Laboratory Sandbox

Extend Compass Sass font-face mixin

2013-06-04T07:01:58-07:00

I use @font-face a lot especially on my sites. For example, on this blog alone, I use fonts to display Creative Commons icons which is ways better than loading images.

However, after I started using Sassy CSS (SCSS) via Compass, the first feature I immediately looked for is the font-face mixin. The current stable and bleeding edge versions lack two features I need to use in my @font-face declarations – unicode-range; and local(”). Two very useful @font-face CSS descriptors.

To solve this, I immediately went to work and pulled the master branch of Compass and added the two descriptors in the font-face mixin. I already filed a pull request here, it is now up to the Compass devs to review and decide if it is worth merging it in the master and stable branches.

But what if you want to use it today without git cloning my branch? Here’s how.

font-face mixin override

Copy the following code and save it in your project’s partials folder as: _font-face.scss

// ______________________________________________________________________ //
//                        font-face mixin override                        //
// ______________________________________________________________________ //
@mixin font-face(
  $name,
  $font-files,
  $eot: false,
  $weight: false,
  $style: false,
  $unicode-range: false,
  $local: false
) {
  $iefont: unquote("#{$eot}?#iefix");
  @font-face {
    font-family: quote($name);
    @if $eot {
      src: font-url($eot);
      $font-files: font-url($iefont) unquote("format('embedded-opentype')"), $font-files;
    }
    @if $local {
      src: local(quote($local)), $font-files;
    } @else {
      src: $font-files;
    }
    @if $unicode-range {
      unicode-range: $unicode-range;
    }
    @if $weight {
      font-weight: $weight;
    }
    @if $style {
      font-style: $style;
    }
  }
}

Include it in your main stylesheet.scss by adding the following at the top:

@import "partials/font-face";

Follow this format to use your new font-face mixin override

@include font-face(
  "myfont",
  font-files(
    "myfont.woff", woff,
    "myfont.ttf", opentype,
    "myfont.svg#webfontJRppkSIE", svg
  ),
  "myfont.eot",
  normal,
  normal,
  (U+1700-1714, U+1735-1736),
  ☺
);

The Resulting CSS

@font-face {
  font-family: "myfont";
  src: url('myfont.eot');
  src: local("☺"), url('myfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'), url('myfont.woff') format('woff'), url('myfont.ttf') format('opentype'), url('myfont.svg#webfontJRppkSIE') format('svg');
  unicode-range: U+1700-1714, U+1735-1736;
  font-weight: normal;
  font-style: normal; }

It’s that simple!

You can also fork and extend this override code here via GitHub Gist.

The post Extend Compass Sass font-face mixin by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Prism Syntax Highlighter for WordPress

2013-05-28T21:28:55-07:00

The syntax highlighter that I use here on Laboratory Sandbox (LaBox) is the WordPress plugin Prism Syntax Highlighter (detached). Unfortunately, it was eight (8) months ago when it was last updated by the author, apfelbox. Good thing that apfelbox uploaded his work on Github so I was able to fork it, update it, and here we are with the updated version, live on this blog.

What were the changes from v1.4?

Updated PrismJS to source commit: 07c0f4f6b2
Added plugin descriptions
Added new plugins:
- File Highlight
- WebPlatform Docs
Added language-code descriptions
Added new languages:
- Bash (Unix Shell)
- C
- C-like
- Coffeescript
- C++
- Groovy
- PHP
- Python
- Sassy CSS
- SQL
Added new themes:
- Okaida
- Tomorrow
- Twilight

Download and see it in action inside…

Download

You can download v1.5.1 by clicking here.

Examples

bash (Bash Unix Shell)

#!/bin/bash
echo Hello World

name(){
    Commands
    return $TRUE
}

function name(){
    Commands
}

c (C language)

#include <stdio.h>
 
int main()
{
    printf("Hello world\n");
    return 0;
}

coffeescript (Coffeescript)

index = (list, target) ->
    [low, high] = [0, list.length]
    while low < high
        mid = (low + high) >> 1
        val = list[mid]
        return mid if val is target
        if val < target then low = mid + 1 else high = mid
    return -1

cpp (C++ language)

// my first program in C++

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main ()
{
    cout << "Hello World!";
    return 0;
}

css (Cascading Stylesheet)

@charset "UTF-8";
/* ============================ SECTION: myfonts ============================ */
/* BGN: Special Characters */
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Peso';
    src: url('../fonts/peso.eot');
    src: local('☺'), url('../fonts/peso.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
        url('../fonts/peso.woff') format('woff'),
        url('../fonts/peso.ttf') format('truetype'),
        url('../fonts/peso.svg#peso') format('svg');
    unicode-range: U+20B1;
}
.peso {
    font-family: 'Peso';
}

@font-face {
    font-family: 'Ampersand';
    src: url('../fonts/ampersand.eot');
    src: local('☺'), url('../fonts/ampersand.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
        url('../fonts/ampersand.woff') format('woff'),
        url('../fonts/ampersand.ttf') format('truetype'),
        url('../fonts/ampersand.svg#peso') format('svg');
    unicode-range: U+0026;
}

@font-face {
    font-family: 'cc-icons';
    src: url('../fonts/cc-icons-webfont.eot');
    src: local('☺'), url('../fonts/cc-icons-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
        url('../fonts/cc-icons-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
        url('../fonts/cc-icons-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
        url('../fonts/cc-icons-webfont.svg#cc_iconsregular') format('svg');
    unicode-range: U+0043, U+0061-0064, U+006D-006E, U+0070, U+0072-0073;
}
.cclicense {
    font-family: 'cc-icons';
    text-transform: none;
}
/* END: Special Characters */

groovy (Groovy script)

//hello.groovy
println "hello, world"
for (arg in this.args ) {
    println "Argument:" + arg;
}

// this is a comment
/* a block comment, commenting out an alternative to above:
this.args.each{ arg -> println "hello, ${arg}"}
*/

java (Java language)

/**
 * The HelloWorldApp class implements an application that
 * simply prints "Hello World!" to standard output.
 */
class HelloWorldApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello World!"); // Display the string.
    }
}

javascript (JavaScript)

var index;
index = function(list, target) {
    var high, low, mid, val, _ref;
    _ref = [0, list.length], low = _ref[0], high = _ref[1];
    while (low < high) {
        mid = (low + high) >> 1;
        val = list[mid];
        if (val === target) {
            return mid;
        }
        if (val < target) {
            low = mid + 1;
        } else {
            high = mid;
        }
    }
    return -1;
};

markup (xHTML, MathML, SVG, LaTeX, RSS, XML, OWL, etc.)

<!doctype html>
<html>

    <head>
        <meta charset="utf-8">
        <title>Hello World!</title>
        <meta name="description" content="Hello World!">
        <meta name="author" content="jcsesecuneta.com">
    </head>

    <body>
        <p>Hello world!!</p>
    </body>
</html>

php (PHP)

<?php
    print "Hello World!";
?>

<?php
    echo "Hello World!";
?>

python (Python language)

#!/usr/bin/python
# My first python program
print "Hello, World!\n"

scss (Sassy CSS)

@import "compass";
@import "blueprint";
@import "blueprint/fancy_type";

$blueprint-grid-columns:     5;
$blueprint-grid-width:       150px;
$blueprint-grid-margin:      20px;

$blueprint-font-family:      Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
$blueprint-fixed-font-family:'andale mono', 'lucida console', monospace;
$blueprint-font-size:        12px;

$text-color:                 #555555;
$light-text-color:           #a0a0a0;
$quote-text-color:           #f27a00;
$disclosure-text-color:      #ed7c06;

$thick-border:               8px solid black;
$dotted-border:              1px dotted #999999;

$header-background-color:    #f07c05;
$paging-background-color:    black;
$unfocused-background-color: #f1f0ec;
$quote-background-color:     #f1f0ec;

$story-title-color:          #f07c05;

@include global-reset;
@include blueprint-typography;

body {
    background: $unfocused-background-color image_url("white-bg.jpg") repeat-y 50% 0;
    color: $text-color;
}

.content_wrapper {
    @include container;
    width: 910px;
}

#header {
    height: 72px;
    background: $header-background-color;
    @include clearfix;

    h1 {
        color: white;
        @include float-left;
        a {
            @include replace-text("logo.jpg");
            width: 116px;
            height: 72px;
            display: block;
            text-decoration: none;
        }
    }

    ul {
        @include horizontal-list;
        padding: 0 0 0 25px;
        li {
            @include incr(18px);
            padding: 0 20px 0 0;
            text-transform: uppercase;
            a {
                color: #febf0f;
                text-decoration: none;
                width: 100px;
                height: 72px;
                display: block;
            }
            &#header-threads a {
                @include replace-text("header-threads-text.jpg");
            }
            &#header-timeline a {
                @include replace-text("header-timeline-text.jpg");
            }
        }
    }
}

sql (SQL)

SELECT MAX(TEMP_F), MIN(TEMP_F), AVG(RAIN_I), ID
FROM STATS
GROUP BY ID;

Download

You can download v1.5.1 by clicking here.

