Category Archives: Technology

How my journey with Sam started

I held it the very first time June 1st this year…finally after waiting patiently for 6 months. Well, it was almost a difficult delivery. It was supposed to be due end of May, but came out a couple of days later, hehehe.

I could barely wait to unpack my SGS3. I was on the way to the airport to catch my flight for Finland when I got the call that my order was ready for pick up. I could have waited until I get back from my vacation in Vakaati…but no. I didn’t want to wait longer. In the plane, I tried to disregard the white box…but I couldn’t. An hour after take off, I finally gave in. I opened the box hoping that I could already tinker with it. Can you imagine the shock I got, when I realized that I couldn’t even insert my sim card in the sim card slot. It uses a micro sim card. Hurray! Typical me, I didn’t even bother to check it out in the first place. But heck, no trouble. There are two ways to get my sim-card easily converted into a micro simcard. Either go to the service provider (or order online from the service provider) for a micro simcard and pay 15€ (E-Plus) for it. Second option is to re-size the sim card by cutting it from all sides to make it fitting into the micro sim card slot. Just make sure that the chip (that golden yellow thingy in the middle of the sim card) does not get cut or even scrapped. Both ways work of course.

Lucky me, I have two extra sim cards. I just cut one first, to see if it would work. And it did! I could already tinker with my phone while I was on vacation. I downloaded all the apps I could get my hands on… at least what was necessary for me came down first. By the time I came back to Germany, my phone was half ready for me to use as my all around buddy. Locked and secured… I started my journey with Sam.

The thing is, hubby is also a gadget freak… so every time I came home from work, he would ask me for Sam and then would install stuff in it as well that hubby thinks I would be needing one day. Good thing too, so I don’t have to worry about it if the need arises. Yes, I am spoiled by him on this matter. He thinks of what else I would be need in terms of apps. Books, movies, music, navigation maps… anything!

Then, suddenly, one day… I couldn’t go online with Sam. I was so irritated that I had to go to other places just to make sure if it was Sam which is the problem or if it was just an overload of online users. Sometimes it really happens in the town where I live. We would loose connection and when we report it to the provider, they would come with an excuse “that the line is at the moment overloaded…” oh well!

I think it was like for almost four days, I didn’t have internet connection with Sam. Irritating! Annoying! Frustrating! YES… I’m sure most of you know how that feels. But after some days, it started working again, at places where I seldom go, but not at the place where I am almost 9 hours a day. Somehow it is blocked there.

We tried calling the hotline number of our service provider, but the person on the other end of the line also couldn’t explain to us what is wrong. Solution: We changed internet service provider for Sam. Now I have whats app, viber, chikka, ym and skype connection all the time for the small amount of 260 Php per month. There goes the big cut on extra expenses like high phone call bill and prepaid load for my Globe roaming. Advantage: I’m reachable anytime, all the time. One can text me through Whats App, or Chikka messenger or call me also through Viber, Skype. Email, YM FB-chat no problem….of course, that’s if I my battery does not die on me when I am on the road or if I don’t forget to turn on my Mobile data connection,… *wink*.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 fever

It’s out and hopefully by the end of the month it’s already in the market… the Samsung Galaxy S III. I’ve been waiting for this phone since early this year. I lost my smartphone when I was on vacation in the Philippines. So when I got back here in Germany, I had to make do with an antique one.

It’s difficult, coz, i was already very dependent on my smartphone. Calendar schedules, contacts, memos and notes, Navi and of course internet on the go. I must admit, these last few months have been somewhat strange for me going around without my smartphone. I felt like somehow incomplete.

But now, the wait is almost over. My new buddy is already pre-ordered online.

Read more about the specs of the new Samsung Galaxy SIII here.

Watch the event here.

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Re-setting Nokia E61

What is the normal life span of a cellular phone? I ask this because, just yesterday, something strange happened to my old Nokia E61. As I was organizing and cleaning out my contacts, the phone just suddenly died. It made one last long blink and suddenly was off. I thought perhaps the battery was down or something. I plugged the phone directly to charge it again but it was not reacting at all. So I changed the battery to my stand by battery that I ordered a few months back. I tried to turn it on, but it wouldn’t budge anymore. I searched online on how to reset the phone. It didn’t matter that I would loose all my data in it, I have a back up anyway in my computer. I tried what was suggested online. To press buttons 3 + * + green button + power button at the same time until the Nokia sign would show up.

