Getting back with the old facebook chat

Im a fan of chat clients (Yahoo Messenger) but when facebook chat was introduced I uninstalled most of them since most of my friends hang out on facebook. But I think I need to get revisit them again and install it in my machine as they’ve been helpful for seamless integration of my facebook contacts.

Trillian – As of the moment trillian is my favorite chat client right now because of it’s easy setup and minimalistic design. It serves me really well because it’s speedy and notification system works wonder. You just need to install it, register for an account and connect to your facebook using your details and it will import your friends automatically without any problems.

You can also access your facebook feed, groups, events and friend requests so you can have a centralized control to core facebook features.  IMO this will pretty fit the needs of your messaging life since you can also hook your other accounts like twitter, google, foursquare, etc.

Od Facebook Chat popout

If Trillian is not your type and you really want the old school feel then you can just bookmark this link and it will redirect you to the old facebook chat in your browser. I haven’t tested it yet in most browsers but I think it would work without much problems. This is really helpful if you’re not working with your own PC, you just need to memorize “http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php” and it will list all your friends in your browser.

So far this two methods works the best and if you feel that there’s something better out there then kindly hit the comments section and I’ll review and update this article. I usually pick apps in terms of simplicity and user friendliness, so if you know one then share it here.

Is PisoBid Legit?

Let’s start with the quick answer that it’s not a scam, Reason behind this is simple, they’re earning too much to do such things. I know that my reasoning is not too deep but believe me just a single item from their bidding list earns them more than the cost of the original item. If you do the Math, then you’ll realize the insane amount that they are earning. Here’s how they do it.

The tricky part lies on the bid amount iterations, which is actually not a per peso basis but a centavo basis. Basically if you’re the last bidder then you win, but you need lots and lots of bidding points that you need to purchase. Bidding points costs a lot if you buy per pack. Here’s the list of bidding points and their price which you need to get to participate in the auction. after that let’s compute on how much they’re earning on their item lists.

PisoBid – Bidding Points Price

10 Bids = 300Php
25 Bids = 600Php
50 Bids = 900Php
100 Bids = 1000Php
250 Bids = 2000Php
500 Bids = 3000Php

So at 1000Php you get 100bids, then all is left is luck and right timing to win the items and gadgets. So for example a, White iPhone 4 is being auctioned in PisoBid, starting price of course is 1.00 Php. You are then the first bidder and the current price now will be 1.01 Php. After that, 9 pisobid users started bidding the item so the price now will be 1.10 Php. So each time a person bids the price iterates for 0.01 centavos which gives the illusion that the item being auctioned has a very low price despite the fact that many users have started bidding for that item.  A very good example is this iPad2 which was sold for 318.86 Php but when you break it down on how much PisoBid earned for the item then you’ll be surprised.

Given that per bid costs 6.00 Php for the sulit package (500bids = 3000Php) and .01 cents is incremented per bid then mathematically speaking this would go like this. ((318.86 – 1) / 0.01) * 6 = 190,716 Php. That is more than four times profit for the price of the original item. Now give me a reason if they would scam users of the site. Aside from that their testimonials and videos on their site looks genuine. So perhaps that’s a relatively good basis to judge if it’s a scam or not. Now, let’s talk on the bad side of PisoBid.

The Bad Side of Piso Bid

Yup, PisoBid is legit but there’s still a Dark Side to this unique Auction scheme. Let’s go on, shall we… First is that PisoBid is really deceptive, if you’re used to the standard  Auction rules then you have to change your views about PisoBid cause it’s not the way it is. I will recommend to read their How it Works Page.

The usual Auction rules is that, you can’t lose any money if the item you’re targeting was not bought by you. But in PisoBid you can’t have your money back when you started to bid on an item. So yes, it’s sad if you’ve invested a lot of money in it but didn’t get the item in the end. With this I can say is that, PisoBid works much like gambling. The fact that it’s not for minors (below 18+) is clearly suspicious for the thought that lawyers might hit them in the long run. If you’re hooked instantly then it’s clearly a sign to stop playing especially if you’re not hitting the jackpot and you’re spending too much money. IMHO PisoBid is not an auction site but rather an auction site disguised as a gambling site.

