Nokia N80 IE update

After (re)flashing the firmware, the "please insert SIM" error message didnt appear yet. So I'm keeping my figures crossed and hope that solved the problem!

Nokia N80 IE

My Nokia N80 Internet Edition phone started to give me trouble today. The phone mysteriously say that there is No SIM card in the phone and insist that I insert a SIM card.

My first reaction is to "reboot" the phone by powering off and on. That seem to rectify the problem - or at least I thought it did. Moments later when I wanted to use the phone, it again showed the same "Insert SIM card" message. I was annoyed, and hence not over power off the phone, but removed the battery and SIM card, and re-assemble them back together again.
This time, the power up looks ok again and I thought the problem is resolved once again - perhaps a loose SIM?

Another 20mins later when I wanted to use the phone again, the same error occurred. I'm really annoyed now - I repower the phone and it appears ok again. When I went home, and was looking at the phone, it mysterously rebooted - and after rebooting, it says no SIM again. I rebooted a few times and the problem is resolved temporarily.

I've just backed-up the data on the phone (just in case), and then re-flashed the Firmware even though I've already got the latest firmware V 5.0719.0.2 dated 24 May 2007 RM-92.
I'll give further updates is the phone continues to give problem. To check your firmware, just key in *#0000# code.

Favourite Gadget

What is your favourite gadget? ipod? iphone? zune? webcam? gps?

EverythingBinary Wishes you a very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. It has been almost 3 months since this Blog started.
The readership hasnt reach any level yet. In any case, it is the holiday season, and we all can be thankful for what we have.

What will this "EverythingBinary" blog evolve to? I'm not sure. I'll probably try to get this into a more specific forum type thingy rather than a blog. Any comments welcome.

Interesting list of Graphics software

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=112059&b=3

The interesting ones to me so far are :

http://www.artofillusion.org - ART OF ILLUSION - Open source program used for modelling, animation and raytracing that has many features contained within high-level commercial software. Well worth checking out.

http://www.leadwerks.com/ - 3D WORLD STUDIO - $59.95 For Standard Edition - The absolute best world creating program available.

3D Animation Software

I would like to poll the population to see what 3D package is the easiest to pick up for a beginner :



1. 3D Studio Max

2. Maya

3. Daz 3D

4. Others



Please leave your comments. I've been toying with the free Daz 3D, but can't figure out how to use it.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Homeplug for your home?

Anyone interested in gettng 200Mbps Homeplug (powerline networking).

HomePlug AV compliantISO/IEC 802-3 (ANSI/IEE802.3i) 10 BASE-T EthernetIEE802.3u, 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet

200 Mbps HomePlug AV1. Power:100~240V AC, Universal2. Power Consumption: 4.5W (Maximum)3. Dimensions: 103 x 72 x 39mm

---

DimDim to challenge WebEx?

http://www.dimdim.com/ A free web-based conferencing software?

US$400 35x optical zoom DV camcoder?

If you're still shooting MiniDV then you'll be stoked by this, the budget GD-D850 DV camcorder from JVC. This "Baby Movie" cam features a 2.7-inch LCD with auto-adjusting brightness, 16:9 or 4:3 NTSC recordings, and the ability to capture your little Poopie Puddles in as little as 1-lux of light without the eerie, green glow of a spoiled debutante. It also features a 35x optical zoom for peeping things you probably shouldn't. Expected to hit Japanese retail priced at ¥45,000 (about $397) in January -- then the US quickly thereafter we presume.

Apple website

If you're an Apple fan, check out http://www.9to5mac.com/

Nanowire Battery 10 times better than Li-ion cells

Stanford claims its latest advances in silicon nanowires have it building batteries with 10 times the capacity of existing Li-ion cells. Apparently people have been trying to stuff silicon -- which has a much higher capacity than existing materials -- into a battery for decades, but since it swells when charged with positively charged lithium and shrinks during use, the silicon has a tendency to "pulverize." Who knew batteries could be so dramatic? Oh, right. The advancement at Standford, led by Yi Cui, builds the battery in the form of silicon nanowires, giving the silicon room to grow and shrink without damage. A patent is being filed, and Yi Cui is already considering forming a company or licensing the tech to a manufacturer.

