Blackberry 8320 & T-Mobile’s HotSpot@home Service: A Closer Look

T-mobile recently upgraded its mobile service by providing the so-called HotSpot@home subscription which allows a mobile subscriber to initiate calls utilizing a wi-fi connection at home, and in turn making unlimited calls that doesn’t use up the subscribers monthly minute allowance. This service also allows the subscriber to be connected to hotspots nationwide. With the service your mobile provider automatically connects you to the network in range whether it’s a hotspot or a regular cellular network at home or on the road for uninterrupted mobile service. Indeed, it is an ingenious idea if only it is perfected.

I live in a slightly elevated area and so my cell phone signal is constantly absent. In fact I cannot initiate a call if I’m at home, so with T-mobile’s new offering, a new hope dawned on me that I can have a reliable connection while at home.

With the HotSpot@home service, mobile calls can be made using existing wireless signals from your local network through UMA (unauthorized mobile access). And since the service requires a HotSpot@home enabled cell phone, I decided to say goodbye to my T-mobile Wing phone and upgraded my used-to-be Blackberry-less mobile life to a Blackberry-ful one. It was about time to see what a Blackberry can do compared to my previous mobile phones.

First off, the good things about the Blackberry 8320. It is smaller in size compared to its other Blackberry predecessors and more lightweight. It uses a mini trackball for multidirectional and easy manipulation of programs and files or messages in your message folder. It has a camera with a built-in flash at an adjustable capture range. It has a media player that can play several kinds of media files. It is wi-fi and Bluetooth enabled. It allows data transmission using GPRS/EDGE, edge, GSM, UMA, uma signals. It has voice dialing. And it is designed to work with your wireless network for free unlimited mobile calls at home after subscribing to T-mobile’s Hotspot@home service.

The bad. It has no video capture feature. Another bad thing is the fact that the blackberry is a blackberry, thus, there maybe some mobile tools that you like and have gotten used to with your other mobile phones that run on a windows mobile platform which you cannot run on the Blackberry 8320. A good example is YahooGo, a mobile application that provides maps & navigation, weather, instant messaging, etc. No matter how many times I tried, this application was never able to successfully run on my Blackberry 8320. There was always an error at startup. So I guess there are possibly a few bugs that need to be fixed.

Another application that I love so much that I also was not able to work successfully on the Blackberry 8320 is the Avantgo mobile service. Surprisingly though, I was able to download and successfully run the mobile version of Windows Live Search.

One thing to note is, if you want to make use of the full functionality of this cell phone, you should be ready to pay for the extras like subscribing to the Hotspot@home service as well as the Blackberry unlimited e-mail service provided by T-mobile. This is good if the service is really a necessity for you, but for people who just want to explore the technology, think twice.


The Hotspot@home service is supposed to allow an easy handover from your Unauthorized Mobile Access Network (UMAN) to your cellular network so there is no discernable service interruption. However, the technology probably is still too raw and not yet perfected because on several occasions, I have initiated a call using UMA and was cut in the middle of a conversation because somehow my signal went from UMA to EDGE. Even with a good wireless connection at home, surprisingly the device shifts from UMA to EDGE and even to GSM transmission modes constantly & intermittently. That I find really unappealing because once this occurs, the medium of communication is disrupted which is quite not what this technology is meant to do.

Now what exactly is the difference between these kinds of signal transmission? You can find the answers by visiting T-mobile’s information page. But here’s a quick comparison. UMA signals allow you to make voice calls for free, allowing GSM & GPRS transmissions through your local/at home network which is first authenticated by your mobile service provider’s UMA Network Controller. If you require high-speed data transmission like browsing the internet, you’re better off with an EDGE connection because it is an enhanced form of GPRS and is sometimes referred to as 3G. GPRS is more or less a slight variation of EDGE, which still allows data transmission but at a slower bandwidth. A GSM signal is only good for voice calls or text messaging but not for data transmission that requires a bigger bandwidth like internet browsing or video transmission. uma and edge on the other hand, simply indicate that you have the signal but the signal you’re getting is weak.

As soon as I got my Blackberry, I started doing the necessary tweaks and fixes to customize my phone to my style and preference. Of course, I wanted to have my own distinct ring tone so I just moved ring tones from my old phone, a Motorola v3xx simply by putting in the microSD chip from the old phone to Blackberry’s microSD slot. I then copied the ringtone files from the microSD to the device’s ringtone folder and it worked without causing too much headache on my part. Being able to do that is a plus to the Blackberry because some cell phones are really so hard to configure in terms of customizing ring tones.

Then comes setting up the push e-mail. Of course, like I’ve said, you have to subscribe to T-mobile’s Blackberry unlimited e-mail service. Setting up took a while because for some reason, if you are not able to find your way to the service books, you will not find the option to set-up personal mails using your personal e-mail accounts from yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc. The device is preset for easy setup to your enterprise e-mail server at work but first you need to know certain information that only your system administrator can provide.

Basically once everything else is in place you can manage your device from your desktop using Blackberry’s device manager software and from there you can sync your contacts, calendar, to do list, files and folders.

Overall, the Blackberry 8320 is an excellent phone. The easy user interface provided by the keypad and the mini trackball is a definite plus (but probably not for people with big fingers). I find it really appealing. In fact, once you get used to the feel of the Blackberry, you find it hard to go back to using your other non-Blackberry phones.

If you want to read e-books using your Blackberry, just download the Mobipocket reader and you’re ready to go.

T-mobile’s HotSpot@home service is a good start, but I think the technology could be better.

Geek Switch: Migrating Files from an Old PC to A New One

You’ve decided that it’s time to upgrade your computing life by getting a new computer to replace your old sluggish machine. Now what?

Most of us cannot detach ourselves from all the files and programs that we have in our old computers and chances are, we will be multi-tasking between the old and the new computers which is actually very unproductive. You want to get rid of the old computer but you do not know how to integrate your old programs, files and settings to the new machine.

There are several things that you can do. You can transfer your files to your new computer using built-in utilities that come with your OS (operating system) or you can download free utility software that will help you migrate your files for free or you can just cut the chase and buy a utility software that will do the job effectively for you.

But first before you even decide on moving your old files to the new computer consider the tools that you need in order to establish a path between the two computers for the transfer of files. You have several options. First you can connect the two computers through your network (assuming you have your existing network), by connecting both computers to your network router’s Ethernet ports. The second method is to connect the two computers using the serial/parallel ports and of course you need a serial/parallel cable, but this connection would provide the slowest data transfer between the two computers. The third and the fastest method is to connect the two computers through the USB ports and of course, you need a dedicated data-transfer USB link which is available at most computer accessory outlets. Another method can be performed by utilizing external storage media that can hold ample amount of data.

To establish a path between the two computers you need to connect them using a data-transfer cable that you can plug into the USB ports of your PC. I got one from Belkin and indeed it makes the file transfer much quicker and easier. The data-transfer cable comes with its own software that will help manage the transfer of files and settings between your old and new machines. I think the software that comes with the Belkin data-transfer cable is provided by Laplink. Laplink also has its own version of the same migration tool. You can buy and download online, PCMover, a PC migration software by Laplink (a trade name) and with it comes an optional data-transfer cable that you may choose to be mailed to you after a few days. Either way, you get the same results. It’s a bit pricey at $45-$50 but it takes the guesswork out of the task of migrating files and settings between your old and new computers. I used PCMover to migrate files from my Windows XP laptop to my new Windows Vista machine. My new laptop that runs on Windows Vista does have its own utility software that can perform the migration of files but I don’t think that it migrates the settings as well. I didn’t try it because I just want to successfully migrate my files and settings in one sweep so I opted to pay for a software to do the task more easily for me. With the tool I was able to migrate 30 GB of data in six hours. The good thing about PCMover is it gives you a clear outline of what programs and files are sitting in your old computer, which ones are already existent in the new computer in a newer version, which files are candidates for transfer, which programs may not work in the new system.

All you need to do is to confirm which programs and files you want to migrate by simply selecting and deselecting. And in the event that there’s an error in the transfer, you can always go back to where you left off even in an aborted migration because whatever files you have migrated already, they will stay in the new machine. Of course, you can always undo the migration process using the same software.

I am a very impulsive person and impatient too. So what happened was when I first grabbed my new computer, I couldn’t wait to transfer my old files to the new computer and finally say “Hasta la vista” to the old one. So I went online and purchased the software that might just do an easy transfer of files. I got PCMover and paid more than $40, but they did send me a laplink (USB data-transfer cable) that arrived in the mail a few days later. One drawback with the purchase was that I wasn’t sent the unlock code right away and customer care wasn’t readily available to assist me. So I had to wait until I got the serial number through an e-mail before I was able to fully utilize the software capabilities. This software does what it promises to do and it’s easy for the average computer user. You can even download a trial version of this software but it doesn’t migrate your settings to the new computer. So what’s the relevance? Sometimes you want to keep the same look of your desktop and all other settings that are carried out at startup. If you use only the trial version, you can only transfer some programs and files and your settings are left out. But if you really don’t need to keep the old settings then just make use of the trial version.

