Tech Review - Da Peng T2000, an iPhone with a Keyboard

I am a connoisseur of unusual tech. Rather than going for the latest gadgets, I go for the more offbeat ones. I earlier wrote a review on the Cherry Mobile P9 "Cutie", which never failed to serve as a conversation piece. Another one of my technological conversational pieces is the Da Peng T2000. It's a Chinese-made phone with an unusual twist: it is an iPhone clone that attaches to a leather case with a built-in keyboard! I bet owners of the real iPhone wished that their high-priced units had that.

I first encountered this hybrid wonder when I was once riding on a bus. A man beside me whipped out his phone and to my astonishment, it appeared to be an iPhone attached to a QWERTY keyboard. Whoa, that's so cool! I thought. And I promised myself to buy myself one. After some time, I was finally able to buy one from a gadgets bazaar somewhere in Alabang.

  

The phone served me for a time until the touch screen went awry; so I sent it into retirement. Recently, I was tempted to buy a seven-inch 3G Android tablet to serve as an on-the-road e-book reader and Internet access device; but I had to cut down on my expenses. So I decided to have my T2000 repaired and bring it back to active duty. So I took it to a technician to recalibrate the touch screen, and the phone got a new lease on life.

Specifications (Courtesy of SourcingGate.com)

 GSM Compatibility: Frequencies 850MHZ, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHZ.  

Language: English, French, Spanish, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia, Czech, Norwegian, Slovak, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Turkish, Russian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Swedish, Croatian, Romanian, Slovenian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese 
Screen: 3.2 inch, HVGA high vivid touch screen, 480*320 pixels  
SIM Card Slots: 2 Card Slots
SIM Card Modes: Dual SIM open, Only SIM1 open, Only SIM2 open, Flight Mode
Security Settings: Phone lock, Auto Keypad lock, Change password
Camera: 3.0 megapixel camera, supports video-shoot, the duration depends on storage
Audio Player: Built-in 
Ring tone: supports MP3 audio record as ring tone
User Profiles: General, Meeting, Outdoor, Indoor, Headset, Bluetooth
Memory: Support TF Card Slot. 
Vibration: Support 
GPRS Support: Browse WAP Website 
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Chat 
Games: Built-in Funny Games 
E-Book Reader: TXT 
JAVA Support: JAVA 2.0 
Bluetooth Support: Bluetooth 2.0  
Power Source: Built in Rechargeable Li-ion Battery 
Shape: Bar Phone 
Color: Black 

Multimedia: 
  - Camera, Image Viewer, Video recorder, Video Player, 
  - Audio Player, Sound recorder, FM Radio, Slide Show 
File formats: 
  - Music: MP3, MIDI, AMR, WAV… 
  - Image: GIF, JPG… 
  - Video: 3GP, MP4…
  - E-Book: TXT…
TV Function: 
  - Type: Analog 
  - My Channel, Channel Search, Area Setting, Add to My Channel 
  - Record Function: Yes
  - TV Record Format: 3GP 
Digital Still Camera:
  - Image Quality: High, Normal, Low
  - Snapshot Options: Delay Timer, Continuous Shot 
  - Picture Settings: Effects, White Balance 
  - EV: 8 steps (+4 to -4) 
Video recorder: 
  - Video Record Format: 3GP 
  - Video Quality: Normal, Low, High
  - Video Settings: Effects, White Balance 
  - EV: 8 steps (+4 to -4) 
Sound recorder:
  - Format: AMR, WAV 
  - Sound quality: Low, High 
Audio Player: 
  - Formats: MP3, WAV 
  - Settings: Storage, Repeat, Shuffle, Lyrics,
FM Radio: 
  - Radio FM Tuner Frequency: 87.5MHz to 108MHz
  - Background Play: ON, OFF
  - Loudspeakers: ON, OFF 
Bluetooth: 
  - Type: MTK BT DEVICE 
  - Supported Service Profiles: Handsfree, Headset
  - Options: Power, Inquiry Audio Device, My Device, Active Devices, Settings 
Battery Life: 
  - Talk Time: Up to 3.5 hours 
  - Music Play: Up to 7 hours 
  - Standby Time: 200 to 400 hours 
Personal Organizer: 
  - Calculator, Calendar, Alarm Clock, World Clock
  - Stopwatch, Mobile QQ, Currency converter, E-book reader and Notepad. 

Package Content:  
• 1 x DaPeng T2000 Phone
• 2 x Standard Rechargeable Battery
• 1 x Travel Charger  
• 1 x USB (to mini-USB) cable 
• 1 x User’s Manual 
• 1 x Wired Earphones with MIC and Clip 

The iPhone clone phone unit. Note the connectors on the right side of the phone.

