How I made my blog in blogger get a page rank?

This blog's rank 

How I manage to get PR3 for this blog.
Can a freely hosted blog or site such as CyberLiving be able to get a page rank? Look no further, this blog is an example that it can. Read on and you may also learn a thing or two.

While starting with this blog, I was faced with the question whether it will be worth it to pour my efforts creating and writing content on a free hosted site like blogger because I am not sure whether it will ever going to rank at all on SERPs.

My apprehension stemmed from the fact that some ad serving companies shy away from such sites as mine (free hosted site or blog) and I have read many articles that gives advise to get a domain and pay for a host server instead of a free one if ones intent is to be able to make some income out of it since it is very difficult (they say) to get a page rank with a free hosting site.

But as a starter with very limited knowledge with blogging, much so maintaining a site and getting ranked, and no funds to use to pay for a host server and acquire a domain name, I opted to use blogger.

Site a little over a year old before getting ranked
To date (12/29/2013), this site is  approximately 1 year and 2 months old. When this site was started, I used the dynamic view template as I liked its simplicity but as I progress, I found I am being limited as to what I can do with my blog. That is when I decided to change my theme to one that is freely available to use. This was around six months from its creation.

While I was also trying to write content, I am also searching for ways on how to get some page rank. Here I will try to outline what I did that I think gave me my page rank.

Do some link building through blog commenting and guest posting they say
Almost any site will tell you that to get some PR, you need to get some link juice from other site. This means you need to do some link building. The most common that is being recommended are: do some blog commenting and guest posting.

The problem I got from blog commenting is that most of the sites with PR do not just share their link juice which is very much understandable. Many of them are moderated and the chances that a comment gets through to such sites is very slim (well at least in my case it was). Guest posting also shares the same scenario as with blog commenting. To be able to guest post, one has to establish some sort of a relationship with your target site's owner. There are those that encourage you to guest post in their site by sending your article via mail but there is a big chance also that your article which you have spent some time writing it will get rejected. But my biggest apprehension with guest posting is that why should I let others benefit for my work where the page that it was posted may not even get a PR rendering it actually not getting any link juice thereby wasting my time and my work altogether. Or it may be the other way around, being that my work could actually be a very good piece which will eventually make a very high PR then I only gave it away and let someone else benefit more from it compared to me who was the one that actually made the article.

I decided, therefore, not to focus on it and just put all efforts in writing articles. More explanation on this later.

Claimed my blog in Technoratti
I have read from somewhere that one way to get back link is by submitting your site to listing pages like Technoratti. So I did claimed my site at Technoratti. The best thing with technoratti is that it automatically picks from your article and put it up in its list without you having to do anything giving you additional exposure for practically doing nothing.

Submit my site with Google and Yahoo/Bing
I know that my site exist, my friends know that my site exists since I do tell them but, Google does not know it. Not yet. Maybe, eventually it will discover it from its daily crawling of the world wide web. But why wait when you can introduce your site to Google. You do this by submitting it and by doing so Google will get to know that such a site exists. Then I used Google Webmaster Tools to address issues. In my case, I only had issue with my site map (missing) which I only submitted my RSS feed as my sitemap (note that with Blogger, there is no way to create a real site map).

Focused on creating content
I hate to say content is king in this post as it has been said so so so many times I could vommit (seriously). Why I despise people using such phrase is because, to me, many of them come out like false prophet proclaiming the end of the world that never came. Don't get me wrong, that is very true and I do believe that content more than anything else makes or brakes a site. It is just that many uses it but never actually make a good explanation or argument for it aside from mentioning the usual list of creating original content, good quality article, giving credit where credit is due and so on.

While it is true that your content is very important, I am not so sure about the original part. Why? That is because in this day and age where almost everything has already been written on the internet, I don't think there is this thing which we can still say as original per se. With that said, I believe that original content would mean writing things, which may already exist on the web, but put into the context of what is the subject of what you are writing or  write it on how it will relate to the overall niche of your site. For me that is what original content means otherwise, the original author (the very first to write that topic) would then also be king but as we all know, that is not the case.

Going back, I stated earlier on that instead of focusing on link building and guest posting I focused instead on writing articles. My reasoning behind such action is that when I write good enough article at least someone may notice it (by accidentally stumbling upon it or it may actually come up on SERPs) and if he/she likes it may repost it on his/her own site or on social media whereby allowing more people to view it who may also again share it. My hunch did prove correct because some of my posts did captured the interest of people and made links back to their sites thereby effectively giving me some quality back links.

Made some redesign to my pages
I already did like my theme but I feel the need to create static pages to my site so I could categorize my posts and make better about pages. On these pages I have also made my code to give it the look that it is today and make my classification to may posts.

