Micro dusts on the sensors of mirroless cameras

All the Olympus, Panasonic and Sony mirroless cameras share one thing: out of box, there are some micro dusts on their sensors:

To check the sensor dusts: set camera to manual focus mode and focus to infinite; set camera mode to aperture priority and set aperture to f/22 or the smallest; set zoom to 50mm equivalent or so. Open Notepad on your computer and maxmize it so you get a white screen. Put your camera possible to the white screen, take a shot while moving the camera slowly from the left to the right. Now open this image in XnView (or Photoshop), click Image, Map, Automatic Levels. Then you'll see something like above. The black dots you see are the dusts on the sensor, a dot on the left upper corner will appear at the right bottom on the sensor, vice versa.

To remove the dusts, you need these:

Don't use an Alcohol that contains either too much or too less water. Never touch the cotton tips to keep them from oil. Shake the swab as hard as you can to drain out extra alcohol before its touches the sensor. Move the swab to the edges of the sensor to minimize the trace.

This is how it looks now:

I also use this same method to clean lenses. Use a blower before and after above procedure. You only need to do such cleanup once, afterward it is almost impossible to get such factory dusts again. From now on, any dusts should be easily blow off.

Abstract in Chinese

我发现无镜相机出厂时传感器上都带有少许很细微的尘埃，吹不掉，要用酒精棉才能擦掉。

把相机拨到A模式，光圈22或最小；用手动对焦，对到无穷远处；用中等焦距（减少暗角）。对着白色的电脑屏幕，在慢慢移动相机的过程中按下快门。不对焦和移动的目的都是为了不把屏幕上的灰尘照下来。用XnView或Photoshop打开这张照片，做auto levels，如果传感器不干净的话，就可以看到上面第一张照片上的那些黑点。黑点和灰尘的位置是倒过来的，比如左上角的黑点对应的是传感器右下角上的灰尘，反之亦然。

酒精的纯度不要太高也不要太低，否则清除能力都不好也容易留痕迹。脱脂棉最好有一头是比较尖的。沾上酒精后，使劲甩掉多余的液体。不要让手碰到棉球，以免沾上油。把灰尘擦到传感器的边缘后抬起棉球，以减少留痕。棉球变得比较干了的话，效果会变得很差，再沾点酒精或换一根。

在这之前和之后都用吹气球吹吹。以后一般不再会粘上这样的厂家带来的特殊尘埃了，普通的灰尘吹吹就掉了（千万别用嘴吹！）。 我用同样的方法清洁镜头。

Save even more with the Watts

How many years have the Watts Premier Hot Water Recirculation Pump been in service in my house now? Somehow I never thought about tweaking its timer until recently.

First, the timer should be set to on only for the hours when anyone needs hot water. I did this since day one.

Second, for these needed hours, the timer does not need to be always on, because it takes a while for the water to cool down after the time goes off.  Therefore, it is a very good idea to set the timer on for only 15 minutes for the hour (i.e. off for the rest 45 minutes). It's been working flawlessly this way for several weeks now.

Current laptops

There are currently three classes of laptops: Atom, Celeron/Pentium and Ultrabooks.

Atom laptops:

Like this ASUS X205, they usually use the Intel Bay Trail Z3735 CPU with 2GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB solid storage. Yes, they are powerful enough for your daily work and entertainment and they are fanless, I have been using one (the Lenovo Miix) for a year now as my only computer. You can easily add more storage with a 64GB SD card for about $25. This ASUS looks and feels very good - thin and light, and unlike all other ugly ASUS, the frame is elegantly thin and matte. While the screen is sharp, clear, bright and contrasty, the up/down view angle is narrow (the left/right is wide) and color is cold (dark-blueish). These two things, narrow view angle and cold color, are pretty much the only imperfections about this perfect laptop ever.

There is a fast version of Atom, the Z3775, which is used in the ASUS T100. It is clocked higher to be as fast as Celeron and Pentium.

Celeron and Pentium laptops (2-in-1):

They are basically Bay Trail clocked at higher frequencies for increased speed. Celerons (such as N2830) are dual core while Pentiums (such as N2930, N3530) are quad core. Not all of them feature the Intel Quick Sync technology found in Atom Bay Trail for real-time superb video compression. This is a very good thing to have if you ever need to convert a video from one format to another or to reduce its size for sharing. Usually N##20 (e.g. N3520) do not have it while N##30 (e.g. N2930, N3530) have it.

For example, this Lenovo 2-in-1 selling in BestBuy has an old N3520 CPU and therefore you'd better not buy it due to lack of QuickSync:

The Toshiba Radius found in BestBuy and the Dell 3000 found in CostCo and everywhere are very similar to the Lenovo 2-in-1 but both have QuickSync. The Toshiba has a Celeron N2830 while the Dell may come with either a Celeron N2930 or Pentium N3530.

These Celeron and Pentium 2-in-1 laptops usually come with 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD, adequate for everyone. You may add more RAM. You may also replace the slow HDD with a SSD for much better performance for very little money. They run 64 bit Windows which is far more reliable than the 32 bit on Atom laptops/tablets, due to absolute enforcement on driver signature.

Ultrabooks:

All the sales men in stores will push these expensive craps to you. They are rip off without any premium stuff in and out, stay away from them unless you see one below $500. If you are willing to pay a premium, then get the Apple Macbook Pro 13" with retina screen. The touchpad alone is worth the money. Yes, Apple touchpad is that good, go give it a try in BestBuy with your two fingers scrolling down and up within a web browser.  If you need Windows, then install Windows on it. The cheapest configuration is enough for everybody, any higher options are totally more rip off. It is thin and light, no longer need to bother with any Macbook Air.

If you need 13" and do not want to spend a thousand on a common tool, then take a look at the HP Stream 13.

A $1 tripod mount for smartphones

This article is still in progress.

Ever want to mount your phone on a tripod and don't want to spend $30 on a Joby GripTight? Now you can do that for just one dollar. Extremely easy too, all you need to do is drill a 1/4" hole on a piece of thin plastic, every one can do it, no any special tool required.

Dual-SIM Phones

This article is still in progress.

Some comments first:

• I won't buy a dual-sim phone for more than $300. Actually one hundred something is the comfortable amount. Most of us use a dual-sim phone to save money; it does not make sense to spend too much money to save money, does it?
• Moto G XT1033 is the only one that has 3G support on both SIM slots. Not at the same time, of course, no device can do that. All others can have 3G on SIM1 only. This is not a big deal though - just use a dual-SIM adapter.
• They all can dual standby. For example, you can use data on SIM1 while still able to receive calls on SIM2.
• They all can do voice calls and use 2G data in all countries.
• If you need 3G on other countries such as China etc., you need at least 2100. If you need AT&T 3G, you need 850/1900.  If you need T-Mobile 3G, you'd better get 1700 (some locations now adopt 1900 as well).
• Lenovo K910 is the only one that has both 1700 and 2100 (it has CDMA/EVDO too!).  This means: if you need full coverage on T-Mobile and meanwhile need to use 3G in China and other countries, this is your only option.

I did a search in Amazon and these were interesting to me for their 3G coverage:

The followings work on 3G on AT&T, T-Mobile and in other countries

Lenovo Vibe Z K910
850/900/1700/1900/2100 CDMA/EVDO
5.5"
$272

The followings work on 3G on AT&T, T-Mobile (1900 area only) and in other countries

Galaxy S4 Mini Duos GT-i9192
850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100-LTE
4.3"
$250

Lg G Pro Lite Dual D686
850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
5.5"
$200

LG OPTIMUS L7 II DUAL P715
900 / 1900 / 2100
4.3"
$160

BLU Life One L120
850, 1900, 2100
5.0"
$180

Motorola MOTO G XT1033
850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4.5"
$220

iRulu Newest V1 Phone
850/1900/2100
5.5"
$135

Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 S7582L
850/900 / 2100
4.0"
$142

The followings work on 3G on AT&T and T-Mobile (all area)

Posh Mobile Titan HD E500
850/1700/1900
5.0"
$180

BLU Studio 5.0 II
850/1700/1900
5.0"
$112

BLU Studio 5.0C
850/1700/1900
5.0"
$108

Dual SIM Adapter

This article is still in progress.

Simply put, as long as you can manage to put this adapter into your phone, then it is super convenient to change your SIM cards without physical swapping and rebooting. Works for both voice and data (2G/3G/4G/LTE). No it cannot dual standby, that's what a dual-sim phone does and you do can use this adapter in a dual-sim phone.

I bought the adapter from Newegg for less than $6, other similar adapters should work as well. I have tested it in my LG F6 and BLU NEO 4.5, work like a charm. To use it in my LG G2, which has a SIM door like iPhone, I have to leave the adapter outside and hold it by using a phone case (I usually don't use cases).

LG F6

This article is in progress.

Root is very easy with TowelRoot_v1.apk. Just download, install and open the app, then click on the button. Then install eu.chainfire.supersu.apk immediately.

Installing recovery is also extremely simple, just download, install and open LG-F6-TWRP-V3.apk. But this is optional.

You may also install stericson.busybox.apk. Again, this is optional for some apps that require some Linux system commands in addition to SU.

You may use FolderMount to link/move some folders (e.g. DCIM, iGO, Tencent) from the internal storage to an external SD card.

If you still need more storage for installing more apps after the following blotware removal, then you may use App2SD or Link2SD etc.

List of removable blotware:

AAT.apk
ApplicationManagerbin.apk
ApplicationManagerbin.odex
Books.apk
Books.odex
CABLService.apk
CABLService.odex
ChromeBookmarksSyncAdapter.apk
ChromeBookmarksSyncAdapter.odex
ChromeWithBrowser.apk
ChromeWithBrowser.odex
DmfAdmin.apk
DmfAdmin.odex
EasySettings.apk
EasySettings.odex
ECID-release.apk
ECID-release.odex
GoogleBackupTransport.apk
GoogleBackupTransport.odex
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleDrive.apk
GoogleDrive.odex
GoogleFeedback.apk
GoogleFeedback.odex
Hangouts.apk
Hangouts.odex
LGBackupbin.apk
LGBackupbin.odex
LGBrowser_JB.apk
LGBrowser_JB.odex
LGEIMEbin.apk
LGEIMEbin.odex
LGEmailbin.apk
LGEmailbin.odex
LGQRemote.apk
LGQRemote.odex
LGSearchWidgetProvider.apk
LGSearchWidgetProvider.odex
LGSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGSetupWizardApp.apk
LGSetupWizardApp.odex
Magazines.apk
Magazines.odex
Memobin.apk
Memobin.odex
MemoWidgetbin.apk
MemoWidgetbin.odex
MLT.apk
MLT.odex
MusicWidgetbin.apk
MusicWidgetbin.odex
MyMetro.apk
MyMetro.odex
Phonesky.apk
Phonesky.odex
PhotoAlbumWidgetbin.apk
PhotoAlbumWidgetbin.odex
PlayGames.apk
PlayGames.odex
PlusOne.apk
PlusOne.odex
QMemobin.apk
QMemobin.odex
QuickSet.apk
QuickSet.odex
QuicksetSDK.apk
QuicksetSDK.odex
SetupWizard.apk
SetupWizard.odex
SmartShare.apk
SmartShare.odex
SmartShareProvider.apk
SmartShareProvider.odex
StreamingPlayerbin.apk
StreamingPlayerbin.odex
Street.apk
Street.odex
TagGoogle.apk
TagGoogle.odex
talkback.apk
talkback.odex
Upsell.apk
Upsell.odex
Velvet.apk
Velvet.odex
Videos.apk
Videos.odex
VoiceDialer_JB.apk
VoiceDialer_JB.odex
VoiceSearchStub.apk
VoiceSearchStub.odex
VuTalkbin.apk
VuTalkbin.odex
WeatherMultiCPbin.apk
WeatherMultiCPbin.odex
WeatherThemebin.apk
WeatherThemebin.odex
WifiCall.apk
WifiCall.odex
WiseScreen.apk
WiseScreen.odex

LG G2, overall the best phone

First thing first, this is the only phone with a headphone jack at the bottom instead of top or sides. If you ever use your phone for music, you know what I mean. Sound is good. Other good points:

• Large 3000mAh battery vs. usual 2000 - 2500mAh, offering the longest run time in its class.
• Very thin side frames.
• Loudspeaker on side. Most phones' are on the back, being easily blocked.
• Much less heavy weight UI than the stupid TouchWiz of Samsung.
• Double tap to wake up, no longer need to press the power button.
• No button on sides and front.
• Camera almost never produce fuzzy photos, unlike Samsung.
• Easy to root and unlock the bootloader. Samsung has been crazy on (re)lock up their phones.
• Wireless storage works very well and very convenient for files transfer over WiFi with PC.
• Notification light blinks about every 1-2 seconds unlike Samsung's pointless every 5 seconds.

After years of using Samsung, this LG feels like a Samsung tweaked right.

It is better downgrade to 4.2.2 (actually 4.3, 12B), because no more text wrapping since 4.4, rendering Boat, the best browser, useless. All other browsers use too much CPU, even while idle doing nothing. UC browser is the only usable browser for 4.4 for its text wrapping and minimum CPU usage (although still more than Boat). Many other things are broken too in 4.4.X, for example, browsers can no longer remember passwords. Android 4.3 is and will be the best Android forever, like Windows 2000/XP for PC.

[update] The LG Video player had been crashing and making the phone reboot by itself. I downloaded the LGVideos.apk from here and all fine ever since.

How to get rid of some annoying pops

A minimalist - stock - ROM

LG VS840 VS920可精简应用列表

My list of blotware for 4.4.2 and 4.2.2:

4.4.2 (/system/app)

AAT.apk
AmazonAudible.apk
AmazonIMDb.apk
AmazonKindle.apk
AmazonMobile.apk
AmazonMP3.apk
AmazonWidget.apk
BaSyncClient.apk
BaSyncClient.odex
bloat.txt
Books.apk
Books.odex
Chrome.apk
Chrome.odex
CloudPrint.apk
CloudPrint.odex
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleDrive.apk
GoogleDrive.odex
Hangouts.apk
Hangouts.odex
HotspotProvision.apk
HotspotProvision.odex
LGCarHome.apk
LGCarHome.odex
LGCMAS.apk
LGCMAS.odex
LGEasySettings.apk
LGEasySettings.odex
LGFOTA.apk
LGFOTA.odex
LGLIA.apk
LGLIA.odex
LGLifeStream.apk
LGLifeStream.odex
LGLW_Feather.apk
LGLW_Feather.odex
LGLW_PolarBear.apk
LGLW_PolarBear.odex
LGLW_Prince.apk
LGLW_Prince.odex
LGMemoWidget.apk
LGMemoWidget.odex
LGMobilePrint.apk
LGMobilePrint.odex
LGNotebook.apk
LGNotebook.odex
LGQRemote.apk
LGQRemote.odex
LGQTranslator.apk
LGQTranslator.odex
LGSearchWidgetProvider.apk
LGSearchWidgetProvider.odex
LGTangibleIO.apk
LGTangibleIO.odex
LGTaskManager.apk
LGTaskManager.odex
LGTextLink.apk
LGTextLink.odex
LGTextLinkAgent.apk
LGTextLinkAgent.odex
LGTextLinkEngine.apk
LGTextLinkEngine.odex
LGTextTranslator.apk
LGTextTranslator.odex
LGVZWAppSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGVZWAppSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGVZWHelp.apk
LGVZWHelp.odex
LGVZWSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGVZWSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGWeather.apk
LGWeather.odex
LGWeatherTheme.apk
LGWeatherTheme.odex
LGWorldClockWidget.apk
LGWorldClockWidget.odex
Magazines.apk
Magazines.odex
PlayGames.apk
PlayGames.odex
PlusOne.apk
PlusOne.odex
PrintSpooler.apk
PrintSpooler.odex
QuicksetSDK.apk
SmartShare.apk
SmartShare.odex
SmartShareProvider.apk
SmartShareProvider.odex
Street.apk
Street.odex
TagGoogle.apk
TagGoogle.odex
talkback.apk
talkback.odex
Videos.apk
Videos.odex
VMwareReady.apk
VMwareReady.odex
VpnClient_2.6.1_LG.apk
VpnClient_2.6.1_LG.odex

4.4.2 (/system/priv-app)

AmazonAppstore.apk
BaSyncService.apk
BaSyncService.odex
blotp.txt
com.gotv.nflgamecenter.us.lite.apk
GamePortal.apk
ISISWallet.apk
LGClockWidget.apk
LGClockWidget.odex
LGConnectionWizard.apk
LGConnectionWizard.odex
LGEmail.apk
LGEmail.odex
LGFavoriteContactsWidget.apk
LGFavoriteContactsWidget.odex
LGGestureAnswering.apk
LGGestureAnswering.odex
LGLifeStreamLogManager.apk
LGLifeStreamLogManager.odex
LGLW_MultiPhoto.apk
LGLW_MultiPhoto.odex
LGMediaInOne.apk
LGMediaInOne.odex
LGMemo.apk
LGMemo.odex
LGMusicWidget.apk
LGMusicWidget.odex
LGQMemo.apk
LGQMemo.odex
LGQVoice.apk
LGQVoice.odex
LGSlideAside.apk
LGSlideAside.odex
LGVoiceCommand.apk
LGVoiceCommand.odex
LGVoiceCommandService.apk
LGVoiceCommandService.odex
LGVuTalk.apk
LocationAgent.apk
Maluuba_QVoice.apk
Maluuba_QVoice.odex
MyInfozone.apk
MyVerizon.apk
SetupWizard.apk
SetupWizard.odex
SlackerRadio.apk
SmartShareBeam.apk
SmartShareBeam.odex
SSO_P3.apk
Velvet.apk
Velvet.odex
VZAccessories.apk
VZCloud.apk
VZMobileSecurity.apk
VZNavigator.apk
VZTones.apk
WapService.apk
WapService.odex

4.2.2

AAT.apk
AmazonAppstore.apk
AmazonAudible.apk
AmazonIMDb.apk
AmazonKindle.apk
AmazonMobile.apk
AmazonMP3.apk
AmazonWidget.apk
BaSyncClient.apk
BaSyncClient.odex
BaSyncService.apk
BaSyncService.odex
Books.apk
Books.odex
CABLService.apk
CABLService.odex
Chrome.apk
Chrome.odex
com.gotv.nflgamecenter.us.lite.apk
CompatibilityMode.apk
CompatibilityMode.odex
DirectBeam.apk
DirectBeam.odex
DmfAdmin.apk
DmfAdmin.odex
ECID.apk
ELTTest.apk
ELTTest.odex
GamePortal.apk
GoogleBackupTransport.apk
GoogleBackupTransport.odex
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleFeedback.apk
GoogleFeedback.odex
Hangouts.apk
Hangouts.odex
HotspotProvision.apk
HotspotProvision.odex
LGCarHome.apk
LGCarHome.odex
LGClockWidget.apk
LGClockWidget.odex
LGConnectionWizard.apk
LGConnectionWizard.odex
LGEasySettings.apk
LGEasySettings.odex
LGEIME.apk
LGEIME.odex
LGEIME_THEME_BLACK.apk
LGEIME_THEME_BLACK.odex
LGEIME_THEME_LOVELY.apk
LGEIME_THEME_LOVELY.odex
LGEIME_THEME_NATURAL.apk
LGEIME_THEME_NATURAL.odex
LGEmail.apk
LGEmail.odex
LGFavoriteContactsWidget.apk
LGFavoriteContactsWidget.odex
LGFOTA.apk
LGFOTA.odex
LGGestureAnswering.apk
LGGestureAnswering.odex
LGLIA.apk
LGLIA.odex
LGLifeStream.apk
LGLifeStream.odex
LGLifeStreamLogManager.apk
LGLifeStreamLogManager.odex
LGLiveWallpapersPicker.apk
LGLiveWallpapersPicker.odex
LGLW_Feather.apk
LGLW_Feather.odex
LGLW_MultiPhoto.apk
LGLW_MultiPhoto.odex
LGLW_PolarBear.apk
LGLW_PolarBear.odex
LGLW_Prince.apk
LGLW_Prince.odex
LGMediaInOne.apk
LGMediaInOne.odex
LGMemo.apk
LGMemo.odex
LGMemoWidget.apk
LGMemoWidget.odex
LGMobilePrint.apk
LGMobilePrint.odex
LGMusicWidget.apk
LGMusicWidget.odex
LGNLPService.apk
LGNLPService.odex
LGNotebook.apk
LGNotebook.odex
LGPhotoAlbumWidget.apk
LGPhotoAlbumWidget.odex
LGQMemo.apk
LGQMemo.odex
LGQRemote.apk
LGQRemote.odex
LGQTranslator.apk
LGQTranslator.odex
LGQVoice.apk
LGQVoice.odex
LGSearchWidgetProvider.apk
LGSearchWidgetProvider.odex
LGSlideAside.apk
LGSlideAside.odex
LGStreamingPlayer.apk
LGStreamingPlayer.odex
LGTangibleIO.apk
LGTangibleIO.odex
LGTaskManager.apk
LGTaskManager.odex
LGTextLink.apk
LGTextLink.odex
LGTextLinkEngine.apk
LGTextLinkEngine.odex
LGTextTranslator.apk
LGTextTranslator.odex
LGVuTalk.apk
LGVuTalk.odex
LGVZWAppSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGVZWAppSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGVZWHelpCenter.apk
LGVZWHelpCenter.odex
LGVZWSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGVZWSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGWeather.apk
LGWeather.odex
LGWeatherTheme.apk
LGWeatherTheme.odex
LGWorldClockWidget.apk
LGWorldClockWidget.odex
LocationAgent.apk
Magazines.apk
Magazines.odex
Maluuba_QVoice.apk
Maluuba_QVoice.odex
MLT.apk
MLT.odex
MobileUpdateClient.apk
MobileUpdateClient.odex
MyInfozone.apk
MyVerizon.apk
Phonesky.apk
Phonesky.odex
PlayGames.apk
PlayGames.odex
PlusOne.apk
PlusOne.odex
QuicksetSDK.apk
SetupWizard.apk
SetupWizard.odex
SlackerRadio.apk
SmartShare.apk
SmartShare.odex
SmartShareBeam.apk
SmartShareBeam.odex
SmartShareProvider.apk
SmartShareProvider.odex
SSO_P3.apk
Street.apk
Street.odex
TagGoogle.apk
TagGoogle.odex
talkback.apk
talkback.odex
Velvet.apk
Velvet.odex
Videos.apk
Videos.odex
VMwareReady.apk
VMwareReady.odex
VoiceDialer_JB.apk
VoiceDialer_JB.odex
VoiceSearchStub.apk
VoiceSearchStub.odex
VVM.apk
VVM.odex
VZAccessories.apk
VZCloud.apk
VZMobileSecurity.apk
VZNavigator.apk
VZTones.apk
WiseScreen.apk
WiseScreen.odex

The benefits of a WiFi-Ethernet bridge

Because today's wireless data speed is even faster than cable, it is time to use it as your home or office broadband. You may simply use an Android phone directly as a hotspot, but a WiFi-Ethernet bridge offers many benefits.

There is already a WiFi access point, router or gateway in every house these days and you don't need to change your current system setup. All you need is a WiFi-Ethernet bridge to connect it to an Android phone like this:

The bridge connects to the phone wirelessly and then plugs into your WiFi router or your current network. You need to disable DHCP server on the router though, because the phone already has that and usually cannot be turned off.

Usually a phone's WiFi power is not strong enough to get your house fully covered. This is pretty much the #1 reason to use a bridge and a normal WiFi router other than just the phone as a hotspot.

Furthermore, there is no wire between the phone and the bridge; so you can put the phone at the best spot for the best reception possible in your house. Mobile data speed is hugely related to the signal level; the better the signal, the faster the speed especially uploading.

Usually an Android phone is limited to allow only 5 to 10 devices. This comes to another big benefit of using a bridge: such limit is entirely removed by the bridge. The phone's built-in hotspot won't see any device connected to it. Note: this "feature" may not apply to a third-party hotspot app such as WiFi Tether Router.

The bridge I use is a Linksys WET610N, a used one cost  about $15. It has been working perfectly for more than a year now. The only glitch is: I must use WPA instead of WPA2, otherwise it disconnects and reconnects to the phone every now and then. I think this issue has something to do with WPA2's periodic key renew scheme.

You can easily switch back and forth between this newly added wireless connection and your old broadband. You don't need to change WiFi password on your devices, they connect automatically to either. So this is also a good way to add a backup to your existing broadband, not necessarily a replacement.

I have tried some 3G routers including MiFi in the past, none of them worked well. They are incompatible to many phones and dongles and they are not reliable and dependable. My above phone + bridge + AP system almost never need a reboot for weeks after weeks. An Android phone is also far more flexible, you can do many things on it, such as VPN.

Reveal more network modes on Verizon phones

In the past two years or so, I only buy and use Verizon LTE phones for myself, because they are unlocked global phones that do both CDMA (EVDO) and GSM (WCDMA). You can use them in virtually anywhere on this planet.

By default, you can have only three selections:

If I leave a foreign SIM card in the phone and use Sprint or Verizon in USA without a LTE service, the phone keeps looking for LTE. Very annoying.

Is there a way to disable LTE or force CDMA only?

For Samsung phones, you can simply dial ##3282#:

If ##3282# does not work, then you need to edit the /efs/carrier/HiddenMenu and change "OFF" to "ON".

Although the latest ROMs still have this ##3283# menu, the phone seems ignore my selection. Furthermore, LG phones such as G2 and G3 do not have this hidden menu at all. Then we have to use Xposed, and I have found two modules, Intelli3G and GravityBox, tested to work on my G2:

PagePlus ESN Change

So you just got a new phone and need to transfer your PagePlus number from your old phone. There used to be many websites that do it for free, but no longer. I tried ebay $0.99 sellers, big waste of time and patience, still waiting for my refund.

Turned out the best way to do it is PagePluseCellular's Live Chat. Just give them your current phone # and old and new ESN or MEID, or IMEI without the last digit, they'll do it within a minute or two. No any hassle, and free.

A typical chat for your reference:

pp: How may I help you?
you: Could you please do an ESN swap for me? Phone #: 9908908989, old ESN: 99000090909090, new ESN: 99000089898989.
pp: Do you have a SIM card for your phone?
you: No.
pp: Do you plan to use 3G on this phone?
you: No, just for voice calls and I use WiFi for Internet.
pp: As this is a 4G phone, you need to ask a dealer to program it. Do you still want me to swap the ESN?
you: Yes, please.
pp: Will be done in a moment.
you: Cool.
pp: It's done, anything else?
you: No, thank you!
pp: You're welcome and thank you for choosing PagePlus.
(Chat closed)

Hanghouts voice is not dependable

Sometimes, the app rings but the call is already disconnected when you pick up. This is especially guaranteed to happen in the morning on the very first call of the day. Not something new though, I have seen such behavior on other VOIP apps, such as Acrobits and Talkatone.

There are quite some VOIP apps for Android, but most of them have another big problem: they prevent your phone from sleep - your phone runs hot and battery drains quickly. Acrobits (newer versions), CSipSimple and Bria are such examples.

Sipdroid is the only Android app that does not have those issues, because it is all written for native Android, all new from scratches. It really idles, allowing the phone to go into deep sleep and still reliably receive calls. You can add G.729 codec to it.

However, there is a 5-year-old bug in Sipdroid. It'll lose registration after a while, especially after a change in network status, e.g., switching between WiFi and 3G or an Internet interruption. After looking into the source code and many tests, I'm happy to report: I fixed this bug.

If you need a dependable VOIP on your phone, the only available choice is Sipdroid and a SIP server that's done right, such as KOTS VOIP.  No extra battery drain, reliable calls in and out, period.

ZTE Concord II, a very cheap and solid hotspot

For only $19.00, you can get a ZTE Concord II 4G phone. This is by far the best phone for being used as a hotspot. Other T-Mobile phones such as the Galaxy Light and LG L70, all have hotspot function crippled - they clear routing table every hour or so.

Why use a phone other than a MiFi or 3G router? Because an Android phone is far more flexible. For example, you can let the hotspot go through a VPN and/or proxy connection. And for $19, it is also far cheaper than any MiFi or 3G router.

There are two versions of this Concord II: T-Mobile and MetroPCS, their firmware are slightly different but compatible. I.e., you may flash a T-Mobile FW to a MetroPCS, vice versa. The one I got is a T-Mobile; so if any of the followings do not apply to the MetroPCS version, at least you can flash it to T-Mobile to get all the same functions.

First thing first with any phone is to root it. Fortunately it is very easy, just run a batch script:

http://androidforums.com/concord-2-all-things-root/872326-root-cwm-recovery-zte-concord-2-a.html

Optionally, you may remove blotware, also explained in above link. There is a link to a MetroPCS FW too. A list of what I removed can be found at the bottom of this article. You may not have to remove anything, but some of them such as Lookout and SetupWizard might do very bad things under the backgroud to damage a smooth hotspot experience.

After root, we can run WiFi Tether Router to make it a hotpsot and it works perfectly with the default configuration without any tweak, see above photo. Experienced random disconnects (then reconnected by itself), changed from WPA2 to WPA then problem solved.

Chinese is one of the built-in languages; the other two are Spanish and English.

The only downside: no LTE. This is actually a good thing to me, because LTE is weak and slow in my area, saving me the hassle to disable LTE. So far this is the best hotspot I have had - the most dependable and the fastest.

[update] Xposed can be installed through the installation mode of recovery (flash zip automatically). Then Moto Tether module can be added for bypassing hotspot provisioning.

Bought an unlock code for $12 from phones.outlet on ebay because of 100% positive feedback. The code arrived after about 7 hours and worked (a metroPCS version). 

Removed apps:

Books.apk
ChromeBookmarksSyncAdapter.apk
ChromeWithBrowser.apk
com.mobitv.client.tmobiletvhd.apk
Drive.apk
Hangouts.apk
Lookout.apk
OneTimeInitializer.apk
OneTimeInitializer.odex
SetupWizard.apk
T-MobileMyAccount.apk
AntHalService.apk
AntHalService.odex
CABLService.apk
FccTest.apk
Filer.apk
IQ_OOB.apk
IQ-tmobile.apk
IQToggle.apk
Magazines.apk
MediaUploader.apk
PhotoEditor.apk
PhotoTable.apk
PhotoTable.odex
PlusOne.apk
Protips.apk
Protips.odex
Sdlog.apk
Sdlog.odex
SVIService.apk
talkback.apk
TaskManager.apk
TestAssistant.apk
TestAssistant.odex
Velvet.apk
Videos.apk

Unlimited for only $30/mon

Harbor is selling unlimited service for only $30 per month.

• No activation fee and you can even activate your own t-mobile SIM cards.
• Use any GSM and LTE phones.
• Unlimited voice, SMS and data. First 1GB is LTE and reduced to 2G-3G afterward.
• Unlimited SMS and data in 120+ countries including China.
• Free WiFi calling to all countries.
• Streaming music does not count as data usage.

Click on above link for more details. This is great for overseas, but T-Mobile signal is not so great in the states especially within malls.

Miix 2 8 touch failure and fix

I had seen such reports from the very beginning and finally mine started too after the summer heat. The symptom is obvious: touch no longer work. Sometimes it comes back to normal after a reboot. When this happens, you see yellow marks about your tablet and i2c:

A quick fix is to press down the upper right corner area, then disable and enable the i2c. A long term fix is to open the back door with a guitar pick (don't cut into the seam at the bottom!!!), unplug the cables, replug them and attach a piece of foam with double-side tape:


[Lenovo Miix 2 8]

LG L70 Blotware Removal

As with any Android phones, the first thing is to root and remove garbage. Root for LG L70 is extremely easy, just install TowerRoot and SuperSU and run them in turn.

Then install ES File Explorer, enable its Root Explorer function and, in the Mount R/W menu, mount /system as R/W. Then you may cut some useless apk and odex files under /system/app and/or /system/priv-app, and paste them to sdcard.

Warning: before you touch the /system folder, make sure you already have a stock ROM that you flash to the phone for total recovery. If you remove a necessary system file, you'll brick your phone and the only way to bring it back is to flash a stock ROM.

That said, this is a list of files I removed from my L70, about 160MB.

Books.apk
Books.odex
ChromeWithBrowser.apk
ChromeWithBrowser.odex
CloudPrint.apk
CloudPrint.odex
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleDrive.apk
GoogleDrive.odex
Hangouts.apk
Hangouts.odex
LGDefaultAccount.apk
LGDefaultAccount.odex
LGEasySettings.apk
LGEasySettings.odex
LGFOTA.apk
LGFOTA.odex
LGMemoWidget.apk
LGMemoWidget.odex
LGSearchWidgetProvider.apk
LGSearchWidgetProvider.odex
LGSetupWizardApp.apk
LGSetupWizardApp.odex
LGWeather.apk
LGWeather.odex
LGWeatherTheme.apk
LGWeatherTheme.odex
Magazines.apk
Magazines.odex
PlayGames.apk
PlayGames.odex
PlusOne.apk
PlusOne.odex
PrintSpooler.apk
PrintSpooler.odex
Upsell.apk
Upsell.odex
WifiCall.apk
WifiCall.odex

The procedure is similar to all phones, just the rooting method and the file list vary with phones and personal needs.

For comparison, this is a list of removed from LG G2, see how much more you paid for:

app:

AAT.apk
AmazonAudible.apk
AmazonIMDb.apk
AmazonKindle.apk
AmazonMobile.apk
AmazonMP3.apk
AmazonWidget.apk
BaSyncClient.apk
BaSyncClient.odex
Books.apk
Books.odex
Chrome.apk
Chrome.odex
CloudPrint.apk
CloudPrint.odex
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.odex
GoogleDrive.apk
GoogleDrive.odex
Hangouts.apk
Hangouts.odex
HotspotProvision.apk
HotspotProvision.odex
LGCarHome.apk
LGCarHome.odex
LGCMAS.apk
LGCMAS.odex
LGEasySettings.apk
LGEasySettings.odex
LGFOTA.apk
LGFOTA.odex
LGLIA.apk
LGLIA.odex
LGLifeStream.apk
LGLifeStream.odex
LGLW_Feather.apk
LGLW_Feather.odex
LGLW_PolarBear.apk
LGLW_PolarBear.odex
LGLW_Prince.apk
LGLW_Prince.odex
LGMemoWidget.apk
LGMemoWidget.odex
LGMobilePrint.apk
LGMobilePrint.odex
LGNotebook.apk
LGNotebook.odex
LGQRemote.apk
LGQRemote.odex
LGQTranslator.apk
LGQTranslator.odex
LGSearchWidgetProvider.apk
LGSearchWidgetProvider.odex
LGTangibleIO.apk
LGTangibleIO.odex
LGTaskManager.apk
LGTaskManager.odex
LGTextLink.apk
LGTextLink.odex
LGTextLinkAgent.apk
LGTextLinkAgent.odex
LGTextLinkEngine.apk
LGTextLinkEngine.odex
LGTextTranslator.apk
LGTextTranslator.odex
LGVZWAppSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGVZWAppSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGVZWHelp.apk
LGVZWHelp.odex
LGVZWSetupWizard_JB.apk
LGVZWSetupWizard_JB.odex
LGWeather.apk
LGWeather.odex
LGWeatherTheme.apk
LGWeatherTheme.odex
LGWorldClockWidget.apk
LGWorldClockWidget.odex
Magazines.apk
Magazines.odex
Music2.apk
Music2.odex
PlayGames.apk
PlayGames.odex
PlusOne.apk
PlusOne.odex
PrintSpooler.apk
PrintSpooler.odex
QuicksetSDK.apk
SmartShare.apk
SmartShare.odex
SmartShareProvider.apk
SmartShareProvider.odex
Street.apk
Street.odex
TagGoogle.apk
TagGoogle.odex
talkback.apk
talkback.odex
Videos.apk
Videos.odex
VMwareReady.apk
VMwareReady.odex
VpnClient_2.6.1_LG.apk
VpnClient_2.6.1_LG.odex

priv-app:

AmazonAppstore.apk
BaSyncService.apk
BaSyncService.odex
com.gotv.nflgamecenter.us.lite.apk
GamePortal.apk
ISISWallet.apk
LGClockWidget.apk
LGClockWidget.odex
LGConnectionWizard.apk
LGConnectionWizard.odex
LGEmail.apk
LGEmail.odex
LGFavoriteContactsWidget.apk
LGFavoriteContactsWidget.odex
LGGestureAnswering.apk
LGGestureAnswering.odex
LGLW_MultiPhoto.apk
LGLW_MultiPhoto.odex
LGMediaInOne.apk
LGMediaInOne.odex
LGMemo.apk
LGMemo.odex
LGMusic.apk
LGMusic.odex
LGMusicWidget.apk
LGMusicWidget.odex
LGQMemo.apk
LGQMemo.odex
LGQVoice.apk
LGQVoice.odex
LGSlideAside.apk
LGSlideAside.odex
LGVoiceCommand.apk
LGVoiceCommand.odex
LGVoiceCommandService.apk
LGVoiceCommandService.odex
LGVuTalk.apk
LocationAgent.apk
Maluuba_QVoice.apk
Maluuba_QVoice.odex
MyInfozone.apk
MyVerizon.apk
SetupWizard.apk
SetupWizard.odex
SlackerRadio.apk
SmartShareBeam.apk
SmartShareBeam.odex
SSO_P3.apk
Velvet.apk
Velvet.odex
VZAccessories.apk
VZCloud.apk
VZMobileSecurity.apk
VZNavigator.apk
VZTones.apk
WapService.apk
WapService.odex
LGLifeStreamLogManager.apk
LGLifeStreamLogManager.odex

Google has done voice, finally!

How many years since Google bought the GrandCentral and renamed it to Google Voice?  But the great news is: the new Hangouts Dialer released just today now let you place and receive calls with your GV #.



You also need to install or update Hangouts to the latest version 2.1.2, released just today too. Furthermore, you also need to install or update Google Play Services to the latest version 4.4.52.

If you have multiple GV accounts, you may add them all to your phone. Then you can pick any one of them at anytime for calling out, just like what you do with multiple GMail accounts.

Receiving calls is not enabled by default, you need to enable it if you want that for your account(s). So is SMS.

Call quality is very good over a 3G (Sprint EVDO) connection, sounds like GSM codec to me (not so sure).

To make this matter even sweeter: International calling rate is lowered down from $0.02/min to $0.01/min for some countries including China.

If you still need Google Voice in an alternative and more versatile way, consider KoT VOIP.

[update] Hangouts turns out to be not dependable, suffering from the same problem like Acrobits and Talkatone:

http://kingoftweaks.blogspot.com/2014/10/hanghouts-voice-is-not-dependable.html

Magnet Lens cap

I love my Panasonic 14-45mm lens, but its lens cap has been a huge hassle. I cannot put it into my pockets because they are dusty; I cannot use a lens cap clip because I don't hang my camera on my neck and I cannot use lens door because I always use a lens hood.

After many thinking and experiments, this is the easiest and best solution I came out - just push a small magnet into the lens cap. I used it in my recent summer trips and loved it.

Does Google Voice now allow Chinese in SMS and to China?

I tried Google Voice in the past to send a SMS in Chinese and never successful. I also tried to send SMS to China, failed too. Last week I received a SMS written in Chinese from a China mobile phone, somehow I replied it directly within the Google Voice app and, to my surprise, it went through!

Actually, it failed at the first attempt but then it tried again immediately and show me "Sent":

I then tried several more times, all the same results. I also tested on my computer and verified that my GV account was not charged:

If you are interested, you may give it a try.

MetroPCS LG L70 - cheap and superb

MetroPCS has been selling the LG L70 for only $49 for quite sometime. What a steal!

• Unlock costs less than $2, then it can be used on T-Mobile and AT&T etc. I bought the unlock code from UnlockScout (delivered within 3 to 30 minutes), dialed 2945#*323# and only used the SP_LOCK code for the Service Provider Unlock.
• No LTE, but H+ on both T-Mobile and AT&T. Much better reception compared to Samsung and Pantech. The LG F6 supports LTE for just $20 more, another steal!
• 4.5" screen is 16:10, far better than 16:9. Its fonts are very bold, extremely easy on eyes (see above photo).
• Build-in multiple languages: English, Espanol, Francais, Korean, Chinese (Taiwan) and Chinese (simplified, including Pinyin and voice input).
• Chinese voice input works extremely well, the only voice input I actually love to use.
• Battery life seems very good and phone stays cool, even when used as a WiFi hotspot and/or streaming/recording Internet radio. Never had a phone this cool (cold).
• When play music, beautiful warm sound.
• I use Tetherfy for WiFi hotspot, very good speed.
• Double-tapping on the screen wakes up the phone, I really like this feature.
• Root is extremely easy with Towel Root and I removed some blotware.

