of Philosophy and Technology

1 ) HDTV units
2 ) Latest Samsung Phones
3 ) Latest Motorola Phones
4 ) a prototype of the Samsung MP3 player with phone function
5 ) Sony Ericsson W880i
6 ) Nokia N93i
7 ) Philips S660
8 ) Xcute Phone (N93 clone?)
9 ) Nokla, Nokir Sanxing, Sansung, iAsk and other made in China clones of Phones and MP3 players

Only the Samsung MP3 player with phone function is not owned by the Manila Bulletin Technews.  All units sent to us for review are returned after two weeks.  We have received offers of cell phone units and MP3 players in exchange for a good review but we declined.  We will maintain our independence and credibility in informing consumers about a certain product by not accepting such offers.  If you encounter people soliciting tech gadgets for Technews please inform me immediately by calling 5278121 or e-mail me at technews@mb.com.ph

I was looking for a new casing for my O2 Mini in a big electronics shopping center just recently. The storekeeper told me that it’s available only on a “per order basis” and it would take a long time before they could get their order. He said that if I want he could buy my unit for seven thousand pesos as it has scratches on top and on the screen, and that it would be hard for him to look for a buyer for my O2 in that condition. I told him I would sell my O2 but I have to first copy my address book and the other contents in it. I said I would be back after two hours. After about 30 minutes I went back to the same store, properly disguised. Changing my voice, I asked the same storekeeper if they have an O2 mini—even a second hand unit would do. He said they have a unit but I have to come back later. He said he is willing to sell it to me for fourteen thousand pesos only because of the “very minor scratches on top and on the screen”.  Haha.

My Nokia E61 suddenly conked out. Although Jay Exconde of Nokia could fix it in less than five minutes like what he did before when  my E61 had some problems, I still need to travel from Intramuros to Makati and it would take about an hour. Good thing I received an email from Alexie Villaraza of Bridges Communication informing me that Nokia has announced that the Nokia Updater Application is now available at www.nokia.com/softwareupdate.  I immediately went to the site and downloaded the available updates for my E61.  In about 10 minutes it’s working again like nothing happend.

Nokia Software Updater makes updating your mobile device quick and easy. The updated will enable people to update their own mobile device software without having to visit a service center. Nokia said that so far, over three quarters of a million people have updated their Nokia device using Nokia Software Updater.
The Nokia Software Updater can make it fast and easy for people to get the latest software for their compatible Nokia device. As mobile devices become more like computers in terms of performance, it’s a natural step for Nokia to offer internet based software updates so that people can have the best available capabilities in their Nokia device.

Nokia Software Updater is a free application that enables people to update the device software on compatible Nokia devices,  including some of the world’s best selling 3G devices such as the Nokia N70, Nokia N73 and Nokia E61.

China’s Lenovo will recall more than 200,000 battery packs for laptop computers jointly produced with Japanese electronics maker Sanyo over concerns they could ignite on a strong physical impact. The lithium-ion extended-life battery packs can overheat and spark if dropped hard on to the ground.

Below is the official Statement of Lenovo Philippines about the recall. Vicky Agorilla, Country General Manager of Lenovo Philippines immediately sent this to Technews on the same day of the recall.

-o0o-

1. Of the 100,000 laptops affected by the recall, how many have been shipped and sold in the Philippines?

A) We don’t break out the numbers by country.

2.       What are the affected Lenovo laptop models and bar code range?

A) Lenovo advises customers to determine if they are using one of the recalled battery packs. Customers who bought a ThinkPad or optional replacement battery between November 2005 and February 2007 may have a battery affected by the recall. Lenovo sold the battery packs with new notebook computers or as optional or replacement battery packs on the models listed below.

• R60 and R60e Series
• T60 and T60p Series
• Z60m, Z61e, Z61m, and Z61p Series

These models may have shipped with either regular or extended-life, 9-cell battery packs; only some of the larger, extended-life, 9-cell battery packs with the part number FRU P/N 92P1131 are being recalled.

