July 2014
Gelka Remixes #nowplaying
by Volker Weber
Listen on Soundcloud >
Meine erste Fahrt mit Uber
by Volker Weber
In New York hatte ich die Gelegenheit, die Taxi-Alternative Uber auszuprobieren. Und das hat supergut funktioniert. App öffnen, übrigens auch für Windows Phone, Auto anfordern. Binnen 30 Sekunden ein Anruf, wo ich denn genau sei; das war nicht so einfach am Midtown Ferry Terminal. Der Fahrer war in zwei Minuten da und hat auch nicht aufgelegt, bis ich im Auto war. Netter Typ aus Usbekistan, der drei Jahre in Bremen gelebt hat. Zitat: "Döner in Deutschland ist bester Döner." 11 Minuten später hat er mich abgesetzt und in seiner App die Fahrt beendet. Meine App meldet sich, Fahrer bewerten, fertig. Fahrkosten werden abgebucht, niemand muss Geld in die Hand nehmen. Die erste Fahrt mit Uber ist frei.
In Deutschland ist Uber nicht so nötig wie in USA. Hier sind die Taxis sauber und sicher. In New York sind sie schmutzig, heruntergekommen und klapprig. Hier gibt es mittlerweile auch Angebote wie MyTaxi, mit denen man ein Taxi ähnlich einfach anfordern kann.
Wer sich neu einträgt, kriegt mit dem Promotioncode UBERVOWE eine Gutschrift. Ich auch, aber die werde ich wohl nie ausnutzen können, weil Uber hier mächtig Gegenwind hat.
United Carry-On Luggage
by Volker Weber
This is going to hurt. United Airlines has changed the maximum dimensions of carry-on luggage by reducing the width to 14 inches. None of my suitcases matches this width. They are all 15.7 inches.
I am just carrying a soft bag, and I can bring a "personal item". I am not affected, but if United checks these dimensions, there will be a lot of angry customers.
An update on IBM Mail Next
by Volker Weber
You can skip the first 29 minutes of industry strength blabla, if you understand the following:
- Please use Internet Explorer or Firefox when attending a webcast
- Move everything to the cloud
- Move everything to the browser
- iOS and Android
A couple of takeaways: the design has become considerably more "classic" than what you saw in January. Less radical, more useful, much better use of screen estate. There is no mention of Blackberry or Windows Phone. None. Availability will be very selective and run into 2015. In the cloud.
Mail Next runs on Domino, plus a lot of things around it. We will have to see how IBM is ever going to package it for installation within your company. Same delivery mechanism as iNotes. And Kramer Reeves was very clear about the direction: move to iNotes 9.0.1 ASAP, use the browser plugin for legacy Notes apps.
Don't expect a press release about the future of the fat Notes Client. The direction is very clear to me. Browser and Mobile. Mobile means Android and iOS, unless a customer dumps big money on IBM to develop beyond.
Lumia 930 vs 1020
by Volker Weber
I shall be in New York next week. Time to decide which tools to prepare. Actually, I don't really have a choice, since my SIM from T-Mobile USA is a micro-SIM. And the Lumia 1020 is my only current phone which does not have a nano-SIM. My 1020 has 64 GB of storage, a camera grip, the best camera. This should be easy, right?
Surprisingly, it isn't. I have grown quite fond of the 930. A brilliant display that is noticeably better than the 1020. Living Images, which the 1020 is not going to get. And then I am still on Developer Preview instead of Lumia Cyan.
I am this close to cutting the micro-SIM down to a nano-SIM. Then again, the Lumia 2520 is my only computer that takes a micro-SIM. And a computer that does not require dysfunctional Wifi is worth a lot.
The Nokia CR-201 mystery continues
by Volker Weber
Nokia sent me a new Wireless Charging Car Holder CR-201. Remember, the old CR-200 no longer worked with the Lumia 930. I unpacked the box, and it looked exactly the same. Exactly. The. Same. It even had a CR-200 sticker underneath.
This was clearly a mistake. A CR-200 in a CR-201 box. But before I called, I compared the old CR-200 and the new CR-200 very carefully. And I did find a difference:
There is a small cut-out in the pads that hold the phone. This is how it avoids pushing the camera button. And it appears to be the only difference. I hope that Nokia thought about offering replacement pads for customers which complain their CR-200 no longer fits. And if they haven't, it is clearly a DIY project, as you now know what the pads should look like.
Is this fix satisfactory? I am afraid not. Even with the cutout, it still pushes on one end of the 930 photo button. I will have to scrape off more material.
