Zit Seng's Superwall

State of 4G LTE in Singapore

Zit Seng — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:28:47 +0000

Many, if not most, of us are gobbling down tremendous volumes of mobile data, and our appetite is insatiable. If you’re still on 3G, you will be thirsting for 4G. If you’re not, you probably haven’t experienced 4G. Or, you’re living somewhere else, outside Singapore, where your telco does actually give you decent 3G experience. What is the state of 4G here in Singapore?

The short story is that all the three telcos in Singapore offer 4G coverage, and the plans are largely the same between all of them, just as the case has been with 3G.

But of course, you suspect there’s more to it, and it’s really not all equal. You’re right. So here’s the long story on it. Now, if you’re for some reason stuck with your current telco, or you need to re-contract with your current telco, then none of these really matters. If you’re free to jump ship, you’ll want to know which is the best telco to go with for your 4G.

Before we go on, let’s straighten out the 4G nomenclature. 4G is not a specific communication standard. The phones we’re talking about being 4G actually use the first-release Long Term Evolution, or LTE, cellular wireless standard. Ironically, this LTE did not tecnically qualify to be called 4G, but everyone calls it 4G, and even ITU (International Telecommunication Union) has decided to accept that the first-release LTE can be called 4G. For the purpose of this post, I’ll be sane and just say 4G.

When it comes to the quality of 3G service, we could say that all our three telcos are about the same. (Yeah, you probably have one favourite to love or hate, but I’d say they don’t differ much from each other.) The case with 4G is different:

M1 is the first to roll out 4G service, and the first to have full 4G coverage throughout Singapore. Their 4G service operates on both 1800 MHz (within mainland Singapore) and 2600 MHz bands (in coastal areas).
SingTel announced 95% street level 4G coverage in April this year, using both 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands.
StarHub trails behind with 4G service only in the 1800 MHz band, and coverage in limited zones such as the central part of Singapore, Changi Airport, and Singapore Expo. Their target for more-or-less complete street level coverage is end 2013, and then thereafter to work on indoor coverage.

It is pretty clear that StarHub has plenty to catch up on. Anecdotal evidence from Internet users on community forums show that StarHub’s 4G service is spotty and unreliable, even in areas that are supposed to have 4G coverage. I would not recommend going with StarHub for 4G service if you had the choice.

So, the remaining competition is between M1 and SingTel. M1 appears to have wider coverage. But there’s a catch with M1′s 4G provisioning. The 1800 MHz band, which M1 uses in most parts of Singapore mainland, is also used for 2G/3G services, which means 4G users are competing in the same frequency spectrum as 2G/3G users. The 2600 MHz band, on the other hand, is dedicated to 4G service, but it is available only in costal areas. (Incidentally, the iPhone 5′s LTE works only in the 1800 MHz band.)

On the other hand, SingTel uses 1800/2600 MHz bands throughout Singapore. 4G phones that support both 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands can select the best frequency band and automatically switch between them. (iPhone 5′s LTE does not support 2600 MHz band.)

Some people will want to delve into the issue of 1800 MHz vs 2600 MHz bands, in terms of the physics of it. For example, that 1800 MHz has better propagation distance, better material penetration properties, etc. On the other hand, 2600 MHz carries more bandwidth, and is more suited for crowded urban areas.

Certainly there are pros and cons between 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands. More importantly, it cannot hurt to have both to choose from. Therefore, in principle, wherever there is 4G coverage, SingTel’s 4G service should be better.

What about real world tests? Thanks to the hardworking folks at HWZ, we can refer to their Mid-Year Review of 4G LTE Networks in Singapore. SingTel edges out M1 in their review, scoring the lead in 17 test items versus 14 for M1. Another HWZ review Mid-Year Review of Telco’s 4G LTE Networks – Orchard Road and Universities Edition, SingTel still edged out M1 (lead 32 versus 28 test items). You should, of course, read the HWZ reviews to find out more details; I’m just very simplistically extracting out a “score” to select a winner.

I believe it’s still a close fight between M1 and SingTel. Personally, I feel SingTel has deeper pockets to roll out better 4G service. They just announced 150 Mbps 4G service this month, which shows they can do better so long as they are willing to spend.

Nevertheless, regardless of whether you go with M1 or SingTel, you should be pretty satisfied with your 4G. Unless you’re an iPhone user, then you might prefer to go with SingTel for better 1800 MHz band coverage.

Today, 4G is able to deliver reasonably good mobile broadband experience. It’s not that we truly need the bandwidth that 4G boasts of, but rather, our 3G is really in a very sorry state. Those of us who have travelled and used 3G in other countries will be able to attest to the difference. While I was in Hong Kong, for example, my 3G was so blazingly fast I thought I had somehow connected to my hotel’s Wi-Fi hotspot.

Ironically, many re-contracting customers are going to find themselves caught in a quandary. On their old contract, they probably have 12GB of mobile data allowance a month. After re-contracting, that free bundle would be reduced to as little as 2GB a month. Now when you have 4G, and you can consume data much more quickly, you find your free bundle capped at a much lower allowance.

