Technology: HOLY SMOKE!!! Galaxy SIII As A PC???!!!

Sorry guys, can't wait till Monday to share this holy goodness with you all!!!

Another reason to get an Android phone instead of an iPhone on top of what Zedomax has said in my previous entry, Message: Becoming Senior Members of XDA-developers!!! is what you are about to see below.

Open your eyes wide guys!!! Cos XDA Senior Member NZtechfreak will now show you how to turn your Galaxy SIII into a PC, a gaming centre, a audio and video station.

I am definitely not a gamer, but I want to be able to play YouTube or movies on my LCD TV without connecting it to my PC because my PC isn't as mobile as my smartphone. For this, if I want to sit on my couch from a distance and not want to walk to my Galaxy SIII all the time, I just need to buy a power hub, a keyboard for Android and a wireless mouse like NZtechfreak did in the video.

If you want to watch HD videos then you will need an Samsung HDTV connector.

For gamers, you don't even need to buy an Xbox 360 to play some of the cool games, save you a lot of money!!! All you need is buy an extra PS3 controller.

What if you have a Galaxy Note? Well, you can still do most of what SIII can do!

For S2? No such luck, at most it can be used as a USB On-The-Go storage.

Maybe this will give me a reason to preorder my SIII in blue, which I still haven't done so. But I am still so in love with my SII. Not sure when I will be willing to pour that HK$5,598.

By the way, to play Xbox 360 games, you will first need this, the Xbox 360 Emulator,

Xbox 360 emulator

You can download it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ps.xemu

After that, you just need to download the Xbox 360 ROMs, which you can find on the internet.

Resources:

Message: Becoming Senior Members of XDA-developers!!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/06/message-becoming-senior-members-of-xda.html

Galaxy S III Found to Work With USB On-The-Go, Xbox 360, PS3 Controllers, and More @ XDA-developers
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/galaxy-s-iii-found-to-work-with-usb-on-the-go-xbox-360-ps3-controllers-and-more/

[Video] Working MHL demo, also USB OTG, USB audio, PS3/XBoX/Wii controllers and more! @ XDA-developers
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1704379

Samsung Galaxy S3: Connectivity demo - USB OTG, MHL, bluetooth keyboards/mice, games  @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46IiRyigUH0

Samsung Galaxy Note: MHL, RDP + bluetooth keyboard & mouse, N64oid + BT controller, USB OTG @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEb-DICYCgg&feature=relmfu

Samsung Galaxy S2 USB OTG demo @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giJXF5pIITc

Xbox 360 Emulator @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ps.xemu

Technology & News: Free Apps To Recommend Part 3

LINE Camera
Image from Locky's English Playground

Ever since I have recommended LINE Camera in my last entry, I have begun noticing more and more friends playing with it. Some are of course, much better than mine.

Image from Kaman b-lau	Image from Anna & Celia
Image from Katie	Image from Katie

It really takes some ingeniousness to make a really cute photo yet conveying your messages using LINE Camera, and compared with my friends, I am still a newbie.

Just a quick news and that is LINE has released a quick update and now it will add quick switch buttons for you to move from your LINE to LINE Camera or LINE Card.

LINE Taiwan ad
Image from LINE

This time I have other advanced apps for you to try out, but if you are iProduct users, sorry, you won't be able to enjoy this again. The reason being, Apple just likes to control your life, but Android unleashes freedom for creativity to let you enjoy the life you want.

What am I recommending? Check out the video first!

Great isn't it? This Phone To Computer app is great for those who want to have full control of your PC from a distance, like people (guess who?) who want to watch videos on YouTube from the toilet but the videos won't auto-play when it is on full-screen.

Phone To Computer
Image from Google Play

Download the app here: https://sites.google.com/site/razsapps/
Download the computer-side software: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.raz.ptc&hl=en

The next app only works if you have Samsung Smart TV, and they are the Samsung Remote and the Samsung Smart View.

