Bug 2673 - N800 Power up Drama
This will drop down to comment #47 which lists the new firmware that addresses the power up after shutdown issue.
Now that I'm running Ubuntu Linux as my main OS, my flashing experience was a little different. It was easy once I figured out one little necessity. I essentially followed the directions from here to the letter, BUT I had to add 'sudo' at the beginning of the command to run flasher-3.0. When I didn't, it couldn't grab the USB port.
So, here's the funny part... in order to run the update to the firmware, you HAVE to switch off the tablet. So, of course, it won't come back on to let you flash it. So I had to go upstairs to put it in the freezer for a bit. My wife happened to be there and saw me put my N800 tablet in the freezer and said, "Um, do you wanna explain why you just put a computer in the freezer??" LOL... needless to say, I had a hard time explaining WHY this worked, because I personally have no idea myself. However, after leaving it in long enough it started up.
Before flashing it this time I performed a backup with the integrated software. I must say that is VERY slick and easy. Bravo! So, after it was flashed and started up, it said it found a previous backup and would I like to restore from there. I said yes and it ran through it pretty quickly. It barked about some of the documents added by the firmware being newer on the device, etc. I selected not to replace them with the backup in case there are differences. I made the mistake of deleting my device off my phone because I thought I was going to have to go through it again, but it restored the settings from the backup. My guess is it would have worked perfectly, but being that I deleted the device on my phone I had to run through it again. It then asked me if I wanted to restore all my applications!! I was surprised at this and didn't think it would do this for me. I said yes and it proceeded (the best it could) to download and install all the apps. I say best it could because some of my apps were not pulled from repositories and required manual intervention.
After all my apps were on and I was satisfied with how it was setup I tested shutting it down and then turning it right back on... IT WORKS!!!! I'm so excited about this because it means I don't need to stay close to a freezer. Another funny thing my wife asked me, knowing that I am traveling to a week long conference in Florida next week, "So, are you gonna have to excuse yourself from the show floor to run back to your mini-bar so you can jump start your little gadget??" Ahhhh... she's funny.
Anyway, I'm just glad that it was able to be resolved with a software update and I didn't have to deal with returns and such. THAT would have been a pain!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
The pain I'm finding for Linux, and why Apple is successful (so to speak)
Well, it has not been long into my "30 day challenge" to use only Linux (not even a week) and I'm already feeling some pain. Basically, the pain I'm feeling seems stupid... it ALL revolves around PC hardware and driver issues. Well... not ALL of it... I still have some pain around apps I used on Windows and haven't found replacements I like yet, or, and this is another big one I'll try to tackle at some point, you have to compile the application from source to work on your distribution of Linux (I know there are "unsupported" packages for a lot of distros out there and they are great, but they aren't "in your face available" and you have to search around for them!). Like I said, I'll try to discuss my thoughts on the software subject in this post, but my first priority, that which relates directly to the title of this post, is around hardware drivers and stability because of this.
"Hardware Choices" and why that sucks for non-technical people trying to use Linux:
Hopefully I don't piss any *NIX loyalists off here, but I am trying to approach this from as neutral a ground as possible, thinking about a non-technical user's experience with Linux... someone new to Linux or not very well-versed in operating systems in general, let alone ever going to a command line. Let's face it, the command line is for geeks only. While I myself am a geek, I understand the complexities and lack of help that a command line brings users... just having a cursor sitting there blinking at you waiting for input, without it saying "type this to do that" can be intimidating. That is why GUI is SO important for regular users. It gives them things to click on... choices that they may not have known about.
So, my beef is that, as far as PC hardware is concerned, there are SO many hardware choices and configurations that it is basically endless. It doesn't help that Windows is the mainstream OS and that hardware manufacturers normally don't do a good job (or anything at all) in the way of producing drivers for Linux.
********************* 6/6/09
The above was as far as I got into this post in past... I don't remember exactly where I was headed with this, so I don't think I will finish it. I have since moved back to Windows almost exclusively and have really not had ANY issues. I have even been running Vista 64 for quite a while now and gaming a lot... NO PROBLEMS AT ALL!!!! That's saying something!
I think where I was headed is the fact that Linux trying to remain ambiguous and neutral is hurting it. Apple has an autonomous environment, and I think that's why it does as well as it does trying to compete with Windows... but Apple is FAR from perfect, and they actually annoy me (even though I willing decided to buy an iPhone 3G know all the things I know about Apple... it's the apps people).
Anyway, I personally think MS is doing most things right these days and am happy with using Windows. Seriously, things just work for me. I NEVER have BSOD's or viruses and I don't even run Anti-Virus software (I just make sure to backup my system every night in case... it's faster). I will even go as far as to say that things work better on my Vista 64 then they do on my wife's iMac 20" G5. This may be because she is still on a G5 and not Leopard... but I was having the same problems with that model when it was mainstream! I'll expand that statement by saying, "If you are using Apple and stay 100% inside Apple's world as far as software and hardware, then you should be just fine."
"Hardware Choices" and why that sucks for non-technical people trying to use Linux:
Hopefully I don't piss any *NIX loyalists off here, but I am trying to approach this from as neutral a ground as possible, thinking about a non-technical user's experience with Linux... someone new to Linux or not very well-versed in operating systems in general, let alone ever going to a command line. Let's face it, the command line is for geeks only. While I myself am a geek, I understand the complexities and lack of help that a command line brings users... just having a cursor sitting there blinking at you waiting for input, without it saying "type this to do that" can be intimidating. That is why GUI is SO important for regular users. It gives them things to click on... choices that they may not have known about.
So, my beef is that, as far as PC hardware is concerned, there are SO many hardware choices and configurations that it is basically endless. It doesn't help that Windows is the mainstream OS and that hardware manufacturers normally don't do a good job (or anything at all) in the way of producing drivers for Linux.
********************* 6/6/09
The above was as far as I got into this post in past... I don't remember exactly where I was headed with this, so I don't think I will finish it. I have since moved back to Windows almost exclusively and have really not had ANY issues. I have even been running Vista 64 for quite a while now and gaming a lot... NO PROBLEMS AT ALL!!!! That's saying something!
I think where I was headed is the fact that Linux trying to remain ambiguous and neutral is hurting it. Apple has an autonomous environment, and I think that's why it does as well as it does trying to compete with Windows... but Apple is FAR from perfect, and they actually annoy me (even though I willing decided to buy an iPhone 3G know all the things I know about Apple... it's the apps people).
Anyway, I personally think MS is doing most things right these days and am happy with using Windows. Seriously, things just work for me. I NEVER have BSOD's or viruses and I don't even run Anti-Virus software (I just make sure to backup my system every night in case... it's faster). I will even go as far as to say that things work better on my Vista 64 then they do on my wife's iMac 20" G5. This may be because she is still on a G5 and not Leopard... but I was having the same problems with that model when it was mainstream! I'll expand that statement by saying, "If you are using Apple and stay 100% inside Apple's world as far as software and hardware, then you should be just fine."
garage: Welcome
garage: Welcome
I kept reading about the Garage for apps in development but didn't really understand. This is the main page where you can check out and download apps still in development. I'm sure this is somewhat dangerous to tamper with as there could be undesired outcomes from installing some of these apps.
Make sure to back up your device before messing with these.
I kept reading about the Garage for apps in development but didn't really understand. This is the main page where you can check out and download apps still in development. I'm sure this is somewhat dangerous to tamper with as there could be undesired outcomes from installing some of these apps.
Make sure to back up your device before messing with these.
mediautils: tablet-encode
mediautils: tablet-encode
Just found this site that has an (cross-platform) encoder specifically designed to encode videos that work well on the N800. If this DOES work as advertised (haven't tried it yet) then this will be a very good thing for people who do not want to spend time figuring out what works and what doesn't.
While it is not a solution to the tons of h.264 encoded content out there playing natively on the N800, if it can re-encode those videos without losing too much quality, then it may not be THAT bad of a deal. I hate extra steps, but it is what it is until someone figures out how to get solid, fluid h.264 video to play on the N800. I also want someone to make it all happen (and I'm talking about from a copy protected DVD to an encoded file that plays well on the N800) with one click of the mouse on Linux! I have a WONDEFUL app for Windows only called DVDFab Platinum that can do just about anything you would want with DVDs whether copy protected or not. It is only ever one step (not ripping the DVD, then switching programs to encode or copy or even shrink then copy). It is truly a great application that works as advertised, but I am trying to do everything from Linux, so this is a pain for me.
Just found this site that has an (cross-platform) encoder specifically designed to encode videos that work well on the N800. If this DOES work as advertised (haven't tried it yet) then this will be a very good thing for people who do not want to spend time figuring out what works and what doesn't.