So now, you have a choice:

Stay on current plan, have 12GB of mobile data allowance, which you can hardly use because 3G doesn’t work.
Re-contract to 4G, get very fast data, but just 2GB of data allowance (or more if you pay for higher tier plans).

I’d choose (2). Less data allowance, but at least you get an enjoyable experience. Eventually, you would be driven to a new contract anyway, and get stuck with whatever measly mobile allowance the telcos bundle on your plan.

La Crosse Technology Battery Charger

Zit Seng — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:13:12 +0000

I never thought battery chargers were so complicated. They just charge batteries, right? Oh yes, they do. But apparently there are many more things to expect out of a battery charger. Particularly one that you use generically across various brands of batteries you buy. Now, you might ask, don’t those cheap and simple battery chargers also just about charge all rechargeable batteries? Yes, they do. But it’s not so simple.

Once, when I was buying a rechargeable battery, the salesperson asked if I had the chargeable that was designed by and from the same manufacturer as the battery? He said it mattered. I thought, yeah, right, he just wants to sell me another charger I didn’t need. Actually, it turns out that there is a small truth in there, but I’ll talk about it later.

We all know those cheap and simple battery chargers. You put in the battery, it charges till full, and stop. There will usually be some status indicators. Like, for example, blinking green when charging, and solid green when the charge is complete.

Well, complicated battery chargers like this La Crosse Technology one does that too. That’s just the basic function. Where it gets more complicated is:

It can fully discharge the battery, then recharge it back to full. The purpose of this is to remove the memory effect of rechargeable batteries.
It can “refresh” old batteries that have not been used a long time, or those that might perhaps be thought to be faulty but can still be coaxed back to life. Refresh mode discharges the battery, then recharges the battery, and repeating this cycle until there is no further increase in the measured capacity.
It can measure the capacity of the battery by charging it to full, then discharging, and then recharging it back to full. The capacity measurement is done during discharge.
You can also configure charging and discharging currents, so you can either “slowly charge” or “quick charge” the batteries.

On yet more complicated models, like this BC1000 pictured above, you can set modes and current levels on a per-battery basis. You can set currents of up to 1800 mA when just using compartments 1 and 4. You can also directly display all parameters, without having to “wait” for the display to cycle through the values for what you want. Not all battery charges, even those in this category, can do this.

The La Crosse Technology Alpha Power Battery Charger BC1000 is that sort of complicated battery charger. It’s quite feature complete and very flexible.

The bundle I got comes with the charger unit that takes 4x AA or AAA sized batteries, a universal power adapter, 4x rechargeable AA batteries, 4x rechargeable AAA batteries, 4x battery adapters (those plastic cylinders on the left), and a carrying bag.

The battery adapters let you “convert” AA batteries into C sized or D sized batteries. Pretty handy if you need C sized or D sized batteries.

Now, what is it about matching rechargeable batteries to battery chargers? Well, it is about the charger design and the amount of current it delivers. Basically, rechargeable batteries from different manufacturers may have different recommended charging current. Applying too much current will shorten the lifespan of the battery. A low current might work more safely, but it might take too long than you’re willing to wait.

It’s alright to “quick charge” a battery by using a high current once a while. But you shouldn’t do it too often. It is important also, for the the battery charger, to have a temperature sensor (this BC1000 does) to automatically stop the charging current if the battery gets too hot. A cheap battery charger might not come with this protection feature.

The BC1000 is an immensely flexible charger. It’s a little pricey compared with what you’d get for a simple unit, but it might just be worth it if it lasts many years and helps you keep your rechargeable batteries longer than they’d normally last.

Don’t forget: Save the Earth, use rechargeable batteries!

SGS4 Appears at Google I/O 2013

Zit Seng — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:59:52 +0000

Last year’s Google I/O saw the launch of the Nexus 4. This year, Google doesn’t seem to have a new phone. Nor do they have a new tablet, media streamer, or any other hardware. This year is all about software and services. But no, not Android itself. It seems like a very uninteresting year at Google I/O 2013. Google, however, did slip in a small surprise.

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S4 (SGS4) will be sold by Google on their Play store in a modified version. It will be a pure Android Jelly Bean device, without Samsung’s TouchWiz. Software OTA updates will come from Google, instead of Samsung. This means that this version of the SGS4 will receive prompt Android updates, at about the same time as when Google updates other Nexus devices.

This all sounds great for people who love the pure Google Android experience.

But what about the special features of the SGS4? Things like Smart Stay, Smart Scroll, Air View and Air Gesture? I suspect these features use proprietary Samsung software which they would not want to release source codes for. Since Google would make publicly available the full Android source code for their gadgets, that probably means these Samsung features would not be in the Google version of the SGS4.