Create internal links
From my readings, I also came across a theoretical article that with internal linking alone one could generate PR for a site if there is enough pages to link. Without getting into the details of the article, I then decided that I should link all my pages to pass in the link juice throughout my site.

Rich Snippets
Going through the SERPs, I have noticed some results are displayed better than others. Others have the photo of the author and the description is actually much more intelligible than others. I later learned this to be rich snippets and it is done through Authorship Markup. It is believed and others could attest that with authorship markup, the click through rate to a site increases. So I also included it into my site. Adding authorship markup to my blog now makes my site in SERP show up much more appealing as it now shows a face of a person (me) along with the result.

Adding Meta Tags
In order that I get better description to show in search results for my site's pages, I added meta tags. Together with authorship markup, it now gives my site a better chance of getting clicked when it shows up on search results.

Lastly.....

I continue to write more articles. All the things that I have outlined on this post has a dedicated post on how it was done. Feel free to navigate on this blog to look for them.


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What are light boxes and how you can make one?
How to check a Hard Disk Drive's health?

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Coby Kyros MID7047 Android 4.0 Tablet

Coby Kyros 7047-4 overview | source: http://www.cobyusa.com

Coby 7.0" MID7047 Android Tablet

Here is an unexpensive Android tablet running on Ice Cream Sandwich designed for budget customers. This is made for those looking for a low budget tablet that has the basic capabilities like web browsing, music playback and playing some basic games.

Here are some positive notes about this Tablet

• 7.0" Multi-touchscreen - easily zoom with two fingers as well as other capabilities of a 2-point multi-touch device.

• Wi-Fi Support - connect to the internet wirelessly through its 802.11 b/g/n comm port.

• Wide range of media support - play most of the internets sound, video and photo formats.

User experience:
No one is talking about this tablet yet. Be the first to comment.

• Pros
1. Affordable
2. With microSD expansion capability

• Cons

1. Narrow viewing angle
2. Not a real Android Tablet as it does not even have access to Google Play.
3. Lags at times

Here is the complete list of its specifications:

Operating System	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Processor / Chipset	Cortex™-A5 (Telechips)
	1.0 GHz
Graphic
Display	7.0” TFT LCD (WVGA 800 x 480),  capacitive Multi-touchscreen, 16:9 aspect ratio
Touchscreen	Yes
LCD Features
Memory	Flash; 512MB
Hard Drive	Built-in 4GB/Expandable up to 32GB
HDD Interface
Color	Black
Multimedia	Built-in Microphone
	Integrated Speaker
Communication	Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
	---
Ports	USB 2.0 High Speed (Micro Connector)
	3.5mm Headphone
	MicroSDHC
Input	Touchscreen
Power	AC 100-240VAC INPUT, DC 5V output
	---
Dimension	7.75 x 0.45 x 4.5
Weight	7 lbs.
Software *Software can be changed without notice
Others	Plays/displays common internet audio/video/Photo formats.
	Available in the following languages:English, Spanish, French (Canada & France), German, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Korean, Japanese, Russian, Hebrew, Greek, Arabic
	CE, FCC certified
	---
	---
Warranty	---
	---
Samsung Support Page	http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/XE700T1C-A01US (includes manual downloads and FAQs & How Tos)

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What are light boxes and how can you make one?

Ever wondered what are those square floating boxes that appear in front of the contents of a page when it is loaded or when you click a link like a thumbnail of a photo or a small window inside the current window?  It is called a lightbox.

A lightbox is very handy when you want to show the content of a link but you do not want them leaving a page. One reason why you might not want your reader to leave a page is because many find it troublesome to go back to a page when they are taken somewhere else even if it is on a different tab or a new window.

Lightbox is also very useful if a page mostly contains links like in the case of a stock photo page where a user will be looking for many different pictures from the displayed list. Imagine how combersome it would be to be going back from tab to tab or window to window on every sample photo.

What makes a lightbox
Basically, a lightbox is only a div element that is positioned above everything else within a page. It is styled in a way that it would look like a new, smaller window inside the browsing window.

How to make one?
I want to create one and put it in my site, how can I do it? I hear you say. Below I will describe how it is done.

Like what was already said earlier, a lightbox is only a div element with the proper styling applied to it. So go ahead, define a div element and give it an id as you wish or you can simply call it lightbox like this:

<div id="lightbox"></div>

This of course will not show anything in your screen. Next, define some format to it using CSS like boder width, color, width and height of the box like this:

<style type="text/CSS">
#lightbox{
 border: 10px solid yellow;
 width: 400px;
 height: 250px;
}
</style>

#lightbox means these formats will be applied only to the element with an id of lightbox. All the formatting is enclosed with these { }. border: 10px solid yellow; means the border will have a width of 10 pixels, it is solid (not dashed, double or any other type) and it is color yellow. width: 400px; means the width of the window is 400 px and height: 250px; means the window will have a height of 250 px. It would then look like this:

Let us add a close button
If you have been observing the internet some uses a circle with an X in it to indicate the close button or a solid square box with also the X on it and some simply uses the word close. All are on the upper right hand corner. I am in the mood for the circle close button so let us do that.