So here are a few points to note if you are thinking about migrating your programs, files and settings from your old PC to a new one. (Or even if you are not.)

1. If you just got a new PC chances are you got the better ones with dual processors and probably with a Windows Vista operating system. If you have a computer that runs on Windows Vista, it comes with a utility that helps you migrate files but not settings from your old computer to a new one.

2. Before you migrate your files, decide on what method of transfer you want to use and make sure you have the necessary accessories (hardware) and the software. It is always good to plan ahead.

3. Before performing the migration process, decide on which files you want to keep and which ones you want to get rid of. In my case, I uninstalled programs that I know I will not be needing anymore. That way, I had a better view of the files and programs that will be moved to my new computer.

4. Make sure that your old system and files are free of malicious programs by first performing a system cleanup that includes running an antivirus software, a registry scanner, and an anti-spy software. You basically have to wash off the dirt from your old computer before you move your files to the new one because you don’t want to pass on the junk that’s been sitting in your old computer to your new machine.

5. Plan a good time to do the migration process knowing that it takes time to complete the process. Depending on the size of the data that need to be transferred it could take from a few hours to at least half a day to complete.

6. It also helps to do a little research before you even decide on which software to use to successfully migrate your files.

7. You always get what you pay for. If you get your software for free, the migration process maybe a little bit more challenging and painstaking. Have a good supply of patience and perseverance.

8. If you want an easy pass with not much mental work on how to do the migration process then be ready to pay with real hard cash for a software than can make the process headache free.

9. If you want to do away with the migration process, hire the geek squad. Stores like BestBuy offer a service wherein they do all the work for you when you purchase your new computer, and of course it’s at an additional cost to you.

10. If you are not even ready to get rid of your old computer yet, well, lucky for you. You’ll save a lot of cash. But you’ll have more wait times in front of your computer that could really be frustrating and probably you’ll speed up only one thing by dealing with your old sluggish computer—your aging process.

So it’s about time for an upgrade. Be a geek. But be a happy geek. Get it?

SAMSUNG SUPPORT: Are You Kidding Me?

I called up Samsung technical support at 1-800-SAMSUNG because I needed to get additional information after I have exhausted all measures that were provided on their SAMSUNG support site.

I was gladly forwarded to a technical support engineer and the conversation that transpired went a little like this.

TSE: Can I have your first and last name?

Me: Mao ni akong ngan.

TSE: Can I have your phone number starting with the area code first?

Me: Mao ni akong numero sa telepono.

TSE: Can I have your complete home address?

Me: Diri ko aning dapita nagpuyo.

I did provide the information that they needed (though above, I chose to playfully annoy the reader by putting a reply in a different dialect). Excuse my deviousness at times.

Anyway let me continue to the juicy part of the conversation.

TSE: What is the product?

Me: A television.

TSE: Is this your first time to get technical support?

Me: Yes.

TSE: Have you registered the product before?

Me: No.

TSE: Can I have the model number?

Me: (excitedly provided the model number)

TSE: Can you repeat that again. I could not find it. It’s not showing up.

Me: (ran my way to the back of the TV and uttered every digit in the model number as perfectly as I can)

TSE: Still I don’t see it.

Me: It’s probably because this product was purchased in the Philippines.

TSE: Wait a minute. Let me put you on hold for three to five minutes. I have to talk to my supervisor and see what we can do.

Me: (waiting for five minutes)

Then the technical support engineer came back on the line.

TSE: I’m sorry but we cannot help you with this product because we don’t support it.

Me: (I could sense my hair color was turning red). What? But this is a SAMSUNG product!

TSE: I understand Ma’am, but we don’t support your product because it was not purchased in the U.S. It doesn’t even show up in our database.

Me: (My BP just went up 3 point 14 sixteen points higher) You know what, all I want is just to get the name of a SAMSUNG authorized service center around the area where I live so I can have my TV fixed because I have basically read your FAQ and technical support on site and it didn’t help. Can you just give me a name of the closest service center?

TSE: Well, let me put you on hold for another three to five minutes. I will talk to my supervisor and see if there’s anything we can do.

Me: (waiting for another five minutes)

TSE: Ma’am we’re really sorry but we cannot provide you with any information. I suggest that you visit the SAMSUNG Philippines site and from there you can get help on what to do.

Me: (I could sense that my hair color just turned to neon red—if that color exists!) What? Are you trying to tell me to go to the SAMSUNG Philippines link, then what, I’ll have a technician from the Philippines come all the way to the U.S. to fix my 61-inch SAMSUNG DLP TV? Is that what you are suggesting?

TSE: No Ma’am, but we really cannot help you.

Me: (frustrated and furious) This is ridiculous! All I want is for you to give me a name of a service center for SAMSUNG television in California so I can call for an in-home service because as far as I know I have done the necessary steps to fix my ailing TV and has even replaced the lamp myself, and all it needs right now is a technician to come and see what’s wrong with it, and you cannot even provide me with that kind of help?

TSE: You see Ma’am we understand your concern but that’s not the way our system works. We have to input the correct model number so we can do the next step and your model number is not even in our database.

Me: BYE! (ended a totally futile undertaking…)

See? The best products are not necessarily the best buys that you can get these days because no matter how good a product is, if it’s not backed by a good technical support system, it’s useless. I tell you, it’s horrible when you paid thousands of dollars for a product and as soon as it stops working you’re left alone to solve your dilemma. It sucks, big time. Can you imagine a woman servicing a huge TV with kilovolts of fatal stored electricity inside just because the technical support department considers it a mortal sin to namedrop a service center for the product? And I tell you the product that I was seeking support for is not even a region-exclusive product, meaning, it’s not intended for Asian region use only because unlike typical televisions, that TV has a voltage rating that ranges between 100v-240v and it even automatically adapts to the voltage supply of the household. Otherwise it would have been stupid of us to ship that TV from one corner of the globe to another and would have been equally stupid to seek support for the product in the U.S.

Well to the SAMSUNG tech support in the U.S., get this. I will not have my TV repaired. I’ll just get a new one and I’ll make sure it’s not a SAMSUNG.

A Nice Little Gadget Called GPS: Nuvi 680

K. I must admit that I don't drive without my nuvi 680 in hand. It always sits on my dashboard, so I am totally worry-free as I take point A to point B. It is basically my travel guide which of course never runs out of patience if I insist on taking a different route. You see, the funny thing is, try to imagine somebody looking at a map and guiding you as you drive. If it was a real passenger in your car, chances are when directions are not followed, it's going to lead into an argument or an altercation. With the GPS (global positioning system) though, you're the boss. It is typical to hear, "...in 0.3 miles turn left on ..." from your GPS device, but if you miss the turn, you'll hear, "...recalculating..." and if you miss again, and again, your GPS device always will recalculate for you (without yelling at you!)

I'm sure a lot of people don't even know that this technology exists--the capability to be tracked by satellite wherever you are within continental USA, Canada, Europe. And for some who know, perhaps the thought of having a GPS device in their vehicle doesn't entice them. Well, technology is not for everyone, but for the lucky few who appreciate the advances of technology, you're in for a more convenient life, not necessarily simpler, though.

So what does the nuvi 680 do? Basically, it is a more feature-rich device compared to the nuvi 660. Both the nuvi 660 & 680 employ an MP3 player, a hands-free speakerphone which is bluetooth enabled so you can make and receive calls from and to your cellphone using the nuvi, preloaded maps with categorized POIs(points of interest), bigger touch screen, extras like cruising speed and simulator, option to travel using shorter distance or shorter time, loud speakers, voice options for the audio guide (male or female). The nuvi 680 does even better with MSN direct. As the nuvi 680 is mounted on the vehicle dock, MSN direct is activated giving you up to the minute information on traffic, weather and even a comparison on gas prices. Wow,that's really useful!

These GPS models are a bit pricey compared to their other counterparts, but you always get what you pay for. Honestly, the GPS is so useful to me that I actually own both the nuvi 660 and the nuvi 680, so I'm never without it when I'm on the road. Tip: You can always compare prices and get good deals using pricegrabber.com.

I got mine about $300 cheaper compared to retail prices from electronic stores even at sale prices.

The nuvi always gives me a kick everytime I hear, "...recalculating...". I hope one day they'll make one that is more humanely involved, one that says stuff like, "Moron, I told you not to go that way!" or "You're helpless, you cannot even drive your way out of a trash can!" or "That's it! You're on your own genius!" I think that will be more fun. It will be of course, limited edition for the witty few funny people. I'd be the first one to get it as soon as it is available.

Before I forget, the screen of the nuvi is easy on your eyes and the graphics on the monitor adapts to whether it's daytime or nighttime automatically, so you can easily see where you're going whatever time of day it is.

Anyway, the nuvi is a nice little work of genius, that I can never do without. It's as if it is surgically attached to me, indefinitely. Get one now, and live large.

