August 2010

Enterprise mindset vs. consumer mindset

by Volker Weber

I am currently participating in four different beta tests of unreleased products. Three are from vendors firmly in the consumer space. To upgrade their product to the latest test build, you will find a message on the device telling you there is an update. You select the option to install the update and the device does the rest.

One vendor however sold most of its products into the enterprise space. To update their software you get an email telling you to log into their beta portal. It will tell you that all the new features are on the portal and the mail does not even link there. To login to the portal you need to enter your email adress and a password that you had to build according to their rules, meaning you have to look it up on a piece of paper attached to your screen. Yes, you have to do that from the device if you don't want to make your life even more miserable. Once you logged in, you have to find the download page in a web application that was designed for much larger screens. Once you found that page, you have to find the link to download the software, click on it, scroll down through a lot of legalese you are not going to read anyway to find the 'I agree' checkbox and hit a button. Which does not download the software but leads you to another page where you have to fill in all your details, the ones that don't change very often, and then you have to do another 'I agree' song and dance. Then you get the package, have to install it, and then finally decide whether you want to reboot now or later.

Corollary: people use enterprise products because they have to. The only person who loves the product is the corporate administrator.

Nokia N8 looks like a winner

by Volker Weber

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Tonight I had a small group briefing of the Nokia N8 where we got to play with a few prototypes. I was generally very pleased. The N8 has a solid aluminum shell with two plastic ends that cover the antennas. The display looks good, but is bound to have some difficulties with direct sunlight. AMOLED looks good indoors, but not so much in bright surroundings. With a screen resolution of 640x360 it's better than an iPhone 3GS or any Blackberry, but well below the iPhone 4 and current Android devices.

Nokia is going for a feature war. The N8 comes with worldwide free navigation with maps you can preload, it sports a 12 MP camera with Xenon flash, you can capture 720p HD videos at 25 fps and edit them right on the device. An HDMI output mirrors the display to an HD TV and the N8 can send 720p videos with 5.1 surround sound over the wire. The phone comes with two dongles, one that connects a regular HDMI cable to the smaller HDMI output and another one, that lets you connect USB plugs like thumbdrives to the MicroUSB port. The N8 comes with 16 GB of internal memory, expandable with 32 GB of microSDHC cards and it can talk directly to thumbdrives and external disks that provide their own power. All of this makes it a very solid portable multimedia device.

I am holding off judgement of Symbian^3 until I have played with it for a while, but on first contact it looks very usable, much better than any other version I have seen before. I was promised that ^3 solves my major headache, the network stack. It should be connecting to all sorts of mobile and Wi-Fi networks without ever bothering the user.

An N97 survices only a couple of hours until I run screaming. The N8 is a breath of fresh air, that I could find quite likable. From what I have seen today, Nokia is back in the game. The N8 is no iPhone killer. But it plays on level ground. I am looking forward to giving it a longer run in a couple of weeks. And I want a silver one. ;-)

iPhone 4 screen is better protected than I thought

by Volker Weber

iPhone 4 screen bezel

When I saw the first pictures of the iPhone 4, I thought it had two glass surfaces with no edge protection. Even after using one for a bit, I did not look at this detail. But then I discovered you can feel a small groove at the edge of the screen (and the back). On closed inspection I found that there is a black bezel around the edge of the screen which offers some protection against chipping off the edge of the glass.

If you think you are having a rough day ...

by Volker Weber

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... then just imagine yourself inside a Hurricane, right there. Hold tight, Francie.

Let's find out if we can burn this Palm Pre Plus at 1 GHz

by Volker Weber

Let's find out if we can burn this Palm Pre Plus at 1 GHz
Photo: vowe

At 519 mA, the battery would be dead in 2 hours. Memory usage is well below the 512 MB physical memory. A Palm Pre w/o Plus would already be using swap. That's what makes the Pre Plus faster. The Uberkernel Default looks safer, doesn't peak with high mA, but isn't as blazingly fast.

Uberkernel default looks safer
Photo: vowe

Editorial | c't

by Volker Weber

Mitten in den Ferien schlug der Krake mit seinen mächtigen Tentakeln zu. Nichtsahnend sonnten sich die Deutschen gerade an der Costa Brava oder staubten im Vorgarten ihre Gartenzwerge ab, als es plötzlich hieß: Google Street View kommt nach Deutschland. Schockschwerenot!

Ausdrucken, Ihr Internetausdrucker.

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Ever been on a conference call?

by Volker Weber

Sametime Meeting version: "I can't see the presentation. Can anyone else see it?"

Google: An update on JavaOne

by Volker Weber

we’re sad to announce that we won't be able to present at JavaOne this year. We wish that we could, but Oracle’s recent lawsuit against Google and open source has made it impossible for us to freely share our thoughts about the future of Java and open source generally.

If Google says "An update on" it translates to "we are not doing this anymore".

