My Mi Smart Antibacterial Humidifier

If you stay inside aircon room for a prolong period of time, day after days, you probably facing dry skin issue. Hence, I was out to search for a humidifier recently.

After comparing few products from OSIM, Novita, etc. I bought one from MI Zone Store.
Too bad, I didn’t compare the newly launched uMist Aroma from OSIM, but even though, its water capacity of 1.5L is no way to match the Mi 4.5L that can last days 24/7... To support local brand, I bought their 1st gen uPure Water Purifier. In fact, their water filter cartridges are less costly than the Novita Faucel Water Purifier NP180.

Novita is the local company for many years, they have grown fast to today scale. I spoke to a young sales guy at Northpoint City, and found that he is a very competent staff. I’m moved to see they are now. I’m not a business man, I can’t comment much, but what kind of technologies to have in order to grow the company? If it is to sell the products to the public based on their interest and to their needs!

This wasn't my first-time buying Xiaomi products. I bought a Mi Portable Electric Air Compressor to inflate my car tyres conveniently anytime I need too, and an umbrella. Yes, they really got many household appliances, and range of other products that some aren't show in Singapore beside hand phones. In fact, when I intended to change my very old hand phone, its newly launched Mi 11 Lite 5G was under my consideration. Well, end up I didn't buy it before it’s available, as few other phones are out there at that time..

You can take a look from the link next, for the specifications of Mi Smart Antibacterial Humidifier.
It has the intelligent function to remote control via smartphone, it didn’t have a display to show the RH setting and readout. Although the sales guy at Mi store told me the default setting is at 60%, when use it, I found to be too humid.
Hence, I SIGN UP an account with Xiaomi, by using my email and set a password; it will than send you an email for authentication, and an account ID for you. Now you can add more smart devices from Xiaomi, let's get ready to thrill…
Wait, before that, we need to know how to set and reset the humidifier WI-FI. You can get ready easily by read and understand its simple buttons layout and operation, all by its instruction manual. And please search from YouTube to learn more on how to operate it.

This is my first smart device from Xiaomi. I installed Mi Home apps in my old phone. Launch the apps, follow its screen instructions and sign in. You must on your phone Location if I’m not wrong, connect the humidifier to your home router Wi-Fi network, you need to select the one ended without “5G”…, then connect its Wi-Fi SSID “Mi Smart Antibacterial Humidifier” to phone Wi-Fi. Select your room, set the constant humidity level to your liking, may be range between 50~60% is ideal. Etc, etc..

I tried a few times, when I sign out, the RH setting were difference from the time I left sometime; but it remains the setting 55% all time if I simply shutdown my old phone. To get back to see and check the actual room RH and my Constant humidity setting, I simply on my old phone and click its shortcut icon each time; unless to use a Hygrometer externally to check the actual RH value. For now, when my skin feels too humid and uncomfortable, I will blow some hot air awhile inside my small room by using a hair dryer. It’s quite effective, I don’t need to buy a dehumidifier for that!

You can install Mi Home Apps in Windows 10 as well, thru Google Apps emulator, please search the internet for detail instructions for that. Good news is, the upcoming Windows 11 will have a feature that can run Google Apps in it. Hence, I’ll wait to control my Mi Smart Antibacterial Humidifier thru my laptop PC next time, and no need to worry about security issue if there are any, I believe Windows defender will take care of it.

Some interesting info:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/question651.htm
“..If the relative humidity is low, we can feel much cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily, cooling us off. For example, if the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) and the relative humidity is zero percent, the air temperature feels like 69 degrees Fahrenheit (21 C) to our bodies. If the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 C) and the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel like it's 80 degrees (27 C) out, and you start praying that you had the air conditioner serviced last fall.”

My cordless OHM Cyclone vacuum cleaner (SVC1021-L)

When I moved to my own house 20 years back, I bought a Toshiba vacuum cleaner (AC) and bought some extra filters and bags as well. Thinking that every home needs a vacuum cleaner. Tell you what, I hardly use it, may be 1 or 2 times per year only.

I also bought a Black & Decker car vacuum cleaner as well when I start to drive, but the suction really suck! I mean not powerful.

Hence, I had always think of buying a cordless portable handheld vacuum cleaner for car and for home. Hesitated for a few NiMH type over the time, but luckily didn’t wasted the money on to buying one that has short operating time.

Until I saw the Dyson V8 that can last 40 minutes per charge, but immediately scared off by its high price tab..

Just few weeks ago, I found this cordless OHM Cyclone vacuum cleaner (SVC1021-L) - $258 at Lot 1 Homefix; I never use any vacuum cleaner so frequently like this one, now use it happily at home and in my car, and carry to office as well! It can last 45 minutes per charge.

I strongly recommend this for you, trust me and go try it out yourself, you will never regret.

My Apple iPad 4

Finally bought the Apple iPad 4 last year when it was launched in Singapore. Had wanted to buy a tablet for quite sometimes, just to surf internet more conveniently, to read ZaoBao online, watch movies/ videos, etc…. I can do these without power on my Notebook PC; with tablet, it’s instantly anytime anyplace, iPad does provide this kind of wonderful and enjoyable experiences. For now, I use notebook PC for work, Android phone (SGN – will be using it until Note 3 is out after 4 Sept 2013 announcement) for daily communication, iPad for leisure and fun stuffs.

