Maxis Home Wifi - speed test

Did a speed test with the New Maxis Home Wifi  

Ping - 54ms ,  Down load - 3821kbps,  Upload - 1144kbps

Good Speed as compared with my previous service providers,  but then its like comparing oranges with apples.   

sorry now a day lazy to download photos and screenshots from my handphone. 

Maxis Home Wifi - First Impression

Maxis Home Wifi – First Impression.

Just change to Maxis Home Wifi, the RM99 monthly version comes with the following

· A Cordless Phone (Panasonic I think)

o Come with 200 min free call to fix line & mobile phone nation wide

o Additional charge as RM0.10 per min above 200 min

· A Wifi Modem

· Speed of 7.2mbps

· 20gb Quota Total per month

o 5gb during 8am to 2am

o 15gb during 2am to 8am

· 12 month min contract

· RM100 activation fee (during promo period)

Why? I do think it’s worth it. For RM100 activation fee, you get a free wifi modem (lock to maxis?), a cordless phone. The Monthly RM99, RM70 of it is equivalent to my current celcom broadband, 5GB, the extra RM29, I get, 200 min of free calls, 15GB of extra quota for download, between 2am to 8am, and at much faster speed of 7.2mbps.

First Impression – Good (touch wood)

· Good Service by the Maxis Man (did the set up for me)

· Surfing was Fast – Good

· Downloading at 2am to 8am - 2.2mb download, 0.4mb upload (Best ever, see speed up to 400+kbs)

Items To do over the next few day

· Set up the cordless phone & start calling

· Do a speed test

· On Monday - Cancel celcom broad band the RM68 version ……,

Alza Fuel Consumption on Highway

Time for a update on my Alza,  Been a long time from the last Alza post, and from that time I have made a few long distance trip using the PLUS Highway with some town driving, and have compile the fuel consumption.

Trip 1
Pg to KL : Speed Avg 80 - 90kmph, 437km total, 5.3lt per 100km/18.86km per lt / 0.10sen per km
KL to Pg : Speed Avg 110kmph, 379km total, 6.8lt per 100km / 14.69km per lt / 0.13 sen per km

Trip 2
Ipoh - Jawi - Ipoh : Speed Avg 100km, 325km total, 6.1lt per km / 16.23km per lt / 0.12 sen per km
Ipoh to KL : Speed Avg 100kmph, 254km total, 6.1 lt per 100km / 16.36km per lt / 0.12 sen per km
KL to Pg + Local : Speed Avg 90kmph, 463km total, 6.3lt per 100km / 15.73km per lt / 0.12 sen

Fuel consumption is calculated out manually base upon KM reading and Full tank petrol, On Board Fuel computer give inaccurate reading of usually +- 0.5lt.

Conclusion? :
Best speed is at 80kmph Average - that can get you 5.3lt per 100km but then driving on the highway at 80kmph?
At 100kmph Average - the Alza will get around 6.1lt per 100km
At 110kmph Average - Fuel consumption will hit 6.8lt per 100km

Unfortunately the Alza is not fitted with a Auto Cruise to keep the speed steady, For me Driving a constant speed of 80kmph on the highway for 300 + km was impossible. A little bit of inattention will see the vehicle at 105KMPH or above, or even at 65kmph. So it became a unpleasing driving experience trying to keep at 80kmph.

The best consistent speed I manage is of 100KMph +- 10km. At this speed you will be keeping up with the traffic, and you can just cruise, it became a pleasurable driving experience,  The difference in Petrol is around RM7/- after all.  less then one nasi kandar meal.  

Acer Icornia Tab A510 User Review

Acer Iconia Tab A510 User Review

This is my 2^nd tablet, and My 3^rd Android Device, The First on Android 4. This would be my point of view in this review.

My First tablet was a 7in no name brand tablet, purchase more than one year back. As a gadget it was disappointing, need to be charge every 2.5 hrs or less even with no wifi on, brightness at minimum, but there were I started to learn Android (V.2). A Tablet to me is a portable gaming computer & browser with some computing functionality. 

My Next Android is my Samsung W, a much better gadget, better built and equip, and its a 4 in smartphone. Now I just purchase my 3^rd Android, a 10in tablet running on Android 4 with out 3G, for my Family to play around with. It’s a pretty Good buy I must say. 

Android V4 vs V2 comparison

Those who have use Android V2 will have no difficulty, it’s almost the same ……, The Acer Ring is new though, provides you with short cuts to 4 locations eg settings, camera, screen shots and volume control every where, its built in the lock screen as well.

Opinion: This Tablet seems to be optimize for screenshots…..

