Archive for category Gadgets
The most useless invention ever – Guaranteed Laughter
Whenever I am feeling low, this is what I tune into – And I crack up every time I watch this.
This is by far, the most retarded and useless invention EVER made. BRILLIANT!
Click here to view this video directly on YouTube
Build a wifi signal booster (Hint: Me on national TV!)
Posted by CeeTee in Gadgets, Random Thoughts on January 11th, 2010
So here goes!
I had posted an article on my blog on how to boost your wifi signal with stuff you find easily around the house (for 10 bucks or less!)
I did a collaborative segment on Bloomberg UTV with Aalaap (who has been hosting this blog for me) and here goes!
How to boost your Wifi signal strength for cheap! [DIY] [Updated]
In the new age of computer networking, the most basic things that people have switched to is Wireless internet (Wifi).
People say that once you get hooked on to Wifi, it is quite difficult to get off the addiction of trying to search for a wifi network around.
Now that I have moved to a new house (2 storeyed penthouse) in New Bombay, the very first thing I did after subscribing for an internet connection was to put together a Wireless access point.
I have bought quite a few gadgets that support wifi. The wifi-enabled devices at home I have are:
1. My Nokia E71
2. My Dell Latitude D620 laptop
3. Dad’s Lenovo C300 laptop
4. Mom’s Dell Latitude D620 laptop
5. My new gift to dad – A Blackberry 8520
6. Mom and sister’s iPod Touch 2G 8GB
The general problem with Internet connections these days are that the ISP guys pull a wire from outside the window and you are forced to keep your router/modem right next to it. i.e. No wifi connection throughout the house.
I searched quite a bit on the internet on extending the wireless signals right from stock additional antennaes, buying a new router to be added as an access point, upgrading my router firmware to DD-WRT or Tomato with a high amount of risk of bricking my router, etc.
I was in no mood to buy such expensive devices just to get the extra strength, so I thought of a DIY (Do It Yourself) method, which is EXTREMELY cheap, components can be found easily in the house, etc and WORKS wonders!
This DIY method for wifi booster DOES work, and the signal strength from the opposite corner of the house went up from 40% to 90%
The trick is to bounce off the wireless signals inside the house instead of letting the router send out signals out of the window (quite literally!)
Feel free to drop in your comments if you find it useful
There are 2 parts to the Wifi booster. One is the reflector surface (wedding card with tin foil on it) and the other makes the parabolic shape (the template)
What you need:
1. Old wedding card
2. Glue
3. Pair of scissors and a cutter blade (be careful while handling)
4. The will to DIY! 
The How-To:
Download the template by clicking on this link
Print it out (I prefer increasing the size to 200% of the original) – Make sure you do NOT mess up the aspect ratio of the image
Glue it to the back of a thin (flexible) cardboard (I prefer an old wedding invitation card)
Trim the cardboard
Cut out the slots pointed out
Glue tin foil to the back of the reflector surface (Aluminium foil) – Ask your mom, she should have some in stock in the kitchen. Keep it under the bed for a while to let it dry (I prefer 2 layers of tin foil)
Use more glue to stick the curve the reflector surface to the parabolic template
Latest firmware for Nokia E71 v400.21.013
Posted by CeeTee in E71, Gadgets, Mobile, Tips and Tricks on November 27th, 2009
So, looks like the latest firmware for the Nokia E71 is out. The version is now v400.21.013 which would be available via Nokia Software Updater (NSU). The change log is as follows:
NEW FUNTIONALITIES:
Gimlet v9.5 (v9.5.3.72)
Quick Office 5.3
Ovi Store 1.5 (v1.5.2)
Ovi Contacts – Preinstalled
Mail for Exchange 2.9.176
CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS:
Email Setup Wizard update
WLAN Corrections
Internet Radio v1.16 – Increased functionality
Camera functionality improvement
Incoming call hang issue fixed
Turkish SMS character input improvement
Many functionality and Stability improvements in MfE
Support for Russian and Ukranian keymats
Phone activation Baseline updated
Yahoo account hack fixed
GENERAL
Stability and functionality improvements
Email and WLAN functionality improvements
Increased robustness in handling SMS and incoming calls
Memory leak fixes and crashes
Email and WLAN functionality improvements
CALL HANDLING
Fix for Incoming call hang issue and fast call crash
Fix for making emergency call when the phone is locked
CALENDAR/CLOCK
Minor Functionality improvements
Time display correction when the phone is locked
CONNECTIVITY
WLAN functionality Improvements and fixes for crashes
Improvement in WLAN authentication
mVPN authentication improvements and general functionality improvement
CONTACTS/PHONEBOOK
Functionality improvements for search functionality
EMAIL
Email setup wizard updated
Fix for Yahoo account hack while setting up Gmail account through Nokia Email
Fix for mails getting duplicated after restoring backup
Mail for Exchange upgraded from 2.9.158 to 2.9.176
Gimlet updated to v9.5
Many functionality and stability improvements in MfE
Robustness and functionality improvements in email items.
