Perpetuum Smoking Mobile

#Nostalgy

2011-11-06T10:17:00.001+02:00

Borland Turbo C. Install size 3 MB. School days in early 90-s.

Motorola XT720 photo quality vs Samsung i8910

2010-07-29T01:25:00.001+03:00

I use both phones in parallel during the trip to Crimea, Ukraine, and even took some comparative shots.

Only XT720 photos

Notice in the left side of the photos below, this is my finger. Happens to often with XT720, due to placement of the camera on the very edge of the phone, too close to the point, where you naturally keep your fingers.

Using flash in the poorly lit museum, during daytime. No nighttime pics yet.

Motorola XT720 on the left, Samsung Omnia i8910 on the right

My overall verdict stays the same, photo quality of XT720 is quite average, hopefully this will change in the next firmwares.

Just bought Motorola XT720 from Expansys

2010-07-20T16:14:00.001+03:00

Just received by DHL. Bought at Expansys.lv (Latvian version of expansys.co.uk). Phone was delivered from warehouse in Marseille, France.

Some notes – very nice build quality, rubberised metal on the backside, nice display, TFT with mirror underneath, so it looks ok in the direct sunlight. Strange, you cannot work with this phone without SIM, only emergency calls allowed. Another negative, about body construction – the blue border around lense (2nd picture here) is very razor sharp and collects particles of my pocket cloth. Finally, a nice touch, 8GB SD card is included.

I did not check processor speed, but it is slower than Samsung Galaxy S that I used previously, so maybe it really is 550MHz, but Motorola promised to up that to 720MHz in the new firmware and to upgrade OS to Android 2.2.

re: last photo here – in the top right corner you can see indicator of filming mode (camera in this case). I expected that it is sensitive button, but, alas, I cannot make it switch modes by touching any of those indicators. You need to go to on-screen menu to change modes.

Hack your way into Google Buzz

2010-02-10T17:11:00.001+02:00

If your mobile phone is not Android or iPhone… or your gmail still does not have Google buzz folder, you still can get into buzz, albeit only mobile version. Use Firefox extension – UserAgentSwitcher. Choose iPhone3.0 profile, go to buzz.google.com.

You can also buzz from symbian (and I presume winmo, although I haven’t tested it) goole maps (v.4.0) which was updated yesterday on google servers. Works on Symbian s60v5.

iPad love story

2010-01-28T13:09:00.001+02:00

Windows Mobile 7 device specifications

2010-01-27T15:18:00.001+02:00

Believe or not believe? I tend to believe, seeing that HTC HD2 is made to satisfy these specifications and that it was promised that HD2 will get upgrade to WM7. And just to put those specs into perspective, my Raon Everun UMPC ran Windows XP with just 6GB SSD and 600MHz CPU. Just asked Eldar if so high requirements may mean that Windows Mobile 7 is a some kind of light weight rehash of Windows XP, and he replied that it really looks so.

So will we get XP compatibility in new Windows Mobile 7 phones? Not 100% I think, but with some UI adjustments, recompiling existing XP code might be an option.

Intel SSD Gen.2, continued

2010-01-15T09:35:00.001+02:00

So, I got 2 80GB units from cartft.com (via ebay). Price was fair (194 EUR/piece) and shipping was only 16 EUR for UPS ground (4 days) delivery. I have to say that these babies delivered on all the hype that surrounds them, and that’s why their price still exceeds MSRP without any signs of decline.

Boot time in laptop (Windows 7, Core 2 Duo, 2.1GHz) went down from 40 seconds to 15. Desktop (Core 2 Quad 4GHz) boots in mere 6 seconds (without motherboard POST time, which begins to look too long at 5 sec). Overall, system responsiveness is butter smooth. Level loading (MW2, L4D) are a breeze at around 4-5 seconds. I am satisfied. Very satisfied.

Sony VAIO Z 2010. What a disappointment?

2010-01-15T09:23:00.001+02:00

Core i5, switchable graphics with Nvidia GT 330M, 128 GB SSD, VGA/HDMI out. Nice display and keayboard in the slick 1.4 kg package.

Congrats on removing modem and firewire. But what the heck, Sony? You still keep DVD in this “ultra-portable”? Please, its 2010, you can use this space for better battery and some port that can do 2560x1600, because frankly, this is the display resolution (with some 27-30” screen) that will be standing on the tables of prospective Z customers in the coming year.

That means, Dual DVI or Displayport. Unless that HDMI port that you put there is HDMI 1.3, huh? Anyway, Apple uses Displayport that can support 2560x1600, and others please take notice. So far, WQXGA support by PC/laptop manufacturers has a faint smell of failure, but I hope it will change in 2010.

Upgrades

2009-12-04T18:08:00.001+02:00

Ordered Intel X-25M (80GB, 2nd generation) in Lithuania. Price is 180 EUR, which is better than in Latvia (205 EUR), and have to wait around 1 month for delivery.

Also, purchased the latest and the greatest from ATI. XFX HD5870. Had to upgrade PSU too.

Now, all my games have very friendly framerates (Core 2 Duo E7300 overclocked to 3.2GHz, 4GB RAM, XFX HD5870), and it became much easier to make headshots in 3d shooters (Left4Dead, TF2, Bioshock). Another strange, but pleasing side effect appeared in a racing game (GRID). It was very difficult to keep a car on the road while racing, but now motion is very smooth, and controlling the car is much easier. Probably, has something to do with the fact, that previously, with lower frame-rate, by the time when I saw car loosing traction, it was too late to react. Nice.

Google Maps for Symbian update, Opera Mobile 10 Beta 2

2009-12-03T10:26:00.001+02:00

Google Maps 3.3 now supports syncing of Nokia Landmarks and Google Maps favourites between handset and the mighty google cloud. Looks like another nail into the coffin of Nokia Maps?

Opera Mobile 10 Beta 2 for symbian has got Opera Sync and Download manager, but the sweetest thing comes from the fixes to memory management and rendering speed. It was quick on Omnia HD i8910, and it is (subjectively) twice faster now.

Switch between laptop LCD and external monitor in Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic)

2009-11-06T11:06:00.001+02:00

It is easy to switch display modes through system/preferences/display, but I wanted to make it even faster with keyboard shortcuts. It also gives you ability to force resolutions and relative display positions when using both displays at the same time.

Use XRANDR in the command prompt to find out names of connected displays. In my case VGA1 = external monitor and LVDS1 = laptop LCD.

$ xrandr

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 8192 x 8192

VGA1 connected 1280x1024+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 338mm x 270mm

   1280x1024      60.0*+   75.0

   1152x864       75.0

   1024x768       75.1     70.1     60.0

   832x624        74.6

   800x600        72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2

   640x480        72.8     75.0     66.7     60.0

   720x400        70.1

LVDS1 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

   1280x800       60.0 +

   1024x768       85.0     75.0     70.1     60.0

   832x624        74.6

   800x600        85.1     72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2

   640x480        85.0     72.8     75.0     59.9

   720x400        85.0

   640x400        85.1

   640x350        85.1

HDMI1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

DP2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

go to System/Preferences/Keyboard shortcuts and add

WIN+F5 use only laptop LCD

xrandr --output VGA1 --off --output LVDS1 --auto

WIN+F6 use only external monitor

xrandr --output LVDS1 --off --output VGA1 --auto

WIN+F7 use both (laptop on the left)

xrandr --output LVDS1 --auto --left-of VGA1 --auto

WIN+F8 use both (laptop above)

xrandr --output LVDS1 --auto --above VGA1 --auto

Opera Mobile 10 Beta for Symbian

2009-11-03T15:00:00.001+02:00

This is important. This is hilarious if you have got fast symbian phone with lots of RAM. Opera Mobile 10 is here. Installed it on my Omnia HD i8910 and immediately tweaked RAM cache to some 50MB. Running well and not getting any “low memory” erros, like poor N97 guys. :)

It’s fast. It’s fucking Ajax compliant.

Gmail. It opened gmail in “standard view” and works fast.

Google Reader also opened in “standard ajaxy” mode. Wow.

Google Wave opened with errors. Not usable.

Youtube. Hmm, it doesn’t play youtube yet, but I have heard it from Opera some time ago, that Flash will be supported.

Friendfeed works, as does Facebook.

(Virus-) Free gaming under Wine in Linux

2009-11-02T12:42:00.001+02:00

In Windows world, you can play any game for free, but it usually comes with some payload from virus writers. Having realized that, I made it a rule to only play games that I purchased legally. Then, yesterday, I found some of those old Windows games archives. Don’t know why I have not deleted those virus-ridden wares long time ago.

