June 2012
Tiefrot
by Volker Weber
Die Umsatzerlöse lagen im vergangenen Geschäftsjahr 2011 mit 11,8 Mio. Euro rd. 4% unter dem Vorjahresniveau (2010: 12,3 Mio. Euro) . . . Damit betragen die Abschreibungen des Jahres 2011 insgesamt 14,2 Mio. Euro, davon außerplanmäßig 12,1 Mio. Euro. So ergibt sich im Wesentlichen aufgrund der vorgenannten Abschreibungen ein Jahresfehlbetrag 2011 von 13,5 Mio. Euro (2010: Jahresüberschuss 0,3 Mio. Euro).
Music for the weekend
by Volker Weber
I still remember singing this with a few thousand of our closest friends.
Burning Platform... on the "Burning Platform"!
by Volker Weber
Steve Litchfield of All About Symbian:
Assuming you have a good sense of humour - or of irony - then make a beeline for this free theme on the Nokia Store: "Burning Platform", a direct reference to Stephen Elop's famous 'leaked' February 2011 memo talking about the unsustainability of Symbian (and Meego).
Google+ Events defused
by Volker Weber
When Google launched Events on Google+, they made a major mistake: everybody could invite anyone. Linus Torvalds:
Ok, so how do I disable the stupid event invites from showing up on my home screen?
Solution right now: stop using G+. I'm seeing zero actual posts, everything is just event invites from people I don't know.
Bye bye.
Not exactly what Google wanted. And they applied a very quick fix. Only people in your circles can invite you. Now we need an option to tell G+ which circles. You don't want people from your "Annoying Idiots" circle to invite you, do you?
And as you can see in the photo above, you can tuck away features you are not using into the More category.
Nixus sieben
by Volker Weber
Google so:
If you are in the US, UK, CA or AU you can pre-order #nexus7
Warum nicht hier? An der Sprache liegt das nicht, denn Android spricht sehr wohl deutsch. Ich orakel mal: Google will über "Play" Inhalte verkaufen. Und die haben sie einfach noch nicht. Wozu also billige Tablets verkaufen, wenn man damit keinen Umsatz erwirtschaften kann? Voerst also für uns: Nixus sieben.
Das Nexus 7 ist keine Konkurrenz zum iPad, sondern zum Amazon Kindle. Selber Preis, und Amazon sammelt bisher Kunden eben auch nur in USA. Mobil ist das Nexus 7 ohne Mobilfunk ja nicht wirklich, und mit 8 GB ohne Speichererweiterung auch ziemlich klein. Aber um's Haus rum, mit einem ordentlichen Store dahinter, ist es eine Wucht.
Und da man die gekauften Inhalte ja nicht nur auf dem kleinen Display und einem Kopfhörer gucken will, gibt es dann zum $200-Tablet noch einen $300-Mediaplayer Nexus Q, den man an den Fernseher hängt. Und schon ist der Systempreis auf der Höhe von iPad 2 plus Apple TV.
How to explain collaborative editing
by Volker Weber
Here is another way.
Research In Motion Reports Desaster
by Volker Weber
Excerpt:
- Revenue of $2.8 billion in Q1, down 33% from $4.2 billion in the prior quarter
- GAAP net loss in Q1 of $518 million or $0.99 per share diluted; adjusted net loss of $192 million or $0.37 per share diluted
- Shipments of BlackBerry smartphones were 7.8 million and shipments of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets were approximately 260,000
- BlackBerry 10 smartphone launch now scheduled for Q1 of calendar 2013
The company will let 5000 people go. No BlackBerry 10 devices this year. The slide is going to continue.
tizi Antennenadapter
by Volker Weber
Hier in Darmstadt, genau hier, ist der DVB-T Empfang so schlecht, dass mein tizi in Innenräumen schlecht funktioniert. Also es funktioniert an genau einer Stelle in unserem obersten Stockwerk. Zur CeBIT habe ich mich mit equinux über das Problem ausgetauscht und man versprach mir einen Prototyp eines Antennenadapters. Und der funktionierte wunderbar mit meiner Hausantenne.
Dann musste ich das Teil zurückgeben, weil es wirklich nur genau einen Adapter gab. Nach diesem Muster hat equinux nun eine Produktion aufgelegt und heute kamen die ersten beiden Stück. Wunderbar! Funktioniert exakt wie der Prototyp.
Das Belkin tizi gibt es gerade für knapp 80 Euro bei Tchibo.
Eintausend
by Volker Weber
Klub der anonymen Phlegmatiker. "Ich heiße Volker, und ich bin bewegungsfaul." "Hallo Volker."
Ich war in meinem Leben niemals sportlich. Klar, als Jugendlicher war ich im Schwimmverein und habe da auch ein paar Kilometer abgespult, aber eigentlich war ich lieber unter der Dusche als im Becken. Dann fährt man so seine Wege mit dem Rad, weil man ja noch kein Auto hat. Als Erwachsener war endgültig Schluss. "No sports", Churchill war der Held. Aber das hat auch Folgen. Bewegungsarmut macht dick, hässlich und krank.
Warum steht da oben eintausend? Deshalb:
Ich habe etwas geändert.
Am 13.3.2012 habe ich mich auf mein Fahrrad gesetzt und bin eine Runde von 9 km durch den Wald gefahren. An einer Steigung habe ich angehalten, weil ich Angst um mein Herz hatte. Nach zwei Minuten konnte ich wieder aufsteigen und die Runde zu Ende fahren. Einen Monat lang bin ich diese Runden gefahren und wurde langsam kräftiger. Am 10.4. habe ich dann eine Runde von 25 km riskiert und habe mich dabei überfordert. Schwindelig, mundtrocken, schlapp. Ein Rückschlag.
Um die Geschichte abzukürzen: heute fahre ich täglich 25 km. Das strengt mich an, aber es überfordert mich nicht. Ich bin viel stärker als vor drei Monaten, ich habe etwas Gewicht verloren, und alles ist besser. Und dennoch bin ich immer noch im Klub der anonymen Phlegmatiker. Der Weg ist noch weit. Vor drei Monaten habe ich gedacht, ich schaffe vielleicht 1000 km dieses Jahr. Nun bin ich in einem Monat 400 gefahren. Deshalb wage ich jetzt keine Prognosen mehr. ;-)
Ein paar Beobachtungen der letzten Monate, auf geschotterten Waldwegen, nicht auf der Straße:
- Die schnellsten Radfahrer sind die Gewohnheitsfahrer. Sie fahren täglich alles mit dem Rad und wohnen im nächsten Ort hinter dem nächsten Buckel. Sie fahren Trecking-Rad mit Ortlieb-Tasche. Niemand schlägt den Gewohnheitsfahrer. Der hat die meisten Kilometer in den Beinen, auf das Jahr, den Monat, die Woche gerechnet.
- Nach den Gewohnheitsfahrern kommen die Sportradler. Danach ich. Danach die Sonntagsfahrer.
- Sonntagsfahrer haben eine Untergattung, die man leicht mit den Sportradlern verwechselt. Teure, schicke Räder, Helm auf. Sie sind aber leicht zu identifizieren. Sportradler treten gleichmässig in die Pedale, Sonntagsfahrer halten nach ein paar Umdrehungen inne, um sich auszuruhen, bevor sie weitertreten. Sportfahrer trifft man alleine oder in kleinen Gruppen von Männern an. Sie tragen meistens Rucksack. Frauen sind selten.
- Sonntagsfahrer sind oft Pärchen, bei den reichen Sonntagsfahrern trifft man mehr Frauen an. Die fahren meistens hinter den Männern, gucken entweder sauer, oder haben den Plappermotor eingeschaltet.
