Straight Up Geeksta

Windows Phone 8.1 Cortana

2014-04-04T07:16:00.001-04:00

Worse password of 2013 list now available

2014-01-20T21:29:00.001-05:00

For all of those worried about the NSA poking around in your privacy, start by making a more secure password than 123456. http://splashdata.com/press/worstpasswords2013.htm

The Xbox One: Microsoft finally reaches Tech Convergence Nirvana.

2013-12-26T21:42:00.000-05:00

Greeting everyone. I hope Christmas was a blast for you and your this year. I know that I have been absent from the roll as of late, but I had to chime in on the day that is the greatest manifestation of technophilia of the years. To paraphrase, Nate King Cole, "kids from one to ninety-two" were causing fire hazards as they knock over the electrically overburdened Tannenbaum, to get the latest in electronic shininess. It is no different in my humble abode as I was awakened at "before day I

in the morning" to break his Xbox One from bonds of its retail imposed prison, and rest it gently into it new home under the almost as new, mighty 65" Samsung.

The Xbox One is the latest Microsoft salvo into a dream that Bill Gates has long espoused, "taking over the living room". Microsoft has tried it with the Microsoft TV, through Microsoft Windows Media Center (which is what the Xbox 360's OS is based on) through Windows Media Player, and through the latest update to the Xbox 360 software (The Dashboard). None of these gained the type of traction that justify the use of the word adoption. But, finally the game (see what I did there) has changed. Yeah, it may pose as mere next-generation gaming system, but it is much, much more than that. This wolf, doesn't even hide the snout under the fleece. After 10 minutes, I am prepared to proclaim may be the closest thing to the holy grail of what we propeller-heads term as a media convergence device, and trust me, I have built a bunch of them. I have a computers in most of the rooms in my home, that are networked throughout, so that I can share and stream multimedia through out the place. I balked at the cost of this damn thing ($500 is a lot of Gorgonzola), but once I calculated the price versus the cost of the type of rigs I have built to accomplish this same things, it is actually a bargain. Make no mistake, this is an entertainment device. To punctuate this point, it comes with an improved assortment of entertainment apps, NFL, Netflix, FoxNow, YouTube, Internet Explorer, SkyDrive, The CW, Red Box and Vudu just to list a few.

Let's start with the obvious, it is a gaming console. While the game selection is limited at present (new consoles always suffer this bother at launch), the ones that are available appear incredible on the screen. The graphics, the fluidity, the sheer beauty of Forza Motorsport 5, Killer Instinct, NBA 2K '14, Call of Duty: Ghost, and Madden NFL 25 rival fine art.

In NBA 2K 14, the players, the lighting, the movement, all will fool your eye for a brief moment. It is look like a live game. Same for Madden and if you get car sick, stay away from Forza.

If this is all the One had to offer, I would relegate it to the unconquered, foreboding moonscape known as my son's room, where it would waste away for the next 10 years or until he moves out (my preference is the later, not the former, or whichever is shorter). However, as I mentioned, it is an entertainment device and has earned a spot in the living room. The biggest feature (for me) is the ability to watch TV, through the device, without having to switch inputs on the receiver or TV. If you have a gaming rig in your home, you know the cycle, 1. Fire up the console, 2. switch the TV to the appropriate input. This is a different beast. Because acts as a pass through the Cable/Sat set top box's signal, you turn on the Xbox One and live it on.

Depending on the type of setup you have, Set top box only, home theater receiver or just a sound bar, once you setup up those devices on the Xbox One, it allows you to control those devices, with the Xbox One, using only your voice. When you watching TV, the One adds the ability for you to lower or increase the volume, change the channel, bring up the guide (in my case a Comcast guide), pause, play, go back (30 second skip) live TV, all with just the sound of my (or any) voice. Bing Search is baked in, so it will allow you to search for programming, or other research, again using your voice. It accomplishes this while it sits quietly, lurking in your living room, and playing the TV, until you call its name, causing it to spring into action like a ninja assassin. This solves one of the most offensive problems about gaming consoles in general, the interruption in the flow of the living room. I do not like uni-tasking devices because the ROI on them is usually not equivalent, and gaming devices have been that. Even in my house, there is a huge eye-roll when someone wants to play a game. This is an unfair react, often towards my son, but this function is such an invasion of the living room, everyone leaves, seeking refuge in rooms that are not connect to the gaming console or the opposite happens and my son jettisons to his room, gaming console in hand only emerging after some bodily function has overwhelmed the senses beyond his visceral pleasure experience. Not the Xbox One.
The One has a feature that allow you to view "snap", Windows 8 style, a TV windows in the right 1/4th of the screen, while playing a game. We watched Family Feud (don't judge me, it is the holiday and daytime programming is weak as it is) when the boy play Forza on the other 3/4th of the screen.

