Maxim’s blog

Virgin Mobile started selling MiFi modems. These devices allow you to create a mobile Hotspots so devices with Wireless card can connect to Internet over 3G (UMTS) or GSM networks.

Device has following advantages:

• Multiple devices can connect to Internet on the go.
• Device is battery powered and could be recharged using a standard USB cable.
• Devices with WiFi capability, but without 3G connection (such as Apple iPod) can now be connected to Internet from any place
• Other WiFi devices, like Skype or SIP hardware phones could be connected via 3G network

Device which is sold by Virgin is locked to Optus network, but you can purchase unlocked version of this device which is Huawei E5830 on eBay for approximately AU$120. Unlocked version is better if you travel outside Australia frequently, so you can connect to overseas mobile Internet providers just by purchasing their SIM card instead of buying another (probably, also locked) modem.

Today, while recharging my Virgin Mobile phone account I found an excellent mobile data deal. Prepaid customers recharging their account with any cap plan starting from $19 will get a 1Gb of mobile Internet data valid for one month in addition to free Virgin to Virgin calls and $50 for other calls (the catch is that these calls would be charged at $0.90 per minute). The offer is valid for a limited time, but since its prepaid there is no long term obligations. Not a bad deal compared to other providers,

So today I removed my Three mobile broadband SIM card and inserted Virgin Mobile SIM into by beloved Nexus One phone. After that you need to configure your phone to use Virgin APN for Internet access. Here are the screenshots of APN configuration page whch is available at Settings->Wireless & Networks->Mobile Networks->Access Point Names

Name: Virgin Internet
APN: VirginInternet
Proxy: 202.139.83.152
Port: 8070
Authentication type: None

Another reason for switching to Virgin is that Three network appears to be congested while travelling home from Sydney CBD into Engadine on the train, in particular near Kogarah station. I’m sure that is a congestion and not networks coverage, since in the morning while travelling along the same route connection is quite stable and speeds are good.

I’ll compare if Optus netwrork (whch is used by Virgin) provider better results.

You can get this stylish keyboard for $400 (%450 for glass version).

Having less than pleasant experience with similar keyless keyboards in the past, I wonder if it is really good for actual typing.

Links:

• http://cleankeysinc.com/
• Evict Bacteria With the Cleankeys Touch Sensitive Keyboard

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the availability of its new Flash Padlock 2 secure USB flash drive. This unique USB flash drive is very cleverly and comprehensively designed to protect your critical business or personal data from unwanted exposure.

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Want to get a free lighting on your table? This LED lamp is powered by the phone socket.

The lamp is available from uxsight.com shop

If you are following technology news, you probably heard that Google released Nexus One phone which is actually made by HTC and is currently not available in Australia. If you live in US you can get a phone for US $529 + taxes, but they do not ship the product to Australian addresses.

After some Internet research I decided to use the following strategy to get the phone:

• Register an account with Shipito.com and pay a deposit of US $8.50 using a PayPal or credit card. After completing it you will get a US address in California where your shipments could be delivered
• Since Google knows your location from your provider IP address, it displays the message that phone can’t be purchased from Australia. You can easily overcome that by using one of free HTTP proxies located in US. You can get a list of available free proxy servers by using proxy4free.com or any other web site which publishes that list.
• Change your browser proxy settings to use US-based proxy server. If you’re using Firefox, you can install FoxyProxy addon, which makes a process of enabling/disabling a proxy server easier.
• Go to http://www.google.com/phone. Now it should display a button for purchasing a phone
• Go through checkout process by using your existing Google account and pay using your Australian credit card and entering an address provided by Shipito as a delivery address.
• Shipito will notify you via e-mail when a new parcel arrives to their location.
• Choose a delivery method (USPS or FedEx) and complete customs declaration online. Pay for delivery using PayPal or credit card.
• Package would be send to your Australian address

Delivery timeline and costs

• Register Shipito account. US $8.50
• Jan 13 6:13 PM – Placed an order via Google web site. US $529 + US $51.58 tax. Free
• Jan 14 12:30 AM – Order is shipped as overnight delivery from Indiana (HTC America store) to California with FedEx
• Jan 14 3:00 PM – Order is received by Shipito
• Jan 15 9:06 AM – Order is shipped by Shipito via FedEx priority to Sydney for US $57.56
• Jan 16 5:00 PM – FedEx shows that parcel is in Alexandria FedEx facility in Sydney
• Jan 18 6:00 PM – I’ve piked up the parcel from FedEx office

I’ve played with some Anrioid applications using Android SDK on my PC. My first impressions with actual phone are really good. Android Market is very intuitive and easy to use. Photos taken with the phone are geotagged (check an sample photo taken on Panoramio website).

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What to go faster through long airport halls? Get this suitcase with built in scooter

For transferring digital data the quality of cable is not imporant as long as signal travels from A to B, so do not be scammed by store assistants offering you to get a “premium” cable for your newly purchased high definition TV. Picture while using $10 cable would be just as good as the one while using a $1000 dollar (!) gold-plated cable displayed.

Wireworld’s Flagship $1,000 Silver Conductor HDMI Cable