The Da Peng T2000 phone unit is a clone of the famous Apple product, with a 3.2 inch touch screen with a round "back" button below. On the top edge is the loud speaker, 3.5 mm audio jack and a telescoping television antenna (yes, this iPhone has analog TV!). On the left side is the USB port (compatible with Samsung's data cable) and the on/off switch. A telescoping stylus can be pulled out from the bottom.

Have you seen an iPhone with a TV antenna...?

...and a stylus?

 The leather case has a docking cradle where the phone is attached by snapping it in. A set of pins inside the cradle connect to contacts on the right side of the phone (when it is upright). These contacts apparently carry data and power--the keyboard does not use a separate power source (which may not be possible if this is a Bluetooth keyboard). The buttons on the keyboard are big--perfect for a guy with fat thumbs like me!

The leather case/keyboard (above) and the phone unit (below).

The phone unit snaps on to the keyboard easily.

Just like other "China phones", the T2000 is a dual-SIM, dual-standby phone (where can you see an iPhone where you can insert two SIM cards?). It has analog TV (Beat that, Apple!), a FM radio tuner, an MP3 player, and a memory card slot (expandable up to 2 GB, the specs say; but I have a 4GB card inserted and it's working fine). It has an e-book reader where I can read my favorite downloaded books (albeit only in .txt format) so I can study or read on the road.

The T2000 is an Internet phone. It can connect to the World Wide Web via GPRS or WiFi. Besides its native browser, one can surf using third-party browsers like Opera Mini or QQ Browser. Whether I am using a Smart or Globe data plan, browsing is reasonably fast. I usually use a pay-per megabyte bundle; and thanks to the mobile browsers' data-compression tchnology, a cheap plan can last me a whole day. However, downloading files like attachments or applications can be a little bit slow or problematic. (Opera Mini usually turns over downloading to the native browser; QQ Browser can take care of this by itself.)

Another thing I like about the phone is that is it Java 2.0 enabled. It comes bundled with Google Maps, eBuddy Messenger, Opera Mini 4 in various languages, Mobile Office (for viewing MS Word and Excel documents) and Snaptu (now defunct) for Facebook. Since the phone is Java-enabled, I could download and install my favorite Java applications from sites like GetJar.

The large 3.6" screeen is bright and clear; however, the touch screen is only resistive (as opposted to capacitive), so sometimes you neeed to exert some effort to scroll the icons. The keys of the onscreen keyboard are quite small so it's a difficult to type with one's fingers (that is why the physical keyboard is a boon). A downside is that the shift (change case) key is only available on the on-screen keyboard; so when I'm typing, I have to hit that key on the display. But another cool feature of this phone is its handwriting recognition, in which you can use a stylus to write letters--and even Chinese characters!

The 3.7-volt lithium-ion battery is rated at 3600 mAh(!) which is great for power-hungry touch screen "smart" phones. In my experience, the battery can last about twelve hours with Internet usage (I almost exclusively use this phone for surfing).

The phone's front and back cameras capture pictures reasonably well; though they can't hold a candle beside more expensive units. Strangely, the resolutions for BOTH cameras appear to be the same; unlike other units where the back camera is usually has a better resolution (for general use) than the one on front (which is usually just use for self-portraits). Below are samples of pictures taken by the phone:

Picture taken with the back camera.

Picture taken from the front camera.

I have yet to test other features of this phone, like its video player that is said to be able to play streaming videos from YouTube.

Overall, the phone is a great piece of offbeat tech; a touch screen phone that comes with a keyboard case. It comes with a plethora of features and applications, which properly makes it a smart phone in it own right. And being a piece of offbeat tech, the Da Peng T2000 is a sure conversation piece.

The phone being recharged by a portable rechargable power bank--to be reviewed soon!

A Sermon for the Presentation of the Lord at the Temple

4th Sunday after the Epiphany, B

February 3, 2013

Luke 2:22-40

An Orthodox icon on the Presentation of the Lord.
From left to right: Joseph, Anna, Mary, Jesus, and Simeon.

Introduction

Forty days ago, we celebrated the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrate his Presentation in the Temple. We read in the Scriptures that the Torah says the every male child that opens the womb (i.e., a firstborn son), is to be sanctified to the Lord. Furthermore, the Torah also requires that forty days after the birth of a son, a woman offers a sacrifice to the Lord (cf. Leviticus 12). Today, forty days after we have celebrated Christmas, we must meditate: What does it mean for Jesus being in the "temple" of our lives?

