XDA's Top Apps of 2012

Find out what are the apps being sorted by XDA community as Top Apps of 2012.



You can also vote for them at this page:
http://www.xda-developers.com/holiday-guide-2012/


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source: XDA

False Advertizing on free Samsung Galaxy Y

I like to surf the wild wild web, because it always have something that is very interesting. While I was surfing last night, there is a ads that appear for a few times (in my memory) in last few days. It says free Samsung Galaxy Y (SGY). I just got my Samsung Galaxy S 2 (SGS2) recently, therefore I am not interested to use SGY, but the ads got my attention (you win). So I click on it. And it show like this:

If you are in Malaysia, I am sure you will know which brand is this. Anyway, point number 1 is to bring any of you phone and changer (that in working condition) to participating outlets to get the free SGY, 300MB data and RM2 airtime per month for 12 months. Not bad huh? Wait. What is number 2?

No.2, Reload RM360 and...... WTF? This is not free any more. SGY can be buy directly from shops for RM300 to RM500 depend on condition or new.

No.3, Reload a minimum of RM10 every month to continue enjoy the free data and airtime? You are paying for that, what is with the FREE word in there?

Therefore, ladies and gentleman, please be careful with all these confusing advertizing and packages that telco offering nowadays. I am still not subscribe to any data plan with my telco until now because I don't believe them. Yes, my SGS2 is not connected to internet all the time, but smartphone is depend on the user, not the phone itself. hehehe.


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Best of Hacks 2012

XDA TV present, Best of Hacks 2012. See if you would want to try out another of the hacks on your Android smartphone/tablet/phablet.

Warning: you might void the warranty of your Android by doing any hack. I am not responsible of any of the problem if you want to try any of these hacks.





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source: XDA

WPS Office - Another MS Office Alternative

MS Office is always the main office software being use by main stream business and most of the industry. However if you are just starting a new business or a SOHO or a freelancer, buying a MS Office software can be very costly. Nowadays PC maker tried very hard to save cost, therefore some of the time the PC/laptop you bought is installed with evaluation version of MS Office or some just don't have MS Office at all.

MS Office Home and Student edition cost USD $150. MS Office Home and Business edition cost USD $280. Plus you need to pay additional USD $25 per language pack that you want to include. That's is very expensive.

Luckily there is always a lot of nice people on the world wild web (world wide web) to write free software. There are a lot of alternative to MS Office, among the famous one such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice. WPS Office is a made in China (what is not made in China nowadays? ;) ) alternative to MS Office.

Recently WPS Office has been upgraded to SP2. What so special of WPS Office?

1. It is very small, setup file 41.6MB only.
2. It opens documents on cloud storage.
3. Auto recovery.
4. WPS Excel supports long numbers (Unlike MS Excel changed everything to xx.xxE+xx).
5. Free template from WPS forum.
6. Directly post to WeiBo (China's twitter).

The only drawback is WPS website is completely written in Chinese. No problem for people that is Chinese educated, but what about other people? I am downloading it right now to see if WPS Office can support English or other language only Windows.

If you are adventurous, go to this link to download it now:
http://www.wps.cn/product/wps2012/sp2/

Update: Confirmed that WPS Office is only in Chinese. Another thing is it will not ask your permission before it take over all the office files to be open by WPS. What a shame, sounds like another non-sense software (Remember Real Player?). I am uninstall it now.


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source: wild wild web

iTunes 12 Days of Gifts

If you are using iTunes or iPhone or iPad or iPod, you probably already know this. For the rest, iTunes is giving out 12 Days of free gifts starting today (Dec 26).

You don't need to have an i-product to eligible for the free gift. What you need is iTunes. I already downloaded the first day of free gift, which is Maroon 5's songs.

Go to apple.com to download iTunes today.


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source: wild wild web

XDA University

XDA forum has been my favourite forum since I start to use my HTC Touch Elfin. Recently I have changed to SGS2, however since there are too many stuffs in the HTC, I am still keeping both phone most of the time. There are too many customization on the HTC that I still can't find it on SGS2 yet. Therefore I am slowly moving stuffs from the HTC. Today I noticed that excel spreadsheet that I used on HTC are losing the formulas when I open them in SGS2 using Polaris Office and Smart Office. Why?!?!?!

