September 2008
Nokia ditches business mobility solutions
by Volker Weber
Nokia announced that it plans to cease developing or marketing its own behind-the-firewall business mobility solutions. The appropriate technologies and expertise will be reallocated to Nokia's new consumer push e-mail service. Going forward, Nokia plans to form its enterprise solutions offering by combining Nokia devices and applications with software solutions from industry leading enterprise vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and others.
As a further step towards ensuring a clear focus on its core mobility business, Nokia is also announcing that it is in the advanced stages of discussions for the potential sale of its security appliances business to a financial investor.
Nokia renews vows with Microsoft, but also mentions IBM and Cisco.
It has been all but three years since Nokia aquired Intellisync, nee Pumatech, and five since SyncML pioneer Starfish (Traveler, wink wink). Now they are putting those behind Ovi.com. Even given Nokia's great lead in the device space, I am not too confident with that part of the strategy. On the enterprise side, Nokia will deliver Microsoft and let others complete the portfolio (Lotus with Traveler in Domino 8.5). My understanding is that IBM has cut a new deal which makes it easier to ship.
More >
Mobbler - last.fm client for S60 mobile phones
by Volker Weber
Mobbler, Mobile Scrobbler, is a last.fm radio player and scrobbler for Nokia S60 3rd edition smartphones. It allows you to listen to your last.fm radio stations and to scrobble tracks played using the Nokia S60 Music Player. Music player scrobbling can be done both whilst you listen, or queued offline to be submitted later.
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro - nine months later
by Volker Weber
Last Xmas Lukas gave me a pair of Ultimate Ears, and I would not want to be without them. I am currently travelling a lot by railroad. Yesterday I was sitting one row behind eight middle-aged ladies, all of them talking at the same time. And I was not bothered at all. Complete isolation.
And in contrast to those iPod earphones, the music comes with bass.
Walmart reminds you why you should not buy DRM crippleware
by Volker Weber
As the final stage of our transition to a full DRM-free MP3 download store, Walmart will be shutting down our digital rights management system that supports protected songs and albums purchased from our site.
If you have purchased protected WMA music files from our site prior to Feb 2008, we strongly recommend that you back up your songs by burning them to a recordable audio CD. By backing up your songs, you will be able to access them from any personal computer. This change does not impact songs or albums purchased after Feb 2008, as those are DRM-free.
Repeat after me: DRM is bad for the customer.
[Thanks, Alper]
Javelin or Storm?
by Volker Weber
I am still holding the BlackBerry Bold at ransom, to be released when the next BlackBerry shows up. What will it be? The Javelin, kind of Curve.next, or the BlackBerry iPhone Storm? :-)
Liberties
by Volker Weber
Ed blogs about Project Liberate, an IBM initiative designed to make customers spend lesss money on Microsoft software.
It's an interesting idea that once it becomes standard business practice can reduce software licensing cost across the board. There is a lot of money to be saved out there. On email, application servers, databases, instant messaging, portals, etc.
Makes me wonder if they can put out the fire when the wind changes.
What is going to happen around Apple TV?
by Volker Weber
I had an interesting discussion about Apple TV and the Mac mini last week. Consensus:
- Apple wants to be in the living room.
- If an Apple product has not been updated for a long time, it's either going away or something big is about to happen.
Given (1) my bet is on something big. First rumors are coming in that the company is removing Apple TV from the channel.
The iPhone generation
by Volker Weber
Good summary for the fact that Apple denies applications access to the App Store on questionable grounds.
Quote of the day
by Volker Weber
The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion.
— Larry Elison
Use your iPhone as a Wireless Router for your PC/Mac
by Volker Weber
Another reason to jailbreak your iPhone:
PDAnet has been one of the most popular software for Windows Mobile phones and Palm OS phones. It is now ported to the iPhone! The 1.2 version turns your iPhone into a true WiFi router for your computer (MAC or PC), and allows your laptop to go online wirelessly through the 3G network on the iPhone.
[Thanks, Urban]
SFW - sort of
by Volker Weber
iPod nano 4G - one week later
by Volker Weber
I have been using the new nano for a week now. A few observations:
- Everybody who has seen it likes it better than the 3G. Yes, I carried both.
- I'd really like to switch off the motion sensor. Have already done so for "shake to shuffle".
- If you use the iPhone headset, you get access to Voice Memos*. Might be interesting as an unobtrusive recording device. :-)
The motion sensor is good for watching photos as you turn the iPod to watch landscape instead of portrait. Which is necessary. The 3G had a landscape display, and most content — all videos and most photos — is landscape. But I don't like it at all as a switcher to go into cover flow. I often use the iPod when resting and then it is a nuisance. "Skake to shuffle" also does not work for me, since it fires off way to easily just when walking around. Luckily you can turn this feature off, but not the cover flow trigger.