I have already seen that many games work in Linux under Wine, and then I thought, why not try these ones, because they can not infect my Ubuntu anyway. And, voila! Both franchises of Bejeweled (2 and Twist) work in HD/3D accelerated, and they are “free”. True, they try to propagate on the game exit, and (moment of glory) simply error out in wine. Seems, that I will never ever have to pay for Windows games that do not use intensive 3D graphics or online authorization.

In search of the holy grail of home servers

2009-11-02T12:04:00.001+02:00

ATM my home server runs Windows 7 Ultimate (trial mode till end of December) and I am researching free alternatives like freenas, openfiler, ubuntuserver, freebsd. Need this machine to support administration via web gui and provide following services for me

file sharing via SMB/Samba
torrenting with webgui
http web server
webdav
vpn
upnp/dlna media serving to multiple upnp/dlna players simultaneously
continuous data backup (windows live sync style, propagating changes between machines immediately, rather than overnight)
advanced disk/RAID management, described below.
seems that vitrtualisation is high on my list too.

Found this thread discussing freenas and drobo functionality, and thought that this post decsribes my needs too.

I'm also looking for the holy grail of RAID solutions and really hope someone can come up with or find something. I want the following features:

REQUIRED:
- Redundancy, allowing for at least 1 drive failure
- Mix and match drive sizes WITHOUT being limited by the smallest drive (and thus wasting space)
- Ability to add drives to increase capacity
- Ability to replace drives and increase capacity
- NAS functionality, accessible via a Windows share
- Ability to create multiple partitions, with respective shares (or one large partition with multiple shares mapped to folders on the NAS? Who really cares about the "internal" file structure..)

PREFERRED:
- Performance that isn't terrible - In my case, fast enough to steam 1080P over ethernet
- Minimal data capacity loss due to parity (< 50% - Else I'd just mirror.)
- "NTFS" Volumes larger than 2TB (Not sure if this is possible via a share.. perhaps "Emulate" NTFS and actually store on a file system with larger volume capacities to achieve this? I could care less if Windows reports my remaining space correctly, as long as the NAS would.)
- Software-based, so I can also use the box for other purposes.

I already run freenas in virtualbox on my server with bridged network interface on my server, and it appears as separate machine with web gui on my network. I already see some of the drawbacks of freenas, like no webdav, vpn, virtualisation (the kind that allows me to test freenas in VM like I do it now).

Downloading freebsd, openfiler and ubuntu server to install as VMs too and give ‘em a try this month.

Wake Ubuntu with USB keyboard/mouse

2009-10-27T22:24:00.005+02:00

I have Logitech DiNovo USB Bluetooth Keyboard. To make it wake your computer please follow this thread . Worked for me.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work through hub. In that case, the whole hub is either in sleep mode, or it awake all time and prevents my PC from going into sleep. Had to connect this keyboard directly to PC then. Strangely, the same keyboard woke Windows 7 even via hub.

Want a super fast SSD for your lappie? Live in Latvia? Bad luck.

2009-10-27T17:40:00.004+02:00

Due to economical crisis, prices of computer hardware been falling faster than usual. But. For a small country of Latvia, full of unemployed and bankrupt citizens, that means that sometimes, you can't buy nice things, because nobody imports them here.

Here I am, tried to order Intel X-25 80GB SSD (generation 2) and got answers from all shop that damn thing is not available in Latvia, minimum order from Poland or Estonia is 10pcs, and, obviously, nobody cares to order it for Latvia, 'cause they are not sure that they can sell 10 pcs. here? C'mon Intel, try harder...

If you've got any idea how to get SSDSA2MH080G2C1 for about 200 EUR in Riga, ping me. :(

Update. After failing to get it anywhere in the usual retail channels, I turned to ebay. Found 2 sellers that shipped from European country (Germany) and ordered 2 units (on 3rd of January,2010). Cost is 194 EUR x 2 for the goods, plus 16 EUR for shipping to Latvia with UPS. It arrived today (8th of January). Yeehah!

Installing Steam game demos under WINE, Ubuntu

2009-10-26T23:56:00.001+02:00

There is a problem with Steam client under wine, that it allows to install only games from your purchased games list. If you want to try demo that you found on a steam client, "install game" button doesn't perform any action.

Workaround: to install demos with steam under wine use

cd ~/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Steam
wine Steam.exe -applaunch XXXX

where XXXX is a code of the game you want, can be seen in the url of the game (for that you need to open store.steampowered.com in the browser in linux)

Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade in Latvia

2009-10-26T18:30:00.001+02:00

So, Windows 7 is here. Since trying W7 beta in the beginning of 2009, I knew that this was the first OS that I’ll upgrade my home computers to and will be willing to pay for it. I will need several copies for my home:

1. gaming/multimedia PC – currently runs W7 RC. It absolutely needs a Windows license, because I use it to for playing games, and Linux just can’t compete here. Will update it to Windows 7 Home Premium (which has all I need, including Windows Media Center).

2. home server- has Ubuntu and W7 trials at the moment. I can use it in this mode for another 100 days. It is now fully configured to provide the functionality I need – filesharing, utorrent, orb, wuala, https web server, webdav and vpn. In the upcoming 3 months I will try get same functionality (except orb) under Ubuntu. If that works, fine. Otherwise, will upgrade to W7 too. Home Premium does not support Remote Desktop server, but I can manage with VNC I think.

3. 2 laptops – running W7 trials atm, need to upgrade.

So, I am going to buy 3-4 upgrade licenses. Today, I checked pricing and availability of Windows 7 here in Riga, Latvia. Unfortunately, there is no Family Pack available (some people say it might appear after Oct, 31st, when Latvian language Windows is promised). But, price for Home Premium OEM upgrade is quite good ($70 or 50 EUR). Buying Family pack of 3 licenses at amazon UK, would cost the same after shipment. I think I will rather buy HP OEM upgrades here.

I do not have that many Vista or XP licenses (basically all my PC were self made, and laptops came with Linux), but will try to find some old/written-off licenses from sysadmin friends. I know that OEM will work only with one machine, but Retail copy is almost 4 times more expensive (180 EUR) and for that money, I can buy new OEM upgrades later if needed.

I checked to computer shops today and in both, was asked to prove that I have a copy of Windows to upgrade from. Windows label on the bottom of laptop is enough of the proof they said. Interesting, can I show the same laptop in various shops to buy 3-4 upgrade licenses? I think I can.

SSL, certificates, VPN and WebDAV under Windows 7

2009-10-26T17:59:00.001+02:00

Under Windows 7 (and Vista too, I think) WebDAV and VPN fail if you use a self-signed (and therefore, untrusted) server certificate. Too bad that error messages are cryptic, and talk about failure to establish connection, or something like it, but never complains about SSL cert. Hmm. If you try to access such server with IE then (unlike Firefox) there is no way to turn off warnings. Also, if you try to play media from such website, IE and Firefox will launch associated media player (WMP in my case), which will also fail to connect to net resource to play it. Long story, short, kids – use trusted certificate if you need to use SSL in Windows.

And the good news is that now there is a provider of free SSL certificates (really free, not a 30-day trial as some advertise), who is also included into default Windows Certificate storage as a Certified Root Authority. This is Free SSL service from Startcom. With their cert for my server, WebDAV and VPN began to work.

The only fly in the ointment – Windows 7 implementation of WebDAV is buggy and slow and compared to Ubuntu.

Playing Steam games on Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)

2009-10-19T17:06:00.001+02:00

Installation of Wine 1.31 amd64 went ok, but Steam client failed after installation and self update. Had to switch to 1.3 amd64 deb and also make sure that Windows version=XP in wine configuration tool. Now Steam works and I am downloading my games. Quickly tried Ricochet Infinity and it work well, in full screen, in windowed mode and downloading extension packs from internet works too.

Access your home files from anywhere via browser and webdav (https) disk

2009-10-19T13:09:00.001+02:00

This weekend I fiddled with enabling access to my home fileserver. I already can access it via RDP (Windows7) and FreeNX (fastest, recommended remote access with Ubuntu/Linux). I also manage my torrents with uTorrent's webUI. Files are accessible on home network via Windows files sharing (SMB on Windows/Samba on Linux).

My goal for the weekend was to enable remote access to files from anywhere on internet, under both Windows and Linux, with secure password protection. For this purpose, I use webdav sharing with SSL (self-signed certificate) on my server. It can be raised on Apache2 (free on both Windows and Linux) and on IIS (free from Microsoft only on Windows).

Choosing server
I killed couple of hours raising apache2 on Ubuntu, but ultimately failed forcing it to use SSL. (meh, will try later) and then I tried apache2 on Windows - and this is utterly pervert feeling to configure it in CLI on Windows. Will try to avoid at any cost in the future. Luckily, there is free web server from Microsoft, IIS 7. It probably has some limits that would make it unsuitable for large website hosting, but it is perfectly Ok for my purposes. So, I installed IIS7 and enabled WebDAV.

