March 2012

ZDFmediathek auf Windows Phone

by Volker Weber

  

  

Sehr schön. Jetzt bitte noch ARTE.

Porsche Design test drive

by Volker Weber

Porsche Design does not make cars. They sell other luxury products. Like the P'9981. And it's genius.

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Connections 101.net

by Volker Weber

Paul Mooney and Gabriella Davis have started a new web site to teach yourself an IBM Connections implementation. That's of course IBM's work, but so far nobody has done it. IBM delivers step-by-step instructions to be interpreted and executed by carbon-based lifeforms, be it a trained monkey or an IBM consultant. It does not teach you why you are doing what you are doing. And then there is the occasional independent consultant who knows a bit more than the script and charges you less than IBM would.

Paul and Gab are on a mission to change that.

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Meine neue Lieblingsteekanne

by Volker Weber

Bin ja kein Kaffeetrinker. Und in der Küche stehen, bis der Tee fertig ist, mag ich auch nicht. Simple Lösung: eine Kanne, die den Tee wegsperren kann. Der Tee von Samova ist übrigens auch gut.

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iPad, iPhone und Android im Enterprise-Umfeld

by Volker Weber

Letztes Jahr haben wir vor ausverkauftem Haus gespielt. Jetzt legen wir das erneut auf. Und erstmals gibt es einen Event in Berlin. Da soll ja was los sein. :-)

iPhone und iPad sind im Business angekommen, Android steht vor der Tür. Für die IT-Administration ist die Auseinandersetzung mit diesen Geräten ein Muss, denn sie strahlen nicht nur eine große Faszination aus, sondern sind auch zunehmend Basis für Unternehmensanwendungen. Die Frage ist also nicht mehr ob, sondern wie man diese Geräte in die Unternehmens-IT integriert. Dies stellt natürlich neue Herausforderungen für IT-Administratoren dar. Denn wie lässt sich die neue Smartphone- und Tablet-Generation effektiv ins Unternehmen einbinden? Wie kann man Datenverlust vermeiden und Missbrauch verhindern? Wie skalierbar sind die Methoden zur Personalisierung der Geräte?

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Simple Audio to stream multiroom HD Audio in 24 bit resolution

by Volker Weber

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This is an interesting Sonos competitor for audiophiles:

Simple Audio is the first affordable HD sound system that will play your music at 24 bit - the sound quality the professional recording studios intended. Our high performance amplifiers make it possible for you to hear the subtleties of sound at every resolution, but when you experience 24 bit for yourself, you'll never look back.

Unlike Sonos it's not wireless, but uses Homeplug-compatible powerline adapters. You need speakers, and depending on the roomplayer also an amp. They haven't published pricing yet, and it's all brand new. It's also not clear whether they can group roomplayers.

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iPhone display rot

by Volker Weber

Eventually it needs to be replaced.

Aus Napster wird Rhapsody

by Volker Weber

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Wer Napster auf seinem Sonos nutzt, muss eine kleine Umstellung vornehmen. Napster-Konto löschen, "Napster by Rhapsody" einfügen und mit Email-Adresse statt Benutzernamen anmelden. Easy peasy. Das ist Rhapsody, wird nur hier noch mit "Napster" benannt.

Man kann übrigens eine neue 30-Tage-Testphase mit dem Gutschein-Code SONOSDE1 anfordern.

Ich benutze übrigens gerade JUKE (siehe oben), weil meine Sonos-Software den Napster-by-Rhapsody-Service nicht unterstützt. Dazu braucht man die neue 3.7 und bin in einem Development Branch. JUKE ist eine starke Napster-Konkurrenz.

Eins zu tausend

by Volker Weber

Wer US-amerikanische Nachrichten abkupfert und übersetzt, oder abgekupferte und übersetzte US-amerikanische Nachrichten als eigene Leistung in Umlauf bringt, der sollte wissen, dass "billions" keine Billionen sind. Dann fällt das nicht so auf.