*) Voice Memos also work on a large number of other iPods. Check the link.
No_reply? Forward!
by Volker Weber
I officially started hating MindJet for their mindless spam. Not only do they send their newsletter to my address although I have officially unsubscribed, they also send offers that I am not even eligible for, and they do so from an address named no_reply@mindjet.de and no_reply@mindjet.com.
I have now set a new filter:
And I will make this standard practice for all other companies who subscribe me to their newsletters. Let's make them drink from their own firehose.
Can this get any uglier?
by Volker Weber
This is it, the first Android phone from T-Mobile, made by HTC. Just for comparison, this is the competition:
Fake popup study sadly confirms most users are idiots
by Volker Weber
... researchers have tested how college students respond to fake dialog boxes in browser popup windows and found that the students are so anxious to get the dialog out of the way, they click right through obvious warning signs.
Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.
by Volker Weber
Repeat after me ...
iPod nano 3G vs 4G
by Volker Weber
The new iPod nano 4G is a fabulous machine, but so was the 3G. Apple added a motion sensor, a few features like shake to shuffle or the Nike integration, but both share the same screen size. The motion sensor let's you switch to coverflow, but that is not something I particularly like, especially when resting on my side. :-) Very welcome is the ability to view pictures in landscape and portrait, similar to iPhone and iPod touch.
While the 4G is more capable than the 3G and holds better in your hand, it also feels significantly cheaper. The 3G was a very tight package, but the 4G feels somewhat flimsy. It is just too light. And the shell is so incredibly thin that you would squash it if its profile were not oval.
Don't you just love it how Apple does not only recognize the device but will also display an icon in the correct color?
Spore copyright control relaxed - DRM still sucks
by Volker Weber
Video game maker Electronic Arts has loosened copyright protection for the newest release of its game Spore. Released earlier in the month, the game received a flurry of complaints about a restriction that meant the game could only be registered to three computers.
That restriction has now been raised to five computers, which the company says should account for all legitimate uses.
DRM does not taste better in smaller doses.
Repeat after me: DRM is bad for the customer.
[Thanks, Ben]
Microsoft's "I'm a PC" Ads - made on a Mac
by Volker Weber
LuisDS looked at the metadata on the video for Microsoft's new "I'm a PC" commercial and learned that it was made on Mac using Adobe Creative Suite 3. Link
Shocking.
Walking instructions in Google Maps Mobile
by Volker Weber
There is another feature I overlooked in the new version of Google Maps Mobile: walking instructions, in addition to driving instructions and "Transit" which lists public transportation in supported countries (Germany is not one of them).
This is again version 2.3.1 on my BlackBerry Bold.
Je mehr Pixel desto schlechter das Bild
by Volker Weber
Seit einiger Zeit ist bekannt, dass immer mehr Pixel in kleinen digitalen Kameras nicht zu besseren Bildern führen. Aus diesem Grunde hat Image Engineering als unabhängiges Testlabor diese Website eingerichtet, die den Missstand aufzeigt und erklärt. Wir hoffen auf breite Unterstützung der Medien bei der Aufklärung der Verbraucher, um über das Kaufverhalten die Hersteller dazu zu bewegen, bessere Kameras an Stelle von solchen mit mehr Pixeln zu bauen.
Number one Exchange replacement Zarafa releases software Open Source
by Volker Weber
In an effort to sponsor and support the creation of an enterprise open source Exchange replacement, the company will contribute the full core of the server-side source code of the Zarafa platform - known for its 100% MAPI compatibility and flexibility - to the community. This will allow more options for compatibility, localization, enhancements and further integration options with other systems.
Zarafa open source offering will consist of the Zarafa server, Z-Merge (a new web services API platform for application integration), the Zarafa IMAP/POP3/iCal gateway, the Zarafa Administration Console, the Zarafa WebAccess and many other tools and services. It is the only groupware platform that includes open source ActiveSync compatibility, which enables organizations to have remote synchronisation and pushmail for Windows Mobile, Nokia’s Mail for Exchange and iPhones.
Cisco to buy messaging software company Jabber Inc.
by Volker Weber
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc said on Friday it plans to buy privately held Jabber Inc, which specializes in instant messaging software, to bolster its own line of Internet-based communications products.
Konferenz-Update
by Volker Weber
Bin gerade unterwegs in Sachen "Heise Netze" mit einer Konferenz in drei Städten: Düsseldorf, München, Hamburg. Und ich war ziemlich beeindruckt von den anderen Rednern. Kompetent, sicher im Vortrag, und dazu sympathisch.
