WiFi Alliance introduced WiFi Certified WPA3 to replace current WPA2 security standard

WiFi Alliance has just introduced WiFi CERTIFIED WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access version 3) as the next generation WiFi security standard, bringing new capabilities to enhance WiFi protections in both personal and enterprise wireless networks.

Key capabilities of WPA3 include:

• WPA3-Personal: more resilient, password-based authentication even when users choose passwords that is simple to remember. WPA3 will leverage on Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE), which is a secure key establishment protocol between devices, to provide stronger protections for users against password guessing attempts by third parties.
• WPA3-Enterprise: offers the equivalent of 192-bit cryptographic strength, providing additional protections for networks transmitting sensitive data, such as government or finance. The 192-bit security suite ensures a consistent combination of cryptographic tools are deployed across WPA3 networks.

With the evolution of WiFi security from current WPA2 to WPA3, we can expect:

• WiFi password to be a lot more difficult to crack.
• WiFi CERTIFIED Easy Connect - IoT devices can connect to WiFi network more easily.
• WiFi data sniffed and recorded without knowing your password will not be able to decrypt even if your password is obtained later.
• WiFi CERTIFIED Enhanced Open - communication in open connection (WiFi connection without the need of any password) will also be encrypted, therefore much more secured than WPA2 open connection. In current WPA2, if the WiFi is connected using open connection without the need of password, the communication between the WiFi connected device and access point is not encrypted.
• Stronger WiFi encryption by replacing the existing PSK (Pre-Shared Key) system in WPA2 with the new SAE system.

Anyhow, in order to enjoy the benefits of using WiFi WPA3, both the access point (or wireless router) and the connecting device must support this new WiFi security standard. Devices that support WPA3 will probably hitting the market from year 2019 onwards and gradually replacing the existing which only support up to WPA2.

My Dell DA300 6-in-1 USB-C mobile adapter

My Dell Inspiron 5370 laptop has limited output ports as a trade-off for its slim and lightweight design. It only has 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-C) port with Power Delivery/DisplayPort, 1 HDMI 1.4b port and 1 combo audio port.

This means that it can only connect to the network using WiFi connection, as there is no Ethernet port. It is also not able to output its display to projector using VGA connector unless making use of an adapter to convert its HDMI output to VGA.

Luckily, Dell has made available a DA300 6-in-1 USB-C mobile adapter which is able to convert the USB-C port of the laptop into:

• HDMI 2.0 port that supports 4K display output
• DisplayPort (DP) 1.4 that supports 4K display output
• VGA port that supports 1080p full HD display output
• Ethernet network port that supports MAC address pass-through, PXE Boot, and Wake-On-LAN
• USB-A port with up to 10 Gbps data transfer speed
• USB-C port with up to 10 Gbps data transfer speed

This Dell DA300 mobile adapter is plug-and-play on supported Windows 10 computer. It can be used straightaway without the need to install any driver.

It offers seamless video, network, and data connectivity, in a neat, compact design. It price of around RM300 is quite reasonable for its 6-in-1 functions and its innovative design.

Cryptography - the essential technique in today computing world

Cryptography is the method of converting plaintext information into non human-readable form called ciphertext through a process called encryption, and reverse process to convert the ciphertext back to original form called decryption.

Today, knowledge in cryptography is crucial for every computer programmers and computer engineers. It is applied in everywhere in the cyberspace and it is a sin of omission if not applied properly to provide cybersecurity protection in the areas of confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation.

Cryptography is the integral part of blockchains and crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. It is used to secure data transmission in WiFi communication, 4G LTE network, HTTPS web access, etc. It is also extensively used to secure file system in Apple iOS, Windows Bitlocker, SSD encryption, etc. It enables the implementation of digital signature.

Cryptography makes use of digital key(s) to perform the encryption and decryption process. There is one kind of cryptography called hashing which does not make use of any key, and the ciphertext is non-reversible to original information.

Keyless Cryptography (Hashing)
Hashing is a one way function that convert its input message into irreversible string of text called hash or digest, which normally has a length much shorter than the input message. The key concept of hashing is that the generated digest is unique to the input message, so that same input message will always generate the same digest, and different input message will not generate the same digest.

Hashing is commonly used:

• To store password for identity authentication
• To generate checksum or fingerprint to verify if the original information has not been tampered or changed
• In database and data storage for more efficient data searching
• In computer geometrics and computer graphics

Examples of hashing function are:

• MD5 (Message Digest 5) - designed to replace earlier version of MD2 and MD4. Still commonly used despite MD6 has been around to replace it.
• SHA-3 (Secure Hash Algorithm 3) - winner of the NIST hash function competition.  Commonly used in digital certificates. Supersedes earlier version of SHA-0, SHA-1 and SHA-2.
• BLAKE2 - Used in RAR compressed file checksum. Supersedes earlier version of BLAKE.

Symmetric Key Cryptography (Private Key Cryptography)
The same private key is used for message encryption and decryption.

It is commonly used in secured data transmission, such as SSH, WiFi with password, 4G LTE communication, etc.

Examples of symmetric key cryptography are:

• DES (Data Encryption Standard) - designed by IBM in 1970's. Modern supercomputer is able to decrypt DES encrypted information within just a few days. Still commonly used in smart cards, SIM cards, etc.
• 3DES (Triple DES) - more secure version of DES.
• IDEA (International Data Encryption Algorithm) - commonly used in Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) email signing and secured email transfer.
• ThreeFish - is the successor of Blowfish and TwoFish. Commonly used in SSH secured remote access.
• RC6 (Rivest cipher 6) - designed by RSA Security, patent just expired in 2017. Commonly used for secured data transmission and in bank ATM machines. Is the successor of RC2, RC4, RC5.
• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) - commonly used by USA government and commercial sector to protect top secret documents.

