Dave's Mostly Technology Blog

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2011-06-11T10:57:00.001-07:00

I've moved over to WordPress, you can visit the new blog here:
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Skype In/Out

2011-03-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to comment on Skype's Online Number and Outgoing calls... I have a pretty good Internet connection, so I ordered the $6/mo number and the $3/mo unlimited USA and Canada calls and it's going very well so far. I like the Android and iPhone apps for Skype. I think the POTS (old school telephone service) is going to be dead pretty darn fast.

Dropbox Vs Cloud

2010-12-15T08:23:00.003-08:00

If I understand correctly, Dropbox allows you to access your files even when you're not connected to the Internet.

I'm pretty sure the Cloud doesn't ;)

+1 Dropbox -1 Cloud

New Wireless - Reality of 4G and How Stuff is Done

2010-12-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

Now, I am making this post clearly not as a stockholder of AT&T or Verizon Wireless, because this information is in the consumer's interest.

Right now, when you use a 3G phone, the voice part of your call is done more or less traditionally... the voice packets go to the cell tower, and are transmitted, and all that stuff. it's sort of like a tin can and string phone, one end, other end, except there is no string. That's what made a cell phone different than a landline. It was more or less "voice" going through the air.

3G made the phone have a split personality over the analog phones of the 80s and early 90s. 3G data... texts, email checking, stock quote updates, where done over a data connection, and then voice calls were put separately into a voice connection area, from a simple standpoint. (You could look into this for weeks and weeks, it's not important the particular details.)

4G phones do EVERYTHING on data. Your voice calls, and all your emails, and texts, all go over a complete data channel.

You need to ask yourself, with a 4G phone, why would you ever pay for minutes if it's just data? You should be paying for data only. This is why Skype is so popular.

I hope 4G spells the end of "minute" plans. It should all be unlimited at that point to your "data package." For example, a 3gb data plan should include unlimited minutes until you hit the 3gb limit. Just my feelings. Charging for "minutes" when it's data is just a complete scam.

Portable Workstation Setup

2010-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

I've been testing a new computer setup for use when I'm working at libraries. I have a 13" Macbook, an iPad, and a Mi-Fi personal 3G wireless router.

I downloaded an app for my iPad that turns the iPad into a second monitor for a Mac, but it requires a Wi-Fi connection to work. So I've set up my Mi-Fi into a local router and I've connected both my Macbook and my iPad to that wireless network, so now I have a second "screen" and 3G Internet access.

Dual screens and 3G Internet pretty much anywhere in the states...

I think it's a great portable office setup :)

Android Smart Phone at Prepaid Cell Rates

2010-10-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

I heard that Virgin Mobile was releasing a true Smartphone but I was expecting there to be a monthly bill increase versus a regular Virgin Mobile phone. Amazingly, it's the same price.

Samsung Intercept first Android phone on Virgin Mobile Prepaid

In the late summer of 2010 Virgin put out a prepaid plan that started at $25 a month for unlimited text, data, web, etc, and 300 talk minutes (no free nights or weekends, sadly). I picked up the LG Rumor Touch for $129 which was actually a lot more powerful than I thought, but still not of the same class as an iPhone or an Android-based phone.

Normally a carrier charges a cell user $20-$30 a month just for the DATA, on top of the text and voice charges. With the Intercept on Virgin Mobile, it's $25 for data, unlimited text, and 300 minutes. That's just freaking amazing.

(No, I'm not a Sprint stockholder or anything. I'm just glad one company believes a smart phone should cost less than $30 a month.)

Education OS as a Theme not an Installation

2010-06-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was trying to find what operating system is best for kids, from a researcher's perspective. You can say Edubuntu, you can say Sugar OS (the one that started at One Laptop Per Child) or you can take a step back and realize maybe thats the wrong question to ask in the first place.

It's pretty obvious that Windows and Mac OS (and Linux) as they come in the box are not suited for school children use. Yes, they pick it up fast. Yes, it's what adults use (well, it's what adults used before the cloud and the web took over). But why are we telling children they can set up their computer any way they want as long as there is a Start button in the lower left? We presume that exact standards are required for educational learning, I mean, in respect to stuff the same place on each individual's screen.

