Tigran Corpuz

D-Link DIR-412 Wireless N 3G Router review

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:08:00 +0000

I got myself a new router to replace my CD-R King CW-G4. I wanted something fixed at home and more sturdy. After spending a couple of hours researching, the D-Link DIR-412 proved to be one of the most painless approach on getting back to the 3G router setup.

The D-Link DIR-412 can be spotted on most shops that sell computer peripherals ranging from PHP 2,000 to PHP 2,500. It's a bit more expensive than the CD-R King CW-G4 which costs PHP 1,880.

What's in the box

D-Link DIR-412 package

The router comes with standard package consisting of a LAN cable, manuals, cd, and a power adapter.

Features

D-Link DIR-412 with SUN Broadband 3G stick

The D-Link DIR-412 features a USB port for easy switching of 3G sticks. However, there are limitations when it comes to supported 3G sticks. I have not tried using the new 4G sticks in this router. For more information please check the compatibility of your 3G sticks before considering this as an option, you can find it here.

Administration tools

The router comes with a basic administration tools, more features than CW-G4 but not as equipped as the more expensive ones.

Conclusion

I have been using this router for about a month now and it provided me with steady Internet connection over 3G. There are a few times when the 3G signal drops and the router fails to recover from it, I had to unplug/plug the 3G stick or sometimes unplug the power adapter to re-establish its connection. But overall, this router has performed well for me, I would have been happier if I could flash DD-WRT or Tomato to this with fully supported 3G connectivity.

Adrive - 50GB Free online storage

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

Looking for free online storage? Or maybe a Megaupload alternative?

The recent shutdown of Megaupload has caused quite some ruckus in the online world, and with SOPA/PIPA coming to reality things look rather shaky for us folks. Nevertheless, I want to share with you a 50GB free, yes 50GB free online storage service by Adrive.

Adrive is an online file storage and backup service that offers various features to make storing and protecting your data more convenient. They offers 3 different storage plans mainly: basic, signature and premium. But for free sake, I'll only talk about the basic plan. You can check their other storage plan here.

The Basic plan offers 50GB of online storage and backup for all file types for FREE.

Features:

Universal Access
50GB Storage Capacity (per account)
File Sharing
Folder/Directory Upload
File Download
Easy Search Tool
Remote File Transfer
International Character Support
Zoho® Editor

Adrive web user interface

I've been using this service for more than 3 years now and I haven't encountered any problems. The service is fast, and there is no waiting unlike other file-hosting services and most importantly the service is free.

I highly recommend it to folks who want to access their files anywhere and needs a huge amount of online storage.

Sunflower in Baguio

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:53:00 +0000

Sunflower, a photo by Tigran Corpuz on Flickr.

Recently went to Baguio city. I took a couple of photos of the plants and flowers around the city. You can check my flickr account to see more.

Canon EOS 7D + EF 24-70mm f/2.8L

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Canon EOS 7D + EF 24-70mm f/2.8L #2, a photo by Tigran Corpuz on Flickr.

I've finally updated my flickr account with a couple of photos taken during the holidays. Trying out different lighting on this one.

CD-R King Portable 3G Wireless-N Broadband Router

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:39:00 +0000

I've been looking for a portable 3G wireless-n broadband router for quite a while now. However, the choices are limited and the most popular 3G wireless-n broadband router, the Huawei E5 costs PHP 5,995. I find it quite expensive for such a device that I won't even use that often. Luckily, I came across this CD-R King product called CW-G4 3G Mobile Wireless-N Broadband Router.

As with most CD-R King products this one is cheap, at ~~PHP 2,180~~ PHP 1,880 it's more than 50% less the price of the Huawei E5. Even though the router is cheap, it doesn't disappoint when it comes to features.

What's in the box

CW-G4 package

The CW-G4 comes with a LAN cable, a battery, manual, and a wall charger; something which you have to purchase separately when buying the Huawei E5.

Features

The device accepts USB 3G broadband dongles, so changing to different 3G broadband network is easy as you don't have to remove the sim card from the device itself. Others may find the device to be a little bulky because of the USB dongle sticking out of the router.

CW-G4 Administrator Tools

Like other routers, the CW-G4 comes equipped with administrator tools which can be accessed easily in a web browser and typing 192.168.2.1 in the url. Thus allowing the user to change settings like wireless security, ssid and other stuff.

