Simple is the Reason of My Heart

HP TouchSmart PC Bloggers Event at Brotzeit, Singapore

Yesterday, I was invited along with other bloggers to attend the preview event of the new HP TouchSmart PC at Brotzeit restaurant (which I highly recommend for the Munich Lager beer and the pork knuckles) in Vivocity. The product was unveiled more than a month ago in Germany and Van Tan did an interesting report about this event when she was in Germany for the event.  The official release date of this new gadget is on 18 July 2008.  Other than getting my hands to try a touch screen PC, one of my other tasks is to do a special Geek Goddess episode on the product itself together with Estee, Peter and Michael. It is interesting that more and more companies like HP are now also competing in making the desktop not just being a computer but how the design of the product can fit it with the home.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX520: My Purchase from PC Show 2008

Since I came back to Singapore three years ago, I have gone through many technology exhibitions and great sale of cameras, computers and mobile phones, usually accompanying different technologists to look for cool and interesting gadgets. For the first time, I have decided to make a purchase in the PC Show 2008 over last weekend. For the longest time, as an amateur photographer with a Nikon FA601 SLR camera, I resisted the change to digital photography. As a super late adopter for digital camera (considering I move quick on other technologies), I finally made my purchase. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX520 is my first foray into digital photography, and actually it is going to be used for a project which I am planning to start. You can check out the review on the camera from CNET. At least for a start, I can go to all the unconferences and gatherings and take pictures with friends for a change. Here are some reasons why I have decided on this camera.

iPhone 3G - Steve Jobs' 2008 WWDC Keynote - The Good and the Bad

It has been a long wait. The iPhone 3G is finally out. Of course, this is not the best of Steve Jobs' WWDC keynotes, given that there are so many demos from the beta iPhone developers. Even that is the case, the first thing to note is that this emphasis of the keynote is totally placed on the iPhone. It started with the SDK and the iPhone 2.0 software, followed by the wave of apps developed by different companies and rounded
off with the announcement of the iPhone 3G. Don't we all already know that this is going to happen? What is really shocking, is the price of the iPhone 3G. At that moment, I was glad that I did not buy the first generation iPhone (priced at US$599) compared to now it is priced at (US$299 for the 16GB iPhone 3G). So, I will be getting mine pretty soon since Singapore is going to have them coming on the way. So, what are the good and bad of the keynotes, given that I was reading the live blogging from MacRumors and audio streaming via iPhoneValley. It is definitely not as exciting as those who are present there in the WWDC.

HP 2133 Mini-Note PC Review

It has been great to be attending the Mini-Note’s Singapore launch in Mezza9 bar, Hyatt Hotel. The event is organized by HP together with Waggener Edstrom, a PR Agency. Thanks to Melvin Yuan, it is an interesting that brings together many technology bloggers to review this new HP 2133 Mini-Note PC which was unveiled in Engadget two days back. It adds to the other mini PCs, for example, Macbook Air, Asus Eee PC and OLPC and the competition for consumers to purchase mini PCs of such form factors below US$500 (other than the Macbook Air which commands a higher price) is now beginning to take shape in the months ahead. Here is what I think about the product after getting the chance to preview the product that will be coming out in May. (Updated on 12 April 2008 with video made by Miccheng and Tech65).

First Glimpse of HP Mini-Note PC

Thanks to an invitation to a private event later tonight, I will be taking a look at the new HP Mini PC that was announced yesterday on Engadget. The Mini PC is priced starting from US499++ and the competition for mini personal computers is just getting hotter with different players entering the market. Of course, the first thing I often look is the underlying operating system that runs it. Other than Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, one can alternatively (like me who adores Unix system) pick Linux SUSE Enterprise Desktop instead. Other specs  include 2.6 pounds, Via C7-M processor, 1280x768 8.9-inch screen, full QWERTY keyboard (8% smaller than usual). Will check it out and offer my first thoughts after reviewing the actual system tonight. 

