Using Android phone's camera as webcam for computer with DroidCam

You need a webcam in order to do video conferencing, or to do vlogging, or to perform online talks, ...

You might have a desktop computer with a monitor that without a camera (which is usually the case), or you need a better camera than the one on your laptop (which usually has a low resolution), or you need a replacement for your malfunctioned laptop camera, or for whatever reason that you need a webcam for your computer, wait a minute and read this before you go and purchase a physical webcam, because you can turn your Android phone into one.

DroidCam is a solution to let you make use of the camera on your Android phone to become the webcam of your computer running on either Windows or Linux operating system.

It has a pretty low hardware requirement, so you can easily turn your old Android phone with a functioning camera into your webcam. Of course, it is even better when you run it on Android phone with better specs.

All you need to do is download and install DroidCam Wireless Webcam by Dev47Apps from Google Play Store, and then download and install DroidCam client into your computer.

• Download webpage of DroidCam for Windows
• Download webpage of DroidCam for Linux

Beside video, DroidCam is also able to optionally stream audio from the microphone of your phone to your computer.

DroidCam can connect and stream to your computer either through WiFi, USB or HTTPS connection. WiFi is the preferred one, as it is the easiest to setup and use.

When you run the DroidCam app in your phone, you should be able to see its connection information, including the internal IP address of your handphone, and the DroidCam server port.

By default, DroidCam is using the back camera of your phone (which usually has a better spec than the front camera). You can switch it to the front camera in DroidCam setting.

If you run the DroidCam Client in your computer with the IP address and port number as shown on the DroidCam app in your phone, and click the Start button, you should be able to see the video captured by your phone's camera in DroidCam Client.

For example, before clicking the Start button in DroidCam Client, there is no webcam video shown in Skype. It will show a blue or green background.

After clicking the Start button, Skype will immediately captures the webcam video.

Note that Skype install through Microsoft Store is not working with DroidCam. If you encounter this problem, just uninstall Skype and install the Skype desktop version from the URL given below. It should work then:

• https://www.skype.com/en/get-skype/

On your DroidCam screen in your phone, you can also find 2 HTTPS links.

The first link is accessible from your web browser such as Google Chrome, and it will open up the DroidCam web client.

The second link is accessible with video streaming client, such as VLC Media Player. The setting for VLC Media Player is as below:

DroidCam has a feature to allow you to protect your HTTPS access with username and/or password.

DroidCam is free for use, with in-app ads support. You can also buy DroidCamX Wireless Webcam Pro in Google Play Store to remove the ads and to get more features.

You might probably also be interested to read about:

• Using Android phone's camera as webcam for PC and Mac with Iruin

Logitech MK220 wireless keyboard and mouse combo - work well with Raspberry Pi Zero W

The Logitech MK220 is a combo of Logitech wireless keyboard K220 and Logitech wireless mouse M150, both sharing the same USB receiver communicating using 2.4 GHz band with effective connection range of up to 10 meters or 33 feet.

The keyboard is powered by 2 AAA size batteries, while the mouse is powered by 2 AA size batteries. The batteries in the keyboard can last as long as 24 months, while the batteries in the mouse can last for about 6 months.

The keyboard is very compact in size, makes it easy to carry around and also need less space to store. Despite its compact size, it has full size keys of the same size like normal keyboards, except for the first row of function keys which are only half the size of the other keys. This keyboard is pretty quiet. It is also spill resistant.

The mouse is of the same size like other normal mice. It doesn't have fancy features, just 2 buttons and a scroll wheel.

I can't find any power on/off switch on both the keyboard and mouse. I think they are designed to be always on, and will go into standby mode when connection is not made with the USB receiver.

This Logitech MK220 is plug-and-play to Windows, Linux and Android systems. I find this combo pretty ideal to be used as input devices for Raspberry Pi.

It works flawlessly with my Raspberry Pi Zero W, by connecting its USB receiver with a micro-USB to USB converter to the Raspberry Pi's micro-USB port.

Managing your SSPN-i account with Bank Islam - including money top-up, withdrawal and transfer (online website & ATM)

Do you know that if you have a savings/current account with Bank Islam (BIMB), you can link your SSPN-i account(s) to your ATM card that linked with your savings/current account, and then you can manage your SSPN-i account from Bank Islam's online banking website and/or ATM machine.

However, you cannot manage your SSPN-i account with Bank Islam's mobile app yet, as the function is not available in the app.

You can apply to link your SSPN-i account with your Bank Islam ATM card either at the teller counter or at the ATM machine.

