Nikon D60 DSLR Camera

I realised there are many people are into photography and at the same time the cost of owning a dlsr camera is also affortable now.

I got many friends who is into photography and they have successfully poisoned me into it. If you are serious is taking awesome pictures, you need to get a dslr camera for sure.

Bought my first dslr camera - Nikon D60. Basically, there are two major players in this field, that is Canon and Nikon. Both are good. But I kinda like Nikon and it lenses.

D60 comes with a 18-55mm VR lense. VR=Vibration Reduction. The package comes with 4GB SD card, tripod, nikon bad & Hoya UV filter.

This model is considered the entry level for a dslr camera. It is the smallest and lightest in its class. Of course you don't compare with a point & shoot camera, like my Panasonic Lumix TZ15.





I sold off the kit lense and bought a 18-105mm VR (which is the D90 kit lense).

I need a bigger zoom lense with extra weight to stablise the camera.

There are endless upgrades in equipment for photography. And it is not a cheap hobby.

Reading up some books and magazine of the photography skills and tactics.

It will not be difficult to learn anything if you have the passion for it.

Nokia E71

I finally gave up my HTC Touch phone for this one.

This is my second symbian. My first was Sony Ericsson P910. Nokia E71 uses Symbian S60 (3rd Edition). It's a predecessor of E61i. The design is sleek, covered with stainless steel housing, makes it elegant and sexy. The qwerty keyboard and screen has shrunk and compact in design.

I have been using windows mobile since 4 years ago. I am kind of tired with stylus and slow processing of windows mobile OS. Symbian OS is snappy and very straight forward. It provides business application that is useful. With the qwerty, typing is a breeze. It's very good for email and sms. You may think that the keyboard it's very crampy, but when you get used to it, it's very easy to type.

Nokia E71 is a excellent business phone. Of course it will not have variety of softwares if you compared with windows mobile. The phone features beats WM flat. It comes with all connectivity that is known, which is bluetooth, 3G, wifi and GPS. So far, the connectivity is fast. Bluetooth pairing is definitely faster than WM. It comes with 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash.

In the box, it comes with a pair of ear phone, a charger, a leather pouch, 2GB micro SD card and cd & manuals.

This phone will satisfy your one hand operation.

The only drawback I have with this phone is that the glossy housing attracts finger prints. But once you clean it, it's a real bling bling!

iPhone vs. Windows Mobile

iPhone 3G finally arrived on 11 July 2008 worldwide.

There were massive congestion in Apple & AT&T stores. This time round, all customers have to choose a plan and activate in the store before leaving. This has caused a longer waiting time in the store. Furthermore, iTunes experienced problems during the launching day. Apple did not anticipated the overwhelming response on that day. On the same day, iTunes launched worldwide the v7.7 software upgrade. This has added to the congestion and caused the delay.

So, now the question is, does the Apple iPhone 3g worth it?

Let's compare with Windows Mobile:

1. 3rd party applications in iPhone 3G cannot run in background: only one application can run at any given time in iPhone 3G so no background. running of applications possible! In Windows Mobile phone several (many) applications can run at the same time so it is possible for example to simultaneously run in Windows Mobile: a) downloading a 50 MB MP3 file with a podcast, b) IM chatting with somebody including native Skype client for windows Mobile or native Live Messenger from Microsoft, c) edit Office documents, d) browse Internet, e) make a phone call, etc.

2. iPhone 3G has resolution of only 480×320 which is 2 times less than VGA (640×480) and W-VGA (wide VGA = 800×480) used in several Windows Mobile phones, what practically means: you can read more text on the display at once and everything is sharper

3. camera in iPhone 3G is inferior to camera in many Windows Mobile phones: it has only 2 megapixels compared to 3 to 5 megapixels in Windows Mobile phones and it does not have auto-focus - also present in many Windows Mobile phones .

4. one cannot record videos with built-in camera of iPhone 3G, what is possible up to resolution of 640×480 pixels and 30 FPS (frames per second) in Windows Mobile phones.

5. iPhone 3G supports HSDPA of maximal speed only 3.6 MB/second, while some Windows Mobile phones (including HTC Touch Diamond) suppport HSDPA of speed 7.2 MB/second.

