Sep 13, 2013

How to Root the Huawei Ascend P1

The Huawei Ascend P1 was launched back in May, 2012 and it featured a 1.5GHz Dual-Core processor along with a 1GB of RAM. Specifications of the device are quite good and if you just bough this device, you’d be interested in rooting it. Rooting is a process to gain access to system-level files on your device and once it’s done, you will be able to modify the system-level files. To put it into simple words, you’ll have access to hundreds of apps that require rooted devices. If this sounds good to you, here’s how you can root your Huawei Ascend P1:


I. Before You Begin:

1. This will void the warranty of your device. However, you can reinstate the warranty by unrooting your device if there’s any unrooting procedure available.

2. This works on Windows based PCs only.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Root Package (Download link’s given in the first step)

III. Rooting the Huawei Ascend P1:

1. Download and place the Root Package archive onto your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the archive over to your Desktop.

3. Turn ON the USB debugging option on your device by heading to Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>>USB debugging.

4. Plug in your device to your PC via USB cable.

5. Double-click on the hwadb.exe file available on your Desktop and let it do its process.

6. Now double-click on the ubl.exe file and wait till it finishes its process.

7. Unplug your device from your PC.

8. Reboot your device.

9. And you should be rooted now!

Awesome! Your Ascend P1 has been rooted and you will have a new app called Superuser in your App Drawer. You can install the Root Checker app to confirm the root-access on your device!

IV. Flash a Custom Recovery Image (Optional):

1. If you would like to flash a custom recovery image in order to flash custom ROMs, head to the How To Flash a Custom Recovery Image on the Huawei Ascend P1 to learn how to do that.

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

Huawei will still make Windows Phone devices even after Microsoft-Nokia deal

Chinese manufacturer Huawei will continue its efforts in making smartphones that run on the Windows Phone system, even amid concerns following Microsoft’s $7.2 billion deal to purchase Nokia’s devices business.


Richard Ren, a Huawei executive in charge of the consumer unit in Europe, told the Wall Street Journal that the company remains Microsoft’s strategic partner: ”We will continue to develop devices running Windows Phone, and launch more products.”


Many pundits feel that prospective hardware partners will no longer license Windows Phone following the Microsoft-Nokia deal. Huawei’s latest comments come as a boost of confidence that Microsoft’s ecosystem of hardware partners will continue to exist.


Most of Huawei’s smartphones run on Android, but earlier this year it launched a Windows Phone device — the Huawei Ascend W1.

Apple iPhone 5C and 5S launch gives China hang up over high price

Chinese analysts and consumers at Apple press event in Beijing say plastic 5C model is not low-end as publicity had suggested.


China's Apple fans tend to meet the company's product releases with the same anticipation and reverence as their western counterparts. Yet in Cupertino, the California-based company's unveiling of two new iPhone models on Tuesday night left some of them scratching their heads.

On Wednesday morning Apple showed taped footage of its Silicon Valley product release to about 80 reporters at a swish Beijing hotel. It was the company's first-ever media event in China, leading many analysts to believe that one of the new models would be specifically aimed at capturing the Chinese smartphone market, currently the largest in the world.

Many China tech analysts predicted that one of the new models – the iPhone 5C, a slightly less expensive, plastic-backed version of the iPhone 5 – would cost 3,000 yuan (£310), giving it an edge over low-cost competitors. Yet on Wednesday, the company announced that a 5C with 16GB of memory would cost 4,488 yuan (£465), roughly the same cost as the iPhone 5. The other model, the iPhone 5S – which features faster hardware and a fingerprint reader beneath the home button – will sell for 5,288 yuan (£547).


Nicole Zhou, a 30-year-old employee at a state-owned enterprise, bought herself a Samsung S4 phone on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the announcement. "I didn't know the price was going to be 5,000 yuan," she said. "I don't see any really big difference between this and the other new iPhone."

Users of China's most popular microblogging service Sina Weibo chimed in as well. "The C stands for costly," was one common refrain. The "S" in 5S, some users surmised, may stand for "superfluous" or "super-expensive".

Other users compared the 5C's colourful plastic shell to a potato peeler. "Every family in Britain could use an iPhone 5C … because you need something in the kitchen to take care of all those potatoes," wrote a user calling themselves A-Chuan Wants to Rest.

Apple stores in China will begin selling the handsets on 20 September, the same day as they hit shelves in the US.

"Even though Apple has a lower-end iPhone now, its price is still considered mid-end in China and not low-end," Sandy Shen, a Shanghai-based analyst for Gartner, told Reuters. "Considering Apple's old rival Samsung and domestic players such as Huawei, Lenovo and Coolpad all have phones in that category, Apple will still lose out in market share in these key segments."

China is Apple's biggest market outside of the US and Europe, but its market share has declined precipitously over the past year, as international competitors such as Samsung and local brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi introduce comparable phones at lower costs. Apple is currently ranked seventh in the country in terms of sales.

While Apple has lost much of its market share, it has not lost its prestige. "It's like, all of my colleagues were watching the media release really closely," said Chen Xin, 23, a human resources employee at a five-star hotel in Beijing. "For them, the price means nothing compared with the prestige of the brand. Everybody thinks that Apple products are really cool."

Chen used an iPhone 4S until last year, when she bought a Samsung phone. She doesn't plan on switching back to Apple. "It's just too expensive," she said. - source

Where and How-To Pre-Order Your iPhone 5C

Tonight, legions will descend upon Apple's website to pre-order the new iPhone 5C. But as the sales start stacking up, the ship date will be pushed back beyond the September 20th launch. Here's everywhere else you'll be able to pre-order the phone so that you get it on day one.


Apple Store

During Tuesday's keynote, Apple announced that the iPhone 5C would be available for pre-order from its online store starting tomorrow at 3:01 AM ET/12:01 AM PT. The iPhone 5S will be available only beginning on launch day, September 20th.