- E-Bikes haben zwei Käuferschichten: ältere Herrschaften und Fashionistas. Bei den älteren Herrschaften bügelt der Motor die Steigungen weg und so kommen sie auch mal wieder in den Wald. Fashionistas hatten schon ein Fixie und ein Hollandrad und fanden dann beide doch zu mühsam. Da man Muckis nicht kaufen kann, probieren sie jetzt mal den Hilfsmotor. Fahrer von E-Bikes werden von Sportradlern als unterste Kaste wahrgenommen. Gewohnheitsradler aber denken über einen Kauf nach.
- Bei E-Bikes kann man den Hilfsantrieb abschalten. Das trifft man in etwa so häufig an wie bei Mofas. Sprich: wenn der Tank leer ist. Fahrer von E-Bikes mit leerem Akku sind ein jämmerlicher Anblick.
Und die anderen Verkehrsteilnehmer:
- Wo keine Autos anzutreffen sind, sind Hunde niemals angeleint.
- Hunde laufen lieber am Wegesrand als in der Mitte. Anscheinend gibt es da mehr zu riechen. Einen drohenden Seitenwechsel erkennt man schnell, weil Hunde nicht "in der Spur" laufen. Wenn die Hinterläufe auf die andere Seite der Vorderläufe wechseln, kann man schon mal zur Bremse greifen.
- Hunde laufen gerne "mit". Ein Setter ist schon mal vier Kilometer mitgetrabt. Das rufende "Herrchen" kam da nicht mit. Ich habe da wenig Mitleid, siehe oben Hundeleine.
- Kinder laufen niemals geradeaus. Sie kurven immer in die Richtung, in die sie den Kopf drehen. Bei kleinen, frei herumlaufenden Kindern sofort bremsen. Ein angreifendes Muttertier ist tödlich.
- Habe fast ausschließlich positive Erfahrungen mit Autofahrern gemacht. Ausnahme: Liefer- und Handwerkerbusse. Die Fahrer glauben anscheinend, Hoheitsrechte zu genießen. Das gleiche gilt auch für Muttipanzer. Denen kann man aber leichter ausweichen.
- Niemand, absolut niemand mag Radfahrer. Nicht mal die anderen Radfahrer. Deshalb ist es immer gut, Danke zu sagen, wenn jemand mal an den Rand des Weges tritt. Wenn man täglich ähnliche Wege fährt, trifft man auch immer wieder die gleichen Leute. Und mit jeder freundlichen Begegnung wird das Zusammenleben einfacher.
Noch bin ich in Zivil unterwegs. Von da aus gibt es nur zwei Pfade: Sportfahrer mit Helm und Bikedress. Oder Fahionista. Sonntagsfahrer bin ich nicht mehr. Und Gewohnheitsradler werde ich nicht.
Déjà-vu: Nexus
by Volker Weber
It's Nexus One all over again. Google wants to sell hardware, exclusively through google.com/nexus. The 7" Nexus 7 (sic) tablet is cheap, yet powerful. Plus it runs the latest Android version, and will for a while. It's bad news for the other Android tablet vendors, who have been struggling to compete with Apple.
The Nexus Q is not cheap. It smells a bit of Apple TV (stream content from the store) and Sonos (pull stuff instead of just rendering what is sent from the handheld). What I like best is that it is not bound to a single account like the Apple TV. Instead any Android device with Google Play can lend its credentials to the Q so that it can pull content on behalf of the Android device. Visiting friends can play all their content on your device, it does not even have to be on the device.
I hope this is more successful than Google TV. Google has a bad track record predicting the hardware future.
In any case, it's going to take a while until we have to care:
Geräte auf Google Play sind in Ihrem Land leider noch nicht verfügbar. Wir bemühen uns, die Geräte schnellstmöglich in mehr Ländern anzubieten. Schauen Sie bald wieder vorbei!
Nexus Q, Google TV, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, they are all lamps that need petroleum, read content. Without content in the local store, neither has to make an effort until you can buy the content you are looking for. This is a play well beyond the device.
Materials
by Volker Weber
To me, design isn't only how things look and work, it's also how they feel. With most Samsung devices, I feel an immediate rejection. Too shiny, too thin, too light. I believe that when you compare two things of the same size, the heavier once feels more expensive. An iPhone or a Lumia 800 get it right, so does the Nexus One, the Nexus S feels cheap in comparison.
"A single piece of polycarbonate" sounds more solid than "a block of plastic". That's the narrative, but you feel it right away, when you pick up a Lumia 800. Everything is just right.
While the black, cyan and pink Lumias have a matte finish, the white ones are glossy. It makes them more slippery and prone to finger prints. But they still feel expensive, because they are solid. When you squeeze them, they don't give. I have a Lumia 900 in a white glossy finish, and it feels less refined than the cyan matte 800 or the black matte N9.
What I prefer even more is the white 808 PureView. Its surface is even more textured than the matte Lumia 800. The black screen is shiny and the body is a pure white and has a phantastic form. You just want to hold it. Even though it has a back cover, which lets you replace the battery, it is still solid to the touch.
The only device that feels (and is) more expensive is the iPhone 4(S). But since that is fragile, people tend to wrap it into a cheap plastic case.
PureView In-Ears
by Volker Weber
I hardly ever unpack the earbuds that come with mobile phones and tablets. The Apple earbuds are bad, but many are even worse. The PureView In-Ears are an exception. They deliver a full and solid sound. That's the good news. The bad news is that Symbian phones have a different pinout from Apple and those have a different from Windows phone. Adapters galore. They only thing that works across all devices are standard stereo headsets, without microphone and remote control.
The PureView in-ears have a microphone with a switch that lets you make and break calls. No volume adjustment, no skip forward or backward. The earbuds fit completely into my ear so I can even sleep on them.
Let there be bass
by Volker Weber
I have started a Spotify playlist containing a few tracks that show the capabilities of the Sonos SUB. Unfortunately not all tracks I wish to add are available on Spotify. This is work in progress. I will add more stuff that I come across.
Everything Counts
by Volker Weber
Apple publishes podcast app
by Volker Weber
Podcasts app is the easiest way to discover, subscribe to and play your favorite podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Explore hundreds of thousands of free audio and video podcasts from the Podcasts Catalog, and play the most popular podcasts, organized for you by topic, with the all-new Top Stations feature.
Experience Lotus Notes
by Volker Weber
There is a very important rule: DO NOT SHOW THE PRODUCT.
Dependability
by Volker Weber
I am very promiscous when it comes to phones. While I always gravitate back to my iPhone 4S, it does get neglected for weeks at a time. Whether it was the Google Nexus line of Android phones, BlackBerry Bolds, the Lumia 800, I love them all. And I am currently loving the Nokia 808 PureView. This camera is outstanding, I am well connected to email, Twitter, Sports Tracker.
And it has something I am not getting from the iPhone: a perfect network connection, including Internet access, on O2. Where the iPhone would tell me it cannot connect to the Internet, and then does it after going in and out of flight mode, the Nokia soldiers on.
Dependability. Often overlooked.
Facebook wants your email
by Volker Weber
Facebook silently inserted themselves into the path of formerly-direct unencrypted communications from people who want to email me. In other contexts, this is known as a Man In The Middle (MITM) attack.
