Whether you own an iPhone, a Nokia, a Windows Mobile Device or anything at all that supports Microsoft Exchange Server, you'd be pleased to know that Google - our best friend who offers tonnes and tonnes of things for free has added YET another FREE service - Google Sync!


This is by far one of the most exciting things Google has announced this month!

What does it mean to a lay person?
Imagine your phone's calendar and contacts constantly backed up at a secure location while e-mail is pushed to your phone EXACTLY like the high and mighty 'BlackBerry' push service. Best part is, IT'S FREE!

Imagine a world where you will KNOW that your precious contacts and calendar entries are constantly backed up to your phone and e-mails come in the instant someone sends you something. Lost phone? Dead phone? No problem! Just sync it back from Google and everything returns!

With everything backed-up at Google's server, if you ever need to review your schedule, update your phonebook entries or check your mail - just go to gmail.com. It's all there! and changes made are automatically 'pushed' to your phone. Isn't technology just AWESOME?

If those words were too much for you, here’s a video that explains it all…

What's the catch then?
Okay, before you do double back flips and start singing "The hills are ALIVE! with the sound of MUUUSICCC" - here's the reality, this is the kind of service some companies charge 10-15 USD a month for - Google offers it for FREE so long as you use Gmail or Google Apps (for your mail hosting).

The only thing is, just like any Push mail service, you'd need some form of a data plan for your phone - this ranges from 50 - 100 ringgit monthly depending on your network operator - it's the data charge that will cost you (mind you again, Google is not making from this).

As long as you've got a Data Plan that provides you with sufficient data transfer monthly, you'll be fine.

Great! I've got a Data Plan and I'm ready! What's next?

If you own a Nokia...
From my experience, most of the new N-series and E-series phones from Nokia come with "Mail for Exchange" - an application which supports the Exchange Server. If you don't have it, download from Nokia Business



More detailed instructions here

If you have an iPhone...
The software is already in your phone. Just startup your mail app - when prompted to select type of mail DO NOT select "Gmail" - select "Microsoft Exchange" instead.

More detailed instructions here.

If you have a Windows Mobile device (HTC etc)...
The software is already installed. The app you'll use is called ActiveSync.
More detailed instructions here.

Final word… The drawbacks...

1. In this world, nothing is absolutely FREE. You need to subscribe to a Data Package from your network operator in order to use it as mentioned.
2. Most phones support a maximum of 1 Exchange account. So if you've got corporate mail on your phone using push, I'm afraid it's not going to work.

Well, enjoy the world of Push! and THANK YOU Google! You ROCK!

Sure, the iPhone doesn't have the BESTEST camera in the world. Being a Nokia user, I've been pampered with mostly a 5 megapixel camera world. Then the iPhone came around, 3 megapixels, ZERO flash... I thought to myself... geez, could that be the down fall of the iPhone?

Looks like I was wrong...

One of the beauties of the iPhone is the fact that there are literally tonnes and tonnes of applications to be downloaded that will 'better' your phone. Want flash? No problemo! Download "Flash For Free"
. Works well... I mean I'd be kidding you to say that it's a Flash replacement but hey, it helps!

Then lately, I discovered this app called ColorSplash - WOW! this app is just amazing! Checkout some of the things I've been able to do to regular pics taken through the phone!

Japanese leaf...

From Blog Pictures

A sexier Japanese leaf...

From Blog Pictures

Boring cup of ice ocha...

From Blog Pictures

Boring no more!

From Blog Pictures

Amrita, our beloved Producer

From Blog Pictures

Turned into a sunglasses model...

From Blog Pictures

Plus HAIR! Fooiyoh!

From Blog Pictures

Like that's not enough... my hunt went on to download more apps from the AppStore... it's just too addictive! It was then that I found... "Pano" - check. this. out.

From Blog Pictures

Let me remind you again... all the pictures here were taken through a 3.0 megapixel camera phone and altered on the phone itself... :)

The exhaustive review

I've been using GPS navigation systems for a while now. From the early days of my first Garmin Street Pilot to Garmin Nuvi 610, Garmin Mobile XT for Nokia & Windows Mobile devices, Nokia Maps and today... I'm proud to say I've embarked on yet another GPS journey. This time... on the iPhone 3GS - not using the Google Maps application BUT the first ever Turn-By-Turn GPS Navigation covering South East Asia called Sygic!

From Blog Pictures

This is one area which the iPhone never really excelled... in fact, it never touched simply because the SDK provided by Apple didn't allow for such functionality. Since the release of OS 3.0 - this is now possible. After some research, I discovered that Sygic isn't exactly a new player - in fact, the company has been around since 2002.

The Installation Experience

Installing Sygics GPS Navigation software was quite straight forward. No codes to enter, no special procedures to go through. You can only purchase application via iTunes as the app is over 200 megabytes - something that the AppStore on the iPhone wouldn't be able to do. It took a little over 45 minutes on my Streamyx connection and voila! - loaded straight into the iPhone. Completely painless.