Okay, if I say "tap your start menu" you know where to look (assuming you're on Windows). You might set it up in the standard lower left, or you may have moved your task bar around the screen. The day you learned to use computers, you found out where stuff is. Right now, if I say "do you know where to find what time it is?" You'll know exactly where to find the time. You should be able to put your clock wherever you want, and you still understand the concept. Kids aren't stupid, they can understand where they put stuff. They know where to find stuff. The interface should be customizable because we should assume children are highly intelligent.

I think we need to stop asking "What OS is best for kids?" and realize that the most likely solution is that the OS doesn't matter. It should be customizable and themed, flexible, efficient, and reliable. If we're looking to know the answer to what OS is best for kids, we're thinking in the wrong decade. The interface is what matters. I think we should consider the "Best OS" argument dead. Themed UIs for the win!

What are we going to do with 100Mbit Everywhere Internet?

2010-05-28T11:36:00.001-07:00

You may have seen advertisements for 4G Internet, but what most people don't know is that true 4G Internet will be 100 megabit connections. To put that in perspective, DSL connections are often 1.5 megabit and a good cable connection is up to 32 megabits. So in a few years, your Internet everywhere will be three times faster than the "blazing fast" connection you might have at home today.

What are we going to do with fast connections? A lot of us just watch YouTube, do some research, maybe some video conferencing. After all of it, we're really typically using less than 2-3 megabits as it is.

If you're a visionary, start thinking about what we're going to be able to do in 5-10 years when we're not tied to coffee shops or our own homes for fast connections.

Your laptop, netbook, or tablet will be able to connect anywhere in the future. Let's make the most of it! :)

Web Graphics Software

2010-04-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

When I started designing web sites, I downloaded a trial copy of what was then called Jasc's PaintShop Pro. Photoshop was also available, but I was 14 years old and it was completely out of my price range (it's still about US $699). I switched to Photoshop once I had some income coming in from advertisements, but PaintShop Pro is really what got me started.

I picked up a copy of the latest PaintShop Pro this week for $50 (hall price) at BestBuy, because it was on sale and I've been using my Acer Nettop a lot recently. It's made by Corel now, but it's become an amazing product, and at $50 it's a great investment. The license is a lot like Photoshop, you can install it on a main computer and a laptop with one copy as long as you don't run them both simultaneously.

I'd like to point out that I think GIMP (free) is a great program, Paint..NET is good if you're in a hurry, and ArtRage is an amazing product if you're using a stylus and drawing pad. But on sale, PaintShop Pro is a steal.

Here's the official site. And the BestBuy link if you want to see if it's on sale.

On the Impermanence and Distraction of the Blog and Social Network

2010-03-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is a topic I've been thinking on a lot since December when I was doing my initial research on multitouch technology.

When I started on the web, posting a web site was complicated. Finding a spot (a web host), learning a language like HTML and CSS, creating, uploading, debugging. Yeah, it was a lot of work. But the effort we put into getting the site online, we tried to make the effort of the actual work worth the time, too.

I understand having a hard-coded list of sites, paragraphs, links, seems a little authoritative. But that's initially what a domain was, your section of the web. Your thoughts, your feelings, your motivations. Thought out, planned, executed.

I absolutely loved many of the blog posts I came upon during my weeks of research. But there were also a lot of blog posts that were complete nonsense. Had making the post been more complicated, most people wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making a nonsense post.

I'm not arguing that posting online should be more complicated. What I'm arguing is that we should really leave the blogs to actual thoughts, and leave the quick-fast-nonsense to Twitter and social networks. Posting to those, thank goodness, is significantly less time-consuming than posting to a blog, as it should be.

On a semi-related note, I launched a web site called caffeinerevelation.com to post my thoughts, feelings, and motivations.

Enjoy.

One of the Next Killer Apps - Spare Time

2010-02-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I like to post about a topic that's more thoughts than links or references.

While I've been tinkering with ideas over the past year for iPhone apps, it seems like the most successful types do one of two things: help us make things easier ( allowing the technology to speed up whatever task we need to do, or make it more portable ) or give us a way to spend our time ( games, etc ).

