It’s been a while since I last posted. Let us bring things up and running by this review post of the PowerBase C518 Charger.

I recently bought a brand new Samsung Galaxy S2 that had battery capacity of 1650mAh. I was not able to find a battery for the S2 which had more capacity so I opted to resort to portable chargers for my energy needs. That’s when I saw the PowerBase portable charger at Electronics Boutique. I had other PowerBase chargers and they work fine. That is the reason why I had no qualms in buying this C518 charger.

The PowerBase C518 Portable Charger has a capacity of 2000mAh. Do the math and you will see that its capacity is a bit higher than that of my S2 battery which could act as my backup battery on the go. I assumed that since the portable charger was 2000mAh in capacity and my battery is 1650mAh, if I used the charger to charge my empty S2 battery, I would more or less have 350mAh left in the charger while charging the S2 battery to the max. But lo and behold! I did just that but my battery was charged only up to 75% of its capacity! That is a far cry from 2000mAh specifications of the charger as stated in the manual.

I am not sure if this is a factory defect or the charger is already old or whatever. This charger has failed to live up to its expectations and is not something I would recommend to others looking for a portable charger.

If you are a fan of playing Scrabble but prefer to play games that use technology, then the new game Words With Friends should be right up your street. In this game, players are encouraged to improve their vocabularies while having fun and solving a challenge.

Words With Friends can be played in many different ways. You can play it if you have a smartphone or tablet. If you have been playing PartyPoker on your computer and a friend asks you if you want to play Words with Friends, you can play it on this device as well, via Facebook.

Therefore this game also allows players to chat with each other during play and socialise in a fun and educational environment. If you want to be adventurous, you can even play this game with strangers in a challenge that you can take part in online. It seems that Words With Friends appeals to people of all different generation, with grandparents, office workers, college and high-school students all expressing an interest in playing.

It has also become popular among celebrities, players including singer John Mayer, actor Alec Baldwin, actress Eliza Deshku and football player Terrell Owens. The convenience of this game is that it can be played across many different mobile devices, ensuring that wherever you are, there is usually some way in which you can begin playing.

For those who are really into this game, it is even possible to play Words With Friends tournaments. These can be organised via e-mail or Twitter, by reaching out to fans from various different fan sites that are spread out all over the world. A very high-profile competition like this was started by D magazine in Dallas. Players included the Bettner brothers from Texas, creators of the company Newtoy, an opera singer and a professional football player. Co-president of the National Scrabble Players Association Chris Cree, from Dallas, won the game.

So what are you waiting for? Play Words with Friends now!

Text Message Scam in the Philippines Using “Winnings” to Lure Victims. A few seconds ago as of this writing, I received a text message on my cellphone saying:

“Congratulations!U have won 300k Pesos+Starex Van, ur Sim# as a homepartner last April.30,2011 for info:Call ds#:09427641440Dir: marcel Tan of Phil:Com.Center”

That was the text verbatim with the cases and spaces intact. I don’t judge a book by its cover so I gave the promo the benefit of the doubt and called the number mentioned.

Mr. Tan answered the phone and asked who I was. I said that I received his text about winning money and a vehicle. He asked for my name but since I was skeptical I requested that he introduce himself first. Without any hesitation he said,

“Gago ka!”

… and dropped the call.

From the onset, the text message was screaming scam. Truth be told, the guy who sent the message was a lousy scammer. Here is a list of what gave him away:

• Lousy English. Yes it is a text message but if you want to scam someone, make it look and sound professional to be more convincing.
• No DTI Promo Permit Number. Any promo or winnings in the Philippines should have this and the text message did not have one. A dead giveaway.

This is not a quick lesson on scamming but I simply want to point out how a scam text looks like. If you have received such a text message, there is a government agency to handle that. Simply log your complaint online via the DTI complaint page or call them at (02)7513330.

If you have similar experiences, please share them below via a comment so we can act on this together. You could post the message they sent you and the number they used to send you the message so that vigilant users can see this page and hopefully be protected from these scams.

You might have had this experience. You wanted to buy a gadget. You looked for it. You found it. You opted to pay for it via credit card and then pay it in full later so you get bonus points (or whatever feature/benefit the credit card has…). You found out that it was more expensive to pay for it via cc than to pay for it via cash. The seller said it was their “promo” but are they telling the truth?

Most of the time no. There is no such thing as a discounted price when using cash as a means to pay. Actually, it is illegal to have 2 different price tags for the same product or service according to Article 81 of Republic Act 7394. If you encounter a merchant practicing this, then you can report it to DTI via their hotline number 7513330.

Now, I’ve encountered this malpractice firsthand. I went to Lim Dental & Orthodontic Clinic in Pacita to get my teeth checked. To cut the story short, I’ve acquired their services for a root canal on one of my teeth and their price for that is P3,500. When I was about to pay, I said that I’ll use my credit card and instantly they said that I would have to pay a surcharge of 6% of the total amount. That would be 3500 * 1.06 = 3710, an extra P210! I knew about Article 81 and mentioned it to them and asked what the 6% was for. They said that the bank was charging them for every credit card swipe and thus they would have to increase their price. That could be true but the point is they are breaking the law. They should shoulder that 6% as part of their business expenses and not burden their customers.