Retailers

Walmart

The Big Daddy bigbox said it will be offering in store-only pre-orders. Line-up early for this one, because the Walmart's is offering a $20 price break on the 16 GB iPhone 5C.

Best Buy

The company's website still reads "coming soon," but a Best Buy representative confirmed that brick and mortar locations will offer in-store pre-orders for the 16 GB iPhone 5C tomorrow for its regular $100.

Radio Shack

Radio Shack offering in-store pre-orders for the 8GB iPhone 5C during regular hours beginning tomorrow for $100.


Carriers

AT&T

Though the company's website still says "coming soon" an AT&T representative confirmed that you'll be able to pre-order online at 3:01 AM ET. If you're really interested in showing up and pre-ordering in your local store—go right ahead.

Verizon

Online orders start at 3:01 AM EST. Available in-store when they open tomorrow.

Sprint

Same drill, 3:01 AM ET on the Internet, in-store during your Friday lunch break.

T-Mobile

On keynote day, T-Mo said the iPhone 5C would be available for pre-order "on September 13th," but there's no mention of an exact time. Why not register for updates.

Whistleblower Benhur Luy Now Trending

MANILA, Philippines—Today, Benhur K. Luy is the man of the hour.

Hundreds of Twitter users lauded on Thursday the undaunted principal whistle-blower of the P10 billion pork barrel scam.


For the first time, Luy appeared in the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, orchestrated by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and her alleged lawmaker cohorts.

As Luy divulged in detail the PDAF activities of his superior and distant cousin, Napoles, and some legislators he refused to identify, positive tweets admiring Luy’s courage grew in numbers.

As of 3:30 pm, Benhur Luy topped the list of trending topics in the Philippines. The hashtag #porkbarrelprobe, Senate, De Lima were also included in the top ten.

Some praised Luy for his firmness and consistency as he gave vivid descriptions and accounts of how Napoles and the lawmakers transacted.

Others were sickened by his revelations on Napoles’ pork barrel shenanigans, but most Twitter users feared for Luy’s security.

Daughter of former Vice President Noli De Castro, television personality Kat de Castro (@KatDeCastro) said in her tweet “Someone give Benhur Luy the best security. Secret Service levels.”

Johanes Henrik Dimal (@johanesdimal) echoed de Castro and expressed concern for the whistle-blower. “Please give Benhur Luy your maximum security, NBI. His katapangan is very commendable,” he said.

What caught the netizens’ attention in the four-hour long senate probe was Luy’s impeccable narration and knowledge on the under-the-table transactions between his boss and the senators and congressmen.

A certain Gracie D with the username @dakila_G lauded Luy on Twitter saying “Benhur Luy’s knowledge of Napoles’ transactions, he knows it by heart, it’s everyday routine.”

Like many others, Maui Limsiaco (‏@MauiSays) also gave credit to Luy’s manner of responding to the senators.

“Despite redundant (often useless) questions by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Benhur Luy remains firm and consistent. #PorkBarrelScam,” he said in a tweet.

But there will always be skeptics on Luy’s testimonies.

“Can we really trust Benhur Luy? Hay. I don’t even know who to believe and trust in the government anymore. #AbusedPower #PorkBarrelProbe,” Charisse Yatco (@charisseyatco) said.

Patricia Malay (@patriciamalay), on the other hand, thought that the efforts of the whistle-blowers were all futile unless the government would be able to penalize the greedy politicians and Napoles.

“Benhur Luy remembering everything won’t matter unless these revelations lead to arrests, convictions and/or resignations,” she said.

Sep 12, 2013

The Mobile Wars Who’s Gonna Win The Race?

As mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – grow roots ever deeper into our personal and professional lives, publishers may feel forced to choose sides in the various wars and battles raging among Apple and Samsung, iOS and Android, and various other players and platforms.


But a leading developer of mobile apps and related technology solutions for publishers sees a way to make peace with the many mobile wars. The trick, says Amphetamobile founder and CEO SiNae Pitts, is to pick your battles.

“There are many mobile wars,” Pitts explains for CCC’s Chris Kenneally. “There had been a lot of talk in the early days of whether publishers should develop native applications or should they be making mobile websites? And we’ve always taken the position that it’s never an either or – it always depends on the use case. With mobile-friendly websites, certainly there is a use case for creating a landing page and presenting information.” On the other hand, she adds, “native apps give a richer experience and enable people to take that content that you’re presenting and make it deeper into their workflow.

Ahead of the 35th SSP annual meeting in San Francisco, opening on Wednesday, Pitts noted that for many medical and research publishers Apple has won the platform contest – for now.

In that publishing niche, Pitts says, “iOS continues to dominate in terms of the devices installed, and the devices that people use, in hospitals or in the research setting. So the approach is to lead with an iOS app to make the best experience for the majority of the users. And given sufficient interest, depending on their population, to then build an Android app.”

Apple iPhone fingerprint scanner will make 'biometrics' a household name

By adding a fingerprint scanner to its newest mobile phone, Apple Inc. is offering a tantalizing glimpse of a future where your favourite gadget might become a biometric pass to the workplace, mobile commerce or real-world shopping and events.


Although Apple’s executives said at Tuesday’s launch that its Touch ID technology embedded into the iPhone 5S’ home button would only provide fingerprint access to the phone and its own online stores, analysts said Apple’s embrace of such technology, called biometrics, would be key to wider adoption.

“It really propels biometrics into the mainstream,” said specialist Alan Goode, the U.K. -based managing director of research consultancy Goode Intelligence.

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of design, hinted of its future in a video presentation at the launch.

“Touch ID defines the next step of how you use your iPhone,” he said, “making something as important as security so effortless and so simple.”

Passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) have long been the mainstay of access to devices, bank accounts and online services, despite their poor record. Many passwords can easily be guessed, while others can be hacked by brute-force attacks – essentially a computer program running through all possible permutations.

