#6 Xperia Play extended review

>> Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Yes, for those who follow me (I hope), there are so many things about the Xperia Play that I want to write about but don't have that many pages on the magazine for it. Also, they will "frown" upon what I am going to write if I did do it in the magazine. So I'll do it here instead. Shh.. Tell nobody about it. Use words like "Word on the street (net) is that.." or "Hey, I heard from this Super-Genius-Awesome-Guy said.." Yea, something like that.

Here's a quick extended review about the smartphone.


Proud owner of Xperia Play... only for two to three weeks......

Firstly, this piece of machine is really muscular. Its biceps are tremendous, almost scary at times. Pump with testosterone (can't believe I spelled that word right the first time), I can give a 0.24562% of female population will get this device. How do I come up with that figure? Well, let's just say I didn't use calculator. If you disagree, show your woman the phone SIDEWAYS and see how will she react. The form factor is already unappealing. For guys? Well, I like it. That's one out of 7 billion people's opinion.

Again I stress, which you will read in Mobile World Magazine, that I dislike the material choice by Sony Ericsson. It is a smudge magnet and you will definitely see scratches in the future. Taking out the back cover is almost like peeling an apple's skin. Do it wrong and the glossy plastic might BREAK off easily. Sure, tell us that it is Piano Black. Even if you name it Black Mamba, the material used wouldn't get any better.


As you can see, tonnes of smudges.

The camera here is almost a waste giving us 5 megapixel. Sure, it's the same as iPhone's megapixel but did you know that iPhone was released a year ago? By this year, 8 megapixel is the standard. Even the iPhone 5 is rumoured to have 8-megapixel camera if it is out THIS year. One thing that I can praise about the camera is that it offers customisation. No zoom but yes to customisation. Autofocus, white balance, scene mode and several others are at your control. And Sony is known to produce good camera quality so that's good as well. Too bad it's a different story for the front-facing camera. VGA and grainy.

The video..... It's really a major disappointment. Here's the reason why: you have a phone that can support HD viewing but you cannot record in HD. What's worse is that, the Xperia Play has no HDMI output. I saw how great it is to have Xperia Arc with HDMI output and for a gaming phone not to have it? Tsk tsk tsk Sony. Shame on you. No gaming on the big screen.


No, I am not an Angry Birds fan. But I do love Jumping Now.

Here's one of the User Interface that I have to cut out (sad): the Web browser. I know that it is nothing important but you do have to know that the Xperia Play's browser is like any other Android phones. It supports Adobe Flash (woohoo!) but not as buttery smooth as you think. It buffers sometimes but if you are patient, you will be rewarded. Sorry, no instant win here.

Another surprise here is the speakers. Unlike the PSP Go, this phone has better quality speakers. It's really loud but it won't pierce your ears like how that dude stuck a pin in your earlobe. I really REALLY love this part of the phone. Playing Asphalt 6 with maximum volume is awesome. If only I can own the cars there....

Here's the part you've all been waiting for. The thickest part of the cake. The sweetest part in a drink. The best part in a steak. The.. The.. Okay, I'll shut up and "get on" with it. Gaming experience!

First off, is the game pad. Well, just look below. Seriously, just look at it and you will understand:


Almost the same with PSP minus true analogue stick... Oh, and plus Android menu button (bottom left)


I wouldn't call the L & R, "buttons" but oh well.

Get it? There you go. My only complain (two actually, oopsie) here is that they should have stuck with a true analogue stick and the L & R shoulder buttons are flimsy. Pressing the L & R buttons are like fixing a loose compartment. Satisfaction not guaranteed at all. But you have to give Sony Ericsson credits for porting over PSP buttons. Where else can you find a device with 20 buttons with no alphabets on it? Yeah, I counted ALL the buttons on the device.

Other than that, everything else feels alright. HOWEVER, there seem to be a problem when I played Asphalt 6 with this gaming smartphone. It cannot keep up with the frame rate of this game. That translate to lagging at times. Boo. Thank goodness not all the time. SIM 3 in Xperia Play is cool but it made the button purposeless as you are better off using the touchscreen.

