Yuhui’s Apple Blogger

My Apple memory: how I wrote to Steve Jobs about getting my first Apple computer

2011-10-07T00:43:00.000+08:00

A young Steve Jobs (right) with Apple founding partner, Steve Wozniak (left)

In 1998, I was a freshman in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, halfway around the world from my home country, Singapore. With a desire to try something new as part of college life, I spent US$2,3000 to buy a new PowerBook G3 "Wallstreet", with a 233MHz CPU, 32MB of RAM, 2GB of hard disk space, and a 12-inch screen.

But Apple had just released this new line of PowerBooks, so supply was limited. When my freshman term started, I still had not received my PowerBook, even though my order had been placed for more than a week (I think). The only response that DoIT (UW's computer store) could provide was that it was on the way.

So one day, I went to a computer lab and wrote an email to sjobs@apple.com. Yes, I was writing to Steve Jobs, who had just taken over as interim CEO at Apple a year before. I wrote about my predicament in getting my PowerBook quickly, now that the school term had started. I mentioned that this was to be my first Apple computer. I told him about UW's strong support for the Macintosh platform, even though Apple was still languishing in 1998. I ended by saying that I hoped that Apple could somehow expedite my order.

Unfortunately, I never kept a copy of that email, so I can't verify anything.

A few days later, I got a call from DoIT. My PowerBook had arrived! And I was one of the first customers on campus to receive it.

I don't know if my email had played any part in my receiving my PowerBook. And I don't recall if I ever wrote a thank-you email to Steve Jobs for it.

But I do know that from that time forward, I have always used an Apple computer for my personal use, as follows:

PowerBook G3
PowerBook G4 Titanium (first version)
iMac G5 (second version)
MacBook Air (second version) -- my current computer

Along the way, I've also owned an iPod, an iPod nano and an Apple TV. I don't own an iPhone because I've been holding out for a white version, but iPhone 4S with Siri sounds interesting.

And that's my Apple memory of Steve Jobs. RIP.

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How I browse the web securely on my Firefox browser with 3 add-ons

2011-01-09T22:18:00.005+08:00

Some people may know that I'm a huge fan of Firefox, the free web browser from Mozilla. I've been using it faithfully as my primary web browser since its version 1 days. That was the time when it was the primary challenger to the incumbent Internet Explorer.

What I especially love about Firefox is its huge library of add-ons. These are small little apps that enhance Firefox's functionality. It is because of this add-ons library that I remain a Firefox user, even though there are new browsers like Apple Safari and Google Chrome.

Recently, I've installed three add-ons to make my web browsing even more secure. Firefox already provides great built-in security, like warning against browsing bad websites and private browsing. But there are new and hidden threats that Firefox doesn't protect. This is where these add-ons come in to assist the paranoid.

Safe
When you browse a secure site (one that uses "HTTPS" in its address), usually with banks or other e-commerce sites, Firefox will automatically display the website owner's name in the address bar. This reassures you that the secure website that you're browsing really belongs to the person or organization that you expect.

But sometimes, that little indicator, or a "lock" icon, isn't very noticeable. That's where "Safe" comes in. It not only draws a coloured border within the window, it also colours the window's tab. This gives you a very clear — albeit garish — indicator that you are, indeed, browsing a secure site delivered via the HTTPS protocol.

By default, the border is very thick, as if Safe's developer wanted to reinforce the indicator as blatantly clear as possible. Fortunately, this can be adjusted to be thinner. On the other hand, there's no way to change the available colours. From what I can tell, there are only three colours: red, blue and green, and these are toggled according to which site you're browsing.
HTTPS Everywhere
HTTPS is the Internet protocol by which a secure connection is established between your web browser and the website that you're browsing. With this secure connection, it is theoretically and almost practically impossible for an outsider to see what information is being transferred. As I had mentioned above, almost every financial and e-commerce site uses HTTPS to deliver its information to you.

But HTTPS can — and should — be used beyond these kinds of websites. In fact, any time that you have to login to a website, you should be using a secure connection. Popular sites like Facebook and Twitter already provide these kinds of HTTPS connections on their login pages.

Unfortunately, HTTPS is rarely used beyond the login pages. And a few months ago, a nefarious Firefox add-on was developed to show the evils of this practice. Called "Firesheep", this add-on allows anyone to take over another person's browsing session on a website over a network, e.g. a wireless connection. (The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has a more complete write-up of Firesheep.)

Suffice to say that if all (good) websites enforced HTTPS connections when delivering personalized content, then we would be able to browse more comfortably and with greater trust. But because these websites don't enforce HTTPS, it falls on third parties to make it happen.

That's what EFF's "HTTPS Everywhere" does. When you're browsing a website that is known to allow HTTPS connections, like Google, Facebook and Twitter, HTTPS Everywhere will automatically force Firefox to connect to the site via a HTTPS connection. This is even if you are browsing a non-login page, like Gmail, a Facebook fan page or someone's Twitter profile. If you're using Safe, then you should see the (garish) coloured border and tab on these pages.

One downside of HTTPS Everywhere is that you may experience slightly slower browsing speeds when browsing these websites. But this slowdown is measured in milliseconds, and isn't your security worth that small amount of waiting time?

Another downside is that not all websites that allow HTTPS connections will operate properly. For example, Facebook Chat doesn't work over a HTTPS connection.
BetterPrivacy
If you've been browsing the web for a long time, then you're probably familiar with "cookies", little bits of information that are stored in your web browser, usually to track your login credentials or online behaviour. But have you heard of the "evercookie"? That's a nickname for data that is stored in your web browser — and cannot be removed by your browser's usual "Delete cookies" option.

If you have the Flash plugin (and chances are, you do), then you probably already have evercookies. Unlike normal web browser cookies, evercookies are stored as part of your Flash plugin's temporary data. Called "Local Shared Objects", or LSOs, they are stored together with other Flash temporary data, like buffered video, until you explicitly clear your Flash plugin's cache.

Unfortunately, it isn't easy to delete the contents of your Flash plugin's cache. (Here's the Adobe help page that allows you to view and delete your Flash plugin's cache.) Also, within Firefox, there's no option to not store LSOs because it is an Adobe Flash technology, not a browser setting.

"BetterPrivacy" helps you manage evercookies more easily. Like the standard Firefox cookies settings, BetterPrivacy lets you view the LSOs in your Flash plugin's cache and remove any that you don't want. Also, whenever you quit Firefox, BetterPrivacy will prompt you if you want to delete any LSOs that it has found. (Of course, you have the option to automatically delete these LSOs without prompting.)

On top of that, BetterPrivacy guards against another kind of evercookies. Instead of being Flash-based, these evercookies are stored in your web browser through a new technology called "Web Storage". Web Storage is a feature of the new HTML5 specification to allow web services to store data within your browser. Needless to say, this includes cookies. Like LSOs, there's no easy way to remove these Web Storage data, including the evercookies. Fortunately, BetterPrivacy will let you automatically delete any Web Storage data that it finds.

(I suspect that this auto-removal feature will need to be improved in future. There is certainly some Web Storage data that could be deemed useful over separate browsing sessions and should not be removed.)

