This photo doesn't give it much justice but it's actually in Green

It's no secret that only very few people are patronising Sony Xperia phones these days. So for the few Sony fanatics like myself, you can only imagine THE misery of going store-to-store asking "Do you have any cases for Xperia Z5?". You'd think the Sony-made covers are lying around in Sony stores but they don't either--and don't even get me started with other retailers.

I had this phone with me since it hit the PH shores in November last year and I have been ordering accessories from overseas since then.

SEE:  Amazon Shopping with POBox.ph - Kindle, Xperia Z5 Charging Dock and Spigen Case

You'll find a wide range of Z5 accessories on Amazon, but this Style Cover Window from Sony is particularly hard to find! I was very sure I am not getting any other case that isn't either clear or matches the phone color exactly! (Bec. I knew head on, that I was getting this phone for the color alone. LOL) To be honest, there's a few you can find on eBay, but, extremely overpriced, so that's off the table.

I've looked in every Sony Store I know in Singapore and Manila (and trust me when I say Every. Sony. Store) and lost all hope until yesterday, finally, after 2 months of actively searching, I ever so fortunately found one in Singtel Shop @ComCentre!
Yey! Even cheaper by a few bucks vs. Sony store prices.

Here's how it really looks. LOVELY. It's the same color as the phone. Ugh. The beauty.

As of yesterday, (14 May 2016), there's one piece left in green, one in black, then plenty in white.
If you don't know where Singtel Shop ComCentre is, it's very close to Somerset MRT. Take the exit along Somerset Rd. then walk towards Tripleone Somerset, then walk across the Skate Park. You couldn't miss it.


Here's a very simple guide in setting it up, in case you need it. :P
http://support.sonymobile.com/global-en/stylecoverwindowscr42/userguide/One-touch-setup/

My passion for phone cases has not failed me. It's a fantastic day! Hahaha.
--

Sony SCR42 Style Cover Window for Xperia Z5
$46 (SGD)
SingtelShop, 31 Exeter Rd

 



Out on a Monday Date going to the computer store. That's actually how the geeks spend the night out, if you're wondering.

We recently got matching laptops (SURPRISE! You probably don't know that yet). The Acer B115 TravelMate sounded like the best ultraportable notebook PC we could get in its size. (BEE-BOOP! GEEK ALERT!) Everything else came in 2-core CPUs, and we were lucky to find these Acers that were at least quad-core. Another thing I liked was that I could still upgrade the RAM. Flexibility is always good. This is very rare among small notebooks.


Here's the catch: It came with Windows 8.1. Newer isn't always better. #WindowsUsersWouldKnow
It hogs the RAM like crazy! Launching a few tabs on Google Chrome alone can put the PC in an unusable LAGGY state. It kills me. Both my PC at work and at PC(laptop) are up to par and this baby just could NOT keep up.

We decided to head on over to Silicon Valley were we got these PCs and had a 4GB memory installed. Boo-freakin-yea. Luckily, they have an in-house computer service centre partner, CompuServe, so installing upgrades is part of our warranty.

If you are still one of the few who uses netbooks/ultraportable notebooks who experiences lag and slow downs, you can bring them over to Silicon Valley in Glorietta (4th Flr, New Glorietta) and have them look if they can upgrade it. Just ask the kuyas over there, "Can you upgrade the RAM on this?" and they will help you through.

It usually comes in 2, 4 and 8GB(?) variants. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me through the comments below or through email.

All the best!

Trixie x

Ubuntu, is an open-source Linux-based operating system, which you probably already know if you are reading this post. If you haven't been in Computer Studies, probably doesn't sound familiar to you at all. All Linux OS's potentially targets the geeks and nerds, but, mind you,Ubuntu, among all of those is the least geeky one.

I would not discuss further about it but if you are new to this and you're intersted, head on over to their website to learn more. They have an online demo!
www.ubuntu.com

Ubuntu will most likely install on your device properly without any trouble, if you're lucky, every component might even work. But this isn't always the case. Chances are, your either your Wi-Fi, trackpad or bluetooth won't work out of the box.

I recently installed Ubuntu 14.10 on my Acer TravelMate B115, and as expected, there were a bunch of things to tinker with before finally ending up with how I wanted my new Linux-powered device to behave.

Here are 6 problems I came across, and what I did to solve them.

1) I couldn't enter the Boot Menu.

The Boot Menu isn't enabled by default.

- Hit F2 and enter BIOS
- navigate to the Main tab
- scroll down to F12 Boot Menu
- Hit Enter, choose "Enabled" and enter again
- Press F11 to save and exit
- Wait for your PC to restart, as the Acer logo appears, hit F12. That should bring up the boot menu. From then you can choose to boot from your media source (flash drive/CD/HDD) with the Ubuntu Installer.