Samsung Remote Image from Google Play

Samsung Smart View Image from Google Play

Image from Google Play

Basically, you can turn any of your Samsung smart devices into remote control and even go online with the SmartTV to access your Facebook or watch YouTube on your TV while controlling it over your smartphones or tablets! I've tried it, and it feels really good!

You need to find the right version of app to match the Samsung Smart TV model, but you can find all of them below:
Download the app here: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=samsung+remote&c=apps

Coming up is Rolle YouTube, its main function is that it allows you to download the YouTube video you want to keep.

Download button on the top right corner
Image from Locky's English Playground

This is a 3rd party app developed by the developers so before you install, you may want to go to "Settings" and then check the box for "unknown sources", but your phone will guide you through. Don't worry.

Download the app here: http://www.4shared.com/file/GLB_6tNV/comrolleandroidyoutube.html


Last but not least, the Apex Launcher & Holo Launcher, developed by XDA Member dennisxl and  XDA Senior Member mobint respectively.

Image from Google Play

Image from Google Play

Image from Google Play

Image from Google Play

Basically, the Apex Launcher and the Holo Launcher functions similarly, in the sense it is for those who want to enjoy the Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0 look-and-feel, the difference is that Apex Launcher requires ICS 4.0 while Holo Launcher works on Android Froyo 2.2 and up. If you happen to NOT have rooted your phone or using an older version of Android OS but wants to get the ICS appearance, try out these two excellent launchers!

Download Apex Launcher here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anddoes.launcher
Download Holo Launcher here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobint.hololauncher

Get High On Android!!


Vocabulary:
ingenuity -- (n)[U] someone's ability to think of clever new ways of doing something
newbie --  [C] informal someone who has just started doing an activity, a job, etc
unleash -- (vb)[T] to release suddenly a strong, uncontrollable and usually destructive force
Froyo -- (n)[U] short form for frozen yogurt

Resources:

Technology & News: Free Apps To Recommend Part 2 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/06/technology-news-free-apps-to-recommend.html

Phone to Computer Promo @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/kNnUjUJOpPc

Phone To Computer @ Raz's App
https://sites.google.com/site/razsapps/

Phone To Computer @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.raz.ptc&hl=en

How to control a PC with your Android phone @ techradar
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/how-to-control-a-pc-with-your-android-phone-1080383

Rolle YouToube
http://www.4shared.com/file/GLB_6tNV/comrolleandroidyoutube.html

Apex Launcher @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anddoes.launcher

Android Ice Cream Sandwich Users Can Try Another New Launcher @ XDA-developers
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/android-ice-cream-sandwich-users-can-try-another-new-launcher/


Holo Launcher @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobint.hololauncher

Holo Launcher Brings ICS Styling to Gingerbread and Froyo @ XDA-developers


http://www.xda-developers.com/android/holo-launcher-brings-ics-styling-to-gingerbread-and-froyo/

High On Android @ YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/highonandroid?feature=watch

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/ingenuity?q=ingenuity
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/newbie?q=newbie
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unleash?q=unleash+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_yogurt

Message: Becoming Senior Members of XDA-developers!!!

Image from Locky's English Playground

Hi, all readers of English Playground, I have yet another great news for those of you who like to hear news updates, apps recommendations, rooting and custom ROM development of the mobile technology. As you can see from the above image that I have officially become a Senior Member of the XDA-developers -- the world's leading forum for mobile software development. Samsung is also working closely with the genius software developers of this community too!!!

So, from today onwards, those of you who are fans of Android or Windows phones, you will be getting more updates and recommendations from me, especially on the Android ones due to the creativity and expandable nature of Android Open Source. If you are iPhone fans, well, XDAdevelopers actually does have an iPhone developers page, except that there aren't too many important updates available, due to the closed source slow-updating selfish monopolistic nature of Apple.

Hm... thinking about it, Apple does sound like the Hong Kong's real estate monopoly, doesn't it?

As an educator, I want the future generations to know that sharing knowledge is the way to creating a better world, so definitely I will offer much much more Android news.

Upcoming on Locky's English Playground, some real good apps recommendation which iPhone can't do!!!

