Google Wave is the hot thing in the geek world today. It’s the second Gmail, both literally and figuratively. Google is touting Wave as “email if it was invented today”. But also like Gmail when it first came out, it’s an invite only service. Invites are scarce and everyone’s out there hunting for one to get access to it. As a result, it’s not surprising that some people have decided to take advantage of this situation to start harvesting for email addresses to sell to others. It’s come to my attention that a lot of people, even the geeks who have been advising their non-geek friends against phishing attacks, have been falling for such scams. So I’ve decided to write this post to remind everyone to be alert.

So how do you make sure you don’t end up giving away your email address to someone who wants to use it for nefarious reasons? Well, here are some questions you should ask before you give that precious email address away, along with a possibly legit site, and the status of Google Wave invites now:

1. Why would Google give this random website so many invites? And why does this website have so many ads??

This is actually the simplest question to ask. If you think about it, Google is a pretty big website. If they were to give rare invites away, wouldn’t they want to choose someone that is established? If Mashable.com or Techcrunch were to give away Google Wave invites, I could totally understand and trust. But why would Google give some random website that popped out of no where so many invites? Especially if that website did nothing but “provide” Google Wave invites. Sure, there may be reasons why Google would do that, but are you willing to take the risk?

2. Why does this website need me to tweet this before they will give me an invite?

Because they probably want more people to put their email address inside that text field?

These websites are also taking advantage of the fact that “it might take a while before we can send you an invite”. You may never know that your email address is now in the hands of one more spam bot.

Example of a website that’s very likely to be legit

GoogleWaveInvite.com was one such website. I say “was” because it’s no longer working (I’ll explain this later). But let’s look at what they claim. They do not claim to have invites, but they say that they’re building a website that allows people who DO have invites to give them to people that DON’T have invites. That makes a lot more sense. They’ve built something like a marketplace, a community of sorts, to let geeks help each other out and give invites. Also, they don’t ask you to “invite 5 more friends” or to “tweet this to more people” before you’re allowed to be part of it. Sure, they suggest you do that so that the community grows, allowing a better chance of people with invites to give them out to those who want them, but they don’t force you to. Why would that be necessary anyway?

Of course, there’s still a chance that this website could be one very elaborate plan to steal your email address, but if they’ve put in so much effort, they deserve to steal my email address. In any case, I’d trust them more than those other websites that have been popping out lately. Plus at least their explanation makes sense.

The bad news about Google Wave Invites dot com

As I mentioned earlier, they’re no longer around because they discovered that Google doesn’t give “secondary” Google wave users invites to give away. This makes me trust them even more should they come back. If they were really a scam site they’d have continued sourcing for users even though there weren’t any invites to give away.

In other words: the more you should be careful

Speaking of that, this means that there’s even lesser chance that someone would be able to give away invites today. My advice? Go to the official Google Wave website, sign up for the invite, and wait patiently. It’s the safest way to secure yourself a Google Wave account.

Remember: It’s better wait longer for an official Wave invite straight from Google than to give your email address to spammers. If you’re not sure, don’t give your email address to anyone.

• Size – Width 45.8mm x Height 12.8mm x Length 102.9mm
• Weight – 90g (with 1150mAh battery)
• Battery Life -
  Standby: 2G – 260 hours
  3G – 285 hours
  Talktime: 2G – 210 minutes
  3G – 160 minutes
• Chipset – Qualcomm QSC 6270
• Radio – UMTS 2100 MHz (HSDPA 3.6Mbps – No 7.2Mbps available for Singapore handsets) GSM/GPRS/Edge 900/1800/1900 MHz
• Main Display – 2.2 inch, QVGA (240×320 pixels), 262K TFT
• Camera – 2.0 Megapixels fixed focus outward facing camera Video calling available for the outward facing camera
• Memory – On board user memory: 100MB (usable) Expandable: up to 8GB via MicroSD/SDHC memory card slot
• Connectivity – Micro Mini USB to USB 2.0
• Bluetooth – Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (support profiles: Headset, Hands free, File Transfer, ObjectPush, A2DP, AVRCP, DUN)
• Platform – BREW 4.0 plus INQ System 1 extensions

Software Overview:

• Java MIDP2.0 (support SVN multi-tasking)
• Access Net Front 3.5 browser (Opera Mini will work too, but as a separate download)
• OMA DRM v1.o
• OMA SyncML v1.1.2 (Over the Air only)
• OMA Download v1.0

Features Overview:

