What’s HOT on HTC Desire

The 1GHz Snapdragon CPU with 576MB of ram (64MB more than its cousin – Nexus One) is extremely fast. Web surfing experience has never felt so good!

Desire’s 3.7 AMOLED with 480 x 800 pixels plus HTC Sense UI looks extremely nice & eye candy! And the capacitive touch screen is MUCH MORE responsive than Nokia N900’s resistive touch screen. Finally someone is giving a decent challenge to Apple iPhone and HTC’s multi-touch pinch zooming makes it happen.

When it comes to the web, the guys at HTC have thought of it all – Facebook & Flickr integration, Facebook & YouTube app etc. In addition the Flash Lite support means I can still check out those fancy flashy websites on the web. But then again at least I didn’t lose the Full Flash Support in Nokia N900 –

Overall I’m pretty happy with my HTC Desire, it’s fast, very fast and EXTREMELY FAST!

Having said all this, I think Desire has some shortcomings too: 

1. Android Éclair 2.1 does not supporting application installation on external memory card. 120MB for apps is just not enough! (Hopefully Froyo 2.2 will)
2. No task manager and file manager – this is really WEIRD for the typical Smartphone cause you don’t feel like you’re controlling it. But third party apps will do.
3. The alarm gets turned off automatically if it’s not in task manager ignore list. (Solution: Don’t install any Task Manager and let Android handle it.)
4. The only way to wake up the phone is through the power button. This is extremely annoying and hopefully HTC will fix this in next update.
5. A rather useless Optical Track Pad. Does anyone know what it’s for?
6. Battery life is mediocre at best.
7. Mobile Network connection problem -enabling & disabling it too fast or frequently will hang the device.
8. Is it just me? Or does Android have a rather confusing interface. Sometimes long press for options, sometimes menu button to be pressed for options…
9. There is no built in TV out and FM transmitter and no secondary camera. Hmm.. even iPhone 4 has it.
10. Paid apps are not available in Malaysia.

I am compiling a comparison between HTC Desire and Apple iPhone 4 next couple of days. Hopefully this will help you decide on your favorite Smartphone.

My 3-year old notebook

The 5 Ways

Note that since there are so many different configurations for notebooks, what’s mentioned here in this article are suggestions which may or may not apply to you. You will need to google for more information and also read your notebook’s user manual as I can only give you hints. You will have to do more research.

1 Upgrade your memory to the MAXIMUM as indicated in your notebook’s manual

Upgrading your RAM from 512MB to 1GB, for example, can give you a much noticeable speed improvement.

-The maximum memory limit can be anywhere from 512MB to 4GB depending on when you bought the notebook. And for Windows XP, regardless of how much physical RAM you have, there is a 3GB max for 32-bit WinXP and 4GB for 64-bit WinXP. If you need to use past this limit, upgrade to Windows 7!

2. Use Microsoft ReadyBoost if you’re running Windows Vista or Windows 7

ReadyBoost works by using flash memory in an USB drive or memory card as a disk cache. It is not additional RAM. Think of it as a middle man arbitrating between the RAM and the Paging File.

3. If your laptop has a hard disk running at 5400 rpm - upgrade it to 7200 rpm

…. for faster disk access times and better Windows performance.

A Nvidia Geforce graphics chip on a MXM card

4. Upgrade the graphics adapter in your notebook

No need to buy expensive Home Servers. There are a lot of free open source Linux distros that allow you to configure such a server. Like I said earlier, you will have to do the leg work yourself.

Finally, consider buying a netbook. It’s small, it’s cute, it’s adorable and it’s drawing all the admiring glances. Netbooks are also in line with the current focus on saving energy for a greener style of life. Notebooks are so boring and so last millenium. It’s like those Compaq luggables of old 80s. They were the portable computers of their time. Now, the baton has been passed to the netbooks.

And here comes the broadband service providers to save us from the misery of slow and expensive dial up connection. Here’s the handful of broadband providers in Malaysia who are ready to brighten your day.

Criteria for Consideration

If you are not sure of which broadband package to subscribe to, then consider the following questions:

1. Your monthly budget.
2. Do you stay online even though you are not using the PC?
3. Do you download music, video or large sized file frequently?
4. Are you an online gamer?
5. Do you host a server? Do you need a fixed IP address?
6. Do you share your connection with other people?
7. Did your area being covered?
8. Do you need internet access whenever you go?

Now, answer the questions and the decision will be easy for you.

