The Tech Enthusiast

My Firefox

2012-02-02T18:23:00.001-06:00

If you like what you see, here's a quick walk through to duplicate perfection.

Update
    First and most importantly, make sure you've got the latest version of Firefox. You can do this by going to Menu > Help > About    From there you can click apply update. If you run a 64bit OS, then you can use a 64bit version of Firefox. You'll notice that this makes your browser 1,000,000x times faster. You can download the nightly release here.

Clean Up
   After updating or switching to the 64bit version, it's a great day to do some house cleaning. For me, I only need three extensions. Adblock Plus, because advertisements often ruin good designs. Clearly, an extension for evernote. I find this extensions not only great for adding content to evernote, but also it makes for very clean printing and copy&paste. Persona Plus, which I only use when I role my own personas. If you are happy without personas, then you can skip this one.
A lighter browser is a happier browser. Just try to be realistic when evaluating extensions. Is it something that you use daily, or just something you wanted to try out? You'd be surprised how easy it is to hoard extensions.

New Home
I've used Google as my homepage for over 10 years. However, in the past year, the constant (and more annoying) logo updates, changes to the layout and just lack of function has forced me to move on. I found the perfect solution, myfav.es   It gives you a list of sites that you can add, or you can add your own. It also lets you chose the layout, search options, and complete UI control.
   I also found this to be extremely helpful as an App tab. This lets me do away with the home button altogether, freeing up address bar space. It also gave me the opportunity to disable my bookmarks bar, giving me more viewing space.

Build a custom theme
   After switching to nightly, I was immediately dissatisfied with the choice of icon and theme. The easiest solution is just to change it yourself without flipping through a hundred themes. A quick search for firefox icons will turn up hundreds of results.

I found this one to be satisfactory. After downloading, extract the files. With Firefox closed, hold Shift and Right click on the Firefox icon on the taskbar. Click properties, then change icon. Navigate to the extracted folder and chose the desired icon. You can may to restart Windows for the icon to actually change, in some cases, the icon doesn't change until it's reinstalled, or an update is installed(shouldn't be a problem too long for Nightly users)
Since the icon above also came with a PNG version, you can also open up your favorite picture editor to make a matching persona. The "header" image needs to be 3000x200 pixels, and if you chose to use a footer, it needs to be 1000x100. The header image stretches from the top right, while the footer starts from the bottom left. A full detailed guide can be found here. Remember you'll need to keep the Persona Plus extension to make custom personas.

MIUI4 on Samsung Captivate

2012-01-29T12:59:00.000-06:00

MIUI has begun moving towards Ice Cream Sandwich. It's unclear how much longer it will take before the switch is complete, but for those with the Captivate can get ready to make the switch very soon. Here's what you can expect.

To be clear, there is not a design difference. Sure, they icons may come off slightly more square or drop some of the gloss, but the same design principles that make MiUI great will still be used.

With that said, you will still have most of the improvements from ICS. A good example is the settings app, which both versions are posted above. With the ICS version, the settings have been cleaned up and simplified where possible. Here's a quick list of the improvements you can expect from the ICS version.

Better Camera. You can now shot in a panorama mode, letting you take one continuous image just by rotating the phone. You can now do on-the-fly video effects, better face detection, and a simplified user interface. My favorite feature? It's super fast. The time in between pictures has been improved dramatically.

ICS Keyboard. At first I couldn't tell that it was different from the MiUI default keyboard, however misspell one word and you'll quickly see that it's the default keyboard from ICS. The new keyboard sports a much improved spell checker, now only suggest 3 words at a time, and supports the use of third party dictionaries and spell-checkers.

Other Improvements;
New Contact Manager.
Improved Gmail
Improved Web browser
Re-sizable Widgets
Swipe to dismiss notifications, tasks and browser tabs

Download and Install
While they are a few glitches, I've found this build to be pretty reliable on my captivate. Here's a link with instructions and required files XDA Post.

Issues;
-Trying to access Data Usuage will end in a force close. To get around this, simply click More, then Mobile Networks.
-Themes does not work out of the box. In order to get the MiUI themes app working, use this patch.

Bottom Line
Given the age of the Captivate(July 2010) I thought ICS would be a bit out of it's reach. However, just a few days in my Captivate is running as fast and stable as a brand new phone.

Evernote Review

2012-01-20T14:07:00.001-06:00

If there is one must have app for student, evernote is it. It's not new to the scene, but it's steady streams of updates and ever growing list of tie-in services has carried it into 2012 as one of the best apps ever. Here's a quick video introduction.

There's a few reasons evernote is the perfect note taking app. Evernote, if you're not already a user, lets you takes notes anywhere. From your computer, cellphone and tablet. It lets you organize them into "notebooks", also giving you the options of tags and search. It keeps all your notes in sync on each device. It's free, but you also have the option to add more space if you need it. While you can still type notes or record audio, there's a few new ways to take notes.

Skitch is one of the best drawing apps you'll ever have on your android or iPad. It lets you draw new pictures, or over the top of another. It's dead simple interface means there's no learning curves.

Another tie in great for getting information on evernote is clearly. It's a browser extension that lets you add a webpage to your notes. It's extremely helpful, because it "cleans up" the webpage before it's saved as a note. These means you don't have to cut copy and paste. It's also very handy when you want to print an article for physical use.

These are just two examples of the ever expanding collection available in the "trunk".

Bottom line; While evernote still retains a slight learning curve, it's hands down on of the best note taking apps available. It's growing feature set and number of tie-in services keep evernote ahead of the pack.