Excursus. Now, we must first clarify: The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is NOT a pattern for Christian experience. Some people have taken this as proof that Christians should not have their children baptized, only "dedicated".  But we United Methodists must never speak of the baptism of children as a mere "dedication". "Dedication" is not a Christian ordinance but a Jewish one. (But not during modern times: the dedication of firstborn sons can only be done at the Temple. But since the Temple has been destroyed, all Temple rituals, like sacrifices and the dedication of the firstborn, cannot be done.) Just as Jewish boys are entered into the covenant of Abraham through circumcision, the children of Christians are entered into the New Covenant through baptism.

Now, just as Jesus was presented at the Temple, Jesus is also in the "temple" of our lives, our bodies being a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 6:19). If Jesus is present in the Temple of our lives, what does this mean?

I. The presence of Jesus brings Obedience to the Law (Luke 2:22-24)

Joseph and Mary is a picture of obedience to the Torah when they presented Jesus at the Temple and offered sacrifices as required by the Law. Poverty was not a hindrance to their obedience, because they still offered the required sacrifices, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24; cf. Leviticus 12:8).

A. Of course, for us Christians, this does not mean observance of the laws of purification (niddah, which is what Jesus parents do here), of dietary laws (kashrut) or even of holy days (moedim):

Let no one therefore judge you in food or in drink (kashrut); or because of holy days (or festivals, moedim), or of the new moon (Rosh Chodesh), or of the Sabbath day (Shabbat); which are shadows of things to come; but the reality (lit., body) is in Christ. (Colosians 2:16-17)

B. However, some have taken the grace of God in the New Covenant to mean free from obedience, even of Scripture itself. John Wesley writes of an instance:

While I was here, I talked largely with a pious woman, whom I could not well understand. i could not doubt of her being sincere, nay, and much devoted to God: But she had fallen among some well-meaning enthusiasts, who taught her to attend to the inward voice, as to quit the society, the preaching, the Lord's Supper, and almost all the outward means. In find no persons harder to deal with than these. One knows not how to advise them. They must not act contrary to their conscience, though it be an erroneous one. And who can convince them that it is erroneous? None but the Almighty (quoted from A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader by Bishop Rueben P. Job, p. 62).

      This is what Wesley calls "enthusiasm". In his sermon, "The Nature of Enthusiasm", he defines enthusiasm as such:

Every enthusiast, then, is properly a madman. Yet his is not an ordinary, but a religious, madness. By “religious,” I do not mean, that it is any part of religion: quite the reverse. Religion is the spirit of a sound mind; and, consequently, stands in direct opposition to madness of every kind. But I mean, it has religion for its object; it is conversant about religion. And so the enthusiast is generally talking of religion, of God, or of the things of God, but talking in such a manner that every reasonable Christian may discern the disorder of his mind. Enthusiasm in general may then be described in some such manner as this: a religious madness arising from some falsely imagined influence or inspiration of God; at least, from imputing something to God which ought not to be imputed to Him, or expecting something from God which ought not to be expected from Him.

      There are those who, claiming to receive a "special revelation" from God, or alleged "guidance" from the Holy Spirit, act as if they above human accountability or supposed themselves (though they do not admit it) above Scripture. There are those who perform exorcisms in ways that are questionable by biblical standards; or those who overthrow common worship of the Church, the liturgy, to human whims.

C. A example of a person who is truly guided by the Holy Spirit is Simeon, an old man who is "just and devout", and who waited for the "consolation of Israel" (a term used for the awaited Messiah; in Greek, παράκλησις, paraklesis, the same word used by Jesus to describe the Holy Spirit, who is the "another Comforter"). It was revealed to him by the Spirit that he will not see death until he had seen the Messiah. It was by the impulse of the Spirit that Simeon went into the Temple courts. Perhaps it was even by the impulse of the Spirit that he sees the parents and the Holy Child with them--his long-awaited Messiah.

II. The presence of Jesus brings Assurance in our Lives (Luke 2:25-35)

The Canticle of Simeon, the Nunc Dimittis, is the traditional night prayer of the Church. It is short enough to be memorized, so it can be recited as one's last thoughts before finally falling asleep. Sleep has been seen by monastics as a rehearsal for death; for we do not know if we will wake up the next day or not. Therefore, sleep should be seen as a preparation for death.

A. The Nunc Dimittis begins with a prayer for the Lord to let his servant to depart, or die, in peace: "Lord, let your servant depart (or, dismiss your servant) in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all people..." (Luke 2:29-30). Because Jesus, the Savior, is in our lives, we can be unafraid of anything, even death. Many people are afraid of death: for the worldly things they will leave behind or for the things they yet have to achieve. The presence of Jesus in our lives brings assurance, even in the face of death.

