So you’ve heard about tethering.  You’ve heard its available from your phone company for an extra whopping $30 bucks on top of your regular data plan.  Well, what if I told you that with a few easy steps, you can tether your Android phone to your desktop or laptop and surf the web using nothing but your phone a “sort of” high speed modem?  With some very basic computer knowhow, a PC, a USB cable, and an Android phone, you can surf the web from wherever there is a decent 3G or EDGE connection, which for a lot of people is almost everywhere.

I am using a Nexus One (Android 2.1 rev1) but I believe this should work on all Android devices.  There are a few different ways to enable your phone to tether.  One way is rooting your phone, which voids your warranty and the other (the one I’m going to go over) is installing a free application from the Android Marketplace called “Proxoid”.  Just open up the market and search for it.  It will be right at the top.

Unfortunately, in order for Proxoid to work you will need to download the Android SDK. Luckily, Google has redesigned the SDK to only include the basic framework, requiring you to download the platform and tools you wish to work in, rather than forcing you into a 200+ MB download that has everything.  Ok, away  we go:

This tutorial assumes that you have a basic to intermediate knowledge of Windows XP / Vista / 7 or are willing to research any items that don’t make sense.  Specifically, you know how to move files, extract files from archives/zip files, create shortcuts on your desktop etc.

(Of course, start by downloading Proxoid from the Android Market)

1.  Turn on Debugging Mode on your phone.  Go to Settings>Applications> Development >USB Debugging

2. Download the Android SDK.  You can get the ZIP file here:  http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html (note: this tutorial only covers the Windows version.  I am writing this tutorial as if its for Windows 7, but Vista and XP should be similar.   Although it is possible to tether on Mac and Linux, I’m not that great with either so I can’t really get into it).

3. Extract the “android-sdk-windows” folder from the ZIP file to a place of your chosing.  I just extracted it to my c: drive.  The choice is yours.

4.  Open the “android-sdk-windows” folder you just extracted and launch “SDK Setup.exe”

5. Note:  On two separate PCs, I got the same error saying:

“Failed to fetch URL https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/repository/repository.xml, reason: HTTPS SSL error. You might want to force download through HTTP in the settings.”

To get passed this, click “close” and go to the “settings” tab found on the left side of the window.  Check the option to force https: connections to use http: which will fix this error.

6. Click the “Installed Packages” tab on the left.  Then click “Update All…”

7.  All we need here is the USB Driver Package.  Click each item in the packages window to place a red X except for the USB Driver Package item.  You can also indivudually highlight each package and click “reject”.  In this screen “accept” means install and “reject” means “do not install”.

8.  Once everything EXCEPT the USB Driver Package is rejected, click “Install”.

9 This will create a new directory in your “android-sdk-windows” folder called “usb_driver“.  Check it out, you’ll see it there.  This folder contains the USB drivers for your Android phone and will allow it to properly communicate with your Windows computer.

10.  Plug in your phone using a USB cable.  Some computers will automatically pop up a Found New Hardware window and some won’t.  I’m not sure why.  (If it doesn’t pop up, go to step 10a).  If you are presented with the Found New Hardware window, do not have Windows automatically search for a driver to install, instead, instruct it to “Browse My Computer For Driver Software”.  This will allow you to tell Windows where to find the driver for your phone.  Browse for the driver by pointing the search to “c:/android-sdk-windows/usb_driver” (or wherever you installed it) and click Next.  With any luck, Windows will find the driver and install it automatically.  Note:  both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers are included in the SDK.

10a.  If you were not prompted to install new hardware when you plugged in your phone, don’t worry.  Just go to your device manager.  There are several ways to do this.  The easiest way is to Right Click your “Computer / My Computer” icon on the desktop and then click “Properties”.  Depending on which version of Windows you have, you may see a link right there for Device Manager.  XP users have a dig a little bit more, but it’s there. I promise.  Once you’re in the Device Manager, look for a item that sounds like your phone and that has a yellow mark on it.  (You may have several yellow items depending on the overall health of your computer).  Mine simply said “Nexus One” and had a yellow icon under it.  Double click the item and you will see a message saying something to about the driver not being installed for this device.  Install/update the driver and use the steps in step 10.  Once the driver is installed, you will have an item called something like “Android Compatible ADB Interface”.  If you see this, you’re in business.

11.  There are two files additional files that must be added to the Android SDK folder to enable tethering.  Install the “start-tunnel.bat” and “check.bat” files into your “c:/android-sdk-windows/tools”  folder.  These files are provided at the maker of Proxoid’s website, but for you’re convenience, I have uploaded them here: http://www.slagermanphoto.com/android/

12. After copying the two .bat files into your tools folder, right click on the “start-tunnel.bat” file and go to “Send To>Desktop (create shortcut).  This will place a shortcut to the file on the desktop.  This will be helpful because any time you wish to tether, you will need to launch this application.

