Blueberry-i mirip Blackberry

Oleh AQMAR ALLADAD
aqmar.alladad@kosmo.com.my

Pada harga RM438 anda mampu memiliki telefon bimbit yang menyediakan pelbagai kemudahan asas dan kelihatan eksklusif seperti Blackberry Bold.

SESETENGAH orang lebih mementingkan papan kekunci setiap kali ingin membeli telefon bimbit. Ini kerana ciri selesa dan mudah ketika menekan papan kekunci untuk mengirim khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) mahupun membuat panggilan boleh mempengaruhi pengalaman menggunakan sesebuah telefon bimbit.

Trend menggunakan telefon bimbit yang mempunyai papan kekunci Qwerty seolah-olah semakin digemari oleh semua peringkat umur pada hari ini.

Malah syarikat pengeluar telefon bimbit kian giat memasukkan elemen terbaru itu untuk keluaran produk masing-masing.

Begitu juga dengan syarikat tempatan CSL Manufacturing (M) Sdn. Bhd. Mereka tidak mahu ketinggalan untuk memasarkan telefon bimbit jenamanya dengan papan kekunci Qwerty.

Papan kekunci

Sejak Blueberry-i dipasarkan baru-baru ini, banyak maklum balas daripada pengguna yang mengatakan mereka menggemari papan kekunci telefon tersebut.

Ini kerana jarak papan kekunci telefon tersebut tidak terlalu rapat sekali gus membuatkan penggunaan satu tangan sahaja sudah memadai.

Dalam pada itu, dengan mempunyai cahaya lampu putih pada papan kekunci tersebut, para pengguna boleh menggunakannya meskipun berada di tempat yang gelap.

Blueberry-i juga didatangkan dengan kemudahan kamera Video Graphics Array (VGA) iaitu sistem yang mampu memberikan hasil gambar yang menarik tidak kira sama ada pengguna berada di dalam persekitaran gelap atau cerah.

Dengan adanya kemudahan VGA, pengguna boleh merakam video dan hasilnya tidak mengecewakan.

Kantanya pula turut dilengkapi dengan penutup yang tahan lasak. Malah, anda boleh membersihkan permukaannya daripada kesan cap jari atau habuk dengan mudah tanpa sebarang sensitiviti.


KAMERA yang dilengkapi teknologi VGA mampu memberi hasil grafik yang menarik.


Kemudahan

Rekaannya nampak eksklusif seperti telefon-telefon bimbit yang mempunyai pelbagai kemudahan terkini.

Namun, jika diteliti Blueberry-i sebenarnya direka bagi pengguna yang kerap membuat panggilan telefon.

Ia kurang sesuai digunakan oleh pengguna yang menggunakan telefon untuk bermain permainan.

Dilengkapi dengan kabel mini USB yang terletak di sebelah bawah telefon, pengguna boleh menggunakannya untuk membuat sambungan bagi mengecas, memasang aksesori, kabel penyimpanan data-data dan fon telinga.

Pembaharuan lain yang ditonjolkan menerusi telefon itu ialah Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). Ia merupakan sistem data yang diterima secara langsung tanpa wayar bagi memudahkan anda mendapat maklumat terkini.

Aplikasi seterusnya pula ialah GPRS dan Bluetooth yang menggunakan Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). Teknologi streaming baru itu menyokong stereo bagi menikmati muzik dengan bunyi yang kuat, bertenaga dan berkualiti.

Pengguna juga diberi kebebasan untuk membuat pilihan bahasa sama ada bahasa Melayu, Cina dan Inggeris.

Ia turut menyediakan fungsi berbentuk Islamik apabila telefon itu mengetengahkan sistem pelbagai guna seperti laungan azan setiap kali masuk waktu solat.

Bagi mereka yang sering mengembara, anda tidak perlu bimbang berhubung arah kiblat kerana Blueberry-i turut menyediakan kemudahan tersebut.

Dua dalam satu

Satu lagi keistimewaan telefon itu ialah pengguna boleh menggunakan dua kad SIM serentak.

Bagaimanapun, ia membolehkan pengguna untuk menggunakan hanya satu kad SIM sahaja.