They also involve one too many steps for lots of users: Apple said that half of smartphone users don’t bother to password-protect their devices.

Hence the appeal of biometrics, which take something unique to the individual – a fingerprint, an iris, voice or facial features – as authentication.

Apple’s move may not have an immediate impact beyond improving the way users unlock their devices and interact with Apple services like iTunes and its App Store.

But that is itself a significant step. Apple has more than 500 million iTunes accounts. Anything that increases security and removes steps in the payment process is bound to boost online purchases.

It will also raise the comfort levels of companies supplying the content to a mobile commerce sector expected to reach $40-billion next year in the United States alone, according to Euromonitor estimates.

Users afraid of using their mobile device to make purchases online or in the real world because they fear it will be stolen or their password seen may feel liberated using a fingerprint, said Michael Chasen, CEO of SocialRadar, which is building location-based mobile applications for social networking.


For mobile commerce, he said, that could “be the missing piece.”

Beyond the web, Apple could combine the Touch ID with its existing “Passbook” app that stores coupons, tickets to events and boarding passes on an iPhone and allow event organizers and airline companies to validate those documents, said Sebastien Taveau, chief technology officer at California-based Validity Sensors, which makes sensors for other manufacturers.

“Apple wants to make deals with music and entertainment companies with very strong opinions on digital rights management,” Taveau said. The fingerprint scanner, when used in transactions with these companies, could “reassure all these industries”.

Biometric security should also appeal to enterprises nervous about allowing the personal devices of employees on the office network, analysts and industry insiders said.

“If this has been implemented right, every enterprise that enforces a password or PIN lock on the device will begin using the fingerprint sensor instead,” said Song Chuang, Singapore-based research director at Gartner.

Apple is not the first to try to make biometrics work for the consumer.

Fingerprint scanners have already found their way into laptops, external hard-drives and electronic wallets. Companies like Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., Fujitsu Ltd. and Pantech Co. Ltd. have incorporated fingerprint scanners into their mobile phones.

But none has really taken off.

Partly, that’s because of cost and partly because there’s been little in the way of an ecosystem to build support for the products.

“Biometrics have been historically viewed as a more expensive ‘nice to have’ component, rather than a ‘must have’,” said Bill Morelli, an analyst at IHS.

Also, fingerprint scanners have tended to make things harder rather than easier for users.

Chuang at Gartner said it could take users up to six swipes for a sensor to “learn” a user’s fingerprint. “This is not a great user experience,” he said.

All things, say some, that Apple was put on this earth to fix. Ben Thompson, a Taipei-based industry observer who writes a blog at stratechery.com, said Apple was focusing on the apparently trivial problem of entering a password – but one that irked users dozens of times a day.

“It’s classic Apple to expend tremendous energy on simplifying a small irritation, even if it’s not a classic feature list item.”

The badly kept secret of Apple’s biometric plans had already given the industry a boost long before Tuesday. The company has been filing patents on biometric security since at least 2009.

“Apple has been working on it for more than two years and they have extremely competent engineers,” said Validity’s Taveau.

Apple reached out two to three years ago to Microlatch, an Australian company, to license and test its peripheral fingerprint sensors. Apple asked it to build a Bluetooth connection to the phone and accompanying software, Microlatch managing director and founder Chris Burke said, so Apple could gauge user reactions and habits, particularly in e-commerce strongholds like China.

“In their roadmap it was clear there would be fingerprint scans, so they’d plot their course, rather than just trying something,” Burke said in a phone interview.

Last year Apple also paid about $350-million for AuthenTec, a key player in fingerprint sensors and until its purchase a supplier to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell Inc, Lenovo Group Ltd and Fujitsu.

Apple’s moves have reawakened interest in the space.

Swedish biometric component maker Fingerprint Cards AB, for example, has seen its share price rise 1,400 per cent in the past year. The company predicts the industry will ship up to 100 million consumer electronic devices embedded with fingerprint scanners this year, rising to more than 1 billion in 2015 as biometrics finds its way into TV remotes, gaming consoles and cameras.

There are downsides to fingerprint technology. It is not as accurate as companies touting its benefits make it sound, and PINs and passwords can be reset or changed if someone steals them.

“Fingerprint recognition is not perfect,” said Geppy Parziale, biometrics expert and CEO of Invasivecode, a firm that develops applications for Apple’s mobile devices. Then there’s the problem of the fingerprints themselves: acquiring a large enough set of them to test the accuracy of such devices is complicated by privacy and legal issues, Parziale said.

But if anyone can bring this technology into the mainstream, experts say, it’s Apple. It has, for example, embedded the scanner into the iPhone’s home button, while other mobile devices usually have it on the back, making it awkward for the user and increasing the number of failed attempts.

Samsung and fellow South Korean electronics manufacturer LG Electronics Inc. have had problems incorporating the technology into finished products.

LG’s head of domestic marketing, Ma Chang-Min, last month said the company had abandoned efforts to include a fingerprint sensor to the back cover of its flagship G2 smartphone “as we need more work to improve reliability and usability.”

That gives Apple a headstart. It can also build the sensing and security deep into its operating system and the A7 mobile chip which Apple itself designed, putting it ahead of rivals such like Google, which develops the Android mobile OS and licenses it to manufacturers like Samsung, said Taipei-based KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

But its edge may not last.

Microsoft Corp, for one, is building fingerprint recognition into the latest update of its Windows operating system and, said Taveau of Validity Sensors, “it is fair to assume that the Android community won’t be long to react.” - source

Tepid Chinese response to new iPhone highlights Apple's challenge ahead

BEIJING -- The iPhone's magic as China's must-have smartphone is eroding.

Last year, eager buyers in Beijing waited overnight in freezing weather to buy the iPhone 4S. Pressure to get it -- and the profit to be made by reselling scarce phones -- prompted some to pelt the store with eggs when Apple, worried about the size of the crowd, postponed opening.