Why now? The past and phase out iPad 3 was not attracting enough due to overheat problem, its 30 pins connector, CPU not as powerfully for its Retina display, whereas iPad 4 with new Lightning connector, double CPU power and graphic processing speed, it should be much easier to drive the same Retina display. Most importantly, it’s able to play HD videos, movies much better than any other devices in the markets. Thus, I decided to get it and do not want to wait for the other possible new devices including Nexus 10 (FHD), Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 series, Windows Surface, 7.7 inch Toshiba AT270…

iPad and its iOS are quite simple to use, it operated extremely smoothly. I tried many time at Apple shop plus learning thru YouTube, the only short come is no expandable storage (micro SD cards), no interchangeable battery pack, etc… well may be next few versions, wait a bit longer may be hahahha! :D

Bought one original iPad cover and MIJ screen protector with it, mine is in white 64GB with WiFi and Cellular. Just after a few days, I bought a new casing to protect the iPad aluminum back, the OZAKI iCoat, in white colour as well from Funan DigitaLife Mall at Challenger. Quite a solid built quality, it can be positioned portrait and in landscape with few angle combinations by folding the front cover. Up till now, I still think I had made a right selection; as there are many casings/ covers floated in the market. http://ozakiverse.com/products/ipad/icoat-slim-y-plus

...later on, I found another casing from Moshi store: http://store.moshimonde.com/versacover-origami-case-ipad-white.html, VersaCover Origami Case for iPad, it did similarly like the OZAKI iCoat, very nice looks. Too bad, I have to wait until my iCoat turn bad to change… :)

Apple accessories are very expensive; I only bought the VGA cable and 30-Pins connector just few weeks ago.
Also bought an iPad Tripod Mount from Amazon, to mount it to my existing SLIK tripod, I can now surf the iPad without holding it. :))

But just recently, the holder joint accidently broken, luckily I use a string to hold it onto the tripod initially, if not the iPad will smash onto the floor, you can imagine how horrible it will be!! Later on I bought a Magic Arm with Super Clamp from local photo shop, modify the holder, clamp it to the tripod again, with this it’s even better now, I do not need to turn too much my head to look at the iPad screen anymore!!… quit similar to the item from Amazon...

My Samsung Galaxy Note (SGN)

My anticipated Android phone from Samsung finally launched one week ago here.

I got one with free flip cover, went to DOML for the screen protector and SLS for a 32 GB MicroSD card. Too bad, no car charger and original battery pack available yet..

Since then I've been using it for a week, simply love it, for its gorgeous big screen (5.3"). It produces beautiful graphics, clear and detail texts even when zoom in and out, that makes internet surfing quite enjoyable with its in built web browser.

Fast response speed and smooth operation… only one or two click operations a bit lag, like, press the center main home button to unlock, press the close Notification screen horizontal bar at the bottom (unless you sweep the bar up or press the right back key)…

As first time using Android OS, I discovered many "new way" to operate it:

- Press right power button for 2 sec, select the "Data network mode" to activate (on) or deactivate (off) the data connection…
- Press center main home button for 2 sec to select the recent apps used, apps can be selected and reopened, and to use Task manager to "exit" the unclosed apps…
- Use the right back key to fully close the apps, so that it will not stay in the RAM…but if apps remains in the RAM, it can then reopen much faster.
- What inside the Event title can be read out with the alert ringtone from the Calendar appointment, need to enable the Text to speech function…
- To add a shortcut for a web site, left menu key/ more/ Add shortcut to Home. A touch of that icon will then bring to that web page…
- To select difference alert and notification ringtone for Calendar, try press left menu key at the Calendar view..., Setting/ Notification settings. This alert ringtone is difference from Settings/ Sound/ Notifications/ Notification ringtone, that's for the SMS, mails incoming message alert…

The most happy thing is I put the mini Agenda at the 1st home page, I can see my appointments straight after unlock the phone..., I still can't make a small date to be displayed at the top status indicator bar, as I wanted to save some screen space to put other frequent use apps icons at 1st home page… like, My files, Task manager, Setting, Camera, etc…. To see the date, I made one appointment for every day, eg."Goood morning, please wake up" with reminder alert, such that in the mini Agenda I can see the "Today's date"…

Many applications can be installed directly from the Android's Market, really a fantastic experience, here are some interesting and workable apps:
- OCBC Bank, even come in bar code reader to scan your bill detail…
- PPTV, LeTV, good enough for internet video watching…
- Sygic navigation (Paid), nice GUI and quite easy to use, but not that updated for Singapore map. http://www.sygic.com/en/android:buy-now
- Etc…

Others:
Fast GPS, good Wi-Fi connection, good camera and HD video recording, interesting S-Pen and its apps…, able to log in to my company email…

Samsung local SGN info and support:
http://www.samsung.com/sg/consumer/mobile-devices/smartphone/android-os/GT-N7000ZBAXSP/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&returnurl=

SAR value for GT-N7000: The highest SAR value for this model phone was 0.390 W/kg.

Local forum:
http://www.mobinauts.com/forum/40-google-android-phone/

Mobile01 forum:
http://www.mobile01.com/topiclist.php?f=568

GSMARENA:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note-4135.php

Updates: 07/12/2011
My set front screen had glossy greenish stains all over it when viewed at certain angles under room lighting…
… it was due to the clear screen protector from DOML; emailed them and went down to get the refund. After that went down to Mobile Square at Far East Plaza to install a made in Korean brand, they have few brands and few types, I choose the clear type. Quite good enough, ...oil resistance, so less finger marks on the screen, no need to clean the screen that often now…

... still no original car charger available yet, but bought one extra battery from Jurong Point Samsung service centre.

Updates: 13/12/2011
... decided not to wait for the car charger for this SGN from Samsung, so use my HTC HD2 car charger instead (Output DC 5V 1A), no abnormal, 25mins will charge up 15%...

My Mini Bluetooth Keyboard

Wanted a mini Bluetooth keyboard for my living room PC that connected to Full HD TV for quite a long time, so that I can remotely do the typing at sofa when needed.

Was doing windows shopping and found this Rii Mini Bluetooth Keyboard with Backlight (RII 518) at Cyber Active Jurong Point, it’s more well built than other Bluetooth keyboards that I came across. Like its small size as I don’t do much typing works at the sofa; this keyboard feels great and can put on my sofa side table easily. Paring it to connect my Windows 7 Professional OS notebook PC is easy as well, no need to install software (This keyboard come with a small CD).