INTERNET RADIO
Improved functionality
Increased application stability
QWERTY KEYBOARD
Usability improvements
Keyboard mapping corrections for Russian and Ukranian keymat
MESSAGING
Improvement in Turkish SMS characters input
Fix for delivery report for SMS with more than 22 characters
Increased robustness in handling SMS
From what it looks like, the firmware 300.21.012 is pretty much stable for me except for a couple of calls resulting in my phone to hang for a couple of seconds. The camera quality on the 300.xx.xxx is pretty decent for me.
Looks like this one will have to wait till it hits my E71 (waiting for a working HelloOX actually )
Google Search with Voice Support for Nokia S60 Phones [Offline Installer]
I am a BIG fan of Google. You might not agree completely, but I reserve my opinion on Google cannot be evil. They released a new app for your Nokia (Symbian S60) phones, Blackberry and iPhone that is voice recognition enabled. You hold the ‘Call’ button and you speak what you want to search – Google confirms it and searches automatically – A feature that would be killer when you can’t look at your phone while searching. for e.g. while driving (pun not intended, honestly!)
The weird part is that Google does not offer an offline installer for those who would like to save those extra kilobytes of bandwidth on their Pay-As-You-Go GPRS/EDGE connection. So I decided to host one myself
A few of the features of Google Voice Search are:
Comprehensive Google results. Get Universal Search on your phone including web, image, local, video, blog, news, books, and maps results to find what you’re looking for.
Relevance and speed. From weather forecasts to movie showtimes, find common search answers right away without clicking any links.
Results formatted for your phone. See a mobile-optimized blend of universal search results, easy-to-press tap-to-call links, expandable map links, and more.
Wide availability. Access Google through the browser in 38 languages on any phone with internet access.
Easy access. Make Google your home page in your mobile browser to search even faster.
Quick access to Google. Launch Google without having to navigate to google.com.
Search by voice.* Speak your queries instead of typing them (English only).
My Location. Avoid typing your current location when searching for nearby businesses (e.g. “pizza” or “starbucks”).
Google Suggest. Search for suggested queries and businesses that appear as you type.
Search history. Quickly search again for queries you recently performed.
You can download Google Mobile Search application by clicking this link
Note: This application is as-is provided by Google and is not reverse-engineered or cracked or whatever. If Google thinks it is a bad idea to host it on this site, please do drop in a comment and I will be glad to remove it from this website
GoogaSync – Must have application for S60 phones [Review]
I have been depending on my Google Calendar right since I started working in 2006. I had managed to sync my Google Calendar with my Microsoft Outlook.
Also, I have been a huge fan of GoogaSync (then called CalSync60 beta) till last year – Probably the easiest application to have a bi-directional sync with your S60 phone and Google Calendar
CalSync60 beta ended in February of this year if I remember correctly and I was panicking to get an application to sync my calendar with my Nokia E71.
You can find a post on how to do that here
Enter GoogaSync (Yes, the name sounds absolutely retarded). This app has a few let-downs but the advantages clearly makes it a winner
Pros:
Bi-directional synchronization
Really easy to use, syncing can’t be easier than this!