First create a circle, on how to create one, refer to the guide on creating lines. Fill this circle with the same color as the adjacent element's background (later we will be adding a title bar with orange background so we will fill our close button with orange) but instead of an X, let us place the word close instead. It will look like this:

close

The code is this:
html part:

<div id="circlecontainer" style="width: 40px; height: 40px; position: absolute; top: 15px; left: 412px;"><div id="close_button"><div style="font-size: 9px; position: absolute; top: 14px; left: 11px;">close</div></div>

</div>


CSS Part:

#close_button{
 width: 20px;
 height: 20px;
 background-color: orange;
 border: 10px solid yellow;
 border-radius: 20px;
}

The div with id="circlecontainer" is to group both the circle as well as the word close so it is easier to handle it later in case a javascript is used to on it. The CSS part is mainly for the circle. There are also in-line CSS in the HTML part mostly for aligning the elements together.

Now put them together in a way that the circle is on top of the lightbox window. We will also make the corners of the lightbox rounded and add a title bar with an orange background color. The following lines will be added:

First position the circle to the upper right corner of the box by using position: absolute then top: xxpx and left xxpx placed in the CSS for the close_button. The xx are values that will line-up the close-button best to the box.

Next round the corners of the box by adding corner-radius: 15px. Then to add the title bar, add another div element within the div of the box. Give it a height of 30px and background color of orange. In here we will use again in-line CSS (remember to round the upper corners a bit to match the rounded corners of the box):

<div style="background-color: orange; height: 30px; border-radius: 5 5 0 0px;"><b>Title Here</b></div>
So it will look like this:

Title Here

close

Our lightbox is completed. My color selection may not be the best to use for a lightbox. Do some research by looking at what others are using the change it to that color that makes you happy. Also ad content to the box by placing them between the closing div (</div>) of the title bar and the closing div of the main box.

The last thing we need to do is to make the close button function as it should (close the window). To do this we will use javascript to hide the entire box using the display: none property. By using display : none, it is not actually being closed but only being hidden from view. First group it all by containing it in a single div element then refer to its id when in javascript to hide it. Below is the final code:

<script type="text/javascript">
function closeIt(){
document.getElementById("main_container").style.display = "none";
}
</script>

<style type="text/CSS">
#lightbox{
 position: absolute;
 top: 40px;
 border: 10px solid yellow;
 width: 400px;
 height: 250px;
 border-radius: 15px;
}

#close_button{
 width: 20px;
 height: 20px;
 background-color: orange;
 border: 10px solid yellow;
 border-radius: 20px;
}
</style>

<div id="main_container" style="display: block;">
<div id="lightbox">
 <div id="title_bar" style="background-color: orange; height: 30px; border-radius: 5 5 0 0px;"><b>Title Here</b></div>
</div>
<div id="circlecontainer" style="width: 40px; height: 40px; position: absolute; top: 15px; left: 412px;">
<div id="close_button"><div style="font-size: 9px; position: absolute; top: 14px; left: 11px; cursor: pointer;" onclick="closeIt()">close</div></div>
</div>
</div>

There you have it. Make your adjustment as necessary.

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Is PLDT's (Mybro/SmartBro) Fair Usage Policy (FUP) fair?

If you are currently a MyBro (formerly SmartBro) subscriber, then you already know and experienced what I am about to tell you. But still indulge me so that you may get additional insight about the matter and please do share this article to others so that they get informed. By spreading the word, we might make PLDT/Smart to rethink about its Fair Usage Policy.

If you are not yet a MyBro (SmartBro) subscriber, you are in luck. Please read carefully and when you fully understand what has been written here you still wish to subscribe, then all the best to your browsing in the coming months.

From the TV ads, Smart has been using the term unlimited to their MyBro plan 999. No matter how you try to interpret this, it will always mean that you get unlimited internet access with up to 2Mbps. Please note of the phrase up to that just because the 2Mbps is there, mean that you will get 2Mbps internet speed. I will let other users to comment on it but just to give you a hint, a 1Mbps speed would already be very good.

List of MyBro plans including their monthly data usage limit. Plan 999 and 1299 states unlimited.