Google Apps or Office 365

by Volker Weber

USG IT committee chair Josh Chen ’14 delivered the latest updates on the USG’s collaborative effort with the Office of Information Technology to switch the undergraduate student body’s current email server from Webmail to either Gmail or Microsoft Office 365 at Sunday’s Senate meeting. OIT recently polled a group of 150 students who piloted the two options. The students participating in the pilot were chosen from those who replied to an earlier campus-wide email.

Of the 150 students who tested the products, only two chose to use Office 365.

What were those two smoking?

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Fritz!Box noch im Winterschlaf

by Volker Weber

Aufgrund einer selten auftretenden Datumskonstellation im März 2012 kommt es bei FRITZ!Fon-Modellen leider aktuell zu einer falschen Anzeige der Uhrzeit. Davon betroffen sind auch die Weckzeit und die WLAN-Nachtschaltung.

Die Ursache ist simpel: die Fritz!Box hat die Sommerzeitumstellung verpennt.

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Quote of the day

by Volker Weber

Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90. Time is a concept that humans created.
— Yoko Ono, 1977

The man who lived on his bike

by Volker Weber

Guillaume Blanchet writes:

After 382 days spent riding through the streets of Montreal, being sometimes quite cold, sometimes quite hot - and sometimes quite scared, I dedicate this movie to you, Yves Blanchet :-)

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[Thanks, Peter]

Nokia Play To for Windows Phone

by Volker Weber

With the “Play To” application for Nokia Lumia phones you can show pictures and videos wirelessly on other DLNA capable devices (TV’s, BlueRay players, Mediaplayer in Windows 7, etc) connected to their network.

That's a pretty cool solution which does the same thing as Apple Airplay, only for the rest of the world. I am using this on my N8 to play music on a Sonos ZonePlayer, which also happens to be a DNLA target.

Future releases of the application are planned to also include support for music.

That's available on Nokia Belle, but not yet on Windows Phone.

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New update available for Lumia 800

by Volker Weber

Nokia says:

Good news! We have brought forward the software update schedule for our Nokia Lumia 800, and have begun rolling out the latest update 1600.2487.8107.12070 to India and Singapore. This update will gradually be available for more markets in the coming weeks and we will keep you informed via our support pages as well as via a similar announcement here on Nokia Discussions Forum, once we add additonal markets to the roll out.

As this is not a mandatory software update, not every country or network carrier will make it available to their customers.

The new Lumia 800 update brings the following enhancements:

You don't have to wait for your carrier.

[Thanks for the heads up, Ingo]


Do you need a new iPad now?

by Volker Weber

The short answer is the same as with the iPad 2: No. But then it gets complicated.

When Apple released the first iPad, they got everything right. It was perfect. With the iPad 2 they added a few things and made it faster. Not so much faster, that you needed to upgrade for the speed. The things they added were brilliant, like the smartcover, and crappy like the cameras. It was a bit lighter and had a more practical back which lay flat on a table.

The New iPad however is not the iPad 3, although everybody calls it that. It's truly a new iPad. Why? Because the iPad is a screen canvas for your apps. The device itself isn't important. What's happening on your screen is. And the new screen drives everything else. Apple needed to add a much bigger battery which made the new iPad heavier and thicker than the old one, lighter and thinner than the original iPad, mind you. They needed to boost the graphics engine to be able to drive the new screen with the same speed as the old one.

A larger battery takes longer to charge. If it discharges in the same 10 hours as the old one, it draws more current. More current in and out means more heat. If you read reports on the Internet you may think that is a problem. It isn't. Reviewers are struggling to find negative aspects of the device and that's all they can come up with. More weight, more heat. Not as thin as the old one. By 0.6 millimeter!

Frankly, all of that does not matter. It's the screen. Only the screen. Yes, better cameras, yada yada. But look at this screen. It has print resolution. You can read everything without zooming, pinching or dragging. Just the whole page. Goodreader updated yesterday to support the new screen resolution. What a difference!

It's going to take a while for all major apps to upgrade. Not long though. Do yourself a favor if you own an iPad or an iPad 2. Don't look at the New iPad. Your device is wonderful. And you will do exactly the same things with a new iPad that you do with your current iPad. You don't need a new iPad.

Just. Don't. Look. At. The. Screen.