Goodbye webOS. It was nice knowing you.
by Volker Weber
About a week ago I gave back my last webOS device. And I saw something really interesting: the HP Touchpad running Android. It wasn't really working well. Very early alpha. But it was fast. And webOS was never fast on that machine.
webOS fans will keep on reminding us that many features in current mobiles once originated in webOS. Whether it's Android ICS or PlayBook OS, they all borrow from webOS. But for all intents and purposes, webOS is dead.
Dark side of the lens
by Volker Weber
24/192 Music Downloads are Very Silly Indeed
by Volker Weber
There are a few real problems with the audio quality and 'experience' of digitally distributed music today. 24/192 solves none of them. While everyone fixates on 24/192 as a magic bullet, we're not going to see any actual improvement.
Very interesting read.
Hairstyles
by Volker Weber
Hands-Off: Microsoft Surface Tablet Review
by Volker Weber
After seeing yet another “hands-on” review of the Microsoft Surface tablet, I thought it would be interesting to shed more light on what exactly the journalists who assembled in Hollywood this week for the Surface launch event actually got to do with the tablets. In short, not a lot. Come along as I explain the hands-off reality of what I saw.
Email Client Market Share
by Volker Weber
Email client usage worldwide, collected from 101 million email opens.
A look inside the Sonos SUB
by Volker Weber
Also a look inside their lab.
CleanMyDrive removes junk from external HDDs and flash drives automatically
by Volker Weber
If you have a Mac, you want this. Trust me.
Gizmodo: Microsoft Is the Most Exciting Company in Tech
by Volker Weber
I never thought I'd ever hear myself utter such words post-1995. But after Monday's reveal of the Surface tablet—complete with an ultra-thin, pressure-sensitive keyboard cover and the most discrete integrated kickstand ever—and today's Windows Phone 8 announcement — which will be based on the same underpinnings as the Windows RT part of Windows 8 — I'm a believer that Microsoft is the most innovative consumer tech company right now.
Reminder: Even since the "found in a pub" iPhone 4 prototype, Gizmodo fell off the Apple Xmas list. And a reality check: Microsoft won't let anybody actually type on the new keyboard, let alone have a prototype.
Ohrenstöpsel im Press Kit für den Sonos SUB
by Volker Weber
Als ob die gegen einen Tritt in den Magen helfen würden.
Jawbone Jambox
by Volker Weber
I had this on my wish list for a very long time. And finally, it's here.
This is my perfect mobile speaker. It's tiny, but it does not sound tiny, thanks to some clever programming. A few weeks ago, Jawbone introduced a larger model with more power, but that completely defies the purpose of having a small speaker that can live in your messenger bag. I have a number of things that I always pack, like the Belkin travel router or the Kindle, and I am going to add the Jambox to that collection.
When I am traveling I miss my Sonos. I am not a TV person. It's the first thing I switch off when entering a hotel room. And I never switch it back on. What I do want is music. And wearing a headset isn't always possible, whether you are changing clothes or taking a shower. Or when there is more than one person around.
The Jambox does not have NFC, so you go through the process of pairing the speaker to your phone. It can keep two parallel connections at the same time, so you could pair your iPhone and your iPad, and use either one. The Jambox also doubles as a speaker phone. There is a button to answer the phone, and a phone call takes precedence over any music playing.
The interesting thing I did not know before getting the speaker was that it can be personalized. I added a feature called LiveAudio which provides for a spatial sound experience, and I added Siri support, so that I can just hit the call button to talk to Siri.
Size does matter with speakers. If you compare the stereo Jambox to a the mono Nokia 360, you get a sense that the Nokia speaker is more powerful. And it is. But it's also bigger, and that would mean it could not live in my messenger bag. Choices, choices. If you need more volume and a wide stereo basis, you would choose two Nokia speakers. If you need maximum portability, the Jambox is your friend.
Tango update coming to Lumia 710 and 800
by Volker Weber
a new software update for the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 710 is also being released globally from June 27th in a phased update through Zune. This latest version of the Lumia software brings three long-awaited experiences to your Lumia 710 or 800: the introduction of Internet sharing, Flip-to-Silence and media streaming from your phone.
Once you installed this update, you will also enjoy new apps and enhancements that will be coming to the Lumia 900 sooner:
Wikipedia: Osborne effect
by Volker Weber
The Osborne effect is a term referring to the unintended consequence of the announcement of a future product ahead of its availability and its impact upon the sales of the current product.
Applied to Nokia:
- Announce a switch to Windows Phone, killing Symbian sales
- Windows Phone 8 announcement, months before shipping any devices
John Gruber: Between a Rock and a Hardware Place
by Volker Weber
If I’m right, it’s inevitable now that Microsoft will acquire Nokia.
Analysis, way beyond his usual snide remarks.
Microsoft previews Windows Phone 8
by Volker Weber
Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft previewed Windows Phone 8 yesterday. They are phasing out the Windows CE kernel and moving to a common Windows architecture. This is where Windows Phone 7 and Phone 8 part. You won't be able top upgrade your existing WP7 phone to WP8. That's bad, no matter how Microsoft sugarcoats it by providing some of the WP8 features in a 7.8 update.
Existing WP7 apps will run on WP8, but WP8 apps most likely will not run on WP7. And that is going to be your problem.
Not being able to upgrade a WP7 to WP8 should also be a big problem for Nokia. How do you convince people to buy a device that is going to be old hat in six months? If you want that, you might as well buy an Android.
Mixed Tape 46 "Stunning Rookies" is out
by Volker Weber
01 MAKE IT EASY | FORTUNETELLERS | 3:35
02 A HOUSE ON THE MOON | JACCO GARDNER | 3:09
03 ROSA | THE SKYWALKERS | 3:05
04 ALWAYS LEAVE A NOTE | DANGERESQUE | 3:24
05 DANCE | WOSIMSKI | 3:32
06 LA DIVINE | THE VIKING PROGRESS | 3:29
07 BAILEY’S SONG | HUNTER AND AVERY | 4:44
08 SYNTHETIC LOVER | THE SWEEPS | 5:32
09 WOMAN | PABLO LEAFAR | 4:37
10 THIS IS ALARMED | TAPE RUNS OUT | 4:36
BONUS TRACK
12 GUARDIANS AT THE GATE (ACCESS DENIED REMIX) | AUDIOMACHINE | 2:21
[Danke, Oliver]
IFTTT integrates with Belkin Home Automation
by Volker Weber
Today marks our first foray into the physical world. Now IFTTT works with Belkin’s WeMo devices! WeMo is a family of simple, ingenious products that allow you to control home electronics from anywhere. Turn them on or off, trigger them with motion, even put them on a schedule. You’ll find two new exciting Channels - The WeMo Switch and the WeMo Motion - on our Channels page.
WeMo isn't available here. Can't wait to get my hands on that.
Nokia PureView Camera Settings
by Volker Weber
In "Creative", there are three presets, which let you select three custom sets of parameters with a quick tap:
Work in progress
by Volker Weber
NFC-enabled Nokia speakers
by Volker Weber
This is an interesting product I always wanted to play with. For one reason: they are NFC-enabled. Touch the speaker with an NFC enabled phone, and audio gets transferred to the speaker. Touch it again and it comes back. I expected this to work with Nokia phones, but now I found out it works with BlackBerry 7.1 just as well. Cool stuff.
Nokia calls them Nokia Play 360° Wireless Speaker, I refer to them as Nokia Cans. The speaker is omnidirectional, meaning you can sit anywhere around it and you hear the same thing. The grille suggests that the sound comes out all sides, but that's just an illusion. The sound comes out of the top, and there is a small hole on the right side for the lower frequencies.