PINGO: The Best & The Most Cost-Effective International Calling Service

It is a fact that when you are away from home, and you want to keep in touch with friends and relatives across the globe you are willing to pay anythings just to hear your loved one's voice.

For most of us, Filipinos, we love to keep in touch with our relatives, thus, we spend a good portion of our overseas earnings for long distance calls.

With the advent of voice over internet protocol, or simply VOIP, international long distance call rates have become less expensive than they used to be. But cheap doesn't mean satisfactory service. Some VOIP long distance providers just don't give you a good two way communication media, thus, you suffer with audio problems which of course is fair because "you always get what you pay for". Right? No. Just like all other services, you can still find a good bargain. So even if you pay cheaper long distance rates, you can still get a good service for your money.

Let me just share to you what services I used to avail of to initiate international long distance calls. First off, YahooVoice Phoneout service. At 19 cents a minute to call a landlline or a mobile phone across the globe from your computer, you already get a good value for your money. Of course with some local phone providers you get cheaper rates at 16 cents a minute (looks like it) but when you add up taxes, subscription fees and a bunch of local and national taxes, it really doesn't come out cheaper at all. Agree?

Then I tried TalkPlus. They charge less than 15 cents a minute for a call to the Philippines from the U.S. The one thing I like about it is you can call from your cellphone. Tip: If you have a MyFaves subscription with T-Mobile, you can just add the access number as one of your MyFaves contacts and you can talk for hours from your mobile phone without eating up your minutes. Another advantage of TalkPlus is you can either call through, meaning, you dial their access number to reach an international number, or you can set it to call back by initiating a call through the internet and as soon as you are connected to the called party your phone rings.

The only drawback is, sometimes, you have to take several tries to get connected to the number you are calling. But the voice clarity is remarkable. It's almost as if you are not using a VOIP service.

Then I found PINGO. And bingo, I'm stuck on it for good. So far it's the best VOIP service out there. Let me point out the good stuff. First, it charges me 13.8 cents to make a call to the Philippines from the U.S., so it's the cheapest I've found, basically. Second, it's fairly easy to use. All you have to do is sign-up online on their website, buy your minutes, perhaps opt for auto-recharge, register your PINPass numbers. PINPass numbers are your regular phone numbers or mobile phone numbers that you register so you can initiate a call from those numbers and the system will validate your call right away without a need to enter a PIN number. So if you register your home phone number, as soon as you call the PINGO access number, you can then proceed with dialing the country code, area code and phone number without much of a hassle. Again if you have a mobile phone, and you are subscribed to unlimited minutes like MyFaves, you can call as well from your mobile phone. You can register up to ten PINPass numbers. Isn't that neat? The voice clarity is superb. Third, there are no connection fees and extra hidden charges. You really get a good run for your money with their service. Bonus: You get $5 of free minutes if you refer a friend and when you first sign-up for the service.

Is there anything bad about the service? Well, the fact that it's cheaper and much more easier to use, you might get used to calling home as often as you want and as long as you want. So be forwarned. I will guarantee you that if you try PINGO, you will love it. PostScript: I don't get any monetary bonus from featuring this service in my blog, except for the satisfaction of course, of sharing something useful to my blog readers. Enjoy!

Cool Stuff for The Geek

Electronic toys are fun to play with especially if it keeps you efficient and entertained. Most gadgets that we do have these days allow us to multitask but with all the bugs and fixes sometimes it becomes a painstaking experience. Nevertheless, technology is evolving faster than it used to be. With the growing number of competitors trying to outdo each other in the technology market, a new idea easily branches into another concept producing even more products with slight enhancement from the original prototype. Thus, we, the consumers are bombarded with an endless array of electronic toys sending us to confusion as we try to decide which ones really stand out in terms of price and functionality.

Let’s take a look at a few gadgets.

The cellphone.

Try visiting gsmarena or mobileburn and you will see the newest cellphones in the market, even those that are still in production and are not yet released for sale. With cellphones, you can have whatever functionalities you like, small or big, with camera or without camera, with mp3 player, with FM, with calendar, with calculator, with wi-fi, with edge technology, with HSDPA(high speed download packet access, with 3G, with keyboard, with stylus, with touch screen, with Bluetooth, with IRDA port, in several dimensions and shapes & shades to choose from. From mere cellphones, to camera phones, to music phones, to internet phones, to smart phones. After a while you really get bored. That’s the bottom line. But when a new technology emerges, it's kind of inspiring to venture on technology again.

HTC Atlas (T-Mobile Wing). Does it give you wings to fly? I was torn between a Blackberry 8800 and T-M Wing. Never had a Blackberry, yet I got the T-M Wing. The screen isn’t as bright as my old QTek S200. A good thing with it though is it has a slide out keyboard which come in handy when you want to check your e-mails or maybe use one of the mobile office tools that come preloaded with the device( mobile word, excel, powerpoint). Another good feature of this device is it runs on Windows Mobile 6. There isn’t really that much of a difference in terms of the processing speed. Sometimes it even comes in as sluggish, but there’s an easy option for you to stop all running programs, or check for running programs that are eating up your system resources. Another notable difference is you can easily customize your settings without having to download a separate tool like the resco file / registry explorer to be able to effect change in your ringtones, alerts, and alarm settings. Say you want to have an mp3 song for a ringtone, all you have to do is upload your ringtones on a microSD (the phone comes with the slot) then just copy and paste the ringtones you want to the corresponding ringtones folder. The device itself is average to me compared to other devices of similar features and functionalities, but if you do subscribe with T-mobile you get a few useful tools like the web service. This device is Wi-fi and Edge/GPRS enabled. If you are in a hotspot you can connect using wireless technology and browse the net like you would using a regular computer. However, if you are subscribed to the web service the Edge/GPRS technology allows you to connect to the net at a slower pace compared to the wi-fi but still it is very useful. A really good tool that comes with the gadget is Windows Live Search powered by NavTeq and Traffic. It gives you the ability to search for POI (point of interest) near your location, get directions, get maps, route your destination, zoom in and zoom out in the map, get traffic data and pretty much do anything that you can do using mapquest or googlemaps. It really is very handy. It’s a good alternative to having your own GPS system while on the road at no cost. Except for the web service of course. Add to it the 2.0 megapixel camera, the expandable memory, the media player, the pdf reader, and all other necessary tools for organizing, and it’s a pretty efficient mobile tool.

iPhone. Well this cellphone has most of the consumers anxiously waiting for its release which is scheduled on June 29th this year through AT&T. And yes, there’s no pre-order option. I wouldn’t talk much about it because I haven’t held one but basing on the commercials that they show on TV or on their website, it seems pretty impressive. It definitely introduces a breakthrough technology using the electronic keypad which is easily manipulated by touching. Is it the only phone that employs such in the market? The answer is NO.

HTC Elf. Even before iPhone could get to the hands of the consumers the Elf is already making a buzz in the market at about the same time, with its rugged form factor and the TouchFLO technology that works pretty much like the iPhone. By touching the screen on a particular direction you can pretty much browse through the menus like flipping the pages of a book. Check out their website.

I-Mate Ultimate. I-mate introduces its Ultimate line of phones which are quite attractive in terms of design and form factor. It managed to break the typical smartphone or pocket PC look and incorporated a sleek and clean design for their cellphones. The good thing is you can choose from five (5) Ultimate designs. The better part is they all employ the latest Windows mobile OS, Windows Mobile 6.

The Mobile reader.

If you love to read e-books you probably are still reading them through your palmtop or pocket PCs or smartphones. It’s time for you to upgrade. E-ink already made its way to the mobile market. E-ink has redefined the way mobile readers read. Unlike reading from a computer e-ink makes your e-books look more like a regular book without the glare, and it pretty much can be read clearly even outdoors.

Sony Portable Reader. You can load your e-books and read just like you would a regular book. This device is basically intended for a mobile reader’s needs but it also employs other media capability like playing audio files, and other documents. It has a slot for SD cards or a memory stick and can hold a library of books. So beware as soon as you start reading through the portable reader you might not be able to stop.

Iliad by iRex. iRexTechnologies is also into the e-ink technology. The Iliad is a few hundred dollars more expensive than the Sony e-reader but it also has more for the money. It is wi-fi enabled so you can easily connect to the internet and browse the net and it allows you to annotate files and store them in your PC or in your Iliad. You can basically read and write using the Iliad. You can also connect it to your PC, so if you are browsing the net and you find something interesting, just download it to the Iliad, unhook from your computer, lay on the couch and read like you are reading a regular paper. It has a slot for Compact Flash and MMC. You can even connect a USB stick into it.

With Sony you get a coupon that is usable towards the purchase of e-books at their own e-book site Connect eBookstore. With Iliad you can download from manybooks.net or from any e-book site that sells e-books in pdf format or mobipocket format. You can go to ebookmall and subscribe to a lifetime service with free downloads. Better yet, scour the net and find the best and free e-books. How about trying blueportal.org? Enhance your mobile reading life now.