But wait, let us go back to their much trumped umlimited data usage. myBro has this thing called Fair Usage Policy (FUP). What is this and why would you care? Well, because this means each month you are actually limited to only so much download and upload (combined) data per month. How much? Many says it is about 15GB a month but PLDT has a very vague description of it. Below is an excerpt of it:

"Conditions Covering Fair Usage Policy. Certain peer-to-peer and machine-to machine software/applications are used by customers to send and receive files containing very large amounts of data. These activities may cause network congestion and can negatively impact the quality of service that other subscribers will experience. myBro fulfils a service level that is based on equitable share of network resources among all of its customers. Thus, the service level and/or connectivity to users of peer-to-peer and machine-to-machine software/applications is modulated to ensure that all customers get the best fixed wireless Internet experience.

Upon reaching the optimum volume allocation for a single user, the subscriber will still be able to enjoy unlimited access to the Internet, but at a lower speed. This was implemented to manage overall internet usage and to ensure that all myBro subscribers can enjoy satisfactory internet service."

Well, to be fair, it stated that you will not get disconnected but your speed will be reduced then by the next month, all will be back to normal. But many will attest that by reduced, it means it will go down to a crawl that a dial-up would even be better. So much for unlimited huh?

The reason for such a policy they say was for them to ensure the integrity of the network so they can continue to provide a fast and reliable connectivity and that all subscribers will have fair access to network resource. How noble, but say what?!

First off, why use the term unlimited to a service that is actually limited? At least they should have the decency to say that all users are subject to myBro's fair usage policy. Why are users being penalized for their usage patterns for an unlimited service that has been promised them? Why does Smart not upgrade so they can provide better service instead of penalizing them for downloading so much for using their (I will say it again) unlimited network service? If upgrade is not an option, then don't accept anymore subscriber. Shouldn't this be more fair?

Secondly, people use the internet a lot these days. They use facebook, skype (or any other VOIP services), e-mails, youtube, online games, system/software updates, file downloads (like e-books), the cloud (iphone music for example) and yes peer-to-peer sharing. Accept that all these are just normal for a user to be doing over the internet aside from the usual Google search for a how to, what is or for the latest news/gossip. Ask anybody if it is normal to be using peer-to-peer software and you will get a resounding YES. What then, will Smart want to change this behaviour? Like I said, stop using the word unlimited that way no one will get deceived and state flat out how much data they are allowed to use each month.

As if that is not enough, they added:

"myBro reserves the right to suspend or terminate service to customers whose practices or use of the internet far exceeds that of a personal consumer and, as a result, impairs the quality of service that other customers experience. myBro also reserves the right to modify the Fair Usage Policy without immediate notice in order to maintain the integrity of its network services."

If I am to understand it, it is all up to them to do no matter what they please so that they could provide a fast and reliable service. Ah! All in the name of good service. Is that what you can call fair? Fair to whom?

How about existing subscribers prior to the implementation of the Fair Usage Policy? They were promised unlimited network access, no conditions. Unlimited, period. Why apply to them? I almost forgot, they reserve the right to modify their policy, right! Well, could Smart at least give them the right to opt out from the subscription even within the lock-in period? The answer is a resounding NO.

OK I am done babbling about this policy. But just to give some insight as to  how far a 15GB will last for an average user (note, not a power surfer) here is a summary of usage with corresponding data. Please note this are only estimates and in no way is it measured scientifically.

Youtube (1min of video = 2MB; average youtube video per month = 1350 minutes that is 45 minute video per day) = 2.7GB <- note that you can download video faster than you can play them and most times you don't watch the entire length of the video especially if that video is not what you are looking for but you have already downloaded the complete video.

Facebook (50 pictures upload/month at 6MB/picture; 15MBper page @ 150page/month; 3MB per photo view@ 400 photo/month = 300MB + 2.25GB+1.2MB or roughly 3.75GB/month.

Skype (2.2Gb/hr; 20 hours/month) = 5.5GB/month <- me and my wife use more (way more, like 4 times more, than this every month).

Online Games (approximately 50MB per hour at 50hours/month; hahaha a little more than an hour a day of gameplay but indulge me) = 2.5GB/month

System/Software updates = roughly 1GB/month

This alone will already give you 15.4GB of downloaded data and that is a very conservative estimate. How about the bits of cookies and such that are also downloaded not to mention that each page you visit, you are also uploading some data. I also have not included a user's numerous Google search as well as page visits to different sites. Note that this is only for a single computer. What if you have more than one connected via a router? And let us not forget peer-to-peer download which could easily use 10GB in a month.

Lastly, to be fair, it is also worth noting that myBro is not alone in implementing a data limit. Globe as well as others have also their own data limit.