The post Prism Syntax Highlighter for WordPress by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Less Used Facebook Privacy Settings

2013-05-20T06:10:01-07:00

Facebook privacy is a hot issue but let’s face it, this social-network service has become a very important part of our networking lives. Our family relatives, friends, acquaintances, and even business contacts are using Facebook. But so are the unwanted, the annoying, the trolls, and those people who loves to piss us off yet we do not want to be harsh against them.

Blocking and reporting them aside, are there other ways to keep them off our timeline and status updates without totally alienating them, or worst, let them know about it?

There is or are. We are going to combine the different not-so-obvious features of Facebook to enable us to control who gets to see our status updates, our shares, and even who gets to comment and tag people.

Get a coffee or tea because this is going to take a few minutes. Ready?

Obviously, before you follow the instructions below, be sure you have logged-in to your Facebook account. Done?

Option I: Facebook Privacy Settings

Click on the wheel icon in the upper-right corner of your Facebook screen, then click on “Privacy Settings” (see Figure 1.1)

Figure 1.1
Once you are in the “Privacy Settings and Tools” page, you have to change the following settings (see Figure 1.2)

Figure 1.2
1. Who can see my stuff?
  - Who can see your future posts? – Set this to “Friends”.
    
    Figure 1.3
    
    The setting above is overridden if you change your post privacy when making a new post or re-share (see Figure 1.3)
  - Limit the audience for posts you’ve shared with friends of friends or Public? – This is optional but strongly suggested. What this option does is set all your past status updates to: “Friends”, including your apps (more on this later).
2. Who can look me up?
  - Who can look you up using the email address or phone number you provided? – Set this to “Friends” to reduce the number of people finding you on Facebook.
    For example, I am trying to find out who owns a particular phone number. All I have to do is to enter it in Facebook search and it will show the accounts with that number. If you set this to “Friends”, then only your existing Facebook friends will receive a successful search result.

Option II: Timeline and Tagging

Figure 2.1

Now click on “Timeline and Tagging” on the left side menu of Facebook (it is just under the “Privacy” tab)
Once there, just set the following to my suggested settings (see Figure 2.1), of course you can set it differently, but for now set it based on my suggestions.
1. Who can add things to my timeline?
  - Who can post on your timeline? – Set to “Friends”
  - Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline? – Set to “On”
2. Who can see things on my timeline?
  - Who can see posts you’ve been tagged in on your timeline? – Set to “Friends”
  - Who can see what others post on your timeline? – Set to “Friends”
3. How can I manage tags people add and tagging suggestions?
  - Review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on Facebook? – Set to “On”
  - When you’re tagged in a post, who do you want to add to the audience if they aren’t already in it? – Set to “Friends”.
    This means that your other friends who weren’t tagged in the same post you were tagged in, can also see the post. But being able to comment on that tagged post depends on the settings of the original post-owner.
  - Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded? – Set this to “Friends”. Useful to avoid photo-tag spammers.

Option III: Blocking

Figure 3.1

Again, on the left side menu, click on “Blocking” (just below “Timeline and Tagging”)
There are many useful blocking features in this tab, but for now we are only concerned on “Restricted List” (see Figure 3.1)
This is a very useful feature that is more appropriate to be placed in the “Privacy” tab. Any connected friends you put in the “Restricted List” will only see posts you made “Public” or where they were tagged. Put those connected friends to this list, typically people you do not want to know or read anything about you unless you explicitly want them to know. No, they will never know you placed them in your “Restricted List”.

Option IV: Followers

Figure 4.1

Next, click on the “Followers” section in the left side menu of Facebook (see Figure 4.1)
Turn On Follow – check the checkbox to activate it
Follower Comments – you can set it to “Everybody”, “Friends of Friends”, and “Friends”

What is “Follow” feature?

What is this feature anyway? This feature is useful if, like me, you do not want to approve all friend requests but you do not want to alienate them from reading your Public status updates. Or the other way, it is also useful to those people who does not want to add you as a “friend” but likes to follow your status updates.

You can leave it disabled but it does not mean no one can read your Public posts. The difference is that, non-friend users will have to visit your profile manually to see your Public updates.

What is “Follower Comments”?

If you turned-on the Follow feature, then you have the option to set it if your “Followers” can comment on your, again, Public posts.

Extra: Apps

Figure 5.1

Let’s talk about apps. Recall that earlier I mentioned about it when you “Limit the audience for posts you’ve shared with friends of friends or Public?” When you do that, it affects all your apps as well, which is correct in my opinion.

To go through each of your apps and set the privacy to your own preference simply, plus two equally important settings:

Click the “Apps” section on the left side menu of Facebook
Then click the “Edit” link, per app, and change it to “Public”, “Friends of Friends”, “Friends”, or “Only Me”
Apps others use
Most Facebook apps use the information entered by “friends” to work. A good example is one of the “birthday” apps available. This setting “Apps others use” allows you to control which of your filled-up information can be used by these apps.

Let’s say you disabled the sharing of your birthday. You friend who started using a birthday app will not be able to see your birthday in that app. But your friend can still see your birthdate when s/he visits your profile manually.

There are plenty of options to turn-off so you should take time to check it out.
Old versions of Facebook for mobile – set this to “Friends of Friends” or better yet “Friends”
There are still some apps (fewer today) that doesn’t use or weren’t coded yet to the latest guidelines and requirements of Facebook App/Developer. As Facebook said in their description, apps such as outdated version of Facebook for Blackberry, which usually are fixed or locked-up to a certain version.

By setting this feature to “Friends of Friends” or “Friends” or “Only Me”, you are making all such apps to follow that particular privacy setting. You will never be able to set it on a per app basis, unless Facebook adds that feature. Even though there are fewer of such apps, it is best practice to still set it to your choice of privacy.

Tip: When Posting / Re-Sharing

After all these changes, there is one very important tip I’d like to share. If you want to keep (total) privacy, you will have to change your habit when posting status updates, uploading photos, adding a new app (or playing games), or re-sharing. These are:

As was shown in Figure 1.3 earlier, you now have to make sure that when posting an update or re-sharing your friend’s greatest post ev’r, make sure that it is set to “Friends” or “Friends of Friends” or “Custom” (you get to choose which of your friend list will see it; or choose individually) or “Friends, except Acquaintances”. If you post it in Public, everyone will see it, like it, and depending on your setting, even comment on it.
When your latest photos, always go to your Facebook Photos section/tab and check the privacy/permission setting of (a) each album; and (b) each photo. The privacy/permission setting of your uploaded photos depends on the per photo setting or the album setting.
You also have to remember that all posts where a person liked your post, was tagged, or commented on, will not be affected by the privacy settings you did earlier – even if you unfriend them, put them into your “Restricted List”, or set all your posts to “Friends” only. Untagging and deleting their comments will work but there is no way to make them unlike your old posts.

Basically, change your habit. Even after all the Privacy features and measures you did or will do, if you do not change your habit all of it will be for nothing. In Facebook’s case, stop posting in “Public” mode, stop approving friend requests, and start filtering your friends into friend lists.

I hope it helped you as much as it helped me.

Hat tip to JF for the idea to write this how-to.

The post Less Used Facebook Privacy Settings by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Trend Micro Antivirus on Cherry Mobile Omega

2013-04-26T00:24:28-07:00

Cherry Mobile Omega with Trend Micro Mobile Security & Antivirus (via http://laptapos.com/)

(Laptapos.com) – Cherry Mobile Omega is an Android smartphone powered by the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, 1GHz Dual Core processor, 512 of RAM, 4GB of internal memory and an expandable memory card slot. For more information, you may visit blog.cherrymobile.com.ph. You can protect this…

The post Trend Micro Antivirus on Cherry Mobile Omega by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

How-To Enable Per App Tablet Mode and more!