B. The Nunc Dimittis continues with references of God bringing light to the nations and to Israel: "A light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel" (v. 31). The Canticle of Simeon is the night prayer of the Church because, even in the dark of night, Jesus is the light that never ends.

III. The presence of Jesus bring Quiet Trust (Luke 2:36-40)

Another character in our Gospel reading is Chanah bat Peniel (Anna daughter of Phanuel), the prophetess, from the tribe of Asher. She had been married for only seven years ("lived with a husband seven years from her virginity", Luke 2:36) and is now a widow for eighty-four years (or, is eighty-four years old). She spends her time in the Temple, serving God with prayer and fasting (v. 37).

A. Anna is a picture of a monastic way of life. Her ascetic lifestyle is not an example of a normal way of life; but she is an example of prayer without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). "Prayer without ceasing" does not mean continuous prayer, but continual prayer; that is, a lifestyle of prayer. With Jesus in our lives, we can block out the noise around us and focus our minds on God through prayer.

B. Anna is a picture of quiet trust. People nowadays are uncomfortable with silence: we let our radios and televisions blare even if no one is listening or watching. We can see a lot of young people with headsets or earphones, with music players pumping upbeat music (nay, garbage) into their ears. There are also people who are no longer comfortable the melodies of our hymns; presuming instead to use the worldly, sensual music that they prefer to worship God. We need to return to silence, for in silence we can open and hear the quiet voice of God.

A Sermon for National Bible Sunday, 2013

3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, C

National Bible Sunday

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-7, 8-10

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus Preaches in The Synagogue by William Hole

Introduction

Every last Sunday of January, we celebrate National Bible Sunday (Pambansang Linggo ng Biblia). This was established by executive order by the late president Corazon Aquino, a devout Roman Catholic, and again by former president Fidel V. Ramos, a devout Protesant. The celebration of National Bible Week and National Bible Sunday is led by the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and the Roman Catholic Church through its Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA).

Today, as we celebrate National Bible Sunday, we meditate on the first reading and the Gospel reading. In the first reading, we see Ezra the Priest reading and interpreting the Torah to the people of Israel. In the Gospel reading, we see Jesus reading from the book of Isaiah the Prophet and preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. Today we will focus on the reading of the Bible and it's effects on our lives.

I. The reading of the Scriptures.

In the liturgy, we have first the reading of the Scriptures. In our church, we have three readings from the Scriptures: The first lesson, which is usually from the Old Testament; afterwards is a reading from the book of Psalms, which is not a Scripture reading but a response to the first reading. The second lesson is usually from the epistles of the New Testament. Finally, we have the peak of revelation as we rise for the reading of the Gospel lesson.

A. In the first reading, we see Ezra the Scribe, on a high wooden pulpit, publicly read the Torah to the people of Israel. In the synagogue, a portion (parashah in Hebrew) of the Torah (usually around six chapters long, so there are several readers) is read during Shabbat services (and also on Monday and Thursday). According to the Bible, Ezra read the Torah on "the first day of the seventh month", that is, on Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish civil New Year. It was most fitting that the people hear the public reading of the Torah on the first day of the year. These people were exiles from Babylon and they have been recently allowed to go home because of the edict of King Cyrus of Persia (Ezra 1:1-3).

B. In the Gospel reading, we see Jesus, the Messiah, read from the book of Isaiah the Prophet. In the synagogue, after the Torah reading, is a reading from the Prophets (usually a chapter long) which has a relation to the Torah reading. This is called the Haftarah (not "half-Torah"), the 'completion' of the readings. Usually the reader of the Haftarah is also the one who will deliver the sermon (called a Davar Torah, or 'word on the Torah').

C. The Bible does not tell us directly that we should read the Bible everyday. During those days, it was difficult and expensive to even procure a Torah scroll. Scrolls were made from animal skins and copied by hand by scribes. It was only with the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg that books became affordable: the first book that was ever printed was the Bible.

Nevertheless, Scripture commends the daily reading of the Scriptures. Before his conquest of the Promised Land, the LORD commanded Joshua ben Nun:

This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

The Psalms calls the one who meditates on the Law as "blessed":

But his delight is in the Torah of the LORD; and in his Law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

In both the first and Gospel reading, we see Ezra and Jesus not only read the Bible but also explain what it says. We can see that after the reading of the Scriptures, we have its interpretation.

II. The Interpretation of the Word.

In the first reading, we see Ezra the Scribe not only read the Torah "distinctly", but together with some Levites, "gave the sense" and "caused the people to understand the reading" (Nehemiah 8:7-8). In the Gospel reading, we see that after the Haftarah reading, Jesus "sat down" and begin to teach (Luke 4:20-21). In the liturgy, after the reading of the Word, we have the interpretation of the Word through the sermon.