The battery life of this device is rated at two to three hours of surfing time, and after testing it personally. I got two hours and twenty seven minutes of surfing time. It comes up short compared to the Huawei E5 which gives about five hours of surfing time. But, like the Huawei E5 this device can be charged while in use via the mini USB port.

This device can connect up to 30 devices, unlike the Huawei E5 which is only limited to five. I've tried connecting four devices at the same time and encountered no problems at all.

Pre-configured settings for different networks

The CW-G4 comes with pre-configured settings for major 3G networks listed per country. In the Philippines, the three major networks Globe, Sun and Smart are supported. The administrator tools allows you to configure your own settings so using this device for other countries is no problem.

I expected this device to emit a lot of heat while in use. But to my surprise the device doesn't heat up that much compared to my HTC Magic in tethered mode. The heat is barely noticeable even after hours of using it.

Conclusion

There is much to like about the CD-R King's CW-G4 3G Wireless-N Broadband Router. I find it very useful for everyday use. It is easy to configure and use. Though it may be lacking in battery life, the device picks up in its versatility in switching to different broadband networks. No need to worry about unlocking the device as it accepts USB 3G broadband dongles.

Google search tips and tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:28:00 +0000

Google has become a household name. Whenever you need to find an information on the internet you just have to Google it. But did you know that Google search results can be further refined by using a combinations of strings?

quotes
Allow searching for sites containing the exact string/s.

"tigran corpuz on Google tips"

site
Search a specific site using the keyword/s entered. This is useful for sites that doesn't have a search function.

{keyword} site:{url} earphones site:tigrancorpuz.blogspot.com

Quotes can also be added to keywords to be more specific.

"Sennheiser CX 300" site:tigrancorpuz.blogspot.com

filetype
Search the filename of a specific file type. This doesn't always work because Google doesn't index every file type. Sample file types are .ps, .pdf, .jpg .doc, .xls, .ppt, and.rtf

third eye blind filetype:jpg

inurl
Search URLs containing the specified keyword/s

inurl:lakers

A keyword can also be specified when using inurl command. This will look for keywords in the site entered after inurl command.

kobe inurl:lakers

allinurl
Search for more than one word that is found in a URL.

allinurl:kobe bryant

intext
Search the actual content of the website but not its tags.

intext:lakers

allintext
Similar to the intext command, but allintext allows searching for more than one keyword.

allintext:pau gasol

Hybrid fuel efficiency over car cost

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:02:00 +0000

photo by runron, from morguefile.com

Fuel costs have increased dramatically over the years. In the Philippines alone, fuel cost has increased by at least 41% in the last 5 years.

A lot of us want to drive our own cars. But with the increase of fuel cost, we start to seek for solutions to lower our fuel expenses. One of the technologically advanced solutions that are currently in the market is the hybrid car. Hybrid cars are well known for being fuel efficient and Eco-friendly.

Currently, the most fuel efficient hybrid car on the market is the Toyota Prius. At the rate of 17.00 to 21.25 km/l (kilometers per liter). It is not hard to see just how much fuel cost this car can save you. Now, assuming that you drive 46km to work every weekday. That is 12006km per year. As of writing this article fuel cost in the Philippines is Php61.00 per liter of unleaded gasoline. Using the rate above, this will cost you Php34,464.28 to Php43,080.35 every year. Keep in mind though that in this computation, the values of km/l and fuel cost remains unchanged.

Let's compare that to a non-hybrid car. First thing that came to my mind is my 2006 Honda Civic 1.8 S, this car is rated 11 to 14 km/l. Using the same scenario above. This will set me back Php52,311.85 to Php66,578.72 per year. With this, the Prius will save me Php17,847.57 to Php23,498.37 per year on fuel expenses alone.

Toyota Prius
photo from toyota.com.ph

With fuel efficiency in mind, the Prius easily wins this category. However, the Prius cost a lot more than non-hybrid vehicles. A brand new Toyota Prius 1.8 Hybrid cost Php2,250,000.00, while a Honda Civic 1.8 S MT will cost Php938,000.00. That's Php1,312,000.00 more than the Civic. Without considering performance deterioration for both cars, it will take more than 10 years just to make up the difference in price through fuel savings.

In this date and time, considering the price of fuel and the cost to buy a hybrid car. I find it more practical to stick to a non-hybrid one. Though the Prius has proven its potential in fuel efficiency and being Eco-friendly, it is very pricey compared to a non-hybrid sedan like a Honda Civic.

We all love technologies, as an enthusiast myself I look forward to the hybrid cars of the future. Hopefully they will cost less and will have a better fuel efficiency than the current build.