[Update: Jan-Piet war da.]
Das erste Konferenzhotel war brandneu, Innside Derendorf. Perfekt als Hotel, nicht ganz so perfekt als Tagungsstätte. Für uns war das einfach schon zu klein. Darunter leidet dann das Raumklima und die Luft wird stickig. Das macht die Teilnehmer müde. Dafür war das Essen vorbildlich.
Als Hotelgast leidet man keine Not. Im Zimmerpreis enthalten ist die Minibar und der (drahtgebundene) Internetzugang. Damit entfallen die lästigen Nebenkosten, die man seinem Auftraggeber oder Arbeitgeber schlecht aufbürden kann. Diese Hotels gibt es auch in anderen Städten. Wer es gerne gemütlich oder repräsentativ mag, der passt dort nicht hin. Die Atmosphäre ist geprägt von schlichtem, reduziertem Design . Entsprechend war das Publikum jung und interessant. Nicht die typischen singenden Hauptbuchhalter in gedeckten Grautönen, die man sonst als Geschäftsreisende antrifft.
Nächste Woche geht es nach München ins Novotel Messe. Das kenne ich von vielen anderen Veranstaltungen. In der Pampa gelegen, aber gut funktionierend. In Hamburg sind wir dann im Mövenpick. Für mich neu, aber wie ich höre ganz prima.
Es sind noch Plätze frei .
What do you think Lotus will be doing?
by Volker Weber
Within less than a few weeks, we had some great discussions:
- What is Notes' core strength?
- What is Notes' core weakness?
- It’s the applications that keep the product alive (on Bob Balaban's)
- What would you do, if you were in charge of Lotus?
I especially enjoyed the last one tremendously. Lots of ideas that were not discussed in the open so far. The tipping point was Alan's great write-up on that thread. But there were two things pretty clear. Alan did not play by the rules I set up so that you wouldn't go over the top. I wanted to keep things sensible. The other thing was that Alan said, Lotus knows about these ideas, and has known for a while, since it was his job to come up with them.
The quick reaction is, why didn't they do all these great things in the past? The quick answer is that they would not work, because they need things to happen within IBM, that Lotus can't make happen. So I would like to pick up from there and ask:
What do you think, Lotus can really do if they try? Or what do you think they will do?
I will give you some that I think they will not do:
- Lotus will not make Domino their primary development platform for new application. I have a couple of reasons to believe that. Go to the research lab at Lotusphere and see how these guys build stuff. And then look at the software development in IBM Software Group. Lifecycle management, development tools, etc.
- Lotus will not greatly simplify to a few products. Why? Because some things cannot be thrown in because they are owned by more than one brand. Those products have to stand on their own. Or on more general terms: every product has to stand on their own.
Before we go on, just a reminder. These guys are not stupid. They run a very big ship. If you assume they are all going in the wrong direction, then maybe you are. And in that case you will be run over.
What do you think? What is going to happen, and why?
RIM Announces Support for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
by Volker Weber
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 19, 2008) - Research In Motion ... today announced support for Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 providing an enhanced real time instant messaging and presence experience for corporate customers using the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution.
The new offering includes an instant messaging application (BlackBerry IM client) for BlackBerry smartphones that provides enhanced presence information and deeper integration with core BlackBerry smartphone applications including the phone, browser, address book and calendar for a highly intuitive and interactive experience.
iFriday iFun: rebranding exercises
by Volker Weber
Paul has an interesting FAQ:
Q: What is IBM® Lotus® iNotes™ ultralite?
A: With the 8.0.2 release, Lotus iNotes introduces is a new mode that has been introduced in IBM Lotus Domino Web Access (DWA) 8.0.2 software (will be renamed to Lotus iNotes in the 8.5 release)
I must admit, I lost track. I thought DWA had already come home. Apparently only the iPhone part has been christened iNotes, and Domino Web Access will follow in 8.5. My guess is that marketing did not want to call it "Web Access" because iNotes ultralite does not immediately suggest that this is a browser based solution, whereas Web Access does. You will find three different spellings for the product:
- iNotes Ultralite
- iNotes ultralite
- iNotes 'Ultralite'
And one unintended one:
A: iLotus Notes ultralite currently supports Apple iPhone.
iLotus. WeLotus.
Geek and Poke
by Volker Weber
[via Robert]
Mac BlackBerry Users Rejoice: RIM Promises New Mac Tools
by Volker Weber
RIM plans to release a set of new tools within the first half of 2009 which will address a number of longstanding complaints from Mac users, according to a source within RIM who asked to remain nameless because the company's not yet ready to officially announce details or release dates.