It seems like a big pity. You have a very pretty smartphone, stripped bare to a plain vanilla one. It’s not like you’re going to get it at a meaningful discount anyway, as this Google SGS4 will sell for US$648 with 16GB of flash memory. Perhaps a small consolation is that it will be the LTE version.

Now, who would want this phone? Oh yes, those who are after the pure Android experience. However, it would seem to me that all the extra hardware capabilities might not be fully used in an pure Android Jelly Bean ROM.

Logitech MK220 Keyboard and Mouse

Zit Seng — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:34:49 +0000

This is the Logitech MK220 wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s really a pretty ordinary keyboard and mouse combination. Just one thing spectacular about it. The keyboard is quite compact. The whole keyboard is not much larger than the actual space occupied by the keys, and in fact there is no bezel space at all below the keys. There is no dedicated cursor navigation section, and the row of function keys are somewhat smaller in size.

This is a diminutive keyboard. Not in the same way as the Apple Wireless keyboard. Not quite the same as those “hacker’s” keyboard either. It’s just compact on its own way. A minimalistic design of a typical desktop keyboard.

The keys on the MK220 keyboard are quite the proper full-sized ones you’d expect to find on a regular desktop keyboard. It also has the proper key travel, good for people who prefer the kind of tactile feedback from regular keyboards.

Although there is no dedicated cursor navigation section, there are still the usual arrow keys. They are now located under the Shift key, just like how notebook keyboards are typically arranged. There are also the Home, End, PgUp and PgDn keys, now located above the number keypad. It’s not revolutionary. It’s just being functional

The mouse is pretty standard, basic, mouse. It does have a scroll wheel, though even that is quite expected.

This is a somewhat entry-level model in Logitech’s range of wireless keyboards and mice. But I like this keyboard for a specific reason. It serves a very practical purpose for those with limited desk space, or whose desk is already too cluttered.

For me, the wireless nature of the MK220 means I don’t have cumbersome wires running on my desk. I mostly use a notebook, and occasionally the desktop which I’ve attached this MK220 keyboard and mouse. So most of the time, the desktop’s keyboard and mouse would be pushed off to one side, but occasionally I might want to reposition it a little nearer. Having a wire attached gets in the way, and it’s lovely that this thing is wireless.

A wireless receiver dongle connects to your computer via USB. There’s apparently no need to pair the keyboard and mouse with the dongle anymore. I have gotten out-of-touch with these wireless things, because for the last many years I’ve been using bluetooth keyboards and mice.

Conclusion

The MK220 wireless keyboard and mouse is a great value for money combo. It cost me under S$30. It’s compactness and wireless feature makes it great for those with limited desk space and, or, whom wish to avoid the messiness of having an attached cable.

Two Weeks with Samsung Galaxy S4

Zit Seng — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:39:06 +0000

I’ve now had my Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGS4) for two weeks, and I just want to share my thoughts about the SGS4 from someone who’s actually using it. The SGS4 has been one of the most anticipated smartphones this year, and thanks to all the numerous previews and reviews on the Internet, you might even be very familiar with it even if you don’t use or own one. Is the SGS4 as great as the media has made it out to be?

The first time you see the SGS4, you probably want to confirm it is really the SGS4, because it looks so similar in its outward appearance to the Galaxy S III (SGS3). Of course, once you’ve learnt how to tell them apart, it’s a lot easier to differentiate between them. In the looks department, the SGS4 has become less curvy than last year’s “nature inspired” SGS3. It’s also more symmetrical and straighter too. The home button, for example, is both symmetrical in itself as well as being centered between the LCD screen and the bottom edge of the phone.

This is probably highly subjective, but in my opinion, the SGS4 has a more polished look than before. The metallic accents, though fake, lend some premium touch to the phone. It’s still a plasticky phone. But that’s what enables it to be lightweight, and despite all that plastic, the phone feels solid in the hand.

If you didn’t know, the SGS4 is actually not just thinner (7.9mm vs 8.6mm) but also slimmer (69.8 mm vs 70.6 mm) than the SGS3, while still remaining the exact same height (136.6 mm). In the smaller body, the SGS4 has a bigger battery (2600 mAh vs 2100 mAh) and a larger screen (5.0″ vs 4.8″). The SGS4 is also lighter (130 g vs 133 g). It’s impressive engineering.

I came from the HTC One X (HOX) to the SGS4, and the SGS4 clearly feels thinner, despite the difference being just 1 mm. I think, it helps a lot that the SGS4′s back is smoother, so it slides in and out of my pocket much more easily.

While some of the competition, notably HTC with HTC One and numerous other models, have gone with non-removable batteries and non-expandable memories, the SGS4 still includes a removable battery and a microSD slot.

[Note: I'm not doing a full review of the SGS4 here, but just sharing my two cents based on my actual use of the phone. Therefore, I'm not going to be talking about features in detail, or even to list all the features. I'm assuming you pretty know several things about the SGS4 already, otherwise you should probably find a proper full review of the SGS4.]