 Anyway, XDA launched their university website. It is to to help people that just starting to use Android as well as for people who wish to do Android development, such as apps, ROMs, theme, and etc.

Here is the introduction video of XDA university:


The link:
http://xda-university.com/


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source: XDA

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!


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Managing Android from PC/Mac

Android and iOS can be activated without any PC or Mac. However for some it would be more convenient to manage their Android from PC or Mac. Example for those that don't like to sign up data plan.

SnapPea is written in China. What is not made in Chine nowadays? :P

It can organized your contacts, musics, and pictures on your Android. You can download free apps through SnapPea and SnapPea will install into your Android, no need to sign up any data plan. You can also write text message on your PC and send through the phone. Another attractive point of SnapPea is your can import music from iTunes, no need to manage another list.

Here is the feature video from SnapPea.


One thing I could not understand is the English version and Chinese version setup file as well as website are called different name. Just curious.

English website:
http://www.snappea.com/

Chinese website:
http://www.wandoujia.com/


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source: wild wild web

Samsung Galaxy Grand I9080 - Not So Grand

Samsung have just announced Samsung Galaxy Grand I9080 (SGG) few days ago. I wonder what could Samsung do with this new Galaxy smartphone. Samsung is very good in deliver many variant of flagship Android smartphone, example Samsung Galaxy S2, it has more than 10 variants.

I just got my Galaxy S2 recently (I am outdated and frugal okay?), therefore I wanted to compare my phone with SGG.

The easiest way is to head to gsmarena.com to get the comparison.
The link if you want to read it on gsmarena:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5162&idPhone2=4327

Here is the table from GSMArena (thank you!) with my comment on the right most column:

		Samsung Galaxy Grand I9080	Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100G	My comment
GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	Same
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100	Same
		HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
	SIM	Yes	Mini-SIM	Whatever SIM, still the same function
	Announced	2012, December	2011, Q3	No comment
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, Q1	Available	No comment
BODY	Dimensions	143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm (5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 in)	125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm (4.93 x 2.60 x 0.33 in)	SGG is larger, obviously
	Weight	162 g (5.71 oz)	116 g (4.09 oz)	Larger means heavier
DISPLAY	Type	Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	What kind of screen Samsung will put on SGG?
	Size	480 x 800 pixels, 5.0 inches (~187 ppi pixel density)	480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches (~217 ppi pixel density)	Same resolution with bigger screen, lower pixel density, how to compete with i-whatever?
	Multitouch	Yes	Yes
	Protection		Corning Gorilla Glass	Will SGG getting Gorilla Glass?
		- TouchWiz UI	- TouchWiz UI v4.0
SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones	Nothing special
	Loudspeaker	Yes	Yes	Nothing special
	3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes	Nothing special
MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 64 GB	microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory	Nothing special
	Internal	8 GB, 1 GB RAM	16GB storage, 1 GB RAM	SGG with less internal storage!
DATA	GPRS	Yes	Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps	Nothing special
	EDGE	Yes	Class 12	Nothing special
	Speed	HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps	HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps	Same
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot	DLNA?
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR	Yes, v3.0+HS	SGG is better
	NFC	No	Optional	Nothing special
	Infrared port	No	No
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0	Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-the-go	Didn't mention MHL on SGG, assumed same?
CAMERA	Primary	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash	Same!
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization	Same!
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps	Yes, 1080p@30fps	Same!
	Secondary	Yes, 2 MP	Yes, 2 MP	Same!
FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)	Android OS, v2.3.4 (Gingerbread)	SGS2 going to get 4.1.2 on Jan 2013, x-finger!
	Chipset		TI OMAP 4430	What CPU will Samsung put in SGG?
	CPU	Dual-core 1.2 GHz	Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9	Same speed, but might be different core
	GPU		PowerVR SGX540	What GPU will Samsung put in SGG?
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Same!
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS	Same!
	Browser	HTML5	HTML, Adobe Flash	Nothing special
	Radio	TBD	Stereo FM radio with RDS
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, support and GLONASS	Yes, with A-GPS support	SGG with GLONASS, which mean faster lock to GPS?
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, White	Black, White, Pink
		- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic	- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
			- TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
		- SNS integration	- SNS integration
		- MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player	- MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
		- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player	- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
		- Organizer	- Organizer
		- Image/video editor	- Image/video editor
		- Document viewer	- Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)	No document editor for SGG? Shame on you
		- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,	- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
		YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration	YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration
		- Voice memo/dial/commands	- Voice memo/dial/commands
		- Predictive text input	- Predictive text input (Swype)
BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 2100 mAh	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh	Bigger battery on SGG, better battery life?

The only things SGG is better than SGS2 are:
1. begger screen side
2. GLONASS
3. battery

SGG only come out on Q1 2013, mid-price segment, probably to replace SGS2 which going to discontinue any time now. SGS3 price probably will drop again. You can wait, wait for SGS3. Otherwise buy SGS2 like me now. :)

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source:TARGET="_blank"

Smartphone for Dump User

When I saw the title of this article I thought that it could be some neutral comment. However at the end it just a rant of a dump user which used to smartphone that have to use dump phone because his lost his smartphone.
Therefore ladies and gentlemen, a phone is just phone, dump or smart is actually depend on the IQ of it's user. :P

Article was published on Technology Review:
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/508871/my-dumb-phone-experiment-week-one/

My Dumb Phone Experiment: Week One
It’s not going great, guys.


Earlier this week, I announced my decision to try going back to a “dumb” phone for a month, following the theft of my iPhone. The idea was to try to wean myself off a mobile email addiction, while also reminding myself about the many affordances of the iPhone that I’d come to take for granted.

So far, this week, there’s been a lot more of the latter than of the former. I miss my iPhone far more than I do not miss my iPhone. Much as I’ve moaned about my hatred of a non-physical keyboard, I can tell you what I hate much more: having to write out SMS’s using nothing but number keys. I had thought my return to hunting and pecking might be endearing; in reality, I’ve simply dropped out of text message conversations that I really ought to be carrying on, or bullied people into continuing them over email or Facebook.

I had thought that two of the most-used features of my iPhone–hands-free phone calls with headphones, and the regular use of my alarm–would be mostly replicable on my Alcatel dumb phone. Yes and no. I can plug headphones into my phone for interviews, but the sound quality is notably inferior. And I can set alarms, but the interface is so clunky that I sometimes don’t bother, or, as today, I accidentally set an alarm for 7 PM rather than 7 AM.

“Interface”–the very word makes me nostalgic for my iPhone, whose design was so lovingly crafted, where everything made sense. Now I have to navigate and click my way around a barbaric little menu in search of features that may or may not ever materialize: the ability to set my dumb phone to vibrate, for instance. Could someone help me with that?

Most of all, though, what I miss about my iPhone is the grab-and-go nature of getting from one place to another. In my iPhone days (may they return soon!), I could wait till the last possible moment to dash off to an appointment; the address would be in my email or perhaps in my calendar app, and my maps app plus GPS would send me on my way. Occasionally I’d be irked if I reached my subway stop (which is on my block) before managing to pull up directions. Ah, for the days of such First World problems!

In some ways, I must note, my experiment lacks full integrity. When I first wrote about the idea of going back to a dumb phone (see “Is It Time to Go Back to my Flip Phone?”), the notion was always to do so in conjunction with a 3G-enabled iPad. I don’t own a 3G-enabled iPad, though, merely a WiFi one, and feel a little bit as though I leapt into this experiment without building a sufficient supporting infrastructure to give it a fair shake. (One thing I definitely would have done was to ensure all my iPhone contacts were on my iPad; I recently returned a text from my father asking, “Who is this?”)

But one other thing I’ll say: even if I had created a virtual iPhone within my iPad, I’m not sure I’d always want to lug my iPad around, day in and day out. An iPad, while not too heavy, still weighs about a pound and a half–not negligible if I was otherwise only going to carry a magazine. And an iPad costs considerably more than an iPhone, making me somewhat loath to have it on me at all times (especially given my recent trend of losing things). An iPad isn’t a no-brainer vade mecum, in the same way an iPhone is.