After successful linkage with SSPN-i, you will be able to see the SSPN-i option in the My Accounts menu.

This function will display your up-to-date SSPN-i information, including:

• Linked account number
• Depositor's name
• Beneficiary's name
• Beneficiary's IC number
• Available balance
• Current balance

You can also see SSPN-i option in the Funds Transfer menu. Note that fund transfer involving SSPN-i will incur a bank service charge of RM0.50 per transaction.

 

The types of fund transfer you can do online including:

• From your savings/current account to your SSPN-i account (top-up)
• From your savings/current account to 3rd party SSPN-i account (top-up others)
• From your SSPN-i account to your savings/current account (withdrawal)
• From your SSPN-i account to 3rd party savings/current account (withdrawal to others)
• From one SSPN-i account to another SSPN-i account (transfer)

 

Similar functions of SSPN-i top-up, withdrawal and transfer can also be done at Bank Islam's ATM machine.

This is a pretty convenient and useful service for you to manage the money in your SSPN-i account(s) by yourself using online method or visiting to the ATM machine, without the need to go for counter service (in the bank, PTPTN office/agent, UTC center, ...)

Using Vidmore video converter to convert MP4 / MKV / MOV / WMV / AVI / FLV video to AMV format

AMV is a kind of compressed motion JPEG (M-JPEG) video format, commonly used in MP3 and MP4 players.

For example, the Ruizu X02 MP3 player can only play one type of video file, which is AMV. I would need to convert music video (MV) in the format of either MP4, MKV, MOV, WMV, AVI, FLV, etc. into AMV before my Ruizu X02 MP3 player can play the video without any issue.

There are several websites in the Internet that claimed to be able to online convert uploaded video file into AMV format. There are also several video converting software that claimed to support conversion to AMV format. I have tried some of the popular one, but all of them failed as the AMV file produced by them end-up with "invalid video format" error when I tried to play in my Ruizu X02 MP3 player.

Finally, I managed to find one video conversion software that works, which is Vidmore video converter, and it is surprisingly very easy to use for AMV file conversion.

Vidmore is a freemium software, in which the free version only allows conversion of video of length not more than 5 minutes. This is good enough for music video conversion, because most of the songs are less than 5 minutes long.

Another restriction to the free version is that, you can only convert 1 file at a time. This is also OK for me, as I only need to convert a small amount of MV to put into my Ruizu X02 MP3 player.

To perform the conversion, set the "Convert All to" selection to "AMV AMV General" and leave all the settings as default. Leave the resolution setting to be 170x144.

Then, open the video file one at a time, and click on the Convert All button to perform the conversion.

The output AMV file should be able to be played in the Ruizu X02 MP3 player.

How to update latest firmware to Ruizu MP3 player

I have mentioned that the default firmware in Ruizu X02 MP3 player is not so user friendly, as its navigation is a little bit weird. For certain function, you need to press its left and right button to navigate up and down on the screen. This has been fixed in its latest version of firmware. The new firmware also brings in additional functions to the Ruizu X02 MP3 player, such as the 3 additional games.

New firmware for Ruizu MP3 players, be it X02 or other model of their range of products, can be downloaded from their official website.

You can click here to reach the Ruizu X02 MP3 player product page, and the click on the Newest Firmware tab to download the latest firmware file.

Alternatively, you can also click here to reach the Manual & Firmware page of Ruizu range of MP3 player products, search for the right model of your MP3 player on the screen, click on its photo, and then select Firmware to download the latest firmware file.

In order to perform the firmware update to your Ruizu MP3 player, you will need a computer installed with the firmware update application called Actions Multimedia Product Tool v2.07 which you can click here to download it. After download, just uncompress the file and install it.

The steps to perform firmware update to Ruizu MP3 player is pretty easy.

1. Download the latest firmware from Ruizu's website. Make sure the firmware file belongs to the matching model of your MP3 player.
2. Uncompress the downloaded firmware file in your harddisk.
3. Connect your Ruizu MP3 player to the computer with a USB data cable.
4. Launch the Actions Multimedia Product Tool v2.07 application.
5. The software should show 1 USB Device Detected on its screen. If there are more than one, make sure you select the correct destination, which is your MP3 player.
6. Load in the uncompressed firmware file.
7. Uncheck the FLASH_ERASE checkbox. If you didn't do this, the internal storage in your MP3 player will be formatted, and all the files you stored in it will be erased.
8. Click on the firmware update button to perform the update.
9. When finished, you can then safely disconnect your MP3 player from your computer.