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FTD.de - Schwache Zahlen bei IBM Deutschland

by Volker Weber

Der US-Konzern IBM geht mit seiner deutschen Tochter hart ins Gericht. Grund sind schwache Geschäftszahlen der Landesgesellschaft im zweiten Quartal. "Die US-Mutter übt derzeit gehörigen Druck aus", heißt es aus Kreisen des Aufsichtsrats. Deutschlandchef Martin Jetter hat bereits reagiert. In einem internen Schreiben, das der FTD vorliegt, bezeichnete er die Leistungen der Mitarbeiter als unzureichend. "Nur, wenn jeder von uns jetzt seinen persönlichen Beitrag leistet, können wir die gesetzten Prioritäten umsetzen."

Ich glaube nicht, dass das an faulen Mitarbeitern liegt.

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Brief sidewalk message

by Volker Weber

'This one runs on fat & saves you money' by Peter Drew of Adelaide
Photo: carltonreid

Free calls to the US. And back.

by Volker Weber

When Google started offering free calls to the US from GMail today, I was interested. Very interested. However, this may not show up unless you have Google Voice. For Google Voice you need a US phone line. And you can only sign up from a US IP address.

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So with a little help from my friends I set up Google Voice for my Google account. This means however, that inbound calls would be routed to their phone instead of mine. Next thing I needed was a US phone line. One that could be extended to vowe's magic flying circus back here. VoIP is the solution, but many of those providers also won't let me sign up from here. Again, with a little help from my friends, I was able to secure a VoIP account with a US phone number.

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When you want to sign up for Google Voice, you need to provide a phone number they can forward the calls to. I did it the wrong way, so I advise you to set up the VoIP account first and make sure it does ring through. Google will call you and ask to punch in two numbers to verify it's you at the other end. Here is my call from Google:

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You only need help when signing up. Once you have an account, you can access it from anywhere. This is the chain I am using:

September is a busy month for me. Whether I am in London or in San Francisco, I can just place a free call "to the US" from GMail, in this case my Sipgate number, which will ring here at home. With a little help from my friends.

Apple adds ePub support to Pages

by Volker Weber

This update addresses issues in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, and adds export compatibility to Pages with the standard ePub file format (for use with iBooks).

Gentlemen, start your Software Update.

[Thanks, David]

Ctrl-V Ctrl-X Ctrl-V

by Volker Weber

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Not a Mac user :-)

The Bear

by Volker Weber

How Mick Jagger And Keith Richards Tried To Screw Over Bandmates On The Windows 95 Ads

by Volker Weber

When Microsoft rolled out Windows 95, the Rolling Stones song "Start Me Up" was a huge part of the company's marketing effort.

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Hands-on: Nokia N8

by Volker Weber

heise online hatte Gelegenheit, einen genauen Blick auf ein Vorserienmodell des Nokia N8, dem ersten Nokia-Smartphone mit dem neuen Mobilbetriebssystem Symbian 3, zu werfen.

Klingt gar nicht mal so schlecht. Nächste Woche schau ich mir das auch an.

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Moments

by Volker Weber

Lotus Notes Connector for Microsoft Online Meetings

by Volker Weber

This project, created by Microsoft, contains two modified IBM Lotus Notes® mail templates (7.X and 8.5) which can schedule Microsoft Online Meetings (of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 or the Live Meeting service) via the Notes scheduling User Interface using a REST service. The REST service along with all code and install set-up instructions are included.

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Just the usual Symbian nightmare

by Volker Weber

Trying to load Facebook on the E71 with latest firmware. There is no icon. Go to Ovi Store. Facebook for E71 is listed under My Stuff. Download button grayed out. Look in App Manager. There is Facebook Installer. Cannot open Facebook Installer from anywhere. Remove Facebook installer from App Manager. Go to Ovi Store again. Download button no longer grayed out. Download. Install fails. Download button grayed out.

User explodes.

Toys for my left hand

by Volker Weber

Toys for my left hand

All this stuff lives to the left of my iMac. From left to right: remote switch for Belkin power strip, Belkin universal memory reader, Griffin PowerMate, Sonos "Sovjet" controller, Belkin USB hub with thumbdrive, 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator, Palm TouchStone. In the background: speaker for Lucy. Eight years old and still going.

Search for flights with ITA OnTheFly

by Volker Weber

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I discovered ITA OnTheFly this morning after reading Ed's tweet. It's indeed pretty good, especially because you can select your location for flights between destinations with all close-by airports or specific ones. It presents you a matrix that lets you drill down into individual flights with their prices:

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When you are done, you can email the itinerary:

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This company is being bought by Google.


Preparing the E71 for next month

by Volker Weber

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No. FL is not on the route, but it's small enough to add anyway. This is the good thing about Ovi Maps: you can preload all your maps, so you don't incur outrageous roaming charges.

