Tuesday November 6th, 2007

Felix Technical Blog has MOVED

The iFelix Technical Blog has moved.

Due to onoging issues with my reset of iBlog, I have been unable to publish new material to the iFelix Technical Blog. After trying to let iBlog publish for a week, I knew it was going to be impossible to continue using iBlog without a major overhaul, and if I am going to do that I said to myself I might as well change my blogging software to something which is more flexible.

I have changed to using Wordpress, so please check out the new blog; I will be leaving this blog up as an archive.

Mon - October 22, 2007

Nokia announce N810


an improved and enhanced N series device...

I have always liked the idea of the Nokia N series, there have been times when I have considered buying one, but never really got around to it, as I have other devices which do similar things.

On Friday, Nokia announce the new Nokia N810.



The N810 is as you might guess is an improvement on the older N800. Key improvements are a full QWERTY keyboard, a faster processor and GPS.

For connectivity you either use a wifi connection or a bluetooth connection to your phone, so mobile browsing is possible, especially if you have a 3G phone. You can also play movie, audio and look at photos.

Is it an iPod touch, no, but the phone connectivity does give it an advantage over Apples’ innovative iPod.

You can read the press release and see some nice photos.

Posted at 12:10 PM     | | |

Send Keynote to YouTube


what a clever idea...

One of the features of Keynote that I have always liked is the ability to save a presentation as a movie file. As once a movie file it can be converted in many different ways.

In version 4.0 of Keynote (part of iWork '08) you can now send your presentation direct to YouTube.

Keynote to Youtube

This avoids the need to export the file and then upload to YouTube, you can upload direct to YouTube quickly and easily.

I've not yet tried it, but I can see after attending a conference I could upload my presentation and then embed it into my blog or the organisers could embed into their website. It also avoids the problems that you can have with Keynote files as not everyone has Keynote and even if you export as PowerPoint, not everyone has PowerPoint.

Posted at 09:29 AM     | | |

Sun - October 21, 2007

GPS for the PSP


another thing it can do...

Interested to read that you can use GPS with your PSP.

So as well as browsing the net, watching video, looking at photographs and listening to audio, you can now use your PSP to find out where you are and where you need to go.

You know one day they're going to makes games for this excellent device.

Posted at 02:54 PM     | | |

Fri - October 19, 2007

How low can you go...


Sony VAIO UX1XN getting even cheaper...

When the Sony VAIO UX1XN was released in the UK it commanded a £2,000 price tag. This is a lot of money for a device the size of a PDA (even if it can run Windows Vista).

In July I noticed my local Sony Centre had reduced the price to £1,600. Still expensive, but 20% off is quite a reduction. Such reductions usually imply that a new model is just around the corner.

On Amazon in August you could get the UX1XN for just £1,199 which considering the features of the UX1XN (the cameras, flash hdd) makes the UX1XN seem like a reasonable proposition.

Now it is just £999 at the Sony story and only £899 on Amazon.



It will be interesting to see when, what and how Sony update this model with, with the next revision.

Posted at 07:40 AM     | | |

Tue - October 16, 2007

Leopard out 26th October


at 6pm...

Apple have officially announced that Leopard 10.5 the newest version of their operating system will be released on the 26th October at 6pm.

I might get a copy as I am intrigued, but certainly won't be installing it on my main computer, as I can't really afford for it to go offline!

Posted at 09:29 PM     | | |

Mon - October 15, 2007

A little faster...


but not much...

My ISP offered to upgrade my DSL connection.

I was promised 8Mb...

I expected at least 4Mb...

I got 2Mb!

It's twice as fast as I had, but not as fast as I was expecting.

Posted at 08:33 PM     | | |

Sun - October 14, 2007

Why can't I get a wireless connection...


it's just not working...

One thing I have noticed attending a few events recently is that the wireless networks have been unable to cope with the large number of delegates wanting to use it.

A few years (or even just a year ago) if you attended an event with free wireless, there were probably just a few of you who used it with their laptops. Today if you attend an event, you may find that everyone (virtualy everyone) has a laptop and if not a laptop then a PDA or a phone or an entertainment device with wifi capability.

As a result the wireless networks can not cope and if you are late to the event, you will find that though your wireless laptop can see the wireless network it will be unable to be assigned an IP address by the router. With a self-assigned IP address your laptop will the be unable to route any kind of network traffic, so no connection to the internet.

Generally this happens because most wireless routers can only deal with a limited number of wireless clients. The Airport Express for example can only handle ten clients, the Airport Extreme can handle fifty.

Once the wireless router has reached the maximum number of clients, then it will no longer assign IP addresses, and any “extra” clients will not be assigned an IP address.

Now in theory what should then happen is that when one of the wireless clients is disconnected from the wireless network, it should release their IP address and the router should then be able to assign the IP address to a new client. What usually happens is that the client does not correctly release the IP address (the laptop is hibernated or turned off without shutting down properly) and therefore as far as the router is concerned, the IP address is still in use.

The solution is to reboot the wireless router, which in a conference or at an event is nigh on impossible, as most conference organisers don’t even know where the router is let alone how to reboot it (turn it off and back on again).

