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Have an iPad? Use Flipboard to follow my blogs.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

I am probably one of the least tech savvy person around. So, for me to blog about technology is a rarity.

Ever since I started using an iPad, high technology is just a touch away. It is really a joy to use.

Recently, I was introduced to an app by a very good friend. The app is called "Flipboard".

The "cover" of Flipboard looks like the cover of magazines. It uses pictures from the publications we are subscribed to for its "cover".

I am able to keep up with my favourite magazines, newspapers and blogs all with this one single app!

Once we "flip" the cover, we search for publications to subscribe to and they will become a part of our Flipboard. It is that easy.

I really like how the introductions to articles in my blog are visually presented. Looks very professional, don't you agree?

If you have an iPad, you know what to do. Just go to the Apple app store and download Flipboard.

It is free and that makes me happy too.

Related posts:
1. Protect your iPad.
2. China prices, global deals.

24 comments:

financialray said...

Hi AK

Read page A13 of the Straits Times today?

Someone is advertising FREE seminars to teach people how to invest in REITs. Same old trick like their property investment and how-to-start-your-own-business FREE seminars.

Come pay a few k for the courses as gullibles who attend will be invariably be told.

AK71 said...

Hi financialray,

Wow! Really? Someone stole your idea. Haha.. ;p

I don't see why people will want to pay for courses on investing in REITs. There is enough information in cyberspace which is freely available.

Maybe, this course will package what is already available in cyberspace and sell it to the participants. ;p

financialray said...

Hi Ak,

Perhaps you could have a column to remind people not to fall for such FREE seminars.

I remember a fellow blogger even asked what was wrong if people could pay to learn something faster and perhaps wishing to make money the easy way, that is led by sweet talking "experts".

It is sad to see people losing their hard earned money this way.

Marti said...

Not sure what they are "teaching". Unlike direct property investment, it is difficult to use long-term leverage to invest in REIT. Which is a sad thing because it would be so much more profitable :)

AK71 said...

Hi financialray,

Well, everyone has to make a living and, obviously, everyone has different standards they live by. :)

If there are willing sellers, there has to be willing buyers. Sellers should be ethical and avoid misrepresentations. Buyers should evaluate offers objectively before paying for anything.

I don't think putting up a column here in my blog on why we should avoid free investment seminars would be useful because people who visit my blog are probably people who won't go for such seminars anyway. ;p

I do not make big money out of my blogs. The monthly income received from advertising would not even be enough to pay for an ad in the classifieds section of The Straits Times.

I can only hope that readers will help to spread the word about my blog and maybe send an email to people in their address book or link my blog up on Facebook so that their friends will know about ASSI.

One of the objectives of starting this blog almost two years ago was to reach out to a bigger population, to spread the word on financial freedom and how everyone should try to achieve some level of passive income in life.

I cannot say if my blog will transform lives but even if a few people have found my blog helpful, I will be happy. :)

AK71 said...

Hi Marti,

There are people who are leveraging to invest in REITs. Yup, they borrow cheaply to do so.

Apparently, if we have a certain relationship with the banks, we could get cheap loans to do anything we want with the money.

I have a reader who has funds which he pays 2% per annum in interest for. Invest in a REIT that has a 10% distribution yield and he gets to keep 8%. ;)

There are obviously risks involved in such an arrangement. When the time comes to repay the loan, just pray that the value of the REIT has not fallen. ;p

financialray said...

Yes, I agree when Mr Jiang Tai Gong goes fishing, despite the murky waters, its the gullible fish who bites the bait.

Learn from the wise men and your pot of gold doubles.

Learn from the con men and your pot of gold is plundered before your very eyes.

Sometimes, water is so murky con men can be mistaken as wise men and vice versa.

AK71 said...

Hi financialray,

I like that analogy. I like it even more because old man Jiang was my ancestor in historical times if we trace my family name all the way back. A bit of trivia pursuit here. Haha. ;p

JJ said...

I was reading your blogs and comments via iphone reeder apps.

Somewhat the full post has to be opened via full page browser, resulted in a slow loading.

Do you encounter that with flipboard too?.

AK71 said...

Hi JJ,

I do not have experience with the iPhone reader app but I can say that with Flipboard on the iPad, it is quite speedy.

I guess it depends on the connection too. :)

Musicwhiz said...

Don't worry AK71, every time you feel you are not savvy with technology, just remember there's someone out there who is more of a "dinosaur" than you are when it comes to tech gadgets! Haha.

Cheers,
Musicwhiz

AK71 said...

Hi fellow dinosaur MW,

Haha.. I am a slow adopter of technology but once I am on the bandwagon, nothing can stop me. ;p

SnOOpy168 said...

will try it out later tonight.

I am now having the Galaxy S2 and the iPad1 to read your blogs. Felt much better than those goons-Nokia phones. No regret trading in the old Samsung & Nokia for the S2.

