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Korea in the digital vanguard

by Kevin (Kilmo) Kang, Korea

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IT device DIY Installation: Popular by Internet community

Mar 22, 2009 22:38

Upgrading desktop PCs is one of basic skills for most of IT-related guys, even if you are not really familiar with those PC components or parts. However, the laptop or Netbook isn't easy to upgrade by yourself since these devices are not easy to disassemble and modify or replace any components inside. But not anymore, apparently.

If you want to upgrade, modify or even hack your device, that can all be done with great guides and instructions through the Internet communities in Korea.

Daum and Naver, two Korean portal sites, have a service called Cafe. The community site is where many netizens (Internet + citizens) play around and share information on interests they have in common.

Two years ago, I bought a Fujitsu UMPC U1010 and it had a fan inside to cool down the CPU temperature. I joined the U1010 user community and people started to complain about the noise coming from the fan. One of the community members came up with a solution which required installing a piece of PCB board and some components inside the U1010. The community found a company to produce this part and asked it to provide full installation services with guarantee for the solution.

I'm not sure how many of you use SSD instead of HDD for your laptop or desktop PC, but it looks like SSD is slowly getting popular with early adopters in Korea. Most of the manufacturer have released their laptops with 1.8-inch HDDs (4,800/5,400rpm), but it's really annoying with Windows Vista even if you have 2GB of memory to run your laptop as the SSD-integrated version is way too expensive to purchase, especially at the beginning. Now SSD prices are going down and may be good enough to try out. However, you need to check out the many conditions involved in replacing your HDD with SSD, such as pin type, compatibility, SSD size. All this information can be found online at community sites and many experiences are listed based on various cases.

Some of users have created self-instruction guides or movie clips to let other users avoid the same mistakes and to replace or upgrade in a single trial.

Apple still has not released the iTunes and App Store in Korea, but many Koreans are having a great time with those applications. I know it's illegal, but this is the only way since Apple still won't give us a way to use its product with proper support, applications and services. You cannot purchase any tracks or applications if you are not located in the US or any country that has iTunes Store. I tried to get use my friend's address as he lives in the US, but there's also the payment issue as the credit card has to be issued in the US in order to process my purchase. So I look out for solutions from the community sites and get in touch with iPod hacks. Many people have already tried and listed their own guides, instructions and movie clips as well. If you can read Korean, I assume a seven-year-old child can do the hack, too.

Many people may think that IT device installation or modification needs to be done by technicians or tech-savvy people, but that's not true anymore. All the information and answers are available on the Internet. If you are not good at search, just join the community sites sharing information and experiences about the same device you have.

Recently, I upgraded my laptop HDD to SSD by myself. It now shows remarkable booting time after modification and all the multiple processes seem just great without any lags. I bought a 32GB SSD for around US$200. The disk size isn't good enough for me, but I can survive with an external 120GB HDD hooked to my machine. I just hope a 128GB SSD will soon be available at a low price tag, so I can replace my current setup again.

My Sony Vaio TZ36/W, from HDD to SSD.

Test reports after SSD replacement. Great performance!

Do you guys also have community sites you visit? How about sharing those sites with IT gadget information and DIY instructions?

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ShiningStar

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ShiningStar says...
Upgrading parts and making PC is becoming more and more easier. I think more and more people use the internet as alternative to technical support. And manufacturers are also helping to make their computer more accessible.

Mar 23, 2009 22:41

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About Kevin (Kilmo) Kang

Kevin (Kilmo) Kang is a self-professed IT-savvy guy who's been having the time of his life making tech deals with new business partners in the Asia-Pacific areas. Like every Korean, he's gadget-crazy and is glad he lives in a country with one of the fastest-growing tech markets in the world. His taste for international work, however, arose from a nine-year stay in New Zealand where he fortunately made more friends than there are sheep.