2013-02-08T13:30:01-08:00

If like me, you prefer to use the stock ROM that came with your phone and modify it instead of using someone else’s heavily edited ROM, then you know how challenging it is to keep a record of the changes you made. Either we create our own application or rely on the good ol’ terminal to do things. Well, for Linux users, it is not a problem at all, but for Windows users, it is very discouraging.

One modification that any Android user want is to be able to use apps in tablet mode using a non-tablet gadget, especially if you have a phablet. There are two ways to achieve this, [1] the most common suggestion “use this_ROM and that_ROM”; and [2] the more logical way, is to edit each app (some you have to decompile and recompile).

Again, the first option is out of the question, we want to use the stock ROM! but at the same time, we do not want to edit each app – which after it updates, we have to re-edit it again. Hassle, right? It ends today! Welcome Xposed Framework and the module Xposed App Settings.

We need two (2) apps to make this work, first Xposed Framework and second Xposed App Settings. In addition, you need to have a rooted Android phone. (And do not forget to backup your phone first.)

What does Xposed Framework do?

Instead, I extended the /system/bin/app_process executable to load a JAR file on startup. The classes of this file will sit in every process (including the system_server) and can act with their powers. And even more: I have implemented something that allows developers to replace any method in any class (may it be in the framework, systemui or a custom app). This makes Xposed very powerful, it is basically running in “god mode”. You can change parameters for the method call, modify the return value or skip the call to the method completely – it’s all up to you! Also replacing or adding resources is easy.

Source: [FRAMEWORK] Xposed – ROM modding without modifying APKs/flashing

What is Xposed App Settings?

This mod targets settings which all apps share, such as the language, what permissions they require, what is the DPI for rendering, the perceived screen size (which affects the alternate resources that are loaded) and allows you to change those values on a per-app basis.

You can therefore have some apps rendered with a lower DPI than the default for your device in order to see more info at once (with no build.prop changes), while others might have different DPI values because their resources are not prepared for different densities. The same for the language, permissions to revoke, etc.

Source: Xposed App Settings

Install Xposed Framework and Xposed App Settings

Download Xposed Framework here – scroll-down to the Attached Files section and get the latest (as of this writing, the latest version is XposedInstaller_2.1.2.apk)
Download Xposed App Settings here – the latest version as of this writing is v0.2
Install both apps
Run Xposed Framework to install it
Reboot your phone
Run Xposed Framework again
Go to the Modules tab
Check the checkbox for Xposed App Settings
Reboot your phone
Run Xposed App Settings

What can you do with it?

Now that we have installed the apps on your phone, what can we do with it? Here are some applications I’ve edited via Xposed App Settings that you might like. But before I show you how, I want you to know that the settings below were based and tested on my phone, with the following specs:

Model: my|phone A919 Duo
Screen: 127 mm (5″)
DPI: 240
Resolution: 480×854
OS: Android 4.0.4 ICS with Linux Kernel 3.0.13

If you do not know the DPI of your phone, download the app ScreenInfo. Or use your favourite app that provides such information.

Make Gmail Run in Tablet Mode

Gmail in Tablet Mode (Portrait)

Run Xposed App Settings
Look for Gmail and tap it
On the top-right corner of your screen, switch it to On
On the DPI field, enter 170
On the Screen field, choose 600×1024
Then look for Screen on and enable it by tapping the checkbox (prevents the phone screen from turning-off)
On the top-right corner of your screen, tap the save icon, then tap the Yes button
Open your Gmail app and voila, it’s on tablet mode!

Gmail in Tablet Mode (Landscape)

Make Chrome Better

Chrome :: default settings

Run Xposed App Settings
Look for Chrome and tap it
On the top-right corner of your screen, switch it to On
On the DPI field, enter 160 or 170
Optional: If you used 160 dpi, then on the Screen field, choose “600×1024″
On the top-right corner of your screen, tap the save icon, then tap the Yes button
Open your Chrome app and see the changes

For my phone, choosing 160 dpi and 600×1024 screen resolution crashes Chrome when closing tabs. I am instead using 170 dpi, which is enough for me. Additionally, for my phone, Chrome can not go lower than 160 dpi.

Chrome :: 170 dpi

Chrome :: 160 dpi; 600×1024 resolution

Increase Firefox Screen Space

Run Xposed App Settings
Look for Firefox and tap it
On the top-right corner of your screen, switch it to On
On the DPI field, enter 170
On the Screen field, choose 600×1024
On the top-right corner of your screen, tap the save icon, then tap the Yes button
Open Firefox and enjoy more screen space

Firefox :: default settings

Firefox :: 170 dpi; 600×1024 resolution

More Settings Available

There are more settings available that you can change, however, for the example applications above, the other settings are not needed at least for my use. These settings are:

Font scale
xlarge res
Locale
Fullscreen
No Title
Orientation
Resident Notifications
Insistent Notifications
Permissions

Example, you can lock Gmail’s orientation to landscape, or change the default language to Chinese. Or make Chrome or Firefox run in fullscreen mode or increase the font size of the browser. All you have to do is to experiment and find the comfortable settings that suits you.

Enjoy!

Source: A How-To Video by zedomax

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post How-To Enable Per App Tablet Mode and more! by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Cherry Mobile Omega vs. my|phone A919 Duo

2013-01-25T12:54:25-08:00

When Cherry Mobile teased Omega almost two months ago, mobile enthusiasts immediately searched for the similar or closest model they can find of Omega. The top choice was Zopo ZP900 Leader and it spread like fire considering the good specs the ZP900 Leader have.

Cherry Mobile teased that the Omega will be available on December 2012 but there was nothing, their marketing team even removed Omega’s photos from circulation and fans wondered if it was a silent “they’ll eventually forget about it” strategy.

Until a few days ago when Cherry made an announcement of the unit and it wasn’t as fans expected it to be, sadly.

I for one was disappointed with the specs of Cherry Mobile Omega. I admit it is unfair because I already had a set specs in my mind and built my enthusiasm around it. However, it is hard not to forget that because of the hype, that is now obvious, went out-of-control.

You can check the unofficial specs and official specs on my earlier post about the announcement of Cherry Mobile Omega. There you will find the difference between the overhyped specs and the actual one.

With that said, I made a comparison of Cherry Mobile Omega and my|phone A919 Duo. The latter was my|phone’s first entry into the phablet category, and was on Christmas sale for only ₱7,990, down from it’s SRP of ₱9,490.

My suggestion? Go get my|phone A919 Duo, forget about Cherry Mobile Omega. I know you can save and produce the price difference of ₱1,291 or ₱2,791 (based on sale price and SRP respectively). It is worth it.

I bought A919 Duo a week before Christmas of 2012 because I started to doubt Omega, and I can tell you, I made the right decision. I have a better phone and I still have not reached its full potential.

Sorry Omega, not this time, thank you A919 Duo, you made a new fan.

The post Cherry Mobile Omega vs. my|phone A919 Duo by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

(Updated) Cherry Mobile Omega Now Available at ₱6,699 Only!

2013-01-24T14:00:12-08:00

Updated: Saturday, 2013-01-26

Cherry Mobile finally revealed on their Facebook page the official price and availability of the teased Cherry Mobile Omega phone in December 2012, and simply disappeared and forgotten. Some kiosks and dealers were telling customers that Omega is a goner.

But one person I talked to from Cherry Mobile told me a week before Christmas of 2012 that the Omega units already arrived in their warehouse and was just waiting for the go signal to distribute it nationwide. That day has arrived. The Cherry Mobile Omega has been spotted in some kiosks here in Mega Manila already and is prices at ₱6,699 only!

That is pretty cheap compared to my|phone A919 Duo, which I currently have. Not only that, it is below the estimated prices of most bloggers which ranged at ₱6,999 to ₱7,999; some even putting it at ₱8,000 to ₱10,000 range. ~~Fair enough because this model boasts of the following excellent specs for a budget phone.~~ With the availability of the official specs, it is clear that this is below that what was expected to be a similar model as Zopo ZP900 Leader, and yes, below that of my|phone A919 Duo.