6. iPhone 3G does not have exchangeable battery that all Windows Mobile phones have, but only built-in battery so if you run out of battery you cannot replace it to prolong battery life - as it is possible with Windows Mobile phones.

7. original (i.e. from Microsoft) Office Mobile is built-in in each Windows Mobile phone and allows not only for viewing but also for editing of Office documents, so there is no need ot buy 3rd party software for it .

8. there is much more 3rd party applications (programs) for Windows Mobile: over 20,000 compared to 500 for iPhone 3G

9. to make applications for Windows Mobile one needs either PC computer or Mac but to make applications for iPhone 3G one needs to buy a Mac computer - if you don’t have Mac computer then you cannot develop applications for iPhone 3G

10. most Windows Mobile phones come without SIM lock so they can be used at any operator in given country and with SIM cards from abroad (important when traveling and you want to use local prepaid SIM card to avoid International roaming fees) while iPhone 3G has SIM lock and can work with only this operator at which it has been purchased

11. iPhone 3G has capacitive touch-screen meaning that it must be used with fingers and that it cannot be used with stylus or fingernails (what women like).

12. iPhone 3G has no physical keyboard or keypad, so users have no choice but to use virtual keyboards on the display while Windows Mobile offers phones in various form-factors, including such that have both touch-screen and a physical QWERTY keyboard Conclusion: do not buy iPhone 3G but instead buy one of many Windows Mobile phones!

You decide....

New Rapidshare

This is the new rapidshare logo and it comes with a new interface as well.

Good news to all rapidshare premium account holder. They has increased from 25GB quota to 50GB for every 5 days usage. This will allow user to download double the original size before reaching the quota.

I feel 25GB is not sufficient if you download HD movies. So, now with 50GB, I can download 2-3 HD a day.

AVG Free Antivirus 8.0

AVG have recently upgraded their software to 8.0. For those who are still using version 7.5, I recommend you upgrade to 8.0 by clicking here.

By May 31st, AVG will no longer support updates for version 7.5.

Don't worry, AVG is still giving it all free in version 8.0, including free auto schedule updates.

The user interface looks better and the AVG logo is in 3D. I guess the virus scan engine has also improved.

Panasonic Viera 42" Plasma HDTV

Finally, I've bought my very first HDTV. It's a Panasonic Viera 42 inch Plasma HDTV.

Why Plasma? After looking at so many models and frequent visists to AV forums, I realised there are many advantages of Plasma against LCD TVs.

1. It does not have motion flow problem as to LCD.
2. Plasma screen can be viewed in all angle without compromising the quality
3. It has higher contrast ratio with deeper black.
4. The lifespan now increases to 100,000 hours
5. Overall, in long run, plasmas has better power consumption.
6. Plasma has a stronger glass panel with shock resistance.

Manufacturing plasma tvs are cost more than LCDs. That's why you don't see many brands carrying Plasma range. The best plasma in the market with high price tag is Pioneer and follows by Panasonic.

This model has 15,000:1 native contrast ratio and 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, which makes black blacker with minimal picture washed out effects. There are 3 hdmi ports, 1 SDHC card slot at the front and 1 VGA PC input. It comes with swivel stand.

This is not a Full HD model. As I mentioned in my previous post, you can't tell the difference between a 720p and 1080p when you watch within 10 feet from the 42 inch screen. 720p movies already very sharp and awesome. After that, you cannot accept standard definition in your CRT tv anymore. Click here to look at the chart on "Screen Size Vs Viewing Distance".

This is a very affordable HDTV based on the specs given. It's really value for money.

I am planning to get HD media player with plays all my mkv HD 720p files from a hard drive. Still exploring what's good in the market. Dvico TVIX sounds good.

Corsair Flash Voyager

I remember my first computer (1996) was equipped with 500mb harddisk space. On those days, it was considered a very large hard drive. Flash memory has been evolving very rapidly over the past years. Usb flash drive are getting larger and larger over the years. The record so far now is 32GB space.

I got my 1st usb flash drive of 256mb in 2003. Now with the same price, you can get a whooping 8GB usb flash drive. Again, economies of scale did the job.