Interface

I'm a man of aesthetics. It's gotta look good and of course be a pleasure to use and I must say, aesthetics wise, Sygic has outdone itself! As with any iPhone app, it always looks great. Simple big buttons for big fingers, interface is hardly cluttered and most importantly, it's REALLY REALLY fast!

From Blog Pictures

From Blog Pictures

Usability

If you have used GPS devices before, whether its a Garmin or one by Mapking or any other manufacturer, the concept is pretty much the same but through my experience with Garmin products, there's only 1 thing which I'd like to point out. That's searching for Point-of-interests (POI).

• The Garmin Model
  Garmin's model of searching of Points of Interest like Ikea etc is by selecting the "Food, Hotels..." POI option, selecting a sub category and search! The search expands from your current location all the way to all other available maps / regions installed into your Garmin. So once search searches literally the WORLD! I LIKE!

• The Sygic Model
  Sygic however has a slightly different model. Sygic starts by asking if you're searching for a POI in your current position or in another country -> city. After which, you can pick the subcategory of POI (similar to Garmin) followed by a search. The only problem with this in my opinion is there are times you might not know the actual city your POI is in and so you might never find your POI.

That said however, I've spoken to Sygic's customer support and they are now aware of this. If they do update the app, it's great news for us as upgrading the app itself is FREE! more on this later...

Navigation

Here is where Sygic really excels. I've taken Sygic for a couple of runs from KL to Cameron Highlands and to the main city centre with no problems. At one point, I needed to look for a car service centre in Cheras and guess what? I found it!

Never have I come across a GPS solution for mobile cellular devices that comes packed with features that are mostly available on high-end standalone GPS devices!

From Blog Pictures

• Lane Assist in Sygic
  I personally found lane assist to be a really useful feature as during navigation there can be many intersecting roads, many junctions, many splits... lane assist just sorts it out!

1. Let's you know when sign boards are coming up - even shows the signboard on your display - making sure you are on the right lane
2. Tells you how many lanes are there and which EXACT lane to use

• Speed limit for most major roads built-in
  Another feature worth mentioning is that the maps come programmed with speed limits of most major roads you're on. Once you're above the limit, Sygic can be set to give you a visual or audible alert.
  
  
• Fully configurable navigation
  Apart from the the human-like navigation voice in possibly every language you can think of, Sygic has some interesting navigation options...

1. Feel like going on only toll-free roads today?
2. No U turns?
3. Want a more economic route?
4. Want a faster route?
   
   It's all possible!

Maps provided by TeleAtlas

The map Sygic provides is by one of the largest mapping companies in the world called TeleAtlas - the same company Google uses for Google Maps. You can imagine the same level of detail and accuracy. Most if not all common POIs that have a phone number has been programmed into the map making it extremely useful when looking for phone numbers of hotels, airports, banks, restaurants etc (almost like having yellowpages in your palm!) and of course, being built on the iPhone, a simple tap on the number calls the location.

At the moment, for the South East Asian region, Sygic provides TeleAtlas maps of 3 countries. Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. All three maps are fully loaded into your device and so you won't incur map download charges while navigating (like how Nokia maps works if you didn't download the maps before hand using Nokia's Map Downloader).

Upgradability

The maps that are provided with the download at the moment is the most current. According to Sygic, there will future map upgrades available at a nominal charge. The price is not yet determined.

Reception

Through numerous tests, Sygic faired extremely well even in environments filled with skyscrapers. What really surprises me is how powerful the GPS sensor was in the iPhone as my car has a fairly strong tint which usually affects GPS reception. Even my full-fledge Garmin Nuvi at times has difficulty getting a GPS lock.

Sygic on the other hand took approximately 20 seconds to lock on to the current position and of course, even faster when placed in non-tinted environments.

The Decision

• Can Sygic replace your trusted standalone GPS device?
  From what I've seen, Sygic does most if not all of what standalone GPS devices do. If you're not a hardcore GPS user, Sygic would meet your needs.
  
  
• Does it suck up battery life from the iPhone?
  Of course it does but to what extent is the question. From a full charge, I've managed to crank up at least 3 hours of non-stop navigation with voice calls and smses in between.
  
  
• How much does it cost?
  The app as of this writing stands at a promotion price of 70 USD which translates to approximately 250 ringgit. This I think is fair considering the coverage for 3 Asian countries when you pay upwards of 700 ringgit for a standalone GPS unit with only coverage for Malaysia and does not offer this many features.
  
  
• The only thing that nags me...
  Good but not great coverage of POIs
  As far as Point of Interests are concerned, in the Malaysian and Singaporean GPS context, Sygic's partnership with TeleAtlas as a mapping company is good (with most major POIs listed) but not as complete as free community based maps such as that offered by malsingmaps.com for the MapKing and Garmin GPS users.
  
  One example was that I could find literally every hotel in Penang except for G Hotel but on hindsight, I could find even small and little known chinese coffee shops in the Puchong area!