 



My Ruizu X02 MP3 player with 8GB internal storage

I have bought a Ruizu X02 MP3 player for my kid who is studying in a boarding school. It is a budget MP3 player which cost around RM50.

This Ruizu X02 MP3 player is very lightweight, compact at the size of just 3.9cm x 9.0cm x 0.7cm, and surprisingly feature rich. Its only shortfall is not supporting Bluetooth audio. Anyhow, Bluetooth is supported in higher ranked models of Ruizu MP3 player, such as the X06 which cost about 50% more expensive than the X02.

It doesn't come together with a earphone. well, you can easily get a decent earphone that come with your handphone, or to purchase one from the market.

Its default firmware is not so user friendly, because for certain function, you need to press its left and right button to navigate up and down on the screen. There is a new firmware version available for download in Ruizu official website. After the firmware update, its UX screen navigation is much better now. You can click here to learn about how to perform the firmware update to Ruizu MP3 player.

This MP3 player has an internal storage of 8GB. It also supports using SD card as external storage, but I found that after plugged-in the SD card, there will be additional steps to access and play the music and files, making it less convenient. In the end, I find it much better without the SD card. After all, 8GB of storage is large enough to store in a lot of songs and files.

One of the unique selling points (USP) of this Ruizu X02 MP3 player is its built-in battery's run time, which is able to play music for as long as 80 hours for a full charge cycle.

Another USP is that it supports as many as 25 languages, not only able to display the menu text in different language, but also able to correctly display filename, tag info, lyrics, and text in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, and characters of other languages.

Among its functions are:

1. Music player

Its music player is able to play MP3, APE, AAC, OGG, M4A, WMA, WAV and FLAC.

It has a decent software equalizer, and able to play music with satisfactory quality when paired with a good stereo earphone, or a music speaker connected with AUX cable to it.

It supports display of song lyrics with LRC file, and also display of song album image when the music is playing.

2. Audio recorder

It has a built-in mic for audio recording. Supported audio recording file formats are MP3, WAV and ACT.

The effective sound recording distance is less than 8 meters.

3. FM radio

It makes use of the connected earphone wire or AUX cable as antenna for its FM radio. It is able to memorize up to 30 favourite stations, which is quite a lot. It is also able to perform FM radio recording.

4. Photo viewer

It is able to display JPG, JPEG and BMP files on its 1.8" TFT screen. Do not expect much, as the screen resolution is low.

5. Video player

It can also play video in AMV format of resolution 128x160. You can convert Music Video (MV) into this AMV format, and it will be able to play the MV.

6. E-book

It can display content of TXT files, and allow you to put a bookmark onto the reading file. Text files with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. are supported.

7. Games

Its default firmware does not come with games, but after updated its firmware to latest version, there are 3 small games found in it, namely Snake, Sokoban and Tetris.

8. Other functions

Other functions include clock (as screen saver), calendar, stopwatch and alarm.

It would be nice if it could include a simple calculator as well, but that is lacking.


All in all, this is a feature rich MP3 player with very affordable price. A nice gadget for students in the situation that use of handphone is very restricted within the school compound, but MP3 player is allowed, particularly in the library area.

Rakuten Trade - all-rounded stock trading platform with lowest brokerage fee

Rakuten Trade is a totally online Bursa Malaysia stock trading platform. It is a joint venture between Kenanga Investment Bank and Japanese-based Rakuten Securities. It has been in service since 2017.

If you haven't open a stock trading account with Rakuten Trade, now is a good time if you intend to do so, because there is promotion which going to end soon in 31 March 2020 worth RM60 upon account activation, and the best time to buy stocks is when the price of most stock counters were beaten down.

Opening account is just for preparation to trade with Rakuten Trade, hopefully in the near future, when you are mentally and financially ready to buy stocks. A good timing will be when good development of mitigating COVID-19 virus is announced (such as, proven vaccine is available) and the socio-economical traction is recovering from the damage made by the COVID-19 virus. That will be the time to ride on the rebounding wave of the stock market. Anyhow, if you are a risk taker, you might want to enter your position earlier too.

Why Rakuten Trade?

First of all, you can open account with Rakuten Trade totally online, without the need of filling and signing on any paper forms, and without the need of visiting to their office.

More importantly, opening CDS account(s) with Rakuten Trade is free of charge, while most other broking firms will charge you RM10 per CDS account.

You can click here to open your Rakuten Trade account at their website.

Remember to use the Referral Code Voyager8 during account opening to get 500 Rakuten Trade Points (RT Points) upon successful account activation.

