On Blog-vacation
09/August/2008 20:15 Filed in: Personal
Going off the grid for a little while (vacation).
Back to blogging sometime in mid-to-late October
Back to blogging sometime in mid-to-late October
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The Internet Tablet as an iPod replacement
07/August/2008 20:14 Filed in: Technology
My second attempt to use what I have as an iPod
replacement is my Nokia N800. On the surface it kind of
looks like an iPod touch, so it should work, no? Well,
yes and no. Compared to my N80 and the PSP the N800
requires the least amount of investment. It came with
4GB worth of SD memory, and I had 2GB from my now
defunct HTC Blue Angel, so I have a total of 6GB to
play with. It has been a bumpy road, but I am working
with it.
So what are the tools of the trade? I use the built-in media player to play back my music and podcasts, I use gpodder to subscribe and download podcasts and the USB cable to connect the N800 to my PowerBook whenever I want to load more music on it. Just like most things, it's got its good, its bad and its ugly.
The good: I can play my MP3s, I can listen to my podcasts. The volume is acceptable - it compares equally to my 4.5 year old iPod but when I am on the train I sometimes have trouble hearing. I like that I can download podcasts directly to my N800, so if I run out of podcasts during the day, I can hop on to a hotspot and download a few more for my commute home.
The bad: gppodder lags a bit. There are times that the application is simply non-responsive and you need to just let it do its thing. This can be *very* frustrating. Another frustrating thing is that you can't do a partial keylock. You can either lock the touchscreen and all keys, or you can leave it unlocked. This is frustrating because there are times that I simply want to increase or decrease the volume and I have to remove the unit from my bad, unlock all keys, adjust the volume, re-lock, and put it back in my bag. The device is not very media friendly in this way.
The ugly: Well, there aren't many ugly things about it. The one thing that I would shoehorn in this category is the lack of adequate video support. I was looking forward to downloading video podcasts again and viewing them during my commute. Unfortunately the video lags A LOT, it's badly out of sync when it does start working and it's choppy. So much for video podcasts...
Now I know that it is an Internet Tablet, and not a media player, but the N800 is a great device! I really wish that Nokia had pumped up the video processing on this unit device and that they had created a media profile where the screen locks automatically after X time, the wifi/BT are turned off automatically and certain keys are mapped for media functions (next song/previous song/volume up/volume down)
All things considered, the N800 is a great media player IF you don't watch video podcasts AND you don't have the urge to keep skipping to the next track.
So what are the tools of the trade? I use the built-in media player to play back my music and podcasts, I use gpodder to subscribe and download podcasts and the USB cable to connect the N800 to my PowerBook whenever I want to load more music on it. Just like most things, it's got its good, its bad and its ugly.
The good: I can play my MP3s, I can listen to my podcasts. The volume is acceptable - it compares equally to my 4.5 year old iPod but when I am on the train I sometimes have trouble hearing. I like that I can download podcasts directly to my N800, so if I run out of podcasts during the day, I can hop on to a hotspot and download a few more for my commute home.
The bad: gppodder lags a bit. There are times that the application is simply non-responsive and you need to just let it do its thing. This can be *very* frustrating. Another frustrating thing is that you can't do a partial keylock. You can either lock the touchscreen and all keys, or you can leave it unlocked. This is frustrating because there are times that I simply want to increase or decrease the volume and I have to remove the unit from my bad, unlock all keys, adjust the volume, re-lock, and put it back in my bag. The device is not very media friendly in this way.
The ugly: Well, there aren't many ugly things about it. The one thing that I would shoehorn in this category is the lack of adequate video support. I was looking forward to downloading video podcasts again and viewing them during my commute. Unfortunately the video lags A LOT, it's badly out of sync when it does start working and it's choppy. So much for video podcasts...
Now I know that it is an Internet Tablet, and not a media player, but the N800 is a great device! I really wish that Nokia had pumped up the video processing on this unit device and that they had created a media profile where the screen locks automatically after X time, the wifi/BT are turned off automatically and certain keys are mapped for media functions (next song/previous song/volume up/volume down)
All things considered, the N800 is a great media player IF you don't watch video podcasts AND you don't have the urge to keep skipping to the next track.
Why the UIQ failed to meet expectations
06/August/2008 20:13 Filed in: Technology
I read this article last week posted on the UIQ blog,
and it was titled "Why UIQ failed to meet the
expectations". I caution those that want to
read this article: it is horribly written!
Nevertheless it does provide some insight as to
why the UIQ never became popular.
The article talks mostly about software, and I think that software is quite a valid reason for the failure to meet expectations. Lack of flash, memory issues, and not a lot of apps (compared to S60, Palm and Windows Mobile) are definite contributors to the lack of success of the platform. I however disagree that the software, and SonyEricsson's support policies, are the root of the problem.
My diagnosis: It's the phones, stupid!
I bought my P800 on the day it came out. I was a happy camper even after two years after it came out! Yes there were issues, but I was content with the phone. Other models succeeded it: the P900, P910 and P990. None of these phones enticed me to spend another $600-$1000 to upgrade!