Asymmetric Key Cryptography (Public Key Cryptography)
Consists of a key pair. The private key that should be kept secret with the owner, and the public key that needs to be known by others.

In the scenario of digital signing, the private key is used to sign the digital document, and the public key is used to verify the digital signature.

In the scenario of data encryption, the public key is used to encrypt the document to be sent to the private key owner, and the encrypted document can only be decrypted using the corresponding private key.

It is commonly used in Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), S/MIME, digital signature, blockchains and crypto-currencies.

Examples of asymmetric key cryptography are:

• RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) - named after its 3 designers. Patent expired in 2000. Compared with DSA, it is slower in digital signing and faster in verification.
• DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) - patented but can be used royalty free. Commonly used in SSH and digital signature. Compared with RSA, it is faster in digital signing and slower in verification.
• ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) - derived from DSA and based on Elliptic Curves theory. Commonly used in Bitcoin, Ethereum, iOS, etc.
• Diffie-Hellman - is used for public key exchange and not for digital signing or data encryption.

Google Chrome and Firefox will distrust websites with SSL/TLS certificate issued by Symantec / Verisign / Thawte / GeoTrust / RapidSSL

Web browsers Google Chrome (with 57.69% global market share as of March 2018) and Firebox (with 5.4% global market share as of March 2018) will start to distrust all the websites with SSL/TLS certificate issued by Symantec, Verisign, Thawte, GeoTrust and RapidSSL.

This means that soon in the near future, every time when you visit such websites using HTTPS protocol with Google Chrome, Firebox and possibly other web browsers which follow suit, the browser will give you a security warning before you can read their webpage.

Some of the affected popular websites including (but not limited to)...

 

In late 2017, DigiCert has acquired Symantec's Website Security and related PKI solutions which was the Certificate Authority for those affected Symantec, Verisign, Thawte, GeoTrust and RapidSSL SSL/TLS certificates.

Webmasters of all the affected websites can make arrangement with DigiCert to replace their SSL/TLS certificates with a new one issued by DigiCert, which is still trusted by Google Chrome and Firefox.

You can click here to read for more information about this issue.

How to enable using F8 during boot up to enter safe mode in Windows 10

Seasoned MS Windows users are very likely to have experience using F8 during computer boot up to enter into "safe mode" of the Windows operating system.

In many occasions, "safe mode" can save your day to enable you to fix something that is broken in the Windows system. Such occasions including but not limited to:

• Windows update has caused problem and instability to the system. 
• Problematic hardware device driver (normally arises after new driver update). 
• Incompatible screen resolution with the monitor causing blank screen or distorted display.
• Windows is infected by virus or malware that unable to be removed in "normal" mode.
• Problematic software/application that causes system crash (and unfortunately it autorun during Windows start up)
• Minor damage to Windows registry or system file due to improper power off.

You can keep on pressing the F8 key on your keyboard during boot up of Windows 7 to enter a boot up menu that include the "safe mode" boot up option. However, this F8 function is disabled by default in Windows 8 and Windows 10.

You can still reboot Windows into "safe mode" if you are able to boot into the login screen of Windows 8/10 and the login screen is still functioning properly. You just need to hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking on the Power icon in the login screen and select the Restart option to reboot your computer.

You can also create a bootable Windows recovery USB drive that can be used to fix Windows problem.

If you want to enable using F8 during boot up to enter safe mode in Windows 8/10 as another rescue resort, here are the steps.

Step 1: Enter Command Prompt with Administrator's right

Click on the Magnifying Glass in Windows Quick Launch bar and search for "cmd".

You should be able to find "Command Prompt". Right click on it, and select "Run as administrator". This will open the Command Prompt window with Administrator's right.


Step 2: Change the Boot Menu Policy to Legacy

In the Command Prompt, type the following command and press .

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

This command edits the boot configuration data (BCD) to bring back the F8 safe mode function.

Upon successful execution, you will see the message "The operation completed successfully". You are done!


Step 3: Testing

Now, restart your Windows and test your F8 key. It should be able to call out the following Advanced Boot Options menu.

If for any reason you want to roll back and disable F8 during boot up, you can use the instruction in Step 1 to enter Command Prompt with Administrator's right again, and issue the following command instead:

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard

High endurance microSD card suitable for use in car dashcam

If you have a car dashcam, you will need to install a microSD card in it to store its video recording and emergency photo taking.

Even though certain dashcams come with some amount of internal memory, the storage capacity of this internal memory just won't be enough, and you probably would not like to give your whole dashcam (instead of the microSD card only) as evidence for investigation in case it really captured some critical event that happened to your car.

Most people found that the microSD card installed in their dashcam is unable to last long and will be unusable within a few months of usage. Most memory card manufacturers also exclude warranty if they found out the memory card is used in dashcam. Why? Because ordinary memory cards are not designed to be used in tough working conditions in your dashcam.

What kind of tough working conditions for the memory card to work in your dashcam, which installed right behind your car windscreen?

• It will need to be able to endure the sunlight heat entering and developed in the car. At noon, when your car is parked in uncovered place, its cabin temperature can easily go above 35 degree Celsius (if you installed good window tint with high TSER value) , and can possibly go beyond 65 degree Celsius if your car is non-tinted and stays for long hours under hot sunlight.
• It will need to have high number of rewrite cycles for its lifespan. As you might aware, the electronic storage cells in the memory card has limited times of data rewrite. That is also the reason whereby disk defragmenting is highly discouraged for SSD hard disk as massive data rewrite will shorten its lifespan. Whenever your dashcam is working, it will keep on recording videos into your microSD card. If you are recording 1080p videos, it just takes a few hours to completely used up a 32 GB microSD card. When the microSD card is used up, older videos will be overwritten by new records, and the rewriting will occur.