That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed some benefits from being iPhone-less. It’s true that “spare change” time–the time waiting in line to order, or waiting for the subway to come–now gets funneled into thinking about projects I’d rather be thinking about than yet another compulsive check of my inbox. There’s undoubtedly something to be said for that. But so far, the brief bliss of moments like these is mostly overshadowed by the dozen other ways I’ve inconvenienced myself. I’m obviously and unequivocally at a net loss.


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[free] CodeBlocks: C++ IDE

I learned C programming during my Uni time. I think nowadays some universities still teaching C++ as part of the IT as well as computer/electronics engineering courses. The software of C or C++ usually is commercial software. You have to stay at the computer lab to finish up the project. Some tried to use pirated software, but this should be avoided. Luckily there are nice people out there that put up their time and effort to write free software for everyone. Example: Code::Blocks.

Code::Blocks is a free C++ IDE. It available in Windows (32 and 64-bits), Linux (32 and 64-bits) and MacOS X. So this is very good news for everyone.

To download, go to:
http://www.codeblocks.org/

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pix source: http://www.codeblocks.org/

The Best Samsung Galaxy S2 Online Deal

Since I am Outdated Penang Uncle, I don't buy latest smartphone, example Samsung Galaxy S3 or Samsung Galaxy Note2 or HTC One X+ or iPhone5. The reason is all new devices are way too expensive according to me. A lot of young people in Malaysia spend one month or maybe more of their salary to buy these new smartphone. Some signed up voice+data plan contract from telco and get the new smartphone for cheaper price, but it would cost much more after the contract end. Money does not come easy (for most people), okay?

Therefore I just bought myself a Samsung Galaxy S2. What? You might scream. Yes, it is Samsung Galaxy S2 (SGS2). The reason (as I learned from ToastMaster):

1. The price is quite cheap compare to the time before Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note2 being launched worldwide. Samsung Galaxy S2 was selling at RM1699 (~US$556) in first half of this year, now it is selling at RM1299 (~US$425).

2. I don't like to pay the premium just to get the latest gadget. If you want to play with these latest gadget, just go to shopping mall on the weekend and play with the demo units at the Samsung store or Apple store or Sony store, and whatever store. Think of the extra money you spent just to get a "wow" from friends. But then the "wow" does not pay you the money right?

3. My HTC Touch (Elfin) is getting too old. What? You might scream again. Yes, I am still using my HTC Touch Elfin until yesterday. It is running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Some people might don't even know the existence of WinMo (short-form of Windows Mobile). I bought the phone with more money than this SGS2. Sigh! Recently this HTC is always shutdown itself on every morning (even with full charge), and sometime it can happen at anytime.

Okay, so I have to buy a new smartphone. I just can't go back to use dump phone, which Nokia good at making them. But then I don't need to get "wow" from others. So SGS2 is the most value that I can think of. I don't want to buy second hand, or AP (AP means not being sell by Samsung Malaysia, therefore warranty is not by Samsung Malaysia). So I got this deal which is the best deal from Samsung Malaysia Authorized dealer.

I got it from PBB-Emall. It is a online shopping website own by Public Bank Malaysia. The SGS2 is sell by KTS, which is one of Samsung Malaysia Authorized dealers. The reason:

1. It is RM1299 (~US$425). Most of the shops in Penang selling at RM1399 with free screen protector and casing. Some offered RM1350, without any free gift. KTS in this case also offered free gift, 16GB microSD and Samsung Bluetooth headset.

2. The payment can use credit card. In most of the shops, including KL, they will charge you additional 3% because they want to you pay for the fee that bank charged them. No additional charges if you pay cash. Think about bring whole stack of money and walking around shopping mall.

3. You can even choose to pay by installment and there is no interest charged. But only Public Bank issued credit cards are allow at the moment.

Too bad that now they don't sell SGS2 any more, but SGS3 still selling at RM1799.

To find more good deal, head to PBB Emall.
http://www.pbbemall.com

p/s: I don't get any commission or money from PBB Emall or KTS or Samsung for writing this. I write this just to share the good deal.


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source: I wrote this!
pix source: gsmarena

Live Traffic Update for Penang on Google Maps

Google Maps has been providing live traffic update for Klang Valley since last year. Since I live in Penang, I am hoping Google do so for Penang. Finally, live traffic update for Penang is here! Melaka and Ipoh also have the traffic update as well.