So if you are already viewing and removing your regular Firefox cookies — or even blocking them, then you might also want to consider BetterPrivacy for an added layer of protection against evercookies.

So those are the three Firefox security-related add-ons that I've added to my browser. I've used them with the newest Firefox 4 and haven't encountered any trouble with them (so far).

I know that this reeks of paranoia and some of my information/opinions may be challenged or contradicted, but when it comes to security, I'd personally prefer to err on the side of caution. There are still some dark corners in the far reaches of the World Wide Web that I'd like to insure myself against. Safe, HTTPS Everywhere and BetterPrivacy allow me to surf the web just that bit more comfortably.

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If you liked this entry, you may also enjoy reading:

The Lab: Apple Safari 4 beta

3 things I like about the new MacBook Air

2010-10-24T17:14:00.000+08:00

This week, Steve Jobs introduced a refresh of the MacBook Air laptop computers from Apple. These new portables are now the lightest computers that Apple offers across its venerable Mac line.

I already own the previous version of the MacBook Air. I had bought it in March, so that I could not only bring it on my holiday then, but also use it for a few presentations at work and BarCamp Singapore. What led me to buy this MacBook Air, which I named "Aironaut, was its light weight. From personal experience, I know that even portable computers can be backbreaking, once you add in the weight of the power adapter.

The new MacBook Air is just as light as the previous versions, weighing in at just about 40 grammes less for the 13-inch version. But there are a few other things that I like about this new version, namely:

Two USB ports
Flash-based internal disk
Thumb drive-based software reinstall disk

1. Two USB ports
When it came to connecting devices, I believe that the MacBook Air had a "wireless" principle. That meant wireless networking (it requires an adapter to connect an Ethernet cable) and wireless accessories, like a wireless mouse. So one USB port has generally been sufficient for me when connecting an external disk.

Having said that, "one USB port good, two USB ports better". When backing up some disks recently, I found out just how limiting one USB port can be. In the end, I had to obtain a USB hub, so that I could back up everything easily.

I still think that there is a wireless principle for the MacBook Air, especially as more peripherals have wireless capabilities, e.g. printers, hard disks, etc. But for the short-term, the new MacBook Air's two USB ports definitely makes connecting peripherals so much more convenient.

2. Flash-based internal disk
When I was buying Aironaut, I was very tempted to get the version with its solid state drive (SSD), i.e. a flash disk. The traditional hard disk still has its uses and sturdiness, but a flash disk is so much sexier, quieter, and less prone to mechanical failure, especially when moving the computer while the disk is busy.

Unfortunately, the cost of the MacBook Air with the SSD exceeded my budget, and so I had to settle for the one with the usual hard disk. The new MacBook Airs don't give you that choice. Instead, you choose whether you want a lot of disk space, or even lots more disk space, and all in flash disk goodness.

Naysayers might say that a flash disk is not "persisitent". What this means is that, due to the nature of flash disks, if there's no power for a very long time, the flash disk could essentially be wiped clean. Besides not really knowing for sure what "a very long time" actually means, the other thing is that, as a computer, it should have power quite consistently. At most, it may not be used for a few days, but that shouldn't be "a very long time". So in my opinion, this argument is moot.

Besides the display, the internal disk is the other big consumer of power. A flash disk uses less power than a mechanical hard disk, so I'm sure that's one reason why Apple can boast a 30-day standby time on a full battery charge.

And yes, I was wowed when Steve Jobs boasted about the 30-day standby time. That's unheard of in the computer industry for laptops.

3. Thumb drive-based software reinstall disk
This is huge. I've always known that the computer industry would eventually have to move away from optical disks (CDs, DVDs) for software installation to thumb drives. As the cost of thumb drives plummeted while their storage space increased, it was only a question of time as to when the switch would occur.

And now, Apple has led the way with the MacBook Air. Again, this medium makes sense for the MacBook Air due to its lack of an optical disk drive. My Aironaut's software reinstall comes on DVDs. I had never needed to use them until one day, when I needed to get QuickTime 7 out of them. I had to make use of the "Remote Disc" feature, where the MacBook Air can use the optical disk drive of another computer, but it was just not an ideal setup.

A thumb drive makes so much more sense, not only in terms of not needing to hunt down an optical disc-equipped computer, but also the amount of software that can be stored in it. My Aironaut needs two DVDs, but the new MacBook Air only has one thumb drive. No more swapping of discs, no more needless wondering about which disc contains the software I want.

Computer users who are used to swapping discs when installing software are going to appreciate this convenience, once all of the other software publishers move to thumb drives or other flash memory-based storage, like SD cards (oh look, the MacBook Air has a built-in SD card reader!).

So those are my three reasons for why I like the new MacBook Air:

One extra USB port
Flash-based internal disk
Thumb drive to reinstall Apple software

But since I had bought Aironaut only about half a year ago, I'm not going to upgrade just yet. Maybe I'll wait for another MacBook Air refresh.

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Dell Home - evening of revelry and entertainment

2010-10-23T17:12:00.004+08:00

Thanks to XPR, I was invited to an event by Dell, teasingly called "An evening of revelry and entertainment". I thought that it'd be a time of fun and games, especially since it was held in an apartment at a prestigious condominium, Scotts Highpark, near the Newton MRT station.

It turned out to be more like a regular ol' house party, except that it was hosted by Dell Asia Pacific and there were several Dell and Alienware laptops placed in the rooms. Since it was held at 7pm (I arrived fashionably late at 7:30pm), my tummy was rumbling, so I headed straight for the buffet.

While eating, I wandered around the four-room apartment (one big hall/dining area and three bedrooms) to survey what was available. The house had clearly been decked out to showcase how Dell's computers fit with the needs and wants of every member of the modern family.

In "Bree's Kitchen", there was also a touchscreen computer, Inspiron One, that had an Excel spreadsheet of the family budget and a browser window showing Recipes.com.
"Michael's Room" was decked out to be the typical male gamer's room, with high-end Alienware desktop and laptop computers.
The next one was "Bernadette's Room", where the "daughter" lounged on her bed with a Dell laptop and she commented (no doubt through a script) on how she liked the colour and feel of her Inspiron laptop.
Finally, there was "Dennis' Study", where the man of the house was with his Inspiron One touchscreen desktop, browsing the stock market and other websites.

Finally, there were three Dell laptops and three Alienware laptops in the hall for attendees to play with. There was also a big flatscreen hung on the other end of the hall. When I arrived, it had a message about being ready to use with an "Intel Wireless Connect" device. About an hour-and-a-half later, it still had the same message. Clearly, this was supposed to be a demonstration that no one had figured out to, well, demonstrate.

So I did. Only one Inspiron 15R in the hall had Intel Wireless Connect. I pressed a button in the program, and -- voila! -- whatever was on the laptop's screen was now shown on the TV as well. I played a few videos, and that's when people started to realize what was going on, and the PR folks jumped in to explain the setup. I casually walked away to let others be wowed.