All in all, the Xbox One has made a definite impression on me. It has started to successful slip a computer in the leaving and if you give it a chance, you will welcome it with open arms. This is just the tip of the Iceberg, it does not stream media across the house, yet, for instance, allowing me to view my extensive movie collection, thus my PC is still safe. Other than that, it is a WIN in my book.

Xbox One setup for folks with a Home Theatre receiver

2013-12-26T10:44:00.002-05:00

If you were like me on Christmas morning, you were also ripped from the warm, cocoon-like confines of your bed by one of your offspring to open an Xbox One and set it up most expeditiously. If you have a setup like mine, the instructions in the box will not work. The Quick Setup guide only shows the standard setup, where only a HDTV, Cable/Sat, and Xbox One are involved:

This config places the Xbox One in between the HDTV and the Cable/Sat set-top box, allowing the viewer to watch the Television without having to change the input (this best feature of the Xbox One). This may work great for most folks, but those that have a Home Theater system, it doesn't cut it. Fear not, the instructions do exist, but they are on the Xbox One Support website for A/V receivers and A/V Sound Bars (a simple Web Search turned it up):

Basic setup with an audio/video receiver

With an audio/video (A/V) receiver, the best and most direct option is to connect the devices sequentially:

Connect your set-top box HDMI output to the Xbox One HDMI input.
Connect the Xbox One HDMI output to your A/V HDMI input.
Connect your A/V HDMI output to the HDMI input on your television.

Notes

This option requires that all devices support audio over HDMI.
Surround sound from your set-top box will not be passed through the Xbox One.
When you perform this kind of basic setup with an A/V receiver, you’re passing both audio and video through another device. Depending on your equipment, there is a small risk of audio or video lag.

and for the Sound Bar:

Audio receiver with optical or sound bar

This is a slightly more complicated configuration that may require cables other than HDMI cables. This option provides full surround sound from your television set-top box. It’s best for older A/V receivers that either don’t have an HDMI port or don’t support audio over HDMI.

Connect your set-top box HDMI output to the Xbox One HDMI input.
Connect the Xbox One HDMI output to the HDMI input on your television.
Connect the audio output from the television to the audio input on the sound bar using either HDMI or Optical S/PDIF cables.

Here is the link: https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/live-tv/connect-console-to-home-theater

Windows 8.1 preview installed and running on my Surface RT

2013-06-26T21:32:00.001-04:00

Microsoft's Build conference for developers started today and I got the email this afternoon that the Windows 8.1 preview was available for download (legitimately). Performed the necessary update, then went into the Windows Store and downloaded the 8.1 for RT and boom goes the dynamite! Windows Blue is in the house. Here is the link if you want to bite, http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/download-preview. Caveat, per Microsoft, if you install this preview, you will have to reinstall all of you apps when the real 8.1 comes out in the fall. Eat up!

How to add your Comcast Email in the Windows 8's native Mail app

2013-03-27T21:52:00.001-04:00

As a user of Windows 8 since the beginning, beta release (Consumer Preview) and user of Window RT on my beloved Surface RT, I have found the Productivity Apps, particularly, the Mail app to be pretty useless. The Mail app is functional (and I use that term loosely), but limited at best. And, it does not support the POP mail protocol. This is not a slight to POP email, which a lot of ISP's and Email providers still stand on, as much as it is a bit premature. The logic is the same reasoning behind the Adobe Flash conundrum. To force the adoption of HTML 5 over the leaky, insecure Flash, Apple stopped supporting Flash in their mobile products. Later, Adobe stopped making the mobile version. Later Google and Microsoft (in its RT products) stopped providing it and here we are. Problem is, a great majority of websites still support Flash as primary multimedia delivery plugin. That is why most mobile tablet and phone devices cannot access certain multimedia content. Same goes for POP (Post Office Protocol), which is even older and less secure. Microsoft left POP off of favored protocol list. Microsoft's webmail services, namely Hotmail, and other webmail services, like Gmail, AOL, Yahoo and such, work just fine. Comcast users like myself, as well as many, many other Email users from various none webmail, IMAP Email services, were left twisting in the "Windows". So, you read the headline, what's the twist. Ok, disclaimer time, 1. this is a tip for Comcast ISP customers like myself. 2. This is a trial of Comcast's Xfinity IMAP protocol. First, you need to go to the Xfinity IMAP trial and sign up. It will take up to 72 hours for Comcast to roll you over to their IMAP servers. Comcast will email you, welcoming you to the trial. It only took about a day for me, but you will received a second email telling you that you are part of the trial and giving you a link to the IMAP settings. Next, you open the native Mail app, swipe from the right or press Windows Key + C, press the Setting Sprocket, select Accounts, Add a Account, Select Other account, and enter the incoming server as IMAP.COMCAST.NET. The outgoing server is SMTP. COMCAST.NET. That is pretty much it. If you are not a Comcast Xfinity customer, you will need to consult your particular Email provider to see if they can provide an IMAP solution.

