I want Google Voice NOW!!!

I want this awesome app on my phone bad... really bad.... Guess we all have to wait until it comes to Indonesia. Sigh.

PROS:

1. Works just like Sykpe, only better. Fully integrated with your address book, so you can make calls directly from your phone, from the address book. No need to sign in to the website first.
2. It's FREE (so far, in US)
3. One number for all your calls and SMS. Google Voice number will be assigned, and you can link this number for all your phones - cellular 1, cellular 2, cellular 3, home, office, and so on. No more figuring out which phone number you should give to a particular person - just give this one number. All calls will be routed to your assigned phone device. This is extremely useful for Indonesians used to carrying 2 - 3 phones with different providers (because of the rate difference, calling a person with provider A to provider A is much cheaper than calling provider A to provider B). Now I'll have push calls in addition to my push emails!
4. Calls are FREE (from Google Voice to Google Voice) because it's VoIP.
5. Online voicemail as easy as email, with karaoke-style transcripts (you can read the voicemail!). Save your voicemails to your inbox. Forward to anyone via email.
6. Cool features for the calls: Announce caller and listen to voicemail as it's being recorded.
7. Send and receive SMS like emails.
   
8. It's FREE!! (so far)

CONS:

1. Only available in the US (for the time being) :-( :-(
   

More:

1. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-voice-mobile-app-for-blackberry.html
2. http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html#

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Basil Bistro & Lounge, Cilandak

Here's an upscale-ish but affordable restaurant for you: Basil Bistro & Lounge at the Talavera Office Park, Cilandak (next to Cilandak Town Square). Nice, modern place with pretty good food arranged tastefully on white presentation platters, perfect for quick business meeting or pleasant mid-week dinner with friends or family. Service in all criteria is quick and courteous.

The food is good, although some of it are pretty mediocre. You'd have to know what to order. But overall the taste is excellent, not disappointing and combined with the pleasant atmosphere and various discounts and promotions make this little gem in South Jakarta a definite go-to hangout destination.

My favorite recommendation is the John Dorry Fish served with mashed potato and the Field Green Salad, although I didn't have a chance to taste the latter. But it must be good, because the server totally recommended it to us but they sold out on it. Instead I ordered the Caesar's Salad, and it was already plenty good, with chunks of real parmesan cheese and creamy dressing. It was light and fresh, perfect for our main entree.

The Caesar's Salad

I got the specials which is pan fried Norwegian Salmon. It was mediocre, with the salmon just a tad bit too dry and hard. In the US I cook a lot of salmon so I know I can simulate the cooking more or less, with the juice still retained inside the fish. I think they used Japanese soy sauce in the cooking, I can taste the umami effect and the fact that the fish is browned. It costs Rp. 100,000.

Half-eaten (I was HUNGRY!) and hastily re-arranged for a picture Pan Fried Norwegian Salmon. Terrible, terrible photo quality. I'm really hating the fact my camera broke and I don't have a proper camera.

On the upper side you can see a piece of hijacked Dorry fish next to the greens.

The John Dorry Fish, however, was excellent. It was perfectly breaded, it was airy, and it was a pleasure to eat. It was balanced very nicely. Served with cream sauce, the fish is juicy, crispy and delicious. I didn't have a chance to snap a picture of it, because we were hungry and ate it as soon as it came. Needless to say, this is one dish I'll keep coming back to. It was Rp. 60,000, truly a great value. It came with mashed potatoes and greens. I would prefer the mashed potatoes to be a little bit creamier and buttery, though.

I hear that the desserts are also heavenly, but I'm not one to care about desserts. But I notice things like various chocolates cakes sure to drive the ladies nuts.

Perhaps the biggest value with this restaurant is their frequent, seemingly never ending promotions. They have things like 50% off every third Thursday of the month (for ladies only. I know.), 25 - 30% various promotions (check with management) and weekly special promotions like "Eat with 4 friends and cheapest main course is FREE." I just missed their Heineken promo "Buy a bucket of 5 for Rp. 120,000 and get FREE 4 snack samplers." Sign up with management to get those email newsletters. The manager's name is Yaqub and he's friendly - he'll remember your name for the first time. You can also follow them at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jakarta-Indonesia/Basil-Bistro-with-Lounge/45909249159

Basil Bistro & Lounge

Talavera Office Park Ground Floor #106-107

TB Simatupang Kav. 26

Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia

(021) 9130 - 9969

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What does it mean if a BlackBerry app is in bold?

Unimportant, yet knowing this makes me feel good. It's as if a light bulb just went off in my head. So THAT'S what it meant!

Website link: http://www.bbgeeks.com/quick-tips/what-does-it-mean-if-a-blackberry-app-is-in-bold-883134/

The following is an as-is cut and paste from the website. Like I said, credit goes to the above link.

What Does It Mean If A Blackberry App Is In Bold?
Posted by Joe July 24, 2009

Just as a quick experiment, pick up your BlackBerry and go to Options, Advanced Options, Applications. After the app list builds, you’ll see your normal list. You might have noticed this before, but a number of those applications are in bold-faced font. I noticed it, but never bothered to even wonder why. Just figured it was because it was. Then I ran into this article by Al Sacco. He’s an interesting dude, and if he’s interested in why some apps are bolded, well, I guess that makes it interesting. Answer after the jump.



Drum roll please…

It means that you’ve edited the default permissions of the application. You might not remember doing so, and that’s probably because you never actively did it. Many applications need access to features like GPS, and to gain this access they need to gain permission. When you boot up the application (or sometimes when you install it), you’re asked to grant the application these permissions. Most people say yes and then forget about it.

If you want to change the permissions back to default, just highlight the application, hit Menu, select Edit Default Permissions, hit Menu again, and select Apply Defaults to All. Of course, that might not be the best idea. Taking away these permissions can render an application essentially worthless.