D-Link DIR-655 Wireless N Router update

D-Link Singapore just released the firmware for it's Gigabit Wireless-N Router DIR-655 bringing the version number to 1.10. The firmware is available for download in it's website at http://www.dlink.com.sg/ . Please note that firmware for US version of the router is not to be used for Singapore bought routers. The most current US firmware is at version 1.11

Product Description:


BEST-IN-CLASS FEATURES

The D-Link Xtreme N™ Gigabit Router (DIR-655) is a draft 2.0 802.11n compliant device that delivers up to 14x faster speeds* and 6x farther range* than 802.11g while staying backward compatible with 802.11g devices. Connect the Xtreme N Gigabit Router to a cable or DSL modem and provide high-speed Internet access to multiple computers, game consoles, and media players. Create a secure wireless network to share photos, files, music, videos, printers, and network storage.

Powered by Xtreme N™ technology and equipped with three external antennas, this router provides superior wireless coverage for larger homes and offices, or for users running bandwidth-intensive applications. The DIR-655 also includes a 4-port 10/100/1000 Gigabit switch that connects Gigabit wired devices for enjoying lag-free network gaming and faster file transfers.

XTREME N™ ROUTER BENEFITS
Intelligent Wireless Prioritization Technology.
Xtreme N technology allows for farther home coverage*.
Secure your wireless network using advanced WPA™ or WPA2™ encryption.
Easy to get started with D-Link’s new Quick Router Setup Wizard.
Supports Good Neighbor Policy – will not interfere with other wireless networks.
Backward compatible with 802.11g devices including game consoles and digital media players.

The Good Ear Boy

Finally, you no longer have to mess with annoying bone conducting headsets to get your message heard in noisy environments. A Japanese company called NS-ELEX has created a new type of earpiece / microphone called the "e-Mimi-kun" (good ear boy), which utilizes air vibrations in the ear to deliver your voice to the other end of the line. Apparently, the design reduces outside noise by a factor of six, and a Sanyo chip used in the device further reduces sound levels, making things up to ten times quieter. The earpiece can be tethered to a phone, or work wirelessly via Bluetooth. No release date or pricing info available right now, but we're pretty sure stock brokers will snap these up like hot-cakes.

-From Engadget

Can Ear Phones go Wireless?

Apparently YES, Look at this product from Kleer (another fabless semiconductor company) :
http://www.kleer.com/pages/wirelessearphones.html

It's suppose to provide up to 10 hrs of listening pleasure out of these tiny burgers!

Photodex's Proshow Producer 3.2

Launch just recently, this version of the slide-show making software takes another leap forward. See the demo of one of it's new advanced features : http://www.photodex.com/sharing/spotlight/demoshows_advancedmotion.html

Blu-ray BD9

You can burn your HD content on a regular DVD media, and still be able to play back the HD conent using your Blu-ray player. The format is called BD9. Nero 8 should be able to create such a format for you.

Windows 7

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb, then Vienna) is a future version of Microsoft Windows. It is expected to be the successor to Windows Vista. Microsoft has confirmed that the planned development time frame is at least three years, putting the release date around 2010. On July 20, 2007, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 7 is "the internal name for the next version of the Windows Client OS".


On December 11, 2007, Hilton Locke, who worked on the Tablet PC team at Microsoft and is currently working in the Windows PowerShell reported that Windows 7 will have new touch features.

“ I will say that if you are impressed by the "touch features" in the iPhone, you'll be blown away by what's coming in Windows 7. Now if only we could convince more OEMs that Windows Touch Technology is going to drive their sales.

Ricoh Camera

Singapore Post is having a Christmas promotion right now. One of the offer is the Ricoh R5 featuring a 7.24 megapixel CCD and a whooping 7.1x Optical Zoom (28mm - 200mm).

The Offer price of S$348 even includes freebies like 2GB SD card, mini tripod, cleaning kit and screen protector.

The 1st 500 customers may even get a free Binoculars (worth $19.90)

Whats the catch? Cant cash and carry. The camera will be delivered!

Any comments on this offer?

Merry Christmas

http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf

Toshiba's SCiB by March 2008

Press Release

The main merit of SCiB (Super Charge Ion Battery)
1. High safety

SCiB is difficult to cause the internal short circuit and the thermal runaway with the new cathode material and the adoption etc. of the electrolyte of the high flash point whose thermal safety is high, it is the electric battery whose possibility of explosion and ignition quite is low.