If you open your account on or before 31 March 2020, remember to open both Cash Upfront and Contra accounts together, and key-in HelloGold as Promotion Code by following the instruction in this linked webpage, because you can get RM60 worth of gold in HelloGold, upon successful Rakuten Trade accounts activation. The RM60 will be emailed to you in the form of HelloGold promo code, which you can key-in under the Rewards > Enter Code section in HelloGold app to redeem as gold of equivalent price.

There are 3 kinds of accounts in Rakuten Trade. You can activate any one, two or three of them. Click here to learn more about the Cash Upfront, Contra and Margin accounts available in Rakuten Trade.

Among all the broking firms in Malaysia, Rakuten Trade is one of the one with the lowest brokerage fee (if and only if, there really exist another broking firm with cheaper brokerage than them).

Their brokerage is as low as RM7, and the maximum brokerage fee per stock per day is capped at RM100 only (while most other broking firm will charge brokerage unlimitedly).

Note that beside the cheaper brokerage fee, the clearing fee and stamp duty is at the same rate with the other broking firms.

You can earn RT Points while using Rakuten Trade, especially when you are first time user. Here are some of the ways to earn RT Points:

• Open new account with Referral Code Voyager8 and successfully activate it: +500 points
• Open Margin account with Promotion Code RakuMargin and successfully activate it: +1888 points
• Deposit at least RM100 into new Cash Upfront account within 5 days upon activation: +500 points
• Deposit at least RM100 into new Contra account within 5 days upon activation: +500 points
• Deposit at least RM100 into new Margin account within 5 days upon activation: +500 points
• Execute 1st trade successfully within 10 days upon Cash Upfront account activation: +1000 points
• Execute 1st trade successfully within 10 days upon Contra account activation: +1000 points
• Execute 1st trade successfully within 10 days upon Margin account activation: +1000 points
• Refer new friends to Rakuten Trade with your own referral code: +500 points each
• Trading stocks with Rakuten Trade: +1 point for every RM2 in brokerage
• Transfer shares from other CDS accounts to Rakuten Trade CDS account: +500 points

What can you do with RT Points accumulated? You can perform 1-to-1 points conversion with AirAsia BIG, B Infinite or Bonuslink, which is a pretty good deal!

The Rakuten Trade web trading platform is pretty comprehensive and easy to use.

Beside the normal functions of stock buying, selling, monitoring, watch-listing, cash in, cash out, etc., Rakuten Trade provides a pretty comprehensive and up-to-date information and report about the stock counters under Stock Info section.

It also has a very nice Stock Screener to perform stock filtering at ease.

Beside the preset screening formula, you can also define your own screening formula as well, and there are many screening criteria for you to work with.

You can even go into detail analysis of the filtered result.

Beside web online trading platform, Rakuten Trade also has mobile trading platform called iSPEED.my which you can download from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. However, its user interface is very old style and has many rooms of improvement.

If you find that Rakuten Trade is better than your current online trading platform, just go ahead to open your Rakuten Trade account to enjoy its benefit. After all, open new CDS accounts in Rakuten Trade is free of charge. You can of course continue using your existing trading platform, if you want, even though you have opened new account in Rakuten Trade.

Reliable online shop to buy disposable 3-ply non-woven face masks and disposable plastic gloves

It is a crucial practice to maintain good hygiene during current critical time against the COVID-19 corona virus.

To prevent infection, it is essential to wear a 3-ply non-woven face mask whenever we go outdoor, or whenever there is any sick family member in the house.

As the global demand for face masks is very high at this moment, there are not much stocks available in the market. Worse still, there exists quite a lot of scam face mask sellers in the Internet trying to cheat the buyers.

As such, it is very important to know where can you buy face masks online of:

• with reasonable price
• of reliable quality
• from trustworthy seller
• that promised to deliver to you within a short period of time

One of the online shop that fulfil all of the above requirements is the online JDX Presto Concept Store in PrestoMall.

JDX Presto Concept Store is a renown O2O store with a 50,000 square-feet physical shop located in Quill City Mall. PrestoMall, formerly known as 11Street, is one of the larger and popular online marketplace in Malaysia.

The URL to buy disposable 3-ply non-woven face masks from them is:
https://www.prestomall.com/productdetail/3ply-disposable-face-mask-50pcs-3-69407527

 

 



According to a research done by University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), the COVID-19 virus can stay active for more than 3 days on certain surfaces including plastic and stainless steel.