UMPC. Ultra Mobile PC. You see them now as the ultimate in mobile computing. Their size is only a little bigger than that of the Pocket PC or PDA but their capability and processing speed is that of a regular PC. I don’t see though that much of an advantage when using this device because the screen is too small and most of the time you use a stylus instead of a keyboard. I mean, I have a Fujitsu tablet with an 8.5” screen and it’s a full-size laptop in terms of functionality and it’s still pretty lightweight. But if you want to explore technology and you can afford it get one. Perhaps it’s a life-changing experience.

Wireless media/Entertainment.

Slingbox. If you haven’t made use of the slingbox get one now and enjoy TV through the net. But why would you want one when you probably have a big HDTV in your living room? If you don’t want to share your viewing experience with anyone then you can just sit in front of your computer and watch your show. Or if you travel a lot and you are too hooked to the boob-tube then you definitely have to sling it.

iPod Video. So you managed to download your favorite TV shows and movies from iTunes but are you going to watch them through that small screen? There’s an alternative. Get an iPod dock with video player and be able to watch your videos on a 7” or 8.5” screen on the go. Get one from Philips, Memorex, or Altec Lansing.

Apple TV. Stream your movies from your iTunes library to your TV using this device through a network. It will be an amazing experience.

Travel Gear.

GPS. A lot of people are still not convinced about the usability of a GPS. Try one and you will not be cruising without it. Getting directions, checking for Points of Interests and getting the feeling of having a companion while you drive is a good experience. Just be able to keep your eyes on the road though. There are lots of them out there. Which one will you pick if you are a beginner? Well, it probably helps if you get one with a touch screen option or perhaps one that gives you spoken turn by turn directions. Try Garmin Nuvi 200. If you want a bigger screen with mp3 player, Bluetooth capability and a better interaction get the Nuvi 660. There are other good GPS products out there like TomTom but based on my research, so far these two made it to the top.

Airport Express. Stuck in a hotel room with wired internet that you share with your family or a companion? How do you get around this dilemma? Get Airport Express by Apple and you can easily create your own wireless network with firewall and security encryption. You will be unwired in no time. You can also get one from LinkSys. The good thing about the Airport Express is it lets you stream your music wirelessly through your network.

Other interesting gadgets.

Sony VAIO LS Series. With duo processors, maximized storage capability, TV tuner, own desktop camera, and a superb space-saving design you will most likely want to have one. Check out the site for more information.

Flybook VM. It’s a laptop that has an intuitive design. Unfold the laptop and you pretty much have something that looks more like a separate flat screen and a keyboard just like modern PCs.

Computer-less e-mail printer. Print e-mails and photos directly without any computer. Just attach the printer to your phone at home and get pre-set spam-free e-mails delivered to you 24/7.

Geek Laughter: How A Mouse Works

If you are a geek, you are most likely fascinated by the inner workings of a particular function, task, machinery and so on. Often than not, though, the simplest of tasks are set aside for the reason that they don't involve much thought-provoking discoveries.

Take for example the case of a mouse click. How many processes do you think are involved to carry out the basic functions of your mouse? Hmmm... like moving your mouse around your screen area. Come on, it's not rocket science, but if you can only see (and you will!) how much work is involved, then you would take the necessary precautions, so as not to eat up your system resources. Do you want to find out what it's like? Click on ' How A Mouse Works ' and I promise you it's more fascinating, than it really appears.

Well if you are reading this paragraph that means that you didn't click on the above link otherwise, you would have been laughing so hard by now that your tear ducts are all stimulated causing your eyes to get tear-filled as you burst in successive laughter.

I salute the genius and the creativity behind this work. It's the work of a real thinker, with a good sense of wit and humor.

Well, I hope you had fun, because I sure did.

Tune-Up Utilities 2007: Everything You Need To Optimize Your PC's Performance

For a while now, I've been plagued with a daunting task of finding a way to end the agonizing slowness of my laptop. I don't know what I did but I must have downloaded a lot of crap from the internet. I'm a download junkie and if I see a freeware that has some good geek value I always take the chance to sample it out and see if it works just as promised.

I'm not hesitant to sample stuff because I have my ever ready anti-spyware software sitting in the background waiting for my queue to sweep through and ditch all spies out of my laptop's system. Besides, my McAfee anti-virus software is working on overdrive to thwart unwanted malicious software out and away from my system the moment they make an unannounced visit at the doorstep of my PC's system.

Lately though, the performance of my laptop has been so painstakingly slow that I even invited the notion of replacing it with a new one that already employs the new duo processor systems that are now out in the market. But not so fast though. Hold it right there. My laptop has a lot of sentimental value attached to it so if there's away to save it, I'll exhaust all possible means first before junking it.

As usual I rummaged through cnet.com and softpedia.com for whatever utility software I can find to save my ailing laptop.

In order to optimize your system, you need to eliminate spywares, trojans, viruses, malwares and when you're done with that, and your system still doesn't offer any sign of progress then it's high time to look at other possible causes. Like what? Registry errors, disk errors, broken links to files, crapware (debris or traces left by programs that you have uninstalled that may still be sitting in your system), memory allocation problems, heavy fragmentation of files and other hidden system problems.

With that in mind, you need several software to target every problem. You need a registry cleaner, a disk error fixer, a file defragmenter, and a good uninstaller. If you are enthusiastic about it, you will find lots of freeware that are meant to solve such problems but chances are you will be keeping a keen eye on your system changes because what one software fixes, may create another detectable problem as soon as you run another utility software. Besides, I haven't seen one registry cleaner or a disk error fixing utility software that really eliminates all the problems, not even the commercial ones that you have to pay for in order to use.

I tell you, the task involves trial and error and a constant backing up of your system just so you can always revert to the working mode in case things don't work out in your favor.

I downloaded ZSoft Uninstaller so I can eliminate a file that I already uninstalled but still shows up at startup like a ghost file from somewhere. The utility is definitely better than your regular add/remove program utility that comes with Windows since it shows you which files have broken links and which files are considered 'crapware'. It also lets you find and delete temporary files in your hard drive. But that one stubborn file that I couldn't get rid of still remained unseen in the list.

I proceeded to redirect my attention to speed up my system by downloading a disk cleaner and optimizer, the DiskKeeper. It worked fine, but I needed more. Besides my geek patience meter was already running low.

I wasted no time and searched further. I then downloaded Tune-up Utilities 2007. To my delight it answered my problems and successfully sped up the performance of my laptop.

If you are looking to optimize a slow PC, look no further. This software is just good, so good. It has a thousand and one ways to boost the performance of your system. You can even customize the appearance of your desktop, your folders, your icons or in other words visually enhance the look of your system. After running the software, the speed of my PC was remarkably improved from being slow to attaining its optimal speed. The software scanned and fixed problems as soon as they are detected, unlike other registry cleaners or disk error fixers, that tell you to buy first before you can utilize the fixing capability of the software. It even allows you to choose which files to run at startup so you don't take too much loading time. TuneUp Utilities 2007 does it in such a user-friendly fashion by telling you what a program does, whether it is critically needed at startup, and whether it is from a trustworthy source or an unknown one. What I like about this software is, it doesn't leave you in the dark. What's even great about it is that it comes with its own backup utility such that if you don't like what you just did you can always put things back the way they were by just going to the rescue center that runs in the background and keeps track of all changes you made to your system. From there you can undo the changes that you've just made.

Well, there's so much that the software does to improve the performance of your PC. I tried it and sure enough, after letting it do some tweaks here and there in my laptop, I'm now off to a happier, faster, better computing adventure. It really made a big difference in the speed and performance of my laptop now.

If you want to see it for yourself, you can always download TuneUp Utilities 2007 at cnet.com for a thirty day evaluation. You can even read reviews from other happy users like me. What are you waiting for?

Billmonk: A Neat Way To Keep Track Of Who Owes You What

It was a friends' night out. You picked the bill for the group's dinner but it was agreed that everyone has to chip in. Will you just forget about it? How are you going to collect?

You were away on vacation and the rent is due. Your roommate paid the rent. Thus, you owe him half the monthly dues. Will you remember? How will you pay?

You have a collection of books and most of it is out with your colleagues at work. In turn they also lent to you their DVD movies.

Perhaps you also have some other stuff that you generously loaned out to friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. Where do you stand in all of these? Do you even have the time to keep track of all of these?

It is a fact that it is somewhat awkward to collect something from somebody, more so, if it involves money. So how do you go about this?

Luckily, Billmonk is there. It is a free online service that lets you keep track of things you owe and things that other people owe you. It gives you a comprehensive view of your social assets and liabilities, or in short, your 'social money'.

What is 'social money'? It is just a fancy way to refer to money and the like that goes about your social circle by means of sharing, borrowing, lending or loaning out.

What you need to do is sign up for the free service and you're on your way to having your own personal tracker of everything that belongs to you that are still out there and everything that does not belong to you that you still need to return to its rightful owner.