Google Reader shutting down in July!!!

2013-03-13T23:49:00.002-04:00

Whiskey...Tango...Foxtrot! Thanks right, Google is dumping one of my most used programs, Google Reader, in order to push users to Google+ social services. I get it, it is evolution, and I am a Technical Darwinist, but for me, this one is sentimental. I just hope they have a workable alternative that doesn't leave me on the lurch like the loss of Google Listen's deprecation. http://usat.ly/XJZ6ru

Finally, A Native Windows 8 Twitter app!!!

2013-03-13T23:36:00.002-04:00

I don't really need to say much more. The New Twitter app by Twitter is now available in the Window Store. And it only took them 6 months to publish it. Hopefully, more major app developers will follow suit, soon (I am talking to you, Facebook). Goodbye, MetroTwit.

First month with the HTC Droid DNA

2013-02-04T21:45:00.000-05:00

In just over a years time (well since December 2011), I have own three different phones. I already posted about the Motorola Photon. Great phone with solid specs (at the time) and I was happy. And Motorola promised to update it to Ice Cream Sandwich very soon. Until last fall when Motorola famously went back on their promise to provide update the Photon to Ice Cream Sandwich. That was one of the tenet of reasons for my selection of that particular phone. So, I moved to my next bundle of electronic of joy was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Ahhh, the pleasure of the vaulted Pure Android experience. Honestly, it took some getting used to. At first. I was struck by appeared to be starkness. You see, the Pure Android Experience is just that. There were none of the familiar Sprint applications to get my Voicemail for instance. Then, I realized, "That's what Google Voice is for.". I was never a fan of Google Voice in the past, but after using it, I will never go back. Fast forward three months and I accept an offer from a new employer. That meant that I would need to step away from my Galaxy Nexus. Looking for sunshine in that cloud, I took this as an opportunity to pick up the next, shiny new Nexus device by LG. The Nexus 4 is a beast of a phone, but for me with a major flaw, no LTE. I was not missing much, since even though The Galaxy Nexus had LTE, Sprint did not have it in my area, (yet). My then current employer was gracious enough to let me have the GNex and I was inclided to save some cheddar, stick with Sprint using this GNex. But no, if I am moving from my cushy, corporate contract and to a 2 year commitment, it was going to be for a phone that was worth it. Looking to stay with Sprint, They had the LG Optimus G, the doppelgänger of the Nexus 4, with a higher pixel camera (I know, pixels aren't everything). AT&T has the Optimus G, with the same camera as the Nexus G, also and both the AT&T and Sprint version have LTE. Just when I thought I was going to wrap my hands around a Optimus G, I could not do it. After using the Galaxy Nexus with Jelly Bean, I was spoiled for all other phones and for some reason. LG released a phone without Jelly Bean and not upgrade path announced in the US. Jelly Bean, Quad-Core Processor and LTE for a 2 year contract were all deal breakers. A three or I walk. It was then when I caught an Eye full of DNA. The new gig has a discount with Verizon, so I walked into the store to check out when they had, maybe grab another Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Nah, not for a 2 year commitment. Samsung Galaxy SIII or the Big Show of phones, the Galaxy Notes 2. The S3 did not have Jelly Bean yet (Big Red is notorious for being the last to roll out OS updates) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is niiiccee, Quad-Core, Stylus and huge, beauty screen, but it was just not my thing. Just when I was about to turn around and walk out of the store, there it was. The HTC DNA. 5-inch super LCD3, HD 1080p, Gorilla® Glass 2. Qualcomm® APQ8064 Quad-core 1.5 GHz, MDM9615M. Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with HTC Sense™. LTE. 8 MP main camera with auto focus, LED Flash, BSI sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens, 1080p HD video recording, w/ HTC ImageSense®: 2.1 MP front-facing camera, Dedicated HTC ImageChip®. Beats Audio® built in. Thin. Light. Sexy. I'd owned an HTC before, the Evo 4G and it was a good experience, so decided to take a look at the DNA and man! It had me at hello! I pulled up a few websites and the crispness of the 1080p display blew me away. I thought that it was a gimmick, but let me tell you, it is legit. Everything you look at on this phone's display looks like new money. The colors are richer, more vibrant, brighter, and sexier than any and I mean any other display I had ever seen. It was so gorgeous, I sold the Asus Transformer that I had just purchased. I had purchased it as a birthday gift, but once I got the DNA in my hand, I rarely turned the Transformer on. This love affair is not just about the pretty face. Besides being a stylish phone, with the Red on Black accents, it is powerful. The Quad-core Snapdragon, delivered the bits to my face in blazing Full HD glory. And the LTE on Big Red is For. Real. There are times when I shut off the WiFi and forget to turn it back on because it delivering bits on a rail. In short, this thing is faster than gravity. At 5 inches gleaming Gorilla Glass, some see the screen as unwieldy, I call it...intimidating. To other phones. The phone is a monster. Yeah, I had to give up the Pure Android, but at least it came out of the wrapper with Jelly Bean. The Beats only works via an external speaker, headphone, Bluetooth, and it sounds good. The Camera is quick, agile and tight. It snaps pictures rapid-fire. Overall, this is the best phone on the market today.