While it is not a solution to the tons of h.264 encoded content out there playing natively on the N800, if it can re-encode those videos without losing too much quality, then it may not be THAT bad of a deal. I hate extra steps, but it is what it is until someone figures out how to get solid, fluid h.264 video to play on the N800. I also want someone to make it all happen (and I'm talking about from a copy protected DVD to an encoded file that plays well on the N800) with one click of the mouse on Linux! I have a WONDEFUL app for Windows only called DVDFab Platinum that can do just about anything you would want with DVDs whether copy protected or not. It is only ever one step (not ripping the DVD, then switching programs to encode or copy or even shrink then copy). It is truly a great application that works as advertised, but I am trying to do everything from Linux, so this is a pain for me.
How To Enable EVDO DUN on any EVDO capable phone
HowardForums: Your Mobile Phone Community & Resource - How to enable EVDO DUN on ANY EVDO capable phone in 10 easy steps!:
"How to enable EVDO DUN on ANY EVDO capable phone in 10 easy steps!"
Didn't read this yet, but have to run and don't want to lose it.
****UPDATE****
Okay, I took a couple minutes to look through this and it looks like some great info... not just for the N800, but for any PC->Phone tethering (via USB or Bluetooth... doesn't matter). You have to modify your phone, which can be dangerous, but if there is a problem and you backup your phones qcn, you should be able to restore it to the way it was. Obviously, if you lose connectivity while writing data to the phone you could brick it, but there's always some element of risk. ;-)
Anyway, I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but I hope to over the next week before I go on my trip in case I don't have WiFi access and need something on my PC or N800.
Cheers!
"How to enable EVDO DUN on ANY EVDO capable phone in 10 easy steps!"
Didn't read this yet, but have to run and don't want to lose it.
****UPDATE****
Okay, I took a couple minutes to look through this and it looks like some great info... not just for the N800, but for any PC->Phone tethering (via USB or Bluetooth... doesn't matter). You have to modify your phone, which can be dangerous, but if there is a problem and you backup your phones qcn, you should be able to restore it to the way it was. Obviously, if you lose connectivity while writing data to the phone you could brick it, but there's always some element of risk. ;-)
Anyway, I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but I hope to over the next week before I go on my trip in case I don't have WiFi access and need something on my PC or N800.
Cheers!
Bluetooth to Verizon Phone for DUN Works - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
Bluetooth to Verizon Phone for DUN Works - Internet Tablet Talk Forums:
"There are posts scattered throughout the Internet with the necessary info, but it's confusing as to what is actually required. (e.g. I didn't have to hex edit firmware or anything like that.) This is a summary of the key points (only one in particular was tricky):
* Only works if phone is in 1X network only mode. If EVDO network mode (or hybrid mode) is enabled on phone, it doesn't work.
* I used the Nokia cell phone wizard to setup the main parameters, but I could just have easily used the 'connection details' screens. I don't think the wizard does anything special.
* Username: <10-digit-phone-num>@vzw3g.com (Using @... didn't work for me.)
* Password: vzw
* Phone Num: #777
* The tricky part: I also had to edit /etc/ppp/options and uncomment the '-chap' option. Until I did that, it would say 'authentication failed' and disconnect immediately.
With all that, I'm now able to connect via Bluetooth and get ~115k speeds. It doesn't stay connected for a long (<10 seconds) if I don't use it, but otherwise seems to work as expected."
Okay, I have a Verizon LG VX8550 with the premium calling plan that includes unlimited VCAST (EVDO) and a bunch of features such as VZ Navigator, SMS messaging. I would rather connect via EVDO, and I'm on the trail of figuring out how to do that, but I didn't want to lose this post since this is better than nothing. I will either create a separate post on getting EVDO working, or update this post. Either way I will update this with my findings of this specific fix.
"There are posts scattered throughout the Internet with the necessary info, but it's confusing as to what is actually required. (e.g. I didn't have to hex edit firmware or anything like that.) This is a summary of the key points (only one in particular was tricky):
* Only works if phone is in 1X network only mode. If EVDO network mode (or hybrid mode) is enabled on phone, it doesn't work.
* I used the Nokia cell phone wizard to setup the main parameters, but I could just have easily used the 'connection details' screens. I don't think the wizard does anything special.
* Username: <10-digit-phone-num>@vzw3g.com (Using @... didn't work for me.)
* Password: vzw
* Phone Num: #777
* The tricky part: I also had to edit /etc/ppp/options and uncomment the '-chap' option. Until I did that, it would say 'authentication failed' and disconnect immediately.
With all that, I'm now able to connect via Bluetooth and get ~115k speeds. It doesn't stay connected for a long (<10 seconds) if I don't use it, but otherwise seems to work as expected."
Okay, I have a Verizon LG VX8550 with the premium calling plan that includes unlimited VCAST (EVDO) and a bunch of features such as VZ Navigator, SMS messaging. I would rather connect via EVDO, and I'm on the trail of figuring out how to do that, but I didn't want to lose this post since this is better than nothing. I will either create a separate post on getting EVDO working, or update this post. Either way I will update this with my findings of this specific fix.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
VIDEOPODCASTS.TV | The Video Podcast Directory
VIDEOPODCASTS.TV | The Video Podcast Directory
In looking at the CBS feed that I entered into Video Center, I realized that it is just a simple Video Podcast feed. So, logic leads me to believe that any and all video podcast feeds should work. I'll test that theory and report back. The streaming video from CBS was decent quality with only slight hiccups.
*****ADDITION*****
In browsing through the various video podcasts, there is an adult section that is pr0n! That's too funny. Streaming pr0n... lol. Still haven't tried any of the feeds yet, but I had to post that. :-P
*****ADDITION*****
Okay, I chose a bunch of feeds and most of them worked. Some were apparently formatted to enter into iTunes, so they didn't work by copying them. I'm sure if I looked at them closer I could figure out how to get them, or perhaps they just have to be downloaded. Anyway, some of them view great on the N800 using the built-in Media Player which is what Video Center is coded to launch, but some of them are no good at all with only a frame change here and there. What I figured out is these seem to be m4v files designed for the iPod. In my previous video tests I found these to only display well using 'mplayer', and even then they weren't that great and tend to freeze up the unit. I may download one of these episodes to see if it plays better when not streaming.
I decided to start it from Video Center right after typing that. I'm pulling down a 37MB file and it is coming down quickly. It didn't ask me where to store it, but I think I remember Video Center creating its own folder on the 'Internal Memory Card', so I'm guessing it's there.
It finished downloading so I'm going to look for it... Yep, that's exactly where it put it. That's actually a really good place since it's where I would have told it to put it anyway. ;-) I have two 16GB SDHC cards in my N800, and while I have a lot of music and videos already, i still have about 4GB free on the card it put it on (I left room on that one for this very type of reason). Going to try playback using mplayer when it's on the card and not streaming.
Okay... that didn't go well at all. mplayer pretty much locked up, gave a squelchy sound and nothing. So, I'm not sure what that means entirely, but so far I haven't found a decent performing h.264 player for the N800. And that will be a pain considering how much h.264 content is already ripped and ready to view. I know you can re-encode it, but that kinda steals the thunder.
****ADDITION*****
The feed/shows for The Discovery Channel looks AWESOME, but... it seems all the files are m4v and REALLY don't play well on anything I've tried so far. If I can remember, I will look hard for a good m4v player for the N8*0 since there are so many m4v files out there. I even have a bunch since I also have an iPod and had encoded a bunch of movies in that format. If anyone knows of something that plays these well, please post what it is.
In looking at the CBS feed that I entered into Video Center, I realized that it is just a simple Video Podcast feed. So, logic leads me to believe that any and all video podcast feeds should work. I'll test that theory and report back. The streaming video from CBS was decent quality with only slight hiccups.
*****ADDITION*****
In browsing through the various video podcasts, there is an adult section that is pr0n! That's too funny. Streaming pr0n... lol. Still haven't tried any of the feeds yet, but I had to post that. :-P
*****ADDITION*****
Okay, I chose a bunch of feeds and most of them worked. Some were apparently formatted to enter into iTunes, so they didn't work by copying them. I'm sure if I looked at them closer I could figure out how to get them, or perhaps they just have to be downloaded. Anyway, some of them view great on the N800 using the built-in Media Player which is what Video Center is coded to launch, but some of them are no good at all with only a frame change here and there. What I figured out is these seem to be m4v files designed for the iPod. In my previous video tests I found these to only display well using 'mplayer', and even then they weren't that great and tend to freeze up the unit. I may download one of these episodes to see if it plays better when not streaming.
I decided to start it from Video Center right after typing that. I'm pulling down a 37MB file and it is coming down quickly. It didn't ask me where to store it, but I think I remember Video Center creating its own folder on the 'Internal Memory Card', so I'm guessing it's there.
