Moving from the simple Palm os to Windows Mobile was not an easy decision. It has, of course, been tempered by the knowledge that I can go back any time I want. The biggest downside is that the move has cost me my casino money for the next three months, and I haven't begun to buy accessories yet.

The most difficult part of the entire experience has been converting to Outlook. I have successfully avoided Outlook for years, but there is no simple way to sync a WM device without it. I have quite contentedly been using the Palm desktop for all my hotsync needs for years. I initiated a sync when I was ready, and all my pim data was always safe. With WM, not only do you get the pleasure of using Outlook (she said sarcastically), but the joy of ActiveSync.

I must confess, I don't truly grok ActiveSync. Yes, I understand that it's nice to keep my handheld and my desktop in constant sync, but I'd rather have just a little more control over it. What if I just want to charge my device? What if I'm trouble-shooting an app and adding meetings or contacts just for testing purposes and don't actually want to save them? Better yet, what if I have the ability to take more control over ActiveSync and make it PASSIVE sync, and just haven't figured out how yet?! Being a newbie is no fun.

So the first day (prior to actual receipt of my Treo 800w) was spent moving my pim data from the Palm desktop to Outlook. Palm made that simple enough. I just don't particularly care for Outlook – it's too busy. One of the things I will be looking for over the next few days/weeks is an alternative. When my Treo 800w finally arrived, it was as simple as plugging it in to the usb port on my laptop, establishing a partnership (sounds like a legal agreement to me!) with ActiveSync, and populating my new device with my old data.

The next step was to make it look and feel as familiar as possible by arranging the Today screen (replacing my friendly Palm os launcher) and buttons. Arranging the Today screen was easy enough. Mine now almost looks like my Centro using UltimatePhone. My first real disappointment (outside of Outlook) was that I lose the one-handed capability that I loved so much with Palm os using the hard keys. Why must I press and hold the option button before tapping the mail key on WM? That requires both hands. Why can't I press option followed by mail to go to messaging? I understand that we hold key combinations on a pc, but a handheld isn't a pc and shouldn't be constrained by desktop configurations.

[caption id="attachment_27" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My Today Screen"][/caption]

This concludes my initial observations on making the change from Palm to WM. I welcome suggestions, advice, corrections…in other words, any help anyone is willing to offer. Next time: applications.

Sony Ericsson has reported an operating loss of $3.1 million in the second quarter, a huge change from Q2 last year where the company posted a profit of $500 million.

As a result, the company has announced that it will be reducing it's workforce by roughly 2,000 people worldwide over the coming year to try and turn things around.

The slowing economy combined with strong offerings from RIM and Apple aren't helping much.

Sony Ericsson chief Dick Komiyama says "our target is to achieve a reduction in operating expenses of 300m euros annually, with the full effect expected to appear within a year...the meausures we are taking are aimed at becoming a faster, more agile and more cost efficient organization that can continue to create innovative products that excite customers."

[Via CrunchGear]

"When a Web site publishes an RSS document, the feed will usually contain a summary of the most recent articles and content published on the site. Most feeds will offer readers a headline plus a brief headline description (or summary), along with a description of the source Web site. RSS feeds are created by using tags that are enclosed in brackets, much like HTML code is. For those interested in creating their own RSS feed, all you need to start is a text editor (like Notepad). All you really need to know, at the very minimum, are the tags you must include to make the RSS feed work."

How to Create an RSS Feed
By Vangie Beal, July 17, 2008

Although no one seems to have taken advantage of it, a bug existed with RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) which would have allowed hackers to gain access to the companies network by means of a malicious PDF file.

The program was technically within the PDF distiller component of the BlackBerry Attachment Service (BAS) which runs on BES, but an update that has been released to BES, version 4.1 Service Pack 6 (4.1.6), will patch the problem for people running a Microsoft Exchange or IBM Lotus Domino email server.

Users of Novell GroupWise can download 4.1.4 and receive the same bug fix.

[Via Computerworld]

Although only a single store is currently open (Where else but Beverly Hills?) the interactive fashion design concept is sure to appeal to the target audience, tween girls.  In less than an hour, a girl can design a piece of clothing on the computer and take home the actual garment.  A great example of experiential retail.

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-fashionology15-2008jun15,0,6987268.story

What is the practical use of having Wi-Fi on in Airplane mode? Maybe now the iPhone can be used for browsing the internet on the airplane during flight. But the obvious use is to have the iPhone fucntioning just like an iPod touch, all the Wi-Fi without the phone signal.

If you recently replaced your original iPhone with iPhone 3G, you can now use it as an iPod touch by switching to the Airplane Mode with Wi-Fi on. It safes some battery life not having the iPhone still looking for the GSM signals.

