Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by belfong

WTS Apple Watch Leather Loop band & Watch Series 3

belfong — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 21:17:32 +0800

Original Apple Watch 42mm Leather Loop (Stone) brand New. Never used before as it is too big for my wrist. I'd like to sell it together with a well used Apple Watch 42mm Series 3. It's like you buy a new Leather Loop strap and get Watch Series 3 for free

Apple Watch Series 3 still have 83% battery health. It's well-used but it works and have no issues whatsoever.

RM 500. COD in PJ, prefer 1 Utama.

WTS ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1060 OC 6GB

belfong — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 20:37:34 +0800

Item(s):Asus ROG Strix GTX 1060 OC 6GB

Package includes:Box and Graphic Card

Price:RM ~~1,000~~ 700

Warranty:None

Dealing method:COD

Location:Kota Damansara

Contact method/details:PM
---

Item(s) conditions:Good. Used for light gaming only

Picture:

Reason for sale: Upgraded monitor, need better card

Replace Maxis Modem with a Modem/Router

belfong — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:30:28 +0800

I owned a mesh network router. Unfortunately, this model does not support PPPoE. As such, today I am connecting it to the maxis-supplied TP-Link AC1200 router in a double NAT mode. It works fine. I am not bothered by being in double NAT.

What I am bothered is with the fact that I have 3 devices in my room: maxis Huawei modem -> TP-Link AC1200 -> mesh network router.

Is there a 2-in-1 modem router which I can replace so that I just have two devices - 2-in-1 -> mesh network router?

closed

belfong — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 22:35:53 +0800

closed

Is there an easier way to read Lyn forum

belfong — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 21:42:06 +0800

I know I have been here a decades but I just don't see how I can come to Lyn and read topics which I have posted before. Some forum software has a "Participated" which auto subscribe any topic you replied to. That way, you can always continue a conversation. In Lyn, it's just a mess of topics that get lost. How do you guys track/continue a topic that you have replied to?

(I know I could click "Track this topic" but that's so manual and I can't be manually clicking that everytime)

TL;DR I want an auto subscribe to all the topics I replied to

DuetDisplay

belfong — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 16:23:24 +0800

I find this software pretty cool. It's called DuetDisplay and it basically make your iPad a second monitor. All you need is your charger cable - attach to a Mac or a PC and it will become your second display! RM60 only!
https://www.duetdisplay.com/

[attachmentid=9020180]

[wts] bro purple set

belfong — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 08:05:40 +0800

Item(s):
Don't know why I kept on being lured by pretty MX key caps but I have too many sets and a few more on its way. It's better for me to trim some of them.

For sale:
1. bro set MX - usd$90
New and unused

Open to trade for artisans specifically BB V2 or CC.
Package includes:

Price:

Warranty:

Dealing method:
Cod or Pos Laju

Location:
PJ - One Utama

Contact method/details:
PM
---

Item(s) conditions:

Picture:

Reason for sale:
Too many sets

SOLD
3. Originative GMK Cyrillic - usd$90
Used by previous owner for about 4 months

(Fits a TKL, does not fit 60% board, Dolch stepped capslock, shift and Fn and keyboard NOT included)

2. vortex PBT doubleshot red on white - usd$40
Like new, slightly used

[FS] KBT ONI Tenkeyless (TKL) MX Brown

belfong — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 21:15:03 +0800

Item(s):
New In Box KBT Talking ONI mechanical keyboard. Cherry MX Brown switch but modded with Cherry MX Clear on the modifiers keys (CTRL, TAB, ENTER, etc)

Stock PBT key caps. Never been used before.
Package includes:
One keyboard

Price:
RM400
Warranty:
None
Dealing method:
COD
Location:
PJ/Subang
Contact method/details:
PM
---

Item(s) conditions:
New In Box. Never been used. I bought to try new key caps on. That's why I modded the modifiers keys to achieve more solid feel.
Picture:

IMG_1687 by Belfong, on Flickr

Reason for sale:
Using Topre now.