If you touch on the following (but not limited to) objects, you might carry the bacteria and virus on their surface to your hand, which might include the COVID-19 virus as well:

• Petrol pump
• Lift buttons
• ATM machine buttons
• Door access keypad buttons
• Door handle
• Bus / train handle bar or handle strap
• Shopping trolley cart handle
• Fingerprint scanner
• ... and many more

Then, the bacteria and virus would spread out from your hand to all the other surfaces that you touch on, and might also enter into your own body if you touched your eye, nose, mouth, body wound, etc.

Therefore, it is highly advisable to wear a disposable plastic glove before you touch on any of such objects, especially in public places, and immediately throw away the glove into dustbin after use.

You can buy the disposable plastic gloves from Shopee. According to my own experience, the plastic gloves arrived at my doorstep within 24 hour of purchase.

The URL that I bought my disposable plastic gloves is:
https://shopee.com.my/product/12837901/986704474

The same shop also sell alcohol-free hand sanitizer spray as well.

Take care. If you find this article useful, please bookmark and share its link to your friends.

Yoodo provides free weekly additional 1GB data plan until end April 2020

Currently, Malaysia is undergoing a Movement Control Order (MCO) to prevent the widespread infection of COVID-19 corona virus. Most people are ordered to work from home.

In view of this, Yoodo has announced to provide free additional 1GB data plan on every Monday to all their active users. This free additional 1GB data is given automatically, and users need not do any setting to enjoy the free data.

The first additional 1GB data has been allocated on Friday 20 March 2020. Thereafter, on every Monday of every week until 27 April 2020, active users will automatically get another additional 1GB data in their plan.

Note that if you did not subscribe to any Yoodo data plan during the period, you will still get this free 1GB data as long as your account is still active. However, the 1GB data will not be seen in your Yoodo app's dashboard.

If you have an active data plan, you will be able to see 1GB added on top of your remaining data quota in the dashboard screen. However, the 1GB free data will not be added to your total data plan value.

In the example above, the active data plan is 2GB, and 0.03 GB has already been used. The remaining is 1.97GB. Then, the additional 1GB is added, so the remaining is now 2.97GB instead.

Unifi Mobile #bebas prepaid provides 7 days FREE unlimited LTE data pass during 2020 Malaysia Movement Control Order period

Currently, Malaysia is undergoing a Movement Control Order (MCO) to prevent the widespread infection of COVID-19 corona virus. Most people are ordered to work from home.

Unifi Mobile has just announced that they are providing a 7 days FREE unlimited LTE data pass to all their  #bebas prepaid users.

Note that this 7 days FREE unlimited LTE data pass, namely BEBAS Weekly, is not given automatically, and you have to subscribe to it from within the mobile@unifi app.

All you need to do is to tap on the BUY NOW! button at the bottom of the screen, go to the Data menu, and select BEBAS Weekly at the price of RM0.

I believe after 7 days, when this free data pass is expired, you can go to the same place and subscribe for another 7 days, until this option is eventually revoked from the menu.

Huawei Watch GT 2 46mm (LTN-B19) and 42mm (DAN-B19)

Recently, 2 smart watches have entered into my family life, one for my wife and another for myself.

Due to the size difference, the larger, 46mm Huawei Watch GT 2 (LTN-B19) is more suitable for gentlemen, while the smaller, 42mm Huawei Watch GT 2 (DAN-B19) is more suitable for ladies.

There are a lot of similarities in terms of features and functions between the 2 of them. However, the Huawei Watch GT 2 46mm is slightly more expensive than the 42mm version. Other than a larger screen size, the Huawei Watch GT 2 46mm (LTN-B19) contains several features more than the 42mm version. The key differences are:

• 46mm LTN-B19 (41 gram) is 30% heavier than the 42mm DAN-B19 (29 gram).
• 46mm LTN-B19 has a slightly wider strap (22mm) than the 42mm DAN-B19 (20mm).
• 46mm LTN-B19 has longer battery life (typically 14 days) than the 42mm DAN-B19 (typically 7 days).
• 46mm LTN-B19 supports making phone calls through favourite contacts list and also receiving incoming phone calls, while the 42mm DAN-B19 doesn't have this feature.
• 46mm LTN-B19 can play music on the watch itself as well as through connected ear buds, while 42mm DAN-B19 does not have built-in speaker to play music on the watch itself, but able to play music through connected ear buds.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 is more than a smart watch. When connected to a smartphone with Bluetooth and working together with the Huawei Health mobile app, you will realize that it can function as a personal digital coach for health, exercise and lifestyle.

