PSP as universal remote control?

Yes, that sounds to be impossible but it is possible!

Yesterday, my 14 year old son surprised me when he told me "look Ma, I can turn the TV off using my Sony PSP". And indeed, our 32-inch Samsung TV in the living room was turned off!

I didn't mind it seriously anyway, until he followed me to the master bedroom and he told me that he can also turn off our 50-inch Philips TV, the Dream cable and the airconditioner using his PSP. I dared him and he did turned them off too using his PSP! He also did the same of the other TVs in the other rooms.

Today, before I went out of my office, he also turned off the airconditioner at my office using his PSP.

We were also at the Island City Mall earlier this evening and he , with my older son, was again playing with the PSP and they tried to turn off (using the PSP again) the TV outside the Bench store and they did turned it off!

While I was buying stuffs in the supermarket, they told me they will go to Abenson's (an appliances store) because they also want to try the PSP to turn off the TVs there. When they joined me again, they told me that the people who were watching the TV shows at Abensons were surprised why all the TVs suddenly went off. The clerks there never had an idea that it was the doing of my sons, using the PSP.

How did he do it? That I don't know. He is a tinker anyway, and I am not surprised anymore if he discover things like that with the gadgets we have here.

Union Bank EON Card & On-line Shopping

The Search

About seven years ago, when I started dreaming on having an on-line store, I was forever in search for an electronic facility that would allow my planned on-line store to accept credit cards. I went to different banks in Tagbilaran City to inquire and even brought me to meet up with an account executive (of one bank) in Cebu City just to get answers to my query. However, information was very discouraging. Either the requirement was for me to have an ADB (average daily deposit) of at least P2.0 million pesos (that was too much for a little dream) or the system just won't work for me.

That search for an answer made me first hear about EON account of the Union Bank. The bank manager of Union Bank, Tagbilaran City branch explained to me what was it about. The features sounded nice, but that time, it was not the one I am looking for.

Years came and passed, the Internet technology has evolved a lot. Accepting credits card payments for an on-line store is no longer a difficult thing to think of because there are already many companies who provide such facility, without any ADB requirement. Selling on-line is already easy with countless of facilities offering affiliate programs, shopping cart softwares, eBay, Amazon and many more. And shopping on-line has become much easier and even more convenient.

My EON Card

Sometime in August, I was browsing on eBay (I have purchased a few items from eBay when I was in the US) in search for dresses for my granddaughter Babam. I fell in love with three cute dresses and I excitedly made a bid for each one. I won in all three! However, when I tried to pay it with my CitiBank credit card, eBay won't accept it. I was in a panic. Good thing my friend in San Francisco (who is also a godfather of Babam) saved one of the dresses by paying the dress himself. He sent the seller (also based in the US) a personal check. But I missed the other two dresses.

The above experience pushed me to find an answer as to how can I really shop through eBay. I made an on-line research about it and came over an article that EON account will be accepted in PayPal (a payment facility widely accepted in eBay). And I did not wait to long to visit the local branch of Union Bank account and opened an EON account.

Opening an EON account was very easy. I just filled out an application form, submitted a photocopy of two valid photo ID cards and waited for a little more than a week for my EON card. What was very convenient about it was that there was no minimum amount of deposit required. None. Zero.

Early September this year, I finally got my EON card. After activating my account (instructions are provided) I made an initial deposit. And the features that goes with the EON Cyber account is just great! It works just like a regular ATM plus it works like a credit card, though more of a debit card.

I registered my EON cyber account with my PayPal account. I just waited a few days before my PayPal account was activated. A few days later, I tried using my EON card in buying items at Amazon.com and I was so happy because the card was accepted as payment at Amazon! I bought Avent products (again for Babam): one set of Philips Avent Isis On The Go Set for $50 plus shipment; Avent trainer cups for only $7.99 plus shipment; and 2 sets of Avent breastmilk storage containers for $14.99 each plus shipment. I was so amazed with my EON card being accepted at Amazon.

As so it was time for me to try my EON card at eBay. And the experience was more than amazing. It was addictive (hahhahahah). In less than two weeks, I already have purchased more than 10 items (and counting) from eBay! Most of the stuffs I bought from eBay were signature clothes (Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Carter's, Levi's and Guess) for my granddaughter and an Affliction (brand) t-shirt for my husband.

How will these stuffs that I shopped on-line get to me here in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines? Well, it's the tricky part. I will just write about this in the next article.

Thank you Union Bank for EON Cyber account!

My house : WiFi zone finally!

When we were building our house, me and my husband made it sure that the proper cabling for telephone lines, cable TV and computer network system are considered and in-place. It was part of the plan to have all these connections in the living room and in all the bedrooms: our bedroom and in each bedroom of our three children.

It was envisioned to have television sets in each bedroom (and also in the living room) and each will also have its own computer/laptop, thereby the said connections are needed.

When we transferred to our new house two years ago, we only had dial-up Internet connection. We also get to use the LAN but not always though because sharing the Internet connection with the other computers made the Internet speed super slow.

Middle of this year, the PLDT made available of their MyDSL accounts for residences. We didn’t make second thoughts of getting one for our house right away. Three months ago, we had our MyDSL connected at home and since then, Internet use at home was never been the same.

My husband, who is a computer network specialist, installed a Netgear WiFi router (which we bought from Fry’s Electronic store in California during our visit there in 2005). And now, all of us in the family enjoy Internet use anywhere in the house and anytime. The boys had their PCs connected to WiFi and they enjoy their online games and visiting their favorite websites. My daughter does her Internet stuffs in her Asus Eeee PC: update her websites, chat, does research and other, from her own room.

My husband and I surf the net, do our Internet stuffs from our own laptops too, in the comfort of our own bedroom. Sometimes, I do my Internet stuffs from the dining room or I chat with my sister who is based in Las Vegas or check my e-mails from the comfort room.

Well, for a family like ours who considers Internet as part of each member’s day, having WiFi at home is just great!