###

Bakmi Asui - the best noodle yet

In honor of my dad's 4 yrs passing away, we went to eat noodles at his favorite restaurant called Bakmi Asui (Bakmi = noodles). This place is located in Tanjung Duren, Jakarta Barat.

Having been used to Bakmi Yanti in West Covina, tasting this was like heaven and earth. This literally is the best "karet" (chewy) noodles I've ever eaten! Then again, I haven't been in the country long enough to call it best, but it came pretty darn close. This is a type of noodles where the body is somewhat resilient, not soft like regular noodles, and is chewy by that standard thus earning the nickname "karet" or "rubber" noodles.

It has a deep, nutty flavor accented with sufficient herbs and and savory fish sauce. Fish sauce is an "umami" agent, otherwise known as the fifth taste, and once cooked or integrated in cooking it gives you that subtle, pleasant yet powerful savory flavors.

The best part of the dish comes from the thickly sliced, highly satisfying organic chicken cuts. We call this "Ayam Kampung" in Indonesia, where "Ayam" is chicken and "Kampung" is village. These are chickens raised organically, without hormones or additives and so are smaller and leaner than their factory-raised counterparts. They're a lot more expensive, of course, and our noodle bowls were filled to the brim with these chicken cuts. See for yourself.


The pot of gold: goodness chunks of thick sliced chicken over really dank noodles


The broth was serious yummy


Fried meatball and siomay

I observed a hectic kitchen where the workers were either skinning and cutting the chicken or boiling and working on the noodles. I was later told that they buy all fresh chickens and started cooking them at 3 in the morning. Pots and pots of them. They also make their own noodles using a secret ingredient list and method to achieve that rubbery taste. The noodles are served with these thick, deep-flavored chicken broth filled with meatballs or wontons.


Worker rifling freshly boiled noodles


Observe the pile of chicken in the large pot


This guy's job is to process the chicken. Why aren't you wearing gloves, dude?


Hectic kitchen where there were so many things going on at once

Asui noodles opens at 6 am every day and by 11am they'll run out of noodles and chicken, and closes the shop. EVERY DAY. Their volume is nuts. The restaurant has no signage and visible sign posts. I don't even know what street it's on, I can't find the street sign. It's a hole-in-the-wall shop. When I ask for a business card, they all look at me like I was some sort of lost tourist.


A non descript storefront, how the heck am I supposed to find this place again?

The closest street sign to that place is Jl. Tanjung Duren Barat #2. Here's how to get to Asui Noodles:

From Mall Taman Anggrek, go straight till you hit the bridge. Make left, then in 300m once you hit the Police precinct of Tanjung Duren turn right. First 3 way turn right, then first intersection make left. Asui Noodles is right on the hook.

OR

From the left of the Police precinct Tanjung Duren, turn left, straight till you hit 3 way. Asui Noodles is located right on the corner.

OR

Just ask people around that area. They all know where it's at. Asui Noodles has been in business for 30 years.

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Smartphone War: What Apple, RIM Should Do

BB Mania!

Following my earlier post on Blackberry's cult-like popularity in Indonesia, I would like to offer my own set of recommendations for RIM, the maker of Blackberry, and Apple, the maker of iPhone. Why? Because these are my wish list for a super smartphone that combines both of their strongest features.

I choose to pit Blackberry vs. iPhone because I see the iPhone as a powerful newcomer (already at third place in global market share) in the smartphone world with an astonishingly fast-learning abilities. Of course, I can't discount Nokia or even Nexia, which may prove to be an even bigger threat to Blackberry in Indonesian market.

But for all purposes, I think iPhone comes closest to the Blackberry in terms of the "It" factor, class and unique selling points. Nokia still holds the largest market share holder in Indonesia, but they are fast becoming irrelevant, and Nexia concentrates on selling introductory, low-end handsets.

For now, Blackberry wins hands down for business use, but I won't be surprised if Apple completely reinvents itself all over again within the next 2 - 3 years. If RIM doesn't play catch up to Apple's strong points - SOON, one day they'll wake up and see their precious Blackberry's market share flood over to the future "Unlocked iPhone 80GB with expandable micro SD and replaceable battery AND native push email 5.5GS." Remember that in Indonesia trends flare up like wildfires and once that fire started, there'll be no turning back, as in the case with Nokia.

Already the iPhone has the fastest processor, biggest onboard memory, the best, most beautiful User Interface of any smartphone in the market right now, and its webkit-based browser is constantly rated as the best in the industry. Tell me what won't stop them from giving their best into taking Blackberry head-on. I think that RIM, which has the world's 2nd largest market share, sits squarely on Apple's cross hairs. Taking out RIM would be their next logical step. Once RIM is out, then Apple can concentrate on tackling any Windows Mobile and Palm pestilence and eventually Nokia, which dominates at a whopping 43.7% and yet saw its market share tumble down from 49.4% vs. 2008.


iPhone took the world by storm and elevated mobile computing to the next level

The real problem with RIM is not about their devices. Well, maybe a little, since it seems like they keep on dishing out new models every 6 months or so - and this makes for Microsoft-esque business model, where people would rather wait for the next, better model to come out - myself included. But what is more significant is that RIM doesn't seem to be able to offer something truly new, something truly revolutionary. They don't seem to get it. RIM's answer to the iPhone was the Storm....with 1 GB of onboard memory and the same tired, restrictive Java script. Yes, Java is secure and can be locked down to a specific company's security level, but that very advantage RIM so loudly whistle blows also doubles as their biggest disadvantage: It cripples the way their operating system can be exploited by third party developers. With so much security and encryptions developers have to put up with, you can forget reaching anywhere near Apple's 50,000 applications on its App Store.

And then there's the issue of memory. It's incomprehensible that RIM still fails to take its cue from the iPhone. 1 GB on the Storm may seem like a lot of memory, but in the face of ever-increasing complex applications, feature-rich interactive games and memory-hogging multimedia applications, 1 GB is really not much at all. That is especially considering that the OS will become unstable and buggy when the memory is low. And then it'll start deleting old emails and call logs automatically, which is just adorable. Then you'd have to perform the battery pull when the device hangs up on you. Yup, that's right. "Perform the battery pull" is actually a time-honored official RIM recommendation for solving about 99% of the problems. Most of the BB forums out there recommends that one do a battery pull at least once a month. Don't believe me? (http://www.bbgeeks.com/quick-tips/how-to-solve-any-blackberry-problem-88906/).

