List all installed packages on your Raspberry Pi

In your LXTerminal, type in the following command:

dpkg -l |grep ii | less

and you should see a list of installed packages:

Wi-Pi : Wireless Dongle for the Raspberry Pi

Since the Raspberry Pi doesn't come with a built-in Wireless Network Interface Card, it is ideal for most users to buy a wireless dongle for the Pi. But which is the perfect dongle for the Pi? The problem with buying a wireless dongle that works with Windows and Macintosh is that it usually don't work with the Pi, unless there are some third party developers who have written drivers to accommodate the dongle with the Raspberry Pi. I used a TP-Link Wireless Dongle for the Pi, and it was quite hard trying to look for the drivers for the Pi online.

To efficiently solve the issue, Element14 offers a perfect solution for users who are looking for using wireless connection on their Raspberry Pi. The Wi-Pi wireless dongle allows a hassle free setup and connection to your home wireless network! Here are some of the photos I have taken with the Wi-Pi!



Link to purchase Wi-Pi from Element14: http://sg.element14.com/element14/wipi/dongle-wifi-usb-for-raspberry-pi/dp/2133900?Ntt=raspberry+pi+wifi+dongle

Pebble 2.0 and Pebble App Store Launch

Pebble has confirmed on their release of their App Store for iOS devices this coming Monday. The long awaited App Store allows Pebble users to download and install custom watch faces written by Pebble Developers, and at the same time allow users to write their very own watch face and host it on their App Store for free. The development stage of Pebble 2.0 is now at Release Candidate 2 (RC2) and I guess it would be the final phase of the 2.0 development. Stay tuned for the coverage of the launch of Pebble 2.0 through my Twitter @mrclarencechng.

Link on Engadget's Report

Join Dropbox Now!

Join Dropbox now using my referral link to enjoy another 500MB free of cloud storage from the 2GB that you earn from your first sign up! Dropbox has made things easier when transferring photos from a device to another, and efficient backup for your data with fast upload and download speeds. Try it now using the link below and get an extra 500MB free!

Get started with Dropbox + free 500MB storage!

Pebble SmartWatch - My Review

The year of 2014 is about wearable technology and in this post, I will be giving my review on one of the most popular smart watches in the market, the Pebble SmartWatch. So what is a Pebble SmartWatch and what are its capabilities? In simple terms, the Pebble SmartWatch is a USD150 Bluetooth watch that can be paired with your Bluetooth LE (4.0) devices. It is a 47 gram watch that has a 1.26" e-ink display with a resolution of 144 x 168. When you receive a notification on your phone, it will simultaneously send a notification to your watch so that you can read your notification without the need to retrieve your phone from your pocket. Thus it is good for drivers on the road since it minimises distractions on the phone making road trips a much safer one. The next thing that I liked about the watch is the outstanding battery life. A 2 hour charge can last me literally 4-5 days of usage. I need not worry about charging it every night like my iPhone do. It is water-resistant and you can go for a swim with it or even shower with it. Not surprising, but it is a plus to have in wearable devices. However, with much of its capabilities, lets talk about the cons of this watch. One thing about the charging cable for the Pebble is that it is non-proprietory and you can't get this cable out in the market. Personally, I had this watch for weeks and for no reason, the cable refuses to charge my watch, leaving the battery dead on my watch for weeks before Pebble sent a replacement cable. How I wished they used a micro-usb connection where cables can be purchased easily. To give my review a round-up, USD150 is quite expensive for a watch like this, but considering the features it have, I sure have second thoughts on purchasing it.

Looking forward, Pebble is preparing to launch their 2.0 OS and their Pebble App Store. Most probably, the Pebble SmartWatch might face a hardware upgrade at CES 2014 that rumours to have a coloured display. Looking forward to CES 2014!

Use the following Amazon links to get your very own Pebble and Pebble Steel!

 

Enable Boot to Desktop on Raspberry Pi

Step 1) On your LXTerminal, type in this command:

 sudo raspi-config

Step 2) Select on Enable Boot to Desktop

Step 3) Select on Yes

Step 4) Tap the Right Button Arrow Key twice and select Finish

Step 5) Allow it to do a Reboot

This trick allows you to skip the process of typing in your username and password, as well as the startx command.

Connecting your iPad to External Monitors

Connecting your iPad to a widescreen TV for watching a movie or doing a presentation is easier than ever. Download the set of slides to learn more about the peripherals you can use for your iPad to screen-mirror to a widescreen TV.

Download Slides

Creating an Apple ID account without a Credit Card

You can create an Apple ID without credit card, and you can use the account to make free purchases. To begin creating an Apple ID account,

Step 1) Go to your iTunes and navigate to iTunes Store.

Step 2) Search for Free Apps in the store.

Step 3) Tap on Free and you will be prompted to enter your Apple ID credentials. Click on "Create Apple ID"

Step 4) Tap on continue to proceed on creating a free account, and agree to the terms and conditions

Step 5) Enter your personal information for registration and follow the procedures on the page.

Step 6) When asked for terms of payment, you should be able to select on "None" and you will now have an Apple Account with no credit card needed.

Macbook Power Brick Faulty

My Macbook Pro Power Brick is faulty and blown the fuse in the extension cord. Since it is protected under the Apple Care warranty, Apple do offer a replacement for the power brick and extension cord.

Update: So I went to replace my faulty power brick at Eserv Wheelock Place. They did replace the 85W Magsafe Power Brick, but did not replace my 3-pin extension cord with the blown fuse. Maybe it is stated in the Apple Care Terms and Conditions that the extension cord was not part of the warranty, but I find it interesting that why Apple did not give me a new fuse so that I can have my complete set of the charger kit. Nevertheless, I managed to salvage a fuse and get the power brick up and running.

Brightness Control issues on the Thunderbolt Display

An issue I faced with the Thunderbolt Display hooked up to my Macbook Pro when running bootcamp on Windows 8/8.1 was that I had no control of the Brightness of the Thunderbolt Display. It will set to the default of full brightness which is extremely bright and literally unusable. It seems that many users faced this issue on Apple forums but Apple have yet to give a proper solution to the problem. I strongly feel that this issue could be done with a software update to the bootcamp drivers. Currently, the brightness control can only control the brightness of my Macbook Pro display and does not do anything to the Thunderbolt Display. Hope that Apple come out with a software update to tackle the problem as soon as possible.

Update: Actually I was pretty much in the dark about this function that is available in the BootCamp Control Panel that actually solved my problem. I think that Apple had already implemented this function to control the Thunderbolt Display brightness, but they did not specify publicly in the Q&A forums. To control the brightness, go to the task bar of your Windows and on the far-right, you should see a black colour diamond icon that represents the Boot Camp Utility. You need to have the BootCamp drivers for this to work. Right-click on the icon and select BootCamp Control panel. You should see the Brightness tab prompting you to adjust your brightness. Adjust the slider and you will see your Thunderbolt Display changing its brightness.

If this page worked for you and you have friends that experience the same issue with their Thunderbolt Display running Windows, do share this post by clicking the Facebook or Twitter icons to share on your Facebook page and Twitter Feed respectively. Thank You!