Microsoft Internet Explorer 7

I've been using Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) since it became available. Initially I was impressed, that MS actually listened to the users regarding features readily available in its competitors (Firefox, Opera), such as tabbed browsing, increased security, etc. But I wasn't convinced yet. No, I still believed in Firefox and used it (and still do) as my main browser. I still thought that IE7 wasn't perfect, at least when compared to Firefox. Besides, Firefox was more than sufficient for my day-to-day browsing.

It turned out that my hunch wasn't wrong. IE7 still has drawbacks. The worst, at least for me, was its poor (or even lack of) memory management. I always do extensive browsing with many tabs (or windows, in case of IE6) opened in a session, and not only for 1 or 2 hours, but for more than 5 hours in a very busy day. I've never encountered any slow-downs with Firefox for this matter. But when I tried IE7, after more than just 1 hour of tabbed browsing, I began to get many error messages, unable to open new tabs or windows, and, most obviously, my notebook slowed to a halt. For a laptop equipped with an Intel Core Duo 2GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, this is unacceptable. I pinpointed the culprit to IE7 because it was the only new software I added at that time. And whenever I went back to Firefox, the problem went away.

I was hoping the problem would be solved with the help of updates from MS. But it's been long enough, with lots of Windows updates, and the problem stays.

Unfortunately, I still have to use IE7 for some tasks, since some web sites only work properly in IE. And those are important ones! For example is Jobsdb.com. Apply for more than 10 jobs with the Search and Quick Apply functions, and suddenly you'll be logged off, with no options to get it done properly. Oh sure, you can log in again, but then you won't be able to apply properly (CV attachments don't work, etc.). Solution: restart. It's really annoying. To make things worse, Jobsdb only functions properly in IE. Damn!

To be fair, like I said, this only happens when we open lots of tabs (or windows). If you only use one window at a time, you won't notice any strange things.

Its security feature has been beefed up quite significantly. We now have more control on the contents displayed. Of course, IE will never be secured enough, but at least MS has been listening to its users and security advisors.

IE7 also has the ability to use add-ons. As of now, the add-ons library isn't as extensive as Firefox's. and I don't use IE7 frequent enough to care about adding add-ons, except for the "must have" ones such as Google toolbar.

One feature I do like is the ability to clear your private data in one go. Unfortunately, this has since been implemented in Firefox as well.

IE7 isn't perfect, but it'll do a good enough job for most users. However, there are "heavy users" such as me, who demands things. It's been a game of catch between IE and its competitors, and unfortunately, whenever IE received any significant updates, the others will have those abilities already.

Sony Ericsson k618i

Sony Ericsson k618i

This mobile phone comes in black. At a glance, it's very similar to k750i, Sony Ericsson's first 2-megapixels camera phone. This similarity was the very reason i bought the phone.

k618i's face*

k618i's back*

But there are significant differences between the phones. k618i doesn't have a joystick to navigate. Instead, it has the usual direction keys. The keys are in bright orange, which makes some people think k618i is a part of the SE Walkman phones line. A reasonable thinking, since the direction keys have double function as multimedia controls. Other than joystick, k618i also uses a different type of memory card, the Memory Stick M2, which is smaller than k750i's Memory Stick Duo.

Memory Stick M2 slot*

Multimedia-wise, k618i can handle many music formats, including MP3 and M4A. It's single speaker, on the back, is good enough for playback. The same speaker is also used for speakerphone. Supported video format is limited only to 3GP, however. It provides many functions for us to be able to edit our photos, create our own music (in MIDI), or edit our videos. I like its voice recording function, which is limited only by the size of free memory.

