Water damaged Smartphone?

13.12.24: Most people don't think about it until it happens.

Cell phones, like cameras, are not waterproof ... unless you buy one of the few that are.
Unfortunately, the big sellers are not there yet.

There are some inexpensive DIY approaches suggested (rice, isorpopyl alcohol) ... but not guaranteed.

First thing is to take out SIM card, SDcard and battery immediately.   

There are now two reliable solutions. One before it happens and another after it happens.

If you dropped your phone in water, you can buy this Reviveaphone kit to fix it (90 percent success rate) for approx $33 (includes shipping).
It was reviewed on Dragon's Den and was supported (show to be aired in January).

A young guy has been repairing phone for a few years before coming up with this solution.
It seems to be selling well.

Another approach is to water seal your smartphone when you buy it (before you move all your data to it).
Currently, they can seal iPhone (4 and 5 models) and Samsung (Galaxy and Discovery models).

This is a guaranteed sealing on the inside of the phone (by a Canadian company) and nothing is apparent from the outside.

The downside is waiting to use your phone, as you must send it to Calgary for the sealing process.
The company is WaterSeal and their site indicates mail-in service to begin in November 2013. Call them at 403-450-8705 to inquire.
I have a call in and will update when known.

How to speed up your PC

13.12.16: As you might expect, there are a lot of tools to help speed up your PC.

In my experience, this one is reliable and does increase performance (even more than the Adjust for Best Performance Windows 8 system option).

It is one of the many optimization items within the absolutely FREE Advanced SystemCare app (click on "External Mirror 1 [exe]" to download.

It is not often I advertise a free app but this one, to date, offers real FREE services to help you enable your PC.

To help speed up your PC, ASC has a turbo boost option worth trying.

1. After installing, click on Turbo Boost and then click the word Configure under the wording Game Mode: OFF . 
2. select Game Mode and click on
3. only select those items you are sure of (call me for assistance)
4. select Yes, Use Advanced SystemCare Power Plan and click on Next
5. select Turn on Turbo Burst at Windows startup. and click on Apply

You can then close the app and you should see significantly better speed. 

If you have any questions or concerns, pls call me.

Running out of space on c-drive?

13.12.16: There are various reasons for this.

First, if your computer starts to run slower, this may be the reason ... if you have been regularly running your anti-virus protection and periodically (2-3 times per year) running a registry optimizer app.

However, running out of space on the c-drive is usually indicated by a std msg indicating low space on the drive.

Regardless, there are a few ways to free up space:
1. delete (in recycle bin also) any folders and files you know aren't required
2. disk cleanup by start -> computer -> right-click c-drive -> tools -> disk cleanup




After the above, approx 4gb or more can be removed by:
1. moving your paging file to another drive (only works if you have another hard drive - not USB drive)
2. deleting the hiberfil.sys file (only if you do not use hibernation - which is of little value in Win7 or Win8 if you are running out of space).

Here are the methods for Windows 8:

1. delete hiberfil.sys file by start -> right click command prompt and select run as administrator.
A little window will open and you type cd\ and then you type powercfg -h off

2. move the pagefile.sys file start -> control panel -> system and security -> system -> advanced system settings -> advanced -> performance settings -> advanced -> make changes and save by indication paging file for another drive and then 'no paging file' for c-drive

Rogers or Bell - Get a Competitive Quote and then Call to Cancel

13.12.09: Once again, it pays to shop around at the end of a contract with Bell or Rogers.
 
A year ago, our TV contract with Rogers was coming due.
I checked with Bell and got a better deal and then

called Rogers (customer retention) and ask them to stop service a month hence.
Rogers came back with a 30% discount (Internet and TV) that caused us to stay for a year.

The year is up Jan 20th.

I called Bell today and got their best rates for Internet and TV (can't get one without the other) for everything we have at Rogers. Bell also included an upgraded PVR (whole home).