Cutting cost; Data Plans

2012-01-02T01:17:00.000-06:00

After a successful holiday season, you may have become in the possession of a smart phone(or a new one). While this is really awesome, nearly every major provider in the world will make you adopt a "Data Plan". These on average range anywhere from $15 to $50 a month, depending on options. Worst of all, many come with data caps. Here's some advice from a college student, get the cheapest plan available. Don't care, even if it's AT&T's shitty 200mb plan. Here's why;

Take a deep breath, smell that? It's wifi. It's usually in our homes, classrooms, and office. It's also in quite a few restaurants and businesses(except theaters for some reason) There's also a 99.9% that your smart phone supports wifi, which is great. Why is that great? Because wifi doesn't count against your data plan usage. Doesn't matter if you stream netflix all day long. So where ever you go, use wifi. For me, I have wifi at home, work and school. So outside of the 20 minutes I spend transit, I'm always in reach of wifi.

Built in Monitors. There's a small chance that you phone can monitor your data usuage. If you're using a jailbroken iphone or rooted android, there's a good chance that your phone can monitor your usage. The MiUI rom comes with the monitor app that's perfect for this.

From here, not only can it monitor how much traffic I use, but it can send alerts when I get close to going over. Best of all, it can automatically shutoff data transfer when I reach my quota.

If you dig in your settings, you may also find a toggle like this.

Turning this off prevents your phone from using the mobile network. Which is handy if you have a bunch of apps that use data all the time.

Don't buy Smart Limits. A lot of providers will sell you a service that prevents you from going over your data and text message limits. The entire purpose of avoiding overages is to save money; but you can't really save money if you're paying a monthly fee to save money. It just kind of defeats the purpose.

I understand that this may not work for everyone. They are a few places that don't offer wifi, but after watching your usage for a few months, you should know your limits.

What ever you do, don't try replacing DSL or Cable internet with tethering. Caps on tethering are ridiculous, the speed is incredibly slow, and it's a hassle. You can use the internet in your home to replace cableTV. You can use the internet in your home to replace your phone. You can not replace the internet in your home with tethering.

2012, the year of...

2011-12-23T02:49:00.001-06:00

As we start yet another year, there's sure to be a slew of crazy predictions. Ranging from the Year of Linux to an 7 inch iPad. Here's some of the predictions and why they won't happen any time soon.

Google+ over powers facebook
   Probability = 0%
Much like the defeat of myspace, it's not going to happen over night. Google+ needs to keep gaining users to be successful. I don't think it needs a lot of innovations, but just improvement and tweaks. Look at what facebook users complain about and don't make the same mistakes.

What's much more probable is that Google+ struggles to gain any ground in the social market as we know it. I can however, see google+ being a pretty big hit in the corporate world since Google Apps are so popular. Since it ties so tightly into google search, I'm not sure that everyone will want to use it for personal networking. That, which many cite as a strength, is it's ultimate weakness.

Microsoft buys Yahoo
   Probability = 5%
It's not impossible, but given the rise of Google and Bing, Microsoft no longer needs Yahoo. 5 years ago this could have been a game changing move, but now Microsoft could buy AOL or Altavista and have the same impact as Yahoo. Sure, Yahoo still has millions of users, but it's on a quick decline. Yahoo needs a boost, but bing is doing well all by itself. Yahoo will end if it doesn't make changes quickly.

It's not to say that Yahoo won't find a buyer. I can see many corporations buying into yahoo thinking that it's still worth fighting for. I just have to call it as I see it, it's way pass it's prime and is destined to join AOL.

7 inch iPad
   Probability = 5%
Everyone keeps pointing to the Kindle Fire's success, concluding there must be a need for a 7 inch tablet. But in all honesty, the kindle Fire sells because of it's price and features, not it's hardware. 10 inches are the defacto standard in tablets, and it will remain that way. There's very little savings in making something 3 inches smaller.

Truth, the iPod is an mini-tablet. If there is such a need for a mini-tablet or PDA, the ipod has it all covered. I love my 10 inch tablet, but definitely would not want a smaller one. Given the fact that most cell phones are already 4 inches, a 7 inch tablet just doesn't add that much.

Linux goes Mainstream
   Probability = 0%
I'm a big fan of linux, and use it every day. But given the fall of ubuntu, there's no other distro out there that's going to make a big move. Mint, although popular, is attached to ubuntu, and will never go mainstream unless it breaks it ties. KDE is on the right track, but It needs to win over Windows users, which usually don't feel the need to switch.

As Windows Xp begins to die out, Linux does have a window of opportunity. But as with linux, it's lack of organization and direction is it's downfall. If Google ever was serious about building a linux distro, this would be a good time to start development.

RIP RIM
   Probability = 49%
With the rise of Android and iOS, RIM is at the "fight or take flight" point. There's no choice in continuing the Blackberry platform. RIM should adopt android and put a custom UI over the top, or RIM will disappear along with the blackberry users. App developers are not going to be interested in another platform to write apps for. RIM however does have a dedicated user base, and it's their unique software that has kept them in the race this far. It would make much more sense for them to build on top of the android platform like Amazon did.

2011 in the eye of the gamer

2011-12-11T00:11:00.001-06:00

As the year draws to an end, we can take a look back at all that was in 2011. This has been a particularly good year for gamers. Here's just a quick list of highlights.

Consoles;

Wii U announced
Probably not to surprising given the recent fall of the Wii in the gaming market. Wii U is the next generation console from Nintendo. This is a new move for Nintendo, as typically each TV console is completely different from the last. This is a wii, plus HD graphics, a tablet controller and new online experience. While it addressed the top 3 complaints of the wii, it still didn't include Blu-Ray support, more adult games or "hardcore gamer" games. Wii U has since been quite, a release date is projected early 2012, but I encourage gamers to take a reality check. Most likely the Wii U will pop onto the scene during the holiday season of 2012. Similar launch titles as the original wii, and a similar price. A tablet controller and better graphics does appeal to the traditional gamer, but if Nintendo bogs it down with kiddish avatars and a lackluster online experience, we could be in for disappointment.