While the screen sharing was supposed to be real-time, I noticed that the TV would display about a half-second after what was on the laptop. I guess that's as close to real-time as is possible, given the state of today's wireless communications. But video playback was definitely smooth on both screens with no jerkiness. I think that's more of a credit to Intel's software rather than the Dell Inspiron laptop.

The Dell Inspiron laptop itself was like any other modern Windows 7-based laptop in the market. Big and bright screen, full-size keyboard, the usual connectors, built-in camera. It weighed in at about 3kg, which I've now discovered is a pain to pick up with one hand. I'm too used to the lightweight of my MacBook Air.

I did notice, though, that there was a slight static electricity discharge around the keyboard. The last time I noticed this was with an old Apple laptop that was plugged into the wall. Which meant that either the Dell's power adapter wasn't correctly designed for Singapore's voltage, or the Inspiron's casing is not well grounded. From this, I would recommend that the user ground himself at all times. Or herself, as in "Bernadette's" case.

As for the Inspiron One touchscreen desktop, I initially found it fun to use, but the novelty wore off soon enough. As Steve Jobs had said recently in his introduction to the new MacBook Air, having your arm raised in front of you all the time to touch a screen is painful and weary. It didn't help that typing or even things like mouse dragging were difficult. "Dennis" himself had constant difficulty trying to expand the on-screen handwriting interface. As a result of forearm muscle ache at needing to hold my hand straight in front, I quickly lost interest in the Inspiron One.

On the other hand, I must say that the handwriting interface was very accurate! This was in spite of my and others' scrawls. Dell or Microsoft just needs to get it to interpret the writing faster, so that the user can write faster too.

Not being a gamer myself, I didn't care much about the Alienware laptops' prowess. But at nearly 5kg, I don't think they can rightfully be called "portable" computers! More like "back breaking".

At the end of the day, Dell's computers are still Windows 7-based computers, and there's nothing in them that sets them apart from the other Windows 7-based computers. While it was fun to play with some new laptops, I wouldn't be switching from a Mac anytime soon.

Also, as mentioned, I've now really come to appreciate the lightness of my MacBook Air. Dell probably has similar lightweight laptops, but none were showcased that night. And I definitely will not be getting any insanely heavy Alienware laptops!

As for touchscreen desktops, I'll continue to treat them as a novelty. Steve Jobs was right -- humans are designed to touch surfaces in a downward motion, not straight ahead.

I stayed at the apartment till about 10pm. After the lucky draw at about 8:30pm, there was nothing much else going on. By 9:30pm, the models were off duty too. Everyone was just chatting and socializing. I don't know if there was much "revelry" or "entertainment", but as for me, it was time to leave.

I still wonder how Dell got the apartment though. It was definitely swanky! A pleasant place to be at for a person who would probably never be able to live in something like it.

Finally, few suggestion for XPR:

Please hire Asian models! We're in Singapore, not some Western colony! I dare say that the waitresses, in their maid uniform, were far cuter than the plastic-looking "Bernadette".
If your lucky draw is based solely on those who had dropped in namecards, please also allow for people without namecards to drop in a name label into the bowl. As I had not submitted a namecard, I lost interest in the lucky draw proceedings and went off to play with a computer instead.
Please reply when your invited guest responds to you. Don't leave them hanging, wondering if the email got through to you.

Launch of Windows Phone 7 in Singapore

2010-10-21T23:43:00.002+08:00

Microsoft unleashed its answer to Apple's smartphone leader, iPhone, with its Windows Phone 7 platform. This is supposedly a significant upgrade from the previous Windows Mobile platforms and represents Microsoft's last chance to catch up with Apple.

Thanks to the folks from WeberShandwick, I was invited to the Windows Phone 7 launch at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road. This event was a rather fancy shindig, attended by supposed luminaries in whatever industry they hail from. Sorry, you may be important people, but I certainly didn't recognize anyone. Though I met an old buddy there.

Doors were open at 7pm, but the event started at 8pm proper. After drinks and finger food, we were ushered into a darkened room and told to step within a lighted area. The show started with the MC welcoming us, then a few words of introduction from Microsoft Singapore's managing director, Jessica Tan.

This was followed by a brief introduction by Celeste Chong of Butter Factory and Loh Lik Peng of Hotel 1929 to talk about their apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace. No demos, unfortunately, so we had to imagine what their apps were like.

Matthew Hardman, Windows Client Business Group Lead, then came on stage to talk about a few key features of Windows Phone 7. Again, there was no real-time demo, not even a video, so the audience had to make do with the static images while Hardman rattled on. This was very disappointing, because Microsoft had a great big screen on stage, but failed to capitalize on it.

And then, the phones had their moment to shine as six models trotted out, posing with the phones from Dell, LG, HTC and Samsung. Someone should have taught the models to keep the phone screens on, because the phones didn't look picture-worthy with their black screens.

We were told to stand in the lighted box, because behind the black curtains surrounding us were the four exhibition areas: photos, gaming/entertainment, marketplace and office mobility (at a mock-up cafe). After the show was over, we were invited to experience Windows Phone 7's capabilities at these areas.

This turned out to be a letdown, from a first-hand experience point-of-view because... there was limited first-hand experience! Instead of having several phones available for the hundreds of attendees to play with, there were probably only about 15 in total in the room. And this included the few that were either already in the models' hands or handled by the Microsoft staff. I counted only four phones that were affixed to the exhibition areas for attendees to use. And, of course, these were hogged constantly.

So I had to settle for a verbal demonstration by Microsoft staff, as they played with the phones and showed us how easy it was to use. Yeah, I took their phones a few times to get my hands on them. But it felt quite pressuring to fiddle with a phone while someone constantly kept a close eye on me.

The few times that I did use one of the Windows Phone 7 phones, I had mixed feelings about the platform. The homescreen looked useful with its flashing tiles that let you know what's going on, e.g. friend updates on Facebook/Twitter, app updates, etc. Typing seemed easy enough, even though the touchscreen keys are smaller than the iPhone's, as did swiping/scrolling.

But the interface took a lot of getting used to. It wasn't something that I picked up intuitively. For example, the many small icons in the camera were for everything except taking a picture. I guess we're spoiled by the iPhone having its big shutter button on screen, so many times, I and my friend would accidentally find ourselves back at the homescreen or doing a Bing search.

That's another thing that irritated me. Each app had its small icon buttons at the bottom, even for common things like SMS and the contact list. But these icons somehow didn't look descriptive enough, nor were they easy to press due to their small size.

I was not the only one who thought that the Windows Phone 7 interface had a steep learning curve. Even a demo lady wearing a Microsoft polo T-shirt admitted to it! Haha, I appreciate such open honesty from those who've eaten their own dog food!

I was told that Windows Phone 7 will work with a Mac through an upcoming Zune Desktop Client. With the name "Zune" and memories of that failed Microsoft music player, I don't know if I have as much faith in it as I do with Apple's trusty iSync/Address Book/iCal combo.

I was also informed that, at least for the Dell phone, a full battery charge could last from about 7am to 10pm with constant web surfing, presumably with 3G or Wifi. That's not even a day's full use, quite like the iPhone.

