iPhone 4 First Weekend Sale in China

This past Saturday (September 25, 08:00 China Standard Time) we saw the official release of the iPhone 4 in mainland China.

It was welcomed by thousands of Chinese Apple fans, who camped out at the 3 Apple Stores in Beijing and Shanghai respectively. The actual launch had the fanfare of launches in New York City, London and Tokyo. This is even with gray-market iPhone 4’s from Hong Kong and other countries sold in mainland China since it the initial launch in the US.

Continue reading “iPhone 4 First Weekend Sale in China”

Visiting 2010 World Expo

The 2010 World Expo officially opened on China’s Labour Day, May 1st, in Shanghai’s New Pudong district along both sides of the Huangpu river, between the Lupu and Nanpu bridges.

I visited the Expo on the 2nd day and 2nd day of China’s Labour Day holiday. It was a very hot 30C sunny Sunday in Shanghai fortunately it was dry and not humid. Due to the size of the Expo and the number of entrances, it was misleading as to how crowded the Expo was when I arrived at Gate 5-3 at 11:30 in the morning.
Continue reading “Visiting 2010 World Expo”

Internet Deprived in Shanghai

As I stay in Shanghai on my 6th day I am staring to get Internet withdraws. It is not that I do not have access to the Internet. I do have access to my online store, my emails, my blog and some of my favorite sites.

Although this is possible the mainland Chinese government has effectively killed my net social life. Access to Facebook, Twitter and all Google feeds for blogs are blocked. For the latter I have to figure out the original site, visit it’s Home page and then locate the story I’m interested in. Yes, VPN is one way to get around the Great Firewall, but I am not that addicted to my net social life to pay for VPN service during my short stay in Shanghai, and the free services like Hotspot Shield is not helping.

For Twitter I use it more for sharing interesting finds on The Net and breaking technology related news. I hope my followers will not give up on me during my short period of hiatus. I guess I can only tell when I returns to Hong Kong.

Continue reading “Internet Deprived in Shanghai”

Internet Deprived in Shanghai

As I stay in Shanghai on my 6th day I am staring to get Internet withdraws. It is not that I do not have access to the Internet. I do have access to my online store, my emails, my blog and some of my favorite sites.
Although this is possible the mainland Chinese government has effectively killed my net social life. Access to Facebook, Twitter and all Google feeds for blogs are blocked. For the latter I have to figure out the original site, visit it’s Home page and then locate the story I’m interested in. Yes, VPN is one way to get around the Great Firewall, but I am not that addicted to my net social life to pay for VPN service during my short stay in Shanghai, and the free services like Hotspot Shield is not helping.

For Twitter I use it more for sharing interesting finds on The Net and breaking technology related news. I hope my followers will not give up on me during my short period of hiatus. I guess I can only tell when I returns to Hong Kong.

Continue reading “Internet Deprived in Shanghai”

Guide to Visiting World Expo 2005

Expo2005

After visiting the World Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan I like to share some of my experience for those who may wish to visit it.

The World Expo 2005 runs from March 25 – September 30, 2005 is hosted by Japan in the Aichi Prefecture area, Central Japan, near the city of Nagoya.

World Expo normally happens every 5 years and Expo 2010 had been won by China and will be hosted in Shanghai.

Expo2005

Advanced reservations are a must, if you like to visit all the popular pavilions without spending all your time waiting in lines; they are very very long. Waiting in line for 2 hours is not unusual. Advanced reservations are only available if you have an actual physical ticket, because the reservation system requires you to enter your (12 digits) Ticket Number. At the time of writing majority of the pavilions’ advanced reservations are already full until June 26th.

Majority of the “most popular” pavilions issue “numbered tickets” for entry. You can read all about the different rules of these pavilions to plan your visit.

Some of the pavilions I think any visitors should not miss are:

  • Toyota Group Pavilion – its robots and “personal mover” show is a must see. Tickets goes extremely quick and if you do not have advanced reservations, you will want to be in line for the “numbered tickets” distribution at least 1.5 hours prior to the time at which they begin (twice daily).
  • Mitsui-Toshiba Pavilion – this is where you can experience the joy of staring in a Hollywood style movie. Although advanced reservation is suggested, you can also wait in line for entry.
  • Japan Pavilion Nagakute – has one of the most interesting video presentation.
  • Global House (Blue House) – featured the world’s first 50 meter wide video screen by Sony.

Here are some of the pavilions you can safely skip:

  • JR Central Pavilion – this 3D movie of the world record maglev train is so boring, if you are tired you can easily fall asleep.
  • Earth Tower Nagoya City – although it has a world record size kaleidoscope, it definitely does not worth the long wait in line.

If you want to cover all the pavilions most will want to visit, you will need at least 3 days, given the amount of time you will be spending in line ups.

Dos

  • Do bring along a hat.
  • Definitely prepare some rain wear if there is any chance of rain in the forecast.
  • Do wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

Don’ts

  • Don’t bother with eating at the German restaurant in the German/French Pavilion.
  • Don’t bother bringing any drinks to the Expo [Editorial: except water carton, not the bottles you get from the convenient store], due to security reasons all drink containers are banded.
  • Don’t miss the evening performance at Koi Pond

Definitely go there on a weekday, don’t even think of going on a weekend or Japan public holiday, if you’re planning a short visit to the Expo.

I found the best and most direct way to get to the Expo from Nagoya is via the Higashiyama subway line to Fujigaoka (290 Yen) where you transfer to the Linimo (Japan’s first maglev train) to Banpaku Kaijo station (340 Yen), the Expo’s North Gate, which will place you at the entrance closest to the Corporate Pavilion. On subsequent visit to the Expo you may want to consider getting off one station before, Koen Nishi Station, which is closest to the Expo’s West Gate, where you can visit the Global Common 3, 4 & 5 Pavilions.

Two last things to remember though, the transportation to and from the Expo are most busy in the morning and after 18:00, and all pavilions close 1 hour before the Expo closes (22:00).

BTW: please feel free to check out my short photo documentary of my visit to the World Expo 2005.

I hope by reading this article it will make your visit to the World Expo 2005 a more enjoyable one. See you in Shanghai 2010.