How to create a favorites playlist on Creative Zen MicroPhoto
Topic: Movie/Music
1. Find and play the first track you want to add to your Favorites playlist.

2. At the Now Playing screen, press the lower-left Back/Menu button.

3. At the top-level menu, go into Music Library and find the next track (must be an individual track, not a group like Album or Artist) you want to add to your Favorites playlist.

4. With the desired track's name highlighted, press the lower-right Options button.

5. Click Add to Selected on the pop-up menu. This adds the highlighted track to the Now Playing music list. You can bring up this Now Playing list at the Now Playing screen by tapping the vertical scroll bar.

6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for each of the other favorite tracks you want to add. Take care not to accidentally tap the Play button, or all your efforts would go wasted! (Stupid Creative design)

7. After you've added all your tracks, go back to the Now Playing screen.

8. Tap the lower-right Options button.

9. Select Save As Playlist. Then give the playlist a name like "favs".

You are done. To add new tracks to an existing playlist, do the following:

i. On the top-level menu, go into Music Library -> Playlists -> {your playlist} and then just press Play on a track on this playlist.

ii. Follow steps 2 - 9 from above. In step 9, be sure to type in the same name as your current playlist. When prompted "overwright?" choose yes.

As you can see, this is quite a stupid way of creating a playlist. The worst part is, the playlist is temporary as you add tracks, and if you accidentally pressed something wrong, you whole effort went down the drain and you'd have to start all over again. I hate my Creative Zen Microphoto. Why did I waste money on this piece of shit?

Creative Technology, you are a bunch of totally stupid apes. I hope you go out of business soon. Then I'll be forced to buy an iPod, which I hate but at least which seems to have an intuitive interface.

PS3 coming in November
Topic: Video games
MSNBC reports that the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) is coming to the U.S. on Nov. 17, in time for the holiday season (but probably short in supply for the first few months). At $499 and up it's not cheap at all, but I'll definitely get one.

Who'd have thought?
Topic: Software
Of course, this is already old news: Apple Computer last week released "beta" software that allows Mac OS X users to install Windows XP native on Intel-based Macs. Wow... does this mean Apple is going to turn itself into another Wintel maker? I certainly hope so. I was a big Mac fan for about seven years, until Apple's poor quality control and even poorer (and arrogant) customer (dis)service, coupled with the paucity of gadgets available for their platform, drove me away. But if they can build a better Wintel, both quality-wise and styling-wise, than IBM and HP and the others, and sell it competitively, I'd definitely consider getting an Apple PC next time. In the meantime, I'm still dying to buy a lightweight Tablet PC from Fujitsu or Toshiba. (No money, man...)

Cool website dedicated to Microsoft technologies
Topic: Software
Found a cool website called Microsoft Gadgets. Lots of unofficial stuff to play with.

Tracfone's referral program is a sham
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Amore (Andrea Bocelli)
Topic: Wireless/cellular
Tracfone's referral program, whereby you are supposed to get 100 free airtime minutes when you are either referred by an existing Tracfone user or referring someone else to Tracfone, is a sham. I was referred by someone but I did not get my 100 minutes after the promised 48 hours. After 5 days I e-mailed Tracfone but never received a reply. Finally I called them and was transferred three times before a representative in the "refer-a-friend department," speaking with an Indian accent, gave me the minutes after putting me hold for 5-10 minutes.

Then I referred two friends a week ago but neither they nor I have received any free-minute credit. Is Tracfone's referral program nothing but a big lie?

I won't refer anybody to Tracfone again. They are going to hate me for "misleading" them or hate me for making them jump through so many hoops in order to get a few free minutes. Tracfone's basic rates are just too high, compared to Virgin Mobile or Beyond Wireless or 7-Eleven's Speak Out Wireless.

Unlocked Motorola C155 cell phone available on Amazon
Topic: Wireless/cellular
I love the tiny Motorola C155 color cell phone I got for Tracfone, and I love receiving SMS text messages on it. (Sending an SMS costs 0.3 minutes.)

But I was told by one website that this phone cannot be unlocked to use with a non-Tracfone SIM card.

Then, I found an unlocked C155 for sale on Amazon; you can access it by clicking here. It costs $90, though.

