Blog@Ridz.sg

It’s that time of the year to change your passwords.

Ivan Gn — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:16:31 +0000

It’s coming to Christmas, and 2012 is just around the corner. It’s time to change your passwords for your most valuable online real estate.

You might think it will never happen to you, but you really don’t want to risk it. Getting hacked and losing access to your Gmail, Facebook or Twitter accounts not only affects you, but exposes the people you care about to phishing and other malicious attacks. The pain and time wasted to get access to those accounts is arduous and filled with secret questions that you may not even remember the answer to. You may have keyed in these passwords on an unsecured computer that you don’t remember, or used the same password for your Gmail and some random site (which I’m sure most of you do). Your accounts may be at risk. Do yourself a favour, change your passwords to your most frequently used sites today.

[image from xkcd.com/936/]

Some good password habits I keep to:

Don’t use some jumbled string which you can’t remember. A simple sentence with appropriate punctuation which you will remember works as well.
Have separate secure passwords for important sites, don’t reuse these passwords for untrusted sites.
For sites that ask you for your Google credentials, use OAuth. Or setup an application specific password. Never give them your password in clear.
Change your important passwords at least once a year (hence the timely reminder from me).

From us here at Ridz.SG, have an enjoyable, and safe, 2012.

Ivan Gn
Currently involved in the education scene, Ivan has been involved with creating things on the internet since 2004. He was lucky to have completed his education overseas where he saw how different the world was compared to his home city. His current interests include how new technology may be adapted for use in the education sector, social media influence on society and how incentives drive behaviour.

24 Hours with the Dell XPS 15z

Ridz — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:39:53 +0000

And so my review of the Dell XPS 15z starts of by loading it up with all the stuff I need to get about my day to day activities and I do this by installing Dropbox to sync all my documents, workspaces and applications.

Just for reference, the software I’m putting on this machine :-

Dropbox for file syncing
FileZilla for FTP transfers
GIMP for image manipulation
OpenOffice for document processing
Spotify for music
VLC for video playback
XAMPP for my web development environment
WorldCommunityGrid for donating processor power to international science projects
GoogleTalk
Skype
Android SDK
Eclipse IDE
Notepad++
Google Chrome

After a day of mostly word processing, some development work and using the web, I found that the laptop lasted about 4 and half hours on battery but, as always, I think it shoud last longer as I get used to the laptop and know how to optimise the battery life and quit tinkering around with settings and updates.

In the 24 hours I used it, I came to really appreciate the facial recognition feature of the sign in screen because it really saved me the hassle of having to keep typing and re-typing my password each time I turn it on or come back to it. Again, a picture might fool the camera but I’ll test that another time.

Having also installed spotify, I took the opportunity (when no one was in the office) to pump up the speakers and it’s actually pretty decent even at higher volumes. That said I rarely use laptop speakers unless it’s to watch a video together with friends so it really isn’t that important to me.

Towards the end of the day, I also really appreciated the backlit keyboard because I found the keyboard of the XPS 15z quite different from the keyboard I’m used to – the keys are lot more spaced and that caused me to mistype all the time. Having it backlit really helped when I didn’t want to have to work with all the room lights on at night.

One thing I decided to do from now on was also to install WorldCommunityGrid on review devices to see how much processing it can get done (some review devices come with really good GPUs so why let it go to waste right?). At the end of the review series, in “The Review” piece, I’ll collate the amount of processor contribution the device has made.

Oh 24 hours in and I have a big gripe. There are no USB ports on the right hand side of the XPS 15z and because i’m right handed, I have to plug in my mouse on the left and loop all around the back of the laptop to right side. Not a big deal but when you have a mouse plugged in, power cables, USB hubs and your phone connected to the laptop the wires criss crossing each other can really mess up the table and somehow a messy table makes it harder to work. I never really realised having ports on both sides was important until now.

So yeah, in one day, I think the XPS 15z is pretty good device although the usb thing sort of bugs me. Will share my experience with it after I’ve used it for a week.

