first look at the iPhone 4

I now have an iPhone 4.

It has just been one and a half day since I got hold of it, and already I'm trying to write a review about it.

To summarize: Apple’s iPhone 4 is the best smart phone available in Japan, at least during writing, but it is far from perfect.

Moving from iPhone 3G to iPhone 4.

The Softbank dude said that I could transfer all of my iPhone 3G contents easily with iTunes.

Well, like every piece of new technology, even the things that you expect to be simple is going to be difficult and confusing.

Although I consider myself a techie, I found no solution on how to correctly transfer my iPhone 3G data to the new phone. The iTunes has been giving all sort of errors, and after various methods of problem solving failed, I decided to give up, and start fresh.

Sadly, starting fresh is the best solution for a headache-free experience.

After getting this small hiccup out of the way, I started to realize that I now own a device with a lot of potential to it. I started to like it.

The retina display.

The new glass display is absolutely gorgeous, with almost no pixelation at all.

Images appear sharp, colors brilliant, and the touch sensitivity has been improved to lessen miss-selection of digital buttons and cut time to get thing done faster.

Apple has truly made a beautiful display, and I like it a lot. Pictures look better on my iPhone 4 than on my Benq computer display; no exaggeration at all.

The improved camera.

I am very impressed with the new camera; focus and exposure is selected by touching at the spot you want the camera to meter exposure on, and it is as simple as that.

New 5 megapixel main camera with LED light ( surprisingly helpful and very useful ) plus a VGA front camera makes the deal sweet.

This might sound naïve to some, but the new photographic opportunities that the new camera and imaging sensors the iPhone 4 brings is the feature that I found most exciting, and I could see myself taking more pictures using my iPhone 4 than my Nikon D90 from now on.

Don’t worry Nikon D90, you’re still my main camera, but the iPhone 4 fits into my pocket, closer to my penis; meaning I cannot avoid from using it for simple, daily photography.

Always remember this oh my dear D90; I can never get enough of your long, big lens and how good it feels when I grip your body hard while I play with your rigid focus ring and all those perky buttons on your chest.

Mmmmmm…

The new camera takes pictures with decent enough quality, even during low light. The ability to take HD videos on the phone is HUGE, and I look forward to learn more about photography and video with this new gadget.

The iPhone 4 is fast.

The iPhone 4 is fast compared to other smart phones on the market right now, and I could see it go faster with software updates. I look forward for apps that make full use of this additional processing power.

The flaws are true.

The new antenna for the iPhone 4 has problems, and I could easily drop the signal bars by gripping the lower side of the antenna. That is why I bought a cheap 980 yen Elecom silicon case. Problems solved.

In the end, all I could say is that the iPhone 4 is worth the upgrade (it’s free in Japan if you agree with a 2 years contract), and I could see myself being very productive with the new HD video-capable 5 megapixel camera.

Great phone, Apple, but could you fix the always buggy iTunes?

Please!

Fuckers.

Win 7 Network Hassle

I remember praising Microsoft for their effort on Windows 7.

Well, I take that back.

Because they made resolving network problems such a pain in the anus hole of chipanzeez godamnit I don't know how to spell the closest species to humans correctly!

A couple of weeks ago, I suddenly cannot access the internet.

It says (by it, I mean the network and sharing center) that I got only Local Area Network but no internet connection.

So I did the obvious, and checked my ipconfiguration through cmd>ipconfig/all

Everything was OK and pinging the default DNS server gave a positive response.

Then I tried pinging google but to avail. 100% failure.

I understand that there are thousands and thousands of reasons for this, but after changing my LAN Adapter (yes, that’s a hardware change) and upgrading it to the latest driver (I have another computer with Win XP running flawlessly) with no improvement what so ever, I cannot avoid from being angry; anger management can't fix my network problem can it now?

I tried releasing ip through cmd>ipconfig/release and then force it to generate a new one through cmd>ipconfing/renew but nothing changes too.

I even tried the cmd>netsh winsock reset catalog command but still, nothing happens.

I am pissed like a muslim from a third world country in a stupid cartoon demonstration.

I must admit that I am very new user to vista and win 7, and I got me some heavy fast reading through the internet to get a hold of the idea of the new ip protocol, the Ipv6.

I tried turning off Ipv6 and just use Ipv4, and still nothing improves.

Even my last effort, the hidden card; to make a OS reinstall did not improve the problem. I am scratching my balls and pulling my hair for this.