Official specs:

OS: Android 4.1.2 “Jelly Bean”
Processor: MediaTek MT6577 ARM Cortex A9 1.0GHz Dual-Core
RAM: ~~1 GB~~ 512 MB
SIM: Dual-sim; Dual-standby
Battery: 2,300 mAh removable
Screen size: 132.07mm (5.2″) IPS Capacitive 5-point Multi-touch Screen
Built-in memory: 4 GB
External memory: up to ~~64 GB~~ 32 GB microSD
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, Tethering
Camera: ~~8 Mpx and 2 Mpx~~ 5 Mpx and 0.3 Mpx, rear and front respectively, with autofocus, flash, and a ~~1080p~~ 720p video recording capability
Dimensions: ~~5.88″ (h) x 3.07″ (w)~~ 152.3mm (5.99″) (h) x 80mm (3.14″) (w)
Depth: 11mm (0.40″)

Unconfirmed specs based on Zopo ZP900 Leader:

GPU: PowerVR SGX531T
Standby: up to 200 hours
Screen resolution: qHD 540×960
Extras: FM Radio; Proximity sensor; GPS
Weight: 198g (6.98oz)

What else could you ask for?

I can not wait to get my hands on Omega and play with it.

The post (Updated) Cherry Mobile Omega Now Available at ₱6,699 Only! by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Facebook Pages Manager for Android

2013-01-13T20:11:28-08:00

Facebook launched Pages Manager app for Android two days ago to select countries. This new application from Facebook targets Fan Page management without the distraction that is our personal stream and personal profile. Good for community managers and social media marketers.

Pages Manager is an application that lets admins check on their Page activity, view insights, and respond to their audience from their mobile device. To log in, you need to have the main Facebook app on your phone, otherwise, you will not be able to use Pages Manager.

It is currently in version one and is too simple. I can not help but think that they just took out the code for the full-blown Facebook app and stripped the codes that are not needed and added a few here and there. There are nothing in it that the main Facebook app or your mobile browser can not do. It does not add anything new or convenient either.

Version 1 features

Post new status messages as your Page
Check your Page’s Insights data with a graph
- Total likes
- People talking about your Page
- Weekly total reach
Filter posts by [1] Page; or [2] Others
Upload or take a new photo
Push Notifications setting: “On” and “Off Until Tomorrow 8:00am” only

Missing features

Accessing your Page’s admin settings
Creating new events
Insights: Trends Chart
Permanent “Off” setting for “Push Notifications” and custom time option
Video upload

But let us not forget that this is only version 1 of the app, we can expect updates that will bring in more features – real management features. If you want to try the app, search online for the apk file and install it manually, or if you have a rooted Android phone then get Market Unlocker and switch to any US carrier.

It is useful in its current form, true, but it needs more if they want it to attract Page managers. Until then, especially the lack of a permanent “off” setting for Push Notifications, I am not using it. In the future I will, and that’s for sure.

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post Facebook Pages Manager for Android by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Go Green with Android this 2013

2013-01-08T19:22:54-08:00

It’s a new year. With it comes a new hope. A new brighter future. New Year’s resolutions. New goals. New looks. As an Android smartphone user, it means it is time to change our phone themes.

Last year, I have been eager to change my phone themes to green but did not do so. When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2013, I decided that green is the colour of the year and immediately went to work switching my phone to green. It was a long and time consuming process but I found the right skins for each of my GO apps that complements each other without paying anything.

Yes, all free-of-charge. No downloading of cracked versions. No silly (push) notification and pop-up ads. Just clean themes that I want to share with you today.

Oh, by the way, a few days into 2013 I found out that green, emerald green, is the official colour of the year. So that is probably why you are here reading this blog post, you want to switch to green too. Just a reminder, this is for GO apps only. Without further ado, here are the free and ad-free themes you should download now.

GO Contacts EX: Poison Green by TeamCarbon

Google Play Market link: Go Contacts PoisonGreen – Free

GO Keyboard: Green Fusion by Mojo Studio

Google Play Market link: green Fusion Go Keyboard

GO Launcher EX: Glossy Green Theme by D&S Designs

Google Play Market link: Glossy Green Go Launcher Theme

GO Locker Option #1: Green Night HD by Crazy cool Lockers

Google Play Market link: Green Night HD Go Locker

GO Locker Option #2: Neon Green Theme by Cyber Pixel

Google Play Market link: Go Locker Neon Green Style

There are plenty more themes available on Google Play (f. Google Market) but the above suggestions are for me, the best combination I found that suits my taste – not so bright, not too green, not too much glow. A good balance between dark background and neon green. It’s simple and light and I hope you like it too.

Enjoy!

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post Go Green with Android this 2013 by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Cherry Mobile Flare, Flame, SkyFire, Titan, and Omega Compared

2012-11-28T22:13:06-08:00

Last week, I was about to buy Cherry Mobile Flare (I don’t like Titan) when the company teased about the coming Flame, SkyFire, and Omega. I did my own research for the specifications of these upcoming models and created a spreadsheet for easy comparison.

I am sharing the data today to everyone. Below you will find Flare, Flame, SkyFire, Titan, and Omega side-by-side. I hope that this table will help you decide for your next Android phone.

An important note: As of Thursday, 2012-11-29, the specs for Flame, SkyFire, and Omega were based mostly on the other similar models being sold in other countries. The actual specification of CM’s own version may vary slightly. As soon as more information are provided by the company, I will update the table to reflect the new information released.

Now as for the price my guesstimate for Flame and Omega are:

Flame: ₱4,999
Omega: ₱6,999 to ₱7,999

The price of ₱5,999 for SkyFire is official and was rumoured to be available already in some Cherry Mobile stores. As for Flame and Omega, another rumour is that it will be revealed sometime after 4^th of December. Let’s just hope that my guesstimate is correct (I want to buy CM Omega).

Last but not the least, Omega launch is being rumoured to be on December 21, 2012. Probably just a joke, if you get what it means.

The post Cherry Mobile Flare, Flame, SkyFire, Titan, and Omega Compared by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

How-To: Merge Skype and Windows Live (MSN) Messenger

2012-11-08T17:42:12-08:00

With Microsoft® announcing they are shutting down the Windows Live Messenger network (f. MSN Messenger) on March 2013 (except in China), loyal users, especially businesses that rely on it as their communication tool, will now have to migrate to a new network. Personally, I highly recommend moving to XMPP (a.k.a. Jabber) as a long-term solution. But for this post, and since Microsoft offers their own solution, I will guide you on how you can merge your account with Skype.

Yes, Skype, the new messenger network Microsoft is banking on. (And where they have more options on monetizing than WLM/MSNMessenger.) This is short, with screenshots to help.

Before we begin, I strongly suggest that you login to your Windows Live Messenger first and delete all contacts that you know or have added to your Skype. You do not want to have duplicates of the same person showing on your Skype client after the merge process.

Let’s begin:

Launch your Skype client and choose Microsoft Account as shown on the image below

Step 1
Login with your Microsoft Account: WLM; MSN Messenger; Hotmail; Live Mail; Outlook.com

Step 2
Next, choose I have a Skype account if you have a Skype account; or I'm new to Skype if you don’t have one.

Step 3
Since this guide is about merging your existing WLM and Skype accounts together, choose “I have a Skype account” and you’ll be shown a list of Skype accounts that were recently logged-in on the machine you are using. If your account is not listed, just click Provide a different account

Step 4
After choosing your Skype account, you will be prompted to enter your Skype password, again, your Skype password, not your Microsoft account password

Step 5
The last step is confirming that you have logged-in the correct Microsoft and Skype accounts to be merged. Triple-check that you got the two accounts correctly, otherwise, they’ll be merged together. I did not look for a way to unmerge, so don’t make a mistake here.

Step 6

You’re done! From now on, you should login using your Microsoft account not your Skype account.

Q: But wait! They merged, right? So why can’t I use my Skype account to login? It’s easier to remember/type

Well, Microsoft said so. But “Microsoft said so” aside, I tested it myself and the results are not satisfactory. See the next two screenshots:

As you can see, if you login using your Skype username, the WLM/MSN Messenger account does not login and as such inaccessible. However, by logging-in using your WLM username, it works as it should be.

I agree with you that logically, we should be able to use either username since it was merged but it appears that the system in place currently were not made for that. Maybe in the future it will be improved. For now, we just have to live with it and file a request for it.

Goodbye Windows Live Messenger / MSN Messenger, hello Skype.

