A Change Is Gonna Come

May 30, 2011, is the OFFICIAL end of my life as a student.


To work, to serve, to contribute, to save, to relieve, to endure, to learn, to think, to thrive, to progress.To change.


Welcome to the world of working adult.

Best Android apps, free and paid, in my opinion

I'm done swimming in the world of Android apps, searching for apps that appeal to me personally. Here, I finalize the list of Android apps that are, in my opinion, among the best in their own categories, if not the best. Some of them are, in fact, must-have in your Android phone.

Productivity/ Utilities

1. Advanced Task Killer (ATK)

This app kills all the running background apps that are consuming your memory. You can do this manually, or better yet, you can enable auto-kill to save you all the hassle. An easy way to clear up some memory to make your phone run smoother. The only thing is that some unused apps keeping running in the background even after the kill, and this is something I can do nothing about (yet) unless I uninstall the apps. Definitely a must-have app to ensure smooth performance.

2. Antivirus free

As the name implies, it scans all newly download and installed apps for virus detection. You can also perform manual scan anytime you want. A keeper.

3. App 2 SD (Pro)

This app will identify apps that can be moved from internal storage to SD card. It also allow you to keep track of remaining space in your SD card & internal storage, and apps that you have installed. You can also open and uninstall apps from here. As my phone come with very limited internal storage, I thought with this app, I could clear up some space. Turns out there wasn't any app that I have installed that can be moved to SD card. Now, I'm struggling with low internal storage. Still a great app.

4. APNdroid

If you do not use 3G service provided by your telco company, you better turn it off. This way, you can reduce battery usage. You can also prevent accidental web surfing which may cost u heavily. One way to do it is by APNdroid. Very easy to use, just one click to turn on or off 3G. Great app.

Music, Media, Audio & Video

1. Tunewiki

There are many good music players in Android market, such as Winamp, PowerAMP, and Shazam. However, I discovered an underrated app which turns out to be my favorite - TuneWiki. Clean interface aside, automatic lyrics search,  album art search and youtube music video search are the main attractions for me. Another boost is that SHOUTcast, an internet radio station is included! Out of so many players, it has all the functions I need. The DOWNSIDE is that the latest update is a crap; the interface become complex, and there are so many unnecessary functions. If you want a good music player, try this, and stick to the old version (2.1). 5-star IMHO.

2. Album art grabber

Grab missing album art with just a few clicks! This app help finding missing album art all in one go. Success rate is around 80%. For album art that failed to be found automatically, you can manually grab them using this app also. Definitely a must for perfectionists/  people with OCD trait =)

3. Soundhound

This app can recognize music being played on the radio and speaker and provide you with artist name, song name, album and even lyrics. It can also recognize your singing and humming (provided your singing is not too bad lol) and come out with the song info within seconds! Cool rite? Havn't really utilize this app yet but this is certainly a keeper.

4. Summer Player

A player that can play almost all format of videos. The interface is clean and it's easy to use. A must-have in your phone. Another very good player is called Mobo Player, which can also play all video functions, but with a few extra functions (and bigger file size).

5. IMDb

An official app by IMDb. Search movies, reviews, watch trailers and many more. Good for a movie geek.

News, Education, Libraries

1. Adobe Reader

Enable .pdf file viewing by installing Adobe Reader. Must-have.

2. Moon+ Reader

This is an ebook reader. Out of all the ebook readers I have tried, it has the most functions, and is easy to use. The reader provides you with several links for free ebooks search and download, but those books doesn't interest me. Instead, I googled for ebooks of my interest. The ebooks are all in .epub format, just so you know.

3. The Star Online

This app provide a very convenient way to read news from The Star newspaper. News are sorted by sections, and you can add or delete the sections of interest displayed in the main menu. Very useful.

4. World Newspaper

This is an amazing app coz it complied ALL the newspapers and many magazines in the world and let you choose which to read and which to add to favourites for convenient access later on. I'm amazed by the collection of newspapers they have. Unless you read a lot of newspapers, this app is rather optional. 

5. Medscape, Skyscape

Both are good medical apps for healthcare professionals. You can download the relevant references for offline use. Very useful for a quick refresh and reference. You may also download Concise Oxford Medical Dictionary.

Communication

1. Facebook for android, Skype, Twitter, Twidroyd, Tweetcaster

This is the section where you are spoilt for choices of communication apps. Facebook, Twitter and Skype are the common apps being downloaded. An alternative to Twitter is Twidroyd, which is a twitter app with more functions that the official app developed by Twitter Inc. After comparing both, I found Twidroyd to be more useful and suitable for me. Also among the most popular apps are tweetcaster (never tried it) and tweetdeck (combining facebook, twitter, foursquare and buzz). The preference of apps in this section is very much personal. 

2. Whatsapp, Kakao talk

Both apps enable messaging via 3G or Wifi between Android and iPhone users. Whatsapp allow messaging to Blackberry and Nokia users, in addition to Android and iPhone users, and that makes me prefer Whatsapp over Kakao talk. Now you can sms to your friends and loved ones for free, sorta.

