Enhancing UniFi HyppTV Experience with Powerline-Ace

Back in mid-2010 when I had just got my UniFi high-speed broadband service installed, I wrote a detailed post describing my setup. Since then, I had received numerous questions from blog readers pertaining to UniFi installation in general. It’s 2012 now and I’m writing this post because I’ve got an interesting technological bit to share. Read on…

Discovering Windows Phone 7 – Part 2

Having played with a demo unit of the HTC HD7 at a roadshow (as mentioned in Part 1 of blog post), I was left drooling but it’s not enough to make me splurge well over RM2K for a no-contract set for a few reasons.

Not having an official apps marketplace for the country is a big no-no for me for a high-end smartphone. Apps are what make a smartphone smart, right?

At time of writing, only 30 countries in the world have official Marketplace access. So, the only way to have some form of Marketplace access is to fake the country that is tied to the Windows Live ID bound to the phone.

Discovering Windows Phone 7 – Part 1

Just two weeks ago, I became the proud owner of a brand new HTC HD7 phone running on the new Microsoft Windows Phone 7 (WP7) OS. Woohoo!

I thought I share a run-up on how I first got to know about the new phone platform, and then learnt how to develop apps for the phone, and finally, got the phone in full flesh itself.

Getting to Know About Windows Phone 7

I had my first glimpse of Windows Phone 7 in action at a local developer event way back in early 2010.

UniFi HyppTV Review

In my last blog post, I’ve written about my UniFi IPTV setup. In this post, I thought I share my brief experience with the UniFi IPTV service itself — namely, HyppTV.

My UniFi IPTV Setup

It’s about 3 weeks since I’ve got my UniFi high-speed broadband service deployed. In my previous posts, I’ve written about my UniFi installation experience and some speed tests that I’ve done.

This time around, I’m going to share my experience on one of the UniFi service triple-play component, namely the HyppTV IPTV service.

Getting IPTV Up and Running

As part of the UniFi VIP5 offering, an IPTV set-top box (STB) is provided free by TM (see below). The STB connects to the TV via a regular set of A/V cables. An HDMI cable is also provided but we’ve only got a Standard-Definition TV (SDTV).

UniFi Speed Tests

Having been using TM’s UniFi high-speed broadband service for slightly over two weeks now, I’m quite pleased with the service. It’s been surprisingly stable for me.

Internet Speed Test Results

I’m currently on the VIP5 package (over FTTH) i.e. 5Mbps download and upload. In my previous post, I had written about my UniFi installation experience.

Here are the speed test results from Speedtest.net:

The UniFi Installation Experience

In my post on HSBB last year, I wrote about the arrival of FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) in my area of residence.

Well, I finally made the move of switching away from Streamyx broadband for the newly-introduced UniFi high-speed broadband (HSBB) service. In particular, I signed up for the VIP5 package which is a triple-play service i.e. 5Mbps Internet, IPTV and VoIP.

In this post, I thought I share my experience on the UniFi installation process.

Installation

It was a Tuesday morning at 10am on July 6, a crew of four installers from TM came with two reels of cables (see below) and big bags containing equipment.

Getting Hyped-Up Over HSBB

There’s so much buzz around HSBB (High-Speed Broadband) in Malaysia lately that I can’t help but write a blog post here.

Word has it that HSBB residential customers would be offered download speeds between 10Mbps and 100Mbps. These speeds are unheard of for residential “broadband” users in Malaysia and should get a lot of people excited — me included.

For years, Malaysian broadband users have been lamenting over the poor speeds. Being one of the early Streamyx adopters, I had my fair share of complaints.

The fact is the law of physics also plays a role here. The copper lines can only do so much. As they say, wired-broadband in Malaysia will never progress much until something is done to the last mile.

And indeed, certain prime areas will finally see something done to that tune. These areas will have fiber connection to their premises or homes.

US 2008 Presidential Debate at My Alma Mater

The first US 2008 presidential debate will be held at my alma mater — The University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss).  Ole Miss is where I got my four years of Computer Science education from; that's slightly more than a decade ago.

US foreign policy and national security issues will be the focus of the debate.  The debate will be held on September 26, 8pm Mississippi time (September 27, 9am Malaysian time).