Random Musings about iPhone Software Roadmap

After a long wait, the iPhone software roadmap is finally revealed. For those who have been waiting for the iPhone software development kit (SDK), the keynote presentation today by Apple today has been interesting, particularly the launch of the iFund (US$100M) by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has totally blown me away. While some of us might be ogling at the Facebook applications after the Developer Garage in Microsoft last Wednesday, the iPhone software roadmap has now triggered a new wave of applications coming out from entrepreneurs pretty soon. The full release will come out in June that will be during the Apple WWDC 2008 event. For now, you have to contend with a beta as a developer. Here are some of my random thoughts after watching the presentation of the keynote.   

Why Microsoft is gunning Yahoo for US$44B

The news that Microsoft bids US$44B for Yahoo! has rocked the world of technology today.  It  is perhaps the most hostile move ever made by the software giant. The best part is that Yahoo! retorted the Microsoft bid as "unsolicited" but did not reject it. It means that they are seriously considering the sale. Why is Microsoft making such a big purchase on their shopping trip for technology companies? Here are some of my guesses for this big acquisition of US$44B.

Are we expecting too much from Apple?

While doing a podcast with the Tech65 team in a review of the new products coming out from Apple, an interesting discussion popped out in that discussion. The discussion is about the customers' expectations on Apple products, given the stellar track record of the iPhone, iPod Touch and Leopard Mac OS X last year. While the Macbook Air has impressed many for a piece of brilliant engineering feat, it can't help to make some of us reel about the customer's hunger for more innovative products that can change the face the industry in the next two years. For those who don't know, among all the technology companies from Microsoft to Google, Apple is spending the least in research and innovation. Their core strength lies in the integration of design and technology, mainly in putting things together. Macbook Air is a good example, where they design a thin computer and challenged Intel to bring the Core 2 Duo chip to the size which they want in the specifications.

The Changing Face of Innovation in US and Asia

Lately, a lot of interesting technologies have prompted me to think about the trends of innovation. One can look at the breakthrough of reprogramming skin cells back into stem cells by Yamanaka as a breakthrough that can stretch the wildest of our imagination. After all, who would have thought that stem cells can be obtained by reversing cells with well-defined features? Then you look at the OLPC, the Tata Nano (world's cheapest car by Tata Motors) and the Macbook AIR. These innovations seem to be moving towards mass appeal for cheaper products. It seems that two trends are at work here. There is the innovation at a high cost, where we achieve really new breakthroughs and improve our quality of life. The innovation at low cost is the other trend, where we sacrifice certain level of quality to make breakthroughs to make high end technologies to be more affordable by the people in developing countries. It seems that the US are going for the new breakthroughs, while Asia and other parts of the world are heading towards innovation that can be translated to short term gains. If the US loses it status as an economic superpower, it would also mean that the type of innovation which we are going to get, will be more pragmatic and scale back development of certain future technologies that can only solve immediate problems and not allowing us to dream for the stars.

Macbook Air - Impressed & Disappointed

The news is out from the Macworld Expo 2008 keynote address by Steve Jobs: the launch of the Macbook Air. I am both impressed and disappointed. Well, I am impressed by how the world first thinnest notebook, with the slim motherboard that houses the Intel Core 2 Duo chip running at 1.6 or 1.8 GHz. It's an engineering feat for Intel to reduce the size of the chip to 60% of the original size. The price is a bit steep from a first look (US$1799 for the 1.6 GHz + normal hard disk drive and US$3098 for the 1.8 GHz + solid state drive), given that we are paying for how easily you can ship the laptop using a normal large envelope. While being impressed, I am equally disappointed. So, here are my thoughts about the Macbook AIR on a first glance from the site.

Macworld Expo 2008 - Looking forward to New Macbook AIR laptop?

It's the time of the year. The Macworld Expo 2008 is ready to roll in a day's time. Of course, lots of chatter and speculation are around what Steve Jobs will be presenting in his coming keynote address. Can there be anything better than the iPhone? Well, if you want a Singaporean perspective, my friend Kevin Lim will be reporting live from the Expo directly, and he started with the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. So, here are my thoughts and speculation for the upcoming keynote. Definitely, we will be seeing an upgrade of the Apple TV to a new version, rental of DVDs through iTunes and nothing on the iPhone (maybe announcing the 3G version and the deal with China Mobile did not happen), and of course, the most interesting product which has been the news for the past few days in AppleInsider, Macrumors and ThinkSecret: the new mini laptop running with an external optical drive. Oh, does it have a touchscreen technology embedded on the laptop? That's what I am really keen to know.