Other posts in the Dell XPS 15z review series:-

Ridzuan Ashim
Starting and maintaining Ridz.sg aside, Ridzuan is Co-Founder of Senseless Labs – A software solutions company currently focused on building mobile-based Marketing and CRM solutions. He has been dabbling in both web and mobile development since 2003. His interests include how technology can be used to improve the human condition, poverty alleviation through sustainable development, education and microfinancing.

Huawei Launches Huawei Honor in Singapore – Goes On Sale Tomorrow

Ridz — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:38:50 +0000

On the 7^th December, Huawei announced the availability of the Huawei Honor (U8860) in Singapore, running the Android OS 2.3 and features a 16M 16:9 true color HD 4 inch Full Wide VGA capacitive touch screen.

The Honor is powered by a 1900 mAh battery and is expected last 3 days on a single charge – the longest amongst smartphones in the 4-inch screen range.

“Huawei Honor is a high performance smartphone which is simple-to-use, but also packed with advanced technology that allows people to communicate, connect, entertain and share content easily,”

“With the ultra-long battery life, consumers are now able to take full advantage of all the capabilities of a smartphone for an extended period of time without compromising on looks, technology or style.”

- Alan Wong, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Device, South Pacific Region

Running on the 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, it also sports an 8 megapixel camera equipped with HDR capabilities and a 2 megapixel front facing camera. It has a 10.9mm thin body and weighs 140g. The Honor is also running an exclusive Huawei user interface which is easier to customise and manage. The new UI aims to engage users with its animated, colorful and vivid design and effects.

The smartphone is also DLNA-certified which ensure interoperability with other DLNA-certified devices such as digital cameras, game consoles and TVs.

Customers of the Huawei Honor will also have access to Huawei’s CloudDrive, which will be made available in Singapore by end Q1 2012. This would enable customers to able to share their audio and visual files seamlessly in the cloud without worrying about in-built storage limits.

The Huawei Honor will be available on the 16 December 2011 at the recommended retail price of $528 (inclusive of 7%GST) at selected carriers and retail outlets.

Technical Specifications

Android OS 2.3
1900 mAh Battery
1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
4 inch 16M 16:9 true colour Full Wide VGA capacitive touch screen
8 megapixel auto focus camera supporting HDR, with 2 megapixel front-facing camera
10.9mm at thinnest point
weighs 140g
3G HSDPA+ DL 14.4 Mbps/UL 5.76 Mbps
WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
5123 MB RAM/4GB ROM memory with memory card slot expandable up to 32GB
micro USB 2.0 port

Additional Features

Access to CloudDrive (available end of Q1 2012)
DLNA-certified
FM Radio
Dual MIC, compass and gyroscope
G-sensor, proximity sensor and light sensor
Exclusive Huawei user interface

Available in Glossy Black

[Making The Cut] Sony Tablet S

Ridz — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:12:22 +0000

Ok so what’s this whole “Making The Cut” thing about? If you haven’t noticed, the site now has a “Dream Gear” tab at the top. That page shows the list of, well, dream gear that various folks in the team would love to use for themselves and the Making The Cut series is about whether or not the product makes it into that list.

How is this different from “The Review”? Well, one man’s poison is another man’s meat. In similar fashion, The Review focuses on providing a more generic review of the product taking into account a generic consumer while “Making The Cut” is much more personal. Where the former tries to figure what’s good and what’s not about a product, “Making The Cut” answers a more direct question of “Is this the product that I (the article writer) would love to scrimp and save to buy?”

And so here goes…

Since this is the first “Making the Cut” post, let me explain how I’ll judge each important factor to me:-

I’ll list all the attributes I look for in a device
I’ll go down the list and rank each one of them
1. Win! ( 4 points )
2. OK ( 3 points )
3. Pass ( 2 points )
4. No Good ( 1 points )
5. Fail! ( 0 points )

This being the first tablet I’m evaluating, let me go through what I look for in a tablet…

Weight – Win!

At around 600g, the asymmetric design makes it weigh so much less than most other devices around that weight making it really comfy for me to use when I’m on the train and reading for long periods. I also love how it’s inclined when I put it on the table so that i don’t have to prop it up like most other tablets.