A great FAQ on why the world did not end yesterday...

2012-12-22T07:52:00.001-05:00

And why your light bill is still due.
NASA - Beyond 2012: Why the World Won't End:

'via Blog this'

Wait, the World didn't end yesterday? I better send that Mortgage payment after all!!!

2012-12-22T07:44:00.001-05:00

Great rip on way Microsoft can improve Win 8 in 2013.

2012-12-21T23:06:00.001-05:00

And no, bringing the Start Menu is not one of them. As a user of Windows 8 for the last year, I think I've used it longer than most people have. Having said that, I'm please a lot of the features, I am disappointed with others. I find this article brings up some very interesting, poignant, sensible, and relevant thoughts on how Microsoft to move toward the future. I find the most interesting part of course hardware side. The Surface stands alone, to me as the single most gorgeous most relevant piece of hardware created 2012. I think moving forward, Microsoft greatly expanded their footprints
in the tablet and PC markets by continuing to create great hardware like the Surface. Five things Microsoft must do for Windows 8 in 2013 - CNET Mobile

Google+ 2012: The that it gained Momentum

2012-12-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

This is no less part due to the monster growth of the Android platform.

Google+:

'via Blog this'

Happy Holidays from Android

2012-12-21T16:18:00.001-05:00

VOTE NOW! Reader's Choice Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies | GeekDad | Wired.com

2012-12-21T16:16:00.001-05:00

VOTE NOW! Reader's Choice Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies | GeekDad | Wired.com:

'via Blog this'

Flipboard Goes Big, Launches Support For 10-Inch Android Tablets | TechCrunch

2012-12-20T11:41:00.001-05:00

Flipboard Goes Big, Launches Support For 10-Inch Android Tablets | TechCrunch:

'via Blog this'

ReadWrite – 2012: The Year Apple Was Forced To Play Defense

2012-12-20T11:33:00.001-05:00

Great article that takes a different angle from what I posted last night. ReadWrite – 2012: The Year Apple Was Forced To Play Defense:

'via Blog this'

2012 may well be the year of the Android.