A lot of people would say that two things they can't do without are Google and Facebook. Google helps us save time. Lots of time. Finding an answer with Google to our question takes maybe a minute or two, going to the library to look it takes who knows how much time. It depends how hard a question it is. Not all questions can be answered quickly (or, effectively at all at a library, outside of the Internet terminal there!) So Google saves us time.

Facebook saves me time in a way. It lets me communicate with hundreds of friends instead of telling them something one-to-one. New job? Post it. Fifteen seconds. Is it as personal? No. Should telling someone I got a job be personal? No. It's something that benefits me, but doesn't particularly drive a conversation.

Facebook also wastes time. Lots and lots of time. Lots and lots and lots of time. But that's because it fulfills the second major role: It gives us something to do with our time. A lot of the people who spend a lot of time on Facebook are in the applications section, NOT the status update or message section. They go on Facebook to be entertained. People who don't use apps spend significantly less time on Facebook than those who do use apps. Same with an iPhone. The people who use just productivity apps on average surely use their iPhone fewer minutes per day than those who use their iPhone for entertainment. This isn't new. People who watch television for entertainment on average would watch it more than those who watch it merely for news. People who read a newspaper for entertainment (say, the sports and lifestyle section) spend more time with a newspaper than those who merely read it for news alone (local, national, global). Okay, yes, there are no statistics to back up this paragraph, but I would think for most of you it's agreeable and understandable.

The top 7 sites worldwide (ranked by Alexa) all fulfill one or both of these principles. All but one are commercially supported ( Wikipedia does not have ads, which is what makes it "valid" as a resource in my opinion ). But what makes the iPhone great is that it can fulfill the little segments in our life that could be done just a little bit more easily, therefore increasing our spare time, to spend doing things of our choice (usually with the same technology that we use to create the spare time). We use the same device to create time and spend time.

It's not to say that people don't like real things, like going to the movies, museums, going to rock concerts. It's just, may I say, more quality to do them through virtual technology. A parent can work while a child plays a game ( as the number of computers increase, which is driven by largely by the netbook market, meaning households have more than one ). We can pull Netflix on our laptop or television instantly while our children do homework. Technology keeps families spending time together, but we more efficiently do tasks separately, increasing our enjoyment of the spare time.

Do I think Facebook is a good use of spare time? Personally, no. Some people may think it is. I think there's a a huge market for the next segment of killer apps. Things that make spare time even more available. Do I think it's going to be a web service? No. I think it's going to be a mobile app. I think it's first iteration is going to be on iPhone, then spread to other platforms like Android afterwards.

Would you pay 99 cents a month for an ad-free, clutter-free Facebook? I would. That's why I think the iPhone is going to create the next series of killer apps. People are rewarded for innovation in a way never really seen before. There's an app for that is more than a marketing line. It's the realization of the next big thing.

Apple's iPad, Netbooks, Multi-Touch and The Smaller-Bigger Web

2010-01-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

Some of us will browse the web with our fingers and taps, and it's not going to be a fad.

Designers have to start considering this. And screens will be smaller.

Designers have to start considering this.

Screen resolutions are measured in pixels left to right and up and down. A device with a resolution of 1024 x 768 (such as Apple's new iPad, and many computers with old CRTs and not LCDs) have 1024 little dots left to right and 768 dots up and down. But, let's go over some history to see what this is important.

When I started web design in 1996 (14 years ago) the average CRT monitor on a personal computer was 640x480. Over the years, it increased to 800x600, then later 1024x768, which is where it pretty much stopped for store-bought home PCs. Then wide screen came in, and we had views such as 1280x800 used on Apple's MacBook 13 inch ( 1280 across, 800 up and down) and other very close resolutions. But now, we're having netbooks from ASUS and others (including my T91MT multi-touch netbook) with resolutions of 1024 x 600!

So, if you're designing a web site that doesn't scan for resolutions, you're going to max out at having a height of 600 pixels now, again, which isn't horrible compared to 728 ( from 1024 x 768 ) or 800 ( from 1280 x 800 ).

