Category: Observation

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Speed of 3G Network in Hong Kong

Smartone-Vodafone logoPCCW LogoCSL LogoEarly this year both PCCW and CSL launched their HSPA+ network. As a result improving the speed and capacity of their respective networks. Offering a theoretical downlink speed of 21Mbps and uplink speed of 7Mbps.

On Wednesday, November 4th Smartone-Vodafone (SMV) launched their HSPA+ upgrade to their 3G network.

The difference between SMV’s announcements and the others, is that SMV also released a document to clarify the theoretical speed of HSPA+. Where as other mobile carriers in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world, only focused on marketing the HSPA+ networks’ capability of 21Mbps speed, leaving the actual ability to achieve 21Mbps as small prints in their promotional materials. Such practices of these other mobile carriers are very misleading for layman consumers. I will attempt to explain further, to help clarify this theoretical speed of HSPA+ for layman consumers.

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Speed of 3G Network in Hong Kong

Smartone-Vodafone logoPCCW LogoCSL LogoEarly this year both PCCW and CSL launched their HSPA+ network. As a result improving the speed and capacity of their respective networks. Offering a theoretical downlink speed of 21Mbps and uplink speed of 7Mbps.
On Wednesday, November 4th Smartone-Vodafone (SMV) launched their HSPA+ upgrade to their 3G network.

The difference between SMV’s announcements and the others, is that SMV also released a document to clarify the theoretical speed of HSPA+. Where as other mobile carriers in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world, only focused on marketing the HSPA+ networks’ capability of 21Mbps speed, leaving the actual ability to achieve 21Mbps as small prints in their promotional materials. Such practices of these other mobile carriers are very misleading for layman consumers. I will attempt to explain further, to help clarify this theoretical speed of HSPA+ for layman consumers.

Continue reading “Speed of 3G Network in Hong Kong”

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Treasures In Its Own Backyard

World Carfree Day LogoToday is World Carfree Day and there were various government officials participating by taking MTR (Hong Kong’s subway system) to work and to meetings.

Yesterday the Hong Kong government announced its deal with Mitsubishi to purchase 10 Mitsubishi iMiEV electric vehicles, which it was testing since May 2009.

These 10 electric vehicles will be deployed progressively through out different government departments through to May 2010. They will be testing the performance of these vehicles in day-to-day activities of the respective department. All this is Hong Kong government’s push to adopt electric vehicle use in Hong Kong, to combat air pollution caused by combustion engine vehicles.

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Seoul Visit, September 2009 – Day 2

I started off spending the morning planning my itinerary for the day. I have decided that I will use Seoul’s extensive Metro (subway) to get around in the city.

Did not end up leaving the hotel until 12:30. So I began by getting a bite to eat at a restaurant that I can figure out the menu, Burger King.

Walked to Yeouido (526) station on Line 5 to begin my journey. Fortunately the ticket vending machine has English instructions. It was quite easy to get a ticket, although I did not realize there is a deposit to the Metro Single Journey card. I figured that out when I reached my second stop Seoul Station.

My first stop of the day was City Hall (132) on Line 1. Since it is the weekend I was going to check out City Square. Unfortunately when I arrived it was pouring rain. Everyone was stuck at the Metro exit waiting for the rain to stop. I decided to wait along with the locals at exit 2, the entrance to Deoksugung (Palace).

Apparently most locals are like me, hates to carry an umbrella. All of a sudden a lady with a cart load of umbrellas came to the Metro exit, selling umbrellas for KRW4000 each.

Since I was not in a hurry I decided to wait it out. Several minutes after the lady sold umbrellas to every locals waiting with me the rain stopped and sun even came out.

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Online Identity

Facebook LogoToday shows the need for online identity.

At 00:01 (US EDT) Facebook began allowing people to choose their own “vanity” URL for represent their accounts on Facebook.com. Facebook served and completed 500,000 requests in just 15 minutes.

Being a web guy, of course I got mine at 00:01

If you’re reading this post and had not already chosen your own “vanity” URL, you may be out of luck. Unless your name(s) or desired Username is very unusual.

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Kutcher Ding-Donged Turner

After beating CNN (Ted Turner) to the 1 million follower mark on Twitter, Ashton Kutcher; or @aplusk as he is known on Twitter, this evening (US CST) pulled a guerilla marketing stunt in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, during a massive Tweetup in front of the CNN building.

Kutcher and his wife, Demi Moore @MrsKutcher, tweeted about the event and brought over 2000+ viewers to the live stream on UStream.tv.

Has this stunt achieve anything? Publicity for Ashton Kutcher? Publicity for Kutcher’s company Katalyst Films? Kutcher once explained the meaning of his handle “aplusk”, as “A+” is the highest rating at Katalyst. Did this bring any attention to Malaria Foundation International? Often the true intentions of guerilla marketing is hard to pin point. Sometimes it will have unexpected consequences and results.

Guerilla marketing is not a new concept but execution by celebrities like Kutcher is. Will more celebs adopt this approach? We will need more understanding law enforcements for that to happen.

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Chinese Standards in Hong Kong

Today my mother showed me this free Chinese New Year poster (Fai Chun, Spring Couplets) she saw in a local newspaper (Apple Daily, Jan. 23, 2009).

Even though my Chinese is not that good, I too notice the mistake in the poster, which had been distributed throughout Hong Kong.

Are the standards of our young generation that poor? The worst part, is that it demonstrates the lack of pride Editors of Hong Kong newspapers have for their jobs.

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My Life Without My iPhone

iPhone 3G imageLast Saturday I decided to sell my 1st generation iPhone. Believe me this decision did not come easily.

Like most early adopters, I had been a user of the iPhone since it’s launch in June 2007.

This was not easy given I live in Hong Kong. Back in those days; sounds like a long time ago, but in technology timeline it is indeed. The iPhone unlocking/jailbreaking process took about an hour and a half with 24 steps that you cannot not miss or mess up.

Of course now this process of has been greatly improved, to a 15 minutes process with a single program and several clicks. Anyway you can read all about my iPhone exploits in my other posts.

Getting back to my decision to sell my iPhone. Ever since the first day after returning with the iPhone, purchased at the New York City, Fifth Avenue Apple Store, there had been a minor defect in the screen. This resulted in an area of discolouration. Unfortunately, I had hacked the phone and I was not about to fly back to NYC to bring it back to Apple. So I lived with it.

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