Just 18 months later, many Chinese gadget lovers responded with a shrug this week when Apple Inc. unveiled two new versions of the iPhone 5. Today's market is glutted with alternatives from Samsung to bargain-priced local brands.

"There was no big change, no surprise at all," said Gu Lanjun, a 29-year-old employee at a Shanghai bank. Having bought the three most recent iPhone models as soon as they were released, she said, "I won't update this time."

That lacklustre reception suggests Apple faces a struggle in defending its shrinking share of China's crowded, increasingly competitive smartphone market and its premium prices.

That matters, because China is a key part of Apple's growth plans. CEO Tim Cook told the official Xinhua News Agency in January he expects this country to pass the United States as its biggest market.

"Apple's market position in China has stagnated," said telecommunications analyst Jan Dawson of the research firm Ovum, in an email.

One problem, he said, might be that Apple's high price limits it to targeting the top market tier, and customers in that segment who want an iPhone already have one.

The two models unveiled this week "will largely be sold to existing subscribers and won't win many converts," Dawson said.

Earlier iPhones became status symbols in China even before they were formally sold here.

Buyers paid hundreds of dollars for handsets brought in from Hong Kong and modified to work on China's phone network. Companies treated them as luxury goods, buying hundreds at a time to give to important customers as Chinese New Year's gifts.

Now, Apple faces increasing competition. Samsung has made inroads into its premium market segment. For the mass market in a country with an average annual income of only about $4,000 per person, less than one-tenth the U.S. level, newcomers such as China's Xiaomi offer smartphones that run Google Inc.'s Android system for as little as 799 yuan ($125).

The rapid growth of the lower segments where Apple doesn't compete has helped to shrink its share of the overall market even as its sales grow.

Apple's share of China's smartphone market fell by nearly half, from 9.1 per cent to 4.8 per cent, over the past year, according to research firm Canalys.

Apple appeared to be trying to capture some of that lower-tier market with this week's announcement of the lower-priced 5C. But the company's website said it will start at 4,488 yuan ($712) in China, well above analysts' expectations of as little as 2,500 yuan ($400).

"People were expecting a much cheaper version to expand the market to the mid-tier segment. But that didn't happen," said analyst C.K. Lu of Gartner Inc. "We don't see much is going on in the China market with this new product launch."

Investors gave Apple's two new iPhones a similarly lukewarm reception.

Shares fell 6 per cent in U.S. trading on Wednesday following the announcement. Apple stock has fallen nearly 30 per cent since peaking at $705.07 when the last iPhone came out.

Apple also disappointed observers by failing to announce an agreement with China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone company by number of subscribers, though Apple had promised no deal.

After this week's announcement that Japan's biggest mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo, would support the new iPhone lineup, China Mobile is the last major holdout. A tie-up would require Apple to create an iPhone that runs on China's homegrown mobile standard but would give it a partner with 750 million subscribers.

The latest iPhone release also marks an upgrading of Apple's marketing in China. For the first time, the new model will be released in China at the same time as it debuts on Sept. 20 in the United States and other major markets such as Britain, Japan and France. In more than 100 other countries, it will not go on sale until December.

But advance orders for the iPhone 5S and 5C have been "much lower" than for previous models, according to Zhang Xue, a saleswoman for China Telecom Ltd., one of two Chinese carriers that support the iPhone.

"Customers are much calmer when they face the new iPhone lineup," Zhang said.

Apple still has plenty of fervent admirers in China, but some complained the latest iPhones offer too few technical advances.

Liu Guanlin, a junior at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy, said he traded up from Samsung Galaxy to an iPhone because Apple's operating system seemed more stable. But he said the 5C didn't look like it would be worth the money.

"I have lots of Apple products, yet my complaint about the iPhone is it lacks innovation," said Liu. "I can't see major breakthroughs in the latest models, which is disappointing."

Others complained Apple failed to live up to its stylish design standards.

"The covers look garish. It will take people back to 10 years ago," said Gu, the Shanghai bank employee. "I would rather wait for the iPhone 6 and if there still is not much change, I will think about switching to another brand." - source

Is Apple iPhone 5C Best Than 5S ?

Now that Apple has officially announced the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, a new question has probably come to mind for anyone in the market for a new phone: Which one should you buy? The iPhone 5S is Apple’s high-end, luxury smartphone, with the aluminum build, fingerprint sensor, and 64-bit architecture to prove it. The iPhone 5C meanwhile, comes clad in five fun plastic colors, and starts at $100 less than the iPhone 5S.


Pre-orders for both phones start on Friday, so you’ve got a little bit of time to figure out which one you want. I’ve compared some of the specs and features for each phone to help you decide which one should end up in your shopping cart.


Siblings, or at least cousins

Let’s start with the similarities, as there are quite a few. The iPhone 5C basically contains the same guts as the iPhone 5, and many of these features carry over to the iPhone 5S. Both phones, for instance, feature a 4-inch retina display. Battery life should be about equal for each device, and each phone has an 8-megapixel camera (though I’ll get to some camera differences in a bit). Also, both phones ship running iOS 7, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
Aluminum? Or plastic fantastic?

So what makes them different? The first, most noticeable difference between the two phones lies in the design. The iPhone 5S features the same aluminum build as the iPhone 5, though Apple is offering it in three colors this time around: gold, gray and silver. The iPhone 5C brings a completely different look to the party. Made of a hard-coated polycarbonate body with a reinforced steel frame, the iPhone 5c comes in five bright colors, which is a big change for Apple.

Compared to the industrial, steely iPhone 5S, the iPhone 5C is like a breath of fresh air. It’s also probably going to sell like hotcakes among smartphone-carrying tweens, so keep that in mind if you’re planning to bring it into the boardroom. Also note that it’s a bit heavier. While both phones measure nearly the same size, the iPhone 5c weighs 4.65 ounces compared to the 3.95-ounce iPhone 5S. It’s not a big difference, but it’s worth considering.

