automating the world, one script at a time
Gordon
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Homepage: http://techjunkie.co.za
Posts by Gordon
Windows 7 looks expensive and confusing
Oct 22nd
I just finished reading an article on MyBroadband where they have listed local pricing for the different Windows 7 options from a variety of brick and mortar and e-tailers.
We will rob you.
Firstly, I had no idea that there were so many options to choose from, again. Did M$ learn nothing with Vista ? There is no way the man in the street is going to have any idea what the difference between the different options are. You’ll realise that you are getting more when you buy the “Ultimate” version, but without doing some research you’ll be nicely in the dark.
Secondly if you want all the bells and whistles you will be forking out between R2337.00 (e-tailers) and R3199.95 (from Incredible Connection) for the Ultimate version. That’s a lot of money. I mean, you can pretty much buy a PC for R3000, probably not one that can run Windows 7 though…
I’m sure lots of people are going to buy Windows 7, but I think most of them just want to upgrade from their 8 year old XP installations.
Toshiba Dynario fuel-cell: the battery revolution
Oct 22nd
I must have missed the initial announcement of this technology so I actually did a bit of a double take and few searches to make sure that someone wasn’t trying to pull a fast one.
It’s legit. Basically you can recharge any device that makes use of USB for that function. I guess you could power it directly as well.
When your cell (we call them batteries) starts running low, just whip out a little bottle of concentrated methanol and fill the 14ml fuel tank to keep on going. Basically like refueling your car, just a little smaller.
This is first generation stuff, just imagine what this technology will be like in a few years ! Assuming anyone actually buys it.
Never again will you need to search for an electrical socket when you are out in the wilderness trying to be one with nature…
We can hardly believe it but the day has finally arrived: Toshiba just launched the first Dynario fuel-cell for portable consumer electronics. That’s right, the long promised and highly anticipated direct methanol fuel-cell (DMFC) with dedicated fuel cartridge for on-the-go refueling will go on sale October 29th in Japan for ¥29,800 (about $328) plus another ¥3,150 (about $34) for a set of five, 50ml fuel cartridges. Dynario takes about 20 seconds to fill its 14ml fuel tank with an injection of a concentrated methanol solution at which point its ready to charge USB-connected devices. Dynarios hybrid structure uses a lithium-ion battery to store enough electricity to charge two typical cellphones, according to Tosh. That works out to be about $1 per recharge, if our calculations are correct, based on the fuel costs alone. We assume the battery can be charged via wall socket power too but this isnt explicitly stated in the press release. The first run consists of only 3,000 units after which Toshiba will gauge consumer reaction before extending the launch outside of Japan. Boy oh boy, a new age in portability has begun.
(Via Engadget.)
QOTD: Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) <- this ones a doozy
Oct 22nd
Steve Ballmer: “Let’s face it, the Internet was designed for the PC. The Internet is not designed for the iPhone. That’s why they’ve got 75,000 applications – they’re all trying to make the Internet look decent on the iPhone.”
Wow ! Let’s not even begin to discuss IE6 and the fact that without ActiveX and Silverlight I doubt a single website would look half decent in any version of IE.
Any website that conforms to HTML and CSS standards looks just find uncle Ballmer. Idiot.
[techjunkie] to get a new look
Oct 22nd
Later today [techjunkie] will start making using of a new theme. As much as I enjoy the current theme, I’m running into a few limitations that appear to be taken care of automatically in other themes.
Please let me know if you don’t like the new theme once it’s up. If you love it, feel free to let me know as well.
So don’t be surprised the next time you visit the site.
Google maps now has SA direction information
Oct 21st
Anyone that regularly uses Google Maps or Google Earth would have noticed that the level of detail and the correctness of the detail for South Africa has been improving significantly over the past few months.
The first thing I noticed in Google Earth was the addition of some 3D buildings to the Cape Town CBD area. Shortly afterwards there was a marked improvement on the amount of street level data that was available.
I’ve also seen the Google Streetview car driving around Cape Town a number of times. I assume all the fuss is to provide tourists with decent mapping information when they arrive in their droves for the World Cup next year.
Today I caught a tweet (thanks @kishyr) saying that direction information is also working in Google maps. I quickly tried it out myself and I’m happy to announce that it is working and appears to work pretty darn well. It even sensibly calculates different directions based on whether you are in a motor vehicle or on foot. The transit direction information doesn’t work yet, but then again neither does our public transport system.
Above are screenshots from my iPhone 3GS detailing directions from the Cape Town CBD (my current location) to Hout Bay for a motor vehicle. When I change to “on foot”, it redirects you along Victoria road all along the coast.
Good work Google ! But remember, don’t be evil.
Enabling click-to-dial on Snow Leopard
Oct 21st
As a follow up on my Dialectic article, I thought it may be necessary to post some information on how to enable click-to-dial in Snow Leopard.
The problem is that Mac OS X 10.6 no longer supports contextual menu plug-ins, so any plug-ins that you had will stop working after you upgrade to Snow Leopard.
Replacing this functionality is a much improved Services support and this can be used to dial selected phone numbers from most applications.