It finished downloading so I'm going to look for it... Yep, that's exactly where it put it. That's actually a really good place since it's where I would have told it to put it anyway. ;-) I have two 16GB SDHC cards in my N800, and while I have a lot of music and videos already, i still have about 4GB free on the card it put it on (I left room on that one for this very type of reason). Going to try playback using mplayer when it's on the card and not streaming.
Okay... that didn't go well at all. mplayer pretty much locked up, gave a squelchy sound and nothing. So, I'm not sure what that means entirely, but so far I haven't found a decent performing h.264 player for the N800. And that will be a pain considering how much h.264 content is already ripped and ready to view. I know you can re-encode it, but that kinda steals the thunder.
****ADDITION*****
The feed/shows for The Discovery Channel looks AWESOME, but... it seems all the files are m4v and REALLY don't play well on anything I've tried so far. If I can remember, I will look hard for a good m4v player for the N8*0 since there are so many m4v files out there. I even have a bunch since I also have an iPod and had encoded a bunch of movies in that format. If anyone knows of something that plays these well, please post what it is.
Videocenter - now with major channels - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
Videocenter - now with major channels - Internet Tablet Talk Forums:
"go http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in706903.shtml
click mp4 to watch program on your 770/N800. Click Pod, paste URL to Videocenter>Tools>Services>Internet video, close (it takes several minutes), now you have CBS News on VC! Thank god, now you can take your eyes of those TeXtra, GeekBrief. There are 5 programs from CBS. They all work.
BTW, they all streamed, so 1) you see it right away, no dl; 2) does not cluster your precious MMC space."
I want to find more of these types of feeds. When I find them I will post them.
********ADDITION************
On that page found the link to the feed for The Discovery Channel
Copy the link location from your N800 and paste it for the URL of the Internet Videos in Video Center.
"go http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in706903.shtml
click mp4 to watch program on your 770/N800. Click Pod, paste URL to Videocenter>Tools>Services>Internet video, close (it takes several minutes), now you have CBS News on VC! Thank god, now you can take your eyes of those TeXtra, GeekBrief. There are 5 programs from CBS. They all work.
BTW, they all streamed, so 1) you see it right away, no dl; 2) does not cluster your precious MMC space."
I want to find more of these types of feeds. When I find them I will post them.
********ADDITION************
On that page found the link to the feed for The Discovery Channel
Copy the link location from your N800 and paste it for the URL of the Internet Videos in Video Center.
Nautilus scripts (including 'Send To Gmail')
Nautilus scripts
Lot's of cool Nautilus scripts for adding right-click context menu goodness! ;-)
My personal favorites are the 'Gmail', 'mount-image' and 'rename-exif-date' for photos. The others are cool too, but I'm not sure I will use more than these two.
Lot's of cool Nautilus scripts for adding right-click context menu goodness! ;-)
My personal favorites are the 'Gmail', 'mount-image' and 'rename-exif-date' for photos. The others are cool too, but I'm not sure I will use more than these two.
How To: Print to PDF in Ubuntu
How To: Print to PDF in Ubuntu
I'm using Ubuntu 7.10, so my setup was a tad different, and some of what I needed was already in place, but this was useful as a starter.
Bottom line, it was a piece of cake once I knew where to look and how to start. I probably could have stumbled onto it if I tried adding a PDF printer myself.
I'm using Ubuntu 7.10, so my setup was a tad different, and some of what I needed was already in place, but this was useful as a starter.
Bottom line, it was a piece of cake once I knew where to look and how to start. I probably could have stumbled onto it if I tried adding a PDF printer myself.
Set Gmail as Default Mail Client in Ubuntu :: the How-To Geek
Set Gmail as Default Mail Client in Ubuntu :: the How-To Geek: "Every Geek uses Gmail… it's pretty much required. And now you can set Gmail as the default client in Ubuntu without any extra software."
Sweet!
On my home PCs I don't feel the need to have an offline email app like Thunderbird or Evolution (maybe I will one day) since I'm always online... AND, using Gmail on all my PCs means they are all 'in sync' by default with no download times, etc. So this is cool (for me).
*****UPDATE******
I thought this could also work for 'Send To' from the file explorer, but it is not an option when you select 'Send To'. I will keep looking for that, as that is mainly what I'm trying to do here. This script seems to only be tailored to executing when 'mailto:' hyperlinks are selected. This is still nice, but I'm pretty sure I already had this setup for me in Firefox by the Google Toolbar.
Sweet!
On my home PCs I don't feel the need to have an offline email app like Thunderbird or Evolution (maybe I will one day) since I'm always online... AND, using Gmail on all my PCs means they are all 'in sync' by default with no download times, etc. So this is cool (for me).
*****UPDATE******
I thought this could also work for 'Send To' from the file explorer, but it is not an option when you select 'Send To'. I will keep looking for that, as that is mainly what I'm trying to do here. This script seems to only be tailored to executing when 'mailto:' hyperlinks are selected. This is still nice, but I'm pretty sure I already had this setup for me in Firefox by the Google Toolbar.
Linux and Photography - Community Ubuntu Documentation
Linux and Photography - Community Ubuntu Documentation: "My sparkly new Linux computer now runs a semi-different lineup of software than it did with Windows, instead of Adobe Bridge for editing RAW files, I use Bibble Pro 4.9.5, instead of running Nero to burn CD's and DVD's, I use a program called K3b. There are a few Windows based programs I still need to run for lack of better Linux based alternatives. Some notable examples being Photoshop 7, MemoriesOnTV, and Star Wars Jedi Knight II*. All of which I am happy to report are working very well in a program called Wine. The makers of Wine describe the program as a Windows compatibility layer that makes the Windows based program you want to run think it is running in Windows. Wine still isn't at the 1.0 level of completeness, but it is close enough now that Photoshop 7 and many other Windows based programs run very well."
My friend sent me this link. It looks like a GREAT resource for anyone looking to make the switch from Windows (or Mac) or make it stick and does photo editing.
Being that I am still in the process of getting my feet wet with trying to run only Linux, I have yet to find replacements for all my Windows apps (or even figure out what all of them are). For those that I cannot find suitable replacements for, I will first try in WINE, then will possibly look to Codeweavers, maybe even Transgaming (for games) and finally will possibly run a VM of XP. I still have a dual-boot into XP, but that's a hassle... I just want to stay on one OS and not boot between them if I don't have to.
I will start to log the various apps I 'switch' to in Linux as I figure them out and remember to do it. ;-)
My friend sent me this link. It looks like a GREAT resource for anyone looking to make the switch from Windows (or Mac) or make it stick and does photo editing.
Being that I am still in the process of getting my feet wet with trying to run only Linux, I have yet to find replacements for all my Windows apps (or even figure out what all of them are). For those that I cannot find suitable replacements for, I will first try in WINE, then will possibly look to Codeweavers, maybe even Transgaming (for games) and finally will possibly run a VM of XP. I still have a dual-boot into XP, but that's a hassle... I just want to stay on one OS and not boot between them if I don't have to.
I will start to log the various apps I 'switch' to in Linux as I figure them out and remember to do it. ;-)
HotHardware - Asus Z7S WS Skulltrail Motherboard Sneak Peek
HotHardware - Asus Z7S WS Skulltrail Motherboard Sneak Peek: "The Asus Z7S WS features dual LGA771 sockets that support Intel Xeon 5000, 5100, and 5300 series processors of both the dual and quad-core varieties. The Z7S WS is built around the Intel 5400 and ESB2E chipset and supports 1600MHz / 1333MHz / 1066MHz / 800MHz front side bus speeds, it has six Fully-Buffered DDR2 DIMM slots, and a pair of Marvell 88E8056 Gigabit LAN jacks with teaming functionality. The Asus Z7S WS’ expansion slot configuration consists of two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, one PCIe x16 slot with an x8 electrical connection, and single PCIe x1, PCI-X, and PCI 2.2 slots. The dual x16 PEG slots are a differentiating factor for the Z7S WS because Intel’s D5400XS only supports PCI Express 1.1. The D5400XS, however, is outfitted with NVIDIA PCI Express switches which enable SLI, something the Z7S WS lacks. Also note that the Asus Z7S WS requires standard LGA771 heatsinks, whereas Intel’s Skulltrail mobo will work with a wider variety of LGA775 CPU coolers. We should also point out that the Z7S WS features a digital VRM, which significantly clears up the area around the CPU sockets and the PCB is 'only' 12' x 10.5', which is much smaller than the DX5400XS."
okay.... one question: What OS, in the enthusiast/consumer mass-market, is going to utilize all this horsepower? AFAIK, the only Windows OSes that will see this many cores are server editions not intended or truly suited for gaming... and I can't think of any other reason an enthusiast/consumer would need even half of this power. Sure, there's the (uncommon) science geek who wants to run through insane calculations in record time and has lots of money to spend... but that's not the masses.