The post How-To: Merge Skype and Windows Live (MSN) Messenger by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

How-To Activate Facebook’s Two-Factor Authentication

2012-07-15T01:44:44-07:00

Two-Factor Authentication (“2FA”/”TFA”) is the latest in security measure many online services have implemented and are implementing today. You probably encountered this or have been using it if you use any of these popular services: [1] Google; [2] HSBC; [3] Blizzard Authenticator; [4] Trion/RIFT Authenticator; [5] Garena Authenticator; [6] SOE Authenticator; [7] BioWare/SW:TOR Authenticator; [8] Yahoo; and the list is growing.

Facebook also implemented their own 2FA, however, it is confusing to activate it. So today I am going to guide you step-by-step on how to activate Facebook’s TFA and get an additional layer of security protection for your account. But what is it anyway? Here’s what Facebook has to say…

Get a coffee, a tea, or a drink and don’t forget the most important of all – your mobile phone. Ready? Hop in!

First things first, you need your mobile phone to take advantage of this feature, it doesn’t matter if it’s a regular phone or a smartphone. Facebook offers the traditional SMS method for non-smartphone users, and an Android app for well, Android powered smartphones. (Sorry, iOS based phones are not yet supported as of this writing.)

Let’s begin…

Steps #1 ~ #5

Fire up your Google Chrome browser (yes, Chrome, you’ll know why later), and login to your Facebook account
Go to Security Settings: Down arrow besides Home > Account Settings > Security
Look for Login Approvals then click Edit (note: If you use Mozilla Firefox, you probably won’t see this, otherwise continue to the next step)
Check the checkbox for “Require me to enter a security code each time…” to start the activation process (note: If you use Mozilla Firefox, you might get an error. If you do, at this point you have no choice but to use Chrome as stated in Step #1 above, so go on, start from the beginning.)
A message box will pop-up explaining what Facebook’s “Login Approvals” is about. It’s the same as what I showed you in the beginning of this article, so just click the Set Up Now button

Step #6

Facebook just sent you a random code via SMS text. If after a few minutes it still hasn’t arrived, follow the sub-steps below, otherwise skip to the next step:
1. Go to Mobile Settings: Down arrow besides Home > Account Settings > Mobile
2. Make sure you have a confirmed mobile number attached to your account, add a mobile number if you have none and just follow the steps
3. Make sure that your attached and confirmed mobile number is “Text Activated” as shown in the screenshot below. If it isn’t, simply activate it (on that same page) and follow the simple steps provided by Facebook
4. Once done, go back to Step #6

Step #7

After confirming your phone from Step #6, you will see a new pop-up box with “Success! Login Approvals are set up”, congratulations! Click Next

Step #8

Are you a smartphone (currently Android only) user?
1. If you are, continue to our section on “Set up Code Generator” below
2. If not, then click on Not Now, you are finished with your setup

That’s it for everyone.

Set up Code Generator

What is Code Generator for anyway? Taking from Facebook:

Code Generator lets you approve logins even when you can’t receive text messages or access the Internet, by generating security codes directly on your smart phone.

Ready? Let’s continue:

Step #9

Continuing from the activation steps above, click on Continue button

Step #10

Go to Google Play (f. Android Market) and search for the official Facebook for Android app (the developer’s name for the app is no other than “Facebook”, install that one)
Once installed, click Next and follow the instructions given to you, which is short and self-explanatory
If it doesn’t work, just click the other option provided in the pop-up box in the previous step. You will be sent a URL via text to visit this URL: fb.me/cg, open it and follow the short instructions (again self-explanatory)

Step #13

After that, you’ll see this box “Success! Code Generator is set up”

Step #14

Click on Test Code Generator
Open Code Generator and enter the random code shown on it, then click Test Code
If it says “It worked! Code Generator is all set up”, congratulations! Otherwise, go back to the previous steps and see where and what went wrong (in the first place, you shouldn’t have reached this step if it failed somewhere). And you’re done.

If you want to disable Code Generator, simply go to this URL while logged-in: fb.me/la.

Later, if you want to (re)-activate Code Generator, just go to Security Settings (Down arrow besides Home > Account Settings > Security), click Edit besides “Login Approvals”, click the link Set up Code Generator, and follow the steps above.

Set up app passwords

You probably noticed it earlier, a link to “Set up app passwords”. These are unique passwords created for third-party apps so you can login to Facebook. Yes, you can not use your own password because it will trigger the Two-Factor Authentication process, which your third-party app doesn’t support at all / yet.

For example, you want chat to your Facebook friends via XMPP, you need to generate an app password to login successfully. Or instead of using the official Facebook app you are using another third-party app, you need to generate an app password for it.

You have the option of using the same app password for everything – but that is highly discouraged. The reason why you have to generate one app password per third-party app is so that you can track the software that can login to your account without the security layer 2FA offers. By having different app passwords, you can choose which app password to delete/terminate without affecting your other apps.

Your final Security Settings tab should look something like this now:

Enjoy!

The post How-To Activate Facebook’s Two-Factor Authentication by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

How-To Unlock Your Samsung Galaxy Phone

2012-07-08T14:43:47-07:00

Have you bought a Samsung Galaxy y series or a Galaxy Ace series and found it network locked? Have you searched the heavens, the earth, and hell to get your new phone unlocked but can not find anyone willing to do it for a reasonable price of free?

Search no more! Because here comes the Galaxy Toolbox app by developer Doky73!

Just follow these simple steps:

Get Galaxy Toolbox here or here
Launch the app and you will see this:
Choose “Device Information” and check your unit’s, well, information as shown here:
Go back to the menu and choose “Backup bml15 partition”
Go back to the menu and choose “Network unlock” as shown here:

then you should see this:

Congratulations! Now you can use any network’s SIM card on your phone, all that at no extra cost!

What is “Custom binary counter reset”?

Now what is the menu selection “Custom binary counter reset” for? Simple, it resets the ROM counter Samsung secretly added on their newer phones and stock ROM updates. It will allow them to know how many times you’ve installed a different ROM and who knows what else they’re tracking.

In Samsung Galaxy Y S5360, this tracking feature doesn’t exist nor in any ROM updates they pushed as of this writing. You may see something like 149175 when you first choose “Device Information”. Then after resetting it via “Custom binary counter reset”, it will turn to zero (0). So far, I haven’t seen it increment, besides it’s impossible that I installed a different ROM or whatever 149,175 times since January of 2012! (For the record, I haven’t changed my ROM ever.)

Restore your bml15 partition

If for some reason you want to use your warranty or you want to sell your phone, be sure to restore your bml15 partition to its original state before you unlocked your phone.

Simply go to the apps menu and choose “Restore bml15 partition” and you’re done. However, this will also restore the binary counter of your phone to its previous value when your first did a backup of your bml15 partition.

If your phone’s binary counter increments then better reset it back to zero (0). Otherwise, if it is like Galaxy y series that doesn’t increment, then better leave it that way – like mine’s at 149175. Samsung engineers or your network may be aware of it, and if they see a zero in there, then they’ll know.

Again, a simple logic here is that, in my case I can not possibly have done 149,175 ROM installations, edits, roots, or whatever else they’re tracking, not even 149,175 phone restarts because I rarely restart my phone. That number must be the “zero” for the Y series, and obviously they (Samsung or your network) is aware of it.

Cool?

Compatibility

As of version 1.00.120609GA (09th July 2012), Galaxy Toolbox is compatible with the following models:

Samsung Galaxy Y series
- GT-S5360
- GT-S5360B
- GT-S5360L
- GT-S5360T
- GT-S5363
- GT-S5369
Samsung Galaxy Pro
- GT-B5510
Samsung Galaxy Pop Pro
- GT-S5570I
Samsung Galaxy Ace
- GT-S5830i
- GT-S5830C
- GT-S5830M
- GT-S5839i

Install Galaxy Toolbox via the official market: Google play;

If it disappears there, get it at: myAndroid Market.

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post How-To Unlock Your Samsung Galaxy Phone by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Setting Up Friendica on Nginx

2012-04-11T15:33:45-07:00

You’ve made the switch to nginx (“engine-x”)? You want to run Friendica on your nginx-powered server?

