My new job is quite a big change from the old - I spend more time at a customer's site which might not provide any Internet. It's amazing what happens when there's no Internet. I get into some sort of a withdrawal symptom; I would take out my iPhone and start surfing and downloading e-mails. I will go crazy and start doing funny things to the machines around me. A few hours later, I'm out of the DC and downstairs having coffee and/or falling asleep.

So I decided I should get myself a mobile broadband AND a Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) to make myself a completely geeky road warrior.

I picked the M1 broadband which was a pretty straightforward decision because they were the only ones offering a 1mbps no-frills 6 month contract at $22+ per month. Included was free rental of a Huawei E220 HSDPA modem.

Apart from extremely crappy drivers that came originally with the Huawei device (please go to M1's site and download a software update) I must say I am very satisfied with the service so far. In fact, it is sometimes faster than my home broadband (StarHub MaxOnline 8mbps) when it comes to YouTube!

Moving on, I went to hunt for a UMPC at Sim Lim Square. It's been ages since I walked into Sim Lim Square but that place hasn't changed in years. We bumped into a store trying to sell us thumbdrives like we were angmors.

Friend: "Er, how much for this?" *points at Toshiba 8GB thumbdrive without a price tag*

Salesman: "$45"

Friend: "Er.... ok nevermind..." (we saw another store selling it at $32)

Salesman: "OK! You pay cash ah! Cash? You pay cash?"

Friend: "Yah..."

Salesman: "You pay cash! I give you $38..."

Friend: "Er, nevermind..."

Salesman: "Still too expensive?"

And we walked off yah. Nevermind. Let me get back to my review...

I tried the following UMPCs:

• Dell Mini 9
• Lenovo Ideapad S10
• Asus EEE PC 901
• Axioo Pico (MSI Wind OEM)
  
• Acer Aspire One Note
• HP Mini 2133
  

My selection criteria for UMPCs were simple. All I wanted was a comfortable keyboard/touchpad and long battery life. Everything else was a bonus.

I developed a simple keyboard test and that was to type the following piece of code:

public static void main(string args[])
{
  System.out.print("Hello world\n");
  return;
}

And also to hit the standard keyboard shortcuts like WinKey+R (Run), WinKey+E (Explorer), Ctrl+X/C/V, Alt+F4

---

Dell Mini 9

This was the first UMPC that caught my eye. On first sight the keyboard looks decent - the keys were not tiny like the other UMPCs. I almost bought it when I decided to try the keyboard further - as soon as I started typing code, I found the keyboard extremely crippled; the F1-9 keys are laid out as a Fn subkey on the "ASD..." row and the [] {} brackets were also a Fn subkey. Without the brackets, programming on this keyboard is almost impossible.

The keys were also not aligned like a typical keyboard (the Q key is almost directly above the A key but the Z key is still half a key apart from the A key). Google a photo of the keyboard to see for yourself.

Nonetheless if you are not a tech guy this UMPC might work out fine as a day-to-day web surfing rig.

Price: SGD 599

The pros: Low price with Windows XP, very small, decent mouse.

The cons: Absolutely terrible keyboard, especially for tech guys.

Verdict: 2/10 (Due to extremely terrible keyboard.)

---

Lenovo Ideapad S10

This was the second UMPC I tried because its sleek and slim design caught my eye. The code typed fine on the keyboard but there was still some difficulty getting it right. The screen was LED backlit so it has slightly better battery life than competitors. The only drawback was the lack of USB ports (only 2) and its price.

Price: SGD 799

The pros: Sleek design, pink looks very sweet for girls, LED backlight, decent battery life.

The cons: A little more pricey, only 2 USB ports, small trackpad, keyboard needs a little getting used to.

Verdict: 8/10

---

Asus Eee PC 901

I guess many people are familiar with this one and it needs no further introduction. Getting straight to the point here - I absolutely hate the trackpad buttons. They need considerable force to click.

Price: SGD 789

The pros: Cheap linux option, solid-state Disk (SSD), very good battery life, decent keyboard.

The cons: Difficult to click buttons on trackpad, weird power button location, cheap build, a little pricey.

Verdict: 6/10 (Due to poor trackpad buttons and cheap build.)

---

Axioo Pico (White)

At first I walked away from this UMPC because it was a brand that I've never heard of. (Now you know how important branding can be!) After some research I found out that this is actually by a local company and is the OEM of MSI's Wind so I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, the Pico had the most comfortable keyboard amongst all the other UMPCs. The trackpad was also decent although the buttons could do with some improvement. The best part was that they offered a 6-cell version that provides up to 5 hours of battery life.

