Ghost'. Whoopi Goldberg said, "Because of Patrick Swayze, I got that movie Ghost. Because of Patrick Swayze, I have an Oscar."

Demi Moore, who played Swayze's fiancee in "Ghost," wrote: "Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives." she also tweeted, "And in the words of Sam to Molly. "It's amazing Molly. The love inside, you take it with you." I love and will miss you Patrick." Moore's husband, Ashton Kutcher, tweeted: "RIP P Swayze"

'Dirty Dancing' and 'Ghost' will be one of greatest movies of all time.

RIP PATRICK SWAYZE.

Kanye West is a fucking asshole/douchebag

2009-09-14T12:44:00.003+08:00

Kanye is known for all his nonsensical stunts and I'm okay with that. But really, this is full of shit. Taylor Swift, who's only a teenager, won the award for Best Female Video. He left her speechless after running up the stage and grabbed the mic from her to praise Beyonce, saying that she won the best videos of all time. WTF.

Seriously, this is fucked up. Probably 50CENT should do something to him the next time Kanye wins an award. Dammit Kanye... When you gonna grow up?

Finally, after waiting for months...

2009-09-12T23:17:00.005+08:00

I got my hands on the white color, 32GB iPhone 3GS. YES!!! And I'm so friggin happy to have that piece of awesome technology in my hands. I named it before even I got it. Few people know. But now y'all will know that I named my phone Jarvis - yes. JARVIS. So cool can!!! WAHAHAHAHHAAHHAA!!!

I just had to camwhore with Jarvis. This smart thing was making me sooooo friggin nervous the entire day. Wasn't sure if they reserved for me. I'm so happy Singtel did. Thank you Rosalind (not sure how you spell it) for going through the process and keeping me updated daily.

I've changed my plan and I've gotten the 10GB Broadband on Mobile together with it. Already synced my emails and my contacts. Things are pretty awesome.

I'm updating Jarvis to OS 3.1. I can't believe I actually got the phone. Let's see... I've already got my Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard installed and now I have Jarvis with OS 3.1 and also with AppleCare Protection Plan. Looks like I'm gonna spend more on the phone. Already, I've bought a safety shield for it. It's gonna ship over in a few days. Also, I plan to buy a cover for it also. Give it some protection.

The iPod in it is pretty awesome. The only problem I have with it is that it cannot sync song by song. yeah. Pretty harsh. But yeah, if you buy music, it shouldn't be a problem. =) Well, I've spent pretty decent amount this month. Last month was a 700 plus dollars worth watch, this time it's iPhone. Oh, btw, I paid $547 for it - with AppleCare Protection Plan. Pretty reasonable price eh?

Well, I'm off to download some awesome apps. Maybe I'll shop for awesome earphones soon. Been eyeing the V-Moda Vibe Duo for quite a while. I might get it soon. Or maybe I should get Bose. Well, I'll see what's the best. =) Laters dudes!

+*•°°••°°•=_THE DUDE'S BLOG_=•°°••°°•*+