I guess this type of board is not really designed for the masses. More to show potential of hardware, etc.
****Well, doing some quick digging around, it looks like I am somewhat mistaken (it happens a lot). Vista only supports two 'physical' CPUs, but the number of cores per CPU is not limited (by Vista, but obviously there are physical and scientific limitations until they are overcome). XP may even be the same in this regard, so I guess this isn't so far fetched after all.
With all this said, I am finding gaming on a PC more and more frustrating... not because of the format of that gaming, but rather the CONSTANT need to upgrade your hardware to keep up. I have to believe it is sloppy programing that requires so much horsepower, but I have nothing to back that up. However, my reasoning for this statement is based on what the XBOX 360 is capable of performing with so little in the way of hardware (other than the CPU, see this great comparison done by Paul Thurrott). While the CPU is a fast triple-core affair, the RAM is only 512MB GDDR3 shared between the system and the video card!! The Sony PS3 has similar specs and great gaming as well.
So, for gaming, I'm leaning more toward a console whose sole purpose is to provide great gaming. Moving away from thinking my PC has to be my gaming platform has made it feel SO much faster and not in dire need of an upgrade like it felt when gaming on todays latest titles. The money I would have to spend to upgrade it to handle the latest round of games could probably buy me TWO 360s or more... and the experience isn't that much better (if at all... that's really a matter of opinion and depends on the monitor you display the games on... the 360 hooked up to the PC LCD monitor will render basically as good as the PC, and your performance is a lot more stable since it's not trying to be a PC at the same time with all kinds of services running in the background). In fact, my video card, being no slouch itself (nVidia 8800 GTS 640MB) cost as much as an XBOX 360 Premium all by itself!!! Looking back, it was pretty much a waste. There are so many different parts involved for the whole package that my CPU essentially becomes the bottleneck.
okay.... one question: What OS, in the enthusiast/consumer mass-market, is going to utilize all this horsepower? AFAIK, the only Windows OSes that will see this many cores are server editions not intended or truly suited for gaming... and I can't think of any other reason an enthusiast/consumer would need even half of this power. Sure, there's the (uncommon) science geek who wants to run through insane calculations in record time and has lots of money to spend... but that's not the masses.
I guess this type of board is not really designed for the masses. More to show potential of hardware, etc.
****Well, doing some quick digging around, it looks like I am somewhat mistaken (it happens a lot). Vista only supports two 'physical' CPUs, but the number of cores per CPU is not limited (by Vista, but obviously there are physical and scientific limitations until they are overcome). XP may even be the same in this regard, so I guess this isn't so far fetched after all.
With all this said, I am finding gaming on a PC more and more frustrating... not because of the format of that gaming, but rather the CONSTANT need to upgrade your hardware to keep up. I have to believe it is sloppy programing that requires so much horsepower, but I have nothing to back that up. However, my reasoning for this statement is based on what the XBOX 360 is capable of performing with so little in the way of hardware (other than the CPU, see this great comparison done by Paul Thurrott). While the CPU is a fast triple-core affair, the RAM is only 512MB GDDR3 shared between the system and the video card!! The Sony PS3 has similar specs and great gaming as well.
So, for gaming, I'm leaning more toward a console whose sole purpose is to provide great gaming. Moving away from thinking my PC has to be my gaming platform has made it feel SO much faster and not in dire need of an upgrade like it felt when gaming on todays latest titles. The money I would have to spend to upgrade it to handle the latest round of games could probably buy me TWO 360s or more... and the experience isn't that much better (if at all... that's really a matter of opinion and depends on the monitor you display the games on... the 360 hooked up to the PC LCD monitor will render basically as good as the PC, and your performance is a lot more stable since it's not trying to be a PC at the same time with all kinds of services running in the background). In fact, my video card, being no slouch itself (nVidia 8800 GTS 640MB) cost as much as an XBOX 360 Premium all by itself!!! Looking back, it was pretty much a waste. There are so many different parts involved for the whole package that my CPU essentially becomes the bottleneck.
7 Must Have Apps for the Nokia N800/N810 Internet Tablet -- Digital Streets
7 Must Have Apps for the Nokia N800/N810 Internet Tablet -- Digital Streets
Found this post when I was looking around for a spreadsheet app. I have most of these apps already and am downloading the rest. The Maemo Wordpy app can post blogs to either Wordpress as well as Blogger (not both at the same time). I use Blogger, so I will try it for that.
I still haven't settled on a single media application, though I haven't spent much time yet trying them out, etc. I downloaded Canola2 and will try that out. I have a feeling I will use a combination of different players for different reasons.
****ADDITION****
I have to admit that Canola2 is pretty impressive as a media center app with slick looking graphics. I'm still trying to figure it all out (it's not entirely intuitive, there doesn't seem to be any true 'menu' function), so I'm not recommending it yet at this point. Just because something is pretty, doesn't mean it's good.
Found this post when I was looking around for a spreadsheet app. I have most of these apps already and am downloading the rest. The Maemo Wordpy app can post blogs to either Wordpress as well as Blogger (not both at the same time). I use Blogger, so I will try it for that.
I still haven't settled on a single media application, though I haven't spent much time yet trying them out, etc. I downloaded Canola2 and will try that out. I have a feeling I will use a combination of different players for different reasons.
****ADDITION****
I have to admit that Canola2 is pretty impressive as a media center app with slick looking graphics. I'm still trying to figure it all out (it's not entirely intuitive, there doesn't seem to be any true 'menu' function), so I'm not recommending it yet at this point. Just because something is pretty, doesn't mean it's good.
CompanionLink for Google -- synchronize Google Calendar with any phone, PDA or Microsoft Outlook
CompanionLink for Google -- synchronize Google Calendar with any phone, PDA or Microsoft Outlook: "Sync Google Calendar with Outlook" Two-Way synchronization
Because I have to use Outlook for work (not that I mind at all, I think it's a great app) I keep ALL my appointments in one spot. However, now that I am thinking about multiple platforms and devices (e.g., my N800), I wanted to investigate using a central repository that I can synchronize with from multiple places.
I tried 'RemoteCalendar', which is a free open source effort. I think this is a GREAT app and idea... but it wouldn't work on my laptop running Outlook 2007. I know many people have gotten this to work, but i also found several people who were experiencing problems like me. I even tried multiple versions of it, but while the older version at least showed up in Outlook, it would not sync.
So, I tried 'SyncMyCal' which has a Lite version for free, but that would only do 3 days previous and 3 days in the future... lame. To get a larger date range and AutoSync you need to upgrade to the pay-for version for $25... I wasn't about to do that yet and continued to look around. By the way, SyncMyCal only syncs the calendar... not tasks or anything else. Not a big problem, but just throwing that out there.
When I found CompanionLink, I downloaded the 15 day trial which is FULLY functional. Not only that, but it can synchronize Calendar, Tasks AND Contacts! So I set it up, which was a total breeze, and synced my calendar. AWESOME! I set it up to do it every hour.
Then, having installed GPE-Calendar on my N800 (I'll write a post on the GPE apps) and also Erminig, which syncs GPEcal with Google Calendar, I setup Erminig which was also very easy. I'm really impressed with how well that app has been developed considering it's free. I ran a sync and crossed my fingers... it said success! I looked in GPEcal, which was already open, and nothing was there. What I also realized was that when you click on the 'X' to close the app, it doesn't fully close. So, after fully closing the app and restarting it, BAM, all my events are there! Sweet. I also enabled the GPE-Summary Home page applet and only needed to hit the refresh on that to have everything show up.
Very cool.
Because I have to use Outlook for work (not that I mind at all, I think it's a great app) I keep ALL my appointments in one spot. However, now that I am thinking about multiple platforms and devices (e.g., my N800), I wanted to investigate using a central repository that I can synchronize with from multiple places.
I tried 'RemoteCalendar', which is a free open source effort. I think this is a GREAT app and idea... but it wouldn't work on my laptop running Outlook 2007. I know many people have gotten this to work, but i also found several people who were experiencing problems like me. I even tried multiple versions of it, but while the older version at least showed up in Outlook, it would not sync.
So, I tried 'SyncMyCal' which has a Lite version for free, but that would only do 3 days previous and 3 days in the future... lame. To get a larger date range and AutoSync you need to upgrade to the pay-for version for $25... I wasn't about to do that yet and continued to look around. By the way, SyncMyCal only syncs the calendar... not tasks or anything else. Not a big problem, but just throwing that out there.