Xbox 360 System Updates
Late this year, a new Xbox 360 update was pushed out to it's users. It features a much more Kinect friendly layout, new social features and a ton of third party apps. By third party, we mean mostly TV and Movie services. By Kinect layout, we mean Metro, the UI on Windows 8 and Windows phone. It feels like Microsoft is trying to do something big here, but really it was just half-baked with very few of the new features actually working. Best yet, the new Terms of Service that you must accept prevents you from suing Microsoft if later down the road you feel like you got robbed. It's probably the result of what we saw with Sony.

Playstation 3
What a horrible year for Playstation 3 owners. Very few exclusive titles came out, lack-luster software updates, and the highlight of their year was the massive network outage. While it's true the Sony network is free, millions of users had credit card information on file which was stolen. So while many we're complaining out the lack of online gameplay, some had much worse to worry about. This is one year Sony wish they could do over.

Nintendo 3DS
Actually one of the more exciting consoles, promising 3D games glasses free. However, like the fate of so many Nintendo products, it's only embraced by Nintendo itself and third party publishers hurt the console's image. It's rather high price point, lack of content, and slow adoption has doomed this product. It did bring back the Ocarina of Time and it is pretty cool, but it's too much like the kiddish Nintendo DS to get off the ground.

Winner;
Really there's not one here. Yes, the Xbox 360 was clearly the best seller and had the best games. But it's only because the competition failed on multiple levels.

Software

Gears of War 3
Gears of War is one of my favorite series on the Xbox platform. It was the strongest influence for me to switch to the Xbox 360. Great graphics, good story and just fun gameplay. Gears of War 3 is bittersweet. It's a great game, but it is the last one. A fitting end to a great series. And by the end, I don't mean floating off into space so that next year the makers can still make more money. This is the last gears, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this game engine resurface in a new series. Which is fine by me.

Call of Duty 7 or 8 and Assassin's Creed part 4 are released
Probably more among the lines of the most disappointing games of the year. Just a minimal amount of news features, some new story line, and the slightest improvement in graphics. While both games are good, it's pretty much like playing the same one they released last year, or the year before that, or the year before that, or the year before that...

Batman; Arkham City
While the sequels above didn't go over well, this one did alright. Yes, it'll probably last the real gamer a weekend, but it doesn't mean that it wasn't fun to play. It's similar to the first one, but adds more villains, a much larger map, down-loadable content actually worth downloading and a good graphics update. Not revolutionary, but an improvement. However, if there is a next one, I do want something different.

Game of the Year;

The Elder Scrolls 5, Skyrim
Game of the Year hands down. Hundreds of hours of content. A massive free and open world. While a first glance you many not notice the graphics, the environments in this game are breathtaking. There's a lot to love about this game, and even comes in an awesome PC version that can be modded. Every Elder Scrolls is a game of the year, but this Elder Scroll might be the best yet.

Looking forward;
Android and iOS.
Late this year it was announced that Grand Theft Auto 3 would be ported to Android and iOS devices. This is pretty exciting. As we move forward, the need or desire for portable game consoles is on the decline. Cell phones are quickly getting all the hardware power they need to play games. We'll have to wait and see if mobile gaming finally improves.

Quick Start to Blogging

2011-11-28T17:03:00.001-06:00

With holiday breaks and New Years right around the corner, it might be the best time of the year to start blogging. Here's some quick tips and tricks to help you get off the ground.

For photographers. For those that like KISS principles. For those that are planning to keep it personal. We have the perfect blogging platform for you, tumblr. Tumblr is the smallest of the big 3 platforms. It's very sleek and easy to use. Not a lot of bells and whistles, but enough flare to make an attractive website. Easy to setup and easy to use. You won't be broadcasting on a big blogsphere, but if you're target audience is friends or family, then this is the platform for you.

For the first time user. For those looking to set the web on fire. For those that are writing just to write. Blogger is the platform for you. Blogger is the biggest of the 3 mainstream blog platforms. It has a fair amount of customization options if you want and it offers ad free hosting, just like tumblr. Blogger has a bigger user base and tight integration with Google. If you're looking to build you're own user base without all to head aches of building a website, then look no further than blogger.

For the serious hobbyist. For those considering Professional blogging. For the control freak. There is a solution. Wordpress. Of the big 3, Wordpress offers the most settings and features. The downside is that you have to host it yourself(which will cost some money) and it does require some technical skill. However, for those with the time and patients to learn, it has the most benefits. Wordpress will let you create a professional place on the web, with your own style.

Blogging makes a great hobby. For me, it was all about improving my writing skills. It's help me present my thoughts in a more organized manner and really help me feel more comfortable about writing. Blogging is also a great way to express your expertise of a certain subject. Plus it's a great piece to add to your portfolio.

Here's some real expectations you should set before you get started;

You're not going to be famous over night. Until you build an audience for your content, you won't be famous or making tons of money.
Don't expect to make any money starting out. Until your blog gains a reputation it's going to be really hard to pick up sponsors.
Ads usually only pay when there clicked on. That doesn't mean clutter your blog with ads.

Here's 3 tips that will guarantee your success.

Quality Content - Always write something worth reading, keeping it clean and upbeat is always a plus.
Greed - You can make a career out of writing, however don't expect to become a millionaire. Ads will only make so much money for you before they become too annoying to readers. Speaking too strongly in favor of your sponsor is also a great way to lose the trust of your user base.
Stick with it - As with many things in life, it's a learning experience. It may take you months or even years before you find your target audience. Take your time, don't try taking over the world all at once.

Holiday Security

2011-11-19T11:11:00.001-06:00

With the many holidays approaching us, we'll see an increase in shopping. Unfortunately, this means phishing will be in full swing. If you plan to shop online, they are a few things you can do to help avoid and survive a phishing attack.