2. Long-lived efficiency

After approximately 3000 charging and cycles due to quick charge condition, capacity decrease is under only 10%. Approximately, repetition charging and which exceeds 5000 times being possible, 10 years or more it can use over again with the charge of 1 day 1 time.

3. Boosting charge efficiency

It can guarantee high safety and because heavy-current charge (50A) it is possible, the SCiB cell, both standard module, it can complete the charge of 90% or more of battery capacity in 5 minutes.

4. Takaide power efficiency

We have the input/output efficiency where like the electric double layer capacitor is high, it is optimum to the use whose big power is necessary.


5. Low temperature efficiency

Minus 30 ℃ and sufficient discharge is possible with low temperature environment, it is suitable in the use where use at cold area is anticipated.

ARTiGO, the fancy name given to the new barebone by VIA will give the world another ultra-compact desktop PC to the consumers.

The "ARTIGO Pico-ITX " builder kit, is a complete VIA-based system that you can snap together in the privacy of your own home. The bundle includes a Pico-ITX motherboard with a VIA C7 1GHz CPU, support for up to 1GB of RAM, IDE and eSATA connectors, VGA output, four USB ports, audio line in / out jacks, and 10/100 ethernet. The package includes everything but a hard drive and memory, and is available right now for around US$300.

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/artigo/index.jsp

Blue Screen Compositing

Youtube selection

Hi guys,

http://sinlg.dlinkddns.com:8000/base/forumdisplay.php?fid=25

Here is a forum where selected youtube videos are posted. You may wish to post videos that you think the community would be interested in.

Cheers
Steven

Webcams

Well, I've bought a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 and have been using for a few months now. So time for a review :

What I like about it :

1. Glass lens, gives very nice and sharp photos and video
2. Autofocus
3. Wide Angle Lens
4. Built-in Mic is good too
5. Software added effects are fun
6. works very well under low light

What I didnt like

1. a little pricy
2. the autofocus sometimes doesnt focus correctly. At times I have to turn off the autofocus
3. The wide angle is nice, but sometimes I want to do close-ups. And the "software" zoom really reduces the sharpness of the picture/video. I guess the next step is to introduce optical zoom.


All in all, I'm quite happy with the cam, and would recommend folks who want a good webcam.

The Power of Photoshop

So what gadget should I get for Christmas?

Ooyala's Backlot

http://www.ooyala.com/backlot

Ooyala Backlot is a video management platform that gives you control over the delivery, organization, analytics, and monetization of your online videos.

Asus Eeee PC

http://event.asus.com/eeepc/microsites/en/index.htm

Nice!

BluRay & HD-DVD format wars

It's no secret that Michael "Transformers" Bay prefers his high definition optical discs in the Blu variety, but what we didn't know was how convinced the man is that the whole format war is nothing but a stalling tactic, with Microsoft pulling all the strings. Responding to a commenter angry over Paramount's decision to burn Optimus and friends onto HD DVD only, Bay claims to have the inside track on the "corporate politics" at play here, suggesting that "Microsoft wants both formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads." He goes on to claim that Redmond has only been financially backing HD DVD over "superior Blu-ray" to create "confusion in the market" until such time as high def digital downloading goes prime time. In other words, if you believe Bay, Microsoft is backing a known loser in order to prolong a war it doesn't want anyone to win. Pretty wild theory, if you ask us -- hey, this guy should make movies.

Nokia to give free music for a year!

So here's the deal. Nokia just launched a "Comes with Music" program. No, not software, but a deal which allows you to buy a Nokia device with a year of unlimited, subscription access to "millions of tracks." Once the year is complete however, customers can keep all their downloaded music -- it doesn't disappear just because the subscription is over. What's the catch? Don't know yet. We know it's limited to Universal Music Group tracks for the time being but there's no mention of any fees, DRM, advertising, or other restrictions. We'll update you as soon as we get more.

Adobe Photoshop and it's plugins

Anyone use Photoshop out there? I'm wondering what are the best plugins people use?
There are so many out there, so let's categorize them into whats the best.

So far, personally, I think Alienskin has the most interesting set.

