Bought the Dell UltraSharp U3011 30″ monitor last month. It is my main working monitor now.

Just want to share my thought on the monitor in case somebody else are interested in knowing. I have read quite a number of reviews online prior to the purchase. Most are positive feedback, so I thought I should share the negative side that I felt on the monitor.

What do I think about the monitor?

Way too big for a small desk! My desk is only 55 cm in depth. The monitor took1/3rd of it, so left 2/3rd for my keyboard and hands.

30″ is too wide! Yes, I really feel that it is too wide to be used comfortably. Bigger is not always better.

Native Resolution 2560 x 1600. Higher resolution might not be a good thing here. The font size is so small, making reading and typing a eye straining job. Have to resize the font manually in order to read / type comfortably.

The monitor is TOO BRIGHT and TOO HIGH CONTRAST! Again very straining on the eyes. I have to lower the brightness and contrast in order to view long hour on the monitor. Watching movie at high contrast is fine though.

High power consumption! No, you can’t see it, but you can actually FEEL it! I can actually feel the heat generated from the screen surface. The good thing is…I now turn off my computer more often when I am not using it, rather than just letting it goes into sleep mode. Save power.

Am I regret buying the monitor? Hmm…maybe, maybe no. I shall get a bigger working table, rearrange my working space, then shall re-evaluate again the monitor.

Bigger is NOT always better. A 24″ Samsung monitor that I use in my office is more comfortable in my opinion…

I was looking for a good external monitor for my MacBook Air (MBA). To be frank, I was actually drooling on the Apple new 27″ Thunderbolt display that can provide great connectivity to my MBA! With just one cable (Thunderbolt connection), I can then use the Apple Cinema Display (ACD) as a perfect docking station that provide not just an external display but also various ports (USB, firewire…etc.) to my MBA!

I gave myself a few days cool off time before deciding. Of course, I have to let my wallet cool off as well, since the MBA has already burnt a whole…and my credit card bill hasn’t arrived. It will be too heart burdening seeing the bill later…

I love researching on the internet on the information of the ACD and Dell U3011. Below are some findings that I would like to share:

Apple Cinema Display 27″ Thunderbolt

Pro: Easy connectivity with just one cable to the thunderbolt port of the MBA. It provides power supply to the MBA as well, so it saves the trouble of external socket power to the MBA when running! Slightly cheaper than Dell U3011 (RM3.1k).

Cons:

It is 27″ with 2560 x 1440 resolution. Dell U3011 is 30″ with 2560 x 1600 resolution. This means the Dell is going to show fonts and picture bigger, hence easier to read.

Only one year warranty. Dell offers 3 years.

No zero dead pixel guarantee. Dell does.

Using Thunderbolt display is good, but that is only for Apple product. No other product in the market that support thunderbolt connection at the moment. It means the display is STUCK to Apple. No good in case if I want to change to Windows again.

Glossy screen. Hmm…definitely not for the room that I am working now. Reflection is way too strong and I can see myself on the screen constantly! Dell is matted.

Dell U3011 30″ Ultrasharp Monitor

This is the best monitor from Dell. I remember such huge monitor was at a very prohibited price few years back. The old Dell U3007 was selling at over RM6k when first introduced. This U3011 is the latest year 2011 model, and Dell is now having a promotion with RM1k off, making the price RM3.5k. This is quite an attractive deal, since a monitor can be used for long, and Dell offers 3 years warranty for it, meaning that I can at least use it for 3 years with a peaceful mind.

Dell is more expensive, but at RM3k price range for a monitor, a few hundred difference does not make much different now. What’s more important is to make the right decision so that the RM3k or RM3.5k spent is worthwhile and no regret.

Comparison

The above is actually already the comparison. After lots of reading, youtube watching, specs comparison…my preference is more towards Dell U3011. However, there is a very critical problem that needs to be solved. How am I going to connect my MBA to the Dell monitor? The Dell U3011 does provides DVI port, Displayport (NOT Mini Displayport), HDMI…etc. Apple does not sell or provide mini displayport/thunderbolt to displayport solution.

There is Mini Displayport to DVI adapter from Apple, but that can only support upto maximum 1900 x 1200 resolution, definitely not for the Dell U3011 monitor (2560 x 1600). Apple does offer Mini Displayport to Dual Link DVI (support 2560 x 1600), but that adapter is costing over RM300. That’s quite a lot for an adapter, and performance is NOT guaranteed! Changing signal from Mini Displayport to DVI can be unpredictable and causing flickering or screen blackout.

The better connection would be a mini Displayport to Displayport adapter, so to connect to the Displayport socket on the Dell U3011. Apple does not offer this…and again thanks to the internet (macrumors, apple forum…etc.), I found monoprice.com that offer the cable at quite a low price (less than RM30), but shipping is over RM100. Still, no choice and that should be the best solution to connect the MBA to the Dell U3011.

Summary

Dell U3011 is my choice, for a better peace of mind. I shall write again when I have the monitor in front of me. (I guess I will need a new working desk for the monitor…

Just arrived today (4th August 2011)! I am an exciting boy! Have been playing with it none stop for over 9 hours…

Ok…not playing…working actually…

Here’s some photos of the unwrapping of my toy…

(to be update later…)

Screen / Display

My first impression…not that impressive. It is not ISP display, so colour and contrast shifted when you view at different angle. this is quite annoying especially when you are doing photo editing. Since I am quite a lot into photography, so the screen actually disappointed me.

MBA is using glossy screen on the display. While the colour is really rich and shinny, it is actually very poor for actual production work, especially when you have light at your back or nearly a window.

The good thing about this glossy display is that you can use it as a mirror if you want to see how handsome or beautiful you are…Just adjust your eyes to focus on different plan on the display…

Continue writing as of 14th August 2011…

Price? I paid RM3.8k for the 13″ 2011 MBA. Not really cheap for a notebook (you can get Dell notebook at RM2k nowadays), but not very expensive as well (Sony high end notebook can cost more than RM5k, or an Apple MBP can cost you over RM4k easily). My initial budget was just RM3k, and I was actually targeting the 11″ MBA at RM2.9k, but then after reading reviews and discussions on forums, and most importantly my wife’s speaking “Get the 13″, since you always like bigger monitor”, so the 13″ that’s it. No regret, and I really like bigger screen. The MBA is not just for internet browsing, so a bigger monitor does helps.

Weight and Size

The MBA isn’t really that light. Yes, it is lighter than most other notebook in the market, but don’t get fooled by the marketing advertisement that MBA is as light as feather. My 13″ MBA isn’t exactly that small too, as at 13″, it is like holding a F4 folder.

What I like the MBA is the cool one piece aluminum cast out body (two pieces, one for monitor, one for body). Really elegant!

Performance

In terms of performance, MBA is really fast! I can start using my computer in 5 seconds after starting it. Yes, it is that fast! Shutting down takes less than 3 seconds. That should be mainly due to the new Intel i5 sandy bridge design and SSD hardisk.

Running Adobe Lightroom is fast on MBA too. It reads and displays photos smoothly on the screen. However, I am not going to use my MBA for photo processing or storage, as I only have 128GB SSD hardisk on my MBA. It is already less than 80GB space now. To keep my photos in the MBA, it will run out of space in no time.

There is another nice feature of the MBA, which is the backlight keyboard. I prefer to OFF it during daytime, and will only ON it when needed, to save battery.

Cables / Connections

Apple is really a frustrated company as they use different connection for different notebooks. My old Macbook white 2006 uses the standard displayport, while this new MBA uses mini displayport. I bought the mini displayport to VGA adapter together with my MBA, that’s essential as I need to connect the MBA to LCD projector in meeting presentation. I tend to lost things…don’t like to bring extra items with me but there is no other option as mini displayport is not a commonly support connection on any LCD projector that I have seen.

I tried connecting my 21.5″ Viewsonic LCD monitor to my MBA via the mini displayport to VGA adapter, and I must say that the colour is DULL. I am not sure if it is because of the poor monitor or the poor quality signal transmission using VGA cable. My PC connecting to the same monitor using DVI cable is able to produce a much vibrant colour.

MBA is capable of connecting to an external monitor and still able to deliver upto maximum 2560 x 1600 px resolution! That’s the largest resolution that you can find in the market now for a 30″ monitor. It is quite a joy connecting to an external monitor and using the MBA as like an CPU. I am going to get an external monitor for it!

Battery Performance

Apple claims 7 hours run, while I didn’t really count…but I do have more than 5 hours of battery power on my MBA without problem. That is impressive I must say. Good enough for a whole day use without having to bring a power supply all the time.  If I can sit inside Starbuck for a day, I won’t have to worry about running out of power as well. If you are on your computer for over 7 hours a day…you should probably go get rest instead of powering your notebook up and continue working…or surfing…

Conclusion

After a week of using my MBA, I must say that I like it quite a lot! It is sleek, cool, fast, thin, light and a really great product to easily bring around and use! It is ashamed why other company can’t make similar cool product like Apple and sell at similar price range. Mac OS X Lion is cool too! Better than the 10.4 version that I have on my Macbook (white 2006). I am still forcing myself to learn and like Mac OS, and am still learning. I try not to return to Windows for my daily work, hopefully I can get along well with the Apple system.

If you are a PC guy…be prepared to spend lots of time to get yourself familiar with Mac OS X. On the physical and design part, you will not regret.