Having said that, this post is not meant to discourage you to avail of their service. No, on the contrary they do have good dentists and they have been in the business for quite sometime now. I won’t even report them to DTI as I’ve been availing of their services for half a decade now. This post is simply meant to inform you and anyone reading (is there anyone reading? lolz) this post and is thinking of going there for a dental appointment to simply use cash to pay. If you use your credit card, then you would be paying more than you should. I use my credit card because I collect points (Mabuhay Miles) or simply to avail of cash rebates (1%) and then pay it off in full. If you are using your credit card for credit which is the worst way to use a credit card, then stop there. Don’t do it as you might fall into the debt trap.

Going back to the topic, having different price tags for cash and credit is illegal. If you want to report such a violation, you can call DTI at 7513330. For more information on this, check out the links below:

http://www.pinoymoneytalk.com/cash-credit-card-prices/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/10/17/10/credit-card-surcharges-are-unlawful-says-dti

This post is a bit late but like they say better late than never!

I’d like to welcome the latest member of our family, Jaten Caezar G. Ramos! He first saw the light of day last March 16 2011 at around 9:45AM. He was born in MCM, Medical Center Muntinlupa, and incurred a bill of 42k++ PHP, lolz. But all that money was money well spent. He is the flag-bearer of the Ramos clan and the savior of our bloodline. And he means the world to me and my wife

As of this writing, he is now sleeping soundly in his bed. But he will wake up anytime now to demand for his food! He drinks/eats around 3oz of milk and defecates 3 times a day. In other words, he is a healthy baby boy. He is also on his way to speaking his first words as he now rambles a lot.

He can now turn sideways meaning we have to put pillows on his two sides so as not to let him fall off the bed. Or better yet, we’ll put him in the crib. This also means there is little time left before he starts crawling! But I don’t expect him to walk until 6 months.

So basically that’s it with Jaten. I’m thinking of creating a website under his name but that is still in the back-burner so to speak.

Shakey’s If It’s Late It’s Free – A Scam? Is this a scam? Probably, probably not. But what I am sure of is that Shakey’s uses various “dirty” tactics so they won’t have to honor their statement. There are others who have been duped as well.

Here’s one who had his shakey’s pizza delivered late but was not able to get the pizza free. He argued with the delivery boy but to no avail. He did not get the pizza free and was not called back upon. Talk about bad customer service.

Then there’s this other incident involving another blogger. She ordered a Shakey’s pizza and as usual the delivery was late. At first, she and the delivery guy argued. The delivery guy said he was on time but according to the blogger’s timing, he was late. Eventually, they brought in the delivery guy’s supervisor and Shakey’s gave in. The pizza was free but not after a long argument.

In my case, I’ve ordered a couple of times from Shakey’s and they always come late. Before, I didn’t mind. But now I’m a bit pissed off. This is because I ordered 2 party-size pizzas just now. And together with my Supercard, that would mean 2 extra party-size pizzas. To cut the story short, the order-taker got my order and we synchronized our watches. She said that the delivery would arrive after 45 minutes. I was still happy then.

However, after roughly 10 minutes, the order-taker (or someone from Shakey’s), called me back and said that the delivery time would need to be adjusted. She said that the pizzas I ordered would be delivered after 1 hour and 15 minutes!!! It would have been fine if they did not have that “If It’s Late It’s Free” slogan/tagline (whatever you call it…). But adjusting the time, for me, is cheating given that they have issued a “challenge” to their consumers. Add all those up and I would get my pizza after 1 hour and 30 minutes since I first called 77777 (1hr15mins new time + 10mins lag time between first order time and time when order-taker called back + 5mins discussion between me and order-taker).

Right now I am still waiting for the pizzas to arrive. Roughly 30 minutes have passed since I’ve put down the phone. If they arrive late, I will insist that I get my pizzas free. If not, then Shakey’s has still made a bad name for itself. I can’t help but compare how Pizza Hut always delivers their pizzas on time.

To recap, here is the list of Shakey’s dirty tactics so that they do not have to honor their “If It’s Late It’s Free” slogan:

• Delivery guy adjusts their watch so they can say that they delivered on time
• Delivery guy gets help from supervisor to back him up and say that you are the one at fault with the wrong timing
• Delivery guy says that he/they will call back and settle the issue but does/do not
• Order-taker “cheats” by adjusting delivery time so as to not break their “If It’s Late It’s Free” slogan

Where to Buy Travel Scrabble in Metro Manila? I love playing scrabble. I learned to play this marvelous game when I was a kid and if anyone would ask me to play with him or her today, I would. I have been looking to buy a portable scrabble this year but had a hard time doing so. I looked in Festival Mall, Alabang and other mall around that area but nothing.

To cut the story short, I was able to buy one in Edsa Shang Mall (did I get the name correctly?) in Ortigas. I forgot the name of the shop lolz, but I do remember that it was on the 4th floor. It was a shop dedicated to toys and it cost me roughly P1400 for this board.