Caranya ialah hanya mengunci sahaja kad SIM yang tidak digunakan.

Anda tidak perlu menyimpan kad SIM yang tidak digunakan di tempat lain yang mungkin hilang, rosak, dicuri atau sebagainya.

Vietnam masih dicemari dioksin

Kerajaan AS dan Vietnam kini bekerjasama melaksanakan projek pembersihan lapangan terbang Danang kerana lokasi tersebut disifatkan paling tercemar dengan racun perosak.

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MAI Khai gembira dengan tanaman ubi kentang dan buah tembikai yang diusahakannya berlatar belakang sebuah dinding bata. Dinding itu mengelilingi sebuah bekas lapangan terbang milik kerajaan Amerika Syarikat (AS) di Danang yang masih disifatkan sebagai lokasi paling tercemar.

Sudah hampir empat dekad berlalu selepas insiden penyemburan Agen Oren dan racun perosak yang lain dihentikan di situ oleh pasukan tentera AS. Racun-racun perosak tersebut mengandungi bahan penyebab kanser dan dioksin. Kini, kerajaan AS dan Vietnam bekerjasama melaksanakan projek pembersihan peringkat awal di Lapangan Terbang Danang.

Bahan tercemar

Proses penyingkiran bahan-bahan tercemar berskala besar bagaimanapun belum dimulakan lagi. Ia mungkin memakan masa bertahun-tahun lamanya.

Pakar-pakar dari Vietnam dan negara luar berkata, kerja-kerja pembersihan yang berterusan itu tidak terlalu membahayakan Khai dan tanamannya.

Biarpun begitu, penduduk yang tinggal berdekatan lapangan terbang tersebut secara amnya memang terdedah kepada risiko dioksin.

Satu kajian oleh penyelidik Kanada mendapati, terdapat peningkatan paras dioksin di dalam tubuh mereka yang tinggal berdekatan lingkungan utara dan timur lapangan terbang itu. Biarpun begitu, bilangan orang yang terdedah kepada risiko pencemaran itu tidak dapat dikenal pasti.

"Kami sebulat suara bersetuju dioksin adalah tidak baik," kata Koos Neefjes, seorang penasihat tentang dioksin untuk Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu (PBB) di Hanoi.

Khai yang berusia 76 tahun bagaimanapun tidak berasa bimbang.

"Di sini, mana ada pencemaran? Tengok, saya pun masih hidup lagi," ujar seorang penduduk tetap di kawasan tersebut.

Racun

Sepanjang perang Vietnam, pasukan tentera AS telah menyimpan sejenis racun rumput-rampai, Agen Oren di Danang dan pangkalan lain sebelum dimuatkan ke dalam pesawat untuk tujuan meranggas.

Presiden pakar-pakar Perunding Persekitaran Hatfield, Kanada, Thomas Boivin berkata, kawasan hutan yang terkena semburan racun perosak itu bagaimanapun tidak mengandungi paras dioksin yang tinggi hari ini. Boivin telah menghabiskan masa bertahun-tahun lamanya untuk mengkaji pencemaran dioksin di Vietnam.

Walaupun begitu, kerajaan AS dan Vietnam telah mengenal pasti bekas lapangan terbang AS di Danang, Bien Hoa dan Phu Cat sebagai lokasi pencemaran utama. Di situ, tumpahan dan proses memuatkan racun-racun perosak itu ke dalam pesawat telah menyumbang kepada pencemaran bertoksik.

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Boivin berkata, paras kandungan dioksin di Lapangan Terbang Danang kini 300 hingga 400 lebih tinggi berbanding tahap yang dibenarkan di peringkat antarabangsa.

Kira-kira dua tahun lalu, kerajaan Vietnam dengan bantuan AS telah memasang sebuah penutup di lokasi penyimpanan Agen Oren selain memperbaiki sistem perparitan. Proses menapis mendapan tasik di dalam kawasan lapangan terbang Danang turut dijalankan.

Pegawai kedua-dua pihak memberitahu, langkah-langkah bersifat sementara itu berjaya mencegah sebaran pencemaran tersebut.

