October 2007 - Posts
Anil Dash writes:
Although I've been accused sometimes of reflexive contrariness, the truth is I'm just pretty consistent in my assessments of technology, with little regard for the perceptions of the companies or people who provide those technologies.
The best case in point I can use to illustrate this is an example of the worst thing about Apple. There is simply nothing less attractive than a person who is both flawed and smug, and apparently one of the few plausible justifications for treating corporations as legal persons is the fact that this holds true for companies as well. And Apple is a smug company.
Why? He writes about this photo:
Read the full blog post here. Is he right?
OK, what's up with Blackberry's and BIS? As most who know me know, I test a lot of phones, including Blackberry's. I'm switching out devices a lot. What's up with BIS accounts returning to the Blackberry after a wipe of the data?
What do I mean? I use BES and BIS for email. If I wipe the device, all data is gone from the device. Right? Well, according to the infinite wisdom and almighty RIM, not completely true. I've wiped three devices. An AT&T 8820, a Verizon 8830, and a T-Mobile 8320. I typed the magic command and watched the device reset itself removing all data...but...
As the device rebooted and went to the login screen, I watched in horror as the service books for BIS were pushed back to the phone, and to make matters worse, once the service books were on the phone, guess what? All the mail associated with those accounts shortly followed, all without pushing any buttons. What is up with that? How can that be secure? Do you know how many users who switch devices (particularly internally) and may not know that? Why does it do this without logging in to BIS via the web, or logging in to the device and telling it to push service books?
I can wipe a Windows Mobile device (Professional or Standard), and guess what, IT'S WIPED. That's right, I wipe the device AND IT ACTUALLY WIPES. If I'd wanted my dang email accounts on the device, I WOULDN'T WIPE IT. If I wanted my email accounts on the device, I'D PROGRAM THE DEVICE TO GET MY MAIL. Why do I have to log in to some website to tell it to stop sending mail? And even at that, unless you're canceling service, AND CALL THE CARRIER TO TELL THEM, anyone attempting to set the phone up on BIS not only gets your email but gets an error on BIS that the device is in use. WHY?
Blackberry stinks...
Gotta love Scott...
How sad...
The original Capt. Kirk is disheartened he won't get to boldly go anywhere with his old pal Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie.
While Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role as the pointy-eared Vulcan in next year's science-fiction flick, William Shatner is not on board as Kirk.
"I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," Shatner, 76, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."
Director J.J. Abrams announced last summer that Nimoy would reprise the role he originated opposite Shatner in the 1960s television show and played again in six big-screen adventures.
Abrams said Shatner probably would have a part in the film, which is due in theaters in December 2008. But while Shatner said he had a couple of meetings with Abrams, nothing came of it.
Abrams' "Trek" film, whose plot is being kept under wraps by distributor Paramount, recounts an early adventure for the crew of the starship Enterprise, with Chris Pines as the young Kirk and Zachary Quinto as the young Spock.
Link
I keep forgetting...Amazon now offers MP3's. Anyone check this out yet? I've searched for about 5 different CD's this afternoon, and every single one of them has been about $4 to download the MP3 version, and you can separately download just the tracks you want. No additional software needed....
How much revenue is Apple losing for unlocked iPhone? Yahoo reports:
Apple Inc. no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cell phone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them. The new policy started Thursday, said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. Before then, there was no cash restriction and the purchase limit was five per person.
"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Kerris said. "We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."
More than 1.4 million units of the hybrid cell phone-iPod have been sold since it debuted on June 29, according to Apple. It is expected to be a hot gift for the holidays.
Apple thinks some people already have purchased multiple iPhones to resell, including those looking to modify, or "unlock," the phones so they work on networks other than Apple's carrier partner in the United States, AT&T Inc.
Apple estimates that buyers of 250,000 of the iPhones sold so far intended to unlock them, Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook said in a conference call with analysts this week.
Let's see. If the rumors of $18 per phone per month are true, that's $4.5 million per month, $54,000,000 per year.
New Release. http://www.westtek.com/pocketpc/jetcet/
Experience the best mobile printing solution on the market! JETCET PRINT lets you print documents, photos, email and much more from your Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone. Quickly add printers, browse to files and voila! Print! No more complicated configuration steps or additional software required.
Print the most common file formats with JETCET PRINT. Printing is fast, easy and intuitive. All you need is a Bluetooth® or network connection to get started. Complete your mobile office with JETCET PRINT.
The JETCET PRINT printer drivers are based upon industry standard printer languages and provide support for select Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard printers.
Key Features:
Print documents, pictures, email, email attachments, appointments, contacts, tasks, and web pages Find Files - Easily navigate to your files and email using JETCET's tabbed user interface (the "JETCET Explorer"). Take Pictures - JETCET PRINT's direct capture feature launches your device's onboard camera. Edit Pictures - crop and apply preset filters, custom filters, and effects. Add Places - create shortcuts to frequently used folders on your device or network. Apply File Filters - use file filters to limit the number of files that appear in drop-down lists. Read ZIP Archives - tap on a .ZIP file to reveal its contents and print supported file types within. Select Multiple Page Layouts for documents and images. Print to Letter, Legal, A4, and B5 paper sizes. Supported File Types: .doc, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .ppt, .pps, .xls, .htm, .html, .bmp, .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .jpe
Supported Connection Methods*:
- Bluetooth
- Serial Port Profile (SPP)
- Basic Imaging Profile (BIP)
- Direct IP (a.k.a. Port 9100)
- Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)
- Microsoft Shared Network (CIFS)
*Connection methods may vary by device and by printer.