Its basic functions as a smart watch including:

• Time and calendar
• MP3 music player
• Barometer
• Compass
• Make and receive phone calls (46mm version only)
• SMS and notifications sync from smartphone
• Weather reporting
• Stopwatch
• Timer
• Alarm
• Flashlight
• Find my phone
• Monitoring and recording of steps, heart rates, calorie burning, etc.
• Workout recording

In terms of MP3 music, it can play music streamed from the connected smartphone, or play music directly stored in its storage. For 46mm version, the watch can play the music by itself. Both 46mm and 42mm versions can play the music with connected ear buds. It supports MP3 information written in Chinese.

For the coaching functions, this smart watch can work together with Huawei Health mobile app to provide comprehensive report about your night sleep quality with improvement suggestion.

The watch can also vibrate and remind you to move your body when you are detected to be sitting at the same place for a long time.

It can continuously monitor your heart rate and alert you when your heart rate is too high or too low.

It can also monitor and provide report to your stress level.

It has comprehensive work-out programmes, able to record down your body condition during exercise, and come out with work-out report and coaching advice.

When connected to a digital weighting scale, it can also monitor your weight change and provide advice accordingly.

There is even a simple breathing exercise to guide you to breath and relax.

One thing I want to emphasize is that, its sensors and data measurements are more accurate than most of the cheaper smartwatches and smart bands in the market.

Upgraded Honda City stock Goodyear Excellence 185/55R16 tyres to Michelin Energy XM2 Plus

The stock Goodyear Excellence 185/55R16 tyres of my Honda City had worn out by 70%, and I had shortlisted the following 3 models as their replacement:

• Michelin Energy XM2 Plus
• Goodyear Assurance Triplemax 2
• Continental UltraContact UC6

Before I was able to made up my mind, one of my tyres was found to have a nail poked in it, so I was forced to replace them a little bit earlier than my planned date.

The tyre shop informed me that they didn't have stock that fit with the wheel size of my car for some of the brands, and I ended up taking Michelin Energy XM2 Plus to be the replacement.

When looking for new tyre, I look for the following 4 criteria: cost, comfort, performance and lifespan.

Cost

This Michelin Energy XM2 Plus costed me RM200 each (including installation), which is within my budget.

There are of course better tyres with higher cost, which are beyond my selection.

Comfort

This Michelin Energy XM2 Plus is apparently softer than the stock Goodyear Excellent. The car is now less stiff when crossing road bumps, and also less road noise produced when running on the road, especially on cemented road.

Performance

Handling and traction is pretty good. Braking is very responsive. I haven't tried braking on water surface yet, as there is still no raining since I changed the tyres.

Lifespan

This tyre is made with full silica thread compound, which is said to have longer lifespan than rubber tyres. It is advertised to be able to last for over 100,000km mileage. Michelin provides a 6 years manufacturer warranty to it.

This means that as long as it is not poked by nail or damaged by accident, I can expect to use it for many years.

All in all, I am pretty satisfied with this Michelin Energy XM2 Plus tyre. It is value for money and performing up to expectation.

Boost x Prudential free special COVID-19 life insurance coverage

Boost e-wallet has just launched a "Boost Cares for you" campaign to provide free special COVID-19 life insurance coverage by Prudential, made available to Boost Premium e-wallet users who enrolled for it in their app.

This free COVID-19 insurance coverage is eligible to Boost users who are:

• having Premium e-wallet with verified personal details.
• aged between 18 to 55.
• limited to the first 200,000 enrolments only.

The coverage will start from the date of successful enrolment until 30 April 2020. The coverage is funded by Boost and free for members who successfully signed up for this campaign.

To sign up, open Boost app, then tap on the Boost (second) icon on the top menu, tap on More, scroll down the page to Insurance section, and select COVID-19 with the Prudential logo. Then, accept the terms & conditions and submit for processing.

The coverage of this special COVID-19 life insurance include:

• RM1,000 payout to your family upon death (all death reasons are covered, except suicide)
• RM5,000 coverage upon diagnosis of COVID-19

You will be entitled to this coverage despite having an existing medical condition.

For existing Prudential insurance policy holders, if you are already covered for the special RM5,000 COVID-19 coverage under Prudential insurance, you cannot claim double with the COVID-19 coverage under this Boost campaign.

Upgraded my Bacfree BS-1 drinking water filter element from Swiss-Tech to pH-Tech

I have been using Bacfree drinking water filter for more than a decade and it is still functioning very well.

All the years, I had been using Swiss-Tech filter element, which I would replace with a new one after using it for more than a year.

