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From Engadget:

[Emma Alvarado is suing Microsoft over its XP "downgrade" fees]. Los Angeles woman bought a Lenovo PC last June and had to pay an additional $59.25 to downgrade to XP, which she claims is simply a case of Microsoft taking advantage of consumer demand for XP to pad its profits. The suit further alleges that the seemingly endless extensions of the XP deadline were “likely due to the tremendous profits that Microsoft has reaped from its ‘downgrade’ option.” (Source)

Three things:

• Lenovo sold the computer, not Microsoft (it was also Lenovo who put the price tag which she paid for – well, what do you know?!). Woman, you’re barking at the wrong tree.
• The woman willingly paid for the computer with full knowledge it will come with anything but Windows XP (we know this because all manufacturers are required to put technical specifications readily available at time of purchase), and that she will need to pony up $59 for the perceived “privilege” of running a 7-year old operating system.
• Here’s where it gets technical (well, not really): Windows XP has been pulled out of the consumer retail market last 06 30, 08, and what she’s essentially paying for is an extension of Windows XP’s business licensing.
  The reason why businesses are allowed to still get Windows XP is because enterprises (i.e., the big companies) have highly-customized, touchy-feely, Frankenstein business applications developed in-house (i.e., not the Microsoft Office kind you buy off the shelf) that stop working altogether during these kinds of OS upgrades. One more thing: enterprises hire professionals to make sure that those XP computers run just fine.

I am not sure where that $59 goes to, but I’d imagine Lenovo accounts for these XP downgrade-ready systems as if they’re enterprise purchases, which, incidentally, are priced at a premium compared to retail consumer computers (the premium pricing is related to post-sales support. I know this because this is what I do for a living). Every other company who’s been “up-selling” Windows XP, post- June 30 must be doing something along these lines as well.

Lastly, I’m not very good with math, but I think $59 is cheaper than paying for a laywer.

So I posted this in my other blog, but figured those who don’t know where it is or don’t have access to it might get a kick out of this too.

Okay, that was an excuse. I’m just lazy to write about anything else.

One time at the gym, I struck up a conversation with one coach about breakfast, after noticing how he’s gone from bukly to ripped and lean in less than 3 months:

‘”Cereals” (watch him do the double-quote gesture with his fingers) is breakfast candy, i.e., loaded with sugar. Stick to fresh granola, muesli and pretty much anything you can get in plain grain, you can never go wrong with that. Eat your oatmeal like a man: drop the sugar, preferably with fruit on the side.”‘

So this early 2:00am (my typical wake-up time) I made half a cup of oats with 1 cup low-fat milk and threw it in the microwave.

Ah, the fruit, yes.

There in the middle of the fridge was biggest banana I’ve seen for the life of me.

Anyone else finds “eat your oatmeal like a man”, with a big-ass banana on the side, a bit… ironic?

This week, Google updated Google Sync (beta) to include true Exchange “push”, two-way syncing for Calendars and Contacts. See google.com/sync for details and instructions. My gut tells me that Google has had this under wraps for quite some time, but decided it won’t let Microsoft keep the spotlight to itself after it took the wraps off its own MyPhone beta service (which also has a premature outing story of its own).

Here’s the lowdown for you un-geeks (honestly though, I can’t imagine why you’d even be reading my blog if you’re not a technology geek – unless you’re jc who so kindly drops by every so often to leave a comment so I won’t be sad and slash my wrist): the new Google Sync will let you keep a single list of all your friends home & mobile phone numbers, MSN / Yahoo! instant messaging & email addresses, etc., “in the cloud”, that is, on the internet; such that if you add a new friend’s mobile number on your address book from within Gmail’s Contacts page, it will get pushed down to your mobile phone; likewise, if you add a new email address on your phone, it gets “pushed up” to “the cloud” where it will be available in your Gmail address book.

Even if you own a single mobile phone where you keep all of your friends’ numbers, you probably have another list of friends on your Yahoo! email address book; chances are you’re better off consolidating those two lists as they’re likely to be the same set of people anyway and have a way to make sure that changes in one place will reflect everywhere else you have an address book of sorts. It’s a nifty premise, and all the more valuable if you have more than one mobile phone. Add a new number on one phone and it will be available on all your other phones.

Google Sync works with any big-brand make out today (yes, including that sweet, sweet W760i you’re using to read this post right now, wink, wink)

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I’ve been on the Windows 7 beta for about 5 months now, with the leaked build 6801 first, and then build 7000. For how much I love Firefox, I’m equally a UI stickler. For that same reason I refuse to install Facebook on my iPhone because it has that tool-y, icon, and it’s an eyesore. The old icon was so much better, and Firefox’s chrome is haplessly brokinated under Windows 7.

But you see, Windows 7 is really just Vista, a Number Six cylon if you may, while Vista is a Number Three. Six is a bigger number, and a sexier one too. Three is sexy too, but she’s a rebel, and she likes to hold humans hostage. Scary woman cylon.

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So what’s this dyed-in-the-wool iPhone user to do at a me-too a Nokia launch event? Why, ass around and tell people that their public display of fanboyism excitement over Nokia’s first keyboard-less model will get their fanboy faces displayed all over the internets, of course! might get doused with cold, sharp water before they know it (more on this later).

