Property Net Info

Information abounds in the internet, that's good! What's bad is the difficulty in knowing which ones are reliable. The whole of the internet is like the ocean, full of the good and bad. Here in Hong Kong, one of the most followed information is regarding properties: real estate! Hong Kong people are property mad. This is where many have made their money. But many too are without any. It appears that the rich ones accumulate many flats to live in and rent out. The poor ones, have no choice but to live in government built spartan-like shoeboxes - but I digress, that's another story. To know what you're getting yourself into, you need to search a lot. First by internet, then by agents, then by going to the site yourself! If you miss one of these steps, you'll most probably make a bad and expensive decision. One website that can be used is hkhomesreview.com which appears to be a site maintained by a photo enthusiast. He takes photos and gathers information of residential estates in Hong Kong. The difference of this site from other real estate websites is that it appears to have a deeper knowledge of most of the estates it writes about. Websites of the bigger Real Estate companies offer details on prices and sizes, but they don't carry information regarding the goodness or bad-ness of the estates! But yes, they do serve their own purpose. Other net users are quite helpful in providing information that they have - to find them, you need to go through a lot of user fora. Again, take their advice with a pinch of salt. Internet savvy people will be able to find what they need with not much effort, but beginners on the other hand need some help to find reliable info that they use to make decisions. So, whether you're hunting for a place to buy, rent, or just spend a few nights on, we wish you the best.

Looking Forward to new Nexus 7

It looks like the new Nexus 7 is going to be a good one. The improved screen resolution plus the 2 mb ram and the improved processor will be enough to make it a very convenient travelling companion.

The battery life it is claiming to deliver is also good, not great still, but good enough.

One thing I noticed is the lack of excitement on the new Android 4.3 version. Nobody seems to be that hot in it. Is it because it's not really bringing something substantial? There's really nothing new for the ordinary user in this latest iteration.

As a whole, looking at is a device you're always going to use, it looks like a winner. Let's see if it turns that way in actual use.

Too Many Passwords!

How many have you forgotten so far?

It's bound to happen you know. Just ask yourself how many emails you're maintaining (e.g. one for work and another for personal emails, etc.). Think too of the many accounts you have in social media. There are so many sites that matter to us personally and they too, verify our identity! That's not to mention the more important ones like the bank (how many again?), and utilities, and school and others.

Many smart people have been trying to solve this problem without giving up on security. None so far has given us a real solution.

What have you tried? Did you try to use the same password for all accounts? Sometimes they work, most of the times they don't as for example sites don't have the same validation for passwords. Some require four digits (they're still alive!), some 8. Newer and security conscious sites require combinations of letters and numbers, and some even require non-alphanumeric characters! Plus the small letter and capital letter combination!

Think too that these sites force us to change our passwords! It's a real hassle I know, but you can't do anything about it - it's for security reasons!

Don't forget some sites require two password combinations, and too, some even use an additional layer using a device that generates random numbers (are they really random?) outside of the original password. What's going to happen if you lose your number generator and it takes the institution (usually banks) ages to send you a new one? It's difficult to imagine...

So what are we to do? Most of us do things that compromise security. You'll find some passwords jotted down on cards (think of your ATM), in a tiny piece of paper in the wallet, stored in the mobile phone too! How could you do this? It's laziness sometimes.

If you're so sure you can remember all the passwords that you use without using anything, just the plain old noggin, then think too what's going to happen if you get into an accident and forget everything! Oh gosh, there's just nothing that we can do that is full proof.

So, we just that what we need to do...hopefully someday something will come to solve this very simple yet confounding problem!

Sony Experia Z Tablet - Impressive!

I spent some time using the new Sony Experia Z 10.1 tablet and I was impressed!  The responsiveness is so good, the screen’s resolution is excellent, the weight is incredibly light, the size was not to my liking (I now prefer the 8-inch screen size), but everything else was good. It is one truly likable device.

I believe that tablets are getting so ordinary that it’s so hard to distinguish one from another. Sony though has added the thinness factor and a unique claim to being water and dust resistant!

Everything else looks the same for those who are familiar with Android.