Google Maps Mobile now with Streetview
by Volker Weber
The newest Google Maps for mobile is available now for BlackBerry and many Java-enabled phones. To download it to your phone, visit google.com/gmm from your phone's web browser or on the desktop. We're working on bringing all these new features to other platforms as well, so stay tuned.
This is version 2.3.1 on my BlackBerry Bold:
Ricardo Patrese, ex F1 driver, takes his wife around Jerez
by Volker Weber
You need sound :-)
[Thanks, Pieterjan]
Taking the slow train
by Volker Weber
Scenic route ahead
iNotes @ Apple
by Volker Weber
Not the screenshot I would have submitted, but there you have it.
Another nice music stream
by Volker Weber
Heiko sent me http://www.buzzoutroom.com/listen.pls. On heavy rotation.
E71 autofocus easily overlooked
by Volker Weber
The Nokia E71 has autofocus, but it usually is not engaged. Which is a huge plus for regular photos. The depth of field is large enough to get nice shots without waiting for a slow autofocus. Shutter release is immediate. However, if you try a close-up, this is the result:
Now, if you press "T" until the focus frame has turned green, the outcome is much nicer:
Since the T-key sits nicely underneath the navigator and thus the shutter, this is working rather well for me. Yes, the phone needs dusting. But look at yours. ;-)
What would you do, if you were in charge of Lotus?
by Volker Weber
Last week we had three great discussions:
- What is Notes' core strength?
- What is Notes' core weakness?
- It’s the applications that keep the product alive (on Bob Balaban's)
Everybody has his own frustrations about what IBM is doing wrong. But how would it be done right? What is it that you would do differently? No use crying over spilt milk. What would you do going forward? And remember, you have to pay for it with your revenue. You have to keep your management, your customers and your employees happy. And you cannot change how other parts of the Software Group or your competitors conduct their business.
Nokia E71 is currently winning
by Volker Weber
I have currently four smartphones powered up and ready to go: Apple iPhone (2G), BlackBerry Bold, Nokia E71 and Palm Treo Pro. And more often than I expected, the Nokia makes the race. And it's only because of convenience.
The iPhone is pretty good for everything but answering email. It's the only one that renders HTML mail as intended. And the only one giving me quick access to weather, stocks, Twitter and news. However, typing on the screen is bad. The BlackBerry loses for only a single reason: Mac support sucks big time. If I worked with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, I would love it. The Treo Pro is still ramping up, but I am having the usual difficulties with Windows Mobile Professional. It's just too complicated, especially if you have a Mac. Best Windows-Treo I have seen, but not strong enough to beat the other three guys.
The E71 however is wonderful. The smallest and thinnest of them, with the best build quality. Very easy to operate with one hand, with a fast and usable camera. It syncs with my Mac over Bluetooth, and thanks to iSyncit completely automatically. I never have to dock it at all. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. But it's my current choice.
What is it with IPv6 on my computers?
by Volker Weber
My neighbor asked me about something that was troubling him. Why was his computer configuring an IPv6 interface and would not let him disable it? He is on Windows, so I did not know. Checked my Mac and found this:
Looks like it is configured to automatic, but does not have any information. But then I issued an ifconfig (ipconfig on Windows), it would show this:
en0: flags=8863
inet6 fe80::21e:c2ff:fe0e:1d45%en0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x4
inet 192.168.58.189 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.58.255
ether 00:1e:c2:0e:1d:45
There seems to be an IPv6 address attached, that is not showing up on the GUI. If I turn the interface off like so, it will no longer be there in ifconfig.
My neighbor tells me that Windows won't let him shut off IPv6. What is the master plan here?
Techcrunch: Spore And The Great DRM Backlash
by Volker Weber
There is a lesson here for all media companies. Whether they are producing videogames, movies, or music, adding DRM won’t stop piracy. The best way to stop piracy is to hobble the pirated version, not the official one.
This is exactly the point. DRM hurts the customer.
Have you checked the iTunes visualizer recently?
by Volker Weber
Upgrade to iTunes 8. Play a track. Hit cmd-T and cmd-F. Be blown away.
Notes - It’s the applications that keep the product alive
by Volker Weber
Bob is in the migration and co-existance business. Helping organizations building bridges between Notes, Exchange and soon Google Apps. He talks to people, who ponder migrations, a lot. And he is making an observation about Notes as mail vs Notes as applications:
And, I claim, this really, really matters, and SHOULD matter, even to heads-down, capitalist bean-counters over at IBM. Why? Because there are lots and lots of accounts where applications (not email) are the only thing keeping Notes and Domino around. Where, if email were all it did, it would have been tossed out completely.