On the software front, Samsung puts this thing called TouchWiz on top of Android. Never mind where TouchWiz ends and Android starts, I can’t really figure it out myself. But let’s just say the software experience should be pretty much familiar to anyone who’s used a Samsung Android smartphone. Some nifty features have even made their way into other projects like CyanogenMod’s custom Android ROM.

The SGS4′s bag of new tricks include Air View, Air Gesture, and Smart Scroll. There’s also the Smart Stay which first appeared in the SGS3. These features are interesting, and definitely a good “show off” because other phones don’t do it. There’s some learning curve to work them reliably, and there’re some situations which work against them. You probably wouldn’t want to depend on them. I can see some practical value in Air View and Air Gesture, such as when your hands are oily/greasy/dirty and you don’t want to touch your phone, so I certainly hope these could be improved.

Battery life is great. Definitely way better than the HOX. Probably matching the Galaxy S II (SGS2) I used to own. On the HOX, I worry about running down the battery on a high usage day and I have to use it till late night. I don’t foresee this being a concern with the SGS4. That’s despite me turning on some of those new “Air” and “Smart” features.

The SGS4 takes pretty good pictures. Megapixels may not be everything, but I’m glad Samsung chose to upgrade to a 13MP camera instead of following HTC’s route with the HTC One. More megapixels give you room to adjust, crop, and work with the image in various ways. I’m happy as long as the sensor quality does not noticeably degrade when moving up from 8MP to 13MP. Had I really needed better quality photos, I’d use a proper camera for that.

The new camera modes are fun too. Of course, many are gimmicky, but definitely I can see myself using some of them from time to time. For example, I can include myself, using the front camera, as an insert into the photo shot by the main rear camera. It’s a nifty trick to include me, the photographer, in whatever fun moments I’m capturing.

My greatest complaint about the SGS4 is one that serious impacts user experience. It is that the software is not completely fluid and responsive as like, for example, on the iPhone. There are stutters from time to time as the screen transitions or some window animation is played. The phone works, of course. Functionality is not impacted. But the user experience is marred.

Most netizens feel, and which has purportedly been confirmed by Samsung, that the stuttering is clearly an OS issue which can be fixed by a future software update. I certainly hope so, and that it happens quickly. Funny enough, I’m unable to see this stuttering problem happening on some demo sets, but then those are identified by a slightly different product number (GT-I9505X vs GT-I9505 that is actually in buyers’ hands) and older firmware version. This is probably the single thing that prevents me from completely liking the SGS4 and recommending it without reservations.

The SGS4 comes with the usual accessories. Notice how the cables and adapter are now all in white, despite this being the SGS4 in Black Mist. It seems like white is the new in. Perhaps I should have opted for the white. (I actually did want to change to the white, but my carrier declined to allow that for launch event.)

The SGS4 charges and syncs via micro USB, of course, and the port also supports OTG (USB host mode) as well as MHL. Pretty much what you’d expect nowadays. No MHL adapter is included, though.

The SGS4 sold in Singapore is the LTE version, with the Snapdragon processor. There is some amount of debate about the Snapdragon vs Samsung’s Exynos Octa-core processor that has been strongly marketed as a key feature of the SGS4. Sure, there will be some performance difference, but I don’t think they contribute any meaningful impact to the user experience and perceived performance. No, I’m not bothered with having a Snapdragon powered SGS4.

More importantly, it is the LTE that is most meaningful, and my key requirement upgrading from my HOX. With LTE, I can now finally enjoy true mobile broadband, instead of suffering with the 3G experience that seems to have been intentionally crippled by all the carriers in Singapore. Yes, I think it’s a conspiracy to force all of us to re-contract to a 4G plan that has significantly lower data caps.

Conclusion

What do I think of the SGS4?

It’s everything you’d expect from a 2013 flagship Android smartphone. Despite its lightweight and incredibly small profile, it still sports a 5.0″ display, removable battery, and microSD slot. The new software features are fun, and you may find some usefulness in them. However, it is marred by stuttering behaviour.

My Take on Keynote vs PowerPoint

Zit Seng — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:52:02 +0000

I have been using a Mac for many years. By and large, I like the Mac experience. Beautiful hardware complemented by very usable software. The software is not just very usable because they are easy to use, but can also be quite enjoyable to use. So, you’d think that I should be a happy iWork user. Well, not in this instance. I’m a happy Microsoft Office user, the version for the Mac, of course.

I actually took the plunge with Keynote, the presentation software in Apple’s iWork suite. It took me a lot of time to consider switching to iWork. I read many reviews, and downloaded the trial, and I considered very seriously about moving to iWork. I eventually decided to buy just Keynote, so that I can have more time with it. You know, it’s one thing to try a software, and possibly a different matter to really use it in “production”. Like, in the case with Keynote, to create real presentations that I’d actually be presenting with.