Don't make a mistake to relate performance, features and building quality with its low price tag. This phone has nothing to lose to so called hi-end phones that add lots of garbage to a clean Android. This is one of the few times you do get far more than what you pay!

My favorite browser Boat cannot do text wrapping on this phone (stupid Google removed it from KitKat) but UC browser does that well. Boat (not the mini version) is by far the only browser that does not consume CPU while idle. UC uses a small amount of CPU time now and then, still far better than others such as Opera Mobile on this regard. Other browsers are poor on text wrapping, they are useless, not worth of mentioning.

A tip: don't tear off the factory screen film, just cut off the tiny tab with an X-ACTO and you have a perfect screen protector!

Another tip: you may buy one from BestBuy and they will price match

[update] There is a hidden menu (3845#*323#, WCDMA-Only > Modem Settings > Network Mode) that lists all the WCDMA bands. I tried each of them, but only 850, AWS and 1900 are successful. So, no 2100 and 900 that are 3G bands used in other countries such as China.

[Blotware Removal]

Moto G Dual SIM, a walk through

I had wanted a dual-SIM phone for a long time, but all those from China were garbage lacking of US 3G bands. Finally the Moto G Dual SIM XT1033 seemed done right so I gave it a try.



First thing first, it covers the full 3G bands (on both SIM slots): 850/900/1900/2100. This means it can get 3G (H+) on AT&T, T-Mobile, China Unicom and etc. Yes, I can get T-Mobile H+ as showing in above video, not sure it is 1900 or 1700 though.

It is true dual standby: incoming calls can ring from each SIM, even while any one of them is using data. You can let the call go into voicemail, or let it break the data connection and ring the phone immediately.

For $200, I think it is currently the best dual-sim phone. Others are over priced and/or not done right. The Sony Xperia M2 is similar and similarly priced with a larger screen (4.8" vs. 4.5"), but Sony is always over-priced (e.g. RX100) and/or done with some stupidities (like Samsung before Galaxy). I used to hate Moto too due to its add-on to standard Android, but this phone comes in clean Android.

The power and volume buttons are all on the right side, nice. The headphone jack is still on the top side though, like all other phones, stupid. Screen is great, anti finger prints on both sides.

Battery life seems very good. About 3% drop overnight with 3G on and drain seems quite slow while I use it as a WiFi Hotspot. Charging is very slow, I might be too spoiled by Samsung.

Although both SIM slots can use data (one at a time), it is better to use data on SIM 1, because Sipdroid won't see a data connection on SIM 2. Hopefully Sipdroid is the only app that has such a problem, otherwise such dual-SIM phones are not for hot swapping between two data service providers without having to physically swap cards. Not a problem if your intended use is one for data/voice and one for voice.

The phone comes with Android 4.4.2, I updated it to 4.4.4 OTA. I then unlocked its bootloader, flashed TWRP recovery and root it. All fine, follow this great guide.

To use it as a Hotspot through VPN, lookup table must be 60. 61 won't work for SIM 2. More detail here.

FM radio is mono, not stereo, hence not good for music but talk shows.

I bought this phone on ebay, from seller yumnatel08. It is an Asian version with Chinese, traditional and simplified, as one of the build-in languages. For a full list, watch above video.

Recently I bought another great phone, the MetroPCS LG L70. It is single SIM, but for just $50 you cannot get a better global phone including T-Mobile's AWS band. Unlock costs less than $2, Hotspot works out of box and 16:10 (not stupid 16:9) 4.5" screen is very eye friendly plus bold fonts; so it is a better choice than the Galaxy Light. Full Chinese UI out of box. If you need LTE, then the MetroPCS LG F6 for $70 is the one.

Lenovo K910 is the next dual-sim phone I would like to try, for its CDMA support and large screen. However CDMA is on SIM 1 only and SIM 2 cannot use data, otherwise I would have already bought one. This means it cannot use PagePlus for voice while using T-Mobile for LTE like the Galaxy S4. Still an overall better choice than the Galaxy S4 and later models, especially for its dual-SIM and $300 price tag.

G5 - an ideal travel camera

Olympus EPL1 was my first portable DSLR-class camera, but it was not good for video so I switched to a GF2. The GF2 was not good enough for ISO 6400 which is really required for indoor shots with a slow kit lens. Therefore I upgraded to G5 which has been nearly perfect for everything I need a good camera for, at home and on road.

All the following photos and video were shot with G5 with the 14-45mm/f3.5-5.6 kit lens, during a recent trip. No special post processing, all done with the same setting as described here.

Its focus is extremely fast, even under low lighting conditions, won't miss a single exciting moment (all ISO 6400):

If you ever been to the Mystery Spot, you know how dark it is in that cabinet. Do a search on "Mystery Spot" and compare the photos you find with above ones.

When light is good, electronic shutter produces gorgeous shots:

Although 14-45mm seems not so long, cropping extends it:

And here comes to ETC (extended tele conversion) for video, the major reason I pick up Panasonic instead of Sony and Olympus etc. This great feature turns the 14-45mm into 14-162mm (captured from video with and without ETC):

And this is an example video of the scenes and moments that can hardly be illustrated with still images:



So, a Panasonic M43 like the G5 makes the most ideal travel camera, for both photos and video. No more heavy long lens(es) to carry. Just make sure you shoot RAW, use ISO 6400 when light is not enough and use e-shutter whenever possible to avoid shutter-shock.