This is really a remarkably good e-concept knowing that in this busy world, we tend to forget about the little things that we borrow from friends, and the personal stuff we own as well that we generously lend to others be it money, our different collections, our electronic gadgets, our games, our toys, our jewelries, our clothes and all our other stuff.

With this service, you get a clearer picture of whether you're even with somebody or you still owe them something or whether someone out there still owe you a thing.

Billmonk even does the math for you. Say, you split the bill for a meal. Billmonk tells you how much each one owes provided you also give information to Billmonk on who are the participants who are supposed to share the bill. Billmonk also can keep track of who among the sharers have already paid and who still owes you money.

Just recently, Billmonk launched Obopay, a mobile payment system which lets you pay the things you owe using your mobile phone. It also lets you collect money from your friends if they owe you some.

To find out more check out Billmonk or Obopay now. Take charge. Get rid of the awkwardness of borrowing, sharing, splitting, loaning, lending and collecting your 'social money'.

Free Calls, Free SMS: My Top Rated Sites

For the last few days I've been basically scouring the net for free calls using VoIP (Voice-over Internet Protocol) and free SMS (Short Messaging Service) to global destinations.

Keep in mind though, that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If it's free, there's always a catch somewhere down the line.

I knew that all along and so I kind of choose the ones which didn't require much of a hassle.

First, let's tackle the free SMS sites. There's a lot of them. What was my need? I basically needed one that allowed me to send free text messages to mobile numbers anywhere in the world, be it the U.S., Canada, UK, Asia. I specifically needed one that can connect me to mobile numbers in the Philippines. Here's my list:

• 4. Mobik - It lets you send unlimited free SMS from a PC or from your mobile phone. As you send your message, an ad plays on the Mobik SMS interface. The bad thing is, it doesn't have much coverage worldwide. It only allows you to send messages to regions where they have an ad sponsor. Check out their site for the regions being covered. It has an easy to use interface though. You do need to sign up before you can use the service. This didn't allow me to send messages to the Philippines because the region is not sponsored.


• 3. SMS.ac - The 'ac' stands for 'always connected'. This site has so much going on in there that basically you lost track of your first goal--to send free SMS. It's more of a social networking service like myspace.com that lets you set up your own home page and give you a chance to blog, to earn, to upload your photos, to promote your music, to build your empire and to do so much more. That's the big catch right there. All you wanted is to use the free SMS feature then you end up being a part of a social networking group after you sign up. The good thing is, I was able to send free text messages to the Philippines. The bad thing is, it only allows you to send three(3) free SMS per day. Could they spare it? I don't think it's worth giving certain personal information like your e-mail address, your location, etc.


• 2. Crickee - It promises unlimited SMS 24/7 for free. You can send text messages from your PC or from your mobile phone. It does let you send messages but the receiver has to be a Crickee member to be able to open the messages. This is not really mobile-friendly, but it's worth trying. Just make sure the people you connect to are also Crickee members. It claims to be similar to Skype or MSN messenger. I was able to send free text messages to the Philippines, but the receiver wasn't able to read my messages until she signed up for a Crickee membership.


• 1. Callwave Widget - This is my free service of choice. It's easy to use. It's easy to download. It's easy to set up. It lets you add the interface in your google homepage or you can also add it as a widget in your Yahoo widgets engine. I give this service five stars for being free and for ease of use. It's plain and simple. Send messages to anywhere in the world for free. Send unlimited text messages in the U.S. and send a maximum of five(5) free SMS to other countries in a day. I particularly like the fact that there's no strings attached to this service. It's almost as good as any plug-and-play device. Get it, then use it!

Now let's go to the free calls. Actually, there are so many sites that claim to have free calls using VoIP telephony but the free call is only allowed between PC to PC. Names like Vonage and all the other players like Skype, Yahoo, GoogleTalk normally stand out when it comes to offering cheap alternative to long distance calls, but the service isn't free anymore if the call is directed to a mobile phone or a landline from your PC.

Is there really a site that offers free calls from PC to landline or from PC to mobile phone? Yes, there is. But it's limited only to calls within the US and Canada. You can do this through Adcalls. Just download the interface from CNET.com and you're ready to call any mobile or landline number within the US and Canada areas. There's no need to sign up. So what's the catch? Nothing really. After you download the dialler, you can immediately initiate a call to any number within the US and Canada and as your call progresses, ads play on the little Adcalls interface screen. You can watch it, or you can look away but you do find some good deals and offers on the ads that are being shown so if I were you, keep your eye on the ads. It's totally up to you. Don't worry, the dialler is small in size and you can even minimize it. The call is timed for ten minutes, so after ten minutes of talking your call is terminated but you can always redial. It's all good. So why pay for your calls, if you can get them for free? See it for yourself.

Thoosje's Vista Side Bar: A Nice Desktop Addition

So you downloaded Yahoo widgets, and then realized that it’s too much for your desktop to handle. You ended up uninstalling the Yahoo Widgets and all functional widgets that you handpicked. Somehow, the widgets thing got you hooked to the ease and convenience of having tools and utilities sitting right on your desktop that you can use as you please.

What do you do? You don’t want to redownload the Yahoo widgets again. You’re done with it for now.

Check out Thoosje’s Vista Sidebar that you can easily download at cnet.com or at thoosje.com. You might like it.

It’s a vertical dock- a sidebar at that, that houses several usable widgets/gadgets--e.g., a media player; a weather guide; a calendar; a clock; PC resources monitor; a search tool; a wi-fi signal meter; the recycle bin and more. The sidebar basically has all the basic widgets that will make your PC session more productive and entertaining. I like the fact that it doesn’t use up much of your system’s resources and it’s so easy to set-up. Just drag and drop the widgets to the sidebar and you’re ready for action. The graphical icon representing each widget is also neat and visually enticing.

Don’t worry about viruses, spy wares or ad wares that may come with most free downloadable software. Thoosje Vista Side Bar is certified to be 100% clean by softpedia.com.

Experience a bit of Vista with Thoosje’s Side Bar. It works perfectly fine with Windows XP.

Mine is keeping me happy right now as I listen to my songs while blogging.

Getting Widget-Happy With Yahoo Widgets 4

About two days ago, Yahoo made Yahoo Widgets 4 available for download. As soon as I found out about it today, I wasted no time and immediately downloaded the widget application engine which is an upgrade of the formerly known Yahoo Konfabulator with its newly added widget dock and minimal memory usage. I have never seen so much widgets, in all my geeky existence. Yahoo actually did a good job of categorizing the different widgets based on the functionalities. With the added dock, Yahoo made it easy for users to customize the widgets by customizing the preferences. The widget dock itself can be set to collapse or to hide automatically.

Wait a minute, what is a widget? A widget is just a little file usually represented by icons or graphic symbols and it does pretty much any function that is assigned to it such as a calculator, a desktop calendar, a currency converter, a mail checker, a music player, a shortcuts folder, a daily reminder, a site updater, an RSS feed aggregator, etc.

With these widgets made available, your computing life is made ten times more convenient because these widgets can be set to sit on your desktop and with just one click of your mouse, summon them to display or perform their assigned function.

When did multi-tasking become so much fun? I tell you, the widgets can be arranged in a wonderful fashion such that they may also serve as a nice desktop enhancement. They’re really visually appealing, and at the same time, functional.

With all the many widgets to choose from, it was so easy to get widget-happy and just download as many widgets as you can. Some widgets though that were presented more or less serve the same functions so it’s up to the user to decide which widget to add to Yahoo’s own preset widgets. The endless list of widgets is made possible by many contributors or widget authors who dared and bothered to upload their own widgets for the consumption of the internet market for free. The fact that Yahoo featured these individual authors gave these programmers a chance to shine and be infamous in the widget category. This also gave us users a little hope on the safety of these widgets having been included in Yahoo’s category list, however, it is still the user’s sole responsibility to make sure that the widgets that are downloaded are free of malicious bugs that may harm their system.

Guess what? I was too overwhelmed and didn’t realize that I downloaded most of the widgets that were made available in the Yahoo widgets directory. Here, I’ll give you a rundown of the different widgets that are sitting on my desktop right now:

• Affirmation Planet


• Crawling Ant


• Daily Tips


• Draw Demo


• FunMass Game Downloads


• Hangman


• iTunes Bar


• iTunes Companion


• Kalc


• Memory Cards


• Mess-O-Notes


• Neon Gauges System Info


• Phone Notify


• Picture Frame


• Teddy Bear


• Translation Dictionary Toy


• Vista Meter-CPU


• Vista Meter-Memory


• Widget of Change


• Widget of Happiness


• WiFi Signal

All that, apart from the preset Yahoo widgets. To make it easy for me to view all my widgets, I also added the Widget Launcher which displays a listing of all my widgets.

So how’s my computing time now with all these widgets sitting on my desktop? As I listen to iTunes, I can see a picture that is randomly displayed inside the Picture Frame. My affirmation message today says, “My inner vision is always clear and focused.” The Translation Dictionary Toy that I set to translate English to French displays “nowadays = de nos jours”. The Daily Tips is showing one health tip that says “Wake up at the same time everyday.” I can see my Wi-Fi signal strength and my resource meter indications both for CPU and for memory, while a red ant busily crawls around my screen. There’s more that I can use when I need to and I’m glad that these tiny little widgets are making my geek world a little more interesting.