The beauty of this keyboard is that it’s able to connect many type of devices and smart phones, here is its specifications:

Work with iPad1 iPad 2/ iPod touch
Work with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0/ 6.1 or later system mobile phone
Work with Nokia Symbian S60 system mobile phone
Work with iPhone (built-in iPhone OS 4.0)

Work with Android system mobile phone
Work with personal PC and HDPC
Work with Sony PS3 player
Good choice for typing email or chatting
Build-in rechargeable Li-ion battery, supports USB charging
Available in AZERTY, QWERTY, QWERTZ with 66 keys

Though it is able to connect to my HTC HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5 phone, but some character could not be typed out at screen, eg. @ #$..., however, this does not bother me, as I’m eying my next smart phone, which is either a Samsung Galaxy Note (May be before end of 2011), or the Galaxy SIII (To be out in the middle of 2012), all two are Android smart phones (-large screen size!) which should works well with this keyboard! :))

Info from the following links:
Rii Mini Bluetooth Keyboard with Backlight (RII 518):
http://riitek.en.made-in-china.com/product/lMOEQJwDgbUL/China-Rii-Mini-Bluetooth-Keyboad-With-Backlight-Rii-518-.html
Samsung Galaxy Notes:
http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote/note/index.html?type=find
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=568&t=2331573&m=s&s=20&p=1
Samsung Galaxy SIII:
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=568&t=2354584&last=30741669
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=568&t=2366714&p=1

My multi-functions pen – STAEDTLER avant-garde light

My frequent carry multi-function stylus pens Pilot Pentopia had fail me for a while. Hence this is my new multi-function pen but without the stylus, a STAEDTLER avant-garde light 927AGL-G (champagne-gold).

I use the STAEDTLER elance ball point pen before and have very good impression, so it only take a short time for me to decide its multi-functions pen, some more it comes with champagne-gold colour… match well with my newly owned Rolex Air-King, as both have the champagne gold essential colour. :))

Bought it from UIMAX at Jurong Point Shopping Centre, it has a black, a red ink ballpoint pens and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. Cost S$30 plus, quite a good price for a made in Japan product, although not that sturdy during operation compared to some branded and more expensive pens, but it’s light, for a daily carry multi-functions pen, it serve me well!

STAEDTLER info:
http://www.jp.staedtler.com/

STAEDTLER avant-garde light 927AGL-G:
http://www.jp.staedtler.com/avant_garde_light_eng_jp.Staedtler?ActiveID=102899

STAEDTLER elance:
http://www.staedtler.com/elance_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=2259

My Rolex’s Air-King

I have hunting one for quite sometimes, each times I went there, I will enter to check it out, but it’s not available, last evening after work, same again I went there, to my surprise there is one…

It is a pre owned Rolex Air-King, it looks gorgeous and seems like fate, the bracelet fit just nice to my wrist, although I wanted a silver dial, but this champagne colour looks so beautiful and like very new to me. After check the details with opening the back cover for authentication, I bought it.

Here are the details:

Model: 14000, W Series (1995)

Movement: Automatic, 27 Jewels

Caliber: 3000

Crystal: Sapphire

Dial: Champagne

Crown: Screw-down

Bezel: Stainless steel

Bracelet: SS Oyster bracelet

Lug Width: 19mm

Diameter: 34mm

Thickness: 12mm

Depth Rating: 100m

Some links for reference:
http://www.oysterworld.de/automatic-movements.html
http://rolexblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Air%20King
http://www.timeandgems.com/A-Little-Rolex-Air-King-History_b_17.html

Rolex FAQ & FACTS
http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=8478 

Local forum:
http://www.sg-roc.com/

My Mum’s Fujifilm AX200 DC

Bought a Fujifilm AX200 digital camera for my mother recently, for her to take photos during her tour, got it from MS Color main shop at Ang Mo Kio Central Ave 8 #01-3501C Singapore 560711 Tel: 6457 6380 Fax: 64552695 http://www.mscolor.com.sg/
Good price and good service from MS Color. I recommend this for its simplicity in operation and really easy for old folk to use.
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/a/finepix_ax200/

Some feature here:
It uses 2 x AA battery (Easily available, no need to bring charger for battery pack)
2.7" LCD (Quite big enough)
28mm wide lens (Take group photo at shorter distance for wider photo coverage)
etc...

My HTC HD2 Windows Phone

Wow, first time I get to know about this phone was from the internet, still not available in the market yet, many were talking about it, its specification really attracts many attentions. 4.3” capacitive touch screen; 1GHz Snapdragon™ processor; WM 6.5 Professional OS; Slim at 11mm thick, with GPS, FM Radio, Camera with flash... seems like perfect for those like to use Windows Phone, at least it is for me.

Can’t resist after seeing, touched and played with it, it has all and more function than my ASUS P320, much better of course, so I bought it the next day and had been using it for more than a month.

Detail information of HTC HD2 at:
http://www.htc.com/sea/product/hd2/overview.html
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hd2-2957.php

Initially there are few bugs then HTC release its update fixes, available at HTC HD2 Support:
http://www.htc.com/sea/supportdownloadlist.aspx?p_id=297&act=sd&cat=all

Mine had upgraded to the latest ROM version 1.66 a week ago, the phone functioning very good so far, I like this phone everyday and here are my find out about this Windows Phone:

Exterior:
Its built quality is very good with solid material used, special rubber coating from the edges to top and bottom portion of the back; battery cover is made of metal, it aligns properly and quite easy to open and close. It feels quite solid and good to hold in your hand.

There is a very small caving at upper right portion from the edge at screen, the metal button bar at the bottom also a bit shaky.

Screen:
The first time Windows Phone uses a capacitive touch screen, use finger input like in iPhone, the WM 6.5 still not polished well enough, many buttons in its usual applications still too tiny for selection.

The screen seems a bit too sensitive, at first I have difficulties in input and selection, after a while and days of using with XT9, my input improved with less error.

The photo looks gorgeous in HD2, same to all other user interface graphics as well; it produces detail, bright and clear images.

Screen is made of hardened glass, so I didn’t use any screen protector, it reflects like mirror, leave many finger prints and marks easily, have to clean it with tissues quite often if you can’t bear with it.