2) Ubuntu boot loader doesn't show on startup.

Your PC will continue to use Windows Boot Manager even after you have installed Ubuntu, if you don't tell it otherwise. (This wasn't the case with Windows 7 and earlier versions). Assuming you have already fully installed Ubuntu (not just Try Before Installing),

- press F2 again to enter BIOS
- go to Boot tab
- You will see Windows Boot Manager and HDD right below it. HDD is the new partition created when you installed Ubuntu, move HDD to the top (follow the instructions on the right pane).

3) Wi-Fi is not working.

Wi-Fi didn't work out of the box. This is probably one of the most common issues. It can easily be solved by installing the correct wireless driver. You're going to need wired connection to fix this.

- Connect to your routher through an Ethernet cable. The ethernet connection didn't work for me at first. I just did a restart with the cable still plugged in, and it worked!
- Hit the Window key > search for "Drivers" > Click "Additional Drivers"
- Wait for this to show up



 

- Select "Using Broadcom 802.11 Linux STA wireless driver", then click on Apply Changes.

-If this doesn't appear, go to the Ubuntu Software tab and check all the boxes. See details below:

- Go back and try again.

- Click on the network icon in the upper right corner of your screen to check if there are any Wi-Fi Networks detected. Unplug your Ethernet cable to test the wireless connection.

4) Right-click doesn't work.

Took me ages to figure this out. Turns out, the physical clickers don't work at all. It works like a MacBook where you have to tap with 2 fingers to do a "right-click". This is so hard to adapt to coming from Windows. It's a hit or miss and takes a lot lot lot of getting used to.

5) My PC doesn't have light indicators for Caps Lock.

Lucky for us, there's an applet for that!

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal.
Run the following commands ONE BY ONE:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:tsbarnes/indicator-keylock

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install indicator-keylock

You should now start seeing this when you hit Caps Lock:


(How many times can I say HIT in one post??)

6) My screen is set to maximum blinding freaking light every time I log back in.

This is straight up annoying since I have uber sensitive eyes. Here's what you can do to adjust your default screen brightness.

- Go to

/sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight

- Set value from 0-3125 depending on how dim/bright you want your screen to be. Mine is on 156 but that just might be too dark for you.

Christmas is early (again) this year. I might have babbled about this one too much, so THE boyfriend decided we pick this up now and just get it over with. (Awww! Ha ha.)



I liked that Sony has rolled out this variant with "Extra Bass"  in their affordable range, so I was very into getting it even when I didn't need it. I was able to test this out in the store, I am no audiophile, but

 

I know. Gadgets may not be the obvious gift choice for ladies, but I am probably not the first to say that women love technology, too!

You might think you are better off giving her perfume or fancy dresses or signature bags, but screw that, she's going to buy that for herself! Might as well give her something she wants but she won't. (within reason, of course). Imagine not having to go inside Etude House to pick up a box of Wonder Pore After Sun Special Set. You're probably even wondering what in the world Etude House is, but that's exactly my point!

 

Here's a little tip, the secret is, it has to be at least 2 of the following things: CUTE. INTERESTING. IN HER FAVORITE COLOR.

 WARNING:  This might be a list for the SPENDY.

#1 Power banks

O!tool D26 Power Bank by Ozaki - PowerMac Center, SM Aura, P1,995

Talk about cute and interesting. Everyone who has a smartphone could use a power bank. This is just too cute to resist.

[gallery link="none" columns="2" ids="571,570,569"]
photo credits

I knew it was time for me to get a new camera, and if you have read my previous posts, you probably think so, too. After a lot of window shopping, review-reading and serious deliberation, I finally decided to order the Sony Cybershot HX60v. This can be my first Gift-to-self for this year's Christmas, can it not!  I remember I posted a wishlist, but I didn't have the time to add this one because I was seriously busy researching. Well, well, the irony.

The decision has been made. The money has been spent. And we hope for no regrets.

So I have here the basic package, which includes:
- Camera body with the fixed lens
- AC Adapter
- NP-Bx1 Lithium Ion Type X Rechargeable battery
- Micro USB cable
- Wrist strap

This is how the box looks like. Mine is a little dirty I don't know why, but it wasn't damaged so I didn't care so much.

[caption id="attachment_533" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Cyber-shot HX60v box exterior[/caption]

When you open it, there's an upper layer that holds the Wi-Fi information and instructions manual. Nothing much to see there.