Destinasi pelancongan

Kawasan yang terjejas itu berada di bawah pengawasan pasukan tentera Vietnam dan dalam perancangan kerajaan untuk dipromosikan sebagai sebuah destinasi pelancongan. Ia juga terpisah daripada terminal penumpang di bandar raya keempat terbesar di Vietnam itu.

Dalam beberapa sesi ceramah mengenai sebaran Agen Oren pada bulan ini, Neefjes berkata, tanpa tindakan lanjut, bahan-bahan tercemar di lokasi 'tenat' itu akan terus tersebar menerusi partikel-partikel tanah, aliran air, hidupan liar dan udara. Sesi ceramah tahunan itu telah diadakan di antara pihak berkuasa Vietnam dan AS.

Dioksin boleh merebak menerusi rantaian makanan seperti melalui ikan atau ayam.

Biarpun bantuan terus diterima, AS memberi tumpuan kepada lokasi Danang atas permintaan kerajaan Vietnam.

Para pegawai AS berkata, isu yang kompleks dan sensitif dari aspek politik seperti itu memerlukan persetujuan sebulat suara daripada kerajaan AS sendiri selain persefahaman antara AS dan Vietnam.

Duta AS, Michael Michalak berkata, kerajaan AS telah bertindak pantas dalam menggerakkan projek tersebut. Beliau mengulas aduan seorang pegawai kanan kerajaan Vietnam yang mendakwa dana daripada kerajaan AS tidak disalurkan dengan pantas.

Penilaian

Michalak sebaliknya memberitahu, pelbagai tawaran telah diterima dan satu kontrak untuk penilaian alam sekitar serta kerja-kerja persediaan di Danang akan diumumkan dalam masa terdekat. Malah, pada Jun lalu kedua-dua kerajaan telah mula mencuba satu kaedah penyingkiran dioksin menggunakan organisma biologikal, bioremediasi.

Pengarah Office 33 yang mengendalikan isu Agen Oren di Vietnam, Lai Minh Hien berkata, proses penyingkiran bahan-bahan tercemar itu dilakukan menerusi teknologi bio atau kaedah lain.

Proses penyingkiran bahan pencemaran di tiga bekas lapangan terbang tersebut mungkin mencecah kos perbelanjaan bernilai AS$60 juta dolar (RM209 juta). Dalam satu temu bual bersama agensi beritaAFP, Hien telah meminta bantuan dana tambahan daripada kerajaan AS.

"Kami mahu kerajaan AS menggandakan usaha mereka," kata Hien.

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Meskipun begitu, Michalak memberitahu, adalah terlalu awal untuk menganggarkan kos sebenar proses pembersihan tersebut.

Sementara itu, pengerusi bersama dalam ceramah bersifat bilateral itu, Le Ke Son berkata, pencemaran di Bien Hoa misalnya adalah satu contoh terbaik.

"Skop pencemaran di sana adalah jauh lebih luas daripada jangkaan dan memerlukan kajian baru," jelasnya.

Biarpun Perang Vietnam berakhir pada 1975, hubungan antara AS dan Vietnam hanya berjaya dipulihkan sekitar tahun 1995. - AFP

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2009&dt=0930&pub=Kosmo&sec=Rencana_Utama&pg=ru_03.htm