It didn’t work. It was really frustrating that I couldn’t get it working again. I also searched online for a licensed Nokia Shop in the area where I live or any Licensed Nokia repair center somewhere in Frankfurt am Main area and of course in Wetterau area, but I didn’t find any. There are one or two shops with phone number listings but when I tried to call them, the number does not exist anymore. Either that or the shops has closed down already. I also called the Nokia hhotline number to ask for assistance, at least maybe they could tell me where I can get the phone repaired, but the call center agent could only give me the numbers that I already tried to call earlier, which does not exist. Darn!

Okay, maybe I should just give up and just start thinking of getting a new one. But the phone was really good. I used it to it’s full capacity. It was really very helpful to me. I couldn’t even imagine my life without it anymore. That’s why I can’t imagine getting a new one. But maybe I should just do it. Resign to the fact that even this material thing also has an expiration date. I mean, if people expire, why not gadgets or material things?

So, I left the phone lying on my desk for a while and started searching the net for a new phone. If not the same, probably a better one. After sometime, I ended being partial to an Android phone. As I was musing, and surfing my hand wondered to where my Nokia E61 was. I looked at it again and tried to reset it again. Left it on a while longer and suddenly… it came back to life.

Now, I am busy with the task of installing some applications that would be useful to me. I may have to leave some out, so as not to overload it with apps like before. I have to be very gentle with it now. I feel like handling a newly operated person. Not too much movements. All no-no’s has to be watched out for.

Finally, it is almost complete. Now, about the Android thing… I think it can still wait for a bit.

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Being in-between jobs can be fun too

I have been out of work for some months now. Finally I gathered the courage to get out of my comfort zone and I did. Honestly, it was also triggered by a conflict at work with one colleague. Then, the rest just followed.

I admit that sometimes I do miss waking up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare for work, but on the hand, I would not trade what I have for now with anything else. Oh, yes and hubby is also busy looking out for places to go to and is already busy booking short vacations for the next 6 months or so.

I think he has already Italy, Malta and Costa del Sol in mind. Italy is booked, Malta and Costa, well, can still be changed. Depends on the availability of a Marriott Vacation Club Resort in the area. Time frame is also already fixed. Hopefully, I would still be off work by the time all these planned vacations take place.

So, aside from household chores and some errands that has been waiting for me since more than a week now, I haven’t been busy with anything else. Oh, I did catch up on my reading and cooking, trying out new recipes. I have also been quite busy tinkering with my Nokia N97. I got the new phone early this year and haven’t really fully maximized on using if not all, at least most of its outstanding features. Getting all the applications available for my phone unit via OVI or downloading it in my computer and then installing it manually in my phone is like a snap of my fingers for me. Too easy, I tell you. This new generation phones are really getting better and better. Organizer, Internet, Navigation (GPS) and normal telephoning, sure. But, having Psiloc World traveller, for example, or using Fring with it gives me the kick… hehe. Facebook, YouTube and the likes i have tried by just connecting via Wlan. Having several messenger features registered and open at the same time is something i just found out some time ago. For example, I can be online in my
yahoo messenger, msn messenger, googletalk, skype and Twitter at the same time via Fring.com with my phone. Oh yeah, getting radio transmitted to the mobile phone is quite common, but to use the phone as Transmitter to your car radio is really interesting. If I don’t happen to like listening to the radio in my car, I just switch on to the correct wavelength and transmit all my favorite songs saved in my phone and listen to it via the car stereo speakers. Cool, right. Although, I guess some of you have already a car stereo that can also play mp3 files by just inserting a usb stick to it. I do have an old car and I neither have iPod nor Mp3 player in my car, so I have to have make do with the best that I got, right?! I am really happy with it though. I couldn’t wish for a better toy for now than what I have.