Very interesting topic! Go here and discuss >
Dropbox - Secure backup, sync and sharing made easy
by Volker Weber
Dropbox just came out of "invitation only" mode. Have been using it for a week or so, and I am very satisfied.
Dropbox is supported on 32/64-bit Windows XP and Vista, Mac OSX Tiger and Leopard, as well as Ubuntu 7.10+ and Fedora Core 9+. We've also had users report success running on OpenSUSE 11, Arch Linux, Gentoo as well as several other distributions of Linux. Dropbox also supports Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. While Dropbox may work just fine on other platforms, we don't "officially" support these yet.
last.fm is cool stuff
by Volker Weber
I came to like last.fm a lot. If you let it "scrobble" your listening, it will build a library of what you like to hear. Then you can use a free application for iPhone/iPod touch to stream your library (or somebody elses) to your phone. Since last.fm also suggests similar music to you, it's a great way to discover stuff you don't yet know.
Netgear releases RAIDiator 4.1.3
by Volker Weber
NETGEAR is pleased to announce the release of RAIDiator 4.1.3, an update to the RAIDiator 4.01c1-p1 (non-Duo) and 4.01c1-p2 (Duo) firmware for the ReadyNAS network attached storage product lines. ... This release will work with ReadyNAS 600, X6, 1000S, 1100, NV, NV+, and Duo, and can be updated easily from FrontView.
iPhone 2.1 software available
by Volker Weber
The iPhone 2.1 software update contains many bug fixes and improvements. To get it, connect your iPhone to your computer using iTunes 8 and click Check for Update.
You may want to hold off for now if you unlocked or jailbroke your device.
Update: Updated my unlocked 1st gen iPhone and it's still working. :-)
Update: That was quick:
- PwnageTool 2.1 for Mac OS X via Bittorent -download here
- QuickPwn 1.1 for Mac OS X via Bittorrent - download here
What is Notes' core weakness?
by Volker Weber
Yesterday I asked about Notes core strength. Lots of interesting answers. Did you notice that nobody said email, which is probably the biggest use case? Also nobody mentioned anything that IBM pushed in the last years, like web services, composite applications, SOA (cough, cough).
Now we have some ideas about the perceived core strengths. But what about the weaknesses? I have a hard time figuring it out. So let's start again with two examples:
- Windows's core weakness is device drivers.
- Mobile devices' core weakness is the battery.
So what do you perceive as Notes' core weakness? I have to split it in two: admin and development.
Notes' core weakness on the admin side is that it must use its own directory and authentication scheme. On the development side it's the proprietary tooling.
What is yours?
Must read for web developers: History of the browser user-agent string
by Volker Weber
In the beginning there was NCSA Mosaic, and Mosaic called itself NCSA_Mosaic/2.0 (Windows 3.1), and Mosaic displayed pictures along with text, and there was much rejoicing.
RIM and TiVo Partner to Provide TiVo Mobile Entertainment Services on BlackBerry
by Volker Weber
ALVISO, CALIFORNIA and WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 11, 2008) - TiVo Inc. ... and Research In Motion (RIM) ... today announced a partnership to bring customized TiVo services to the BlackBerry wireless platform.
The new relationship brings TiVo and RIM together to develop a variety of mobile entertainment services ... Initially, BlackBerry smartphone users will gain the convenience of being able to discover what shows are on and schedule television recordings while away from the living room and on the go. Future collaboration between the companies will focus on software applications that further simplify mobile access to video content.
The Treo Pro has landed
by Volker Weber
The Treo Pro has finally landed at vowe's magic flying circus and I wanted to give you a few first impressions.
Palm is doing a lot of things right. First the packaging: whoever designed that box owns an iPhone. :-) Same heavy cardboard, presenting the device in a solid clear plastic shell when opened. Innovative packaging underneath which separates the cables and things with paper instead of plastic. Well done.
The battery is pre-charged. Same size as with all the new phones, from Bold all the way to the Eseries. A flat 1500 mAh goodness. No more proprietary plugs: 3.5mm jack and micro-USB (not mini-USB) as on the E71. I can use the Nokia data cable to charge it. That's good. Can't even charge the Nokia with that cable.
As you can see, the Treo is smaller than the Bold and bigger than the Nokia. That's also good. Finally a 2008 design from Palm. So far I like it. Now I can start bitching about Windows Mobile. :-)
What is Notes' core strength?
by Volker Weber
Every product has a core strength. It's not necessarily the unique selling point since that is created by marketing. I mean the core strength that was built by engineering a great idea. Let's make some examples:
- The (Palm-)Pilot was the first no-nonsense mobile device that synced contacts, calendar, tasks and notes with your desktop.
