Samsung Galaxy Ace

Don't mistake the Galaxy Ace for the Galaxy-S as they are pronounced almost similar.

Fiddled briefly with the Galaxy Ace few days ago at Karamunsing Complex and it feels easy on the palm. Size almost as big as the iPhone 3GS but first impression is that the build quality is miles behind the iPhone. If the iPhone's response to the finger flick is like breeze and fast, expect a slower response from this. Of course I should not compare the two as the price and target market are different. Alright, I'm just looking for a simple phone that is decent but not flashy.

This is the latest release and is priced much cheaper. Retailed at RM999.00 but street price could be lower and from my initial survey this week, one can get it for RM980.00 (Release date: Feb 2011).

By comparison, Galaxy-S is retailed at RM2,599 and could be had at RM1900-RM2000 depending on memory size. (Release date Mar 2010). There's already an updated version, Galaxy-S2 coming up and this, I think, should give iPhone 4 a run for the money.

Hope to get hold of one Galaxy Ace next week and come back to give feedback to this posting.

Feedback/Update:

I am using this as a second handset and it is not delivering what's expected - ease of browsing the internet, connecting to WiFi, one-hand typing. It is slow.

After using it for the past 1 year, it seem to have slowed down so much that you basically have to wait for quite a while for it to respond to each click (touch) of a button.

de engineur, June 2012

RAW Processing

I am a reader of Photo Malaysia web and would like to share a very practical video of how to get the best from RAW files.This was contributed by Photo Malaysia member and his nick is jackljane.






The sound was stripped but he promised to upload another video with sound later. This was in response to a newbie photographer's question as to why he keep getting dull and lifeless pictures.

Been reading from Digital Camera magazine for sometime now but there is always something new when looking at video of other people's work. For a not-so-experienced photographer such as myself, this is a good start.

Give it a go, it's about 10 minutes and is just nice during your lunch break.

In case you don't know what is RAW files, find out here. Or visit Ken Rockwell's version if you like him.

Fluoride, Silent Killer - Or is it?

Controversial and inconclusive! That's my take on the article. AND that's my conclusion.

This article by Yiamouyiannis, John, Ph.D seem to be spreading like virus via e-mail; at least that's what I get in a form of a chain email.

While I don't totally disagree with what's written, I don't subscribe to it and that's the reason I put it up here. While some of his contention is supported by references, some are very questionable as he uses a lot of "may", "likely", "has shown to (without further reference)". Not very assuring from a person so knowledgeable.

To quote some of his verdicts:

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF FLUORIDE Fluoride is used as an insecticide and a roach killer. Even at the level they use to fluoridate your public water supply, usually at the rate of about 1 part fluoride for every million parts of water (1 ppm) by weight, it causes severe problems. As little as one-tenth of an ounce of fluoride will cause death. It is more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. No one will die from drinking one glass of fluoridated water, but it is the long term chronic effects of drinking fluoridated water that affects health. Dental fluorosis is one of the earlier signs of fluoride poisoning, appearing in mild cases as a chalky area on the tooth, and in more advanced cases, teeth become yellow brown or black and the tips break off. Fluoride in the drinking water leads to fluoride levels in tissues and organs which damage enzymes. This results in a wide range of chronic diseases. Fluoride weakens the immune system and may cause allergic type reactions including dermatitis, eczema and hives. It causes birth defects and genetic damage. Fluoride is likely to aggravate kidney disease, diabetes and hypothyroidism. The amount consumed in drinking water has been shown to lower thyroid activity in humans. It also causes the breakdown of collagen which results in wrinkling of the skin and the weakening of ligaments, tendons and muscles.

If you happened to have received the same email, I can tell you this issue is very much debatable. Some studies suggest that fluoride is necessary at a controlled/low dosage to prevent tooth decay, and some suggest cautious usage.

Yiamouyiannis, John, Ph.D suggest that it is solely due to the need to dump this by-product of the aluminium industry and the phosphate fertilizer that people start to justify fluoride use.

Others have mixed opinions:

1) MSN Health says A Little Fluoride Goes a Long Way" in support of its uses.
2) Disabled-World.com thinks that "Children Should use Fluoridated Toothpaste"
3) There are some warnings and recommendations for children using fluoridated toothpaste. A good read here.

Finally, you may want to know if the toothpastes you use contain fluoride. Mostly yes! The two brands I have used in the past are both fluoridated. Read about Darlie and Colgate and find out for yourself.


Be in the know and decide for yourself. A chat with your dentist friend would be a good idea.

BTW, is there any dentist around, reading this?