Unfortunate AP headline
by Volker Weber
BREAKING: Dutch military plane carrying bodies from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash lands in Eindhoven.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 23, 2014CLARIFIES: Dutch military plane carrying Malaysia Airlines bodies lands in Eindhoven.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 23, 2014IBM - ConnectED 2015 - Kenexa World, Lotusphere
by Volker Weber
In 2015, IBM Connect will transform into an even more in-depth technical event, 'IBM ConnectED' that provides the deep 'nuts and bolts' technical experience that is so important to our long-standing technical community.
That's with a capital ED.
Lumia 530 announced
by Volker Weber
Lumia 530 is coming this quarter for 99€, in both single and dual SIM versions. Ninety-nine. OK, you need to add storage. But what a nice phone for a low price. 530 or 630? 530 is smaller and the 630 screen is going to look better. 630 is powered by a Snapdragon 400 SoC, which will render graphics faster than the Snapdragon in the 530.
There are now exactly zero reasons to buy a Nokia X.
iOS-Hintertüren: Apple erklärt Systemdienste
by Volker Weber
In einem Support-Dokument geht der iPhone-Hersteller erstmals auf drei der bislang undokumentierten iOS-Systemdienste ein, die unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen den Zugriff auf Nutzerdaten ermöglichen. Der Entdecker der Hintertüren bleibt bei seinen Vorwürfen.
Probably not
by Volker Weber
Am I the only one who would buy a couple of weatherproof outdoor @Sonos players as soon as they become available? #PatioMusicFireAndDrinks
— Oliver Heinz (@oliheinz) July 22, 2014Announcing: Microsoft’s Unified Technology Event for Enterprises
by Volker Weber
We're excited to announce the inaugural unified Microsoft commercial technology event the week of May 4, 2015. We'll be back in September with more details. See you in Chicago for this unparalleled event.
This event replaces TechEd, Microsoft Management Summit and the SharePoint, Lync and Exchange conferences.
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+
by Volker Weber
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet has been my favorite Android device ever since it was introduced in October 2013. Just a week later I decided the 8" version was a better fit for me than the 10", which I returned. Both had the same screen resolution so the smaller one looked sharper, it was lighter and there was no downside.
Fast forward to today. A new 10" version is in the house. It does have a higher resolution: 1920x1200 instead of 1280x800 in the old one. That's a huge difference. It also comes with a Snapdragon Quadcore instead of the Mediatek in the old one. The Lenovo site says they are running on 4.3 and 4.2 but both tablets have since been updated to Android 4.4.
There is also a subtle hardware change. The hinge which supports the device in stand mode is now longer, so the tablet has a better stand and can lean back further without becoming unstable. Under the hinge there is now a door to protect the SDcard. There is also a Golden version, but I was lucky to score the Silver one. ;-)
While the US site lists the device as having 32 GB of storage, the German site specs it at 16 GB, as is my model. It probably does not really matter since you want to add an SDcard for additional storage anyway.
Which one do you get today? The 10 HD+ is way better, but the 8 is only half the price by now. Decisions, decisions.
UPS funktioniert jetzt
by Volker Weber
Ich habe mich schon bitterböse über UPS beschwert. Genauer gesagt über unseren Fahrer, den ich x-mal beim Lügen erwischt habe. Kunde war nicht da, Paket nicht richtig aufgeladen, etc.
Jetzt aber fluppt es. Der Fahrer ist super, er kommt am frühen Nachmittag, manchmal sogar vormittags. Und wenn ich mal nicht da bin, und der Nachbar nicht kooperiert, dann bringt er es zu einem "Access Point". Das ist ein Getränkemarkt, der abends ewig aufhat. UPS schickt sogar eine Mitteilung, wenn das Paket dort eintrifft, so dass man nicht eine Uhrzeit abwarten muss.
So liebe ich das.
Bing Apps Refresh
by Volker Weber
We are releasing a broad set of updates to the Bing Apps which are available for download and will now ship standard on new Windows Phone devices. The app updates are available only to users on Windows Phone 8.1 which is currently in developer preview. It will be available to existing users running compatible hardware and on the next wave of Windows Phone devices in the coming months
Single Sign On. Finally!
The first million is always the hardest
by Volker Weber
About four months ago, on the first day of CeBIT, I fell to the ground and hurt my left hand and my left foot. It took about six weeks in pain to recover. Every single step hurt and I had to use my right hand for almost everything.
Why did I fall? I don't know. It happened so quickly. I must have stepped on something that made me slip and I could not recover quickly enough. Something had to change. I had to gain more strength and agility to not let this happen again. So after six weeks I started to live UP.