Other than the above 2 essential conditions, the memory card used in your dashcam should also meet the following conditions:

• Shock and vibration proof - if it got damaged while writing data during accident shock, you will have difficulty retrieving what it had recorded.
• Water proof - what if the accident caused it to immerse in water?
• Class 10 - this is the minimum read/write speed required to smoothly record 1080p full HD video.

By the way, certain memory card manufacturers also include the following conditions, which I consider as "marketing gimmick" as it should be true for all flash memory cards:

• Magnetic proof - metal detector used for security scanning could induce magnetic field. Don't worry, only magnetic hard disk will be endangered by magnet. Flash memory should immune to magnet by nature. So, nothing to shout about.
• X-ray proof - x-ray is used for security scanning in airports. Flash memory should immune to X-ray as well. Nothing to shout about either.

Therefore, you need high endurance microSD card that can fulfil all of the above conditions to work in your car dashcam, to last for at least 24 months of operations, or a minimum of 5,000 hours of continuous 1080p full HD video recording.

The high endurance microSD card should have an operating temperature range of around -25ºC to 85 ºC and storage temperature range of around -40ºC to 85ºC.

Some of the available high endurance microSD cards in the market include:

• Sandisk high endurance video monitoring card
• Transcend high endurance MLC microSD card
• Silicon Power high endurance MLC microSD card
• Kingston Industrial Temperature microSD UHS-I
• Adata Premier Pro microSD UHS-I

The price of this kind of high endurance microSD card is much higher than ordinary microSD card. Among them, Sandisk high endurance video monitoring card has a relatively lower price, being a mid-range product of its kind. It has a 2 years warranty period which would not void even you use it in your dashcam.

My experience sharing of using Intel Optane technology accelerated hard disk

Recently I have purchased a Dell XPS 8930 desktop computer which comes with an ordinary 1 TB SATA hard disk, paired with a 16GB Intel Optane memory card.

As advertised by Intel, "the Intel Optane memory is a smart, adaptable system accelerator for PCs with at least a 7th Generation Intel Core processor and a hard disk drive. It provides uncompromising system responsiveness for large capacity storage drives, making everything you do fast, smooth and easy."

Intel has put up a short video to explain what is Optane memory about and how its Smart System Acceleration works, as below:

The main purpose of this Optane memory is to boost up the performance of ordinary SATA hard disk, which capacity is generally much higher than SSD and price is much more cheaper than SSD, so that the data access time of the Intel Optane accelerated hard disk can be comparably as fast as SSD.

I have this Dell XPS 8930 desktop with 1 TB Optane accelerated hard disk as its storage, running on Intel Core i5-8400 CPU and 8 GB memory. I also have a Dell Inspiron 5370 laptop with 256 GB SSD as its storage, running on Intel Core i7-8550U CPU and 8 GB memory. Both of them are running on MS Windows 10 operating system.

In my personal experience of using this desktop with Optane accelerated SATA hard disk which has storage capacity 4 times larger than my laptop, its boot up time is almost instantaneous and faster than my laptop. This is really amazing.

Well, to be fair, the Intel i5-8400 Coffee Lake processor in my desktop with 6 cores 6 threads processing power, is having a higher performance benchmark than the Intel i7-8550U Kabe Lake R processor in my laptop with 4 cores 8 threads processing power. This would probably explain why the desktop boot up time is faster than the laptop. However, without the acceleration of Optane memory, its boot up time with SATA hard disk will be much more slower.

As for the loading speed of applications in the desktop, and the speed of opening data files, it depends on whether they have already been cached in the Optane memory or not. I can feel that their loading speed is about the same with loading from SSD when they are cached, and is as slow as loading from SATA hard disk when they are not cached.

There is no mechanism for me to control which piece of data to be cached and which not to be cached. It is automatically determined by the Optane memory card itself. I can tell from experience that those frequently used one will stay in the cache and load up pretty fast.

Intel provides 2 options of Optane memory capacity, one is 16 GB and another is 32 GB. I think the 32 GB one is of better pick as it has double the caching capacity. However, the Dell XPS 8930 selling in Malaysia does not provide option for buyer to opt for 32 GB Optane memory, as only 16 GB Optane is available.

All in all, I am happy with the performance of this Intel Optane memory in my desktop computer. The only drawback is that current Intel Optane technology does not support RAID storage. It can only work with raw SATA hard disk.

I haven't have experience in using SSHD hybrid hard disk. Perhaps the experience is similar. I am also wondering what makes the different of using Optane memory with SATA hard disk from using SSHD.

Converting video files to be playable from USB drive in Honda 39102-T9A-T8XX-M1 display audio head unit

The Honda 39102-T9A-T8XX-M1 display audio is the stock head unit of Honda City 2017 Facelift 1.5L E/V variants.

It is able to play 4 types of multimedia files in a USB thumb drive: MP3 music, WMA music, JPEG photo, and MP4 video.

When the car parking handbrake is engaged, the video will display on the screen, otherwise, the video will become a blue screen while the music in the MP4 continue playing. This is a safety feature so that the driver will focus on driving instead of watching video on the screen. If you want to bypass this safety feature, you can search for a compatible "bypass cable" for this head unit and install it.

In order for any video to be playable in this Honda 39102-T9A-T8XX-M1 head unit, you need to convert it into MP4 format with the following custom settings:

• Frame size: 640 x 480
• Adjustment: Original
• Video codec: MPEG4
• Frame rate: 15 fps
• Bitrate type: Auto
• Audio codec: MP3
• Channels: Stereo
• Sample rate: 48000 Hz
• Audio Bitrate: 320 Kbps

Conversion can be done using a free software called Freemake Video Converter.

Although the car audio manual claimed that it is able to play video in H.264 Base Line Profile format, I have not succeed to make it work with any H.264 video.

The car audio manual also claimed that it is able to support video frame rate up to 30 fps, but if you set the fps higher than 15, the video might not be playing smoothly on the screen.