WTS Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 (green backlit)

belfong — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 13:55:29 +0800

Item(s):
Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Cherry MX Blue mechanical keyboard; green backlight; matte case.
Package includes:
Original packaging with box; keyboard, manuals, Razer stickers.
Price:
RM380 (final price)
Warranty:
None
Dealing method:
CoD only..
Location:
Petaling Jaya - preferably One Utama, Center Point or Tropicana Mall
Contact method/details:
Please PM me
---

Item(s) conditions:
Brand new ; used for maybe 5 days to test the keyboard; no shine.
Picture:

If you need to see more photos, PM me. I'll take more photos over the weekend.
Reason for sale:
Love mechanical keyboard, decided to go hardcore by buying for hardcore mech keyboard using Topre switch.
Selling this keyboard as it was not used and is collecting 'dust'.

[WTS]Noppoo Choc Mini Cherry MX Black

belfong — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 17:12:41 +0800

Item(s):Noppoo Choc Mini Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Black

Package includes:One Keyboard

Price:RM200

Warranty:None

[b]Dealing method:CoD

Location:PJ/One Utama or nearby

Contact method/details:PM
---

Item(s) conditions:Good; barely used

Picture:

Choc Mini by Belfong, on Flickr

More photos:

Choc Mini by Belfong, on Flickr

Choc Mini by Belfong, on Flickr

Choc Mini by Belfong, on Flickr

To give you an idea of how compact this keyboard is:

Choc Mini by Belfong, on Flickr

Reason for sale:I didn't like Cherry MX Black, although it is known as the best switch for gaming. I ended up buying Poker 2 with MX Blue.

[WTS] ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard TrackPoint

belfong — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 10:31:26 +0800

Item(s): ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint

Package includes: One keyboard and two TrackPoint cap and a booklet

Price: RM280

Warranty: None

Dealing method: COD

Location: PJ

Contact method/details: PM
---

Item(s) conditions: The keyboard is almost 3 year old but I have only used for 5 months. The TrackPoint 'nipple' is still new

Picture:

ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

ThinkPad USB Traveller Keyboard with TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

TrackPoint by Belfong, on Flickr

Reason for sale: Decided to go for mechanical keyboard instead

[Review] Matias Quiet Pro Mechanical Keyboard

belfong — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 15:04:11 +0800

TL;DR Matias Quiet Pro is a mechanical keyboard for PC and Mac based on customised alps mechanical switch technology. It's more tactile than Cherry MX Blue but as quiet as the MX Black. Can order online and shipping cost to Malaysia is just US$15!

We have many threads in lowyat.net on mechanical keyboard club. I think it is version 15 now. So, I think there is a vibrant community here who loves mechanical keyboard. I have also spoken to a few people here. Many have heard of Matias keyboard but there are not much discussion about the keyboard here. Most of the popular discussions centered around popular brands that are readily available here such as Razer, SteelSeries, Filco, Ducky, Rosewill. And most of these are Cherry MX switches.

Matias has been around for years - I believe all the way back in 90s, so it is an established company. Yet it is still relatively unknown here maybe because their main target market, in the earlier years (and even now, I guess) are the Apple user base. Their flagship product, Matias Tactile Pro (which is now in it's 4th revision) is inspired by the Apple Extended Keyboard, which was Apple's mechanical keyboard for the Macintosh from years ago. Matias website even called it the "best keyboard Apple ever made rises again". They had a strong presence in the Mac market. Like the Apple Extended Keyboard, the Matias mechanical keyboard is based on alps switch (*1)

So, I received a Matias Quiet Pro keyboard a two days ago and have typed on it for around 15 hours. Quiet Pro is the silent version of Tactile Pro and while Tactile Pro is Mac only, Quiet Pro is available for the PC. I have used an alps switch base keyboard for 20 years - this was the keyboard that came with my first Acer PC running a intel 486DX processor. It was ancient and I have upgraded my PC many times but have not replaced the keyboard because I couldn't find something that is better. I didn't realize that it was mech keyboard then and that there are other mech keyboards. Such ignorance was bliss. Also, in my first job, I have been using the IBM Model M keyboard for 3 years, so I remember how it was using a great mechanical keyboard.

In the past few months, I am looking to replace this Acer mechanical because I am using Windows 8 and I am fed up with the lack of Windows key in the Acer keyboard. At the same time, I have a friend who sold me a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 on Cherry MX Blue. And I also ended up buying a second hand Noppoo 84-key Cherry MX Black keyboard. The Blue is clicky and tactile. The Black is silent and linear.

I will review the Matias against the Razer and Noppoo. I didn't try any other mechanical keyboards.

