ALLOW FILE ACCESS FOR APPS ON VIEWTY

For sometime now I have had an LG Viewty, but it was only recently that I have used it primarily as I have opted to have my SE K800i as my everyday phone. I bought the Viewty second hand and the former owner got it on a plan with 3 Australia and therefore had shortcuts with the network's services. I managed to find tutorials on how to get rid of those shortcuts immediately after I got the phone, but the only thing I didn't bother myself with was to allow third-party apps like Opera Mini to access the file system. This has been mostly the case for LG phones and it's not because this phone was locked before to 3 Australia.

Since ditching my K800i as my primary phone, I have been concerned though on how I can better make use of apps like Opera Mini by allowing access to files on botht the phone and the memory card. I've tried searching on the internet for the solution and found something not very specific to my problem. It simply entails changing the policy for the certificates on the phone by using a program called Bitpim.

However, the tutorial is only applicable to unlocked Viewtys, in which you have an access to the file system using Bitpim. My phone used to be locked with 3 and the system file folders are locked as well. The good thing about Bitpim though is that you'll be able to overwrite the file, so it should be only a matter of finding an exact copy of the policy file and editing it using notepad, and then overwriting the original file on the phone. Using a simple hack on Google, I found an unprotected back-up of the file stored on a website, however of a different LG model. I risked my neck and did overwrite the original file on the phone using Bitpim. After restarting the phone, I deleted the apps needing file and network access and reinstalled them. It worked fine with just a minor bad effect-- the battery somehow gets drained if you turn the phone off for sometime, which of course is solved by not turning your phone off for more than several hours or so.

It maybe rare that somebody may need to do the same thing, but anyway let me give the tutorial on how to do it here.

1. Download Bitpim from http://www.bitpim.org/ and install it on your machine. If you don't have it already installed, also look for the Viewty USB driver on Google (I found mine on Rapidshare and also there was some versions available on 4Shared).
2. Copy the text on this link to a notepad and edit the last eight (8) lines to look something like below, and then save it as "h3g.pol" (be sure to select save as all type, otherwise it will be saved as a txt file).

domain: untrusted
allow: network_access
allow: application_auto_invocation
allow: messaging
allow: local_connectivity
allow: multimedia_recording
allow: file_connection
allow: phone_call

3. Open Bitpim and connect the phone (be sure to have the USB setting on the phone set as "data" and not "memory" or "file"), go to settings on Bitpim and select the model. Bitpim works only for CDMA phones so for this you have to select LG VX9400. After Bitpim found the phone, click on read file system on the right side of the window and allow it to read the files on the system folder. Just got to LG>Media>Java>Cert and look for the file "h3g.pol". Right click on it and just select overwrite. Bitpim opens up the file explorer and just select the file that you have previously saved and let the program overwrite the original file.

4. Disconnect the Bitpim from the phone and then also disconnect the phone from the computer. Restart the phone and reinstall the applications you want to have access to the network and files with. You should be good to go.

Broiled Shrimps

This is intended for prawns, but we didn't have time to go to the supermarket and we have the shrimps in the freezer. Simply just marinate about a kilogram of shrimps or prawns in a bowl with a cup of lime soda (7-Up preferred) for half an hour. Heat a sauce pan and just pour in both the shrimps and the soda. Let it cook until the soda dries up. Add in a dash of olive oil or a small cube of butter, and cook for about ten minutes more.

LAING WITH PORKCHOPS (Taro leaves in coconut cream with porkchop)

This is a variation of the traditional Bicolano recipe. I cooked this today as I really miss home. I'll post the complete recipe later as I'm posting this from my phone.

SMART: SIMPLY AMAZING INDEED!

To cut costs, I maintain a SIM of my network's competitor-- Smart as most of the people I know are using this network; this is because all telco promotions are exclusive to their own subscribers. Promos such as unlimited calls or texts allows us to communicate more with friends and relatives without having to pay a premium. One of those promos I avail with Smart is its Talk20, which allows a subscriber to make three three-minute Smart to Smart calls for only twenty pesos. With even the discounted rate I get for my postpaid plan with my network- Globe, twenty pesos is only worth a three minute call.

Talk20 is one of those usual call promos wherein calls are routed to VOIP to cut the cost of transmission. As such, the quality of calls can be a bit gritty; but people don't mind as at least they are able to call at low cost. This doesn't bother me either. The service though gets a bit shady as it often eats up your unused call allowance even if you are not able to contact the number you are calling. This happens to me almost every other time I register for the service. I still didn't mind it then as most of the time one or even two calls get through.