Intel & OLPC: A divorce waiting to happen

I have been watching the development of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project for sometime. The founder, Nicholas Negroponte started with the vision to build a laptop for children in the poor developing countries at the cost of $100 per laptop. The first model, OLPC XO-1 is finally ready for shipping. For a detailed specifications of the OLPC XO-1, BBC technology news has done an interesting commentary on the laptop. adopted a very interesting business model. For every purchase done by someone in the US/Canada with a total of US$399, a laptop will be donated to a child in one of the developing countries, for e.g. Uruguay, Brazil, Rwanda, Thailand. In summary, this rugged, low-power computer comprises of flash memory instead of a hard drive, and adopts Linux as the operating system with wireless networking that grant internet acess from one connection. Six months ago, Intel and OLPC decided to end their squabbling over the years and joined forces, but the marriage is short-lived. Two days back, Intel has announced that it will leave the OLPC project after a dispute. The divorce between a multi-national corporation and a technological social enterprise can be expected, given that they are drawn into the conflict of interests on whether to make money off the developing nations. So, what are the implications of the divorce between Intel and OLPC?

The Google Story

With some free time, I have spent more time to read up the biography of several top internet companies. Treading across the various biographies in the bookstore, I have decided to check out the history of Google. After all, everyone in the world is reliant on Google to find the answers of their daily queries. With the company's expansion towards online enterprise tools (Google Docs/Spreadsheets/Presentation),  innovative new APIs (OpenSocial, GWT and Android) and  fun applications like Google Earth, the company is now touted one of the most innovative companies in the world. The book "The Google Story" by David A Vise and Mark Malseed provides a good description of the company who rocked the world with their search engine a decade back. Interestingly, I was one of the few early adopters of the Google search engine, when it was first launched as a Stanford project. Since my first use, I totally gave up my favourite search engine then, Altavista and never turned back. I found a few interesting lessons that I learn from Google with regards to management and venture funding.

My Tech Predictions for 2008

Recently, I appeared as a guest contributor to the 65bits podcast, done by the Tech65 team. After the podcast ended, NTT (a core member) went around to ask all of us what our predictions in technology for next year would be. One can conclude that 2007 is the year for online social networks, given that the rise of Facebook brought upon by the release of the APIs for developers. So, in the realm of interactive digital media, what will be the next big thing? I will be offering three interesting predictions and would be interested to do something on one of them if any innovator or technologist would like to work with me.

Guanxi - The story of Microsoft Research Centre in China

I started reading the book "Guanxi - Microsoft, China and Bill Gates' Plan to Win the Road Ahead" after listening to a podcast from MIT (u can subscribe the podcast for free in iTunes U) featuring a talk by both authors Robert Buderi and Gregory T. Huang. In this book, they told the story about how they started working on this project, and talked about the rise of the Microsoft Research Asia (research centre in China) within a few years. The book offers a behind-the-scenes tale about how Bill Gates courted the Chinese to develop a relationship for Microsoft with China within the span of the last two decades. What I thought was fascinating about this book is that after the emergence of the lab as a successful research centre for computer science (with an investment over 100 million US$), the battle for both talent and the Chinese market has just begun with the entrance of Google.

The Five Things I am Looking Forward to in Mac OS X Leopard

The long awaited Mac OS X Leopard (Version 10.5) will be out on this coming Friday (26 Oct 2007).  As an UNIX user, the 64-Bit applications and the addition of compilers (for the web 2.0 developers, Ruby on Rails are added for this edition) are  among the two features which entices me as a Mac OS X user. One exciting bit about Leopard is core animation, a framework for Mac developers to add visually stunning user interfaces, graphics, and animations to applications. Of course, I list down the five most anticipated features that I am looking out for, and yes, the spaces application is not one of them.

