How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with 14.5.A.0.270 Firmware

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with 14.5.A.0.270 Firmware

In the past year, getting your trusty old Sony Xperia Z1 updated with the lastest firmware and then getting root access on it was a pain in the ass. It was only made easy by unlocking the bootloader. Unfortunately, that meant losing some functionality of the phone. However, this year the appearance of a new rooting software has made it possible to root the phone in just a few simple steps.

The new Lollipop 14.5.A.0.270 firmware is also very good. The camera now actually produces nice pictures in low light setting without much of the noise of the original Kitkat firmwares. What amazes me most is that Sony still supports this model with new firmware, I had half expected them to end support with KitKat.

Musings aside, lets get on with rooting your Xperia Z1 now.

1. First make sure you are running Lollipop 5.0.2 Build 14.5.A.0.242 / 14.5.A.0.270. Go to Settings > About to verify this. The method will work on all models of Z1 running Build 14.5.A.0.270 and before.

2. Download KingRoot v4.5 and install it in your mobile. Get the APK file to install here (5MB). Transfer it to your phone via bluetooth or just email it to yourself and use the phone to download the file.

3. Open the KingRoot app from your mobile , Click on Start Root , the Rooting Process will start. ( You need to be connected to the internet) Wait for a couple minutes, usually it take less than a minute. You will be now granted root access!! :D How easy was that?

If you would like you can later replace Kingroot with SuperSU or SuperUser after getting root, but thats another tutorial I guess heh.. Have fun and enjoy the new Android Lollipop on your once again "BRAND NEW" Xperia Z1!

P.S. Looks like I will be upgrading to the new Xperia Z5 soon, looks like Sony has finally upped their game and come out with a winner.

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with 14.4.A.0.108 Firmware

Wow in just a short month Sony has brought us another update for the Z1.

Once again, Sony has been very quick in releasing the latest but hopefully not the last update to the Sony Xperia Z1. This post will show you how to root you Sony Xperia Z1 with the new C6903 14.4.A.0.108 Android 4.4.4 KitKat Firmware in 2 Easy Steps.

**Disclaimer**
(No phones were abused in the flashing and rooting of this firmware)

Step 1: Upgrading to the new firmware version
Download the firmware FTF from your region here , courtesy of the cool guys at XDA Developers. I downloaded the C6903_14.4.A.0.108_Generic_SG_1276-7937_R3C firmware for Singapore, though I am using the phone in Australia as this version has chinese and japanese input support. If you already have this latest version on your phone you can skip this entire Step 1. However you will still need the Flashtool downloaded as that is also used for step 2.

Using FLASHTOOL (download here), make sure you have the latest version(0.9.16.0) and flash the  C6903_14.4.A.0.108_Generic_SG_1276-7937_R3C FTF into your phone. To flash, turn off your phone then put into "Flashmode mode" by connecting usb cable with down volume button depressed to pc. Then click the lightning icon in flashtool and select flashmode. You will get option to select the firmware FTF you want to flash (make sure the firmware file is in the firmware folder of flashtool). Once finished you can reboot the phone or just disconnect from PC and continue with step 2.

Android KitKat 4.4.4 Build 14.4.A.0.108

Step 2: Flashing a Stock Kernel with CWM Recovery to get root.
You will need Doomlord’s Advanced Stock Kernel with CWM Recovery . This is a modified stock kernel which has a special touch recovery added as well as root permissions.

Once again launch FLASHTOOL, turn off phone and put into fastboot mode by connecting usb cable with up volume button depressed. Click the lightning icon and select fastboot mode then click on the right side select kernel to flash, select the unzipped boot.img file which you had just downloaded from above. Reboot and install SuperSU on your phone from the google play store for free, this will allow you to manage root for your apps easily.

Alternatively you can download SuperSU zip file from this link and copy it into your phone/sdcard. Then install it with the CWM Recovery. To use CWM Recovery just press up volume when you see the purple light after rebooting (purple light will come on every time you reboot phone if you done Step 2 correctly). Navigate the options in recovery to locate the SuperSU file and install.