Here's another problem: there are currently too little games for this phone. Especially PS One games. You can only play Crash Bandicoot. So far they are not offering anything else in the Malaysia's market.

And presenting to you, something Sony Ericsson will frown upon: using emulators. You can find it over the Internet but not in the Android Market. If you play games via this route, you struck gold. So many PS originals out there for you. It doesn't stops there because you can even play games from Mega Drive, SNES, Gameboy and N64! Once you set the controls to your liking (game pad all the way!), you will have loads of fun! Shh.. Don't go telling people about it. This will be our secret!

Well, that's it folks. The rest of "the good, the bad and the ugly" for this phone. For my original review on this device, just get the Mobile World Magazine. Or ask me to BORROW you my copy. Hey, I need the magazine for boasting rights, I mean future portfolio.

So will you get one or skip it?

Calv out!

Read more...

#5 Hackers go haywire!

>> Thursday, June 16, 2011

As every Malaysian and some part of the world know, Anonymous release a statement (more like a jpg) saying that they are ready to hack http://www.malaysia.gov.my.


The video was posted up on YouTube as well with a digitally enhanced voice. Sound more like Stephan Hawkins if you ask me. BUT here is their message:



Greetings, Malaysia,

We have seen the censorship taken by the Malaysian government, blocking sites like The Pirate Bay, and WikiLeaks. Malaysia is one of the world's strictest governments, even blocking out movies, and television shows. These acts of censorship are inexcusable. You are taking away a basic human right. The internet is here for freedom, without fear of government interference. Do not think that no one else notices. Your structured government has done the talking, and we hear loud and clear. Let this be an announcement to all your people. This is a sign, a warning, and an opportunity to listen to ideas above your own. In a way you are being stubborn. But how will this help anyone or your country. We fear that if you make further decisions to take away human freedom. We are obligated to act fast and have no mercy. For rules were meant to be broken. And corruption was meant to be washed away and forgiven. Now we will wash your corruption away so be prepared. Take this as a favor.

We are Anonymous.

We are Legion.

We do not forgive.

We do not forget.

Expect Us.


Well, that's all cool as they do receive a lot of hype and support from our fellow Malaysians. And with that note, I guess even our own Malaysia group of hackers decide to take action. They called themselves Dragon Force Malaysia. Yes, they are our very own metal band. Their musical instrument? Most probably their computer (and maybe Linux?).

For those who want to look everything from their perspective, here.

So did Anonymous manage to hack our Malaysia's portal? I think so because there are a few evidence. And don't forget to visit those few sites to check it out yourself.

You can check out the list of websites down or up here, here and here.

Enjoy the jpg show and click the image to enlarge it. :)

First off is this. I am not sure if the picture above is the real one but since it's written as Anonymous, let's leave it as that. Reasons why I said it is because of the message that they left. You can read it on your own and decide.

Ah, this one is subtle but true to the core. Personal opinion but it was cool to me. Hey, imagine those guys that work in CIDB thought that they are alright but on second look, their eyes almost fall out. Awesome.

All of these are the sites hacked by Dragon Force Malaysia. In no particular order. If you want order and not chaos (sorry I have to say it because it was so tempting) just got to their website. Oh yeah, they do have their own site (blog). They are that brave.

One thing you will notice if you are lucky enough to go the hacked sites are the colourful and animated header they put. All I can say is that they do have taste.

And of course their trademark logo: the dragon.



Last but not least, the H3x4 crew who did not want to miss the action. Their target is UiTM Penang site. Who says Kuala Lumpur will get all the promotion?

Well, all that aside, they are definitely an interesting group. Check them out.



P.S. Who says thepiratebay is blocked? Why don't you try typing in malaysiabay.org and see what comes out. You can thank me later. No joke but it's the real thing. Mirror the site and that's what you get.

P.P.S. The writer is NOT or IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED to Anonymous. Just interest in them and hence just reporting about their activity.

Calv out.

Read more...

#4 Easter eggs around the Internet

>> Friday, June 10, 2011

What? No, not the cute little bunnies that can magically walk on two feet one day passing you colourful eggs. Why do they even give eggs when they give birth? Guess they can't give you baby rabbits because it will be like abandoning their children, I guess.