After hours…days…of consideration…tons of review read…tons of Youtube watched…tons of pictures viewed…I have finally made the click…

Initially I got attracted to the 11.6″ model, but after reading some comments and discussions online, I think a 13″ suits me more, since I am always a WANT BIGGER SCREEN guy. The higher resolution screen of the 13″ is also a welcome (1400 x 900), similar to a 15″ screen resolution actually.

Apple really makes appealing products. Their iPhone revolutionize the phone industry, where smartphone with touchscreen panel is now dominating the market.

Their computers have changed what people think about computer design. Mac Mini is just amazing in size…and the MacBook Air is another breakthrough in size!

The initial few generations of Macbook Air isn’t really that appealing. Besides the size, there are too many compromise in it. Not a fast or serious computer to work with.

I have a Macbook (white), and my wife asked if I really want another Apple computer, as she can see me not using the macbook often, and often complaint about it. Yeah, I must say that I don’t really like the macbook, as the screen is not great (poorer than my Dell Latitude by miles), and it is not easy to get used to the Apple OS X (10.1). That’s the reason why it took me several days and tons of reading to finally commit to the MBA.

To make the purchase more convincing and regret-less…I told myself that I can just install Windows 7 into the MBA if I really hate the LION later. However, I am putting high hope on the LION this time…after seeing so many praises on it and some of its features online.

At the price I am paying, I could have gotten a Macbook Pro, but that defeat the purpose of owning another notebook in my case. I have a hardisk failure in my Macbook before, causing all my UK photos gone. I don’t trust those spinning HDD anymore, and I really like the idea of SSD to replace the conventional HDD. iPad is a great example of how one can use, torture, drop…etc. without causing failure to the SSD. 256GB is very expensive (RM1k extra), so I just opt for the 128GB version. Even that is already costing me near to RM4k. Quite expensive by today’s standard as notebook has already gone down to the price of sub RM2k range commonly available.

Apple Keyboard? Hmm…I hate it actually…can’t get used to the COMMAND key replacing the Control key of PC. Anyhow…let’s see if I can get used to it later. This new 2001 MBA comes with backlight keyboard…should be beautiful at night…and especially useful for people like me who often get confused with PC keyboard and Apple keyboard.

It is amazing that how Apple can cramp so much into such a thin body. I like the elegant one piece solid metal of the MBA design. Ok, make it two pieces.

Nice hur? Yeah…will see how great it is soon when I received mine…

Now…waiting patiently for it to reach my doorway…I shall be very excited or disappointed tomorrow!

I just couldn’t stand my macbook keyboard. No backspace, shift button has to press the right one to work…etc.

So, got myself a simple logitech wireless keyboard.

Simple, battery long lasting and affordable. It claims that battery in keyboard can last for 24 months (2 x AAA), while battery for mouse can last for 5 months (one AA). I have been using this set for my work computer, so far so good and I don’t really remember when is the last time I change the batteries. Must have been very long…

I start to love my MAC again.

We have been advertising in HWM for more than a year. One of the most popular IT magazine in Malaysia.

May 2011 coverage.

There is an interview conducted by HWM to me (Dr. Koh) in this month issue as well. For those who want to know a little bit more about ShaShinKi…feel free to click the picture below.

I was having problem updating my Samsung Galaxy S smartphone to the latest firmware from Samsung. I knew the firmware is already available in the market, but when connecting to Kies, it just won’t allow me to update.

Reading here and there…and finally today I was able to update my Galaxy S!

The problem lies on the Kies version that I was using actually. Was using Kies 1.5, and must upgrade to Kies 2.0 in order to perform the update.

Kies 2.0 can be downloaded at:

http://www.samsungapps.com/about/onPc.as

Update completed. This update is better than the previous one, as Messages and Installed Apps are still preserved and restored after the update.

As for phone book, since I stored all my contacts via Google account, so no worry of loosing them.

Now testing the phone. Shall perform the update for my wife’s Galaxy S later.

Update 19th May 2011:

After the update / upgrade, I noticed that my Samsung Galaxy S is extremely SLOW! Painfully SLOW! It took twice as long the time for me to SWITCH ON to able to start using my phone. This is really bad.

I suspect it has got something to do with the APPs that I have installed on my phone. To not blaming Froyo, I decided to do a factory reset. This will ensure that no other Apps are affecting the phone performance, and everything should be from fresh as FROYO. In other words, I can test FROYO real performance then. I hope this will really improve my phone performance, else what a BIG LET DOWN.

Update 20th May 2011:

After the factory reset, speeds seems better. Little to no lacking now.

Gmail interface has improved. Easier to reply and read next messages now.

Screen lock can be configured using numerical lock now. Safer for the phone as compared to the SWIPE type.

I haven’t discovered other significant features. People said battery life has improved, hopefully it does.