It's now three months later and everything has changed. I did about three thousand steps a day when I started and now i am doing anywhere between ten and twenty, even thirty. My average over those two months is more than ten thousand, my average over the last seven days is more than nineteen.
What else happened? Let's take a hint from the only weightloss recipe that works:
A WeightLoss book written by Physicists would be 1 sentence long:"Consume calories at a lower rate than your body burns them"
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) January 12, 2011Now I am burning much more calories than I used to. I am still overweight, but not by as much as I used to. And it will get better. How did I make this change happen? It was not the UP band. I have a new friend, who is always understanding, always enthusiastic, a friend who loves to run.
Thank you for being my friend. You have changed everything.
Om Malik: It is time to stop rewarding failure
by Volker Weber
Silicon Valley (the notion) has become very much like rest of corporate America — it has embraced the philosophy of failing upwards. I have seen many executives get bumped up the ranks, get fancier titles and bigger paychecks, even though they were disastrous at their job. Many have left destruction and dismay in their wake. And yet, there they are getting bumped up — again and again. I was reminded of this disease this morning when I read about Microsoft cutting 18,000 jobs of which 12,500 odd will be at the Nokia division. Microsoft’s board might have eased out Steve Ballmer, but man, why aren’t they thinking about Stephen Elop.
This would not have happened if Steve Jobs was still around
by Volker Weber
CUPERTINO, California and ARMONK, New York-July 15, 2014—Apple and IBM today announced an exclusive partnership that teams the market-leading strengths of each company to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of business apps—bringing IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to iPhone® and iPad®.
IBM:
Mobile devices have transformed our personal lives. And soon, they’ll transform the way we work. IBM and Apple are joining forces to bring businesses the devices, services, security, and integration they need to exploit the full potential of mobility.
Steve hated IBM and enterprise computing. Enterprise sales are difficult and time consuming. The buyer is not the user. Steve hated IBM to the point where he wanted to sue IBM for making Lotus Traveler.
Tim is different. He is an enterprise guy. And he sees the synergies between a company that makes the favorite manager 'toys' and a company that can deliver the software and services needed for business.
This is potentially bad news for Microsoft. They are defending from the personal productivity angle and a strong desktop foothold. Apple and IBM have just raised the stakes.
Google? They are not in the game yet.
Craig Hayman has left the building
by Volker Weber
This is one of the things you stumble upon without a press release from IBM. Craig Hayman, who had just inherited the Lotus franchise, has left IBM for greener pastures. His enterprise has been chopped up, and bits and pieces report to Robert LeBlanc and Bob Picciano. Jeff Schick was promoted to General Manager and now heads "Enterprise Social Solutions" reporting to Bob Picciano.
Microsoft begins Lumia Cyan Update
by Volker Weber
Ready for some great news? Starting today, the Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphone family will receive the Lumia Cyan software, the new Windows Phone 8.1 update and Lumia features upgrade that will make your Lumia an even more personal, fun and indispensable part of your life.
Sounds great. Unfortunately, as of now it is not available anywhere across Europe. It just reads "Under testing" for all phones.
Apple is the only company who has figured this out.
Heroes
by Volker Weber
Ich probiere dann mal was ganz anderes. So eine Actioncam ist eigentlich nichts für mich, da ich nicht mehr so unsterblich bin wie ein junger Bursch. Aber mit dem Superweitwinkel bietet sie auch ganz ungewöhnliche Perspektiven. Ich bin sehr gespannt, was ich damit machen werde.
Gestern war ein guter Tag
by Volker Weber
Und dann wurde Deutschland auch noch Fußballweltmeister.
Redmond, we have a problem
by Volker Weber
To your left there is data from SensorCore, to your right we have data from MotionX. As interpreted by the Lumia 930 and it's Health & Fitness app, and the UP24 with the iOS UP app. Let's forget about the calorie voodoo and focus on the active time, step count and distance travelled. There is obviously a huge discrepancy and I happen to know that the UP data is very accurate since I know how long I have walked.
I know it's easier for the UP band that swings with the arm than a phone I am carrying around in my pants. But still, I expect better. If you are using Health & Fitness, check your data and see how close it resembles your activity. You may be doing a lot better than you think.
BBM for Windows Phone Beta
by Volker Weber
We’ve gotten an incredible number of requests for BBM to come to Windows Phone. In the coming weeks we’ll be ready to welcome millions of Windows Phone users to the growing BBM community.