I installed my favorite ebook reader and read my favorite magazines, and found the Experia Z to be good as well. It helps that the resolution is so high the text and photo details are incredibly clear! I’m sure it’s going to be a very good e-reader because you’re not going to be too tired holding it for long periods of time, as mentioned, it is light.

I’m going to pass on this item though and wait and see whether Sony is going to release one with an 8-inch screen. If not, I may get a Samsung Note 8.

Excellent Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S4

This phone can do the basics very well and more. It can make and receive calls; write, send, and receive SMS and MMS messages; connect and browse the internet; install apps and run them.

All these things plus playing music and videos, taking photos and videos, reading ebooks, viewing all sorts of documents are effortlessly achieved in this smartphone. Come to think of it, are you going to buy a smartphone that can't do these basics? No way Jose!

If you're the type that only needs a phone to communicate, then this beast of a phone (and expensive too!) is not for you. Go get something that lasts weeks in one charge. This is one thing that a powerful smartphone owner can't run away from, the power drain problem.

The S4 can last one whole day in a normal use environment (phone calls, sms messages, email checking, light Facebook browsing). But if you're a gamer, even social gaming where colorful candies or gold drops down or disperses in the screen added with heavy use of cellular or internet voice calls, you'll be happy with an 8-hour battery life. If you're such a user, I recommend getting one of those external batteries that can re-charge your S4 one or two times.

The S4 is beautiful to look at and in addition, feels very nice to touch. It's a shame to wrap it up with something to protect it from accidental drops and collisions, but that's a modest thing to have to protect a significant investment. After all, the S4 costs much.

One question that I'd like to answer is: Does the S4 offer something compelling for S3 owners to upgrade? My personal answer is NO.

If you're an S2 owner and are planning to get a new phone, then the S4 is a significant upgrade. I am an S3 owner, and I'm not going to to upgrade to S4. My other half has the S4, and I like looking, touching and "tinkering" with it. I'm sure most of us would. I stand by the title I've given to this post, the S4 is an excellent gadget. I'll say it again, if you're looking for a new phone, this is a very good choice to make.

Facebook Mystery Event

Update: So now we know! You can record and share 15 seconds of videos in Instagram. Not even an original idea! 

The last time there was a mystery Facebook Event, the social networking site's stock price popped! But it turned out to be a failure (at least for me!) Android App called Facebook Home. A lousy one that makes Facebook your "Homepage" in your mobile phone or that's what I heard, as I didn't even take a look. There's too much Facebook in my life already I want to get rid of it!

However, it has become an effective tool for me to communicate with family and friends that it's almost impossible to drop it altogether. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Now there's another Facebook mystery event on June 20! I wonder what that will be. I'm not counting on it to be earth shattering. I'm guessing it's the same as the previous one. The style to hype an event up has become jaded I guess. It doesn't help that what they deliver are boring (that includes new announcements from Apple and other technology companies.  Google actually has not shied away from new things. The recent internet using balloons and the Google Glass are quite ground breaking.).

These companies spoiled us bad with new gadgets and ways to do things (interface) that when iterations come, we're not as excited as before!

Yes, I'll be watching out what Facebook will ship in a few days, but the excitement level has definitely died down for me.

Overkill Backup

A 3-Terrabyte backup disk is too much space!

I thought I needed a good backup system which could handle data from two laptop computers so I went to my friendly neighborhood computer shop and searched for the cheapest I could get. There were disks that cost 700HKD for 2-Terrabytes and 899 for 3-Terrabytes while other brands of the same capacity were from 100 to 300 HKD more.

I only need 1.5 Terabytes of backup space (one laptop has 1-tb disk space, and the other has 0.5, so a 2-Tb disk should have been okay. However, if you compute the amount per terabyte, it seems like adding an extra terabyte of space was a steal, right?

After backing up my data from the 1-tb laptop, I only used up 300 GB (0.3tb) of space! So I over-bought space that I may not need after all. What a waste of money. That's because I ended up buying a 3-tb Seagate Expansion disk for 899HKD.