I then called Rogers to cancel Internet and TV service as of Jan 20th (must call a month ahead or you are charged an extra month) and told them what Bell was offering. They asked what it would take to stay, as we were a long time customer.

Once again, Roger exceeded my expectations by including the Internet, TV and home phone (and an upgraded PVR) in a monthly cost that was $50 less than Bell and $8 less than Rogers currently.

If I hadn't negotiated, we would be paying Rogers $85 more per month as of February.

It always pays to negotiate with these two.

Buying a printer

19.01.28: After 5 years, I am still advocating Brother MFC 4-in-1 inkjet printers. 

The main reasons are reliability, price, and cartridge replacement cost.

I have seen a lot of printers where cartridge cost is more than the printer cost.

The high capacity cartridge replacement cost for these following two preferred models are less than $29 (delivered) at AtlanticInkjet.com or you can select compatible cartridges (I do) from Amazon for under $20 delivered. 

I have had two brother MFC printers in the last 10 years. 
My next printer will also be Brother MFC 4-in-1 printer. 
They always seem to go on sale for under $50.

You might get the MFC-J485DW at Staples for $20 right now. 
You can get the  MFC-J497DW at Staples right now for $50. 


14.01.23: Now on sales at Staples for $59.90.
The reason for selecting this printer is the price of the ink.
There are 4 cartridges required and you can purchase them (the high yield ones - 30ml) online for less than $30.

When looking at ink cartridges, pay attention to the term "high yield", as standard yield (10ml) will empty quite quickly.

I haven't found another 4in1 printer with cartridges anywhere close to this price.

13.12.07: I just replaced our printer with a newer model from Staples for $70 (plus tax).

It is a Brother MFC-J470DW wireless 4-in-1 (print, copy, fax, scan) colour printer.

Our previous printer was a brother MFC-255CW purchased about 4 years ago. Colour print quality degraded and the wireless became unpredeictable.

Brother printers have the cheapest cartridges (approx $6 each) and, at $70, is the cheapest wireless printer I have seen.

Additional features not on the older model: illuminated screen, automatic 2-sided printing.

Trans Pacific Partnership - concerns

13.11.15: This TPP is becoming significant. 

The Trans Pacific Partnership is made up of quite a few countries (USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are the largest) is aimed at increasing trade between the countries.

Yesterday, the chapter on Intellectual Property Rights was leaked.

The Guardian newspaper description of TPP, Wednesday. 

Michael Geist is a University of Ottawa law professor and holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-commerce law.

Like Rocco Galati, Geist is doing an excellent job representing Canadian interests ... and watching out for unscrupulous politicians and corporations. 

This is a summary of his appearance before the International Trade Committee June 3rd, when he addressed copyright and secrecy aspects of the TPP.

Here is what he wrote today.

Bill C-11 was put into law June 29, 2012 by the conservatives (unanimously rejected by the opposition parties) and it looks like some countries now want changes made. 

The USA govt is trying to ram this through as law without transparency. 

There is Canada opposition to many items being demanded by the USA (including Internet Service Provider liability). It will be interesting to see how our govt handles the pressure...

Twitter is an excellent source of immediate information on TPP ... more details coming every minute.

Today, this Youtube video appeared.

Stay tuned. These TPP issues are not going away without significant push-back.

Don't touch while driving

13.10.02: I always wondered if it was illegal to handle your cell phone while in your vehicle.

The Toronto Star article, a few days ago, indicates you can be fined for touching your phone while inside your vehicle even at a stop light.

"The Highway Traffic Act 78.1 (1) prohibits anyone from driving a motor vehicle while holding or using a hand-held wireless communication device, such as a cellphone."

Before touching your phone, park your vehicle or enter private property not patrolled by police.

I wonder when the law will be changed to include touching anything but the steering wheel (changing stations on the radio, etc)...

I wonder when the law will be changed to include drivers talking on bluetooth devices will also be included... 

Is smartphone technology replacing the PC?

04.12.13: In the Toronto Star April 11, 2013.