WM 6.5 and HTC Sense:
This is the first time I bought a HTC phone, first thing I do is charging the battery for 8 hours, after charging, I slowly explore the HTC Sense and found out the way to set it back to the WM 6.1 Today menu:
Settings/ Menu/ All Settings/ Today, this will bring you to the old WM6.1 Today settings…

I use the HTC Sense as Today menu; it is HTC Today UI which integrated very well in the HD2 WM 6.5. When switch to non HTC Sense and non Windows Default Today, with choice of Items, the Messaging only shows emails, it does not include SMS messages, no Profile selection as well, and it can’t show battery status together with time at the top for every program..., I wish the next WM 6.5.3 has this included…

Personally, I wish HTC Sense could also reduce the space taken by the clock at Today, so as to increase the font size for other info and show more Calendar info, like upcoming appointments, allow more Quick Links (4x4 or 4x5) and more Home Screen Tabs for us…

Internet:
Mobile IE and Opera Mobile 9.7 web browser are both included, I prefer to use Opera Mobile than IE, as in Opera you can zoom in and zoom out to explore website much easier by finger pinch, just like in iPhone….

With so many applications that need internet data connection, mobile broadband internet subscription from telecom operator really a necessity, especially when you surf internet, use YouTube, Facebook, Google Map etc… with 3G or HSPA high speed internet connection.

Multimedia:
With this 1 GHz processor speed, watching higher quality video is not a problem, I usually watch my favorite mpg videos that transferred from my old devices by free Pocket TV player. The video quality taken from camera in mp4 are good enough and pleasant to watch by Windows Media player.

5 MP Camera with dual LED flash produces good enough picture quality, the LED lights is dazzlingly bright, sure will get complain from the one facing the camera. Another thing is the camera surrounding got sharp edges and it is really sharp.

Sound from speaker quite good and clear enough, if not there is 3.5mm headphone jack for music lover with their preferable headphone. I hardly listen to music in phone, not very used to the inbuilt Music interface…

FM Radio quite clear enough, can preset many stations, need to plug in the headphone as antenna, quite a letdown, because even my S$189 Sony ICD-UX200F/P Voice recorder has a choice between system speaker or headphone as sound output, so it should use the phone antenna instead.
Sony ICD-UX200F/P Voice Recorder:
http://www.sony.com.sg/product/icd-ux200f

Streaming Media, still do not know how this works…

Battery:
The capacity of the battery pack is 1230 mAh, it will not last for a day if you use it heavily. Will buy another battery next time, now use original car charger, every morning I charge the phone during my journey to work, it takes about 20 over minutes to charge the battery for another 20 + %. Just recently, HTC has its extended battery pack for those need longer hour’s usage…

GPS:
Install Agis NAVFone (2009 Version: 2.2.9217) in it for my navigation use (with car charger of course), it works well, just that this version is design for use in resistive touch screen, most of the selection buttons are small, but still manageable. The GPS connection is faster than my ASUS P320, sometime it connects instantly like my Garmin nuvi 265W. There is a QuickGPS to update the latest satellite data to speed up the time for determining the GPS position.

SAR Information:
The values of SAR are 0.631 w/kg @ 10g (Head) 0.725 w/kg @ 10g (Body), nearly the same as my ASUS P320, I’ll feel uncomfortable to use any phone with higher SAR value.

The antenna of this phone is located at the back bottom rubber coating portion, the manual recommended that no part of the human body be allowed to come too close to the antenna during operation of the equipment….

Pleasant Surprises:
The speaker volume for system and phone ring can adjust together or separately, much conveniently now by pressing the volume button, very good for me as I sometime forgot to adjust back the ring volume and miss incoming calls.

Handwriting in Chinese input, very useful to write Chinese words and it works very well, thus I do not need to install my CE-Star.

WorldCard Mobile for you to take name card photo and translate the info into your Contact, very good way to add your contacts with name card and it is accurate enough.

RSS Hub is user friendly with search function for RSS Channels. I use this to read zaobao 即时报道 (http://realtime.zaobao.com/news.xml) and when you need further detail, just click the headline, it will then link to web browser and load that webpage.

In the phone dialer slide down sub menu, there is a Note for you to records voice and write or sketch down notes, I have not actually try whether it can record the conversation or not…

Digital Compass, should be quite useful when the need arise. Whenever it shows interference, just need to move your phone in figure 8 to start it.

Very nice animated Weather info and the next four days weather forecast, you can select many cities, I set my location and Singapore only to cut down update time.

Windows Marketplace, a place to add application programs, some are free, some need to buy. I have not bought any software thru its VISA payment, not much interesting stuff there. I down loaded a few free one before, but didn’t do it after I upgraded to the new ROM, will monitor what it have in future…

Google Map, very great and useful to surf global maps, no worry anymore if you can’t find your way in any area of the world where there is internet connection. It would be very interesting to see Google Navigator releases the Windows Mobile version, which I hope so. Google Navigator only available for Google Phone (Android platform) currently. http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/#p=default

Facebook, besides posting your thoughts, one thing interesting is you can take pictures and upload them instantly from your phone albums; I tried uploaded 50 pictures at one time after taken the pictures from the phone camera.

YouTube, I enjoy watching many videos with 3G or higher (HSPA) speed internet connection.

MP3 Trimmer, useful to trim your mp3 file.

Footprints, I’m quite new to this, haven’t try out yet, guess it will link to GPS for you to relocate the place from the photo taken; Stocks, is the stock share monitoring app software I guess, haven’t try this, but could be quite useful for playing share in the stock market; Twitter, haven’t tried before…

Will post more the next time, there are more talk about this Windows Phone at the following websites:
Singapore Mobinauts:
http://www.mobinauts.com/forum/16-windows-mobile-professional/
Taiwan Mobile01:
http://www.mobile01.com/topiclist.php?f=224

08/02/2010:
The user guide is availale at:
http://www.htc.com/sea/userguide.aspx?p_id=297

Tested the phone dialer slide down sub menu’s Note, able to record phone conversation, should be meant for recoding important messages a short period of time only…

Internet Sharing and WiFi Router, I can’t get the WiFi Router set up for my Notebook PC and haven’t tried for others device as well…; but connect the phone to PC by Micro USB, the Internet Sharing works well.

Found a wonderful free software to watch TV stations around the world, TVUMobile, info from Taiwan Mobile01: http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=224&t=1379257&last=17440692

TVUMobile: http://pages.tvunetworks.com/cn/labs/mobile.html
It comes with TCPMP and TVUMobile after unzip, this TCPMP seems can not open AVI, DiVX, mpg files by itself, it hangs, I need to soft reset a few times.

