Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
PayPal + Debit or Prepaid card + Order now, pay later seller = Headache...
When an onlilne seller says 'order now, but we won't charge until the item is shipped', it sounds sweet to the customer. I misunderstood this sentence, where my headache started from.
I thought, they won't do anything with payment in any method, until they ship the item. However, they actually did authorization to my account. Authorization is not a real payment, but just checking my account whether I have sufficient money for the payment. It's exactly same as when you rent a car, or check in to a hotel, they authorize some deposit from your credit card. It is not a problem in credit card when you have enough credit, as the authorization itself doesn't really charge anything to myself.
However, it arises a problem if the authorization is done on a debit or prepaid card, since the bank took the money from the account even if it's just authorization, not the actual payment. Usual mechanism of the transition from the authorization to the payment is, however, firstly to cancel the authorized amount and then to charge again for the real transaction.
Imagine the rent company. What they do is to authorise the estimated cost from the credit card when you're starting the rental. After returned the car, they will calculate the actual cost in total including excessed KMs, fuels, late return, etc, then charge the final amount to the credit card again, at the same time the previous authorization is cancelled.
I haven't noticed that the online retailer would follow the exactly same process. Apparently they authorized to my debit card through paypal when I placed an order a week ago. However, it's not actually 'charged' because the item was out of stock. After a week, when they received some stock, finally they try to charge me. However, in my bank account I didn't have sufficient balance due to the 'authorized transaction'. Even if they canceled the previous authorization and tried another transaction for the real payment, it takes about a week for the the canceled balance to show up on my account.
So, the actual payment transaction was rejected by my bank and PayPal, and the online retailer cannot process the real payment.
It's actually a stupid idea to add this weird authorization stuff into the payment process from an online retailer. As the authorization is still a sort of charging process, especially when I used debit card, it's actually a double-charge. For PayPal, credit card company and the bank, I guess they can just convert the authorization transaction into the real payment transaction, not by cancelling the previous transaction and creating another transaction which is exactly same as the cancelled one.
Be aware of using debit card when you saw the statement "order now, pay when it is shipped". In such a case, put sufficient money into your account, which has to be more than twice of the price, or just use a credit card.
More detailed information about the credit card authorization and payment (which is officially called credit capture formally):
http://www.paymentsgateway.com.au/what-you-need-to-know/payments-gateway-authorization-and-capture
Added: it was particularly a problem to me since my actual payment transaction was made after a week from the original authorization. It seems there wouldn't be this kind of problem if the payment (a.k.a credit capture) is processed within 3 days from the authorization, according to PayPal. More details are:
https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/paypal-payments-standard/integration-guide/authcapture/
I thought, they won't do anything with payment in any method, until they ship the item. However, they actually did authorization to my account. Authorization is not a real payment, but just checking my account whether I have sufficient money for the payment. It's exactly same as when you rent a car, or check in to a hotel, they authorize some deposit from your credit card. It is not a problem in credit card when you have enough credit, as the authorization itself doesn't really charge anything to myself.
However, it arises a problem if the authorization is done on a debit or prepaid card, since the bank took the money from the account even if it's just authorization, not the actual payment. Usual mechanism of the transition from the authorization to the payment is, however, firstly to cancel the authorized amount and then to charge again for the real transaction.
Imagine the rent company. What they do is to authorise the estimated cost from the credit card when you're starting the rental. After returned the car, they will calculate the actual cost in total including excessed KMs, fuels, late return, etc, then charge the final amount to the credit card again, at the same time the previous authorization is cancelled.
I haven't noticed that the online retailer would follow the exactly same process. Apparently they authorized to my debit card through paypal when I placed an order a week ago. However, it's not actually 'charged' because the item was out of stock. After a week, when they received some stock, finally they try to charge me. However, in my bank account I didn't have sufficient balance due to the 'authorized transaction'. Even if they canceled the previous authorization and tried another transaction for the real payment, it takes about a week for the the canceled balance to show up on my account.
So, the actual payment transaction was rejected by my bank and PayPal, and the online retailer cannot process the real payment.
It's actually a stupid idea to add this weird authorization stuff into the payment process from an online retailer. As the authorization is still a sort of charging process, especially when I used debit card, it's actually a double-charge. For PayPal, credit card company and the bank, I guess they can just convert the authorization transaction into the real payment transaction, not by cancelling the previous transaction and creating another transaction which is exactly same as the cancelled one.
