The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one great phone when it comes to hardware like its 5-inch Super AMOLED screen. Yet, by packing in a whole of features – including some crapware – the Korean phone maker may make you pull your hair out in frustration at times.

How do you get get a “clean” Android interface, without all the clunky bells and whistles? Here are some suggestions. …

Geographical restrictions are the bane of consumers who want the freedom of accessing content wherever they choose, and Windows 8 is no different. Log in to the Store with your home country set as Singapore and you’ll see the above screen.

It looks so sparse and boring that newbies who aren’t familiar with the operating system will likely think this is what the Windows Store supposed to look like. The poor experience does Microsoft no favours.

Users in the US, however, will get to see this in their Windows Store: …

So, you took the plunge this weekend, after seeing the really attractive Windows 8 prices, and decided to upgrade your PC to Microsoft’s latest operating system. Then, you ask: where’s the Start bar?

The new interface, built with touch screens in mind, can be bewildering for users who are used to seeing their old Windows desktop. But fear not, here are a few tips to get things going your way.

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With Windows 8 just days from launch, one word is increasingly on the lips of folks in the industry – confusion.

While Windows 8 brings with it loads of innovation, including a touch-friendly interface, the various software versions and sheer variety of devices appearing on shelves everywhere could well have some consumers scratching their heads. Apparently, even some folks in Microsoft can’t tell the difference.

How do you choose between Windows 8 and Windows RT? Do you buy Microsoft’s Surface tablet or an iPad, or well, a laptop? What’s with these hybrid devices that promise the best of both worlds?

Here’s a quick guide to pick the right software and device.

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When she posted those insensitive remarks on Facebook, Amy Cheong probably never expected, in even her worst nightmares, that she’d be sacked the next day and hounded out of the country by an angry online community.

Yet, the former NTUC executive is now in Perth, where she has flown off to avoid the backlash, according to The New Paper.

How did a foolish rant about a wedding in the void deck bring such swift and angry reactions? Needless to say, she should not have said those hurtful remarks that have now been condemned as racist.

But there’s a lesson here for anyone using the Internet, that is, a random rant to vent after a long day at work can be amplified many times over online. Sometimes, on social media, the lines between private and public are not so clear. …

If you have ever wondered why it usually costs nothing to send an e-mail but so much more to make a phone call while overseas, you will have found that the cost has nothing to do with the distance or effort required to deliver things.

Rather, it’s the different charging models that have been developed – and kept – over the years by powerful companies, like telecom operators which own the wires underneath the ground and sea. Fortunately, of late, so-called over-the-top services like Skype, which use the Internet to bypass these expensive business models, have come to spoil the market.

In the pay-TV arena, the same is happening. Well, at least in the United States, where services such as Netflix and Hulu are offering thousands of movies and TV shows to viewers for a flat under-US$10 monthly fee. That has made many couch potatoes there “cut the cord” to their pay-TV operators.

Increasingly, many broadband users in Singapore are also hooking up to these services even though they are only available to folks in the US. It’s simple: you just trick them into believing that you’re in the US.

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One of the things you miss most when travelling is the chance to constantly check your Facebook feed and update – or irritate – your friends with photos of how great your holiday is.

That is all because of the sometimes crazy amounts of charges you could incur while setting your phone to log on to overseas mobile networks. Sure, telecom operators have reined in bill shock with constant reminders of your usage overseas while also introducing more use-all-you-can mobile roaming options in some countries.

But nothing beats buying a local prepaid SIM card, if you take a bit of time setting things up. Not only does it offer cheap local calls, it gives you usually unbeatable mobile Internet rates. …

Who needs a desktop PC any more? That question replayed in my head more than a dozen times in recent weeks when I was thinking of rebuilding a new PC.

After all, with the exception of gaming – and I am playing fewer games these days – there really isn’t much that a cheap, fast and pretty ultrabook cannot do. Even if I wanted to build a new PC, I could buy a really small case, stuff it with all the excellent gear and be really happy with it.

But one look at the classic Silverstone TJ07 case I’ve been using for more than five years, and it’s clear I’m keeping that amazing piece of gear. Despite its rather dated interior layout and being better suited for a watercooling setup, its aluminium unibody design is still stunning to look at and puts a smile on many PC builders.

And so I built a new PC with it in the past few days. Here’s a brief work log of sorts of my new PC based on an Intel Ivybridge CPU. …

When it turned up in Singapore early this year, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 was one of the best tablets – still is, actually – with a bright Super AMOLED screen and a really sharp resolution. So when the rest of the Samsung pack, from the Galaxy S II to Galaxy Note, recently got their official Ice Cream Sandwich updates, it seemed somewhat left out.

I’m not waiting for Samsung Singapore to release their firmware, of course. Earlier this week, when an official ROM update (for Europe) turned up online, I updated my Galaxy Tab 7.7. It is now like a new tablet, zippy and really responsive.
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One of the best things about owning an Android phone is that you can customise your gizmo to no end with open source software that is available and well-made by a committed community of enthusiasts.

Yes, I’m talking about custom ROMs that replace the operating system that comes with your phone. In particular, the popular CyanogenMod 9 (CM9) version of Android 4.0 that is now very mature and have reached “release candidate” status – in other words, it is very stable for many phones out there.

A couple of days ago, I finally decided I’ve had enough of Samsung’s version of Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3) on my Galaxy S II and flashed it with CM9. Since then, I’ve never been happier with my phone.

The interface is understated and cleaner than Samsung’s rather cartoony Touchwiz interface which it layers on top of its Android operating system. Better yet, CM9 doesn’t come with a lot of the useless stuff that the phone maker deems it necessary to include. Without that bloat, the performance is very zippy.

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