DriveImage XML: Backing Up Your Data With A Sense

Like I said in my previous post we will be doing a big move soon and one of my major undertakings prior to the move is to make sure that the data in my laptops--a Toshiba Satellite; a Toshiba Portegé; a Fujitsu Ultraportable; and an HP Media Edition--are backed up. I'm enumerating them so more or less you get a picture of how much is there to carry just in case we decide to have all four laptops hand-carried from source to destination. No way!

I don't know yet, but my best guess is, we'll probably take only two of the four to be hand-carried and the other two will either be air-shipped or put in the check-in luggage. With that, there is a chance that something could happen with the laptops and their data en route. Worse case scenario would be that the data will be corrupted. You know electronic devices, usually when they are subjected to certain temperature changes, shock, impact and other unwarranted handling procedures while transported, they have a tendency to malfunction and with respect to computers, the only sure way that you can preserve your data no matter what happens along the way, is to back it up.

How do we back up data? Typically if there isn't much data to back up any form of storage media can be used like CD-ROMs, usb memory sticks, flash memory cards and other removable memory devices that don't necessarily have to hold much memory capability. On the other hand, if the data that you want to back up already spell Gigabytes of content then an external drive or any mobile storage media will suffice provided it has ample storage space that ranges typically from at least 40 Gb to up to 120 Gb depending on the need. If you notice also, there are a lot of online backup services. They are mushrooming everywhere and it's up to you to verify how stable the sites are because these days’ internet sites come and go like the changing of the seasons. If you do have highly sensitive information, you do not want to compromise data security so making sure that you can trust the site is really a very important consideration.

What's my choice? Well, for now I'm still not ready to use online backup services--not that they cannot be trusted but because I just don't want to go through the hassle of sharing my data and uploading them from point x, my relative location, to some point y somewhere in the internet. Besides, I feel that I will still have full control of my data if I just back them up myself. I got a Matrix mobile storage device with a 40Gb memory capacity since I have about 27 Gb of data to backup. That still leaves me ample space for storing other stuff.

Now, comes the hard part. How do I backup these data? For those of you who do not know, you can back up your data using Windows XP's (this is my OS) utility software--Backup. You can activate this by going to your Accessories folder then clicking on System Tools. I didn't want to go through the hassle of downloading a third party software to do the task so I opted to use Windows XP’s backup utility only to find out that I cannot complete the task because it required me to insert a bootable disk as soon as the backup session was almost completed. The disk I believe will contain all pertinent data about the backup and the interface for recovering or restoring data and without it, it's not possible to recover the data that I just backed up. I didn't have a bootable disk drive in my laptop so I ended up aborting the sequence.

So I was left with a dilemma as to which third party software to download so I can efficiently back up my data. After a thorough search, I came up with two possible candidates: SyncBack and DriveImage XML. Both of these backup software are downloadable for free. Both are very popular. Both have good reviews. The first one being an old favorite, the latter being a new favorite, as well. Naturally, I went for the one with the unquestioned record in terms of performance--SyncBack. It has a good interface. It was easy to use, though, I didn't know what happened when I used it. It worked a little slower than I expected. There were moments when I literally have to bite my finger, as I try to figure out what the software was doing when all I can see on my screen was just the hourglass instead of my cursor and it was really getting on my geek patience meter. It seemed as though it takes a painstaking while for it to refresh after you browse the different drives to set up both the source data to be backed up and the destination where the backup files will be stored. Actually the interface was easy to work with. There was even an option to select easy (for beginners) and expert (for advanced users) menus to work with. I just didn't have the patience though for its time-consuming browsing of drives.

After giving up on SyncBack, I downloaded DriveImage XML and used it. Voila! It was just great. I was able to backup my data at a breeze. The interface was very user-friendly and I think this backup software is much better than most popular backup software out there. The good thing about this DriveImage XML is that it creates image files of the data that you back up and store them in XML files, thus, after backing up your data, you can browse through these images, view them and extract files using third party tools. You basically get a glimpse of what sort of files and documents are sitting in your backup file. Take note that most backup software create backup data whose value only comes to light as soon as you lose your data, so the backup data literally sits there until it's needed. An ordinary user wouldn't be able to appreciate it because the backup data cannot be viewed unless you have used it to recover data that you have already lost. This on the other hand creates a backup that is never useless. DriveImage XML even lets you copy directly from drive to drive. For now though, this backup software can only be used with Windows XP, Home & Professional editions, and Windows Server 2003.

If you need a good backup solution for a Windows-based environment, one that doesn't leave you in the dark in terms of what kinds of files and documents you have just backed up, you should give this freeware a try. You will not be disappointed, that I can guarantee you.

Think Geek: Getting Things Done With Thinking Rock

I've been really preoccupied these days with a lot of tasks, thoughts, anxieties and it's all because in the next few days we'll be relocating to another part of the globe. Hence, it was so easy for me to lose a lot of sleep.

Doing something big like a move is really taxing. Every detail has to be carefully kept an eye on. Thought-provoking scenarios in your head kept replaying every minute of each day until the big day. Wouldn't it be nice if you can just sit for 15 minutes and be able to unload your thoughts--just any random thoughts that is boggling you? Would it be nice if there's one application that helps you manage your tasks more efficiently and more effectively?

That's exactly what I needed at this time when it's so easy for me to get lost in my own train of thoughts because of the many tasks that are set to be accomplished right before me prior to the big move.

Normally I would just gather all my colorful stick-ons and colored pens to lay out everything on paper to clear my head. But no, not this time. There are piles of stuff that I need to sort out and put in respective containers and the thought of having more paper to work on is just not appetizing to me at the moment. If only I can just do away with the paper thing and still be able to unload my thoughts, I'll be a happy camper.

With some stroke of luck though, something came to me at the right time. Didn't I tell you that to me del.icio.us is as good as yummy mmmmm! I visit the site quite often to view new postings of useful sites, being bookmarked by other del.icio.us users.

And there, I found this Thinking Rock software. It is a neat software written in Java that can run on several platforms like Linux, Macintosh, or Windows and is based on GTD(getting things done) methodology. It has a simple and user-friendly layout. It also comes with a guide on how the software works and it's free. Yes, you heard me right, it's free, but you have the option to give back to the site if you find the software useful.

I find it useful indeed. Why? Simply because it lets you organize your thoughts and be able to do something about it. It even includes a schematic diagram on the flow of processes after you enter your thoughts until the task is done or completed.

The good thing about the software is, it lets you just add any new thoughts whether you can act on it or not. If an action can be performed on it you can tick on a box just for that. It asks you for the outcome if the action is completed, and if the thought involves more than one action you can even start a project on it. It asks you how soon you want it done--ASAP or you can even set a date and time to have the action fulfilled.

In the end after you are being able to break down your thoughts, and dissect it into minute pieces, you will be presented with a quick list of things you need to do now based on your input. Right away you'll get a glimpse of the things that you can take action on, instead of worrying about the things that you still need to accomplish.

I tell you, I sat in front of my computer for only 15 minutes and the software already has freed my mind of a lot of anxieties about the big move. It gave me the feeling of being purged from anxious thoughts and worries about a big undertaking.

My description alone won't be enough to elaborate on the functionality and usability of the software. You've got to experience it yourself. Forget about your pen and paper for now. Let the geek in you experience something more technologically refined. And if you are thinking about procrastinating, you definitely have to get the software now. You'll thank me.

Net Trends: Interesting Sites

If you scour the net on a frequent basis, sometimes you stumble on stuff that you never even knew existed. The good thing is some of the newest sites are very innovative with their concept on the kind of service that they provide. I’ll give you a run down of a few of these websites and the kind of service that they offer. For sites that I haven’t tried, I will purposely omit the site name. It’s up to you to google it up, if you really are interested to know about them.

1. Del.icio.us – Just as the name implies, I’m finding my way back to this site for more yummy treats time and time again. I spend ample time on this site because it has a lot of good stuff. Del.icio.us is a book marking site that allows you to compile or index your favorite internet sites. If you are a member, you can post your favorite sites for other people to know. Membership is free. This site works much like your favorites icon on your desktop. The only difference is, since it is shared by different users with different topics of interest, you are provided with more or less the crème de la crème of internet good finds. Besides, it is so easy to spot a good site based on the number of people who bookmarked it. Even if you are not a member, you can visit the site and be able to view the hottest postings. Del.icio.us has now grown into a huge searchable database of the best web pages that you can find on the internet. I’m sure there are other book marking sites out there, but since this one spells yummy…licious, I’m all for it.



2. www.oswd.org - How about a site of open source web designs that are not poorly created? I am emphasizing this because there’s a lot of free web layouts in the internet, but they are of course crappy. This site has a lot of contributors, so there is ample diversity in the layout that you can choose from. Being open source you can choose the layout that meets your requirements, e. g., you can specify how many columns you want; what kind of encoding is used—html, xhtml, strict or transitional, with css, with javascripts. You can even do advanced search using a keyword like ‘Blog’. Kudos.



