Save Malaysia Stop Lynas

Today’s posting has got nothing much related to the features of the iPhones or news about the iPhone. The only reason why it has any relation to the iPhone is because the iPhone uses a type of rare earth metal in its Production. Although the iPhone uses the rare earth products, we the iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers are still very strongly opposing the move by the Pahang State Government to allow Lynas Corporation to setup the world’s largest rare earth refinery plant at Gebeng(about 25km away from Kuantan).

What are rare earth?

Rare earth metals or elements consist of a set of 17 chemical elements in the Periodic Table. They are not that rare actually. However, they are not normally found in concentrated and economically exploitable form and hence the name rare earth.

Why are we opposing this so strongly?

There are many reasons for it. Below are just some of them:-

1.  We simply do not want HISTORY to repeat itself. Knowing that there was a failed Rare Earth plant in Perak, Malaysia sometime back which was forced to be closed because of a court order. The company who setup the Asian Rare Earth plant in Perak is currently still spending millions of dollars to clean up the mess. There are marked increase in the number of people that suffered from leukemia and other birth defects after the plant started its operation. So, why in the world are we still considering another rare earth plant in Gebeng, Pahang? Do we not learn our lessons? or are there any other hidden agendas?

2.  While most rare earth elements are harmless in its natural state, they are normally mixed with radioactive elements(uranium and thorium). To extract these valuable rare earth metals, strong acids are used in the separation process leaving behind harmful wastes which will be dumped in areas surrounding Gebeng. There will be an estimated of about 100 tonnes of Thorium wastes that will be generated each year. In addition to that, Thorium has a half life of 14 billion years. Yes, it is billion and not million. What it means is that it will take 14 billion years for the substance to undergo the decay process to decrease to half. In lay man terms, we will not likely see any significant decrease within our lifetime and many generations to come.

3.  All these radioactive wastes disposal will have an impact on the local industries like the Fisheries, Agriculture, Tourism, Housing, Swiftlet and many others. Yes, the Lynas plant will employ about 350 local folks to work in the factory but what is this 350 new jobs compared to the damage that will be done to the many industries that will be affected. There is really no logic for this! Good Foreign Direct Investment will also not come in because of this causing many more potential jobs to be lost in the long run. In addition to that, Lynas will also enjoy a 12 years tax holiday which means that all their profits in Malaysia will be tax free for 12 years. Our country really earns nothing from Lynas for all the shit that they are going to dump in our country. i think this is really “Niamah” like what our Mr. Patrick Teoh used to say…..

To find out more about the potential hazards that may be caused by this rare earth refinery, please view the below video:-

There are many people around Gebeng and Kuantan who are very unhappy with this rare earth refinery plant:-

Below is the NTV7 coverage of the rare earth refinery in Gebeng(Mandarin) – Part 1 and Part 2:-

Below is the video coverage on Malaysian protest against Lynas:-

Below is the Aljazeera coverage on the Lynas rare earth processing plant in Malaysia:-

i think enough has been voiced out by Malaysians and it is now TIME to bring this to the attention of the internet world! Let’s spread the awareness about the Lynas rare earth processing plant in Gebeng to the rest of Malaysia. Together, we can avoid Malaysia to be used as a dumping site for Lynas.

Let’s Save Malaysia and Stop Lynas. Please share this with your facebook friends or if you are a blogger, please publish an article about this issue so that others in the blogosphere will also be aware of this issue. Together we can make a difference to our next generations!

Although this morning’s posting may not have much relation to the iPhone, iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers are compelled to write this article because it is important to get the Malaysian public to be aware of this high-tech scam that is happening in Malaysia(and many other countries). We have the opportunity to interview one of our close friend who was targetted by the internet phone scammers. We had interviewed our friend on what happened and he has provided us with all the details about the calls. Below is the story:-

Ricky(not his real name) from Penang got a call on his iPhone from a fixed line phone bearing the number of 03-22662222 three days ago. The person who called him identified himself as an “Inspector Chong” investigating a case involving the arrest of 2 Malaysians in Hong Kong by the name of “ABC” and “XYZ”(we are using ABC and XYZ since these are 2 fictitious names that the scammers have created). He has also informed Ricky that the conversation between him and the “Inspector” is recorded and can be used in court as evidence in the case. The “inspector” then proceeded to ask Ricky if he knows these 2 persons. Ricky said no and asked the “inspector” on how can he confirm or verify that he is a real inspector investigating this case. “Inspector Chong” then said that he is calling from the Bukit Aman Police Station and asked if he knows what Bukit Aman Police Station is. Ricky said yes but continued his question on how can he verify the identity of the police. “Inspector Chong” then asked Ricky to make a call to Telekom and verify the number himself before he calls him again later.

