Read here. My name’s there ha ha ha.

You are most welcome, Mr. Ashcraft!

Some people are speculating if iPhone will officially grace our shores. (Let me speculate that if ever it does, Apple will select Globe; but if the criterion is bucks, Apple will select Smart, a money-generating monster.) To be honest, even if I have the means (which I have none at the moment), I will not get an iPhone.

First, it has no mobile broadband features. Sure it has WiFi, but for me who lives in the boondocks masquerading as a city (read: Caloocan) with no broadband connection options to speak of, mobile broadband is essential to me.

Second, Apple is acting as if it is a telco when it is not. Other phone manufacturers release open line products, but Apple does not. I don’t like the almost-dictatorial stance that it is exuding. It should not dictate what telco to choose if I want to use its phone.

Third, and the most crucial: when you buy a product, you own it, and you should be able to do anything you like on it, since you own it. Apple should not dictate to iPhone users what they can and cannot do with the product that consumers bought.

Whoever says that consumers control the market, think again. Companies will try their best to control the market, push people to buy their products, earn big bucks.

So there, plain and simple, the reasons why I will not get an iPhone (assuming that I can afford it).

Will you get an iPhone? (Assume that you can afford it.)

Related readings:
Gizmodo: iPhone Revisited (Verdict: Don’t Buy)
Saunderslog.com: The backlash over iPhone
Machinist: If you care about your rights, don’t buy an iPhone
Engadget: A note to both Apple and iPhone customers on the v1.1.1 update

Just some thoughts on links lying around the internets.

* You want personalized animated wallpapers on the fly? Fly over (ick) at Red Dodo for a quick fix. The selections are limited as of now.
* Companies should ban this product on their offices. Come to think of it, maybe it’s a good gift to give to your boss. Hmm…
* DSLR camera phones, anyone? Kidding aside, do you think this type of product would sell at all?
* Itching to get an LCD monitor? Hold out for a little longer. Wait till these bastards (and their future variants) become mass-produced. By then, LCD monitors should cost dirt cheap.
* Want to create your own PSP theme? Sony hearts you. Here’s the official Sony PSP Theme Creator. (Will they release one for PS3? Heck, who owns a PS3?)

Success for your Blog is one must-read blogs for new bloggers who want to be succesful in blogging (and be a problogger in the end). It is also a good resource for those who have been blogging and wants to expand their horizons (and income, if they so like).

Not only that, the blogger behind Success for your Blog is giving away an iPod Video Nano. Yep, that wide-looking iPod launched by Apple this month. The rule is simple: just post about the contest and a bit about the blog. But if you don’t have a blog, head over the contest page to find out how you can win the Nano.

You might also want to visit the following blogs:

* Prudence, MD – A health blog by a friendly doctor.
* Chicken Mafia – If you want to be offended/entertained (depending on your mood), this blog is the place to be.

Trend Micro reports that a new proof-of-concept (PoC) code that exploits a feature (vulnerability?) in Yahoo! Messenger exists. The code exploits a feature in a certain DLL file to download a file. Malware authors can leverage on the said DLL file to download malware. According to the report, the exploit works on the latest version of the popular messaging client.

From the report:

Based on testing done in Windows XP SP2 with the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger (8.1.0.421) using the said DLL component, programs or Web sites using the CLSID related to the said DLL can download files from the Internet. Users can be lead to malicious/non-malicious sites that will first prompt for an ActiveX warning. When users allow the said ActiveX component to execute, FT60.DLL downloads files specified by the program or Web site.

It will be hard to lead a user to a Web site and then fool the user to allow an unknown ActiveX component to run. But it can be done. Users are advised to be careful when clicking on links sent via IM or installing applications from untrusted sources.

Whether a malware will leverage on this remains to be seen.

Got this game last Sunday. Warriors Orochi is the last major release of the Warriors series for PS2 (Samurai Warriors will have an expansion pack released next year, Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends), as Dynasty Warriors 6 is destined to PS3; it is only logical that Samurai Warriors 3 will be PS3-bound. Note that this is mere speculation, as Koei has not yet disclosed its plans for Samurai Warriors.

Will have a full review once I have completely grasped the game. I had only played it for three hours last Sunday.

First, a word of caution: I almost threw the game away. When played, the TV went bonkers, the screen kept on scrolling from top to bottom. Most probably a problem with NTSC frequency. Tested it on another TV, and I had the same problem. On the third TV (the TV downstairs), it was OK, except that there was a noticeable gap from the top of the TV screen with the top of the game screen, and some portions of the game screen was not visible. Yes, manual screen adjustment is clearly lacking for this game, which is unfortunate, since previous Warriors games have this feature. Also, Resident Evil 4 always starts with a prompt asking for the proper NTSC frequency. A lamentable lack of foresight for Omega Force.

With that caveat, on to game play.