Why Apple come up with iPod Touch

After watching the keynote by Steve Jobs about the new iPod product line, it may be interesting to examine why Apple has decided to roll out a product, iPod Touch with all the features without the phone function. Even worse, they increased the storage space to 16GB which is not a lot by today's standards. Do note that the iPod Classic has a storage space ten times larger. With a wi-fi antenna on your iPod touch, you can immediate connect to the internet via network. I can foresee a few days or weeks, some smart hacker will put a URL where you can login and do a skype phone call to your friends. Guess what, if you have such a function on your iPod Touch, you get a iPhone but US$200 cheaper. It's surprising because Apple is not worried about that. So, here are some of my own guesses to why they have decided to move away from the iPhone to a purchasing device called iPod Touch.

Oh man, Spolit for Choices in new IPod Line

Yes, I see the news from Steve Jobs' keynote (5 Sep 2007) announcing the new line of IPod products for the coming holidays. Okay, I am glad that I did not ask my friend to buy the IPhone for me in San Francisco. I am quite confused by the new IPod line of products. For example, the IPod Touch is almost 99% a IPhone except that you can't call your friends. I do wonder whether anyone will develop a skype application for the IPod Touch so I can call up someone easily using wi-fi access (oh I forgot, Wireless@SG can be annoying on some locations). The good thing is that I can now surf the web with a IPod without the phone. It's tempting to get one, since I need a gadget that can solve me the problem that I can check email and blog while I am walking down Orchard on Saturday. The other thing that surprises me is that Apple is still selling IPod Classic. Is there a demand for that? I can see the shuffle and the nano, but not really the classic because it is a bulky gadget (given that I still own a IPod Video).

You Know How Tech Savvy a Country is by Their Internet Connection

Yesterday, a conversation with Michael Cheng prompted me to write about the state of Wireless@SG in Singapore. To me, there is still a long way to go, and if the government is really serious about getting a technology culture growing in Singapore, the first thing they really need to do is to fix Wireless@SG. Yes, I am joining the group who are complaining about Wireless@SG.

Stripping Open an IPhone

I see this picture from ifixit.com. The whole chipset configuration contains a Skyworks GSM/Edge Power amplifier (SKY77340), ARM 339S0030 (most likely a processer) and Samsung flash memory chip. Yes, that is the stripped down version of the IPhone. Within 24 hours, the eyes of the entire US are focussed on the IPhone. Immediately during this time, sites like ifixit and ThinkSecret have immediately stripped open a US$499 gadget to discover the contents inside. Just an update: I heard a rumour from TechCrunch that there will be an announcement that the IPhone for Europe and perhaps Asia, may not be the GSM, but a 3G version instead.

Yes, The IPhone is coming out today

For the longest time, I am a slow adopter when it comes to mobile phones. It took my aunt some effort to drag me down to a phone shop in London and make sure that I get one. The usual problem with most phones including my current Samsung phone does not sync properly with my Apple G4 PowerBook. Of course, I loathe the idea of carrying both IPod and mobile phone. It looks like the IPhone is going to be my solution, given that it can allow me to finally sync all my contacts and music and at the same time, browse the web. Yes, the IPhone has a stripped down version of Mac OS X. After watching this video on a guided tour on the IPhone from Apple, I am drooling to get one soon. Believe it or not, even I am holding a 3G phone, I have not used it at all for email or web browsing. However, it's going to take another half year before the IPhone hits Singapore. So far, most tech critics have written good reviews that the IPhone justifies the hype.

Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?

This revised article is published last year in a special edition of Innovation Magazine [6(3):62-63] about technology entrepreneurship in Singapore. I have previously published an earlier version of this article in SG Entrepreneurs blog. Lately, I have been thinking about how things have evolved one year ago till now mainly in the emerging industries of Web 2.0, New Media and Virtual Worlds. So, I have decided to place the revised version of this article in my own blog. If you have not read this article before, I hope that you enjoy some of the thoughts in my own personal favourite pieces.