Any surprise PC sales are much lower (14% lower in first quarter)?
Any surprise Windows 8 is being displaced by Windows 7 on new PC company orders?

As soon as good smartphones (cell phone connected to the Internet) appeared, it was known PC sales would decline. As well, social media significant increase (brought about by smartphones) meant movement away from the computer.

I had always disliked the Windows 8 interface and have switch my desktop look to the classic Windows 7 look and included the start icon ... much easier to work with (easy to do, if you are considering).
This is not helping computer manufacturers/sellers.

What we should do ... IMO:

If you don't use a cell phone or only use it for phoning/texting:
. stay with your computer until it doesn't work anymore.
. buy a replacement laptop (approx $400) when needed.

If you use a smartphone for the Web, Facebook, Twitter, etc:
. consider stopping use of your computer, when it fails. 
. then consider stopping home Internet (modem and router).
. get the 6GB smartphone data plan (only $5/mo more).
. consider stopping use of your landline phone (not easy if a Bell Fibe TV subscriber).

One transition option (when you need to replace your current cell phone) is to buy a smartphone without an Internet usage plan, if you use it for only phoning right now.
This is quite a cost saving (save approx $50/mo).
Then wean yourself from the computer (when it dies) by adding the Internet usage plan (approx $50/mo) and dropping the home PC Internet access plan and landline phone plan (if you haven't already) - additional approx $100/mo saving.

This will only work if you and your spouse are of the same mind.

My Forecasts:

1. More browsers will have comprehensive mobile access (easy smartphone use) very soon.
2. Most services (travel, hotels, airlines, car rentals, etc) will offer an Android (mobile) app as well as their std web browser presence ... very soon.
3. Decline in landline phones will increase significantly.
 
I already see a decrease in landlines. Our children are already there! 
However, they are having trouble weaning themselves of home PC Internet.

Any thots? 

Where to buy HDMI cables

03.18.13: You probably paid more than $60 for each HDMI cable.

If you aren't aware of HDMI (but want to read further), it is High Definition Multimedia Interface and it is the standard for connecting Blu-ray players to your HD TV.
It is not required for connection the TV audio to your receiver.

I have used Monoprice for all my hdmi purchases.

I have bought 6' HDMI cables for less that $6 from Monoprice.

Monoprice carry many different quality HDMI cables and their shipping cost is reasonable (via USPS).

My last purchase was ever better cables. Two 10' cables for less than $40 total cost (delivered thru my mail slot).

These last two cables are almost the highest quality available:

1 . 10ft 24AWG CL2 Silver Plated High Speed HDMI cable - $14.32

2. 10ft Slim Series High Speed RedMere HDMI cable - $17.43

Shipping Cost : $7.55

This pic illustrates the various HDMI products ranging from 28AWG to the ultra-professional 22AWG (long distances). 

The RedMere cable is much smaller (see pic) and is uni-directional. 
Where a lot of bending is required and/or getting thru small holes in the wall, the RedMere would be preferred if the quality is equal to the 24AWG cable.

I compared these new 10ft cables with a 4ft 26AWG flat cable and a 6ft 28AWG, on a 50" and 60" plasma TV and couldn't detect any difference

Various tech websites indicate 28AWG is good enough, for up to 16ft, for 1080p or blu-ray quality. 
There is another higher quality service coming in a few years and it may challenge the 28AWG solution.

Normally, I would go for a cheaper product if the quality is very close.

However, at these prices...

If you find better prices elsewhere, pls let me know.

Is a website a scam

02.03.13: In  my review of web products, i am seeing websites that are relatively new and not known by the general public.

Remember the adage "If a price appears to be too good to be true, it generally is".

While these new websites may be honest and sell authentic products, there are a lot of knock-off products on the market and they appear to be growing every day.

I do a lot of shopping on eBay and find a lot of these non-authentic products to be worth buying as the risk is low due to low price.