As usual, I did my product research on the brands available in my place and I decided to get a 8GB Corsair Flash Voyager, as shown in the picture below.

This usb flash is different from the rest. The obvious difference is the all-rubber housing that makes it durable, water resistant and shock proof. The Flash Voyager has been shown laundered, baked, frozen, boiled, dropped and even run over by a SUV in many third party reviews. The durability of this drive is awesome.

The drive comes in 2 versions, the normal flash voyager (green) and the high performance GT (red). Corsair Voyager GT is considered the fastest usb flash drive in the market now. Of course, everything comes with a price. GT is priced 2-3 times more than the basic Voyager. If speed is critical to you, GT is the one for you.

Inside the box, it comes with a lanyard and a usb cable extension. It also includes True Crypt security application. Corsair is very generous by giving a 10 year warranty. They are very confident about their products.

I just read in CNET news that flash memory is getting more attention as developers are builting new techs around it. Apple are some early adopters of flash memories such as iPod and iPhone products.

Flash memory is compact and does not need external power source to run. It is amazing how a micro SD card, so small can store up to 8GB of stuff.

Corsair Flash Voyager is highly recommended!

New Extreme Website Conversion Software Promises 40% More Sales!

So ... what is Virtual Smart Agent and how can it benefit you?

This technology is so new ... it almost looks like science fiction! VSA is the world's FIRST stand-alone Virtual Sales Agent enables you to put an automated chat solution on your website WITHOUT having to pay someone else for the service...

But I didn't stop there. I also made it BETTER than anything else out there, by making it possible for you to train your virtual agent, split-test the results, and even build your opt-in list on autopilot!

This technological masterpiece has already been PROVEN to boost sales by upto 40%, and the marketers who manage to get their hands on it are going tobe at a huge competitive advantage.
Not only does it boost sales, but it can also build your list on autopilot,and even increase your affiliate commissions.



It's basically like having your own virtual "employee" that never sleeps. Itjust keeps working for you and building your business 24/7 with no breaks.

You see, Dave Guindon, the product owner, is also an experienced online marketer as well as an advanced software developer. So he knows how to deliver quality products along with how to use the products to your advantage.

Not many product owners even attempt to over-deliver as much as Dave does!

Here is a short list of the powerful features this software provides:

01. Increase your website conversions up to 20-40% in a little as 2 weeks!

02. Dramatically reduce your shopping cart abandonment.

03. Instantly increase the value of each website visitor.

04. Improve your website visitor's experience (builds trust and repeat business).

05. Increase your customer loyalty and overall satisfaction.

06. Quickly grow a highly responsive opt-in list of interested prospects.

07. Reduce labor costs.

08. Save time by reducing questions and support requests.

09. Up-sell or cross-sell similar and/or additional products to boost your revenue.

10. Find out WHY customers are leaving your site.

11. One installation works on ALL your websites... boost your entire business!

12. Builds your opt-in list on autopilot!

13. Auto follow-up emails to your web visitors after they leave your chats!

14. And a lot more ...

Dave Guindon offers an unbelievable LIFETIME money back guarantee!
So you basically have nothing to lose ... I didn't!

Click here to find out more.

HTC Touch

This is my 3rd PDA phone (windows mobile). My first was O2 Mini (2005), O2 Atom (2007) and now I'm using HTC Touch with windows mobile 6.0.

I've got myself the enhanced HTC Touch version with double memory (128MB RAM, 256MB ROM). It comes with 4 variant of colours as shown in the picture above. The housing has a rubbery feeling and it grips on your hands very well. However, I am afraid that it will chip off over time, when the rubbery hardens. I am using a crystal case to protect the housing overall.

The highlights for this device is the Touch FLO, similarly to the iPhone multi touch. You drag your fingers from the bottom to the top, you will see a different sets of menu. And when you drag your finger from centre to the left or right, you are browsing the menus. To resume back to the original windows mobile desktop, you simply drag your finger from centre to the bottom.



HTC Touch uses a slow and steady TI OMAP850-201Mhz processor. To me, it does not show any lagging, unless you open too many programs running in the background. With this processor, the plus point is the battery life span. It can last up to 2-3 days with normal basic usage with bluetooth and wifi turned off.