Free Online RPG game

http://www.warriorepic.com/
Warrior Epic takes online games and the action RPG genre into new territory. To begin, the game is free to download and free to play online with no strings attached. Choose several warriors from a large group of specialized classes and play cooperative campaigns or slug it out with friends in PVP. All of this can be set up in a matter of minutes. We are dedicated to bringing out new content such as players, monsters, equipment, and stories every month.

Sitex 2007

Its official. I missed Sitex 2007. Singapore Expo is simply too far to get to, not to mention too crowded. This is probably a good thing, keeps me away from impulse buying. When will the next show come around again? I'll just watch the Chrismas sales that will come in by waves.

Sitex 22" LCD monitors price update

Current information gathered:

Acer

Acer P203W 20"
Show price: S$299
Remarks: Acer's sub-s$300 20-inch panel comes with a free DVI cable.
Specs: 20-inch widescreen LCD; 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 2500:1 contrast ratio; 300cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI.
Booth: 6C01 and 6F20
http://www.acer.com.sg/products/mon...onitorp203W.asp

Acer P223W 22"
Show price: S$469
Remarks: Comes with free DVI cable and Brother DCP 135C All-in-One printer.
Specs: 22-inch widescreen LCD; 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 2500:1 contrast ratio; 300cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI.
Booth: 6C01 and 6F20
http://www.acer.com.sg/products/mon...onitorp223W.asp

Acer AL2416WB 24"
Show price: S$599
Remarks: Still one of the most affordable 24-inch LCD monitors at the SITEX show. Comes with free DVI cable and Brother DCP 135C All-in-One printer.
Specs: 24-inch widescreen LCD; 1,920 x 1,200 resolution; 1000:1 contrast ratio; 400cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI.
Booth: 6C01 and 6F20
http://www.acer.com.sg/products/mon...toral2416WB.asp

Acer P243W 24"
Show price: S$699
Specs: 24-inch widescreen LCD; 1,920 x 1,200 resolution; 3000:1 (ACM) contrast ratio; 400cd/m2 brightness; 2ms response time; supports DVI, HDMI.


============================================


Samsung

Samsung 2232GW 22"
Show price: S$479
Remarks: This 22-inch Samsung LCD display is going for S$100 less than the street price.
Specs: 22-inch widescreen LCD; 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 1000:1 contrast ratio; 300cd/m2 brightness; 2ms response time; supports DVI.
Booth: 5A30
http://www.samsung.com/he/products/.../art/2232gw.asp

Samsung 226BW 22"
Show price: S$429

Samsung 223BW 21.6"
Show price: S$379


============================================


ViewSonic:


ViewSonic VA2226w 22"
Show price: S$429
Remarks: One of the most affordable 22-inch panels at the SITEX show. Comes with free Targus Notebook Backpack and S$20 shopping voucher.
Specs: 22-inch widescreen LCD (21.6-inch display area); 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 2,000:1 contrast ratio(DCR) ; 300cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI.
Booth: 5M10
http://www.viewsonic.com.sg/product...pecs.php?id=330

ViewSonic VX2235wm-5/7 22"
Show price: S$459
Remarks: Comes with free S$20 shopping voucher.
Specs: 22-inch widescreen LCD; 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 4,000:1 contrast ratio; 2ms response time; 300cd/m2 brightness; supports DVI.
Booth: 5M10
http://www.viewsonic.com.sg/product...pecs.php?id=279

ViewSonic VX2255wmb/h 22"
Show price: S$499
Remarks: Comes with a free Brother 3-in-1 printer.
Specs: 22-inch widescreen LCD (21.6-inch display area); 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 2,000:1 contrast ratio; 300cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI; built-in 1.3-megapixel camera, microphone and speakers.
Booth: 5M10
http://www.viewsonic.com.sg/product...pecs.php?id=311
http://www.viewsonic.com.sg/product...pecs.php?id=313


============================================


NEC

NEC LCD193WXM/LCD203WXM 19"/20"
Show price: S$399/S$559
Specs: 19-inch/20-inch widescreen LCD; 1,440 x 900 resolution (1,680 x 1,050 resolution for 20-inch model); 1,000:1 contrast ratio; 300cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI; integrated speakers.
Booth: 6G40