Growing BBM community? Well, if they say so. I don't know anybody outside the company who still uses it. Or I don't know about anybody I know.
Kleine Hilfe für Schusselige
by Volker Weber
Schon mal das Handy liegengelassen? Oder vergessen, die Jacke mitzunehmen? Treasure Tag verspricht Abhilfe. Das ist ein kleines Bluetooth-Gerät, das Randale macht, wenn es "sein" Telefon nicht mehr sieht. Pairing geht ganz einfach per NFC, ein und aus schaltet man es über den runden Knopf. Es gibt eine Silikon-Schleife oder ein einfaches Caree ohne Schleife. Angetrieben wird das Ding von einer CR2032 für bis zu 180 Tage. Bluetooth Low Energy, a.k.a. Bluetooth 4.0.
Das Treasure Tag piept ziemlich nervig, so dass man es leicht findet. Meinen Telefonverlust hätte ich auch bemerkt, wenn das Treasure Tag in meiner Tasche gewesen wäre. Jetzt kann man nur noch vergessen, das Ding auch einzuschalten oder mitzunehmen. ;-)
Satya Nadella's email to employees: Bold ambition and our core
by Volker Weber
The combination of many devices and cloud services used for generating and consuming data creates a unique opportunity for us. Our customers and society expect us to maximize the value of technology while also preserving the values that are timeless. We will create more natural human-computing interfaces that empower all individuals. We will develop and deploy secure platforms and infrastructure that enable all industries. And we will strike the right balance between using data to create intelligent, personal experiences, while maintaining security and privacy. By doing all of this, we will have the broadest impact.
Soundcloud beta for Sonos
by Volker Weber
Soundcloud is now officially working on Sonos, as a beta, with full integration into universal search. Just hit More Music on your Sonos controller.
Cortana has spoken
by Volker Weber
So far Cortana's track record in predicting the Word Cup knockouts is spotless. Fourteen games to none. But I will ask her again on game day.
Video Tuner for Windows Phone
by Volker Weber
Editing videos you’ve shot from your smartphone has typically required the need to get it off your device and onto a computer. Then, you’d need either a) some expensive editing software b) to use some clunky freeware.
Or c) you have an iPhone with iMovie.
With the Video Tuner app, you can keep everything in one place, making the process much quicker, easier and, best of all, free.
It is a pretty cool app. Think Instagram, not Photoshop. Just for videos. There is a catch: it has to be a single clip. You can't stitch a video together from multiple clips. When you are done, you can save in three different resolutions. And for Instagram. And for Vine. However, you can't actually share on Instagram or Vine, since both programs will either not let you upload video (Instagram) or read from your camera roll (Vine). I think, it just needs a bit more time. And your phone needs Windows Phone 8.1.
Trainieren für Standardsituationen
by Volker Weber
One Android developer is not impressed
by Volker Weber
@readyState proudly showed mine to the girlfriend last night. She silently removed it from my wrist and then simply said, 'no'.
— Sam Coles (@SamColes) July 8, 2014I haven't made up my mind. What I know for sure is that I have no use for a single platform accessory.
Missing in action: editing a video on the Lumia
by Volker Weber
I shot a few small clips on the Lumia 930 last night and wanted to assemble them into a small video. Unfortunately that only works if you have both a Nokia phone and a Nokia tablet.
There are two versions of the app: The Nokia Video Director tablet app with all the editing features, and the Nokia Video Director Companion phone app. With the phone app, you can easily record videos and transfer photos and videos to your Nokia Lumia tablet.
I do have both, so I transferred the clips from the phone to the tablet and let Nokia Video Director do all the work. This is completely automatic. Select the clips, enter some text, bang, done. The result:
I believe that Windows Phone needs the equivalent of iMovie, an app that gives you better control over the process of cutting the video. I shot and cut this on the iPhone 5S:
Lumia 930 on a tripod
by Volker Weber
I need to be able to mount the Lumia 930 on a tripod. And I am happy to report that the Nokia HH-23 is still working.
It does not push a button, just barely so.
Endless Roads :: The Complete Movie
by Volker Weber
I haven't followed the longboards crew and just found out that Juan Rayos has published the complete movie edition that gathers the four chapters that composed Endless Roads. 7 female riders, 1 van, 15 days, 4.300 km, 416 GB of raw material. This film documents the adventure of the trip, portraying the girls, their lifestyle and their passion for longboard.