Note: There is a black verson available. The black version has a totally different keyboard. Please see below.

Price: SGD 699 (3-cell battery), SGD 759 (6-cell battery)

The pros: 6-cell battery option gives crazy battery life, very comfortable keyboard, well built.

The cons: Not the nicest design out there but you could live with it.

Verdict: 9/10 (Due to excellent keyboard and 6-cell battery option.)

---

Axioo Pico (Black)

Although they carry the same name (Pico), the black version has a completely different chassis and keyboard from the white. It certainly does look better, but the keyboard and trackpad are terrible. Also, only a 3-cell version is available on the market for the black version as of this writing.

Price: SGD 699

The pros: Looks a little better than the white version.

The cons: Terrible keyboard and trackpad, only 3-cell option available.

Verdict: 4/10 (Due to terrible keyboard.)

---

Acer Aspire One Note

This is another laptop that needs no introduction. Just like the Asus Eee PC, I absolutely hate how the trackpad buttons are aligned.

Price: SGD 698

The pros: Cheap linux option, SSD option, good battery life.

The cons: Terrible trackpad button location.

Verdict: 6/10 (Due to terrible trackpad buttons.)

---

HP Mini 2133

There's much to debate about this one. I love the build - it's undoubtedly the best of all UMPCs. The aluminium or magnesium or whatever metallic case makes this look like a good business companion. The keyboard's also almost as good as a full-sized keyboard and very comfortable. However, the VIA CPU and reflective screen irks me.

Prrice: SGD 1199

The pros: Excellent build, excellent keyboard, runs Vista (depends on how you see it!)

The cons: Slow processor, very expensive, terrible trackpad button location, only 2 USB ports, runs hot, short battery life (about 2 hours), runs Vista (depends on how you see it!).

Verdict: 7/10 (The pros make up for the cons; you can consider it if you want a really nice keyboard)

---

So what did I get?

The Axioo Pico... and I'm loving every moment of it!

I'm beginnng to wonder if Singaporeans can really work. I deal with few of the largest telco providers here in Singapore and believe me when it comes to work people are as good as dead. It's a world of difference from my previous experience in startups and US-based companies.

For one project, I attended two meetings lasting 3-4 hours each where ten of us from four different companies and departments try to sort out a service provisioning process flow. While I do not disagree that a proper structure should be in place, half the time was spent simply just pushing responsibilities between groups simply because they have "never done it before", it's "too troublesome", or they are "only supposed to do [a defined list of responsibilities]" .

Too troublesome? Talk about calling department X, Y and Z just trying to get a simple thing resolved!

Then comes the product manager (PM) who insists that the vendor (us) provide 99.9% SLA for a service that does not really warrant the need for such a stringent SLA. The PM having worked with a telco enviroment for years was so familar with traditional fixed-line services that she applied the standard guidelines to a totally different product. I call this the brain-dead template driven work.

I was at a datacenter (D)C migration yesterday morning at 2AM to physically move servers to a new DC. We got the servers shifted and racked at the new DC by 4.30AM, but to our surprise the new DC had no network set up for us. We were sent a brand new IP subnet via e-mail about a month ago and nobody did anything about it - the cables weren't patched, the VLANs weren't set and the routes weren't added. The most amusing part was that the engineer onsite simply said he wasn't informed and that it wasn't planned and seemed ever so reluctant to help. My colleague dug up his e-mail that showed the new IP range assigned with the e-mail sender's name and only then he decided to act upon it with "somebody else to blame". Even then, it took them a whole 2 hours (from 5AM to 7AM) to get the link working.

A few weeks ago, my (personal) datecenter had a major power blackout. When they sent me the final report, I was surprised to find that the report set the blame on building electrical technicians who were simply carrying out their routine electrical maintenance jobs. Nobody related to the poor design of the DC's power supply system or NOC engineers was mentioned in the report. I wrote back saying the report was flawed, and that they (the NOC) failed to properly notify customers of a planned electrical maintenance. It's been three weeks and I have yet to get a reply.

There are many such incidents that I'm sure some of you may be so familiar with or even guilty of. This "responsibility push syndrome" is simply a killer of productivity. Many people are well educated and technically capable but unwilling to bear any form of responsibility. Some are worse - they don't want any responsibility AND are technically uncapable. These people just want to sit at a job with no responsibilities and no challenges where they spend half their life at. While I do not understand why, I have no respect for such people.