The Sygic promise

Just like Nokia's policy on their firmware. Sygic has a similar promise. They vow to continue improving the software and continuously provide FREE upgrades via the AppStore. From what I've heard, these are some of the promises in the next release!

• Integration with iPhone's Phonebook
  Pick a contact, select the address, navigate and Sygic does the rest!
  
  
• Background iPod playback during navigation
  At the moment, iPod playback interferes with voice instructions from Sygic. They tend to jumble up layer on top one another. With the update, music fades off and returns after navigation instruction
  
  
• Enhanced GPS lock
  Well, there's always room for improvement!
  
  and more!

So, the Golden Question - To buy or not to buy?

If you live in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand OR if you're visiting any one of these three countries and own an iPhone, this is the only solution available - and I dare say, a very very well thought of one too. Apart from the less complete POI coverage when compared to free community maps, Sygic - with it's well thought out interface and featureset really shines as far as GPS navigation is concerned.

At the promo price of 70 USD, it's one time investment with maps of 3 complete countries is quite a deal. Plus, if it's GPS navigation you crave on your iPhone, your long awaited solution has arrived. Need I say more? :)

The Apple

So we've heard about the Apple iPhone 3GS. The built-in digital compass - or in a more technical term, it's called the magnetometer. As always, Apple will come up with an AWESOME looking app that works with the feature...

From Blog Pictures

Then there's the latest, greatest, Nokia's flagship - N97. The thing is, it's not a national secret. Nokia is good at making phones and the Symbian Series 60 interface (v5) isn't too bad - but can be a little aged compared to the iPhone.

The Nokia

The N97 does come with a magnetometer built-in but doesn't come with a dedicated app like the iPhone so usage of the digital compass was very very very much limited. Unless you use Nokia Maps (Nokia's GPS app) - there's no other way to use the magnetometer.

BUT no fear! OffScreen technologies is here!

Thanks to Nokia's move to create the OVI Store (very much like Apple's App Store)... developers such as OffScreen have been hard at work and somehow brought the iPhone App feel to the Nokia world... so VOILA!

From Blog Pictures

The app works EXTREMELY well! Best part is, it's FREE! So if you own an N97. It's an amazing app. Check it out on the OVI Store. Also, make sure you checkout some of OffScreen's other apps, they've got loads of other apps which work GREAT!

Finally, apps that look great on a Nokia!

Yay! The weekend has arrived once again! This time around, I don't want to talk about what's going to happen over the weekend and blah blah blah...

BUT, I'd like to talk about a REAL long forgotten gift. A gift that was once given to us, some of us might have used it eons and eons ago, some might be completely new to it....

It's called the Real Player!

I still remember the days where Real Player was like the de facto player for all things streaming. They were the first few people in the world to have “audio streaming” – trust me, that was revolutionary about 8-10 years ago. Then they had “video streaming” – which we are all used to today. Almost every Internet crazed ‘dude’ / ‘dudette’ had a real player installed.

10 years later, the ‘Real’ brand is going strong – now, not so much focusing on streaming but focusing on being the COOLEST, most COMPLETE media player EVER!

This thing is AMAZING! It’s almost like one of my dogs – it eats everything you throw at it…

• Flash Videos, no problem!
• DivX Video files, no problem!
• DVD movies, no problem!
• Windows Media Player files, no problem!
• Strange video formats, no problem!
• Any audio file type, no problem!
• The list just goes on and on…

One feature I ABSOLUTELY love is the ability to DOWNLOAD FLASH VIDEO files on websites – whether you are watching a YouTube Video or videos from MetaCafe, Yahoo Video – just ‘mouse over’ the video and immediately… you’ll see something like this…

The possibilities are ENDLESS! – can’t wait to finish watching a particular flash video, no problem, download it and keep it!

Then there’s the ability to record streaming video or audio. I was listening to Fly FM and guess what? I could pause, record, rewind – LIVE RADIO!

 

Got an mp3 player? iPod? This player hooks up literally anything and everything. Plug-it-in, Real Player recognizes the device instantly and you’re ready to transfer your movies and music!

Have I said that I love this player? Go grab Real Player v11, it’s FREE – www.real.com! :) Ahhh… some GREAT things in life ARE indeed free…

Have a super massive awesome weekend!

So if you haven’t heard, YES, I’ve made the switch, YES, I’ve made the purchase and YES, I sound like a complete hippocrate. Just not too long ago, I was preaching about how great the Nokia 5800 was compared to the iPhone 3G…

It also didn’t help that Maxis had – I repeat “had” an awful package that couldn’t care less for their existing hardcore customers.

Everything changed last Saturday – a new package was introduced, a drop in iPhone prices – their hardcore customers like myself are now happy.

 

The hippocrate justifies his purchase
Thing is, even after owning an iPhone 3G, I still stand by all things I said about the shortcomings of the existing iPhone 3G (software version 2.0). The inability to mms, no video, less than great camera etc – yet I’m HAPPY. Why? It really depends on the kind of user you are and what things do you prioritize.

