[Via Forbes]
Google Maps Enhanced for 8-Bit
April 1st, 2012Using my iPad in Teaching
March 29th, 2012
Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I’ve just been very, very busy. I still am. But I wanted to start writing again. So I thought perhaps I could just do short posts for now on subjects that may be of interest.
In today’s post I’m wearing my teacher’s hat. One class I teach is an advanced computer programming class involving the use of Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) to create C++ Windows programs. I have a number of very bright students in that class. However, even intelligent students get stuck sometimes. One such student wants to see me for help on his project.
I have already written the code for this project . Indeed, I won’t assign a project to my students unless I have written it first. This helps me assess the level of difficulty and also ensures I am not assigning students the programming equivalent of Mission Impossible.
I don’t want to waste time during my student’s visit trying to refresh my memory of the code, since it is complicated, and I do teach 5 different classes. Rather than printing out the code – which I’d probably forget to bring with me — I uploaded the code to my Dropbox account. I then opened the code files in Textastic, a plain text editor which supports syntax highlighting for C++ (among other languages) and plays well with Dropbox. Above is a screenshot of one of the files in Textastic. When I’m helping the student. I only need to look at the code in my iPad.
OS X Mountain Lion vs. real mountain lion
February 17th, 2012
Bluetooth Blues
January 14th, 2012
I have an Apple Wireless Keyboard. It connects via Bluetooth. I’ve used it with my iPad and with Windows 7 tablets. I like this keyboard. While it’s relatively light and small (and therefore mobile), the keys are large and spaced enough for efficient typing.
I hadn’t used this keyboard for a while. Recently I decided to use it again, this time with a Windows 7 tablet. It wouldn’t pair! Indeed, the keyboard only would be discovered about 1/3 of the time. Even when it was discovered, pairing failed with the helpful message “unknown error.”
I consulted my good (and perhaps only) friend, Mr. Google. I tried a number of suggested solutions. None worked.
However, one suggestion gave me a clue. It was that if the keyboard already was paired with a MacBook, you need to unpair it first, pair it with a Windows 7 computer, then repair with the MacBook.
This keyboard wasn’t paired with my wife’s MacBook Air. But I checked and found it was paired with my iPad 2. Not only paired, connected.
I ended the connection between the keyboard and the iPad 2. The keyboard immediately paired with the Windows 7 tablet. Works fine.
So it turned out the unknown error was PBKAC.
Samsung Galaxy Note on AT&T
December 22nd, 2011
Angry Birds and Green Pigs endorse the Samsung Galaxy Note!
A few days ago I mentioned my new phone. As some observant readers gleaned, it’s a Samsung Galaxy Note. This 5.3” monster Android phone also has a Wacom active digitizer for much more accurate inking. And Samsung has promised an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich the first quarter of 2012!
I bought this device unlocked from my friends at GSM Phone Source. This model (GTN-7000) works on AT&T bands, including HSPA+ (more on that in a minute). It does not support LTE but, hell, here in L.A. I’m still waiting on LTE for my HTC Jetstream. HSPA+ is good enough (again more on that soon).
The first challenge for all of us early adopters is not getting kicked off the AT&T voice network. You see, AT&T’s internal database of IMEIs erroneously identified the Note as a 7” Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet, which supports voice (and does so in Europe) but AT&T permits on its network as data only. If you’re interested, you can read about both the saga and the solution. While AT&T has been panned for its customer service, when you read these threads (my posts are by genghiskhent, duh), you’ll see AT&T did step up to the plate and fix the problem.
While there no long was a danger of being kicked off the voice network, for data I was stuck in the 3G slow lane. HSPA+ isn’t really 4G (though carriers do advertise it as such). It’s more like 3.5G. And 3.5 is better than 3, right?
The key is to access an APN that supports HSPA+. In order for your phone can access that APN (which has the exotic name “phone”), you first have to be on the right data plan. I’m on a metered 4G Smartphone plan. So far so good.