To watch TV, switch on data connection first, then press the TVUMobile, must wait for a while for it to launch, there will be a list of channels come out, either you key in the TV channel number or select from the list, then press the little Play button, it will buffering for 50% then launch the TCPMP player for the channel. It is delayed about 1 minute from the real TV program; it is, because I compared the Channel Newsasia at the same time from my home TV.

Here are some channels:
Singapore TV:
150 Channel Newsasia
Can’t find Channel U, 5 and 8 from the list….
Others:
10023 HuNan TV
10039 Zhejiang TV
10093 CCTV News
10095 中天新闻
10097 tvbs 新闻
10098 tvbs
10100 中天综合
10102 星空
10105 中天娛乐
10106 中天新闻
10109 tvb8
10112 Hollywood Movie
10103 Phoenix 凤凰
10110 GuangDong TV
10113 East TV 东方卫视
10117 CTV 中视
69181 BBC NEWS
82149 香港翡翠台
82151 高清翡翠台
82152 香港明珠台
82153 翡翠新闻台

09/02/2010:
Called AAAs Com Solution Pte Ltd at Funan DigitaLife Mall this afternoon, they have the stock for the HTC HD2 PO S511 Flip Case, so I went down and bought it. Now with this one at least the phone can be accessed easily by just flip down the front cover, I don’t need to worry my HD2 will drop when I took it out from the come with HTC HD2 PO S510 Pouch Case.

This leather flip case let the HD2 slides in and holds it firmly; the quality of it makes the HD2 looks more elegance. I just hope that the two leather straps that hold the front flip down cover and the phone holder base would not torn due to frequent open and close operation.

17/02/2010:
Found a small scratch on the screen, near the slide to unlock button, although it disappeared after some effort of rubbing with microfiber cloth, I decided to put screen protector for it. Called doml to check the stock and went down to get it done. It has a small piece of SP for camera lens as well, the staff does it quite well, and screens are properly aligned.
When I slide the phone in to the flip case, the left grip causes the screen edge deformed; there is a trace of screen peeling at that portion. Smoothen the peel portion and tried a few times, it still the same, so decided to wait a few days for the screen to settle down then try again…
Here are the Martin Fields Overlay Plus Screen Protectors specifications:
http://www.doml.com.sg/productdec.asp?pid=5177&model=HTC_HD2&modeln=HD2

16/03/2010:
After two days without the S511 flip case, I believe the SP had settled down, so put in the phone, the left grip didn’t cause the screen edge to peel off anymore, use the HD2 with flip case happily every day since then.
Bought one original battery for spare in case battery runs low during the day.
Finally had a chance to test the Skype (Version 3.0), called to Malaysia successfully, quite clear enough with very little distortion.

My Garmin nuvi 265W GPS

Bought a Garmin nuvi 265W GPS one month ago, my Asus P320’s GPS connection to satellites took quite some time and its screen size also too small. So I decided to get a more responsive unit from Garmin which is the leader in GPS.
I got it from EastGear Pte Ltd, their 265W comes with Euro map and SLA Singapore Map, price also quite low enough, quite a basic GPS unit with bluetooth connection for hands free phoning.
This Garmin connects to satellites almost instantly and the screen is big, it makes my driving with GPS navigation more pleasant than using my Asus P320 GPS.
Here are some links:
http://www.eastgear.com/
http://www.eastgear.com/gps-navigation/garmin/garmin-nuvir-265.html
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us

My Dahon Curve SL Folding Bike

I start looking for a folding bike one month ago and just got myself a Dahon Curve SL recently. It’s a 16 inch folding bicycle, quite light in weight, well built with good quality components; it’s a 2009 model with 9-speed Shimano Capreo gears. I bought it from My Bike Shop which is listed under Dahon Singapore dealer: Speedmatrix http://speedmatrix.com.sg/webtop/Index

The moment I walk into the shop, I’m pleased to see so many Dahon bicycles models display there, staff are friendly and helpful and offer me test ride. I have not own a bike or ride the bicycle for so many years, after test ride the Curve SL I’m impressed with the bicycle technology nowadays, it’s smooth to operate, you just press the button to shift down the gear for speed and push another lever to shift up the gear, it’s like paddle shift lever in some sport cars, quite easy to handle and fold up as well. Since I decided to get one for leisure and for some work out, it must able to fold and carry inside my car Suzuki Swift and this bike meets my requirements.
Here are the specifications of this bike:
http://www.speedmatrixdepot.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=popup_specifications&pID=286main_page=popup_specifications&pID=286
http://www.dahon.com/us/curvesl.htm

After few days of riding this bike, I’m sure that I made a right choice, it fold quite effortless after some adjustment to the handlebar, brake lever, bell and gear shifting lever and small enough to put inside my car boot . The longest distance I ride was from Changi Beach Park to East Coach Park and then back to Changi Beach Park, as I did not buy a cycle computer to mount on the bike I do not know what are the distance and speed I traveled, it could be more than 30Km. Generally the pickup for this bike is alright, not so stress on your legs, but it cannot climb too steep slope, normal slope still manageable but very slow. It comes with Schwalbe Special Ed Marathon Racers 16” x 1.5” tire which is quite good for road use, I especially like the park connector at Changi Coast Rd, it is a straight tarmac road, and you can safely test the bike speed there. Due to its rather small wheel (16 inch diameter), even at its fastest gear I still cannot go further to catch up those racing bike (with bigger wheel) that passed me, hahaha…, but generally it’s quite fast already, and it feel quite firm and stable to ride at high speed.

I also add few items to this bike:
Cat Eye HL-EL450 Battery LED headlight
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/559
Cat Eye HTSTL-LD500 Tail & safety LED light
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/268
Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HPG Hand pump
http://www.lezyne.com/index.php/products/hand-pumps/micro-floor-drive-hpg.html
Cateye Bike bell
Water bottle cage

PS,
After weeks of cycling, my leg muscle improve a lot, not so tough to climb steeper slopes now; in fact the 9-speed Shimano Capreo gears are quite sufficient for general cycling.