As my old buddy had commented, Apple has nothing to worry from Windows Phone 7. The iPhone, with its iOS, is light years ahead, though the homescreen could be improved. Instead, Google should be the one shaking in its knees. Android still has a rather geeky interface, so ordinary folks would likely find issues with it. As he said, Android is like Linux -- it's powerful but would never work on a computer for laymen. But Windows Phone 7 looks sexy enough to challenge Android head-on, even in spite of its flaws.

Finally, a few suggestions for WeberShandwick:

Please provide a map in your invitation. Not everyone knows where the glitzy hotspots are. It doesn't help that GoThere didn't recognize "72-13 Theatre".
Stop giving out paper materials. Be environmentally friendly -- and practical! -- by putting your materials in a thumb drive. Not only can you also include high-resolution pictures (and thus saving us media folks from typing a complicated SkyDrive URL), but we can also re-use the thumbdrives for other personal purposes. And if you or your client brands the thumbdrives, hey, that's free advertising for you!
Provide better indication at the reception counter, so that we know which person we're supposed to register with. Or at least make sure the person whom we replied to is at the counter. If bloggers are considered as media, please let the bloggers know too.
Please hire Asian models. We're in Singapore, for chrissake! There are lots of gorgeous local girls who are not as plastic. In fact, I thought that the sole Asian model was the most natural and relaxed of the lot.

Apple TV - no longer a global player

2010-09-02T23:56:00.002+08:00

Less than 24 hours ago, Steve Jobs introduced the new iteration of Apple's hobby, the Apple TV. At one-quarter the size of the original and jet black in colour, it is Apple's latest attempt to gain some traction in the living room the way it has with computing and mobile phones.

The Apple TV continues to do what it does best: play films and videos in high definition through a regular television set. As before, it gets its content from a connected computer, usually wirelessly. And you can still watch videos from YouTube or browse photographs through Flickr.

But I think Apple has taken a huge step back in taking the Apple TV global. Instead, this new version of Apple's media player is now focused on the U.S. market. The new Apple TV lets you stream TV shows from U.S. broadcasters, ABC and Fox. It lets you watch Netflix films, which is only available in the U.S.

Of course, the Apple TV has always been quite U.S.-centric, with its legal limitation of showing only movies and TV shows that you had purchased through the iTunes Store (though I suppose for non-U.S. iTunes Stores' purchases, you could also watch them on Apple TV).

But with this new version, Apple is further restricting its reach. And it has done it in a huge way by removing the hard disk drive. This is the first Apple TV to lack a hard disk drive. This is because the device is designed to stream videos either through the iTunes Store or via a connected computer. Nothing is stored in the Apple TV, so there's no need for an expansive data storage medium. (Of course, I'm sure there is some storage, probably as flash memory, to store things like the operating system and a buffer for streaming, but it probably measures in megabytes or the low gigabytes, with limited free space for "other" use.)

Many Apple TV end users have taken advantage of the hard disk to "hack" their beloved media players to support other file formats, or for other non-entertainment purposes. Outside of the U.S., hacking allows owners to transfer their non-U.S. videos into the Apple TV to watch on their television sets. This opens up a whole new opportunity to make fuller use of the grey box for TV entertainment. Not to mention for storing favourite films in the device, removing the need to stream from a switched-on computer.

Also, not only has Apple removed the hard disk, it has also changed the USB port to the mini USB version. That means thumb drives, which have been the primary delivery tool for the initial step in hacking the Apple TV, are negated from use with this new device. Again, limiting hacking ability means limiting playback options.

So, without a hard disk drive, without a standard USB port that thumb drives can use, these lead to a restriction on hacking ability. And the Apple TV is reduced to being what it was originally conceived to be: a dumb box that lets you playback U.S. films and TV shows (primarily).

I'm glad I have my big grey Apple TV. People still wonder why I have it. But it works great in playing my iTunes shows. And after hacking it, it also functions perfectly in playing all other kinds of videos. Plus the opening jingle is just... grand.

Which makes the Apple TV a lot more valuable to me as an entertainment device. As for the new Apple TV, with its U.S.-centric restriction? It means nothing to me. Absolutely nada. Zero value. And I suspect that I'm not the only non-U.S. Apple fan who feels that way too.

Related entries:

Hack your Apple TV 3.0.1 - January 26, 2010
Hack your Apple TV 2.4 - July 19, 2009
I use this: Apple TV - March 30, 2009

HTML5 media tracking - proof-of-concept with Google Analytics

2010-07-04T00:28:00.000+08:00

HTML5 introduces new video and audio tags to allow you to embed multimedia content in your website. These content -- collectively called "media" -- can be played natively within HTML5-compatible web browsers, i.e. without any plug-ins, like Flash. Apple has been making a lot of noise about HTML5's capabilities, and some folks are warming up to the idea.

If you're a marketer or just interested in knowing how well your website is being used, then you'd also want to know whether your website visitors are using your HTML5-based videos or audio files.

To achieve web analytics tracking for HTML5 media, I've written a script that, for now, sends tracking information to Google Analytics. Take a look at my HTML5 media tracking proof-of-concept here. While crude, it works well in showcasing my tracking code's capabilities.

I've tested my proof-of-concept in Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera on my Mac. All of these browsers send the tracking information successfully.

I'm currently working on fine-tuning the code and adding Omniture tracking as well. As with most of my programming work, this HTML5 media tracking is open source under the GNU Public Licence version 3, so anyone can use and modify it.

Try out my HTML5 media tracking proof-of-concept and let me know your comments about it!

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Review: MacBook Air

2010-05-16T23:24:00.001+08:00

Flickr photo by maurymccown / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I've been the owner of a MacBook Air for about two months now. I originally got it because I was going on an overseas trip and wanted some computing power on the move without breaking my back. Also, because not long after that, I was presenting at BarCamp Singapore and, again, wanted a computer that wouldn't weigh me down.

After that, I had used it intermittently, until my main computer, iMac G5 "Onomatopoeia", died. Now, my as-yet-unnamed MacBook Air is my main computer, giving me a chance to really get to know it better. My MacBook Air uses the latest version of Mac OS X, version 10.6 "Snow Leopard". Since the software is no different from any other Mac's, I'll just talk about the hardware.

Flickr photo by dantaylor / CC BY 2.0

And what a glorious piece of hardware this is! As the name implies, this laptop is featherweight, compared to most other laptops or even netbooks. It is so light that I can balance it on one hand! Which actually comes in handy when I'm overworking the CPU and the bottom gets too hot to be placed comfortably on my lap.

Its ultra-slim aluminum casing looks and feels fragile, but it's also surprisingly sturdy. When opened, I can grip it at one corner to carry the whole device. That's actually quite good because it means that I can be as rough with it as a normal laptop, without worrying about damaging the shell. (Of course, I don't intend to be hard on it anyway!)

People talk about the iPad's incredible slimness. Through my MacBook Air, I can see where and how Apple perfected creating a lightweight but tough shell.

My MacBook Air is the 13" version, so the keyboard takes up half the space, with the palm rests and huge trackpad taking up the other half. That's more than enough space for comfortable typing. This being a laptop, though, I miss some of the extra keys found on a full-sized keyboard, like the number pad. I also miss having a mouse, though I'm getting used to the multi-tap gestures for the trackpad.