What user are you?
I’m the kind of user who would squeeze every grain of sand of out of the chips in a phone. In other words, I’d categorize myself as person who uses a good 90% of all available features ALL THE TIME.

• The mobile social addict
   
  You’d dream of mobile blogging, twitting, facebook-inig, chatting all the time. The iPhone is the perfect phone for this. Don’t just take my word for it. Just checking out any twitter client or facebook client (which is absolutely FREE by the way) on the iPhone would leave you in awe. These apps had everything thought of.
  
  Upload images directly from your iPhone to Facebook? You got it! Upload your current location via GPS to twitter? You got it!
  
  
• The net addict
  I surf A LOT. All the time. Fabes would tell you this, my wife would tell you this, my dad would tell you this – you’ll NEVER see me idling at the dinner table, lunch table, my table, your table, you mother’s table – you get the idea. I’d either be talking or doing something (surfing) with my phone.
   
  To-date, iPhone’s safari browser is rated the best mobile browser in any mobile device. Nothing comes close – YET. Sure it lacks the ability to support Adobe Flash, but the way it renders the pages, it’s speed, it’s usability completely shadows that flaw. Personally, I’ve had no problems surfing 90% of the sites I go to.
  
  
• You love something new EVERYDAY – The Chinese call it the ‘new toilet bowl’ syndrome
   
  Who wouldn’t like something new everyday? Especially something new that’s FUN, easy to use and is very likely FREE!
  
  The AppStore that comes with every iPhone connects you to a store that hosts tens of thousands of applications developed specifically for the iPhone / iPod touch. There’s literally an app for everything – light saber, games, finance, business, games, you name it – they have it! If there's something the iPhone is not able to do, chances are there will be apps readily available to fix that.
  
  No MMS? There's an app for that
  No VoiceDial? There are tonnes of FREE apps for that - COOL TOO!
  No pet hamster? There's one for that too! I've got a dog, hamster and a cat living in mine
  
  Some are free and some aren’t. The ones you pay for start from as low as 0.99 cents (USD) – on average, most apps are within the 2 USD range – that’s FREAKING cheap compared to applications for other mobile platforms that start from 19 USD! 
  
  So, from a price of NOTHING – you can get something new to play with EVERYDAY.

So what are the shortcomings? Sure there’s at least one?
After using the iPhone for 72 hours now, apart from the shortcomings I’ve mentioned in my previous post, the iPhone does lack…

• Battery life
   
  I’m not sure if it’s all the excitement that I’ve used the iPhone and meddled with it more than usual – the battery life goes down rather quickly. Then again, I would be constantly online every few minutes, twitting, facebooking, downloading new apps, switching from 3G to WiFi, taking pictures, listening to music, watching videos, listening to podcasts – wow, no wonder battery life went down so quickly! :)
  
  Seriously though, the battery life could be better. Although it’s usable, I’d suggest buying an in-car charger and have a spare Apple USB cable lying around if you expect a looonnng day.
  
  
• Internet connection – almost mandatory
  The iPhone can only be used to it’s maximum potential when it has constant Internet connection. I’m not talking about 3G. I’m talking about an Unlimited Data Package – attached to your mobile service. Rates start from 68 to 99 ringgit – depends on which operator you use.
  
  Sure you can use an iPhone 3G with a WiFi connection, but that’s going to be troublesome – looking for a new WiFi hotspot, just to download an app, play an online game, watching youtube videos etc. 

What does the future hold for the iPhone 3G?
I honestly do not know the future. There are rumours that a new iPhone will be out in June this year. That’s yet to be seen.

One thing that’s confirmed is that there will be a new iPhone 3.0 software which will come as a FREE upgrade to all existing iPhone 3G users. iPhone 3.0 claims to solve many shortcomings of the current iPhone 2.0 software – cut-and-paste, bluetooth sharing of content, device wide search, mms, video recording and more will be introduced. Many people are expecting iPhone 3.0 software to be out in June this year.

Should I buy it now?
If you answered YES to all the types of users defined above plus you’re ready to possibly invest in an unlimited data package (though not mandatory), you’re not kiasu & worried about a new version of the iPhone 3G and that you’re willing to live with some of the shortcomings of the iPhone until iPhone 3.0 comes out, it’s a resounding YES! YES! YES! 

It's really not a phone for everyone
In short, the iPhone 3G is not exactly a phone for everyone. It's for tech geeks, music geeks, video geeks, social geeks, new toilet bowl geek... if you're not one of those geeks - then you might want to rethink the purchase. Hold it off for a bit until Apple releases another iPhone that will better suit everyone else. 

Firstly, what's MacRosoft? Nothing essentially. It's a word I created by adding 2 words together, Mac and Microsoft... so here's what's been happening, we all know that Apple (creator of Mac if you didn't know) has been trying to tell the world that hey, it's cooler to be using a Mac, it's virus free and blah blah blah... then out comes loads of ads which they've features on TV in the US and on their website comparing PC and Mac... such as this...