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Nice shop

by Volker Weber

While I was away

by Volker Weber

While I was away, a couple of things happened. Sonos shipped 3.7 of their software bringing two major changes:

  1. The PC and Mac controller get a fresh new look which is very similar to the iPad experience.
  2. Android devices can join SonosNet. That means you have wifi wherever a Sonos player is.

Wunderlist shipped on Windows Phone, adding to the existing platforms Android, iOS, Mac, Windows and Web. Appears to be well done. Only the counter on the tile looks wrong.

Nokia updated Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps for the Lumia. Biggest change for me is that both apps now work completely offline. Download maps over Wifi and then navigate without mobile data. That is a huge saver if you would otherwise have to roam while abroad. That is a navigation solution with world wide coverage without any additional cost.

Nokia is also bound to provide another update to Windows Phone 7 giving a much needed boost to battery performance.

[The photo above shows the dashboard of a 1964 Mercedes SL which I had the pleasure to drive.]


Full Circle

by Volker Weber

Amazing video by Callum Cooper.

Nokia BH-505 Headset First Impressions

by Volker Weber

I am currently trying to work out an hour a day. That means riding a bike through the forest. Once you know your way, this can get boring quite quickly. Yesterday I was wearing my Voyager Pro, which is very comfortable. But having music on one ear only isn't quite right. Time to try something new.

My favorite headset is out of the question. Too much bulk, too much isolation. Anything with a wire is also inconvenient. The Nokia BH-505 however fits the bill. You wear it around your neck and over your ears. It does not move a millimeter when worn on my head.

Which leads me to a potential problem. It just barely fits my head. Since I am going to lose some fat around my neck it's not a problem. But this thing is not adjustable. It's one size fits all. I am going to try with a few friends whether that is a problem.

The headset is NFC enabled. Touch it once on a Nokia N9 and it is paired. Touch it again and it disconnects. Very convenient. I have had no difficulties pairing it with other phones. It has a microphone over your left ear, and it supports four Bluetooth profiles:

HFP and HSP let you connect a phone as a headset for voice calls. A2DP will play stereo music and AVRCP lets you control the media player. It only connects to one phone at a time -- and an additional media player if your phone does not speak A2DP. Unlike the Voyager Pro it will not connect to my iPhone and BlackBerry at the same time.

Sound quality is quite impressive, once I fitted the right earbuds.

[To be continued]

Sonos gets a new controller

by Volker Weber

Requirements: Windows XP SP3 or Mac OS X 10.6. So you can no longer run it on PowerPC.

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So muss das

by Volker Weber

Das brave PlayBook hat "Huschebahn" gelernt und schlägt es genau am rechten Ort vor.

IT Execs Still Awaiting Windows 8 on Tablets

by Volker Weber

IT managers say they are eagerly awaiting Windows 8-based tablets due out this fall, though some do wonder whether it's too late for Microsoft to successfully take on Apple iPads and various Android tablets.

The funny thing is that IT managers have lost control long ago. If users are not longing for Windows 8 tablets, it does not really matter what IT execs are waiting for.

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New Bluetooth headset

by Volker Weber

I have come to love Plantronics products, to the point where I would be very disappointed to find one that isn't stellar. So far I have had a great USB headset, a car handsfree, a desktop speakerphone, and now the Voyager Pro UC V2.

What I find most amazing is how well the noise cancellation works on the microphone. Even on a busy streetcar it had no problem picking up my voice although I was speaking quietly. At least I hope I did. It's very comfortable, the battery seems to last forever, but yes, you look like something is growing from your ear. Good news: you can put the headset away and when the phone rings you quickly put it on your ear and it automatically accepts the call. Take it off, and the conversations gets transferred to your phone. Back and forth. It's almost like it's reading your mind. Did I mention it charges over MicroUSB, so you don't need to carry another power supply? No, but now I did.

I haven't even scratched the other capabilities, like handling UC on your PC through the Plantronics Spokes software. They finally have a Mac version, btw. As every other Plantronics product so far it wins the prestigious editor-refuses-to-give-it-back award.