The interesting thing about these speakers is that you can pair two together. When you switch them on, they will speak. "Left channel". "Right channel". Now you know which is which. Easy for me, since the black one is the left channel, and the white one is the right channel, but you would probably get two of the same color.
NFC does not take care of the transmission. It just sets up the Bluetooth connection and then connects and disconnects them as needed. It takes out all the headache of Bluetooth pairing and connection management. The speakers are charged via a MicroUSB port and I have not run down the battery yet. They are supposed to run for 21 hours between charges, and I believe that. When you haven't used them for a while they switch themselves off.
They sound pretty good for their size, and they are a bit large for my liking. Put your thumbs and middle fingers from both hands together and form a square. That's the diameter. I probably would not carry those around in my bag. This means they are mobile, but they aren't mobile enough for me.
I would probably use them to set up a quick stereo pair for a presentation or as entertainment when sitting out in the garden. But I won't, since they did not earn the editor-refuses-to-give-it-back award.
Best of Crazy Horst
by Volker Weber
What's going to happen to those stunning Lumias six months from now?
by Volker Weber
Microsoft is having a Windows Phone developer event in San Francisco starting today. And I have one question: what is going to happen to those Windows Phone 7 devices when version 8 ships?
Sonos players double as DLNA media renderers
by Volker Weber
DLNA is similar to Apple Airplay. You can stream multimedia content to a media renderer and it will play it for you. What you see here is the Nokia 808 PureView sending an audio track to a Sonos player.
Sonos SUB ships today
by Volker Weber
I told you a bit about the Sonos SUB when it was announced. But Sonos asked me not to write a full review and keep my experience under wraps until today. What is my experience? I have been using the sub for about half a year while it was still in development. I have seen the software progress, I have even seen a small hardware revision I am not going to disclose.
Let's go back to 2011 when the SUB arrived here at vowe's magic flying circus. It was a huge box, and I had no idea what was inside. I opened it and out comes this shiny device. Well, it did not exactly come out. I had to wrestle it from the box. It's quite heavy, but you just put your hand into the opening and lift it up. It's almost featureless. Just a small button on the left side you need to add the device to your household and that's it. Underneath there are an Ethernet and a power port.
What a stunner. Subs are usually boxy things to hide behind the sofa. Not this one. It wants to be seen. It knows it's pretty. And shiny. You don't immediately know what it is. If you do have to hide it, you can lay it on its back and push it under the sofa. But I dare you to do that.
Here is what I did. Plug in the power cord, tell the Sonos controller to add a new component. The controller asks me to push the button on the speaker and then asks to which room (a.k.a. zone) I want to associate it. It then plays a very deep bass line in two configurations and asks me which was louder. And that was it. I added the speaker to a room with a PLAY:5 stereo pair, and the software did all the rest.
It's very difficult to describe what happened next. A pair of PLAY:5 is a quite a setup; it can blow the paint off the wall. But when I played this track, I could feel (!) the bass line.
You know this feeling when you go into a club, where the music is blasting at 110 db. They don't have great speakers. They have loud speakers. And speakers which can produce a very deep bass. Since I have been spinning records for 10 years, I know this feeling very well. I also have a pair of floor standing Braun speakers as well as a bad ass Yamaha sub. But nothing was producing this punch. It was quite a revelation.
Over the next couple of month, the beast was tamed. You can now adjust not only to your speaker size when connected to CONNECT:AMP (ZP100 or ZP120), but you can also set the sub level to your liking.
When you tell Sonos the size of your speakers, it is adjusting the crossover frequency. Everything above that frequency goes to the speakers, everything below goes to the sub. It all happens in software, there is no physical crossover.
Today the black SUB is associated to the ZP120 in my living room which drives the Braun speakers. And when I switch on the TV, it sends audio over analog to the player, which sees the line-in signal coming in and starts to play that. I don't own a surround system, and now I have a 2+1 with earth shaking sound. I honestly don't know what Sonos is coming up with next, but it seems quite obvious to me, that they now have most of the components you need for a cinema experience. The only missing piece is a digital in for surround and quite a bit of software to make this an experience way beyond what you would typically buy today. Remember, there are no wires beyond power. The sub talks to the associated players via SonosNet.
I find the SUB quite pricey at 699. There will be a somewhat cheaper matte version in October, if you are strapped for cash. But try to take this thing away from me. Over. My. Dead. Body.
As always, when Sonos ramps up a new product, supplies are limited. I hear it starts shipping today. But for the next 30 to 45 days, I would expect availability to be scarse. Don't be too hard on Thomas if he cannot deliver as fast as he wants.
Om Malik: Sonos gets $45 million in new cash, adds biggies to its board
by Volker Weber
Sonos, a Santa Barbara, Calif-based company that makes networked connected music hardware, has raised a $45 million in new investment and has expanded its board to add some heavyweights. The new investors in the company include Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts (KKR), Elevation Partners and Redpoint Ventures. Index Ventures, which is an existing investor, did not participate in this round.
The company also executed $90 million in secondary financing. The secondary financing allows existing investor BV Capital and other shareholders such as employees, founders and angel investors to cash in their chips.
Microsoft is trying to get a little bit pregnant
by Volker Weber
Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft never built a PC. As much as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer painted the company as a hardware manufacturer, from the original green button mouse for Windows 1.0 to the Natural Keyboard, there has always been a horizontal ecosystem: Microsoft provides the software, hardware vendors build PCs. And that's about to change.
Mark your calendars. On June 18, 2012, Steve Ballmer said:
We believe that any intersection between human and machine can be made better when all aspects of the experience, hardware and software, are considered and working together.
That's a vertical model. You build the hardware, you build the software, you integrate from the design to manufacturing. Who is doing that? Right, Apple. Forget the iPhone vs. Android vs. Windows Phone battle. The iPad is the killer. No Windows tablet has succeeded against the iPad, no Android tablet has succeeded either. Apple is winning this game all the way. And once you have established a dominant platform, it's very hard to compete against that. Nobody knows this game as well as Microsoft.
Microsoft does not trust that HP, DELL, Samsung, Asus, or any of their other Windows OEMs will stop Apple. Now they try themselves by copying Apple. What they announced yesterday is not an el cheapo PC, plastered with Intel and Windows stickers. This is Apple design territory. Caveat emptor: we don't know anything about pricing and availability. "When Windows 8 ships. Prices TBA".
So what has Microsoft shown in the light of this situation? Not one, but two tablets. "Surface" and "Surface Pro". Surface runs on Windows 8 RT, Surface Pro on Windows 8. What's the difference, beyond the marketing speak about home and professional use? Windows 8 runs all Windows apps. It's essentially a PC. Windows RT only runs Metro apps.
The Pro device is the more capable, thicker, heavier one. It comes with a digital pen, it has an Intel processor. The other model is thinner and comes with less storage, and it won't need that much storage as the other one.
What both tablets share, and that is grabbing most of the attention, is a kickstand which lets you prop up the screen, and a clever keyboard cover with an iPad-like magnetic attachment to the device. You can turn these machines into a configuration similar to a notebook, but you will need a table. Can't work as a laptop. The keyboards come in different colors, and they can either be a touch sensitive surface (thin) or have regular keys (not quite as thin).
We will see how expensive they are, and we will have to see whether people want a PC turned tablet, or a straight tablet. Almost nobody has yet grasped the difference between Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT, but that will come, when the first people complain that they cannot install their trusty old Norton Commander.
Can Microsoft stop the bleeding? I don't know. But Windows 8 looks a lot more interesting with these machines. As you know, you can't be a little bit pregnant. And it's very difficult to have both a vertical and a horizontal offering in the same market. Interesting times.