When I found CompanionLink, I downloaded the 15 day trial which is FULLY functional. Not only that, but it can synchronize Calendar, Tasks AND Contacts! So I set it up, which was a total breeze, and synced my calendar. AWESOME! I set it up to do it every hour.
Then, having installed GPE-Calendar on my N800 (I'll write a post on the GPE apps) and also Erminig, which syncs GPEcal with Google Calendar, I setup Erminig which was also very easy. I'm really impressed with how well that app has been developed considering it's free. I ran a sync and crossed my fingers... it said success! I looked in GPEcal, which was already open, and nothing was there. What I also realized was that when you click on the 'X' to close the app, it doesn't fully close. So, after fully closing the app and restarting it, BAM, all my events are there! Sweet. I also enabled the GPE-Summary Home page applet and only needed to hit the refresh on that to have everything show up.
Very cool.
nWiki - mini-Wikipedia on your N800 - Page 2 - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
nWiki - mini-Wikipedia on your N800 - Page 2 - Internet Tablet Talk Forums: "To mount directly on device, you will need two things installed (becomeroot or easyroot and penguinbaits cdrom driver) with those installed :
open xterm and in your /home/user directory create a subdirectory called wiki using mkdir wiki command.
You can then sudo gainroot and mount /media/mmc/kiwi.iso /home/user/wiki
And then you just browse file:/// in microb drill down into home/user/wiki and load index page."
open xterm and in your /home/user directory create a subdirectory called wiki using mkdir wiki command.
You can then sudo gainroot and mount /media/mmc/kiwi.iso /home/user/wiki
And then you just browse file:/// in microb drill down into home/user/wiki and load index page."
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Wikipedia for schools
Wikipedia for schools
This is GREAT! Not only to download and have for your kids to browse instead of the live internet version (because it has been cleaned up to be suitable for children, they shouldn't be getting any inappropriate pr0n pop-ups, etc), but it's a version that you can have for offline reference/viewing. Like on an N800.
I am downloading the small version for the N800 with only thumbnail images, but I will probably download the large version for my kids/laptop viewing.
This is GREAT! Not only to download and have for your kids to browse instead of the live internet version (because it has been cleaned up to be suitable for children, they shouldn't be getting any inappropriate pr0n pop-ups, etc), but it's a version that you can have for offline reference/viewing. Like on an N800.
I am downloading the small version for the N800 with only thumbnail images, but I will probably download the large version for my kids/laptop viewing.
Repositories for Nokia N810, N800 and 770 Internet Tablets with maemo Operating System
Repositories for Nokia N810, N800 and 770 Internet Tablets with maemo Operating System
List of repositories for the Nokia Tablets. Nice.
List of repositories for the Nokia Tablets. Nice.
Applepeels: The complexity of computing, even Apple's world
Applepeels: The complexity of computing, even Apple's world: "I didn't even know how to open a terminal window in Windows, but he fixed the Vista laptop in minutes."
Okay, I want to start off by saying I like to read this guys blog... BUT, while he is not a Windows basher, he seems to constantly reference that OS X is better than Windows, particularly Vista. Well, by his own statement, he wouldn't seem to be extremely well versed on a Windows environment. Sure, he may use Windows PCs a lot, but that doesn't mean he knows it as well as say, OS X, or any Apple OS.
Look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am no longer looking to argue with someone over a matter of opinion. I used to, sometimes at great length, but any of those efforts were fruitless and a waste of time... for both parties.
However, what I would like to say is, if you are not as familiar with something as you are of what you are trying to compare it with, at least make that clear. Being unfamiliar with something will ALWAYS make it more difficult... no matter HOW easy the OS may appear to be to some.
Let me give you a little background on my experiences. I was mainly a Windows user for my entire technical career (which basically started in 1996, but before that I had PCs, both Apple and Windows. I only used them for personal type stuff though). I dabbled in Linux back in '98-'99, and every once in a while thereafter. In 2001 I embraced Apple and OS X (pretty much became a fanboy). My best friend told me so many things about it that sounded incredible... the hardware was gorgeous, and the OS was beautiful. It was 'new' to me and felt great! Being that I was mainly a Windows user with only a little Linux experience, things weren't that easy to find. Stuff that I could do in my sleep on Windows eluded me on OS X. I KNOW I drove my best friend crazy always asking how to do simple things. When he would explain how to do something, I wold feel like an idiot. "That's so simple!" I would say. BUT, being that I didn't know it previously, it was seemingly impossible. Now, my friend will tell you that I think too much and over complicate things... and he's right. But that doesn't mean I'm unique in my approach. I still have Apple computers and use OS X along with my Windows PCs.
I'm now getting back into Linux, and my best friend and I are taking a '30 Day Challenge' so to speak where we are going to try to use only Linux for personal stuff for at least 30 days (both our jobs still require us to use Windows and MS apps). This experiment is two fold. 1) We wanted to see just how far Linux has come as a desktop OS for the masses, and is it conceivable for regular users to run Linux instead of Windows or OS X as their main desktop OS. 2) I have been getting frustrated with Windows and OS X and even bored. I also was recently given a Nokia N800 which runs Maemo, a tablet OS based on Linux for Nokia's small tablets (possibly other devices, but I haven't looked into anything else that runs it). So I wanted to learn what I could about Linux again to be able to get the most out of the N800. I KNOW Linux is a great and powerful OS, and I love the community aspect of the 'movement'. There are ALWAYS going to be things that you can only do on a particular OS, or some things that don't work exactly the same way across the platforms and you will have a preference of how you want that to work. Possibly, certain apps made for only one OS are better at what they do or require less steps, or both. For those instances, I personally can just go to that OS and perform that action. For the regular consumer, that option is normally not available or wanted. I personally have over 6 computers running in my house at all times, and that doesn't include some of my gadgets. I'm a bit of an extreme example and not the average consumer (sidebar: the number of systems I have is a direct reason why I can't STAND DRM, because I find it too limited on the number of devices you can 'register', and I tend to rebuild my systems too often which counts as a new registration).
So, at this point, you're probably wondering, "What the hell's your point St00pid?"... good question (I tend to ramble). My point is, anything that you are not familiar with will seem more difficult than what you are used to, or not seem to be set up logically. But that is more about familiarity than anything. Vista has a LOT of really great things going for it. It has a TON of features that Apple touts about Leopard having and 'breaking new ground' or making "PC" look stupid in the commercials. The reality is, Vista has most of the features that Leopard has, but most people don't know about them. I'm NOT knocking Leopard, or saying it is inferior to anything. All operating systems have great things going for them, ALL of them. The question someone should ask themselves is WHAT they are trying to do with a computer. Seriously. That's it. It will be different for every user. Because it IS different for every user, one users choice is not necessarily the best for another user, and no matter how excited that one user is about how well things work for them, they should NOT force feed it to others or assume that they have 'the best OS' or their's is better than others. It's silly. In fact, the best operating system is one that you, the user, doesn't even know is present. The OS should only be there to allow the applications to run efficiently. The APPLICATIONS are what should be the focus.
I look forward to the day when any application I want to use runs on any OS. When I don't have to think about how to install it or make it run. I know there are a lot of web apps moving in this direction. I'm all for it, but certain applications just don't work well from the web... especially when you may not be online at all times. There are also security concerns with web based apps... no matter how progressive a company is with their security, things can get hacked. So sensitive information should probably reside locally for the most part.
Well, this is getting kind of wordy, so I'm just going to stop here. Feel free to comment with your own opinions... this is just mine and mine alone. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, and I won't be hurt if someone doesn't. I'm trying not to be a fanboy anymore, and I would like to say that the person who writes Applepeels, thankfully, does not act as a fanboy. Bravo!
Okay, I want to start off by saying I like to read this guys blog... BUT, while he is not a Windows basher, he seems to constantly reference that OS X is better than Windows, particularly Vista. Well, by his own statement, he wouldn't seem to be extremely well versed on a Windows environment. Sure, he may use Windows PCs a lot, but that doesn't mean he knows it as well as say, OS X, or any Apple OS.
Look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am no longer looking to argue with someone over a matter of opinion. I used to, sometimes at great length, but any of those efforts were fruitless and a waste of time... for both parties.
However, what I would like to say is, if you are not as familiar with something as you are of what you are trying to compare it with, at least make that clear. Being unfamiliar with something will ALWAYS make it more difficult... no matter HOW easy the OS may appear to be to some.