NEC LCD20WGX2 20"
Show price: To be announced
Remarks: This 20.1-inch gaming LCD monitor will be offered at an exclusive price at the SITEX show.
Specs: 20.1-inch widescreen LCD; 1,680 x 1,050 resolution; 1600:1 contrast ratio (with advanced DVM); 470cd/m2 brightness; 6ms response time; supports DVI; integrated 4-port USB 2.0 hub.
Booth: 6G40
http://www.nec.com.sg/ap/page.asp?id=150

NEC LCD2470WVX 24"
Show price: S$1,179
Remarks: This 24-inch LCD monitor is targeted at high-end users.
Specs: 24-inch widescreen LCD; 1,920 x 1,200 resolution; 1000:1 contrast ratio; 400cd/m2 brightness; 5ms response time; supports DVI; HDCP compatible; thin bezel; optional speaker attachment.
Booth: 6G40
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/26/...470wvx-monitor/


============================================


ASUS:


Asus VW222U 22"
Show price: S$449
Specs: Response time: 2ms; Contrast Ratio: 2000:1; PC Input: DVI/D-SUB Interface; Display Colors: 16.7million; HDCP support; Bonus gifts worth S$90
Booth: 6E20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16824236028

Asus PG221H 22"
Show price: S$889
Remarks: Ultimate Gamers' Choice
Specs: 1st Year Zero Bright Dot Limited Warranty; Wide gaming display with rich video inputs and power bass system; HDMI support; Light-In-Motion effects; Response time: 2ms; Constrast Ratio: 2000:1; PC Input: DVI/D-SUB Interface; Display Colors: 16.7million; Video Inputs: Composite, S-Video, Component, HDMI; 1.3MP Webcam; Bonus gifts worth $150 (Sennheiser PC130 Headset + DVI cable)
Booth: 6E20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16824236025

Asus MW221C 22" (NEW)
Show price: S$495
Specs: 1st year zero bright dot warranty; hdcp support; anti-reflection glare panel; built-in speakers; 2ms; 2000:1; DVI/D-SUB; 16.7m; free altec lansing bxr1121 speaker with subwoofer, dvi cable.


============================================


Philips:

Philips 220CW8FB LCD Monitor 22"
Show price: S$529
Specs: 1680x1050 resolution; Fast response time; SmartContrast and SmartImage technology; PerfecTune support; Hassle-free tuning with SmartControll II; First of its kind SmartAccessory feature for personalizing your monitor
Booth: 6A04 and 6D56

Philips 220XW8FB HD-Ready LCD Monitor 22"
Show price: S$479
Specs: 1680x1050 resolution; 2ms response times; 3000:1 contrast ratio; SmartImage technology; HDMI and HDCP support; USB 2.0 port
Booth: 6A04 and 6D56


============================================


LG:

LG L226WT-WF Widescreen 22"
Show price: S$399
Remarks: recently priced at $399 (based on 8nov promo)
Specs: 2ms Response Time; High contrast ratio 3000:1; Interface DVI; High Brightness 300cd/m2; Wide Viewing Angle 170/170; Picture Enhancing Chip F-Engine, HDCP, ez Zooming; 1680x1050 resolution (WSXGA+); Colours 16.7M (8bit)
Booth: 6D20

LG L226WT-BF Widescreen 22"
Show price: S$429
Remarks: recently priced at $449 (based on 8nov promo)
Specs: 2ms Response Time; New Extreme for contrast ratio 5000:1; Interface DVI; High Brightness 300cd/m2; Wide Viewing Angle 170/170; Picture Enhancing Chip F-Engine, HDCP, ez Zooming; 1680x1050 resolution (WSXGA+); Colours 16.7M (8bit)
Booth: 6D20


============================================

Other LCD and promotions to consider:

Dell:

Dell E248WFP 24"
Online price: S$629
Sitex price: S$589
Remarks: Online Price S$629, Price after S$270 Cash Off, GST & Delivery.
Specs: Entry 24" Widescreen Flat Panel with Analog and Digital DVI-D (HDCP); 1920 x 1200; 1000:1 contrast ratio; 400 cd/m2, 5 ms, Analog, DVI-D (Digital) with HDCP
Booth: 6H20
http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/pro...dhs1&l=en&s=dhs


============================================


Prolink:

Prolink PRO221TW 22"
Show price: S$438

Adobe posts their updates

There are a few updates from Adobe, patching Photoshop CS3 to 10.0.1 and also Lightroom to 1.3. Of course the Camera Raw plugin has been patched to support newer camera models as usual!