This time, I decided to upgrade the filter element to pH-Tech, because I found out that there is not much price different between Swiss-Tech and Multi-Tech, and that the Multi-Tech is selling at the same price with pH-Tech.

The differences among Swiss-Tech, Multi-Tech and pH-Tech is summarized in the table below:

Basically, Multi-Tech has all the functions of Swiss-Tech, plus an additional function to remove Chloramine in the water. You can read about the danger of Chloramine to our body and health here.

Chloramine can be removed from the water by boiling it for more than 20 minutes. However, my family has been drinking water directly from the Bacfree water filter over the years!

pH-Tech has all the functions of Multi-Tech, plus additional mineral stones to make the water slightly alkaline, and convert the water into mineral water.

When I installed my Bacfree drinking water filter many years ago, Swiss-Tech was the best filter element available, and there were some other filter elements with less functions, which now Bacfree has stopped selling.

Now that I have discovered the availability of pH-Tech filter element, and its price is pretty close with Swiss-Tech, there is no doubt for me to upgrade my Bacfree filter element to pH-Tech from now onwards.

EPF declared 5.45% (conventional) / 5.00% (shariah) dividend for 2019

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF, a.k.a. KWSP) has just declared the dividend rate for financial year 2019.

For year 2019, the dividend declared for conventional account is 5.45% while for Shariah account is 5.00%. The dividend has already credited into members' account, and you can check for it by login into your EPF i-Account.

Year 2019 was the third year of dividend declaration for Shariah account, while dividend for conventional account has been declared annually since 1952. The dividend for Shariah account in all the years from 2017 to 2019 were lower than the dividend for conventional account of the same year.

The 5.45% dividend for EPF conventional account in 2019 is 11.38% lower than the 6.15%  dividend declared for 2018 (last year).

Calculation: (5.45-6.15)/6.15 = -0.7/6.15 = -11.38%

It is 9.00% higher than the 5.00% Shariah dividend declared for the same year.

Calculation: (5.45-5.00)/5.00 = 0.45/5.00 = 9.00%

The table below shows the historical EPF dividend payout rate since 2001, for you to judge yourself whether the dividend payout rate in 2019 is satisfactory or not.

Auspicious dates for opening business in 2020

Here is the list of auspicious dates for opening business in year 2020, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to new business opening, or reopening of business after a break/holiday. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

• Wedding / Marriage
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2021)
• Marriage proposal / engagement
• Sign contract / register for marriage
• Having baby
• Renovation
• Moving house / office

Auspicious dates for renovation in 2020

Here is the list of auspicious dates for home or office renovation in year 2020, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

• Wedding / Marriage
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2021)
• Marriage proposal / engagement
• Sign contract / register for marriage
• Having baby
• Moving house / office
• Opening business

Auspicious dates in 2020 for signing contract, register for marriage, etc.

Here is the list of auspicious dates in year 2020 for signing contract, signing offer letter, register for marriage, receiving religious baptism, and other similar agreement-related activities.

It is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

• Wedding / Marriage
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2021)
• Marriage proposal / engagement
• Having baby
• Renovation
• Moving house / office
• Opening business

Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2020

Before becoming the life partner, marriage is proposed by lover and engagement is made.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in year 2020 (year of Rat), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

• Wedding / Marriage
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2021)
• Sign contract / register for marriage
• Having baby
• Renovation
• Moving house / office
• Opening business

Auspicious dates in 2020 for getting a baby / childbirth / Caesarian delivery

Here is the list of auspicious dates in 2020 (year of Rat) for getting a baby (求嗣), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

The dates have good element(s) to embro/faetus. Traditionally, the dates are referred for conception planning (making love and expecting a baby to the family). Nowadays, people also make reference to them for Caesarian delivery of new born. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

• Wedding / Marriage
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2021)
• Marriage proposal / engagement
• Sign contract / register for marriage
• Renovation
• Moving house / office
• Opening business

Auspicious dates for moving to new house / office in 2020

Here is the list of auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in year 2020, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

• Wedding / Marriage
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2021)
• Marriage proposal / engagement
• Sign contract / register for marriage
• Having baby
• Renovation
• Opening business

Auspicious dates for wedding / marriage in 2021

Many couples plan for their wedding more than 1 year ahead in order to have sufficient preparation time.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in year 2021 (year of Cow), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

If you are looking for auspicious dates for wedding / marriage in 2020 (year of Rat), click here.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2021:

• Wedding / Marriage (year 2022)
• Wedding / Marriage (year 2023)
• Renovation
• Moving
• Getting a baby
• Marriage proposal or engagement
• Signing contract
• Hair cut
• Start job
• Opening business

Adjustable undercarriage base with wheels to raise up washing machine, dryer, fridge, etc.