Ricky did the verification of the number via Telekom and internet directory and confirmed that the number 03-22662222(which appeared on his iPhone) was in fact the Main number of Bukit Aman Police Station. Later in the day, “Inspector Chong” called again and repeated that the conversation is recorded and that the conversation may be used a proof in court. Ricky seems to be a bit more convinced that it could be real now.

The “Inspector Chong” proceeded to inform Ricky that the Hong Kong Police have caught 2 Malaysians involved in forging passports and other documents by the name of “ABC” and “XYZ” and asked if Ricky knows about them. Ricky answered no. The” inspector” has then cooked up a story that he has just finished a call conference with the Hong Kong Interpol and from what he understood, these 2 persons “ABC” and “XYZ” had 40 photocopies of IC with them and one of them was Ricky’s. “Inspector Chong” said that the Malaysia Police is working with the Hong Kong Interpol to nab these people and Ricky is now one of the suspect in the case. He has advised Ricky to give a call to a police officer in Hong Kong by the name of “Inspector Lee” in order to record the statement as well as to clear his name. “Inspector Chong” then gave Ricky “Inspector Lee’s” Hong Kong Phone number. “Inspector Chong” has warned Ricky not to share this with anyone as they do not want others to know that Police is investigating the case as this may cause a “tipoff” to the bad guys to be more careful and alert.

Ricky called “Inspector Lee” and “Inspector Lee” identified himself and told Ricky that he is currently busy with some other cases right now and that he will contact Ricky tomorrow to get more information.

The next day “Inspector Lee” contacted Ricky and informed him that the call is recorded and he is calling to investigate the case of the arrest of “ABC” and “XYZ” in connection with the case of document forgery. He proceeded to explain that these two persons “ABC” and “XYZ” uses other people’s identity to make documents like ICs and Passports and insert “other people’s” photos into the documents and that this is a serious offence. There are 40 other Malaysians’ identity that they possess and “Inspector Lee” is checking if these 40 Malaysians are either their partners, victims or they sold their own identity for money. “Inspector Lee” then told Ricky that he needs his full details in order to classify him as either the partners, victims or someone who sold their identity for money(which is also an offence).

“Inspector Lee” then proceeded to ask Ricky about details of the banks that he has and how much money he has in the banks. This is when Ricky suspected something is not right and refused to divulge such information as he needed more verification. “Inspector Lee” said that he totally understand Ricky’s concern as there are many scams and frauds around and has asked Ricky to verify with “Inspector Chong” before proceeding.  Wow-another superb acting here!

“Inspector Chong” then called Ricky and ask him what his concerns are and warned him that it is important to assist the Hong Kong Interpol in the investigation or else he may be one of the suspects in the case. Ricky then informed “Inspector Chong” that he will only divulge confidential information if he can see a real Police Officer at a Police Station before proceeding. Ricky happens to know a Police Officer in Penang and has asked “Inspector Chong” to give this Police Officer a call and get Ricky to come in to the Police Station in Penang for further discussion. “Inspector Chong” agreed to call the Police Officer to contact Ricky but as you know the rest of the story….  it never happened.

This is a very high tech mobile phone scams which the public needs to be aware of and hence iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers have decided to publish this article as public awareness so that we will not be victims to these scammers.

From Ricky’s experience, these conmen are very good actors and really behave and sounded like Real Police Officers. Secondly, they are using technology to “mask” the number that appeared on your mobile phone in order to trick people into believing that the call was originated from Bukit Aman Police Station Main Line 03-22662222.

iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers have done some investigation on this technology. This technology is called “Phishing”

Phishing is a technique used to acquire sensitive information such as credit card details, bank account details, usernames, passwords by pretending to be a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication like email or phone(voice or sms). The Voice over IP(VOIP) technology allows this to be done.

iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers have also checked with the Police on cases related to this and have got confirmation from the Police that Statements will not be taken over the phone. All statements will be recorded in writing at the Police Station.