The speaker phone feature is awesome, as the both the mic and speaker as clearly heard from both ends. This device uses IEEE 802.11b/g wifi connections. Detecting and connecting to the nearest wifi hot spot is not an issue. The speed is reasonable as well.

The build in camera is 2.0 megapixels. For a phone camera, the quality is acceptable. It is better than both my old O2 Mini and O2 Atom.

The design is slim and nice to hold on your hands. I think this is the slimmist pda phone in the market. The box comes with 1 headset, 1 charger, 1 earphone, 1 battery, 1 screen protector, manuals and cds and 1GB micro SD card.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the pda phone as windows mobile 6.0 has improved a lot compared with it's predecessor.

WD My Book (Home Edition) 500GB

I just purchased a 500GB hard drive for my high definition videos storage. Currently I am storing my videos in a internal SATA 250GB which is now running out of space. So I went out there and did my research on external hard drive and WD My Book (Home Edition) wins my heart.

At the front of the drive, you can see a gauge indicator which tells you the capacity used or space remaining. When the drive is running, you will see it moving up and down like Knight Rider. Pretty cool indicator, I say.

It has an sturdy and elegant design and comes with 3 type of connections - USB 2.0, Firewire 400 and eSATA. The box comes with only USB and firewire cable. If you have a eSATA port in your PC, the speed of transfer is amazingly fast. However if you use eSATA, this hard drive will not shut down accordingly with your PC. And the gauge indicator will not work too.

After trying out 1 day, I realise the speed of transferring via USB is slightly slow. If you frequently access the drive, I will suggest you to connect using eSATA. It comes in 320GB, 500GB and 1TB capacity. And there are 5 different types of collections for WD My Book Edition. Click here to see. It comes with 3 years warranty.

This drive is extremely quiet, as it does not operate with fan. It's small for space saving purpose. When your PC inactivity for sometime, this drive will hibernate until the next time you activate your PC. This will avoid overheating and reduce wear and tear.

I am planning to to play my high definition videos by connecting my PC via HDMI connections to my future HDTV. New graphic cards comes with HDMI port. 500GB = 100 (720p) high definition videos ready to play. No more clumsy discs.

For you guys out there thinking of getting an external harddrive, I strongly recommend this product.

iPhone Developer Program

iPhone as default has limited applications built it. Steve Jobs announced previously that Apple will open iPhone to developers. On March 6, Steve launch the iPhone Software Roadmap. Apple will allow developers to develop their applications for iPhone and Apple is willing to promote it to all iPhone users with a profit sharing arrangement (30% to Apple and 70% to Developers). The developers will have full liberty to decide the selling price.

If developers who wish to give out the applications for free, Apple will distribute it at no cost via iTunes. At the same if the application come in future updates, iPhone users will be prompt to download and install the updates for free.

With this arrangement, Apple have create a new channel for iPhone users to select their applications to be download and at the same time developers can ride on this program to distribute their applications.

iPhone users can download & install the applications via wifi or local network connections from iTunes and use it almost immediately.

However, Apple mentioned that certain type of applications such as gambling, porn, etc will be rejected as part of the limitations for this program. Developers who wish to participate in this program are required to pay a fee of $99 for Standard Program and $299 for Enterprise Program.

We are about to see hundred of applications flooding itunes and it is already happening. If you look at the numbers of iPod accessories available in the market, you can tell how successful this program can be for iPhone.

I really hope, they have good word processing and spreadsheet applications which can share with Microsoft Office. I am sure many PC users love that. This will give the windows mobile users a good reason to change to iPhone.

Microsoft Silverlight

If you recently run a windows update check, you may realise there's a new component to update, that is Microsoft Silverlight. If you are not sure, go to control panel and click on add/remove icon and see whether Microsoft Silverlight is in the program list or not? If you don't see it in the program list, run windows update now or click here.

What is Microsoft Silverlight?

"Microsoft Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. Silverlight offers a flexible programming model that supports AJAX, VB, C#, Python, and Ruby, and integrates with existing Web applications. Silverlight supports fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality video to all major browsers running on the Mac OS or Windows"

If you have installed Silverlight, some rich-content websites you visit will request you to enable silverlight application. Microsoft created Silverlight to enable developers to build rich multimedia interactive web contents within that platform. There will more applications build within Silverlight coming soon.