There are reasons for this 'slowing down', of course. Some of them are just 'facts', and there's not much we can do about them, and others we can (should) remedy. Today I'll list and review the basic PC steps, which will optimize your computer's performance, and provide you with the links to my more detailed How-To's.

*Your files:
A primary cause for PCs 'slowing down' is simply that there is more stuff (files) on your hard-drive now, and the more you put on there, the more there is for your computer to keep track of (index). You have added applications (programs), Updates, and all your files, and the volume on your hard-drive has grown-- probably quite a bit! [note: to function properly, you should always have at least 10% "free space" on your drive.]

Clean off the junk. As you use your machine, and browse the Internet, you will pick up scraps of files (temps), and you will put things into the Recycle Bin, etc., and I recommend that once a week you use the Disk Cleanup Tool to "take out the trash". My article on this tool is here.

Get organized. As you machine writes data to the hard-drive, which it is doing a lot, it places things in the first available block of space to save time. The first available space is not necessarily the best or most logical place, though, and we need to come along after and put things in better order. The tool for this is a "defragmenter", and it should be run at least once a month. I wrote an article on how to set this tool to run automatically, here.

Make space. You may also want to make more space on your hard-drive, and do some "serious cleaning", by going into the Add/Remove Programs area of your Control Panel and uninstalling any programs you never use anymore.

Get physical. It may seem a bit un-intuitive, but excess heat can cause your PC to run slower, and so I highly recommend a physical cleaning of your machine as well... particularly removing the dust and lint build-ups around your fan vents (depending on your environment, you may want to do this every couple of days). Every so often, (say, 1/month) open the cover (usually a side panel) and use a can of compressed air to blow out all that dust and dirt and pet hair and...
[note: you want to do this to your printer, too. For more on that, click here.]

Today's free link: Believe it or not, some people just prefer not to use the tools built into Windows, and insist on using specialized "3rd-party" tools to do the job (imagine that), and a top-rated (free) disk defragmentation tool is the Auslogics Disk Defrag.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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I've created a room here, which is nothing special, but on the other hand it only took me a very few minutes to set up - this is a very easy to use application. To create and interact with Lively virtual rooms you must download the Lively application (I'm using the Firefox plug in), but it appears that you can visit any room to at least see a screen shot of it, having just the URL. The application frequently crashes (it is beta after all), but when it is running, the response using my internet connection at least is quite good. There is an interesting Facebookconnection which I still need to look at, plus the code to allow you to embed your virtual space in your personal web site is provided - I expect I will be able to play with that sometime in the next week.

IBM has done quite a bit of work in the virtual world space, and business use of this technology appears to be growing in companies like Shell, where pilot sites are well advanced. Shell actually took first place in the R&D section of the TEC Intraverse 2008 competition in Paris this year for its Second Life pilot. In contrast to the sorts of business focused testing that you see major companies working on, the offering from Google seems to be more of a pure consumer play. At this stage at least it is difficult to see how it fits in as a longer term product within the Google universe (Docs, GMail, Sites etc.), and what it might be best used for in a business context, but it is intriguing.

Quite a number of rooms have already been created in Lively by other users who are much more creative than I am - it will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Ok my rant is over, I will go and add the sites via a script and all will be good, OK Microsoft, why don't you just get a clue and present all of the options broken down like to do with all of the other settings in the GPO/GPP.

Oh yeah... Proxy and connection settings are similar :(  MS Get a clue.

]]> http://dgiul.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/att-free-wi-fi-hotspot-access-for-iphone-not-live/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:07:16 +0000 Dan http://dgiul.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/att-free-wi-fi-hotspot-access-for-iphone-not-live/

Despite reports to the contrary, the on again, off again saga of free AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspot access to iPhone users is NOT live and AT&T [again] made a mistake by posting a page that announced the service at AT&T's 17,000 hotspots across the US.

The link, formerly here, has been taking down. When it was up, it said:

AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and free Wi-Fi even hotter, which is why we are proud to offer iPhone customers free access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi hotspot network with more than 17,000 hotspots, including Starbucks*. Now users can relax and access music, e-mail and web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their favorite location.

AT&T's webpage for helping find hotspot locations near you is still live here, so at least you can see where your local hotspots are for when the service does eventually do live, assuming it does eventually go live.

Glad I held off posting this news when I first saw it. At the moment, just about every other tech site is misreporting this. If you do happen to catch the service working, enjoy it while you can--it may not be up for long.

[Via Mac Rumors]

We are a Python loving lot. We use the Pylons framework and Schevo ODBMS. I can recommend both. We are on a Ubuntu Hardy Server @ Linode and Slicehost. We serve using Apache and Paste HTTP Server. We use google apps for all emailing needs.

If you have specific questions, drop a comment or email.