Support for multiple calendars
Automatic / Scheduled synchronization
Provides cost savings by using WiFi when available
Support for hosted Google Apps accounts
Support for normal Google accounts
Standard appointments, repeating events, birthdays and all-day events
Full synchronization and fast synchronization (transfers only changes)
Reminders and alerts
Configurable roaming protection keeps you safe from huge data bills
Secure and easy to use, your account information is not stored to 3rd party servers.
Cons:
Retarded name for an application
Kinda (very) costly for an application that just does 1 thing (Rs 1016 as a one-time payment which comes to around $22)
Initial sync can take up a HUGE amount of data
There is no option where I can download just the calendar entries for upto 2 weeks in the past
Screenshots:
My new gadget – LG 32LH80FR LCD TV (LG Jazz)
It’s been over a year that I’ve been contemplating buying a new TV to replace the 14″ Panasonic Sophia CRT TV in my bedroom. I mean the situation was so bad, I had to literally sit not more than 4 feet from the TV to make sense of what is displayed.
Sample Image thanks to Google. The TV in this picture is 21". I had a 14" TV
It was so bad that the laptop I am using ‘Dell D620′ has got a 14″ wide screen
When I buy gadgets, I make sure it is future-proof by ATLEAST 3 years, so going for another CRT TV was totally out of the question. Plasma TVs start at 42″, which was again too much for my viewing distance of 8 feet.
With my viewing distance of 8 feet, I decided on buying a 32″ LCD panel (Calculated the ideal panel size per viewing distance here)
Had lots of options to choose from, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, LG, Toshiba, etc. The list is endless.
Sony was too expensive
Samsung was equally expensive – No goodies
Panasonic was too crappy – Picture quality on DVD was bad
Same goes for the Toshiba
LG was my final choice – A well known brand, good customer support (though a tad expensive, but the after-sales is good, per personal experience), relatively cheaper parts, etc.
Next was the decision on the FULL HD or a HD READY TV (Full HD = 1080p; HD Ready = 720p) – Neither really mattered to me since we have Standard Definition signals in India, and no matter how expensive the TV would be, the picture quality on regular cable will be shitty. No second word on that.
My priorities on the decision were:
1. Should fall inside my budget of Rs 35000
2. Should have USB connectivity in the TV supporting DivX formats
3. Freebies ! (who doesn’t like them ?)
4. Respectable sound (Since buying an external home theatre system would overshoot my budget)
After a LOT of R&D (and trust me, a LOT), I decided on getting the LG 32LH80FR (Commonly known as LG Jazz Full HD). It was falling under my budget, had the features and since it was Dassera festival time, there were good deals floating in the newspapers.
LG Jazz - LG 32LH80FR
The prices as of 4-Oct-2009 were as follows from different vendors
1. eZone – Rs. 37500 (No freebies)
2. Croma – Rs. 35500 (No freebies)
3. Reliance Digital – Rs. 42000 (No freebies)
4. Jumbo Electronics – Rs 46000 (No freebies)
5. Vijay Sales – Rs 34,000 (With free LG DV388 DVD Player with USB-DivX support)
Guess which one I chose ? 
I picked up the TV from Vijay Sales at Palm Beach Galleria Mall in Vashi for Rs. 34,000 – Since they did not have the DVD player in stock, they promised they will arrange for one this week. Payment was done via EMI with Bajaj Finance, who honestly, have the lousiest ‘customer care’ representatives. Formalities took over an hour to finish and I reached home at 11 pm. Obviously I could not wait to hook up the TV, so I got started off (After the awesome unboxing experience). Took me about 20 minutes to get the TV up and running (All you need is a Philips screwdriver – Would recommend a magnetic one since the screws are quite long)
Unboxing pictures:
LG Jazz Unboxing - Box - Front
LG Jazz - Unboxing - Side
LG Jazz Unboxing - Contents
The contents of the box are as follows:
1. LG 32LH80FR TV (well, like, DUHH !)
2. Base Stand
3. Bracket connecting the TV and the base stand
4. Wall mounting bracket (Not applicable for me, though I did get one)
5. Remote control with 2 AAA Batteries
6. Power Cord
7. Content CD (Haven’t checked what it contains’
8. 8 Screws in total for Base Stand and Bracket
9. Anti-Static wiping cloth (Did they pick it up from Apple ?)
10. User Guide and Warranty card
So, to sum it all up:
Pros:
1. Matte finish screen
2. USB Connectivity with DivX, Audio and Image file playback (AVI for the people who dont know rat about DivX) in the TV
3. Decent Sound quality (It has a woofer at the back, 2 speakers at the side and 1 at the front-bottom of the TV)
4. LOTS of connectivity slots (HDMI, Composite, etc)
5. Absolutely BRILLIANT quality when watching movies over USB
6. The very fact that I have my own LCD TV ! (Shouldn’t this be number 1 on the list ?)
7. Future proof (This one is a FULL HD)
Cons:
1. Wobbly stand (but I can live with it)
2. The remote control is tall as hell ! (I guess every LCD TV now ship with long-ass remotes)
3. Quality loss in SD Signals (regular cable TV for the rest)
I will be posting an extensive review of this TV in a couple of weeks.
Feel free to drop in your comments!
Sync Google Calendar with MS Outlook, Thunderbird and S60 mobile phone and SMS notifications
How to sync your Google Calendar with Microsoft Outlook and Symbian S60 phone
Part 1 : Google Calendar with MS Outlook
1. Download and install Google Calendar Sync
2. Enter your Google account email address and password.
3. Select your sync method (most likely you want two-way syncing) and the sync frequency you prefer. Depending on the frequency of meeting invites, I have set it to 10 minutes
4. Click Save and you are good to go
Google Calendar Sync
Part 2 : Google Calendar with Thunderbird
1. Download and install the Provider extension (Save it to your desktop, opening the Add-ons dialog in either Sunbird or Thunderbird, and dragging the file you just downloaded into the Add-ons dialog. Restart Thunderbird)
2. Now that Provider is installed, you have to add your new Google Calendar. In Sunbird, go to File -> New Calendar; in Thunderbird, it’s File -> New -> Calendar when you’re in the calendar view.
3. You’re now looking at the Create new calendar wizard. Select “On the Network” and hit Continue.
4. Choose Google Calendar as the calendar type. The Location field requires the XML flavor [important] of your calendar’s Private Address, which you can get by opening Google Calendar and choosing Calendar settings from the drop-down next to the calendar you want to access.
5. At the bottom of the settings page you’ll see the Private Address section. Copy the XML link and paste it into the Location field in Sunbird or T-bird.
6. When you hit Continue, you’ll be asked for your Google Calendar username (your Gmail address) and password. Enter it, give your new calendar a name, and hit Continue.
7. You’re done.
Click to enlarge
Part 3 : Google Calendar with S60 phone
1. Open GooSync
2. Register for a free account (The paid accounts are not really worth the money)
3. On the homepage, click on ‘Configure’ (Remember, the free version of GooSync syncs only 1 calendar)
4. Enter your phone number and you will be receiving the Sync settings via SMS
5. Save the settings and you are ready to Sync
Click to enlarge
Part 4: SMS Notification (Incoming SMS is entirely free in India)
1. Open Google Calendar in Firefox or Internet Explorer (Wont work on Opera)
2. Click Settings
3. Click ‘Calendars’
4. Click on ‘Notifications’ for your primary calendar
5. Set default reminders as SMS – 2 hours before each event (Can customize it per your requirement)
6. Click on ‘Set up your mobile phone to receive notifications’
7. Enter your phone number. You will receive an SMS with a confirmation code which you will need to enter in the same page in Google calendar
8. You are done
Google Calendar Settings - click to enlarge
Disclaimer: Please ensure you have taken a backup of your Google calendar before trying this out. I have configured atleast 3 of my machines with Google Calendar and they have worked fine for me.
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