Here’s a short guide on how you can setup your Friendica to run on Nginx. So jump on in…

Note: This tutorial assumes that you already have your Nginx server and PHP running, if not, feel free to search online for instructions on how to ready your server. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Open your /etc/nginx/sites-available/domain.tld configuration file

Copy this to your file (or adjust it if you already have one):

server {
  listen 80;

  server_name domain.tld;
  root /path/to/your/website/domain.tld/public_html;

  access_log off;                             # If you are using 'Analytics' type software for tracking, keep this 'off'
  log_not_found off;                          # Turn on if you want to track "not found" errors
  error_log /path/to/your/website/domain.tld/logs/error.log crit;          # valid values: debug, info, notice, warn, error, crit
  #rewrite_log on;                            # Uncomment if you want to debug your rewrites (then change 'crit' above to 'notice')

  # block stuff early
  # Do not log favicon.ico and robots.txt stuff
  location ~* /(favicon\.ico|robots\.txt) {
    allow all;
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
  }

  # Return error 444 for these files
  location ~* ^.+\.(bzr|git|log)$ {
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    return 444;
  }

  # Deny public access to ~ (bak) files
  location ~* ~$ {
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    return 444;
  }

  #############
  # Friendica #
  #############
  location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ @friendicacleanurl;
  }

  location @friendicacleanurl {
    rewrite ^/(.*) /index.php?q=$uri last;
    break;
  }

  #######################
  # Security: Friendica #
  #######################
  # block public access to .htaccess and .htconfig.php
  location ~* /\.ht {
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    return 444;
  }

  # block public access to .tpl files located in /view/ folder
  location ~* /view/(.*)\.tpl$ {
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    return 444;
  }

  # block public access to /util/ folder
  location ^~ /util/ {
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    return 444;
  }

  #################################
  # Deliver static files directly #
  #################################
  # images (Friendica)
  location ~* /(addon|images|library|spec|util|view)/(.*)\.(bmp|cur|gif|ico|j2k|jp2|jpe|jpeg|jpf|jpg|jpm|jpx|mj2|mng|png|svg|svgz|thm|tif|tiff|webp)$ {
    add_header Pragma "public";
    add_header Cache-Control "public";
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    expires 28d;
  }

  ############################
  # redirect 50x error pages #
  ############################
  error_page 500 502 503 504 /50x.html;
  location = /50x.html {
    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
    internal;
  }

  ##############
  # enable PHP #
  ##############
  location ~ \.php$ {
    try_files $uri =404;

    fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(.*)$;

    fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;                       # Comment if you want to use sock instead of tcp
    #fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php-fpm.sock;          # Uncomment to use sock instead of tcp

    fastcgi_index index.php;
    fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;

    include /etc/nginx/fastcgi_params;
  }
}

Type:
```
sudo service nginx restart
```

You’re done!

Take note however that this is a basic configuration only. There are other nginx settings that you can setup which isn’t covered by this tutorial simply because those settings are not Friendica-specific settings. But for your use, here are some useful configurations you may want to experiment on. Note that, all of the values are set to default.

##################
# Request limits #
##################
#open_file_cache max=1000 inactive=1h;              #=off; http/server/location
#open_file_cache_errors on;                         #=off; http/server/location
#open_file_cache_min_uses 3;                        #=1; http/server/location
#open_file_cache_valid 1m;                          #=60; http/server/location

###############
# Size limits #
###############
client_body_in_file_only off;                       # always keep this 'off'
client_body_buffer_size 16k;                        #=8k/16k; http/server/location
client_header_buffer_size 1k;                       #=1k; http/server
client_max_body_size 10m;                           #=1m; http/server/location
                                                      # must match php.ini post_max_size and upload_max_filesize
large_client_header_buffers 4 8k;                   #=4 4k/8k; http/server

############
# Timeouts #
############
client_body_timeout 60;                             #=60; http/server/location
client_header_timeout 60;                           #=60; http/server
keepalive_disable msie6;                            #=msie6 safari; http/server/location
keepalive_timeout 300 300;                          #=75 75 (300 300 is for SSL); http/server/location
keepalive_requests 100;                             #=100; http/server/location
send_timeout 60;                                    #=60; http/server/location
tcp_nodelay on;                                     # http/server/location

If you found a good working setup, don’t forget to share it with the rest of us!

The post Setting Up Friendica on Nginx by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

World IPv6 Launch Day Set – 6th of June 2012 #v6launch

2012-03-02T05:59:18-08:00

Back in the 3^rd of December 2009, I wrote about how to connect to next-gen Internet, if you haven’t read it, it was about IPv6 or Internet Protocol version 6.

IPv6 is the answer to our IPv4 problem – we ran out of IP addresses to give last year, in 2011! With more ISPs, businesses, and even individuals needing IP addresses to deploy their products, there is no stopping the growth of the Internet and the high demand for more IP addresses.

But with IPv4 depleted already, where do we get more IP addresses? Nothing left. Zero. What do you expect from IPv4 when it can only give 2³² IP addresses? That translates to 4,294,967,296 IPv4 addresses only. The answer is IPv6 and it’s launching this year, are you ready?

Last year, on the 8^th of June 2011 was the World IPv6 Day where concerned netizens tested IPv6 deployment on a global scale. It was very successful and it gave us the proof that the world will not blow-up to smithereens.

This year, the 6^th of June 2012 has been marked as the World IPv6 launch day. On this day, all companies, services, ISPs, and web hosts who have taken the time and effort to prepare for it will switch on IPv6 permanently. Countless of websites will be accessible via IPv6 and many more for sure, will turn-off their IPv4 and instead rely on tunneling those still stuck in IPv4 as a way of showing support and the need to migrate. And you must, because eventually, IPv4 addresses will be turned-off in the not-so-far future.

Just how many IP addresses can IPv6 provide anyway? What if we ran out again? There are 2¹²⁸ addresses or if you can read this: 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 IPv6 addresses. We can literally connect and assign a unique IPv6 address to every device in the world today and we are still not scratching the surface of 128-bit addresses, which is IPv6 (IPv4 is only 32-bit).

So go ahead, if you have the money, get a dedicated IPv6 address, in fact if you ask me, we deserve to have 2 free IPv6 from our ISPs. And speaking of ISPs, it’s high time that you tell them to upgrade and support this migration. Tell them you want a real/native IPv6 service and not some tunnel. For no extra cost! It’s mandatory, not an extra service.

But if like me, your ISP is still not yet ready to deploy native IPv6, then you can temporarily use a tunnel. For my Philippine readers, you can get a Philippine-IPv6 tunnel address via Globe Telecoms. Simply follow How-To Get A Philippine IPv6 Address I wrote last year on 6^th of June. While for my international readers, if you are a Linux user you can follow this post and get your tunnel working.

For the majority of end-users, you shouldn’t notice anything. If you do (like slow downs) and you read in online forums that the “solution” is to turn-off your OS or browser’s IPv6 – do not do that. One day, for sure you have forgotten about it, and you’ll end up not having a connection because your ISP probably switched you over to native IPv6. IPv6 is here to stay, the real solution to the dual-stack problem (that causes the slowness) is to switch to IPv6, ditch IPv4 – not the other way around.

Enjoy and always remember, there’s no place like [::1].

Official launch website: worldipv6launch.org

IPv6 Test sites: test-ipv6.com & ipv6-test.com

* IPv6 Launch logo by worldipv6launch.org is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

The post World IPv6 Launch Day Set – 6th of June 2012 #v6launch by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Why I’m Still Not Ditching My AIM/AOL Messenger Account

2012-02-14T04:08:33-08:00

Back in 2^nd quarter of 2011 Google and AOL rolled-out their Google Talk and AIM interoperability feature. Meaning, users can add and communicate to users of the other network, similar to what then “MSN Messenger” (now “WLM“) and Yahoo! Messenger did years back.

It was great news in the Instant Messenger (“IM”) world. Interoperability between separate networks is a must have today, especially when it comes to doing business globally. Imagine one IM account that can communicate with other IM networks, bliss right?

Yes.

Unfortunately, for Google Talk and AIM interoperability project, it isn’t. In a few months time, it will be a year already since they opened their doors to each other but the feature is still plague with bugs.

Bugs reported were: [1] contacts disappearing; [2] online/offline status not getting detected/shown correctly; [3] adding/invite/request-to-add not getting received by the other party; and even [4] failed communication or receiving of messages on both ends.

I tried it earlier today and I can only say that these bugs are still there. It is random, so if you’re lucky you will have a smooth sail. Personally, I doubt that the problem is on Google’s side, no, I think it is on AOL’s side.