64-bit or bust

The next major disparity lies in the processing power of each device. Though Apple keeps the specific details of its chips under wraps, the iPhone 5S is the first smartphone in the world to be powered by a 64-bit A7 system-on-a-chip. Additionally, Apple has added an M7 motion coprocessor, which handles all of the data from the accelerometer, compass and gyroscope. This should offload some of the work from the A7 and improve power efficiency. It also opens up new doors for more advanced wearable fitness trackers. And according to Apple, these changes make for performance that’s twice as fast as the A6 chip in the iPhone 5C. So if you’re a gamer, a fitness nut, or you just want the fastest iPhone possible, the iPhone 5S represents a significant step up in power.

Two killer cameras

As I mentioned earlier, both phones have an 8-megapixel camera, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The iPhone 5C basically uses the same camera as the iPhone 5, which is a good thing—the iPhone 5 still has one of the best smartphone cameras on the market. But the 5S takes that camera and makes it even better.

The iPhone 5S features an f/2.2 camera as opposed to the 5C’s f/2.4. It also features a larger sensor and uses bigger 1.5-micron pixels, which should make for better sensitivity and low-light performance. The iPhone 5S camera has a new burst mode, as well as the ability to record 120fps 720 slow motion videos.

But perhaps the best new feature is the True Tone flash. The 5S features two different color lights for flash—the traditional bright white along with a new amber light—and automatically combines the two to make for a more natural-looking flash. Would-be photographers, take note: the iPhone 5S is the phone to get.

Say goodbye to swipe-to-unlock

One feature that doesn’t quite fit on the spec chart is the new fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S, which Apple calls Touch ID. This allows you to unlock your phone by simply placing your finger on the home button, rather than entering in an unlock code or swiping to unlock the phone. Better yet, it allows you to enable purchases (like in the App Store) without having to enter a password—just place your fingerprint on the home button and buy away. This makes using the iPhone easier than ever.

Pricing it out

The iPhone 5C comes in 16 or 32GB storage options, while the iPhone 5S adds a 64GB option to the equation. You’ll pay for it, though. A 64GB iPhone 5S costs a whopping $399 with a two-year contract.

But when it comes down to it, the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C are really only $100 apart. You can buy a 16GB iPhone 5C for $99 or you can get a 16GB iPhone 5S for $199 (both of those price are with a two-year contract). Similarly, an unlocked iPhone 5C will cost you $549, while an unlocked iPhone 5S costs $649.

All things considered, I think the iPhone 5S is the better buy here. Think about how much money you spend over the length of a two-year phone contract. If you just have one line, it’s probably close to something like $100. Over the course of two years that’s $2,400, and when you look at it in context, it pays to throw down an extra $100 for a boatload of new and improved features. After all you’re getting a faster processor and a better camera, as well as Touch ID.

Chances are you’ll be carrying this phone for the next two years. So unless you really love the look of brightly colored plastic, I say splurge a bit on the iPhone 5S. That way when Apple announces in the iPhone 6 in a year from now, it won’t burn quite as big a hole in your pocket, begging you to trade it in.

US earmarks P26.4 million for Zamboanga aid

The United States government has set aside $600,000 (roughly P26.4 million) to help address the immediate needs of some 14,000 citizens displaced by the ongoing crisis situation in several areas of Zamboanga City.


In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the US Embassy in Manila said the emergency assistance, which will be released through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is an expression of concern for the well-being of the people of Zamboanga.

“The United States has always been there for the Philippines in times of need, and we continue that tradition today for those suffering in Zamboanga,” said US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr.

According to Ambassador Thomas, through its local partner Growth With Equity in Mindanao (GEM), USAID has procured 5,000 bottles of water, 1,500 sleeping mats, blankets, tooth brushes, toothpaste, buckets, and canned goods for distribution to those in need.

He said the USAID expects to procure a total of 10,000 units of these items to help meet the needs of evacuees.


Additionally, Thomas disclosed that USAID is supporting the local construction of 40 portable toilets and is providing four 500 gallon water tank to ensure better sanitation and access to water for those who have been displaced.

He pointed out that the delivery of these items has been coordinated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) with the support of the US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).


“This coordination of Philippine and US partners for the assistance of people in need, is an example of the close working cooperation between both countries,” Thomas declared as he revealed that the items sent were requested by the local government of Zamboanga City.

“While we continue to pray for calm to prevail and for a peaceful and speedy resolution to this crisis, we are proud to be able to work beside our Philippine colleagues in time of need,” the top US diplomat in the country stated. “I want to commend the people in the local community who are banding together through social media and other means to help their friends and neighbors.”
- source

Smart MyBro 4G WiMAX Green Packet DX-230 GUI

For my curiosity I was able to navigate the GUI (graphical user interface) of this Smart MyBro 4G WiMAX Green Packet DX-230 wireless broadband ODU (out-door-unit) CPE. The web interface is so simple and not so complex with limited menus unlike of those 4G WiMAX CPEs from Huawei Technologies that have been supplied to Globe Telecom ISP.


As you can see this is the login page of this SmartBro MyBro 4G WiMAX Green Packet DX-230 wireless broadband GUI, to be able to access the interface you have to point your fave browser to http://192.168.15.1 with the default username and password as "smart" without quote. The smart username and password has only limited privilege to user only, it can be login also via telnet and ssh to port 23 and 22 respectively.


As I have said the user account has only limited accessibility, on top menus are Status, Networking and Management. Under sub-menu of status are WiMAX Satus, Network Status and Device Status. The things that are visible on WiMAX Status namely are 
System Status: Frequency, BSID, Dev State, Uptime
Link Status: RSSI, CINR R1, CINR R3 TX Power, UL MC5, DL MC5


The Network Status are WAN and LAN such as the IP address, Netmask, Gateway, MAC address, ISP DNS.


On the Device Status you can see the Hardware model, Firmware version, Date and Serial numbers of the CPE.