And here's what Microsoft recently came up with to attack!

Who's gonna win? I don't know... I'm a PC... Mac only when I'm feeling a little stylo-milo... What about you?

Then there's this massive commotion... I walked out of the studio this morning and low & behold a truckload of donuts - LITERALLY!

Yes, Krispy Kreme, the donut that's been loved by many Americans and has entered the shores of Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia has arrived! The people of Krispy Kreme were nice enough to give the whole of Media Prima FREE donuts! Woohoo!

Nadia and I got soooo kiasu that we pestered the very nice people for a box each! hehehe... 27th April 2009 - that's when it's gonna be launched into Malaysia - watch out for their first branch in Times Square KL!

Oh and psst... I heard that the 1st customer would win him / herself a year's supply of DONUTS! Muahahah hahahaha... hehhe kookokooo huh uhu huhu... lallalala.... hok hok hok ... oooh... it must be the sugar rush...

There are a few things in this world that really excites me - free and FREE and FREEEE and FREEEEE... Who doesn't like free stuff? It was with this in mind where I scoured the web for gold and found Joiku.

For the uninitiated, don't worry, it's not an extraterrestrial with 12 ears and big bulging eyes, neither is it the name of superman's pet alien. It's a software. Something which you can install into your mobile phone and out comes a SUPER POWER - WiFi Access Point wherever you go!

How does it affect you? Well, if you've got (somehow in a magical manner) an unlimited data line where you can surf the internet all you want on your mobile phone - you'll love this. Let me repeat, ONLY IF YOU HAVE AN UNLIMITED DATA LINE do you use this - otherwise you'll be paying through your nose, ear hole and whatever hole you've got on your body. 

If you don't have unlimited data service, this service varies from telco to telco. Some offering the service from as low as 66 ringgit per month. 

So if you've got it, GOOD ON YOU! Now, here's how you can unleash the power of your mobile phone with Joiku. 

Have the software installed and immediately the sofware will turn your mobile phone into a wireless access point (or you may call it wireless modem) where you can connect to and surf from whatever wireless device you may have! May it be a notebook, a PDA, an iPod touch... from WHEREVER - so long as you've got cellular coverage and mobile juice (battery life). 

The possibilities are literally endless... need to find an access point? No worries, take out your phone, start Joiku and VOILA!

Okay, here's the part where I say "with every free thing comes a price" - an oxymoron nonetheless... what does this mean to you? Sure, you can use Joiku for free - infact for an unlimited number of times with unlimited surfing time... so what's the catch? You can't use Joiku to surf to secure websites - or in layman terms sites with "https" - in front of the URL. That means no Gmail, no FaceBook, no banking sites... NADA... but of course there's still the other 90% of the internet which does not use "https" - one of which is flyfm.com.my. 

Here's where Joiku releases a premium version of the product where you've got to pay around 15 EUROS (after a massive discount on their site). At that one time nominal price, you unleash the MAXIMUM potential of Joiku - surf at high speeds, no more restrictions - any website, anytime, anywhere... COMPLETE mobility... 

Honestly, I think it's a steal. It's usual price is around 25 EUROS. Check it out and download for free at www.joikushop.com!

As captain planet would say - "The power is YOURS"... :)

Okay, more seriously, it's not about what I'm giving you but more of what Apple computer is giving you. Yes, the same brand that created the iPhone (that's taking a gazillion years to arrive in Malaysia officially), iPod, Mac, Macbooks etc.

Yes, they are pretty - very pretty in fact and this time around, instead of making money from people like us, Apple's giving us something for FREE! A BRAND SPANKING NEW BROWSER!

It's a web browser I'm talking about - they are in for a tough competition. We've got Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla's Firefox, Opera and a range of other smaller niche targeted browsers ie. flock etc.

The thing is, the fruit is not new in this competition. The fruit didn't name their browser Grape or Durian but Safari - which; if you've used a Mac or owned and iPod Touch / iPhone, you'd be familiar with this browser - YES, it's BIG in the Mac community but not Windows users.

The last time the fruit decided to enter the Windows market by giving away a free Windows version of Safari 3.0 - it hardly took off. Some people tried, I tried and found it to be clunky, wasn't fast (although it was claimed to be the fastest browser - which in my opinion is just CR*P)
, had loads of incompatibility issues and simply wasn't as nice as Firefox or Internet Explorer or any other Windows browser for that matter. In one word - for me, Safari 3.0 for windows FLOPPED BIG TIME - I'd be more interested in it if it was durian pulp, at least I'd be able to savour it's pungentness... :)

So anyway, enough of history - the fruit is trying again - not surprisingly called Safari 4.0 - it's said to be MUCH MUCH MUCH better and features some 150 features which would BLOW YOUR MIND!

Here's a sneak preview of what Safari 4 features...







I love the fact that they have 'coverflow' in the browser and the whole 'cinematic' view when looking at the top sites you frequent.