I use Root Explorer to test my root status. It allows me to mount the phone in R/W mode then by editing build.prop I can add in a host name for my WiFi so my phone does not appear connected as some random android-12u9d32lifd32 numbers.

NOTE :: This process requires an unlocked Bootloader. If you have a locked bootloader check out my other post here for info on how to unlock it. or you use the BLU icon in flashtool to unlock your bootloader. Either way you will need the code from Sony.


In total it took me less than 10 minutes to flash and root. So good luck with the flashing and feel free to comment as below.

Turn off the Ipod Nano backlight when charging

After searching on the net for a bit, I finally found out how to turn off the backlight on my wife's Ipod nano 3rd generation.

SIMPLE SOLUTION - Eject the Ipod after plugging it into the PC. Whether you do it in itunes or by using the option in windows folder (right click your device and choose eject) it works either way.

Apparently if you just disconnect manually by removing the USB cable without first ejecting, the Ipod Nano will be left in the partially PC connected mode and the backlight won't ever switch off.  Also it won't start charging when you use a wall charger.

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 Firmware

I have been a little late to flash my phone to the latest firmware but hey, just moved and the internet was not connected for a whole month!!!

Once again, Sony has been very quick in releasing the latest but hopefully not the last update to the Sony Xperia Z1. This post will show you how to root you Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 Android 4.4 KitKat Firmware in 2 Easy Steps.

Step 1: Upgrade to the new firmware version
Download the firmware FTF from your region here , courtesy of the cool guys at XDA Developers. I downloaded the C6903 14.3.A.0.757 Generic SG 1276-7937_R3C firmware for Singapore, though I am using the phone in Australia as this version has chinese and japanese input support. If you already have this latest version on your phone you can skip this entire Step 1. However you will still need the Flashtool downloaded as that is also used for step 2.

Using FLASHTOOL (download here), make sure you have the latest 0.9.16.0 version and flash the C6903 14.3.A.0.757 Generic SG 1276-7937_R3C FTF into your phone. To flash, turn off your phone then put into Flashmode mode by connecting usb cable with down volume button depressed to pc. Then click the lightning icon in flashtool and select flashmode. You will get option to select the firmware FTF you want to flash.(make sure the firmware file is in the firmware folder of flashtool)

Step 2:
You will need Doomlord’s Advanced Stock Kernel with CWM Recovery . Once again launch FLASHTOOL, turn off phone and put into fastboot mode by connecting usb cable with up volume button depressed. Click the lightning icon and select fastboot mode then click on the right side select kernel to flash, select the unzipped boot.img file which you had just downloaded from above. Reboot and install SuperSU on your phone from the google play store for free and you will then have root with SuperSU.

NOTE :: This process requires an unlocked Bootloader. If you have a locked bootloader check out my other post here for info on how to unlock it. or you can try to use flashtool the BLU icon to unlock your bootloader. Either way you will need the code from Sony.

Addit :: In case installing SuperSU does not give you root access, you will have to download the SuperSU zip file from this link , copy it into your phone/sdcard and install it with the CWM Recovery. To use CWM Recovery just press up volume when you see the purple light after rebooting (purple light will come on every time you reboot phone if you done Step 2 correctly).

In total it took me less than 15 minutes to flash and root. So good luck with the flashing and feel free to comment as below. Also enjoy the new Android Kit Kat 4.4.2 Easter egg! Hint : tap and hold the screen after you get the red Android KitKat screen :D

How to root Sony Xperia Z1 C6903 with 14.3.A.0.681 Firmware Android KitKat 4.4.2

Please check out my latest post on updating and rooting the new 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

Hi all,

Once again, Sony has been very quick in releasing the latest but hopefully not the last update to the Sony Xperia Z1. This post will show you how to root you Sony Xperia Z1 C6903 with 14.3.A.0.681 Android 4.4 KitKat Firmware in 2 Easy Steps.

Step 1: Upgrade to the new firmware version
Download the firmware FTF from your region here , courtesy of the cool guys at XDA Developers. I downloaded the C6903 14.3.A.0.757 Generic SG 1276-7937_R3C firmware for Singapore, though I am using the phone in Australia as this version has Chinese and Japanese input support which I sometimes need to use.