There are a lot of phone scams happening and one that is recently busted and reported in the Star is as follows:-

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/11/nation/8880995&sec=nation

Below are some of the learnings from Ricky’s incident:-

1.  Even if you receive a call from the Bukit Aman Police Station, it may not be the real thing as Phishing technology allow scammers to mask the phone number to be displayed on your mobile phone.

2.  They are targetting people outside of Kuala Lumpur or Selangor as these people cannot go to the Bukit Aman Police Station to verify the identity of the Inspector. Also, they may use other ranking officers like ASP, DSP, Chief Inspector or whatever title. Irregardless of who calls you, do not reveal any personal or confidential information over the phone.

3.  The example given above is just “one” of the many version of stories that they are using. We believe the scammers are also doing some data collection and testing on which versions are the most effective at getting their victims to reveal as much information as possible. Irregardless of what stories or threats that are being cooked up, remember your rights as a citizen. You are innocent until proven guilty not the other way round.

4.  Scammers seldom work alone. They normally work in pairs or groups to make it look more real. Even if it seems to be supported by “others”. These people may be their own gang and never trust them.

5.  Scammers normally want the victim to keep things to themselves because once the victims start sharing with others the chances of others believing it as well is very low so they may give threat that this is a highly confidential operation and ask the victim not to share it with anyone else including those close to the victim. When you hear this, be even more alert and aware that this is a possible scam. Only trust the “police officer” if you see him in person at the Police Station.

6.  Scammers normally take advantage of 2 of our weakest human emotions i.e. Fear and Greed. In the example above, the Fear tactic was used. There are a lot of scams that involve Greed like “winning a lottery”, “inheritance”, “lucky draw” etc. Be aware of these as well.

In view of the sophisticated technology being used and the great acting by the scammers, iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers feel that many people may actually fall victim to such an act. The only way to prevent this is by increasing the awareness about such a tactic and educating the public and hence why we have decided to make this posting.

Please share this with your family and friends so that they are aware of such the phishing technology and this type of scam that is happening in Malaysia and around the world. Together we can fight this!

Have you played the Angry Birds app? If you have not, you should go and try it. It is the number games app on the iPhone. It is available on most platforms including the iPad, Android and other tablet PCs. Recently, it was also made available on the Google Chrome browser. It is quite an addictive app.

The question is “Have you played a real live Angry Bird game?” T-Mobile has recently put up a live structure in Terrassa, Spain(a town near Barcelona) hooked up to a smartphone for fans of Angry Birds to play the game complete with flying birds and exploding pigs.

This is really awesome. Since it was put up a few days ago on Youtube, it has already garnered millions of pageviews. Check out this cool video below:-

Kudos to T-Mobile for coming up with such an interesting live game and advertising gimmick. This is what we call great advertising that have viral effects. Wonder when Malaysians will get the chance to play this game live. Maxis, Celcom, Digi?

Cloud computing is and will be the next big thing in the computing world. Everyone is talking about the power of cloud computing and how it will change how we run our lives in the future. In line with the future of Cloud computing, Steve Jobs has announced Apple’s next big thing at Apple’s WWDC called the “iCloud”. This will be Apple’s next big thing that will differentiate Apple’s products even more as compared to their competitors like the Android or Blackberry.

iCloud’s ability to automatically and seamlessly integrate and synchronize not just data, but the applications across various devices is likely going to impress the already loyal customers to the Apple products.

Once you are used to having your contacts, calendar, emails, music and apps managed through the iCloud, it’s going to be awfully difficult to change or make a switch to a different platform. This is how Apple intends to make sure an Apple user becomes a hardcore Apple fan.