The fruit might have just gotten it right this time - but only time will tell as while I type this blog entry, I'm having the browser downloaded.

Since it's the weekend and all, why don't you go ahead and grab this FREE GIFT from the fruit? It's FREE and there's nothing to lose :P I'll post my review of the browser sometime next week...

In the mean time, CHILL, download and have an AWESOME WEEKEND!

I'm not kidding... this is the latest, coolest (in my opinion) gadget / tool that is ABSOLUTELY FREE! It's Google's latest thingy called Google Latitude.

So what exactly is it? It's an application which you can download into your mobile phone called Google Maps from m.google.com. Use your phone browser, download it, select "Google Latitude", get yourself registered and list whoever you want to view your location at all times... 

Essentially, what this does is, Google Latitude will use your built-in GPS or Cell Tower location services through your mobile network operator and pin point where you are and keep your friends updated at all times. 

A phone with built-in GPS would be recommended though as it's more accurate compared to just using Cell Tower location services which is available on every cellphone.

Why have it? 

I've come up with a few uses...

To avoid certain people 

If the dude or dudette is in the vicinity - TIME TO SPLIT!

To tell if someone's lying that they are stuck in a jam when they are at home

You are just 5 minutes away are you? Google Latitude tells me you are HOME! LIAR!

To tell if the person you like is nearby

This is nearing the idea of 'stalking' but hey, it's not wrong to do-yourself-up and look great at all times near people you like is it? :)

To see if someone is cheating on you

What? You are in the office? Looks like you're in a FANCY RESTAURANT and ABC is with you! 

To see if your dog / cat / pet elephant is REALLY lost or just playing hide-and-seek with you

This would be pretty easy, buy a SUPER small handphone, hang it around his neck and voila! You've got a 24 hour tracker!

As you can see, Google Latitude has LOADS of uses - IF used correctly... 

Oh just one more thing, this Google Latitude thing might use up a bit of your data plan - you might want to have a data plan setup before you play with this thing... 

Have fun!

Yesterday was one of those days where I got a little 'gloomy' - and so with EVERY gloomy day I've got, it usually ends with something that would cheer me up. Some people go the food method, some chocolates, some ice-cream, some binge shopping - you get the idea. Me? Gadgets and toys...

Since I didn't feel like spending any cash, I went ahead and downloaded Windows 7! Yes, Microsoft recently released a beta version of the touted latest and greatest version of the Windows Operating system.

To be honest, I've always been a Windows fan... then Apple came and decided to make all things nice and sweet - cuddly and just 'nice'. To make matters worse, Microsoft worked on an operating system called Longhorn and took literally the longest time... and finally got it released as Windows Vista - amidst all the hype - it was a product which didn't exactly live up to the expectations of the tech gerbils of the world. Some people say it was too slow, incompatible with older software, was cluttered up - my reasoning it was simple - Microsoft simply promised too much, couldn't meet up with expectations and as scholars around the world would tell you - people simply don't like too much change.

With Windows being the core software of Microsoft - coz without Windows, there'd be no operating system for Microsoft applications to run on - the largest and greatest software company on the face of this earth would be as good as dead.

So Microsoft went back to the drawing board and created Windows 7 - why 7? Apparently there's a whole explanation for it and Vista was 6 so Windows is 7 or something like that. If you REALLY want to know why, checkout this link.

I must say, Microsoft might have just out done themselves this time around. It's not just Vista with a new skin. It's Vista that was MEANT to be.

When requirements are A LOT less...
I don't want to delve too much into technical details (other sites or blogs would have spoken about it) - but Windows Vista if you recall - required quite a bit of souped up hardware - specific graphic cards, 2GB RAM etc for the ultimate Windows Vista performance... and guess what?

Tada! Windows 7 runs easily on my NETBOOK - and it's not Windows 7 with the bare-minimum experience - it's the whole glassy-aero effect, the bomb-diggidy - as Fabes would say.

You're talking about a 1GB Memory Machine, Intel Atom 1.6Ghz processor, 120GB drive and other basic items like built-in WiFi, Camera etc. Vista will NEVER run at full performance with such specs.

A pretty much plug and play experience
From the many blogs I read, Windows 7 seems to excel in areas of Plug and Play - plug-in something and it works. Since my Netbook didn't come with bluetooth, I bought a bluetooth dongle which required the cumbersome driver installation on XP and Vista - but on 7, it was PLUG - 15 seconds later - "Hardware is ready for use!".

Streamlined taskbar
The start menu and taskbar are now LOADS more intuitive - almost mac-ish looking. Running applications no longer show as icons and names, just icons. Multiple windows of the same application are stacked together instead of occupying space on the task bar the length of the Great Wall. Hover on one of the icons and out comes miniature windows showing what's currently showing on that application...

A mini conclusion...
It's just my first day of using Windows 7 Beta - and I must say, what other people have said about this Beta version; that it's as close as it gets to the release - I can most definitely agree. This is the bomb-diggidy... faster, more streamlined, much much easier to use, much much lower requirements, ZERO hiccups during installation... and that's just what I can see within this first 24 hours - can't wait for more discoveries... Try it out yourself today and download Windows 7 beta... - congratulations Microsoft!