Benzinduft
by Volker Weber
Ich kämpfe immer noch mit der Faszination Oldtimer. Die Autos sind schön anzuschauen und viele gar in einem besseren Zustand als Neuwagen damals. Aber die Ingenieure haben nicht geschlafen. Realistisch ist so ein Auto langsam, hat schlechte Bremsen, ein hakeliges Getriebe, ein blitzgefährliches Fahrwerk, und ist von den Pedalen bis zum Sicherheitsgurt grauslich.
Und wenn man dann ausgestiegen ist, und ein wenig Zeit ist vergangen, dann will man wieder.
Nokia 808 PureView beats Olympus PEN E-PL2
by Volker Weber
Source: GSM Arena
I expected the PureView to beat the Apple 4S and the Galaxy S III, but not necessarily an excellent Micro Four Thirds. It did anyway, by quite a margin.
This is one exceptional camera, and a great phone btw. Isn't it amazing how the pundits (dis)miss a great device, because they are so tied up in the "Nokia is toast" and "Symbian yada yada" thinking?
Martenstein: "Der sibirische Tiger ist weniger bedroht als das Komma"
by Volker Weber
Ich glaube das viele menschen gahr nicht Wissen wie schlimm es, um Die Germanistik, Steht und das bei uns Germaitn Vieles verbessert werden, könnte??"
Martenstein. Ganz groß.
Open beta test for new Sonos controllers
by Volker Weber
Sonos is now beta testing new controller applications for iOS devices with Retina displays and Android Tablets.Key features:
iOS Retina Display: The Sonos Controllers for iPhone and iPad have been updated with high-resolution graphics for retina displays.
Android Tablet: Improved Tablet experience in landscape orientation.
Microsoft is the new IBM
by Volker Weber
Joke going around the office: Microsoft buys Yammer, renames it SharePoint Cloud Server 2012 Mobile Enterprise Social Networking Edition
— Gene Smith (@gsmith) June 14, 2012
Twenty three and a half hours
by Volker Weber
About three months ago, on March 13th, I downloaded Sports Tracker, and got on with the program. The goal is to exercise half an hour a day. That's 183 hours for 2012. Today I completed the first 50 hours. When the weather permits, I try to clock in at least an hour a day. I have never done this before, and it is changing everything to the better. Thank you, Dr. Mike Evans.
And you think you need a "real" camera?
by Volker Weber
A casual 20 MB JPEG shot with the mighty Nokia 808 PureView. Just pointed it at the bird and hit the shutter release. No cropping or editing. This file is straight off the device. And it has about 6.5 times more pixels than the Retina MacBook Pro.
Update: Here is a copy I reduced in Photoshop with a simple bicubic reduction to 8 megapixels. It's for those folks who think that nobody should have or need 34 megapixel images. The PureView can do this much better than myself, since it combines four pixels into one before storing the images. It can even downsample the photo to 5 megapixels or 3 megapixels by combining even more sensor pixels. If you are more into cameras than shooting photos, you can play with lots of settings. The camera has three customizable presets and sliders for saturation, contrast and sharpness. You can set color tones, captures modes, aspect ratio, JPEG quality, and resolution. This is measurbator territory and I don't think the bird would have been patient enough for me to go through all of those permutations.
Exploring Local: Apple and Mapping?
by Volker Weber
I have been quite amused by all of the hoopla concerning Apple’s entry into the world of mapping and navigation. As I read the accolades pouring in as a result of the announcement, I could not help but wonder, “Do any of these people know anything about mapping?” Hmmm.
Nokia to Cut 10,000 Jobs
by Volker Weber
Nokia cut its earnings forecast for this quarter and said it will eliminate as many as 10,000 jobs and shut production and research sites in three countries in Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop’s biggest overhaul. As part of the changes, sites in Finland, Germany and Canada will be closed and executives Niklas Savander, Mary McDowell and Jerri DeVard will leave, Espoo, Finland-based Nokia said today.
That's one in five employees. Not looking good.
Old competes with new
by Volker Weber
I am perfectly happy with my 13" MacBook Pro. There, I said it. Three years old, it looks exactly like a new 13" MacBook Pro, well at least to those people who cannot tell the model from the ports on the left side. It has proven to work well in all situations, be it connected to Ethernet or Wifi, tethered to a wall outlet or running on battery. It's not too heavy, the battery is lasting, the screen resolution is good enough for my aging eyes. All is well.
The only thing is, I am hardly using it anymore. I work on a 27" iMac, and I travel with an iPad. Occasionally I use a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPad, but most of the time I am fine without it. Why am I not traveling with the MacBook? It's three times as heavy as an iPad and needs a recharge during the day, where the iPad keeps on going.
I keep lusting for a MacBook Air, if only for its weight. But then again, I know people with similar setups like myself, and they keep leaving their MacBook Air behind, just as I do with my MacBook Pro. The iPad has proven to be much more than a media consumption device.
Life is symmetry
by Volker Weber
Goodbye Bold 9790
by Volker Weber
RIM called. They want their 9790 back. Not a problem. That's as bad as it gets. :-)
Skype starts inserting ads into your conversations
by Volker Weber
Today we are announcing the launch of Conversation Ads in Skype. These new display ad units will appear within the calling window of users who do not have Skype Credit or subscriptions when they're making 1:1 Skype-to-Skype audio calls using Skype for Windows.
I am hardly ever on Skype anymore. Find me on Google Talk as volker.weber at gmail dot com.
Sonos SUB in der Klassikstadt Frankfurt
by Volker Weber
Photo: Automobile Meilensteine
Es ist schon witzig, was sich manchmal aus einer kleinen Idee entwickelt. Vor ein paar Jahren hatte ich das Problem, dass mich immer wieder Leute gefragt haben, ob ich ihnen Sonos günstiger "besorgen" kann. Daraus entstand ein Handelsgeschäft. Weil ich kein Gewerbe betreiben möchte und den nötigen Abstand zu Sonos behalten will, ist Thomas Lang Sonos-Fachhändler geworden. Eigentlich ist Thomas IT-Freelancer, und zwar ein besonders netter und guter. Sein Sonos-Geschäft ist nur ein Nebenerwerb, und da er nach wie vor vowe.net-Leser günstig beliefert, nicht einmal ein so einträglicher. Und doch betreibt er das Geschäft ganz engagiert.
Beispiel: am kommenden Dienstag lädt Thomas in die Klassikstadt Frankfurt, um den neuen Sonos SUB vorzustellen. Das ist eine wunderbare Location, die man sowieso einmal besuchen sollte. Zusammen mit den Partnern Automobile Meilensteine und Hacher-Uhren geht es ab 19:30 los. Und da gibt es dann neben dem Sonos SUB auch andere Sachen zu sehen, für die man viel Geld ausgeben kann. Auch das Auto da oben, das ich am Sonntag fahren werde. Aber das ist eine ganz andere Geschichte, die nichts mit Sonos oder Thomas zu tun hat.
Which iOS 6 features will get your iOS-6-capable device get?
by Volker Weber
Apple says: "Features are subject to change. Not all features are available on all devices." Here is a list compiled from the fineprint of this page:
- Flyover and turn-by-turn navigation will be available only on iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later.
- Siri will be available only on iPhone 4S and iPad (3rd generation) and requires Internet access.
- Shared Photo Streams requires iOS 6 on iPhone 4 or later or iPad 2 or later, or a Mac computer with OS X Mountain Lion.
- FaceTime over a cellular network requires iPhone 4S or iPad (3rd generation) with cellular data capability.
- VIP list and VIP and Flagged smart mailboxes will be available on iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later.