I don't use a mouse because I hold on to this principle: it's a laptop, it's meant to be portable, a mouse will just drag me down. Yes, maybe it's misguided, but that's how I think. And anyway, I don't have a Bluetooth-enabled mouse. Which means that if I wanted to use a mouse, I'd have to connect it to the lone USB port.

That's a major drawback of the MacBook Air. It only has one USB port. I now find myself having to mentally "schedule" which devices to connect when needed, especially external hard disks. It doesn't help that I also need to charge my phone and iPod nano through it.

And if I need to use an Ethernet cable for networking, yup, it connects via an Ethernet-USB adapter to the USB port. Fortunately, we live in a wireless world, which is what the MacBook Air was clearly designed for.

Another aspect that surprised me when I first opened the laptop was the frame around the screen. It's wider than I had expected, making the brightly-lit screen seem smaller than it should. I don't know if it's for the screen's protection or the need to accommodate the screen's electronics, but it was quite a letdown.

But overall, it's been a pleasure to use the MacBook Air. Its light weight is definitely a huge plus factor. If not for its crippled feature set, I would heartily recommend this to anyone who's looking for a laptop. Having said that, if you don't want to strain your back to carry a laptop, then the MacBook Air might be just what the chiropractor ordered.

--

Ode to my phone battery

2010-02-19T00:10:00.004+08:00

This isn't an Apple-specific entry, but it would probably be all too familiar with iPhone users.

Sung to the tune of "Killing Me Softly" by... ah, pick your favourite R&B singer.

Playing a game on the small screen
Surfing the web with 3G
Killing my battery with phone apps
Killing it quickly
Depleting
Giving the power co.
My money
When I recharge my
Battery

Hack your Apple TV 3.0.1

2010-01-26T00:20:00.001+08:00

About half a year ago, I was forced to upgrade my Apple TV to version 2.4 because I had accidentally pressed the "Upgrade now" button. A week ago, history repeated itself, and I found myself being forced to upgrade to version 3.0.1 of Apple TV. I had resisted the urge for a long time because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to hack this new version of the firmware, which would limit my TV watching enjoyment.

As it turned out, I didn't have to worry too much about it. Over at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe, I've provided my steps on how to "Hack your Apple TV 3.0.1". As luck would have it, I had nothing to fear, and now my Apple TV 3 is happily hacked, and so can yours!

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January 27 is coming, is Apple ready?

2010-01-20T00:03:00.005+08:00

It's not easy being Apple these days. It's on top of the world in music with the iPod and mobile communications with its iPhone. Its Macintosh line of computers has been on a steady upswing.

And everyone's raving about a tablet computer that no one can confirm.

It's quite safe to say that Steve Jobs won't be able -- or allowed! -- to do anything wrong on January 27 during its media event, with the slogan "Come see our latest creation".

Over at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe, I jotted down some thoughts about Apple's huge task for the event on "January 27 is coming, is Apple ready?". I hope that Apple -- and its fans -- will be ready for whatever Steve Jobs unveils.

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I'm dreaming of an Apple iSlate

2009-12-27T18:14:00.002+08:00

While the Apple iPhone has become a ubiquitous device in Singapore, there are still persistent rumours about an Apple tablet computer. And just before Christmas, new rumours swirled around about just such a device, including its alleged name.

Over at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe, I've provided a quick recap of what went down recently in "I'm dreaming of an Apple iSlate ". Hopefully, our dreams won't be dashed come January 2010.

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Solution: overcoming black screen single user mode and missing "/etc/hostconfig"

2009-11-28T23:10:00.002+08:00

One of the worst things to happen upon starting a Mac is to find yourself at a black screen with white text, instead of the familiar Finder. That's what happened to me recently. I had found myself in the (dreaded) "single user mode". Worse, I was later to discover that my Mac was missing a required file, "/etc/hostconfig" (i.e. the "hostconfig" file that's located at the "etc" folder).

I've detailed how I overcame my problem at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe. Hop on over to "Mac Solution: Mac starts into black screen ". Read on to find out how I restored my "/etc/hostconfig" file and successfully got out of single user mode!

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The Lab: HTC Magic

2009-07-25T16:04:00.003+08:00

Thanks to the Apple iPhone, suddenly everyone wants to have a touchscreen smartphone to call their own. And phone manufacturers are answering the call by rolling out such devices to meet demand. It also helps that Google has jumped in the fray by providing its free Android software for these smartphones.

HTC is one such manufacturer that has produced a few Android-based phones. I had the chance to try out its HTC Magic recently. Over at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe, I've written a review of this Google Android-based smartphone, "The Lab: HTC Magic". My biggest problem with it: typing. Read on to find out!

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Hack your Apple TV 2.4

2009-07-19T16:29:00.001+08:00

For a long time, I've been resisting the urge to upgrade my Apple TV to version 2.4 of the firmware. That's because I watch videos that don't necessarily come through iTunes. As such, anything that removes the hacks that I've already applied would be very unwelcome.

But as luck would have it, after accidentally pressing the "Update Now" button, I was forced to re-hack my Apple TV. It took some research and trial-and-error, but I've pretty much succeeded in "restoring" my Apple TV to its hacked glory.

Over at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe, I provided a recount of my experience with hacking my newly upgraded Apple TV, "Hack your Apple TV 2.4". Hopefully, I help to reassure any other upgrade-wary Apple TV user as well!

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The Lab: Targus USB Hub for Mac

2009-07-18T01:04:00.002+08:00

A long time back, I was given the chance to try out one of Targus' Mac-targeted products, a USB hub for notebooks. With its rubber exterior and four USB ports, it's designed for maximum connectivity while ensuring that it can survive the hard knocks of mobile usage.

Over at Mocca's "Techie Monster" tribe, I've written a review of this computer peripheral, "The Lab: Targus USB Hub for Mac". Did I give it the thumbs up or thumbs down? Read on to find out!

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The Lab: Canon Legria HF200

2009-05-31T23:49:00.000+08:00

By now, if you still watch television shows, you'd probably have seen the Canon advertisements for the Legria series of camcorders. These products supposedly give a superior image quality that's as good as what you get in modern still cameras, but for a video recording device.

I had the chance to put this claim to the test recently. Based on a short experience, the results do uphold this claim. For one thing, this is a high definition (HD) camcorder, so of course the picture quality would be far better than standard definition camcorders.

But aside from the HD resolution, the colours and sharpness were as good as anything that Canon has produced, and maybe even better. Under ideal settings, like recording under bright sunlight, colours were captured as real as to the naked eye. But even in an indoor environment, lit only by fluorescent lights, images were still captured very well in terms of colours and sharpness, though of course, things were a darker shade due to less light.

The Legria camcorders can also function as still cameras, but I didn't test this out.

Startup time takes no more than 5 seconds, which is standard for consumer digital camcorders. Video (and still images) are recorded to an SDHC card. (The HF200 does not have any internal storage memory, so you must have an SDHC card.) An 8GB card should be sufficient to record a half hour's worth of video at the maximum resolution. If you're worried about the battery power running out before then, fret not. The included battery lasts for more than an hour at full charge.