Call it "convenient" or even an "advantage" (to the iPhone) that a battery pull can be performed and it'll fix problems, but to me, it's embarrassing to perform in public, and time consuming. It's.... primitive. Yes, some lucky ducks have never had to pull their batteries, but what about the majority? According to what I read on the forums, a lot of people do it, and many more had to do it on a regular basis to clean the memories. I must be one of those people.

Onboard memory size matters because this is where you put all the applications. You cannot download and run applications from SD cards. Apple's doing it right with putting in 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB of onboard memories. IT IS UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE that RIM is trying to win over the consumer segment yet they fail to see this. It is unacceptable that some of their customers are still struggling to figure out how to transfer media files to the cards and getting confused why they can't download applications into the cards. It's unacceptable that they have to struggle to manage which applications they can download and can't. It's unacceptable that we have to put up with this. It is true that, thanks to the Java script, applications are relatively small and you can cram a lot of stuff in that scanty memory. But when a 6 MB application like Viigo is considered large by Blackberry standard, I know they have a problem. If RIM hopes to get anywhere on the consumer segment, they need to start working on their offerings of better, bigger, badder applications that are not only fun, but also beautiful and functional. And all this takes memory.

So now I ask, why should I buy Storm 2? The Magnum? The Tour? They'll be the same old shells in new packaging. Storm 2 will still have 1 GB of memory. The Tour will have 256 MB. The OS will still be based on Java, and it still won't be able to display full HTML web pages, and it still won't be able to play beautiful, multimedia rich, sophisticated games that iPhone users are enjoying.


The upcoming Blackberry Magnum, which will combine touchscreen and physical QWERTY full keyboard.

What is the difference between OS 4.5 that I have on my device right now with OS 5.0? New looks, added functionalities here and there, but that's about it. What RIM doesn't seem to get is that consumers want more and more everyday, and companies like Apple's got it. It revolutionized the OS paradigm, and they literally changed the game overnight. THAT'S what I want RIM to do.

What Apple did was they gave people an entirely new offering: A rich webkit-based OS browser designed with the "It" factor and the "Now" factor in mind - while RIM is stuck in the past. They'll still issue the same rigid, miserably limited, antiquated OS that was never designed to do things the year 2009 and beyond allows them to do.

I'm not trying to put RIM down and promote the iPhone. I love my Blackberry just as much as the next guy - it's a true blessing for my job search. But RIM is a company with so much potential and yet, they don't get it - yet. What I'm trying say is, RIM would do well to rethink its entire business model. Stop focusing so much on the hardware; start focusing on the firmware. Play catch up to Apple and Android. And this may prove to be their hardest challenge yet: Its Java dependence is so acute and so deeply ingrained in their entire infrastructure that it may prove very difficult if not nigh impossible to open up their OS to third party developers the way Apple and Android is set up to do.

I'm trying to say that a Blackberry at its core remains essentially a rigid business tool, no matter how much make up and polishes it receives. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but considering that it's trying to capture that all-important mainstream consumer market who WILL care about how web pages are displayed on the screen and how interactive games can be downloaded and played, I'm saying it's not going to work.

So now, I really like to sit back and see how this battle turns out to be. Not necessarily just in Indonesia, but also in the world. Who will be the most responsive and adaptable to consumer demand? For now, the Blackberry is one step ahead, but never underestimate Apple, who's an extremely fast learner. Who will emerge the victor in a country where a product diffusion's trickle-down effect can no more be pronounced than anywhere else?

As a matter of fact, I'll be watching closely for Nexian, the Indonesian handset newcomer. Positioned as a low-end, low-priced product, the Nexian Berry as it's called, possesses the same features of a Blackberry: Facebook, chatting and email. Priced at around Rp. 1 mil with one year warranty and bundled local cellular service, Nexian has sold over 2 million units since its launch in 2006, and is targeting another 4 million in 2009. Incredible growth, and certainly one heading toward critical mass success.


Nexian NX-G900, dubbed Nexian Berry. The hottest newcomer in Indonesian smartphone market.


With RIM, its biggest challenges would be to work on its existing infrastructure and roll out a completely different, off the hook, never-before-seen-on-Blackberry webkit-based OS that is not only web friendly but also developer friendly. It also needs to work on offering a better package that is much more consumer-centric while retaining all of its wonderful business functionalities. And please, no more battery pull outs. Just make the darn system more stable.

With Apple, its biggest challenge yet is learning to lighten up. If Apple's business objective is truly profit and its objective is to gain market share by selling as many iPhones as possible, then it would be wise to ditch its exclusivity aura and follow RIM's current model: Do whatever it takes to get as many people as possible adopt the device. Don't fight the people trying to unlock the device (a.k.a hackers) - they're trying to get YOUR product to the hands of consumers. Besides, you can't win against hackers - haven't you learned this already?? Instead, focus the resources on developing push emails and better office synchronizations.

One thing is for certain: At this point, no one makes the perfect device. Given the choices, I'll choose Blackberry just because it's more functional for my job search. But I drool over the iPhone's large memories and multimedia capabilities and its super clean OS. Whoever comes ahead in this battle, that's who I'll pledge my loyalty to...... and my money.

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Jakarta Bombing July 17, 2009 - Our Prayers To The Victims and Families

This morning Jakarta time, 2 large explosions ripped through Jakarta's upscale central business district, one at J.W. Marriot Hotel and the other at Ritz Carlton Hotel, at approximately 7:45 AM and 7:47 AM, respectively. The twin bombing is suspected to have been carried out by suicide bombers, and brought back dark memories of the 2003 Marriot bombing, at the same place. Evidences gathered thus far indicated trademark Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group's modus operandi, blamed for much of the country's past bombings. Latest casualties report were 8 killed and 50 wounded.