My advise learn your surfing habit and if you think you are within this limit then you can try subscribing otherwise look for an alternative. A local ISP perhaps that has no data limit or at least higher limit? But if you don't have a choice and you are a heavy user, then I feel for you. You may try prepaid plug-it and subscribe an UNLISURF 200 good for 5 days. I have inquired through their service representative and to this day,  this is still not covered by the FUP but most of the time it is also very slow (at least in my case). Just don't buy the dongle with a very limited settings selection in its UI like MF180 and MF190 by ZTE. It automatically connect once it is plugged and there is no way you can disable its autoconnect. I have that experience with the MF180, trust me it is a pain to use. Loosing my load before I could register it to UNLISURF.

Let me ask again, is the Fair Usage Policy fair?

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How to draw lines using CSS

Do you want some simple lines (vertical, horizontal,diagonal or slanting) but without using images?

It is quite simple really. By using CSS, you can create the above listed lines as well as circle.

Let us start with the simpler ones, that is horizontal and vertical lines. To do so, simply create a div element and define the border on one side and you already have a line then define its position so you can place it at the exact location you wish the line be displayed by using a combination of the top, left, bottom, right properties together with the position: absolute, position: relative or position: fixed.

Vertical line example:
<style>
#vertical
{
 height: 200px;
 border-left: 1px solid blue;
 position: absolute;
 top: 50px;
 left: 250px;
}
</style>

<div id="vertical"></div>

*You may also use border-right with the same values and it will have the exact same result. The bigger height it is the longer the vertical line.

Horizontal line example:
<style>
#horizontal
{
 width: 200px;
 border-top: 1px solid blue;
 position: absolute;
 top: 50px;
 left: 250px;
}
</style>

<div id="horizonal"></div>

*You may also use border-bottom.

For a diagonal line first create a vertical or horizontal line then add the rotate property.

Diagonal line example:
<style>
#diagonal
{
 width: 200px;
 border-top: 1px solid blue;
 -webkit-transform: rotate(36deg);
 -moz-transform: rotate(36deg);
 -o-transform: rotate(36deg);
 -ms-transform: rotate(36deg);
 transform: rotate(36deg);
 position: absolute;
 top: 50px;
 left: 250px;
}
</style>

<div id="diagonal"></div>
*A diagonal line is a horizontal or vertical line that is rotated at an angle.
**The -webkit-transform: rotate(xxdeg), -moz-transform: rotate(xxdeg), -o-transform: rotate(xxdeg), -ms-transform: rotate(xxdeg) and transform: rotate(xxdeg) all do the same thing. But each only works for a specific browser.
***Always supply the same angle to all, otherwise it will be displayed differently on different browsers.

For a circle, it is still a div element with rounded corners.
Circle Example:
<style>
#circle
{
 height: 200px;
 width: 200px;
 border-radius: 100px;
 border: 1px solid blue;
 position: absolute;
 top: 50px;
 left: 250px;
}
</style>

<div id="circle"></div>

*To create a circle, the div element has to be a square thus height and width must be equal.

**The value of the border-radius must be half that of the side (or half of the height or width value).

Now let us use a combination of these to draw a very big stickman.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#stick_head
{
height: 100px;
width: 100px;
border: 1px solid blue;
border-radius: 50px;
position: absolute;
top: 200;
left: 400px;
}

#body
{
height: 240px;
border-left: 1px solid blue;
position: absolute;
top: 120px;
left: 450px;
}

#left_arm
{
height: 130px;
border-right: 1px solid blue;
-webkit-transform: rotate(50deg);
-moz-transform: rotate(50deg);
-o-transform: rotate(50deg);
-ms-transform: rotate(50deg);
transform: rotate(50deg);
position: absolute;
top: 140px;
left: 400px;
}

#right_arm
{
height: 130px;
border-right: 1px solid blue;
-webkit-transform: rotate(130deg);
-moz-transform: rotate(130deg);
-o-transform: rotate(130deg);
-ms-transform: rotate(130deg);
transform: rotate(130deg);
position: absolute;
top: 140px;
left: 500px;
}

#left_leg
{
width: 180px;
border-bottom: 1px solid blue;
-webkit-transform: rotate(100deg);
-moz-transform: rotate(100deg);
-o-transform: rotate(100deg);
-ms-transform: rotate(100deg);
transform: rotate(100deg);
position: absolute;
top: 448px;
left: 345px;
}

#right_leg
{
width: 180px;
border-bottom: 1px solid blue;
-webkit-transform: rotate(80deg);
-moz-transform: rotate(80deg);
-o-transform: rotate(80deg);
-ms-transform: rotate(80deg);
transform: rotate(80deg);
position: absolute;
top: 448px;
left: 376px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div id="stick_head"></div>
<div id="body"></div>
<div id="left_arm"></div>
<div id="right_arm"></div>
<div id="left_leg"></div>
<div id="right_leg"></div>
</body>
</html>

Of course this is not how you would use a line to style your page but just to give you an idea as to what extent you can do with it and what has just been demonstrated is the very basic. There are more that you can do with it specially when used together with javascript or similar language.
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How to customize a Google Visualization Table to best fit your page

If you are using Google Visualization Table to show your data like when making Google Spreadsheet as a database, you may have learned that customizing it is not simply declaring an ID to the containing element.