Now wondering if I should upgrade to the iPad2, while the old 64mb iPad still have some value in the trade-in market.

PS: I get my full apps for free with my S2. Heheeh

AK71 said...

Hi SnOOpy168,

I think you will like Flipboard. :)

I bought the iPad2 for my mom a few weeks ago. I must say that it is really aesthetically more pleasing and lighter too. :)

I know the iPad2 is supposed to be faster with better graphics. If you do not need these improvements, I guess sticking to your old iPad will save you some money, right? ;)

Kyith said...

its amazing that u can use flipboard but leave ur feeds cut off.

for me flipboard never works because i dun browse my rss feeds i read through them.

flipboard is for that.

AK71 said...

Hi Drizzt,

Well, you are the IT guru. ;)

I use Flipboard to quickly browse through headlines and if there is something that interests me, I click and read more. :)

SnOOpy168 said...

Tried it last night. Took a while to feel around and to "Favorite" ASSI page. Looks a bit plain with the colors and photos. But the contents matters most.

About those free seminars thingy. Perhaps we can have a column for the readers to share their experiences and findings here. One man's meat is another's poison.

Been to 1, about reducing mortgage payments for the housing loans, was run by a Malaysian. Had to pay $50 to attend. Only to hear the propagana about their $3000 seminar all night long. I tried to ask questions but was told off immediately that "(the speaker) normally will not allow questions from the floor". Anyway, his conclusions are all smoke-screens, good for those who can't get past the stage of using a simple calculator. Plus, contrary to his claims about HDB loans, I didn't have to "negotiate with his contacts" to get interest reductions etc etc. I simply use the rarely used partial capital prepayment offered by HDB to reduce my loan period (and the interest payable). 30 years loan cleared in 3.5yrs. Perhaps I had overestimated my inability to finance that flat or should have bought a bigger unit. But being debt free felt very good lor. ^-^

AK71 said...

Hi SnOOpy168,

I find Flipboard useful in that it gives me all the headlines and the first few lines or paragraphs of the respective articles.

I do a quick scan and if there are articles I am interested in, I click and read more. Saves time. :)

Regarding all these FREE seminars, thanks for sharing with us your experience with one that was almost free. ;)

Recently, a good friend of mine paid $5 to attend one seminar on money management or trading which he paid for on deals.com or something.

He tried to convince me that it seemed like the real deal but I didn't bite. $5 per person and someone is willing to impart some valuable knowledge or skills in finance? I doubt it.

Anyway, we met for dinner that evening and he was late because the air conditioning at the seminar broke down or something.

Well, he paid $X,XXX and signed up for the course. He was convinced by the presentation. This is also the second $X,XXX course he has signed up for in trading and investment.

Like I said, it takes all sorts. Where there are willing buyers, there will be sellers.

I remember reading in the papers that one person paid money to attend almost ten different courses in slightly more than a year!

If readers would like to share their experience, I welcome guest writers anytime as long as the articles are well written and substantiated by facts. Don't want to end up in Court. ;p

Send articles to: ak71@sillypore.com.

I will retain editorial rights, of course. :)

SnOOpy168 said...

Traded in the iPad1 for the Tab10.1 3G last night.

So much faster and very easy access to those "full apps" without jailbreak anything.

Heard that there is a Flipboard alternative call Pulse. Will try that out.

Anyway... new toy for the weekend.

AK71 said...

Hi SnOOpy168,

Sounds like the iPad just lost a customer. ;)

How much was the trade in value of your iPad? I remember it was the 64gig version with 3G, right?

Pulse. I must a make a note of this so that I will not appear so backward. ;p

SnOOpy168 said...

AK

I had paid about S$285 for the Tab 10.1 3G+16Gb, after trade in. A lot of shops did not want to touch my iPad1, regardless of condition - saying that there is no much demand, even for pre-owned iPad2.

Whereas the high trade in value these days are with the Tab10.1

Happily spend an hour uninstalling everything Apple. No more iTunes.

AK71 said...

Hi SnOOpy168,

Really? No demand for pre-owned iPad and iPad2? I was shopping for one at Apple Store in Singapore and they were out of stock. Not many pre-owned ones for sale. So, I went and bought a new iPad2 for my mom from Challenger. Was thinking of getting a pre-owned 16gig wifi only version for her. :)

SnOOpy168 said...

Aiyo. A pre-owned iPad for mom ? Oui. with your income status, the good-boy AK should get her at least the iPad 2 lah or the Tab 10.1 where many software comes free (if you want to find out how, email me lah).

AK71 said...

Hi SnOOpy168,

I always tell people that it should not be a matter of affordability. It should always be value for money. ;p

The iPad I am using now is also pre-owned. ;)

Anyway, mom got a brand new iPad2 and is furiously trying to master Angry Bird. She even told me to download the game in all the different versions for her. Haha.. :)


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