Smoke billows from the JW Marriot after the 7:45 AM explosion

Several conspiracy theories immediately surfaced, with one theory pointing to a politically motivated bombing in light of a successful presidential election and the other to the apparent resiliency of the Jemaah Islamiyah extremists, whose group's capability was severely crippled by the government's total commitment on crackdowns on its organization.

Whatever the truth is, let us pray for the victims and their families. Our hearts and thoughts go to all of the people affected by this tragedy. They don't deserve this, and they deserve justice. I hope the government this time around will act with extreme measures and expunge all elements of chaos from Indonesia once and for all. All enemies of Indonesia die.

I want to particularly stress that this terror act is NOT representative of Indonesia's general population. Sadly, due to a few rogue individuals and extremist groups with their own twisted agendas, Indonesia has been more often than not associated with a terrorist state. This can be no further than the truth. A dominant majority of the 235 million people here in Indonesia just want to live their lives peacefully, free from terror and guaranteed by basic human rights. Here in this country, life is already hard - there is absolutely no reason to make it harder. So the entire Indonesia, not just a specific interest group, right now bleeds from this tragedy.



A parody of the Manchester United's ad in Indonesia. "Mau?" is Indonesian for "Want it?" Originally aimed for enticing people to attend the event. Most Indonesians are die hard soccer fans.
Manchester United, England's popular soccer team, immediately canceled their trip to Jakarta. MU was to play against Indonesia's All Star team on Sunday and was to stay at the Ritz Carlton.


Having said that, I do think that there are a couple of things that the government and security agencies should really do to prevent future things like this from happening again.

First, although the first thing I notice when I arrive in this country was how tight security is, it's mostly superficial and a formality at best. Everywhere you go in this town, they have security check points for your car and your body. When you enter any parking, they'll do a stop and search. They'll check inside the car to see if there's any suspicious passenger or package, and they'll check the trunk, and they check for the underside of the car using a mirror stick. However, more often than not, I see them quickly opening the door and closing it, pop in their heads for a second or two without really checking the inside of the car. It's as if they're performing a routine, opening and closing the car doors so fluidly and quickly. Crafty terrorists would most definitely get away with hiding explosives on the underside of the chair, inside the car's cavities, etc. They need better explosives detection tools, like sniffing dogs or just a better, thorough search.

And then when you get to the entrance door, they either have metal detector gates or sticks. But are they effective?? Most of the time the guards just swipe purses and bags with their sticks nonchalantly, not even bothering to stop the person to get a better look inside their bags or waiting for a beep from their devices. I personally have never been caught with carrying my pocket knife, which I carry with me everywhere I go. Not once did I get caught or even stopped. Not long ago, there was a case where a business man was being robbed at gunpoint at a luxurious shopping mall in Jakarta. How the heck did you NOT catch a gun??

So hopefully after this they'll really step up to the plate and do a better job all around. It's really a tragedy that things like this has to happen for anyone to learn their mistakes.

Another problem lies in the recruitment of these security officers. Businesses should safeguard against employing terrorist moles, where they can potentially work together with external terror elements. Since labor is cheaper here, turnovers are high and there needs to be a better system at filtering quality guards. The government should also work with businesses in background-checking these potential gateways to terrorism and provide joint training in counter terrorism.

The government should also look hard within its organization bodies to make sure that there are currently no "moles" providing back end support to these elements. Mole cases are rampant all over the world, at all government bodies. These guys pose the biggest threat, because their powers make it hard to detect them and they're usually the mastermind if not the ring leaders for most of the larger operations.

Lastly, the government should really beef up a clandestine domestic counter terrorism units, setting up and installing as expansive spies and informants networks as possible throughout the country. Indonesia is actually really good in intelligence, I have seen its full potential realized during the Suharto presidency era. At that time, intelligence was used for the wrong reason, like squashing dissents and tracking down underground opposition movements, but it's proof that Indonesian intelligence is more than capable to proficiently and successfully conduct an operation.

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Blackberry's Ubiquitous Presence In Indonesia

In the past month, I’ve increasingly been baffled by RIM’s Blackberry popularity in Indonesia, or at least in Jakarta. No matter where I go in this town, I can always spot the ubiquitous device at all times, anywhere, anytime.

What prompts Blackberry’s super popularity in Indonesia? As a marketing person, I can’t help but be genuinely interested in Blackberry’s diffusion within the population. What escalated its rate of diffusion and why? Why didn’t a new, innovative concept like the iPhone catches on with the population and replaces the pioneer? And how was it able to catch up to the previous market leader, Nokia?

All of these bring great interest to me, because if I were a company, I could really learn from RIM (Research In Motion, the maker of Blackberry) and use its business model to market my new product to the masses – to a dizzying success I might add.

To be sure, I can be certain of one thing. Blackberry was first adopted by business people and busy professionals, who can really benefit from its as-of-yet-unbeatable, superior push mail technology. If you haven’t had the chance to experience the ecstasy of having emails pushed to that little device, you won’t understand the kind of love I’m talking about.

Put it this way – if your income or life depends on emails and instant communication, and you’re out there without access to a computer or internet, a Blackberry is your best friend in the whole world, and you will surely fight tooth and nails if someone were to try to pry it off your hands. That’s what colloquially known as “Blackberry Addiction.”

But what about the rest of the population? What triggers this mass adoption of Blackberry to the moms, socialites, teenagers, school kids, college kids, and everyone else in between – what I would refer to as the non-business, “recreational” smartphone users. Why would they prefer this business tool instead of the more consumer-centric, multimedia rich and capable webkit-based OS iPhone? Let’s analyze.

