Skype and Facebook

April 2, 2008

A couple of months ago Rica invited me to join Facebook. I asked her what the difference was between Friendster and Facebook and if it was just another networking site, I'd rather stick with Friendster. It turns out that Facebook is beyond simple but fun.

As I started to scramble and work my way in Facebook, I thought the real strategy here to create a nice homepage is to embellish it with applications, yes, the neverending add this application, send this to friends and challenge them, add and send gifts application, and so on and so forth. It's entirely a vicious world around this social networking utility.


It was it the news recently that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook is indeed the the world's youngest US billionaire. Zuckerberg is only 23 years old.


Skype, on the other hand, is a web tool used for text, voice and video chat. My sister who just relocated to the US said this is where we can communicate better and more frequently. Real thanks to technology. So after installing this app, I tested the video chat with her and I'm glad it works!

Lost in Migration

February 22, 2008

I am currently in the tedious process of transferring my sound files on to my new HP Compaq notebook. About 400 MP3s are to be migrated, carrying all music genres that I appreciate.

Another version of iTunes has been released with which I have to sync my iPod, add to that the Opera browser set-up file that I have to download to the laptop. Opera is the one browser I found comfortable and so easy to use especially with its multiple tabs function.


Last month I applied for a plug-in broadband connection which is the newest product of Smart Communications. I finally got the device the other day and tested it with my pc. It works just fine, except the connection strength is dependent on the signal it receives from Smart. Maybe in next few amounts, I will want to have my pc memory increased too. Ergo, transfer, download, set-up, and synchronize.

The `Aifung'

Lookit, the iPhone and the aifung (iPhone clone)!



News came out last September 12 that market stalls in Taipei have started selling these knock-offs for an absolutely low price since December of last year, six months before the iPhone debuted in the United States. The Apple logo and the touch-screen functionality looks like the real thing. Apple, however, intends to offer iPhones in Asia not until 2008.

The i-clones are produced in batches of 1,000 at a factory in Shenzhen, China. This manufacturer describes that he advertises his phones over the Internet and sells them for 8,900 New Taiwan dollars, or $270.

Now Steve Jobs cut the price of the top iPhone to $399, a $200 reduction.

The i-clone maker says of his production, "The hard part is the design and the exterior." He also mentioned that his operation has sold more than 10,000 clones in Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States.

But Apple is not the only victim. An analyst in London said that the fakes come with labels like "Nokian", imitating the brand of Nokia, the world's biggest cellphone maker, and "Snog Ericsson", a corruption of the Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' trademark."

News source: Bloomberg (Photo by Ubergizmo)