Be aware of using debit card when you saw the statement "order now, pay when it is shipped". In such a case, put sufficient money into your account, which has to be more than twice of the price, or just use a credit card.
More detailed information about the credit card authorization and payment (which is officially called credit capture formally):
http://www.paymentsgateway.com.au/what-you-need-to-know/payments-gateway-authorization-and-capture
Added: it was particularly a problem to me since my actual payment transaction was made after a week from the original authorization. It seems there wouldn't be this kind of problem if the payment (a.k.a credit capture) is processed within 3 days from the authorization, according to PayPal. More details are:
https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/paypal-payments-standard/integration-guide/authcapture/
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Comparison of DAW software bundled with entry-level audio interface
Audio interface is a crucial product for home recording/studio, and various vendors makes their economy models for newbies in home recording. All of those budget audio interfaces come with a DAW software which usually has limited functionality compared to the full version software.
Here I compare various bundle DAWs with their full version in terms of functionality and upgrade price. Most DAW companies allow to upgrade from the bundle to the full version with slightly less cost.
1. Protools: Avid Fast Track series, M-Audio M-Track Plus
Here I compare various bundle DAWs with their full version in terms of functionality and upgrade price. Most DAW companies allow to upgrade from the bundle to the full version with slightly less cost.
1. Protools: Avid Fast Track series, M-Audio M-Track Plus
| Version Name: | First | Express | Pro Tools |
| Price (Regular/Edu) | Free | Bundle ($700~$200) | $900/$300 |
| Audio Tracks# (48/96) | 16/16 | 16/16 | 128/64 |
| Recording Inst# | 16 | 8 | 512 |
| Input# | 4 | 8 | 32 |
| Input Recording# | 4 | 4 | 32 |
| Sample rate | 32/96 | 32/96 | 32/192 |
Protools Express is bundled with Avid audio interfaces and some of M-Audio interfaces. Its functionality is similar to their free version, Protools First. However, the incredible benefit of Protools Express is at their upgrade price. If you want to upgrade to the full version ($900/$300 for edu), you need to pay only $200 to buy upgrade license.
Don't pay $900 or $300 to buy the full version Protools license. Buy any audio interface that comes with Protools Express, then buy the upgrade license. Avid fast track solo will cost around $180, so that you can get the full version Protools with the extra audio interface at only $380 in total.
In this manner, the value of Protools Express can be as high as $700 (Full version license cost $900 subtracted by the upgrade cost $200).
2. Studio One: Presonus Audiobox series
| S1 Prime | S1 Artist | S1 Professional | |
| Price (Regular/Edu) | Free | $100/$50/Bundle | $400/$200 |
| Virtual Inst# | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Effects# | 9 | 30 | 36 |
| VST | No | No | Yes |
Presonus audio interfaces are bundled with their own DAW, Studio One Artist. Unlike the other bundled DAWs, S1 Artist is available in market standalone to purchase at $100. They also provide upgrade option to the full version, which cost $300 exactly $100 less than the regular license.
In terms of functionality, S1 Artist provides most functions that the full version provides, but VST support. This is the main reason why people wish to upgrade to the full version with extra $300 payment.
3. Cubase: Steinberg UR series
| AI | Elements | Artist | Pro | |
| Price (Regular/Edu) | Bundle ($100~$50) | $120/$85 | $400/$230 | $700/$400 |
| Audio Tracks# (48/96) | 32 | 48 | 64 | Unlimited |
| Recording Inst# | 16 | 24 | 32 | Unlimited |
| Input# | 4 | 24 | 32 | 256 |
| Effects# | 28 | 44 | 47 | 66 |
| Virtual Inst# | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
Cubase AI, the bundled version, is the most restricted version among Cubase family. But they provide upgrade option from AI to Artist or Pro, which costs $350 or $600. The value of AI version in this manner can be $50 if you want to upgrade to Artist, or $100 when upgrading to Pro.
4. Ableton Live: Focusrite Scarlett series, M-Audio M-Track series
| Live Lite | Live Intro | Live Standard | |
| Price (Regular/Edu) | Bundle (0) | $119 | $529/$317 |
| Audio Tracks# (48/96) | 8 | 16 | Unlimited |
| Input# | 4 | 4 | 256 |
| Virtual Inst# | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Effects# | 11 | 20 | 32 |
The bundled version of Ableton Live is not so interested. It's just their most limited version, and there is no upgrade plan for the bundle version.