These netbooks will last 3-5 years minimum, so this is not "oh, for a year or two, I'll design smaller" deal. You're going to have to take into account the smaller screen sizes for the foreseeable future.

The iPhone and iPad are capable of easy zooming, so the resolution is less particular on those. I imagine that Google's Chrome Netbook will have a multi-touch edition that also has some sort of simple zooming feature.

But as far as multi-touch goes, the iPad has no mouse. People will be touching links and buttons, not clicking them. This means that web sites that are going to work in a touch environment will have to have somewhat larger links in areas of the site that require interaction. This can be done via CSS modifications by setting a separate style sheet if you don't want standard desktop users from being affected by your touchscreen version.

Just some thoughts :)

Google Chrome OS Netbook, Multi-Touch?

2009-12-29T06:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm reading rumors about possible specs for a Google Chrome OS Netbook. Not very much of it is particularly fascinating to me except one part: The current rumors specify a multi-touch display.

Why do I feel this is significant? If Google Chrome OS comes with built-in multi-touch support straight from the start, and is under $350 or so, it's a huge possible contender for the 1 to 1 computing movement in schools. As I've been saying a lot recently, the potential for touch-screen oriented education just opens up a heck of a lot of possibilities.

So, for the sake of education, I hope the part of these rumors about multi-touch ends up being true. I think that'd be a huge contribution to society (let's just hope Adobe has multi-touch support in it's first Flash Player for Chrome OS).

Thoughts on Blogs

2009-12-27T05:03:00.001-08:00

I've been researching a bunch of topics over the past to weeks... I've been bookmarking topics until the Google search gives me the "all further results are similar" sort of error.

I'd say, probably, about 1 in 6 pages I hit was a blog. Initially, I didn't really like blog posts, but I grew to determine which type of blog posts I like.

The first one I like is the the blog post to a specific link, with personal commentary. I like when people add their thoughts, even if just a paragraph or two, to a specific link they enjoy.

The second is a resource-topic post... the author describes one topic and links to several links they enjoyed on that topic. I prefer 3 or more links, it gives a lot of direction to further the research on the topic.

The third type I like is the thoughtful, no link post by an author who is well at doing either of the first two types of posts. If they write a decent post, sometimes it's nice to have their general view on something random.

The one type of post I absolutely hate is the Copy-Paste post to one specific link. If a link is good, it's going to turn up in a search engine near the front, mindlessly copying the first paragraph and posting a link to it really doesn't benefit humanity.

I hope that some of you find this post to be in the class of the "third type" and that my other posts around this are useful to you in some way. :)

Free Online Courses, Books, and Textbooks

2009-12-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of education, and I think low-cost (or free) education can be great if it's reliable. One of the problems with doing research online is you can spend nearly as much time guessing the validity of the information you're reading as you do actually doing research. We tend to trust courses from recognized institutions a little more than just random web sites, so I've collected some resources I personally believe useful to someone trying to educate themselves online.

First, I'd like to start with Project Gutenberg.

While Project Gutenberg isn't an educational site in itself, it's a collection of free books you can download legally. Have you seen books at the bookstore, perhaps some classics, that are just a few dollars? You might be able to find many of them through this project.

Next on my list is iTunes U, YouTube EDU, and OpenCourseWare.

iTunes U is a collection of free courses from major, recognized educational institutions. This is one of the largest collections I know of, and you could easily spend most of your free time educating yourself if that's one of your hobbies. YouTube EDU has plenty of education videos but I find the organization of iTunes must better and easier to access.

OpenCourseWare is a little different. You can usually get course materials along with the lectures and videos. One of the most popular OpenCourseWare sites is MIT OpenCourseWare, with 1900 courses at the time of this blog post.

The OpenCourseWare Consortium web site lists other institutions offering OpenCourseWare courses.

Three particular sites I found interesting in my searching into this topic were:

Purdue Online Writing Lab - Not just for students of Purdue, this sites has a collection of resources from middle school through adulthood. One of the areas particularly useful to me is the APA and MLA style guides for writing papers (a lot more fun than a printed handbook).

Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner - A collection of videos and podcasts for those interested in starting a business or enhancin their current business.

There's a great video on open-source learning I'd highly recommend you watch about Connexions, a site being developed for open-source, quality educational course content.

For those of you interested in the Wiki movements, you might find the Wikiversity and WikiEducator sites useful.

Some resources for free or low-cost textbooks:

Videos That make you Think:

ASUS T91MT Eee PC - Multi-Touch Netbook'ing

2009-12-10T23:53:00.001-08:00

I've been doing a lot of research on multitouch technology (which is basically using two or more fingers on a screen or touch-sensitive device) and I came upon an announcement about ASUS's Eee PC T91MT. I read some reviews, which where slightly mixed but for the most part positive.

I ordered one, and I've been using it for about two days now. Honestly, my only bad experience was when I first turned it on... Windows 7 had to do some first-start customizations and I didn't realize the whole thing would probably go faster had I plugged in the AC adapter... (it took over 20 minutes to fully run set-up when I had it unplugged... so if you get one, plug it in until you are done with set up!)

The reason I bought this was really two-fold. This netbook has a hinged screen and converts into a tablet PC in a few seconds. And it's multi-touch (in this case up to two fingers) so it can use, among other things, most of the multitouch gestures I'm accustomed to on the iPhone. So the first reason I wanted it was to get a feel for what tablet computing might be like should Apple release a tablet.

The second reason was my main web stats application is Windows-only (sadly) but it has a really great visual-hyperlink system to help me understand my data. The application was great with a mouse, but it's completely terrific as a touch or stylus app.

As for how I feel about the T91MT in itself... as far as a touch tablet goes, it's a little thick and heavy... as far as a netbook goes, it's quite light and usable, although I'm not a fan of the smaller keyboard. I imagine if ASUS releases a larger model (this one is 8.9 inches) I would hope the keyboard is slightly larger. It's not that it's a bad keyboard, I just prefer having a little more room when I'm typing. If you're looking into this model, go test typing at a store on 8.9 inch netbooks and see if the keyboard suits your needs.

As far as technology goes, this device is pretty great. I hooked it to my 23-inch LCD (high-def 1920x1080) and it worked fine. I'm not planning to play 3D games in high-def so the ability to run high-def from this netbook for researching was more important to me than actual performance.

One of my favorite things about this device is battery. I keep putting it to sleep on the counter but it looks like I'll consistently get over 4.5 hours use with the proper power save setting.

Outside of the compressed physical keyboard, I'm very pleased with this netbook. I knew getting into it it'd be smaller so I won't say I'm disappointed. I will be using it pretty much every day from now on. You can check out some other reviews here at Amazon.com.

If Facebook shares were traded on the open stock market...

2009-12-03T17:44:00.001-08:00

This is an article I came upon today while doing some other research:

Facebook Must Woo Investors Before Any IPO

An IPO is the first time a stock is offered on the stock market for trading. Before an IPO, the company is considered "private." You can't log on to E-Trade and just randomly trade a private company.

Is Facebook worth a lot of money? Yes, obviously, being the #2 site on the Internet (at writing).

Can Facebook pull a lot of profit like the #1 site, Google?... ehhhh....

Okay, let's be serious. Google helps people find stuff. If I walk into a store, and someone helps me find a TV, they might get a commission, and I end up with a great product.

Facebook doesn't help people find things. It helps keep people updated on things. You know what used to keep people updated on things? The newspaper in the bin outside the store at the shopping center.

Which is going to make more money, something that updates you or something that helps you find something you're going to spend money on?

Facebook -can- be profitable for investors, but I really think this is about changing the world, and not about profit. Honestly, I think that's the way Facebook should stay.

Just my 2 cents.

Running Windows on the Mac

2009-12-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

So, there are three main options to running Windows on a Mac. Use Boot Camp from Apple to make your hard disk into two parts, one for Mac OS X and one for a Windows install (you have to buy a copy of Windows, btw.)

Then, you can use either Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion.

I used Parallels since it came out, up until version 4. Then I switched to VMWare Fusion 2, and upgraded to Fusion 3, but Fusion 3 had issues running my Windows 7 Install. Fusion also seemed to use too many resources.