To enable live traffic update on Google Maps, move your mouse to the right top of the maps, the maps options and other options will be appear, check on the "Traffic" and you can start seeing the traffic. I turned off the satellite view for better view of the live traffic.



It supposedly update for every few minutes. Here look at roads near to USM around 11pm last night:


This should applied to Google Maps on Android and iOS. Btw, Google Maps is back on iOS. Apple fan-boys finally can have Google Maps on their iPhone. Heard that it is much faster now.


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source: World Wild Web

Which Friends Concerns You Most on Facebook - part2

If you don't like to do the coding stuffs like in this post (part 1), you might want to this method in part 2 of "Which Friends Concerns You Most on Facebook".
http://outdatedpenanguncle.blogspot.com/2012/12/which-friends-concerns-you-most-on.html

Which Friends Concerns You Most on Facebook - part2

1. Login to your Facebook account as usual
2. Right click on any blank space on your timeline (or first page, if you still not change to timeline), and view page source. Example in picture below, from left FireFox, IE, Chrome.
3. Instead of looking for a string like in part1, copy the whole code by pressing Ctrl-A and then Ctrl-C.
   
4. Paste the code into step3 of this link below:
   http://www.piliapp.com/event/facebook-ordered-friends/
   
Wait for a few seconds for it to render the result, and it will show you the top 150 friends that concern you the most.

If your spouse or boyfriend/girl friend not in the top 3 list, please do not punish or angry with him/her. It is because some people is always looks at everyone else timeline every 5 mins on his/her laptop/ipad/smartphone. :P

Happy checking. :)


Update: I was unable to upload picture to imgur when I wrote this post. Here is the picture that the result looks like:



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source: I google it!

Jar of Beans - latest Android emulator

Jar of Beans is the latest Android emulator. Unlike BlueStacks and Pokki, this emulator is developed by XDA member, unrealmanu.

One important thing to note is Jar of Beans is portable. Yeah, I always like portable software, because no installation needed as well as you will not mess up with the Windows.

Jar of Beans is emulator based on Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.1). And it is rooted, therefore you can mess with the emulator as much as possible.

You can choose the resolution which are being made into phone/tablet/phablet, such as:
->WVGA800
->WVGA854
->WXGA720
->HVGA
->QVGA
->WQVGA400
->WQVGA432
->WSVGA
->WXGA800

Or choose the resolution that suitable for your desktop or laptop:
800x480
1024x600
1280x768
1400x900
1920x1080

Full screen also supported.

Jar of Beans can access Google Play:

Jar of Beans running AnTuTu benchmarks:

Read more more detail at XDA:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1975675

You can also directly go to download it at code.google.com:
http://code.google.com/p/jar-of-beans/downloads/list

Enjoy!

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source: XDA
pix source: XDA

Which Friends Concerns You Most on Facebook - part1

How many of your friends actually looked at your post on Facebook timeline? There is no way to tell how many looked except if you are posted to a group, or it is a Facebook page (not personal timeline). Is there really friends that concern about you on Facebook? Well, I try to keep positive when I post on Facebook.

How do we know that which friends concerns about you most on Facebook? There are a few methods, but I would like to share the first method and this should the the most safe method. But this will involved some geek stuffs, but not too geek because I am going to walk you through the process.

Which Friends Concerns You Most on Facebook - part1

1. Login to your Facebook account as usual
2. Right click on any blank space on your timeline (or first page, if you still not change to timeline), and view page source. Example in picture below, from left FireFox, IE, Chrome.
3. Press "Ctrl+F" and search for "OrderedFriends" (without double quote). I have to blur out the numbers to protect my friends identity. :)
   
4. Copy the first number (without double quote) after the "list".
   
5. Paste the number after the "facebook.com/" in the address bar. Example below, replace PenangUncle?ref=hl with the number that you copied in step4.
   
6. Press enter and it should bring you to your friend's timeline/page. That is the friend which always check your status. If you want to see No.2, No.3 and onwards, please copy the second, third and so on number from the page source you see in Step3.
   