However, when it comes to more expensive items such as golf equipment, I prefer to authenticate the site or buy from sites I am quite sure of.

eBay is a very good site to buy from, as they have buyer protection (thru Paypal and thru eBay).

I am now seeing much better golf prices outside of eBay and wonder if I will receive what I purchase and it will be as good as the authentic product.

I say "as good as", as I bought a set of Taylormade Burner 2.0 irons a couple of years ago at 1/3 the retail price. They played better than I expected and I wasn't concerned if they were authentic.

I am now looking at a new set of Taylormade Rocketbladez irons and a Taylormade R1 driver.

On these specific sites, the driver is approx $260 (including shipping via USP ... which almost assures me no duties or taxes) and the irons are approx $395 (9 irons).

Both prices are approx 1/2 the retail price and well below the eBay prices.

Very tempting...

However, in checking sites I noticed the following websites (price includes shipping via USPS) that looked very similar:

1. www.usgolfbuy.com (R1 $265, irons $395)

2. www.officegolfshop.com (R1 $260, irons $400)

3. www.golfpurchaser.com ($R1 $262, irons $392)

4. www.buygolfonlineus.com (R1 $250, irons $390)

5. www.buygolfbase.com (R1 $251, irons $381)
6. www.olfcheapsite.com -> redirects to www.sitegolfclub.com (R1 $250, irons $390)

(aside: all the above are accessible without the "www" in the address, as with most websites)

These are excellent prices and worth buying ... if a legitimate site and you are assured the authentic order arrives and they have an acceptable return policy and problem resolution process.

A lot to expect and very hard to confirm validity before purchase.

One approach is to use a site like www.scamadvisor.com to validate a website or www.mywot.com to identify or report a website. 

When I used scamadvisor to validate www.buygolfonlineus.com,

here is what it indicated.



If you have any question about validity/authenticity of a website, and would like my help, pls let me know.

Good Quality Pictures

03.05.13: Comparison of DSLRs.


D5200 vs D7100 ($1,200) - better pic quality (84 vs 80), smaller, lighter.
D5200 vs Canon 6D ($2,700) - better pic quality (84 vs 82), Many more focus points, lighter.
D5200 vs Sony A99 ($2,900) - smaller, lighter, cheaper, many more focus points, less pic quality (84 vs 89).

What I miss from the NEX-5R is the touch screen, wifi and smaller size.

The D5200 has a lot more functions/features and I am starting with AUTO, P, and video modes.

So far, I am impressed with the pic quality improvement and the video quality.
Helen enjoys the viewfinder and quick pics. 


03.04.13: I have tried everything, to avoid carrying a heavy camera requiring more than one lens ... a DSLR (digital single lens reflect) camera.

The camera industry has done a very good job of controlling our purchasing. 
If you want to pay less, you must buy a "digital camera".
If you want high quality pictures, you must buy a DSLR.

Sooner or later, a breakthru will occur - high quality pictures with a small low priced camera with ONE lens.

However, I want very good pics TODAY.

My plan is to make do with one lens (18-55mm) and later on decide if a high zoom digital camera is required for distance landscape pics.

After a lot of analysis (DSLRs under $1,000) and reading reviews, the best value for under $1,000 I came up with was the Nikon D5200.

It cost approx $200 more than the equivalent NEX-5R ... a digital camera with interchangeable lens.

Aside: I am continually impressed with the close-up pictures taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note (above) ...

I have 14 days to complete the quality testing phase: 
Is the picture quality good enough?
Is the ease-of-use good enough?
Are the tech features good enough?

Stay tuned.

Pause and Wait in phone numbers

02.25.13: For Android cell phones, there is an easy way to enter a 2-3 second pause in a preset phone number.
On iPhones, there is a key on the keyboard for pause.

For Android phones, you can enter a 'p' or commas for a 2-3 second pause before the next number is entered. You can enter more than one 'p' or comma in succession.

There is also a 'w' or semi-colon, for a wait before manual entering next number.