Using FLASHTOOL, make sure you have the latest 0.9.15.0 version and flash the C6903 14.3.A.0.757 Generic SG 1276-7937_R3C FTF into your phone.

Step 2:
You will need Doomlord’s CWM-Based Recovery 6.0.4.7 + ROOT for Xperia Z1 . Once again using FLASHTOOL put the device into fastboot mode by connecting usb cable with up volume button depressed. Then select the img file and you will get CWM Recovery and root on your device!

N.B. This process requires unlocked Bootloader.

Enjoy the new Android Kit Kat 4.4.2 Easter egg! Hint : tap and hold the screen after you get the red Android KitKat screen :D

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 C6903 with 14.2.A.1.136 firmware

UPDATE : Please check out my latest post on updating and rooting the new 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

This is how I put root on my Sony Xperia Z1 with the latest firmware C6903_14.2.A.1.136_SingTel SG 1276-7941_R4B which Sony is currently rolling out in February. This is still a Android 4.3 JellyBean based version with some minor upgrades from the previous firmware. Mainly a white balance function for those who were unlucky enough to get a yellow screen and didn't manage to get it replaced. As mentioned before my screen was the renasys one which was pretty good but the brightness was too much.

Oh before I forget, Happy Chinese New Year to all. What a great year of the horse this is going to be!


PHASE 1 : Download all the needed software

My .290 firmware was only partially rooted as I had decided previously I wanted to keep the bootloader locked for warranty reasons. But my phone has been washed and dropped a couple times without any problems, so should not be needing any RMA soon. Also I read a post about a user flashing and bricking the phone and Sony still warrantied it anyways. In addition, yummy Android KitKat 4.4 will be out soon and I dun wanna have to be waiting for some way to root without unlocking the bootloader whilst everyone else is having fun with their rooted phones...

So the first thing is to unlock the bootloader on the phone. Well like anyother flashing operation, some preparation work is needed. Below is a list of stuff you should download first.

1) If you do not have PC companion installed, you may have to get the SONY XPERIA Z1 USB Drivers at developer.sonymobile.com installed.
2) Also needed are the unlock bootloader code (follow the instructions from Sony, you will need a working email for this) and
3) Fastboot software (for unlocking bootloader)
4) Now I am downloading a very very BIG FTF Firmware file from MEGA, the new megaupload (900MB++) You can grab the version you fancy from here.
5) Backup TA  from here this is for backing up your DRM keys. (You will have to be running a rooted phone to do this. You can find out how to root the phone using .534 firmware from one of my earlier posts.)

Ok off to cook dinner whilst the files get downloaded.........
..........Just finished a nice papaya fish soup and mushroom fried egg dinner, back to tinkering.

PHASE 2 : REMEMBER TO BACKUP TA PARTITION.
Lucky I remembered, apparently contains some DRM Keys from Sony which are specific to my phone and essential for the X-Reality/Bravia engine thingy in it to run properly. Should get something like what I got below using a program called Backup TA v9.10

Just press Y and it will backup for you.

Phase 3 : UNLOCK THE FREAKING BOOTLOADER ALREADY
Ok now that my TA is backed up, next I can start unlocking my bootloader. Ohhhh exciting, first time I am unlocking any bootloader of any kind.  Off the phone and put it in Fastboot Mode by pressing the up volume rocker as you connect  the USB cable to the PC.

In the cmd windows type in fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version
If a value is returned (it will return 0.5), it means the phone is correctly connected.
Type in fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xKEY and replace KEY with the key which u received earlier. Disconnect after reboot, green android comes out on first reboot then phone turns off and reboot again like a normal reset. All my data gone as warned...

Sony Xperia Z1 with Bootloader Unlocked

You can double check that the bootloader is unlocked via this secret code *#*#7378423#*#* on the keypad. This brings up a hidden service menu. Select the Service info then Configuration. You should see something like the pic above.