IIS7/WebDAV Configuration (sorry, this is not a full manual explaining where to click each time, rather a milestone walkthrough for me or someone already familiar with IIS7 interface. I am saving it here, to read again should I ever need to repeat this procedure)

First, create self signed certificate. Add it to default websiite.
Bind website to your own domain. I do not have fixed IP, so I use dynamic dns service for dns resolution. So, I bind default website in IIS to my dynamic dns: solnyshok.dyndns.info
Then limit protocols to SSL (port 443).
Authorization method = application passthrough.
Enable WebDav module.
Enable Basic Authetication.
Enable Authorization for specific user.
Enable SSL = required
Create Authoring Rule for WebDav (* allow for all users)
Enable "Directory browsing" if you want to browse your folders in your web browser. This is not related to WebDAV, but rather is an additional extra, for getting access to your files on any computer wherever you are, with just a browser and a password.
Add virtual directory (directories) pointing to the folder (NOT DRIVE!!!) that you want to share. Check that authentication setting, authoring rules, filtering, directory browsing, ssl setting have been inherited.

Notes to myself
1. User "Network Service" and "IIS*" should have access to the destination folders or it fails to access it.
2. Drive root (at least on my Windows 7 system) contains protected system folders that IIS will fail to open, resulting in failure to show content of the root of the drive. (so, https://mywebsite.com/drive1tb fails to open, but https://mywebsite.com/drive1tb/subfolder opens ok)
3. If you want to be able to access certain files that are not listed in the MIME-types module, you can't. Need to add to MIME type list first.

Accessing remote WebDAV drive on
To connect to webdav shares on needs to map network drive in windows (https://solnyshok.dyndns.info) or connect to network share with SecureWebDav (davs://solnyshok.dyndns.info) in Ubuntu (9.10, Karmic Koala beta). You will be asked username/password on first access. Update: I have run into problems with Windows, seems that Windows7 network drive mapper prevents connection to a server with self-signed certificate, and there is no way to override this behaviour. :(

And here is how it looks in web browser (if Directory Browsing module is enabled).

Technorati Tags: iis 7, Ubuntu, Windows, webdav, https, apache

i8910 as real Samsung flagship in 2009

2009-09-16T14:45:00.001+02:00

Today comes confirmation from Eldar Murtazin (russian language), the mobile industry analyst and avid phone reviewer, that sales of Samsung Omnia HD i8910 have overtaken sales of Nokia N97 in Russia. Despite the fact that N97’s advertising budget is 3 mUSD and Omnia’s only 300 kUSD.

More than ever, I am happy with my choice of the phone this year. i8910 is good.

Custom ROMs for symbian devices?

2009-08-25T17:24:00.001+02:00

As far as I knowб this is the first custom ROM (similarly to custom ROMs for WinMo devices, made popular by xda-developers) for Symbian phones. This one is adaptation of HK Rom for Italian languages, plus some customizations, and Kastor effects enabled out of the box.

Btw, I have Omnia HD i8910 since middle of July, enjoy its speed and capacious RAM. New firmwares are coming out of Samsung soon to enable 3d task manager and to fix some bugs. This thing rocks. I also hope to see it updated to Symbian^2 next year. We’ll see. :)

How to download youtube video to S60 phone

2009-06-23T11:42:00.001+03:00

(tested on Nokia N82)

How to download youtube video to your S60 phone?

I recently was presented with the challenge – I’ve received link to an interesting music video in twitter (I use and recommend Gravity). I could watch it using Operamini or native S60 browser, but downloading it to my phone was a pain. Commonly used sites (like ssyoutube.com, or youtubemp4.com) that help desktop users to download youtube clips, failed to work properly in the phone browsers (and I tried native browser, operamini, o3zone). Sometime they used ajax to show links, sometime they asked you to right click on the link to save file (how the hell can one do this on non-touch Nokia?) The only way that I found to ahieve the desired result, was to use keepvid.com which present simple download links in the resulting page.

If you already know ID of the video that you want to download, then it is pretty easy task, just form the following address in your favourite browser http://keepvid.com/?url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID follow it, and press on of the download links (.flv or .mp4). If, you want to get HQ quality, add &fmt=18 to the end of the url.

Now the 2nd obstacle is to get ID of the specific video from tinyurl (or any other link compressor, I guess). If you open tinyurl in your browser, it goes to mobile youtube page. Save bookmark at this moment and open it for editing. Surprisingly, I could not open bookmark address for editing in operamini (probably a bug related to very long address). But it works in the native browser, where you can see VideoID at the end of the address (the XXXXXXX after v= ). Copy it.

Now you can form download url as discussed above, adding to VideoID to

http://keepvid.com/?url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=

You also can save this address among bookmarks for easier use next time.

Now, I am looking for a way to extract audio track from .mp4 video on my phone and making a ringtone out of it. :)

Virtual Box 3.0 Beta has DirectX9 support

2009-06-18T21:46:00.001+03:00

But fails Windows Performance Index, so no Aero yet. Google Earth hangs too. :(

Problem installing Nokia Maps 3 on N82

2009-05-24T16:54:00.001+03:00

I was getting error message from Nokia Map Updater, that compatible phone is not found, until I tried to run old version of Nokia Maps (2.x which comes in v31 of firmware) for the first time. After it has started and created some registry settings and own files on the phone, Nokia Map Updater immediately found my handset and proceeded with installation of Nokia Maps 3.

OS X on Asus Eee PC 1000H

2009-05-17T02:42:00.001+03:00

From my archive.

Technorati Tags: os x,eeepc 1000h

Windows 7 x64 Ramdisk

2009-05-09T02:36:00.001+03:00

Since the beginning of times, I speed up Firefox on all my computers by putting its cache on a ramdisk. Only recently I started to use Windows x64 and faced with the problem that it is impossible to start any free ramdisk under W7 x64. Luckily, there was a solution on on sevenforums.

Download the Ramdisk from
CENATEK: High Speed Storage Systems
Select the 1st one on the top (Public Beta V.3.5.107) and save the msi file to c:\
Don't start the MSI, it will not work.
Decompress the MSI-File (Start/Run CMD as Administrator):
msiexec /a Dataram_RAMDisk_v3.5.107.msi /qn TARGETDIR=C:\Driver

Since we have no "add hardware" in control panel, we have to install this driver manually.
The Hardware-Wizard still exist.
Start/Search -> hdwwiz.exe
- Button "next"
- select "hardware manually (expert)"
- Button "next"

- select "All Devices"
- Button "next"
Now you have to search for the Button "have disk". Click on this button and search for the folder
C:\Driver\Program Files(x86)\Ramdisk

select RAMDiskVE.inf
- Button "OK"
- Button "next"
- Button "next"
To Configure the Ramdisk start the program
C:\Driver\Program Files(x86)\RamdiskVE.exe

For me (solnyshok) RamdiskVE reports failure to start ramdisk, but after rebooting the computer, ramdisk with the required parameters is there. So, don’t panic if you get this error.

The 2nd part is easy and described in detail here. Requires creating a string browser.cache.disk.parent_directory containing the path to new cache location.

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,x64,ramdisk,dataram,firefox,cache

CoLinux Ubuntu 9.04

2009-05-08T09:22:00.001+03:00

Yesterday I played with CoLinux on my laptop with Vista x32. Tried it first with Windows 7 x64 but turns out that CoLinux is only available for x32 bit environments. Anyway, it started find with Vista x32 and I even upgraded the original image (Ubuntu 8.04) in two steps to 8.10 and then to 9.4. Had to increase image size from 1.7GB to 8GB. Increasing image size involves creating a new empty image file under windows, then mounting it under CoLinux and copying all information to it, quitting CoLinux and restarting with new image file. Instructions are in the Colinux FAQ section. Maybe 8GB is an overkill, and 4GB would have been enough, but I made it bigger just in case I will want to install more programs.

It works great, faster than virtual machine. Internet works, but I still have to figure out how to see local network.

Dual core Atom based home server

2009-05-05T15:54:00.001+03:00

Here we go, the small box based on Dual Core Atom 330 with total consumption around 50W replacing a 150W old Pentium 4 tower. It used to be around 35C in my wardrobe, now we are back to silent operation and normal room temperature. As I mentioned before, I have there 1TB 3.5” drive mostly idle 95% of the time and 500GB 2.5” laptop hard drive for 24*7 torrents.

And I am using W7 x64 build 7100 (RC) with it. I tried Home Server 2008 R2, Ubuntu 904, FreeNAS. I believe that W7 beta is so far the best value proposition, as it is very stable, versatile and free till the June, 2010.