As the car audio manual has stated that it supports VGA size video only, the frame size is best to be 640x480. If you set it higher than that, the video will be totally unplayable with the "not supported resolution type" error.

Luckily, this head unit is capable to play MP3 in pretty high sample rate and bitrate. Its music playing capability is quite OK, particularly with the 8 speakers in the V variant, despite its video playing capability is really primitive.

My SUM 0026 digital programmable timer 3-pin plug socket

Electrical programmable timer plug socket is very useful for you to automate the time to turn off a particular electrical/electronic appliance, and the time to turn it on again.

Some of its usage scenario including:

• Switching off your WiFi at mid-night and switching it on again in early morning.
• Switching off your television and set-top-box at mid-night and switching them on again the next morning.
• Switching on water sprinkler system in your garden at certain hour everyday, and switching it off again after some times.
• Switching on night lights at night and switching them off during day time.
• Charge the BC-01 multimedia Bluetooth speaker with alarm clock and FM radio for 2 hours everyday.

Typically, there are 2 types of electrical programmable timer plug socket: mechanical and digital. Mechanical programmable timer is usually cheaper, but has limitation of 24 hours single setting only. Digital programmable timer such as this SUM 0026 supports 7-days on/off setting and can accommodate up to 10 different on/off settings.

This SUM 0026 digital programmable timer 3-pin plug socket is certified by SIRIM with a SIRIM sticker.

It has an internal NiMH 1.2V battery which is able to remember its clock time and settings for more than 100 hours even when their is no power supplied to the unit.

Before you can use it for the first time after unpack, you need to plug it in an electrical socket and charge its internal battery for about half a day. Initially, you might see its LCD display showing distorted characters. That is normal. After some times, the unit will function well with the correct info display.

After that, you need to reset its memory by pressing the small round Master Clear button with a sharp object for a few seconds, then release it.

Then, you need to set its clock time:

• Press and hold the Clock button.
• With Clock button pressed, press the Week button again and again until current day is shown.
• Continue the same step with the Hour button and Minute button.
• With Clock button pressed, press the Timer button to toggle between 12 hour and 24 hour clock mode.

To set a timer setting:

• Press and release the Timer button. The LCD will show ON_1 for the "switch on" time for 1st set of setting.
• Press the Week button again and again to set the day or block of days for timer on.
• Repeat the same to set for Hour and Minute.
• Press and release the Timer button. The LCD will now show OFF_1 for the "switch off" time for 1st set of setting.
• Set the timer off settings for Week, Hour and Minute respectively.
• Note: timer on can be either earlier or later than timer off.
• Press the Clock button to exit from timer setting mode.

To use the timer function, you need to press the On/Auto/Off button until you see Auto displayed on the screen. When it is in On position, device plugged into it will always turned on; when it is in Off position, device plugged into it will always turned off.

There is a Random button, which will randomly pick a time between 6pm and 6am.

Note that this SUM 0026 digital programmable timer 3-pin plug socket has a maximum load of 13A and 3.12 kW.

How to control 2 computers with a single Logitech M585 / M590 mouse and use it to copy-paste file from one computer to another

The Logitech M585 / M590 are multi-device flow wireless mice that can be paired with up to 2 computers at the same time either using the Logitech USB Unifying receiver or using Bluetooth. The main different between them is that M590 is a silent mouse while M585 will still produce click sound like other ordinary mice.

New user of the Logitech M585 / M590 mouse might have difficulty to figure out how to make the pairing with 2 computers, and how to make use of Logitech Flow to seamlessly move the mouse cursor from one computer to another.

This is because so far Logitech does not provide clear step-by-step instruction on how to perform the necessary setting. The printed instruction that comes with the mouse is like this:

Are you able to figure out what does these 7 steps mean?

Anyway, I managed to find out the way to do it by guessing on the above instruction and reading a few articles which scattered around Logitech's website and forum, each of them are like piece of brain teasing puzzle for us to link them together to figure out the ultimate answer.

If you also have a Logitech M585 / M590 mouse, I am going to share with you the know-how here.

There are 2 levels of using this Logitech M595 / M590 mouse in 2 computers:

• Level 1 - you can pair the mouse with 2 computers at the same time, but using the mouse between them one at a time.
• Level 2 - you pair the mouse with 2 computers at the same time, using the mouse between them one at a time, but the mouse control can flow seamlessly from one computer to another, and you can copy file from one computer and paste it to the other computer by just using your mouse.

How to setup for Level 1 - sharing one mouse between 2 computers?

Unlike ordinary mice which can only be paired with one computer at one time, your Logitech M585 / M590 mouse can be paired with either one or two computers at the same time.

The different is this:

• For ordinary mouse, you can only use it in one computer. If you want to use it in another computer, you will need to unplug the USB receiver from the original computer and plug it into the USB port of the other computer. For mouse that works with Bluetooth without the need of USB receiver, you need to perform Bluetooth pairing with the computer before it can be used in that computer. If you want to use it in another computer, you perform the Bluetooth pairing with the mouse again, and the mouse need to forget the Bluetooth pairing of the original computer before able to make a new Bluetooth pairing.
• For Logitech M595 / M590, it can pair with 2 computers at the same time, and it supports 2 different pairing methods: either using the Logitech Unifying receiver, or using Bluetooth. It is possible to pair with 2 different Logitech Unifying receivers (probably one is the Unifying receiver that comes with the mouse, the other is the Unifying receiver of another Logitech mouse, or you purchased an extra Unifying receiver from Logitech). It is also possible to pair with 1 Logitech Unifying receiver and 1 Bluetooth. It is also possible to pair with 2 different computers, both using Bluetooth respectively, without making use of Unifying receiver. (Note: Bluetooth pairing for Logitech M595 / M590 in Windows 7 is not supported. You can read this article for more detail on the supported operating system.)