When Nokia, and HTC were coming out with phones that were Quadband GSM, UMTS, had GPS and WiFi built-in, and had cameras that were 3 or 5 Megapixel, why would I spend my hard earned money to buy a P9xx phone that had a limited camera, no GPS, no WiFi *and* was only triband GSM?
Nokia did a smart thing, it put S60 on a boatload of phones, and gave consumers choice! SonyEricsson on the other hand gave you one P-model (Professional), on W-model (Walkman) and one M-model (mid range?) Why lower your expectations with SonyEricsson when you can have more options with Nokia? This lack of hardware probably discouraged a lot of developers, and deprived the UIQ from a user base that would ultimately support it.
I am interested in seeing how the UIQ will be folded into the open symbian platform. Will it survive in some fashion? or will it bite the dust?
The article talks mostly about software, and I think that software is quite a valid reason for the failure to meet expectations. Lack of flash, memory issues, and not a lot of apps (compared to S60, Palm and Windows Mobile) are definite contributors to the lack of success of the platform. I however disagree that the software, and SonyEricsson's support policies, are the root of the problem.
My diagnosis: It's the phones, stupid!
I bought my P800 on the day it came out. I was a happy camper even after two years after it came out! Yes there were issues, but I was content with the phone. Other models succeeded it: the P900, P910 and P990. None of these phones enticed me to spend another $600-$1000 to upgrade!
When Nokia, and HTC were coming out with phones that were Quadband GSM, UMTS, had GPS and WiFi built-in, and had cameras that were 3 or 5 Megapixel, why would I spend my hard earned money to buy a P9xx phone that had a limited camera, no GPS, no WiFi *and* was only triband GSM?
Nokia did a smart thing, it put S60 on a boatload of phones, and gave consumers choice! SonyEricsson on the other hand gave you one P-model (Professional), on W-model (Walkman) and one M-model (mid range?) Why lower your expectations with SonyEricsson when you can have more options with Nokia? This lack of hardware probably discouraged a lot of developers, and deprived the UIQ from a user base that would ultimately support it.
I am interested in seeing how the UIQ will be folded into the open symbian platform. Will it survive in some fashion? or will it bite the dust?
Nokia Internet Tablet - is there anything it can't do?
04/August/2008 20:12 Filed in: Technology
I was recently in the public transport system, and I
pulled out my internet tablet, fired up the GarnetVM
(PalmOS virtual machine), and looked up the times of
the upcoming trains to get back home. At this point I
recalled that someone had been able to get a
developer's build of Android to run on Maemo and I
started pondering: is there anything this device can't
do?
The folks over at OpenEinstein are working at getting the Newton emulator (called Einstein) to run on the newest Maemo (diablo), I can run PalmOS applications through GarnetVM, I can install ubuntu on the tablet (the first OS hacked to run on the NIT), and now Android.
Pretty slick I must say! Now if only it had a more powerful A/V processor!
The folks over at OpenEinstein are working at getting the Newton emulator (called Einstein) to run on the newest Maemo (diablo), I can run PalmOS applications through GarnetVM, I can install ubuntu on the tablet (the first OS hacked to run on the NIT), and now Android.
Pretty slick I must say! Now if only it had a more powerful A/V processor!
Video Game Friday: Aladdin for the Game Gear
01/August/2008 18:35 Filed in: Entertainment
| VideoGames
While the graphics were nice for the device, and the game play did not disappoint, the game was too easy! Quite literally I was at the final stage, beating the final boss of the game, within hours of having purchased the game! I remember being happy that I finished the game, but quite frustrated that I had plopped $30 for a game that took me two or three hours to finish.
Comparatively, Sonic the hedgehog, the game that came with my game gear, took me YEARS to finish! OK, this was partly because of the whole battery problem, but even when I got the power adaptor for my game gear it still took MONTHS to beat, it was quite challenging! Oh well! Live and learn?
The N80 as an iPod replacement
31/July/2008 20:11 Filed in: Technology
When my iPod bit the dust, I immediately wanted to get
another one (more on that in a later post), but for the
time being I wanted to use what I had in order to get
on my day to day business. There are three options: My
PSP, my N80 or my N800 Internet Tablet (NIT).
I don't have that much external memory for my PSP, so unless I wanted to invest in memory stick DUOs, I am a bit out of luck. Also, the PSP is a bit bulky, and in order to carry it around I would need some sort of case, which I don't have, so I decided to give up on that idea.
The N80 was the next contender. My usual listening habits include podcasts. Lots and lots of podcasts. I exported my podcast subscriptions in the form of an OPML file from iTunes. I installed the podcasting client on my N80, and sent the OPML file via bluetooth. Seamless. I can connect my headphones to my N80, I can download podcasts over the air, and listen to them.
Well, I hit a snag. My removable memory is only 128MB, so I would need to invest in a miniSD card (or more if I wanted music). Considering that my N80 is 2 years old and newer phones take microSD (damned formats!), it seems idiotic to waste money on miniSD cards, thus I can only download one or two podcasts. I am OK with that. I am usually within a WiFi hotspot near work, and at home so I can always keep my podlist fresh.