And, by the way, if you’re wondering whether the site is legit, you just need to know that the Chairman of the organization is Ted Leonsis, a former major executive from AOL.

As a matter of fact, several of the folks involved seem to be former AOL people.

Anyway, it looks like a very interesting site.  There are currently 225 documentaries available.

En temps que graphiste et surtout utilisant du matériel informatique pour travailler, il est important d'être bien équipée. C'est parce qu'elle est pratique, petite, fluide et super maniable que j'ai choisi la MMM 8000 de Mcirosoft Hardware.

En plus, elle a un super avantage!!!
Pour la recharger, il suffit de la relier par un câble a une clé USB. Avec ce système, aucune possibilité de ce retrouver en rade d'énergie.
De plus, cette clef USB a une capacité de 1G, ce qui permet d'avoir toujours ces créa avec soit.
Comme elle est petite, elle tient dans la poche, ce qui permet de l'avoir toujours au bout des doigts.
Plus d'infos ici

The folks at Mac Rumors have noticed a couple of sign that could potentially be an early indicator that their MacBook line is about to get a refresh.

The first sign appears in the Commercial Times which says that Apple has increased their orders for the circuit boards used in notebook computers by 20%.

The second sign comes from Best Buy which was allegedly told that there would be limited MacBook shipments over the next two weeks.

While Apple likes surprises and anything can happen, Mac Rumors own buyers guide says that both the MacBook and MacBook Pro are each in the middle of their product cycle and not too likely to be updated soon.

[Via Mac Rumors]

With today being the birthday of a man who has the shown outstanding integrity through a momentous 90 years, all that is left to say is, “Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!”

If anyone wishes to have a hand in creating the world’s biggest birthday card ever, why not click on the following link….after reading the rest of this blog of course:

Nelson Mandela Birthday Wishes

On the technical front, an area of interest lays in future technologies.  My feeling is that after the amazing 3D experience of watching U2 in the cinema, the next few years will see rapid development in bringing 3D to the TV.   After that, it is almost certain that one will be having a 3D experience on the home/workplace computer screen.

Feel free to advise on any development in the 3D home/workplace computer area....I would love to hear details.

The solution was found by searching in google for "how to remove the language bar". By understanding how to remove the language bar would give information on how to get it back I thought. The search "language bar problem" led to a lot of dead ends. So sometimes the probelm to a solution is found by solving !problem or defining what the problem is not and using that to solve the problem.

Sony's upcoming TV tuner add-on for their PlayStation 3 console, the PlayTV, is finally set to be released on September 10th.

What is a PlayTV?

The PlayTV is an external device that plugs into a PS3 that features a twin-channel DVB-T tuner that lets you watch and record television programming to your PS3 using the included DVR software. Think of it as a adding TiVo-like functionality to a PS3.

Look for it to sell for €99, or around $157 US. It should be coming to Australia and New Zealand in early 2009, but no word on a possible release in the North America where a different tuner standard is used.

[Via Electronista]

When the iPhone 3G launched last week in Canada, it's price undercut some of the other smartphones being sold by Canadian telecom giant Rogers.

To help keep the Nokia N95 smartphones selling, Rogers has dropped the price of the device from $400 with a 3-year contract down to $199 with a 3-year contract.

Feature wise, the N95 really really offers a lot to users. But, from a usability perspective, the N95 and iPhone are very different so if you're considering the N95 over the iPhone, really spend some time playing with it and make sure you really could deal with it for everyday use.

Before the first iPhone launched, this was an easier question to answer, but the iPhone is such a revolutionary product that I would have a hard time spending $199+ on any other cellphone.

[Via Electronista]

O estádio teria uma televisão gigante como a q já existe no estádio do Dallas Cowboys. E o q ainda não foi inventado mas já está nos planos seria o teto que é feito de uma peça de aço para o estádio do Liverpool e as telas wireless que serão construídas em Oakland no campo do Cisco. Elas fariam com q o visitante pedisse comida, visse estatísticas e ainda o menor caminho para o banheiro. Existem planos também de deixar o ampo mais verde e mais fresco.

Acho ótimo! Melhor coisa q pode ser feita aqui no Brasil. Imagina o q nego ia fazer com essas telas wireless... a inauguração do engenhão já foi uma maravilha, achei super moderno a galera roubar as torneiras do banheiro! Qnd construírem um estádio desses aqui, ou reformarem o Maracana, vai dar um boost na inclusão digital!

fonte: Gizmodo

Great quote today from Ben Feder:

technology is at a point where developers don't have to shock the audience to amaze the audience

(CC image by CarbonNYC)

Make your pick!