• Deep integration with Twitter, Facebook, IM and email.
• Active Address Book – Able to add, merge, remove and selectively choose contacts to display from Facebook and Twitter.
• Facebook is not “on” your phone, but “in” your phone. Integrates into your contacts so you can see everything about a contact at one look. Able to send pictures to Facebook. Twitter will be supported in the next update. Able to select which contacts in Facebook to show on your phone contacts. Uses Facebook profile photos as your phone contact profile.
• Native Twitter Application.
• Plug and Play HSDPA modem on both PCs and Macs without any 3rd party software. Windows 7 and Snow Leopard supported.
• Applications are updated over the air.
• Double Twist is used to do media syncing between your INQ Mini 3G and PCs or Macs. That includes syncing music from iTunes and WMP. Videos and photos are supported too.
• Able to run multiple applications with the “Switcher” feature.
• Synchronization of contacts on Windows and Macs a *possibility*. Will update when there is more information.
• Java Applications are supported. SingTel AMPed, IM on Mobile are preinstalled.
• Able to add up to 3 widgets on the screen. Weather, Date/Time, Search, Twitter, Facebook, RSS Feed, etc widgets are available. More widgets will be available in future.

Launch Overview:

• SingTel is the first in Asia and the world to launch INQ Mini 3G, the ultimate 3G social networking mobile phone.
• INQ Mini 3G will hit the stores on September 19th.
• It will launch 2 weeks later in UK, Italy, Hong Kong, Australia, etc.
• Meant to be low-cost budget Social Mobile Featurephone.
• *Possibly* $0 with contract. (Not confirmed yet)
• No 3.5mm headphone jack. But able to get a USB to 3.5mm connector separately. Comes with a headphones.
• Comes in red by default, pink, yellow, green, blue, black, glossy black. Unsure what which colours SingTel will offer. Will update when there is more information. Update: From 19 – 21st Sept, SingTel will be giving away 3 more covers in yellow, blue and chrome. No word about colours after 21st Sept.

Other tidbits about INQ:

• INQ Chat 3G will be launched in Europe in November ‘09. It will depend on SingTel whether they want to import INQ Chat 3G too.
• INQ will release an Android phone next year.
• INQ Mini 3G and Chat 3G will take some time to get to US. Planned to release next year.

I will do a more in-depth review of the phone when I get the chance. Here are more pictures from the event.

Original Post: INQ Mini 3G SingTel Launch in Singapore

Don’t forget to check out our video coverage of the INQ Mini 3G launch!

• INQ Mini 3G first look
• INQ Mini 3G unbox
• INQ Chat 3G first look

As always, email us at gear65 [at] tech65 [dot] org any questions you would like us to answer regarding this device on Gear65. Or better yet! Come join us this Saturday morning from 11am at Geek Terminal for our live recordings of our shows!

This video was captured on the 44th level of The Sail @ Marina Bay; at a bloggers’ event organised by 24Seven.

Update: The video is now on Engadget, Gizmodo and BoyGeniusReport! Thanks everyone! Especially to 24Seven and Samsung Singapore!!

How to know if you caught the Mikeyy worm:
Your twitter background changed to white.
Your profile name has been changed to some long script.
Your web url has been changed

Infected accounts will tweet one/some of the following messages:
Mikeyy I am done…
MikeyyMikeyy is done..
Twitter please fix this, regards Mikeyy
Man, Twitter can’t fix sh*t. Mikeyy owns.
Dude, Mikeyy is the sh*t!
Twitter should really fix this…

Currently, there isn’t any signs that this worm will do any damages other than posting nuisance message on your twitter account. Nevertheless, you should remove it once you suspect that you caught the worm.

How To Remove the Mikeyy worm:
In your settings/account page, delete anything suspicious that you did not add yourself. (Usually in the Name, URL and location fields)
Go to settings/design and change your Twitter page design.
You might want to consider deleting the tweets that Mikeyy added.

Let me know if these steps doesn’t work for you. There are some websites that suggest turning off javascript, but I managed to remove mine without turning off javascript.

Check out twitter’s blog for more updates.

It is truly unfortunate, but Tech65 has had a minor set back in terms of our staffing situation. Following the economic downturn, many of our writers have had to take on second and third jobs in order to continue contributing on a pro-bono basis to Tech65. Unfortunately, this has lead to a slip in the quality and the quantity of stories provided by our organisation.