Let me give you a little background on my experiences. I was mainly a Windows user for my entire technical career (which basically started in 1996, but before that I had PCs, both Apple and Windows. I only used them for personal type stuff though). I dabbled in Linux back in '98-'99, and every once in a while thereafter. In 2001 I embraced Apple and OS X (pretty much became a fanboy). My best friend told me so many things about it that sounded incredible... the hardware was gorgeous, and the OS was beautiful. It was 'new' to me and felt great! Being that I was mainly a Windows user with only a little Linux experience, things weren't that easy to find. Stuff that I could do in my sleep on Windows eluded me on OS X. I KNOW I drove my best friend crazy always asking how to do simple things. When he would explain how to do something, I wold feel like an idiot. "That's so simple!" I would say. BUT, being that I didn't know it previously, it was seemingly impossible. Now, my friend will tell you that I think too much and over complicate things... and he's right. But that doesn't mean I'm unique in my approach. I still have Apple computers and use OS X along with my Windows PCs.
I'm now getting back into Linux, and my best friend and I are taking a '30 Day Challenge' so to speak where we are going to try to use only Linux for personal stuff for at least 30 days (both our jobs still require us to use Windows and MS apps). This experiment is two fold. 1) We wanted to see just how far Linux has come as a desktop OS for the masses, and is it conceivable for regular users to run Linux instead of Windows or OS X as their main desktop OS. 2) I have been getting frustrated with Windows and OS X and even bored. I also was recently given a Nokia N800 which runs Maemo, a tablet OS based on Linux for Nokia's small tablets (possibly other devices, but I haven't looked into anything else that runs it). So I wanted to learn what I could about Linux again to be able to get the most out of the N800. I KNOW Linux is a great and powerful OS, and I love the community aspect of the 'movement'. There are ALWAYS going to be things that you can only do on a particular OS, or some things that don't work exactly the same way across the platforms and you will have a preference of how you want that to work. Possibly, certain apps made for only one OS are better at what they do or require less steps, or both. For those instances, I personally can just go to that OS and perform that action. For the regular consumer, that option is normally not available or wanted. I personally have over 6 computers running in my house at all times, and that doesn't include some of my gadgets. I'm a bit of an extreme example and not the average consumer (sidebar: the number of systems I have is a direct reason why I can't STAND DRM, because I find it too limited on the number of devices you can 'register', and I tend to rebuild my systems too often which counts as a new registration).
So, at this point, you're probably wondering, "What the hell's your point St00pid?"... good question (I tend to ramble). My point is, anything that you are not familiar with will seem more difficult than what you are used to, or not seem to be set up logically. But that is more about familiarity than anything. Vista has a LOT of really great things going for it. It has a TON of features that Apple touts about Leopard having and 'breaking new ground' or making "PC" look stupid in the commercials. The reality is, Vista has most of the features that Leopard has, but most people don't know about them. I'm NOT knocking Leopard, or saying it is inferior to anything. All operating systems have great things going for them, ALL of them. The question someone should ask themselves is WHAT they are trying to do with a computer. Seriously. That's it. It will be different for every user. Because it IS different for every user, one users choice is not necessarily the best for another user, and no matter how excited that one user is about how well things work for them, they should NOT force feed it to others or assume that they have 'the best OS' or their's is better than others. It's silly. In fact, the best operating system is one that you, the user, doesn't even know is present. The OS should only be there to allow the applications to run efficiently. The APPLICATIONS are what should be the focus.
I look forward to the day when any application I want to use runs on any OS. When I don't have to think about how to install it or make it run. I know there are a lot of web apps moving in this direction. I'm all for it, but certain applications just don't work well from the web... especially when you may not be online at all times. There are also security concerns with web based apps... no matter how progressive a company is with their security, things can get hacked. So sensitive information should probably reside locally for the most part.
Well, this is getting kind of wordy, so I'm just going to stop here. Feel free to comment with your own opinions... this is just mine and mine alone. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, and I won't be hurt if someone doesn't. I'm trying not to be a fanboy anymore, and I would like to say that the person who writes Applepeels, thankfully, does not act as a fanboy. Bravo!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Cloning OS to SD Card: Simplified instructions - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
Cloning OS to SD Card: Simplified instructions - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
Okay, only my second day with the N800 and I already realize that space is a premium... so in looking for a way to possibly install applications to directories other than those on the internal memory, I ran across this. Haven't read the whole thing yet, but again will right my findings once I do or a better description of what it really is.
Here's another site discussing it
******ADDITION******* (2/16/08)
This article, and others, talk about gaining root and get root, etc. The package listed in the article will not install on my N800 upgraded to OS2008. Perhaps I have not found the correct version for OS2008, but it would appear that unless I can figure out how to get root access I can't make this happen. I'm also not sure if I would want the OS to run off the SD card. I really just want to be able to install/move *some* applications from the built-in memory to the internal SD card.
Okay, only my second day with the N800 and I already realize that space is a premium... so in looking for a way to possibly install applications to directories other than those on the internal memory, I ran across this. Haven't read the whole thing yet, but again will right my findings once I do or a better description of what it really is.
Here's another site discussing it
******ADDITION******* (2/16/08)
This article, and others, talk about gaining root and get root, etc. The package listed in the article will not install on my N800 upgraded to OS2008. Perhaps I have not found the correct version for OS2008, but it would appear that unless I can figure out how to get root access I can't make this happen. I'm also not sure if I would want the OS to run off the SD card. I really just want to be able to install/move *some* applications from the built-in memory to the internal SD card.
Nokia N800 Factory Lock Code
Can't Restore Original Settings - Wants Lock Code - But Never Set Lock Code.... - Internet Tablet Talk Forums: "original lock code is 12345"
So, there it is. I wanted to be able to lock my N800 since I have a bunch of web site accounts saved in it (so I don't have to type them every time) and I don't want someone to be able to just pick it up and start getting into my shtuff.
I suggest to anyone who owns an N800 to change this ASAP. Even if you don't intend to lock the device, there are certain settings that require the lock code, so buttoning that up could save you some hassle in the future.
So, there it is. I wanted to be able to lock my N800 since I have a bunch of web site accounts saved in it (so I don't have to type them every time) and I don't want someone to be able to just pick it up and start getting into my shtuff.
I suggest to anyone who owns an N800 to change this ASAP. Even if you don't intend to lock the device, there are certain settings that require the lock code, so buttoning that up could save you some hassle in the future.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Pandora - mini gaming system
Pandora
Just found this and didn't want to lose it... I honestly can't see it getting wide adoption or being able to be affordable enough for me to buy it, but it looks cool.
Just found this and didn't want to lose it... I honestly can't see it getting wide adoption or being able to be affordable enough for me to buy it, but it looks cool.
N800/810 Video Converter - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
N810 Video Converter - Internet Tablet Talk Forums
Video converter that seems like it will provide good quality playback on the N800/810. Will try and right a review. I also have DVDFab Platinum which I love, but I'm not sure what the best settings will be for the N800.
I CAN tell you that videos for the iPod (m4v files encoded with h.264) seem to be too much for the N800. It plays them and has moments of nice fluid video, but most of the time it's just choppy as hell... no thanks. Although, I figured this would be the case since h.264 is a frickin' pig on ANYTHING! DIVX or XVID is my encoder of choice, but we'll see what works best on the N800.
*******ADDITION*******
2/15/08
I haven't used this guys media converter yet, but I did convert a movie with DVDFab and used this guys suggested encoding specs of 560x330 @ 700kbps video / 24fps / 64kbps audio, but it was xvid instead of divx. It worked perectly on the built-in Media Player!
I also tried some other video I had but wasn't sure of the encoding. Some didn't play on the built-in player, but it *would* play on mplayer! So, mplayer definitely has its uses. It's just not as gui, and it did lock up my device a couple times trying to play formats I don't think it can handle completely or were encoded too high.
More to come.
Video converter that seems like it will provide good quality playback on the N800/810. Will try and right a review. I also have DVDFab Platinum which I love, but I'm not sure what the best settings will be for the N800.
I CAN tell you that videos for the iPod (m4v files encoded with h.264) seem to be too much for the N800. It plays them and has moments of nice fluid video, but most of the time it's just choppy as hell... no thanks. Although, I figured this would be the case since h.264 is a frickin' pig on ANYTHING! DIVX or XVID is my encoder of choice, but we'll see what works best on the N800.
*******ADDITION*******
2/15/08
I haven't used this guys media converter yet, but I did convert a movie with DVDFab and used this guys suggested encoding specs of 560x330 @ 700kbps video / 24fps / 64kbps audio, but it was xvid instead of divx. It worked perectly on the built-in Media Player!
I also tried some other video I had but wasn't sure of the encoding. Some didn't play on the built-in player, but it *would* play on mplayer! So, mplayer definitely has its uses. It's just not as gui, and it did lock up my device a couple times trying to play formats I don't think it can handle completely or were encoded too high.
More to come.
My N800 Arrived!!! W00t! ... trouble ensues
Okay, I was really excited that my N800 arrived a day earlier than I expected. I have the next 5 days off, so this will be great and something for me to play with. My two 16GB SDHC cards are on their way, but probably won't get here until Monday'ish (2/18/08).
