My travel itinerary 28th June

Day 1 (28th):
0430 - Leave home for airport
0515 - Check in
0530 - Breakfast
0545 - Get my ass to the gate =P
0640 - Flight take off
0700 - Enjoy the mid-air flight
1050 - Flight touch down
1150 - Get out of HK airport custom
1155 - Call home and then call Levin / Marvin
1200 - Take MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui‎ station
1300 - Check in accommodation
1330 - Wash up
1430 - Lunch
1530 - Visit 『別了家駒十五載…舊日的足跡』紀念展覽
(香港九龍土瓜灣馬頭角道六十三號)
1830 - Dinner at Temple street
2000 - Visit HMV to get『弦續別了家駒十五載』 CD+DVD
(HMV at 尖沙嘴 MTR station)
2030 - Meet up with Levin / Marvin (maybe)
2130 - Nite street shopping + supper
2300 - Get online
2359 - Lights off

That's all for now folks, I'll post the rest later tonite =P

try, catch, finally

We tried, we caught bugs and finally... we're into private beta.
Wanna thank my team for their support =)

Cheers

Firefox Add-on recommendation

Hi folks,

For those of you who want the progress bar of Firefox to be drawn right in the location bar itself, (just like Safari) here's a Firefox 3 compatible Add-on called Fission:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1951

You can change the color of the progress bar to any of those provided by the UI (sadly, you can't key in your own RGB code) or to an image as cool as the one I'm using now =P

And yes, Pink is one of those colors you can set =)

Changes in plans

Hi folks,

For those of you who have asked me to get you the iPhone 3G on 11th July itself, it's not going to happen. With slight change of plans since last Friday, I'll be flying to Hong Kong earlier than expected. Anyone wanna HK roast chicken? =P

Switch over to Firefox v3.0

Hi folks,

Firefox v3.0 just got released on 17th June, read the release notes here.
The performance is pretty good on Mac OS X, I have used Beta 3 too but obviously this version is much better.

But this post is not to review Firefox 3's performance =P
Instead, I would like to say that the Mozilla Firefox folks did a great job on the look and feel front for the Mac OS X version =)



Firefox 3.0 (really Mac-ish)


UPDATE: And how can I forget? Firefox 2.0 (Mac OS X)


Safari 3.1.1 (just so that you can compare)


And now: Sandy's new swanky Bling Bling favicon on Firefox v3.0

2nd item on the list

Acted on the 2nd item on my list while I was on my way to office this morning. 

Now, back to work =)

Emotional June

June is a special month for me every year. This year is no different. Every few months, I search for the same stuff (using the same keywords) on Google and I see something new that touches me, every time.

I didn't really sleep the entire nite. But at least I have decided to do a few things within the next 6 months before the year ends.

First, I'll definitely be flying to Hong Kong this July. Finally will get a chance to meet him (unfortunately 15 years late). Have been searching since late 90's on Google but only managed to get the address 2 hours back using Baidu.com.

There are 2 other items on the list. I'm glad and excited that I have finally made a decision on them.

Finally, life is short. Live it.

48 hours

I started writing a bunch of Java classes about 48 hours back. Only hit the build button 5 minutes back for the first time.

It's actually very UnSam of me do to so; I usually hit it every 10 minutes.

The status bar reads "Finished building smock (jar)." =)

FYI, Smock is the code name of the project I'm working on now.

iPhone 3G news + speculation

Hi folks,

I'm back with more iPhone 3G news =D

• If you bought your iPhone (original) after May 27th, it is reported that you'll be eligible for an upgrade to the 3G model. AT&T announced this. (reported by Gizmodo)
  
  
• It is reported that O2 in the UK is also doing the "exchange" program as mentioned above
  
  
• If you already have a contract with AT&T (huh? u mean u need that to activate the iPhone? =P), you'll need to renew it for another 2 years (yaks). The renewal will supersede the current one
  
  
• Rumor: Apple and AT&T will enforce "in-store activation"; that means buyers can no longer activate the iPhone from home (OPS!). If this is true, it'll be a logistical nightmare for the rest of the operators I presume? Long queues at SingTel and AT&T stores? The iPhone can no longer be a Christmas gift? It might just be true, since on average Apple gets a good share of the data revenue generated by iPhone data plans. But then again, this is just a rumor and I hope it's not true... *pray*
  