The Networking main menu only have two sub-menus such as DCHP Server and DDNS, DHCP Server has only three mode this are none, server and relay. It can be also set the DNS manually such as using openDNS or Google DNS.


The DX-230 also support DDNS (dynamic DNS) that has at least six pre-installed this are www.dyndns.org, www.tzo.com, www.dhs.org, www.easydns.com, www.ods.com and www.zoneedit.com.


Similarly on the Management main menu there are only two sub-menus such as Log and Recovery.



The Recovery sub-menu are Backup, Restore and Factory Defaults. Please don't be surprised if you click the Backup sub-menu will redirect you to page error I think this is a bug or a limited to Administrator account only such as root.


The Restore sub-menu is useless because username and password "smart" is limited only to certain feature as you have seen in this screenshot, so there is nothing you can restore with this function.

In addition, the MyBro DX-230 CPE out-door-unit does not support VoIP just like the legacy SmartBro Motorola Canopy Antenna fixed wireless internet broadband.


Lastly, the Factory Default sub-menu will only reset the SmartBro MyBro 4G WiMAX broadband wireless router modem from Green Packet Technology model DX-230 CPE out-door-unit to its original setting.

This will be my next project to dump the firmware of DX-230 CPE via hardware since there is no leak yet on the net to the Administrator privilege such as root and admin username password.

SmartBro: MyBro Green Packet OX-230 Personal Experience

Recently we have just subscribed the new SmartBro wireless broadband a.k.a. MyBro 4G WiMAX wireless broadband the new replacement of the old legacy SmartBro Motorola Canopy antenna fixed wireless internet broadband ODU (out-door-unit).


The Smart MyBro 4G WiMAX is using an ODU from Green Packet Technology Malaysia model OX-230 is an all-in-one device its a modem wireless built-in antenna internally that uses 2.3GHz at the same time a router or a gateway likewise for short a CPE. This CPE is likely behave similar to SmartBro Motorola Canopy antenna except the frequency is 5.7GHz and the power supply is 24Volt DC PoE (power-over-ethernet).


The OX-230 4G WiMAX CPE out-door-unit  has limited Cat5e LAN cable from 10 to 15 meters, white conduit is being placed out side wall mounted for the cable extension of the PoE if the location of the antenna signal gain is very weak. As you can see from this screenshot there are three (3) cable, black cable is from the ODU antenna, yellow-green cable is for the lightning arrester incase there is thunder storm to protect the CPE, while the gray cable is coming from the Power-over-Ethernet for the power supply of the Smart MyBro 4G WiMAX ODU model OX-230.


This is the PoE adapter model MPSE-4803 from MOA Telecom the input is auto volt range from 100-240V that gives a regulated DC output of 48V 320mA. Its a made in China product.


The PoE adapter model MPSE-4803 of Smart MyBro 4G WiMAX ODU from Green Packet Technology Malaysia model OX-230 have two RJ45 ports, one is going to the white conduit or can be directly plug to the out-door-unit CPE, the other port is for the PC/Laptop likewise can be also be plug to wireless access point a.k.a WiFi hotspot.

An additional, the GUI (graphical user interface) of the MyBro 4G WiMAX review can be read here.

Sep 11, 2013

Huawei Echolife BM622m MAC Address Changer

This How-To is a tutorial for changing the MAC Address of Huawei Echolife Bm622m 4G WiMAX wireless broadband modem router.


Step 1. Open your browser and type 192.168.254.1 then Login as user.

Username: user
Password: 0SlO051O

Step 2. Paste this to your browser http://192.168.254.1/advanced/acl.html then tick or check "telnet" and Apply.

Step 3. Click run and type telnet 192.168.254.1


Step 4.

Login : Firefly
Password: $P4mb1h1r4N4m4nT0!!

ATP> sncfg dset WAN_MAC (04:C0:6F:60:AA:AA)
ATP> sncfg dset LAN_MAC (04:C0:6F:60:AA:AB)
ATP> sncfg commit
ATP> sncfg reload
ATP> reboot

Step 5. Copy your WAN MAC address and generate it using WiMAX password generator.


Download Pass Gen here: http://www.mediafire.com/?kkckf8y8mdaw34s

Step 6. Go to http://192.168.254.1/wimax/security.html apply user and pass generated.

Thousands flee on Zamboanga city MNLF firefight crisis

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines: Thousands of residents fled as fresh fighting broke out on Wednesday between Philippine security forces and Muslim rebels, on the third day of a deadly siege in a key southern city, officials said.


At least 13,000 people crammed into Zamboanga city sports stadium seeking safety as soldiers and rebels fought street battles in deserted coastal neighbourhoods nearby, an AFP photographer on the scene said.

"We're trying our best to provide decent facilities for them," governmentsocial worker Beth Dy told AFP, but added the venue only had four portable toilets and no available bedding.

About 5,000 residents from the six communities under siege arrived overnight and some had no choice but to pitch makeshift tents on the grass, she added.

In the settlement of Santa Catalina three kilometres away, Philippine marines exchanged fire on Wednesday with gunmen who were using 10 residents on a roadside as apparent human shields, an AFP photographer said.

One of the residents was waving a white cloth tied to a pole, he added.

People began fleeing the siege areas early Monday when about 180 Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) guerrillas poured into six coastal neighbourhoods of the port city of nearly one million people, triggering firefights with soldiers and police.

The six communities are home to 160,000 mainly Muslim residents, according to local officials, who said about 180 residents were being used as "human shields" by the gunmen.

The siege began four weeks after MNLF founder Nur Misuari declared "independence" for the Muslim regions of the mainly Catholic nation and urged his followers to besiege government installations.

The MNLF ended a 25-year rebellion with a 1996 peace treaty, but Misuari's faction laid a similar deadly siege on Zamboanga in 2001 that led to his imprisonment until 2008, when all charges against him were dropped.