Scouting for Girls

by Volker Weber

Taken from the new album:

scoutingforgirls.jpg

Click to go to Amazon. Unplugged here. Recommended by Schweppes. :-)

c't vergleicht Sonos, Raumfeld und Logitech

by Volker Weber

c't 18 Seite 130ff

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Quote of the day

by Volker Weber

In Russia, the buildings photograph you.
Ivan

Minuten, nicht Stunden

by Volker Weber

12 Minuten, nicht 12 Stunden

Bikini Models have started following me

by Volker Weber

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Don't feed a dying monster

by Volker Weber

Mail from Youtube:

Dear vowe,

Your video, Driving to the conference, may have content that is owned or licensed by Sony Music Entertainment.

That is quite possible. There was something playing on the radio of the Toyota Prius I was driving. Anyway, you have seen "Sony Music Entertainment" on Youtube before. I suggest the next time you buy a CD, just turn it over and make sure the content is not owned or licensed by Sony Music Entertainment. If these guys want to go down, we better make it quick.

What BlackBerry users should learn from iOS4

by Volker Weber

Large Black Slug (Arion ater)
Photo rhondda wildlife diary

When Apple offered to upgrade existing iPhone 3G and 3GS users a new version of the operating system, people were quick to update. A very usable 3G turned into a slug, a 3GS was only somewhat worse. Basically new bugs.

Now RIM has BlackBerry 6 and a new device, the 9800 Torch. After looking at the Apple debacle, do you really want to upgrade your existing phone to a new OS generation? I am not so sure*. A Bold 9000 (the original) has 128 MB of RAM, the Bold 9700 has 256, the Torch 9800 has 512. Apple wasn't smart enough to not allow the update on the 3G, but RIM says you will need a 9700. And there is a hardware update in the wings. Apparently the 9700 gets a refresh in 4Q10. 512 MB of RAM and the Torch camera. That will come with BlackBerry 6.

My advice would be, even if RIM does offer BlackBerry 6, don't be the guinea pig to try it out.

*) I am perfectly aware that iOS is completely different beast from BlackBerry 6 and does not have the same memory footprint. I'd just be careful.

BlackBerry App World 2.0 and new Evernote client

by Volker Weber

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Just upgraded the BlackBerry App World Client to 2.0.x. Best way to do it: download BlackBerry App World from inside BlackBerry App World. :-) The first change you will notice is that you will be creating a BlackBerry ID, very much like you have an Apple ID for the iTunes store. Major benefit: your downloads are no longer tied to your device but to your account. There are a lot of changes under the hood like carrier billing and such, but as a user you will find it's much easier to discover apps now.

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Last week there was also a new client (3.0.260) for Evernote, that doesn't go to the mobile website for displaying your notes. That however was not available through the app store on my BlackBerry Bold.

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I had to set my browser to use the hotspot browser and download the file OTA from the Evernote website via Wi-Fi. Everything else failed. Here are the links for your devices:

Napster to stop supporting WMA secure files they sold you

by Volker Weber

Important Information About Your Secure WMA Digital Music Purchases ... We're writing you with an important message about any music downloads you purchased from Napster prior to May 2008. Due to evolving digital music technology and related rights, Napster will no longer be able to provide support for these downloads as of Sept. 1, 2010.

Repeat after me: DRM is bad for the customer.

More >

[Thanks, Haiko]

iPhone vs. Sonos CR200 Controller

by Volker Weber

The Sonos controller is pretty expensive. It's a single use device and for $349, you can also buy a 32GB* iPod and still save some money for future gadgets. But there are reasons to get the Sonos device: speed. It's much faster controlling the player, and since it connects through SonosNet, you can take a player and the controller somewhere else, where there is no network infrastructure. They will connect just fine on their own.

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*) Do not buy an iPod 8GB. It does not run iOS4 and that makes it an even slower Sonos Controller than the iPhone shown above.

Sonos iPad Controller delayed by one month

by Volker Weber

Delivering the highest quality products that exceed our customers’ expectations has always been our mission at Sonos. Nothing less will do. Which is why we are postponing the shipment of our new Sonos Controller for iPad app until the end of September. We’re disappointed, but know that the result will be worth the wait. In the meantime, customers can continue to use the Sonos Controller for iPhone app on their iPad.

I am currently testing the controller, and I believe this is the right decision.

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Google suggests ...

by Volker Weber

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Change your Facebook privacy settings now

by Volker Weber

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Log into Facebook, go to Privacy Settings and then continue into "Customize settings".

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There you disable a feature that lets others check you into places. You can still decide whether you like to to check yourself in, but at least you stay in control.

Longboarding: Slide

by Volker Weber

Garantieverlängerung für Sonos CR200

by Volker Weber

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So macht man das. Habe auch schon von einem Controller gehört, der zickt. Mit einer Garantieverlängerung lassen sich solche Dinge einfangen. Und ich bin ziemlich zuversichtlich, dass Sonos auch danach bereit ist, dafür gerade zu stehen.