Photo Sep 18, 22 43 52 by Belfong, on Flickr
Box is pretty standard and professional looking. I like the handle for easy transporting.

Firstly, there's not much that can be said on the unboxing. It's a well designed and professional looking box and I love that they put a handle on it for easy transporting. When I carry it into the office, it raised a few eye brows and I get to talk about why I bring a keyboard to work. I think many will find it strange. Inside the box is just the keyboard in a wrapper covered by another layer of bubble wrap. There is a catalogue and a warranty card. Pretty basic.

Let's move on to the review. A review of a mechanical keyboard usually centred around 4 things: build quality of the case, build quality of the key caps, the underlying switch mechanics, and other additional features.

Photo Sep 18, 22 46 26 by Belfong, on Flickr
I don't know what font they used but I love the big size font!

The keyboard
When I first opened the box, the first thing that struck me was how pretty (is this a right term?) the keyboard is. The huge lettering and the textured key caps jumped out at me as very different from the Razer and other laptops keyboard and yet strangely familiar due to years with the Acer and the IBM Model M.

After the initial good impression settled in, I saw that it has a glossy case, not my preferred look. But as I put it beside my Dell monitor, which was also glossy, they were such a good fit together that I am able to look past it, but your mileage may wary. Having said that, strangely, it didn't attract as much fingerprint as my friend's 2012 Razer BlackWidow which was glossy. So perhaps it is the material being used. According to Matias, the plastic is made of polycarbonate, material, is harder than ABS and is scratch resistant. I think the new iPhone 5c is also made of polycarbonate.

In Matias website, there is a side profile of the keyboard and it showed a seam where the bottom case joined the top. It looked coarse in the photo but in reality, it was joined really well and looked classy. That doesn't bother me at all because the general aesthetics of the keyboard is nice.

Photo Sep 18, 22 48 12 by Belfong, on Flickr
The keys are aligned in a uniform manner. And they are very solid and do not wobble

Key caps
The keycaps are made of ABS material (source from geekhack.org). It is textured. They felt very good, unlike Razer's rubbery and sticky feel. The keys is thick and tall, reminiscence of IBM keyboards.

I love how solid the key cap felt. The space bar is the winner here. As a non touch typist, I tend to rest my left thumb on the left edge of the space bar and pressed the space bar. In the Razer, during the midst of a high speed typing, this caused the space bar to 'squeak', because of the high force pressing on just one edge of the space bar. Sometimes, the space bar wobbled. I think it is because of the way Razer designed the stabilizer. On the contrary, the space bar in Matias was totally solid. Pressing that left edge is like pressing the middle of the space bar. The key didn't wobble and felt like dislodging. If I tried to wiggle the Enter, Shift and Backspace keys, they were totally sturdy where as the Razer would wobbled.

Photo Sep 18, 22 46 04 by Belfong, on Flickr
Big and bright white lettering. Notice the slit for LED to light up the Scroll Lock and Num Lock. Also, do note
the volume control keys beside Num Lock and the new Tab key on the num pad for easy data entry

The photo on the right give a closed up look at the key caps. They are sculpted, meaning the key caps are curved. You could put a small cylinder on it and it will sit comfortably without rolling off. This means that your fingers can rest on it and if you are a touch typist, I would think that your fingers would not slip to another row.

I am not sure what font type was use. It was big, white and legible - very pleasant to the eye. The website said the letter was lazer-etch but I couldn't feel a 'ditch' (infill) being cut into the key cap, instead the lettering felt bulged above the key as though the letter was painted on the key.

Razer had their retro font which is nice but need some getting use to. Noppo's font is also good but they chose a yellow/gold colour and against a black key pad, they do not stand out and bright as the Matias.

Among the 3 keyboards that I currently owned, I can tell how cheap Razer key cap feels. It's crazy - in geekhack.org, a keyboard enthusiasts forum, many people there hates Razer. I didn't get the hate until I have the Matias. And I now see how overpriced the Razer is as compared to the Matias and Noppoo when comparing the build quality of the case and the key caps.