You can either start in the Story Mode or Free Mode. The Story Mode has four scenarios: Shu, Wei, Wu, and Samurai Warriors. Each scenario has several required and optional stages. Clearly, the major departure from the series was the ability to select three characters as a team. For a two-player game, the first player and second player get to control the same set; that means it is possible to see two Zhao Yuns on the same scene. I feel this is a serious flaw in the game play, but it should not distract anyone from playing.

Another departure from the Warriors convention is the way you can level up the character and weapons. After every stage, you earn Growth Points (GP), which you can spend either on increasing a character’s level or on weapons fusion. The character leveling is straightforward. The weapons fusion system needs elaboration. Note that when fusing weapons, if you want to retain a weapon’s characteristics and add another weapon’s, first select the weapon you want to retain, and then the second one. For example, if you want to fuse a Great Spear and a Dragon Spear, you will want to select the Dragon Spear first, it having a higher base attack.

There are 77 characters altogether for this game. Yes, that means a lot of power, speed, and technique combos. That should make for an interesting mix, and at the same time, give this game repeat playing time.

At a glance
Graphics: mixed. Some are shoddy, some are OK. The graphics for Samurai Warriors 2 were better.
Dialogue: distracting. Zhao Yun’s voice lost the over-enthusiasm of the previous versions. Understandable, though, given the localization issues.
Soundtrack: good.
Gameplay: mixed. Putting aside the 2-player flaw stated above, game is enjoyable. Fans might like it.

Yahoo has acquired MyBlogLog aeons ago (for around US$12 million, as rumored). Several months later, MyBlogLog has been integrated to Yahoo via the Yahoo ID system.

Earlier today, as I signed in to MyBlogLog, I was asked for my Yahoo ID and password, then the system discovered through my Yahoo email address that I already have a MyBlogLog account, and so the system merged my Yahoo and MyBlogLog info seamlessly.

Note that during the merging, your avatar will be changed to that of your Yahoo profile.

What changes have you noticed after the integration? Post your impressions on the comments.

This CNN news report is a puzzler:

High Tech Computer Corp has secured a contract from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB to design and assemble the latter’s first smartphone running Microsoft Corp’s Windows Mobile platform, the Commercial Times reported, without citing sources.

The order is estimated to exceed 1 mln units, and the smartphone is due to hit the market in the second half of 2008, it said.

The Taiwan company currently ships some 10 mln smartphones per year, and the Sony Ericsson contract is expected to expand shipments by 10-20 pct, it added.

A Windows Mobile-powered smart phone from Sony Ericsson?

As Ubergizmo opines, SE owns a part of Symbian (it owns UIQ too). What is happening here? Is SE getting ready to drop UIQ and Symbian? With the current reputation of SE UIQ 3 phones (not good), this is an option for SE.

Current SE UIQ phones are: P990, W950, M600, P1, W960.

No, I don’t think SE is going to abandon Symbian and UIQ at this point (they might at a later date); it is just too stupid to abandon such investment in capital and technology. Symbian and UIQ are not in the red; SE UIQ3 phones are selling well, despite the not-so-good reviews. SE is probably going to introduce a new line of handsets (the word for this move is diversification), labeled the M series. Yes, there is an M600, but that is just the first in that line. Maybe we will see Sony Ericsson M1 soon enough.

Well, AllAsus.com now has a definitive price for Asus eee PC 700. Look at this search query to view their catalog entries for the eee PC 700.

AllAsus’s description:

* Units should start shipping in early October ’07.
* $150 non-refundable deposit required.
The Eee PC 700 $259.99 (2Gb) version is black only. The Eee PC 700 $299.99 (2Gb) version is in black or white and adds a webcam and carry bag. The Eee PC 701 $399.99 version is black or white with 4Gb storage, webcam and carry bag.

Remember when Asus announced that the eee pc would only cost US$200 (the lowest model, at least)? I was even hopeful back then, only to get disappointed by price changes and delays. And now, the promise is all but a lie, taken over by economic realities. So this means goodbye, Asus eee PC. Maybe when you get more decent specs at a more decent price, I’d reconsider.

Before, I called Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage Tool as spyware. Now, another suspicious activity regarding Windows XP and Vista has been reported.

InformationWeek reports on Microsoft secretly updating Windows Update, the tool used by Windows for checking and installing patches to the operating system, even if the Windows Update is turned off by the user. In short, the operating system is being updated without the user’s permission.

Microsoft’s stance was understandable but quite risky. As Bruce Schneier opines:

Note that Microsoft can do this; that’s just stupid company stuff. But what’s to stop anyone else from using Microsoft’s stealth remote install capability to put anything onto anyone’s computer? How long before some smart hacker exploits this, and then writes a program that will allow all the dumb hackers to do it?

When you build a capability like this into your system, you decrease your overall security.

For Windows users: have you turned off Automatic Updates? Why?