Note that on top of the mouse, there are 2 LEDs, one is labelled as "1" and the other labelled as "2". When your mouse is currently working in Computer 1, the green LED 1 will light up. When your mouse is currently working in Computer 2, the green LED 2 will light up. There is a round button for you to switch between Computer 1 and Computer 2. Press one time, the mouse control will switch from Computer 1 to Computer 2, press it again to switch back the mouse control to Computer 1.

By default, the computer that plugged with the Unifying receiver that comes with the mouse is detected as Computer 1. You can also make Computer 2 to use the Unifying receiver of the mouse too.

The way to pair the mouse to Computer 1 and Computer 2 is as below:

• Switch on the mouse, LED 1 will start to blink slowly. If it found a paired Computer 1, the LED will stop blinking and stay on for a while, then both the LED are off.
• Press the round button, now LED 2 will blink slowly. If it found a paired Computer 2, the LED will stop blinking and stay on for a while, then both the LED are off.
• To make a new pairing with Computer 1, long press the round button when LED 1 is on. Then LED 1 will blink faster. At this stage, any paired information for Computer 1 will be forgotten, and it is ready to make a new pairing for Computer 1.
• To make a new pairing with Computer 2, use the same long press round button method when LED 2 is on.

To pair with a computer using Bluetooth:

• While the desired LED (either 1 or 2) on the mouse is fast blinking, go to Bluetooth settings in the computer, search for the mouse, and perform the pairing. If you are using laptop, you can control the mouse cursor with your touchpad before your mouse take over its mouse control.

To pair with another Logitech Unifying receiver:

• You will need to download and install Logitech Unifying Software.
• Run the Logitech Unifying Software in your computer.
• Click on the "Advanced..." button.
• Prepare your mouse for pairing. Either LED 1 or LED 2 should be fast blinking before continue with next step.
• Now, click the "Pair a New Device" in the Logitech Unifying Software Advanced View window.
• Follow the instruction on screen to turn off your mouse, and then turn it on again.
• The pairing should be complete at this step. You should be able to see the name of your mouse under the Unifying Receiver tree listing in Logitech Unifying Software.

If your Unifying receiver is paired with more than one mouse, all the mice can control the mouse cursor on the computer screen. The controlling mouse will have an orange Unifying badge shown in the Unifying receiver tree listing.

If you want to un-pair your old mouse, you can do so in Logitech Unifying Software by selecting the mouse and click the "Un-pair" button. This is optional.

At this stage, Level 1 setup is completed. When both Computer 1 and Computer 2 are turned on and within the wireless range of your mouse, you can switch your mouse to control one of them by pressing the round button. When only one of them is turned on, your mouse works just like other mice do.

The advantage of this Logitech multi-device function is that you only need one mouse for multiple computers. Logitech M585 / M590 supports up to 2 computers. Certain more advanced Logitech multi-device mice such as the M720 Triathlon can support up to 3 computers.

The disadvantage of Level 1 is that the switching of mouse control from one computer to another is not automatic. You need to press the round button. Don't worry, after you completed Level 2 settings, it will be fully automatic.


How to setup for Level 2 - seamlessly flow the mouse between 2 computers?

You need to complete the setting in Level 1 for Computer 1 and Computer 2 before coming to Level 2. Meaning, your mouse must have been paired with 2 computers.

In addition, for Level 2 to work:

• Both Computer 1 and Computer 2 must be installed with Logitech Options.
• Network connection can be either wired or wireless. It can be both computers connected using network cable, or one is wired and the other using WiFi, or both using WiFi.
• Both of them must be connected to the same local area network (LAN). If there are VLAN segmentations, both of them must be in the same VLAN segment.
• The following network ports must be accessible between them: TCP 443, TCP 59866, UDP 59867 and UDP 59868.

When you are ready:

• Turn on both Computer 1 and Computer 2.
• Run Logitech Options in both of them respectively.
• Go to the Logitech Flow screen in Logitech Options of either one of the computer. It doesn't matter is Computer 1 or Computer 2.

• Turn on Logitech Flow.
• The computer will proceed to search for Logitech Flow in the other computer. If successful, the Logitech Flow in the other computer will automatically turned on.

You can see 2 side-by-side rectangles in the Logitech Flow screen. The left rectangle belongs to Computer 1, and the right rectangle belongs to Computer 2. The computer which the mouse is currently controlling will be coloured in cyan.

Click on the three dots at the top right corner of the rectangle, you can see its computer name.

There are options for you to disable or remove it from Logitech Flow operation as shown. If the computer is disabled, you can come back to the same place to re-enable it. If the computer is removed, you need to perform all the steps in this Level 2 to link it back to Logitech Flow.

Note that there are a few settings you can change for Logitech Flow.

Switch between computers:

• Move to the edge: When your mouse cursor moves beyond the right edge of Computer 1, it will flow to Computer 2. When it moves beyond the left edge of Computer 2, it will flow to Computer 1.
• Hold Ctrl and move to the edge: This can prevent you from accidentally flow to another computer by requiring you to hold down your keyboard's Ctrl key for the flow to happen.

Screen corners:

• When enabled, flow will work even at screen corners.
• When disabled, flow will not work at screen corners. This can prevent you from accidentally flow to another computer when you want to minimize a maximized window and move your mouse cursor to the corner.

Copy and paste:

• When enabled, you can copy and paste text, images and files from one computer to another.
• The method is to select the text, images or files in one computer, press Ctrl-C or right click and select Copy action, then flow your mouse control to the other computer, press Ctrl-V or right click and select Paste action.
• This copy and paste action will lag if the file size is big.
• Note that direct drag and drop is not supported by Logitech Flow yet.

Now, you can enjoy the wonders of your Logitech M585 / M590 with Logitech Flow.

My Logitech M590 multi-device silent and flow wireless mouse

One of my wireless mouse started to have the common mouse problem of single click becomes double click. Therefore, I have recently bought a new Logitech M590 multi-device silent and flow wireless mouse.