Now, the disk itself was fine. The transfer rate of raw copying of files (no compression) was from 85 to 100 mb/s using USB 3 interface. I got what I needed: a lot of space and fast I/O.

If you want backup software instead of using windows explorer, you need to get one of those disks that come with backup software.

One thing I wasn't able to do was make a system backup using Lenovo Onekey Recovery software that's already in my laptop. I've set it up to the point where you click the "Start" button to start making the recovery disk but it just wouldn't budge. The start button was not clickable (not a processing option at that stage). I wonder why...

In all, I'm again happy with my purchase albeit a little bit overkill for my needs.

#WhatsUp with Tags?

It's the in thing I guess, but what's the big deal? It must be to many as so many are using it and having fun, and it suits them. Again, we'll charge it to "to each his own" meme.

Sure it serves the purpose of aggregating like ideas or what not, but does anybody agree with me that they look ugly? Think about it, one guy posts a photo of a newly bought red shirt and tags it with #red #shirt #new #mall #etc and you call that pretty? Not to me, but as said, to each his own! Enjoy hash tagging guys, peace.

Still Waiting for Something New from Apple

So far it's quite disappointing. Apple hasn't really given anything new! Sure it's new revised software and user experience. But isn't it an oxymoron? You know, new and revised, but presented as new? To me that's old! Can't spin it differently...

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is Good!

iPad 3 side by side with Note 8

I had the chance to use this new Samsung tablet and I was quite impressed by it. It felt slick, literally, from the box.

I'm not going to go back and discuss the technical details of this gadget, there are lots of websites that do that already. Let's just list the things that I like about it.

Oh, Amazon.com's service needs to be mentioned too. I placed the order on May 25, and it arrived on May 31! If I was from the US, that's too slow, but I live in Hong Kong and that is awesome speed!

Why Amazon and not Hong Kong's famous gadget shops? It's solely because of the price. The Wi-Fi version of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is cheaper by about 500HKD after adding the shipping cost. I said before that it is expensive, but the offer from Amazon was a good one that made the decision to buy easier.

Size difference with iPad is not too big, I think.

Note 8 is light and easy to handle, it doesn't make your hands tired holding it for longer periods. The screen is so clear and bright even with the brightness set at half the brightest it can be. We've learned not to set it that way as the brighter it goes, the more power it uses. Just set it to the brightness level you're comfortable with.

Response to touch is so quick, there's almost no lag. Well, I set the animation settings from 1x to 0.5x and I know that setting helps. However when you do so, you're sacrificing some silkiness in screen presentation. Again, this is a personal preference: I prefer speed. If you set the animation settings to 0, it's faster but a bit jerky already. That is why 0.5x is a good compromise.

I suggested to my wife not buy a folding case for it as it really feels good without anything covering the device. But then again, she's right that a beautifull piece like this needs some protection especially if you're prone to dropping stuff!

Everything else is fine: It connects to Wi-Fi and therefore the internet very well, it takes fine photos and renders them well, plays music and video, yadayada...Tablets are everywhere, makers must be juggling their engineers' brains a lot on how to create stuff that is different from others. The Samsung Galaxy Note, as mentioned, is a fine tablet that is enjoyable to use. I recommend it.

Finally, Google Nexus 7!

Nice, comfortable, very useful Nexus 7

Yes, I got the Nexus 7 just now! I'm not that hot about it that I didn't have to get one immediately. I purchased the 32GB and 3G model for 2,298 HKD (about 295USD). Add to that 90HKD for a smart cover/protector and

I need a device that has a bigger screen than my Samsung Galaxy S3 but not too big for me. Too big is anything around 10 inches diagonally. I use it to check emails (Gmail, Facebook, Yahoo Mail), view photos, watch videos, and read electronic books and magazines. It's perfect for my needs.

So why wait until now? I'm a spendthrift, that's why. I wait for prices to come down before I purchase something that I need (emphasis on n-e-e-d!). I know I need one, but I wait until prices are at reasonable levels before I purchase one. I also know that prices only come down considerably if new iterations of products are about to come, or when items are already "old". But I also know what I need, so even though a newer and better version is coming, the older version I'm buying is enough for my needs. Basically, that's the kind of thinking that goes through my mind when shopping for something.