Mixed Tape 34 "Red Rhythm" is out

by Volker Weber

mixedtape34

01 S.A.D. | ALLAN’S GRAND DAY OUT | 3:38
02 DANCE FLOOR | ALLAN ROSE | 3:17
03 THE BLANKET | ZIZOU | 4:18
04 JOLENE | FRIDA&JOHN | 3:29
05 INSPRINGTIVE | SABIAN | 5:28
06 CONNECTION | BOOFA | 3:34
07 STILL CARE | MELODY AND SOUL | 3:57
08 NIGHT | PARFUM BRUTAL | 4:50
09 MAN AT ARMS | UPHILL RACER | 4:05
10 STOP AND START AGAIN (FEAT. DEE) | CIRCLE | 4:05

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[Thanks, Fred]

Guten Tag Swiss Post

by Volker Weber

Guten Tag Weber

Digitale Zukunft gestalten.

Hybridlösungen und digitalgestützer Briefverkehr sind derzeit das Thema Nummer eins innerhalb der Kommunikationsbranche - ganz klar eine Trendwende und ein Schritt in Richtung digitale und innovative Zukunft.

Swiss Post Solutions ist weltweit ...

Bla.

Nokia X3 Touch and Type

by Volker Weber

X3

Very pretty. Comes with email, IM (MSN, Yahoo, Gtalk), Twitter & Facebook. 3G HSPA, WLAN 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1, MicroUSB, 3.5 mm AV connector, 5 MP camera, FM radio, brushed aluminum cover. Dedicated keys for messaging and music, make and break calls. The rest is a new touch interface. Sounds impressive. What's missing? GPS and navigation.

This might actually work for Nokia, especially since it's a lot cheaper than all the Androids.


More >

After 20 years: What is Lotus Notes?

by Volker Weber

Found an interesting post by Mary Beth Raven tonight: What is Lotus Notes?

It's always been a challenge to describe what Notes really is. IBM sells it as email with calendar. Which is true, but also undersells the potential. Customers write their own software for the platform, and there are also some ISVs who try to sell their solutions. But by and large, most people do not understand where Notes shines. If you have to say "it's complicated", you aren't really happy, or are you?

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Source: Julian Robichaux

MBR has a second question that is easily overlooked: What is Lotus iNotes? Which is even more difficult to answer, ever since IBM mixed up Notes/Domino-based iNotes with Outblaze-based iNotes.

SNAPPS announces Quickr SNAPP-On Modules

by Volker Weber

For more than ten years, SNAPPS has customized, enhanced and created business process improvements for IBM Lotus Quickr, impacting millions of users worldwide. We've developed custom solutions for IBM's biggest customers and IBM themselves, given away tons of free templates, tools, code, and even an iPhone app. Now, we're going even further to enhance your collaboration experience by introducing SNAPP-On Modules for Lotus Quickr.

More >

Flash Player 10.1 available for Nexus One

by Volker Weber

flashplayer101nexus.png

Free download available from the Android Market:

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Quote of the day

by Volker Weber

If a project has a single line of code in it, it's a software project, not a hardware one.
— David Richardson

All you need is duct tape & WD-40

by Volker Weber

Don't you fly with a tool kit - all you need is duct tape & WD-40.

If it should move & it doesn't, use WD-40.
If it shouldn't move & it does, use duct tape.

[Thanks, Hajo]

Lotus Notes - free and completely legal

by Volker Weber

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I never thought of this, but Mario is right. It's perfectly legal to use Lotus Notes at home without buying a license, at least on Windows*. Ever since Lotus changed its licensing and offered a free Designer, you can download and use the latest code that IBM offers**. Lotus wants you to develop Notes applications, but you don't have to. You don't even need to install the Designer components. Just download the package, install and select to only install the Notes client. Perfectly legal, as Erik Schwalb of IBM has confirmed.

You can access your mail account via POP3 or IMAP (which does not work so well) and send mail by SMTP. You would only need a license if you access a Domino Server. If you want to try the heaviest mail client on the planet, you are free to do it. :-)

I mean in theory. In practice, the IBM page is borked:

designer download

designer download

Message code 136e, baby.

*) We are using the Designer client, which is only available for Windows.

**) The download is pretty current at 8.5.1. The new version 8.5.2 hasn't shipped yet. This is also a good source for the latest full download, since IBM is unlikely to time bomb a free software, which they started to do with trial downloads of Lotus products.

Class

by Volker Weber

Chocolate

Saturday morning starts with a nice surprise. A padded envelope from the UK. And I am not really expecting anything. What could it be? It turns out it's a nice thank you note for publishing this web site, made unforgettable with a box of fine chocolate. From one of the finest executives I ever met in this industry, and who has since moved on to other ventures. Thank you! This is much appreciated.

How to move photos from your iPhone to the iPad

by Volker Weber

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The iPad Camera Connection Kit consists of two connectors: the left one has a USB port where you connect your camera cable, the right one accommodates the SD card from your camera. What is not so obvious is that you can also use the sync cable that came with your iPhone and iPad, hook that up to the iPhone and plug the other end into the USB dongle of the iPad Camera Connection Kit.

You will have to put the iPhone to sleep because it otherwise draws too much power from the iPad. If you do that, after a few seconds the import panel should show up on the iPad. So far I have been unable to repeat this with a BlackBerry. The iPad always reports that the BlackBerry is drawing too much power.