Google Talk uses XMPP (f. Jabber), which have a built-in system for federating to other XMPP/Jabber networks. Closed-networks like AIM, WLM, and FBchat have been experimenting with it (though FBchat and WLM end-result and purpose is different). And AOL have been experimenting with it far longer than WLM and FBchat. This is the result of their efforts to translate AIM’s language to XMPP language. The bridge is on AOL’s side not Google’s.

Which could explain why Google Apps users (like me) can not use the interoperability feature. AIM probably whitelisted the @gmail.com domain only. Which also explains why despite the bug reports to Google, things are not getting better. All Google could probably do is forward the reports to AOL’s engineers.

That is why I am still not deleting my AIM account. The interoperabiliy is:

limited to @gmail.com domain only; and
still buggy

I hope one day I can say: “1 less IM account to maintain yet a million users gained”. Oh, AOL should include ICQ (“I-Seek-You”) as well, I have many contacts there too and it isn’t dead as most people assume.

The post Why I’m Still Not Ditching My AIM/AOL Messenger Account by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

GO Suite: Launcher EX, Contacts EX, SMS Pro, Keyboard, Locker

2012-01-28T08:23:06-08:00

Update 23-02-2012: Added GO Locker review.

Everytime I buy a new gadget (or install a new OS) is to replace the default applications. For my Android Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 smartphone, I immediately searched for a replacement of the default “SMS”, “Contacts”, “Dialer”, “Launcher”, and “Keyboard” apps that comes with it.

I found GO Launcher EX (which comes with GO Store & GO Widget), GO Contacts EX (which comes with GO Dialer EX), GO SMS Pro, GO Keyboard, and GO Locker. I never looked back since.

GO Launcher EX

GO Launcher EX is the replacement for the default launcher that comes with Android. A “launcher” is the software (or application) that serves as your desktop and app drawer (or “program files” if you are a Microsoft® Windows user). It is what you always see and use.

The default is simple and it was left to the manufacturers and Android enthusiasts to develop their custom or better launcher, in effect creating an Android community and ecosystem. You, of course, want to have a better launcher right?

Some of the features are:

3 Dock rows
Screen and App drawer transition effects
App drawer search field
App drawer folders
App locking
App hiding
Better app sorting
Close all running apps
App history

Install GO Launcher EX via the official Android Market;
Get new themes here.

GO Contacts EX (with GO Dialer EX)

GO Contacts EX replaces the default contacts/phonebook app of Android. Although the default is more than enough for the average user, the added features that comes with this will surely convince anyone to download this replacement app.

Themes
Better Contact-Group management
Favorite contacts
SMS all
Email all
Backup contacts to SD
Restore contacts from SD
Transition effects

GO Contacts EX also comes with GO Dialer EX which replaces the default dialer of Android. Not much is different between GO Dialer EX and the default dialer that I noticed, except the ability to change the theme of your dialer.

Install GO Contacts EX via the official Android Market;
Get new themes here.

GO SMS Pro

Another application worth installing is GO SMS Pro, once again replacing the simple SMS system offered by Android. This app adds the following features:

Private Inbox (which is password protected)
Themes
Password protect your SMS system
GO Chat (optional plugin). Get the plugin here.
Scheduled Messages
Auto-reply messages
Facebook chat (optional plugin). Get the plugin here.
Filter box
Favorties
Lock a message
Traditional SMS folders (Inbox, Outbox, Sent, Drafts, MMS, etc.)
New Message pop-up
More smileys
More emoji – which is compatible with iPhone emoji sets. Get the plugin here.
Individual settings (ie per contact settings)
Signatures
Group messaging
Blacklisting
Backup and Restore messages
Backup and Restore settings
Handwriting & Doodle
and many more…

Install GO SMS Pro via the official Android Market;
Get new themes here.

GO Keyboard

Last but not the least, GO Keyboard to serve as a better replacement for the keyboard that comes with all Android phones.

I have tried different keyboard apps and I can say that in the free-of-charge selection, GO Keyboard is the best option. Not only does it offer themes, not only does it offer different keyboard layouts. But it also offers the following that adds life to texting.

More smileys
More emoji (which are compatible with iPhone users). Get the plugin here.
More selection of predictive languages
Easy typing
Fast and lightweight
Swipe typing
Fantasy Text. Get the plugin here.
Multi-language predictive mode
Predictive language lens

Install GO Keyboard via the official Android Market;
Get new themes here.

GO Locker

As an extra bonus, if you are using a compatible phone you should also download and install GO Locker. It is (again) a better replacement to the default that comes with Android.

Unfortunately as of the time of this writing, I can not give a review of this app because it is not compatible with Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360. If ever it will be compatible in the future or I get a compatible unit, I will update this and add my review.

Update 23-02-2012
I found a way to install GO Locker outside of the official Android market, by downloading the apk installer file elsewhere (I’ll show you where later). With that, my GO experience is now complete.

GO Locker is a screenlock application that replaces the default “blue screenlock” that comes with Android. It is fast and smooth, not like the other screenlock app that I’ve tried. It has the usual screenlock features with additions and enhancements. The features are:

Unlock styles: “Slide to Unlock” (horizontal and vertical) and “Four-Key Unlock”
Wallpaper selection: Theme default, Launcher, Custom, GO Locker background
Security Lock
Lock “Home” Key – useful for devices which can be unlocked by simply pressing the “Home” key. With this feature, the said key will always return back to GO Locker. Example models are: Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Y, Samsung Galaxy Y Duos
Emergency Unlock
Enable Volume changing while locked
Showing (or not) of Date, Time, and alarm
Lock/Unlock sound and vibrate
Numerous themes available online

Since this is marked as incompatible with Samsung Galaxy Y, you can get the apk installer file here. Copy it to your SDcard, run it, then install. Repeat if there are software updates.

Enjoy!

Install GO Locker via the official Android Market;
Not compatible? Get the apk installer at GO Dev Team (English);
Get new themes here.

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post GO Suite: Launcher EX, Contacts EX, SMS Pro, Keyboard, Locker by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

How-To Root & Unroot Your Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360

2012-01-11T05:07:14-08:00

Rooting your Android smartphone has its benefits, otherwise there’s no point in rooting. Rooting is simply similar to JailBreaking in iPhone and related products. The terminology comes from the fact that Android was based on GNU/Linux where the root “user” is the be-all, end-all powerful user that will allow you access to the whole operating system.

Which means, it is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. So for this tutorial, if you are not comfortable with doing these simple and short steps, then don’t do it. Let somebody else do it for you.

Lastly, make a decision. Do you really want to root your Android phone? You can read this article for the pros and cons of doing so: Why You Should (Not) Root Your Android Phone.

Before we begin, back up your phone first if you already migrated your phonebook and messages, and whatever other information that is important to you. But if you are using Google Contacts as your phonebook, then there’s no need to do backup in that part. Just check your SMS section if there are any that you want to keep. Cool?

If you did not read Why You Should (Not) Root Your Android Phone, then as a reminder Rooting may void your warranty, are we clear?

Let’s begin…

Download one or both of these files:
- Root: root.zip
- Unroot: unroot.zip
Copy the file(s) to the root folder of your SD card (i.e. don’t put in any folders)
Shutdown your phone and wait for 30 to 60 seconds to make sure it is turned-off
Press Volume Up+Home button+Power On buttons simultaneously until it turns-on
By using your volume keys, choose: Apply Update from SD card. Choose the file you downloaded earlier: root.zip if you want to root your phone; unroot.zip if you want to unroot it
After it finishes, choose reboot
Go to your app drawer (i.e. “Program Files” if you are a Windows user) and check if you have the app Superuser
If you have it, go to Android Market and search for: Busybox. Download and install it.

Congratulations! You did it! Your phone is now rooted (if you chose root.zip) or unrooted (if you chose unroot.zip). Simple? I hope that your heart did not pound, eh?

Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360-Pink

If you unrooted your phone, then you should be aware that apps that requires root access will no longer work correctly. Unrooting is useful if you want to do a factory reset, so you can pass it on, sell it, or use your warranty for whatever reason.

If you rooted your phone instead, welcome to a whole new world! You will now be able to use applications that needs root access, which are plenty and which are dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. So be sure to read guides and tutorials like this one if you want to use a particular app with root access required. The last thing you want to do is mess up your phone to the point of you have to take it back to the store, which they’ll probably tell you that your warranty is void because you rooted your phone.