Motorola C155 cell phone for Tracfone prepaid service
Topic: Wireless/cellular
The Motorola C155 cell phone is a super-cheap (<$30) cell phone that works with Tracfone, the Mexican company that claims to be the largest prepaid cellular carrier in the U.S. (Tracfone carries its calls on Cingular and T-Mobile's GSM networks.) The C155 is very small, very light, and very easy to use. It has good voice quality, too.

You can e-mail me to find out how to get 100 free airtime minutes when you buy a new Tracfone phone. E-mail me before you activate the phone (you can still buy from any vendor such as Motorola C155), as you'll need the instructions as well as a unique referral link. (I also get 100 free minutes for each referral I sign up.)

Update: I just found out that the Moto C155 I had bought from Tracfone is locked, meaning it will not accept non-Tracfone SIM cards. As with all locked GSM phones, it can probably be easily unlocked when you take it to someone with the know-how, probably for a fee.

The phone is really cool and cute. I love it. But nothing beats my regular Sprint phone, the venerable Sanyo MM-8300 multimedia camera phone.

Update again: I really love my C155. And this phone goes with Tracfone's "single-rate" plan (it's not your choice; they just put the C155 on this plan), I get to receive text messages for free. So now my MSN Messenger buddies can text-message me from Messenger, and I send myself appointment alerts via Hotmail's Calendar feature. I love my C155!

TV wrist watch - the coolest gadget on Earth!
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Something by Bach
Topic: HDTV
I just got a wrist watch-sized TV! It's a "Wearable TV" made by NHJ Limited of Tokyo, Japan. The company actually went bankrupt a few months ago, but their TV watch is just incredibly cool. It's probably the only TV watch in the world, at least definitely the only one outside of Japan. (Seiko might have one, but I don't think so.) It's only $69!

I posted some pictures of the TV watch on Amazon.com; you can find it here.

STi Mobile = fradulent business practice
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Wireless/cellular
A couple weeks ago I bought a Sanyo 200 cell phone sold by STi Mobile, a Flushing, NY-based prepaid cellular provider that carries calls over the Sprint PCS network. At the time I did a lot of research and believed STi Mobile's 12-cents-a-minute plan was one of the best.

Well, probably starting this month, these crooks at STi started charging customers a ten-cent daily surcharge, without warning the customers first or even mentioning this on their homepage. In fact, if you go to their website you'll have to click on the Plan 1 link and look very carefully to even see this. I can't believe in addition to the $5 activation fee I paid, I'm now forced to buy $3 or more a month just to keep the account.

I called their customer service and they admitted they had not alerted their customers about this new daily surcharge. Apparently their other customers are just starting to find out, too. Prepaid customers usually look for the best value, and I'm sure STi Mobile will have a lot of angry customers. I hope some lawyers will file a suit against this fraudulent company.

So, absolutely stay away from STi Mobile. They are a bunch of crooks.

How to check your Speak Out Wireless account balance
Topic: Wireless/cellular
If you have 7-Eleven's prepaid cellular service, called Speak Out Wireless (not spelled Speakout Wireless), here's hwo you can check your account balance without having to make a call:

- Dial 611 from your Speak Out Wireless cell phone. This is a free call to their automated system. You can check balance or add airtime.

- Dial *777# and Speak Out will send you a text message. This costs 5 cents per message.

- Call (866)310-1023 from any phone (except most pay phones) and speak to a customer service rep (not an automated system).

I use an unlocked triband Sony Ericsson Z500a flip camera phone with Speak Out. I actually got my account last year at a 7-Eleven store, but after my airtime expired I sold the Sony Ericsson T227 phone (you have to buy a starter kit with a phone and $10 airtime). That was almost a year ago, but as I'd always wanted a world phone (most other countries use GSM), I bought the unlocked Z500a from Amazon.com and put my SIM card in it. Lo and behold, my account was still active! All I had to do was add $25 to it. I can now keep an unlocked cell phone and use it for occasional text messaging (at 5 cents apiece) until I travel to Asia or Europe again.