Click here for more info on Microsoft Silverlight.

Apple iPhone & iPod Touch

Recently, Steve Jobs announced in upgrading the storage memory for both revolutionary iPhone and iPod Touch. iPhone now comes in 8GB and 16GB which double the memory from it's previous models. As for iPod Touch also double its memory from 16GB to 32GB. Simply amazing how Apple can please their customers.

iPhone and iPod Touch is the first in the world which uses the Multi-Touch user interface. It means you can use more than 1 finger simultaneously to navigate the touch screen on the device.

At the moment we can't get the iPhone in Asia yet. But I managed to check out the iPod Touch which is similar to iPhone, except without the phone function. iPhone is sold exclusively by AT&T and Apple. So the phone is SIM locked to AT&T network only. I can see many Asians already using the iPhone which was bought from the US and they managed to unlock the SIM somehow.

Apple also introduce movie rental feature in their new iTunes 7.6. You can use your iPhone to buy music or rent a movie and watch it immediately.

The main thing iPhone is lacking is, it does not have word processor and spreadsheet softwares. Of course, people usually use Microsoft Office as a common platform for sharing. It is a very entertaining device but not so friendly for business use. Apple is opening its iPhone to developers to develop 3rd party software for it. So, we shall see.

Last year, Apple had sold 1.1 million iPhones within 6 months since the launch in June 2007. They are cutting a bigger slice of the mobile phone market share.

Apple never stop impressing their fans. I believe the next generation of iPhone is on its way very soon.

How Google Makes Money?

Have you ever wonder this: "Hey! How the hell does Google makes so much money?"

Google was incorporated by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. The company went public in 2004 and raised USD1.67b. At that time, for a 6 years old company, it's spectacular! Google has made hundred of their staff millionaires overnight after it went public. Their share price soars. Investor find Google has a strong growth plan and it currently dominates 40% of the internet search market.

So, where does the money comes from? Google is a search engine company. People do searches and they will say this "Just Google it". When you do a search in Google, do you realise on the right hand side of the search results is the sponsored links? Advertisers pay Google for showing their ads if the specific keywords is searched. This is called Pay Per Click (PPC) advertisement. Google has the product name called Google Adwords to cater this business. Advertisers will tell Google to show their ads if their selected keywords is searched. They can also instruct Google to show their ads in certain region or countries specifically.

PPC advertising is more effective than putting a banner in a website. What's the difference? If you put a banner in a website, you are not targeting general audience. You will not know how many viewed your banner and how many converted into sales. PPC is very targeted and you only pay Google when they click on your ads. Adwords will tell you how many impressions and clicks for your ads.

There are 200 million searches in Google daily. So now you know how the big chunk of money going to Google every day?

There's another Google product called Google Adsense, where Google pay website owners to place Google Ads. If their visitors click on the Ads in their website, the website owner will get paid. Simple as that. If you see on the right hand side of my blog, you can find some Google sponsored ads.

Besides that, Google is leveraging on other applications like Gmail, Google earth, Google maps, Picasa & etc to expand their advertisement coverage. Did you realised that in your Gmail, you also can find advertisements. Whenever you open an email, Gmail will show related ads based on your keywords in your email contents. Try it and see.

I am both Adwords and Adsense user. I use Adwords to promote Clickbank and Amazon products. And I use Adsense to generate revenue in my blog site.

Google also developed many free applications. Most of the applications are embedded their advertising features in it. Click on the logo below to see the applications:

I think Google did a pretty good job and revolutionize the search engine industry.

So, do you think Google deserve the money? You do the judge.

AVG Antivirus Software

Do you have antivirus software installed in your PC? I'm sure you do. If not, you will be exposed to threats of viruses.

Problem 1
But, most antivirus softwares are quite costly to obtain the license. If you buy a branded PC like Dell, HP, Acer, etc, it will come with maybe 12-24 months antivirus license. What happen after that? You will not be able to update the virus definition.

Problem 2
High security antivirus softwares like Symantec & McAfee, takes up a hefty memory. It will definitely slow down your overall system performance.

I found something which might delight you all by solving both problems above.