10 Surprising Minimum-Wage Jobs

by Bridget Quigg, PayScale.com The U.S. federal minimum wage recently increased 70 cents from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Who will be affected by this boost? Cashiers and fast food workers? Yes, but some minimum wage jobs also come with surprisingly hefty responsibilities. From preschool teachers to hospitals aides, there are many people in critical roles whose salaries don't necessarily reflect the importance of their professional contributions. You may be surprised to find out who's making the bare minimum. 1. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Bottom 10% earn: $8.79 per hour U.S. median salary: $11.41 per hour Job description: Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities. An EMT may pull you from a car wreck and keep you alive on your way to the hospital -- and maybe for as little as $9 an hour? New EMTs must be brave, decisive, compassionate, and knowledgeable. Fortunately, their salaries go up after they get some experience under their belts. 2. Pharmacy Technician Bottom 10% earn: $7.88 per hour U.S. median salary: $9.93 per hour Job description: Assist pharmacist in preparing and dispensing medication. Prepare dosage medications for dispensing into bottles and unit dose packaging. Collect patient information for prescription and billing. Select, prepare and stock medications. Do you find all of those little pills confusing when you have more than one to take? Your local pharmacy technician processes hundreds of prescriptions a day and absolutely must keep the blue ones separate from the green ones. The wrong dose or medication can have possibly fatal consequences. These folks deserve a big thank-you for the work they do, but they'd likely settle for a raise. 3. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Bottom 10% earn: $8.12 per hour U.S. median salary: $9.81 per hour Job description: Provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties, such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens. When grandpa or grandma requires full-time care in a facility, or you end up in the hospital for surgery or an extended stay, a CNA might be the person you interact with most and rely upon for your essential needs. Plus, these dedicated individuals also often provide a little human interaction when the hours in the hospital seem too long. 4. Preschool Teacher Bottom 10% earn: $8.19 per hour U.S. median salary: $10.50 per hour Job description: Instruct children in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth needed for primary school in preschool,daycare center, or other child development facility. May be required to hold state certification. Have you ever been at a preschool or daycare facility and thought, "Wow, that teacher is so patient and caring." That's because preschool teachers are responsible for a group of active, inquisitive kids who get hungry, have occasional meltdowns, or don't feel like sitting down -- all day long. These folks are critical to your child's development and education. And, they may not make enough to support themselves without a second job or income. 5. Amusement Park Ride Operator Bottom 10% earn: $7.49 per hour U.S. median salary: $8.74 per hour Job description: Perform variety of attending duties at amusement facility. May operate amusement concessions and rides. You wouldn't be surprised to buy a hot dog at the fair from a young person making close to minimum wage, but what about the person running your favorite ride -- the one with all the loop-dee-loops, drops and spins? It's surprising that these workers don't make much more than their concession-stand counterparts considering the complexity of some of the rides they're operating. 6. Line Cook Bottom 10% earn: $7.25 per hour U.S. median salary: $8.98 per hour Job description: Prepare and cook food in a restaurant. Duties of the cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment. In the fast-paced work environment of a restaurant kitchen, line cooks ensure that meals are prepared to the chefs' exacting standards. Often these folks have completed pricey degrees at culinary schools and this is their first job after graduation. They're skilled with knives and the finer points of making a cream sauce. Yet, their wage is sometimes better suited to heating up a frozen dinner. 7. Lifeguard Bottom 10% earn: $6.89 per hour U.S. median salary: $8.18 per hour Job description: Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes to provide assistance and protection to participants. Do you have the strength and skill to pull a drowning person from a crowded lake and resuscitate them? Lifeguards must be able to perform this important task, plus spend long hours getting kids to stop running on the edge of the pool and make sure lap swimmers share their lanes properly. Lifeguards literally help everyone stay alive. 8. Nanny Bottom 10% earn: $7.51 per hour U.S. median salary: $10.31 per hour Job description: Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and child-care institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play. Most people agree that you can't put a price tag on a parent's work because it takes full focus and energy to do well. So why is it that nannies often earn so little for taking care of those same children? From getting kids up, dressed and fed in the morning to making sure they arrive on time to piano lessons and soccer practice, nannies often exhibit the exceptional patience and resourcefulness needed to keep a family running. 9. Automobile Mechanic Bottom 10% earn: $7.78 per hour U.S. median salary: $10.95 per hour Job description: Repair automobiles, trucks, buses, and other vehicles. Master mechanics repair virtually any part on the vehicle or specialize in the transmission system. When you take your car in to be repaired, you expect the mechanic -- whether brand new or a seasoned pro -- to quickly identify the problem and get your car back on the road again. It's complicated work that requires a great deal of knowledge, skill, and attention to detail. In time, most mechanics earn more for their toil. 10. Tax Preparer Bottom 10% earn: $7.16 per hour U.S. median salary: $9.15 per hour Job description: Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses without the background or responsibilities of an accredited or certified public accountant. What you do or do not tell Uncle Sam during tax season is very important for your bank account and your peace of mind. Maybe you do your own taxes, but many people trust their tax returns to someone else. A tax preparer enters all of your data into your forms before an accountant double-checks their work. It's an important job that needs to be done right. NOTE: While pay rates vary from state to state, the jobs listed generally pay at or near minimum wage. Included, as well, is a job description from PayScale.com that lists job duties and the national median hourly rate a person makes in their first year on the job, according to PayScale.com. Some people earn less than this rate.