Supported Printers: JETCET PRINT supports select Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard printers. For a complete list, please visit our Support page.
Product Activation & Installation Notes: This product requires a registration key to unlock the full version. Your registration key will be provided at purchase. It will be displayed on the software download page and within your confirmation email.
The JETCET PRINT download package is a time trial executable. Establish a desktop connection with your device and Microsoft ActiveSync or Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center prior to running the executable and licensing the software. If you need an alternate installation package, please contact support@westtek.com. Thank you.
Now that WiMax has been certified as a form of 3G (third-generation) mobile data infrastructure, Sprint Nextel Corp. is changing its tune about the WiMax network it plans to launch commercially in April.
Last year when Sprint was shopping around for a "4G" technology, it had a lot to say about how 4G would do something 3G networks couldn't. WiMax won out as its 4G network of choice. But in a keynote address Thursday at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment in San Francisco, an executive of Sprint's WiMax business, Xohm, sang a different tune.
"I think we spend entirely too much time talking about the Gs," said Atish Gude, senior vice president of mobile broadband operations at Sprint. Last week, the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union certified WiMax as a 3G technology, providing a seal of approval many governments require for carriers to deploy it. Wider deployment generally means lower equipment prices, which helps service providers.
Riiggghhttt...we spend too much time talking about the G's now that 4G can't be marketed.
Link
HTC has posted a ROM update for the HTC Mogul:
The latest ROM version includes added features that will help you get more out of your device!
This ROM update provides several key fixes for your Mogul:
- Improves Bluetooth compatibility and performance.
- Corrects keypad function when using On Demand.
- Corrects Alarm so it will ring when device is charging.
- Corrects several Sprint Music performance issues like fast-forwarding.
- Enables Sprint Music store to function on early production devices
- Adds new Sprint start up and sign off screens
All users should update their ROM even if they do not experience any of these issues currently.
Link
According to Wireless Week...
SAN FRANCISCO—Palm still plans on bringing out a new Foleo device as a companion to its Palm OS smartphones, but isn't saying anything more about the timing.
The first Foleo, announced last May by Palm founder Jeff Hawkins, was given the heave-ho in September because CEO Ed Colligan said the company wanted to focus on the next-generation Linux-based platform for the Palm OS handset. The Foleo was a laptop-sized companion that could be connected via Bluetooth to a Palm OS phone.
Joe Fabris, wireless solutions director for Palm, said on the sidelines at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show this week that the Foleo development had detracted from the work that needed to be done on the upcoming Palm Linux OS. He said both devices will have the same operating system. No dates have been announced, but it likely will be 2008 before a new Palm OS-based handset is ready.
Meanwhile, Fabris says Palm is deeply involved with Microsoft on the pilots for the software giant's just-announced Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. That server will allow enterprise IT departments manage Windows Mobile smartphones as they would other computing assets, including over-the-air configuration and security through a mobile VPN.
Fabris says about 300 Palm Treo 750s are being used in the pilots with about 60 customers.
Palm sees the Windows Mobile platform as its enterprise play going forward, Fabris says, while the Palm OS will be pedaled more toward consumers and small businesses.
Note the other comment above on the Palm Linux OS...didn't Jon Rubinstein say 2009?
This volume of the SIR focuses on the first half of the 2007 calendar year (from January through June) and builds upon the data published in the previously released volumes of the SIR. Using data derived from several hundred million Windows users, and some of the busiest online services on the Internet, this report provides an in-depth perspective on trends in software vulnerability disclosures as well as trends in the malicious and potentially unwanted software landscape. The scope of this third volume of the report has been expanded to include trends on software vulnerability exploits.
A Key Findings Summary of this volume of the SIR is also available for download. This summary is available in the following languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish.
Link
Jason delivered a System Center Mobile Device Manager Webcast on Tuesday, the day the new product was announced. You can catch the replay here:
REGISTRATION URL:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032353688&Culture=en-US
LIVE MEETING REPLAY URL:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032353687&role=attend&pw=0689E934
Palm's new chairman, Jon Rubinstein told a press conference that the new Linux based smartphones are 18 months away. This despite Ed Colligan stating that the new devices would be available by the end of 2008. Although I won't bicker over a few months (unless they cancel this like they did the Foleo), let's hope they are focusing their efforts on quality Windows Mobile phones in 2008 rather than being distracted with Linux.
Starz' PC subscription video service, Vongo, reaches version 2.0 today.
On the mobile front, it now supports the Archos 405 and 605WiFi, as well as Creative's Zen, Zen Vision:M and Zen Vision W.
The software will also make streaming video to Media Center Extenders possible: it is compatible with the new lineup from Linksys, D-Link and Niveus that are soon to hit the market. (We'll add Vongo to our list of tests for those products.)
Vongo has also added new picture-in-picture resizing options for the desktop, and an updated user interface with improved personalized recommendations and better device management.
http://www.vongo.com
Security firm disclosed Wednesday that a security hole in Vonage's VoIP system could allow an attacker to reroute and effectively hijack phone calls.
"This leaves the Vonage customer subject to spam, social engineering vulnerabilities, and scams," reads a security advisory issued yesterday by Sipera Systems, a relatively unknown VoIP security firm out of Richardson, Texas. The company said it had alerted Vonage to the problem over a month ago, however it never received a response.
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