Tablet Built

Overall high standards, more then 600grms, but thin, feels heavy though. Just minor

The volume rocker, feel loose, the micro usb location , (I am not complaining) not too happy where it is, but then I suppose that to dock the tablet, the micro usb have to be it that position at the bottom edge. ( Further the tablet, which charge through the micro usb as well means that y ou cannot use any usb device when you are charging)

Image / Screen & Camera

I have no complaints here. More then adequate for me. Tablet should only have front camera. A back camera have no use (for me that is) unless we use it to take photo of visitors.

Manual

No paper manual is provided other then the warranty, and a quick start guide, You want the manual, download it your self at Acer website!.

Openion: Cost cutting, Eco conscious Company, Why cant you have the Manual In the tablet its self as a EBook? Convenience for the customer!

Home Screen

Controls pretty well thought out, No actual physical buttons so everything is on the edge as software buttons, Notification is at the bottom left with time, Apps is at the top left, Google Search and Voice is at the top right, and at the bottom right is the all important back bottom, the Home button, and the last apps use botton.

Apps & Software

The Acer A510 come preloaded with some software / apps, some are evergreen, and some of them are the latest porpular apps. Among those preloaded are A510, Aupeo, Calculator, Clearfi, Email, Evernote, Gmail, Google+, latitude, Lumiroad, Media Server, Messenger, Movie Studio, People, Places, Play Music, Play Store, Polarios Office, Tegra Zone Game, Virus scan, You Tube.

On my own in a 12 hours marathon, (thanks to setting up my Samsung W, that time took me 3 days downloading and discarding apps) to down load 20 games (including the 4 angry bird games), 2 dictionaries, A first aid guide (British red cross), some update of the apps already in the tablet and a couple of tools (GPS coordinates, compass, speed test, conversion calculator, Battery Widget) all totaling around 300mb. All the apps I choose were free & from Play Store the successor of Google Market. .

Opinion : This the beauty of the Android Software, You can get tons and tons of good basic software & games (call apps) for Free (other then downloading it), and for those with money to spare they can get uprated upgrade versions with increase function ability when you pay for it. The same can be said for Apple soft ware, I suppose. From what I understand, android has more free apps. 

Battery

Having had a 2.5hrs its time to recharge tablet, and Samsung W Smart Phone, which have a recharge cycle of around 8 hours, with the Wifi on, 3G off, Bluetooth off, GPS off,Screen On, Downloading Apps from Google Apps (the W last me 3 days, with wifi off, 3G off, GPS off, Screen on 0% brightness, location off, background data off), I was shock by the A510 Tablet. 

This no 3G/2G Tablet Wifi only Tablet drop a total of 60% of the charge, for my 12 hours marathon, downloading, with location on, wifi on, auto sync on, screen on auto brightness). A fluke? Nope, the next day my kids have a Game Playing marathon, with the wifi on the whole time, After 12 hours, Battery remaining is 40%

.

Opinion : Any Tablet that can last at least 12 hours on full charge (with wifi on) playing games or down loading is Excellent. (12 hours is my guideline for a full day at work, or out of house playing/travelling) My Toshiba NB305, Net Book when new only give me around 6 to 8 hours with wifi on. So with 40% remaining after 12 hrs of downloading with wifi on, it more then Excellent.

Final Observation(for now - Day 2)

• Happy!
• The battery is a killer! See Above!

Acer Iconia Tablet A510, First Impression

Acer Iconia Tablet A510, First Impression

I have been eyeing a budget tablet for a long time, for a 2^nd computer at home for my wife (email, facebook, dictionary, movies) and My Kids (games, dictionary, movies). I more a less settle for a Acer Iocnia Table 200, due to its special raya promotion price of RM1099 at a few of those discount electrical shop, as it has a normal usb port, can plug in thumb drive & Hard disk, mouse, keyboard directly and did not have a fancy camera.

When the local computer shop offer a A200 for RM999, and have a o% offer on the credit card for a 12 months installment, I thought that it time to get one, especially it’s the school holidays as well. Well the A200 they have on offer was a old model, the Google Play Icon was actually a Google Market lcon, and it was running a Android 3. (they try to upgrade it to Android 4, but it did not work) 

They then show me the Acer Iconia Table A510, which is basically a New Model, thinner, have what the A200 offer, but with higher Memory (32GB), it’s a Quad Core 1.3 mb, have a micro/mini USB that does what the A200 does though it need an adepter for normal size usb, a 5MP Back Camera & 1MP Front Camera, and running Android 4 for just a extra RM400, and I though why not.

So What was my First Impression with this Tablet?

Pros (+)

• A long life Battery
• Connects to Hard Disk, Usb thumb Drive, mouse, keyboard
• Smooth in touch operation
• Quad Core 1.3
• Quite Thin
• Back Camera 5MP with a Front Camera 1 MP
  

Con (-)

• No LCD Light
• Micro USB
  

My first impression is a good table, it’s more then what I want and need, other then what I listed above and my personal dislike, the battery is non customer removable (which other then one or two) which is like all tablets out there.