There were 2 other type of scrabble boards. The original/normal sized board and a much smaller magnetic pocket board. I was initially inclined to buy the pocket size scrabble but decided otherwise. My decision was right as it was not too small and not too large at all. What’s more, the letter tiles do not fall out and fit nicely on the board because they are designed that way (tiles are clipped to the board). Hence, this is very ideal for travelling. You can even fold the board with the clipped tiles on it and return to the game later! You also no longer need a pen and paper to keep track of the score because the board has a built-in mechanical mechanism to do so.

Thus, if you want a not too large not too small portable scrabble board, then this is it.

Are you wondering how to clean your keyboard? No I am not just talking about the keypads on the keyboard but am referring to cleaning the hard to reach cavities. Well, you can blow away light particles but what if that is not possible? I stumbled upon this new (I think) product in ACE hardware called Cyber Clean. It claims to catch dirt and kill germs!

I bought one just to try it out. I opened the box containing Cyber Clean and what I got was a gel-like substance. According to the box, to use it to clean stuff, you do not rub the Cyber Clean substance to the item your cleaning but instead just press! To have a better understanding on this, check out the illustration below:

My initial review on this cleaner is that it is fine. It is special in the sense that it is one of a kind but other than that there is nothing special about it. Yes you get to clean places not reachable by normal cleaning tools but that’s it. However, I would say that if you have a lot of electronic gadgets, then this cleaner is a must. Check out the videos below to see it in action:

I recently bought a laptop USB lamp because it looked cool. Little did I know that it would turn out very useful for me. Check the image above. That is not the lamp I bought but it looks similar to the one I have except that the trunk is silver in color. It is bendable and provides sufficient lighting for dim to dark places. So why is it useful for me?

USB lamp usages
Well, the fact that it is a lamp makes it useful. If you are using your laptop in a dim place, the lamp would bring instant light! But I was able to appreciate it because of the heat, why is that? We are currently experiencing the El Nino again and it is very hot the entire day. Now, if I open the fluorescent lights above me, this adds to the heat inside the room. Not anymore! What I do is turn off the lights and simply plug-in my USB lamp and voila cool light emits which is sufficient for me to continue my computing needs.

It also helps on reducing my electricity consumption. I have done this for a month and the savings have certainly reflected on my monthly electricity bills.

Realization
At first, I thought that I could type on the keyboard without looking at the letters. This is 95% true (percentage an approximation hehe…). But when I turned off the fluorescent lamp above me, I was not able to type as fast as I normally would. That was when I realized that I looked at the keys of my keyboard every once in a while to make sure that I was pressing the correct key. When I used my USB lamp, the keyboard got illuminated once again and my typing speed went back to normal.

There are probably other things this cool gadget is good for but I won’t be stating them here now. What I do now is that it is cool, cheap and very useful and thus would recommend it to laptop users out there.

I bought my HP 915 printer 2 years ago and used it with my old Acer laptop running on Windows Vista (ugh, I know…). This printer was a beauty and still is. Being an all-in-1 printer (printer, scanner, fax machine, photocopy machine, etc…), it has served a lot of purpose since I bought it. It is still alive and kicking and still looks new Not to mention that this model of HP printers boasts one of the cheapest ink cartridges in the market! Actually, that is the reason why I bought the printer in the first place – for the cheap ink cartridges. I have saved a lot in the long run.

The printer of course comes with the drivers and an installer of its full feature software. Via ‘HP Solutions’, the application name of the software, you will be able to do everything that the HP 915 is capable of doing. But then, I bought a new Acer 4740G laptop which runs on a 64-bit Windows 7.

Normally, 32-bit applications work fine in 64-bit operating systems. But in this case, the HP software did not work on my Windows 7 machine. Of course, I searched the internet for an official software for my HP printer but found none. What I found though is another solution to make my printer work.

The Answer – Plug n Play
For longtime computer users this should be obvious, most hardware nowadays are plug n play. I should have known better myself but common sense it seems is not without a bit of irony. If you are not familiar with the term ‘Plug n Play’, it simply refers to hardware devices which do not need any installer or whatsoever before you will be able to use it. All you have to do is ‘plug’ the device (connect it to the computer) and then ‘play’ (do whatever the hardware does).

I know the post title is a bit misleading but that is on purpose. Those searching for a Windows 7 installer for HP 915 will find this post and hopefully be helpful.

So just to reiterate, to be able to use your HP 915 printer with Windows 7, just connect your printer through the USB port, turn on the printer and voila Windows 7 will take care of the rest by auto-installing the necessary drivers to make the printer work.

But I do not have software to use the printer, what should I do?
Yes that is true, but all we need to make things work are the drivers. Since Windows 7 has already taken care of that via Plug n Play, I will show you other programs already available that we can use in place of the HP software.

Two major capabilities of HP 915 is of course the printing and the scanning. Printing should not be a problem. If you want to print anything, just do so as you normally would and then simply choose the HP 915 printer from the list of Printer options when you click the Print command.

For scanning and faxing purposes, you can use the built-in Windows Fax and Scan program available at “All Programs” when you click the Start button.

Basically that’s it. If you want detailed instructions, you can visit this page.