Streamyx (Home user package)

Streamyx (Corporate package)

P1 W1Max | WiMAX (Home user)

P1 W1Max | WiMAX (Corporate)

P1 W1Max | WiMAX (Wiggy Plans for Laptop users)

Maxis Wireless Broadband

Celcom Broadband

Digi Broadband

U Mobile Broadband

Infolient Broadband (Biz for Business user)

Infolient Broadband (Biz for Business user)

And yes, you heard that right. Trust the Italians with design, as Italian firm V12 Design has emerged with the Canova, a dual touch screen notebook with an outstanding design sure to whet your appetite!

V12 Design’s founder and managing director Valerio Cometti disclosed that the breathtaking laptop would be able to support multi-touch inputs, as well as comes with built-in voice command. The laptop is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2010, although the exact date has not been confirmed by the manufacturers.

If these visuals are anthing to go by, then Canova might well give Steve Jobs a run for his money.

Or perhaps Apple Inc is the secret company V12 Design is working with to come out with this nifty device?

When OLPC emerged with the X0-2 last year, the world sat up and took notice. Now V12 Design has gone one step further, and if the production team is able to deliver according to schedule, expect to discover the Canova as one of the most amazing products in the computing scene of 2010. Touch keyboards would eliminate the need of a conventional keyboard, how mouth-watering is that? For now, we will just have to wait and see.

HP Compaq dc7900 Desktop PC is powered by Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q8200 for productivity and reliability. Other features is pretty impressive too:

• Genuine Windows Vista Business
• Intel Q45 Express Chipset
• 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800MHz
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive
• SATA 16x SuperMulti with LightScribe Technology
• Bundle with HP 17″ LCD Monitor
• 3-Year Parts, 3-Year Labor, 3-Year On-site Warranty

All these for RM2,580 only! Don’t forget you will get the RM80 free Jusco shopping voucher. Can go to Jusco to buy some beautiful dress for the festive season.

Click on the brochure above for bigger view. There are other great deals to grab this Raya. Promotions run from now until 31 Aug 2009.

Brother might just has the perfect machine for you. Check out the following Brother printer promotion which runs from 31 Jul 2009 to 16 Aug 2009.

RM1499 may sound a little pricey for a printer these days, but you get the following:

MFC-6490CW

6-in-1 Print/Scan/Copy/Fax/PC Fax/Direct Print

• Up to 35ppm
• Direct print from USB devices/media card drive/pictbridge
• 33.6Kbps Super G3 fax modem
• Wide 3.3″ color LCD screen
• Wired & Wireless network

I especially like its “wired & wireless network” capability. This means I can print from anywhere in my SOHO adobe… isn’t this great?
Oh, did I mention you get a free TROLLEY and a D-Link wireless router as well? Trolley?… serious!

Check out the leaflet above for more details, or for other models.

So, what’s the catch? Easy, just signup Singnet’s 10Mbps broadband and you will get to enjoy unlimited and dedicated Internet surfing on your brand new MacBook! How much? $88 per month.

There are 2 packages available, either 13″ MacBook or 13″ MacBook Pro (just add $499 only). For reference, Singnet’s standard 10Mbps pricing is $46.90 per month.

The MacBook Aluminium 13″ (MB466ZP/A) features at a glance:

• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 160GB Hard Drive
• 2GB DDR3 SDRAM
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

You get the MacBook Starter Pack FREE which consists of:

• Cooling ball
• Notebook sleeve
• Keyboard protector
• Training voucher

Worth RM268!!

You can find Machines at 1 Utama Shopping Centre, City Square Johor Bahru, Lot 10, Mid Valley Megamall, Sunway Pyramid, Suria KLCC, and The Gardens Mall. Oh, this promotion ends on 31-Jul-2009, so better hurry up!

• Intel Core i7 920 Processor
• Intel Desktop Board DX58S0 or equivalent desktop board
• 3GB DDR3
• 320GB SATA HDD
• 512MB Display Card
• DVDRW Optical Drive

Oh, no LCD monitor by the way.

But you get a chance to win some cool prizes in the weekly contest, plus some pretty good offers, depending from which computer store you buy the desktop from. The participating computer stores are AllIT Hypermarket, ComputerWar, Cycom, The Hub Viewnet, PC Zone Computer, Tech Hypermart and Thunder Match.

For more details especially to see what good offers you get from each computer store, check out their brochure. Click for big view in popup window.

As part of MSC Malaysia’s effort to boost adoption of ICT products and services locally, the Multimedia Development Corporation Sdn Bhd has organized the MSC Malaysia Great ICT Sale. The sale aims to pull together selected ICT vendors and bundle their products and services to allow customers with easy-to-select and more affordable packages.

Go check out this event at the following venues and times.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
20-21 July 2009

Penang International Sports Arena
7-9 August 2009

Persada Johor International Convention Centre
14-16 August 2009

More details can be found on the MSC Malaysia website.