LumoTech

I usually prefer to travel light when possible, however during my recent business trip (which is about 6 weeks) I had no choice but to bring in a lot of clothes which was still not enough given the length of my stay, so I had no choice but to do laundry at one point.  The apartment/hotel that I was staying in does not offer laundry service, they do however have a coin operated washing machine which will cost you 6 euro for the wash and 4 euro for the dry, now that is very expensive! So I turned to my trusty friend Google and searched for a laundromat near my hotel and I found eco-express .  They charge 3 euro from 6:00 - 10:00 and 3.50 euro from 10:00 - 23:00 for the wash, 1 euro for dryer, and, 0.50 euro for the detergent that is if you didn't bring your own.  It was my first time to use a laundromat and boy was I intimidated, not so much by the act of doing laundry itself but by the fact that everything in the shop is in German!  Below are the instructions/steps...

The Nexus 4 finally launched last Tuesday,November 13 at around 8:45 Am PST.  I have been waiting for the longest time for this phone to arrive so there I was on the Google Play Store website patiently waiting for the button to change from "Coming Soon" to "Add to Cart", and then the moment came.  I was so ecstatic and immediately hit the Add to Cart button for the 16GB of Nexus 4 which retails at $349 , proceeded to checkout and then everything just went gloomy. I kept getting a message saying there was an error processing your request so I keep on hitting proceed to checkout only to encounter the same error message. I tried to empty my cart, order again and the same thing happens all the time. There was even a time when my cart indicated that I have 3 Nexus devices but I was not able to checkout for payment, at one time I was finally able to make the proceed to checkout button work but then my cart said it was empty, so back to step 1 to order again but inste...

I just got my Nexus 7 tablet yesterday and was really very excited to play with it immediately, so when I got back home I immediately unpacked it.  Unboxing was not that difficult compared to those that I have seen in youtube(well if you don't know what I mean try to search for Nexus 7 unboxing in youtube), although I must say that the device is indeed tightly packaged.  I powered up the Nexus 7, the device comes pre-charged with about 25% power, setup my account and then was prompted about system update, apparently the device comes pre-loaded with Android 4.0 and the update is 4.1. It is a very nice tablet and the 7 inch form factor is just right for me, before I thought it was too small but now I have a change of heart. It was perfect for reading books, watching movies, and TV series. There some few things I noticed though, the display on my device is a bit washed out and I really can't help but compare it to my Galaxy Nexus which for me, has a really great screen...

I finally got my Jelly Bean update notification on my phone and without wasting any more time, immediately updated my Nexus.  The update is available only over WiFi connection only. I have been waiting for this update ever since Google announced it and pressing the "Check Now" button on my phone almost every minute but nothing happens. I have read from various forums that clearing the "Google Services Framework" sometimes does the trick and so I tried it as well, you basically just have to go to Settings>Apps,>All>Google Services Framework.  Force close the service and click on clear data then  restart the phone.  I did this steps almost 8 times before I finally received the update notification, I'm not sure if that trick really worked or it was just a coincidence. Warning : Please proceed at your own risk when performing the above procedures, I read that some issues such as not being able to update or download apps in Google Play could occur, ...

Google has recently announced that they have already started rolling out Jelly Bean to HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus this week and I haven't been able to stop clicking the System Update button on my phone just to check if I already have it, unfortunately until now it's still not there.  I have been reading some forums regarding the update and most of the people who already received it seems to be from the US. I'll keep on waiting and checking patiently (as if I have a choice) and hopefully get it over he weekend.

Microsoft released their own tablet dubbed "Surface". Check out more stories from the The Verge website about Microsoft Surface . No copyright infringement intended. Video is owned by Microsoft Inc.

While browsing around the net, I found this interesting app called farebot. The app allows you to view the balance and trip history of your card.  I downloaded the app from Android market and as soon as it finished installing I immediately pulled out my EZlink card to test out the application.  I tapped my card as instructed by the display on the app but I was only getting this beeping sound. I finally gave up but did'nt uninstall the app hoping that future updates might finally fix the problem, and then just this night I started playing with the app again and was scanning my card when it suddenly displayed the balance of my card and my recent trip history. It took quite some time of tapping and swiping my card on the back of my phone so I guess the app is not that perfect yet, It's a really simple app but I think it holds a lot of promises, as for now I'm just happy that I can view the balance of my card anytime I want. You can check out the webpage of the developer...