In addition to that, all this comes with a price point that is pretty difficult to resist – free. This feature is also not easily duplicated as well since the Android platform is much more fragmented. Moving forward, with the iCloud, all data will be stored and backed up, songs, photos, emails, calendar, contacts and other info will be updated wherever you are. Let’s wait till Fall 2011 to see if iCloud is as good as mentioned……  :-)

For the summary of the coverage of the iCloud at WWDC, please view the video below:-

This new story isn’t a hoax as what we have reported in our earlier story about “Bigfoot caught on iPhone”. This is a real life story of how a Chinese teenager is willing to sell one of his kidney(right kidney) in exchange for an iPhone and an iPad 2. Xiao Zheng, a 17 year old Chinese teenager sold off one of his kidneys through a broker from an online transaction that valued his kidney  at 20,000  Yuan(or £1,825) so that he could get enough money to exchange for an iPhone and an iPad 2.  The Chinese teen, who lives in the south-eastern province of Anhui apparently met the broker on the Internet. The broker has arranged everything for him, and all he need is to travel to Chenzhou, a province in central China to have his kidney was removed in a hospital.

His mother was very very devastated when she found out what her son has done. She was quoted as saying…

“When my son came home he had a laptop computer and an iPhone.  Where did all that money come from? Only when he could bear it no longer did he tell us.  He said, Mum, I sold my kidney.  When I heard it I felt like the sky was crashing down on our family.”

Xiao Zheng’s mother then reported the incident to the police but unfortunately the police were unable to locate the broker.  The police also investigated the hospital where the kidney was operated on and found that The hospital was not authorised to perform transplants of any kind and that no official record of the surgery has taken place. This is truly a well planned organized crime involving body parts for sale.

This is indeed a very sad story about a teenager who is willing to sacrifice his kidney in exchange for some cool gadgets. This served as a reminder to all parents to properly educate our children to not succumb to this kind of peer or cool gadget pressure. This has certainly breached the moral and ethical values that we can tolerate. May these brokers be put behind bars soon and may this trade be stopped immediately.

Say NO to body parts trading!

There has been some news circulating in Youtube that a bigfoot was captured using an iPhone. A lady by the name of Samantha posted it on Youtube not long ago and the video just went viral and captured more than 600,000 views already. Well, is it true that bigfoot exist and was captured by the iPhone or it is just a hoax?  ……  iPhone Malaysia Bloggers went to investigate and has found this out.

The original video seems to have been removed by Youtube. Below is a re-production video by KXLY.com:-

From the video, iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers feel that it is definitely a “hoax”.

Why are we still putting this up then?

Well, we feel that there are many things that we can actually learn from this on the blogging or internet marketing standpoint.

As an internet marketer or bloggers ourselves, viral marketing is a very effective tool to get our websites or blogs to get traffic. If you have the right kind of news that can spread like wildfire and you posted into your Youtube channel and then onto your website or blog and when others start to share the stories around, there is a lot of traffic that can be generated to your website or blog.

This is the strategy that many people uses to get traffic to their websites.

In this case, it is not a “bigfoot”. We would call it a “fakefoot” but it does have some good lesson in it if you are planning to start your own blog or website.

Celcom has launched the iPhone 4 sometime last month. We have been getting some emails on which iPhone 4 packages are supposedly better or more attractive since their launch. So, we have decided to do a short review of the iPhone plans that are being offered by all the telcos in Malaysia. Let’s first review the newcomer to the iPhone 4 i.e. Celcom.

Celcom’s iPhone 4 package comes months later than Digi and years later than Maxis. Although, Celcom may be late, the iPhone market is still not saturated yet and there are many iPhone users who are looking at upgrading to newer models. Looking at the monthly sales volume of the iPhone, the market is certainly worth competing in. If Celcom does not offer the iPhone, certain segments of the market will be out of reach for them as some companies have decided to use the iPhone for their top management. So, although Celcom may be late, it is definitely still better late than never.

What are Celcom’s iPhone 4 packages?

table above is extracted from Celcom’s official iPhone Page on the 24th May 2011

What are the interesting features of the above Celcom plans?

1.  6,000 minutes of free(“bundled”) calls. This is great for a user who calls other Celcom users a lot. This feature also encourages the users to convert their family and friends to Celcom as well.

2.  Low purchase price of the iPhone 4 with 24 months contract period starting at RM248 and RM538 for the Celcom Exec i248 Plan for both the iPhone 4(16GB) and iPhone 4(32GB) respectively.

What are Digi’s iPhone 4 packages?

table above is extracted from Digi’s official iPhone Page on the 24th May 2011

What are the interesting features of the above Digi plans?