As more and more delegates at conferences and events use wireless devices, the more important it is for event organisers, conference centres and other places which hold events, to ensure that their wireless networks are scalable and can cope with the number of wireless clients.

Just because my wireless router can cope with my home network, doesn’t mean that I can use something similar in an event or conference context.

Posted at 08:25 AM     | | |

Sat - October 13, 2007

Improve your 3G Connection


when you're at home...

Though we are seeing numerous 3G phones, cards and modems now, but one thing that really stops these devices been used in the home is that walls are very effective at blocking 3G signals.

I noticed this device (mentioned in PCW Magazine) as a potential solution.

Oyster 3G — The home access femtocell

Oyster 3G is the home access femtocell that delivers high-quality 3G spectrum into the home. Because it uses the customer’s broadband it actually adds capacity to your macro network, improving service for everyone in the cell, indoors or out.

Though this technology in theory just makes it easier for 3G devices to connect to a 3G network, I believe you would still be charged your usual 3G data charges.

Read more

Posted at 09:24 PM     | | |

Wed - October 10, 2007

Nice idea, but why McDonalds!


free wireless with your burgers...

I read with interest (and disappointment) that a certain fast food company is going to offer free wireless in their restaurants. Now they use the word restaurant to describe their establishments, personally I think that breaks the Trade Descriptions Act!

The Register reports

Proletarian fryhouse McDonald's has announced it will offer free Wi-Fi in its 1,200 UK burger outlets by the end of the year. The move will make McDonald's the country's largest public hotspot provider, and pits it against Starbucks' pay-as-you-go T-Mobile service for high street internet supremacy.

Now the thought of free wireless is always something that I love the concept of, for example: Caffe Gusto in Bristol (hasten to add only in some of their branches) had free wireless and if you popped in for a coffee you might only be in there for fifteen or twenty minutes, so you can quickly check your e-mail, do a Jaiku presence report, check a few websites and so on...

The problem with something like T-Mobile at Starbucks is that unless you have an account you can only purchase at a minimum a thirty minute slot, or even a full hour. This means you spend probably twice as much as you did on coffee to access the internet, and then you feel like you need to spend the full time in order to get your value for money.

Now the problem I have with that certain place that will offer free wireless is that I don’t like their coffee (is it too hot) and I don’t like their food (way too salty).

Please can other (nice) places start to offer free wireless, I would really appreciate it, please.

Posted at 10:58 AM     | | |

Tue - October 9, 2007

Did Wire Tap Pro kill my iDisk connection?


I think so...

So there I was uploading some blog entries (from iBlog to my .mac space) when it failed...

Attempts to access the iDisk from Finder resulted in the following error message.

The iDisk volume can not be found

Now initially I thought it was my PowerBook (having had a day out) was misbehaving, so I tried to access my iDisk on my iMac (which had stayed at home) and the same error.

I checked the blog on the web and that was working fine.

Hmmm.

So I then checked the status page of .mac which stated all was fine.

I did a search of the Apple Discussion Groups and that showed no current problems either.

I did a search on Google and found the following Apple KB.

It said

If the issue persists, replace the iDisk icon in the Finder sidebar by doing this:

In the Finder, choose Preferences from the Finder menu .
Click the Sidebar icon at the top of the window.
Deselect the iDisk checkbox, then select it again.



So I did that and all was fine.

Now the only common thing I think I did was install WireTap Pro on my two Macs.

Could installing WireTap Pro have killed my .mac connection?

Posted at 09:01 PM     | | |

Mon - October 8, 2007

Power at last


on (some) First Great Western High Speed Trains...

I do seem to travel long distance by train, and if I am travelling by Virgin Trains or GNER I can at least plug in my PowerBook so conserve battery life.

However most of my train travel has been with First Great Western and they failed to appreciate the number of travellers using laptops on their trains until now...

With the current refit underway, the new trains now have power sockets, which means I can plug in my PowerBook...

Well I would do if I had remembered my power brick...

I didn't bring it, because the trains don't have power sockets, well I know now they do, but, well you get my drift.



Of course the next time I bring my power lead, I will be in a carriage which hasn't been upgraded, so it won't be of use anyway!

Up to 8Mb broadband, now with broadband phone calls. From only £9.99 per month - terms apply. PlusNet broadband.

Posted at 08:04 AM     | | |

Fri - October 5, 2007

Installing a Canon LiDE 35 Scanner


a bit of a hassle...

Today I needed to scan in some pictures at work, there was a spare Canon LiDE 35 Scanner in the cupboard so I decided to use that.

I downloaded the software from Canon, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be.

The driver didn't seem to want to install itself.

Eventually I found I needed to follow the following procedure.

The CD that comes with the scanner contains both drivers and programs, but the auto-starting installation program ONLY installs the programs and NOT the Twain-driver.

It has to be installed manually. 