(Note: the above are estimates. Your usage may vary.)

Video is captured in MTS format. This was the first time I had come across this format, so I don't know much about it. On a Mac, the free VLC player can play these MTS files natively. But if you want to play them with Quicktime, then you'd need to convert the videos to the standard MPEG-4 or Quicktime MOV format. Fortunately, you can also connect the camcorder to your Mac via the USB cable and import the videos into iMovie for editing.

(I don't have a Windows computer, so I couldn't test the Windows connectivity.)

Another thing I liked was its compact size. This is a camcorder that you could carry in a handbag easily. And with its small form factor, it would fit small hands comfortably. I don't know if Canon purposely designed the Legria for the female segment, but its design certainly seems to point that way.

One thing that I had to get used to was with the viewfinder -- or the lack of it. Almost all camcorders come with an LCD screen and a small viewfinder. The Legria HF200 has an LCD screen only. For users who record for long periods of time and are worried about power consumption, this might be a negative factor.

The LCD screen's power consumption could lead to a shorter battery life, which means shorter recording time. Of course, you can still record with the screen closed, but that would only be useful if you never need to move the camcorder, which is almost unlikely in all situations.

Personally, I've always had a good impression of Canon's digital camcorders. The picture quality was almost always on par with Sony's, but at a lower price. And this was validated by expert reviews. (Panasonic camcorders also score well in picture quality.) The Legria HF200 continues to reinforce this impression and I feel comforted by this. Definitely a worthwhile recording device to get. And with PC Show just around the corner in June, you might be able to get one with a few freebies!

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The Lab: X-Mini portable speakers

2009-05-18T23:46:00.000+08:00

Some time back, I had a chance to test the X-Mini portable speakers. But since I'm not the kind who listens to music all day every day, I didn't have a chance to really test it out until recently. And I must say that the X-Mini's small size is hugely deceiving.

The X-Mini is a small, spherical object that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. To use it, you need to flick the power switch, then twist the shell open. The centre piece, known as the "accordion", is supposedly the secret behind the X-Mini's audio quality. Apparently, it delivers a superior bass experience to amplify your enjoyment.

Using it with my iPod, the music played about as well as through the earphones, based on my non-audiophilic test. In other words, I can tell that the quality is good enough for me to enjoy my music. True audiophiles may find it wanting, though, but then, what would you expect from portable speakers?

From the manual and website, I couldn't tell if the audio that came out was in true stereo quality. Nonetheless, what came out of the speakers sounded like stereo. The music definitely sounded richer, compared to my other portable speaker, which only plays mono sound.

Such sound quality would require a lot of energy. Fortunately, you don't have to weigh yourself down with AA batteries, since the X-Mini comes with its own built-in rechargeable battery. Recharging is done through a USB connection.

A word of caution: charge the battery before using the speakers. When I used the speakers with the USB wire still plugged to my laptop, I got static after a minute of iPod playback. This bug has probably been fixed in newer versions of the X-Mini.

To find out more about this made-in-Singapore product or to browse the rest of the range, visit the X-Mini website.

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The Lab: HTC Dream (Google Android phone)

2009-05-09T23:45:00.000+08:00

To compete with Apple's iPhone, Google produced its Android platform for smartphones. Unlike Apple, though, Google doesn't make its phones. Instead, it has made Android an open source system that can be used by 3rd party phone manufacturers. Like HTC.

The HTC Dream is a bulky, heavy black coloured smartphone that contains the Google Android goodness. Unlike the slim and sexy Apple iPhone, the Dream is a device that was clearly not designed for handbags or trouser pockets. Instead, its size and weight suggest that it's meant as a desktop alternative, i.e. something you carry in a bag.

Which is pitiful because other phone manufacturers, like Nokia, have been able to cram a full-sized, slide out QWERTY keyboard without compromising on weight. This suspiciously makes the Dream seem like a first generation device that's being beta tested on the public.

Fortunately, most of the rest of the phone is top notch. Like any good smartphone, it features a touchscreen that I found to be responsive to my fingers. There were a few times when it thought that I'd pressed another button or required a firmer push on the screen to react, but overall, I found it a pleasant experience. Though it did take me a while to realise that I could scroll by flicking my finger across the screen, instead of relying on the physical scroll ball at the bottom.

Unlike the iPhone, though, the Dream does not have any on-screen touch-based keyboard. Instead, all typing has to be done through the keyboard. You flip the phone to the side, slide the screen out, and you now have access to the keyboard. Meanwhile, the screen's display flips to landscape view automatically. Unfortunately, typing wasn't as easy as I found it to be, especially for the right hand. This is because of the navigation buttons found at the bottom/right of the phone. This bulky area hindered my right hand from typing smoothly, unlike how it was for my left hand. So right-handed people, which is more than 50% of the population: beware!

Overall, I found it quite easy to navigate the device. Application buttons were generally big enough to press comfortably, scrolling was smooth and even Web browsing was a breeze. Regarding Internet connectivity, the Dream comes with Wifi and 3G. Unfortunately, since I'm not a Singtel user and didn't know how to setup the 3G access point for my telco, I didn't have a chance to test the 3G connectivity. But Wifi connectivity was definitely hassle-free.

The Google Android system provides a seamless experience in connecting to all of your Google services. By setting up my Google Account, I now had access to Gmail, Google Calendar, and more. If I read an email in the Dream, my desktop Gmail would almost automatically be updated to reflect the message's read status. I suspect, though, that this means that there's a lot of background data transfer, so 3G users would have to keep an eye on their data usage (= higher cost = money).

I could also access the Google App Store to download programs. Of course, I only downloaded the free stuff -- to mixed results. Since these apps aren't provided by Google, my success with them was hit-and-miss.

For example, I downloaded two Twitter apps. One made it easy to send updates, but for some reason refused to show my full Twitter history. The other was a pain in typing, but was otherwise a very slick program. As the warning goes: your mileage may vary.

Another problem I had with the Dream was with Bluetooth. Bluetooth support is apparently limited only to connecting with accessories, like earphones, which is similar to the iPhone. As such, I couldn't transfer files nor sync contacts with my Mac. The latter led to another issue: my contact list was limited to what was in my SIM card and in my online Google contact list, which I don't use for privacy reasons.

The bottomline is that this is a relatively nifty phone, if you can get past three things:

Bulkiness
Right hand unfriendliness
Bluetooth limited to connecting with accessories only

If I were to get a Dream, though, I'd wait for the next version, so that HTC can iron out the kinks.

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Apple reaches 1 billion App Store downloads!

2009-04-25T23:43:00.000+08:00

On April 24, 2009, Apple announced that its App Store had surpassed the one billionth download mark. It achieved this feat in just nine months. (Put another way, that's the amount of time between sex and birth.)

That's quite a milestone for an online-only store. Not only that, it also indicates the voracious downloading appetite of iPhone users. Just as the iTunes Store benefited iPod users in getting music legally and easily, the App Store has clearly been a boon for iPhone users to expand the usefulness of their device.