Singing by the SongBird brings free music via the web

http://www.songbirdnest.com/

An opensource iTunes? The web-browser software gets music off the web for your listening pleasure. The current version 0.3.1 is not free of bugs, but is certainly useful.

Check it out!!

Cheap portable HDD - pre-Sitex sale

http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/priceguide/newsview.php?id=2367

As can be seen on this Bizgram sale - 160gb hdd for only $129. Looks like a bargain to me! take a look!

Stroll at Sim Lim Square - Quest for a LCD

Today is 26 Nov 2007, several days before the impending Sitex 2007. Will we see cheaper prices that what is already offered in out "infamous" SLS (Sim Lim Square)?

For those of you who are foreign to Singapore, SLS is a mall which is populated by many small shops selling electronics products ranging from consumer electronics to computer motherboards and peripherals.

I went around the shops one by one, stopping by those that shows off their wide variety of LCD monitors. My focus was to look for a 22-inch LCD monitor. Pleasantly to my surprise, the prices are quite welcoming but one must be wary of model numbers. It was obvious to me that each manufacturer (eg. Samsung, LG or Viewsonic) have several different models of the same sized LCD monitor - so not all 22" monitors are built alike.

I will only focus on Samsung, LG and Viewsonic, as I feel that their build quality, design and value is what we Singaporeans desire the most. Of the 3 brands, Samsung's design is the slickest, followed by LG. Viewsonic's design is somewhat older looking.

Now for the prices :

Samsung has 3 models, the 226BW, 226CW and 2232GW models spotting prices like S$445, $499 and more than $510 respectively. (please ignore the 225xW models as they are slower screens)

LG has two models, one with 2000:1 contrast ratio while the newer model has 5000:1 (model L226WT or L227WT I think). Prices are S$399 and $445 respectively. Definitely a steal. Look at the comparison of the models here.

Viewsonic has one model that is $499 but is bundled with a free Brother all-in-one printer. See promotion here

For those with a bigger budget, I've seen a 24 inch display that can be had for S$899 and boasts a screen resolution of 1900x1200.


Will we see better prices at Sitex? Stay tuned here.

Robot Fish

As a follow-up to the Robot Fish story, here is a video clip

Nethook vs LinkedIn ?

Nethooks is an upcoming social network for professionals. Can Nethooks beat LinkedIn?
Nethooks has interesting Privacy Features that may be what matured social networkers want.

NAND technology going 133MB/sec

Heard of ONFi ? Open NAND Flash Interface working group will announce the draft ONFi 2.0 specification. Once the spec is announced, perhaps we'll start to see produces that can deliver up to 133MB/second (compared to 50MB/second for current "legacy" interface).

Nokia N82

Nokia launched the N-Series N82 ....

Go to Engadget to read : http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/11/14/the-nokia-n82-gets-official/

Web 2.0 File storage

Check this out http://www.box.net

The Lite plan is free and is tag with a max file size of 10mb each file with 10GB/month bandwidth limit. Max space allocated is about 1Gb.

VGA and DVI days are numbered

Yes.. a new standard is up and coming, called DisplayPort. Companies like Samsung and Dell will be launching 30 inch LCD monitors with DisplayPorts. These high-end monitors boast screen resolutions 2650x1600 with 10-bit color depth. Data rate for such high-res would go as high as 10.8Gbps.

Looks like everyone is up to change VGA cards, monitors in Q2 2008.

HD confusion

This is taken from Engadget:

" 1) 20% of HDTV owners who think they are watching HD broadcasts are actually not; 2) only 41% of HDTV owners were told how to receive HD broadcasts when they purchased their set; and 3) about 40% of HDTV owners believe they have an HDM player, which is larger than the number of HDM players sold to date"

A New Beginning... but first...

What if we transform this little blog into a full blown forum?
I thought the idea is interesting, but we will need hosting space.

I'm toying with the idea of installing WAMP + myBB to test out. But my ISP blocks port 80, so I'll have to operate on another port. Any experienced WAMP or myBB folks? Please help!!