Operation is smooth, (quad core you know), set up was easy, if you know Android 2 (plus) as Android 4 is just almost thee same in term of operation. 

What really stand out is The Battery Life span is remarkable after 12 hours of constant use the battery still have 40% charge left, In day 1, I spent close to 12 hours, with Wifi on, downloading apps, in Day 2 My Kid way playing with the table again for 12 hours, with wifi on, playing games. Of course this tablets does not have 3G, and its screen was set at auto brightness, and both days the tablet was in a room and not outdoors in the bright sunlight.

Custom Ring Tones, Notification Sound, alarms but not SMS

Custom Ring Tones, Notification Sound, alarms but not SMS

To use custom ringtones for your phone ringtone, your alarm or your text message notification, simply copy an MP3 file to one of the following folders:
/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones
/sdcard/media/audio/alarms
/sdcard/media/audio/notifications

If they don't already exist, then create a new folder.

The file will then show up when you want to change your ringtones.

For Ringtones go to Settings - Sound - Phone ringtone
For Text Messages go to - Settings - Sound - Notification ringtone
For Alarm, set the sound when you add a new alarm

Does not seem to be a way to customise SMS tones

Is the Age of Android here?

Is the Age of Android here?

Android software are now not only limited to smart phones, there are android tablets, in car entertainment units and to a limited extend notebook/netbook computer and even TVs. I read somewhere that 550,000 Android devices a day is being activate, that a large number and thankfully there are many manufacturers for you to choose from! I like competition, as with competition, customer needs always come first.

Why did I choose Android, for me it’s fairly simple to use, (for a person who is a bit techy), very customizable and if you are not too choosy you can customize your phone for free, pricing of the devices available is in a low to high range, further more importantly I can change the battery on my own. In other word I tell you what I want, not you tell me what you think I want!

I Pick up my second Android devise (Samsung Galaxy W) some 6 months back, never did much to customize it back then other then the very necessary (Apps to activate the LED as a Flash light, and a E Book reader), as I need to understand how to operate it by it self first, now 6 months down the road, I felt it time, to customize the phone to my liking and to the maximum it can go (for free – other then Wifi)

So for the past 3 days (off days from work), I have been checking out Apps, downloading them, (auto install from Android Market, now Google Play), trying them out, uninstalling (Very easy process) them when they do not fit my criteria of being partially “Off Line”, especially for games and emergency informative I need this everywhere apps, keeping those I need.

Basically there are widget n apps for you to play around with, when customizing the devise, there is the Built in widget n apps provided by the manufacturer, the free widget and apps, and the paid for ones. In general free widgets n apps are provided by NGO’s, or earn back their money by advertising products, or marketing their developer. But why not just use the Built in Widgets? Even the Free widget and apps can be better than the Built in widget n apps. (that the beauty of android)

Widgets are basically Apps that once install to your Home Pages, will either display information or will do a specific & simple task when tap on, there are some that will do both, within the ability of the devise.

Examples of this are a “Retro Clock” & “Retro Date” replacing by built in Clock and Date Widget, as beside displaying the Time and Date, when click clock will send you to the Alarm Clock, Date will send you to the Calander, 2 in one function! Which free my having to have the Alarm Clock, and Date widget on screen.

Some other widgets are “Task Killer” to free up valuable Ram space, Battery Display widget that tell you how much “Juice” you have still with your phone, call “a” specific person, right from the home screen so you do not have to go digging into the menu’s.

Just find what you like! Some u Pay, Some u can get for free! Your Choice!

Application or Apps are basically software that does a Task, Ie Retrieve Information from the net, Retrieve Information store on the Devise or Memory Card, Enable you do performed a task within the capabilities of the devices, or Enable you to use the functionality of the device for some other purpose . Some are built in, some are available for free, and some have to be paid for.

To make my devise more useful for me, I have down loaded dictionaries (Malay, English, Mandarin), First Air (By British Red Cross), E book reader of the format of e book that I have), Mandarin Phase Book (talking), a Diet app, a Metric – Imperial Conversion apps etc …..

To customize to my liking, a home page launcher, the Go Launcher Ex, & some themes, a calculator that give me a % key without having to flip the device.

To Make use of the Device built in Functionality as it should be, I have down loaded 2 GPS apps, slightly different formats and information,

To use the Device built in functionality for other purpose, a compass, a metal detector (more of a magnetic detector actually), a spirit level, and an apps that is suppose to deter mosquitoes?

It was a fun 3 days, frustrating at times, in weeding out the chaff, downloading something good and then realizing that it only work “on line”, but rewarding in the end, as the end result is a devise that look different with a functionality that fit you.