3. How about a site that’s basically a billboard for your claims? That’s a fresh idea. Members of this site can post any claim, say “My blog is the best thing that happened to the blogosphere.” Other members will then vote on your claim and you will see how many people agree or disagree with you. You can even send this claim to your friends and anyone you know. This is a good place to hang out, every once in a while, especially for those of you who want to “big-note oneself”. It’s free, so you have nothing to lose, unless of course you claim to be the most beautiful person in your household, and everyone else disagrees with your claim. That’s a lot of face to lose. The good thing about this site is it uses open id system.



4. Dedicated search engine sites. A neat idea? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I guess the advantage is your search results will be more streamlined to a particular criterion so you’ll get more relevant results. On the other hand, it’s boring because you don’t get too see much surprises. I do think that it is cool because if you are a busy person you don’t want to waste time browsing through all the search results. I’ve seen two of this kind so far--one was a search engine for all electronic parts and the other one is a search engine dedicated for beauty products.



5. How about a site that is solely for object coding? Let’s say you have a website, and you want to implement a specific function, but you have no programming skills? You can just visit this site, submit a job request for a particular implementation and then, they provide you with a quotation from several programmers that are just affiliates and you can either accept or reject the offer. On the other hand, if object programming is your forte you can work for this site by submitting your code for a requested implementation.



6. How about a site that is seventy percent ‘googled’ but is in no way affiliated with Google. This site claims that it has all kinds of Google add-ons that you can think of. The best thing is you can easily download the add-ons and customize the contents of your Google homepage--from ip address identifier (who owns a particular ip address) to games, jokes of the day, stock quotes, weather update, sporting scores update, web design freebies and the list just goes on and on. The bad side is who knows what else comes with the add-on when you add it to your desktop?



7. How about a site that let’s you customize your message graphically and send it to anyone you know? Let’s say your name is SCOTT. Then you want to say “SCOTT ROCKS!” You have the option of having it as a Hollywood sign, or a neon light or a scribbling on the sand and some other ways then you can email it to a friend. It’s free. Try using it to promote your web page. It’s probably more effective than embedding links to your site in your e-mail invitation. Or try using this to apologize to someone. There’s many other ways you can use it. All you have to do is type in the text, choose how you want it presented then you’re ready to go. The downside is, apparently, it can only hold short messages and there aren’t enough graphical options to pick out from. But it’s fun for the inexperienced user who wants a colorful media of expressing themselves.



8. www.Gmail.com - Are you still jumping from one mailbox to another to check your e-mails? In case you don’t know, Google mail has an option for you to check e-mails from your other e-mail accounts, right inside the Google mail box. Just set up your Gmail account to extract mails from your other e-mail accounts with the option to delete the extracted e-mails or leave copies of them in the source mailbox. Don’t have a Gmail account? You can sign up now without the need for an invitation (this is the way they used to do it before you can open a Gmail account). Though this service is still in beta stage, I think it’s worth trying.

So that’s about it guys. Have a good time surfing the net. But be safe!

Crimes Against Internet Security

In this day and age, technology affords endless convenience to the consumers. On the other hand, these conveniences enjoyed also opened doors for malicious attackers to strike against unsuspecting users using technology itself. How much do you know about these threats? Are you aware of these threats? Are you aware that you can be the next target? Let me attempt to outline these crimes here and provide you with a basic understanding of each.

First off let's talk about the very basic stuff like malware, adware, spyware, worms, viruses. What are they? They are malicious programs that users inadvertently download without realizing that they've been attacked or infected. These parasitic software hijacks web browsers, launch unsolicited ads, and sometimes upload some important data and the inner workings of a computer to a remote server.

How do you protect yourself? Here are a few tips.

• Stay away from the dark alleys of the internet. How? You can use an internet site advisor that warns you about dangerous sites based on their tests on thousands of web sites. The site advisor is a software that sits on your desktop and as soon as you do a site search through a search engine, it provides a coding scheme to the results as follows: green--considered safe; yellow--enter at your own risk; red--a complete no-no; gray--never been tested. It's like a parent telling a child which parts of the neighborhood are safe to go to.



• Do not open unsolicited e-mails. Just delete them. Better yet, turn on the spam guard or spam protection feature of your e-mail.



• Stay away from p2p services or file-sharing networks. This is where worms and malwares abound.



• Before downloading a free software make sure that it's from a trusted site--that is it's got an authentication certificate. Always take extra precaution on trusting downloads from an unknown site.



• Invest in a good virus protection software. Prevention is better than cure.


• Download a good anti-spyware utility and regularly clean up your computer from malwares after each use.



• Always choose strong passwords and guard them like your priceless possessions.

There are a thousand other ways to protect yourself, and what I have listed above are just the basic stuff that can already spell the difference between your protection and your vulnerability.

Now let's tackle the most common internet crimes, phishing and pharming. Notice the 'ph' thing instead of an 'f'? It's because all these 'ph' crimes started with the earliest form of 'ph' hacking known as 'phreaking'. And what exactly is phreaking?

Phreaking or Phone Freaking

An act of manipulating the telephone system by hackers to enable them to make free phone calls. This term was first coined in the United States in the 1950s

There you go. Add that to your geek terminologies. I call it my 'terminologeeks'.

Phishing

It is a form of electronic scam, by which fraudsters attempt to acquire details of a victim’s private information often through e-mail. A good illustration is and e-mail directing the user to visit a website masquerading as a trustworthy institution, asking the user to update sensitive information such as financial information and passwords, without realizing that the website is bogus and was only set up to steal highly sensitive information that can later be used for identity theft. Phishing evolved from the idea of 'fishing' wherein a 'bait' is thrown to lure an unsuspecting user into 'biting'. The term was first coined in the 1990s by computer hackers. Phishing has several variations and they are as follows:

• Mophophishing or mobile phone phishing. A form of phishing wherein attackers send out fake banking applications to unsuspecting mobile phone users that prompt them to enter important account details into the application, while tricking them into thinking that they were accessing their accounts when actually the data is being sent back to the hacker. Mophophishing can also be carried out with the use of a rogue server which monitors and caches data between a phone and an online banking website, tapping out important information that is then used to attack the user's identity.



• Wiphishing or wireless phishing. Hackers set up a rogue access point using a laptop that has been set up as an ad-hoc connection. As soon as all other laptops in a hot spot detects the bogus network they mistakenly connect to the hacker's laptop allowing the attacker to gain access to data contained in the user's shared folders. Other important information can also be potentially jeopardized such as a laptop's authenticated connection to an office network and its access to other network-connected resources.



• Spear phishing. Phishing attempts that target employees of a particular company.

You can counter phishing by reporting it to Castlecops an internet phishing watchdog. Using their Phried Phish project you can submit phishing address and skilled hunters will go after them and shut them down

Pharming

Similar in nature to phishing, it seeks to obtain personal or private (usually financial related) information through domain spoofing. Spoofing is a variety of ways to fool a network's hardware or software. Instead of spamming using malicious e-mails, users are diverted to spoofed web sites which appear legitimate. This is carried out by 'DNS poisoning ' which is basically poisoning a server by infusing false information into the DNS server, resulting in a user's request being redirected elsewhere without the knowledge of the user. The browser itself shows that the web site or web address is correct.

The difference between phishing and pharming is, phishing attempts to maliciously attack people one at a time with a e-mail scams while pharming allows malicious attackers or hackers to target a large group of users at one time.

Let's talk more about spoofing. There are several kinds of spoofing--DNS spoofing; IP spoofing; and e-mail spoofing. Let us concentrate on e-mail spoofing. What is it?

E-mail Spoofing

It is an act of forging an e-mail to make it appear as if it came from somewhere or someone other than the actual attacker or source.

In case you didn't know 'joe job' is a term coined to e-mail spoofing. Joe Job means someone uses your e-mail server to send mass quantities of e-mails. Victims are made aware of the attack only when they receive a rather unusual quantities of failed delivery notices. This term was coined after an e-mail spoof attack on Joes.com in January of 1997.

What measures can you take to protect yourself?

These are the ways you can protect yourself from e-mail spoofing according to spam consultant Ben Westbrook, CEO of Mail-Filters.com.

• Don't unsubscribe from anything. Unsubscribing lets spammers know that they have a valid email address.
• Don't open Web-based emails, as it also alerts spammers to a valid address.
• And of course, keep your email address off websites.

Another concern that poses a threat to security are the so-called Greynets. What is a Greynet?

Greynet

A greynet is an elusive networked computer application that is downloaded and installed on end user systems without express permission from network administrators and often without awareness or cognition that it is deeply embedded in the organization’s network fabric. These applications may be of some marginal use to the user, but inevitably consume system and network resources. In addition, greynet applications often open the door for end use systems to become compromised by additional applications, security risks and malware. Greynet categories include instant messaging and peer-to-peer file sharing as well as other applications that are not officially sanctioned or supported by the enterprise or IT staff.

