Google Check Out

The rumors about Google will introduce some kind of payment service has already started since late last year. This service is suppose to compete with Paypal. Is this really true ???

When it finally appears today, on Thursday 29th June 2006, no more rumours :). I am itchy to find out more information about this. Here is the result:

What is Google Checkout?
This is another method to pay "some Seller" on the web that participate with Google Checkout.

You will put your credit card information with Google. *You have to trust Google here*
From over there, when you shop and ready to pay, there will be some options to pay:
1. Normal Method i.e. User ID and Password, and of course your credit card information
2. Google Check out option *You have already saved your credit card with them*


So to me, this is really nothing new. Do you know why ? Because Paypal has already done this for many years. The only good thing for us as consumer, soon I expect there will be some competition between Paypal and Google.

Because I am sure there will be some $$ that both Google and Paypal got by allowing the seller to use their services. So with additional of Google, Paypal has to "lower" down the charging fee :-).

So if you would like to sell thru Paypal in the future, you will have benefit since now your cost will be lower due to competition.

Why Google Checkout is not the same with Paypal?
1. One obvious thing, with Paypal, you can have your money in a Paypal account and pay the seller using this money.
2. You can send money between Paypal users
3. You can put money to your Paypal account using your own bank account i.e. BOA, etc
4. You can withdraw back your money from Paypal account to your own bank account i.e. BOA, etc
5. etc, ..etc..

What is the similar features between Google Checkout and Paypal?
1. Both of them allows you to pay using credit card.
2. .... ??? Thats it, nothing else for now.

List of seller using Google Checkout: List of Sellers

More Info: Google Check Out

cya.

Nintendo DS - Pinky

The first time I know Nintendo is when I am still in the Junior High School. My cousin introduced me to the world of Super Mario Bross and Zelda, and I am hooked. I need to save 1/2 year though in order to buy myself a nintendo console. And after that borrow games from friends :P.

Anyway, the new product coming from Nintendo is DS lite. The only interesting part is the Colour which is pinky....
The product code is Noble pink..Interesting code name :).

But the looks really girly, so I bet it will be nice for your girl if she loves to play game :)

If not , then you can still buy it for her, and if she did not like to play game, you know, you can always play it whenever you are bored and do nothing in her place :P.

Available Time: 20th July 2006


More Info: Nintendo DS

cya.

Yahoo Version 8 Beta - Available now

Yahoo messenger 7.5 is good for voice. I like it, sometimes for the voice chat, I prefer Yahoo than skype. It is very interesting now, since is getting more popular now, the quality is degraded.

The API for skype is still good though (at least i can use my cordless phone he he), but i can feel the "delay" in skype for the past few weeks.

For Yahoo, eventhough I feel the problem, but less than skype. Both are free, so for now, I will keep my mouth shut :)

Anyway, the purpose for this just to let everybody knows that Yahoo version 8 beta appears.

The only noticeable change is:

1. When you add an ID, it will now let you add a "MSN" address which means, now "possibly" very likely the 2 Instant Messaging Programs can communicate to each other.

I like the idea very much because sometimes, I hate to turn on so many Instant Messaging. *Yahoo, Skype, MSN, etc*.

I did try this feature by adding my own MSN ID to yahoo, and..oops..its not working yet :P. Maybe its coming up soon. I will just wait :). I have been waiting for years, *unless you are using trillian*, so wait for another few more months is alright.

Problem so far:

1. When you are chatting with a friend, and your friend's updating his own avatar. During saving the avatar. Your Yahoo Messenger will ....crash.

Hopefully they fix this bug soon.

More Info: Yahoo Version 8 Beta

cya.

MS Office 2007 Beta Preview

Anybody wants to try out MS Office 2007 ?

Microsoft provide a feww preview for you to test drive this office.

If you are interested, you could try it out here:

More Info: Microsoft Test Drive

cya.