Aesthetics – Win!

It’s a Sony. And it’s has a really sleek design. 8 out of 10 times I whipped it out, heads turn. Once this guy from opposite the train tip toed to check it out and I heard him talk to his friend about how it’s a Sony Tablet S.

Usefulness – OK

Because it runs on Android, I found that it had every app I needed and little more. So I’m cool with it.

Battery Life – Pass

It lasts around 8 hours which is exactly how long Android tablets are expected to last. But I own the BlackBerry PlayBook and that can last me a few days on a single charge despite watching videos and playing games casually so for me to give anything an OK or a Win, it really has to last much longer in this area.

Charging Port – No Good

Proprietary chargers means I carry one more charger for just one specific device. I already carry a lot of things. I can do with less.

Size – Win!

Being a 9 inch device, it’s really the perfect size for me – good for work, surfing and reading.

Connectivity – OK

Ports wise, i don’t have much demands there. But data connectivity wise, it runs only on WiFi. Give it 3G and i’ll give it a Win!

Camera – Pass

I’ve heard lots of people say that it’s weird when people take pictures using their tablets but I really don’t see anything wrong with that! That said, I think both the rear and front facing cameras can be of much higher quality…

Performance – OK

Did it lag? No. The screen was really quite responsive to the touches and the swpies. Was it blazing fast? Not all the time. Can’t give a Win! Without that.

Overall – OK (27 points)

I currently own and use the BlackBerry PlayBook but I have to say that at this stage, the Tablet S running on Android with far more applications, a slightly larger screen size really makes it quite drool worthy. Oh, and have I already mentioned how the sleek design is cool?

So… Yup. This makes it into my Dream Gear list. At least until something better comes along.

[First Impressions] Dell XPS 15z

Ridz — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:56:18 +0000

Out of the box, the colour and make of the body immediately gives me a macbook sort of feel that’s not quite there. That said, I really like the ash-gray interior that Dell decided to use. It reminds me of a mug that Starbucks was trying to roll out many years ago at selected stores but failed when people started stealing them (yes, they were that pretty).

For some reason the weight of the device surprised me because I was expecting it to be lighter than it looked. That said, it really isn’t heavy and I’ve never been bothered by weight considering I’ve been living with my own personal 3+kg device for the past 4 or 5 years.

Just scanning the exterior, it’s got a really smooth finish with most of the ports on the left side – 1 x HDMI, 2 x USB, 1 x SD card reader, 1 x mini display port, 1 x USB/eSATA with PowerShare and also a battery indicator. On the back is the ethernet port and power input while on the right is the cd drive and also audio ports.

Turning on the device, I’m greeted with the standard Windows log-in screen but this time there’s a facial recognition app that attempts to identify who I am. Of course, since it’s the first time I powered up the machine, it doesn’t recognise me so I have to do a manual log-in. But logging out and logging back in is pretty awesome because once the system is able to recognise you, it automatically signs you into your profile. I’m not sure if there are possibilities of fooling the camera just by using a photo of me but if you’re not so security conscious then it’s a really convenient feature to have.

Putting my hand on the keyboard, I quickly realise how nice it is to be able to type on a backlit keyboard in a dim room. The problem with doing laptop reviews is that you’re switching between laptops often and each one has a slightly different layout and feel to it so touch typing doesn’t always work so I sometimes have to look at where the buttons are. But that’s really difficult when some laptops have no way to light the keyboard area. Some like the Lenovo Thinkpads have the light from the top of the monitor that shines onto the keyboard area but backlit keyboards are the best because it doesn’t depend on the angle of a lightsource.

The one thing that strikes me as a possible problem though is the design of the hinge area between the keyboard and the monitor. I keep thinking it makes for a very good dust repository (which isn’t a good thing).

Perhaps it would make for a good motivation to constantly keep the laptop clean ;p

But let’s see how things go…

Other Articles from the Dell XPS 15z Review Series:

Huawei Launches the Huawei Vision in Singapore

Ridz — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:40:08 +0000

On the 7^th December, Huawei had launched the Huawei Vision (U8850) in Singapore. This new smartphone features Huawei’s 3D user interface and carousel animation display. With its sleek design and powerful functionality, the Huawei Vision aims to balance technology and style.