- Offline Reading List will be available on iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later.
And also consider this stern warning: "Carrier data charges may apply." Some carriers charge you extra for your Personal Hotspot. I can see them doing the same for FaceTime, since that feature cuts into their revenue stream. "FaceTime is not available in all countries." See?
If you want to be safe, you need an A5 chip. And if you are on a 3GS or original iPad, it's time to make your move now, before everybody understands what's going on.
So simple and wonderful
by Volker Weber
Linus Torvalds on Windows 8, UEFI, and Fedora
by Volker Weber
By year’s end, many, if not most, mass-market PCs are going to be sold with Windows 8 and that in turn will mean there’s no easy way to boot them into Linux.
myTaxi für Windows Phone
by Volker Weber
myTaxi fährt in: Berlin, Bonn, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Köln, Leipzig, München, Mainz, Potsdam, Stuttgart, Sylt, Wien, Zürich, BarcelonaNoch im Aufbau: Augsburg, Braunschweig, Darmstadt, Dortmund, Dresden, Essen, Hannover, Heilbronn, Gera, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Leverkusen, Lübeck, Mainz, Nürnberg, Offenbach, Salzburg, Wiesbaden, Würzburg
Stimmt. In Darmstadt fährt anscheinend genau ein myTaxi.
teezeh 2.0 - Spotify jetzt auch ohne Facebook
by Volker Weber
Thomas berichtet:
Als neue Nutzer könnt Ihr Euch in Deutschland ab sofort direkt bei Spotify registrieren - auch wenn Ihr nicht mit Facebook verbunden seid: Geht einfach zu Spotify.com und meldet Euch mit einer E-Mail-Adresse und Nutzernamen an.
Nokia 808 PureView vs. iPhone 4S Sample Photos
by Volker Weber
I took both the 808 PureView and the iPhone 4S on one of my bike tours and shot a few photos on each camera. They were both on full automatic. In this mode the iPhone shoots 8 MP images and the PureView is in 5 MP 16:9 mode. I used digital lossless zoom in a few sample images on the PureView, and I shot one image in full resolution.
I chose full automatic mode because (a) Nokia recommends the 5MP PureView mode for best results and (b) since I don't want to ruin photos with the wrong settings. As I get more accustomed to the 808, I will use some of the artistic features.
PureView samples >
iPhone samples >
Update: As night falls, the differences become a lot more apparent. PureView left, iPhone right.
Nokia delivers
by Volker Weber
At 7:30 there was a ring at the door. The delivery guy had a huge box of Nokia hardware. And I had one in return. Gone are a netbook, the N8, the broken BH-505. And now I am sitting on a pile of new stuff to look at. First up, two new phones: the mighty 808 PureView and a Lumia 900.
A flurry of announcements and non-announcements during the WWDC keynote
by Volker Weber
This was the biggest Apple keynote ever.
New stuff that ships today:
- MacBook Air 11" ($999 and $1099), 13" ($1199 and $1499)
- MacBook Pro 13" ($1199 and $1499), 15" ($1799 and $2199)
- MacBook Pro 15" with Retina display ($2199 and $2799)
Stuff they did not announce but updated anyway:
- AirPort Express Base Station ($99) replaces AirPort Express
- Mac Pro Quad Core ($2499), 12 Core ($3799), Server ($2999)
- iPad Smart Case ($49), the new "scuba suit" for iPad 2 and 3
Stuff Apple dumped:
- MacBook Pro 17" is gone.
Stuff they pre-announced:
- OS X Mountain Lion ($19) ships next month
- iOS 6 ships "in the fall", supports iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPod touch 4th gen, iPad 2 and 3
No new iPhone, no new Apple TV. Did I miss anything?
Nokia Reading ist da
by Volker Weber
Herr Lampe hat's gefunden. Man muss nach "Nokia eBooks" suchen. In der Nokia Collection ist die Software noch nicht.
Def. troll - people who seek conflict
by Volker Weber
I never thought about all the aspects. But I did learn to ignore people.
[Thanks, Steffen]
The end is near. Yeah, right.
by Volker Weber
The end isn't as near as you might think. Which end? The end of the road for BlackBerry.
You probably know, you just know, they are doomed. You can read it everywhere. iPhone and Android are winning. BlackBerry is toast. Windows Phone is toast too, but next year, or the year after next year, Windows Phone is going to win big time. Says IDC, so it must be true.
The problem is, the people who write all this stuff don't have to support a few hundred devices. They don't have to find a dozen misplaced smartphones, they don't have users who forget their passwords, they don't have users who travel daily. They are not in back-to-back meetings, they don't do five telcos a day. They are usually well covered by WLANs, or at least 3G, if not 4G.
The other people, the "enterprise" users and their support staff, live a completely different life. Yes, they want their iPads, they want their iPhones, but they have to work just as well as their BlackBerrys. They may be running the books for other companies, they may be working in a heavily regulated industry like healthcare. They may be in finance. They may be in defense.
When these people start deploying their iPhones, they think in categories of "containers". Put the business data in a protected environment. Connect back to the enterprise over secure channels, without exposing any enterprise servers. And once they roll out those containers, they find that they don't work out so well like the BlackBerry used to. Calendars won't alert you when the container is still closed. There is no mail waiting when you do open the container. And when a call comes in, the phone has no idea who is calling. Unless you drill a lot of holes into those secure containers.
After this learning, they go back to the drawing board and start to design a secure iPhone, a secure Android. Which isn't nearly as much fun as an iPhone or an Android, without security. And they find it incredibly hard to separate business data and apps from private data and apps.
And they find that Windows Phone isn't even a starter since it does not provide full device encryption. And that Android only recently started to provide that. And they find out that some apps aren't nearly as secure as they claim to be because they leave temporary files behind, that they forgot to encrypt. And then they have to deal with rooted devices, and jailbroken ones. And simple passwords that can be bruteforced.
And so it happens that the planned migration does not happen.
Which the analyst or the journalist never realizes, since they are concerned with the latest apps, the new chipsets, the screen resolution and the general coolness. And everybody knows that BlackBerry is dead anyway.
And then somebody points at the king's shiny new smartphone and says: "Did you know that there was never a jailbreak for a BlackBerry smartphone? Never ever!"
Seven months ago: BBM Music is here for BlackBerry
by Volker Weber
Once in a while I like to go back a few months and see what became of those excited announcements:
The BBM Music app is finally here, and will be available for downloading within the next 24 hours in Canada, the United States and Australia (more regions will be launching shortly, so stay tuned).
BBM is BlackBerry Messenger. Why tie BBM to music? Because RIM is pushing very hard to grow their walled garden. Where BBM reaches critical mass, it drives others to the BlackBerry platform. How does BBM music work?
First, let’s clarify one misconception: with a BBM Music Premium subscription, you can access far more than 50 songs. To start your BBM Music profile, you can choose up to 50 songs from the millions in our catalog. But, that’s just the beginning! Add more music to your library by adding friends and get access to your BBM friends’ music profile songs.
For $5 a month you get access to 50 tracks. That's right, 50. And to the tracks that your BBM contacts have chosen. How could RIM possibly have foreseen that all the other music services are giving their users access to all of their tracks. With three months free trials.
BBM is a much beloved service. And it's slowly being replaced by cross-platform messengers like WhatsApp. With BBM you have to give up your friends when they buy an iPhone or an Android. With BBM Music your music collections shrinks until you have 50 tracks and no friends.