The most important reminder of all: If you want to do a factory reset of your phone, be sure to: [1] Re-install/Unfroze the system apps you uninstalled/frozen; and [2] unroot your phone. If you fail to do so, it may mess up your factory reset, especially if you uninstalled/frozen system apps.

All good? Great!

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post How-To Root & Unroot Your Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Why You Should (Not) Root Your Android Phone

2012-01-11T02:59:58-08:00

You bought your new Android smartphone. You played with it. Explored the features. Read forum posts that you can find online. And your friends kept on telling you to root your Android.

So what does it mean to root your Android smartphone? Should you even do it? What are the advantages and disadvantages of rooting your new phone?

In this short (hopefully) post, I’m going to list down the advantages and disadvantages of rooting your Android, to help you decide if you should even bother with it.

So what is rooting anyway? It simply means to gain access to the be-all, end-all user account on your Android which is ‘root’. Android is based on GNU/Linux which have a ‘root’ user that has all the access to the operating system. If you are familiar jailbraking, then that’s very similar if not exactly the same.

When you buy a new Android phone, you do not have any root access. Thus there are limited things you can do with your new smartphone. Which is fine and intentional. It is by-design, and has been the case with Linux. The reason is simple: security.

Security from unauthorize applications accessing your OS. Security from accidental changes. Security from viruses, trojans, malwares, that changes files and settings on your machine without you knowing it. This is the OS that Android grew out of. That’s your smartphone now.

So when you root your Android phone, you are opening yourself to a whole new world. You will gain access to the operating system. Make changes. Do things the manufacturer, and Android itself, did not design for you – ordinary user – to do.

The Disadvantages of Not Rooting Your Android

Here are the disadvantages of not rooting your android:

Limited to what you can do
You can not install apps that you probably want or need
You’ll more likely reach the point of having not enough memory
No way to optimize your phone
You can not install custom mods which usually are better than the default/stock rom that your phone comes with

The Advantages of Not Rooting Your Android

If there is a disadvantage, there is an advantage right?

You are safe from doing changes that you should not do
You are safe from installing apps that are questionable or does more than advertised
Your warranty stays intact (depending on where you are and where you bought your unit, most of time your warranty is void once you root your phone)

The Disadvantages of Rooting Your Android

Now let’s see the disadvantages of rooting your android.

Your warranty is void in most countries and stores
You need to be careful of what you download, and make sure you only provide root/superuser access to trusted applications
You may change something that on your next boot will make your phone buggy or unusable

And I hope I did not scare you.

The Advantages of Rooting Your Android

Plenty! I’ll only mention a few, most important, and convincing reasons.

You can do whatever you want! Yeah!
You can install apps that can help you optimize your phone – which mostly requires root/superuser access
You can download apps that will help you manage your phone’s RAM
You can use applications that will allow you to move apps, cache files, and libraries from your phone’s internal memory to your SD card – avoiding seeing that dreaded “not enough memory” warning
You can install aftermarket firmware like CyanogenMod and MIUI (pronunced as Me-You-I), which usually provides a better Android experience
Backup your downloaded apps, so you don’t have to search and redownload again
Use themes
Change boot images. You know, that manufacturer logo that comes up everytime you (re)start your phone.
Uninstall/Freeze useless stock applications that the manufacturer as well as your mobile operator adds.
Restore your phone! Since you can backup your whole phone, you can also restore it. Saving you from starting all over again.

That’s just the beginning. Of course, “with great power comes great responsibility”. Giving yourself root/superuser access is again dangerous if you are not careful and you have no idea what you are doing or installing. You are basically on your own. If you bricked it, don’t expect much of returning it to its working condition. More likely than not, it’s a goner.

Have you decided? It is up to you if you want to root or not. Don’t let anyone, not even your closest and most trusted of friends and relatives to decide for you. It is your phone. It was your hard earned money that bought that phone. You should be the one deciding if you will jump the bandwagon and join us, or stay and be left behind.

Think about it. Read. Ask around. Decide for yourself.

Go back to: myAndroid Hub

The post Why You Should (Not) Root Your Android Phone by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

How-To Follow A Google Plus Activated PicasaWeb User

2012-01-04T09:17:53-08:00

If you are a PicasaWeb user, you probably noticed that you can not follow any PicasaWeb user whose accounts are Google+ activated. The reason simply is that viewing the public gallery of a Google Plus activated account redirects you to the new “Google+ Photos” web viewer.

Playing around with it, I found a very simple work-around…

By simply adding:

?noredirect=1

after the user’s URL, you will be able to view the user’s Picasa albums via PicasaWeb’s viewer. Example, my Google Plus user number is: 107219430233856542092 taken from my Google+ URL: https://plus.google.com/107219430233856542092

Change the URL to this: https://picasaweb.google.com/107219430233856542092?noredirect=1 and you will be able to view my photos using the full-featured PicasaWeb viewer. You can also start following me and see my photo uploads the next time you open your PicasaWeb, the PicasaWeb way.

The only thing that you will probably miss is email notifications which stops working once a PicasaWeb account is converted to Google Plus. Also, the ability for non-Google+ users to comment on your photos also disappeared… unless I missed some setting somewhere.

The post How-To Follow A Google Plus Activated PicasaWeb User by JC John Sese Cuneta, was originally posted on Laboratory Sandbox.

Laboratory Sandbox

Extend Compass Sass font-face mixin

font-face mixin override

The Resulting CSS

Prism Syntax Highlighter for WordPress

Download

Examples

bash (Bash Unix Shell)

c (C language)

coffeescript (Coffeescript)

cpp (C++ language)

css (Cascading Stylesheet)

groovy (Groovy script)

java (Java language)

javascript (JavaScript)

markup (xHTML, MathML, SVG, LaTeX, RSS, XML, OWL, etc.)

php (PHP)

python (Python language)

scss (Sassy CSS)

sql (SQL)

Download

Less Used Facebook Privacy Settings

Option I: Facebook Privacy Settings

Option II: Timeline and Tagging

Option III: Blocking

Option IV: Followers

What is “Follow” feature?

What is “Follower Comments”?

Extra: Apps

Tip: When Posting / Re-Sharing

Trend Micro Antivirus on Cherry Mobile Omega

How-To Enable Per App Tablet Mode and more!

What does Xposed Framework do?

What is Xposed App Settings?

Install Xposed Framework and Xposed App Settings

What can you do with it?

More Settings Available

Source: A How-To Video by zedomax

Cherry Mobile Omega vs. my|phone A919 Duo

(Updated) Cherry Mobile Omega Now Available at ₱6,699 Only!

Facebook Pages Manager for Android

Version 1 features

Missing features

Go Green with Android this 2013

GO Contacts EX: Poison Green by TeamCarbon

GO Keyboard: Green Fusion by Mojo Studio

GO Launcher EX: Glossy Green Theme by D&S Designs

GO Locker Option #1: Green Night HD by Crazy cool Lockers

GO Locker Option #2: Neon Green Theme by Cyber Pixel

GO Locker Option #3: Titanium Green by Pollanza

GO SMS Pro: Poison Green by TeamCarbon

GO Widget: Poison Green ICS by TeamCarbon

Cherry Mobile Flare, Flame, SkyFire, Titan, and Omega Compared

How-To: Merge Skype and Windows Live (MSN) Messenger

Q: But wait! They merged, right? So why can’t I use my Skype account to login? It’s easier to remember/type

How-To Activate Facebook’s Two-Factor Authentication

Set up Code Generator

Set up app passwords

How-To Unlock Your Samsung Galaxy Phone

What is “Custom binary counter reset”?

Restore your bml15 partition

Compatibility

Setting Up Friendica on Nginx

World IPv6 Launch Day Set – 6th of June 2012 #v6launch

Why I’m Still Not Ditching My AIM/AOL Messenger Account

GO Suite: Launcher EX, Contacts EX, SMS Pro, Keyboard, Locker

GO Launcher EX

GO Contacts EX (with GO Dialer EX)

GO SMS Pro

GO Keyboard

GO Locker

How-To Root & Unroot Your Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360

Why You Should (Not) Root Your Android Phone

The Disadvantages of Not Rooting Your Android

The Advantages of Not Rooting Your Android

The Disadvantages of Rooting Your Android

The Advantages of Rooting Your Android

How-To Follow A Google Plus Activated PicasaWeb User