PHASE 4 : Flashing the C6903 14.2.A.1.136 firmware with flashtool.
Nothing special here, just the usual ftf firmware flash with flashtool-0.9.11.0. I actually spent freaking 2 hours trying to flash my phone with version 0.9.13.0 until I downloaded the 9.11 version. the 0.9.13.0 newer version seems to be screwed on my laptop and installs the wrong S1 device driver to interface with the phone. The 9.11 version installs detects and installs the phone as SEMC device when in flashmode and the firmware flashes fine. If your flashtool is working fine with the .290 firmware flashing then just leave it alone, no need to update.

PHASE 5 :
Root with the awesome CWM-Based Recovery 6.0.4.6 Touch Recovery for Xperia Z1
(Includes the stock kernel and CWM recovery which is used to root.) Detailed instructions are in the link. I flashed mine with flashtool though which has a fastboot mode.

Sony Xperia Z1 with root and 14.2.A.1.136 installed

NOTE :
RELOCKING  BOOTLOADER is possible and I did it by restoring the TA Backup with the TA Backup Program which I had used before. Unfortunately it had the effect of softbricking my Xperia Z1. Luckily I just had to reflash the stock firmware again to boot and repeat the process of unlocking my bootloader again to install the kernel to root.

So now I have full root for the 14.2.A.1.136 firmware on my phone. My bootloader is still unlocked but I think Sony will happily warranty my phone as the only things I am running are stock firmware and stock kernel, with only difference is root and CWM recovery added which definitely won't affect the phone adversely.

So far .136 looks to be very stable and fast and energy efficient and I haven't had any problems with it yet so once again, looking forward to KitKat 4.4!!!

Hope you manage to root your phone and please follow or add my blog to your RSS! I will definitely be rooting KitKat 4.4 when it becomes available for this fantastic phone :D


Please check out my latest post on updating and rooting the new 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

How to root your C6903 Sony Xperia Z1 with 14.2.A.0.290 firmware

UPDATE : Please check out my latest post on updating and rooting the new 14.3.A.0.757 firmware
How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 firmware


Hi all,

thanks for dropping by. This will be a really short post as the instructions to do this are pretty much same as the previous update. In fact please refer to my previous post for a more detailed process.

Basically all you have to do is flash the previous .534 version firmware. Root it with Kingo Root or whatever root software that works, then upgrade via OTA with the survival mode in SuperSU ticked to "preserve root". Do make sure you factory reset the phone before doing the OTA, otherwise there is a chance that like my phone, the OTA update failed.

That aside if you do get the OTA installed successully over the rooted .534, then you end up with a partial root. You can access root priviledges for certain things, but like for example if you want to edit system files like build.prop then it doesn't work.

Of course to obtain absolute root is still possible. You just gotta get your bootloader unlocked which in version .290 the camera still works. Unfortunately unlocking bootloader risks voiding your warranty with Sony..

So my advice is if you have .257 still rooted and working, then forget about upgrading to .290 as there is not much improvement with a loss of the root. 4.3 is pretty much same as 4.2.2. The default sony camera app still sucks ass as much, so you still have to install a third party app like Camera Zoom FX or alternative camera app from samsung or LG.

Will post up a pic of my upgraded OS and how to root to .290 without unlocking bootloader if that happens.

==== UPDATE 19/1/2014 ====
Root with .290 is now possible without unlocking the bootloader, unfortunately so far only one version of FTF has been released for rooting which means I will be skipping this for now.

However in a couple days time I will be downloading the .290 FTF(firmware file) for Singapore and unlocking my bootloader to get root the more normal way. This method needs an extra step of backup of the TA partition before unlocking bootloader so as to be able to relock the bootloader after rooting, in case of future warranty issues.

How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.1.G.2.257 firmware

And give it an Orgasm. Yes you read it right, HOT off the press. If you have managed to update your sexy Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone from .534 firmware to the .257 firmware, then odds are your root is gone. Unless you had SuperSU Pro and Root and updated by OTA...

Anyways easy peasy, this is how I did it. Ok here goes the steps...