Just a side note: I didn’t go ahead with Pages and Numbers, the wordprocessor and spreadsheet apps in the iWork suite. The reason is this, I don’t reasonably expect to be able to really use those apps. At work, I regularly need to exchange Word documents and Excel spreadsheets with people. We need to collaboratively edit them by passing them back and forth. It would be problematic if I tried to work with Pages and Numbers. Presentations are different, because I typically create my own presentations, and while I don’t mind distributing my slides to others, I don’t typically find myself needing to work with anyone else to create my slides.

Back to Keynote. Yes, so I really used it in “production”. Keynote was a joy to use. Much like most Apple software.

Unfortunately, it was fun until I had to do real presentation stuff with it. Things I actually need to do, as opposed to just playing with it for fun. Mind you, not complicated things. Simple things.

For example, I want to do up a simple graphic to aid in the presentation of some information. In PowerPoint, you’d use this thing called SmartArt Graphic.

In Keynote, what you’d do is… erm… okay, there’s not quite an equivalent to that PowerPoint feature. Uh oh. Com’on, surely there must be a way? I just need something basic, you know. Like perhaps a pyramid to illustrate a hierarchy. Or a cycle to show how something is cyclic in nature. Maybe I want to put up a simple org-chart.

Oh yes, there is a way. Open up PowerPoint, create the graphic, and then find some way to export it out and include it into Keynote. Or perhaps you could use some other app to create the graphic for you. Do whatever you want, but it just has to be done outside Keynote.

How is it possible that Apple could have omitted such a fundamental feature?

Here I’ve learnt a fundamental design principle in Keynote. Apple thinks every presentation should be original, unique, and fresh. You should be creative in designing your slides. If Keynote had included SmartArt Graphic, then everyone would create similar looking graphics in their Keynote presentation. It would be very boring. Everyone’s presentation would look familiar. Without SmartArt Graphic, you’d have to build the graphic from scratch. (Yeah, you could still use PowerPower to create it eh.)

I got annoyed. If my job was all about creating presentations, then perhaps I’d agree, I should spend time creating original, refreshing graphics. But presentations are just a communication tool that I need to use in my job. I am too busy to create graphics from scratch.

That’s how I found Keynote to be different. Keynote is beautiful. The themes are beautiful. The transitions and animations are beautiful. The multimedia stuffs are really sleek. You can build really beautiful presentations with Keynote. Some of the features have no equivalent in PowerPoint.

But some things Keynote leaves you to figure out yourself. I’m not willing to do that.

I must point out that PowerPoint can do quite a bit of the beautiful stuff that Keynote is known for. The animations and transitions are mostly (but not all) doable in PowerPoint. It might need more effort, maybe a whole lot more effort, but it’s possible to arrive at the same end result.

I need a tool that was functional, and helped me get my work done. I can with slightly less of the flashy stuff. However, I definitely need SmartArt Graphics. So, I’ve gone back to PowerPoint.

Solaris 11 on Generic x86 Hardware

Zit Seng — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:56:54 +0000

Running Solaris on an Oracle Solaris certified hardware is a no brainer. It surely works. Everything works beautifully. If it were a SPARC box, then you don’t really have much choice but to buy from Oracle. But what if you wanted an x86 platform? Generic x86 hardware is so cheap, it is very tempting to try to run Solaris on a commodity x86 hardware.

An Oracle Solaris x86 box would easily cost two to three times that of an equivalent generic x86 box. Of course, that would be just the hardware cost and not considering the software licensing and other professional services. It’s still very tempting, though, to consider generic x86 hardware.

We’ve embarked on this journey. Over a decade ago, we more or less had stopped running generic x86 hardware. Now, we’re back at it again. So here I’m going to share a little bit of our experiences exploring Solaris 11.

The funnest and easiest way to install Oracle Solaris is to use the Automated Install. That’s assuming, of course, you already have an AI server running. Otherwise, you’d better stick with a DVDROM install. But in case you’re interested in the AI route, I blogged about it before.

For my current installs, I’m trying to do everything remotely, over the network. Not just an AI install over the network, but more importantly, remote console access through serial console redirection. This requires an IPMI controller on the server. IPMI is quite common on server hardware. Many servers implement additional remote management features over what IPMI requires. I’m just going to use the basic IPMI features, because, well, many of those higher-level remote management features require a web browser, Java, and additional TCP ports.

Serial console redirection, in case you’re not familiar, works pretty well to redirect text-based output from the BIOS and bootloader (e.g. GRUB). However, t does not take care, ordinarily, of console output once the operating system has loaded. In the case in Oracle Solaris 11, for example, you can see the GRUB screen, but once GRUB has handed off to the OS, there’s nothing on the serial console anymore.

So the trick is, until you have the opportunity to reconfigure GRUB, you’d need to tell GRUB to pass some extra options to the kernel. The Automated Install can proceed just fine without any console intervention, but if you want to see anything or to use the system while Automated Install works, you’d also have to tell GRUB to boot with extra kernel options.

This is what you need to append to the kernel line:

-B console=ttyb,ttyb-mode="115200,8,n,1,-"

Remember, append, not replace, the kernel command line. This should give you a working console during Automated Install, as well as at the first boot after Automated Install is completed. At the first boot after Automated Install is done, you may need to step through some setup screens, so a working console is essential at that point.