- The AK-47 is a simple, easy to build submachine-gun, that never jams.
- The BlackBerry is a worry-free mobile email device.
So what is Notes? What does it do better than anything else? Don't dilute the message by claiming everything but the kitchen sink.
I will give you mine:
Notes is the best software to build small business applications to be used by a group of people in a sometimes disconnected mode.
What is yours?
There are never really any winners in war - just destruction, death and misery
by Volker Weber
Read the story and comments here >
Good CYA guidance
by Volker Weber
Jesper Jurcenoks, CTO of NetVigilance, a network vulnerability testing company, says 60% of businesses fail their PCI audit for one reason: they have no information security policy written down. So grab some paper and start from the basics, like “lock the door at night.” Then detail who can access data, define daily operational security procedures, and keep writing down policies.
Animated Desktop
by Volker Weber
[via twitter.fscklog]
RIM announces the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220
by Volker Weber
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 10, 2008) - Research In Motion (RIM) today unveiled the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone, the first BlackBerry phone to come in the popular flip form factor. The new BlackBerry Pearl Flip provides flip phone fans with all the power of a BlackBerry smartphone in a fun and familiar design. One quick flip of the handset opens up a world of possibilities with the industry's leading ...
Looks like the first BlackBerry I don't want. :-)
Microsoft scores Nokia for Exchange
by Volker Weber
Just off the phone with Ilari Nurmi, Vice President Eseries. Nokia is betting the farm on Exchange. They just announced they will deliver Mail for Exchange for all S60 3rd Edition devices, all 43 of them. That is 80 million shipped by July 2008, plus all new devices that are coming out. At the same time Nokia is dropping further development of BlackBerry Connect.
Nokia is essentially partnering with Microsoft for mobile email. There is still IntelliSync, which is also used by Nokia Mail. And others can develop on S60 whatever they like, but Nokia is going to ship Mail for Exchange big time.
Cappuccino
by Volker Weber
Vor einiger Zeit habe ich mit Verblüffung von 280slides.com Notiz genommen - seit ein paar Tagen gibt es die technische Grundlage als Cappuccino genanntes Framework zum Download. Seht unter der LGPL und ist...
...Revolution!
Stevenote online: the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated
by Volker Weber
iPhone software update 2.1 for iPod touch
by Volker Weber
Free update from 2.0, paid from 1.x. Let's look at what's new:
This answers one of my questions. Looking at item #2 I guess I owe Gruber an apology.
John Gruber: More good news ...
by Volker Weber
More good news, while watching the QuickTime stream of today’s event: Woz is definitely not "too skinny", either.
Apple iPod updates
by Volker Weber
Steve Jobs is very skinny. Phil Schiller is not. The new nano is pretty, the new classic, well classic. iPod touch loses many of its weaknesses: has speakers and volume controls. Like an iPhone 3G, skinnier, and with stainless steel back, without camera and phone. I wonder if Apple will upgrade the Mk. 1 touch to the same software as the new one.
iTunes gets new features that I couldn't care less about.
New iPhone software Friday. Apple has learned not to push it all out in a single day.
VMware is bleeding
by Volker Weber
virtualization.info just received a confirmation from a trusted source: VMware co-founder and Chief Scientist Mendel Rosenblum resigned.
His wife, Diane Greene, that founded the company with him and led it as CEO since 1998 was removed by the board of directors in July for much unclear reasons. After that, the risk that his husband would follow was very high.
It wasn't me: "his husband". :-)
Tweet of the day
by Volker Weber
DRM: Customers are fighting back
by Volker Weber
Electronic Arts has released the much anticipated game Spore, and customers are balking at their DRM regime. Kernel drivers you can't uninstall, mandatory registration, you name it, they have it. How do you fight back? With bad evaluations on Amazon. UK Amazon went so far as to delete all of them. That won't work well. It just pisses customers off even more.
Repeat after me: DRM is bad for the customer
BananAlbum
by Volker Weber
While looking at Wolfgang's pictures from Mykonos, I learned about BananAlbum:
BananAlbum is a free, simple and elegant Flash web photo gallery / webalbum / online picture viewer
Business Twitter
by Volker Weber
Yammer has a simple and elegant idea. Provide a Twitter clone, where you can only see people from your own company. I wonder how well that works for two reasons:
- You are telling Yammer what's going on at your company. Generally not a smart idea if you look at your contract.
- They are matching @yourcompany.com. I wonder how well that works with subdomains.