So I downloaded the trial of Parallels Desktop 5, which claims to be a lot faster than 4, and it really is a lot faster. I've had a few issues so far, but I'm likely to purchase the full version.

I linked a review of the two for those who are considering the two applications.

A review of Parallels Desktop 5 vs VMWare Fusion 3.

Upgraded the Nettop

2009-11-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

I was able to purchase a 1GB RAM upgrade chip for the Acer Revo Nettop I purchased. It makes things even more amazing. The system now has 2GB of total system memory, and I used the BIOS settings to adjust the video RAM to 256MB from 128MB. Really makes the graphic blaze.

I'd recommend anyone buying this Nettop to throw out the $40 for a 1GB upgrade chip to install.

I decided to shamelessly link The Acer Nettop here through my Amazon affiliate link, as well as the 1GB upgrade I successfully installed in it.

Virtual Desktop'ing for Windows

2009-11-07T23:26:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite features in Apple's Mac OS X is Spaces, which allows me to work on separate virtual desktops (imagine 4 screens instead of 1, but still one physical screen). It gives me more much more desk area to work.

I was looking for a way to simulate that sort of feature in Windows XP (for the Nettop) and I came across this well-reviewed virtual desktop app: Dexpot

I encourage you to visit the site and check out the screenshots. The application is free for personal use, for a low-fee of about US$23 for a commercial license (and free to check out).

Enjoy!

First Netbooks, Now Nettops

2009-11-06T00:48:00.000-08:00

I saw an advertisement for a "Nettop" in BestBuy this Sunday, and I was very curious to learn more about it. So I ended up Google-ling these new devices, and I'm highly impressed with what I found.

This blog post talks specifically about a $199 Acer AspireRevo. Just as a warning, don't make assumptions that EVERY nettop will have the following true about it, but it's certainly likely as they increase in sales more options with more sophistication will be available.

Netbooks can be pretty awesome. But the problem I had with the ones that are out right now, most of them have a very weak graphics chip, and the resolution of the LCD screen is too small to effectively do web design (in my humble opinion).

Now, this Nettop from Acer doesn't have the Wi-Fi or Screen that comes with a netbook. But, it costs about $100 less than a typical netbook, and has a few extra features.

This Acer system uses a NVidia Ion LE chipset... which has several awesome onboard features... nice audio, a very capable video card (DirectX 9 compatible 9400GM with 128MB VRAM), 1GB RAM (same as most netbooks, although the video chip steals 128MB from the total 1GB). But, the system has HDMI output, so presumably could drive a typical plasma TV or LCD TV.

I was very enticed by the system, after reviewing the features. So I ended up purchasing it--I was very curious about the 3D capabilities and exactly how much I can do at once with a single-core Atom CPU @ 1.6ghz. And I'm definitely impressed. This system is very capable for every day tasks as well as some basic 3D gaming. The graphics chip is shared by many desktop systems, so very very impressive for a $199 system.

And this thing's tiny. It's smaller than my Mac Mini. 6 USB ports plus sATA on the front. I really wish it came with Wi-Fi, but the 10/100/1000 Ethernet port is very useful. I can add a Wi-Fi adapter for about $30 from Newegg, but that's an additional cost that should be taken into consideration.

I look forward to the new developments in the nettop market, but I'm very pleased so far and certainly plan to get a few years out of this inexpensive device.

( Note: I'm in no way associated with Acer, I just think this device is freaking awesome. )

Redbox: Vending Obligations?

2009-10-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of fun with various Redbox units around town. (For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a vending machine typically outside of a store with high-traffic, like a Walmart or grocery store. You pay $1 to rent a DVD for a night, then a dollar every night until you return it.)

Okay, so typically my Redbox has 9-15 pages of 15 DVDs per page... so usually 100+ titles.

The Redbox unit doesn't know who I am when I walk up to it, so it can't make me a recommendation. It just shows the DVDs in whatever ordered it's instructed to show.

However, once I return a DVD, and if I press buttons right after, there's a pretty good chance that the person touching the screen (in this case me) is the one who rented the DVD.