Attached are two videos of Zedomax explaining why Android is a better deal for the world and our future generations. Use it to practise your listening as well!

Vocabulary:
monopolistic -- (adj) (an organization or group which has) complete control of something, especially an area of business, so that others have no share

Resources:
XDA-Developers Official Website
http://www.xda-developers.com/

Zedomax Channel @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/zedomax?feature=watch

Why You Should Choose Android Over iPhone/iOS! @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/wYgofunq3OE

High On Android Show - Everyone Must Start Buying Android Smartphones! @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RkKAfb8G40&feature=plcp

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/monopoly?q=monopolistic

Sports: More Football Chats, Portugal & Italy

Cristiano Ronaldo
Image from Getty Image

Well, you might think that this week isn't a week for the ladies because every guy is talking about soccer, but from my observations, seems like even ladies are watching football! Well, simply because this is really too big of an event even the ladies can't afford to miss.

I had heat stroke yesterday despite hiding mostly in an air-conditioned room, thanks to extremely humid stagnant air and the sun was blazing down directly from the above, so I had a great excuse to sleep early and not watch Poland VS Russia and Greece VS Czech Republic.

I don't know too many players from these countries anyway.

But then tonight in Hong Kong time, Denmark VS Portugal and Italy VS Croatia maybe slightly more entertaining to watch because they all know they must win to qualify. Still I am waiting for the clash between Holland and Germany because that will really be critical.

So let's talk about Denmark VS Portugal first. To me, last match when Denmark beat Holland 1-0, was a pure quality of the scorer Michael Krohn-Dehli, it was one brilliant goal, but overall, I don't think Denmark has the overall strength to beat Portugal. Yes, maybe Cristiano Ronaldo never really performs on the international stage, but that's also because he is too good to not be tightly marked by 2 or 3 players. In the midfield, Portugal has Nani from Man Utd., Miguel Veloso from Genoa, Raul Meireles from Chelsea; in defense, they have Pepe from Real Madrid. Surely, they won't let Denmark enjoy some good time again!

As for Italy Vs Croatia, I don't have much of a clue, Italy has always played defense and counter attack, one thing good about this tactic is that no matter who gets injured, as long as you can defend as a team, things won't go too wrong.

Winning or losing for Italy depends a lot on one striker, Mario Balotelli, but this guy can be great ...

... or he can be a complete disaster.

Let see what happens tonight, but surely he is one to watch for.

Image from ESPN Soccernet

Vocabulary:
heat stroke -- (n)[U] a condition which can lead to death, caused by being too long in a very hot place
stagnant -- (adj) (of water or air) not flowing or moving, and smelling unpleasant
clash -- (n) [C] a sports competition or race between two people or teams
critical -- (adj) saying that someone or something is bad or wrong

Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Germany - Euro 2012 HD 1080i By CrixRonnie @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07k5uXdzRu4

Spain 1x1 Italy Euro 2012 Mario Balotelli amazing skill 10/06/2012 Spain 1 x 1 Italy @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/UNwXsPDeRcU

Watch Mario Balotelli's failed backheel @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/YsN6svBWYg0

Mario Balotelli - Me Against the World - Inter & Man City - 720 HD @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D4KR7wDpMs

Hodgson tells England's players to seize moment @ The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/hodgson-tells-englands-players-to-seize-moment-7834837.html

ESPN Soccernet
http://www.espnfc.com/en

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/heat-stroke?q=heat+stroke
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stagnant_1?q=stagnant
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/clash_7
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/critical_1?q=critical

News & Sport: Holland's Disaster

Robin Van Persie missed a great chance as he slipped?
Image from Lars Baron / Getty

Alright!!!! How can Locky's English Playground not write anything about soccer when Euro2012 has come!!!

I must say that the first round of matches with The Netherlands VS Denmark is the one that shocked a lot of viewers, fans and pundits.