Early this morning, I was trying to reach my niece with still two calls I have for the promo that I have registered for the past evening. I was surprised to have been connected to somebody else on the other end, and the recipient herself was surprised to get me instead of the one whose number is appearing on her phone. I thought I dialled the wrong number, but then I figured it couldn't possibly be as my niece's number is stored on both the SIM and the phone itself and even on our two other phones. I tried to dial again from the phonebook but again Smart connected me to a wrong number. This time again the person I have been connected to said it was another person's number showing up on his phone and not mine.

My niece sent me a text message asking why somebody else is calling from my number. I told her exactly what I did and that I think Smart is messing up with the connections-- calls are being routed to wrong numbers. I tried to call again but this time it returned a busy tone; and shortly afterwards I got a message from Smart saying I already have used up my three calls.

I called up Smart's customer service to let them know what happened. I was not even about to complain. After the ususal touch tone menu, and a few minutes of being on hold, an agent finally took the call. She asked what she can help me with, and I told her exactly what had just happened. She simply thanked me for calling and hung up. A bit furious with the previous agent, I again called their customer service line and got through with another lady agent. After hearing what I had to say, she simply said that they only accomodate postpaid subscribers and hung up.

Some two years ago, I decided to switch over to Globe for the same reason-- Smart's lousy customer service. They simply haven't changed even now-- they'll tell you right in your face they don't give a damn. Globe on the other hand hears out their customers, and even calls you back to let you know of what they did to address your problem.

That makes Smart simply amazing!

TEST

Test post with Viewty.

HAYDEN KHO AND KATRINA HALILI SEX SCANDAL

Let's be sensible enough. These people did not intend those videos, I say even Hayden Kho, to be open to the public. Delete your copies of the videos or do not even download them at all. We should understand that this will definitely cost them their future; and that is to consider the fact that Katrina Halili is still young and still has her full life ahead of her. Again delete them from your computers or phones, never share them to anyone, or better yet do not download them at all.

Fit For A King

I have never written about Manny Pacquiao ever since I started blogging. This is despite the fact that I have witnesssed his rise to fame from his humble beginnings. He instantly caught my attention the first time I saw him fight on the amateur boxing show "Blow By Blow". Well, I really am not a boxing fan, but I knew he has a future in the sports right then. It turned out, of course, that his future is more of a destiny to be the greatest ever in his sports. Or one of the best, definitely. His recent victory now forever etched him in the history not only of boxing but the entire world of sports. Although I disagree with most that his wins brings honors to Filipinos, as I believe his success is entirely his and his team's honor, I now can truly admit that he makes me proud just to be the same nationality as he is. For a King do deserve his honors.

CLIMATE CHANGE

We may be witnessing a major evidence of climate change at the moment. Here in the tropics, we usually are this time of the year in the early-middle part of summer. Yet, since last week, it has been raining hard and eventually we now have low pressure areas (not just one but three) developing in different parts of the country. This ushers in the start of the monsoon season, which should have not been the case until the start of June. It may also be noted that the cold season have lasted until almost the end of February this year.

Leaders all over the world have recognized these facts and laid out measures to at least alleviate the possible consequences. We ourselves should brace for the worst as it is just beginning. If ever, we are having this year the shortest ever summer.

As scientists have predicted, once the shortening of warmer days begins, what surely will follow will be the beginning of the new ice age. The massive melting of our ice caps and glaciers cools the oceans and disrupts the natural cycle of atmospheric activities, which causes our weather. This phenomenon have been well demonstrated by the shifting ocean currents the past few years, which has caused some concern about some animals being displaced, and inevitably this will have cascading effects to every living thing in this planet. This oceanic currents are partly responsible for the distribution of heat throughout the planet; and as the oceans gets colder in time these currents will then stop and the planet will grow colder.

I am not being a doomsayer or anything, I am merely speaking based from facts. We all have something to fear, and this one is my biggest as it will affect every single person I know and those I love as well.

It's that or maybe only because my brother is coming home to Bicol for vacation, which almost always is hounded by stormy weather when he's there.

RAINY SUMMER

Early tonight, after battering mankind with hours of very hot afternoon, there suddenly were thunders and lightnings. Shortly thereafter, heavy rain poured. I was just into the few minutes then of trying to return to sleep, and the noise of pounding rain on the roof kept me awake instead. All in all, today I only had a couple of hours of sleep. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep my eyes open at work.

GLOBE'S PIXLINK

Just yesterday I found this new service from Globe Telecom called PixLink. It was a killer service backed by a killer app that can be installed to almost any cellphone. As it is still in it's beta version, the service is still for free. You are allowed to upload any amount of pictures without paying for the service.

What makes this better than other photo sharing services like Flickr is its being free for now. Filipinos love taking pictures and share them to everyone, and this service quickly is a winner. I have been browsing uploaded and publicly shared photos and am quite amazed at how Filipinos can be creative using just a cellphone camera.

See it for yourself.