A. The reading of the Scripture precedes the sermon because the Scripture is the basis of the sermon; not the other way around. There is a danger in eisegesis, where we read meaning into the text; i.e., that we make the Bible say what we want to say. Proper interpretation of the Bible is called exegesis, where we get the meaning out of the text itself.  Preaching is not giving one's opinion and then using the Bible to support it. Preaching is, like in our first reading, to "give the sense" of the Scriptures so that the people will "understand the reading".

B. Ultimately, preaching is an exposition of Christ, that is, to reveal what the Scripture says about God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said of the reading from the book of Isaiah, "This day the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21); that is, that the Scripture was talking about him. When we read and interpret the Bible, our ultimate goal is not just to gain information, to get to know more about God himself.   This is why St. Paul writes in his epistle to the Ephesians (1:17) that he prays for "the spirit of wisdom (σοφία, sofia) and revelation (αποκάλυψις, apokalupsis, the word where we get 'apocalypse')"--that is, that believer not only about God, but know God himself. When we read and interpret the Bible, our ultimate goal is not just to gain information, to get to know more about God himself.

The reading and interpretation of the Word is an act of God, done through the agency of human beings, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. But this is not the end; for the reading and preaching of the Word demands a human response--our response.

III. The Response to the Word.

After hearing the reading and interpretation of Scripture, a person is left in an inescapable situation: to respond to what one has heard. One can either accept or reject the message of Scripture. In the liturgy, the readings and the sermon is followed by a response to the Word. Often this involves the recitation of one of the ancient statements of faith: the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed. Even the offering is seen as a response to the Word: the "offering" of oneself and one's possessions, to God.

A. In the first reading, the reading of the Torah led to the people to weep for their sins (Nehemiah 8:9), no doubt for hearing in the Torah all of the shortcomings of the nation. One of our responses to the Word is sorrow for the wrong that we have done and the good that we have failed to do. But godly sorrow does not end in sorrow. Nehemiah the Governor told the people to go home, "eat the fat and drink the sweet" and give gifts to the poor (Nehemiah 8:10), "for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The reading of the Scriptures does not only bring us sorrow when we become aware of sin; but also joy because of the assurance of forgiveness.

B. In the Gospel reading, the people "marveled" at the words of Jesus. Jesus showed the people that Isaiah was speaking about him and that he himself is the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah. The reading and interpretation of Scripture should fill us with awe, as the psalmist says, "Open my eyes that I may see/wondrous truths from your Law" (Psalm 119:18).

Nature review - Green Crested Lizard

What's that on the grass?

One cold December morning [last 2012—GTG], as I was walking in a campsite somewhere in Amadeo, Cavite, I happened upon a bright green lizard that seemed to gleam on the grass. Its body was about the length of my hand and it had a very long tail. Overcome by curiosity, I tried following the creature because I wanted to take some pictures. It was very fast moving, but I observed that it is also able to hold very still—perhaps using its color to camouflage itself on the grass. While it was motionless, I was able to move in and snap a few photos.

It's a chameleon! Or so we thought....

A few guys nearby were able to catch the lizard and put it in a clear plastic jar. To our surprise, the lizard changed from bright green into a darker green with brown stripes. Oh my, I thought. We caught a chameleon! I took more pictures of the lizard. When I left it with the guys, it had turned into brown.

I was a bit concerned that we could get into trouble by catching an endangered animal. I recall that recently there was a craze in catching geckoes—a specimen weighing 500 grams can fetch up to PHP 100,000 in the black market. So I did a little googling around and found out that there are no chameleons in the Philippines. The “chameleon” we caught is actually a common creature in Southeast Asia called the green crested lizard, Bronchocela cristatella.

According to EcologyAsia.com, the green crested lizard “Lizard inhabits primary and secondary forest, but can also be found in disturbed areas and parklands…. This lizard is known to occur in Burma, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines (the southern islands including Mindanao and Palawan), Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and other parts of Eastern Indonesia, and Java….” Its page on the lizard contains several pictures of this beautiful creature.

Meanwhile, blogger Mark Jason Villa, in his blog Mark Jason Goes Birding, said that he also encountered this Palawan. It was from this blog that I learned that this lizard is in fact a lizard and not a chameleon. His page on the subject contains pictures of the lizard changing from green to brown to green again.

I hope that more people would get the opportunity to see this amazing little creature and be filled with awe and appreciation, and be moved to protect this and all other creatures, so that our children will inherit a world of wonder and natural beauty.