As a result, other device makers are rolling out their copycat stores. E.g. Microsoft supposedly has one in the works (presumably for a souped up Zune or ZunePhone) and Research in Motion has its store for Blackberry users. Palm is also probably getting into the game once it releases its Palm Pre.

On the other hand, history hasn't been kind to Apple Store copycats. Thought the iTunes Store has been a success from day one, other online stores, like MSN Music, MTV's venture, the revamped Napster, etc. have mostly failed or are on life support.

The way I see it, download stores are a natural evolution in the way we consume media and content on our portable devices. But the way Apple is doing it is clearly a revolution that few have managed to replicate successfully.

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I use this: Apple TV

2009-03-30T18:04:00.002+08:00

When I bought my new full HD TV, I knew that I'd need something else to be able to enjoy the high-definition experience. And since most of my media files were on my computer, I also needed something that would let me watch those shows on my TV.

Enter the Apple TV. It's a media device that connects to both my TV (via HDMI cable) and Mac (via wireless network) that lets me enjoy the best of both worlds. Setup and syncing were a breeze, allowing me to enjoy my shows without much pain.

(The only downside appears to be some HDMI handshake issue between my Samsung TV and the Apple TV. My current workaround is to unplug the HDMI cable, then replug it back.)

Here's my full review:

Like most people of my age group, I consume a lot of movies and TV shows on my computer or iPod. I'm not saying where I get these shows, only that I watch enough of these to spend more time in front of my computer screen than the TV screen.

So I decided to get a device that would be able to let me watch on a TV set the shows that are stored in my computer. And the device that provided the solution was the Apple TV . Made by Apple, the Apple TV is a sleek grey box that lets me enjoy my digital content -- movies, TV shows, photos, music -- on my TV.

Out of the box, the Apple TV comes with almost everything you need to enjoy it straight away. Apple TV, check. Power cable, check. Remote control unit, check. Manuals, check. TV cable... hmm... get your own. I bought a $26 HDMI version 1.3 cable.

Setup is done in two parts: initially with the Apple TV, then through iTunes.

Apple TV setup:
Remove from box, connect HDMI cable, connect power cable, turn on power (there's no power switch on the Apple TV, so the wall outlet becomes the on/off switch), then setup the wireless network.
iTunes setup:
Let iTunes detect the Apple TV through the wireless network. Register the Apple TV, name the Apple TV (mine's called "Mapple TV"), then sync my content.

After that, the Apple TV is ready for use! But wait, there's more! In addition to being tethered (figuratively) to my computer, it could also download network content from other services. These are Apple's own movie trailer site, YouTube and Flickr.

The movie trailers are not as updated as what you'd find on the website. For example, as of this writing, Apple featured the trailer for "Fame" on its website, but this couldn't be found in Apple TV's list.

The YouTube feature lets me watch any YouTube content. Besides categories like "Most Viewed" and "Most Recent", I can also search for content. If I enter my YouTube/Google Account name and password, Apple TV will also let me watch my favourites and subscriptions. Strangely, it doesn't let me watch my own videos! That's a very blatant omission.

The Flickr feature, on the other hand, doesn't require me to enter my name/password. Instead, it pulls the public photos from any Flickr account. I can add as many accounts as I wish, including those of my friends and/or strangers, to see their photos.

Downloading of content is surprisingly very fast, or maybe I'm used to slow speeds. For example, loading a 2-minute HD trailer took less than a minute, letting me enjoy it almost as soon as I pressed the "Play" button. YouTube videos take slightly longer, e.g. long enough for me to take a toilet break. Flickr photos appear almost instantaneously, which is useful for the screensaver.

What I really enjoy from my Apple TV is the HD experience. With my aging computer, I've never been able to watch a 1080p HD film without stuttering or pauses. But with my Apple TV and Full HD TV, I can watch them with crystal clarity. HD is really mind-blowing, and the fast downloads through Apple TV make such content even more available and appreciable.

One strange quibble: I constantly have to unplug then replug the HDMI cable on my Apple TV in order for my Samsung TV to detect it. From what I've read, it's a "HDMI handshake" problem between the two devices. Some say it's Samsung's fault, others point the finger at Apple. I've yet to find another workable solution, so in the meantime, I'll continue the unplug/replug ritual.

As a TV device, the Apple TV shines in seamlessly enabling you to watch content on your computer or at popular Internet services on your TV. Just don't expect anything more out of it, unless you're willing to void your warranty!

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I use this: Samsung 32inch Series 6 Full HD LCD TV

2009-03-29T23:24:00.001+08:00

At the recent March 2009 IT Show, I made one of my biggest ticket items ever: a brand new Full HD (high-definition) television set. I had narrowed my choices down to a few, and finally signed on the dotted line for a Samsung Series 6 Full HD LCD TV. It's the smallest size at 32" because that's all the physical space and budget that I could afford!

The Series 6 is supposed to be one of the newer models from Samsung, though I have to admit that I didn't really know about that. For me, it was a toss-up between Sony and Samsung. After judging the picture quality based on my naked eye, I went with the Samsung. (Surprisingly, Sony's 32" W series TV had a less vivid picture than the 40" or larger W series TVs.)

As expected with any Full HD TV, the Series 6 model comes with 16:9 aspect ratio, HDMI ports and Dolby 5.1 audio. All that is greek to me. As far as I am bothered, the picture and audio look/sound just great! It also supposedly boasts a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, though to me, black is black, and colour is colour.

What do I like about it, in particular? There are a few things:

Full HD with 1080p resolution, bay-bee!
four HDMI ports! Though I only use one right now, haha
two RCA-type AV connectors, including one set handily at the side - both are useful, since my old DVD player and Nintendo Wii depend on those connections
different picture modes: normal, sports, cinema, game. Most of the time, my display mode is set to "cinema", switching to "game" only when I'm Wii-ing

Of course, nothing is perfect:

no integrated HD tuner! Darn it, if I knew about this extra component, I would've waited for the Series 8! Without this tuner, I can't enjoy full HD programs through the TV antenna. Which means I'm stuck with watching standard definition programmes on a HD TV, damn it!
the border is a tad bigger than I'd prefer.
for those who are concerned about power consumption, the Series 6 supposedly uses 200W, more than earlier Samsung models or the Sony W series.
no buttons/switches on the TV, e.g. on/off, channel switching, volume control, etc. Everything is through the remote control unit, which means if the latter goes bust, my TV is basically useless!

Talking about the remote control unit, it's one monster! Definitely one of the biggest remote control units I've ever seen for an electronics device. But it's not because it's jam-packed with buttons. Rather, the buttons are bigger than on other units, so this one is actually more user friendly in that aspect! And since there aren't many extra (read: nonsensical) buttons, this unit is a breeze to use for people who don't like buttons.

So if you're looking for a Full HD TV because your current set is looking aged, then you may want to consider the Series 6 TV. In spite of not having an integrated HD tuner, it is really a worthwhile upgrade for those who want the high-def experience.