It has been nearly 3 months I owned the TAG Heuer Men’s CAF101B.BA0821 Aquaracer Grande Date Chronograph Watch.

I must say that the watch brings me back to LOVE WATCH WEARING again!

Read my previous blog about the watch at:

• Dream comes true! Thanks Dear!

• My Dream Watch…TAG Heuer Men’s CAF101B.BA0821 Aquaracer Grande Date Chronograph Watch

I almost lost the watch a month ago, while I was at my wife’s home town. Dropped it at the car porch, luckily my nephew found it. I was so upset that time…not only because of the cost of the watch, but also because it is quite hard to get one anymore at such bargain deal I got!

The watch now has some minor scratches and dent at the edge, but nothing serious to degrade the elegant feel and look of it.

When visiting KL a month back, I have the chance to walk into Tag Heuer shop at one of the bigger shopping complex. They do have this model in stock, but is rubber bracelet. Price? I did check with them the price if changed to metal bracelet like mine, and the price is RM7xxx! The shop is really making HUGE profit for selling the watch…but can’t blame them for they sell only Tag Heuer, and Tag Heuer price is controlled by Tag. Shops can’t sell at bargain price for the watch.

Quartz is good. Automatic is a NO NO for me, as I can’t do the rewinding daily. It will be such a burden and tedious job to repeat the rewinding daily, and I will NOT want a watch where time is UNCERTAIN in case that I forgot to rewind it. Quartz is good.

By the way, I did have the chance to checkout the BLACK FACE model while I was at the Tag Heuer shop, and I must say that I have no regret on my WHITE FACE version. It is a personal preference, and I personally like WHITE.

This shall be the watch that I will keep for life…I hope I will not lost it again…

My friend called me just now…saying why on newspaper didn’t invite him…hahaa…

Humbly yours…

This is the first time I am on newspaper. Glad that it comes out quite satisfactory, thanks to Sin Chew Jit Poh, Sin Chew Plus editor, Mr. Lee Yoke Loong (李昱龍). The interview was conducted in KL a week + ago, I am glad that Mr. Lee has the article ready in such a short period.

Sin Chew Jit Poh, date 20th April 2011 (Wednesday)

Me on the cover of Sin Chew Plus…

The inner page.

Thanks!

An interesting picture I saw in the internet today…

Are you hungry?!

(I am an Android phone user…I owned an iPad and a Macbook too…)

Have you noticed that after using Windows for a few hours…the computer becomes so very slow? That could be due to the internal memory of the computer being taken up heavily by all the programs that you have opened before.

So, the simple way is to RESTART your computer. However, this is time consuming and is frustrating if we have to do that over and over every few hours.

The simpler way is to FLUSH the memory. Yes, flush is the correct word, just like flushing your toilet when it is full.

How?

Step 1

Create a shortcut by right clicking your mouse on your desktop, go to New, then go to Shortcut.

Step 2

When asked for the location, enter the following and click Next:

%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks

Step 3

When asked to type a name for the shortcut, type whatever name you want. Eg. Flush memory, and press Finish button.

Step 4

Now that you have created a shortcut on your desktop. Point your mouse over it and double click to run it.

You shall now feel your computer responding better to your command and run smoother.

iPad 2 has just been announced yesterday…or few days ago?

I am not excited. Nothing extraordinary from the iPad 2. I think I would be happy if it adds an USB port there, so that I can use it to connect to my card reader or power up my phone (in 3G mode).

However, Apple does put out one interesting thing with the iPad 2. The smart cover.

Not that I am going to buy one, but I think the advert is smartly presented.

There is a good news though. The original iPad, or the first generation iPad is now selling at just RM1199 at Apple Malaysia online store! (www.apple.com/my). I bought one 3 months ago (during Christmas 2010) at RM1559, so that’s a RM359 saving now! At RM1199, it is sure a very good buy gadget for your kids!

Some ShaShinKi products we couldn’t get the images in time, but have to upload the product immediately. Hence the temporary image below.

Finally…upgraded my wordpress to the latest version. Was at version 2.2 for a many long days…couldn’t find a theme that I like and don’t really like the image uploader feature in the new version, hence delaying the upgrade.

Need to add Facebook LIKE BOTTON to my blog, so have to upgrade my WordPress. Old version is not supported.

Upgrade was easy and straight forward. Basically just need to backup the config file and images folder. That’s it.

How’s the WordPress 3.1? I think it is definitely very nice and smooth. Interface is clean and easy to navigate. Plugin and theme installation is very easy and just within a few clicks in the WordPress admin itself (FTP username and password required). The coders of WordPress is definitely very very good! I just wished my online shop admin interface is just as smooth…

Found a quite nice theme – GIRL. Changed some colours and I think it is good to go live.

Went to Popular bookstore today, was browsing some magazines to see if anything interesting.