I tried downloading a podcast (1 podcast), and I could not! My connection (at home) kept stalling! I finally gave up. Granted I haven't tried since to see if I can get podcasts on my N80, but I've sort of written it off for now.
N80 as an iPod replacement, I give you a C+
I don't have that much external memory for my PSP, so unless I wanted to invest in memory stick DUOs, I am a bit out of luck. Also, the PSP is a bit bulky, and in order to carry it around I would need some sort of case, which I don't have, so I decided to give up on that idea.
The N80 was the next contender. My usual listening habits include podcasts. Lots and lots of podcasts. I exported my podcast subscriptions in the form of an OPML file from iTunes. I installed the podcasting client on my N80, and sent the OPML file via bluetooth. Seamless. I can connect my headphones to my N80, I can download podcasts over the air, and listen to them.
Well, I hit a snag. My removable memory is only 128MB, so I would need to invest in a miniSD card (or more if I wanted music). Considering that my N80 is 2 years old and newer phones take microSD (damned formats!), it seems idiotic to waste money on miniSD cards, thus I can only download one or two podcasts. I am OK with that. I am usually within a WiFi hotspot near work, and at home so I can always keep my podlist fresh.
I tried downloading a podcast (1 podcast), and I could not! My connection (at home) kept stalling! I finally gave up. Granted I haven't tried since to see if I can get podcasts on my N80, but I've sort of written it off for now.
N80 as an iPod replacement, I give you a C+
And you thought GSM was bad...
30/July/2008 20:10 Filed in: Technology
I've been looking at phones lately (no thanks to the
iPhone!) and I must say that I am seeing some
absurdities with the selection of bands. GSM had five
bands (frequencies), although only four are used. THe
original band was 900Mhz, then 1800Mhz rolled out in
Europe, 1900Mhz and 850Mhz followed suit in the
Americas and 450Mhz was tested but never deployed. This
was a 2G technology
Now we've got 3G rolling out. We started with 2100Mhz and we rejoiced! This would be the one band to unify the world! Well, no! at&t came in and decided to use 1900Mhz and 850Mhz as well! OK, phones are triband 3G now (well some anyway), and T-Mobile US comes out with 1700Mhz, and some carriers in Europe are experimenting with 900Mhz...that's five bands!
Nokia phones aren't triband (the iPhone and some HTC handsets are). With nokia handsets you get 2100, or 1900/850, or 2100/900 or 2100/850... Just make a quintband 3G chip already! I wonder what LTE is going to bring...
This sort of reminds me of a recent Hollowmen episode I watched. The think tank had a 6-point plan for the Prime Minister, but they could not implement it. So... they came up with a 4-point plan, to make the 6-point plan a 2-point plan. Hillarious, until you think about it!
Now we've got 3G rolling out. We started with 2100Mhz and we rejoiced! This would be the one band to unify the world! Well, no! at&t came in and decided to use 1900Mhz and 850Mhz as well! OK, phones are triband 3G now (well some anyway), and T-Mobile US comes out with 1700Mhz, and some carriers in Europe are experimenting with 900Mhz...that's five bands!
Nokia phones aren't triband (the iPhone and some HTC handsets are). With nokia handsets you get 2100, or 1900/850, or 2100/900 or 2100/850... Just make a quintband 3G chip already! I wonder what LTE is going to bring...
This sort of reminds me of a recent Hollowmen episode I watched. The think tank had a 6-point plan for the Prime Minister, but they could not implement it. So... they came up with a 4-point plan, to make the 6-point plan a 2-point plan. Hillarious, until you think about it!
Television Tuesday: American Gothic.
29/July/2008 18:32 Filed in: Television
| Entertainment
Yet another Hulu discovery: American Gothic.
I have to say that this series was weird, X-files weird (or possibly the outer limits weird)!
I thought that since Gary Cole (Lumberg from Office Space) was in it, that it would be rather comical. I was wrong. The story revolves around a small town in the south that has a lot of inexplicable phenomena happening. If you make a deal with the Sheriff, your life is prosperous, but eventually you will have to pay him back. Throughout the series I was wondering if he was corrupt, if he was some sort of witch with supernatural powers, or if he was the devil himself!
Even though the series is rather dark and at times, I think, disturbing, I highly recommend it.
If you want some more info about the series, click here for the Wikipedia entry (SPOILERS WARNING!)
I have to say that this series was weird, X-files weird (or possibly the outer limits weird)!
I thought that since Gary Cole (Lumberg from Office Space) was in it, that it would be rather comical. I was wrong. The story revolves around a small town in the south that has a lot of inexplicable phenomena happening. If you make a deal with the Sheriff, your life is prosperous, but eventually you will have to pay him back. Throughout the series I was wondering if he was corrupt, if he was some sort of witch with supernatural powers, or if he was the devil himself!
Even though the series is rather dark and at times, I think, disturbing, I highly recommend it.
If you want some more info about the series, click here for the Wikipedia entry (SPOILERS WARNING!)