What is a hard wait?
A hard wait will do nothing until there is a response from the number you are calling.
For example, if you must wait for the recipient to pick up, or other communication to commence from the receiver end.  

What is a pause?
A pause is approx 2-3 seconds the cell p-hone will wait before proceeding with the next digit you preset.

More information.

Many more Android tips n tricks coming soon.

Cloud storage - a new entry

01.22.13: Back in April, I created an item indicating three free apps for storing data.
You could then easily share the data with others.

The one I mainly use is Dropbox, as it provides the most free space.

In the last few days, a new player (Mega) has appeared on the scene.

MEGA is providing 50gb with an encryption key (only you know).

This cloud storage provider with displace all others, if they don't dramatically increase your free space.

I am loading data into it right now - quite slow - and will let you know more about how it works after using it for a few days.

As with all cloud storage facilities:

1. remember that data you load into it will apply to your monthly data transfer quota

2. be sure to retain a copy of your data on another device. If the data ia really important (such as specific pictures, etc), be sure to backup on another storage medium (DVD, SDcard, stick, etc) as well.

TekSavvy alternative

01.22.13: Just got off the phone with Rogers. 
Not moving to Teksavvy and saving over $100/mo via new promotions. 
Faster speed than TekSavvy for $5/mo less and same 300gb download PLUS a lot more cost reduction on my other services!

SUGGEST YOU CALL 1-888-764-3771 AND SELECT THE OPTION FOR CANCELLING YOUR INTERNET ... THIS WEEK ... AS PROMOTIONS CAN STOP AT ANY TIME! 



01.15.13: It is time to understand where TekSavvy fits in as an alternative to Rogers and Bell Internet.

In the past, for various monetary reasons, I have not considered TekSavvy to be competitive with the standard providers.

However, unlike phone and TV, the standard providers do not have significant penalties preventing a subscriber from changing easily.

Rogers sent me an email indicating my download speed would increase to 35mbps (from my 25mbps) free of charge ... just because i was such a loyal customer.

But, this month's bill indicates an additional $3/mo for Internet starting next month. It also indicates $4/mo more for TV, starting next month.

Rogers is forcing me to pay more for faster speed I never asked for (nor can reject)!

What is in TekSavvy's favour now is the 300gb/mo download amount as well as cheaper monthly rates (especially for an existing Rogers user).

What is not in TekSavvy favour is one-time charges.

Also, movies companies are planning to pick on TekSavvy users for ownloading movies. This copyright trolling has been halted temporarily due to court action ... but who knows what the end result will be and the cost to TekSavvy...

Take a look at the TekSavvy charges for cable and for DSL (Bell) type offerings.

I would suggest you only consider the service that matches your existing (cable for Rogers and DSL for Bell).

In summary, monthly cost would be significantly cheaper (if you stay for longer than a year) with TekSavvy and you could download more (if that is a consideration) and you probably wouldn't notice any difference in speed.

My existing Rogers Internet service is $78/mo total...will be $84 starting February.

The equivalent TekSavvy monthly cost (over 2 years) would be $60/mo total.
The next level down at Teksavvy would be $52.50/mo over 2 years.

The equivalent Bell cost over 2 years (if you already have DSL service and no other Bell services) would be $83/mo total.

I am about to contact Rogers to see what expense is involved with cancelling Internet and TV services. 

DSLR alternative ?

03.04.13: After a month and a half of comfortable use of the NEX-5R, it stopped working and the camera equivalent of the computer blue-screen-of-death ... "Reinsert the memory card" appeared and nothing could fix it.

Went back to BestBuy and the best they could do (as I hadn't bought the extended warranty) was offer to send it to Sony (at a minimum cost of $40) for an estimate (might be replaced or fixed and I would be without it for up to a month).

The alternative was buy a NEX-5R from another store (and this didn't have any) and return to this BestBuy and buy the extended warranty.