As such, we have decided that starting 1st April 2009, Tech65 will have a whole new organisational structure. We will be hiring a new CEO, whose name shall remain undisclosed but I will say has had a stellar career running an IT services firm specializing in providing internet out of the many Pacific Islands. He has also had a long and illustrious career working at Del Monte, in particular the division handling the banana plantations. We are proud to have such a man on board our new team.

We will also be hiring a whole new team of editors to cope with the resignations of several of our writers. These include the top writers from all industries. From National Geographic, we have the top monkey photographers, and to as part of our coverage of Panasonic’s latest line of Toughbook computers, we’ve hired the same team that came up with the monkey in those ads to head up our editing. Rest assured that they will be working with no breaks for any kind for fruit or leaves, and certainly we’ve cancelled all peanut bonuses in line with the Obama administration’s call to cut costs.

We assure our audience that there will be NO banana peel style slip in the quality of the programming coming from our pages. You will be able to swing from page to page, and listen in on the vine that will bring you the best in Singapore’s tech programming.

Daniel Tsou,
Editor-in-chief
Tech65.org

The launch of a new iPod Shuffle came totally unexpected. There weren’t any rumors about this new device. Perhaps because it is too small already. Macrumors only found out that Apple is launching a new iPod Shuffle when they discovered that the Apple Store has gone down for updates. (A sign that something new is coming up)

The new iPod Shuffle is even smaller than the Gen2 iPod Shuffle, just when we all thought it can’t get any smaller. (1.8 inches by 0.3 inches) Apple achieved this record breaking size by removing almost everything except the clip, on/off switch and a 3.5mm port. Like the previous Shuffle, the 3.5mm port is also use for data transfer and charging. Interesting. Since there is no buttons, you can only control the iPod Shuffle using the 3 control buttons on the earpiece. (Volume up, Volume down and center button) Press the center button once to start playing and press again to pause. Double click to move to the next track. Press and hold to hear the voice over of the track name. Yes, this iPod Shuffle talks to you when you press and hold the middle button. You can even access the playlist on this new iPod Shuffle. Check out the guided tour on Apple website.

The new iPod Shuffle received mixed reactions online. I was checking out the online reaction to the new iPod Shuffle using twitterfall. Most people like the new form factor, but some dislike the fact that all the controls is on the earphone. It means that you have to use a earphone made for iPod Shuffle or you can’t control the volume. But knowing that this is Apple, the iPod Shuffle will still sell like hot cakes.

The 3rd Gen iPod Shuffle is available in Black and Silver colour and comes with 4gb memory (That’s actually a pretty good improvement).It’s selling at S$128 and will ship within 3-5 business days. I doubt we will be able to see it at the IT Show at Suntec tomorrow (today) though.

PS: I personally feel that the girl in the guided tour look more hot than the new iPod Shuffle. Just a personal comment.

Addition from Daniel: One thing to note about the new shuffle is that because its controls are on the earphones, there’s no way you’re going to be able to use your own headphones until some 3rd party company comes up with an “adapter” or “wired remote” like the SmartTalk adapter by Griffin. I guess losing the buttons was more important than letting people use their own earphones.

But less than a week after the launch in Singapore, there has been reports that the Nokia 5800 is having some 3G signal issue in America. In New York City, users complained of the 5800’s inability to find AT&T’s 3G network. Engadget also experienced the same issues for a day. While it is still unknown whether the fault lies with Nokia or AT&T network, we understand that 5800 has been pulled off the shelf in NYC store.

We contacted Nokia & Text100 (Nokia’s PR company in Singapore) for their comments about this issue. The spokesperson told us that this is an isolated problem concerning only the North American market and is not specific to any other region or country. Nokia is currently investigating the matter further to find a quick remedy to the situation.

Which means it should be safe to get the Nokia 5800 in Singapore since the problem is only with the North American set. Singapore Nokia 5800 comes with music, not 3G issues. (Pun intended)

Starting at about 20:00 PST tonight (January 11), Microsoft’s servers have stopped accepting logins from clients that use version 15 of the protocol, including Adium 1.3.2. The Debug Window in debug and beta versions of Adium reveals that their server is failing to find a certificate that it needs when Libpurple attempts to retrieve your MSN Address Book.

In case you’re wondering, this also affects Pidgin, which means it’s definitely not an Adium problem.

There are two ways to connect:

Use Microsoft Messenger for Mac, the official client.
Use Adium 1.3.1, the previous version of Adium.
We’re not sure whether this is a temporary server problem or a permanent change that will break P15-using Libpurple-based clients (including Adium 1.3.2) until a future Libpurple release. If it turns out to be the latter, we’ll almost certainly include that Libpurple update in our next 1.3.3 beta.