A Blackberry is a great device. Moreover, it’s a great business tool. But upon my usage and subsequent addiction to it, I can thoroughly conclude that this is a great business tool – and that’s about it. How many agree with me that it’s not a device as consumer centric (and as nice) as an iPhone if you’re NOT a business person and only need the device to check your Facebook status, Twitter, or Blog?

Although you can do all that with a regular data capable phone, let’s just assume that you like your Blackberry because, say, it’s easier to do it on a Blackberry, and that one way or the other, you already got it anyways so... why not. But I would assume that once I get a taste of what the Blackberry can do, I want more. I’m always constantly on the search for the bigger, the better, and the best. Why? Because I’m a consumer, and I can. This is what I do. I always want more. If I know of another device which gives me better browsing experience, better usage experience, better prestige and better experience overall, I would switch in a heartbeat, unless there’s obvious barrier to it, like an annual contract or cost. In fact, my rate of conversion should be so much faster considering I’ve gotten the experience in this specific genre, which is smartphone.

Yes, you can load apps into the Blackberry. Yes, you can play games on it. Yes, you can surf the web with it, and listen to music, and take pictures, and read news, and read blogs. But compared to the iPhone, it pales in comparison. To start with, Blackberry OS isn’t optimized for web browsing, unlike the iPhone, which to this day remains the only OS capable of delivering rich, true HTML web pages closest to those viewed from a desktop. I would imagine for “recreational” smartphone users, this feature would be one of the most important to them. And Blackberry isn’t widely known for its multimedia capabilities, neither. That’s the second factor for these consumers.

And don’t tell me that people can’t afford the iPhone. A Blackberry may be cheaper than an iPhone, but it’s not THAT much cheaper especially comparing the Bold model which is pretty much on par with it. Plus, Telkomsel, one of Indonesia’s largest cellular providers, offers the iPhone at around $600 (albeit having the device locked to the carrier, but so what? That’s how things work in the US and Europe too), about $200 more than basic Blackberry model and on par with some of its higher models. And besides, in this town of over indulgence and over excesses, I thought a brand as prestigious and expensive as Apple would actually be preferred by the elitists. And as in the proven case of the Blackberry, in the beginning the elitists influence the followers, which then adopted the device at a much higher rate.

So in terms of form factors and price, the iPhone would seem to meet and even surpass Blackberry’s unique point of sales.

I can think of a couple of more advantages the Blackberry has that the iPhone can easily make up for, like BB Messenger or the physical keyboard. Yes, BB Messenger is nice and always on, making for a truly connected experience for its users, but there’s a plethora of instant chat engines available besides it. My favorite is Google Talk. I’m sure there’s a third-party applications out there for every user’s need. With Apple’s 50,000 choice of apps in its stores, it’s impossible you can’t find the one that suits your need. And while BB’s physical keyboard is nice, I’ve seen countless iPhone users type just as fast and just as proficient on iPhone’s smart keyboard. It’s all about adaptation.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my Blackberry just as much as the next guy - having realized its full potential during my job search - and I’m not trying to promote the iPhone, but as a marketing person I’m captivated by this strange phenomena. Where did RIM succeed where Apple fails? Researching the heart of the topic, I can draw several conclusions.

First, ease of access. RIM has been very smart in taking the “Free-for-all” approach where they allow their devices to be unlocked with relative ease, thus allowing the mass to freely choose whatever carriers they choose to go with; unlike Apple’s snobbish approach.

That leads to number two, where the general population mass-adopted this business device, influenced first by the early adopters (business people) in a “trickle-down” effect. The general population accepted Blackberry’s perceived advantages or benefits, and coupled with the device’s ease of access, further enhanced its rate of diffusion.

Ease of access not only refers to the actual ease of access in USING the device, but also in adopting the device, i.e. unlocking it and registering it with the carrier of their choices. The majority of Indonesians prefer prepaid services as opposed to subscription (contract) basis, something that RIM had learned to accept and adapted to very well. In contrast, Apple’s official policy is to “lock” in their devices to a specific telecom carrier on each country, and put in serious efforts to keep the devices locked, including frequent rewrites of the software containing locking codes on its software updates (and most certainly on all new iPhone models coming out) and frequent security updates on the firmwares. If one is not careful where you plug in your iPhone, that expensive piece of technology can suddenly go dead. As in forever. This is not even mentioning the fact that they don’t even allow people with “unlocked” and “jailbroken” iPhones to buy apps via their official channel, which is iTunes. That pretty much defeats the purpose of having it.

In short, they make life hard for people who want to adopt their devices. That was why it didn’t work in Indonesia. It may be nice and all, but if it’s worth more trouble than it’s worth, remember that people here have got the alternative choice: Blackberry.

Tomorrow: Smartphone War: The Battle for Indonesia. What Apple and RIM should do.

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Waroeng Indo Authentic Indonesian Food, Cinere

Here's a little-known gem in the Cinere area: Waroeng Indo, located across from Cinere Mall. My mom goes there all the time and she took me there yesterday after church. At first I was skeptical and was more attracted by the smokes and smells coming out from the many tents of street vendors lining up the restaurant's front. Various wonderful food like Sate Kambing (Lamb Satay), Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice), seafood, Sup Betawi (Batavia Soup), Sup Buntut (Oxtail Soup), Bakso (Meatball Soup) and various fried food. But I knew I didn't have a chance with my mom next to me so.... onward to Waroeng Indo.

Inside, the atmosphere is modest, but very clean. As usual, they have more than enough workers there so service was very fast, and courteous. We ordered Tahu Pong (Tofu that is hollow on the inside), Nasi Goreng Special, Ayam Penyit (Chicken Penyit) and Nasi Begana Tegal (Special rice combo from.... Tegal? province).

Much to my delight, the food came out super fast. It was 8pm, so I definitely appreciated them. And to my double delight, all of the food were super GOOD! We started with the Tahu Pong. This is a type of tofu that is "hollow" inside - not dense, unlike regular tofu where the body is dense throughout; Tahu Pong has "bubbles" inside and so it is fluffy, light and airy. And since it's deep fried, very crispy.