The declaration google.visualization.table in itself contains its own CSS styles which defines what you see when the table gets drawn like background color, font size, font face and so on. There are readily available options that you can turn on or off like alternating background color per row but sometimes that is not enough as what is readily available may not be suited on how your page looks like.

How to override the default styles
For this to work the option allowHtml must be set to true. Also, there should not be any formatting on the source spreadsheet.

For the purpose of this post, let us go back to a previous article that illustrates how to use your google spreadsheet as a database. Let us make this table transparent so that it will match and adopt your page's background color.

• Define the CSS styles for the table elements - create a css class for the following: headerRow, tableRow, oddTableRow, .selectedTableRow, headerCell and tableCell. Set the the background color to transparent and since by default there is no border define one for it as well. Also, since all will be having the same styles, just lump them up in a single declaration within the <style> </style> tag. Here is an example:

Example: 
.hrowclass, .trowclass, .otrowclass, .strowclass, .hcellclass, .tcellclass
{
 background-color: transparent;
 border: 1px solid #c8c8c8;
}

• Use declared classes in the table.draw using the cssClassName property - locate the javascript function containing the actual code that displays the table. In this case it is table.draw(data, {'allowHtml': true, 'alternatingRowStyle': true, 'page': 'enable', 'pageSize': 10, 'sort': 'enable', 'sortAscending': false, 'sortColumn': 0}); and add this 'cssClassNames': {'tableRow': 'trowclass', 'headerRow': 'hrowclass', 'oddTableRow': 'otrowclass', 'selectedTableRow': 'strowclass', 'headerCell': 'hcellclass', 'tableCell': 'tcellclass'}. The final result will be this:

table.draw(data, {'allowHtml': true, 'alternatingRowStyle': true, 'page': 'enable', 'pageSize': 10, 'sort': 'enable', 'sortAscending': false, 'sortColumn': 0, 'cssClassNames': {'tableRow': 'trowclass', 'headerRow': 'hrowclass', 'oddTableRow': 'otrowclass', 'selectedTableRow': 'strowclass', 'headerCell': 'hcellclass', 'tableCell': 'tcellclass'}});

Now save your work and you will have a transparent table with a gray background. You can even change the color of the border or make it thicker, add more styles as you see fit. Try playing on it to give you what you wanted.

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Nokia Asha 501 Review/Spec

Nokia Asha 501 Dual Sim |
image source: http://www.nokia.com.ph

Nokia Asha 501 (Dual SIM)

Here is an inexpensive Nokia phone that would be new phone owner want to buy. At first glance this phone may look like a Lumia only smaller.

Apparently the Asha 501 tries to go against the current norm and went smaller instead of bigger. The Asha 501 is small at 99.2x58mm (h x w) compared to what we are normally sold in the market these days. There was a time back in the early days of cellular phones where smaller is better, this phone is trying to prove that. Of course the only disadvantage is that with a smaller body, you will also get a smaller display which is not so good when you are browsing or playing games or videos.

Here are some positive notes about this phone

Easily swap SIM withou loosing each SIM's settings |
image source: http://www.nokia.com.ph

• Low data usage full browsing experience - It also tries to minimize data usage while browsing with its Nokia Express Browser. It uses less data while still richly displaying content.
• Get Social all-in-one screen - With a single swipe, it brings out your social media interface in a single screen. Updating status and receiving them are all in a single screen.
• Swapping SIM has never been easier - Now it is possible to swap SIM cards and never have to worry about the settings in each SIM. It remembers settings of up to 5 SIMs.

User experience:

Here are some comments from people who have already used the device.

• Pros:

1. Good battery life
2. phone is good for its price
3. gives smartphone experience for a phone that is not

• Cons

1. small browsing screen
2. no support for apps like nimbuzz and whatsapp.