In the months building up to release, Nokia wasted no time getting the 5800 some face time. TV spots here and there, larger-than-life posters at every Nokia outlet and an online campaign to get people to sign up where the first 5800 people to show up on the morning of release also get a Sennheiser HD-205 at no extra and there were blogger sightings here and there – not sure if the latter is a PR stunt to push the hype-o-meter even further, but surely enough, it worked to the 5800’s advantage. Finally, two days to release, Nokia reps made rounds to encourage people “to confirm if they’ll be picking up their reservations”; may be a temperature check so as to get a feel of how many people will show up in the store on release day.

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I ordered the Apple In-Ear Headphones a few days after my Shure SE210’s were helplessly murdered by Austin the Pet Rabbit one cold Christmas night.

Unfortunately (at least as of iPhone 2.2) the volume controls in the remote don’t work with the iPhone. So I have a confession to make: I gifted myself an iPod nano for Christmas so I’d have an excuse to get me one of these babies after the were announced last September (hi mom, hope you don’t get to read this).

While $79 for a pair of headphones may be way more than what the huge majority of the population would pay for a set of earplugs, know that these are dual-driver sets. Think of it as having two tiny little speakers in each of the plugs, increasing fidelity by not funneling two unrelated sounds, say, bright strings and thumping percussions, in a single “speaker”, which is the case for majority of the headphones (even the Shure SE210 at $150 SRP). Dual-driver seats effectively give the same impression a sub-woofer does (of course, I’m overly-simplifying, please don’t send me hate mail). On paper, this set sounds like a good deal for $79, but I wanted to check firsthand.

I just got them this afternoon, 3 days after placing the order at the Apple Store Philippines. Impressive, considering these came all the way from Singapore and detoured at a Hong Kong pit stop.

I’ll burn these babies in this week and get a review out once the drivers have normalized, so to speak. For now, unboxing photos (geek porn!):

Other dual-driver headphones out in the market: Westone UM2 at $249 and Shure SCL5CL at $399. Photos taken with my sister’s pink Samsung point-and-shoot; it escapes me at the moment which exact model.

Also, please don’t judge me for my taste in music. kthx.

With the holidays out of the way, the next big thing tech heads look out for is CES (or, if you’re so inclined, at least for for the last time Apple will be around: MacWorld). Not to take out skeletons in Giz’s closet (link: The Meanest Thing Gizmodo Did at CES) but as 2008 rolls by and 2009 comes rushing, I feel that now is the time to look back at what may well be the most bone-headed blogger(s) act of 2008.

A recap for those who (1) forgot; (2) did not pay attention; (3) didn’t, still don’t, and never will care (okay, maybe not the last ilk) – Giz editor Brian Lam and folks walk around the show floor and with a TV-B-Gone at hand, switches off  flat panel screens right in the middle of an intense game play broadcast and of CEOs presenting their junk goods to the public. The video is funny. The ramifications of prank will not be. (-Rafe Needleman, CNET)

At 11 in the dead of the night, Manila time, yes, I think about CES even when I’ve never been to one, and may never want to be at one anytime soon. (Aside: having met some Vegas-based Filipinos one Sagada trip, I did give a thought about going there to see the catastrophe that it is CES, rip-off hotel accommodations and all. Heck, it’s Vegas, and why not?)

With 2008 turning out to be an even greater year for the Filipino blogger than 2007 has been, it’s also become alarming that a few wayward acts (though few and far between) have been committed [by the blogger, used here as a collective, not pertaining a particular blogger, wink wink], most disturbingly towards advertisers looking to get the word out efficiently and effectively.

For 2009, I see the Filipino blog positioning itself to be taken in much higher esteem, be even more resolute and relevant and to reach further out into the mainstream. No acts of bribe solicitation, or wayward acts adolescent nature and otherwise, that tarnish the blogger moniker can possibly contribute to that cause.

Warning: random rant ahead

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Two days after Globe announced that they will be carrying iPhone 3G under SingTel, the initial high faded and I was so sure I am not getting one. After all, my iPod touch was able to tide me over for a year when the first iPhone was still an AT&T exclusive.

I was sure as hell it will tide me for at least another year. Later on however, I realized what a tough job it was, especially when one is hanging out with somebody who has an insatiable inclination to push all five megapixels of the N82 variety to their limits in venues busting at the seams with hordes of sweaty people.

While the launch event itself was meh, the RDF was too strong and I succumbed; as much as I wanted to have nothing to do with Globe per my past customer experience, I got myself one of ‘em sinful, juicy, fruit-flavored phones after a week’s struggle. Here’s a weak geek who can’t distance himself from good technology. Thankfully, Globe made the process of signing up relatively painless (which is not really saying much). They even let me have my old number back, the one that I had from 2004-2007 before the nonexistent post-sales support pushed me over the edge and to that other telco. There was, however, a bad aftertaste after I forked over 20 grand on that blessed day, and today’s bill confirmed my suspicions:

…that Globe’s communication skills is as expected: we all love to hate it.

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*techno-weenie (n.) (props to Juned for his comprehensive research on this subject matter. For further discussion, you may refer to the link above.)

Techno-weenies suffer from extreme form GAS or Gear/Gadget Acquisition Syndrome. It affects mostly but not limited to Geeks and Nerds.

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