The tofu itself is flash fried so while the outside shell is crispy, the inside is moist and very juicy. You dip the tofu into the sweet soy sauce-vinegar-chili-garlic dipping sauce provided and pop it in your mouth. The result was this wonderful, explosive flavors of sweet, tangy, garlicky and crispness and airiness all rolled into one. Just the perfect combination! This is easily my favorite dish there.


Tahu Pong. Image quality sucks! I need my camera back...

Another highlight is the Ayam Penyit. This is a type of chicken covered in spicy red sambal (chili) served with various veggies. I think they're meant to be eaten together, but I ate the chicken with white rice, and it seems to go very well together. The bright, furious red chili did look intimidating, but it actually tasted sweet-ish. Not that hot, at least for me. But it did wonderfully complement the yellow-spiced fried chicken, which was marinated with some kind of yellow flavored sauce. The exact ingredient I don't know, but the server said that part of the formula consists of tamarind, coconut milk, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and cloves. I'm sure there are a lot more in there, but the chicken is fall-off-the-bones goodness and really went well together with the chili.


Ayam Penyit

The Nasi Tegal is very good as well, but pretty mediocre to me. It's a typical Indonesian complete rice package consisting of Rendang (beef curry, marinated with coconut milk and spices), Tempe goreng, shrimp crackers, cripsy Ikan Teri (anchovy), Telur Balado (egg with spicy chili sauce), chili and topped with basil leaves.


Nasi Begana Tegal

The Nasi Goreng, while at first I looked at it with an indifferent attitude, proved to be very good indeed. In fact, I daresay that it was probably one of the best fried rice I've ever eaten. There were tiny bits of unknown ingredients throughout the rice that crunches when you bite into them, releasing explosive salty flavors that tasted "umami" - savory.

Prices range from Rp. 7000 to Rp. 90,000. We spent Rp. 78,000 for the four dishes plus drinks.

Waroeng Indo caters to the local people and is 100% halal. They do deliveries up to 5 miles (Pondok Indah, but minimum of 7 orders) and accept party catering orders (Tumpeng).


Waroeng Indo storefront. That's my mom posing. I couldn't find a good way to shoo her out of the picture, so she's now immortalized forever as PR for the restaurant.

Waroeng Indo
Ruko Blok A
Jl. Cinere Raya No. 1B
(Across from Cinere Mall)
Ph. (021) 754-5817

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Expensive Shipment To Indonesia...

I spent the whole day long haggling with the people at the shipping company, trying to solve my current debacle with my shipment of personal effects from the US. It has proven to be a costly shipment indeed. The total amounts to be around $800 (Rp. 8 million) for 1 cbm (cubic meter) or only 7 boxes. That is pretty costly in my dictionary. Why did it costs so much? Well, turns out there are many hidden fees which no one bothered to tell me before.

Here is the item by item breakdown of the charges, I hope this will one day help other people who will be making the same move as me.

FROM THE US TO JAKARTA:
I used DeltaMax Freight System.

1. $85.00 per cbm
2. $50.00 export handling
3. $35.00 AES - Export declaration
4. Total of $170
   

If you want them to pick up your items (I didn't, I dropped them off at their Inglewood office), then there's extra charges as followed:
$65.00 pick-up 1 pallet at 100 lbs in Los Angeles area
$55.00 Lift Gate
$35.00 ( Heat treat stamp if needed ** )

Required documentation:

1. Official letter from the Indonesian Consulate stating that shipment of personal effects is for student completing study (Surat Keterangan Selesai Sekolah) - this alone required me to go to the consulate and fill in incredibly bureaucratic forms - don't even start with me.
2. Passport
3. Commercial Invoice (they'll do this for you)
4. Packing List (write down how many pallets and what's inside - write "personal effects")
   

Deltamax Freight is actually pretty professional, easy to deal with and helpful. I highly recommend that you check them out AND THEN find out what the total cost is DOOR TO DOOR. When I say TO DOOR that means the total cost for shipping from your door in LA to your door in Jakarta. That is the code in the shipping industry.

Shipment is (somewhat) pretty fast: I dropped the boxes on May 18, they shipped it on May 26, and it arrived on June 27. So it's about a month.

There is another shipping company that virtually all Indonesians in LA use to ship their personal belongings called IS Express. I hear from a lot of people that their service is bad, with many items missing and many shipments being severely late or never reach their destinations. They're also infamous for having bad customer service, which translates to awful post-sales customer service. I kind of experienced that problem even before PRE-sales: I tried getting a quote, but no one ever gets back to me after multiple emails, phone calls, etc. So I thought "screw it." On the other hand, people say that they usually pay around 6 mil rupiah for everything, including shipping from LA. That's 2 mil cheaper than what I'm paying now.

When I called Combi, they only gave me the quote for their shipping charges, as above. But they weren't able to give me the quote for the agent in Jakarta, because it's an entirely different animal. Read on.

IN JAKARTA:
The agent that Deltamax Freight works with and recommends is called PT. (P.T. is Indonesian equivalent to L.L.C.) Combi Logistics Indonesia, located in Jl. Petojo. Hmmm.... what can I say about this company? I think in retrospect we both could've communicated more effectively. I could've dug more info out of them and find out that I shouldn't proceed before uttering the magic word "TO DOOR"; while they could've done their due diligence and presented me with all the facts before telling me to come in to their office, such as, "This is pending the final number from the port" or "You better wait until we find out how much the guys at the port, which is a totally separate entity from us, will charge you."

The problem here lies with the fact that I have to deal with 3 different agencies: Combi Logistics, then the guys at the port which are PT. Asia Connexindo Internasional (Unloading of the goods from the ship, and delivery to the Container Yard, collectively called as D/O or Delivery Order) and PT. Pelangi Bahari Anugerahtama (who then sorts people's stuff, collects my stuff, then warehouses it).

Here is the detailed breakdowns.

