29 Apr 2010

The Nokia N8

Nokia has just launched yet another smartphone, the N8. The Symbian phone will be available in select markets later this year.

Features includes a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash. The main attraction is it's ability to take HD-quality videos and edit the videos on the phone using the built-in editing suite. The mobile phone is the first to incorporates Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. One of the first if I am not mistaken.
Of course, they haven't forgotten about social networking and users can view feeds from Twitter and Facebook in a single app on the home screen.

The Nokia N8 also comes with free global Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation covering over 70 countries. Users can buy more apps from the Ovi store.

Gadgets to review for this month

See what just arrived today - it's the Nokia HF-510 speakerphone. It's a hands free device that allows you to use your mobile phone while you are driving. It connects to a mobile via a Bluetooth connection.

I also received a Nokia E72 to use along with it.

I will be trying out the HF-510 over a two-week period - the shortest period I have ever had a gadget for review.

Thanks to WOMWorld/Nokia for letting me try out these gadgets.

27 Apr 2010

Sony Ericsson K770i dismantled

Sony Ericsson K770i

Was feeling a bit bored and searching on the web for a way to fix the camera on my old Sony Ericsson K77Oi mobile.

Came across this site and followed the steps to completely dismantle the phone. The cover didn't come off that easily as the guy mentioned until I realised that I would have to unscrew the small screws. Learnt one lesson from this - a mistake I won't make in the future. Don't assume that other people can read your mind. If you do a manual, put in EVERY single step even though it seems like common sense to you.

Anyway, I found out a lot about the mobile through this exercise but I still couldn't figure out a way to make the camera work. The camera lens seems to be fixed directly to the mother board. It's annoying when I can't take any pictures with the phone - the main reason I bought this particular model. Fortunately I can still make video calls using the camera in the front.

26 Apr 2010

Regular income from Text Link Ads

"What is the best source of income for your blog?"

This is the most common question that I am regularly asked by people who are interested in commercialising their existing blog or plan to start blogging as a source of income.

As they always say, "don't put all your eggs in one basket. Similarly, I have multiple sources of income from my blogs. These include contextual ads such as Google adsense, button and banner ads, text link ads and of course sponsored posts. However, from all these various sources, only one has consistently provided a steady flow of income.

As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I am talking about Text Link Ads.

Though I earn more by writing reviews/ sponsored posts/ advertorials, I really like Text link ads because once an advertiser has bought space on my blog, all I have to do is to cut and paste a piece of code into my sidebar and I can just forget about it. I earn at least US$25 per month from Text Link Ads. Though not much, it does contribute to the overall earnings.

Remember the old poem:
"Little drops of water,
little grains of sand,
make the mighty ocean
and the beauteous land.... (Julia Carney, 1845)"

You can have it done automatically using a script but I have elected to do it manually. This means a little bit of work every time an advertiser buys ad space on my blog or stops advertising but it gives me the choice to reject advertisers I don't like.

I have also signed up with their affiliate programme as well, which means that if you sign up as a publisher using the link above, I will earn some money as well - a win-win situation.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz – the HD video phone

For a lot of people, a mobile phone is just for making and receiving calls and maybe sms. This is a shame considering the features packed into some of the new models which have been launched recently. One of them, the new Sony Ericsson Vivaz allows you to take high definition quality videos from your phone.


With an 8.1MP camera that can take 720p HD quality videos, the phone is clearly targeted at the few guys who love taking video clips using their phones. Features include the face detection with continuous autofocus. Users can then upload the clips directly to YouTube or Picasa via the Wi-Fi connection.

This Symbian phone has a 3.2" 16M-color touchscreen with 640 x 360 pixel resolution. Like most new smart phones in the market, the Vivaz also has GPS with A-GPS. This allows geo tagging of the pics.

On the downside, unlike the Satio (or my Sony-Ericsson K770i Cyber-shot) the phone doesn't have a front-facing camera and lacks a sliding cover for the camera as well.

Another unique feature of the phone is it's unique ergonomic grip designed to fit into the palm of users. Is that a first I wonder?

Another phone I am looking forward to trying out.

25 Apr 2010

Microsoft Kin

The launch of the two Microsoft mobile phones Kin One and Two don't seem to have caused much of a stir. I found most reviews to be surprisingly negative.

According to Microsoft the Kin is targeted to the youthful audience and the main focus is on social networking. However, recent studies show that the dominant age segments in the most popular networks including Facebook are actually people in the 30s. Something that they should think about.

Anyway, both models feature touch screens, slide-out Qwerty keyboards and GPS. WiFi and Bluetooth is also standard. However, the major differences between the two model are the cameras and memory. The Kin One which is more compact has a 5 MP camera and 4 GB of memory whereas the Kin Two has an 8 MP camera and a huge 8 GB memory.

Just read that they would be launched in the UK by Vodafone. Have no news about when they would be available in the UK nor the price. Can't wait to try them out.

22 Apr 2010

Earning money with Doteasy

If you are interested in maximizing your blog’s earning possibilities with very little effort on your part, read on.

Doteasy is a web hosting provider and one of the leading domain name registrars since 2000. But aside from their great hosting offers, they also have an affiliate programme where you can earn from $5 up to $70 just for a single referral sign up. If you’re into building and creating websites, I’m sure you’ve heard this kind of affiliate program with other web hosting providers or domain name registrars. But I assure you, what Doteasy offers through their affiliate programme is much more enticing and easier.