**Disclaimer**
(No phones were abused in the flashing and rooting of this firmware)

Step 1 : Make sure you have C6903 14.1.G.1.534 firmware version on your Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone. If you have some other version then refer to my flashing guide here to flash it to the 14.1.G.1.534 version. [ When selecting your .534 version FTF to flash, make sure the OTA updates are available in those regions. For me, I used the Singtel C6903 14.1.G.1.534 FTF. You can also use the UK FTF as there is a .237 OTA for that version as well.]

Step 2 : We need to root the .534 firmware.Get your Kingo Android ROOT software from here, then install it and run it. It will download some device driver software from the internet and install some stuff, not need to worry just let it run. Connect your phone via USB to the PC/Laptop (make sure the USB debugging option is turned on in the phone before you connect to computer via USB cable). Once your phone is connected, a big shiny orange ROOT button in Kingo ROOT will appear, just click that and let it run for a bit. It will reboot your phone a couple times. When it says your phone is rooted means everything is A-OK, you have root for the .534 firmware. Yay!!! Remember to remove your phone from the USB at this stage.

This extra step if you do not know how to enable USB debugging :  [On Android 4.2 and higher, the Developer options screen is hidden by default. To make it available, go to Settings > About phone and tap Build number seven times. Return to the previous screen to find {Developer options} Tap on this and make sure that the 'Enable Debugging over USB' is ticked.]

Step 3 : We need to upgrade SuperSU 1.65 to PRO version to enable the Survival Mode for OTA updates. You can buy it from the google play store for 2+ bucks or.... After you install the PRO version, reboot your Z1 phone and click on SuperSU, the option to enable Survival mode should now be available.

Step 4 : We now have C6903 14.1.G.1.534 firmware with root and SuperSU Pro survival mode turned on. Time to connect via Wifi or 4G and phone will alert you to download the 14.1.G.2.257 firmware update via OTA. Surprisingly this update is only 80MB+. Download it quickly and phone will reboot.

If you check your apps, SuperSU will still be there and you will still have root access! Congrats you are now one of the few ELITE Sony Xperia Z1 users with 14.1.G.2.257 firmware running with ROOT. Imagine the possibilities...

UPDATE : Please check out my latest post on updating and rooting the new 14.3.A.0.757 firmware
How to root your Sony Xperia Z1 with C6903 14.3.A.0.757 firmware

Sony Xperia Z1 : How to flash new firmware update Version 14.1.G.2.257

The new firmware for my Sony Xperia Z1 (C6903) mobile phone was released 2 days ago. Unfortunately in Australia, even though the new update is listed on the website as

Android version: Google Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Latest available software: 14.1.G.2.257
Release started: 2013-10-15

If you try to update your phone, it will just say you have the latest update.

Anyhow I would just like to show you guys how to flash the new C6903 14.1.G.2.257 firmware to your phone. To get root on this firmware, refer to my other post here. Good thing is there are improvements mainly for the camera/video software and screen color/brightness. These seem to be the biggest problem areas in the previous firmware, causing lousy noisy pictures and a yellow tint on some user's screens.

Well just follow these complex steps and you will soon have the latest firmware this October on your Shiny New Sony Xperia Z1 smart phone!

Step 1 : Download and install FLASHTOOL from here

Step 2 : Download the Firmware FTF file 14.1.G.2.257 here (800+MB). Then copy it into the C:\Flashtool\firmwares folder (if you had use the default installation settings for FLASHTOOL)

**N.B** You can also download the C6903 14.1.G.1.534 firmware from XDA-developers forum Mega FTF Collection here. Join the forum if you are unable to access the links. Get the Singapore or UK ones which have OTA updates already. Let me know if you successfully OTA any other versions.

Step 3 : Startup flashtool. Make sure USB debugging is turned on before proceeding.
[On Android 4.2 and higher, the Developer options screen is hidden by default. To make it available, go to Settings > About phone and tap Build number seven times. Return to the previous screen to find {Developer options} Tap on this and make sure that the 'Enable Debugging over USB' is ticked. Also goto setting->xperia connectivity->usb connectivity->usb connection mode-> make it msc mode. also setting->security->check unknown sources.]