AVG antivirus by Grisoft, is a free software and with free virus definition download support.

It's amazing that such software are given out free and it really does not suck up your memory. You must be thinking whether it's effective or not, right? So far, I have been using it since 2004, my PC has not been infected by any serious viruses. And yes, they do prompt and warn you if AVG found any virus threat in your system.

It has the basic function, like schedule system scanning and virus definition updating. It even scan your incoming mails in Microsoft Outlook. I am just impress.

What about adwares and spywares? If you are using an original windows licensed copy, then you can download the Windows Defender which act as a firewall for your system. You can update your system using Windows Update Software, if you don't have a copy yet.

Wala! Best of both worlds. Free software & it does not make your system sluggish. Go and try it yourself. It's risk free anyway.

Rapidshare

"With 220 Gigabit/s of Internet connectivity and 4.5 Petabytes of storage, RapidShare is one of the biggest and fastest web hosters world wide."

"1-Click web hosting for free. With our 1-Click web hosting solution you can put your files online for free with just one click fast and easy. You decide, who will be able to access your file. Only people knowing the exact download URL are able to download your file. Your file will be deleted when it has not been accessed for more than 90 days or you use your delete link."

If you never heard about Rapidshare before, then let me introduce to you the rocking file sharing server ever. I use rapidshare to download HD movies, musics & TV series. I subscribe to the premium account so that I can download mutiple files at one time with accelerated speed. The premium account price is 4.50 EUR per month. If you subscribe longer, they will give you a discount.

Rapidshare allows you to upload and share your files with a max file size of 100mb per file. However you can upload unlimited files to the server for free. Basically, rapidshare uses 2 main file formats for file sharing, that is winrar and hj split files.

The speed of downloading is amazing. I usually get 120kbps for single file download. I can download a 700MB DVD rip movie in 2 hours tops (if no broken link).

As default, windows does not have a good software to track your multiple downloads. And if you download breaks or you accidently closes the window, that's it. All gone. You have to redo it again. I use Free Download Manager to manage my mutiple downloads and it resumes when it breaks or the next time I turn back on my pc. The best part is this software is absolutely free!

The reason why rapidshare download faster than torrent is because rapidshare downloads from a high speed centralise server. If you use torrent, you are actually downloading from a different individual PCs or servers for a different files. And if the other end cancel the seeding, your download speed will drop or even stop. Rapidshare does not stop the downloading and the speed is quite consistent as it centralise the downloading from the main server.

Rapidshare has 4.5 Petabytes of storage space. (1 GB=1000 MB, 1TB=1000 GB, 1PB=1000TB=1,000,000GB)

I use rapidshare to download my favourite TV series, Heroes (720p HD). There are many forums and blogs which share their rapidshare files. Just google it and add the word rapidshare after the search term, and most of the time I get what I'm looking for.

I think the Internet is man's greatest invention. It beats the wheel big time!

HD-DVD is history! It's final.

Toshiba on 19 Feb surrendered in the high-definition format war against Sony-backed Blu-ray, saying it would no longer make or market HD DVD players and recorders.

This will be the end of the HD format war. I predicts that Sony Blu-ray will go on full force in production and sales after wining the battle. With economies of scale in place, Blu-ray player and disc prices will drop pretty soon.

Let me bring you back to the late 70s, early 80s on the VHS (bottom) vs Betamax (top) format battle. Sony Betamax lost in this format battle. You can find the details in wikipedia. So, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That's life.

Bose® SoundDock Portable for iPod

To all iPod fans: Sick of listening your iPod musics using the tiny white earphones?

Bose released their second generation SoundDock Portable system.

The previous generation uses only AC to power up the system. This one uses 2 power sources, that is AC and lithium battery. This makes the system truly portable now, I say. It also comes in a rotating dock to make it sleek looking without the dock sticking out. This will make transporting easy. It also charges your iPod while it docks on it. It is compatible with almost all generation of iPods. Bose makes this system even slimmer and sleeker. At the front, there is a battery colour indicator which tells you battery gauge. If you are on AC, it will charge both the system battery and your iPod.

Does this reminds you of Apple TV remote (right)? It's so straight forward and easy to press. Simplicity is the key. SoundDock remote, not only turn on and off the system, it also controls the basic function on your iPod.