Price	Php3,000 - Php4,500
Name	Nokia Asha 501
Release Date	June 2013 (Announced May 2013)
Operating System	Nokia Asha software platform 1.0
Dimensions	99.2 x 58 x 12.1 mm (3.91 x 2.28 x 0.48 in)
Weight	98.2 g (3.46 oz)
Network Type	GSM 900 / 1800 - RM-899; 850 / 1900 - RM-900; GSM 900 / 1800 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 - RM-902
SIM	Optional Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
Display Type	TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
Display Size	240 x 320 pixels, 3.0 inches (~133 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Display?	Yes, Up to 2 fingers
Vibration Alert	Yes
MP3 Alert/Ringtones	Yes
Loudspeaker	Yes
Speaker Jack	Yes, 3.5mm jack
Internal Memory	128 MB, 64 MB RAM
Memory Expansion	Yes, microSD, up to 32 GB, 4 GB card included
GPRS	Yes, Up to 85.6 kbps
Edge	Yes, Up to 236.8 kbps
WLAN	Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with EDR
USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0
Primary Camera	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels
Secondary Camera	-
Video Capture	Yes,QVGA@15fps
Accelerometer	Yes
Proximity Sensor	Yes
Other Sensors	-
Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, IM
Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
Radio	Yes, FM only
GPS	No
Java	Yes, MIDP 2.1
Color	Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White and Black
Battery	Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery (BL-4U)
Battery | Stand-by	Up to 1152 h (dual SIM: Up to 624 h)
Battery | Talk Time	Up to 17 h (dual SIM: Up to 17 h)
Battery | Music Play Time	Up to 56 h
Battery | Browsing Time	-
SAR US	1.41 W/kg (head)
SAR EU	0.96 W/kg (head)
Support Page	http://www.nokia.com/ph-en/support/

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Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 2 7.0 Review/Specs

Samsung Galaxy ^TM Tab2 7.0 front view |
source: http://samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 2 7.0 (Wi-Fi) 8GB

Last April 22, 2012, Samsung has released another tablet from their 7-inch series. The Samsung Galaxy Tab^TM 2 7.0 seems a rehash of the earlier released Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

To be honest, because many loved the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus but had reservations in buying due to its price, they have this released.

Looking from a distance the it looked like the Tab 7.0 Plus. Only at closer inspection will you see the difference in thickness (Galaxy Tab2 7.0 is slightly thicker). There are also several other downgrades here and there like its front camera which is VGA resolution from an HD quality in 7.0 Plus. CPU speed is now 1Ghz from 1.2Ghz in 7.0 Plus.

Still, many of the selling point of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is carried to it like its bright TFT LCD display, microSD slot and rear camera. 

Here are some positive notes about this Tablet

• Loaded with lots of apps and can carry lots of content - Although not necessarily a plus, it comes pre-loaded with apps from social media to weather updates, access to Google Play Store, entertainment and many more. Of course a user can always remove apps he/she deems not necessary. And with an external microSD port (up to 32G) of files and media storage couple that with a cloud storage of 50G (good for 2 years free), an owner could carry virtually everything he/she needs.

Endless apps and content at your fingertips | source: http://samsung.com

• Easily customized - With Touchwiz, things is easily customized and organized giving easy access to contents.

Add a touch of TouchWiz and contents are accessed easily | source: http://samsung.com

• A home entertainment Tab - Stream shows from TV screens using SmartView. If you lost your TV remote, this Tab can do it for you.

• Extendable Memory - With the built in microSD slot, memory can be extended and give up to 32G more memory of storage for files like photo, documents, video and music.

Load up more data with up to 32G more memory | source: http://samsung.com

User experience:
Here are some comments from people who have already used the device. Most feedback are positive.

• Pros

1. Bright display.
2. Built-in speakers.
3. Leight weight.
4. Inexpensive.
5. Realistic color.
6. Solid feel
7. With flash player

• Cons

1. Can't install apps on the microSD.
2. Most apps from Google Play are supported but there are still some that it does not support.

Here is the complete list of its specifications:

Price	Php11,000 - Php12,800 (as of July 31, 2013)
Operating System	Android 4.1, Jelly Bean
Processor / Chipset	TI OMAP4430
	-
Graphic	'none'
Display	7"; 1024x600Pixel (resolution)
Touchscreen	Yes
LCD Features	-
	-
	-
Memory	8GB (internal); micro SD card slot supports up to 32GB (external)
Hard Drive	-
HDD Interface	-
Color	Titanium Silver
Multimedia	3.0 Megapixel (rear)
	Music: MP3, AAC/AAC+/EAAC+, WMA, OGG (vorbis), FLAC, AC-3 ; Sound: AVideo Codec: Mpeg4, H.264, H.263, VC-1, Divx, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark;
	Format: 3gp(mp4), wmv(asf), avi(divx), mkv, flv, webm
	Format: 3gp(mp4), wmv(asf), avi(divx), mkv, flv, webm
Communication	Wi-Fi Only
	Bluetooth
Ports	802.11n wireless network support
	Proprietary USB and power connection
	-
	-
	-
	-
Input	-
Power	4,000mAh (Battery)
	-
Dimension	4.8" x 7.6" x .41" (W x H x D)
Weight	0.76 lbs
Software *Software can be changed without notice	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
Others	-
	-
	-
	-
	-
Warranty	1 year limited warranty period for parts
	1 year limited warranty for labor
Samsung Support Page	http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/GT-P3113TSYXAR (includes manual downloads and FAQs & How Tos)

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Samsung XE700T1C Review/Specs

Samsung XE700T1C overview | source: http://www.samsung.com

Samsung ATIV SmartPC Pro XE700T1C-A01US

The XE700T1C is one of Samsung's latest in tablet PCs. Although they were not the first to have thought it, it has revolutionized user's computing experience by combining the power of a notebook (or in the case a desktop) and the convinience of a tablet.