At this point, I realized that I have used my entire network troubleshooting knowledge, so I decided to bring the computer to the professionals.

I put the darned heavy beast in the car, and drove to the nearest PC DIY store.

The computer guy boots up my computer, put the Ethernet/LAN cable in, and magically, the damn thing got internet connection!

It's like David Blaine is hiding there somewhere with a hidden camera to capture my reaction to his latest magic trick. Damn you David Blaine! You're so fucking cool.

I am so pissed that I really want to slap that computer dude’s face with a HUGE wood dick that they used in Penis Festivals in Japan, even though he did nothing wrong. I just hated his unnatural smirk that he has on his face, a common facial feature in geeks.

So my hardware is 100% OK, and this means that the real culprit is my ISP, or maybe it is just a compatibility problem between my LAN Adapter and NTT's Hikari Fiber line.

So I contacted my apartment’s administrator to get hold of NTT so that I could ask their DNS server because I want to manually set up my network for my new but troublesome core i7 Win 7 setup; but they said that NTT cannot give that information because of security reasons.

Does NTT really know their own shit?

How the fuck could I invade their security by just knowing their DNS server address?

I can’t believe this shit is happening to me during this cold winter holiday; I could have been bothered with something else!

I need to talk to the NTT guy personally, and I’m going to smack his ass on the phone; because the act of smacking ass through physical means is illegal in Japan, and I am a good citizen.

And this does not mean that Win 7 is not a partner in crime. The new HOMEGROUP network setting is such a hassle when one wants to link to another computer using OS other than Win 7.

Bad, bad boy Microsoft.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Windows 7 Love

I got my Windows 7 DVD for a while but I have decided not to upgrade to the latest OS from Microsoft as soon as the installation disk arrived.

The main reason is because through my personal experience of upgrading Microsoft made OSes from the past 10 years, the first 6 month would always be terrible.

Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista.

All were not pretty during early period of launch.

One other reason why I didn’t jump immediately into the new system (like I used to) is the hassle that came with upgrading to a new OS.

Backing up all the stuff that you own on your computer that goes back 5-6 years is really, really time consuming, and I happen to be one lazy hermit.

Well, not until yesterday.

I was up partying on the night before, and I woke up that morning, with a sore neck and a sleepy head because that’s what always happened when I ended sleeping in beds that are not mine; but I somehow had an enlightment that I need to stop this unprofitable procrastination and upgrade to Windows 7 right away when I reach home.

So I did, and it was incredibly trouble free!

I had a slight trouble with the drivers for my Sound Blaster, but it was resolved pretty quickly and it was a really quick process, I think I’m in the future!

Anyways, with just a couple of hours using the new operating system from Microsoft, I must say, I’m really, really impressed!

I mean, this thing is even faster and better than any OSes from Apple!

The taskbar has been improved for easy multi-tasking and the visual improvements actually help me get things done faster and more precise.

I am really loving the new taskbar, and the improved flexibility of the widgets are a HUGE plus; I don’t need third party software for those!

I cannot believe that this is something that comes from Microsoft!

I tried encoding a couple of videos with TMPGEnc, while I multi-process some photos with Adobe Photoshop as iTunes play some dikir barat music, and my browsing experience with Firefox did not seem to have any effect at all!

Alas, I must conclude, Windows 7 is the perfect match for my Core i7.

It was brilliant, and I am more than glad that I made the upgrade.

I should have trusted the reviews posted on the internet and upgrade earlier.

Microsoft, congratulations. You surely didn’t fuck this up, and believe me, your reputation has been secured.

Still, Internet Explorer is still way behind Firefox.

For those who haven’t tried it, GO WIN7 NOW!

New Gaming Rig!

i bought my Dell Dimension 8300 in 2003, and i've been using the system to play games, listen to music, write assignments and other work-related stuff, watch movies, edit photos and videos, and every other activity that one could be doing with a computer.

but it is already 2009.

a single-core Pentium 4 can't keep up with my new habit of crazy multi-tasking when using the computer.

then i knew about intel core i7.

and yesterday, i got one!

it was freaking amazing!

i didn't know such smoothness in handling multiple processes even existed!

the upgrade from Pentium 4 to Core i7 was really worth it.

because i was buying a new rig all together, i guess it would be wise to make sure it could handle future games too.

4GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB SATA2 Hitachi Hard Drive, nvidia 1GB geforce GTX285, creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer to join my intel Core i7-860 (2.8GHz/8M/1333).

all that just costs me around 130000yen, compared to my previous Dell Dimension 8300 that costs me almost 160000yen.

computers getting more powerful with lower costs.

loving it!

now i'm going to play Resident Evil 5 while i run some video decoders, image processors, torrents, virtuagirl HD and multiple rapidshare downloads on the background without ever affecting the fps!

;)

testing spoiler script

i've found this very neat script to enable 'spoiler' functions in blogger, just like in the forums. this will be an experimental post to test the script. if this handy script works, i might be able to 'brighten' up each of my post with a new idea that i have. :)

Click Here To Reveal Spoiler

If you could see this picture and this text ONLY after clicking the link, then this script is valid and very useable. I'm thinking about posting at least one picture that could please your eyes in each post, but I don't want to be too intrusive about it.

Anyways, this is the ever brilliant Nozomi Sasaki in a school uniform posing in a figure shop in Akihabara. I hope it pleases you eyes thus achieving my objective of applying this new script.

upgrade problems :)

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 and noticed that the new program began unexpected child processing that took up quite a lot of space and valuable resources. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure.

In addition, Wife 1.0 installs itself into all other programs, and launches during the system initialization where it monitors all other system activity. Applications like Pokernight 10.3, Drunken Boys Night 2.5, and Monday Night Football 5.0 no longer run, crashing the system whenever selected.

I am thinking of going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but the uninstall does not seem to work on this program. Can you help me PLEASE!?!?

Thanks, Joe

Dear Joe,

This is a very common problem men complain about but is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 with the idea that Wife 1.0 is merely utilities and entertainment program.

Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its creator to run everything. It is very unlikely that you will be able to purge Wife 1.0 and still convert back to Girlfriend 7.0. Hidden operating files within the system would cause Girlfriend 7.0 to emulate Wife 1.0, so nothing is gained other than small change of scenery. It is impossible to purge, delete, or un-install the program files from the system once they are installed. You can not go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is not designed to do this.

Some have gone as far as installing Girlfriend 8.0 in a hidden subdirectory, or tried installing Wife 2.0, but end up with more problems than the original system had. Detection of Girlfriend 8.0 or Wife 2.0 can result in Wife 1.0 creating general protection faults such as “Warning- Cannot find Alimony or Child Support files, or files are out of date.” Because Wife 1.0’s directories and sub-directories are almost impossible to understand or modify, some over-rides have been installed to assist you in (at least) making Wife 1.0 a livable experience.

I recommend that you attempt the following at the onset of ANY problems that you might have. After any system crash, Wife 1.0 WILL give you an opportunity to fix the problem yourself (although you might not see the opportunity, it IS there, you just have to look for it). At the C prompt enter the following:

c:\apologize

Generally this should work, unless you have truly created a massive error. In any case, avoid hitting the “Esc” key at all costs! There are also add-ons that you can install to assist you in your efforts. Try buying a copy of Flowers 4.1 or Chocolates 5.5, or both for really big errors. Do not, under ANY circumstances install Secretary v38.24.36 with short skirt upgrade! This is not a supported application for any of the Wife OR Girlfriend series programs, and is likely to cause irreversible damage to the system.

Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high　maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs,　such as Clean 2.5, Sweep 3.0, Cook 1.5 and DoLaundry 4.2.　However, be very careful how you use these programs.　Improper use will cause the system to launch the　program NagNag 9.5 . Once this happens, the only way to　improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase　additional software. I recommend　Silk Dress 2.1 and Jewellery 5.0　

Best of Luck, Tech Support

graphic card upgrade !!!

:WARNING: EXTREMELY GEEKY CONTENT:

i am planning to buy a kick-ass gaming rig with all the bells and whistles that the latest technology could offer including 64 bit OSes, multi-core processors, dual-GPUs, EAX 5.0 audio solutions etc.... next year.

i am going to buy those next year, when i move to tokyo for work.

and that leaves me with my 5 years old crappy Pentium 4 computer at the moment, and this is not good because i still want to be able to play the latest games with a decent visual quality in a decent FPS count.

there are tons of amazing games that is coming before i got my new kick-ass gaming rig next year. games like dead space, saints row 2, diablo 3, red alert 3, far cry 2, left 4 dead, CoD: world at war, star craft 2, fallout 3, barbie horse adventure: riding camp... i could go on and on and on!

this year is going to be a great gaming year for pc, and i don't want to miss it.

and that wish is impossible to achieve with my current radeon x1980 pro. the card was a beast once, several years ago. now its just a weak old card not capable of running crysis proper even in low settings.