Path side loaded on PlayBook

by Volker Weber

  

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BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for PlayBook

by Volker Weber

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A few days with the BlackBerry Bold 9790

by Volker Weber

I was quite surprised when RIM announced another BlackBerry Bold.

The Bold series started with the iconic Bold 9000, to be succeed by the Bold 97xx developed in Bochum,Germany, which was much smaller than the original Bold. Then, in 2011 RIM came back with the Bold 9900, which was similar to the orginal design, but way better. Not only did they add touch and the BlackBerry 7 software. It also was a very honest design. What looked like metal was plastic on the 9000, what looked like glass was plastic, and what looked like leather was also plastic. Not so on the 9900. The materials were all genuine. I love it.

So here we have the 9790. It's as small as the 9700, even at bit more tapered. It also has touch and comes with BlackBerry 7. It basically does exactly the same things that the 9900 does. In a very lean package. It even brings back autofocus to the camera, which the 9900 dropped.

And still, I prefer the bigger Bold 9900. The 9790 has a very weird keyboard, that wraps around the edge of the tapered device, where the 9900 is completely flat. It feels much cheaper when you compare it to the 9900. It's really no competition for me. I will take the 9900 over the 9790 every single time. But that's not true for everybody; I know people who wear very tight suits. And they love the 9790.

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Playing music on the Lumia 800

by Volker Weber

  

  

Nokia Mix Radio (top left), Phonos (Sonos controller, top right), Laut.fm (bottom left), TuneIn Radio (bottom right)

Spotify in Germany

by Volker Weber

Tomorrow, Spotify is going to launch in Germany. Finally. To add your Spotify account to Sonos, you just have to Check for Updates. It will tell you, your software is up-to-date. But will also have loaded a new service for your setup.

There has always been a little trick to make it work with an existing account. Just move your registration to the UK, check for updates, setup the service, and then move your registration back to Germany. This is going to be obsolete tomorrow when Spotify officially launches for German customers.

Nokia 808 Pureview First Impressions

by Volker Weber

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I played with a white Nokia 808 Pureview at CeBIT. And I did not want to let it go. I shot a few dozen photos indoors and they were all pretty amazing. Incredible detail with no noticeable noise. Since most of my fellow colleagues were discussing their preoccupation with Symbian I had plenty of play time with the phone.

What the picture does not give away: this thing is quite top-heavy. Unlike the N8, which is balanced, the 808 is heavier at the lens hump. There is some serious hardware in that area. This phone will only appeal to people who know what they are getting, an incredible camera with a good smartphone attached.

Nokia Belle may be destined for the dustbin of technology, but it's certainly good enough now. I find it as usable as any Android device. I carry the N8 more often than before, and I am really looking forward to this stunner.

Mixed Tape 44 "Precious Selection" is out

by Volker Weber

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01 MARKAS PALUBENKA | JAZZ | 3:05
02 FIRE FLOWER REVUE | L’OR ET BLANC | 4:14
03 RED SKY LULLABY | BREAK AWAY FEAT. CHRIS POWERS | 3:43
04 MHYH | FLYING BARRACUDA | 4:53
05 THE SPOOK SCHOOL | HISTORY | 3:11
06 CONVEYOR | FOREWORD | 4:12
07 & THE CENTURIONS | IN CIRCLES | 4:53
08 SHY FOR SHORE | LETTERS FROM ABROAD | 4:13
09 MENINA LOOP | TREASURE HUNTER | 3:20
10 NOISE BLEED | THE CALL | 3:56

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Slate: The iPad Is Unbeatable

by Volker Weber

Bear with me; there’s a good chance I’ll run out of superlatives to describe Apple’s tremendous, astonishing, stupendous, unbelievable emerging position in the tablet market. But I think the overkill is justified, as I worry that Apple’s rivals haven’t adequately taken stock of the potential disaster that lies ahead of them.

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Time for Spring

by Volker Weber

One last time - snow.

Mac & i: Neues iPad unterstützt LTE in Deutschland nicht

by Volker Weber

Die in Deutschland angebotenen iPad-Modelle mit Mobilfunkanbindung entsprechen dem AT&T-Modell, das in den USA verkauft wird - das hat Apple auf Nachfrage am Donnerstag bestätigt. Mit den LTE-Netzen in Deutschland sind diese deshalb nicht kompatibel.