Surprising Jobs that Pay $25 an Hour

by Woodrow Aames, FindtheRightSchool.com

Career websites typically compile a listing of jobs that pay $25 an hour. The list of professions -- and the career training you need to pass the muster of recruiters -- can be daunting. But you don't necessarily need a post-graduate degree to qualify for a job that pays several hundred dollars a day.

While it may be true that helicopter pilots, high-tech administrators, and civil engineers earn $25 an hour or more, so do many other professionals in careers that require only an associate or bachelor's degree to leap onto the playing field.

Of course, you add to your hourly earnings by continuing your education, taking certification courses or advanced degrees that ultimately boost on-the-job responsibilities along with earnings.

Seven careers you might have overlooked paid workers $25 an hour in 2008, meaning you may be able to earn more performing the same role today. These 2008 salaries may also rise by the time you complete an online degree or career training program to pursue future job openings. Let's look at the education you'll need to land a job:

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technician
Companies that design, test, and sell electrical and electronics devices need professionals to staff their labs. You won't need a master's degree in engineering to earn good wages. Most engineering technicians complete associate degrees in engineering at trade schools or community colleges to prepare for the field. In 2008, the mean hourly wage for engineering technicians was $25.96, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Human Resources Recruiter
In many cases, you can earn more an hour placing people in jobs than the salaries they'll receive when hired. That's what you call economic irony. And, if you remain in your human resources (HR) job, you may be able to build a hefty network and open your own personnel consulting company. To get going, enroll in an associate's or bachelor's degree program in business or human resources. In 2008, HR recruiters took home $25.90 an hour.

Paralegal or Legal Assistant
Attorneys that represent clients in local, state, and federal courts are swamped with research and paperwork duties. Hence, jobs for paralegals are expected to grow by 22 percent during the 2006-2016 decade. You can prepare by attending an online associate's or bachelor's degree program inparalegal studies. In 2008, paralegals earned just below $25 an hour ($23.46). However, top earners took home $73,450 for the year, making this a solid investment in a two-year education.

Respiratory Therapist
Breathe easy. Depending on the employer, many a respiratory therapist can land a job with as little as a two-year degree. More often, however, hospitals are looking for a bachelor's or master's degree to advance in the profession. All states require licensing. Job openings are projected to grow by 19 percent from 2006-2016. In 2008, respiratory therapists earned $25.55 an hour.

Police Officer
The physical requirements for a police officer's job are now legendary, thanks to the entertainment media. But with most agencies requiring new recruits to take departmental training, the baseline classroom training provided by an online associate's degree in law enforcement or criminal justicecan greatly improve your chances of landing a job. In 2008, police officers and sheriff's deputies earned $25.39 and hour. And that's not counting shift differential compensation or overtime.

Advertising Sales Agent
With Americans becoming more cautious about their spending, companies are relying more than ever on well-placed advertising. Advertising sales agents take jobs with agencies, media companies, and corporate promotions departments. If you love closing a deal and being compensated for it, then enroll in an undergraduate degree program in advertising, journalism, public relations, business, communications, or new media. In 2008, advertising sales agents took home $25.56 an hour.

Interior Designer
More than 25 percent of all interior designers are self-employed. You're the boss and set your own hours. Jobs for the other 75 percent of working interior designers are predicted to rise by 19 percent during the 2006-2016 decade. You can prepare for the role by enrolling in an associate's or bachelor's degree program at a college or professional trade school. Or shoot for the stars and take classes in interior set design to work in the entertainment industry. Hourly pay for interior designers in 2008 averaged $24.53, just below the $25/hr mark.

Woodrow Aames has written articles and profiles for Yahoo!, Microsoft Network, Microsoft Encarta, and other websites and print magazines around the world.