If you’re winning then good for you but if not then better stop it before you get hooked. I believe the one that wins most of the game is the one that have a handful of luck. If you’re not lucky enough then goodbye! But well, it’s still good if you want to enjoy the game. =)

Blackberry Curve 8520
The pioneer of all the blackberry phones in the country. The 8520 became available in globe on their postpaid plan somewhere in 2010 and it spread like wildfire to phone enthusiasts in the country. It’s form factor is similar to blackberry 9300 so you might confused it if you buy one. If you’re looking for a budget friendly blackberry phone and you want to get the feel of Blackberry OS 5 then get this one. The only downside is that you can’t upgrade it’s OS to version 6. So think twice if upgrades is important to you. Price: 9950

Blackberry Curve 9300
The form factor is very similar to 8520 and the specs is identical too. The only difference with the 9300 to 8520 is that the curve 9300 supports GPS and is 3G capable. Also 9300 is pre installed with OS 5 but it’s upgradable to OS 6. There’s a noticeable difference when loading pages if 3G support is available so if you browse websites and you rely too much on native blackberry apps then  the 9300 is a much better choice. Also OS6 is big plus too for an upgrade so you can have the goodies and a refresh of a blackberry skin. Price: 12500

Blackberry Bold 9700
The bold series is known for it’s design, it is less rounded than curve and I’ve seen most corporate employees have this instead of 9300. If you’re buying this blackberry phone then consider the following points I would like to higlight. The Bold 9700 have slight improvement in the hardware, mainly it is powered with a much better process 628mhz compare to the curve’s 512mhz. It’s battery performance lasts better than the curve, it usually lasts for 2 days depending on your battery use. And a slight upgrade to screen display which is 480 X 360.  I really don’t know on what’s it’s current price point of this one but I think it stands in this range 15000 – 17000.

Blackberry Bold 9780
The Bold 9780 is another look a like to it’s older brother which is the 9700. It is absolutely identical without a doubt and the only upgrade that the 9780 get is it’s 512mb memory compared to the 9700′s 256mb. Anything else is just a copy. Anyway, you can also get the white colored 9780 if you want an elegant mac-ish feel. It’s also prebuilt with OS 6 so no need to upgrade anymore unless RIM announced another iteration to it’s current version. So, far the current price of the Bold 9780 at the time of this writing is 20000.

Blackberry Torch 9800
The list won’t end without mentioning the Torch 9800. I have to say that I’m not a fan of RIM’s touch qwerty slider, I found their candybar units more appealing instead of this. Please take note that there’s no such improvement on specs if you’ll compare it to Bold 9780. The Torch is pretty much the same to 9780′s hardware specifications, it’s just that the Torch adapts a Touch slider. It’s also pre built with Blackberry OS6 but this one is more expensive which you can get for 24000 Php in local mobile markets.

As I’ve said earlier the list is still incomplete and I’ll continue to update it since blackberries are considered hot items in the local market. Globe is the official distributor of RIM’s handset so the pricing in the lists is based on the grey market. Also take note that there’s no service center of Blackberry units in the Philippines so if you purchase your handset to Globe then it will be sent to Singapore to be fixed.

Setting up Video Calling in Facebook

Go to their video calling page here.
Make sure that you are using the latest version of your browsers here’s a helpful page.
Click the “Get started” Button and you’ll be prompted immediately
Click “Save” if prompted to download the video calling plugin.
Open the downloaded file to install it. It would take several minutes to install the plugin.

After downloading you can now make a call by visiting their page and looking for a call button. Or by clicking the call button in the facebook chat. Here’s some images to help. Anyway guys, please don’t forget to share my link in facebook if you find this helpful. You can also susbscribe to my twitter account if you have one to receive daily tech news. Cheers ^^

Jailbreaking Steps

(1) This works with your iPhone, iPad and iPod running 4.X.X OS. Just open your Safari Browser and navigate to http://www.jailbreakme.com. (2) Click the Free Button and wait for it to load then click Install button. (3) It would take several minutes before it would take effect. Don’t Interrupt with the process until your browser close and then a progress bar will appear. Wait for it to finish and you’re done.

This might get patched to the next OS release so better abuse it now before it’s too late. But I guess the jailbreakers club had a pretty good understanding on what could happen next so it’s pretty straightforward for them if Apple didn’t make a total overhaul. I’ll also update this page if this trick don’t work anymore.