Despite this Logitech M590 mouse has some advanced features that distinguish it from ordinary mouse, its packaging is not impressive at all. Its price is higher than ordinary mouse too, cost me RM99 to get it.

This Logitech M590 mouse is very identical to its sibling Logitech M585. The main different between them is that, M585 left and right buttons produce loud clicking sound just like other ordinary mice, while M590 left and right buttons are soundless and produce no clicking sound. Its other buttons also produce softer sound than ordinary mice. This is ideal for night owls who share the same room with roommate(s). Now you can use your computer silently at night without disturbing the sleep of your  roommate(s), provided you use this silent mouse together with a silent keyboard.

This mouse operates with a single AA battery, and comes together with a GP alkaline battery. Logitech claims that its battery life can last as long as 24 months (2 years), which is pretty impressive.

Beside the battery compartment, you can find its USB Unifying receiver after opening its back cover. It has an on/off switch at its back for you to lengthen its battery life by switching it off when not in use.

At the back of its packaging paper card, there is instruction on low to setup to link it with 2 computers using Logitech Flow, which I find is not very useful because it is very difficult to understand. It is only a 7 steps diagram without any explanation words!

Anyhow, I managed to figure out how Logitech Flow works and how to switch the mouse between 2 computers and use its feature to copy-and-paste clipboard content and files from one computer to another, which I will explain in detail in my next posting.

This mouse comes with 1 year warranty, and you can register it in this webpage.

After registration, you can proceed to download Logitech Options, the software for you to configure this Logitech M590 mouse. The Logitech Flow function is inside this Logitech Options.

In fact, after you plugged its Unifying receiver into your computer's USB port, switch on the mouse and turn on your computer, after you successfully logged in Windows, the system will automatically prompt you to download and install Logitech Options.

However, the installation of Logitech Options was not smooth. I have tried in more than one computers. The installation process of Logitech Options will take a very long time, and I only managed to get it successfully installed after I terminated its installation after 10 minutes, and run the installation program again. The installation will magically complete within 2 minutes during the second attempt.

Therefore, you need to download the installer from the above Logitech webpage, for you to perform the second attempt of installation, or you will need to spend unnecessary time and effort to locate the installer file used by the automatic installation process, which stays somewhere deep inside your hard disk.

This Logitech M590 mouse has altogether 6 buttons, as shown in the Logitech Options screen below. The middle button is used to switch between Computer 1 and Computer 2, which you cannot configure for other function. The other 5 buttons which are circled in the Logitech Options screen can be configured to have function according to your personal preference.

You just need to click on the circle, and after that select your preferred function from the menu.

In the Point & Scroll screen, you can set the mouse pointer speed, enable/disable smooth scrolling, and set the scroll wheel direction.

The Flow screen is where you configure the Logitech Flow function. There are 2 rectangles on the screen, the left one is your Computer 1, and the right one is your Computer 2. Once Logitech Flow is up and running, the mouse can seamlessly flow from the screen of one computer to another.

I will explain how to setup Logitech Flow in my next posting.

Beside pairing with its Unifying receiver, this Logitech M590 mouse can also paired with the Bluetooth receiver of your computer or tablet that supports low energy technology. Supported operating system for Bluetooth pairing includes:

• Windows 8 or Windows 10 or later
• Mac OS X 10.10 or later
• Chrome OS
• Android 5.0 or later

This is useful if you want to use Logitech Flow with 2 computers, but you only have 1 Unifying receiver that comes with the mouse.

If you have another Logitech mouse with Unifying receiver, you can use the Logitech Unifying Software to link this Logitech M590 with the Unifying receiver of the other mouse, as the Unifying receiver can support up to 6 Logitech devices. I will explain how to link Logitech M590 with another Unifying receiver in my next posting.

If your Unifying receiver is linked with more than one mouse, both the mice can control your mouse cursor on the screen at the same time.

If you plan to buy this Logitech M590 wireless mouse, here are some "catches" that you need to consider before making your decision:

• This mouse can work in Windows 7, but it cannot be connected with Bluetooth to Windows 7 computer. In addition, Windows 7 might have problem recognizing the Logitech Unifying receiver that comes together with the Logitech M590 mouse. Anyhow, it can still function as a mouse in Windows 7 with its Unifying receiver,  despite with these imperfectness. Therefore, it is more advisable to use this mouse in Windows 8 or above. I haven't tested this mouse in Linux or Mac computer though. It should be able to work with Linux Kernel 2.6+, Chrome OS, and Mac OS X 10.10 or later.
• This mouse does not come with Logitech Darkfield technology and will have difficulty working on glass surface. If you need this feature, can consider the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S mouse, which price is more than double to this Logitech M590.

Making your Android phone smarter by programming task automation using Automate

Automate is a freemium Android app developed by LlamaLab that enables you to perform task automation in your smartphone.

With it, you can really make your phone much more smarter by running programs constructed using simple flowchart called Flows. All programming in Automate is done graphically by drawing flowcharts (without writing a single line of code) by joining building blocks, whereby each block will perform a single task.

A sample Automate flow looks like this:

Some of the examples that you can program your phone with Automate to do smartly:

• Every morning when you wake up, greet you with a female voice with weather information and major stock markets closing index point. Pick up your calendar event and read out your appointments in the day.
• When you are driving your car, auto enable Bluetooth and auto connect your phone to your car's Bluetooth hands-free function, and auto answer any incoming calls. When you leave your car, auto disable Bluetooth and resume manual phone answering.
• When you are approaching home, auto send a Whatsapp message to your spouse that you are on the way and will arrive soon.
• When you arrive home, auto turn on WiFi function and connect to your home WiFi. When you leave home, auto turn off the WiFi function to save battery.
• Whenever you open Spotify app at home, auto enable Bluetooth and connect to your wireless speaker. When you open Spotify at other places, it won't do this and will play the music using your phone's speaker instead.
• Whenever you enter into your favourite cinema hall, auto mute your phone and set it to vibrate mode. Unmute it when you leave the place.