First thing to do is charge for 8 hours. I'm not sure if this necessary, but it has always been good doing so. The idea being, if you do, you will optimize the life of your battery. No harm in trying, right?

Next is to install all the apps I need, and then turn off all options that drain the battery. Even this, is not so scientific, but again there's no harm in doing it.

For the past few days I've been loving my new gadget, and here's hoping for many more enjoyable days to come!

How to Make your own 2x2 Photo for US Visa Application

Creating your own 2x2 photo to be used for US Visa application is not difficult. Again, technology has changed things for the better. In times past, you really need to go to a photo shop and have your photo taken, and then the shop will give you a printed 2x2 id photo.

The proliferation of smartphones and digital cameras have given owners of these gadgets the capability to  make their own!

1. Follow the tips given at this link http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/visaphotoreq/visaphotoreq_5334.html#tips

2. Take your photo

3. Crop (change the size) your photo into the acceptable size as specified by using the US government's online tool itself at this link http://www.travel.state.gov/_res/flash/cropper/FIG_cropper.html

Choose the photo you want to use by clicking "Choose" and navigating to where you saved it in your computer. Once chosen, it will be loaded into the online tool.

Use the adjustment buttons (- + and others) to manipulate the size of your photo until it is acceptable. It is acceptable when the "Crop" button is clicked and it does not ask you do change anything!

Once it is accepted however, it's a little bit tricky to find the "Save" button because the displayed acceptable/accepted photo blocks it. You need to move the displayed photo around the screen until the "Save" button is visible then click it. Your photo is now in your computer, note where you saved it.

4. Use it later on during online visa application.

Your photo for visa application is done! -->

How To Copy Installation Files from CD/DVD to Flash Disk

Why do we need this from time to time? My immediate need was when installing applications/programs into netbooks or ultrabooks that don't have the CD/DVD drive!

The problem when copying installation files from CD/DVD to a different destination (hard disk or flash disk for backup, or for use for installation) is that not all files are copied since there are system files and hidden files that cannot be seen from an ordinary Windows Explorer window. So, the trick I use is to use the command XCOPY in a Windows command line window. Below are the steps:

1. Go to the command line window by running "cmd".

2. Make sure where the files you want to copy are (this is your source or input). Is your CD/DVD drive using the letter "E:" or something else? Note it down, for example "E".

3. Make sure where you want to copy the files into (this is your destination or output). Note it down also, for example "F:" in a subdirectory you created named "Dest". This is not case sensitive, it doesn't matter whether you use capital letters or small.

4. When both input (CD/DVD) and output (Flash Disk) are ready, type the following command in the "cmd" line (as shown in the photo) and press "Enter".

If everything was done correctly, the files from your CD/DVD will be copied to your Flash Disk.
-->

What I Need in a Phone

It used to be that phones were just for making and receiving voice calls. Now, it's not as simple.

My phone should be able to:

1. Make and receive calls

2. Write, send, and receive sms messages

3. Access the internet

4. Last a long time (battery life)

5. Be operated easily, intuitively

It won't hurt if it can:

1. Make me feel happy when I see it (it's beautifully designed)

2. Be taken out without a bag (or it can fit in a pocket)

3. Have a long physical life (won't break easy)

4. Be bought without hurting my wallet (reasonably priced)

5. Be used as an entertainment center (book reader, music player, video player, operate the TV!).

When you buy new units nowadays, they come with what we call "bloatware" - programs or applications that we don't really need, or functions that we can live without. The good thing is we have the capability to remove them! Although at this time, most of the time, you're going to lose your warranty. But that's the price you have to pay if you want your gadget optimized for your own use according to your speifications. It's way cooler that way.

But give me the first 5 items in my list and I'll be fine.

Simple Phone Homepage

As they say, to each his own. When it comes to homepage screens it's the same, each smartphone owner has his own preference. I like mine simple and uncluttered with the apps that I often use one or two taps away.