Step 4 : Shutdown your phone then press the volume down key and connect the USB cable. You should see flashtool detect the phone in "flash mode"

Step 5 : Click the lightning icon in flashtool and you will get a pop-up with 2 options, select the first one "flashmode". In the left column select the 14.1.G.2.257 firmware then just click flash button on the bottom right. Flashing takes a few minutes only.

Step 6 : When its done the message log will say something like connected in flashmode again. Once you see nothing more happening in the message log, you can disconnect the USB from your computer and reboot the phone manually with the power button.

Things to note :

1) Make sure you have sufficient battery before flashing, 30%+ should be enough.

2) If you wanna keep all your settings and date, just deselect the ticks for appslog, cache and data in the screen where you select the firmware.. I did this and phone works beautifully as before the flash.

If you did it all ok, You should get something like this under settings -> About phone..

 
so did you flash your phone successfully? let me know in the comments section below.

My sexy new Sony Xperia Z1 White Review

Sony Xperia Z1 Phone Box Front

After a long awaited 2 weeks after pre-ordering, my sexy new Sony Xperia Z1 phone arrived! This following is my tiny tech review.

Pre-ordered for AUD $720 from Sony Center Brisbane, thanks to the price matchers in Melbourne. Normally they sell it for $779 pre-order.

Sony Xperia Z1 Phone Box Back

No unboxing video here, just the box it came in. Small square box sealed with shiny tape. As you can see from the back, the phone comes in 3 colors including the blue looking purple. Mine was the white one, which in reality is actually half black. In fact whichever color you choose, the front will be black.

Sony Xperia Z1 Phone Box Opened

My pre-order came with the usual charger and usb cable plus phone. A bonus speaker should be coming in the mail as well for the Pre-order promotion. No unboxing video here :D

Sony Xperia Z1 White Front

The phone does feel and look very very premium and the extra weight gives it a bit of heft. Definitely not a lady's phone, but also definitely NOT a brick. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3's I have used in the past, the phone is much bigger.

The 5 inch screen, covered with DragonTrail Glass and a screen protector, is the first smartphone screen that can be used in sunlight. Of note is the bit of backlight bleeding coming through the top edge of the screen but it is not really noticeable unless you display a pure black picture with the brightness cranked to maximum.

Seriously I don't know what the fuss is about the colors being faded when viewed at 45 degree angle. I could still see stuff on the screen quite well even at a 45 degree angle. AMOLED screens may be more colorful but when viewed normally, the display is fantastic, especially playing videos, just like a mini Bravia TV. My unit also did not have the yellow tint present on some other batches.

Sony Xperia Z1 White Back

The back with the 20 Megapixel camera is covered with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3. There is also a screen protector on the back as well. Camera pictures with the default camera app are ok in bright daylight but terrible indoors with a lot of noise.

I was almost thinking of returning the phone, but after installing the Samsung S4 Google Edition Camera app, the pictures turned out much better. Though the S4 app does not have a 20 megapixel mode, at least for indoor pictures, the noise is gone and at least its reassuring to know that the noisy pictures are a software problem, not a hardware problem. This major problem should be solved in the next software update (update 22/10/2013 : for the new firmware .237 the camera is slightly better in low light but still not as good as could be. Software still needs to be improved guys...)

Battery life on this phone is superb, in standby mode with stamina mode on and not using the phone, it only loses about 2% of charge overnight! yes 2%. I charged it to 100% before bed time and next day it was at 98%. Amazing!!

Sony Xperia Z1 Underwater

Of course, most impressive and another first for me was the ability to take the phone for a shower or swim. The Z1 passed my 1 minute soak test with flying colors! But underwater the only thing you can do is take pictures with the camera button. The touchscreen doesn't work at all. Also after a swim, you have to wipe the camera and let the surface dry before using it, otherwise the touch sensors just go 'crazy'

All in all, this is probably THE BEST smartphone on the market today. Ladies should probably consider the Galaxy S4 or the new LG G2. Guys, if you have the money, get one ASAP. Just do an immediate return if you get one of those dreadful yellow tinge(a few hard resets can solve the problem) or blue tinge screens. Also always remember to take your phone for a swim or shower once you buy it as a few units have been known to leak.

Tune in soon for my Xperia Z1 rooting and S4 Camera/Gallery installation guide.

Seagate Backup Plus 1TB : There is a new BlueKelah in the house

Seagate Backup Plus 1TB SRD0SP0

My new blue Seagate Backup Plus

Recieved a phone call from the local Officeworks today. Guess what, after sending my broken 1.5 year old Western Digital MyPassport Essential SE back for repairs just last monday, it was found that it was not repairable. So I was allowed a refund of the amount which I paid for my drive which I could use to buy another drive, as WD did not produce my drive anymore. It's a shame WD did not just replace my older version with a new drive and though I got the refund, I had to put in a couple dollars more to get a new drive as HDD prices are still high in Australia even though its been more than a year after the Thailand floods..

note : Officeworks is a good place to buy your tech, they not only price match but also provide very good after sales refunds or exchanges of items.

So this time round I decided to try my luck with a Seagate Drive. The new Seagate Backup Plus 1TB external portable HDD looks really good even though its all just plastic with a 'brushed aluminium tan'. Seagate also still has a 3 year warranty and unlike Western Digital which has cut it back down to 2 years. Apparently Backup Plus HDD are now made in China and assembled in Thailand.

As with all external HDDs, this unit comes with preloaded bloatware. Some might find it useful but the geek in me made me do a quick format pronto. This releases about 1.85GB from the disk. Wierd thing is all the files including hidden ones only took up 200+MB so dunno where the extra 1.6GB goes to! Anyways at least a quick format later the drive is empty and ready for use...

Well so far so good. Let's see how long this one lasts!

 

How to take a screenshot in PC Games

Was trying to get some screenshots for a post on Port Royale 3 PC which I just had enough of playing after a few days... Did the screenshot button on my Win 7 PC but somehow kept getting a black screen when I tried to paste it into Photoshop.

Looked around the net and found that I could use FRAPS to do screenshots. As luck would have it, I had FRAPS installed for showing frame rates, didn't think of using it for grabbing in-game screenshots. Just have to press F10 in the game.

So get fraps and install then just press F10 to get the screenshot! then open the saved folder to edit your screenshot or wallpaper it!

Get FRAPS here...

EuroCopter X3

EuroCopter X3

Just saw a picture of this new helicopter supposedly came out middle of last year... If this X3 is so cool, I wonder what the X4 will look like??

Asus N53SV-SX787V

Asus Laptop Eco Friendly Box.

This is my new notebook PC. Having used an old toshiba satellite for the past 5 years, it was about time to get something new that could run Windows 7 and not just the old XP. This baby cost me AUD$900 but managed to claim back a nice 10% GST discount a I bought it in January 2012, just before returning to Malaysia for the chinese new year holidays.
  
Asus N53sv-sx787v Main Specs : 15.6" i7- 2670qm/4gb/500gb /gt540m-1gb Came in a simple enviro-friendly box with Asus' inspiring innovation, persistent perfection on the front. Having bought a previous Asus N53SV series laptop just few months before, I checked it out and the very nice shop person even gave me a run-in graphics card test! I must say that  having used it for a few months I have no complaints at all. 

Dun wanna do a comprehansive review on this since it is probably partly outdated by now but I do have a few things t say about it.  This laptop is definitely a desktop replacement. It's heavy, almost 3kg. However the big-ass screen which is 15.6" with a standard 1366x768 is easy on the eyes, but being glossy is not good outdoors or in places with bright flourescent lighting.
It also has big-ass Bang and Olufsen speakers, which pump out really good quality sound but only at medium to soft levels, at max there is some bass distortion. For laptop speakers this is still a definite upgrade and I must give it a big Wow!

USB 3 techonology in this baby is definitely also a plus, especially when transferring files into my little silver western digital HDD (also pictured) Though the transfer rate is not ten times faster as it says on the sticker, more like 5 or 6 times, but still, thats much faster than old USB 2 tech.