Misuari has since been protesting against a proposed government peace deal with rival rebel faction the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that he said would marginalise the MNLF and violate the terms of the 1996 peace deal.

The latest attack on Zamboanga is led by a top Misuari lieutenant, Habier Malik, and has left 12 people dead and 21 others injured, said military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ramon Zagala.

The latest fatality was an MNLF gunman whose body was recovered in one of the areas where the gunmen are holed up, he said in an interview on ABS-CBN television.

Zamboanga mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar told the station that local officials had been negotiating with Malik to free residents and leave the city, without much success. She said Misuari could not be found.

"Our main priority really is the safety of all the hostages. The military should come in and try to secure the hostages and defend the city from further intrusion," she added.

There has been some confusion over whether the residents are being held against their will and the government on Tuesday said it was investigating whether they were hostages.

"It appears that what happened is not hostage-taking but more of them being turned into human shields by the MNLF forces who entered their communities," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said.

Zagala said the troops only had orders to surround the gunmen at this point, ensure the safety of the residents and prevent the crisis from spreading to other areas.

Nanay Na Si Nene: i-Witness Documentary

Finally, I was able to watch this documentary.. This is a rerun from last year’s episode which piloted the first of October..


video link: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/25703/iwitness/iwitness-nanay-na-si-nene

This is indeed an awareness.. For us to be cautious and for everyone responsible.. Kids aging from 12 to 14 having babies of their own? I honestly wasn’t aware of this scenario until I’ve watched the show.. This is very alarming..

One kid, aged 13 already have twins, her partner just 19, shared sentiments.. He only gets paid P60.00 a day for sewing 100 pot holders.. Their twins are feed with water and a little sugar in it.. Feeding two 5 months old kid with that? I couldn’t say more..

Another is aged 14, and at a very young age, will be having her own child.. She still plays paper dolls.. I mean, how could this happen? When asked if she knows if she’s going to be a mother, that kid only answered, “hindi ko po alam, eto nga po, naglalaro pa ako”..

What is happening? What’s going on?

Bearing a child when the mother is is still one..

This could be a result of poverty? Lack of information on sex? Poor parenting?

For this, no one can be blamed.. I mean, it’s not those kids fault.. Neither are their parents.. Nor the community they inhabit.. This happens, this is reality.. What we can do to prevent the growing number of very young mothers is information and understanding..

To sum it up, disadvantaged background and poor education/employment prospects results more likely for some to have children when they are young..

Whistleblowers in PDAF scam to submit plunder evidence vs Napoles, lawmakers

Whistleblowers in the pork barrel controversy will troop to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday to submit evidence of plunder against businesswoman Janet Napoles and several lawmakers including senators.


The whistleblowers' sworn statements and their annexes, about eight to 10 inches thick, will be used as evidence by the NBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Office of Ombudsman in filing plunder and malversation charges against Napoles and the legislators.

President Benigno Aquino on Tuesday told reporters "there is a possibility" that the plunder charges against Napoles would be filed on Friday.

Levito Baligod, the whistleblowers' counsel earlier told InterAksyon.com that, "We are optimistic that the affidavits will help the DOJ and the Ombudsman build up and strengthen cases against the accused. He added that his camp was hopeful that lawmakers found guilty of plunder or malversation charges "will be detained" for their misdeeds within Aquino's term.

The affidavits will allege, among others, that Napoles and the lawmakers skimmed off millions of pesos in public funds through a scheme involving bogus projects implemented by non-government organizations purportedly fabricated by Napoles.

Baligod on Monday declined to identify the lawmakers named in the affidavits.

The submission of the sworn statements to the DOJ has been delayed since some of the whistleblowers were trapped in Zamboanga City, said Levito Baligod, the whistleblowers' counsel.

Heavy fighting between rebels and government troops have led to class suspensions and flight cancellations to and from Manila and Zamboanga.

Three batches

The first of three batches of affidavits alleges that at least five legislators pocketed anywhere from P54 million to P200 million through a scheme involving fake projects implemented by the NGOs.

Five "subordinates" or "agents" of legislators who allegedly received money from Napoles on behalf of the lawmakers are also named in the first set of affidavits, according to Baligod.

Baligod said the second batch of affidavits would accuse at least 10 more lawmakers of malversation of funds, while the third batch would charge an indefinite number of lawmakers of the same wrongdoing. He said his camp's target would be to complete the submission of all affidavits by end of September.

The first batch of affidavits will include a matrix of the alleged financial transactions between Napoles' purported foundations and the lawmakers. Baligod said the matrix was based on the Excel spreadsheet files kept by main witness and former Napoles employee, Benhur Luy, in his external hard drive.

Luy's spreadsheets were based on Napoles and the foundations' alleged transactions with the lawmakers from 2004 to 2010 recorded through cash vouchers, which had three copies - the white voucher allegedly kept by the businesswoman, the pink kept by Benhur, and the yellow issued to the "customer or client."

The matrix contains the following pieces of information:
  • Name of the lawmakers
  • The projects of the allegedly non-existent NGOs funded through the lawmakers' PDAF
  • Alleged commission or kickbacks received by the lawmakers
  • Details of the Department of Budget and Management-issued special allotment release orders charged against the lawmakers' PDAF allocations
  • The recipients of the alleged kickbacks
  • When and where the alleged kickbacks were received by the lawmakers
  • How the alleged kickbacks were received (through bank transfers, issuance of checks, or personal delivery of cash)
The affidavits are backed up by documents relating to fund transfers and letters to banks "authorizing the branch to debit the account of a foundation and credit it to the account of the legislator," according to Baligod.

He said the details on the bank transactions and issuance of checks could be validated by comparing them to records being kept by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Baligod said there were congressmen named in the affidavits who had allegedly received kickbacks through checks and bank transactions while all accused senators allegedly pocketed kickbacks through personal delivery of cash.