To achieve this in my Android devices, I use an app called Go Launcher (my wife uses Apex Launcher, which I find almost the same). To save battery (as they say), a dark background in an Amoled screen is best. The reasoning behind being when dark, no power is needed to display the black color. Light/power is needed to display white and other colors. It makes sense, but I don't really know home much power is saved in doing so. Big screens eats up power like crazy, it is therefore logical to save as much as one can until they discover batteries or technologies that can drastically extend battery life.

The launcher allows me to create "folders" which contains carefully categorized groups of apps. If you look at my home screen, I have the Switch widget on top that allows me to turn on or off Wifi, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth connections plus the mute and vibrate buttons. At the bottom are the most used buttons including Call, Contacts, Messaging, Apps and a soft On/Off button.

My folders contain all the apps that are often used. This is how I like mine, how about you?

Online Banking Problem

Spoiled by the speed and convenience of online banking, disappointment is magnified a hundred times or more when problems come! This is true to me having been used to transferring money online thru Metrobank.com.ph and all of a sudden not being able to do so.

There was an email notice for all users that online services will be down; which is normal. But when everything else is working except for you, you can only scratch your head in disappointment because there's really nothing you can do! Yes, you need to transfer money to repay a debt or for your loved ones to pay for their needs, but all browsers return a message that "metrobank.com.ph is not found, try reloading", what's next for you?

Try accessing the website thru mobile phone, a different computer, etc. Same result.

Try calling back home to the Philippines and ask a family member to try accessing the website. It works!

What's the problem then? I'm stumped. Maybe a trip to my Metrobank branch and transferring all my deposits to another bank will help.

Windows 8 Experience Using Lenovo G480A with i7 Processor

I've come to like Lenovo laptops. I was so happy with my Lenovo Thinkpad Edge with i3 processor in the past 3 years. The laptop is still good, still like new but I used up almost all of its 500 gigabytes of disk space it was starting to lag.

I made sure it was the disk space that was the problem by deleting most of the data in the drive C (system disk) and run the applications that I thought was lagging, and yes, they ran so well again.

I can't leave my "data" in backup disks, I need to have them with my laptop wherever I am. So I need to get something with a bigger capacity hard disk. I therefore went to my favorite Sham Shui Po Golden Computer Center and shopped around.

I wasn't willing to spend more than 5,000 HK$ for a new laptop and there were many candidates. But the ones I liked (by reputation)  all exceeded the budget! So I made a compromise with the G480A with i7 processor at HK$5,500. It was a very good decision (up to this time).

My Windows 8 experience is not very immersive (lol). I always click on the Desktop icon and work in a Windows 7 like environment! I learned some shortcuts (e.g. Windows Key + R to run an application directly, Windows Key + B for desktop, etc.) and how to hover my mouse in the lower right corner to display the Windows Widgets Control and I'm fine. That's all I need at this time.

After transferring all my data from my old Thinkpad Edge to this new laptop, I still have a lot left in the 1TB disk!

My applications (Photoshop 4, MS Office, Browsers, etc.) are all flying! The i7 processor, 1TB hard disk, 8GB Ram, and the extra 24GB SSD that came with the system I'm sure are the reasons for this wonderful performance. I'm glad I paid the extra 500HK$ and chose this system. I can't be happier with this recent purchase.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is Expensive

I've been anticipating the arrival of the Galaxy Note 8 but now that it's here (unofficially in Hong Kong), I'm not going to get one! The deal breaker was the price. I'm not going to pay HKD 4,200.00 for the 3g/Cellular version nor HK$ 3,700 for the Wi-Fi-only version! It just feels overpriced, and makes me think of getting (what horror!) an iPad Mini!

I was going to use the Note 8 for reading eBooks, sending messages, viewing photos and watching videos, and if the S Note was any good, I was going to use it in, well, note taking. But the steep price makes it an impractical buy.

Whatever is under the hood of this new gadget will not (at least for me) make it worth buying. I'll definitely pass on this one.

Smartphones Have Been Commodified

It used to be that when new models of phones are coming, punters can't sleep until they have one in their hands and are even willing to pay hundreds more to scalpers. Long lines are outside of shops with some in them willing to spend days just to be the first to get their hands on the prized gadgets.