Credit Card over PayPal
PayPal is sort of a universal go-to pay service. They are a few others, but they basically offer the same thing. You place you Credit Card or Bank Information on file, then when you're shopping you just sign in to pay. This is dangerous for a few reasons. People have access to your information with just your login. But it's more practical to use a credit card because of the liability benefits.

Many, if not all, credit cards offer ZERO liability. If someone fraudulently uses your credit card, the card can be frozen and the charges reversed immediately. If someone gets your bank information or paypal, it can freeze all your money up, there is no automatic reversal and it cost you to reverse the charge.

Single Use
Another "hidden" feature of credit cards are called Single Use Card Numbers. You contact your card company, tell them how much you want available for this card, they give you a number with that specific amount, and it can only be used once. It expires within just 48 to 72 hours. You can also sometimes set it to only be used by a certain vendor as well.

This is super handy because if you're not sure about shopping online, then you don't have to worry about your actual credit card number being stolen. Then you don't have to reorder cards or worry about freezing your account. Best of all, this is usually free.

Among the same lines is using a prepaid visa. Their is usually a small fee attached, but it's reusable and is physical unlike the single use. Both of these features are also good if you're just really bad at using a budget and want a definite cut off to prevent over spending.

Stranger Danger
But most important, avoid risky situations. If you're really not sure about the website you're own, then don't use it. They are thousands of legitimate websites that you can shop safely at.

Also, just as a crazy idea, try shopping local. It's the best way to support the working class of America. No, shopping local doesn't include walmart.

Protect IP ACT

2011-11-17T09:59:00.001-06:00

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Firefox Tune-up

2011-11-12T11:37:00.001-06:00

With Firefox on a new release schedule, it's rolling out quite a few new features. But with these new releases you should be noticing performance improvements. Here's a few things you can do to make sure you're getting the most out of Firefox.

Update your plug ins. Mozilla has put together a nifty web page here that checks to make sure you're using all the up to date plug ins. Updating you're plug ins can give you a huge performance boost. It also improves security and gives you more features.

Clean up your existing extensions. Part of the Firefox experience is trying or adding new features via extensions. But it doesn't hurt every now and then to make sure you're not running a bloated Firefox. If you don't know what the extensions does or don't remember installing it, you probably won't miss it when it's gone.

Clean cache, cookies and more. if you browse the web like me, then you've probably have tons of data on your computer. It doesn't hurt to clean this out.

With all of this, you're browser should be running at the top of it's game. As an added bonus, here's my top 3 favorite Firefox Extensions.

Adblock Plus
It blocks all types of ads, and does so nearly everywhere. It's free and can definitely improve you're browsing experience.

Secure Login
It's a one click button that logs you in. If you're coming from Opera, this will make the transition extremely easy.

Tab Scope
Another feature developed in Opera, but ported into Firefox via extension. This will give you an preview just by hovering over a tab. Pretty handy if you have a lot of pictures or PDF files open that make flipping through tabs a pain.

Google TV's future looks dim

2011-11-11T18:59:00.001-06:00

Google TV was suppose to revolutionize the industry. But with such a strong backlash from content providers and creators, it was never allowed to get up off the ground. Logictech announced today that they would no longer be producing the Logitech Revue. Basically, there's three things that was said that you'll want to focus on.

One, that Google TV was an epic fail. Whether it was getting developers, content providers or users on board, the Logitech Revue and Google TV failed to get anywhere. We can blame whoever we want, but ultimately it's a failure. Google has not given up on the platform, but currently the only other manufacturer of Google TV will be Sony. It's not hard to believe that this platform will die soon.

The best news about this is that the Revue is on sale at $99. If you've ever been curious about Google TV but could never find a way to justify the price, now might be a good time to reconsider. It's only on sale until the supplies run out, but I don't think it's going to sale out until after the holidays.

The Future. Something interesting is that there's a rumor(isn't there always) that a few others may be investing in GoogleTV, mostly LG. I don't know how this announcement will effect that, but it does show that others may pick the ball up and try again.

And with that, would you be wasting a $100 if you bought a Revue now? I don't think so. It will still receive the latest updates, and possibly future ones. Plus, with flashing, it could be hacked into something more useful. If you've been wanting to try GoogleTV, now may be the best time.

HDMI vs Component

2011-11-01T20:21:00.002-05:00

I knew it wouldn't take long to end up with more HDMI devices than ports, but deciding which device should use a component cable was tricky. It's an old question, but surfaces time and time again, is HDMI better than component cables?

First to explain the differences between the cables.

Component
It's the old fashion way of doing things. Your device will split the signal into colors, send them to the TV, and the TV assembles the image. Basically, where the old DVD, TV and VCRs used a yellow cable for video, HD devices split that into three different cables. Not a lot of magic here.

HDMI
It's digital. HDMI cables are nothing more than glorified Ethernet cables and are extremely over priced. However, just like Ethernet cables, they do more than video. They are capable of sharing an internet connection, and other common signals. An example is an HDMI cable between your TV and Sound System. If you turn down the volume on the TV it passes that signal to the Sound System since you're not using your TV speakers.

So since HDMI is the newest connection, then it's the best right?
Actually no. Yeah it has a few nifty features, but both will put out the same HD video. 1080p is no problem for either cable. The only benefit for end users is the option of sharing the Internet connection.

So why does my BluRay player only have an HDMI output?
HDMI offers benefits for the content producer. The HDMI cable will allow a secure connection between the device and the TV. If there's any type of interception of signal, then the content won't play. This is an easy way to prevent piracy.

What about my Xbox 360?
The Xbox 360 will stream all content at 1080p with the exception of Movies and TV shows purchased through Zune. This content will play at a maximum of 1080i. The difference only becomes noticeable on displays larger than 50"(usually 60" for the average viewer) Since gamers usually don't play on such a large display, it's not an issue at all.