Why you need the iOS updates Apple released today

by Volker Weber

Apple released 4.0.2 for the iPhone and 3.2.2 for the iPad. There is a single fix*: it closes a security hole in the PDF viewer, which could be used for a remote code injection.

What does that mean? Somebody can write a malicious PDF file that bombs the viewer and allows to inject code into the iPhone. It became famous by the website that let you jailbreak the iPhone directly from Safari. Oh, the fun. People across the world visited Apple stores to jailbreak the iPhones on display.

Once you installed the update, your jailbreak is gone. And you won't be able to apply it with this particular method.

While a jailbreak is desirable to many iPhone users, this particular hack is a security nightmare. You just don't want a random stranger to be able to run code on your iPhone. And that's also the problem with rooting your phone or jailbreaking it. Have you ever considered changing the password of that root account?

Unlocking an iPhone requires jailbreaking it. Don't set yourself up for that. Either get an unlocked iPhone. And if you really need to run software from other sources, why not get an Android, or a Palm device? There is no jail to break there.

*) What you are really waiting for is the 4.1 update.

Unintended acceleration, revisited

by Volker Weber

Five months ago I wrote:

The phenomenon "unintended acceleration" is a technical problem that only manifests itself within the jurisdiction of the United States.

As it turns out, I was right:

DETROIT — The government’s investigation into complaints of sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles has found no evidence of flawed electronics in 58 of the vehicles that crashed, federal regulators said Tuesday.

Of course that does not help Toyota one bit.

Only on Lufthansa

by Volker Weber

RIM Launches BlackBerry Podcasts

by Volker Weber

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 11, 2010) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today launched BlackBerry(R) Podcasts, a free application and service that allows BlackBerry(R) smartphone users to easily discover, acquire and enjoy podcasts from leading content providers. ...

BlackBerry Podcasts is available free(i) on BlackBerry App World(TM) (www.blackberry.com/appworld) for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS v4.6 or higher.

Looks like it's not available here in Germany though. At least I cannot find it in App World.

Update: Apparently stuff finds me.

javaloader -usb load *.cod
RIM Wireless Handheld Java Loader
Copyright 2001-2004 Research In Motion Limited
Connected
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts Done
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts_commons Done
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts_image_large Done
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts_image_small Done
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts_playerlib Done
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts_playerlib_resource_en Done
Loading net_rim_bb_podcasts_resource_en Done
1027450 bytes sent at ~747236 bps
Disconnected

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Mein iPad hat jetzt auch einen Taucheranzug

by Volker Weber

apple_ipad_case

Ich mag die Belkin Leather Folio und Sleeve, aber die sind mir manchmal zu "business" und auch zu dick. Ich mag auch das Grip Vue, aber das hat leider letzte Woche eine Schwäche gezeigt: der Ausschnitt ist zu klein für das Camera Connection Kit. Ich habe mit einem scharfen Messer dran rumgeschnibbelt und irgendwie alles noch schlechter gemacht. Fühlt sich nicht mehr gut an, und der Stecker passt immer noch nicht.

Also hat das iPad jetzt auch einen original Apple Taucheranzug. Fühlt sich nicht so toll an, sieht ständig dreckig aus, aber ist von der Funktion her eigentlich perfekt. Irgendwie genau anders rum als Apples Ruf, das Design der Funktion vorzuziehen.

Was sag ich. Man kann ja eigentlich nicht genug Taschen haben. :-)

U2 in Frankfurt

by Volker Weber

U2 in Frankfurt
Photo: vowe

Fritz!Box sei Dank

by Volker Weber

Der Plan ist aufgegangen. Die ganzen unerwünschten Anrufer haben sich am Anrufbeantworter abgearbeitet, ohne jemals eine Nachricht zu hinterlassen. In der Regel dreimal täglich zu verschiedenen Zeiten. Seit ein paar Wochen haben sie aufgegeben.

Die Regeln bleiben drin. Man weiß ja nie ... :-)

PS: Mittlerweile habe ich eine Fritz!Box 7390. Die versteht VDSL und ist auch sonst superduper. An diese Biester kommt wirklich nichts dran.

Security theater around mobile devices

by Volker Weber

I am always advocating a sensible approach to mobile security. You need the ability to lock a lost device, wipe it if you cannot retrieve it, and use a minimal barrier for unintended use, like the pattern Android provides or a short PIN. Something users will put up with, without trying to evade.

In those locked down environments, where security makes the device useless, people will find their way around you. Most often by forwarding their mail to their private account. Unencrypted, insecure, to completely open devices. I can't blame them, they need to get their work done. Plus, you have smart workers don't you? People who can solve problems without being told how to get it done.

Don't be a part of the problem.