As said, some of these brave souls are scalpers or paid bodies. With some here in Hong Kong sending their foreign domestic helpers to queue and buy for them while they continue to work.

In buses and trains, people elongate their necks to take a peek and whisper to their peer "iPhone x", or "Galaxy Sx". Owners feel proud too to be the owner of the object of others' interest.

These things are past. Sure, people still would like to get the best and the latest but not at the same degree of desire as before. After all, these smartphones are starting to be "the same". They make and receive calls, messages, and videos. They take photographs, play games, connect to the internet, and stuff. Users are going to get over the hype of new smartphones. Yes, smartphones have been commodified.

What does that say then about the makers of these gadgets? For sure, they're going to try their best to squeeze as much profit as they can from each iteration of their products, but just like other gadgets that have been commodified, like the Mp3 player, DVD player, etc, prices are bound to come down and so will the margins. They need to continue to innovate and bring new products out.

Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One

I've touched and played with the Galaxy S4 but not the HTC One. The S4 and S3 look the same to me! My S3 looks identical to the S4 as you can't really see what's inside the gadgets. Whatever the S4 can do, I'm so sure that the S3 will be able to do also once the firmware update arrives. I'm therefore not upgrading from the Samsung Galaxy S3 to S4. It just doesn't make sense.

If on the other hand you're getting a new phone, then there's no reason for you buy an S3 if you can afford an S4! Here in Hong Kong, a brand new S3 can be had for about HKD3,600.00 with no strings attached (no service contract) while the S4 is priced at HKD5,800 in major stores. With a phone company subsidy, you may be able to get one for free. Usually you have to sign on to plan where you have to pay around HKD450.00/month service for 24 months to get it.

After some computation, the subsidy you get from the Telco is around HKD2,000 (about 250 USD). Two thousand is no peanuts! But the downside is you're going to be tied up for the next 24 months and if you're a gadget freak, you're not going to like it when something better comes along within that period of time.

If money is not an issue, then just get one anytime you want!

One issue I'd like to write about is the comparison being made between the S4 and the HTC One. Upon release of the S4, reviewers mostly wrote and said that the S4 is a very good phone but not the best! The best they say is the HTC One. What's mentioned as reason is the aluminum body, and the LCD screen (I don't understand it, Amoled - which the S4 have - is supposed to be better than LCD - which the HTC One has.).

To me, the deal breakers with the HTC One are the (1) unibody design, which means that you can't replace the battery yourself when you need to. You have to get it serviced. And (2), there is no room for data expansion as there's no SD card slot! If you don't care about these two, then go ahead and get yourself a phone, labeled as the best there is today, the HTC One.

Tech Era

It used to be that in order to normally communicate with somebody, one needs to be face to face with another. It was actually good that way! When you're afar, you shout. When you're very near and the conversation is confidential, you whisper. Body language, tone of voice, the volume, facial expression, even the body smell adds spice to the conversation. Those were the days.

For really distance communication, there was the telegram, the good old snail (postal) mail, and the long distance phone calls. Some of them will be remembered by the prohibitive prices, the party-lines, and the amount of time they actually arrive to their destinations. But hey, we survived them too!

The advent of new technology, from the normal line telephones to the cellular phones and the internet, changed all of that. The convenience and speed plus the "coolness" of the technologies and even the outside "beauty" or design of gadgets today, make them a joy to behold and make use of. They are a welcome change.

As with all things new, the good comes with the bad. Extra expenses, extra time spent from learning to using to absolute meaningless staring and waiting for calls and messages and stuff, boggles the mind of many. However, if you don't adapt, you get left behind! If you're old enough, you won't care. But if you're of the younger generation, not having the new tech today is just unfathomable! For example, how can a high school student live without his/her cell phone? That's unimaginable! Some of these kids even go hungry in exchange for continuous link to friends and everything else that can be connected with.

So, I too am embracing this change. What experience I have with my gadgets, the ones I'd like to have, and others that others have I will try to write about. It will be nice to record them here and in a few years go back and see my thoughts again.