Automate comes with several hundreds of ready made building blocks. There are basically just 2 types of block:

• Action block which has a single output (example: Enable WiFi)
• Decision block which has 2 outputs, 1 for Yes and 1 for No (example: Is WiFi enabled?)

For decision block, you can set the evaluation to be tested immediately (example: Is WiFi enabled?) or wait for the condition to change (example: When WiFi is enabled or disabled).

The ready made building blocks are grouped in the following categories:

• Apps
• Battery & Power
• Camera & Sound
• Concurrency
• Content
• Date & Time
• File & Storage
• Flow
• General
• Interface
• Location
• Messaging
• Sensor
• Settings
• Telephony

Here is an example of available blocks inside one of the categories above (Camera & Sound).

To use Automate, you can either:

• Just run the sample flows that suit you
• Create your own flows and run them
• Download flows shared by other users in the community
• Download flows from the community, and modify them to suit your need

Automate comes pre-installed with several useful sample flows.

There is also a user community for its users to upload and share their flows with other users. You can upload your flows in the community too.

Community flows are categorized into the following groups:

• Business
• Communication
• Education
• Entertainment
• Finance
• Games
• Health & Fitness
• Home
• Media & Audio
• News & Magazines
• Personalization
• Photography
• Productivity
• Security
• Shopping
• Social
• Sports
• Tools
• Transportation
• Travel & Local
• Tutorials & Examples
• Weather

Below are some of the top rated community flows available for download:

A running instant in a flow is called a fibre. Each flow when executed will have one or more fibres.

The free version of Automate app is fully functional and ads-free, only with restriction of allowing up to 30 running blocks in all the running fibres. This is sufficient for most simple tasks. If you need to run more complex flows, or need to run a lot of flows concurrently, you can pay a small fee to upgrade to the Pro version.

If you configure Automate to run on system startup, all its running flows will resume from their previous running state even after a restart.

With Automate, you can make a lot of wonders in your phone, without writing a single line of code. All you need is constructing your logics with blocks and charting them into flows.

Automatic incoming and outgoing calls recorder for Android phones

Have you ever encountered any situation that you wish to record down your phone conversation for future reference?

It could be a negotiation talk, or a sales order through phone, or any conversation containing message which you need to record down that typically you'll quickly search for paper and pen and asked the other party to repeat it. It could also be a scam call that you want to keep evident, or any other phone calls that you just want to save.

I use Automatic Call Recorder developed by Appliqato Software for this purpose. It is free for use (with ads), and you can also purchase the ads-free Pro version which will also unlock some of the unique functions not available in the free version.

Take note that there are quite a number of "call recorder" apps that can be found in Google Play Store. The one that I mention here is developed by Appliqato Software which has already achieved a few hundred million installation.

The beauty of this app is that once installed with automatic recording turned on by default, it will automatically record all your incoming and outgoing calls on its own without the need of prompting you. You can also temporary turn off this automatic recording function in its Settings.

Recorded calls will appear in its Inbox which you can replay and perform further action, such as save it permanently (will move from Inbox to Saved folder), jot down a title and notes about what is the call about (for your search reference), delete it, share the recorded audio to another app (such as sending to Whatsapp, Telegram, email, cloud drive, another phone through Bluetooth, etc.).

This call recorder can save the recording in either one of AMR, AAC, MP4 or WAV format. The default AMR format is suitable for voice recording, which produce relatively small file size. In case the recording sound volume is too soft, you can make configuration to increase the loudness.

You can configure the app to automatically save a copy of the audio record to your Google Drive or Dropbox, and you can specify for this synchronization to happen only when the phone is connected to WiFi.

Under Storage setting, you can specify how many number of recordings to retain in the Inbox, and the storage location path of your Inbox.

Under Filters setting, you can specify whose phone calls to record, and whose phone calls to skip recording. By default, all calls will be recorded.

In case you find the app failed to record some of the calls, it might be due to battery optimization function of your phone, which you can set to ignore battery optimization for this app.

Fixed Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro laptop screen flickering at random time problem in Windows

This problem had been troubling me for quite a long time. Ever since a certain day, the screen of my Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro laptop running on Windows 10 will flicker at random time while I'm using it.

It seems to be related to a bug in its Intel HD Graphics display driver, but even though I kept on updating to the latest driver, the annoying screen flickering problem remained, until I performed the following setting.

The solution: disable Intel HD Graphics panel self-refresh function.

Your Windows account needs to have Administrator rights in order to successfully perform the following steps.

Step 1: Login to Windows and right click anywhere on your Windows Desktop.

Step 2: Click on "Graphics Properties..." in the pop-up menu.

Step 3: Select "Power" in the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel.

Step 4: Select "On Battery" in the left menu bar.

Step 5: Make sure Panel Self-Refresh is set to Disable.

Step 6: Click on Apply, then answer "Yes" to confirm saving the setting.

Hopefully, the screen flickering problem will be gone after this.

If you are also being troubled with the same screen flickering problem in your laptop which uses the Intel processor graphics accelerator, perhaps you can try out this solution and inform me whether it works for you or not.

Samsung printer business is now under HP

If you visit to Samsung printer support webpage now, you will find yourself eventually landing in HP website!

This is the indication of the completion of HP acquisition of Samsung printer business.

The two companies have been in competing position in the worldwide printer business for years. HP has been well-known in producing reliable printers for household and business use, while Samsung had been producing many award-winning printers that are affordable with up-to-standard performance and features in the same target segments.

In 2016, HP is the largest player in the worldwide printer market, while Samsung was the 10th.

In September last year (2016), the two companies announced this acquisition plan valued at US$1.05 billion. HP had explained the reason of this acquisition, being able to expand its portfolio and help to disrupt the US$55 billion A3 copier market with multi-function printers that are simple to use but have the same high performance level as that of copiers.