Can you explain the LotusLive Notes announcement?

by Volker Weber

IBM announces LotusLive Notes:

LotusLive Notes®, as part of IBM® LotusLive 1.3, is designed to:
  • Enhance the security, integrity, and availability of the messaging system
  • Keep costs lower by using automated processes and an integrated platform
  • Support a faster implementation with an established infrastructure and a team of subject matter experts

Can you figure out what's new? I only see enterprise-strength bla-bla.

Oh wait, there is one thing I figured out:

LotusLive iNotes is completely different from Lotus iNotes, the artist formerly known as Lotus Domino Web Access, the artist formerly known as Lotus iNotes (full circle, I know). LotusLive iNotes was born as a messaging asset of Outblaze, Hong Kong, and made to somewhat look like Lotus iNotes. What you and I would call LotusLive iNotes, the web interface to a cloud-based Domino mailbox, is called LotusLive Notes Web. That is a new name for the cloud version of Lotus iNotes.

On top of that confusion, there are iNotes, iNotes Lite, and iNotes Ultralite. iNotes is the old clunky one, iNotes Lite is the cool new version you want to use, and iNotes Ultralite is the interface for mobile phones, which was built to support the iPhone when Domino was unable to accomodate it.

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POP3 Collect Domino Add-In Server Task

by Volker Weber

Andy Brunner has a free add-in server task for Lotus Domino. It provides a crucial link for small businesses: collect mail from your provider and feed it into Domino.

The POP3 Collect add-in task for Lotus Domino reads messages from one or more POP3 servers and sends them to the Domino server or any other SMTP Server (Exchange, Postfix, Sendmail, etc). It is written entirely in Java to support all Domino versions (since 7.0) and processor architectures (32-bit, 64-bit and 128-bit) on all platforms.

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Formula Student Germany 2010

by Volker Weber

Formula Student Germany 2010
Photo: vowe

Das hat mich am Wochenende beschäftigt. Bericht und Bildergalerie auf heise Autos. Nein, nicht heiße Autos. ;-)

About the iPad power supply

by Volker Weber

Carl writes:

The iPad adapter is not your regular USB adapter. It's expecting 10v to charge instead of the 5v that your typical PC, and USB adapter delivers. So whilst Steve Jobs talks about standards, he likes to tweek them a little bit. Apparently on the Mac this isn't an issue, as it' recognizes when an iPad is connected and outputs 5v. Now I have discovered though, that if you do plug an iPad into a PC USB port and turn the screen off it will charge, very slowly.

Well, that's wrong. Apple does not supply 10 V. That would be rather silly. Look at the fine print:

iPad power supply
Photo: vowe

We are simulating the reading abilities of an old fart like myself. The top says 10 W, not 10 V. Easy to mix up. The bottom right says 5.1 V at 2.1 A. The iPad will adjust the 5.1 V to 5.0 just as any other USB device. But it is capable of gobbling up the power at up to 2 A. The iPad has a pretty large battery that takes forever to fill up if you only supply 500 mA as specified in the USB 2.0 specs. A dedicated battery charging port can supply a lot more .

So, it's not evil Steve Jobs. It's just that in the PC world, you have to pinch every penny to make a profit.

Does your company allow you to install apps on your smartphone?

by Volker Weber

Eric asks:

With the recent discussions about Apps and how consumers want the freedom to find, evaluate, and purchase Apps for their Smartphones, I wonder how many users are able download and use a productivity application and how many have policies that prevent them from doing so.

Please vote. It only takes a click.

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Carlos

by Volker Weber

Carlos
Photo: vowe

iPhone 4 antenna: there is no problem and the person responsible for it leaves

by Volker Weber

Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of hardware for the company’s flagship iPhone, has left the company in the wake of widely reported problems with the antenna of the recently introduced iPhone 4.

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[Thanks, Joel]

Smartphones und das Crapware-Problem

by Volker Weber

Wer jemals einen PC bei Aldi gekauft hat, der weiß, was da für ein Dreck installiert ist. Ich habe einmal einen Nachmittag damit verbracht, den neuen Laptop einer Nachbarin von diesem ganzen Zeugs zu befreien, mit dem Aldi das eigentlich recht ordentliche Microsoft-Produkt zugemüllt hat. Kauf mich, registrier mich, benutz mich. Der Nachmittag war nicht verloren, weil die Deinstallations- und Neustartorgie nebenbei lief.

Das gleiche Drama droht den Smartphone-Käufern. Gestern hat Vodafone ein Update verteilt und mittlerweile zurückgezogen, das die HTC Desire, die schon mit HTC Sense belastet sind, auch noch mit einem schicken Vodafone-Branding und den 360-Nervkeksen überzog. Als Vodafone ankündigte, sich aus der 360-Hardware zurückzuziehen und sich auf die Software zu konzentrieren, da war das abzusehen. Wer will diesen Kram? Vodafone. Da gibt es Leute, die glauben den Kunden so besser an das Unternehmen binden zu können. Die finden ihr Corporate Design todschick. Und gemäß dem Motto "People Shop Music" wollen sie natürlich auch was verkaufen.