Add a Velo Gel Tech Seat Cover:
http://www.aleoca.com/accessories.htm
Bought it from:
T3 Bicycle Gears at Playground @ Big Splash, 902 East Coast Parkway S449874

Also a bicycle bag, Aero Wedge Pack, small:
http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/AeroWedgePack_small_Velcro
From Tay Cycle:
http://www.taycycle.com.sg/2008/index.shtml

Changed the front and the back original break pad to Kool Stop Thinline:
http://www.koolstop.com/brakes/index.php
It is rim friendly; it will not damage and wear out the wheel rims to make the rim concave. I read in the internet that it’s so good that people will change to Kool Stop break immediately when they bought their new bike.
I got it from:
Hup Leong Company at Blk 51 Chin Swee Road #01-107 S(160051), near People’s Park OG area (Blk 34) Tel: (65) 6532-3700 Fax: (65) 6532-2100

29/10/2009:
Can’t find any hand phone holder bike mount in local bicycle shop, so I bought one phone holder (Made in Germany) from Autobacs without the base, test it with the base inside my car HP phone holder (also Made in Germany), feel so happy when they can match together; since I’ve two base when bought this HP phone holder, so I screw the extra base to the handle bar bracket, slide the new phone holder into the base and it comes out to be a nice combination, looks good enough. Now I do not need to wear the uncomfortable bluetooth earpiece anymore!
Found one free application software (SportyPal) and install it to my Asus P320, it will show you the distance travelled and speed, hence I do not need to buy the bicycle computer anymore. Usually I will turn on my mp3 music as well, riding become more enjoyable than before.
Check this out: http://sportypal.com/Home/Overview

My Possible Window Mobile Phone - Toshiba TG01

This Toshiba looks good and promising, very attractive, thin, big screen, GPS, 3G etc…, my old pager is Toshiba TOA and my notebook PC is Toshiba PORTEGE R150, so I have faith with MIJ Toshiba quality...To me, this is not a perfect WM phone yet, look like no camera flash light; it is useful to be a torch light when needed… I hope that it comes with stylus, if not, hope that it is easy to manipulate, I tried iPhone but not use to its finger touch screen input…
Hope that it has good enough battery life; it would be a perfect phone for me with the following features…, I put up a modified image from http://www.gsmarena.com/toshiba_tg01-pictures-2662.php for some sharing…
With TV/ Radio antenna, Headphone jack, Mini USB, Strap, to accept stylus input, Flash light, Extra little LCD display on top to show the date and time, plus few status’indicators at there, so that no need to on the full touch screen to conserve power….

Anyway, need to find out more after its release... it might be my next WM phone for internet surfing, eboooks’ reading, etc… at any time any place…

Check it out at here: http://www.gsmarena.com/toshiba_tg01-2662.php
Cheers!

Transcend 2.5” SSD (Solid State Disk)

My Notebook PC break down a week ago due to hard disk drive failure, so I need a replacement, and I had wanted to get a SSD (Solid State Disk) HDD for my Notebook quite some time since I know some Notebook PCs already using…. After surfing the internet and read from Hardwarezone, Engadget, cnet, I found the Transcend 2.5” SSD which suit my Notebook IDE interface. Wow, I’m excited, immediately call up Memory World at Sim Lim Square (#04-12, Tel: 6333 4500), they have it in various size, IDE/ SATA interfacings and MLC/ SLC, need to order from Taiwan…. Last week I went down to place an order, but to my surprise they have 32GB MLC in stock and their service is good, so I happily get it on the spot… Do the installation at home and my Notebook PC performs much faster than before, I’m so happy. Highly recommend to people who need to replace their hard disk drives.
Here is it features: - RoHS compliant - Fully IDE compatible - Non-volatile Flash Memory for outstanding data retention - Built-in ECC (Error Correction Code) functionality and wear-leveling algorithm ensures highly reliable of data transfer - Supports up to Ultra DMA Mode 5 - Lower Power Consumption - Shock resistance - 2-year warranty

http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=164&SpNo=2&LangNo=0

My White Asus P320 PPC Phone

I was looking for a new PPC Phone to replace my Acer N311 PPC, first I like the Samsung i900 very much, but after compare the price, portability, brand, design, its’ usability and my needs, I finally bought this Asus P320 at AAAs Com Solution Pte Ltd 2 weeks ago, with a 2GB Micro SD card from its service centre, ASUS Royal Club at No.1 Coleman Street, The Adelphi #04-18 (Opp. Funan DigitaLife Mall), with screen protector and Agis Singapore GPS Map.

I’m a first time PPC Phone user, here are some find out about this PPC Phone, please correct me if I wrote something wrong:

Body:
It’s slim and small in size, can put inside my pants or shirt pocket easily. I can use my thumb to navigate the menus easily using the 5 ways navigation button and all the other six buttons; when there are no ways to access the menu then use the stylus. My set is of white colour, for me it look better as compared to a black one, the body quite well made and feel nice, it is a cute little PPC Phone I should say.

Screen:
It is 2.6” in size, I bought a Brando screen protector to replace the shop given SP, the Product Code is: SAGSP039300, BW PDA Screen Protector (Asus P320) from http://shop.brando.com.hk. It is an anti glares type, the reflection on the screen reduced a lot after installation. The screen border has little step on its edges, same as my Acer N311 screen and it helps the stylus to do scroll up/ down easier as compared to other flat screen devices.

Speaker:
The sound came out quite loud enough from the system when listening to music or watching video, and when listen and answering the phone, the sound is clear enough as well.

GPS:
The GPS connection speed quite alright, though I’m first time to use GPS, I manage to set up the start and the end point and let the GPS do the navigation for me while I’m driving. Quite accurate and very interesting, it is the most useful function in this P320 phone I should say.
The GPS Catcher program does not allow me to do the update for GPS data, try many times with phone GPRS connection with no success…, but this does not cause problem to the use of GPS navigation.

Speed:
Manipulating the menu have some lag here and there, the response from the touch screen has some delay as well, not that bad overall, just need to get use to it.
I install CE-Star Suite 2.8 R3c to read and write Chinese text, this version supports WM6.1.
I install free Classic PocketTV player to watch mpg movie, video came out quite smooth and the sound is loud enough, but higher resolution wmv videos played in WM player have lagging.
It also take quite a long time for the phone to start up again when you do a soft-reset or replace the battery…., probably due to the slow CPU at just 200MHz….