It's rare to see my alma mater on such an elevated platform. All eyes of America (and perhaps the world) will be set on the debate between the two presidential hopefuls — McCain and Obama.

The countdown to the debate has started. I hope to catch the debate live on CNN via Astro!

Technorati tags: presidential debate

I'm Tech·Ed SEA 2008 Blog & Win Contest August Winner!

I was doing some housekeeping on my personal mailbox today and discovered an e-mail that I had earlier missed during my daily checks.  It's a notification message that I'm the 4th round (August) winner of the Tech·Ed SEA 2008 Blog & Win contest!

I get so many junk mails these days that authentic mails do get overlooked occasionally.  Having several email accounts to check does not help either! 
All that aside, I'll be going to collect my prize coming Monday.  It's a Microsoft Wireless Optical Laser Mouse 5000 (updated).  Woo hoo! This is what I just need! My current A4Tech BatteryFREE Wireless Optical Mouse is acting quirky — it's double-clicking when it should only click once and the scrollwheel is losing traction; I certainly look forward to its replacement!

Technorati tags: tech.ed

Downloading the Tech·Ed SEA 2008 Conference Slides

Having been to several back-to-back Tech·Ed conferences in the past and having to miss this year's edition (due to other pressing commitments) is quite a departure from my annual "routine".  I hope I didn't miss too much this time. I did manage to slip in a few hours at the venue and I've blogged about it here.

Well thankfully, the conference slides are available for public download at time of writing.

I'm downloading the Developer Tools & Languages Track slides (64.2MB zip file) and the Web & User Experience Track slides (66.6MB zip file) as I type this post.

Here's the slides download landing page URL: http://www.microsoft.com/malaysia/techedsea2008/

I hope to gain a few juicy tips out of reading the slides even though it's nothing like having the speaker taking you through the slides and demos.

Technorati tags: tech.ed

The End of Software Piracy in Malaysia?

If you're using pirated software, watch out!

Here's an excerpt from The Star (August 28, 2008):

Starting Wednesday, users with pirated copies of Microsoft Corp's Windows XP Professional operating system (OS) on machines that are Internet-capable could find their computer displays going black and with no screen icons visible.

There are 8.6 million users of Win XP Pro in Malaysia and about three million are expected to suffer the “blackouts,” according to Microsoft Malaysia.

Ethical and Practical Issues of Using Pirated Software

I never subscribed to using pirated software.  Using pirated software is like using stolen stuff.  Let's ponder about it: Would you own a stolen car?  Would you use a stolen phone?  Why the double standards when it comes to software? Obviously, there are hypocrites amongst some of us, isn't it?

By using pirated software, the hardworking people who made the software is being deprived of their livelihood.

On the issue of practicality, pirated software may bring unknown risks to your PC and even you; some unscrupulous programmer might have embedded a keylogger into the pirated executable and the next thing you know is that your credit card information is in someone's hands.

The "Software is Too Expensive!" Excuse

I suppose that software being expensive is the biggest excuse for using pirated software. Then let's ponder on this point: If one can't afford a BMW, does that give the person the right to steal one?

Thankfully, there are some very good shareware and free software out there. Some of them are almost as good as their commercial equivalents. So, if you can't afford those commercial software products, give shareware and free software a try! 

It's encouraging to see that Microsoft Malaysia has made some of its software more affordable to home users and students.  For instance, students in some institutions of higher learning can now enjoy big discounts on certain Microsoft SKUs.  Recently, Microsoft Malaysia has lowered the price of the retail version of Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (which comes with 3 licenses for non-commercial use).

Towards Responsible Consumerism

Will we see the end of software piracy in Malaysia soon?  If consumers create a demand for pirated software, then the piracy problem won't disappear overnight for sure. Let's hope that there'll be more antipiracy awareness campaign in the future.

Technorati tags: software piracy

Tech·Ed SEA 2008 - Just Popping In

Even though I'm skipping the Tech·Ed SEA conference sessions this year, I managed to squeeze in a few hours at the venue.

Lunch with Steve Riley

As mentioned in my previous post, a friend of mine, Jessica has won a lunch date with Microsoft Security Guru, Steve Riley. I'm honored to be brought along as her guest.

Lunch was at Traders Hotel, just next to the conference venue. There were just five of us — Steve Riley, my friend Jessica, myself and two other Microsoft staff based in Singapore.