Besides iPod, this system allows other devices to connect to it. At the back of this system includes a 3.5mm sound input jack. This makes it scalable.

The sound quality is excellent!

BOSE - "Better Sound Through Research"

Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts

I am sure most of us here have a gmail account. Gmail is reaching whopping 6.5GB mail space. I came to know that there's a customise keyboard shortcuts built-in. So this will save you on the clicking and prolonged your mouse's life.... ;)

What you need to do is log into Gmail and click on Settings. Under the General tab, check Keyboard shortcuts on. Click here to see the table of useful shortcut keys.

Don't you just love Google's applications?

Panasonic Lumix TZ4 & TZ5

This is one of my favourite digital camera. I am using Lumix TZ1 which was bought in 2005. This camera has served me well. It takes good quality pictures and excellent video with zoom and sound.

The 2nd generation was the Lumix TZ2 and TZ3 which was launched in 2006. Now here comes the next generation of TZ series, the TZ5. It was launched on 29 Jan 2008.

Here are some of the highlights in features:

· Intelligent Exposure – With this new feature, photos will no longer be under- or over-exposed. Instead, the TZ5 and TZ4, instantly analyze the framed image and adjusts the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting or the use of the flash. The camera will automatically adjust the brightness accordingly.

· Digital Red-eye Correction*– This feature helps to eliminate the red-eye problem that sometimes results when taking flash shots at the night. Incorporated into the built-in flash, the camera emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and will digitally correct it.

· MEGA O.I.S. – Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.

· Intelligent ISO – With Intelligent ISO, the TZ4 and TZ5 can determine if the photo subject is moving and change the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.

· Intelligent Scene Selector – Intelligent Scene Selector senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode. This intuitive technology, helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera, but often go unused, without making any manual adjustments.

· Face Detection – Panasonic’s Face Detection detects faces anywhere in the frame and automatically chooses the optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear and crisp. Detecting up to 15 faces, Panasonic’s Face Detection can even track a face if the subject is moving.

· Continuous AF – The Continuous AF (auto focus) system maintains focus on the subject even without pressing a shutter button halfway, thus minimizing the AF time.

This camera is capable of taking High Definition motion pictures (720p) and accept SD High Capacity cards up to 16GB. It uses the new generation of processing chip, the Venus Engine IV.

I just love the design and functionality of this camera. Lumix rocks!

HD Format War Over Soon??

I just read the news that Toshiba is ceasing their HD-DVD disc format because they are losing market share against Sony Blu-ray. So, is this going to be the end of the HD format war?

I don't understand why in the first place these 2 companies cannot come into compromise to settle this before launching their individual formats? There are many victims in this war, for example microsoft xbox 360 HD-DVD player.

Other victims will be Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Dreamworks. I pity those ppl who paid RM2k-3k for a HD-DVD player. Those people, who bought HD-DVD discs can keep it for the museum and show it to your kids or grand kids. ;)

So, ladies and gentlemen, the moral of this story is, don't buy new tech with no standardisation of formats. Either one party will suffer!

Another lesson to learn is the word 'Economies of Scale - a decrease in cost as supply increases'. For a good example is the HDTV LCD/Plasma TVs. 2-3 years ago, a 42 inch LCD TV cost more than RM10k. Now? RM5k already can get one. This applies to Blu-Ray players which is cost about RM3-4k now. Look back at DVD players in the 90s......nostalgia.....

Let other people be the victim of the new techs and I will enjoy it the economies of scale when more people are buying it and the price will drop. Having said that, sometimes, the tech crave is too much to handle....if you know what I mean...hehehh.... ;)

GP ReCyko+ Batteries

There's a new generation of rechargeble batteries in the market. I just bought a GP ReCyko+ batteries and charger. Have you ever experience everytime you fully charge your batteries and after a month without using it, you find that the batteries are empty again?

Now with the new technology, GP Recyko can maintain the battery capacity for a very long time. In fact, you can use it immediately when you purchase from the shelves without charging it.

I am using rechargeble batteries for all my home aplliances like remote controls, flash lights, wireless keyboard and mouse, etc. In the long run, I save money and the environment. ;)