When you lift that up you get the camera sitting on top of some sort of

I have shopped internationally countless times, but for some reason, I have not yet tried cargo forwarding. The idea is, basically, the forwarders give you your "own" US address (which I would guess an address of their facility) then ship them to you. Johnny Air was making a lot of noise in this industry but for this shopscapade we're doing, I'll be using My Shopping Box (MSB).

I recently found out that BDO customers can sign up for My Shopping Box and get the first year subscription for FREE (regularly priced at $25/year), so I thought, heck, let's give this a go.

Note that this shopping experience is not yet complete as of writing. I thought it's a nice idea that we run through it altogether so you can kind-of feel the experience firsthand-ish, too. Am I making sense?

Anyhoo, this is the item we are going to get:

[caption id="attachment_509" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] It's a leather case for my Sony HX60v (Review soon!) (The items says it's for HX50, but that's okay. They're of the same size.[/caption]

So we are shopping from Amazon.com (US).

Trendsetter Bazaar World Trade Center Oct 17-19, 2014

The Trendsetter bazaar this year has a Gadget District--which is cool! Because I love all things tech! I can talk all day about it (if you wanted me to).

I haven't paid much attention to this until today when I was looking for a bazaar to go to. I was looking for complimentary tickets and it's too bad that all giveaways have closed (well, because the event starts today).

See their poster below to see if there are any participants you are interested in:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Photo grabbed from www.yugatech.com[/caption]

Here's the info I got from manilaonsale.com:

Trendsetter’s Holiday Series Bazaar @ World Trade Center
October 17 – 18, 2014 (11 AM – 10 PM)
October 19, 2014 (11 AM – 5 PM)
World Trade Center, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. cor. Pres. Diosdado Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City

Read more: http://www.manilaonsale.com/2014/10/trendsetters-holiday-series-bazaar-at-world-trade-center-october-2014/#ixzz3GNW8Lp9Q

 source 1

source 2

[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:

My sister came home with a present for me from an event a few days back (some advertising thing I really don't know about so I'll stop talking)..
I took out of the box a supercool bamboo speaker from Loudbasstard.
Witty name. I like it. Except that the word bass in context here is actually read as /beɪs/ so you'd probably read it in your head as "base-tard". Kinda weird, huh.
(reference: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/british/bass_1)

 

The packaging is made from what looks like 100% recycled material, We kind-of expected this one from a bamboo-made amplifier.

Found this interestingly cheap but attractive headphones at DataBlitz. At P 650, it's really hard to say no.
Not expecting too much, I came back the next day and got a pair, and I am really surprised to see it comes with a zip semi-hard case! (Who knew right?)

Moving on to the product itself, here's a little summary you lazy bastard,
- Build quality feel - OK
- comes with a remote & mic (the mic works with smartphones and (take note of this!) PCs with shared mic/headphones jack)
- Fabric cord - FTW! Fabric cords are extra awesome since it's better than the plasticky rubbery ones that gets brittle in time and breaks. (*cough* iPhone cables *cough*)
- comfort - Meh. It gets a little uncomfortable at about an hour using it. Leaves a pain that lasts about a few seconds. (is that normal? Not sure. I'm not a headphones-type so I it's either  THAT, or my ears are weird.)
- Design - Bright and solid. I got the purple one but it also comes in pink, black and brown. (this is what's available in DataBlitz, Glorietta 2) I didn't like how "Masterpiece" was written on both sides of the headphones, Just not a fan of huge branding label. (or is it because it doesn't say Beats Dr. Dre or something else fancy?! Quit whining you little cheapskate.
- Durability - I think I am using it for about 3 months now (way to go!) And I am a rough user, I tell you. I pick this up by the cord most of the time.
- Sound quality - Average. Not too much bass. More treble that I wanted to be there. (I may or may not just saying random audio terms here).

Seriously though, if you are not very much of an audiophile, doesn't mind the big unknown logo, and has P650 to spend (this is even cheaper than average earbud headphones), this is the way to go.

Store: Datablitz. Glorietta 2.

So I've been actively watching this series and I do this on my way home everyday. Having an Xperia Z, I had to open the port covers to access, well of course, ports like the earphone jack, every time I needed to listen to anything on earphones.

After a couple of days, I often find the port open when I take the phone out of my bag. At first I thought it was just me for keeping a jungle inside my bag, but I, with my nitpicking eyes, kept it out, and observed it for a few minutes. Turns out, son of a gun, it pops out by itself.

Similar to what happens in this video of someone else:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HH4ROZCAFM

It was driving me crazy because Xperia Z's waterproofing is useless with the port covers coming off.

My phone being 3 months old, doesn't deserve to have it's waterproof-ness taken away. (Maybe not now. Not ever)
Things that came to my mind is 1) I need a bluetooth headset; and 2) I need to fix this cover--and fast.