Holland was highly regarded as one of the teams which should naturally become one of the finalists in this competition following the first runner-up they achieved in World Cup 2010. Even if they don't make it to the final, they definitely have more world-class names than their second-tier (or even third-tier) opponent Denmark, thus having the abilities to brush them off. Robin van Persie (aka RvP) is said to shine in this competition.

However, just the opposite happened. Holland lost to Denmark 0-1, not because they didn't have the attacks, but they didn't have any goals. The Mirror describes the performance of RvP and Robben as "total nightmare", captioning the above photo "Really Very Poor".

The Dutch didn't all performed badly, Wesley Sneijder, my favourite playmaker from Inter Milan, continuously supplied pinpointed passing to his team-mates from all angles and from as far as 40 yards, including one which ESPN Soccernet describes as "a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass from the influential Sneijder".

(Watch 2:20 and 3:17 for Sneijder's amazing pass)

Still, one Sneijder couldn't turn the luck around for the extremely poor performing RvP.

As for Robben, since he was booed ever since he missed a penalty in the final match of the UEFA Champions League, he was basically unwanted by his club and Sneijder took the opportunity to recommend him for a move to Inter Milan. According to Passione Inter, the chairman seems seriously interested, not sure if he will still feel the same after watching this match.

Sneijder
Image from The World Link

Anyway, the Dutch has little room for any mistakes if they want to qualify to the next room. Hope they will be able to recoup their loss in the next game.


Vocabulary:
pundit -- (n)[C] a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and is therefore often asked to give an opinion about it
tier -- (n)[C] one of several layers or levels
brush sb/sth off -- phrasal verb to remove dust or dirt from someone or something by using your hands or a brush
recoup -- (vb)[T] to get back money that you have spent or lost

Resources:
Holland 0-1 Denmark: Total nightmare for RvP and Robben @ The Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/holland-0-1-denmark-total-nightmare-869456

Dutch shocked in opener @ Soccernet
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=334182&cc=4716

Rumors – Moratti chiama Wes: “Parlami di Robben” @ Passione Inter
http://passioneinter.net/rumors-moratti-chiama-wes-parlami-di-robben/

EURO 2012 Netherland vs Denmark Goals + Highlights @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Nr0VlbZds

[HD] Arjen Robben missed a penalty vs. Chelsea (Champions League final 2012) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-5tgvFyBxE

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pundit?q=pundits#pundit__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tier_1?q=tier
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/brush-sb-sth-off#brush-sb-sth-off__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/recoup?q=recoup

News: StarBugs, Dyslexia, Housing Market, Apple Sues SIII & Euro 2012

News!!! News!!! News!!! Finally!!

I have been waiting for these worthy news for a long time!!! And here they are!!!

Image from Sam Hodgson, Bloomberg

Starbucks plans to upgrade its pastries by investing US$100M in absorbing the San Francisco-based Bay Bread, this is always good news for the customers, as they need not be reminded of the red bug syrup Frappuccino that had gone through their digestive systems previously. Lucky I was never a fan of their Strawberry Frap, but in Hong Kong, will we get to try out some of the Bay Bread cakes?

Red bugs in the Starbucks syrup
Image from Red Orbit

Image from Locky's English Playground

Second news talks about a research published the National Academy of Sciences which shows that 54 Italian and 40 French dyslexic children aged 8 to 14 are shown to have increased their reading speed by 20% and the accuracy doubled when using font size 14, 5.2pt spacing texts. If this works across all races and written languages, then it will be a great news for the dyslexics. I have always found reading words too small or too big more difficult and slower, so I believe that font size and spacing do matter. Teachers should understand this and not blame their dyslexic students if they cannot read fast enough for "normal" text.

Image from Macau Daily

The third news reports that Hong Kong's financial secretary John Tsang warns / advises Hong Kong property buyers again to manage their risk and that further measures will be implemented to stabilise the market. Public opinions are 50-50, half thinks that housing market will fall after the next chief executive assumes duty on the 1st July, others think prices will continue to rise at 5-10% within a year. All I know is, when you need it, you can't wait. Investments need a lot of luck.