I have finally finished downloading both the 32 and 64-bit Windows 8 Consumer Preview and trying out first the 32-bit version, however I am stucked with this error. I am using VMware player for the installation and it seems it is not supported. I am now downloading VMware Workstation 8 and will try my luck again.  

I am one of those person who haven't jumped into the Ipad/tablet bandwagon because I see no reason to purchase a device which my smartphone is capable of doing, albeit sacrificing screen size.  So last year when Microsoft announced a tablet optimized operating system I was very excited, finally a real operating system on a tablet form factor.  I downloaded the developers preview last September however I did not get the chance to play with it since I was not able to make it work on my virtual machine.   Today Microsoft has finally released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and I am definitely trying out this one, I am actually downloading it as I am writing this post.  My next problem would be how to run in on my virtual machine since I wasn't successful with the installation of the Developers Preview the last time, but that I will have to worry later.  Windows 8 Consumer Preview can be downloaded from Microsoft website Windows 8 Download page . The 64...

Today I finally bought a case and screen protector for my Galaxy Nexus. Bough it for SGD44 at Funan DigitalLife Mall. I forgot the name of the shop (Papa Go! I think)  but its at the 4th level, quite a small one.  The one that I got was SGP Case Neo Hybrid. There were only 3 colors available, Silver, Pink and Yellow. I chose the yellow one since it looks like Bumblebee from Transformers, now I call my phone the BumbleDroid.

RIM has already announced the launh of their Blackberry PlayBook OS 2.0.  SOme of the notbale additions includes a native e-mail client with a unified inbox, and built-in calendar and contacts applications. It now also includes support for certain Android applications. The update is available free over the air(OTA)

Last DecemberI finally bought my Galaxy Nexus, it's been with me for over a month now and I'm very happy with it.  I have been waiting for this phone ever since it was announced last October in Hongkong, However the phone wasn't released yet yet in Singapore.  I read from websites that it will be released in Singapore by January, but then I couldn't wait any longer and I was also getting some news that it will be released by the end of February, so I looked for some stores here offering the phone,luckily I found one and immediately ordered.  After waiting anxiously for 3 days I finally got my Nexus and has been very happy with it. My problem is that there isn't much accessories that are sold for my Nexus, hopefully in the coming days.

Samsung finally announced last November 8 the availability of the Galaxy Nexus in Singapore. I have been waiting for the longest time when will the phone be available here, sadly though, I would still have to wait until next year. The phone will be available by January 2012 and will retail for about S$948 (GST incl) without contract. For the specs of the phone, you can read my previous post  Galaxy Nexus Announced Until then, I need to find something that will keep me busy.

M1 will have an iPhone 4S launching event on October 28 at M1 Shop Paragon. Details below: M1 Shop Paragon Be the first to own iPhone 4S at our midnight launch event at M1 Shop Paragon on 28 October 2011, 00:00 hours. Selected M1 Shops & Exclusive Distributors These M1 Shops and Exclusive Distributors will open on 28 October at 7am. Also available at all M1 Shops & selected Exclusive Distributors at 11am. M1Shop.com.sg Or order online from the comfort of your home at m1shop.com.sg from 00:00 hours on 28 October 2011. You'll enjoy free delivery to your doorstep from 30 October 2011. Here is their Plan offering for iPhone4S:    iPhone Plans iPhone Value iPhone Lite iPhone Extreme iPhone Max   Subscription $36 $56 $98 $198   Local Calls 100 mins 300 mins 700 mins Unlimited   Local SMS / MMS 500 500 500 2000   Local Data Bundle 12 GB Unlimi...