If your spouse or boyfriend/girl friend not in the top 3 list, please do not punish or angry with him/her. It is because some people is always looks at everyone else timeline every 5 mins on his/her laptop/ipad/smartphone. :P

Happy checking. :)


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source: I google it!

[Free Game] ZooKeeper Battle

ZooKeeper was once a very popular game based on flash being played by a lot people on WIndows and online as well. Too bad it is not free on Google Play. However now there a free new game from same developer.

Similar to the original ZooKeeper, the game play quite similar, line up 3 or more same animal. But getting combo is just how you going to beat the other players that you going to match with.

Here is the video of the game:


Download at Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.kiteretsu.zookeeperbattle.google&feature=banner#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDIwMSwianAua2l0ZXJldHN1Lnpvb2tlZXBlcmJhdHRsZS5nb29nbGUiXQ..


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pix source: google play

Limitation of PUT.IO

Put.IO is a new type of cloud storage that allow users to download torrent files into it. I have introduced put.IO in this post:
How To Download Torrent Without Torrent Client

According to the Dashboard of put.IO, the bandwidth supposedly is unlimited for all users, even for free accounts. I have been using put.IO to download the files that I wanted and unwanted as well just because I am a geek after all. By coincident, I found out that there is a limit of bandwidth after all. See the picture below that I have saw last night:



Looks like I have almost spend all the bandwidth.

Update: Looks like new rules being applied for free users. Bandwidth is limited to 1GB per day.




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source: I wrote this!

[Free Game] Mandora

We don't need to worry about free apps or games on Android, there are plenty of them. In fact there are too many that you will never ever install all of them because memory and microSD card will be full way before you can install half of them! :P

I found this game Mandora recently from some free stuffs website from Taiwan. Mandora is made in Taiwan. But don't worry, the interface is in English.

What you need to do is pluck the mandora seed when they are ripe. The question mark in above picture will show you how.


I was skeptical about this game right after I installed it on my wife's Samsung Galaxy W because there is no button to choose level or difficultly. However when I check back it's website, then only noticed that the game play will depend on the time you play. If you play at night time, you will see this:

If at daytime:

At evening also you can see the sky start turn to orange color. No picture of this but you can go ahead try it out.

Mandora is available at Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rayark.uproot

Mandora also available for iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/mandora/id541790591

Okay, there is the trailer:


p/s: I am competing with my wife of the ranking of this game, hehehe.


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pic source: http://www.rayark.com/g/mandora

Pokki - review of another Android Emulator

Installation guide of Pokki is here:
Installation guide of Pokki

By right click on the Pokki icon on taskbar will give you some options. To launch Pokki, simply click on the icon.


Setting of Pokki:



Pokki Launch pad, can also do search on your computer, type your keyword on the box on the top of the launch pad.


Pokki comes without any apps, except the Pokki apps store. We will need to launch Pokki apps store to add additional apps.


The Pokki Apps Store. About hundreds apps only, very little compare to Google Play or Apple apps store. The apps store has the same feel like Google Play when I access it from web browser.


A few famous games, such as Plant vs Zombie, Cut the Rope.


Installing Cut the Rope now.


Cut the Rope is installed. New icon added to taskbar, luckily these icons will be gone after you completely exit Pokki.


Trying out Cut the Rope on Pokki.


Start playing Cut the Rope. It will pause automatically if Pokki is not in the focus.


Searching function on Pokki Apps store:


Pokki's memory usage. This is when playing Cut the Rope.




Pros:
1. Pokki consume less memory compare to BlueStacks.

Cons:
2. Compare to BlueStacks, we cannot install apk into Pokki at the moment, apps are limited. However it is just matter of time that member of XDA will come out with some tutorial or guide. :-)



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source: I wrote this!