Gold Cable?
Yeah, right. Unless the cable is actually made of gold, then you're clearly getting ripped off. The signals for HDMI are digital, you either get the image or not. There is NOT a difference between Amazon basic cables and the super expensive gold cables. Unless you're connecting devices 100 feet apart(no, literally a 100 feet or more) then you will NEVER be able to see a difference in the cables.

Hubs and HDMI splitters?
Be careful. Some devices will refuse to play content through these means. Remember the purpose of HDMI cables are to create a direct connection between the TV and the Device. I don't think very many BluRay players would play nice with a splitter or hub.

Bottom Line
So we're all getting ripped off with HDMI cables, right? The answer is yes. The cables don't offer very many benefits. Especially when our remotes are universal and our devices are wireless. The need to share connections are far and few between. There is no quality difference. The entire purpose of HDMI cables is to limit piracy and make money. Don't hesitate to use a component cable, or if you must use HDMI, get the cheapest one you can find.

Feature	HDMI	Component
1080p Image Quality	Yes	Yes
BluRay Support	Yes	No(limited)
Connection Sharing	Yes	No
Cost	Very Expensive	Cheap

Unless you need to use an HDMI cable, you can usually skip on them and save quite a bit of cash. As a second option, you can get HDMI cables online for cheap. There's the argument that "you get what you pay for" and then there's common sense. HDMI cables are not better.

Illuminance Review

2011-10-24T13:11:00.001-05:00

Illuminance

Illuminance is a custom Gingerbread ROM for the Samsung Captivate.

- Based on latest leak I897UCKJ3 [2.3.5]
- Deodexed, Zipaligned, Rooted & Batch optimized
- Removed AT&T bloatware
- Updated Superuser.apk
- Boog's KJ3 Kernel 3
- SGS II Themed, exactly like Pinnacle and Apex!
- Swype 3.x from SGS2
- Accurate battery mod with percentage battery icon
- Overscroll Glow
- TW3 and Arc Launchers
- Added SQLite3 to /bin
- SGS2 Apps
- Arc Widgets
- Transparent Notification Pull-down bar
- 100+ Wallpapers

So with all that aside, what makes this ROM worth using?

It's Stable. I've been a long term user of the MIUI rom. My only complaint was how stable is was. From version to version(released each week) it seemed for every new feature introduced something else broke. Yes MIUI was very usuable, but don't expect an up time of more than 12 hours. Illuminance on the other hand is very stable.

Battery Life. A huge draw back on custom ROMs are horrible battery life. While I haven't done extensive testing, I can say that the battery life is great. If you're on a power hungry ROM, this alone could make it worth using.

Simple. ROMs try very hard to make themselves worth flashing. But lost in the translation is simplicity. There's something to be said for quick, short and effective answers. This ROM does not come with a learning curve and can be used by everyone.

With that said, Illuminance doesn't feel that much different than an system update from Samsung. It does offer some new features and the benefits of rooting, but it's not going to be flashy or radical. I think it's got a lot of potential, but as a fan of MIUI this isn't really worth trying.

Bottom Line; It's a great time to try a custom ROM for the first time. Illuminance is stable and made for everyday use. Great for the average user, but it will not impress the advance user.

Facebook for the android tablet?

2011-10-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Facebook rolled out a new app for the iPad, but where does that leave Android users? The answer is right where they were at. There's not an official app for android tablets, there is a solution.

FriendCaster is a slick, third party app for Android tablet users. It's one of the only two facebook apps for tablet users at this time. You'll find that FriendCaster offers nearly the same feature set as the other Facebook app for tablet users, FriendME. I think where FriendCaster comes out on top is presentation. It has a very pretty and powerful widget, notifications that are useful, and overall it just looks significantly better.

I've never been a big fan of widgets. They do serve a purpose, but often offer little to no benefits. The widget by FriendCaster has proven otherwise. From here you can see a quick preview of your stream, along with option to checkin or add a post. Unlike other widgets(like Gmail and Twitter) you don't have to open FriendCaster to refresh.

Clicking on the post brings up the comments and offers the option to like.

A couple of interesting options you have from the widget is the ability to set the Privacy. Often so many apps miss this feature, and this is probably the only widget that I know of that lets you have total post control on the fly. Another possibly more interesting option is "Share With Another App After?" This will let you take your post to another app like Gmail or Twitter. This can be helpful when you're trying to blast information across all your social services, especially lesser known services that aren't integrated into facebook.

Here you can see the overall feel of the app. It has the typical far left pane for navigation, a center pane for list and a right pane for content display. It's not a revolutionary display system, but it does get the job done. It also has all the regular post options in the top right corner, along with notifications and app settings.

If you're on an Android tablet and a user of Facebook, this app is a must have. It's not extraordinarily innovative, but it's stable and it works well.

iMessage

2011-10-11T19:17:00.001-05:00

Apple plans to launch iMessage tomorrow. iMessage, if you haven't heard, is more or less free text messaging from Apple. It works just like text messaging, but it's a free service. While it can also do pictures and video as well, the downside is that it only works with Apple products. Most notably the iPhone and iPad. The blogsphere is blowing up with this announcement, because it's going to cost "millions" of dollars(or maybe "billion" of dollars depending on your source) for AT&T, Tmobile & Co. Here's the truth.

One, unless you have wifi everywhere you go, you'll still need a data plan. Since the messages are sent over the network, you're just using more bandwidth, which you have to pay for. Two, unless you and everyone you talk to has an Apple product, then you still need a regular texting plan. For me, that's 90% of my contacts.

iMessage to end the need for traditional text messages? Not hardly. There's a similar service from the past called Instant Messaging. Same concept as text messages, except they we're sent from the computer to anyone else who had the same service. iMessage might let a few of the Apple fan boys squeeze a little off their phone bill, but don't expect the normal person living outside of the iPhone world to make a change.

Prediction, iMessage will be as successful as Ping. Don't remember what Ping is?

