Just get an iPhone

iPhone will taken the mobile world by storm. In fact it already does.

This post is for those people who doesn't want to get an iPhone.

I am not going to get an iPhone, the reasons I already stated here.

There are some people telling me that they don't want to get an iPhone because everyone else is having an iPhone. If that's the only reason, I suggest just get an iPhone.

iPhone is just like your iPod, Everyone is having an iPod, will you get an mp3 player from S brand, or C brand? No you will just get an iPod.

If you have other reasons not to get an iPhone, so be it.

Starhub prepaid mobile data plan

Singapore has cheap mobile data access plan, one of the cheapest in this region.

I found this Starhub prepaid mobile internet plan, MaxMobile Prepaid. This is a SGD12 prepaid card, I am suggesting this mobile internet plan because it is flexible and affortable.

Flexibility. This is very important in marketing. With this Starhub internet prepaid plan, you have different choices with different price and rate. You can have 1 hour, 1 day, 3 day or 5 day plan. You can check the rate listing from the website.

Low cost. If you choose the 3 days plan is SGD 3.33 per day (SGD 10 for 3 days), 5 days plan is SGD 3 per day (SGD 15 for 5 days). This is cheap compare with other countries, even with other mobile operator offer here now. If you compare with other post paid mobile Internet package, Starhub cheapest package is SDG 14 per month (but it is postpaid).

Easy. You can get the prepaid card from Starhub service center and some franchise grocery store. Just choose your package and send the SMS code to activate. To top up you can use the top up card or top up through Internet.

Fair usage policy. The policy set a data size limit as most mobile operator does. The limit is 2.2 Gigabytes per day, the usage provided is more than enough, no need to worried about the access limit.

If you have a short trip in Singapore, and you need to access internet with your netbook, this MaxMobile Prepaid will be a good choice.

Mobile Bridge Alliance

The first thing I do when I was in Singapore is to get myself a prepaid SIM card, roaming is just too costly for me.

There are 3 mobile operator in Singapore, Singtel, MobileOne and StarHub. I just simply get Singtel, the service center is the first to appear in front of me. Later I found out that Singtel is a member of Bridget Alliance. This is the first time I know about Bridge Alliance.

What is Bridge Alliance? Bridget Alliance is a alliance form by few mobile operators in Asia Pacific region. Since both Singtel and Maxis are members, I can top up Singtel with Maxis.

My Singtel prepaid card call Hi!Card. How to top up Hi!Card? Here is a FAQ, you need to purchase a Singtel top up card, or you go to a Singtel service center for top up. If you are outside of Singapore how do you purchase the Singtel top up card? You can ask your Singapore friend do it for you, or there is an easier way if you are in Kuala Lumpur. You just go to the Maxis HQ just beside KLCC, you can do the top up there, because Maxis and Singtel are members of Mobile Bridge Alliance.

This is part of the list of Mobile Bridge Alliance members (there is a total of 11 by now):

Malaysia - Maxis
Singapore - Singtel
Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile
(台灣大哥大)
Australia - Optus

The full list of the 11 members can be found here.

Yes I use Google Chrome browser

When I show my HP mini to an IT friend, he says, "Hei! You use Google Chome!".

Yes, I am using Google Chrome, because Google Chorome design suit my style. I prefer a simple user interface, without much toolbar, free more space for browsing display as much as possible.

Did you notice Google Chome does not have a menu bar, unlike most of the applications, the menu access is just the 2 icons at the right side of the url address bar. The status bar is always hidden at the bottom, it only appear at the bottom left corner to display url and other status information when necessary.

Google Chrome use tab browsing as most of the advance browser did. The tab control don't occupied a horizontal space as most of the browser did, it make use of the standard Windows title bar to put in its tab control.

Since the HP mini (1000) has a 1024x600 display resolution, smaller than the standard 1024x768 display resolution. Google Chrome's neat and cleaner design is just nice for netbook Internet browsing.

(Google is pushing Chrome browser to Mac users)

Huawei broadband modem on Snow Leopard

Finally I get it work on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

I have an USB broadband modem which came with the broadband subscription, is a Huawei E160. Unfortunately the software came with the modem, doesn't work in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

You need to download the latest software from Huawei support here, select Download - Software, choose Software - For Mac OS X 10.6 on the left.

There are 3 software available:

1. Dashboard installer.
This is the installer but it doesn't include the Mobile Partner software.

2. Mobile Connect driver

This driver works with OS X 10.6.

3. Huawei UMTS Dashboard
This is the Mobile Partner software.

Step 1: Install the Mobile Connect driver

You may need to reboot if you are replacing the old driver.

You can check for the old driver exist before install the new driver. The driver will be located at:

Mac HD/System/Library/Extensions/HuaweiiDataCardDriver.kext
Mac HD/Library/Modem Scripts/HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G Modem

Step 2 (optional): Dashboard

Is a software to help you to install the Mobile Connect software. You need Mobile Partner software mounted before install this software.

Step 3: Install Mobile Partner software (Huawei UMTS Dashboard)

You may already have a Mobile Partner, then you don't need to install.

Mobile Connect software, should be written in Java

The old software call Mobile Partner, the newer Mobile Connect software is written in Java. The new software response a bit slow, just be patient.

No iPhone for me, not now

Most of my friends thought that I will get an iPhone. No, I have no plan to get an iPhone, for a few reasons:

1. I am not an Apple fan. (You might not agree with me)

2. Is still costly. I am not heavy mobile phone users, so there is no good package for me.

3. Battery life. I am a light user, I don't have a lot of phone calls, but if I use it to surf net and watch movie, the battery life might not last for my daily usage.

No doubt, iPhone is a very good smart phone. I strongly recommended to get one.

What netbook expected in Pikom PC Fair 3 2009

What do you expect in this PC Fair (3)?

I am expecting netbook.

1. HP
HP mini 311. The number one on my list, it came with nVidia ION chipset, it is not a 3D graphic chipset, but it has hardware HD video decoder, can perform HD (1080p) video playback on your Atom netbook. It came with 1Gb on board ram, expandable to 3Gb.

2. Dell
Dell mini 10v. Personally I am not interested in Dell, but this budget netbook is Chrome OS ready.

3. Samsung
Samsung Go N310. The most attracting selling point of this netbook is its battery life. Ads say up to 11hrs (or 9hrs).

4. Acer
Acer Aspire Timeline series. It is a notebook (not netbook), thin, slick design, long battery life (as long as 9hrs), it is using low voltage cpu eg. SU9400.

Acer Aspire One. One of the best selling netbook from Acer, but no surprise.

5. Lenovo
May be can take a look at IdeaPad S10-2.

6. Toshiba
Toshiba always has nice looking, price competitive netbook.

7. Sony
Sony VAIO W or P series, but their ads sucks.

8. ASUS
Asus has release many models since the first netbook EeePC 701. The latest should be T91, a touch screen netbook, just like the Tablet PC, but much cheaper. A Table PC will cost 3 times more than this EeePC T91.

I have seen this T91, not so exciting for me. I prefer 1008HA (SeaShell)