What’s best for your netbook – Ubuntu, Moblin, Solaris or Windows?

2009-04-25T11:43:00.001+03:00

During last week, expecting new Ubuntu 904 to appear shortly, I cleared the partition where my Ubuntu 810 used to reside, and played a bit with various alternatives. I installed and tried in quick succession OpenSolaris 906, Ubuntu low power MID edition, Ubuntu netbook edition, Moblin Alpha 2.

Disclaimer! This is a rant that do not in any way intend to claim to be the ultimate truth. I am only using Linux for half a year. While I feel comfortable digging through forums to enable support for various network and graphics hardware when I have free time to do this, I feel that at the moments it is not worth it. E.g. spending couple of nights to get Linux drivers working, costs me more than buying a Windows license. Having said that, I still enjoy Linux in a freaky kind of the way, treating it as a brain muscle stretching Lego for adults, and enjoying the process whenever time allows it.

OpenSolaris is interesting alternative to other Linux distributions, but not for a netbook. While I spent couple of days last year customizing Ubuntu 810 to work with all my hardware in eeepc 1000h. I do not feel like I want to spend such time again, since Ubuntu 904 supports all of it out-of-the-box. And I do not feel like I need ZFS on netbook. Its benefits are in ease of use of multi-disk storage, and all netbooks have only one disk.

Various Ubuntu derivatives – Netbook edition and lowpower MID edition. Netbook edition could be useful for touch enabled netbooks. Larger icons that make it easier to navigate with big fat fingertips. You do not need it on non-touch device. As to the the low-power MID edition - I had problems using it. It has increased fonts and icons, and after that, does not fit 1024x600. I wonder what kind of display they had in mind developing it.

Ubuntu 904. Loads quite fast (I use new ext4 file system) and supports all hardware features of eeepc 1000h. Compiz is still the best eyecandy you can get. Recommended.

Moblin – still in a hardcore alpha stage. Promising. Not recommended.

Windows 7 – RC (builds 7077 and 7100) are very stable. If you want to do any light gaming, or connect with Microsoft exchange or some other MS only corporate services, or comfortably play 720p videos (1080p still out of question) then you have to get Windows 7.

Conclusion – for web browsing and document editing, watching movies and taking notes, ease of setup and use – Ubuntu 904 finally matches Windows. I like eye candy of Ubuntu more, but Windows still feels speedier to use. I am going to multiboot Ubuntu 904, Windows 7, and OSX on my laptop.

My new home server build on DualCore Atom

2009-04-25T10:07:00.001+03:00

I am in that sweet time phase, when I made my research and ordered the parts. ETA is on Monday. I am building my home server on

Modecom mini ITX case with external power adaptor (96w, $70)

DualCore Intel Atom 330 in Intel D945GCLF2 (90$) – which has 1 IDE, 2 SATA connectors, Gigabit NIC

2GB RAM ($25)

500GB 2.5” laptop hard drive ($100)

and I will reuse my 1TB Barracuda 3.5” SATA from my old server.

Going for a laptop hard drive was a tough decision. I had to consider that laptop drives have limited capacity, that they are 2 more expensive than 3.5” drives, and the fact that 2*3.5 drives do not fit into mini ITX case (at least the cases that I could find in Latvia) because most of MINI-ITX cases support only one 3.5” drive and a slim CD/DVD. An alternative was to go with micro-ATX case, but then I would have to deal with the problem of finding the low-power PSU, which are not available in Latvia at all. Buying those online is possible from mini-box.com or minipc.de, but it costs an arm and a leg (upward of $100), negating any savings on purchasing a larger hard drive.

Moreover, I had to give up any idea of toying with the RAID for data protection. I will backup my personal data, which includes about 30GB of documents, photos and music, between server and my gaming pc hard drive, but for the movies, there will be no backup in this setup. I think that movies are not a critical information, because you can restore most of them from internet. At the same time, I am happy with the setup, because my space requirements will be met for another year. (I managed to fill about 700GB during 1 year). Only the small drive will be running 24x7 for torrents. It consumes less energy than larger drive and make less noise too. By the way, noise was not a consideration in this build, since I have a separate technical room for my computers. If I had to build a completely calm pc (for use on the table or in a living room) I’d had to take more expensive fanless MSI board with SSD drive, which cost too much to my taste anyway.

As for OS, I will be choosing between WHS and FreeNAS. I have seen FreeNAS, and I have yet to try WHS for the first time. And of course, there always is W7 and Ubuntu, but I do not see a benefits to running those on a headless server.

Shozu problem

2009-04-18T13:20:00.000+02:00

I don't get why people like this program. I honestly try it once or twice a year, hoping to start using it. But I again find that it is useless for me. I have some photos (5mpx) that I want to reduce in size and upload to blogger service. But there are 2 show stoppers. 1 - it would resize only to some ugly qvga resolution. 2 - it would create a separate post for each photo. No go. I need to resize to VGA or 800*600 and send multiple pictures as single post. And if they could allow for additional extra - like creating an embedded slide show or collage from those photos - I would love them.
Unfortunately, the most important change in Shozu that I noted so far, is that now it correctly processes russian encoding. Deleted. Will try it again after 6 months.

Try OpenSolaris without downloads and installation - online

2009-04-14T15:12:00.001+02:00

I keep studying options for my new home server, and one of the ideas that intrigued me, is that people swear by OpenSolaris filesystem called ZFS. Went to OpenSolaris sandbox. I haven’t tried it yet, but I already like the note in bold at the bottom.

Update: So, I tried it. On the surface is the same Gnome 2.24 as in many other Linux distributions. Seems that I need to go elsewhere to understand the benefits of ZFS.

Using Asus eeepc 1000h as home server

2009-04-14T10:00:00.003+02:00

I want to replace my P4 2.8GHz home server (Power draw around 100+ W/h, no processor scaling) with something more efficient. The current king of the hill in terms of power efficiency while providing adequate performance seems to be Intel Atom processor. I already have a netbook based on single core Atom, and before jumping and taking a mini ITX motherboard based on Atom (good list here at kramfs.com) I decided to test how well it is doing its job in the netbook.

So, I connected eee 1000h to my router via ethernet cable. Unfortunately, 1000h has only 100Mbps NIC. I shared a movie folder with the network, and connected 4 computers, playing 2 HD videos (up to 2.5 MB/s each) and 2 DVD videos (up to 1MB/sec each).

On the picture – eee pc 1000h as server. 2 laptops and home entertainment PC, and old server (not visible) are playing videos, trying the limits of eeepc. Didn’t succeed by the way. Here are proof pix.

Network utilization seems low, peaking only at some 43% (or 6MB/sec). I used a 9GB movie for this test. Sure it would be different if I used a 20GB movie. But it also reflects the current state of torrent popularity in our country. Videos larger than 10GB are not here yet. I watched “The Matrix” in 20GB hi-def, but deleted it later.

CPU usage averaged around 15-20% in the process. So, for my current usage patterns, it means that all my kids can watch their own movies on as many computers as I got in this house.

I am now on the crossroads, my two options are

1) take a new mobo based on DualCore Atom. It is around $100 here, and only $20 more expensive than single core Atom option. But it has Gigabit NIC, which is good for file transfers. Investment - 100$ mobo, $70 case with power supply, $30 2GB RAM stick. Total $200. The drawback here – I get another computer to care about.

2) use my 1000h as home server, as I do not have much use for it since I got a 12inch work laptop. I would need to buy a 500GB 2.5” SATA HD to make this a useful home server. My current server has 1TB 3.5” SATA and I could move it into my video/game machine. Investment - $120 for harddrive. Drawback – slow file copying on the network. Copying one file immediately fills the NIC with some 11 MB/sec transfer. My current transfer speeds are limited by harddrive writing speeds at 35-40MB/sec.

Decisions, decisions…

RDP/ Thanx god it’s Friday.

2009-03-27T12:01:00.001+02:00

Web speeds have improved so much over last 2-3 years, that now it is so easy and convenient to RDP from work to home server, initiate download of Ubuntu 9.04 beta and even burn it to the disk that I loaded into DVD drive in the morning.

Life is good. :)

What is best sync solution for Windows?

2009-03-26T15:12:00.001+02:00

I am looking for a best Win program to sync my numerous laptops, media pc, and hopefully, my mobile, with selected folders on my 24-hrs file server running on Windows 7.

After googling and reading a bit, I identified

Unison, and DeltaCopy – as Windows GUI for the famous rsync. Should be simple and mature.
Folder share (MS Live Sync) – free solution from Microsoft. Should be pretty simple too.
Synplicity, Sugarsync, Dropbox – other well established programs. These seems to provide online storage for files, and any reasonable amount (over 2 or 5 GB for different programs) will cost money. Since I already have own always-on server, I feel that I do not need their service.