Hey, it's Bugs Bunny?

Well, simply put, Easter Egg is a hidden feature of a software program or website that is only seen if you know where to look. Call it treasure hunt, call it secret chambers but I call it evil programmers. Some are just so hard to look for that it takes 10 freaking years to find it!

Here's a few basic ones that I accidentally found out and I will kindly provide you a stey by step guide for free (generous is my middle name, maybe not) -

Yahooooooooooooooo~
If only there is a subtitle for the yodel....

  1. Head over to Yahoo! main page
  2. Put your mouse over the exclamation mark on the Yahoo! log
  3. Then click it
  4. Enjoy the yodel or you can even sing-a-long!
Play Snake on YouTube
Yes, playing Snake on YouTube is dangerous. Look at the warning sign

  1. When you load a video in YouTube, you will see the loading icon (the thingy that spins forever if you have slow Internet connection)
  2. Click the video before you get over-excited
  3. You can move the snake by pressing Up on the directional button
  4. Once you've done that, let the games begin!
If you are a cheapskate or just love steal your neighbour's WiFi, Google provided you with a solution! Free WiFi thanks to Google.com!
Free WiFi, we love you. Just need to leave this page and Free WiFi for all!

  1. All you need to do is type TiSP
  2. Click "I'm Feeling Lucky"
  3. Cross your fingers
  4. Read the instructions and voila! *
Can't think of a catchy subject to spam your friends emails? Yahoo! is there to help you!
Hey "Eating Pasta with Chicken" appears! Now everyone can eat.

  1. Only works in the new version for Yahoo! Mail
  2. Click "Subject" when you are in the Compose Mail

If Minesweeper is too hard for you, there is always a cheat code for it. You hear me right my fellow Minesweeper players. All those years you took to practice guessing the mine is for NOTHING! Yay!
Look dad, I turn pro in Minesweeper yo! (*edited: apparently blogger decided to act up AGAIN so you can't click to enlarge but just try it and squint your eyes to look at that ONE pixel going black and white)

  1. Open Minesweeper on your PC
  2. Type "xyzzy"
  3. Then press Shift + Enter
  4. Look at the top left of your screen and there will ONE pixel there telling you that there is a bomb. White means safe, black means KABOOM
  5. Go ahead, be a pro now you cheater!
  6. (Note: The pixel turns white when your mouse is on the "Safe" box and turns black on the "Mine" box)
For those who *ahem* uses uTorrent and tired of waiting for the 99.7% to finish, play their Tetris. Here's how:
Hey, three more blocks and I'll make a straight line!

  1. Go to Help at your uTorrent
  2. Click "About uTorrent"
  3. Press the "T" on your keyboard
  4. Enjoy!
Well, that's all I can think about for now. Technically, the real usage of Easter Eggs are not for fun but for copyright purposes. For those unsuspecting people who loves to copy and paste other programmers stuffs, they have a revenge tool!

I am sure that I miss out tonnes more Easter Eggs on the Internet (yes, I am really honest to God so ever free to search all of this), so submit yours if you find anything interesting. Enjoy a final one that I accidently discover just now (woohoo but I am too lazy to take a screen shot of it).
  1. Turn on your speakers
  2. Go to uTorrent
  3. Go to Help
  4. Select "About uTorrent"
  5. click uTorrent's logo
  6. Listen to a MIDI music
BTW, there is even an Easter Egg on this blog!**










* Reason why I leave a lot of space here is for fun and to remind you. Remember the "*" at the Free WiFi from Google? TiSP means Toilet Internet Service Provider. Still don't get? It's not my fault that you are born this way. It's a practical joke by Google you dumb dumb.

**No there is no Easter Egg on this blog. I thought it will just make my article sounds cooler....

Calv out!

Read more...

About This Blog

All about promoting taking pictures using your camera phone. Of course i am including my stories in this blog! There will be pictures, either taken by camera/camera phone or drawn by pen.

Thanks for visiting me

  © Free Blogger Templates Wild Birds by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP