Cut the Rope is one of my favourite games on the iPhone. Its a puzzle game where candy is tied on strings and you will have to manipulate and cut the strings to feed a green blob called "Om Nom". Apparently it has been downloaded over 60 MILLION times to date!

The great news today is that, instead of paying $0.99 (approx RM3~) at the AppStore (US link), you can now get it for FREE on PCs with Internet Explorer 9 installed.

Now I know that many people especially designers and web developers, may cringe at the mention of IE but as I wrote during the launch of IE9 beta back in Oct 2010, Microsoft has overhauled IE9 from the ground up and integrated it beautifully with Win 7.

Cut The Rope is playable directly from the web at www.cuttherope.ie, showcases the advanced and powerful HTML5 capabilities of Microsoft’s latest and most powerful web browser, Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

ZeptoLab, the creators of Cut the Rope, collaborated with technology specialists at Pixel Lab and with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Team, to deliver the game to online audiences with HTML5 technology and JavaScript. The developers discussed their technical approach to this project, and the challenges that they faced, in a short blog post including a video interview, which can be found at www.cuttherope.ie/dev/.

Eighteen (18) levels of the game are playable with most modern web browsers but seven (7) bonus levels are available exclusively to users who pin the game to their Windows taskbar with IE9.

Gamers that pin Cut the Rope to their Windows 7 taskbar, will find that IE9 takes on the look and feel of the game and unlocks unique levels not found in any previous versions of Cut the Rope. For further improvements, with the hardware acceleration enabled in IE9 and Windows 7, the game looks and feels just as rich and immersive as developers intended the game to be. This is the first of many games that Microsoft’s will be bringing to the web via IE9. Hot gaming titles such as Pirates Love Daisies, Disney’s Tron, and The World’s Biggest Pacman are all currently in the pipeline toward release with Windows 7 and IE9.

Microsoft’s IE9 can be downloaded at www.beautyoftheweb.com.

If you’re like me, Hotmail was the first real email address you had. It was the coolest thing to see your nickname and getting really excited if and when someone emailed you. Hotmail launched in 1995 and was one of the first free email service.

Over the years, unfortunately, Hotmail started to lose its luster, especially with a whole lot of new free email providers cropping up like mushroom. Hotmail with its clunky design and lack of features (2MB space only!) got left behind.

From left : (i) The small crowd of techies & bloggers
(ii) Unsubscribing from a newsletter with a dropdown menu within Hotmail.

Fast forward to 2011 and Hotmail is still (surprisingly) the largest free email service in the planet with 360 MILLION unique users per month who receive 9 billion and send 300 million emails Every Day! And in celebration of its 15th year, Hotmail is ready to unveil new features! These new features offer improvements in the vital areas of spam filtering (which is a big issue for Hotmail users), performance, storage and mobile compatibility.

“We’ve all used Hotmail at one point in time and we loved it for its features and simplicity. Things are a bit more complicated today. People want more than just an email address. Users want huge storage space, seamless integration with instant messaging and contact management as well as easy access across all mobile devices.

With our latest Hotmail release, we are bringing all this and more to our users. Hotmail has come along way since its humble beginnings. It is now more feature rich, more integrated and more secure than ever before. It’s the perfect time to fall in love again with Hotmail, “ said Barrie Ooi, Head of Windows Live, Asia Pacific.

From left : (i) Attached photos will be automatically presented in a album format
(ii) Hotmail is coming to Mobile. In fact I think the Android one is launching later today!

Last night, I was invited as part of a select group of bloggers who were given a sneak preview of the new features launching today (press release was embargoed till 6am this morning) by Microsoft. Barrie, quoted above walked us through some of the exciting things coming to Hotmail in the next few weeks.

The new features include:

• Smart Newsletter Filtering which allows users to highlight and delete newsletters with a single click or unsubscribe completely.
• Categories and advanced folder management that allow users to choose to categorize their messages in the inbox as opposed to having to file them in separate folders.
• Scheduled cleanup allows you to automatically get red of emails of a certain age sweeping away old newsletter and out-of-date offers. You can also now keep only the last message from the sender.
• Flags done right that position your priority messages right at the top of your inbox. No more having to mark messages as unread or email them back to yourself to keep them at the top of your mind.
• Instant Actions are buttons that appear when your mouse hovers over a message allowing you to delete, flag, sweep, etc messages with one click. Users can also customize their UI by adding and removing buttons based on the tasks they use the most.

One of my favourite new feature is the Sweep function. The sweep function lets you select a bunch of emails then proceed to setup rules or filters on how these emails should be have (get deleted, move to a folder, etc). This will be really convenient for people who have tons of email.

.

Hotmail has always been (unfortunately) associated with spam and they know it. In fact, they found out that 35% of your inbox is made up of spam. That’s more than 1/4 ! Thus, they have implemented a SmartScreen filter (made up of humans reporting spam and a computer algorithm) and managed to cut down the spam to ONLY 3% currently. In fact you can see the sharp dip in the left image below.