Internet Connection:
GPRS:
I use 3G SIM card with broadband on mobile for internet connection in this 2.5G phone, not so sure about the actual speed, but quite alright for general surfing and downloading.
VoIP:
I Install Skype Ver 2.2, I do not have much chances to communicate with others, the conversation has distortion. I tried to adjust the sound recording format in the Setting under Input menu a few times, but the result still not that good…., I guess it is due to the slow processing speed of this device.
IE:
I use the built in IE to surf the internet, feel quite good already, so did not install my Reensoft IE Plus that use in my Acer N311, besides the 2.6” is rather small to surf comfortably and also because the P320 has limited memory space.
WiFi:
I still can not make a WiFi connection, fail a few times due to my network setting….., but I think should not be an issue if you setup correctly…..
Bluetooth:
I tried using the Bluetooth to pair this up with my Acer N311 to surf internet with no problem.
Wireless manager:
There is a wireless manager for you to turn on or off the connections, Bluetooth, Phone, WiFi and Data (GPRS). Surprisingly it also can set when to automatically turn-off and when to turn-on the phone.

Li-Ion Battery:
I also bought a spare battery from South Asia Computer Pte Ltd at Funan Centre on the same day. The battery is just 1100mAh, so better to have a spare incase it run out of power; in fact for normal light usage like phone calls/ SMSs, it consumes 20 to 30% of power a day; for heavy usage, need to charge up the battery the same day at night.

Memory:
The unit memory storage are 64MB for files and 128MB for programs, only a few MB are available for files storage in the main memory after I installed the programs mentioned above. People who heavily use their PPC should not store files in the main memory, instead move the files to the micro SD card.

WM 6.1:
My frequent use function is the Calendar, for me to set appointments and to remind me. It also has Newstations, for setting up few channels to update you with RSS feeds from the web, it is quite similar to the World Off-Line 2.0 which I have in my Acer N311.
People who have experience with WM5 PPC should be able to use the WM6.1 PPC Phone with no problem.

Overall:
I’m quite happy to use it for my daily communication, reminder function in the Calendar for appointments and the GPS for navigation.

Thanks.

PS,
The link to its specification:
http://sg.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=11&l2=...153&modelmenu=2
Some other links from mobile01.com:
[採訪]ASUS P320最迷你衛星導航PDA手機發佈
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=222&t=636924
【P320輕巧上色】白色永遠當道之簡易開箱文
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=...=3&last=7313295
傳說中的小機機，ASUS P320見參!
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=222&t=665056&p=1

Additions:
SAR:
Asus P320 SAR values are 0.319 W/kg at ear, 0.86 W/kg on the body.
The max. allowable is at 2 W/kg for safety.

GPS Catcher:
I manage to update the GPS data by using the WiFi connection instead of using the GPRS connection last time. GPS connection speed seems not much improves, but I’m very happy with using the GPS in my P320 so far. For example, it will guide you to the Raffles City Shopping Centre’s car park entrance if you set it as the end point, I have detour several times to avoid some ERPs, it will reroute and bring you to the destination correctly. I’m impressed with this GPS in my device.

WiFi:
I manage to setup the WiFi connection, by touch and hold the SSID for the pop up menu; choose Edit to edit its setting…

Li-Ion Battery:
From the manual, be careful; don’t overcharge the device for more than 3 hours, so as not to shorten the battery lifespan.

Newstation:
Very useful program in WM6.1, I setup a few RSS channels, like Zaobao, Channel Newsasia, Singapore weather forecast, will do more explore in the future…

Task Manager:
Useful program in WM6.1, it can totally close the programs if no more in use and clear it from main memory. Besides, by clicking the x icon in each program also do the same thing.

Memory:
Clear the files inside IE’s visited sites will free more main memory file storage space. Steps: IE\ Tools\ Option\ Memory…

The above find outs are based on firmware version: 4.10.0_0718_WWE, date: 12/06/2008.

04 Feb 2009:
ASUS P320 New Firmware Version V4.15.0

I successfully updated this firmware to my P320, seem more responsive a bit than V4.10.0
Go to http://sg.asus.com/ , Download/ General Download, select product then seach for the firmware …
From ASUS Singapore web site:
ASUS PDA Phone firmware P320_V4_15_0_V4_10_V1_12_0_ZHI only for Singapore version
Additional features and improvements:
1. Improve Day and Night Theme switch.
2. Improve system stability.
Caution:
1. Please refer to "P320 Singapore V4.15.0 release note" in the zip file for the firmware upgrade caution and procedure.
2. Please refer to "P320 Singapore V4.15.0 release note" in the zip file for the SD card you use for upgrade.

02/11/2009:

My favorite Today

My Silver Swift

I changed to a SUZUKI Swift 1.5 (AT) not long ago and been driving it for 3 months, over all I’m very satisfied with this car. I have test drive the Mazda 2 SP and Nissan March before decided to buy this. Here are some experience and find outs from this Swift:

The auto gear:
It’s a nice car to drive, power and performance just so so only, do not expect fast pick up speed from standstill, however, the auto transmission is very smooth, that’s the main reason I chose it. It has the zigzag gated gear lever, and is fun to shift, some time, I just put at 2, let the rpm climb up then shift to 3 and then D, in this way the pickup is faster than usually at D all the time. But I do not know will this practice cause any damages to the gear box or not…

Under the bonnet:
The engine system under the bonnet is neat, clear and well arranged, the layout of pipes, hoses, wiring cable are routed neatly, Suzuki engineers have done a very good job here, the air-con is factory fitted.

The handling:
Easy parking and maneuvers, that’s also the reason I like, it has a short wheel base as compared to others, go through humps and uneven surface will feel jerk and bouncing, not so comfortable. Good handling with little body rolls during cornering, and nice steering feel, even at high way speed, it feels quite stable.

Safety:
The brake system is quite adequate, it comes with ABS and EBD. Dual front airbags are standard.

Sound system:
It has neat integrated sound system at the dash board, can play MP3s, with steering wheel mounted buttons for easy control. Plastic panel rattling if the bass is set at high during playback, overall not so entertaining, though the noise are well insulated inside the cabin.