So, I unpackaged it and plugged it in to charge. After about 40 minutes or so I had to turn it on (while plugged in) to check it out. As I suspected, it had OS2007 on it, but I have to say it was pretty darn slick looking. However, I wanted to upgrade it to OS2008, so after a full charge (it said it was full... not sure how long I had it plugged in at that point) I went to follow the instructions for upgrading it. The first thing you need to do is shut it down... not just suspend it, but have it shut everything down. I did that and followed the directions on the site to plug it into the computer and then hold the "swap" key while powering it on to get the logo screen with the USB icon... I try and nuttin'...
I try everything I can think of to get it to power on... tried pulling the battery, pulling the SD card, you name it... nuttin'
I do a search on Google and wow, there are lots of people with the same problem. This page seemed the most informative, and led me to this page on Maemo's bug site which shows that it is now a confirmed bug and a patch is in the works. Whew... thank goodness.
...but, my device still won't power on. I've tried a lot of the things people talk about... leaving the battery out for a long time... nothings working. Then I see in the bug report that some people found a tip to put it in the freezer for a spell and then it will work... what the hell, I've got nothing to lose and I *could* return it for a new one. I put it in for around 5 minutes (probably less) and put the battery back in and BAM... powers right up. WTF?!?!? Yep, it works.
So, I tried powering it back off only like 10 minutes later to try my upgrade and nothing again. No biggy, I have a freezer. Pop it in for about 3 minutes and take it back to my computer already waiting to upgrade it, plug in the USB, put in the battery, holding the swap button I power it on and it comes right on and sets up for upgrading. About 2-3 minutes later and it's rebooting into OS2008!! AND, as slick as OS2007 was, OS2008 is even slicker!
I'm off to play around with my device now, so I'll blog atcha' later. ;-)
****UPDATE**** (2/18/08)
The bug fix seems to be in it's final stages before release. It can't come soon enough as I have a trip coming up and the problem continues for me. So far, the only way I can get it to turn on after a power off (whether I power off by choice or the device powers itself down) is to put it in the freezer for a minute or so. That's not going to work while on the road.
So, I unpackaged it and plugged it in to charge. After about 40 minutes or so I had to turn it on (while plugged in) to check it out. As I suspected, it had OS2007 on it, but I have to say it was pretty darn slick looking. However, I wanted to upgrade it to OS2008, so after a full charge (it said it was full... not sure how long I had it plugged in at that point) I went to follow the instructions for upgrading it. The first thing you need to do is shut it down... not just suspend it, but have it shut everything down. I did that and followed the directions on the site to plug it into the computer and then hold the "swap" key while powering it on to get the logo screen with the USB icon... I try and nuttin'...
I try everything I can think of to get it to power on... tried pulling the battery, pulling the SD card, you name it... nuttin'
I do a search on Google and wow, there are lots of people with the same problem. This page seemed the most informative, and led me to this page on Maemo's bug site which shows that it is now a confirmed bug and a patch is in the works. Whew... thank goodness.
...but, my device still won't power on. I've tried a lot of the things people talk about... leaving the battery out for a long time... nothings working. Then I see in the bug report that some people found a tip to put it in the freezer for a spell and then it will work... what the hell, I've got nothing to lose and I *could* return it for a new one. I put it in for around 5 minutes (probably less) and put the battery back in and BAM... powers right up. WTF?!?!? Yep, it works.
So, I tried powering it back off only like 10 minutes later to try my upgrade and nothing again. No biggy, I have a freezer. Pop it in for about 3 minutes and take it back to my computer already waiting to upgrade it, plug in the USB, put in the battery, holding the swap button I power it on and it comes right on and sets up for upgrading. About 2-3 minutes later and it's rebooting into OS2008!! AND, as slick as OS2007 was, OS2008 is even slicker!
I'm off to play around with my device now, so I'll blog atcha' later. ;-)
****UPDATE**** (2/18/08)
The bug fix seems to be in it's final stages before release. It can't come soon enough as I have a trip coming up and the problem continues for me. So far, the only way I can get it to turn on after a power off (whether I power off by choice or the device powers itself down) is to put it in the freezer for a minute or so. That's not going to work while on the road.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
A realization about personal email...
Today, in trying out Evolution on Fedora with Gmail IMAP working, I realized that I REALLY like the threaded view of Gmail's web interface. Now, I know you can customize the view to view emails by subject, etc, and I did that and have been using Outlook 2003 and 2007 with that type of customized view for quite a long time now. The difference between mail clients and the layout in Gmail is that Gmail shows ALL messages belonging to the thread, including all the emails you have sent as well. Evolution and Outlook, to the best of my knowledge, will only ever show you the emails belonging to that thread that reside in the same folder (i.e., not emails you have sent, unless you set it up to save sent messages in the same folder and you are replying from folders other than the Inbox itself... but that's belaboring the point I think, and it's a bit of work too).
So, for now, while I MUST use Outlook for work email, I have never felt the need to use it for personal email and now don't even want to. For calendars, I'm going to start trying out Google Calendar which looks pretty slick. I may even be able to get my wife to use it too since you can sign up for Team Calendars and see each others stuff. Even if you use your own, you can easily share calendars with individuals and can have multiple calendars for personal and shared events. It's pretty slick.
One last thing... it's personal email, not business... so, if it goes down for a while, no biggy! Pickup a book and read. ;-) It's good to unplug every once in a while. If you HAVE to contact somebody, pickup a phone! With that said, I would NEVER entrust an internet service for email and calendaring for my business that relied on internet connectivity. As connected as I am, it's still not 100%... or even 99.9%. ;-) businesses should have applications like these local where they control it's fate. There are plenty of arguments either way, but this is MY opinion.
So, for now, while I MUST use Outlook for work email, I have never felt the need to use it for personal email and now don't even want to. For calendars, I'm going to start trying out Google Calendar which looks pretty slick. I may even be able to get my wife to use it too since you can sign up for Team Calendars and see each others stuff. Even if you use your own, you can easily share calendars with individuals and can have multiple calendars for personal and shared events. It's pretty slick.
One last thing... it's personal email, not business... so, if it goes down for a while, no biggy! Pickup a book and read. ;-) It's good to unplug every once in a while. If you HAVE to contact somebody, pickup a phone! With that said, I would NEVER entrust an internet service for email and calendaring for my business that relied on internet connectivity. As connected as I am, it's still not 100%... or even 99.9%. ;-) businesses should have applications like these local where they control it's fate. There are plenty of arguments either way, but this is MY opinion.
N800 PIM with google calendar synchronization by erminig
N800 PIM with google calendar synchronization by erminig
This looks promising... but I think the sync is manual.
***Addition***
My post after this talks about just using web clients for email and calendaring... but on devices that may be offline for a large portion of the time, having this content is VERY useful and almost a must (like for having alarms). Google Calendar does however offer SMS alerts for events in your calendar, so even if you are offline, if you have good signal on your phone you can get alerted.
This looks promising... but I think the sync is manual.
***Addition***
My post after this talks about just using web clients for email and calendaring... but on devices that may be offline for a large portion of the time, having this content is VERY useful and almost a must (like for having alarms). Google Calendar does however offer SMS alerts for events in your calendar, so even if you are offline, if you have good signal on your phone you can get alerted.
Sync Evolution Calendar with Google Calendar « Ubuntu Blog
Sync Evolution Calendar with Google Calendar « Ubuntu Blog
Possibly a better solution than the previous post since the previous post only deals with reading Google Calendar into Evolution. Especially since I will soon have an N800 and want to be able to just go to Google Calendar to see ALL my events, whether entered in Evolution, Outlook, or straight Google Calendar (or if I check from a PC that isn't mine).
Possibly a better solution than the previous post since the previous post only deals with reading Google Calendar into Evolution. Especially since I will soon have an N800 and want to be able to just go to Google Calendar to see ALL my events, whether entered in Evolution, Outlook, or straight Google Calendar (or if I check from a PC that isn't mine).
Google Calendar in Evolution « Johnny [Life & Code]
Google Calendar in Evolution « Johnny [Life & Code]
Now that I'm getting back into Linux, there is a LOT I need to learn again. I'm very interested in the ability to sync/open Google Calendar in Evolution, and the fact that Gmail supports IMAP now makes me want to start using this service more! I was leaning, recently, to the Windows Live offerings... and while they work great if you are straight Windows and IE, if you want to use them on any other platform it really isn't that great.
Again, I plan on coming back and giving a review/tips/tricks after checking it out. A friend of mine and I are thinking about taking the "30 days of nothing but Linux" challenge to see if it could be a viable solution for a personal workstation (for us). My fear is that I have too much dependency on Windows centric applications. We shall see.