From the Oatmeal

Tablet Wars changes direction

2011-10-11T10:14:00.001-05:00

Blackberry's Playbook has went on sale, now priced at $299. This comes after the announcement of the Kindle Fire and on top of poor adoption rates. It looks like RIM's Playbook will be following HP's Touchpad. Apple and Google may have proven themselves too hot to compete with.

Then again, maybe they aren't that intimidating. Microsoft has made it clear that it will be entering the tablet race with Windows 8(supporting ARM processors too). Red Hat says it has plans as well to enter the tablet market. Canonical said that Ubuntu 11.10 will also hit tablets with ARM support. This is also met with KDE's announcement of Plasma Active.

This cluster of announcements aren't surprising, because when we think desktops we think Linux. When non-nerds think desktop, they think Windows. Computing has been, and may continue to be, an area dominate by desktop computers. As we look towards cloud computer and a possible post PC era, these companies may only survive by adopting tablet counter parts. The question that lies before us becomes clear, can traditional desktop OS make a successful transition to tablets?

We've seen/are seeing two different approaches. Apple keeps iOS for the iPad and iPhone and a separate OS for it's desktop. Microsoft & Co will be stretching the desktop onto the tablets, creating a unified experience.

This could shake up the entire tablet market. The tablet experience hasn't been much different than a gaint iPod with a web browser. What happens when a tablet picks up all the features and support that desktops do? Do we see the end of desktop computers?

I think that if Windows or Linux can bring all the features that desktop owners know and love to the tablet, they will undoubtedly be wildly successful. I don't think they'll over take the desktop for this reason, we still love keyboard and desktops have significant larger screens to work with. For content creation, the desktop will continue to win.

I do think that Laptops and Netbooks will be a thing of the past. I also think because of the advancement of nanotechnology and cloud computing, tablets will eventually be able to do everything that a desktop can(still a few years from now) So we'll have to see how it pans out, but definitely don't write tablets off as a fad anymore.

Netflix

2011-10-10T13:56:00.001-05:00

Once one of the most respectable companies in the tech industry is now struggling to maintain it's power. The struggles this company has faced is incredible. How do you make it affordable to ship DVDs anywhere in the nation? How do you build such a massive DVD collection? How do you compete with local video stores where a customer can walk in and change out DVDs without waiting on the mail? How do you convince ISPs not to block your service because of bandwidth restrictions? How do you compete with multi-million dollar Blockbuster with over 4,000 locations?

Netflix had the answer to all of these. It has crushed the local video stores, sent Blockbuster into bankruptcy and cut enough deals to get the content it needed to provide. Now that it's on top, the toughest questions seems to be, how do I hold my position?

When price increases we're announced, everyone went into a frenzy. This was not a real issue, because everyone hates price increases. Netflix however made a mistake by responding. They decided to split into separate services. Just announced today, Netflix will not split into separate services. It leaves us with these questions;

Are you really going to stay as one service?
Are you still going to offer video games?
Are you going to change the plans back to what they we're before?
Can we expect new Management?

I'm not saying you should ignore your customers, but Netflix really shouldn't listen to them. Customers did complain about the price increase, but it's not like they we're really going to leave. There's not another Netflix service out there. This is immature behavior on behalf of non-other than the CEO himself. A strong company need s a strong leader with clear direction. Netflix should start taking applications for new management.

It's hard to tell what Netflix is going to do next. Ultimately, I do believe that the old plans will resurface and all of this talk of splinting into separate plans or separate companies still stop. It's also just a guess, but Blu-Ray disk will still cost extra and Video Games will cost even more. It's also a possibility that they drop the idea of mailing video games altogether.

What else does the cloud offer?

2011-10-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

When we think about the cloud, we think about a server that holds our data that we can access from anywhere. But what about for the heavy things that we need a powerful system for? One of the downfalls of a tablet or netbook(even laptops for that matter) is the fact they don't have the hardware to perform the big task. We're talking about editing images, 3D modeling and gaming. But what if I told you that the cloud could deliver that for you? Today we'll look at two companies attempting to solve that problem.

I'm not much of a PC gamer these days, and there's a few reasons why. One, it seems like my computer needs to upgrade every year to handle the latest games. Two, it's a pain to install and manage the games. Onlive solves both of these problems.

Imagine installing your game on a web server. You can access it from anywhere, the server does all the rendering, and you're saves are available from where ever you can access the internet. No installation, No hardware upgrades and it's playable from almost any internet connected device.

It's something that seems so obvious that it makes you wonder why no one has done it before. The servers do all the work and all you have to do is access the internet. It not only eliminates hardware requirements, but also allows the game to be played across multiple platforms.

otoy

otoy is on the business end of cloud powered computing. It offers to render computer applications, operating systems, video games, and HD media. This is a huge benefit for those in the industry. Because otoy provides the software and hardware all a studio needs to do is access the system. While it shares many of the benefits OnLive does, otoy maintains a wider focus that just video games. This will enable users to have access to the latest hardware and software without actually purchasing either.

Both of these companies are just the first to come. But they are several questions that must be asked. How will content providers react to the open platform approach? Can you create a competitive price service that makes more sense than buying the actual hardware? Will ISP's Data Caps limit the success of these services? Time will tell, but it's certainly exciting to see this type of technology already emerging.

Windows 8

2011-10-07T20:38:00.001-05:00

Windows Xp may go down in history as the most successful OS ever, but Microsoft has failed to reproduce the success it had with both Vista and 7. Microsoft has to do something now, with the rise of Apple and the introduction of tablets. The question is, will Windows 8 be the solution?

Here's some things that Windows 8 is promising;

Unified UI
The Cloud
Speed
64bit Support

We all have a cell phone and a computer, plus a tablet and smartTV is probably in our future. Multiple devices, all with different interfaces and software. Apple and Microsoft already have those devices, but neither one offers a "Unified" experience. Windows 8 promises to run on as many devices as possible, while providing the same features and benefits. If 8 can deliver, this will make Windows a major competitor on Smartphones, PCs, Tablets and TV.