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Symantec keeping quiet at customer complaints

2009-03-10T23:16:00.000+08:00

Last week, Symantec officially announced its latest utilities suite, Norton 360. This product purports to be the latest, greatest, and most optimised Norton product ever released. Clearly, Symantec hopes that its upgraded line of utilities will bring in new customers who are looking for that sweet spot between protection and performance.

So it doesn't bode well when Symantec is apparently refusing to respond to customer complaints. The built-in defensive agent, Norton Internet Protection, constantly pops up a warning that PIFTS.EXE is trying to access the Internet. However, users are unable to find this file in the folder that NIP refers to.

It turns out that PIFTS.EXE is a file in Symantec's Live Update. So it looks like this component in a Symantec product is prompting another Symantec product to issue an alert to the user. That's not a good sign of how things are working.

The worst part, apparently, is that Symantec is remaining quiet about this. This is to the point where support messages are seemingly deleted! I won't go into possible "conspiracy theories" behind this move. But if this goes on for too long and if enough people notice, then this might become a major PR disaster for Symantec, especially so soon after its much-heralded utilities announcement.

Assuming that the problems reported are correct, then Symantec needs to take action to remedy the problem AND inform its customers appropriately and in a timely manner. Ignoring its customers would go against what the company is trying to do in employing so-called "crowd sourcing" to improve its products.

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Norton 360 - Office for antivirus and utilities

2009-03-07T23:13:00.000+08:00

On Thursday, Symantec finally announced its latest version of Norton 360, its suite of anti-virus and computer utilities. I had had the privilege of attending a pre-announcement preview of the product and had been quite impressed by what Symantec brought to the table.

Norton 360, now in its third release, combines tools that are essential for a (Windows-based) computer's well-being. Building from Symantec's legacy of anti-virus and utilities software, it protects and enhances computers without compromising on performance.

The thing about Norton 360, as the "360" in its name implies, is that it's an all-round solution. Instead of buying separate anti-virus and/or utilities software, you just need to buy this one product to get everything you need. It's like the familiar office suites, e.g. MS Office, which brings together Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more under one umbrella. This means greater convenience for you in managing your software.

Key components of Norton 360 are:

Norton Safe Web - a browser plug-in that warns you about possibly malicious websites and prevents "bad" software from being loaded into your computer. It also protects against the so-called "drive-by downloads", in which a trusted website may have been compromised, e.g. its background wallpaper had been replaced with something that would send bugs to your computer.

Norton Identity Safe - for storing your usernames and passwords securely, warning you against phising sites, and protecting you from keyloggers (which can capture what you type on your keyboard, useful for protecting against accidentally leaking out your username/password as you type)

Backup - the familiar backup tool that has been a stalwart of Norton Utilities, it now allows you to backup to Symantec's online storage for off-site backup. (Online storage is available at an additional fee.)

Tuneup - similar to Windows built-in Services control panel, this tool allows you to configure whether to launch startup items when you switch on your computer, delay the launch, or just not launch at all. (A delayed launch basically occurs after your desktop appears.) Unlike Windows' Services, Symantec thoughtfully indicates how much time that a startup item will require to launch. Interestingly, during the demo, Norton Utilies showed up as something that would have "Moderate" impact on startup time!

In addition to this, Symantec makes extensive use of community support, or so-called "crowd sourcing". For example, if one Norton user encounters a malicious website that Symantec had not known about, that information will be instantly propogated to every Norton user (at the next Live Update).

Aside: Live Update now checks for new updates about every 10-15 minutes. And it can be configured to work when the computer is idle. During the demo, several updates occurred without affecting the presentation!

Another use of crowd sourcing is with anti-virus checks. Symantec makes use of signatures to identify files that don't need to be scanned. Internally, it maintains a database of known "good" files. But when another program, e.g. "XYZ", is scanned as safe by other users, that information will be sent out to everyone as "Community approved" and will be skipped during anti-virus scans.

The above is an example of how Symantec is able to drastically reduce the performance impact on users' computers. Scanning fewer files means less CPU power devoted to anti-virus checks and less time spent on scanning. Other enhancements have also been made to other parts of the Norton tools to dramatically improve the overall experience.

These product enhancements and new features make Norton 360 even more "must have", especially for those who don't already have anti-virus or utilities software. Its convenience as an all-in-one package combined with its tremendous enhancements and support make it extremely valuable.

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The Lab: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic - phone + music

2009-03-04T23:07:00.000+08:00

At the media event for the launch of Nokia's Comes With Music program last Friday at Velvet Underground, I had the opportunity to try out the company's new music phone, 5800 XpressMusic. This is the first phone that incorporates Comes With Music, where the owner is entitled to unlimited downloads from the Nokia Music Store for one year after phone purchase.

The first obvious feature of the phone is its touchscreen. Like Apple's iPhone, there is no physical keyboard at all. Almost all interaction is done through the touchscreen. (There are physical buttons for the volume, camera and lock/unlock.) Also like the iPhone, most of the times, you'll only need your finger to interact with your phone.

A stylus is provided, and I needed it for pressing on small UI elements. One of these was the on-screen keyboard. The 5800 XpressMusic comes with three kinds of typed entry: a full QWERTY keypad, a mini QWERTY keypad, and the familiar numeric keypad. The full keypad always appears in landscape mode, and the numeric keypad always appears in portrait mode, while the mini keypad can be used with either modes. I found that I needed the stylus to properly type with the mini keypad. On the other hand, after using it for a while, I found it so limited that I preferred the full keypad or numeric one.

The full-sized QWERTY keypad was a delight to use. I found that I could type almost as fast as my finger found the key. That means I didn't have to wait for the phone to realise that I'd pressed a button before responding. In other words, typing was almost as easy as on a physical keyboard. It was the same experience with the numeric keypad.

Since I'm more interested in the Internet functions, I launched the web browser and found myself in a similar environment as found in other Nokia phones. That meant its interface wasn't really designed for fingers and I had to resort to tapping with the stylus. But typing, as usual, was done through the previously mentioned keypads.

As mentioned, the phone can function is landscape or portrait mode. Either mode can be activated by turning the phone, just like its done with the iPhone. I suppose it won't be long before there are third party apps to take advantage of this function, just like with the iPhone.

Camera-wise, I think there had been some improvement in the picture quality from previous models. Compared to my trusty Sony Ericsson K800i, the 5800 XpressMusic produced pictures that looked sufficiently sharp and rich, even in low light conditions.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Sony Ericsson K800i

At the end, this is, after all, a music phone. So how did it fare in this department? The music player is the same one a found in other Nokia phones, so most Nokia owners should be familiar with it. Nokia also encourages noise pollution by providing stereo speakers with the phone. The sound quality isn't tinny, as you'd expect from small speakers, but something that could reasonably rival a normal consumer music player. So please make sure you're playing something pleasant if you insist on blasting your music through the speakers.

One issue I had was with scrolling. I guess Apple has patented the flicking gesture, because that's not available here. Instead, scrolling is done by keeping the finger on the screen and moving it up/down. I even found that I had to press slightly harder on the screen as I moved my finger, otherwise the interface would refuse to scroll. I don't know if this was because I was using a test version of the phone.

Overall, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic seemed like a well built phone that should have a lot of fans.

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