Now that I'm getting back into Linux, there is a LOT I need to learn again. I'm very interested in the ability to sync/open Google Calendar in Evolution, and the fact that Gmail supports IMAP now makes me want to start using this service more! I was leaning, recently, to the Windows Live offerings... and while they work great if you are straight Windows and IE, if you want to use them on any other platform it really isn't that great.
Again, I plan on coming back and giving a review/tips/tricks after checking it out. A friend of mine and I are thinking about taking the "30 days of nothing but Linux" challenge to see if it could be a viable solution for a personal workstation (for us). My fear is that I have too much dependency on Windows centric applications. We shall see.
Don't have Windows Server Admin Tools installed but want to run Active Directory Users and Computers?
A guy I work with found this one....
On Windows 2003 Server (not sure on any other version) open the Run window and type "dsa.msc". Voila! An Active Directory Users and Computers window opens up!
Nice little trick if you need to check something in AD and don't have the AdminTools installed locally.
On Windows 2003 Server (not sure on any other version) open the Run window and type "dsa.msc". Voila! An Active Directory Users and Computers window opens up!
Nice little trick if you need to check something in AD and don't have the AdminTools installed locally.
Moneydance® 2007 - Personal Finance Manager for Mac, Windows, and Linux
Moneydance® 2007 - Personal Finance Manager for Mac, Windows, and Linux
I will be giving this a try soon to see how it competes with Quicken and Money. I like the idea that it works across the three major OSes. Also, one license can be used on multiple PCs across versions.
I will be giving this a try soon to see how it competes with Quicken and Money. I like the idea that it works across the three major OSes. Also, one license can be used on multiple PCs across versions.
TabletBlog.com by ThoughtFix: iPod touch vs. Nokia N800 - Filling the Other Pocket
TabletBlog.com by ThoughtFix: iPod touch vs. Nokia N800 - Filling the Other Pocket
While I'm not really into comparing the two devices, the comments section of this lists some apps I'd like to try on the N800. So that's really why I'm putting it here. It is an interesting comparison though, if you are interested.
While I'm not really into comparing the two devices, the comments section of this lists some apps I'd like to try on the N800. So that's really why I'm putting it here. It is an interesting comparison though, if you are interested.
FBReader: FBReader for Maemo (Nokia 770/N800/N810)
FBReader: FBReader for Maemo (Nokia 770/N800/N810)
Had read somewhere that this was a good electronic book reader for the N800, so I'm just capturing the link. On all these "captures" I hope to come back and give a review after trying things out. What should be nice is that I can blog right from the N800! ;-)
*******ADDITION********* (2/15/08)
Found this link which discusses at some length about tips and tricks for using an N800 as an eBook reader. Interesting tidbit in there about how to view .LIT files which I have a ton of from my PocketPC/Windows Mobile days.
Had read somewhere that this was a good electronic book reader for the N800, so I'm just capturing the link. On all these "captures" I hope to come back and give a review after trying things out. What should be nice is that I can blog right from the N800! ;-)
*******ADDITION********* (2/15/08)
Found this link which discusses at some length about tips and tricks for using an N800 as an eBook reader. Interesting tidbit in there about how to view .LIT files which I have a ton of from my PocketPC/Windows Mobile days.
Syncing with the N800
» linux.conf.au Johns Blog
Didn't want to lose track of this, but also haven't had a chance to read it through fully. Looks like it may be referring to software that can be used to sync files with the N800.
Didn't want to lose track of this, but also haven't had a chance to read it through fully. Looks like it may be referring to software that can be used to sync files with the N800.
a2dp - SWiK
a2dp - SWiK
Didn't look into this too much, but this may help enable Bluetooth stereo on the N800 (if it's not already part of OS2008)
Didn't look into this too much, but this may help enable Bluetooth stereo on the N800 (if it's not already part of OS2008)
First official OS2008 update
maemo.org - Announcements: First official OS2008 update
I'm not sure this is the correct spot, but it looks like you can get the OS2008 image from here and this page has links to the differences, etc.
I'm not sure this is the correct spot, but it looks like you can get the OS2008 image from here and this page has links to the differences, etc.
maemo.org - OS2008 OS 2008
maemo.org - OS2008 OS 2008
This is the official maemo repository for applications.
I know I'm geeky and all, but this LCARS theme is too cool.
LCARS Theme
I don't know that I could live with it all the time, but definitely a well done theme from the looks of it. I'm sure I'll try it out for a bit. ;-)
This is the official maemo repository for applications.
I know I'm geeky and all, but this LCARS theme is too cool.
LCARS Theme
I don't know that I could live with it all the time, but definitely a well done theme from the looks of it. I'm sure I'll try it out for a bit. ;-)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hello World!
So, being my first post, I guess I better introduce myself. I'm a geek. I LOVE gadgets and I love computers and all the things you can do with them.
My technical life actually started out in sales... I moved to selling higher-end technical training like CNE and MCSE training back in 1997. I eventually moved into the roll of System Admin and then did some consulting. Then I worked at a pretty major Health System first as a Senior Sys Admin, then as the InfoSec Manager. I later left there to get back into consulting and finally back to sales (sort of). I'm a Sales Engineer for a company that sells a software product for healthcare, but I do implementation, troubleshooting, etc, when not helping to close deals. It's not a big company, but it is VERY dedicated to its customers and purpose, so that makes all the difference.
I wanted to start this blog off mainly for myself so I don't lose track of certain tidbits of information I find along the internets, and for working through problems I come across so I don't lose track of their solutions for later use. However, I love the idea of thought sharing, so if anyone can benefit from my findings all the better!!
I'm starting to get back into Linux recently, and even have a Nokia N800 on its way to me in about two days or so. If you don't know what an N800 is, do a search. It's a pretty impressive little bit of kit. I will be giving my review of how it is and what it can do, and I'm SURE I will be using this site to figure out how to do many things with it. It runs Linux using the open source maemo project and can be upgraded to the latest firmware and OS (Tablet OS 2008, which is on the newer Nokia N810).
While part of me wishes it was an N810 on its way, there are some key advantages to the N800 over the N810. The biggest being that it has TWO (2) full size SDHC slots in it, where the N810 only has one MiniSDHC slot (currently maxed at 8GB and more expensive than SDHC) and I will be filling them with two 16GB SDHC cards!! That's 32GB of storage space people. There are already 32GB SDHC cards available, but they are still very pricey at this point (like $400/ea) Since this thing is capable of being a media player, that should give me a decent amount of space for TV shows, movies and music for any trips I take. It is also compatible with MP3Tunes and its Music Locker feature, so I could effectively stream my 300+GB library of music onto it at will! That's impressive too.
Well, anyway, like I said, expect more posts from me on all things geeky and my life at large.
My technical life actually started out in sales... I moved to selling higher-end technical training like CNE and MCSE training back in 1997. I eventually moved into the roll of System Admin and then did some consulting. Then I worked at a pretty major Health System first as a Senior Sys Admin, then as the InfoSec Manager. I later left there to get back into consulting and finally back to sales (sort of). I'm a Sales Engineer for a company that sells a software product for healthcare, but I do implementation, troubleshooting, etc, when not helping to close deals. It's not a big company, but it is VERY dedicated to its customers and purpose, so that makes all the difference.
I wanted to start this blog off mainly for myself so I don't lose track of certain tidbits of information I find along the internets, and for working through problems I come across so I don't lose track of their solutions for later use. However, I love the idea of thought sharing, so if anyone can benefit from my findings all the better!!
I'm starting to get back into Linux recently, and even have a Nokia N800 on its way to me in about two days or so. If you don't know what an N800 is, do a search. It's a pretty impressive little bit of kit. I will be giving my review of how it is and what it can do, and I'm SURE I will be using this site to figure out how to do many things with it. It runs Linux using the open source maemo project and can be upgraded to the latest firmware and OS (Tablet OS 2008, which is on the newer Nokia N810).
While part of me wishes it was an N810 on its way, there are some key advantages to the N800 over the N810. The biggest being that it has TWO (2) full size SDHC slots in it, where the N810 only has one MiniSDHC slot (currently maxed at 8GB and more expensive than SDHC) and I will be filling them with two 16GB SDHC cards!! That's 32GB of storage space people. There are already 32GB SDHC cards available, but they are still very pricey at this point (like $400/ea) Since this thing is capable of being a media player, that should give me a decent amount of space for TV shows, movies and music for any trips I take. It is also compatible with MP3Tunes and its Music Locker feature, so I could effectively stream my 300+GB library of music onto it at will! That's impressive too.
Well, anyway, like I said, expect more posts from me on all things geeky and my life at large.
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