Matias Quiet Switch

Image extracted from diatec.co.jp website

The current demand for mechanical keyboard probably reached the mainstream due to the gaming industry. In Malaysia, for example, you can see many retail outlets carrying Razer or Steel Series products. There are probably one or two stores carrying Filco. We also have many Apple reseller retail stores like Mac City and Machines but I don't think I have ever seen a Matias in these stores. As such, people are more familiar with the Cherry family switches and I bet not many are familiar with alps. The oldies who used Apple Extended keyboard some older IBM-compatible PC like Acer or Dell may still remember how these felt.

How do you explain alps switches then?

The moment I typed on the Quiet Pro, I felt at home. It felt like the Acer I owned albeit a little stiff. I think perhaps the keyboard is still new. Compared to the Razer MX Blue, it is also stiffer - I am not sure of the actuation force required for the Matias alps. In comparison, Razer now felt too light. Noppoo MX Black is similarly stiff even though it is a linear switch. I think the stiff feeling is probably the thicker and taller key caps compare to the Razer. It is not a bad thing at all. Rubber dome keyboard or membrane keyboard does not have thick and tall key caps. They are light. I think I can get used to the stiffness.

I enjoyed the tactile feedback of the Matias. I find it it is more tactile than the Razer. I would have love the clicky sound but that is only from the Tactile Pro model, which is for the Mac. As I used all 3 keyboards, I tend to prefer Matias > Razer > Noppoo.

A better comparison would be with the Noppoo MX Black. It feels a lot like Noppoo MX Black minus the tactility. Jeff Atwood at Coding Horror recently released a new mechanical keyboard called CODE keyboard. It used the "ultra rare" Cherry MX Clear switches. The keyboards were sold out within weeks on launch and there is no restocking because of the unavailability of the MX Clear. Mr Atwood described the MX Clear as more tactile than Blue and yet more silent than Brown. This is exactly what Matias Quiet Pro reminded me of - more tactile than the Razer MX Blue and it is very quiet. As quiet as the Noppoo MX Black. Perhaps, this alps switch is comparable to the rare MX Clear switch. So if you want the CODE but missed the pre order, you can get the Matias.

I have decided to take the Matias to work (because of the quiet keyboard and because I type more at work) and leave the Razer for home use. The Noppoo will probably be my 'traveller' keyboard for LAN parties or something.

Other thoughts:
The Matias has a few additional features/omissions:
1. There are 3 USB ports - on the left and right side of the keyboard. The third is on the back of the keyboard, beside the cable. The beauty of this is that these ports are powered by ONE USB cable to the PC. The Razer took up two USB ports - one for the keyboard and one as passthrough and yet on the keyboard, Razer only give you one single port, located on the right side of the board where your mouse hand will knock into whatever device you plugged in there (bad design, Razer!!)

Photo Sep 18, 22 46 04 by Belfong, on Flickr
2. There are dedicated keys for volume up/down/mute above the num pad. Very nice! I hate keyboards with additional round buttons above the Function F1-F12 used as media or browser keys. They create unnecessary clutter. Fortunately, Matias does not do this but instead placed additional keys on the same row as the Function F1-F12 keys. These 4 keys are the Num Lock and 3 volume keys, making it looked really clean and professional. The slot where the Num Lock was originally located in other keyboard was taken by a new Tab key for ease of data entry for finance people. Other media controls such as Play/Stop, Forward, Reverse, are controlled via a Fn and F1/F2 keys.

3. The Fn key took the slot of the windows Menu key, meaning on the right side of the space bar, there are no Windows key and the Menu key. Some people may not like it.

4. No back light .. I kinda like the Razer backlighting but I don't know what I will do if one of the LED burnt. So, maybe it is good not to have backlighting.

In conclusion, I think Matias Quiet Pro is a solid and quality mechanical keyboard, on par with many of the popular ones made by Filco, Das, Ducky or WASD keyboards. They have a wide range of products from Quiet Pro to Tactile Pro to tenkeyless to a Bluetooth mechanical. The only problem for them in Malaysia and in the region is probably awareness and that they are using alps switch, something that are popular among Mac community. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they shipped their product to non-US/Canada countries out of Taiwan, meaning the shipping cost is a mere US$15. That made this keyboard very attractive for the keyboard enthusiasts in this country. If you owned Cherrys, curious about the rare Cherry MX Clear, heard of alps and Topre and buckling spring and would like to own one each, Matias is something that is reachable.