1.  Low monthly commitment fees especially after auto-billing deduction. This is good for the younger generation who do not need a high commitment plan.

2.  No extra charge after monthly data usage. There will be no bill shock for this plan. i have personally known some iPhone users who gets bill “shocks” which is definitely not a very “shiok” feeling after changing to iPhone. iPhone is a smartphone and can do many things including auto-download information from the internet connection especially when

What are Maxis’ iPhone 4 packages?

table above is extracted from Maxis’ official iPhone Page on the 24th May 2011

What are the interesting features of the above Maxis plans?

1.  No contract plans for the low iData plans. This may be good for existing users who do not intend to upgrade their iPhone.

2.  Free iPhone 4 with higher commitment plans eg iValue 4 plans. This is good for high commitment users who do not mind paying a high monthly fees to get the iPhone 4 for free. This is also applicable for company lines which the monthly commitment fees are paid by company and the employees have to purchase their own phones. Using this plan, it will benefit the employees.

The comparison of the above plans are based on consumer packages that are available from the internet. These plans do not include any special packages that may be offered during “roadshows” etc. It is not easy to compare each plans and have the ultimate plan. All plans have their own uniqueness and strengths and are targetted to various segments of the community.

The introduction of the iPhone 4 by Celcom is certainly welcomed by the Malaysian folks who look forward to stronger competition and better pricing for the iPhone.

Mobile phones radiation is a common concern among many people and there have been many studies on the effects of mobile phones on our health. This posting is to make it clear on what are the things that we need to be aware of (for example. SAR, EMR etc) and how to make phone calls safely.

What is SAR?

A mobile phone’s Specific Absorption Rate or more commonly known as SAR, can be described as measurement of the absolute levels of radio frequency (RF) energy absorbed by the body while using the device. All mobile phones emit radio frequency power and the SAR differs by handset model.
For a mobile phone to get FCC authorization and be sold inside the usa, the maximum SAR level must be lower than 1.6 watts per kilogram. Within Europe, the amount is limited to 2 watts per kilogram, while Canada permits no more than 1.6 watts per kilogram. The lower the SAR, the better is the phone in terms of safety.

This posting is more for awareness only. We are in no way implying that mobile phone use is harmful to your health. In fact, iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers strongly believe that the radiation from the use of mobile phones in general is not harmful. Having said that, there are ways in which we can decrease our risks further by following several of the recommendations here.
Study abounds, presently there is still absolutely no definitive proof as to whether mobile phones lead to undesirable overall health effects in humankind. Although some reports have observed a potential connection relating to long-term (a decade or longer) mobile phone use and brain tumors, reduced sperm count, along with other health conditions, other studies have observed absolutely no such consequences. The technology will continue, and we’ll continue to keep track of the results, however it may take many years of thorough study before studies really confirm anything at all.

If you are concerned with decreasing your SAR exposure, it is possible to take a number of simple steps. You may sms rather than calling, make use of a speakerphone or ear phones whenever you can, as well as carry your mobile phone at least one inch from your body (ensuring the antenna is actually facing away from you). In case you are expecting a baby, it is best to refrain from carrying a mobile phone close to your belly. Some experts also caution against utilizing your mobile phone in areas having a poor signal because mobile phones produce much more radiation during those circumstances. Young children, with smaller sized and thinner skulls, ought to reduce mobile phone use, and people of all ages should not sleep with an active phone close to the bedside or underneath the pillow.
Purchasing a mobile phone having a lower SAR may make you feel more at ease, however, there is no guarantee that it is inherently safer. Also, note that although Bluetooth headsets emit much weaker radiation compared to mobile phones, there’s still a small amount being transmitted.

The SAR level listed in our charts represents the highest SAR level measured with the phone next to the ear as tested by the FCC. Keep in mind that it is possible for the SAR level to vary between different transmission bands (the same phone can use multiple bands during a call), and that different testing bodies can obtain different results.

The SAR values for the iPhones are as follows:-

Apple iPhone 3G :  1.38

Apple iPhone 3GS:  0.79

Apple iPhone 4 :  1.17 to 1.18

For other models of phones, you can either check the user manual to get the SAR reading or the check out the below website:-

http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-6602_7-291-1.html?tag=

How a mobile connection is established?