Windows 8 also promises tight integration into the cloud. You can log into any Windows 8 PC with just your Windows Live ID. This is useful if you use a variety of computers. So far it will take your settings and apps with you, it's still yet to be determine how much is synced between computers and how secure that is.

Speed. This is my favorite Windows 8 feature. It boots up and shut downs pretty fast. Every thing is significantly faster. I know that's true with every version of windows, but with 8 you really don't need a stop watch to know there's a difference.

I was pretty sure that Windows 7 was going to usher in 64bit computing to the mainstream, however it didn't really work out. With desktops becoming cheaper, there shouldn't be a reason to pick up 64bit processor. In addition to cheaper hardware, the software must be re-written in 64bit. With the mass adoption of HTML5 and Adobe Flash now supporting 64bit processing, I expect for Windows 8 to run on more 64bit machines than 32.

Windows 8 has been fun to play with. There's been a few things left to be talked about. Security. Windows has always been the target of hackers, it'll be interesting to see if the cloud is safer. Boot loader. Windows new boot loader is nice looking, but will eliminate Linux support? Hardware support. We're sure to see many Windows 8 tablets, but will there be any support for existing devices like the ASUS Transformer?

Windows 8 has the potential to be the best Windows yet, but are users ready to give up Windows Xp?

New Amazon Interface coming soon?

2011-10-06T23:47:00.001-05:00

It had been rumored for some time now that Amazon would launch a new interface in an attempt to become more tablet friendly. While I haven't had time to full investigate, the new design is about 100x times less cluttered than before. Here's just some of the things I picked up on.

Clear and Easy access to the Shopping Cart
Easier access to Wish List
Focus on Search rather than Categories

It feels very similar to the changes Google made a few months ago. Color variation has been removed, interface streamlined and a strong emphasis is placed on search. I prefer this interface over the previous one just because of the way it feels.

Amazon has always felt like a catalog, crammed full of things to buy sorted by categories. The new UI is search focused. It's quick in and quick out, you still get suggestions, but you won't be flipping through pages and departments anymore. It'll be interesting to see how it affects sales.

I don't think they'll be very many changes made before it's released to the general public. I think the new UI may also be Amazon's way to prep for new features in the near future.

I wasn't able to reproduce the UI in any other browser than Opera. Here's my browser ID;

Opera/9.80 (Windows NT 6.2; U; Edition Next; en) Presto/2.9.211 Version/12.00

Amazon to buy WebOS

2011-10-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

Seriously? I'm not saying that it couldn't happen... but lets get real. There's no reason for amazon to buy WebOS. That's just stupid speculation with no reasoning. Amazon has been working on Android far to long to just drop it and buy a dead OS. There's no logic behind buying WebOS, because developers don't want another platform. Will the Kindle Fire lose money? You bet your ass they will if they buy WebOS and try hiring developers to keep everything up to speed with Apple, Google, RIM and Microsoft.

Android is free. Android already has an established user base. Android already has an established developer base. Amazon already has an Android App Store. Google maintains and updates Android for the rest of the world to use for free. Amazon is already releasing an Android device. I could go on, but just remember why WebOS is for sale in the first place.

This rumor would have made sense about a month or two back, but now it just sounds stupid. Shame on my fellow bloggers for posting and reposting such junk. If any body buys WebOS, it'll be RIM or Google. The first could use the followers and the second could use the patents.

Kindle Fire

2011-09-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

I think I've said it a couple of times, but just encase you're a new reader, Amazon has the potential to make the best tablet. I mean after all, they do have an App Store,a Music Store, a Book Store, a Movie Store, and everything else that makes the iPad better than the Android competition. Here's my take on the Kindle Fire in six words; It's the first real iPad killer.

A Better Android Experience
The kindle up until point has been nothing more than an expensive ebook reader. This is an Android tablet. Android tablets as we all know, aren't very popular. In part, it has to do with it's poor tablet interface and features. There's no go to store on the Android tablet(or any android device) for Music, Movies, Books etc... Sure, you're free from iTunes, but in turn you don't have easy access to any content. Amazon has a large collection and this tablet is plugged straight into it. This is something android has been missing, and something Amazon was able to fix.

Cloud
This tablet promises a realistic cloud experience. Since it only holds 8GBs of data, all you music and videos are left on the server and streamed to your tablet. With this concept, you'll never really need to download anything again.

PostPC
Steve Jobs said we're heading for a PostPC world, but I doubt he's disconnected yet. If you're the proud owner of any iProduct, then you know you can't get away from iTunes or a PC. Android doesn't have a sync counter part. Kindle Fire will have a sync partner, but it won't be a PC. Fire will sync with the amazon cloud.

Price
This was is my chief complaint about every tablet, it's over priced. Tablets do NOT do as much as a netbook or laptop and there fore should sell for LESS than a laptop. No tablet as of this writing has been priced reasonably. The Kindle Fire is the first and only tablet as of yet that can justify it's price. +1 for amazon.

This could change everything in the world of tablets. Tablets we're on the fast track to being a fad. Here we have an android device with all the features of the iPad at a fraction of the price. In the battle of Laptops vs Tablets, the scale as now been tilted. If Amazon delivers, we'll see a tablet in everyone's hand within the next 5 years.

is Microsoft in Trouble?

2011-09-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hardly the case when you take a look at what services and products it offers. The rumor is that Microsoft is on a downward spiral and the company is doomed. But I'm puzzled to understand why. It leads and dominates in nearly every market that it steps into. It's a solid entertainment company and is by far the most used software company in the world. Here's a few things that should keep you excited about the future of Microsoft.