All these crimes of phishing, pharming, spoofing are forms of identity theft. Identity thieves use all available tools like malwares, spywares, adwares, worms, viruses, malicious applications and other forms of trickeries that users are unaware of. Identity theft is a serious crime. Its effects to the victim is usually devastating and usually takes a long period of recovery. Are you aware of these dangers?

Sometimes, we only become aware after we too become victims to these crimes. It shouldn't take another Mark Foley or Julie Amero before we take action. It's your choice.

My Geeky Faves

I love gadgets especially the ones with attitude. I always go for the usually more expensive ones because whatever you buy, "you always get what you pay for". But what good is a sophisticated gadget if it's not backed by powerful applications. Right? Nada...of course.

What I usually do when I buy a gadget is to experiment and attempt to make use of its full potentials as soon as I get it. I have a very short attention span so normally I'll do the experimentation within 48 hours of acquiring the gadget or it's gonna sit in the corner for a while until I find some meaningful reason to bring it back to life. And by the way, I hate to read the manuals. The only thing that gets ample exposure in front of my eyes is the quick start guide. Who would want to read a 90-page user manual? By the time you're done reading, that gadget will be obsolete. It's like watching a tv commercial--as soon as you understand the picture, the picture fades away. That's how fast technology goes!

In fact, by the time I'll finish writing this blog, there'll be about twenty more technology releases. Isn't that crazy?

To cut to the chase, here's what happened. I got a pocket pc/cellphone that runs on Windows Mobile 5.0. And since I said in my profile that I am a non-conformist, I don't just settle for what is packaged in the gadget. You see, I like a cellphone, that spews "Woman In Chains" or "Dancing Queen" or "I Want To Break Free" as soon as I get a call. In other words, I want a cellphone that allows you to freely customize your ringtone by uploading a wav, mp3 or a midi file, whichever is compatible. I'm just so used to the Motorola phones that are easy to customize with respect to its ringtones.

This one, since it runs on Windows Mobile, a different OS, it offered a different degree of difficulty. There really is no way for you to tweak it using its own set of applications. So before I could run out of patience, I immediately proceeded to search the internet--help forums here, help forums there, but none offered hope. I didn't give up until I solved my dilemma. So how did I do it? I just downloaded the RESCO registry editor and bingo, tweaking my pocket pc's registry was a walk in the park. Adding the files through RESCO was just as quick and easy as copy and paste. If you ever have the same concern, I suggest you take a look at it. It's really good. Best of all, you don't have to buy it. Just download the trial version. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to use.

Another favorite of mine is the AvantGo service. It's really a good add-on to any mobile device. It lets you add your favorite channels like Allrecipes.com, CNETnews, PCWorld, PowerQuotes and many more. You can even download and play Sudoku for free. My personal favorite is--"Words of the Month" by V.J. Singal. And you don't even have to pay to make use of this service--just opt for the free version.

It's also worth mentioning that I really like the cellphone skins to dress up my cellphone. I particularly enjoy the cellphone skins for Motorola V3. I think it's an ingenious creation. As you change the skin, you change the look as if you're sporting another new phone.

And before I forget, do you love e-books? I do. I started to like them when I had my palm-based PDA and I could read books using the Adobe pdf reader. Then when I had my Windows-based pocket PC, I can just open the Microsoft Reader and I'm on to browsing my mobile library of e-books. Best place to get it--I signed for a one-time registration at ebookmall and it's a lifetime registration actually that allows you to download anything from their library in any format that suits your device's reader software--from The Holy Bible, to any classic e-books. They actually have a vast array of choices. How about downloading the Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Do you have anything to add? E-mail me.

Site Advisor: An Internet User's Indispensable Tool

I was lazily browsing the net, until I ended up on one website wherein several pages loaded one after another. Right away, it raised a red flag on my geek meter. The pages that loaded were mostly bogus ad sites. Bogus because I never requested for those web pages. They just popped out of nowhere. Then the confirmation came. My anti-virus software sitting in my desktop immediately prompted me about an infected file and the trojan name was "exploit byte-verify". Most low threat viruses that gets into your PC can be cleaned right away by most anti-virus software, but this one cannot be cleaned and cannot be deleted completely as well. I attempted to delete the file but apparently it didn't work because the bug has a read-only attribute. So I left it sitting in my PC while I scoured the net for answers. There were do-it-yourself solutions to removing the bug, but I didn't bother to experiment on them instead, I just downloaded a more updated and powerful virus protection software, and that did the trick, at a price of course.

Well, I was more concerned about how did I end up in a mal-infested web site in the first place and how could that be possible. All the while we thought that certain websites like pornographic sites, free sites, share ware sites are the sites that are typically infested by the dirty net bugs and that for us long as we don't go that way we are perfectly safe. Not anymore! Why?

In the older days, spamming used to be the trick until internet users learned to ignore unsolicited e-mails. Definitely these bad guys needed another way to victimize unsuspecting users, and that is how they learned to attack users through the net in a much easier fashion.

But how? Simply by "web defacement". Web defacement does not necessarily change the way a website looks. It is carried out by implanting and alien code into a website and is not visible by a user in a browser. It can also be carried out by injecting an alien link which maybe visible or invisible. This attack is possible if the attacker has access to the website or if the attacker can hack into it. Defacement targets so called remote-root vulnerabilities brought about by the lack of recent security patches and bad management and/or practices like weak passwords, guest accounts, open shares or vulnerabilities in applications. Defacement can also be carried out by hacking into a web proxy though the original website may still look perfect. Popular websites are more carefully maintained thus attacks are less likely to succeed. On the other hand, many sites over the internet do not observe the same amount of security measures or periodic site checking or maintenance, thus, even if they maybe already a victim of defacement, they remain unaware for a while and it is the unsuspecting internet users that are diverted to malicious websites at the attacker's choice to be victimized by their malicious codes. Take note, that subtle modifications made to a hacked website can go unnoticed for a very long time and unless regular integrity checking is performed on the website by the webmaster there is no way to find unauthorized modifications into the hacked site.

So how do we protect ourselves from falling prey into the traps of these malicious attackers? Prevention is better than cure. Would it be nice if we can go about the web and someone can provide us a site map of which websites are safe, which ones are vulnerable and which ones are we supposed to stay away from? It is only after I was victimized of this malicious attack that I learned that there are effective tools you can use to protect yourself from this kind of attack. One that is worth trying is the McAfee SiteAdvisor which you can download for free. As soon as you perform a search from a search engine, the site advisor provides a clue on which sites are safe, which sites have potential malicious codes based on their own site tests, and even shows you which sites have not yet been tested. To me this is an indispensable tool because it empowers you being the user to choose the sites at your own risk. At least you have been pre-warned so whatever happens next is entirely up to you.

Now, I have my site advisor sitting and waiting for me to trek the net, and as soon as I set off to go into the internet highway, it flashes green, red, yellow or gray to forewarn me. Protect yourself now. It costs absolutely nothing.

My Trendy Mobile Companion: QTEK S200

In our fast-paced world, mobile connectivity is priceless. But how many of us still lug around several gadgets just to fulfill several functionalities? A cellphone to make and answer calls. A camera to take pictures. An mp3 player to listen to music. An electronic organizer to keep track of our day to day events. A video recording device to capture important moments. A laptop to connect to the internet, to read e-mails. A gaming device to entertain us during idle moments. Or perhaps a good book to read on the fly.

Call me crazy but I used to have at least three of the devices I mentioned above with me whenever I go out.


But thanks to technology, I am capable of doing the things that keep me geek-happy with the QTEK S200 PDA phone. This phone is trendy with its sleek black design. It affords you an easy browsing interface. You can conveniently browse the screen either with the stylus, with your finger or with the navigator buttons. The good thing about this device is it's got a really bright screen that you can easily adjust in intensity of brightness. With this device, you can take pictures with its built-in 2 Megapixel Camera. You can record videos. You can save your favorite music, create your playlist and listen to your songs on the go. When you're in a hot spot you can easily enable wireless connectivity using the mobile manager, browse the internet, check and answer e-mails, visit your favorite sites and just be a geek on the run. You can easily load this device with your favorite mobile games, and when you're bored you can listen to music and play games at the same time. But a favorite part is when you're in the mood to read books you can just open the Microsoft Reader for mobile device and wah laaahhh, you can read even in the darkest corner. This device runs on Windows Mobile 5 and is also bluetooth-equipped. Syncing this device is easy either using the sync cable or the infra-red port. Battery life is pretty remarkable for a device that offers so much functionalities. As a cellphone the QTEK S200 is GSM Quad-Band/Edge/GPRS ready with a built-in speaker phone option if you want to talk hands-free or when you're in a noisy area. It's got an alarm, a calendar,an organizer, a calculator, a notepad and just about anything to keep your hands full all the time. With the Qtek S200 there never is a dull moment wherever you are.