The next difference lies in the camera. Even though both use 2-megapixels sensors, k618i's photos aren't as good as k750i's. The absence of camera light somehow contributes to the lesser quality of the photos, especially when taking pictures in the dark. k618i isn't equipped with an active lens cover. In stand-by mode, we need to press the shutter button to activate the camera, and the camera will become active. This can be annoying when we forget to lock the keys, and the shutter button is pressed accidently. Strangely, in photo mode, we can't use zoom (it does work in video mode). Macro isn't available either. It seems SE is content enough with just the basic functions for the camera. The maximum resolution is also somewhat slightly lower, 1600x1200 vs 1632x1224 for k750i. Barely noticeable though, unless you're an information detail freak like me.

Sample of photo taken indoor

Sample of photo taken outdoor

So what does k618i have that is better than k750i? Its 3G function. Its weight is also lighter, which makes the phone more comfortable to hold. k618i's phonebook capacity is twice that of k750i's (1000 vs 500). Although, much to my dismay, SE still only provides 5 slots for phone numbers (mobile, home, work, other, fax). With so many people carrying more than 1 mobile phones nowadays (me included), it's quite annoying to have so little space.

One function which I think as a big improvement for k618i is delivery report when we send smses to more than one person. SMS is also sent in the background, so we can do other things while the SMS is being sent. Compare this to k750i, which makes us have to wait until the SMS is sent. Unfortunately, k618i, like the k750i, isn't equipped with Bahasa T9 dictionary. Hey, you can think/say whatever you want about T9 not being practical or whatnot, but I use it a lot on my Nokias.

We can use k750i's themes on this phone. But k618i's screen is longer, so themes with "boxes" for SMS writing will look ugly, because the text will spill out of the box.

3G Video Call screen*

Video call function, which I think is a must-have in 3G phones, runs smoothly. We can choose to use the front or rear camera. Of course, for a video call, why do we use the rear camera? However, prolonged use of video call will make the phone warm, almost unberably hot. According to SE, this heat problem affects most 3G phones, not only SE's.

k618i's battery last shorter than k750i's, even though they both use the same model. A normal one day use (including calls, smses, and browsing through GPRS/3G), will consume 50% of the capacity. This means k618i's battery will only last two days until it goes flat. Compare this to k750i's battery which can last three or even four days. But maybe this battery problem is also affected by Telkomsel's network condition (I use Kartu Halo), which lately isn't very stable, what's with the losses of signal, frequent changes from 3G to "normal" GSM.

k618i also has a "flight mode" feature, which is on by default when we turn this phone on. It's annoying enough, and I suggest to disable this feature, unless we protect our sim cards with PINs and we travel with planes frequently.

The phone comes with accessories such as handsfree, data cable, and 256MB external memory, other than standard accessories such as charger. I was mesmerized by k618i's "big brother", the k610i, with its matte finishing. But k610i doesn't come with handsfree and only has a 64MB memory card, even though the price difference is less than Rp 100.000. As a "geek", of course I choose the one with bigger memory! I don't need exclusive look in exchange for bigger memory. Moreover, we can't possibly find a brand new 256MB Memory Stick M2 for just Rp 100.000!

Connectivity is provided with Bluetooth. No IrDA. But who uses infrared anyway nowadays? Connecting the phone to other phones, computers, and BT handsfrees is smooth. I believe SE is still superior in Bluetooth technology, compared to other companies.

We can update k618i's software through the Internet. Unfortunately I had a bad experience in updating k750i, it makes me reluctant to try this with my new k618i. There are no extreme problems anyway, so I think I don't need this feature now. The phone is also equipped with a reminder function for the update. I turned this function off, obviously.

So, do I recommend k618i? Considering its price, now touching Rp 2.000.000plus, it's cheap enough for a 3G phone. BUT if you already have a 2-megapixels SE phone and don't yet need 3G, especially video calls, I suggest for you to wait for better phones. If you just can't wait, I'd recommend SE k800i with its 3-megapixels camera and 3G, a better choice. But of course, with a higher price tag.

Have Rp 2.000.000plus to spend? SE k618i is waiting & available. The rest, is up to you...

(*photos were taken with SE k750i)