Posted by gadgester at 9:57 AM EST

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Shocking: burned CDs to last just 2 years
Topic: Movie/Music
For anyone (like myself) who backs up important files to CDs and DVDs, here's a big shocker: home-burned CDs and DVDs may not last more than five, and usually just two, years! Here's the story, definitely worth checking out.

Great-quality cell phone
Mood:  happy
Topic: Wireless/cellular
Last Sunday when I was having a bowl of hot, yummy Cantonese-style roast duck noodle soup at a Chinese restaurant, I accidentally dropped my one-month-old Sanyo MM-8300 cell phone for Sprint in the soup.

As the phone sank to the bottom of the bowl, my heart sank, too. I fished out the phone as quickly as I could, but it had already immersed in the duck-flavored hot bath.

Right away I could see that the phone was still working fine, but as a precaution, I immediately powered it down. I wiped the phone dry with paper napkins and went to the bathroom to blow-dry it as well.

Guess what? My phone survived the duck soup bath totally fine! This is just amazing and is a testament to the great quality of Sanyo's phones. I've been using Sanyo cell phones for the last 5 years and have been very happy with each one of them. Now I'm even more impressed with their reliability. I'll keep buying Sanyo phones in the future.

(On the other hand, I'm not all too happy with Sprint's cellular service, but that's a different story.)

Important: Nikon d-SLR battery recall
Topic: Digital cameras
A month ago Nikon USA announced a voluntary recall of the Nikon EN-EL3 LiIon battery used in the Nikon D70, D50 and D100 digital SLR cameras. All EN-EL3 batteries not made in Japan are subject to this recall. Nikon took this step after receiving four reports of short-circuit explosions.

Details about the recall are here. Nikon will pay for all expenses for shipments of the recalled battery as well as a new replacement battery. They use UPS so it should pretty convenient for the customers.

Microsoft GPS receiver is very accurate
Now Playing: Priscilla C. (best female singer!)
Topic: GPS
In my Dec. 3 updated review of the Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS Locator, I mentioned that the included Pharos GPS receiver does not have WAAS (or DGPS) enhancement capabilities. As I always mentioned in passing, this is not a real concern, because WAAS and DGPS only work when you can see the horizon, which is not the case for most driving situations.

Anyway, I'm amazed at how accurate the Pharos receiver is. Two days ago I was walking around the Harvard Yard with my Sharp Actius MM20 and the GPS receiver in hand. The GPS accurately tracked I was the whole time, and when I was about 3 meters (10 feet) away from a law school building, the map showed my location exactly: that I was right in front of a building! As I walked around the law school buildings -- catching the attention of an alert security guard -- I was just amazed at how the GPS and the Streets & Trips mapping software worked so well together.

The package is on sale at Amazon, so get it soon!

Gift card gotchas
Topic: Hot deals
If you are considering buying a gift card season, i highly recommend you read this informative article first:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2005/11/when_is_a_50_ch.html

Good thing I did, for I was going to buy a $50 bank-issued gift card, so reading the article saved me quite some money (and frustrations down the road).

How to turn your Internet PC into a wireless access point
Topic: Wireless/cellular
(This article copyright 2005 "gadgester", owner of the domain gadgester.com as well as this blog)

If you have an Internet-connected PC but do not have a wi-fi (wireless) router -- aka access point, or AP -- yet, you don't need to rush out and buy a wi-fi router. No, I'm not suggesting you "steal" your neighbor's Internet connection -- that's illegal, my friend.

Instead, assuming cost-saving is not your primary goal, I describe a way to turn your Internet-enabled PC into a wi-fi access point, so you can use a wi-fi-capable laptop to surf the Internet. You can turn any Internet-enabled PC into an AP: your home PC, a hotel PC (assuming you can install some software), your friend's PC at home, etc.

To my knowledge this is the first time this procedure has been described in detail on the web. Please do not plagiarize my article. If you want to publish my findings, you must get my permission from gadgester @t h0tmail.

Here we go. (You'll also learn how to manually turn on the Internet Connection Sharing, or ICS, feature in Windows XP or Windows 2000. I'll use Windows XP as my example; it's very similar in Windows 2000.)