Saw this TimeOut Malaysia magazine. The theme of the issue attracted me – Shopping & Services 2011.

Flipping through the magazine and one section caught my attention: Great online buys

Since my business – www.shashinki.com is very much to do with this title, so I was just curious what websites will they cover.

As usual…saw some familiar names being mentioned: ebay.com.my, lelong.com.my…etc. Then, to my surprised, I saw ShaShinKi.com too!

There the blow up…

Just a short exposure to ShaShinKi, but we are glad that we are being recognised and the extra publicity.

Just read about the news of the new Samsung Galaxy S II.

Samsung has hit a home run with the Galaxy S, sold over a million unit in the USA, and they sure hope to do it again with the Galaxy S II.

Saw some video and specs of the Galaxy S II online, nice phone and specs, but I don’t think there is enough reason for existing Galaxy S users to upgrade. Samsung sucks in software update, and till now my Galaxy S is still using Android 2.1…have been waiting for Froyo forever. I hope Samsung can introduce a new firmware for the Galaxy S when they launched the Galaxy S II, else it will be real lame and put off to buy another Samsung phone.

There is a video of the new Galaxy S II at youtube:

[yt]IDNgD_yxBFY[/yt]

Slightly bigger screen and an LED flash at the back camera.

What interested me most is the software. I just hope Samsung can push out the update soon…

My Megumi dropped the iPad few days ago. Accident…got scolded and she looked innocent. She was trying to show me something and the iPad got slipped off.

Dented at the corner, but survived.

The protective case that I ordered from ebay still haven’t come. Already more than 10 days…hmm…now told Megumi can only play iPad on bed, cannot hold with one hand and bring around, not until the case come.

iPad is quite heavy even for me…definitely not very “affordable” for kid of 3 years old. Can’t blame her, but at least she learned a lesson to be more careful in future.

By the way, did I mention that Megumi can remember the password (4 digit) to unlock the iPad only after showing her ONCE? Yes, just once and she remembered it. Both my wife and I was shocked when we saw her unlocked the iPad herself! Hahaa…good memory…

I was in KL last week, saw two person using iPad. Both showing me website contents when we discussed something about webpage.

Apple iPad really shines in this field. It puts my Samsung Galaxy S to shame if I were to show my website to my clients. iPad on the other hand adds value and WOW factor if you were to discuss something with your clients related to internet issue or if you just want to google something for a result.

There is an Apple store at Berjaya Times Square of where I was staying last week. I went to check out the iPad and the entry model (16GB WIFI without 3G) is RM1599 there. Quite affordable I would say. I overhead the conversation by the salesman that they sold 18 units of iPad in that day. Apple just launched the iPad in Malaysia few weeks ago, so sales and demand are hight. Apple really designed the iPad well. Very elegant feel and the glass really shines.

After thinking overnight…I have decided to get one. Not for myself (though I might be using it most of the time), but for my wife. I checked Apple Malaysia website (http://store.apple.com/my/) and I am glad to see that iPad is available there! (My friend told me Apple does not sell online in Malaysia…obviously he is wrong.)

So the decision is either to buy online or bring back and iPad from the Apple store at Berjaya Times Square. Oh, by the way…online price is RM1549. RM50 cheaper than the retail store. One important bonus about buying online is the FREE Engraving service! Yes, you can engrave messages at the back of the iPad and make it the uniquely yours! The downside is having to wait extra days to get the iPad in hand.

Since Christmas is still 1-2 weeks away, so I decided to order online. The engraving part is the key determine point.

I was surprised later to find out that Apple actually ship the iPad from ShenZhen, China and not from their local store in Malaysia! They use DHL express for shipping and guarantee no tax or whatsoever extra charge. From the day I ordered till the day I recieved the iPad, 3 days. That’s extremely fast I would say! I got the iPad yesterday morning from DHL delivery person. Well done Apple!

What did I engraved? Hahaa…(my wife asked if there is any grammatical error or not…don’t tell me if there is… )

One thing to note. You can’t use the iPad right out of the box! Yes, you heard me right. YOU CANNOT USE THE IPAD RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX! No, it is not about battery. In fact, the battery is fully charged in my iPad. You need to download iTunes from Apple website, connect your iPad to your computer (mac or windows), setup your iTunes account, register, activate…etc., then only you can start using your iPad. For those who bought it and thought of using it on the spot without having a computer around…sorry, you will need to wait till you found a PC or MAC first.

Happying iPading!

MAHA POWEREX

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• C204W (Free bag)
• C401FS (Free bag)
• C9000 (Free bag) (Free 4pcs Imedion 2400 batteries! Worth RM58!)
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Purchase at:

• http://shashinki.com/shop/maha-powerex-m-13.html

I reported that my Samsung Galaxy S is having problem with its camera. The center part of every photos I took is always blur.