Sep 10, 2013

Smart MyBro Green Packet DX ‘Tower’ and UH ‘Shuttle’ : Stylish Design and Best-in-Class Performance

Green Packet to carries a complete range of award-winning WiMAX modems, offering best-in-class performance and quality to ensure users are always best connected !

Green Packet recently unveiled DX ‘Tower’ WiMAX/WiFi router and UH ‘Shuttle’ WiMAX USB modem which showcased at Booth 29, WiMAX Forum Congress Americas, from 2 – 3 December 2009.

‘Tower’ symbolizes power, communication and strength. ‘Shuttle’ represents exploration, discovery and cutting edge technology at its best.

As you can see booth modems are stylish product design, vivid green color and without loosing the performance.


DX ‘Tower’

DX ‘Tower’ is a WiMAX/WiFi router which more advanced than its predecessor Green Packet DV-230. You don’t have to plug additional USB Adaptor anymore to share WiMAX connection through WiFi to multiple users.


Green Packet hide DX ‘Tower’s Dual Omni antenna nicely but still get 5dBi Antenna Gain which boasts up to 20Mbps throughput.

DX ‘Tower’ equipped with 2 LAN ports (RJ-45), 2 VoIP ports (RJ-11) and support for phone and fax transmission over IP network

Green Packet DX ‘Tower’ are available for 2.3GHz (DX230), 2.5GHz (DX250) and 3.5GHz (DX350).

You can download DX ‘Tower’ Flyer (PDF)


UH ‘Shuttle’

UH ‘Shuttle’ is a WiMAX USB modem with fixed and nomadic capability. Green Packet boasts it’s the world’s first high gain USB modem supporting both fixed and nomadic WiMAX.

Also it has Suction Cup to hang in to window or wall for better in door coverage and also 5 meter USB cable which long enough to sitting away from the window without loosing WiMAX signal.


UH ‘Shuttle’ also has Dual Omni antenna (1Tx,2Rx) with 5dBi Antenna Gain which boasts up to 30Mbps throughput.

Green Packet UH ‘Shuttle’ are available for 2.3GHz (UH235) and 3.5GHz (UH350).

You can download UH ‘Shuttle’ Flyer (PDF)

Both DX ‘Tower’ and UH ‘Shuttle’ apparently use MediaTek WiMAX SoC (System-on-a-chip).

Green Packet plans to market DX ‘Tower’ and UH ‘Shuttle’ in Asia, MEA and Europe. In Asia definitely for P1 WiMAX Malaysia.

OFWs to stage ‘Zero Remittance Day’ stir

MANILA As many as 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are to join the planned ‘Zero Remittance Day’ to dramatise their protest against the alleged misuse of $250 million allocated to lawmakers to help improve the lives of poor Filipinos particularly those living in the countryside, according to organisers.

Eman Villanueva, the secretary-general of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong-Migrante, reported that OFW groups based in the Middle East, Europe, North America and other neighbouring countries in Asia have expressed support for the protest set on September 19.

Villanueva pointed out “Our money is not meant to feed the greed of the corrupt and the plunderers. The billions of dollars of remittance that we send and the billions of pesos more generated from the long list of fees that the government charges from OFWs … are not meant to keep a thriving corrupt system of governance.”

Villanueva was referring to the alleged $250 million scam involving the annual “pork barrel” allocation of lawmakers.

Congress has renamed the allocation the Priority Development Assistance Fund apparently to deodorise the stench it created as one of the major sources of corruption among lawmakers.

The scam was allegedly masterminded by detained businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles who set up fake non-government organisations (NGOs) through which these funds were channeled to help poor Filipinos in rural areas.

However, state auditors said that they uncovered a paper trail in which the intended beneficiaries like farmers did not receive assistance such as free kits containing certified seeds and fertilizers to help them increase their yields.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee said initial investigation showed that three senior members of the chamber – former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, former Senate president protempore Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Ramon Revilla – channeled most of their PDAF allocations worth more than $5 million annually, to the fake Napoles NGOs.

Abigail Valte, the deputy presidential spokesman, said the OFWs and other concerned Filipinos were free to choose the platform they want to air their grievances and advocacies against the government.

But Valte also pointed out that, if evidence would warrant, President Benigno Aquino has already ordered the filing of appropriate criminal charges against the lawmakers and others involved including the non-bailable plunder complaint which also carries the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Sep 6, 2013

My First Post After Vacation

To all my avid guests, readers and commentators I would like to ask an apologized to all of you guys for being not able to reply all your comments, request  and inquiry. As of today this is my first post after my twenty-five (25) days vacation outside the country. As I write this post I am still in this NAIA Terminal 3 (Manila) right in this corner of Passenger Holding Area waiting for my flight bound to my hometown tomorrow morning at 5:45 AM.


Luckily I have brought my Huawei Echolife BM622i 4G WiMAX Broadband wireless modem router with me, its from Globe Telco ISP and was able to hooked to the internet with average connection. I didn't depend on the free WiFi here coz' its so slow and opted to intermittent connection. My TP-Link TL-MR3040 portable battery operated pocket wireless router  provides my wireless connectivity to my  Asus X44H lappy and to my Cherry Mobile Magnum HD smartphone. The good thing is that my Rapoo model:1620 wireless invisible optical mouse helps me navigate the web browsing and clicking it even without the mousepad I can moved it comfortably.





Here are few shots taken by my Canon DLSR Rebel T3 were I bought last December at Low Yat Plaza, I have re-sized the photos to 30% using ACDSee photo editor b'coz its too huge 4.7Mb something can take time uploading it.


An additional, there are atleast four to five 4G wireless APs of Globe Telecom here at NAIA Terminal 3 at this corner were I sit now and the RSSI is ranging from 66dBm to 120dBm depending on how your Huawei Echolife BM622i 4G WiMAX wireless broadband router orientation to get the better signal to the APs.

Hopefully guys by tomorrow onwards I can already reply all your request, comments and inquiries on this blog. Thank you for being my avid blog readers. Enjoy!