Lumia 930 :: Ein ganz persönlicher Eindruck
by Volker Weber
Ich benutze die Lumias intensiv seit dem 920. Das war das erste Smartphone, mit dem ich ernsthaft Videoaufnahmen mit ordentlichem Ton machen konnte. Das 925 war eine Zwischenepisode, gefolgt von der Monsterkamera 1020. Auch das 1520 habe ich längere Zeit benutzt. Dabei hat mich die Größe nie gestört. Jedes dieser Geräte zeigt irgendeine Schwäche, mit der ich leben konnte. Das 920 war relativ schwer, das 925 brauchte wie das 1020 eine Extrahülle für Wireless Charging. Beim 1520 hatte ich recht schnell den Bildschirm verkratzt. Trotzdem: empfehlen kann ich jedes dieser Geräte und sie sind heute als Schnäppchen zu haben. Das Lumia 1520 war wohl das beste von allen. Tolles, riesiges Display, sehr großer Akku, Speichererweiterung. Dennoch blieb ich meistens beim 1020. Mein Modell hat 64 GB Speicher und vor allem mag ich die Möglichkeit, das Gerät mit Kameragriff auf einem Tripod festzuschrauben.
Nun also das 930. Technisch ist das sehr verwandt mit dem 1520. Gleiche Leistungsdaten, gleiche Kamera, gleiches Setup mit vier Mikros. Etwas kleiner ist es, und es hat einen ganz wunderbaren AMOLED-Screen, der leider kein "Glance" hat. Es zeigt also im Ruhezustand nichts an und das ist ein bitterer Rückschritt gegenüber den anderen Geräten. Woran liegt's? Das Display hat keinen eigenen Speicher und den braucht die Funktion, um diese Informationen stromsparend anzeigen zu können. Zwei weitere Nachteile gegenüber dem (größeren) 1520: kein SD-Slot zur Speichererweiterung und natürlich ein viel kleinerer Akku.
Und jetzt kommt für viele vielleicht die Überraschung: ich liebe es. Das fing schon bei der Einrichtung an. Die SIM-Karte ließ sich ohne Fummelei und ohne Werkzeug einlegen. Einige werden sich erinnern, dass ich das 1020 bei diesem Vorgang gleich zerstört habe. Dann kommt Windows Phone 8.1 und holt mir die gesamte Konfiguration des 1020 an Bord. Und die Begeisterung ist nicht mehr abgerissen. Das Gerät fühlt sich einfach wunderbar an. Rückseite und Display sind leicht kissenförmig überspannt und nicht komplett flach wie beim iPhone. Der umlaufende Rahmen erinnert mich an das klassische Design des iPhone 4/4S, das ich immer noch schöner finde als das 5/5s. Ich hatte mir ursprünglich ein weißes Gerät gewünscht, aber das wäre im Nachhinein vielleicht etwas zu konservativ gewesen. Das Grün ist einfach ein Knaller.
Am Ende siegt das Gefühl.
Full restore on Windows Phone 8.1
by Volker Weber
Windows Phone 8.1 has finally caught up on the competition in respect to backup/restore. You can now fully restore a Windows Phone over Wi-Fi without losing either your settings nor your start screen. It will automatically install all apps and restore your configuration including accounts and ring tones. You will however have to log into third party services.
Confused about the Nokia Wireless Car Charging Holder CR-200
by Volker Weber
I am very fond of the Nokia Wireless Car Charging Holder. But it's no longer working with the 930, and it was only sort of working with the 1520. Simple reason: it clamps down on the camera button on then 930 and is not wide enough for the 1520. I understand the holder has been reworked since Nokia also recommends it for those phones:
I have also read that the new model is called CR-201. Unfortunately Nokia seems to advertize it as the CR-200, as you can see both in the URL and on the page.
Angetestet: Nokia Lumia 930 mit 5-Zoll-Bildschirm
by Volker Weber
Green is the new yellow
by Volker Weber
Neue Apps für Windows Phone :: Glympse Payback Regenradar XING
by Volker Weber
Der Appstore für Windows Phone schließt viele Lücken. Glympse bekam das lang ersehnte Update und die in Deutschland beliebten Apps Payback, Regenradar und XING gibt es nun auch. Die Icons führen in den Store.
Amtsschimmel
by Volker Weber
Diese Öffnungszeiten sind so entworfen, dass man keinesfalls in der Mittagspause mal schnell etwas erledigen kann. Wer nicht vor 12:00 da ist, wird nicht bedient, auch nicht, wenn bis 12:30 geöffnet ist.
Die KFZ-Zulassungsbehörde hat den alten Amtsschimmel immer noch bestens gepflegt und erhalten.