To permanently have the serial console redirect work, here are some extra things to do:

First, save the serial console into “EEPROM”:
$ eeprom console=ttyb
Update GRUB configuration file in /rpool/boot/grub/menu.lst to add the following to the kernel line:
-B console=ttyb,ttyb-mode=”115200,8,n,1,-”
Edit the file /etc/ttydefs and change the line:
console:9600 hupcl opost onlcr:9600::console
to:
console:115200 hupcl opost onlcr:115200::console
That’s it.

Reboot and test. All the above assumes that COM2 (i.e. the second serial port) is used for the serial console redirect. You should check your BIOS setup to confirm which port is being used.

Another thing is about ZFS mirror. Automated Install doesn’t by default setup ZFS mirror on your rpool. (Maybe you could customize the AI profile to do that.) If you have two disks and you want them in a mirror configuration, here’s what to do:

Attach the second disk to form the mirror:
$ zpool attach -f rpool
Check the mirror status:
$ zpool status

It will take a few moments for the zpool to resilver.

Panasonic Lumix TZ40 Review

Zit Seng — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:50:23 +0000

Panasonic’s latest travel zoom camera, the Lumix DMC-TZ40 (DMC-ZS30 in the U.S.) just became available through retail channels in Singapore recently. Sporting a 18.1MP 1/2.3″ sensor, 20x optical zoom with 5-axis image stabilisation, 1080p full-HD video, GPS, Wi-Fi and NFC, this camera is feature-packed to the brim, and a worthy compact travel companion for most casual point-and-shoot users.

The compact travel zoom category of cameras is a fiercely fought market. It’s been very popular amongst people who are looking for a compact all-in-one camera that does more and takes somewhat better photos than smartphone cameras. To this end, Panasonic has established their TZ range of cameras amongst the top of the compact travel zoom market.

The TZ40 betters last year’s TZ30 with a smaller body, more zoom, more pixels, and NFC support. It’s still an awfully fast camera for its class: quick startup (time to first shot), focus time, and shot-to-shot time. Speed is of the essence to capture the shot exactly when you want it, particularly if you are taking shots of moving subjects (e.g. kids).

The new TZ40 retails at S$549, which is about the same as last year’s TZ30 at launch.

Now, for the obligatory technical specifications:

Sensor: 1/2.3″ High Sensitivity MOS Sensor with 18.1 effective megapixels (18.9MP total)
Lens: Leica DC Vario-Elmar
Lens Aperture: F3.3 – 6.4
Focal Length: 4.3 – 86.0mm (24 – 480mm in 35mm equivalent)
Image Stabilization: 5-axis optical
Shutter: 4 – 1/2000 sec, 15 sec, 30 sec
Auto-Focus: 23 areas, 1 area, spot, face, tracking, touch area
ISO: up to 6400
Modes: Intelligent Auto, P, A, S, M, C1, C2, Panorama, Scene, Creative Control
Continuous Shooting: 10 fps (speed priority) up to 6 images (5 images only in my tests), 5 fps with continuous focus (slows down after about 8 images)
Movie Capture: up to 1920 x 1080 @ 50fps
Display: 3″ TFT multi-touch screen with 920K dots
GPS: GLANOSS
Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz band), WPA, WPA2, WPS, Wi-Fi Direct
NFC: Yes, for configuring Wi-Fi
Physical Dimensions (WxHxD): 108.3 x 58.9 x 27.7mm
Weight: 198g (inc battery and SD card)

There are plenty more technical specifications, and if you want to know more about them, you should check out Panasonic’s product webpages.

Here’s what you get out of the box.

The TZ40 camera itself comes in red (pictured above), white, silver and black. Other items in the box includes: battery, AC adapter, hand strap, USB cable, a CDROM and some manuals. There is no memory card included.

Body and Design

Let’s start with a tour of the TZ40 body. It has a well-built metal body, yet reasonably light at 198g, including battery and SD card. The front is dominated by the 24-480mm lens (of course), flash, AF assist light, and a nice rubberised hand grip.

On the top of the camera, you’ll find the on/off button, a dedicated movie record button, a mode dial, and a combo shutter release with zoom lever on its outer ring. There is also a speaker and stereo microphones, and a GPS status indicator.

On the back, there’s a large 3″ multi-touch LCD TFT screen which is awfully bright and crisp. The buttons on the back include the traditional D-pad, playback button, exposure/map button, display button, Q.Menu/trash/back button, and a dedicated Wi-Fi button. Some of the buttons, as you’d expect, have different functions depending on what mode the camera is in. Don’t forget that the LCD screen is multi-touch, so apart from the buttons, there’s a lot of interaction you can do with the LCD screen itself.

The TZ40′s bottom side has a tripod mount and a battery door. The SD card slot is also inside the battery door. On the right side, there is a HDMI out and a AV/Digital (used to connect to USB port and for charging) socket. The left side has the NFC antenna.