It is comparable to a notebook because it comes with a full-sized keyboard out of the box which you can mount if needed. It is like a desktop PC because it uses an Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 3317U (1.70GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) to drive it. Now that is what I call a tablet with a punch.

Here are some positive notes about this Tablet

• Intel® Core™ i5 processor - This tablet is fast and it owes it to its processor.

• Tablet convertible to Notebook - for more productivity, this tablet comes with a keyboard that you can dock to it for faster typing.

Front of the tablet. It uses Windows 8 for its OS | source: http://www.samsung.com

When docked onto its keyboard:

Docked onto its keyboard, it becomes a notebook for productivity | source: http://www.samsung.com

• Sketching/Drawing/Creating an art is much easier and faster - With the S-pen and its 1024 level pressure sensitivity, graphic designers will surely love its accuracy.

• It has multi-touch capability - With its 10-points multi-touch capability, it provides more control by allowing you to use all ten fingers at the same time as opposed to the traditional 2-points multi-touch that we have been accustomed to.

Here is an overview of its ports:

Ports overview of the device | source: http://www.samsung.com

User experience:
Here are some comments from people who have already used the device.

• Pros

1. Indeed this tablet is very fast.
2. The keyboard, although a bit cramped, is good for typing and is very easy to get accustomed to.
3. Very slick and stylish design.
4. It has a solid feel, given that it has a plastic casing.
5. Very good for doing artwork.
6. Bright display

• Cons

1. Docking into the keyboard is not very easy.
2. Keyboard gets disconnected easily due to improper docking.
3. No battery on the keyboard. It gets power from the tablet instead of it providing for the tablet. Many users asked this improvement.
4. The S pen is a hit or miss to people as opposed to what Samsung's sales pitch to be very good. Others like it while others say it is too small on their hands. One artist mentioned it to be too smooth that there is not much felt while drawing/writing thus it is very easy to go over.
5. Battery capacity to device power consumption limits a user to at most 5 hours based on their actual experience.
6. Touchpad on keyboard is not so accurate.

Here is the complete list of its specifications:

Operating System	Genuine Windows 8 (64-bit)
Processor / Chipset	Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 3317U (1.70GHz speed, 3MB L3 Cache)
	Intel HM76
Graphic	Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Display	11.6" FHD LED Display (1,920 x 1,080 resolution)
Touchscreen	Yes
LCD Features	Gloss, 16:9, 400 nits SuperBright Plus Technology
	Touch Screen with Digitizer S Pen
	LED Full HD Screen
Memory	4GB DDR3 System Memory at 1600MHz (on BD 4GB)
Hard Drive	128GB Solid state Drive
HDD Interface	SATA2
Color	Black
Multimedia	Stereo Speakers ( 1 watts x 2 )
	SoundAlive™
	Internal Dual Array Digital Mic
	2.0 megapixel Webcam (front), 5.0 megapixel Webcam with Flash (rear)
Communication	Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6235, 2 x 2 802.11abg/n (up to 300Mbps), Widi Support
	Bluetooth V4.0
Ports	1 Micro HDMI
	1 USB3.0
	MicroSD Multi-media Card Reader
	1 Headphone out/Mic-in Combo
	1 Dock Port™
	1 DC-in
Input	Touch screen
Power	4Cell (49Wh)
	40 watts AC Adapter
Dimension	304.0 x 189.4 x 11.9mm (11.97" x 7.46" x 0.47")
Weight	0.888kg (1.96lbs) [Wifi Model]
Software *Software can be changed without notice	S Note
	S Player
	S Gallery
	S Camera
	PowerDVD
	Settings
	SW Update
	Recovery
	Norton Internet Security (60 days Trial)
	Norton Online Backup (30 days Trial)
Others	Ambient Light Sensor
	Accelarometer Sensor
	Compass Sensor
	Gyro Sensor
	Prominity
Warranty	1 year limited warranty period for parts
	1 year limited warranty for labor
Samsung Support Page	http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/XE700T1C-A01US (includes manual downloads and FAQs & How Tos)

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