Update for Netgear - Skype

You can see my previous entry for Netgear Skype Products

Update:
I have already wondering whether this will work with the normal Wireless hotspot. My questions has been answered. The Skype Phone will not work since it does not contains web browser. So the phone will only work with WEP Key (*WPA key is unknown*).

From the website:

Q: Can I use the NETGEAR Skype WiFi Phone at any WiFi hotspot?
A: The Skype WiFi phone does not contain a web browser therefore can not access hotspots, which require web-based login or authentication.

Info: http://www.netgear.com/products/details/SPH101.php

GMAILFS - Updated

I have updated GMAILFS Section.

Refer to my existing: GMAILFS Blog


In summary:
Do not upload more than 200 MB/day. There is a quote of bandwith that your google mail account can handle. More than this, will lock your account for 24 hours.

cya

Windows Live Messenger - 8.0 is out now

Windows Messenger 8.0 is finally out now. So no need to say anything else.

The only noticable difference is:
1. OFFLINE message

Finally Windows Messenger put this extra feature *sigh*. But its better late than nothing right :).

Before you do the upgrade, please "Export" your contacts first,
Contacts -> Save My Contacts.

In one incident to my friend, the contacts are gone. Mine did not. But I suspect thats because my hotmail is already using the live mail.

So please do this:
1. Export your contacts:
Contacts -> Save my contacts
2. Upgrade your MSN clients (see the download link below)
3. Import back your contacts if its missing :)

I will update it more later, so stay tuned.

Grab it from: http://ideas.live.com/

cya.

Picasa Web Album - From Google

Picture...is part of our life now. Most of us have at least 1 digital camera. Gone the day that we have to take picture carefully, afraid that we are going to run out of film (Old camera)

Now when we take picture using digital camera, we dont hesitate, we just keep pressing click..click..click. and you only need to worry about "battery" he he he.

If you do not like the picture, you can immediately deleted it :). Especially with the dropping price of SD card, CF card. Ouwwww...Even my CF card is very old now. I only have 512 MB CF card. I know its still big enough, but now CF card has already had size > 4 GB. But since I am not really crazy taking picture, so 512 MB should be enough for me *At least for now*.

Anyway, enough with the introduction, lets get back with this web album. Where do you store all your Photos after you download it from your camera?

Your computer ???
CD ?? DVDs ??
Print it out ???

If the only option that you have is "your computer", you are in trouble babe.
When your computer's hard-disk is spoilt, you will cry :). All your beautiful picture will be gone.

If you backup to CD or DVD's that sounds better :) at least, you can still hope that you have a backup, whether the CD or DVD's spoilt and could not be be read due to "CRC failed" *sigh*, thats another story :) he he he he.

Anyway, here is alternative solution, you can use Web Album / Photo Gallery. Some web sites offer it free of charge

One of them is Google, they just launch a Picasa Web Album. *Test mode only for now*, you can see from the screenshot, there is a mark "TEST"

Whats the catch:
1. Free for Google User for a limited storage
2. 250 MB size *Do you think this is big???, *Sigh*, my CF Card is even bigger
3. Easy to use, since its only using a web broswer or you can use Picasa to upload
4. You can create private or public gallery. *Standard feature*
5. You can invite your friend to see your Gallery
6. Registered user with US$25.00 will get a bigger storage i.e. 6 GB storage

Whats the bad thing:
1. Your picture will be resize by Google, so its no longer in High Quality mode. (*Means you no longer can print in poster size if you had a 5M Digital Camera*)
2. No option for printing yet, currently I did not see the option to print the High Quality mode.
3. There is no option for you to download your HQ picture again. *Arrrghhh*

Conclution: I am a little bit dissapointed with this Picasa Web Album, they could not beat the one that is already in the market i.e. from Yahoo or Kodak.

I will blog separately for those Web Album Products :).

For now, you can try it out, but I will not make it as my personal Web Album :). Its not the right time yet, since the capacity is very small for me.