All in all, it was a friendly and cozy affair. It was fun listening to Steve talking passionately on security-related issues. It wasn't long before the topic of conversation turned from IT security to the all-universal topic — food!

A Lap Around Tech·Ed SEA 2008 Exhibition

I took the opportunity to take a short tour inside and outside the exhibition area.  Here are a few candid pictures that I caught:

More Tech·Ed SEA 2008 pictures here...

Technorati tags: tech.ed

Skipping Tech·Ed SEA 2008

Due to other pressing commitments, sadly, I'm skipping this year's conference. I've been to the previous four Tech·Eds in Kuala Lumpur and so I really miss the informative sessions at the conference.

Despite my missing the conference, I'll be at the Tech·Ed exhibition for a few hours tomorrow and for a lunch date with security guru and Tech·Ed speaker, Steve Riley — thanks to a friend of mine who's taking me as a guest.

I've not been to Riley's talks but I've heard he's a highly rated Tech·Ed speaker.

Hopefully, I'm able to capture a few interesting scenes on camera tomorrow and post them in this blog.

Last year's Tech·Ed SEA exhibition (above)

Incidentally, Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 went RTM today!

Technorati tags: tech.ed

Night Out at August KL Technite

I was at August KL Technite at the Starbucks outlet at Bangsar Village II today.  I enjoyed the talks as they were both informative and yes, entertaining — a rare thing in techie talks! 

Maung Maung Phyo did a sleek demo on LINQ, followed by Edwin Sarmiento on Windows Small Business Server, and finally, Sarbjit Singh Gill on collaboration services. Amazingly, Sarbjit did all of his presentation on MS Paint! 

I've been to many talks and conferences but this is the first time I'm listening to the three speakers.

Here are the photos of the speakers in action:

The speakers will in action again in the upcoming Tech·Ed SEA 2008 conference.

Technorati tags: technite, tech.ed

Run-Up to Tech·Ed SEA 2008 - August KL Technite

I just got word of this event: MIRC - iTrain August KL Technite.

Venue: Starbucks Coffee Outlet, Bangsar Village II

Date/Time: 10th August 2008 (Sunday), 8-10pm

There'll be talks by MVPs such as Edwin Sarmiento, Sarbjit Singh Gill, and Maung Maung Phyo (who are also presenters of the upcoming Tech·Ed SEA 2008).

View the Technite flyer here

I might just drop by there since I could literally walk to the event from where I live. LOL!

Should I be there tomorrow, I hope to take a few photos and include them in this blog. So stay tuned!

Update: I've posted the photos here

Technorati tags: tech.ed, technite

Web Development Sessions at Tech·Ed SEA 2008

Continuing with my blog series on the upcoming Tech·Ed SEA 2008 conference, the following are the ASP.NET or web development sessions to be held:

• WUX211 - The future of ASP.NET is near
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Oliver Scheer
  
• WUX241 - Creating a web enabled corporate data access layer
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Prasanna Amirthalingam
  
• WUX332 - How to Build an App like Twitter?
  Session Level: 300
  Speaker: Dirk Primbs
  
• WUX322 - .NET: ASP.NET MVC Framework
  Session Level: 300
  Speaker: Chad Hower
  
• WUX325 - New Enhancements for Web Developers in Visual Studio 2008 and Beyond
  Session Level: 300
  Speaker: Jeff King
  
• WUX242 - Breathe Life Into You Apps With Windows Live
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Rohan Thomas
  
• WUX234 - Build Your Next Web 2.0 Windows Live Application
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Li Vooi Chong
  
• WUX233 – Fly with Popfly
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Rohan Thomas

In addition to the above, there are two Silverlight 2 sessions:

• WUX224 - Introducing Silverlight 2 – Media
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Oliver Scheer
  
• WUX331 - Silverlight 2 – Building Rich Internet Applications Using Microsoft Silverlight
  Session Level: 300
  Speaker: Oliver Scheer

Full synopses of the sessions are available here

In the past Tech·Eds, I would typically attend the web sessions, though I wished I could attend all of the other tracks. 

Looking back at the yesteryears, I really missed Scott Hanselman's zen-inspired sessions. Hope he'll come to Malaysia again some day.  I also missed Clemens Vasters' sessions.  Oh, in case you don't know, Clemens is the guy who created DasBlog — an ASP.NET blogging platform. 