After installing Dialectic you can do the following to enable it:
- From the System Preferences application, select the Keyboard preference pane.
- In the Keyboard preference pane, select the “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab and scroll down to the “Services” item from the list box on the left side of the window.
- After selecting “Services”, scroll down to the “Text” Services group on the right and enable the “Dial Selection” Services item (see the screenshot below).
Works like a charm.
QOTD: Jean Cocteau
Oct 21st
Jean Cocteau: “‘We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?’”
(Via Quotes of the Day.)
Barnes & Noble Nook aims right between the eyes
Oct 20th
Talk about blowing the competition out of the water !
Looks like the Nook has all the features we’ve been begging for in the Kindle. I won’t go into detail about the features, Engadget sums it all up very nicely below.
My only questions are how large the book selection will be, what will the books cost and will it be available in South Africa ?
Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader leaks a bit early: $259, pre-orders are live (video): “
Looks like all those whispers were true — the ‘Android-based’ nook is alive and well, and it’s calling itself the planet’s ‘most advanced e-book reader.’ Measuring 7.7- x 4.9- x 0.5-inches and weighing 11.2 ounces, the device includes a top e-ink display from Vizplex and a color touchscreen (3.5-inches) below, which supports one-touch control and swipe-to-browse books with full-color covers. The rechargeable battery takes 3.5 hours to go from zero to full if using a wall outlet, and B&N claims that itll last for up to ten days if you flick the wireless to ‘off.’ Speaking of which, inbuilt WiFi (802.11b/g) and AT&T 3G is included, not to mention 2GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, MP3 player, built-in mono speaker, 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, a micro USB port and support for EPUB, PDF and MP3. The nook also supports bookmarking, making notes, and highlighting passages, and the LendMe feature allows users to lend books for up to a fortnight at a time to other e-readers, cellphones or computers.
B&N also tells us that you can pick up where you left off (with markings and highlights in tact) on your iPhone or BlackBerry using its free eReader software, which just so happens to be the same app that allows sharing to iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC or Mac. As expected, the company will also let you sample ebooks before you buy, and youll enjoy free WiFi each and every time you sashay into a Barnes & Noble retail location. Its available to pre-order as we speak for $259, with initial shipments expected to happen at the end of November. Introductory video is after the break, along with a few highlights about accessories and features.
Update: Aw snap, B&N just yanked everything related to nook from its website. Thankfully for you, everything youd ever need to know is right here.
Update 2: Looks like it’s back! Though, the landing page itself still seems down. Hurray for backdoors!
(Via Engadget.)
A word on migrating WordPress installations
Oct 20th
One of the reservations I had about migrating this blog from WordPress.com to a hosted WordPress installation was the difficulty I thought I would have migrating all my content over. I also wasn’t sure if the same themes and widgets would be available to me. The concern around themes and widgets was put to rest quickly after a few short searches for the stuff I wanted.
I also read an article a few days prior about exporting the post content from the site using the export tool built into WordPress, so I figured that at least I wouldn’t have to retype or copy and paste all my articles back into the new blog.
After installing WordPress on my server (use bluehost.com for this, they are awesome) and doing some basic initial configuration of the admin user I headed over the import tool, also built into WordPress (smart guys, importing and exporting, who would have thought). I pointed the import tool at my exported .xml file and hoped for the best.
Now I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to exporting data from once system and them importing it into another. There are always issues. Not only was I pleasantly surprised when all my post, tags, categories and comments were brought across (with the timestamp data in tact no less), I almost couldn’t believe it when it asked me if I wanted it to attempt to fetch all my attached content and media as well.
What the hell. I clicked “Yes” and hoped for the best. Well blow me down. I actually had to double check just to make sure that my browser was in fact pointed at the correct site. The transfer was so painless and so complete that I literally didn’t need to do anything other than put a post on the old site informing everyone that the blog had moved.
High fives for all the WordPress developers. I am truly impressed.
Tale of the annoying Apple headset mic
Oct 20th
Does the placement of the microphone/volume control button on the Apple headset annoy anyone else ?
Maybe I just happen to have a very unfortunate set of bodily proportions, but the microphone/button placement on the headset cable always catches on the collar or my shirt when I am sitting down with the earbuds in my ears.
It catches just enough that I have to make wild neck movements to “unhook” it while I’m driving.
I have exactly the same problem with the headset that came with my iPhone 2G. Does Apple have it in for me ?
If they moved the button a few centimeters higher or lower it would solve the problem immediately.
MobileMe Media Sync — Apple Patent Watch
Oct 20th
File this under awesome x rad. Seriously, I find it so annoying when can’t carry on listening (or watching) to my current song or podcast when I move from one device to another. Sitting at my desk listening to a podcast on iTunes and switching to my iPhone when I have to dash off somewhere is mildly frustrating because I need to get to the correct podcast and then scan for the spot I was at before I can pick up where I left off.
With this I should just be able to pop my earbuds in and hit play on the head set control. It will save me time not only because I don’t have to find the right track, but I also won’t have to listen to the same parts of tracks again because I’m not sure where I was.