What troubles me is that we lack people who would stand up and take action during a situation and do what's required to resolve it without worrying having to "answer" for his/her actions. If a person stands up for what he thinks is right, then he/she shouldn't be worried about having to answer for making a positive decision. If he/she is reprimanded for taking such an action then I think it's only right that he/she seeks a new job.

While some people say you're trying to "act hero", think to yourself the next time you get robbed at gunpoint, you'll be hoping there was indeed a hero.

Wow check out this piece of news from the Straits Times (link: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_293432.html)

Quote:

THE ceremony in the Old Parliament House had all the pomp and circumstance associated with any graduation.

The professors and graduands were in full academic regalia. Speeches flowed in English and Mandarin. And afterwards, a gala dinner at a hotel.

At the ceremony, the university's honorary president, a Professor Bernard Cadet, delivered an inspiring speech, urging graduands to transform the world.

'Believe nothing is impossible. West Coast University (WCU) will be proud of you in the future,' he told the 76 graduands from Singapore, Indonesia and China, before handing them their doctorates, master's and bachelor's degrees.

But this was a ceremony for an unaccredited university based in Panama, not Los Angeles, as its school in Singapore had claimed.

The Asia-Australia School of Management (AASM), a Case-certified school in Middle Road, offers West Coast University programmes here with a related company, Huanyu Training Expert.

At least two American states have outlawed degrees from WCU, describing it as a 'degree supplier' that offers 'fraudulent or substandard degrees'.

The Texas State Higher Education Coordinating Board warns on its website that WCU 'is used by multiple unaccredited entities. The extent to which they are related is unknown, but more than one operator is suspected.'

In some parts of the United States, it is a criminal offence to use degrees from unaccredited institutions.

'Dr' John Huang, one of the owners of AASM and Huanyu, insisted that the university is based in Los Angeles and faxed The Straits Times documents showing West Coast University International registered as a business in California.

But he confirmed that it was not the California-based West Coast University reputed for nursing and health science-related degrees. He admitted that WCU was unaccredited, but said his students had been given the facts.

His doctorate is from Ashwood University, the same degree mill that granted this reporter's pet dog a doctorate for US$599 (S$886) just two months ago.

The guest of honour at Monday's ceremony was MP for Joo Chiat Chan Soo Sen, who delivered a speech in Mandarin and English.

Contacted afterwards, he said he had been invited by a grassroots leader and accepted as he wanted to encourage the habit of life-long learning.

Told that WCU was unaccredited, he said he had not been given any information about it. 'If my presence there had given the university credibility, that was not my intention,' he said.

Several graduates interviewed after Monday's ceremony believed the university was based in Los Angeles and that it was a proper institution.

They had paid between $13,000 and $19,000 in fees to take up bachelor's, master's and doctorate courses lasting one year to 15 months.

Those who took up the doctorate programme said they attended classes two days a month, from 9am to 5pm.

Several said they did not know a university can be registered and yet have no academic accreditation, where it is subject to quality checks by an independent body. It also means employers may not recognise the degrees.

An electronics factory quality controller who paid $13,000 in fees for her bachelor's degree said: 'I was hoping to get a better job in logistics with this degree, but now it may not be possible.'

Ms Ho Fee Men, director of a Chinese medical hall, said she had heard rumours that the university was unaccredited, but continued with her PhD programme anyway. To get her doctorate, she paid $19,000 in fees, attended classes twice a month over 15 months and wrote a 50,000-word thesis.

Two businessmen said they knew their doctorates were worthless but took up the programme to learn about business management.

Mr Chang Chia Sheng, 55, managing director of X.L. Handle, which makes industrial fasteners, said he gained from discussions with other businessmen.

Earlier this year The Straits Times exposed another school, Boston Business School, which also offered degrees from West Coast University. It has since stopped running the courses.

At least 218 people here have been found with degrees from dubious universities such as Preston, Wisconsin International and Kennedy-Western.

Business owners make up one of three groups here who have degrees from unaccredited institutions and degree mills. For many of them, an honorary PhD has become a must-have symbol of success.

Another group comprises consultants and private school lecturers who may have a first degree and some expertise in a particular area, but seek a master's degree or doctorate to bolster their credentials.

And lastly, there are those who pay for undergraduate degrees and transcripts - usually non-graduates who want qualifications to gain jobs or promotions. 

'nuff said. Sorry guys, I had to flame you for being silly. $16k! Fuck dude, I started WhyMobile with way less cash than that!