The TZ40 is comfortable to hold in one hand. The rubberised grip adds some extra thickness, so you can grab on to it easily. The camera is big enough to not easily slip out of your hands, yet small enough you can take it anywhere with you, and will fit into your pockets too. The controls have a reassuring firmness without being too difficult to operate.

Operation and Performance

All the basic functions of the camera should be quite self-explanatory. There’s sufficient on-screen prompts and help so that you probably can also do without the manual, even for the newer and more advanced features. A selection of more useful settings are called up when you press the Q.Menu button, and the whole suite of settings are accessible from the Menu/Set button (centre of D-pad).

The TZ40 is fast. Awfully fast. Time from startup to first shot is just over 1.8s. Shutter lag is almost imperceptible. Shot to shot time is under 0.7s. Auto-focus can lock in as quick as 0.1s in ideal conditions. I cannot say this is DSLR type of standard, but it is certainly far better than most other compact travel zooms out there, and would even put to shame some more expensive and higher end cameras. If you need to take photos of kids or other fast action, the TZ40 will not disappoint you.

Panasonic has upped the ante in the image stabilisation department with its new 5-axis optical stabilisation. Not only does this help tremendously to reduce hand shake when taking stills at slow shutter speeds (or telephoto end of the zoom range), it also reduces camera movements and lends a more professional touch to your video recordings.

All the snazzy camera features would not count for anything if the images the TZ40 captures are not great. To this end, I’m glad to report that the TZ40 captures photos of impressive quality, at least in the compact travel zoom category. Images at ISO 100 – 400 are really good and noise-free. Some noise starts to creep in at ISO 800, but the images are certainly still quite usable. ISO 1600 onward start to be a problem if you care lots about image quality.

I want to insert a reminder here that cameras need to be compared within their class. The TZ40 isn’t going to outdo a micro four third. It can’t compete against 1″ sensors either, like Sony’s RX100. That the TZ40′s images are great is mostly relative to compact travel zooms.

Intelligent Auto on the TZ40 is really pretty intelligent, automatically figuring out various shooting modes, scene selection, and other settings for you. Perfect for a beginner who just wants to point-and-shoot, or even more experienced users who don’t want to press too many buttons to compose every shot.

Here are some general outdoor shots with the TZ40.

Indoor shots below are all taken without flash.

The TZ40 takes pretty awesome macro shots. It can focus as close as just 3cm away, allowing you to get really up close to whatever it is you want to photograph. If you love macro photography, you’ll love macro on the TZ40.

The lens aperture starts at F3.3 (wide) and narrows down to F6.4 (zoom). It’s not fast, but certainly comparable with other cameras in its category.

The TZ40 zooms all the way to 20x (480mm in 35mm equivalent), which is quite awesome for a camera of its size. High zoom is particularly useful when you cannot, shouldn’t, or are unable to get nearer to your subject. Photographing birds, for example.

Here’s an example of the powerful zoom at work, starting with 1x in the top left, and 20x in the bottom right.

High zoom, however, does come with its down sides, such as the smaller maximum aperture (as mentioned above), slower focusing speed, etc.

I’m not a fan of in-camera creative image processing modes, but here’s a sample of some of those included in the TZ40.

The full list of the creative modes are: Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color.

The TZ40′s scene modes are: Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Hand Held Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Starry Sky, Glass Through, Underwater, High Speed Video, 3D Photo. The last one, 3D Photo, is interesting. The camera takes a series of high-speed shots (20) while you pan the camera 10cm from left to right, then it selects two photos to create a 3D image in MPO format which you can then view on a 3D TV.

Other Features

In 2012, everyone put Wi-Fi in their cameras. The hot new feature in 2013 is NFC (Near Field Communication). I honestly don’t see the big deal with NFC. The TZ40 uses NFC to setup Wi-Fi communications with another NFC compatible device (Android smartphone or tablet, since there are no iOS devices with NFC at this time). NFC isn’t used for the actual communication. I don’t expect to keep needing to reconfigure the Wi-Fi- setup, so the NFC benefit is somewhat limited.

The TZ40 can do plenty of things with its Wi-Fi capability. You can pair it with an Android or iOS app, then use the latter to remote control the camera. Yes, that means remote shooting from your Android or iOS device, with live view, and playback. You can playback photos on a DLNA compatible TV, or upload images as you capture them to a smartphone, PC, or cloud sync service (Panasonic’s Lumix Club). Finally, yes, you can also share your photos to other social network sites (that includes Facebook and YouTube).

The biggest disappointment, to me, is Panasonic’s decision to stick to their proprietary charge and sync connector. The connector on the camera end is their own proprietary type, although the other end of the cable connects to a standard USB port (of course). This means you’d better not lose the cable, and you cannot just use any micro USB cable you happen to have lying around.