Using sun broadband wireless on Android phones

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:03:00 +0000

Are you always on EDGE when using Sun broadband wireless on your phone?

It took me quite a while to make sun broadband wireless' HSDPA to work with my HTC Magic. Reading forums and scouring the internet for a solution. I tried a couple of APN configurations but to no avail. I was always on EDGE connection. Even in places where 3G signal was strong.

A couple of weeks back, I was finally able to make it work. Today, I'd like to share it you.

First you need to configure is your APN. You need to change the APN name from minternet to fbband.

Use fbband if you're on postpaid and minternet for prepaid.

After that, the phone has to be configured to connect to WCDMA or UMTS only. This is not in the android menu. Anyway, open the dialer. Type in *#*#4636#*#*. This will open the RadioInfo and will allow us to choose the network mode of the phone. Choose WCDMA only.

There is an easier way to do this. By installing the app called Network by Philipp Mangelow. This app creates a shortcut to the RadioInfo menu, so you don't have to enter those strings in the dialer.

After choosing WCDMA only, you should be able to connect to HSDPA. Please do remember to switch back to WCDMA prefered if you're going to places where there's no 3G signal. Otherwise the phone won't have any signal at all.

Why invest in good earphones

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Are you using stock earphones?

Sennheiser CX 300

I bought a Sennheiser CX 300 a couple of years ago as an upgrade over the stock iPod earphones. The upgrade was worth it, the earphones provided me with great sound quality, good sound isolation and it is durable enough to withstand everyday use. Aside from providing us with better music quality. I'd like to share another reason why upgrading to an in-ear or any noise isolating earphone is a good investment. There is a serious hearing loss risk when using earphones.

I often come across someone with loud music coming out of their earphones. Sometimes loud enough for everyone to hear from a distance, especially in elevators. Most of these people are using normal type of earphones or to describe it more simply is the stock iPod earphones. These earphones aren't that bad, at least it doesn't sound too flat compared to others. However, I'm more concern with the damage being done to the ears by playing music at such high volume.

There are two types of earphones: earphones and in-ear earphones (canal-phones).

A person using normal earphones usually turns the volume up to be able to hear his music over the noise around him. Sometimes the volume goes over the normal decibel level for the ear. Being exposed to high levels of decibel may cause short term or permanent damage to the ear.

Listening to music with normal earphones for two hours a day at 80 to 90% max volume will cause a significant damage to your ear. Hearing loss may not happen instantly, but over time you will start lose the ability to hear high pitched sounds gradually. Loss of ability to hear high pitched sounds will make it difficult to understand speech. It may not be obvious at first, but when you're at places where background noise level is high. You will start having difficulties when talking with someone.

Unlike normal earphones, in-ear earphones or canal-phones provide noise reduction or isolation. Noise reduction allows us to hear the music over the noise around us without turning the volume up too much. This reduces the risk of hearing loss by lowering the amount of decibels that the ears are exposed to.

I recommend people to invest in a good set of earphones with noise isolation or reduction. For me, the earphones upgrade I have made a couple of years back is very much worth it. The Sennheiser CX 300 has been my trusty music companion for over 3 years now. It has given me better sound quality and durability. The default iPod earphones didn't even last a year. Plus, the added noise reduction allowed me to use a lower volume in noisy places compared to the stock earphones. Thus, reducing the risk of hearing loss.

0.facebook.com on Android phone

noreply@blogger.com (Tigran Corpuz) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:06:00 +0000

For those of you who are using Sun Cellular, 0.facebook.com is a service by Sun Cellular that allows their subscribers to access the social network site for free.

Agan this service is free, but beware of data charges when background applications starts to sync to the internet. To disable this go to:

- Settings
- select Accounts & sync
- uncheck Background data

Click the picture to view the full size image.

Once Background data has been disabled, background applications that send and receive data to the internet will be disabled. Hence, preventing data charges.

Now, to access 0.facebook.com, the APN should be properly configured. Follow these instructions:

Go to
- Settings
- Select Wireless & Networks
- Select Mobile networks
- Select Access Point Names.
- Create a new APN by pressing menu, then select New APN

Click the picture to view the full size image.

Enter the following:
NOTE: you only need to input on the first 4 entries.

Click the picture to view the full size image.

- Once you're done, hit the back button. Select this APN and make sure Data enabled is on.

- Open the browser and enter 0.facebook.com

If the configuration is correct, it should take you to this page.