13. On your phone, open Proxoid and place a check mark in “Start/Stop” Proxoid

14.  Double click the “start-tunnel.bat” shortcut on your desktop and follow any instructions in the command prompt window that opens.

15. Open your browser, be it Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome.. whatever.  You are going to need to modify the browser’s proxy settings.  I won’t go into much detail here, that’s what a Google search is for, but you will need to set your proxy address to “localhost” or “127.0.0.1” (no quotation marks) and the port for all traffic to 8080 (http, https, socks etc).  Almost all browsers will have their proxy settings under Options or Settings.  Firefox is under Tools>Options>Advanced>Network.  Chrome is under the Wrench icon, then Options>Under The Hood>Change My Proxy Settings.  IE, eahh.. you get the point.

16. FIN!  Start Browsing!

If you did everything correctly, you shoud now be able to browse the net right through the data connection on your phone.  Unfortunately, it will be slower than what you’re use to.  Sometimes painfully slow.  It really depends on your carrier, signal strength, data connection quality, and the content you are trying to access.   You can verify its working by turning off your wifi connection or unplugging your ethernet cord.  If these are off and your able to surf, then give yourself a pat on the back cause you’re done.   The beauty of this is your phone is being charged as you use it, so as long as your computer is plugged into an outlet, you will have limitless access and not have to worry about the battery on your modem.. err…  phone.

Be aware that when you are done tethering, you will want to change your proxy settings back to their default (usually blank) state.  If you try to connect to the Internet over regular wi-fi or a wired network and you don’t change the proxy settings back, you will have trouble browsing.

Happy Surfing and congrats on sticking it to the man… Cough At&t….

Keep in mind that it is YOUR responsibility to verify with your mobile carrier that this will not cause you to incur any extra costs on your bill.  I will not be held responsible for any unexpected or outrageous phone bills.  Always check with your carrier.

Being a photographer and mingling in the design realm, I am exposed to Mac folks on an almost constant basis. Almost as constant is the “how do you get anything done on a PC??” question. I use to brush it off and blame it on the age-old PC/Mac debate but lately, I have been noticing a trend that seems so obvious I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on it before. Many Mac users truly believe that Apple products are the holy grail of computing. An infallible brand of perfect machines that just “get the job done”. While I don’t deny that Apple has been a leader in innovation and makes quality products, I find myself trying to understand how so many of its users hold this blind belief that if it’s not an Apple, it’s crap.

A lot of people know me as the PC guy. My first computer was a PC (Windows 3.1). I’ve grown up with PCs and they have always served me well and interestingly enough, I have used Macs for years as well during college. Have I ever had a PC crash on me? Yes. Have I ever had a virus? Yes. Have I ever run into a situation where there was something that a Mac could do that a PC couldn’t? Never in a million years. It is true the PCs are more likely to be attacked by viruses and malware but think about it. If you were the maker of these viruses, wouldn’t you want to focus your energy on targeting the platform that holds over 92% of the total market share? Then some people say that PCs just break all the time. Yes, PCs break but so do Macs and EVERY other type of electronic available to us. For every major defect or recall with a PC that I’ve heard about, I’ve heard about an equally damaging (and often embarrassing) defect on a Mac. Ahem… yellow screens on the iMac. cough overheating nVidia graphics cards.. ok I’m done.

I like to think of myself as a diversified geek. I use Windows and Ubuntu for every day computing. I was a long-time Blackberry smartphone user and recently switched to Android. I have a Microsoft Zune for music instead of an iPod. I find it’s best to chose platforms that suit my specific needs. If something isn’t a good fit, I move on. At the same time, I acknowledge that every platform is going to have its strengths and weaknesses. I have noticed that PC/Linux people tend to be this way, while Apple people tend to be the complete opposite. What is this about? I have also objectively noticed that pro Mac people have little experience with PCs, while pro PC folks, tend to have used both. Hmm…. FTW!

This takes me to the point of this note. Why do Apple fans/users so blindly believe (or at least appear to believe) that their platform is perfect in every way? My goal is not to bash Apple products here. But to be honest, I guess part of my goal is to bash the people that hold Apple products on an unearthly pedestal.

In my humble opinion, Photoshop is Photoshop no matter what platform you use it on. MacOS has its strengths and serious shortcomings, just like Windows. “Well what about video, Mac has Final Cut Pro” says the Mac guy to which I respond, “so what, I have Adobe Premier Pro and After Effects”. I could go on like this forever. Literally.

One observation that I have honestly made is that the people that I encounter who feel that Mac are the only way tend to be on the less computer-savy side of the fence. They know how to email, update their facebook page, or download a photo from their camera to their computer but beyond that it gets fuzzy. “Power users” (as I call them) know file systems, what hardware does what, how to format a hard drive, install a new printer driver etc etc. These “power users” tend to be on the other side of the fence, not declaring loyalty to a specific computer religion. Why is this? It seems to me that actual ability to use a computer would be irrelevant to a person’s belief of the superiority of one platform over another.

