Outlook 2002 Switches

"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OUTLOOK.EXE" /CleanFreeBusy
will regenerate the busy days indicators on the Outlook Calendar after a Blackberry sync.

"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OUTLOOK.EXE" /resetfolders
can fix sync problems between Outlook and a Blackberry.  In my case the memopad to notes.  Special thanks to Michael-D-Clark for the solution.

Here is the full list of switches from Microsoft
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/296192

Battle of the Egg Speakers

Moshi Double Bassburger vs McGear Mini Speaker II Stereo(MCSP 22).

Moshi Double Bassburger Specifications (as stated on the box)
Speaker Output: 1.7W x 2
Sensitivity > 80db
Input L/R: 380mV
Frequency Response: 280Hz - 16kHz
Charge: USB = 5V +0.5V
Charge Time: Aprrox 2.5 - 3 hours
Play Time: Approx 10 hours
Ambient Temp: 0°c ~ 45°c
Dimensions: 55mm x 55mm x 77mm
Weight: 112g


McGear Mini Speaker II Stereo Specifications (as stated on the box)
Speaker Output Power: 2W x 2
Speaker Diameter: 40mm
impedance: 4Ω
Rating Power: 1.5W x 2
Frequency Response: 180Hz~20KHz
Signal to Noise: ≥80db
Distortion: ≤1%
Power Supply Input: Mini USB, 5V/500mA (Charger not included)
Battery Capacity: 400mAH
Battery Charging Voltage: 4.2V
Battery Charging Time: 3~4 hour
Battery Playback Time: 6~10hours
Dimension: 
     60mm(D)*55mm(H) (One set)
     60mm(D)*99mm(H) (Dual set)
Weight: 144gm




Size
Both speakers are tiny.  The Bassburger is slightly smaller than the McGear speakers though.  You can see the difference in the photos.  The TicTac box is a reference for the size of the speakers.

Furthermore, the Bassburger can be closed to be even more compact for travelling.  It cannot be used while closed though.  Note that when the Bassburger is expanded for use, it is slightly taller than the McGear speakers.


Sounds Good
The Bassburger gives superb sound for its size.  When they say "Ultra compact stereo speakers that produce sound way beyond their tiny size", they really mean it.  I am very happy that this little egg sounds much better than my laptop speakers.

Although the quality of sound is there, if the volume is turned up too high, distortion can be heard from the Bassburger.  I usually do not have the volume up very high and at normal levels it all sounds good.

As mentioned above, the Bassburger is slightly smaller than the McGear speakers.  For the slight size increase, the sound produced by the McGear speakers are much better than the Bassburger.  I would go as far as saying that the McGear speakers are as good as my old Altec Lansing ACS41 speakers.  Very nice considering it is less than half the size of the old Altec Lansings and does not need a power point.

I also have not detected any distortion when testing the McGear speakers with high volume.  I pumped up the volume higher than when testing the Bassburger, but not much higher because I like to keep my hearing in good shape.


Connections

The Bassburger has one cable with a USB connector and two mini-USB connectors.  The USB connector is for charging the speakers' battery and the mini-USB connects the two speakers together.  The other is a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect your favourite sound source to the speakers.

The mini-USB cable is approximately 44cm long.  Long enough to give good stereo separation but it may not be long enough if you like to put your speakers around a big item.  The attached USB socket to one mini-USB socket is only around 14cm long.  This means that one of the speakers must be close to the USB power source to charge the battery.  If you want to charge and play simultaneously, this short cable length maybe an issue.

The 3.5mm cable is approximately 64cm.  The 3.5mm socket is in the right speaker only so depending on where you place your sound source, the cable may or may not be long enough to reach the right speaker if you wish to place them with good stereo separation.  The area around the 3.5mm socket in the speaker is quite small, so some standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables may not fit if the 3.5mm plug has a large casing.

McGear only has one cable with a 3.5mm plug to plug into a sound source,  a USB connector for charging the batteries and two mini-USB connectors that connect to the actual speakers.  From the 3.5mm plug to the USB connector, the length of the cable section is approximately 13cm.  Then from the USB connector to where the cable separates for stereo placement, the length is around 31cm.  The length from the separator stop to the mini-USB plugs is around 40cm long.  Although I have not separated the cable fully, I think the allowable length between the two speakers would be approximately 80cm.  Overall, the cable design for the McGear gives better flexibility for speaker placement than the Bassburger.

Both speakers cannot play audio through the USB connection.  It is used for charging the internal batteries only.


Features
The Moshi Double Bassburger has got volume control.  The McGear Mini Speaker II does not.

Both speakers can be used while being stuck together or they can be separated.  The Bassburger does need to be expanded to be used though.

Magnets hold the speakers together.  The Bassburger magnets are quite strong while the McGear magnets hardly hold the speakers together.  Be careful with the McGear as a sudden knock can separate the speakers or if you are not holding them properly, one will just fall off.

The McGear speakers have got a power switch for each speaker.  This means you can choose to just use one speaker if you feel like it.  It also means that one speaker can run out of battery before the other one.  The Bassburger must have both speakers connected before it can be used.

The best thing about both these speakers are, you get amplified audio without needing a power point.  Just recharge the internal batteries via USB.


Battery Life
For the Moshi Double Bassburger, I have only recharged the batteries to full capacity twice.
On the second recharge I timed the battery life.  Each day I used the speakers for between one and six hours per day with my laptop or mp3 player.  The Bassburger lasted around 44 hours!  This is far better than the 10 hours battery life they say on the box, but I guess it is also because I don't use the speakers at 100% volume.