But not good enough … yet. Your phone has to be properly provisioned to access the HSPA+ APN. Bottom line is you need to talk to tech support (as opposed to customer support). A very friendly and helpful tech named Todd helped me out. So now I can access the faster APN. Thanks Todd!
I realize there’s a lot of technical mumbo jumbo here, and believe me, I skipped over a lot of details so this wasn’t overwhelming. If you have questions, please post. And Todd, if you happen to see this (I did mention the blog to him), feel free to post a comment, if only “Hello.”
Soon I will post on my actual usage of the Note. Until then …
RIM’s Sad Xmas
December 21st, 2011
Delivery expected later today
December 9th, 2011
No, it’s not a baby. It’s another gadget. More later.
New phone
December 8th, 2011
No, not the pink marker. The phone. it’s the newest arrival to my gadget harem. Do you recognize it?
BlackBerry 2012
December 3rd, 20112011 was a grim year for RIM. Its OS 7 smartphones seem like retreads compared to the competition. Shiny retreads, but retreads nevertheless. Indeed, after initial good results, sales of the OS 7 smartphones already are slowing down. RIM’s tablet, the PlayBook, is hampered by lack of basic functionality (e.g, setting up email accounts) which won’t be resolved until OS 2.0 in February 2012.
2012 should be a better year. It better be. On the tablet front, the aforementioned release of OS 2.0 in February 2012 should (hopefully) put the PlayBook on a better footing. But RIM’s mainstay is the smartphone, not the tablet. What about smartphones?
OS 7 is an evolutionary dead end. The 2012 crop of smartphones will have a completely different OS: BBX BlackBerry 10. Basically, BBX BlackBerry 10 is a the new marketing term for the QNX OS in the PlayBook. The prior marketing term, BBX, turns out to be legally unavailable because another company (BASIS International) already had a trademark on the BBX name. [Edits on 12/7/2011]
I have the PlayBook, and its QNX OS has a lot of promise, notwithstanding the crippled OS 1.0. I really don’t care whether they call the OS QNX, BBX, BB 10 or Godzilla. I want version 2.0 NOW!!!
That rant aside, 2012 BBX BlackBerry Roadmap Preview gives the details for anticipated 2012 BBX smartphones. It also mentions a 10” PlayBook sibling. But the stars of this show will be the smartphones.
RIM currently is between the proverbial rock and hard place. Move too slow, the market passes it by, as has happened on the smartphone front in the last few years. Move too fast and release a half-baked product, like the PlayBook, and customers lose confidence and go elsewhere.
CES in early January should provide a better clue on RIM’s 2012 roadmap. I’m rooting for RIM; competition is good. But we’ll see.
Update
December 2nd, 2011I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet lately. No problems. Just been busy earning a living. But I will be writing soon. In the meantime:
I’m really enjoying my HTC Jetstream and using it in meetings for note taking. This probably will be my main Android tablet until its quad-core sibling, the HTC Quattro, is released, reportedly Spring 2012. I’m still using my iPad 2. There are apps I use which are available only on iOS, no Android equivalent. As far as Windows 7 is concerned … well that will have to wait another week or two 
I’m still dithering over a phone to replace my aged HTC Droid Incredible (version 1, not 2). I’m very interested in the Android Samsung Galaxy Note if it comes to the US (probably early 2012) and works on the Verizon network (unclear, only AT&T confirmed for now). I’d also be interested in a RIM BBX phone. However, it doesn’t appear one will be available until about Fall 2012. That’s a long time to wait. early 2012 at best. If much longer than that, may be too long for me. Another candidate is a Windows Phone 7 Nokia Lumia 900 if it comes to the US (again probably early 2012) and works on the Verizon network (again unclear, only AT&T confirmed for now). At the rate this process is moving, the iPhone 5 may become a candidate. 
That’s it for now. Until soon …