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Audio codec blind test by yourself.
http://soundexpert.org/testing-room
This interesting website provides blind test to compare between lossless wave audio with mp3 or aac encoded one. In the wave file they provide, there are two tracks of exactly same music, but with different encoding. One is the original wave track, but another one is AAC or MP3 encoded track. They won't tell you which one comes first, so that you will guess what is what.
Using the tested statistics gathered from the public including yourself, they show and compare the quality of the encoding codec.
It's fun, and even you can test your hearing and sound equipment!
This interesting website provides blind test to compare between lossless wave audio with mp3 or aac encoded one. In the wave file they provide, there are two tracks of exactly same music, but with different encoding. One is the original wave track, but another one is AAC or MP3 encoded track. They won't tell you which one comes first, so that you will guess what is what.
Using the tested statistics gathered from the public including yourself, they show and compare the quality of the encoding codec.
It's fun, and even you can test your hearing and sound equipment!
Monday, 29 June 2015
Exchanging/using money while travelling overseas for Australians.
There are several ways of using Australian dollars overseas.
1. Just bring Australian dollars in cash
In most countries it's very easy to find out exchange stalls where they exchange your Australian dollar into their currency. This is good method if you're traveling developing countries and you do not intend to spend much money, as bringing a lot of cash is somewhat risky to be stolen or lost.
If you travel to economically developed country, such as USA, Europe, or Japan, you can choose either to change the currency in Australia, or to change overseas. As different country will give you a slightly different exchange rate, check which is better option. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter though, since Australian dollar has still significant fame in most countries.
2. Exchange to cash before leaving Australia
If you choose to change cash in Australia, those private stalls in CBD such as Travelx usually have better exchange rate than banks. If the amount is not a lot, and you do not have to worry much about stolen cash during your travel (e.g. using safer transportation, staying in mid-range accommodation), then carrying cash is the best option as it gives good exchange rate and you don't have to be annoyed to find out which shop accepts card or not. Just remember that if it is the currency of developing countries, they might charge much higher commission (which is already applied in the exchange rate). In that case, just bring Australian dollar and exchange overseas is better option.
3. Credit/Debit card
Australian major banks usually have 2~3% surcharge for spending overseas, plus extra $3~$5 for ATM cash withdrawal. Some smaller banks and credit card companies, such as Citibank or 28 Degrees, have free of charge credit/debit card for international transactions. Citibank has vast ATMs across the world where they don't charge any ATM fee. If you care about those small fees (which can be significant if you use more money), it's better to open a new account in those banks or credit card before you leave Australia and put all budget into the account. This is best option if you don't want to carry cash, especially if you stay overseas for long term.
Remind that all foreign currencies except for USD will be changed to USD first and then changed to AUD. It means they charge more exchange commission if the currency is not in USD. Also, do not pay in AUD even if the retailer suggested, since there will be much more exchange omission applied, e.g. AUD->local currency ->USD->AUD.
4. Travel money card
Those travel money cards including QantasCash and Mastercards' Travel Money Card are very similar to credit/debit card in terms of how to spend money overseas. You have to find shops or ATMs accepting Mastercard or Visa, although there is no international transaction fee. The only advantage or drawback of this type of card is that you have to load the money in foreign currency in advance. For example, if you plan to travel to Europe, you should preload money in Euro currency before you use the card in order to get the full benefit. Otherwise, when you didn't have enough fund in that currency, they charge 3%~4% of currency transfer fee for automatic currency change. Also, some banks have 1% re-load fee when you recharge the card. Overall, it is not as convenient as the credit/debit card, nor saving fees.
Especially when you're travelling to those countries where their local currency is not supported by the travel money card (usually developing countries), there is no way to avoid the 3~4% currency transfer fee because you cannot pre-load in the local currency. In that case, it's big loss compared to using the credit/debit card, so just use fee-free credit/debit card in those countries.
5. Exchange rate comparison
People sometimes have misconception about the exchange rate of banks that they use the same exchange rate for any transaction. Actually they apply different exchange rate for different type of transaction, such as exchange in cash, use credit card overseas, use travel money card overseas, etc, even in the same currency. Usually for the major banks, change in cash has the worst exchange rate compared to those electronic transactions. However, as I mentioned above, the small stalls in business district have much better exchange rate even in cash, which is almost same as or better than the electronic transfer rate of the major banks.
