Linux for spare

I have tried to use my little Nokia n800 tablet to blog in the past and find the lack of physical keyboard to be ultra annoying. I honestly haven't given the handwriting recognition a chance at all, so I may try that, but my experience is that it is never 100% and not easily edited/corrected like typing with a keyboard. Meaning, I don't type 100% accurate either, but it's a synch to hit and even hold the backspace button and re-type something.

The on-screen keyboard of the n800 is great, but you can't touch-type or type really fast with it because you have to sort of hunt and peck with the stylus. I've also tried the full-screen finger keyboard on the n800, and while this makes life better for typing, it is still less than perfect and has it's own flaws.

My desktop PC is by far my favorite device to use for everything having to do with computers, but it is a "desktop" and sits in my office in the basement. So, I'm essentially anti-social to the family when I'm down there. I have an old laptop that my mother-in-law was using and the HDD got fried... so it sat for a while until I figured I'd try it as a Linux install for blogging and internet browsing for upstairs. It has a really nice screen with higher than usual resolution (1400x1050) and lot's of other goodies. My one worry is that it may not be long for this world because the fan seems to be on it's last leg. At any rate, I dropped a 100GB HDD I had sort of lying around and got Ubuntu 8.10 installed on it in a snap. We'll see if it can last a while for me. If not, I may try and pickup a used one like this for cheap.

Hopefully, this will allow me to browse and blog with greater ease. I think I would love an Asus EeePC, but I can't see shelling out that much for an ultra-small laptop. If all I am doing is browsing the web and blogging/twitting with it, then it doesn't have to have a lot of horsepower... but screen size and resolution make all the difference in the world for those things.

Plus, I kind of wanted to keep Linux in my life in ways... so this can help with that.

Gain root on your N800

In a previous post I talked about how difficult it was to find the package that allows you to gain root on the n800. I found links that talked about installing fakeroot and such, but could never find the package for os2008.

Well, I finally found it and installed it (a while ago), but i forgot to log it here. I also didn't have the command to gain root listed on 'my' blog, so when I needed it and couldn't remember, I had to follow a path to it. So I wanted to list the command here in case I forget again.

sudo gainroot

Seems hard to forget, but my mind is a sieve. ;-)

When I find the location of the package I'll post it in here as well.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.