Windows. Even though the last successful release was Windows Xp, it's still the most common platform. This will remain true for quite a long time. But on the outlook, Windows 8 may be the best version yet. Windows 8 promises the same UI on your phone, tablet and PC. It's noticeably faster and much easier to use. If they can just keep a handle on the security problems that will come up, we will finally have a Windows Xp replacement.

Xbox Live. What a great entertainment service. I find it much more useful that iTunes and it's the best gaming service offered. The fact that this service is merging TV, Sports, Video Games, Movies and Music all into one is great. While some may think that this service will peak to the number of Xbox's sold, it's very important to remember that Xbox Live is heading to the desktop in Windows 8 and to Windows Phones as well.

Xbox. Video Games generate tons of money. Microsoft holds a large grip on that market. With services like Xbox Live, and addons like Kinect to pick up more users, I think the Xbox series will be an icon in Video Games.

Microsoft Office. We may take it for granted, but this is a Microsoft product that ends up on nearly every computer(even on non-windows machines). This software suite has been the go to office suite for many years and there's no sign of a change. On the future outlook, their web version of office is extremely nice and holds it's own compared to any other service available.

Apple and Google. People look for these two to dominate the future, but I have to ask the question, why? Apple's software and hardware is just over priced and offers very little in return. Google's Linux/OpenSource approach has been successful in the smartphone field, but hasn't really gone anywhere else.

I am in no way endorsed by Microsoft, nor do endorse their practice, but I do clearly see that Microsoft will be here tomorrow. The company has a bright future and as long as it continues to deliver solid products, there's no reason to doubt it.

Better flash for Linux 64

2011-09-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

After a week of Adobe's new Release Candidate, I can finally say that 64bit Flash is usable. Here's what's new in Flash 11.

Stage 3D Accelerated Graphics Rendering — Deliver cutting edge 2D and 3D experiences on the desktop.
Native 64-bit support — Support for 64-bit operating systems and browsers on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows.
G.711 audio compression for telephony — Integrate real-time voice and telephony capabilities into business apps and integrate with existing phone systems using the G.711 codec.
H.264/AVC SW Encoding — Create apps that encode higher quality video locally using the efficient H.264 video standard.
Socket Progress Events — Improve management of data transfer, track progress, and provide responsive feedback in apps send large amounts of data.
JPEG-XR support — Take advantage of support for the advanced JPEG-XR image compression format to deliver higher quality images with less bandwidth, and leverage lossy and lossless compression with alpha channel transparency.

This is only a release candidate, but feels much better than other version of flash on 64bit systems. It's available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

About Flash 11
Download Flash 11
Find out what version of flash you have(test to make sure you've installed correctly)

Install Guide(For Linux Users)
Since the Release Candidate is not compressed into an RPM, you'll have to install it manually.

First, Delete your old flash player. I just opened the package manager and search for flash, and remove/uninstalled everything that pulled up.

Second, Download and decompress.

Third, In terminal navigate to your extracted folder(if you're in Dolphin, you can right click inside the folder and under actions, open terminal here) Once you're in terminal, run the following command "cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib64/browser-plugins"

Restart your browser and you'll be good to go.

Digital Theft

2011-09-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

People who download illegal movies or songs are often referred to as "Pirates". Digital theft is against the law and isn't really all that different than shop lifting, but we considering we often consider Pirates to be like Robin Hood and shop lifters to be Criminals. Why do we tolerate Pirates and the Pirate Bay, but not regular theft?

This is the number one complaint from studios when it comes to digital content, it makes it too easy to steal. They constantly push for harder punishment and more ways to protect their content. Because they don't make the laws, they counter pirates with different forms of copy protection and use higher prices to offset the cost.

Obviously we consider stealing wrong, and wouldn't shop lift. But why don't we consider digital theft a crime? We first turn to the obvious reasons. It's incredibly easy. You can just google your favorite program, song or movie and a link for a "free" download can be found. They are also the famous sites like The Pirate Bay that offer tons of songs, movies and programs for free; with it's own search engine to help you find what you're looking for.

If you think deeper about it, it's actually because "no one" sees you. I mean how great would it be if you could commit crime from the privacy of your home? No one sees you, you don't know anyone who got caught using limewire, and if it really was illegal, don't you think those websites would have been shutdown by now?

But it's not that it's easy or convenient, cost is also a huge factor. After all, isn't that why shoplifters steal to begin with. Entertainment is possibly the most over priced industry. The cost of going to the movies is outrageous and DVDs & BluRays are still really expensive. Plus even if your product is priced reasonably, how do you compete with the website that gives your content away for free?

I think we're showed many reasons why it's so easy to be a digital pirate. But I believe we haven't talking about the true motivation. It's about righting a wrong. We believe that when we 'pirate', we become Robin Hood. If you can't give us better service, more content for our money, then we're not going to pay you. To show how unjustly your cause is, we're going to steal your content and give it away for free.

It's understandable. DVDs and BluRays are plastered with copy protect and annoying adverts. Going to the Movies is outrageously overpriced. Online streaming services are either loaded with ads(hulu) or just lack content(netflix). Worse, services that can offer more content are significantly priced higher and have more viewing restrictions.

Movie studios are pretty cold. Our TV shows have gotten shorter, with more advertisement, and more product placement. The art in TV and Movies is becoming more rare. It's all about turning a dollar, rather by converting your movies to 3D or the increasing cost of the movie ticket.

I think in the end, it comes down to the divide of the Rich and Poor. We wouldn't feel nearly as bad if Bill Gates lost $1,000 than an homeless person losing $10. We pity those that need help and have no regard for those in well being. In this case, we pity the consumer, but we don't care movie studios.

But regardless of how you feel, digital theft is still wrong. You're not Robin Hood and you're not doing any one any favors by support it. If you want the content, then pay for it. If it's not worth paying for, then it's not worth having. Don't try to justify your wrong doing.