I went to the service center (Aeon Bukit Indah, 3rd Floor) to report the problem 3 weeks ago. The salesman is friendly and helpful enough to help me order the camera part from Samsung and promised me that he will call me when the part arrives. Within a week, I received a call from the salesman and the part is ready. I need to bring my phone + warranty card when doing the repair. I told him that I need the phone back ASAP, and he estimated 1-2 hours work to change the camera.

I was really tied up with my schedule and only last weekends I have the time to go there to have my phone repaired. The process is fast, only took around 30 mins to have it done. The salesman said this is the first time he repaired the phone, and it is actually very simple to change the camera inside.

I tested some shots and the camera seems to be working perfectly now.

(I left the mini usb cable in my office, so can only try upload some photos here later)

(uploaded by transferring the image via email from my phone to my computer)

Ordered should I say, as haven’t reached my hands yet.

New staff joining ShaShinKi’s team, so need to get a PC for her. Will pass down my wife’s PC to the new staff, and get my wife a better PC.

Did some study and finally decided on the Intel i5 processor. i7 is overpriced both the processor and motherboard. Bought Asus motherboard this time, no more Intel as I think Intel is best on concentrating on processor.

Ordered also a new monitor:

Samsung PX2370

This is LED monitor. Not sure how good or bad it is as compared to LCD, 23″. I was hoping to get a 24″ monitor, but it seems like Samsung only has 23″ for LED at the moment. Quite affordable nowadays, RM760 for the above.

More later…

My wife’s computer died last night. Can’t boot up. Showing boot failure error. Changed the HDD and still the same. I suspect is motherboard problem.

I have two computers that use the same mother board (Intel DQ45CB Mainboard with 2 DIV output), both are having same problem of AUTO REBOOTING from time to time. Initially I suspect memory or HDD problem. Formatted HDD, swapped memory and still the same.

Now, my suspicious goes to the motherboard, and I think very high chance the motherboard is giving problem.

The same HDD in my wife’s computer, now I swap it to my computer (same motherboard, so no need to reconfigure), I can booth up smoothly. This shows that the HDD is fine.

Going to get another motherboard later…definitely NO INTEL this time.

Yes, that’s my new toy. Something that I can’t see nor touch, but can feel.

Just signed up for another dedicated server. My sites (PhotoMalaysia.com, Fotolah.com, PentaxWorld.com, BlogMalaysia.com…ShaShinKi.com) are too much for just ONE server to handle. Time to expand and migrate some of the sites to another dedicated server.

Here’s the specs of my new toy. I don’t want it to outgrow too much…so I have opted for the best specs (within my budget) possible.

Dedicated Server

• Intel Quad Core Xeon 2.53 Ghz Processor
• 8GB RAM DDR3 ECC
• 2 x 1000GB Hard Drive SATA2 7200 RPM
• 1Mbit Dedicated Bandwidth/Unlimited Transfer
• Direct connect to 6 Upstream IP Transit Providers

Migrating is a painful job. After two days, I haven’t able to move a site. I am moving my most important site first – www.shashinki.com. I hope everything will be fine and minimum downtime possible.

Learning new things everyday…

Maha Energy, the maker of Powerex batteries and chargers, announces a major performance upgrade of its IMEDION battery: the AA size rechargeable battery gets a 14% capacity boost from 2100 to 2400 mAh, without compromising longevity or reliability.

A common problem that plagues rechargeable batteries is the need to recharge them about once every one to three months even if not used. Maha tackled this issue by developing advanced electrode materials to reduce the rate of power loss during storage. As a result, the IMEDION batteries retain up to 85% of its charge even after one year of storage (at a room temperature of 20 deg C). The IMEDION batteries are shipped fully-charged and ready-to-use.

The IMEDION batteries differ from the competition in that they boast a longer lifetime as well as increased power retention under warmer environments. The IMEDION batteries can be recharged for hundreds of times and perform extraordinarily well at elevated temperatures. In addition, the IMEDION batteries feature a low-impedance design and can deliver a high burst of current, suitable for camera flashes, remote control cars, and more.

The IMEDION batteries are fully compatible with all Powerex chargers.

About Maha Energy
Founded in 1993, Maha Energy Corporation designs, manufactures and markets batteries and chargers under one roof. Armed with a robust core technology portfolio and a precision manufacturing operation, Maha seeks to provide consumers, professional and companies with the state-of-the-art power solutions.

Malaysia’s Sole Distributor
SHASHINKI DOT COM
www.shashinki.com | shop@shashinki.com | 07-5589122

With the advancement of technology, it is so good that a phone can perform like a portable computer for you to bring everywhere! So many data and information you can store inside, some even like to use it as a camera to snap “private” photos.

