IT Show Singapore 2009
Hold on to your GST Credits! The IT Show 2009 is just around the corner (precisely timed) to tempt you with the latest and greatest in gadgetry and the like. The Show opens on the 12th which is a Thursday; which is probably the best day to snatch the offers and enjoy the most of the supposedly spacious 4m walkway. Our advice this year – plan beforehand and hit the floor early (read : Thursday noon) Saturday and Sunday is going to be ‘Famiy Weekend’ again. Definitely.
As always, the local media will have ‘supplements’ detailing the event and offers available. Use these to plan in advance.
DIGITAL LIFE - 11th March
THE STRAITS TIMES – 12th March
TODAY Newspapers – 12th March
Once again the details are :
Date : 12th – 15th March 2009
Time : 12 noon to 9pm
Place : Suntec Singapore
Levels 1, 2, 3, 4 & 6
As Always : Free Admission
Google Mobile Sync now available!
Google recently launched Mobile Sync (in beta), a free service which synchronizes contacts and calendar entries /alerts between mobile phones and computers, with changes pushed to all devices. Currently, the service supports the iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms. For more details, check out Google Mobile Sync.
Google's M-Lab and offline Gmail
Google has released an offline mode for Gmail via Google Gears, which lets users read their emails offline and even send email (cached until an internet connection is available).
To enable this functionality, log into Gmail, click on settings, and enable ‘Offline’ in the ‘Labs’ tab as shown.
Additionally, Google has also introduced Measurement Lab (M-Lab) – an open, distributed server platform for researchers to deploy Internet measurement tools. The M-Lab has many features for testing an internet connection, but one particular feature – ‘Glasnost’ has everyone talking. Glasnost allows anyone with a Java enabled browser to test if their ISP is manipulating BitTorrent traffic. All results are made public in the spirit of full disclosure.
New EZ-Link Cards
New EZ-Link Cards will be launched on Monday 29th Dec. The new cards are CEPAS compliant, and the plan is to have them used for e-purse (payment @ Mc Donalds, 7 Elevens) applications, ERP ( with new IU units ) as well as transport ( trains and SMRT Taxis ).
The new cards should be available starting on Monday and cost $15 ($10 value + $5 fixed cost) but the one-to-one exchange of older EZ Link cards will only be available from Jauary 2009.
SITEX 2008
SITEX is here.. again! Here’s the condensed show details :
Dates : November 27th – 30th ( Thurs to Sun )
Times : 11am – 9pm
Location : Singapore Expo Hall 5, Hall 6, Atrium 5, Foyer 2
Admission is Free
Besides the usual IT gadgets, consumer electronics and wide screen television sets,
SITEX 2008 introduces 3 new exhibition categories :
Digital Art Technology
Digital Music Technology
Sports Electronics
It’s still unclear what this will bring to the show, but new categories don’t mean much if they are not a tight and fast rule. From past show experiences, we see all sorts of exhibitors, ranging drom dvd scratch removal to printer ink replacements.
Another interesting thing to note would be the show exhibitor turnout itself, seeing the recent economic situation hasn’t hit the IT industry hard as of yet. The crowds, however will be less of a surprise this time round, so be prepared with your baby-stroller avoidance devices.
P.S :
Windows Live Gets Social
Microsoft gets it’s feet wet with recent changes to Windows Live and a whole lot of changes in the works. Leveraging on their huge base of Messenger users, Microsoft is transforming modifying the Windows Live service by linking its ‘related’ services such as
- Hotmail – The same old, same old
- Photo Gallery – A Photo sharing and basic editing web application
- Spaces – Personal web space ala Myspace
- SkyDrive – Sharable space online (5GB free)
- Events – Basic calendaring and group planning web application
- Mail (any see a repetition here?) – Multiple account handling / access
- Mobile – Mobile device interface for messenger, spaces and search
- Forums
- Online Auctions
- VOIP Telephony
- VPN ala Hamachi
- Video Sharing / Streaming
- Social Applications
- Music and App Store
This would be the second time the Microsoft has rebranded the Windows Live service, this time integrating it with other web services and basing most of their offerings from what is already available out there such as Picasa, Friendster, Facebook, Gmail (and the host of Google’s services), Calendaring and online storage.
Nothing new, just consolidated.
Facebook users and recent Trojan attacks
A Trojan has begun making it’s rounds within Facebook. Named ‘W32.Koobface.A‘; the Trojan apparently enters the victim’s system by tricking the victim to install a ‘video player’ upgrade in order to view a video apparently sent by a Facebook contact. Once in the system, the Trojan propagates itself by sending itself out to various Facebook contacts and apparently also destroys the victim’s Facebook profile.
Symantec has removal information available on their website and the latest virus definitions should detect it. This is an interesting twist on the ‘don’t download untrusted software’ as it uses a ‘plugin’ which is in all forms, software itself.
P.S : This only affects windows machines. (obviously)
Ah.. the sweet smell of Windows NAGWARE!
A windows update recently appeared and it looks like Microsoft is full steam ahead with covering up vista’s failbus with windows 7 it’s fight with illegal software. This “update” permanently installs into the windows operating system and is designed to constantly check the genuineness of the operating software with continual sending of information ( gasp! ) such as the user’s IP address and registration information.
Looks like Windows 7′s development is WAY ahead of schedule if engineers are improving the anti piracy features of an operating system which is “supposedly” end-of-life.
Way to go Redmond! Just don’t forget the Win95 Crowd!
Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty
October 15th – Bloggers everywhere today take a stand against poverty worldwide, changing the conversation for the day. Poverty is one of the rarely used words in Singapore, be it in conversation or in the local media.
The question which comes to mind is, “Poverty? How can we make a difference? And here in Singapore?”. The international movement “Stand Up. Take Action” is alive and strong in Singapore, with heightened events planned between 17 to 19th October 2008. Details are available at One Singapore’s StandUp.sg
Another way of supporting the fight against poverty is to support “Fair Trade” in Singapore. So, what actually is “Fair Trade“? In a nutshell, Fair Trade is the idea of fostering the growth of producers in less well-to-do countries, to help them move from a position of vulnerability to one of security and economic self-sufficiency. (partly extracted from wikipedia).
For more details on how to help, or what Fair Trade is in Singapore, and how to make a difference, visit the StandUp.sg and VillageExchange websites.
Stand Up. Take Action.
Digital Connection 2008
Changi Airport is apparently holding it’s 7th annual IT fair, “Digital Connection 2008″. Not expecting this to be as vast as the “usual” IT fairs and exhibitions, but this might be worth a looksee while we’re in between exhibitions. Located at Changi Airport’s Transit Malls at Terminal 1, 2 and 3. This fair runs until 25th October 2008.