The Huawei Vision has a complete 3D mobile phone interface that bundles handset features into 3D panels on the home screen. It allows the user to select any panel of the home screen with one swipe and makes it easy to prioritise the application view to suit the user’s needs.

“The Huawei Vision represents a smartphone crafted with the perfect balance of technology and style in mind”

“We are also proud of the unique 3D user interface on the device, which marks Huawei’s commitment to enhancing user experience through innovative design and smart functionality.”

- Alan Wong, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Device, South Pacific Region

With a 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen and an aluminium alloy uni-body in silver, it measures only 9.9mm at its thinnest point and weighs 135g. For its design, it was also awarded the IF Design Award 2012.

The Vision will be shipped with Android 2.3 and will use the Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor. It supports 720p video recording and features a 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. The Huawei Vision will come pre-installed with Shazam and the 3D online game ‘Order & Chaos”.

Huawei Vision is now available from selected carriers and retail stores at a recommended price of $438 without contract.

Technical Specifications

Aluminium unibody design
Android OS 2.3
3.7 inch capacitive mutli-touch screen
9.9mm at the thinnest point
121g
1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
1400 mAH Battery
5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED Flash and HD video recording to 720p
WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
512MB RAM + 2GB ROM, memory card slot expandable to 32GB
Micro USB 2.0 port

Additional Features

Assisted GPS support
FM radio
SMS/MMS/Email/Push Mail and IM
Compass and Accelerometer
G-sensor, proximity and light sensor
Pre-loaded games – “Angry Birds”, “Asphalt 6: Adrenaline”, “Order & Chaos Online”, “Guerilla Bob HD”

Back Cover also available in Silver.

[The Review] Sony Tablet S

Ridz — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:26:50 +0000

And so I’ve been using the Sony Tablet S for about two weeks now. A fortnight is a pretty decent amount of time to let the initial novelty of a product die down and let those small kinks or perks of a product bubble up to the top. Over the past two weeks I’ve come to really like the device. In fact the only thing that causes me to not swoon over it is the lack of 3G connectivity. I think everything should have 3G these days.

But I digress. Let me talk a little about the various aspects of the device and how I’ve found it to be awesome (or not)…

Weight

It weighs 598g. To give you a basis for comparison, the iPad 2 weighs 601g. BUT. When you’re holding the Tablet S, it feels significantly lighter. I think it has to do with the asymmetic design that shifts the device’s center of gravity into your palm. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the physics around that is that if you’ve got weight further away from your palm (which acts as a fulcrum) then you’re going to have to use more force to counter the force that it generates. It’s basically how levers work.

Battery Life
On standby with the device doing almost nothing, it lasts 2 days. Under normal usage of listening to music, surfing, reading and playing games, it’s about 7 to 8 hours. And this is where it gets quite irritating because I leave for work around 10 or so and I head back only around 11.30pm. And so it definitely has to be charged at some point forcing me to have to bring the charger along. I think it would be great if they could switch to some sort of microUSB charger even if it still has to be plugged into a power socket – that way I can just bring that one charger to cycle through multiple of my devices.

Design
I think I must have mentioned this several times already but I really like the sleek design of the Tablet S despite it being a fingerprint magnet (there’s not much anyone can do to fix that I guess).

Connectivity
In terms of data connectivity, I really wish it had 3G because the lack of it meant that I had to leave my Android portable hotspot on all the time wish drained the battery of an already-terrible-battery-life phone. But it was otherwise alright. The WiFi was stable enough to use at most places and it could connect to WiFi networks quite quickly.

Data ports wise, I never really had a reason to use the SDCard slot although I figure it would useful in some rare cases or if you’re a photographer or something. I did however use the microUSB port to transfer videos into the Tablet S.