Another interesting fact is that Hotmail servers has the storage capacity of 140 Petabyte! 140 petabyte =1400 terrabyte = 1400000 gigabyte! Not only that, they are continuously increasing 10% every month (or was it week? I forgot.) That’s how Hotmail can give you virtually unlimited storage. Best part is, you can send attachments of up to 100MB – compared to the usual 10MB!

After a scrumptious dinner at Apartment, KLCC and an interesting demo and discussion with Barrie, we were given instructions not to announce anything until the press conference with media today. We were also given some Windows Live goodies. I also won a set of Windows Live plushies! Don’t they look cute?

So what do you think? I think Hotmail’s new features looks very useful and this puts them back in the running with the other big email giants like Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. Was Hotmail your first email too?

Don’t you hate the new Facebook Photo Viewer that’s with that “lightroom” effect? I seriously dislike it a lot! Its so annoying and doesn’t enhance the user experience at all, in my opinion.

I found a simple way to walk around this issue. Can’t remember where I saw it la, some tech site I think.

Note : In addition to the steps below, here are more steps to help “remove” the new viewer

• Open in new tab – In Chrome I tried duplicating the tab, it seemed to remove the lightroom effect. Haven’t tried on other browsers tho. This works on other browsers like Firefox
• Refresh the page – Pressing F5 to reload the page also works
• Chrome Extension – If you’re using Chrome browser, download this extension. <—best method!

——————-

Here’s how to do it.

1. Click on the photo and look at the address bar (the URL at the top)

2. Remove the text “&theater” & press enter

3. Then you…..nah, that’s all you gotta do

See screenshot below. Remove the highlighted words

And you’ll get this…Tadaaa!

Hope that was helpful

Do you have any more tips on how to remove this? Will add it to the list on top

Im using both a Digi and Maxis number. So I guess you could say I’ve got my foot planted firmly on both camps :P

Am interested to see whose plans is better so I decided to make a comparison. Unfortunately, some things were in the way

• Digi does NOT have a 12 month contract plan
• Maxis has plans with 1GB, 2GB and 3GB while Digi has plans with 1GB, 3GB and 5GB

So i present the following table:

Digi and Maxis iPhone 4 Comparison Chart for 1GB and 3GB plans with 24 month contract

Interesting things to note to influence ur decision:

• Warranty : Digi offers only 1 yr warranty, while Maxis offers 2 years warranty
• Free SMS/MMS : Maxis free SMS/MMS is to Maxis-Maxis numbers, Digi is for all telcos
• Contract Period : Maxis offers 12 month contract for the iPhone 4, Digi does not.
• Coverage : Maxis has undoubtedly better coverage than Digi, especially outstation
• Exceeding Data : Maxis will charge RM0.05/10KB (to a max of RM250) while Digi does not charge anything extra but might throttle your speed (need to double check on that)

So, hope that helps you make a decision. iDigi or iValue in Malaysia? Or perhaps get a set from Singapore?

Edit 2 : Rates are correct. Click on Link below to see proper link. If you’re interested, I have made a comparison chart – Digi and Maxis iPhone 4 Comparison Chart.

Edit : That was fast! Digi pulled down the link. It now redirects to their main site. Lucky took screenshot

Found this link on Twitter to the Digi iPhone 4 plans and it shows the new plans that are valid from 24th Sept. Below is a screenshot in case they pull it down

As usual, the table is damn confusing. Was it for 24 mths or 12 mths? I bet most of you have seen the plans from Maxis right?

What? You haven’t? Here it is below courtesy of MalaysianWireless.

So which plan is better? And more importantly, which will you choose?

Edit: Come on guys, do I really need to make this disclaimer? Though it was pretty obvious already.

Disclaimer:  Rates above are NOT official as the official media briefing for Digi iPhone 4 plans will be at 6pm Malaysian time today. Screenshot above is what i got frm the link earlier.

Thanks to P1 W1MAX , I had the chance to  review the Acer Aspire One 533 powered by Intel and Wimax Inside.

WHAT IS WIMAX INSIDE?

Its convenience in a laptop. Instead of having dongles or long cables like many other wireless broadbands these laptops are inbuilt with the wimax modem INSIDE. No modems, usb dongle or wires.

TECHNICAL STUFF

The Aspire One 533 is powered by the Intel Atom Processor N455 and comes preinstalled with Windows 7 Starter. It has a 250GB HDD and 1GB RAM. It has a 6 cell battery which promises a long battery life.

I must admit that I seriously liked this netbook. Especially because of its small size = 10.1” monitor, 1” thickness & 1kg in weight. I can actually bring it around in my handbag :D

Also for all the times I brought it around, i think i charged it less than 5 times. The battery really lasts, especially if you put it on power saving mode.

The adaptor is also the Acer MiniGo one which is so much lighter and smaller than the usual adaptor that comes in 2 parts.

The speed is of course depending on the coverage by P1 W1MAX . You can call them up or check their website for coverage areas. I got almost 3MB in Sunway Damansara (thats close to the Sunway Giza) which is actually pretty good.