2012-12-19T19:48:00.001-05:00

It has been a long road, but this may be the year were Android finally become the most accepted, mobile operating system. Sure, Android has been the most widely used operating system purely because of the number of hardware manufacturers building with it world wide and those offerings being cheaper alternatives to the benchmark of smartphone and tablet, the Apple iPhone and iPad. But now it may be the most accepted because it simply be the best. 2012 is the year that the Android OS maturated into real money contender. Andy became a man. Android ver. 4 and its variants, 4.0 ( Ice Cream Sandwich) and 4.1 and now 4.2 (Jelly Bean) made Android a star, that and great hardware (Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy 3) have been best sellers this year. In fact, the Samsung Galaxy 3 out sold the iPhone. CNet named not just the best smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy 3 as the best top device of the year ahead of the iPhone 5 and the Nexus 7 is the top tablet, ahead of the iPad Mini. Same for PC World magazine. Popular Science listed Google Now, the killer app of the Jelly Bean version of Android, as one of the top tech innovations of the year. If you haven't used Google Now, take Siri, give a more mature voice recognition database, (Google Voice Actions existed long before purchased Siri's parent company), sprinkle in the Earth's most massive search database, add the amount of personal entanglement that we all enjoy through our use of Google's plethora of services (Search, Gmail, Google+, Maps, etc) that we freely tell everything about ourselves, and you end up with one powerful digital assistant. If present trends continues, Android in 2013 may give us the OS we want, intuitive, powerful, effective and most of all, affordable.

A Christmas Message from Big Boi - The Grinch - Noisey Specials

2012-12-19T11:36:00.001-05:00

Big Boi from OutKast...Reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Yeah, I said it.

Rewind YouTube Style 2012

2012-12-19T11:31:00.001-05:00

Classic YouTube 2012 year-end Mash-up. From YouTube. And they Invited all of the YouTube stars of 2012 to the Party. Enjoy.

It is Official: Felix Baumgartner is the First Supersonic human alive!!!

2012-10-14T18:03:00.000-04:00

Brian Utley of the International Federation of Sports Aviation, says Baumgartner reached a maximum speed of 833.9 mph during his jump Sunday over the New Mexico desert.

That amounts to Mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. No one has ever reached that speed wearing only a high-tech suit.

He Did it!!! He Jumped from 128172 ft!!!

2012-10-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

Records broken:

Highest Manned Balloon flight
Highest Jump

Pending: First man to break Mach 1 Sound Barrier

He did not break the record for longest free-fall. He pulled the chute about 13 seconds short.

Felix Bumgartner is jumping from about 127500 ft or 23.7784 miles.

2012-10-14T13:52:00.000-04:00

Red Bull Stratos YouTube Feed looks to be down

2012-10-14T13:17:00.002-04:00

If you have it hit the Discovery Channel for current live coverage. They are about 4 minutes behind the WebCasts. Also Twitter following @RedBullStratos.

Meet Col. Joe Kittinger, The Real Fastest to Ever Live

2012-10-14T13:02:00.002-04:00

If there is a person alive that should have a movie, TV-series, or at least a comic book produced about their life, it is one USAF Col. Joe Kittinger (Ret.). Col. Joe Kittinger (Florida boy, like myself), as a part of Project Excelsior, proved that a human could safely free-fall from the edge of space in a emergency. In the 1950's, experimental aircraft were flying at incredible speeds and altitudes. Pilots and scientists were concerned that if an aircraft got into trouble at such extreme altitudes, the human body could not survive such a jump from the very edges of space.

Sign at the bottom of the Excelsior III Space Gondola.

On Dec. 11, 1960, Joe Kittinger, then a Capt., stepped out of the Excelsior III Space balloon gondola, from 19+ miles or 102,800 ft above the Earth and preceded to free-fall for 4 and a half+ minutes at a speed of ~614 MPH, setting a multitude of records:

Fastest Free-fall of 614 mph, just under the Sound Barrier, again without a vehicle.

This would make him the fastest man alive, unassisted

It is still the highest parachute jump ever.
The free-fall lasted four minutes and thirty-six seconds

Col. Kittinger's accomplishments extend to beyond his signature "Highest Step in the Work Jump", logged more than 11,000 hours of flight time in 62 different types of aircraft including 5,300 hours in jet fighters and 1,000 hours of combat flying, is a Master Parachutist with over 100 parachute jumps, made five high altitude balloon flights, and has extensive experience in low altitude helium and hot air balloons.

He flew a T-33 aircraft to track the rocket-sled experiments being conducted by John Paul Stapp.
Kittinger piloted Manhigh I to a height of 96,000 feet
Assigned to pilot zero gravity flights for Project Manhigh, precursor of the Project Mercury
Logged over 1,000 hours combat flight in Southeast Asia in the sixties and early seventies
Shot down over North Vietnam and taken prisoner.

He spent 11 months in solitary confinement in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton".

Served as flight operations director on Ed Yost’s attempted balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in Silver Fox

Awards include:

Harmon International Trophy,
Two Montgolfier Diplomas,
Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Distinguished Flying Cross with five Oak Leaf Clusters,
and Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and two Oak Leaf Clusters.