Now, the box can't make assumptions whether I liked it or not. It'd be really awesome if it gave me a 5-star rating system when I returned the title. For example, when I am ready to return it, I press "return DVD" then it asks "How would you rank this rental?" then once the DVD is returned, it records it to my profile.

But, for the sake of what's happening now, it has my rentals "linked" in its system. So, it could, if it chooses, display DVDs it thinks I may like at the HEAD of the pages, and not randomly.

Now, this is my moral question. If the system could know which DVD I would like most, should it put it on page 1, 2, or 3? I typically look at the first 3-5 pages of listings (30-50 titles).

If it put a DVD up that I might like, but in no hurry to watch, it could make $2-$3 on the rental (taking 2-3 days to return) instead of the $1 it would make it I wanted to watch it ASAP (because I'd return it the next day).

Would the device be obligated to make the proper recommendation? And who judges proper?

Just some thoughts.

Missing from Windows 7?

2009-10-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

I installed Windows 7 Ultimate on a Boot Camp partition on my Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro. Okay, it's painless to install, it seems very, very stable. The built-in Internet Explorer seems relatively safe and fully functional. The Backup function, while not as simple as Mac OS X's Time Capsule, seems sufficient.

Then, I try to add the Stocks Gadget to my desktop.

Wait, what Stocks Gadget? Apparently this feature of the beta was removed for the final release.

Microsoft, please add the Stocks Gadget to your additional Gadgets option by the time you release Windows 7 later this month!

Yeah, I know, it's still delayed quotes. But better than nothing.

Bing and Other Cashback Programs

2009-10-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

I saw the cashback programs from Bing (which is the rebranded Microsoft search engine) and decided to look into it a bit.

The Bing cashback program is relatively easy to sign up for. You can use a standard Live ID (for example, Hotmail) or sign up for a fresh Live ID. Then, you agree to the terms and give Microsoft your mailing address for your check (minimum reward value: $5).

Then, you use the Shopping section of the Bing.com Search Engine to see potential cashback partners.

Now, you'd have to be reasonable. If the cashback on a product is 3% on a $100 buy, at at Bing cashback site, and $95 at another site, obviously you should consider the other site. So it can be helpful to cross reference at a site like Google Products (if you have the spare time).

In reality, you need to take in consideration for shipping costs between sites, because there can be a significant difference from site to site. If the shipping cost is going to eat your cashback, take that into consideration, too.

If you're opposed to Microsoft, you might consider MyPoints, which has a cashback-like feature (points towards Gift Cards instead of cash) but can also boost your point bonus with reading e-mails and filling out surveys.

Just some ideas to "save" a little money.

A New Android Phone from Samsung / Sprint

2009-10-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've done significant research on iPhone programming over the past year--I have a shelf of pretty much every book put out on the subject. I love my iPhone, the apps are great, but eventually one comes to accept that not everything will be using an iPhone--especially in the United States with it (currently) stuck on the AT&T network.

For those who are looking for something else, there are a whole bunch of phones coming out based on technology created by Google ( http://www.android.com/ ) that will be available on multiple wireless carriers, not just stuck on one network. So if you are content with your current wireless company, you might easily be able to grab one of these phones and keep your (hopefully) great service.

Why is this Android stuff significant? Because the app store is rather compatible between phones. iPhone developers have one outlet: Apple's App Store. As a mobile developer, it can be useful to have more choices. For example, the Samsung Moment, a phone coming from Sprint around November 1, has a relatively fast processor, and spots a physical keyboard (leaving more room on the screen for apps, great if your app requires text entry.) On an iPhone, if you enter text, pretty much half of your screen is eaten by the virtual keyboard.

The other thing that is potentially useful about Sprint's new phone is that the plan including text can start around $70 a month, and you look into $90-$100 a month for a text/data plan for the iPhone.

So, consider the iPhone with serious competition now (not just the Moment, but all Android-based phones in general). iPhone developers--you might want to pick up the Android SDK for fun, brush up on your Java and have a little fun.

I'd enjoy playing some games on my iPhone against some Android users.