1. You need a small piece of hardware called ZyXEL AG-225H Wi-Fi Finder and USB Adapter. This amazing gum-sized wi-fi adapter acts as a wi-fi finder (sniffing out nearby APs), wi-fi client adapter (so you can access an AP), as well as a wi-fi AP. It's the last feature that we'll exploit here.

2. Install the ZyXEL in your Internet-connected Windows XP system. It's pretty straightforward; just follow the Quick Start Guide that comes with the product.

3. Run the ZyXEL set-up utility. On the main screen, choose "Access Point Mode."

4. You can either modify the default profile, or add a new one. Let's edit the default. Just click "Properties(P)". Go through "Basic Settings" to set up SSID, mode and channel (do not hide SSID for now). Leave the other settings (advanced, security, MAC filter) unchanged for now. You can edit them later once your connection works.

5. We now need to turn on the powerful Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature on this Internet-connected PC, which I'll call the host PC. Note that your host PC may be connected to the Net via LAN, cable or DSL modem, dial-up modem, or an Ethernet router. It can be even wireless! (Why you would set up a second AP this way in the latter case is beyond me.) Supposedly you can run XP's Network Wizard (Control Panel -> Netowrk Wizard) to set up all the PCs to enable ICS. But I'll describe how to do it manually, as the Network Wizard way didn't make sense to me.

6. Go to Start -> Network Connections. Be sure to ignore the "Internet Gateway" section at the top if there is one. Now, under "LAN or High-Speed Internet," you need to identify which connection is connected to the Internet. It's most likely the one called "Local Area Connection." Under the name, you should see the name of the physical, hardware Ethernet adapter (e.g., "Broadcom," etc.).

7. Right-click "Local Area Connection" (or whatever the Internet-enabled connection is called; again, not the Internet Gateway section!!). Go to the "Advanced" tab. In the "Internet Connection Sharing" (voila!) section, turn on the "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" option. Leave the second option ("Allow other network uers to control...") unchecked (i.e., disabled). Click OK to close this dialog box. You'll see the words "Connected, Shared" under "Local Area Connection" in the Network Connections window. Now ICS is running on the host PC.

8. Go to your wi-fi-capable laptop. Turn on wi-fi and you should see your ZyXEL's SSID. If you don't, make sure the ZyXEL utility is running right on your host PC and the ZyXEL adapter is inserted securely into a USB port.

9. Right now you have wi-fi connection but you can't get on the Internet yet, as ICS doesn't think you are "certified" yet. On the laptop, go to Network Connections (Start -> Network Connections).

10. Right click your Wireless Network Connection icon. Select Properties. On the "General" tab, select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" on the list in the middle. Click Properties.

11. Here you need to type in a few numbers. First, choose "Use the following IP address" option. This also turns on the "Use the following DNS server addresses below." Now, in the first section (IP address), type in the following:

IP address: 192.168.0.102
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.0.1

The subnet mask and gateway numbers must be as shown here. For the last digit in the IP address (102 here), you can put in a number between 2 and 254. I suggest something like 100-150 for maximum compatibility.

12. Go back to your host PC for a minute. On the Windows desktop, press the key combination Window (between Ctrl and Alt on the left) + R. A Run window pops up. Next to "Open:", type cmd (case-insensitive). This calls up the DOS prompt. There, type ipconfig /all (again, case-insensitive). The numbers you are looking for are in the section for your Internet connection on the host computer (remember where to find it?). Usually the section is called "Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection." The numbers you are looking for are labeled "DNS Servers." Find those numbers. There should be two sets of them.

13. Back to the laptop (client PC). In the DNS server addresses section, type in those two sets of IP addresses from the host PC's DNS Servers section. Click OK, then OK again.

You are done! Now just launch IE on your laptop, and you are connected to the Internet!

The key step above (the one that took me forever to figure out) is #11 with the IP address and the gateway address. You see, when you turn on ICS on your Local Area Connection (the connection/adapter that has Internet), the other connection on your host PC, the ZyXEL wireless connection, automatically assumes the gateway address of 192.168.0.1 (you can't change this). This holds the key to the laptop's Internet connectivity.

Hope you've enjoyed this article. Remember, with the ZyXEL adapter, its utility software, and Windows' ICS, you can turn any Internet PC into a wireless access point.