Who's your daddy?
by Volker Weber
Ian writes:
IBM/Lotus and the Lotus user community are a family
Is that true? The CIOs I know don't count IBM as family. There are very enthusiastic people out there, and you meet all of them at Lotusphere. Which is a great event to bond. But IBM is neither your brother nor your father.
Great iPhone app: Air Sharing
by Volker Weber
David sent me this great tip:
Avatron Software is proud to present Air Sharing, the easiest way to take your documents with you and view them on the go. Air Sharing is now available on the App Store! Air Sharing’s regular price is US$6.99. But don’t miss this special introductory offer: For the first two weeks, Avatron Software will be giving Air Sharing away for FREE!
What does it do? It lets you connect to your iPhone (or iPod touch) over WiFi and drag&drop files to and from the device. Since it uses WebDAV, it works on all platforms, Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.
Once you have the files on the iPhone, you can browse them. Works with all supported file formats, including PDF, Office and iWork. Recommended!
Simplest weather report
by Volker Weber
Umbrella Today? tells you if you'll need an umbrella today. Americans only.
Microsoft sets Hyper-V free
by Volker Weber
Microsoft said on Monday that it now plans to offer its server virtualization product for free.
Ahead of a virtualization event in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft said that its Hyper-V Server 2008 will be released within 30 days and be available at no cost via the Web. The software maker had planned to charge $28 for the product.
I think I am going to keep my VMs on VMware.
When will Notes 9 ship?
by Volker Weber
Since Notes 9 was mentioned today, I have to ask, what is your expectation for a Notes 9 ship date? Assuming 8.5 comes out 4Q08. My money is on 2011.
OpenOffice 3.0 RC1 is here
by Volker Weber
Simple drag&drop install, support for ODF 1.2, can read but not write MS Office 2007 files. I wish more software would be available through a fast BitTorrent link:
Pick it up from the BitTorrent tracker.
Search not working in Notes 8.5? It will be fixed in 9
by Volker Weber
After installing beta 2 we've got some trouble with searching. The full-text index of databases gets really huge (DB Size 256 MB, index size 479 MB) and searching in attached documents (PDF for example) does not work.
Fix:
It will be fixed in Mac Notes 9
Two talks about learning
by Volker Weber
I am currently thinking about teaching and learning and I found these two talks very inspiring:
- Jonathan Drori: Why we don’t understand as much as we think we do
- Sugata Mitra: Can kids teach themselves?
Hi, I'm a Mac… Beep, beep!
by Volker Weber
The Mac is Roadrunner. PC is Wile E. Coyote. This nails it.
Global Vortex: great Internet radio station
by Volker Weber
[Information removed per request of Global Vortex.]
Site news: Chrome already accounts for almost 10% of page hits
by Volker Weber
Ed on Twitter:
Firefox 53% of edbrill.com hits in the last month; IE 40%. Safari 4%. Chrome already 1%. Opera&Mozilla other 2%. Interesting.
Time to look at my charts. This was last week. Guess the colors:
Firefox blue, Internet Explorer green, Safari orange, Opera yellow. And now this week:
Yellow is now Chrome. At almost 10%. Safari hovers around 14%, Chrome wins from Firefox (-12%) and Internet Explorer (-8%).
BIS customers now getting instant IMAP e-mail
by Volker Weber
A quiet BlackBerry Internet Service upgrade has been rolled out that according to many is resulting in much quicker e-mail delivery over IMAP.
It's very easy to check whether your IMAP server understands IDLE. Just telnet to port 143 and issue two commands: "a001 CAPABILITY" makes the server lists its capabilities and "a002 LOGOUT" disconnects from the server. If IDLE is listed as a capability, you are good.
Nur bei Regen
by Volker Weber
Von Axel bei Köln-Königsforst entdeckt
Everybody's PIN Number: Revealed!
by Volker Weber
Hilarious:
Someone actually wrote in requesting an explanation as to how this thing works.
Sorry, we do not reveal our trade secrets.
MetrO on BlackBerry
by Volker Weber
Remember, it's always the cable
by Volker Weber
Gruber notes:
I use a USB hub, too. I tried the direction connection, and damn if it didn't complete a full sync in five minutes.
Guys, this is ridiculous. You cannot complain about the iPhone needing hours for a backup if you downgrade your connection to USB 1.0.
It has only been less than two hours
by Volker Weber
... since we left LTU-Arena in Düsseldorf. And what a night it was.
Yes, Madonna just turned 50. And you can see that she did. She is an outstanding, very athletic performer. I am amazed she can sing at all when going through her dance routine. After catching some breath she was even able to perform You must love me from Evita.