Nintendo Wii U Teardown

Remember the unboxing video of Nintendo Wii U? If you missed it, here it is:
http://outdatedpenanguncle.blogspot.com/2012/11/nintendo-wii-u-unboxing.html

Before we start the teardown, lets see what are the stuffs hiding inside the Nintendo Wii U main body:

• IBM Power®-based multi-core processor
• AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU
• 8 GB or 32 GB internal storage with external USB storage and external USB hard drive support
• 6.2 inch, 854 x 480 pixels LCD touch-screen with motion control and front-facing camera
• Near-Field Communication (NFC) functionality
• Broadcom BCM43237KMLG Wireless LAN module
• Broadcom BCM43362KUB6 802.11n Wireless Module—the same one used in the Roku 2 XS
• Broadcom BCM20702 Bluetooth 4.0 module
• Panasonic MN864718 HDMI Controller
• Samsung KLM8G2FE3B eMMC 8 GB NAND Flash/Memory Controller
• Micron 2LEI2 D9PXV [part number MT41K256M16HA-125] 4 Gb DDR3L SDRAM (4 x 4 Gb for a total of 16 Gb or 2 GB RAM)
• DRH-WUP 811309G31
• Fairchild DC4AY
• SMC 1224EE402
• Samsung K9K8G08U1D 4 Gb (512 MB) NAND Flash

And what are the stuffs hiding inside the Nintendo Wii U controller?

• Broadcom 20792 KMLG NFC controller
  
• T130 MsEu
  
• Broadcom BCM4319XKUBG
  
• STMicroelectronics UIC-WUP MCE GH226
  
• STMicroelectronics MSA3D 01F
  
• Texas Instruments TSC 2046I Low Voltage I/O Touch Screen Controller
  
• InvenSense ITG-3280 Gyroscope
  
• Micron 25Q256A 256 Mb Serial Flash
  
• DRC-WUP 811309J31 1217LU603
  
• Texas Instruments AIC3012 Audio Converter
  
• Texas Instruments 1010007

Unless you are in component business, there is no need to know all these, just brake the piggy bank and head to store to buy Wii U now. :P

Oh, almost forgot, the teardown:


And to read it at iFixIt website, here is the link:
Nintendo Wii U Teardown



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source: iFixIt

Pokki - installation guide of another Android emulator

Beside the Android SDK, BlueStack is another popular Android emulator that runs on Windows and Mac.
One of advantages of BlueStacks is you can install apk on BlueStacks. This is the post that I wrote which is received more than 12k views:
How to install apk into bluestacks
Another post is how to enable Android Market on BlueStacks, which also with more than 12k views:
How to enable android market for BlueStacks

Recently another Android emulator come out, which is Pokki (which sounds like vulgar words in some dialects in South East Asia countries). Anyway, here is the installation guide of Pokki:

1. Go to Pokki's website to download the installer by click the "Download" button on top right. Don't worry, it is completely free:
http://www.pokki.com/

2. After the installer downloaded (which is very quick, following steps explain why), go to the folder that you keep it, double click to run it.

3. The setup file is actually less 1MB which will download 2nd setup file, that's why it is so small.


4. After download completed, now it is still not the real installation.


5. Third time of downloading, that's why step 4 is not the real installation.


6. Now, after download complete, now it is the real installation of Pokki.


7. After the real installation complete, you will have Pokki's icon added next to Start button. Right click to see more options:


That's all of this post on installation guide of Pokki. I will discuss the apps in follow up post.


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Nexus 4 Teardown

Nexus 4 is Google 4th Android phone, which released on Nov 13, 2012.

Okay, let's start with geek stuffs:

- 4.7" 1280 x 768 pixel touchscreen LCD with IPS
- Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro system on a chip (SoC) with 1.5 GHz CPU
- 2 GB RAM
- 8 megapixel rear-facing and 1.3 megapixel front-facing cameras
- Near field communication (NFC)
- Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

More geek stuffs inside this phone:
- Toshiba THGBM5G6A2JBA1R 8GB Flash
- SlimPort ANX7808 SlimPort Transmitter (HDMI output converter)
- Invensense MPU-6050 Six-Axis (Gyro + Accelerometer)
- Qualcomm WTR1605L Seven-Band 4G LTE chip
- Avago ACPM-7251 Quad-Band GSM/EDGE and Dual-Band UMTS Power Amplifier
- SS2908001
- Avago 3012 Ultra Low-Noise GNSS Front-End Module
- Samsung K3PE0E00A 2GB RAM. We suspect the Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz CPU lies underneath.
- Qualcomm MDM9215M 4G GSM/CDMA modem
- Qualcomm PM8921 Power Management
- Broadcom 20793S NFC Controller
- Avago A5702, A5704, A5505
- Qualcomm WCD9310 audio codec
- Qualcomm PM8821 Power Management

Now, the teardown:

If you prefer to read it on iFixIt website, here is the link:
Nexus 4 Teardown

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source: iFixIt

Nikon D600 Teardown

Hmm.... This is the second camera teardown being post on this blog. First one was the Sony Alpha A99.