When you make a call, the electromagnetic radiation(more commonly known as “EMR”) will be transmitted from your mobile phone antenna which is then received by the closest base station unit. The signal is then transmitted from the base station to the switching center in order to check the authentication of the caller and receiver. Thereafter, the switching center will transmit the signal to the closest base station to the receiver. The base station then transmit the electromagnetic wave to the receiver mobile antenna. Once this is established a call is successfully made when the receiver accepts the line. The 2-way communication connection is then fully established.

When the caller make a call or when the receiver receives the call, radiation is transmitted by mobile phones antennas in all directions. The energy is distributed around the antenna and most of it is lost in space. Some of the energy is projected to the base station while some is incident on the human body.

Below is a slideshow on how to make phone calls safely. Hope all of you will find it useful:-

Market Share Report for SmartPhone Sales in 1st quarter 2011

From the report, it is noted that Nokia still maintains its lead as the gloabal smartphone maker in the first quarter 2011 with 24.2 million smartphone shipped during the quarter. Comparing year on year, Nokia has in fact lost market share to second-place Apple. Nokia’s market share has dropped to 24.2% compared to 38.8% last year. Nokia has shipped only 12.6% more units compared to last year.

This is a small percentage increase compared to Apple who is chasing them very closely from behind. Apple has in fact done very well with in 1st quarter 2011 with a total shipment of 18.7 million units. This is a whopping increase of more than 100% compared to last year’s shipment of 8.7 million units. This is also Apple’s record number of units shipped in a single quarter to date. Apple’s sterling results and solid number of units shipped was mainly contributed by its triple digit growth in China as well as the launch of iPhone by Verizon.

With this report, it goes to show that the smartphone market is undergoing a rapid growth with most providers registering some very solid numbers. So, if you are not growing quickly enough, you will in fact lose market share which is the case for Nokia and Research In Motion(the maker of Blackberry devices).

Another notable observation is that, both Samsung and HTC have also turned in some very strong shipment numbers in this quarter with a growth of 350% and 229.6% respectively. This also goes to show that Android based phones are quickly gaining popularity as well.

There have been a lot of speculation as to when Apple will finally launch the white version of the iPhone 4. According to some insiders, some Apple retail stores in the US have already received the white iPhone 4 and it is expected to be launched within a week.

The white iPhone 4 models is expected to boost the iPhone sales during a time of year when most customers would prefer to hold off buying a new iPhone with the expectation of the launch of the next-generation models which will normally be announced during the summer.

In 2011, however, Apple is rumoured to forgo the tradition of introducing the next generation of iPhone.  According to some trusted “inside” sources, the next generation of iPhone, likely to be called the “iPhone 5″  will be produced in September this year and will be launched sometime nearer to the end of the year holiday seasons in the US.

Such a move makes sense as it will enable Apple to align the iPhone5 to be released simultaneously on both GSM and CDMA networks, meaning both AT&T and Verizon will be able to sell these new handsets at the same time. Anyway, all these are still rumours and only Steve Jobs will have the final say on this…..

Below is the picture of the new WHITE iPhone 4

Tim Cook recently said that Apple plans to compete in the market for prepaid mobile phones. He also said that Apple will be designed not just for the rich.

How do we interpret this? Well, iPhoneMalaysiaBloggers believe that Apple is probably working on a new version of iPhone that may be used for the Prepaid market and may not be tied to any contract of carriers. We believe that this is important in order for Apple to continue to compete with the growth of Google’s Android mobile platform.

China is an emerging market where Apple has found big success in a short period of time. Cook reportedly admits that Apple has “great achievement” in China. Since the Chinese mobile users are mainly the traditional prepaid market, this will make it a good target market for a cheaper iPhone.

The company has also said that it aims to expand its partnerships with its carriers. Apple currently has 175 carrier partners, while its rival, Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry has 550 partner companies.

Tim Cook also believes that the PC market will be overtaken by the tablet market eventually and the competition will intensify in the tablet market. He has also hinted that there may be new interesting products that are in the pipeline.

i would still classify this as rumour at this point in time. Let’s keep our fingers crossed on these and see if there are any new announcement coming from Apple in the coming months…. i am sure many of us are looking forward to a more affordable iPhone.