The most awaited android phone of 2011 is finally out! The Galaxy Nexus was announced today together with the release of the latest android OS Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4). The  Galaxy Nexus is powered by the TI OMAP 4460 platform, with 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex A9-based processor and 1GB of RAM. At the rear is a 5MP camera capable of shooting 1080p video, and a regular 1.3 MP camera on the front for video chatting. just like the Nexus S, the display is slightly curved with a HD super AMOLED display, measuring at 4.65 inches.  It also has NFC support for Google's Wallet project and will be having LTE support for some regions. The battery for the device is 1750mAh and will be offerred in 16 or 32GB models expandable via a microSD card slot.  [apparently, the phone will not have SD card slot]

Windows has released a developers preview download of the windows 8. The idea is a unified operating system that can run on all platform (PC,Laptop,Tablet,Smartphone). "The Windows Developer Preview is a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers. These downloads include prerelease software that may change without notice. The software is provided as is, and you bear the risk of using it. It may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will. It should not be used in a production environment. The features and functionality in the prerelease software may not appear in the final version. Some product features and functionality may require advanced or additional hardware, or installation of other software." - from microsoft website You can download the beta version from Microsoft Windows 8 Developer Preview Three downloads are available from the site: Windows Developer Preview with developer tools English, 64-bit (x64) ...

Good news for Android fan boys, Google is set to launch their next phone dubbed as Google Nexus Prime (i'm not yet sure about the official name as there are also other names for the phone refering to it as Nexus 4G).  The phone is considered as an "absolute beast" due to its rumored specs.  The phone is said to be powered by Texas Instrument's OMAP 4460 chip or an ultra low-power 28nm Krait-based Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm running at 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz and with 1GB of RAM.  this will be the first phone that will run on Android's latest OS codename Ice cream Sandwhich. Known specifications are as follows: 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD Screen 4G LTE Radio Ready 1080p video recording and playback 5.0 MP Camera 1.0 MP Fron Camera 1 GB RAM 1.5 GHz Dual COre Processor The phone will have no physical buttons and is rumored to be released this coming October.

In-line with the launch of their HSDPA+ network, Globe also introduced the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S2(GT-I9100). The Samsung Galaxy S2 is the first 4G phone here in the Philippines and will be available under Globe My Supersurf Plan 3799 starting June 27, 2011.  Prepaid subscriber can also get it Php29,990.00. Galaxy S2 sports a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor on a 4.3" vivid Super Amoled screen, only 8.49mm thin, and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.  With the super fast wireless standard HSPA+, it offers download speed of 21Mbps but since it will be running Globe 4G network then it can only get up to 10Mbps network, a waste for such a great device if I may say.   Other features. Wi-Fi Direct - Transmit without wires. The Samsung GALAXY S II point-to-point Wi-Fi communications connect with device-to-device wireless transfer speeds of Wi-Fi without a wireless access point Samsung Kies 2.0 & Kies air - The newly introduced Kies 2.0, an upgrad...

Globe is now finally offering their HSPA+ service through their latest USB stick named the Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini.  The USB dongle is actually a Huawei E372 and its quite disappointing that Globe is only offering up to 10mbps speed when the E732 stick is capable of up to 42mbps download speed, and this is open only to postpaid subscriber for now.  Below are some info from Globe's website. Feed your need for speed with the revolutionary 4G Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini, the fastest broadband stick on-the-go, with maximum download speeds of up to 10Mbps when surfing at an HSPA+ Site. It’s up to 5 times faster than current broadband stick speeds of up to 2 Mbps. The difference is in Globe's 4G Network, the first and biggest in the country. The Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini is available at Surf-All-You-Want Plan 2,199, and includes 200 SMS to Globe/TM monthly. Get it now! • Enjoy download speeds of up to 10Mbps when surfing at HSPA+ sites  • Surf all your favorite s...

HTC will roll-out their OTA Gingerbread update this June for the following device: Desire HD Desire Z Thunderbolt Desire Incredible S Gingerbread features has long been released( see below), but what I want to know are the changes that HTC added to thier Sense UI. Gingerbread User features -New on-screen keyboard. The standard keyboard has been greatly improved in Android 2.3, with faster input and more intuitive typing. Even cut-and-paste got a makeover. -Streamlined user interface. New color schemes and various UI changes and polish make Android more consistent and simpler to use. -Application and power management. Android 2.3 provides better insight into what is running in the background, how much memory and CPU time it is using, and even lets you kill misbehaving apps. Yes, after months of telling us we don’t need a task killer, they give us a task killer. Enjoy your chuckle, iPhone fans. -SIP Internet calling. Voice over IP is integrated directly into Android 2...