The internet suggests I bring it to a Sony Service Center to have it replaced, they might charge me for only a little, thing is, they will take your phone apart just to replace that tiny piece. And I am not very comfortable getting my phone taken apart for a small issue.
It's not an iPhone.There's no way I can get replacement parts here in Manila. So I hopped on over to Ebay (get the Ebay app on PlayStore). I've had a few international Ebay transactions before, so this isn't new stuff (will talk more about this some other time).

And yey! I was able to pull it out.

Good thing the replacement parts were easy to find, they come in sets of 4 (one for each port--USB, microSD, earphone jack, sim card) for $7.99 (around P370 when converted by PayPal) and it's with Free Postage.

Note: I took the cover out just to try it before I made the purchase. I didn't want to wait for item to come only to find out I can't take it out at all.

Will let you know how I did it in another post-a technical one this time.

References:
Ebay product -
OEM Black Audio Jack Micro SD USB Sim Card Slot Port Cover For Xperia Z L36H
Seller: gsm4world

Eneloop sounds like they have the best promise about rechargeable batteries I've ever heard.

In case you haven't heard, Eneloop is a product from Japan by Sanyo that consentrates on batteries and other battery associated devices.

I've got myself an Eneloop 4x AA Blister Pack which seems to be the latest ones thet have of its kind.

Here's the comparison between the old and the new one I got from their site:

 

New, improved eneloop

(HR-3UTGB & HR-4UTGB)

Up to 1800 charging cycles

Up to 90% of charge remaining
after 1 year of storage

Up to 70% of charge remaining
after 5 years of storage

Old eneloop

(HR-3UTGA & HR-4UTGA)

Up to 1500 charging cycles

Up to 75% of charge remaining
after 3 years of storage

Up to 85% of charge remaining
after 1 year of storage

It also comes pre-charged so you can use it right away just like regular disposable batteries. Just remember NOT to throw it away. ;)

I got this pack from Fujifilm for P850.00 at SM Megamall.
Be sure to get yours from stores you trust because I heard there are fake ones you'd probably find lurking around. Hint: when it's too much below the mall price, think twice.

These are the stores which carry Eneloop batteries:
- CDR-king
- Infomaxx
- Henry's
- Camerahaus
- Fujifilm

Look for the Genuine Eneloop seal!


(Let's just hope there are no fake seals.)

I'm using this pack for my bridge camera--still on the factory charge. And I will be more than happy to give dates on how long it lasts after a few uses. If it lives up to its promises, then this just might be the best rechargeable AA's I've ever had.

So do you know of any other rechargeable batteries better than this?

Using my camera phone to take snaps is the farthest my experience in photography can go.
But having to take shots indoors most of the time, it really intrigued me if it is just my phone's cam or my indoor lights are really that bad.
So I thought getting a better camera, or should I say, I real camera will do the trick.

It gets me a little interested in cameras right now, but I know myself too well this interest is easily going to pass.
So I did a few (I maybe understating) searching for good camera, a DSLR is definitely too much and then a compact point-it-shoot might be enough but I am actually looking for something more, let's say... 2013.

Here are the things I considered:
- good aesthetics (for a non photographers this might be a really big factor)
- works well in a low-lit environment
- Wi-Fi connectivity

And of course that's just among the few other things that a camera should actually do.
Here are the camera's I considered:

Pentax Efina

I'm not exactly as "kikay" as this sounds, but this is really cute and I am really a sucker for floral designs. So cute!
While it is obviously compact and beautiful, considering it's price at roughly P3,300, we wouldn't really expect this to be any better than my Xperia phone's camera.

2) PENTAX LS465

It has interchangeable skins. THAT is something you don't see everyday in a camera. It might be even one of its kind! Probably for the reason that nobody cares about no skins, but hey, I do.
Price is around P4,000 in online stores.

3) FujiFilm Finepix S2980

S2980 is the most advance among the three. What I love about it is that it looks like a DSLR--but smaller and with non-replaceable lenses. It's an advance point-and-shoot camera also called bridge cameras--advanced enough that I could not understand them. This one, I believe, is really affordable for it's kind, at around P7,000 (mall price).

I would have added Samsung WB250F in the list because I said I wanted Wi-Fi connectivity (and none of the above has it) but I discovered that it is possible for almost any digital camera to get Wi-Fi capabilities through Wi-Fi SDHC cards. (More on that soon)

Well that's a few thoughts I wanted to share. Will soon figure out which one suits me best! Enough nitpickling for today.

 

Related articles

• As Digital Camera Sales Sputter, Fujifilm Finds Its Niche (nytimes.com)
• Gizmodo Camera Buying Guide: Mirrorless Cameras Explained (gizmodo.com.au)