One thing does not work as mentioned.  In the manual for the Bassburger, it says that the LED will glow red when the battery level is low.  I have never seen it go red.  One minute it is blue and sounds are playing as normal, the next minute it all goes off.

I also tried charging the Moshi Double Bassburger with the Powermonkey-eXplorer battery.  It did not work very well.  I have to turn on the speakers while charging, if not the Powermonkey keeps turning itself off.  I am unsure if the Powermonkey can give the Bassburger a full charge as even with the speakers on, after a while the Powermonkey turns off, presumably because it cannot charge the speakers anymore.  But there is no way to tell if the speakers are fully charged.

From the first charge of the McGear speakers to full capacity, I timed the battery life for them.  Like the Bassburger, I used the speakers for between one and six hours per day with my laptop or mp3 player.  The McGear speakers lasted the amazing time of around 105 hours!  Ten times longer than the 10 hours mentioned on the box.

The Powermonkey-eXplorer battery seems to charge the McGear speakers fine, but a full charge of the Powermonkey does not charge the McGear speakers to full capacity.


Biases
The main purpose of buying these speakers is to replace my Altec Lansing ACS41 speakers and also to save space.

I am not an expert on audio systems.  The best sound I have heard constantly is from an old Sony sound system model MHC-G77.

Links
Moshi Double Bassburger.
McGear Mini Speaker II Stereo(MCSP 22).


Update 02/12/2012
I am not sure when it started, but my McGear speakers exterior has become sticky.  It feels like the same sticky problem of the  Powermonkey-eXplorer. This is even without the heat exposure.

Update 20/06/2023

Moshi Double Bassburger died.

4D F.E.A.R. Boxing

I just recently got into playing F.E.A.R. the single player game.

From playing F.E.A.R. Combat years ago, I knew that you could kick people if you didn't want to use the guns.  What I did not realise is that if you had no guns or holstered them away, the guy would start throwing punches.  So I started running around seeing how far I could get just throwing punches.

While playing F.E.A.R. just using fists, this funny tune from yesteryear came into my head.  With this funny tune, F.E.A.R.  and a little something extra, I present to you 4D F.E.A.R Boxing - a video montage.

How to Build Offline Maps for Mobile GMaps

These steps are to remind me how to build offline maps for Mobile GMaps for my Torch 9800.  If you follow these steps you do so at your own risk.  These steps may be updated from time to time.

Requires gMapMaker from http://www.mgmaps.com/cache/

Depending on the area being mapped, so far the space one city takes up is around 500 to 600 Mb.

Be warned.  It takes hours to download maps.

1. Go to http://www.mapcacher.com/ 
2. Mark a square around the whole country.
3. Set Zoom level from 0 to 9.  Ignore Level of detail setting.  Set Type of map to Google Road Maps.
4. Click Generate and save the map file giving it appropriate name.  
5. Click Reset and zoom into level 6 of where to map.
6. Mark a square about 1/4 of the map's viewable area. (Assuming screen size 1280x800).
7. Set Zoom level from 10 to 12.  
8. Click Generate and save the map file giving it another appropriate name.  
9. Click Reset and zoom into level 10 of where to map.
10. Mark a square about 1/4 of the map's viewable area. (Assuming screen size 1280x800).  This is for the smallest size maps with the highest details.  If larger area is required at this detail, the file size will increase significantly.
11. Set Zoom level from 13 to 17.  
12. Click Generate and save the map file giving it another appropriate name.  
13. Run gMapMaker.
14. Set Max Parallel Downloads to 2.  Tick Group by zoom.  Set Operating Mode to MGMaps mode, download tiles using a .map file.  Set Hash size to 1.  Set Tiles per file to 256.
15. Click Go and select the first .map file and click open.  Wait for download to complete and click close.  Approx 27 min.
16. Click Go and select the second .map file and click open.  Wait for download to complete and click close.  Approx 45 min.
17. Click Go and select the third .map file and click open.  Wait for download to complete and click close.  Approx 5h 30 min.
18. There should be a folder in the gMapMaker program folder called MGMapsCache.  Rename MGMapsCache to something appropriate like TkMap.
19. Connect Torch 9800 to the PC with USB.  You must get the Torch 9800 to appear as a mass storage device on a computer.  
1. On my Windows XP PC I had to use Sync Media option on the Torch 9800 so that it appears as a mass storage device.  I don't know why if I select USB drive option, the mass storage device does not work.  
2. On Windows 7 I had to select the USB Drive option and prevent Blackberry Desktop Software from opening.  For some strange reason, when Blackberry Desktop Software opens and connects, it removes the phone as a mass storage device.
20. Use windows explorer to copy the whole folder TkMap from the PC to the Torch 9800.  NOTE:  Do not use the BlackBerry Desktop Software to copy as this will encrypt everything and MGMaps on the Torch cannot read the encrypted files.  Copy time approx 14 min.
21. Finished.  MGMaps should be able to access the maps now.

Warning
If you do use Mobile GMaps, do not install Google Maps.  I was doing some testing and noticed that installing Google Maps on to the Torch 9800 deletes Mobile GMaps from it.  All the stored locations for Mobile GMaps was also deleted.

Old Drawings

I don't know what to do with these, so I'll just put them here.

They are very old and I cannot even remember what I copied from.