Wo ist eigentlich Nokia Reading?
by Volker Weber
Vor einem Monat kündigte Nokia Reading an, dass in Deutschland wohl eBooks heißen soll:
Nokia Reading will roll out on a country-by-country basis from this week on the Nokia Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610. The initial launch countries are France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK.
Und einen Monat später sucht man das Angebot immer noch vergeblich im Marketplace. Wahrscheinlich sind da die Unterschriften noch nicht trocken gewesen. Bücher wird man jedenfalls nur über diese Software auf das Gerät bekommen, wie Nokia mir auf Anfrage bestätigt:
Aktuell ist es nicht möglich, bestehende Dateien, zum Beispiel im ePub Format, mit Nokia Reading zu nutzen. Der Grund: Nokia Reading richtet sich zunächst überwiegend an Menschen, die ebooks und digitales Lesen neu für sich entdecken. Das Feedback der Nutzer ist uns allerdings wichtig und wird in zukünftige Planungen miteinbezogen.
"Neu für sich entdecken" ist der Schlüsselsatz. Die Bücher sind natürlich mit DRM verkrüppelt und an die Nokia-ID gebunden. Das ist schon beim BlackBerry PlayBook gründlich schief gegangen.
More than a hammer
by Volker Weber
I am getting emails about Sonos SUB. Have I tested one? Would I recommend it? etc. The answer is a solid yes*. The only caveat is: if you don't own the house you live in, you may be facing angry neighbors**.
I am not revealing a secret when I say this machine was developed as project Anvil. More than a hammer.
*) I am no audiophile. I worked as a DJ for 10 years, so my ears might as well be completely dysfunctional. Take it as my unprofessional and personal opinion.
**) The delivery guy will hate you just as well. It weighs a solid 36.3 pounds without packaging.
New iPad as a Personal Hotspot
by Volker Weber
My iPad received a provider update this morning, and suddenly it can be used as a Personal Hotspot. Apple says:
Personal Hotspot refers to the Internet-sharing feature on iPhone 3GS or later* and iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular.
If a 3GS is powerful enough, I wonder why you need a 3rd generation iPad for this feature.
Tim Anderson: Microsoft, Windows 8, and the Innovator’s Dilemma
by Volker Weber
Sinofsky’s goal is to unify the smartphone and the tablet, making a new mobile OS that users will enjoy while also maintaining the legacy desktop and slotting in to enterprise management infrastructure. I admire his tenacity in the face of intense protest, and I am beginning to understand that foresight rather than stupidity underlies his efforts.
RIM cancels the 16GB PlayBook
by Volker Weber
RIM will no longer be making the 16 GB model of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The 16 GB PlayBook will continue to be available for distributors and retailers while quantities last. We continue to remain committed to the tablet space and the 32 GB and 64 GB models of the BlackBerry PlayBook continue to be available from our distributors and retailers around the world.
There is more value for our customers in the higher capacity models (32 GB, 64 GB), and as such we have decided to focus our efforts here.
Let me translate:
We are still sitting on a stockpile of 32 GB and 64 GB PlayBooks and will continue to sell those at rock bottom prices. The 16 GB are thankfully almost gone.
RIM isn't walking away from the PlayBook since it's a stepping stone to BlackBerry 10. Now that RIM has made a batch of BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha devices, it's becoming less important, but still. I have only ever seen 16 GB PlayBooks that RIM gave away at developer conferences. I know one person who bought a 32 MB device.
I don't really expect RIM to make any PlayBook moves until they ship the first BlackBerry 10 devices later this year. Many expect a 3G/4G PlayBook soon, but I would not want to risk another failure right now and just hold out until the BlackBerry 10 is ready. RIM can still ship a new tablet then.
WiMP - neuer Musikservice auf Sonos
by Volker Weber
Als WiMP-Nutzer kannst du unter mehr als 16 Millionen Titeln deine Lieblingssongs und -alben finden und mit nur einem Klick anhören. Wir lassen dich dabei nicht allein: Die deutsche WiMP-Redaktion präsentiert dir regelmäßig neue Titel, Alben und Playlisten. Jeden Tag gibt es persönliche Empfehlungen zu entdecken.
30 Tage kostenlos ausprobieren >
Tarp Surfing
by Volker Weber
This is where I am. Right now.
by Volker Weber
This service is beyond cool. Glympse solves a simple problem: tell somebody else where you are. Only a small set of people, for a limited time. The recipient only needs a browser. A mobile phone is good enough.
You don't need to build a buddy network. Nobody but you needs to install software. You are not wearing a permanent tag. And it all runs on Android, Blackberry, iPhone and Windows Phone. Genius.
The future is here
by Volker Weber
Loving the Fritz!Box:
Can you do this when you are 64?
by Volker Weber
My unsocial setup
by Volker Weber
These are the most used apps on my iPhone (full screen here). Phone, Mail, Safari, Sonos, Sports Tracker should be obvious. But what about the rest - how do I use the other three social networks?
- Instead of 500 friends on Facebook I have less than 20 on Path. If you are on that list, you are doing it right. No friend collectors, no lurkers, no snarky comments, just friends who share.
- To me, Twitter is a news channel. I follow less than 42 feeds. If there are more than 42, I throw the bottom out. I am keeping less than 42 of my posts online. Why? Because I can. 42 is the magic number. If you are not on the list, it only means there are 42 feeds better than yours.
- Google+ is where the action is. This is where I engage in conversations. It's a ghost town for you, since all your friends are on Facebook? Well, not for me. Google+ isn't symmetrical like Facebook. No friendships. I just follow what I find interesting. And I block people who don't make me happy, right away. Want to fight? Go away. I can smell a happy troll from miles away.
There you go. No party pics, no happy talk, no birthday wall posts. My unsocial setup.
Vertical VIdeo Syndrome
by Volker Weber
[Thanks, Hanno]
Junge Gänse
by Volker Weber
Auf meiner abendlichen Runde komme ich am Steinbrücker Teich vorbei. Da es gerade viel regnet, ist mein Radweg dort sehr schlammig und ich nehme einen kleinen Umweg direkt am Ufer. Am Bootsanleger treffe ich auf eine Schar junger Gänse. Ich steige vom Rad, um ein paar Bilder zu machen, da kommen zwei blonde junge Frauen, die hübsch anzuschauen sind. Sie sind etwas von den Gänsen irritiert. Wie sich herausstellt, sprechen die jungen Frauen Kanak Sprak.
"Ey, wassendas?"
"Gänse."
"Ha, die essisch doch Weinachten."
"Genau."
"Beissendie?"
"Nein, die haben Angst und laufen weg."
"Diewollendassischsieschreischel."
"Wenn Du schnell schwimmen kannst, dann kannst Du das probieren."
Die Frauen kichern irritiert und stolpern weiter. Nun sind sie wieder hübsch anzuschauen.
Pre to postmortem: the inside story of the death of Palm and webOS
by Volker Weber
Love this story from the Verge:
Thirty-one.That’s the number of months it took Palm, Inc. to go from the darling of International CES 2009 to a mere shadow of itself, a nearly anonymous division inside the HP machine without a hardware program and without the confidence of its owners.
Ja, wo läufen Sie denn?
by Volker Weber
iPhone und iPad sind bei mir sehr aggressiv, was Umlaute angeht. Völker statt Volker, "läufen" und ähnliche Phantasiewörter. Habt Ihr das auch?
Social Networks und Business - wie erklärt man das?
by Volker Weber
So macht IBM das:
So macht man es besser (mit einem verwandten Thema):
Immer noch zu lang. Wer kennt ein besseres Beispiel?
The Nokia BH-505 is dead
by Volker Weber
After less than three months, the BH-505 has stopped working.