It will be such a disaster if your smart phone is lost…cost of the phone is one thing, but the information inside the phone is the most important and of concern to all.

Being a phone, which can be bring around anywhere, the possibility of it getting lost is extremely high. Some might even get robbed! Yes, I have heard and read stories about that (don’t ever put your phone on a table when having lunch or dinner in open market).

So, what IF your Phone is lost? What security does one provide for the phone?

Apple has been demonstration remote lock and remote wipe features in their iPhone during the first generation launch. It is really a peace of mind thing. If a phone is lost, you can remotely lock it and / or wipe out all the data inside the phone. In some countries, you can even trace and locate where your phone is! (some countries do not allow it due to privacy issue)

Now…Android phone being so HOT and POPULAR now…does it has such feature? I wish it has but I was disappointed. I was really concerned about the information I have in my Samsung Galaxy S, and I did “lost” it once (later only found it inside my car). There are just way too many private data in the phone and security concern that should not get exposed to. I searched and google around and found two:

• wave secure
• mobile defense

When I tried to search for it in Android market via my Galaxy S, I just couldn’t find them. Not sure why, maybe is not available to my country (Malaysia).

Today I discovered and tested out ONE nice built in feature in Galaxy S! I have actually noticed that feature on Day 1 of buying my Galaxy S, but I didn’t understand the function of it and forgot about it. I did asked the salesman at Samsung Mobile Shop, and he doesn’t know as well. Today, after google for it, I finally understand it and IT IS ACTUALLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR! Yes, it is the REMOTE WIPE, REMOTE LOCK and MOBILE TRACKER!

Samsung Mobile Tracker

This is a unique feature given by Samsung to their phone users! I think only Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Wave have this function at the moment. I won’t go into detail on how to set that up, as you can read that from Samsung website.

http://www.samsung.com/my/support/…

I set up my Galaxy S with the Mobile Tracker ON, and I tested it few minutes ago to LOCK my phone. Yes, my phone is locked after receiving an SMS. This is GOOD! Restart won’t bring OFF the lock screen. There is a PHONE password that you need to type to UNLOCK the phone. Yes, the lock screen is just like your phone keypad that allow you to type from 0 to 9. I am not sure how many time it allowed you to try out the password, as I read somewhere that a few wrong tries will result your phone being lock permanently.

Ok, I didn’t try the REMOTE WIPE feature, as I don’t want to reinstall and reconfigure my phone again (Just did it this afternoon after upgrading the firmware). I suppose REMOTE LOCK is better as REMOTE WIPE will clean all the data in your phone including the Mobile Tracker information (by default is OFF). That might render your phone to original factory condition and allowing whoever got your phone to be able to use it as a new phone. Not sure if I was right or wrong on this…

Locate my phone feature is not available in Malaysia. Too bad…

Samsung Dive

To remotely control your phone, you will need to login to Samsung Dive website.

http://www.samsungdive.com

It is a free service from Samsung for their mobile users. You can register account from your phone during the setup of Mobile Tracker on your phone.

Ok, now I have a peace of mind. Will set the Mobile Tracker on my wife’s phone later.

Last night when playing around with Kies (Samsung software for the computer to communicate with Samsung phones), I noticed a notification of Firmware Update is available at the lower right corner of Kies.

New Firmware: PDA:JG4 / PHONE:JG4

I remember two weeks ago when I use Kies, there is no firmware upgrade available. So this must be released only recently.

This is NOT Android 2.2 (Froyo) yet. Samsung has announced in their Korean website that there will be Android 2.2 for Galaxy S in September 2010. Definitely a MUST upgrade later (going through the pains again…).

Since my wife’s Galaxy S is new, I so thought why not upgrade it! (no valuable data inside it yet).

It took around 15 mins to complete the firmware upgrade, depending on your internet speed as it need to actually download the firmware (binary files) from Samsung website. I am on a 4MB/s Streamyx line.

Upgrade will actually DELETE and ERASE everything from your phone, back to factory default. So beware! You need to back up a few things first before attempting the firmware upgrade:

Contacts

• Contacts (if you are using Google Contacts, then just sync it with Google)
• Contacts in Phone (Copy and backup using Kies first to your PC)
• Contacts in SIM (again, can copy and backup in Kies first to your PC)

SMS / MMS

I am not sure how to back this up. Kies seems not able to view my SMS stored in my Galaxy S. A bug in Kies? It should by right…else how am I able to backup my messages?I don’t know and I have tried several times by plugging and unplugging my Galaxy S to my PC, still Kies can’t load or find my messages.

Nevermind, not that those messages are of super important, so I just proceed to upgrade my phone.

Installed Software

I am not sure how to back this up. I don’t think there is any option to backup the installed software. So, manually note down what you have installed and wanted to install, as you will need to reinstall them later.

Upgrade? What Change? New Features?