So, I will be installing and trying Unison, DeltaCopy and Foldershare.

Time to upgrade? Nokia N82 firmware v31

2009-03-25T10:46:00.001+02:00

I have been using v20 for a long time since it was easily unlocked. But my phone recently started to behave erratically, I could not start media gallery anymore. Camera was slow. Everything was slow and it rebooted by itself too often (couple of times a week). I also have 16GB MicroSDHC card and I knew that latest firmware touted better compatibility with large cards. So it was time to go with full format of the phone and the memory card and painfull reinstallation of all programs.

So, here we go. Backup of PIM. Copying of files from card to computer. (that was not easy, the card wouldn’t read in card readers anymore, but using the phone in USB mode, did it). Format the card. *#7370# for hard reset.

I used Nokia Software Updater, and it did it evil thing by upgrading me to v31 and loosing my regional languages in the process. There I was, having now choice between English and Hindu. Instead of Latvian and Russian. Luckily, this isn’t a rare problem. It happens often, because the phone is produced for one country, and has that country’s product code and regional languages are added before shipping only.

This is fixed by changing phones product code to correct region and doing NSU again. Luckily it is easy and free (with caveats about understanding the risks of messing with Nokia firmware using non-Nokia tools). I used guidelines for N95 product code change from thenokiablog and it worked for my N82 too.

Format the card. Hard reset. Format the card again. (just in case, you know).

Here I am now. The phone is much faster even with all the software installed.(I relate it to better support for the large cards). It eats less energy (true, as promised in firmware changelog). It is more stable. (true, not self-initiated reboots anymore). And yes, there are some problems with Opera Mini 4.2 as noted by other users(for me, it manifests in slow response when using My Opera sync). Because of the this, I hope that there is another firmware on the way.

It is not unlocked anymore. Huh. There is a way to do it (mapdrive method) discussed in great detail in many places on the web. But you need to have your own certificate to sign several programs required in the process and I do not have one. It seems that at this moment, our friends in China stopped creating such certificates. Boy, do I want to be in the line when there is a new place creating personal certificates.

Boost GMA950 speed in netbooks

2009-02-02T00:59:00.001+02:00

If you have one of popular netbooks like Asus eeePC, or Acer One or MSI Wind with Intel GMA950 built-in graphics, chances are you can improve its performance. Turns out Intel has decreased GMA950 frequency from 400MHz to 133MHz for netbooks, to cripple video performance, and separate them further from the expensive notebooks using the same GMA950. Now, there is a program called GMA950boost. It is discussed in MSI Wind forums, with users reporting some 20-30% boost in the framerates. Which means, that if a game wasn’t playable before (say 10 fps), it will not get much better (at 13 fps). Still it maybe a nice boost for someone struggling to get their favorite game to more playable fps and 720p video to play smoother. Unfortunately, this program is not free yet. So it is up to you to decide if you want to pay some 10$ for it.

Adding torrents to utorrent WebUI via bookmarklet

2008-12-08T18:49:00.003+02:00

Background

I have utorrent running on my home server (Vista Ultimate) 24hrs*7day a week and have a variety of methods for connecting to it.

1) Remote Desktop Connection - this microsoft client is available for Linux (Ubuntu 8.10 in my case), OS X (Leopard) and all sorts of Windows.

2) WebUI works from firefox (and I think IE7/8 too) on any platform

3) I also use utorrent mobile java program on my Nokia N82 to connect from anywhere via GPRS to manage bandwidth consumption (pause all, resume all) and specific torrents (pause, stop, resume, remove torrent (and data)).

Until now, I mostly used firefox to find a needed .torrent, download it to my desktop, go into my webui page in firefox and upload .torrent file manually. Now I found a new and a very comfortable bookmarklet, that uses javascript to inject webui command into all .torrent links on a webpage.

To use it, create a bookmark with any name and fill its URL with the code from utorrent forums

You'll need to edit the code by changing to your host and port (e.g. "mydomain.dyndns.org:8080"). If you don't want to login each time, you can even add your login information (e.g. "username:password@mydomain.dyndns.org:8080").

Now, whenever you are on a webpage containing some .torrent links, click your bookmark, then click the .torrent link that you want. It will automatically (in 4 seconds) direct you to your webui where you will see new .torrent added to your list.

Ubuntu + Compiz + Virtual Box

2008-11-17T21:29:00.001+02:00

Installed Windows 7 with new taskbar on Asus Eee 1000H

2008-11-05T04:00:00.001+02:00

Today I bought a new Ebony Black Asus Eee PC 1000H. My specs – Atom 1.6Ghz, 80GB HDD, 2GB RAM. Installed latest developer build (6801) on it. It loads during same 40 seconds but works faster than the stock Xandros.

Technorati Tags: Asus Eee PC,1000H,Windows 7,taskbar,Xandros

S60 client for bruteforcing WPA

2008-10-14T12:54:00.001+02:00

Now, that there are tools that can bruteforce WPA passwords in reasonable time using Nvidia GPU accelerated computing, I hope someone comes up with the S60 client for sniffing and geotagging target network, then uploading it to a server, where it will be broken and password given back to requester, as well as put on the map for community to see it.

This way, if you find a protected network in a popular place and want to connect, you’ll get a password the next day, or, if it was already broken by somebody else request, you’ll get password immediately.

It may look as “dreaming out loud”, but there is nothing to prevent it from happening tomorrow.

Speed test of Sandisk 16GB MicroSDHC (Class 2) with Nokia N82

2008-10-10T08:51:00.001+02:00

From http://www.thenokiaguide.com/my_weblog/2008/10/a-first-look-at.html

The most important point here is to understand that Class 2/4/6 do not really matter when choosing card for N82, because internal write speed of the latest N-series (with possible exception of N96) is below 1 MB/sec, i.e. below even Class 2 speeds.

Sandisk 16 GB in my Nokia N82 now

2008-10-08T19:23:00.000+02:00

It just works. Despite being class 2, there is no noticable difference in startup time or during work. And there is no alternative card of this capacity either. Now it fully holds my business files and navigation maps. I'm not using it for music though, the battery is not enough already. Using it for music would leave battery drained in the middle of the day.

Sandisk 16 GB MicroSDHC card has arrived

2008-10-03T09:40:00.001+02:00

It took 7 days by post from UK to Latvia, but considering that the price was right, and delivery was included in the price, I am satisfied.

Optimization operator

2008-09-27T11:14:00.001+02:00

As noticed during Open Software Day in Riga

Just ordered Sandisk 16GB Micro SDHC card

2008-09-23T09:20:00.001+02:00

from MyMemory for 46.99 GBP delivered price.

Nokia maps can be fun too

2008-09-21T22:25:00.000+02:00

So, there is a new v30 firmware for N82, which (temporarily, I hope) prevents s60 hack. Some people reported that unlock works if phone is hacked on old firmware (v20) before upgrade to v30, so I decided to go ahead and unlock my handset. Well, it worked, and as a byproduct of unlock, I was able to try modified Nokia maps and try it in navigation mode. Not bad. It is not TomTom yet, but close.

Open Software day 2008 in Riga

2008-09-20T10:30:00.001+02:00

We just started at 11.00. More information about program and speakers here:
http://forge.mysql.com/wiki/Software_Freedom_Day_2008_Riga

Website down

2008-09-01T13:46:00.001+02:00

Nice advertising of Beeline

2008-08-11T14:33:00.001+03:00

more photos here

Facesaerch

2008-08-05T00:13:00.001+03:00

http://www.facesaerch.com/facesearch/?q=solnyshok

Interesting search engine, but they need to improve algorithm. Search for my nick finds tons of avatars of people that have commented something in the same thread with me on various forums.

Mirror’s Edge

2008-08-02T13:31:00.001+03:00

More HD Trailers here

Nokia N82 disassembly video

2008-07-31T09:36:00.001+03:00

For those of N82 owners who just cannot stop. :)

1st OpenCoffee Riga impressions

2008-07-31T01:35:00.000+03:00

So we had a very interesting meeting of people with strong interest in the development of internet projects in Latvia. I am pleased to find new friends and looking forward to the next meeting.

1st Open coffee in Riga will take place in Sunset Bar, on Wednesday, July 30th

2008-07-29T23:38:00.001+03:00

More information (in Russian) here

RIGA – KAZANTIP 2008

2008-07-25T01:27:00.001+03:00

Tomorrow, on July 26th, will be the day, when the annual craziness erupts again in the Crimean village of Popovka, which becomes home to the 16th year of kaZantip for the period from 26 of July till the end of August. I’ve already been to Z Republic last year, and it impressed me so much, that this year I decided to go again, for the grand opening of the 16th year of the festival.

What is kaZantip? It is a month of 24 hour nonstop music on almost 10 dance floors. It is Z republic populated by Z citizens. It is state within a state with its own constitution, the president, ministers, visas and (the guarding) angels. It is freedom. It is a lot of fun, sun, music, love and happiness, referred to as “ЩАСТЬЕ”. It is Russian Goa… No wait, it is much, much better than any club event you ever been to.

More information is here, alongside with the photos and videos from previous years of Kazantip.

The price of admission to the independent state have been growing steadily each year, and 2008 is not exception in this respect. This year it is rumored to be 100-120 EUR for a multivisa or some 70 EUR for a single entry. Compare this to 85 EUR a year before for a multivisa, and you see that popularity of Kazantip is growing, and lifting prices with it too. Moreover, it is not unusual for the price of viza to be some 50% higher for the opening and closing events, and this is going to affect me directly, since I am there for the opening. Prices for living there depend on the desired level of comfort, going from 5-10$ for the bed in the old village hut, all the way up to 60-100 EUR for a double with air conditioning. Food and drinks still cheap in Popovka, but inside the kaZantip area, they have already reached 10$ for a glass of Cola with traces of Red Label. It is not unusual to see some party goers bring a backpack with essentials, buy only a single entry visa and stay within confines of the “Z Republic that never sleeps” for days and even weeks. Meeting the sunrise on the shore among wasted dancers is acceptable, just remember that tents are not allowed.

My bags are packed. GPS and brains switched off. 3 day of ЩАСТЬЕ are waiting for me.

Just checking how Ovi picture embedding works with Blogger

2008-07-22T01:03:00.001+03:00

Truly mobile life

2008-07-16T17:46:00.001+03:00

From Future Perfect - a blog by Nokia specialist, who is travelling the world to find out how different cultures use mobile phones and improve Nokia interfaces accordingly.

Hitmen

2008-07-15T12:58:00.001+03:00

The Register writes about a woman that hired a killer for her ex husband on www.hitman.us.com. While it is nothing new that people do not have a clue about hiding their IP address, the comment to the article was much more amusing than the article itself.

Battery life

2008-07-13T18:15:00.000+03:00

It is only 6 p.m. and my Nokia N82 is almost dead. A bit of browsing, chatting, navigation and RSS reading.

2 weeks without blogging

2008-07-08T21:10:00.001+03:00

If you look at the internet around you, everyhing is in motion, every second brings news and suprises.

Then you go for 2 weeks vacation without internet.

When you come back, it turns out that nothing really ever changes at all. :)

Going to Ukraine

2008-06-16T15:16:00.001+03:00

I am going to spend my vacation in Ukraine, and will go there for two weeks starting from this Thursday, 19.6.

I am going by car, route will be 2000km and will take 2 days driving in each direction. Here are 2 parts of the route.

First part is Riga - Lithuania - Poland. 845km. Plus time lost on Ukrainian border and another 140km in Ukraine to the hotel in Lutsk. I had to plan it in Google Maps. Actual navigation will be with TomTom 6.02 on Nokia N82 (Garmin XT mobile maps as backup).

2nd day will be only 900km. This one was planned in Garmin mapsource. Actual navigation will be by Garmin Mobile XT. (Nokia Maps 2.0 as backup).

There are two options for this day - going through Vinnitsa or going through Zhitomir. Both are same distance and I am trying to obtain more feedback in the excellent (russian speaking) community of autotravellers at AutoUA.

Apart from mentioned programs I still have maps of Ukraine and Ukraine largest cities in YandexMaps cache, SmartcomGPS and of course there is Google Maps mobile and MGMaps, but those require GPRS, which I will only connect when I arrived in Kherson and will buy local SIM card with unlimited GPRS.

OpenCoffee Riga 1.0 - initialization error.

2008-06-12T15:17:00.001+03:00

This time event OpenCoffee v1.0 was postponed again due to repairs in Sunset Bar. I still think that the idea is good and Latvia web crowd will get together sooner or later.

Waiting impatiently for a new meeting time announcement on http://opencoffeeclub.lv/

Firefox Mobile UI video preview

2008-06-12T11:38:00.001+03:00

I definitely like what I see here. Wonder how they will adapt it to non-touch smartphones?

Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

1st OpenCoffee meeting in Riga, tomorrow evening

2008-06-11T16:58:00.001+03:00

UPDATE!!! Sunset bar is still under reconstruction. New meeting place will be announced today. Stay tuned.

First OpenCoffee in Riga, will take place in Sunset Bar, at 18:00. This is open discussion about Web 2.0 issues, challenges and ideas. It is also a great opportunity to get acquainted with local Web 2.0 crowd. I unfortunately cannot participate this time, but hope to see it online, thanks to Dik who will translate tomorrow meeting using his Nokia N82 and Qik. Link to translation is here. Also embedded into this post below.

Why I do not like iPhone

2008-06-08T10:24:00.001+03:00

Took this picture during yesterday's party, when happy iPhone owner explained how great this toy is. Try one handed use while driving, I say.

Apple OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” for Atom?

2008-06-08T01:53:00.001+03:00

Interesting speculation about upcoming release of new version of OS X next week being targeted to new Atom based MID from Apple. I agree.

http://www.tinyscreenfuls.com/2008/06/why-i-think-apple-os-x-106-snow-leopard-is-for-upcoming-atom-based-devices/

Strange love affair between Nokia Maps and Google Maps

2008-05-31T10:58:00.002+03:00

In the latest version of Google Maps, support is added for geographic favourites from builtin Nokia Maps and Landmarks applications. I haven't figured out yet how to add landmarks from within gmaps interface, but they are going in the right direction at least. Now, Google, please add routing, voice guidance and map caching management and we are speaking business. Somehow, with huge emphasis on navigation in Google's own Android, I think the wait for other platforms is getting shorter too.

UPDATE: Google released a new build yesterday (June 4th, 2008) where you can add favourites by pressing central joystick button. Here they follow Nokia maps too. Route calculation from Favourite to Favourite is working too.

N-Gage 2 protection broken

2008-05-31T09:24:00.001+03:00

I normally do not care to write about warez, but this is a new milestone in S60 world of gaming. N Gage 2 game protection have been compromised. More info in Russian is here with Asphalt 3D as an example. I did not have time to try it myself yet, but users report that it is working. Not clear if online and multiplayer features work, but I guess they should be, since crack only affect game itself, and works under unmodified N-Gage2 platform.

Nokia maps 2.0 out of beta, still unfriendly

2008-05-24T15:15:00.001+03:00

I have used Nokia maps 2.0 since it appeared in beta, along with TomTom, Google maps and Mgmaps. And despite some nice improvements in the latest version, I still see 2 glaring usability screw ups, that make it almost impossible to use it to plan anything more than a trip within one city's borders.
I attached here screenshots from Nokia maps, Google maps and TomTom. They all show the same region of Poland that I want to visit next month. I want to make sure that my trip goes through certain cities and through ring roads rather than through city centers. The first problem with Nokia maps 2.0 begins when you realise that in regional view, you don't get to see any cities or major roads, unlike in Google or TomTom. Ok, I opened Google maps to help me orient in the region, and persisted to find corresponding cities in Nokia maps, adding some waypoints for my 1100km long auto trip from Riga through Lithuania and Poland, to Ukrainian border. And now we get to the next trouble. I guess that after route is calculated, you would like to check it? Huh?
Not so fast.
It will show you route as it looks on the map of Europe, but if you want to see it closer, say on regional level or just an overview of a single town that it goes through, Nokia maps skips that level of zoom and propells you into turn by turn view of the route, magnified to the largest zoom on the street level. Going through my 100+ waypoints in such view, in sequential order (what? Cannot skip those 50 points to see how it went around Bialostok?) drives me mad, especially that in street view you even do not get any clue if you are still in city A, or in city B already. Good that I still have TomTom around.
The third peculiarity of Nokia maps, which is not a deal breaker, but still quite stupid usability choice, is that in order to add a new favorite, you need to open another program (Landmarks) and add your favourite there. So when I wanted to add the place I just drove through, to favourites, had to open Landmarks, that showed my last position 300km from current position, and since I already moved 1km from place to be added, I could not use current location to be added as favourite, but had to browse manually the map to that point. Awkward. Slow. UPDATE: I found that you actually can add landmark in Nokia Maps. When in map view mode, just press central joystick button. Here Nokia Maps employ 3rd menu action button as shall be used commonly in S60 Feature Pack2. This is not so obvious if you are used to FP1.

Unfriendly. Not yet my prime navigation choice.

SVG themes crash Nokia N82 browser?