For Samsung investors:

• Samsung had made the decision to dispose their printer business as they opined that this business is gradually declining.
• As part of the agreement, Samsung will make a US$100~300 million equity investment in HP through open market purchases. 

For HP investors:

• HP will gain access to more than 6,500 print patents from Samsung and a workforce of nearly 1,300 researchers and engineers that are experts in laser technology, imaging electronics and supplies and accessories.

For Samsung printers customers:

• Samsung printers' customer support service will continue under HP.
• All of Samsung’s existing printer products will continue to be sold under Samsung brand until the second half of 2019.
• Samsung will keep on providing toners, parts and supplies for existing printers for another 5 years.
• All discounts and programmes previously agreed between Samsung and customers will now be honoured by HP, and these will remain in effect through to all previously agreed end dates.

My Prolink PWP107G wireless presenter with air mouse function

Did you buy anything online during the recent #MYCYBERSALE event? I have bought a Prolink PWP107G wireless presenter with air mouse function at the cost of less than RM100.

This presenter is very straightforward and easy to use. Its wireless USB receiver is stored in a compartment at its bottom, which is plug-and-play in the Windows system.

In front of it, there are 6 buttons which their respective function is well explained behind the packaging front cover as well as in the user's manual booklet.

Its laser pointer button is located at the back, which can be easily controlled by your index finger.

At its right hand side, there are volume up and volume down buttons to control the sound volume.

At its left hand side, there is a power on/off toggle switch. You can switch it off when not in use, to save the battery lifespan.

Also come together inside the packaging box is a nice carrying pouch and 2 AAA alkaline batteries. It's documentation said that the 2 batteries can last for up to 100 hours of usage as a presenter, and up to 66 hours when its air mouse functions are also being used.

It works very will with Microsoft Powerpoint to start presentation (similar action to pressing F5 on keyboard), end presentation, page up, page down, blank the screen, and control the sound volume. However, it doesn't seems to work with LibreOffice Impress nor Adobe Acrobat Reader.

When it operates in air mouse mode, it works with all applications in Windows. You can use it to move the mouse cursor by your hand movement, and also to perform right click and left click with its respective button.

I would say it has all the necessary functions as a wireless presenter, with main limitation of only working well with Microsoft Powerpoint. At the same time, it is also a pretty nice air mouse which function similarly with a basic 2-button mouse. Yet at the same time, you can use it to control the sound volume.

KidoCode HoC Computer programming class for young children and teens

I came across KidoCode in an education fair. KidoCode is a computer coding and maths training center targeting children of age group from 6 to 18, founded by 2 Iranian (Hossein a.k.a. Unclecode and Maysam) who are very passionate in educating the young generation about computer programming, logical thinking and mathematics.

I have brought my kid to attend their 4 hours free trial class at their HQ in Solaris Mont Kiara (above Cold Storage supermarket). That 4 hours session enabled us to know more about them, took a look and feel about their learning environment, let the kid to have hands-on introductory class about computer programming, which included simple programming to create mobile app in an Android tablet, and electronic programming on an Arduino kit. This is essential to ensure the kid likes the learning environment and the curriculum before making decision whether to enrol with them or not.

Parallel with the kid's 4 hours free trial class, there was also a 1 hour session for parents for them to introduce their value proposition, their unique way of running the classes, curriculum and syllabus. I am pretty impressed with their holistic vision, mission and plans to train Asian children to be competent in computer programming for fun and profit (yes, they encourage entrepreneurship after the kid has created something awesome in their journey of codings). As a result, I have enrolled my kid to their 50 Hours of Code (HoC) programme.

The 50 HoC is an introductory course for the kid to build up the necessary foundation in computer programming. A minimum of 50 hours is allocated for the kid to complete the course. 50 hours is the minimum because they'll give bonus hours to the kid based on several promotional criterias, at no additional charge, which could added up to over 80 hours.

This 50 HoC introductory course comes with a K-Box which the kid can bring home for own practice and continuous development, which contains:

• Arduino board with electronic components
• Raspberry Pi 2 with WiFi adapter and Case
• Android smartphone for mobile apps and games programming
• Some free gifts

All the following subjects will be covered in the 50 HoC programme:

• Python programming language with Turtle graphics using online KStudio IDE

• Mobile apps development using MIT App Inventor

• Electronics programming using Arduino and Raspberry Pi

• Web development using Cloud9

• Game programming
• Information security

The HoC is consumed at KidoCode training centers. The kid will learn at his own pace. Fast learners will learn more in-depth and given more challenging exercises, while slow learners are still able to go through the breadth of learning though not as deep. Beside the kid, the parents (both father and mother) are also given the same amount of HoC at no additional charge, for them to optionally learn the same course together with their kid, and each of daddy, mummy and kid will be learning at their own respective pace and could go through different learning path.

KidoCode is opened from 10am to 10pm daily including weekends and public holidays. Other than the first Welcome Session which needs to make appointment prior to attending, the kid (and parents) can walk in anytime during the operating hours to consume their HoC. A dedicated computer will be allocated, and personal trainer will attend to the kid (and parents) throughout the session. Students can take their break at anytime, which will stop their HoC hour glass counter, only to resume when the break is over. Free flow of food and drinks is provided at the premise.

 After the 50 HoC course, the kid can proceed with more advanced courses including:

• Code and maths (30 HoC)
• Mobile apps development (100 HoC)
• Electrogramming (80 HoC)
• Game coding (70 HoC)
• Web development (100 HoC)
• Computer security and cryptography (40 HoC)
• Geek coding (100 HoC)
• BioInformatics (50 HoC)

You can find out more information about KidoCode by visiting to their website.

If you are also interested to attend their 4 hours free session, you can click here to locate the online registration form.