Category Archive

First Impression: This thing is a brick compared to my good ol’ LG G2 ZenFone 2 Official Shots As much as I hate admitting it, my LG G2’s charging port was broken and it could no longer be detected by PCs. The service center I’ve been to said that the channel responsible for connecting the disk to the PC broke and replacements were needed. The phone was usable, but since somehow LG made the G2 lollipop update exclusive to PC Suite (although Samsung and other manufacturers deliver it via OTA), my G2 is stuck at KitKat. Fortunately, my father, who has been setting his eyes on my G2 due to its OIS-equipped camera, offered me an alternative. He had just bought the ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML with 4GB RAM and offered me to trade it with the G2. I accepted the offer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the G2 and I don’t want to lose it. However, there are times when you need to say good bye. Now my G2 is in my father’s good hands. Okay, that story aside, let’s talk about the new handset. My first impression said it all. The new smartphone looks like a brick …

Illustrations of Wearables Wearables? Yeah, that’s the current tech trend. Pioneered by proprietary systems (like Nike’s Fuel Band, Pebble’s Smartwatch, and Sony’s own SmartWatch prior to SW3), wearables now have various looks and operating systems. Even major mobile OSes like Android and iOS have their own wearable platform (Android Wear and Apple Watch). Sure, they’re quite expensive and their usefulness is still in question. However, what if you want to try out one? It’s always exciting to try out something new, isn’t it? Enter the MiBand. This fitness tracker wearable manufactured by a new major phone manufacturer comes with a quite attractive design, compact size, and interchangeable bands should you ever get bored of it. What’s more is that it comes with a low price, approximately U$17 compared to other similar fitness wearables. So, how does the new wearable compare to your hard-earned cash? Let’s find out. The Package The package is neat, small, and simple When you want to review something, the first thing you look at is the package. It gives the impression to the reviewer of what to expect… and Xiaomi certainly does the right job. Why, because it captures your attention immediately with that color and …

Update: Thanks to a feedback from a reader (+CharlesAlva), I’ve discovered a few bugs that may hinder with user experience. I’ve just updated the article to uncover those bugs. Update 2: I’ve managed to update to stock ROM (not user debug). I’m going to post the steps I went through to install it later today. Stay tuned.Update 3: Something came up. I can’t post it today. I’m going to post it in a few days. I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience.Update 4: It’s Up! You can read it here. Enjoy! In Indonesia, people of higher society has one interesting stereotype: local brands are inferior compared to imported brands. This stereotype is applied not only to food and fashion items (some excluded), but also to electronic devices as well. Most higher end people wouldn’t even bat an eye for local products. Most of them would rather just take a Samsung or an iPhone instead. However, I think that’s about to change, thanks to an initiative by Google which were launched last year, Android One. Android One is a set of devices aimed at first-time smartphone buyers or those who look for budget smartphones. For this low-budget category, Google has been partnering with local handset …

Another day, another review. Well, not actually. This is my first review after a few months of being inactive. Anyway, today I’m going to review an external battery unit or a portable charger (or a power bank, some might say) by MiLi: the Power Prince Plus. I am aware that this might be an old product, but since I got it on a steep discount (approximately U$13), it shouldn’t hurt to get one and review it immediately. Okay, before moving to the review, let’s cover the surface first. This unit is capable of holding 6,000mAh of charge, allowing it to almost fully charge an iPad once or a smartphone once to three times, depending on the battery. Oh yes, and this device is also certified for use in Apple’s iDevice lineups, so you shouldn’t be afraid to use it on your iPhones, iPods, or iPads. That’s it for the basics. Hit the break if you want to read the full review. Happy reading 😀 The Package The box is pretty neat for a spare battery unit, which isn’t a surprise since MiLi is considered as one of the premium battery brands in the market (at least in Indonesia).The package is …

HUB3 Official Image of Retail Package Honestly, I’ve never thought that I would ever need a USB hub. In case you don’t know what a USB Hub is, it’s an accessory that allows you to ‘multiply’ one of your USB ports to more than one (usually 4 ports). Anyway, I thought that way because my old Dell Inspiron has 4 USB ports. That’s more than enough for me. In fact, I was surprised that there are only a handful of laptops that actually have 4 USB ports, regardless which version of USB it has. Now, I have two additional computers: a MacBook Pro and an Acer Iconia W510 tablet. Both of them have limited USB ports; in fact, I have to use an OTG cable for the latter. That fact forces me to finally turn to USB Hub. Yesterday, on Christmas day, I came across this little product. It’s pretty rare to see a hub that uses USB 3.0 ports, so I decided to take a look. It was a little bit pricey, but I thought it was going to be worth it in the coming years. USB 3.0 devices may still be limited in number, but it would eventually …

BlackBerry Battery Bundle Press Shot Ah, it’s been a while since I wrote my last review in this blog. Well, that’s because I don’t have anything new to review, and the time to write it. College life has made me crazy… Anyway, I’m back to the review world with this accessory made especially for BlackBerry. I know that in less than 10 hours, this thing will be obsolete thanks to the new BB10 but heck, upgrading isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I’m planning to keep my good 9930 until BB10 is proven solid, and has a QWERTY keyboard. BlackBerry isn’t BlackBerry without the best QWERTY keyboard in the market. And so, I think God also supports my plan for not upgrading :p. A few days ago, I found this little thing on my father’s desk. It was… fortunate, very, since I was looking for a way to charge my spare battery on the go. I asked him if I could have it, and he said yes, which gives me that childish smile in my face :p. What’s unfortunate was that it’s missing the Y-Cable, which should’ve come with the bundle, and the battery unit. But heck, I’ve already had the …

Beautiful, isn’t it? Okay, so I know that this mouse has seen the light of the world for almost three years now (it’s introduced in late October, 2009), but I’ve just got my brand new Mac, and I thought I might give this baby a try. Besides, I’m still struggling on how to refine my written English skills :p It’s not cheap… not cheap at all, especially considering the price after you convert them to Rupiah. So, is this baby worth your hard-earned cash? Let’s find out after the break 😀 The Package As beautiful as it looks, it’s also packaged beautifully When you first get it from the store, you’ll get a cardboard box filled with hard sponge. Within is where your mouse is hiding (this packaging might vary depending on the store). The sexy mouse is packaged in a transparent, rounded rectangle-shaped plastic jewel case. The contents can be seen from the picture below: Don’t mind the book, just look at what that beautiful case contains :p In the box, you’ll get the Magic Mouse itself, a short quick-start guide, warranty notice, and a few technical Bluetooth papers. If you turn your case around, you’ll see the manual …

HR950B Modem Poster If you guys happen to live in Indonesia, you ought to know a telcom provider Smartfren. It’s actually a merge between two telco companies, Smart and Fren. Both of them were in CDMA platform. Smartfren is actually the first provider to have EV-DO Rev.B Phase 2 connection, which promises to bring high-speed internet experience up to 14.7 Mbps download, and 5.1 Mbps upload. I’ve managed to get one of their latest Wi-Fi router a week ago, and I guess it’s indeed fast, rather than any GSM connections I’ve tried. I’m not going to hammer down the connection rate, though… since the Rev. B is only available in select province… for now. Okay, so is this router worth the price? Let’s find out! 😀 Initial Look-up: Pros The design is pretty, and the packaging is quite efficient. External antenna for better wireless range. Support WAN, LAN, Ethernet (up to 3 computers). Wi-Fi radio can still be active even though LAN cable is connected. USB Port for powering USB device, or for cloud storage (requires an USB flash drive). Support voice calls and SMS. Cons Heating is still an issue after a prolonged use. Voice calls require a separate …