Consumers who have battery packs affected by this recall and who intend to transport their ThinkPad or use it in a manner that may subject it to a strong external impact, should continue to use their computer by turning off the system, removing the battery, and only power the ThinkPad by plugging in the AC adapter and power cord. Customers should use only genuine ThinkPad battery packs obtained from either Lenovo or an authorized reseller.

 3.       How and where can Filipino customers get their replacement batteries?

Customers can contact Lenovo to determine if the battery pack used in their notebook PC is subject to this recall. Please visit www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram where an auto agent will determine if the batteries are affected by the recall. The website has an online form to order a replacement battery for affected batteries. Lenovo will send a pre-paid shipping container to facilitate the return. 

If customers prefer to call a Service Center, they can call 995-8420.

-o0o-

A Sanyo spokesman said that the cell of the battery produced by the Japanese company had no problem, but there was a problem in the design of the battery pack jointly developed by Lenovo and Sanyo.

Piracy has gone a long way; from movies and software, pirates have evolved into copying MP3 players and now cell phones.  At first glance fake Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones look like the real phones; closer scrutiny however will reveal that these phones are different from the real ones.   I bought clone phones and MP3 players in Hong Kong just for fun.  These phones are very cheap and work just like an ordinary cell phone with additional features not found in the original phones.  Units of NOKIR, NOKLA and SANSUNG are among the few phones I bought.  The NOKLA N73, a touch screen phone with Karaoke function, according to my source, is one of the best sellers in Hong Kong at less than five thousand pesos each.  

“A clone of the 2nd generation iPod shuffle is also very popular,” our source said.  “The iPod shuffle casing fits exactly in this MP3 player; if you want an iPod but don’t have the budget, you can have these clones first,” he added.

What is disturbing is that these MP3 clones are now in the Philippines, I was told that you could find these gadgets in Quiapo and Greenhills but just this week when I checked the malls near the Technews Lab, I found out that stores in these malls are selling these counterfeit gadgets. I haven’t seen the Nokla, Nokir and Sansung phones locally.

Patch deployment is one of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered in my more than five years in the IT industry. A single unpatched machine could bring the whole network down. With more than 300 computers I am administering, it would be close to impossible to monitor every machine if the patches are up-to-date. Microsoft releases security patches every second Tuesday of the Month but I could not just install patches because Microsoft said so. A good network administrator knows that every patch needs to be tested for relevance and reliability. Patches also are not limited to Microsoft products other softwares and Operating Systems also has a share of critical patches that need to be deployed as soon as they are available.

Last week, Jun Santos, Valueline Systems and Corporation President introduced me to Patchlink, a patch and vulnerability management solution that continuously monitors networks to accurately and rapidly assess and immediately patch vulnerabilities of each machine in the network. The presentation made me consider Patchlink for my patch management solution. Should it work the way Jun claimed, the impressive patented Digital Fingerprinting Technology and the world’s largest repositoty of patches could make any IT Manager’s life a lot easier.

“Enterprises in the country understand that they need to remove known vulnerabilities through patching and configuration setting. Patchlink’s ongoing leadership in this segment reflects our commitment to exceptional products and services that enable organizations to fully address both their core security needs as well as the key capabilities essential to good corporatate governance adn risk management and we are happy to bring PatchLink in the Philippines,” said Jun Santos.

Sam Ghebranious, Sales Director, ASEAN, Patchlink Asia Pacific Pte, Ltd. said Patchlink proactively downloads patches from major software vendors daily and tests all patch packages. This process eliminates the danger of damaging a system if the install fails to perfrom perfectly, a risk that could happen if an administrator fails to test the patch he has deployed.

Valueline Systems is the exclusive distributor of PatchLink Update in the country. Valueline is also the exclusive distributor of the Eset Nod32 Antivirus recently released in the local market.