The procedure is as follows (the CanoScan N1240U is used as an example, simply replace this name with your model)
1. When the Found New Hardware Wizard appears, click the Next button to continue.
2. You'll notice that the wizard has found all the available drivers on the cd-rom; this means all languages that are available on your CD-ROM.
3. If you click the"Next" without checking this, the Spanish driver will be installed or the first available. 
So Be sure to select the language you want and then click the Next button.
4. The file copying is done now.
5. Click the Finish button and the installation is done.

This also applies if you are installing the downloaded software and you don't have the CD.

I am pleased though that Canon do provide the software on their website, too often manufacturers expect you to always have the installation CD.

Scanning worked fine into Fireworks and I then could edit the image.

Posted at 10:05 PM     | | |

Tue - October 2, 2007

Don't check your e-mail, deal with your e-mail


have a zero inbox...

An excellent presentation from Merlin Mann on how to deal with e-mail and have an inbox with zero e-mail in it!


One of the key messages, is don’t check your e-mail, deal with your e-mail.

* Delete or Archive
* Delegate
* Respond
* Defer
* Do

Well worth a watch especially if you have more than fifty unread e-mail in your inbox.

Posted at 08:38 PM     | | |

Mon - October 1, 2007

Adobe offers challenge to Word


free web based word processor

Adobe has joined the ranks of Google and Zoho in offering a web based alternative to Word.

According to the BBC :

The software developer has acquired the online word processor Buzzword, which allows users to create and share text documents on the web.

Looks interesting.

Posted at 07:09 PM     | | |

Sat - September 29, 2007

Need more space...


250GB is never enough...

I can remember thinking once that the 20MB HDD (that's MB not GB) on the laptop I had was a little too small for my needs.

My Intel iMac came with a 250GB HDD and I keep filling it up, so every so often I find one of my external drives and fill that up with the (in the main) EyeTV recordings I have made.

Now most of those drives are full...

What do I do now?

Posted at 08:38 AM     | | |

Fri - September 28, 2007

Bluetooth SMS PowerBook Address Book Problems


not sure of the reason why it isn't working...

One thing that I use to use a lot on my PowerBook was the ability to use the Address Book to send SMS text messages via my mobile phone via a Bluetooth connection.

It was great because I could use a proper keyboard rather than having to try and do that predictive text stuff, or uz mob tlk 2 cmnic8!

However the last few times I have used it the texts have never got through!.

After a few tests I removed the phone and re-added it as a Bluetooth favourite, however that did not work.

Going to try with my new MacBook Pro and the work phone to see if it is a phone issue (my home mobile is now a pay as you go rather than a contract).

Any other thoughts would be welcome.

Posted at 07:01 PM     | | |

Wed - September 26, 2007

iPod touch, me like, me touch


got my first touch today...

Today I was lucky to try out the iPod touch, and yes I was impressed.

I had quite high expectations for the touch interface, and to be honest it met (and surpassed) those expectations.

Browsing was certainly easy as was navigation.

Alas the device I was using had minimal content on, but it was still possible to try out many of the features. Though it was really the touch interface I really wanted to try.

Posted at 11:57 PM     | | |

Tue - September 25, 2007

No PowerPC Support in 10.6


hold on, 10.5 hasn't even been released...

Appleinsider is reporting that Apple will drop PowerPC support in 10.6

Looking ahead, those people familiar with Apple development cycles speculate that Mac OS X 10.6 will exclude support for PowerPC-based Macs entirely, requiring that users have one of the company's Intel-based systems which first began making their way to market in early 2006.

So my PowerBook might be stuck on 10.5, actually I would be surprised if the PowerBook could even run 10.5!

Posted at 06:30 PM     | | |

Slow and unsuable Vodafone 3G


but I am on a train, even so...

This morning I am on a train to London, and I have found that my Vodafone 3G data connection is very slow and virtually unusable for anything even simple browsing.

Now I know I am on a train and from a technical perspective I should be impressed that I can even get any kind of connection.

However I have used 3G on a train before and it was a lot faster than this.



Either there's reception issues with the phone or more likely an issue with Vodafone, lots of people using their phones and 3G connections.

I can remember when I was one of the few people to use a laptop on a train and (probably) the only person on the train using the internet. Today, totally different story, even on the table I am at someone else is using their Dell laptop, checking their e-mail.

I am thinking about getting the 3 3G USB Modem to see if a different network is faster.

Posted at 07:39 AM     | | |

Fri - September 21, 2007

Presentation


now from Google...

The Google blog is telling us about the new presentation web based application called Presentation.

Starting today, presentations -- whether imported from existing files or created using the new slide editor -- are listed alongside documents and spreadsheets in the Google Docs document list. They can be edited, shared, and published using the familiar Google Docs interface, with several collaborators working on a slide deck simultaneously, in real time. When it's time to present, participants can simply click a link to follow along as the presenter takes the audience through the slideshow. Participants are connected through Google Talk and can chat about the presentation as they're watching. Not wanting anyone to feel left out, we've made the presentation feature available in 25 languages; Google Apps customers can also access it as part of Google Docs.

We hope the millions of people who already create and share documents and spreadsheets will find presentations a welcome addition to the Google Docs family, and we can't wait to add even more features and enhancements.

Going to go have a look now.

Posted at 12:46 PM     | | |






















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