Last week, I fell for an online ploy. Again.

Writers out there, I know, would sympathize and at the same laugh at me and my failure to detect a scam from a mile away. But, again, I know, deep in their hearts, they would understand.

Combine the prevalence of underemployed writers, faced with growing hills of bills and collection notices, with the growing ranks of scammers with enough online skills, and what do you get? A scamming turkey shoot.

Anyway, back to my funny-if-you’re-not-me story. I was browsing my favorite social Web site craigslist.org, which I had not visited for quite some time. When I first saw this Web site back in 2001, it was just a U.S.-centric (mostly, West Coast – a reflection of its San Francisco roots, I think) online “tambayan.” Today, however, the site has become truly international, with pages for cities in North and South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

And so, there I was, browsing through the pages of the site’s Manila section. While I was somewhere on the Editing/Writing jobs segment, I stumbled across a “part-time writer wanted” advertisement; and seeing that the job offer seemed legit, I sent a copy of my resume and some samples of my published articles.

Right after firing off that email, I immediately sensed something was not right, the way that Spider-Man would with his spider sense. But it was too late. I just hoped for the best. Alas, when the reply came from the party concerned, I knew I’ve been had. The bugger was asking for more “writing samples” without revealing anything about his company.

Moral of the story? Getting older does not mean being immune to online scams.

Global iPad Delayed

A stronger than expected demand in the U.S., combined with lack of manufacturing flexibility, played havoc on Apple’s global launch plans for the iPad tablet computer. Steve Jobs said that his company sold more than half a million copies of the iPad in the first week of its release alone.

The Cupertino company said that it will start taking online pre-orders and announce international pricing on May 10. Previously, the company had planned to launch the tablet computer in several international markets including Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Spain, and the U.K.

The Philippines is nowhere on the list of priority markets after the United States. However, there are lots of iPads that have reached our shores, and are helping their owners out-geek the country’s other technophiles.

No iPad? So What!

International fans of the iPad should not feel bad that much, however. After all, there are other options in the tablet PC world. There is the soon to come tablet PC from Germany-based Neofonie GmbH.
The WePad tablet PC comes with features that the iPad currently lacks. The German slate computer totes a bigger screen, a Web cam, and USB ports.

The two USB ports illustrate the platform’s openness. Users can link the WePad with all types of devices and peripherals ranging from keyboards to USB flash drives. Also, the WePad can accommodate various types of software including media players. Equipped with a 11.6-inch screen, the WePad is powered by an Intel microprocessor and runs a Linux-based OS compatible with Google’s Android. It supports Flash, which is disdained by Jobs and company.

The iPad may be best for Mac lovers and those who hate tinkering under the hoods of their computers. For the rest of the IT lovers out there, the WePad and other tablet PCs will be just as fine or better.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.