Nokia N-series phones

Nokia has been heavily advertising for the upcoming Nokia N810 Internet Tablet (phone). Specs here:

General

Size

Volume: 128 cc
Weight: 226 g
Length: 72 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Display

High-resolution 4.13" WVGA display (800 x 480 pixels) with up to 65,000 colors
Processor

TI OMAP 2420, 400Mhz
Memory

DDR RAM 128MB
Flash 256MB
Storage

Up to 2GB internal memory
Support for compatible miniSD and microSD memory cards (with extender). Supports cards up to 8GB. (SD cards over 2GB must be SDHC compatible.)
Operating times*

Battery: Nokia Maps BP-4L
Continuous usage (display on, wireless LAN active): up to 4 hours
Music playback: up to 10 hours
Always online time: up to 5 days
Standby time: up to 14 days

Other characteristics
Smooth slide with integrated QWERTY keyboard
Built-in GPS receiver
High quality stereo speakers and sensitive microphone
High-resolution widescreen display
Integrated desk stand
Integrated VGA web camera
HW key to lock touch screen and keys
Ambient light sensor
Connectivity
WLAN standard: IEEE 802.11b/g
Bluetooth specification v. 2.0 +EDR
Profiles supported: HID, FTP, DUN, GAP, SPP, HSP, SAP and OPP
USB 2.0 high speed
3.5 mm stereo headphone plug (Nokia AV Connector)
Language support
HW keyboard variants: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish-Portuguese, Scandinavian and Russian
User interface languages: British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, American English, Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese
User guide languages: British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, American English, Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Arabic

Skype and Logitech

Well well, it appears that there is a partnership between the two companies as we see Skype having a beta version of it's popular VoIP software out. Skype version 3.6 looks like added HD webcam features to users with newer Logitech webcams that have higher resolutions and frame-rates.

Windows Installer Problem

Hi

I'm having Windows Installer Service problem. The service refused to be started up.
Gone through all the MS knowledgebase and forums, no help. Next step is probably to reinstall Windows XP. Any help?

Cheers

Killer Bean Forever

http://www.killerbeanforever.com

Have a look at this binary creation by one man!

Rumours of a new Apple notebook?

Call it what you want, Apple will eventually come up with a new notebook computer that has multi-touch capabilities much like the iPhone of iTouch. It is rumoured that the device will be built by Asus. Will the name be iNewton ? iPad ? MacBook Touch? Certainly the new beast will be bundled with the latest animal version OSX.

We will just have to wait and see.

iTunes and PSP

Hi,

For those of you lucky enough to have a Mac with iTunes and PSP, there is this software that allows your PSP to act as a controller(remote) for your iTunes music. Take a look at http://www.coverbuddy.com/

Polybrite

In a Yahoo! business press release, it was announced that an indestructible mercury-free LED lightbulb developed by PolyBrite claiming to use 90 percent less energy and last up to 15 years or longer, will be marketed by Commerce Energy.

http://www.polybrite.com/products.html

Home Automation - Are we there yet?

When I was a teenager some 20+ years ago, I read a book about home automation, and how one could use an Apple ][+ computer to automate some parts of the home. Through the years, advances include the X10 arsenal of products.... now there is an alliance to talk about wireless home automation : http://www.zigbee.com

GPS in Singapore

GPS is getting more and more popular and WILL become the cornerstone of the next generation of killer apps. I've come across this website that has maps for Malaysia and Singapore for Garmin and Mapking. http://www.malsingmaps.com/portal/

Anyone to recommend any hardware that can do effective navigation? There are probably several categories of GPS :

1. Standalone usb-enabled, bluetooth enabled GPS devices
2. Add-on to existing devices like PSP, Phones, or PDAs
3. mobile phones with built in GPS


I would like to focus on PSP and standalone devices. Any suggestion anyone?

Impulse Buying

I've gone to Funan the IT Mall on Friday afternoon, and had an impulse and bought a 2.5 inch 160gb portable hardisk called sQz(squeez) which is powered by an IDE Samsung hdd. That set me back for about S$169. The shop I bought it from is Fuwell.
I then proceeded to South Asia Pte. Ltd and bought myself a d-link router after having a discussion with the friendly sales person at the store. I finally decided on a mid-range N-router that had gigabit ports. However, currently my desktop PC at home does not come with a gigabit port, so I'm stuck with giga-bit speeds only for the notebooks and my living room media-PC to utilize.