If you go see the show, watch the guitar player at the left back of the stage covering for her guitar play. He is always using the same instrument, and plays exactly what she attempts to play. ;-)
Thank you for making us feel special, from access to the front row right down to the parking lot next to the venue. Which let us beat the crowds leaving, fill up the car and hit the road. We left LTU-Arena well past eleven and were home just short of one o'clock. It was well worth the ride.
Robin Bloor: Why Google Chrome Will Dominate
by Volker Weber
Microsoft bets on Office, IBM on Portal and Expeditor (with Notes as the Trojan horse). Google develops a cloud client:
I had no inkling that Google was even developing a browser, and I’d always assumed that it would one day just buy FireFox and be done with it.
Now that I’ve taken a look at Chrome, my opinion of Google has risen sharply. This is not yet-another-browser. this is a complete refresh of what a browser could and should be. From Chrome’s initial release, every indication is that Google gets it. It’s not so much that it gets browsing (which it does and that’s something in itself) but that it gets cloud computing.
824 Chrome users so far today
by Volker Weber
Amongst them some interesting variations:
Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.14
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.14
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.2; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.14
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.14
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.14
Planet Lotus not picking up Christopher's feed
by Volker Weber
Since I am subscribed to Christopher Linfoot's feed (here on Feedburner), at first I did not miss anything. But it appears Planet Lotus has not seen any updates from him in the last two days. So you may want to visit his site directly. He always has interesting things to say.
Party like it's 2008
by Volker Weber
Lotus does not really want to let go of Lotusphere 2008. :-) At least not if you go to www.lotusphere.com.
Here is the real one. A nice site btw. Much better than Cold Dead Fish of 2007. Registration is open. No, it's not free. That was ILUG. :-)
Lars Hinrichs: Yes, xing is currently down...
by Volker Weber
I am not as surprised as Lars is.
Vorhersehbar
by Volker Weber
...anbei erhalten Sie eine aktuelle Pressemeldung der Microsoft Deutschland GmbH zum Thema "Microsoft gibt Empfehlungen für den Erwerb gebrauchter Softwarelizenzen". Sollten Sie noch Fragen haben oder weitere Informationen benötigen, wenden Sie sich bitte an den Microsoft Presseservice ...
Wer kann raten, was Microsoft empfiehlt?
Notes hater likes iNotes Ultralite
by Volker Weber
Thomas is a fellow journalist and has to work with Notes. And he does not like it. At all. Now he has iNotes Ultralite on his iPhone. And he is impressed:
Aber die Web App ist schneller als ich dachte auf dem 3G. Fühlt sich wirklich gut an.
Notes.ini parameter RunFaster=1 is finally here
by Volker Weber
It's called UseBasicNotes=1 though.
Chrome in the wild
by Volker Weber
Showing up in my logs:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US) AppleWebKit/525.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/0.2.14
Now is a bad time to buy an iPod
by Volker Weber
Looks like Apple will be announcing new gear next week. Hold on to that wallet.
Google Chrome Privacy Notice
by Volker Weber
Your copy of Google Chrome includes one or more unique application numbers. These numbers and information about your installation of the browser (e.g., version number, language) will be sent to Google when you first install and use it and when Google Chrome automatically checks for updates. If you choose to send usage statistics and crash reports to Google, the browser will send us this information along with a unique application number as well. Crash reports can contain information from files, applications and services that were running at the time of a malfunction.
Two more days to finish this presentation
by Volker Weber
BlackBerry Bold in c't 19/2008
by Volker Weber
Mein Fazit gab es ja schon letzte Woche hier, der vollständige Text bleibt der c't vorbehalten. Aber die habt Ihr ja sowieso. :-)
This story has to be bogus
by Volker Weber
Four hours Domino outage at IBM?
BlackBerry Bold ab Mitte September bei o2 verfügbar
by Volker Weber
MÜNCHEN. Der BlackBerry Bold 9000 ist ab Mitte September bei Telefónica O2 Germany für Businesskunden und Selbstständige erhältlich
Preparing to rescue Hubble
by Volker Weber
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch next month (October 8th), carrying new instruments, batteries and gyroscopes to the Hubble Space Telescope. This will be the final servicing mission to Hubble, the 30th flight of the 23-year old Atlantis, and one of the final 10 flights of the Space Shuttle program, which will be retired in 2010.
I love the series "The Big Picture" from Boston.com.
Watch your step
by Volker Weber
Photo Neil Gallop
In Darmstadt, no less.
Google on Google Chrome
by Volker Weber
Google Chrome is Google's browser project; this comic book by Google, drawn by Scott McCloud, is scanned here and shown under its Creative Commons license.