Games

This is another section where there are choices galore. From mini games like angry bird, toss it to rather big games like Pro Evolution Soccer and Need For Speed, the choices are endless. Here are some of my favourites.

1. Angry Bird

A simple games that turn out to be not so simple afterall. Test your accuracy, logical thinking, physics and patience with this arcade game. I had a lot of fun with it, and still do.

2. Toss it

Another way to train your accuracy, in a finer way, is by playing toss it. Instead of bird, you will toss paper into a bin from variable distance, taking into account of the variable wind speed. Rather addictive.

3. Labyrinth

This game will put your fine motor and reflex to test. Control a steel ball by tilting a  wooden labyrinth. Increasingly challenging. Love it!

4.  Radiant

A game that I'm currently addicted to. A classic spaceship vs aliens/creep shooting game. Used to play that on a game console back in the days. Simple but whole lotta fun!

5.  Yoo Ninja!

Very very exciting, fast-paced game that test your reflex! A very simple game which only require accurate timing in tapping. Too bad I have solved all the levels and completed the game. Will revisit the thrill for sure.

6. Fruit Ninja

Slice your way to the top! Slice the fruits while avoiding bombs. Despite the simplicity, i kinda sucks in this game lol.

Photography

1. PicSay Pro

Edit photos in a painless way with PicSay Pro. There are a whole lot of effects available. A bit too many, I would say >.<. Definitely my first choice when it comes to photo editing in Android. You can always rely on this award-winning app. Other popular apps include Adobe Photoshop, Vignette, Photo Lab and Camera 360. 

Others

Apart from those listed above, other apps that I would recommend include PAPAGO (navigation software), Real Calc, Converter and Cam scanner (take photos of documents and convert them into pdf files, wow). 

You can always take your time to explore the android market for more good apps that may appeal to you personally. The bottom line is, install apps that are useful and required. You don't want to install apps excessively. Some apps may stubbornly run in the background, resistant to closure, thus consuming the memory unnecessarily, resulting in system lag. If you have small internal storage, it's not a good idea to used up too many of it.

Have fun!

Useful links:

http://www.appbrain.com

http://www.epubbud.com/

http://www.mobiles24.com/

p.s. For Samsung galaxy users, you can perform screen capture by pressing and holding the back button, and then press home button in the middle once.

Body composition analysis - a narcissistic post

"Nelson, u look so thin!". Well, I have been commented countless times on how thin I look since I lost a lot of weight (the method which I'm YET to blog about, or never lol), to the extend that I'm not so proud of anymore. I have been really curious about my body composition, especially my body fat percentage, since I shed 10kg of fat almost a year ago.

Today, the mystery is unveiled. While strolling in the mall, I encountered a fitness center which was recruiting members. I spotted the body composition analyzer and I was sooo eager to try it. Thus I walked into the booth and listened to the promoter on what the centre has to offer and then proceed to the analyzer for the long-awaited revelation.

The analysis within analysis:

1) My body weight is 59.9kg, about 6kg below the ideal body weight. Sigh. Gotta gain some healthy weight. But I'm getting lazier and lazier to work out, and pigging out is not a healthy option.

2) My Body fat percentage is 14.9%. I'm very thrilled about this haha, because it's within fitness range, which is below average, according to the table below (adapted from from the American Council on Exercise). Still, I'm well aware of the fact that I still have some fat to lose around me belly. If I lose that amount of fat, my fat % may go down to 'athletes' range, which is AWESOME. I'm not sure if I have the time and perseverance to achieve that lol. Still people, when you encounter me, don't call me thin, coz according to the table, I'm FIT. Y'all should instead say: " Hey Nelson, you looked fit!" That would make my day =)

Description	Women	Men
Essential fat	10-13%	2-5%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Average	25-31%	18-24%
Obese	32%+	25%+

3. I can't comment much about muscle mass coz I'm not sure bout the normal range, but judging from my body figure, I believe that's what I'm lacking of lol. Again, time and perseverance are the keys to achieve ideal muscle mass.

4. My total body water is normal. All this while, I have been feeling that I may be slightly dehydrated for god-knows-what reason. Turned out I'm pretty well-hydrated. Paranoid dispelled.

5. My basal metabolic rate (amount of energy expended while at rest in a day)  is 1446kcal, which makes my metabolic age 18. YAY I'm so young inside lol. Looks like I'm burning very well inside. This also dispelled  the long-held assumption that I gained 10kg last time because my BMR was going downhill. Looks like I really ate a lot haha. I'm still a lil bit concerned bout the accuracy of the analyzer. 18 is a lil too young kan?

6. My visceral fat rating is good. It's only 3. Nuff said.

It was really fun to get to know my body composition better. This post not only serves it's function of feeding my narcissism, it also serves as a reference 10, 20 or 30 years from now, and a constant reminder that I need to maintain my health.

Are you intrigued enough to find out yours? Well for Penangites, you get to do so by visiting Absolute Fitness' promotion booth at Queensbay mall. They are offering some pretty good membership packages too, if you are interested.