Final thinking: For your email, Google gives you 2.7GB free, and for Photos only 250MB ????
Errr..........I will pass :)

More Info: http://picasaweb.google.com

cya

Hitech Tap Water

Tap Water. I never think too much about it. I saw a lot of different kind of tap water in the mall, hotel, and friends place.

They are all in different shape and colours. And sometimes, I will be confused on how to turn it on.

This tap water is different, there is nothing fancy, its easy to use, but...it have a very interesting idea. It combines the tap water with light effect. The light colour will change depending on the colour temperature.

Hot Water, Warm Water and Cold Water. Nice right :-).

Price: Dunno :)

Take a look:
More info: Equa System

cya.

Google Spreadsheet is out now

Google Spreadsheet is out now. Its another new web application from Google. I have heard that this web application will appear on Tuesday. So thats why Tuesday evening, I sign up for the beta tester. On wednesday morning, I have already received the approval to try it out.

In everybody's mind, only one thing when they heard about this Google Spreadsheet. Can this be a replacement of Microsoft Excel?

My answer has been answered after I have done my testing.

"NO WAY". As of now, there is no way this web application will replace Microsoft Excel.

Dont get me wrong, Its a spreadsheet application, but its lack of ability that even a novice user in Microsoft Excel used.

Currently to me, its only a prove of concept that the internet now is fast enough to deliver application right to your desktop/notebook.

To replace the current version of Microsoft Excel. It needs a "HUGE" polishment.

Here is my review so far:

What is good for this:
1. You can open/save to your desktop
2. You can open/save to Google File Server. I dont know what is the storage space
3. Existing Excel file can be imported to this web application
4. Basic functions are working fine i.e. sum, count, etc.
5. You will only need a browser
6. You can share the excel with other google users to view/edit. Very useful if you are working in a team
7. Best of all: FREE....-> Nothing beats free right :-)

What does not work well:
1. No graphics/Pie Chart/Image insertion --> Oops.
2. Default Row/Columns are too little. Only 100 rows by default. This must be to reduce memory usage. But its too cumbersome to insert the rows from the page.
3. Limited functions, advance functions are not exists
4. Obviously, you will not be able to insert Objects from other applications like Power Point, sounds, etc :-)
5. No header/footer, Transpose cells, and MACRO :-).

In Summary, this is definitely NOT a threat to Microsoft Excel. This application will still be useful though for a simple spreadsheet. To compete with Microsoft Excel, it will need a lot of polishment. It will take months or even years before this web application will be able to compete. For now, I do not think I will use it a lot since its still lacks a lot of functions that can be found in Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3.

For those of you who are google fans, you can sign up on this web page: http://labs.google.com

As a closure, just to mention that, this web application are not the only alternative of Spreadsheet application.

There are at least 2 other alternative spreadsheet applicatoins that has been around since months :)
1. http://www.ajaxxls.com
2. http://www.numsum.com

Take a look, ajaxxls, in my mind have more functionality, since it allows to have graphics in the spreadsheet.

To Sign up for Google Spreadsheet: http://labs.google.com



cya

iPod accessories - LCD Screen + Speaker

Another iPod accessories. This time from Sonic. Product name: Sonic Impact. Its worth to be mentioned. Unlike the rest of accesories from other vendors normally are external speaker, transmit sounds thru bluetooth, but this one is different :).

What is so special?
As you can see from the picture, when you dock the iPod, this baby will also help you to enlarge your "screen". WOUWWWW..finally. Something that is useful :). You know what? I hate to watch iPod video in a small screen, after quite a while, your eyes will be tired. With this sonic 7" screen, I no longer have strain my eyes :P he he he.

Price ? err..US$ 300
a little bit pricey :(. more pricey than the iPod itself, but oh well.....this is what happen when there is a new product, hopefully more vendor to follow so then the price will drop :P

So far here is the known spec:
1. 7" screen
2. Speaker....

Not yet into production so we will have to wait for a few more months before finally it will reach the market. For now.....stick with your TV to watch your video :P.

More Info: Sonic Impact
cya.