Blöd nur, dass der Kunde sich nur selten eine Vermarktungsplattform in seiner Hosentasche wünscht. Nun muss er sich nicht nur mit den HTC-Bemühungen um ein eigenes Gesicht, sondern auch noch mit denen von Vodafone abplagen. Das alles führt nicht nur dazu, dass das Smartphone schlechter wird, auch die Updates kommen viel später.

So geschieht es, dass das einzige gescheite Android-Phone wieder mal von Google kommt. Nexus One. Und Google war nicht in der Lage, das auch zu verkaufen. In Deutschland gab es eine Menge Leute, die es gerne versucht hätten, aber bereits auf der Website abgewiesen wurden. Alles aus? Keineswegs. Das Nexus One ist das Android Developer Phone. Man kann es auch in Deutschland kaufen. Einfach als Developer registrieren und kaufen. Kein Branding, kein Sense, dafür alle Features, inklusive Mobile Hotspot. Zubehör gibt es bei HTC.

Und es zeigt noch etwas. Nur Apple hat die Eier, den Carriern einfach 'nein' zu sagen. Ein iPhone ist immer pur, egal bei wem man es kauft. Bei Android geht das nicht. Dort kann jeder selbst alles verbasteln.

Research In Motion's loyalty problem

by Volker Weber

According to data released Monday from Nielsen, only 42% of BlackBerry owners want their next phone to be a BlackBerry. A full 29% want an iPhone next, 21% want an Android phone, and 7% fall into the "other" category.

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IBM is a portfolio business

by Volker Weber

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What does that mean? While selling this, they also sell that. Get used to it. If you find yourself in a poker game, and you don't know who the sucker is, then it's probably you.

Tribalism is the enemy within

by Volker Weber

Mark Shuttleworth writes:

Tribalism is when one group of people start to think people from another group are “wrong by default”. It’s the great-granddaddy of racism and sexism. And the most dangerous kind of tribalism is completely invisible: it has nothing to do with someone’s “birth tribe” and everything to do with their affiliations: where they work, which sports team they support, which linux distribution they love.

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Gepflegte 3-Zimmer-Eigentumswohnung in Darmstadt

by Volker Weber

Gepflegte 3-Zimmer-Eigentumswohnung in Darmstadt

Fotografiert von Jens Liebau im Schaukasten vor der Commerzbank in der Rheinstraße

RIM Chief Fires Back Over Data Demands

by Volker Weber

"This is about the Internet," Mr. Lazaridis said. "Everything on the Internet is encrypted. This is not a BlackBerry-only issue. If they can't deal with the Internet, they should shut it off."

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Upgrading from Connections 2.5 to 3.0 seems to be difficult

by Volker Weber

IBM writes:

Starting Friday August 6th we will begin our upgrade and migration of Lotus Connections 2.5 to Lotus Connections 3.0. The Lotus Connections services will not be available from Friday August 6th at 8:00 AM until it comes back online Tuesday August 10th.

4 to 5 days

I read your e-mail

by Volker Weber

i-read-your-email

Mein Lieblings-Tshirt. Cool, nicht wahr? Ich muss nur behaupten, dass ich die Email lese und schon glaubt's jeder. Und wenn nicht ich die lesen kann, dann "die da drüben". Die Scheichs wollen, die Inder auch, die Chinesen sowieso. Und den Engländern und den Amis trauen wir eh alles zu. Ach, das waren Kanadier? Egal, denen da drüben jedenfalls. Regierungsvertreter haben das gesagt? Potz daus. Und die haben ganz bestimmt bessere Regierungsvertreter, die voll die Ahnung haben. Die EU-Kommission findet iPhone sicherer als BlackBerry. Der geht ja gar nicht, weil die da drüben ... Die Bundesregierung findet iPhone dagegen nicht so gut. Man muss dieses komische Händie nehmen, dass diese T-Firma betreibt, also die, die nicht mal auf ihre Kundendaten aufpassen können. Ist total sicher, ey. SMS macht die Kanzlerin auch gerne. Und Twitter muss man echt mal verbieten, wenn der BuPrä gewählt wird. Und wenn das komplizierte, voll zertifizierte Dingenskirchen nicht tut, dann kann ich ja immer noch das tolle Tablett von Herrn D'Avis nehmen, das ich mit dem DSL-Anschluss umsonst gekriegt habe.

Hauptsache kein BlackBerry. Weil, der ist ja total unsicher.

Google Wave is dead

by Volker Weber

Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects.

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Free calls over Vonage for Facebook

by Volker Weber

Vonage has released an interesting app for Facebook that lets you make free calls to your Facebook friends over 3G or Wi-Fi. It works on iPhone, iPod touch and Android. An iPad app is in the works as well.

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The mouse is dead. Long live the trackpad.

by Volker Weber

Magic Trackpad with iPhone and packaging
Photo: vowe

In contrast to what I said a few days ago, I don't need a full week to evaluate the Magic Trackpad. I haven't touched the mouse since.

The Magic Trackpad wins the editor-refuses-to-give-it-back award. Hands down. Is it a must-have device? No. If you already have the Magic Mouse, stay with it.