2008-05-19T15:50:00.001+03:00

I have learned to my surprise, that N82 was unstable in web browsing, just after installation of couple of programs and my "favourite" theme. Browser would often close for no apparent reason, more often when in "menu" mode. All of this despite tons of free RAM, etc. So, I started to roll back installed programs until I found a culprit. This was something I would expect the last - a theme! It is hard to believe, I thought that a theme is just a collection of pics and colour definitions, but it seems that SVG theme from PiZero, can cause such a strange instability in N82 browser (in my case that was New Gold SVG theme by PiZero). I doubt it has anything to do with theme itself, more likely some bug in SVG theme rendering engine in firmware.

Removed the theme and my browser is stable again.

Evolution of mobile phones since 1985

2008-05-19T15:04:00.001+03:00

Truly amazing, nostalgic, and mouth watering video. Must see.

TomTom 6.02 hacked to work with built-in GPS in Nokia

2008-05-18T04:38:00.001+03:00

I tried it with my N82 and it works like a charm. Hackers have made a program that emulates external bluetooth GPS for the unsuspecting TomTom. Instructions here: uploaded.to/?id=9fn71y

Now I only wish that TT released proper maps of Ukraine and Russia.
Selling external bluetooth GPS receiver "Holux 236" based on SIRF III. Anyone cares?

My new Nokia N82 Black and iPhone Google Reader

2008-05-15T23:18:00.001+03:00

I waited for several months for the black version of N82 to become available and this Monday I finally got one. I am delighted with it. Build quality is superb, despite of what people commented on silver version. Firmware is mature, and there is ton of free RAM to run a dozen of apps at the same time. It is quick too. I usually keep open 2 gmail apps, fring, palringo,and several tabs in browser (google reader, etc.) Today I received a call, and while speaking via bluetooth headset, I opened google maps and checked satellite view of the location that was discussed. All of it without a hitch. It worked really well with my home WiFi connection in parallel with GSM call and bluetooth headset.

Keyboard is a treat too, surprisingly so.

I will not comment on excellent photo and video quality, because many people have done it already. Suffice it to say, that this is the first truly multimedia and multitasking computer from Nokia in the smallest form factor and at affordable pricepoint. Prices have dropped from 600 EUR on launch to 350 EUR now. Way to go, Nokia.

Autorotation is good for comfortable photo viewing. Youtube playback over Wifi connection is perfect.

Coreplayer 1.2 plays anything you can throw at it. Now I only need a 16 or 32 GB card to hold my media.

GPS easily picks up inside my flat, something even my SIRF3 bluetooth module couldn't deliver.

This is also a device that finally can run QuickOffice smoothly and I even splashed on buying 5th version with Office 2007 support.

And finally, S60 browser has enough memory to shine opening several heavy tabs at once.Which leads me to the last point for today - it works really well on iPhone version of Google Reader, making it so easy to follow my feeds. I attached some screenshots of this. Now, you can view post summaries within the same window, and if needed it opens full posts in new tab. I abandoned Opera now. But if the Opera 9.x for S60 will deliver promised improvements, then this phone will replace my Everun UMPC for 99% of my mobile computing needs.

Thank you, Nokia. This is a great device. Now, that my cigar is starting to burn my fingers and cognac glass is empty, I will finish this post, written on Nokia N82, and will go inside. Good night.

Nokia N82 Black finally coming to Latvia

2008-05-11T22:45:00.001+03:00

This phone has been available in neighboring Sweden for some 3 weeks and in Russia for some 2 weeks already, but not in Latvia yet.

Called BM.lv, expected availability one week. Will check others tomorrow.

Human-to-laptop interface device.

2008-04-16T11:25:00.001+02:00

Or is it INTRAface device? Or INTOface? Use for added warmth and privacy in public areas. Priceless.

My humidor

2008-04-05T09:20:00.000+02:00

This post is not related to IT at all. This is my smoking solution :) I needed to post my humidor pics to a cigar smoking forum, and used this blog to host pictures.

Nokia phones - built for combat

2008-03-27T17:40:00.001+02:00

I was in exploration mode today, and went through several Nokia related blogs. I subscribed to

The Nokia Guide

The N82 Blog

Symbian in Motion (Symbian in Motion)

Nokia Creative

There was a lot of useful posts over last half a year on all of this blogs, but the one that I wanted to share was on IntoMobile

While it begins with overview of Handy Task manager, it ends with an offer of several free licenses for creative commenters who would come up with the best suggestion for a usability improvement on the S60 phones. I do not know who won, since I fell under table screaming and laughing after reading this post by anonimous Andrew.

+1, Andrew. That's what I want as a function too.

Google street is watching you!

2008-03-27T16:08:00.001+02:00

No comment. I am silent after watching this. My god. What if my employer will use their services?

Ramdisk 2 for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 (WinCE5.x)

2008-03-26T10:46:00.002+02:00

This is a continuation of Ramdisk for Windows Mobile story, that started here (first version of Ramdisk in 2006).

Russian programmer that goes by nick AMV007 on 4pda.ru forums, has created 2nd version of Ramdisk. Now it is signed, there is option to set it to load with drivers (i.e. before any app) and it has improved memory management. It uses VirtualAlloc memory function to avoid using scarce driver/kernel memory. Now ramdisk can be more than 32MB and there is also an option to save it periodically to flash or card, with automatic restoration of ramdisk from there, after soft-reset. There is some problem with restore function, as AMV puts it, restore from internal flash works fine, but restore from card worls 9 times out of 10 and he was not able to solve it yet.

I cannot test it, since my ipaq has gone to the electronic heavens :( but you can download app here.

Installation instructions inside. Source available upon request. All credit to AMV007, I am only publishing this for English speaking readers.

Easter egg from Eldar Murtazin, N95 touch

2008-03-26T09:57:00.001+02:00

In the review of Sony-Ericsson G700 that appeared today on the main page of mobile-review (russian version), among the shots made by its camera is one that eerily resemble current flagman N95 with new Symbian Touch interface.

Full hires photo here

UPDATE: Fake. Mobile-Review took this picture from the laptop screen, when watching pilot series of Knightriders. Product placement by Nokia. Interface picture is also different from the demo of Symbian Touch given on MWC 2008.

Bad dudes vs Dragonninja

2008-03-20T10:38:00.001+02:00

Occasionally stumbled upon this youtube video. I must confess that this was one of my favourites some 20 years ago. Now I need to figure out how to get it to play under Vista in full HD.

Update: Here are links to Bad Dudes ROM, NeoGeo BIOS, latest MAME commandline emulator, Extramame GUI for MAME (Vista compatible). Installation is well explained under last link (ExtraMame). I couldn't get the games running in full screen, with strange error "failure to create direct3d device", but it runs well in windowed mode.

There is a movie based on this game (or vice-versa) and I am going to download it if I find it. So far, quick search over piratebay did not return any results.

Do You still want MacBook Air?

2008-03-07T11:21:00.001+02:00

Once you buy one, you might need to invest in cables and hubs to keep it useful. via Guy Kawasaki blog

Friday fun: Guy Kawasaki tortures Steve Ballmer on stage

2008-03-07T11:04:00.001+02:00

This week's "geek fun" crown definitely goes to the Guy vs. Steveb@microsoft.com (or stevenb@microsoft.com , was it?)

The video is long. In fact is, it is one hour long, but I found it worth every minute of it. They touch on Bill's departure, Yahoo bid, Xbox, Facebook, Vista failure in the marketplace, Macbook Air, Silverlight2, Firefox vs IE8, etc.

via Guys' blog How to Change the World

UPDATE: would you believe, Guy himself visited a trackback link to this blog, and pointed out a spelling mistake. Fixed now. Danke, Guy.

Simplest and free navigation in Moscow

2008-03-05T16:34:00.001+02:00

The easiest and totally free way to navigate in Moscow is using Yandex Maps. Application is available for WM, Symbian, UIQ and java phones. It is similar to Nokia Maps, you can download map fragments on the go, via GPRS. I used it during my last visit to Moscow and found that it has the best detalization compared to Nokia or TomTom maps. And if you choose to connect via GPRS and update your location data, you will get access to traffic situation too. However, until now there was a catch22 - the people who needs such navigation most, would be ones not willing to use it due to sky-high prices of data roaming. I personally, used Russian SIM for that trip, but it is not something easy to do for a foreigner, or anybody on a short visit. Now, this problem is solved for smartphones (read not for Java phones), because now you can download full Moscow map (60MB streets or 183MB steets+satellite) availablefrom Yandex Mobile Maps website

and put it into predefined directory on your phone. Disclaimer! I have not done it yet, but will try soon.

P.S. While at it, provided you get a local SIM, it is also the easiest way to navigate most other largest Russian/Ukrainian cities, currently, 15 cities available: Москвa, Санкт-Петербург, Киев, Екатеринбург, Краснодар, Нижний Новгород, Новосибирск, Одесса, Орел, Ростов, Рязань, Самара, Тула, Уфа, Челябинск, Татарстан, Крым.