COMBI LOGISTICS' QUOTE:

1. Customs clearance Rp. 600.000
2. "PIB" System Fee (Import Notification Fee) Rp. 200.000
3. Trucking door to door delivery from the port to my house plus unloading Rp. 700.000
4. * Additional customs fee for "Red Lane" (jalur merah) Rp. 400.000
5. * D/O charges as billed from co-loader (Asia Connexindo)
6. * Mechanical fee and warehousing as billed from PT. Pelangi.
7. Total paid Rp. 1,900,000 ($190)
   

*Note that the last three items are the killers here. "Red Lane" customs is for contraband items found in my shipment - which is a Johnnie Walker Swing whiskey, a gift from my bros in LA. Totally unnecessary!!! If I knew they didn't allow this I totally would've drank it there. I could've saved Rp. 400,000 right there.

Note how they didn't specify how much of the two D/O and Mechanical Fee. They didn't give the numbers until the very last minute, when they're almost done taking out my stuff. When pressed why, they told me that they didn't know until they were there. Uh... what? What they really should've done was, try to find out these charges before telling me to come into the office and drop all the documents. This IMHO I think is their biggest flaw to date, and one that I can't easily dismiss. I feel that I've been misled.

Here are the charges for Asia Connexindo and Pelangi.

Asia Connexindo (D/O Charges)

1. DFS Charges $50
2. Agency Charges $35
3. Destination D/O $35
4. PU Charges $20
5. Administration $20
6. Handling Charges $10
7. Tax 10% $17
8. Total $187 (Yes, in dollars)
   

Here's the funny thing, if I were to unload a container load, the charge is actually cheaper: $145. Since I unloaded less than container load, the charge is higher.

PT. Pelangi (Mechanical Fee and Warehousing)

1. Receiving Rp. 277,050
2. Delivery Rp. 277,050
3. Mechanic Charges Rp. 277,050
4. Surcharges Rp. 277,050
5. Port Fee (??) Rp. 277,050
6. Handling Fee Rp. 277,050
7. Extra Movement Fee Rp. 277,050
8. Stripping Rp. 277,050
9. Trucking to Warehouse Rp. 277,050
10. Sticker Fee Rp. 10,000
11. Surveyor Rp. 90,000
12. Administration Rp. 60,000
13. Total Rp. 2,653,450
    

NOTE THAT THEY ARE CHARGING ME THE MINIMUM CHARGE OF 3 CBM AS OPPOSED TO ONLY 1 CBM!! When asked why, they calmly replied that this is the way it works, and there's nothing they or I can do. And by that time, it really was too late for me to do anything. So make sure you inquire about this.

So the total that I'm paying thus far is:

1. Deltamax $170 (Rp. 1.7 mil)
2. Combi Rp. 1.9 mil
3. Asia Connexindo $187 (Rp. 1.87 mil)
4. Pelangi Rp. 2.6 mil
5. Total Rp. 8.07 mil or $800 for 1 cbm or 7 boxes.

Pretty steep IMHO. I've had friends ship their entire apartment and the charge was $1200 or Rp. 12 mil.

So the moral of the story is, if you're moving back to Indo, make sure you negotiate following on the points above. Everything is negotiable, and I actually negotiated my way out of the full charge, which would've gone all the way up to 9 mil.

Points to look out for:

1. Don't ship alcohol, or any bootleg DVDs or CDs. They'll confiscate it and charge you the "Red Lane" customs which is about $40 or Rp. 400,000. Note that you don't end up getting the items!!!
   
2. Watch out for mechanical fee and D/O. Always ask about them and negotiate.
   
3. Ask whether the agency at the port will charge you the standard minimum 3 cbm (cubic meter) or not. If they are, you might as well add more stuff to your shipment.
   

On the positive side, the guy I dealt with at Combi Logistics actually provided very thorough follow up, satisfyingly feeding me with updates all the way. He was also courteous enough to negotiate with me on behalf of the other two agencies. If you're interested in using them, approach them with caution and don't start anything before you get the full, "to door" cost.

Deltamax Freight System
10834 S. La Cienega Blvd
Inglewood CA. 90304
Tel# 310-3381411
Fax# 310-3381425
Cell# 626-2786246
E-mail : Jackson@deltamax.com
Web Site: www.deltamax.com
Deltamax is C-TPAT certified member

PT. Combi Logistics Indonesia
Jl. Petojo VIJ-I No. 36
Jakarta 10150
PH. 62 21 380 5560
FX. 62 21 3483 2030

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2009 Indonesian Presidential Election, Take II

Some 176 millions Indonesians went in throngs to the voting booths today (yesterday as of this blog is written) to elect their President and Vice Presidents for the 2009 - 2014 service. My experience has been remarkably positive and simple. My mom, our maid and myself went out from the house at 11:30 and walked about half a block to the makeshift voting booth. Voting booths were set up on each Local Neighborhood Units, referred to in Indonesian as "RT / RW." RT / RW stands for "Rukun Tetangga" (Neighborhood Association) and RW stands for "Rukun Warga" (Community Association) are two common types of organization formed by community members, acknowledged and supported by the central government. They are the lowest rank in the administration hierarchy of the Indonesian government. There are about 30 - 50 households in an RT / RW.

Technically, it is part of a village that has been assigned its own official governorship, with limited rights to take care of its own affairs. Much in the same way that the City of Los Angeles oversees the sub cities of (to name a few) Torrance, Hollywood, Manhattan Beach, Long Beach and Malibu, the City of Jakarta oversees many neighborhoods that were annexed by the city, like my neighborhood.

I don't know if the time of the day (11:30am) contributed to the short line, but we stood in line for about less than five minutes, and quickly reached the registration area. It's a three-step process: I handed in my registration paper that proved that I was a registered voter within jurisdiction of my local area , the guy gave me a number and I wait for my number to be called from the other desk. Of course, my number was called right away, and the guy gave me the official paper ballot, and directed me to the booth. There, I unfolded the ballot and there were 3 boxes, each with pictures of the Presidents and Vice Presidents inside each box, and they were numbered 1, 2 and 3.