Interior and exterior:
It has a neat and simple interior layout, did not have much compartments to put things in, just ferry 4 normal passengers and the boot space is limited. The out look is unique, a bit short compared to Mazda 2 SP.

Fuel Consumption:
It can use RON 91 and above, I pump SHELL 95 instead, not 98 for some saving, in future may be 3 years later, will try the 92. As I have only traveled about 4500 km, normally in start-stop general driving situation, the average FC shown is around 11.5 km/ liter at the gauge. With full synthetic Castrol 5W40 engine oil.

There have much useful information about SUZUKI Swift at the following forums:
http://www.swiftclubsg.com/forumv1/ http://forum.suzukiclubsingapore.com/viewforum.php?f=25

My Digital Camera - Panasonic TZ3

Bought this Panasonic TZ3 to replace my Nikon 3700, like it very much. Initially want to wait for the Sony H9, but consider that H9 bigger body size and not that handy to carry around. Also the TZ3 has built in lens cover. Find it quick and easy to use, because the buttons are located nicely; LCD screen menu selections are simple to set, plus a quick FUNC button to display and setting the essential: ISO, Picture size, Burst rate, White balance, Picture aspect ratio and its quality, to suit the needs.

It is a wonderful point and shoot camera:
Can remember the last zoom setting;
Very fast burst rate of 3 fps;
Very responsive;
10x optical, 28mm wide-angle zoom lens, 4x Digital zooms, from 10x up to 60x possible;
Tele Macro mode; Image stabilizer (2 modes available);
4x and 8x zoom review to inspect the captured pictures instantly;
2x, 4x, 8x, 16x zoom in the picture playback;
Excellence built quality with reasonable picture quality;
Big LCD screen; 30 fps video at 16:9 is quite satisfying;
Able to use SDHC card, it means larger capacity memory (32MB) are available in future for longer video.

There are some to improve on the Firmware (Update): When connect to a TV at Playback mode to watch pictures or videos, the camera LCD screen does not allow to be switch off, hence it consume battery unnecessary, as the information on the camera screen can be seen on the TV screen already;
When the camera at other mode with its lens extruded, when switched to Playback mode, the lens does not retract back with its built in lens cover closed, the unnecessary exposure of lens during long duration viewing the pictures or videos will cause more chance for the dirt to enter into the lens, also the lens barrel to knock other objects. Have to off the power then switch to Playback mode, on the power again, so as to let the lens stay put to view the pictures or videos for long hours.

Some functions that I hope the next (TZ4?) to be included in are:Wireless remote control; Manual and Auto focusing selection; Zoom able during video recording; LCD screen able to tilt or rotate; Voice recording; As compact as possible; Longer battery life.

There is a forum about digital cameras; users could find very useful information at there:
http://forums.clubsnap.org/

PS, The DMC-TZ3 Receives 2007 TIPA Award for Best Superzoom Digital Camera in Europe:
http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/pressrelease/index.html

My Pocket PC - Acer N311

I bought an Acer N311 Pocket PC two months ago, It’s slim and small, can put inside my shirt pocket easily, I carry it every time wherever I go and I find it very useful after two months of usage. It Looks beautiful, quite well made and feel nice. The screen is protected by Martin Field screen protector that I got it from Doml, its clarity is as good as without having it after the installation. It has a 3.7” VGA screen, but has reflection on its surface, I might want to change it to an anti glare screen protector, to see will it help or not the next time.

This Pocket PC can do many wonderful things:

It can be an mp3 player; the sound came out from the speaker quite good enough, not very loud although the volume had set to its maximum level. But not a problem, I use it to listen music and songs personally at short distance, quite pleasant without the headphone.

It can be a video player; I use it to watch mpg videos with no problem, only some videos that with higher resolution has lagging. It is also a viewer, I use it to see pictures and graphics files and they can be played as slide show.

It is also a web browser, I use the built in Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE) to surf Internet, to get information from the web, it has wifi b and blue tooth wireless connection, I use it to surf Internet or download some web contents whenever I can access the wireless hotspot. When I’m off-line with no access to the wireless connections, I still can read the downloaded web contents anytime I want. The WiFi detects and connects not as good as usual notebook PC, you need to have a good signal to get it connected.

It’s a VoIP phone as well; I use Skype and SkypeOut making phone calls with no problem. It also has Pocket MSN Massager for me to chat, read and send emails.

It has voice recorder, the built in microphone can record voices in Note, depends on your voice recording format, for near distance, the result is ok.

Its basic function is a PIM, with WM5 OS, there are 3 alarms to set, each from Monday to Sunday, can use Reminders to remind you the things to do inside the Calendar, even when the device is not on, the alarms and reminders will still be activated. It has mobile version of Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel to write documents, view presentation, do worksheet wherever I go.

There are much software available, either in freeware, shareware or need to be purchased from the Internet. Each to enhance and make the Pocket PC more equipped, like in Communication, Database, e-Book, Education, Entertainment, Games, Health, Multimedia, Productivity, Professional, Ringtones, Software Tools, Sports, Themes, Travel, Utilities, Wireless, etc…
Examples are at:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/
http://www.pocketgear.org/

There is a Singapore Pocket PC forum at: http://www.ppcsg.org/, readers could find very useful informations about Pocket PC.

PS,
May 2007, I got an anti glare screen protector from Brando, to replace my 1 year old MF SP.
Product# : PASCR01560
Product : Brando WorkShop Screen Protector (Acer n300)
http://shop.brando.com.hk/screenprotector.php
So far so good, just that stylus feel a bit diff, need to get use to it...

Preventive maintenance for notebook PC and its Li-Ion battery pack

Here are some preventive maintenance to notebook PC and its Li-Ion battery pack:

To defragment the notebook PC hard disk at least once per 1 to 2 months, it depends on the usage of the hard disk.

For daily use, use notebook PC together with AC and battery power, but use battery power once per month, fully drain it and charge it up again.

When battery is fully charged 100% and notebook PC is OFF (Not in use), do not leave AC power ON and overcharge the battery for more than 3 hours; If notebook PC is ON (In use), can continue charge the battery even the battery is 100%, ie. Use your notebook PC together with AC and battery power.