Anyway, I'm sure the coming Tech·Ed SEA will be a blast. If you're an ASP.NET developer who wants to get a taste of what's coming in the very near future, the ASP.NET MVC Framework session by Chad Hower a.k.a. "Kudzu" is the one to look out for.  Here's my shot of Chad Hower in action taken last year:

While we count down the days to Tech·Ed SEA, don't forget to visit ASPNETWorld.com for my compilation of ASP.NET-related resources.

Technorati tags: asp.net, tech.ed, web, silverlight

WPF Sessions at Tech·Ed SEA 2008

Still on the Tech·Ed SEA conference fever, here are the WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) related sessions for this year:

• TLA312 - Building Smart Clients the Smart Way
  Session Level: 300
  Speaker: Maung Maung Phyo
  
• WUX338 - Creating Dynamic UI with Windows Presentation Foundation
  Session Level: 300
  Speaker: Hoong Fai Lai & William Lim
  
• WUX223 - Ultimate Data Visualization Experience with WPF
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Walter Wong
  
• WUX221 - WPF Performance & Best Practices
  Session Level: 200
  Speaker: Dirk Primbs
  

Full synopses of the sessions are available here

As an aside, if you're looking for WPF-related resources such as WPF controls and WPF designer/development tools, take a look at my latest resource site — WPFPlex.com. 

Feel free to add your own review of any of the WPF resources featured there or suggest your favorite WPF resource to be added in the directory.

Technorati tags: tech.ed, wpf, windows presentation foundation

Tech·Ed SEA 2008 Coming!

There's just a week more to Tech·Ed SEA 2008 — Microsoft's premier and largest annual conference in the Southeast Asia region. It'll be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on August 11-14.

Since it's Tech·Ed fever, here are a few of my old postings on the past Tech·Ed events that I've been to:

Blog Postings

• Looking Back at Microsoft Tech·Ed SEA 2007, Kuala Lumpur
• Looking Back at Microsoft Tech·Ed SEA 2006, Kuala Lumpur
• When CEOs let their hair down

Photos

• Tech·Ed 2007 Photos
• Tech·Ed 2006 Photos

Video

• Tech·Ed 2006

I have a few more videos in my personal archive. I'll upload them when I have the time (the videos need editing).

To learn more about Tech·Ed SEA 2008, visit the official site.

Technorati tags: tech.ed

 

Shopping for a Budget Lappie

I was shopping for a budget notebook not for myself but for my other half.  I was "given" the liberty to decide on the spec. The budget? Around RM2,000 or less.

The Lappie Hunt

So came PC Fair 2008 in KL last weekend and my plan was to get the new lappie there. I went to the venue on Friday but alas, all the car parks around the area were full!

I could have queued in line but I didn't have the luxury of time. I had to get the notebook that very day as the following day I had to head to Ipoh to "deliver" the new lappie.

In the end, I settled for an Acer Aspire 4715z for slightly less than RM2,000 at an Acer roadshow at MidValley Megamall.  I believe it's a good deal and the specs are as follows: Pentium Dual Core 1.86Ghz, 1GB RAM (upgraded to 2GB), 160GB HDD, DVD Writer, WiFi ready, webcam (super clear!), Windows Vista Basic, 1-year Acer warranty, and a host of trial-wares (McAffee anti-virus, Office Home and Student 2007, games, etc.).

3G-ing with Celcom Broadband

Coupled with a Huawei 3G USB modem (on Celcom 3G broadband), the Acer-Vista combination worked beautifully. From Ipoh, I was able to get 300-400kbps on the downlink and 80-90kbps on the uplink. Ping times to local servers were in the 200-400ms range -- a little big on latency but not surprising for a wireless broadband technology.

A day later, we were in Teluk Intan. 3G is achievable there but the connection is not as fast as what we got in Ipoh. However, there is no 3G reception in a remote village in Bagan Pasir (quite expected); nevertheless, GPRS is still available.

Mission Accomplished!

The weekend hunt for a budget laptop ended well. My other half was happy with the buy. Now she can boast that her notebook is better than mine. I'm full of envy!

Technorati tags: acer, notebook, celcom, 3G