(*1) Alps was made by Alps Electric Co, a company in Japan which later exited the keyboard switch market and produce car stereo, Alpine. See the similarity? Alps, Alpine.

(Disclosure) I received this keyboard complimentary from Matias.

[WTS]2011 MacBook Air 11"

belfong — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:03:41 +0800

Item(s):MacBook Air 11"
2011 Model - ie Core i5
4GB memory
128GB SSD storage
This system was bought from Apple Singapore in Jan 2012; so it is just 1 year plus old.

Package includes:
Original box and power cord
I also have a 3M Gold Privacy Filter included if you are interested in it. It is not sticked to the screen as it is removable (original price RM130).

Running Mac OS X Lion
(note: I am not able to include Mountain Lion as that upgrade was purchase using my Apple ID. When I restore the base OS back to you, it will be the default OS, which was Lion)

Price:
Original price paid was RM3,399. Thinking of selling RM2,399.

Warranty:
Personal warranty - 1 week

Dealing method:
COD

Location of seller:
PJ

Contact method/details:
PM me

Age of item:
1 year 4 month

---

Item(s) conditions:
Never been dropped nor banged. I have it on the workstation most of the time, only occasionally moving it between meeting rooms, so it is in excellent condition.

Picture:

With 3M Gold Privacy Filter; note all packaging intact.

Without 3M Gold Privacy Filter
Reason for sale:
I want to get a MBA 13", more RAM and more SSD storage space!

Do you buy songs from iTunes Music Store (MY)?

belfong — Mon, 27 May 2013 11:02:36 +0800

iTunes Music Store launched last year and does it spell the death of Speedy records, Victoria Music, or other smaller music shops? I wonder if Malaysians buy more songs digitally, now that it is so convenient?

In my poll, I list only tracks as I am more interested in individual track purchase, not album. If you bough a lot of albums, put in the comments please. I think when iTMS first launch in Malaysia, it has many albums on sale, some screw up in pricing which resulted in a lot of album sales. I don't want to count those as that is just the initial launch surge.

I am more interested in current stable operations. If I go to iTMS Malaysia Top charts, I still don't see many local/regional songs - mainly US chart toppers or UK, which made me wonder if the customers are really very small.

Will iTMS shutdown one day? Your vote counts

How many Steam titles do you own?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 07:30:00 +0800

Photo App

belfong — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:17:51 +0800

Ok, I need help here.
I have Windows in C and My Documents and My Pictures pointed to H:\My Documents and H:\My Documents\Pictures

If I go to Explorer and click Picture Library, it shows the photos in H:\My Documents\Pictures correctly. It also shows C:\users\Public\My Pictures

But, the Photo app in Metro is not picking it up.
There are no photos being show in the app or in Live Tiles.
I tried uninstall and reinstalling the Photo app to no avail.
It does show photos from c:\users\Public\My Pictures.

I have also check the permission of the folders. All ok.

Anyone with this issue?

How many Steam titles do you own?

belfong — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:13:51 +0800

Inspired by my research on how many people in Gamers Hideout buy ori games (http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2586330) and my surprise at so many, around 70% now, and the fact that many commented that Steam changed the way people buy games, I am curious how many of Steam games do you own!

I know Deimos probably is the winner here

Do you buy ori?

belfong — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:34:06 +0800

I know there was a discussion here http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2433231/+100?hl=ori%20pirated but I am really interested to find the statistic about Malaysia PC gamers. There is a tendency of people to assume that many pirates PC games but with digital offerings like GMG and Steam going cheap, I like to think there are many who would shell out some hard earned dollars for ori games.

Please click ori if 7 out of your 10 games are ori (I think it's really rare for a gamer to own 100% ori )

How do I view all the topics I participated in?

belfong — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:08:30 +0800

-- Please keep your post concise to ensure a speedy review from us. We suggest 250 words or less. --
With most forum software, every topic that I post in is automatically tracked. So I just have to go to 'subscribed' view and it will list all the topics I participated in. With Lowyat forum, I can't find the feature. I know we can track the topic but it is done manually and I have to go to the Control Panel to view topic (a few clicks). Is there a faster way to do so? What are the guru's best practice here? I am sure you have even more topics to track than I do!

Lag

belfong — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:37:00 +0800

Shit. Rm218 and playing single player and lag like shit. My ping to Americas server is like 2000ms.

What happened???