Last but not least, Apple knows Samsung is serious this time with their Galaxy SIII and has to resort to what-else-other-than patent lawsuits again to stop GSIII from selling in the U.S.! Apple is attacking GSIII for its Siri-like S-Voice speech recognition personal assistant and data-tapping (whatever that means).

Image from ABC News

In order to understand the case better, here's a short story about Siri and S-Voice.

Vlingo
Image from Vlingo

1. Apple bought Siri when it was an app on the App Store on April 28, 2010.
2. Siri's voice recognition technology is powered by Nuance.
3. S-Voice developed by GSIII is powered by Vlingo.
4. Vlingo used to be involved in multiple lawsuits with Siri due to patent infringements until Nuance bought Vlingo.
5. So now both Siri and S Voice are powered by the same company, Nuance.
6. Therefore, Apple owns Siri, Samsung owns S Voice, both use service from Nuance, 

In a sense, it is just like two restaurants having the same vegetable supplier but serving different customers. Is that wrong? I don't think so, Apple is unlikely to be able to win in the court with this point.

Anyway, Apple, can you stop trying to stop other brands and fight fair like a man! Killing creativity by limiting consumers' choices is just going to make more people want other phones! Stop your iSweatshop factories and make better phones to beat your competitors!

Image from ESPN

Euro 2012 will kick off in 10 hours 48 mins 47 secs. Football fans shouldn't miss the updates on ESPN!!! Time to learn to pronounce names of players in their native languages, really helps when you need to read those brand names.




Vocabulary:
dyslexic -- (adj) a difficulty with reading and writing caused by the brain's being unable to see the difference between some letter shapes
stabilise -- (vb) [T] If you stabilize something, you cause it to become fixed or to stop changing
assume -- (vb)[T]  to take or begin to have responsibility or control, sometimes without the right to do so, or to begin to have a characteristic
resort to sth -- phrasal verb to do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way of achieving something






Resources:

Starbucks to upgrade food by buying artisan bakery chain @ Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-starbucks-bakery-20120605,0,2144357.story

Starbucks Uses Bugs To Color Frappuccino @ RedOrbit
http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/1112502639/starbucks-uses-bugs-to-color-frappuccino/

Wider letter spacing helps dyslexics read: study @ Google News
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gfjmDRS2ZRLBdaLwMd1teaOOr6hg?docId=CNG.c696b6b901a1a83f3cc55da5f6ed67e9.4f1

Hong Kong's financial secretary urges property prudence @ Macau Daily Times
http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/36360-hong-kong-s-financial-secretary-urges-property-prudence.html

Apple Tries to Stop Samsung Galaxy S III at the Border @ All Things D
http://allthingsd.com/20120606/apple-tries-to-stop-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-at-the-border/

Samsung challenges Apple’s move to block Galaxy smartphone sales in the US @ Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/samsung-challenges-apples-move-to-block-galaxy-smartphone-sales-in-the-us/2012/06/07/gJQA4NmJKV_story.html

Siri v S Voice @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YbwtVN8Sk

Inside Apple's Chinese 'sweatshop' factory where workers are paid just £1.12 per hour to produce iPhones and iPads for the West @ Dailymail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103798/Revealed-Inside-Apples-Chinese-sweatshop-factory-workers-paid-just-1-12-hour.html

Siri @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siri_(software)

Samsung blocking Vlingo-powered ‘S-Voice’ feature for non-Galaxy S III users @ 9to5Google
http://9to5google.com/2012/05/21/samsung-blocking-vlingo-powered-s-voice-feature-for-non-galaxy-s-iii-users/

Nuance acquires speech recognition competitor Vlingo, Apple’s speech engine choices dwindle @ 9to5Mac
http://9to5mac.com/2011/12/20/nuance-acquires-speech-recognition-competitor-vlingo-apples-speech-engine-choices-dwindle/

ESPN Euro 2012
http://www.espnfc.com/en

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dyslexic
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dyslexia
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stabilize#stabilize__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/assume_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/resort-to-sth#resort-to-sth__2