Want to know more of what is inside a digital SLR, start now!



If you would like to read it at iFixIt website you can head down to this link:
Nikon D600 Teardown


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source: iFixIt

How To Download Torrent without Torrent Client

Torrent, love it or hate it, from time to time we have to download some files that we need from it because the uploader only uploaded it to torrent only. So what if we are not allow to use Torrent Client, or even we installed it but the firewall blocked it.

If you google "How To Download Torrent without Torrent Client", there are a few options, however not all of them are as well. Example: BitLet.org. However you need to enable Java, which might be harmful.




I found put.iO, a new cloud storage that allow us to download torrent without torrent client. I am trying out with Futurama Season 6 in this screenshot below. And since the downloading is by the server of put.iO, the downloading is so much faster then downloading over my super slow Streamyx broadband.



The files will be downloaded into your put.iO, however only 1GB is given for free account. Another disadvantage is free account only allow one download at a time, and after the file being downloaded you have to wait until the file being shared at least the same size of the file. But at the same time you can download the file to your PC/laptop.



More advantages of put.iO are you can use secure connections and choose the server nearest to your location. The nearest one is at Singapore for me.



Since this a web-based torrent client, you can do it on all OS (Windows, Mac, Linux) as long have a internet connection and web browsers.

Another thing to note that, at time the website might not showing the right space being consumed. I had a few times that I already deleted the files, but it still don't allow me to add more torrent even though the main page is showing more than enough space. I found out that closing the tab (I am using Chrome) and reopen to the main page would help, but not always.

To give it a try, go this link:
http://put.io


Note: downloading movie or TV show might be illegal at your country, watch out!

Update (Nov20, 2012 6pm): another thing to note is put.iO will continue download and upload even though you logged out. So no need to worry about the PC/laptop being turn on whole day and night, save some electricity bill. :-)



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[Free] Data Switch Widget for Android

There is a problem with native Android interface (anything older than ICS), you have to click and click and click and click to enable or disable data connection (GPRS/EDGE/3G). I always like my interface on my Windows Mobile, where just 2 clicks and I am on/off the data. I found this widget recently.

For free version, you get to enable/disable data and WIFI respectively.

For Advanced PRO version, which include these features, that going to cost you US$1.26.
- how many minutes in between to turn on data
- how many seconds to allow data turn on before shut it off
- etc.

Anyway, I am only interested for the on/off feature as the widget, that is good enough for me.

The widget that turn on/off data easily:

Okay, only PRO version can set the time:

To install, go to google play:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cb56.dataeasy&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNiNTYuZGF0YWVhc3kiXQ..

Detail of each version at XDA forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1960429


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pix source: google play

Waste Time Friday

Are you ready for Waste Time Friday post on Penang Uncle blog?

Here is how to waste your 6 mins (almost, 5:58 to be exact) watching this video made by Red Bull:


Finish watching? Go back to work!

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source:TARGET="_blank"

Quick Settings like the Android 4.2 feature

Problem with smartphone is there is no way to upgrade the hardware. Okay, the only way is to buy a new smartphone. Or get a bigger microSD card, but only if it support it. Therefore I would never buy iPhone, except you give me a free one, hahah.

The best thing about Android (and Windows Mobile, yes, the dinosaur mobile OS) is customization. All you need to do is search in Android forum such as XDA and you will find something very useful to make your Android has a good feel.

So if your phone is confirmed not getting Jelly Bean (Android 4.1), but you would like to have a good stuffs of Jelly Bean, this app might be one of them you can add to your Android.

Control panel for Android: Quick access the ringtone, volume and bright adjustments selector.

Quick access the personalization options using the quick settings that works like to the new Android 4.2 feature.

You can launch the quick setting with some launchers gesture:

Head to this XDA thread for download and details:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1982030



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pix source: XDA