  
• Rumor: iChat for iPhone 3G and Windows - I was thinking about the same thing this afternoon! Ehmm... not for Windows really. But I'll take the same iTunes + Safari stand if it happens: it's good for Apple overall =)

I would also like to speculate what will happen from now till 11th July 2008:

1. iPod Touch will drop its price as per below

• 8GB : from US$299 to US$99
• 16GB : from US$399 to US$199
• 32GB: from US$499 to US$299

2. iPod Nano and iPod Classic will drop their prices too

Other speculations for post 11th July 2008:

• Someone (or group) will develop a free and open source alternative for MobileMe and it'll be designed to connect to Google services instead of MobileMe cloud servers
• An iPhone app to manage your Amazon Web Services EC2 instances? Hmmm... maybe I can start thinking about this one =P - if at all this is feasible...

That's it for now folks. But stay tuned for my next post as I dissect WWDC 2008 from my personal perspective. The world is definitely a better place now =)

10th June 2008

This is a great day. Not only it's the birthday for the new iPhone 3G, it's the birthday for someone that I give utmost respect to.

家駒, 生日快乐

Where to buy iPhone 3G

The official day that the iPhone 3G will go on sale is 11th July. But according to the Apple.com website, this only applies to a dozen of countries. The rest of the world is in the "coming soon" list. This also includes Singapore. The Singapore Apple website has already updated itself with the landing page stating "iPhone 3G: The iPhone you've been waiting for." and "Coming soon.". I think that while Apple encourages folks to buy from SingTel (Asia/Singapore), the iPhone 3G should be available for direct purchase from the Apple website.

Afterall, US$199 translates to only SG$280 at a rate of 1.4 conservatively. I can go without subsidy and a new plan from SingTel.

iPhone 3G Technical Specifications

Hi folks,

Here's the official technical specifications of the iPhone 3G.

From the spec, immediately you can spot a few things: 

• The iPhone 3G is technically 0.02 inches thicker than the original iPhone (though corners are thinner)
• The iPhone 3G is technically 2 grams (0.1 ounce) lightly than the original iPhone
• The iPhone 3G is equipped with an UMTS/HSPDA 3G module
• There's no front camera as rumored by some sources

I guess the folks at Apple are really trying very hard to make the iPhone much thinner and lighter. The added 0.02 inch (1.3mm) is actually the thickest part of the phone, the rest of it, according to Steve Jobs feels thinner than the original iPhone.

iPhone 3G Technical Specifications

Size and weight
Height: 4.5 inches (115.5 mm)
Width: 2.4 inches (62.1 mm)
Depth: 0.48 inch (12.3 mm)
Weight: 4.7 ounces (133 grams) 


Color
- 8GB model: Black
- 16GB model: Black or white


Capacity
- 8GB or 16GB flash drive

Cellular and wireless
- UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
- Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

Display
- 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
- 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
- Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio
- Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
- Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
- User-configurable maximum volume limit

Headphones
- Stereo earphones with built-in microphone
- Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
- Impedance: 32 ohms


Video
Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Camera and photos
- 2.0 megapixels Camera located on back of iPhone.
- Photo geotagging
- iPhone and third-party application integration


Language support
- Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish
- International keyboard and dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canada), German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean (no dictionary), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish

Connectors and input/output
- 30-pin dock connector
- 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
- Built-in speaker
- Microphone
- SIM card tray


External buttons and controls
- Sleep/wake
- Ring/silent
- Volume up/down
- Home


Sensors
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor

Power and battery
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery3
- Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
- Talk time: Up to 5 hours on 3G, Up to 10 hours on 2G
- Standby time: Up to 300 hours5
- Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G, Up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi7
- Video playback: Up to 7 hours8
- Audio playback: Up to 24 hours

iPhone VS iPhone 3G

Yup, the official name for the above is iPhone 3G. Now that I'm super awake, let me recap some of the rumors that came about true:

• iPhone goes 3G: DEFINITELY! This is the very "rumor" itself. In fact, there are sources that hinted the iPhone 3G will be equipped with the latest 3G modules, (evolved) HSPA+, with blazing 3G speeds up to 42Mbps. That seems pretty close to the 54Mbps of 802.11G WiFi throughput on the iPhone (that's why Steve Jobs claims 3G speeds are approaching WiFi's?). Another thing to note: the iPhone 3G speeds not only approaches it's very own WiFi's, it's even much faster than leading 3G smart phones. And come on, you know you are not getting the "full" web on those phones to start with. Now I can EVEN be more proud to justify why I must have the iPhone 3G =P
  
  UPDATE: it is confirmed that the iPhone 3G is equipped with an UMTS/HSPDA 3G module
  
  
  
• New iPhone 3G is slimmer: Well I can't be sure yet, but Steve Jobs said it's thinner at the corners and it feels thinner than the original iPhone when holding it in the hand. I'll give him the full benefit of doubt. The photos ads of the original iPhone didn't look as thin as the real thing either anyway
  
  UPDATE: it is confirmed that the iPhone 3G is 0.02 inch (1.2mm) thicker than the original iPhone. The corners seems thinner, but I can only confirm this once I get my hands on one
  
  
  
• GPS support: Yup, they got that one. With Nokia N95 and many new phones equipped with that, iPhone 3G can't give it a miss. But it's not just "another GPS phone", ALL iPhones with firmware 1.1.3 and above are equipped location API so expect any app or webapp (Safari) to take advantage of it
  
  
• Shipping to all countries worldwide: Quite a few sites reported on that. *Thumbs UP*
  
  
• .Mac name change: I reported that before in my blog and it has come true. Expect more of those that I have reported to come true since it's from the same "insider" source. The new .Mac service is now renamed as MobileMe. US$99/yr with 20GB storage. A little on the expensive side since Google gives 7GB for free. I would prefer Apple to offer different pricing plans for different grades of .Mac MobileMe service. But with a faster iPhone, I'll sway towards subscribing the MobileMe service =)

Now let's cover some of the aspects that the rumors didn't cover:

• iPhone 3G for just US$199 (8GB)!! That's a welcomed shocker... Great move Apple =D
  
  
• Full iWork and MS Office format compatible viewer built into the iPhone's new firmware
  
  
• Good battery life: Apple managed to squeeze 5 hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours for 2G, 7 hours for video, 24 hours for audio and 300 hours of standby time out of the iPhone 3G battery. Amazing. You might not believe Steve Jobs, but I do hit 5 hours and 15 mins with my MacBook Air =)
  
  
• 11th July availability: Most rumors had it that the iPhone 3G will be available immediately after WWDC 2008 (perhaps there's a last minute logistic issue to deal with? Price drop == sudden high demand? China natural disaster affected the Apple manufacturing plants?)

But there is one more thing:  =P

• I just saw on Apple's website that they are selling a new accessory called the iPhone 3G universal dock adaptor pack. Which means, all your current docks wouldn't work with the iPhone 3G. This also is repeatedly reported by rumor sources.

I'm still waiting for the KeyNote video to be uploaded on Apple.com though I have watched part of it via Qik

iPhone 3G Ad

iPhone 3G announced at WWDC 2008 !!

Hi folks,

Just moments ago, it is confirmed that the new iPhone 3G will sell at US$199!! That's the 8GB model, for 16GB it's US$299!! And it's going on sale on the 11th July onwards, WORLDWIDE!

Apple has done it again! =D

Cheers

別了家駒十五載…海闊天空音樂會

6月10 日 2008 海闊天空音樂會

3G iPhone Details

Hi folks,

9 days to the 3G iPhone launch. Here's more of what we can expect from the new iPhone:

• Broadcom chip (GPS perhaps 3G): this is probably the vendor that Apple picked for its 3G chips since Qualcomm's pretty much banned in the US
• YouTube plugin for Safari
• Stereo Bluetooth Headset support (BT 2.0 A2DP)
• Better GPS support
• Printer support. (I think this will work in con-junction with Apple AirPort products)
• Code that will "permanently" BRICK the iPhone if the OS discovers it has been unlocked 

Other possible announcement at WWDC 2008:

• .MAC might get a name change and announce new features tightly integrated with Google

That's it for now folks =D