We will keep you updated if there is any new developments. In the meantime, try using the official Microsoft Messenger for Mac or Adium 1.3.1 to access MSN on MacOS.

Update: The problem has been resolved. Adium 1.3.2 is able to connect to MSN now.

Read on for the official press release.

Update: The Zii.com website is not up yet. I’m guessing it will be up by tomorrow morning

Creative Forms ZiiLABS and Ushers in the Era of StemCell Computing™ Where
Nano-Sized Super Computing Will Be Available in Our Daily Lives through
Flexible, Tiny, Powerful and Scalable SoC

SINGAPORE – 8 January 2009 – Creative Technology Ltd. today announced the formation of
ZiiLABS (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creative), with the combination of 3DLABS — which
has a 25-year history as a leading innovator in programmable graphics, media and applications
processing — and resources drawn from the largest product group in Creative, the Personal
Digital Entertainment group.

The formation of ZiiLABS, the launch of the new ZiiLABS ZMS-05 SoC (System-On-Chip) and
the new Zii™ Platform today usher in the new era of StemCell Computing™. The new ZiiLABS
ZMS-05 SoC (System-On-Chip) will be unveiled and demonstrated from 8-11 January 2009 at
the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in the Creative exhibit #30651 in the South Hall of
the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“We have invested a billion dollars and 10,000 man years of R&D effort over the last 25 years in
platform solutions,” said Sim Wong Hoo, Chairman and CEO of Creative Technology Ltd. “The
combination of the technology from 3DLABS and the product development prowess of our
Personal Digital Entertainment group delivers a complete, powerful and energy efficient
platform with a very rapid time-to-market for our partners – the Zii Platform.”

“We now look to shaping the future of computing with the introduction of the integrated ZMS-
05 media-rich processor, and ushering in the new era of StemCell Computing where we will
bring the incredible benefits of nano-sized super computing right into our daily lives,” said Hock
Leow, President of ZiiLABS.

This StemCell approach has benefits in terms of:

• Flexibility — Utilising a breakthrough technology comprising of programmable Processing Elements (PEs) which are basically Software Defined Silicon
• Scalability — 10Gigaflops to Petaflops (1015 floating point operation per second)
• Energy Efficiency — Huge processing power of the ZMS-05 SoC enables it to perform more in less time, equating to low power consumption
• Complete Solution — Ready-for-Market Zii Platform Solutions Unlimited Flexibility

Stem cells are the basic building blocks of life, possessing the unique ability to develop into the
specialised cells and tissues required by organisms to function effectively. Inspired by this
concept, the ZMS architecture uses an array of media-optimised Processing Elements (PE) as its
stem cells that can instantly develop into any of the specialised acceleration functions required of
today’s media rich devices and offering advantages in terms of flexibility, performance and
features when compared to the fixed function silicon blocks traditionally used in SoC designs.
Incredible Scalability

The scalability of the ZMS architecture is highlighted in the first Teraflop Accelerator with the
footprint of an A4-sized sheet of paper, consuming less power than a desktop PC. By utilising
the virtually unlimited chaining capability of the ZMS chips, a state-of-the- art ‘hypercomputer’
with many Petaflops of processing power can be realised, which can be 100 times smaller, 100
times greener and 100 times lower cost than conventional super computers.

High Energy Efficiency

Due to the compute density of each Processing Element, the ZMS-05 SoC is able to do an
immense amount of media processing in far less time — and with far less energy — than taken
by standard processors; which translates into longer battery life. Intelligent power control means
the speed and power consumption of the processor can be matched to the task in hand and
unused features can be turned off completely, put in deep stand-by and reactivated instantly after
weeks of shut down, helping to lengthen battery life even further.

Complete Zii Platform Solutions

The ZMS-05 processor combines the media processing array, dual ARM cores and a rich set of
integrated peripheral controllers with hardware platforms and advanced SDK and middleware.
This will enable Software Developers, OEMs, ODMs and System Integrators to create unlimited
possibilities and develop a broad range of highly innovative products.

ZiiLABS Launch Partners

With the excitement about the ZiiLABS platform now public and the ZMS-05 in production, the
Company is pleased to be working with many OEM partners worldwide announcing products
based on ZMS including: MicroStar International, Perception digital, F&S Electronic, MediaNet,
ASTAK, PowerLinux and Grandeye.

For more information, please visit Zii.com.