This instruction wasn't expressed correctly and I went to the Ajax store and bought another camera (with a 4 year warranty) and returned to the Markham store for the credit for the NEX-5R.

As you might expect, they indicated "someone" had provided the wrong guidance and all they could do was provide an in-store credit for the NEX-5R. They advised me to return to the Ajax store and cancel the new camera purchase and return to the Markham store and apply the credit on another camera.

Being of the "laziness is the key to efficiency" mentality, I did return to the Ajax store ... and asked them to apply the credit ... they gladly complied.

Bottom line: I was able to return the NEX-5R without penalty.

Summary of likes and dislikes: touch screen, wifi enables, remote (smartphone) time delay, small size, excellent 1080p video, less than desired pic quality.


01.21.13: Made the decision to go with the newer NEX-5R as it had some advantages for the $35 additional cost: 
 - wi-fi to smartphone
 - phase detection (faster autofocus)
 - easier to use

Henrys wouldn't match the BestBuy price.

As I am not a fan of multiple lenses, I now need to buy a high zoom digital camera before the next adventure. 

01.16.13: My digital camera has bit the dust and (as you would expect) the 3 year camera insurance I Paid for won't cover repairs.

Time to buy a new camera! The question is which one?

I haven't been pleased with the speed and picture quality of digital cameras ... but also not eager to buy a large/cumbersome DSLR.

The DIL (digital interchangeable lens) cameras are beginning to make an impression. Prices range from $400 to over $1,000.

What is a DIL camera and why better than a digital camera but not quite as good as a DSLR? 

The bottom line is DILs are mirrorless (so can be smaller) and have picture quality of mid-range DSLRs.

What I want in a camera: small size, high quality pictures/videos, and fast shutter speed.

After much analysis and review, I have settled on the Sony NEX-5N. 

The problem is the NEX-5N is out of production and replaced by the NEX-5R (more expensive and maybe not as good).

A comparison of most expensive DIL and 5N.
A comparison of NEX-5N and NEX-5R.
A comparison of NEX-5N and Nikon D5200 - the DSLR I would select. 

Henrys could only find the 5N at a Manitoba store.

BestBuy price for the 5R is $649 (with lens) right now.
The price for the 5R I bought yesterday at BestBuy was $585 (open box, before tax) and the Henrys price for the 5N is $550 (open box,before tax).

Will add my conclusions before returning one of them.

Selecting a computer sound system

13.01.04: After 10 years, it was time to replace my speakers and subwoofer.
I listen to oldies and classical music while on my laptop.

This is the one I purchased (Z523).


My existing system is a Yamaha YST-MS201 bought from Futureshop for $70 in 2003.
The connection to the left speaker is intermittent and easily disconnected. Otherwise, the system was quite good and had satisfactory bass.




After some research, I decided I didn't want to pay more than the original setup and preferred 2.1 vs 5.1 or 7.1 (price...).

I decided to try these two before deciding:

1. Logitech Z313 - $59.99 at Walmart
2. Insignia NS-PCS41 - $62.99 at BestBuy

I shopped Jan 3rd (the day after sales ended).
Bought the Z313 (as priced).
Went to Futureshop and was surprised to see the Z523 model for $59.99. I had ignored this one, as it was listed at $99.99 a few days ago at the three stores.
Went to BestBuy and bought the Insignia ... for $45.99 (is listed at $62.99). 
No idea (and didn't ask) why prices were less than indicated on the shelves.

Returned the Z313 system to Walmart.

Tested the Insignia and Z523 systems and returned the Insignia.

Here are the specs I looked at (left click to enlarge):

The larger the watts, the more body to the sound and better sounding subwoofer.
A wider frequency response might suggest better quality speakers. Human ear is good for 20Hz-20kHz normally.

Of course, the most important criteria is how it sounds to your ears. The Z523 sounded fuller and easier on my ears.

Maybe the Logitech Z623 system will come later...

Now, time to analyze whether a 5.1 soundbar would be better than our surround sound (5 speaker) for our plasma TV.