E-mail me at gadgester @t h0tmail with questions and comments.

Review of Buffalo Tech 9 dBi high gain wi-fi antenna
Now Playing: Chopin
Topic: Wireless/cellular
I bought a Buffalo 9 dBi High Gain Indoor Directional Antenna six months ago to boost my wi-fi signal, but forgot to write a review. Just posted one on Amazon; here it is:

Boost your wi-fi signal effectively

Buffalo Tech's WLE-DA2 is a small, lightweight indoor directional antenna that boosts your wi-fi signal. I've been using one for six months now and have been very happy with its performance.

The "directional" nature of this antenna means it broadcasts in one direction. In its line of sight, it can maintain 11Mbps speed as far as 100 meters (300 feet); if there are walls or other obstructions, this distance will obviously be shorter. When I place the antenna facing out my apartment window, I can get a useable wi-fi signal inside a small street corner park about 50-60 meters away.

You should check the product image I posted next to the product name. The graphic, downloaded from Buffalo's website, shows the range of its coverage. The reddish orange fan is the "optimal" range, whereas the light orange area can theoretically give you wi-fi throughput of 1Mbps, but in my experience, anything further than 100 meters or so makes the wi-fi signal impossible to use reliably.

BTW, how effective the Buffalo antenna's range also critically depends on your wi-fi client card (i.e., the adapter inside your PC that pulls in the signal). When I use the built-in wi-fi adapter in my ultralight Sharp Actius MM20 (only 2-lb. light!), I get the aforementioned 60 meter range in the direction of the broadcast. If I use my significant other's Netgear WG511 wi-fi PC Card adapter, I can go as far as 100 meters, even when there's a glass window blocking the path of the broadcast.

If the signal has to go through walls, the useable distance will drop significantly. My experiment showed that the signal from Buffalo can go through about 8 average-thickness walls (~100 feet in length including the rooms between walls) before the signal becomes weak and moody.

Since this antenna, with a total gain of 9dBi but effective gain of 5.4dBi due to signal loss on the 9-ft. long cable, broadcasts in one direction, it's best placed next to a wall to face your cient machines. You can adjust the antenna face's angle to suit your needs. If you want an antenna that broadcasts in all directions, get a Buffalo Tech omni-directional antenna.

(BTW, always check the gain rating *including* cable loss. The WLE-DA2's total gain is 9dBi, but the 9 ft. cable cuts down the effective gain to 5.4dBi. I've seen antennas with total gain of 12 or 13 dBi but an effective dBi of just 2 or 3, which is pathetic.)

th WLE-DA2 is compatible with Buffalo's MC connector as well as the more popular RP-TNC connector, making it compatible with virtually all wi-fi routers on the market today. The antenna requires no external power, and can be wall-mounted (kit included in package). It's compatible with 2.4Ghz 802.11b and 802.11g routers. No software is needed at all. Just be careful when you unscrew the current antenna from your wi-fi router.

A two-year warranty makes this an even better value. The product is made in Japan, a rarity for computer peripherals these days.

If you are lookign for an effective way to boost your wi-fi signal, I highly recommend this Buffalo Tech product. For me, it's been working beautifully, converting previous dead zones inside and outside my apartemnt to live, kickin'-well wi-fi sweet spots.

Finally, a word of caution: since your wi-fi signal will be boosted tenfold or more, you should absolutely pay attention to wi-fi security. Turn on WPA (and get a WPA wi-fi router if yours doesn't suport WPA), choose a hard-to-crack password, turn on MAC (machine access code) control, and turn off SSID broadcast. Good luck!

Microsoft GPS vs. stand-alone units (Garmin, etc.)
Now Playing: Bon Jovi
Topic: GPS
A couple people have written me about the major differences between Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS Locator and a stand-alone GPS navigation unit like those from Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, Lowrance, etc.

The biggest difference, of course, is with the Microsoft GPS, you need a laptop to host it, and your laptop must have a USB port (all PC laptops made in the five years have one).

Other differences are:

- Screen size. A typical stand-alone GPS unit has a screen between 2 and 5 inches diagonal (3.5" is the smallest I'd go; anything smaller is a joke); a few do not even support color. Since you use your laptop to run the Microsoft GPS, your screen size can be big.