Line going to the booth

Situation inside voting booth, pretty empty by then

This year, they want us to checkmark the picture of the candidate of my choosing using a red marker. Last year it was the puncture method, where you punch through the pictures of your candidate. Apparently, disputes have arisen with that method, with critics complaining that foul players within the Election Commission were able to double punch a ballot, thereby effectively voiding the vote (overvote); or of some cases where the voter did not entirely punch through the paper (faint punch), and foul officials simply punch through on other candidate. Other critics also point to imperfections with the ballot papers, where there were accidental holes due to printing or ripped ballots due to faulty paper design, similar to problems encountered in the 2000 US Presidential Elections with voting cards having dimples or hanging "chads." Checkmarking is supposed to alleviate these problems and signify voters' intention more clearly.

Current results from the LSI (Lembaga Survei Indonesia - Indonesia Survey Institute) Quick Count, which is the unofficial result of the vote, puts current incumbent President Yudhoyono - Vice President Boediono at 60.84% over their two rivals. Quick count results have proven to be highly reliable in the past, and if accurate, it would mean that the current incumbent would win re-election in only one round. If no single candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, or 20 percent of the vote in 17 provinces, there will be a run-off between two candidates on September 8.

http://tnp.kpu.go.id/pilpres200907/sms/static/

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Bersih Sehat Massage Center - 1.5 hr for $15

I slept at the wrong side of the bed, so today when I woke up I practically couldn't turn my head to the right. It was hella painful. I was supposed to go yoga today, but seeing my condition, I was like... nah. Instead I asked good ol' mom for a solution and she told me to go to this one massage parlor that she frequents all the time.

It's called Bersih Sehat ("Clean" and "Healthy" in Indonesian) and she claimed that they do an excellent job with minimal fee. As it turns out, it was perhaps a LITTLE too good. We came together to the parlor and my mom ordered the most "senior" masseuse who would know a thing or two about muscles and tendons.

Out came this short, pudgy, stocky middle-aged lady. She was so very nice and very courteous, but she was a monster. She meant business. Her grips were like vises and she treated me as if I was Kobe beef. Brother, was she STRONG. I couldn't believe how strong she really was. She really drove in her fingers into my muscles and it was as if she cut me open with her fingers. She performed a type of Shiatsu where she targets individual muscles and my right shoulder and neck, which were the affected areas, burned like crazy.

If you're not used to deep tissue massage, it won't be at all comfortable for the first time, especially if you have young, tender muscles. Double true if you have "frozen" muscles from cramps. But old people like my mom totally loves super hard massages, because they need the extra stimulation; their muscles are stiffer. I remember when I used to massage my mom, no matter how hard I squeezed, she was never satisfied; in fact, she asked me to double the effort. I was a little younger, but I seriously already had some serious muscle power, and it always amazed me that I can never seem to hurt her. Oftentimes she even asked me to stand on top of her lying face down and walk all over her back. Amazing.

Anyways, so the first time Nur (the masseuse's name) touched my shoulders, I felt as if a vise was clamping down hard and I couldn't breathe. My face was buried deep inside the pillow and my right shoulder felt as if it was burned by a torch, and then split open with an ice axe. I jumped up, eyes wide open, and stared at her. She was surprised at first, but she knew right away the symptoms of young, feeble bodies like mine and acted very professionally. She "toned" down her strength, but it was plenty monstrous to me.

Regardless, I spent the next 1.5 hours squirming, grunting, and screaming like a little girl. And at one point I cackled loudly like a hyena, because she started massaging my thigh, which I'm VERY ticklish on, without warning. It took a lot efforts from her part to steady me as I kept on shifting and squirming, but I mean, she KNOWS muscles and she found that I have two very large knots on each side of my shoulders, which she suspected was from weight lifting. Close. It was from two years of rock climbing, and no massages at all.

I was actually surprised that my back was very knotty. There were at least 7 large knots, most of them running along my shoulder blades. She succeeded in untangling all but two of the largest, which are on my shoulders. But by all means it was not without sacrifice on my part. It. Really. Hurt.

But her massage works like a wonder. I can now freely move around my head, and although my back is kinda sore from all the high pressure penetration, she told me it'll all go away tomorrow. She also told me to drink plenty, plenty and plenty of liquid and try to expel them all from my system, due to the toxins being released when she untangled the knots. The knots are supposed to harbor bad, old toxins. I am actually feeling a little light-headed now and relaxed and sleepy, but at the same time feeling a little nauseous, probably from the toxins now circulating in my body. My mouth also feels a bit bitter.

I really think I should make a habit of coming there at least once a month, especially when the rate is really reasonable. I paid Rp. 135,000 (about $13.50) for one and a half hour, plus Rp. 20,000 for tip. The place is sparkling clean, smells really nice, and very professional. Nur rubbed some kind of a massage oil potion consisting of herbals, mint extract, and a kind of a hot rubbing oil. It's supposed to be aromatherapeutic. At the end of the massage, she put a hot towel on my back which functioned both as a relaxer and towel to wipe off the oil.

She told me that with continued massage, the two knots on my back should go away, and my muscles should be back to their supple states. And massage is actually really good for the body as it improves blood circulation, tones your overall body and get rid of toxins. And why shouldn't I take advantage of this? The place is nice, the rates reasonable and it's here.

Bersih Sehat is a chain of massage parlors owned by Dayu Group located in Jakarta, Anyer and Bandung. It has been around since 1983. It is the only massage parlor in Indonesia that is ISO 9001 certified. They provide massage services, aromatherapies, spas, saunas and manicures and pedicures.

I went to the one in Pondok Indah:
Bersih Sehat Pondok Indah
Plaza 2 Blok B3 No. 16
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah
Jakarta Selatan 12310.
Telp. (62-21) 750.1342 - 750.1349
More info http://www.dayugroup.web.id/ina/bscabang.php?proses=1&id=20

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