*^*^*^*^*^*^

i want to still be able to play games, but i am not ready yet to flush big money for a big upgrade; so my only temporary solution is to change my current video card to a better one. it should be reasonably priced, and of course it should be powerful enough for the new games coming this year.

so i went into the cyberspace that some people call the internetssss, to find the solution to my problem, and immediately i could see that the sapphire radeon hd 3850 is my new savior.

a little note here. since i bought my dell dimension 8300 back in 2003, the motherboard is as old as madonna and it only support AGP configuration and single-core processors. i cannot upgrade my processor to intel core 2 duo because of this, so i am only left to find the most powerful AGP card available... since they don't make AGP cards anymore these days. man i wish i had picked a PCI-Express motherboard instead that day in Shinjuku Bic Camera when i purchase the dell... ;(

*^*^*^*^*^*^

the new card cost me 16000 yen, which is right in my budget. as you can see in the picture above, the cooling system used in the hd 3850 (above) is quite similar to the x1980 pro (below).

my old radeon x1980 pro before getting thrown away after years of dedicated and awesome service in satisfying my gaming rage. thanks a lot old dude, now make way for the newcomer !!!

i had no trouble installing the hd 3850. i only need to change to power suppy connector from the 3 pins to 4 pins installation, and i am done.

*^*^*^*^*^*^
after the hardware-part is done, next is the software department. i downloaded the latest catalyst driver from ati and everything went smooth sailing. now for the real test: gaming.

first i loaded up call of duty 4, and it was just fantastic. i was able to play at 1280x960 in high settings with no problems like the hiccups that i would experience with my old radeon x1950 pro. it was brilliant.

then i tried loading stalker clear sky, and i was really satisfied with the quality/performance the the x-ray engine 1.5 is showing on my screen. i've never played stalker this beautiful with such a steady FPS. awesome.

pro evolution soccer 2009 played brilliantly. so does the witcher enhanced edition.

then i tried brothers in arms hell's highway. the minimum spec for this game includes at least a dual-core 2.66 ghz processor, versus my crappy 2.8ghz Pentium 4; and my worst dream (i'm exaggerating here) had come true, although my GPU is powerful enough, my pathetic processor is bottlenecking the whole system, i'm only getting 15-30 FPS throughout my play through.

then i tried crysis warhead, and the result is the same: stutters and poor performance probably because of the pentium 4 bottlenecking everything. although the game is still playable in medium settings, it would really be awesome if i could play in high settings, and experience all the fancy lighting and the advanced particle/shader tech that the game engine has to offer.

well, one cannot hope for EVERYTHING to be great, but it sure would be nice. with that said, i am still pretty satisfied with my purchase, and hopefully the new hd 3850 could hold all the beatings that i am going to give it, before i bought a new gaming rig.

man... i still got ps3 and xbox 360 games that i need to finish... bila nak buat kenkyu?

the iphone girl

aahh... the internet. another example of how a random 'accident' or small events involving a pretty asian girl with technology could generate such interest that turns into a global news story.

iphone girl is the newest internet celebrity, but like all the other internet celebrities, no-one knows who she is.

a briton purchased an iphone, activated it for the first time and were surprised to found that the 'home screen' had already been set with pictures of a chinese girl who looks like she was working in an assembly line in a factory. it seems like the employers at the testing department were testing the iphone, and forgot to delete the pictures.

click here for the details from yahoo!

i wonder if the pictures were different, would this 'accident' generate as much interest? for example, instead of a smiling chinese girl doing peace-signs, what if it's an angry looking middle aged assembly-line worker that looks like an old men because she's been doing a lot of hard labor all her life?

anyways, someone actually made a website dedicated to her and track her story.

the discussion board that originally generated this story, is now full of people discussing about who she is, how old she would be, would she be fired and so on.

it's interesting to notice that apple are actually using microsoft windows (could be clearly seen on the lcd on the back) to test the new iphones.

Firefox 3 is HERE!

Mozilla's newest browser, Firefox 3 is HERE!

If you're still using Microsoft's crappy Internet Explorer, today is the perfect day to change to Firefox because the latest version is way ahead of its competitors; now its easier to use, equipped with tighter and more reliable security features, faster page loading speed, runs light on the processor, and its FREE, of course!

Download it now and help make a new guineas world record for the most downloaded software during launch day!