My silent PC solution

2008-03-02T02:51:00.001+02:00

My PC have never been silent enough, but since installing 4 SCSI disks it became too loud. Luckily, there was storage room behind my hometheater screen, so, after some thinking and studying prices of SSD drives (the best one at the moment are from Mtron, 800 EUR gives you 16GB of lightning fast (120 Read, 100 Write MB/s)), I decided that it is cheaper and easier to go the low tech way, i.e. drill a hole in a wall for power, HDMI and some USB cables and move PC to a room where it will not be heard, no matter how loud it is.

First, power cable went through the wall.

Then, all the rest -video connection, ethernet, printer and 2 USB extenders for wireless Logitech mouse and keyboard.

After connecting all cables, turning PC on, booting Vista and testing that everything works, it is time to put my bike where it used to be in the storage room.

Now, back to enjoying a totally silent and wireless setup of my home-theater / gaming rig.

And last thing, now I do not use "shut down" option when I want to switch off my computer. I use "sleep" only. To Microsoft's credit, there is an option, to wake up the system with USB mouse or keyboard. And it works flawlessly even with wireless keyboard. Voila! No need to go to the server room to push that button.

Weekend fun: Smart home appliances

2008-03-02T02:08:00.001+02:00

UMPC, Scotch, Habanos

2008-03-01T22:39:00.001+02:00

Saturday night. It is time to put gadgets aside and turn to other pleasures. Habanos, the best cigars out there. Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 and Cohiba Siglo VI. Macallan single malt scotch whisky. 10 years old. Cask strength (58.4%Vol). Last comparative shot before uncorking and lighting up. Bye.

Foxmarks for Firefox3

2008-03-01T22:11:00.001+02:00

Firefox 3 is coming. I keep testing its builds about once a month since at least December. And the recent beta is really a mature and fast product. (Being FAST really counts when you run it on 600MHz AMD Geode UMPC as I do). The only reason keeping me from fully switching to it, was absence Foxmarks plugin compatibility with it. Not anymore. Foxmarks blog announced limited beta enrollment yesterday. I signed up. Countdown to jump over to new Firefox begins...

Google Maps enables MyLocation in Latvia

2008-03-01T21:35:00.001+02:00

Do not know when this happened, the MyLocation feature of Google Maps, that guesstimates approximate location of the user without use of GPS, but rather, relying on cellular tower location database, is active now. I think I tried it couple of months ago, and it was not active at that time. Now, it still is pretty rough. But it is good for learning locations of nearest cell towers of your operator. After checking my location 3 times, within different rooms of my flat, I learned that I am located between 3 cells and my location indicator will show different points on the map for each room. Nice. Certainly not good for a phone battery life when handset is forced to switch between different cells, trying to find one, which is not as bad as the current one.

iPAQ 210 finally ships and gets reviewed by Brighthand

2008-02-20T00:42:00.001+02:00

First review of iPAQ 210 review by Brighthand

While this review answers general look and feel questions about this device, it, unfortunately, misses to answer some important questions that any user of hx4700 would find obvious.

- How filesys behaves? Is it noticeable at all? How often it kicks in? What is an effect of having a full internal flash?

- How responsive is GUI? Due to slow flash in hx4700 it was too slow for most users' tastes.

- How fast in fact are the SDHC and CF slots? They have been PAINFULLY slow in hx4700. Would be interesting to see speed of copying a 1.4GB movie over WiFi to SD and to CF cards.

- How Opera Mobile, the best WM browser to date, runs?

- How fast is WiFi connection? In previous model, it never reached even theoretical half of theoretical 11 Mbps. So, how well the new G connection works?

- So it has no plastic screen protector? I guess so, since it never appeared on photos.

Big yawn. The device that would have been revolutionary 2 years ago, or would still be pretty good a year ago. Something that I would contemplate buying just 6 months ago. Everything changed since I got Raon Everun. Now I do not need to waste my time looking for WinMo applications that would suit my needs best, since I already have a full blown Windows XP in a my pocket. And this thing has a got a shiny, plasticy body instead of bomb proof magnesium alloy of the previous model...

Does it mean that this device is worthless to me? Not at all, I still think that it could act as a good MID, a device you can throw around a house, use for occasional surfing, chatting , voip, casual gaming, give to kids to watch cartoons from server over WLAN. I would not use it as a PIM or Office on the go kind of device anymore, since that is better left to the combo of UMPC and a smartphone.

p.s. HP, for god's sake, ship a sample to Werner.

Samsung P9 UMPC - Wow!

2008-02-19T16:09:00.001+02:00

Via CTitanic. Well, not to be outdone by HP, Samsung leaks a teaser of their own. This looks waaay more interesting than HP device. As a matter of fact, I would second CTitanic' s opinion that this is the most amazing concept I have seen in two years. Bingo. Have a look at this video. A double slider umpc/gaming pad with detachable screen (if I see that correctly). Yummy.

HP UMPC 2133

2008-02-19T15:14:00.001+02:00

via Engadget. Looks interesting, but too early to cast votes for this one yet, without data on its stamina and endurance. Form factor is good. Weight is Ok at around 1 kg. Lack of rotating touch screen is BAD. Why the hell they call it UMPC then?

So what version of WM will SE Xperia run?

2008-02-18T12:22:00.001+02:00

Recently, screenshots of Xperia running WM6.1 surfaced on major sites, however, the original source of WM6.5 rumours, Eldar Murtazin, insists that while WM6.1 might be installed on some devices, it still will go into trade with WM6.5. Million dollar quote here here (in russian).

I tend to trust Eldar, because he never lied to us before, and it is a well known fact that he has access to SE and Nokia upcoming models well in advance of their market launch.

Fake PSP Phone

2008-02-17T19:42:00.001+02:00

Too bad if it is fake, it looks like a PSP phone should. Nice try. I would love to see it become a product.

Friday fun: How NOT to increase your WiFi range

2008-02-14T23:33:00.001+02:00

by InfiniteSolutions via WLANbook

The all-in-one PDA will never happen

2008-02-14T22:03:00.001+02:00

Just as I as I wrote some time ago here UMPC cannot replace my laptop yet, Shaun from Palm247 echoes my concern about viability of all-in-one device in his article The all-in-one PDA will never happen

an excerpt:

"... In reality, the physical restraints of a phone make long periods of office work almost impossible because the keyboard is too small or the screen is unable to display enough information at any one time. Many of us look at new devices and probably think “This is the one!” This could be the device that will enable me to actually work away from the office, but it never is. There are always new smartphones hitting the market that claim to let you “take your office with you” and they are not exactly lying. It is true that you can edit documents on a smartphone and that you can send and receive email, but just as I would not want to play snooker on a 2 foot x 1 foot table, I do not really want to do lots of work on my phone..."

Mobile browser wars in 2008 - Opera Mobile 9.65, Iris, Skyfire and Netfront 3.5

2008-02-14T17:05:00.001+02:00

The PC Magazine takes a look on the latest squad of mobile browsers - Iris, Skyfire, NetFront 3.5 and Opera Mobile 9.5. Some quotes from review:

Iris - We installed a copy of Iris on a Sprint MOTO Q9c (which runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard) and were treated to a bare bones, flaky browsing experience. We doubled the zoom and entered full screen mode, only to find no way out; dropping to the home screen and re-entering the browser caused it to crash. Interestingly, while it handed full-blown desktop sites just fine, it stumbled on WAP sites.

Netfront - a high-resolution browser for, strangely, older Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC devices like the Dell Axim x51v. The new version includes vague usability improvements such as improved stylus accuracy, "first-draw time" and zooming speed, but it's hard to get excited over something that doesn't run on current smartphones. (The company suspended general Windows Mobile development back with version 3.3.)

Skyfire - appears to live up to its billing as the most PC Web-like mobile browser. It supports a wide range of rich media content including dynamic Flash 9, AJAX, Java, audio, and streaming video including QuickTime – much of this one-ups even Safari on the iPhone. The browser also supports zooming, full-screen view, and multiple page thumbnails.

Opera - significantly pumps up the existing Opera Mobile 8.6 browser. You can now zoom in and out of Web pages, looking at a zoomed-out overview to decide what part of the page you want to focus on. UI is sleeker,with attractive, gray menus and a full-screen mode where the menus disappear completely. Most powerfully, though, Opera Mobile 9.5 supports Web widgets, which are little applications developed in AJAX and HTML. Opera Mobile is still missing one major Web standard - Adobe Flash, which Skyfire supports. Opera is exploring licensing Flash themselves to include it directly in the browser.