With other web hosting providers such as GoDaddy, you’re required to be a paying member first before you can start earning from their affiliate program. Meaning, you need to invest some money first before you can even get to see if you can actually get something back. Aside from that, the maximum incentive they could give per referral is just around $50. But with Doteasy, things really are less complicated and less risky. You can start earning even without availing any of their hosting packages. In other words, you don’t need to invest any money to try it. And you still get to earn even when your referral just purchased a free hosting (basic hosting) with them. Now that’s a really good deal you won’t easily find else where. They’ll provide you with links, banners and buttons. Just post that up on your website or blog and start promoting. The more people you refer, the more money you can earn.

In case you’re searching for a free reliable hosting for your website, then you might be interested to learn that Doteasy offers free web hosting. With their free web hosting plan, you can enjoy great features such as ability to host multiple domains, up to 10 email accounts and more.  You can use their free web site builder to create blogs, forums, photo gallery and many more. Plus, they guarantee 99.9% uptime and no annoying ads with your free hosted website.

Use the coupon code 1003BPM and sign up for a .COM/.NET/.ORG domain registration for only $7.95 and enjoy their free web hosting service for a year.

$0 Web Hosting

19 Apr 2010

Google PR Update April 2010

I have not been paying that much attention to the Google page rank of my blogs for a while and I was pleasantly shocked when I noticed that the PR has gone up for all my blogs. I am delighted because this means more advertising income for me.

Here are the latest Google PR for my blogs as listed below:
Adamok.net/ PR4
ah ok lah PR4
Best freebies PR2
Cars Blog - Auto Lah PR3
On Sale Online PR1
Rahil Dot Info - On Entertainment PR1

Have to make sure they continue this upward move.

How about you guys? Has there been any changes to your blog's Google PR.

iPad demand and supply

I guess I was wrong when I wrote that you can Get an iPad cheap a few days back. Apple's recent announcement that they are going to delay launch of iPads outside the US. UK costumers have to wait for a month.

According to Apple, this is due to "unprecedented demand" of the iPad in the US domestic market. However, I really doubt it. My friends in the US tell me that people were not falling over each other to buy the iPad unlike launches of previous Apple products including the iPhone and that you can just walk into any APple shop and buy the iPad. This whole delay thing, smells like a good marketing ploy to create demand for it in the overseas market and it's apparently working. The pries on eBay have gone up and some online stores are making a killing.

Related stories:
Malaysia: Grey market iPads show up here
China: Chinese shoppers buying 'grey market' iPads

14 Apr 2010

Thanks UPrinting.com

I think the employees of UPrinting.com really love my blogs. They are among my top commentators , especially Michelle. I really do appreciate it because most of them seem to have read my post and leave relevant comments.

Of course there are the bad eggs as well - the guys with really bad grammar and some who just cut and paste the same comment on all the blogs. Then there are those who are really lazy and cut and paste portions from my blog post. I have no idea why they do that. Needless to say, those comments do not get approved. In fact most of the comments don't get approved but I do appreciate it all the same.

Here are the guys from UPrinting.com and related companies who have left their comments on my blogs:


CouponWebz | UPrinting Coupons
Faith | MyPostcardPrinting.com
Kay | UPrinting
Letterhead Printing | UPrinting.com
Luigi | UPrinting.com
Marq | UPrinting Coupons
Michelle | Print Brochures
Michelle | Poster Printing
Michelle | Online Poster Printing
Michelle | OnlinePosterPrinting.com
Michelle | Large Format Posters
Michelle | LargeFormatPosters.com
Printing Quotes | UPrinting Coupons
Vic | Brochures Printing Online
Vince | Brochures Printing

Thanks guys and do tell me if I am missing anyone.

10 Apr 2010

Get an iPad cheap

So far the Apple iPad is only available in the US and prices start from US $499. According to the news reports, 450,000 iPads have been sold in the first 5 days. That's pretty amazing. However, there are also reports that lots of people are returning them as well.

So you just have to be patient for a few weeks and wait for the used iPads to appear on eBay for a fraction of the retail price and in fact they are already there

In case you are one of those guys who think the iPad is a phone, you better read up here.

7 Apr 2010

Review of Dash Genie phone holder

I recently received a free sample of a car phone holder to review. It's called the Dash Genie and is said to be the World’s first suction-mounted dashboard car phone holder.


To mount the Dash Genie to my car dashboard, I had to take out the protective covering on both the red face as well as the suction cup. I am not sure what material they are made of but it is really sticky.

A flick of the suction lever and the cradle was stuck really hard. Tried pulling it out but I was wary of the warning on the cover which says that "...demounting the dashboard as forced detachment can cause serious damage." I couldn't believe it but it held my phone firmly in place all the way from Coventry to London. However, I was thinking to myself that the cradle would be useless once the material lost it's adhesion quality. True enough after a few days there was a reduction in the stickiness.


I found out that all I had to do was clean the pads with plain water and it becomes sticky again.

The cradle is made in South Korea and is available exclusively on the Mobile Fun site for £14.99. There are loads of other car phone holders on their site.