Performance
With my only point of tablet reference being my BlackBerry PlayBook, I found the Sony Tablet S to be just as smooth. In the two weeks that I used it, I didn’t encounter any memory leak issues or the device being laggy because it ran low on memory. I did, however, have the Sony Social Feeds Reader app which runs in the background crash on me occasionally for no apparent reason. But no biggie there I think.

Durability
With the back made of some sort of plastic, and a full glass front, it does give a tad bit of a fragile feel. And I actually think it is because the review unit had arrived with a tiny scratch on one of the corners of the screen. My suggestion here is get a case and definitely get a screen protector if you get this. I don’t think it’s flimsy but it’s something you have to protect.

Useful?
So…all that said, does the Sony Tablet S fit a need? Did it fulfil a need I didn’t know I had or was it just a burden to lug around everyday?

Well, it is an Android device and because the Android Market is somewhat quite established now, there is an app for pretty much everything you want and need. And because I bring around my laptop almost everywhere I go, my expectations of a tablet are for when I’m public transport or when I’m in a social setting and want to be able to have a big screen to check emails or show videos without having to whip out a huge laptop.

So, yes, it is a great device to have if you don’t need your tablet to have in built 3G and replace your entire laptop functionality.

The Sony Tablet S is a light, well designed device that’s good for both work and play.

Plus, it’s really stylish to carry around too.

Maybe they deliberately made it a little fragile so that you won’t/can’t hide it in your bag. ;p

Starbucks Officially Opens Rochester Park Store – First Destination Store in Singapore

Ridz — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:20:39 +0000

Last Thursday, Starbucks Coffee Singapore celebrated the official opening of its first destination store in Singapore. Located with a refurbished double-storey colonial heritage building in Rochester Park, the new store features a one-of-a-kind design concept which draws inspiration from its vintage colonial exterior, but with a contemporary edge. The store’s architecture and design also displays several envonronmentally-friendly elements – elements which contribute to it earning the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Under the LEED certification system, the store will be measured on its performance in the areas of energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, materials and resource use, as well as other environmental strategies.

“With the opening of Starbucks at Rochester Park, we aim to give our customers a ‘slow’ coffee experience – a place where they can take their time to experience great coffee, savor the delectable items on our exclusive menu and spend time with their friends and family. We believe in bringing people together, aspiring change and enhancing environmental consciousness and this is clearly represented in our Starbucks store at Rochester Park.”

- Jane Lau, Managing Director, Starbucks Singapore

Other than being environmentally friendly, the Starbucks at Rochester Park features a menu with additional exclusive items which are not available at other Starbucks stores in Singapore. These include a variety of hot soups of the day, baked lasagnas, savory pastas and hand-made sandwiches.

Customers can also look forward to a variety of coffee brewing methods displayed by Starbucks friendly baristas as well as special touches like latte art. The well thought out space also caters for crowds of all sizes – large tables and couches for families and friends and cosy two seaters for those looking for an intimate space.

The evening of the opening was marked with a series of performances by local musician Jon Chong who is also the featured musician of the month for Starbucks.

A snippet of his performance is embedded in the video below:

About Starbucks Rochester Park
Unique Features:-

an exclusive menu which consists of pastas, sandwiches, soups and savory

variety of coffee brewing methods

manual brewing machine

Seating Capacity – 141
First Level – 48 outdoor, 10 indoor
Second Level – 28 outdoor, 56 indoor

Address
Starbucks Rochester Park
37 Rochester Park
Singapore 138640
Tel: 6684 8538

Opening Hours
Sun to Thurs & PH – 0800 to 2300hrs
Fri, Sat & eve of PH – 0800 to 0000hrs

[Pictures] Dell XPS 15z

Ridz — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:36:33 +0000

Other Articles from the Dell XPS 15z Review Series:

[Availability & Pricing] Nokia Lumia 710 and Lumia 800

Ridz — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:04:04 +0000

I’d written before about the Nokia Lumia 710 and 800.

Well, last week, Nokia finally launched them both Singapore.

The Lumia 710 now retails at an recommended retail price of SGD$505 (excluding taxes and subsidies) and the Lumia 800 at SGD$775

Nokia Lumia 710

Nokia Lumia 800