[caption id="attachment_364" align="alignleft" width="940"] Photo from www.sonymobile.com[/caption]

 Sony Xperia Z3 launched in Philippines

[UPDATED: 11/07/2014]

Sony Xperia Z3, the latest flagship smartphone from Sony finally officially lands in the Philippines.

We should expect this to appear in official Sony stores in late October 2014 at Php 34,990* Php 36,990 .
If you think you can't wait, you can always visit the country's trusted online gadget stores and get your hands on one as soon as now (and at a MUCH lower price).

Watch the promotional video here:

 

So I got my earphone jack port cover replacement parts from Ebay.
(Will talk more if you need this explained)

I recently posted a problem with my Xperia Z where the earphone port cover keeps popping out by itself.

For some people who has the same issue, here's how I fixed it.
(If you are looking for a quick fix, I'm afraid this isn't for you. The steps below involve getting replacement parts.)

Part 1
First things first!
Before ordering anything from anyone, you would want to try first if you can remove the port covers MacGyver-style.
I wanted to make a video but I'm kind-of in panic to get this over with to setup a video shoot! Don't worry I promise to make it as visual as possible.

Step A.
Gather your tools.
What I used:
- twist ties
- tweezers

[caption id="attachment_203" align="alignnone" width="300"] Twist ties (those little pieces of twisty things that puts your cable together when you buy them)[/caption]

Step B.
Peel off the plastic casing of the twist ties.
I left the other half on just so I have something to hold on to.


Step C.
Bend the bare half of the twist ties all the way down.

[caption id="attachment_205" align="alignnone" width="300"] With the round-ish tip. NOT pointed.[/caption]

Try not to make the bent area too flat or pointed. You would need that later. Make it flat enough sideways by putting and pulling it between the tweezers this way.


Step D.
Open the earphone port but keep the plastic strip half-way in.


Step E.
Insert the bare part of the twist ties inside the hole of the plastic strip on the shorter side of the cover. Take note this plastic strip has a hook-like tip on the other side.
Insert the twist ties on the opposite side of the earphone jack and push it far down as you can. Just don't push it too hard so you don't bend it instead of getting it inside.



Here's how it should look like when it's inside, maybe this will give you a better picture.


Step F.
This is the part where it gets tricky. When the twist tie is further down as possible, pull the cover as high up as you can. Then pull the twist tie trying to scoop out the "hook" plastic tip of the cover. This took me several tries before actually making it work--tip: When they're both as nearly getting out of the hole, just pull them together and pull with pressure, it isn't likely to tear apart that way.

After several tries and a lot of patience, the cover should be out. Putting it back in is a lot easier.
Since the hook tip already flattened a bit, I just pushed it back my hands, no tools or what.

Part 2

Step 1:
Hop on over to Ebay.com and get yourself a new set of port cover replacement parts.
Now you know it's possible for you to possible for you to replace it yourself, get the replacement parts. Some have suggested they are available on Rounded.com which is good if you're in the UK. But if want it shipped in South-east Asia (like here in Manila), Ebay stores from Hongkong sellers sounds good enough (and they're cheaper). I even got mine with Free Postage.

[caption id="attachment_208" align="alignnone" width="844"] I really recommend this seller since I got my order pretty fast.
Seller: gsm4world[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_209" align="alignnone" width="167"] Xperia Z port cover replacement parts (Set of 4)[/caption]

Step 2:
Once you get your hands on the replacement parts, pull out the faulty one just like how you did it in Part 1.
This should be fairly easy now 'cause you've done it already a little loose.

Step 3:
Insert the new port cover.
This was harder than putting back the old one since it's new and stiff (or at least that's what I got). I had to push the hook part with the end of a twist tie (not bent) to get it in.

And that's it!
While getting an Xperia Z1 to get rid of the earphone port cover sounds like a great idea, maybe you should think twice because Z1 still has other port covers around it, too!

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, just leave a message/comment!

If there's one thing I totally love about iOS that I have never found anything like it on Android, that would be iMessage.

I love how it seamlessly transists between SMS and iMessage (message over IP) depending on what is available. That's a very nifty feature for me. When I get into my room I get no cell signal but my phone connects to my Wi-Fi so I'm all set. Then when I get out of the house and as I lose connection before mobile data kicks in, it can send my messages as SMS. All that without having to switch between apps!

I don't know if that's just me who finds that useful, or if maybe there's something about Android that makes it so hard to do that. (Hey, I don't judge. I myself come across things that look so easy to program but no. They are not. Not at all.)

And here comes Google Hangouts NOW with SMS Integration! Is this the much awaited 'iMessage for Android'?

No. No it's not. Not quite. If you're expecting it would be close to iMessage you're not in for a treat. This new SMS on Google Hangouts is nothing more than how Facebook Messenger had SMS Integration almost a year ago. Actually, that's exactly what this is. That was pretty much it.

Anyway this is the first blow. Things could get better.

Now if I maybe wrong, perhaps anyone could name any app that can do the seemless transition thingie. Please do enlighten me!

I must admit that as much as I was never a fan of Blackberry, I've always been curious about BBM and what the hype was all about. It's an app that offers messaging over IP. Which uses minimal data.

Explaining BBM in simple terms, this is how I understand what it is,

It's just Viber where you have to remember a random HARD TO REMEMBER PIN aside from your HARD TO REMEMBER mobile number.

Or if you want to go far back, it's like YAHOO! Messenger exclusive to one phone brand.

Moreso, it's just like SMS, but you need data connection to send anything AT ALL.

I'm a Fandroid. But honestly, I haven't found a better messaging app better than iMessage. No questions asked. Switching between SMS or data whichever is available is one thing I really find useful which no other messaging app from any platform has ever achieved.

I was excited when I found out Blackberry Messenger will be available on my Xperia anytime soon. But truth be told, it didn't feel like it's worth the wait.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="720" caption="BBM for Android"][/caption]


Nitpickle rate: 1 pickle

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="620"] BBM for Android and iPhone[/caption]

Blackberry struggles to redeem itself from a great loss that came and that may be coming. Their choice of getting Blackberry Messenger (BBM) on other platforms might just  their last hope.
The success is looking shady specially now that their target market seem to be digging free cross-platform messaging apps like Viber, WeChat, Line and KakaoTalk.

Are you giving Blackberry Messenger a chance?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="680"] (photo from androidcentral.com and crackberry.com)[/caption]

Read about the official release here.

According to Xperia Care, you can charge your Xperia phone as frequent as you want. Leaving it charging overnight won't damage your phone either.

I have been a wordpress blogger since I was in college. And if there's one lesson I learned, it's not to put all your blogs under a single account. One of my blogs got suspended for a reason I never knew. So I never got anything back. There were about 5 blogs there. Some are personal. Some are for school. Oh well. Now that I learned from that, I made multiple accounts. I hope Wordpress for Android can support that




I'm blogging right now from my phone. It's as close as it can get to the desktop version. So thumbs up Wordpress!