Sun Cellular goes wrong

It’s either Sun Cellular will overshadow Smart’s system or its the other way around. It’s highly unlikely that they will supplement each other. Although current news states that PLDT management will leave Digitel the way it is for a healthy competition then that would be superficial if you’re going to ask me. This is business guys and getting a major share in a company then saying that “we’ll just leave Company X the way it is” is dumbfoundedly stupid. According to my source, Transaction is not yet close for the two but once it’s finalize it’s all on Manny Pangilinan’s control now. There’s just two ways in which Sun could  go to and it’s either take it’s own route or follow Smart’s very own style (which sucks in my opinion).

A Challenge for Globe

For Globe, It’s not too late. Objectively speaking, Globe has the best balance compared to other networks. It’s like Sun Cellular and Smart is in the fringe having their special points yet Globe is in the middle having the sweet spot. Best service is what they offer and Globe has it. If you’re going to ask me, Globe has the potential in gaining a huge portion in the local mobile industry because their quality of service in my opinion is the best among the three. I think Globe needs some refreshers on their promos and deals and adopt Sun’s Style. There are too many loopholes in their system and that’s frustrating for the end user.

All I can say is that, it’s a race of who can deliver the service which appeals most in general public. I’d say Sun has the best formula which is the reason why they have increase of subscribers for the last quarter. They just lack the infrastructure to sustain it. If Globe is willing to adopt their system then that would be sure win of course and that is also difficult on their end.

Update 03/15/2011: It’s confirmed, Fujitsu is releasing Lifebook in the Philippines as models have been featured on their product introduction. will be posting more on this.

Lots of things happened in  short amount of time this week of March and Apple’s race to present their core products (iPad 2 and New Macbook Pro) was nevertheless very successful. That’s what to expect to apple as they made another striking improvement for their iPads and with New Macbook Pros released then there’s much to expect for what will be their sales report this year. Anyway, I know that Nokia Microsoft Partnership has been closed leaving their future platform, Meego, behind. But it seems that there’s a few left which do have faith in releasing products that are Meego powered. Take a look at Fujitsu for example with it’s blazing red Lifebook being the very first meego powered netbook in the company.

It’s not safe to say if this is the very first device released officially that runs with Meego but I’m confident enough that this is not a beta or alpha prototype as it’s been released in Japan a few months back. It’s availability in the Philippines is still in question but this would appear in Asia for sure. Specs are pretty standard in which it’s powered with a 1.66ghz N450 atom processor, a 1gb of RAM and 250gb storage available for $400 (17,200 Php).

I don’t know how Fujitsu get that pricing but in my opinion it’s pricey for a platform with less support for applications. The thing is, Meego has been designed for Netbooks and Tablets to compensate and enhance battery life for portable devices. Sadly, It’s been abandoned by Nokia in favor of WP7 but the way I see it there’s a lot of potential for the platform. There are lots of opensource developers out there that supports meego but it’s not enough, the only thing that Meego needs is a strong company/corporation that would fund the platform.

Anyway here’s a video of the pre-alpha release which runs on a tablet. It’s still not mature on that point so expect it that it runs differently on Fujitsu Lifebook. Who knows? Meego is just sleeping and all it needs is decent funding for it’s comeback.

Update 07/11/2011: I made a list of currently available Blackberry phones in the local market right now so if you’re looking for one then head on…

I’ve been groking my Blackberry 9300 curve for quite a while and I’ve learned a bag of tricks which I discovered thru everyday use with the help of Google. So far the hardest part in transitioning from a featured phone like nokia to a blackberry device is to get used to qwerty keypad. Aside from that, getting used to blackberry os is just a walk in the park. If you’re part of the number of users who finds trouble in getting used to qwerty keypads here’s my bag of tricks which I use for a much easier migration to RIM’s lovable bb phones.

Speed Typing

Don’t ever stop typing if you have free time. The best way to get used in bb keypads is to never stop practicing. Take time using facebook to hone your skills in using qwerty key pads. You’ll just notice that the more you type, the more you get addicted in using blackberry phones.

Learn to touchtype. Before using qwerty phones I’ve been a speed typist, so switching is not a big deal for me. I believe though that getting used to keyboard layout will help a lot. Since you’ll mostly rely to instinct that was practiced if you’ve been using the classic keyboard.

Use your fingernails in typing to have a more accurate feel. If you’ll rely more to it you’ll notice that you’ll get few errors than using your fingertips.

Blackberry keyboard shortcuts

Save the trouble of using the shift key to capitalize a letter by doing a long press. I know that it takes a while in getting used to it especially if you’re used to typing in the keyboard. But if you’re coming fresh from the standard cell phone keypad then you’ll be doing fine if you start the habit right

End a sentence by tapping double space. This let’s you finish your sentence with a period and a capitalized letter. Quite a handy dandy since you’ll be saving another key press for the alt key.