- Power requirement. Stand-alone GPS units come with a vehicle 12VDC power adapter; a few portable ones feature rechargeable batteries inside. The Microsoft GPS receiver draws power from your laptop. If your trip lasts more than a couple hours, you should get a 12VDC power adapter for your laptop.

- Input method. Very few stand-alone GPS units have voice input (i.e., voice command from you); the Microsoft bundle does not support it, either (too bad). With stand-alone units, you usually touch the screen to choose items or input addresses. (An occasional unit featuers hardware buttons only.) Microsoft's product, on the other hand, relies on keyboard and mouse/touchpad. From a safety point of view, the stand-alones' touch-sensitive screens are much better.

- Mounting. Stand-alone units come with dashboard mounts that clamp or glue them to the dashboard, affording a convenient driver's view of the screen. The Microsoft GPS gives you a big screen but mounting a laptop in a vehicle safely requires an expensive ($150-$300)car laptop mount. Otherwise you'll have to leave the laptop in the passenger's seat or ask your travel companion to hold the laptop for you.

- Voice guidance. This refers to the voice prompt of upcoming turns. Microsoft GPS uses synthesized speech and can thus read street names, but the voice is robot-like. Some stand-alone units do not have voice prompt. Some use Microsoft's Text-to-Speech technology. Others use pre-recorded natural voice but can only say a few fixed phrases and cannot read out street names.

- Memory. Since you are using Microsoft's GPS bundle on a laptop, you have "unlimited" memory and can save as many customized routes or waypoints as you want. Many stand-alone units have severe limitations on what you can save and how much you can save.

- Cost. If you already own a laptop (and esp. if you also already own a 12VDC adapter for your laptop), the Microsoft bundle is cheap and can be had for under $100. Stand-alone units cost $250 and up, with the real decent ones costing over $500.

Obviously there are other differences which I've missed.

So what should you get?

If you plan to use GPS navigation a lot -- and you've always salivated after the in-vehicle type usually found in luxury cars -- a stand-alone unit is the way to go. Such units are better designed to be used with a moving vehicle. If you only use GPS occasionally (e.g., only when you travel) and already own a laptop, then the Microsoft GPS bundle is a very cost-effective way of hopping on the GPS bandwagon.

Whichever you choose, please focus on your driving, not the GPS system itself. Get familiar with the basic keystrokes/commands as well as learn to follow the voice prompts. Safety should always come first!

Any more questions? Feel free to e-mail me at gadgester @t h0tmail d.t c0m.

Test-drive Microsoft's anti-virus solution
Topic: PC security
Microsoft is now offering the public a chance to test-drive its upcoming PC security offering, ineptly called Windows OneCare Live. Go to this link to sign up for the beta program. (Please, no guinea pig jokes.) Windows OneCare Live (who the heck came up with such a dumb name for a product?) combines an anti-virus utility with a personal firewall. I've been using it for the last few days and it's working very well. But missing from the package is the excellent Microsoft Anti-Spyware.

Windows OneCare Live beta is, of course, free. No definitive word on whether the commercial release will be free or subscription-based -- probably the latter since Microsoft doesn't want our corrupt, anti-innovation Federal government (i.e., the fucking dogs that bite and maul good companies on behalf of bad companies that can't compete) to sue them again for encroaching on the territory of anti-virus companies.

(Now, Microsoft should really work hard to improve its products' security. Truth is, Microsoft products are no more insecure than other products including Linux and Firefox, but being the dominant player that they are, too many good-for-nothing people -- esp. those in the press who do nothing really useful for the society but bark and make noise -- love to hate Microsoft for what it is, a successful American company that revolutionized our lives through PC technology, for better or worse.)

Further impression of Microsoft GPS bundle
Now Playing: Teresa
Topic: GPS
An hour ago it was snowing quite heavily here in Boston. The clouds were thick, visibility low. I took out my Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS Locator and walked around the block. The Pharos GPS receiver that comes with the bundle worked wonderfully. It quickly received the satellite signals -- it takes signals from three satellites to fixate the location -- despite the thick clouds. If you already have a laptop, this totally affordable GPS navigation solutionis just great.