As for now, this is what they're selling...

and for those of you wondering what's the price, here it is:

Average price, 1.500 USD... / month

You'd better be making a lot of business! :)

Most hackers actually don't care much about code quality. Thus, if they get something working which seems to solve a problem, they stick with it. If this kind of software development is applied to the same source code throughout its entire life-cycle, we're left with large amounts of code, a totally screwed code structure, and a flawed system design. This is because of a lack of conceptual clarity and integrity in the development process.

Code complexity is the mother of bloated, hard to use, and totally inconsistent software. With complex code, problems are solved in suboptimal ways, valuable resources are endlessly tied up, performance slows to a halt, and vulnerabilities become a commonplace. The only solution is to scrap the entire project and rewrite it from scratch.

The bad news: quality rewrites rarely happen, because the (open source) hackers are proud of large amounts of code. They think they understand the complexity in the code, thus there's no need to rewrite it. They think of themselves as masterminds, understanding what others can never hope to grasp. To these types, complex software is the ideal.

But ingenious ideas are simple. Ingenious software is simple. Simplicity is the heart of the Unix philosophy. The more code lines you have removed, the more progress you have made. As the number of lines of code in your software shrinks, the more skilled you have become and the less your software sucks.

In other words: Removed code is debugged code, and it certainly doesn't use any memory or CPU time; so even better if you don't write it.

Retirado do suckless.

To me, this is the true disruption. For the first time that I can think of, mobile developers can bypass carriers altogether and get to the end consumer. Sure, they gotta write some bitchy Objective C code (vomit) but hey, whatever. Have you seen some of these apps?

Its like a tasty tech snack.

Oh yeah, and the Samsung Instinct. What chump would make an argument that this POS is an iPhone killer after July 11th?

I parked my truck at 11 am Thursday morning, a full 21 hours before launch. I didn't have company for another 4 hours. Maybe I blew my load a little early but there is no better feeling than being first for something and suffering for it (I think). I'll tell the story with pictures:

This is the sign that the campers got.  AT&T spared no expense on this one.  One of the employees actually finished coloring in the arrow while it was taped to the pole.

Once the employees had left their mandatory meeting around 10:00pm, Jimbo and I poured the whiskey.  Nothing says "badass" like sipping Gentlemen Jack in a Solo cup while waiting overnight in humid, 87 degree heat....for an iPhone.

This is Jim and 4th in line Zach banging away at their laptops.  I'm really not sure what either of them were actually doing.  Zach is still in High School and school is out so he is definitely not doing homework and Jim, uh maybe he is working?  Who knows.  Jim acquired a Sprint aircard and shared the connection with everyone in line.  The line sitters really appreciated it until we let the guy who actually owns the aircard and pays the bill cut in line.  Then suddenly everyone forgot his generosity and wanted his blood.

Zach fell out at about 12:30 or so.  He was trying to sleep on the concrete but was obviously having a rough go at it.  I had blown up an air mattress in the back of my truck but since Jimmy was home taking his 3rd dump of the day, I let Zach take it.   I was too excited to sleep, up until it was time to actually by the phone.  I passed my time by canceling my T-Mobile contract free of charge, drinking, and talking to the pretty girl that joined us in line around 3:30.  She obviously worked in a bar.

This was the Motley Crew at around midnight.  The two on the end eventually got chairs to sit on.  I heard that the bugs were bad near the end of the line but I had a Thermacell and never had a problem.  Had to change the pad once and that was it, highly recommended.

This is where things get hazy.  At this point I am so wired that I can not speak properly (as the news interview showed) and can not hold still.  The store employees rolled in around 7:00 and started getting ready....all of them.

Here it is, the line moments before the doors opened.  It was a media circus too.  Every reporter was looking for the first in line.  I would no answer questions unless Jim was close because I really couldn't formulate the answers.  I was a mess and everyone wanted to talk to me.  I had a lot of fun the night before but at this point I didn't give a damn about the phone, I wanted to go to bed.  I still had to work that night and wake up early the next day.

The moment Jim had been waiting for, he is given his iPhone.  Look!  It's still wrapped in plastic.  For some reason, it took Jim 3 times as long as it took the rest of us to get his phone.  He was the only one in line that still had an original iPhone!!  Not really sure why it happened, I heard later that the activation server was starting to get flaky at this point.  Good job Jim!  Got yours just in the nick of time.  You can imagine how I felt waiting when i already had mine and wanted to go to bed.

Here is a testament to our stardom.  This is the photographer that mis-labeled every picture he took.  Here he is taking a picture of Jim that I had just taken.  Who is the visionary now?  Ha!

So that's it.  We got our phones and hauled ass.  Well not so fast, everyone in line before us had decided to use my tailgate as a trashcan.  That really bugs me because Jim and I were talking about bringing a grill and making free food for everyone.  And, after the night of free inernet, these people were still assholes.  Oh well, I got a phone and someone, somewhere behind me didn't.  Thanks for your trash ass-face!