Configure auto txt for your choice of words. This will save you a lot of effort if you are typing words with quotes like “we’ll”. By just typing “wel” it will then be converted to “we’ll”. Another alt saver for you there.

Copy paste works in bb phones too. Instead of using the shift+arrow keys you can hold capital button and trackpad movements to highlight the text you want to copy. You can then press the menu button to perform the necessary actions you want.

Options -> Phone Options -> General Options -> Dial from Home Menu. You can then easily access applications in the home menu or inside the blackberry menu options. Here’s the list of character shortcuts where you can try out by just pressing the corresponding keys.

I’ll be adding more on this if I discovered a new set of tricks but in case you know a shortcut in making things done quickly then hit it in the comments section so other blackberry users will benefit on what you know.

Anyway, if it affects your social experience you can still use the old Facebook photo viewer easily. All you have to do is to click the picture you want to view and when it’s loaded with the black screen on the background just press F5 to refresh the page and it would redirect you easily to the old photo viewer. Anyway in my opinion, the new Facebook photo viewer is really cool as it makes up with faster loading time and wouldn’t redirect you to your friend’s page when you click a photo in your social wall. I think Facebook just need to redesign the black background running as it’s conceived more like an eye-sore than an enhancement for better social experience.

Update 05/25/2011: Windows Phone 7.1 Update will come this fall and the first Microkia handset will have the Mango update first.

Nokia’s move to switch it’s main platform over Windows Phone 7 has been the talk of the town in the I.T. and mobile Industry. I’ve been expecting for Nokia to support other platforms on their handsets but their take of moving to another platform and andoning their main and future weapons(Symbian and Meego) is something that I have to disagree. I’ll be posting my thoughts here in my blog on why Nokia did a bad move on their partnership to Microsoft. If most of you guys have ideas that contradicts to mine please share it on the comments below as I’ll be happy if my thoughts are proven wrong.

Internal Disputes, Productivity and Cost

One of the factors that I’m basing is the effect on switching technology. It may sound really simple but practicality wise, Nokia employees are starting to feel enraged now specially that their main platform is abandoned.  I know that Nokia will still released handsets powered with Symbian OS but the bottom line will be the same, it will decrease and deprecation will happen. Nokia to support 3 platforms is something impractical and it would take too much cost on their part hiring developers that would integrate the platform on their system. The guys on Intel are starting to get demoralized by now… Bye Bye Meego. And lastly I feel pity to the symbian and meego guys working internally, they may be starting to submit their resume to HTC, LG, Google, blah blah blah. I wonder how much and how long would it take for Nokia to re-train their programmers especially that they are used to Symbian and with sudden announcement… they’re back at square one, learning Microsoft technologies on their part, really productive!

Is Microsoft really that good in terms of Partnership?

This question remains to be answered if we’ll fast forward on how this relationship goes but based from Microsoft records, I doubt if the marriage of the two would end in a lasting relationship. Let’s go from the past where Microsoft – Sendo partnership blossomed or the Microsoft – Motorola combo and Microsoft – HTC deals created good harmony with each other. All I can see with these is that Microsoft is active in filing lawsuits and they are tough company to work with.

Will Microsoft deliver on Time?

If you’ll see the pattern, Microsoft does have some history on not delivering software updates well. It’s all because of buggy releases that needs constant patching to fix problems on their software. Take a look at Windows XP to Windows Vista transition, that’s quite a long period for releasing a revamped OS with XP having minor updates because of bugs spotted on the system. I maybe wrong with this because windows phone 7 started right with good impressions on my opinion. But Integration to a completely new system dependent on Symbian Architecture is something to be treated with technical difficulty. Let’s just hope that Microsoft deliver updates right on time or else Nokia will fail miserably because of regressing symbian updates if internal disputes happens (see internal disputes, Productivity and Cost).

Simple Analogy

And lastly, it doesn’t make sense… Clearly Windows created it’s own Windows Phone 7, Google has android,Rim has  Blackberry, HP with WebOS, Samsung has BaDa and Nokia has Meego. Yet, what just happened? They shifted gears and changed it’s platform to Windows Phone 7. It seems that Nokia has chickened out of the game when reports were released of Android surpassing their numbers. Smartphone market is still new and there’s too much potential on the players in the market, why abandon half baked OS with so much potential in it.