And I totally agree that Apple need to start working a little harder to earn my MobileMe subscription every year !
Synchronization of Media State Across Multiple Devices, one of the latest patents filed by Apple, aims to use MobileMe to make sure if you start watching a movie in iTunes or on the AppleTV, then switch to your iPhone, you’re at the exact same place in the movie (and back again) — with no USB sync required.
Last month, prompted by reader Seth Clifford, TiPb asked for just such ‘WhisperSync’ (to use the Amazon Kindle term) functionality. Not only would this be great for users with multiple Windows, Macs, iPhones, and/or iPod touches, but it would be a great way for Apple to add value to MobileMe, whose $99 a year is non-competitive to say the least, especially for Windows users (who don’t benefit from iLife, Back to my Mac, Mac sync, etc.) So, yeah, Apple — make this happen!
(Via The iPhone Blog.)
QOTD: John Lennon
Oct 19th
SIP clients for the iPhone
Oct 19th
For quite some time now I’ve been on the hunt for a decent SIP client for the iPhone. At one point I almost gave up completely as it seemed that the only people that were interested in releasing SIP clients for the iPhone were companies that provided a “pay for” SIP service. There was no generic SIP client that actually delivered acceptable voice quality.
I know there are some great applications if you have a jailbroken iPhone, but I was looking for something mainstream, especially if I was going to evangelise the solution to less technical colleagues and customers.
Having access to a corporate SIP service at the office I was keen to find something that worked really well, primarily because everyone that had a Nokia device running Symbian could make VoIP calls and I couldn’t.
There are now finally a handful of decent clients available in the App Store that do almost everything that I needed them to do:
- ability to use my own SIP server configuration.
- ability to use the built in address book.
- support for the G.729 codec.
- ability to make GSM calls from within the application.
Ideally, I’d also like the application to be free, but so far this hasn’t happened. All three of the applications that I feel are worth considering carry a £3.99 price tag from the UK iTunes store (click here for instructions on how to create a UK iTunes account without a UK credit card).
The only feature that all of the applications fall short on, is the G.729 codec support. With bandwidth constraints in South Africa G.729 compression for voice over IP has become commonplace.
After reading a few reviews and comparing feature lists I eventually settled for iSip, knowing that the lack of G.729 support would mean that I would be restricted in the destinations I would be able to call. After the initial configuration (which was incredibly simple) I was happily making calls to certain destinations. The call quality was excellent and connection time was extremely quick. The ability to have multiple profiles meant that depending on whether my iPhone was connected to the corporate VoIP network or a general Internet WiFi hotspot I was still able make calls without having to change settings.
I have put in a feature request in with the application developer, but as yet I have not received any feedback as to if or when this is a possibility. I know there are some licensing issues when making use of G.729, but I’m pretty sure they could just work that cost into the price of the application.
Below is a list of the applications that you should consider if you are looking for a Generic SIP client sans G.729 support:
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I thought I would also make mention of Nimbuzz and Fring. These two applications are free in the App Store and they allow for custom SIP settings, but both require an active connection to their respective servers to “log in” and actually make calls. This results in a terrible speech delay and I’ve found them to be almost unusable. Others may have better luck. Also,most corporate VoIP networks probably won’t allow connections to the Internet, which renders the applications completely useless.
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The quest continues…
Update: I received a response from the developers saying that they are in negotiations with the G.729 license holder and that they aren’t able to include support for the codec until they have concluded the discussions.
WolframAlpha hits the App Store for a whopping $50
Oct 19th
Wow. This is special. An app that costs $50 that bascially does what the website does for free. Let’s see how quickly the price of this app drops. Alternatively, I’m willing to bet that a pissed off developer will release an app that does almost the same thing for free.
Idiots.
WolframAlpha hits the App Store for a whopping $50: “
WolframAlpha, the computational searchable database that went live as a website a few months ago is now an iPhone app. ‘Fantastic!’ you might say. Youll take it? Just one thing though: It is $50! And it doesnt do much that the Web page doesnt. Is there something we dont understand here?
WolframAlfa $50 App Store link – via TechCrunch.
Tweak Quick Look to See What Files Are Inside a Folder
Oct 16th
At first I thought this might be very gimmicky, like many of the OS X window manager tweaks that are out there in the wild. This one I however found very useful. I’ll state up front that if you don’t often use quicklook, then feel free to ignore the rest of this article.
So what does X-ray mode do for Quick Look?
Instead of just seeing the regular folder icon in Quick Look, the folder icon will be semi-transparent, with previews of the folder’s contents visible in the Quick Look window. What’s more, the preview images will rotate automatically, moving through each item in the folder.
You can enable X-ray mode for Quick Look in a couple of ways, but the quickest and simplest way to do it is to simply turn on X-ray mode with a simple Terminal hack.
Fire up Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app) and paste the following:
defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableXRayFolders 1
Hit Return, then Alt+right-click on the Finder icon in your Dock and click on Relaunch. X-ray mode should now be enabled. Hit the spacebar when you’ve selected any folder in Finder to test it.