I am not sure. Samsung did not mention it during the upgrade. One obvious change I saw after the upgrade is a new Apps Running icon, which you can click to see what apps are running in your phone and can choose to kill it as well. Good feature I would say.

Upon searching for the upgrade info in the internet, I saw some mentioning about the improvement in speed and reducing lag time in using the phone. Also improvement in sound quality. I am currently upgrading my own Galaxy S, will know later after upgraded and played around with it for a while.

It is actually GOOD to upgrade the firmware if you want to CLEAN and put your phone back to its original factory condition!

Just bought another unit today…for my wife this time.

Same price, RM2500.

I also learned that there are AP set from Singapore and other countries, selling at around RM1.9k (8GB) and 2.1k (16GB) via Lelong.com. In Malaysia, there is only 16GB version from Samsung Malaysia.

Paying RM2k for a phone, I think it is safer to get an official warranty set.

Did some cleaning work at home…sitting in front of the computer till 5am (Friday night ~ Sat morning)…continued some tidying stuff on Saturday and it is finally done.

No, not house cleaning, not physical shop cleaning, but my online shop – www.shashinki.com – cleaning. I remember a saying: the design of your shop is DONE on the day you decided to close it. There will always be improvement and modification work that you need to do from time to time. How very true from the day I start up ShaShinKi (Dec 2005), the work has never been completed and my job is never stopping.

You might not notice any difference at ShaShinKi.com, it is just some minor clean up work and tidying job, making browsing and shopping more pleasant. If you have noticed it, thank you! (You must be a frequent visitor or customer to ShaShinKi!) (Or…you are a dealer from another shop? No problem and you can contact us for cooperation. We do supply things to many other dealers in Malaysia. )

There are many more work to be done…and will be done. Do not hesitate to contact us at shop@shashinki.com if you found any bugs or room for improvement. Thanks ya!

Capacity by time since charged

Maha Imedion scores highest in holding charge inside a battery from day 1 to months! Maha Imedion also shows as the highest capacity among the other LSD batteries in the market!

Review 1

Imedion being the blue line with the highest score!

(Source: http://protog.com.au/blog/index.php/low-self-discharge-rechargeable-aa-battery-test-results/)

Quote from the Original Reviewer (archae86):

Among the AA cells the Maha IMEDION have the best 4-week results. The Kodak are respectable second, and low price and high availability will make them the preferred choice for many.

Review 2

Imedion being the green line with the highest score!

Sorted summary capacity mAh data:

AA low self-discharge NiMH
battery initial 1-hour 1-week 4-week 3-month 3m/1h%
IME 1831 2186 2053 2008 1940 89% MAHA IMEDION 2100 mAh
KPC 1723 2124 2021 1950 1874 88% Kodak Pre-Charged 2100 mAh
GRY 1687 2116 1992 1938 1872 88% GP Recyko 2100 mAh
DPC 1515 2010 1906 1857 1821 91% Duracell Precharged 2100 mAH
HYB 1619 2026 1918 1870 1808 89% Hybrio by Ultralast 2100 mAh
AMX 1645 2078 1936 1856 1784 86% Ansmann Max-e 2100 mAh
ENO 1189 2017 1904 1854 1768 88% Nexcell EnergyON 2000 mAh
ENL 1438 1980 1847 1811 1746 88% Eneloop by Sanyo 2000 mAh
RHY 1738 2021 1867 1795 1716 85% Hybrid by Ray-O-Vac 2100 mAh
RSK 1505 2024 1868 1808 1705 84% Radio Shack pre-charged 2000 mAHr
ACC 1737 2022 1899 1790 1696 84% Acculoop 2100 mAh
TPE 1009 1932 1847 1795 1590 82% Titanium Power Enduro 2100 mAh

AA ordinary NiMH
battery initial 1-hour 1-week 4-week 3-month 3m/1h%
PW20 * 1963 1804 1677 1259 64% Powerex 2000 mAh NiMH
LC20 * 1727 1595 1498 1212 70% LaCrosse 2000 mAh NiMH
KOD * 2072 1917 1673 1012 49% Kodak 2100 mAh NiMH
SY23 * 2091 1899 1615 888 42% Sanyo 2300 mAh NiMH
TI26 * 2001 1745 1495 781 39% Titanium 2600 mAh NiMH
RAY * 1579 1471 1273 605 38% Ray-O-Vac 1600 mAh NiMH
NEX * 1239 1211 978 533 43% NEXcell 2200 mAh NiMH
TI24 * 2109 1859 836 0 0% Titanium 2400 mAh NiMH

-500 hours capacity as delivered
0 hours zero-time capacity after at least three cycles
168 hours–one-week capacity
672 hours–four-week capacity
2184 hours–three-month capacity

(Source: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/772566)