A mini ending...
What is an ending to a blog entry without a strange picture. Here's one - caught in the studio this morning. Fabes experiencing what he calls the 'head baby massage' - performed by the GREAT Amrita - our producer :P

Drop me a comment if you've got something to say! :)

Have I told you that I love Google? Not the company but more about the products they've created to enrich our busy internet lives. Sure, they've got some misses in the past, not everything that came out of Google was a BIG hit. As with anything, there are always failures and with failures, people learn.

To-date, I've been using countless number of Google-ish products – from Picasa (one of the best photo organizer I've ever used) all the way to the infamous Gmail. I still remember the day when Gmail first came out, everyone thought it was an April fool's joke when the web announced that Google was offering a 1GB space e-mail account for all. At that time, it was unheard of. Today, it's a norm – nearly every free e-mail provider I can think of has gone into the gigabyte-world – even Gmail has grown to allow over 7GB of storage!

Naturally, Gmail had to progress… it's gone through loads of changes from a simple interface to something that's a little bit more fancy yet keeping it's minimalist approach to enabling POP access, integration with Google docs, the list is endless!

Today, Gmail has announced yet another feature – it's almost like a Christmas gift! They call it 'tasks'. If you're thinking Jeez… what's the BIG deal? It's not revolutionary but it's just nice to have an additional task list by your side. How often have you promised to reply to an e-mail and haven't? How often have you told yourself to get something one minute and completely forget about it the next? That's what task is for – never forget anything and have the list with you so long as you've got INTERNET access.

True to Google's love for minimalist approach, Task is no different. Just enable it via Gmail's "Labs" tab, hit save and voila! Task appears as a box like Google Talk in Gmail. Its visible at all times and inserting a task is as simple as clicking on the box, type, hit enter and DONE! All in 1 click!

So check it out… Google's mini Christmas gift for the rest of us :P

So what is Fring you ask? From one of the creators of ICQ comes Fring. Just imagine Skype, Google Talk (Gmail chat thingi), MSN, Facebook chat, Twitter updates and loads more put together into a nice little package... called Fring which works BEAUTIFULLY on your mobile phone.

As a matter of fact, they've been around for sometime now... I found Fring when I was searching for a compatible version of Skype which would run off my mobile phone. Since I've got the unlimited data package thingy from my service provider, I might as well make full use of it.

Just imagine this... FREE Skype calls... and if you've got SkypeOut Service which allows you to call internationally and locally at SUPER low rates, you've got yourself one heck of a deal! You'd be virtually using no mobile airtime as far as your service provider is concerned because everything goes through the Internet on your mobile phone. All you pay is that monthly flat data fee with your mobile service provider.


Best part of it all, Fring is absolutely free and virtually works with almost EVERY mobile phone out there... At the time of this post, Fring is available on..

• All Windows Mobile 5 & 6 devices
• UIQ devices
• Symbian devices
• And if your phone is not 'canggih' enough, you get to use 'mini' FRING which works with most Java enabled phones...
  

How do you get started?

1. Get yourself a flat rate data plan... it ranges from 66 ringgit - 99 ringgit per month (depending on your mobile service provider)
2. Install Fring by downloading it off www.fring.com
   
3. Configure the different services you want enabled (ie. MSN Chat, Skype, Yahoo Chat, Google Talk, Facebook etc)
4. Enjoy!

Trust me, this is one software that'll change the way you look at your mobile phone EVER again.

The only bummer
To me, the only thing that'll probably stop people from using Fring is that additional monthly subscription of 66-99 ringgit for your unlimited data plan from your Mobile Service Provider.

YES - I agree, that's alot to pay just to experiment with a new toy like Fring but think of the possibilities... the FREE calls you'd be making, the SUPER cheap international calls you'd be making, chatting and keeping yourself online at all times...

Plus, apart from just using Fring, with the unlimited data plan,

• don't forget about the web browser you've got on your mobile phonesurf anytime without the worry of being charged a gazillion bucks
• sending e-mails whenever you want to using the e-mail client that's in most phones today
• uploading your pictures to flicker
• watching YouTube mobile another software you can download through m.youtube.com

The possibilities are truly endless...

What if you REALLY CAN'T see yourself spending that extra dough?
Good thing is, the people at Fring saw this coming. They knew there would be individuals who wouldn't spend a dime extra on anything. So be it they say... and therefore, they got Fring to work using your mobile phone's WiFi feature.

So long as there's a wifi access point around you, Fring will use that data connection instead. Make free calls, chat etc.

Drawback here is that your phone has to be WiFi enabled.

The choice is yours...
Get yourself unlimited data on your mobile plan and open yourself to unlimited possibilities, reviving the very essense of your mobile phone or not get it and not know what you've been missing out on all this time...