If you are thinking of getting a laptop anytime soon I definitely would recommend getting an Asus laptop with either an i3 or i7 chip and at least a GT610m nvidia graphics card. Any laptop without USB 3 probably should not even be sold anymore. Well Asus is I I P P !

9999 Smurfberries for the New Year...

Just rooted my wife's new white Samsung Galaxy S2 thanks to the guys at xda-developers. Now I have access to all the cool stuff which I can put on her mobile phone...

A rooted phone is something that everyone should have. Though it might be less profitable and therefore not in the interest of corporations to adopt this viewpoint.

However, I believe that everyone should have  full control over any technology gadget that one has.

Well wifey certainly was happy with her smurfberries which I managed to hack for the current version of smurf's village using a memory altering software.

Now we will be eagerly await the next version of android ice cream sandwhich  to be released for the Samsung Galaxy S2.

PS3 Playstation 3 320GB Console with Uncharted 3 bundle

PS3 Playstation 3 320GB Console

On my way to the local Harvey Norman at Wiley Park to grab myself a new PS3 Playstation 3 320GB Console  with Uncharted 3 bundle. Yes this will be my first Playstation and also my first Playstation 3 :D ooh was undecided at the harvey norman, so went to the local JB Hifi where I managed to get them to price match and throw in a free HDMI cable for the same price!! AUD $387 total....

Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception PS3

This is quite a nice game with lots of in game cinematics. It's like watching indiana jones and playing it at the same time!! What a ride...

My Western Digital My Passport Essential HDD

Today another happy upgrade has been added to my electronic collection.  Finally I have joined the 1 Terabyte storage universe. Won't have to worry about keeping the TV series and movies I download anymore!! yay!!

So this is my new HDD from Western Digital. It is only about the size of my classic old Ipod from like many years ago. I really like the nice metallic silver. We initially had a 320GB one from Seagate which has been working pretty well for the past year but filling up rather quickly. Though I do not have any USB 3.0 technology on board, the option to be able to use that in the future is pretty cool. Apparently its supposed to be ten times faster at data transfers compared to USB2.

How did I end up with it? Well, after a horrid day trying to get 'official' things done with the tax office/bank/etc... with the end result of nothing being completed at all, I went down to Officeworks and tried to price match a new portable hard disk. (I'll add more about price matching with officeworks) With larger part of the day having been lousy, I would probably be just as unlucky trying to get the price match, or so I thought...

Initially the HDD seemed to be sold out, but on closer inspection, right at the back of the high shelf lay a last one! The nice guy working there did a quick price match and I managed to get a AUD$124 price down to AUD$104.50. What a bargain. Damn I just love getting bargains, its like a modern version of ambushing prey and successfully bringing it down with minimal effort... Good thing is it's working fine, till 2TB comes around :D

Maxthon 2.5.13.166 update

Just upgraded my browser again. I use a combo of Internet Explorer 8 as a base and Maxthon as an add-on skin thing. It seems firefox is trying to push their browser with the new skins (a.k.a. personas) which is quite easy and fun to use. But maxthon has really good functionality like a drop down list that you can create to store passwords for different sites/forum logins.

Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII is shocked that I only update my browsers once every couple months, how often do you upgrade yours?

Laptop Upgrades...

The last time ye olde laptop had an upgrade, I added more memory to its brains... it went from 256MB RAM to 768MB RAM(Random Access Memory). Having flown back to Malaysia, it no longer has its 2.1 Creative SubWoofer and speakers. So finally picked up some upgrades for it at the local TESCO.


Logitech S100 speakers, clarity about 90% but not much bass. But for this size and a paltry RM38 I am not going to complain too much... Also comes with a yellow Brands essence of chicken free LED USB mouse! Gonna give the mouse some polka dots one day...

Who let the Mouse out?

My new mouse from my local trustworthy computer shop(RM15) with its battle worn senior next to it. Has a 'glowing' scroll and two button function. In my favourite blue color. As usual, this mouse was made in china and packaged under the brand of Edvan. Working well so far!