My point is is that everyone is going to have a preference. Obvious. I get that. Some people will will stick to a platform and others will flirt, even if only for a moment, with others. But please please please, stop telling me that your Mac can do things that my PC can’t. Mine can do the same thing (and much more) for about 1/4th the price, and that is just not debatable.

And if there’s one other item I can offer (and I admit that this is subjective) it is that Apple (Steve Jobs really) has put a hell of a lot of effort into manufacturing Mac users into exactly the kind of customers he wants them to be: ones that keep coming back for more. They have done this by herding and corralling their customers into a tiny closed MacOS pasture. You see the pasture. I looks small, but pretty none the less. You are drawn to it and and suddenly forced through the gate and Steve slams the door shut and says to you, “Don’t worry about how small this pasture is, instead concentrate on how green the grass looks. This grass on the other side of the fence is of far less quality, in fact, the fences are high-tech and were built by me and they have the special ability to keep the outside grass out forever and if any of that grass does manage to get in, I will kill it immediately so that it does not have a chance to influence you.” You go about your day, admiring the green grass, afraid of the bad grass on the other side of a tiny little fence.

Am I making any sense here? Are you a Mac person and find yourself offended, bewildered, betrayed? Well, welcome to my world as a PC user who is tired of being accused of being an idiot for making a logical choice in what brand of computer to edit a photo on.

"Comms Towers" Fine Art Print

View all available prints at:  http://www.slagermanphoto.com/prints.html

Nikon today released 4 firmware updates for its upper and top level camera bodies.

64GB compact flash cards are now supported and each update brings bug fixes and new features (the D3 seeing the most updates).

Here are the links:

PC:
Nikon D3 v2.02
Nikon D3X v1.01
Nikon D700 v1.02
Nikon D300S v1.01

Mac:
Nikon D3 v2.02
Nikon D3X v1.01
Nikon D700 v1.02
Nikon D300S v1.01

Nikon D3 Infrared Photograph

This got me to thinking about the actual nature of digital IR photography and how and why it works.  DSLRs try very hard to keep infrared light out of your camera’s sensor with a filter that stands directly in front of the sensor itself.  It only makes sense that the more expensive the camera, the more successful it will be at keeping IR out.  Does that prove true? In this case… YES.

After I got home, I decided to make a very quick and impromptu comparison between the Nikon D3 and an older Nikon D60.   Each image was shot in RAW, and processed in Lightroom for white balance only.  Click each for a larger version.

Nikon D60 Infrared Test

Nikon D3 Infrared Test

With equal processing on both images, you can instantly see some pretty clear differences.  First, the red cast from the Hoya R72 filter is much less apparent in the D60 than the D3.  The D60 provides a much more manageable color environment to work in.  This is not to say that the D3 image could not be massaged into the same image that the D60 produced almost out of the camera, but it would take some significant work.  This is relevant if you want to use the natural color of the IR, but if you convert to grayscale, I found that you get almost an indentical image:

IR grayscale Comparison of Nikon D60 and D3. Click to enlarge.

The only real difference, without close inspection is that the D60 produced a slightly more contrasty image.  Now, what about actual image quality and detail? Below you will find two 100% crops from the images above.

Comparing sharpness between the D60 and D3

Now the differences are more subtle.  Both images lack true sharpness but if one or the other has to be crowned the winner, I would say that hands down it is the D60.  The D3 just does not seem to be able to hold edge detail near areas of contrasting tones.  Instead, it just makes things a blurry mess.  This could be partly due to the fact that there is so much more red in the D3 and therefore less information available when translating to grayscale (depending on how you do it).

So I know that I probably could provide more examples to back my findings up, but I’m a little strapped for time at this exact moment.  I will try to get some additional samples up ASAP. My conslusion is that while the D3 is a capable infrared photography device, it’s IR filter is too efficient at blocking out those much needed invisible light waves and yields a less than spectacular result.  My recommendation, if you want to get truly great IR shots, go find an older cheaper body like a D70 or D50.

I just wanted to give a quick plug to my brother Scott Slagerman’s new work.  He is the owner and founder of Simply Blown, a designer of unique and artful glass adult toys.  Yes, I realize this is a bit riske’, but non the less he has put a lot of work into nurturing this business and I also thought I would share it because I created their website.

Check them out at http://www.simplyblown.com

Simply Blown Website

In other news, I have recently vacated my studio in Old Sacramento.  I am now working from the comfort of my new home and things are going great!  This change has not altered my shooting capabilities and other than the address change, things are business as usual.

Rena did great and she is a long-time friend.   We sneaked into and shot in the old sub-level of Old Sacramento.  It was a fun shoot and I really enjoyed working with her!

I purchased a Paul C Buff external power source today.  I have a feeling it will perform much better.

These shots are very straight forward.  Alienbees B800 key light with large octodome with grid and another Alienbees B800 with medium softbox for fill.