My advice, if finances permit, give unlimited mobile broadband a one month trial - if it suits your lifestyle... stick with it. If not, at least you've tried it.

Life is an adventure... give it that extra spice once in a while when you can :)

Many many many moons ago, Sony came up with an idea...

Hey! Let's create a feature which integrates with our latest Mp3 Walkman! When a user is playing a specific song, wack a button (we shall name it "Artist Link") and voila, all songs in the mp3 player that's related to that song he / she is listening to will be put in a playlist for him / her to enjoy!

Absolutely GREAT idea. It was implemented to some of their mp3 players - problem was, many people hated Sony's now debunked, exterminated, deleted, thrown away, cast to the other end of the world software - SonicStage. This was their iTunes competitor. A software that marriages their mp3 player with the music on the user's PC. Little by little, their market share got eaten away by Apple and so Sony decided to listen to their market, throw away the crappy software and let users either drag and drop or use Microsoft's Windows Media Player which is light years away from their original SonicStage software - great move BUT "Artist Link" was exterminated along with the software.

Many many moons later today...

Apple computers decided to implement something similar... in fact extremely alike - the name... GENIUS.

If you own one of Apple's latest Mp3 players, that includes the latest generation of the iPod Touch (or if you've got a 1st Gen iPod touch with it's software updated to version 2.0+), iPod Nano etc., you'd notice this new "Genius" logo - similar to the one above.

Every single time you play a song, just wack it - and VOILA! Genius goes through your entire library on your iPod or computer (if you're using Genius in iTunes 8) and display a list of songs that would match the similar genre / artist you're listening to.

I've found this to be one of the coolest things ever! I've got such a massive library of music that I would probably listen to about 20-30% of the music I have leaving most of it forgotten. This is where Genius brings everything back to life, helping me pick from the entire library - bringing back long lost favourite tunes... absolutely GENIUS.

So how does it work you ask?

• Load all your favourite music to your iTunes 8
• iTunes 8 will send out information about the kind of music you have in your computer and retrieve matching information for each of your songs
  
• Have them saved in a database that's both in your iPod & computer
  
• Next time you are listening to something, just wack the "Genius" button and voila, it gets into the database and finds music in your computer that matches what you're listening to
• Done!
  

The best part of all of this is you DON'T NEED to own an iPod. Genius works even in standalone iTunes mode. Just load the songs and away you go!

Once again, I must say, congratulations Apple... you've excelled in areas where others failed... now where's my free iPod touch? :)

Before you start frowning, no - I'm not going to talk about living green, going green, doing green or even doing it in the green ... in fact, there's nothing green about this. Just pure metal and the core of technologies oozing out of every angle. 

iPod touch... 

In case you don't know what sort of marvel this is - it's only the coolest MP3 player out there and NO Apple isn't paying me a single cent talking about it here. It's just that I honestly do believe is the BEST mp3 player, web browsing gadget, youtube viewer, contacts manager, calendar, picture viewer, movie player, show-off thingi every living being MUST buy. 

Being one of the early adopters of everything (you'd be saying "SUCKERRRR!!!" now), for the first time I early adopters of the world can unite and say "THANK YOU"... especially to Apple. 

The beginning...

Here's why... when the iPod touch first came out, I broke the bank and bought 2 units - one for me and my beloved... of course, it was great then...

About a year down the line...

As with every technological masterpiece that comes out, there's bound to be an upgrade - true enough, it came ... in fact, 2 upgrades have come by... software & hardware wise. 

To cut a long story short, here's what the current iPod touch can do that mine cannot (well at least software wise). Ability to access Google Maps, Mail, add calendar entries... ability to use the iPod touch as the coolest REMOTE CONTROL (more on this in my next blog) ever... 

The stingy me...

Being the stingy me, I wouldn't want to break another bank so I held on... instead, I went online in search for an alternative solution... 

Then VOILA! An UPGRADE via iTunes! To get all the features of the latest and greatest iPod touch, all it required was USD$ 19.95.

Things to note...

• it beats paying many folds more for a brand new iPod touch
• there's only so much software can do - I would be missing out on the new built-in speakers on the newer version
• it's freaking 70 ringgit!
• I've got 2 iPod Touches - that'll be 140 ringgit!

Go ahead or not?

The go ahead...

I went ahead and decided to upgrade "Stella's iPod" first... and believe me - the upgrade is well worth the 70 ringgit paid. Everything is just faster, cooler, works better - mail is amazing - for my consulting job - it works WONDERS - it supports Microsoft Exchange Push-Mail too!

My kiasu self...

Being kiasu, I decided to bite the bullet and pay that extra 70 ringgit for my own unit... 

The miracle...

• Plugged in my iPod touch into the notebook
• Selected "YES - I would like to upgrade and pay that extra 19 USD"
• Then the prompt came - "You've upgraded before, continue upgrade?" - I said YES and it was DONE for FREE! WOOHOO!!!

Pay 1 and get another free. Now that's what I call 'caring'... :)