As in June 2015, exchange rates from AUD to EUR are almost same among 4 methods I mentioned above, although cash exchange in major banks has weirdly high commission rate. Therefore just choose the most convenient way for you depending on the amount of budget, the duration, and the security of the country.
1. Just bring Australian dollars in cash
In most countries it's very easy to find out exchange stalls where they exchange your Australian dollar into their currency. This is good method if you're traveling developing countries and you do not intend to spend much money, as bringing a lot of cash is somewhat risky to be stolen or lost.
If you travel to economically developed country, such as USA, Europe, or Japan, you can choose either to change the currency in Australia, or to change overseas. As different country will give you a slightly different exchange rate, check which is better option. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter though, since Australian dollar has still significant fame in most countries.
2. Exchange to cash before leaving Australia
If you choose to change cash in Australia, those private stalls in CBD such as Travelx usually have better exchange rate than banks. If the amount is not a lot, and you do not have to worry much about stolen cash during your travel (e.g. using safer transportation, staying in mid-range accommodation), then carrying cash is the best option as it gives good exchange rate and you don't have to be annoyed to find out which shop accepts card or not. Just remember that if it is the currency of developing countries, they might charge much higher commission (which is already applied in the exchange rate). In that case, just bring Australian dollar and exchange overseas is better option.
3. Credit/Debit card
Australian major banks usually have 2~3% surcharge for spending overseas, plus extra $3~$5 for ATM cash withdrawal. Some smaller banks and credit card companies, such as Citibank or 28 Degrees, have free of charge credit/debit card for international transactions. Citibank has vast ATMs across the world where they don't charge any ATM fee. If you care about those small fees (which can be significant if you use more money), it's better to open a new account in those banks or credit card before you leave Australia and put all budget into the account. This is best option if you don't want to carry cash, especially if you stay overseas for long term.
Remind that all foreign currencies except for USD will be changed to USD first and then changed to AUD. It means they charge more exchange commission if the currency is not in USD. Also, do not pay in AUD even if the retailer suggested, since there will be much more exchange omission applied, e.g. AUD->local currency ->USD->AUD.
4. Travel money card
Those travel money cards including QantasCash and Mastercards' Travel Money Card are very similar to credit/debit card in terms of how to spend money overseas. You have to find shops or ATMs accepting Mastercard or Visa, although there is no international transaction fee. The only advantage or drawback of this type of card is that you have to load the money in foreign currency in advance. For example, if you plan to travel to Europe, you should preload money in Euro currency before you use the card in order to get the full benefit. Otherwise, when you didn't have enough fund in that currency, they charge 3%~4% of currency transfer fee for automatic currency change. Also, some banks have 1% re-load fee when you recharge the card. Overall, it is not as convenient as the credit/debit card, nor saving fees.
Especially when you're travelling to those countries where their local currency is not supported by the travel money card (usually developing countries), there is no way to avoid the 3~4% currency transfer fee because you cannot pre-load in the local currency. In that case, it's big loss compared to using the credit/debit card, so just use fee-free credit/debit card in those countries.
5. Exchange rate comparison
People sometimes have misconception about the exchange rate of banks that they use the same exchange rate for any transaction. Actually they apply different exchange rate for different type of transaction, such as exchange in cash, use credit card overseas, use travel money card overseas, etc, even in the same currency. Usually for the major banks, change in cash has the worst exchange rate compared to those electronic transactions. However, as I mentioned above, the small stalls in business district have much better exchange rate even in cash, which is almost same as or better than the electronic transfer rate of the major banks.
As in June 2015, exchange rates from AUD to EUR are almost same among 4 methods I mentioned above, although cash exchange in major banks has weirdly high commission rate. Therefore just choose the most convenient way for you depending on the amount of budget, the duration, and the security of the country.
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Android charging using Apple charger or vice versa
Both Apple and Android chargers has standard USB 5V voltage. This 5V main current is passing through the pin no 1, named VCC, of the USB cable. USB has 4 pins, and the last pin (#4) connects to the ground.
The other two pins, pin no 2 and 3, or Data+ and Data-, are for data transfer when USB is connected between a computer and the device. However, they are used in different way for chargers, as data transfer is not necessary for charging.
For chargers, they are used to identify whether the device is connected to either a charger or a computer, as well as to identify the type of charger.