I was looking for a cheap and good solution to raise up my washing machine so that it can drain water out more completely into the drain hole on the floor, which has a portion risen on top of the floor, as shown below.

And I have found this adjustable undercarriage base with wheels to raise up wachine machine, dryer, fridge, etc. which really fit to my need. In fact, its feature exceeds my expectation, as it also comes with pretty good quality wheels which can be locked (fix on the location) and unlocked (make it movable).

Now, you can see that both my washing machine and dryer are lifted higher from the floor with this undercarriage base. With the wheels, I can also easily move them around, to clean the floor area under them.

This undercarriage base's width and length is adjustable, to fit for different size of washing machine, dryer, fridge, etc. placed on top of it. It is advertised to be able to hold a maximum load of 250kg.

Illustration taken from vendor's online store in Shopee

To assemble the base, you will need a screwdriver to install the wheels onto the base. You will also need a hammer to be easier to adjust its width and length, and to install the stoppers to fill up the gap between the stainless steel metal bar and the plastic base, to firm up the adjusted length and strengthen the connection points.

Register for mySalam free national health protection insurance

The mySalam national health protection scheme is an initiative started by the Pakatan Harapan Government that aims to provide B40 and M40 citizens with free takaful health insurance protection.

You are eligible to online register for the mySalam national health protection scheme if you are inside one of the following categories:

• Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) recipient, married, age between 18 and 65 (both inclusive).
• Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) recipient, single, age between 40 and 65 (both inclusive), yearly income less than RM24,000.
• Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) recipient, OKU, age between 18 and 65 (both inclusive), yearly income less than RM24,000.
• Non-BSH recipient, yearly income less than RM100,000.

Basically, if you have already received your e-Tunai Rakyat 2020, there is very high possibility that you are also eligible for this mySalam national health protection scheme.

This Scheme covers 45 types of critical illnesses and provides an income replacement of RM50 per day for a maximum of 14 days, or RM700 per annum, to those who are hospitalized at government, university or military hospitals.

Registered BSH recipients will receive a one-time RM8,000 cash payout upon diagnosis of one of the 45 Critical Illnesses, while non-BSH recipients will receive RM4,000 cash payout instead.

All registered citizens under this scheme will also receive RM50 daily hospitalization income replacement up to RM700 per annum at any government, military or university hospitals. This include hospitalization to receive treatment of the Covid-19 virus.

You can click here to find out what are included in the list of 45 critical illnesses covered under this scheme.

To register yourself for the scheme, click here before the deadline of 31 March 2020.

PTPTN announced 2019 dividend for SSPN-i and SSPN-i Plus

The Malaysia National Higher Education Fund (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional, PTPTN) has just announced dividend for year 2019 for the education savings schemes SSPN (Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional, consists of SSPN-i and SSPN-i Plus) on 5 February 2020.

The 2019 SSPN dividend payout rate is 4%, amounting to RM147.25 million. This rate is the same as previous payout for 2015-2018.

This 4% dividend will be created into our SSPN accounts respectively on 8 February 2020.

On top of that, there is a good news for SSPN-i accounts opened in 2017 or earlier. These SSPN-i accounts can get an additional 1% bonus for new deposit made, which will be paid within this year, as long as they make new deposit of at least RM500 into the account between 5 February 2020 to 30 April 2020, and there is no withdrawal of money from the account during the campaign period. The maximum bonus to be paid for each account is RM8,000.

In 2019, the amount of deposits in  SSPN was RM1.37 billion, with 455,952 new accounts opened by depositors.

According to PTPTN, the number of SSPN accounts opened to date is 4.39 million.

Historical SSPN-i dividend payout rate is as below:

• 2019: 4.00%
• 2018: 4.00%
• 2017: 4.00%
• 2016: 4.00%
• 2015: 4.00%
• 2014: 4.25%
• 2013: 4.25%
• 2012: 4.25%
• 2011: 3.75%
• 2010: 3.25%
• 2009: 2.50%
• 2008: 4.00%
• 2007: 4.00%
• 2006: 4.00%
• 2005: 4.00%
• 2004: 3.00%

You can proceed to the Online SSPN-i Statement of Account website to check the transactions and amount of savings in your kid's SSPN account.

You are also highly encouraged to read about Online paying PTPTN / SSPN-i with credit card through Boost.