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Two Bolds

by Volker Weber

The BlackBerry Bold is my parachute. When I leave town, I may be carrying an iPhone, a Nexus, or a Lumia. But I am sure as hell be carrying a BlackBerry as well. This thing works when traveling at 300 km/h through tunnels, over bridges, as the ICE tracks go. It just needs brief periods of coverage to keep you in the loop. An iPhone will drive you crazy under these conditions.

There always used to be one flagship Bold. First the 9000, then the 9700, quickly being replaced by the 9780, and then finally the 9900, which is my favorite Bold ever. Now RIM has a smaller version, similar to the 9780, but with many of the capabilities of the 9900 like touch and NFC. The keyboard is a bit weird, but the camera again has autofocus. I shall be testing this one over the next couple of days.

Essential CeBIT tools

by Volker Weber

Most of the people I met at CeBIT had the battery run down on their smartphone. Getting to and from CeBIT means traveling through areas with spotty coverage. And then on the fairground you fight for bandwidth and spectrum. All of this can run down the battery pretty quickly. I was carrying two power packs from Belkin. A big one with two USB ports and a smaller one with just one. I never ran out of power. The big pack comes with its own power adaptor, the smaller one is charged with any MicroUSB charger. And you daisy chain them for charging. Highly recommended for trade shows!

Usually I don't like to have something growing out of my ear. You look like a delivery driver. CeBIT is different. When you have plugged in your devices (see above) you want to be able to catch a quick phone call without wrestling with cables. My favorite brand for anything voice related has long been Plantronics. So the weapon of choice is the Voyager Pro series. If your phone rings you just put the headset on and it will automatically connect the call. Put it down and transfers back to your mobile. Back and forth. Listening to some soothing lounge music and somebody starts talking to you? Take the headset off and the music stops. Put it back on, and the music continues. Incoming call? The music pauses for the duration of the call. Wonderful.

And this LED Lenser was the best present I got at CeBIT, hands down. 200 Lumen!

Why you can't skip

by Volker Weber

Last.fm, Nokia Mix Radio and similar services operate under a radio license. It's different from on demand streaming where you can exactly specify the tracks you want to listen to.

More directors for GBS

by Volker Weber

GBS Enterprises Incorporated GBSX ... today announced the appointment of five new independent Board members, increasing the size of the Board from two to seven

If you invested seven weeks ago at Lotusphere, you are now down 55%nine months ago and you are down 74%. Adding directors can indeed help generate new business opportunities. Or it can turn into a corporate boat race.

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Nokia Mix Radio on your Lumia

by Volker Weber

  

  

Nokia Mix Radio is not available in Germany. Unless you delete Nokia Music, set your Region&Language to English(UK), accept the change which will reboot the device, and then reinstall Nokia Music from Marketplace. Once you did that, you can set your location to your liking. Mix Radio will still be available.

Lying to yourself

by Volker Weber

When a company starts to lose its major battles, the truth often becomes the first casualty. CEOs and employees work tirelessly to develop creative narratives that help them avoid dealing with the obvious facts. Despite their intense creativity, many companies often end up with the exact same false explanations.

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The Economist: How not to win friends and influence people

by Volker Weber

The spat between Google and Microsoft is shaping up to be at least as entertaining as Apple’s battle with the beige behemoth a decade ago.

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Nokia Drop

by Volker Weber

Nokia Drop is a simple and easy way to push content and notifications to your device from public websites*. Nokia Drop uses Push Notifications, so no cable or Bluetooth connection is needed.

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Unhide your ~/Library

by Volker Weber

Brent Simmons:

I only just now learned about chflags nohidden ~/Library. Sheesh. Needed that.

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C3? Isn't that a 2010 phone?

by Volker Weber

I am not surprised

by Volker Weber

BARCELONA, Spain - Nokia has won the award for “Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at Mobile World Congress 2012” for the Nokia 808 PureView.

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Old vowe.net archive pages

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

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