Apple charger provides 2.0~2.5V current on Data+/- lines of the cable, while Android charger in general makes shortage between Data+/-. Therefore, Apple's iPhone or iPad is not chargeable by Android chargers, as they do not provide 2.5v current on those Data lines.
On the other hand, when Android mobiles are connected to a Apple charger, they can be charged with limited current, e.g. 500mA. Because Apple charger does not have shortage between Data+/- lines, Android phones recognize the charger as a standard USB port on a computer, thus it consumes only 500mA, the standard currents.
The other two pins, pin no 2 and 3, or Data+ and Data-, are for data transfer when USB is connected between a computer and the device. However, they are used in different way for chargers, as data transfer is not necessary for charging.
For chargers, they are used to identify whether the device is connected to either a charger or a computer, as well as to identify the type of charger.
Apple charger provides 2.0~2.5V current on Data+/- lines of the cable, while Android charger in general makes shortage between Data+/-. Therefore, Apple's iPhone or iPad is not chargeable by Android chargers, as they do not provide 2.5v current on those Data lines.
On the other hand, when Android mobiles are connected to a Apple charger, they can be charged with limited current, e.g. 500mA. Because Apple charger does not have shortage between Data+/- lines, Android phones recognize the charger as a standard USB port on a computer, thus it consumes only 500mA, the standard currents.
Monday, 20 October 2014
Screen size: Nexus 9 vs iPad Air vs Galaxy Tab S 8.4
Screen Size comparison: Nexus 9 need to be compared with Galaxy TabS 8.4!
1. iPad Air
- Diagonal size: 9.7"
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
- Screen size: 7.75" x 5.83"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 7.75" x 4.36"
2. Nexus 9
- Diagonal size: 8.9"
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
- Screen size: 7.11" x 5.35"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 7.11" x 4.0"
3. Galaxy TabS 10.5
- Diagonal size: 10.5"
- Aspect ratio: 16:10
- Screen size: 8.9" x 5.56"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 8.9" x 5.0"
4. Galaxy TabS 8.4
- Diagonal size: 8.4"
- Aspect ratio: 16:10
- Screen size: 7.12" x 4.45"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 7.12" x 4.0"
Since both iPad Air and Nexus 9 have 4:3 screen ratio, the screen size of Nexus 9 is slightly smaller than iPad Air in length and width, as the diagonal size showed.
However, when Nexus 9 or iPad Air is compared with Samsung's Galaxy Tab series, we should be aware of the different screen ratio. Actually, the length of Nexus 9 screen is same with the Galaxy TabS 8.4, not with the 10.5 model. It means if you're using tablet mainly for watching videos, Galaxy TabS 8.4 has same visible screen size with Nexus 9 if you play 16:9 or any wide-screen videos. Nexus 9 is 0.9" wider than TabS 8.4, but both are in the same length.
In this manner, TabS 8.4 can be also an alternative for Nexus 9 for those who are mainly watching wide-screen videos on their tablets.
1. iPad Air
- Diagonal size: 9.7"
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
- Screen size: 7.75" x 5.83"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 7.75" x 4.36"
2. Nexus 9
- Diagonal size: 8.9"
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
- Screen size: 7.11" x 5.35"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 7.11" x 4.0"
3. Galaxy TabS 10.5
- Diagonal size: 10.5"
- Aspect ratio: 16:10
- Screen size: 8.9" x 5.56"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 8.9" x 5.0"
4. Galaxy TabS 8.4
- Diagonal size: 8.4"
- Aspect ratio: 16:10
- Screen size: 7.12" x 4.45"
- Actual image size for 16:9 video source: 7.12" x 4.0"
Since both iPad Air and Nexus 9 have 4:3 screen ratio, the screen size of Nexus 9 is slightly smaller than iPad Air in length and width, as the diagonal size showed.
However, when Nexus 9 or iPad Air is compared with Samsung's Galaxy Tab series, we should be aware of the different screen ratio. Actually, the length of Nexus 9 screen is same with the Galaxy TabS 8.4, not with the 10.5 model. It means if you're using tablet mainly for watching videos, Galaxy TabS 8.4 has same visible screen size with Nexus 9 if you play 16:9 or any wide-screen videos. Nexus 9 is 0.9" wider than TabS 8.4, but both are in the same length.
In this manner, TabS 8.4 can be also an alternative for Nexus 9 for those who are mainly watching wide-screen videos on their tablets.
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