I may be one of the few people where the headset is a perfect fit for the head. It was a bit tight in the beginning, but now that I shed a bit of weight, it fits perfectly.
What's the problem? Sweat. I am wearing the headset while working out (never thought I would write workout and vowe on the same page, btw). Sweat will run down the headset to the back of my neck. And that is causing problems, because that is where the electronics are. Let me quote from the manual, page 13:
Keep the device dry. Precipitation, humidity, and all types of liquids or moisture can contain minerals that will corrode electronic circuits. If your device does get wet, allow it to dry completely.
Now quoting from the marketing material:
Reliable and durable Splash resistant and robust – ideal for all your outdoor activities.
Marketing is wrong, Engineering is right. The BH-505 should not get wet. And since it does, it will break again. What a pity. I really liked this headset a lot. Now it's going into the big box of stuff to return to Nokia this month.
Kindle Software Update Version 4.1.0
by Volker Weber
We have a new, free software update available for the $79 Kindle that you can download. The software update will be delivered automatically via Wi-Fi to your Kindle in the coming weeks.
That is the Kindle 4 "no touch". New features:
- Improved reading font that is higher contrast and crisper so that you can enjoy a paper-like reading experience.
- Parental Controls that allow you to restrict access to the Experimental Web Browser, Archived Items, and the Kindle Store.
- Support for books with complex layouts and formats with Kindle Format 8.
- Support for children's books with Kindle Text Pop-Up and comic books with Kindle Panel View (which allows you to read a comic book panel by panel). Books that support these features will be available in the Kindle store over the next few weeks.
- Dictionaries grouped into a collection in Home and Archived Items called "Dictionaries" for better organization.
- Improved table and image viewing (panning and zooming) on supported titles.
You can wait for the OTA update or download the file from the link below. Simply copy it to the root folder of your Kindle, eject, open Settings and select Update Kindle from the menu.
As you can see in the screenshots above, the Kindle now has an Airplane Mode instead of "Turn wireless off". It displays an airplane icon in the status bar, which is designed to get the flight attendant off your back. :-)
14 minutes to cheer you up
by Volker Weber
Billiger und besser
by Volker Weber
Die Zeitschrift “Connect” bringt in ihrer Juli-Ausgabe einen interessanten Vergleichstest: Die Redaktion war gleichzeitig mit vier Fahrzeugen auf einer 500 Kilometer langen Strecke von Stuttgart über Mannheim nach Frankfurt und zurück unterwegs und prüfte die Premium-Verkehrsdienste: Audi mit MMI und Inrix Traffic, BMW mit iDrive und dem RTTI-System sowie Navteq Traffic (TMC Pro) in einem Garmin-Nachrüst-Navi und TomTom HD Traffic mit dem Go Live 1015.
Die Verlierer sind die System der Werksausstattung
tizi.tv
by Volker Weber
Ich mag es, wenn Produkte nach dem Kauf immer besser werden. Bei Sonos ist das so, bei tizi.tv auch. Fernseher werden gerne vor Sport-Events verkauft, da ist es kein Wunder, dass equinux nun eine Aktion hat:
Bis zum Auftakt des Fußball-Highlights des Jahres verschenkt equinux 10 Euro Gutscheine für den klassischen tizi (WiFi) oder ein tizi (WiFi)-Bundle bei Amazon. tizi gibt es in weiß und in schwarz, die Bundles umfassen jeweils tizi, den mobilen TV-Hotspot zusammen mit dem Original tizi power USB-Netzteil oder mit einem zusätzlichen Ersatzakku und der praktischen tizi bag Neoprentasche für unterwegs. Die Gutscheine gibt es nur über www.tizi.tv/goto/emaktion und sind bis einschließlich Freitag, 8. Juni 2012 bei Amazon gültig, nur solange Vorrat reicht.
Was kann man damit machen? Auf iPad oder iPhone Fußball gucken, ohne Daten im Mobilfunknetz zu verbraten. Wenn man ordentliche DVB-T-Abdeckung hat.
Die tizi Produktfamilie umfasst die Geräte tizi+, tizi und tizi go: Flaggschiff ist der neue tizi+, ein mobiler TV-Empfänger (DVB-T) plus Videorekorder. tizi+ zeichnet unabhängig von iPad und iPhone zeitgesteuert auf microSD Card auf und schont so den internen Speicher der Apple-Geräte. Sein kleiner Bruder, tizi, verwandelt iPad und iPhone in einen mobilen Fernseher. Das TV-Signal wird wie bei tizi+ per WLAN übertragen und integriert sich sowohl zuhause ins WLAN als auch unterwegs per Hotspot-Modus. tizi go ist der äußerst mobile kompakte TV-Empfänger zum Anstecken am iPad (3. und 2. Gen.) und iPhone 4S. Er besitzt eine markante Schlaufenantenne und zeichnet sich durch seine kinderleichte Handhabung aus. tizi ist der schnurlose TV-Hotspot für zuhause und unterwegs. Zum mobilen Fernsehen benötigen alle tizi-Geräte kein Online-Datenvolumen, für die zusätzlichen Onlinedienste wird eine Internetverbindung vorausgesetzt.
Zuhause habe ich ein tizi, das sich in mein WLAN einklinkt und jeweils einem iPhone oder iPad das Fernsehprogramm live zuspielt. Unterwegs nutze ich ein tizi go, das ich einfach an das iPhone oder den iPad anstecke. Das ist mir lieber als ein kleiner Flatscreen am anderen Ende des Raums, so wie man das in Hotels meistens antrifft.
Das tizi go taugt mir zu Hause nicht, weil bei uns das DVB-T-Signal zu schwach ist. Das klassische tizi dagegen ist geschickt platziert, wo der beste Empfang ist. Ich hatte von equinux leihweise auch schon mal ein kleines Adapterstück, mit dem man das Gerät an die Hausantenne anschließen kann. Das war ein handgefertigtes Einzelstück. Nachdem der Test bei mir erfolgreich war, wird es nun wohl eine Serienproduktion geben. Ich bin gespannt.
Reading PDFs
by Volker Weber
I have become a heavy iBooks user with the New iPad. You can't really read PDFs on the Kindle, so I am just throwing all those files on iTunes and let the iMac do the rest. You can also open a PDF from the web in Safari on the iPad and then send the file to iBooks.
Hint: Click through to Picasa and then on the magnify icon to see how wonderful the document renders on the New iPad.
picplz Shutting Down July 3, 2012
by Volker Weber
On July 3, 2012, picplz will shut down permanently and all photos and data will be deleted.
Apparently I had an account there.
Skate
by Volker Weber
Sonos Studio in Los Angeles
by Volker Weber
At a time when more and more Americans are listening to music exclusively through headphones, Sonos Inc. is leading the counter-cultural revolution toward listening the old-fashioned way: out loud.
Nokia Lumia 800 does not have a gyroscope
by Volker Weber
What a bummer. The Lumia 800 does not only miss a front facing camera, but also a gyroscope. And without a gyroscope, you can't really use the excellent Photosynth app. Time to swap it for a Lumia 900, which isn't nearly as pretty as the 800.
Cisco Kills Cius
by Volker Weber
In June of 2010, Cisco announced their entry into the tablet market with the open source Android powered Cius. As is the case with all Cisco announcements, there were bold predictions about how it would change the market yadda, yadda yadda.
I remember how the PR agency kept pushing against my bullshit detector. You don't go to Cisco if you want a tablet. As you don't go to IBM if you want "cool".
Apple releases iOS security white paper
by Volker Weber