BlackBerry 6 Compatibility

by Volker Weber

From the BlackBerry 6 press release:

BlackBerry 6 will debut on the new BlackBerry(R) Torch(TM) smartphone (announced today) available from AT&T on August 12 and it is also designed to run on select BlackBerry smartphones already in market. Subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead, the new OS is expected to be available for the BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) 9700, BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) 9650 and BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM) 3G, as well as future BlackBerry smartphones.

No such luck for other 9xxx devices like the Bold 9000 or the Storm 95xx. That is a major disappointment.

RIM and AT&T announcing the BlackBerry Torch

by Volker Weber

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Currently watching the press conference over a crawling stream with more dropouts than anything I have seen before. This must be an AT&T network experience.

Update: Now you can read it all here. This looks like a device I could like. Both a touchscreen and a keyboard, in a small enclosure. 480x360 3.2" screen and VGA video camera however is a bit 2008ish. The real power lies in Blackberry 6, the new device software. And it's only coming to the latest devices.

Crazy Finns Crashing

by Volker Weber

dLAN Cockpit

by Volker Weber

dLAN Cockpit
Photo: vowe

Devolo hat eine neue Windows-Software (für 200 AV und neuer), der Versionen für Linux und Mac OS X folgen sollen. Besonders "graphisch ansprechend" (O-Ton Devolo) finde ich sie nicht gerade, aber funktional ist sie.

Download >

A tribute to doing it wrong

by Volker Weber

Don't Flash

by Volker Weber

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Photo: vowe

What's on your iPad dock?

by Volker Weber

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Safari, Mail, Reeder, Twitterrific, Flipboard, Sonos (beta)

Der Drache versteht mich nicht

by Volker Weber

Dragon Dictation auf dem iPad bei der Arbeit:

Werde das Elektroauto von Wolfgang Peters ist Ihr Auto kommt die Politik die Liste ist in Umfragen nur eine Viertel Million Menschen sofort bereit hören sich von 30 bis 40.000 Euro zu trennen und auf der elektrischen Friedenstauben sind da war der Teppich ist das optimistische Nachrichten aus der Welt der Technik wissen ob das mit den Batterien vorangehen bezüglich der Laden wird in welcher Marke mit welchem die mobil zu welchem Zeitpunkt auf dem Markt war

Wer die Sonntags-FAZ hat, vergleiche Technik&Motor V5 rechts oben. Totaler Schrott.

Trust (The) Factory

by Volker Weber

Marzena & Wouter
Photo: vowe

Please welcome our new sponsor for the month of August, Trust Factory. The picture shows Marzena and Wouter Aukema from my series of tall people. There is a banner above all comments that you should see unless you run an ad blocker. If you do run that, I suggest you exclude vowe.net. :-)

Anyway, I have known Wouter for a couple of years, and he has developed an interesting tool that will give you insights into your Notes infrastructure you did not have before. And instead of giving you happy talk about the future of Notes, he can prove, with real data, your data, how you can re-engineer your infrastructure to save cost and to make it run better. He can tell you all about your applications, which ones are being used and how much. Wouter is your friend, if you have to defend Notes against a competing offering. Or if you want to upgrade to Notes 8.5 and can't give your management good reasons to do that.

If that sounds like your problem, give them a call. IBM works with these guys, and maybe, so should you.

Single use only

by Volker Weber

notenoughsecurity.jpg

Editorial: Too Much Security?

by Volker Weber

[Rough translation from the original at heise.de]

So the UAE want to block BlackBerry. What a great endorsement for RIM.

IT security is difficult. One faction says: "this is all being transmitted through foreign data centers, we will lose all our secrets to the competition". The other party says: "no, this is encrypted end-to-end, nobody can get at the data". And they can never agree.

Now the UAE want to block BlackBerry starting in October. In Dubai, that wants to be a world trade center. And the Saudis follow suit. India has demanded access to BlackBerry data for years.

These countries have a good reason. They need to know what their subjects are talking to each other. SIGINT, SIGnal INTelligence. It seems they can achieve that with all other smartphones, but not with BlackBerry. Just last year, a UAE telco tried to offer a "system update" to its users, trying to install a spyware. RIM was furious.

The mighty BlackBerry isn't invincible. But if you don't install obscure software, it's obviously too secure for certain countries. On top of those threats to cut off BlackBerry traffic, there have been diplomatic rows. "Dear Canadians, you have a nice smartphone business going on there. It would be a shame if something happens."

As long as those threats don't go away, I wouldn't be too concerned with BlackBerry security.

A beautiful summer night

by Volker Weber

ZZ0AA07E7E.jpg
Photo: vowe

Looking in, where I was looking out six months ago. It's warm out here, and I am reading stuff on the iPad. Sonos is playing Cafe del Mar tag radio. And the living is easy ...

Sorry, cannot be bothered to take a better photo. :-)

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I explain difficult concepts in simple ways. For free, and for money. Clue procurement and bullshit detection.

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