The TZ40′s battery is charged in-camera, just like the TZ30. Some people consider this a disadvantage. I think it cuts both ways, and I personally prefer in-camera charging since it means there’s one less thing to lose, and one less thing to carry around when you’re travelling.

Conclusion

Panasonic has succeeded in making the TZ40 an all-round improved version of last year’s TZ30. While NFC may not be terribly useful, except perhaps to score a checkmark against competitors, it is certainly easy to appreciate the quick responsiveness, slightly longer zoom and new sensor in the TZ40. This is overall a good performer for casual photographers looking for a compact travel zoom. Furthermore, the speed, controls and image quality will certainly satisfy the needs of aspiring novice photographers who want to take better photos.

Pros:

Awesome speed: time to first shot, shot to shot, focus
Impressive image quality for its class
Plenty of controls

Cons:

Proprietary charge/sync cable connector

Samsung Galaxy S4 Launch in Singapore

Zit Seng — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:49:38 +0000

Samsung’s latest Android flagship, the Galaxy S4 (SGS4), has started selling from 4pm last Saturday, 27 April 2013. Following the previous successes of the Galaxy line of Samsung smartphones, this has to be one of the most anticipated smartphone launches of this year. In fact, the SGS4 would begin selling across many markets this weekend, including much of Europe and the U.S.

In Singapore, Samsung will give launch customers $160 worth of accessories: a desktop dock, a car charger, and a MHL-HDMI adapter. Each of our three local telcos had different launch mechanisms, and slightly differing freebies.

At SingTel: A big roadshow at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. SGS4 sales are also by pre-booked appointment, only for customers who had registered their interest.

At M1: A smaller roadshow in front of Wisma Atria. SGS4 sales are on first-come-first-served basis, only for customers who had registered their interest. M1 included additional 1GB in the mobile data plan too.

At StarHub: No roadshow. Sales by pre-booked appointment or home delivery, only for customers who had registered their interest. StarHub threw in an additional 2GB in the mobile data plan (apparently limited to the first 6 months of new contract).

All telco sales require a new 2-year mobile contract.

I went to the SingTel roadshow. I must admit I was somewhat apprehensive about the experience that I might encounter there, having heard all the horror stories of various other launch events (not necessarily those of SingTel’s) in previous years. You know, things like queues that start like 12 hours before, arguments or fights that break out, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised with SingTel’s handling of this launch. They had set up a rather sizeable area for the queue to get a queue number (and to verify eligibility to be in the queue at all), but there was no one in the queue. I was attended to immediately.

By the time I got my queue number, and was trying to figure out where to look out for my queue number to be called, I found that my number had already been called, and it was already like halfway down the screen of called numbers.

Needless to say, I was attended to immediately at the counter to get my SGS4. There was also zero queue waiting at payment.

I can only say that SingTel must had under-allocated the pre-book appointment slots, and grossly over-provisioned resources for the roadshow. Of course, no customer would complain about the speedy experience.

There were so many things to do at the roadshow I wouldn’t even have minded a short wait. There were so many display sets of the SGS4 available, you wouldn’t find any difficulty laying your hands on one to try out. Apart from the SGS4, there were also the Galaxy S III with LTE, as well as the Galaxy Note 2.

When you are done playing with the demo sets, you can just sit down and enjoy the live band playing on stage. Or grab some popcorn. Or browse accessories for sale, etc.

All in all, I must commend SingTel for their great event management of this launch.

The only thing that bothered me was that I was signed up for a whole bunch of silly services I didn’t ask for and I didn’t need. Worse, I wasn’t even told about them.

Alternative Android Smartphones

Zit Seng — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:31:02 +0000

This is the launch weekend of the Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGS4) in Singapore and several other countries. Sales (not pre-order) commences at 4pm tomorrow in Singapore. If for any reason you’re not going to get the SGS4, but wonder about other Android alternatives, well, you’re actually going to be quite spoilt for choice. Not least because of other flagships from HTC (HTC One) and Sony (Xperia Z).

Yes, there are yet more Android smartphones to consider. Those from the Chinese market, for example. I just chanced upon a marketing email from MP4Nation, which, despite what their name suggests, sells Android smartphones and tablets as well. They do have a new line up of Android smartphones. Nothing costs more than US$250. They are modern too, running Android 4.2, and boasting reasonably modern hardware specifications.

Take, for example, the Cubot M6589 smartphone. It has a 4.7″ IPS LCD display with 1280×720 resolution and 5-point capacitive multitouch panel. It’s a quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3.5G quadband, etc. Pretty decent. Though this one, in particular, doesn’t have quite so good a camera.

They even have 5.8″ devices, which I suppose will sort of compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note. This one has a pretty decent 8MP resolution main camera too.

Don’t expect these smartphones to match or exceed the hardware specifications of mainstream Android smartphones, and yet offer a significant bargain. There’s always a tradeoff somewhere. There’s no free lunch. But if you’re willing to compromise on something, it’s possible you’d find something suitable amongst these alternative smartphones.

Anyone fancy Chinese smartphones?