Got really good speeds in 1Utama as well. Friends were using it to watch youtube while we waited for other friends to come.

Even with 2MB, its so much faster than the Free wifi that most shops give. Also some shops don’t provide wifi so the netbook was really convenient.

PRICE

Now the important question : How much does it cost?

The Acer Aspire One 533 Netbook with Wimax Inside is RM 1,499 which includes FREE P1 W1MAX service until 30th September 2010.

After this free period, you can choose to continue the 1NSiDE plan. As an early adopter, you get the benefit of paying a monthly fee of only RM 49 (usual fee is RM89 monthly) which has a Quota of 15GB.

Interesting yes?

This is something that I would buy if I am going to get a netbook. Thanks so much to P1 W1MAX for the opportunity to review!

For more information:

Check out their website - www.wimaxinside.com.my
Where to get – dealers
Devices – more laptops/netbooks
Tweet them – @P1W1MAX
Call them – 1-300-800-888

Rumours all over twitter today:

This is straight from the horse’s mouth, the animal here being our local Star paper’s tech pull-out InTech.

The report has the Maxis boss telling the paper’s reporter this: ‘Van Overbeke said the iPhone 4 could be available here by August, but declined to provide prices.’

This is only a ‘could’ scenario. It doesn’t confirm that Apple phone is actually going to sell here in that coming month.

The same reporter also wrote: ‘As for the iPad, he said it is possible that Maxis will be distributing the 3G version of the tablet computer.’ That word ‘possible’ can also be roped into the same familial ‘could’.

But at least Van Overbeke is quoted to say, “But it’s really up to Apple at this point.”

A lot of readers, in Star, and in here, genuinely hope Apple decides to let Maxis bring in the iPhone 4 and the iPad. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed.

Source : MobileWorld

Update: I got the TechCentral URL link. The article is titled “Maxis going big on mobile content” (source). Here’s an excerpt:

Van Overbeke said the iPhone 4 could be available here by August, but declined to provide prices. And, he said, Maxis’ data packages for the smartphone “would not be very expensive.”

As for the iPad, he said it is possible that Maxis will be distributing the 3G version of the tablet computer. “But it’s really up to Apple at this point.”

“We were the first to introduce the iPhone to Malaysians and (because of that) some presume that it would be the same with the iPad.

“On the day of the iPad’s international debut, some people started coming in to our sales centres to see if we had stock,” Van Overbeke said.

Still, a positive sign for iPad fans in this country is that Maxis is keen on creating educational applications for the iPad, and is in talks with the Education Ministry to gauge interest and opportunities.

Are you excited about the iPhone 4? I upgraded my 3Gs to iOS4 and is loving it!

The good people over in Google SEA decided to hold the first (I think) Google Analytics Master Class in KL last weekend. It was held in Hilton Hotel KL and the best part, it was FREE! All you had to do was register yourself and they will email you if you got the invites. I bet they didn’t expect the overwhelming response though.

The GAMC consists of a couple of speakers who gave short 10 minutes (or so) talks. Some were from Google, explaining the features in GA and other related tools. Others were from various businesses that utilizes GA in their business.

I tweeted about several things I learn at the event, here are some examples :

• GA allows you to track stats for mobile sites, using a code that is not javascript based
• Track statistic based on sessions – logged in/ not logged in users. How is their behaviour different
• Set up different segments to track different things based on certain conditions, and share these pre-configured segments with others via a simple link
• Send email alerts when certain conditions are met
• Useful for Multi Users : Add annotation to the graph to explain spikes (was the design changed? was there an economic downturn, etc)
• Useful for Advertisers : You can create custom variables to export specific data. Maybe impressions of a certain page where that ad in running
• Using Google Analytics, you can track the flow of a payment page to see where your buyers are leaving /stuck (are they confused? Is the design not user friendly?)
• Three important things :
  • Watch out for high bounce rates
  • Zoom in on Loyal Visitors
  • Don’t ignore mobile users <—growing trend in SEA
• Post Click (landing page optimization) is as important as Pre-Click (SEO, SERP, etc). Former is free too!
• Use different variations of your site simultaneously and track both so that you can see which design produces the highest conversions. Only change important pages – Landing page, Buy page, etc

Google Goodie Bags filled with a notebook,a pen, some stickers and a USD50 voucher to sit for the Google Analytics Test (Certificate)

All in all, it was a very informative event. Met a lot of people and made some new friends. I think my colleague who went must have been surprised that I do know a lot of people. LOL!

You can subscribe to the Google Southeast Asia site for details on any events and tips and tricks. They have posted their slides for GAMC on the site. However, its all present in Slideshare which requires you to log in to download. So I downloaded it all here and zipped it up for you guys to download. All the files are in PDF format (I highly recommend FoxIt reader) and the Titles are listed below

Edit 28 Dec 2010 : Im having problems with my download plugin so the download links are missing. will edit this page once that’s fixed. You can still watch videos and download the slides from their site here – http://cse-sea.blogspot.com/search/label/google%20analytics%20master%20class .SOrry about that

Click here to show spoiler