Even though I'm still running at 100mbps instead of 1000mbps, I noticed a marked improvement in speed. Perhaps the CPU of the router is better. The model number of this router is DIR-655. I went to Dlink's website and noticed that there are newer firmware so I downloaded ver 1.05 firmware and updated the device. I also noticed that on the dlink US website, there is an even newer firmware v1.10 but is only application to US-sold models as compared to Singapore models. So I went to Singapore dlink web site http://www.dlink.com.sg to the my 1.05 fw, no luck with the 1.10 version yet.

Latest update: I had problems setting this router up with a Buffalo PCI 802.11G card on a PC with WPA personal. So I gave up and just set everything to no encryption (I guess performance will be good now ! ha). To secure the router from illegal access, I've added MAC address filtering. I wonder if there is a way to add email address in SSID so people can request access ! ha

PSP Slim patch from 3.60m33 firmware to 3.71m33

The instructions can be found at http://www.psp.ckmc-sales.com/

PSP Memory Stick Pro Duo 4gb

For those of you who own PSP here in Singapore, heres the low down one memory stick prices. It appears that many shops who are advertising SanDisk 4GB versions have run out of stock. I managed to buy the last 4 pieces from Alan Photo at level 1 (it's a camera shop) for S$84. No 8GB version found there. The original Sony brand is just too pricy

New Apple Notebooks.

For those of you who are going to get a MacBook for Christmas, here's some good news. The Apple MacBook has finally moved to the Santa Rosa architecture with a healthy GMA X3100 video bump from the lethargic GMA 950 of yore. Available now starting at USD$1,099 for the 13-inch, 80GB, 2GHz white model on up to $1,499 for the 160GB, 2.2GHz black variety of hard-posing laptop.

Update: The MacBook Pro can now be configured with an optional 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo for a $250 premium over the previous 2.4GHz flag-ship configuration.

Singapore reseller of products

I'm trying to get a list of places that sells products of interest(in Singapore) to our readers of this blog. Here is one for all you console gamers out there:

http://www.rispwaker.com

Playstation Portable Slim

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psp_slim


At E3 2007, Sony released information about a slimmer and lighter version version of the PlayStation Portable, similar to the Nintendo DS Lite. It is currently packaged in the PAL territories as PSP Slim & Lite.The new PSP is 33% lighter (reduced to 189 grams from 280 grams) and 19% slimmer than the original PSP system. The model numbers have changed to PSP-2000, following the previous region-based numbering scheme (cf. the PSP-1000 numbering scheme of the "old" PSP model).


There seems to be a hacked firmware going around, Version 3.60M33.
Some users have reportedly seen such a version that allows backup games to be loaded off from the memory stick duo.

MultiTouch

Best Cell Phone so far?

So, anyone who used Nokia N80, N95 and Apple's Iphone.. any comments on usability of these phones? Samsung, LG? Which is your favorite brand and model?

Tell us now!

Social Networking

With lots of social networking applications taking off as the next killer app - introducing lots of mashable sub-applications to the social networking platform. Lots of new developments are happening in this area. Like most ERP reporting systems where reporting elements or data fields can be mashable, so can sub-applications on the social networking platform.

I came across this site that provides interesting news talking about up and coming products or application regarding social networking. Quite interesting... take a read

One of the news I found on the site is on PodShow, which is an interesting community.

"Featuring the new show BackStage Pass, the new entertainment from PodShow has gained about 1 million viewers worldwide. Powered by a new scheduling system called mediaPLUS, the show aggregates pre-produced and on-location modules for a dynamically generated live entertainment channel, which streams around the clock."

Smartest Robotic Fish?

See it at this National Geographic website

Introduction

This blog shall be my ramblings for everything digital or everything binary! Anything that deals with "ones" and "zeros" 1011 1010 0011 0110

From Digital photography to LCD TVs... Computers to GPS... lets have a shot of technology in today's fast moving world! Share your gadgets !!

The latest gadget that seem to be the talk of the town is the Apple's iphone. Some friends have been using one already - and it looks much cooler than the HTC Touch.